Critique of Needless Hunger Essay

‘Needless Hunger’ is a must-read book for every citizen of the developed world for the ample reason that it shows how hard and despairing the life in many places on Earth is. Even more mid-boggling is the fact that the horrible situation prevailing in Bangladesh could have been easily avoided by means of better governance and more equitable distribution of natural resources. Unfortunately, Bangladesh is not a unique case: similar conditions exist in many countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Therefore, it’s very important to understand the reasons for poverty and huger existing in places like that before taking any appropriate action. The main thesis the author puts forward concerns the fact that hunger in Bangladesh cannot be attributed to natural shortage of food. The country is situated in favorable climatic zone on the delta of Ganges and Brahmaputra, which provides for probably the most fertile land in the world. The book talks about huge rice fields, squash vines, plenty of water, rich soil; Bangladesh is compared to a natural greenhouse. One cannot help but wonder why some regions in the world, e. g. Scandinavia, prosper without having virtually any natural or climatic resources to build upon, whilst whole continents are unable to make use of all the natural wealth they posses. The investigation of the reasons for extreme poverty and hunger starts with an excursus into the history of Bangladesh and British colonial legacy. It’s told through the story of Bengali weavers, who suffered the most during the colonial rule. When British came to Bangladesh, the country could boast one of the best cotton industries in the world. It was a thriving country with its own system of production and social organization. However, the colony posed serious danger to British cotton industry, which was at the stage of infancy at those times. Slowing down the pace of Bengali development was in the best interest of the colonialists. When trying to do so, they were not quite fastidious about the means, resorting to blackmail, expropriation and even unlawful imprisonment. Since that, Bangladeshis have been trapped into the vicious circle of deprivation, despair, and exploitation. British rule established the colonial pattern of oppression in the country. When the land got its independence, new elites emerged to take advantage of situation poor and powerless peasants faced. Although many farmers obtained the right to land ownership, the portion of land they actually owned and worked wasn’t sufficient to feed their families. In these circumstances, they had to go to a richer landlord to borrow some money to keep going till the next harvest. When harvest time comes, the landlord takes away the ‘interest rate’, which sometimes exceeds the sum of the arrearage. Eventually, peasants find themselves in the position when their land is entirely taken away by the landlord. One can wonder how such anarchy and illegality can exist in a country with a legitimate and seemingly functional government. It turns out that local village elites have strong ties with political elite through bribes or joint business interests. In plain English, the representatives of local and regional elites simply bribe the officials and have their hands untied. International development aid doesn’t help much. Larger portion of the money goes to the pockets of the aforementioned governmental officials and representatives of the ruling elites. Most Bangladeshis are barely aware that massive foreign aid is channeled into their country. The concepts of statesmanship and public policy are unknown in Bangladesh: all the officials and local lords care only about their profit and feeble position under the regime with doubtful longevity prospects. Perhaps the most important thing about ‘Needless Hunger’ is that the book changes our perceptions about the developing world. Here in the West we are used to blaming poor regions for their own misery, and in addition to that, our insecurity. The book implicitly calls for reinventing our approach to helping poor countries. While the conventional forms of development aid aren’t truly helpful, there are some brand new initiatives to help the needy, which are worth following – beyond the reasonable doubt. For instance, the UN-affiliated Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, chaired by Madeleine Albright and Hernando de Soto, was created specifically to address the problem poor peasants face in Bangladesh, namely not having or being unable to exercise the majority of their legal rights, property rights in particular. Noting with regret that the book came out of print almost three decades ago, it’s only recently that the appropriate actions are being initiated in order to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. References Hartmann, B. & Boyce, J. (1979). Needless Hunger. San Francisco: Food First.

Cultural and Ethical Issue of Globalization

Cross-Cultural Perspective: The Cultural and Ethical Issue of Globalization Many American companies that are outsourcing jobs to other countries create a problem in the economy of the Unites States and also creates a cultural effect in a global scale. To this day, The United States had lost millions of manufacturing jobs compared to two decades ago (Heffner, 2012). Americans can no longer compete to international manufacturers, which put the United States economy in doom.There are many factors involved as to why American companies’ decides to do its manufacturing business outside of the United States. The most obvious reason is the cost of labor. International wages from third world countries cost way less than wages in the United States. For example, manufacturers in China get paid 33 cents an hour (Heffner, 2012). As a company, the cost of doing business outside of the Unites States is way cheaper than hiring workers in the United States, which would cost more than 20 folds. In addition to wages, outsourcing jobs outside of the United States would also save companies cost for payroll taxes, benefits, and dealing with unions that are common in The United States. Moreover, doing business outside the United States increases a company’s capital because the cost of labor wages and manufacturing are less, yet the sales remain the same. The cost of real estate and plant cost is less than in the United States. Companies don’t have to worry about maintenance, property taxes, insurance, and cost for operations (Samuels, 2013).Although there are standards created by the International Labor Organizations when it comes to doing business in other countries, there are still fewer regulations set forth in other countries compared to regulations that are mandatory in doing business in the United States (Samuels, 2013). Companies will need to follow set rules and regulations in the United States, which means more paperwork, more taxes, worrying about worker s rights, providing benefits to workers, paid time offs, vacations, etc.More regulations means more cost and companies will definitely outsource jobs outside of the United States if it means saving them millions of dollars in cost. Another effects of outsourcing jobs outside of the United States are the cultural changes that are accompanied by doing business in other countries. It is no doubt that economy of third world countries are growing due to international trade that most foreign company brings in. But global business can change the way people live in a country. The ways of living are affected and so as the native language of the country.For example, The Philippines is considered one of the poorest countries in the world (The Poorest Countries in the World, 2013) and just a decade ago there were very few foreign countries that do businesses in the Philippines. Now, there are so many American companies like, IBM, Cisco, TeleTech, and Sprint that outsourced jobs to the Philippin es. Again, it is good for the growing economy of the Philippines, but at the same time it creates a culture shock in the country. It is now mandatory to take English courses in the Philippines, and most people are now speaking English language.Long-term effect could be a decline in the native cultures in the Philippines. One example of ethical problems that arises in global business can be seen in the case of the company Nike. More than a decade ago Nike was involved in a scandal that the company allegedly hired children in its workforce in Pakistan, but later it was concluded that it was indeed the truth. Children made the soccer balls that were manufactured in Pakistan by Nike Corporation. It was known that the children were paid 66 cents to spend all day stitching the soccer balls.Although there were laws in Pakistan about child labor, it was not fully enforced in the country (Azam, 1999). The problem was that records of birth were nearly impossible to obtain in countries like Pa kistan. Therefore, there are now records keeping of how old the workers were. The country is not like the United States was every born child is listed in a database. Nike Corporation admitted the allegations and apologized for employing workers that in the United States would be considered under aged workers (Boggan, 2001) .The company pledged not to hire under aged workers, â€Å"Nike said it would raise the minimum age for hiring workers at shoe factories to 18 and the minimum age for hiring workers at other plants to 16, in countries where it is common for 14-year-olds to hold such jobs. It will not require the dismissal of underage workers already in place† (Cushman, 1998). The company also â€Å"pledging to allow outsiders from labor and human rights groups to join the independent auditors who inspect the factories in Asia, nterviewing workers and assessing working conditions† (Cushman, 1998). Companies like Nike needs to consider the ethical responsibilities that is part of doing business in other countries. Not just because the country, like Pakistan, has laws that were not enforced properly in the country, it does not give any company the right to stray from the ethical responsibilities of companies to their employees. They should treat workers of other countries the same way that they would do if they were to employ workers in the United States.When companies do business with other countries they must be aware of the cultural and ethical perspective that can arise in doing such businesses. There are many factors that influence the companies’ decision on outsourcing jobs, but the social responsibility of a company must be equal across the board. It doesn’t mean that wages, benefits, or other factors will be the same for worker in the United States and in other countries, but the level of commitment to workers, respect, and treatment must be adherence to the ethical responsibilities of companies to their worker. References Az am, F. (1999, June). NIKE: Nike Shoes and Child Labor in Pakistan. Retrieved from http://www1. american. edu/ted/nike. htm Boggan, S. (2001, October 20). ‘We Blew It' Nike Admits to Mistakes Over Child Labor. Retrieved from http://www. commondreams. org/headlines01/1020-01. htm Cushman, J. (1998, May 13). INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS; Nike Pledges to End Child Labor And Apply U. S. Rules Abroad. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. om/1998/05/13/business/international-business-nike-pledges-to-end-child-labor-and-apply-us-rules-abroad. html Heffner, T. (2012, May 15). American Manufacturing Can No Longer Compete. Retrieved from httphttp://economyincrisis. org/content/american-manufacturing-can-no-longer-compete Samuels, D. (2013). Pros & Cons of Outsourcing Manufacturing Jobs. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness. chron. com/pros-amp-cons-outsourcing-manufacturing-jobs-40320. html The Poorest Countries in the World. (2013). Retrieved from

Policy Proposal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Policy Proposal - Research Paper Example When all else fails, the oppressed may take up to armed struggle and attempt to secede from the parent nations and this brings in a long period of conflict marred with wars and fights in which innocent people get killed. During such times, the nation has to bring about a policy that would attempt to assuage the grievances of the minority people and attempt to bring them back in the mainstream politics and make them give up arms (Stavenhagen, 1996). The paper provides a policy that recommends a strategy for conflict resolution in a fictional country called Calendra. The paper is organized as follows: in Chapter 2, a situational analysis is first performed to understand the activities that have occurred and to identify the stakeholders. In Chapter 3, a literature review of implemented policies across the world is provided, that have addressed the same issues. In Chapter 4, a set of policies are recommended for Calendra.. Chapter 5 gives the conclusions and sums up the paper. As given in the case study, an armed conflict has been occurring for the past 18 years in the Western part of the Calendra where the Lathi people have been staying. These people make up 12% of the population and want to secede form the country as they have some severe grievances that have not been met. The dominant ethnic group is the Pugn and this race is which is concentrated in the north and east of the country. The fighting elements of the Lathi are few in numbers and in the 18 years of conflict, their strength has varied from 700 to 10,000. It must also be noted that the total population of Calendra is about 8 million and in the western region where the conflict occurs and where the Lathi are in power, the population of Lathi is about 45%. The Lathi have a number of grievances an the main ones are: that Lathi have been marginalized in the national power structure and the bureaucratic apparatus of the

Secondhand Smoke in Asthmatic Children Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Secondhand Smoke in Asthmatic Children - Article Example Results of the study conducted by Dr. Robert McMillen and others (2003), show that 70% of US adult smokers do not prohibit or do not have smoking prohibitions at home which puts their spouses', children's and other inhabitants' health at risk. The same study confirmed that parent's cigarette consumption influence their children's exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) (McMillen, 2003). According to Randall (2006), secondhand smoke, also known as passive smoke, is the involuntary breathing of other people's smoke. In his study, he found out that more than 40% of British children live in a house with at least one person smoking. And secondhand smoke being worse than firsthand smoke, these children is even more in danger of acquiring illnesses such as asthma. Asthma is said to be the most common chronic illness in children (Hansen, 2002). And because studies show that a large number of US homes do not prohibit smoking inside the house, there is a great possibility that the children acquire or inhale some of the secondhand smoke from cigarette and tobacco.

SABMiller's Strategic Position by 2011 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

SABMiller's Strategic Position by 2011 - Essay Example According to the research findings SABMiller is a globally renowned corporation that endears itself as an excellent beer producer and renowned bottler for handful corporations with a global spread. The prime dealing of the organization is the production of beer, malts and an assortment of soft drinks, in particular, the carbonated archetypes. The company is reputable for a number of varied global brands that include Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzuro, Miller genuine draft and an equally enormous base of local brands that serve its dissimilar macro and micro marketplaces spread across the globe. These localized brands include Miller Lite, Aguila, Tyskie and snow. Overall, the organization claims patent of over 200 dissimilar alcoholic brands. With headquarters in London, the corporation claims presence in all sections of the globe. This massive marketplace is steered by a global staff of 70000 professionals spread across its key five worldwide sections. The sections are regionally lumped c onstituting critical administrative units for their extensive supply chain. These sections include South Africa, Africa and Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America. From SABMiller, it is evident that the organization has endeavored to achieve sustainable advancements through its evident ambitions for accelerated growth while keeping in line with both the global and internal manufacturing standards. Its ambitious expansion efforts are evident in its 2002 acquisition of the American Miller brewing corporation as well as its recent accelerated expansion agendas. According to SABMiller 2011, it recently acquired a lucrative bottling deal with coca cola as well as the reported takeover of the Australian's Foster's brewing corporation. These are evidence of its ambitious expansion programs that has seen it raise to the second global leading beer manufacturer. Obviously, this beer manufacturer has employed key strategies that has responsibly sailed it through the past riskier yet inc reasingly lucrative outlays. Additionally, a critical examination reveals that its key value of owning its own expansion strategies is responsible for the enormous expansions of the preceding decade. Additionally, its ownership of a critical value chain component in the form of brand is central for its extensive success. a. PESTEL Analysis Politically, the organization has increasingly faced a number of drawbacks in regards its key area of specialty. Johnson, Whittington & Scholes (2011) observe that, over the past year, numerous nations have instituted regulations that stringently direct alcohol utilization. Observably, the state control is the result of the recent examinations of the physiological and psychological consequences of alcohol consumption which revealed repugnant results. Similarly, despite the huge market inherited in the Miller deal, the American market remains among the stringently proscribed alcohol marketplace. Economically, the organization's rapid expansions hav e seen it embrace marketplaces with huge dissimilar economic constructs. According to Johnson, Whittington & Scholes (2011), the Miller deal attracted huge costs in comparison to other division across the Africa and Asian sections. SABMiller (2011) is cognizant of the regular alcoholic drink policy issuance across its subsidiaries to enforce its social responsibility of enlightening on responsible alcoholic consumption. Similarly, the report is observant of their involvement with HIV campaigns across the globe to assist the on going efforts in curbing the predicament. Additionally, SABMiller has persistently contributed to the global technological enhancements through introduction of novel manufacturing procedures as well as newer brands of produce. Johnson,

Important of academic skills for tourism students Essay

Important of academic skills for tourism students - Essay Example The main academic skills that help tourism students to get employed and advance in their careers faster include managerial, communication, language, customer service, business, and socialization (Page, & Connell, 2010). This paper will analyze the usefulness of these academic skills in shaping the future career of tourism students. Tourism students must have efficient communication skills for them to be employed in the sector. This is because communication is the main instrument that unites the supply and demand sides in the sector (Bobanovic, & Grzinic, 2011). This is because the supply and demand sides are made up of individuals who must interact successfully for them to achieve equilibrium. However, since the supply side is the one that provides services to the demand side, it means that suppliers in this industry need to be able to communicate with any individual who demands their services. The main factors involved in communication in the industry include language, correct pronunciation of words, and courtesy when speaking to the client (O’Shannessy, Minett, & Hyde, 2002). Since individuals may not be able to acquire these skills without training, it means they have to study them in school where there are tutors who teach them how to pronounce words correctly and be courteous. A major element that is involved in communication is language because it is the main uniting factor between suppliers and their clients. Tourism students need to study English language because it is the most common international language in the twenty first century (Bobanovic, & Grzinic, 2011). Numerous countries in the world have chosen to make English a national language because it helps them to interact with other English-speaking nations. Therefore, since tourism is the main way in which the countries interact, the service providers who are previously students should study the language while in school. This is because studying the

Types of Revisions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Types of Revisions - Assignment Example Focus/Organization: †¢ No, the essay does not stay on topic in some parts of the main body paragraphs. I would change the topic sentences so that they relate directly to the thesis sentence. †¢ The introduction could have been a little stronger so that it grabs the reader’s attention. If it could change it, I would add in a real world example that everyone could understand and relate to. †¢ The first body paragraph is about agriculture but I do not really mention it until the end of the paragraph. I could reorganize it so that this key information was at the beginning of the paragraph. †¢ The body paragraphs of the paper do not really flow to the next paragraph; some transition sentences could be used to better prepare the reader for what follows. Micro Revisions Sentences: †¢ No, there are some sentences that could be better structured so that the reader would understand better. The topic sentence for each body paragraph could be worded better to explain what the paragraph will contain. †¢ Sentences that start with â€Å"this† and â€Å"the† could be worded differently so that the sentences don’t become repetitive. †¢ I could change some sentences to be short for impact and make some sentences longer because they need to explain things in detail. It is a good thing to have sentences of varied length because it does not bore the reader. †¢ No, I do not really vary the noun-verb-object sequence, so I could change this. It can sometimes be hard to word sentences differently because it interrupts the flow, but I will try to change every sentence possible so that the sentences don’t become boring.

International Trade Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Trade - Assignment Example The cumulative effect is all the same. b. â€Å"Tariffs have a more negative effect on welfare in large countries than in small countries.†Ã‚   False, the opposite is true because tariffs by large countries can actually trim down world prices which helps offset their effects on consumers. c. â€Å"Automobile manufacturing jobs are headed to Mexico because wages are so much lower there than they are in the United States. As a result, we should implement tariffs on automobiles equal to the difference between US and Mexican wage rates.†Ã‚   False, the end result of policy might be increased production in the United States of America and decreased production in Mexico. But it will increase the selling price of the automobiles in USA and would negatively affect the welfare or people and consumer surplus. So there would be only dead weight that comes from consumption and the protection effects. 2. Recently, the United States has taken action to restrict imports of certain Chi nese goods, such as toys containing lead and seafood that does not meet health standards, in order to protect US consumers. Some people have said that this shows a double standard: If we are willing to restrict goods on these grounds, why shouldn’t we restrict imports of goods that are produced with badly paid labor? Why is or isn’t this argument valid? Explain.   This is not a valid argument because the free trading principles do not support it. So the world trade organizations can restrict only imports of those goods which can cause potential threat to the health and safety of Us Citizens. The low labor charges do not come in the potential health threat rather it effects the growth of economy so one cannot restrict the imports of goods on these basis. Free trade has the potential to reduce environment threats on one hand but on the other it somehow effects economic growth of particular nation. 3. What were some of the reasons for the decline of the import-substitut ing industrialization strategy in favor of a strategy that promotes open trade? Explain.   The reasons for the decline of the import-substituting industrialization strategy in favor of strategy that promotes open trade are that the developing countries usually impose Ivey tariffs on the imported goods and the end result is that imported products are sold at higher rates and space is created for the domestically manufactured products. Although this import substituting industrialization strategy works wonder for developing countries for a while like the unemployment is reduced in the economy and the country is in better position to move from the basic agricultural products to the convenient or finished goods category. But the long terms effects of the import-substituting industrialization strategy is that developing countries can start to only survive in business environment without competition which is unhealthy as it will promote the lower quality products at higher prices eventua lly. Moreover, the subsidies need to maintain the industries that were once backed by state which can sap the economic growth. 4. Suppose that the Government of Canada asked you to develop a brief on behalf of subsidizing Canadian software development—bearing in mind that the software industry is currently dominated by US firms, notably Microsoft. What arguments would you use? What are the weaknesses in those arguments? The key squabble can be that there has to

Khaled Mashal; The Hamas Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Khaled Mashal; The Hamas Leader - Essay Example The domestic or local basis of power for Khaled Mashal is the people who support the establishment of the Palestine state and containment of Israel as per the pre-1967 border. Khaled Mashal is one of the most powerful leaders in the organization. Also, most of the middle-East countries support his cause and methods except Jordan that challenges his policies. The main adversaries of Khaled Mashal are the Israeli  leadership,  including the Prime Minister  Benjamin  Netanyahu,  who ordered his assassination in 1997.   Although the US primarily wants peace in the region, still the US is  wary  about dealing with Khaled  Mashal,  whom they consider as an extremist. Nonetheless, they are willing to negotiate with him as he is one  of the influential  leaders. The political negotiations however are not progressing smoothly for Khaled Mashal, as Israel is adamant about its position.   The international power base of Khaled Mashal is completely dependent on the support of various Middle Eastern countries. If there is some change in political opinions of these countries, it may put pressure on Khaled Mashal. Although, Khaled Mashal is cautious about the intentions of the European Union or US, as they may cause hindrance to his policies by  pressuring  Iran or  Saudi Arabia,  the main supporters. As per Khaled  Mashal,  he supports the border lines of pre-1967 between Israel, Gaza and West Bank. In addition to that, he wants a substantial amount of administrative right over the city of Jerusalem for complete peace.   Khaled  Mashal  supports the  establishment of Palestine as the sovereign  state, including all political  rights,  including the control over air space and coastlines, so that they are not dependent on Israel for issues related to logistics, transport and travel.  Khaled Mashal is not completely in favour of demilitarization of Palestine as he supports armed resistance as a part of Palestinian resistance. He rejects the suggestion of Israeli presence at

Settlement in Southeast Asia Essay Example for Free

Settlement in Southeast Asia Essay An example of such a country is Singapore. There are also countries with some areas that are much more urbanized than other areas. The entire area is closely clustered with buildings. A good example of such a pattern can be seen from Bangkok in Thailand. Dominant settlement patterns of most major cities in the world with high population densities are likely to result in clustering of buildings due to constraints of land resources. Urban settlements tend to be clustered as people in urban settlements are mainly involved in activities like business and manufacturing. All these require transportation and services. Thus, having settlements clustered together enables them to have easy access to transportation. Population density here is usually higher than in rural settlements and the incomes of people in urban settlements are usually higher than those in rural settlements as well. 2. Linear Liner settlements can be found along main transport roads, railways, rivers or canals. Individual buildings are arranged in a linear pattern that takes after the structure of the transport road, making travelling easier for people living in the settlement. Such examples can be found in Philippines, along its main roads and in Vietnam, along its canal. Rural settlements tend to be linear and located along a river as rural settlements are mainly involved in activities such farming, fishing, growing of crops, etc. Population density in this area is low, with few amenities such as schools, clinics, public transports and etc. The living of people in this settlement is usually closely related to the settlement’s main function and physical environment. 3. Dispersed Dispersed settlements are created with individual buildings being scattered all over a wide area or large open spaces. Some examples are forests, farmlands, etc. This pattern happens usually due to limited natural resources or fertile soil, resulting in people being spread out to ensure enough land for agriculture functions and for obtaining resources from the ground. An example of where the dispersed pattern can be found is in Philippines. Dispersed settlement patterns are usually found in rural areas around the world due to small population sizes and low population densities in those areas. Patterns of settlements are very closely linked to the physical landscape, climate, location of water and resources and access to trade routes of the area. Historically, people settled close to trade routes, by which it is usually water routes, in areas of hospitable climates and terrain. This general pattern remains true today. The only difference is that humans of today are more adapted to harsher climates and more rugged terrains and trade is no longer the factor controlling settlement patterns. There are various factors that affect the location of settlements in the Southeast Asian region. However, the factor that plays the most important role is rivers. When Southeast Asia was first colonised by the Europeans, they set up trading ports beside rivers and seas. Thus, until today, extensive changes of dominated port cities have been established in countries such as Singapore. Sources also show that in both ancient and modern times, people have sought out all kinds of ways to settle alongside bodies of water, rivers in particular. They have historically been a draw to migrants in search of fresh water for drinking, cooking and food. In addition to providing an abundance source of fish, lakes and streams have long been desirable places to hunt animals coming to drink from them. For many cultures of the world, rivers have also had a spiritual significance, drawing people to visit, pray, celebrate and settle along their banks. Rivers are important as they are the main paths for water transport. Transport is vital for trade and trade is vital for the wealth of a country. In some Southeast Asia regions, water transport is generally faster and cheaper than most ways of travel on land. Water is also counted as a resource that is usually in good supplies and does not need any up keeping. An example of such a country is Vietnam. Vietnam is not as well-developed as some other countries and thus, water transport is still commonly used there. Rivers provide water for agriculture as well. Countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand do a lot of crop planting (wet agriculture), so they need plenty of water. Thus, settling along rivers allow them to be able to draw in water effortlessly as they have easy access to water.

History and development of child adoption

History and development of child adoption Introduction From the world â€Å"child adoption†, child means a young person of either sex, whether by birth or by adoption. While â€Å"adoption† mean the act or process of adopting a person â€Å"child adoption† means the legally act or process of making another person’s child part of your family so that he or she becomes one of your own children. Most of the adoption cases involved potential pool of adoptive parents who women are infertile. While others involve family planning where they decide not to be pregnant. Nevertheless, public will commonly ask is it necessary for the adoption to take place? Is child adoption an alternative to abortion and single parenting? Does adoption heal the child from severe abuse and neglect he/she faced in the biological family? Should child adoption be encouraged? Therefore, this research paper will be giving a view of the history of child adoption, types of child adoption, conditions that should fulfilled for child adoption, facto rs lead to the increase in child adoption, advantages and finally conclude on the disadvantages of child adoption. History of child adoption The kind of adoption as we know nowadays did not exist a hundred and fifty years ago. The kind of adoption in those days usually means a child moved in with relatives, or a child lived with an unrelated family in exchange as a labour. In these two situation, the adults who â€Å"adopt† the children did not legally become the children’s parents. Such kinds of adoption were often not long lasting, the â€Å"adopted† children were not expected to be threaten as biological children by the adoptive parents. However, after centuries of evolution, adoption had became a more and more formal arrangement, well-planned and have to go through legal process. By the end of the nineteenth century, most country had required that various legal steps to be taken before the adoption cases can be proceed. Examples of action included going in and out of the adoption agencies, an official surrender by the birth parents, issuance of an adoption decree by a judge, even consultation to b oth adoptive parents and birth parents if needed. (Currie.S, 1997) Now, child adoption have become a trend which was encouraged by many country as there are lots of advantages gain by the children and adoptive parents even the birth parents, though there are still disadvantages being sound by some parties. Types of child adoption Transracial adoption Transracial or transcultural adoption is a type of adoption where the adoptive parents adopt a child who come from a different races or ethic group. LGBT adoption LGBT adoption refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual adoption. These is a special type of adoption where many country still arguing on its legalization. As LGBT are against the nature law. But currently, nine European countries allow LGBT adoption, these country are Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, the U.K., and Sweden. (Crumley. B 2008) Single parent adoption A single parent adoption occurs when single men and women who have decided to become parents without marry with another person. They want to have the opportunity to provide a loving permanent home for a child. A reason why single parent adoption occurs is a successful, independent single man or woman does not want to give up his or her freedom and assume the responsibilities of raising up a child. International adoption A international adoption occurs when single parent or couple from a particular country planning to adopt a child from another country. This type of adoption usually gone through an adoption agency. Sometimes, the adoptive parents do not even meet with the adopted child until the adoption processes were done. Eligibility criteria that should fulfilled for child adoption In Australia, adoption is bind by the Adoption Act 2000. According to the act, a person or couple who interested in adoption a child must fulfilled the following eligibility criteria: Parenting A person who wish to become an adoptive parents, should ensure that himself/herself can raise up a child who does not share the same biological and perhaps cultural heritage as himself/ herself. They also have to ensure that the adopted child is fully aware of their life story including information about birth family and culture of their own origin. Besides that, they also have to accept and try to understand the situation where adopted child may seek to clarify their identity when reach adolescence stage. According to Eleanor,H,A (1997), adoptive parents should treat the child as a real member of the house hold, never treat them as a outsider. Personal Characteristics Adoptive parents are expected to retain health and vigour to raise a child until adulthood. This is very important as when the child reach adolescence stage, where this stage is very particular, the adoptive parents should have enough energy to take care of them. Their physical and psychological health should not interfere with their ability to take care their adopted child until a particular stage where they can take care of themselves. Reputation A person or couple have to be of good repute. According to the law, whoever has a record of violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse or a crime against a child will disqualify them from adopting a child. Current statistical information on child adoption According to AIHW (2007), in year 2005 till 2006, there were 576 adoption cases occurred in Australia, a 2% decrease if compared to the statistic made in a year before. Referring to figure 5.1 below, clearly shows that almost three-quarters of the adoption cases were intercountry or known as international adoption, 16% were â€Å"known† adoptions and 10% were local adoptions. While refers to figure 5.2 below, it shows that the majority of adopted children were aged younger than 5 years(76%), with more than half of these aged less than 1 year. Females are generally more than males adoptee with 55% compared to 45%. According to the statistic report, the number of adoptions is different in all the states and territories. States with larger populations for example New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland has the highest number of adoptions, but lowest rate of adoptions per 100,000 population. Rates of adoptions were highest in Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Tasmania. Factors leading to child adoption To overcome infertility. Infertility is the state of being unable to produce offspring. For a woman it is an inability to conceive; while for a man it is an inability to impregnate. For this cases, couples usually choose to adopt a child though there are plenty of other treatment such as drug therapies hormone therapy, surgical intervention, intra-uterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT) and others as the cost for these treatments are not low. For the less capable family, they will choose to adopt. Thought adoption cannot solve the problems associated with infertility, it will provide the infertile couple with the challenges and rewards of loving and being loved by a child. (Fertility Today, 2008) 6.2 Poverty Poverty is defined as the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions. In some cases, parents succumb to sickness, and they are unable to work, thus providing no financially support to their children. If there are some savings, they have no choice but goes towards health care costs. As a results, they have ignored their children’s needs, such as school fees and clothing. (Global Action For Children Organization, 2008) According to Currie,S. (1997), report shows that there were five million homeless and abandoned children living in India alone just because of poverty. Though the report was made in 1987, but the number of homeless children at that particular time had already reached a serious stage. India as the second populous country in the world, for sure, the number of homeless children is even more now. 6.3 Orphans and Vulnerable Children ( OVC) According to the statistical number made by the Global Action For Children Organization (2008), there are 143 million children in the developing world have lost one or both parents. 20million children will be orphaned by HIV/AIDS alone by the year 2010. Children who faced this kind of situation must often leave their family and may not accepted by extended family members. Besides that, children may be orphaned by some other reasons such as natural disaster. In the article written by Unmesh. K (2008), posted in Time Magazine, tens of thousands of children have been either separated from their parents or orphaned, caused by the killing tsunami on 2005. The most update one is the earthquake disaster happened in china on 12th of May 2008, had caused an estimated of 4,000 children became orphans. According to Wendy.K(2008), adoption agencies are receiving a surge in phone calls from people who want to adopt Chinese children who were orphaned by the deadly earthquake happened in SiChuan, C hina. Thus, for the above cases, the most suitable â€Å"treatment† for this kind of children is to put them under adoption. There is always someone who care about them and adopt them as one of their family members. Advantages of child adoption Adoption benefits everyone in the adoption triad. Many of these benefits are helpful to the birthmother and birthfather. Other benefits are directed at the child who is being placed for adoption and/or the adoptive parents Adoption brings a positive ending to a challenging situation and benefits everyone involved. I will discuss about the advantages of adoption for the birthparents, the adoptive parents and the child.parents and the child. Giving the child a better life According to Currie,S. (1997), child adoption can save a child from a bleak future. This is clearly means that adoption can give a neglected or orphaned child a better life. As some parent cannot afford to give child a good life due to many reasons such as poverty, or some disease such as AIDS/HIV(Global Action For Children Organization, 2008). The cannot afford to give their child education, good staying environmental or even have no ability to feed their children. Thus, putting their child for adoption is the best way to save their child as adoption provides the love and support of adoptive parents who are emotionally and financially ready to the child. Adoptive parent can also give the child a warm home and greater probability of good educational resources that they may not receive from the biological parents. Orphaned child such as in the case of China earthquake can get an opportunity to live normally. (Wendy, K 2008) Fulfilling birthparents and adopting parent’s dreams Through child adoption, couple who faced infertility problems can fulfill their dream of having a child. (American Pregnancy Association 2000). In the case of China family, who are bind to the one child policy, family can fulfilled their dreams of having a male child through adoption too. Reducing world population Adoption can also reduces the world population. Through adoption, couples who does not want to contribute to the increasing in world population can choose to adopt a child. There is always the adoption agency around the world which can help in the adoption cases. 7.4 Financial assistance offered to adoptive parents According to Cullen, L.K. (2007), some companies in U.S adoption assistant, it found that $4700 is offered on average per adoption and about double that if a child has special needs. Companies also giving worker an average of five weeks of paid parental leave. Disadvantages of child adoption If there are advantages, for sure there are also disadvantages. Child adoption may brings some negative impact for all parties. Pressure and mental stress In the process of adoption, children may feel stress. According to Unmesh.K (2008), orphaned children in the tsunami disaster who are placed for adoption may suffering from both physical and psychological trauma after seeing their family member drown in the terrible disaster. They cannot keep themselves out from the nightmare, thus usually being diagnosed with a behavior or emotional problem after the adoptions. For older children in the case of international adoption and transracial adoption, will be harmed by being separated from their original culture. According to Currie, S (1997), children are â€Å"whisked away in cars to arrive at strange houses full of objects they’ve never even imagined†. They have to learn the ways of a new culture, meet people of different races, learned new language, which can be extremely difficult. According to Levy-Shiff, R.(2001), adopt a child at a older age will increase the risk for maladjustment, as the child having difficulties in adapting to the adoptive family. While for the adoptive parents, according to Palacios, J. (2006), adoptive parent who adopted a special needs children, children who have undergone difficult institutional experiences, will exhibit a higher stress. Besides that, adopt more than one child is also said to be correlated with stress. 8.2 Stress faced by grown up children According to Fertility Today Organization (2008), when reached a particular stage such as adolescence, children often feel curious about those who play important roles in their lives. Usually, adoptive children will want to know about their biological roots. When a adopted child â€Å"accidentally† found out that he/she is adopted, meanwhile his/her adoptive parents have been dishonest to him/her, he/she may might feel upset or abandoned. Thus, its very important to let adoptive child has a clear picture about his/her personal birth origins hence a better self-esteem can be build. Yet researches at the University of Minnesota have found that a small minority of adoption children, about 14% are diagnosed with a behavioral disorder or have contact with a mental health professional as adolescents. (Kingsbury, K. 2008) Conclusion We know that children require nurturing environments to thrive today and to have promising prospects for tomorrow. Common sense, confirmed by my research, tells that children who are neglected or orphaned by certain reason will do best if removed from the bleak and placed permanently with families where they will receive the kind of nurturing likely to help them removed from their situation. Thus, it is clearly stated that child adoption has more advantages than disadvantages, and child adoption should be strongly encouraged ignoring the little disadvantages.

Euthanasia Essay: Assisted Suicide -- Euthanasia Physician Assisted Su

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide   Ã‚  Ã‚   In her paper entitled "Euthanasia," Phillipa Foot notes that euthanasia should be thought of as "inducing or otherwise opting for death for the sake of the one who is to die" (MI, 8). In Moral Matters, Jan Narveson argues, successfully I think, that given moral grounds for suicide, voluntary euthanasia is morally acceptable (at least, in principle). Daniel Callahan, on the other hand, in his "When Self-Determination Runs Amok," counters that the traditional pro-(active) euthanasia arguments concerning self-determination, the distinction between killing and allowing to die, and the skepticism about harmful consequences for society, are flawed. I do not think Callahan's reasoning establishes that euthanasia is indeed morally wrong and legally impossible, and I will attempt to show that.    Callahan first goes on to state that euthanasia is different from suicide in that it involves not only the right of a person to self-determination, but the transfer of the right to kill to the acting agent (presumably a physician) as well. This right, however, is temporary and restricted to killing the patient only. It is not clear why this temporary transfer makes euthanasia wrong, for if this is wrong, then letting a patient die (in the case where the patient already has the assistance of life-supporting equipment) is also wrong, if there is no distinction between killing and letting die. So, we must return to this argument after addressing Callahan's claims of a distinction between killing and allowing to die.    The argument for the distinction is based on the cause of death. In the classic example of a doctor unplugging life-sustaining equipment, the cited cause of death is disease or... ... I have brought forward considerations that counter Callahan's reasoning against three types of arguments that support euthanasia: the right to self-determination, the insignificant difference between killing and letting a person die by removing their life-support, and euthanasia's good consequences outweighing the harmful consequences are all positive, relevant and valid factors in the moral evaluation of euthanasia. Callahan's objections against these reasons do not hold.    Works Cited       MI: Narveson, Jan, ed. Moral Issues. Toronto: Oxford, 1983.    EI: Soifer, Eldon, ed. Ethical Issues. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1997.    MM: Narveson, Jan. Moral Matters. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1993.    Callahan, Daniel. When Self-Determination Runs Amok, in Hastings Center Report, March-April 1992, pp. 52-55. In EI, pp.409-415.   

Hypnotherapy Essay -- Health, Smoking Cessation

Hypnotherapy is widely recognised, as a method for aiding smoking cessation, however, conflicting evidence exists regarding its efficacy. In meta analysis hypnosis proved 3 times more effective than nicotine replacement methods, and 15 times more effective than stopping without help (Schmidt and Chockalingham, 1992). Having said this, results are not always clean cut. A number of studies report a mixture of success rates i.e. 90.6% (Barber, 2001), 90% (Klager, 2004), and 80% (Crasilneck, 1990), while others report much lower rates of success at 48% (Elkins and Rajab, 2004) and 25% (Ahijevych, Yerardi and Nedilsky, 2000). Something else to consider is the variety of methods that may be adopted in order to treat smoking cessation with hypnosis, as the efficacy of these methods may also vary (Crasilneck, 1990; Barber, 2001; Spiegel, Frischholz, Fleiss and Spiegel, 1993). However, the constant variable within smoking cessation treatment is the patient. Therefore, treatment tailored towar ds the individual needs of the smoker needs to be considered when evaluating the best approach to therapy. This is a non-clinical case study exploring whether multi session tailored treatment may better serve the individual needs of certain smokers. Therefore, hypnotherapeutic techniques are tailored to the patient’s needs in order to achieve optimum success. The patient (D) is a male actor. He lives with his partner who has recently stopped smoking with hypnosis. He is 31 yrs old and has been smoking for 18yrs. This is D’s third attempt at smoking cessation. Initially D attempted to stop smoking without help and was unsuccessful. D’s second attempt involved single session smoking cessation, and failed to achieve lasting results. Therefore a multi ses... ...to practice relaxation techniques autonomously over a three-day period before his second session of hypnosis. D had showed Case Study, London. prolonged abstinence in the past and is living with a significant other (who has now stopped smoking); therefore, it would seem probable that low level of hypnotisability may have been elemental in impeding his progress, initially. Research suggests that high hypnotisability facilitates successful behaviour modification (Frischolz et al, 1993). Therefore, in D’s case, this needed to be addressed before further therapy could commence. However, it has been suggested that abstinence from smoking does not correlate with hypnotisability (Holroyd, 1991). Nevertheless, it could be argued that within this study, low rate of abstinence i.e. 16% may have impeded verification of a relationship between hypnotisability and outcome.

The Contribution of George and Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby Essay

The Contribution of George and Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is about the rise, the promise and the failure of American Dream. Some minor characters such as George and Myrtle Wilson have contributed to the development of the novel by providing us a contrast of their society that they are living in to the richer society in Long Island as well as a contrast of ideas in terms of modern American Dream. First of all, George and Myrtle Wilson are husband-and-wife who lives in the Valley of Ashes, as depicted in Chapter 2. They are the by-products of the corruption of the American Dream. As a result, their lives – bordered on hardship – can only be described as sustainable. In contrast, people such as Tom and Daisy Buchanan and Gatsby are the ones who have benefited from the corruption of the American Dream. This is clearly portrayed in Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 respectively on the lavish, excessive and careless lifestyle and the grandeur of residence that the Buchanans and Gatsby possess. The Wilsons’ barely sustainable lifestyle is clearly shown in the beginning of Chapter 2 whereby the type of place that they are living in is described as â€Å"a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens and the interior of their house is depicted as unprosperous and bare. On the contrary, the Buchanan’s house is narrated as à ¢â‚¬Å"a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay, the lawn started at the beach and ran towards the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and burning gardens†, while Gatsby’s house is illustrated as â€Å"an imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower o... ...ney and fame as she struggles to escape from her poor vicinity. However, this is not done through the hard and honest way as she chooses to associate herself with the rich people in an attempt of gaining wealth. The fact that the still physically-intact marriage of the Wilsons symbolises that both the corrupted and true values of American Dream are co-existing together. By pairing up two people with opposite personality as a couple, Fitzgerald has allowed us to understand and compare the ideas of American Dream through the Wilsons’ personality. To conclude, Fitzgerald has intelligently given various important roles to certain minor characters such as George and Myrtle Wilson so that comparisons and similarities can be made out and understood. This will allow us to make our own judgement and most importantly, to fully understand the underlying themes and intention.

Compare/Contrast Online Shopping vs Traditional Shopping Essay

Online shopping has grown to new heights over the last decade and shows no signs of slowing down. The internet has brought practically every store in the world to the finger tips of anyone with internet access. Shopping online gives the user the opportunity to search for the product they want through endless avenues. Online shopping has grown so large that many companies are not investing in buildings and mall space, rather in online websites and web advertising. Through this paper I will discuss the reasons why shopping online is a better alternative to traditional shopping. The first benefit of online shopping is the convenience. While others are out fighting traffic and waiting in lines, online shoppers are home relaxing. Online shoppers can go from store to store with a flick of a mouse, while traditional shoppers have to walk, drive or can’t get to the stores they want. Online shoppers also benefit when it comes to comparison shopping. Traditional shoppers have to put a lot of work into comparison shopping. They have to drive from place to place find items and price and go onto the next place. This can be exhausting and stressful. The online shopper can do this from his or her couch. Online shoppers can search the planet for the product they are looking for, while traditional shoppers are limited to a small area. Saving money is always a concern when shopping. Many people argue that shipping is the downfall of online shopping. The truth is that if you take all things into consideration shipping charges are minor. Often time the money you spend on gas, food, and time far outweighs the cost of shipping. Online shopping or traditional shopping, everyone has a preference. If you enjoy being out in the crowds, waiting in lines, and getting stressed out then traditional shopping is for you. For me, I’ll take a hot cup of coffee and an easy chair. I believe that there really is no comparison. In theory a person would never have to leave their home. All in all the benefits far outweigh the negatives when it comes to online vs. traditional shoppers. The convenience, the ability to compare products, and the ability to save money all lead to the conclusion that online shopping is the way to go these days.

Merck Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Statement of the Problem Merck & Co. , Inc. , a leading pharmaceutical company, faces the threat of the patents of its most popular drugs expiring in 2002. The only way to counter the loss of sales from these drugs going off patent is to develop new drugs in order to refresh the company’s portfolio. LAB Pharmaceuticals, a small pharmaceutical company who specializes in the treatment of neurological disorders, has approached Merck with the opportunity to license Davanrik, a new drug with the potential to treat both depression and obesity. The drug is currently in pre-clinical development and would still need to pass a seven year and three phase testing process approved by the FDA. Under the licensing agreement, Merck would compensate LAB with an initial fee, milestone payments as the drug progresses through each phase, and royalty on sales. Merck must make a decision on whether or not to license the drug. If Merck does decide to license the drug, it must also decide how much the drug is worth. Discussion A decision will be madeusing both qualitative factors and quantitative analysis. Qualitatively, this opportunity is positive for both Merck and LAB. Licensing this drug will allow Merck to insert a newly patented compound into the market and to bypass the discovery and preclinical testing phases. By being able to skip those two phases, Merck can go straight to clinical testing saving it six to seven years, which helps Merck deal with its patent life cycle in a more effective manner. LAB has never had a drug successfully complete the FDA approval process in its 15-year history. Its stock price had also fallen by 30% after its most recent FDA denial. Therefore, by licensing this Davanrik to Merck, LAB would be able to receive some much-needed cash. A successful transaction between Merck and LAB could also lead to future opportunities. Quantitatively, a decision tree analysis was used to value this opportunity because as long as Merck only accepts projects with a positive expected value it will earn profits more often then lose money. Through the analysis of the expected value of each possible outcome, the expected value of licensing Davanrikfrom LAB is $13. 98 million including payments to LAB of $16. 68 million. Although the FDA approval process has a 40% Phase Iand a 70% Phase II failure rate, the cost f failing early on is only $30 million and $70 million, respectively, relative to the opportunity to earn as much as $1. 28 billion if successful. Recommendation Merck should license Davanrikfrom LAB for no more than $13. 98 million. The company is facedwith the risk of declining profits if new drugs are not developed since many of its patents are expiring soon. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in new drug developments. Als o, the expected value of $13. 98 million indicates that this opportunity is profitable and that Merck can receive up to $1. 28 billion by licensing the compound.

The Killer Angels

â€Å"The Killer Angels† written by Michael Shaara in 1974, published by Ballantine Books, is a story showing the courage and heroism of people involved in the Battle of Gettysburg that took place in 1863. The novel presents the battle in an objective manner, and does not take sides when displaying the position of the two armies on the subject of slavery. It is an outstanding book and is worth reading due to the presence of real characters. In other words, the characters have been brought to life and the audience not only gets to learn about the battle itself, but also about the views and opinions of the participants.One of the most interesting methods is how Shaara presents the narrative through the viewpoints of army personnel, which makes the events come to life. The results are well rounded characters, detailed imagery, and an objectivity that didn’t label either side as the hero. Michael Shaara first developed a passion for writing when he was in grade school. Afte r graduation, Shaara joined the armed forces where he served as a paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne Division, a seaman, and police officer.In 1951, he graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree and continued his educational process by engaging in some graduate work at Columbia University and the University of Vermont. After publishing many science fiction novels Shaara begin to take on larger project such as writing war novels. In The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, vivid imagery, details, and insightful character development reveal the differences between the Union army and the Confederacy. These two armies have different causes for fighting, but the main cause for the war is slavery.This key issue sparked the war. The Confederacy is fighting for independence from the North, yet the Union is fighting for freedom and an end to slavery. The thesis of this novel in my opinion reads as, although we are soldiers that are highly trained and motivated war still is a const ant struggle in our everyday lives and the lives of our families. War is never easy and we engage in this job for the loyalty, courage, selfless service, duty, honor, integrity and personal courage to stand and protect this place we call home.The main point isn’t primarily focused on displaying the soldiers’ reasons for fighting the war, but Shaara wants to focus on the soldiers as individuals and how they cope with the stress of being in a war zone. At times, history books show the impact from such an objective point of view that the experience itself isn’t made easily understood by students or readers. Shaara gives life to the events and allows the audience to emotionally engage with individuals  involved in it by the arrangement of his powerful words.Providing us with a more personalized understanding of a war from which we are otherwise removed. The main values that Shaara personally incorporated was Selfless Service he took it upon himself to write at boo k specifically detailed to highlight a soldier’s point of view. Honor is another value outlined by Shaara the way that he states how the officers talk to the soldiers and explain how they can make a difference not only in the community that they live but in the world shows that both parties exhibit honor to be viewed as soldier whether union or confederate.Personally, I agree with the thesis outlined by this author because you never read in the history books or gain an understanding of the aspects of the soldier, the strain that they undergo or the risks that they take that can impact their lives. They do all of this not by placing self first, but the welfare of you the people. I understand because being a soldier is not easy you not only impact your self but the love ones around you, it really does take one dedicated individual to engage in this job as a soldier.

China and India, Western Influence on Youth Essay

Over the last decade China and India have adopted trends from western-styles. These are two heavily populated countries and their youth are gravitate more to western styles. There are many goods and services that can be offered to their marketers. This paper will describe the products that interest these youth markets. Compare and contrast the micro- and macro-environmental forces that influence the marketing strategies for these goods and services. Analyze the marketing strategies of these two countries and compare them with the U.S. consumption marketers. And finally, what opportunity for U.S. companies I might foresee. There have been many advances in technology that can be great examples of western products that interests youth marketers in India as well as China. Advancements like the cell, IPad, and we can’t forget the many gaming devices such as Playstation and Xbox. Other goods includes, western clothing, â€Å"Apparel company Murjani Group is leading the charge, bringing Western labels such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein to Indian shoppers.† (Jana, 2007) Along with clothing accessories and perfumes, they’ve also adopted westerner’s love of fast foods as well as the purchase of goods and services via the internet including online learning. â€Å"In Eastern education, teachers have absolute authority and the students are not encouraged to question or challenge a teacher’s knowledge (Biggs & Watkins, 1996). On the other hand, in Western education, to challenge a teacher or tutor is seen as part of the self-development process as dialogue and interaction are encouraged in the learning process (Robinson, 1999).† (Xiaojing, et al., 2010) The micro- and macro-environmental forces that influence the marketing strategies for these goods and services include, higher incomes, the Indian and Chinese economy have been recording a yearly economic growth respectively. This also says, incomes in these two countries have been on the rise as well. More and more young people have enough disposable incomes that will enable them to purchase western products as well as remain trendy. The availability of competition in the market place have also enabled the presence of cheaper western products in both  countries, also, more and more western companies such as those from the US are setting up production facilities in the two countries (India and China) because of economic uncertainties in the US as well as the economic boom in India and China.Western products are also readily available in these two countries because of low transportation costs of products from western countries, reduced transaction costs as well as the availability of multiple producers; this has also lowered the prices of western goods and services in the two countries. Western products such as clothes and electronic products can be easily bought from the U.S. by consumers in India and China via the internet as well as delivered within a few days by use of worldwide delivery services such as UPS and FedEx. There are also changes in lifestyles of young consumers in India and China; there are also changes in consumer trends and changes in consumer tastes and preference on the products that they buy and consume Christoff & Eckersley, 2013) The media has also played an important role in enabling Indian as well as Chinese consumers to choose western products over their home countries products. The media in these two countries have constantly shown images of western products as well as provided information regarding them; this has enabled consumers in the two Asian countries to demand the western products as well as to be aware of the various trends and changes in the market place for western products. The marketing strategies of these two countries and their comparison with Western-based consumption marketers include, advertising in these two countries can be made via social media, and pricing can be cheaper because of low incomes in these two countries as compared to the incomes in the US. The products can also be available in stores such as supermarkets because internet connectivity in these two countries is low as compared to internet connectivity in the US where marketers can sell their products via the internet. Producers can also set up production facilities in any of the two countries because of cheap labor offered by both the Chinese as well as the Indian workforce; this will help in reducing their production costs as well as the final prices of their products. (Christoff & Eckersley, 2013) And lastly, the various opportunities that the U.S. companies might foresee are increased demand for their products and services in the two countries due to increased incomes as well as high economic growth. Companies will thus profit as a result of selling western products  in the two countries. Due to the increasing rate of internet usage, in the near future, companies can sell their products via the internet; they can also constantly conduct marketing surveys in order to identify consumer taste and preference of consumers in the two countries. In conclusion, I have described the products that interest these youth markets. Compared and contrasted the micro- and macro-environmental forces that influence the marketing strategies for these goods and services. Analyzed the marketing strategies of these two countries and compared them with the U.S. consumption marketers. And lastly, showed what opportunities U.S. companies might foresee. References Jana, R. (2007). India: Bridging the Fashion Culture Gap. Businessweek Online, 21. Christoff, P. & Eckersley, R. (2013) Globalization and the Environment. Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. Xiaojing, L., Shijuan, L., Seung-hee, L., & Magjuka, R. J. (2010). Cultural Differences in Online Learning: International Student Perceptions. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 13(3), 177-188.

The Rise of the European State and the Modern State Essay

The Rise of the European State and the Modern State - Essay Example According to Garner, Ferdinand and Lawson (2009), strong democracies have full fledged institutions that function to dispense the will of the people, effectively. Normally, strong democracies do not only boast of institutions that are fully functioning, but also institutions that discharge the will of the masses. These institutions may include public, nongovernmental and even private institutions, albeit emphasis is placed on public institutions. For this cause, institutions that make up the judiciary, the legislature and the executive are highly considered if they meet the threshold or not. For instance, an event that clearly epitomizes the democratic nature of strong judicial and legislative institutions in the US. Herein, although these institutions effectively and consistently discharge their duties as outlined in the US Constitutions, yet they did not arrogate themselves the authority to make marriage amendments without the involvement of the US citizens. Resultantly, to decide the fate of homosexual marriages in North Carolina, North Carolinians were extended the ultimate decision through voting, on May 8th, 2012. Thus, one can see that the strength of democratic institutions is not only hinged upon consistent and effective discharging of mandate, but also upon proximity of such initiatives to the will of the public. The will of the public is important herein since the legitimacy of these institutions and the government’s authority emanates from their closeness to public will.  ... Mostly, this weakness emanates from the absence of checks and balance and separation of powers. This absence denudates the effectiveness of these institutions by breeding external interference. In most cases, it is the head of the executive who does the interference. In weak states, important institutions such as electoral commissions and courts of law are unable to operate with autonomy, leading to spates of post-election violence and acts akin to crimes against humanity. Again, these states may be weak enough to be infiltrated by sectarian interests, instead of serving the interests of the majority or the people (Rotberg, 2003). States in the International Community That May Be Considered Just Too Weak To Continue Demanding Recognition One of the countries that aptly fit the class of weak states is Somalia. The weakness of Somalia is evidenced by its inability to provide public or social goods such as security, despite the fact that it has all the instruments of coercion (the priso n system, the police and the army). It is against this backdrop that large swathes of Somali land such as Jilib are still under the control of the Islamist organization, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahedeen (commonly known as al-Shabaab). The ineffectiveness of the country is also underscored by the facts that: the presence and operation of al-Shabaab form a parallel government to that of Transitional Somali Government; and that foreign terrorist cells such as al- Qaeda are sponsoring al-Shabaab’s presence and operations in Somalia. The latter is the case since terrorists are bent on destabilizing Somalia as a strategic point to expand to Africa. The same also exposes the vulnerability of the Somali government since it

International Relationsin UK and Qatar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Relationsin UK and Qatar - Essay Example 88). Therefore, the paper aims at examining the international relation between UK and Qatar with other countries in line with international disputes. The UK’s foreign relations are implemented in its foreign and commonwealth offices. However, the UK’s prime minister among other agencies have vital roles to play especially in setting these polices. It is worth noting that Great Britain was once the foremost powerful nation in the world particularly in the 18th and 19th as well as in the early 20th century; therefore, it is bound to have numerous international disputes than Qatar. Moreover, holding that it was once a major colonial giant, she is bound to fight for its oversea territories that Qatar will never think of the same. UK has had numerous international disputes since 1945 and among its major such disputes include its involvement in the Greek Civil War of between 1946 and 1949. It had also a major role in ensuring there was independent Palestine and Israel. In ensuring the same, it occupied Palestine between 1945 and 1948 until the united nation formalized the independence of these two warring nations in the y ear 1948 (Dellorto, 2013; p. 182). It should be noted that UK was part of the cold war (1947 to 1991) between Soviet Union and the United States where the United States emerged to be the world’s supper power. UK has also had numerous international disputes in affair touching the Arab nations specifically for oil and international security related issues. For instance, the Gulf War where it claimed that Iraq interfered with it oil companies. Additionally, UK has been US’s greatest ally especially in resolving international disputes. It has helped US in fighting its wars on terrorism with Arab nations. For instance, in 2011, under the mandate of the UN, the UK forces helped US in the operation Ellamy where they enforced the Libyan no fly zone orders (Dellorto, 2013; p. 216). Finally, in 2013, the UK supported

Short answer questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short answer questions - Coursework Example With two workers, Karen would make 40 stethoscopes ($400), but pay $200 in wages, giving a profit margin of $200. With three workers, Karen would make 55 stethoscopes ($550), but pay $300 in wages , giving a profit margin of $250. With four workers, Karen would make 65 stethoscopes ($650), but pay $400 in wages, again giving a profit margin of $250. With five workers, Karen would make 70 stethoscopes ($700), but pay $500 in wages, giving a profit margin of $200. With six workers, Karen would make 73 stethoscopes ($730), and give $600 in wages, meaning the profit margin is only $130, and with seven the profit margin is only $40. Taking all of this into account, it would seem that Karen should hire 4 or 5 workers, as these options both give a $250 profit margin and this gives the profit-maximizing level of output. This can be found using the formula: 2. Given the information from question 1, now say that the workers whom Karen hires get trained in new technology and learn new skills. This causes them to become more productive. Karen’s firm is the only firm to use this technology, and training does not improve the productivity of workers in firms outside of Karen’s firm. a) Will this change the quantity of workers whom Karen hires? Explain your answer. b) Will this change the wage rate of the workers in Karen’s firm? Explain your answer. (5 points) b- Different skill levels often equate to a difference in pay, and in this case Karen has hired workers trained in new technology with skills that cannot be found outside her own firm. The difference in pay rates for skilled workers can be seen as a compensation for aquiring skills (which may mean the worker has not been earning for some time) or for simply going through the lengthy and sometimes difficult process of aquiring these skills (Baumol, 2011). Additionally, as this technology is not available at other firms, workers need to have an incentive to work for Karen and undergo the relevant training, and

Understand the sources of finance available to a business Assignment

Understand the sources of finance available to a business - Assignment Example External sources of funds are of two categories based on nature of the find like debt finance and equity finance. Internal sources of finance are owner’s personal savings, retained profits, working capital, suppliers’ credit and sale of assets. External sources of finance are debt finance and equity finance. Under debt finance, important sources are debentures, bank loan, bank overdraft, fire-purchase, grant, lease, venture capital, invoice discounting, factoring, and angle investors. Sources of finance under equity finance category are ordinary shares and preference share. Again, various sources under internal and external categories can also be categorized by another important parameter i.e. tenure or duration. These are long term, medium term and short term sources of finance. Long term sources of finance are equity shares, preference shares, retained profit, debentures or bonds, loan from private and public institutions, venture capital, asset selling etc. Medium te rm sources of finance are preference shares, debentures or bonds, loan from term deposits, loan from financial institutions, lease financing or hire purchase financing, foreign currency bonds and commercial borrowings. Short term sources of finance are trade credit, differed income, suppliers’ credit, customers’ advances, certificate of deposits and public deposits etc. Assessment the implications of the different sources Internal sources of fund: These are the most preferable sources of finance of any business. Internal sources are used at start up or even for expansion of business. Businesses do not have obligation to pay any interest or refund of this sources as internal sources belongs the businesses only. Therefore risk is less in these categories of sources. The businesses... Understand the sources of finance available to a business This paper will qualitatively address different sub-areas of this topic like assessing various source of finance; control, bankruptcy and legal implications of those sources; in-depth analysis of financial implications and tax effects; selection of appropriate source of finance for various projects. This paper mainly consists of qualitative discussion on these four areas. Identifying different sources of finance available to a business Finance is very much essential for a new as well as an existing business. Efficient financing is also essential in all stages of a business. Finance is required for business development, business operation and business expansion. Finance is core limiting factor to any business and hence, it is crucial a business to manage its financial resources strategically and efficiently. There are various sources of finance available to a business at different benefit and cost. Therefore, it is important for a company to choose most suitable source of finance base d on its requirement and potential to optimally utilize the resources to generate adequate return. Financing for short term projects should be done from medium term financing like bank loan, issuing of preference shares, debentures etc. Long term projects or business acquisitions can be done from issuing ordinary shares. Debt financing should be neglected for long term investments.

Impacts Of Conversion Of Tropical Forests To Small-Scale Agriculture Essay

Impacts Of Conversion Of Tropical Forests To Small-Scale Agriculture - Essay Example From a biologist perspective, tropical forests are the richest and most exciting areas on earth sheltering a diverse wildlife. Tropical forests are differentiated from another type of forests due to their gigantic trees amazingly diverse fauna of colorful birds, millions of brightly hued insects, and a variety of fascinating mammals. It is widely accepted that tropical lowland forests are the most species-rich type of terrestrial ecosystem, for example, a hectare of Malaysian tropical rainforest may contain 180 kinds of trees. Tropical rainforests are generally concentrated near the equator in Asia, Africa, South America, Central America, and on many of the Pacific Islands. According to WWF’s biome classification, tropical rain forests are considered a type of tropical wet forest and may also be referred to as lowland equatorial evergreen rain forests. All five layers of tropical rainforests i.e. emergent layer, canopy layer, understory layer, shrub layer, and forest floor are enriched with different plants and animals. Tropical deforestation, desertification, decreasing biodiversity, climate change and the scarcity of fresh water are issues of recent global conflict. This paper makes a conclusion that tropical forests are the richest and most exciting areas on earth sheltering a diverse wildlife. Small-scale agricultural practices, though considered safe by many scientists and ecologists, have been proved to be having detrimental effects on the health of tropical forests. These agricultural practices are facing the burden of huge population growth and unhealthy practices.

Nature Extracts Contribution towards Arab World Region Research Paper

Nature Extracts Contribution towards Arab World Region - Research Paper Example The idea is to introduce nutritional products which are completely based on herbal plants and shrubs. The whole process of manufacturing the raw materials, purchasing the raw materials, manufacturing the herbal based products and finally, the distribution of the products are done among the Arab World countries. These processes could have been outsourced from the far eastern countries like India, Japan, and China, but that would not lead to the generation of employment in the Arab region. This research project lays out the plan of how to carry out the above processes and what problems are to be encountered.     The name of the company that is taking the entrepreneurial initiative is Nature Extracts. The product lines chosen are general vitamins, products specific for sports and nutrition, protein supplements, and diet vitamins and medicines. The product lines are all herbal based (Acs 2003). The idea is to manufacture the herbs and shrubs and the medicinal plants in Egypt, Oman, a nd Libya, process or manufacture the semi-finished products in Egypt, pack them there and ship the products for distribution to regions like Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. The problem is that not all regions fit for growing the herbal and medicinal plants. Apart from that, there is a problem of transporting the raw materials to the plants for furthering processing. The choice of the right distributing partner and channel is another problem. The initiative to open herbal and medicinal plants is already in the direct competition with the more contemporary medicines and nutritional products (Baumol 1988). The herbal based nutritional and medicinal products are considered to be traditional medicines. So in certain Arab regions where there is the considerable influx of aid provided by different international humanitarian groups like Red Cross and the WHO with modern nonherbal based medicines, it will take more than just a sincere effort to make the strong presence in the market. 5. Hypothesis The hypotheses are formed to negate the assumptions formed in the null hypothesis with appropriate reasoning and logic. The hypotheses are formed according to the importance of the factor.  

Keeping it Real Coca-Cola Case 2010 S2 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Keeping it Real Coca-Cola 2010 S2 - Case Study Example The equality, need, restitution and status quo will also be examined. The individuals involved in the company, communities that need assistance from the decision as well as changing what is needed so it is fair in the future is also considered so it can provide and implement new alternatives for those that are in the company (Blader, Tyler, 2003). For procedural justice to become effective and to provide a fair opinion, there is the need to create a specific criteria that is matched during a case. The first is that there should be objective evidence that states whether something is fair or not in a given case. If it is subjective then it may be coming as a matter of opinion or from individuals who are not looking for justice but instead are interested in a different agenda in the court proceeding. For instance, in a given situation, the reactions that is a part of what occurs both from the situation and as a result, should be noted. The psychological concepts that relate to this should also be noted, such as depression, anxiety or other forms of discomfort or trauma that occur as a result. However, the outcomes that are noted from a given situation should come from evidence, reactions and noticing different concepts from the present moment. By following these main criteria, there can be an overall evaluation of whether someth ing was ethical and provided the correct behavior for individuals (Lind, Tyler, 2000). The criteria that are available should not only include the reactions and noticed changes among individuals. It is also important to notice the social psychology that is associated with the main concepts and proceedings of what occurs. The outcomes that are a part of the distribution, social processes that occur and the psychological responses need to be included in the procedural justice criteria. More importantly, reaching a solution which provides a sense of justice and fairness needs to be combined with understanding more

Comparing Operating Systems Essay Example for Free

Comparing Operating Systems Essay Operating systems are the programmes that create environment which enable the various programmes to run on a computer. That is why they are also referred to as platforms. The programmes that run on these platforms can range from simple office automation softwares that enable us to do wordprocessing to games and also device drivers. All major companies make their software for multiple platforms. By platform we mean the base environment that enables the communication between the onboard devices like the hard-disk, memory, various ports (input/output) and the functions it will carry out using other programmes that will run in that environment. For example if we look at Microsoft which makes the MS Office software that is used by most personal computers. They make MS Office for not only their own operating system namely Windows but also for MAC and also for UNIX / LINUX. The function of the Operating system is to provide an environment and background on which the other applications will run. This involves the use of Hardware like the display card, network card, sound card, printers, scanners, other input and output devices. The hardware is linked to the computer through ports and communicates with the operating system through special software known as firmware (or drivers as it is commonly known). The most common Operating Systems are: * Windows * MAC * UNIX/LINUX WINDOWS: This is developed by Microsoft and has become a major platform for personal computers around the world. The name Windows was coined for the reason that one can open more than one application at the same time and work on each one independently simply by opening them in different windows. The earlier programmes did not have this capability and it revolutionised the industry. After this popularity, various versions were developed with time and now-a-days, we see the launch of Windows Vista. Before this we had the Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows 98 etc. The popularity of Windows has been more so in its marketing strategy in that it has not limited itself to geographical boundaries. As a result of its becoming popular and being the most commonly used operating system also had advantages in terms of support. There were more people who had had experience of using Windows and some were able to even provide expertise and support where more advanced Microsoft support was not available e.g. in the remote areas of Africa and other rural areas. But like its popularity it had other people who liked to know more of the Operating system and who wanted to know more about how it works in the background. This led to a new breed of programmers who liked to tear things apart and learn about the mechanism of the system. These people then found ways of overriding certain functions, disabling certain features and using the system to their own advantage and a term was coined for them to be known as Hackers. Windows has had to deal with this breed of programmers to continue to hold the market and continuously trying to prove that their Operating System is safe and secure. Some of these programmers later on turned to other ways of proving their skills by developing programmes that would install themselves on the system and wreak havoc on the user by destroying the data, playing up with files and hijacking confidential information and sending it to them. These programmes are known as viruses, which like the clinical virus, avoid detection by changing form and then when the opportunity allows, do their bit of destruction. Windows uses the protocol TCP/IP to communicate with other computers. It is also the protocol that is used for communicating with the internet. MAC : This was developed by the makers of Apple Macintosh computers or Apple for short. It has upto now managed to hold a great deal of market share in the USA where it originated and incidentally, Microsoft is also based there. The MAC operating system was developed solely for use in the Apple computers and it was programmed for specific hardware that was on the Apple PCs. Unlike Windows that was developed independent of the hardware, MAC on the other hand remained dependent on the hardware and the various versions that came were designed so as to get the maximum output from the same hardware rather than for other new hardware. This was the reason that AppleMac as it was commonly called failed to capture the global market since people could not afford to buy the hardware and also the level of support was lacking beyond the borders of USA. It did try to market the concept that you need to buy the hardware only once and then just keep upgrading the software but by this time it was too late. Far East especially Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China took on the opportunity and started developing motherboards for PCs for which Microsoft was willing to supply the necessary Operating System. MAC has produced various versions so far and presently we are using MAC OS x10.5 also nicknamed Leopard just like its previous versions which were also named after the big cats. Except for the first one which was named Kodak after the Grizzly bear. Unlike Windows MAC does not have enemies of the likes of Hackers and Virus creators. It does get them but since MAC is not a popular system of the likes of Windows the Hackers and Virus programmers find it not that worthwhile to work on them. However, it does not mean that they are free from it, some people still do it and MAC also has to work around such people each time and new patches are constantly being developed. MAC uses the protocol AppleTalk to communicate with other computers. However, when it needs to go to the internet, it has to have TCP/IP protocol installed. UNIX/LINUX: Unlike the Windows and MAC this is not only an Open Source Operating System but also Freeware. By Open Source we mean that the main code of the programme on which it is based, is not secret or a property of anyone. Earlier when we talked about the Hackers getting into the operating system and disabling certain functions and enabling others to get it to work the way they want, this is exactly what an Open Source system allows one to do. One does not need to have a great deal of knowledge of programming to be able to manipulate the programme and also one does not need to worry about breaking any law by doing so. The inventors of the programme have given a basic programme along with the freehand to do whatever with it and make it work to your specific requirements. By freeware, we mean that the inventors who have created this programme do not want any money for it and it is free for anyone to download and use. Other terms in this context are the Shareware, this means that the programmer will only give you the software to use on a trial basis for a limited time so that you may evaluate it and see if it suits your needs or not. If it does, then after the trial period you may buy the full version thus avoiding any unnecessary cost that you could have incurred if it was not what you wanted. UNIX or LINUX which are both of similar nature though LINUX is the newer version, have another advantage in comparison to Windows and MAC in that, since these are Open source not many viruses or hackers try to disrupt it. However, UNIX is the main programme that hackers use to hack into either Windows or MAC since it allows you to work on the base level of the programme. UNIX also uses the TCP/IP protocol and thus one does not need to install other protocols to connect to the internet. Due to its popularity the LINUX has been taken by Sun Microsystems which is a major IT company based in Germany and they manufacture Sun computer systems. Sun computers use LINUX as their main operating system. When we run LINUX on a normal PC it is called referred to as a LINUX COMPARISON AT A GLANCE Windows MAC UNIX / LINUX * Popular around the world * Support is available even in remote areas * Uses the same protocol that is used to communicate with the internet. * Is very prone to hackers and viruses thus the creators have to constantly develop patches to overcome the threats. * Has more variety of programmes available as compared to other operating systems * Is only popular in the America * Has limited support around the world. * Is more secure than Windows in that it is not prone to hackers and viruses. * Uses the protocol AppleTalk to communicate with other Apple computers but needs the TCP/IP to communicate with the internet. * It is freeware so anyone can use it free of cost. * It is an open source system allowing one to customise it to ones own needs and requirements without fear of any legal liability. * It uses the TCP/IP protocol to communicate thus is compliant with the internet. * Most internet servers still use UNIX as their main operating system

Diversity in the Work Place Essay Example for Free

Diversity in the Work Place Essay Diversity in the work place has been a subject of contention for decades whether taken on the perspective of gender parity, in terms of race or considering factors that constitute age of the individuals at the work place. In addition, the contemporary world is changing so fast such that the factors that play role in sustainable social development in the society are generally changing. With organizations like the WLO (World Labor Organization) taking proactive steps towards ensuring equitable resource allocation at the work place for both men and women, it is a point of concern for anyone to consider the capability of women to perform the same task as do men and if they receive or should receive equal payment (Vardy et al 2008). The focal point of this paper is an in-depth scrutiny of whether women are capable of performing the same work as men and if at all they are equally paid for the same job done. In order for the paper to provide a clear view of this issue, it endeavors to analyze the values and judgments pertaining to the present human resource practices. By doing this, it will provide an insight focus on the future of these human resource practices in the work environment. Therefore the backbone of this discussion is the case of gender discrimination at the Home depot stores. Introduction Societal dynamics have put a level ground- or have endeavored to place a level ground- for both men and women to equally benefit from their achievement without discrimination. Nevertheless, the question of equal pay for equal work has persistently beleaguered the American place of work. Though federal and state laws proscribe varied pay rates based on sex, wide-ranging statistics indicate that the American woman has historically continued to receive less pay than the man. To some extent, this disparity comes about as a result of the fact that relatively more women are generally employed in fields like service sector work jobs which are traditionally less paying. On the same platform women’s rights organizations and union maintain that promotion of women employees to the executive positions on limited basis is a clear reflection of gender discrimination at the work place. Historically, professional and executive ranks in organizations have predominantly been occupied by men. Despite the fact that the latest trends show an increase in the number of women obtaining such posts, the proportion of women the population is bigger and therefore they still lag behind significantly (Conrad, 2007). Values, judgments, regarding present Human Resource practices It is worth noting that several legislative acts have been put forth to guide the present human resource practices at the work place. Similarly, these nondiscrimination laws have been intended to provide a guideline for employers to offer equal chances for women and men without discrimination. Despite these laws there is still more to be done as general trends show that there is still disparity and pay gaps. Other than these nondiscrimination laws, the central government and various states have implemented affirmative action laws since 1970s. These laws require employers should apply fairness and be just when recruiting employees and promoting. Though some business entities slowly embraced the laws they still remain to be among the most difficult issues Along with issues about a womans place in the work force, they continue to be some of the most complicated issues concerning American employers and workers (Swartz et al 2007). Gender and Sexual Orientation in the Workplace Women are playing a progressively more significant function in the workplace. Nonetheless with statistics showing that the gender disparity is still wide open, employers cannot afford to overlook gender-related matters and have to carry on with the endeavor to avert gender inequalities in the place of work. A number of legislations have been enacted to act as a guiding line for employers in the modern workplace. Thus the federal agencies have recognized the importance of making the workplace a friendly and fairly rewarding place to those who are employed there without discrimination. Among the regulations include the Equal Pay act, sex Discrimination Act and regulations like Employment Equality regulation (Vardy et al 2008). Case: Sex Discrimination Lawsuit against Wal-Mart Overview of Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Incorporation is an American public corporation that operates a chain of large, price cut department stores. It is the worlds biggest public corporation by returns. It is also the world largest retailer with over 7,200 stores with close to 975 discount stores. Wal-mart employs about 700,000 women and counts as the largest private sector employer of women in the United States. It is only unfortunate that these women employees have had to endure conditions of unequal pay and favoritism in advancement and assignments of tasks. These inequities happen at all levels of management in the organization starting from the worker who works on hourly basis up to the one at the senior management level (Swartz et al 2007). Current Lawsuit Wal-Mart Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Wal-Mart is presently confronted with the likelihood of compensating out billions of dollars in recompense for purportedly discriminating against the thousands of women workers. A group of courageous women came forth to claim for compensation for alleged discrimination at work. As a snapshot of the corporation, it has close to a million employees in the US and Canada. Among these employees, over 40% are female. The problem that arises is that of the 40% only and in fact less than 30% of the management positions are held by female employees. Values and Judgments Most organizations have taken a proactive stance towards creating an environment for equal opportunity devoid of gender discrimination. Globalization and the general paradigm shift that has made the idea of integration fast acceptable and worth embracing have also made it possible for organizations all over the globe to embrace the changes that call for equality at the place of work. In this manner therefore the modern organization is up on heels to create a climate of equal opportunity by coming up with models and frameworks that are specifically geared towards managing diversity. The problem that comes along this is that the contemporary working environment is heavily complicated and therefore a number of business entities, for fear of change or uncertain about the impact of change are reluctant to embrace such measures. Those embracing it are doing it at a lag pace. This arises from the complexity of the manner in which environmental issues, values, factors, and cognitions create diverse perceptions concerning fair treatment at the place of work. The group of women who advanced a case against Wal-Mart identified a number of malpractices in human resources management at the corporation. There are several tactics employed by Wal-Mart to d discriminate against women employees. These tactics are basically executed through methods ranging from pay disparities to denial of promotion (Vardy et al 2008) Unequal Pay The women decried the two pay scales used at Wal-Mart and identified it as a major hitch in human resources management practices. This practice shortchanges the women since they perform the same job and tasks just as men yet men workers are paid between five and fifteen percent more than women. On the same platform, further statistics indicate that even if the women were given a promotion into management this does not guarantee them any better as far as fair treatment is concerned. Though women at the corporation have higher ratings and longer seniority ratings on average as compared to their male counterparts, those who make it to the top management positions are still discriminated against as they receive an annual pay about $5,000 less than the man counterpart in the same position. Male management trainees receive an annual pay nearly $5,000 more than female counterparts. And the top executive positions are also not spared. Women employees holding top executive positions at Wal-Mart are exposed to discrimination. This is evident from the fact that the women employee who holds this position receives an average of about $279,800 on annual basis as compared to a male counterpart who receives more than three- quarters of this more. Methodical Denial of Advancement Despite the fact that women employees constitute more than 70% of the workforce in the corporation men dominate the ranks of management. Women only comprise less than 35% of managers and less than 20% of the managers. Lower paying jobs in the corporation are concentrated with women where they make the biggest percentage. Jobs like sales associates and cashiers are filled b y women in percentages than men. Wal-Mart is trapped in the Past Wal-Mart provides work for fewer women in administration in the present day than its competitors did in 1975. Twenty equivalent traders employed an average of 41. 6% women managers by then. Today, Wal-Mart provides employment for slightly over 30%. Today, Wal-Mart’s competitors have over 55% of management positions made up of women employees constitute (Christian et al 2006). Women encounter unreasonable barriers to promotion at Wal-Mart On average, a male employee takes about 2 years to be promoted to the rank of assistant manager, counted from the day of hire. The woman employee will be promoted to the same rank in about four years’ period. Impediments are created in the organization and hinder women from getting promotion as their male counterparts. For instance, one among the women who sued the corporations said that though she had worked for seven years at the company and managed to receive evaluations indicating â€Å"goes beyond expectations† was advised to commit herself in writing to working overnight in the stores for two years when she expressed a desire to be accorded a promotion. This was strange since the men employees were not required to undergo such process to be promoted. Key Success Factors for Women in Management positions Though women at work place have been discriminated in several ways, there are also several factors that influence women’s future career development in management. Campaigns have been staged world over by a number of organizations both governmental and non-governmental to promote education without discriminating against girls. This has made it possible for women to prosper in various management positions thus gaining representation in fields like science and other professional jobs. Women continue to excel in these areas just as men. A study was carried out in Turkey which explored the factors that play role in women’s career advancement. The study revealed that though women have a substantial representation in professional and scientific jobs, they are only represented by 4% in top management. The most significant factor that was identified as a major barrier to women’s career advancement is the cultural norms towards gender roles. Cultural norms that are bent and biased against women in the society extend into the field of management thus causing the same bias against women even in management of business entities (Conrad, 2007). Verdict In conclusion, the supreme court dealing with the issue of Wal-Mart discrimination against women is likely to suggest that the group of women be compensated by the corporation for the wrong done. The future of women performance and appraisal at the workplace looks bright since if several of such rulings are passed in favor of the wronged groups of women, other likely perpetrators of women discrimination will hold back. This will encourage the appreciation of the fact that the modern woman is capable of performing the same duty the man performs and the employing organization should find no trouble paying her for the task. Works Cited Christian, J. , Porter L. W. , and Moffitt G. â€Å"Workplace Diversity and Group Relations: An Overview Group Processes Intergroup Relations†, (2006). 9, (4). 459-466. Conrad, Alison M. (Ed) â€Å"Hand Book of workplace Diversity† 2007. Swartz L. Garden, Rowe A. , Digh P. and Bennett, M. â€Å"The Global Diversity: Supervision of an International Workforce† 2007 Vardy, F. J. J. and Morgan, J. â€Å"Diversity in the Workplace† 2008