Importance of Jade in Chinese Culture

Jade is a metamorphic rock that is naturally colored green, red, yellow, or white. When it polished and treated, the vibrant colors of jade can be extraordinary. The most popular kind of jade in Chinese culture is green jade, which has an emerald hue.   Called 玉 (yà ¹) in Chinese, jade is important to Chinese culture because of its beauty, practical use, and social value. Here is an introduction to jade and why it is so important to Chinese people. Now when you browse through an antique shop, jewelry store, or museum, you can impress your friends with your knowledge of this important stone. Types of Jade Jade is classified into soft jade (nephrite) and hard jade (jadeite). Since China only had soft jade until jadeite was imported from Burma during the Qing dynasty (1271–1368 CE), the term jade traditionally refers to nephrite, and so soft jade is also called traditional jade. In preColumbian America, only hard jade was available; all Native American jades are jadeite. Burmese jadeite is called feicui in Chinese. Feicui is now more popular and valuable than soft jade in China today. History of Jade Jade has been a part of Chinese civilization from the earliest days. Chinese jade was used as a material for practical and ornamental purposes at an early period in history, and it continues to be very popular today. The earliest Chinese jade is from the early Neolithic period Hemudu culture in Zhejian Province (about 7000–5000 BCE). Jade was an important part of ritual contexts in the middle to late Neolithic periods, such as the Hongshan culture that existed along the Lao River and the Liangzhu culture in the Tai Lake region (both date between 4000–2500 BCE). Carved jade has also been found in sites dated to the Longshan culture (3500–2000 BCE) by the Yellow River; and the Bronze age cultures of Western and Easter Zhou dynasties (11th–3rd centuries BCE). In  Ã¨ ª ªÃ¦â€"‡è § £Ã¥ ­â€" (shuo  wen  jie  zi), the first Chinese dictionary published in the early second century CE, jade was described as beautiful stones by the writer Xu Zhen. Jade has been a familiar substance in Chinese culture for a very long time. Uses of Chinese Jade Archaeological artifacts of jade include sacrificial  vessels, tools, ornaments,  utensils, and many other items. Ancient music instruments were made out of Chinese jade, such as the yuxiao  (a flute made of jade and played vertically), and chimes. The beautiful color of jade made it a mysterious stone to the Chinese in ancient times, so jade wares were popular as sacrificial vessels and were often buried with the dead. One example of the ritual importance of jade is the burial of the body of Liu Sheng, a prince of the Zhongshan State (Western Han Dynasty) who died around 113 BCE. He was buried in a  jade suit  composed of 2,498 pieces of jade stitched together with gold thread. Importance of Jade in Chinese Culture Chinese people love jade not only because of its aesthetic beauty but also because of what it represents regarding social value. In the Li Ji (Book of Rites), Confucius said that there are 11 De, or virtues, represented in jade: benevolence, justice, propriety, truth, credibility, music, loyalty, heaven, earth, morality, and intelligence. The wise have likened jade to virtue. For them, its polish and brilliancy represent the whole of purity; its perfect compactness and extreme hardness represent the sureness of intelligence; its angles, which do not cut, although they seem sharp, represent justice; the pure and prolonged sound, which it gives forth when one strikes it, represents music. Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through the transparency, call to mind sincerity; its iridescent brightness represents heaven; its admirable substance, born of mountain and of water, represents the earth. Used alone without ornamentation it represents chastity. The price that the entire world attaches to it represents the truth. Book of Rites In the Shi Jing  (Book of Odes), Confucius wrote: When I think of a wise man, his merits appear to be like jade. Book of Odes Thus, beyond monetary worth and materiality, jade is greatly prized as it stands for beauty, grace, and purity. As the Chinese saying goes: gold has a value; jade is invaluable.   Jade in the Chinese Language Because jade represents desirable virtues, the word for jade (yu) is incorporated into many Chinese idioms and proverbs to denote beautiful things or people. For example, å† °Ã¦ ¸â€¦Ã§Å½â€°Ã¦ ´  (bingqing yujie), which directly translates to clear as ice and clean as jade is a Chinese saying that means someone is pure and noble. ä º ­Ã¤ º ­Ã§Å½â€°Ã§ «â€¹ (tingting  yuli) is a phrase used to describe something or someone that is fair, slim, and graceful. Additionally, 玉å ¥ ³ (yà ¹nÇš), which means jade woman,  is a term for a lady or beautiful girl.   A popular thing to do in China is to use the Chinese character for jade in Chinese names. The Supreme Deity of Taoism is known as Yuhuang  Dadi (the Jade Emperor). Chinese Stories About Jade Jade is so ingrained in Chinese culture that there are famous stories about Jade (here called bi). The two most famous tales are He Shi Zhi Bi (Mr. He and His Jade or Hes Jade Disc) and Wan Bi Gui Zhao (Jade Returned Intact to Zhao). The stories involve a man named Bian He and a piece of jade that eventually became a symbol of united China. He Shi Zhi Bi tells the story of Mr. He and how he found a piece of raw jade and tried to give it to two generations of kings, but they didnt recognize it as valuable and cut off his feet as punishment for trying to pass off an unworthy stone. Eventually, the grandson of the first king finally had his jeweler cut the stone open and found the raw jade; it was carved into a disc and named after Mr. He by that grandson, Wenwang, the king of the Chu State, around 689 BCE. Wan Bi Gui Zhao is the follow-up story of this famous jade. The carved disc was subsequently stolen from the Chu State and eventually ended up owned by the Zhao. The king of the Qin State, the most powerful state during the Warring States Period (475–221 BCE), attempted to buy the jade disc back from the Zhao State in exchange for 15 cities. (Jade is known as ä » ·Ã¥â‚¬ ¼Ã¨ ¿Å¾Ã¥Å¸Å½, Valued at multiple cities because of this story.) However, he failed. Eventually, after some amount of political chicanery, the jade disc was returned to the Zhao State. In 221 BCE, the emperor Qin Shi Huangdi conquered the Zhao state, and as the ruler and founder of the Qin dynasty, he had the disc carved into a seal representing the new united China. The seal was part of the royal stores in China for 1,000 years before being lost during the Ming and Tang dynasties. Source Wu Dingming. 2014. A Panoramic View of Chinese Culture. Simon and Schuster.

Mergers and Acquisitions in the Cement Industry - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 13 Words: 4013 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? India today is the second largest producer of cement in the world after China. With the Government of India giving boost to various infrastructure projects, housing facilities and road networks the cement industry is looking at a potential gold mine and thus the growth rate of an enviable pace. The expected increase in India is upto 236.16 MT in FY11 and 262.61 in FY12. The cement industry is dominated by 20 large companies which account for 70% of the total cement production. History Background In 1889 a Kolkata based company started manufacturing cement from Argillaceous. But an organized shape was given to the industry in the early 1900s. Some important landmarks in the industrys history are: 1914: India Cement Company Ltd was established in Prbandar with the capacity of 10,000 tonnes. WWI gives a push to the growth rate of cement industry in India. 1927: Concrete Association of India was set up. 1956: Price and distribution control system established. 1977: Govt. authorization for new manufacturing units and capacity enhancement for existing units. 1979: 3 tier pricing system with different pricing on cement produced in high, medium and low cost plants. Cement industry in India was under full control and supervision of the government till the economic reforms happened. Despite being 2nd highest in the world, we have one of the lowest per capita consumption of cement with 125 kg. Cement Production Process Raw material process Clinker burnin g process Finish grinding process The raw material and the clinker burning process have 2 variations in the production process: Wet process Dry process Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Mergers and Acquisitions in the Cement Industry" essay for you Create order Illustration The following diagram explains the entire production process of the cement industry (dry processing): GLOBAL SCENARIO OF THE CEMENT INDUSTRY World demand: 2005: 2,283 million Tonnes {Chinas demand: 1064 MT (47% of the total)}. World demand: 2010: 2836 MT Demand for cement (MT) 2005 2010 GROWTH RATE North America 170 200 2.9% Western Europe 208 236 2.2% Asia Pacific 1500 1900 5.2% Other Regions 405 500 4.7% World demand 2283 2836 4.7% Key growth drivers: Population growth (increasing demand for housing, commercial building and infrastructure) Economic growth (driving up the consumption of cement per capita) A surge of foreign direct investment in the cement sector has been witnessed in the recent past. The major players being: Lafarge (France) Holcim (Switzerland) Italcementi (Italy) Heidelberg Cements (Germany) These 4 companies together hold more than a quarter of the total capacity. Global players LAFARGE: Lafarge is the world leader in building material. It operates in 76 countries in four majors sectors: cement, aggregates, roofing and gypsum. HEILDELBERG: Heidelberg Cement is the global market leader in aggregates and a prominent player in the fields of cement, concrete and other downstream activities, making it one of the worlds largest manufacturers of building materials. The company employs some 53,000 people at 2,500 locations in more than  40 countries. CEMEX: Cemex is the 3rd largest cement company in the world measured by cement production capacity. Originated from Mexico By 2005 it had achieved an estimated production capacity of 94 million tons per year. It was the number one producer of ready-mix with 76 Million Tons, one of the largest aggregate producer with 175 Million tons and one of the top cement traders in the world, selling more than 17Million tons in 2005. HOLCIM: Holcim is one of the worlds leading suppliers of cement and aggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) as well as further activities such as ready-mix concrete and asphalt including services.It has a strong presence in India Country wise Usage/Production China, the largest market for cement in the world, will register the biggest gains in terms of the total amount of cement sold. Other developing parts of the Asia/Pacific region and Eastern Europe, as well as a number of nations in the Africa/Mideast and Latin America regions, will also record above average cement market gains, fueled by a robust construction outlook. Vietnam, Thailand, the Ukraine, Turkey and Indonesia will record some of the strongest increases in percentage terms. Less robust in the developed areas of the US, Japan and Western Europe, with maintenance and repair construction accounting for much of the growth in cement demand through 2010. INDIAN SCENARIO OF THE CEMENT INDUSTRY With 153 cement plants and a total installed capacity of around 225 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as of April 30,2010, the Indian cement industry is the second largest in the world In January 2010, credit rating agency Fitch predicted that the country will add about 50 million tonnes of cement capacity this fiscal, taking the total to around 300 million tonnes. According to Indias largest cement company ACC, the governments continued efforts on infrastructure development is helping the key building material to maintain an annual growth of 9-10 per cent in 2010. The cement industry occupies an integral place in the national economy because of its strong linkages to other sectors such as construction, transportation, coal and power. Due to its bulk nature and low value, Cement is a highly freight-sensitive product and Indian cement market is largely a regional one. Consequently, the demand-supply dynamics may be different for the various regions and the country as a who le. As depicted in graph above, there has been a strong demand growth between 2002-03 and 2006-07 on a contrary to very slow capacity addition due to weak position cement companies have got into 2003-04. Over the last few years, the Indian cement industry has seen a strong growth with demand compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3%. The main factors causing this growth include the boom in real estate during 2004-08, increased infrastructural investments by the private sector and Government, and higher Governmental spending under various social programmes. With buoyant demand growth and limited capacity addition, the industry witnessed capacity utilization levels of around 91-93% during the last five years along with shortfalls in supply, thereby increasing the pricing power available to the cement industry. Improved prices in association with growth in volume led to the domestic cement industry reporting a robust growth in sales and profitability during 2005-09. Growth in Cement Demand (All India) In Million Tonnes 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Apr-Nov 09 Domestic Consumption 99 108 114 123 136 149 164 178 100 Year-On-Year Growth (%) 9.7 8.7 5.8 8.1 10.1 9.9 10.1 8.4 12.5 *Excluding ACC and Ambuja Cement The top five States in terms of cement consumption, viz. Andhra Pradesh (AP), Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Tamil Nadu (TN) and Gujarat, accounted for almost 50% of the total domestic consumption in 2008-09. This is due to population levels in these states which influenced the frequency of infrastructure activities. Capacity utilization levels in the cement industry showed a historic high and touched almost 100% in 2006-07. Almost half of indigenous cement capacity is localized to Southern region of India. Eastern part having minimum share of 12% The western and Northern region had share of 17% and 29% re spectively. Region-wise Capacity Distribution Capacity addition starting March 09. Since the demand and hence dispatched declined due to low economic activity, thereby increasing the inventory levels. March, 09 witnessed lowest inventory levels in cement, demand and capacity being at almost par with each other at 15 MT. Monthly Capacity Utilization Trend Inventory levels as % of Monthly Dispatch Following are the few major players of cement industry in the country. S. No. Name of the Company Installed Capacity (Million Tonnes) Portfolio Other Details 1. Grasim Ultratech 31 MT Viscose staple fiber (VSF),grey cement, white cement, textiles etc. After the acquisition of Ultratech, it became worlds 7thlargest cement producer. 2. Associated Cement Company Ltd. 22.4 MT Portland cement, composite cement and special cement. It has twelve manufacturing plants located in the country. 3. Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd. 18.5 MT Portland Cement, Pozulona Cement, Silicate Cement It is Indias largest cement exporter and one of the most Cost efficient firms. 4. Jaypee Cements 14.7 MT OPC grades 33, 4, 53, IRST-40 and special blends of pozulona cement. Diversification into cement and construction sectors is key to the business growth. 5. India Cement Ltd. 9 MT Ordinary Portland cement and blended cement India cement is the largest cement producer in southern India Mergers Acquisitions: Global Cement Industry Since 2000, takeovers and agreed deals of around $90 billion have taken place in the construction-materials industry as companies intend to increase revenue, build inventory stockpiles and reduce on the costs. After consolidation, Hanson is the major British player. HeidelbergCement, No. 4 in the world, is trying to catch-up with larger rivals Holcim Ltd., Lafarge SA and Cemex SA after they expanded through major mergers and acquisitions. Paris-based Lafarge began the trend in 2001 with its  £4.2 billion takeover of Britains biggest cement maker. Blue Circle Industries Plc. Mexico-based Cemex followed with the  £3 billion acquisition in 2004 of U.K. concrete maker RMC Group Plc. Holcim of Switzerland added Aggregate Industries Plc. to its stable for  £2.2 billion in 2005. Cemex bought Rinker Group Ltd. of Australia for $14.2 billion. HieldelbergCement AG Hansen Plc. HeidelbergCement AG, Germanys largest cement manufacturer, bought Hanson Plc of the U.K. for  £7.85 billion ($16 billion) in the global cement industrys biggest-ever takeover. It was a major step towards vertical integration in the business. HeidelbergCement paid  £11 a share in cash for Hanson, the largest supplier of sand and gravel. Hanson had fully committed financing from Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland. While this deal was an eye candy for Hanson investors, Heidelberg paid a huge premium and its management worked really hard to make it worthwhile. The revenues of Heidelberg Cement owned by German billionaire Adolf Merkle increased by two-thirds due to expansion in Unites States increasing output of aggregates, pipes and bricks. Heidelberg employs more than 45,000 people in more than 50 nations and gets almost half its revenues from Europe, with cement accounting for 50 percent of production. Hanson has over 25,000 workers in 14 nations and gets half its sales revenues from North America, with 70 percent of the share from aggregates. As per experts, the fit is strategically good and Heidelberg will gain from Hansons integration in their business. The companies were a perfect fit and there were minimal overlaps. Hanson strengthened Heidelbergs business in the U.S., Europe and England and added Australia to their business geography. Hansons takeover afforded Heidelberg a greater presence in North America which contributed a major share in their sales figures. Operations in North American accounted for about 27% of the $12.5 billion worldwide sales in 2006. The addition of Aggregates businesses and Building Products businesses in North America, whose 2006 sales totaled $4.0 billion, brought Heidelbergs U.S. portfolio n same grounds as other giants like Cemex, CRH, Holcim and Lafarge. Each of Heidelbergs competitors derived 23% to 32% of their total revenue from U.S., Canada and Mexican operations. Mergers Acquistions: Indian Cement Industry India is the worlds second largest producer of cement after China with an installed capacity of over 200 million tonnes The government over the recent times has been giving a lot of importance for various infrastructure projects, highways, housing. Naturally the increase in consumption of cement in the coming years is expected. This kind of growing and robust initiatives by government marked an increase in the mergers and acquisition activity by both domestic and global companies. Since 1999 the big names of global cement industry have started vying for the domestic companies and this trend is bound to increase in the coming years too. With the GDP expected to grow at a staggering 8-9% as predicted by International Agencies, the infrastructural activity will increase to cater to the needs of this economy. So the global bandwagon is set to reap the benefits from the worlds second fastest growing economy Below is the list of the foreign companies that have made acquisitio ns since 1999 in India. S.No New Entrant Country Purchased 1 Holcim Ltd Switzerland 14.8% of Ambuja Cement 2 Lafarge Cement France Raymond Cement TISCO(TATA Steel) 3 Italcementi Italy Zuari industries 4 Heidelberg Germany Indo-Rama Cement Dimond Cement Cost per tonne paid by the foreign players for the acquisitions that have happened in India since 1999. Year Player Cost/Tonne 2006 Holcim-GACL 227 2005 Holcim-ACEL-ACC 129 2004 Italicementi-Zuari 91 2000 Lafarge-Raymond 80 1999 Lafarge-TISCO 72 In cement sector, any acquisition is valued as cost paid per tonne of installed capacity. Over the years there were a lot of acquisitions like Grasim- LT, Lafarge- Raymond, Lafarge Tisco, etc and this valuation of GACL was the highest till date. Holcim-GACL-ACC Holcim has acquired a 14.8 per cent stake in Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd (GACL). Only a year before did this company enter into a strategic alliance with GACL. The acquisition made Holcim the largest player in the Indian cement industry. The acquisition of a stake in GACL involves Holcim paying $477 million (Rs 21.2 billion) at Rs 105 per share, which includes Rs 15 per share as non-compete fees to the promoters. The valuation price paid by Holcim to acquire Gujarat Ambuja Cement Ltd was twice the valuation price paid to acquire ACC before this acquisition. Structure of the equity distribution in Holcim-GACL-ACC Group GACL has a great track record of low operational costs, high operational efficiency and strong market position. Apart from that Ambuja Cement has very good markets in Middle East. The technical know-how of Holcim i.e, Waste Heat Recovery, use of alternative fuels, using information technology was used effectively by Gujarat Ambuja Cement. The symbiotic relation between the two companies is indeed doing well to the cement sector. Gujarat Ambuja has done extremely well before the acquisition and has done even better after the acquisition too. Holcim-ACC Holcim picked up huge stakes in ACC Ltd, another company of Indian Cement sector. Ambuja Cement already had a significant stake in this company and with the acquisition of Ambuja by Holcim; the effective stake of Holcim in ACC Ltd has gone up very much. After the acquisition, ACC steadily increased its capacity and by the end of 2009, the installed capacity rose to 26 million tonnes. ACC adopted various stringent cost reduction steps which led to increase in cash reserves. Productivity was also improved by improving operating efficiencies. Using the technical know-how from Holcim, it started effectively using alternative fuels. A lot of best practices were implemented in ACC that were being followed at Holcim ACC itself was very active in the MA space. It acquired 14.3% equity stake in Shiva Cement Ltd (SCL), Roukela. SCL has an integrated cement plant and this is poised to add huge capacities to ACC. The company has also acquired limestone reserves of Lakheri Works for Rs 35 Crore to increase its reserves for increasing its production of cement. Ultratech ETA Star Cement Ultratech Cement is the countrys second-largest cement maker and a part of Aditya Birla group. It acquired Dubai-based ETA Star Cement. ETA Star has a market share of 10% and 20% in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, respectively. To transform Unitech into a larger company, this acquisition was very much needed. Along with this acquisition, some consolidation also was done in the domestic front. The acquisition deal was valued at Rs 1,700 crore. First stage: The Cement Business of Grasim Industries Limited was demerged into a separate entity viz. Samruddhi Cement Limited. Second stage: Samruddhi has been amalgamated with UltraTech. The company (UltraTech) will become the largest cement company in India, with capacities of 49 million TPA of grey cement across 22 plants, 504 MW captive thermal power plants and 9.5 million cubic metres of Ready Mix Concrete across 73 plants. Unitech, a pan India player with a market share of around 20%, the products like White Cement and Wallc are Putty would be sold in the market with Unitech name on them. After the amalgamation of Samruddhi and the acquisition of ETA Star Cement, Unitechs capacity will stand at 52 Mtpa and this will make it the 9th largest cement company in the world. UltraTech Cement Limited is the countrys largest exporter of cement clinker. UltraTech manufactures and markets Ordinary Portland Cement, Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement and Portland Pozzalana Cement. UltraTech also manufactures ready mix concrete (RMC). The export markets span countries around the Indian Ocean, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Dalmia Cement OCL (Orissa Cement ltd.) Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited (DCBL), one of the leading multi spectrum cement manufacturing companies in India, increased its stake in OCL India from current 21.7% to 45.4% through inter-se transfer. Dalmia Cement after this expansion of foot print in Eastern region becomes a two region player. The stake increase aligned well with the Companys overall all India Expansion strategy. OCL India is a diversified company with interests in cement and refractory business and has a very strong presence in the Eastern region of the country. DCBL, with total gross income of around Rs 2,500 crore has business interests in two major segments, cement and Sugar. It has cement plants in Southern States of Tamil Nadu (Dalmiapuram Ariyalur) and Andhra Pradesh (Kadapa), with capacity of 9 million tonnes per annum. The combined of Dalmia and OCL capacity put together will be 14.3 million tonnes of Cement across the two regions and thus one of the top cement players in the country. Italcementi Zuari The Italcementi Group, the fifth largest cement producer in the world and the biggest in the Mediterranean region. It has net sales over 6 billion Euros in 2008 and a capacity of 70 million tonnes. Italcementi Cement Company with the help of the Ciments Franà §ais, a subsidiary for its global activities, has acquired shares of the Indian cement manufacturer Zuari Cement Limited. The acquisition was of 50% shareholding and the deal was of about 100 million Euros. It previously took over the plant of the Zuari Cement Limited in Andhra Pradesh in southern India and earned revenues of around 100 million Euros and an operating profit of 4 million Euros. The expertise, know-how and culture of a number of companies from more than 22 countries in 4 continents. An industrial network of 63 cement plants, 15 grinding centers, 5 terminals, 134 aggregates quarries and  613 concrete batching units. Zuari Cement is in the process of increasing this capacity to 6 million to nne by setting up of a new 5500 tonne per day clinker line at Yerraguntla and a grinding center at Chennai. Heidelberg Indorama The Heidelberg Cement was set up in 1873 and has a long and prosperous history and this company being one of the best in the world has its bases in different countries. Heidelberg Cement Company entered into an agreement for a 50% joint venture with the Indorama Cement Ltd., situated in Mumbai, originally possessed by the Indorama S P Lohia Group. The company acquired a majority participation in the cement manufacturer Mysore Cements. Mysore Cements operates two cement plants and a grinding plant in central and southern India. At the end of 2006, Heidelberg acquired the grinding plant Cochin Cements in southern India. Vicat-BCCL (Bharathi Cement Company Ltd.) French cement major, Vicat, very recently announced an interest to acquire 51% stake in Bharathi Cement Company Limited  (BCCL)  promoted Kadapa Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Bharathi brand of cement is a premium product and has been commercialized within a short span of time in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa and plans are afoot to penetrate into the Maharashtra market. BCCL operates a cement plant of two lines that will reach a total annual capacity of 5 million tonnes of cement at the end of 2010. With a current cement capacity of 2.5 million tonnes, it has been selling under the brand name of Bharathi Cement since 2009. This is the second investment for Vicat in India as it has already established a joint venture company with Sagar Cements Limited to build a Greenfield cement plant in Gulbarga in the Karnataka, producing 5.5 million tonnes of cement per annum on two clinker production lines, each with a daily capacity of 6,000 tonnes. The first line of production, with an annual cement capacity of 2.75 million tonnes, will be commissioned in 2012. Lafarges Acquisitions in India Lafarge Cement is famous all over the world for its premium quality and has been used to build many landmark buildings, structures globally. Lafarge India is a subsidiary of the French Building Materials major Lafarge. The company is a leading cement player in Eastern India. Its brands Lafarge Cement and Lafarge Concreto Cement enjoy high brand equity here and are amongst the highest priced brands. Lafarge is committed to the Indian market and has firm plans to expand its capacity in India. Lafarge entered the Indian market in 1999, with the acquisition of the cement business of Tata Steel. Raymond Cement facility was acquired in 2001. Lafarge currently has  four cement plants in India: two integrated plants in the state of Chhattisgarh,  one  grinding station each in Jharkhand West Bengal. Total cement production capacity of Lafarge in the India stands at around 6.5 million tonnes. Lafarge India produces different types of cements likeƚ  Portland Slag Cement, Portland Pozzolana Cement. FUTURE PROSPECTS OF THE INDIAN CEMENT INDUSTRY India is currently second largest producer of cement in the world after China. Huge infrastructure savvy projects in pipeline and growing demand for housing would fuel the Indian cement industry. During May 2010, the cement production touched 14.5 MT as compared to 13 MT in May 2009 at annual growth of 9-10 per cent in 2010. READY MIX CONCENTRATE Only 5-6% use of Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) in India is done compared to developed countries like Japan and U.S. where RMC is being used in almost 70-75% of construction. Since setting up a RMC plant is not huge capital intensive proposition, a large number of small business entrepreneurs are setting up their own private RMCs here in country. Currently, they are facing a lot of difficulties in running them due to high shortage of cement. Hence future in India seems to be of branded Ready Mix Concrete business, where cement manufacturers would be setting up their own RMC plants. They will not have shortage of raw material since companies can create reserves for their own RMCs, which will give them more realization than selling just cement bags. Companies including Ultratech Cement, Lafarge Cement have moved into the RMC segment as well. Time is a big constraint for Infrastructure companies to finish off their projects; hence they would also prefer buying RMC instead of following the traditional method. Therefore, future of the cement industry is more likely to shift towards Ready Mix Concrete. INFRASTRUCTURE The government of India has decided to spend more than US$ 500 billion on infrastructure in its 11th Five Year Plan. This plan includes: Building road infrastructure power infrastructure Railways Urban infrastructure Ports Airports IT ITES sector Organized retailing Shopping malls Besides this, the housing sector sharing more than 40% of total cement demand is also one of the key drivers for the cement industry. Many government banks have reduced their interest rates on housing loans to boost the housing demand in the country. As a result, the number of houses constructed is expected to increase to 6 million units by 2011 from 3.6 million in 2007. COMMONWEALTH GAMES In this FY10 budget, the Government will be spending Rs. 1.75 trillions on infrastructure. With many international events like Commonwealth games 2010, Hockey World Cup 2010, Cricket World Cup 2011 etc, the need to develop world class infrastructure was felt in early 2000s. As a result, many new multi billion dollars project were sanctioned to develop roads, metros, airports, railway stations etc all across the country, thus boosting the demand for cement. ESTIMATED DEMAND AND EXPORTS As per NCAER study, the Indias demand for cement (including exports) is expected to increase to 244 million tonnes by 2010-11. As per the study if the optimistic projections of the road and the housing sectors are met, the demand is expected to be much higher at 311.4 million tonnes. SEZ DEVELOPMENT Upcoming SEZs in areas such as Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Nasik and Pune would further boost the demand for cement. INCREASE IN POPULATION Indian population growing at the rate of 1.5% would also act as a benefit for the cement industry as it would boost the overall demand for housing and in turn cement. CONCLUDING REMARKS The cement sector is going through a consolidation phase and is thus improving operational efficiencies through several mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. Efficiencies in terms of technology, raw materials, geographies, distribution channels and markets are key factors in the cement industry. Some observations in the entire analysis were: Consolidation is happening in the global and Indian industry with large and small players both realizing synergies and improving bottomlines. India is one of the fastest growing markets. With the governments continuous focus on infrastructure, the cement industry has a huge scope for growth. Since the per capita cement consumption is low, the scope for domestic retail consumption is high too. Global players are increasing their presence in India realizing the true potential that it holds for them. Ready Mix Concentrate is the future of cement industry with all players realizing its economies and production advantages.

Major Religions Matrix - 805 Words

University of Phoenix Material Major Religions of the World Matrix Complete the matrix using your textbook and outside references. | |Buddhism |Christianity |Hinduism |Islam |Judaism |Taoism and Confucianism | |Key tenets |1. The nature of suffering. |1. A belief in God - the |1. Belief in a Supreme God |Five Pillars: |1. Belief in the existence |1. While Taoists | | |2. The origin of suffering. |maker of everything. |that expresses itself in |1. Faith or belief in the |of the Creator, who is |recognize a vast pantheon| |†¦show more content†¦| | | | | | | |6. The belief that God | | | | | | | |communicates with man | | | | | | | |through prophecy. | | |Founder of the religion |Siddhartha Gautama |Jesus Christ |None |Muhammad |Abraham |Lao-Tzu and Confucius | |Where this faith began |India |Israel |Unknown |Saudi Arabia |Israel |China | |Approximate date religion|520 B.C. |A.D. 30Show MoreRelatedThe Wasteland and The Matrix Essay1481 Words   |  6 Pagesdays where most were familiar with the works of the greats. The Wachowski Brothers’ film, The Matrix, deals with similar themes as The Wasteland . The science fiction film set in world that has been taken over by machines and centers around the plight of unsuspecting hero, Neo and other who have been freed from the computer simulated reality of The Matrix. 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The Importance of the Federal Bureau of Investigations free essay sample

Many of the units are deployable to anywhere in the world and almost all departments provide courtroom testimony. All departments work with federal , state, local and some inter-national law enforcement organizations. The lab Is accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board. (see attached print out for credentials) The first department and sub-sections we will Dulles Is the Biometric Analysis unit. This department Is made up of 5 sub-sections. The first of which Is the Combined DNA Index System(Codes).The CODES unit manages the CODES system as well as the National DNA Index. The Federal DNA Database Unit makes DNA profiles of federally convicted offenders, offenders facing federal charges as well as non- U. S. Citizens held under U. S. Authority. In the Latent Print Analysis department they examine finger, foot, and palm prints. The Mitochondrial DNA unit examines biological items of evidence from crime scenes to determine the mitochondrial DNA sequence from samples such as hair,bones , and teeth. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of the Federal Bureau of Investigations or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This unit also maintains the National Missing Person Database. The last unit in this department is the DNA- Nuclear department. The FBI started using data testing in forensics in 1998. The FBI sees Polymerase Chain Reaction (PC) and Short Tandem Repeat (STAR) analysis to detect minute amounts of biological material to generate DNA profiles sufficiently rare to be associated to a single Individual to a reasonable degree of excellently certainty. The next department Is Forensic Response. The first unit Is crime scene Documentation. This unit provide services in crime scene survey, crime scene documentation, demonstrate court presentations, 3-D physical models, crime scene photography.The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Sciences unit (CUBANS), established in 2002, develops and maintains the FBI Laboratory ability to induct and/or direct high-quality forensic examinations of hazardous chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials and all related evidence. The Evidence Response Team Unit (RETURN) enables FBI field office Evidence Response Teams (Arts) to collect evidence supporting FBI priority Investigations In a professional, competent, and systematic manner by providing Arts with training, equipment, and forensic expertise.There Is also an hazardous evidence response team which handles the U. S. Governments response to weapons of mass destruction Incidents and threats as well as supporting investigations of terrorist or criminal use of revised investigative , forensic photography and imaging. The Scientific Response Unit (SIRS) provides scientific/technical and forensic support of FBI criminal and intelligence investigations involving the actual or threatened use of any hazardous material, including weapons of mass destruction (WIND).This is accomplished through scientific and technical consultation and/or response on hazardous materials/WIND investigative matters, as well as liaison and training with public health, intelligence, s cientific, and international communities. The Technical Hazards Response Unit supports the FBI on high hazard law enforcement missions. The third department is the Forensic Science Support Department. It only consists of two sub-units. One of which is the Evidence Control Unit. The ACE is a central point for the receipt and management of evidence of all FBI interest.They also track and manage the submitted evidence from receipt to final disposition. The last unit of this department is the Forensic Imaging Unit. They provide the FBI laboratory with investigative photography, imaging, photographic processing , forensic art and graphic design. They also help the Latent Finger Print Unit and make different forms of graphic design for courtroom testimony (charts and graphs). Law enforcement agencies also can get composite sketches of suspects from this unit. The fourth department in the Bis lab is Scientific Analysis. The first unit that falls under this is the Chemistry Unit.They provide services in general chemistry. Metallurgy (study of metals), paints and polymers, toxicology and instrument operation and support. Instrument operation and support consists of maintaining and calibrating the different equipment that is used in the lab. The Counter-terrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit give forensic training and leadership to law enforcement agencies and the FBI itself. The three main goals of this unit are to develop new capabilities, improve existing capabilities, and the defensibility of current and future capabilities.Another unit inside this department is Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records. This unit can decrypt manual codes and ciphers. Check their website they post codes and ciphers for people to solve. In the Racketeering part they decode illicit business records, such examination can lead to RICH charges. The same type of examination is applied to drug operations as well. Firearms/ Toolmakers unit applies forensic examinations to firearms, ammunition components, landmarks, serial number restoration, gunshot residue, and bullet trajectories.The Questioned Documents Unit provides forensic support in handwriting comparison, plastic bag comparison, print process examinations,alternate light source examinations (low-light, black light, up lighting) , charred and liquid soaked document preservation, indented writing examinations, tire tread/shoe print comparisons and office machine artifact comparison. The Trace Evidence Unit examines hair, fibers, feathers , fabric , minerals and anthropology. The last department of the lab is the The Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (ATTACHED).