Thursday, September 19, 2019

Executive Summary of Sun Cosmetics, Inc. :: Business Management Cosmetics Australia Essays

Executive Summary of Sun Cosmetics, Inc. There are many components to a successful organization, among them is a steady flow of innovative products that are consistently produced to high standards, available to customers when and where they are needed, and backed with diligent service and support. We will demonstrate the viability of capturing a significant market share of sunscreen products Down Under. We will inform you of our unique market entrance plans, our unique product and its marketable attributes. We will layout our target markets and their demographic information, and we will conclude with the profitability remarks necessary to gain your confidence and investment. Sun Cosmetics, Inc., the parent company, was founded in 1955 and has been a publicly held company since 1973. It was incorporated in the State of Massachusetts. Any U.S. legal conflicts fall under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts state court system. It's annual North American sales of sunscreen products are in excess of $20 billion. Sun Cosmetics created Oceana's development team for the express purpose of penetrating Australia's regional markets. Its members were selected based on their cultural appreciation and adaptability, their research expertise, and their discerning abilities with both primary and secondary data. Cheri Brown, Vice President of International Operations Robert Roy, Director of International Sales & Marketing Helen Quinn, Director of Cultural Adaptation Becky Barth, Director of Research & Development Sun Cosmetics, Inc. will send two expatriate executives to F.H. Faulding & Company Limited to work in commensurate positions and pay grades. The training and marketing guidance is invaluable from both perspectives. Product introduction and formulation Due to the high incident of skin cancer Down Under, primarily originating in young children, we have developed an additive that enables parents and children to see that this sunscreen has in fact been applied to all areas of exposed skin. This additive is a coloring agent that fades approximately three minutes after application. Taking advantage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Summer Games approach, we have incorporated the additive with an olympic theme: Oceana Gold, Silver & Bronze. The coloring agents will actually be gold, silver or bronze according to the label of the particular sunscreen purchased. In addition to these choices, each color would be available in several degrees of sun protection factor (SPF): SPF4, SPF8, SPF15 & SPF30 (SPF4 being the least and SPF30 being almost total sunblock). Oceana is a non-greasy water resistant sunscreen with aloe vera gel, vitamin E and is paba free. Incidence of skin cancer The high incidence of skin cancer in Australia is the reason for our choice of this product. Skin cancer has been on the rise due to environmental issues

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Prohibition Essay example -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   English III Honors P. 1 Mrs. Robinson 4 May 2004 â€Å"Prohibition: The Noble Experiment†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Prohibition, sometimes referred to as the noble experiment, did not achieve its goals. It did the exact opposite by adding to the problems that it was intended to solve† (Thorton). It is also considered to be the thirteen years that damaged America. On January 16, 1920 one of the most disobeyed laws was put into effect. The 18th amendment, also known as Prohibition, was ineffective and caused more corruption in America with the rise of organized crime and the increase in alcohol consumption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prohibition had many different purposes; one was to reduce the consumption of alcohol by Americans. This was going to fail no matter what because if you are told not to do something only going to want to do it more. That is just human nature. It also focused on reducing crime, corruption, poverty, death rates, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America (Thorton). Not only did it not accomplish this but it did the exact opposite. And lastly it focused to improve the economy and the quality of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Theoretically Prohibition was feasible, but in reality it had too many flaws. For one it was unenforceable. This is defiantly the biggest problem. What good is law if you can not enforce it? Fiorella H. LaGuardia was a prominent New York City politician who served several terms in the House of Representatives. He said, â€Å"It is impossible to tell whether Prohibition is a good thing or a bad thing. It has never been enforced in this country.† Even he was a realist that could see that this experiment was going to fail.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prohibition was not a new concept for Americans in the 1920’s. In fact, it was part of society since the 1600’s. The feminist movement originated early in the 1800's. Until the 1870's, however, feminine involvement in the temperance effort was largely peripheral. The Women's Crusade of 1873 and the organization of the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1874 marked the formal... ...ed 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Behr, Edward. Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Arcade Publishing, 1996. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bowen, Ezra, Ed. This Fabulous Century: Vol. 6. New York: Time Life Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1969 3. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Constance Garnett.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New York: Bantam, 1981. 4. McGrew, Lang. â€Å"History of Alcohol Prohibition.† Online. 13 April 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.druglibrary.org./schaffer/LIBRARY/studies/nc/nc2a.htm. 5. McWilliams, Peter. â€Å"Prohibition: A Lesson In The Futility (and danger) Of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prohibition.† Online. 13 April 2004. http://www.mcwilliams.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  com/books/aint/402.htm 6. Thorton, Mark. â€Å"Policy Analysis: Alcohol Prohibition Was A Failure.† Online. 17 July 1991. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-157.html Prohibition Essay example -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   English III Honors P. 1 Mrs. Robinson 4 May 2004 â€Å"Prohibition: The Noble Experiment†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Prohibition, sometimes referred to as the noble experiment, did not achieve its goals. It did the exact opposite by adding to the problems that it was intended to solve† (Thorton). It is also considered to be the thirteen years that damaged America. On January 16, 1920 one of the most disobeyed laws was put into effect. The 18th amendment, also known as Prohibition, was ineffective and caused more corruption in America with the rise of organized crime and the increase in alcohol consumption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prohibition had many different purposes; one was to reduce the consumption of alcohol by Americans. This was going to fail no matter what because if you are told not to do something only going to want to do it more. That is just human nature. It also focused on reducing crime, corruption, poverty, death rates, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America (Thorton). Not only did it not accomplish this but it did the exact opposite. And lastly it focused to improve the economy and the quality of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Theoretically Prohibition was feasible, but in reality it had too many flaws. For one it was unenforceable. This is defiantly the biggest problem. What good is law if you can not enforce it? Fiorella H. LaGuardia was a prominent New York City politician who served several terms in the House of Representatives. He said, â€Å"It is impossible to tell whether Prohibition is a good thing or a bad thing. It has never been enforced in this country.† Even he was a realist that could see that this experiment was going to fail.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prohibition was not a new concept for Americans in the 1920’s. In fact, it was part of society since the 1600’s. The feminist movement originated early in the 1800's. Until the 1870's, however, feminine involvement in the temperance effort was largely peripheral. The Women's Crusade of 1873 and the organization of the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1874 marked the formal... ...ed 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Behr, Edward. Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Arcade Publishing, 1996. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bowen, Ezra, Ed. This Fabulous Century: Vol. 6. New York: Time Life Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1969 3. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Constance Garnett.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New York: Bantam, 1981. 4. McGrew, Lang. â€Å"History of Alcohol Prohibition.† Online. 13 April 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.druglibrary.org./schaffer/LIBRARY/studies/nc/nc2a.htm. 5. McWilliams, Peter. â€Å"Prohibition: A Lesson In The Futility (and danger) Of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prohibition.† Online. 13 April 2004. http://www.mcwilliams.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  com/books/aint/402.htm 6. Thorton, Mark. â€Å"Policy Analysis: Alcohol Prohibition Was A Failure.† Online. 17 July 1991. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-157.html

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Company Introduction, Market Segmentation, and Product Positioning Essay

The key to successful product implementation in today’s national enterprise system is the effective marketing of a new product with the company’s line of existing products. As stated by Lacobucci (2012), marketing is defined as an exchange between a company and its customers. The customer wants something from the company or firm and vice versa. In previous times, a company would manufacture a product they thought the customer would want or need. The customer purchased that product because of a pending need, which basically meant that marketing used to be product oriented. However, marketing today is more that an advertisement for goods and services in an attempt to attract new business. We live in a customer orientated and empowered marketing environment. We realize the importance and ramifications of having an exchange with our customers and developing a relationship with them. It is this exchange of information between our company and our existing as well as future customers that secures our position in our target market. Our company is a regional tool distributor located in the northeastern section of the United States. Our customer base consists of several major retailers, nationally known in the retail and wholesale tool industry. We used the brand label Blue Steel Tools for marketing and distribution of our products to discuss the implementation of an effective plan to market a new product line, the Illuminated Power Wrench. This paper will analyze market, identify our market segment for sales distribution and discuss the reasoning for the segment. Discussing the target market and why the targeted customers were specifically selected. We will do the SWOT analysis; describe the unique market position and the expected service provided in meeting the needs of the target audience. 1. Identify the marketing segment for the product and provide a rationale for this segment. The definition of a market segment as stated by Lacobucci (2012) is a group of customers that shares similar inclinations towards our brand. To define market segment further for our needs, it is an identifiable group of individuals, professionals or organizations that share one or more characteristics or needs in an otherwise homogenous market. In our case, our product will have a very wide market of consumers and small business owners and employees. Therefore we will need to reduce the market segments to larger chunks. Market segments generally respond in a predictable manner to a marketing or promotion offer. The market segment for the new product will vary widely due to the versatility of our product usage. Our main segment approach will focus on the wholesale distribution to retail repair supply stores who carry lines of tools for resale to the private and business consumer. These market segments will include businesses such as Lowes and Home Depot, retail tool distributors such as Harbor Freight Tools, automobile parts stores such as Advance Auto Parts and tool catalogue companies such as great Northern to name a few. As we analyze this segment we ask the question if this segment is viable and can we profit from using it. Other considerations are accessibility and measurability. This segment is small enough to manage our sales and distribution, but large enough to reach the ultimate user of our product. This market segment possesses the potential and versatility to sell and distribute our product to the target consumer market with a widely diversified audience in the retail industry. The bases for this segmentation include similar demographics, geographical locations, and psychological make-up of customers and behaviors of users/purchasers. In other words, the customer base for our segments meets the desired user of our end product. Anyone who builds or repairs something whether they are a novice or professional is a potential customer. Therefore, by using this method of market segmentation for product distribution, we will successfully sub-divide a large homogenous market into clear identifiable and manageable segments that have similar needs, wants or demand characteristics indicated by Lacobucci (2012). 2. Discuss the target market and provide rationale for this target market. The target market defined is the particular market segment at which a marketing campaign is focused. As stated earlier, this product has been designed for the retail tool industry. We have targeted segments in the industry that will be the most successful in reaching the consumer and generating a demand for our product through steady sales. Lacobucci stated the first perspective in assessing segments target is to have a view of the segments themselves and the primary concern is the segment be profitable. This in turn will become a profitability issue for our company as we continue to hold a place in the small tool market and generate profits with continued sales. The second perspective examined was if the market or segment fit with who we are. In this case the answer is yes. The ultimate target for this product is the consumer. The greater exposure we have, the higher propensity for sales growth. The illuminated ratchet screw driver is a quality tool for use by not only the novice home self repair person; it will also meet the needs of the professional repair person, no matter what the industry. The illumination system in the handle of the wrench will appeal to the vehicle mechanic working in the close quarters of an engine compartment, the electrician repairing the circuit breaker box, the computer repair technician working in between electronic circuitry as well as to the basic consumer performing handy maintenance projects. This tool will come with the standard wrench lugs and have availability to accessories such as wrench tips to enhance its versatility to meet the needs of a wider target audience. The wider target audience is customers of our targeted market segments. Therefore the target market is our pathway to the ultimate user of the product is consumer sales. The strategic sales objective of these retail establishments coincides with our strategic vision of reaching the ultimate user of our products, satisfying their needs and increasing the likelihood of additional product sales. 3. Perform a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities and treats) for the company. As we move forward in the marketing of our product, we need to our own corporate strengths. Lacobucci (2012) suggests the use of a SWOT analysis in identifying our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The strengths and weaknesses characterize our company in relation to competitors where the opportunities and threats characterize the broader environment such as the tool industry, suppliers, the government and etc. Our strengths are in our track record in t he tool industry. We have provided quality products at competitive prices. Another perceived strength is in the management of our company. The senior management of Steel City Tools has provided a strategic vision with clearly defined attainable goals for market position and sales. However a perceived threat is in the foreign market. A number of tool company’s efforts have been over shadowed with a cheaper duplication of products from foreign markets. The US has been plagued with a reduction in the manufacturing industry due to globalized markets, elimination of trade barriers and outsourcing. The end result is our market segment (distributor) could purchase a similar product cheaper and increase their gross margin and not purchase our product for resale. Another threat we are not prepared to react to is loss of a major distributing customer. With more and more businesses merging, we could lose a distribution source with no warning. One of our weaknesses is we have focused on sales east of the Mississippi, thus limiting market expansion. However, this could be turned around as a future opportunity for market expansion. An easy way to expand our market is to establish a retail division and use infomercials through the cable television network to accept mail order/telephone order select product sales such as our new illuminated power wrench. However, a marketing effort of this nature would require careful consideration must be given to the geographical area so as not to alienate our primary segment customers. A move of this nature would require additional capital investment and careful analysis of this type of expansion would be necessary to minimize risk of project failure. The SWOT is useful in clarifying our marketing questions. The key is to address our shortcomings so as not to give the competition an upper hand and not raise concerns with our customers and capitalize on our strengths for continued success. 4. Create the market position for your product and service. Explain your rationale. Product positioning, according to the Encyclopedia of Business, involves the tailoring the entire marketing program to include product features, distribution, price, quality and service to meet the needs of the consumer within the specific market segment. In this manner, the product positioning is part of the overall market segmentation. Product position takes place in our distributors store, or target market segment and tells us how we can strive most effectively in that market segment against our competition which are also present on display. The key is to understand the consumer perceptions of the product and the marketing behind it. Quality, reliability, affordability, unique features, benefits to the customer is just a few attributes of product positioning. According to Lacobucci (2012) positioning is often about modifying the four P’s of marketing (position, price, place and promotion). In the case of our company, our reputation is a reflection of the position to provide a quality product at a competitive price while leading the market in innovation. Our company performance is attributed to the quality of our employment staff. Our employees are at the core to our success. We have established core values for our company’s work force by creating a positive work culture with recognition of the whole person concept. The strategic leadership from the top on down to the employee fosters productivity with reward and recognition to enhance their performance in support of the company operations to include our marketing efforts. Thus the positive and proactive personality of our company in meeting its marketing objectives is a direct reflection of the quality of every member of the Blue Steel Tool Team. As we continue to grow and develop products for sale, we position our products at a distribution sales point or market segment with the greatest customer exposure for maximum market penetration. We will service our product to the satisfaction and benefit of the customer so as not to jeopardize customer confidence as well as the business relationship with our market segment. The product we create and the service we provide are a direct reflection of not only our company, but that of our distributors. Our products are designed to meet the working needs of our professional as well as consumer clientele with a level of quality that meet or exceed expectations at the best value. References Lacobucci, D. (2012) Marketing Management: 2012 custom edition. Mason OH Market Segment Defined Retrieved from http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/market-segment. html Morley R. (2006), Trumpet Print Edition: The Death of American Manufacturing, February 2006 Retrieved from http://www. thetrumpet. com/index. php? page=article&id=1955 Reference for Business Product Positioning: Encyclopedia of Business, 2nd ed. Retrieved from http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/small/Op-Qu/Product-Positioning. html Target Market Defined retrieved from http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/target-market. html

Monday, September 16, 2019

Trip to Tadoba Tiger Reserve

CITY TIGERS MEETING THEIR COUNTRY COUSIN This meet began with me and my brother proceeding to Mumbai airport for our first flight to the orange city Nagpur. Soon after checking into the flight we caught with team bhpian and participant in the workshop (sachin. sri) Sachin Shrivastava. He was already in the city on official work and we caught up with our specific interests on the forum. We had a smooth flight and as guided by Dr. Abheek over the phone we met our cab come to pick us up from the airport. We found that it was drizzling in Nagpur and this dampened our spirits a bit thinking that wildlife spotting would be difficult in incessant rain. We proceeded to the starting point where we were to meet other participants from Nagpur. The point was Hotel Turning Point at Laxmi Chowk. Here Wild Cats member Mr. Sachet and the owner of Turning Point Mr. Amol greeted us warmly. Mr. Amol treated us to a sumptuous breakfast and some interesting tales of wildlife in the outskirts of Nagpur. Very soon another Wild Cat member Mr. Chinmay Deshpande joined us. Interestingly he was an active snake rescuer for Nagpur and he had a bagful of snakes to be released in the wild during our trip. Sachin was startled and a bit alarmed by the presence of so many venomous and non-venomous snakes around. We were amazed and excited and try to reassure Sachin. We had for the first time such a close encounter with snakes. Under the close guidance of Chinmay we were even able to handle a non-venomous snake the trinket snake easily. It was so beautiful to hold the snake. In our hands the snake seemed like a velvet rope. It is very sad that even before knowing much about snakes I had a preconceived fear of such beautiful creatures. Chinmay rightly explained that snakes have no emotion and if we humans maintain our distance and exercise caution and adequate precaution while interacting with them there is no reason why we cannot co-exist with the most venomous of snakes. Having said that he also explained that the most experienced of handlers have been bitten only by either their carelessness or overconfidence. In no time Doc. (Dr. Abheek Ghosh) popped in. As expected he was a bundle of energy and charged up the already excited bunch. Meeting him for the first time I have to say the moustache suits him well, like the whiskers of a wildcat. He had some news. The team from Hyderabad had missed their overnight train and had since proceeded by car. They would be meeting us directly at Tadoba. Another of the coordinator Mr. Akash Kothe also joined us. All of us wrapped up the breakfast meet and proceeded to our coach, which was with us for the entire trip. The coach had a banner of Wild Cats in the front, which was looking very apt for the occasion. As we were getting into the coach we could see our host Amol also getting into the mood and wanting to join us for the trip. However as had some unavoidable work in the city he could not join us. We bade him good-bye and proceeded to Tadoba. Sachin was getting nervous with so many snakes joining us in the coach although secure in their respective jars. We all joked this would be â€Å"SNAKES IN THE COACH† Indian version of the famous Hollywood movie† SNAKES IN THE PLANE†. This made Sachin all the more jittery and he tried to make himself comfortable as far away from the snakes as possible. But at every jerk and every pothole he would plead Chinmay to check if all the snakes were secure. The entire journey of about 5 hours due to bad roads after Jam was hardly felt due the non-stop banter amongst all of us. It was remarkable that inspite of our varying backgrounds and ages we all gelled in no time. This goes to shows that enthusiasm is infectious and knows no barrier. In the coach Doc treated us to a Audio Video documentary by Vidya Atreya on animal human conflict in Western Maharashtra and how it was affecting the leopard in particular. I had already read up some material on her work and research as mailed to us earlier by Doc. Doc also enlighted us on the work done by her on conservation and human leopard conflict management. We were so engrossed in our discussions and running short of time that we had skipped halting for lunch anywhere enroute. As we neared crossed Chandrapur we were saddened to see quarries for coal mining all around with massive heaps of spent mud lying all around like small hills. Doc informed us that although Chandrapur was one of the most polluted areas of our country due to the coalmines and thermal plants the tigers were thriving in the forests of Tadoba. We reached the Moharli Gate of Tadoba sanctuary at the stroke of four, which was also the closing time for entry into the sanctuary. At the gate the gypsies were ready waiting for us as arranged by Doc. Here we also met another of Doc's close friends Mr. Indraneel Pal and his friend Gaurav. Indraneel Pal was by profession a contractor for the Cement Mills around but by heart he was an avid animal lover. His in depth knowledge of animal behavior in general and the tiger in particular was astounding. We learnt that he was a regular visitor to Tadoba, sometimes 2-3 times a week. He was to Tadoba what Doc is to Pench. Doc had an excellent rapport with him and he too welcomed us with open arms. I was struck by his humility and passion towards the forest and its inhabitants. It was a great pleasure and privilege to spend two days in his company. By this time we also learnt that the Hyderabad group had run into heavy rains and bad weather leading to slow progress. Enroute a section of the highway was washed away and they were facing a roadblock in the detour due to some vehicle breakdown. At this rate they would not be able to make it to Tadoba before nightfall. The rest of us decide to proceed for the evening Safari. The sights and sounds of the forest pleasantly surprised city dwellers like us. Tadoba is known to all, for the healthy population of tigers within it but it was also very interesting to observe the wide variety of birds and insects within the reserve. Photos will tell the story here. We immediately spotted a small herd of sambar deer and a solitary wild boar. In some time we reached the middle (hattori) gate. As required entry formalities were being done, Doc asked his man Friday (Sanjay) to serve poha packets to all of us. By now our stomachs had begun rumbling due go hunger having skipped lunch earlier. The poha was delicious and warm in the foil pack. Apparently doc had made some phone calls from the coach as we were nearing Tadoba. Indraneel happened to tell us that in the morning just as he entered the reserve he spotted a leopard very close to the entrance gate. This heightened the excitement for us. He and doc explained to us that large predators like the tiger regularly mark the boundaries of their territory to highlight their presence to their rivals and reassure the females. And during monsoon due to washing away of their scent markings by the rain, they have to keep marking more frequently and as a result of which the chances of spotting the tiger is better. Both he and doc were very tuned to the various sounds of the jungle and could immediately alert us to calls made by the sambar and some birds as they communicated to convey the movement of the tiger/leopard. This gave us some indication of the movement of these predators at a distance. It also gave us an idea as to how difficult it was for these predators to hunt when their presence could be easily given away by the alarm call of the langur, a bird or some deer. In these surroundings we easily lost sense of time. Very soon it was getting dark and the guide informed us that it was time to head back to the exit. We were beginning to enjoy the experience and started to head back with a heavy heart. At that moment the gypsy we were traveling suddenly broke down. We got delighted thinking that this gave us a perfect excuse to justify our delay to the exit gate and experience the dusk in the forest. But this happiness did not last long as very soon another gypsy of our group that came along gave us a lift to the middle (Hattori) gate. At this point Doc â€Å"insisted† on staying with the broken down gypsy and it's driver till it could be brought till the exit point. All of us wished to take Doc's place so that we could also experience some part of the night in the jungle, but it was not to be. We wished Doc luck and proceeded to the Hattori Gate. There the officials were miffed with us for the delay. On learning of the breakdown they offered a makeshift towrope and sent this gypsy back to tow our broken down gypsy. Doc must have cursed his luck to see help coming so fast. As soon as the gypsy was towed into the Hattori gate we proceeded to the Moharli exit gate. Enroute we were hoping that the towrope snaps and we get delayed further. But alas none of that happened. In some time we reached the exit gate. The officials here were very upset, as we had arrived way beyond the closing time. Luckily Doc and Indraneel being regulars there somehow managed to pacify them, but had to offer some written explanation and pay some fine. We went to the MTDC resort with so many stories to tell each other. On the way Chinmay told us that once we settle into our rooms we need to feed the cobra on a frog, which could be easily seen croaking around, as it might be hungry. We settled in our rooms freshened up and soon got out to catch a frog using our flashlights. Sachin as expected refused to have anything to do with the snakes. Understanding his fear we left him alone. Luckily we managed to catch one very close to our room. Chinmay carefully opened the lid of the jar holding the cobra and swiftly dropped the frog down the jar and closed the lid. All this was a different experience for us. Stuff we had been seeing on Animal Planet and Discovery channels on TV back home was unfolding live in front of our eyes. Within the confines of the jar the frog started puffing itself and avoiding the cobra. The cobra was seeming to be dazed and not striking at the frog. Suddenly Bhanu observed that the snake was badly infected with maggots, which was not easily visible in the plastic jar earlier. It had raised its hood but not was striking the frog. Chinmay explained that this cobra had been rescued from a grain godown in Nagpur and the labourers might have attacked and injured the snake before calling him for the rescue. After a long time the cobra finally struck the frog and injected venom, but was not showing any signs of eating it. Chinmay immediately stated that we need to release the cobra in some safe area outside. By now Doc joined all of us. He had been meeting up with the Hyderabad group who had just arrived. He informed us that two members of they group Mel and Shiv were avid snake lovers and handlers and we could take their opinion on this subject. On seeing the condition of the cobra and in the absence of any facility to treat the snake they also suggested immediate release of the snake from captivity. They too joined us in our short walk outside the resort boundary to release the cobra. As soon as the cobra was brought out of the jar into the open it became very alert and agile and started moving swiftly to the foliage around. Before releasing the snake Mel gave us a short talk on various types of cobra found and mechanism to handle them. We all felt glad to be releasing the snake into its natural habitat. We went back to the rooms along with the Hyderabad group comprising of Rashmi, Alex, Mel and Shiv. They briefly related their ordeal to get here encountering washed away roads, roadblocks, bad roads and all. We had our brief introductions and learnt that all of them were avid trekkers and â€Å"fanatic† nature lovers. Here I wish to thank Doc again, as without his initiative we would never have met such an ensemble of participants. Over the days we were stunned with their knowledge of birds, insects and reptiles given their relatively young age. During our trip we could not find any insect or bird that they could not identify. Once back the room Mel was shocked to find the snakes stored in plastic containers. He sadly remarked that inspite of noble intentions many a times † SNAKES NEED RESCUING FROM RESCUERS â€Å". He asked Chinmay to keep some cloth bags handy whenever he proceeds for a rescue. Chinmay informed Mel that there have been some cases of snakes biting some handlers through the bags however he was not sure whether they were jute bags or the plastic woven cement bags. Mel suggested him to use canvas-lined bags. Mel was also not happy with the type of stick with the semicircle hook used for snake handling. He insisted on a lighter stick with a hook flattened and smoothened near the tip while handling snakes especially while going for the head catch. Mel offered to send a snake handling stick as described above within the next two weeks through somebody travelling to Nagpur. Chinmay was very receptive to all their ideas. He explained that inspite of all his efforts he was unable to get any formal training on handling snakes in NAGPUR. Whatever he learnt had been by watching some other handlers rescuing snakes and learning on the job while rescuing snakes because of his love for snakes. Mel opened the jar having the trinket snake and explained that the snake was molting (shedding its skin). This could be seen by the cloudy nature of its eyes. We had seen it many nature channels on TV but seeing this so close was an altogether different experience. He explained that the peculiar ornamental pattern (like a necklace) on its scales gave it the name of trinket snake. It was a fast snake but non venomous. The next snake he removed was the sand boa. He explained that it was a constrictor similar to the python which kill they prey by constriction and are non venomous. It was closely related to the red sand boa, which is also called, a two-headed snake as its tail also resembles it head in shape and texture. Sadly these are being hunted by poachers for their skin, which commands a price of nearly a lac of rupees in the black market. The next snake was the checkered keel back which Mel explained spends most of its time in or near fresh water lakes or rivers and feeds mainly on small fishes and water frogs. It is a non venomous but very aggressive snake and will not hesitate to strike at the slightest provocation. As it was an extremely fast moving snake Mel wisely did not open it within the room. The next snake was the Russells Viper. This too was handled from within the jar as it was one of the most deadly and fast striking snake found in India, with a strike speed of two bites per second and which along with the saw scaled viper was responsible for most of the snake bite related deaths in India. We were glad that this too was observed from the confines of the jar and not in the open. The next were the three rat snakes which were confined in a 20 lit. Bisleri jar. Struggling to get them out Mel explained that it was not advisable to store them in plastic containers as they were not suitable for the snakes and snakes at times inadvertently hurt themselves while struggling in them. Using a swiss knife he cut open the neck of the jar and got one of them out. The rat snake though non-venomous was visibly irritated and started swinging wildly. Shiv and Chinmay were helping Mel all through. They asked the resort staff to get some gunny bags for these snakes. The resort staff managed to get some bags but they were torn in places. Mel and Chinmay selected one of the bags, which appeared reasonably better than the rest and slowly got the rat snake into the bag. For the second snake Mel demonstrated the technique of placing the bag with a round PVC pipe at the neck close to the snake. The snake immediately darted into this opening believing it to be a dark hole or burrow. When all the three rat snakes were securely bagged Alex and Chinmay decided to release the snakes the next day during daylight further away from the resort near the buffer zone. After this the Hyderabad group took leave to freshen up and relax for a short while before meeting up for dinner at 10:00. Rest of us assembled at the other room, where Doc requested Akash to set up the projector and laptop for the audiovisual presentation on photography. Akash who is also a professor in an engineering college in Nagpur handled this session. His command over the subject and the simplicity in explanation of various terms used in photography had us bowled over. Every basic terminology right from Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO to Advanced image processing techniques was explained to us with live examples. Photos clicked by him and others were discussed and flaws analyzed and remedies discussed. Just as a doctor goes through an X-ray or Ecg report, Akash explained on how to study a photo through its histogram. The basics like composition of image and focusing of the image were explained in detail. Akash then went on to explain further how the processing of images is done using advanced software like photoshop elements and lightroom. â€Å"Cloning† of a different kind for image correction especially backgrounds was shown by live examples by Akash working on his laptop on images as he was giving the presentation. Akash made an important remark that only after clicking thousands of photographs does a photographer realize his shortcomings as he goes through them. He asked us to develop strong basic concepts and hone and polish our skills by clicking many pictures and analyzing them with above points in mind. We all mentally made up our minds to save up for a decent camera and gradually invest in good lenses to help us pursue this hobby in earnest. All those of us who have followed Doc's threads in various forums know him to be an excellent photographer and he too interspersed this session with his valuable insights from time to time. I would not be wrong if I said that this one session opened my eyes to photography more than ever before. Again thanks to Doc we were able to experience the â€Å"Akash Effect. † Here again we wanted to continue forever but were getting repeated calls from the restaurant staff calling us for dinner. We reluctantly took a break for Dinner with Akash promising to continue the next day after the morning Safari. We all assembled in the dining area for dinner. Dinner obviously was of limited variety but excellent quality. With our bellies full we lazily ambled to our rooms. Sachet lazily unlocked the door to the room and gave a sudden gasp. Akash who was blindly following him was startled and started rubbing his eyes. The snakes, which were so securely kept a little while back, were roaming freely in the room. Chinmay immediately took charge and grabbed one of the rat snakes and observed that the gunny bag was not very strong and that the rat snakes had made a way out through them. By now Alex and Shiv also joined Chinmay to locate the missing snakes. They found the second one in the bathroom with no signs of the third. The third one was missing. This made all of nervous and Sachin who was at a distance all this while became all the more jittery. Alex, Shiv and Chinmay made a thorough search of the entire room and declared it to be â€Å"snake free†. The two snakes were placed in the relatively clean and empty dustbin provided in the room with some weight on the lid to prevent them getting away again. The third rat snake was a juvenile and Chinmay and Alex opined that it might have slipped through the narrow opening below the door and the floor or slid out as Sachet nonchalantly opened the door. Doc asked us to wind up and go to bed, as we were booked for any early morning 6 am Safari and we would have to get up at 5 am to be at the gate on time. Doc also informed us three more WildCat members Sanket, Rahul and our host Amol at Turning Point had left Nagpur for Tadoba in Doc’s gypsy and they too would be joining us for the morning Safari. All of us had our own theories on the missing snake and Akash and Sachet were not comfortable to sleep in the room with the missing snake. So Akash, Chinmay and Sachet trooped into our room. With a snake loose Sachin declared that he would not be sleeping on the floor. We laughingly conceded and made ourselves comfortable on the extra beds and were fast asleep in no time. As soon as the alarm bell went off at 5 am Sachin started calling out to all to get up. After a light banter of â€Å"Pehle Aap† we quickly got to our feet and freshened up quickly. By now we caught up with Amol, Rahul and Sanket who had reached at 1:30 in the night with the gypsy giving some problem on the way and continuous rain all through the route. They couldn’t believe it when they learnt they learnt that they had been sleeping in the room with the missing snake. On seeing the video of the recapture of the escaped snakes shot by Akash and seeing the two rat snakes in the dustbin they started rubbing their eyes in disbelief. They were shocked that they had slept so peacefully in the room with a missing snake and two snakes lying the dustbin. Pulling their legs we walked to the resort gate where Indraneel Pal and his friend Gaurav were waiting for us. Here we got to the gypsy being tastefully rebuilt by Doc with sound advice from forum members. The middle and last row of seats were adequately pushed back giving ample legroom and maneuverability to people seated in them with their cameras. Doc informed that some work on providing proper vibration free camera mounts was still to be done. Once completed no doubt this would be an ideal vehicle for the jungle photographer. In the steady drizzle we got into the gypsies and proceeded to the Moharli gate. Due to the rains our cameras were packed up and we were wary to expose them to moisture. We entered the gates to be once again greeted by the early morning sights and smell of rain soil foliage and forest floor. As the gypsy drove into the forest the rain and the cold wind was beating against our faces. It was an experience to look out for sightings in these circumstances. As we were driving past at a steady speed our guide suddenly motioned to the driver to stop and head back for a few metres. On coming back a few metres he pointed to his right about 50 yards away and all we could see was a brown termite mound or anthill. But the guide insisted that he has never observed a mound at this place all these days. So to clear matters Doc and Indraneel took out their cameras with high power lenses to zoom and get a sharper view. They both softly remarked that it was a â€Å"tiger†. They motioned us to be dead calm and we quietly removed our cameras and focused on the tiger. On zooming it was clear that we were privileged to witness a tiger so well camouflaged in the Indian forest. In a few moments the tiger raised its head and started licking its hind legs. By this time the second gypsy in our group joined us and they too enjoyed the spectacle. The third vehicle had gone ahead and due to no mobile network we were unable to inform them of the sighting. Indraneel informed us that this tiger was the â€Å"Baghdo Male† who was very active in this part of the reserve. Indraneel was also the first person to have photographically captured this particular tiger some time back. Indraneel recounted the incident of having clicked this particular after it had a heavy meal of a gaur. In Indraneel’s words as the tiger got up after a heavy meal its belly was so full that it was almost scraping the floor as it walked. We were in awe as he spoke of the experience. In the meantime the tiger got up and reversed its position and nonchalantly surveyed the clearing around it. In a short while the tiger got up once again and started walking diagonally behind us towards the road. In no time we lost sight of the tiger as it disappeared into the thick foliage. We backed up our vehicles a couple of metres behind hoping to catch the tiger as it steps onto the road. We waited at that spot trying to gauge the movement of the tiger, looking anxiously in all directions in perfect silence. Suddenly Indraneel spotted the tiger about thirty feet behind emerging out of the bushes. Due to the rain we had packed the cameras and scrambled to get them in position. But Doc and Indraneel managed to capture some amazing photographs of the tiger looking directly at us. This sight of the tiger turning to look towards us will remain with me forever. The majestic head on broad shoulders was a sight to behold. At this very moment the driver of the second gypsy eager to give its occupants at better shot with the camera backed up suddenly and with a loud roar of the engine. This sudden noise and movement disturbed the tiger, which swiftly crossed the road behind us and entered into the foliage on the other side. We reprimanded the driver for his stupidity but it was too late. Doc and Indraneel remarked that they were pretty sure that if the tiger was not disturbed so abruptly it would have calmly walked down the road for some distance before slipping back into the forest giving us ample opportunity to observe and photograph this magnificent animal. We waited at this spot for some time reminiscing on the events that had unfolded some moments before us. Soon we heard the sambar call at some distance indicating that the tiger was steadily moving deeper into the forest. Doc informed us that during the monsoon only central tarred road was open for the safari and the mud roads going into the forest at intermittent distances were closed for the safari. This was done to minimize disturbance to animals and prevent vehicles getting stuck in the slush on these mud roads inside the forest. We backed up further across a small bridge over a stream in the forest hoping to catch some signs of the tiger if it returned back to the road. As there was no indications whatsoever we proceeded ahead to observe the rest of the forest. As we were on our way Bhanu suddenly exclaimed â€Å"tiger†. Out driver quickly backed up again but Bhanu just managed to see the tiger slip into the dense forest before the rest of us could spot it. We learnt that unless the tiger is in the open or moving in the forest along the road it was next to impossible to spot a tiger lying motionless in the bamboo clusters for an untrained eye. The tiger can spot you as you pass through its territory but there is no guarantee that you can spot it if it does not want its presence to be felt. With this lesson learnt we proceeded to explore the remainder of the forest enjoying the other flora and fauna. At the hattori gate Doc and Indraneel were mobbed by other tourists visiting the forest asking for the glimpse of the elusive king of the jungle captured by their lenses. We were basking in the adulation and envy of other tourists for having such a close sighting of the tiger, while the real hero had disappeared deep in to the jungle oblivious to the excitement caused by his sighting. We slowly observed the rest of the forest spotting some birds on the way. The snaps shared here will tell the rest of the story. But for me the sighting of the tiger overshadowed everything else. Even now if I close my eyes I can see the tiger looking right at me. I envied Doc and Indraneel for having so many sightings of the tiger. I for one can only marvel at its being and cannot imagine how another human can think of poaching the tiger. Do their hands not tremble as they perpetrate this dastardly act. During this trip Bhanu remarked that the human being is the most dangerous animal on the planet. This short sentence summed up everything that needs to be done for conservation. With this experience we headed back to the resort. While exiting we learnt that in the evenings we could opt for a one hour Safari over elephant back in the evening. However there was place for only 3 on the elephant back. Doc explained that no bookings for evening jeep safari had been made owing to the interactive session on tiger conservation planned in the schedule and so some of us opt for this. To make matters interesting Doc suggested drawing of lots after lunch to decide on the lucky three. Suddenly Amol remarked that if chicken was made available and if he were given access to the kitchen he would love prepare the main dish for the evening. All those who had tasted food at his hands began vouching on his skill and we all were enthused by his offer. Luckily Doc informed that another of his friend Monali from Nagpur joining us for a day. And as we spoke a vehicle was on its way to Chandrapur bus stand where she would be reaching from Nagpur anytime. Doc immediately arranged for the driver to get the required quantity of chicken from Chandrapur. After a light breakfast and tea we headed back to the rooms. We shared our experiences and relaxed for a while. In some time we proceeded for lunch and decided to release the snakes with us a little while later. While having lunch we all met up with Monali who had just reached some time back. But she was looking fresh and enthusiastic. We had our round of introductions once again and she joined us for lunch. After lunch some of us had a light nap. While leaving Nagpur we noticed that Doc had loaded some Solar Lamps into the coach. Doc had explained that these solar lamps were to be distributed to the villagers living inside the reserve. While we had a nap, Doc distributed these lamps and returned. Fresh after a short nap we assembled for the next agenda â€Å"release of snakes† into the wild. We were looking forward to this once in a lifetime experience with great excitement. In a group we trooped towards the buffer area of the forest to release these snakes. The interesting part was that Shiv, Chinmay and Mel delicately handled these snakes and practically showed us how to handle these snakes. One by one we gained confidence and started handling the non-venomous snakes like the trinket, rat snake and the sand boa. In the daylight we could easily observe and marvel at the distinct patterns and colorations of the snakes. Though visually the snakes appeared to be slimy and greasy it was the texture of their skin/scales that gave that effect. On the contrary these snakes were very smooth to hold. Mel, Chinmay and Shiv demonstrated on how to handle the snake so that it does not feel threatened or alarmed. Most of us used the time available to click snaps and videos of this entire exercise. These snakes were released into the trees and tall grasses around. In no time these snakes vanished out of our eyesight. Next Mel got the checkered keel back out of the jar. No wonder he called it fast snake. This snake sped away in literally leaps and bounds. Mel, who tried to hold it momentarily to show us the snake before letting it free, got bitten in the little finger. No danger as the snake was non venomous. We all were amazed at the speed of this snake. Finally we all stepped back as Chinmay cautiously got the most dreaded russel’s viper out. Mel explained that luckily for us the viper was in a docile mood and was not agitated at all. The head of this viper was flattened, triangular and distinct from the neck. The snout was blunt, rounded and raised. The body was stout, the cross-section of which was rounded to cylindrical. Mel explained that this was a snake to be really fearful of due to its unusually large fangs that deliver copious amounts of venom leading to extreme swelling at the site of the bite, terrible damage to the tissue and severe internal bleeding within minutes of the bite. It was one of the species responsible for causing the most snakebite cases and deaths in the India due to various factors such as its frequent occurrence in places where humans are occupied and the potency of its venom. Chinmay further explained that the Russel’s viper was generally very slow and sluggish unless pushed beyond a certain limit, after which they become aggressive and when threatened they form a series of S-loops, raise the first third of the body and produce a hiss that is supposedly louder than that of any other snake resembling the sound of the pressure cooker. This particular snake was moving very slowly and gave ample time for all of us to click snaps and videos. After satisfying our curiosity and anxiety Chinmay carefully released the snake into some thick bushes. After completing this exercise we proceeded back to the room. Before proceeding with the draw of lots for the elephant safari Doc suggested we have the interactive session on tiger-human conflict areas and forest conservation in general. The session began with the audio-visual presentation on tiger conservation in India. The documentary was very well made and all of us were glued to this presentation. After the sighting the grandeur of the tiger roaming freely in the forest in the morning we were really pained to see the plight of the tiger in the various forests of the country. The efforts being made towards conservation were feeble in the face of rapid deforestation and rampant habitat destruction by us humans. Whatever was left thereafter was being wiped out by sustained pressure of influential poachers. While Akash was handling the presentation Doc used to interject whenever he recollected a related incident or had something relevant to add to the presentation. As an attentive audience we too had our share of questions and remarks. Doc informed that very recently even in Tadoba the forest officials had found metal clamps and wire traps carefully laid out by poachers to trap the tiger. He also remarked that the tourist movement in the monsoon however restricted was a deterrent to these poachers who would otherwise have had a free run in the forest. He cited the recent case of the mysterious death of a popular tiger named circuit in the Moharli area of the reserve. Akash sadly remarked that during his earlier visit to Tadoba he had happened to spot Circuit active and healthy close to the buffer area just one day prior to his mysterious death. Doc informed us that wildlife enthusiasts like him were trying to use the RTI tool to find the actual cause of death of Circuit. They were trying to keep up sustained pressure so that any more tigers do not meet the same fate. Doc informed us that very recently the local DFO who was an avid wildlife enthusiast and photographer was abruptly transferred due to pressures from his superiors. Slowly we could understand the trying circumstances in which Doc and his friends were operating. Shiv and Mel also highlighted the plight of the Srisailam tiger reserve in Andhra Pradesh with a total area of 3,600 sq. ms. In 1983 there were 40 tigers and the habitat suffered severely thereafter due to high frequency of poaching, grazing, fires, tree and bamboo exploitation. Today they remarked that the tiger is almost extinct from this reserve. The presence of armed extremists in this forest is a serious problem to the effective management of this area and the tigers. The subordinate staffs are scare d to move freely in the interior and little communication exists. Doc also highlighted the frequent disregard and violations of the forest act by officials under pressure from superiors and politicians. Doc cited having himself sighted such instances in Pench when politicians with their red beacon official vehicles entering the reserve in the dead of the night in gross violation of the wildlife act. When Doc tried to investigate the matter further he received an official letter from the forest officials of Pench threatening his entry into the reserve in future on flimsy grounds. Further he cited the case of the accidental death of the jhurjhura tigress in the famous Bandhavgarh reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The tigress was a resident, breeding animal at ‘Jhurjhura’ (Tala Range), which forms part of the core/ critical tiger habitat. The tigress, alongwith its 3 cubs (around 6 months old) had been intensively photographed/ seen/ monitored by the park management and visitors. The research team from the Wildlife Institute of India in its data collection process using camera traps has also captured the said tigress. According to preliminary reports from the tiger reserve, a vehicle belonging to the state’s PWD minister Nagendra Singh’s son hit the tigress. But as always with such incidents in our country cover-up had begun at a frantic case. However Doc was hopeful of some justice as wildlife activists from around the country were actively following the case. Notable among them was activist Shehla Masood from Bhopal who had filed numerous RTI applications against top forest officers, senior police officials and influential politicians involved in the cover-up. Very sadly today as I write this barely two days after our meet I read the morning papers that this very lady has been shot dead outside her house as she got into the car. As there have been no eye-witnesses so far the local police have been so callous to even consider it to be a case of suicide. This incident really brought a lump in my throat just imagining the value of human life to such individuals and we are expecting them to conserve wildlife in the forests. Coming back to our session. Doc then asked us to spread awareness of conservation amongst our friends, relatives and acquaintances. An important idea suggested by him was to ask anyone visiting such reserves to click frontal and side profiles of the tiger whenever possible as seen the picture. Each tiger has a distinct pattern of stripes and they help in identification of the tiger. If a visitor shares such pictures with dedicated tiger conservationists like Doc in Pench and Tadoba then an accurate database of tigers and their movement could be maintained more effectively rather than just relying on unreliable pug-marks of the tigers. Doc informed that he had helped to provide a computer with facility of reading memory cards at Pench to the forest officials at the main gate so that they could collect similar data from the tourists’ cameras. After the presentation was over Doc informed us that he had got made some T-shirts for sale with the image of the tiger printed and he was using the proceeds of the sale towards procuring essentials like solar lamps for the villagers in the forest. Appreciating the noble cause we gladly picked up these t-shirts as a souvenir of the trip for our family back home. By now it was already dinnertime. Interestingly in the heat of the presentation and our involvement in the subject everyone forgot the draw of lots for the elephant safari in the evening. We were so involved in the presentation that none of us missed the elephant safari that evening. We also did not realize that somewhere in between Amol had quietly slipped away to the kitchen to get the dinner ready as promised. As the main course was getting ready he had swiftly managed to get the some starters ready also. Just as the presentation on conservation got over Amol entered the room with starters in hand. Akash started with the balance of the earlier days photography session. As we were munching on the starters our eyes and mind were imbibing the tips on photography. By the time the photography session was over we were satiated. Doc once again reminded us on the early morning safari the next day. We quickly proceeded for dinner. The dinner prepared by Amol was truly relishing. All of us were left licking our fingers and smacking our lips. We all thanked Amol profusely for this unexpected treat and retreated back to the rooms. With our bellies full we were fast asleep as soon as we hit the beds and snoring away. We were up again at the crack of dawn and quickly assembled into the gypsies at the gate. Although we were attracted to this programme with the prospect of seeing the tiger there is truly so much more to be seen in the forest. Even some of the trees seen inside the reserve are not regularly seen outside. Although we could not spot the tiger for ourselves this time we learnt that another vehicle entering the forest after us sighted a tiger. We were pleased on the healthy population of tiger in the reserve. The guide with us also informed us that even the buffer area had a healthy population of tiger. Doc told us that there was a proposal to declare the area we were presently wandering about as the core and declare out of bounds for tourists and allow the tourists only in the buffer area after proper relocation of villagers was done. We were glad for the animals provided adequate precautions were taken to keep the poachers also at bay. Today we also spotted a troop of langur monkeys and a solitary deer. On our way back we spotted a dead serpent eagle lying by the side of the road with its wings spread out as though just about to fly. There was a small wound by the side of its neck but we were clueless. We managed to spot the mahouts rounding up the elephants let loose in the forest at night to graze. As Sachin had to leave early Doc had requested us to wind up the morning safari early so that we could all proceed to Nagpur earlier than scheduled. Although not excited with the prospect we grudgingly agreed. Casting our last glances at the expanses of the Tadoba forest for this trip we exited the Moharli gate. Thereafter we wrapped up our breakfast and proceeded to pack our bags for the return to Nagpur. We bid goodbye to our four friends Rashmi, Alex, Shiv and Mel and hoped to keep in touch with them in future. They were also leaving for Hyderabad by noon. We got into our coaches for the ride back to Nagpur. Bye now the gelling of the group was complete and there was non stop banter right through. Akash the master photographer was compiling a database of all the images to be consolidated and shared later on. By the time we reached Nagpur our cheeks and stomachs were aching by the nonstop laughter. We dropped Sachin at the airport and bid him bye. The rest of us proceeded to doc’s residence. We all said our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch and went our respective ways. Amol and Rahul had their bikes parked there and left after goodbyes. Doc also changed gear from a nature lover to a cardiologist and proceeded to the hospital with Akash and Monali. As we had some time Sanket offered to accompany us to Nagpur city (market area) where we could spend couple of hours till our flight time. Doc had transferred our bags to his car and asked us to collect the same on the way to the airport. Thanks to Doc we were able to explore Nagpur â€Å"handsfree†. At the city centre we bid goodbye to Sanket. He too was a budding photographer and had shared many tips with us. After spending some time in the city centre we noticed that we hadn’t had a shave in the last 2 days so decided to have a decent shave and head massage. In no time we were done and we proceeded to Doc’s hospital. We collected our luggage, bid our final goodbyes and proceeded to the airport. As the flight took off we carried with us the sweet smell of the jungle, remarkable sights of the wildlife and fond memories of the people we had met and bonded so well with over the past 3 days. This write-up is dedicated to all these wonderful people and the unforgettable Baghdo.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Prospectus on Immigration

Aly Anderson 11/17/12 Turkan Deperlioglu English 105 Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography In today’s day of age, Illegal immigration is becoming a huge issue. With laws constantly changing and people's views becoming more obscure about the idea, Illegal Immigration is becoming a harder issue to tackle. Illegal immigration has many issues including economic spread, population growth, political stances, and difficult immigration processes. Both sides of the political arena are fighting effortlessly to get there point across.The Republicans believe that immigration should be stopped going into the United States of only poor immigrants, while prosperous immigrants are allowed. This is an example of racial profiling which is illegal in the US. The Democrats want to make the Immigration process easier to help bring economic prosperity to all. I agree with the Democrats, we should allow everyone in including the Mexican farm workers to the British pop stars (Ethier 67). No longer sh ould race, ethnicity, or amount of money made be a factor of getting into the country (Tolbert Hero 815).As a growing country, the more people we can have can mean a growing economy with prosperous people throughout. Carney, Dan, (1996). † Social Policy † Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, 54, (36): 2531. In this article the, which is taken from the Congressional Report of the US Representatives, has many ideas that are brought to the front about immigration. It takes a good look at both sides of the congressional office. It is good article because it utilizes all of its resources and it helps the reader understand the different sides of the issue.It uses examples from different parts of the past to help explain the changing ideals about the issue. The article explains the congress ideas on the situation at hand and how it can affect the changing economy. With the economy in the state it is now, this article helps the reader understand the congresses point of view of the issue of immigration. This article has many different views to the idea of changing Illegal Immigration. With either views of the Congressional Report, I truly learned the different stances of the Government of immigration.Ciobanu, Ileana M. and Thomas C. Green. (2006). â€Å"Deputizing – and Then Prosecuting – America's Businesses in the Fight against Illegal Immigration,† American Criminal Law Review, 43, (3): 1203+. In â€Å"Deputizing- and Then Prosecuting- America’s Businesses in the Fight against Illegal Immigration†, the reader gets a good hard look of the business prospective Illegal Immigration. American businesses are getting hit hard by both Illegal Immigrants taking jobs and the American government trying to hunt them down which is causes quite the controversy.This article is taken by the American Criminal Law review, which is a group of government-funded people who search for Illegal Immigrants throughout the US. It gives you an i n-depth look at todays government officials ideas about Immigration. The article used a lot of it’s own businesses troubles to explain the situation and how it affects others. Using its own problems as examples helps you realize the bad in immigration. It allows a look into the large business side of the immigration. It helps and gives good ideas of what is going on with immigration in the US.Fullinwider, Robert, (2005). â€Å"Affirmative Action†, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2005 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed. ), http://plato. stanford. edu/archives/spr2005/entries/affirmative-action/ This article explains immigration and what is trying to be done with it. It lists many different types of solutions and ideas to help get both sides of the argument involved. Not only does it does it explain the issue but with the solution ideas, this article is one of the best. â€Å"Affirmative Action† helps the reader understand the different sides of the iss ue.It does not bad mouth either side of the argument and the author is good at keeping the opinion to himself unlike some of the other articles that are being presented. This article also utilizes all the resources from the congress to business and other forms of small government. It makes sense to use this as a resource because it explains and gives examples why immigration is both bad and good. Robert Fullinwider uses his studies of philosophy and uses it to help explain why people migrate into the US and why people in the government do not like it.Graham, Hugh Davis, (1990), The Civil Rights Era: Origins and Development of National Policy 1960-1972 (New York: Oxford University Press): 413. This earlier article explains how immigration is similar to the Civil Rights Era. Racial profiling is still used today on immigrants coming from all around the world. Hugh Davis Graham explains the cruel happenings due to immigration and how it is affecting other people’s view of immigra nts entering the US. He explains the relationship of the civil rights movement and the immigration process.Racial profiling is becoming a large problem for immigrants who come up from the south, similar to African Americans back in the sixties. The many examples given helps the readers completely understand the parallelism between the two. It uses history as en examples to give good explanations. With immigration being such a present day topic, this article is an excellent source for the paper because how much it discusses the issues at hand. Hayes, Ted, (September 25, 2000 ). â€Å"Illegal Immigration Threatens U. S. Sovereignty, Economy and Culture,† Insight on the News, 16, (36): 46 In â€Å"Illegal Immigration Threatens U.S. Sovereignty, Economy and Culture,† all the cons about Illegal Immigration are brought to the surface. A major one is over population. Though this is not a major problem within the US, people believe it can really hurt our country. Some citizens believe that immigrants can take away or really change the voting in America. They only problem is that people do not realize that within the constitution that voting can neither be changed nor taken away. This article is a good source because of how it explains the cons of the issue, also how it give good, descriptive examples. Howell, Llewellyn d. July 2006). â€Å"Ironies of Illegal Immigration,† USA Today, 135, (2734): 19 In the â€Å"Ironies of Illegal Immigration,† Llewellyn Howell talks about how the government contradicts itself with the ideas of immigration. She uses many different examples like money and laws. With the example of laws, there are many different theories on how to make immigration easier but the laws contradict themselves in the sense they both help and stop immigrants from getting into the US. Though this isn’t the best for helping Americans promote their country, it also allows many to keep the country they so proudly built.In the end of this controversial article, Howell states that the US Government needs to get a congress and President that agree on the idea of Immigration and how it should have never gotten this far. The article was a good source for many explanations in the paper because of how well the examples explain the issue of Immigration. Lempres, Michael T. (1994). â€Å"Getting Serious about Illegal Immigration,† National Review, 46, (3): 52+ Michael T. Lempres explains immigration through the eyes of a congressman. He utilizes his skills and gives examples about immigration in many in depth ways.The author gets very descriptive about the points of immigration. He discusses both sides of the of the issue in ways that make the reader a lot more settled because they can understand the political terms. This is a good source because it brought forth the issue of economic status and how immigration really affects our country. He goes on to explain how making the immigration process easier can hel p make our economy thrive because more money is being cycled through our system. Also, immigration can help people with their cultural view and help Americans stop being so one sided.This article really helped when understanding the pros to the issue of immigration and what is does for our country. LMD, (Summer 1992). â€Å"How to Avoid Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination,† Labor Management Decisions, 2, (2) This article is very useful when it comes to understanding the discrimination in the work force due to immigration. Most people do not realize that it is harder for immigrants to find a job because they are different. Many immigrants come over with a lot of the same schooling as us Americans or even more.Sometimes immigrants even have more schooling because some other countries have a higher standard of education. Now, with jobs being more limited in the US. People play favorites when offering jobs to others in the work force and that makes it harder for people coming over looking for jobs. This source has a lot to offer and really made immigration easier to understand. Website, â€Å"Immigration Problems in the US,† Online, http://www. cyberessays. com/Politics/32. htm â€Å"Immigration Problems in the US† discusses the major difficulties within the immigrating processes in the US today.It also looks back into the past US problems with Immigration like overpopulation over economic status. This article brings up the government views as well as the views of the American population. It allows for people to read the article and understand the why making the immigration process for entering the US should be easier and how it can benefit our country. Though the author is not stated in the website, they clearly explain why immigration is such a big issue to people within our country and throughout the world.This article is an amazing source for one who is trying to learn more about immigration and how it affects our world. White, D eborah, â€Å"Analysis of Immigration Reform Proposal,† Liberal Politics: US, Available Online: http://usliberals. about. com/od/immigration/i/BushImmiReform. htm This article looks at the political reforms that are set in place for immigration. It has a deep explanation into the government view of immigration and how it being stopped. It does not look at either side of the political arena like other articles being presented.This is a true understanding of the reform recently written to make immigration a more difficult process and why this is not acceptable to our constitution. Deborah White makes a good attempt to understand the minds of the politicians involved with this reform and why it was written just so recently. With White’s view being more on the Liberal side, she focuses more on the conservative side of things and trying to understand their views and why they have them. This was a helpful article because it gave good representation to both views of the issue .

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Behaviourist Approach Essay

Outline Two Advantages and Two Disadvantages of the Behaviourist Approach (12) One of the strengths of the behaviourist approach is that it only focuses on behaviour and behaviours that can be observed and manipulated. Consequently this approach has proved itself to be useful in experiments where behaviour can be observed and manipulated for desired effects such as the experiment Burrhus Frederic Skinner conducted on rats, manipulating them to press buttons and levers until they are given food and the experiment Ivan Petrovich Pavlov conducted on dogs where he manipulated them to salivate to the ringing of a bell, rather than to food. The behaviourist approach also concentrates on ‘here and now’ and what can be seen, rather than exploring a person’s past like the psychodynamic approach does. This is an advantage because it is not concerned with what cannot be seen and what happened in the past and many people do not know and believe that their past causes behaviour and personalities in their later life, and many people the think removing the undesirable behaviour is more important than understanding the causes of the behaviour. On the other hand, a disadvantage of the behaviourist approach is that the theories are too deterministic as behaviourists believe that our behaviour is determined only by environmental effects such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning which is a disadvantage as behaviour can be indeterministic and there can be no causes for it. It also undermines the amount of free will a person has and doesn’t consider that ever human can make choices about their behaviours and have moral responsibility for their behaviour which is a deficiency in the approach as a person can choose to change their behaviour and personality at any given moment and the environment doesn’t have to effect their decision. Also, the behaviourist approach emphasises too much on nurture. It focuses only on the environment effects on a person, so it completely ignores effects nature can have on a purpose and disregards genetics as an explanation of behaviour which is a disadvantage as behaviour can be altered and modified by nature every day in different ways like where a person  lives, where they visit, even what bus route they take etc. Furthermore, a question often put to behaviourists is ‘If learning is the only factor that makes us who we are, then we should all be capable of becoming whatever we want to be’ and many behaviourists cannot justify this question properly, the bottom line is that there are many different factors affecting our abilities other than learning. In addition, the theories of behaviourism have been mainly tested on animals so the findings may not completely apply to human behaviour, which is much more a lot more complex.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Business Forecasting and Data Analysis Method

Discuss about the Business Forecasting and Data Analysis Method. It has been evaluated that the stock price of GLB is lower pared to that of CRH. Hence, in order to increase its stock price, there are certain options available to the organisation to ensure petitive advantage in the Singapore market. One of such options is the stock repurchase, which would lead to increased demand of stock in the market. As a result, the price of GLB stock would rise in the market. In addition, stock repurchase would help GLB to convince the investors about the reliability of the stock, since the pany expects positive future performance in the market. Along with this, raising debt from the market of Singapore is another option available to GLB to boost its share price. This is because obtaining debt would minimise the overall risk of GLB; however, it is assumed that the organisation has not attained the point of financial distress. Furthermore, depending on the debt amount and way of obtaining the same, it could have positive impact on the share price of the organisation. It has been assessed that CRH has high stock market volatility, which could reduce the return on investments for the investors. Therefore, in order to deal with this situation, CRH is required to develop a plan of risk management to protect against any unanticipated loss with the help of insurance. It could adopt proactive steps for cross training to bat with such risk. As a result, when the stock price of CRH falls in the Singapore market, it could cover its losses from the insurance panies, which would not significantly affect the profitability of the organisation. Hence, it could be inferred that stock repurchase and raising debt are two alternatives available to GLB to boost its share price, while CRH needs to transfer the risk to insurance panies to hedge against the stock volatility. The above assignment aims to evaluate the stock price position of Cemebt Road Group (CRH) and Glanbia (GLB). The different statistical tools like descriptive statistics and inferential statistics have been used to increase the reliability of the conducted evaluation on the two above-mentioned organisations. With the help of inferential statistics, the hypothesis testing has been conducted. The descriptive statistics conducted include measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion. From the mean value puted, it is evident that the share price of CRH has been quite higher pared to GLB. This denotes that GLB has been highly effective in winning the trust of the investors due to higher dividend payout and returns on investments. The median value also depicts the identical scenario, in which the CRH has higher share price value than GLB. However, the standard deviation value depicts that the stock of CRH contains greater amount of risk. Therefore, the investors could be able to earn huge returns either on investments or below the expected returns. This has been validated with the regression ou es obtained. Therefore, a series of r mendations have been provided to both the organisations to improve their overall financial performance. GLB is r mended to conduct stock repurchase and raising debt from the Singapore market in order to boost its share price. This is because stock repurchase would help in increasing the stock demand, which would eventually lead to higher share price. In addition, raising debt would have positive impact on the share price; however, it is assumed that the organisation has not attained the point of financial distress. On the other hand, CRH is r mended to develop a risk management plan by transferring risk to the insurance panies. This is because when the stock price of CRH falls in the Singapore market, it could cover its losses from the insurance panies, which would not significantly affect the profitability of the organisation.