Energy conservation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Energy conservation - Term Paper Example The other thing is that the fossil fuels could yield large amounts of energy and happen to be easily combustible (Borowitz, 2004). Fossil fuels are portable and have been in use since centuries. Fossil fuels happen to have a high calorific value and do yield large amounts of energy on combustion (Borowitz, 2004). That is why they are the most preferred source of energy on earth. The other good thing about fossil fuels is that being primarily composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms; they are very stable and easy to handle unlike other sources of energy like the nuclear energy (Borowitz, 2004). Fossil fuels are thereby hassle free and risk free. In the contemporary context the fossil fuels happen to be the most affordable and cost effective source of energy (Borowitz, 2004). However, the one big lacuna with fossil fuels is that they cause pollution and global warming. The burning and combustion of the fossil fuels produces gases like carbon-dioxide, carbon-monoxide and methane that not o nly pollute earth’s atmosphere, but also cause global warming. ... This global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels gets further augmented by the other polluting human activities like deforestation, which not only denude the earth but also hamper the natural processes that lead to absorption and assimilation of carbon-dioxide and other green house gases produced by human activities like industrialization, transportation, thermal energy generation, etc (Posner, 2004). Thereby fossil fuels are one major cause of global warming. To understand the threat posed by global warming to earth’s environment and ecosystems, the thing that needs to be kept in mind is that the life that evolved on the planet earth over millions of years could only thrive and sustain itself in a specific climate and temperature. Till now the earth’s natural greenhouse effect had kept the temperature on earth ideally suitable for the survival of the dependent flora and fauna and ecosystems (Posner, 2004). However, with the accelerated greenhouse effect caused by pollution unleashed by the rampant and sustained usage of fossil fuels, the temperatures on earth are gradually augmenting. This is giving way to climate change, which simply means that owing to the rising pollution, around the earth the temperatures are raising, sea levels are rising and seasons are shifting (Posner, 2004). The survival of life on earth requires resources like food and water. However, with the augmenting global warming a day may come when the phenomena like droughts, storms and hurricanes, threatened ecosystems, and changing landscapes caused by global warming may threaten the existence of life on earth. To restrain and slow down the negative

Visionary leadership Essay Example for Free

Visionary leadership Essay When discussing the values of Christian leadership, one book that we could not readily ignore is the book of Nehemiah. Many of the most popular Christian values could ready be found in this early book of the Old Testament, only to be reiterated in various events all throughout the Bible. And since before we delve into the New Testament we shall be focusing on Old Testament teachings for they shall provide the background of many of the leadership styles that we would be encountering later on, perhaps it would be a good idea for our paper to first magnify this book in section as an example of leadership (Woolfe, 2000). The book of Nehemiah highlights visionary leadership through prayer. The need to share a vision and to enable and empower others to become involved in making things happen, as well as the need to maintain leadership through periods of conflict and opposition. The book highlights the character Nehemiah, a cupbearer of the Persian emperor. The cupbearer, in case one has no idea of the historical significance of such a position, is an important position of trust for a member of the Jewish minority in the Persian court. It is through his leadership that Nehemiah had enabled established credibility amongof the Jewish people through his example. During that time, it had already been more than a century past sinces the Persians had conquered Jerusalem in many of the Jews at that time had been in exile. Through Nehemiah’s example, the Persian court had recognized the importance of having Jews deter percent minority. However, perhaps the most notable event in Nehemiah’s career as a cupbearer of the Persian court was when he had shared his vision with the king of Persia. The result of sharing the vision mildly end in a nonviolent way had had a positive effect on the king of Persia, again exemplifying that the cupbearer that he had chosen have been supportive of his campaign and many of the requests of Nehemiah had been granted by the king. When the vision was shared to other characters, the response had been different, and Nehemiah had facilitated a more assertive stand, still not one that is confrontational and could have created violent results. When Nehemiah arrives at Jerusalem, he creates a strategic analysis of the situation before sharing his vision with the Jews that had been left in Jerusalem. Of course, being one of the countrymen, the response was positive and in favor of him (Woolfe, 2000). Modern business leaders and managers need to understand that most of the concepts of leadership today, including the model of the transformational leader, had first been rooted in the actions of this biblical character. Many leadership books in the present highlights the importance of transformational leadership, a method of leadership and management where leaders not only give commands to theirhis or her followers in order for them to follow and execute (Bass, 2005). Rather, a transformational leader recognizes the fact that in order for followers to achieve their full potential and create the highest output levels for the company, that the vision of what the company should do it should ought to be shared. In fact, this could be easily recognized in many of the large corporations today where we find ceilings and walls written with their vision and mission statements, together with the values they recognize in the company (Thousand Oaks, 1993). Of course, we should also identify that not all companies follow such values orientation. Transformational leaders are rarely found today in large businesses because of their single-minded purpose of profit. And in a world where in it is either you gain the maximum level of profit, or you perish, it would perhaps be safe for us to assume that transformational leaders are nearing extinction. However, this does not necessarily mean that we should stop looking for such leaders and training such leaders. In fact, if we are indeed to do anything about it, we should focus our energies and goals in order to produce such leaders in the future. Again, if you are to use our FMCG Company as an example, transformational leadership may play an important role not only in the continuous profit maximization of such a company, but also in the values integration and achieving of the vision of the business venture. As we have earlier discussed, because of the quantities that is produced by such fast-moving companies, it is also guaranteed that the amount of labor and human capital involved in the production, distribution, and sales of the products would be extremely high. In modern management dynamics, we recognize the fact that as more and more people are employed into a business venture, organization, or company, the efficiency of leaders must also be proportional to the number of employees involved. Still another popular leadership method and leadership theory that we may be able to apply in this case is the team leadership theory. It basically classifies leaders and heads as managers, holding their ability to manage specialized human resourcesin the highest regard. The team leadership model states that the most effective leaders of our time art does not necessarily with the highest level of skill nor specialized abilities. Instead, the team leadership model reiterates the need for leaders which could identify those members in society and organization which are valuable because of their specialized tasks, or any other advantage that they may pose. The job of the team leader is to organize and collate such members of society and group to formulate a team aimed at accomplishing a certain task. S Wing in the journals of team performance management stated the essential role of team leaders in order to bring out the best in human capital. He points out in his article that often people do not view themselves as capable unless others in a higher position than them point out their capabilities. Also, his article points out the importance of being able to collate people into a unified whole affair according to recent statistics that he had cited in the Journal, the output inner slopes rise exponentially and not just the sum of its parts. (Wing, 2005) Now that we had identified the virus leadership models, if it had not been obvious or ready to the reader of this paper, we could claim that the model of visionary leadership that is offered by characters and stories in the Bibleare combinations of the two popular leadership models in management dynamics today. In fact, if we observe closely the stories we have identified as well as the many other stories and parables that could be found within the text, elements of transformational leadership as well as the leadership could be found. So that we may avoid the pitfall of praising the Bible too much, let us point out that perhaps many of the stories found in the Bible are idealized versions of historical accounts. The fact remains, however, if we refers strictly and believe absolutely that counts within the Old Testament books, we discover that our leadership models fit perfectly into combination with the characters that have been highlighted. FMCG companies are usually small in scale with respect to higher-level management but large in numbers for employees (Newcomen Society, 1957). And because of that high average variable costs involved in continuing the operation of the company, it would not be able to afford more section managers and overseers. And logically, what we substitute for quantity is quality. In a company with only a handful of people in management positions, it would be perhaps essential for such companies in such leaders to be able to hire or trade existing managers towards a transformational leadership style. Like our example in the Bible were in wisdom and the sharing of vision must be integrated into leaders, but overall effect of a transformational leader had been modern businesses would have the same effect as that of the story in the Bible.

Gender Stereotypes :: essays papers

Gender Stereotypes Today, every one of us is spending more of his leisure time watching TV, listening to the radio or reading newspapers and magazines. The shows on the TV and the articles in the newspapers influence our decision process, shaping our perceptions for the world. Besides the positive fact that we are better informed and in touch with the latest news, we should be aware that accepting this enormous flow of information and allowing it to make our mind can be dangerous. The TVs infiltrate our lives, guiding us what are we supposed to wear, how are we supposed to look and act. Children, because of lack of mature judging values, are more susceptible to the influence of the television. They tend to accept everything they see on TV as real. Kids often identify with movie characters and comics figures much more than the elder generation does. It is the role of the parents to teach them that not everythink that glitters is gold and to give them a better perception of the world. That of course does not mean that parents are affected less by the TV. On the contrary, they are often more affected than their kids, of course not by cartoons, but by shows that contain information about serious subjects such as parenthood. Concerned with being good parents, people are accumulating a lot of information on the subject. As the information can be very helpful, sometimes it can be destructive. That is the case when it comes to the problem of "tomboys" and "sissies." What are these two terms used for? The term "tomboy" is used when referring to a girl who is masculine, and the term "sissy" is used when referring to a boy who is feminine. We need to state what we consider feminine and what is masculine. According to the established sense in the society, femininity and masculinity are tightly bound to gender. Men are supposed to be masculine. They are expected to be strong, rough, to have high stamina. They are not supposed to wear skirts(the Scots are an exception) but trousers, and should avoid colors like pink and violet. These are "feminine" colors. The man in the family is usually the person who should provide money and build a career. On the othere hand, women are supposed to be tender and loving mothers and wives, to wear skirts and to walk on higheels.

Speech and Deception in John Miltons Paradise Lost -- Milton Paradise

Speech and Deception in Milton's Paradise Lost "Rhetoric and sophistry testify to the fact that the world in which we live is a world of speech, that the clever man can compose at will in order to trick others." 1 Speech was perhaps the most important medium for Milton.   As a blind poet, his lack of visual faculties was augmented by a renewed importance on auditory paths to enlightenment, especially the communicative.   Therefore, contemplation of dialogue in Paradise Lost becomes an essential tool for developing a correct understanding of the characters, as Milton would have intended.   Nowhere is this truer than with the character of Satan.   Throughout the text, his rhetoric exists as a window to the nature of his being, and thus evil itself.   Milton, through his depictions of Satan's communications with his comrades, the newly formed humans, and even himself (through soliloquy), shows us that evil, as incarnate in the character of Satan, cannot pursue truth, but rather must always focus on deception.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Our introduction to Satan comes in a dramatic setting, a 'moralized landscape' of grandiose scale, but attention is immediately removed from striking images of a "fiery Deluge, fed With ever-burning Sulphur" (Book I, Lines 68-9) and focused upon Satan's conversation with Beà «lzebub, showing that dialogue will be the center of attention.   The core of Satan's speech to his lieutenant is his confidence in the fact that their struggle with God is not over, and that they will eventually win. All is not lost; the unconquerable will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might Ext... ...ey any form of truth. Works Consulted Bloom, Harold. "Milton and His Precursors." Elledge 555-68. Elledge, Scott, ed. Paradise Lost. By John Milton. 1674. New York: Norton, 1993. Fish, Stanley. "Speech in Paradise Lost." Elledge 526-36. Johnson, Samuel. "[Paradise Lost]." Elledge 482-92. Lewis, C. S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. New York: Oxford UP, 1970. Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Elledge 3-304. Patrick, J. Max, and Roger H. Sundell, eds. Milton and the Art of Sacred Song. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1979. Shawcross, John T. " Deception in Paradise Lost." Patrick and Sundell 137-47. Steadman, John M. Milton's Biblical and Classical Imagery. Pittsburgh: Duquesne UP, 1984. Notes: 1 Georges Gusdorf, Speaking (La Parole) 20 (Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1965)(P. Brokelman translator.)

In times of conflict Essay

Conflict is both certain and unavoidable. Although conflict is mostly a terrible thing, it is because of conflict that the true nature of ordinary people is seen. The way people behave in times of conflict show who we are and how we are seen in civilization. There are some who, motivated by fear, conduct themselves in a disgraceful way during conflict but there are some who are able to rise above and act in extraordinary ways in times of conflict. This is evident in the history of Oskar Schindler, one of few who cared for the Jewish community during the holocaust and managed to save 1,200 Polish Jews. People don’t need to be known to be motivated to do great things, the unknown protester referred to as â€Å"Tank Man† risked his life during the Tiananmen Protests†¦ The defiance of â€Å"Tank Man† are also shown in the film Paradise Road as the women of a Japanese POW camp during World War 2 rebel by the use of a vocal orchestra. The Holocaust is one of the w orst things to happen in history, Nazis treated Jewish people like animals and killed over 6 million of them. Although the Jewish community was seen as an inferior race that didn’t deserve to live, there were many that sought to help them. Many people would hide Jewish families in their houses, risking their lives to save others as they knew it was the right thing to do. Oskar Schindler is an example of how an ordinary person can do extraordinary things during conflict, throughout the holocaust he managed to save approximately 1,200 Jewish people. As being a part of the Nazi party, Schindler was an unlikely ‘hero’ for the Jewish people, he was a businessman who made his money out of exploiting a cheap source of labour, the Jews. Schindler was a wealthy man, but he gave it all up to save the Jewish people that he employed, his courage and audacity saved over 1,200 Jews from the ‘final solution’, but left him with nothing, except respect from the Jewish community. Schindler saved these people through bribery and his ammunitions factory. He persuaded German offi cials to agree to build a camp for his workers close to the factory to cut down travel time and cost, he also bribed the guards and smuggled in food, clothing and medication to the camp. Schindler continued to make his factory a safe haven by continuing to bribe guards to make them stay outside the fence and denying entrance to anybody who hadn’t had his permission, Schindler would even sleep in his office at night to stop the `night calls’ the Gestapo (the ‘secret police’ of Nazi Germany) would make. Schindler’s factory was useless to the German army,  Schindler made sure that there was no working armoury coming from it. With his boldness came great danger, Schindler was arrested several times and was only saved through his Nazi party connections. When the war was over Schindler was honoured by the Jews but rejected by his own countrymen. Although Schindler is a very well-known person, there are many who remain nameless despite their great actions during conflict. People don’t do extraordinary things for fame or recognition they do it because they know it’s the right thing to do. Twenty years ago, on June 5, 1989, following weeks of huge protests in Beijing and a crackdown that resulted in the deaths of hundreds, a lone man stepped in front of a column of tanks rumbling past Tiananmen Square. The moment instantly became one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century, a symbol of the protests as well as a symbol against oppression worldwide, an anonymous man referred to as the ‘Tank Man’ acted in defiance and was seared into people’s minds around the world. The man stood in the middle of a column of approaching Type 59 tanks. With nothing or no one but 2 shopping bags in each hand the man was able to get the tanks to stop, as the tanks repeatedly tried to drive around the man, he simply followed in a show of nonviolent action, stopping the tanks further progression. After the tanks stopped their engines the man climbed on top of the tank and began talking to the driver. The man’s identity still remains a mystery and the menti on of the man is frowned upon in China but because of the tank man’s courageous act, people around the world use him as a symbol of oppression. The same defiance can be seen in the film Paradise Road. When looking at the tank man and references of paradise road, what is revealed is the inner courage and defiance that comes out in times of conflict when their life is on the line. During World War 1 many innocent women and children were captured and detained in Japanese prisoner of war camps. The true story of Vivian Bullwinkel, Betty Jeffrey and many others formed the basis of the film. As Japan never signed the Geneva Convention women and children were never off limits and were treated just as bad as men, as the ones the Japanese despised the most were â€Å"Europeans, then prisoners, then women†. The poor treatment, living condition, sexual harassment and constant oppression caused many of the women to start a vocal  orchestra as a way of keeping their spirits alive. One of the main characters that came up with the idea of an orchestra, Margaret, understood that many of the women in camps willpower to survive had vanished and realised the orchestra would boost morale of the prisoners. By the end of the film, Margaret passes away and although the women are not strong enough to sing for her funeral they begin to smack rocks together in a beat. As normally the Japanese would not allow such noise, this act is a direct defiance to them, showing that they still have a bit of control. It is clear to see, through conflict such as the holocaust that Oskar Schindler was involved in, the Tiananmen Protests where the unknown defiance of ‘Tank Man’ was seen, along with the defiance of the prisoners in the film Paradise Road, show that people are definitely capable of extraordinary things when under the influence of conflict.

MGMT 305 Example

MGMT 305 Example MGMT 305 – Case Study Example High Noon at Alpha Mills Performance at Alpha Company would have improved just with a little push of the ream dynamics and not total reorganization. The changes brought about by Davison were really good and would have yielded an increase in performance but Davison in his plan formulation and implementation failed to take into account team dynamics. Team dynamics as explained by McShane and Mary (2012) are very important in an organization the prides itself in working in teams. The teams share everything in terms of commonality and goals and hence they stick together even when situations become rough to endure. What Davison should have done in his analysis of the causes of poor performance in the organization would have been to incorporate the views and decisions of the workers. They are the ones performing the work and hence would have insight as to the problem and even offer solutions to the organization. This team right from the workers to the assistant supervisors saw Ang as not o nly their manager but as their role model and even hero to some extent. He dealt with all their problems, interacted with them on a more personal basis that just a superior and had almost been present from the time all of them were hired. His knowledge of the running of the company and the workers is what made them believe and trust his opinion and decisions. His removal was therefore the end straw to it and just as a team accepts defeat as a whole, the whole team in Alpha accepted defeat once Ang left. Work CitedMcShane, Steven and Mary Von Glinow. Organizational Behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2012.

Battle of Montgisard during the Crusades

Battle of Montgisard during the Crusades The Battle of Montgisard took place November 25, 1177, and was part of the Ayyubid-Crusader War (1177-1187) which was fought between the Second and Third Crusades. Background In 1177, the Kingdom of Jerusalem faced two major crises, one from within and one from without. Internally, the issue involved who would succeed sixteen year-old King Baldwin IV, who, as a leper, would not produce any heirs. The most likely candidate was the child of his pregnant, widowed sister Sibylla. While the nobles of the kingdom sought a new husband for Sibylla, the situation was complicated by the arrival of Philip of Alsace who demanded that she be married to one of his vassals. Evading Philips request, Baldwin sought to form an alliance with the Byzantine Empire with the goal of striking at Egypt. While Baldwin and Philip schemed over Egypt, the leader of the Ayyubids, Saladin, began preparing to attack Jerusalem from his base in Egypt. Moving with 27,000 men, Saladin marched into Palestine. Though he lacked Saladins numbers, Baldwin mobilized his forces with the goal of mounting a defense at Ascalon. As he was young and weakened by his disease, Baldwin gave effective command of his forces to Raynald of Chatillon. Marching with 375 knights, 80 Templars under Odo de St Amand, and several thousand infantry, Baldwin arrived at the town and was quickly blockaded by a detachment of Saladins army. Baldwin Triumphant Confident that Baldwin, with his smaller force, would not attempt to interfere, Saladin moved slowly and looted the villages of Ramla, Lydda and Arsuf. In doing so, he allowed his army to become dispersed over a large area. At Ascalon, Baldwin and Raynald managed to escape by moving along the coast and marched on Saladin with the goal of intercepting him before he reached Jerusalem. On November 25, they encountered Saladin at Montgisard, near Ramla. Caught by total surprise, Saladin raced to reconcentrate his army for battle. Anchoring his line on a nearby hill, Saladins options were limited as his cavalry was spent by the march from Egypt and subsequent looting. As his army looked upon Saladins, Baldwin summoned the Bishop of Bethlehem to ride forward and raise aloft a piece of the True Cross. Prostrating himself before the sacred relic, Baldwin asked God for success. Forming for battle, Baldwin and Raynalds men charged the center of the Saladins line. Breaking through, they put the Ayyubids to rout, driving them from the field. The victory was so complete that the Crusaders succeeded in capturing Saladins entire baggage train. Aftermath While exact casualties for the Battle of Montgisard are not known, reports indicate that only ten percent of Saladins army returned safely to Egypt. Among the dead was the son of Saladins nephew, Taqi ad-Din. Saladin only escaped the slaughter by riding a racing camel to safety. For the Crusaders, approximately 1,100 were killed and 750 wounded. While Montgisard proved a dramatic victory for the Crusaders, it was the last of their successes. Over the next ten years, Saladin would renew his efforts to take Jerusalem, finally succeeding in 1187. Selected Sources William of Tyre: History of Deeds Done Beyond the SeaMedieval SourcebookBaldwin IV

Bycatch Essay Example

Bycatch Essay Example Bycatch Essay Bycatch Essay Bycatching is when fishermen only concentrate on few fish species with the high commercial value such as salmon, tuna, and flounder, while other species are unintentionally caught and then discarded. â€Å"Particularly the Northeast and Western Pacific and in American legislation Bycatch means species/sizes/sexes of fish which are discarded,† (2008, July 29). The FAO Corporate Document Repository (2000) stated, â€Å"Majority of these catches, however, originates from the Sicilian Channel during high summer, being due to trawlers based in Sicily† (para. 0). My plan is to sustain by reducing the amount of Bycatch and developing uses for the Bycatch that remains. Making sure that the community agrees with me, which we can stop killing off the different species in the ocean or find a better use of the animals’ remains when they do can them. Develop a program with activities and their affects, schedule a presentation day and time, invite the people or participants in the community, and research the effects of Bycatches. Meaning we have to address the problem Bycatching is causing to the people or other species. In the meantime there will be some people thinking that is alright to catch these different species, so that they will not be in danger when they are out in the ocean. While the other people wishing that they would stop killing these animals for just the money. How could someone just do it for the money? That is the main question they are asking others. People go around saying, â€Å"they are going to kill each other anyway and they are doing them a favor Bycatching. Every living creature should be treated as if they were human like the people in the surrounding community. They do not see how it will affect the other animals by throwing the remains back into the ocean. Not knowing they are affecting the water, which might leave the other animals sick or they began to die off one by one. For example, Sea turtles, dolphins, seals, whales, and other aquatic organisms are accidentally caught and killed in addition to the target fish. According to the plan my challenges are as follow; the fishermen are trying to catch the different fish such as salmon, tuna, and flounder; while their nets are in the water they do not intend to catch the sea creatures such as dolphins, sea turtles, et cetera. The limitations many nations extended their limits of jurisdiction to 320 km (200 mi) offshore. Which we can only do so much about the fishermen accidently or intentionally catch sea turtles, dolphins, seals, et cetera. They will have to implicate the other people who intend to elp out with the plan. This action removed most fisheries from international use, because more than 90 percent of the world’s fisheries are harvested in fairly shallow waters close to land. This policy was supposed to prevent overharvesting by allowing nations to regulate the amounts of fishes and other seafood harvested from their waters. However, many countries also have a policy of open management, in which all fishing boats of that country ar e given unrestricted access to fishes in national waters. My plan will not put the fishermen out of a job, but to ensure that they are trying to watch out for catching the endanger species in their nets. If the fishermen did not have a job the people in the community will not be able to eat the fish and this may cause a riot or protest against them for trying to Bycatching. This will have scientist out of jobs also, because they are studying the species and how they are important. People would not know about these different species if they were not caught at all, which would have left everyone speechless. For example, people were to get attacked by or came in contact with these species. They would not know what to do or what it was. My plan will not only save, reduce Bycatching, and find something to do with the remains but help the community. References Bycatch. (2008, July 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:29, August 10, 2008, from http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Bycatcholdid=228538447 FAO Corporate Document Repository. (2000). THE IMPACT OF FISHING ON VULNERABLE GROUPS AND HABITATS. Retrieved August 10, 2008, from fao. org/docrep/007/y5594e/y5594e04. htm#TopOfPage

Anthropology, psychology, history, sociology, education, political Research Paper

Anthropology, psychology, history, sociology, education, political science, gender studies, economics, legal studies - Research Paper Example The word slum connotes an area where no ethnic community dominates. Poverty levels are high in slums, barrios and ghettos. It should be noted that not all African- American and Hispanic neighborhoods are poor. Discussions of underclass associate the residents of those inner cities with certain types of behaviors and attitudes. Excessive focus on poorest inner cities can redirect attention from the broader structural aspect of poverty. As a result they may fail to see the important contributions to reducing poverty that straightforward measures like Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) can achieve. Painting a picture of obstinate poverty in inner cities can cause hopelessness among policy makers Most alarming social evils in the society, ranging from use and sale of illegal drug to violence, take place in the inner cities of America. Even though today poverty in the inner cities of America is still a major concern, most Americans do not talk about it. However, when asked about poverty directly, many people will admit that poverty, especially in inner cities of America, is still a major concern. Poverty is a complex phenomenon which is hard to define. It is also difficult to differentiate forms, causes and consequences of poverty. Further, many people do not agree why poverty is a problem in America. Neither do they agree on the causes or consequences. It is therefore difficult to agree on a solution. There are those people who believe the poor are responsible for their condition. Mostly, people who feel the poor are responsible for their circumstances are the middle and upper income earners. They believe the poor can change their circumstances by working hard. This class of Americans feel poor people should not receive welfare benefits from the government. The middle and upper class Americans are careful to avoid working, living or even driving through the inner cities. Inner cities

Public Key Infrastructure Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Key Infrastructure - Case Study Example dly, there is the idea of encryption where encryption algorithms ensure that the communications are secure and that data remain private as it is sent from one computer to another. Finally, through digital signatures, PKI helps to provide non-repudiation. The concept of non-repudiation helps prove that a particular individual performed a certain operation at a certain time (El-Ashqar, 2012). Therefore PKI can be of great benefit to the organization by guaranteeing the quality, source & destination, the timing and privacy of information. The PKI could help in signing the company’s software by providing code signing certificates. This certification is done by the Certification Authority (CA) unit under the PKI which uses its private key to assign a certificate and signs it with the private key for that certificate authority (Zissis & Lekkas, 2013). The CA in this case refers to the company itself which will be involved in issuing and revoking of the digital signatures. In addition to the private key, the CA has its public key which is published. Therefore, the company may take advantage of this process and assign its software products digital certificates. The public key that is used in the authentication of the code signature can be traced back to the root Certification Authority (Zissis & Lekkas, 2013). Clients make use of the root certificate generated by the CA to verify that the signatures have originated from that certificate authority. This will help the user know that a given software product is from t he stated source or company. This will help show the user that the software is authentic and is from the trusted company. Companies have to choose whether to use an external certification authority (CA) or an in-house CA that is controlled by the organization. Each of these approaches has its own merits and drawbacks. First, when it comes to internal CAs, it is easy for the organization to manage since there is no need to consult another party. Internal CAs

The International Financial Market in the 21st Century Essay

The International Financial Market in the 21st Century - Essay Example To protect themselves against these risks, parties to international transactions, especially the lenders, should take it upon themselves to ensure that the eventuality of disputes in the future will not catch them off guard by conducting extensive assessment of potential risks attached to the transaction in the early stage of the documentation of the transaction and protecting themselves by adopting well-thought-out strategies to eliminate or at least minimise those risks. Roger McCormick (2007) defines legal risk as chiefly referring to the risk of loss when the document evidencing the transaction subsequently turns out not having the same legal effect as the parties intended it to be or when either or both parties institute adverse claims. Moreover, ensuring protection against legal risk is difficult considering that most of this type of risk, such as credit risk, currency rate, and interest risk, is volatile as well as usually brought on by the parties themselves. 1 The legal aspe ct of international finance is concerned with the assessment and identification of these legal risks, quantifying them and developing strategies that would completely eliminate and if not, at least minimise them. Table 1 Risk in International Finance 2 In assessing the risk of lending to an entity with cross-border operations, the first step is to identify the risks that such entity is involved. Table 1 summarises the general risks entailed in conducting international financial transactions. These risks are categorized into firm-specific risks, country-specific risks, and global-specific risks. Firm-specific risks refer to the risk of loss resulting from the company’s structure as an operating business and country-specific risks are those endemic in a particular country because of its political, social, and legal structures. Global-specific risks, on the other hand, are those that are attached to forces operating on a global scale that may interrupt business operations such a s terrorism. 3 The roles of these risks in the legal aspect of international finance are their general potential to cause business disruption and subsequent losses to business operations that may alter contractual terms between parties who had previously entered into a contract of loan to finance a business operation in a territory outside of the state of the lender. In the example of the Oceania International and Lehman Wrecker proposed transaction, the risk of lending to the former by the latter can be first assessed by looking into the risks covered by Fig. 1. The loss or losses that Oceania International might incur if any of the risks enumerated therein materializes will necessarily affect the agreement between the two considering the possibility that Oceania International might not be able to meet its obligation of paying its loan. Of all the risks that a lender faces when lending money to an entity conducting business operations outside of the lender’s state country ri sk is the most significant. Country risk has become so important in the conduct of international finance that according to Hoti and McAleer (2002), various country risk rating agencies, such as the Economist Intelligence Unit, Euromoney, Institutional Investor, International Country Risk Guide, Moody’s, Political Risk Services and Standard and Poor’s, have recently surfaced.

Occupational Safety and Health Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 123

Occupational Safety and Health Act - Essay Example The employer should provide all safety information required by the employee to assess their workplace safety based on the requirements of the OSHA. The information should be provided in a language understandable by the employee (OSHA, 2015). In addition, an employee has the right to access the results from hazard inspections in the workplace. The employee is also provided with the right to access medical records of the workplace based on injuries and illnesses. Records of medical history can also be accessed by the employee (OSHA, 2014).Self-employed persons are not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA, 2015). This is based on that the Act only covers employees who may have the work rights violated. In the case of self-employed persons, the responsibility to provide safe workplace is on themselves. In addition, the Act provide for both employee and employer, the parties are absent in self-employment. Immediate family members of farm owners who only employ family me mbers to the farm are not covered by the OSHA (OSHA, 2015). The family members are partially viewed as owners since this type of farm may be viewed as a family business. Consequently, all workers in the farm are viewed more as family members than employees. The OSHA also does not provide for working hazards that are under mandate of another Federal Agency (OSHA, 2014). For instance, mine safety coast guards provide specifications for employees in their own industry. When an employee realizes violation of a safe working environment, they may file a complaint with the OSHA. The complaint may be filed through email contact to the agency or by the physical visit to the nearest office. The OSHA may contact the employer based on the complaints filed (OSHA, 2015). However, the employee may insist on the inspection of their workplace. The employee is also not required to leave their place of work after filing the complaint.

Xerox Corporation Case Study 03066 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Xerox Corporation Case Study 03066 - Essay Example One of the major and unexpected cases was of Xerox Inc., a huge reputed global technology entity. It was reported that the company practiced creative accounting techniques to manipulate its performance during the period from 1997 to 2000. Considering the case, below presented is a critical review of the case via investigating the underlying matter deeply with its circumstances and consequences. The discussion will be an effort of aligning and comparing case evidences with the defined code of conduct in the regard by authorities and authentic literature of the underlying discipline. Being a global entity in document technology business, Xerox inc., is known for quality and innovation in the field (Mui, 2012). Founded in 1906, Xerox is currently working with around 140000 employees, 12000 active patents and reported $19.5 Billion revenue for the year 2014 (Xerox, 2015). The company got entangled in an accounting scandal for the period of 1997-2000 by SEC. At that time, company’s worth was 92,500 employees, 87th rank in Fortune 500 and reported $18.7 billion sales for the year 2000 (Jessup, & Nance, 2011). Known for innovation in document technology, Xerox deals in a variety of products and services related to the digital documentation measures (Xerox, 2014). The portfolio of the company holds mainly ranges of printing devices, scanning machines, communication devices, publishing systems (Jessup, & Nance, 2011) and a wide range of offered outsource services as well (Girod, Alter, Harris and Junglas, 2011). Claiming to be the leader in document technology, Xerox admits the volatile nature of its business due to the association with the ever-changing technology. Girod, Alter, Harris, and Junglas, (2011) suggest that technology businesses work under high pressures of current competitive scenario. Slow paced innovation, technologically outdated products,

Occupational Safety and Health Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 123

Occupational Safety and Health Act - Essay Example The employer should provide all safety information required by the employee to assess their workplace safety based on the requirements of the OSHA. The information should be provided in a language understandable by the employee (OSHA, 2015). In addition, an employee has the right to access the results from hazard inspections in the workplace. The employee is also provided with the right to access medical records of the workplace based on injuries and illnesses. Records of medical history can also be accessed by the employee (OSHA, 2014).Self-employed persons are not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA, 2015). This is based on that the Act only covers employees who may have the work rights violated. In the case of self-employed persons, the responsibility to provide safe workplace is on themselves. In addition, the Act provide for both employee and employer, the parties are absent in self-employment. Immediate family members of farm owners who only employ family me mbers to the farm are not covered by the OSHA (OSHA, 2015). The family members are partially viewed as owners since this type of farm may be viewed as a family business. Consequently, all workers in the farm are viewed more as family members than employees. The OSHA also does not provide for working hazards that are under mandate of another Federal Agency (OSHA, 2014). For instance, mine safety coast guards provide specifications for employees in their own industry. When an employee realizes violation of a safe working environment, they may file a complaint with the OSHA. The complaint may be filed through email contact to the agency or by the physical visit to the nearest office. The OSHA may contact the employer based on the complaints filed (OSHA, 2015). However, the employee may insist on the inspection of their workplace. The employee is also not required to leave their place of work after filing the complaint.

Curriculum Review Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Curriculum Review Assignment - Essay Example The program focuses on descriptive linguistics automaticity and reading fluency whereas providing express comprehension and vocabulary instruction. Aligned with current reading analysis and backed by freelance analysis, SpellRead provides associate integrated, multi-sensory approach that builds a student’s system to bridges it with students’ oral language. Students hear, manipulate, and method sounds, so master the relationships between sounds and letters. According to Rashotte (2001), SpellRead does not simply accommodate deficiencies through active reading and writing. It helps in mastering the English language sounds, by combining rigorous phone and phonetic activities. This approach helps in manipulating troublesome English words. SpellRead faithfully improves reading fluency and comprehension across numerous populations. The SpellRead program is predicated on specific ability mastery. It consists of one hundred and five sequent lessons counteracted into 3 phases. Mastery of the preceding lessons and levels help in success of every lesson. Consequently, modulation of content, stress, reading quality comprehensively develops with the student’s word-level fluency, skills, vocabulary, and automaticity. A study by Rashotte (2001) shows that enhanced word-reading potency decreases the contribution of active cryptography. It also increases contribution of background vocabulary hence an increase in broader language skills. Phase A provides the use for the SpellRead program, coaching the audile process operate of the brain to listen to and manipulate the forty-four sounds of English. Consequently, students develop a â€Å"sound process reflex† - mechanically and directly. As a result, the students recognize every sound with not need to form associations with rules that hinder automaticity. The enriching of the foundation, impacting knowledge on secondary spellings, diverse consonants, use of syllables and utilization of auditory and visual

Geely Automobile Essay Example for Free

Geely Automobile Essay In the first part, the ECLIPTER factors including econography, culture, legal system, income profile, political risk, tax regime, exchange rate and restrictions, together with the multilateral institutions such as WTO, EU and ASEAN will be examined by using UK and Malaysia as examples. Then based on this analysis, it will provide an assessment of the company‘s overall international expansion strategy and process. In the second part, legal system and income profile, the two most important ECLIPTER factors on Geely‘ overseas operations, will be evaluated. Furthermore, the scheme which Geely used to deal with the impact of these two factors and leverage the multilateral institutions will be shown. Finally, this report will analyze whether the company‘s international adaptation of the business function is effective, and then give some recommendations and lessons. 2. ECLIPTER Factors Analysis 2. 1 Econography Econography refers to physical and human assets including distance from major markets, and natural resources of nations that affect industry performance. In the first, the close distance between parent company and foreign subsidiary can help the company to reduce the transport costs and overhead expenses; it also can improve the connection between them. If the parent company is in China, it is better to build a subsidiary in Asia such as Malaysia. Secondly, the natural resources used for making cars mainly include steel, copper, and aluminum. If the country owns rich mineral resources, it can greatly provide benefit in the production of automobiles. One of the major purposes for many multinational corporations establishing overseas subsidiaries is to exploit the foreign natural resources. This is good for companies to 5 International Business Environment II reduce production costs and get competitive advantages. As World Steel Association reported in 2009 that the crude steel production of United Kingdom is 13. 5 in 2008, whereas the crude steel production of Malaysia is 6. 1 in 2008. 2. 2 Culture This paragraph will analyze the effects of culture on auto industry through power distance index and saving rate. Firstly, power distance index measures the degree of inequality exists in a society (Hofstede, 1997). The power distance index is 80 in Malaysia whereas it is only 35 in UK (Hofstede, 2008). The unequal distribution of wealth makes most Malaysian citizens prefer to hold a commercial auto. So the inexpensive Geely auto could be a good option for them. Secondly, saving rate could be a standard to show the attitude of citizens. The saving rate of Malaysia was 47 per cent in the year 1998 which ranks second in Asia (Azia, 2004). In contrast, the saving rate in UK was significantly low, which was less than 10 percent in the past ten years. For instance, the saving rate of UK household in 2008 was only 1. 7 percent (chart 1)(Presser, 2008). So UK citizens are apt to consume a relatively high price car. Chart 1 Resource from Posser (2008) 6 International Business Environment II 2. 3 Legal system The auto industry has been affected by laws and government regulations since the 1960s. The first safety act passed in 1966 by Congress and was called the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Highfill, 2004). This act forced manufacturers to improve the safety for the passengers, the driver visibility, and the braking of the car. Not only safety, but also environment is being growingly concerned even before the oil crisis. The Vehicle Air Pollution and Control Act passed in 1965 was the first act to set standards for automobile pollution. Then in the 1970s, Congress passed the Clean Air Act that led to a 90% decrease in automobile emission within the next six years (ibid). In the 1970s the oil crisis led to the approval of The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 which stated that all automobiles must meet a certain mileage per gallon. The act required that all automobiles had to meet a standard of 20mpg by the 1980 model and then 27. 5 mpg for the 1985 model (ibid). EU 2020 growth strategy also emphasizes the importance of low carbon automobile (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 2010). There are also many special laws for auto industry in different countries, such as Malaysia, which has built a free trade area for production and assembly of products for export-oriented enterprises. Companies can enjoy the minimum tariffs, raw materials and simplified mechanical equipment import formalities. Nevertheless, the Malaysia government regulates that more than 80% products should export to other countries (Daily News, 2006). Furthermore, the UK Byers Acts Measures to cut the average price of a car by ? 1,100 and save private car buyers around ? 1 billion a year. Although it may lower the profitability of auto industry, the number of consumers will increase gradually (DTI, 2000). 2. 4 Income profile Since automobile is not inferior goods, the demand of automobile would rise when income increases. In the economic aspect, income could be an indicator of the purchasing power of individuals and nations. Data from UK national statistics office (2010) demonstrated that despite the contracted 4. 9 percent of GDP in the whole year, the GDP increased 0. 4 percent in 7 International Business Environment II the fourth quarter of 2009. Furthermore, Household expenditure also rose 0. 4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 in UK (chart2). For Malaysia, the GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2009 was 4. 5 though the figure was negative in the whole year (chart 3) (Malaysia statistics, 2010). It can be observed that the economy of both UK and Malaysia seem to recover from the global financial crisis. This positive signal predicts the growing demand and distensible market for Geely in both countries. Chart 2 Resource from UK statistics 2010 Chart3 Resource from Malaysia statistics 2010 8 International Business Environment II The core competitiveness of Geely automobile relies on its high performance-price ratio. Per capital GNI (Gross national income) in Malaysia was 25784 RM in 2008. By analyzing the 2004 United Nations Human Development (UNHDP) report, except the 20% population of richest and poorest class, Geely will be a better choice for the rest citizens in Malaysia(chart 4) (Lumpur, 2004). In comparison, the young people account for a great amount of population in UK. A source from HMRC shows the average income of under 20 years is ? 9,570 and 20-24 years is ? 13,200 which is below the average (chart 5). It implies that when young generation decide to buy a car, price is the first consideration factor. For medium quality car manufacture companies, young population in UK could be a potential group of customers. Chart 4 9 International Business Environment II Chart5 Median Age Band Under 20 years 20 – 24 ? 11,800 years 25 – 29 ? 17,000 years 30 -34 ? 19,500 years 35 – 39 ? 20,100 years 40-44 ? 20,200 years 45 – 49 ? 20,300 years Resource from Lumpur (2004) ? 28,600 ? 24,800 ? 35,400 ? 15,200 ? 20,100 ? 28,100 ? 24,600 ? 34,600 ? 14,900 ? 19,800 ? 26,800 ? 23,600 ? 31,700 ? 15,500 ? 20,100 ? 23,900 ? 21,600 ? 26,700 ? 16,400 ? 20,100 ? 19,300 ? 17,800 ? 20,600 ? 15,900 ? 17,800 ? 13,200 ? 12,400 ? 13,800 ? 11,200 ? 12,300 ? 8,130 ? 9,570 ? 8,490 ? 9,810 ? 7,990 ? 9,250 Median Income Mean Income Income (Men) (Men) (Women) (Women) Income Income Income Mean Median Mean 2. 5 Political risk According to Guinger (2001), political risk describes the stability of government institutions. It can be measured in a variety of ways such as likelihood of foreign aggression and civil insurrection. The Transparency International (2009) showed that UK and Malaysia both face some problems of political corruption, which adversely affects the efficiency of economic operation. World Bank estimates that corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 10 International Business Environment II billion a year – an amount equivalent to 1 or 2 per cent of GDP. The corruption in the UK is lighter than Malaysia, which ranked 17, whereas Malaysia ranked 56 in world in 2009 based on Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. But the corruption in UK is not unheard. Surveys by Control Risks and Simmons Simmons show that the awareness of UK laws against foreign bribery may be decreasing over time. In 2002, after the act came into force, 68 percent of respondents said they were familiar with its main points. But in 2006, 48 percent people said that they have totally ignored it (Global Corruption Report, 2009). 2. 6 Tax Regime Tax regime refers to the tax instruments that governments use to raise revenues from multinational firms, such as corporate taxes. The tax of Malaysia is transparent, the multinational corporate must be taxed 30% of the corporate income which is just the same as Malaysia companies Marketing directory, 2005) According to the tax incentive treaties, auto ( . industry may be eligible for pioneer status which is given by the way of an abatement of 70% of the profits for five years (ibid). The remaining 30% of the profits will be taxed at the prevailing corporate income tax rate. The profits abated are exempt from tax and will be available for distribution as tax-free dividends. In UK the resident corporate tax is the lowest in Europe, even the tax is zero for the small companies in 2002(Lawandtax-news, 2010). According to the tax treaties, multinational corporate which set up, purchase or control the companies in UK can follow the resident tax (Navstar, 2009). In the ordinary course of events, foreign companies cannot follow the low corporate tax, but with regard to double taxation and the agreement between UK and China, Chinese multinational corporates in UK now pay the low tax (ibid). 2. 7 Exchange rate Stable trade policies are extremely important for both the economic welfare of the countries and the multilateral trading system. Unfortunately, the liberalization measures were adopted by many countries. As Dornbusch‘s 1976 analysis has pointed out that when the exchange rate is used to provide protection for domestic firms, it is through undervaluation. An undervalued 11 International Business Environment II exchange rate protects domestic firms from imports and gives domestic firms greater incentives to export. For example, the Balance of Payments Committee of the WTO has received 39 requests from member countries for derogations from their international obligations and for a temporary increase in temporary protection. Moreover, several developing countries, such as Malaysia, have recently increased tariffs in response to financial crises even though the higher rates remain below the rates these countries bounded in the WTO. Moreover the analysis said China has become a great auto exporter, as a result of the huge subsidies, an undervalued exchange rate and dirt-cheap credit (Swaminathan, 2009). 2. 8 Restrictions Restrictions refer to the taxes and limitations that host governments place on foreign products and services or on foreign firms themselves when they enter or leave the host economy. Because of the policy of protecting their national automobile industry, the import tax of automobile is relatively high in Malaysia. Since 2004, Malaysia began to reduce the automobile import tax: for the import components the tax is reduce from 25% to 10%, and for the whole automobile the import tax is drop from 130% to 30% for the companies outside of Southeast Asia (MEI, 2009). In 2010, according to the agreement of ASEAN, the automobile import tax will be zero to all the regions of ASEAN. UK is a member of EU, it followed the economic agreement of EU which sets no import or export tax between members of EU and they must charge the same tax when they have business with the third country (European competitiveness, 2009). 12. International Business Environment II Scoring Analysis of UK and Malaysia Country Score Econography Culture Legal System Income Profile Political Risk Tax Regime Exchange Rate Restrictions Total (10) (10) (20) (20) (10) (10) (10) (10) (100) 8 7 18 8 8 8 7 7 71 7 6 16 15 5 9 8 9 75 UK Malaysia 3. Institutions 3. 1 WTO The major objectives of WTO‘s roles are ? the creation of a common automobile market through the elimination of barriers to intra-Community trade; the maintenance and expansion of a competitive world automobile industry; the use of voluntary import restrictions to prevent cheap imports and to maintain competitiveness? (European Commission, 2006). For example, in 2006, WTO announced the establishment of a panel to examine whether Chinas tariffs on imported auto parts violate WTO trade rules, following a joint complaint made by the United States, the European Union and Canada, who accused China for its discriminatory charges on imported auto parts. After examining China‘s related regulations, WTO panel declared that Chinas regulations are inconsistent with Chinas WTO obligations. China has agreed to make the necessary regulatory changes by September 2009 (Herd, 2006). 13 International Business Environment II. WTO facilitates Geely‘s international expansion since the elimination of trade barriers has cleared its path to world market and made it integrated to the world economy. In 2002, after China joined into WTO, 100 automobiles of Geely exported to Syria (Luo, 2005). 3. 2 EU EU functions as a rule-imposer. It sets strict requirements and institute rules and regulations to improve vehicle safety. Besides the vehicle crash tests executed by Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Program backed by European Commission), there are also some regulations set to protect the environment. First, in order to respond to the gradual aggravation of greenhouse effect, the European commission developed a mandatory emission standard to limit the emission of one major kind of greenhouse gas, CO2. The regulation set a fleet-average CO2 emission target for passenger cars, which is 120 g/km to be reached by 2015 (European Commission, 2010). The vehicle manufacturers must reach the CO2 emission target of 130g/km, with an additional reduction of 10 g/km to be provided by supplementary measures, such as the use of hydrogen fuel. A long-term target of 95 g/km to be reached by 2020 is also established by the regulation (ibid). This regulation will take effect in 2012. From 2012 onwards, vehicle manufacturers who do not meet this target will have to pay penalty for their excess emissions. According to DieselNet (2010), from 2012 to 2018, the penalties are â‚ ¬5 per vehicle for the first g/km of CO2; â‚ ¬15 for the second gram; â‚ ¬25 for the third gram; â‚ ¬95 from the fourth gram onwards. From 2019, manufacturers will pay â‚ ¬95 for each g/km exceeding the target. Another congressional mandate imposed by European Commission requires tire pressure monitoring systems on all new cars in 2012. According to Europe‘s Information Society (2010), many road accidents resulting in fatalities and physical injuries are linked to tire defects. Furthermore, under-inflated tires can result in severely inefficient use of fuel and cause an extra two million tons of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere per year. So this mandate enhances vehicle safety and protects the environment. 14 International Business Environment II These regulations have incurred a rise in car prices since vehicle manufacturers are forced to increase price to offset the cost of upgrading. These regulations put Geely in an unfavorable position. Since Geely is better known for making low-tech and cheap cars, making eco-friendly cars is not included in the competencies of the company and huge RD spending is inevitable for nurturing this competence. They set a high bar for the competition and limit Geely‘s ability to expand market in Europe. 3. 3 ASEAN ASEAN – Association of South East Asia Nations is a geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia. China and ASEAN are both newly-emerged, rapidly-developing auto markets. Cooperation in auto industry between China and ASEAN will bring a win-win situation for the two sides and make their cars more competitive in a global competition. For instance, according to Xinhua News Agency (2006), a report released by the Ministry of Commerce Indonesia has announced that compared to the expensive Japanese sedans, the China-made ones gradually gain popularity for more favourable price-performance ratio. ASEAN country also needs investment from Chinese carmakers to expand local employment and for more price-favourable cars, said a Germany auto expert at the China-ASEAN Expo, 2006. Consequently, in general, ASEAN opens its gate to Chinese car companies including Geely to achieve a win-win situation. 4. Assessment of Geely’s overall international expansion strategy Geely‘s current international strategy is to produce affordable automobile, so the market size and consume power of a foreign market are highly valued by Geely. Malaysia automobile market resembles China more than UK, in the aspects such as the people‘s income, the similar culture, and the similar geographical position, etc. As by now most cars have been exported to some developing countries like South-East Asia, Ukraine, Russia, and Mexico, Malaysia will be good choice. Meanwhile, although UK does not represent a neighboring or ? home‘ market, 15 International Business Environment II as markets in South-East Asia do, UK could be seen as an interesting market with a potential for higher margins, higher price levels and a more mature market for branding, technology, etc, as the UK‘s income per capita, and the automobile sales volume are higher than that of Malaysia. Considering the future international development, Geely should focus on UK. Therefore, at first, it is better for Geely to develop its ? producing automobile which most of people can buy‘ strategy in Malaysia, and when Geely is able to enter high-end automobile market, UK will be a better choice. In terms of multilateral institution, after evaluating the influence of international organizations, we suggest that Malaysia is a better choice for Chinese car companies to exploit new markets. Firstly, a win-win situation guarantees a favourably corporate relationship between Geely and ASEAN (Eichengreen, 2006). Secondly, there are various quality-related requirements and constraints in EU and probably NAFTA, which puts up a strong challenge for those Asian auto makers. Moreover, by far, there is no evidence to prove the acquisition of Manganese Bronze and Volvo have considerably increased Geely‘s sale in developed nations. Thus considering the opportunities and threats faced by Geely, it is recommended that the company emphasizes on developing nations‘ markets, rather than the developed markets. 5. Marketing analysis 5. 1 Legal system According to Alistair Darling‘s pre-budget report, UK will bring new opportunities for the low-carbon industries. Through the Innovation Investment Fund and the Carbon Trusts Venture Capital scheme, UK will invest at least ? 160m in low carbon projects (Guardian, 2009). They will also invest ? 90m in the European Investment Banks new 2020 fund, which will put 6. 5 billion Euros of finance in green infrastructure projects. In this report, there are alterations to the climate change levy, company car tax, and fuel benefit charge (ibid). This is good news for Geely because now it dedicates itself to produce high-tech and eco-friendly automobile. In 16 International Business Environment II UK the amount of car tax depends on the price and the discharge amount for carbon, which is from 9% for electric motor car to 10%-35% for petrochemical car. UK also has a successful car scrappage scheme, which gives consumers a ? 2,000 discount off. If they scrap their old vehicle, it will help up to 125,000 families replace their inefficient boilers with new models (Julia, 2009). Through the government‘s support of low-carbon industry, Geely has more opportunities to innovate high-tech and eco-friendly automobile. Furthermore, because of the low tax and car scrappage scheme, customer is inclined to buy or change an electric motor car,. In 22nd March 2006, Malaysia published the new automobile policy (MEI, 2009). Since that day, the import taxes of CBU (Complete Built Unit) are reduced from 20% to 5% for the ASEAN members and 50% to 30% for other countries. The import taxes of CKD (Completely Knock Down) are 10%. In 28th October 2009, Mustafa Mohamed announced many new policies for auto industry which will give much more preferences and subsidies for the new energy automobile companies (ibid). 5. 2 Income profile It is known that the success of Geely relies mostly on keeping low cost and offering the affordable cars. For instance, Geelys best-selling four-door sedan, the King Kong, has been sold 6127 in April 2010 and the retail price is between 47,800RMB 58,800RMB (Jiang, 2010). Geely sold 329,014 passenger cars in 2009, making it is the third largest domestic car producer (Zheng, 2010). However, Geelys winning formula is under pressure in china because Chinese consumers are becoming wealthier; the higher-end models will gradually be affordable for them. Meanwhile, brands such as the Chery QQ, Ford Fiesta, and Honda Civic are threatening Geely‘s current market position. Geeky‘s winning formula is also challenged at the oversea markets like UK and Malaysia. Date from HMRC (HM Revenue Customs) indicates that nearly 50% of the population in UK earns ? 16400 annually which is much higher than the middle class income of Malaysia. This group of population could be a dominant power in the automobile market in UK. It is not a wise choice to sell its inexpensive cars in UK considering that low price would not be 17 International Business Environment II attractive for these relatively rich citizens. The similar situation also happened in Malaysia which made Geely‘s low price cars less competitive. This is because that the predicted real GDP growth in 2010, 2011 and 2015 are 4. 7%, 5. 0% and 5. 0%, Malaysian people are becoming richer than before(IMF, 2010). Their increasing incomes will directly affect their car buying choice. People nowadays prefer the higher-end models and the market share of Geely‘s lower-end models are estimated to reduce gradually. 6. Geely’s reacts to the impact of the ECLIPTER First, since the middle of 2009, the sales of car exports decreased from 37940 in 2008 to 6297. Furthermore, although Geely exports to more than 50 countries, most of them are developing countries which are not so effective in the promotion of the brand image. In order to get rid of low-end image, Geely changed its strategy from ?produce automobile which most of people can buy‘ to ? do not produce cars which price is below 40000 Yuan‘ (Fang, 2009). Besides, Geely take over Volvo which also expressed its desire to promote the brand image. Geely‘s strategy changes starts in May 2007, which is focus on transforming its competitive advantage from price to technology. In 2007, Geely used three new motorcycle type—Yuan Jing, King Kong and Zi You Jian, which have relatively higher value added to substitute the Haoqing, Meiri and You Liou. For doing that, Geely scraped its old molds, jigs and production line which worth up to 8 billion Yuan. In 2008, the sales of these three new auto types grew 12% without discount marketing strategy (Geely annual report, 2009). Furthermore, in 2010, Geely will market 21 new auto types, and some of them were designed by Fabrizio Giugiaro, the Italy‘s famous auto manufacturer. Moreover, the new energy auto will also be produced in 2010, which will include Panda and DiHao (Wenqing, 2010). These new energy auto types have been showed in the Beijing car exhibition 2010 (Phoenix auto, 2010). In order to deal with these two factors, Geely also has a complementary strategy: cooperate or takeover other well-known international auto manufacturers. It will not only help Geely to promote its auto manufacture technology, but also improve its brand image. Geely has already cooperated with 18 International Business Environment II Britain‘s Manganese Bronze to produce luxurious brand-named taxi (China car Times, 2010) and assembled cars with Information Gateway Corp Sdn Bhd (IGC) in Malaysia, 2006 (Tan, 2006). 7. Leverage the multilateral institutions 7. 1 ASEAN One of the stunning news in 2005 was the political barriers Geely met in Malaysia, which was considered as the biggest challenge for its overseas expansion so far. Geely‘s President Li Shufu described Malaysia as ? an unexpected trap? because of Malaysia government‘s rejection on fulfilling the contract. After examining the ECLIPTER factors of Malaysia market, Li Shufu and his team regarded Malaysia as the first pillbox and cornerstone of its expansion to ASEAN countries. He believed the learning in Malaysia could be helpful. Therefore, in May 2005, Geely has made a joint contract with Malaysia IGC group for building CKD factory in Malaysia. However, Malaysia government denied the contract after a new document on automobile being published. According to the document, all cars made by foreign automobile manufacturers were prohibited to sell in Malaysia. Then the situation in Malaysia went against its expection of getting a huge sale. However, according to Geely officials, to some extent, ASEAN agreements have made Geely to reconsider the importance of Malaysia (Harwit). In South East Asia nations, there are some strict tariff-related regulations for automobile industry. Contrarily, tariff among ASEAN countries is in a minimum rate. According to an inner-ASEAN agreement, from 2003 to 2009, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore and Vietnam exempted auto import tariff for each other. From 2010, all ASEAN countries will implement zero auto import tariff for each other. At the same time, Indonesia, Thailand and some other ASEAN nations‘ demand of cars is increasing considerably (JAMA, 2008). Especially after an impressive increase in 2007, the car-sale in Indonesia becomes significantly dazzle. Therefore Geely 19 International Business Environment II planed to only manufacture cars in Malaysia and then export cars to other ASEAN countries, which seems like a forward-looking plan in a long-term development. Finally, Geely decided to move its Malaysia CKD manufacture center to Indonesia. However, its vision of leveraging ASEAN to pursue a sale performance in all ASEAN nations has not changed. 7. 2 EU In terms of EU regulations, since Geely has acquired 100% ownership of Volvo, the Sweden‘s company, Geely is no longer an outsider of European market. According to the EU Single market concept (European Commission, 2010), a free circulation of capital, labor, goods and services between EU members is granted. Geely now have got over tariff barriers and competes as an insider. 8. Implications and Recommendations One of the strategies of Geely is to promote new energy automobile, there are two advantages for this strategy: Firstly, Geely can get powerful support from government since the development of new energy is encouraged by the government. Secondly, since new energy automobile is environmental friendly goods, it not only reduces the carbon emissions, but also decreases the expenses on routine maintenance (Bond newspaper, 2010). However, there are also drawbacks, such as the inadequate facilities. Acquiring other world famous bands is the other strategy of Geely, which facilitates the company‘s global expansion. For instance, Volvo is well-known by its safety, which could provide Geely with a competitive advantage on its brand trust. It also provides a valuable, more upscale user image. Therefore, through merger or acquisition of international well-known brands, Geely can get greater international fame and advanced technology, integrate into the world market and attract more consumers. However, certain risks should be considered when Geely acquires Volvo. The first risk is that the culture conflicts between two countries. It has been reported that one of the hindering factors is that the union of Volvo in Sweden disagrees the acquisition for their reduced 20 International Business Environment II welfare and unemployment (Gasgoo, 2009). The second risk is that the value of acquired equity. It has been said that Volvo‘s vaunted reputation for safety has been challenged by other manufacturers which can also provide automobiles with same safety standard. In this case Volvo‘s ? safe? advantage may not be as competitive as before. 9. Conclusion To sum up, this essay has analyzed the ECLIPTER factors of Geely‘s two overseas markets, Britain and Malaysia, and examined influence of the related multilateral institutions. According to this matrix analysis, legal system and income profile have the most important impact on the auto industry. For multilateral institutions, ASEAN and WTO generally promote the Geely‘s international expansion strategy, while EU regulations are less favored in its expansion. Considering both ECLIPTER factors and related multilateral institutions, it is suitable for Geely to enter developing nations to acquire market share at its initial development. But for long-term development, Geely need to pay attention to research and develop higher-end models. With the development of Geely Company and the overall auto industry, Geely‘s focus will shift from developing countries to developed countries. Currently, Geely‘s low price strategy is challenged by the legal system and income profile of developed countries. Therefore, Geely is increasing its efforts in releasing new model cars and tapping into developed countries through merger or acquisition. Geely intends to promote its brand image and enlarge its market share through these strategic moves, although it has to face the risk of culture conflicts and the uncertainty of acquisition value. 21 International Business Environment II 10. References: Azia, A. Z. (2004) Malaysia-Encouraging Saving in a Dynamic Economy [Online]. Available at: h.

The Consequences Of Sri Lankas Civil War

The Consequences Of Sri Lankas Civil War The small island of Sri Lanka is a country rich with agricultural treasures from bountiful tea leaves to lush paddy fields. However, this country has a bloody past that still haunts its present economic and political state. As a Tamil Sri Lankan, I feel it is important that the future of Sri Lanka be analyzed to determine whether it can compete in the globalized world because of its choices with regards to the civil war. As a result of colonization, Sri Lanka was torn apart by two races which ultimately caused a civil war that lasted many years. In this essay, the effects of Sri Lankas civil war will be analyzed from an economic and political standpoint. Viewed from a modernization theory perspective, Sri Lankas costly civil war has caused much damage to the countrys economy and has hindered its progress in terms of its future development projects. This conflict has also created difficulties for Sri Lanka to develop when compared to first world countries because of the macroeconomic implications such as the repercussions of its military spending, its rising international debt, lack of investment, and the weaknesses seen in its political structure (BBC, n.d.). This topic is relevant because in the evolving world, Sri Lanka will find it very difficult to succeed in the international economy because of the choices implemented by the government during the civil war. This essay will argue that the Sri Lankan civil war, brought about by colonization, has diminished the countrys growth prospects and thrown the government into political instability resulting in a current futile attempt at modernization. Theoretical Framework The concept of modernization where third world countries follow the path of first world countries in order to reach their level of development is directly tied to the development theory postulated by Walt Rowle. Therefore, the main theory that will be discussed in this essay is the modernization theory of development. However, this theory will be critiqued as a development theory that cannot be used as a guideline for countries to follow because there is no mention of colonization (Chirot Hall, 1982, p. 84). Despite this, Sri Lanka still pursues this development theory because it desperately wants to adopt Western ideals of development. Because Sri Lanka wants to establish close relationships with the Western world, they are willing to put the impact colonization inflicted on the countrys two major races aside, and continue with their goals of development, ultimately leading to a civil war. Instead of attempting to fix the politics within the country, Sri Lanka continues to follow t he developed countries to an unreachable epitome of development. This theory holds that development is evolutionary and intervention from developed countries is acceptable in order to direct change; therefore, interference from the Western world in matters of the state is not criticized (So, 1990, p. 18). Rostows evolutionary ladder of development, which is composed of a traditional society, pre-conditions for take-off, take-off, the drive to maturity, and the age of high mass consumption, are deeply flawed (Rostow, 1964, p. 4). He does not take into consideration the effect colonization has had on the country because not only does it leave an impact on the colonized countrys economic and political situation, but it also leaves the colonizing country in a very advantaged position. While Sri Lanka hopes to achieve the ideal form of development from a modernization perspective, it will suffer greatly if it does not undergo an economic reform and change its political policies. Historical Context Since 150 B.C., the island of Ceylonrenamed Sri Lanka after gaining independence from the Britishhas had tension between the two largest ethnic groups in the country: the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority (Grobar Gnanaselvam, 1993, p. 396). However, even though there was miscommunication from both parts for many years, they still lived in peace. Because of British intervention in the colonial period, an open conflict commenced in the 1980s between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil rebellion. One of the reasons for the conflict was identified before independence: the British introduced the idea of territorial representation as opposed to communal representation to the Singhalese people, who agreed to it because they would have more influence in government being the majority, while keeping the Tamil people as a minority in government (Managoran, 1987, p. 7). Because of the countrys poor choices in developing their government after independence, the minorities within the country had to suffer. The war lasted almost 30 years and finally ended in 2009 killing more than 70,000 people, damaged the economy and harmed tourism in one of South Asias potentially prosperous societies (BBC, n.d.). When granted independence from the British in 1948 (Tambiah, 1986, p.68), Sri Lanka was more prosperous than most of its Asian neighbours; it had a well developed infrastructure and a well functioning judiciary and democratic political system that was both efficient and productive. However, the decolonization process played a part in the civil war because although the British colonial power left the developing country with minimal economic damage and a fairly stable infrastructure, the ideology they professed continued in Sri Lankan tradition which proved disastrous because the citizens developed a superiority complex. Colonization had its both positive and negative effects within the country. For example, the economy was strengthening because colonization increased paddy production, and even afterwards, the country utilized most of their raw materials, such as tea (Peebles, 1990, p. 37). However, a negative effect of colonization was that ethnic politics and conflicts were beginning to emerge because the Tamil population believed they were being treated unfairly after the British left. During the British colonial rule (1796-1948), Tamil people received nepotism over the Sinhalese people because they were more willing to cooperate with the British (Peebles, 1990, p. 32). Because of this, Tamils had a greater advantage of the colonial dispensation, with its connections to the Western world of commerce, professional opportunity and governmental service (Rotberg, 1999, p. 5) leaving the Sinhalese people poor and neglected. This fuelled the aggravation between the Tamils and Sinhalese because the Tamil s, being the minority, were receiving better education and employment opportunities than the Sinhalese people. The Sinhalese believed that the opportunities provided by the state should be represented by the population. The Sinhalese people were not used to being subordinate to the Tamils in terms of their level of education and financial stability. As a result, the Singhalese people subordinated the Tamils and the Tamils eventually fought back. Once the war was in full force, the country was left in economic ruin because the government began spending increasing amounts of money on the military thereby diminishing future growth prospects (Grobar, Gnanaselvam 1993, p. 396). Macroeconomic Effects: Market Mechanisms The bleak future in the business sector of Sri Lanka is due to the development policy mistakes and social exclusion of the new generation (Abeyratne, 2004, p. 1300). Some of these poor development policy mistakes include the lack of consideration in long term investments, and growth in tourism. Because of the lack of worthwhile investments in the technological sector, Sri Lanka has nothing to put forth in the industrialized market which poses a problem when Sri Lanka looks toward a modernization development scheme. In order for countries to follow Rostows ladder of development, they must begin to expand their technological sector (Rostow, 1964, p. 9). As for the exclusion of the younger generation in the business world, a brain drain phenomenon has been a crucial problem because the war has caused educated citizens to leave Sri Lanka, resulting in the country having a weak base of skilled workers. Moreover, the war has killed more than 70,000 people, many of which were young adults, thereby slashing the working force and leaving a large displaced population of children and seniors (Asia Economic Institute, 2011). However, there is still hope for the country because the Sri Lankan rupee, its national currency, which has been gradually decreasing over the years due to changing commodity prices, has experienced a boost due to hopes of a post-war strengthened economy (Asia Economic Institute, 2011). However, the tourism industry, which once brought great profit to the country because it provided an important source of foreign exchange, has been largely affected by the conflict. This sector has suffered an 11.7% drop in tourists in 2007, compared with the previous year. The violence also caused a 31.4% year-on-year plunge in visitors for August 2008 and the country expected tourism to fall a further 10% in 2009 (Asia Economic Institute, 2011). Because of the means the country deployed for the civil war, they lost the advantage in the global economy and are now left in a vulnerable situation. International Debt and Stalled Development Projects Economic growth in Sri Lanka is stifled because long term investment opportunities were not given money since government funding was fuelling the costly war effort. Sri Lanka has been heavily dependent on foreign savings to finance investment projects, and the availability of foreign savings have been a major constraint on Sri Lankas total level of investment (Grobar Gnanaselvam, 1993, p. 401). Whereas in 1982 government spending has increased in health, education and welfare, the spending on economic services that had the potential to make profit in future years have significantly decreased since 1986 (Grobar Gnanaselvam, 1993, p. 399). Sri Lanka is also sinking deeper into international debt and the large cuts in economic services ensure that projects such as the Mahaweli Dam will not be finished or maintained, resulting in a major opportunity cost to the country (Grobar Gnanaselvam, 1993, p.400). This Mahaweli Dam project is one of many examples of the investments Sri Lanka had to forsake to fund the war. According to the International Monetary Fund, Sri Lankas widening current-account deficit, a dependence on foreign borrowings and an overvalued currency pose a serious risk to the nations economic stability (Yong, 2008). The island also adopted a course of structural adjustment because the government found it necessary to develop close ties with Western countries and nongovernmental organizations (DeVotta, 1998, p. 458). Because of these policies, it will be doubly difficult for the Sri Lankan government to intervene in business matters because it follows a neoliberalism philosophy (The Social Consequences, 2005). As a result, the country will be taken advantage of by external sources because Sri Lanka will be unable to develop a technological sector due to their increasing debt and structural adjustment policies, and must constantly be relying on their raw materials for export (DeVotta, 1998, p. 461). Sri Lanka also lacks efficient capital markets to ef fectively progress in the business sector. The government has rationed investment resources; therefore due to low domestic savings, Sri Lanka has paid for its civil war by cutbacks in nonmilitary government spending and large reductions in investment. However, because of this, the long term economic implications of the war are very significant since there is no money being generated from any sources within the country and from external sources. Foreign investors were hesitant to dole money in a country with an unstable political makeup (Grobar Gnanaselvam, 1993, p. 404). Since Sri Lanka has no efficient capital flowing in from other countries, in order to progress, it must now rely on its own economic strength to alleviate its international debt. Military Expenses and Growth Prospects Currently, Sri Lanka hopes to put the civil war past them and continue in their hopes of achieving Western ideals of development. However, this will most surely not be the case when the country comes to terms with the amount of spending they have allocated for the cause. The cost of the long run civil war has significantly slowed down Sri Lankas economy and left it in a vulnerable position. For example in 2007, the government borrowed $181,449 worth of defense loans from international financial markets, which was double the amount from the year before (Asia Economic Institute, 2011). Also, in 2008, the Sinhalese government designated $1.5 billion for the defence sector to strengthen the military, which was also a 20% increase from the budget in 2007. Finally, in 2009, Sri Lanka designated $1.64 billion to  the war effort, making it a 6.4% year-on-year increase (Asia Economic Institute, 2011).  These war costs have consumed approximately 30% of the governments budget, and has been estimated to have cost the country over $200 billion over the years (Asia Economic Institute, 2011). That money could have been used to fund businesses, build infrastructure, and even decrease the poverty rate in Sri Lanka. At one point, Sri Lanka was a nation that had a great advantage over other South Asian countries, but now it is delving deeper into a debt that will be very difficult for the country to repay. Political Instability: Intergovernmental Power Struggles The political instability of Sri Lanka is an important factor when determining whether the country can be a competitor in the global market. Although it is a nation that is filled with beautiful, tropical landscape, the political infrastructure within is composed of a clashing of views from government officials and separatists. The civil war was not a linear historical process where one event led to another (Perera, 1999, p.1), instead it was a civil war fuelled by competing conceptions of nationalism (Rotberg, 1999, p. 7). Neelan Tiruchelvam, who was a leading Sri Lankan constitutional thinker and Member of Parliament until his assassination in 1999, believed one of the major problems with Sri Lanka since 1948 was the definition of the state (Rotberg, 1999, p. 15). The Sinhalese majority had always assumed a unitary entity, but something other than a unitary state truly matches the plural nature of the contemporary nation (Rotberg, 1999, p. 15). Tiruchelvam states that Sri Lankans m ust recognize Sri Lankan Tamils as a distinct nationality, acknowledge and give lasting territorial integrity to a Tamil homelandand enshrine into law the right of Tamils to full citizenship and all democratic rights (Rotberg, 1999, p. 15). It will be impossible for the Sri Lankan community to move on in peace for future generations if the government of Sri Lanka does not represent the Tamil population in government. Tamils hopelessly pushed for a federal government as opposed to a unitary government, so that there would be a decentralization of power and a better representation of minorities in government, but failed and resorted to violent means to make their voice heard (Background Notes, 2001). For Sri Lanka to progress in the developing world, it must first establish a stable government so as to avoid further conflict in the future, and then it can take control of the nation so it can prosper in the business sector. Future for Sri Lankas Government The only path Sri Lanka must take to strengthen its government and in turn regain financial vigour is to comply with some of the needs from the Tamil population. Political solutions to the Tamil situation must be devised immediately because the Tamils are not content with the outcome of the war. The governments concentration purely on trying to set the economy on track, and its failure to consider any long-term reconciliation with the Tamil minority will ultimately result in long-term grievances within the countrys society. Even though the Sinhalese population is dominant on the island, 15% of the population are Tamil and 5% are not ethnically Sinhalese (Asia Economic Institute, 2011). After almost 30 years of this ethnic conflict, the nation lies divided as racism and mistrust takes over the population, hindering any hopes of unification (Asia Economic Institute, 2011). This is sadly the case since nothing was truly gained from the war. There was no economic gain and the Tamils have lost their last hope. However, if political solutions are not being implemented, there is a great chance of a Tamil guerrilla style uprising. Not only would this disturb the peace of the Sri Lankan civilians, analysts suggest that the Tamil minority will show their dissatisfaction by hitting economic and political targets, inflicting great damage in the countrys prospects of long-term stability (Asia Economic Institute, 2011). Before the war ended, Tamils who fled Sri Lanka during the war banded together to protest in major cities of many countries including Canada, the United States and Australia to request that the government of these countries help stop the Tamil genocide (Blanchfield, 2009). But since the war is now over, Tamils must now take action within the country in a peaceful manner and hope their voice will finally be heard. Conclusion Sri Lanka is a beautiful country that is scarred by a bloody 30 year war between the two largest ethnic groups in the country: the Tamils and the Singhalese. Unfortunately, because of this civil war, Sri Lanka is left in a vulnerable position in the global market. This essay proved that Sri Lankas gradual slide into international debt, its exclusion of the younger generation and poor development choices with managing investments and the tourism sector, create many problems for the country to progress economically. The political situation in Sri Lanka is also a hindrance to its growth because it needs to change its policies in order to represent the minorities or risk another uprising. This essay shows that development needs to come from within the country; Sri Lanka needs to completely solve its political differences before it can focus on economic expansion. However, is it possible to satisfy both ethnic groups when there is still animosity between them after the war? Ultimately, th e wider economic issue that this paper addresses is the pressure placed on third world countries to try to achieve Western ideals of development. By following a modernization perspective, this cannot be done. Sri Lanka needs to take charge of its own future and unify the country to make it a stronger force in the globalized world.

Essay --

The GMO it is always a topical theme, on television, on radio, in newspapers, often we talk about this topic so debated and even painful contrast. But before expressing their own opinion and their own thinking, we must understand what it means and what are GMOs. The abbreviation GMO is the achromic of terms: genetically modified organisms. This are non-human organisms whose genetic material has been altered by genetic engineering techniques. The first GMO of the modern era, was obtained from S. N. Cohen and H. Boyer that were able to clone a frog gene. GMOs are produced through biotechnological processes. Biotechnology are techniques that exploit the properties of both plant and animal cells to produce new varieties of plants or animals. Biotechnology is not an invention of recent decades. Simply the process of fermentation of the wine, which is achieved by exploiting some bacteria, is a biotechnology process known since ancient times. In the years between 1997 and 2010 the area of land cultivated with GMOs had a huge increase, we have moved 4.2 million to 365 million hectares. In fact, 10% of the planet’s arable land is used for genetically modified crops. Most of these crops are located in North America, but it should be registered, in recent years, a rapid increase in acreage in so-called developing countries. In the USA in the years 2009/2010, the vast majority of soy (93%), cotton (93%), corn (86&) and sugar beet (95%) have been grown with genetically modified varieties. Data for 2012 published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) show that in Europe there has been a 13% increase of cultivated area (globally, the increase was 6%). The advantages of these techniques are obvious ... ..., unfavorable ones are in my opinion the most important, as closely related to human health. Me and my family for generations we have the Sounterner who use in cultivating fruits and vegetables. This requires a lot of time, desire and care, but the results are incredible. Throught the summer and throught the winter we do not need to buy any fruit or no vegetables at the supermarket. The thing I like most is that we save a lot of money, and we know for sure what we’re going to eat. The only products we use against insects are all-natural products, such as last summer we were invaded by snails. To ensure that they did not eat the plants, we found a remedy: take small bowls, fill them with beer and put them near the plants. It was the first time we have used this technique but it worked! For this I am absolutely opposed to any production of both plant and animal GMOs.

Trainspotting: A Novel By Irvine Welsh Essay -- essays research papers

Trainspotting: A Novel By Irvine Welsh Trainspotting is a captivating story of the random events that occur during a critical time in a group of Scottish junkies' lives. Irvine Welsh illustrates the confusion, anger and turmoil many heroin addicts are subjected to and what happens once they try to quit. The story is centered around Mark Renton, an ordinary twenty-two year old who was raised by a loving mother and father. He has two brothers: one was catatonic and the other was an overachiever. Through court-mandated therapy he was told he envied his parents and resented his older brother. This was what contributed to Rents (what his friends call him) starting to use heroin. Bit by bit the reader is introduced to Rents' friends, cousins, friends' of friends, parents, friends' parents, the list goes on. Anyone with relevance to the life of Mark Renton, the reader meets sooner or later. Everyone in Rents' life is messed up or gets that way somehow. His friend Begbie, for example, is an unhappy little man. He feels he has to make himself seem tough by surrounding himself with "friends" who do nothing but boost his ego by letting Begbie put them down. Aside from being on and off heroin, his good friend Danny Murphy, or Spud (as everyone calls him) is a habitual thief. His friend Simone is nicknamed Sick Boy for good reasons. When he is high he hears voices in his head willing him to do evil things. He likes t...