Operations Management: Technology and Operations Essay

Effective operations management is one of the most important factors relating to the sucess or in some cases failures of an organisation or company †because markets are volatile and demand uncertain, it is imperative that organisations become more responsive† (Christopher, M 2005:142 ) Because of this; organistaions are becoming heavily reliant on technology to perform duties that simply, because of the scale of operations, are not efficient to do ‘by hand’ . In order to remain competitive, organisations need to respond to the five main objectives of Operations which are : Speed, Flexibility, Dependability, quality and cost. The type of market is the decider of which of these objectives take priority. The aim of this assignment, using several different sources, is to provide an analysis of the technology available in different areas of operations and to provide a commentary on how they are acheiving the goals companies are employing them for. In the retail sector, technology is at the forefront of a smooth and successful operation. Customers will always see their time as a commodity therefore it is important that their experience at the store is as seamless as can be. In this consumerist age that we live in, customers are demanding a lot more from retailers. For example; customers expect that if they give their details once, they will be recorded ‘on the system’ which eliminates the need for them to produce them again. One of the methods used to aid this is the Electronic Point Of Sale system. Initially introduced to automatically tally the total of goods purchased, EPOS systems have evolved to be multifuntional and serve many purposes. Fashion jewellery retailer Swarovski are one of the many companys that use such a system. Initially, the programme used by Swarovski was a DOS based one called Retail Pro. By definition of RetailPro.Com (2011) †Retail Pro provides retail software for point of sale and retail management that helps retailers around the world operate more effectively, with a greater return on their technology investment.† This system however was not able to cope with their expansion as a company and according to a member of staff in the I.T. Department † it was becoming ‘Increasingly difficult to manage and was requiring more human intervention than was justifiable for the price’. (Stewart Pender. 2011). In May 2011, Swarovski swithched to a more advanced EPOS system that was able to efficiently manage their Point Of Sale (POS), Merchandising, Store operations and inventory control with a higher level efficiency and dependability at a lower cost. Micros was the new software introduced to Swarovski to improve efficiency and aid smoother operations. This new system also meant that their inventory control was now fully automated and linked directly to the EPOS. Micros designed their Micros X-Store to be able to monitor stock levels. Once an item is scanned on the EPOS sytem, unbeknownst to the customer the system interacts with the SAP (a global computer system to which Swarovski have access) to communicate that the item has been sold, therefore stock levels are now down by one. This occurs in Swarovski everytime an item is sold up until the cut off time, which is monday afternoon. Once the afternoon comes, the Mircos X-Store system culminates all the data it has gathered over the week and works out the ideal quantity of each individual item to re order against current inventory levels. Once this has been done, the sytems sends the order to head office where it can then be forwarded to the warehouse for picking and delivery. The automated re ordering improves lead times and overall speed of stock replenishment times. Aside from the merchandising aspect, the Micros X-Store is capable of handling human resource functions. It can manage employee reproductivity reports, employee borrow function (temporarily assigning collegues to other stores) and organise and manage customer information. Working from a fully automated warehouse the SCP Sytem receives the orders and begins to work on store specific order fufilment . Firstly, the order goes through what is called the ‘Schaefer Pack Pattern Generator’ (SPPG) which based on many complex alogarithyms, determines the optimum weight and height for the finished pallate depending on the weight and amzingly ‘stackability’ of the individual items in the order. By doing this, the SPPG can reduce the amount of pallates needing therefeore havign a direct positive impact on shipping and transport costs. As well as all of this, the SPPG generates a ‘pallate building plan’. This plan enables the next system to pick the items in the most logical sequence in relation to time and allows the items to be placed on the pallate in a ‘store friendly sequence’. By organising items into a store friendly sequence, the person unloading the items at the store does not need to spend time wandering back and forth as the items would have been palatised in respect to the store. Already a seemingly small software package has had an incredible impact on the effectiveness , efficiency and cost by †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Fully utilising maximum height and weight permittance by achieveing optimium packaging density †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Forecasting item positioning as to reduce damage to goods †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Positioning goods correctly for optimum stability during transport. After the SPPG has done its job, another programme; Schaefer Case Picking (SCP) sytem comes in. The SCP is an automated picking system that actualises the work of the SPPG. Once it has received teh orders from the SPPG, the SCP goes about selecting the goods in order. As aforementioned, the goods are selected in the most time effeicent was as to once again improve efficiency and reduce manual labour costs. As the sytems uses an optical identification known as ‘ the vision system’, there is no need for RFID Identification tags that are very common and popular in the industry, but can be rather expensive. As the goods are selected, they are placed into a buffer area until all the goods for that order have been selected. When selection is complete the items are then placed onto the pallet in the ‘store friendly order’ as calculated by the SPPG. Once complete, the pallets are then stretch wrapped which makes them optimised in terms of goods vs density and secure for transit. The flexibility they have means that the customer’s best interests are always kept at heart and they can avoid any disruption to service by having a multitude of couriers to choose from.   One of the couriers that ASOS use is CitySprint. Based in the UK, CitySprint specialise in same and next day delivery. When an order is placed with ASOS, it is packaged by hand in the warehouse and taken to the collection point. ‘Despite increasing automation, people are still essential in most operating systems’. (Wild, R. 2005 243) From the minute it is picked up by the courier the customer has the option to track it from warehouse to their front door. By scanning the bar code of the parcel, the courier is ‘accepting the job’ and it is ready for despatch. As soon as the order has been despatched, the customer is e-mailed a unique tracking I.D., Which will allow them to follow the journey of their item(s). CourierLocator, which is CitySprint’s own technology, is what allows all of this to be possible. Every courier carries a small hand held GPS enabled device called a CityTrackker. Small but powerful, the CityTrackker’s; using CitySprint bespoke technology and a network of anywhere up to 24 satellites wirelessly transmits live real-time information on the couriers location (including latitude and longitude) back to the FleetMapper (A system that depicts the location of all ‘on call’ couriers). On request, the client (in this case ASOS) can request information on several different couriers anywhere in the UK at the click of a mouse. This kind of technology also puts the customer at the forefront of operations. By logging onto either their ASOS account, or the CitySprint website directly, the customer is able to also see the exact real-time location of the courier delivering their parcel. With such methods, ASOS; using CitySprint’s technology, is giving the customer more flexibility and a heightened sense of dependability by putting them in what seems to be control of the delivery process.

New Ending to the Adventures Essay

My Ending Huck has to decide if he wants to be part of society or completely against it Huck has to choose if he wants to travel in Indian terrority or have a family and live with aunt sally. Jim is free and aunt sally offers him and his family a job to work around the farm Huck decided to stay with aunt sally Why I did what I did  Huckleberry Finn was a good book because twain was trying to make a huck an independent character who went against society’s unwritten rules (examples: did not want to be civilized helped a slave lied a lot etc) however I felt that huck s character development lacked in the end of the book. Huck never really had much of a family. Throughtout the novel he stayed at the hypocrctal ms Watson s place or his drunk father’s place I wanted huck to finally have a really good family to grow up in and be surrounded by people who love and care for him. He made a connection to jim and aunt sally and he didn’t want to let go of that. Chapter 43: a paid free slave, adventures or a home, yours truly, Huck Finn When I got Tom by myself, I asked him what purpose was had of the plan he made and why he never went ahead and warned me Jim was free in the first place. Tom replied by saying I hadn’t had no idea how to have a good time and I would have spoiled the whole thing by calling the plan unreasonable. I reckoned he was probably right but I didn’t admit it out loud. Aunt Sally was being awfully nice to Jim after she found out all the trouble he went though and how nice he treated Tom. He got all he wanted to eat and uncle Silas was so nice he offered Jim a job at the farm. Well I never did see a slave so joyful. He started babbling to me about how his hair ball was right and it predicted he be making some money. Tom he was heading back home and told me we ought to have another one these adventures soon. As for me I was planning on heading out to the Indian Territory for my next adventure. Yet Aunt Sally reckoned I’d stay with her. She wanted to adopt me and I weren’t so sure that I was against the idea. I wasn’t too fond of being civilized but Aunt Sally ain’t so bad and I shouldn’t be saying this but I’d miss that feller Jim. I think they care about me and I guess I care about them too. I figure I’ll try this thing out but I don’t guarantee I’ll be staying. I might be gone by t’morry. One thing for sure I won’t be writing no more. Writing this book was enough trouble I ain’t planning on doing it again. Yours truly Huck Finn.

Looking Glass Self Essay

In the most basic terms the Looking Glass self is your self image which is formed by the views others hold of you. These views the people around you have can have either a positive or negative effect on your self imagine. First we picture how our personality and appearance will come off to others, and then we think about how they will judge our personality and appearance. As people around us pass judgment on who we are this is when our self-concept develops, basically who we think we are and how we feel about ourselves as a whole. These judgments’ can have a powerful effect on ones beliefs and feelings about themselves. I’ve felt and been effected by the beliefs another person has about me. When I was in the 8th grade I thought I was a wonderful student, smart, well behaved. I felt as though my teachers all thought the same way. Then one day my homeroom teacher called me stupid for missing a homework assignment. To be called out in front of the class like that was horrifying. Though that wasn’t the only time an incidence like that occurred. In the 9th grade I struggled with math. I did poorly on tests, I already lacked confidence in the subject and it took one day with a substitute teacher to shatter it completely. I will never forget the words she said to me â€Å"Why can’t you finish the test? Are you stupid? † As child of any age, those words are damaging to the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think others perceive you. â€Å"Tell a child he’s stupid enough times and eventually he’ll start believing you, claims Benj Vardigan, with the Behavioral Institute. When a child makes mistakes or doesn’t understand a concept, his knee-jerk reaction may be to conclude that he’s stupid. Take that one step further and watch a child stop trying to understand or stop trying to learn a concept because he automatically assumes he can’t figure it out. † (Hatter) In A Class Divided on of the first examples of looking glass self that I picked up on was when the children came back in from recess after fighting. Mrs. Elliot asks â€Å"What’s wrong with being called brown eyes? † and a little  boy, Roy, says â€Å"It means we’re stupider and – well, not that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It’s immediate how the effect of this experiment took hold. These children took to heart what their teacher, Mrs. Elliot had said, that brown eyed children are less than blue eyed children, they aren’t as smart or as well behaved. In the first day of the lesson the effects on their peers perception of them had caused so much turmoil that it caused one child to hit another, clearly the negative aspect of looking glass. In the Teaching Adults section, Mrs. Elliott describes how she gave tests before during and after the lesson on discrimination. Telling the audience that the student test scores raise on the day they are on top, scores drop when they are on the bottom and after the experiment the children’s testing scores maintain a higher level. She attributed this to the children discovering how good they are. I believe instilling a positive self-imagine in a child is one of the most important things a parent, or teacher can do. â€Å"Whether self-concept is positive or negative can influence important areas of a child’s development and achievement. Educators have recognized that there is a link between self-concept and performance in school. Students with a strong self-concept tend to have good grades and take an active role in school. They are able to accept challenges and enjoy new learning experiences. Students with a negative self-concept tend to have both attitude and behavior problems. They may be unwilling to try new things, because they believe they will fail anyway, or they may not work up to their potential. Some educators feel that a positive self-concept is so important that children need to be taught to like themselves before they are taught academic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics. † (Myers-Walls and Hinkley)

Managing and Leading Strategic Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing and Leading Strategic Change - Essay Example Literature Review Henry Mintzberg in his famous research papers has pointed out three important characteristics of strategic change management. Discussing three characteristics of strategic change management will help me to understand key driving forces like leadership, learning and communication for change process. This discussion will create a link between academic theories with leadership issues in P&G during their change management process. Strategic Management versus Strategic Thinking Organizations use strategic management to operate business and control functional aspects of various departments while leaders’ use strategic thinking is synthesizing root maps to achieve organizational objectives. Strategic thinking played vital role for change process in P&G. Strategic Management Requires New Initiatives Leaders planning for strategic management need to think out of the box in order to incorporate breakthrough change. Informal learning should be encouraged in order to ach ieve sustainable change management. Research scholars have found that rearranging older concepts in order to accomplish change management often produces failure due to dynamic nature of strategic management. P&G had successfully used the concept of informal learning to accomplish the required change business model. Fallacy of Detachment Senior managers often fail to detect key issues of strategic change management due to various reasons such as complete detachment with employees of the organization, lack of communication with subordinates (Mintzberg, 1994). P&G had successfully mitigated the probability of detachment in order to achieve objective of change management. In accordance to research scholars strategic change management actually... From the discussion it is clear that organizations use strategic management to operate business and control functional aspects of various departments while leaders’ use strategic thinking is synthesizing root maps to achieve organizational objectives. Strategic thinking played vital role for change process in P&G.This paper discusses that leaders planning for strategic management need to think out of the box in order to incorporate breakthrough change. Informal learning should be encouraged in order to achieve sustainable change management. Research scholars have found that rearranging older concepts in order to accomplish change management often produces failure due to dynamic nature of strategic management. P&G had successfully used the concept of informal learning to accomplish the required change business model. Senior managers often fail to detect key issues of strategic change management due to various reasons such as complete detachment with employees of the organizatio n, lack of communication with subordinates. P&G had successfully mitigated the probability of detachment in order to achieve objective of change management.  Many organisations have achieved successful strategic change management due to leadership quality. The concept of strategic change management is multi dimensional in terms of organizational impact, variation of objective, dynamics of leadership and other management issues.

Urban Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Urban - Essay Example Many cities are founded based on industrialization and/or trade since with many industries there for labor arises, leading to people migrating to towns; these people will require housing education and medical services. This leads to centralization of services this bringing them close to employees, and their families. This spawns a range of business to service the needs of the inhabitants, because of the industries, there is also the demand for non-skilled labor, and the workers are often not well educated and poorly paid. As a result, they cannot afford the expensive housing and end up living in informal settlements or slums and shantytowns especially in third world countries. However, urban areas are centers of administrative government with their central location allowing them to be accessed by people from anywhere. They are also centers of entertainment with many fun spots such as discos, casinos and nightclubs being located in urban area. However, cities also create a breeding ground for a plethora of crimes mostly because of competition for limited resources these include; muggings and robbery, and self-destructive activities such as drug use and other unhealthy recreational activities as people try to escape their problems in a place far away from their

Petro-Canada's Total Compensation Strategy and Program Research Paper

Petro-Canada's Total Compensation Strategy and Program - Research Paper Example So, the creation of petro Canada was a part of his dream of self-sufficient Canada. The creation of the petro Canada goes back to the year 1973 when the world found Arabs having huge reservoirs of oil were badly engaged in the bloody wars and the prices of oil went to the sky (Forster, 1993). The province of Canada, Alberta had plenty of the oil reserves which were controlled by an American corporation. This was the time when the Chinese president and the opposition felt the sheer need of the time of establishing a Canadian corporation which could control major part of the oil trade. The resident wanted the American corporation to spend more amount of the oil supply to Canada and les to be the states of America while the business was going on reverse. So, 1975 was the year of birth of the Canadian corporation petro Canada. This angered the western world (Greene, 2010). The company kept on working as the one of the Canada’ s largest corporation and fulfilling almost 40% of the Canadian domestic and industrial needs. The idea of the petro Canadian as a powerful tool however was not liked by the liberals who were against the establishment of the corporation and wanted to sell it off (IGI, 2009). 1988 was an important year in the history of the petro Canada; it was the time when the government tried to represent the corporation as a symbol of the Canadian nationalism though Olympic bid. This was the high time for the petro Canada to get popular inside and outside Canada. With the coming years, the corporation made its grounds firm by purchasing few of the world’s famous oil brands and suppliers however the services of oil and gas refinery were got by British Petroleum Canada (Forster, 1993). 1980 was the year of the changing history of petro Canada. This was the time when liberals came in power and with their authority in the government, the energy issue was raised. They stopped the idea of making petro Canada as a symbol of Canadian nationalism and m ade it just to compete with the oil companies in private sector (Shields, 2007). Soon the corporation saw its deterioration and the government decided to privatize petro Canada. In 1991 the shares were sold in the open market while keeping 19% in the company. The shares price fell dramatically and the company suffered a drastic loss with many employees being laid off (Forster, 1993). In 2009, it was merged with Suncor and now it is owned by it while the brand is used nationwide. It has owned refineries in Quebec, Alberta and Montreal. Its major projects were White Rose, Hibernia and Terra Nova (IGI, 2011). It was 2006 when the company decided to enter in the mobile market and launched a prepaid service known as Petro Canada Mobility. In 2009, it decided to open fast food restaurants and provided the services of car wash with drive thru. Its offered services also include car repair service which is known as Certigard Car Repair. The Suncor ownership has surely brought a changed envir onment while entering in the open race of competition and brings the services to increase its customer market. Petro Canada has though been privatized yet it still symbolizes the Chinese president’s dream of all being independent (Greene, 2010). Petro-Canada For entry level positions Like any other company, the level of

Sports Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sports Communications - Essay Example As jet air travel globalized sport, the distinction between the best amateur and the professional players became impossible to maintain; even the Olympic movement abandoned founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin's original devotion to amateurism. Still debatable is whether the quantitative change in the number of viewers of television has completely changed the quality of the sporting experience. Do children, for instance, deliberately emulate the petulant and violent player behavior they often see on television, ignoring the coaches who try to instill principles of fair play Do most coaches, at all levels, put winning before the health and welfare of their players Have international players become simply pawns in the hands of the media industry Or has television simply opened up electronic seats for fans and made it impossible for sportswriters and commentators to glorify people and events those fans can now see for themselves Has media money justified itself by providing training and competing opportunities for those who had previously been excluded from sports they could not afford to learn What is certain is that some sports have always been "more equal than others"; fans choose to what they will give their allegiance. The media can create or increase temporary interest in specific events, but unless what the media discuss or show is rooted in more than the event itself, interest evaporates. Swimming While a complex, rapidly developing sport may be expected to generate many internal problems, synchro's main controversy, "sport or theater," is generated externally, by media that are unwilling to consider as "sport" anything not meeting the "swifter, higher, stronger" standard. But even Sports Illustrated, despite normally less than flattering reviews, admitted in its report on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, "Synchronized swimmers may look like cupcakes, but they're tough cookies, half the routine is performed upside down in a pool" (Dawn Bean 128). Its water-show beginnings still haunt it. The idea that water ballet is show, while synchronized swimming is sport, has been hard to sell to swimming officials, the public, and the media. Its acceptance into the Olympic Games came only after Lord Killanin, then chair of the International Olympic Committee, saw it for himself at the third World Aquatic Championships. "I am very impressed. I saw synchronized swimming for the first time to day. It is a very elegant sport" (Dawn Bean 197). Synchro enjoys more popularity and acceptance as a sport in parts of the world outside the United States. In every Olympic competition, 1984 through 1996, it has been one of the first sports to sell out all audience tickets. Another issue is male participation. Interestingly, at the turn of the century competitions in the equivalent of figures were for males. Then the beautiful spectaculars of aquacades and films accented the female attraction. Early U.S. competitions included male championships, but they were never popular. Neither U.S. nor international rules prohibit male participation except for the Olympic Games and the World Aquatic Championships. Presently, male participation is greater in Europe than in the United States and Canada. Indeed, in 1991, the

Analyse the causes of the Credit Crunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyse the causes of the Credit Crunch - Essay Example What is also significant to understand that the current crises are not just the result of the subprime mortgage crises but encompass different other reasons which have necessarily increased the overall severity of the crises. Further, banks also started to repossess the homes taken as collateral against the subprime mortgage loans which resulted into the decline in the prices of real estate. Credit Crunch is defined as a sudden decrease in the available funds for the purpose of lending and as such the credit crunch that resulted into US and spread to other countries includes a drastic reduction in the credit extended to private sector as well as consumers. The apparent reason for this credit crunch is subprime mortgage crises however; there are three major reasons that are often cited as the key reasons behind the overall credit crunch experienced by the developed world. Banks are considered as the main actors behind the current credit crunch episode due to their imprudent lending policies. Over the period of time, banks started to lend to those borrowers who had relatively high credit risk however, due to their higher credit risk, they also offered an opportunity to earn higher returns. In order to increase their profitability, banks and other financial institutions therefore started to lend to subprime borrowers in mortgage markets. What is however, important to understand that the banks, in order to recoup their lost liquidity, started to bundle these subprime mortgage loans into mortgage backed securities and sold them in secondary markets. The problems aroused when subprime borrowers started to default on their payments and banks have to take other funds to payback their obligations against mortgage backed securities. The process of securitization therefore further aggravated the situation. This is because of the fact that the funds that were available for the lending were used

What is terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What is terrorism - Essay Example There are many other similar definitions of terrorisms used by scholars and research institutions and thus, there isn`t a consensus on the exact definition as yet. Thus, it may be concluded that it is not an easy task to define it with one single definition. In fact, the true definition of terrorism can be given by looking at the nature of conflict and role of media. Since both of these are determining factors for classifying an act as a terrorist activity or the war of freedom it is crucial to study various definitions and thus find out recurring patterns. Thus, despite of the variety of definitions, there are some factors that are common to all of them (Duncan 2013). These factors are: b) Perpetrator: constitutes the person who is responsible for the terrorist attack. It can be anyone; even the state itself uses violence against its own public which is referred to as state terrorism c) Motive: in other words the aim of the terrorist attack. There is always a goal behind any terrorist activity which may be political or social. In the absence of any such motive, the act is not a terrorist attack, it is simply a crime. d) Victims: Who is a victim of terrorist activity is a very controversial issue. According to many definitions of terrorism, victim is generally the common people. Terrorists’ activities are carried on the masses in order to pressurize the government of that particular country. The term terrorism was first coined during the French revolution in 1790`s for the insurgents using violence against the state (Lacqueur 1977). However, over the years, such terrorist groups have been found inflicting violence if different forms all over the world. The concept of terrorism was historically treated as religious extremism, i.e. religious extremism could interchangeably be used for terrorism. One of the aspects

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS - Assignment Example The perception that the good teacher turnover rate gives is that lessons are conducted accordingly. â€Å"Grade 3 performance in English language recorded a commendable positive growth in 2012 compared to the results in 2011. We are happy teachers have been responsible in their class attendance. We are also hopeful that the district will record improved performances in the next few years,† Albany City School District’s head of teachers union said while referring to the 3% performance growth in 2012 compared to 2011. â€Å"We rejoice that there is an upward trend tax cuts and funding for schools in this district. This is a realization of the fourth consecutive improvement in district education financing in the district budget,† Executive Director of the state’s School Board Association, Tom Kremer noted. School district budget proposals in the category of students with disabilities in Albany City School District helped in recording high numbers of the students registered in schools compared to the percentage (40%) that were not registered as of October 2011. â€Å"That said,† he adds, â€Å"registration of physically challenged students is very high.† Tom Kremer has joined the chorus of stakeholders who believe that districts are focused at catching up with the effects of cuts initiated by the recession of 2008. As is often the situation, several interest groups have also added education funds after negotiations. For example, the governor had proposed a total of $806 million increase that finally ended up in a hike of about $1.1 billion. The budget will to the school districts in Albany were valued at $89 million. The effects of these are enormous; the overall numbers of all students have increased looking at the ‘Student Group Results’ between 2011 and 2012. Helen Brook, a high school student, in one of the schools in Albany City wanted to move to a neighboring school within the region. She was after

Rotator cuff tear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Rotator cuff tear - Essay Example The shoulder (Mercier 28-29) is composed of three bones: the scapula,, the clavicle and the humerus. The scapula is a thin bone that articulates widely and closely with the posterior chest wall. It also articulates with the humerus by way of a small, shallow, glenoid cavity and with the clavicle at the acromion process. The clavicle and scapula are suspended from the cervical and thoracic vertebrae by the trapezius, levator scapula, and rhomboid muscles. Four articulations constitute the shoulder joint: the glenohumeral, scapulothoracic, acromioclavicular, and sternoclavicular joints. The stability of these joints is provided by a series of ligaments and muscles. Motion of the arm results from the coordinated efforts of several muscles. With the irritation of shoulder motion, the scapula is first stabilized. The muscles of the rotator (musculotendinous) cuff then steady the humeral head in the glenoid cavity and cause it to descent. Elevation of the arm results from a combination of scapulothoracic and glenohumeral joint movements. One third of total shoulder abduction is provided by forward and lateral movement of the scapula. The remaining two thirds occurs at the glenohumeral joint through progressively increasing activity of the deltoid and supraspinatus muscles. Thus, even in the complete absence of glenohumeral motion, scapulothoracic movement can still abduct the arm approximately 600 to 700. The muscle of the rotator cuff (supraspinatus, teres minor, infraspinatus, subscapularis) are separated from the overlying "coracoacromial arch" by two bursae, the subdeltoid and the subcoracoid. These bursae frequently communicate and are affected by lesions of the musculotendinous cuff, acromioclavicular joint, and adjacent structures. They are frequently referred to as the subacromial bursa. Primary diseases of this bursa are rare, although secondary involvement is quite common. The shoulder (Matt, July 23, 2002) is made up of three bones: the scapula (shoulder blade), the humerus (upper arm bone), and the clavicle (collar bone). The rotator cuff connects the humerus to the scapula. The rotator cup is formed by the tendons of four muscles: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. Tendons attach muscle to the bones. Muscles move the bones by pulling on the tendons. The rotator cuff helps raise and rotate the arm. As the arm is raised, the rotator cuff also keeps the humerus tightly in the socket of the scapula. The upper part of the scapula that makes up the roof of the shoulder is called acromion, A bursa is located between the acromion and the rotator cuff tendons. A bursa is a lubricated sac of tissue that cuts down on the friction between two moving parts. Bursae are located all over the body where tissue must rub against each other. In this case, the bursa protects the acromion and the rotator cuff from grinding against each other. The Encyclopedia of Medicine explained the movements of the shoulder joint as follows: "The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint which allows 3600 of movement to give maximum flexibility. In addition to enabling these movements, the muscles of the pectoral girdle add stability. The movements

First day of middle school Essay Example for Free

First day of middle school Essay I WAS VERY NERVOUS WHEN I GOT ON THE BUS BECAUSE I DIDN’T KNOW ANYBODY. I NOTICED ONE GIRL FROM MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BUT SHE DIDN’T TALK TO ME FOR TWO DAYS. WHILE I WAS ON THE BUS I INTRODUCED MYSELF TO A BOY NAMED TOMMIE AND WE BECAME FRIENDS. EVERY SINCE I SPOKE THAT DAY, TOMMIE AND HAVE BEEN CLOSE. WE HAVE EACH OTHERS BACK WITH CLASS WORK AND HOMEWORK. DURING LUNCH TOMMIE SAVED ME A SEAT, OUR LOCKERS ARE CLOSE BY EACH OTHER AND WE HAVE SEVERAL CLASSES TOGETHER. I STARTED TO LOOSEN UP AS THE DAY PROGRESSED BECAUSE I REALIZED. MIDDLE SCHOOL IS NOT ALL THAT BAD. MY FIRST PERIOD TEACHER SCARED ME BECAUSE SHE HAD ADEEPVOICE THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. NOW THAT TIME IS PASSING IM MEETING MORE FRIENDS, MORE FRIENDLY TEACHERS AND STAFF. I HAVE LEARNED MY SCHEDULE WHICH IS DIVIDED INTO TWO DAYS ADAYAND B DAY. I LEARNED HOW TO DO THINGS IN A TIMELY MATTER BECAUSE WE CANT BE LATE TO CLASS OR THE BUS. IM STARTING TO SHOW MORE RESPONABLITIES SINCE ENROLLING IN BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE ACADEMY egg pupa larva GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY. This placeholder text includes tips to help you quickly format your report and add other elements, such as a chart, diagram, or table of contents. You might be amazed at how easy it is. LOOK GREAT EVERY TIME †¢Need a heading? On the Home tab, in the Styles gallery, just click the heading you want. Notice other styles in that gallery as well, such as for a quote or a numbered list. †¢You might like the photo on the cover page as much as we do, but if it’s not ideal for your report, right-click it and then click Change Picture to add your own. †¢Adding a professional-quality graphic is a snap. In fact, when you add a chart or a SmartArt diagram from the Insert tab, it automatically matches the look of your report. GIVE IT THAT FINISHING TOUCH Need to add a table of contents or a bibliography? No sweat. ADD A TABLE OF CONTENTS It couldn’t be easier to add a table of contents to your report. Just click in the document where you want the TOC to appear. Then, on the References tab, click Table of Contents and then click one of the Automatic options. When you do, the TOC is inserted and text you formatted using Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 styles is automatically added to it. ADD A BIBLIOGRAPHY On the References tab, in the Citations Bibliography group, click Insert Citation for the option to add sources and then place citations in the document. 2 When you’ve added all the citations you need for your report, on the References tab, click Bibliography to insert a formatted bibliography in your choice of styles. And you’re done. Nice work!

Ethics and professional behavior

Ethics and professional behavior Ethics and professional behavior are an important part of criminal justice administration. Ethics is referred to as what is right or wrong and your moral principles. Criminal justice administration are faced with ethical issues every day and must deal with this ethical issues in a professional manner. The administration in criminal justice especially the policing administration struggle with ethics and professional behavior in certain situations and may find it difficult to handle. The criminal justice administration has the obligation of making moral judgments of what is right or wrong and must be done professionally and with the use of critical thinking. This paper will analyze the relationship between ethics and professional behavior and the role critical thinking plays in the relationship of ethics and professional behavior. Because law enforcement plays a big role in ethics and professional behavior I will propose a training seminar for law enforcement. Not only are the consequences of unethical acts by criminal justice professionals quite serious, but there are also many possibilities for conflicts to arise in the area of criminal justice, which can lead to unethical decisions and behaviors (Ozyasar, n.d.). Criminal justice administration is the influence in society and ethics and professional behavior must be practiced at all times. When criminal justice administration is unethical and lacks professional behavior society loses faith in the criminal justice system. Good ethics bring on professional behavior. Ethics and professional behavior are related because they both need each other. Without ethics there would not be professional behavior and professional behavior would not exist without ethics. Law enforcement plays a big part in criminal justice administration. Police officers must have good ethics and use professional behavior at all times. Society looks at police officers as the ones who protect and serve. Ethics are importa nt in law enforcement and usually good ethics brings on professional behavior from law enforcement as well as other administrations in criminal justice. Unethical behavior by the criminal justice system harms society weakening our beliefs in them. Members of the criminal justice system make extremely critical decisions every day and their choices have a profound effect on our lives (Ozyasar, n.d.). Critical thinking plays an important role with regard to ethics and professional behavior. In order for the criminal justice administration to use good ethics and professional behavior they need to think critically. Law enforcement, courts, and corrections rely on critical thinking to make good decisions. Law enforcement must use critical thinking to determine if a law has been broken, how to respond, and when to make an arrest (Ozyasar, n.d.). When law enforcement thinks critically this will bring out good ethics and professional behavior. When law enforcement does not first think critic ally they respond to quickly without first thinking about ethics and acting in a professional manner and may arrest the wrong person and let the real criminal go. The courts also rely on critical thinking to oversee legal proceedings and determine a final decision on a case (Ozyasar, n.d.). Prosecution and defense attorneys as well rely on critical thinking in preparing and arguing for or against the accused party (ozyasar, n.d.). Without critical thinking the courts may have a difficult time determining if the accused in fact really committed the crime. The court system administration takes in a lot of information and must first think critically before making a decision. Critical thinking must come first in order for the court system to act ethically and in a professional manner. Corrections and parole officers rely on critical thinking to evaluate the progress of individuals, sponsor reductions in sentences and maintain order within prison facilities (Ozyasar, n.d.). Corrections a nd parole officers are faced with dangerous situations many times and need to think critically in order to deal with the situation ethically and professionally. Criminal justice administration individuals all have their own ethics and behavior. Although sometimes everyone has different ethics they must set aside their beliefs and make the right decision regardless of their feelings in the situation. Good ethical and professional behavior is important in criminal justice administration and in order for this to happen critical thinking is needed. Law enforcement is faced with ethical dilemmas every day and it is important that they handles these situations by first thinking critically so that they can do their job ethically and professionally. I feel that law enforcement needs ethical training because they deal with so many different situations and how they react to these situations need to be done ethically and with professional behavior. Ethics training for law enforcement helps them to readily recognize an ethical problem or dilemma, identify various options to address the particular issue involved, make a rational and ethically sound choice of which option to choose, take prompt action based upon that choice, and accept responsibility for the outcome (Gleason, 2006). The seminar would stress some particular areas of ethical conduct that I feel are important. The first area of ethical conduct would be law enforcement using their authority ethically and professionally. I choose this particular area because it is very common for police officers to take their authority to extreme. Certain situations can cause law enforcement to act without thinking and they throw their ethics and professional behavior to the side. Training law enforcement to control their authority will help them uphold a good reputation for themselves as well as the agency and give the community faith in the officer and to not be afraid of that officer or any officer in the agency. Another area of ethical behavior that would be stressed is law enforcement performing their duties without the influence of a person’s sex or color. Regardless of a criminal’s race or sex law enforcement should treat them as they would anyone else. In certain situations a police officer needs to put their opinion aside and treat the person ethically and in a professional manner. Training the officer in this area will help them treat everyone equally and the community will feel like they have an unbiased law enforcement agency. Another area of ethics would be law enforcement should treat their fellow employees and the community with respect. Law enforcement should act ethically towards everyone and uphold professional behavior at all times. Training officers to do this helps them to be a role model for their agency as well as the community. Another area of ethical behavior I feel that needs to be stressed in the seminar would be that under any circumstances should law en forcement except gifts or bribes from anyone in the community or in the agency. It would be unethical and unprofessional for any police officer. In the seminar I would also stressed the importance of honesty by law enforcement. Honesty would consist of withholding evidence would be immoral and unprofessional. Our communities need to feel that they can trust our law enforcement and feel safe. Law enforcement effectiveness depends upon community respect and confidence (FDLE, n.d.). Therefore law enforcement must be proficient in ethical conduct and be professional at all times. Police officers are held to a higher standard of behavior by society, because they are stewards of the public trust and are empowered to apply force and remove constitutional privileges when lawfully justified. They take an oath of office, are expected to comply with professional code of ethics, and are subject to various laws, rules, and regulations (Gleason, 2006). Therefore I feel that my proposal for ethics training for law enforcement is necessary because of the expectations and requirements that law enforcement has to uphold professional behavior a nd code of ethics. In order for our criminal justice administration to function properly a clear understanding of ethics and professional behavior is needed. Due to the power and prestige and because of the nature of problems they must deal with, the members of the criminal justice system often face serious conflicts and need a guiding light, which is precisely what a code of ethics provides (Ozyasar, n.d.). In order for the criminal justice administration to display good ethics and professional behavior they must first think critically. The decisions that the criminal justice administration make are critical and they must first have to think about their decision and act ethically and with professional behavior. Law enforcement is faced with many dilemmas that require them to make critical decisions and must make these decisions ethically. Law enforcement training in ethical conduct can help officers do their jobs professionally and show the community they are doing their jobs ethic ally and with professional behavior. Ethics, professional behavior, and critical thinking are the most important roles in our criminal justice administration. References Ozyasar, H. (n.d.). Why is ethics important in criminal justice. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_6386561_ethics-important-criminal-justice_.html Baer, A. (n.d.). How critical thinking relates to criminaljustice. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/facts_7370099_critical-thinking-relates-criminal-justice.html Gleason, T. (2006). Ethics training for police. Retrieved from http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_archarticle_id=1054issue_id=112006 Florida department of law enforcement. (n.d.). officer requirements. Retrieved from http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/CJST/Menu/Officer-Requirements-Main-Page/LE-Ethical-Standards-of-Conduct.aspx

The Great Depression: Causes and Effects

The Great Depression: Causes and Effects It has been observed that the modern world has never experienced an economic crisis as severe as the `Great Depression. The term was first coined in the United States to describe the economic collapse that, by 1931, had shattered the US economy and Americans faith in the future. Europe and the rest of the world were also badly hit, and while they first called the crisis `a slump, in time the label `Great Depression was adopted on both sides of the Atlantic to describe this unprecedented global economic crisis.[1] The ramifications of the 1890’s depression were circumscribed by comparison with the Great Depression. In the 1930’s, national economies were sorely tested and shaken to their foundations. Economic and social statistics unequivocally attest to the chronic condition of national economies in industrialised nations during the period of 1929-1939. McGovern presents the figures, which characterise 1933 in the USA.[2] The most serious failure in terms of its human consequences was, of course, unemployment. According to official figures, this peaked in 1933 at 12.8 million or 25% of the workforce, figures that barely changed in 1934 after one year of the Roosevelt administration when 11.3 million were jobless, still nearly 22% of available workers. 11 Expert advisors to the government calculated even higher numbers for 1933, with monthly unemployment averaging 13.1 million. March 1933 was the nadir for the entire 1930s, with 15 million, nearly 30%, out of work. Since unemployed workers usually had families exclusively dependent on them, between 40 and 50 million Americans were without regular job income during the most severe period of the Depression. Another large number of workers with dependents, (larger even than the number unemployed), were forced to work with reduced income as part-time workers. Furthermore, the period of 1932-1933 is universally described as a dire state for nations and entities such as USA, Europe and Australia, indeed a period popularly referred to as the ‘nadir’ of the depression. Regardless of which barometers of economic strength are consulted, there is a prevailing sense of economic and social malaise, throughout the industrialised world, in these particular years. Powell notes[3] during the 1930s, the Great Depression was widely blamed on stock market speculation, reckless banking practices, and a concentration of wealth in too few hands. The New Deal laws were drafted accordingly. Subsequent investigations, however, have convinced most economists that the Depression had little to do with any of those things. The most influential single work is A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960, published in 1963 by Milton Friedman and Anna Jacobson Schwartz, which documented the catastrophic one-third contraction of the money supply between 1929 and 1933. Princeton University economist Paul Krugman remarks that, Nowadays, practically the whole spectrum of economists, from Milton Friedman leftward, agrees that the Great Depression was brought on by a collapse of effective demand, and that the Federal Reserve should have fought the slump with large injections of money. Smiley contends that adopting the gold standard was a primary cause for the depression, inducing differential inflation rates among the Allies, which in turn doomed those economies to the self-inflicted injuries of deflation. Fear of inflation at the Fed plus the failure to protect the financial sector did considerable damage. Clavin explains the USA’s role in bringing Europe to the brink, in the early 1930’s.[4] Europe as a whole received some $7.8 billion between 1924 and 1930. But when these American loans dried up, as they did dramatically after 1929, Clavin asserts that problems in European economy resurfaced with a vengeance. Within the USA, up to 1933, according to Reed, [5] production at the nation’s factories, mines, and utilities fell by more than half. People’s real disposable incomes dropped 28 percent. Stock prices collapsed to one-tenth of their pre-crash height. The number of unemployed Americans rose from 1.6 million in 1929 to 12.8 million in 1933. One of every four workers was out of a job at the Depression’s nadir, and ugly rumours of  revolt simmered for the first time since the Civil War. The critical question involves being definitive about the attributable causes of the severe economic pervasive conditions and their consequent social ramifications globally. It is problematic to determine causality and which antecedents have the dubious credit of creating the severity of 1932-1933. A range of social and economic factors is cited selectively by proponents of polarised political positions. Particular economic paradigms are entertained, so that the mistakes of the Great Depression, as the theorist interprets them; may be used as a precedent to lend intellectual support to a particular approach to economic theory, providing ‘a correct approach’ to present day and future economic challenges. In simple terms, two broad approaches to economic function, include classical economics, which examines macroeconomic effects of money supply and the supply of gold which backed many currencies before the Great Depression, including production and consumption. Conversely, structural theories, including those of institutional economics, point to under consumption and over investment (economic bubble), malfeasance by bankers and industrialists or incompetence by government officials.[6] These two broad interpretive frameworks, within which the Great Depression is understood, have stifled insight into the genuine causes of the depression as a whole as well as the reasons underpinning the severity of 1932-1933 in particular. Entrenched and formulaic economic explanations, are often little more than efforts to politicise the depression, in order to reinforce the mantra of left or right wing political philosophies. This practice can be well illustrated, through the writings of economists such as Paul Ormerod, chairman of an organisation known as Post-Orthodox Economics. Ormerod contends, that, â€Å" the left tends to see the current crisis as a failure of markets. Whether the call is for more or, in Third Way style, better regulation, the argument is the same: the unrestricted workings of markets are causing problems, so governments must step in to show that they can run them better. But all this misses the most important point. The Great Depression of the 1930s was not primarily a failure of markets but a failure of government. The Federal Reserve slashed the money supply at a time when it should have expanded it. This is the lesson to be learnt. Forget fears of inflation. Expand the money supply to cut off the risk of a second great recession. [7] Ormerod’s position finds support from the Mackinac Centre for Public Policy: Myths of the Great Depression, by free market economist and historian Lawrence W. Reed. Reed states in a nonchalant manner that the mythical explanation of the depression is, â€Å"An important pillar of capitalism, the stock market, crashed and dragged America into depression. President Herbert Hoover, an advocate of â€Å"hands-off,† or laissez-faire, economic policy, refused to use the power of government to intervene in the economy and conditions worsened as a result. It was up to Hoover’s successor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to ride in on the white horse of government intervention and steer the nation toward recovery.[8] Unabashed, Reed continues to emphatically advocate governmental responsibility for the onset or deterioration of the Great Depression within USA, and one could safely assume, Reed would apply his free marketeering philosophy, to equally account for the severity of the depression in other democratic nations in the 1930’s. Reed asserts [9] in â€Å"1929, the wild manipulation of the currency by the Federal Reserve shows that government, far from a disinterested bystander, was the principal culprit of the stock market crash.† Furthermore, he attributes blame to politically strategic blunders throughout the 1920’s within the USA. â€Å"The genesis of the Great Depression lay in the inflationary monetary policies of the U. S. government in the 1920s. It was prolonged and exacerbated by a litany of political missteps: trade-crushing tariffs, incentive-sapping taxes, mind-numbing controls on production and competition, senseless destruction of crops and cattle, and coe rcive labour laws, to recount just a few. It was not the free market which produced 12 years of agony; rather, it was political bungling on a scale as grand as there ever was.[10] Within the United Kingdom, renowned writer George Orwell provides a poignant anecdote in his 1936 book ‘Road to Wigan Pier’, indicating the severity of the Great Depression for unemployed men and women in northern England. : Several hundred men risk their lives and several hundred women scrabble in the mud for hours searching eagerly for tiny chips of coal in slagheaps so they could heat their homes. For them, this arduously-gained free coal was more important almost than food.[11] Indeed, according to Rothermund, in Britain, there existed a â€Å"conflict of interests among three major groups: the City of London as the centre of world finance, British industry, and labour. The City had reached its aim of returning to the gold standard which enabled it to transact international business along the lines of prewar times. The return to the gold standard at the prewar parity in 1925 had been a mistake, as it forced the City to adopt a deflationary course so as to support the overvalued pound. This affected British industry both with regard to its export position and its access to credit.[12] Rothermund again contends, â€Å"While the deflationary policy of the Bank of England had already made matters worse, when the bank had to raise its discount rate at a time of intense American speculation, the tension increased.† According to Clavin,[13] between 1924 and 1929 over 40 countries returned to gold or joined the system for the first time. This was done in the belief it would stabilise product price and promote international trade. Nonetheless, by the early 1930’s many countries began to abandon the gold standard Rothermund notes, â€Å"Keynes had written to Macdonald in August 1931, advising him that the game was up and that Great Britain should abandon the gold standard and head a new sterling bloc.†[14] The severity of the Great Depression, can also have regard to the societal regression it promoted.[15] Export and credit failure, meant nations adopted protectionist mindsets, helping to spawn totalitarian regimes in Europe from the mid 1930’s. Claven contends that loss of US credit, determined that countries had to raise interest rates, thus making it more difficult for businesses and farms to borrow money at precisely the time they needed to do so to combat depression. Governments, too, began to feel the squeeze as their levels of revenue from taxes fell dramatically just when they needed to spend more money on unemployment benefit and public work schemes to mop up unemployment and to kick-start recovery. Across Europe, parliaments like Britain and Germany in the summer of 1931 became deadlocked over the issue of government spending. As confidence dropped, governments, companies and individuals cut back on spending. Demand for industrial and agricultural products dried up, and this caused prices to fall still further. By the end of 1930 the price of wheat sold on the Liverpool exchange had fallen by 50 per cent and the price of meat by 40 per cent. Desperate to protect their own markets from the threat of cheap foreign imports being dumped on them, levels of trade protection began to rise dramatically. By 1932 France had introduced strict quotas on over 3,000 different products entering France, and German tariffs rose by 50 per cent after 1929. Most startling was Britains retreat into protection in the autumn of 1931, ending a commitment to the ethos of Free Trade that had lasted 85 years. The world was now divided into competing economic blocs. Countries which depended heavily on the export of agricultural produce were especially hard hit because agricultural prices fell more dramatically than those of industrial goods. A Polish farmer who paid 100 kg of rye to buy a new plough in 1928, now found that the same plough cost 270 kg. By the summer of 1931, the European economy began to crack under the strain of the continued fall in prices, the lack of demand and spiralling levels of unemployment. Economic, political and financial pressures combined to produce a financial crisis that swept across Europe like a flash flood. In countries, like Austria and Germany, where the banks had a particularly close relationship with industry, the collapse of private companies forced banks, too, to shut up shop. With some of Europes most prestigious banking houses facing ruin, the German and Austrian governments were forced to become directly involved in managing the financial system. They also introduced exchange controls to stop the further export of gold or foreign currency from German or Austrian banks to banks in Switzerland or Britain. McGovern contends that the great fear among consumers, induced by the failure of the stock market and over 5,000 commercial banks between 1929 and 1932, prompted cutbacks in their spending. This, in turn, led to contractions in capital goods industries (especially steel and their suppliers), in construction, mining, and transportation—hence, to broad layouts of workers. The downward curve then accelerated, with unemployment leading to further cutbacks in consumption and consequently also production. [16] Finally, it is worth pointing out that since the effects of the depression were challenging within some parts of Britain and devastating in others, it is clear that its impact was not uniform, but reactive to particular social, political and economic circumstances. Areas heavily dependent upon the shipping industry, such as Newcastle –Upon- Tyne, were decimated by the events. The later Jarrow Street March in 1936, saw the frustration spill over into public, unified action, on behalf of ship workers and miners, who marched from the North- East of England to Parliament to lobby for change. Bibliography Books Rothermund, D. The Global Impact of the Great Depression, 1929-1939, London, Routledge, 1996. Claven, P. The Great Depression in Europe, 1929-1939 in History Review, History Today Ltd 2000 McGovern, J. And a Time for Hope: Americans in the Great Depression, Praeger, 2000 Orwell, G. Road to Wigan Pier, Left Book Club, London, 1937, Smiley, G. Rethinking the Great Depression: A New View of its Causes and Consequences, Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2002 Articles Ormerod, P New Statesman, Vol. 127, October 9, 1998 J. Powell, Did the New Deal Actually Prolong the Great Depression? The American Enterprise, Vol. 13, March 2002 Websites http://eldoradogold.net/pdf/October%202005/GreatDepression.pdf Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Myths of the Great Depression. 2000 accessed 23 March 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression_in_the_United_Kingdom accessed 23 March 2007 1 Footnotes [1] P. Claven, The Great Depression in Europe, 1929-1939 in History Review, History Today Ltd 2000, p. 30 [2] Ibid p.4 [3] J. Powell, Did the New Deal Actually Prolong the Great Depression? The American Enterprise, Vol. 13, March 2002 [4] P Claven The Great Depression in Europe, 1929-1939 in History Review, History Today Ltd 2000, p. 31 [5] L.W. Reed. Myths of the Great Depression, at http://eldoradogold.net/pdf/October%202005/GreatDepression.pdf, Mackinac Centre for Public Policy, 2000 [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression_in_the_United_Kingdom [7] P. Ormerod; New Statesman, Vol. 127, October 9, 1998, p.1 [8] L.W. Reed. Myths of the Great Depression, at http://eldoradogold.net/pdf/October%202005/GreatDepression.pdf, Mackinac Centre for Public Policy, 2000 [9] Ibid p.6 [10] Ibid p 16 [11] G. Orwell, Road to Wigan Pier, 1937, Left Book Club [13] P. Claven, The Great Depression in Europe, 1929-1939 in History Review, History Today Ltd 2000, p. 30 [15] P Claven The Great Depression in Europe, 1929-1939 in History Review, History Today Ltd 2000, p. 30 [16] J. McGovern, And a Time for Hope: Americans in the Great Depression , Praeger, 2000

Congress and Human Cloning :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Congress and Human Cloning This year Congress may face several decisions that could help forge, in the words of Pope John Paul II, "the path to a truly humane future, in which man remains the master, not the product, of his technology" (Address to President Bush at Castel Gandolfo, July 23). The first and most immediately urgent of these decisions regards human cloning. The Weldon/Stupak Human Cloning Prohibition Act, approved 18-to-11 by the House Judiciary Committee, is poised for a vote by the full House. It should be approved without delay. Some researchers have already announced that they are trying to produce a live-born child by cloning -- despite an overwhelming scientific consensus that about 99% of new humans created by this method would die before birth, and the rare survivor would suffer from massive medical problems. The Weldon/Stupak bill addresses this looming tragedy at its source, by banning the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer to create a new organism of the human species. This bill is carefully crafted to address only this specific problem. It has no effect on in vitro fertilization or any other reproductive technology in current use, but deals only with cases of asexual reproduction which do not involve fertilization of egg by sperm. The bill explicitly exempts any use of cloning technology to produce animals, plants, DNA, tissues, or cells other than human embryos (including stem cells which are not themselves human embryos). Proponents of cloning nonetheless argue that this bill somehow interferes with a procedure that is essential to stem cell research. Until now, of course, these same groups were insisting that embryonic stem cell research could be fully pursued using only "excess" embryos created by in vitro fertilization that "will be discarded anyway." Now they say that mass production and destruction of cloned embryos to provide genetically matched stem cells will be needed to take stem cell research from the laboratory into the clinic. While the cloning debate is now forcing such groups to admit that their earlier statements may not be true, their new claim is also open to serious question. The National Institutes of Health's new report on the science of stem cells cites cloning as one way to prevent rejection of embryonic stem cells as foreign tissue, but cites other approaches as well -- and expresses great uncertainty as to whether these cells will provoke a significant immune reaction even without such manipulations (NIH, Stem Cells: Scientific Progress and Future Research Directions, June 2001, pp. Congress and Human Cloning :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics Congress and Human Cloning This year Congress may face several decisions that could help forge, in the words of Pope John Paul II, "the path to a truly humane future, in which man remains the master, not the product, of his technology" (Address to President Bush at Castel Gandolfo, July 23). The first and most immediately urgent of these decisions regards human cloning. The Weldon/Stupak Human Cloning Prohibition Act, approved 18-to-11 by the House Judiciary Committee, is poised for a vote by the full House. It should be approved without delay. Some researchers have already announced that they are trying to produce a live-born child by cloning -- despite an overwhelming scientific consensus that about 99% of new humans created by this method would die before birth, and the rare survivor would suffer from massive medical problems. The Weldon/Stupak bill addresses this looming tragedy at its source, by banning the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer to create a new organism of the human species. This bill is carefully crafted to address only this specific problem. It has no effect on in vitro fertilization or any other reproductive technology in current use, but deals only with cases of asexual reproduction which do not involve fertilization of egg by sperm. The bill explicitly exempts any use of cloning technology to produce animals, plants, DNA, tissues, or cells other than human embryos (including stem cells which are not themselves human embryos). Proponents of cloning nonetheless argue that this bill somehow interferes with a procedure that is essential to stem cell research. Until now, of course, these same groups were insisting that embryonic stem cell research could be fully pursued using only "excess" embryos created by in vitro fertilization that "will be discarded anyway." Now they say that mass production and destruction of cloned embryos to provide genetically matched stem cells will be needed to take stem cell research from the laboratory into the clinic. While the cloning debate is now forcing such groups to admit that their earlier statements may not be true, their new claim is also open to serious question. The National Institutes of Health's new report on the science of stem cells cites cloning as one way to prevent rejection of embryonic stem cells as foreign tissue, but cites other approaches as well -- and expresses great uncertainty as to whether these cells will provoke a significant immune reaction even without such manipulations (NIH, Stem Cells: Scientific Progress and Future Research Directions, June 2001, pp.

Electrolysis Investigation :: Papers

Electrolysis Investigation Aim To investigate how voltage affects the amount of a copper (Cu) deposited during electrolysis of copper sulphate solution (CuSO4). Variables ========= TEMPERATURE - Approximately 20ÂÂ ° centigrade.The higher the temperature, the faster the ions move through the solution. Thus, more copper is deposited in the given time period. ELECTROLYTE (CONCENTRATION) - 100g per litre. The denser the solution, the slower the reaction. The slower the reaction, the less copper is deposited in the given time period. VOLTAGE - (Input / Key Variable) 1-5 volts. The higher the voltage, the faster the ions move. The faster ions move, the more copper is deposited in the given time period. TIME - 1 minute. The longer the ions have to move, the more copper is deposited. ELECTRODES (AREA) - 211.2cmÂÂ ³. The larger the electrode, the more copper can be deposited on it and faster. ELECTRODES (DISTANCE APART) - 5cm. The further apart the electrodes, the further the ions have to travel, and so it takes longer for the copper to be deposited and the less copper can be deposited in the given time period. Prediction I predict that the higher the voltage, the faster the ions in the copper sulphate solution will move and so deposit more copper at the cathode in the given time period. If I decrease the voltage less copper will be deposited. Below is some scientific theory to back up my prediction. Scientific Theory Electrolysis is the process of decomposing compounds by electrical energy. An element is produced at each electrode. In my experiment the copper sulphate will start to decompose. At the cathode copper will be formed. Oxygen will be formed at the anode. This causes the anode to wear away while the cathode gains mass. According to Faraday's second law of electrolysis, "The quantity of a substance that is electrolysed is proportional to the quantity of the electricity used." It follows that the speed at which a substance is

Task Duration in the Construction and Engineer Industry

I will be comparing the Services Industry abilities in project planning to that of the Construction and Engineering field. The services industry falls short of CE (Construction and Engineering) in many ways and there is a lot of room for improvement. However, the two industries are very different in nature. Construction and Engineering has a long history of project management focus. It was civil engineers and architects that pioneered project management long ago in the early1900’s (Pinto, 1995, p. 2 ). In the 1950’s, construction and engineering organizations really started to systematically apply project management tool and techniques. Henry Gantt was an engineer! From my experience, project managers in the SE industry are not trained especially for this role. Often we are in a functional role within the company and given a project to manage as extra responsibility. The SE industry is also a much more customer-focused business. It’s interesting to note that customer satisfaction runs high in the journal’s statistics, despite its low scores in other areas. James Harrington (2000) said, â€Å"Quality is meeting or exceeding customer expectations at a cost that represents value to them. † Project Managers in the SE industry will work harder to satisfy customers, allowing scope creep and the like in order to provide a better project in spite of time and cost delays. The following statistics summarize the journal article results for the CE and SE industry. SE cost and schedule overruns and organization support were the largest negative variances against CE. Project Planning Success in CE and SE Industry CESEBetter/(Worse) Cost Overrun (%)17%23%(35%) Schedule Overrun19%27%(42%) Performance8. 18. 32% Customer Satisfaction8. 18. 32% Organizational Support3. 83. 2(16%) In a recent study of 100 companies, only 37% of major SE projects were completed on time and only 42% were completed on budget (Gordon, 1999). I think the answers to improving cost and schedule overruns lie in improving the organizational support first. Mochal (2003 p. 3) said, culture plays a big role in how successful SE’s are in executing projects. SE’s typically have no formality or consistency in project management processes. Each time a new project comes up, the wheel is re-created. SE’s need a good, scalable project management process where teams are generally going to create and follow a work plan, and can use standard processes to effectively handle risk, scope change and issues. SE’s also need better governance. By this, I mean management needs to be more engaged and interested in projects. If management starts projects and leaves the project manager in a leadership vacuum, it’s hard to be consistently successful. Accuracy in time and resources are also important factors to successful project planning. They are however, not as critical as in the CE business. If a task is over duration in the SE industry, it’s not like a multi million-dollar crane is sitting idol. The cost repercussions are not as easily quantified. There should also be some leniency to this within the SE industry. Task duration in the CE industry is easier to plan for. Historical data is readily available on pouring concrete foundations, laying brickwork, etc. Within SE, the schedule may include a one-time task that the project manager has never performed before. Due to the complexity of the project the scope may not be wholly known making task duration even harder to calculate. While there is wide room for improvement in the delivery of time and cost estimates, the SE industry should continue to look and rely on its customer satisfaction rates. Projects should not be considered a success purely in terms of its timeliness. The Sydney Opera House was seen by most as a stupendous failure. It was a music hall with poor acoustics, stunningly over cost and behind schedule. Decades later, this same structure in a national treasure to Australians, its massive cost and schedule overruns long ago forgotten. References: Gordon Mochal, T (2003) Tools and Techniques, Workforce Management, (Online) Available from : http://articles. techrepublic. om/5100-10878_11-5035216. html (Accessed April 12, 2010) Pinto J (1995) Successful Project Managers, Leading Your Team to Success, Project Management Journal (Online) Available from: (accessed April 9, 2010)

Westernisation’s Benefits

Everything has its two sides and Westernisation is not an exception. Although westernisation caused a lot of changes to a country, we can’t deny the benefits that it brought back for the humans’ development. First of all westernisation highlighted the turning point in the evolvement of human society. As a result, many transcendent inventions, which didn’t only help people to solve global problems as well as personal problems in life but they also created bases for further inventions, had appeared during the westernisation. In addition, westernisation was also regarded to a part of globalisation in which countries had chances to approach cultural beauty of the others. Firstly, westernisation is an axiomatic evidence of the breakthrough in the history of human development during the industrial revolution period. The labour’s productivity improved considerably because of the appearance of new machines with new technology. Before the industrial revolution in Britain, most of works were done by hand and therefore they took a lot of time, exertion to complete with low quality of products. However, when the industrial revolution began to outbreak with mechanisation of the textile industries, the development of iron-making techniques and the increased use of refined coal, the face of world’s economy changed eternally. Specifically, machines have helped humans in working faster and producing better quality products. Industrial revolution marked milestone of the change in work mechanism: from manual labour towards machine-based manufacturing. We can say that westernisation created a base for the vigorous development in world’s economy currently. Moreover, westernisation in some developing countries has helped their residents approach to the new technology that they had never seen before. As an example, when televisions were imported in some developing countries such as: Vietnam, Laos, Cuba†¦, the people began to realize a new and smart tool that give them news about the world every day or just entertainment such as film or music. The consequential appearance of new technology during westernisation increased the humans’ perception about the world around them and knowledge also. Can people nowadays increase their understanding about everything in every aspect of life without the base of westernisation? Secondly, westernisation brought to humans many inventions that can help them to solve some key problems of the world as well as individual to boost the quality of life. The appearance of many high buildings shows the intelligence of people after westernisation because it is an evidence of how people use the space that Nature gave them. As the population of the world are increasing second by second, there will be one day when there is no land for people to live. The construction of building is not only a smart back up for the future but it is also a way in which people use their knowledge to utilize the natural resources. Not only that, with the development of technology, people also found vicarious energy for the fossil energy which will be depleted in near future such as wind, waves, sunlight†¦ Therefore, we can say that westernisation helped us in finding resolution for the global problems that threatened the world day by day. In addition, the westernisation also provides each individual solution for his/her daily problems that arise abruptly. For example, the invention Internet which seems to be an integral part of the information development solved problem about contacting between 2 individuals. Instead of sending a long letter which takes a lot of several days to another person, we can access to the internet and send an email with a short content wherever we are – that is really simple. People seemed to managed their times better than the past because they can do work faster and more effectively. That is just a discernible example in the innumerable benefits that westernisation brought to the humans. Finally, the westernisation was also a pre-globalisation which connects country to another to form a uniform world where the development increases unstoppably. Approaching to another country’s innovation is an inevitable result of this process. Most developed and holistic nations where every indicator of a developed country is over expected: European countries and the USA are sharing their innovation to developing countries in order to help those countries more developed and out of emergency group. They might send more of their professor to developing countries on the purpose of transferring technology and new invention in industry or agriculture. More students from the developing countries have more chances to catch up the modern education in US universities or European Universities. Those evidences show the basic definition of globalisation where many cultures are mixing in the same society, which creates the diversity in nationality and custom. Globalisation also makes the gap between poor countries and rich countries become smaller. Westernisation is a small part of that globalisation where all countries share their own culture to each other, learn from each other and develop together. It makes the world becomes united without the differences in skin colour, developed level†¦ Overall, the benefits that Westernisation brought back to the humans are uncountable. On the other hand, the disadvantages that it brought in the past couldn’t make the world developed in the worse direction and the best evidence for that is we are writing this essay in modern condition with air condition and bright light. Thanks for westernisation, we are living in the best condition and get benefited from the fantastic invention.

Parenting In Pride and Prejudice Essay

The novel Pride and Prejudice involves many topics and symbolizes different aspects of life and behavior of people. In this essay I am going to analyze and discuss the theme of parenthood. I will only comment on the characters that are parents or come over as parents, namely, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Gardiner, Mrs. Gardiner and Lady Catherine De Bourgh. The last character mentioned may not come over as a parent but she acts like one. To begin with, I will start talking about the Bennet family. If we look at the Bennets with modern eyes, we could say that their behavior towards their daughters is very different from how parents get along with their children nowadays. In modern society parents do not marry of their children, we could see this as old fashioned. But in the 19th century the wealthy families wanted that their descendants married other wealthy families in order to save their property. The happiness and feelings of the children did not matter to the parents as we can see in Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Bennet loves his family but he detaches from them in order not to get involved with their lives. He gets on really well with Elizabeth because they both are the most intelligent members of the Bennet family. But as the novel evolves he turns into a father that is weak and in critical moments he fails his family. For instance, he fails his family when Lydia runs off with Wickham. [†¦] â€Å"My dear Mr. Bennet,† said his lady to him one day, â€Å"have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?† Mr. Bennet replied that he had not. â€Å"But it is,† returned she; â€Å"for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.† Mr. Bennet made no answer. â€Å"Do not you want to know who has taken it?† cried his wife impatiently. â€Å"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.† [†¦] (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Volume I, Chapter I, page 5) In this short extract of the novel Pride and Prejudice a lot is shown about Mr. Bennet and his wife. In the first six lines it is seen that Mr. Bennet does not care that someone has come to live to Netherfield Park. Instead his wife insists on telling him everything she knows about it. Mr. Bennet, to me, does not care and in a way teases his wife by being so uninterested. He knows that this behavior makes his wife very nervous but the last line takes all the tension away. You expect a huge quarrel but instead you read this line and, at least I was, a little bit astonished because I did not expect that answer, reality from him. Going back to the topic of parenting this extract is quite interesting. It shows that Mr. Bennet is passive about everything that has to do with his daughters but, on the other hand, Mrs. Bennet wants to know everything that is going on because she wants to marry off her daughters to a wealthy gentleman. She can only think of that. She does not care at all about the feeling of her daughters. [†¦] â€Å"Dining out,† said Mrs. Bennet, â€Å"that is very unlucky.† â€Å"Can I have the carriage,† said Jane. â€Å"No, my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it seems likely to rain; and then you must stay all night.† â€Å"That would be a good scheme,† said Elizabeth, â€Å"if you were sure that they would not offer to send her home.† â€Å"Oh! But the gentleman will have Mr. Bingley’s chaise to go to Meryton; and Hursts have no horses theirs.† â€Å"I much rather go in the coach.† â€Å"But, my dear, your father cannot spare the horses, I am sure. They are wanted in the farm, Mr. Bennet, are they not?† (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Volume I, Chapter 7, page 31) Here we can see the clear interest of Mrs. Bennet towards Jane, the oldest daughter. She wants her daughter to go to the lunch and to stay over there because it probably will rain. Even though there is a chance that Jane gets ill, Mrs. Bennet insists on Jane going over to the lunch. This behavior shows the readers that she cares about her daughter but, she only wants to be sure that the property and everything that they posses will not end up with Mr. Bennet’s cousin. Mrs. Bennet continues to behave in this way during whole the novel. At no point, the reader can see affection from Mrs. Bennet towards her daughters. Certainly, we can see no motherly behavior; she never gets involved with the daily chores of the house or with the personal hygiene of her daughters. Something that mothers nowadays do a lot, getting involved with her children’s life. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are very different from Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. The Gardiners do care about the feeling of their children. In this case they get along very well with Jane and Elizabeth and help them with the struggle they have with Bingley and Darcy. We can see that Mrs. Gardiner cares for her nieces because she does things to protect the girls, so as to prevent them to do certain things they might regret in the future. She protects them as a mother should do, she gives them advice, and she listens to the girls. Mrs. Gardiner is the opposite of Mrs. Bennet. The former involves more in the lives of the girls and guides them through it while the latter just wants that her daughters to marry some rich man in order not to lose their possessions they have at Longbourn. In the next extract the readers can see what kind of a woman Mrs. Gardiner is: [†¦] Her aunt assured her that she was; and Elizabeth having thanked her for the kindness of her hinds, they parted; a wonderful instance of advice being given on such a point, without being resented. [†¦] (Austen, Volume II, Chapter III, page 143) Austen describes Mr. Gardiner in the following way: â€Å"Mr. Gardiner was a sensible, gentlemanlike man, greatly superior to his sister as well by nature as education.†(Austen, Volume II, Chapter 2, page 137) Although Mr. Gardiner does not appear much in the novel he is present every time his carrying wife appears. Frankly, every time Mrs. Gardiner appears I imagine that her husband is involved in the conversation and thought of his wife. Lady Catherine De Bourgh is Darcy’s aunt and she does not want that some girl, especially not with lower social wealth marries her nephew. Lady De Bourgh is a very wealthy woman and with this she thinks that she has to tell other people how, why and when they should do things or not. When she finds out that Elizabeth is very fond of Darcy she asks Elizabeth many questions; on the one hand, to let Elizabeth know that she is more intelligent and from a higher social class; on the other hand, to maybe scare Elizabeth off. If we analyze this behavior taking in consideration parenthood, we could say that she is protective and cares about her family. After all, the reader knows who and what kind of woman she is and that all those questions are just for personal interest and not to help her nephew Darcy. To conclude, I would like to say that many different manners of being a parent appear in the novel. We have seen the Bennet family, the Gardiner family and Lady Catherine De Bourgh. We could say that the Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are cold people; they do not care about the feelings of their children and they only care about their reputation and social wealth. On the other hand the Gardiners are protective towards the Bennet girls. They try to help them by giving them advice and to talk to other people to find out in what situation the girls are putting themselves into. Last but not least, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. She is from a wealthy social class and does everything she can so that no one with a lower social wealth comes into her family. Finally she has to accept that Elizabeth and Darcy get married. In the end I could say that different types of parenthood appear in the novel. To me, parents should get involved in the life of their children, to protect them and prevent them of making mistakes they will regret. Being a good parent involves being there for your children and not to act in your personal interest. The only family that is honest, to me, is the Gardiner family.

Connections Essay

The overall connection that I chose to analyze in this report was the importance of marriage, as it is an idea that is present in almost everybody’s life, and it is something that heavily impacts the nature of a society. Marriage is seen in society in both positive and negative ways, involving emotions from true love to bitterness. In the texts A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, The Ballad of Calvary Street by James K Baxter, The Silk by Joy Cowley and Atonement directed by Joe Wright, this idea of the importance of marriage is clearly present in all of them, yet they are all shown so differently (negatively and positively) as to give examples of the ways that it is interpreted in different societies, and allow me to deduce the importance that this idea holds on a global scale. Romantic love is recognized in most societies by the practice of marriage. This is a prominent symbol in all the texts I have covered except for Atonement, where the absence of marriage is used to show the couple’s true love. In this film, we see that Cecelia and Robbie are in love, however a misunderstanding on the part of Cecelia’s sister, Briony, means that Cecelia and Robbie are prevented from marriage or even being together. This is shown as a particularly tragic incident, which shows the importance that society places on the process of marriage. This is also a very prominent idea in the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which is set in Afghanistan. We see two women, Laila and Mariam, who are owned and controlled by their shared husband, and their lives literally rely on him, because as women, they are unable to attain independence due to their country’s beliefs. In Afghan society, marriage is a sacred business, and any sexual relations outside of marriage are greatly looked down upon, and the punishment for a female offender can be as severe as torture or death by the girl’s family or husband. This also shows the idea of the importance of marriage that is shown in Atonement, as marriage is seen as the pinnacle of happiness in both texts, However in A Thousand Splendid Suns it is shown in a more negative manner, with marriage being shown as an essential burden rather than a desire. Marriage is also shown as a necessity in the poem, The Ballad of Calvary Street, but for different reasons. In this poem, a poorly suited elderly couple stay together, to prevent the disruption of their family. This shows that even New Zealand society can view marriage as an important action, and a obligation in functional family life. This shows a similar idea to that in A Thousand Splendid Suns and Atonement, that marriage is a necessary action. In the short story The Silk, we see an elderly married couple, of which the husband is nearing death. The woman in the relationship is finding it hard to come to terms with her husbands impending demise, as she has a set routine which revolves around her and her husband’s relationship. This presents the idea that is shown in A Thousand Splendid Suns, Atonement and The Ballad of Calvary Street, that marriage is a prerequisite for a happy life, and it is a tragedy to be without it. In the Silk, we can tell that this married couple are truly in love from quotes such as, â€Å"she guarded him so possessively that she even resented the twice-weekly visits from the district nurse,† which shows the devoted way that they take care of each other, presenting the traditional idea of marriage. In Atonement, when childhood sweethearts Robbie and Cecelia are prevented from being together, we are struck by the tragedy of the fact that they will never be able to get married, and live out their lives together. This portrays the aspect of marriage that is shown in The Silk, that marriage is a symbol of the love between two people, and that it is a contract which binds the two people together for the rest of their lives, as we see Robbie and Cecelia denied of this entitlement. In today’s society, a happy couple who are in love are expected to get married. This relates to both The Silk and Atonement, as in both texts marriage is seen as a necessity for the happiness of the people involved, which further supports the idea that society regards marriage as particularly important. From these texts, society may be able to reassess its outlook on the controversial matter of gay marriage. The tragedy of Cecelia and Robbie’s separation that is shown in Atonement and the portrayal of the happiness involved in marriage that is shown in The Silk could be enough to convince the large portion of society that is against gay marriage that they are wrong, as in both texts marriage is shown as a component of happiness that should not be denied of anyone. The relationships and situations that are shown in the texts are not exclusive to heterosexual couples, and would translate just as well to homosexual relationships, meaning that the ideas attached to the texts can be applied to same-sex couples as well, and could have an influence on the opinion that people hold towards gay marriage. Unfortunately, marriage is not always a happy affair, as it is intended to be. This is plainly shown in the text The Ballad of Calvary Street, as we see an unfortunate couple who are forced to remain together due to the stigma attached to divorce. Quotes such as â€Å"Mum takes down the family files,† suggest that family is not an important thing to the couple, since they have fallen apart, but that they continue to treat it as such, as they consider it their duty as parents to remain married. This idea that marriage is a compulsory task is also shown in A Thousand Splendid Suns, as we see protagonist Laila is forced into marriage, for her own survival. Her husband knowingly takes advantage of her vulnerable situation, saying, â€Å"These days, times being what they are, a woman needs a husband,† showing that marriage can often take place for reasons other than love (as was shown in The Ballad of Calvary Street), and that this can easily be taken advantage of. This presents the idea that in many different societies, (New Zealand and Afghan), marriage is seen as an essential measure, even when one or both of the people involved in the relationship are unhappy. Although this is an unfortunate truth, it is one that must sometimes be accepted, as it is often present in today’s society. These texts could help people come to terms with the idea that marriage is not always a representation of love, as they show legitimate alternative reasons for marriage, (the stability of family life or the safety of a person in a certain community. ) This could benefit society as it would create an understanding and acceptance of the reality of marriage today. In conclusion, the idea of marriage is a common theme in many texts, including Atonement directed by Joe Wright, The Silk by Joy Cowley, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and The Ballad of Calvary Street by James K Baxter. Although marriage is not always the quintessential act of love and can sometimes tell a tragic story, it is important that it is expressed in forms such as these texts so that society can reflect on its faults and hopefully improve its approach on the subject.

Question Bank International Business Essay

Chapter 07 Foreign Direct Investment True / False Questions 1. (p. 242) A firm becomes a multinational enterprise when it undertakes foreign direct investment. TRUE 2. (p. 242) Licensing involves the establishment of a new operation in a foreign country. FALSE 3. (p. 242) If a firm that makes bicycles in Germany acquires a French bicycle producer, Greenfield investment has taken place. FALSE 4. (p. 242) The amount of FDI undertaken over a given time period is known as the flow of FDI. TRUE 5. (p. 242) The total accumulated value of foreign-owned assets at a given time is the inflow of FDI. FALSE 6. (p. 242) FDI is seen by executives as a means of circumventing future trade barriers. TRUE 7. (p. 244) Historically, most FDI has been directed at the developed nations of the world as firms based in advanced countries invested in the others’ markets. TRUE 8. (p. 246) The total amount of capital invested in factories, stores, office buildings and the like is referred to as the stock of FDI. FALSE 9. (p. 246) The largest source country for FDI has been China. FALSE 10. (p. 247) About 27 percent of the world’s largest 100 nonfinancial multinationals in 2004 were American companies. TRUE 11. (p. 247) In developing countries, about one third of FDI is in the form of mergers and acquisitions. TRUE 12. (p. 248) In 2004, about two thirds of FDI stock was in service industries. TRUE 13. (p. 249) As compared to exporting and licensing, FDI is the more expensive and risky. TRUE 14. (p. 250) Internalization theory is also known as the market imperfections approach. TRUE 15. (p. 250) One of the problems of licensing is that it may result in a firm’s giving away valuable technological know-how to a potential foreign competitor. TRUE 16. (p. 251) An oligopoly is an industry composed of a limited number of large firms. TRUE 17. (p. 252) When two or more enterprises encounter each other in different regional markets, national markets or industries regional competition occurs. FALSE 18. (p. 252) According to Vernon, location specific advantages can help explain the nature and direction of FDI. FALSE 19. (p. 253) Dunning, in the eclectic paradigm theory, suggests that a firm must establish production facilities where foreign assets or resource endowments necessary to the production of the product exist. TRUE 20. (p. 254) Pragmatic nationalism traces its roots to Marxist political and economic theory. FALSE 21. (p. 254) Classical economics and the international trade theories of Adam Smith and David Ricardo form the basis for the free market view. TRUE 22. (p. 255) The free market view argues that FDI is a benefit to both the source country and to the host country. TRUE 23. (p. 255) Countries adopting a pragmatic stance pursue policies designed to maximize the national benefits and minimize the national costs. TRUE 24. (p. 256) An aspect of pragmatic nationalism is the tendency to aggressively court FDI believed to be in the national interest by, for example, offering subsidies to foreign MNEs in the form of tax breaks or grants. TRUE 25. (p. 257) Foreign direct investment can make a positive contribution to a host economy by supplying capital, technology and management resources that would otherwise not be available and thus boost that country’s economic growth rate. TRUE 26. (p. 258) There is research supporting the view that multinational firms often transfer significant technology when they invest in a foreign country. TRUE 27. (p. 258) Jobs created in local suppliers as a result of the MNE’s investment and jobs created because of increased local spending by employees of the MNE are examples of direct employment effects of FDI. FALSE 28. (p. 258) Host country citizens that are employed by an MNE following an FDI are an example of an indirect effect of FDI. FALSE 29. (p. 259) A country’s balance of payments accounts keep track of both its payments to and its receipts from other countries. TRUE 30. (p. 259) A current account deficit exists when a country imports more than it exports. TRUE 31. (p. 259) In recent years, the U.S. has run a persistent balance of payments surplus. FALSE 32. (p. 260) Host governments sometimes worry that the subsidiaries of foreign MNEs may have greater economic power than indigenous competitors. TRUE 33. (p. 261) FDI does not benefit the host country’s balance of payments if the foreign subsidiary creates demand for home-country exports of capital equipment, intermediate goods or complementary products. FALSE 34. (p. 262) The term offshore production refers to FDI undertaken to serve the home market. TRUE 35. (p. 263) Countries cannot prohibit national firms from investing in certain countries for political reasons. FALSE 36. (p. 264) The two most common methods of restricting inward FDI are ownership restraints and performance requirements. TRUE 37. (p. 265) The WTO has been very successful in efforts to initiate talks aimed at establishing a universal set of rules designed to promote the liberalization of FDI. FALSE 38. (p. 266) Licensing is a good option for firms in high-tech industries where protecting firm-specific expertise is of paramount importance. FALSE 39. (p. 266-267) Typically licensing will be a common strategy in oligopolies where competitive interdependence requires that multinational firms maintain tight control over foreign operations so that they have the ability to launch coordinated attacks against their global competitors. FALSE 40. (p. 267) Licensing is more common in fragmented, low-tech industries in which globally dispersed manufacturing is not an option. TRUE Multiple Choice Questions 41. (p. 242) FDI occurs when a A. Domestic firm imports products and services from another country B. Firm ships its product from one country to another C. Firm invests in the stock of another company D. Firm invests directly in facilities to produce and/or market a product in a foreign country 42. (p. 242) A Greenfield investment A. Is a form of FDI that involves the establishment of a new operation in a foreign country B. Involves a 7 percent stock in an acquired foreign business entity C. Involves a merger with a foreign business D. Occurs when a firm acquires another company in a foreign countr 43. (p. 242) If General Electric, a U.S. based corporation, purchased a 50% interest in a company in Italy, that purchase would be an example of a(n) A. Minority acquisition B. Outright stake C. Majority acquisition D. Greenfield investment 44. (p. 242) The amount of FDI undertaken over a given time period is A. The flow of FDI B. The stock of FDI C. The FDI outflow D. The FDI inflow 45. (p. 242) The stock of FDI is A. The amount of FDI undertaken over a given period of time B. The total accumulated value of foreign owned assets at a given time C. The flow of FDI out of a country D. The flow of FDI into a country 46. (p. 242) FDI has been rising for all of the following reasons, except A. The globalization of the world economy B. The general increase in trade barriers over the past 30 years C. Firms are trying to circumvent trade barriers D. There is a shift toward democratic political institutions and free market economies 47. (p. 244) Historically, most FDI has been directed at the _____ nations of the world as firms based in advanced countries invested in A. Underdeveloped, underdeveloped countries B. Developed, underdeveloped countries C. Developed, each other’s markets D. Underdeveloped, each other’s markets 48. (p. 244) The U.S. has been an attractive target for FDI because of all of the following reasons, except A. Its small and wealthy domestic markets B. Its dynamic and stable economy C. Its favorable political environment D. Its openness to FDI 49. (p. 244) Identify the incorrect statement regarding the direction of FDI. A. Historically, most FDI has been directed at the developing nations of the world B. During the 1980s and 1990s, the United States was often the favorite target for FDI inflows C. The developed nations of the EU have received significant FDI inflows D. Recent inflows into developing nations have been targeted at the emerging economies of South, East and Southeast Asia 50. (p. 246) Africa is not a popular destination for FDI because of all of the following reasons, except A. Political unrest in the region B. Armed conflict in the region C. Liberalization of FDI regulations D. Frequent policy changes in the region 51. (p. 246) The total amount of capital invested in factories, stores, office buildings and the like is summarized by A. Gross fixed capital formation B. Total investment capital C. Total tangible investment D. Gross depreciable investments 52. (p. 246) The largest source country for FDI since World War II has been A. Japan B. China C. The United States D. The United Kingdom 53. (p. 247) Most cross-border investment is A. In the form of Greenfield investments B. Made via mergers and acquisitions C. Between American and Japanese companies D. Involved in building new facilities 54. (p. 247) Which of the following is not a reason why firms prefer to acquire existing assets rather than undertake green-field investments? A. Foreign firms are acquired because those firms have valuable strategic assets B. Firms make acquisitions because they believe they can increase the efficiency of the acquired unit by transferring capital, technology or management skills C. Even though Greenfield investments are comparatively less risky for a firm acquisitions always yield higher profits D. Mergers and acquisitions are quicker to execute than green-field investments 55. (p. 247) In developing nations most FDI inflows are in the form of A. Mergers B. Greenfield investments C. Acquisitions D. Non-profit organizations 56. (p. 248) The sector composition of FDI shows that by 2004 approximately _____ of FDI stock was in service industries. A. One fourth B. One third C. Two third D. Half 57. (p. 248) The rise in FDI in the services sector is a result of all of the following, except A. The general move in many developed countries away from manufacturing and toward services B. Accelerating regulations of services C. Many services cannot be traded internationally D. Many countries have liberalized their regimes governing FDI in services 58. (p. 248) When strategic assets such as brand loyalty, customer relationships or distribution systems are important, _____ investments are more appropriate. A. Merger and acquisition B. Greenfield C. Portfolio D. New construction 59. (p. 249) _____ involves granting a foreign entity the right to produce and sell the firm’s product in return for a royalty fee on every unit sold. A. Horizontal FDI B. Licensing C. Vertical FDI D. Greenfield investment 60. (p. 249) In a licensing arrangement, the _____ bears the risk and cost of opening a foreign market. A. Licensee B. Licensor C. Acquiring firm D. Greenfield investor 61. (p. 250) Identify the theory that seeks to explain why firms often prefer foreign direct investment over licensing as a strategy for entering foreign markets. A. Internalization theory B. Internationalization theory C. Perfect markets theory D. Small markets theory 62. (p. 250) According to the internalization theory, all of the following are drawbacks of licensing as a strategy for exploiting foreign market opportunities, except A. Licensing does not grant control over manufacturing, marketing and to a licensee in return for a royalty fee B. Licensing may result in a firm’s giving away its know-how to a potential foreign competitor C. Licensing does not give the firm the tight control over manufacturing, marketing and strategy that may be required to profitably exploit its advantage D. A firms capabilities such as the management, marketing and manufacturing are often not amenable to licensing 63. (p. 250) ______ is also known as market imperfections theory. A. Internationalization theory B. Internalization theory C. Perfect markets theory D. Small markets theory 64. (p. 251) If four firms control 80 percent of a domestic market, then ______ exists. A. An oligopoly B. A monopoly C. An oligarchy D. Vertical integration 65. (p. 251) According to Knickerbocker A. The firms that pioneer a product in their home markets undertake FDI to produce a product for consumption in a foreign market B. When a firm that is part of an oligopolistic industry expands into a foreign market, other firms in the industry will be compelled to make similar investments C. Combining location-specific assets or resource endowments and the firm’s own unique assets often requires FDI D. Impediments to the sale of know-how increase the profitability of FDI relative to licensing 66. (p. 252) The eclectic paradigm was developed by A. F. T. Knickerbocker B. Adam Smith C. Raymond Vernon D. John Dunning 67. (p. 252) When two or more enterprises encounter each other in different regional markets, national markets or industries, there is A. Vertical integration B. Horizontal integration C. Multipoint competition D. Monopolistic competition 68. (p. 252) The product life cycle suggests that A. Often the same firms that pioneer a product in their home markets undertake FDI to produce a product for consumption in foreign markets B. When a firm that is part of an oligopolistic industry expands into a foreign market, other firms in the industry will be compelled to make similar investments C. Combining location-specific assets or resource endowments and the firm’s own unique assets often requires FDI D. Impediments to the sale of know-how increase the profitability of FDI relative to licensing 69. (p. 253) The _____ suggests that a firm will establish production facilities where foreign assets or resource endowments that are important to the firm are located. A. Product life cycle B. Strategic behavior theory C. Multipoint competition theory D. Eclectic paradigm 70. (p. 253) Advantages that arise from using resource endowments or assets that are tied to a particular location and that a firm finds valuable to combine with its own unique assets are known as A. Location specific advantages B. Resource specific advantages C. Competitive advantages D. Directional advantages 71. (p. 253) John Dunning, a champion of the eclectic paradigm, argues that A. The firms that pioneer a product in their home markets undertake FDI to produce a product for consumption in a foreign market B. When a firm that is part of an oligopolistic industry expands into a foreign market, other firms in the industry will be compelled to make similar investments C. Combining location-specific assets or resource endowments and the firm’s own unique assets often requires FDI D. Impediments to the sale of know-how increase the profitability of FDI relative to licensing 72. (p. 254) According to the _____ view of FDI, MNEs extract profits from the host country and take them to their home country, giving nothing of value to the host country in exchange. A. Imperialist B. Conservative C. Free market D. Radical 73. (p. 254) Which of the following is not a reason that the radical position of MNEs was in retreat by the end of the 1980s? A. The strong economic performance of those developing countries that embraced capitalism rather than radical ideology B. The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe C. The generally abysmal economic performance of those countries that embraced the radical position D. A growing belief in many capitalist countries that MNE’s tightly controls key technology and that important jobs in the MNEs’ foreign subsidiaries go to home-country nationals 74. (p. 255) According to _____ international production should be distributed among countries according to the theory of comparative advantage. A. The radical view B. The eclectic view C. Pragmatic nationalism D. The free market view 75. (p. 256) A distinctive aspect of _____ is the tendency to aggressively court FDI believed to be in the national interest by, for example, offering subsidies to foreign MNEs in the form of tax breaks or grants. A. The dogmatic view B. Pragmatic nationalism C. The radical view D. The conservative view 76. (p. 257) When a company brings capital and/or technology to a host country, the host country benefits from the A. Competitive effect of FDI B. The resource transfer effect of FDI C. The balance of payments effect of FDI D. The effect on competition and economic growth 77. (p. 258) When jobs are created in local suppliers as a result of the FDI and when jobs are created because of increased local spending by employees of the MNE, the MNE has a _____ effect on employment. A. Direct B. Indirect C. Inward D. Outward 78. (p. 259) A _____ keeps track of a country’s payments to and its receipts from other countries. A. Federal payments ledger B. Current accounting system C. Checks and balances account D. Balance of payments account 79. (p. 259) The _____ tracks the export and import of goods and services. A current account deficit or trade deficit as it is often called, arises when a country is importing more goods and services than it is exporting. A. Current account B. Debit account C. Surplus account D. Capital account 80. (p. 261) Three costs of FDI concerns of host countries arise from all of the following except A. Adverse effects on competition within the host nation B. Adverse effects on the balance of payments C. The perceived loss of national sovereignty and autonomy D. Debit on the current account of the home country’s balance of payments 81. (p. 262) FDI undertaken to serve the home market is known as A. Greenfield investment B. FDI substitution C. Offshore production D. Home market FDI 82. (p. 263) Double taxation is A. Charging double taxes in the home country B. Charging double taxes in the host country C. Taxation of income in both home and host country D. Paying income taxes at twice the normal rate 83. (p. 264) _____ are controls over the behavior of the MNE’s local subsidiary. A. Performance requirements B. Ownership restraints C. Double taxation laws D. Greenfield restrictions 84. (p. 267) Licensing would be a good option for firms in which of the following industries? A. High-technology industries in which protecting firm-specific expertise is of paramount importance and licensing is hazardous B. Global oligopolies, in which competitive interdependence requires that multinational firms maintain tight control over foreign operations C. Industries in which intense cost pressures require that multinational firms maintain tight control over foreign operations D. In fragmented, low technology industries in which globally dispersed manufacturing is not an option 85. (p. 267) _____ is essentially the service industry version of licensing, although it normally involves much longer term commitments. A. Franchising B. Subsidizing C. Greenfield investment D. Patenting Essay Questions 86. (p. 242) Discuss the connection between foreign direct investment and multinational enterprises? Foreign direct investment (FDI) occurs when a firm invests directly in new facilities to produce and/or market a product in a foreign country. The U.S. Department of Commerce states that FDI occurs whenever a U.S. citizen, organization or affiliated group takes an interest of 10 percent or more in a foreign business entity. Once affirm undertakes FDI, it becomes a multinational enterprise. 87. (p. 242) What are the two forms of foreign direct investment? The two forms of FDI are Greenfield investment or establishing a new operation in a foreign country and mergers and acquisitions whereby a company expands internationally through an existing firm. Acquisitions can be minority, majority or a 100% ownership position. 88. (p. 242) Discuss the trends in FDI over the last 30 years. Be sure to differentiate between the stock of FDI and the flow if FDI. The flow of FDI refers to the amount of FDI undertaken over a given period, while the stock of FDI refers to the total accumulated value of foreign-owned assets at a given time. Over the last 30 years there has been a marked increase in both the flow and the stock of FDI in the world economy. Over this period, the flow of FDI accelerated faster than the growth in world trade and world output. 89. (p. 242) Discuss the reasons for the growth in FDI over the last 30 years. FDI has grown more rapidly than world trade and world output for several reasons. First, many companies see FDI as a means of circumventing potential trade barriers. Second, political and economic changes in many of the world developing nations has been encouraging FDI. Finally, the globalization of the world economy is having a positive impact on the volume of FDI as firms now see the whole world as their market. 90. (p. 242-248) What is a Greenfield investment? How does it compare to an acquisition? Which form of FDI is a firm more likely choose? Explain your answer. FDI can take the form of a Greenfield investment in a new facility or an acquisition of or a merger with an existing local firm. Research show s that most FDI takes the form of mergers and acquisitions rather than Greenfield investment. Mergers and acquisitions are more popular for three reasons. First, mergers and acquisitions are quicker to execute than Greenfield investments. Second, foreign firms are acquired because those firms have valuable strategic assets. Third, firms make acquisitions because they believe they can increase the efficiency of the acquired firm by transferring capital, technology or management skills. 91. (p. 248) Discuss the shift in FDI from manufacturing to services. What is driving the trend? Over the last twenty years, the sector composition of FDI has shifted from extractive industries and manufacturing toward services. By 2004, some 66 percent of the stock of FDI was in services. Four factors are driving the shift to services. First, the shift reflects the general move in many developed economies away from manufacturing and toward service industries. Second, many services cannot be traded internationally and FDI is a principal was to bring services to foreign markets. Third, many count ries have liberalized their regimes governing FDI in services making the option more attractive to firms. Finally, the rise of Internet-based global telecommunications networks has allowed some service enterprises to relocate some of their value creation activities to different nations to take advantage of favorable factor costs. 92. (p. 249) Consider why firms selling products with low value-to-weight ratios choose FDI over exporting. Products with low value-to-weight ratios such as soft drinks or cement are frequently produced in the market where they are consumed. When transportation costs are added to production costs, it becomes unprofitable to shift such products over a long distance. For firms that can produce low value-to-weight products at almost any location the attractiveness of exporting decreases and FDI or licensing becomes more appealing. 93. (p. 250) Discuss the market imperfections explanation of FDI. What is its relationship with internalization theory? Market imperfections or factors that inhibit markets from working perfectly, provide a major explanation of why firms prefer FDI to either exporting or licensing. In the international business literature, the marketing imperfections approach is referred to as internalization theory. According to the theory, FDI will be preferred when there are impediments that make both exporting and the sale of know-how difficult and/or expensive. 94. (p. 250) What is licensing? How does it work? Licensing occurs when a domestic firm, the licensor, licenses to a foreign firm, the licensee, the right to produce its product, to use its production processes or to use its brand name or trademark. In return, the licensor collects royalty fees on every unit the licensee sells or on total licensee revenues. The licensor also benefits from the arrangement in that the licensee bears the cost and risk of expanding into a foreign market. 95. (p. 250) Compare and contrast the advantages of foreign direct investment over exporting and licensing. A firm will favor foreign direct investment over exporting as an entry strategy when transportation costs or trade barriers make exporting unattractive. Furthermore, the firm will favor foreign direct investment over licensing (or franchising) when it wishes to maintain control over its technological know-how or over its operations and business strategy or when the firm’s capabilities are simply not amenable to licensing, as may often be th e case. 96. (p. 251) Consider the notion that FDI flows are a reflection of strategic rivalry between firms in the global marketplace. What is the main limitation of the theory? The strategic behavior approach to explain FDI was initially expounded by Knickerbockers who argued that in an oliogopolistic industry, a â€Å"follow the leader† mentality will prompt firms to pursue FDI when another firm in the industry  has already done so. However, the theory fails to explain why the first firm decided to undertake FDI, rather than export or license. 97. (p. 252) What is multipoint competition? How do firms respond to multipoint competition? Multipoint competition arises when two or more enterprises encounter each other in different regional markets, national markets or industries. Economic theory suggests that firms will try to match each other’s moves in different markets to try to hold each other in check. If a firm is successful with this strategy, the firm will ensure that a rival does not take a commanding position in one market and then use the profits generated in that market to underwrite competitive attacks in other markets. 98. (p. 252) Explain the product life cycle theory and its connection with FDI. The product life cycle theory, developed by Ray Vernon, suggests that the same firms that pioneer a product in their home country will undertake FDI to produce a product for consumption in foreign markets. According to the theory, firms will invest in industrialized countries when demand in those countries is sufficient to sup port local production. They subsequently shift production to developing countries when product standardization and market saturation give rise to price competition and cost pressures. Investment in developing countries, where labor costs are lower is seen as the best way to reduce costs. 99. (p. 252-253) What are location-specific advantages? How do they help explain FDI? Location specific advantages are advantages that arise from using resource endowments or assets that are tied to a particular foreign location and that a firm finds valuable to combine with its own unique assets. Natural resources such as oil and minerals for example, are specific to certain locations. Firms must undertake FDI to exploit such foreign resources. 100. (p. 253) Explain John Dunning’s position on FDI. What is the eclectic paradigm? John Dunning has argued that to fully understand FDI it is important to consider the role of location specific advantages. According to Dunning, a firm will be prompted to undertake FDI in an effort to exploit assets that are specific to a particular location. Dunning’s theory, the eclectic paradigm, combines the arguments of internalization theory with the notion of location-specific advantages to suggest that combining location-specific assets or resource endowments and the firm’s own unique capabilities often requires the firm to establish production facilities where the foreign assets or resource endowments are  located. 101. (p. 254-256) Discuss the various political ideologies and their impact on foreign direct investment. The radical view writers argue that the multinational enterprise (MNE) is an instrument of imperialist domination. The free market view argues that international production should be distributed among countries according to the theory of comparative advantage. The pragmatic nationalist view is that FDI has both benefits and costs. The radical view has a dogmatic radical stance that is hostile to all inward FDI The free market view is at the other extreme and based on noninterventionist principle of free market economics. Between these two extremes is an approach called pragmatic nationalism. 102. (p. 257-262) Discuss the benefits and costs of FDI from the perspective of a host country and from the perspective of the home country. The main benefits of inward FDI for a host country arise from resource-transfer effects, employment effects, balance-of-payments effects and effects on competition and economic growth. Three costs of FDI concern host countries. They arise from possible adverse effects on competition within the host nation, adverse effects on the balance of payments and the perceived loss of national sovereignty and autonomy. The benefits of FDI to the home (source) country arise from three sources. First, the home country’s balance of payments benefits from the inward flow of foreign earnings. Second, benefits to the home country from outward FDI arise from employment effects. Third, benefits arise when the home-country MNE learns valuable skills from its exposure to foreign markets that can subsequently be transferred back to the home country. The most important cost/concern of FDI for the home country centers on the balance-of-payments and employment effects of outward FDI. 103. (p. 266-267) Describe the situations when licensing is not a good option for a firm. Licensing is not a good option in three situations. First, licensing is hazardous in high-tech industries where protecting firm-specific expertise is very important. Second, licensing is not attractive in global oligopolies where tight control is necessary so that firms have the ability to launch coordinated attacks against global competitors. Finally, in industries where intense cost pressures require that MNEs maintain tight control over foreign operations, licensing is not the best option. 104. (p. 267) What is franchising? What type of firm uses franchising as a means of expanding into foreign markets? Franchising is essentially the service-industry version of licensing. With franchising, the firm licenses its brand name to a foreign firm in return for a percentage of the franchisee’s profits. The franchising contract specifies the conditions that the franchisee must fulfill if it is to use the franchisor’s brand name. Franchise agreements usually have a longer time commitment than do licensing arrangements. Franchising is common in the fast food industry because fast food cannot be exported, because franchising minimizes the costs and risks associated with opening a foreign market, because brand names are relatively easy to protect, because there is no compelling reason for a firm to have tight control over franchisees and because fast food know-how is easily transferred. 105. (p. 267) How useful are the product life cycle theory and Knickerbocker’s theory of horizontal FDI to business? The product life cycle theory and Knickerbocker’s theory of horizontal FDI to business are not particularly useful from a business perspective because the theories are descriptive rather than analytical. The theories are useful for explaining historical patterns of FDI, but they do a poor job of identifying the factors that influence the relative probability of FDI, licensing and exporting.