GM Sees Tepid Sales of New Models :: essays research papers

General Motors Corp., already bracing for a tough 2005 because of flagging truck sales, is now showing signs of trouble selling two of the new cars it had been expecting to pick up the slack this year. The company in the last week or so has increased incentives on the Pontiac G6 and the Buick LaCrosse as a result of sluggish sales, and has prepared to scale back production at the factory that assembles the G6. GM recently told workers at its plant in Orion, Mich., that it is reducing the number of cars it wants produced each hour and delaying the start of a second shift of production until after the company's annual plant shutdown in July. The company had planned to start the second shift in the spring. Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of market and industry analysis, said production is ramping up slowly at the plant because not all versions of the G6 are in the market yet, such as a model with a four-cylinder engine. "We don't get the coupes until the summer, and we don't get the convertible until after that," he said. "We've been delayed in bringing some of the the new versions of the G6 out." Mr. Ballew said G6 sales are "pretty good" but acknowledged they are "not off the charts." GM expects to sell about 6,000 G6s this month, up from about 4,000 last month, he said. The slow start of the G6 and LaCrosse sales comes at a difficult point for GM, the world's largest car maker. In 2004, GM lost market share and was forced to cut production as Japanese rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. posted substantially higher sales of mainstream cars. At the same time, luxury-car makers such as BMW AG are expanding further into midprice segments that GM once dominated. In January, GM said 2005 earnings would fall by about a third to between $4 and $5 a share, as a result of a $1 billion increase in health-care costs, a substantial loss in Europe and lower profit at its financing arm. It is also suffering from an aging line of pickup trucks and big sports-utility vehicles, such as the Chevy Suburban and GMC Yukon, that normally generate substantial profit. These sales are falling as GM prepares to launch new versions in 2006. The LaCrosse and especially the G6 were supposed to help smooth the ride in the meantime.

Principles on which vicarious liability is based Essay

The doctrine of vicarious liability is based on principles which can be summed up in the following two maxims : (a) Qui facit per alium facit per se :- The maxim means, ‘he who acts through another is deemed in deemed in law as doing it himself’. The master’s responsibility for the servant’s act had also its origins in this principle. The reasoning is that a person who puts another in his place to do a class of acts in his absence, necessarily leaves to determine, according to the circumstances that arise, when an act of that class is to be done and trust him for the manner in which it is done; consequently he is answerable for the wrong of the person so entrusted either in the manner of doing such an act, or in doing such an act under circumstances in which it ought not to have been done ; provided what is done is not done from any caprice of the servant but in the course of the employment. (b) Respondeat superior :- Another maxim usually referred to in this connection is respondeat superior, i.e., the superior must be responsible or let the principal be liable. In such cases not only he who obeys but also he who commands becomes equally liable. This rule has its origin in the legal presumption that all acts done by the servant in and about his master’s business are done by his master’s express or implied authority and are, in truth, the act of the master. The master is answerable for every such wrong of the servant as is committed in the course of his service, though no express command or privity is proved. Similarly, a principal and agent are jointly and severally liable as joint wrong-doers for any tort authorised by the former and committed by the latter. (c) Modern view :- In recent times, however, the doctrine of vicarious liability is justified on the principle other than that embodied in the above-mentioned maxims. It is now believed that the underlying idea of this doctrine is that of expediency and public policy. Salmond has rightly remarked in this connection that â€Å"there is one idea which is found in the judgements from the time of Sir John Holt to that of Lord Goddard, namely, public policy.† The view of Lord Pearce can be quoted here with approval, which he expressed in Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd v. Shatwell â€Å"The doctrine of vicarious liability has not grown from any very clear, logical or legal principle but from social convenience and rough justice. The master having (presumably for his own benefit) employed the servants, and being (presumably) better able to make good any damage which may occasionally result from the arrangement, is answerable to the world at large for all torts committed by his servant within the scope of it.† In the words of Winfield, this may not satisfy the jurist or the logician, but it probably represents the prevailing stage of legal opinion on the matter and though the future may bring further extensions of vicarious liability, it is inconceivable that a serious proposal for its abolition will be made so long as the law of tort as we know it remains alive.1 View as multi-pages

The Potential Effects of Developing Technology Essay

Technology is a tool created by the human race to enhance its ability to learn and grow as a collective group. Humans taper these tools, created through technological process, to their uniquely specific needs. Technology, when used in a morally sound way, can have immense benefits that help a culture grow and develop effectively as demonstrated by the society in Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World; however technology can be a double edged sword in the sense that it has the power to destroy as demonstrated in Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 2001 A Space Odyssey. When this is coupled with its own unreliability, technology can be a challenge for those who seek to control and master its enigmas. Technology does not have the ability to choose†¦show more content†¦a shield {with} the World State’s motto: Community, Identity, Stability, (Aldous Huxley p1). In this fictional account of Earth, technology is used to keep people safe and orderly. The motto refers to t he way people live and interact in the society. Everyone feels wanted and included making society a safe and stable place for everyone to learn and grow. No one is abandoned; everyone has a place where they belong. Through the use of technology, an individual or a group of people can work together to bring themselves into a new era of prosperity and security. Technology has the potential to be greatly rewarding to those who choose to use it in good conscience but if those people were to use technology in a less responsible way then there could be daunting consequences looming in the distance. Everyone has their own opinion of how technology should be used and in which direction it should be allowed to progress. These varying ideals create friction between the different factions that control technology. Eventually these varying views on the use of technology lead to conflict. In the final moments of Arthur C. 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