Crusades Essays (976 words) - Christianization, Crusades, Invasions

Crusades In the Middle Ages, Christians considered Palestine the Holy Land because it was where Jesus had lived and taught. The Arabs had conquered Palestine in the 600s. Most Arabs were Muslims, but they usually tolerated other religions. Jews and Christians who paid their taxes and observed other regulations were free to live in Palestine and practice their own religion. The Arab rulers didn't usually interfere with Christian pilgrims visiting Palestine, and European traders could generally do business there. During the 1000s the Seljuk Turks, people from central Asia who had adopted the Muslim faith, conquered Palestine and attacked Asia Minor, which was part of the Byzantine Empire. When the Turks threatened the capital city of Constantinople, the Byzantine emperor appealed to the pope in Rome. Because Christian pilgrims going to Palestine came home with reports of persecution from the Turks, the Byzantine emperor's appeal for help found a reception in Europe. Pope Urban I wanted to regain the Holy Land from the Muslims. He called a great meeting of church leaders and French nobles at Clermont France in 1095. At the meeting he encouraged the powerful feudal nobles to stop fighting with each other, and to join in one big war against the"unbelievers." Urban's request made his listeners very enthusiastic and they joined in one big cry, "God wills it!" From Clermont people traveled through France preaching the cause. The people who joined the expeditions sewed a cloth cross on their clothes. They were called crusaders, from the Latin word cruciata, which means, "marked with a cross." People joined the Crusades, the expeditions to regain the Holy Land, for many different reasons. Most knights joined the crusades for the land and plunder in the rich Middle East. Merchants saw a chance to make money. The pope promised both heavenly and earthly rewards. Those who died on a Crusade were said to go strait to heaven. The pope also guaranteed church protection of the crusader's property and family during his absence. Debtors who joined a Crusade had their debts canceled. Criminals were relieved of punishment. The Crusades appealed to both a love of adventure and the promise of reward- the desire to escape debts or punishment. French and Norman nobles led the First Crusade that lasted from 1096 to 1099. In three organized armies, they marched across Europe to Constantinople. The crusaders received a hostile reception in Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor had asked for some assistance, but now, seeing three armies approaching the city, he feared they might capture and plunder the capitol. After much discussion the Byzantines allowed the crusaders to pass through Constantinople to begin their long, hot march across Asia Minor toward Palestine. In their wool and leather garments and their heavy armor, the crusaders suffered severely from the heat. Because they had few pack animals, a shortage of food and water plagued them. Additional problems erupted when the leaders quarreled over fiefs in the lands they captured. Despite these difficulties, however, the crusaders forged on to capture the city of Antioch. Then they marched toward Jerusalem. If the Turks had not also been quarreling and disunited, the expedition would have failed. Conditions improved as the crusaders marched down the seacoast toward Palestine. Fleets of ships from the Italian cities of Genoa and Pisa brought reinforcements and supplies. The crusaders captured Jerusalem after a short battle and slaughtered the Muslim inhabitants. One leader wrote to the pope that his horse's legs had been bloodstained to the knees from riding among the bodies of the dead Muslims. In the Middle East the crusaders set up four small states: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripole, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. They introduced European feudalism and subdivided the land into fiefs controlled by vassals and lords. For almost a century, the Europeans occupied these lands. Brisk European trade, with goods carried mostly in Italian ships, sprang up. Christians and Muslims lived in close proximity and grew to respect each other. Many Christians adopted Eastern customs and came to prefer Eastern food and clothing. The Second Crusade began in 1147, after the Turks had recaptured the important city of Edessa and threatened the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In this Crusade, King Luis VII of France and the Holy Roman Emperor, Conrad III led their armies across Europe to the Holy Land. They were fighting separately, and didn't join forces until they got to Damascus, which was held by the Turks. Luis and Conrad couldn't capture the city and returned to Europe disgracefully in two years. In 1187 the

Personal And Proffesional Values Social Work Essay Essays

Personal And Proffesional Values Social Work Essay Essays Personal And Proffesional Values Social Work Essay Essay Personal And Proffesional Values Social Work Essay Essay Valuess are portion of my upbringing and play a large portion in my life, as they underpin my ideas and actions. As a societal work pupil I need to oppugn my personal values, beliefs and moralss as these will hold a large impact on my behavior as a professional.A My personal values are congruous to the values of societal work, which is the ground why I have chosen a calling in a societal attention. This values are self finding to advance societal justness, being caring and helpful toward others, truthfulness ( honestness ) and regard. Working in Residential and Care Homes farther developed my involvement in advancing societal justness and societal alteration on behalf of the service users. I understand, that as a societal work pupil I need to move in conformity with the values, and moralss of the profession, acknowledging how personal and professional values may conflict with the demands of diverse clients. VALUING DIVERSITY To value diverseness means admiting my ain biass, leting people to be different and esteeming these differences. Bing raised in Poland, where 96, 7 % of population is Polish my upbringing was white and influenced my bias about people from other civilizations. Due to miss of contact and cognition I have made a preconceived judgement about other races. My societal environment such as faith and civilization has influenced me to act in certain ways towards other people. My faith created a stereotype and bias about homosexualism. My beliefs would non accept homosexualism due to influence of the church on my attitude towards sexual orientation.A Traveling to England and altering my societal environment made me recognize how incorrect those perceptual experiences were. Populating in multicultural environment made me cognizant of different civilizations, faiths, races, which helped me to alter my attitude towards people from diverse backgrounds. I have made friends from different parts of the universe what helped me to heighten my apprehension of different civilizations and faiths. I have learned how to accept and esteem the differences. I understand and recognise that we populating in a diverse society and that there is much to be gained by holding a assortment of people, with a assortment of backgrounds, attacks, endowments and contributions.A A Discrimination My experience with favoritism started when I moved to England in 2004. I was frequently capable to dissing racial gags. The stereotypes about my civilization and people along with labelling were really violative and painful.A The people with whom I have been working held hostile attitudes toward Polish people and civilization. I was working in Bed and Breakfast where the bulk of employees were English.A My employer treated me otherwise than other employees. When apportioning the undertakings, she would frequently give me the most of them populating the remainder of the staff making about nil. On one juncture one of the employees did non finish the given undertaking and she said Let the Polish get on with this . She would non hold dared to handle other employees the manner she treated me. Probably she thought that she could acquire away with it because I did non cognize my rights and my English linguistic communication was really hapless. I found that experience really painful and c ould non understand why I was treated this manner. Later on I have discovered that it was a direct favoritism and it is against the jurisprudence to be treated this manner. There are a figure of policies and statute laws that could use to my state of affairs such as: The 1976 Race Relations Act, which makes it improper for an employer to know apart against you on racial evidences. Race includes: coloring material, nationality, cultural or national beginnings . ( www.direct.gov.uk ) The Equality Act 2010 provides a new cross-cutting legislative model to protect the rights of persons and progress equality of chance for all ; to update, simplify and beef up the old statute law ; and to present a simple, modern and accessible model of favoritism jurisprudence which protects persons from unjust intervention and promotes a just and more equal society . ( www.equalities.gov.uk ) A A I could besides utilize bureaus such as Citizen Advice Bureau, which provides free advice to aliens, and frequently offer a transcriber to supply information and advice on employment rights, including discrimination.A ACAS is another administration, which provides general information on employment rights and duties. A Bing discriminated in the yesteryear made me gain how damaging the effects of favoritism can be. I have started to inquire why people discriminate against each other. On many occasions I have witness favoritism but due to miss of cognition I was non able to dispute it and merely accept or disregard it.A Last twelvemonth on the Access Course I have developed a cognition which helped me to understand why favoritism happens in society. I have learned different theories behind favoritism which helped me to understand its roots.A Since so I have become more observant and started to reflect on my ain actions and actions of others. Schon ( 1983 ) identifies two types of reflection.A Reflection in action, which isA believing back on what we have done in order to detect how our knowing in action may hold contributed to an unexpected result. We may make so after the fact, in tranquility or we may hesitate in the thick of action ( stop and think ) ( Schon,1987:26 ) . Reflection -in -action is about disputing my premises, believing once more, in a new manner about the job that I have encountered. Reflection In Action is go oning where we may reflect in the thick of action without disrupting it. Our believing serves to reshape what we are making while making it ( Schon, 1987:26 ) . By detecting others in my current work topographic point I have identified negative experiences present in a Care Home based on feelings of favoritism and unjust intervention which was against my ain values and believes. A One of the illustrations of favoritism that I have informant was favoritism through the linguistic communication. Working in a Residential Home as a carer I have noticed a member of staff utilizing patronising and contemptuous linguistic communication towards residents.A I found that linguistic communication really disrespecting and decided to dispute my co-worker. I have realized that he held a negative attitude towards older people, A as he regards to occupants as soiled old adult female , A and name them as useless . I have explained to him that one twenty-four hours he besides will be old and A is that the manner he would wish to be seen. At this point my Manager came in and after explicating what has happen, the member of staff was asked to go forth the premises. In contemplation on this experience I have realized that people have different attitudes to aged population, which are different to my ain attitude. A Another observation involves a occupant holding negative attitudes towards black people.A The occupant would non let a black member of staff to supply any sort of aid or personal attention. She would shout and curse utilizing contemptuous linguistic communication every bit shortly as they entered the room.A Because the bulk of carers are black it is difficult to apportion a white member of staff to assist her. When inquiring her why she does non desire a black member of staff she answered that she does non desire inkinesss to assist or touch her because they are soiled and useless . On one juncture when go toing this occupant I decided to dispute her perceptual experiences about black people and called a new black member of staff to assist me when giving personal attention. I have explained to the occupant that she is a new member of staff and she will merely detect me. She accepted it but was non really happy about it. While working with occupant I started to inquire the miss inq uiries, such as why she wants to work here and does she like her occupation. She responds that she was looking after her grandma who passed off late and has a batch of experience and that she enjoys assisting other people. The occupant was listening but did non state anything. A I was trusting that she will alter her negative attitude after passing some clip with the black member of staff, after watching me holding a positive interaction with her. Not being cognizant of the resident attitude the miss asked her if she would wish her to make her hair because she used to make it really nice to her grandma. The occupant did non reply merely sat on the chair and gave the miss a hair coppice. On that phase I have left the room trusting that this experience will alter her attitude and bias against black people.A The occupant now is being attended by black staff without any jobs, and pass oning in a respectful manner. A A Contemplation ON THE POLICIES OF CHALLENGING DISCRIMINATION IN MY WORK PLACE ( JEWISH RESIDENTIAL HOME ) The usage of Anti Discriminatory pattern at my work topographic point is cardinal to the ethical footing of attention proviso, and equality statute law is important to the protection of service users self-respect. It imposes peculiar duties on public and service suppliers to avoid stereotyping and to esteem service user s diverse demands and cultural diverseness. To dispute favoritism Jewish Care has put into topographic point a written policies and processs to cover with prejudiced behavior and pattern. A Ambitious DISCRIMINATION AND OPPRESSION A get downing point in disputing favoritism and subjugation is holding consciousness of the different types and ways that favoritism and subjugation can happen. Thompson PCS Analysis provides a clear and apprehensible method of consideration favoritism and subjugation in the context of personal, cultural and social degrees. The procedure of authorization is besides important in disputing subjugation. A On a personal degree we could authorise persons to take control over their lives, for illustration through sweetening of self-esteem and assurance. On a cultural degree authorization is concerned with going aware of political orientations premised on inequality. Prejudiced premises and stereotypes should be challenged in order to interrupt down an oppressive civilization. On a structural degree authorization involve abolishment of structural inequalities from the construction of society.A Education plays of import function in disputing favoritism. By educating people to understand the causes and effects of favoritism we can dispute traditional beliefs and patterns refering peculiar groups and promote equality, diverseness, inclusion and tolerance. A A A A ANTI DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE Anti discriminatory pattern is an attack which seeks to battle favoritism and subjugation, in footings of disputing all signifiers of favoritism and subjugation from our ain pattern and pattern of others ( Thompson, 2006 ) . As a societal work pupil I need to develop farther my anti discriminatory practice.A To make so I have to recognize the significance of favoritism in people s lives, particularly in the lives of deprived people. I besides need to develop self-awareness and do certain, that my ain action does non reenforce favoritism. A A A A A A A A A

Educational Theory and Sustainable Education Essay

Educational Theory and Sustainable Education - Essay Example Sustainability problem was first highlighted by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987 (the Brundtland Commission). In 1992 the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janiero popularised this term. The emphasis was placed on the integration of thinking and action around ecological, social, political and economic systems. (Educating for a Sustainable Future, 2005) There are two currents which explain the interest in sustainability in the developed world. The first is the economisation of society or ‘finding economic values or indicators for economic and social phenomena.’ The second concerns a revaluation of nature, its transformation into a thing to be managed and controlled. These two currents are represented in ‘sustainable development’ term which exhibits a human desire to dominate over nature and a contradicting, ultimate dependence on its resources. There are many interpretations of sustainability which r equire critical assessment as they serve different social and economic interests. One group focuses on â€Å"sustainable economic growth†, the other – on â€Å"sustainable human development†. The first group does not support the idea of transformation of current social or economic systems while the second calls for a departure from current systems. Education was viewed as the â€Å"greatest resource† to achieve ecological society. Many major international reports see education as a source for sustainable living.

Leadership, Learning and Development Assignment

Leadership, Learning and Development - Assignment Example The fact is that every culture in different countries have differences from one another. At the risk of stereotyping, some cultures are more traditional – they are more masculine, less inclined to accept individual differences, and more respecting of hierarchies. These societies have basic inequalities. Other cultures are the opposite of this. Some cultures are individualist, and some are collectivist. Management must know these cultural differences, and they must have the skills to overcome the differences. They also should have a pragmatic way of dealing with the differences. Moreover, there is also the issue of outsourcing. This is another implication of globalization. When this occurs, there is inevitably a challenge. The employees may feel that they are going to be next, and the atmosphere may be poisonous. A good manager must have a way of overcoming this. To this end, manager developmental models may be pinpointed to problems or management developmental models may be broader-based. There should be a combination of both types of training, for optimal effect. Competency-based training is more broad-based, giving skills that transcend different situations. Assessment and development centres give pinpointed advice and training for certain situations. Another model is the multi-rater feedback. This means that there is assessment from the people who know the manager best, and the manager also does a self-assessment. These different models have different implications for the globalization challenges, but when used in conjunction with one another, especially the competency-based model with the assessment and development centre model, the manager would have the best training possible to deal with globalization challenges. This paper will outline the management development models. Then it will be talk about globalization, explaining it, and explaining what the challenges with regards to

National Air Sapce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

National Air Sapce - Essay Example Such a responsibility is likely to generate competitive advantage. In addition, Greenberg, McKone-Sweet, & Wilson (150) explain that premium customers are likely to offset social cost of service delivery and this will manage cost implications of the orders on the airline companies. The identified fuel efficiency will also reduce cost in the long term and increase long-term profitability. Legal obligations and consequences of breach of contract will also motivate the airline companies to uphold the orders and two possible remedies to breach of contract explain this. The companies will still be forced to make the purchases under the doctrine of specific performance and this will mean wasted time and money in judicial processes. Cancelling the contracts will also lead to monetary expenses in damages should the companies be allowed to cancel the contracts but this would still be costly (Schaffer, Agusti, & Dhooge 108). Upholding contracts for the new aircrafts offers advantages such as competitive advantage due to social responsibility, increased profitability due to fuel efficiency, and ability to raise prices among premium customers without reducing utility. Cancelling the contracts would however have legal implications into unnecessary financial losses. The companies will therefore go ahead with the contracts because of the many advantages of the move and disadvantages of cancelling the contracts. These motivate purchase of the new fuel-efficient aircrafts. Greenberg, Danna, McKone-Sweet, Kate, & Wilson, James. The new entrepreneurial leader: Ddeveloping leaders who shape social and economic opportunity. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011.

Strategic Management Of Mcdonalds Fast Food Company Uk Marketing Essay

Strategic Management Of Mcdonalds Fast Food Company Uk Marketing Essay McDonald Corporation is among the largest chain of fast food restaurants in the United Kingdom. It primarily sells French fires, chicken, hamburgers, soft drinks and breakfast. This paper draws on the view that McDonalds fast food continue to remain competitive in the fast food market niche by virtue of strategic management which sees it improving the taste of sandwiches as well as introducing a menu lost that is new for its customers. To understand the success of McDonald over the years, it is important to note the strategic management of the fast food corporation in the UK. Part of the strategic drive of McDonalds to increase its competitive edge has been to overhaul the system of food preparation and as evidenced in its recent food preparation system dubbed Made For You, McDonald developed a mutual relationship with its customers since fresher as well as hotter food are delivered to customers; an aspect that leads to more consumption of McDonalds food (Stuart et al, 2007). The ove rall point in the strategic thinking and management of McDonalds rests on the enhanced flexibility on its customer service, business model, reaching and analyzing the strategic edge in light of competitive advantage and business level strategies. This paper seeks to analyze the wider environment in which McDonalds operates competition within the fast food industry, strategic focus, and how to address challenges that occur within the industry. Introduction McDonalds Fast Food Company is among the largest food service retail corporation. Known for its hot and fresh fries, hamburgers, burgers and soft drinks, McDonalds operates about 30,000 restaurants in over 199 countries. In the UK, a majority of the McDonalds operates on the franchise basis. The strategic focus and organizational management has positioned McDonalds to compete effectively in an already competitive industry and thus edge a competitive base in the industrial environment and enjoy a market niche for its business. Customers visit its outlet on the daily basis because of the ability of McDonalds to create a companys image that enhances people to get accustomed to the culture of fats food (McDonalds Corporation, 2010). As such, there is an apt customer base which McDonalds uses as a market entry strategy. Together with advertising companies that leaves the brand image in the consumers mind, McDonalds continue not only to penetrate the market but also expand their market siz e. As a result, there are a number of strategies that McDonald builds on to remain competitive in the industry and achieve t business and organizational objective. McDonalds Company Overview As one of the largest fast food corporation in the UK that concentrates on burgers, French fries, soft foods and breakfast, McDonalds has in the most recent introduced salads, snack wraps, fruits and carrot sticks. McDonald is a business that dates back in 1940. It was an idea that grew and became operational as the two brothers Mac McDonald and Dick opened a restaurant in the United States (Walsh, 2009) .The first McDonalds operated on the principle of modern fast food restaurant which later spread across Europe. The present McDonald is as a result of the successful expansion of the McDonald into a host of fast food markets. The company has become the symbol of globalization and it prominence in the UK is based on the concept of consumer responsibility as well as corporate ethics (McDonalds Corporation, 2010). Essentially, McDonald serves approximately one million customers every day. Business Environment and Analysis of McDonalds The environment in which McDonalds operates is very competitive that managers have been forced to adopt a strategic framework upon which they exercise their ability to identify, cultivate as well as exploit the core competencies that ensures that there is business and market growth. Thompson (2005) asserts that in order to arrive at this strategic threshold, McDonalds as a corporation has been the focus of the strategic policy formulation. In addition, Brown (2002) points out that there is no way in which the organization can exist in the vacuum. In this sense, McDonalds operate within a competitive environment and the foundation of its strategic management rests on its ability to analyze its competitor in the fast food industry. As a result, this not only enables McDonalds to realize its strengths and weakness but also help it to formulate a position on which it identifies the opportunities that are present for the organizations well as the threats it can face from its wider industr ial environment. This strategic analysis best positions McDonalds in its market niche and is thus a strategy that reflects the best march for McDonalds strategic management. The competencies exhibited by McDonalds form yet another aspect of its overall strategic management. Parsa (2002) contends that as one of the largest food chain companies in the UK, it defines its success from its strengths and opportunities. This is the distinctive competitive strategy that enhances the corporations competitive advantage in the market. A case in point is the financial opportunities, market leadership, image of the company to the market as well as the relationship between the company and its customer forms the strengths as well as opportunities than McDonald has achieved on its wider strategic management plan. To achieve an enhanced and more profitable market niche, McDonalds creates a successful image in the customers minds and draws from it mission and vision statement to introduce to widespread customers a culture of fast food. This is evidenced by the fundamental concept that it serves over one million customers in UK per day and continues to add on its menu a new list of fast food items prepared. Furthermore, customer care relations, delivery speed as well as high hygienic conditions make the basic strengths on which McDonalds expands on. Cole (2003) articulates that McDonald has created a corporate symbol that is reinforced by the advertisement campaigns in the UK. Accordingly, it builds on this pedestal to foundationally establish a brand image that has remained in the minds of millions of people living in the UK. As such, the brand image positions McDonalds an edge higher than its major competitor in the food chain industries and its marketing strategies successfully addresses impo rtant business operations factors such as internal resources and the core competencies in relation to the external environment in which it operates (Kendrick, 2008). Moreover, business analysts have maintained that the product value of McDonalds has contributed to the strategic focus of its operations. With regard to this, customers are aware of what to expect from the McDonalds restaurants whenever they visit the McDonalds. This gives emphasis on the fact that human resource draws their satisfaction from satisfying their customers and keeps the employees ready to adopt the innovative strategy of the company where they introduce newer products in the market in a bid to remain on edge with the newer tastes and trends of its customers and market size. The diversity of McDonalds into other related business forms the framework on which economists regard the McDonalds as the successful corporate group within the fast food industry (Enz, 2009). Competitive Environment within the Operations of McDonalds Every fast food restaurant operating whether as an organization or individual business is aimed at creating a new wave in the performance; all aimed towards implementing and sustaining the brand quality and the innovation of the business plan. Many fast food restaurants in the UK continue to analyze the external as well as internal business opportunities and therefore develop marketing plans that see them with a major market shares. These make food chain industry a very competitive industry in the UK. According to Hetrick et al (2006), McDonalds appreciates that competition for market place is stiff and has tasked its management to constantly communicate, compare their services with those of other fast food restaurants and finally improve on their service delivery and incorporate the developments of technology such as the internet to basically motivate their clients and improve on the overall center performance. In addition, many fast food organizations undoubtedly enhance their food production which makes it futile to use the product quality alone as the marketing strategy. As this may create a scenario where you are rated average, McDonalds has gone a notch higher in edging its competitive advantage by modifying every marketing and business strategy to suit its vision statement. As such, Heath and Palacher (2008) argues that bearing in mind the already available resources is one point towards success but making use of all the primary competencies has enabled McDonalds to sustain its place in the competitive market. Accordingly, as the chief executive officer of McDonalds said, the world has extensively changed and so have the customers. This calls for a dire need for any business organization to change in light with the customers change (Walsh, 2009). McDonalds Competitive Position within the Food Chain Industry McDonalds has achieved the title of the leading and largest fast food restaurant in the UK from its overall strategic management concept of sustainable competitive market. With emphasis, this strategic policy has been behind the McDonalds ability to make it difficult for other food chain industries to penetrate its stronghold marketplace. Hill and Jones (2007) explain that McDonalds competitive position is attributed to its dynamic customer care relations, brand imaging, cost structure as well as its patent. With regard to this, the organizational as well as the managerial process has centered on sharing coordination and integration to formulate policies that drives the McDonalds on the pedestal of success. Believing in the customer and product value, McDonalds has created a situation where every employee strives to work for the common goal. Similarly, McDonald, through its strategic management has demonstrated its strength in being able to learn and execute changes according to the needs of the markets. From this conceptualization, it has commanded a competitive position by being flexible to change within the milieu of technological developments and customer trends (Stuart et al, 2007). As such, Kendrick (2008) further postulates that a case in point for McDonalds success and market position falls on the paradigm of its long time organizational culture of concentrating on its advantage such as organizational behaviors as well as expertise to achieve success in every aspect of its objective. In the past, McDonald paid little attention on the concept of competitive advantage and thus even though it opened many outlets across Britain, its revenue did not change to the better. The structural, technological and financial assets are the excellent market position of McDonalds. It therefore follows that McDonalds not only identifies but also implements these assets in the right direction in a bid to improve the services of the company in the market. Bordering the advantage on the vision which guides the company, McDonalds draws its strengths to achieve the competitive position by being committed to the sustainability of its vision. For example, bearing in mind that a brand or product revolves around the companys vision, McDonalds works in lieu with this concept and thus attributes its competitive advantage on its faithfulness to the mission, vision and goals as well as objectives of the organization (Thompson, 2005).In light of this, McDonalds operates on the guideline of serving those people who have little or no time to cook an therefore provides a solution of a proper restaurant. In this case, the vision provides not only quality products but also quick ser vice and desirable satisfaction among its customers. The sustainable competitive advantage has undoubtedly meant well for the McDonalds and implementing these strategies is based on incorporating the best value strategies which make McDonalds unique and hard to be emulated by its competitors. It is evident that competitive advantages has helped and continue to help McDonalds to realize a great investment through an integrated, intelligent and dynamic human resources as well as strategic management (brown, 2003). As a result, McDonald caters for the situation where risk attitudes change and entirely vary the environmental uncertainty and volatility. This based on the product, price, promotion and place has provided a good starting point for the competitive position of McDonalds. Towards implementing the marketing function, the management of McDonalds constantly employs elements of marketing mix to appropriate plan on how to achieve the popularity in the market place (Enz, 2009). McDonalds Marketing Strategy McDonalds is known for its market entry on which it introduces people to the culture of fast food through the employment of emotive and highly persuasive advertisement campaigns. As Hetrick et al (2006) point out, McDonalds uses well structured advertisement campaigns to create a corporate system that penetrates the market as well as expands it. With regard to this, Parsa (2002) notes that McDonalds have put in place strategies that deal with the growing number of fast food customers in the UK. Towards achieving this, McDonalds emphasizes on customer care, speed in the delivery and high hygienic conditions around the McDonald premises. Connected with the concept of market entry strategy, McDonalds equally builds on its brand image; a factor that identifies it as an independent company. Accordingly, the company has taken into account business environment to achieve a competitive edge based on the service delivery, product and price. In addition, McDonalds have used the diversity strategy in its operations. Hill and Jones (2007) contends that McDonalds uses this strategy to venture into other business; a factor that has helped the company to keep in touch with the market trends a mid the rising completion in the food chain industry. Towards this, McDonalds emphasis on health food, introduction of new items such as salads on the menu, changed the overall appearance of the stores among adopting newer strategies. In light of this, McDonalds is able to achieve a competitive position in the marketing environment that is getting more competitive by day s a result of entry of new players in the industry. Heath and Palacher (2008) further assert that a lot of innovations where McDonalds produces new products demonstrate another strategy in use for the McDonalds to catch up with the latest market development. As a result, it is able to respond to the ever changing tastes and concerns of customers. For instance, McDonalds continues to develop new recipes as part of it strategic formulation to cater for the health issues and concerns of the customers in UK. McDonalds continue with the franchising model and employs over 60000 employees in approximately 1200 restaurants. The success behind all theses is typical of the effective marketing strategies that lead to the creation of high demand for fast food (Cole, 2003). The aim of successful marketing rests on making superfluous sales. Understanding the customer as well as the product that fits them has definitely formed the foundation of McDonalds marketing strategy. As opposed to other fast food restaurant whose entry in the market somehow takes the customer for granted and ends at providing quick service, McDonalds exploits the underlying concept of marketing which draws on the notion that customer satisfaction is the primary business priority. Comparatively, many fast food restaurants in the UK are motivated in making profit and although they provide quality services, they miss out on putting their customers satisfaction on the fist priority. McDonalds has created business strategies that aim at fulfilling the creation of customer satisfaction. Fundamentally, McDonalds has invested in understanding the needs of a group or groups of customers in what is called market segmentation (Brown, 2002).As such, McDonalds defines these band of customers in terms of demography such as their age, region and gender such that each band of customers have a successfully and specifically tailored products as well as a marketing mix. Future Developments in the Fast Industry It is important to note that following the market trends of fats food industry, outsourcing of employees may not be effective. It is clear that everything in the present business community outsources but McDonalds should be ready to take care when outsourcing because in future, outsourcing is going to cease in its value following the whole sale idea of outsourcing competencies of the fast food chain store (Hetrick et al, 2006). Towards cushioning the effect of this, McDonald can outsource other business operations but not its core competencies. As such, it will keep abreast with the fact that the benefits of outsourcing which includes knowledge of market offshore, supplier relations and expansion of business operation. In so doing McDonalds will have put in place an order facility to cushion itself against competition, business failure and reduced profit margin. In addition, the question of increased competition will be a future development due to the extensive entry in the fast food industry. As such, McDonalds will have to face an array of market risks as well as other business setbacks. However, what will make it strong and continue to enjoy the status of a leading fast food company is the constant formulation and implementation of strategic policies based on its knowledge of the customer needs. In other words, the taste, preferences and satisfactions of the customer should be their constant priority to face this challenging scenario (Parsa, 2002).With the future market function taking a consumer oriented approach, the marketing decisions are care going to be affected by the careful identification of the needs of the customers. As such McDonalds will need to devise marketing strategies that meet the customers needs as well as a business distribution system that bring the brands closer to the needs of the customer. Recommendation for McDonalds Future Strategy McDonalds should in future design a business plan that addresses the social changes spearheaded by the government and consumer groups which border encouraging a balanced diet and thus prepare types of foods that on the nutrition of the customer as well as their healthy lifestyles. Essentially, it can also develop a joint venture with other organizations such as the supermarkets in that some of its food is sold in the supermarkets. This comes with the marketing database which will help it to more accurately reach out to specific target groups of consumers. The customer identification could be on the basis of modeling and shoppers profiles; a factor which will enhance the prevention of band switching. In addition, McDonalds should focus on the corporate social responsibility and edge closer to those organizations with a value impact on the society (Enz, 2009). Similarly, McDonalds should realize that promotion of its products is not merely an advertising function. It should come up with both advertising campaigns and promotional strategy that is defined by the nature of the market, the size of the market and the tastes as well as preferences of the customers. In so doing, McDonalds should design on the promotional mix that address the element of price, product and market in the way the customer will feel obliged to consume the product. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evident that the strategic management plan of McDonalds has positioned it as the largest fast food corporation in the UK. This means that its business model is evidently different form other fast food chains. . Part of the strategic drive of McDonalds to increase its competitive edge has been to overhaul the system of food preparation and as evidenced in its recent food preparation system dubbed Made For You McDonalds developed a mutual relationship with its customers since fresher as well as hotter food was delivered to customers; an aspect that led to more consumption of McDonalds food. The overall point in the strategic thinking and management of McDonalds rests on the enhanced flexibility on its customer service, business model and analyzing the strategic edge in light of competitive advantage, business level strategies among others.

Understanding Internet Taxation :: E-Commerce Web Sales Tax Essays

Understanding Internet Taxation Internet taxation means that there are taxes that are applied to things purchased on the internet and fees that are linked to Internet access. They call sales that are made over the internet â€Å"E-commerce†. This topic is very important because as the internet grows so does the taxes and the overall cost of doing business via the internet. If this issue goes out of control and things get too expensive the world isn’t going to want to pay the heavy fees to buy merchandise. The internet taxation problem came about in 1998 when the internet was just starting to warm up. Eventually, this topic of internet taxation is going to affect everybody either directly or through business or simply by trying to obtain internet access within their home.† In 1998, the federal government passed the Internet Tax Freedom Act as a part of the 1998 budget bill.† (House Research, 1998) Well, this was decided on in 1998 to have it be a tax free issue but that was only for three y ears. President Bill Clinton passes this bill right when the internet and e-commerce was taking off. (csg.org) all this bill did was make it so there wasn’t any tax for three years. It couldn’t have lasted forever. Now taxation on the internet has become an issue that is decided on from state to state. Only ten states in the country tax internet access in 1998. They are North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Delaware. (House Research 1998) The other remaining states either don’t have state tax in general or they do not tax internet access. In 1999, the committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) had a meeting and decided to go ahead and have local taxation of telecommunications and e-commerce. They said that this was due to the need for it for it locally and because there was so many rapid changes with technology and the competitiveness of e-commerce that was developing. Now let’s fast forward to 2004. â€Å"On June 28th, Michigan became the 21st state to enact legislation to comply with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement.† (See Figure 1)What the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement does is it â€Å"provides the states with a blueprint to create a simplified sal es and use tax collection system that removes the burden and cost from sellers and thus allows justification for Congress to overturn other decisions.

Construction of femininity Essay

The very titles of both plays, Gertrude, The Cry and Ophelia Thinks Harder offer the grounds for the presumption that the central theme is related to a woman. Furthermore, in the light of postmodernism one may presuppose to read the revisionary approach on the woman’s question. Now when Gertrude and Ophelia have become the archetypes, their reading in the postmodernist works gives the possibility to understand the principles of the latest tendencies of the literature. The play expresses the modern understanding of Hamlet by throwing the light upon the subjects that were left enigmatic by Shakespeare. Reading the archetypes in the modern adaptations allow a better understanding of postmodernism. The study’s focus is the representations of Shakespearean Hamlet women in the modern plays. Despite a series of transgressive forms of language in both literary pieces (in particular in Barker’s), the plain-spoken parody on the original play, the focus on the problem and the atmosphere of femininity appear close to original Shakespeare. The atmosphere around femininity in both plays seem more authentic to the heroes of original Hamlet that for example in the representations of 19th [1] century when the femininity was a cult and the femininity of Ophelia was the idyllic example. Is it the genius of Shakespeare to create a play that seems to have constantly the necessity to be unveiled? Is it the work of poststructuralist philosophers that influenced the postmodern authors to re-understand the women in Shakespeare’s literature? Has the urgency of rethinking of the female role through rethinking the femininity finally found its proper reflection in the fiction? Of course, Gertrude and Ophelia represent different and sometimes quite the opposite female types. Gertrude is in her maturity while Ophelia is in her puberty. This difference gives the opportunity to study the whole picture of femininity on different levels. To make the picture complete, both authors introduce new feminine characters. In order not to eclipse Gertrude, Barker omits Ophelia in his adaptation; however he introduces Isola, Claudius mother and Ragusa, somewhere at Ophelia’s place. As for Betts, there are Maid and Virgin Mary; however the plot is formed in a way that to the end of the play there are more female characters than male. Gertrude and Ophelia characters symbolize the eternal problems that women are facing. Different as they are, they always converge. And the study of both of them is necessary for this course of effort to bring the answers to the questions raised above. The philosophical debates over essentialism and femininity, the problems of gender, the rethinking of its ontological construction, the post-structuralism and the deconstruction have been largely introduced in the course of the 20th century [2]. Although, they have some differences in approach, commonly they agree that the femininity is to be socially constructed. It is rather clear that both postmodern writings of Barker and Betts could possibly not disregard these approaches when writing on women. Moreover they are industriously participating in the debates. For example, the plot Ophelia Thinks Harder is explicitly under-wound on gender construction. Barker is focusing more on the relation of femininity and the power. Bett’s claim on Queen: â€Å"We have to work at being women†¦ † (Queen,3,17) highlights the coercive nature of femininity and can recall one the Beauvoir’s famous claim that one is not born, but rather becomes a woman[3]. Femininity construction in the conventional understanding is regarded as the â€Å"the art that [all the heterosexual women] must master†(Queen, Scene 3, p. 16). It is quite natural that all the compulsory is to be criticized in the western democratic society. However the femininity is compelled so slight and subtle that one can possibly not be aware of it. But the outcome of this compelled femininity can be more dangerous to the point that one can believe and can touch all the levels of human being. This is what this study will attempt to highlight in this work. It is sad to mark that this is the prevailing philosophy as for gender problems finds its supporters mainly in the homosexual ranges. [4] With all my respect for the diversity, in some cases it is like Barker’s Hamlet who â€Å"will write the Book of Love whilst having never oh not ever loved† (Hamlet, Scene 13, p. 55). While the heterosexual women suffer of so many not less urgent problems of no solution. What is the role for example of the philosophy on gender, treating the problems of femininity in the issue of domestic violence. A 1992 Council of Europe study on domestic violence against women found that one in four women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, 400 hundred women die because of their partner’s violence every year [5]. Generally speaking, the contemporary philosophical orientation is hardly finding something constructive to propose at least for heterosexual women leaving the contradiction unresolved. Efrat Tseelon criticizes the modern authors regarding the woman’s question in â€Å"The Masque of Femininity†: â€Å"My claim is that this tradition covers very different theoretical explanations. It ranges from mythological and theological descriptions which define the essence of a woman as dissimulation, to psychoanalytic accounts and contemporary social theory which define the essence of femininity as an inessential social construction†[6]. Majority of the postmodern writers and philosophers, who are focusing on femininity, give the answers principally on the deconstruction of gender. Some tendencies for internationalized feminism take into consideration the women of the third world situations as highly appreciable [7]. However, similar problems in the western society do not have the sufficient treat. Even if theories exist, they are too difficult to adopt in real life for the heterosexual majority of women as it is proved in Ophelia Thinks Harder. In this context literary works treating questions concerning women again become more important. They are indispensable in understanding femininity in modern terms. Inasmuch as studying them contributes to the working on the consciousness. And it is due to the quality of the literature independent of the conventional construction or philosophical trends and largely contributing into both, to intersect the theory and the real life. Whereas Howard Barker’s intentions are rather cryptic, Jean Betts provides the both in her work: her work is full of incomparable imagination, she provides the historical and philosophical data from Aristotle to Queen Elizabeth and the outline of Christian thought over femininity and she evokes for the representations of women in all the dimensions. Of course such approach helps her preliminarily to put some light on the original character of Shakespearean Ophelia by the introduction of the thought on femininity in the period when Shakespeare created Ophelia, the post-Elizabethan period, the beginning of the 17th century. This information in the guise of fiction makes apparent the true reason of Shakespearean Ophelia’s collapse. Women were regarded as physiologically â€Å"failed men† – as a product of incomplete development caused by insufficient generative heat in the womb. They were seen as the effeminate man, the aberrations of effeminacy. Woman’s sexuality was thought of almost a separate organism within the woman, with a will – womb[8]. Calling back to these perversions in the postmodernist frame allows the reader to question the hegemonic cultural discourse of nowadays. Whereas Betts is trying in her own words to help to â€Å"dismantle some of the foundations of this deeply buried prejudice against women†, (Writer’s Notes, Ophelia Thinks Harder), Barker is focusing more on the sexuality of the femininity as the power and the tragic outcome of the excess of the femininity and feminine sexuality. He questions the verity of the sexual feminine liberation and if it really liberates the woman. Undoubtedly a certain sexual feminine liberation has become a part of the conventional construction of femininity. However, there is no seamless category of conventional femininity, no for femininity as there is no seamless category for the woman. â€Å"The very subject of women is no longer understood in stable or abiding terms†[9]. The best possible definition for the conventional femininity gives Betts’s Gertrude: â€Å"†¦ display her wares†¦ you’ll dazzle them all†¦ a fantastical cosmetic and corset fitting process; e. g. Eyebrow plucking, leg waxing, arm oiling, nails, garish face mask, fierce corsetry, grossly padded bra, chastity belt, etc†¦ You will delight, but not over-excite. †¦ a pure sweet, submissive little virgin†¦ † The conventional femininity is double-faced. Having Chaste Mary as an ideal, the feminine best culmination is â€Å"to play the cards right†. What Ragusa has actually performed. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ marriage is the greatest moment in a woman’s life to be a bride the day of all days†¦ † (Ragusa, Scene 15, p. 63). Trying her best to construct the feminine self, she married Hamlet and inherited the throne after his death. Ophelia’s Mother suggests: â€Å"women are treacherous, sly, scheming, deceitful†¦ †. Even making children in the conventional understanding of the femininity is corresponded to please or manipulate man: â€Å"They want kids, do it. They don’t – well come to me and I’ll help you when the time comes. â€Å"; â€Å"A woman with a son is powerful. † (Queen, Scene 3, p. 17; 19) However, in the original version Gertrude had nothing but sufferance and the collapse of her life because of her son, who did not accept her mode of life. The response is paradoxically given by the same all feminine Betts Gertrude: â€Å"-and we are inconsiderate enough not to give a shit what driveling adolescents like you think. † (Queen, Scene 7, p. 54). Of course, Barker’s power of Gertrude is certainly far from her bearing a son. Unmasking the masquerade Insomuch as the woman’s question is to be read the titles of both plays, the unthought-of before or rethought (thinks harder) and a sore utterance of the extreme feelings (the cry) are manifesting. Shakespearean women thus have a chance to cry out their repressed truths. It is absolutely normal when taking in consideration the historic-cultural context of the role of gender in the Shakespearean period that women like Gertrude and Ophelia, were shown and identified by their relation to men. It is of the great achievements of Shakespeare to draw the remarried widow as the tragic hero when â€Å"for playwrights of the early modern period, a remarrying widow was a subject for comedy†[10]. Today, in the light of deconstruction, what was identified as the feminine can turn to be masculine and vice-versa theoretically [11]. Practically, the process of choosing the gender is not without the desperate torments. The femininity as the obstruction to the knowledge in Betts version and the extreme feminine sexuality of as the pseudo pluck of the apple of forbidden knowledge in Barkers are the central themes in the plays. Betts’ Ophelia hence thinks harder than the original Shakespearean one. What does this possibility to think or to rethink presents for the female? Shakespearean Ophelia’s life was predicated by what men around her thought. Her father and brother decided how she should behave herself. Hamlet’s refusal of her was fatal. Betts offers Ophelia the choice to think herself for her life, what will it turn to? As for Gertrude, will her cry hush the desperate attempts of Hamlet to de-sexualize her? Is the cry the horror and sexual pleasure of her femininity or does it stand over female and masculine categories? Modern Shakespeare suggests that Gertrude’s flagrancy, her over sexualized femininity cost the life of another feminine innocent Ophelia [12]. Indeed desire and death go traditionally together as proved above, but what is the place of the femininity in desire? Even if it is true, why should the feminine sexual desire be identified with femininity? And why should the masculine desire excuse itself by femininity? In Betts rewriting, Ophelia is in the same cultural context, the oppressed woman, the same â€Å"mad fool† (Queen, 7, 52) boyfriend Hamlet. It should therefore come as no surprise, that her desperate attempts of thinking meet the terrible attacks from all the members of the society. To condemn these attempts on failure, they take an argument that thinking is not feminine, accusing Ophelia of not being feminine. Throughout the play Betts is proving that the imposed conventional femininity is an instrument to prevent the woman to think. She focuses in particular on why thinking for a woman is so dangerous in the conventional understanding. The power stands for the explanation and certainly not a â€Å"psychotic clown† who sets the rules. The power serves as the relationship between individuals. The one who possesses the knowledge possesses the power. Isn’t after overcoming the conventional femininity and get educated that: â€Å"we dress up to learn, to write, to get published†¦ be lawyers, doctors, lead armies, run countries†¦ † (R&G, Scene 8) that the gender war is foreseen to happen: â€Å"I see strife; I see gender war; I see the initial X†(First Woman 4, 26). At first glance, Barker’s Gertrude possesses the power. She is evidently more delighted with her sexual power than the political one that she posses with her statute of the queen. From her comes out the cry, the extreme point of ever possible desire and pleasure and of horror. The extreme desire is always conventionally associated with sin as well as with feminine. This is evident in the story of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. The first sin has become sexualized with Eve’s violation of God’s specific instruction [13] The Cry is like the reproduction of the first sentiment that the new sinful world lived: the desire and the horror. Gertrude possesses this cry. Is the extreme femininity the way to posses the cry or does it come out of the brain that has no binary category? â€Å"MY BRAIN IS WHERE DESIRE IS† (Hamlet 5, 28) Where is the place of the intellect in the conventional construction of the femininity? Knowledge and desire go together. As mentioned above was it not for the desire of knowledge that the first sin occurred? Therefore, knowledge is interpreted as unnatural to female. As the epigraph to Ophelia Thinks Harder proposes: â€Å"Laborious learning or painful pondering, even if woman should greatly succeed in it, destroy the merits that are proper to her sex† (Kant). In the course of all these tormenting moments of thinking, Betts’ Ophelia is read as what is in the psychoanalytic terms called bisexual: not feminine, not masculine. At least she is resisting to become feminine. Before getting down on why she is refusing the conventional femininity, one should clearly make the difference between the biological sex and the socially constructed femininity or masculinity. Freud claims that the child is born bisexual and femininity or masculinity is constructed [14]. Following the psychological steps related to his parents the child develops his/her masculinity/femininity. Then as it is developing it is influenced by the socio cultural frames. Together with the theory of deconstruction they would consider us to read Ophelia bisexual. Indeed she claims that she does not want to be the man, nor the woman (Scene 3, 17). However her bisexuality is also determined by the social frames. She does not want not to be the man, nor the woman because she does not want to be seen like conventional feminine or masculine. The conventional understanding of the femininity does not correspond to her individuality. Hence, she is refusing the conventional notion of being feminine: â€Å"Behavior as instinctive as a cat’s with a bird†¦ † (Hamlet, Scene 1, p. 3); â€Å"†¦ viper†¦ like Eve would arouse in him evil and lust (Hamlet, Scene 4, p. 29) or â€Å"The lady doth protest too much†(III,ii,225) She is refusing to be tough and try to corrupt the man she is not. She is refusing to be tough to be overwhelmed with her sexuality as something shameful. â€Å" Hormones, cycles of blood, reproductive turmoil-you are flushed with your female destiny-you are adulated, euphoric-yes-you are clearly in love†¦ † (Hamlet, Scene 1, p. 3). If choosing gender in the natural way is as impossible as it was in the original version and if we know that the femininity is rooted in the social construction is it left to the society to decide if she becomes a normal woman [feminine]? Is there a solution to stand out the opinion of the society? On one hand Barker’s Gertrude is independent from the society’s opinion, on the other she is strongly dependent on others, as she needs to astonish. The conflict in Ophelia Thinks Harder lies in Ophelia’s resistance to the psychic subordination of the conventional. Being female, according to the social conventions her body must be superior to her mind, while the masculinity would be gifted with mind and femininity with body. Ophelia is forced to be separated from her mind and to delight and be delighted by her feminine body. She is not abnormal or exceptional. â€Å"The thousands of us† (Scene 8, p. 66) had to disguise as men to be disjoined from their minds. Judith Butler is decisive upon Beauvoir proposal that the female body ought to be the situation and the instrumentality of the woman’s freedom, not a defining and limiting essence [15]. She writes: â€Å"In the philosophical tradition that begins with Plato and continues through Descartes, Husserl, and Sartre, the ontological distinction between soul (consciousness, mind) and body invariably supports relations of political and psychic subordination and hierarchy†. While Betts uncovers the diverse and dissimilar states of female’s self-construction, Barker is focusing on the exploration of the body. Helen Cixous is speaking about the writing of the female body [16]. Quite in a similar way, Barker is studying the possibility of â€Å"learning to approach their [women’s] own forbidden bodies†. Indeed one can mark the parallel even in the titles with The Laughter of Medusa and Gertrude The Cry. Barker’s Gertrude claim â€Å"I’ve made an instrument out of my body† (Scene 14, p. 62). Gertrude explores and perceives the knowledge through the possibilities of her body. Of course Barker has not invented that Gertrude is exploring her sexuality. Shakespearean theme is also read in Betts: â€Å"it may come as a shock, little boy, but quite a lot a lot of people over 30 fondle each other. Oh yes; Claudius and I†¦ HAVE SEX. † (Queen, Scene 7, p. 54).

The Bakun Dam Project in Sarawak Essays

The Bakun Dam Project in Sarawak Essays The Bakun Dam Project in Sarawak Paper The Bakun Dam Project in Sarawak Paper For more than 30 years, there have been discussions concerning the development of the Baku Dam in the East Malaysian state of Karakas. If built, the dam would be the largest in South-East Asia. The Baku Dam: A Case Study indicates that generating 2400 megawatts of power, it would provide electricity for all of Karakas, and for industries and cities in mainland Malaysia, through a cable under the South China Sea. At 650 kilometers, this would be by far the longest cable in the world. The Baku Dam has been a highly controversial issue spanning over three decades as its validity and use to the people of Malaysia have been questioned. For the cost that involves producing this dam, at seven billion dollars and rising, is there a need for so much power at all? The main environmental issue here is whether Karakas should sacrifice forests in order to promote the economic growth of its country or cease construction to preserve the traditional environment and standards of living. It is essential to the people of Malaysia that the construction of the dam continues, as it will benefit them in the future through industrialization. This dam can be seen as a source of employment for the nation, the creation of international interest, and increased economic growth. There are also many negatives to the completion of the dam; which include the displacement of natives, increased foreign debt, and the gradual deterioration of the dam after many years. There are many other factors that contribute to this issue, however, the above three positive components are fundamental to the further growth of Malaysia. The main stakeholders involved in this area of interest include Malaysian non- governmental organizations opposed to the project, indigenous peoples affected, non-governmental organizations outside Malaysia opposed the reject, Malaysian State and Federal governments, Koran Bernhard (the developer), and international corporations contributing to the project. The Baku Dam has had an uncertain, highly controversial history. The project is of importance to Malaysian political and business leaders as there is a promise of abundant electricity and a lever by which Karakas could be lifted out of its backward state. It has been said that for environmentalists and the native people, the project would flood tropical forests and force the resettlement of approximately 10 000 people in order to generate high cost electricity, for which no market might exist (Dams Initiative). These contrasting perspectives on the Baku Dam make it valuable as a case study to identify the best power solution for a nations economic problem. There have been many complications regarding the Baku Dam since its introduction. Bevies (1 995, p. 65) stated that after initial surveys in the early asses, in 1 986, a decision by the national government was made to construct the dam. In 1 990, official postponement of the project was made due to protests and doubts about the dams economic viability. In 1 993 however, he project was renewed with the catalyst being Malaysias desperate need for power. It was said that in 1 994, the awarding of the project contract to Koran Bernhard cemented the importance the dam was for the Malaysian government to address its financial issues (Bevies, 1995, up. 101-102). But nevertheless, further problems mounted and in 1 997, the project was deferred in the face of the Asian economic crisis. In recent years, the project has been rehabilitated with last year being the set date for the completion of the project. Clearly however, the completion of the Baku Dam will not take lace for a further few years. There are many advantages to the completion Of the Baku Dam for Malaysia. Proponents of the project argue that the dam has several benefits, and minimal impacts. For the native residents of the region, it would be a source of employment during construction, and would indirectly stimulate creation of other employment opportunities. It has been stated that increased cash income for these residents was advocated as the only means to change the backward status of this region, and to address poverty (Chocolates, 1993, p. 163). These are the initial steps to consolidating Malaysias economic and environmental future. Even after the project had been shelved in 1990, lobbying by its proponents continued, particularly by the Karakas government, which urged the federal government to revive the project. Finally, in September 1993, the Malaysian cabinet approved construction of the Baku Dam. In reviving the project, Malaysias need for power was most often invoked as justification. By 1993 the Malaysian economy was growing by more than 8 percent per year, with electricity demand expanding even faster. The Borneo Bulletin affirms that lockouts in 1992 and 1993, and a predicted doubling of demand by 2000, were indications of a power crisis, justifying extraordinary efforts to expand supply. Project proponents also believed the Baku Dam could help reduce dependence on fossil fuels, especially oil. Most evident however, was that this project was consistent with an energy policy relying almost entirely on supply. In Hardens argument, he referred to the quote from environmentalist Grit Sings (1995) to prove his theory: The concept of energy conservation and certainly its implementation is virtually absent in Malaysia. This is why Malaysia needs to complete the dam, to enhance its economic and environmental status on the worldwide scale. Furthermore, the Baku Dam has attracted the attention of numerous international engineering and construction companies, with experience building dams elsewhere. The IRON Baku Campaign specifies that this is a means of attracting investment to Karakas, of fostering its industrialization, so that it could develop to the same extent as, or even beyond, mainland Malaysia. Originally, Germany, Mexico and Brazil were major participants in a consortium to bid to have privileges to build the dam. The dam was used as a connection to develop close ties between Malaysia and associated countries. Spires (1 995 p. 135) reported that recent contract an announcements have included Europe, Latin America and certain parts of Asia to add to the increasing number of foreign firms constructing the dam. This is beneficiary for the Malaysian economy as there is more money coming into the nation. Beyond the economic viability of the project itself, the Baku Dam has been justified in terms of the overall economic development of Malaysia. In 1991 Malaysia established Vision 2020, a plan that envisages Malaysia becoming fully developed and industrialized nation by 2020. Within this context, the IRON Baku Campaign informs that the Baku Dam could contribute in several ways to Vision 2020 through the supply of electricity, needed by manufacturing. In recent years, demand for power has increased by up to 13%/year. In addition, the project would be a model of close partnership between the state and federal governments, and the private sector. Furthermore, Vision 2020 can be achieved through gaining access to advanced power technology, such as turbines and transmission lines, provided by foreign engineering firms. The role the dam plays on Vision 2020 can progressively contribute to Malaysia becoming industrialized in the future. However, the Baku Dam has been the focus of intense controversy as well. Human implications included the displacement of approximately 10 000 native people to the Karakas region. The displacement and resettlement of these people in effect involved the loss of their way of life, and the acceptance of a modern lifestyle. Most people are now subsistence farmers, supplementing their income through cash crops or jobs in timber companies. These native people once valued their autonomy, as one indigenous person dated in a Friends of the Earth press release (1995): We are poor only insofar as we have little money. In fact, we are rich, because we have all we need to feed ourselves and house ourselves. Rice is free, fish and meat are free, vegetables are free, water is free, and lumber is free. After the relocation these natives no longer have their own land, and have to seek work instead on large plantations to survive. Malaysia: the progress bought by the Baku Dam in Karakas states that the project had long been criticized for the possibilities of a dam collapse, earth remorse, new waterborne diseases, deterioration of the reservoir, disruption of downstream water quality, salt water intrusion, loss of fish habitat, and sediment accumulation behind the dam that would render it useless within fifty years. Construction of the dam would also result in loss of approximately 23 000 ha fertile agricultural land. These were some of the many environmental effects cited that would one day harm Karakas. There were also questions about the economic costs of the project. The Lira Monthly (1 995, p. 71) assumed that in the asses, much of the necessary UAPITA would be raised through loans from international agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. These loans would substantially increase Malaysias foreign debt. It was even unclear whether the nation, then in recession, needed so much electricity. However in todays society, research shows that the need for electricity would aid in the industrialization of the nation. There have been many alternating perceptions on the Baku Dam issue. Many people believe that the Baku Dam is just the start of the transformation of Malaysia. Private investors from all around the world live that their investments will bring them great financial returns. One investor from Belgium stated: There has been so much controversy over this dam. I chose to invest in it because I believe it has great potential. The Baku Dam will be the means Of a new and improved Malaysia, all it needs is some financial assistance. Is there any controversy in financial assistance? As part of an international lobbying effort, Friends of the Earth along sent letters to hundreds institutional investors and fund managers in February 1997 warning them of the financial, environmental and social risks involved in he Baku project. Sarah Tack of Friends of the Earth said: It is clear that major institutional investors and financial analysts are beginning to realizes that an investment in this Baku Hydroelectric project is not only unethical but carries a high financial risk due to overly optimistic performance forecasts. Koran must take this Luke warm response from potential foreign investors as a reflection Of the lack Of confidence in this project There is a great need for private intervention on the project to assist in its completion. In the projects incarnation in the asses, funding for the dam was to discussed in any detail publicly. It was the assumption that Malaysia would seek loans from international sources. However, in the 1 sass, there were strong intentions from the federal government to avoid funding from multilateral sources. In a recent newspaper article published by the Borneo Bulletin (2001 a statement by Prime Minister Mathis helps explain his governments effort to avoid involvement of the World Bank: We in the poor countries would like to have some cheap hydroelectric power. But all manner of campaigns are mounted against our proposals the World Bank will be used to deprive poor countries of cheap hydroelectric power. And all this after the rich have developed most of their hydro potentials. Instead, funding is being sought through domestic private and government sources, as well as international private investors. While domestic sources are envisaged as the dominant sources of funding, funding from foreign private sources is also clearly a priority for project proponents, perhaps because of the credibility such funding would provide. However, the effort devoted to obtaining private funding illustrates the obstacles encountered in financing such a project without subsidies. It has often been argued by dam opponents that such projects could not survive without large subsidies from governments or multilateral development banks. Difficulties that Koran has encountered in soliciting interest from foreign private investors suggest that this is also the case in this project. Malaysia: the progress bought by the Baku Dam in Karakas reports that in July 1 996, Delphi International, a British consulting firm, warned its clients and potential investors in the project that the Baku Dam promised far greater kiss than is typical of power projects, and lower returns. This has presented an additional obstacle to Sarans efforts to attract foreign investment. The extent to which the Baku Dam represents prevarication of power generation is ambiguous; while Koran Bertha currently holds the largest stake in the project and is actively seeking private investment, the Karakas state government and Cosec are also major shareholders. (Spires, 1995, p. 139-140). Evidently, although there are firms that are currently investing in the Baku Dam, more needs to be done to attract further investors. Koran has also agreed to sell much of the power to the national public utility, at rates that may involve considerable subsidy of the project by Malaysian electricity consumers. This is an important process towards providing for a more advanced and Industrialized Malaysia. There is certainly a way the Baku Dam can be built with minimum impact on the environment and the Malaysian economy. Initially, there are uncertainties concerning the technical details of project. These include variations in rainfall and stream flow at the dam site, and the design and stability of the dam itself. One of the most significant technical worries relates to the cables that will deliver power to the Malaysian mainland. They are, in effect, an unprecedented experiment. Dams Initiative studies show that at 650 km, they are far longer than the longest existing undersea power cables, beneath the calmer waters between Denmark and Sweden. No reliable estimates of how much these cables will cost, how long they will last, or how much power will be lost as it travels through the cable, are available yet. The Baku Dam project is definitely manageable, and a positive step to consolidating Malaysias economic and environmental future. The design of the Baku Dam has evolved since the initial studies carried out in the early asses, taking into account developments worldwide. The design of the dam has incorporated features that will ensure the highest degree of safety and economics. The project certainly yields more positive outcomes with respect to the use of local resources and employment, promotion of regional development and industrialization, savings of fossil fuel, and river regulation. Negative ecological effects include the deterioration of the water quality (although temporary), displacement of natives, and high foreign debt. However, with proper planning of precautionary measures, these negative outcomes can be kept under control. The main recommendations in consideration are to constantly monitor water quality, provide to the natives essential needs, and maintain appropriate foreign debts. Ultimately, the negative outcomes are only temporary. Although environmental conditions may not be positive and debt will mount during construction of the dam, these situations will diminish over a period of time and these impacts will lessen. Malaysia will benefit greatly from the Baku Dam in the not too distant future.

DDay Thesis essays

DDay Thesis essays A private who was aboard one of the first few gliders to reach Normandy expresses his feeling: "I experienced an interesting psychological change in the few minutes before and immediately after take off. As I had climbed aboard and strapped myself into my seat I felt tense, strange and extremely nervous. It was as if I was in a fantasy dream world and thought that at any moment I would wake up from this unreality and find that I was back in the barrack room at Bulford Camp. Whilst we laughed and sang to raise our spirits - and perhaps to show others that we were no scared - personally I knew that I was frightened to death. The very idea of carrying out a night-time airborne landing of such a small force into the midst of the German army seemed to me to be little more than a suicide mission. Yet at the moment that the glider parted company with the ground I experienced an inexplicable change. The feeling of terror vanished and was replaced by exhilaration. I felt literally on top of the world. I remember thinking, 'you've had it chum, its no good worrying anymore - the die has been cast and what is to be, will be, and there is nothing you can do about it.' I sat back and enjoyed my first trip to Europe." Yet another rifleman who was carried to the beach in the LCVPs relates one of his incidents: I got on the gun. I set the gun up, and were looking, were looking. He says, "See if you can spot him." All of a sudden I spotted him, about 200 yards away, and Id say maybe 30 or 40 feet higher than me. He wasnt firing at me. He was firing down across. So when he opened up again the Germans, when they fire, they fire fast, they dont fire like we did, because they change the barrels of their machine guns in seconds. Ours were a pain. We had to take the whole gun apart and screw the barrel off, and then put another barrel on. They would get hot if you fired like the Germans. We only fi...

Health Care Reform and Effect on Prescription Drug Costs Research Paper

Health Care Reform and Effect on Prescription Drug Costs - Research Paper Example Introduction The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, better known as Health Care reform law enacted on March 23, 2010 have been viewed with both appreciation and concerns by the major stakeholders of the health care system. Healthcare reform legislation’s general impact and consequences on the prices of prescription drugs are not quite easy to comprehend, by the fact that certain provisions will not take effect for several years, courts actions and rulings, conflicts and contentions at state level, or partisan stand in Congress and Senate could cause significant delays or major revisions to the legislation. Nonetheless, there is going to have significant impact on the healthcare economy and bottom line of manufacturers as there are many provisions in the health-care-reform law that are likely to have the direct or indirect consequence of increasing the volume of product sales that include prescript ion drugs. The supply chain of prescription drugs from manufacturers to consumers has a series of stakeholders, for example, wholesalers, pharmacies, and insurers. The impact of any legislation on prices is quite complex due to intricate mechanisms of fixing prices that involve many stakeholders in the value chain. The price paid by a pharmacy to buy a brand-name drug from the manufacturers is generally not the net cost of buying the drug from the manufacturer because manufacturers give discounts/rebates on brand name drugs to insurers. There are many different prices paid along the supply chain. It will be interesting to analyze the impact of new reform law on the prescription drugs. Healthcare System before the Enactment of Reform Law The current U.S. system of federal healthcare came into being in 1965 through Congress’s amendment of the Social Security Act and the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare began as a national health insurance program for persons age 65 and over, regardless of income or wealth. In 1973, coverage was extended for those on disability for at least two consecutive years. Medicare provides enrollees with a basic program of hospital insurance and supplementary assistance program to aid in paying healthcare bills (Raffel and Raffel 1994). Through this, everyone who is old enough receives some healthcare.   Medicaid is also a national health insurance program, but it is administered by states and it can potentially assist a broader range of people than Medicare. It serves to provide services for the â€Å"categorically needy,† such as those who are blind, aged, or disabled, and for the â€Å"medically needy,† those who can afford to live, but cannot afford to pay for medical care (Raffel and Raffel 1994). People may enroll in these independent health insurance plans through their employer or on their own if they can pay for it.  It is meant for a person with high medical costs and is not old enough. H owever, financial burdens greatly limit the system’s accessibility. Census estimates from 1999 indicate that 43 million Americans live without health insurance even though 75 percent of them have a full-time job or live in a household with at least one member working full-time (Mueller 2001) for Medicare. The Americans

Describe the original position. why does Rawls thinks that it is a Essay

Describe the original position. why does Rawls thinks that it is a good device selecting principles of justiceHow does Nozick c - Essay Example The foundation of this principle is that everybody is takes up a position in the society as equal and free in relation to other members of the same society. The people therefore agree to jointly commit to the principles of social and political justice. This position, the original position, is distinguished from other social views by what Rawls terms as the â€Å"veil of ignorance†; an insurance policy that guarantees impartiality of ones judgment. This is done by depriving every member of the society all the knowledge of his or her unique and individual characteristics relative to the other members of the same society based on the historical and social characteristics of the said individual. They therefore operate from a common point of ignorance as to the circumstances and capacities of every member of that society (Rawls, 1999, p. 15). However, as to their knowledge of specific fundamental interests that they all enjoy, nothing is done. This is in addition to information bas ed on biology, economics, psychology and several other aspects of the social sciences. Under the original position therefore, the parties are then given several alternatives of the major conceptions of what justice is based on the common and customary usage of political and social philosophy and given the option to pick the best alternatives of the concept of justice that would be the best means of advancing their interests. These interests are those aspects that would then enable them to pursue their fundamental interests and final ends in the most effective manner. In the best possible justifiable scenario that while ensuring all their interests are catered for, it does not short change the individual member of the group (Rawls, 1999, p. 17). It is the contention of Rawls that it would be most rational for the parties involved in making these choices to select the two principles of justice. The first principle of justice guarantees individual’s basic rights and freedoms tha t are needed to ensure the security of the most basic interests of an individual who is free. It also allows citizens to equally pursue a broad range of conceptions that they consider to be good. The second principle of justice is more sociological. It provides equality in employment opportunities and education. In this way, individuals are enabled to compete at an equal level for the prerogatives and powers of any office. It also secures for everybody the minimum of the all-purpose means, this includes wealth and income that one would require in order to pursue their specific interests and to maintain their dignity as equal and free persons of the society in which they are in. The Original Position and Argument for Justice It should be noted that according to Rawls, the original position is not a situation that involves bargaining. This view does not contemplate that the parties will make proposals and counterproposals so as to negotiate the various principles of justice. It is als o no a free ranging discussion. The parties do not come up with their own constructions of what justice is. The fundamental basis of this position is that the deliberations that may exist between the members of the society are more constrained. They are actually given a specific list of the conceptions of justice that is based on the social and political philosophy of the West. While the list is not exclusive, its principles are basically