Soils: The Unseen Earth that Nurtures Society

Dirts or the Unobserved Earth that Nurtures Society 1. The Sumerians are considered the â€Å"inventors of agriculture† where they practiced intensive, year-around agribusiness. Intensive agriculture allowed unmanaged dirts to supply foods to workss in sums that related to the soil’s alimentary supply capacity. It produced large-scale cultivations of land where they besides practiced monocropping and organized irrigation. Mechanization and chemical fertilisers and pesticides are other factors to assist increase outputs in production. Intensive agribusiness allowed early civilisations to populate more sustainable lives. It allowed unmanaged dirts to supply foods to workss in sums related to the soil’s alimentary supply capacity. It besides aided in feeding larger populations from a smaller land base due to higher harvest outputs. A little labour force was needed in agribusiness along with needing to be mechanized. Due to this, the economic sciences improved when it was focused around a big, centralized production system. Because of intensive agribusiness, the Sumerians were able to make a excess of storable nutrient that enabled the population to settle in one topographic point, farther leting an accretion of extra merchandise. It flourished because they were able to specialise their labour force in the ways of agribusiness therefore taking to a greater population denseness. With a turning population, an addition in production was able to go on because intensive agriculture allowed higher harvest outputs to be produced from smaller land bases. The Sumerians finally over exploited their cedar woods in order to back up the initiation of their metropolis, Ur, during the Bronze Age. They created log transit in the rivers, which increased the salinization. Salinization is the 2nd largest cause of dirt debasement and due to salinization ; there was a progressive diminution in harvest outputs. Finally, this so led to the autumn of the Sumerians. Forests and Human Survival 10. The tundra is the least disturbed biome proved by its statistic of being disturbed by about.3 % by worlds. It proves to be a hard country to populate in because of its cold temperature and limited tree growing. Well-established workss can non last here because deep root systems are impossible to organize due to the bed of permafrost. Permafrost is the chief commanding factor as to why such small flora grows within this biome. The tundra contains blunt landscapes and dirt that is frozen for most of the twelvemonth. It is besides characterized by bare and bouldery land, doing trees hard to turn. All of the flora that is able to turn here are adapted to high air currents that invariably disturb the dirt. Plants are short and bunch together to defy the cold temperatures and are protected by the snow during the winter. Although workss are frequently ephemeral and little here, they can transport out photosynthesis at low temperatures and low visible radiation strengths. The turning sea sons are short and merely last between 50-60 yearss. Most workss reproduce by budding and division instead than by blooming. Turning big harvests would be hard within the tundra because of the tundra’s utmost clime. Agriculture is an of import portion to a turning civilisation and due to the tundra’s highly cold clime and unsustainable resources, it makes establishment hard. The tundra besides experiences small precipitation during the twelvemonth doing the clime seem desert-like. During the summer, the top bed of dirt thaws doing the land free and boggy. Besides, the bed of permafrost does non run excessively far below the surface hence, making lakes and fens on the surface. An unstable land does non back up lasting residences. Dead organic stuff serves as a beginning of foods, therefore supplying P and N. Biodiversity is low within the tundra while besides incorporating low population Numberss of the animate beings that do live here. The big mammals frequently migrate or hibernate so nutrient beginnings are non wholly consistent. During the long winters, mammals that hibernate would turn out to supply a nutrient deficit to dwellers that tried to populate here. Because a person’s chief beginning for meat migrates, this would coerce the household to go mobile as good merely like the Laplanders that lived in this part. Seal meat is an option, but it does non make a balanced diet. Humans would hold to look to kelp or other workss for farther nutrition. Due to these grounds, the tundra proves to be more of an utmost environment that makes it difficult for human endurance. Ecological Constraints in Torrid zones 1. Tropical woods are located between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn and are characterized by the mean air temperature being above 75 grades Fahrenheit. Almost all tropical woods lie near the equator. Tropical woods are besides really damp and can be hurt if they receive well less sums of rainfall. These woods are known to incorporate high biodiversity, hapless dirts and workss that are toxic due to their defensive chemicals. Although tropical woods contain high biodiversity in workss and animate beings, they do non incorporate high Numberss in microbic biodiversity. Worlds are besides found to hold short life spans in these parts due to their exposure to disease. Yet, worlds are still able to pull out many resources from tropical woods that prove to be helpful in mundane stuffs. Latexes, resins, and medical specialties are common resources extracted from the woods every bit good as fibre, tannic acids and cork. Latexes that exist within bark are used as the treeâ€℠¢s manner of defence against marauding insects. It is besides used in the production of masticating gum and some electrical insulating compounds. About a one-fourth of all the medical specialties people use comes from rainforest workss. The tubocurarine is a works that comes from a tropical vine that is known for its toxicant that can paralyse. Worlds have been able to pull out this plant’s toxicant in order to utilize for runing. It is besides known to be used in surgeries as a musculus relaxant and anaesthetic. Quinine, from the Peruvian bark tree, is used to handle malaria. It is estimated that about 1,400 assortments of tropical workss are exploited medically and thought to be possible remedies for malignant neoplastic disease. Tropical woods house about half of the world’s works and animate being species yet merely cover approximately 6 % of the Earth’s land surface. Some features of animate beings found in the wood are distinguishable forms with bright colourss, loud voices, and diets heavy on fruits. Insects make up the largest population of animate beings that live in the tropical woods. They include brilliantly coloured butterflies, mosquitoes, stick insects, and immense settlements of emmets. The Amazon river basin rain forest contains a wider assortment of works and carnal life than any other biome in the universe. Over 80 % of people live along the Amazon river and grow harvests in these countries. The river provides all human endurance demands such as H2O for imbibing, bathing, rinsing and even their bathroom. Folktales such as the Pink Dolphin is popular amongst the people who live by the Amazon river that says Botos, or the Pink Dolphins, turn into fine-looking work forces and come onto shore to infuse adult females in order to explicate why the pregnant adult female has no hubby. The Amazon river’s H2O degrees rise approximately one time a twelvemonth to every bit much as 24 pess. The people populating on the Amazon’s shore have adapted by constructing their house on piles in order to suit to the lifting H2O degrees. The implosion therapy of the river helps to scatter seeds and go around different species of fish. Large fish frequently acquire stranded in lakes when the H2O recedes and communities have learned to pull off these lakes as a beginning of nutrient. Some of the bi g fish that acquire caught is the Pirarucu. It is the largest fresh H2O fish in the universe that can make lengths of 15 pess. It has shrunk in size from the past due to take down food degrees. The dwellers that live along the Amazon river are in the Riparian zone, which is the country right following to the river. It contains the most productive dirts and is dependent on river implosion therapy for cycling. The Riparian zone contrasts with non inundation field dirts because they contain high Numberss in clay and high Numberss in toxic elements as good. The trees within tropical woods prove to be alone every bit good. Their huge tallness and consecutive short pantss characterize many trees. Their short pantss do non ramify out for 100 pess or more because subdivisions are non able to last below the canopy where there is small sunlight. A bulk of the trees have smooth and thin bark because of the warm temperatures, there is no demand to protect themselves from H2O loss or freezing temperatures. Their smooth bark makes them resistant to air plants and works parasites to attach themselves to their short pantss. The trees physically look instead similar and can merely be characterized by their budding flowers. A tropical wood contains beds which are identified as the emergent, upper canopy, understory and forest floor.Emergent trees are characterized by being spaced widely apart with umbrella-shaped canopies that grow above the forest. They tend to hold little, pointed foliages because of their exposure to dry air currents. Some species of emergent trees lose their foliages during the brief dry season in monsoon rain forests. These elephantine trees have straight, smooth short pantss with few subdivisions. Their root system is really shallow, so in order to back up their size they grow buttresses that can distribute out to a distance of 30 pess. These buttresses relieve force per unit area and weight to the outer subdivisions. The upper canopy of 60 to 130 pes trees is the most open to sunlight. Due to this, it causes big sums of shadiness to the beds below it. Most of the rain forest ‘s animate beings live in the upper canopy. The readily available nutrient beginnings lay within the upper canopy so animate beings barely have to travel down to the forest floor. The sloth, an animate being that lives in the upper canopy, merely makes it manner down to the forest floor one time a hebdomad as a bathroom trip. The foliages in the upper canopy contain trickle spouts that allow rain to run off. This helps keeps the foliages dry and prevents cast and mold from organizing in this humid environment. The following bed is the understory. The trees that live in this bed are around 60 pess tall. The understory is usually place to the short pantss of trees, bushs, little trees and other workss. The humidness found at this degree is really high due to small air motion. Because the upper canopy creates a batch of shadiness to the beds below, this degree receives really small sunshine and is invariably in the shadiness. Due to this, it is hard for big flora to turn here. The forest floor is usually wholly shaded. On the floor, few shrubs or workss grow here because of the deficiency of sunshine. Studies show that approximately less than 1 % of the sunshine that hits the upper canopy reaches the forest floor. Small flora grows here because the top bed of dirt is really thin and hapless in foods. Debris falls from the upper canopies onto the floor that serves as foods for decomposers such as worms, Fungis and other decomposers. At the forest floor, the humidness is really high due to even less air motion but it besides helps to interrupt down dust on the forest floor. The tree’s shallow roots besides absorb the organic affair from the dust. The air beneath the lower canopy is really humid due to miss of air motion and the upper canopy barricading the sun’s rays. The trees give off H2O through pores in their bole through a procedure of transpiration which accounts for about half of the forests’ precipitation. Due to the forests’ high precipitation rate, workss have adapted foliages that shed H2O reasonably rapidly so they are non weighed down by the H2O and interruption. Besides, in order to absorb every bit much sunshine as possible, the foliages are wide and really big in the understory. Some trees are even found to hold chaffs that turn with the motion of the Sun in order to absorb every bit much sunshine as possible. In contrast with the lower degrees of the forest, in the upper canopies, where the foliages are exposed to much of the sunshine, they have adapted to be little and dark in order to cut down H2O loss. Dominant species do non be in tropical rain forests. This biodiversity and separation of the species enables them to be less vulnerable to mass taint and prevent die-off from disease or insect infestation. Animals depend on the turning seasons of the blooming and fruiting of rain forest workss in order to provide them with a year-around beginning of nutrient. Forest and Human Development Index 1. The Human Development Index measured a country’s development by uniting indexs of life anticipation, educational attainment and income into a composite homo development index. The Human Development Index created a frame for both societal and economic development. The HDI sets a lower limit and a maximal for each dimension, called goalposts, and so shows where each state stands in relation to these goalposts, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A high HDI addition human ability to accommodate to alter and increase human resilience. High HDI states are by and large exceeding on instruction, wealth and their economic system. They normally exist within medium climates instead than extreme climes because they are excessively difficult to populate in. Norway was voted # 1 in HDI, or the best topographic point to populate. 37 % of its woods cover entire land country. Hong Kong was voted # 21 in HDI with a 17 % wood screen. The United States was voted # 12 in HDI and had 28 % woo d screen. The wood to set down distribution within the United States is equal to its distribution globally whereas land used for nutrient production is more than two times higher than what it is globaly. By and large, states with a high HDI have nice per centum in wood covering their entire land country yet high HDI have lower forest screen than average HDIs. Some myths include that high populations correlate to unsustainable picks made by its population yet it is non population denseness that determines this, but picks. A sustainability myth such as high population densenesss equates to unsustainable picks states that states with high populations are more likely overexploit their resources. This is non needfully true because the myth fails to admit that it is instead the picks a society makes on how it consumes its resources. States with high development rankings have differing population densenesss that don’t correlate to their sustainability patterns. Netherlands has one o f the highest population densenesss with 393 n/km2while Sweden merely has 20 n/km2. Yet both are ranked high in development. Surveies show that less labour in agribusiness or forestry or the more labour in service industries produces a higher HDI rank. In order to expose traditional ways of judging how good a state is making, the Human Development Index efforts to make a simple composite step of human development in order to convert the populace, faculty members, and policy-makers that they can and should measure development non merely by economic progresss but besides betterments in human wellbeing. Other histories that were believed to be taken into consideration when finding a country’s wellbeing is by analysing the other capablenesss cardinal to a fulfilling life that include the ability to take part in the determinations that affect one’s life, to hold control over one’s life environment, to bask freedom from force, to hold other’s regard, and to loosen up and merely hold merriment. Health, instruction and income are the chief three make up one's minding factors to a country’s HDI because they are universally valued around the universe and mensurable indexs. Health proves to be one of the most of import indexs people possess to be alive. Peoples are concerned with holding to avoid premature decease by disease or hurt and to populate in a healthy environment, to keep a healthy life style, and to achieve the highest possible criterion of physical and mental wellness. Education is indispensable in order to make single freedom, self-government, and autonomy. Income is indispensable to run intoing basic demands like nutrient and shelter. Importantly, income straight or indirectly ties the other cardinal factors together such as a nice instruction ; safe, clean life ; and individualisation. Plants Cited Michael G. â€Å"Tropical Rainforest.† 2001. Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm â€Å"The Tundra Biome† . Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/tundra.html United Nations Development Programme. Human Development Reports: â€Å"Human Development Index.† Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/hdi Measure of America: â€Å"Human Development.† 2014. Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.measureofamerica.org/human-development/

Baby boom Critique

â€Å"Baby Boom†, is a heartfelt and comical movie in one. J. C. Wiatt played by (Diane Keaton), is a woman of a fast paced lifestyle dedicated to her profession working 75-80 hours a week. J. C has no time to spare for her personal or romantic life, or relaxation time for that matter with her schedule. (The film shows J. C. and her live-in mate, played by Harold Ram's, grudgingly allocating four minutes for sex one evening before going right back to their reading (â€Å"Movie Review – Baby Boom – Film: ‘Baby Boom' – NYTimes. com†, n. d. ).This movie goes from a career driven women who scared everyone, to a mother in the country who now shows fear. J. C. Wiatt is a workaholic whose sole focus in life is her Job, until she is faced with a very hard decision, work or motherhood. Attachment theory is clearly shown in this film between J. C, and Elizabeth the baby she inherited from her cousins who died in England. Attachment Oohn Bowlby, 1969), i s the strong affectionate tie we have with special people in our lives that leads us to feel pleasure when we interact with them and to be comforted by their nearness in times of stress (Berk, pg. 9). Ethological theory of attachment, which recognizes the infant's emotional tie to the caregiver as an evolved response that promotes survival, is the most widely accepted view by John Bowlby (Berk, pg. 150). Elizabeth expresses attachment theory when she is separated from J. C on several occasions, such as when Harold Ramis comes home and Elizabeth is fearful (stranger to her). Also, when J. C leaves her at the coat check-in and offers the attendant a large tip to keep her quiet for one hour, Elizabeth did not settle and cried until J. C was in sight again and held her.J. C shows clear and obvious ties to attachment theory as well. J. C never expected to take on the parenting role, she had plans on becoming partner in her company she was employed at and devoting more of her time that sh e barely had already. Once left with Elizabeth at the airport with no other chose, but to keep her until she could make arrangements and put her up for adoption. However, she now had to keep Elizabeth for two days before the adoption would take place. She had no clue how to raise or tend to an infant this was no easy task for J.C. Few examples of being clueless, resorted to using tape to keep iaper on when she failed on â€Å"several† attempts, gave her a bowl of linguine to eat, which let to a huge mess, as well as spraying the infant with cleaning solution. However, things did start to improve and she was catching on to some reassuring attemp ts that wor ed. k During this time Elizabeth got sick and J C started to master some of the parenting skills she never thought she would. She took babys temperature and gave her medicine to bring down her fever. J. C. aced the hallway back and forth to comfort Elizabeth while she tried to calm and fall asleep. J. C. slept ith Elizabeth and stayed near her to make her feel safe â€Å"secure base†. This serves as an internal working model, or set of expectations about the availability of attachment fgures and their likelihood of providing support during times of stress (Berk, pg. 150). After these two days together, waiting the adoption day J. C. and Elizabeth developed a strong emotional tie (attachment). The day comes to give Elizabeth up for adoption J.C and she shows empathy now that its time to say goodbye. The adoptive parents did not seem right for Elizabeth, J. C. says goodbye as Elizabeth is crying and leaves. She made it maybe ten paces away from the door before she turned around and forfeited the adoption, she became to attached to Elizabeth and developed the emotional bond of needing to keep her safe and look after her herself, not some strangers! She tried to balance her work and keeping Elizabeth, but it was tough ad she was very insecure with any babysitter/nanny she left Elizabeth with.She wa s a nervous wreck and found it very hard to leave Elizabeth for long periods now. She made a huge decision and left her cozy high paying Job, packed up and moved to Vermont (in the country). There was no plan other than to spend time with Elizabeth and raise her in a more laidback, slow paced life style. This is were a lot of the comical parts of the movie took place, because J. C. was a city girl, and each day was a new challenge and accomplishment. J. C. started making applesauce from her harvest of apples on her land, which turned out to a booming baby food business.Now, she has an offer to be back part of the city life and make millions to sell her baby food business. J. C. finds this so exciting and cant wait to meet with the company and work out a package, as she is in the building where she orked prior, in the bathroom looking in the mirror, repeats â€Å"I'm back, I'm back. However, as she heads back towards the conference room to give her decision, she see's everyone racin g frantically and are remembering what she will give up with this decision.J. C runs her business at her pace, around her schedule, is her own boss, has a crib and a mobile in her office in Vermont, where Elizabeth is apart of her day the whole while. She turns down the millions of dollars and the city life she once loved, all for Elizabeth she was extremely attached and she had new priorities.

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Obamas health-care law still faces challenges after presidents Essay

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Value Risk Management - Case Study Example TechWatt shall use it starting by doing our Value Study (this Study) during the Headquarters briefing stage preparations. Assuming the Value Study validates that it is a good idea to follow through and do our HQP, we shall carry out the Risk Management Study after awarding the architect-design contract, but before site set-up. The following advice is among RIBA guidelines. Architects (VRM professionals) and clients need to make and use a Plan of Work. They must work closely to form a good team for a successful project, and to be sure that all project team-mates know the information they must provide and their clearly-defined responsibilities. This VRM Study is our set of working ideas at TechWatt to use for a smart plan, to optimise value and minimise risk, to foresee some possible problems and consider ways to deal with them, and to lose no value to risks; or lose as little value as possible. Our business wants a new headquarters that is valuable to us now and in the future. First, we must consider many things including at least: future growth and financial stability, our company's needs, the location and costs of a new headquarters, and the monetary and non-monetary benefits we expect from moving into a new headquarters. To keep optimum value we must make and follow a Plan of Work with our architect. Our Plan must include and address negative situations or risks that can take away value. This Study leads to the following Plan of Work (in this order): - TechWatt's Strategic Briefing which states requirements for a Headquarters facility - a Project Briefing that has Outline Proposals by the Design Team (based on a review and further development of ideas in the Strategic Briefing) - Detailed Proposals that build on the ideas outlined in the Project Briefing Each step moves nearer to design and site development. The Risk Management part of this VRM Study suggests ways and back-up plans to minimise loss from risk. TechWatt's professional business is making hardware & software products. With no appreciable experience in facility construction, we will rely greatly on our architectural Design Team. Value Management We seek "value" at TechWatt, for the present and the future. We must clearly define what value is. RIBA makes clearly defining value a high priority in projects. It is the project vision so all on the project team work for the same goal. So, as early as possible and from the start, TechWatt must define "value" so the architect-design-construction team can work to achieve value. It becomes the centre of the Pre-Project Briefing, the Plan of Work and is designed into our headquarters. Value is the compass giving direction to all activity. Pre-Project Briefing: Do good appraisals (RIBA Work Stage A) We must carefully consider and appraise options to make Headquarters. We'll brainstorm the definition of value in the Pre-Project Briefing and put those ideas into our Strategic Brief to give to our architect-design team partners. Lacking experience in this area, we shall depend heavily on our design participants for expert advice during the Pre-Project Briefing (PPB). The PPB is a good starting point for all parties. TechWatt's key participants will include top management and other resident experts who should help appraise needs for a new facility and moving into it. We need similar participation by

Case Study - Writing a Management Consulting Letter to client Amanda

- Writing a Management Consulting Letter to client Amanda - Case Study Example Expansion should thus depend on social and economic factors such as consumer tastes and preferences. Through planning, Amanda and his workers can describe what they want to achieve and how they want to achieve it by providing a detailed description of how the objectives will be realized. Organizing human, physical and financial resources Amanda should develop and evaluate procedures that support the mission of the business and address specific needs. Failing to determine the best way to organize resources including personnel and resources may be a recipe for organizational failure. She should apply accepted management principles and practices that relate to personnel, financial and operational issues that directly affect the business. Having a well-written policy helps the business to address the procedures that support the needs of the business and its programs (Siobham, Morley & Forley, 2013). Human, physical, and financial resources are needed by this young firm in order to achiev e its vision and they should be strategically aligned in such a manner as to meet the organization's goals. She should realize that human, capital, and financial resources are transformational tools to an institution and enable it to achieve its functions. People who manage the business are an important component of its success and they should distinguish themselves with diligence, innovation, and dedication to the mission of the business (Robbins & DeCenzo, 2010; Shuck & Wollard, 2009). Each person should have his duty clearly defined and targets set within required timeframes to avoid laxity within the business. He should also share and develop the mission statement each time they are in a managerial meeting (Taylor, 2010). Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the organization is to handle the financial resources since there are several key components that need to be considered (Raja & Palanchamy, 2011). Leadership skills Leadership and management must go hand in hand since they a re linked together in business even though they are not the same (Perkins, 2008). Any effort by a business whether big or small to separate the two functions of a business is a recipe for failure and more problems for the business. As a manager, Amanda should plan, organize, and coordinate all the activities of the business and the same time acts as a leader by inspiring and motivating the employees of his small firm. Employees of today look at their manager as a leader and he should not assign trust but define for them a purpose in their jobs (Jackson, Meyer & Wang, 2012). She should organize workers to maximize efficiency and to nurture, develop talent and inspire results and this will ensure that the company remains effective and profitable with time (Wollard & Shuck, 2011). A leader should be in a position to provide feedback to the concerned people to avoid any mistake that is likely to occur in the course of management (Carter and Greer, 2013). Amanda should make his employees provide him with feedback concerning the nature of their duties and he should also provide them with feedback on how he manages the business. Management should clearly define goals of his team to ensure that they know what they are working to achieve and by what means and to enable them prioritize their workload. Recruitment process should be conducted in a slow but sure

Maintaining Natural Ecosystem Essay Example for Free

Maintaining Natural Ecosystem Essay The ecosystem is composed of all living (biotic) organisms functioning together with the non-living (abiotic) organisms in the environment. Ecosystem is very important in the lives of the human beings because it provides the needs of the people. Biodiversity in the ecosystem holds distinct advantages so that the ecosystem will function properly. Biodiversity increases the resilience in ecosystem, thus it is important that the ecosystem is being well taken cared of. Nowadays, through the massive development in the field of science and technology, the protection and maintenance of our ecosystem took a backseat. The consequences of national development are reflected in the current state of the planets ecosystem. Most of the countries put a rather bigger emphasis on the development of their economy and technology while dislodging the importance of keeping the ecosystem stable. Human actions are the most fundamental part in studying the changes in the ecosystem. The actions and development hastened by human beings are the critical factors that have contributed to the adverse changes and degradation of the planets environment. Thus, if this issue is not addressed properly, the risks of environmental destruction shall increase at the most alarming stage. This brings into light the importance of gaining the knowledge on how to conserve and preserve our environment. There is no exemption on who should gain awareness and responsibility in maintaining the natural ecosystem stable. Conservation and preservation of the ecosystem, though both are equally important, are two different agendas. Conservation entails â€Å"sustainable use and management of natural resources† (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). On the other hand, preservation of the ecosystem is an attempt to maintain untouched environmental resources of the planet in its current condition (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). Both processes are important in order to protect the ecosystem from further human destruction. Though these two differ in the objectives, both are aimed at keeping the ecosystem stable and functioning. Conservation of the Ecosystem There are different ways of conserving the natural resources in our ecosystem. Natural resources are either renewable or non renewable, as such, conservationists campaign for several methods on how to help conserve the environment. Forest reserves like trees are renewable resources. These can be conserved by making sure that trees are not totally consumed before they can be replaced (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). As such, environmentalist groups conduct â€Å"green† projects which are aimed towards reforestation. On the other hand, the conservation of non-renewable resources are also equally important. Non-renewable resources include the environments fossil reserves. Fossil fuels are distinctively important in the economy, and thus, people must learn how to conserve it in such a manner that the future generations will still have enough resources left to serve their needs. In addition, forests and natural habitats should also be conserved. Biodiversity is dependent on natural habitats like rain forests. Such habitats provide the world with food and wood stocks that are important to world consumption (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). And as such, conservation of these resources is very delicate to the progress of humankind. In this light, there have been agreements signed in order to ensure the conservation of the ecosystem. These agreements across different countries are expected to come up with development planning, which shall minimize the utilization of resources from the environment without a distinct strategy on how to replenish the resources. Forests and natural habitats are being restored in order to create an avenue for the continuation of biodiversity. As such, species in the ecosystem are also given ample protection for illegal hunting and consumption to ensure genetic diversity. And most importantly, people must learn the how to employ sustainable use in any forms of natural resources present (â€Å"Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources† 1985). Preservation of the Ecosystem The massive technological development and expansion of industries in the world have caused the planets natural ecosystem to shrink and diminish. Industrial expansion has driven away natural habitats and natural landforms which over time have been developed to cater the needs of capitalist expansion and development. Lands were being developed to become industrial sites, tourist spots, sites for housing projects and other human development programs (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000) Thus, in order to commit towards the preservation of the ecosystem, interagency environmental management initiatives are being done to assure this goal. In line with this, state governments have agreed to provide protection under the law in order to ensure that natural habitats and landscapes are being protected from land conversion projects. To ensure this, natural habitats and important ecological sites within a country are being mapped, including land formations and water systems. These areas are being given strong protection and are maintained by government agencies that are entrusted to provide protection and maintenance programs in environmental sites. Values of Maintaining Ecosystems The planets ecosystem is one of the most important gift given to the human race. The economic growth of every country relies on the abundance of the natural resources endowed within their territory. Every person existing in the world owes his or her development and the privileges he or she receives to the gifts provided to the people through the rich natural resources we have. Thus, every means of protecting, preserving and conserving it should be given ample importance and priority. References â€Å"Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. † (1985). Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www. aseansec. org/1490. htm Conservation and Preservation. (2000). Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric Environment. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from

What Is Meant By The Term Business Sector Marketing Essay

What Is Meant By The Term Business Sector Marketing Essay A business sector can be defined as three different things. These are the public, private and voluntary sector also known as the community sector (not for profit). The three different sectors have different purposes and I will go through what these are. The private sector is quite the opposite from the public sector. The private sector is run by private individuals and not controlled by the government. In the UK the private sector employs the majority of the workforce and is responsible for allocating most of the resources within the economy. The main role of private sector businesses is to make a profit from the services and products they provide for their customers. Some examples of private sector businesses include retail sales, catering, entertainment and health and fitness. Virgin is an example of a massive private sector company that makes a major contribution to the wealth of the United Kingdom. We can also break this down further as the private sector contains businesses that are run differently to others. These include a sole trader, a partnership, a private limited company, a public limited company and a franchise. I will now go into detail about why each of the businesses is different which will show why although still falling under the same category of the private sector these businesses are slightly different from each other. Sole Trader A sole trader is a company run by only one person so, will have to fund the business out of their own pocket. This type of business is easily set up and you are your own boss which also means all the profits that the business makes you are able to keep all to yourself. This all sounds well and good however, a sole trader also has some disadvantages. First of all, the owner will have to deal with any loss to the company which is unlimited liability. It could also be quite hard in getting the money to set up a business as the banks have a stereotypical view of sole trader businesses going out of business in the first year. You also might find that you have to work long hours and get very little holiday if any at all. Sole traders are usually quite small businesses such as an electrician or a plumber. Partnership A company run by between 2-20 people. It could be much easier for a partnership to get the money together to start a business as banks look favourably on partnerships as they tend to succeed more compared to for example, a sole trader. Again, we have disadvantages and advantages of a partnership. Any loss made within the company can be split between the owners but equally any profits will also have to be divided between all owners. The decision making process could be a disadvantage too. There could be split views on a certain matter which could cause friction between the owners. Private Limited Company A company owned by shareholders and run with limited liability. A downside to a private limited company would be that they cannot offer company shares to the public (float its shares on the stock exchange) this could restrict access to finance especially if the business wishes to become larger. Because a private limited company has limited liability they are only liable to any debts up to a maximum of what they have invested themselves. This of course is a good thing. You can only lose what you are prepared to put in. A private limited company also has tighter control on who it issues shares to so this is another good thing. Public Limited Company Only two people are needed to run a public limited company however, there is no upper limit. The public including other businesses can buy shares in the company which is good as this means a company can expand by doing this. Most of the shares are bought and sold through the stock exchange and for the publics benefit the share prices are printed in the newspapers so that the public can know the prices. Also, like a private limited company, shareholders have limited liability so, if a company were to go bankrupt then the shareholders are only responsible for the value of their shares. Franchise A franchise is an agreement between two parties to allow an entrepreneur to run a business for somebody else but, operate under their name and to sell its goods or services. This agreement grants the rights to operate a certain business at a single address. The rights in the agreement could allow for use of a company trademark, designs and book keeping etc. There is a much reduced risk in setting up a franchise as opposed to the above examples as the name that you are using to trade under is already a well established business therefore this reduces the risk of setting up a business dramatically. You pay for the image the company has already established. Voluntary Sector This sector works on very limited budgets. This sector has organisations ranging from national bodies to small local groups. These include youth and community groups, touring clubs, social clubs, sports club associations and art associations. The voluntary sector organisations do not make a profit but at the same time they must work in credit if they are to not go bankrupt. People who work for these organisations do not get paid. The money comes purely from donations or fundraising. 2 + 3. Name three businesses from three different Business Sectors and describe by writing a paragraph on each, what each business does. Public Sector NHS The NHS is publicly funded and provides mostly free services to anyone who lives in the UK however, there can be some charges associated with eye tests, dental care and prescriptions. The business purpose of the NHS is to provide a service to the public rather than making a profit. It is the largest publicly funded health service in the world and is funded by the government. Around 60% of the budget allocated to the NHS is used to pay staff. Drugs and other supplies take up 20%. The remaining 20% is split between things such as training costs, medical equipment, catering and cleaning. Below is a diagram of how the NHS works: NHS.gif Image taken from: www.nhs.uk/England/AboutTheNhs/Default.cmsx Private Sector Carphone Warehouse Known as the Phone House outside of the UK the Carphone Warehouse has three different fields of operation: Distribution, data services and telecom services. The Carphone warehouse sells mobile phones, accessories and even insurance. They provide sales of goods where the customer can purchase anything they like within a selected branch over the counter. They also have a website where customers can purchase goods and have them conveniently delivered to their home saving time and money. Also, like many successful businesses they have expanded their business nationwide and even abroad which has proved very successful. The main aim for a private sector business such as the Carphone Warehouse is to make a profit from the services they provide to their customers. A private sector company is very unlikely to get involved in the non profit area of business. Store numbers at 31st December 2009 european_map.jpg Image taken from: www.cpwplc.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=123964p=irol-history Voluntary Sector Oxfam Oxfam was founded in England in 1942. It is a non-political, independent organisation, with no religious affiliations. Oxfams aim is a simple one: To work with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering. This is given on their website www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/oxfam/whatox.htm Oxfam have programmes in over 70 different countries. They work with local people to help improve their life. They might help train health workers, set up a school and safeguard water supplies. Oxfam respond to emergencies helping people who have been hit by a disaster like that of a hurricane or a flood. They also speak up on behalf of people to ensure that governments listen to them and act on better supporting people in disaster hit areas. A voluntary sector organisation such as Oxfam does not work like the other sectors do. They do not exist to make a profit and are not funded by the government. They rely on donations and fundraising by everyday normal people to help them keep running. 4. Justify why each of the 3 businesses is in its sector Public Sector NHS The NHS is in the public sector which is paid for by the government. It is in this sector precisely for that reason. The government pays the staff employed by the NHS who are doctors, nurses and midwifes etc. The NHS is different from a private sector company as it doesnt seek to make profits but instead it provides a service to the people. They might charge for a few things like a prescription or an eye test but overall the NHS is a free service funded by the government which comes from tax payers money. Private Sector Carphone Warehouse The Carphone Warehouse is in the private sector as its main aim is to make a profit and to maximise its profits. All private sector companies have the same aim. They all exist to make a profit. They are not funded by the government (public sector) and they do not exist to provide a free service and rely on donations to run the business (voluntary sector). This is why the Carphone Warehouse fits into the private sector. Voluntary Sector Oxfam Oxfam is in the voluntary sector as its neither funded by the government nor set up to make a profit. Oxfam is a registered organisation that aims to help people in need. The services they provide are free. The money to help keep the charity running has to be raised from fundraising and donations. 5. Describe the term Business Classification According to www.rmcareers.com the term Business Classification means: The systematic arranging of business operations into groups or categories according to certain criteria. Another way to explain this is to say that we have three different Business sectors, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. These three sectors are split according to the type of service they provide, this is what we call Business Classification. For example, the primary sector takes natural resources and converts them into primary products. All businesses that fall under this category are therefore classed as primary. We can include in the primary sector, agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining, oil extraction and quarrying. The secondary and tertiary sectors are arranged in the same way. The secondary sector is made up of businesses that manufacture finished goods. Manufacturing industries such as vehicle production, making of clothing and engineering all come under the secondary sector. Finally, the tertiary sector is made up of businesses that sell a product to the public. The tertiary sector provides services to the general population and businesses. We can include retail, transportation and restaurants under the tertiary sector. So, to conclude, Business Classification means to organise businesses into sectors that match the criteria in which they operate. 6. Explain why it is important to have a Business Classification system It is important to a lot of people including the government that we have a business classification system so, we can notice certain areas which need improving or so that people such as investors know where to invest their money (or to at least have an idea). To give an example of this, we could have a potential investor who is looking to invest some money into a certain business sector. This person would need to know what is happening in the different sectors so he can know how secure his investment within that area is. If he didnt have the correct information that he needed then he might put a lot of money at risk not knowing what will happen to it whereas, with the correct information and by looking at the growth and decline in certain sectors, he can be more sure of where his money would be safer placed. It is also important that we have a Business Classification system so that the government can successfully record information from the different business sectors to show which areas are growing and which are declining. This is vital so that our economy is always progressing the best that it could be. The government will know by looking at the different sectors which areas need money put into them and which areas dont need as much help. 7. Provide one example of a business from each type of Business Classification and say why it has been included in that classification Primary Fishing Fishing is a primary sector business as fishermen take natural resources and convert them into primary products. In this example it would be the many different types of fish that they catch (natural resource) and then turn into a primary product allowing them to be sold at a fish market or similar. Secondary Car Manufacturing Car manufacturers fit into the secondary sector as they create a finished usable product such as in this example a car. They manufacture a product so they fall under the secondary sector. Tertiary Supermarkets A supermarket falls under the tertiary sector as they provide services to the general population and to businesses. A supermarket will typically purchase manufactured goods from secondary sector businesses and sell them to the consumers. An example could be fish. At first a primary product which is then manufactured (a secondary product) then sold to the public by the supermarket (tertiary). 8. Explain which sectors as identified by the Business Classification System, are growing and which are declining Primary Although in the primary sector there are certain areas which are growing such as the production of organic food and the extraction of minerals, overall the sector is declining. We can see various different reasons for this including that of non renewable resources. We only have limited amounts of things such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. All of these things cannot be produced, grown or generated. Once these are gone, they are gone. A number of Nottingham mines have closed over the years including the RJB owned mine which saw its profits drop dramatically leading up to its closure. The coal reserves soon ran out which caused hundreds of employees to transfer to other mines in the region. We are now importing a lot of non renewable sources from abroad. We do this because finding new resources can be very expensive and difficult. This, of course, causes the primary sector to decline. Secondary The secondary sector is declining and I think the obvious thing here is of course the advances in technology. Why would a business pay for somebody to do a job when we now have robots that can do things at a much lower cost and perhaps even better than a human? Also, a lot of companies have now relocated abroad to countries where manufacturing costs are much lower so that they can continue to make profits instead of paying high labour costs. Examples could be of the textile and ship building industries which have vanished due to cheap imports. This also causes the secondary sector to decline. Tertiary The tertiary sector is forever growing and this is because everyone needs a service that falls under the tertiary sector. Everyone needs to eat so we have places like McDonalds and Burger King. As a country becomes more developed there is an increasing need for tertiary sector services such as transport and banking. The tertiary sector should keep steadily growing over time because again the demand for goods is growing.

Direct Effects of Financial Repression in India

Direct Effects of Financial Repression in India FINANCIAL REPRESSION (PAPER 7) Financial repression refers to the notion that a set of government regulations, laws, and other non-market restrictions prevent the financial intermediaries of an economy from functioning at their full capacity (McKinnon (1973) and Shaw (1973)PAPER 1). Generally, financial repression consists of three elements. First, the banking system is forced to hold government bonds and money through the imposition of high reserve and liquidity ratio requirements. This allows the government to finance budget deficits at a low or zero cost. Second, given that government revenue cannot be extracted that easily from private securities, the development of private bond and equity markets is discouraged. Finally, the banking system is characterized by interest rate ceilings to prevent competition with public sector fund raising from the private sector and to encourage low-cost investment (PAPER 1). The policies that cause financial repression include interest rate ceilings, liquidity ratio requirements, high bank reserve requirements, capital controls and restrictions on market entry into the financial sector, credit ceilings or restrictions on directions of credit allocation, and government ownership or domination of banks (PAPER 7). Economists have commonly argued that financial repression prevents the efficient allocation of capital and thereby impairs economic growth. While theoretically an economy with an efficient financial system can achieve growth and development through efficient capital allocation, McKinnon and Shaw argue that historically, many countries, including developed ones but especially developing ones, have restricted competition in the financial sector with government interventions and regulations. According to their argument, a repressed financial sector discourages both saving and investment because the rates of return are lower than what could be obtained in a competitive market. In such a system, financial intermediaries do not function at their full capacity and fail to channel saving into investment efficiently, thereby impeding the development of the overall economic system (PAPER 7). This paper aims to analyse the concept of financial repression and reasons why it is seen and detrimental to economic growthexplain sections below. Rationale for and types of financial repression The key reason for the government to implement financially repressive policies is to control fiscal resources. By having a direct control over the financial system, the government can funnel funds to itself without going through legislative procedures and more cheaply than it could when it resorts to market financing. More specifically, by restricting the behaviour of existing and potential participants of the financial markets, the government can create monopoly or captivate rents for the existing banks and also tax some of these rents so as to finance its overall budget. Existing banks may try to collude with each other and to interrupt possible liberalization policies as long as they are guaranteed their collective monopoly position in the domestic market. In some countries, governments require banks to meet high rates of the reserve ratios, and use the reserves as a method to generate revenues. Since reserves earn no interest, they function as an implicit tax on banks and restrict banks from allocating a certain portion of their portfolios to productive investments and loans. If high reserve requirements are combined with interest ceilings and protective government directives for certain borrowers, savers who are usually unaware of the requirement policy become the main taxpayers because they face reduced rates of interest on their savings. Inflation can aggravate the reserve tax because it reduces the real rates of interest. Thus, high reserves requirements make the best use of the governments monopolistic power to generate seigniorage revenue as well as to regulate reserve requirements. A variant of this policy includes required liquidity ratios; that is when banks are required to allocate a certain fraction of their deposits to holding government securities that usually yield a return lower than could be obtained in the market. Governments often impose a ceiling on the interest rate banks can offer to depositors. Interest ceilings function in the same way as price controls, and thereby provide banks with economic rents. Like high required reserve ratios, those rents benefit incumbent banks and provide tax sources for the government, paid for by savers and by borrowers or would-be-borrowers. The rents borne by the interest ceiling reduce the number of loans available in the market thereby discouraging both saving and investment. In return for allowing incumbent banks to reap rents, the government often require banks to make subsidized loans to certain borrowers for the purpose of implementing industrial policy (or simply achieving political goals). Interest ceilings in high inflation countries can victimize savers because high inflation can make the real interest rates of return negative. Financial repression also takes the form of government directives for banks to allocate credit at subsidized rates to specific firms and industries to implement industrial policy. Forcing banks to allocate credit to industries that are perceived to be strategically important for industrial policy ensures stable provision of capital rather than leaving it to decisions of disinterested banks or to efficient securities markets. It is also more cost effective than going through the public sectors budgetary process. Government directives and guidance sometimes include detailed orders and instructions on managerial issues of financial institutions to ensure that their behaviour and business is in line with industrial policy or other government policies. The Japanese Ministry of Finance (MOF) is a typical example of governments micromanagement of financial industry. Capital controls are restrictions on the inflows and outflows of capital and are also financially repressive policies. Despite their virtues, the use of capital controls can involve costs. Because of their uncompetitive nature, capital controls increases the cost of capital by creating financial autarky; limits both domestic and foreign investors ability to diversify portfolios; and helps inefficient financial institutions survive. Impacts of Financial Repression Because financial repression leads to inefficient allocation of capital, high costs of financial intermediation, and lower rates of return to savers, it is theoretically clear that financial repression inhibits growth (Roubini and Sala-i-Martin, 1992). The empirical findings on the effect of removing financial repression, i.e., financial liberalization on growth supports this view, but various channels through which liberalization spurs growth have been evidenced. The possible negative effect of financial repression on economic growth does not automatically mean that countries should adopt a laissez-faire stance on financial development and remove all regulations and controls that create financial repression. Many developing countries that liberalized their financial markets experienced crises partly because of the external shocks that financial liberalization introduces or amplifies. Financial liberalization can create short-term volatility despite its long-term gains (Kaminsky and Schmukler, 2002). Also, because of market imperfections and information asymmetries, removing all public financial regulations may not yield an optimal environment for financial development. An alternative to a financially repressive administration would be a new set of regulations to ensure market competition as well as prudential regulation and supervision. ECONOMIC THOUGHTS The literature on finance and development postulates a symbiotic relationship between the evolution of the financial system and the development of the real economy. This prediction is common to both the McKinnon-Shaw approach and the endogenous growth literature. However, while in the former financial development determines the level of steady-state output, in the latter it is a determinant of the equilibrium rate of economic growth. In the McKinnon-Shaw literature the basis for the relationship between financial and economic development is Gurley and Shaws (1955) debt-intermediation hypothesis. In this framework an increase in financial saving relative to the level of real economic activity increases the extent of financial intermediation and raises productive investment which, in turn, raises per-capita income. In these models nominal interest rate controls inhibit capital accumulation because they reduce the real rate of return on bank deposits, thereby discouraging financial saving. Moreover, higher reserve requirements also exert a negative influence on financial intermediation by increasing the wedge between lending and deposit rates. Under a competitive banking system this wedge is an increasing function of the rate of inflation. Thus higher real interest rates encourage capital accumulation and real economic activity, largely through an increase in the extent of financial intermediation. The competitive model of the banking industry are theoretically inadequate because First, in many less developed countries the banking industry is typically dominated by a small number of banks and collusive behaviour is not uncommon. Second, asymmetric information in loan markets is sufficient to generate a considerable degree of market power for lenders. Theoretical inadequacy relates to the implication of the assumptions of perfect competition, which leave little room for analyzing the behaviour of banks and their reactions to government interventions. Departure of the benchmark model from perfect competition has important implications for the way in which repressionist policies affect financial development. These effects may differ depending on the source of the departure from perfectly competitive behaviour. In the case where the departure is due to collusive behaviour, banking controls may induce banks to use non-interest-rate methods to influence the volume of bank deposits. Whenever the departure from perfect competition is due to imperfect information, the possibility of government corrective actions must be acknowledged. According to Stiglitz (1993), interest rate restrictions may be able to address moral hazard in the form of excessive risk taking by banks. Thus if one is prepared to assume that depositors perceive such restrictions as enhancing the stability of the banking system, their imposition may increase depositors willingness to hold their savings in the form of bank deposits. However, this crucially depends on how government policies are perceived by the public, which in turn relates to the existence or otherwise of good governance. Ill perceived and/or executed policies may have the opposite effect than that predicted by the market failure paradigm. Thus the success or failure of certain policies may largely depend on the effectiveness of the institutions that implement them (World Bank (1993). The endogenous growth literature offers additional channels through which financial sector policies may affect financial development, independently of the real rate of interest. In contrast to the Courakis-Stiglitz analysis, where repressionist policies may have positive effects, this literature typically predicts negative effects. The above analyses serve to suggest that the effects of certain types of interventionist policies as well as the channel through which they work may be different than has so far been recognized by much of the empirical literature. In particular, these policies may have direct effects on financial depth by: (1) changing the willingness of banks to raise deposits by non-interest-rate methods, and (2) changing the willingness of savers to supply their savings to the banking system. Thus these policies can have effects over and above-and sometimes conflicting with-those that are widely recognized in the literature. DATA ANALYSIS We focus on the economy of India for a variety of reasons. Besides the obvious reason that India is one of the most important developing economies in the world, it also has a rich history of varying types of repressionist policies which aids the statistical investigation. In the late 1950s the financial system of India was fairly liberal with no ceilings on interest rates and low reserve requirements. In the early 1960st he government tightened its control over the financial system by introducing lending rate controls, higher liquidity requirements, and by establishing state development banks for industry and agriculture. This process culminated in the nationalization of the 14 largest commercial banks in 1969. Further nationalizations took place in 1980. Interest rate controls were rigidly applied from the 1970s to the late 1980s to all types of loans and deposits. The term structure of interest rates was largely dictated by the Reserve Bank. Credit planning, a formal system of dire cted credit introduced in 1970, increasingly covered a very large percentage of total lending. Moreover, concessionary lending rates were offered to priority sectors. The late 1980s were, however, marked by the beginning of a process of gradual liberalization of the financial system. Ceilings on lending rates began to be lifted in 1988 and were completely abolished in 1989. Finally, further relaxations on directed credit and concessionary lending rates took place in 1990 and 1992. Interestingly, the index appears to reflect quite well many of the policy shifts that occurred during the sample period. According to this index, the early 1960s appear to be characterized with gradual increases in the level of financial repression. There was some stability in the mid-1960s followed by a big jump in 1969. This behaviour coincides with developments in the 1960s which culminated with the nationalization of the largest eleven banks in 1969, which allowed the Reserve Bank of India to intensify its directed credit program and to impose controls on deposit rates. The 1970s were characterized with the gradual imposition of more controls, i .e. a lending rate floor operated during 1973 and 1974, a lending rate ceiling was imposed in 1975 and remained in operation for 13 years, and reserve requirements (PAPER 3) were raised in 1976. The early 1980s saw even more controls imposed and an intensification of the directed credit program. Once again the gradual increase in the inde x follows these developments quite well. The index drops significantly in 1985, which coincides with a partial deregulation of deposit rate controls. It then rises again, reflecting the reintroduction of deposit rate controls in 1988 and a 4% increase of reserve requirements in 1989, but drops again in 1990 when the directed credit program is relaxed. Finally, there is a small drop of the index in 1991, which coincides with further deregulations of deposit rates. (PAPER 3) RECOMMENDATION (financial liberalisation) Since the break-up of the colonial empires, many developing countries suffered from stagnant economic growth, high and persistent inflation, and external imbalances under a financially repressed regime. To cope with these difficulties economic experts had advocated what they called â€Å"Financial liberalization mainly a high interest rate policy to accelerate capital accumulation, hence growth with lower rates of inflation (McKinnon (1973), Shaw (1973), Kapur (1976) and Matheison (1980)). Their argument that relaxation of the institutionally determined interest rate ceilings on bank deposit rates would lead to price stabilization and long-run growth through capital accumulation is based on the following chronology of events: (a) the higher deposit rates would cause the households to substitute away from unproductive assets (foreign currency, cash, land, commodity stocks, an so on) in favour of bank deposits; (b) this in turn would raise the availability of deposits into the banking system, and would enhance the supply of bank credit to finance firms capital requirements, and ; (c) this upsurge in investment would cause a strong supply side effect leading to higher output and lower inflation.(paper 1) CONCLUSION The main finding of this paper is that the direct effects of financial repression in India were negative and quite substantial. We would, however, advise caution in generalizing from these results to other countries. It is well known that the success of economic policies largely depends on the effectiveness of the institutions that implement them, and this clearly varies from country to country (e.g., World Bank (1993)). Thus we would not be surprised if future research showed- that the direct effects of financial repression in other countries (e.g., South Korea) were positive and significant.19 In fact, according to our theoretical analysis, the possibility of positive effects cannot be ruled out. Our conjecture is that repressionist policies may have positive effects whenever they are able to successfully address market failure. How-ever, market failure should encompass not only information-related imperfections but also those pertaining to the structure of the banking industry, as the latter may be equally important. Our results highlight a number of potentially fruitful avenues for further research. From a theoretical view point much work needs to be done to model financial repression in a framework where banks are more active than has so far been customarily assumed. Models where banks are able to influence the volume of their loanable funds may also be in the spirit of the modem banking literature, which emphasises the importance of active liability management. In such a framework it would be interesting to explore the role of market structure. A game-theoretic approach may also be taken, which could yield rich insights about the strategic aspects of financial repression. From an empirical point of view, the examination of the direct effects of financial repression in other countries is likely to be of considerable value. Furthermore, comparisons of these effects across different economies are likely to shed light on the relative effectiveness of repressi onist policies, thereby providing indirect evidence on relative levels of good governance. Finally, our results suggest that there is also considerable scope for empirical studies of bank behaviour under conditions of financial repression. (PAPER 3)

Using Technology to Improve Education Essay -- technology and Educatio

Purchasing a new technological gadget can be an exciting experience. After tearing through stubborn security labels, discarding excessive wasteful inner packaging, and tolerating the scent of new plastic wafting through the air, the consumer finally reaches their electronic goodie. Without power, the device is useless. It is simply a plastic brick with some fancy buttons attached. However, when this device is given a source of energy, it comes to life, and brings to its user access to entertainment, information, or communication. Many people treasure their high end technologies, and use them on a day to day basis. What some people fail to see is the full potential of their device. Their electronic gadget, when in their own hands, improves their happiness and quality of life. That same gadget in the hands of a student can promote knowledge gain, personal growth, and allows them to receive an overall better education. The educational experience in America can be enhanced great ly by utilizing various new technologies available today. One of the fastest growing technological trends in the classroom is the integration of computers. The appeal in using computers is seen in its wide capabilities; the possibilities are virtually endless. A computer in today's world can do almost anything for its user, so of course it can be used to enhance a student's learning experience. Use of computers and their complementing technologies in the classroom present a teacher with many options. When the teachers have options, the students can greatly benefit from experiencing a wide variety of teaching methods. â€Å"Research shows that children who use computers in an academic setting experience better development than children who do not use compu... ...oir Fitz Gibbon. â€Å"Is IT worth it?.† Teaching With Technology, Rethinking Tradition. Les Lloyd. Medford, NJ: Information Today. 2010. Pg. 23-37. Hernandez, Marjorie. â€Å"Governer launches digital textbook initiative in Calabasas.† Ventura County Star. N.p. 8 JUN 2009. Web. 16 FEB 2012. â€Å"Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom.† Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. US Department of Education. 6 NOV 2009. Web. 17 FEB 2012. â€Å"Internet.† Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online. 2010. Web. 8 MAR 2012. Perry, Bruce D. Interview. â€Å"Using Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom.† By Kimberly Moore Kneas. Scholastic. n.d. Web. 8 FEB 2012. Shen, Lynda. â€Å"Ebooks are especially suitable for educational purposes. Why is that so?.† ebook88. N.p. n.d. Web. 15 FEB 2012. â€Å"Software for the tablet PC.† Tabletpc2. Blue Thunder. n.d. Web. 8 MAR 2012.

The Andromeda Strain: A Critical Analysis Essay -- English Literature:

The Andromeda Strain: A Critical Analysis In 1969 Michael Crichton wrote The Andromeda Strain, a book that would forever expand the limits of a science fiction novel. Although written in 1969, it deals with very current issues facing the modern day boilogical and even political realm. Technically a science fiction novel, the meticulously crafted plot is so intertwined with actual science and technology that some have catagorized it as "science fact." It is this realistic overtone that gives the impression that perhaps, someday, events in the book could actually take place. Plot Synopsis The book opens up with a fictional page of acknowledgments stating "This book recounts the five-day history of a major American scientific crisis." From this opening sentence, the author immediately sets the tone as one of historical narration of events that actually took place. It is supposed to be a retelling of a scientific tradgedy with monumental implications. From here, the story the author relates begins. Five years earlier the United States government initiated a program called Project Scoop. The project's purpose was to send unmanned space capsules into the earth's outer atmosphere to collect samples and examine them. The hope was that undiscovered biological agents could be found for potential use as biological weapons of war. Overall, the Scoop program had been somewhat of a dissapointment until the seventh launch. It reentered the earth's atmosphere over small town in Arizona, where a team of two men were sent to retrieve it. Upon entering the town they found no signs of life and suddenly and unexplicably died themselves. This occurence set in motion something the government had secretly planned for ca... ...ploy would be to grow a number of microorganisms that would grow uninhibited in the vastness of space. The alien race would send them out in random directions where they would drift perpetually until finally reaching other life. Once reaching their destination, they would develop into full organ, or organism capable of communication. They would inform the other race of the presence of the other, and possible ways to communicate back. This seemed amusing to the more practical scientists, but it had to be considered a possibility with Andromeda. Overall, "The Andromeda Strain's" extremely technical subject matter made it challenging to read, but informative on a level usually not touched on by other science fiction novels. The plot itself as well as the concepts conveyed in this book make it relevent to the modern biologic world, even over 30 years later.

Its Time to Change the Flag of Mississippi :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

It's Time to Change the Flag of Mississippi Although many corporations have contributed large sums of money to campaign for a new Mississippi flag, that would replace the existing 1894 Confederate flag and improve economic and racial relations throughout the state, chances are slim that a change will occur. Many Mississippians are simply not ready for change and few African-Americans are actually pushing for a change. Many Mississippians view the original flag as part of the state’s heritage and do not want to replace it with a new one. However, I believe it is in the best interest of the state of Mississippi to change the flag, not only to ease racial tensions, but also to boost economic conditions. Several corporations have been trying to campaign for the switch to the new flag. According to Douglas Blackmon, in the Wall Street Journal, former Netscape executive and native Mississippian Jim Barksdale contributed almost 30% of the money for the new flag effort. Mr. Barksdale’s concern for the state’s economic and racial problems motivated him to help campaign for the new flag (Blackmon A22). Barksdale fears for Mississippi’s economic future if the change is not made to the new proposed flag, states Blackmon (A22). Blackmon says Barksdale’s message was â€Å"that the state should furl the rebel flag not out of shame for its past but so that Mississippi’s economic development won’t be hamstrung by unfair connotations with groups such as the Ku Klux Klan† (A22). In other words, people around the nation view the original 1894 flag as Mississippi’s way of clinging to the past. Consequently, businesses would be less likely to invest and expand their corporations in the state. Potential jobs would be lost. In U.S. News & World Report, Michael Schaffer says, â€Å"Business and civil rights leaders had argued that ditching a flag associated with white supremacy would attract potential investors now hesitant to set up shop in a state that still symbolically hails the Confederacy† (30). With this in mind, possible economic opportunities could be lost as result of not changing the flag. Another consequence from a reluctance to change the flag design would be increased racial tensions. It's Time to Change the Flag of Mississippi :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays It's Time to Change the Flag of Mississippi Although many corporations have contributed large sums of money to campaign for a new Mississippi flag, that would replace the existing 1894 Confederate flag and improve economic and racial relations throughout the state, chances are slim that a change will occur. Many Mississippians are simply not ready for change and few African-Americans are actually pushing for a change. Many Mississippians view the original flag as part of the state’s heritage and do not want to replace it with a new one. However, I believe it is in the best interest of the state of Mississippi to change the flag, not only to ease racial tensions, but also to boost economic conditions. Several corporations have been trying to campaign for the switch to the new flag. According to Douglas Blackmon, in the Wall Street Journal, former Netscape executive and native Mississippian Jim Barksdale contributed almost 30% of the money for the new flag effort. Mr. Barksdale’s concern for the state’s economic and racial problems motivated him to help campaign for the new flag (Blackmon A22). Barksdale fears for Mississippi’s economic future if the change is not made to the new proposed flag, states Blackmon (A22). Blackmon says Barksdale’s message was â€Å"that the state should furl the rebel flag not out of shame for its past but so that Mississippi’s economic development won’t be hamstrung by unfair connotations with groups such as the Ku Klux Klan† (A22). In other words, people around the nation view the original 1894 flag as Mississippi’s way of clinging to the past. Consequently, businesses would be less likely to invest and expand their corporations in the state. Potential jobs would be lost. In U.S. News & World Report, Michael Schaffer says, â€Å"Business and civil rights leaders had argued that ditching a flag associated with white supremacy would attract potential investors now hesitant to set up shop in a state that still symbolically hails the Confederacy† (30). With this in mind, possible economic opportunities could be lost as result of not changing the flag. Another consequence from a reluctance to change the flag design would be increased racial tensions.

Dissertation Sample †Is it Possible to Reduce the Harm Caused by Human Trafficking?

Abstract This paper reviews the practice and extent of human trafficking across the globe in order to assess the harm which is inflicted upon victims. This paper utilises case studies and academic research from the USA and Northern Ireland in order to find that regardless of the activity or the experiences of victims, all experiences psychological trauma. However this paper finds that there is also an informational black hole which can potentially impact upon the treatment of victims following a period in captivity, Introduction The phenomenon of human trafficking has increased as a problematic national international issue in recent years. Both state in non-state actors have attempted to combat this industry, however the focus upon the experiences of harm which victims experiences remains part of a subjective construct. This paper assesses what harm victims experience but in doing so seeks to address the extent and scale of human trafficking as a local and global issue. This paper utilises academic research and state policies from the USA and the Northern Irish Province of the UK in order to make findings in relation to the harm which human trafficking causes. This paper concludes that all victims of human trafficking experience psychological harm regardless of the role which they were expected to undertake. In essence, victims are reduced to being defined as begin vulnerable as a result of their experiences. What is Human Trafficking It is estimated that human trafficking earns criminal syndicates around $32 billion per annum (Haken 2011). The human trafficking networks which exist across the globe impact upon. It is a system that can be evidenced in almost all countries and of people who reside in those states (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), 2011). The natural conclusion to any research on the subject of human trafficking tends to conform to an idea that it concerns the transportation of a large number of vulnerable people from the periphery to the core (UNODC, 2011). A number of centres of gravity have been established where trafficking gangs tend to concentrate their efforts. These areas include, but are not limited to, Western Europe, Dubai and the USA. However, other markets also exist in countries such as India where there is a market in both the internal relocation of victims, in this case predominately children, of trafficking, and externally to the aforementioned locations (Finnegan 20 08). Global approaches to human trafficking are overseen by the United Nations (UN) which defines the practice as being the ‘recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation’ (UNODC 2000: n.p.). The UN working definition has been commuted in to the legal frameworks of domestic jurisdictions which, despite being semantically different they are, for all intent purpose, they possess the same underlying meaning as that of the UN’s. In the USA for example, the practice of human trafficking is legally defined as being ‘Trafficking in persons† and â€Å"human trafficking† have been used as umbrella terms for the act of re cruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion’ (US Dept of State, 2014: n.p.). In the UK, In the UK, the racquets which organise human trafficking are defined as being ‘those involved, normally working with others, in continuing serious criminal activities for substantial profit, whether based in the UK or elsewhere† (SOCA, 2013: n.p.). A number of international bodies also are incorporated into the fight against human trafficking. The World Bank, for example, possesses its own definition human trafficking as ‘the abuse of public power for private benefit’ (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2011: 5). Other organisation which are active in the fight against human trafficking includes the International Labour Organisation (2013: n.p.) which supports a perspective that women make up just over half of all trafficked people, with males and children making up the remainder. In essence, the issue and prevalence of human trafficking is considered to be an important issue on global as well as domestic terms and incorporates state and non-state activity (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2011: 4). In the USA, the local perspective considers that human trafficking is akin to a form of modern slavery (US Dept of State, 2014: n.p.). Modern Slavery Discourse With human trafficking being considered as akin to modern slavery is a label which is highly relevant to this subject area. Figures regarding trafficking to the USA are wide. For example Baldwin, Eisenman, Sayles, Ryan & Chuang (2011: 1) suggest that eighteen thousand are trafficked there annually, whilst Hughes (2001: 9) presented estimated of over one hundred thousand per annum. In this instance it is arguable that both may be correct. Recent years have seen US border controls and immigration fall within the remit of Homeland Security (Dept for Homeland Security, 2014). In their article, Hepburn and Simon (2010: 1) note that legislative definitions of human trafficking are similar. The reason for this is that all states take their leads from the UN policy. The UN definition, therefore, can be considered as being all encompassing and constitutes a policy which the majority of, if not all, states agree upon. Indeed a number of third party non-governmental organisations also have policies and working definitions in this area. One country of focus for the USA in its fight against human trafficking is Moldova which the USA sees as being a main country of origin for those trafficked to its shores. Additionally the US government argues that ‘women and children (are) trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation to the Balkans; other European countries; and the Middle East’ (Embassy for the United States: Moldova 2013: n.p.). One factor for the discrepancy for the difficulty in calculating the numbers of victims of trafficking is the nature of the activity. Since it incorporates criminal actions which seeks to secrete victims into a host nation, the possibility of creating accurate figures is an extremely challenging task. Indeed this is a reality which the UK government realised when attempting to evaluate the extent of the practice in that country as well as the wider European Union space (HM Parliament, 2009: 9). At this point it is to be noted that there is a clear difference between the transportation of people by illegal or criminal organisations via human trafficking and the international migrant trade. In the latter of these, willing participants pay syndicates to move to another country. Finnegan (2008) notes that human trafficking routinely involves further criminal offences including fraud, deception and coercion, and can result in the employment of people in, for example, forced labour and prostitution. In the vast majority of cases it can be assessed that those victims who are trafficked are aiming to escape from social deprivations, conflict, violence and poverty (Finnegan, 2008). Similarly there tends to be a level of state involvement through corrupt practices by individual state agents (Finnegan 2008). UNODC (2013) argues that trafficking for the purposes of prostitution and sexual exploitation comprises the vast majority of cases. This narrative provides a greater insight into the phenomenon of human trafficking in affected countries however on a personal scale the impact upon the victims can be considered to be more devastating. Harm caused by Human Trafficking It is noted that in the UK, the devolved Northern Irish authority argues that there must be three components for human trafficking to occur. These components are the act, the means and the purpose (Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, 2012).Each of these components must be in place for the offence of human trafficking to be considered as a crime. The referred to act concerns the recruitment of people; the means brings into play coercion, threats or intimidation; whilst the threats or force in order to coerce people whilst the purpose equates to the role being carried out, for example, prostitution, forced labour et al (Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland 2012: 4). Where all three of these elements have been confirmed, the possibility for prosecution is increased. Similarly a support network for victims is initiated. In the USA victims of human trafficking are predominately considered as being an issue for health care providers (Baldwin et al., 2011: 2). This policy is based upon statistical research which argues that over a quarter of all people who have been trafficked are in need of medical care whilst under the control of their captors (Baldwin et al., 2011: 2). These findings have placed the US healthcare system at the forefront of the fight in identifying victims and, by implication, the controlling criminal racquet. However Baldwin et al. (2011: 2) highlight the fact that information regarding the impact of trafficking on victims remains scant and argue that this finding is based upon a lack of data from state organisations such as law enforcement agencies, health care providers and human rights groups. Baldwin et al.( 2011: 1-3) reach this outcome despite the widespread practice which they argue can be found across the USA in over ninety cities and in thirty states. However the scant inf ormation which has been reflected thus far in this paper, in terms of state led assessments and academic research also suggests that the extent of human trafficking remains part of a subjective narrative. The US based National Human Trafficking Response Centre (2014: n.p.) notes the extent of trafficking is almost half of that which was argued by Baldwin et al. (2011) and is also different form that discussed by Coonan (2004). These outcomes impact upon the policy responses to issues related to harm which is experienced by people who have been trafficked, particularly where there are a number of medical or psychological interventions needed to assist victims in recovering from their experiences. The study conducted by Coonan’s (2004) utilised a number of victims of human trafficking, many of whom had originated from Mexico (Coonan, 2005: 208). All, bar one, had been employed in the sex trade with the latter being used for domestic servitude. All of these participants showed symptoms of mental health issues which related to a strong desire for physical security. However it is to be noted that Coonan (2004) failed to question victims on the rationale for this desire. As such, this area too remains part of a subjective concept and represents an inherent weakness in Coonan’s (2004) The need for physical security could potentially relate to a psychological fear of being taken and forced back into the activity which they were previously undertaking, or it could provide evidence of a need for safety from physical beating. Either way the strong desire for physical security is indicative of mental strain and evidence of trauma. As a further failing in Coonan’s ( 2004) paper it is to be noted that he did not discuss the experiences of being caught up in the human trafficking trade. This is a missed opportunity to gain a greater insight into the harm done by experiences. A further study by Hepburn and Simon (2010) provides details of the experiences of victims and, as a result, provides a greater insight into the harm done during time in captivity. Hepburn and Simon (2010: 6) state that women who were trafficked to join the US sex trade had to have sex over six hundred times simply to pay off their debts. Added to this were accommodation and food bills, resulting in a continual captive state. In this particular instance these women had to live in a condemned building, had no choice but to drink contaminated water and trap pigeons in order to eat. As such, in this case, long term physical illness cannot be ruled out. Similarly the exposure to regular sexual activity means that sexually transmitted disease cannot be ruled out (Hepburn and Simon, (2010: 6-7). One area where Hepburn and Simon were successful in their study was to concretise the need for physical security, where here, it can be evidenced that a fear of being recaptured was an overriding factor in the low mental health status of victims. Hepburn and Simon (2010: 8) also highlighted that women had been, in part, exposed to domestic US life, resulting in additional men tal stress and trauma Harm Reduction Programmes The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2009: 9) notes the psychological impact of trafficking upon victims and argues that the experiences of people are akin to a state of Stockholm syndrome. Here, captives are psychologically attacked to their captors and are subsequently mentally aligned to their captors (Graham, (1994: xvi). In essence the experiences of trafficked people is not dissimilar to the psychological experiences of those who have been taken hostage, cult members or long term prisoners of war (Graham, 1994: xvi). This is a factor which the Northern Irish authorities have recognised and people who have been liberated from trafficking are subsequently placed in a secure accommodation setting for six weeks in order that they can reflect upon their experiences whilst in captivity (Public Prosecution Service, 2012: 15). The process also helps victims to come to terms with a number of other areas of their experiences, obtain medical assessments and access the relevant tr eatments. The main overriding factor which affects all people is the psychological issue. This occurs regardless of the role which was undertaken. A further benefit of this approach is that it allows victims to open upon about their experiences and can help law enforcement agencies gather information in order to improve their intelligence assessments of the extent and practices which occur within their jurisdiction. However the overriding factor in the approach which the Northern Irish authorities utilise is based upon recognition that victims are vulnerable. It is this recognition that informs subsequent intervention processes from a plethora of state organisations. In essence, victims in Northern Ireland experience a multi agency response which is highly individualised and may include health specialists, social services, mental health services, law enforcement and immigration services. One further factor to note is that victims in this Province are also granted an immigration one year stay of execution in order that the relevant authorities can oversee their integration back in to civil society prior to being returned to their homeland and families (Public Prosecution Service, 2012: 13-22). Conclusions In conclusion, information regarding the harm caused by human trafficking is still evolving. Where information is available it is evident that all victims experience mental trauma as a result of their experiences. In achieving this finding this paper has assessed the scale and extent of the practice and has considered academic and state led research and practices. The mental harm experienced is indicative of a psychological state which is akin to Stockholm syndrome; as a result victims can be classed as being vulnerable and are in need of individualised levels of care. Knowledge of this outcome has the potential to reduce the harm caused by human trafficking however the evident lack of complete information is hampering the ability of institutions and state agencies to limit the harm done. As an issue of best practice the Northern Irish system can be seen as being the best approach to limiting harm and to promote a successful recovery. Bibliography Baldwin, S., Eisenman, D., Sayles, J., Ryan, G., & Chuang, K., (2011), Identification of Human Trafficking Victims in Health Care Settings, (J), Health and Human Rights, Vol. 13, (1), pp. 1-15. Coonan, T., (2004), Human Trafficking: Victims Voices in Florida, (J), Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation, Vol. 5, (2), pp. 207 – 218. Dept for Homeland Security, (2014), Fixing Our Broken Immigration System Through Executive Action – Key Facts, (online), available at http://www.dhs.gov/immigration-action?utm_source=hp_feature&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=dhs_hp, (accessed on 01/12/14). 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(J), National Institute of Justice Journal, Vol. 246, (1), pp. 9-15 International Labour Organisation, (2013), Quick Facts about Human Trafficking, (online), available at http://www.endhumantraffickingnow.com/quick-facts-about-human-trafficking/, (accessed on 06/12/14). Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (2012) Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Human Trafficking. Belfast: Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland. Serious Organised Crime Agency, (2012), Organised crime groups, (online), available at http://www.soca.gov.uk/threats/organised-crime-groups, (accessed on 06/12/14). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, (2000), The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and two supplementary protocols: Article 3, (online), available at http://www.unodc.org/documents/treaties/UNTOC/Publications/TOC%20Convention/TOCebook-e.pdf, (accessed on 06/12/14). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, (2009), Anti Human Trafficking manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners, New York: United Nations. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, (2011), The Role of Corruption in Trafficking in Persons. Geneva: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. US Dept of State, (2014), Definitions and methodology, (online), available at http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2013/210543.htm, (accessed on 06/12/14).