Food Regulations in the Usa Essay

Everyone has heard the stories about mad cow disease and other food-borne diseases coming into the United States from countries such as United Kingdom and China. Besides that locally, foodborne illnesses are among the top of deaths within the United States. Cause of these deaths, most could be prevented if better rules and regulations were in place federally and locally in the United States. In this paper I will be discussing insight on how the US Government can improve the effectiveness of state and local food safety programs. Food safety responsibilities at the state and local levels reside in too many agencies (health, agricultural, industry, etc. ) With all of these agencies it is hard for all of them to cooperate together when detecting and reporting said incidences to the federal level. Without an effort to build a comprehensive national regulation that cover the three basic elements of prevention, detection, and rapid response. When it comes to the area of surveillance, there is a lack in the communication chain between federal agencies, state, and local health agencies. A good example of this lack of surveillance was back in 2008, when Federal Drug Administration found traces of melamine in infant milk products. However, the FDA concluded melamine or cyanuric acid alone, â€Å"at or below 1 part per million in infant formula do not raise public health concerns† in babies. (2008 Chinese milk scandal) Melamine is a toxic chemical that can be harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. According to FDA scientists, melamine can be absorbed into the blood stream forming clots that can cause kidneys to malfunction. United States FDA’s limit was put at 0. 63 mg, but was later reduced to 0. 63 mg daily. The World Health Organization’s food safety director estimated that the amount of melamine a person could stand per day without incurring a bigger health risk, the â€Å"tolerable daily intake† (TDI), was 0. 2 mg per kg of body mass (â€Å"Melamine†) To eliminate such risks from entering into the United States, FDA needs to improve on monitoring and/or inspection of the food safety practices of foreign food producers and suppliers. A solution to this surveillance problem would be improved communications and collaboration between federal agencies, state, and local health jurisdictions involved in food safety surveillance. As well as promote access to information from multiple passive foodborne outbreak surveillance databases by federal, state, and local health jurisdictions such as Pulse-Net. With better surveillances put into place, the next step would to concentrate on the inspection and regulation phases. There was an article written in 1956 (Eat, drink, & be wary, 1956) that explains how FDA does not regulate everything the same. The article goes on to explain about how Florida oranges and the additives that are used and how three of the dyes were deemed â€Å"highly toxic. It also states that if the FDA were to make new laws, which can take years for them to be passed. Another way is to mandate uniformity in product dating so consumers and regulators can differentiate between production dates, â€Å"sell by† dates, â€Å"use by† dates, and if dates are based on food safety concerns or product freshness considerations. Woteki & Kineman wrote an article entitled â€Å"Challenges and approaches to reducing foodborne illness† how the science of foodborne illnesses are accelerating faster than laws that can protects against said illnesses. While American consumers benefit from one of the world’s safest food supplies, the existing framework is a patchwork of laws and regulations that are frequently inconsistent and lag far behind current scientific knowledge of the risks posed by foodborne pathogens and toxic chemicals. (Woteki, Kineman, 2003) With proper regulations now in place, working on proper inspection procedures would be the next step to ensure safer food being imported and exported within the United States. Federal government needs to support continued development of a uniformed food safety inspection program for all state and local health jurisdictions and encourage its adoption through federal funding. The FDA has been working on this by developing Model Retail Food Standards. (NEHA, 2011) However, to improve the regulations that are needed the FDA have areas for improvement; such as encouraging (but not mandate) more uniformity in regulatory codes nationwide. Another solution in the inspection process would be to have a secure database where all the proper documents to be accessible by user-defined personnel. There was an incident where a local health department had to file a request for a copy of the most recent inspection of a food manufacturing plant from a certain federal agency. By the time that request was processed, six months had passed and the inspection was outdated and useless. (NEHA, 2011) Overall, the United States does ok in the prevention and detection of severe cases of foodborne illnesses. However, I believe that the FDA should do a better job in communicating with state and local government to better prevent and detect said type illnesses. Again some ways that could happen is to try to get a uniformed code of regulations across nationally. Now by doing this I am not saying we will prevent foodborne illnesses totally but we, as a nation, would be better off to indicate and be able to take the corrective actions needed.

Monopoly as a source of market failure Essay

Abtsract. Environmental problems also occur when one of the participants in an exchange of property rights is able to exercise an inordinate amount of power over the outcome. This can occur, for example, when a product is sold by a single seller, or monopoly. A firm that has no competitors in its industry is called a monopoly. Monopolies are not all evil. Neither are they utterly good. Monopolies are much maligned because their profit incentive leads them to raise prices and lower output in order to squeeze more money out of consumers. As a result, governments typically go out of their way to break up monopolies and replace them with competitive industries that generate lower prices and higher output. Our study examines Arcelor-Mittal: the uncontrolled growth of this steel giant often at the expense of peoples’ health in a rapidly globalizing world has given people all around the world common cause for resistance. We have focused on Arcelor-Mittal Temirtau Kazakhstan which as we think is the best example of monopoly of market failure. Our paper work on â€Å"Monopoly as a source of market failure† explores global steel giant’s environmental and social impacts in 2008-2009 that have emerged from the Environmental&Natural Resource Economics. First, we provide the background information about the theory of natural monopoly as a source of market failure. Then we show the certain case of such monopoly – ArcelorMittal Temirtau Kazakhstan. Our research analysis is divided to two parts: background information and social&environmental impacts of global steel giant’s work in our homeland. Considering the situation and the current conditions of Arcelor-Mittal we then provide following solutions to the company that have to be implemented in order to enable it to overcome and or limit the potential problems in the foresseable future. This topic is very crucial and relevant not just only for our country to be mentioned and finally to be solved but also for the whole world as Arcelor-Mittal is operating worldwide. However it still neither has taken into account the seriousness of the problems that it has induced to the environment nor all of the responsibility. Introduction: The rise of a steel giant. We are all shareholders, maybe not in the company, but 1 / 13 indeed in our environments, and shareholders of corporations such as ArcelorMittal need to be aware of this reality. Company shareholders are often blinded by the glossy reports, company greenwash and figures detailing rising profits. This paper work seeks to create a new awareness amongst ArcelorMittal’s shareholders, and calls on them to act on the evidence presented. Many perceive the rise of Mittal Steel – now ArcelorMittal – from a small mill to a global steel giant as one of the great wonders of the business world. The success of the company has coincided with the exploitation of weaker national laws and political wrangling. In the last three decades Mittal has bought up old, run-down state-owned steel factories in places like Trinidad, Mexico, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, South Africa and Algeria. The cost of Mittal Steel’s success has largely been paid by the communities living and working near the company’s plants. Mittal Steel has a global reputation for prioritising productivity over the environment, communities and fair labour practices in countries where it operates steel mills, such as Romania, Poland, Czech Republic South Africa, Kazakhstan and the United States, in spite of frequent company statements about its attention to and investment in these areas. No longer can they be uninformed shareholders reaping annual profits. They need to accept responsibility for the negative impacts their investments have on peoples’ lives along with accepting the profits they reap on their shares. It is critical to understand that the local injustices presented in the report will not just ‘go away’. They need careful deliberation and shareholder resolutions for ethical investment that calls for improved operations on the ground in order to deliver environmental justice to local people. Economic monopolies have existed throughout much of human history. In ancient and medieval times dire scarcity of resources was common and affected the lives of most human beings. When resources are extremely scarce, little room exists for a multiplicity of producers for many products and services. Monopoly is a well-defined market structure where there is only one seller who controls the entire market supply, as there are no close substitutes for his product and there are no barriers to the entry of rival producers. However in this dynamically changing world there is no such situation where the commodity does not have a substitute. So for a monopoly to be effective there must be no practical substitutes for the product or service sold, and no serious threat of the entry of a competitor into the market. This enables the seller (â€Å"monopolist†) to control the price. The term monopolist is derived from the Greek word â€Å"mono†, meaning â€Å"single†, and â€Å"polist† meaning seller. Thus the monopolist may be defined as the sole seller of a product which has no close substitutes. At the beginning we state the background information about the theory of natural monopoly as a source of market failure. Then we show the certain case of such monopoly – ArcelorMittal Temirtau Kazakhstan. Our research analysis is divided to two parts: background information and social&environmental impacts of global steel giant’s work in our homeland. Considering the situation and the current conditions of Arcelor-Mittal we then provide following solutions to the company that have to be implemented in order to enable it to overcome and or limit the potential problems in the foresseable future. The Theory of Natural Monopoly. Market failure occurs when resources are misallocated, or allocated inefficiently. There are five important sources of market failure, each of which results from the failure of one of the assumptions basic to the perfectly competitive model. Each also points to a potential role for government in the economy. One of the causes of market failure is imperfect competition, particularly monopolies. An imperfectly competitive market is one where the assumption of many buyers and sellers does not hold. These types of market organizations include monopoly, monopsony, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. The operations of monopoly or natural monopoly often result in misuse of market power and inefficient allocation of resources, which reduce community welfare. For this reason, governments generally regulate monopoly and enforce laws preventing cartels. This type is a major rationale for a comprehensive competition policy. A monopoly is a market with one seller and many buyers. A monopoly may exist because of special 2 / 13 government regulation or because the monopolist is the sole owner of a resource (due to a patent or some other reason). A monopoly has the following characteristics: †¢There is only one producer in the market †¢They sell a single product with no close substitutes †¢Monopolies are price makers. The monopolies demand curve is the market demand curve; therefore the firm can sell the product at a higher price but only if it reduces output. It has control over the price or quantity sold, but not both. †¢There are very strong barriers to entry. This might include: High capital costs; High ‘sunk’ costs. Sunk costs are those which cannot be recovered if the firm goes out of business, such as advertising costs – the greater the sunk costs the greater the barrier. Technological knowledge, when one firm acquires the technological know-how that other firms do not have Patents and copyrights, protecting other firms from copying their product; Government regulations and restrictions; The monopoly can execute predatory pricing which involves dropping price very low in a ‘demonstration’ of power and to put pressure on existing or potential rivals and/or limit pricing. Limit pricing is a specific type of predatory pricing which involves a firm setting a price just below the average cost of new entrants – if new entrants match this price they will make a loss! A natural monopoly. A natural monopoly is a firm that can supply a good or service to an entire market at a lower price than if there were two or more firms. It has some similarities to a monopolist. It is an imperfect competitor, the sole producer in a market, and able to retain this position because of barriers to entry, such as government regulation, technological leadership or large start-up capital, It is able to restrict output in order to increase price and earn supernormal profits. However, a natural monopoly has a downward-sloping average cost curve (AC) over the relevant range of outputs, which results from economies of scale. Economies of scale develop in the long run, which is a period of time when all inputs are variable and the constraints imposed by diminishing returns no longer apply. The graph below shows the long run as being made up of a series of short-run periods, shown as a series of short-run AC en shown together illustrate economies of scale. Figure 1. Economies of scale. Source Senior Economics Workbook: NCEA Level 3. Geoff Evans, Ben Cahill, John Rogers. Pearson Education New Zealand Limited, 2005. Chapter 10. Page 93. A â€Å"natural monopoly† because it is economically efficient for there to only be one supplier. The following diagram can help to illustrate just why: Figure 2. A natural monopoly. Source Senior Economics Workbook: NCEA Level 3. Geoff Evans, Ben Cahill, John Rogers. Pearson Education New Zealand Limited, 2005. Chapter 10. Page 109. Given the downward sloping supply curve, and ignoring the demand curve for a minute, having an equilibrium at point E1, which gives us price P1. We could assume that this is a monopoly equilibrium, where Q1 represents the entire size of the market – it represents everybody who wants to buy the good. But in the case of a duopoly market, where there are two suppliers, we could assume that each seller in the market has exactly half of the market. This corresponds to the equilibrium E2 on the above diagram, which gives us quantity Q2 and price P2. We can assume the Q2 = 0. 5 x Q1, and that each of the two firms supplies Q2 of the good in question. And here a major problem arises. If we have one firm only, the marginal cost of supply is P1, which is lower than the duopoly price, P2. This means that having two firms in a market ends up with the firms having to charge a higher price than if only one firm existed. In this case, it is efficient, or â€Å"natural†, for there to only be one firm in 3 / 13 the market. This is why declining-marginal-cost industries are called natural monopolies. Because natural monopolies tend to be utilities, which are services like gas, electricity, water and telephones, which the public generally holds to be necessities of life, we are not comfortable allowing these firms to charge monopoly prices (i. e. , the pricing where MR = MC). Because these are staples or necessities, the demand curve for these goods is very inelastic – it is very steep. This means that the monopolist price would be much higher than the free-market price, and a large volume of people would be denied basic necessities of life. Instead, we use the power of government to regulate prices in these markets. The normal avenue for regulation of natural monopolies is the public utilities commission. These exist at the state-level in the United States, and at the national level in many other countries. Utilities commissions are given the task of making sure that utility companies make enough money to stay in business, but not enough to enjoy monopoly profits. They make sure that everybody is served, and served well, in theory. Since utilities are monopolies that are not subject to market forces and competition, they have little pressure to be responsive to market forces, which means that they do not have to treat their customers well, because their customers do not have the ability to switch to a different supplier. The costs of monopoly: †¢Less choice. Clearly, consumers have less choice if supply is controlled by a monopolist – for example, the Post Office used to be monopoly supplier of letter collection and delivery services across the UK and consumers had no alternative letter collection and delivery service. †¢High prices. Monopolies can exploit their position and charge high prices, because consumers have no alternative. This is especially problematic if the product is a basic necessity, like water. †¢Restricted output Monopolists can also restrict output onto the market to exploit its dominant position over a period of time, or to drive up price. †¢Less consumer surplus A rise in price or lower output would lead to a loss of consumer surplus. Consumer surplus is the extra net private benefit derived by consumers when the price they pay is less than what they would be prepared to pay. Over time monopolist can gain power over the consumer, which results in an erosion of consumer sovereignty. †¢Asymmetric information There is asymmetric information – the monopolist may know more than the consumer and can exploit this knowledge to its own advantage. †¢Productive inefficiency Monopolies may be productively inefficient because there are no direct competitors a monopolist has no incentive to reduce average costs to a minimum, with the result that they are likely to be productively inefficient. †¢Allocative inefficiency Monopolies may also be allocatively inefficient – it is not necessary for the monopolist to set price equal to the marginal cost of supply. In competitive markets firms are forced to ‘take’ their price from the industry itself, but a monopolist can set (make) their own price. Consumers cannot compare prices for a monopolist as there are no other close suppliers. This means that price can be set well above marginal cost. †¢Net welfare loss Even accounting for the extra profits derived by a monopolist, which can be put back into the economy when profits are distributed to shareholders, there is a net loss of welfare to the community. Welfare loss is the loss of community benefit, in terms of consumer and producer surplus, that occurs when a market is supplied by a monopolist rather than a large number of competitive firms. 4 / 13. †¢Monopoly welfare loss A ‘net welfare loss’ refers any welfare gains less any welfare loses as a result of an economic transaction or a government intervention. Using ‘welfare analysis’ allows the economist to evaluate the impact of a monopoly. †¢Less employment Monopolists may employ fewer people than in more competitive markets. Employment is largely determined by output – the more output a firm produces the more labour it will require. As output is lower for a monopolist it can also be assumed that employment will also be lower. The benefits of monopoly:Monopolies can provide certain benefits, including: †¢Exploit economies of scale As we have already mentioned above, the natural monopoly exploits economies of large scale. This means that it can produce at low cost and pass these savings on to the consumer. However, there would be little incentive to do this and the savings made might be used to increase profits or raise barriers to entry for future rivals. †¢Dynamic efficiency Monopolists can also be dynamically efficient – once protected from competition monopolies may undertake product or process innovation to derive higher profits, and in so doing become dynamically efficient. It can be argued that only firms with monopoly power will be in the position to be able to innovate effectively. Because of barriers to entry, a monopolist can protect its inventions and innovations from theft or copying. †¢Avoidance of duplication of infrastructure The avoidance of wasteful duplication of scarce resources – if the monopolist is a ‘natural monopoly’ it can be argued that competitive supply would be wasteful. Natural monopolies include gas, rail and electricity supply. A natural monopoly occurs when all or most of the available economies of scale have been derived by one firm – this prevents other firms from entering the market. But having more than one firm will mean a wasteful duplication of scarce resources. †¢Revenue Monopolists can also generate export revenue for a national economy. A single firm may gain from economies of scale in its own domestic economy and develop a cost advantage which it can exploit and sell relatively cheaply abroad. Remedies for monopoly:If a monopolist can gain a foothold in a market it becomes very difficult for new firms to enter, with the result that the price mechanism is restricted from doing its job. Resources cannot be allocated to where they are most needed because the monopolist can erect barriers to other firms. These barriers will not ‘naturally’ come down. The failure of markets to ‘self regulate’ is at the heart of monopoly as a ‘market failure. There are a number of ways in which the negative effects of monopoly power can be reduced: Regulation of firms who abuse their monopoly power. This could be achieved in a number of ways, including: †¢Price controls Setting price controls. For example, the current UK competition regulator, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), has developed a system of price ‘capping’ for the previously state owned natural monopolies like gas and water. This price capping involves tying prices to just below the current general inflation rate. The formula, RPI – X, is used, where the RPI (the Retail Price Index) is the chosen index of inflation and ‘X’ is a level of price reduction agreed between the regulator and the firm, based on expected efficiency gains. †¢Prohibiting mergers Prohibiting mergers – in the UK the Competition Commission can prohibit mergers between firms that create a combined market share of 25% or more if it believes that the merger would be against the ‘public interest’. In making their judgement, the ‘public interest’ takes into account the effect of the merger on jobs, prices and the level of competition. †¢Breaking up the monopoly Breaking up the monopoly into several smaller firms. For example regulators in the EU are currently 5 / 13 investigating potential abuse of market dominance by Microsoft, which is under threat of being broken up into two companies – one for its operating systems and the other for software. †¢NationalisationBringing the monopoly under public control – which is referred to as ‘nationalisation’. The ultimate remedy for an abusive monopoly is for the State to take a controlling interest in the firm by acquiring over 50% of its shares, or to take it over completely. The monopolist can still be run along commercial lines, but be made to operate as though the market were competitive. †¢Deregulation In those cases where a monopolist is already State controlled, such as the Post Office, it may be necessary to engage in deregulation to enable it to become more efficient. Deregulation could be used to bring down barriers to entry and open up a previously state controlled industry to competition, as has happened with the British Telecom and British Rail monopolies. This may help encourage new entrants into a market. Do Monopolies Undermine The Environment? As monopoly and natural monopoly tend to have a perpetual ownership of a scarce resource, they do not only ‘tie-up’ the existing scarce resources making it difficult for new entrants to exploit these resources, but also they often cause some environmental problems. Furthermore for many skeptics of the environmental benefits of market economies it seems that the fear of monopoly control over natural resources is one of their greatest concerns as well. The reality is actually much more complicated, because of the following: 1. Most natural resource industries are not controlled by monopolies, and are in fact characterized by a high degree of competitiveness. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries are almost everywhere characterized by markets with hundreds or thousands of players, some of them big but with plenty of smaller players as well. While limited degrees of market power exist in some of these industries in some areas, on the whole they are actually some of the more competitive industries in the world. Even energy and mineral industries are fairly competitive and where they are not they are characterized by oligopoly structures, almost never a monopoly. 2. Monopolies restrict output and raise the price of goods above their marginal costs (which leads to a loss of social welfare), which is why economists (mostly) consider them bad. But from an environmental perspective, they may actually be quite good since they lead to lower resource use and higher prices. For example, if oil was a completely competitive market the price would be lower and we would burn even more of it than if OPEC kept the price artificially high! The problem the environmentalist faces is not that monopolies keep prices high and limit output (that’s called conservation), but that this has a regressive effect and hurts the poor. (By the way, this is one of the biggest issues that confront environmentalists more generally, who for the most part would like to see resource prices rise. ). 3. As to examples where monopolies restrict R&D or limit technological innovation, there certainly are examples of this, but in general, the profit motive is sufficient to overcome this. Bottom line: the cheap prices of resources are the greatest threat to advances in efficiency and monopolies lead us in the opposite direction. 4. There are examples of what economists call â€Å"natural monopolies† where fixed costs are so high that only one company can be profitable providing a given service in a given region; examples are water, telecommunications, and electricity (imagine if every provider of water had to build their own pipe system? ). In cases where natural monopolies arise it is much more efficient for society to grant the company limited monopoly rights and regulate them. These are often called public utilities and abound in America (PG&E is my public utility in CA). The problem with public utilities is that often the regulators force them to charge very low prices that favor consumers but again lead to increased uses of resource; that is, if the monopolies were unregulated we would see lower resource use. 5. Let us not forget that the biggest monopolies in the history of humanity are state-owned. The monopolies in the former Soviet Union were certainly the biggest ever (and the worst environmental 6 / 13 offenders the world has ever known), and even today state-run monopolies for all sorts of resources (primarily oil, gas, and telecommunications) abound. Almost without fail, they are characterized by high prices, poor service, and abysmal environmental records. 6. Since competitive markets are one of the foundations of a prosperous economy, market-based societies have developed various forms of anti-trust legislation to ensure relatively high degrees of competitive in most markets. Laws regulating market share, anti-competitive pricing, etc. are commonplace in all of the advanced market systems, and have a relatively good record of success. Probably the greatest success has been in the telecommunications industry where deregulation has led to real price declines of almost 95% in telecommunications fees over the past 25 years. (Examples of the failure of states to break up monopolies abound in Latin America, particularly in telecom. I have written about how the Telmex in Mexico is one of the most egregious examples of robbing from the poor to give to the rich and how it is a great impediment to Mexico’s economic development. What the Mexiccam telecommunications industry desperately needs is more market-based competition to break Telmex’s grip, but unfortunately, due to immense corruption the average Mexican must continue to spend large shares of their meager earnings on phone calls. ) 7. Probably the biggest pro-competition policy is free trade and globalization. The greatest threats to regional and national monopolies come from trade from abroad and the innovation that trade accelerates. Contrary to popular wisdom, globalization does not increase the power of corporations over individuals, but just the reverse; people can shift their business to the other companies more easily as their choices increase. If you doubt this, just look at how lists of the â€Å"Fortune 500† companies continually shift every few years, and even more so in this more globalized age. In summary, while economists have long ago identified the pros and cons of monopolies, how they interact with environmental outcomes is not entirely straight-forward. What is obvious is that in non market-based economies we witness the worst forms of monopoly abuse and the resulting environmental degradation. ArcelorMittal: Going nowhere slowly. Background. ArcelorMittal Temirtau Kazakhstan(formerly Mittal Steel Temirtau, Ispat Karmet and Karaganda Metallurgical Plant). Arcelor Mittal Temirtau (AMT), founded in 1950, is one of the largest integrated steel plants in the world. The steel plant, along with all its infrastructure facilities, captive coal, iron ore and power plant, was acquired by ArcelorMittal – then Ispat – from the Kazakhstan government in 1995. Located in the city of Temirtau, population 170 000, in the Karaganda Region of Central Kazakhstan, it covers about 5 000 hectares and has a steel-making capacity of about 5. 5 million tonnes per annum. AMT operates eight coal mines in the region, producing a total of 12 202 million tonnes of coal in 2007. In the same year AMT’s output of rolled steel was 3. 581 million tonnes. The plant exports about 90 percent of its output, mostly to Russia, Iran and China. The towns of Temirtau and Karaganda as well as the surrounding area (about 1 million people) indirectly depend on the plant, which used to account for nearly 10 percent of Kazakhstan’s GDP . As of 2006 it employed 55 000 people and generated 4 percent of the country’s GDP. Figure 3. ArcelorMittal Temirtau exports the majority of its steel output but local residents pay the costs. Photo by CEE Bankwatch Network. Table 1. Mittal’s plant in Temirtau has received several direct and indirect loans from IFIs in the last 12 years: Year1997 Financial InstitutionEBRD PurposeTo restore productive capacity and improve efficiency in the steel mill and coal mines; develop value-added, higher quality steel, and to implement three environmental action plans that would improve environmental and health & safety impacts and bring the company into compliance with World Bank environmental guidelines. AmountUSD 54 million 7 / 13 RecipientAMT (former Ispat Karmet Steel Works) Year1997 Financial InstitutionIFC. PurposeTo restore productive capacity and improve efficiency in the steel mill and coal mines; develop value-added, higher quality steel, and to implement three environmental action plans that would improve environmental and health & safety impacts and bring the company into compliance with World Bank environmental guidelines. AmountUSD 132. 5 million RecipientAMT (former Ispat Karmet Steel Works) Year1999 Financial InstitutionIFC PurposeTo support the development of small and medium enterprises directly or indirectly associated with AMT and/or to assist workers formerly employed by AMT and/or to provide for the growth of the private sector in the Karaganda region. AmountUSD. 2. 5 million RecipientIndirect financial help to AMT through Kazkommertsbank. Year2001 Financial InstitutionIFC PurposeTo stimulate the relationship between the large corporate sector (in this case AMT) and the private SME sector. AmountUSD 3. 4 million equity investments. RecipientAMT. Year2004 Financial InstitutionIFC corporate loanPurposeTo enable LNM to improve the environmental performance of its present and future subsidiaries and bring them up to World Bank Group and/or European Union standards; – to assist LNM in creating and maintaining an environmental and worker health and safety system on a corporate wide level, to bring all its current and future operations in compliance with WB and/or EU standards;- to rehabilitate, dbottleneck and provide working capital and cash support to LNM’s present and future subsidiaries.      

Writing the Self in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Writing the Self in China - Essay Example My girlfriend is a very sensitive person. In her receiving advice from others on how to overcome problems having to do with our relationship, this gave her a sense of security which she did not previously have. The expression through the blog spot gave her the awareness of an active voice. This awareness of an active voice gave her the sensations which are similar to having an audience in front of her. This allowed my girlfriend to express all of the feelings which she had not previously expressed. As I was spending the year in Guangzhou, I had the experience of writing about the self as the self relates to emotion and individuality. It was a relief to be able to write freely about emotion and individuality in a China which evolved from the 1989 social movement of post socialist China (Wang 2006 p 5). When we visited a tea house in Guangzhou, my girlfriend told me that she was creating a web blog. This was in order to seek advice from strangers about how to overcome the problems that we had been having in our relationship. As a result of our discussion, I browsed the internet and discovered that aside from my girlfriends blog about her personal life, many Chinese people were also engaging in the same activities. These activities consisted of posting messages on blogs with regards to various issues that they were experiencing in their relationships with their partners. These Chinese people were seeking advice on relationship issues from others who they were not well acquainted with. My girlfriends web blog demonstrated the complexity of interpersonal relationships of post- socialist China. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press were now commonplace, part of a new Chinese neo-liberalism (Wang 2006 p 103). Neoliberalism cannot be viewed as an ideology. It can be expressed as an established set of behaviors which motivate individualism, autonomy and self expression

Assignment1 with VHDL using Xilinx software version 10.1 Essay

Assignment1 with VHDL using Xilinx software version 10.1 - Essay Example A serial register operates serially, accepting and transferring data one bit at a time, while a parallel register operates on a parallel fashion accepting and transferring all the bits simultaneously. Since mere transferring or storing data in digital circuits is literally achieved by shifting the bits, the registers specifically used for storing and retrieval purposes without any manipulations, are called shift registers. A shift register is generally designed with a series of flip-flops connected in the form of a chain such that the output of one is connected to the input of the other expect the output of the last one which is the actual output of the circuit. A universal shift register is one that incorporates all the features that are applicable for shifting operations including parallel input/output, left/right-shift serial inputs, operating mode control inputs (S1 & S0) and direct overriding clear line (RESET), etc. 2. Design Overview For this assignment, a 4-bit universal shift register is designed in VHDL (VHSI Hardware Description Language) and simulated in VHDL IDE- Xilinx ISE. VHDL is generally used to write down the entire digital circuit description and its logic in the form of code or program. The circuit description is defined as entity and the logic as process. ... Schematic view of 4-bit universal Shift Register created in Xilinx ISE The input S1 and S0 act as control signals which determines the mode of operation of the shift register. The possible combination of the two signals along with the required mode of operation are summarised in the below table: S1 S0 Action 0 0 Hold (retain the previous state) 0 1 Shift left 1 0 Shift right 1 1 Parallel load 3. Design Solution Based on the above truth table for possible combinations of control signals, the state function table is derived for all combinations of input signals and control signals with respect to RESET and CLOCK signals and is summarised below: RESET Mode Clock Serial IN Parallel IN OUTPUTS _RST S1 S0 CLK SIL SIR D0 D1 D2 D3 Q3 Q2 Q1 Q0 0 X X X X X X X X X X X X X 1 X X Not ? X X X X X X Q3 Q2 Q1 Q0 0 0 0 ? X X X X X X Q3 Q2 Q1 Q0 0 0 1 ? 1 X X X X X Q2 Q1 Q0 1 0 0 1 ? 0 X X X X X Q2 Q1 Q0 0 0 1 0 ? X 1 X X X X 1 Q3 Q2 Q1 0 1 0 ? X 0 X X X X 0 Q3 Q2 Q1 0 1 1 ? X X D0 D1 D2 D3 Q0 Q1 Q2 Q3 X – don’t care condition low to high clock transition In order to achieve the above functionality using VHDL programming, behavioural approach of VHDL is employed in the process definition. This approach is chosen due to the fact that it is purely behaviour oriented and highly independent of the design implementations and will not change with changes in design approach for the same behaviour. The process is defined with the circuit’s behavioural architecture and the event attribute on the CLK signal is employed, to realize the clock signal state change. Since RESET signal is asynchronous and needs immediate action irrespective of the states of other inputs, RST is checked at the beginning of the process

Human Wisdom and Advertisements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Wisdom and Advertisements - Essay Example Advertisers are sophists. In any given advertisement, the main aim is to convince the buyer that the product is perfect in order for the buyer to buy it. Instead of most advertisers to advertise a product on the basis of the truth, most of them use persuasive tactics. Sophistic advertisements include power point presentations on TV, Web sites content which contain three-dimensional photographs of the products. Advertisements are sophistic since they aim at appealing to the target consumers. Unsophistic advertisements showroom presentations of products and newsletter advertisements (Craig 289). Lesson four Similarities between Stoics & AquinasTop of Form Bottom of Form . The development of natural law has been attributed to Stoic. Stoicism arose in Hellenistic period. Both Stoics and Aquinas believe human beings have a soul which is capable of perception.  Both philosophies agree that human beings have the capacity to assent or resent to presentations made (Craig 28). Both identify God with nature where nature hold cosmos together and cause terrestrial things. Both philosophies consider ethical goals as the kind of life which is consistent with cosmos. Both Stoics and Aquinas recognize that humans have intellectual capabilities which guide them in their moral choices. According to the two philosophies, society wellbeing includes acts which promote co-existence and human wellbeing (Craig 39). Lesson five Aquinas moral philosophy has strengthened my thoughts on personal philosophy. It has supported my thoughts on morality and ethics. According to my thinking, we cannot achieve total happiness in the world since happiness is supernatural and consists of union with God. In order to achieve happiness in life, we must have certain moral virtues which guide us in seeking it in a consistent way. Living things also comprise of matter and substantial form and seek their own perfection (Craig 90). According to my experience, members of the same species have different deg ree of maturity and ability. For instance, adults have more developed cognitive capabilities than a child who is in line with Aquinas philosophy. According to Aquinas, human wellbeing consists of doing acts that are in accordance to human nature and intellectual limitations may prevent us from doing what in good. For instance, mad men commit murder due to their intellectual limitation. Aquinas philosophy emphasis on need of prudence in judgments which is wisdom in human affairs and the reason for the actions. Lesson six Thought experiments are mental hypothesis which are used by philosophers to illuminate dense ideas (Craig 326). Most of them communicate in narrative form or in diagrams. Their role is to increase the man’s understanding of nature. The prisoner’s dilemma is one of the thought experiences I have used before. It analyzes who two individuals may refuse to cooperate when it is in the best interest of them to do so. In this thought experience, two men are ar rested by a police officer without enough evidence to convict them. The police officer separates them and offers them a good deal whereby one should testify against them other. If one betrays the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer is set free while the co-operator is jailed for one year. If both remain silent, they are jailed for

Strategic Management Plan for McDonalds Research Paper

Strategic Management Plan for McDonalds - Research Paper Example The two brothers were named as Dick and Mac. They started the business of fast food with a small shop in California. Their small restaurant established in California offered barbeque and small burger. For the next 14 years, McDonald continued satisfying the food needs of the local market. It was in 1954, when Ray Kroc thought of introducing McDonald in literature and wrote few lines about it. He took keen interest in the business of McDonald and acquired its first franchise license (History of McDonald’s Restaurant::About McDonalds.com, 2012). Ray Kroc also thought of business expansion and opened another McDonald outlet in Illinois near Chicago in 1955. He registered McDonald Corporation and gave it the status of a company. The first strategy of McDonald was devised in 1957. It was based on the principles of quality, service and cleanliness. Based on these fundamental principles, Ray Kroc expanded his business and the number of McDonald outlets reached up to 100 in 1959. This remarkable success enabled him to negotiate with McDonald brothers for purchase of all rights of McDonald. He succeeded in this matter as well and in 1961, he owned the McDonald Corporation. It was transformed to a Public Limited organization in 1965 which was registered at New York Stock Exchange in 1966. The journey of McDonald’s expansion went beyond national level penetration. In 1967, the first international outlet was opened in Canada. In 1974, UK market was explored for possible profitable opportunities. Major promotion was done in UK to attract a huge market. It paid well in return and by 1983, McDonald had succeeded to establish 100 branches in the UK. The expansion went on in other countries of the world as well. Current Situation of McDonald McDonald is perceived as a valuable brand in various parts of the world and people like to satisfy their self esteem needs by being its customers. With 33,000 outlets, its business is spread in more than 119 countries of the w orld. According to a report published in 2011, 60 million customers visit McDonald every day. In 2008, McDonald was rewarded as the top organization in the context of imparting trainings to its employees. Its standard is so high that its offered trainings qualify the employees for nationwide acceptance and are considered as a qualification (Franchise New Zealand, 2011). Among the countries of UK, McDonald enjoys the status of top 25th big company. In the later stages, the ranking elevated to 22nd. On the grounds of attracting talented manpower and retaining them on profitable relationships, McDonald was the all rounder in the industry. Strategic Posture of McDonald As mentioned earlier, the strategy of McDonald is based on the principles of quality, service and cleanliness. By quality, McDonald management means the quality of food and the service as well. Quality of food refers to the freshness of ingredients used in preparation of food and the way it is served and presented. The st rategy of service is related to convenience to have the food items. McDonald places its outlets at the locations which are easy to access for students, professionals and families alike. There are the customers who want to dine in the outlet; hence comfortable sitting arrangement is made for them. The background music further adds to the beauty of the atmosphere and the visiting customer enjoys the experience of dining. There are customers, who want to take away food stuff

Problems surrounding Ritalin like parents and teachers wanting to Essay

Problems surrounding Ritalin like parents and teachers wanting to control children with drugs - Essay Example However, not all cases of patients with this disorder are required to take medicine. According to Dr. Fred Baughman, a certified child neurologist, one of the important grounds of actually resorting to pills for kids would be if ADHD is already putting the child’s life at risk (Null, G., n.d.). This relates to the severity of the condition wherein kids’ hyperactivity could put them in dangerous situations, hurt themselves, create unhealthy relationships with people around them and etc. With this said, carelessly judging a kid’s behavior and immediately concluding the need for medication is not beneficial. This is because of the fact that aside from the numerous side effects of which such as difficulty sleeping, dizziness, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, headache, numbness, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, fever, hives, seizures, agitation, motor or verbal tics, depression, slows down growth, promotes weight gain, and could even cause sudden death, especially in children with heart problems, it can also create a culture that is totally dependent on drugs which will defeat the value of perseverance, hard work, and learning in the most natural ways which in turn are the most effective in inculcating different values among people through experience. For parents who might have problems with their kids having lack of focus in school or perhaps are just more active than their peers, it is best to not look at their behavior subjectively, instead, consider whether their behavior is already causing more trouble than turning to drug use which has a lot of risks. This is because of the numerous cases where ADHD is already causing their kids to physically hurt others or themselves, hindering them from getting a full meal resulting in lack of nutrition, or causing them violent reactions when doing the most routinary things such as taking a bath

Exploration of The Cultural Challenges that French Companies Face in Essay

Exploration of The Cultural Challenges that French Companies Face in Attempts to Penetrate the Italian Market - Essay Example This study tackles significant considerations of the unique characteristics that the French and the Italian markets respectively have, the latter being the new one to be explored and developed. Such process is very necessary in order to determine what effective sales approaches have to be applied in the Italian market. An existing and working marketing scheme in France may not be viable or practicable in Italy. The advertising concepts and drives used by the company in France may not gain acceptance from the people of Italy. The This research study is limited to the presentation and exploration of the cultural issues in international marketing within the selected focus setting and in concept, theory and exemplifying scenarios. The research will be exhaustive in its conceptual thrust as well as in the material used to substantiate presented arguments, claims, points, ideas and perspectives among other positions. The core objective of this study is to illustrate my skills in the domains of marketing and cross-culture communication as a way of soliciting for related career opportunities in the U.S.A, Italy or in any English-speaking country. This study has been made in order to be read and understood by American audience. The endeavor is in tandem with the skills acquired during my course majoring in "international trade and marketing" at ESC Chambery Business School and the MBA pursued at the BMU.

Ben Jonson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ben Jonson - Essay Example Volpone used gowns, furs, night-caps to fool the men into thinking he was bedridden. Volpone ordered Mosca to: This disguise was perpetrated for Volpone’s sheer amusement. He never intended to give anyone his wealth. When he did turn over his wealth to Mosca, Volpone never really meant for his wealth to truly belong to another. Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino jumping through hoops seemed to amuse Volpone. Still they came bearing gifts as they are encouraged by Mosca. The disguises these three men use are that of concerning men. They are so concerned with Volpone’s wellbeing. All three men try to make Volpone’s last days more bearable. Corvino is even willing to let a sick man be in the company of his wife. Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino would do anything to be Volpone’s heir. These disguises show these men are greedy corrupt men. Most noble gentlemen, and my worthy patrons! It may seem strange, that I, your Scoto Mantuano, who was ever wont to fix my bank in face of the public Piazza, near the shelter of the Portico to the Procuratia, should now, after eight months’ absence from this illustrious city of Venice, humbly retire myself into an obscure nook of the Piazza. The last disguise is as a guard in Venice. Volpone fakes his death and allegedly leaves Mosca his money. In turn Mosca dons the disguise of a rich man. The guard disguise is so Volpone can flaunt his ingenious plan to Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino without their recognition. Voltore upon being taunted goes to court and tells the whole story of Volpone’s treachery. Volpone reveals himself after Mosca refuses to relinquish any of Volpone’s original wealth. Volpone and Voltore are arrested. Mosca is sent to a slave gallery. The other two were punished as well. In the end, Volpone was shown to be as much as a fraud as Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino. All of

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Essay Example for Free

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Essay (1)The first thing I would do if I found out I was going to be evacuated from my home is start crying. Knowing that I will be separated from humanity I will also begin to become crazy, knowing what happens too all these people at the camps families suffering and loosing each other by being separated and killed will destroy me. The last hours I have at home I will pack few of my clothes, toothbrush, money, weapons and a journal not a diary because IM A MAN! Why would I pick to bring a journal instead of everything else I might poses you might be thinking is because since I am a man I probably will stay alive and get to write about my daily struggles I will be having in the internment camp. I would be forced to leave behind my phone, my computer, and mostly all my electronics because I wouldn’t want to risk being tracked. My list reveals that I’m going to be weak without all my things that I live on daily this evacuation will change my whole life and family. I actually don’t believe the Japanese Internment compares to the Holocaust, even though everyone has their right to their own opinions I don’t believe they compare. Because so many more Jews were killed during the Holocaust then Japanese being killed in the camps and no offense but the treatment the Jews were given from the Germans were way harsher than the U.S to the Japs. The Japanese had less camps and were given better treatment like food they were sent to these camps so the U.S. could view them and make sure that they weren’t spies. The Jew were sent to the camps and instantly put to work given numbers to represent when they were next to be killed.   Both sides of the internment were one U.S. getting involved was a good idea or a bad one. The United States putting most Japanese into internment camps can be seen as a bad idea because American is known for the Land of the Free. The U.S. putting most Japanese people into camps is definetley unconstitutional it makes people question is America really the Land of the Free? Obviously we know as we read America was just trying to be safe at this time, because in 1942 Roosevelt signs a Relocation in the United States because they believed that the Japanese were a threat to America. We were fighting against them at this time and they just didn’t want threats because they did believe that even though they came to America they still are going  to give information to Japan. That’s why in the book we saw Keikos former teacher be taken away by the â€Å"FBI† because they believed he was a spy. They still got an education, made a low salary and were given food in these camps it wasn’t like they were being slaves. I believe it was a good idea for America to get involved I think they did it smartly too they gave the Japanese camps where they would stay at and have their life I know you’re going to write but it’s not the same they are being forced to move but at this time they were being accused of being spies and doing bad things. Some people also just moved to America and where put into a camp where they can get a place to live, money and food instead of living on the street. It’s also only Japanese people so you’re with your kind. I guess I’m using a Jewish point of view because in our religion we are supposed to only marry Jewish people so I see this as a good thing being together as a race, but also we learn from our past.

Metodologi atau kaedah

Metodologi atau kaedah Pengenalan Metodologi atau kaedah yang digunakan dalam sesebuah kajian merupakan suatu bentuk kawalan dalam memperolehi data dan maklumat supaya mampu menjawab objektif-objektif yang digariskan dalam kajian yang dijalankan ini. Untuk lebih jelasnya, bab ini akan menjelaskan kaedah yang digunakan dalam kajian stres dalam kalangan pelajar sekolah menengah persekolahan satu sesi di daerah Nebong Tebal. Secara khususnya bab ini menerangkan metodologi kajian yang meliputi reka bentuk kajian, populasi kajian, sampel kajian, persampelan, instrumen kajian, kesahan kebolehpercayaan, kajian rintis dan penganalisisan data. Reka Bentuk Kajian Menurut Sulaiman Masri (2003), reka bentuk penyelidikan ialah perancangan yang menentukan cara penyelidikan yang dijalankan untuk menemukan jawapan kepada permasalahan penyelidikan yang telah ditetapkan pada bab I. Dalam kajian ini, pengkaji menggunakan kaedah kuantitatif yang dijalankan secara tinjauan (survey) terhadap responden kajian yang terlibat. Lokasi Kajian Lokasi kajian ini terhad kepada sebuah sekolah menengah satu sesi yang terlelak di daerah Nibong Tebal. Populasi dan Sampel Kajian Populasi kajian ini adalah terdiri daripada pelajar tingkatan 2 di sebuah sekolah menengah satu sesi yang terletak di Daerah Nebong Tebal. Pemilihan pelajar tingkatan 2 ini adalah kerana mereka tidak terlibat dengan peperiksaan awam yang boleh mengganggu mereka. Seramai 60 orang yang terdiri daripada 30 orang lelaki dan 30 orang perempuan dari sekolah satu sesi tersebut telah dipilih mengikut prosedur persampelan rawak. Menurut Chua Yan Piaw (2006), prosedur persampelan rawak mudah digunakan untuk memastikan setiap unit atau subjek dalam populasi mempunyai peluang yang sama untuk dipilih sebagai responden kajian. Instrumen Kajian Menurut Fraenkel dan Wallen (2007) The term instrumentation refers to the entire process of collecting data in a research investigation. (Hlm : 144) Instrumen yang digunakan dalam kajian ini terdiri daripada satu set soal selidik yang dibahagikan kepada dua bahagian, iaitu bahagian A (5 items) : yang berkaitan dengan Demografi responden. Bahagian ini terdiri daripada jantina, jarak ke sekolah, pergi ke sekolah, skor awal tahun dan skor akhir tahun. Bahagian B mempunyai 25 items yang berkaitan tentang tekanan pelajar tentang persekolahn satu sesi dan kesan yang dialami oleh pelajar akibat persekolahan satu sesi. Skala pengukuran yang digunakan dalam bahagian B adalah jenis likert yang terdiri daripada lima skor utama seperti berikut : 1 = Amat tidak setuju. 2 = Tidak setuju. 3 = Kurang setuju 4 = Setuju. 5 = Amat Setuju. Kajian Rintis Kajian rintis (pilot study) merupakan kajian sejarah kecil-kecilan yang dilaksanakan sebelum kajian sebenar dilakukan (Chua Yan Piaw, 2006). Dalam kajian ini, pengkaji menjalankan kajian rintis yang bertujuan untuk mendapatkan maklumat awal berhubung kesahan dan keboleh percayaan instrumen yang dibina. Item-item ini dalam soal selidik telah diuji bagi memastikan sama ada terdapat kekeliruan, kesukaran menjawab, ketidak jelasan, salah faham, dan lain-lain interpretasi yang tidak jelas. Sampel yang terlibat dalam ujian ini terdiri daripada 60 responden di sebuah sekolah yang berhampiran dengan sekolah kajian. Hasil kajian rintis ini mendapati bahawa semua item dalam bahagian B (Faktor stress dan beban belajar) yang berunsur positif perlu digugurkan dan digantikan dengan item yang lebih sesuai mengikut objektif kajian ini. Kesahan dan Kebolehpercayaan Kajian rintis (pilot study) juga telah digunakan untuk menguji kesahan soalan kajian. Borang soal selidik telah dianalisis bagi melihat darjah kebolehpercayaan (cronbach alpha). Ujian kebolehpercayaan (reliability test) dilakukan terhadap soalan yang berkaitan dengan faktor stres, kesan stres dan beban belajar kepada kesihatan diri dan kehidupan dalam keluarga. Kepentingan ujian ini adalah untuk mengetahui tentang item soal selidik yang disediakan mempunyai kebolehpercayaan yang tinggi. Kesesuaian soalan telah dinilai dari segi kefahaman pelajar terhadap tatabahasa, kandungan dan masa yang diambil untuk menjawab semua soal selidik tersebut. Menurut Mohd Majid Konting (2004), pekali kebolehpercayaan yang lebih daripada 0.60 sering digunakan. Oleh itu, nilai alpha yang digunakan untuk ujian kebolehpercayaan ini ialah 0.60. Hasil kajian ini mendapati bahawa soalan faktor stres, kesan stres dan beban belajar kepada kesihatan diri dan kehidupan dalam keluarga mempunyai kebolehpercayaan yang tinggi. Jadual 3.1 di bawah menunjukkan hasil yang diperolehi daripada ujian kebolehpercayaan yang dilakukan. Jadual 3.1 : Nilai alpha ujian kebolehpercayaan (reliability test) faktor diri dan latar belakang kehidupan dalam keluarga. Stres yang disebabkan oleh faktor diri, interpersonal, dan organisasi adalah sebagai berikut : Analisis Data Pengkaji menganalisis data dengan menggunakan statistik deskriptif bagi menjawab soalan-soalan kajian. Data daripada borang soal selidik akan dianalisis menggunakan program SPSS for windows version 15.0 untuk mendapatkan kekerapan (frekuensi) dan peratusan bagi setiap soalan kajian. Data kajian diwakilkan dalam bentuk jadual dan rajah serta dibuat tafsiran umum. Manakala analisis data dibuat dengan membandingkan peratusan tertinggi dan terendah serta nilai skor min dan skor piawai bagi setiap soalan kajian. Kesimpulan Dalam kajian ini, pengkaji telah menggunakan kaedah soal selidik sepenuhnya untuk mendapatkan dapatan kajian daripada responden yang dipilih secara rawak tentang faktor-faktor yang menyebabkan stres dan beban belajar dan kesan stres dan beban kerja kepada kesihatan diri dan kehidupan dalam keluarga. Sebuah sekolah menengah harian satu sesi di daerah Nibong Tebal telah dijadikan lokasi kajian dan 60 responden telah dipilih sebagai sampel kajian yang terdiri daripada 60 pelajar daripada sekolah menengah tersebut. Hasil dapatan kajian ini akan disenarai dan dihuraikan secara terperinci dalam bab 4 akan datang.

Environmental Ethics Essay -- Environment Global Warming Climate Chang

Ethics is the study of what is right and wrong in human conduct. Environmental ethics studies the effects of human’s moral relationships on the environment and everything within it (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008). The ethical principles that govern those relations determine human duties, obligations, and responsibilities with regard to the Earth’s natural environment and all of the animals and plants that inhabit it (Taylor, 1989). The purpose of this paper is to reveal environmental issues that are threatening the existence of life on Earth, and discus our social obligations to refrain from further damaging our environment, health and life for future generations. I will discus the need for appropriate actions and the ethical application in the decision making process on solving environmental concerns. Environmental Concerns The environment has been under attack since the dawn of man. Without the environment, man could not exist. Herein lies the dilemma, man takes from the earth what he needs to survive, food, water, shelter, and the very air he breathes. However, the ever-rising population of man demands more of these essentials at a rapid rate, therefore, more is being taken than the earth can replenish. The human populous and concentrations of pesticides in food crops, started to be seen as an environmental crisis in the 1960’s, which acted as the stepping-stone for environmental awareness. In 1967, historian Lynn White published an essay on the historical roots of the environmental crisis. Whites essay created many academic debates over the Judeo-Christian mode of thinking, which encouraged the exploitation of nature for human consumption. The ethical dilemma arises from the concern of whether or not it was mor... ...man sources of greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise due to the growing populous, this growth may be reduced by Bush’s plans to increase efforts to use newer, cleaner technologies and measures. These plans will only be effective if everyone, not just in the United States, but the entire world, participates and becomes aware of the ethical dilemmas challenging our very existence. The environment is a part of us and we of it. We cannot survive without each other. Since the dawn of time, it has nurtured and provided for us. Now it is our turn to nurture and preserve the environment. The future in uncertain, but if the entire human species can adapt a more reasonable lifestyle, there is hope for the environment and every living thing in it. Time is of the essence, therefore, immediate actions and ethical decisions are necessary for survival of the planet.

History of Nazi Germany :: World War II History

History of Nazi Germany National Socialism between 1920 and 1945 can best be described as an era of constant change. Hitler's enrollment in the German Worker's Party provided him the foundation needed to propel his idealistic views of anti-Semitism and Aryan superiority. Soon after Hitler's enrollment the party's name was changed to the National Socialist German Worker's Party and in the summer of 1921 his talents as an orator and propagandist enabled him to take over the leadership of the Nazi Party. Hitler's initial following - stemmed from German hyper-inflation and devaluation of the mark - included unemployed workers and the lower class, his keen ability to organize rallies to hear his speeches were instrumental in raising monies for the Nazi Party. Although the majority of his followers shared his dislike of the Weimar Republic's liberal democracy and anti-Semitic agenda, his party support, due to it's small size, was limited to the Bavarian region of German, this would prove to be a limiting factor w hen Hitler attempted to seize control of the provincial Bavarian government during his Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923. Hitler's ill-fated attempt of treason proved to work to his advantage; thus, giving him national status as a patriot and a hero in the eyes of many. As a result, Hitler served 9 months in prison for the Beer Hall Putsch and wrote a book titled Mein Kampf (My Struggle) outlining his vision for the future Germany. By late 1924 Hitler was release on parole, after serving a portion his five year sentence, and quickly regained control of the Nazi Party, noting that any future seizure must come by legal measures through Parliamentary elections. Faced with a temporary improvement of the German economy by the Weimar Republic's ability to secure loans and investments (mostly from America), Hitler was forced to wait until economic conditions worsened to propel his Nazi agenda. In 1929 Hitler finally got his chance, the American stock market crash of 1929 affected nearly every nation in the world and German prosperity soon came to an end as a result of the Great Depression, vast unemployment and hunger that followed. President Hindenburg's Weimar Republic soon found itself obligated to repay debts owed to countries that once provided assistance during times of prosperity. Discontented German people wanted change and Bruening (Chancellor) believed that a stable parliament majority for his party could deliver the change required, so new elections were held.

Drug Addiction :: Social Issues, Drug and Alcohol Abuse

According to Webster's New Worldâ„ ¢ Medical Dictionary, 3rd Edition, Addiction is a chronic relapsing condition characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and abuse and by long-lasting chemical changes in the brain. Addiction is the same irrespective of whether the drug is alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or nicotine. Every addictive substance induces pleasant states or relieves distress. Continue use of addictive substances induces adaptive changes in the brain that lead to tolerance, physical dependence, uncontrollable craving and, all too often, relapse. Dependence is at such a point that stopping is very difficult and causes severe physical and mental damage from withdrawal (WILLIAM C. SHIEL JR., 2008). Over the past two decades, many researchers have identified subgroups of alcohol and drug user based in similarities like drinking style (Kevin M. King, 2009), behavior problems, etiology, outcome, and other clinically significant phenomena; making the most predominant the antisocial, primarily neurotic, mixed neurotic and antisocial, and psychotic (Malow, 1989). But the antisocial features have been the most prominent between all the subtypes; especially on drug user. This literature will review these thru the following questions: 1. How addiction impact family and social relationships? 2. Do alcohol and drug addictions have relationship with crime? 3. What is the economic cost related to alcohol and drug addiction? How addiction impact family and social relationships? Drug and alcohol abuse is a large problem for adults in our world today. It is destructive, not just in terms of its effect on the addict but for the suffering it inflicts on the loved ones and family (Sadava, 1987). Though the addict may have no conscious intention of harming his companions and relatives, his self-destructive actions are a source of anguish for anyone with genuine affection for him/her. One of the most common situations is when the partner tries to hide the addict’s behavior from family member, co-workers, employer or general public. This type of behavior is known as Codependence (Malow, 1989). A codependent partner will make up excuses for the addict’s work absences or a car accident; even will tries to clean up any legal messes resulting from the addict’s behavior; allowing the addict to continue his destructive path without dealing with its consequences. Consequences that can go from continuous fights to elevated levels of dome stic violence. Most the time related to financial hardships, causes by the addict’s need to buy drugs, as well as from his inability to find consistent employment.

My Feeling as a Filipino Essay

I am very proud to be a Filipino! From the centuries that passed, a lot of nations have admired the Filipino people, for being industrious, brave, talented, resourceful, these are only a few of the traits that a lot of other people and nations admired the Filipinos for. But although we have been complimented in many fields, none of us or only a handful of us are well known for it. We as a people never stop and think â€Å"what can I do for this country†. There have been notable personalities that have done this but a lot of us have always taken it for granted. One other notable Filipino trait is ingenuity; we have had a lot of inventors that have blossomed in the Philippines, one such inventor that is well known around the world is Agapito Flores, the inventor of the fluorescent light. This invention, should it have been recognized by the government would have been one of the best ways that we could have paid our national debt and would have increased the status of the Philippines as a nation, if it was manufactured here in the Philippines, but the government took it for granted. Another field that we really should have exceeded in is agriculture. A lot of the Asian countries have learned their agricultural knowledge from the Philippines, yet we keep importing these goods from them, one such country is Thailand; they are very proud to say that they learned their agricultural knowledge from the Philippines, one notable goods is the Thai Rice, that specific breed of rice was made in the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baà ±os, Laguna, yet we are the one importing that specific rice crop from that country to ours. So my question is †¦ Why is it that our government seems to be a reactive kind of government and not a proactive one? Why is it that the Filipino, as a people, seems to practice, what I call the â€Å"I† syndrome? Why is it that we put ourselves on top of everything else rather than a part of a nation? Why is it that other nations and or people recognize what we have and we don’t? Why is it that we turn a blind eye to the problems of our society? Why is it that we are so caught up with what â€Å"I† want and what â€Å"I† need that we fail to see what’s really happening to us as a nation? I AM  PROUD TO BE A FILIPINO and I still believe that we can make it as a nation, but I’m afraid that if we don’t change our outlook of ourselves as a people, we will succeed as an individual but fail miserably as a nation.

Foundation and Empire 6. The Favorite

The tiny ships had appeared out of the vacant depths and darted into the midst of the Armada. Without a shot or a burst of energy, they weaved through the ship-swollen area, then blasted on and out, while the Imperial wagons turned after them like lumbering beasts. There were two noiseless flares that pinpointed space as two of the tiny gnats shriveled in atomic disintegration, and the rest were gone. The great ships searched, then returned to their original task, and world by world, the great web of the Enclosure continued. Brodrig's uniform was stately; carefully tailored and as carefully worn. His walk through the gardens of the obscure planet Wanda, now temporary Imperial headquarters, was leisurely; his expression was somber. Bel Riose walked with him, his field uniform open at the collar, and doleful in its monotonous gray-black. Riose indicated the smooth black bench under the fragrant tree-fern whose large spatulate leaves lifted flatly against the white sun. â€Å"See that, sir. It is a relic of the Imperium. The ornamented benches, built for lovers, linger on, fresh and useful, while the factories and the palaces collapse into unremembered ruin.† He seated himself, while Cleon II's Privy Secretary stood erect before him and clipped the leaves above neatly with precise swings of his ivory staff. Riose crossed his legs and offered a cigarette to the other. He fingered one himself as he spoke, â€Å"It is what one would expect from the enlightened wisdom of His Imperial Majesty to send so competent an observer as yourself. It relieves any anxiety I might have felt that the press of more important and more immediate business might perhaps force into the shadows a small campaign on the Periphery.† â€Å"The eyes of the Emperor are everywhere,† said Brodrig, mechanically. â€Å"We do not underestimate the importance of the campaign; yet still it would seem that too great an emphasis is being placed upon its difficulty. Surely their little ships are no such barrier that we must move through the intricate preliminary maneuver of an Enclosure.† Riose flushed, but he maintained his equilibrium. â€Å"I can not risk the lives of my men, who are few enough, or the destruction of my ships which are irreplaceable, by a too-rash attack. The establishment of an Enclosure will quarter my casualties in the ultimate attack, howsoever difficult it be. The military reasons for that I took the liberty to explain yesterday.† â€Å"Well, well, I am not a military man. In this case, you assure me that what seems patently and obviously right is, in reality, wrong. We will allow that. Yet your caution shoots far beyond that. In your second communication, you requested reinforcements. And these, against an enemy poor, small, and barbarous, with whom you have had not one' skirmish at the time. To desire more forces under the circumstances would savor almost of incapacity or worse, had not your earlier career given sufficient proof of your boldness and imagination.† â€Å"I thank you,† said the general, coldly, â€Å"but I would remind you that there is a difference between boldness and blindness. There is a place for a decisive gamble when you know your enemy and can calculate the risks at least roughly; but to move at all against an unknown enemy is boldness in itself. You might as well ask why the same man sprints safely across an obstacle course in the day, and falls over the furniture in his room at night.† Brodrig swept away the other's words with a neat flirt of the fingers. â€Å"Dramatic, but not satisfactory. You have been to this barbarian world yourself. You have in addition this enemy prisoner you coddle, this trader. Between yourself and the prisoner you are not in a night fog.† â€Å"No? I pray you to remember that a world which has developed in isolation for two centuries can not be interpreted to the point of intelligent attack by a month's visit. I am a soldier, not a cleft-chinned, barrel-chested hero of a subetheric trimensional thriller. Nor can a single prisoner, and one who is an obscure member of an economic group which has no close connection with the enemy world introduce me to all the inner secrets of enemy strategy.† â€Å"You have questioned him?† â€Å"I have.† â€Å"Well?† â€Å"It has been useful, but not vitally so. His ship is tiny, of no account. He sells little toys which are amusing if nothing else. I have a few of the cleverest which I intend sending to the Emperor as curiosities. Naturally, there is a good deal about the ship and its workings which I do not understand, but then I am not a tech-man.† â€Å"But you have among you those who are,† pointed out Brodrig. â€Å"I, too, am aware of that,† replied the general in faintly caustic tones. â€Å"But the fools have far to go before they could meet my needs. I have already sent for clever men who can understand the workings of the odd nuclear field-circuits the ship contains. I have received no answer.† â€Å"Men of that type can not be spared, general. Surely, there must be one man of your vast province who understands nucleics.† â€Å"Were there such a one, I would have him heal the limping, invalid motors that power two of my small fleet of ships. Two ships of my meager ten that can not fight a major battle for lack of sufficient power supply. One fifth of my force condemned to the carrion activity of consolidating positions behind the lines.† The secretary's fingers fluttered impatiently. â€Å"Your position is not unique in that respect, general. The Emperor has similar troubles.† The general threw away his shredded, never-lit cigarette, lit another, and shrugged. â€Å"Well, it is beside the immediate point, this lack of first-class tech-men. Except that I might have made more progress with my prisoner were my Psychic Probe in proper order.† The secretary's eyebrows lifted. â€Å"You have a Probe?† â€Å"An old one. A superannuated one which fails me the one time I needed it. I set it up during the prisoner's sleep, and received nothing. So much for the Probe. I have tried it on my own men and the reaction is quite proper, but again there is not one among my staff of tech-men who can tell me why it fails upon the prisoner. Ducem Barr, who is a theoretician of parts, though no mechanic, says the psychic structure of the prisoner may be unaffected by the Probe since from childhood he has been subjected to alien environments and neural stimuli. I don't know. But he may yet be useful. I save him in that hope.† Brodrig leaned on his staff. A shall see if a specialist is available in the capital. In the meanwhile, what of this other man you just mentioned, this Siwennian? You keep too many enemies in your good graces.† â€Å"He knows the enemy. He, too, I keep for future reference and the help he may afford me.† â€Å"But he is a Siwennian and the son of a proscribed rebel.† â€Å"He is old and powerless, and his family acts as hostage.† â€Å"I see. Yet I think that I should speak to this trader, myself.† â€Å"Certainly.† â€Å"Alone,† the secretary added coldly, making his point. â€Å"Certainly,† repeated Riose, blandly. â€Å"As a loyal subject of the Emperor, I accept his personal representative as my superior. However, since the trader is at the permanent base, you will have to leave the front areas at an interesting moment.† â€Å"Yes? Interesting in what way?† â€Å"Interesting in that the Enclosure is complete today. Interesting in that within the week, the Twentieth Fleet of the Border advances inward towards the core of resistance.† Riose smiled and turned away. In a vague way, Brodrig felt punctured.

Atlantic Cape Community College Essay

Reading every word in this letter is equivalent to having greater chances of you attaining your goal of having a successful career in the future. There are just two hundred and one words in this letter for you to get to know about what opportunities Atlantic Cape Community College offers you after you finish high school. Established since 1966, Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) is a nonprofit publicly supported organization that aims to provide its students with only the superior academic, technical and training programs.   Accredited by several institutions such as the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the college places value to continuous learning.   Also, we encourage a multi-cultural and diverse environment through our non-discrimination policy.   With over 6,500 credit students at its three locations, we are sure you can find what suits your needs the most here at Atlantic Cape Community College. Sounds good?   What are you waiting for?   Every minute counts so start planning your future and check out our degree programs at our website http://www.atlantic.edu/ or you can just call up us at these numbers for further inquiries. Mays Landing – ( 609) 343-5000 or (609) 625-1111, ext. 5000 Atlantic City – (609) 343-4878 Cape May County – (609) 463-3958 or 463-4774, ext. 3958 We would be thoroughly pleased to hear from you soon!

East of Eden Essay

East of Eden deplores many religious matters, specifically, the concepts of sibling rivalry and the age old battle between good and evil. In the biblical Book of â€Å"Genesis,† the brothers Cain and Abel offer God â€Å"the father† a sacrifice. God favors the shepherd Abel’s sacrifice of his best lamb over the farmer Cain’s grain. Subsequently, in a Jealous rage, Cain kills his brother Abel, only to be marked by God and banished to wander the earth. Stanford dropout, John Steinbeck applies the story of Genesis heavily in East of Eden; the concepts of this iblical allusion are evident in both generations of brothers. In each generation, one of the Trask brothers is moral and good while the other brother behaves badly and immorally, already we see how the Trask family parallels â€Å"Genesis. † Because the good Trask brothers are favored, the bad Trask brothers develop envious tendencies and a recurrent theme of sibling rivalry appears throughout the book. The first generation of Trask brothers, Charles and Adam, follow the Cain and Abel biblical model from the very beginning. â€Å".. it’s awful not to be loved. It’s the worst thing in the world†¦ t makes you mean, and violent, and cruel. † (Steinbeck 347). This quote epitomizes the root of all evil in the Trask generations- lack of recognition to one of the sons. When their deadbeat father Cyrus favors Adam’s birthday gift of a puppy over Charles’ expensive knife, Charles nearly beats Adam to death. Although Charles does not kill Adam, he is a clear allusion to Cain. While Adam wanders the Earth in the army, it is Charles who remains on the farm, where like Cain, he becomes marked with a dark brown scar. Adam therefor, is reflected as Abel. â€Å"Humans are caught†in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too†in a net of good and evil. † (127). This quote is a clear representation of the Adam and Charles relationship throughout the novel. The incident that occurred over a simple birthday gift sparked a Jealous rage that caused Charles and Adam to remain at odds with each other throughout their entire lives despite their love for each other. The next generation of Trask brothers, the dark haired Cal and fair-haired Aaron, also carry out the dynamics of the Cain and Abel tale. Cal’s Jealousy towards Aron is due to the favoritism that Aron receives from their father Adam; this is especially seen through an episode that resulted in Aarons death. For some reason, Adam favors Aron over Cal and when Cal offers his father a birthday present of $1 5,000 to help him recover his financial losses, Adam scorns him for making the money during a war-time economy. In a rage, Cal takes his brother to isit the notorious prostitute that birthed the two boys. Emotionally traumatized, Aaron runs away to the army during World War l, and dies soon after. Cal lies to Adam when asked about ‘Aaron’s whereabouts. â€Å"Where is he? † â€Å"How do I know? † said Cal. â€Å"Am I supposed to look after him? (p. 562). This sequence between Cal and Adam portrays the emotional barrier between the two that seems to bring out the untruthfulness in Cal that reflects his ancient parallel, Cain. Thus, the biblical tale plays out with Cal, although inadvertently, killing his brother. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a the concept of timshel. While psychologically shattered Adam reminisces over Cathy, Lee and Samuel share philosophical discussions over the ancient Hebrew word â€Å"timshel. † Timshel defies the pattern in the Cain and Abel tale, rather than condemning the less favored brother to a life of sin it pursues the issue of free will and grants Cal the strength to depart from the inherently bound evil motives that ossessed him at an early age.

Obama's position Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Obama's position - Assignment Example Thirdly, a nation’s secrets are vital since they will play a fundamental role in shaping the efficacy of security controls and measures set by the government. If the secrets are given to the public, it implies that the terrorists will be aware that their links are being monitored, and this may undermine security. Therefore, the president’s position to order killing of someone who is a threat to security without disclosing the reason is good because it will tighten the security measures by preserving the nation’s secrets of the nation. However, there are arguments against this stand first because human rights ought to be emphasized and no one should have the sole right of determining another person’s destiny. Secondly, the United States constitution provides for fair trial of any person accused of crime and imposing death implicitly is going against the constitution. Thirdly, the President ordering the killing of a United States citizen or any other person could have political reasons, and this means that it would not be fair if the suspected person were not tried in the courts to determine the viability of the claims placed against

Digital Media Management for the Entertainment Industries Essay

Digital Media Management for the Entertainment Industries - Essay Example It becomes easier to target and promote a product on such websites. In order to build the application, technological requirement is needed that would provide base to the application to run on the Facebook. Various software as well as hardware requirements have been acknowledged. New strategies have been suggested to attract the mass towards the song application. Significant requirement of budget for such project has been identified. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Overview 4 Service Description 6 Business Model 7 Profile of Targeted Consumers’ Group 9 Marketing Strategy 10 Risk 12 Budget 12 References 14 Bibliography 18 Overview Digital media are increasingly used by marketers as a means to promote, distribute and perform several marketing activities. It can be depicted that in such scenario, technology has always been at the background by creating necessary conditions for demonstrating the creativity through digital media. It can be revealed that it is the new media tha t provides an opportunity to extend hands towards the emerging digital data sea. It is because of the proliferation of internet that most of the users have become advanced. The modern business houses not only require an audience. Instead, it is quite essential for the audience to participate by providing their valuable feedbacks and turning themselves into players. The creation of ideal latest media assets needs to be exposed on a case-to-case basis (SEO Trends, 2007). Various new digital media such as online video, social media and mobile advertisement have transformed the way companies market their products. The major thing to notice in this regard is that after several years of change in an evolutionary manner, it is the emerging digital media that has brought marketing related communications towards a breakpoint. It has further been noted that the new watchwords for the marketers are considered to be engagement, transparency and authenticity (Busby & Et. Al., 2010). It has been apparent that the media companies as well as the entertainment industries both have experienced extraordinary level of fragmentation. It is worth noticing that the main force behind this trend has been the development of digital technology and the internet. The social networking sites have attracted the people from every nook and corner of the world. Social networking sites have not just become the tool for messaging, or making friends, it has also permitted the users to play online games via its applications where the users can download online games. Similarly, it has been noticed by two websites such as Imeen and Bebo that music is a social phenomenon and the internet can be considered as the platform to conduct business and other activities. With the gaining popularity of the Facebook, the music industry can aim at developing new digital media services which will assist them at increasing the revenue and enhance the competitive position of the company. An application similar to t he games at Facebook can be developed where the users shall be able to download the new songs as well as the old songs of their choice (Shannon, 2009). The social networking sites have been chosen since it acts as a powerful medium for both the companies as well as the advertisers through which they can reach to a huge group of people in a cost effective manner. It can further be considered as the best platform from which the companies can promote their products and thus create brand awareness

Apple Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Apple Case Analysis - Essay Example There was no surprise to see people standing in long queues eagerly anticipating the launch of ipad3, almost everyone wanted to get their hands on the newest gadget launched by Apple again underlining their dominance and global reach. Apple is arguably the best brand in the world because they have spent a lot of money on innovation and they have achieved their objectives in the recent past of making their gadgets better than other similar gadgets available in the market. Steve Jobs always wanted to make a computer which was easy to use and he managed to do it, Apple II was launched in the year 1978. It was an easy to use computer, it is said that the launch of Apple II completely revolutionized the computing industry. Apple also became a leader after the launch of Apple II in 1978. Competitive Position Apple’s dominance was challenged by IBM, IBM entered the fray in the year 1981, Apple found their newest rivals in IBM. There was a major difference between the systems produced by the two companies, Apple’s computer was a prototype and could not be cloned on the contrary IBM’s system could be cloned by others very easily. IBM heavily relied on Intel to supply processors but that was not the case with Apple. IBM’s entry into the market did not affect Apple’s revenue but IBM took away the market share from Apple to a certain extent and Apple had their eyes set on winning the market share once again and restoring normalcy. A significant changed occurred in the year 1984; a very young Steve Jobs presented Macintosh to the whole world in an endeavor to win back their lost market share. The technical elegance and the design of the new Macintosh, was captivating beyond imagination but when it came to performance the Macintosh disappointed its users. It was really slow and because of these lags it did not sell as expected by the honchos at Apple. Between 1983 and 1984 Apple had a torrid time, net income of the company fell by 17% and s uddenly the company was in crisis. Steve Jobs was removed from his post after these series of setbacks, John Sculley was at the helm back them. He was the same man who reinvigorated Pepsi and fought successfully against Coca Cola to gain dominance. Sculley worked on graphics and designs and knew that these were the two key elements that could take Apple to where it originally belongs. Desktop publishing was another key area which Sculley targeted and Apple all of a sudden started producing systems which were best when it came to desktop publishing. Major Competitive Advantages As discussed earlier Apple’s design and elegance were two factors which gave it an edge over other companies but these two factors were anything but enough to propel the company to the very top. Several other competitive changes were made by Sculley during his time at the helm, his tie-up with Aldus which is now known as Adobe was a great move for Apple and it restored much needed stability in the compa ny, products designed by Aldus were used for desktop publishing and the same made Apple one of the best in the world once again post the Steve Jobs era. The Macintosh started selling like hotcakes once the products made by Aldus were used in the Macintosh, Apple recorded record sales of the Macintosh and that was when Apple regained its prominence. Accessories like laser printers were also sold by Apple and the same had unmatched capabilities and this is why

The Key Drivers for Business Continuity Management Essay

The Key Drivers for Business Continuity Management - Essay Example 'Business Continuity can be seen as a bridge between Risk management and Emergency Planning; it utilizes the risk identification and management processes of formal risk management and the crisis management capabilities of emergency planning'. (Myers, 2006) This note is given by Myers (2006), and though it cannot be called one of the BCM definitions, but it gives better understanding of the terms and the area of its application. Thus Business Continuity management is aimed to work in both daily and emergency situations; according to the abovementioned citation, it becomes evident, that BCM should both work for the prevention of the critical situations (its primary aim) and for the minimization of the negative consequences for the events which have already taken place. This two-fold role is revealed no matter in which company BCM is implemented. It is difficult to implement BCM notions into the company's performance, but it is even more difficult to make BCM a part of the company's cor porate culture. Many UK organizations at present fail to implement effective plan of prevention critical incidents, which interrupt and may threaten their business activity. Disaster planning and risk management, as well as managing company's benefits is the area which is rarely addressed by the modern businesses. The principal question, which the companies ask, is 'why implement BCM notions How it will positively influence company's performance Are the minimized risks comparable to the costs involved In order to understand how important BCM is for the modern companies, it is interesting to look into the 2006 BCM survey which gives the principal lacks (problems) faced by the companies and thus give the reader basic understanding of... As the report highlights  business continuity Management, or BCM, as it is more commonly known, is a business organization-driven activity that is concerned with developing the organization's ability to continue providing critical services (or business processes) in the event of an interruption.From this paper it is clear that Business Continuity management is aimed to work in both daily and emergency situations; according to the abovementioned citation, it becomes evident, that BCM should both work for the prevention of the critical situations (its primary aim) and for the minimization of the negative consequences for the events which have already taken place. This two-fold role is revealed no matter in which company BCM is implemented. It is difficult to implement BCM notions into the company's performance, but it is even more difficult to make BCM a part of the company's corporate culture.  Many UK organizations at present fail to implement effective plan of prevention critica l incidents, which interrupt and may threaten their business activity. Disaster planning and risk management, as well as managing company's benefits is the area which is rarely addressed by the modern businesses.  The present economy can be characterized as being digital networked economy, which actually has no clear boundaries and thus is more vulnerable to various undesirable invasions (either computer and Internet viruses, or financial frauds).

McKinsey case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

McKinsey case study - Essay Example An organization can get competitive advantages in the market than other competitors by applying knowledge management efforts. It also helps to do more improved and innovative performance. Sharing of knowledge is a major part of knowledge management system which can overlap the traditional learning procedure. In this regard SECI model can be used by any organization to handle its knowledge management system in a better way. The model is mainly focusing on the tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. In this model four modes of knowledge conversion are identified. These modes are Socialization, Externalization, Combination and Internalization (Becerra-Fernandez and Leidner, 2008). This model is describes as follows. 1. Socialization [Tacit to Tacit] – In this mode knowledge is passed on through practice, observation, guidance and imitation. Tacit knowledge is such kind of knowledge that is difficult to transfer to another person by verbalizing it or by means of writing it down. Here social interaction is an example of tacit to tacit knowledge transfer system. Sharing knowledge through face to face or through experience both come under this mode. Meeting, conference etc are the examples of socialization in which people can get knowledge through sharing experiences. This kind of knowledge sharing system is time and space specific and also difficult to formalize. 2. Externalization [Tacit to Explicit] – In this mode tacit knowledge is transformed or coded into manuals or documents so that it can distribute in a easier way throughout the organization. Every employee of a certain organization can get access of knowledge through this system. Here tacit knowledge is coded into explicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge means such kind of knowledge that is codified, articulated, expressed, stored in certain media and readily transmitted to

Organization Attractiveness Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organization Attractiveness - Assignment Example In the general workforce, the two mentioned attributes can be said to be highly applicable to recruiting talent. This is because in a well motivated organization, there is very little for employees to look outside for (Greenberg & Sweeney, 2010). Because employees get all that they require by way of salary, allowances and other forms of remuneration, chances that they will be looking elsewhere after settling for a new job are less. Meanwhile, the longer employees try their hands on one thing, the better they become with their talents (Silzer & Dowell, 2010). Engagement is also necessary in recruiting talent because it is the only way by which employees can have a feeling that their talents are being respected and being put to use (Felps et al., 2009). As far as talented people are concerned, there are other attributes that contribute to their selection of one organization other the other. A working environment that encourages growth is one such attribute. This is because every talented person wants to work in an environment where original talent will not only be utilized but also nurtured to grow (Greenberg & Sweeney, 2010). Finally, competition is crucial for talented people because it forces them to always look out for more in terms of making use of what they already have. Felps, W., Mitchell, T. R., Hekman, D. R., Lee, T. W., Holtom, B. C., & Harman, W. S. (2009). Turnover contagion: How coworkers job embeddedness and job search behaviors influence quitting. Academy of Management Journal, 52(3),