The European Debt Crisis, Can the World Ignore it and Keep it European Research Paper

The European Debt Crisis, Can the World Ignore it and Keep it European - Research Paper Example Most of these outcomes are as a result of the stimulus packages that were passed by the European governments in an aim to stop the economic crisis that is taking place in Europe1. Most the European governments have spent a lot of resources on the stimulus packages in an attempt of preventing themselves from great collapse but have in turn created a debt crisis2. i. Thesis Statement With reference to the discussion question given, this paper will analyze if the world can afford to ignore the European debt crisis and leave it to the Europeans. It will also analyze the causes of the crisis and what the European governments are doing to try and solve the impending crisis which is threatening to destroy the prosperity of the European countries which have been economically stable as compared to the rest of the continent. ii. Discussion The world cannot ignore the European debt crisis because the European countries came into these debts as a result of trying to solve the financial crisis th at many countries were facing at the time. This debt crisis has made so difficult for most of the European countries to finance the debts that are owed by their governments without any assistance from the outside world. By the end of 2010, over 90 of the biggest banks in Europe had lent over 760 Euros to countries like Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain. Due to this, the bank system in Europe is on the verge of recession. Every attempt at being made to save a bank system that is struggling with that, the same banking system had lent a lot of money to governments. Despite the financial crisis that is being faced by European governments that Euro has managed to remain stable on the financial market although many financial analysts have predicted of its loosing of strength against all the other market currencies3. In November 2011, it was seen that the Euro was trading slightly higher in the financial market than it was at the beginning of the financial crisis. Three countries that were most affected by the financial crisis were Greece, Ireland and Portugal. These three countries account for 6% of the Eurozone’s gross domestic products (GDP) collectively4. iii. Causes The European debt crisis was caused by the financial markets and other financial institutions which were greedy and blind in terms of the eurozone. In addition to that, there was the adoption of the Euro which led to the biggest drop in the interest rates and a lack of confidence from financial institutions to the European governments5. The domestic demand for finance also went very high which in turn cause a surge in the financial sector and in turn caused the a crisis. The growth of the Eurozone countries which was driven by the services offered domestically and construction was accelerated while the export industry in these countries remained in the same position thereby causing abundance in the foreign capital invested in the Eurozone countries. When European countries went to sav e the globe from a financial crisis, the European countries ended up with debts that the governments cannot afford to pay for. In the meantime as this looming crisis was at hand, Germany was transformed in a historic transformation to become one of the world’s largest exporters6. There was also excessive lending by financial institutions which led to a loss of competitiveness due to the unsound economic developments in several Eurozone countries

Counseling via Internet a good idea Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Counseling via Internet a good idea - Coursework Example The quick advancement and utilization of the Internet to convey data and foster correspondence has brought about the making of new types of counseling ("The practice of Internet counseling"). Nowadays there is a variety of tools that enable to conduct counseling through the technology advancement – though the telephone or Internet. There are many ethical issues that Internet counseling raise. First of all, confidentiality is one of the core principles in counseling. Is there a guarantee for the client that all the messages remain confidential? Psychological diagnostics may be not so effective as live communication nd counseling. Another issue is that Internet counselor has to be competent and licensed anyway – how frequently Internet counselor is eligible to work with the clients? How can the client to be sure the name corresponds the real person who is the counselor (Hughes, 2000)? In my opinion, counseling practice conducted through the Internet is possible, still I would prefer traditional way to do it. First of all, real presence of another human being heals. It is better for the client to receive an actual help. I believe professional would manage to do online-counseling as well. Yet all the ethical and professional questions have to be satisfied. Hughes, R. S. (2000).  Ethics and Regulations of Cybercounseling. ERIC/CASS Digest.  Greensboro, NC: ERIC Counseling and Student Services Clearinghouse. (ERIC ED446326), Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/Resources/Library/Selected%20Topics/Cybercounseling/Hughes-Digest-2000-03.htm The practice of Internet counseling .  National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Center for Credentialing and Education, Inc.  , Retrieved from

Assessment of the Operation Performance Objectives

Assessment of the Operation Performance Objectives A company should be concerned to satisfy its customers requirements for fast and dependable services at reasonable price, as well as helping its own suppliers to improve services they offer.   There are five basic performance objectives and they apply to all types of operation: Quality Speed Dependability Flexibility Cost Flow of flowers in VBA Operations and Critical Points It starts from the sellers section, here the flowers are received and kept in cold storage area and it moved to auction. Next it moves to the buyers section, the area for preparing and packing flowers for shipment. They pack the flowers and moved for to the auction area. With lot of manpower they handle the flowers and plants for packing and moving to the auction area. Once they reached the auction area, flowers are brought into standard container. They packed each flower with a reference number. Then flowers are arranged by its category and placed into different halls for auction. Once the auction done by the buyers for the flowers, lots are distributed on the trolleys to the appropriate packing and loading Ares. Critical Point in this Flow After moving flowers from the sellers section to the buyers sections, and moved from the auction area to the destination, it is critical to preserve the freshness of the flower. Another important critical to take care of the bidding price and flower. The first bidder to press desk operation stops the clock and become buyer of the lot. VBA have to take care of two or more bidder pressed desk operation at the same time. Scientific Management relates to Modern Job Method Design To avoid manual things which lead to error, it is resulted in information processing technology. Job Method Design is used in VBA with its useful features such as task simplification, automation, specialized tools and procedures. This approach stems from the scientific management school of thought, time and motion study and work simplification and specialization. Its primary scientific basis is classic industrial engineering. Jobs high in mechanistic features can be staffed by almost anyone and training time is typically very short. Because mental demands are minimal, stress and overload are unlikely. Errors are less common because mistakes are less likely to occur. Measuring Performance Performance in VBA can be measured based on each Performance Objectives. Quality Speed Dependability Flexibility Cost Doing things right by providing error free goods and services, which will satisfy the customers, is known as quality. VBA operations have to export their flowers to be perishable and so they made the quality inspection by VBA staff and kept in cool storage place. Performance objective speed means doing fast, it means to minimize the time between the order and the availability of the product or service that gives the customer speed advantage.VBA are focused operations to reduce difficulty by having ten thousand people to work at the center to handle seventeen million flowers and two million plants by their information processing technology. To do the things in time for customers to receive their goods or services when they are promised this performance objective known as dependability. In VBA everything tiered to the auction computer so that each buyer can have uninterrupted view of the flower and price. A clear result of responding to a dynamic environment is that organization change their products and services and changes the way they do business.   This performance objective is known as flexibility. The whole bidding process by VBA including processing time takes only a few seconds and the lots are distributed on the trolleys to the appropriate packing and loading Ares. Companies compete with prices is cost.   Low price is a universal attractive objective to customers, which can be achieved by producing goods at lower costs. In order to do things cheaply. The high level of computerization and automation of material flow allow VBA to operate with low cost at high speed and dependability. Business Process Engineering fits into the Improvement Activity The fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed encompasses the envisioning of new work strategies, the actual process design activity, and the implementation of the change in all its complex technological, human, and organizational dimensions. BPR, if implemented properly, can give huge returns. BPR has helped giants like Procter and Gamble Corporation and General Motors Corporation succeed after financial drawbacks due to competition. It helped American Airlines somewhat get back on track from the bad debt that is currently haunting their business practice. BPR is about the proper method of implementation Example General Motors Corporation General Motors Corporation implemented a 3-year plan to consolidate their multiple desktop systems into one. It is known internally as Consistent Office Environment (Booker, 1994). This reengineering process involved replacing the numerous brands of desktop systems, network operating systems and application development tools into a more manageable number of vendors and technology platforms. According to Donald G. Hedeen, director of desktops and deployment at GM and manager of the upgrade program, he says that the process lays the foundation for the implementation of a common business communication strategy across General Motors. [12] Lotus Development Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Development Company, formerly Compaq Computer Corporation, received the single largest non-government sales ever from General Motors Corporation. GM also planned to use Novell NetWare as a security client, Microsoft Office and Hewlett-Packard printers. According to Donald G. Hedeen, this saved GM 10% to 25% on support costs, 3% to 5% on hardware, 40% to 60% on software licensing fees, and increased efficiency by overcoming incompatibility issues by using just one platform across the entire company Cause of failures and Prevention Corporate failure models can be broadly divided into two groups: quantitative models, which are based largely on published financial information; and qualitative models, which are based on an internal assessment of the company concerned. Both types attempt to identify characteristics, whether financial or non-financial, which can then be used to distinguish between surviving and failing companies. Quantitative models identify financial ratios with values which differ markedly between surviving and failing companies, and which can subsequently be used to identify companies which exhibit the features of previously failing companies. Commonly-accepted financial indicators of impending failure include: low profitability related to assets and commitments low equity returns, both dividend and capital poor liquidity high gearing high variability of income. Many other lists of symptoms of failure exist. For example, there is a list of 65 reasons on the UK Insolvency website which include:1 Failure to focus on a specific market because of poor research.2 Failure to control cash by carrying too much stock, paying suppliers too promptly, and allowing customers too long to pay.3 Failure to control costs ruthlessly.4 Failure to adapt your product to meet customer needs.5 Failure to carry out decent market research.6 Failure to build a team that is compatible and has the skills to finance, produce, sell, and market. Failure to pay taxes (insurances and VAT).8 Failure of businesses need to grow. Merely attempting stability or having even less ambitious objectives, businesses which did not try to grow didnt survive http://www.accaglobal.com/pubs/students/publications/student_accountant/archive/sa_jj08_mpogue.pdf. Changes affecting customer services, efficiencies in operations and improvement in stakeholder value PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SPECIALISTS What is so difficult with the split between production and distribution specialists? It is to accommodate the variety of business situations likely to happen. There is no standard way to cooperate between a financial services producer and a distributor and there will not be any before long due to the fragmentation of the banking industry. It means that each couple of partners to- be will have to find and negotiate its own answers reflecting the power relationship as well as both specific strategies to the basic questions: Under what brand and what packaging are the services sold to the end customer? How are determined the service prices? Who does prepare, print and send the invoices? What are the roles vis-à  -vis the contract? Who does sign? Who does endorse the commitments to the customer? To the legal obligations? Who does carry the risks a priori? A posteriori? Who does manage the disputes, claims, litigations? Who does book the accounts? Who does manage the reporting to the regulators? Who may access and use the clients information files? How is organized the after sales service to clients? Who is accountable for the reporting to the clients? How are designed the processes to combine the client orientation with the product expertise? What are the incentives pushing both parties to enhance the global performanc e? The security? The IT efficiency? How are determined the earnings of both parties? In order to get the best result out of this discussion, a bank will have to be as flexible as possible in its ability to accommodate a variety of interactions with its partners IS. Let us take some examples. In the case of a brokerage partnership (where the bank does not play an important role in the contract management after the sale) as many banks have built for instance with insurance companies: The production specialist (e.g. insurance) will supply high level services: a full portal or at least application services supporting complete processes (salesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) to be integrated in the portal of the distribution specialist, Conversely, the distribution specialist will supply lower level services such as objects (addressesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) or data flows (contracts inputs). In the case of a outsourcing partnership (where the production specialist is more an outsourcer of data processing and back-office processes) as many banks have built for instance with joint ventures set up as shared service providers with competitors: The production specialist will rather supply functional services (scoring, etc.) to be orchestrated within the processes of the distribution specialist, access to simple objects (pending orders, etc.) or even data flows (reporting), The distribution specialist will supply higher level functions than in the first case (pricing decision, risk analysisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). A Capacity planning Capacity planning is the process of determining the production capacity needed by an organization to meet changing demands for its products.[1] In the context of capacity planning, capacity is the maximum amount of work that an organization is capable of completing in a given period of time. the phrase is also used in business computing as a synonym for Capacity Management A discrepancy between the capacity of an organization and the demands of its customers results in inefficiency, either in under-utilized resources or unfulfilled customers. The goal of capacity planning is to minimize this discrepancy. Demand for an organizations capacity varies based on changes in production output, such as increasing or decreasing the production quantity of an existing product, or producing new products. Better utilization of existing capacity can be accomplished through improvements in overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Capacity can be increased through introducing new techniques, equipment and materials, increasing the number of workers or machines, increasing the number of shifts, or acquiring `additional production facility ies. Capacity is calculated: (number of machines or workers) ÃÆ'- (number of shifts) ÃÆ'- (utilization) ÃÆ'- (efficiency). The broad classes of capacity planning are lead strategy, lag strategy, and match strategy. Capacity planning is long-term decision that establishes a firms overall level of resources. It extends over time horizon long enough to obtain resources. Capacity decisions affect the production lead time, customer responsiveness, operating cost and company ability to compete. Inadequate capacity planning can lead to the loss of the customer and business. Excess capacity can drain the companys resources and prevent investments into more lucrative ventures. The question of when capacity should be increased and by how much are the critical decisions. Capacity planning and control is an issue which every operation is faced with. Furthermore it is an activity which can profoundly affect the efficiency and effectiveness of the operation. Capacity planning and control is concerned with making sure there is some kind of balance between the demand placed on an operation and its ability to satisfy that demand. If an operation has too much capacity at any point in time it will be underutilizing it resources, paying out for machinery and facilities and often paying its staff but, because demand is lower than capacity, its costs are spread over two few customers. Therefore its costs per customer will be high. If it has too little capacity, its costs will be low (because its facilities will be fully utilized) but its customer service will be poor because it is either turning customers away or making them wait for their products and services. This will potentially undermine the companys success in the future. Therefore there are serious cons equences of getting the balance between demand and capacity wrong B (Antti Tenhià ¤là ¤, 2008)The different planning methods are by no means mutually exclusive (Meal, 1984). However, a concept called bottom-up re-planning helps to define the main method of capacity planning (Fransoo Wiers, forthcoming; Vollmann et al., 2005). It is the method that is used to ensure the feasibility of master production schedules. The variance in the sophistication of the main methods is interesting because the more advanced methods specifically aim to improve operational per-formance by reducing errors in planning. Some studies, which have focused on non-systematic methods, RCCP, and CRP, have provided preliminary evidence of the more advanced methods benefits (Sheu Wacker, 2001; Wacker Sheu, 2006). Including the finite loading techniques in the comparisons is important because a lot of efforts have been put in their development during the last two decades (Kouvelis et al., 2005). The use of progressive methods would be well justified if there was evidence on the relationship between the accuracy of the planning methods and performance. Hence, the following hypothesis is formulated: 8 Globalization refers to the process of integration across societies and economies. The phenomenon encompasses the flow of products, services, labor, finance, information, and ideas moving across national borders. The frequency and intensity of the flows relate to the upward or downward direction of globalization as a trend. Business operations are those ongoing recurring activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. They are contrasted with project management, and consist of business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets owned by a business. Assets can be either physical or intangible. An example of value derived from a physical asset like a building is rent. An example of value derived from an intangible asset like an idea is a royalty. The effort involved in harvesting this value is what constitutes business operations. Business operations encompasses three fundamental management imperatives that collectively aim to maximize value harvested from business assets (this has often been referred to as sweating the assets): Generate recurring income. Increase the value of the business assets. Secure the income and value of the business. All three imperatives are mutually dependent. The following basic tenets illustrate this interdependency: The more recurring income an asset generates, the more valuable it becomes. For example, the products that sell at the highest volumes and prices are usually considered to be the most valuable products in a businesss product portfolio. The more valuable a product becomes the more recurring income it generates. For example, a luxury car can be leased out at a higher rate than a normal car. The intrinsic value and income-generating potential of an asset cannot be realized without a way to secure it. For example, petroleum deposits are worthless unless processes and equipment are developed and employed to extract, refine, and distribute it profitably. Globalization has a huge impact on business operations The extent of globalization unfolds in an uneven fashion to the degree that the question is raised whether international trade is more focused on regional rather than global integration. Trading blocs, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European Union (EU), the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), Mercosur (South American trading bloc), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the East Africa Community (EAC), support regional cooperation between geographical neighbors. Georgios Chortareas and Theodore Pelagidis research findings on openness and convergence in international trade indicate that intra-regional trade increased more than global trade in most situations. They stated that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ despite the positive international climate resulting from important reductions in transportation costs, the development of new technologies and trade liberalization markets continue to be determined, to a large extent, regionally and nationallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Within NAFTA, intra-regional exports rose from 34 percent in the 1980s to more than 56 percent in 2000; exports between Asian country members amounted to 48 percent in 2000; and exports within the EU were sustained at about 62 percent. An example of limitations to fair market access for developing countries is that developed countries subsidize agricultural producers with about $330 billion per year, which creates a significant disadvantage for poorer economies without such subsidies. The impact is exacerbated because 70 percent of the worlds poor population lives in rural communities and depends heavily on agriculture. Hence, one of the concerns with uneven distribution of globalization is its impact on poorer economies by perpetuating systems of inequality.

Eleutherodactylus (Greenhouse Frogs) :: essays research papers

Eleutherodactylus p. planirostris, or more commonly the Greenhouse frog, is from the Leptodactylidae family. They were unintentionally introduced to Florida around 1875. Their numbers have continued to grow and they are now very common among South Florida with increasing inhabitants around the panhandle. Greenhouse frogs have a reddish-brown appearance with either dark blotches or 2 dark stripes down their backs. They are relatively small in size usually growing to about an inch to and inch and a half in length. Often, the greenhouse frog is confused with cricket frogs (genus Acris). However, this type of frog has webbing between their toes which the greenhouse frog lacks. As their name describes, the greenhouse frog lives in greenhouses or lawns. They prefer a moist environment with a relatively high humidity rate which may be why they have flourished in Florida. Greenhouse frogs are a terrestrial species as well as being nocturnal. They feed on other small invertebrates such as insects, spiders, and snails. Naturally occurring in certain Caribbean Islands such as Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas these frogs may have been brought to Florida by importing tropical plants from these areas. They dwell underneath leaf litter and can go undetected. A common trait that distinguishes this type of frog from others is that they lay their eggs on land rather than in water. This is due to the fact that the greenhouse frog does not go through the tadpole stage. The infant frog is merely a smaller version on it’s parents. Some major problems that this species of frog has caused in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem include: uncontrollable density, over-consumption of prey, and a negative effect on native birds and snakes. Greenhouse frogs consume approximately 45,000 prey items per acre per night (16 million per year). This over-consumption of prey is having detrimental effects of the small invertebrate population. Spiders, snakes, and snails are being consumed far faster than they are being reproduced causing a gradual extinction of these species. This also has an effect on native birds and snakes. If the greenhouse frogs consume all of the small invertebrates in a specific area they will slowly starve other animals that feed on the same prey. Eleutherodactylus (Greenhouse Frogs) :: essays research papers Eleutherodactylus p. planirostris, or more commonly the Greenhouse frog, is from the Leptodactylidae family. They were unintentionally introduced to Florida around 1875. Their numbers have continued to grow and they are now very common among South Florida with increasing inhabitants around the panhandle. Greenhouse frogs have a reddish-brown appearance with either dark blotches or 2 dark stripes down their backs. They are relatively small in size usually growing to about an inch to and inch and a half in length. Often, the greenhouse frog is confused with cricket frogs (genus Acris). However, this type of frog has webbing between their toes which the greenhouse frog lacks. As their name describes, the greenhouse frog lives in greenhouses or lawns. They prefer a moist environment with a relatively high humidity rate which may be why they have flourished in Florida. Greenhouse frogs are a terrestrial species as well as being nocturnal. They feed on other small invertebrates such as insects, spiders, and snails. Naturally occurring in certain Caribbean Islands such as Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas these frogs may have been brought to Florida by importing tropical plants from these areas. They dwell underneath leaf litter and can go undetected. A common trait that distinguishes this type of frog from others is that they lay their eggs on land rather than in water. This is due to the fact that the greenhouse frog does not go through the tadpole stage. The infant frog is merely a smaller version on it’s parents. Some major problems that this species of frog has caused in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem include: uncontrollable density, over-consumption of prey, and a negative effect on native birds and snakes. Greenhouse frogs consume approximately 45,000 prey items per acre per night (16 million per year). This over-consumption of prey is having detrimental effects of the small invertebrate population. Spiders, snakes, and snails are being consumed far faster than they are being reproduced causing a gradual extinction of these species. This also has an effect on native birds and snakes. If the greenhouse frogs consume all of the small invertebrates in a specific area they will slowly starve other animals that feed on the same prey.

Macroeconomics Paper

With the decline on the disposable income of every household in the economy, domestic consumption started to deteriorate creating a negative impact on various industries including the housing industry. It was identified based form the data collected by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics that the compound annual rate of the housing industry’s CPI for February 2008 was equal to 2.8 percent, with November 2007 exhibited the highest changes from its preceding month equal to 0.4 percent, as compared to the 4.2 percent of February 2007. This only means that the rate of increase in the prices of housing units starts to slow down but still remains high considering the disposable income every household currently have. Furthermore, employment rate plunges down along side with the housing market as August 2007 recorded the highest lay-off on the history of housing market equivalent to 21,000 as compared to only 1,000 lay-offs happened last August 2006. With this large number of workers laid-off from their jobs, plus the increasing number of bankrupt housing companies, employment rate started to decline. Though the GDP of United States remains high despite of the turmoil in the housing market, but its GDP growth rate significantly decline from 2006 to 2007 from 2.6 percent to 1.5 percent respectively. This only means that housing market still imposes barrier towards the economic growth of United States. Housing starts was down by 28.4 percent from 2006 to 2007 as consumers cuts their demand on housing units due to limited budget and high cost. In order to prevent the said depression of the housing market, federal government continued slashing down their interest rate to guide housing companies to recover financially since housing sales has been declining since 2006. Last January 2008, the Federal Reserve cut the interest rate to 3.5 percent in order to stabilize the economy and prevent the impeding economic recession (Presse, 2008). Furthermore, it was also identified that new home sales declined by around 46 and 30 percent on 2006 and 2007 respectively. The said record was the lowest annual home sales since 1995. The above identified economic factors help most of the economists and market analysts in determining the future performance of the housing market as well as of other industries in the economy. In this regard, the aim of this paper is to identify various macroeconomic factors that affect the performance of the housing market and how it affects the behavior of the entire housing market. Furthermore, discussions on the future condition of housing market will be presented in order to easily understand how economists and market analysts projects the performance of housing market. Expect also at the end of this paper alternatives that would address macroeconomic factors that negatively affects the stability of the housing market and its evaluation that will serve as the guide in choosing the appropriate solution for the instability of the housing market. Conclusion Based from the given data, arguments and examples above, it is therefore clear that housing market is indeed performing inefficiently due to various macroeconomic factors. Depletion of consumer’s disposable income made significant negative effects to various macroeconomic factors that later on serves as the source of instability of many industries in the economy including the housing market. Furthermore, the projections of most economists and market analysts regarding the future condition of the housing market greatly affects how financial institutions establishes their lending transactions with the housing companies which adds up to the financial problems of the latter. With the aid of fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government, the issues concerning the instability of the housing market are solved. References Presse, A. F. (2008). Fed Slashes US Interest Rates to 3.5%. Retrieved April 3, 2008

Spoof Ad

Tropicana Is an American company which specialises In the production of orange lulce_ This company, owned by PepsiCo, claims that it produces 100% fresh orange juice as it is stated on their orange juice cartons â€Å"100% pure squeezed†. On the contrary, researchers have found that Tropicana's promise of fresh Juice is not quite true. PepsCo Inc. released a series of posters almlng to convince customers that Tropicana orange Juice is more than just Juice, rather it is an essential for the body because it provides vitamins, fibers, and other nutritional benefits.The Ad, â€Å"It's More Than Orange Juice† emphasises a more positive reaction towards the brand, when truly the product does not live up to its promise. According to Heml Weingarten, a blogger on Fooducate, Tropicana orange juice is kept in refrigerator vats for more than 6 months before it is distributed to the supermarkets. Hemi also adds that in order to prevent harmful, pathogenic bacteria from forming Trop icana strips the freshly squeezed orange Juice of its flavour and colour, then adds them back through flavour packs when the orange Juice Is ready to be sold (18, 2013).Alissa Hamilton, author of the book â€Å"Squeezed: What You Don't Know About Orange Juice† noted that: â€Å"Tropicana Orange Juice does not possess the same amount of fibers, vitamin C, and other nutritional benefits that oranges provide† which Is considered as a Ile towards the juice being 100% pure and natural (2011). Rationally speaking, every orange fruit on earth has its own taste, some are sweet some are sour. On the other hand, Tropicana's orange Juice all taste the same which Is impossible unless It Is chemically engineered.Also, Tropicana's Orange Juice Is ble to last for a month without changing Its flavour which clearly does not happen with truly fresh orange juice. Mike Valente, in his article â€Å"Tropicana Orange Juice: Not So Orange! † explains how the Juice is pasteurized and d eoxidized, and once that is done the Juice is able to last for a longer period of time (2011). All of the above evidence Is consistent with the fact that Tropicana Is marketing their Orange juice product using lies through their ads trying to convince consumers that their product is â€Å"100% pure and natural† when it is really not.This act of manipulation led the Tropicana company to court. Jonathan Stempel stated that a lawsuit was filed against Tropicana for their fraud (2012). The Natural Society adds: â€Å"Tropicana Brand just settled out of court to the tune of 9$ million† for false advertising (2013). Spoof Ad By Lhkat Tropicana is an American company which specialises in the production of orange juice. This company, owned by PepsiCo, claims that it produces 100% fresh orange juice as it is stated on their orange Juice cartons â€Å"100% pure squeezed†. On the PepsCo Inc. eleased a series of posters aiming to convince customers that Tropicana orange Jui ce is more than Just Juice, rather it is an essential for the body because it product does not live up to its promise. According to Hemi Weingarten, a blogger on Fooducate, Tropicana orange Juice is kept in refrigerator vats for more than 6 months when the orange Juice is ready to be sold (18, 2013). Alissa Hamilton, author of the nutritional benefits that oranges provide† which is considered as a lie towards the s impossible unless it is chemically engineered.Also, Tropicana's Orange Juice is able to last for a month without changing its flavour which clearly does not happen with truly fresh orange Juice. Mike Valente, in his article â€Å"Tropicana Orange Juice: Not All of the above evidence is consistent with the fact that Tropicana is marketing their Orange Juice product using lies through their ads trying to convince consumers that â€Å"Tropicana Brand Just settled out of court to the tune of 9$ million† for false

A Critical Evaluation Of The Public Management Reform Agenda In Relation To Decentralisation In The Nhs The WritePass Journal

A Critical Evaluation Of The Public Management Reform Agenda In Relation To Decentralisation In The Nhs Abstract A Critical Evaluation Of The Public Management Reform Agenda In Relation To Decentralisation In The Nhs AbstractIntroductionThe Overall Approach to New Public ManagementEvidence of NHS DecentralisationProblems with DecentralisationConclusionsReferencesRelated Abstract The decentralisation of the NHS has been part of a considerable agenda put forward by the public sector in general in a bid to create greater efficiencies and to ensure that the end user is gaining a better service within the budget confines. Over the years there has been a decided move towards the notion of decentralisation of the NHS as a means of ensuring that localised decisions are made more readily and that they are in keeping with the needs of the individuals in the area. Despite the benefits associated with decentralisation there are also several negatives including the lack of consistency which have been identified and considered during this paper. Introduction Recent pressures across the public sector has led to an increasing focus on ensuring that greater efficiency is achieved in some of the key services being provided across the UK. In this paper, the focus is on the NHS and how decentralisation could potentially allow the NHS to provide a more efficient service to the end users, i.e. the patients. Whilst still retaining a tight budget is still paramount, recent reforms have involved giving much greater control at the local level to the overall NHS budget which is estimated to be in excess of  £80 billion. In particular, GPs have been given much greater control over the way in which services are delivered and arguments have been presented that individual GPs are in a much better place to identify the needs of their particular patient group and therefore the budgets which are available to them will be used to better effect (Audit Commission 1996). Despite this, any major form of decentralisation of public service needs to be considered in much greater detail, in order to ascertain whether or not true efficiency is being achieved, or whether there are some failings of the decentralisation process which need to be dealt with, before the underlying aim of decentralisation can be achieved (Leach et al. 1994). Specific agendas have been set out in order to achieve decentralisation within the NHS with several primary care trusts (PCTs) taking this policy in creating their own sets of rules and requirements when it comes to the direct provision of services within their area, with a large focus being put on the patients themselves. For example, as part of the management review, the focus was placed on patient satisfaction and gaining information from the patients themselves, in terms of how they felt their individual needs were being met. This could be seen as part of the wider concept of â€Å"patient first†, which aims to ensure that the NHS is making decisions at the lowest level which directly impacts on the patient, something which requires at least some degree of decentralisation to be instigated (Batley and Larbi, 2004). Decentralisation in this case has therefore been a process of transferring authority and decision making suggesting that devolution is the key method of decentr alisation with the key factor being the shift of power and decision making from the central organisation to the individual areas. The management reform agenda across the NHS changed the traditional way that patients are looked at and considered them as customers, rather than the end consumers who have little or no choice as to how they receive the relevant services. This new agenda focuses on the patient as a partner in the NHS, rather than an end user with no choices available to them (Clarke et al. 2000). This shift is central to the overall agenda regardless of the actual practical approach taken in each area. When combining the underlying concept within the NHS with principles of decentralisation, it can be seen that decentralisation is in fact a fundamental part of delivering this new agenda. Decentralisation is viewed as a means of transferring authority from a central location down to other levels within the organisation. When applying this within the NHS, this would allow individuals at the local level to make decisions in terms of how the budget is spent and how patient services are planned and delivered, rather than being dictated to by a central authority. The Overall Approach to New Public Management Decentralisation does not come alone, but as part of a wider reform package agenda which looks at the overall performance of the NHS. More specifically, this involves taking into consideration not only the way in which decisions are made, but also ensures greater accountability for performance management at a localised level. This again is an example of devolution and the shifting of overall power rather than maintaining the power centrally. When it comes to applying the agenda for the change for the NHS, the ultimate impact for those within the NHS is that decision-making is carried out at a level which is much closer to the end user, thus ensuring that individual user needs are taken into account in much greater detail than they would be if these decisions were made at a higher level which is largely divorced from the needs of the end-user. Difficulties do however emerge when decentralisation is not undertaken in a consistent manner, as this may result in a situation whereby certain areas are dealt with very differently from others, resulting in the so-called postcode lottery, with end users having little or no confidence in the NHS and even changing their own geographical location, in order to allow them to receive services which they deem to be important. This general approach to decentralisation is being seen under the umbrella term of new public management agenda and the recognition that when it comes to providing public services there needs to be bottom up input if this is to be successful and if budgets are to be used appropriately and efficiently. This creates a potential discrepancy between the need to ensure consistency of service and consistency of performance, but also allowing individual providers to have a degree of flexibility regarding how they deliver the services within their specific area. One of the benefits which are perceived to be linked to the decentralisation of the NHS is the fact that the individual patients are more likely to receive the appropriate level of care which is tailored to their needs. Where decisions are made at the local level, it is likely that the decision can be made more effectively and arguably with better knowledge of what services precisely are required. By adding greater power and choice at a more local level, be it within the primary care trust itself, or even at such a local level as the individual GP practice, this requires individuals at this lower level to have a broader range of skills; it will also require these individuals to become involved in people management and budget, planning, which may require a shift in training and may even be unsuitable for certain types of personalities, to such an extent that it may be necessary to have a change in management structure, at the local level (Gilardi, 2008). Essentially therefore the approach involves creating a framework agenda which establishes the overall principles yet allowing individual PCTs to apply this with reference to their own individual circumstances and position. Accountability is an interesting by-product, which has happened as a result of the decentralisation of the NHS, where the organisation itself and the people making the fundamental decisions in relation to budget allocation and the services being provided are much more visible to those who ultimately receive these services and this makes the whole process considerably more accountable. For example, the GP who has made a decision as to who should receive a specific treatment will need to inform those individuals, personally. This makes the decision making process much more personal than would be the case, if the decisions were being made centrally, with no direct contact with the end patient. Although this is seen as an interesting way of achieving accountability which is relatively effective, it can also create difficulties within the local service itself, with countless additional pressures being placed on GPs and local service providers, as they now require much greater people manag ement skills, as well as the ability to undertake clinical work which they originally trained to undertake. Evidence of NHS Decentralisation In order to test these theories, it is helpful to look at any evidence which has emerged in terms of how decentralisation has impacted upon patients within NHS, in recent years. There is at least some evidence to suggest that, where local health boards make the decisions, they feel more responsible for those within their locality and this may result in certain groups of the community gaining a more appropriate response to their requirements. However, there is also some concern that, by having decentralised powers, certain groups are able to gain greater attention than other groups, simply because they â€Å"shout louder† or are asking in a more constructive way to reflect the feelings that are dominant in that particular area but this may mean that other minority groups are overlooked (NHS 2010). Consider, for example, a geographic area which is heavily dominated by an elderly population. Whilst decentralised powers may allow for this group of elderly individuals to receive mo re tailored care, other smaller groups may then find that their budget is curtailed to such an extent that they do not receive the basic level of care which other patients in other care regions would receive. Where these types of local decisions may be deemed to result in a more efficient allocation to the people, it can lead to feelings of discontent amongst the public in general (McKevitt, 1998). Despite the higher level of general interaction between the health service and local groups and individuals, there is no evidence that this high level of local participation has had any impact on local policies; however, any form of interaction directly between those who make decisions and those who use the services are ultimately likely to shape the types of policies that are being applied, even if this is not immediate or direct (Robinson and Le Grand 1994). Arguably, the success of decentralisation is likely to depend on the checks and balances that are presented, at a local level, and the way in which each local authority deals with this increased power which is being given to it. By having patient involvement at ground level and ensuring that patient partnerships are maintained, at all times, a much greater level of public involvement will be achieved. This will enable the positive effects of decentralisation to be enjoyed more readily (Pollitt et al 1998). Problems with Decentralisation The difficulty which has arisen from the decentralisation of the NHS is the fact that there is still the need for some form of central co-ordination. Moreover, where funding is being provided from a central source, a considerable amount of time and effort is placed on competing for the central resources which, in itself, absorbs some of the funding that is available and should be better directed towards the end users. In order to retain at least some control, the agenda within the NHS involves having certain defined performance targets which are centrally allocated and which, to a large extent, override any freedoms which decentralisation may encourage. For example, if a local authority is under pressure to provide certain care for specific groups in society, the amount of choice and freedom which they have at a local level is substantially reduced (Goddard and Mannion, 2006). From the outset, it was the intention to create an independent NHS trust which is able to make its own decisions and which is no longer under the direct control of central government. However, this has not been entirely achieved. The government has taken the approach of focusing on management agenda at every level of the NHS, suggesting that local entities and local foundation trusts need to earn the autonomy which they seek. With this in mind, it could be argued that the decentralisation process within the NHS has created a framework which will enable successful localised decisions, in the future, but that this will in fact take a prolonged period of time and will require a shift in management activity and interaction, before the benefits of decentralisation can be fully enjoyed. In the meantime, local NHS foundation trusts will still require a central control. Conclusions Nevertheless, shifting budget choices and decision making power more towards those who are closer to the end users is undoubtedly likely to be beneficial to the provision of efficient and targeted services, in the long-term. However, with this type of localised decision-making comes discrepancies between localities; this in itself can create problems within the overall NHS system which need to be reverted to central control, if the differences are not to become so major that they are destructive to the overall benefits which are seen to be linked to decentralisation. By looking at the management agenda within the NHS, the realities of achieving efficient decentralisation, it becomes apparent that it is simply impractical to state that decentralisation can happen entirely, or that it is going to be successful in every single situation. It is concluded, therefore that, whilst the decentralisation of public services, in this case, has provided opportunities for the link between the end user, i.e. the patient, who is now perceived to be a customer, with those providing the services, is much closer and allows for greater efficiency when it comes to allocating resources. Furthermore, central control still needs to be maintained, at least to a certain extent, if there is to be sufficient uniformity in the way that the services are provided and if this flexibility in itself does not create more problems than it solves (Burns et. al. 1994). One thing that is certain, however, is the fact that decentralisation within the NHS will be a gradual process, with certain aspects of this decentralisation requiring much greater control and a much slower process, in order to ensure that consistency of service provision and decision making is fundamentally maintained within the NHS, while also allowing this to be applied at the local level to meet with local demands, something which is at the heart of the new NHS agenda. References Audit Commission, (1996) What the doctor ordered: a study of GP fundholders in England and Wales. London Batley, R. and Larbi, G. (2004) The changing role of government, Palgrave. Burns, D., Hambleton, R. and Hoggett, P. (1994) The Politics of Decentralisation: Revitalising Local Democracy,   Macmillan,   Part 2, especially Ch 4 Clarke, J., Gerwitz, S. and McLaughlin, E. (2000) ‘Reinventing the Welfare State’ in Clarke, J., Gerwitz, S. and McLaughlin, E.   New Managerialism, New Welfare, Sage. Gilardi, F. (2008) Delegation in the regulatory state:independent regulatory agencies in western Europe, Goddard, M., Mannion, R. (2006) Decentralising the NHS: rhetoric, reality and paradox, Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. W0 Iss: 1, pp.67 73 Leach, S., Stewart, J. and Walsh, K. (1994) The Changing Organisation and Management of Local Government, Macmillan,   Ch 6: Decentralised organisation and management in local government McKevitt, D .(1998) Managing Core Public Services, Basil Blackwell, Chapter 1. NHS (2010) Liberating the NHS White Paper. Policy Paper Pollitt, C., Birchall, J. and Putman, K. (1998) Decentralising Public Service Management, Macmillan Robinson R, and Le Grand J, (1994) Evaluating the NHS Reforms. London: Kings Fund Institute

Free Online Public Schools for Florida Students K-12

Free Online Public Schools for Florida Students K-12 Florida offers resident students the opportunity to take online public school courses for free. Below is a list of no-cost online schools currently serving elementary and high school students in Florida. In order to qualify for the list, schools must meet the following qualifications: classes must be available completely online, they must offer services to state residents, and they must be funded by the government. Virtual schools listed may be charter schools, state-wide public programs, or private programs that receive government funding. List of Florida Online Charter Schools and Online Public Schools Florida Connections AcademyFlorida Virtual School Florida Cyber Charter Academy About Online Charter Schools and Online Public Schools Many states now offer tuition-free online schools for resident students under a certain age (often 21). Most virtual schools are charter schools; they receive government funding and are run by a private organization. Online charter schools are subject to fewer restrictions than traditional schools. However, they are reviewed regularly and must continue to meet state standards. Some states also offer their own online public schools. These virtual programs generally operate from a state office or a school district. State-wide public school programs vary. Some online public schools offer a limited number of remedial or advanced courses not available in brick-and-mortar public school campuses. Others offer full online diploma programs. A few states choose to fund â€Å"seats† for students in private online schools. The number of available seats may be limited and students are usually asked to apply through their public school guidance counselor. Choosing a Florida Online Public School When choosing an online public school, look for an established program that is regionally accredited and has a track record of success. Be wary of new schools that are disorganized, are unaccredited, or have been the subject of public scrutiny. For more suggestions on evaluating virtual schools see how to choose an online high school.

Income Elasticity of Demand

Income Elasticity of Demand A Beginners Guide to Elasticity: Price Elasticity of Demand  introduced the basic concept and illustrated it with a few examples of price elasticity of demand.   A Brief Review of Price Elasticity of Demand The formula for price elasticity of demand is:   Price Elasticity of Demand (PEoD) (% Change in Quantity Demanded) à ·Ã‚  (% Change in Price) The formula quantifies the demand for a given as the percentage change in the quantity of the good demanded divided by the percentage change in its price.   If the product, for example, is aspirin, which is widely available from many different manufacturers, a small change in one manufacturers price, lets say a 5 percent increase, might make a big difference in the demand for the product. Lets suppose that the decreased demand was a minus 20 percent, or -20%. Dividing the decreased demand (-20%) by the increased price (5 percent) gives a result of -4. The price elasticity of demand for aspirin is high a small difference in price produces a significant decrease in demand.   Generalizing the Formula You can generalize the formula by observing that it expresses the relationship between two variables, demand and price. A similar formula expresses another relationship, that between the demand for a given product  and consumer income Income Elasticity of Demand (% Change in Quantity Demanded)/(% Change in Income) In an economic recession, for example, U.S. household income might drop by 7 percent, but the household money spent on eating out might drop by 12 percent. In this case, the income elasticity of demand is calculated as 12 à · 7 or about 1.7. In other words, a moderate drop in income produces a greater drop in demand. In the same recession, on the other hand, we might discover that the 7 percent drop in household income produced only a 3 percent drop in baby formula sales. The calculation in this instance is 3 à · 7 or about 0.43.   what you can conclude from this is that eating out in restaurants is not an essential economic activity for U.S. households the elasticity of demand is 1.7, considerably great than 1.0 but that buying baby formula, with an income elasticity of demand of 0.43, is relatively essential and that demand will persist even when income drops.    Generalizing Income Elasticity of Demand Income elasticity of demand is used to see how sensitive the demand for a good is to an income change. The higher the income elasticity, the more sensitive demand for a good is to income changes. A very high-income elasticity suggests that when a consumers income goes up, consumers will buy a great deal more of that good and, conversely, that when income goes down consumers will cut back their purchases of that good to an even greater degree.   A very low price elasticity implies just the opposite, that changes in a consumers income have  little influence on demand. Often an assignment or a test will ask you the follow-up question Is the good a luxury good, a normal good, or an inferior good between the income range of $40,000 and $50,000? To answer that use the following rule of thumb: If IEoD 1 then the good is a Luxury Good and Income ElasticIf IEoD 1 and IEOD 0 then the good is a Normal Good and Income InelasticIf IEoD 0 then the good is an Inferior Good and Negative Income Inelastic The other side of the coin, of course, is supply.

The Tennessee v. Garner Case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Tennessee v. Garner Case - Assignment Example The gist of the matter was on the constitutional interpretation on what reasonable force or the necessary means required to effect an arrest was. This scenario is critical because it puts constitutional interpretation at the center, seemingly because the rights of the deceased were violated, under supposed provisions of the law. Â  The district court upheld the Tennessee statute and confirmed as valid the actions of the officer to have used reasonable force to effect an arrest. However, the higher court reversed that decision and questioned the authenticity of lethal force, if it left the suspect without life. In effect, the decision of the district court was rendered null and void relative to the Fourth amendment as held in the constitution. Â  Subsequently, the right to arrest a person must not exceed the right to life of the same person especially if the suspect is not armed. The officers must then strive to use alternative means that also protected the life and right of the suspects. This is to say that seizure ought to include actions such as restraining a suspect other than killing him or her. Â  This was a landmark ruling which informed and guided the actions of officers in subsequent times. If one regressed the law under similar circumstance, then one would be held criminally accountable.

Welfare Distrubution in the United States of America Research Paper

Welfare Distrubution in the United States of America - Research Paper Example Education, health or certain other forms of insurance may reduce economic uncertainty. Education and health augment the value of an individual, thus making the population more capable to deal with the economic uncertainty caused by various factors, including the prevailing market conditions. Population may also become more secured through the insurances in health and social issues which precisely cut down the financial costs of uncertainty. (Garfinkel, Rainwater & Smeeding, 2). The welfare state in the United States of America is considered as an â€Å"under achiever†.  It can be acknowledged from the past data that the social programs initiated by the USA came into exercise much later than several other nations. Currently several important parts of the American welfare state can be considered as inadequately developed, or many essential measures are missing in the system. The United States seems to make lesser expenditure on social programs in comparison to many other democ racies. Also, the rates of poverty and inequality are much higher in the United States (Howard, 1).  The United States can be recognized as a territory of prospects or opportunities.   However, that also does not imply equality. Nathan Glazer, a professor of sociology and education at the Harvard University, in his argument, commented on United States as the most imbalanced amongst other inexpensively developed countries.   According to statistical data, it can be realized that the United States in comparison to other countries like Europe, redistributes considerably less social benefits.   Such less redistribution are the consequences of greater inequality in income obtained before tax and an indistinct income distribution in the United States. Although the United States is conventional in its political principles, yet it can often be recognized with moderate courses of action in welfare, thus the country clearly representing uniqueness and nonjudgmental processes. (Brunson ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This report is mainly prepared to focus on providing arguments against the distribution of welfare in the United States. There are many views in support of the welfare system in the USA, which reflect that the welfare system in the USA increases economic growth, productivity, and efficiency of the country. (Garfinkel, Rainwater & Smeeding, 1). However this report would bring out certain aspects, which would clearly indicate that the welfare distribution in the United States of America has many negative impacts as well, which are backed by evidences and arguments. The studies and researches previously done on the concerned topic would be taken into consideration and other sources on the welfare distribution in the USA and its effects as provided by different authors would be utilized as sources. The report would bring out the impacts of the present system of welfare distribution prevailing in the United States, thereby providing arguments against the system , and reflecting upon the negative effects of the current system.    Arguments against the Welfare Distribution in the USA:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government of the United States strictly lacks a widespread and productive welfare system.   On the other hand, the alternative governmental programs seem to be better than the welfare system to a greater extent.     For instance, in the year 1999, a family of three had received remunerations of $164 per month from the welfare services, while the allowance for food stamp for the same family was at $329 per month. Thus, it was economically more rational to take food stamps provided by the alternative government measures instead of receiving welfare benefits.   In the present scenario, food stamps and government housing are

The Effects Of Social Networks On E-Commerce Dissertation

The Effects Of Social Networks On E-Commerce - Dissertation Example Over the past years, the internet was used by majority of people as a medium for interaction and making fun by engaging in activities such as online gaming. With numerous improvements made on the internet, there has been an ever rising increase in trust in social links among the users. For this reason, online marketplaces have been augmented by many online business people as a way of developing and building honest and trust in their transactions with their partners as well as maximizing customer satisfactions. The outcome is the growth in the size of sales over the internet leading to a shift in demand. Through social links, customers can chart through forums with their clients, exchange useful business information concerning a particular company or product. Therefore, customers have a better bargaining power. This paper gives a deep exploration into how social media instruments affects the frequent purchasing behaviors and business transaction activities, notwithstanding the implica tions on the demand for products in the online-fashion industry. Like the trends in fashions, the tools of social media are innovative yet unpredictable because they are getting utilized and improved each and every time. The fashion industry is getting transformed by facets that are more related as a result of movement of more professionals of fashion in the online media, for this case the social media. The accessibility into the industry by has been made easy by these tools thus involving the general public and the entire customers of the fashion industry updated on the current fashion trends. Specifically this study explains the effects of social media on the behaviors of demand and customer inflow into the market. 1.0 INTRODUCTION In the recent years, the way people communicate with each other and share information has been revolutionized by social media. Initially the social networks were being used in large numbers by the teenagers for making new friends as well as keeping in t ouch with old ones. However, the situation has changed with now the focus being directed to online commerce for the purpose of generating solid and reliable revenues1. The e-mail which was earlier seen as the only method of communication electronically has been out-fashioned by the social media which is currently leaving its mark in the e-commerce, and the online fashion industry is not an exception. The fashion industry traces its roots to the traditional and old business practices hence making it lag behind in adopting new technologies. Almost everything done in the industry is more dependent on human labor rather than machines, beginning with designs sketches of designs to the process of purchasing. In most situations, the customers were the determiners of what kind of stock was to be put in stock because of their different tastes and preferences. However, with the existence of fast-acting technologies, fashion brands no longer seat back and wait for their customers to meet their needs. Social media is a to-way form of media under which users develop personal identities through dialogue and self-presentation.2 This has led to the social media receiving immense attention from consumers who go shopping online, specifically the fashion industry consumers. The global platforms such Tweeter, LinkedIn and Facebook creates room for designers to blog and keep their profiles updated with the aim of molding their brands and personalities on real-time basis. The interaction between

Business Ethics Reverse Discrimination Term Paper

Business Ethics Reverse Discrimination - Term Paper Example However, there is a phenomenon referred to as reverse discrimination, which is defined as occurring â€Å"when a person is denied an opportunity because of preferences given to protected-class individuals who may be less qualified† (Mathis & Jackson, 2005, p.103). In this situation, it must be proven that the organization where the individual is employed was denied opportunities or received discriminatory actions because a member of a protected class was given preferential treatment. This paper describes situations in the workplace that involve reverse discrimination, with a focus on the legal structure that forbids this from occurring and the ethical issues potentially involved in workplace reverse discrimination scenarios. The Letter of the Law The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits discrimination related to compensation, working conditions, or certain privileges for individuals over the age of 40 that work for employers with 20 or more employees (Mathis & Jackson). It is a federal law, thus it applies to all businesses across the United States fitting the profile of 20 or more employees. A situation occurred where those individuals who were considered a protected class against the ADEA filed suit alleging reverse discrimination based on benefits provisions and early retirement benefits options. At General Dynamics Land Systems, the company decided it would be in the best interest of the business to alter the retiree health care benefits scheme. Full health care benefits were to be provided upon signing the new General Dynamics contract, but only if the individual was 50 years of age or older (Zink, 2006). Workers who were not yet of 50 years of age, thus not in a protected class under the ADEA, filed suit against General Dynamics citing reverse discrimination since they were not to be afforded the full health care benefits due to their younger age profiles. The ADEA explicitly states the following: â€Å"It shall be unlawful for an employer – (1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, term, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s age† (Zink, 2006, p.2). Ultimately, this case was dismissed by the Circuit Court, citing that reverse discrimination was not allowed under the ADEA. However, the younger workers were allowed to pursue their reverse discrimination suit citing other legal precedents. This particular case was chosen for analysis because many organizations, in fear of receiving liability outcomes, will deny opportunities to younger workers in favor of those in an age-related protected class. Though General Dynamics does not necessarily fit this profile, it was necessary to show how the language of the ADEA and similar legislation can be misinterpreted so that younger workers miss out on many workplace opportunities because of how the language is spelled ou t. Consider the following case that did meet with victory in the court system alleging reverse discrimination, where the business did deny opportunities to a non-protected class in favor of avoiding liability. The New Haven Fire Department had established a proficiency test to determine which firefighter candidates were most qualified to receive promotions. Detailed steps were undertaken to ensure that the tests were unbiased, â€Å"including painstaking analyses to ensure the tests

Civil war Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civil war - Case Study Example Q1. The scramble for Africa incorporated the entrance of African slave traders into African interior. The countries that were primary colonizers of Africa included the French and the British. Enlightenment, new science, and industrial revolution influenced Europeans regard for Africa by the superior military in machine guns and a colony of boundaries drawn in the exploitation of tribal, religious and linguistic differences. Q1. The significance of Haitian revolution is that it became the second republic in W. Hemisphere. Haitian constitution of 1801 reflects enlightenment by Article 29, which states in future each governor names after five years and allowed to continue after every five years if overseen by the proper administration. On the other hand, it does not reflect the enlightenment through since Article 5 does not exist distinctions other than those based on virtues and talents (Carnes 15). Q2. The significance of Monroe Doctrine 1823 was the assortment if itself as the dominant force in Western Hemisphere. Roosevelt Corollary 1904 significance was financial involvement in Central and South American countries facing economic and political

Foreign Policy Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foreign Policy Change - Assignment Example Legro presented some arguments related tithe change in the foreign policy of the United States. He raised four issues that needed further clarification. He pointed out an issue that is pertaining to the role of politics in performing relevant jobs that need to be reminded to the policy makers (Legro 2005). The author referred to politics by including activities led by the leaders of that country that are associated with the governance of country. Politics has a strong influence that can affect a country and its economy, businesses, society, education, tourism and many other elements. In order to manage and control all aspects of an economy the leaders should make strong strategies. The effective strategy  can always become difficult to develop and implement because of the contingent political battle among political leaders (Legro 2005). Therefore, Legro gave his views on this issue by focusing only on the holistic nature of ideas. He explained that a change in collective ideas is i nherently conflictual and political, but a focus on the situation of the contingent politics in which continuity is likely or it is not properly defined.

Civil war Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civil war - Case Study Example Q1. The scramble for Africa incorporated the entrance of African slave traders into African interior. The countries that were primary colonizers of Africa included the French and the British. Enlightenment, new science, and industrial revolution influenced Europeans regard for Africa by the superior military in machine guns and a colony of boundaries drawn in the exploitation of tribal, religious and linguistic differences. Q1. The significance of Haitian revolution is that it became the second republic in W. Hemisphere. Haitian constitution of 1801 reflects enlightenment by Article 29, which states in future each governor names after five years and allowed to continue after every five years if overseen by the proper administration. On the other hand, it does not reflect the enlightenment through since Article 5 does not exist distinctions other than those based on virtues and talents (Carnes 15). Q2. The significance of Monroe Doctrine 1823 was the assortment if itself as the dominant force in Western Hemisphere. Roosevelt Corollary 1904 significance was financial involvement in Central and South American countries facing economic and political

Discuss the development of Eddie Carbones character Essay Example for Free

Discuss the development of Eddie Carbones character Essay ‘’A View From The Bridge’’ is a play written by Arthur Miller in the mid-1950’s. Set during the Great Depression in around 1940, the play sees main character Eddie Carbone lead a stable life with his wife and niece in a tightly-woven community in Brooklyn, New York. Due to his sincerity, he is respected by the local community and he has his destiny plotted out for him. However, as the tragic play unfolds, Eddie makes a series of mistakes which affect his relationship with others and ultimately result in a catastrophe. Eddie Carbone is a traditional Italian-American, who earns his living as a longshoreman. He leads an ordinary life with his wife (Beatrice) and his niece (Catherine). Beatrice loves Eddie, this is shown when Beatrice says ‘’You’re an angel! God’ll bless you.’’. The word ‘’angel’’ suggests that Beatrice loves Eddie as she is comparing him to an angel. Furthermore, this shows the audience that Beatrice is a traditional woman as she is praising (therefore supporting) her husband. In the era they lived in, men and women were expected to follow the traditional values of their communities. Men were authoritative in the house and usually the breadwinners whilst women were housewives; women were expected to support and obey their husbands. Another member of Eddie’s family includes his niece, Catherine; whom Eddie is protective over. This is shown when Eddie says to Catherine ‘’Listen, you been givin’ me the willies the way you walk down the street’’. The word ‘’willies’’ suggests that Eddie feels uncomfortable with the way Catherine walks down the street. He feels this way because he has a close relationship with Catherine who looks up to him as a father-like figure. An important aspect of Eddie’s character that is presented to the audience is his attitude towards snitching. He feels strongly against snitching, this is shown when he insults snitchers by calling them ‘’stool pigeons’’, using this word suggests that Eddie thinks lowly of people committing such acts. Furthermore, Eddie warns Catherine of snitches when he asks Beatrice to tell Catherine the story of Vinny Bolzano (a teenager who snitched on his uncle to the Immigration Bureau). When Rodolfo and Marco arrive; troubles start to brew up and Eddie’s behaviour changes significantly. Eddie becomes more aggravated, this is shown when in the stage directions it says ‘’He is sizing up Rodolfo’’. This shows that Eddie is trying to taunt Rodolfo by comparing their heights (height is a symbol of power). In addition, when Eddie says to Beatrice ‘’he sings’’ (referring to Rodolfo), Eddie is suggesting that it’s not normal for a man to sing, he is attempting to suggest Rodolfo is gay. Eddie is in a way trying to put him down because he is jealous of Rodolfo’s relationship with Catherine. Another example of his sudden metamorphosis is that he has become more obsessed with Catherine. For instance, when Catherine and Rodolfo return from the Brooklyn Paramount, Eddie says to Catherine ‘’I don’t see you no more’’. This quote suggests that Eddie is obsessed with Catherine because he claims that he doesn’t see Catherine. Beatrice’s relationship with Eddie also deteriorates. This is shown to the audience when Beatrice says ‘’Everything ain’t great with me. When am I gonna be a wife again, Eddie?’’. This quote shows that the physical side of their marriage is falling apart because Beatrice is feeling ignored (due to Eddie’s obsession with Catherine). Initially, Eddie considers Marco to be a real man. This is shown when he says ‘’Marco goes around like a man; nobody kids Marco.’’. However, as the play gradually progresses; so does Eddie’s relationship with Marco. For example, in the scene with Marco and the chair, in the stage directions it says ‘’Marco is face to face with Eddie, a strained tension gripping his eyes and jawthe chair raised like a weapon over Eddie’s headEddie’s grin vanishes as he absorbs his look’’. The word ‘’vanishes’’ suggests that the situation is threatening, as the tension is so large that Eddie’s grin vanishes. This event symbolises that the relationship between Marco and Eddie has broken, more importantly it symbolises the start of Eddie’s downfall. By the end of the play, Eddie has changed drastically; he has become a completely different man. He has become a snitch even though he despised snitching at the start of the play. His close relationship with Catherine has ended as Catherine does not look up to Eddie as a father-like figure anymore; in fact she loathes Eddie, this is proven when Catherine says ‘’He’s a rat! He belongs in the sewer!’’. Also, Eddie’s relationship with Marco has deteriorated to such an extent that Marco accuses him of murder and spits in Eddie’s face. We know this because Marco says ‘’He killed my children’’! When Marco spits in Eddie’s face the community become aware of Eddie snitching and they are disgusted. His friend Louis ignores Eddie, this is shown in the stage directions which says ‘’Louis barely turns’’. Therefore Eddie’s main concern now is to get his reputation back, this is proven when Eddie says ‘’I want my name’’. He wants his reputation back because he has been humiliated when Marco spat in his face. In the end, Eddie refuses to listen to Rodolfo’s pleas and demands an apology from Marco. When Marco refuses Eddie takes out a knife but he gets injured himself and dies in the arms of Beatrice. From a highly-respected member of the community, Eddie manages to relegate himself to a disgraced member. Even his most loyal friends ignore him; all because of one error. Eddie is a hero in a Greek Tragedy, he made an error of judgement and he has to suffer immensely for it. Ultimately, he loses the love and respect of his niece Catherine; which is what he was fighting for.

Background and future potential of electronic marketing

Background and future potential of electronic marketing Describe the background, current and future potential of e-marketing, e-business model, e-marketing process, and different types of e-marketing strategies, contemporary strategic e-marketing issues in Viet Nam / another country. Explain the critical impact of internet and how it changes the traditional marketing in the aspects of segmentation, targeting, differentiation, positioning, product, price, distribution, intergrated marketing communication and customer relationship management. Support your agrument with suitable examples. > Very simply put, e-marketing, which is also called as online or internet marketing, refers to the combination of old-age marketing principles and techniques via electronic media and over the Internet network. The terms e-marketing, e-business, e-marketing strategies and e-marketing process are frequently interchanged, and can often be considered synonymous. Traditionally, marketing has been around for a very long time. Marketing comes in many different forms and has been used in different ways throughout the history, but is really meant for one thing only. Marketing helps to increase the profitability of products or services. Since the day when humans first started trading whatever it was that they first traded, marketing was there. At the time, it was the stories traders used to convince others to trade. Marketing has come a long way since then; up until a few years ago marketing has all been done in the same basic method, but the Internet has changed everything dramatically. The ways that people do marketing and business have changed and improved year by year and now they have become a lot easier to deliver their stories, products or services and get marketing messages out there. E-Marketing consists of both direct response marketing as well as indirect marketing factors whilst using a wide range of technologies to get businesses to their customers connected. The Internet, actually, has brought billions of people from all walks of life together within the reach of any marketer. By doing so they can reach a wider marketplace which is still targeted for their particular product or service. The Internet has really changed the way many people do business and as it continues to evolve we will see even more changes in the way that e-business is being gained. This is true more than ever in the case of Vietnam. Given the fact that Vietnam has the 13th largest population on the earth and should come as no surprise that it has the very large number of internet users also. Vietnam have an estimated more than 30 million people online by the year of 2010 [1] which account for 15% internet penetration rate. Those internet users spend over 50% of the leisure time online, which amounts to more than fifteen hours per person in Vietnam per week. Of these users, 10 million are users of social networking sites, and over 20 million are search engine users. Most notably, though, the value of online business transactions in Vietnam reached 20000 billion Viet Nam Dong last year, that is, 1 billion USD [2]. Also, online commerce is now being more widely accepted by marketers as a legitimate and useful tool of spending advertising dollars. The online economic system for the country is coming. Maybe the only statistics more impressive than these quantities are their unparalleled growth rate. Since the year 1999, the number of internet users in Vietnam has increased by over 15000% from less than 200 thousand users to 30 million [3]. The use of the internet in some of the largest cities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi has even exceeded 50%. The use of social networking sites has also been expanding much more rapidly than expected, with the actual number of users exceeding predictions by over 10 million people. Even more importantly, over the past year the number of online business transactions grew by 900% while the value of these transactions more than doubled [4]. Through these facts and figures, while intriguing in their own right, are much more crucial insofar as they hint at Vietnams tremendous potential for growth. Despite 30 million people who currently use the internet in Vietnam, still 56 million people who are not yet online, and while it is naive to think that every single person in Vietnam will inevitably be an internet user, if internet penetration in Vietnam were to reach levels similar to those of America which a certainly obtainable goal of around 75%, this would be an addition of over 70 million users to the web. To these new users, many would be drawn to online marketing and business, further expanding an already vibrant and robust market. Most importantly, those new users in Vietnam could expand the field of potential customers which can be reached through careful marketing strategies. As one of the fastest growing economies in the world despite the global financial crisis, Vietnams real GDP is expected to grow another 30% by the year 2015 [5], bringing even more disposable income to the rapidly increasing number of internet users in Vietnam, which is a prospect for the future potential of e-marketing, e-business model, e-marketing process and different types of e-marketing strategies. Does it make any sense to not reach out to this through e-marketing and e-business? By learning to effectively employ Vietnamese search engines, being culturally sensitive in how you target a foreign audience, and learning to navigate the language barrier, a relatively modest investment of time and effort may pay dividends later. By simply translating the homepage on the website into English, for example, to encourage people to conduct business with the product or service in English, your page will be able to appear in Vietnamese search engines. With Vietnams rapidly expanding econom y and internet user base, it only makes sense to venture forth into Vietnamese e-marketing. Besides these things, issues also exist. The contemporary strategic e-marketing issues, however, are series of constraints that hinder the performance of e-marketing in Vietnam. These problems include the following: Technology: Online marketing requires Vietnamese customers to use modern technologies rather than traditional media; Cyber crime: Vietnamese does not have habit of purchasing online. Many customers are hesitant to buy items via the internet because they do not know whether their personal information will remain private or not; Quality: The concern that customers have with e-commerce merchants is whether or not they will receive exactly what they purchase, which leads to the solution that many online merchants have attempted to share this concern by investing in and building strong brands (for example: Amazon.com, eBay, Nganluong.vn, Chodientu.vn, etc), and by leveraging their feedback rating systems as well as e-commerce bonding solutions. All of those are attempts to assure customers that their transactions will be free of scams because the merchants can be trusted to provide reliable products and services. In addition to this, the major online payment merchanisms (credit cards, for instance) have also provided back-end buyer protections systems to address problems if they actually do occur. Xenophilia: The preference for foreign products always is a problem. Because of the development process of Vietnam and our inability to produce most high quality goods, specially technologically sophisticated products, Vietnamese customers tend to prefer buying from the more industrialized countries. This makes the development process of Vietnamese industries and commercial life of the people more impoverished. Developing countries as vietnam constitute over 70% of the worlds population, but only contribute about 12% of the worlds industrial production that often boost e-marketing in these economies. Why should this be the case, and who is to be blamed for the structural discrepancy and imbalance? What actions could Vietnam adopt to accelerate the pace of industrialization and the development in order to boost the tempo of e-marketing? It is generally felt that Vietnam locally-made goods are only for the poor, uneducated and those who are not fashionable, whilst the consumption of i mported goods and services is taken as a status symbol for the elite and affluent even when foreign products are of less quality when compared to similar Vietnamese high quality brands. This situation makes the growth of e-marketing and satisfaction of customers in Vietnam locally difficult; High cost of production: Internet marketing has suffered in most developing countries like Vietnam because virtually all production techniques are imported from the developed countries. The cost of acquiring equipments and other inputs used for production in Vietnam to boost e-marketing sometimes extremely difficult to buy. How can marketers resolve these problems? They certainly must have proper e-marketing strategies: The vital significance of developing an effective e-marketing strategy is indicated by Michael Porter (2001) who has said: The key question is not whether to deploy Internet technology, companies have no choice if they want to stay competitive, but how to deploy it. [6] An e-marketing strategy is needed to provide consistent direction for any organizations e-marketing activities that integrates with its other marketing activities and supports the overall objectives of the business. For most companies, the first attacks into online marketing is not the result of a well-defined, integrated e-strategy but rather a response to competitors activities and customers need. After establishing a site for a year or so, marketing staffs and senior managers in a company may question its efficiency. That is often the point where the need for a logical e- marketing strategy becomes apparent. As consequence, the starting point is when a company which has an existing site and it is reviewing the current site and its efficiency with a view to future improvements. There is no evidence to suggest that the approach to developing and implementing a strategy should be importantly different for e-marketing. Establish frameworks for corporated strategy development or strategic marketing planning, hence, should still be followed. Those frameworks provided a coherent continuation to follow which makes sure inclusion of all main activities of strategy development. It could be argued, neve rtheless, that with online marketing there is an even greater need for a highly responsive strategy process model where speedy reaction may occur to events in the market. In 2002, the economist Chaffey noted that e-business and e-marketing tend to use a three-stage model strategy [7]. They are: Strategic analysis: Continuous scanning of the micro and macro-environment of an organization which is required with particular emphases on the changing needs of the customers, actions and business models of competitor and opportunities afforded by new modern technologies. [8] Strategic objectives: Companies must have a clear vision that if digital media will accompaniment or alter other media and their capacity for change [9]. Clear objectives should be set and in particular goals for the online revenue contribution needed to be defined. Strategy implementation: Devising and executing tactics should be set to achieve strategic goals. This includes relaunching a website, opening promotive campaigns associated to the site and monitoring the efficiency of the site [10]. The above three-stage strategy mentioned to the effectiveness of the website in strategic management. Back to this subject, we can easily find out the crucial impact of the Internet and how it changes the traditional marketing in the aspects of segmentation, targeting, differentiation, positioning, product, price, distribution, intergrated marketing communication and customer relationship management. An e-marketing planning programme has 2 sides. The first is the part devoted to individual customers. The second is the business to business component. E-commerce programmes, advertising, sales online support and customer service are all factors of an online marketing programme. Parallel companies compete against one another whilst being only a click of the mouse away. In other words, with the internet the purchaser is able to locate plentiful sellers which sell similar merchandise, similar prices and similar offers in only a short time period. Since more and more people are comfortable with the internet, the marketing plans is likely to continue to educe soon in coming years. During the last decade, the use of the internet has exploded radically in both the consumer and business-to-business markets. Though experts still argue the future of the internet, nobody doubts it is having a great impact on how business is taking place in the 21st century. Here are details about the internet that highlight its extreme growth and presence in trends of the society: The most common products that customers search online and purchase at the store or outlet are car, computer, computer hardware, travel, electronics, books, music, sporting goods and clothing; In 2004, 10% of business-to-business advertising dollars were spent online, the total amount spent was 8.7 billion USD over the world; About 54% email users have responded to an e-mail advertisement, almost half purchased an item; Internet retail sales account for almost 2.5% of all retail global sales [11]. Many companies use the internet for their every business activity such as taking orders, sales programs, service departments, inventory control, communications plans, and production schedulingThe change from traditional communication channels to the internet occurred so quickly today. Marketers and consumers are among the first can get profits from the internet. Nowadays in marketplace, it is a trend to realize that the internet, namely websites, is becoming the communication tool of choice for many business-to-business companies. The internet provides opportunities for segmentation, targeting, differentiation, positioning, product, price, distribution, intergrated marketing communication and customer relationship management. How about the future of the e-marketing, e-business and e-commerce? E-commerce has grown by high jumps and continues to set new horizon line every year. As huge as Google is, it was created in 1998. Google how far have come to the world. Since the Internet continues to grow, the future potential of e-marketing is a much discussed subject. E-marketing is now rather messy but quickly in the near future remnants of the old, such as banner ads and email marketing, are clearly one their way out. In conclusion, the impact of the internet on marketing and industries has been clearly noted in todays world. The presence of the internet and e-commerce is so sweeping that the various applications of hi-tec technology are now crucial elements of a fully integrated marketing communications programme. In other words, the internet opens new horizon for todays marketing world. > Total word count: 2273 (Â ± 10%)

Deontological Moral Theory Essay -- essays research papers

Deontological moral theory is a Non-Consequentialist moral theory. While consequentialists believe the ends always justify the means, deontologists assert that the rightness of an action is not simply dependent on maximizing the good, if that action goes against what is considered moral. It is the inherent nature of the act alone that determines its ethical standing. For example, imagine a situation where there are four critical condition patients in a hospital who each need a different organ in order to survive. Then, a healthy man comes to the doctor’s office for a routine check-up. According to consequentialism, not deontology, the doctor should and must sacrifice that one man in order to save for others. Thus, maximizing the good. However, deontological thought contests this way of thinking by contending that it is immoral to kill the innocent despite the fact one would be maximizing the good. Deontologists create concrete distinctions between what is moral right and wron g and use their morals as a guide when making choices. Deontologists generate restrictions against maximizing the good when it interferes with moral standards. Also, since deontologists place a high value on the individual, in some instances it is permissible not to maximize the good when it is detrimental to yourself. For example, one does not need to impoverish oneself to the point of worthlessness simply to satisfy one’s moral obligations. Deontology can be looked at as a generally flexible moral theory that allows for self-interpretation but like all others theories studied thus far, there are arguments one can make against its reasoning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One objection to deontological moral theory is that the theory yields only absolutes and cannot always justify its standpoints. Actions are either classified as right or wrong with no allowance for a gray area. Furthermore, the strict guidelines tend to conflict with commonly accepted actions. For example, lying is always considered morally wrong--even a â€Å"white lie.† Therefore, one must not lie even if it does more good. In our society although individuals accept lying as being morally wrong, â€Å"white lies† have become an exception. Only having absolutes creates a theory that is extremely hard only to abide by, especially when deontological though permits you from making a choice when that choice would clearly be optimal... ...individual beliefs, one can form their own educated opinions regarding what kind of action he should take. Morals are also not always concrete. Relativist thought contends each group of people may contain different morals. From that opinion, one may assert that morals themselves are not absolute. Still, deontological moral theory provides a strong base for making correct decisions. There are few realistic exceptions to the theory and one can easily notice when an exception is to be made.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So, knowing that deontology creates a valuable beginning for a strong moral theory, one can simply interpret the theory less strictly. Deontology can be a quite appealing theory when not taken so literally. Clearly, one has morals they consider more important than others. If the theory is adjust for this idea, the notion of moral dilemmas is eliminated and one would be allowed to lie if it saved lives. Deontology when looked at loosely is simply a moral theory that says we have morals and we need to consider them when making decisions. Therefore, one may conclude that the overall principles or deontology are correct and that this moral theory should not be dismissed.