Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Accounting - Essay Example However, contrary to this, the visual arts platform of the society constantly remains under the financial pressures and vulnerability even in the sound economic conditions of the country. The proponents of the visual arts, on this vulnerable situation of the visual arts platform have been raising constant voices over the matter. One the of such voices claim that visual arts organisations in order to successfully meet the societal requirement and expectation of educational and entertainment development shall maintains the system that provides it sound financial strength. However, despite the consensus on the need of the sound financial muscles for the visual arts organisations, there have been contrary views on the system to be employed for achieving them. One dominant view on the matter is pertaining to Royce (2011) view who insists that visual arts organisations shall develop a system similar to the business organisations. According to Royce (2011), well defined systems or more appr opriate to state that conduct like a business is mandatory for the effective results generation from the visual arts organisation. In this perspective, Royce (2011) stated that ‘Sound business models are a necessary component in healthy visual arts ecology and essential for most publicly funded organisations’. Royce (2011), for its concern over the detrimental and vulnerable condition of the visuals arts organisation shall proposed that all such organisations shall also have system for achieving the profitability. Viewing in the context of the definition for the arts in general and among definitions developed for the purpose, Shaw (2000) defined arts and creative industry activities as one that can be determined on the basis of its sustainable impact. As already reported, this impact is spread not only the social aspects but at the same time wide economic impact is also identified in many studies (Landry et al, 1996); hence, it is important to understand the fact that a n organisation in order to fulfil such responsibilities requires strong system. Royce (2011) assessment report was based in reference to the Arts Council England and the Turning Point Network but reflects the overall industry requirement. Visual arts organisation’s financial vulnerability, according to the Royce (2011), is due to the three main factors. First, the culture of organisational conduct prevailing at the visual arts organisations’ is in clear contrast to the economic principle mainly in terms of productivity. This practice is despite the proven facts that visual arts have always played an important role in the economics of the country and society (Reeves, 2002). More importantly, this practices is also in contrast to the development early in the history where since 1980s all cultural activities have been seen in the main context of their contribution the economic development and restructuring as well as revival of the manufacturing industry (Reeves, 2002). S econd factor that is responsible for this vulnerability is the tradition of free entry offered to audience in the many of the

The Role and Growth of NATO Essay Example for Free

The Role and Growth of NATO Essay From Thucydides onward, moral philosophers, students of international politics, statesmen, and policy makers have been preoccupied and very often troubled by the role of morality in international politics. There has often been a tendency, in the discourse on political morality and the ethical conduct of statecraft, to alternatively exaggerate or deprecate the influence of morality in internationalpolitics, and hence succumb to either self-righteous moralism or cynicism and skepticism. The task of moral reasoning about international politics is neither a simple nor an easy one, and is made more difficult when moralism is confused with morality. Moralism involves the adoption of a single value or principle and applying it indiscriminately without due regard to circumstances, time, or space. Morality, on the other hand, is the endless search for what is right in the midst of sometimes competing, sometimes conflicting, and sometimes incompatible values and principles (Morgenthau 79). The normative form of political realism admonishes us to think morally, not moralistically, and not to confuse self-righteousness with morality. It reminds us that international politics are too complex to resemble a morality play, and that moral choices are never easy. Yet all is not well in Europe. The end of the Cold War and the subsequent disintegration of the Soviet Union ended the high-intensity threat to the West. Invasion is now implausible. However, the lacuna created by the absence of any high-intensity threat has been filled by low-intensity threats, taking the principal form of chronic instability in the Balkans and the outbreak of ethnic conflict stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia. Indeed, the various Balkan wars are indicative of the fact that â€Å"history† and a particularly nasty and virulent form of nationalism persist quite stubbornly in that corner of Europe. The horrors and atrocities perpetrated in those wars were shocking to people who believed in â€Å"Never Again† and that European civilization had evolved beyond such behavior. This, of course, ought to be a sobering reminder that peace and stability can never be taken for granted, that liberal values are not as triumphant as some would like to believe, and that Locke, Kant, and Smith might have to make room for Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Hobbes as we are forced to reengage with history. How exactly are we to reengage with history? In the midst of peace and plenty, we have had the luxury of debating and rethinking our conceptions of security. Traditional state-centric notions of security, which privilege sovereignty over the rights and dignity of the individual, are called increasingly into question. They are deemed relics of the past, fig leaves hiding the intellectual paucity of Cold Warriors unable or unwilling to adapt themselves to an altered security environment. We are witnessing the rise of a rival orthodoxy regarding how we think and act about security, one that is centered on human rights and human security—consonant with our posthistorical values and sensibilities—and allegedly better suited to deal with the problems of intrastate warfare and ethnic conflict. This rival orthodoxy, we are to believe, is morally superior and more evolved than traditional notions of security. After all, what sort of person can be against human rights and human security? On 24 March 1999, NATO began Operation Allied Force, an aerial bombing campaign that was to last seventy-eight days. The Atlantic Alliance, arguably the most powerful and successful politico-military coalition in history, created originally to defend Western Europe against a Soviet onslaught, now went to war for human security. In the subsequent military campaign, NATO won and got what it wanted, and then some. The Alliance triumphed without a single combat casualty. Serbian military and paramilitary forces, looking remarkably unscathed despite the scope and intensity of NATO sorties, evacuated the province. A NATO-led military force moved in, and Kosovar refugees started returning home. Kosovo is now a de facto protectorate of NATO and the United Nations, even if the fiction that the province remains a sovereign and integral part of Yugoslavia is maintained. Kosovars are champing at the bit to cleanse the province ethnically of the remaining Serbian minority, even as we insist that our goal is to reconstitute a multiethnic and multicultural Kosovo. Slobodan Milosevic is gone but the genie of ethnic strife is already out of the bottle, and the Balkans remain as unstable as ever (An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State March 2002). A question mark hangs over an â€Å"ethic of responsibility,† meanwhile, because the jury is still out as to whether we will be able to move toward such an ethic when it comes to future humanitarian interventions or whether â€Å"humanitarian warfare† is, as some argue, â€Å"an idea whose time has come, and gone† (Krauthammer 8). From the Balkans to the Caucasus, the environment remains ripe for massive and violent abuses of human rights—thus opportunities to intervene—even if NATO does not expand any further to the East. The temptation to intervene will be great. If CNN is present, we will have emotional and gut-wrenching scenes of human suffering beamed into our living rooms and there will be a clamor to â€Å"do something† (Hudson and Stanier 256).   And why not do something? The Alliance has already bent, if not broken international law over Kosovo. Surely it will be easier the second time around. Furthermore, NATO now possesses a template for â€Å"immaculate intervention.† The Alliance will not deploy ground troops but can instead rely on precision guided munitions dropped from on high, with little or no risk to its servicemen and women (Burk 53–78). Humanitarian intervention is characterized by motive and ends, the motive to do good, and the goal to put an end to human suffering. This is what is supposed to distinguish â€Å"moral† interventions from â€Å"immoral† ones (Abrams 74). It was said of the Gulf War that the West would not have come to the aid of Kuwait if that country had produced broccoli instead of oil. Kosovo possessed neither oil nor broccoli. Hence, we were told by President Bill Clinton that NATO’s actions were intended to â€Å"enable the Kosovar people to return to their homes with safety and self-government,† or alternatively to â€Å"protect thousands of innocent people in Kosovo from a mounting military offensive.† (Roberts 20) The Alliance’s objectives were thus to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo and/or to prevent a crisis from becoming a catastrophe. Kosovo was to be a new sort of war, one fought in the name of universal values and principles—to uphold human rights and prevent a humanitarian tragedy—rather than for narrow interests (Roberts 20). Yet motives and ends are dangerously unreliable as criteria for moral calculation and judgment. Moral judgment cannot be suspended simply because the motives are pure, the cause just, and the ends good. The decision to enlarge the Atlantic Alliance has opened debate as to whether an expanded alliance will help to sustain global peace or provoke greater tension, if not regional or global wars. International relations theorists are largely divided over the question, and the relationship between alliance enlargement and the question of war or peace is unclear and ambiguous. Alliances in general have often been blamed as one of the major factors helping to generate the fears and suspicions leading to World War I, as well as previous wars in European history, at least since the advent of the formal multipolar â€Å"balance of power† system in the mid-seventeenth century. American foreign policy from George Washington to World War II traditionally eschewed â€Å"entangling alliances.† On the other hand, the lack of strong alliances and of firm American commitments to Britain, France, and to key strategically positioned states such as Poland, for example, has been cited as one of the causes of World War II. Following Soviet retrenchment from eastern Europe after 1989, and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet state in 1991, the Atlantic Alliance has been praised as the most successful alliance in history. Without NATO, it is argued, the peace of Europe could not have been secured throughout the Cold War. Detractors, however, have argued that NATO’s formation in 1949 led to the counterformation of the 1950 Sino-Soviet alliance—and indirectly to the Korean War—in addition to the establishment of the Warsaw Pact following West Germany’s admission to NATO in 1955. These contrasting perspectives do not clarify the relationship between alliances and war in today’s geostrategic circumstances. The question remains as to whether German unification, followed by Soviet implosion, and now by NATO enlargement into east-central Europe, will prove stabilizing. The Alliance has opted to extend its membership to Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary within the former Soviet sphere of influence, raising some fears of a new partition of Europe. At the same time, NATO has promised to consider further enlarging its membership; it has advocated what has been deemed an â€Å"open NATO†Ã¢â‚¬â€in part to prevent a possible new partition between members and nonmembers. Alliance pronouncements promised that Romania and Slovenia would be granted first consideration in a second round, in addition to one or more of the Baltic states. Indeed, NATO has not left out the possibility of Russian membership, but has only taken limited steps in this direction (Kegley and Raymond 275–277). Despite the fact that NATO is one of the most institutionalized alliances ever created, with decades of experience in fostering close ties among its members, the United States chose not to use NATO to organize its response to the attacks. NATO was unable to provide a command structure—or even substantial capabilities—that would override U.S. concerns about using the NATO machinery. European contributions were incorporated on a bilateral basis, but NATO as an organization remained limited to conducting patrols over the United States and deploying ships to the eastern Mediterranean. This U.S. policy choice did not surprise many in the United States. Many U.S. policymakers believed that NATOs war in Kosovo was an unacceptable example of â€Å"war by committee,† where political interference from the alliances 19 members prevented a quick and decisive campaign. The policymakers were determined to retain sole command authority in Afghanistan, so that experience would not be repeated (Daalder and Gordon). The deployment of the NATO AWACS demonstrates this point. The United States did not want to deploy the NATO AWACS directly to Afghanistan, because it did not want to involve the North Atlantic Council in any command decisions. Instead, the NATO AWACS backfilled U.S. assets so the assets could redeploy to Afghanistan. A military official later described the U.S. decision in these terms: â€Å"If you were the US, would you want 18 other nations watering down your military planning?† (Fiorenza 22) However, many Europeans were dissatisfied with the small role that the alliance played in the response to the September 11 attacks and attributed it to U.S. unilateralism and arrogance. While they understood the need to ensure effective command and control, they felt that they had given the United States unconditional political support through the invocation of Article 5 and that they should at least be consulted about the direction of the military campaign. In part, these frustrations resulted from the fact that the military campaign did not fit the model all had come to expect during the Cold War— that an invocation of Article 5 would lead the alliance members to join together and defeat a common enemy (Kitfield). But these frustrations also reflected a fear that the U.S. decision to pursue the war on its own after invoking Article 5 would irrevocably weaken the core alliance principle of collective defense. To uncover a possible answer to the question as to whether an extended NATO alliance will prove stabilizing, I seek to explicate the views of international relations theorist, George Liska. Even though he was well known in the 1960s for his classic definition of alliances, Liska’s later comparative geohistorical perspective of the 1970s and 1980s has often been overlooked or not fully appreciated (Kegley). Although generally pessimistic, Liska argues that major power or systemic war is not inevitable and can be averted, yet only given a long-term strategy of cooptation of potential rivals into the interstate system. For Liska, alliances are neither inherently stabilizing or destabilizing. Like armaments, they do not in themselves cause war, but they can set the preconditions for generalized conflict depending on the manner and circumstances in which they are formed and depending on which specific states are included. Moreover, the expansion of an alliance formation is less likely to provoke major power war when the predominant states of a particular historical period are either overtly or tacitly included. Generalized wars, however, are more likely to occur when the predominant powers cannot participate in the key decision-making processes that affect their perceived vital interests, and thus cannot formulate truly concerted policies. Global conflict has largely stemmed from the apparently recurrent failures of the major contending states to forge long-term entente, or full-fledged alliance, relationships. Since 1991 the world has seen a new opportunities, but the weight of the millennial past continues to burden the present (Liska 17). Although the U.S.-Soviet wartime alliance against Germany, 1941–1945, collapsed after World War II, the superpowers were by contrast able to maintain a general state of peace, though not without intense regional conflicts often fought through surrogates. The ensuing struggle for control of former German spheres of influence, the quarantine of East Germany and other Soviet-bloc states, the formation of NATO, Soviet/Russian fears of a U.S./NATO alliance with the flanking states of Japan and the People’s Republic of China, collectively resemble the 477 to 461 B.C. phase of Athenian-Spartan relations, following the breakdown of their alignment against Persia. Throughout the Cold War, Washington and Moscow sustained a tacit multidimensional â€Å"double containment† of Germany and Japan, as well as other significant regional powers, including China, that helped to prevent open conflict between them. Yet it is precisely the Soviet/Russian role in this multidimensional double containment that has virtually disappeared following German unification (Gardner 7-9). The collapse of the Soviet Empire and its spheres of security parallel the instability that confronted Sparta. Continuing fears of national uprisings and Russian disaggregation, coupled with recurrent wars in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Afghanistan, recall the threats posed by the Helot revolution and the Third Messenian War. The United States and NATO now bid for control over former Soviet and Russian spheres of influence in Central and Eastern Europe much as Athens penetrated Sparta’s sphere in the Aegean and then the Ionian seas. Disputes over power and burden sharing within NATO, considered together with differences over the financing of the 1990 Persian Gulf war and the conduct wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, are reminiscent of Athenian efforts to sustain preeminence over its Delian league allies, regardless of the diminished Persian threat. Moreover, Pericles’ decision to forge a new â€Å"defensive† alliance with the insular power bears similarities to NATO’s decision to extend its alliance with Western Europe into Central Europe, a change depicted as defensive, involving no nuclear weapons or additional troops to be deployed on the territory of new NATO members (Gardner 20–26). Most crucially, should the United States and Russia not be able to reach a compromise over the question of the modalities of NATO enlargement into East-Central Europe, the two powers risk losing their tacit post-World War II alliance against Germany and Japan altogether. This would parallel the Athenian decision to drop entirely its deteriorating ties with Sparta after the new Athenian democratic leadership expelled Cimon. Moreover, American proposals to build a ballistic missile defense in possible violation of the ABM treaty could be interpreted by Russia in much the same way that Sparta interpreted the Athenian decision to build defensive walls around the city of Athens. In a word, the United States is presently poised either to renew its relations with Moscow or else let them sour to an even greater extent, thus risking another round of mutual imprecations that could degenerate into a wider conflict. Turning to another episode involving an essentially bipolar land/sea schism, namely the clash between Rome and Carthage over spheres of influence in Spain, Sicily, and the Mediterranean, raises additional questions about Soviet collapse and NATO enlargement. Much as the Peloponnesian wars can be viewed as a result of the breakdown of the Athenian-Spartan wartime alliance, the First Punic War can likewise be interpreted as a product of the termination of the 279–278 B.C. Roman-Carthaginian wartime alliance against Tarentum and Pyrrhus of Epirus. The alliance between Rome and Carthage followed the classic â€Å"Pyrrhic victory† at Ausculum that opened Sicily up to Greek conquest. The deterioration of that alliance was provoked by the Roman decision to assist the Mamertines against Syracuse in 264 B.C. and to take Messana under Roman protection. This unexpected action led Carthage to support Syracuse in response. This in turn represented a reversal in alliances equally unanticipated by Rome, as Carthage and Syracuse had traditionally been enemies (Harris 187). Carthage subsequently accused Rome of a violation of its previous agreements, which, according to Carthaginian sources, forbade the Romans to cross into Sicily and the Carthaginians to cross into Roman spheres. In fact, Rome and Carthage did sign three treaties in 510–509, 348, and 306 B.C., designed to sustain Carthagian spheres of influence over Western Sicily, Sardinia, Libya, and the Iberian peninsula, but there was no agreement addressing specifically the changing status of a divided Sicily. The 510–509 B.C. treaty, signed in the year that marks the formation of the Roman Republic, sought to affirm Roman agreement to abide by the historically positive relations between Carthage and Etrusca. In the 306 B.C. treaty, Rome vowed not to cross the Straits of Messina in exchange for a Carthagian concession to permit Rome full liberty of maneuver in the Italian peninsula. Moreover, even if there was no formal treaty in 279–278 B.C., there may have been a tacit understanding involving a vague mutual recognition of respective military and commercial spheres of influence that was at least proposed during the 279–278 B.C. wartime alliance against Pyrrhus (Eckstein 79). Whether a formal treaty actually existed is really secondary to the point that Carthage at least operated under the assumption that some type of accord existed in order to justify its previous alliance relationship, and it jealously guarded Western Sicily as the central strategic keystone to its insular defense. On the other hand, Roman expansion to Calabria diminished the size of the buffer region between the two states. As an expanding continental power seeking amphibious status, Rome began to regard the Carthagian presence on Sicily as a potential â€Å"encirclement.† Carthage was regarded as threatening Rome’s maritime trade from ports on the Ionian Sea and in the Gulf of Tarante. The charge that a tacit agreement was violated is not unlike the debate between the United States and Russia, as to whether Washington affirmed absolutely in 1989–1990 that it would not extend NATO into East-Central Europe. Moscow has argued that the decision to enlarge NATO into what it has considered its central strategic region of continental defense contravenes the spirit of the â€Å"two plus four† treaty on German unification not to permit NATO forces into the territory of the former East Germany, as well as the â€Å"gentleman’s agreement† made between George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 against NATO expansion. As a rising land power seeking amphibious status, Rome expanded into Calabria and thereby diminished the historic buffer between Etrucsa/Rome and Carthage, a power in relative decline. In contemporary geopolitics, NATO enlargement into former Soviet and historic Russian spheres of influence similarly risks undermining the post-1945 security buffer between the United States and its German ally and a Russia now in a state of near absolute collapse. Works Cited Abrams, Elliott. â€Å"To Fight the Good Fight.† National Interest 59 (spring 2000): 74. Burk, James. â€Å"Public Support for Peacekeeping in Lebanon and Somalia: Assessing the Casualties Hypothesis.† Political Science Quarterly 114, no. 1 (2003): 53–78. Eckstein, Arthur M. â€Å"Senate and General.† Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987, p. 79. Fiorenza, Nicholas. â€Å"Alliance Solidarity,† Armed Forces Journal International, December 2004, p. 22. Daalder, Ivo H. and Gordon, Philip R. â€Å"Euro-Trashing,† Washington Post, May 29, 2002. Retrieved July 9, 2007 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-361506.html. Gardner, Hall. â€Å"Central and Southeastern Europe in Transition.†Ã‚   Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. Harris, William V. â€Å"War and Imperialism in Republican Rome, 327–70 BC.† Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1979, p. 187. Hudson, Miles and Stanier, John. â€Å"War and the Media: A Random Searchlight.† New York: New York University Press, 2003, p. 256. Kegley, Charles W. Jr. and Raymond, Gregory A. â€Å"Alliances and the Preservation of the Postwar Peace: Weighing the Contribution† in The Long Postwar Peace, ed. Charles W.Kegley Jr. (New York: HarperCollins, 2003), pp. 275–277. Kitfield, James. â€Å"Divided We Fall.† National Journal. April 7, 2006 Retrieved July 7, 2007 from nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0407nj1.htm Krauthammer, Charles. â€Å"The Short, Unhappy Life of Humanitarian Warfare.† National Interest 57 (fall 2004): 8. Liska, George. â€Å"Russia and the Road to Appeasement.† Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1982. Morgenthau, Hans J. â€Å"The Twilight of International Morality,† Ethics 58, no. 2 (1948): 79. â€Å"NATO In The 21ST Century — The Road Ahead†. An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State March 2002. Retrieved July 7, 2007 from www.italy.usembassy.gov/pdf/ej/ijpe0302.pdf Roberts, Adam. â€Å"NATO’s ‘Humanitarian War’ Over Kosovo,† Survival 41, no. 3 (2004): 20.

Hip-hop, Reggae, and Politics Essay -- Essays on Politics

Hip-hop, Reggae, and Politics Introduction Music is an art form and source of power. Many forms of music reflect culture and society, as well as, containing political content and social message. Music as social change has been highlighted throughout the 20th century. In the 1960s the United States saw political and socially oriented folk music discussing the Vietnam War and other social issues. In Jamaica during the 1970s and 1980s reggae developed out of the Ghetto’s of Trench town and expressed the social unrest of the poor and the need to over-through the oppressors. The 1980’s brought the newest development in social and political music, the emergence of hip-hop and rap. This urban musical art form that was developed in New York City has now taken over the mainstream, but originated as an empowering art form for urban youth and emerging working class. Musically hip-hop spawned the age of DJ’s. With strong influences from Reggae, hip-hop has developed into an empowering form for the expression of ideas, power, revolution and change. Power and empowerment have emerged from these musical styles that now have many commonalities. Hip-hop and Reggae are both forms of protest music. â€Å"Protest music is characterized by objections to injustices and oppressions inflicted on certain individual groups†¦. typically, the intent of protest musicians is to oppose the exploitation and oppression exercised by dominant elites and member of dominant groups†(Stapleton, 221). Hip-hop has developed as a new form of protest music void of the common acoustic guitar. The goal of protest music is to promote freedom through music. Bob Marley expresses his belief that music is a message and route to freedom in the song â€Å"Trench town.† ... ...ap† Miami New Times, February 10, 2000, Thursday. Salmon, Barrington â€Å" Bob Marley’s legacy lives forever† Miami Times, V. 73; N. 22 p. 5A, 2/18/1996 Shivers, Kaia â€Å"This is Reggae Music† Los Angeles Sentinel† V. 66; N. 32 p. B5 11/8/2000 Wilson, Basil â€Å"The politics & culture of Reggae music† The Caribbean-American Magazine v. 24 N. 1 p. 25, 2/28/2000 Discography: Honorary Citizen: Peter Tosh, Sony Music Entertainment:1997 Steffens, Roger. â€Å"In the Tracks of the Stepping Razor: The Peter Tosh Biography† pgs. 42-51 Reflection Eternal: Talib Kweli, Rawkus Records 2000 â€Å"This means you† Run DMC: Run DMC, Arista Records 1983 â€Å"Its Like That† Bob Marley: Confrontation, Polygram Records 1983 â€Å"Chant down Babylon,† and â€Å"Trenchtown† Bob Marley: Suvival, Ploygram Records 1979 â€Å"Babylon System†

Balanced Scorecard Study – Samsung

Kashun Davis TMAN 680 Fall 2012 Balanced Scorecard: Samsung Samsung is the technology-based organization that will be the subject for my Balanced Scorecard. Founded in 1938 in Seoul, South Korea, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of finished electronic products and device solutions worldwide. They offer consumer products, including mobile phones, tablets, televisions, Blu-rays, DVD players, home theaters, multimedia players; home appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, etc; Laptops and personal computers.The company also designs and manufactures integrated circuits for digital information storage in consumer electronics. It has operations in Korea, U. S. , Europe, Asia, Africa, Africa and China. Because of the large size of the Samsung Corporation, I will focus on Samsung smartphones, one of their technology-intensive business units. The vision of Samsung: â€Å"Samsung is dedicated to developing innovative technologies and efficient processes that create new markets, enrich people's lives, and continue to make Samsung a digital leader. Their mission statement, â€Å"At Samsung, we follow a simple business philosophy: to devote our talent and technology to creating superior products and services that contribute to a better global society. Samsung’s net sales have risen from 158. 9 billion in 2007 to 220. 1 billion in 2011. Their total assets grew from 280. 8 billion in 2007 to 343. 7 billion in 2011. Unfortunately their total liabilities went from 181. 7 billion in 2007 to 202. 6 billion in 2011. Stockholder’s equity almost doubled from 80. billion in 2007 to 141. 1 billion in 2011. Samsung’s net income also increased from 12. 9 billion in 2007 to 21. 2 billion in 2011. It’s also not strange to see their employee base increase due to their explosive growth over this five-year time span. They had 254,000 employees in 2007 and now have over 344,000 employees in 2011 (â€Å"About Samsung,† 2010). Their electronics division has 190,500 employees at the end of 2011. With respect to the Smartphone business unit out of the 1. billion mobile phones sold worldwide in 2011, Samsung accounted for 330 million of those units. Their Galaxy S II sold more than 20 million units since its launch in 2011. In 2012, Samsung launched the Galaxy S III and expects to strengthen their brand and increase market share in the mobile phone arena (â€Å"About Samsung,† 2010). The balanced scorecard is defined as a management system that maps an organization’s strategic objectives into performance metrics in four perspectives: financial, internal processes, customers, and learning and growth (NetMBA, 2002).The four perspectives mentioned above construct the balanced scorecard framework. To create a balanced scorecard for Samsung’s Smartphone business division this framework has to be applied. First, I will assess the mission, vision, c hallenges, and partners of the company. The vision of Samsung: â€Å"Samsung is dedicated to developing innovative technologies and efficient processes that create new markets, enrich people's lives, and continue to make Samsung a digital leader. Their mission statement, â€Å"At Samsung, we follow a simple business philosophy: to devote our talent and technology to creating superior products and services that contribute to a better global society. Samsung not only makes smartphones, but they also create components like displays and integrated circuits that also go into competitor’s smartphones, such as Apple’s iPhone. Samsung’s competitors in the mobile phone market are Apple, Microsoft, Google, HTC, Nokia, and Blackberry. Samsung doesn’t make their own proprietary software and hardware as Apple, Google, and Blackberry.Samsung exclusively uses Google’s Android Mobile OS for their phones. Another challenge Samsung faces, is that their mobile phon es are not only in competition with other phones that have different software platforms, but they are in even stiffer competition with other phones that also use Google’s Android Mobile OS. This market in itself is very fragmented from the fact that more than 4,000 distinct smartphone models exist that uses the Android operating system (Valazco, 2012). Fortunately for Samsung they command 25. % of the smartphone manufacture market putting them on top. LG, Apple, Motorola, and HTC own 18. 4%, 16. 3%, 11. 2%, and 6. 4% of the smartphone manufacture market respectively (â€Å"comscore reports July,† 2012). With respect to the balanced scorecard framework, a strategy map will assist with connecting the four perspectives and how they relate to each other. The strategic measures chosen for the Learning & Growth Perspective were chosen based on information listed in the Samsung’s annual report. Samsung’s employees have grown over the past few years. Samsung†™s social etwork presence is currently greater than their competitors, but there is always room for improvement. Samsung invested $8B USD in R&D, which this funnels down to organizational capital and learning from their competitors. With respect to the Internal Process Perspective $8B USD were invested into R&D for innovation. Customer Satisfaction is never perfect in any organization, thus leaving room for improvement. Not to mention customer satisfaction can translate into sales. Management of operations was chosen because process improvement is always needed in an organization.The customer perspective measurements are strengthening the brand, gaining OEM market share, and exceeding customer expectations. All of these links to financial success within the organization, thus focusing on these measures is vital to the growth Samsung expects to see in the future. Stockholder equity, net sales, and net income all affect the customer, internal, and learning & growth perspective measu res and vice versa. This provides a top to bottom and bottom to top flow balanced measures. Learning & Growth Perspective| Objective| Measure| Target| Initiative|Grow Human Capital| # Of Employees in Samsung Electronics Division| 200,000 employees| Aggressive Recruitment and Retention Program| Improve Information Capital| Social Networking Effectiveness| 6 Million Twitter Followers; 40 Million Facebook Likes| Aggressive & Interactive Social Networking Campaign| Build Organizational Capital| Submittal of Employee Ideas| 5,000 Employee Ideas Submitted| Conduct Organizational Learning Study of Samsung Mobile Division (Amiri, 2010)| Learn from our Competitors| Mobile OEM Market Share| Increase Mobile OEM Market Share by 20%| Analyze competitors customer base and meet the needs of that customer base through innovative mobile technology | Internal Process Perspective| Objective| Measure| Target| Initiative| Manage Innovations| Successful Research & Development Projects| Double R&D Project s| Allocate more capital to R&D projects and their implementation| Manage Customer Relations| Customer Satisfaction| Double and Sustain Customer Satisfaction scores| Aggressive ustomer service training for employees| Manage Operations| Value Added & Non-Value Added Operations| Increase Value Added Operations and Reduce/eliminate non-value added operations| Lean Six-Sigma Process Improvement Initiative (Qun, 2012)| Customer Perspective| Objective| Measure| Target| Initiative| Strengthen Samsung Smartphone Brand| Market Share| Increase Market Share| Aggressive Marketing Campaign| Gain Smartphone OEM Market Share| OEM Market Share| Increase Mobile OEM Market Share by 20%| Analyze competitors customer base and meet the needs of that customer base through innovative mobile technology| Exceeding customer needs and expectations| Customer Satisfaction Scores | Customer Retention| Double Customer satisfaction scores & retention | Customer Loyalty & Rewards Program | Customer Perspective| Obj ective| Measure| Target| Initiative|Increase Stockholder Equity| Stock Price| Increase from $489/share to $510/share| Increase Market Share| Increase Net Sales| Net Sales| Increase from 135B to 170B| Aggressive Marketing Campaign| Increase Net Income| Net Income| Increase by 15%| Make Operations Efficient and reducing costs| Sources About Samsung. (2010). Retrieved from http://www. samsung. com/us/aboutsamsung/corporateprofile/ourperformance/samsungprofile. html Amiri, A. , Jandghi, G. , Alvani, S. , Hosnavi, R. , & Ramezan, M. (2010). Increasing the Intellectual Capital in Organization: Examining the Role of Organizational Learning. European Journal Of Social Science,  14(1/2), 98-108. comscore reports July 2012 U. S. mobile subscriber market share. (2012, Sept 04). Retrieved from http://www. comscore. com/Insights/Press_Releases/2012/9/comScore_Reports_July_2012_US_Mobile_Subscriber_Market_Share NetMBA. (2002). Netmba business knowledge center.Retrieved from http://www. netmba. com/accounting/mgmt/balanced-scorecard/ Samsung Group. (2011). Samsung profile 2011. Retrieved from http://www. samsung. com/us/aboutsamsung/corporateprofile/download/Samsung_Profile_2011-EN-final-revise. pdf Qun, Z. , Irfan, M. , Khattak, M. , Abbas, J. , Xiaoning, Z. , & Shah, M. (2012). CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR SUCCESSFUL LEAN SIX SIGMA IMPLEMENTATION IN PAKISTAN. Interdisciplinary Journal Of Contemporary Research In Business,  4(1), 117-124. Valazco, C. (2012, May 15). Techcrunch. Retrieved from http://techcrunch. com/2012/05/15/3997-models-android-fragmentation-as-seen-by-the-developers-of-opensignalmaps/

Bradbury’s the Sound of Thunder and Skurzynski’s Nethergrave

English Critical Essay Bradbury’s  The Sound of Thunder  and Skurzynski’s  Nethergrave  are both intriguing science fiction stories. Both stories are about technology changing the life of an individual. In the the story Nethergrave, a boy name Jeremy chooses a virtual world over the real world where he feels embarrassed, uncomfortable, and alone. In the story A Sound of Thunder, the main character, Eckels, faces severe consequences due to a mistake that he makes when going back in time. Nevertheless, both characters’ personality is pretty similar in some ways both being somewhat cowardly.Both are about the effect technology can have on the world. I honestly felt that Bradbury’s story was more interesting than Skurzynski’s story. I found that the slightest thing in the past may change the future massively. In the story, Eckels uses a new invention, a time machine. Then he decided to go back to the time when dinosaurs were alive. While he was there, that triggered terrible consequences. Eckels’ death in the end wasn’t very surprising. The mistake seemed very small at the time, but had a massive effect on the outcome of the present-day world.Although Skurzynski’s story was very relatable towards others, I still think Bradbury’s story was better. Nethergrave  was about a boy named Jeremy, making a decision of staying in a world he wasn’t happy in or to leave and enter a whole new world in which he was promised never to be alone or hurt. The idea of a boy feeling awkward in the real world, then looking into what appears to be a better world just isn’t what I find interesting. I have sometimes felt awkward and embarrassed in this world, though I do not think that I would want to enter a virtual world.Throughout the story, I never felt as though I liked or related to Jeremy’s character. Both of the stories show how technology can change a person’s life for better or fo r worse. Technology can be very useful but it can also cause destruction. In science fiction plots, often results in a negative effect. Technology can be both destructive and useful, but in these stories, they both have negative outcomes. As in Skurzynski’s story, Jeremy was introduced to a new virtual world, which resulted in Jeremy ending his life on earth. In Bradbury’s story, the time machine ended up changing the present world.

The Battle of Peleliu in World War II

The Battle of Peleliu in World War II The Battle of Peleliu was fought September 15 to November 27, 1944, during World War II (1939-1945). Part of the Allies island-hopping strategy, it was believed that Peleliu needed to be captured before operations could commence against either the Philippines or Formosa. While planners had originally believed that the operation would only require a few days, it ultimately took over two months to secure the island as its nearly 11,000 defenders retreated into a system of interconnected bunkers, strong points, and caves. The garrison exacted a heavy price on the attackers and the Allied effort quickly became a bloody, grinding affair. On November 27, 1944, after weeks of bitter fighting, Peleliu was declared secure. Background Having advanced across the Pacific after victories at Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Guam, and Tinian, Allied leaders reached a crossroads regarding future strategy. While General Douglas MacArthur favored advancing into the Philippines to make good his promise to liberate that country, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz preferred to capture Formosa and Okinawa, which could serve springboards for future operations against China and Japan. Flying to Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt met with both commanders before ultimately electing to follow MacArthurs recommendations. As part of the advance to the Philippines, it was believed that Peleliu in the Palau Islands needed to be captured to secure the Allies right flank (Map). Fast Facts: Battle of Peleliu Conflict: World War II (1939-1945)Dates: September 15 to November 27, 1944Armies Commanders:AlliesMajor General William RupertusRear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf1st Marine Division (17,490 men), 81st Infantry Division (10,994 men)Japanese:Colonel Kunio Nakagawaapprox. 11,000 menCasualties:Allies: 2,336 killed and 8,450 wounded/missingJapanese: 10,695 killed and 202 captured The Allied Plan Responsibility for the invasion was given to Major General Roy S. Geigers III Amphibious Corps and Major General William Rupertuss 1st Marine Division was assigned to make the initial landings. Supported by naval gunfire from Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorfs ships offshore, the Marines were to assault beaches on the southwest side of the island. Going ashore, the plan called for the 1st Marine Regiment to land to the north, the 5th Marine Regiment in the center, and the 7th Marine Regiment in the south. Hitting the beach, the 1st and 7th Marines would cover the flanks as the 5th Marines drove inland to capture Pelelius airfield. This done, the 1st Marines, led by Colonel Lewis Chesty Puller were to turn north and attack the islands highest point, Umurbrogol Mountain. In assessing the operation, Rupertus expected to secure the island in a matter of days. Colonel Lewis Chesty Puller, 1950. US Marine Corps A New Plan The defense of Peleliu was overseen by Colonel Kunio Nakagawa. Following a string of defeats, the Japanese began to reassess their approach to island defense. Rather than attempting to halt Allied landings on the beaches, they devised a new strategy which called for islands to be heavily fortified with strong points and bunkers. These were to be connected by caves and tunnels which would allow troops to be safely shifted with ease to meet each new threat. To support this system, troops would make limited counterattacks rather than the reckless banzai charges of the past. While efforts would be made to disrupt enemy landings, this new approach sought to bleed the Allies white once they were ashore. The key to Nakagawas defenses were over 500 caves in the Umurbrogol Mountain complex. Many of these were further fortified with steel doors and gun emplacements. At the north of the Allies intended invasion beach, the Japanese tunneled through a 30-foot high coral ridge and installed a variety of guns and bunkers. Known as The Point, the Allies had no knowledge of the ridges existence as it did not show on existing maps. In addition, the islands beaches were heavily mined and strewn with a variety of obstacles to hamper potential invaders. Unaware of the change in Japanese defensive tactics, Allied planning moved forward as normal and the invasion of Peleliu was dubbed Operation Stalemate II. A Chance to Reconsider To aid in operation, Admiral William Bull Halseys carriers commenced a series of raids in the Palaus and Philippines. These met little Japanese resistance led him to contact Nimitz on September 13, 1944, with several suggestions. First, he recommended that the attack on Peleliu be abandoned as unneeded and that the assigned troops be given to MacArthur for operations in the Philippines. He also stated that the invasion of the Philippines should begin immediately. While leaders in Washington, DC agreed to move up the landings in the Philippines, they elected to push forward with the Peleliu operation as Oldendorf had begun the pre-invasion bombardment on September 12 and troops were already arriving in the area. Going Ashore As Oldendorfs five battleships, four heavy cruisers, and four light cruisers pounded Peleliu, carrier aircraft also struck targets across the island. Expending a massive amount of ordnance, it was believed that the garrison was completely neutralized. This was far from the case as the new Japanese defense system survived nearly untouched. At 8:32 AM on September 15, the 1st Marine Division began their landings. The first wave of LVTs moves toward the invasion beaches, passing through the inshore bombardment line of LCI gunboats. Cruisers and battleships are bombarding from the distance. The landing area is almost totally hidden in dust and smoke. US Naval History and Heritage Command Coming under heavy fire from batteries at either end of the beach, the division lost many LVTs (Landing Vehicle Tracked) and DUKWs forcing large numbers of Marines to wade ashore. Pushing inland, only the 5th Marines made any substantial progress. Reaching the edge of the airfield, they succeeded in turning back a Japanese counterattack consisting of tanks and infantry (Map). A Bitter Grind The next day, the 5th Marines, enduring heavy artillery fire, charged across the airfield and secured it. Pressing on, they reached the eastern side of the island, cutting off the Japanese defenders to the south. Over the next several days, these troops were reduced by the 7th Marines. Near the beach, Pullers 1st Marines began attacks against The Point. In bitter fighting, Pullers men, led by Captain George Hunts company, succeeded in reducing the position. Despite this success, the 1st Marines endured nearly two days of counterattacks from Nakagawas men. Moving inland, the 1st Marines turned north and began engaging the Japanese in the hills around Umurbrogol. Sustaining serious losses, the Marines made slow progress through the maze of valleys and soon named the area Bloody Nose Ridge. As the Marines ground their way through the ridges, they were forced to endure nightly infiltration attacks by the Japanese. Having sustained 1,749 casualties, approximately 60% of the regiment, in several days fighting, the 1st Marines were withdrawn by Geiger and replaced with the 321st Regimental Combat Team from the US Armys 81st Infantry Division. The 321st RCT landed north of the mountain on September 23 and began operations. A U.S. Marine Corps Chance Vought F4U-1 Corsair aircraft attacks a Japanese bunker at the Umurbrogol mountain on Peleliu with napalm bombs. US Marine Corps Supported by the 5th and 7th Marines, they had a similar experience to Pullers men. On September 28, the 5th Marines took part in a short operation to capture Ngesebus Island, just north of Peleliu. Going ashore, they secured the island after a brief fight. Over the next few weeks, Allied troops continued to slowly battle their way through Umurbrogol. With the 5th and 7th Marines badly battered, Geiger withdrew them and replaced them with the 323rd RCT on October 15. With the 1st Marine Division fully removed from Peleliu, it was sent back to Pavuvu in the Russell Islands to recover. Bitter fighting in and around Umurbrogol continued for another month as the 81st Division troops struggled to expel the Japanese from the ridges and caves. On November 24, with American forces closing in, Nakagawa committed suicide. Three days later, the island was finally declared secure. Aftermath One of the costliest operations of the war in the Pacific, the Battle of Peleliu saw Allied forces sustain 2,336 killed and 8,450 wounded/missing. The 1,749 casualties sustained by Pullers 1st Marines nearly equaled the entire divisions losses for the earlier Battle of Guadalcanal. Japanese losses were 10,695 killed and 202 captured. Though a victory, the Battle of Peleliu was quickly overshadowed by the Allied landings on Leyte in the Philippines, which commenced on October 20, as well as the Allied triumph at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The battle itself became a controversial topic as Allied forces took severe losses for an island that ultimately possessed little strategic value and was not used to support future operations. The new Japanese defensive approach was later used at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In an interesting twist, a party of Japanese soldiers held out on Peleliu until 1947 when they had to be convinced by a Japanese admiral that the war was over.

Window XP outline

Window XP outline Windows XP Professional, the most recent client operating system release from Microsoft, has many advantages over its predecessors, making it the logical choice for implementation throughout Riordan Manufacturing.Built on Windows NT architecture* A true 32-bit operating system* Fully protected memory* Additional protection for the kernel and device drivers to prevent corruptionSystem Improvements* System Restore allows the system to be reverted back to a selectable date* Recovery Console allows administrators to perform advanced recovery tasks* User State Migration provides a convenient mechanism to move user setting to a new computer* Safe Mode options are available to troubleshoot startup problems* Application Compatibility enhancements allows XP to run hundreds of programs that Windows 2000 failed to operate* Automatic install and update latest security and software from Microsoft (with SP2)* Start and log on computer faster* Perform several task at one time without missing a beat Software Enhancements* Fewer reboots required when installing new software* Easier installation and program removal routines* Genuine multitasking architecture provides stable performance when running multiple applications* Safer Browsing with Internet Explorer.Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7* Make browsing more enjoyable with dramatically fewer pop-up ads.* Provide better protection from potentially harmful downloads.* Assist you in finding and controlling Internet Explorer add-ons.* Stop scripts that resize or reposition windows without your permission.* Offer stronger security for your PC with built-in security enhancements.* Safer E-Mail Handling with Outlook Express* Screen unsafe e-mail attachments that could potentially spread viruses.* Block some images that might confirm your e-mail address to spammers.* Internet Explorer Add-on Manager prevents add-on applications from crashing the browser* Supports several multimedia environments including radio, streaming video, and con ferencing* New user interface allows easier access to...

An Easy French-English Bilingual Story at the Beach

An Easy French-English Bilingual Story at the Beach Many people travel to France to enjoy its gorgeous beaches. Whether you prefer sunny â€Å"Cà ´te d’Azur†, the windy beaches or â€Å"Arcachon†, the historic â€Å"plages de Normandie† or the wild and rocky coasts of Brittany, you’ll have plenty of sea waters and beaches to choose from when traveling, for real or virtually to France. Explore the vocabulary related to beach activities with this learn French in context  story. This story is written mostly in the present tense and with simple sentence structures, so even beginners can follow the story once they have studied their  French beach vocabulary. And Now, Let's Go to the Beach! Mon mari, ma fille et moi, nous habitons en Bretagne, dans le nord-ouest de la France, en face de lAngleterre, dans une petite ville qui sappelle  «Ã‚  Paimpol  Ã‚ ». Jai de la chance car nous sommes cà ´tà © de la mer, au bord de la Manche plus prà ©cisà ©ment.   My husband, my daughter and myself, we live in Brittany, in the north-west of France, across from England, in a small town called Paimpol. I am lucky since we live by the sea, on the banks of the Channel more precisely. Ma fille Leyla et moi, nous adorons nager. Il y a une petite plage de sable 5 minutes pied de chez nous, et bien sà »r, nous y allons trà ¨s souvent. My daughter Leyla and I, we love to swim. There is a small sand beach five minutes walking distance from our house, and of course, we go there very often. Leyla a dix ans, et elle sait bien nager. Elle a pris des cours de natation la piscine avec son à ©cole, et aussi pendant les weekends, et donc vraiment elle nage bien la brasse, le crawl etc... Mais quand  elle va la plage, elle ne nage pas beaucoup : elle joue dans la mer, saute dans les petites vagues, patauge... Elle boit rarement la tasse, mais à §a arrive. Alors elle tousse, et elle replonge dans l’eau ! Elle aime bien aussi faire de grands chà ¢teaux de sable avec les autres enfants qui sont sur la plage. Leyla is ten, and she is a good swimmer. She took swimming lessons at the pool with her school, and also during the weekends, and therefore she can really swim the breaststroke,  the crawl etc well†¦ But when she goes to the beach, she doesnt swim much: she plays in the sea, jumps in the small waves, splashes around†¦ She rarely accidentally swallows sea water, but it happens. Then she coughs, and dives back in (the water)! She also enjoys making big sand castles with the other kids (who are) on the beach. Faire de la Voile = to go Sailing in French L’autre jour, Leyla a fait une journà ©e de voile avec son à ©cole. Et tout a coup, elle a vu deux dauphins !! Malheureusement, au dà ©but elle a pensà © que c’à ©tait des requins, et elle a eu trà ¨s peur... The other day, Leyla had a sailing outing with her school. And suddenly, she saw two Dolphins !! Unfortunately, at the beginning, she  thought  they  were  two sharks, and she was very scared. C’est un vrai dà ©mà ©nagement lorsque nous allons nous baigner ! Il faut prendre des pelles,  des seaux, un rà ¢teau, des serviettes de plage, et surtout ne pas oublier la crà ¨me solaire. Il fait souvent gris en Bretagne, mais le soleil est toujours l, en dessous des nuages, et il faut toujours mettre de la crà ¨me solaire pour ne pas attraper un coup de soleil. Nous ne prenons pas de  parasol, ni de chaise longue – on est en Bretagne, pas   St Trop’  !! Its like packing for a move when we go swimming! We have to take shovels, pails and a rake, beach towels and above all not forget the  sunscreen!! Its often overcast in Brittany, but the sun is always there, under the clouds, and you should always wear sunscreen so you dont get sunburnt. We dont bring a beach umbrella, nor a beach chair - were in Brittany, not Saint-Tropez !!

The Zoot-Suit Riots Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Zoot-Suit Riots - Essay Example No one was killed, no one sustained massive injuries, property damage was slight, and no major or minor judicial decisions stemmed from the riots. There was no pattern to arrests; convictions were few and highly discretionary. There were no political manifestos or heroes originating from the riots (Mazon 1). But it did cause damage to those involved. By the beginning of 1943, America was deeply engaged with the Second World War. In Los Angeles, the city had already been emptied of its residents of Japanese ancestry. Young Latinos, unlike their elders, were not content to stay within their barrios, but were spilling into downtown dance halls, movie houses, pool halls and clubs. As young men are prone to do, many young Latino males distinguished themselves with distinctive hairdos and apparel. They wore drapes which resembled the zoot suits worn in Harlem. It was designed to be comfortable to dance in, and some believed that it was sometimes used as a signal that the wearer belonged to a club or gang. Most Anglos called the outfit a zoot suit and assumed that only hoodlums wore them. Long before the riots, Mexicans and Mexican Americans were the victims, and often the authors of many other descriptive names. Now, due to the drapes, the term 'Zoot Suiters' was attributed to this riot. However, the Mexican American teenagers called t hemselves pachucos.

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

Obesity - Essay Example It has estimated that in the United States of America two third of the population has either increased weight or is suffering from obesity. Furthermore, it has been classified that one third of the population belonging to the age group of above twenty years is suffering from obesity (Weight Control Information Network 2010). There are many underlying factors that have been leading to this problem. Increased consumption of fats and reduced burning of calories through exercise has resulted in obesity. Reduction in physical activities by children leads to increase in obesity amongst the young generation. The advancement of technology has made the person more reliable on machines for all their works and has resulted in reduction of physical activities. Video games and other forms of entertainment has made people more restricted to indoors and has led to decrease in outdoor activities and games and hence resulted in aggravating the problem of obesity (Biddle et al 2009). The epidemic of o besity needs to be tacked with different measures. Physical activity needs to be promoted and awareness should be created amongst the people regarding the problems that may result due to this condition. Children should be trained in schools and sports activities should be encouraged amongst them. The media should also play a role by promotion of activities and measures that can reduce this issue (Boyse 2008, Biddle et al 2009).

Did the board act ethically Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Did the board act ethically - Research Paper Example Patients demand for services of the machines are more than the hospitals capacity. As a result, decision is to be made on the patients that are to be offered services from the facilities. Some hospitals have formed boards consisting of medical personnel and members of their communities to help in deciding on the people to be offered the limited services. Though the medical condition of the patients are taken into consideration, other factors such as personal and social characteristics such as age, job, number of dependants, status of the patient’s job among others are prioritized by the boards whose common aim is to maximize the utility of the limited machinery. The boards should have an ethical decision making process. This would begin by collecting necessary information about the problem followed by definition of the problem, selecting patients for care. All the relevant stakeholders in the case would then be considered before identification of available alternatives. The board would have then weighed the merits and disadvantages of each alternative before making a decision. A suitable ethical decision would however be based on consideration of ethical principles as discussed bellow (Potts and Mandleco, p. 40). One of the ethical principles that are applicable to the case is the principle of autonomy. Autonomy refers to a person’s authority over factors around him. The ethical principle induces the concept that every individual has the power to make decisions on matters affecting him or her (Brunner et al., p. 40). Another ethical principle that is applicable to the case, the doctrine of beneficence, is defined as a person’s responsibility to do good to other members of the society. It is base on actions of individual that are expected not to cause harm to others in the society. Professional fidelity is another principle that is directly applicable

Civil rights Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Civil rights - Term Paper Example You get an ensurity to get involve in political and civil life. These civil rights are made for safety and ensuring the physical integrity of the person like. Beside all these facts these rights protects you from many discriminations like gender, race, nationality, age, speech, mental or physical disability and many more things. By origin civil rights are the major part of global Human Rights. These civil rights are enforceable rights and they are entertained by other people also. This right can be use when you have to take some action against an injury. Some common examples of civil rights are freedom to speech, right to vote, right to equality in public places, press, freedom from involuntary servitude and many more. Example of civil rights: The famous example of civil rights in America is â€Å"civil right act of 1964†. This civil right act was the unique mark of legislation in United States. This act is used to outlaw segregation in schools, employment places and also the public places. This civil right was first conceived to aid African Americans. In this act people also raised their voices to protect women including white people also (George H. Rutland, 2001). Role of FBI agencies in protecting civil rights: A FBI agency is made to do investigation the violation of national law of civil rights. The FBI do his duty seriously because if there is any violation in the civil laws and if any person among us looses any right then the freedom of all of us will be drawn towards danger. Activities of US commissions for enhancing civil rights: US commissions is also doing a regular work on civil rights. The main aim of US commission is to do investigation of complains that are made by people. These complaints are made because many people’s are deprived because of their voting rights on the basis of their race, religion, color, sex, citizenship, age. These complaints are taken by US commissions and then a proper action is taken to solve the problems of a common people. Center of civil rights (CRS): CRC stands for Civil Right Center. This center of civil rights is for the enforcement and administration of different Federal statues, executive orders, regulations which are related to both equal and nondiscrimination opportunities. These three laws based on equal opportunity are: 1. A forbid discrimination based on disability. This law can be specified by different public entities like local and state government. It is also enriched with the programs organized and activated by DOL. 2. A forbid discrimination on different basis of programs and activities. This also receives a financial assistance from DOL or work investment act. 3. The discrimination of forbid employment within the DOL (George H. Rutland, 2001). Benefits of EEOC in civil rights: The civil right of EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) is very much popular. This civil right holds the responsibility that every employee or job applicant must receive equal employm ent without introducing the thoughts of religion, race, sex, color, age, nationality and disability. According to this civil right discriminating against any employee is also illegal. And if any person faces this situation then he can complaint for this and you can be fined heavily for this or have to face a lawsuit. This is a very strong civil right and because of this right people in America are working equally and are enjoying equal payments. Political book: According to political book of America civil rights are considered as normal rights of human

International Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Finance - Case Study Example In 1993, ICI demerged its bioscience businesses to a publicly listed company, Zeneca Group PLC. 1997 saw ICI transforming from a regional manufacturer of bulk chemicals to a global specialty chemical and paints leader with the acquisition of Unilever's Speciality Chemicals businesses. Over the last decade, ICI has transformed its portfolio through a number of acquisitions and divestments worth more than 12 billion. Proceeds from divestments have helped ICI reduce its net debt and improve its balance sheet strength (ICI Annual Report, 2006). This paper evaluates the international operations of ICI and discusses how important international trade is for the ICI Group. Various analyses are conducted such as strategic, financial, SWOT, and risk to provide a deeper insight into the company's international operations. ICI Board comprises of the Chairman, Chief Executive, 3 directors, and five non-executive directors. Collectively, the Board is responsible for the success of the company. Through the Chief Executive, the Board delegates to management the overall performance of the company through the setting of clear objectives, building long-term management capability and ensuring that the business is managed in conformity with the business principles. Core businesses Core businesses of ICI comprise ICI Paints and the adhesives, specialty starches, specialty polymers and electronic materials operations of National Starch. These businesses serve diverse consumer and industrial markets through 40 strategic business units. These businesses are supported by Group functions that provide expertise in the disciplines of information technology, finance, human resources, operations, procurement, safety, security, and applied technology (ICI Annual Report, 2006). ICI Paints has some of the world's leading paint and decorative product brands. ICI makes products to prepare and care for many building materials, and provides coatings for cans and packages. It is headquartered in the UK and has operations in 25 countries (ICI Annual Report, 2006). National Starch markets a broad array of products to various sectors such as food, healthcare and construction. It has four divisions that are grouped around adhesives, specialty starches, specialty polymers and electronic materials. National Starch is headquartered in the United States, and has manufacturing and customer service centres in 39 countries (ICI Annual Report, 2006). ICI has a number of regional and industrial businesses, principal operations for which are located in Pakistan and Argentina. They include the manufacture of pure terephthalic acid, polyester, sulphur-related chemicals, wine chemicals and soda ash (ICI Annual Report, 2006). ICI is headquartered in the UK, with geographically diversified operations worldwide. Asia and Latin America account for 36% of sales, North America 33%, Europe 29%, and the rest of the world 2%. ICI's businesses have adopted a staffing policy whereby local nationals are typically hired. Total employee strength at ICI is 29, 130, of which 87% are located outside the UK. ICI Group has operations in more than 50 countries around the world. More than 60% of the Group's revenue comes from sectors which are believed to be non-cyclical in nature, such

Russian revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Russian revolution - Essay Example 'What Is Happening in Russia' was one of many documents written and published by Vladimir Lenin while he lived outside of Russia; these were distributed throughout his home country and eagerly awaited by the activists and Communist thinkers he had left behind. It was with this chapter that Lenin first publicly commented on the events that had occurred prior to publishing; specifically the worker protests that had occurred in Russia between the self-declared proletariat and the Czarist forces. The military forces triumphed, but Lenin and the rest of the world looked on the Russian activists as the instigators to a revolution that was only just beginning. Students of the Russian Revolution have always read reflective essays and texts concerning the events that led up to the Russian Revolution, but rarely do they have a glimpse of first-hand doctrine and commentary from that era, specifically in the years before the major conflicts. Not only do primary sources heighten the learning experience and give first-hand context to historical events, but to read the words and thoughts of someone as integral to the Russian Revolution as Vladimir Lenin gives an entirely new slant to basic course studies. Through this piece of writing, one can get a feel not only for the attitude of Russians at the time, but of foreign countrymen as well. At the time Lenin wrote this piece, he had been a victim of prejudice for his political views for so long and to such an extreme extent that he didn't feel safe living in Russia anymore. His writing was a way for him to stay connected with the Communists at home in Russia and to continue inspiring them to want change. Lenin believed that the masses in Russia were largely unaware of their poor position in the strict class society, but that with persuasion they were slowly coming to terms with it and looking for a way out. The worker protests that occurred in the early 20th century clearly gave Lenin hope and a small sense of pride in his countrymen for their efforts. He did believe, however, that the failure of these protests called for pause and reflection so that future revolts might be more successful. When 'What Is Happening in Russia' was published, it was before the major events of the Russian Revolution had yet occurred; because of the timing of this piece of writing, students will be able to cultivate an excellent knowledge of the atmosphere of the times. Lenin references the growing unrest among Russian workers towards their classist, Czarist system, as well as their growing willingness to become proactive in changing their own lives and the lives of millions of disenfranchised Russians across the entire country. He refers to the Communist activists as "taking their first tentative steps" towards change and equality, "defining their objectives" in protest. Because of his position outside the country at the time, Lenin makes several references to international misunderstandings of the Russian state of mind, explaining that although foreign newspapers were mixing up their terms in reference to Russia and its protests, the basic opinion of the international community was that these outbursts of the public were the beginning of something bigger. He

International Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Finance - Case Study Example In 1993, ICI demerged its bioscience businesses to a publicly listed company, Zeneca Group PLC. 1997 saw ICI transforming from a regional manufacturer of bulk chemicals to a global specialty chemical and paints leader with the acquisition of Unilever's Speciality Chemicals businesses. Over the last decade, ICI has transformed its portfolio through a number of acquisitions and divestments worth more than 12 billion. Proceeds from divestments have helped ICI reduce its net debt and improve its balance sheet strength (ICI Annual Report, 2006). This paper evaluates the international operations of ICI and discusses how important international trade is for the ICI Group. Various analyses are conducted such as strategic, financial, SWOT, and risk to provide a deeper insight into the company's international operations. ICI Board comprises of the Chairman, Chief Executive, 3 directors, and five non-executive directors. Collectively, the Board is responsible for the success of the company. Through the Chief Executive, the Board delegates to management the overall performance of the company through the setting of clear objectives, building long-term management capability and ensuring that the business is managed in conformity with the business principles. Core businesses Core businesses of ICI comprise ICI Paints and the adhesives, specialty starches, specialty polymers and electronic materials operations of National Starch. These businesses serve diverse consumer and industrial markets through 40 strategic business units. These businesses are supported by Group functions that provide expertise in the disciplines of information technology, finance, human resources, operations, procurement, safety, security, and applied technology (ICI Annual Report, 2006). ICI Paints has some of the world's leading paint and decorative product brands. ICI makes products to prepare and care for many building materials, and provides coatings for cans and packages. It is headquartered in the UK and has operations in 25 countries (ICI Annual Report, 2006). National Starch markets a broad array of products to various sectors such as food, healthcare and construction. It has four divisions that are grouped around adhesives, specialty starches, specialty polymers and electronic materials. National Starch is headquartered in the United States, and has manufacturing and customer service centres in 39 countries (ICI Annual Report, 2006). ICI has a number of regional and industrial businesses, principal operations for which are located in Pakistan and Argentina. They include the manufacture of pure terephthalic acid, polyester, sulphur-related chemicals, wine chemicals and soda ash (ICI Annual Report, 2006). ICI is headquartered in the UK, with geographically diversified operations worldwide. Asia and Latin America account for 36% of sales, North America 33%, Europe 29%, and the rest of the world 2%. ICI's businesses have adopted a staffing policy whereby local nationals are typically hired. Total employee strength at ICI is 29, 130, of which 87% are located outside the UK. ICI Group has operations in more than 50 countries around the world. More than 60% of the Group's revenue comes from sectors which are believed to be non-cyclical in nature, such

Born global 03056 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Born global 03056 - Essay Example These organisations mainly target each country and regions as a unique marketplace. On the contrary, born global organisations tend to consider the entire world as a single marketplace from the very beginning of their business process (Chetty and Campbell-Hunt, 2004). Generally, these born global organisations employ the differentiation marketing strategy to create a niche market for their unique products and services (Harveston, Kedia and Davis, 2000). Though the market approach of considering the entire world as a single and borderless marketplace has assisted the born global organisations to secure an international competitive position, it will not be a suitable marketing option for the organisations that are seeking to expand internationally (Moen and Servais, 2002). The further discussion of this essay will evaluate various researcher views and theories to analyse the importance and limitation of single marketplace in the internationalization of organisations. The increasing economic integration across the world, globalization and innovation of advanced communication technologies are triggering the rapid internationalization process of domestic organisations (Chandra, Styles and Wilkinson, 2012). According to researchers, nowadays consumers are getting wide access to the information of different parts of the globe. They are getting wide exposure to the tastes, preferences, lifestyles, sports and fashion of different communities worldwide. Rapid changes and progress in information technology, communication channels, globalization commitment and trade agreements are resulting in remarkable financial and economical interconnection between different markets of a wide range of nations (Chandra, Styles and Wilkinson, 2012). This changes and progresses are gradually creating â€Å"borderless world† for the international business organisation. Different

Search for my Tongue Essay Example for Free

Search for my Tongue Essay Sujata Bhatt tells us about the difficulties that she has speaking with a new tongue when her old tongue starts to rot away in her mouth with her new tongue pushing it out of the way and trying to take over. Your mother tongue would rot, rot and die in your mouth until you had to spit it out. This means the author has stucked between two languages and the new language (English) is making her lose mother tongue (Gujarati). Having two tongues this poet feels that she is totally confused and makes her to forget her mother tongue while she speaks English. She also tried to think and dream both languages at the same time but she couldnt. She has dreamt in Gujarati and transliterated into English. At the end of the poem her feelings changes a bit because she describes over the night her confidence grows back even stronger than before, but while she dreams it grows back, stump of a shoot grows longer, grows moist, grows strong veins, it tries the other tongue in knots. This means she highlights the difficulties being part of two cultures. The dominant culture is always the mother tongue (her Gujarati culture is always the influences of the American lifestyle). The shape of the poem has divided into three parts:  ? First part of the poem explains her conflict with loosing her  mother tongue and learning a new foreign tongue.  ? Second part of the poem is written in Gujarati (mother tongue) and explains her fear of loosing her identity.  ? Third part of the poem is translated in to English and focuses on her determination to retain her Gujarati culture. The poet includes the Gujarati as an indication of the strong link between language and culture. This shows us that she tries to use the both languages at the same time in her dreams. The central part of the poem is looks different because it has written in Gujarati and transliterated into English. I think the poet included this Gujerati script and its phonetic prescutation underneath as an indication of the strong link between language and culture and possible to you to realise how difficult it would be in a foreign country and speaking in a foreign language.  Fundamentally, one image links this whole poem is that a flower. She compares her mother tongue to a flower that grows (a symbol of beauty and life), like a flower grows the foreign language also grows but her mother tongue is stronger eventually. This is called Extended Metaphor. I think the poet used this extended metaphor in order to compare the differences and influences of two languages. The list below describes some of the ways in which her mother tongue is compared to a plant. The poet uses both negative and positive images in describing her mother tongue. Sujata Bahatt thinks that foreign tongue has most powerful effect than Gujarati but Gujarati culture overcomes the influences of the American style and still makes the mother tongue strong.  In conclusion, I believe that I have learnt a lot about the culture and traditions of an immigrant. The writer feels that she has confused in between two languages. She feels her mother tongue is being lost in her mouth and foreign tongue is becoming more frequently used, this is making her uncomfortable. At the end of the poem, I feel that she gives us an inside view of what it must feel like to be in a foreign country and speaking in a foreign language.

Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

"A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Don’t matter no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick." A major theme in Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men is loneliness. The characters Crooks, Candy and Curley’s wife each suffer from this although the severity of their seclusion varied. The old swapper, Candy was victimized by isolation as a result of two main factors, one being his disability and the other being his age. For example, throughout the book we find the farmhands out bucking the barley while Candy is left behind to sweep and clean the ranch. He lost his hand after getting it caught in a piece of machinery and as a result he is forced to stay behind. This being one of the major factors that leads to his loneliness. Furthermore, Candy’s age adds to his feeling of uselessness. Because he thinks that he is old he puts himself in a state of mind that handicaps him more than his missing hand ever will. He looks down on himself as an old worthless man that’s wasting away his last few years. Not only is it the way that others think of him but also the way he thinks of himself that forces him to find solitude. The most evident case of loneliness is Curley’s wife. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t fit in. For example, when she tried numerous times to talk to George and Lenny she was either ignored or told to leave. Because of her reputation for being a flirt none of the farmhands wanted to talk to her. It was the threat of getting in trouble with Curley that caused many workers to avoid her. In addition, because of Curley’s insecure feelings he neglected her and forced her to seek attention anyway she could, even it meant flirting. She was ignored by both the farmhands and her own husband and because of this she was being forced into loneliness, the one thing she fought so hard against. Crooks is a black man tha t experiences isolation in terms of racism. For example, he is forced to live alone in the barn. Because the setting of this book takes place during the 1930’s discrimination sadly still existed. The farmhands feel that since he is black he isn’t worthy of living with the rest of them.

Behind The Scenes :: essays research papers fc

BEHIND THE SCENES In the aftermath of the untimely death of Princess Diana a timeworn issue re-plays itself like a tired re-run of “The Honeymooners.'; Does the media go too far? Maybe. But like any other commodity, supply and demand go hand and glove. Whether a high profile celebrity or an every-day Joe, we sit glued to our chairs as the nightly news somberly announces society’s latest barbarity. We eagerly snatch up the tabloids as these mudslingers breathlessly divulge their version of the most recent Hollywood gossip. The fact is that America has become obsessed with the goings on in other people’s lives. Greedy consumers of the First Amendment, we march defiantly under the banner of our “right to know';, but do we have just cause? Differences and difficulties in interpretation have characterized much of the later history of the First Amendment and historians continue to debate what the nation’s founders meant to include when they wrote that there shall be “no l aw'; abridging the freedom of speech or press. Today the U. S. Supreme Court blindly inches its way across the tightrope of censorship. Laws prohibiting obscenity and indecency have been successfully incorporated and public sentiment has historically served to curtail the over-zealous journalist. However the moral fiber of society has degenerated from its once prim and proper past, and the press now vulgarly oversteps the boundaries of decency with little retribution. In the words of Chief Justice Warren Burger, “The First Amendment should not be interpreted to include the protection of frivolous gossip that “lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value'; (Grolier Encyclopedia 1996, Miller v. California). The People’s “right to know'; does not justify the growing abuse of our right to Freedom of the Press. The negative effect upon today’s society is only beginning. Tabloids not only thrive on; they encourage the invasion of privacy. In an era defined by celebrity worship, Americans have become increasingly tolerant of what is acceptable concerning media coverage of celebrities’ private lives. It is unfortunate that Princess Diana died for a blurry picture, a pointless snap from a speeding motorcycle. Dodging tabloid photographers she was simply trying to preserve some privacy by holding back the media intrusion. In the sixteen years since her marriage, she became not only the most famous woman in the world, but the only personality who consistently sold big in the global marketplace (Alter, Dying 39).

Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Essay

Quantitative research – is a formal, objective, systematic research which bases on precise figures. While conducting such kind of research, an investigator collects and analyzes data and statistics. The main purposes of applying quantitative method of research are: description of variables; examination of relationship among variables; determination of cause-and-effect interactions between variables (Burns & Grove,2005). Qualitative research – in contrast to quantitative, is a kind of research which mainly concentrates on observations, questionnaires, reports and other ways of subjective investigations. The key features of qualitative research are: focus on meanings, perspectives and understandings; emphasis on process; inductive analysis, and grounded theory (Woods, 2006). The basic differences between quantitative and qualitative research lie in methods and instruments they apply, types of data they collect and generate, in their main perspectives. The instruments used in quantitative research are strict about extracting information and dividing it into categories. Quantitative methods are highly structured and include various surveys, questionnaires, and structured observations. In qualitative research, more flexible and frequentative instruments are applied. Qualitative methods, unlike quantitative ones, are semi-structured. To these methods belong interview, focus group, questionnaire, and participant observation. Quantitative research, in contrast to qualitative, operates with numerical data. Qualitative research, as a rule, uses textual data (Mack, Woodsong, et al., 2005). The most important feature which differentiates one research from another is flexibility. Usually, the procedure of quantitative research is prescribed in advance. Therefore, it excludes any unforeseen changes during the process of research. For instance, the questions in quantitative research are well thought-out, concrete, and closed. Moreover, the order of questions is also fixed. In such a way, quantitative research, due to its inflexibility, makes meaningful contribution to common investigation. The stages of qualitative research may be changed during the research procedure. The questions in qualitative research are mostly open. It enables the participants to give more reasonable answers and sometimes, even to go into detail. Therefore, spontaneity became a distinctive feature of qualitative research, which made the process of research less formal (Mack, Woodsong, et al., 2005). References Burns, N., Grove, S.K. (2005). The practice of nursing research: conduct, critique, and utilization (5th Ed.). St. Louis, Elsevier Saunders. Retrieved from http://www.researchproposalsforhealthprofessionals.com/definition_of_quantitative_resea.htm Mack, N., Woodsong, C., MacQueen, M. K., Guest, G., Namey, E. (2005). Qualitative research methods: A data collector’s field guide. Retrieved from http://www.fhi360.org/nr/rdonlyres/emgox4xpcoyrysqspsgy5ww6mq7v4e44etd6toiejyxalhbmk5sdnef7fqlr3q6hlwa2ttj5524xbn/datacollectorguideenrh.pdf Woods, P. (2006). Qualitative research. Retrieved from http://www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/qualitative%20methods%202/qualrshm.htm

John Keats Essay

In John Keats â€Å"Ode to a Nightingale,† answer the following: Identify some Romantic quality about this poem. Explicate. This may require that you provide an example from the work. I feel that there is a â€Å"romantic quality† to Stanza 2. This stanza goes: 2. O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been Cool’d a long age in the deep-delved earth, Tasting of Flora and the country green Dance, and Provencal song, and sunburnt Mirth! O for a beaker full of the warm South, Full of the true, the blushful Hyppocrene, With beaded bubbles winking at the brim, And purple-stained mouth; That I might drink; and leave the world unseen. And with thee fade away into the forest dim: (Poetical, 2005) To me, it seems that the poet is now moving into a world of fantasy, a state the vintage can help bring him into, a pleasurable state of Mirth. He wants to join the nightingale and he uses vintage to take him there. In stanza 2, the reader begins to see and feel the images of â€Å"the country green, Dance, and Provencal song†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It all can have a romantic, fantasy quality to it. All of the visual images along with sunburnt Mirth combines to bring the poet and the reader into what could be thought of as a romantic state of drunkenness. In John Keats â€Å"Eve of St. Agnes,† answer the following: 1. Who is the Beadsman, and what part does he play in the story? It is the Beadsman’s penance to tell Madeline the superstition of St. Agnes Eve. The Beadsman is alone and cold in the chapel praying for the Baron and his friends who are partying. In these days Beadsman were paid to pray for their employer. This brings irony to the poem in that one might think The Beadsman needs the prayers or should be praying for himself. The Beadsman rejects life’s joys. The Beadsman dies this very evening as relayed in the last two lines of the poem (Stanza 42). It could also be noted the Beadsman introduces the religious imagery into the poem when he enters and ends the religious imagery when his part is over. At the beginning of the poem the Beadsman knows his deathbell has rung and indeed it is confirmed by the end of the poem. 2. Why does Angela die? Both Angela and the Beadsman died quietly of old age after witnessing the lovers fleeing into the storm. They played their part and â€Å"exited† the poem. 3. Study the last stanza: do the lovers live happily ever after? What is Keats` point? We don’t really know—it is ambiguous. It states, â€Å"These lovers fled away into the storm† (Stanza 42). I feel that because Keats believed in negative capability or that people have the ability to accept that not everything has to be resolved, he was just allowing the reader to decide rather than writing a trite, obvious ending. It could have also been that Keats didn’t want to end the dream or it to be clearly distinguishable the idea of this being a dream or reality. 4. Do the characters succeed in practicing negative capability? Yes, I feel the characters did succeed in practicing negative capability in that not everything in the poem was resolved for the characters or for the readers. Some of those questions there were no rational explanations for included: was Madeline raped? Why doesn’t Angela tell Madeline that Porphyro was hiding in her closet? Did Madeline and Porphyro die in the storm or live happily ever after? What part of this poem was a dream and what part of it was reality?  Reference (2005). The poetical works of John Keats. Retrieved May 17, 2007, from Great Books Online Web site: http://www. bartleby. com/126/40. html.

Road congestion

The underlying causes of congestion are far more complicated than many traditional interests have historically been willing to admit. The ability of available roadway space-the most traditional method of measuring supply or capacity to meet traffic demand, is just one of a set of several underlying factors that research has found contribute to traffic congestion. Whereas more than half of all children walked or bicycled to school in the 1950s, that number has now fallen below 10 percent as streets have become more dangerous due to traffic. Combined with the loss of school bus service, the resulting trend has been an overwhelming increase in parents driving their children to school, clogging local roadways during critical peak hours. An estimated 20-25 percent of rush hour traffic on local streets and roads is now attributable to the school commute. To make matters worse, not only does the typical suburban development model characterized by low-density cul-de-sacs, wide, high-speed arterials, and massive intersections make traffic management difficult, it also makes it less cost-effective for public transport to serve scattered destinations and makes walking or bicycling both inconvenient and dangerous. Many experts believe that widening motorways and main roads is only a temporary solution at best to the complex problem of traffic congestion. Indeed, research has pointed to a result known as â€Å"induced traffic† that suggests new and wider roads actually create additional traffic, above and beyond what can be attributed to rapid population increases and economic growth. In larger areas, drivers will often abandon carpools and public transport when additional roadway space is made available, thus creating additional trips and more traffic. In the longer term, the promise of more convenient transportation access allows commuters to live further from work, increasing development pressures and thus fuelling even more traffic demand. The lack of affordable and mixed-income housing near employment centres, and the imbalance between jobs and housing, creates the notorious commutes between the countryside and city areas. Also, with many people losing their confidence in public transport due to long delays, strikes and many rail crashes it seems much easier to take the car. It is important to note that the skewed pricing signals given to travellers appear to make road travel, even at the most congested periods of the day, entirely free, while public transport is often perceived as too expensive. Market failure is the inability of an unregulated market to achieve allocative efficiency in certain circumstances and we see a severe re-allocation of resources. There are various reasons why allocative efficiency may not be achieved, one of these is externalities. An externality is said to exist when the production or consumption of a good directly affects businesses or consumers not involved in the buying or selling of it and when those spill over effects are not reflected in market prices. The spill over effects are known as external costs or benefits. When people use their cars other people suffer from exhaust fumes, congestion and noise. These negative externalities make the marginal social benefit of using cars less than the marginal private benefit (i.e. marginal utility). The optimum equilibrium for society would be where the marginal social cost is equal to the marginal social benefit (Q!). However, a free market left to itself will produce where the marginal private cost is equal to the marginal private benefit (Q^). If there are negative externalities in consumption, a private market will therefore tend to over-provide a good. Congestion in urban areas can be seen as a form of market failure because the socially efficient output is not produced. The social optimum amount of vehicles on the road must be exceeded if congestion results. The marginal cost to the consumer is the only cost really considered when a driver makes the decision to use the car. What is not taken into account are the costs to other road users, the cost to society collectively; the social cost or themselves to some extent. The marginal cost to other road users is the added congestion caused by the extra car on the road. The marginal costs to society collectively are the increase in emissions produced by the extra journey made, the follow on effects from this are large, rising asthma levels in the local area, decaying buildings and collapsing roads could be caused because of the high congestion rates. The marginal cost to the individual could be the opportunity cost of the time spent in congestion. If the more space efficient bus made the journey, the traveller would be able to read the newspaper, play on a hand held computer or even do some work, this is not possible if the car is chosen to make the journey. The marginal utility of existing users of the congested roads would decrease with the addition of an extra motorist, an extra 10 or even 100 motorists would lower the marginal utility levels dramatically. But each individual's marginal cost wouldn't be affected, which explains why the marginal cost and marginal social cost diverge. Congestion is not the only cost that occurs from a large number of cars on Britain's roads. We must also consider, road damage costs, accidental externalities and of course environmental costs. Heavy vehicles basically cause Road damaging as the damage to the road pavement increases to the fourth power of the axle load. Accident externalities arise when extra vehicles on the road increase the probability that the other road users will be involved in an accident. Accident probability depends to a large extend on distance, driving time and particularly the other traffic. This is why accident costs will be treated like congestion costs. Environmental damage comes in various forms, such as local: emission of CO, NC, NO2, global: emission of CO2, CFC, water pollution and noise and vibrations. Congestion is inefficient, polluting and dangerous. Removing just 5% of traffic at peak times could substantially reduce or even eliminate rush hour congestion from many cities. One approach that is starting to stoke interest among municipal leaders is road pricing. The theory seems sound enough: introduce a price on bringing cars into congested areas that incite drivers either not to travel unnecessarily or to vary their times of travel or, indeed, to try public transport, walking or cycling. With the right approach, drivers who incur higher prices during rush hour periods would benefit from reduced congestion and travel time, while nonessential travel would take place at less congested and cheaper times. Road pricing has been debated in political circles for many years. The main debate was about the difficulties that would occur in trying to impose a system in order to toll drivers. These problems no longer exist, and advances in electronic devices have made sophisticated road pricing schemes more feasible. The new technology of electronic tolls no longer requires motorists to halt at tollbooths. Therefore, it prevents additional congestion. Drivers would be given an electronic number plate, which signals to the recording computer the presence of a vehicle. This would be the most direct way to charge the amount specific to the road and the time of the day. The devise could charge users via bank account or monthly bill. This would also allow a central computer to monitor roads with the greatest amount of use. Also, another method that has been put forward is for drivers to buy a travel card (similar to those on London Transport) and display these on their dashboards when driving in and out of priced roads. However, the political will is often lacking, perhaps because of uncertainty about voter reaction. I believe there are both advantages and disadvantages to the proposed road pricing theory. ADVANTAGES OF ROAD PRICING Road pricing is a good instrument to use to internalise most of the external effects mentioned earlier, especially in the case of congestion costs, it appears to be the optimal method of internalisation because a price mechanism would replace the present queuing mechanism, which is allocatively inefficient. Because road prices would be primarily connected with congestion costs, some distributional and locational effects could arise. Costs of driving in non-urban areas would probably fall whereas urban driving costs would increase so that in the medium run, the quality of the public urban transport system would improve. In the case of pricing highways on the continent, road pricing is a good instrument to overcome the free rider problem of foreign carriers using â€Å"home country† highways. This is especially interesting against the background that current ways of financing highways are very different. It is fair to say that foreign carriers buy their petrol abroad, which is cheaper, and they do not contribute to business in the UK. For that reason actual competition between international carriers is not neutral. With the proposed electronic system, there seems to be 2 benefits. The first of these is the business generated from the insertion of the microchips and the second is the ease of use i.e. simply driving past a scanner. Furthermore, Ken Livingston has stated that he believes traffic will reduce by 15% with the implementation of the system and he says money generated from the implementation of such a scheme will be used not only on the maintenance of our roads but also into investment of our public transport which again reduce the number of cars on the road leading to a better environment for all. A recent survey suggested that 70% of the public would not mind paying fuel tax if it was invested in public transport. The system is already used in Singapore and the immediate reaction was a reduction of 24,700 cars during the peak time and also, traffic speed increased by 22% at this time. And also, in Trondheim in Norway the toll was not introduced in order to make people leave their cars at home but soon, it was noticed that congestion was reduced and political consensus was that some of the money generated could be used for public transport within the city. DISADVANTAGES OF ROAD PRICING The cost of implementing electronic toll system is very high. The UK government estimates that the implementation of the system will cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2 bn for only a small area such as London. Plus individual costs for every vehicle of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½40 each, not including additional costs of controlling the system. Also, we are likely to see a lagged response and it would take time to raise revenue. The initial costs are high thus; they would have to pay off in the long run. Ken Livingston, has suggested a charge of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 for entering London, many believe that when we consider, fuel taxes, road tax, and maintenance of a car, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 to enter London is extortionate. It is important to consider those on lower incomes, who may find it difficult to pay a regular à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 charge. This could lead to the displacement of traffic, in the way that people will try to avoid the tolls and take other routes down side roads- this is likely to cause congestion in quieter streets not to mention accidents because the streets are so narrow. The introduction will be hard and people will object to it. They believe it affects their rights of passage and with an estimated 230 cameras per zone it compared to the big brother phenomenon. Tax on roads may have damaging effects on the economy. Because the cost to firms will be greater and it may also serve to make London a less desirable centre, there will be a reduction in Aggregate Supply. There will be growth in unemployment as firms will not be able to afford workers, this will cause a slowdown in economic growth and could even cause an inflationary threat. In terms of negative environmental externalities, road pricing is (with the exception of noise) probably not the optimal instrument for internalisation. Taxes on fuel or emission fees, for instance, charge vehicle emissions in a more direct way and they are very simple to design. Some believe that there should be different taxes for those people who do not have public transport available to them easily and those who do but choose not to use it. Furthermore it must be mentioned that the effect of road pricing depends to a large extent on the authority that receives the revenues and its way of using the money. Economists would argue that the profits made should be reinvested into the transportation system to generate an efficient outcome rather than cross-subsidising other traffic modes or other state activities. CONCLUSION In conclusion I believe that road pricing is the best instrument to internalise the costs of congestion and road damage. Although the initial costs of installation are high, these costs would probably quickly be exceeded by the efficiency gains of corrected prices. Nevertheless, road pricing cannot perfectly internalise external environmental costs. That is why instruments like â€Å"fuel taxation† or â€Å"emission fees† will still be necessary to design an optimal price mechanism in the transportation sector that sets the correct incentives. I believe pricing could be the trick to remove that 5-10% of traffic that causes congestion in peak periods in our cities. If that means picking up the children on time and being able to drive into city centres to shop, then surely that would be a price worth paying. Finally, what's perhaps most important is a recognition that solving these problems will require strong leadership from a government level in addition to management, planning and eventual implementation at the regional and local levels. Traffic congestion must thus be tackled within a broader context of economic, environmental and social goals and its solutions must be compatible and work in support of solutions for a broader range of issues.