St. augustine rejected the theories of manicheanism.research this Essay

St. augustine rejected the theories of manicheanism.research this gnostic religion in more detail.what does it teachHow is it diiffernt than Christianity and w - Essay Example The fortuitous discovery of Manichean manuscripts in Turfan in the beginning of the twentieth century has thrown light on the history of the religion and its’ founder. Mani was born in Mardinu, a village in Babylon, in 215 – 216 A.D. to Fatak Babak and Marmajam, of noble Iranian lineage. Mani was a honorific and his true name does not survive, although it is postulated to be Shuraik. At twelve, Mani apparently had a revelation, in which the angel, ‘At Taum’ or ‘the Twin,’ urged him to embrace chastity, and later, to spread the doctrine of his new religion to others. On March 20, 242 A.D. when Sapor 1 was crowned King of Babylon, Mani proclaimed the birth of his new religion to the public: â€Å"As once Buddha came to India, Zoroaster to Persia and Jesus to the lands of the West, so came in the present time, this prophecy through me, the Mani, to the land of Babylonia† (Arendzen, The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies Web site). Maniâ€⠄¢s teachings found little acceptance in Babylon, until he gained access to the royal court. Later, he was exiled and spread his message to foreign lands, as afar as India and China. He was reinstated in court by Ormzud in 274. However, the machinations of the Zoroasterian priests led to King Bahram ordering him to be tortured and killed in 276 - 277. His corpse was publicly flayed, stuffed and crucified as a deterrent to other followers of this ‘heretical religion.’ The teachings of Manicheanism centered on the distinct dualism of mind and matter, of light and darkness, of good and evil. Salvation can be attained by liberating light from the engulfing darkness. Mani used an effective combination of myth, preaching and reasoning to spread his new religion. At the origin of the universe, the eternal Paradise of Light extended limitlessly towards the North, West and East, presided over by the Father of Greatness and

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay Example for Free

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay Using the virtual organization of Kudler Fine Foods, evaluations will be made to determine market structure and competitiveness. Kudler Fine Foods current strategic plan for 2003, marketing overview, and market surveys will provide information to evaluate how Kudler competes in its market and where its strengths and weaknesses are located. Based on the evaluation of Kudler Fine Foods an applicable market structure will be determined and the structures effects on the organization and its long-term profitability. Recommendations will be made for Kudler Fine Foods while comparing real-world organizations. Kudler Fine Foods Located in the San Diego area, Kudler Fine Foods has three locations offering imported and domestic specialty foods. Founder, Kathy Kudler found the joy of gourmet cooking to be a business opportunity and opened the first store in 1998. The first year of business was profitable and paved way to the opening of two additional stores. Shopping the world for the finest of products allows Kudler Fine Foods to offer the finest of wines, foods, and related goods. It is Kudler Fine Food’s mission to provide these fine selections coupled with knowledgeable, experienced, and helpful staff to create a pleasing shopping experience (Virtual Organization Portal, 2007). Strategic Plan 2003 To provide Kudler Fine Foods mission while staying competitive, profitable, and delivering the goods known for, strategic plans are necessary. In 2003 a strategic plan was generated, within the plan traditional supermarkets were thought of as competition. Albertsons, Vons, and Ralphs advertised specialty foods similar to Kudler Fine Foods in the area of meat and produce. However, Kudler stays competitive by attracting specific customers cooking gourmet. While competitive stores offer similar food, they do not offer the same customer service, gourmet accessories, and foods Kudler offers. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s offer similar product but aim to gain customers focused on healthy lifestyles not the gourmet experience. Foreign food stores are not a large competitor, they to do not focus on the gourmet experience. While foreign food stores may have particular ingredients, they lack the competitive advantage of selection, service, expertise, or tools Kudler Fine Foods provides. According to 2003s strategic Plan Kudler Fine Foods customers are less price conscious than competitors (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). There is no direct competition although there are competitors trying to gain Kudler’s customer base. The combination of services and goods Kudler Fine Foods offers sets it apart from competition. Kudler Fine Foods uses its differentiated goods, atmosphere, knowledgeable services, intimate customer loyalty, and expansion of goods and services to stay competitive within the market. Ultimately it is the gourmet experience that makes Kudler Fine Foods a competitive force in the market. Marketing Overview Experiencing significant growth, Kudler Fine Foods looks to increase the profitability and loyalty of consumers and expand services. Kudler is strategically increasing profitability and loyalty of its customers by increasing internal efficiency, enacting a frequent shopper program, and expanding the services offered. Using a frequent shopper program customer purchases shopping behaviors are tracked and refined so applicable products can be offered to valued customers. Frequent shoppers will be offered points for shopping to redeem rewards to maintain store loyalty. To expand services Kudler offers exclusive upscale events in the store and in the comfort of customers own homes, which increases word-of mouth marketing, customer loyalty, and social networking. In addition to expanding services and offering frequent shopper programs to increase revenue Kudler Fine Foods focuses on reducing costs by increasing efficiency. Using a large department store to benchmark, Kudler is engaging in developing employees through training programs and upgrading software systems. Costs are reduced by minimizing purchases while maintaining adequate amounts of stock. Using information retrieved form the frequent shopper program and the â€Å"dollar value and profit margin per transaction† orders are placed to best capture customers needs while tracking sales data for better forecasting, merchandise selection, and inventory management (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007, para.5). The store advertises the same sales and merchandise for the three stores and coordinates to maintain enough inventories within each store location to maintain a customer service level of 95% (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). Like other retail stores customer satisfaction is a prime marketing tool but so is the ever changing gourmet items offered in the stores. New items are introduced regularly into the store; Kathy looks to competitors for pricing strategies and product comparison to market the new goods. While Kathy looks to competitors her customer differs from other markets in the area, they look for a gourmet experience. Market Surveys Kudler Fine Foods conducted market surveys in 2010 and 2011to collect data from consumers. The surveys help to identify opportunity, measure success, and identify strengths and weaknesses within the organization. The 2010 survey indicated that there was not a good selection of products present in the store. This was an area of weakness and an opportunity to improve; the 2011 survey showed an increase of satisfaction in the selection of products presented in the store. Once a weakness, the surveys measure success in the increase of product selection from 2010 to 2011. Surveys identify store hours, atmosphere, merchandise satisfaction, and knowledgeable service representatives as Kudler Fine Foods strengths. Weaknesses include merchandise displays and in 2010 selection and overall store satisfaction. The marketing surveys show improvements from 2010 to 2011 in both strengths and weaknesses indicated by customers (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). Kudler Fine Foods Market Structure Kudler Fine Foods is a monopolistic competition market structure. Within a monopolistic competition market structure there come both positives and negatives effects for Kudler Fine Foods. Positives While there are many similar organizations Kudler Fine Foods goods and services are differentiated. Kudler Fine Foods offers physical product differentiation in the service offered. For example, customers look to Kudler Fine Foods for a gourmet experience that cannot be found elsewhere. Kudler Fine Foods overall performance creates an experience. This experience is different from competitors accounted for in the strategic plan. Another positive of a monopolistic competition is that they are price makers, because Kudler Fine Foods offers differentiated products and services they are able to set their own prices. Kathy uses competitors as a price guideline but sets her own prices. In a monopolistic competition market large profits are possible in the short run. Negatives Kathy easily entered the market and so will other individuals because there are no barriers to entry in the monopolistic competition market. The fewer barriers to entry in a market the more competition arises. The low barriers to entry in this market mean one must have an opportunity to differentiate; Kudler Fine Foods has this opportunity by offering different goods and services from its competitors. To stay actively competitive Kudler Fine Foods must engage in advertising to let customers know the difference between Kudler Fine Foods and their competitors. Advertisement costs time and money and can be difficult to make advertisements stand out against competitors. Long-term profitability As mentioned above in the short run profits are possible but because there are no barriers to entry many firms are attracted to the market, which increases in the long-run. As new firms enter the market Kudler Fine Foods products and services will become more elastic shifting the demand curve to the left, prices will be driven down reducing profits. In the long run these reduced profits will continue until Kudler Fine Foods reaches long run equilibrium, economic profit is impossible in the long run. Recommendations A personal recommendation for Kudler Fine Foods is to stay in the short run to continue making the most profits. They can do this by furthering product differentiation. For example, Kudler Fine Foods can look to competitors to make sure they are not selling the same products and offering the same services. Kathy already frequently introduces new products and should continue to do this. Staying innovative will also be beneficial, introducing online sells may help keep Kudler Fine Foods in the short run longer. Real-world comparisons In the real-world there are many monopolistic markets like that of Kudler Fine Foods. Taylors Market is an example, like Kudler Fine Foods they offer gourmet options. Taylors Market finds its competitive edge by offering specialty items, including an onsite butcher. Both Kudler Fine Foods and Taylors Market are one of many firms in a monopolistic competition market structure. They stay competitive by offering differentiated goods and services. While both firms start out inelastic in the short run, in the long run they become more elastic. Below is an example of how Taylors Market and Kudler Fine Foods monopolistic competition market structure compares and differs from other market structures.

huck fin :: essays research papers

Why Huck is Realistic and Tom is Imaginative In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the connection between Huck and Tom is contrasted several times throughout the novel such as in the beginning of the novel Twain introduced them as friends who were always around each other. Then by the middle of the book Twain shows how Huck lives and thinks for himself out on the frontier and how he uses Jim as a father figure. By the end of the novel Huck and Tom reunite and that’s where Twain gets to touch up and finish up on the contrasting and comparing of Tom and Huck, which will show how Huck grows up and becomes wiser than Tom whom he looked up too.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the beginning of the book Twain shows how Huck lives and how he was brought up without a real family. Huck is only thirteen and his father even through Pap is a town drunk, but Pap is not a big part of Huck’s life he has still affected how Huck lives because Huck never had a father to look up to. Twain will introduce a father figure to us in the middle of the novel. Tom is an imaginative person. He lives by what he reads in books. Unlike Huck, Tom is raised by a good family and lives a fairly normal life. Tom and Huck are best friends. They first started out by playing bandits and pirates and having little adventures. They always talked about having adventures and killing people. This talk just shows us how Tom thinks Huck just catches on to what Tom says which shows tom as a leader and Huck just does as he says. This idea will remain the same till the end of the book. The only thing that will change is that Huck grows up wiser and older but still doesn’t grow out of doing as Tom says. By the middle of the novel Twain introduces Jim but not just as Jim because he has already done that but he introduces him as Huck’s father figure. Even though jim is a black slave living in the South during slavery, Huck still looks at him as a father figure because Huck never had a living father and what Jim says and how he acts really makes more of an adult than any other character in the novel.

Fair & Lovely

in newspapers or on the Web that are used by families to arrange suitable alliances, and you will see that most potential grooms and their families are looking for â€Å"fair† brides; some even are progressive enough to invite responses from women belonging to a different caste. These ads, hundreds of which appear in India’s daily newspapers, re? ect attempts to solicit individuals with the appropriate religion, caste, regional ancestry, professional and educational quali? cations, and, frequently, skin color. Even in the growing numbers of ads that announce â€Å"caste no bar,† the adjective â€Å"fair† regularly precedes professional quali? ations. In everyday conversation, the ultimate compliment on someone’s looks is to say someone is gora (fair). â€Å"I have no problem with people wanting to be lighter,† said a Delhi beauty parlor owner, Saroj Nath. â€Å"It doesn’t make you racist, any more than trying to make yourself look you nger makes you ageist. † Bollywood (India’s Hollywood) glori? es conventions on beauty by always casting a fair-skinned actress in the role of heroine, surrounded by the darkest extras. Women want to use whiteners because it is â€Å"aspirational, like losing weight. Even the gods supposedly lament their dark complexion— Krishna sings plaintively, â€Å"Radha kyoon gori, main kyoon kala? (Why is Radha so fair when I’m dark? ). † A skin de? cient in melanin (the pigment that determines the skin’s brown color) is an ancient predilection. More than 3,500 years ago, Charaka, the famous sage, wrote about herbs that could help make the skin fair. Indian dermatologists maintain that fairness products cannot truly work as they reach only the upper layers of the skin and so do not affect melanin production. Nevertheless, for some, Fair & Lovely is a â€Å"miracle worker. A user gushes that â€Å"The last time I went to my parents’ home, I go t compliments on my fair skin from everyone. † For others, there is only disappointment. One 26-year-old working woman has been a regular user for the past eight years but to no avail. â€Å"I should have turned into Snow White by now but my skin is still the same wheatish color. † As an owner of a public relations ? rm commented, â€Å"My maid has been using Fair and Lovely for years and I still can’t see her in the dark . . .. But she goes on using it. Hope springs eternal, I suppose. † The number of Indians who think lighter skin is more beautiful may be shrinking. Sumit Isralni, a 22-year-old hair designer in his father’s salon, thinks things have changed in the last two years, at least in India’s most cosmopolitan cities, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Women now â€Å"prefer their own complexion, their natural way† Isralni says; he prefers a more â€Å"Indian beauty† himself: â€Å"I won’t judge my wife on how fair her complexion is. † Sunita Gupta, a beautician in the same salon, is more critical. â€Å"It’s just foolishness! † she exclaimed. The premise of the ads that women could not become airline attendants if they are dark-skinned was wrong, she said. Nowadays people like black beauty. † It is a truism that women, especially in the tropics, desire to be a shade fairer, no matter what their skin color. Yet, unlike the approach used in India, advertisements elsewhere usually show how to use the product and how it works. Cultural Norms, Fair & Lovely, and Advertising CASE 2? 2 Fa ir & Lovely, a branded product of Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL), is touted as a cosmetic that lightens skin color. On its Web site (www. hll. com), the company calls its product â€Å"the miracle worker,† â€Å"proven to deliver one to three shades of change. While tanning is the rage in Western countries, skin lightening treatments are popular in Asia. According to industry sources, the top-selling skin lightening cream in India is Fair & Lovely from Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL), followed by CavinKare’s Fairever brand. HLL’s Fair & Lovely brand dominated the market with a 90 percent share until CavinKare Ltd. (CKL) launched Fairever. In just two years, the Fairever brand gained an impressive 15 percent market share. HLL’s share of market for the Fair & Lovely line generates about $60 million annually. The product sells for about 23 rupees ($0. 9) for a 25-gram tube of cream. The rapid growth of CavinKare’s Fairever (www. cavinkare .com) brand prompted HLL to increase its advertising effort and to launch a series of ads depicting a â€Å"fairer girl gets the boy theme. † One advertisement featured a ? nancially strapped father lamenting his fate, saying, â€Å"If only I had a son,† while his dark-skinned daughter looks on, helpless and demoralized because she can’t bear the ? – nancial responsibility of her family. Fast-forward and plain Jane has been transformed into a gorgeous light-skinned woman through the use of a â€Å"fairness cream,† Fair & Lovely. Now clad in a miniskirt, the woman is a successful ? ight attendant and can take her father to dine at a ? ve-star hotel. She’s happy and so is her father. In another ad, two attractive young women are sitting in a bedroom; one has a boyfriend and, consequently, is happy. The darkerskinned woman, lacking a boyfriend, is not happy. Her friend’s advice—Use a bar of soap to wash away the dark skin that’s keeping men from ? ocking to her. HLL’s series of ads provoked CavinKare Ltd. to counter with an ad that takes a dig at HLL’s Fair & Lovely ad. CavinKare’s ad has a father–daughter duo as the protagonists, with the father shown encouraging the daughter to be an achiever irrespective of her complexion. CavinKare maintained that the objective of its new commercial is not to take a dig at Fair & Lovely but to â€Å"reinforce Fairever’s positioning. † Skin color is a powerful theme in India, and much of Asia, where a lighter color represents a higher status. While Americans and Europeans ? ock to tanning salons, many across Asia seek ways to have â€Å"fair† complexions. Culturally, fair skin is associated with positive values that relate to class and beauty. One Indian lady commented that when she was growing up, her mother forbade her to go outdoors. She was not trying to keep her daughter out of trouble but was trying to keep her skin from getting dark. Brahmins, the priestly caste at the top of the social hierarchy, are considered fair because they traditionally stayed inside, poring over books. The undercaste at the bottom of the ladder are regarded as the darkest people because they customarily worked in the searing sun. Ancient Hindu scriptures and modern poetry eulogize women endowed with skin made of white marble. Skin color is closely identi? ed with caste and is laden with symbolism. Pursue any of the â€Å"grooms† and â€Å"brides wanted† ads cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 25 cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 25 8/27/10 2:05 PM 8/27/10 2:05 PM Part 6 Supplementary Material three-month Home Healthcare Nursing Assistant course catering to young women between the ages of 18 and 30 years. According to HLL, the Fair & Lovely Academy for Home Care Nursing Assistants offers a unique training opportunity for young women who possess no entry-level skills and therefore are not employable in the new economy job market. The Fair & Lovely Foundation plans to serve as a catalyst for the economic empowerment for women across India. The Fair & Lovely Foundation will showcase the achievements of these women not only to honor them but also to set an example for other women to follow. AIDWA’s campaign against ads that convey the message, â€Å"if she is not fair in color, she won’t get married or won’t get promoted,† also has resulted in some adjustment to fairness cream ads. In revised versions of the fairness cream ads, the â€Å"get fair to attract a groom† theme is being reworked with â€Å"enhance your selfcon? ence† so that a potential groom himself begs for attention. It is an attempt at typifying the modern Indian woman, who has more than just marriage on her mind. Advertising focus is now on the message that lighter skin enables women to obtain jobs conventionally held by men. She is career-oriented, has high aspirations, and, at the same time, wants to lo ok good. AIDWA concedes that the current crop of television ads for fairness creams are â€Å"not as demeaning† as ones in the past. However, it remains against the product; as the president of AIDWA stated, â€Å"It is downright racist to denigrate dark skin. † Although AIWDA’s campaign against fairness creams seems to have had a modest impact on changing the advertising message, it has not slowed the demand for fairness creams. Sales of Fair & Lovely, for example, have been growing 15 to 20 percent year over year, and the $318 million market for skin care has grown by 42. 7 percent in the last three years. Says Euromonitor International, a research ? rm: â€Å"Half of the skin care market in India is fairness creams and 60 to 65 percent of Indian women use these products daily. † Recently, several Indian companies were extending their marketing of fairness creams beyond urban and rural markets. CavinKare’s launch of Fairever, a fairness cream in a small sachet pack priced at Rs 5, aimed at rural markets where some 320 million Indians reside. Most marketers have found rural markets impossible to penetrate pro? tably due to low income levels and inadequate distribution systems, among other problems. However, HLL is approaching the market through Project Shakti, a rural initiative that targets small villages with populations of 2,000 people or less. It empowers underprivileged rural women by providing income-generating opportunities to sell small, lower priced packets of its brands in villages. Special packaging for the rural market was designed to provide single-use sachet packets at 50 paise for a sachet of shampoo to Rs 5 for a fairness cream (for a week’s usage). The aim is to have 100,000 â€Å"Shakti Ammas,† as they are called, spread across 500,000 villages in India by year end. CavinKare is growing at 25 percent in rural areas compared with 15 percent in urban centers. In addition to expanding market effort into rural markets, an unexpected market arose when a research study revealed Indian men were applying girlie fairness potions in droves—but on the sly. It was estimated that 40 percent of boyfriends/husbands of girlfriends/wives were applying white magic solutions that came in little tubes. Indian companies spotted a business opportunity, and Fair & Handsome, Menz Active, Fair One Man, and a male bleach called Saka were introduced to the male market. The sector expanded dramatically when Shah Rukh Khan, a highly acclaimed Commenting on the cultural bias toward fair skin, one critic states, â€Å"There are attractive people who go through life feeling inferior to their fairer sisters. And all because of charming grandmothers and aunts who do not hesitate to make un? attering comparisons. Kalee Kalooti is an oft-heard comment about women who happen to have darker skin. They get humiliated and morti? ed over the color of their skin, a fact over which they have no control. Are societal values responsible? Or advertising campaigns? Advertising moguls claim they only re? ect prevailing attitudes in India. This is possibly true but what about ethics in advertising? Is it correct to make advertisements that openly denigrate a majority of Indian people—the dark-skinned populace? The advertising is blatant in their strategy. Mock anyone who is not the right color and shoot down their self-image. † A dermatologist comments, â€Å"Fairness obtained with the help of creams is short-lived. The main reason being, most of these creams contain a certain amount of bleaching agent, which whitens facial hair, and not the skin, which leads people to believe that the cream worked. † Furthermore, â€Å"In India the popularity of a product depends totally on the success of its advertising. HLL launched its television ad campaign to promote Fair & Lovely but withdrew it after four months amid severe criticism for its portrayal of women. Activists argued that one of the messages the company sends through its â€Å"air hostess† ads demonstrating the preference for a son who would be able to take on the ? nancial responsibility for his parents is especially harmful in a country such as India where gender discrimination is rampant. Another offense is perpet uating a culture of discrimination in a society where â€Å"fair† is synonymous with â€Å"beautiful. AIDWA (All India Women’s Democratic Association) lodged a complaint at the time with HLL about their offensive ads, but Hindustan Lever failed to respond. The women’s association then appealed to the National Human Rights Commission alleging that the ad demeaned women. AIDWA objected to three things: (1) the ads were racist, (2) they were promoting son preference, and (3) they were insulting to working women. â€Å"The way they portrayed the young woman who, after using Fair & Lovely, became attractive and therefore lands a job suggested that the main quali? ation for a woman to get a job is the way she looks. † The Human Rights Commission passed AIDWA’s complaints on to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which said the campaign violated the Cable and Television Network Act of 1995—provisions in the act state that no advertisemen t shall be permitted which â€Å"derides any race, caste, color, creed and nationality† and that â€Å"Women must not be portrayed in a manner that emphasized passive, submissive qualities and encourages them to play a subordinate secondary role in the family and society. † The government issued notices of the complaints to HLL. After a year-long campaign led by the AIDWA, Hindustan Lever Limited discontinued two of its television advertisements for Fair & Lovely fairness cold cream. Shortly after pulling its ads off the air, HLL launched its Fair & Lovely Foundation, vowing to â€Å"encourage economic empowerment of women across India† by providing resources in education and business to millions of women â€Å"who, though immensely talented and capable, need a guiding hand to help them take the leap forward,† presumably into a fairer future. HLL sponsored career fairs in over 20 cities across the country offering counseling in as many as 110 careers. It supported 100 rural scholarships for women students passing their 10th grade, a professional course for aspiring beauticians, and a cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 26 cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 26 8/27/10 2:05 PM 8/27/10 2:05 PM Cases 2 The Cultural Environment of Global Marketing 2. Is it ethical to exploit cultural norms and values to promote a product? Discuss. 3. Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women, or is it promoting the fairness cream in a way not too dissimilar from how most cosmetics are promoted? 4. Will HLL’s Fair & Lovely Foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA? Discuss. 5. In light of AIDWA’s charges, how would you suggest Fair & Lovely promote its product? Discuss. Would your response be different if Fairever continued to use â€Å"fairness† as a theme of its promotion? Discuss. 6. Propose a promotion/marketing program that will counter all the arguments and charges against Fair & Lovely and be an effective program. 7. Now that a male market for fairness cream exists, is the strength of AIDWA’s argument weakened? 8. Comment on using â€Å"Shakti Ammas† to introduce â€Å"fairness cream for the masses† in light of AIDWA’s charges. Sources: Nicole Leistikow, â€Å"Indian Women Criticize ‘Fair and Lovely’ Ideal,† Women’s eNews , April 28, 2003; Arundhati Parmar, â€Å"Objections to Indian Ad Not Taken Lightly,† Marketing News , June 9, 2003, p. 4; â€Å"Fair & Lovely Launches Foundation to Promote Economic Empowerment of Women,† press release, Fair & Lovely Foundation, http:// www. hll. com (search for foundation), March 11, 2003; Rina Chandran, â€Å"All for SelfControl,† Business Line (The Hindu), April 24, 2003; Khozem Merchant and Edward Luce, â€Å"Not So Fair and Lovely,† Financial Times , March 19, 2003; â€Å"Fair & Lovely Rede? es Fairness with Multivitamin Total Fairness Cream,† press release, Hindustan Lever Ltd. , May 3, 2005; Dr. Deepa Kanchankoti, â€Å"Do You Think Fairness Creams Work? † http://www. mid-day. com/metro, July 13, 2005; †CavinKare Launches Small Sachet Packs,† Business India , December 7, 2006; â€Å"A nalysis of Skin Care Advertising on TV During January–August 2006,† Indiantelevision. com Media, Advertising, Marketing Watch, October 17, 2006; â€Å"Women Power Gets Full Play in CavinKare’s Brand Strategy. The Economic Times (New Delhi, India), December 8, 2006; Heather Timmons, â€Å"Telling India’s Modern Women They Have Power, Even Over Their Skin Tone,† The New York Times , May 30, 2007; â€Å"The Year We Almost Lost Tall (or Short or Medium-Height), Dark and Handsome,† The Hindustan Times , December 29, 2007; â€Å"India’s Hue and Cry Over Paler Skin,† The Sunday Telegraph (London), July 1, 2007; â€Å"Fair and Lovely? † University Wire , June 4, 2007; â€Å"The Race to Keep up with Modern India,† Media, June 29, 2007; Aneel Karnani, â€Å"Doing Well by Doing Good—Case Study: ‘Fair & Lovely’ Whitening Cream,† Strategic Management Journal 28, no. 3 (2007), pp. 1351–57. Boll ywood actor likened to an Indian Tom Cruise, decided to endorse Fair & Handsome. Euromonitor International forecasts that in the next ? ve years, spending on men’s grooming products will rise 24 percent to 14. 5 billion rupees, or US$320 million. A recent product review in www. mouthshut. com, praises Fair & Lovely fairness cream: â€Å"[Fair & Lovely] contains fairness vitamins which penetrate deep down our skin to give us radiant fairness. â€Å"I don’t know if it can change the skin color from dark to fair, but my personal experience is that it works very well, if you have a naturally fair color and want to preserve it without much headache. † â€Å"I think Riya Sen has the best skin right now in Bollywood. It appears to be really soft and tender. So, to have a soft and fair skin like her I recommend Fair & Lovely Fairness Lotion or Cream. † Yet â€Å"skin color isn’t a proof of greatness. Those with wheatish or dark skin are by no way inferio r to those who have fair skin. † Here are a few facts from Hindustan Lever Ltd. s homepage: Lever Limited is India’s largest Packaged Mass Consumption Goods Company. We are leaders in Home and Personal Care Products and Food and Beverages including such products as Ponds and Pepsodent. We seek to meet everyday needs of people everywhere—to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services which raise the quality of life. It is this purpose which inspires us to build brands. Over the past 70 years, we have introduced about 110 brands. Fair & Lovely has been specially designed and proven to eliver one to three shades of change in most people. Also its sunscreen system is specially optimized for Indian skin. Indian skin, unlike Caucasian skin, tends to â€Å"tan† rather than â€Å"burn† and, hence, requires a different combination of UVA and UVB sunscreens. You may w ant to visit HLL’s homepage (www. hhl. com) for additional information about the company. QUESTIONS 1. Is it ethical to sell a product that is, at best, only mildly effective? Discuss. cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 27 cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 27 8/27/10 2:05 PM 8/27/10 2:05 PM

Natural monopoly Essay

The concept of â€Å"Natural Monopoly† comes from economics. It is a situation in which majority of the portion of market is covered by a single firm or company. The goods, services or products offered by the company covers the maximum portion of the market. A Natural Monopoly is a situation in which the cost of producing the product (goods or services) is lower due to economies of scale. In a situation of Natural Monopoly, there are no close substitutes to offer the same product or services. Economies of scale is a situation or condition in which the cost to a company of producing or supplying each additional unit of a product or service decreases as the volume of output increases. Economies of scale is not the only reason for the existence of monopoly. A Natural Monopoly also exists because of sole access to a particular resource or technology and because of the use of non-market means to eliminate competition, including buying up competitors and colluding with customers or suppliers to discriminate against competitors. A Natural Monopoly also exists even if there are multiple competitors in the market. In such case, the firm which can attain the largest volume of output and the lowest production cost will be called as a Natural Monopoly. All the other firms will have to exit the industry because they are unable to compete on a price basis. Basically, it is very difficult for any competitor to enter the market of natural monopoly because of very high cost of production facilities which includes the cost of infrastructure. There is also a high uncertainty among the intended competitors that they will be able to oust the existing monopolist. Some of the most commonly used examples for natural monopoly are utilities such as water supply system, electric power transmission system, railroads and pipelines. Though it is very difficult for any intended competitor to enter the market of natural monopoly, but it is very important for us to remember that natural monopoly is not permanent. This is because technological advances can lead to the development of new forms of competition for an industry, change its cost structure and affect the demands for its products. For example, canals were once a natural monopoly for bulk transport in parts of Europe and the U. S. , but these monopolies disintegrated during the nineteenth century as a result of the development of railway.

Outsourcing Seats to Turkey

Outsourcing Seats to Turkey Introduction The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of outsourcing on VDL Group’s supply chain strategy and processes. In addition, a plan to outsource CAD conversion services to Outsource2india will be presented.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Outsourcing Seats to Turkey specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Outsourcing refers to the process of â€Å"contracting with a third-party service provider for the management and completion of a certain amount of work, for a specified length of time, cost, and level of services† (Oshri, Kotlarsky Willcocks 2009, p. 4). The main objective of outsourcing is to enable companies to improve their competitiveness through cost reduction, economies of scale, and flexibility in production (Varadarajan 2008, pp. 1165-1172). VDL is a manufacturing company that was founded in the Netherlands in 1953. The company is organized into four divisions namely, subc ontracting, car assembly, bus/ coach, and finished products (VDL 2014). The subcontracting division specializes in mechatronic systems, manufacturing plastics, and surface treatment. The car assembly division produces cars on behalf of other companies. The bus and coach division produces coaches and buses. The finished product division produces several products, which include car suspension systems, heating systems, and production automation systems (VDL 2014). Overall, the group consists of 81 operating companies that specialize in the production of specific products. The group has operations in 18 countries where it employs over 9,100 employees. In 2012, the company realized 1,756 million Euros in revenues (VDL 2014). Impact of Outsourcing VDL has outsourced production of the seats for its cars and buses to a Turkish company referred to as Brusa Seating. Brusa Seating specializes in the design, development, and production of seats, which it sells to original manufacturers of comme rcial vehicles (Brusa 2014). Outsourcing has had the following impacts on VDL. First, outsourcing has enabled the company to adjust the scale and scope of its production capability at a low cost. Given the high competition in the automobile industry, manufacturing companies have had to adopt lean production technologies in order to reduce operating costs. One of the strategies being used by VDL is to produce cars and buses on demand. This means that the company has to adjust its production capacity frequently in order to satisfy existing demand without holding unnecessary inventory or stock of completed buses/ cars. When the demand for buses is high, the company simply increases its order for new seats. This leads to cost savings since the company does not have to invest in new production systems or inventory to produce more seats (Williamson 2008, pp. 5-14). Conversely, when demand for buses is declining, the company orders for fewer seats. As a result, it avoids operating at exces s capacity, thereby eliminating the costs associated with warehousing and laying off staff during low demand seasons.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Second, outsourcing enables VDL to concentrate on its core activities, which include assembling cars and manufacturing buses. Undoubtedly, companies cannot pursue excellence in all activities in their value chain due to resource limitations (Liu Nagurney 2011, pp. 539-549). Thus, companies focus on their core competence in order to achieve a competitive advantage. In this context, core refers to the activities that are performed internally, contribute directly to the bottom line, and determine the future of the company. VDL’s core competence is in assembling cars and buses on behalf of third parties. Thus, it outsources the manufacture of car parts such as seats to third party producers where the manufact ure of car parts is a core competence. Outsourcing enables companies to focus on activities that add value to their customers (Tayauova 2012, pp. 188-195). At VDL, the value adding activities include product development, research, and provision of technical support to customers. By focusing on these activities, the company has been able to improve the quality of its products, thereby increasing sales, customer satisfaction, and market share. Finally, outsourcing enables VDL to achieve cost advantages through economies of scale. Economies of scale refer to a cost advantage that a company achieves through increased production of a given product (Belcourt 2006, pp. 269-279). Specifically, the fixed cost per unit reduces as the number of units produced rises. Outsourcing enables VDL to achieve economies of scale in several ways. To begin with, it enables the company to increase its production capacity without incurring the fixed costs associated with hiring new employees and holding lar ge inventories. Outsourcing also enables the company to improve its efficiency by purchasing seats at a favorable price. In particular, Brusa Seating has to supply the seats to VDL at a competitive price in order to maintain the outsourcing contract. Economies of scale enable VDL to reduce the average cost of producing its buses and cars, thereby improving its profit margins. Moreover, low production costs enable VDL to price its products competitively, thereby overcoming competition in the market. Risks and Benefits Benefits First, VDL benefits from access to the capabilities and the expertise of Brusa Seating. The automotive industry is capital intensive and thrives on the application of advanced technologies to achieve product and process innovation. This requires investments in modern production systems and the best talent (Gabriela Clark 2006, pp. 250-253).Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Outsourcing Seats to Turkey specifically for you for onl y $16.05 $11/page Learn More The automotive industry in the Netherland is underdeveloped due to its high concentration. As a result, access to talent and advanced production technologies is limited. By contrast, Turkey’s automotive industry consists of numerous large producers who have decades of experience. Thus, outsourcing enables VDL to access advanced technologies and expertise through Brusa Seating (Weidenbaum 2005, pp. 311-315). Second, the company benefits from low labor costs by outsourcing to Brusa Seating. Turkey is â€Å"an emergent market in the new millennium expected to attract the interest of global companies in their attempt to obtain competitive advantages† (Aktas et al. 2011, pp. 833-852). One of the main advantages of Turkey is low labor cost. In 2013, the average hourly labor cost in the Netherlands was $34.75, whereas in Turkey the cost was $5 (World Bank 2014). Low labor costs enable Brusa Seating to produce seats for VDL at a low cost. As a result, VDL’s overall cost of producing buses and cars will reduce in the long-run (Quelin Duhamel 2003, pp. 647-661). Third, VDL has achieved a competitive advantage in the market through outsourcing. The company has achieved a differentiation advantage by contracting Brusa Seating to manufacture its seats. As a specialized seat producer, Brusa Seating focuses on conducting research and development to produce seats that meet the specific needs of its customers. Through product innovation, Brusa Seating has been able to supply VDL with seats that offer more comfort and flexibility than those provided by other companies. Differentiation will enable VDL’s buses to penetrate the market easily. Risks First, outsourcing to a Turkish company exposes VDL to the risk of language barriers. The official language in Turkey is Turkish. Over 90% of Turkey’s population speaks Turkish. By contrast, Dutch is the official language in the Netherlands and it is used b y over 90% of the population. Only 0.06% of the Netherland’s population can speak Turkish and Arabic. This means that communication is likely to be a problem since the employees of VDL and Brusa Seating are not likely to speak the same language. Undoubtedly, language barriers cause serious challenges such as misunderstandings among business partners. This can lead to costly mistakes such as poor product development and ineffective coordination of supply chain activities (Foogooa 2008, pp. 858-864).Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Second, VDL and Brusa Seating have different levels of skills, expertise, and technical infrastructure. These differences limit the ability of the two companies to collaborate through joint research and development activities. As a strategic partner, VDL has to involve Brusa Seating in its product development initiatives to meet its product quality objectives. However, collaboration during product development will be very difficult if the employees from the two companies have different levels of expertise and skills (Trott 2006, pp. 672-681). For instance, VDL’s employees may not understand the procedures that their counterparts at Brusa Seating use to manufacture seats. Lack of special skills in key areas such as management of people, contracts, and processes will limit VDL’s ability to maintain control over the quality of the seats produced by Brusa Seating (Rottman Lacity 2006, pp. 56-63). Finally, cultural differences between the two companies and their countries of origin can limit their ability work as partners. Culture is an important aspect of every business since it determines the way people think, make decisions, communicate, coordinate, and resolve conflicts. The Netherlands and Turkey have very different cultures. Turkey has a high-context culture in which individuals value reputation, politeness, and tradition rather than clarity. The Netherlands, on the other hand, has a low-context culture where people value individualism and achievement. Given these differences, employees from the two companies are likely to have different expectations about the outsourcing partnership (Barthelemy Geyer 2001, pp. 195-202). The resulting communication gaps or misunderstandings can lead to conflicts that will eventually lead to failure. Outsourcing CAD Conversion Services to Outsource2india Developing and executing an effective outsourcing plan involves following five key steps, which are summarized in figure 1. Based on this framework, VDL should consider the following plan to outsource CAD conversion services to Outsource2india Ltd. Figure 1: Framework for Outsourcing Needs Assessment CAD conversion is the process of transforming hardcopy designs into a computer aided design format to facilitate improved storage, accuracy, and easy modification. As a manufacturer, VDL requires effective CAD conversion services to improve the quality of its services. CAD conversion is a vital process that requires advanced expertise, resources, and a dedicated team of professionals. Thus, VDL will require a significant amount of financial capital and expertise to run its own CAD conversion department. This is likely to shift the focus of the company away from its core activity of assembling cars and buses (Mclvor 2008, pp. 24-34). Since CAD conversion is not a core activity, VDL can outsource tasks such as CAD digitization, conversion to MicroStation, conversion of JPG to DWG, and conversion to AutoCAD to Outsource2india (Mclvor 2008, pp. 24-34). By outsourcing these tasks to an experienced third-party, VDL will benefit from time efficiency, quality work, and better utilization of its resources (Kobelsky Robinson 2010, 105-119). In addition, the company will save the costs associated with hiring and training CAD conversion staff and the cost of operating a CAD department. Proposal and Contracting Outsource2india has core competence in providing CAD conversion services to global firms. The company has a flexible capacity to handle any scope of CAD conversion work (Outsource2india 2014). Its capability is characterized by access to high-end technologies and infrastructure, as well as, the use of the latest software. Additionally, the company has in-built redundancy, which will facilitate quick capacity adjustments in response to an increase in demand (Outsource2india 2014). Outsource2india will provide high quality CAD conversion services due to its ability to access a highly skilled workforce. As a specialist in CAD conversion services, Outsource2india has invested in employees with technical skills and expertise in various aspects of computer aided design. As a result, it will provide custom CAD conversion solutions to suit each project’s requirements. Outsource2india provides time zone benefits since the company operates 24 hours, seven days a week. Thus, VDL will benefit from quick turnaround time (Samsudin, Hasim Fuzi 2013, pp. 1-8). Moreover, VDL will save up to 50% of its operating costs due to the low labor costs in India (Outsource2india 2014). Thus, the proposal to contract Outsource2india will enable VDL to enjoy both differentiation and cost advantages (Jensen 2011, pp. 311-326). Communication and Change Management At this stage, Outsource2india will collaborate with VDL to articulate the issues associated with outsourcing CAD conversion services. The communication vehicles that will be used include VDL Group’s newsletters and meetings. The communication activities wil l be used to identify the affected stakeholders and the basis of relationship between Outsource2india and VDL (Tate Ellram 2009, pp. 256-268). In addition, the benefits of outsourcing will be explained to the affected stakeholders to motivate them to support the anticipated changes in organizational design that will occur due to outsourcing CAD conversion services (Oshri, Kotlarsky Willcocks 2009, pp. 94-112). Transition Management This stage will involve establishing the transition governance system to align the objectives and strategies of VDL to Outsource2india’s delivery system (Mani, Barua Whinston 2006, pp. 15-28). The change control process will be implemented to address emerging risks (Oshri, Kotlarsky Willcocks 2009, pp. 94-112). In addition, the timeline for completing the work and the expected deliverables will be clarified at the transition stage. Training programs will be implemented to facilitate knowledge transfer from Outsource2india to VDL. Moreover, rela tionship management initiatives will focus on promoting effective coordination of supply chain activities between Outsource2india and VDL (Oshri, Kotlarsky Willcocks 2009, pp. 94-112). Service Stabilization The transition team will be in charge of the service stabilization stage to ensure that the expected deliverables are achieved. Outsource2india will focus on delivering the CAD conversion services as required by VDL. The relationship governance structure will be used to resolve any issues that might arise during the provision of the outsourced services (Dolgui Proth 2013, pp. 6769-6777). Recommendations According to the agency theory, outsourcing contracts are likely to face significant challenges if the vendor and the client have different goals. Outsourcing is likely to fail if the client is not able to measure the vendor’s output (Ryan Delgado-Sanchez 2009, pp. 52-71). Moreover, opportunistic vendors will always take advantage of the loopholes in the outsourcing cont ract to fulfill their goals at the expense of their clients. In order to avoid these challenges, VDL should use an outcome-based contract where the vendors are paid according to their achievements. This will shift the risks associated with the contract to the vendor, thereby encouraging high productivity (Logan 2000, pp. 27-30). VDL should control vendors’ opportunistic behaviors by increasing its involvement in the production of the outsourced services. Additionally, it should hire a qualified independent consultant to audit the vendors to enhance achievement of the desired quality standards. Second, VDL should visit Brusa Seating’s premises in Turkey to inspect the adequacy of its production capacity and to identify the challenges that the company is likely to face in producing seats. This will enable VDL to identify the risks that are likely to reduce the effectiveness of its outsourcing contract with Brusa Seating in order to take timely actions (Kroes Ghosh 2009, pp. 124-143). Finally, VDL should invest in IT and communication techniques to improve its supply chain system. This involves integrating its supply chain system with those of its outsourcing partners to facilitate effective exchange of information and coordination of activities. Integration can be achieved through technologies such as cloud computing and business-to-business e-commerce platforms. Furthermore, VDL should train its employees on various languages to overcome communication challenges. This will facilitate effective communication between the company and its outsourcing partners who are based in various countries. References Aktas, E, Agaran, B, Ulengin, F Onsel, S 2011, The Use of Outsourcing Logistics: The Case of Turkey, Transportation Research Part C, vol. 19 no. 1, pp. 833-852. Barthelemy, J Geyer, D 2001, IT Outsourcing: Evidence from France and Germany, European Management, vol. 19 no. 2, pp. 195-202. Belcourt, M 2006, Outsourcing: The Benefits and the Risks, H uman Resources Management Review, vol. 16 no. 1, pp. 269-279. Brusa 2014, About Brusa, brusaseating.eu/. Dolgui, A Proth, J 2013, Outsourcing: Definitions and Analysis, International Journal of Product Research, vol. 51 no. 23, pp. 6769-6777. Foogooa, R 2008, IS Outsourcing: A Strategic Perspective, Business Process Management Journal, vol. 14 no. 6, pp. 858-864. Gabriela, K Clark, D 2006, Outsourcing to China: Risks and Benefits, Computer Law and Security Report, vol. 22 no. 2, pp. 250-253. Jensen, P 2012, A Passage to India: A Dual Case Study of Activities, Processes and Resources in Offshore Outsourcing of Advanced Services, Journal of World Business, vol. 47 no. 1, pp. 311-326. Kobelsky, K Robinson, M 2009, The Impact of Outsourcing on Information Technology Spending, International Journal of Accounting Information systems, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 105-119. Kroes, J Ghosh, S 2009, Outsourcing Congruence with Competitive Priorities: Impact on Supply Chain and Firm Performance, Jou rnal of Operations Management, 28 no. 1, pp. 124-143. Liu, Z Nagurney, A 2011, Supply Chain Outsourcing Under Exchange Rate Risk and Competition, Omega, vol. 39 no. 1, pp. 539-549. Logan, M 2000, Using Agency Theory to Design Successful Outsourcing relationships, International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 11 no. 2, pp. 21-31. Mani, D, Barua, A Whinston, A 2006, Successful Governing Business Process Outsourcing Relationships, MIS Quarterly Executive, vol. 5 no. 1, pp. 15-29. Mclvor, R 2008, What is the Right Outsourcing Strategy for Your Process? European Management Journal, vol. 26 no. 2, pp. 24-34. Oshri, I, Kotlarsky, J Willcocks, L 2009, The Handbook of Global Outsourcing and Offshoring, Palgrave Macmillan, Landon. Outsource2india 2014, Why Outsource2india, https://www.outsource2india.com/. Quelin, B Duamel, F 2003, Bringing Together Strategic Outsourcing and Corporate Strategy: Outsourcing Motives and Risks, European Management Journal, vol. 21 no. 5, pp. 647-661. R ottman, J Lacity, M 2006, Proven Practices for Effective Offshoring IT Work, MIT Sloan Management Review, vol. 47 no. 3, pp. 56-63. Ryan, B Delgado-Sanchez, A 2009, Outsourcing relationships: A Case of Accounting Surveillance, Journal of Accounting and Organizational Change, vol. 6 no. 1, pp. 52-71. Samsudin, N, Hasim, R Fuzi, S 2013, Electronic Government Outsourcing Issues in Malaysia, Journal of Outsourcing and Organizational Information on Management, vol. 20 no. 3, pp. 1-8. Trott, A 2006, Innovation Risks of Strategic Outsourcing, Technovation, vol. 26 no. 1, pp. 672-681. Tate, W Ellram, L 2009, Offshore Outsourcing: A Managerial Framework, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, vol. 23 no. 4, pp. 256-268. Tayauova, G 2012, Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing: Analysis of Outsourcing Practices of Kazakhstan Banks, Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 41 no. 1, pp. 188-195. Varadarajan, R 2008, Outsourcing: Think More Expansively, Journal of Business Research, vol. 62 no. 2, pp. 1165-1172. VDL 2014, Profile, https://www.vdlgroep.com/nl. Weidenbaum, M 2005, Outsourcing: Pros and Cons, Business Horizon, vol. 48 no. 1, pp. 311-315. Williamson, O 2008, Outsourcing: Transaction Cost Economics and Supply Chain Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, vol. 44 no. 2, pp. 5-14. World Bank 2014, Data Bank, worldbank.org/.

buy custom Characteristics of Nation-States essay

buy custom Characteristics of Nation-States essay Since time immemorial, people have realized that unity is strength and as such have learnt to embrace the importance of living together as a family. Living together is possible only if people are united by some common factors. A nation refers to a people of the same race that have come to live together and possibly have a common language for communication. In other words, a nation only defines a socio-cultural entity and does not take the concept of formal politics in consideration. On the other hand, a state is a well-defined political entity that is characterized by a stable government, permanent population and ability to relate with other states (Suer, 2009). A modern nation-state refers to a permanent population of people that are bound together by a stable government and common socio-cultural factors. A modern nation-state is characterized by several core features. Firstly, it has a well-defined geographical boundary that assists it excise its jurisdiction over its citizens (George Emily, 2007). Secondly, its territory is governed by sovereignty and independent of any external influence from other nation-states. Thirdly, a modern nation-state government comprises public offices, with each having a role to play in the governing of the nation-state. Through these public offices, a nation-state is able to take control and administration of its territory and subjects (George Emily, 2007). A modern nation-state has well marked and protected boundaries, often fenced with specific entry and exit points. The fences are under 24-hour security watch by border gourds, and sometimes armies. Leadership of this kind of state enjoys monopoly through the lawful application of coercion over its subject. Lastly, citizens of a nation-state are entitled to minimum sense of national identity and its government does require loyalty of its citizens to rule (George Emily, 2007). Examples of a Nation, a State and a Nation-State Barbados is an independent Caribbean island and a typical example of a nation with a stable economy. For entry to and exit from this nation, one must have a valid passport or visa implying that it has a well-guarded territory. Its population is comprised of people of the same race who use English as their common language of communication. Barbados leadership is externally influenced by some nation-states, such as the U.S. (Barriton, 2006). For a state, the Dominican Republic stands out as the best example. It has a representative type of government with a multiparty system. The governments functions are carried out through the principle government officials, such as President Leonel Reyna, ministers and other officials (Suer, 2009). The Dominican Republic has a stable economy with an estimated nominal GDP of $51.6 billion and an annual growth of 7.8%. It has a permanent population half of which lives in rural areas. It also enjoys good relations with other nations, such as the U.S. However, the Dominican Republic is not completely independent, since its leadership is at times subjected to foreign influence (Suer, 2009). France was one of the earliest countries to transform from feudalism to a nation-state. It is a typical example that illustrates what a nation-state really is. It has a permanent population of about 63.1 million people with French as their national language. Its central government, currently headed by President Nicolas Sarkozy assisted by te Prime Minister, is very stable. There is proper interrelation between France and other nation-states, such as the United States of America. Moreover, Frances territory is well-guarded by the French military as per the UN Security Council Counterterrorism Committee (George Emily, 2007). The United States as a Nation-State The United States is made up of 50 states with each ruling itself through an organized state of government. Each state has its own population and a territory. These states are not completely independent since they are influenced by national laws. The United States has been able to maintain its nation-state status through good address and understanding of fixed territory, sovereignty and common culture (Goudie, 2006). The United States has been working hard towards fostering fixed territory in its nation-states. This move is geared at assisting the U.S. government to exercise its political power on the areas over which the United States has dominion. As defined in the Federal Constitution, the United States territories include the states of the Union. Particular inhabitants of a given U.S. territory do not enjoy political and social parity with inhabitants of other areas which constitute the constitution (Goudie, 2006). The U.S. government through sovereignty authorizes the indigenous tribes to rule themselves within the United States territory. These tribal nations within the U.S. are recognized by the Federal Government as Domestic Dependant Nations. The federal government has formulated laws that assist it to define how the Federal, State and Tribal governments should be related. Full sovereignty was granted to these tribal nations by the constitution which was later enhanced by Federal Laws (Russell,2009). It is obvious that a powerful institutional order like the one experienced in the U.S. must have a powerful culture. The U.S. has well-defined cultures, such as marriage culture that condemns divorce for couples in their sixties onwards. There is an English language as a common mode of communication. All these common cultures are made known to the native inhabitants through media, schools and other effective modes (Russell,2009). The U.S. is a very influential country in the world. It has many foreign policy objectives that help it relate with foreign nations, as well as interactions standards for its organizations and citizens. Goudie (2006) asserts that Isolationism and Neutrality are some of the foreign policies that ensure that the U.S. stays out of international war and also refrains from selling firearms to any county participating in such wars. The policy also prevents the U.S. from allowing any of the belligerent warships to seek refuge from either force (Goudie, 2006). European Union as a Transnational Entity The European Union was first established as a European Community. It owes its creation to the efforts of the major governments of postwar continental Europe who wanted to raise the continent from the fractures caused by the Second World War. Its major objective was to unify European coal and steel industries to manufacture a lot of munitions to boost the then stumbling European economy. This action gave rise to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951 with the help of Treaty formed by France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, WWest Germany, and Luxembourg. In 1957, these six countries transformed the ECSC into the EEC and then to the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) (El-Agraa Ardy, 2011). In 1957, the need to consolidate the operations of the ECSC, EEC and EAEC, commonly known as European Communities, arose (El-Agraa Ardy, 2011). In 1965, a single commission and a single council that united the European community were formed through the Treaty of Mergers signed in Brussels. The European Union was then formed from the European communities in 1992 with the main objective of expanding and redefining the influence of the communities to merge some of their operations (El-Agraa Ardy, 2011). Currently, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and United Kingdom are some of its members (El-Agraa Ardy, 2011). The EU institutions include the European Parliament, Council of Ministers, European Commission, Court of Justice, Court of Auditors, European Investment Bank, European and Social Committee and European Monetary Institute (Weihrich, 2007). The contemporary function of the European Union is to unite the member states in order to maximize the collective abilities of these members. This is done through authorizing members freedom of movement, free trade and freedom of job choice within the territory of the EU. Another function that the Union undertakes is the counteraction of the United States as the global super power (Bindi, 2010). The main objectives of the European Union include ensuring that peace and understanding are preserved and strengthened among the member countries. This is achievable through the establishment of good relations with the neighbor countries based on equality and reciprocity principles. Its second objective is to conduct extensive promotion of its economy. This will be achieved through increasing the exports of the EU products and attraction of more foreign investments (Bindi, 2010). Engagement of Nation-State and Transnational Entities in Foreign Policy Before getting involved in foreign policy, it is up to the leadership of these nation-states and transnational entities to ensure that the policy is beneficial to them. The benefits could be evaluated in terms of political and economic effects, as well as security issues. Cebeci (2011) asserts that nation-states and entities engage in foreign policies in two ways; firstly, they economically penetrate different countries through the establishment of multinational corporations; secondly, through influencing the political and military systems of the targeted countries. These are the measures that have helped the United-States to remain the sole superpower with a strong economy for many years (Cebeci, 2011). Not only does the engagement benefit nation-states and transnational entities, but also assists targeted countries politically and economically. In the past, the European Union assisted these countries in reviving their economies in tough situations by writing off their long and outstanding debts. These bodies also assist in promoting democracy in the countries through eradication of dictatorship rule. However, there are a number of side effects suffered by targeted countries. For instance, they become dependent on the EU and, therefore, may be susceptible to external influence (Jorgenson, 2009). Buy custom Characteristics of Nation-States essay

Hitting the Nail on the Head

Hitting the Nail on the Head Hitting the Nail on the Head Hitting the Nail on the Head By Maeve Maddox Somewhere, in an email or on Facebook or on a news blog, I saw this: But she hammered the head on the nail with this quote. How odd, I thought. Shouldn’t it be, â€Å"she hammered the nail on the head†? A Google search brings up 683,000 results for â€Å"hit the head on the nail† compared to 1,580,000 for â€Å"hit the nail on the head.† The phrase â€Å"the head on the nail† registers on the Ngram Viewer, but barely, compared to â€Å"the nail on the head.† The earliest citation of the expression in the OED is dated 1438. It’s not so easy to hit a nail squarely on the head. For that reason, â€Å"to hit the nail on the head† is a term of approbation. Figuratively, people who hit the nail on the head succeed in accomplishing what they are aiming for. Most of the examples I’ve found of the reversed idiom have been in readers’ comments, but I have found a few in presumably professional writing. For example, this one, with inexplicable hyphenation, is from a technical review: You have to remember though that Apple may or may not be upgrading the iPad again before the end of the year (this comes from John Gruber a known Apple pundit that tends to hit-the-head-on-the-nail when it comes to Apple rumors). A site dedicated to test preparation has this topic header: SAT Improvement or Hit the head on the nail This one is from a sports blog: These commercials are coolbut rarely do they hit the head on the nail of a player like Nike has done with these Calvin Johnson, P. Diddy advertisements. I found one example in which the reversal seems intended to be humorous: I could try for a long time to hit the head on the nail (as one of my writing students once said)- Writing advice site A review of the film Fifty Shades of Grey includes the following bit of dialogue: Christian – Have you been drinking?   Ana – Yup, you hit the head on the nail. It could be that this reversal is the result of Ana’s alcohol-impaired thinking. Changing â€Å"hit the nail on the head† to â€Å"hit the head on the nail† is jarring, to say the least. Writers who wish to be taken seriously will avoid doing it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business Letter36 Poetry TermsPresent Participle as Adjective

Richard Nixon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Richard Nixon - Essay Example CRP began a massive fund-raising campaign aimed at collecting as much money as possible before the reporting contributions became mandatory under a new law, and the money could be used for any purpose. Besides this official objective, under Nixon's orders, members of the CRP began conducting electronic surveillance of government officials and members of the press, in an attempt to control the flow of information regarding Nixon's activities. In the period between 1969 and 1971, wiretaps were installed on telephones around Washington DC in the name of "national security," and the Oval Office was equipped with voice-activated tape recorders, a decision that would later come back to haunt Nixon. In 1971, the CRP began to ramp up its political intelligence-gathering activities in preparation for the upcoming presidential election. The group planned to infiltrate the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters, located on the sixth floor of the Watergate apartment and office complex in Washington DC. Leading the conspiracy were US Attorney General John Mitchell, deputy director of the CRP Jeb Magruder, and CRP counsel G. Gordon Liddy. Their goal was to photograph campaign materials and place bugging devices in the office of Democratic National Chairman Lawrence F. ... The Watergate break-in eventually exposed a whole array of campaign practices designed to disrupt or embarrass the political opposition, all of which commentators later summarized as 'dirty tricks.' Investigation and Prosecution When making an attempt to break into the Watergate building in order to fix up previously installed wiretapping equipment, all the burglars were caught red-handed by the police on information of the building guard. The number of these burglars was five including Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzlez, Eugenio Martnez, James W. McCord, Jr., and Frank Sturgis. After investigation the police found telephone number of E. Howard Hunt in McCord's notebook who was Chief of Security at the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP). This was a strong proof that strengthens the idea that there was surely a connection between the burglars and someone close to the President. Investigation started to find a link between McCord and the CIA and finally it was discovered that the CRP bribed McCord. The White House denied any knowledge of the break in. Six days later, John Haldeman, the White House Chief of Staff, met with Nixon to tell him that the FBI had traced the money found in the burglars' possession to CREEP. In a tape-recorded conversation, Nixon asked Haldeman to get in touch with the CIA to have the FBI's investigation stopped. In spring 1973, three of the five indicted men in the Watergate break-in pled guilty, while the remaining two were found guilty after a trial. The Cuban men were each sentenced to forty years in prison, and Hunt was sentenced to thirty-five. McCord sent word to Judge Sirica that he was willing to cooperate in exchange for a reduced sentence. White House counsel John Dean also approached the Judge and offered his

Financial Analysis of Granite Construction Industry Plc Essay

Financial Analysis of Granite Construction Industry Plc - Essay Example (Penman, 2003). In addition, investors consult investment analysts who provide an almost endless stream of information and recommendations to sort out. There are often claims that some shares are undervalued and vice versa. (Penman, 2003). This information at times becomes confusing leaving the investor with no clear indication of what the true prices of stocks should be. (Penman, 2003). Under such circumstances, the investor is forced to make the investment decision following his/her instinct or based on the information provided by the market. (Penman, 2003, Kaplan & Norton 1992, 1993). Investors who make the decision based on instinct are referred to as intuitive investors while those who make investment decisions based on capital market efficiency are referred to as passive investors. (Penman, 2003). Passive investors carry out their investment decisions based on the assumption that the market price is a fair price for the risk taken, that is, that market forces have driven the price to the appropriate point. (Penman, 2003). These investment mechanisms appear to be very simple, as they do not require much effort. (Penman, 2003: pp 3). However, both investors run risks that are even more than the risks of the firms they are investing in since they can either pay too much or sell for less and as a result suffer a decrease in returns on their investments. (Penman, 2003). According to Penman (2003), the intuitive investor has the problem of the intuitive bridge builder: "one may be pleased with one's intuition but, before building gets underway, it might pay to check that intuition against the calculations prescribed by modern engineering as not doing so, may lead to disaster". (Penman, 2003: pp 3). The passive investor runs the risks of either paying too much or selling for less should stocks be mispriced. (Penman, 2003). Although economic and modern finance theory (Bodie et al, 2002; Penman, 2003) predict that capital markets are perfect it is good practice to check before taking action. (Penman, 2003). Therefore, both the passive and intuitive investor run the risk of trading with someone who has done his homework well, that is, someone who has analysed the information thoroughly. (Penman, 2003). This study is aimed at carrying out financial analyses of Granite Construction Plc with particular focus on the liquidity, profitability and solvency ratio so as to gain a reasonable basis for providing recommendations to investors and suppliers on whether to invest or continue business for the company, and finally see the various methods through which the company access the capital market. Having said this,

Economic Growth and Economic Fluctuations Essay

Economic Growth and Economic Fluctuations - Essay Example The economic theories and models examined would be the Solow Model, the human capital theory and screening model. The effects of governmental policies on the openness of the economy will also be examined here. The data given will serve as guiding force in the determination of the ability of our study country to achieve rapid short-term economic growth and long-term sustenance of a steady rate of growth. When charged with the responsibility of determining the best policy to foster long-term economic growth, it is vital to analyze many economic factors and trends. These factors include the impact of productivity, savings and depreciation on the economy as well as the economy's ability to sustain long-term growth under the given circumstances. In so doing, the Solow Model can serve as a general guidance in determining whether an economy can sustain long-term growth given the present combination of factors. In order to examine this it is vital to offer an operational definition of Solow's model. Solow's model is a model the increase in the capacity of a country's economy to produce goods and services over time. This increase theoretically implies that the well-being of the citizens will improve over time. According to Solow the increase can be determined utilizing a formula whereby the GDP is determined by combinations of inputs. Solow simplifies this very intricate function by presumi ng certain factors are held constant. One of the most fundamental simplifications is the assumption that a single good is produced by the economy in question. In so doing, the GDP is greatly simplified and its implications are clearly depicted. The other assumptions of the Solow model include the assumption that all data is collected on a time continuum, a single good is produced with a constant technology, there is no governmental or international trade, all factors of production are utilized to their full capacity, the growth within the labor force is constant. Utilizing the relationship existent between the savings and the investment and extending the Solow model further, we can assume that the depreciation rate, the amount of capital depreciation and the change in capital over time are held constant. The implications of this are such that in the long-run, we are able to yield a production function whereby Y = AF(K, L). Essentially, it establishes a relationship between capital stock and the economic output. Taking this one step further and assuming that labor input is held constant and there is a positive correlation between changes in capital and output we can see that in time additions to capital stock will yield additions in output. This relationship can be expressed in terms of labor and economic output. In so doing, we can determine the economic output for each individual in the society. The pertinent equation is y=Y/L and can be graphically depicted as follows: The Impact of Savings Rate on Long-term Economic Growth After having examined the production function, we need to examine a prudent question-Is it possible for our country of study to catch up with richer countries and at what rate will it occur In examining that question, we need to realize that according

Environmental Analysis (company reporting) Essay

Environmental Analysis (company reporting) - Essay Example The environmental costs will include the amount the company will have to pay in order to indemnify the victims of the company's water waste victims. The environmental costs will include the amount of money spent to clean up the land and water area that they has been contaminated with dirty water sewage as well as the pollution of the air by the smokestacks with the company's carbon dioxide emissions in violation of the law. The environmental costs includes costs to clean up the company's contaminated sites, penalties for violation of the UK and Germany environmental laws. Environmental accounting also includes the taxes that the company will be able to save because the net income of the business has been reduced by money invested in environment saving devices. According to Wolfgang Ballwieser, there are many major key features of the German Accounting System 1Accounting in Germany. One of which is that it is influenced by the Roman Law system. The German finance financial accounting is regulated by the law from the start to the finish. The start begins with the gathering of business financial data that will be used in the recording of daily business transactions what will be recorded and how it will be recorded. The finish of the accounting in our basic accounting course(Larson,1995) is the part when the financial statements such as the balance sheet and the income statements as well the statement of cash flows are produced. The most important accounting law in Germany is the Handelsgesetzbuch or simply known as the HGB commercial code. This German accounting law is composed of regulations(Sussland, 2000) that are depending on the which of business the German company is involved in. The business could be a sole proprietorship which means that is owned by only one individual or businessman or businesswoman. Another form of business organization is the balance sheet. The partnership is composed of two or more persons who will agree to contribute, money or industry to the partnership in order to generate income. The partners then agree to distribute the profits by dividing such based on a pre agreed profit and loss distribution plan. The last kind of organization is the corporation. The corporation is composed of shareholders who willingly invests their hard earned cash in the business but do not partake in the minor day to day business operations. This same German accounting law gives laws based on the size of the business. This Same German accounting law use the factor of what kind of business the company is engaged in. The German accounting system in all situations, even the predictable events, must be based on the Grundstze ordnungsmiger Buchfhrung or GoB which is described as the principles of regular accounting. The Gob had previously originated from accounting for business transactions. The the Grundstze ordnungsmiger Buchfhrung or GoB is a major factor in accounting for tax purposes because both the commercial accounting(Ross et al, 1996) and the tax computation process are related. The method of accounting will either increase or decrease the amount of taxes that the business enterprise will pay the government of Germany. Therefore, the process of using group accounting is now legally

Criminal Law Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminal Law Assignment - Essay Example The most popular rhetorical questions are, what do you mean by â€Å"reasonable†? â€Å"How do you recognise a reasonable man?† â€Å"Based on what criteria will one judge as to the reasonableness of a person?† reasonable person as the â€Å"ordinary person, is the person you must consider when you are considering the effect which any acts, any conduct, any words, might have to justify the steps which were taken in response thereto, so that an unusually excitable or pugnacious individual, or a drunken one or a man who is sexually impotent is not entitled to rely on provocation which would not have led an ordinary person to have acted in the way which was in fact carried out.2 Long before the enactment of the Homicide Act 1957, the philosophy of the reasonable man had been fairly established. Section 3 of the Homicide Act 1957 provides that where on a charge of murder there is evidence on which the jury find that the person charged was provoked (whether by things done or by things said or both together) to lose his self-control, the question whether the provocation was enough to make a reasonable man to do as he did shall be left to be determined by the jury. Furthermore, in determining that question, the jury shall take into account everything both done and said according to the effect, which, in their opinion, it would have on a reasonable man. In Regina v Smith decided by the House of Lords, section 3 of the 1957 Act was further discussed that where there is evidence on which the jury can find that the defendant was provoked to lose his self-control, (1) the judge is bound to leave that matter to the jury and (2) the jury are to decide the matter by taking into account everything done and said according to the effect which, in their opinion, it would have on a reasonable man. 3 The enactment of the Homicide Law proved to be divisive in the light of the Philosophy of the Reasonable Man. Lord Hoffmann observes, section 3 modified the law in two

Environmental Analysis (company reporting) Essay

Environmental Analysis (company reporting) - Essay Example The environmental costs will include the amount the company will have to pay in order to indemnify the victims of the company's water waste victims. The environmental costs will include the amount of money spent to clean up the land and water area that they has been contaminated with dirty water sewage as well as the pollution of the air by the smokestacks with the company's carbon dioxide emissions in violation of the law. The environmental costs includes costs to clean up the company's contaminated sites, penalties for violation of the UK and Germany environmental laws. Environmental accounting also includes the taxes that the company will be able to save because the net income of the business has been reduced by money invested in environment saving devices. According to Wolfgang Ballwieser, there are many major key features of the German Accounting System 1Accounting in Germany. One of which is that it is influenced by the Roman Law system. The German finance financial accounting is regulated by the law from the start to the finish. The start begins with the gathering of business financial data that will be used in the recording of daily business transactions what will be recorded and how it will be recorded. The finish of the accounting in our basic accounting course(Larson,1995) is the part when the financial statements such as the balance sheet and the income statements as well the statement of cash flows are produced. The most important accounting law in Germany is the Handelsgesetzbuch or simply known as the HGB commercial code. This German accounting law is composed of regulations(Sussland, 2000) that are depending on the which of business the German company is involved in. The business could be a sole proprietorship which means that is owned by only one individual or businessman or businesswoman. Another form of business organization is the balance sheet. The partnership is composed of two or more persons who will agree to contribute, money or industry to the partnership in order to generate income. The partners then agree to distribute the profits by dividing such based on a pre agreed profit and loss distribution plan. The last kind of organization is the corporation. The corporation is composed of shareholders who willingly invests their hard earned cash in the business but do not partake in the minor day to day business operations. This same German accounting law gives laws based on the size of the business. This Same German accounting law use the factor of what kind of business the company is engaged in. The German accounting system in all situations, even the predictable events, must be based on the Grundstze ordnungsmiger Buchfhrung or GoB which is described as the principles of regular accounting. The Gob had previously originated from accounting for business transactions. The the Grundstze ordnungsmiger Buchfhrung or GoB is a major factor in accounting for tax purposes because both the commercial accounting(Ross et al, 1996) and the tax computation process are related. The method of accounting will either increase or decrease the amount of taxes that the business enterprise will pay the government of Germany. Therefore, the process of using group accounting is now legally

Big Businesses and Monopolies of the 1800's Essay

Big Businesses and Monopolies of the 1800's - Essay Example The main industries, steel, mining, sugar, transportation, agriculture, ship-building, wine etc., were under monopoly control in all states before the new initiative which came at the beginning of the 20th century. Under conditions approximating pure competition, price was set in the marketplace. Price tended to be just enough above costs to keep marginal producers in business. Thus, from the point of view of the price setter, the most important factor was costs. If a producer's cost floor was below the prevailing market price, the product would be produced and sold. Since the producer in such a market had little discretion over price, the pricing problem was essentially whether or not to sell at the market price. Monopoly steel industry and sugar production was closely connected with nature of competition and inability of competitors to introduce new competitive products to the market. While costs and demand conditions circumscribe the price floor and ceiling, competitive conditions helped to determine where within the two extremes the actual price should be set. Reaction of competitors was the crucial consideration imposing practical limitations on pricing alternatives (Slichter 1948). During the 1800's, 'natural monopolies' existed in some industries. ... More specifically, a cartel was a voluntary association of producers of a commodity or product organized for the purpose of coordinated marketing that was aimed at stabilizing or increasing the members' profits. A cartel was engage in price-fixing, restriction of production or shipments, division of marketing territories, centralization of sales. Many small companies had the right and obligation to take action that protected and fostered the prosperity of the businesses, but they followed 'silent market and ethical rules' which helped them to compete (Witzel, 2003). While costs and demand conditions circumscribed the price floor and ceiling, competitive conditions created by monopolies helped to determine where within the two extremes the actual price should be set. For instance, if accompany set high price reaction of competitors and buyers was often the crucial consideration imposing practical limitations on pricing. Such behavior considered unethical and was discouraged by partner s and buyers (Hansen, 1957). There were times when a company in such a competitive structure ignored competitive prices. Such activities were also discouraged and eliminated which opened new opportunities for rivals. In addition, poor market performance was also considered as a restraint on competition and the main cause of monopolies (Witzel, 2003). The transport sector brought with it all kinds of difficulties, not least the highly regionalized nature of provision, the large amounts of money invested in existing grid systems and the obligation of local authorities to secure transport provision. Subsidized production of coal and ore, overcapacity and cheap

War Powers Act of 1973 Essay Example for Free

War Powers Act of 1973 Essay Who could forget that catastrophic day of September 11, 2001, when America, the most powerful nation in the world, trembled in the hands of so-called terrorists and their attacks? Nations were shocked, families wept, and a country was full of rage, waiting to retaliate. Following the attack, an operation called War on Terror was launched. â€Å"The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism) is a campaign initiated by the United States government under President George W. Bush which includes various military, political, and legal actions ostensibly taken to curb the spread of terrorism, following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The War on Terror was authorized by the United States Congress under the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists passed on September 18, 2001http://www. answers. com/ war%20on%20terror. † The phrase was first broadly use by the press, particularly western ones, to refer to the attempts of the Russian, European, and subsequently, the U. S governments to stop attacks by anarchists against international political leaders. Before, many of the anarchists described themselves as terrorists and the term itself has some positive connotation to their cause. This was shown â€Å"When Russian Marxist Steven Park shot and wounded a Russian police commander who was known to torture suspects on 24 January 1878, for example, he threw down his weapon without killing him, announcing, ‘I am a terrorist, not a killer’http://www. answers. com/war %20on %20terror. † The next time the phrase will be used publicly was at the late 1940’s where it was used to describe the efforts by the British colonial government to finally stop the wave of Jewish attacks in the British Mandate of Palestine. The British used the term war on terrorism to give them the power to crackdown anyone suspected of the act or even just perceived cooperating with the terrorists. Thus, the events led more attacks from the Jews and also from the Arabs, which made the British government to fled Palestine. Currently, the United States is still on war against terrorism and they are being backed up by their allies. During the â€Å"Operation Enduring Freedom† in Afghanistan, a multinational combined task force was formed, called the CTF 150, which was composed of France, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States. â€Å"The first wave of attacks were carried out solely by American and British forces. Since the initial invasion period, these forces were augmented by troops and aircraft from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway amongst others. In 2006, there were about 33,000 troops in Afghanistan http://www. answers. com/ war%20on%20terror. † From the beginning, there have been a lot of criticisms regarding this â€Å"war† and these days the protests have been more vocal and even the Americans are getting restless if whether when will it be over. Families of soldiers whether American or from other nations are worried and are getting worried as the days pass that their loved ones are still serving something for them as a lost cause. Yet, there are a lot of things to do and as long as the insurgency has not yet been resolved, the war will persist. But, there is another insurgency that has been around for centuries, which still needed to be taken care of, and needed to be waged, that is, the war on- poverty. Poverty dates back to who knows when and how, maybe from the time when man started to create monetary values, started owning properties, and became more individualistic. There has been a lot of programs and campaigns all over the world, one of these is the so-called, War on Poverty. The War on Poverty is the name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to the difficult economic conditions associated with a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent. The War on Poverty speech led the United States Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act, a law that established the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to administrate the local application of federal funds targeted against poverty http://www. answers. com/topic/war-on-poverty. Every nation in the world has its own version of its war on poverty, for every nation has poverty as one of their major problems. Even highly developed countries like the U. S, the U. K and Japan have their own problems on poverty. A lot of causes can be attributed to poverty such as graft and corruption, geographical location, and of course war just to name the few. The causes are eminent but the effects are devastating, in an article of wikipedia. com on poverty they elaborate the effects of poverty as: The capacity of the state is further undermined by the problem that people living in poverty may be more vulnerable to extremist political persuasion, and may feel less loyalty to a state unable to deliver basic services. For these reasons conditions of poverty may increase the risk of political violence, terrorism, war and genocide, and may make those living in poverty vulnerable to human trafficking, internal displacement and exile as refugees. Countries suffering widespread poverty may experience loss of population, particularly in high-skilled professions, through emigration, which may further undermine their ability to improve their situation. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Poverty But these effects are more likely to be the causes too and vice-versa, thus making a cycle, a â€Å"poverty cycle†. Now, some questions have been raised and one of them was- what is more important, the war on terror or the war on poverty? Before answering that question, let bus first put the situation in the context. The context of this study is European specifically, the context of the United Kingdom. The background on the two topics was given earlier in order to establish the common ground and to assert where things stand right now. The United Kingdom has been allies with the United States since time immemorial, and both of the countries embark in this so called war on terror. In fact, after the 9/11 attacks, the UK was one of the first to condemn the horrible acts and was also considered US’ biggest ally in the Operation Enduring Freedom. But, after more than five years, the UK has been thinking about whether to continue its support on the said war on terror. The term war on terror was dropped by the UK government through Sir Ken McDonald, the country’s chief prosecutor on December 27, 2007. He elaborated that â€Å"terrorist fanatics were not soldiers fighting a war but simply members of an aimless ‘death cult’. We resist the language of warfare, and I think the government has moved on this. It no longer uses this sort of language http://www. democraticunderground. com /discuss/duboard. php? az=view_alladdress=1023116863. In an on-line article, on timesofindia. indiatimes. com, which was entitled Britain Finally Drops ‘War on Terror,’ the article explicitly said, â€Å"In the clearest indication yet of the UKs public disengagement from the US war on terror, British ministers have finally dropped the term and decided henceforth to refer to jihadis as mere criminals rather than a homogenous ideology-ridden group of desperadoes http://timesofindia. indiatimes. com/Britain_finally_drops_ war_on_terror/articleshow/2708606. cms. † The UK clearly is making some distance with the stand of the United States, but I think it should not be the case. While a lot of criticisms have shaken the very foundation of the said war because of reported human right’s abuses done by some US soldiers, the whole idea of war on terror should not be dropped. If there are changes to be made, then so be it but it’s not appropriate to drop the whole thing. This war has been waged for a long time now and it will all be a waste if it will end without seeing the final outcome. Think of all the lives that were taken on September 11, don’t they deserve justice? The people who unwillingly and unknowingly sacrificed their lives on that day will all be put into the waste basket if they don’t get the justice that these terrorists’ owe them. We can’t let just anyone to put fear in our homes; we can’t let them hurt our children, thus, we should continue the advocacy to bring about security and later peace in our nation. With regards to poverty, the war on poverty has been there for a very long time, and a lot of measures have been done to solve the problem. Poverty will not end that easy, we have to consider thousands of years of history to fully understand the root of the problem. But, we have an immediate problem to be solved, which is terrorism. Another thing with the idea of the war on poverty is that the whole scheme tends to make the citizens dependent on the state by having programs like the unemployment aid, which gives unemployed people some money to cope with their living. Rather than giving them money, he/she should be encouraged to find a job, but with the aid, he/she is encouraged otherwise. Still, the immediate concern that brings more threat to our very existence should be put first on the list. We cannot solve poverty if fear rules us due to the terrorists’ attacks, and we will not solve poverty if all of us will be dead because of the same reason. References: Rashmee Roshan Lall, January 17, 2008. Britain finally drops war on terror, viewed March 16, 2008, http://timesofindia.indiatimes. com/Britain_finally_drops_ war_on_terror/articleshow/2708606. cms Britain Drops War on Terror Label, military. com, viewed March 16, 2008, http://www. democraticunderground. com/discuss/duboard. php? az=view_alladdress=1023116863. War on Terror, viewed March 13, 2008, http://www. answers. com/ war%20on%20terror War on Poverty, viewed March 13, 2008, http://www. answers. com/topic/war-on-poverty. Poverty, viewed March 13, 2008, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Poverty