Rough Draft Puritans Essay Example for Free

Rough Draft Puritans Essay In the middle of the 1600’s, from around the 1630’s to about the 1660’s the Puritans were fleeing to America for mostly religious reasons. Many of them came to set up what is called the Massachusetts Bay colony. John Winthrop was the leader of this colony. They believed religion was the key to the perfect community. Puritans had many influences on the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies using their religious values. Puritans had so many influences on the political outcome of the New England colonies. The form of government they had created was almost like a theocracy, where God’s law is law. A lot of the New England colonies didn’t want this at all. Nathaniel Ward (doc G) was trying to tell them that the state laws needed to go along with the morals of the church, or a lot of bad things might happen. Even though Ward stated this, a lot of the colonies already had religious tolerance so they didn’t base the laws from the church morals. In â€Å"Limitation of Government,† John Cotton (doc H) is saying that the government shouldn’t be all that good because any ‘mortal’ man will abuse it. This is sort of like a democracy, which the New England colonies will develop a government almost like this. Roger Williams (doc F) says that states should only have one religion each. If they acquire more than one religion, it could only begin a war. This basically shows that puritans were not very tolerant of other religions. Quite a few people believed there should be religious tolerance, people like Roger Williams, who was sent to Rhode Island by the Puritans. Then Rhode Island became one of the first colonies to obtain a separation of religion and state, which made it a colony for freedom of religion.

Performance of Raspberry-Like Gold Nanoparticles (Au RLNPs)

Performance of Raspberry-Like Gold Nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) Improvement of Stability and Catalytic Performance of Raspberry-Like Gold Nanoparticles by Silica Coating High Catalytic Performance of Raspberry-Like Gold Nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) and Enhancement of Stability by Silica Coating Kiouk Seo, Hien Mai Duy and Hyojong Yoo* Abstract. The raspberry-like gold nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) synthesized through the reduction of HAuCl4 by the use of NaOH and Brij35 surfactant show high catalytic activities in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and ethanol electrooxidation. The enhanced catalytic activities of Au RLNPs are mainly due to their high surface area. However, Au RLNPs easily change to the spherical or aggregated nanoparticles in a treatment with acids, thiols, and cationic surfactants (ex, CTAB)), and are difficult to sustain the catalytic activities. To improve the stability and applicability, Au RLNPs core–silica shell nanoparticles (Au [emailprotected]2 NPs) were successfully synthesized in solution without losing their original morphologies through a simple solution-phase sol-gel process with the assistance of surface-stabilizing polymeric agent (Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)). In comparison with Au RLNPs and other Au nanoparticles, Au [emailprotected]2 NPs could be more easily recovered and recycled in the repeated catalytic reactions. Keywords Raspberry-like gold nanoparticles (Au RLNPs), Silica coating, Catalytic reduction, Ethanol electrooxidation, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) 1. INTRODUCTION Noble metals have gained much attention over the past two decades due to their potentials in a wide variety of applications including energy conversion[1][2], chemical and biological sensing[3], and bioengineering[4]. Tremendous research efforts have been devoted towards the exploration of how to design nanomaterials with varied topographies that has led to the discovery of their fundamental size-, shape-, and component-dependent properties and the development of new applications[5][6][7]. Moreover, it has theoretically and experimentally found that arrays of asymmetric surface features, particularly deviations from spherical geometry, mainly impart unique anisotropy in material properties7. Apparently, to achieve such desired anisotropic topographies strict control is required. Conversely, this leads to a generation of particles with novel properties from the same materials by simply tuning the particle morphology. Furthermore, anisotropic geometry offers numerous unique features an d functionalities that are either difficult to obtain or even hardly obtained by simple size-tuning in spherical counterparts. Morphology of nanoparticles also strongly affects the catalytic performance. This is due to the surface anisotropy possessing a high density of low-coordinated atoms such as steps, edges, and defects serving as catalytically active sites which can markedly affect chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles[8]. Among those colloidal gold (Au) nanoparticles exhibit not only highly tunable architecture-dependent optical properties but also show excellent performance and high selectivity in a variety of heterogeneous green catalytic processes [ref][9][10]. For a better stability, catalytic performance, and reusability of Au nanoparticles, engineering new nanocatalyst system is thus considered one of the most critical tasks. Recently, in our group, we successfully synthesized raspberry-like gold nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) with rich edges and high surface areas through the reduction of HAuCl4 by Brij35 surfactant under basic condition in a controllable fashion [ref]. The synthesized Au RLNPs possess high surface areas and show the unique, highly-red shifted surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) due to the rough, raspberry-like surface of Au RLNPs. These structures also have high surface energies due to their plenty of tips and edges. These nanoparticles are stable and retain their raspberry-like geome try in basic or neutral conditions; however gradually reshape to the spherical geometry under a specific circumstance such as acidic condition. In order to exploit the unique shape-dependent properties of the Au RLNPs in a variety of catalytic applications, further modifications of nanoparticles such as endowing core-shell structure are thus required. Metallic nanostrutures of several different shapes have been coated with silica since the silica shells used as the coating material show substantial enhancement in the stability of the metal cores, particularly in aqueous solvents. Moreover, metallic nanostructured surface can readily functionalized by subsequently coating with silica and using silane-coupling reactions [ref]. Additionally, silica shells are chemically inert, transparent in the visible and IR regions of the spectrum, and readily converted to mesoporous layer [11]. For the direct encapsulation of Au nanoparticles within silica shells, the conventional techniques is employing coupling agents with silane group for the growth of silica shells on the surfaces of as-synthesized Au nanoparticles via the Stà ¶ber method [ref]. However, we experimentally found that directly applying this method to coat Au RLNPs brought challenges since the unusual size changes of Au RLNPs without disturbing the rough surface occurred. Herein, we report the synthesis of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs in solution through a simple solution-phase sol-gel process. To protect the high-energy surface of Au RLNPs, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used prior to the condensation of TEOS as a polymeric stabilizer. Au [emailprotected]2 NPs showed great enhancement in stability under the strongly acidic condition. The catalytic performance, recovery, and reusability of both Au [emailprotected]2 NPs and Au RLNPs were investigated using the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as a reaction model. We also found that and Au RLNPs were capable of electrocatalyzing alcohol oxidation reactions in alkaline media. 2. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS 2.1. Reagents Polyoxyethylene glycol dodecyl ether ((C2H4O)23C12H25OH, Brij35, Acros Organics), hydrogen tetrachloroauratetrihydrate (HAuCl4†¢3H2O, 99.9%, Sigma–Aldrich), polyvinylpyrolidone ((C6H9NO)n, PVP10, average mol wt 10,000, Sigma–Aldrich), 4-nitrophenol (O2NC6H4OH, 99%, Sigma–Aldrich), sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 97%, Sigma–Aldrich), ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH, 28-30 wt % ammonia, Sigma–Aldrich), tetraethyl orthosilicate (Si(OC2H5)4 98%, Sigma–Aldrich), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide ((C16H33)N(CH3)3Br, 99%, Acros Organics), (3-mercaptopropyl)methyldimethoxysilane (CH3Si(OCH3)2CH2CH2CH2SH, 95%, Alfa Aesor), HCl, HNO3, and ethyl alcohol were used as received. All stock solutions were freshly prepared before each reaction. Prior to use, all glassware was washed with Aqua Regia (volume ration of 3:1 of concentrated HCl and HNO3; Caution: Aqua Regia is highly toxic and corrosive and must be handled in fume hoods with proper personal protection equ ipment) and rinsed thoroughly with deionized water. 2.2. Synthesis of raspberry-like gold nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) Au RLNPs with the mean size of approximately 60-70 nm were prepared according to our previous literature [ref]. Briefly, an aqueous Brij35 solution (1 mL; 19.3 wt%) was well mixed with NaOH (aq) (100  µL; 100mM) by shaking for 30 seconds. To this mixture, HAuCl4 (aq) (50  µL; 10 mM) was added, and shaken vigorously for 1 minute. The pale yellow reaction mixture then turned to blue within 5 minutes at room temperature. To make sure a complete reaction, this mixture was allowed to react for over 20 minutes before being collected by centrifugation (5 min; 13500 rpm), and redispersed in deionized water. 2.3. Synthesis of Au RLNPs@SiO2 NPs The preparation of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs was as follows: firstly, the as-synthesized Au RLNPs were dispersed in 1 mL of deionized water. Next, 0.235 mL polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP10) aqueous solution (128 mg of PVP10 in 10 mL of deionized water) was added to the Au RLNPs solution. The resulting mixture was then stirred at room temperature for 12 hours to ensure complete adsorption of PVP on Au RLNPs. Afterward, the PVP-capped RLNPs were purified by centrifugation (5 min; 13500 rpm), and redispersed in solvent mixture containing 1 mL deionized water and 7 mL ethyl alcohol. In the next step, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS, 0.03 mL) and ammonium hydroxide (0.2 mL of 14.8 M NH4OH (aq.)) were sequentially added to the PVP-capped Au RLNPs aqueous solution and the reaction mixture was further stirred at room temperature for 4 h. After the completion of the reaction, the resultant Au [emailprotected]2 NPs were centrifuged, and purified by repeatedly washing in ethanol and centrifugation. 2.4. Catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol The catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) over nanoparticles in the presence of NaBH4 was carried out to assess the catalytic activity. In a typical experiment, 2 mL of deionized water, 1.7 mL of 0.2 mM 4-NP, and 1 mL of 15 mM NaBH4 solutions were mixed in a quartz cuvette followed by the addition of 1 mL of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs solution. The color of solution changed gradually from yellowish to clear as the reaction proceeded. UV-Vis spectra were recorded at a 5-minute intervals to monitor the progress of the reaction. 2.5. Ethanol electrocatalytic oxidation All electrochemical measurements were carried out in a conventional three-electrode cell at ambient temperature (~25ËÅ ¡C) using WPG 100e Potentiostat (WonAtech Inc.). The fabrication of working electrode is as follow: Prior to electrochemical experiments, glassy carbon (GC) electrode was sonicated in ethanol and deionized water successively. 10  µL of RLNP suspension was dropped onto carbon disk and the solution is dried at room temperature. Platinum and Ag/AgCl were employed as counter and reference electrodes, respectively. With an aqueous mixture of 0.5 M KOH and 1.0 M ethanol as electrolytes, at least 10 cycles of cyclic voltammetry were carried out before recyclable voltammograms were recorded. Throughout the cyclic voltammetry experiments, the potential window was between -0.2 V and 0.8 V. Prior to experiments, the electrolytes were degased by bubbling with nitrogen for 30 min. 2.6. Characterization The nanoparticles were imaged using a Hitachi S-4800 scanning electron microscope (SEM), and a JEOL JEM-2010 Luminography (Fuji FDL-5000) Ultramicrotome (CRX) transmission electron microscope (TEM). Samples were prepared for TEM by concentrating the nanoparticle mixture by centrifuging twice for 5 min at 13500 rpm with resuspension in 100 ÃŽ ¼L nanopure water and immobilizing 10 ÃŽ ¼L portions of the solution on Formvar-coated Cu grids. Extinction spectra were recorded with a UV-vis spectra spectrometer (UVIKON XS). Solution pH was measured using an Orion 420 A+ pH meter. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Initially, the highly monodisperse Au RLNPs with controlled diameters ranging from 60 to 70 nm (Fig. 1a and S1) [Images and size distribution of RLNP] were prepared according to protocols developed previously.ref Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was then employed as a primer and a direct growth of silica onto the PVP-capped Au RLNPs to obtain Au [emailprotected]2 NPs was carried out using solution-phase sol-gel method with TEOS as a precursor. PVP, which have been often used as a surface-stabilizing polymeric agent to prepare spherical Au core – SiO2 shell nanoparticles,ref was used to protect the high-energy surface of Au RLNPs. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs (Fig. 1b-d) show the well-established core-shell structure in which the as-synthesized Au RLNPs were uniformly and individually encompassed within silica shells whereas still sustaining their rough and edge-rich surfaces advantageous to catal ytic performance. The average diameter of individual Au [emailprotected]2 NPs was xxxxx (xxx particles was evaluated, Fig 1e). With respect to RLNPs cores, the average size was nearly similar to that of RLNPs before silica-coated (Fig S1). The UV-Vis spectra plotted in Fig. 1f, a noticeable broadeness in the corresponding surface plasmon bands in Au [emailprotected]2 NPs compared to that of Au RLNP were observed. It is well know that the weaker and broader surface plasmons are observed,, due to the change of refractive index of surrounding environment after silica coating step[b1].ref [Fig 1] High catalytic efficiency of Au nanocatalysts were mainly due to their high roughness and plethora of edge-rich surfaces and corners.ref Thus it necessitates assessing whether catalytically active surfaces of the synthesized nanoparticles are stable in various environments. HCl, CTAB, and MPTS were introduced into the colloidal solution of the as-synthesized RLNPs in order to understand the stability of Au RLNPs in different ambiences. Fig. 2 shows typical SEM images displaying changes in geometries of Au RLNPs as adding diverse reagents. It is experimentally observed that Au RLNPs collectively changed to spherical nanoparticles with the smooth surface as adding HCl (Fig S2)ref corresponding to a blue-shift in UV-Vis spectrum toward approx. 520 nm which can be assigned to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of gold nanospheres. This phenomenon could be attributed to the oxidative etching effect which has been employed to control the size of other noble nanostructures in recent papers [12] [13] [14]. Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 2a, much agglomeration occurred as adding CTAB. However, it is interesting to note that the aggregation also occurred without disturbing their raspberry-like motifs, as adding MPTS (Fig. 2b). The SPR changes shown in UV-Vis spectra (Fig. 2e) further confirmed this aggregation. The introduction of such reagents, which might affect the hydrodynamic layer thickness of Au RLNPs, accounts for this unusual alteration in particles size. The [emailprotected]2 NPs however exhibited no geometrical change when HCl was added. As shown in Fig. 3a, SEM images show that the [emailprotected]2 NPs still retained their original raspberry-like morphology without any observable agglomeration. This observation is also consistent with results obtained from UV-Vis spectra (Fig. 3b) that there was no detectable shift in SPR peak of the core-shell nanoparticles after HCl had been added. Ethanol comprises a lower toxicity, a higher theoretical energy density (8.01 kW.h kg-1) than methanol (6.09 kW.h kg-1) and formic acid (1.74 kW.h kg-1), and fewest environmental issues[15] [16]. Moreover, ethanol is a renewable source that can be easily produced massively from the chemical industry or fermentation of biomass. In this study, electrooxidation of ethanol [HM2]in KOH solution was performed to probe relative electrocatalytic activities of the synthesized nanoparticles. Fig. 4 shows the cyclic voltammograms of RLNPs, HCl-etched RLNPs[HM3], and [emailprotected]2 NPs for ethanol electrooxidation. It is clear that the RLNPs exhibit almost substantially higher electrocatalytic performance with a forward oxidation current (iF) value of 0.56 mA compared to that for HCl-etched RLNPs (iF, 0.07 mA). The high electrocatalytic activity of the RLNPs is attributed to the existence of high energetic surfaces in raspberry-like morphologies. However, [emailprotected]2 NPs did not show an y electrocatalytic activities over the entire potential window. This is explained that silica shells hindered the electron transfer between gold cores and electrode due to silica shells are insulating. The catalytic reduction of 4-NP to their corresponding derivatives, 4-aminophenol, in the presence of NaBH4 was chosen as a model reaction in order to evaluate the catalytic activity of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs. It is well established that the reduction of 4-NP by NaBH4 is thermodynamically feasible but kinetically restricted without a catalyst. The reduction progress was monitored by UV-Vis absorption spectra after the addition of catalysts. The characteristic absorption peak of 4-NP aqueous solution was located at 400 nm after NaBH4 had been added. First of all, in the absence of catalysts the reduction reaction of 4-NP did not proceed even with a large excess of NaBH4. However, when catalysts were introduced, the reduction of 4-NP was clearly observed. The absorbance of the reaction mixture at 400 nm gradually decreased as the reaction proceeded, along with the concomitant increase of 300 nm peak, corresponding to 4-aminophenol. Fig. 4 illustrates the UV-Vis spectra changes of 4-N P as a function of reaction time in the presence of Au RLNPs (Fig. 4a) and Au [emailprotected]2 NPs (Fig. 4c). Fig. 4e shows the change in concentration of 4-NP was plotted versus time, providing a general view to compare catalytic activities of Au RLNPs and Au [emailprotected] ­2 NPs (Ct: absorbance of 4-NP at specific reaction time, t; C0: initial absorbance of 4-NP as catalysis starts). The Ct/C0 is measured from the relative intensity of absorbance (At/A0). As can be seen, Au RLNPs exhibited comparatively higher catalytic activity than their core-shell counterparts, possibly owning to silica shell hindering the diffusion of reactants onto inner gold active sites. Interestingly, in the presence of HCl, the catalytic activity of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs however was not only improved, but also dramatically higher than that of Au RLNPs which was suffering from the morphological change, leading to severe degradation of active sites (Fig. 4e). In addition, we also investigated the d egree of reusability of the two catalysts. As shown in Fig. 5, the catalytic efficiencies of Au RLNPs decreased remarkably after reused 3 times whilst Au [emailprotected]2 still retained good catalytic performance for as far as 7 cycles. It is apparent that the stability and reusability of Au RLNPs were improved significantly after encapsulated into silica shell, resulting in maintenance in their catalytic activity. 4. CONCLUSIONS Acknowledgments: This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2011-0008968). This research was also supported by Hallym University Research Fund 2012 (HRF-G-2012-3) References and Notes 1 [1] Linic, S.; Christopher, P.; Ingram, D. B. Nat. Mater. 2011, 10, 911. [2] Jiang, R.; Li, B.; Fang, C.; Wang, J. Adv. Mater. 2014, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201400203. [3] Zhang, Y.; Guo, Y.; Xianyu, Y.; Chen, W.; Zhao, Y.; Jiang, X. Adv. Mater. 2013, 15, 3802. [4] Tokel, O.; Inci, F.; Demirci, U. Chem. Rev. 2014, 114, 5728. [5] Tawfick, S.; Volder, M. D.; Copic, D.; Park, S. J.; Oliver, R.; Polsen, E. S.; Roberts, M. J.; Hart, A. J. Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, 1628. [6] Jones, M. R.; Osberg, K. D.; Macfarlane, R. J.; Langille, M. R.; Mirkin, C. A. Chem. Rev. 2011, 111, 3736. [7] Sau, T. K.; Rogach, A. L. Adv. Mater. 2010, 22, 1781. [8] Quan, Z.; Wang, Y.; Fang, J. Acc. Chem. Res. 2013, 46, 191. [9] Zhang, Y.; Xiao, Q.; Bao Y.; Zhang, Y.; Bottle, S.; Sarina, S.; Zhaorigetu, B.; Zhu, H. J. Phys. Chem. C 2014, 118, 19062. [10] Liu, X.; He, L.; Liu, Y.-M.; Cao, Y. Acc. Chem. Res. 2014, 47, 793. [11] Park, J.; Yoo, H. Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 2014, 185, 107. [12] Li, B.; Long, R., Zhong, X.; Bai, Y; Zhu, Z.; Zhang, X.; Zhi, M.; He, J.; Wang, C.; Li, Z.-Y.; Xiong, Y. Small 2012, 8, 1710. [13] Liu, M.; Zheng, Y.; Zhang, L.; Guo, L.; Xia, Y. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 11752. [14] Chiu, C.-Y.; Yang, M.-Y.; Lin, F.-C.; Huang, J.-S.; Huang, M. H. Nanoscale 2014, 6, 7656. [15] Hong, W.; Wang, J.; Wang, E. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2014, 6, 9481. [16] Antolini, E.; Gonzalez, E. R. J. Power Sources 2010, 195, 3431. [b1]When gold NPs’ re encapsulated within silica, there’s generally red-shift in the absorbant peak of SPR. Please check this data once again. [HM2]In Fig. 4, I think it better to insert the 2 images of RLNP and Hcl-etched RLNPs to say that the latter surface is not as edge-rich as the former. [HM3]Considering how to name RLNPs whose morphology was change to sphere as adding HCl

What Is Operations Research Essay -- essays research papers

This is an Engineering Research Paper. What is operations research? Operations research is the application of the methods of science to complex problems arising in the direction and management of large systems of men, machines material, and money in industry, business, government and defense. The distinctive approach is to develop a scientific model of the system, incorporating measurements of factors such as chance and risk, with which to predict and compare the outcomes of alternative decisions, strategies or controls. The purpose is to help management determine its policy and actions scientifically. (Ravindran, Phillips and Solberg 1987). How does operations research apply to highway systems inefficiency? Let’s find out! â€Å"Automakers don’t build roads and governments don’t build autos, yet we expect cars and roads to mesh together seamlessly to form a transportation network.† For year’s automakers and regional transportation planners have been working to put information age technology to work solving traffic problems. All over the world people are choosing to travel by automobile because this flexible mode of travel best meets their needs. But grid locked expressways threaten to take the â€Å"mobile† out of â€Å"automobile.† This presentation will try to show reasons why our expressways are so congested, what the Federal Highway Administration proposals are to alleviate congestion and the advantages and disadvantages of these proposals under review. Firstly what are some of the causes of urban highway congestion? Rush hour traffic is one of the leading contributors of highway congestion. It isn’t our imagination. Every year commute times to work take longer and longer. Since 1986 car travel has increased almost 40%, while highway capacity has barley grown. As a result most major interstate routes in Metropolitan areas are jammed during rush hours. Grid locked cost Americans almost the equivalent of $51 billion a year in lost wages and wasted fuel. And the situation is only going to get worse. (Steisand, Betsy. 1996). What causes rush hour traffic? Simply put, at specific times of the day be it in the morning or evening motorists in general are either on their way to work or home. There is such a glut of vehicles on the expressways at this time. They all need to get to their destinations at peak times of the day. It is a simple equation: Too many cars incorp... ...napp. Crain’s Chicago Business. , v 22 no2 (Jan. 11 ’99) p. 13. (4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Moving forward smartly: The role of ITS in the NEXTEA† by: Jeff, Lindley. Public Roads. , Wntr 1997, v60 n3 p57(4). (5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Message in a bottleneck: It’s time to start charging rush hour commuters† by: Betsy, Steisand. U.S News and World Report; Dec 30 1996, v121, n26, p47(2). (6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Fighting road rage† by: William B. Cassidy. Traffic World,v. 251 (Aug. 11 ’97) p. 31. (7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"For Florida a second chance† by: William C. Vantuono. Railway Age. , v. 196 (Apr. ’95) p. 59-60. (8)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Actual hands-off steering- and other wonders of the modern world† by: Bob, Bryant. Public Roads; Nov-Dec 1997, v61, n3, p32(6). (9)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"91 Express ways do not work well† by: Mackprang, Peter and Harry, Parker. American City and County. , v. 114 no12 (Oct. 1999)p. 6. (10)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Operational models and traffic control in intelligent vehicle systems† by; Zhang, L. Transportation Research PartA: Policy and Practice; (Jan 1997), v31, n1, p64.

Corporate Average Fuel Economy Essay -- essays research papers

Corporate Average Fuel Economy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The foreshadowed Market Failures of the mid 1970's gave way to Corporate Average Fuel Economy, regulation which would call for new standards in automobile fuel efficiency. The market failures hinged on a number of outside variables which could have had a drastic effect on domestic markets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resource Scarcity drove the American public to call for a more efficient means of managing its resource use due to a) oil embargos on nondomestic products and b) skyhigh prices at the pump.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conservation of the world's non-renewable resources cams to the foreground with a) higher pump prices and b) forecasted resource expenditure before the year 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With Corporate Average Fuel Economy in place the market failures should be partially alleviated and pressures due to restricted international resources should subside. The regulated fuel efficiency should allow the market to resume its national flow and regain stability without further manipulation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reliance on imported fuels would be minimized because of the a) decreased demand for fuel consumption and b) lowered fuel demand allowed for domestic producers to meet the basic needs of the public.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maximum fuel efficiency would a) cut the amount of fuel consumption thus nullifying high pump prices and b) raise the level of conservati...

The Impact of War In Britain :: essays research papers

The Impact of War at Home When war was declared, there were no celebrations. Instead the government took immediate action, and emergency powers, everyone was issued with gas masks in 1938. The bombing power of the Germans was something that was feared greatly by those that remembered the first war, and by the government, who knew that German bombers were now very advanced. Between the 1st and 3rd of September over one million people were evacuated, as the government were particularly worried about immediate bombing of built up and industrial areas. The majority of evacuees were children from poorer homes in larger cities. Their lives changed dramatically, they had to move to a whole new world in the country. However, as from September 1939 – May 1940 was the Phoney War, meaning no bombs were dropped, almost half the evacuees had been returned by the beginning of The Blitz, many of which had to be evacuated again. Mothers could accompany children under 5, but any child older then that was housed by foster parents, who received an allowance from the government. Children who were evacuated had good and bad experiences, depending on what their foster homes were like. Preparations had been made for the expected bombing, bombers were more accurate now then in the first war and the government prepared people by building bomb shelters and setting up volunteer organisations to deal with the air raid threat. There were 1.5 million Anderson shelters given away by September 1939, which were put in gardens and covered up. There were also over one million Morrison Shelters issued in 1941, a Morrison Shelter was a steel mesh box to contain a mattress, and could be kept in the living room. Air raid wardens and Auxiliary fire services were trained in Air Raid Precautions, the blackout was imposed, as were Anti Aircraft guns and Barrage Balloons to force bombers higher, sirens were put up to warn of attack and the WVS was set up to help women with injuries and comfort. Britain managed to survive The Blitz. Government films and statements only showed the bravery and fighting spirit of the civilians and reports were censored if they gave numbers or photographs of the dead. The major target areas for the Germans during The Blitz were London, Birmingham, Bristol, Merseyside, Southampton, Sheffield, Cardiff, Hull, Plymouth, Belfast, Clydeside and Coventry. In the summer of 1941 German bombers were needed for the invasion of the USSR and The Blitz came to an end, though air raids continued and by Summer 1941 more civilians had been killed in the War then British soldiers.

Body Image in Society

Destiney McCraney Ms. Wills English 100 19 September 2012 Go Against the Grain Remodel your nose, show your chest, and bend over for the camera. This is basically the message society is sending to women today. If you conform to the world’s idea of what a woman should look like then you will be accepted. In the two articles â€Å"The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery† by Camille Paglia and â€Å"The Beauty Myth† by Naomi Wolf, the way women have responded to the message from society is discussed from both perspectives.Wolf is clearly against women's confinement to societal pressures. She reveals that there is a â€Å"secret underlie poisoning our freedom,† referring to the way women focus on appearance and fitting in (Wolf 10). Paglia's argument focuses on the extent of women using plastic surgery to become what they believe society wants them to be. She writes about the way women have made themselves their own â€Å"works of art,† taking plastic surgery t o higher levels in the industry. Wolf emphasizes the way women have changed their values over the years.She makes an emotional appeal by concluding that the â€Å"contemporary ravages† are â€Å"destroying women physically and depleting us psychologically†(Wolf 19). Over time, society has influenced women to confine themselves to what the world believes is beauty instead of embracing the power of being a woman and focusing on their place in the economy. The first image portrays a woman who is perfectly proportioned yet still uncomfortable with her body. The woman in the ad has her hands behind her back as if she’s nervous about people seeing her in the bikini she’s wearing.The light blue color of the background symbolizes renewal instead of the sadness that would be portrayed from a darker blue; losing weight creates a brighter future. The bend in her leg reveals her shyness as she looks towards the weight loss product, feeling like she has to use it in o rder to be confident. The fact that she isn’t comfortable after she has lost 25 pounds and is wearing a black bikini reveals the extremes that our society force us to go to in order to be accepted.If it isn’t one part of the body, it’s another. The phrase â€Å"jealous exes† is used to draw attention to the product giving a perspective on what women feel is important these days. Just by looking at this ad it is implied that most women want to make all their exes jealous, not become a CEO of a company. The ad as a whole, pin points how the world thinks women should want to look. Why 25 pounds and not 5? Why is she still uncomfortable? The pressure from society creates this never ending cycle of conformity to the ideal woman.It seems as though women today have shifted their attention to issues that shouldn’t matter. Many women are concerned with â€Å"physical appearance, bodies, faces, hair, clothes,† bringing attention to the relationship be tween â€Å"female liberation and female beauty. â€Å"(Wolf 9) The pressures of society have influenced women to believe they all need to resemble one another. The media always tends to focus on skinny models, light-skinned women, long-haired women, and tall women when they refer to the word â€Å"beauty. These are the types of women that are scarce in our society because everyone obviously isn’t born that way. Most of our society is filled with women who have curves, like the plus sized models of today, or who have darker skin compared to the famous models with fair complexions. The spotlight on the preferred image of women in society causes them to think they have to be just like that vision in order to be accepted. In the image I have chosen, there are two different women who both won a beauty contest in different areas of the world.One woman is skinny with long, blonde hair in her face, while the other has curves and dark, shorter hair out of her face. The woman with curves is more conservative with her outfit and her make-up. She is wearing a bikini, but covering her bottom with a wrap and her make-up is more natural. The skinny woman on the other hand is showing off her body in a bikini and her make-up is on heavier than the other woman’s. The women in our society today feel like they can’t achieve certain goals in life without being the world’s ideal women, but according to this image, it is possible.The plus sized woman in this image is a great example of an empowering figure for women in our society because she is confident with her body and makes the statement that it is okay to love you the way you were born. Who is to blame for women thinking they constantly need to change themselves to fit in? Why aren’t women comfortable with their bodies? When people like the media are repeatedly beating you up for being yourself you tend to change if you are not confident. The media exploits women through ads, magazines, a nd â€Å"pornography† and the women of today are allowing it to happen (Wolf 10).There are only a hand full of women who aren’t ashamed to go against the grain and be proud of who they are. In the photo of J-woww, the magazine is criticizing her for moving her leg a certain way causing her cellulite to show. She is wearing a pink bikini that shows off her tattoo and tanned skin. The magazine points out that she can’t cover up every flaw with tattoos and tanning oils implying that she is full of imperfections. In the eyes of many other people she has a nice body, but according to the media she needs work done. As long as she is comfortable with her body their opinion doesn’t matter right?Wrong. Many people look at this in a magazine and agree because society has taught us to judge one other the same way they judge us. In the words of Wolf, these obsessions are â€Å"poisoning our freedom,† women in earlier days worked hard and sacrificed for women t oday to have the power and money they have, but the way women today feel about themselves leaves them â€Å"worse off than our unliberated grandmothers† (Wolf 10). Society has conned women into focusing on beauty and acceptance instead of being empowered and useful in the economy.Women are usually projected as sex symbols that should always look a certain way. It is rare to see a woman in a movie or magazine with a professional outfit on that isn’t showing too much skin. A woman wearing a nice skirt with a blazer and a shirt buttoned all the way up is a great icon to other women because it shows how you don’t have to have your chest out and be exploited to be important. The image portraying a professional woman flexing her arms like a man would shows how women can have power without conforming to society’s expectations.The way her mouth is open gives the impression that she is excited to be in the position she is in, and comfortable with herself as a woma n. The workplace has more women in it now than it did years ago, and more women need to start taking advantage of this new opportunity. Over the years women have been influenced to confine themselves to the ideals of society. Women are constantly judged and criticized forcing them to change themselves when there was no need to. There are not many women who will stand up and go against what the world thinks, embrace the power of being as woman, and take heir rightful place in the economy. If there is going to be a change it has to start with the women not the men, the media, friends, or society as a whole. â€Å"If we are to free ourselves from the dead weight that has once been made out of femaleness, it is not ballots or lobbyists or placards that women will need first; it is a new way to see. (Wolf 19). Works Cited Paglia, Camille. â€Å"The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery. † Harper’s Bazaar (May 2005). Print Rpt in Convergences. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 20 09 Print Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. New York: Harper Collins, 2002. Print

Mobile Phone Companies Analysis

Nokia is a leading mobile device manufacturer globally and has a high market share. Maximum population in India prefers using Nokia handsets as it is user friendly. It can use its customer’s goodwill and loyalty to diversify in the mobile network market in India. The communications sector in India has transformed into a multi-player and multi-product market that has diverse market size and segments. In order to diversify in to new market, Nokia needs to develop a marketing plan which will give them the idea what factors to be considered before entering the mobile network sector. The marketing plan includes all the factors that need to be undertaken. They are market analysis, competitor analysis, and environmental analysis, and customer analysis, internal and external factors.The mobile network market is growing rapidly and has good opportunities for new entrants to enter market and gain market share. Though there is much opportunity in this market, there are some threats such as threat from existing competitor, high customer churn rates, etc. After conducting a Porter's 5 forces model on Nokia, I felt a PESTLE analysis would analyse the macro environment of Nokia.These are all the external forces that are out of Nokias' control but have a significant effect on how the company operates and the strategic decision they make. This model looks at the Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors relating to Nokia and the industry they operate in. To understand the macro environment more this article will study each section in depth. After the completion of planning stage of marketing plan, an organization has to go through next stage which is strategic options. It deals with various key issues that a firm needs to look at. They are marketing objectives, Strategic objectives, Marketing mix, STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) process, Distribution process and Value chain. Nokia was founded over 140 years ago in Finland, a nd since then has become a global organisation that operates in over 120 countries worldwide.Nokia has also become a market leader in the mobile telecommunications industry and is most known for their mobile phones and Smartphone’s. Although recent competition has affected the market share that Nokia has in the telecommunication industry they still hold a strong  29%(2011) of the market share in a forever changing industry The micro environment is the internal factors that are affected by the customers, staff, shareholders and competitors. The best model for evaluating the micro environment of Nokia is Porter’s 5 forces as this takes into consideration the competitors, customers, suppliers and new entrants.Company Overview:The company was founded in 1865 by Frederick Idestam. The company began a paper mill in Tammerkoski in southern Finland. Frederick Idestam then built another mill by the Nokiavirta River where he gave the name Nokia to the mill in 1871. Originally, the Nokianvirta River was named after a dark furry animal, locally known as the Nokia – a type of marten. Following a major industrial force, the company merges with a cable company (founded by Eduard Polon) and a rubber firm (founded by Arvid Wickstrom) which sets Nokia on the new path of electronics. Nokia’s first electronic device was a pulse analyzer designed for use in nuclear power plants in 1962.Their interest in telecommunication systems began in 1963 when they started developing radio telephones for the army and the emergency services, prior to the manufacturing of televisions, radio phones, data transfer equipment, radio link, analyzers and digital telephone exchange. Nokia will change its production and focus on the telecommunication expertise until it becomes the core of its future work.To move to mobile: In 1979 Mobira Oy was the first phone maker. They begin life as a joint venture between Nokia and leading Finnish television Salora. The Mobile phone rev olution started in 1981 with the launch of the first Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) service. The phone industry began to expand rapidly and Nokia introduces its first car phones followed by the portable in 1986.Mobile revolution: In 1992, Nokia decides to focus on its telecommunications business. This happens when Jorma Ollila becomes CEO of Nokia and he chooses to concentrate on telecommunication industry. In the 1990’s, the rubber, cable, and  consumer electronics divisions, were therefore sold. Nokia’s only business turned towards the manufacturing of mobile phones and telecommunications systems. The strategy of Jorma Ollila was to create a new era of telecommunication on a long term vision.1. PESTLE Analysis of NokiaPolitical:The Political factors relates to the factors which the government also affects such as government instability or rules and regulations which the business must follow. Nokia have recently moved one of its manufacturing facilities to India, and because of this it is important that Nokia follow the rules and regulations that are set in India, so that they can operate as efficiently as possible.The types of things they will have to be aware of is the minimum wage, the maximum hours a week employees can work and especially the Health and Safety regulations; this is to avoid any bad press or revolt from employees that will ultimately damage the reputation of Nokia both short term and long term. As well as foreign government it is vital that Nokia have a good relationship with their government in Finland, as any political instability such as a change in government or coalition may result in new laws being implemented, which will affect Nokia a lotEconomical:Nokia are vital to the Economy in Finland as it currently occupies a third of the market on the Helsinki stock exchange. The organisation is so important to the economy of Finland that the government had to step in when the business, earlier this year Nokia planned job cuts in Finland and with fears of what that would do to the economy the Finnish government stated they were prepared to help find jobs for those who are sacked (Reuters, 2011).Nokia will also have to be aware of changes in exchange rates, as they operate on a global scale and drastic changes in rates can have a devastating effect on the financial operations of the company if the business do not take appropriate steps to ensure the effects are minimum. The threat of recession  on western economy has also had an effect on the interest rates in banks, which means the cost of borrowing money for business activities has increased and Nokia will need to be aware of the changes in interest rate.SocialWith Nokia mainly operating in the Western market it is important for them to fully understand the social factors in these markets and the main factor they need to understand is the culture of the society; which is to have the latest and most up to date phone, is considered a key fashion icon. C onsumers are always after the most innovative and best looking Smartphone because in today’s culture people are judge on how fashionable they are by their choice of mobile phone. The increasing trend in Smartphone means when consumers purchase new mobile phones less and less consumers are choosing the standard mobiles phones over Smartphone because of the social trend in today’s society. Nokia will be aware of this and may now spend the majority of their efforts developing a Smartphone that can compete with their rivals’ products, in order to keep up with the trends of their consumers.Technological:The technological advances in the industry are vital to the success of any new Smartphone in the market that is continually growing, as the level of competition rises Nokia must ensure that their Smartphones are at the highest level of innovation. With functions such as camera, internet, social networking and email all necessities on Smartphones Nokia will have to thi nk of other functions to help differentiate and stand out from its rivals.As well as function more and more consumers are looking at the software running all the functions as a key indicator of the success and quality of the Smartphone, so Nokia’s alliance with Microsoft for their latest Smartphones seems a very good move as everyone are aware of the technological capabilities of Microsoft and the value they can add to any technological product. In the past Nokia were the market leaders in innovation in the mobile phone industry, however in recent times they have seemed well off the mark and struggle to compete with their rivals. This is why Nokia must consider their position in the industry and attempt to once again become the  market leader by offering a new innovative capability and get to the market before its rivals.Environmental:In today’s culture it is very important for organisations to be seen as environmentally friendly and ethical with its manufacturing, b ecause of the global effect it has on global warming so Nokia must ensure that they operate in an appropriate manner. With mobile phone recycling organisations becoming more and more popular, this demonstrates how important people are regarding it. The main issue with mobile recycling is the disposal of the batteries in the phones as these can become dangerous if not disposed of appropriately.Legal:Intellectual property is the key to any technological business and must be cared for and protected to the fullest amount to ensure the business does not lose out to rivals. Nokia operate in an industry where it is very difficult to have a product that is different to its competitors, when they do release a product with an innovative capability it is vital to protect the rights to it through patents, copyright, trademarks or design to ensure they are not â€Å"stolen† by their competitors.Not only are competitors a threat of intellectual, but Nokia must ensure they do not fall victi m to counterfeiters who claim to be a Nokia products but are cheap knock-offs. As Nokia have manufacturing plants in a various countries it is extremely important that they abide by the laws and regulations set by the different countries as the laws will differ depending on the country, these can be employments laws, Health and Safety or even trade restrictions.2. Marketing strategy of NokiaNokia is a leading mobile device manufacturer globally and has a high market share. Maximum population in India prefers using Nokia handsets as it is user friendly. It can use its customer’s goodwill and loyalty to diversify  in the mobile network market in India.The communications sector in India has transformed into a multi-player and multi-product market that has diverse market size and segments. In order to diversify in to new market, Nokia needs to develop a marketing plan which will give them the idea what factors to be considered before entering the mobile network sector. The mark eting plan includes all the factors that need to be undertaken. They are market analysis, competitor analysis, and environmental analysis, and customer analysis, internal and external factors.The mobile network market is growing rapidly and has good opportunities for new entrants to enter market and gain market share. Though there is much opportunity in this market, there are some threats such as threat from existing competitor, high customer churn rates, etc.MARKETING OBJECTIVES It is defined as, ‘marketing goals that the business must achieve in order to meet its wider business objectives’. Some of the main marketing objectives of an organization are to increase its market share, differentiate its products from competitors, develop brand value among its customers, and introducing new products or services in the market. The strategic objectives of an organization can be measured with the help of BCG matrix. BCG matrix helps to measure an organizations business units or product lines.CUSTOMER ANALYSIS At present, almost everyone uses cell phone. Therefore, the target segment for this market cannot be specific. Nokia needs to target population according to their usage by providing customize service plans so that the customer can select the plan which meets their requirements. They can also segment customers regionally as the usage is much more in urban market.MARKETING MIXIt is the most famous marketing term and is used by all organization to target its customers. The elements of marketing mix are the basis of a marketing plan. It includes 4 P’s for products and 7 P’s for services. They are Product, Price, Place, Promotion and extended P’s i.e. Physical evidence, People and Process for services.ProductA product is a tangible thing that is sold by an organization to its customers in order to gain market share. To gain market share a firm needs to differentiate its products from competitors, be innovative, and eliminate the produ cts which are not doing well in the market. In case of Nokia, it is a market leader in cell phone market. To gain market share and increase its customer base, Nokia is diversifying into SIM cards market. To differentiate its product from the competitors it has to use various strategies such as mass marketing. The product offered by Nokia i.e. SIM cards can be described with the service that they can offer.PricePrice refers to the amount a customer is willing to spend. It is determined by a number of factors such as market share, growth rate, competitor pricing, etc. Nokia has to keep its SIM card prices low in order to penetrate into the mobile network market. They need to offer service plans as per the usage of the customers. While pricing, Nokia needs to keep in mind different segments that they are targeting. For instance, different plan for youngsters, corporate, businesses, SBUs. They also need to constantly update its pricing in order to compete with its competitors.PlaceIt re fers to geographical area where the product is placed. It also includes outlets, distribution channel. Nokia needs to make available its SIM cards both in rural and urban areas. It can also use its geographical reach to untap the rural markets which is still not properly covered by the existing competitors. Nokia can also use its customer care centres to sell its SIM cards. Apart from this, they can provide its SIM cards to retailers and dealers.PromotionIt represents all the marketing activities that are carried to promote a product in the market. There are various mediums to promote products such as advertisements, hoardings, etc. Nokia can use various mediums to promote its SIM cards. It can use celebrities, advertisements, hoardings, sponsoring events, etc. They can also spread awareness about its SIM cards by using canopies outside colleges.SWOT ANALYSISStrengths: Huge market share: Nokia has huge market share in the cell phone sector and therefore can use its image to be succe ssful in the service provider market. World-class technology: Nokia can make use of its world class research and development team to design better network coverage for its sim-cards. Geographical Reach: As Nokia is one of the renowned brands globally, its presence in the market is very high and can use this to provide its sim-cards service to majority of population.Weakness:New in the market: As Nokia is new in the service provider market, it will be difficult to attract customers towards its sim-cards and service plans. High customer churn rate: Due to many competitors in the market and less margin to differentiate the service from competitors, customers switch from one service provider to other if they are not satisfied with its service.Opportunities:Untapped Market: Nokia is new to the service provider market and has an opportunity to explore the market. High market growth rate: As the number of people using mobile phones is increasing rapidly. There is high growth rate in the ma rket. Increase Market Share: Nokia can increase its market share by untapping the service provider market and increasing its customer base.Threats:Competitors threat: Nokia face competitors threat from market leaders such as Airtel, Vodafone and also from new entrant Aircel which has been successful to gain market share within a short period. Global recession: It led to less  amount of disposable income with the customers. Hence, customers think twice before investing his money. Market Saturation: It poses as another threat if the service provider market saturates due to financial crisis caused by recession.3. Porter’s AnalysisI. Threat of new entrants:ââ€"  The mobile phone industry is already a well established market and the threat of a new entrant is quite low, as the technology needed to rival the devices already available is quite advance if they want to differentiate from them.ââ€"  The barriers to entry in the mobile phone industry is high because any new entran ts will need high investments in R&D, technology and marketing in order to compete with the established organizations. ââ€"  New entrants want to take market share from the larger organisations but Nokia hold 29% of the market share in the industry, the highest market share in the industry. (BBC News, 2011) The threat of new entrants into the mobile phone industry is very unlikely as the start up cost of entering into the market at a high level needs a lot of investments and time to be considered a respectable competitor of the already established organisations.Nokia currently hold a 29% of the entire mobile phone market worldwide and for a new competitor to obtain some of their market will take either a very long term plan or something that is truly innovative and unseen before. This is because realistically the new entrant will need very high investment for R&D and marketing, and would not be able to publish positive result for a long time as they try to build a customer base an d a name for itself in an established market. In conclusion the threat of new entrants is very low and not a factor which Nokia will have to worry about in the near future.II. Power of suppliers: ââ€"  Although Nokia rely on its suppliers to supply equipment for their advanced mobile phones there are actually a number of large equipment makers, which Nokia could switch to. ââ€"  The software suppliers for their Smartphones are  now Microsoft, who will have a very high bargaining power. ââ€"  As the leading mobile phone company in the industry they are in a very strong position when bargaining with their suppliers. Nokia are in the position where they can bargain and negotiate with any mobile phone hardware maker because there is a high number of equipment suppliers that are readily available to them should their current suppliers attempt to bargain for more money with them.Nokia’s main argument would be the fact that they are a global organisation that has the highest market share in the industry, so the suppliers would not want to lose such an illustrious organisation. On the other hand, Nokia have recently created an alliance with Microsoft for their software which would be considered a major coup for Nokia more than Microsoft. As a result, Microsoft will have a lot of power when negotiating a price and share because the deal is more beneficial to Nokia than Microsoft. In conclusion, there is a moderate threat from the powers of suppliers because although the hardware suppliers have a very low power, Microsoft’s power over the software is very high because they’re very few other organisations who have the expertise and skills to rival Microsoft.III. Powers of buyers: ââ€"  The power that customers have is rising because of the increasing number of choices in the mobile telecommunication industry. ââ€"  With a lot of the Nokia competitors all offering similar packages (e.g. unlimited texts and calls) the industry is very price sensitive with customers seeking out the best value for money. ââ€"  Many of the consumers will also be tied into long term contracts so switching from one handset to another will be difficult and expensive for the consumer, as a result they may not want to change until the contract is finished.The mobile phone industry is a competitive market where the number of choices is very wide, resulting in the consumer having a lot of power because they can choose to go to one of Nokia’s many rivals if they feel Nokia are not good enough. As Nokia do not have a direct store to sell to their consumers, intermediaries such as Carphone warehouse or network stores such as Orange also have other handsets readily available for the consumers, which makes it difficult for Nokia to have a direct impact on the selling of their handsets. As a result this has created a very price sensitive market because consumers will always be on the lookout for the  best deals. In conclusion, the buyers h ave a high amount of power because of the other handsets they can purchase instead of Nokia.IV. Threats of substitute’s products:ââ€"  Mobile phones are an everyday essential in people’s lives today and people would find it hard to replace, as customers would not be able to be in constant contact when away from the house. ââ€"  On the other hand, it could be said that customers would be able to contact people through others types of media such as social networking websites, email and home telephones. Although staying in constant contact would be hard in customers’ day to day life. ââ€"  However, smart phones are capable of a lot of functions so there are many substitutes if the substitute focuses on one of the functions, e.g. digital camera can take better photos then smart phones, notebooks can surf the web just as effectively and PDAs can plan a day the same way a smart phone can. Mobile phones have become an everyday necessity in peoples’ lives b ecause of the important functions that they can do and are all available in just one handset.No other product has the ability to make phone calls, send messages, surf the web and many more in one device. The idea of being in constant communication with someone at anytime and anywhere makes the mobile phone a very important device to people. On the other hand, a mobile phone can be dissected into the key function where there are substitutes for the functions, such as the camera function on a mobile phone can be substituted for a digital camera which can do a better job than the camera in a mobile phone.In conclusion, the threat of a substitute product is very low due to the fact a mobile phone is no longer just for making calls but for all the other function as well are expected on all mobile phones. So, the only real substitute is to buy all the functions of a mobile phone in the individual products which would not be plausible to carry all around on a person at the same time. Witho ut mobile phones consumers would find it very difficult to replace, as it can offer so much to the consumers all in one device, no matter what the needs of the consumer are. Consumers rely on mobile phones a lot and would not be able to find a substitute that has all the function of a mobile phone.V. Competitive rivalry:ââ€"  Nokia rivals have moved to smart phones and androids while Nokia have only just recently released their first smart phones leaving them trailing their rivals such as Apple and HTC. ââ€"  There is also very little differentiation between the competitors which means any new smart phones in the market, like Nokia Lumia, will find it difficult to tempt existing iphone and HTC customers to switch. ââ€"  Intense competition from large companies such as; Apple, HTC, Blackberry, Sony Ericcson and LG, ect. Nokia operate in an industry where the competition is extremely fierce with high investment in R&B and marketing to compete with some of the biggest organisatio ns in the world. This year Nokia’s market share has dropped to 29% and it is forecast to continue to fall because of the rising popularity of the Apple Iphone.After Nokia’s slow move into the Smartphone market it has left them trailing their rivals, and has just released their Lumia range which will find it difficult to compete and win over consumers from their Iphones. In conclusion, competitive rivalry is very high and Nokia must be aware of the threat that competitors have on their business especially with the growing popularity of the Apple iphone and RIM blackberry. The competitive rivalry is the biggest threat to Nokia because in the Smartphone market they are considerably behind and to increase their market share will take a lot of work in a market where some of the biggest names in business operate in such as Apple and Sony.Competitive environments of Nokia For more than a decade, Nokia has been the iconic leader in the industry. However, the iPhone revolution (as well as the growth of a fully vertically integrated and higher next important step in this process of assessing the external environment will be to show the current picture of Nokia’s competitors. Hardware:  hly diverse group like Samsung) has disturbed the industry.The latest data clearly highlighted several crucial points: Firstly, Nokia reported smartphone sales of about US$ 3.4 billion for Q2 2011, while Apple’s iPhone revenue totaled US$ 13.3 billion; this makes Apple the leader  of the industry as it shipped 20 million iPhones. It is also important to understand that the average sale price (ASP) of an iPhone is more than US$ 600, while Nokia reports a smartphone ASP of around US$ 200. Secondly, Nokia was previously the market share leader, having more than one-third of the worldwide smartphone market in Q2 2010. However, one year later, this figure has decreased to only 15.7% and Nokia is the only brand that has lost market share, reporting a negative gro wth of 30%.The chart above shows the operating profits from the sale of mobile phones among the main vendors. During the second quarter of 2011, Nokia, Motorola, Sony-Ericsson and LG saw losses and did not manage to generate a profit by selling phones. During the same period, RIM and Samsung saw their shares slightly decrease but Apple grew substantially and this company now represents two-thirds of the industry with operating profit of 66.3%.From the same graph, we can also confirm that Motorola and LG are frequently making losses; this may explain why Google bought Motorola last month and why LG is considering exiting the industry before the end of 2011. The chart above clearly confirms that Nokia’s problems are not recent; it shows the change in profit share over a four-year period and we can see that Nokia has slowly lost profits and market shares to Apple. As of September 2011, Apple is currently taking 84% of the profits generated by modern smartphones; this means that Nokia’s main source of revenue is the low-end classic mobile phone.Software: The OSThe previous section highlighted the fact that Nokia saw its market share and profits decrease over the last four years, and during the same period, Apple and the iPhone took 84% of the overall profits. By studying the operating system (OS), as well as the applications that are developed by the industry, we will be able to understand how its new competitor, Apple, surpassed the previously successful Nokia. SymbianSymbian v9 was launched in 2005 and in December 2008, Nokia bought Symbian Ltd., the company behind Symbian OS and made it an open source system. Nokia’s Symbian platform market share increased to 47% but in 2010 it started to plateau and is now declining sharply, currently representing less  than 16% of new mobile phone operating systems. Symbian was mostly used by the Nokia Group and other manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.Symbian remains the most us ed OS due to its very large installed based (more than 500 million mobile phones). However, Google’s Android has emerged as a significant challenger to the superiority of Symbian by providing a developer-friendly OS combined with better innovative functionalities, a better user interface and coming from a consumer-friendly brand (Android by Google). AndroidGoogle’s Android was launched as a free and open source operating system in 2008 and within two years, it grew from having 0% to 21% of the market share. As of 2011, Google’s Android operating system is installed on 130 million devices and it is used extensively by leading smartphone manufactures like Samsung, Motorola and HTC.Windows Phone 7The Windows Phone 7 was showcased at the beginning of 2010 and represented a significant upgrade to the struggling Windows Mobile 6 OS. Early signs were mixed but the OS was generally well received and Microsoft also created important new features like Zune, Bing, Xbox Liv e and Windows Marketplace. However, the Windows Phone arrived late on the market in comparison to the Apple iOS or Android and the OS was not free and fully open source.In August 2011, during his keynote speech at the 2011 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer admitted that Microsoft simply hasn't gained any traction and that Microsoft has failed. Based on the latest figures from Nielsen, Windows Phone 7 sales only represent 9% of the market, compared to 38% for Android and 27% for the iPhone. In order to picture this incredible landscape modification in terms of the OS, both graphs below show how the top smartphone platform has moved from Symbian to Android in fewer than 4 years.Mobile applications: The previous sections described how the Nokia ecosystem Symbian failed to compete with Apple or Google. In this section, we will see how this issue also affected the developer community and therefore the applications available on Nokia’s mobile phone s and smartphones. Firstly, by analysing  the number of applications available in the Nokia application store (called OVI) we can see from the graph below that OVI has only 46,000 applications when Android or Apple have over 300,000 applications. However, we can also see from the same graph that the trend is slowly growing, confirming the idea that some developers remain interested in developing applications on Nokia’s Symbian platform, even though this platform is less competitive than Android or Windows Phone 7.Conclusion:Nokia’s strategy to diversify from cell phone manufacture to Nokia mobile network will be a great success. Moreover, it can use its goodwill and loyalty of people towards Nokia cell phone to use its sim-cards. As majority of service provider’s focus on urban areas, Nokia can use its geographical reach to uncap the rural market.In order to diversify its business in to mobile network market, Nokia needs to make use of its leading mobile phone s manufacturer image. As Nokia has build loyalty among its mobile phone users, it can use this for attracting customers towards its SIM cards and thereby gain market share. Also with its world class R & D department, it can offer many services to its customers which will help them to differentiate in their service offering from its competitors. For instance, video calling, free roaming, outgoing call restriction, etc.By focusing more on rural market which is untap to a certain extent, Nokia can satisfy its customers in rural areas which most of the existing players are not successful. Also by offering customize service plans to its customers such as offering SmS package, unlimited internet package, Free Hello tune, and so on with minimum price. Nokia can also make tie-ups with existing players such as Airtel, Vodafone, Aircel in order to gain larger market share.It can also offer better deals to customers who are buying Nokia handsets on its SIM cards which will increase its sales a s well as customer base. This will help them to develop loyalty among its customers. In order to diversify in to SIM cards segment, Nokia needs to use mass marketing by implementing various promotion strategies such as Advertisements, Hoardings, Sponsoring events, canopies outside colleges and  so on. Nokia also needs to plan its distribution strategy in order to reach to maximum people. They can also use their ‘Connecting People’ tagline in its SIM card, thereby giving additional meaning to it.Thus, to diversify in to SIM card market is a better option for Nokia to increase its market share and revenue. Also this will help them to build larger customer base which will ultimately result in one of the leading brands in the telecommunications industry.