Never Giving Up

It has been said that life can never be carried out and truly lived to its fullest unless there has been some sort of suffering and pain. Mistakes are to be learned from, and a hard past can only result in a stronger present. Though many might find themselves alone in their misery the truth is they are not, everyone has struggles. We all have our ups and downs, but it is how we react to them that truly matters. Life is life and no matter what, giving up on lifelong dreams and aspirations because of a few bumps in the road should never be an option. It isn't where you come from; it's where your going that counts,† stated a very wise woman by the name of Ella Fitzgerald. This may be hard to believe but even people with great success like Ella Fitzgerald, can come from a troubled background. Before her career took off, this superstar Jazz singer known as the â€Å"first lady of song† was just another troubled teen forced to cope with the early separation of her parents. Fro m there things only got worse for Ella and in 1993, her mother died from injuries she had suffered from a car accident. It was not long before tragedy struck Ella's life once again, this time she mourned the loss of her mother's boyfriend and her half sister's father. From there it was all down hill for this sixteen year old and it was not long before she found herself in trouble with the law. â€Å"You may be disappointed if you fail but your doomed if you don't try. † These words spoken by Beverly Sills had to have somehow found their way into Ella's head because no matter what came her way, she did not give up. With a little patience, Ella was on to launching one of the largest music careers in the business. Perfection is boring, if a face doesn't have a mistake it's nothing,† stated Kevyn Aucoin. Nowadays, the success of those emerging from a troubled past is greater than ever. After all, who could forget American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino's shocking past confessions in her enormously famous autobiography, â€Å"The Fantasia Barrino Story; Life is not a Fairy Tale? † Fantasi a's traumatizing childhood seemed to be weaved with stories of pain, lies, and betrayal everywhere she turned. At an early age, Fantasia was a victim of rape and divorce. She pursued a music career in her small town of North Carolina but found that she just did not tand out from among the other teens. With low self-esteem, it was not long before Fantasia fell into the wrong crowd and found herself a seventeen-year-old, pregnant, illiterate, high school drop out. Fantasia faced a lot of criticism when she was considered for America's idol, but she did not let that bother her and continued on to become an idol for those who like her have come from a hard background. Like Helen Keller once said, â€Å"No Pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an unchartered land. † Fantasia Barrino has proven that â€Å"life is not a Fairy Tale† but you can sure make it one. It is not just celebrities that can overcome a troubled past and live up to their potential it is also people just like us. Who knows, the big shot lawyer next door could have been the one bullied in school and told time and time again that he was not good enough. It is all about strength and perseverance, believe despite the odds and what others say. To find success in the outside world you must first find it in yourself. In Ella Fitzgerald's own words, â€Å"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. â€Å"

“Lord of the Flies”: a Microcosm to Our Society Essay

William Golding s novel Lord of the Flies significantly symbolizes characters, objects and the setting to represent our world as a whole. Golding uses those symbols to make the island similar to society and to show the difference between living in a civilised society and savagery. The novel takes place on an island during World War II, this is significant since the isolation forms a sort of civilization and community, a sort of microcosm to the real world and to human civilization. Lord of the Flies island is similar to our society in many ways. There are certain objects that link the island and our society. Firstly William Golding portrays the conch as a symbol for power, order and authority. This is because whoever holds it becomes the only one with the authority to speak. That rule is official when Ralph says, And another thing. We cant have everybody talking at once. Well have to have Hands up like at schoolthen Ill give him the conch. (Golding 31) This is much like standing at the podium or holding a microphone in our civilized society or raising ones hand in school. The conch also represents the organization found in a democratic Government. Since the conch was discovered it has created order and rules and brought the boys together as a society. Jack says well have rules! he cried excitedly. Lots of rules! Then anyone who breaks em- (Golding 32) As the conch starts to lose its power the tribe splits into two groups, just as the community would have if the government would no longer have control. The rise and fall of the conch symbolized the rise and fall of a system of rules, regulations and order in a society. It provided a parallel universe showing how important the rules and regulations are to a successful society. Therefore the conch is a symbol of human civilization thus making Lord of the Flies a smaller version of society. Another symbol of civilization are the glasses belonging to piggy. It symbolized knowledge and insight. They represent societys reliance upon technology and the weakness of human beings. They were created to make piggy s life better, without them he can hardly see. When Jack snatches the glasses off piggy s face, Piggy replies Mind out! Give em back! I can hardly see! (Golding 40) The glasses are symbolic to technology which makes ones life more convenient or improves their quality of life. Without the glasses  the boys would have not been able to start a fire since no one else knew another way to do so. After asking around for matches Jack points suddenly at Piggy and says His specs-use them as burning glasses! (Golding 40) The concept that the boys would be helpless without the glasses symbolizes how helpless people become when they dont have technology to aid them . Also the clothes are a symbolic link to the survival of civilization and a symbol of conflict in society. In our society today, the clothing someone wears tells a lot about them. People are judged to be rich or poor, intelligent or unintelligent, or even neat or messy just by the clothing they have on. The boys arrive with clothes, but gradually they all wear less and less. This is symbolic of their becoming more savage and less in touch with their former civilization. One who does not wear pants in our society would be arrested and considered to be uncivilized. Another use of symbolism in clothing is that Jack and his group all dress alike and act alike makes them into a separate group from the rest of the boys. They carry out different jobs and have a different ideology. This conflict of a separate group in the society which Ralph trys to organize eventually leads to the break up of the boys into completely separate groups. This is symbolic of the different cultures we have in our society today. As the novel is an allegory, each character signifies an important idea or theme. Each character is symbolized clearly as someone in our society. Piggy is the scientific and intellectual aspect of society. He is a thinker, philosopher and someone who always advises for good. He was also like Albert Einstein, people did not care that he thought the atomic bomb was a bad weapon just like no one cared about what piggy said or did. While Piggy was trying to explain himself to Ralph, Jack turned on him. You shut up!, he yelled. (Golding 46) Another main character Ralph is like Franklin Roosevelt , who could not stop the World war two from breaking out. He is the allegory of the confused that are always confused in the recognition between good and evil. He also represents democracy and is responsible. He is the politician who relies on social order and government, and his political failures show that he cannot control the evil within the other boys. Jack was a symbol of Adolph Hitler. He w as a crazy leader who killed many people because he wanted power, No one moved. Jack shouted angrily. I said grab them! (Golding  198) Like Hitler, Jack was a dictator and ignorant. Jack is the hunter, protector and the Soldier who is consumed by his own fear and the greater force of his own capacity for evil. Roger is even worse than Jack, even though he isnt like that from the beginning. Hes similar to Satan or even Dr. Mengele who was Hitler s worker and did very bad operations on people. Roger is so cruel and has gone far beyond from being a savage when Roger purposely with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever, resulting in Piggy s death. (Golding 200) Simon is a Christ like figure who discovered the truth but unlike Christ he is sacrificed before he can deliver it to the others. The impulses and the behaviour of the boys are those of adults. The struggle between Ralph and Jack is symbolic of the struggle between the forces of civilization and anarchy, or the struggle between moral conscience and his heart of darkness and also world war 2. The tussle between Jack and Ralph for leadership is the allegory of our political leaders who always fight and kill for the sake of power. The way the boys are being seduced by Jack, the leaders of our world exploit the masses. Our world is very fertile like the island, but in their ambition to get the power the leaders destroy this world just like the boys who burn the whole island to ashes without realizing that they are destroying their own means of survival. The division of the boys in litluns and big’uns is the allegory of the classes in our world. Litluns symbolize the common people, while the big’uns are the allegory of the ruling, powerful and political classes. The island on which the boys find themselves is allegorically our world in miniature. Since the island is a microcosm, Golding uses it to reflect our world and give comments on it and his view of human nature. In order to achieve this symbolism, Golding uses objects that have symbolic value as references to ideas, characters that symbolize important historical and religious people, and the setting which frames the conflicts on the island, all have parallels in the real world. They show that what happened in the story is just not a story. They help prove the authors belief that humankind is savage and evil is under civilization. Thus the Lord of the Flies is a microcosm, a smaller version of society and human civilization. BIBLEOGRAPHY: Lord of the Flies, William Golding

3 ways HR professionals support line managers and their staff Essay

Recruitment: The process of selection and appointment of suitable candidates for jobs in an organisation, in a short span and cost effectively manner. The process includes analyzing the requirements of a job, attracting employees to that job, screening and selecting candidates, hiring and integrating the new employee to the company. It is a critical activity not only for the HR function but also for the line managers and various departments involved. The most important responsibility of the HR function is to find the right people for the right position. Defining targets and approaching the target with a view to hire does this. An HR professional’s ability to attract new talent that fits the needs of a company, they are trained to be proficient when organising orientation manuals, pre-employment screens and other steps prior to employment of a new hire. Thus the organisation gains the best talents on board be it internally or externally which maximizes the overall growth. â€Å"The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.† – Bill Gates, 1993 Training and Development: Learning and development strategy articulates workforce capabilities, skills or competencies required and how these can be developed, to ensure the run of a successful organization. The HR function helps in developing the mindset and skills to support the business in its evolution. They ensure that all the employees leave every session with a tangible skill they can  put in place immediately when they return to their desk. This gives a competitive advantage and adapt to economic circumstances. These are achieved by conducting seminars, boot camps, master classes and incorporating social media into content to understanding audience behaviours. The HR team ensures that these are designed and delivered by experts inside business or respected external figures. As key element of an organisation’s learning strategy they will target the long–term development of those identified as exceptionally high-performing individuals, who are critical to long-term business success. Hence this will widen employee’s knowledge and helps drives high performance level for a long-term successful business. â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.† – Nelson Mandela, 2007 Employee Engagement: Employee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, and are able to simultaneously enhance their own sense of well-being. The HR function makes sure that the employees have an engagement with the organization and engagement with their manager, which automatically increases the competency and results in high performance. They are able to analyze the key drivers of engagement and plan activities or initiatives that will have the greatest impact of engaging the employees. The HR team engages the employees by arranging fitness activities, cultural events, mentoring activities, book clubs, family activities, charity run, volunteering activities, visits to other departments, company lunch, etc. This gives an opportunity to a good needed break from their routine, which is essential for employees. Thus this leads to increased productivity, increased quality, greater innovation and better customer service. â€Å"On what high-performing companies should be striving to create: A great place for great people to do great work.† – Marilyn Carlson, former CEO of Carlson Companies, 2014 The following report tells, as to how HR professionals support line managers and staff Communication: Organizational communication refers to the forms and channels of communication among employees of organizations. Studies have found a strong relationship between the levels of communication in an organization and job performance and satisfaction. Organizational communication takes place upward, downward and horizontally. The HR function helps to bridge the gap between the management and direct employees or vice versa. The HR department has the responsibility to encourage management at all levels to communicate with employees regarding all matters of concern, including various company actions such as layoffs, promotions and important subject matters such as benefits, company policies and employment stability. Excellent communication between HR personnel and the company’s employees keeps them constantly well informed. Employees need to be listened at all times so that it will not demotivate them. Hence communication done with the help of HR function has been shown to be linked to good company’s success. â€Å"The art of communication is the language of leadership† – James Humes, 2011 Performance Management: Performance Management encourages the continuous improvement of business processes and of individuals’ skills, behaviour and contributions. This evaluation system is an invaluable tool for all business. An annual performance review places all employees on an equal field and allows the managers to see which employees are creating the most value for the organization. HR function plays an important role, by ensuring that the  process is far, accurate and managed appropriately. It motivates employees and helps in the development of the organization in the right direction. The goals and tasks of managers and employees should be aligned with the business strategy. HR function helps in setting departmental and individual performance targets, evaluates the whole process to improve effectiveness and also encourage business heads to award the right employee. This is like a key delivery mechanism associated with the management behaviours instrumental in driving performance, such as listening, coaching, communicating and creating relationships based on trust and respect. By giving such support, the line managers and organization will be definitely benefited. â€Å"A process, which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organizational performance.† – Armstrong M. and Baron A. (2004), Managing Performance: Performance Management in action, Institute of Personnel and Development. Job Analysis: Detailed examination of the task, that makes up an employee role also what the job requires in terms of aptitudes, attitudes, knowledge and skills of an employee. It is the first step in a thorough understanding of the job and forms the basis of job description. Job analysis is important primarily because of its influence on organisational structure and also the interrelatedness of it and job design. Without detailed information gained from job analysis, structuring an organisation and understanding where potential duplicity occurs in roles and functions will be difficult. Job analysis is used to: Establish and document competencies required for a job. Identify the job-relatedness of the tasks and competencies needed to successfully perform the job Provide a source of legal defensibility of assessment and selection procedures. It allows departments to identify paths of job progression for employees interested in improving their opportunities for career advancement. Thus line managers and heads are encouraged to consult with HR function for guidance at every step in the job analysis process. â€Å"The entrepreneur builds an enterprise; the technician builds a job† – Michael E. Gerber, (2001), The E-Myth Revisited: Why most small business don’t work and what to do about it, Harper Business Hence the HR function would be grateful, if it is still retained in the organisation. As mentioned the above functions and roles will improvise the growth of the company.

How to Become a Good Parent

In this world, parents consider as torchlight for their children. Parents try to do everything for their children whether it is hard or easy for them. Parents gave them directions how to start their new life by themselves. To become a good parent, a person must have all good qualities which are necessary for their children. There are various steps to become a good parent. The first step is to always take care of your children properly. Parents need to give food to children at proper time in an adequate amount. Never leave them alone till age of maturity. Always keep an eye on their daily activities. Parents also need to take information about their children such as who are their friends in schools and neighborhood. They must find out are they good natured students? The second step is that parents must tell their children what is good for them or what is bad. In this way, children can remain safe without anybody else’s care. If children have already known about bad things, they never do any bad habits. They will always remain far away from bad habits like smoking and gambling. Sometimes, some students start to do bad habits because nobody told them the difference between good and bad. However, parents must tell the disadvantages of bad habits to their children. The third step is to help them in their study. Parents always help their children at the time of any difficulty in their study. Also parents need to decide whether or not children need part-time tutor for their homework. If parents can’t help their children in any difficulties regarding studies, they need to ask the teacher to teach them again on parent’s day. The fourth step is to show your love and also gave them examples of their life experiences. Parents should not shout at their children in front of others. If they will be doing this, children felt their insult and it will lessen their love towards parents. Parents should always teach them in positive way which means with a lot of love. Parents never put so many burdens on their children so that they will become like a burning candle, for example- job along with study, house responsibilities. The fifth step is to teach children, how to survive in this complicated world. Parents teach their children, how to face the difficulties in their life. The guidance and motivation always remains in the mind of children forever because they learned guidance during growing up. Parents must teach their children to think deeply before doing anything, for example- While taking any decision regarding their life goals. In conclusion, by following these steps which are take care, recognizing of bad and good habits, helping them in their study, love, a person can become a good parent. These steps will make a good parent for children who are going to start a new life. The past experiences of parents become lessons for their children in future.

Impact of the Internet and Media for Modern Youth

INTERNET ON MODERN YOUTH The content of the current media culture is often blind to a young person’s cultural,economic and educational background. The concept of a media culture has evolvedowing to the increased volume, variety and importance of mediated signs and messagesand the interplay of interlaced meanings. In the world of young people, themedia are saturated by popular culture and penetrate politics, the economy, leisuretime and education. At present, the global media culture is a pedagogic force that hasthe potential to exceed the achievements of institutionalized forms of education.AsHenry Giroux puts it:â€Å"With the rise of new media technologies and the global reach of thehighly concentrated culture industries, the scope and impact of theeducational force of culture in shaping and refiguring all aspects of  daily life appear unprecedented. Yet the current debates have generallyignored the powerful pedagogical influence of popular culture,along with the implicat ions it has for shaping curricula, questioningnotions of high-status knowledge, and redefining the relationship  between the culture of schooling and the cultures of everyday life. 6The concept of media culture encompasses not simply symbolic combinationsof immaterial signs or capricious currents of old and new meanings, but an entire wayof life7 in which images, signs, texts and other audio-visual representations are connectedwith the real fabric of material realities, symbols and artificialities. 8Media culture is pervasive; its messages are an important part of the everydaylives of young people, and their daily activities are structured around media use.Thestories and images in the media become important tools for identity construction. A  pop star  provides a model  for clothing and  other style choices, and language used  bya cartoon character becomes a key factor in the street credibility of young people. Under the present circumstances, there are few places left i n the world where onemight escape the messages and meanings embedded in the televised media culture.In a mediated culture, it can be difficult for young people to discern whose representationsare closest to the truth, which representations to believe, and whichimages matter. This is partly because the emergence of digitalized communication and the commoditization of culture have significantly altered the conditions under whichlife and culture are experienced. Many are still attached to the romantic image of  organic communities in which people converse with one another face-to-face and livein a close-knit local environment.Digital communication is gradually undermining thistraditional approach:â€Å"Most of the ways in which we make meanings, most of our communicationsto other people, are not directly human and expressive, butinteractions in one way or another worked through commodities andcommodity relations: TV, radio, film, magazines, music, commercialdance, style, fashion, co mmercial leisure venues. These are major  realignments. † 9In the world of young people, the media culture may be characterized primarilyin terms of three distinct considerations. First, it is produced and reproduced bydiverse ICT sources.It is therefore imperative to replace the teaching of knowledgeand skills central to agrarian and industrial societies with education in digital literacy. A similar point is made by Douglas Kellner, who contends that in a media culture it isimportant to learn multiple ways of interacting with social reality. 10 Children and young  people must be provided with opportunities to acquire skills in multiple literacies toenable them to develop their identities, social relationships and communities, whether  material, virtual, or a combination of the two.Second, the media culture of youth extends beyond signs and symbols, manifestingitself in young people’s physical appearance and movements. The media cultureinfluence is visible in how youth present themselves to the world through meansmade available by prevailing fashions; the body is a sign that can be used effectivelyto produce a cultural identity. Furthermore, various kinds of media-transmitted skillsand knowledge are stored and translated into movements of the body. This is evidentin a number of youth subcultures involving certain popular sports, games andmusic/dances such as street basketball, skateboarding and hip hop.The body is highly susceptible to different contextual forms of control. Whilethey are in school, pupils’ movements are regulated by certain control mechanismsand cognitive knowledge. In the streets, youth clubs and private spaces, however, their bodies function according  to a different logic. Informal knowledge absorbed throughthe media culture requires some conscious memorizing but also involves physicallearning, quite often commercialized. 11Third, in the experience of young people, media culture represents a sourceof pleasure and relative autonomy compared with home or school.As P. Willis states:â€Å"Informal cultural practices are undertaken because of the pleasuresand satisfactions they bring, including a fuller and more roundedsense of the self, of ‘really being yourself’ within your own knowablecultural world. This entails finding better fits than the institutionally or  ideologically offered ones, between the collective and cultural senses  Ã¢â‚¬â€the way it walks, talks, moves, dances, expresses, displays—  and its actual conditions of existence; finding a way of ‘beingin the world’ with style at school, at work, in the street. 12Experts on young people have long appreciated the complexity of the conceptof youth, especially when examined from a global perspective. The best summation is  perhaps that the concept of youth today is historically and contextually conditioned;in other words, it is relative as well as socially and culturally constructed. 13 In the presentmedia culture, the age at which childhood is perceived to end is declining, and the  period of  youth seems to be  extending upward.It is useful, however, to recall that the majority of young people in the worlddo not live according to the Western conceptions of youth. For them, childhood andadolescence in the Western sense exist only indirectly through media presentations. The same media culture influences seem to be in effect outside the Western world,  but their consequences are  likely to be somewhat different owing mainly to variationsin definitions of childhood and youth and to the different authority relationships  prevailing in individual cultures.Children and young people are often seen as innocent victims of the pervasive and  powerful media. In the extreme view, the breakdown of the nuclear family, teenage  pregnancy, venereal disease, paedophilia, child  trafficking and child prostitutionspreading through the Internet, drug use, juvenile crime, t he degeneration of manners,suicide and religious cults are all seen as problems exacerbated or even inflicted upon

Multinational Acquisition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Multinational Acquisition - Research Paper Example In 2010, the world witnessed the acquisition of a famous multinational company Cadbury by Kraft Food Products. Kraft Foods, an American multinational, which deals in food products acquired Cadbury, a British multinational dealing in confectionary products, as a way to diversify its holdings. As such, in January 2010, Kraft Foods acquired Cadbury for ?11.9 billion ($19.6 billion) (Merced & Nicholson, 2010). This made Kraft Foods the biggest confectioner in the world. It has been recorded as the biggest food and beverage deal in European history according Reuters. The initial offer of Kraft Foods was 745p, per share which was increase by 14 percent to 850p per share. Initially the acquisition was opposed by the trade unions because they had the prescient concern that such an acquisition would necessarily lead to job cuts. However, Kraft Foods confirmed that the combined company would be able to create more jobs in UK, apart from the existing employees that Cadbury currently employed (J ones, & Dorfman, 2010). Research Objectives The objective of this research is to focus on the issues that arise after a multinational acquisition acquires a different organizational culture, framework, process and system in comparison to the company which has acquired it. The motive would be to analyze the accounting requirements after acquisition, difficulties that arise with reference to preparation of combined financial statements, as well as to separately assess the goodwill of the business combination and other key issues. The objective would also be to study the IFRS and GAAP guidelines which are applicable in cases such as the one that will be studied. Outline of the Study The research study includes a detailed study of the multinational acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft Foods. General analysis of the scenario before acquisition is done; furthermore, the study will discuss the after effects of acquisition within the new business combination. As such, the study will begin with a brief overview of the acquisition that took place in January 2010. The research objective is stated to describe the motive behind conducting the research. Furthermore, a literature review will include analysis of the accounting requirements and the challenges faced by the company in preparing the combined financial statements. Apart from this discussion on the process of evaluating the intangible assets of the company and key changes that are made in the acquired company would be revealed, the study will attempt to give a complete view of the successful objectives required by such an approach. LITERATURE REVIEW Accounting Requirements and Challenges in preparing Financial Statement In the case of the acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft Foods, the holding company is Kraft Foods and Cadbury is the subsidiary. Therefore, the companies in this business combination need to apply for acquisition accounting to the newly united business. Similarly, the holding company is the one which holds ma jority of the shares of the subsidiary company. The holding company must also become responsible for the balance sheet and profit and loss statements of the subsidiar

Toyota Marketing in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Toyota Marketing in China - Essay Example Sales of marketable vehicle in the country are forecasted to grow at a CAGR of around 5.5% during 2008-2010. Based on the past performance, it is projected that passenger car sales will cross 11 Million Units in 2010. China is the world's second largest car market. It overtook Japan just last year and is challenging to become the world's largest automobile market. The industrial revolution in China has prompted development and growth in the middle-class of China and the automobiles have translated into a symbol of prestige. Toyota was a latecomer to the China market. Within its global strategies, North America is the top priority, followed by its home country Japan. China has been included in Toyota's top development strategy in recent years with its first China-made VIOS sedan produced in Tianjin in October 2002. Considering China as an immature auto market, the company had adopted a three-stage development plan -- first to establish a local sales network and launch brand promotions, then to build auto parts manufacturing bases, and, finally, to establish joint ventures (JVs) with local players and produce automobiles. Although a latecomer, Toyota has jumped to the front in terms of imported car volume -- 50,000 units annually (Jiang, 2004). The company stepped into the most important and critical stage -- speeding up the localization of its products, since its rivals, such as Honda and General Motors, started accelerating their saturation into China. After the market entry of the Prado and Land Cruis er with China's First Automobile Works, its manufactured goods with Guangzhou Automobile Manufacturing Co -- Camry, which was a great success in the Untied States, was also developed. Forbes magazine comments on Toyota's success in the US auto market, saying that once the company sets goals, it will manage to exceed the targets. What is more demanding to its rivals is Toyota's approach to realize these goals. That estimation may well apply to its China development. Although Toyota missed the first opportunities, it will likely catch up if it pays more attention to the China market and introduces high-end brands. Toyota may scale back its ambitious target of selling more vehicles in the United States this year than it did in 2007, as damage from an economic slowdown and high oil prices becomes more fully known. Toyota sold more than 4.8 million vehicles worldwide in the first half of this year, up 2% from the same period a year earlier, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday. That exceeded General Motors Corp.'s sales of 4.5 million vehicles in the same period, setting up Toyota to potentially end GM's 76-year run as the world's top automaker by sales (CNN Money, 2007) Toyota, the third-biggest foreign car brand in China, reported investing 3.6 billion Yuan ($526.8 million) to double the production capacity of one of its plants. This should boost Toyota's overall capacity in China to 830,000 units by the first half of 2010. Global requirement for light hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) is estimated to reach 4.5 million units in 2013. Increasing energy costs and greater than before emissions regulations are likely to increase demand for HEVs. The US is expected to experience the highest level of demand for HEVs, estimated at two million units in