Should there be limits on international trade Essay

Should there be limits on international trade - Essay Example The strategic initiatives undertaken by the international trade regimes are deemed as pivotal towards understanding how organizations work to good effect within the industrial basis which are spanning all over the world. Therefore what one must comprehend is the fact that international trade will remain supreme no matter how tough or trying the times are in the future and what kind of conditions the world is going to engulf. Advantages International trade and world output are interlinked. Their relation is made stronger by the fact that there is a supply and demand relationship which exists between the two. The trade output in essence depends upon the world output and hence the relation seems to affect one another in a number of different ways. If the world output is less in a specified period of time, say for instance in any single year, then it would imply that the trade output has remained low as well (Warburton, 2010). If the world output has been higher during this while, the tr ade output would essentially go up and be stable as well. However when there are times of financial hardship and misery, recession will have drastic effects on the people as well. They would not mingle within the purchase domains as such and hence try to make do with whatever has been made available to them. The purchase of the products would go down and thus these people will derive comfort from the fact that they have made their financial future secure already. It is also a fact that during such recessionary times, the country’s currency will become weak and hence having imports from different countries with which it regularly has such a trade link will also become quite costly. It would be in the interest of this country if it disengages from the trade regime and tries to focus on making the trade output higher (Amin, 2008). This will eventually up the world output by quite a fair value and hence no problems would be encountered when there is another economic recession wit hin the country. The advantages of international trade are immensely driven by the desire to set things right for the sake of the people spread in all parts of the world. These advantages are significant towards gaining the vital understanding of the international trade realms. Disadvantages The problem with international trade is such that it depends on the stakeholders with which this trade is coming into actual basis. The trade links work wonders for the different trade organizations and lobby associations. If the market is not functioning in a proper and cohesive fashion, there could be problems for the international trade to happen. Also on the global front, international trade can take a nosedive if there are significant issues related with political tensions across the borders. This could mean that a particular country has trouble in importing goods from its links that have already been established over a period of time. Similarly this could mean that the international trade suffers when exportation of these goods is about to take place, but since the political climate is not appropriate at a certain time, these international trade links would come to a halt (Nkowani, 2009). There could be a multitude of reasons behind having

Guns Germs and Steel Essay Example for Free

Guns Germs and Steel Essay Yali asked the question of â€Å"why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had so little cargo of our own? † (Diamond 14) In other words, he is asking â€Å"what is the factor between our people and ours that causes human development to proceed at different rates? † (Diamond 16) What Yali is really asking though, is, what is this mysterious factor? According to Diamond, the basis for development is the environment around us including the resources and the native people of New Guinea don’t live in an area where a chance is provided for them to take advantage of. The natural resources are just enough for them to get by. This is why the people of New Guinea produce so little â€Å"cargo† of their own. Pizarro’s capture of Atahuallpa and destruction of the Incas made the Europeans realize what power they head, and what they could do to the rest of the world. They easily wiped out the Inca’s of 80,000 with 168 men. From the Battle of Cajamarca, Pizzaro came back to Charles I saying that Europe had the power to conquer the Americas. There were reasons Pizarro and the Europeans could conquer the Americas†¦ They had better warfare than the Incas. Pizarro’s men had armor rode horseback and used steel compared to their wooden weapons. Eurasia happened to have an abundance of edible material because of the right environment leading to the domestication of plants and animals led the people to settle down in one place instead of being nomads. When people started to settle down and bring the food to them, they started to have a surplus which led for the people to have extra jobs and it started to also support a higher population while allowing women to have more children contributing to job specialization. These specialists were not devoted to farmers or food producers but varied to priests, blacksmiths etc. Permanent agriculture societies were able to from with the food surpluses leading to empires. Some of the reason that people began to settle down and farm are because at the time many wild foods began to decrease due to hunters and gatherers killing off too many large animals leaving life unsustainable. More wild plants that could be domesticated became available at the time. Technological advances allowe3d people to harvest and store greater amounts of food that they cultivated. Human populations rose it’s not clear how much it caused food production and how much food production caused it but researchers believe there’s a connection. As populations rose, they needed to have better food supplies and started farming. The farm societies were able to drive out neighboring hunter-gatherers. A continent with long east-west axis like (Eurasia) has an advantage over continents with long north-south axes (like Africa and the Americas). The reasons it does have to do with crops and longitude. In general similar crops can grow at similar longitudes. In other words a cropped that developed in one place can be spread east to west (or west to east) but less likely to spread north and south. Epidemic diseases developed among the societies that had been farming the longest. These were Eurasian societies. Societies in the Americas, Australia, and other places had not been farming as long and lacked epidemic diseases. When Europeans came in contact with Native Americans, for example, European epidemic diseases killed huge percentages of the Native Americans. This helped the Europeans conquer and the conquest made them richer and more powerful. Therefore germs help to answer Yalis question. The societies that did independently invent writing were those with complex hierarchies and sophisticated systems of food production. Writing was needed for politics and was generally learned by bureaucrats who had the comfort of available time and energy. As food was available to them, they had no need to hunt and gather for themselves. Since their basic needs were being met, they could focus on a higher level of existence and communication. There are two conditions in which technology may develop. The first is â€Å"mother necessity ideology† which is when a society needs something to make things easier they invent it. Technology differed from place to place because there were more people to invent and better diffusion to spread the invention. The opposite happened in the Americas because there were less people and a slower diffusion rate. Also different cultures had different ideas for change. The only way that society can emerge is through food. Such developments include jobs, such as the chief and the beginnings of government. The institutions of society changed over time based on how organized they were. They evolved based around various factors like war and other societies. They are related by diffusion. Whenever a state is conquered by another state they enforce use of their technology or exploit it. States are going to develop weapons, troops, and religion in order to make the state survive. They develop in response to need of their population size. They use these agents of conquest to become larger and to conquer other societies; and for that they need guns, germs, and steel. What Diamond is saying is that he thinks that people really should not think that history is so much different from the sciences. He is saying that the study of history can be pretty scientific if it is done correctly (and that some sciences are not as precise as things like chemistry). Diamond is trying to argue that historians should use what he calls natural experiments. He thinks that there are many experiments where there are two or more places that are pretty similar in many ways but which then turned out differently (like his experiment in Chapter 2). He argues that historians can use these they can look at what was different and what was similar and how the differences led to the differences in the outcomes. Guns, Germs, and Steel Book Review I think Diamond’s central intent of writing the book is to explain how varying societies become dominate, and how certain others can become dominated. By looking at environmental conditions that caused the disparities that lead to certain societies developing guns, germs, and steel, including other technology, and forming a government necessary for conquest. He introduced the book with Yali’s question â€Å"Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people has so little cargo of our own? † This question used a scientific/geographic background, and set his intent is to answer the question or inform how to answer the question. He also tries to analyze the causes of the expansion of civilizations’ in some parts of the world, since all people are physically the same what could cause some to be successful and others to die? He used archaeological and historical case studies and evidence from genetics and linguistics, he argued that technological and gaps in power are not caused by race or culture differences but by environmental differences, He used the idea of the axis as one saying that Eurasia had an east to west (or west to east) therefore having an advantage over Africa or the Americas for instance, because crops could grow at the same longitude but it was more difficult as they went north and south. Also when cultural or genetic differences have favored Eurasians like for example written language or resistance to epidemic diseases he says these advantages occurred because of the influence and geography on societies and cultures and were not inherited as genes from Eurasian ancestors. Diamonds book argues that the differences in progress for different societies around the world do not result from one group being smarter or more resourceful than another. Rather, he focuses on the impact of geography whether food and other key items were plentiful, whether and how disease spread, and how these developments led to different levels of industrialization, and wealth The book â€Å"Guns, Germs, and Steel† was very well written in the sense that Diamond had a question in which was the foundation of the book, he throughout the book acquired evidence and explanations and ideas of how to answer the question. The book had evidence to back it up by explaining how Eurasia had a better opportunity being west to east meaning they had better crop farming. Which led to a growing civilization and soon conquest. The book wasn’t exactly dull or boring but it wasn’t exciting or entertaining either. It was like any other history book it asked a question, then went on to the point. There was an explanation of the main topic which was Yali’s question and evidence that dealt with answering the question. From beginning to end, Diamond stresses that he realizes that efforts to compare societies have frequently been used by racists or nationalists to belittle groups or justify mistreatment of them. He argues that his analysis is in fact anti-racism at work because it shows that the white people who enjoy the comforts of modern life are ultimately luckier than, not more deserving than, people in impoverished nations.

A Review on the Works of James Baldwin Essay -- Literature

Introduction The works of James Baldwin are directly related to the issues of racism, religion and personal conflicts, and sexuality and masculinity during Baldwin's years.James Baldwin's works, both fiction and nonfiction were in some instance a direct reflection his life. Through close interpretation you can combine his work to give a "detailed" look into his actual life. However since most writings made by him are all considered true works of literature we can't consider them to be of autobiographical nature. Religion Personal Life Baldwin reflected his own life in various forms. These include autobiographical essays to fiction and drama. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and play, The Amen Corner, mirror his childhood experiences in the storefront churches of Harlem where James and his stepfather, David Baldwin, preached. The "Autobiographical Notes" section of Notes of a Native Son and the "Down at the Cross" section of The Fire Next Time provide a seemingly realistic view into Baldwin's childhood and his growing involvement with the civil rights movement. Filled with a number of autobiographical passages in Nobody Knows My Name, No Name in the Street and The Devil Finds Word join together to provide a general, somewhat realistic, autobiography. One interest in particular is Baldwin's view on his relationships with Richard Wright ("Alas, Poor Richard") and Norman Mailer ("The Black Boy Looks at the White Boy"), both of which are included in Nobody Knows My Name .(Werner, Craig 45-48) When Baldwin was three years of age his mother married David Baldwin, a Southerner who had made the journey to New York as part of the large stream of black migration north during the times following the First World War. James, t... ...aesthetic: James Baldwin's primer of black American masculinity." African American Review 32.2 (1998): 247. MasterFILE Premier Werner, Craig. "JAMES BALDWIN." Research Guide to Biography & Criticism 1.(1985): 45-48. Book Collection: Nonfiction. Baldwin, James Preservation of Innocence." Zero 1.2 (Summer 1949). Rpt. in Out/Look 6 (Fall 1989), 40-41 Powers, Peter Kerry. "The Treacherous Body: Isolation, Confession, and Community in James Baldwin." 787-813. Duke University Press, 2005. Academic Search Premier. de Romanet, Jerome. "Revisiting Madeleine and `The Outing': James Baldwin's revision of Gide's sexual politics." MELUS 22.1 (1997): 3. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 4 Dec. 2010. Robert E. Morsberger. "James Baldwin." Magill Book Reviews. Salem Press, 1998. eNotes.com. 2006. 4 Dec, 2010 james-baldwin-0080505824

The Decline of the American Dream Essay -- American Dream in Decline

On a brisk September day in 2011, in the commercial district of Manhattan Island, a minute protest in Liberty Square commenced against the fiscal atrocities committed by economic establishments leading to the financial crisis and subsequent economic recession in 2007 and 2008. Over the course of the month, the movement protesting the miscarriage of justice and democracy following the economic catastrophe and the overall inequitable and unfair wealth distribution diffused to over 100 American cities as well as 1,500 cities worldwide. The revolutionary movement was named Occupy Wall Street and through occupying and protesting the symbolic location of the financial elite, Wall Street, the crusade aimed to â€Å"[revolt] against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process.† With mass media attention domestically and internationally in the months after the initial demonstration, Occupy Wall Street acquired global reputation as the representatives of the destitute 99% protesting the fiscal tyranny of the top 1% of income earners in the United States who were â€Å"writing the rules of an unfair global economy†¦[and] foreclosing on [America’s] future† (â€Å"About Us†). Occupy Wall Street exposed the controversy of income inequality to the forefront of American society, public, and politics, as the issue was being widely neglected in favor of social as well as racial diversity and inequality. These issues only illustrate one dimension of the multilayered diversity in America, the social aspect. While social diversity is an integral component to the foundation of American society today, the issues of income and wealth diversity is also paramount. Income inequality and its implications can be traced to th... ...ranscript of the Constitution of the United States.† The Charters of Freedom. Archives.gov, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. . â€Å"2012 General Election Turnout Rates.† United States Elections Project. George Mason University, 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. . â€Å"2012 Presidential Race.† OpenSecrets.org. The Center for Responsive Politics, 2012. Web. 25 May 2014. . â€Å"Wealth Trends of Members of Congress.† OpenSecrets.org. The Center for Responsive Politics, n.d. Web. 25 May 2014. . Williams, Roberton. â€Å"CBO Details Growing U.S. Income Inequality.† Forbes. Forbes, 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. . The Decline of the American Dream Essay -- American Dream in Decline On a brisk September day in 2011, in the commercial district of Manhattan Island, a minute protest in Liberty Square commenced against the fiscal atrocities committed by economic establishments leading to the financial crisis and subsequent economic recession in 2007 and 2008. Over the course of the month, the movement protesting the miscarriage of justice and democracy following the economic catastrophe and the overall inequitable and unfair wealth distribution diffused to over 100 American cities as well as 1,500 cities worldwide. The revolutionary movement was named Occupy Wall Street and through occupying and protesting the symbolic location of the financial elite, Wall Street, the crusade aimed to â€Å"[revolt] against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process.† With mass media attention domestically and internationally in the months after the initial demonstration, Occupy Wall Street acquired global reputation as the representatives of the destitute 99% protesting the fiscal tyranny of the top 1% of income earners in the United States who were â€Å"writing the rules of an unfair global economy†¦[and] foreclosing on [America’s] future† (â€Å"About Us†). Occupy Wall Street exposed the controversy of income inequality to the forefront of American society, public, and politics, as the issue was being widely neglected in favor of social as well as racial diversity and inequality. These issues only illustrate one dimension of the multilayered diversity in America, the social aspect. While social diversity is an integral component to the foundation of American society today, the issues of income and wealth diversity is also paramount. Income inequality and its implications can be traced to th... ...ranscript of the Constitution of the United States.† The Charters of Freedom. Archives.gov, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. . â€Å"2012 General Election Turnout Rates.† United States Elections Project. George Mason University, 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. . â€Å"2012 Presidential Race.† OpenSecrets.org. The Center for Responsive Politics, 2012. Web. 25 May 2014. . â€Å"Wealth Trends of Members of Congress.† OpenSecrets.org. The Center for Responsive Politics, n.d. Web. 25 May 2014. . Williams, Roberton. â€Å"CBO Details Growing U.S. Income Inequality.† Forbes. Forbes, 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. .

“Life Insurance Buying Behavior”

Most of us really see to it that we will have better lives in the future. It is been our desires that we can live a life full of comforts and our needs are supplied and met. We sometimes look ahead of time or we go beyond in our horizons so that we can prepare what lies ahead of us especially when we will grow old. Because of this, we tend to get life insurance to secure our unknown future. This kind of trend is very popular in Toronto, Canada as well as around the globe.But before we go further to our thorough discussions, we must know first what is life insurance and what are the possible benefits that we could get from it. When we say life insurances, it occasionally pertains to as life insurance which arranges for a sum or disbursement of money upon the death of the insured. Moreover, life insurance can also used as a way or method of saving or investment. Through this, we can receive many benefits. The insurance on human lives include benefaction benefit, supplementary benefits in event of death or disarticulate by accidental means or accidents, supplementary benefits for annuities and disability. There are several kinds of life and relative insurance products. The people or the public alters and the necessity for life insurance alters in analogy.The purposes of this study are to understand the buying behavior of life insurance at Toronto, Canada and the reasons why they buy life insurance.*Buying behavior of life insurance in Toronto and its reasons why buys it*In a study conducted in March 14, 2006 and entitled â€Å"Life Insurance: Like ‘Deal or No Deal’ without the Drama† advocated that â€Å"what does the game show â€Å"Deal or No Deal† have in similar with life insurance. Kerzner concluded that both are the same because like in a game, contestants are sweating out with regards to their decision in  order to be in the right track so that they can get the jackpot. Same as buying life insurance because buyers go through su ch experience due to its big amount of money involve. In a LIMRA research, it presents that several people delay or postpone in spite they learn that they need more life insurance. In a survey made by LIMRA of both non-buyers and buyers of life insurance, only 4 out of 10 non-buyers commented that they were scared of making wrong choice or conclusion and half of it explained that they couldn’t choose how much to buy and 70 percent answered that they could not afford it. Kerzner added that:â€Å"Behavioral economics tells us that when people say they can't afford life insurance, even when they admit they don't have enough, there's more to it than a straight budget calculation,† Kerzner said. â€Å"The negative feelings of ‘losing' the premium for more insurance are often a lot stronger than the positive feelings of buying the needed protection.†1An article entitled â€Å"Increased protection for life and health consumers: CompCorp† stated that CompCo rp guards Canadian policyholders in opposition to loss of benefits in the occurrence that life and health insurance company be unsuccessful. It was announced that its members favored and commended three improvements and augmentations to its consumer defense:2Accumulated Values are fully protected up to $100,000;31 â€Å"Life Insurance: Like ‘Deal or No Deal’ Without the Drama. March 14, 2006. http://www.insurance-canada.ca/consinfolife/LIMRA-Survey-Life-Insurace-603.php  3-2 Ibid†¦For Cash Values, CompCorp ensures that policyholders receive at least 85% of their promised benefits and, below $60,000, CompCorp ensures 100% protection;4Guaranteed amounts of Segregated Funds are protected under Cash Value coverage and, as such, policyholders receive at least 85% of their promised benefits and, below $60,000, CompCorp ensures 100% protectionCompCorp protection puts in to every Canadian policyholder altogether with a current and prevailing product to any recent polici es purchased from a member company.5   Another article stated that â€Å"in December 2003, Canadian life insurance application activity has enlarged and improved 3.5 percent as years by. Canadian life insurance application activity gauged and calculated as a percent of the sum in North American Life Index has enlarged over the years successively.MIB Life Index- Percent Change5 â€Å"Increased protection for life and health consumers: CompCorp†. July 7. http://www.insurance-canada.ca/consinfolife/CompCorp-enhancements-507.phpAn article stated that there was a mass marketing. Corporations or companies advertised recent products and services to all their valued customers even though those products or services were suitable for the individuals on the mailing list of the company. When a certain bank presented a mass marketing movement, there is 1 percent up to 3 percent reply rate was well-thought-out successful. If the regular direct-mail movement costs a company about $98,000 to spread 100,000 customers, in accordance to its estimation from the New York City Direct Marketing Association that organization is getting a large amount of loss.66 â€Å"Slices of Lives†.  http://www.cio.com/magazineReferencesâ€Å"Life Insurance: Like ‘Deal or No Deal’ Without the Drama. March 14, 2006. http://www.insurance-canada.ca/consinfolife/LIMRA-Survey-Life-Insurace-603.php â€Å"Increased protection for life and health consumers: CompCorp†. July 7. http://www.insurance-canada.ca/consinfolife/CompCorp-enhancements-507.php â€Å"2003 Annual Report†. http://www.mib.com/webcontent/2003%20MIB%20Life%20Index%20Annual%20Report.pdf â€Å"Slices of Lives†. http://www.cio.com/magazine

Obsessed With Ob- Words

Obsessed With Ob- Words Obsessed With Ob- Words Obsessed With Ob- Words By Sharon The other day, someone used a word that I hadnt heard in a long time: obstreperous. I love the way that rolls off the tongue. It means noisy, unruly, belligerent, cantankerous you get the picture. Obstreperous originates from the Latin prefix ob- (against) and strepere (to make a noise). A drunk being hustled out of a bar, while protesting loudly might be described as obstreperous. Other meanings for the prefix ob include contrary, against, towards or in the way of. It appears in several English words including: obdurate (from the Latin durare to harden) inflexible object (from the Latin iacere to throw) argue against obligate (from the Latin ligare to bind) bind legally obliterate (from the Latin litera letter) erase or destroy obnoxious (from the Latin noxius harmful) offensive obsession (from the Latin sidere to besiege) persistent preoccupation obstacle (from the Latin stare to stand still) a barrier obstinate (from the Latin struere- to stand) stubborn obstruct (from the Latin struere- to pile up) impede Variations of ob- include oc-, of-, op-, and o- in words such as: occasion (from the Latin cadere to fall) opportunity occlude(from the Latin claudere to shut) obstruct occult (from the Latin culere to cover) shut off from view occupy (from the Latin capere/cupare to seize) take possession of occur (from the Latin currere to run) happen offend (from the Latin fendere to hit) violate or cause pain offer (from the Latin ferre to carry) present or make available omit (from the Latin mittere to send) leave out opponent (from the Latin ponere to place) adversary More ob- words on Obnoxious Observations Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)90 Verbs Starting with â€Å"Ex-†

Developing a Sustainable Procurement Policy The WritePass Journal

Developing a Sustainable Procurement Policy Introduction Developing a Sustainable Procurement Policy ). According to Kennard (2006, p.1), ‘sustainable procurement is the process whereby economic development, social development and environmental protection are balanced against business needs.’ In simpler terms, sustainable procurement means carefully considering the impact of every purchasing decision on the environment and on society. The United Nations’ definition of sustainable procurement is similar to that of Kennard (2006). The UN (2010) defines procurement as sustainable if it is able to integrate requirements, specifications and criteria, which are compatible with and favourable towards the protection of the environment, promotes social progress, and supports economic development. Environmental aspect refers to the impacts of the product or service on the environment over the whole life-cycle (i.e. from cradle to grave). Social aspect deals with the effects of purchasing decisions on issues such as labour conditions, international equity in the distribution of resources, etc. Last but not least, economic considerations involve purchasing based on principles of best value for money, price, quality, availability and functionality. These can be achieved through resource efficiency, improving the quality of products and services, and by optimizing costs. For private business organisations engaging in sustainable procurement, it cannot be denied that that they are maximising net benefits both for themselves and the world at large (i.e. society and external environment). As such, businesses integrate cost considerations and the basic procurement criteria of price and quality, with sustainability impacts (usually evaluated in terms of quality consideration). The environmental, economic, and social factors that are part of sustainable procurement are known as the ‘triple bottom line’ or TBL (Meehan Bryde 2011). Despite the seemingly complicated requirements and processes involved for sustainable procurement, this is not meant to burden the market with additional obligations (UN 2010). Sustainable procurement is a well-defined strategy that can be phased gradually throughout the supply chain and the organisation’s business processes. When implemented effectively, sustainable procurement promotes dialogue and open communication between the suppliers, procurers, and management operations. Business Drivers for Sustainable Procurement There are several incentives for businesses to engage in sustainable procurement. One of the main drivers for sustainable procurement is due to its financial benefits. Sustainable procurement helps organisations to eliminate waste, be more energy efficient, reduce the company’s carbon foot print, and save money. Moreover, it can help to enhance the company’s image since this will have a positive impact on customers, especially as there is a rising demand for products and services that are produced in a more socially responsible and environmentally friendly way (CIPS 2012). Engaging in sustainable procurement also helps an organisation to establish a competitive advantage by improving competitiveness. Additionally, sustainable procurement will allow the company to comply with environmental legislation. Some organisations also aim to promote resource efficiency or increase their standing in sustainability rankings such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Copeland 2012). This may be motivated by the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Practicing sustainable procurement helps companies to achieve their CSR objectives. For instance, some sustainability programmes provide jobs by sourcing supplies locally, which in turn helps to develop the local economy. The company can also improve their ethical, health and safety standards by requiring suppliers to source raw materials in an ethical and responsible way (OPITO 2012). Kennard (2006) lists down the different benefits of sustainable procurement. These are also some of the main drivers that motivate businesses to practice sustainable procurement in their supply chain management and operations. Manage costs by implementing a more comprehensive approach to whole-life costing Improve internal and external standards via conducting performance assessments Compliance with environmental and social regulations or legislation Manage business risks Improve the company’s image and/or brands Develop a sustainable supply chain for the future Involve the local community A study conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers and EcoVadis (2010), in collaboration with the INSEAD Social Innovation Centre quantified the value drivers associated with sustainable procurement policies. Through examining several case studies, the quantitative model was developed by analysing the three main drivers for sustainable procurement (i.e. cost reduction, risk reduction, and revenue growth) and their impacts on the company’s annual procurement expenditures, market capitalization, and revenue. These were then compared to the implementation cost of a sustainable procurement programme. The findings of the study show that the cost reduction impact of sustainable procurement outweighs the implementation costs, especially on categories where cost savings and sustainability benefits are aligned. This indicates that businesses engage in sustainable procurement because the value drivers that compel them to engage in sustainability are evaluated to be beneficial to their organi sations. Table 1. Analysis of the main drivers for sustainable procurement vs. impacts on company’s performance Source: Waterhouse Coopers and EcoVadis (2010) Evaluation of Case Studies on Sustainable Procurement In this section, two global multi-national companies are evaluated in terms of their sustainable procurement policies. These are AkzoNobel and IKEA. Case Study: AkzoNobel AkzoNobel is a one of the leading companies in the manufacture and supply of paints, coatings, and specialty chemicals. As of 2012, the company has revenue of â‚ ¬15.7 billion and 57,200 employees in its global operations (AkzoNobel 2012). In 2008, AkzoNobel is the first company to combine its annual report and sustainability report into a single publication. This demonstrated that sustainability is a business case, instead of a novelty, which was an idea held by most companies. For its 2009 agenda, the company included as one of its priorities the achieving world class sustainability and safety. AkzoNobel won the ProcureCon award in 2008 for its leadership in sustainable procurement. AkzoNobel is also one of the top-ranked companies in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and in 2012; it was evaluated as one of the global super-sector leaders in chemicals (Van Hoeven 2012; AkzoNobel 2012; Achilles 2008). Table 2. Assessment 2012 – Global Supersector Leaders (1) Source: Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Annual Review 2012 It is evident that AkzoNobel has embedded sustainability in its overall corporate strategy. The company manages sustainability by integrating it across the business and it is reviewed based on a balanced score card. In order to map out their sustainability achievements, AkzoNobel has developed a framework to assess the environmental, economical and social aspects of their operations. This framework has three levels: (Van Hoeven 2012; AkzoNobel 2012) Invent – to identify and manage areas that will provide long-term and sustainable opportunities for the company; work with customers and suppliers in delivering eco-premium solutions; and develop their people to lead and deliver innovative solutions Manage – to incorporate a strong sustainability component throughout the entire value chain; work in partnership with suppliers to ensure business integrity and help deliver sustainable value to the customers; optimise processes, improve yields and improve energy efficiency Improve – to improve in meeting compliance especially in the following areas: Integrity management; heath, safety, environment and security management; Product stewardship; and Employment practices. Figure 1. AkzoNobel’s Sustainability Framework Case Study: IKEA IKEA is a global retail powerhouse in the home furnishings sector with over 338 stores worldwide. As of 2012, the company has a sales turnover of â‚ ¬27.5 billion and 154,000 workers in its global operations. IKEA’s business idea is supported by its vision of offering well-designed, functional, and low-priced home furnishing products. The company makes its products affordable so as to enable many people to afford them (IKEA 2012). IKEA’s business units have integrated sustainability in their business plans and managers are responsible for achieving the company’s sustainability targets. To support its sustainability objectives, the company has employed social and environmental specialists with expertise in a wide range of areas. IKEA stores and distribution centres also have social and environmental coordinators to provide training and monitor working conditions, safety, waste management, and water and energy conservation (Van Hoeven 2012). IKEA utilizes a Sustainability Product Score card to help classify its home furnishing range and help the company move towards more sustainable product development. It serves as a guide in improving products based on 11 criteria that have an impact on a product’s sustainability profile during its life-cycle. The results of the scorecard are displayed in individual product labels (IKEA 2011a). Table 3. IKEA KPI Customers IKEA integrates sustainability in every stage of the value chain. The company is creating and securing sustainable processes for: (a) Product development and sourcing of raw materials of home furnishings and food products; (b) Production and distribution; (c) Stores and shopping centres; and (d) Product end-of-life (IKEA 2011b). In terms of its procurement policy, IKEA has two important focus points: (Van Hoeven 2012) Increasing the sustainability its of supplier base The IKEA IWAY code of conduct is required to be followed by all suppliers. IKEA auditors regularly visit suppliers to ensure that they comply with IWAY criteria. These visits are either announced or unannounced and each supplier is visited at least twice a year. The Compliance and Monitoring Group is responsible for ensuring that the audit criteria are implemented worldwide. Increasing the use of sustainable raw materials. IKEA is taking up leadership in the stewardship of sustainable wood and cotton and the company is adapting their procurement and sourcing functions as necessary. Issues and challenges for organisations in developing a Sustainable Procurement Policy Sustainable procurement in the business setting requires a high degree of cooperation and commitment among all members of the supply chain. Additionally, the ‘lack of understanding of sustainability within business, coupled with poor training and accountability are significant barriers to building supplier capacity’ (Kennard 2006, p.1). Many businesses have developed tools and techniques to support this cooperation and commitment, as well as to instil sustainability accountability in the organisation. Training is very important in fostering a culture of sustainability within an organisation. All parties in the supply chain should be given adequate training regarding the importance and benefits of practicing sustainability. Moreover, the shifting of organisational and supply chain processes into a more sustainable way requires a lot of preparation and education (CIPS 2012). Ethical core values should also be incorporated in the sustainable procurement policies and procedures for contractors and suppliers. Transparency is essential in order to support the organisation’s ability in implementing and ensuring that the policies have been followed. Sustainable procurement policies should include environmental protection, safeguarding the organisation against corruption, respect and consideration for people, and zero-accident tolerance in safety and health issues (Kennard 2006). The transition to sustainable procurement is not an easy task. There are various product certifications, data, labels, and other documentations that make compliance to sustainability initiatives a big challenge. As such, it can be very difficult to synthesize the loads of data regarding a product’s sustainability attributes and evaluate it as sustainably compliant. Additionally, procurement professionals have another challenge – how to integrate these sustainability criteria into purchasing decisions, while also taking into account traditional considerations such as cost, quality, and delivery. More importantly, the biggest challenge is how to roll out the company’s sustainable procurement policy to the thousands of products that it purchases (Suarez 2012). The road to sustainable procurement can be daunting but organisations can start on the right path by aligning their sustainable procurement policy/approach with the company’s overall CSR initiatives and business priorities. Suarez (2012) recommends the following strategy for companies, which are in the beginning phase of their sustainable procurement policy: ‘By understanding how they define a product’s sustainability, companies can prioritize their efforts to reduce the impacts of the products they purchase and align their process with broader corporate sustainability goals. Looking at the full life-cycle of a product, they can focus on the highest impact areas, or hotspots, that overlap with their own commitments to sustainability’ (sec.2). It is also important for companies to consider and involve in the creation of a sustainable procurement policy other internal stakeholders who may not be directly part of the procurement process. For instance, departments such as marketing, product design, and operations/facilities may have significant influence on product specifications and these in turn can influence procurement decisions. The company should involve these individuals in considering sustainability impacts. It is recommended that a company engage in integrated sustainability procurement efforts in order to ensure that relevant people are involved in the process and sustainability is achieved (Suarez 2012). According to Copeland (2012), companies that want to be sustainable due to a passion for being green can only take it to a certain extent. Unless the board and shareholders support their sustainability objectives, they won’t be successful. However, getting the board and shareholders to support a sustainable procurement policy may not be that easy. To address this, the company needs to understand why it makes business sense to be sustainable. In order for the board to support the sustainable procurement policy, it is important to understand the whole life costing of the products being procured. This includes thinking about not just the purchase and usage cost, but also the cost of disposal. Sustainable procurement should also add to the value of the company’s existing products. The product should be improved in some way by the use of sustainable materials, rather than just being sustainable for the sake of being green (Copeland 2012). Procurement professionals should be championing sustainability objectives at the board level to help their organisation to thrive (Van Hoeven 2012). Implementation and Monitoring issues for Sustainable Procurement Implementation and monitoring a sustainable procurement policy is faced with many challenges. This is mainly due to the fact that implementing sustainable procurement means changing policies and procedures and fostering a new mindset and culture to the organisation’s management and employees. Undoubtedly, there will be resistance to such changes. A study by Meehan Bryde (2010) found that although some companies have sustainability objectives included in their corporate mission statements and despite external and internal pressures to embed sustainability; these have not translated into widespread practice of sustainable procurement in their organisations. This indicates that some organisations suffer from inertia in terms of their sustainability initiatives. To neutralise inertia and spur the organisation into action, the authors recommends several strategies: (a) Take experiences from other areas that emphasise the importance of inter-organisational relationships; (b) Develop a small number of sustainable development indicators for procurement and use more advanced environmental practices as examples to demonstrate how these elements have socio-economic impacts; and (c) Instead of just focusing on the pressures and drivers of sustainability, emphasise the triggers to overcome inaction and lead changes in behaviour amongst p rocurement staff. One of the issues in implementing a sustainable procurement policy is the lack of leadership and commitment (Kennard 2006). The organisation needs to elect sustainability champions who will lead in transitioning the company’s policies and processes. Without these leaders, there will be no one to drive the organisation’s sustainability efforts. These leaders should be held accountable for failure to meet the required standards. Alternatively, the organisation could set up a working group or steering committee, comprised of people from different departments, to help find the most effective ways to implement the sustainable procurement policy (Sustainable Procurement Resource Centre 2012). In monitoring the compliance to and effectiveness of a sustainable procurement policy, one critical area that may pose challenges to the organisation is the setting of measurements or KPIs (key performance indicators). The organisation should set how it is going to measure its progress and the impact of the sustainable procurement policy on its supply chain (Copeland 2012). According to Wilkinson Kirkup (2009), ‘Process KPIs can help to demonstrate an organisation’s intent to external organisations, whilst also helping the organisation track the implementation of policies’ (p.24). To avoid confusion and make it easier for employees to adapt, the company should not use a different measuring system than the one it normally uses. New information should be built into existing supplier scorecards and relationship management systems. There should be a seamless integration into the old measurement system so that the business runs as usual despite the changes (Copeland 2012). Another issue in monitoring is compliance. There is the possibility that suppliers will fail to comply with the sustainable procurement policy when the company does not follow up on compliance. As such, organisations should also conduct regular audits to ensure compliance. The performance of suppliers and other members of the supply chain must be regularly monitored to check for adherence to the organisation’s sustainable procurement policies (Wilkinson Kirkup 2009). Conclusions and Recommendations Implementing a sustainable procurement policy has positive final results for a business organisation. It can help to cut costs; increase product sale price, due to the perceived added value from procuring sustainably; and attract more customers through an improved brand reputation or company image (Copeland 2012). Moreover, according to the ICLEI (2012, p.1), a procurement policy that effectively incorporates sustainability can: (a) Reduce environmental impacts; (b) Drive social improvements; and (c) Achieve financial efficiency. These benefits are the main drivers which compel business organisations to engage in sustainable procurement. In evaluating the case studies of two multi-national companies, AkzoNobel and IKEA, it was found that in order for sustainable procurement to succeed, it must be integrated into all aspects of the business from management, operations, and supply chain. Both AkzoNobel and IKEA are leaders in sustainability in their fields because they have successfully embedded a sustainable culture into their businesses. They employ frameworks, principles, and KPIs to help them implement and monitor their sustainability achievements. They have very specific sustainability goals and they regularly audit the performance of different business units, especially in the supply chain, to ensure compliance with the company’s sustainable procurement policies. There are several issues and challenges to developing a sustainable procurement policy. These include: (a) The need for a high degree of collaboration and engagement among members of the supply chain; (b) Lack of understanding about sustainability; (b) Lack of accountability; (c) Poor training; (d) Difficulties in synthesizing loads of sustainability information; (e) Problems with integrating sustainability criteria into purchasing decisions; and (f) Lack of support from the board. There are also challenges in the implementation and monitoring of sustainable procurement policies. These include: (a) Failure to put into action the objectives set forth in the sustainability agenda; (b) Lack of leadership in commitment; (c) Difficulties in setting the measurement tool or KPIs; and (d) Problems in monitoring compliance. Taking into consideration the above challenges and issues, this paper recommends that developing a sustainable procurement policy should include the following: (Kennard 2006; Wilkinson Kirkup 2009) Make the organisation’s members aware of the importance of having a sustainable procurement strategy Train and guide internal and external members of the organisation and supply chain Develop links with other organisations and peer groups to learn from their experiences Develop a standard approach to measuring strategic outcomes Develop operational systems and procedures that are integrated with sustainability measurements and put these into practice in day-to-day procurement and monitoring activities References Achilles UK. (2008).  Achilles congratulate ProcureCon 2008 Sustainability Award Winners.  Available: achilles.com/en/uk/news/Achilles-congratulate-ProcureCon-2008-Sustainability-Award-Winners/. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. AkzoNobel. (2012).  AkzoNobel Corporate.  Available: akzonobel.com/aboutus/akzonobel_at_a_glance/. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Chartered Institute of Purchasing Supply (CIPS). (2012).  Sustainable Procurement Review.  Available: cips.org/products-services/Sustainable-procurement-review/. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Copeland, E. (2012).  Sustainable procurement makes good business sense.  Available: supplychaindigital.com/procurement/sustainable-procurement-makes-good-business-sense. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Dow Jones. (2012).  Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2012 Review Results. Available: sustainability-indexes.com/images/review-presentation-2012_tcm1071-343085.pdf. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. IKEA. (2011a).  The IKEA Group approach to sustainability.  Available: ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/pdf/group_approach_sustainability_fy11.pdf. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. IKEA. (2011b).  Sustainability Report 2011.  Available: ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/pdf/sustainability_report_fy11.pdf. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. IKEA. (2012).  The IKEA Concept.  Available: http://franchisor.ikea.com/concept.html. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). (2012).  Sustainable Procurement.  Available: iclei-europe.org/topics/sustainable-procurement. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Kennard, M. (2006).  Sustainable Procurement.  Available: fig.net/pub/fig2006/papers/ts08/ts08_03_kennard_0843.pdf. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Meehan, J Bryde, D. (2011). Sustainable Procurement Practice.  Business Strategy and the Environment. 20 (2), p94-106. OPITO. (2012).  The importance of sustainable purchasing and supply: An OPITO Case Study.  Available: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/opito/the-importance-of-sustainable-purchasing-and-supply/sustainable-procurement.html#axzz2EvE3MaUV. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Price Waterhouse Coopers, EcoVadis INSEAD. (2010).  Value of Sustainable Procurement Practices.  Available: pwc.com/en_GX/gx/operations-consulting-services/pdf/value-sustainable-procurement-practices.pdf. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Suarez, C. (2012).  Going from What to How in Procurement.  Available: bsr.org/en/our-insights/bsr-insight-article/going-from-what-to-how-in-sustainable-procurement/. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. United Nations (UN). (2010).  What is Sustainable Procurement.  Available: https://www.ungm.org/sustainableprocurement/default.aspx. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Sustainable Procurement Resource Centre. (2012).  Sustainable Public Procurement.  Available: sustainable-procurement.org/about-spp/. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012. Walker, H, Gough, S, Bakker, E, Knight, L McBain, D. (2009). Greening Operations Management An Online Sustainable Procurement Course for Practitioners.  Journal of Management Education. 33 (3), p348-371. Wilkinson, A  Ã‚  Kirkup, B. (2009).  Measurement  of  Sustainable  Procurement.  Available: adamwilkinson.com/documents/measuring%20SP%20report%20release.pdf. Last accessed 12th Dec 2012.

Cómo y qué estudiar en Estados Unidos

Cà ³mo y quà © estudiar en Estados Unidos Estudiar en Estados Unidos es el sueà ±o de millones de estudiantes en todo el mundo. Y para cientos de miles es posible estudiar inglà ©s, un curso de high school (visas J-1 de intercambio son muy frecuentes) o, incluso la carrera universitaria (visa F-1) o un posgrado. Por quà © estudiar en Estados Unidos Las ventajas de estudiar en Estados Unidos son variadas y van desde vivir la experiencia americana y obtener un buen conocimiento del idioma inglà ©s,  obtener un tà ­tulo universitario americano que puede abrir puertas laborales, disfrutar  un OPT  para trabajar  al acabar los estudios universitarios o, incluso, a conseguir una visa de trabajo. En concreto, se reserva un nà ºmero de visas H-1B para las personas con un mà ­nimo de estudios universitarios en USA. Cà ³mo pagar por los estudios Las universidades americanas son caras, pero hay una gran diferencia de precios.  Y entre las pà ºblicas, que son en general ms baratas, tambià ©n hay diferencia segà ºn el lugar de residencia habitual del estudiante: dentro del estado o en otro estado o en el extranjero. Habitualmente se recurre a los ahorros, a pedir crà ©ditos y a becas (y a trabajar, si es que legalmente se puede hacer). Adems, para los estudiantes que destacan en deporte es posible entrenar y competir a gran nivel e, incluso, estudiar con becas deportivas parciales o totales. Y por supuesto tambià ©n es posible obtener becas por mà ©rito, muchas estn abiertas a estudiantes internacionales y tambià ©n a inmigrantes indocumentados. Cada universidad decide cà ³mo beca y, por esta razà ³n, no es frecuente encontrar a dos estudiantes que pagan exactamente lo mismo. Estas son 13 universidades de à ©lite que siguen la polà ­tica de need-blind y becan totalmente, o casi, a los alumnos admitidos (ciudadanos, residentes, internacionales e indocumentados con y sin DACA). Tambià ©n conviene explorar tambià ©n las universidades pà ºblicas que parten, adems, de una matrà ­cula ms asequible. Tambià ©n hay que tener presente que hay becas otorgadas por instituciones pà ºblicas o privadas que nada tienen que ver con las universidades en las que se estudia. Lo que importa es cumplir con los requisitos de la beca. Aquà ­ se puede ver un ejemplo de 25 becas abiertas a todo tipo de estudiantes, incluidos los internacionales. Quà © se necesita para solicitar a una universidad americana El proceso para presentar una aplicacià ³n completa es largo y complejo. Es muy importante reconocer que preparar todo el paquete puede llevar muchos meses y es fundamental presentar una aplicacià ³n de calidad. Visas para estudiar en Estados Unidos Hay dos posibilidades, las F-1 y las M-1 para asuntos vocacionales. Adems, los estudiantes universitarios extranjeros que deseen pasar el verano en Estados Unidos en un programa de intercambio que permite trabajar y viajar o para estudiar high school pueden obtener una J-1. Para las visas F-1 y M-1 que primero aplicar a la escuela o universidad a la que se quiere ir y ellas son las que inician el proceso mediante la entrega de un documento conocido como I-20. Sà ³lo entonces se puede seguir la tramitacià ³n de la visa solicitando la visa por internet y luego presentndose a la entrevista en la oficina consular que corresponda al lugar de residencia del solicitante. Tambià ©n hay que tener en consideracià ³n las visas J-1 de intercambio, que comprende programas muy distintos y algunos permiten estudiar en high school o en universidad. Incluso existe un programa para mà ©dicos para realizar la residencia en Estados Unidos y asà ­ especializarse.   A tener en cuenta antes de decidir estudiar en Estados Unidos Los estudiantes pre universitarios pueden realizar cursos acadà ©micos en escuelas pà ºblicas o privadas. Los precios del aà ±o acadà ©mico varà ­an enormemente segà ºn el tipo de escuela. Para estudiar inglà ©s existen literalmente cientos de academias. Pero para obtener una visa a travà ©s de la escuela es necesario que à ©sta està © autorizada por las autoridades migratorias de EEUU para emitir un I-20, si no lo estn, no aplicar. Es comà ºn que los estudiantes de inglà ©s por menos de tres meses de un paà ­s acogido al Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas entren a EEUU como turistas y despuà ©s cursen sus estudios en la academia elegida. Es una prctica muy frecuente pero, ley en mano, es ilegal. Deberà ­an aplicar, obtener un I-20 y, despuà ©s, solicitar la visa de estudiante en un consulado americano. Si se quiere estudiar una carrera universitaria en Estados Unidos, conviene  conocer y tomar los exmenes que pueden ser requeridos, como el TOEFL, cuya puntuacià ³n varà ­a para ser admitido dependiendo de la universidad, college, community college o escuela profesional. Y tambià ©n otros tests son  el SAT o el GRE, etc. Si se quiere estudiar una carrera universitaria conviene considerar las ventajas de estudiar en un Community College los dos primeros aà ±o. El costo es notablemente inferior (en esta base de datos puedes buscar cul es el precio en ms de 1,000 colegios comunitarios). Adems, es posible que se tenga que  convalidar todos los tà ­tulos y diplomas de los estudios realizados en el paà ­s de origen. De interà ©s Cursar estudios universitarios en Estados Unidos es muy caro, por lo que es muy recomendable analizar detalladamente la universidad en la que se desea estudiar. Si los estudios son de mala calidad quiz no merece la pena hacer el esfuerzo de pagar la matrà ­cula y dems gastos. Estas son las  10 mejores universidades para estudiar ingenierà ­a en Estados Unidos, ya que esta es una carrera con alta presencia de estudiantes extranjeros. Adems, para los mejores estudiantes quiz resulte una buena apuesta estudiar  en una  Ivy League en cualquiera de las universidades la conforman.   Si bien hay que tener claro que hay universidades pà ºblicas u otras privadas que tambià ©n son excelentes. Denegacià ³n de las visas y otros problemas Los consulados y las Embajadas americanas deniegan cada aà ±o aproximadamente una de cada cinco visas que se solicitan. Los visados que ms rechazos reciben son los de turista y los de estudiante. Las causas son muy variadas pero estn calificadas en dos categorà ­as: ser inelegible o ser inadmisible. Para recibir una visa americana, para renovarla e incluso para ser admitido a Estados Unidos al llegar al puesto de control migratorio las personas extranjeras tienen que ser elegibles para la visa y admisibles para USA. En caso contrario, habr problemas. Por otro lado, si se obtiene la visa, no se debe poner en riesgo por conductas que, a priori, pueden parecer no relevantes, pero que sà ­ lo son desde el punto de vista de las leyes migratorias. Por ejemplo, la posesià ³n para el consumo propio de marihuana puede ocasionar problemas graves. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

European Colonization of the Americas Research Paper

European Colonization of the Americas - Research Paper Example Some say that many of these diseases even occurred because of communicability from Europe to the Americas as well as climate change and environment change for those that were transported from the Americas to Europe. European lifestyle on the whole was very dynamic as compared to the era that the people were living in at the time. People were in close contact with domestic animals like cows, goats, sheep, horses and pigs for the purpose of livelihood and food. This furthered the process of catching diseases due to the lack of medicinal opportunities available to them and thus new germs were introduced to the people, killing almost 10 to 20 million people within the span on the century. Most of these people were the American natives and this led to a great amount of both political as well as cultural instability in the country at the time which gave more leverage for the English to warp in on the opportunity and establish more settlements. For them, it merely meant more land and space to capitalize on. Economically speaking, European countries benefitted a great deal by the degree of goodwill that they gained by exploiting the opportunities with respect to resources available in the Americas; they were able to import spices, cloth, as well as other kinds of treasures like silver. Most of the slaves that were transported were Black Americans and due to the migration, there was a loss of identity and language among the Americans giving yet another upper hand to the Europeans so that they would be able to manage and establish another version of Europe altogether in America. The main reason for English settlement included an inspiration from Spanish conquests during the Inca... This paper stresses that European colonization in history has been regarded as one of the strongest colonial powers; the Europeans were able to set foot in almost all the territories around the world, gaining an excellent base with regard to trade and investment all over. They were able to use their knowhow and intelligence to build on and use resources and thus they managed to exploit opportunities and make themselves stable and rich with time. However, with their colonization in America, they faced problems as well as were termed to be successful in various ways. This report makes a conlcusion that by capitalizing on American resources, setting up industries, building passage ways from the Americas to Europe and furthermore, being able to import and export labour and human resources, they were able to enrich themselves. However, at the same time, this also proved to have certain amount of demerits as American migration proved to bring about communicable diseases in Europe, slaves and labourers were looked down upon with time with regard to international human rights and thus the Europeans were looked at as a harsh and brutish community of people. At the same time, they lost out on a great amount of their own population as well as religion, which tended to make the European countries unstable in terms of polity and social life. With lesser natives in the European countries, they had no choice but to depend on the Americans. In this manner, they were both weakened as well as enriched by their colonization in the Americas.

Controversies on School Uniform Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Controversies on School Uniform - Article Example The costs of the fashionable clothes and the associated conflicts, made most schools and parents to agitate for school uniforms. But this issue has continued to raise controversies where some students and their parents claim that it is a form of infringement   pertaining to the first amended rights. They claim that, the wearing of uniforms stifled their sense of individuality. Students that were normally used   to having a broad choice of outfits were now narrowed to   keeping their attire simple. I tend to believe that, children have got various ways in which they can easily express their feelings. This can be done by using the personal traits (Catalanello).  Ã‚  In most schools, the decision to introduce uniforms rose due to the emerging concern based on gang colors where young girls started wearing clothes that were considered extremely sexy for the seven or eight graders. The introduction of uniforms therefore, has gone far in eliminating   the social concerns and the v arious distractions that affects children in their academics. Even though the introduction of uniforms resulted to much controversy to both parents and children, reduction in gang activities, sexual attacks and violent action among children have been witnessed (Angelfire).  Ã‚  After the introduction of uniforms in school, there are no more morning confusions. This was reported by the parents whose children attend schools with unform rules. Other than some few complains that are aired on the debates concerning school uniforms, which regard to costs.

Trade unions constitute formal channels employees in different Term Paper

Trade unions constitute formal channels employees in different societies find opportunity to engage their employers - Term Paper Example 1). In America, unions possess along history that in one way or the other can be compared to America’s independence history. Since the formation of first organized union in the early years of 1830, America’s unions have had rough journey, characterized by; struggle, setbacks, falls, and sometimes resistances. For about one and half century, unions in USA have played a great role in defining America’s work environment and how people live, although this role has to be viewed both within lenses of success and failure (Shmoop Editorial Team Para. 2). History of Unions in America Unions in 1700s and early 1800s The history of America’s labor unions is extensive and complex intertwined within the early history of America (American Federation of Government Employees-AFGE Para. 1). The history is first linked to arrival of Europeans on American soil in the early 15th century where the passion for the visitors was to search for economic opportunities. On arrival on the American land, Europeans found bountiful economic opportunities that were unavailable in their home countries and in order to perfectly exploit these opportunities, requests were made to home countries to supply them with craftsmen. Responding to the call of settlers, home countries sent many craftsmen and working people to America and as settlement became more permanent, these craftsmen and working people started to form primitive unions, popularly known as guilds, where majority members were carpenters and cordwainers, cabinet makers and cobblers (American Federation of Government Employees-AFGE Para. 1). The essence of these early primitive guilds centered on restricting competition among tradesmen and establishing and ensuring work standards among craftsmen guided the activities (Chaison p.1). Early unions were victims of multiple employers’ and legal control, restrain and manipulation. One characteristic of these early organizations of unions was that, they did not live long since their goals were largely short-lived like reactions to employers’ attempts to cut wages or reduce job skills. Further, early employers did not give early unions chance to stabilize and grow as they perceived the unions to be illegal conspiracies whose main agenda was just to raise wages far beyond the rates individual workers could accept (Chaison p.2). The notion of illegality of unions became prevalent during this moment especially with the ruling of Cordwainers Conspiracy cases, a situation that saw many unions become moribund and weak. What the ruling meant for many American organizations was that, no formal organization in terms of workers could be recognized in the legal spheres and therefore all activities of agitating for workers interests became illegal. Nevertheless, even with this ruling, the industry growth in many parts of America continued to be witnessed and this led to emergence of numerous challenges and problems for workers. The Period from 1 830-1870s The period saw America experience great transformation in terms of numerous reforms in both governance and industry organization. Working conditions in majority of industries was poor and wages were way below employee size of work. Legal battles began between employers and some informal unions, which despite the Conspiracy

Planning, Siting, and Permitting of Landfills Essay

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Law Problem Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law Problem Questions - Essay Example â€Å"Can you bring a bag for ?20 and meet me?† â€Å"Any chance of my usual, Friday 8 pm?† â€Å"Are you ‘big Max’? Any chance bag ?50 Thursday?† The prosecution want to adduce these messages and others which are similar, as evidence against Max. They also want to introduce evidence about his contacts. Explain whether or not they will be able to do this, paying close attention to the Criminal Justice Act 2003. (300 words) According to the Criminal Justice Act of 2003, it is common knowledge that what is possible to charge someone with a crime for which there is insufficient hard evidence, but ample circumstancial evidence. For example, there are many things that can be taken into account under the new Act passed by the Parliament, including the notion of character. Based upon the reputation that daily builds one’s character, law enforcement officials can piece together a story for the judge that details what this person’s life is lik e, what his usual routines are, and other details that might be substantially important in deciding one’s guilt or innocence. ... fore, the new Criminal Justice Act of 2003 increases Max’s chance of being snagged by the new Act—which allows autrefois acquit, also famously known as â€Å"double jeopardy.† Double jeopardy is allowed by the new Act, especially if there is compelling evidence to believe that for some reason a crime has been committed. However, of course what constitutes compelling would probably have to be an overwhelming amount of evidence in order to determine one’s relative guilt or innocence. In this case, Max does not have much choice except to allow the legal process to take its natural legal course. (1) EU Law Problem Question (The following events, names and legislation, both European and domestic are all fictitious.) Council Directive 2009/ABC on Air Travel Protection requires Member States to introduce a measure by 1 November 2010: 1) giving passengers the right to a full refund on airline tickets purchased within the European Union where a journey is cancelle d irrespective of the cause of the cancellation; 2) giving passengers an automatic right to claim expenses for overnight accommodation from the airline, where a journey in the European Union is delayed by more than four hours irrespective of the cause of the delay; and ?3) giving passengers the right to a block payment of ?200, payable immediately, for all checked-in luggage lost on flights within the European Union. On 20 November 2010, Sadie purchased a ticket from UK Air Ltd which is financed partly by private shareholders and partly by Government grant. Four members of the Board of Directors of UK Air Ltd are appointed by the Minister for Transport. Unfortunately, Sadie’s flight from London to the Bahamas was cancelled due to adverse weather. Sadie immediately exercised her right to claim

Planning, Siting, and Permitting of Landfills Essay

Planning, Siting, and Permitting of Landfills - Essay Example To begin, the construction of a landfill site involves investment in infrastructure to facilitate environmental measures. However, there are particular steps in the construction of a landfill. The choice of the site is an important factor. There is the need to establish and formulate a joint solid waste management program that involves the landfill component, waste reduction, recycling and improved collection (UsAid 1999). Secondly, there is the need to review the land Use policy in the areas. An official application should be submitted to the authority for the evaluation and choice of the potential site. Establish the feasibility of the project and an environmental analysis to assess the impact of the construction. There are also fatal flaws in the construction process of landfills. Position of the landfill is an important factor. The fatal flaw is the positioning of the landfill upstream and near the source of surface or ground water suitable for drinking and domestic use (UsAid 1999). However, this is a public health hazard and results in the poisoning of the local citizens. The location on highly porous soil can cause erosion which results in environmental damage. Location next to the residential, commercial and industrial developments is also a fatal problem because of the increased cost of

Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example However, this conclusion entirely depends on the method used to compute the discount rate and it has not been clearly specified whether inflation and other economical changes have been accommodated in this discount rate. The required IRR for the investment is 15%. But the actual IRR for the investment turns out to be 23.5%, which is higher than the required rate. This indicates that the investment is preferable, when the required and actual IRR values are concerned. IRR indicates the discount or interest rate at which NPV equates to zero, i.e., a ‘no gain – no loss’ situation. Higher this rate, higher is the margin of safety. As the actual IRR is higher than the required IRR for the investment, it is clear that the investment is profitable and SBX has a safety margin of about 5.5 %, in case any of the estimations go wrong. Depreciation is straight line and the salvage value is zero – Straight line depreciation is not a valid measure and it is highly unlikely for the salvage value to be zero (at least equals to scrap value in real

Classical Period Essay Example for Free

Classical Period Essay Haydn’s Violin Concerto in C (Hob. VIIa/I) was composed sometime around the year 1765, during his fourth year of employment by the Eszterhazy family as assistant to kappelmeister Gregor Werner. Aged thirty-two at the time, he was just then entering into the period during which he would produce his most mature works. Like many concerti of the time – including Haydn’s Cello Concerto, which had immediately preceeded the present work – the Violin Concerto in C was composed to showcase the talents of a specific performer, in this case, Alois Tomosini, who ultimately became concertmaster of the Eszterhazy Orchestra. Like the Cello Concerto, this piece is in three movements: Allegro Moderato, followed by a slower Adagio movement in the subdominant key of F, and finishing with a brilliant, energetic Finale: Presto. Structurally, all three movements follow the sonata allegro form. This form, so common in during the Classical Period that it came to be known as â€Å"First Movement Form† begins in with a primary theme in the tonic key, followed by a secondary theme in the dominant key (or, in the case of minor tonality, the relative major). This makes up the â€Å"exposition. † During the â€Å"development† section, the composer uses thematic materials from the exposition in a series of variations and mutations. The â€Å"recapitulation† restates both initial themes in the tonic key. During the Classical Period, the second movement of any multi-movement work was invariably a slower moving piece in the subdominant key. In the work under discussion, Haydn does not depart from this formula, nor in the last Presto movement in which Classical composers always returned to the original key. It is worth noting that orchestral ensemble works, particularly those of Haydn and Mozart, contained a Minuetto movement inserted between the slower second movement and the faster fourth movement; however, in concerti, which featured a solo player, the Minuetto was never included. It is interesting to note that the Presto movement is in a triple meter, and has the feel, if not the strict form, of a Minuetto. In the performance used for this paper, this movement is played much faster than a typical Minuetto, but a dance-like atmosphere is retained. As this is a fairly early work, it should not surprise us that that Haydn relies a great deal on scale runs and patterns, particularly during transitional sections. In fact, the initial introductory material consists of nothing more than an ascending F major scale, elaborated upon by the accompaniment. This is not as apparent in later, more mature works by this composer, although scale-based material of this nature is prominent in some of Mozart’s youthful works, particularly the first movement of Symphony No. 29 in A Major. There are also several instances in all three movements in which the thematic material goes back and forth between major and parallel (rather than relative) minor tonalities. For modulations, Haydn makes frequent use of â€Å"common-tone diminished† chords, which makes it quite simple to go from one key to any other key. Nonetheless, Haydn rarely strays far from the initial key of a given movement. However, unlike many of Haydn’s later works, diminished seventh harmonic structures are not prominently featured, serving brief functional purposes only. The third, Finale Presto movement has the most interest, despite the frequent use of double stops in the first and the lyrical quality of the second. The fiery leaps and fast runs are obviously intended to display Tomosini’s virtuosity. In addition, there is some interesting rhythmic movement between 3:07 and 3:09 of this recording in which the music nearly changes into duple meter, giving a sensation of hemiola. Much of Haydn’s influences are apparent in the early music of Mozart as well as that of Joseph Bulogne, an French composer of Afro-Caribbean ancestry who commissioned Haydn’s later â€Å"Paris Symphonies. † Haydn enjoyed a long, productive life that spanned nearly the entire stylistic period that came to be known as â€Å"Classical. † At the time Haydn began his compositional career, the Baroque style typified by the works J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel had become dated. The â€Å"Classical† style of which C. P. E. Bach, son of J. S. , was a founder, was still fairly new. The use of the harpsichord continuo – despite the availability of the newly-invented pianoforte – is a noteworthy holdover from the tradition of the baroque concerti grosso. Nonetheless, in its use of scale patterns, parallel minor and the common-tone diminished modulations, this early Haydn work shows a mastery over the basic compositional elements that he would use in many future works. Work Cited Haydn, Franz Josef. Violin Concerto In C Major (Sound Recording). Orchestra Sinfonica Haydn di Bolzano e Trento. Barry Faldner, Conductor. Benjamin Schmid, soloist. (Stradivari Classics, June 1994).

Traditional Folk Media For Rural Development In India Media Essay

Traditional Folk Media For Rural Development In India Media Essay In the introduction to his essay titled Traditional Folk Media for Rural Development D. K. Sujan writes Whenever you and I think of India, we visualize a vast land spread from the lofty Himalayas in the north to the green belt of Nilgiri in the south, from the Indian granary of Punjab to the paddy fields of eastern deltas, with rugged mountains and plateus in between. This land of ours lies in the tropical belt where climatic conditions vary from place to place and time to time. The variety of climate and topographic situations give birth to different cultures, traditions, and philosophies, affecting every mode of life and behaviour of the people One of the key challenges in spreading the message of rural development in India is the diversity that is witnessed when one travels the area of the country. Folk forms from different places show striking similarities to each other but they vary depending on region. This variation results in an inconsistency of rules under which these forms are created or presented. It would be useful to hear to clearly define the terms that are going to be judiciously used within the scope of this paper. The word folk is synonymous with people or society. According to Sujan, the word folk itself connotes the harmonious coexistence of man with nature, his rearing of nature and being reared by it (Sujan, 172).  In the words of C.S. Sreekumar, folklore originated when the weary agricultural labourer was in the habit of singing songs to overcome the weariness of work. In his words Folklore is a medium through which the soul of a people expresses itself colourfully (ww.sikhspectrum.com). Now when artistically folklore is combined with dance or music or art, resulting in artistic fulfilment and entertainment, the end result is called Folk arts. Unlike its predecessor primitive art, folk art possesses a very interesting and different outlook and character. Folk art comes into being after a culture begins to sophisticate, It is languid and very informal and does not require any formal training or license to practice. Another characteristic of it is that folk arts are ingrained into the fabric of the social culture of rural India. It is perhaps the worlds most original art form as they were part and parcel of the earliest civilizations themselves. Sujan claims that all fine arts have their roots in the folk age. Village children pick up the songs and dances when they begin to pick up the language itself (Sreekumar, www.sikhspectrum.com) folk art often performs a specific function or possesses a specific purpose, the needs and peculiar problems of the village people find expression in folk art. Village life is routinely full of religious customs and ceremonies. Folk arts is very closely associated to religion and myth. Most of the stories are based on an mythological framework and often the specific purpose of the folk form becomes to illustrate the Myths and legends in a manner that is interesting and convincing. Folk media is a term that seems oddly, redundant as one is prompted to ask, but isnt all media folk? Another characteristic of it is that it is not static. The folk medium of a village is affected by the standard of life and developments in that village. In short, folk arts reflect the changing tastes of the rural population as their encounters with urbanity become more frequent and intense. While satisfying these needs, it also holds the responsibility of attaining a certain aesthetic level, owing to its status as an art form. There is no doubt that Folk art forms possess their own individuality and character. Their existence is dependent on its intrinsic merit i.e., flight of fancy of the artist, its symmetrical form, its tonal quality etc. To define the word tradition, they are the outcome of the mode, philosophy, ways, and behavioural pattern of a society. Tradition exists in every span of time. Even today we have traditions. Thus, the challenge is that they are easily replaceable. For example, normative patterns in communication often become traditions. Regarding the stereotyping that rural folk media is subjected to, especially the masses Sujan has this to say Whenever we speak of traditional folk media we aptly visualize a rural open-stage theatre with performance of puppetry in its various forms like kathas, gatha, bhajan mandlies, etc. The man of yesteryears praised gods and goddesses with hymns and bhajans, thus giving birth to the earliest musical expression. Music is the basic fine arts element in folk performances. Early man carved his gods out of stone or sculpted him out of mud. This shows that another important element of fine arts was sculpture. The caveman painted pictures of his gods and his own deeds in order to communicate his message to future generations, In this way, the third pillar of fine arts, after music an sculpture came to be painting. Man performed various rituals before the gods and deities to appease them. This was abhinayam or acting, the fourth strong pillar of fine arts. The fifth pillar, of course, i s poetry, which often enhances other fine arts. This elucidates how folk arts and folk media came into being. Whenever there is a folk bhajan mandali to communicate pious feelings and sing the greatness of god, it makes use of music. This music may include both naad and vaad. One can easily see that whenever we refer to folk media such as puppets, nautanki, or gatha, we find that some combinations of the five aspects of fine arts, that is,music, sculpture, painting, acting, and poetry, is present. Incidentally, puppets have the privilege of using all of these five basic elements. It is the urgent need for development of the country which compels us to find ways and means for better, faster, and clearer communication. There are merits and demerits of folk media in development contexts. It was utilized during the conception and inception of the First Five year Plan, having been considered even earlier by economists, social scientists, and communication experts. Both leaders and researches in social and communications sciences are making ceaseless efforts to find more effective communication media for faster development. Incorporating folk media is an important aspect of these efforts. Mass Media and Traditonal Folk Media Let us consider the existing and fast-developing mass media and also the traditional folk media, looking at the advantages and drawbacks of both. This actually means that we should scrutinize the antecedents of both traditional folk media and mass media before merging them together. However, the marriage and amalgamation of these two traditions-modern and historical is a must. Whenever we say Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, we simply scan the cultural and religious background of the people. While uttering the above names we clearly visualise various cultural patters related to these religious orientations. On the other hand, when we say Indian we again visualize a cultural pattern which is Indian. At this juncture the cultural pattern which is related to Hindus, Muslims, etc., disappears. In the same way, when we talk of puppetry, lila, harikatha, folk songs, nautankis, we clearly visualizw the cultural and traditional background of each of the traditona folk media separately. One the other hand, whenever we say modern media we clearly visualize radio, TV, etc. Finally, instead of saying traditional folk media or modern media, we say mass media or mass communication. We naturally visualize all the media together. There are separate cultures and backgrounds for Hindus, Muslims, tribals and city dwellers, but together they are termed Indian. Puppetry, kawwali, nautanki, television, and radio are separate entities, but all of them when taken together constitute mass media. All have a certain power to communicate development messages. Instead of involving ourselves in research to find out the effectiveness and impact of folk media separately, would it not better to integrate traditonal folk media and modern media. The writer suggests that the modern media of South India should adopt regional folklore and communicate to the masses through an amalgamated technique including both traditional and modern entities. People like their traditions and their ways of communication. We should not disturb them in this respect and should adopt the traditional ways into electronic waves. For example, a nautanki of Uttar Pradesh can be telecast through regional television centres. In the same way, a string puppet tamasha may be telecast on TV in Rajasthan. Experimenting with this integration of modern and traditional media will require much study and planning. Putting together such media presentations may be done separately for various traditional folk media with the help of indigenous expertise. Both traditional folk media and modern media are needed for developmental programs, especially for rural development. In this way, the audience for these media include both the beneficiaries and the functionaries. The functionaries help design the developmental programs and the beneficiaries accept and adopt the outcome of developmental programs. Each media should include some of the basic pillars of fine arts along with the intended message. Let us examine the comparative strength and effectiveness of traditional folk media and modern media. Traditional Media Forms Modern Media Forms Cannot be universalised Can be universalised Express deep cultural roots Not culturally specific in any expression Variety of interest patterns Universal interest Cultural barriers Cultural freedom Mechanization is possible Mechanization is a must Training intensive Training extensive Limited area covered Wider area covered May be converted to electronics Totally electronic Direct rapport with the audience Rapport through field studies only By examining these comparisons one can discover that both have their merits. No doubt the nature of the development problem, if analyzed, can provide insights as to which forms may best accomplish a specific communication objective. Media choices require careful consideration of specific information needs and of the limitations of available message-delivery and message-development resources. To sum up, traditional folk media and modern media should be integrated for use in development contexts. This may help interfusing interest patterns of various regional entities. It may also be regions and places, enhancing the feeling of oneness in the country. It could be a force to generate respect between various cultural groups. Finally, this media combination could facilitate fulfilment of specific development objectives. Conclusion It is proposed that instead of being much involved in analysis and counter-analysis of traditional folk media, we should encourage further development of traditional media in itself and then make full use of these media in combination with modern media. We may call it interadaptation of media. Interadaptation of media, inturn, will help depolarize the interest patterns of a nation. By fusing some aspects of subcultures, different groups will come to know each other, understand each other, and come nearer to each other. For example, if we telecast a Rajasthani story (traditional form of communication) on television network, it will not only help to create an interest in the puppets of Rajasthan but also in the people who create them. Folk media, when broadcast or telecast, could increase an understanding of the life of tribal people as well. It could be used to inculcate a feeling that these far-off tribals are also citizens of India, paving the way for a national feeling and national integration of these groups. Apart from fulfilling the specific objectives of communication, the interfused approach using traditional folk media and modern media will help in creating reciprocal respect for each other. All these prospects make folk media, in combination with electronic media, a viable communication form to use in making effective messages for development. Traditonal Folk Media for Rural Development, D.K. Sujan, Perspectives on Development Communication, Editors K Sadanandan Nair, Shirley A White

The Meaning of Life and Death Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Human

The Meaning of Life and Death The abstract idea of life cannot be explained by such simple ideas as being animated, breathing, or speaking. Ordinary machines in this century can perform all of these basic functions. The quandary with defining death is not as abstract and elusive as that of life. The problem of defining life and death has plagued philosophers and the religious bodies for thousands of years for one reason; each philosophy or religion has tried to define the meaning of life and death from only their certain perspective. The seemingly appropriate approach to this problem would be to understand the ideas presented in various philosophies and religions and through this knowledge create a new definition for each idea of life and death. The movie Blade Runner has taken this exact approach in its attempt to finally define life and death in a logical and un-spiritual manner. By taking the position that death is a concrete idea that can be explained, Blade Runner accomplishes the task of interpreting the i dea of life in terms death. Through this approach, the meaning of life is redefined to accommodate for the existence of the replicants. Also, as a result of this novel notion of life, it is apparent that humans and replicants never actually live, even though they are alive. The idea of death in Blade Runner seems to be different for humans and for replicants, but it is indeed the same. When a replicant is killed, the characters in Blade Runner refer to it as, â€Å"retirement,† while killing a human is called murder. These two terms are actually synonymous. The term murder, in one of its definitions, means to put to an end, destroy (AHD). The definition of retirement is to stop working (AHD). If these terms ar... ...s Cut. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. DVD. 1982. Carse, James. Death and Existence: A Conceptual History of Human Morality. Ed. Irving I Zaretsky. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1980. Descartes, Renà ©. Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. Trans. Donald A. Cress. Cambridge: Hacket Publishing Company, 1993. Elrod, John. Being and Existence in Kierkegaard’s Pseudonymous Works. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1975. Luper, Steven. "Death." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Edward N. Zalta. 2002. <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2002/entries/death/>. O'Keefe, Tim. â€Å"Epicurus.† The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2001. <http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/epicur.htm>. Vincent Cook. Principle Doctrines: Epicurus. <http://www.epicurus.net/principal.html>.

Fate in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Essay -- french revolut

Charles Dickens captures the aura of the French Revolution so poetically it is almost as if he was there. Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is a thrilling novel originally printed in the newspaper, explaining the cliffhangers at the end of many a chapter. One of the elements that makes the story so thrilling is his incorporation of the theme of fate. Dickens incorporates innumerable symbols to enforce this theme. The echoing footsteps, the storm, and the water are all symbols that reflect the theme of fate by demonstrating the inevitability of your fate. The echoing footsteps written in the novel are meant to inspire the idea of all of the people that are going to come into the characters’ lives. Dickens’ character Lucie Manette is listening to a storm with her friends when she says, â€Å"I have made the echoes out to be the echoes of all the footsteps that are coming by-and-by into our lives† (Dickens 78). This quote indicates that Lucie has some premonition of people who will enter her life. While Lucie may think she has some idea of what and who are coming into her life, she has no idea what direction fate will take her. She does not know if she will meet good people or bad people, and all she can do is wait and be patient. Patience is a virtue when it comes to fate, because fate plays out on its own. Further into the conversation Charles Darnay asks of Lucie, â€Å"Are all these footsteps destined to come to all of us, Miss Manette, or are we to divide them among us?† (78). Mr. Darnay, like all humans , is curious about his fate. Humans are extremely curious about their future, otherwise fortune-tellers would not be in business. The reason for this is most likely a mix between people’s curiosity and their obsession with control. People hav... ... brings up the idea that one cannot change their fate through his symbols, and his inclusion of water as a symbol reinforces this notion. The theme of fate is represented by the echoing footsteps, the storm, and the water with the idea that one cannot stop their fate from proceeding. Dickens uses many symbols throughout A Tale of Two Cities that aid in the promotion of the theme of fate. These three symbols demonstrate the idea that one’s fate is unchangeable and there is a reason for that. The symbols used in this book to expose the theme of fate indicate that Dickens believes that fate is powerful force not to be messed with. Dickens relays the theme of fate being unchangeable in an effective and exciting way that captivates readers and makes A Tale of Two Cities a marvelous read. Works Cited Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. N.p.: Dover, 1999. Print.

Financial Case

By choosing the correct projects to participate in, Target Corporation can continue their growth and competitiveness in the retail Indus try. Executive Summary Target was first founded in 1 962, opening their first store in Roseville, Imines tot. The store was designed to differentiate themselves from the existing upscale store sees in the area. The company's idea flourished and by 2005, Target became a major retailing pop rouses, recording revenues of over $52 billion from stores located in 47 different states.One of the main reasons Target was able to become as successful as they are, is the idea of focusing o the shopping experience as a whole, and not just focusing on lower prices compared to thee r competitors. By embracing this idea, Target has been able to successfully attract their target d anemographic, a medaled, collateralized female, with children. In today's market, Target faces 2 main competitors: Walter and Cost. Wall Mart operates their stores similar to how Target's stores are operated, and their SST ores are generally in competing areas of another.Walter focuses on driving their prices as low a s possible, creating a very small profit margin on their items, but makes a large profit du to their large 1 amount of sales. Cost is a warehouse retailer that charges a membership f e in order to receive their discounted prices. The company relies heavily on these fees, as they ma eke up 72. 8% of operating income. Cost attracts many of the same customers Target attract s, but the companies are generally not in the same locations.Targets Capital Expenditure Committee is made up of top executives who me et monthly to review all capital project requests costing more than $100,000. This commit tee could approve any and all projects, unless the projects were worth more than $50 million an in this case, the project would need approval from the board of directors. If the project involve sees openings new location, a real estate manager, located in that speci fic geographic area, was r expansible for the proposal and presentation Of the proposal. The committee uses different fact Ores when analyzing the capital project requests.The factors are: NP and AIR, the size and cost of the project, the effect this project has on other Target store's sales, store sensitivities, variance e to prototype, customer demographics, and the impact it has on the Target brand. By care Ely analyzing each of these factors and locations, we were able to come up with a decision for EAI chi location. Analysis and Recommendations The first project we will discuss is the Gopher Place location. The proposal is f or $23 million to build a POP Target Store. This location has a very strong NP and IR R in terms to the expense of the project.With the prototype NP achievable with sales of 5. 3% below R & P forecast, we would expect this store to be financially stable. The size of the pr Eject is reasonable, and with the strong NP and AIR the cost should be redeemed. The biggest factor against this location is the centralization of sales from preexisting Target stop rest. In this location, there are five Target stores already established and plans of two Inc miming Walter 2 Superstores. 19% of our sales are expected to come from existing Target stop rest in the area, not benefiting the corporation.This location has a relatively small population, thou ugh they have been experiencing the largest population growth of the five projects. Only 12 % of the population fits our target demographic of adults with 4+ years of college education. The median salary is also on the higher end of the remaining projects and does not fit our target d anemographic. This location doesn't bring any new brand awareness to the Target brand and is go inning into a very crowded area of competition. The Whalen Court project is by far the most expensive project, costing $1 19. Million to build a unique, one floor Target store. This project has a project NP of $25. 9 million and an AIR of 9. 8%. With the large amount of investment, the NP and AIR figures AR .NET necessarily that strong but are still positive and could see growth. This is by far the large SST size project, with the largest expense by far. The expense alone makes us worried about the pr Eject. There are currently 45 other stores in the area, but this store would be the only one in a n urban center off major metropolitan area.This location would not have a major impact on Sal sees from other Target stores, but could take away customers from competitors that are cure .NET in the Metropolitan area. The population of 632,000 is by far the largest population and 45% of them fit our demographic of collateralized adults. This location also brings a nun queue branding and advertising advantage and the expense could be balanced against the brand wariness. The Barn is a proposal for a POP store costing $13 million and can reach its NP V with sales 18. 1% below the projected. The small investment allow s for a large return run, even if sales fall below the projected.There are no other Target stores in the area and the strong population of 3 151 ,OHO people fits our target median income. This project should have been passed already if it weren't for a disagreement with the developer. Soldiers Square is a project for a Supermarket costing $23. 9 million. In order t o achieve the forecasted NP and AIR of $300,000 and 8. 1 % respectively, sales would en d to be at 45. 1% above the forecasted sales level. The area is largely populated with other rate leers and currently 12 Target stores, with plans of building another 12.