Psycholinguistic: Linguistics and Language Essay

This study seeks to determine the relevance of the behavioristic and cognitive approaches for Saudi learners’ acquisition of English as a foreign language (EFL). A special attention is given to learners in EFL programs at the University level. It also assesses the effectiveness of these approaches on student in translation program as well. One contention is that while behaviorist-inspired structuralist methodologies are best applicable at the beginning levels, transformationalist/cognitivist approach contributes tried methodologies to enhance the learners’ written and spoken skills in advanced stages. Advances in translation can be achieved through a study of the process of translation with an emphasis on a deductive rather than an inductive approach. INTRODUCTION Foreign language teachers have long been perplexed by a continuum of abundant psycho-linguistic theories. One approach is the traditional method to second/foreign language teaching and learning. This embodied the grammar translation method which developed at the end of the eighteenth century in Germany and spread throughout Europe (Howat, 1984). The second approach is the direct method that developed in the late nineteenth century as a reaction against the grammar-translation method (R. Carter, 1993). Prior to the time of Chomsky, â€Å"little was known about the process of second language acquisition, and thus (traditional approaches) were grounded in the linguistic, psychological, and pedagogical theories of their day. †(1) The author has conducted literature search through Educational Resources Index (Eric) was well as Languages Association (MLA) and Psychological. Abstracts (Psyclit). It has been noticed that some work, mostly dissertation, have dealt with the Saudi acquisition of specific linguistic features of L2, such as Morpheme acquisition Order (Al-Afaleg, 1991), Temporal Conjunctions (Noor, 1991), English Derivational Morphology (Al-Qadi 1992) Tense and Aspect (Farraj, 1995) and Second Language Relative Clauses (Maghrabi, 1997), and Studies on the psycho-linguistic theories of language acquisition, specifically in relation to the Saudi learner of English do not seem to exist. There are four major theories of language acquisition and language learning which many psycholinguists and applied linguistics are familiar with:Behaviorism, neo-behaviorism, cognitivism, and humanism. The purpose of this article is to examine two of these theories: Behaviorism (which is related to structuralism) and cognitivism (which is related to transformationalism) and then show the extent to which these two theories relate to language learning and particularly to Saudi learners enrolled in EFL and translation programs in King Saud University. STRUCTURAL (BEHAVIORISTIC) VIEW: The psychological theory behind behaviorist linguistics was founded by J. B. Watson (1942). (2) The extreme behavioristic stand-point is characterized by B. F. Skinner’s well-known study, Verbal Behavior (1957) which presents a theory of language learning even more firmly planted in the court of Pavlovian animal behavior than the language theories of the Russian behaviorist school which was itself greatly influenced by the work of Pavlov. The work that could be regarded as the basic doctrine of the structural school of linguistic theory was Leonard Bloomfield’s Language (1933). In this work, Bloomfield argued that the study of language could be pursued without reference to psychological doctrines and he took a firmly behavioristic line aimed at scientific objectivity. Bloomfield did not deny the role of meaning in language, but he objected to its importance in the study of language at a time when human knowledge of the vast range of semantic association attached to every linguistic form was so very little. Moreover, he viewed semantics as a subordinate element to the primary stimulus response relationship of verbal behavior. To Bloomfieldians†¦ â€Å"language is nothing but a habit that the child comes to learn by imitation. In their account of language acquisition, the child is exposed to linguistic data which he/she internalizes and then reproduces at a later stage. Language is thus learned from outside, we learn it in the same way that we learn other habits. Learning a language is not very much different from the laboratory mouse learning to expect to be fed each time someone rings a bell. †(3) They believe that, â€Å"a scientific theory must reject all data that are not directly observable or physically measurable. †(4). To the behaviorists, habit formation is brought about through repetition, mimicry, and memorization. Thus no clear distinction seems to be made between learning the first language and the target language. To them linguistic habits, generalization and associations have to be repeated using different data. Skinner (1957) based his whole theory of language acquisition and speech realization on the recognizable external forms of what Chomsky terms â€Å"input and â€Å"output† and makes no allowance for any internal process of the organism. Stimulus and reinforcement (or reward) from the input and the â€Å"verbal operant† (or response) forms the output. The structuralists, whose views are related to behavioral psychology, see language as a finite list of ordered elements to which one can attach labels. They undertake a systematic analysis of structure. The teacher depends on such structural description as the distribution and combination of elements into a chain of speech. It is based on the process of substitution, the replacement of one unit by another unit of the same grammatical class. They follow a taxonomic approach in teaching. Their view is characterized by the insistence that language is learnt by the strength of habitual association and by the context generalization (i. e. general association). It is more of an inductive rather than a deductive system. The Swiss scholar Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913), who is an associationist, believes that â€Å"all language items are essentially interlinked. †(5) He argues that â€Å"language was like a game of chess, a system in which each item is defined by its relationship to all the others†¦language is a carefully built structure of interwoven elements. †(6) TRANSFORMATIONAL (COGNITIVE) VIEW: The transformational (cognitive) theories, represented by Noam Chomsky have been acknowledged by linguists as a revolutionary contribution to linguistics, though Chomsky himself related his views to those of Hambolt and to rationalist philosophers of the Seventeenth Century such as Descartes. The school of thinking, which has developed around Chomsky’s ideas, has been variously termed â€Å"Cognitive†, â€Å"mentalist†, â€Å"generative† and â€Å"transformationalist. †His Transformational Analysis (1955), Syntactic Structures (1957), Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (1965), and Language and Mind (1968) are regarded as particular pioneer works of the new approach. The cognitivists reject the views of the behaviorists. They believe that â€Å"everybody learns a language, not because they are subjected to a similar conditioning process, but because they possess an inborn capacity which permits them to acquire a language as a normal maturational process. This capacity is by definition universal†¦the nature of language is such that it is impossible to explain it without postulating an innate mechanism of a fairly well-defined kind. †(7) They look for a universal grammar that contains universals relating to the deep-seated regularities characterizing all languages. For instance, subject and predicate, negative and adjectival forms are present in all languages because they are a universal feature, whereas the structuring and arrangement of these features belong to individual languages. The deep structure rules are limited by the grammar of each particular language. Universal grammar, according to Chomsky is â€Å"†¦a theory of the â€Å"initial state† of the language faculty, prior to any linguistic experience. †(8) To the cognitivist, children are born with an innate capacity for language development. The human brain is â€Å"ready† for language, in the sense that when children are exposed to speech, certain general principles for discovering or structuring language automatically begin to operate. These principles constitute, what Chomsky terms, a child language acquisition device (LAD). â€Å"A child uses its LAD to make sense of utterances heard around it, derived from his â€Å"primary linguistic data† hypotheses about the grammar of the language-what the sentences are, and how they are constructed. This knowledge is then used to produce sentences that, after a process of trial and error, correspond to those in adult speech: the child has learned a set of generalizations of rules, governing the way in which sentences are formed. †(9) Chomsky emphasizes the linguistic ‘creativity’, that is â€Å".. the ability of human beings to produce and comprehend an infinite number of novel sentences. †(10) Basic to this reason, Comsky believes that â€Å"Bloomfieldian linguistics was too ambitious in that it was unrealistic to expect to be able to lay down foolproof rules for extracting a perfect description of a language from a mass of data. It was too limited because it concentrated on describing sets of utterances which happened to have been spoken. †(11) Whilst the structuralist lays emphasis on the surface structure (patterns†¦etc.), the transformationalist lays emphasis on the processes of the deep structure; the stress is on learning to learn the development of a strategy of learning rather than the accumulation of information and rules. The structuralist tends to overemphasize the surface forms and the development of rules and to neglect the meaning. Unlike the behaviorists who believe that if there is a response there must be stimulus, the transformationalists (cognitivists) argue that language acquisition is autogenic and that the environment serves merely to trigger off a maturation process. Language comes primarily though the maturation that the environment triggers off and not through the environment itself. Erric Lenneberg, who is a cognitivist, also suggests that training is not necessary and that maturation is enough. His critical period hypothesis (1967) holds that â€Å"language acquisition must occur before the onset of puberty in order for language to develop fully. †(12) DISCUSSION Based on the contradictory views of the two schools, a brief discussion of how these views may relate to second language learning and teaching will be presented. This will be followed by a presentation (explanation) of the extent to which these views can apply to the case of the Saudi learner of English at the university level. From the preceding background, structuralism (behaviorism) seems to attribute the function of language to instruction and experience. A process of habit formation is brought about through repetition, mimicry, and memorization. There is a little difference between learning a first language and a target language. Linguistic habits, generalizations, and associations have to be repeated using different data. Cognitivism, on the other hand proposes that the processes of second language acquisition are not identical to those of the first language acquisition although there are similarities. One of the similarities could be that L2 may need to be learned at the same time as L1. Nevertheless, considering the question of universal and maturation, since acquisition of an L2 requires conscious control of learning and this cannot be handled at an early stage, transformationlists (cognitivists) hold that consciously controlled learning should be left to a much later stage, though there is no conclusive evidence to support this view. At this stage of analysis, it can be argued that, first, innate factors are less important for L2 learning than social factors of environment, motivation, and reinforcement. Second, a transformational system can perhaps operate with native speakers of a language, but although it is too complicated and may be confusing to be applied in second language/foreign language teaching, certain aspects may be useful. For instance, identification of kernel sentences which are similar in different languages, could be economical. Transformation could work from the comparison of these kernel sentences. Third, due to abstract characteristics of some of the cognitive views, the structural acquisition technique is probably more practical for formal learning in the first stages of the second language, and the cognitive technique may assume greater importance in the more advanced stages. Fourth, while some credence should be given to Chomsky’s language acquisition device (LAD), which explains why children invent new terms that mean nothing to adults, its limitations become real when dealing with adults learning a second language. That is when linguistic interference causes serious obstacles to second/foreign language learners. In such situation LAD will not be useful. Fifth, a structuralist method closely linked to Skinners’ stimulus-response-reinforcement theory of verbal behavior is the audiolingual approach which advocates the formation of the speech habits. Its feasible use can be realized through J. B. Carrol’s (1966) following basic terms such as: a) Speech is primary, writing secondary, so the habits that are formed in language must be speech habits. b) Automatic response is best achieved by constant repetition. c) Automatic response is best achieved by constant repetition. Offshoots of this theory are the language laboratory, structural drill, imitation, and memorization techniques. (13) Finally, cognitive theory advocates the development in the student of a conscious control of the psychological, grammatical, and lexical patterns of a given second language. This can be achieved through study and analysis of these patterns so that facility in using language stems from the teacher’s understanding of its structure. The structural approach (as it employs behavioristic means) has remained useful in the teaching of English as a foreign language, most importantly to help the learner acquire good language basis. For Saudi EFL learners, the use of drills at the phonetic level is of great help especially when dealing with segmental items that cause either interlingual or intralingual errors. A Saudi learner not only fail to produce the voiceless stop /p/ and the voiced fricative /v/ but tends to replace them with his L1 segments /b/ and /f/ respectively. Similarly, the velar nasal / / as a phoneme occurring at the final position of a word like â€Å"sing†, â€Å"long† which causes some difficulties for the Saudi EFL learner where he replaces it with the sequence of the two phonetic segments /n/ and /g/, and the alveo-palatal affricate /c/, occurring in words like â€Å"children† and â€Å"speech† where, instead, he transfers his Arabic alveo-palatal fricative /s/. Emphasis on drills will also enable the learner to reduce a possible interference of the Arabic syllable structure CVCV into the English structure. Since some Saudis tend to pronounce English words like â€Å"against† as *againist†, and â€Å"first† as *firist†. Structural (behavioristic) teacher can help in solving other problematic linguistic features such as agreement and word order which Saudi EFL learner encounter. Thus, patterns and exercises are needed to reduce erroneous forms such as *†He play, they buyed, talls buildings, and hypercorrections such as: * â€Å"He cans, and She musts†. The transformational cognitive orientation can be effective in the advanced stages of a foreign language acquisition. Thus, for Saudi students at the university higher levels, where advanced courses on linguistics and translation are offered, it is logical to assume that structural drills, repetitions, and memorization techniques will no longer be essential. At this level of advancement in the intimate knowledge of language and culture we may conceive a minimal level of interference from the native tongue (Arabic) of the learners. Yet, such aspects of the target language as deep structure and transformational rules will enable the Saudi learner to understand some of the idiosyncratic forms and ambiguous sentences. Transformational rules will reinforce the learner’s awareness of the syntactic and the semantic relations between various English linguistic patterns. Through these linguistic relations, learners can make inferences and develop some generalizations about the structure of English language. Communication strategies, conversation, and creative essay writing using cultural content will be more beneficial at these levels. With regard to the translation program, the analysis of source language texts that translators have to translate and the analysis of texts they have to create, a process of linking aspects from cognitivism with that of behaviorism should be observed. Negotiating the meaning of the source language text is not just a sociolinguistic matter; it is psycholinguistic as well. Saudi trainees in our translation program happened to have rendered the meaning of â€Å"They are into the habit of splitting straws† based on knowledge acquired through some behavioristic approach and produced a literal erroneous translation outcome. This means that there is always much room for the smaller scale experimentation on the factors affecting the text conversion process. The transformation of a text originally in one language into an equivalent text in a different language demands that the content of the message and the formal features and functional roles of the original text should be retained. In this regard the Saudi trainees translated the verb â€Å"laid† in â€Å"They laid him open to blackmail† without any reference to a likely secondary meaning that the verb â€Å"lay† might imply. This approach supports the belief that much of our experience of the external world of the senses and of the inner world of the mind is mediated by language and by the concepts stored in our memories. These factors refer to entities via the convention of language and do so variably depending on the medium of communication (language used). It is the process that creates the translation outcome and it is only by understanding that process that we can hope to help our Saudi trainees to improve their linguistic skills. Having said that, it is difficult to see how translation theories can move beyond the subjective and the normative evaluation of texts without drawing heavily on aspects from both behaviorism an cognitivism. Translation theories have made little systematic use of the techniques and insights of contemporary linguistics. With this fact in mind, Saudi translation trainees should be trained within a framework that combines features from all branches of cognitivism and behaviorism. This entails developing in the  trainees’ performance and competence a familiarity with and a competence in the use of the psychological and psycholinguistic models of memory and information processing on the one hand, and linguistic models of meaning, including meaning beyond the sentence on the other. Logic of the examples provided above asserts the validity of some aspects of the two psycholinguistic views. Cognitive approach may operate with some specific semantic and pragmatic aspects of L2 by means of exploring features as cohesion, conceptual and connotative meanings, speech acts and kinetics. Such features should, at this stage, receive due consideration. CONCLUSION From the above analysis proceeds that with regard to language acquisition, behavioristic theory can provide much useful information concerning verbal responses and reinforcement. But it is inadequate to account for innate and cognitive features. Transformational theory, on the other hand, provides much useful information on the basic nature of the organism and its internal processes, but makes little or no account of stimulus-response-reinforcement relationships. Unlike the cognitive approach, behavioral approach tends to manipulate the language and disregard the content. Despite the pedagogic significance of both theories, it seems that none of their approaches is complete in itself. For one reason, the nature of the Arabic language has significantly different phonetic and grammatical structure from that of the English language. Due to this difference and as advocated by Smith (1987) there are â€Å"†¦ far fewer areas of facilitation, and far greater areas of interference†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (14) The situation of the Saudi EFL learners at the university level requires an eclectic approach with combined aspects derived from the approaches stated earlier. This approach can guarantee more effective outcome at the pedagogical level. I believe the attitude, the age, and the aptitude of the learners are three factors that should be considered in second language acquisition. A combination of innate propensities and objective necessity create the most favorable attitude. All these factors, including the teaching strategies, stand for fundamental variables in learning a foreign language. Relationship between communicative exchanges and syntactic forms alert the translator to the mechanisms that link the highly abstract and universal proposition with the totally physical and context-dependent utterance or text. REFERENCES (1) Pica, T. P. Communicative Language Teaching: â€Å"An aid to second language acquisition? Some insights from classroom research. † English Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 2, 1988. , (p. 70) (2) Malmkjaer K. (Ed. ) The Linguistics Encyclopedia, Routledge, Longon, 1991. , (p. 53) (3) Kebbe, Z. M. , Lectures in general Linguistics, An Introductory Course, Arabic Academic Press, Aleppo, 1995. , (p. 14) (4) Op. cit,(P. 53) (5) Aitchison, J. , Linguistics, Hodder Headline, London, 1992. , (p. 24) (6) Ibid. (p. 24) (7) Wilkins, D. A. , Linguistics in Language Teaching, Edward Arnold, London, 1974. , (p. 168-169) (8) Slakie, R. , The Chomsky Update, Linguistics and Politics, Unwin Hyman, Ltd, London 1990. , (p. 19) (9) Crystal,. D. , The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Linguistics, Cambridge University Press 1987. (p. 234) (10) Op. cit. (p. 26) (11) Ibid. , (p. 26) (12) Brown, H. D. and Gonzo, S. , Readings on Second Language Acquisition, Prentice Hall. , p. 77, 1995. (13) Carrol, J. B. , â€Å"The contribution of Psychological Theory and Educational Research to the Teaching of Foreign Language†, in Trends in Language Teaching, Ed. , Valdmen, 1966. (14) Swan, M. and Smith, B. (Ed.) Learner English, Ateacher’s guide to interference and other problems, Cambridge University Press, 1987. , (p. 147) (15) Bloomfield, L. 1933 Language. London: Allen & Unwin. (16) Chomsky, N. Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1965. (17) Chomsky, No. Syntactic Structures. The Hague: Mouton, 1957. Afaleg, O. â€Å"A Comparison of Morpheme Acquisition Order in Learners of English as a Foreign Language versus English as a Second Language: The Case of Adult Learners in Saudia. Diss. Indiana Univesity, Bloomington, 1991. (18) Qadi, N. S. , â€Å"Acquistion of English Derivational Morphology by Arab Speakers†, Diss. University of Georgia, Athens, 1991. (19) Farraj. , A. M. â€Å"Acquistion of Tense and Aspect in the English Based Inter-Language of Non-native Speakers†, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 1995. (20) Noor, Hashim, â€Å"The Acquisition of temporal Conjunctions by Saudi Arabian Learners of English’, International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 3, N. 1 (p. 101-2A), 1993. (21) Maghrabi, A. â€Å"The Roles of Psycholinguistic Constraints and Typological Influence in the Acquisition of Pronominal Copies in Relativization by Arabic and English Learners†, Thesis, Georgetown University, Washington, D. C. , 1997.

Amelie †Intercultural Film Review Essay

Amelie is a French movie about a young twenty something girl who’s world opened up to her when her mother dies and she is allowed to venture out. After a health misdiagnoses at a young child Amelie is stranded in her home away from all people and relationships until her mother passes away and she finds herself free. She becomes a waitress and decides to help all the people around her until one day she herself finds love. This film shows a French cultural pattern where the people are open minded, whimsical, unique, and quirky. The main character Amelie, wants to get the most out of her life. She takes the viewer on a path through a series of subplots where she is trying to help people that surround her find happiness and joy. Paris and the people of France are shown in a whimsical and fairytale environment. All the while, Amelie, is removed from all human contact which makes for an interesting film if one is attempting to view this film through the lens of interpersonal communi cation. All the communicating in the movie is done through the use of metaphors, scheme, plots, tricks, and the like. It’s interesting because Amelie doesn’t directly communicate with people even though she is not anti-social. She is very social and likes to help people but she does so almost exclusively nonverbally. One exception to this is when Amelie helps a blind man to cross a busy street and, opposite to her normally silent nonverbal character, she proceeds to very quickly describe everything that she sees and everything that is happening to the blind man in exceptional detail. This is done as an act of kindness for someone who can’t see and not as a form of actual or real communication. All real communication in this movie, is done in a childlike fashion of cat and mouse. It feels almost like interpersonal communication in this movie is a game that is not to be taken seriously. When Amelie finds a boy that she is romantically interested in, she finds herself needing to communicate with him only from a distance. Amelie once again plays one of her games in order to conceal her identity. Nino, the object of Amelie’s affection, is a boy who collects old photos from an old photo booth. The use of pictures in this movie is overwhelming and must have some reason behind it. Itâ€℠¢s almost as if the characters are communicating through the pictures rather than with words. Even when Amelie was quickly describing the surrounding to the blind man she was helping across the street, it was as if she was creating a picture in his mind so he could connect with her. Perhaps Amelie can only  communicate through imagery like metaphors and photographs because she spent her entire childhood alone with only her parents because they thought she was too ill to be around others. I have mixed feelings about this film because I can appreciate a good romantic comedy and I understand the feeling the director was trying to create but I’m not a fan of the fanciful fairytale romances which I think this movie falls into. I would have preferred a movie with a real underlining tone and I could do without all the whimsy. Amelie felt like a child in a woman’s body, not unlike 13 going on 30 ¸ and for me the doe eyed cutesy character began to wear on me and I found myself more annoyed than anything by the end. The setting is Paris, but not the real Paris but rat her a fantasy version of Paris not unlike a dream or the Paris you can see in old movies. The story itself felt very Disney-like in that the mother dies in the beginning which is the impetuous to the main character being forced unprepared onto the world, the main character then helps many sub-characters out along the way to finding her true love. Very Disney indeed. I’m certain that I would not recommend this movie to my friends or my family, but maybe it would have a place in a cultural communications classroom. I think the only problem I would have with it is that it doesn’t portray an actual or real culture, and only portrays a fantasy like culture. The lead character is able to form relationships and make the audience care about her without having to say much at all, which can have some value when it comes to the study of nonverbal communication. Also, there might be a value to getting a feel for the French culture from this film, because even though I didn’t love the story or the film-making, there was something about the ‘sound’ in the film. The dialogue did draw me into the French culture which was interesting because I don’t speak any French. Even though I struggle to pinpoint the feeling or atmosphere of the film, I do think that something was captured even if it was just the Disney version of Paris and French Culture.

Refugees: Human Rights and Largest Refugee Populations

Refugees Part A. Sadly and commonly throughout the world of today with its immense technology, and stature lies an ever growing and simple problem soon becoming an epidemic. Through tyranny styled governments, ignorance and even a lack of awareness and care sits 20 million refugees thrown from their countries simply because it is not safe, to a place where they are unknown. These people are children, mothers and fathers dying endlessly with nowhere to go and without a future.Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution. They are subgroup of the broader category of displaced persons. †¦ en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Refugee A refugee can be defined in a variety of means and in many ways is a definition that often faces misconception with the general public.In many cases it is the way in which the circumstances arise that leaves people confused. Wether or not they were forced and also wether it is simply a home or a country that you become forced out of. A refugee is a person or persons that have been forced out of there natural habitat wether it simply be there home or there country and are left with no other option but to run away, out of fear of persecution, death, or because of natural disaster. They do not necessarily run away from there nation of citizenship but just to another location other then there ordinary home to take refuge.If it is decided that they are either accepted into a country or run into a country for refuge then they are to receive the same freedom and rights as any other ordinary legal resident. However this doesn’t allow them to become immediate citizens or have an extended period of ref uge in the country, if and when there country of origin returns to a state of decency they are then forced to return. These rights include; basic civil rights, freedom of thought, freedom of movement, and freedom from torture and degrading treatment.As with any other individual these people are entitled to have the right to: work, medical care, social and economical rights, and every child must have the right to schooling. We must keep in mind that these people aren’t asylum seekers or immigrants, they simply leave to take refuge and safety. Causes of extended refugee numbers. GOVERNMENT: often in third world and poorly funded nations people are forced to leave as a result of a tyranny styled government. These corrupt officials often associate with terrorists, guerrillas, and drug barons, making the country unsafe and unliveable.FARMING: poorly funded or corrupt nations often lack sufficient land and equipment for farming practices. This is made worse by a lack of education a nd farming knowledge. With this, food numbers and the economy is bought down. The farmers themselves as well as all countrymen and women are left with little food and money and are forced to leave. WAR: Corrupt and poor nations are often at the greatest threat of terrorist and war activity thanks to the government and lack of money. Terrorists prey on these areas with poor security, education and with a wide array of religions.Civilians are at great risk. This is also added to by religious and race fuelled wars. NATURAL DISASTERS: countries often with poor financial backing are worst hit by natural disasters. Farms, the lifeblood of the area as well as buildings which were poorly built originally become demolished. Furthermore infrastructure such as sewerage and water as well as electricity become unsafe and unclean as these nations lack the money not only to fix it but to have had sufficient facilities to begin with. These people are again forced to leave to avoid death.PERSECUTION : is often caused by corrupt governments. Persecution is often aimed at particular races, religious backgrounds, group memberships, and opinions. Many governments stand for unjust laws allowing people to be unfairly persecuted. Where Are the Refugees coming from? AFRICA: ASIA: 1951: 5,000 1951: 41,500 1999: 3,523,100. 1999: 4,781,800 EUROPE: SOUTH AMERICA. 1951: 1,221,200 1951: 120,000 999: 2,617,600 1999: 61,100 NORTH AMERICA. OCEANIA. 1951: 518,500 1951: 180,000 1999: 649,600 1999: 64,500. THE WORLD: 1951: 2,116,200 1999: 11,697,800 The Largest Refugee Populations, 1999. Who is taking responsibility for the care of the refugees? Part B. Solving the refugee epidemic†¦ As with each day we grow in our knowledge stature both scientifically and technologically as does, sadly a societal epidemic in that of our refugee numbers.First and foremost these nations need funding that must find its way to the citizens that need it and not the Government. From here education is a necessity where it then should be used in schools, as well as teaching for trades, farming practices, and general human rights, with social education. As said, the most simple yet in many ways unattainable solution is education, in teaching skills and tolerance. In part A, identified were major causes of the refugee numbers and in each case and example education would have been a solution, with the exception of the Government.Persecution, often caused by race and religion or even opinions is often fuelled by regular citizens who simply haven’t had the correct education and were forced into abiding by certain laws, governments and religions. The people themselves who are often persecuted are the ones who have had the ability to be educated and have their own beliefs rather than those who were taken at a young age and forced to fight or believe in a cause. When it comes to another problem that education can cure, we must look at natural disasters.Obviously the disaster itself cannot be p revented, however the original damage in many cases could have been far less and the rebuilding could be far better, resulting in fewer refugees, had education been received. This education would have helped several aspects of a natural disasters effect. Firstly buildings and farms in the areas would have been constructed and prepared in order to sustain such events and if educated awareness of the event and preparation in procedures before and after the diaster would be far better.Farming itself is extremely significant in providing sufficient aspects of these nations economy so again education is vital. Funding shouldn’t be used to supply food to these nations, but to rather supply education for correct farming practices, equipment, facilities and knowledge. This would not only significantly change refugee numbers but increase economic stability and create jobs and money in the area. This education mainly needs to be served to children of the nation at an extremely young ag e, the future of these nations, who can then provide a emocratic government, as well as having the knowledge to create a sufficiently flowing nation, with agricultural and business benefits. With such religious and social education which is a major problem, corrupt governments will no longer be running the nation and therefore unable to persecute, discriminate or steal. With this education, these nations will grow in stature to provide sufficient, social, economical, health, business, and security aspects that will no longer see citizens forced to run to other countries.

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Reaction paper - Essay Example Thereafter, each of them goes their separate ways to attend to their tasks at home or in their offices. Competition causes individuals even in the seminary to think of themselves first in their social and academic endeavors. It takes discipline and effort to think as a team and foster a healthy give and take attitude. Chapter 9 of Bacher and Copper-White book, â€Å"Ministry Teams: Teeming with Talent,† throws some light on how to be involved as a team, specifically in a church scenario. According to Bacher and White a team â€Å"is not a church term...and a community that gathers for worship is not a team either.† A team is composed of a group of people that work together to accomplish goals that cannot be done by a single individual. In a church environment, there are various departments called ministries and each ministry has its own team - teams which can help build up the church and its ministries. In order for the team to be productive and successful, it is essential that each individual realize that to be part of a team, one should know how to develop trust, encourage open communications with one another, and be responsible for one self and the members know how to care for each other. This is because even the absence of one member can have a debilitating effect on the rest of the team. A team has some basic values. Broadly, these values are based on confidence and trust in each other. And based on this confidence and trust, each member of the team performs a distinct function. We may have intellectuals and talented people in our team, but without these values, it is not possible for the team to last. The individuals in the team are interdependent. No individual can be greater than the team. An individual may feel that the team cannot do with him. While this feeling is healthy, it does the individual no good if he is puffed up because of this feeling. Normally, a healthy team always has some replacement facilities. Also quite often, one may think that it

Antigone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Antigone - Essay Example Haemon is in love with Antigone. Creon rules that he will spare Ismene and bury Antigone alive were not for the intervention of Tiresias, the blind prophet. The twist of events results to Antigone hanging herself while Haemon kills himself together with her mother, Eurydice. Antigone has the character of a rebellious girl that is noble and wise. She is defiant of the rules that are given by Creon and goes on to have her way. She is truthful, she does not refuse that she buried her brother. She is courageous since she took the body to go and bury. In addition, she is an intelligent character. Her sister, Ismene is a coward; she is not easily persuaded and is a person that likes to play safe. Besides, she is submissive, kind and obedient. Creon’s pride is evident, he refuses to intervene after the prophesy causing him the life of his son and wife. Eurydice, on the other hand is demonstrated as weak hearted and emotional. Haemon is bold and stands with his lover despite his father’s decrees. Antigone is a play that arouses emotions as well as leaves some lessons to be learnt. The character Antigone inspired me to take up anything that I commit myself to do irrespective of the consequences, only given that it is done for the right motive. Being a woman and having lost her brothers, falling apart with her sister having not yet married could have discouraged hence making her obey the decree. She risked her life and went ahead to have her way. On the other hand the essence of humility has been emphasized irrespective of the social or political status. If Creon heeded to the prophet’s advice, he would not have lost his family. Finally, the play ends on a sad mote with the death of a potential couple that had demonstrated heroism in the play, Haemon and

Industry Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Industry Analysis - Research Paper Example This would also help in understanding the position of Macy’s Inc in the industry and the threat it possess on grounds of the five forces in the Porter’s Five forces analysis model. Finally the study would be concluding with an insight into the sum-up of the entire study followed by recommendations for further improvement. Company Analysis Macy’s Inc. is one of the American multinational holding companies which is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company is the owner of all the departmental stores of Rich’s and Macy’s Bloomingdale’s that specializes in sale of footwear, clothing, furniture, bedding, accessories, beauty products, jewelry and house ware. The organization operates almost 850 stores in the entire United States. It is renowned for possessing the most prominent flagship stores in the country specifically Macy’s in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The organization is the biggest fashion good retaining company in the world and 36th biggest retailer from overall perspectives on the basis of the sales revenue amount of $ 25 billion in the Company’s annual report of 2010. ... nancial analysis is defined as the procedure for evaluating relationship in between different components within the financial statement fir having a clear understanding of the position and performance of an organization. The financial analysis of Macy’s Inc would help the management in taking a concrete decision and avoid the chances of flaws. For avoiding any faulty decision, it is very important to analyze and interpret the results in a systematic manner. A comparative analysis of the performance of the organization with its competitors would also be performed in order to understand its position within the industry (Sinha, 2009). The competitors of the company include Dillard’s Inc and SAKS Inc (Hoovers, 2013). The next portion of the project would be displaying the income statement of Macy’s Inc. Year 2009-01 2010-01 2011-01 2012-01 2013-01 Revenue 24892 23489 25003 26405 27686 Cost of revenue 15009 13973 14824 15738 16538 Gross profit 9883 9516 10179 10667 11 148 Operating expenses                Sales, General and administrative 8481 8062 8260 8281 8482 Other operating expenses 5780 391 25 -25 5 Total operating expenses 14261 8453 8285 8256 8487 Operating income -4378 1063 1894 2411 2661 Interest Expense 588 562 579 447 437 Other income (expense) 28 6 5 4 -122 Income before income taxes -4938 507 1320 1968 2102 Provision for income taxes -135 157 473 712 767 Net income from continuing operations -4803 350 847 1256 1335 Net income -4803 350 847 1256 1335 (Source: Morning Star, 2013a) In the year 2009, the company was incurring losses. The aforementioned table shows that the company has started making profit from the next year i.e. 2010. The company has made impressive performance in terms of generating net earnings. The net earnings figure has increased yearly

The impact of London congestion charge,an economic view Literature review

The impact of London congestion charge,an economic view - Literature review Example However, despite this, the actual implementation and running costs of the congestion charge have been suggestibly much higher than the benefit (Evans, 2007). Figures from TfL suggest that the revenue:cost ratio is extremely high (Leape, 2006). For example, upkeep of the monitoring systems requires technical experts which cost a lot to employ. The video cameras used as part of the system are also extremely costly and require maintenance and protection from vandalism (Leape, 206). Secondly, there is a lot of bureaucracy involved in chasing up congestion charge dodgers and others who falsely abuse the exemption system. Finally, there are other effects that can be judged by approaching the congestion charge economically, such as the effect on jobs and economic activity within the 22km2 zone (Leape, 2006). It is interesting to look at the effects that the congestion charge has had on retail within the zone. One paper (Quddus, Camel & Bell, 2007) looked at a John Lewis department store wit hin the zone, on Oxford Street. The data looked at four years between 2001 and 2004, which included three years of pre-congestion data and one year post-congestion data. It was decided to stop collecting sales data after this point as the opening hours changed, which is a good way of avoiding bias in this type of economic study. However, there may still be bias present from only evaluating one year of congestion charge sales data, as three years of pre-congestion charge data was examined giving a broader picture of the economic scope of the store. Despite this, the study produced some interesting results. After controlling for Gross Value Added (GVA) specific to London and...This paper offers a thorough analysis of the all-round impacts of the imposition of congestion charge in London. Not only economic, but also social and environmental impact is considered. The paper attempt to provide how the congestion charge assist in improving environment. It also evaluates the impact on unemp loyment changes facilitated by charging. One of the main aspects of transportation in London that was intended to be improved by the congestion charge was the economics. There is evidence that there has been a positive economic effect seen by introducing the charge, with an estimated 90% of pre-charge congestion costs being eliminated by profits. However, despite this, the actual implementation and running costs of the congestion charge have been suggestibly much higher than the benefit. In terms of the environment, there were significant reductions in traffic flows within the congestion zone area between 2003 and 2006. There are many different approaches to the congestion charge and how it has had an effect on London from an economic standpoint. These have all given various different results within the literature, although these are partly dependent on the methodologies used and the time periods examined. One of the main issues that can come from assessing a project like the congestion charge is that it will be evaluated in the short-term, and there may be additional costs or benefits to be seen within the medium- or long-term which cannot be assessed by current results.

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Globalization - Essay Example Mascarenhas (1982) developed a perspective of multiple factors the multinational organizations faces due to environmental uncertainty and focused on foreign exchange uncertainty, political uncertainty, and employment problems. Hambrick (1982) divided the environment into four categories: administrative, engineering, entrepreneurial, and regulatory, and these categories in twenty sub-categories. Several other scholars contributed to the classification in two broad dimensions: task (competitors, customers, and suppliers) and remote (political/legal, social/cultural, technological, and economic) environment (Dess & Beard, 1984; Ebrahimi, 2000). More recently, Guisinger (2001), based on prior work, proposed the geovalent construct to comprised eight "mutually exclusive, exhaustive, quantifiable, and largely replicable" (Guisinger, 2000: 4) environmental dimensions and encapsulate some of the main features of the international business environment. But the concept of globalization has cha nged the entire environment of global business. The IMF defines globalization as "the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross border transactions in goods and services and of international capital flows, and also through rapid and widespread diffusion of technology." Mitchell (2000) defines globalization as "g... The world economy has been emerging as a global or transnational economy. A global or transnational economy is one which transcends the national borders unhindered by artificial restrictions like government restrictions on trade and factor movements. Globalization is a process of development of the world into a single integrated unit. The transnational economy is different from the international economy. The international economy is characterized by the existence of the different national economies the economics relations between them being regulated by the national governments. The transnational economy is a borderless world economy characterized by free flow of trade and factors of production across national borders. Drucker (1990) in his new realties observed that in the early or mid seventies with OPEC and president Nixon's floating of the dollar - the world economy changed from being international to transnational. Globalization in its true sense is a way of corporate life necessitated, facilitated and nourished by the transnationalization of world economy and developed by corporate strategies. Globalization is an attitude of mind - it is a mind - set which view the entire world as a single market so that the corporate strategy is based on the dynamics of the global business environment. International marketing or international investment does not amount to globalization unless it is the result of such a global orientation. Supporters and critics of a globalization alike tend to agree that globalization is nothing new. There have been always degrees of economic, political and cultural interdependence. What makes globalization an issue today is the speed at which interdependence is growing. This is partly the result of unprecedented

For what cultural critique does Margaret Atwood use the strory of Essay

For what cultural critique does Margaret Atwood use the strory of Pyramus and Thisbe - Essay Example The two are stories of contrast with regard to the ways in which men and women join in union. As a tool for cultural critique, â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† differs from 'Marrying the Hangman† in terms of the fundamental motivations of the main characters, in the way love is present and absent, and in the practical and impractical considerations of the characters (Atwood; Ovid) It can be argue that â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† serves as an ideal conception of the pure motivations of the characters, which serves as a counterpoint to the pragmatic considerations of the woman who wanted to avoid death at any cost, and made use of a loophole in the law to be spared of the hanging that was her punishment for stealing her master's wife's clothes. Pyramus and Thisbe were the ideal pure and beautiful lovers who simply wanted to be together, and finding that their families and society in general were against their being together, chose to risk their lives rather than live day to day separated by the physical walls and the social walls that kept them apart. This is a true counterpoint, because the actions and the motivations of the two lovers were totally bereft of any practical considerations, and did not even consider the dangers that met them by venturing out into the wilderness and into the dangerous tomb of Ninus. Not fearing death, the lovers in Ovid's poem in fact welcomed death as part of the price that they had to pay for love. Death did not deter them. â€Å"Thou envious wall why art though standing in the way of those who die for love?† (Ovid). There is the sense from the very start that this love was pure, that the motivations of Pyramus and Thisbe were pure, and death was the crucible that tested the purity of those motivations and intentions. In the end they would e true to their word and would take their own lives for love, just as they lamented before the wall, before they agreed to escape and to meet in the tom of Ninus. On the other hand, in contrast to this, we have the poem of Atwood of â€Å"Marrying the Hangman†, where the motivations were of a totally different flavor and source altogether. The woman, sentenced to death by hanging, also wished to be joined to a faceless voice on the other side of a wall, like in Pyramus and Thisbe. On the other hand, where the motivations of the lovers in Ovid were pure and based on love, in â€Å"Marrying the Hangman† the motivation was pure survival. Underneath it is fear, and that fear is the fear of death. It is a base motivation to be sure. The woman was afraid of death and wished to be spared of the fate of the condemned by somehow getting married to a hangman. Because there was no hangman, her only salvation lay in persuading the voice on the other side of the wall to marry her, after first becoming a hangman himself. It is a calculated motivation, far removed from love, and driven wholly by fear. It is also driven by a willingness to accept and to liv e with compromises: â€Å"The hangman is not such a bad fellow. Afterwards he goes to the refrigerator and cleans up the leftovers, though he does not wipe up what he accidentally spills† (Atwood). There is a difference too in the way love is abundant in â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† and serves as a stark contrast to its being a secondary consideration in Atwood's poem â€Å"Marrying the Hangman†. From the start in the latter poem we are made to understand that the reason for any union is not love, though they talk about that,

Professional skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Professional skills - Assignment Example In the 1980s, video arcades and console games were integrations in the learning process (Wolf, 2012). The target audience of the learning games was children aged between 5 and 10 years. The Learning Company is a pioneer in the history of games and learning with family-oriented software games emerging in the 1990s (Wolf, 2012). A recent development in digital learning focuses on providing children with tools for repairing, constructing and authoring contrary to the traditional games. SimCity is an example of the rear mentioned game. A large population of parents deal with video games in a manner one would deal with low nutritious foods, believing that exposing their children to the games in decreased periods is acceptable. An opposition to the school of thought is Andy Baio who has let his son Eliot play through a history of video games in a chronological manner since the age of four (Wolf, 2012). From the continued growth of electronic gaming since the early 1970s, it is evident that more games are yet to be developed in the future. American Academy of Pediatrics dedicates its efforts in the well being of children (The One Key Thing Parents Should Know About Children and Technology, 2015). In light of technology and children, information on their page can act as a guide to parents in comprehending the influence of video games on children, as it provides advice on management of electronic gaming. In addition, the non-profit organisation recommends parents and pediatricians (The One Key Thing Parents Should Know About Children and Technology, 2015). According to statistics from the academy, the current average number of hours spent by children per day on technology is seven (The One Key Thing Parents Should Know About Children and Technology, 2015). Parent intervention in monitoring exposure to entertainment aids children in making informed choices regarding media. In order to avoid inappropriate content exposure to

Cold War Essay Example for Free

Cold War Essay The end of the Cold War and the plurality of new issues on the global agenda, to which are referred in this document as well as other literary reviews, have been accompanied by increasing calls for rethinking the foundations of a Globalization Theory and Theories of Globalization or discipline. To differing scholars, Theories of Globalization thought appears to be out of touch with the ground-breaking changes in world politics, as well as deficient in how to explain them to the masses and interested parties. Justin Rosenberg, International Relations scholar, has suggested how strange it is for such momentous events, such as the collapse of Soviet Communism, the strains of European integration, and the economic growth of China (which presently contains one-fifth of the worlds population) and not be inclusive of theoretical logic within other theories. â€Å"These events, within Rosenberg’s Globalization Theory, are part of a gigantic world revolution of modernization, industrialization, nationalism, and globalization in which the West has been caught up for the last two hundred years, tend to be excluded from most International Relations theory. † (Tickner, 2001, p. 9) In popular usage, globalization is linked to the idea that advanced capitalism, aided by digital and electronic technologies, will eventually destroy local traditions and creates a homogenized, world culture. â€Å"Critics of globalization argue that human experience everywhere is becoming essentially the same. Long believed to be a fair characterization of life at the beginning of the twenty-first century† (Qin-Hilliard, 2004, p. 143) Given that globalization has by now come to mean so much, and so little, this paper will discuss globalization specifically as a mode of empire, as an imperial project that has historically operated simultaneously through domestic and foreign policy while obscuring the connections between multiple theories. Looking at everyday life in the industrial international markets and at the responses of the populace at local, national, and transnational scales allows for an approach that would help advance a critical understanding for studying globalization. Multiple Theories of Globalization have burgeoned over the last decade. Arguably, perhaps the most sophisticated critique of Globalization Theory is contained in Justin Rosenberg’s The Follies of Globalization Theory. Nevertheless, globalization remains an essentially contested concept, expressed in a range of important debates. â€Å"†¦there is an ongoing debate between those who believe that it is primarily mythological (or ideological) and those who believe that it is a new reality with important structural features. † (Held et al. 1999) â€Å"The proliferation of Theories of Globalization reflects the polytonality of the phenomena at hand. In this light, globalization can neither provide a new theoretical grand narrative nor be seen as the only path to economic development. We see Theories of Globalization above all as a framework to deal with social complexity (Mittelman 2000). Within the globalization framework we find a host of analytical tools, such as the dialectic between territorialization and de-territorialization, and the concepts of transnationalism, hybridity, and borderlands, which provide a more nuanced picture of the changing face of religious and cultural life in the Americas. † (Marquardt et al, 2003, p. 3) â€Å"There is something about the last three hundred years which sets them apart from all other epochs in human history. In the field of international relations this is especially obvious since these centuries see for the first time the emergence of a states-system which covers the entire planet. † (Rosenberg 1994, p. 1) Examining the capital mobility impacts on cash transfers in universal and corporatist conservative state contexts, none of the possible relationships between dimensions of international capital markets and cash income maintenance is consistent with conventional globalization theory. Rosenberg theorems outlines a broad historical materialist framework for analysis and then challenges the realist a statement or idea that the masses accept as self-evident or obvious. It can be accepted as a model that the geo-political core of the disciplines subject matter is philosophy the most general branch of metaphysics, concerned with the nature of being are distinct from the wider structures of social reproduction develops an ambitious and intellectually rich. â€Å"Stated logic is a pervasive version of Marxs social theory of capitalist society as an alternative (i. e. non-realist) way of understanding the modern international system. † (Rengger, 2000, p. 55) Globalization Theory assumes or explicitly argues that business will resist moderate-to-high levels of welfare provision that raise the reservation wage, create work disincentives, contribute to fiscal imbalances, and engender high taxes. Instead of being an outcome driven and explained by a multitude of interrelated processes and necessary preconditions, economic globalization has become conceptualized in mainstream economic thinking and radical political debates as the universal cause. In his provocative book The Follies of Globalization Theory, Rosenberg (2000, 2-3) offered a compelling critique of the use of globalization as the universal explanation by social/globalization theorists: The term globalization, after all, is at first sight merely a descriptive category, denoting either the geographical extension of social processes or possibly, as in the working definition, the intensification of worldwide social relations And the globalization theorists clearly intend something more than this. Explicit in much of Globalization Theory is the notion that international financial integration is particularly consequential for larger welfare states that significantly depart from market-conforming precepts. For example, â€Å"In this view, the social democratic welfare states of the Nordic countries and the generous occupationally based social insurance systems of continental Europe are under especially strong pressures to reduce costs and restructure along market conforming lines. On the other hand, alternative theoretical argument highlights institutional features of these welfare states (e. g. , universalism and its political correlates) that may buffer them from the economic and political pressures flowing from globalization. † (Swank, 2002, p. 10) Related institutionalized international order is also, (defined and recognized as a society with obligations and responsibilities exist and grow by virtue of membership and especially by virtue of the express consent given by states to international law), the chief mechanism for regulating and monitoring international order. â€Å"However, most important of all, cosmopolitan liberals emphasize that growing institutionalization is the only way in which liberal forms can be globalized, especially in the context of globalization theory. † (Rengger, 2000, p. 106) Justin Rosenberg writings continued to suggest dominating influence of stability or order versus justice, which abstract from real-world issues. Rosenberg call for theory grounded in historical and social analyses is intrinsic to in his Globalization Theory which will be compared to Theories of Globalization as this paper progress. â€Å"He suggests that global issues can be better explained through narrative forms of explanation rather than social-scientific methodologies of conventional International Relationship. † (Tickner, 2001, p. 9) International economic scholars, based on postulates of past findings, have made a significant contribution to the study of economic globalization through theorization of its inherent occupation of space and sheer quantity of material. The distinctive contribution of Globalization Theory and Theories of Globalization within the crowed study of social, economic, cultural, and political has yielded increasingly single and autonomous global environment. Not accepting the policy of some scholars and instead describing the terminology as unclear or too vague and useless for understanding contemporary global economic change, many researchers and analysts embrace the important reasoning of how and why globalization will be a standard for discipline for the foreseeable future, â€Å" †¦as mutually constitutive material processes and ideological discourses, not the least because the term has now gained so much currency in the political and business world. In the context of his critique of international relations and globalization studies, Rosenberg argued that we need to take Globalization Theory s seriously, since its claims combine to exercise a kind of theoretical veto over other, more valuable resources for understanding both the contemporary world in general and its international politics in particular. (Yeung, 2002, p. 285)

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example for Free

Same Sex Marriage Essay There have been several questions that have caused controversial issues for the government. One of these questions is, Can the government regulate who can and cannot marry? This is an important question relating to same-sex marriages. I believe that the government cannot regulate who can and cannot marry. According to Rainbow SIG, which is a same-sex interest group, it is no one else’s business if two men or two women want to get married. Two people of the same sex who love each other should be allowed to publicly celebrate their commitment and receive the same benefits of marriage of a heterosexual couple. Also, there is no such thing as traditional marriage. Given the prevalence of modern and ancient examples of family arrangements based on polygamy, communal child-rearing, the use of concubines and mistresses and the commonality of prostitution, heterosexual monogamy can be considered unnatural† in evolutionary terms. American Civil Liberties Union says, gay marriage is protected by the Constitutions commitments to liberty and equality. The US Supreme Court declared in 1974’s Cleveland Board of Education v.  LaFleur that the freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause. † Another interest group that supports same-sex marriage is The Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians believes that denying same-sex couples the right to marry families as inferior and sends the message that it is acceptable to discriminate against them Many people and organizations believe that same-sex marriage is a blasphemies sin to Christ and his or her religion. Moreover, many political groups are against same-sex marriage just to get votes and an official chair in office. These people believe they can control the feelings or emotions of a human being. They tend to use the bible as a reference but only use specific parts from the bible such as the book of Proverbs. According to Iowa Politics, a report filed by the New Jersey-based National Organization for Marriage, basically they are a group that opposes same-sex marriage, which spent $86,080 on television ads. The Iowa Supreme Court in April dismissed a 10 year ban of same-sex marriage but allowed the church’s right to decide who can be married under its roof. Based on this nformation, I still do not agree with this. If a national organization can spend almost $90,000 on a ban of gay marriage, couldn’t that same group apply that money for orphan shelters or food banks? Also, I believe that if the church is separate from state, he or she should not have that great of an influence on a national decision. John R. Carter said that he disagrees with same-sex marriage because; and I quote; â€Å"I support maintaining the Defense of Marriage Act†. In conclusion, same-sex marriage can either be allowed or disapproved. However, I believe that same-sex should be allowed. Not based upon religion or a profit but on his or her own beliefs. I mean who gets to say what is traditional. If you look at the culture before today there were practices of polygamy and the use of concubines and mistresses, were normal for them. Even in the bible a lot of people practiced polygamy. So how did heterosexuality become what is traditional? This is just because it is what people in the old day believed was right by a man and woman and also they read only specific parts of the bible where it talks about a man leaving his family to be with women.

Study Of Easyjet And The Airline Industry Tourism Essay

Study Of Easyjet And The Airline Industry Tourism Essay Easy Jet Airline is one of leading low-cost British airline established in 1995. Easy Jet has seen a rapid expansion, operating domestic and international service on 500 routes between Europe, North Africa and Asia. Its successful strategies based on low-cost, no frills model which derive from the a concept that demands for short-haul air transportation is price elastic. That means if the price of plane tickets are being reduced, more people will fly. Microeconomics Major determinants of demand The demand for a particular good or service depends on a variety of factors. Key influences include the price of substitutes; especially goods that are close substitutes, and the price of complements, the levels of consumer income, consumers expectation.(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) The availability of alternative modes of transportation for air travel are increasing, in particular ownership of automobile and the railway development. These close substitutes might be a threat a number of traditional airline companies, dominating short journey sector (less than 3 hours). However, it is extremely difficult for rail transport to challenge a low-cost airline company like easyjet. For example, Euro stars cheapest tickets to Paris is  £149, whereas Easy Jets prices start from  £17.99 Airline costs per passenger, and rail fares, from Barcelona Price Elasticity As demand law, when other factors on demand remain unchanged, a higher price for a product will lead to a lower quantity demanded. The price elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness, or sensitivity, of the demand for a good to changes in its price when other influences on demand are held constant. It is defined as the percentage change in quantity demanded resulting from a given percentage change in price. For example, if a 1% increase in price leads to a 1.5% drop in quantity demanded, the own-price elasticity of demand is 1.5. In this case, since the percentage fall in demand is greater than the percentage rise in price, total spending on the good will decline, and the demand for it is said to be elastic. If, on the other hand, a 1% price rise causes a smaller percentage decline in the quantity demanded, the own-price elasticity will be less than one, and demand is said to be inelastic.(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) The demand for air travel should be distinguished among markets for: business and leisure travel; long-haul and short-haul travel; and international and long-haul travel. Accordingly, to examine the sensitivity of the demand for air travel to its price, separate estimates of the own-price elasticity of demand are gathered for each of these distinct markets. Since the alternative modes of transportation for long distance are not widely available, it is considered that the demand for air transport will be less elastic for long-haul flights than for short-haul flights. Moreover, international travel tends to be spread over more time than domestic travel due to globalization, so that the plane ticket is more expensive than domestic tickets. globalization makes international travel especially business travel less sensitive to changes in ticket prices. On the other hand,  travelers for leisure are more likely to postpone trips to specific locations in response to higher fares, or to shop around and looking for more affordable fares. Therefore, it is concluded that the demand for air transport for leisure travel will be more elastic than business travel. Price Elasticity of Supply and Demand The relationship between demand and price of traveling by air can be both elastic and inelastic. To a large extent it depends on the type of customers traveling. For example a family planning a vacation that requires air travel, if the price of an airline ticket is extremely high, they are more likely decide to delay the trip until the prices are lower. This shows that leisure air travel is considered elastic. However, if a business customer needs to travel across the country by the next day, they will need a plane ticket regardless of the ticket price. For business travel, the price of airline would be considered inelastic because it is a necessity. The current market for business travel has a big part in the supply and demand within the airline industry. More so in the economic downturn with the price of oil rapidly increasing, the cost of an airline ticket is consequently has risen and the demand for leisure travel has fallen. In addition, another reason for the decline in demand is that after 9/11 there has been growing concern over in-flight safety. Another factor that influences the price of an airline ticket is the date that it is purchased. If there is an  emergency, the customer may need to book a ticket on the day of travel or even purchases a ticket close to the departure time. The fact that there are still many unsold tickets is disregarded and the price will be higher. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1013568/the_economys_affect_on_the_airline.html?cat=27 elastic.gif http://www.fin.gc.ca/consultresp/Airtravel/airtravstdy_1-eng.asp Market structure of Airline industry There are many factors impacted on the recent poor financial performance of traditional airlines, including the effects of 9/11, the global economic recession, the increasing growth of low cost airlines that operate under a different business model, and the recent surge in fuel prices. As described below, several simultaneous factors are transforming the global airline industry. The growth of low-cost airlines: The increasing growth of the market share of low-cost, low cost fares during the last few years is one of the most significant trends in the industry, and has presented a considerable threat to the viability of network of traditional carriers. The response of the traditional network airlines to the growing low cost airlines challenge will be critical to determining the future structure of the airline industry, both in the United States and in Europe. Competitive analysis The most obvious competitive advantages Easy Jet had are delivering low-cost and maximizing margins. easyJet keeps costs low by cutting off the unnecessary costs and frills which is in traditional airlines. This is done in several major ways: firstly, easy jet take advantage of the Internet to reduce distribution costs and then maximize the utilization of the substantial assets and maximize utilization of each aircraft and therefore, significantly reduces the unit cost Secondly, Easy Jet launched paperless operation and ticketless travel which means passengers receive an email containing their travel details and booking reference instead of get a paper ticket when they book online. This lower the cost of issuing, distributing, processing and reconciling millions of tickets each year. At the same time, Easy jet simplified its work practice by delivery the concept of paperless operation and a well designed information system allows management and administrative job carried out through its IT systems of company. The no-frill service on board is another reason for Easy Jet to keep cost low, because everybody always complain about food on board so why bother to provide food if people dont want it? Cutting off free catering on-board decrease cost and unnecessary bureaucracy and management. It is also an important differentiator between easyJet and other airlines and a potent reflection of our low-cost approach. Passengers can purchase food on-board if th ey need it . ironically, Easy jet have won awards for our catering service. The new concept of a simple service model also reflects a more general need about eliminating other unnecessary, costly services. pre-assigned seats, interline connections with other airlines and cargo/freight carriage are the characteristics of traditional airline result in high complex to manage cost. Moreover, easyJet use airports effectively by flying to main destination airports throughout Europe with high frequency and obtain efficiencies through rapid turnaround times. By cutting off turnarounds time to 30 minutes and below, easyJet can gain extra turnaround rates on the high-frequency routes, thus, maximizing utilization rates of its aircraft. Easy Jet made an agreement with airports about progressive landing charges. the operation easyJet currently has operating various bases throughout the UK and mainland Europe. It is a truly European operation and was one of the few airlines to take advantage of the reforms offered by the single European aviation market. Manage cost Fuel cost is one of the biggest and volatile single cost for Easy Jet therefore fuel efficiency is very important to Easy Jet. In 2009, Easy jet saved 1.2%of fuel they burn through the improvement of fuel efficiency and new flight planning system. Easy Jet have aimed a 3% improvement in fuel burn, which will deliver 20million by 2012. It is crucial for Easy Jet to manage cost effectively so that it can continue to offer competitive fares profitably. Easy jet plans to make at least 190million of cost reduction by the end of 2012, which will allow Easy Jet to offset inflationary pressures and produce 1 per seat benefit to the bottom line. The crew efficiency will be improved by 10% through route and crew optimal tools and a new roster system. Marco-economic Transport economics in general, especially air transport has been viewed as the laboratory of economic activity. Flourishing transport derived by booming economy, as an increasing economic activity, expanding industrial production and booming trade relation will inevitably lead to an ever-greater need for transport. A decline of the same parameters will reflect on a decreasing demand for transport. Within the transport industry, air transport seems to be more sensitive to such economic environment. In the face of recent financial crisis that affected world economic growth and international trade, airline industry are affected by this crisis. The EUs air transport system has been considered as a very important factor of the Unions economy. In the meanwhile, it is quite sensitive to economic environment and economic development in other industry. In 2008, the worldwide financial downturn had increasingly resulted in a global economic crisis. At the same time, the impacts of this crisis for air transport sector reflected on obvious decline of air travel demand because of less transported passengers and goods, reduction of supply through reduction of frequency, and lower company profits. Figure3: GDP Yearly Growth from 1990-2008 Inflation and Oil Price Impact The inflation rate in Europe was 0.90% in February of 2010. Inflation rate reflected on a general rise in prices measured against a standard level of purchasing power. The effective measures of Inflation are the CPI which measures consumer prices, and the GDP that measures inflation in the whole of the domestic economy. Oil prices are pushing up inflation across Europe. And oil price really matters to the health of global economy. The global economic downturn in 2000-2001 resulted from higher oil price since 1999, and global GDP growth have decreased. Higher oil price are contributing to high level of cost and unemployment and accelerating budget-deficit problem. The impact of high oil price on oil-importing countries varies mainly depending on the degree to which they are net importers and the oil intensity of their economies.. European countries are highly dependent on oil imports, which would suffer most in the short term, their GDP went down by 0.5% and inflation increasing by 0. 5% in 2005. The United States suffered with GDP declining by 0.3%,mainly because its domestic production meets a bigger part of share of its oil needs. Japans GDP decreased 0.4%, with its low oil intensity compensating for its almost high dependence on imported oil. The problem of fuel rates/ cost is one of many factors all airline companies faced with. The price of a barrel of oil has been a huge impact on airliner and global airline industry. According to the statistics, the cost of fuel has been made up by 31% of the total cost of business of airline companies. The aviation industry is always sensitive to the change of fuel price. In the economic recession, the number of the passenger would scare away if airline company rise the ticket price, despite of the situation of fuel price surge. Therefore, the only ways for airline company to minify the loss because of the higher oil price are strengthening management, cutting cost and efficiency improving, instead of simply raise the price. Another financial risk exposure in the airline industry is interest rate. Interest rate risk is important to airline companies in terms of the cost of debt finance. Higher financial leverage ratios are dominant in the aviation industry because of its capital intensive nature and high cost of equity. High earnings volatility made cost of equity increase. Equity can be less attractive due to lower price earnings ratios found in the airline industry. In the meanwhile, cost of debit is closely related to the interest rate changes. Therefore, the impact of interest rates on general business could be large consequential effect. Moreover, high interest rates result in higher cost of distress, this is especially for the airline industry. Legislation Impact One of the most difficult balancing acts that airline companies faced is the challenge of balanceing global warming and remaining competitive position in marketplace. The airline industry is responsible for 2% of the worlds man-made carbon emissions and 6% of the Uks. It has already achieved a great deal in keeping emissions down,and it is continuing to take its responsibilities seriously through industry-wide initiatives, in-depth research, roadmaps, not to mention new airframe and engine technology.In 2005,the climate impacts of aviation have finally landed on european political agenda.because the air travel is the worst climate choice of all transport modes, per passenger kilometer of aircraft emits tree times more than cars. Per tonne kilometer of freight, aircroft measured about an order of magnitude worse than lorries. the UK Climate Change Act, passed last November called into question how quickly the industry could deploy into new aircraft and fleets the technological advance ments it was claiming were going to help it deliver a percentage reduction in CO2 emissions. Airline companies must act quickly to lower its own CO2 emissins to meet goverment regulation,many people argued that the climate change policies will destory the development of aviation industry. However, the study shows that climate change legislation could be designed in a sustainable way. Survival of the Easy Jets Low-cost Model Low-cost airline model has proven to be successful, and has been copied by the many airline company worldwide. Low-cost airline model is based on strict adherence to several major principles: point to point flight, maximization of flying hours, short-haul, use of secondary airports, no-frill, and no delay, which result in low cost, low fares and high demand and capacity utilization. ( Macario et.al.2007) Although the air transport market is heavily impacted by the economic crisis, in turn, economic recession provides a potential opportunity to low-cost airline company. Easy Jet announced a profit increase in 2009. Low cost airline companies are increasing their market share compared to traditional airline. Potential strategies for Easy Jet Firstly, Easy Jet should build stronger air transport network. Although Easy Jet has a leading presence on Europes top 100 routes, it still needs to strengthen its positions in the key market and focus on the routes customers find the most attractive, at convenient times. Easy Jet needs to continually manage schedule quality and fine-tune its network. Which means it will offer customers the opportunity to arrive when they want and when they want. It will allow Easy Jet get increasing market share of flight and have higher load factors than its competitors. Increasing frequency and stability on major routes with launching new the route mix offer more choice to its customers based on market research. For instance, Easy Jet launched flight with daily return flight from several cities in UK to many European cities. As the demand declines through the summer months, it should manage its schedule and move assets to leisure routes in order to maximize its capacities. In addition, unnecessary cost created by overnight stops could be avoided by base management, in order to improve efficiency and maximize revenue. Secondly, it is important to listen to customer and understand their need and then design schedule and service to match. the relative effective way to get close to its customers is to collect all customer data, which provides a fast and intelligent view on trends in customers travelling habits. With these customer databases, it allows marketing department tailor marketing emails according to individual customer purchasing patterns and preferences. Moreover, build increasing customer experience to appeal business travelers. Departure time is vital for customer and ensuring customers arrive at their destination on time is a key to delivery of a winning customer proposition. In a recession economic environment, Easy Jet has potential opportunity to increase share of the business travel market due to many corporate tend to low cost air travel company to cut business cost. http://hubpages.com/hub/rise-in-fuel-prices-airline-industry How a rise in fuel prices affect the airline industry

A Clash of Beliefs Essay -- Science Creationism Religion Essays

A Clash of Beliefs The earth and all the life on it was created in seven days, at least this is what I was taught growing up in a Catholic family. This was everything I knew, until in fifth grade when I first heard about evolution. I could not understand the concept, and my mother would not tell me what it was because she did not believe it could be true. Over the next few years I gradually learned more and more about evolution. As I learned about Darwin’s magical thing called â€Å"descent with modification† my upbringing began to come into question. How could everything I had grown up learning be true if there was all this concrete evidence against it? Gradually, this questioning began to fade away. I had reached an impasse and my religious beliefs fell by the wayside. Sure, I went through the motions, going to mass and achieving my confirmation. However, the end of my sophomore year in high school I had really begun to doubt my faith. Soon after my confirmation I completely stopped going to church since I felt that I could no longer believe what they were telling me. Evolution has become my basic belief about how every organism in the world has become what it is today. Darwin’s Origin of Species basic premise is that species have evolved (descended) from a common ancestor. The strictest Catholic belief is that all species are exactly the same as they always have been which ignores any and all fossil evidence. Even the remarkable similarities between reptiles, birds, and dinosaurs are not acknowledged. An excerpt of Jack Holt’s essay The Dinosaur with a Thumb on Its Nose shows exactly the things that the Catholic Church is not willing to accept: â€Å"Cuvier realized that each major group of animals had its own distinctiv... ...efuse to believe in evolution. There is an overwhelming amount of fossil data that supports this. Even the speed at which a virus (for example the influenza virus) can change supports evolution. It is this evidence that completely changed my belief system. Works Cited Darwin, Charles. 1979. The Origin of Species. Gramercy Books: New York. Holt, Jack. 2002. The Dinosaur with a Thumb on Its Nose. 22 January 2005 Available: http://www.susqu.edu/satsci/Paths-of-Science/DINOSAUR-WITH-A- THUMB-ON%20ITS-NOSE.pdf National Academy of Sciences. 1999. Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences. 25 January 2005. Available: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/religion/revolution/index.html Paul II, Pope John. 1997. Evolution Revolution. PBS. 25 January 2005. Available: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/religion/revolution/index.html

Essay --

There are many uses of technologies in our daily life. Now a day’s people use technologies to do different kinds of tasks. This is very significant for young, older and anyone who is taking benefit for modern technology, and how it will affect on us, and how it can improve our lives or other people lives. However, what is essential about modern technology which makes a real diversity in our lives. Its verification that people are using internet to receive information, especially about current or main events, and Majority of people surveyed, who is happy with their skills by using internet technology. Modern Technologies play a very important role in our lives. For instance, modern use of technology increases efficiency. People have always used modern technological devices for development of a culture to solve problems; in earlier days of life ancient people have taken benefits of writing to communicate an idea with someone. They used to draw pictures to find solutions to public issues on their cave walls. If we look back to early human history when the ancient people recorded and spoken words were used to convey information from one generation to the next generation. Now a day’s Modern technology helping us for doing work with less effort, even though it’s helping us to passes knowledge to groups and individuals. So, people can develop self regulatory skills to increased more efficiency and accomplishing simple to complex everyday tasks. Now, people can also make an appointment with their doctor by using online modern technology. The uses of modern online technologi es like uses of internet, television, radio, laptop, cell phones are tremendously revolutionized the world. We can also pay our bills without going somewhere, with mos... ...by using online modern technology, and even if they got more confident enough to accommodate to a more difficult competition. Modern technology also providing tools to change people lives and it’s also helping us to improve their conditions. These people who can feel better in their proficiency by using the instrument of a culture. they are more likely to move forward to learn new skills and become more self dependent and successful. They also motivated to achieve higher and difficult goals. Technology advances very fast nowadays at such lightening speed. We cannot even tell which technology is passing trend and what technology is helping us better in order to learn about modern technology. You might confuse when you saw first time self checkout machine at utility store; or, you might have thought lost when you had to make your first video call over the internet.

Flannery O’Connor’s use of the Protagonist Essay -- essays research pa

Flannery O’Connor’s use of the Protagonist Flannery O’Connor’s use of the protagonist in the three stories â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge†, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, and â€Å"Revelation† are all expressed through characters that do not fit the typical protagonist mold. As you will see the three protagonists have many similarities. Mrs. Turpin and Julian’s mothers similarities are out in the open and easy to recognize. On the other hand the grandmother’s similarities are more subdued, but she does share them with the other women. There are many commonalties between the protagonists in the stories by Flannery O’Connor. First physically, they are all elderly women. All three are mothers of boys. Another likeness is the women and their sheer physical presence. â€Å"In Everything Rises Must Converge† Julian’s mother walks on the bus and immediately begins to control the conversation. People seem to feed off her commentaries. These commentaries are usually on the basis of racism. As she states when she notices that there are no black people on the bus, â€Å"I see we have the bus to ourselves.†(p.344) Mrs. Turpin is almost the exact same way as Julian’s mother. The only difference between the two is that Mrs. Turpin was waiting in a doctor’s office. She too seems like she is the one who is in command of the conversation. The same holds true for the grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find. She continues a conversation with a man that is has murdered her family and threat ening t...

Case: Walter Hundhausen Gmbh

Size up Germany’s foundry Industry? Is WH well positioned in it now and in the future?The beginning of the new millennium has presented Walter Hundhausen (WH) with a big hurdle to jump. The German economy is experiencing economic stagnation, an aging population and a German labour market that is filled with many intrusive government regulations. The German economy has been growing at an average rate of 0.6 percent per year for the last 4 years; making it one of the slowest growing economies in the Euro Zone.However, study’s suggests in 2004, the domestic economy is expected to grow above 2 percent. Moreover, one-third of Germany’s economy is comprised of exports. In performing a Pest Analysis (see Diagram 1 below), there are many macro factors affecting the German Foundry Industry.MACRO FORCESThe acronym stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological concerns that could affect the strategic development of the casting foundry industry in Germany. By iden tifying PEST influences it helps gage the external environment in which the casting foundry industry operates. PoliticalStrict Layoff Regulations: Government regulations had strict policies in place on how organizations could layoff employees. Before employees were laid-off, management had to advise the Works Council and they had to agree to the nature and timing of the plan. In addition, the management team had to develop a social plan for each employee on how the layoff would affect them and what remedies the organization would put in place for them. If a  social plan was not presented, employees could claim for compensation through the courts. This could prove to be costly in time, money and reputation.National Bargaining on Wages: The current German industrial relations policy was based on a duel model. One part dealt with the collective bargaining, while the other dealt with codetermination. The collective bargaining agreement dealt with minimums and maximums, with respect to wages and salaries and working hours. Codetermination was an actual Act or Law that provided labourers in Germany with three levels of representation; Supervisory Board, Works Council and Labour Director. However, in the end, all collective bargaining agreements could be adjusted and then ratified through this process.Social Market Economy: The political climate in the country is based on the social market economy, where employers and unions worked as partners to better the organization as a whole. However, in reality, the balance of power lay in the hands of the union. Unions negotiated national and regional wages and hours of operations; in addition, they also negotiated paid time-off. In 2004, the average individual worked 1,542 hours. The standard legislated work week was set at 60 hours with a minimum paid leave of 24 days. That translates to 2,832 hours per year. Despite the legislation, the average individual worked 54 percent less than was legislated in 2004.Ordnung Princip al: This is Germany’s version of the Triple Bottom Line, where economy, society and the government all participate in the mechanism for workers democracy. New Environmental Legislation: The government imposed a new ecological tax in 2000 that focused on waste reduction as opposed to waste recycling. This added costs in the form of time and money to the WH casting process. From an economic perspective, the government wanted the industry to focus on the externalities and reduce them or remove them totally.EconomicalDomestic Growth: The last three years (2001 to 2004), the German economy was growing at an average rate of 0.6 percent per year. Germany had been experiencing the slowest growth in the Euro zone. This affected many organizations in Germany, particularly mid-sized companies that were not big enough to fully utilize economies of scale. Future Growth: The economy in Germany has been slated to grow around 2 percent for the year 2004.This represent an increase of 1.4 perc ent over the previous year and that may not  seem big, but relatively speaking that is a 233% increases from year over year. Increase in Value of the Euro: Another concern at the macro level is the appreciation of the Euro against other currencies, most notably the American dollar. As the Euro increased, the cost of WH’s products also increased. However, the opportunity to purchase at a lower price scrap iron and steel from non-European countries has also increased. As the Euro appreciates in value, it can now purchase raw materials at a lower cost.SocialAging Population: The current labour shortage in Germany is creating a nightmare in the casting industry. In order to attract and retain employees, organizations were paying a premium over scheduled tariffs. These costs were substantial, as many companies were running multiple shifts in order to keep up with demand. Reduction in Full-Time Employment: The current macro environment suggests a reduction in the number of full-t ime resources, because of the high labour costs. However, because of the aging population, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified workers.Sounds counter intuitive; a reduction of full-time staff to cut costs, but many companies in the industry are paying premiums over scheduled tariffs in order to keep their current workforce. Strong Social Employment Contracts: The Germany foundry industry has a strong employment contract system, where employers are responsible for the well being of their workers. The contract is enforced by the Works Council and the Labour Director who is part of the origination. Their main objective is to resolve disputes through intensive informal contacts.Strong Union Presence: The dual model in the industry consists of a collective bargaining agreement and codetermination. This dual system gives the unions a strong position within the foundry industry. Their presence has lead to numerous bouts of conflict with management when negotiating collective agreements and in some cases these disagreements lead to long and bitter strikes.TechnicalAbove Average R&D Investment: R&D is a major competent in the casting foundry industry. R&D creates better products and above all reduces costs through the automation of the casting process. Moreover, by being a Tier 1 supplier, customers are expecting better products and lower costs year over  year. Frequent Technology Changes: In the casting process, technology changes occur frequently, in order to maintain lower sand-to-metal ratios and scrap ratios. Largest European Foundry: Being the largest casting foundry in Europe, economies of scale can have significant cost savings, as the organization can purchase large amounts of scrap iron and steel.Close Proximity to Clients: By being close to customers, shipping costs and delivery times are reduced substantially; giving the local casting foundry a cost advantage over their long distance competitors. Efficient Sand Casting Process: T he casting process is highly integrated and labour intensive. By having a disjointed process, the cost of the process will be high and the products produced would be of an inferior quality. A process that is tightly controlled and automated will reduce unnecessary waste and cut costs in the form of wages and raw material.MICRO FORCESBelow are the specific micro forces that will influence how WH reacts to the environmental issues assessed above.SupplyThe cost of raw materials was increasing 23 percent year over year (see Diagram 2 below). Raw materials have been the single most expensive cost to WH. Diagram 3 below, illustrates the cost of raw materials to revenues and the cost of wages and salaries to revenues. As for wages and salaries, they have been holding steady. Moreover, the trend seems to be downward sloping (see Diagram 3, below).Total revenues have been increasing steadily since 2001; with a significant increase occurring in 2004 (see Diagram 4, below).Year over Year Incre ase in Revenues 2001 2002 2003 2004Total Revenues 97 99 103 117 2.06% 4.04% 13.59%However, in 2004, the index price of scrap iron and steel has been averaging around 191.00, that is a 43 percent increase, year over year. The trend seems to be heading higher, potentially breaking the 250.00 barrier (see Diagram 5, below).Average 81.25 99.91667 99.91667 111.5 133.75 191.25CompetitionCompetition from non-OEM organizations was growing. However, customers today are more sophisticated and understand that quality plays an important role in the decision to purchase a product versus purchasing a product on price alone. The real threat will come from organizations in the casting industry from Eastern European that will eventually become tier 1 suppliers. One of the challenges facing WH is the current workforce in Germany. WH has been experiencing a high degree of absence due to leaves and sick days.The above graph (see Diagram 6) illustrates by department where the greatest number of absences are occurring. The stars indicate the average per department and in 2004, there was an increase in the number of absences in Core Marketing, Finishing and Heat Treatment. Finishing can be explained because of the nature of the work itself. It is one of the most difficult  parts of the casting process. Some of the other notable information to mention, is when the automated casting process is operating efficiently, sick days and leaves are kept to a minimum.For example, pouring and melting in 2003 experienced numerous mechanical problems, thus the department experienced a higher level of absences as opposed to 2004, when the process was operating with little interruptions, sick days and leaves decreased substantially. Moreover, for the first 6 months of 2004, the average cost of the total days off work amounted to 3.39 million, which represents 8.7 percent of the overall company’s revenues (see Diagram 7, below).DemandThe biggest threat facing WH is their ability to reduce costs. Their customers are demanding lower prices and the organiza tion has been responding, by investing heavily in R&D to improve the casting process. However, if they do not get the costs of the casting process under control, they will not be able to meet the increasing demand from the motor vehicle industry. The motor vehicle industry in 2004 purchased a total of 68% of the total industry’s output. Diagram 8, below illustrates the percentage increase or decrease year over year by industry and the tonnage sold by industry. Clearly, the industry that has been adding value to WH has been the motor vehicle industry. On average, over the last three years, the motor vehicle industry has increased 13 percent.If the motor vehicle industry continues on their current growth path, by the end of 2005, WH will have reached plant capacity of 95,000 tonnes per year (see Diagram 9, below). The forecast includes a 13 percent increase in motor vehicle tonnage per year and holds the other two industries with no growth or decline in tonnes required.PEST Con clusionThe rising cost of scrap iron and steel, a stagnate Germany economy, the German labour market and its regulations are proving extremely difficult for WH to deal with. In addition, WH is reaching plant capacity and they have not been able to control rising costs to date. For the last three years, wages and raw material purchases have been well over budget. SWOT ANALYSISA SWOT analysis was completed for WH to evaluate their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (see Diagram 10, below). The analysis identifies the key internal and external factors that will hinder or help WH achieve their stated goals and objectives.One of the key factors to WH success was their ability to understand their customer’s business needs and create new products for them. This was one area in the casting foundry industry that separated WH from their competitors; WH was and still is â€Å"Best in Class†, when it comes to product innovation. One area of improvement would be to e liminate or reduce the number of products that have low margins.By producing these low margin products, WH is tying up valuable resources both in time, money and material. One of the greatest threats WH will encounter is the surging casting foundries from Eastern European countries, such as Spain, Turkey and Poland. Currently, many of the Eastern European organizations either small or big are not OEM rated. However, with time and additional investment dollars, these organizations will be able to compete against WH on price.PORTERS FIVE FORCESOne final assessment was completed to determine the profitability or attractiveness of the casting foundry industry in Germany. By utilizing Porters Five Force model, a more realistic assessment of the competitive rivalry that exists in the market can be determined. This will give WH insight as to the attractiveness of the industry and determine what course of action (if any) is required.The analysis clearly demonstrated that the industry is hig hly profitable (see Diagram 11, above). The Barriers to Entry are high, making it difficult for organizations to enter. Entry requires a high initial capital investment and ongoing R&D dollars. Moreover, the bargaining power of the Buyer is Low, because switching costs are high. Substitutes products are available, but in the motor vehicle industry highly unlikely to be used.The  bargaining power of Suppliers is strong, because there is strong union presence and the raw material is based on world supply and demand prices. In short, the competitive rivalry within the Casting Foundry Industry is high, suggesting that the industry is profitable. Furthermore, with high exist barriers, because of the high fixed costs, it makes it extremely difficult to exit the industry, and thus remaining organizations will continue to suffer and lose more market share.Question 1A:  Is WH well positioned in it now and in the future?Not with their current casting process. Clearly, WH’s core com petency lies in their ability to produce exactly what the customer needs and then takes that knowledge one step further by producing new products that customers ends up wanting; WH creates demand for their new more profitable products. Moreover, WH links their internal logistical and informational systems with their customers. Basically, WH becomes an extension of their customers. The future for WH would be to outsource some non core activities of their value chain to 3rd parties in the casting foundry industry; perhaps in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, where wages are less and employment is more bountiful.In conclusion, with the current trends in the casting foundry industry, where growth is expected to increase 2% per year in tonnage and 3% per year in value, WH does not have the current structure to capitalize on this growth opportunity. Pricing has also become an issue and they are trying to go head to head with their customers and asking them to pick up the additional surcharg es on the price of scrap steel and iron. Moreover, with the additional investment in R&D, costs have not decreased. Revenues have been steadily rising, but so have costs and costs have outpaced revenues. This is evident, as WH is expected to lose 6 million in 2004, making it the worst loss in the company’s 4 year history.Question 2:  Is the alternative that WH’s management called â€Å"strategic change† really strategic? Justify you answer.In order to justify the answer, one must first define what strategic change is. According to Joseph N. Fry, one of the authors of Strategic Analysis  and Action he suggests that it is a tool for building, communicating and maintain the direction of the business. As for Lawrence G. Hrebiniak, he suggests that strategic change is all about execution. In his book, Making Strategy Work, he suggested that without a careful, planned approach to execution, strategic goals cannot be attained.Albeit, in both examples above, little reference is made to the actual strategy, but in reality both authors agree that the strategy is important, but the execution of the strategy is key to success. An analogy that can be used to illustrate their point of view would be a golfer that needs to fade a shot around a tree. The strategy has been set, the trajectory of ball flight has been visualized; wind and all other factors have been taken into consideration. What’s left is the actual striking of the ball. However, if the golfers’ core competency is to hit a draw, rather than a fade, the strategy has little to do with the result of the execution.One of WH alternative is to shut down Line 2, reduce employment by 114 workers and increase sales through a radical marketing campaign that started in 2003. However, the radical marketing campaign emphasizes a differentiation strategy as opposed to a price strategy as indicated by Klaas. The key to their current success is WH’s ability to understand their custo mer’s business needs and create specific casting moulds for them. In addition, WH has been able to develop new products with higher margins for their customers and then sell those products back to their customers; push marketing.By adopting a low cost strategy, rivals in the industry will eventually out price WH and take market share away from them. One of the reasons why WH can be out priced in the market is that their main competitors from Eastern Europe, such as Poland, have a much lower wage structures. To conclude, WH’s alternative does not fit the traditional definition of a strategic change. After reviewing the data and the definition, the answer remains a resolute no. The reason for the decision is that strategic change must take into consideration other aspects of the organization.The changes suggested by Klaas will not delivery the strategy in a controlled manner that is efficient and effective to implement. Strategic management is not about delivering one si ngle project or addressing one particular issue, but a process that governs the entire organization and how the entire  organization is affected by the strategic change (see Diagram 12, above). The so called alternative â€Å"strategic change† in the end will not deliver any real value to the organization, thus further suggesting that this is not a strategic change. Strategic change at the end of the day must deliver real value, not perceived value.In Germany that value takes on the form of a stakeholder, rather than a shareholder. Thus, by simply focusing on profits and ignoring the human costs of the layoffs, WH will not execute this strategy with any conviction or success. Both Fry and Hrebiniak realize that the process is complicated and contains many moving parts. In short, there is no magic bullet. Simply cutting workers and installing automated processes does not guarantee costs reductions and increased revenues.Question 3:  How much â€Å"flexibility† did t he company have in dealing with its problem?The reality of the situation is that WH only had perceived flexibility. With economic stagnation, an aging population, tight employment regulations and a shortage of workers, WH has limited flexibility in being able to deal with the problem. Moreover, with the increase in tariffs, raw materials and energy, WH has even less flexibility in addressing their current problem. WH was able to negotiate concessions with the Works Council; however, the concessions came with a hefty price. The Works Council’s goal was to save jobs in the short term for the promise of better pay in the long term. Thus, WH was able to negotiate special agreements to break the current collective agreement.WH negotiated for more free hours, less pay and forgone holidays and vacation pay, but had no control over dismissal’s and working exemptions; the Works Council held the balance of power in these two categories. For example, if employment dropped below 5 70 permanent employees, the regional tariff rates would come into effect and they did. The Works Council’s position for long term better pay may present a problem with a few of the alternatives being suggested by WH.The Works Council may not approve any of the alternatives that involve significant layoffs and pay reductions. These alternatives are in direct conflict with their own goals and objectives. In conclusion, perceived flexibility is much different than actual flexibility. WH may think they can suggest an alternative that  makes sense for them, but the reality is that without buy in from the Works Council, the strategy will surely fail to execute.Question 4:  What could management do to address the problem?WH management must develop a Strategic Management Process. The new strategic management process is to be undertaken by the executives at WH and GMH. The executives will review and interpret the Germany foundry industry and determine the direction for WH. At this point in the process the executives will set the Corporate Strategy (strategic direction) and priorities, while understanding and taking into consideration resources and budget constraints (see diagram 13, below).The seconds step is to create the â€Å"right† Corporate Structure with the proper incentives and controls to ensure that the Corporate Strategy can be achieved. The final step is to ensure that the Business Units understand the objectives set forth and have the necessary resources in place to achieve their goals and objectives. It is the business unit who is responsible for ensuring that they have the correct skills and capabilities in place in order to achieve the Corporate Strategy. Once the strategic management process has been developed, the next critical step in the process is to formulate a well defined plan that has clear and focused goals and objectives. These goals and objectives must be measurable, attainable and realistic.Moreover, the plan must address how these achievements will affect the overall organization, but more importantly, if the goals and objectives are not meet, what are consequences to the organization. This process must be open and transparent that will ensure that buy in will occur quickly. In conclusion, the execution of these key activities is the heart of any successful strategic management process. In addition, WH must ensure that the Works Council understands that the long term success of WH is in everyone’s best interest. The Works Council’s long term goal is for better pay for its workers, without WH, their goals and objectives will never be realized.Question 5:  What had management done so far?Management has accomplished a lot to date. They sold WH to GMH who had experience in purchasing distressed companies and providing them with fresh equity and motivating their work force. In addition, in 2003, WH implemented a radical marketing plan that increased revenues by approximately 13.6 % in 200 4. WH invested heavily in operations, by trying to automate the sand casting process. WH believed that they could further reduce the operating costs by automating a lot of the high touch processes.WH has also outsourced the finishing process, as this is one of the most costly processes in the sand casting process. WH hired a consultant by the name of Knight Wendling who was hired to improve productivity and reduce costs. His first mandate was to get customer to pay a scrap surcharge and eliminate unprofitable products. By the middle of 2004, 91 percent of customers were paying the surcharge and he eliminated 5,000 tonnes of products that were generating low contributions. Finally, in 2004 WH made some major changes to their current management structure and sent out a new message to their workers, that management was looking for fresh ideas that would make a difference.Question 6:  What actions were left open to WH’s management and would they make sense?One action that was l eft open was continuing with the Radical Marketing Plan that WH started in 2003. The marketing plan would continue to increase sales by 8.2 million and contribution by 5.2 million in 2005. However, one of the major issues with this action was that costs were also increasing and the increase in revenues and contributions was being offset by the rising cost of scrap iron and steel and wages. The rising costs, coupled with WH’s increase in prices were opening the doors to some of their direct competitors in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.This plan would only make sense if they could get the Works Council to increase the number of hours that employee’s could work and reduce the minimum number of workers required, before tariffs are enforced. Moreover, this approach would make sense, if WH could convince the Works Council that their short term objective to keep as many employees as  possible is actually going to hurt their long term goal of better pay for their workers. If WH and the Works Council could overlook their short term objectives and focus on their long term objectives, everyone would be better off.Question 7:  How could it pursue the remaining actions?WH could simply divest the entire operations and payout the 15.3 million owed to the workers ( 25,000 * 612 workers). However, this may not be in the best interest of the entire organization as an environmental assessment must be completed before the land gets rezoned. Worst case scenario, if the land is contaminated the purchaser may request that the seller clean the land before title change and this could cost GMH considerable money.The opportunity cost of closing down the plant would be the 15.3 million, thus the company could take that money and reinvest it into WH. Currently, WH is losing 6.2 million per year, if they continue losing this amount of money, that would buy them 3 additional years and then WH could simply sell the business. WH would have to create a strategic plan that takes into consideration all the options associated with investing additional capital. More so, they will need buy in from the Works Council. Without their buy in strategic plans will prove useless.