Vaccines Are The Tugboats Of Preventative Health - 1464 Words

As stated by Dr. James A. Shannon of the National Institutes of Health, â€Å"The only safe vaccine is a vaccine that is never used† (Shannon). In order to stay safe, vaccinations for children should not be a requirement because it diminishes the values and beliefs of various religions, is used for profit only, and the risks associated with vaccinations are life threatening. However, these reasons do not outweigh the benefits of being vaccinated. As stated by William Foege, â€Å"Vaccines are the tugboats of preventative health†. In regards to preventative health, vaccinations should be given to children to prevent them from diseases that could potentially inhibit their future and the generations beyond.Vaccinations do more good than harm, prevent†¦show more content†¦After surveying pediatricians throughout the United States, 70% of parents are using their pro-choice option and not vaccinating their children. The same survey provided information stating that 4 % of pediatricians do not vaccinate their own children. These pro-choice beliefs are often biased upon political beliefs as well. Such theories can be seen in conservatives. Conservatives are pro-choice and are wary of the information provided to the public (Rabinowitz). Taken into consideration, political beliefs are a combination of religion, morals, and other political influences. Stereotypes have not been associated with pro-choice political parties. This lack of stereotyping has allowed pro-choice views to become more of a norm. Therefore, the pressure to vaccinate the child is not evaluated as a lack in human judgement, but rather a difference in opinion and beliefs that allow parents to not vaccinate their child. The second debateable topic is that vaccinations are just for profit, not for safety. This refusal is linked to the beliefs that vaccines are not safe, vaccines have ultimately killed children, the government protect the pharmaceutical companies, and that pharmaceutical companies are just personally profiting from vaccinations (Gullion). Such profits can be seen when looking at the ACIP. The ACIP recommends which vaccinations the states should mandate. In return, the board members of this organization receive profit. Therefore,

The Truths And Myths Of Divorce - 1803 Words

Abstract: The Truths and Myths of Divorce in America There are many facets to all divorces. Why did a divorce happen, who is affected, and how do you move on? All of these questions are at the forefront of not only the couple’s mind, but also their families. Answering the question of who is more likely to get divorced is a way to dive in to see why divorce happens and whom it affects. Next, diving in even deeper to issues of divorce, the question of how children are affected plays a large role in the problem of many divorced families. Children can have many different reactions to a divorce that can trouble them for their entire lifetime, not just the few years after making a family adjustment. Finally, divorce takes on a negative connotation in our society and rightly so; however, people fail to recognize that the divorce rates of America are actually decreasing since the 1970s and 1980s. Although divorces are still to frequent in America, it is encouraging to know that the sa nctity of marriage is still engrained in our society, and thankfully over the next decades we can hopefully see an even greater decline in divorce rates. 1. Divorce= the legal dissolution of marriage according to the law 2. Divorce Revolution= a time between 1960s-1980s when divorce rates increased dramatically, partially due to the new issue of â€Å"no fault divorce† The Truths and Myths of Divorce in America People continuously dwell on the pitfalls of our society and marriage through statementsShow MoreRelated Infidelity Essay1261 Words   |  6 Pages In today’s society, infidelity is one of the leading causes of marital disruption and divorce. In accordance with societal norms many myths have been associated with infidelity. 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Analysis of the Telecommunications industry

Question: Discuss about theAnalysis of the Telecommunications Industry. Answer: Introduction The telecommunication industry in Australia is based on the use of electronic devices and services like telephone, television radio and computer in communication. Given (2010, P.60) states that the industry has undergone a lot of transformation based on the rise of digital technology, data sharing and the interconnected economy that the world faces today. This is due to the increased technological innovations that are shaping the industry. Grove (2014, P. 19) suggests that these rapid changes are presenting adaptation challenges to the telecommunication industry that have made the industry to greatly struggle with the changes. On the other hand, customer requirements are changing with the changing technology thus making telecommunication companies respond quickly to any technological change (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, 2016, P. 4). To understand the industry well PESTEL analysis is used to investigate important factors and forces driving the industry and influenci ng companies that are operating in the sector. It describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used to do an external analysis of a business to understand the market growth and decline patterns. On the other hand, Porters five forces are used to analysis factors that shape and influence the business within the industry. Pestel Analysis Political Trends The industry is highly affected by regulations that come up frequently. This is due to competition between government led companies and private companies that are running telecommunication service. However the rise of the internet in the society has made it part of human life as so many activities are dependent on the internet today. Today the internet is described as the internet of everything meaning that the society is heavily depending on the internet. Therefore governments need to develop regulations that can favour users. Mostly many governments regulate the industry to reduce price wars and safeguard the consumer from exploitation (Pearce, 2010, P. 11). This means that the government has a problem with the service providers and the consumer since it has to ensure that there is adequate legislation that favours all the parties. Economic Trends Abdullah Shamsher (2011, P. 1451) suggests that the business environment is shaped by inflation and taxes that affect the pricing of the services that are offered to customers. On the other hand, the telecommunication industry has to build towers and satellites in rural areas which become expensive. Further, the demand for telecommunication services keeps increasing as the population grows and thus prices may go up if demand is too high.(Schmieder-Ramirez Mallette (2015, P. 11) argue that customers and technology shape the way the industry grows. Businesses are designing strategies to reach out to more people and thus using the internet and mobile phones to market their products (Venkatram Zhu, 2012, P. 11-12; Carr Junior, 2010, p. 44). This is, therefore, opening up more jobs for local economies of any country as more people are becoming engaged in the industry. This has also led to the rise of the 24-hour economy since the internet and technology in the telecommunication indust ry have given rise to new business platforms like chat rooms and websites. Social Cultural Trends The telecommunication industry grows vertically more than horizontally; most services are concentrated in urban centres where setting up is easy as compared to rural areas. The rural customer cannot enjoy all the privileges that are enjoyed by the urban customer. For example, here are no WIFI rooters and fibre optic cables in the rural areas and thus some privileges may not be available to such customer. World Bank (2012, P. 11) states that social cultural trends have entirely shaped the telecommunication industry especially the way the services are used. Today companies in the industry have more internet customers than those that use call services. In this case social cultural trends determine how the business environment looks like and how players in the industry operate. Many companies are developing strategies on how to tap internet profitability from the consumer. Consumers are increasing demanding data on both fixed and mobile networks for use is based on the role that the inte rnet is playing in society. Today the internet is the communication tool that most people use to share information and data using different platforms (Momaya, 2011, P. 155). Technological Trends The telecommunication industry has been forced to advance with the technological trends that are available in the market. The needs and requirements in the industry keep on changing as technology also advances. For example, the rise of the wireless technology has changed the industry while customer requirements are also changing. Today customers want internet enabled phones that can be used to carry out many functions. Telecommunication companies are also improving their services like the move from 3G to 4G as a way of increasing customer connectivity (Rosenberg, 2011, P 27). Due to increased competition between telecommunication companies, each company has to keep up with technological changes to meet the changing customer needs. On the other the younger generation offer the most suitable market for the telecommunication industry. To satisfy this group of customers companies have to ensure that they keep up with technological changes (Wheen, 2011,P. 12). Legal Trends Legislation issues in the industry are based on issues that affect and shape the industry. These issues are based on government, the companies in the industry and customers. However depending on the issues that affect the party that is involved, the government may intervene by legislating regulations that may control the sector. For example, some countries do not manufacture all telecommunication devices but rather import from other countries. This means that legal restrictions that existed within the importing country may affect the industry in one way or the other. On the other hand, consumer laws vary from country to country to country and thus the way they shape the industry depends entirely on the legal restrictions within the country (Boss Company, 2010, P. 21). Demographic Trends Keung (2014, P. 6479) suggests that demographic trends are shaping the world and businesses that take place on the planet. The business environment has become dynamic and it is driven by many factors that are beyond the control of players within the industry. These trends shape the future economy and affect the current business operations of the telecommunication industry. There are several major trends that will shape the telecommunication industry. The first trend is the nature of the population or ratio of children to older people. A younger generation presents future business opportunities unlike the old. The second trend is the reduced population growth in emerging economies. This presents a major challenge since if the old are more dependable than the young. Demographic trends are used by companies in analysing market segments that exist in customers (Yuksel, 2012, P. 55). Through segmentation companies in the industry determine the products that they can develop to suit the bu siness needs of the consumers within the segment. Green Environment Trends Green environment trends are based on global warming and pollution of the environment which is based on legislations that are pro nature. All industries have been forced to comply with the green environmental trends by ensuring that the services that are offered do not harm the environment (Cadle, et al. 2015, P. 4). Since the industry is based on manufacture of devices, many countries have developed laws that protect the environment. For example, Australia has a carbon law that regulates carbon in the atmosphere while other countries have enacted laws that force industry to use organic materials for packaging their products. These trends shape every industry and thus force companies that are willing to enter the industry to comply with certain aspects (Yip, 2013, P.16). Porters model Porters model proposes five forces that shape and influence the external environment of any industry, they are based on threat of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of customers, threat of new entrants and threat of substitutes (Wheelan Hunger, 2010, P. 26) Threat of New Entrants There is little threat of new entrants in the telecommunications sectors since the market seems to be dominated by the players who already exist in the market. The biggest threat that companies face when joining the industry is the capital requirement for investing. This is based on the fact that existing players in the industry have heavily invested in capita making it difficult for new entrants (Trim, 2014, P. 243). For example, in the Australian telecommunications there are bigger players who dominate the market with a larger market share. These companies monopolize the industry making it difficult for any other player to enter the field. The nature of the industry and the technological advancements that keep on changing mean that there are huge fixed costs and capital requirements that are required in the industry. On the other hand, Sammon, et al (2014, P. 19) suggests that operating abilities and management of the industry makes it difficult for new entrants to compete with exi sting giants in the market. Therefore market entry in many countries and regions is difficult since the existing giants dominate everything. Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers within the industry is low since some companies that are in the industry have stable supply sources that they have established networks for a long time. On the other hand, the contracts that exist between the companies in the industries are binding to lock out competitors. Therefore suppliers have low bargaining power. Further, some of the companies in the industry have multiple activities that include manufacture of devices and running of telecommunication services. These companies therefore rely less on the supplier for the major business value chain that they operate (Agarwal, et al., 2012 P. 15). Ayub, et al (2013, P. 93) suggests that companies in the industry have a pool of suppliers that they choose from. Also consumers have varying preferences on products that come from different companies. Segmentation of customers is also a factor that companies within the sector use to determine the supplier. For example, some customers may prefer Nokia de vices, others Samsung and other LG, this thus shapes the industry by limiting the bargaining power of the supplier. Power of Buyers The bargaining power of customers is very high due to the increased and available players in the industry. Despite the fact that there are monopoly giants in the industry; there exists one or two suppliers within the industry where the customer can compare the rates before making a decision. On the other hand, the fight for customer loyalty has led to price wars between companies that operate within the industry thus increasing bargaining power of the customer. Customers have a variety of choices within the industry that they can pick from. Information technology has also presented buyers with an easy opportunity for analysing the best companies that they can opt for (Riston 2012, P. 19). Buyers can use online applications to do a comparison of the companies within the industry to determine the one that offers the best deals for them. This has led to buyers use different services for different purposes. For example, a buyer may use a certain service provider for calling and another p rovider for internet services based on the differences that exist between the two industry players using the products that they offer. Availability of Substitutes The telecom industry faces a threat of substitutes from satellites and cable television operators. Today technology has enabled fusing of different services on devices to enable them provide other services. For example, television decoders have a wireless rooter where the user can access wifi using the decoder and watch television at the same time. This, therefore, minimises the need telecommunication services subscription. Further, this has brought a twist in the telecommunication industry, where even the telecommunication providers are diversifying their services to increase business opportunities (Whalley, 2010, P. 11). On the other hand, communication patterns are slowly changing today, many people are using the internet to communicate rather than voice calls. For example, social media has enabled communication through online chats. Competitive Rivalry within the Industry There is high competition between the players in the industry because most companies offer similar products. Most of the companies that aggressively compete with each other have been in the industry for a very long time. Some of the companies are multinational corporations offering products across the globe (Ommani, 2011, P. 9451). However new technology has changed the telecommunication industry making most people to pay for the service. They have different purposes that they need the services for like internet and calling. Further, new technology has led to the emergence of new service that offers similar products. Pearce Robinson (2015, P. 21) argues that increasing technological innovations have increased competition in the telecommunication iindustry with players within the industry going an extra mile to impress the customer. This competition leads to price wars between companies in the sector to impress and increase the customer base. This reduces the profitability in the ind ustry since the prices are set too low as compared to what the real price should be (Abdullah Shamsher, 2011, P. 1450). Current Future Profitability The telecommunication industry depends more on infrastructure rather than financial strengths. Infrastructure affects the efficiency and effectiveness of the industry and its users in general. This means that the growth, stability and profitability of industry to make the conditions better for the industry players. Reed Vakola (2013, P. 399) suggests that Telecommunication industries are fast growing capital-intensive businesses as compared to other businesses. Changes in the telecommunication technology are shaping the profitability that companies in the industry enjoy. Before the increased rise of the internet, the telecommunications industry dependent entirely on communication tariffs for its profits. Today the industry is shaped by many factors that are beyond the industry. Many companies within the industry that are offering telecommunication services have diversified their business opportunities to increase profitability. Wilkinson (2010, P. 165), suggests that apart from offe ring telecommunication services, industry players have ventured in the manufacture of digital devices that use the services that they offer. Some companies are also developing applications that support the services that they offer or managing them for different businesses. The profitability of the sector is, therefore, entirely dependent on individual players within the industry and how they strategise their business ideas. Therefore the profitability of the sector is dependent entirely on the business strategies of the individual player and the market dynamics of the environment that the player operates in. Conclusion The telecommunication industry is affected by external and internal factors which shape the nature of the business within the industry. The business environment is very competitive with players being largely affected by government regulations within the countries that they operate in. Koumparoulis (2013, P. 33) suggests that governments play a major role in providing infrastructure for enabling the industry to thrive. On the other hand, the services that are offered by different players are similar, thus very little differentiation of the products being offered. Only players that have analysed the market and developed the best strategies can survive the industry. Therefore industry profitability is dependent on external factors that shape the market and create necessary infrastructure (Pearce Robinson, 2015, P. 23). This is based on the changing needs of the telecommunication industry which makes customers to demand more form the industry. On the other hand, the increased demand for data has led to the need for industry players to develop strategies that can accommodate the increased network traffic that is a result of increased internet use. Apart from investing in network infrastructure, companies need to ensure that sufficient resources are applied in technology to boost the industry. References Abdullah, M. N. Shamsher, R., 2011. A Study on the Impact of PEST Analysis on the Pharmaceutical Sector: The Bangladesh Context. Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, 7(12), pp. 1446-1456. Agarwal, R., Grassl, W. Pahl, J., 2012. Meta-SWOT: introducing a new strategic planning tool.. Journal of Business Strategy, 33(2), pp. 12-21. Ayub, A., Razzaq, A., Salman, M. Iftekhar, H., 2013. A conceptual framework on evaluating SWOT analysis as the mediatorin strategic marketing planning through marketing iteligence. European Journal of Business and Social Sciences,, 2(1), pp. 91-98. Bank, W., 2012. Fixed broadband Internet subscribers (per 100 people), s.l.: World Bank. Cadle, J., Paul, D. Turner, P., 2015. BUSINESS ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES, 72 Essential Tools for Success, s.l.: s.n. Carr, L. P. Jr, A. J. N., 2010. . Delivering Results: Managing What Matters. s.l.:Springer Science Business Media. Commission, A. C. a. C., 2016. Competition in the Australian telecommunications sector;Price changes for telecommunications ACCC telecommunications reports 201415, Canberra: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Company, B. ., 2010. Bringing Mass Broadband to India: Roles for Government and Industry, s.l.: s.n. Given, J., 2010. Wireless politics: Marconi and the Parliament at Point Lonsdale, 12 July 1906. Telecommunications Journal of Australia, 60(4). Grove, A., 2014. Only The Paranoid Survive. 5th ed. New York: Doubleday. Keung ho, J. K., 2014. Formulation of a Systemic PEST Analysis for Strategic Anal. European academic research, 2(5), pp. 6478-6492. Koumparoulis, D. N., 2013. PEST Analysis: The case of E-shop. International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences, 2(2), pp. 31-36. Momaya, K., 2011. Cooperation for competitiveness of emerging countries: learning from a case of nanotechnology", Competitiveness review. Journal of Global Competitiveness,, 21(2), pp. 152 - 170. Ommani, A. R., 2011. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. African Journal of Business Management analysis for farming system businesses, 5(22), pp. 9448-9454. Pearce, J. Robinson, R., 2015. Strategic management. 10th ed. New York:: McGraw-Hill. Pearce, J. . R. R., 2010. Strategic management. 9th ed. New York:: McGraw-Hill. Reed, J. Vakola, M., 2013. What role can a training needs analysis play in organisational change?,. Journal of Organizational Change Management,, 19(3), pp. 393-407,. Riston N, 2012. Strategic Management.. s.l.:Neil Riston and Ventus. Rosenberg, N., 2011. Perspectives on Technology. 7th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sammon, W., Kurland, M. Spitalnic, R., 2014. Business Competitive Intelligence Methods for Collecting, Organizing and Using Information. 5th ed. New York: John Wiley. Schmieder-Ramirez, J. Mallette, L., 2015. Using the SPELIT Analysis Technique for Organizational Transitions. s.l.:Science Press. Trim, P., 2014. The strategic corporate intellligence and transformational marketing model.. Marketing Intelligence Planning, 22(2), p. 240 256. Venkatram, R. Zhu, X., 2012. An analysis of Factors Influencing the Telecommunication Industry Growth; A case study of China and India, s.l.: BLEKINGE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. Whalley, A., 2010. Strategic Marketing.. s.l.:Andrew Whally and Ventus Publihing. Wheelan, T. Hunger, J., 2010. Strategic Management and Business Policy. 7th ed. s.l.:Addison-Wesley. Wheen, A., 2011. Dot-Dash to Dot.Com: How Modern Telecommunications Evolved from the Telegraph to the Internet. s.l.:Springe. Wilkinson, S., 2010. An analysis of the problems faced by project management companies managing construction projects. Construction and Architectural Management,, 8(3), pp. 160-170,. Yip, G., 2013. Total Global Strategy II: Update Internet and Service Era.4th ed. New Jersey: Prentice. Yuksel, I., 2012. Developing a Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model for PESTEL analysis. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(24), pp. 52-66.

Taking It Big by Steven Dandaneau

The age of postmodernism has brought many privileges with it. Most of the things done around the world could not be done a century ago. This can be attributed to widespread computerization, civilization and modernization. However, this age is also characterized by many hindrances to the human race. In this age, people no longer make independent decisions. They have allowed others to do the thinking for them. This is what has ruined the social imagination of many.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Taking It Big: Developing Sociological Consciousness in Postmodern Times by Steven Dandaneau specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In his book Taking it big: Developing sociological consciousness in postmodern times, Steven Dandaneau identifies the aspect of social imagination as the only way to prevent humans from being controlled by their surroundings. By using the term â€Å"Taking it big,† Dandaneau simply refers to the act of thinking in a broad manner without being under any influence. This is a term that he repeatedly uses throughout the entire book to urge all right-minded individuals to break away from the negligence that has engulfed today’s postmodern world. The author further perceives today’s world as one whose inhabitants have lost total control over their lives. Instead of relying on their own judgments, they let other influential people, and the media to decide the course of their actions. Dandaneau appears pessimistic in his perception of the current world. This is because he hardly makes any sense out of it. In fact, Dandaneau compares the life of today’s humans to that of fish, which are unaware of the happenings in the water around them. Dandaneau believes that the development of sociological imagination in human beings is the only way to save humanity. This is attributed to the fact that it enables one to look at the world from a reasonable point of view. W ith this type of imagination, Dandaneau guarantees that every person will be in a position to acquire the necessary knowledge and put it into practice. He purports that this particular imagination empowers everybody to act and think in a free manner by enabling them to acquire the myriad dimensions of cultural and social experience (Dandaneau, 2000). Dandaneau further believes that social imagination is bound to bring a revolution to the whole universe upon its inception. It will do this by enlightening the people about what life actually has in store for them. Dandaneau believes that if all youths in the world were to be introduced to the concept of social imagination, then they can transform the world.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to the author, Dandaneau is justified to view the current world the way he does. The writer fully concurs with him that the postmod ern world has taken a delusional way of life that has ruined the intellectual capacity of many. It is apparent that today’s society hardly makes any significant society without the consideration of what other influential people or groups have to say about it. This has comprised the autonomy and freedom of choice of many. From the foregoing discussion, it is justifiably right to argue that Dandaneau’s book exhaustively explores the elusive culture of today’s society. In addition to that, Dandaneau posits that social imagination is the only remedy to get the world out of this deep slumber. Dandaneau presents his concepts and ideas in a captivating manner which heralds that imagination. Finally, the writer of this essay fully agrees with Dandaneau that today’s world lies in tatters as far as its thinking capacity is concerned. Reference List Dandaneau, S. (2000). Taking it Big: Developing sociological consciousness in postmodern times. California: Pine Forge Press. This essay on Taking It Big: Developing Sociological Consciousness in Postmodern Times by Steven Dandaneau was written and submitted by user Lionel Cochran to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Thursday Caption Contest - February 4th

Stephen Colbert might have a packed schedule hosting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but hes never too busy to hang out at his Alma Mater. Heres the comedian at Northwesterns commencement urging students to succeed.What do you think is going on in this image?Tell us what Colbert is thinking in the comments section below. We’ll pick our three favorites, taking into account the number of likes your submission gets (hint: it helps to share)!Winner gets a $20 Amazon Gift Card, $20 in site credits, plus bragging rights. The two runners-up each get $10 in credits to apply towardsunlocking successfulapplication examplesand/or chatting withmentors. Contest ends Thursday, January 28th. Three submissions max. Congrats tolast weeks winners!

Quotes From The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

Quotes From 'The Story of an Hour' by Kate Chopin The Story of An Hour is a fascinating read with a surprise ending that takes readers far from Mrs. Mallards initial reaction to tragic news. In her short story, Kate Chopin dramatizes the story of a wife who discovers the truth about her husbands death. News of Death Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husbands death. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her. There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air. Unexpected Joy She said it over and over under her breath: free, free, free! The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed, it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. She saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. And yet she had loved him - sometimes. Often she had not. End of The Story of an Hour Quotes She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long. When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills.

Work Based Learning in the Creative and Cultural Industries Assignment - 2

Work Based Learning in the Creative and Cultural Industries - Assignment Example The information that is being given to the public continues to be announced, specifically with a relation to updates about the flu, how it is spreading and what an individual can do for prevention and treatment (Flu.Gov). The main concepts that are associated with the swine flu, even though it is based on prevention and treatment, has led to further questions about the attitudes toward this epidemic. It has been found that the swine flu outbreak is one that is not only based on health and prevention. Instead, the media has created a further epidemic through the amount of knowledge that they have received as well as through the hype that has been created around the flu. The limited evidence, knowledge and the idea of the risk where millions will die has created a different culture and attitude surrounding the swine flu. The influence of the media is one that has altered the understanding and legitimacy of the flu and has created a different culture related to the vaccinations and seriousness surrounding this virus (Goldacre, 2009). To find the true beliefs of culture and society about the swine flu, as well as the impact of the media, I have interviewed a variety of individuals. The questions asked relate to the legitimacy of the flu as well as the information and understanding of what is a part of this epidemic. The results show that, there is a cultural and societal understanding of the flu, not only based on the facts about the swine flu, but also from the influence of the media and the hype that is surrounding this specific flu. From the work place to homes, is an epidemic that is not only based on the flu, but also is related to the culture and expectations that are surrounding

User Frustration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

User Frustration - Assignment Example Errors occur when users get the perception that something in the computing system is not working right making the user unable to reach their task goals. The error might be from either the hardware or the software failure, e.g. a crash. Alternatively, the error might result from actions of users, for example, using wrong commands, or using the correct commands but entering them wrongly, such as a mode error. The situation gets worse if the user is new and is, therefore, unable to troubleshoot the errors. Such users may end up performing actions that only increase the intensity of the error. The error messages given might be too complicated for the user to understand, leave alone responding (Lazar, Jones, Hackley, & Shneiderman, 2006). Users, especially experts, would prefer computer applications that respond promptly. This would save them time and prove to be convenient. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes an application such as web browser may take so long to respond. This inhibits the user from completing the task within the desired time. The time delays occur mostly when users are requesting content from the web. In the end when the user finally gets the requested content, he may not find it that interesting. Long time delays make it harder for users to remember their goals, or even the related context in which the request was made. Web pages that take excessively long to respond make the user believe that an error has occurred, making him frustrated (Lazar et al., 2006). The amount of time spent in running a particular application may cause mood disturbances and discomfort when performing the task. Computer systems that take long response time increase user stress. Emotions play a role in the end-user experience with information technology. Applications complexities and poorly-crafted interfaces result in emotions such as failure, confusion and frustration (Lazar et al., 2006). Frustration originating from errors can be reduced by using bug

Stop and Frisk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Stop and Frisk - Essay Example The trial court found him guilty of possession of a weapon by a prohibited possessor and possession of marijuana. The court of appeals reversed the decision claiming the standard required in Terry v. Ohio was not met. â€Å"Terry established that, in an investigatory stop based on reasonably grounded suspicion of criminal activity, the police must be positioned to act instantly if they have reasonable cause to suspect that the persons temporarily detained are armed and dangerous... Citing Terry, the Court further held that a driver, once outside the stopped vehicle, may be patted down for weapons if the officer reasonable concludes that the driver might be armed and dangerous... The Arizona Court of Appeals recognized that... once Officer Trevizo began questioning him on a matter unrelated to the traffic stop, patdown authority ceased to exist, absent reasonable suspicion that Johnson had engaged, or was about to engage, in criminal activity.† (Arizona,

Job Specialization and the Division of Labour

Job Specialization and the Division of Labour Introduction Car production has changed dramatically over the years as managers have applied different views or philosophies of management to organize and control work activities. Prior to 1900, workers worked in small groups, cooperating to hand-build cars with parts that often had to be altered and modified to fit together. This system, a type of small-batch production, was very expensive; assembling just one car took, moving conveyor belts bring the car to the workers. Each individual worker performs a single assigned task along a production line, and the speed of the conveyor belt is the primary means of controlling their activities. Ford experimented to discover the most efficient way for each individual worker to perform an assigned task. The result was that each worker performed one siderable time and effort; and workers could produce only a few cars in a day. To reduce costs and sell more cars, managers of early car companies needed better techniques to increase efficiency. Henry Ford revolutionized the car industry. In 1913, Ford opened the Highland Park car plant in Detroit to produce the Model T. Ford and his team of manufacturing managers pioneered the development of mass-production manufacturing, a system that made the small-batch system almost obsolete overnight. In 1913, Henry Ford revolutionized the production process of a car by pioneering mass-production manufacturing, a production system in which a conveyor belt brings each car photo, taken in 1904 inside Daimler Motor Co., is an example of the use of small-batch production, a production system in which small groups of people work together and perform all the tasks needed to assemble a product. to the workers, and each individual worker performs a single task along the production line. Even today, cars are built using this system, as shown in this photo of workers along a computerized automobile assembly line, specialized task, such as bolting on the door or attaching the door handle, and jobs in the Ford car plant became very repetitive. Fords management approach increased efficiency and reduced costs so much that by 1920 he was able to reduce the price of a car by two-thirds and sell over two million cars a year.2 Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) became the leading car company in the world, and many competitors rushed to adopt the new mass-production techniques. Two of these companies, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler, eventually emerged as Fords major competitors. The CEOs of GM and Chrysler-Alfred Sloan and Walter Chrysler-went beyond simple imitation of the Ford approach by adopting a new strategy: offering customers a wide variety of cars to choose from. To keep costs low, Henry Ford had offered customers only one car-the Model T. The new strategy of offering a wide range of models was so popular that Ford was eventually forced to close his factory for seven months in order to reorganize his manufacturing system to widen his product range. Due to his limited vision of the changing car market, his company lost its competitive advantage. During the early 1930s, GM became the market leader. The next revolution in car production took place not in the United States but in Japan. A change in management thinking occurred there when Ohno Taiichi, a Toyota production engineer, pioneered the development of lean manufacturing in the 1960s after touring the US plants of the Big Three car companies. The management philosophy behind lean manufacturing is to continuously find methods to improve the efficiency of the production process in order to reduce costs, increase quality, and reduce car assembly time. In lean manufacturing, workers work on a moving production line, but they are organized into small teams, each of which is responsible for a particular phase of car assembly, such as installing the cars transmission or electrical wiring system. Each team member is expected to learn all the tasks of all members of his or her team, and each work group is charged with the responsibility not only to assemble cars but also to continuously find ways to increase quality and reduce costs. By 1970, Japanese managers had applied the new lean production system so efficiently that they were producing higher-quality cars at lower prices than their US counterparts, and by 1980 Japanese companies were dominating the global car market. To compete with the Japanese, managers at the Big Three car makers visited Japan to learn lean production methods. In recent years, Chrysler Canada has been the North American model for speed in automobile production. Chryslers Windsor, Ontario assembly plant opened in 1928, and over 54 years built its first five million vehicles. Less than 11 years later, in 1994, the plant reached the eight million mark. Chryslers Windsor facility has made a reputation for itself as the biggest single experiment with flexible manufacturing methods at one site. In the last 20 years, the plant has been so successful that Ken Lewenza, President of Local 444 of the expected to meet peak demand for the firms most popular products. On July 24, 2000, the plant reopened its doors after being shut down for just two weeks to retool for the newest generation of DaimlerChrysler AG minivans, due in dealers showrooms a month later. That was by far Windsors quickest turnover, but flexible manufacturing procedures introduced in 1983 have enabled the plant to display North Americas speediest production turnovers. In 1982-83, the plant shut down for 16 weeks to retool from making sedans to the first models of the Chrysler minivan, and then in 1995, it closed for 12 weeks for retooling to produce the next generation of minivans. While the Windsor facility has been a model for quick turnarounds, Canadas auto industry in general has fared well with the advancements in lean production methods. One analyst suggested that Canada is in the golden era of the auto sector in Canada, with a chance to outpace Michigan as early as 2001. As this sketch of the evolution of global car manufacturing suggests, changes in management practices occur as managers, theorists, researchers, and consultants seek new ways to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The driving force behind the evolution of management theory is the search for better ways to utilize organizational resources. Advances in management theory typically occur as managers and researchers find better ways to perform the principal management tasks: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling human and other organizational resources. Scientific Management Theory: The evolution of modern management began in the closing decades of the nineteenth century, after the industrial revolution had swept through Europe, Canada, and the United States. In the new economic climate, managers of all types of organizations-political, educational, and economic-were increasingly trying to find better ways to satisfy customers needs. Many major economic, technical, and cultural changes were taking place at this time. The introduction of steam power and the development of sophisticated machinery and equipment changed the way in which goods were produced, particularly in the weaving and clothing industries. Small workshops run by skilled workers who produced hand-manufactured products (a system called crafts production) were being replaced by large factories in which sophisticated machines controlled by hundreds or even thousands of unskilled or semiskilled workers made products. Owners and managers of the new factories found themselves unprepared for the challenges accompanying the change from small-scale crafts production to large-scale mechanized manufacturing. Many of the managers and supervisors had only a technical orientation, and were unprepared for the social problems that occur when people work together in large groups (as in a factory or shop system). Managers began to search for new techniques to manage their organizations resources, and soon they began to focus on ways to increase the efficiency of the worker-task mix. Job Specialization and the Division of Labour: Manufacturing methods. The first was similar to crafts-style production, in which each worker was responsible for all of the 18 tasks involved in producing a pin. The other had each worker performing only 1 or a few of the 18 tasks that go into making a completed pin. Smith found that factories in which workers specialized in only 1 or a few tasks had greater performance than factories in which each worker performed all 18 pin-making tasks. In fact, Smith found that workers specializing in a particular task could, between them, make 48,000 pins a day, whereas those workers who performed all the tasks could make only a few thousand at most. Smith reasoned that this difference in performance was due to the fact that the workers who specialized became much more skilled at their specific tasks, and, as a group, were thus able to produce a product faster than the group of workers who each had to job specialization The process by which a division of labour occurs as perform many tasks. Smith concluded that increasing the level of job specialization-the process by which a division of labour occurs as different workers specialize in different tasks over time-increases efficiency and leads to higher Based on Adam Smiths observations, early management pract itioners and theorists focused on how managers should organize and control the work process to maximize the advantages of job specialization and the division of labour. To discover the most efficient method of performing specific tasks, Taylor studied in great detail and measured the ways different workers went about performing their tasks. Principle 1: One of the main tools he used was a time-and-motion study, which involves the careful timing and recording of the actions taken to perform a particular task. Once Taylor understood the existing method of performing a task, he tried different methods of dividing and coordinating the various tasks necessary to produce a finished product. Usually this meant simplifying jobs and having each worker perform fewer, more routine tasks, as at the pin factory or on Fords car assembly line. Taylor also sought ways to improve each workers ability to perform a particular task-for example, by reducing the number of motions workers made to complete the task, by changing the layout of the work area or the type of tool workers used, or by experimenting with tools of different sizes. Principle 2: Codify the new methods of performing tasks into written rules and standard operating procedures. Once the best method of performing a particular task was determined, Taylor specified that it should be recorded so that the procedures could be taught to all workers performing the same task. These rules could be used to standardize and simplify jobs further-essentially, to make jobs even more routine. In this way, efficiency could be increased throughout an organization. Principle 3: Carefully select workers so that they possess skills and abilities that match the needs of the task, and train them to perform the task according to the established rules and procedures. To increase specialization, Taylor believed workers had to understand the tasks that were required and be thoroughly trained in order to perform the tasks at the required level. Workers who could not be trained to this level were to be transferred to a job where they were able to reach the minimum required level of proficiency. Principle 4: Establish a fair or acceptable level of performance for a task, and then develop a pay system that provides a reward for performance above the acceptable level. To encourage workers to perform at a high level of efficiency, and to provide them with an incentive to reveal the most efficient techniques for performing a task, Taylor advocated that workers should benefit from any gains in performance. They should be paid a bonus and receive some percentage of the performance gains achieved through the more efficient work process. This decision ultimately resulted in problems. For example, some managers using scientific management obtained increases in performance, but rather than sharing performance gains with workers through bonuses as Taylor had advocated, they simply increased the amount of work that each worker was expected to do. Many workers experiencing the reorganized work system found that as their performance increased, managers required them to do more work for the same pay. Workers also learned that increases in performance often meant fewer jobs and a greater threat of layoffs, because fewer workers were needed. In addition, the specialized, simplified jobs were often monotonous and repetitive, and many workers became dissatisfied with their jobs. Scientific management brought many workers more hardship than gain, and left them with a distrust of managers who did not seem to care about their wellbeing. These dissatisfied workers resisted attempts to use the new scientific methods unable to inspire workers to accept the new scientific management techniques for performing tasks, some organizations increased the mechanization of the work process. For example, one reason for Henry Fords introduction of moving conveyor belts in his factory was the realization that when a conveyor belt controls the pace of work (instead of workers setting their own pace), workers can be pushed to perform at higher levels-levels that they may have thought were beyond their reach. Charlie Chaplin captured this aspect of mass production in one of the opening scenes of his famous movie, Modern Times (1936). In the film, Chaplin caricatured a new factory employee fighting to work at the machine imposed pace but losing the battle to the machine. Henry For d also used the principles of scientific management to identify the tasks that each worker should perform on the production line and thus to determine the most effective way to create a division of labour to suit the needs of a mechanized production system. From a performance perspective, the combination of the two management practices (1) achieving the right mix of worker-task specialization and (2) linking people and tasks by the speed of the production line-makes sense. It produces the huge savings in cost and huge increases in output that occur in large, organized work settings. For example, in 1908, managers at the Franklin Motor Company redesigned the work process using scientific management principles, and the output of cars increased from 100 cars a month to 45 cars a day; workers wages increased by only 90 percent, however. From other perspectives, though, scientific management practices raise many concerns. Ethics in Action: From 1908 to 1914, through trial and error, Henry Fords talented team of production managers pioneered the development of the moving conveyor belt and thus changed manufacturing practices forever. Although the technical aspects of the move to mass production were a dramatic financial success for Ford and for the millions of Americans who could now afford cars, for the workers who actually produced the cars, many human and social problems resulted. With simplification of the work process, workers grew to hate the monotony of the moving conveyor belt. By 1914, Fords car plants were experiencing huge employee turnover-often reaching levels as high as 300 or 400 percent per year as workers left because they could not handle the work-induced stress. Henry Ford recognized these problems and made an announcement: From that point on, to motivate his workforce, he would reduce the length of the workday from nine hours to eight hours, and the company would double the basic wage from US$2.50 to US$5.00 per day. This was a dramatic increase, similar to an announcement today of an overnight doubling of the minimum wage. Ford became an internationally famous figure, and the word Fordism was coined for his new approach. Fords apparent generosity was matched, however, by an intense effort to control the resources-both human and material-with which his empire was built. He employed hundreds of inspectors to check up on employees, both inside and outside his factories. In the factory, supervision was close and confining. Employees were not allowed to leave their places at the production line, and they were not permitted to talk to one another. Their job was to concentrate fully on the task at hand. Few employees could adapt to this system, and they developed ways of talking out of the sides of their mouths, like ventriloquists, and invented a form of speech that became known as the Ford Lisp. Fords obsession with control brought him into greater and greater conflict with managers, who were often fired when they disagreed with him. As a result, many talented people left Ford to join his growing rivals. Outside the workplace, Ford went so far as to establish what he called the Sociological Department to check up on how his employees lived and the ways in which they spent their time. Inspectors from this department visited the homes of employees and investigated their habits and problems. Employees who exhibited behaviours contrary to Fords standards (for instance, if they drank too much or were always in debt) were likely to be fired. Clearly, Fords effort to control his employees led him and his managers to behave in ways that today would be considered unacceptable and unethical, and in the long run would impair an organizations ability to prosper. Two prominent followers of Taylor were Frank Gilbreth (1868-1924) and Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972), who refined Taylors analysis of work movements and made many contributions to time-and-motion study. The Gilbreths often filmed a worker performing a particular task and then separated the task actions, frame by frame, into their component movements. Their goal was to maximize the efficiency with which each individual task was performed so that gains across tasks would add up to enormous savings of time and effort. Their attempts to develop improved management principles were captured-at times quite humorously-in the movie Cheaper by the Dozen, which depicts how the Gilbreths (with their 12 children) tried to live their own lives according to these efficiency principles and apply them to daily actions such as shaving, cooking, and even raising a family. Eventually, the Gilbreths became increasingly interested in the study of fatigue. They studied how the physical characteristics of the workplace contribute to job stress that often leads to fatigue and thus poor performance. They isolated factors- such as lighting, heating, the colour of walls, and the design of tools and machines-th at result in worker fatigue. Their pioneering studies paved the way for new advances in management theory. In workshops and factories, the work of the Gilbreths, Taylor, and many others had a major effect on the practice of management. In comparison with the old crafts system, jobs in the new system were more repetitive, boring, and monotonous as a result of the application of scientific management principles, and workers became increasingly dissatisfied. Frequently, the management of work settings became a game between workers and managers: Managers tried to initiate work practices to increase performance, and workers tried to hide the true potential efficiency of the work setting in order to protect their own well-being. Administrative Management Theory: Side by side with scientific managers studying the person-task mix to increase efficiency administrative management. Organizational structure is the system of task and authority relationships. It leads that how employees use resources to achieve the organizations goals. Two to high efficiency and of the most influential views regarding the creation of efficient systems of organization effectiveness. administration were developed in Europe. Max Weber, a German professor of sociology, developed one theory. Henri Fayol, the French manager also developed a model of management in the form of certain principles, which are given as under: Fayols Principles of Management Working at the same time as Weber but independently of him, Henri Fayol (1841-1925), the CEO of Comambault Mining, identified 14 principles that he believed to be essential to increasing the efficiency of the management process. Some of the principles that Fayol outlined have faded from contemporary management practices, but most have endured. Division of Labour Job specialization and the division of labour should increase efficiency, especially if managers take steps to lessen workers boredom. Authority and Responsibility Managers have the right to give orders and the power to exhort subordinates for obedience. Unity of Command An employee should receive orders from only one superior. Line of Authority The length of the chain of command that extends from the top to the bottom of an organization should be limited. Centralization Authority should not be concentrated at the top of the chain of command. Unity of Direction The organization should have a single plan of action to guide managers and workers. Equity All organizational members are entitled to be treated with justice and respect. Order The arrangement of organizational positions should maximize organizational efficiency and provide employees with satisfying career opportunities. Initiative Managers should allow employees to be innovative and creative. Discipline Managers need to create a workforce that strives to achieve organizational goals. Remuneration of Personnel The system that managers use to reward employees should be equitable for both employees and the organization. Stability of Tenure of Personnel Long-term employees develop skills that can improve organizational efficiency. Subordination of Individual Interests to the Common Interest Employees should understand how their performance affects the performance of the whole organization. Esprit de Corps Managers should encourage the development of shared feelings of comradeship, enthusiasm, or devotion to a common cause. The principles that Fayol and Weber set forth still provide a clear and appropriate set of guidelines that managers can use to create a work setting that makes efficient and effective use of organizational resources. These principles remain the bedrock of modern management theory; recent researchers have refined or developed them to suit modern conditions. For example, Webers and Fayols concerns for equity and for establishing appropriate links between performance and reward are central themes in contemporary theories of motivation and leadership. Behavioural Management Theory: The study of how managers should behave in order to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to the achievement of organization. The behavioural management theorists writing in the first half of the twentieth century all espoused a theme that focused on how managers should personally behave in order to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to the achievement of organizational goals. The Management Insight indicates how employees can become demoralized when managers do not treat their employees properly. The Hawthorne Studies and Human Relations might be increased through improving various characteristics of the work setting, such as job specialization or the kinds of tools workers used. One series of studies was conducted from 1924 to 1932 at the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company. This research, now known as the Hawthorne studies, began as an attempt to investigate how characteristics of the work setting-specifically the level of lighting or illumination-affect worker fatigue and performance. The researchers conducted an experiment in which they systematically measured worker productivity at various levels of illumination. The experiment produced some unexpected results. The researchers found that regardless of whether they raised or lowered the level of illumination, productivity increased. In fact, productivity began to fall only when the level of illumination dropped to the level of moonlight, a level at which presumably workers could no longer see well enough to do their work efficiently. The researchers found these results puzzling and invited a noted Harvard psychologist, Elton Mayo, to help them. Subsequently, it was found that many other factors also influence worker behaviour, and it was not clear what was actually influencing the Hawthorne workers behaviour. However, this particular effective group, had deliberately adopted a norm of output restriction to protect their jobs. Workers who violated this informal production norm were subjected to sanctions by other group members. Those who violated group performance norms and performed above the norm were called ratebusters; those who performed below the norm were called chiselers. One of the main implications of the Hawthorne studies was that the behaviour of managers and workers in the work setting is as important in explaining the level of performance as the technical aspects of the task. Managers must understand the informal organization The system of behavioural rules and norms that workings of the informal organization, the system of behavioural rules and norms that emerge in a group, when they try to manage or change behaviour in organizations. Many studies have found that, as time passes, groups often develop emerge in a group. elaborate procedures and norms that bond members together, allowing unified action either to cooperate with management in order to raise performance or to restrict output and thwart the attainment of organizational goals. The Hawthorne studies demonstrated the importance of understanding how the feelings, thoughts, and behaviour of work-group members and managers affect performance. It was becoming increasingly clear to researche rs that understanding behaviour in organizations is a complex process that is critical to increasing performance. Indeed, organizational behaviour The study of the factors that have an the increasing interest in the area of management known as organizational behaviour, the study of the factors that have an impact on how individuals and groups respond to and act in organizations, dates from these early studies.

Imperialism :: essays research papers

Imperialism Imperialism is the domination by one country of the political, economic, or cultural life of another country or region in order to increase its own wealth and power. Imperialism during the period following the Age of Exploration, when European countries acquired colonies to support mercantilism, can be called â€Å"old imperialism.† In the nineteenth century, a new era of imperialism began, this time spurred on by the Industrial Revolution. Some reasons for imperialism were political, economic, and social. These are some political reasons. Feelings of nationalism itensified throughout Europe during the nineteenth century. Nationalism in the extreme promotes the idea of national superiority. Industrialized countries therefore felt they had the right to take control of weaker areas. Countries also tried to increase their power through the control of more land and people. Economic causes also led to imperialism. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, countries needed colonies for Raw materials to feed the ever- increasing number of factories, Markets for finished products, places to invest surplus capital, and places to send surplus population. And social causes also led to imperialism. Many people believed the word of Rudyard Kipling, who said it was the white mans burden to educate the people of the underdeveloped world, spread the customs of what they perceived was a superior western culture, and to convert people to Christianity, since it was believed that the souls of the non- believers would not be saved. The new era of imperialism brought about important and farreaching effects. Through the creation of global empires, the imperial powers helped spread the Industrial Revolution and the capitalist system around the world. Christianity, western European languages, and Imperialism benefited underdeveloped regions through improved transportation, education, and medical care. Imperialism also had its negative side. It undermined native cultures and exploited people and resources in underdeveloped lands. Eventually, colonial nationalist movements developed to end imperial control.

Food Waste? Too valuable to waste! Essay

According to statistics from the Environmental Protection Department, in Hong Kong, solid waste generated daily weighs around 17000 tones, of which around 30% is organic matter (2700 tones) which is roughly equal to 120 double-deck buses in size. Compared this to the US where, revealed by the Environmental Protection Agency, only 12% of waste stream was scrap of food in 2005. Extra care in disposal is required for these putrescible wastes, otherwise nuisance to the environment will be caused. Food waste not only causes a feculent choking smell, but also discharges a huge amount of concentrated greenhouse gases, methane and polluted water, all of which are leading to the global warming that we highly concerned about. All the food wastes are currently disposed to landfills, however all the existing landfills will be saturated within 5 years. Construction of new landfill is a problem because of a lack of available space that is far away from residential areas. Therefore, seeking out alternative ways for food waste treatment has become an imperative for the government. Before discussing cutting food waste at its source, there is another possible destiny for surplus food besides disposal – Food recycling. The food waste for food recycling can be categorized into two parts: edible (bread, vegetable and meat) and inedible (bones and eggshell). Food Waste Processor Basically, inedible food wastes are useful in that they can be recycled and reused. Through natural biodegradation by bacteria, all the organic waste will be converted into organic fertilizer and soil stabilizer. According to the journal of â€Å"Food waste composting – sustainable organic waste management† (Jonathan, 2003), in some advanced countries in Europe, central food waste treatments has been practiced for years. All the domestic food waste will be collected and transported to central composting facilities which are installed far away from the residential areas. However, this huge facility is not available to Hong Kong owing to the limited area. The Ecotech Food Waste Processor, a new technology for the same purpose is being tested in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong International Airport, housing estates and universities. Due to the tiny space of Hong Kong, it is well-designed for being used in small communities such as restaurants and housing estates which are the main sources of food waste. A large processing capacity 100kg per day is supported with a small sized machine. The automatic processor is easy to operate and is equipped with self-adjustment of temperature and moisture which are decisive parameters for the speed of reaction. Also, the specially formulated microbes and materials are used in the processor to increase the rate of biodegradation. To enhance the transportation efficiency, the volume of food waste will be reduced by about 90% in 24 hours. The composite fertilizer contains high nutrient value including nitrogen which is a major element for plant growth. This new technology is suitable for Hong Kong, as it has limited space. All the food waste can be recycled and become useful materials rather than being disposed in landfill. Besides reducing the load of landfill, the valuable organic materials, which are transformed from the â€Å"waste†, are nutrients to our health and the Earth. Since vegetables grown by organic fertilizer is much healthier to human than those grown by chemical fertilizer. Therefore, this processor should be widely used in Hong Kong in order to minimize the amount of food waste and raise public awareness of this exigent problem. Surplus Food Donation The Environmental Protection Department stated that â€Å"the amount of food wasted by Hong Kong’s restaurants, hotels, and food manufacturers has more than doubled in the past five years.† Effort should be focused on collecting leftover food donation as a huge pile of edible food waste is created from restaurants every day. Foodlink is a nonprofit organization working on this aspect. It takes surplus food from over 40 hotels and restaurants and delivers it to charity groups such as Home of Love in Sham Shui Po and Action Care that works with the less privileged communities in society. Regarding to an article â€Å"The food chain† (Grace, 2012), about one million people in Hong Kong are suffering from hunger and struggling to fill their stomachs. Freshly cooked food is something that they cannot support on a daily basis, especially for the one million people in Hong Kong who are living below the poverty line. Actually, those government-sponsored food banks only provide canned or prepackaged food which is unhealthy in the long term. On the contrary, the hot leftover food from the hotels and restaurants is nutrient rich. In fact, this creates a triple win situation for the landfills, charities and hotels. By examining the amount of excess food that transport to the charity, the hotel can determine the appropriate quantity of food for each day. Eventually, not only less food waste will be produced, but the cost of excess food production and food waste treatment can be reduced and eliminated. Also, less recyclable food will be wasted and disposed to landfills. Therefore sponsorship to those charities and public promotions is an obligation for the Hong Kong government. As the old saying goes â€Å"Prevention is better than cure†, cutting the food waste at its source is the best ways to solve this issue. However, despite there being less food waste being disposed to landfills, the food waste problem will continue to occur if the eating habits do not change. Food waste charge Similar to the solid garbage charges being promoted in the past few months, food waste charges could be implemented in restaurants to minimize this problem commercially. According to Friends of the Earth, in the catering industry, hotel buffets and restaurants that offer â€Å"all you can eat† are the major sources of uneaten food, which then goes into the landfills. Many customers whose â€Å"eyes are bigger than their stomachs† usually order far more dishes that they are able to consume, so the surplus food eventually has to be disposed of. Some hot pot restaurants that provide â€Å"all you can eat† strictly charge the leftover food per kilogram in order to minimize the problem. However, only a few hotel buffets in Hong Kong are willing to charge for the uneaten food since it may lower its attractiveness. In foreign countries, London and America are good role models that are attempting to use this policy to solve the food waste issue. A Chinese restaurant Kylin Buffet in London will charge a $32 â€Å"wastage fee† for the excess food. A â€Å"guilty fee† is imposed to charge the uneaten food in a Japanese restaurant located in Manhattan. In order to enhance the popularity of food waste charges, promotion and communications with restaurants are necessary for the government. Through this policy, it arouses public awareness of food waste so that the eating habit may finally improve. Since the food waste fee acts as a reminder and warning to customers to make self-adjustments to their appetite. All in all, for thousands of years, famine has continued to happen somewhere throughout human history. In fact, the current food production and storage in the world is more than enough to support the whole populations if we are able to minimize food waste. The food waste processor, leftover food donation and fee charging are the substantive measures to minimize the food waste and reduce the load of landfills from two main aspects (usage and source of food waste). As a Chinese proverb says â€Å"every grain is from hard toil†, hardship is required in food growing, we should cherish food and respect the nature that nurtures us. (1261 words) References 1. Food Waste Management in HK. (2011). Environmental Protection Department. Retrieved from http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/owt_food.html 2. Municipal Solid Waste in The United States – 2009 Facts and Figures. (2010). Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2009rpt.pdf 3. Jonathan, W. (2003, May). Food waste composting – sustainable organic waste management. New Horizons, 3, 12-13. Retrieved from http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~cpro/online_pub/nh0203/nh0203_12-13.pdf 4. Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong – Waste Statistics for 2011. (2012). Environmental Protection Department. Retrieved from https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/materials/info/msw2011.pdf 5. Grace, T. (2012, April 19). The Food Chain. Retrieved from http://hk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/food-chain 6. Order Less Waste Less. (2012). Friends of the Earth. Retrieved from http://www.foe.org.hk/welcome/geten.asp?id_path=1,%207,%2028,%20150,%204310,%204566

Things Fall Apart1 essays

Things Fall Apart1 essays The Ibo society in Africa is very different from the American society that I am used to. One of the major differences is the way women are treated. On page 37 of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo conveys that no matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and children (and especially his women) he was not really a man. On page 94 Okonkwos uncle says we all know that a man is the head of the family and his wives do his bidding. This shows us that women in the Ibo society are considered subservient to the men of the society and are sometimes mistreated, however they are still very important to society. This is evident in many other places throughout the book Things Fall Apart. The way women are referred to in the book tells about their social standing as well. Many times women are referred to by their relationship to a man. There are many references to Nyowes mother and Okonkwos first wife, but Ekwefi is seldom called by her name. The same goes with the wife of Ogbuefi Udo who was murdered by the members of another African village near Umofia. In the first chapter of the book we see how women are expected to do what their husbands say with no questions asked. When Ikemefuna comes to Umofia and is put under Okonkwos care he (Okonkwo) immediately calls for his first wife and says look after him, when she asks a question regarding the boy, Okonkwo says do what you are told woman to which his first wife responds by taking Ikemefuna into her hut, asking no more questions. The only two women who are consistently referred to by their name throughout the book are Ezinma and Chielo. That is because Ezinma is very special to her father, Okonkwo, and Chielo is the priestess of the oracle. On pages 122 and 123, Okonkwo thinks to himself that Ezinma is special because of all hi...

Voltaires philosophical value essays

Voltaire's philosophical value essays Voltaires and Leibnizians comparison of philosophical values Candide is a book about the problem of evil. In the book it explains that evil is inconsistent in saying that God created the world, God is perfectly good, human beings are free and the evils resulting from freedom are greater than the goods resulting from that of freedom. To talk about the free will of humans according to Voltaire means that free will is like a cost-benefit analysis. It is believed that the benefits of endowing humans with freedom do not outweigh the costs. Voltaire simply states, the problem of evil may seem to have an easy solution. You can argue that God might create a world containing evil and still have ascribed. On the other hand Leibnizian believes that his optimism of evil is contrary to Voltaier. He believes that not only must the good in the world outweigh the evil, but also good and evil must be so related that God could not have improved the overall ratio of good to evil in any way. To understand or look at Candide is to look at the extended attempts t o show how ridiculous Leibaizians optimism is. Voltaire does not consider Leibnizs reasons for thinking that God created the world, God is omniscient and perfectly good and this is the best of all the possible worlds. Voltaire concentrates on making fun of the Leibnizians topic of this is the best of all possible worlds, within his book. Leibniz does not take the same attitude as Voltaire does to there is no other possible world in which God could have created which would have been better than this one. Leibniz recognizes that we might be inclined to think that, but he thinks that comes from our finiteness, which has the consequence that we are unable to grasp the whole of any one possible world in all its complexity. This means that given different possible worlds we would be unable to grasp the complexity of any one world. To say this means that Le ...

Homeland Security and International Relations Essay

Homeland Security and International Relations - Essay Example With the internet, you can obtain data and information in the easiest way, but others may use it to harm others in different ways. The growing numbers of incidences and attacks online have revealed that the cyberspace is no longer secure anymore. Hence, securing information has become a critical factor of every organisation and federal agencies whether public or private. Attackers can gain unauthorised information from the organisational information systems and use it to harm the organisation. Hackers can change, steal or even harm the information systems through the internet. To prevent this will call for protection of the internet space by implementing proper cyber security. This will involve protecting information by preventing, detecting and responding to attacks from unauthorised personnel via the internet space. Government agencies are most prone when it comes to cyberspace attacks as they are undertaking an electronic government initiative. More and more agencies are making a move to be connected into the global internet as more cyber-terrorism activities grow very fast becoming a more serious and complicated issue. Discussion areas Questions are being raised as to whether homeland information security is improving over the years. For this to take place, there need to be massive investment in terms of budgetary resources dealing with internal and/or external threat incentives for it to have an effect on the performance of security agencies. The federal government agencies of the United States have a role in improving the situation using security agencies such as homeland security. A background check on the US homeland security status shows that the numbers of cyber-terrorism to government information systems are growing fact. A number of efforts have been made to improve on this and it still remains an issue whether such efforts have been paying off in the improvement of cyberspace security. Government officials and big players in various US industries a gree that cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism are threatening national security as well as the economy of the US. Data loss, computer intrusions and privacy breaches have been common security threats as this puts sensitive information at risk. Identifying information about Americans has been stolen, lost or improperly disclosed and hence posing threats to those individuals in terms of privacy loss, identity theft and financial crimes. It is therefore important that agencies as well as industry players protect their information systems in a consistent and sufficient way, otherwise cyber-terrorists will always be able to find a weak spot and take advantage. Commentary According to Koong, Merhi and Sun (2013), the US government needs to increase the incentives that are in place to positively influence the improvement of security. In the 2010 budget, president Obama proposed that the 2010 budget should include $42.7 for the department of homeland security as an effort to reduce the vulnerab ility of federal agencies. This shows the importance of the budget, to both private and public organisations, as an incentive to improve homeland information security in an attempt to increase defence against internet threat attacks. An

Competition Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Competition Law - Essay Example 2 Competition is a fundamental economics theory and the supposed benefits to be derived from the working of competition in the market underlies the importance of competition law or policy. Classical theories of competition held that competition is a form of reciprocal rivalry in the market and government intervention in the market was frowned upon.3 The existence of competition, it is expected, should result in the lower prices, greater efficiency in markets, better products and services, and a broader choice of products and services for customers.4 It has been argued that the above mentioned benefits of competition cannot be attained in a monopolistic market.5 Where perfect competition exists, producers will produce more as long as the cost of each additional unit of production (i.e. marginal cost) will result in a profit. However, one's decision not to produce beyond what is profitable will not affect the market as there are other producers in the market. Consequently, the existence of competition will result in resources being allocated to produce goods at prices consumers are willing to pay and at prices that producers are also willing produce and able to make profit. This results in allocative efficiency.6 When competition is allowed to operate, it is also expected that it will promote productive efficiency. The reasoning is that, producers aim at producing at the lowest reasonable cost in order to win customers and stay in the market. Productive efficiency allows resources to be used efficiently and this maximises social welfare. Where a monopoly exists, the monopolists is not pressurised by competitive forces to be efficient in its production. The inefficiency of the monopolists is thus passed on to the consumer resulting in consumer having to pay more for less quality goods than they would have if competition was allowed to operate.7 Where monopoly persists, the monopolist can also create an artificial shortage of goods in order to raise prices. In such instances, allocative efficiency and productive efficiency would not exist and the welfare of society is undermined.8 Consequently, in order for society to benefit from these welfare advantages of competition, competition law is instituted to regulate the working of the market against monopolistic tendencies. Government intervention into the through laws, policies and institutions are thus justified to the extent to which it prevents market failure and allows competition to function effectively so as to achieve the social welfare benefits of competition. One of the most eminent economists of the 20th century, Frederich von Hayek, stated that: "The functioning of competition not only requires adequate organization of certain institutions like money, markets, and channels of information - some of which can never be adequately provided by private enterprise - but it depends above all on the existence of an appropriate legal system, a legal system designed both to preserve competition and to make it operate as beneficially as possible."9 Within the European Community (EC) competition law/policy is considered one of the important pillars for the functioning of the internal market. The Commission and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) thus frown on any form of behaviour by undertakings that have as its cause of effect, the prevention of competition from operating. Article 81(1) EC thus prohibits: " all agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of

Law of Investment and Financial Markets Case Study

Law of Investment and Financial Markets - Case Study Example According to the appendix 'Four Corners', the WestPoint case involved 4000 Australians, most of which were pensioners (Four Corners, 2006, Page 1). Small investors were the ones to face the tragic collapse of WestPoint, as they lost their savings and the impact of these investors is described by the procession of WestPoint Investors Group to organize demonstrations to emphasize their predicament and attract the investment casualties. Some years before, WestPoint aggrandized funds by ensconcing a network of financial planners in order to upgrade its products. The entities interested in investment ought to hold an Australian Financial Service License for initiating with the investment operation, the venture or entity that counsels about financial products ought to be an Australian Financial Service holder (AFS); called as an AFS licensee. Financial business usually are deposit accounts, insurances, investments in funds such as shares, debentures etc. If not an AFS bearer, he can either be a director or apprentice to the license bearer. Furthermore, if the former doesn't intervene, he should be an authorized delegate of the Australian Finance service bearer. These delegates or representatives can be termed as 'business authorized representatives' as they hold an approbation to represent license bearers. There are assorted legal protections provided by the Australian Finance Services license, if at all, something in appropriate or contradictory situation occurs. It is always advisable to keep in account the license details of any financial services or benefits one is planning to avail. Since, West Australia is a renowned hub for business successes and entrepreneurship, the promoters and planners allied to financial sectors, accountants and others took availed all the possible opportunities of risk tolerations to gain profits. This was all possible because of a property development called WestPoint. But, some of the financial arrangements which were careful in planning involved the profits outside the governance of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), which was its governor. It focuses on the promulgation of Markets Advisory Committee to operate the corporate establishments. Also, it focuses on establishment of Takeovers Section, an Australian accounting Board, a financial Reporting Panel involved in financial services. This act is conformed on jurisdiction and in states which are referring only to the reach to which the legislative powers of the Parliament takes charge of the application. Australian Securities and Investment Commission is a c ommon seal with enduring succession, along with the procurement or disposal of real or personal asset. As far as membership is concerned, ASIS comprises of 8 members out of which 3 ought to be full-time associates appointed by the Governor-General. The solutions to it, definitely,

Effects of Plagiarism to the Students Essay Example for Free

Effects of Plagiarism to the Students Essay In life especially in any learning institutions, it is inevitable to engage oneself with other people’s ideas, stories and researches. Most of people’s knowledge is acquired from previous knowledge that is written and said. But people can also create their own idea from others’ works or through experiences. However, owning one’s thought is another story, it is considered stealing or corruption. Stealing a person is called kidnapping or abduction but stealing a person’s ideas or writing is called plagiarism. Idea is like a property, someone owns it. Plagiarism is against the law not only because it is a form of stealing but because its effects are very destructive to the morality of those who practice it and to the society as a whole. In academic world, plagiarism is a serious offense. Plagiarism is not only a personal matter between a student and a teacher but ultimately it is an issue of violating the moral code of learning, reversing the meaning of education itself (White, 1999). The continuous growth of Information Technology makes it easier for the students to copy and plagiarize. Plagiarism not only threatens the very foundation and purpose of academic system but plagiarism is a destructive activity that terrorizes the students’ sense of morality and values. Education is not only for the purpose of acquiring knowledge and information but education also allows students to discover their skills and intellectual capabilities. Education also trains and gives students opportunity to develop one’s character to become productive members of the society in the future. Committing plagiarism however is a missed opportunity for students’ self discovery, development and academic learning. Moreover, it threatens the sense of integrity and fair play to those who practiced it. When students became accustomed to plagiarism and stealing, it will soon become a way of life until it eventually becomes their comfort zone. There is a big possibility that after graduation, they will stay in that comfort zone. Acting plagiarism also hinders the teachers to truly monitor the learning development of a student, to know their ideas and to asses the things that they still have to work upon. When discovered, an atmosphere of distrust will be established between the class and the teacher. The teacher with skepticism will be having a difficulty identifying which is real and which is plagiarized, doubting student’s skill in writing, which may result to bias assessment. When students commit plagiarism, they reject the chance to learn something new, to widen their horizon in the world of knowledge and they hinder themselves to develop their own opinions, to give alternate perspective and analysis. These things may also affect the communication skills of the students. Since plagiarism hinders them to acquire more wisdom and information, they won’t be able to talk confidently in front of many people because of their limited knowledge. Act of plagiarism also threatens the concept of receiving grades. At the end, there is no sense of satisfaction. Those who practiced plagiarism eventually put their self worth in jeopardy. These effects of plagiarism in the students will affect their lives. Reference: Buranen, Lise. Roy, Alice Myers (1999). â€Å"Student Plagiarism as an Institutional and Social Issue by Edward M. White†. NewYork US. SUNY Press

Discrimination in Harrison Bergeron, after you my dear Alphonse, and Th

Discrimination in the Short Stories, Harrison Bergeron, after you my dear Alphonse, and The Lottery The trait of discrimination is the basis for the stories, Harrison Bergeron, after you my dear Alphonse, and Lottery. Discrimination is when someone is hated or acted upon negatively for the reason of race, sex, or nationality. In the short stories the author's feelings of discrimination are expressed through the characters differently. In these stories the author has his own feelings and thought depicted through the characters. By the popular theme of discrimination and racism it suggests that these stories were written in the late sixties early seventies. In the story Harrison Bergeron the whole country is handicapped except for one individual. The one person is Hazel who is thoug...

Relations between Venezuela and the United States Essay

To create a speech/presentation about Venezuela-United States relations, with a focus on the regime of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Topic: Relations between Venezuela and the United States, with a focus on the Chavez administration. Purpose: To be able to analyze the roots of the current state of Venezuela-United States relations as well as its future, given the existence of the Chavez government. To say that relations between Venezuela and the United States are very shaky is already an understatement. This is because the foreign policy of the US in Latin America is a â€Å"rhetorically concealed fusion between popular elections and imperial appointments† (Landau 29). The US has a long history of overthrowing Latin American governments that show even the slightest hint of favoring the poor. As soon as they get word about a pro-poor Latin American leader, the US government would flex its political, economic and military muscles in order to replace him or her with a pro-US head of state. The end of the Cold War did not change this scenario. Since 1999, seven Latin American leaders were overthrown due to their pro-US stance. Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada resigned from the Bolivian presidency in 2005 due to massive popular revolts over his pro-US economic strategies. Paraguay’s Raul Cubas stepped down in 1999 due to charges of corruption and involvement in the assassination of Vice President Luis Maria Argana. Ecuadorian President Jamil Mahuad was toppled from power in 2000 because of his adherence to free trade (Landau 29). The regime of Peru’s Alberto Fujimori ended prematurely in 2000 mainly due to his bloody suppression of anti-US political dissent. The collapse of the Argentine economy in December 2001 because of neo-liberal policies resulted in popular revolts that forced President Fernando de la Rua to resign (Landau 29). But Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is a Latin American leader that can be hardly described as a Washington lapdog. His pro-poor policies earned him immense respect and support from the Venezuelan masses, three consecutive presidential terms and harassment from the White House. The relationship between the US and Latin America has traditionally been that of a master and a slave. Since its first arrival on Latin America in the 19th century, the US clearly wanted nothing more from the continent but unlimited access to its natural resources (O’Brien 180). But changing political realities in the 20th century prompted the US to attain this objective in a more subtle fashion. For most of the 20th century, therefore, the US projected itself to Latin America as the â€Å"good neighbor† (Gilderhus 71) – an indispensable ally in the continent’s struggle against the Great Depression, the Axis Powers and Communism. But it was not until the postwar era that this â€Å"good neighbor† facade of the US became even more pronounced. Intensifying Latin American nationalism in the 1950s threatened US political and economic interests in the continent. The US, needing all the resources and allies it could get in order to challenge the Soviet Union in the global contest known as the Cold War, looked for an excuse to intervene in Latin America. Thus, American policymakers associated nationalism and Communism (O’Brien 181). This association between nationalism and Communism on the part of American lawmakers is valid to a certain extent. Prevailing economic conditions during and immediately after World War II led to the emergence of leftist politics and labor militancy throughout Latin America. In Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, for instance, postwar economic recovery and programs promoting industrialization resulted in the growth of manufacturing workers from about 50 to 60 percent. Increasing urban workforces, in turn, translated to larger and more militant labor movements that called for better working conditions and greater economic benefits. Furthermore, Communist parties in Cuba, Chile and Brazil obtained considerable gains in terms of membership and voter support (O’Brien 182). The aforementioned developments did not sit well with Latin America’s elite, who were fearful that leftist politics and labor militancy would make them lose their firm hold over the continent’s politics and economy. They therefore took advantage of the reemerging anti-Communist militancy of the US, using it as an excuse to roll back political reforms, outlaw Communist parties and crack down on independent unions (O’Brien 182). The American government, meanwhile, rewarded them by bestowing on them the political and economic leadership of their respective countries. A bloody, CIA-engineered coup in 1973 toppled the socialist regime of Chile’s Salvador Allende and ushered into power the pro-US Augusto Pinochet (Menjivar and Rodriguez 35). The US-backed Somoza dynasty ruled Nicaragua from 1937 to 1979, robbing the country blind and brutally suppressing all forms of legitimate political opposition (Leonard 1134). Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier became the dictators of Haiti from 1957 to 1986, living off generous amounts of political and military aid from the US (Leonard 243). The dictatorship of the Dominican Republic’s Rafael Trujillo lasted from 1930 to 1961, primarily due to his exploitation of US fears of Nazism during the 1930s and Communism during the Cold War (Leonard 244). Although socialism in Latin America declined in the 1990s, certain economic developments in Venezuela led to its resurgence in the country. Venezuela had abundant oil resources, but its oil industry was developed at the expense of equally important non-oil industries. As a result, the value of the Bolivar fuerte was dependent on fluctuating oil prices. Dropping oil prices forced the Venezuelan government to take out foreign loans and to debauch the currency. Inflation ensued, plunging the Venezuelan economy into poverty (Reid 161). Since Chavez was first elected President in 1998, Venezuela’s oil policy had represented â€Å"a dramatic break from the past† (Ellner and Salas 54). This was mainly because he used the country’s oil profits to come up with numerous social programs that were intended to help the most marginalized sectors of Venezuelan society (Ellner and Salas 54). One of Chavez’s first programs was â€Å"Plan Bolivar 2000,† a civilian-military program that included road building, house construction, mass vaccinations, land reform, the lowering of infant mortality rates, the implementation of a free state-subsidized healthcare system and a system of free education up to the tertiary level (Peet and Hartwick 192). By the end of 2001, the aforementioned program led to an increase in primary school enrollment by 1 million students (Peet and Hartwick 193). Chavez preserved his administration by using oil as a means of forging alliances with like-minded leaders. In 1999, he announced that the Venezuelan state-owned petroleum company PDVSA and the Brazilian state-run oil and gas giant Petroleo Brasileiro were reviewing plans of forming a larger joint oil company. The result of these plans would be Petrosur, an enterprise that was situated on the southern cone of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Petrosur was intended to supply oil to countries under preferential financial terms, encourage large-scale infrastructure such as pipelines and refineries and coordinate oil distribution, exploration and processing. The profits of Petrosur would be used to subsidize social programs for education, healthcare and employment (Kozloff 105). Chavez’s populist reforms earned him a second term in 2000 and a third in 2006. But his manner of using Venezuela’s oil reserves did not sit well with Washington and the Venezuelan elite. Prior to Chavez’s regime, Venezuela was the second largest supplier of oil to the United States (Noreng 74). In addition, PDVSA was controlled by the Venezuelan elites (Ellner and Salas 122). Thus, it was no longer surprising if these two parties joined forces in order to expel Chavez from power. On April 9, 2002, the CTV (Venezuela’s largest trade union organization), Fedecamaras (Venezuela’s largest business federation) and board members of the PDVSA carried out a general strike against Chavez’s oil policies. Three days later, CIA-backed elements of the Venezuelan armed forces staged a coup against him. The coup succeeded in temporarily ousting Chavez and replacing him with Fedecamaras president Pedro Carmona Estanga. Widespread popular protests, however, forced Estanga to resign from the presidency to make way for Chavez (Trinkunas 206). But the CTV, Fedecamaras and the PDVSA would not allow themselves to be defeated. On December 2, 2002, they called for the resignation of Chavez by staging another general strike. The strike lasted for 63 days – the aforementioned parties were forced to finally call it off due to subsequent detrimental effects on the Venezuelan economy. The strike was said to have devastated the Venezuelan economy by costing the latter about 7. 6% of its GDP (Kohnstamm, Bao, Porup and Schechter 28). Venezuelan politics remained turbulent until Chavez consolidated his power by winning a 2004 referendum. Having obtained tremendous political support and immense oil-generated wealth, he then proceeded to strengthen pan-American socialism. He openly established strong political and economic ties with other Leftist leaders in Bolivia, Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil. Despite being ridiculed by Bush’s officials as â€Å"Castro’s little buddy† (Landau 30), Chavez won about 63% of the vote in Venezuela’s 2006 national elections (Kohnstamm, Bao, Porup and Schechter 28). At present, it is very obvious that majority of the Venezuelan people continue to support Chavez. In February 2009, 54% of Venezuelans (O’Neill n. pag. ) supported an amendment that would scrap presidential term limits in their country (Llana n. pag. ). Simply put, he would finally be allowed to run for the presidency in 2012. This development is ironic, considering that they rejected in 2007 a constitutional referendum which included the said issue. Moreover, Chavez’s regime was recently criticized for its failure to address acute urban problems such as transport, crime and waste disposal (O’Neill n. pag. ). But the very existence of Chavez’s administration showed Latin Americans that it is possible for them to freely elect their own representatives, as well as choose the form of government which they deem appropriate (O’Neill n. pag. ). His open defiance of Washington’s dictates proved that a Third World nation, with sheer political will and unity of the part of its citizenry, can actually assert itself to the powerful nation on earth. Through Chavez, Venezuela showed that democracy is not measured in terms of how long a leader stays in power. Rather, it is whether or not this head was in fact chosen by the people and would truly serve their interests.