Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Essay Example for Free

Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Essay WHAT IS FAST MOVING CONSUMER GOODS (FMCG)? FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) is a term that is used to refer to those goods which are sold through retail stores. These goods have a short period of shelf life and as such are used up within days, weeks, or months. TOP 7 FAST MOVING CONSUMER GOODS 1. PROCTOR GAMBLE: Headquartered at Cincinnati in Ohio, United States, Procter and Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational company. It was founded in October 31 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. Its flagship and best selling brand is ARIEL laundry detergent which was launched in 1967. This detergent is available in different variants. The company also manufactures other best selling products that are highly popular around the world. 2. NESTLÉ: Nestle is a Swiss multinational engaged in the production of different food products. It has its presence in more than 100 countries. It produces several top selling products in different food categories. Some of its best selling products are LEAN CUISINE, Maggi, Boost, Kit Kat, Friskies, and Nescafe etc. 3. UNILEVER: Unilever is a multinational engaged in the manufacture of different products like foods, personal grooming products, detergents and beverages etc. This British-Dutch company is the owner of over 400 leading brands in the world out of which 13 are billion dollar brands. One of its top products is  AVIANCE which is a beauty product for women. This product is sold in many countries of Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. 4. COCA-COLA: Coca-Cola Company which is based in Atlanta in Georgia manufactures the worlds most popular soft drink COCA COLA. It was Dr. John S. Pemberton who created this drink in 1886. Coca Cola touched base in every part of the US by 1895. The company began its franchisee operations in 1899 and gradually it opened up bottling plants in every corner of the globe. The universal popularity of Coca Cola is undisputed. The Coca Cola syrup mixed with carbonated water created ripples everywhere and today you can get a Coke in any part of the world. 5. PEPSICO: PepsiCo was created out of the amalgamation of two companies named Pepsi Cola and Frito Lay. The company which was formed in 1965 has its headquarters at Purchase in Harrison New York. It is a Fortune 500 company. PepsiCo is engaged in the manufacture of snack foods (grain based), beverages and other similar products. One of its best known brands is the cola beverage PEPSI-COLA. Created in 1893 its former name was Brads Drink. 6. BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO: Another multinational tobacco major is the British American Tobacco company which is the worlds second largest tobacco company. It sells its tobacco products in several top markets across the globe. Many world-famous cigarette brands are manufactured by BAT. One of its top selling cigarette brands is PALL MALL. Some other leading cigarette brands manufactured by the company are Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike and Vogue. 7 NOKIA: Nokia is a Finnish multinational engaged primarily in the manufacture of  mobile telephones. The company has its headquarters at Keilaniemi, Espoo which is near Helsinki, the capital of Finland. This mobile communication giant is the largest manufacturer of mobile telephones in the world. Its products are sold in every part of the world. Nokia has launched many innovative mobile systems and almost all its products have been hot sellers.

The Sugar Industry of India

The Sugar Industry of India INTRODUCTION Sugar industry is one of the most important agro-based industries in India and is highly responsible for creating significant impact on rural economy in particular and countrys economy in general. Sugar industry ranks second amongst major agro-based industries in India. As per the Government of Indias recent liberalised policy announced on 12th December, 1986 for licensing of additional capacity for sugar industries during 7th five-year plan, there will be only one sugar mill in a circular area of 40 sq km. Also the new sugar mill is allowed with an installation capacity of 2500 TCD (Tonne Sugar Cane crushed per day) as against the earlier capacity norms of 1250 TCD. Similarly, the existing sugar mills with sugar cane capacity of about 3500 TCD can crush sugar cane tothe tune of 5000 TCD with a condition imposed that additional requirement of sugar cane be acquired through increased productivity and not by expansion of area for growing sugar cane. Cane sugar is the name given to sucr ose, a disaccharide produced from thesugarcane plant and from the sugar beet.   The refined sugars from the two sources are practically indistinguishable and command the same price in competitive markets. However, since they come from different plants, the trace constituents are different andcan be used to distinguish the two sugars. One effect of the difference is the odor in thepackage head space, from which experienced sugar workers can identify the source. In the production scheme for cane sugar, the cane cannot be stored for more thana few hours after it is cut because microbiological action immediately begins to degrade the sucrose. This means that the sugar mills must be located in the cane fields. The raw sugar produced in the mills is item of international commerce. Able to be stored for years, it is handled as raw material shipped at the lowest rates directly in the holds ofships or in dump trucks or railroad cars and pushed around by bulldozers. Because it is not intended to be eaten directly, it is not handled as food. The raw sugar is shipped to th e sugar refineries, which are located in population centers. There it is refined to a food product, packaged, and shipped a short distance to the market. In a few places, there is arefinery near or even within a raw-sugar mill. However, the sugar still goes through rawstage. The principle by-product of cane sugar production is molasses. About 10 15% of the sugar in the cane ends up in molasses. Molasses is produced both in the raw-sugarmanufacture and also in refining. The blackstrap or final molasses is about 35 40% sucrose and slightly more than 50% total sugars. In the United States, blackstrap is used almost entirely for cattle feed.   In some areas, it is fermented and distilled to rum or industrial alcohol. The molasses used for human consumption is of a much higher grade, and contains much more sucrose. Sugarcane characteristics: Sugarcane contains not only sucrose but also numerous other dissolved substances, as well as cellulose or woody fibre. The percentage of sugar in the canevaries from 8 to 16% and depends to a great extent on the variety of the cane, its maturity, condition of the soil, climate and agricultural practices followed. The constituents of ripe cane vary widely in different countries and regions but fall generally within the following limits: Constituent Percentage range Water 69.0 75.0Sucrose 8.0 16.0 Reducing sugars 0.5 2.0 Organic matter other than sugar 0.5 1.0 Inorganic compounds 0.2 0.6 Nitrogenous bodies 0.5 1.0 Ash 0.3 0.8 Fibre 10.0 16.0 Organic matters other than sugar include proteins, organic acids, pentosan,  colouring matter and wax. Organic acids present in cane are glycolic acid, malic acid,  succinic acid and small quantity of tannic acid, butyric acid and aconitic acid. SUGAR INDUSTRY OF INDIA Introduction Sugar is extracted from two raw materials beet root and sugarcane, both produce identical refined sugar. Sugar cane accounts for two-third of the raw material used for sugar production in the world and beet root one third balance of the world production. India is the second largest producer of sugar in the world with 10 to 12% production of the world.( Brazil is the first) In India sugarcane accounts for the key raw material for production of sugar. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh account for majority of produce of sugar in India. Sugar industry is the 2nd largest agro-processing industry in India accounting for 1 % of India s GDP for fy2005. Indias cultivation area of 4-4.5 million hectare accounts for Indias 2.7% cropped area. The production of sugar has always been in deficit over the demand with production of only 17.5 million tonne over the 19 million tonne consumption for the year 2005-06 a factor leading to industry attractiveness. Key Characteristics of Sugar industry: Capital intensive Government regulated Seasonal fluctuation in the industry(demand increases during festive season) Raw materials constitute major cost No proper substitutes Key success factors (key performance indicators) Capital utilization Optimum utilization of by-products for additional revenue Captive power generation Sugar is one of the oldest commodities in the world and traces its origin in 4th century AD in India and China. In those days sugar was manufactured only from sugarcane. But both countries lost their initiatives to the European, American and Oceanic countries, as the eighteenth century witnessed the development of new technology to manufacture sugar from sugar beet. However, India is presently a dominant player in the global sugar industry along with Brazil in terms of production. Given the growing sugar production and the structural changes witnessed in Indian sugar industry, India is all set continue its domination at the global level. The report provides a comprehensive picture of the Indian sugar market. The status of Indian sugar industry has been compared with the rest of the world in terms of raw material availability, crushing period, size of the sugar mill, production cost and prices in the report. The advantages that Indian sugar mills have over others in cost terms have been emphasized too. Indian sugar industry is highly fragmented with organized and unorganized players. The unorganized players mainly produce Gur and Khandari, the less refined forms of sugar. The government had a controlling grip over the industry, which has slowly yet steadily given way to liberalization. The report provides comprehensive analysis about the structure of Indian sugar industry by explaining the above facets. Besides the classification of sugar products and by- products like molasses, their uses too have been extensively covered. The production sugarcane is cyclical in nature. Hence the sugar production is also cyclical as it depends on the sugarcane production in the country. The report provides extensive information on the production of sugarcane, sugar and other sweeteners in the country in the recent years along with trends and analysis. This also includes a discussion about existing capacities in the country, trends in capacity additions, imports and production of by-products of sugar (molasses and cogeneration of power). The report features a detailed demand analysis discussing the actual demand for sugar and other sweeteners, gur and khandari and their per capita consumption in India. This includes a trend analysis in demand in various regions of the country. The role of exports in the sugar industry has also been discussed. The report gives an exhaustive cost analysis along with the pricing practices. Dual Pricing System is adopted in the Indian sugar industry, which includes sugar price in Public distribution system and the free sale sugar price. An analysis has been provided on the relationship between Indian and international sugar prices. As the industry is a fragmented one, even leading players do not control more than 4 percent market in India. However, the situation is changing and players offlate are striving to increase their market share either by acquiring smaller mills or by going for green field capacity additions. Another notable trend is the shift from Gur and Khandsari to sugar in the rural areas. This should further increase the per capita consumption of sugar in India (currently around 15.6 kg). Besides the Indian urban market is slowly moving towards branded sugar. The potential in this segment seems to be very high. These trends along with the other trends like increase in the production of by-products have been captured in detail. The market shares of the leading players and financials of following players are given in the report. Balrampur chini mills ltd, Bajaj Hindustan Ltd, Andhra sugars ltd, Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd and Dhampur sugar ltd The major revenue drivers like change in the governments policies and increasing per capita consumption have been comprehensively pictured in the report. The reports ends with outlook for the sugar industry both at the Indian and POLITICAL IMPACT ON SUGAR INDUSTRY Sugar row accentuates Indias political fragility Sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh are yet to begin crushing for this season, which typically begins in November, due to non-availability of raw materials. Reports suggest that sugar mill owners have agreed to pay Rs 180 per quintal for sugarcane, which is Rs 50 higher than the fair and renumerative price fixed at Rs 129.84 per quintal. Farmers are demanding Rs 280 per quintal and have stopped supplies in anticipation of a higher price. Meanwhile, Parliament was adjourned on the first day of its winter session due to protests by opposition parties against the Centres sugarcane price move that discourages states from fixing higher prices. Thousands of farmers protested inDelhiagainst the low, state-controlled sugarcane price. The protests highlights the rural discontent over the governments sugar ordinance. Raw-sugar prices have almost doubled this year, with future contracts recording a 28-year high in September. Sugar stocks tumbled on news of a delay in the crushing season and protest by farmers outside Parliament. Bajaj Hindusthan, Balrampur Chini, Dhampur Sugar, Dharani Sugars, Dwarikesh Sugar, Shree Renuka, and Triveni Engineering fell 5-8%. Andhra Sugar, EID Parry, KCP Sugar, Oudh Sugar Mill, Ponni Sugars (E), Simbhaoli Sugar, Upper Ganges Sugar, and Uttam Sugar were down 2-4%. Ambareesh Baliga  of Karvy Stock Broking says the risk-reward ratio is not in favour of sugar stocks. If you assume that the sugar prices will move up 10-15% from here, Balrampur Chini or Bajaj Hindusthan could possibly move another 10-15% more from here. But if you see the sugar prices coming down 20% over the next 4-5 months, these stocks will crash by more than 30-40% because the good news is already there in stock prices. Sugar prices move in cycles and this is clearly a cyclical industry. We have seen a good part of that over the last 6-8 months. Going ahead, whatever adverse news comes, it will actually batter these stocks. The routine reopening of the parliament has suddenly emerged as an awkward test for the Congress-led governments ability to push reforms such as price deregulation in the face of opposition from its rural base. Tens of thousands of farmers from Uttar Pradesh protesting against low state sugarcane prices forced the postponement of the winter session of parliament on Thursday in a major political headache for the government, re-elected in May. Now, a once-divided opposition seemingly unable to recover from election loss have vowed to disrupt parliament until the government reverses a policy aimed at bringing in more market forces to the sugar industry, one of Indias biggest cash crops. On Friday, the opposition forced an adjournment for a second day, with lawmakers running into the house shouting slogans. The massive street protest that brought much of central Delhi to a standstill also reflected the fragility of political stability in India, with its myriad caste, class and ethnic issues always simmering among its 1.2 billion people. Such a display of opposition unity, has rarely been seen outside parliament, The Economic Times commented on Friday. The UPA government has only itself to blame for giving an issue to the opposition on a platter. The ruling  United Progressive Alliance  coalition has given states greater autonomy in fixing sugarcane prices to help lift restrictions on the heavily regulated sugar sector and stop sugar mills bearing the fiscal brunt of subsidised prices. But a backlash has played into hands of the opposition, including the Hindu nationalist  Bharatiya Janata Party. Bye-bye global politics Only a week ago, domestic politics appeared to be playing second fiddle to international issues, such as global climate change negotiations and Prime Minister Manmohans Singhs visit to Washington D.C. next week. That mood has changed. Buoyant from the closure, protesters say the ball is now in the governments court. The government may hold an all-party meeting on Monday over the issue. We have now adopted the policy of wait and watch for next two to three days, Anil Singh, national secretary of the National Alliance of Farmers Associations. The response to Thursdays rally was satisfying. Now the government has come to its knees. It signals the reform in India will not be plain sailing, despite a large majority for the Congress-led coalition. Singh has promised economic reforms such as the deregulation of state-run sectors, introducing more foreign investment into areas like insurance, and boosting spending on infrastructure to allow India to compete with the likes of China. But some reforms face endangering the Congress partys pro-poor inclusive growth manifesto and dashing hopes of a major revival in Uttar Pradesh, where Gandhi scion  Rahul Gandhi  has reached out to the poor in high-profile campaigns. Any reforms face the stark fact that two-thirds of Indias population lives in villages. One reform, bringing in foreign investment in retail, has already floundered because of opposition in rural areas. Indeed, Gandhi was reported to have phoned Singh over worries that the sugarcane issue could derail Congress inroads into Indias most populous and politically important state. The protest does not mean all of the Congress partys reforms will be in trouble. It still has a clear majority in parliament. For example, most analysts expect the government to raise limits of foreign investment in the insurance sector, a policy aimed at allowing Indias near 40 percent savings rate to be recycled into investment and sustain higher growth rates. Disinvestment, etc, will go on, even though there will be protests as usual, political analyst Amulya Ganguli said. The opposition is delighted to have got an issue. In the evening, the Prime Minister finally gave into political pressure saying that he would amend the sugarcane pricing ordinance in farmer interest. In a latest development it has been learnt that both the houses of the Parliament have againbeen adjourned on sugarcane price issue. Is it the death of FRP or is it just a temporary stalling? How will sugar companies do with or without FRP next year? While Narendra Murukumbi Managing Director at  Shree Renuka Sugars  hails the FRP concept, Investment Advisor  SP Tulsian  considers it to be an ill-conceived move and says that the farmers should be happy with Rs 210 per quintal. However, Murukumbi says, â€Å"We are currently paying Rs 230 per quintal in Karnataka.† Cane prices need to be resolved bilaterally—two-third share to farmers would be fair, he adds. Sugar deficit is a global phenomenon.â€Å"Last year there was a deficit of about nine million tonne. However, this years deficit is probably five-six million tonne and prices have reacted accordingly,† says Kingsman Sas Managing Director Jonathan Kingsman. Though the situation is expected to remain tight, there is a possibility that we move to a surplus from a deficit in 2010-11, according to Kingsman. He expects prices to be maintained in the next few months. On the global footing, Kingsman says the industry knows it has to work together. So in most countries like Thailand and Brazil, there is now a revenue sharing system in place, where in roughly about two-thirds of the revenue go to the cane growth and about one-third to the millers. †That has taken a lot of the politics and a lot of the conflict out of the situation.† Sugar stocks were seeing huge selling pressure on news of sugar companies yet to begin crushing for the season. There were reports that sugar mill owners have agreed to pay Rs 180 per quintal for sugarcane. The farmers were demanding Rs 200 plus for the same. The crushing could not start as farmers have stopped supplies in anticipation of higher price. Bajaj Hindusthan,  Balrampur Chini,  Dhampur Sugar,Dharani Sugars,Dwarikesh Sugar,  Shree Renuka  and  Triveni Engg  fell 5-8%. Andhra Sugar, EID Parry, KCP Sugar, Oudh Sugar Mill, Ponni Sugars (E), Simbhaoli Sugar, Upper Ganges Sugar and Uttam Sugar were down 2-4% Q: What should one expect from our neck of the woods? A: On day one and probably through first few days this entire battle of sugarcane prices will dominate the Parliaments Winter Session. Sugarcane farmers have picketed the Parliament and the entire opposition  Mulayam Singh Yadav  to  Ajit Singh  to Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)is also united on this one issue. I think this will be a precursor to wider debate that is likely to take place on Parliament on rising prices per se. However, this opposition unity, which is critical, is unlikely to hold because of the Pension Bill. The one economic legislation that, perhaps, could be at least debated in this session of the parliament, at least the government says it is determined to put it before parliament is the Pension Bill. So when that bill comes across will this unity within the Parliament stay, particularly, in the Rajya Sabha led by the Left and prevent legislation from going through? That is the space we will have to see, but at the moment, it seems that rising prices will create some element of opposition unity in the first few days of Parliament. Q: Was it a surprise that insurance did not make it this time or was is expected that it wouldnt get taken up for discussion in the Winter Session? A: What is happening is that the government is going step by step.  Pranab Mukherjees strategy is to try and get legislation through in an incremental manner. The fact is that the Insurance Bill is still before a Standing Committee and there is still discussion going on. So rather than bring it in the Winter Session, when it seems unlikely that it will go through, it will probably come up in the next sessionthe budget sessionin February. However, it seems at the moment that governments focus as far as economic legislation is primarily on the Pension Bill, can it get that bill through? I think that will be a test of the governments attempt to build some kind of consensus on critical economic reforms. Q: There has been a fairly clearly laid out divestment policy as we step into the Winter Session, might that come up for discussion or is that a done deal and the government will go about its business? A:  Pranab Mukherjees strategy is to do this by stealth, which means you dont necessarily have to bring any legislation when it concerns disinvestment before Parliament. There could be a debate on it; but the government is now determined to use the Cabinet route rather than the Parliament route to pass contentious economic legislations. I expect in the next couple of months many more PSUs to be on the chopping block. The government is very clear, before the next budget in February at least three-four more PSUs will be part of the disinvestment roadmap that the Finance Minister has drawn for himself. Q: So from our part of the world do you expect a likely dull session or exciting? A: The good news is that politics seem to mater less and less. The fact is that you have got a government which has a remarkable victory in the general elections and then again inMaharashtra, it has led to some element of complacency and the opposition is still to get its act together. In that situation, I dont see many political contentious issuesbeing raised in the Parliament ona regular basis. It will be a relatively dull session barring the fact that you have got all the sugarcane farmers picketing the Parliament on day one and there by providing  Ajit Singh  his 15 seconds of glory. Q: That is important though because there are fairly liquid well-tracked sugar stocks in the equity market. Will the government have to blink on this one? A: They might have to because Uttar Pradesh is the one state which is being looked at very seriously by the government in terms of the congresss future prospect there. Already we are told today there could be an Rs 7,000 crore package for Bundelkhand in the Cabinet meeting later today. The sugarcane farmers issue is one which even Congressmen are saying that farmers need to be provided higher price for sugarcane and then this ordinance which this government is planning to bring is not acceptable.Sharad Pawarhimself leads a powerful sugar lobby inMaharashtraand he will have to a do a balancing act between the demands that the sugarcane farmers are placing on him. So you will perhaps see the government bending on the issue of sugarcane pricing. Thousands of farmers protesting low state-controlled sugarcane prices forced the postponement of the first day of the parliamentary winter session on Thursday, highlighting rural discontent over government policy. Some 5,000 farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Indias biggest cane producing state, marched to the opening of the parliament to demand higher state-set prices for sugarcane. Parts of the capital was disrupted by the protests, that were backed by opposition parties. The Congress-led coalition won re-election with a stronger mandate in May, raising hopes of quick reforms, but it has moved slowly and is still answerable to a reform-shy rural base. It faces political opposition to rapid change and deregulation as protests on Thursday highlighted. The government has given the states greater autonomy in fixing sugarcane prices, one of Indias biggest cash crops, in order to lift restrictions on a heavily-regulated sugar sector. But many farmers are unhappy with those state-set prices, saying they benefit sugar firms. The government has set a series of reforms ranging from the financial sector to law and order and gender equality as priorities for the winter parliament session. Investors are following whether Prime Minister  Manmohan Singh  will follow up on his pledge to push ahead with difficult financial reforms, particularly in the insurance and pension sectors. The state government has fixed the price the mills must pay to farmers at Rs 165-170 (USD 3.55-USD 3.66) per 100 kg, and farmers have been seeking a higher price that corresponds more to the rise in retail prices. We demand at least Rs 215 as the cane price, Anil Singh, national secretary of the National Alliance of Farmers Associations, told Reuters. Sugar output in Uttar Pradesh is likely to fall below estimates as the weakest monsoon in more than three decades has hit sucrose content in cane. As Pakistanis face an acute shortage of sugar, some families have found an easily available alternative to sweeten their tea: instead of a spoonful of sugar, they dissolve sweets in their tea. Shaikh Kashif, an embroiderer for a boutique in Karachi, said his favourite was a  Cadbury  Eclair. We cant live without tea so we had to do something, said Kashif, 27, from his small workshop in an upmarket city neighbourhood. It just costs a rupee (Pakistan rupee) per candy and is easier to get these days than sugar, he said. Pakistan is facing a shortage of more than 1 million tonnes of sugar largely because of a poor crop of sugarcane. Supplies have been particularly scarce since last month when surging prices led to a Supreme Court order to millers to sell sugar at Rs 40/kg (48 U.S. cents), compared with the then-market price of about Rs 46/kg. Government attempts to implement the court decision have led to confusion, sparking even higher market prices. Authorities are trying to get cheap supplies out to shoppers but sugar has almost disappeared at main retail markets in Karachi. Where it is available, it sells for as much as Rs 70 a kg. Thats not a problem for Kashif who said the sweets he put in his tea gave it a chocolaty taste. Some in my family didnt like that so theyre using a local candy which melts easily when you put it in a hot cup of tea, he said. We had to think of something to replace sugar and its worked for us. SOCIAL IMPACT ON SUGAR INDUSTRY Sugar Industry in India Indian sugar industry is the 2nd largest agro-industry with approximately 50 million sugarcane farmers and a large number of agricultural laborers (7.5% of the rural population) involved in sugarcane cultivation and ancillary activities. Though consumption of sugar in India has been growing at a steady rate of 3%, and is currently at 23.1 million tones, per capita consumption at 18 Kg (lower than world average of 22 Kg) indicates potential upside from a demand standpoint. Raw Material (Sugarcane) n India, sugarcane is the key raw material, planted once a year during January to March. It is the major cost driver for the production of sugar. It being an agricultural crop is subject to the unpredictable vagaries of nature, yielding either a bumper crop or a massive shortfall in its cultivation from year to year Industry Structure About 50% of the sugar capacity is controlled by Cooperatives Public sector mills. There are 566 sugar mills installed in the country, of which about 100 (mostly cooperatives) are not in operation. Almost half of the operational sugar cooperatives are in Maharashtra alone. Though most private players have been moving towards larger and integrated complexes, most cooperatives are still much smaller in capacity, and are standalone sugar mills. This has resulted in their becoming uncompetitive as compared to private mills. Government Policies Sugar has historically been classified as an essential commodity and has been regulated across the value chain. The heavy regulations in the sector artificially impact the demand-supply forces resulting in market imbalance Sensing this problem, since 1993 the regulations have been progressively eased. The key regulatory milestones include de-licensing of the industry in 1998 and the removal of control on storage and distribution in 2002. Value drivers Economical impact UP sugar mills agree to pay Rs 205-210 a quintal for cane  Sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh have offered to pay Rs 205-210 a quintal of cane for the ongoing 2009-10 crushing season. This is against the state advised price (SAP) of Rs 165-170 a quintal. The UP Sugar Mills Association (UPSMA) had on November 14 agreed to pay Rs 180 a quintal for regular cane and Rs 185 for early varieties. When this failed to enthuse growers, the mills announced an additional Rs 10 as incentive, taking the effective cane price to Rs 190-195. On Sunday last (November 29), they offered a further increase of Rs 10, translating into a price of Rs 200-205 a quintal. But these sweet offers failed to placate the growers, particularly in the western UP belt and the stir by farmers of the region culminated in a hugely attended sit-in at Shamli in Muzaffarnagar. On Tuesday (December 1), all the mills in western UP have accepted a new rate of Rs 205-210 per quintal. Following this offer, the farmers have also called off their stir and the industry hopes crushing will resume in full swing. The state has a total of 132 running sugar mills, out of which 90 are private mills. Last year mills in UP paid a SAP of Rs 140-145 a quintal. However, with more than 100 per cent jump in sugar prices due to a 43% drop in production in the year ended September 2009, farmers have been pressing for a higher price of Rs 280 per quintal. Sugar output in India, the worlds second largest producer, may fall short of the earlier estimate of 16 million tonnes in 2009-10 season. Sugar prices have touched Rs 40 a kg in the cities and with the hike in sugarcane prices, retail prices of sugar is bound to go up further. UP sugar mills enter price war to procure cane Low availability of cane and higher price realisation force mills to pay more. Low availability of sugarcane and high price realisation have forced a majority of sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh (UP) to enter into a price war quite early in the 2009-10 season (October-September). The mills are paying Rs 10 a quintal higher than the price of Rs 190-195 a quintal agreed unanimously by the private millers last week. UP is the second-largest sugar producing state after Maharashtra and top producers such as Bajaj Hindusthan and Balrampur Chini have all their operations in the state. A majority of sugar mills in western UP districts such as Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur are now paying a price of Rs 200-205 a quintal for sugarcane. The state government had announced a state advised price (SAP) of Rs 165-170 a quintal. However, farmers association in the state led by the likes of Mahendra Singh Tikait and V M Singh have been protesting and seeking a price of Rs 280 a quintal since sugar realisation has moved to a record of Rs 33-34 a kg. Last year mills had paid a SAP of Rs 140-145 a quintal. However, with more than a 100 per cent jump in sugar prices due to a 43 per cent

ROMANTIC VS CLASSICAL Essay -- Essays Papers

ROMANTIC VS CLASSICAL In the 18th century, there was a period that we called Neo classicism. In this period most of all paintings had the same characteristic which are dark and simple background colors, very masculine, stressed heroism, frieze, sharp edges, more geometric and flat. As we seen in Jean Ingres painting—â€Å"The Turkey’s Slave†, we could see from the simple background and the very sharp edges of her body. Comparing to the classical period, one of the murals that I found around the campus. I decided to use the mural designed by Grant Wood which title is â€Å"Breaking the Prairie Sod† to be one example which have the same characteristic with the classical period even though it had painted in the 19th century. This mural is locate at the main floor east lobby of Parks Library. Actually this mural depicts the breaking of Iowa's virgin soil in the early 1840s with a woman standing beside a man who is drinking out of a jug while his hand rests on the handle of a wooden plow. There are dramatic cloud formations behind them and a view across the field and prairie. And this mural symbolized a lot of things that I never thought before for example; the man in the picture, presented in youth, middle age and maturity, represents Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Morrill Act that founded land-grant educational institutions of which Iowa State is one. Lincoln's presence also sends a strong message to students who view the mural, that with hard work, dedication, honesty and ed...

My first Sonne and Mid Term Break Essay -- English Literature

My first Sonne and Mid Term Break In this essay I will be comparing and commenting on the poems ‘My first Sonne’, by Ben Johnson and ‘Mid Term Break’ by Seamus Heaney. These poems are all a reflection on a close relative’s death and portray the poet’s emotions, feelings and thoughts. However while Ben Johnson loses a son Seamus Heaney loses a brother, from these poems we see two different types of emotions. Mid term break is an autobiographical poem written by Seamus Heaney when thinking back about the death of his little brother. ‘My first Sonne’ is also autobiographical, but is about the death of Ben Johnson’s seven year old son. Despite the fact that both poems are about death the poets’ emotions are very different, ban Johnson regrets loving his son and Heaney finds peace when he sees his brother once again. In life there is a moral order of death, which is that parents should never have to bury their children, but both the poems are the opposite of the moral order. Even though both poems are different responses to death I think that they are both equally effective. The poets’ use of lexis, structures and themes help make their poems effective. Meaning is important in both poems, it shows us that death can strike at any time and can have a great impact on us. I think both poems have straight forward meaning- we see Benn Johnson trying to create meaning in his poem for why his son died. Ben Johnson blames himself for loving his child too much, even though we know that infant mortality was high at this point. Johnson does not take into mind the context of the time he was living in. Structure is important in poems as it affects the rhythm and the tone, this could affect the whole meaning of a ... ...e Gods with Jesus’. Even though the reader may not be religious the use of expressions makes it easier to understand than Mid Term Break. Heaney in his final line uses alliteration to end the poem, this final stanza gains our sympathy and we empathise with him. Johnson uses a similar technique, using his final line to gain the views understanding and sympathy. Both poets use words which describe what has happened and how they feel, for example Johnson describes his son being ‘exacted’. This is another meaning for collecting, debt collecting. I feel that both poems are effective in their meaning- however personally My First Sonne gains my empathy more than Mid- Term Break. I think this is because it is more understandable and not as complex. Having lost a close person I can understand what Johnson feels- a rush of anger followed by love and regret.

Biotrim: True Weight Loss or Scam? Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive P

Biotrim: True Weight Loss or Scam? In today's society, everybody wants a quick fix to all of their cosmetic problems. Whether we want better faces, better bodies, whatever, we want it now and we surely do not want to work for results. Due to this incredible demand for immediate self-improvement, the weight loss market has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry preying on people who are uniformed about weight loss and the body's capabilities. Many products and programs such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and the like are useful to many people and teach them how to maintain their entire lives in addition to their weight. Unfortunately, there are also products on the market today that offer false claims about individuals' ability to lose weight. One such product, the topic of this investigation, is called Biotrim. In the following paragraphs, we will look into its claims for weight loss and make an educated conclusion about the possibility of success by using this product. Before ever reading the advertisement I found for Biotrim, I took a look at the pictures of satisfied Biotrim customers. Here, I saw photographs of people who were overweight and looking unhappy before using the product, and then photographs of those very same people slim and happy after their success with weight loss by using Biotrim. There are little captions of personal letters from these people singing the praises of their incredible results and how they were happier, better adjusted human beings based on their appearance. This underlying claim that losing weight will make you a better person is just one of the many ways these companies target people who are insecure and uninformed. Reading on in the advertisement, this product promises not onl... ... bottom of the advertisement that the results shown are "atypical." Also, the cost to the company to make the product is substantially less than the $23.95 that it costs the consumer to buy it, so even if half of the customers ask for a refund, the producers of Biotrim still make money. Well, I hope that this investigation into the weight loss claims of the Biotrim product had been informative. If nothing else, I hope that you will read claims very carefully in the future, and keep in mind that many products that promise quick results with no effort on your part are on the market simply to take advantage of people that should know better but just do not take the time to investigate the claims. Take care in buying these products, because most of them will not deliver. Beware of scam artists, they will prey on your desire for a better you. Don't waste your money.

Ethnic Literature Essay

American literature is just that American literature. American literature is stories of people lives that are based on American standards. Early American standards where based around slavery and oppression but now they are based on freedoms like freedom of speech and press. America has been through many time periods that has shaped it into the wonderful nation that we have today. True American literature is about life in the United States. This paper will create an understanding about American ethnic literature. What is literary canon? How does literary canon relate to what is going on in society? Is traditional American literature multicultural? Literary canon is a classification of literature that is used to describe books or literature that is considered to be important of a time period or place. For writing to become canonized, it has to become widely respected by influential literary critics, scholars, teachers, and anyone that is respected in opinions and judgments regarding literary work. A canonized piece of literature becomes very popular and is studied by students in thousand of classrooms around the world (Casey, 2009) Canonized literature reflects the norms or standards that society follows for a certain time period and location. As society changes so does the type of literature that is canonized (Casey, 2009). For example the biggest topic that people are writing about now is the so called end of the world but about one hundred years ago it was about freedom and anti slavery. In my opinion traditional American Literature is multicultural because the American population is a mixture of so many other cultures. The United States is a melting pot of cultures of the world and that is what makes the US so interesting. Please define â€Å"ethnic literature† and then indicate what you think the value is in studying it, in your opinion? What special challenges do ethnic writers have within the American literary experience? Ethnic literature is piece of writing that is written by people from different cultures, languages, or religion. For example, Native American literature includes â€Å"memories of creation stories, the tragic wisdom of native ceremonies, trickster narratives, and the outcome of chance and other occurrences in the most diverse cultures in the world† (Vizenor, 1995, p. 1). People with the mix of Spanish, Native American, and African cultures have created Hispanic American literature (Kanellos, 1995). In my opinion, there are many reasons why ethnic literature should be studied. Reason One: When you read â€Å"true† literature writing from other religions, you can gain â€Å"true† understanding of what the religion is all about. For example I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The LDS or Mormon Church as known by many is a very misunderstood religion. A study of â€Å"true† ethnic literature in this case would eliminate any misunderstanding that people have about the LDS Church. Reason Two: There are certain cultures that we do not know anything about and when we read about them, we will be able to understand why they do certain things. I want to call this cultural understanding. We have all heard the saying, â€Å"You can’t judge a book by its cover. † then we shouldn’t judge a religion or a culture by the things they do until we understand why they do those things. How do ethnic writers define literature? How does that differ from the canon of traditional American literature? â€Å"Traditional† American literature and ethnic literature differ based on the back ground of the author. â€Å"Traditional† American literature is influenced by culture within the United States. Ethnic literature is influenced by culture outside of the United States. The author Mark Twain comes to mind first because he is a talented American author that wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and later Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. Both of these novel get their story lines and settings from Twain life and growing up in Hannibal Missouri. Twain based these novels culturally in the United States and not in another country. If Twain would have based these novels in another country they would be considered ethnic literature is stead of â€Å"traditional† literature. These novels would have been totally different based in another culture. Life in the United States is far different then life in Africa or Nigeria. Parts of Africa are considered third world countries. Traditional America literature is based in the US. What historical, socio-political, and cultural topics might be covered by ethnic writers? How does this differ from the canon of traditional American literature? Slavery and Voting Rights are major topics covered by ethnic writers. How are the American literary themes of liberty, opportunity and equality addressed in ethnic literature? American history is full of stories about liberty, opportunity, and equality for other ethnic groups. For example Blacks had to fight for the same freedoms that where give to Whites in the early years of our wonderful nation. Many novels where written trying to Early American standards where based around slavery and oppression but now they are based on freedoms like freedom of speech and press. America has been through many time periods that has shaped it into the wonderful nation that we have today. True American literature is about life in the United States. References Casey, J. (2009). Canon Issues and Class Contexts: Teaching American Literature from a Market Perspective. Radical Teacher, (86), 18-27. Dickstein, M. (2007). Going Native: When American literature became good enough for Americans, what happened to the literary canon?. American Scholar, 76(1), 150-155. Kanellos, N. (1995). Hispanic American literature. A brief introduction and anthology. New York, NY: Addison-Wesley. Vizenor, G. (1995). Native American literature. A brief introduction and anthology. New York, NY: Addison-Wesley.

Ace Fertilizer Ima

Ace Fertilizer Company Abby Conroy was tasked with calculating an effective quote for Breeland Ltd. , she chose the activity based accounting costing system since it more accurately captures the related costs. A special order was placed by Breeland Ltd. with Ace Fertilizer Company. The did not plan to order more of this product in the future. Based on Ace’s policy, the special order included disposal costs for any used materials in the event no other orders existed for the unused materials at the time the Breeland contract was signed.Abby correctly calculated the total direct material and labor costs and accurately arrived at the indirect costs using the ABC method and used cost activity pools that make sense for the company and product. She incorrectly included the organization-sustaining costs which are not related to any specific product so should not be included. Abby incorrectly calculated the mark up cost by dividing 80% from the cost rather than multiplying so the marku p and the total cost to Breeland has been overstated by $193,500.This would ultimately produce a higher profit with lower costs and a higher customer margin but would be inconsistent with Ace 80% markup policy. Revisions could be made and an accurate quote could be provided to Tom Brennen for approval. During personal time over the weekend, George was presented with a possible opportunity to sell the unused portion of Breelands special order materials to his brother Josh. On Monday, George wanted to leave the Breeland quote as is, whereas Abby wanted to revise it to exclude the sale of materials to Josh plus additional charges.George is correct to leave the quote unchanged, since there are no new orders for the additional XO-1600 yet even though he and Josh discussed it during personal time. Company policy dictates that the special order customer would be billed for unused materials in the absence of another existing order for the same materials. It would be putting the cart before the horse to recalculate new costs and inform Breeland of a possible price revision before Josh confirms, especially since the information exchange occurred over the weekend during a personal family event.It is likely that Josh will purchase the additional 10 gallons of product but that can’t be confirmed until later in the week. It is not correct however that Breeland should incur those material costs if Josh does purchase them. George is not correct in how he would handle the transaction with Breeland should Josh purchase the materials. The materials should not be double billed and disposal fees should not be incurred by Breeland if this event never occurs.From an IME standpoint, Abby’s costing calculations were flawed which speaks to her competency as a management accountant, but her integrity was consistent with IMA ethical standards. Her markup mistake was most likely a clerical one only that could easily be fixed however including organization-sustaining costs in the client quote is a larger concept level mistake. The first error places a small black mark against her level of competence. Since she has developed an excellent level of expertise with Ace, I would suggest that it could be overlooked.The second error however is larger and would suggest her level of competence might be questioned. Following Georges’ conversation with Josh, Abby was keen on modifying the bid to include a materials reduction of $16,000, elimination of the $10,000 disposal fee for unused materials and a reduction in organization sustaining overhead costs of $52,000. Including the 80% markup, this would save Breeland $93,600 if Abby’s original quote had been correct and the numbers were not modified to remove the organization-sustaining error.It is clear that reworking the original quote to accommodate a new client would benefit Breeland, however the conversation between George and Josh was personal and not final, even though Josh was able to preliminar ily confirm he would place the order. The original quote would represent a more timely quote since future prospects had not yet materialized and would be consistent with Ace’s company policy. Since Georges’ conversation with Josh would be considered confidential in nature with respect to Breeland, it would limit Abby’s permission to inform them of any possible rework of the quote without express consent or approval of George.Since Tom Brennen would need to review any reworked quotes anyway, it doesn’t seem likely that Abby would violate any confidentiality requirements as directed by IMA Standards. Georges’ suggested game plan of billing the products twice could be seen as a misuse of confidential information since he is confident Josh will buy the materials but is still willing to move forward with the Breeland quote without disclosing the possibility of Josh’s purchase to Tom.George may also be engaging in a conflict of interest by using h is brother and information gained in a non professional environment as a means to unethically increase revenue. It would also represent a departure from ethics and integrity as an activity that discredits the profession since it lacks communication with Breeland. If Josh does confirm he will purchase the materials within the 20 day usable product window, it would represent additional and more timely information and should signal Abby’s recommendation to revise Breeland’s quote, even if it is after the fact. It is a timing issue.If George does provide the Breeland quote to Tom ‘as is’ and does not discuss with him the implications of his prospective new client on the numbers provided, he would be weakening his own credibility since it would represent a lack of information disclosure to Tom. It could be argued that he is providing the quote fairly and objectively but, it lacks the insight of how the new client would change the numbers in Breeland’s fa vor and precludes the possibility of client double billing, an important fact to support disclosure of all relevant information communicated fairly and objectively.I think Abby is correct in advising George that a possible rework of the quote is in order although based on the confirmed information, the current Breeland bid should go forward as is with a caveat that it could change with the confirmation of Josh as a new client if he is engaged before the Breeland quote is signed. Since the meeting will take place between George and Tom on Wednesday and the details of Joshs’ possible purchase are expected to become known ‘later in the week’, it makes sense to wait a day or two before making the decision.It is also possible that Josh may not make the purchase. Ace is one of the few companies’ nationally that is able to produce the product, it seemly unlikely that Ace would risk losing their business by asking for a few extra days to confirm final details of t he quote. No mention of Josh’s possible order is necessary. Tom should be given full disclosure by George of the impact on profitability of both scenarios. These would include: 1). the order ‘as is’ without the prospect of Josh placing an order, 2). he revised order based on Abby’s recommendations of reducing XO-1600 materials cost, disposal cost and markup, and the additional sale of the remaining 10 gallons of XO-1600 to Josh, including shipping charges and 3). Two separate quotes that would include the original quote to Breeland executed as is, then a contract signed later with Josh followed up with a revised contract with Breeland eliminating the disposal cost and the additional materials cost. The quote o Josh should not include organization-sustaining costs since they are not considered product costs. Abby recommends that George inform Tom about the prospective use of the extra 10 gallons. If George is unwilling to do so, she should also be willing t o speak directly with Tom about the Breeland quote changes, if applicable. It is not known what Ace’s policy is regarding resolving issues with questionable ethical implications. If necessary, Abby may contact an IMA Ethics Counselor to gain a better understanding of how she should proceed.The case study suggests this issue is a matter of how a management accountant might proceed in light of a shortfall of required monthly profit goal, in that is may be perceived as a way to make up the shortage. It is also mentioned that neither profit scenario would provide the desired result of reaching the monthly goal. The management accountant should see this as an ethical issue and not a function of whether one scenario or the other will produce the desired result.If Abby were to revise her original assumptions and excluded the organization-sustaining costs per required by the ABC method she is using, she would have noted a reduction in the bottom line of $18,000, which represents the disposal fee plus an 80% markup. Clearly, the scenario George likes would net the larger bottom line at $802,800, an increase of $28,800 in the bottom line of the Breeland Ltd order alone. This could be a potential lapse in judgment based on a desire to get closer to a proposed profit goal if he doesn’t discuss the possible purchase by Josh with Tom.From a policy standpoint however, George is doing the correct thing, although from a fairness standpoint, Josh’s possible order must be considered. Three scenarios are included which outline how each quote will affect the bottom line. If the original quote is signed by Breeland and moves forward without a purchase by Josh, the bottom line will be increased by $774,000. If Josh is given time to confirm and execute an order with Ace for the 10 gallons of material prior to the Breeland quote signing, Ace bottom line will be reduced by $18,000.If Breeland signs the quote, then later Josh signs a contract for the remaining mater ials and the materials are double billed, the company bottom line would be increased by $802,800. This is ultimately an issue with areas that need insight from IME ethical standards, especially with respect to communicating information to Tom Brennen. It seems a case in which company policy might be overlooked in order to maintain a standard of fairness while also being honest about product and customer treatment.