Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Openess Trade and Growth Essay - 1086 Words

The economic growth story is as long as the history of economic thought. Since the early classics like Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Thomas Malthus studied the issue of growth or introduced fundamental concepts such as diminishing returns and their relationship with the accumulation of physical or human capital, the relationship between technological progress and labor specialization or focus competitive analysis tool dynamic equilibrium. As part of these theories appears arises that relationship between trade openness and economic growth is positive. These theories between trade openness and economic growth can be located more than 200 years, with the mercantilist theories. Under these concepts, International trade benefited a nation†¦show more content†¦There are several authors that put emphasis on the role of international trade as the main conduit of economic development. Influential papers in this school include Sach and Warner (1995), Frankel and Romer (1999), and Dollar and Kraay (2003). In these papers, trade strongly fosters economic convergence among countries and regions. The degree of trade openness has been a topic of debate in the literature in recent years for its effect on the growth of countries. There are many measures Some authors argue that trade openness is positive because to diversify the supply and provision of goods and services to a emergency. The other position assumes that trade liberalization does not imply any benefit as all internalize external shock quickly. Dollar and Kraay (2001) argue that countries with higher trade liberalization or globalized tend to grow faster than non-global. In contrast, Birdsall and Hamoudi (2002) argue that countries dependent on primary products have a lower rate growth and trade liberalization is not the only factor impact on growth but also the composition of exports. These authors divided the country in very dependent or less dependent on natural resources and equated to the terminology of Dollar and Kraay (2001) of countries globalized and non-globalized. Birdsall and Hamoudi also argue that there are other elements linked to trade liberalization, and out of control authorities affecting the use ofShow MoreRelatedQatar : The Richest Countries1735 Words   |  7 Pagescooporations, with it’s own high tech centers, biometrical facilities and so on†. Singapore is to encouraging growth and breath through, citing evidence from the website http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-richest-countries-in-the-world.html states â€Å"The basics of Singapore’s wealth is its financial sevices secter, a chemical export industry , and its liberal economic policies that encourage growth and innovation†. Furthermore, the next top fourth is Kuwait. Kuwait is a small country near the UAE statedRead MoreDoes Economic Globalization Affect Interstate Military Conflict?1791 Words   |  8 Pages II The one among trade and peace is an old story. Yet in the XVII century Montesquieu (1758) wrote â€Å"Peace is the natural effect of trade. Two nations who traffic with each other become reciprocally dependent†. Another giant of that time, Immanuel Kant (1795), seems to share this point of view in his Essay on Perpetual Peace. At the beginning of XX century Norman Angel’s work â€Å"The Great illusion†, 1909 still supported this liberal view of peace by trade. Focusing on trade between Germany andRead MoreHuman Resource Management Essay4821 Words   |  20 Pagesvariety of work settings include; quarries, wharves, asphalt plants, concrete plants and recycle sites. Industrial relations: arose to the growing power of trade unions involvement in disputes, collective bargaining, negotiation and industrial law and regulation. The practitioner as a bureaucrat (control of labour) due to the increase growth and change of workplace activity such as: job allocation and performance monitoring; time keeping and control of absenteeism; sick leave and holidays; pay andRead MoreSetting The Scene From Block Grant Based Funding3768 Words   |  16 PagesUK economy, HEIs are now required to compete in ever-more challenging global markets (HEFCE BIS grant letter 2015). HEIs recent successes have been and will continue to be vital to the UKs future economic prospects as the country enters a period of growth. (HEFCE s annual grant letter from BIS) With tuition fees for UK students at  £9,000 and circa  £12,000 per year for international students, there is an increased expectation for highly able academics, flexible learning styles and high quality facilitiesRead More8 Week Pre-Marital Counseling Session Essay4296 Words   |  18 Pagesgain insight onto what God’s Word says about marriage and how conflicts are to be handled. The Love Test assignment is given so each of the couple can better understand how they feel loved and how their spouse feels loved. This is vital for the growth of their relationship. The Marital Needs Survey and Your Role Concepts Comparison homework assignments will help the couple see how their potential mate sees the role of their spouse. This can give valuable insight into each other. The 10 Important

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger Book Report/Review

Essays on The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger Book Report/Review The paper "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger" is a good example of a book review on literature. This is the book report about The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger. The genre of this book is realistic fiction. The book was published in the book of 2010. The story of this book is about a sixth-grade class. The main characters of the story are Dwight, Origami Yoda, and Tommy. The story revolves around Dwight, who is a weird little boy. The character of Dwight is that of an inner genius but an apparent idiot. His act of creating the Origami Yoda without external help speaks of his unusual smartness. Dwight interacts with his class fellows making use of the very finger puppet. The puppet turns out to be very wise. He impresses the class in the climax of the story with his distinctive sense of prediction and knowledge when he predicts an up-coming quiz, identifies the stealer of the classroom Shakespeare bust, and lends a good piece of advice to a classmate so that he is able to escape embarrassment. One of Dwight’s friends, Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so intelligent while being a finger puppet of a dumb and bland Dwight. Tommy plays the role of a spy and a researcher and prepares a case file about Dwight’s Yoda in an attempt to find out if his advice is worth following. His class fellows help Tommy in his research and he manages to compile a file that develops the novel. I enjoyed this book very much. I felt it quite resembled Harry Potter. Particularly, the finger puppet Origami Yoda reminded me of the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter. Both of them are alike in their wisdom and prediction, and both pass instructions that play a decisive role in the life of many children. The second cause of the resemblance of the story with Harry Potter is that both are fundamentally about schools and classes. Although there is a lot of difference between the character of Tommy of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Malfoy of Harry Potte r, yet Tommy slightly reminds me of him as he tends to study the puppet which happens to be Dwight’s fundamental source of power and influence upon the classmates. Therefore, I guess all those in life with the Harry Potter series must give this book a try as well!

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Collections INF Free Essays

This subject focuses on the provision of appropriate Information resources for organizations and communities, with particular emphasis on the hardcopy and electronic materials required to achieve the goals of libraries, Information agencies and related organizations. It will also address the concept of tacit and explicit knowledge collections and the role of institutional repositories. Attention is given to the assessment of needs, selection, acquisition, evaluation, deselecting of resources and consortia, and issues such as policy formulation, budgeting, cooperative resource provision, outsourcing, preservation, electronic publishing and space planning. We will write a custom essay sample on Collections INF or any similar topic only for you Order Now Introduction INFIX 0 focuses on the resources that librarians, archivists, record keepers and other information professionals make available and accessible to their clients, with reticular emphasis on how these materials are identified, selected, acquired, evaluated and removed when no longer of value. In the past, subjects of this kind have been concerned mainly with printed materials, but in more recent years digital objects (any digital file of whatever type – a word document, email, database, video clip and so on, is commonly called an ‘object’) have become at least as important as print materials. In the weeks ahead both types of materials will receive considerable attention. As you will see, the subject covers a lot of territory. This means a lot of org, and your task will probably be a lot easier and more palatable if you are able to work at a steady pace through the modules in Interact and associated readings, rather than neglecting the subject for two or three weeks and then attempting to absorb several topics in a day or two. If you do work at It fairly steadily, you should not find the concepts particularly difficult to absorb and understand. But the relevant area Is rapidly developing, largely because of the revolution In electronic resources that has been proceeding for some years. It does require an openness to new Ideas. It Is recommended that you supplement what you read here by examining recent Issues of journals and by monitoring Internet sites, and If you find yourself working In this field you really will need to make a conscious effort to keep up with new developments. However, this subject does aspire to provide a self-contained Introduction at a basic level. The subject now before you is a varied one with many possibilities for further study student who found nothing at all of interest. We hope you find this an interesting and stimulating subject, providing broad brush contexts and paradigms within which the ore practical focus exists. Both aspects are important to understand the work and how it fits in the broader information environment. Your Subject Outline The University, Faculty and School policies, regulations and procedures frame your studies detailing your rights and expectations, your requirements and the procedures necessary for successful Charles Strut University Subject Outline INFANT 201230 W D-30 January 2012-version 1 page 2 of 15 navigation through your studies. It is important for you to read all this information and clarify any issues with your Subject Coordinator. Faculty and School policies are published online in the Faculty/School Folio. Http://www. CSS. Deed. AU/faculty/educate/ folio/folio. HTML Your subject coordinator Robert Pym Academic biography Bob Pym has worked in libraries and related cultural institutions for more than 20 years. From 1993 until early 2005, he worked for the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, latterly as the manager of their Collection Development area. During this time Bob taught on a casual basis at the University of Canberra and Canberra Institute of Technology. His teaching interests include: collection development – leslies, selection and retention; preservation of digital materials; popular culture and libraries; and audio visual materials. Bob’s PhD is in the area of Australian popular fiction and its preservation and he is interested in researching the role of popular culture materials and their place in documenting society. Subject author(s) John Kennedy, Bob Pym and Sue Terry Learning objectives – be able to discuss critically the means of assessing information needs of communities and organizations; – be able to participate in the development of an information resources policy; – be able to provide an overview of the range of information resources available; – demonstrate an appreciation of issues relating to the selection and deselecting of information resources; – display an understanding of the nature of acquisitions work as it relates to information resources in traditional and digital form and the formation of knowledge- based collections; – be able to outline the development of virtual information resources and participate in an informed consideration of the merits of such resources; – demonstrate an understanding of the role of consortia in the provision of information resources; – demonstrate an understanding of how information agencies r epresent themselves in a digital world; – have developed a clear understanding of the role of institutional repositories and the policies and practices necessary to ensure their success; and – be able to discuss critically managerial issues such as censorship, budgeting, outsourcing and cooperative resource provision. All CSS courses leading to the award of Bachelor degree will foster in their graduates the attributes set out below. CSS graduate attributes build students’ capacity to contribute to their community and to the wider society. How to cite Collections INF, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Martial Arts Essay Paper Example For Students

Martial Arts Essay Paper Martial Arts When you think of martial arts, what comes to mind? The slow, calm movements of ATA-Chi Chuan or maybe the faster, hard movements of Karate or Tea Swoon DO. NO matter what you think of it always contains practiced movements of the body and a lot of concentration. These two elements combined With spirit and patience is basically What martial arts consists Of. Martial arts is so great because it strengthens each of these aspects of body and mind to make a beautiful display Of movement. This has attracted many people to all kinds of martial arts and with the help of the movies made it very popular among Americans. Today, many Americans prefer martial arts as an exercise to help them stay in shape. ATA-Chi, as an example, is a great martial art because of its use of both the body and mind. ATA-Chi cant be done correctly if the person is not relaxed and doesnt know the movements being done very well. The basis obtain-Chi Chuan derives from the idea of being constantly round when performing it. If you are attacked on a straight line and you resist on a straight line, the stronger force will win, but it the incoming torte is neutralized by circularity, then it becomes easier to defeat your opponent, no matter how throng they might be. Thats what ATA-Chi is based on, but It takes years of practice to get any good at it and decades to master, Another example of martial arts is Koreans Tea Swoon Do. The main differences between ATA-Chi and Tea Swoon Do is the uniforms and idea of movement. In ATA-Chi you can wear whatever clothes you feel comfortable in, but in Tea Swoon Do or Karate you have to wear a Gig and must practice barefooted unless you hue any medical reasons. Tea Swoon Do is an art that uses the legs as the primary weapon since it is automatically stronger than the arms and twice as long, their moves are also faster and depend more upon flexibility. Learning Tea Swoon Do is a very good way for children to develop skills such as proportioning Objectives to become organized, self-control and self-defense, and the ability to make rational decisions quickly. It also teaches loyalty and respect for oneself and Others, self- confidence/ high self-esteem, perseverance/ diligence, a positive attitude, and mental and physical discipline. Tea Swoon Do is a great martial art to start with because its easy enough to do from age 5 all the way up into your ass. This art isnt take quite as long to master and you may already start learning things from the first few classes. The greatest thing about martial arts is that it not only increases the strength of the body, mind, and spirit, but it can also be fun and energetic, Ever since martial arts began appearing on television and movies more and more people have been doing it. Also, a lot tot places to learn martial arts have been popping up all over the world. It comes as no surprise that the percentage tot people doing martial arts today has greatly increased in the United States and the rest of the world.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Alcoholic Liver Disease free essay sample

Liver disease related to alcohol consumption fits into one of three categories: fatty liver (Steatosis), alcoholic hepatitis (Steatohepatitis), and alcoholic cirrhosis. Alcoholic fatty liver is a condition that can develop within days of excessive alcohol consumption. Typically there are no signs and symptoms of this condition and the patient will not be aware of the fact that it has occurred. Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver due to the toxic effects of alcohol and usually occurs after years of alcohol consumption. The signs and symptoms are usually vague but can range from mild discomfort to a life-threatening conditions involving bleeding. The final stage is the alcoholic cirrhosis or end stage liver disease. Alcoholic cirrhosis is the primary cause of cirrhosis in the Western world. It is estimated that it is responsible for 44% of cirrhosis deaths in North America ( Dickerson, 2006). Pathophysiology The initial change, the fatty liver is just what it sounds like, an accumulation of fat within the liver cells. We will write a custom essay sample on Alcoholic Liver Disease or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the fatty liver, large droplets of fat, containing mostly triglycerides, collect within the liver cells (Gale, 2006). Fatty liver stage is usually asymptomatic and reversible with the reduction of alcohol. The second stage alcoholic hepatitis is when inflammation and cell necrosis occurs. During this stage fibrous tissues form which is irreversible and can lead to obstruction of blood and bile flow. The progression of hepatitis can vary from person to person and continued alcohol consumption. Continuing alcohol consumption will lead to the third and final stage of alcoholic liver disease; alcoholic cirrhosis. Alcoholic cirrhosis is a disorder in which the liver demonstrates extensive diffuse fibrosis and loss of lobular organization (Gould, 2006); Now that we know what the progression of the disease looks like, let’s take a look at the cause of the disease. The cause of alcoholic liver disease is obviously caused by the abuse of alcohol. Heavy drinking over many years may lead to liver damage and disease. There is a clear dose-dependant relationship between the alcohol intake and the occurrence of cirrhosis. The amount of alcohol is variable, but quantities greater than four or five beers a day are considered harmful. Some researchers estimate the alcoholism related numbers in cirrhosis to be as high as 75 to 80% (Dickerson, 2006). Although alcohol consumption plays the main role in the development of alcoholic liver disease, genetics and gender also play a role in who will be more likely to develop the disease. Since we all know that the liver metabolizes most drugs put into our bodies, it is easy to see that drugs used to treat liver disease are slim. I have chosen to tell you about the most widely studied drug used in liver disease; corticosteroids.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Framework and production values Essays

Framework and production values Essays Framework and production values Essay Framework and production values Essay Name: Instructor: Course: Date: : Framework and production values Framework is the foundation or baseline of a piece of work, object or structure. Production value entails sound, lighting, props and scenery. Framework and production values enhance the qualities of a film or play. A common way of applying production values is students setting a stage for a play. Students use costumes, props and other production values. The framework and production of a play aims at exhibiting reality. The costumes, props and actions play a big role in showing realism. The stage is set to have the relevant scenery for the play’s themes (Van, 45). A film’s framework is the basis for a quality film. Therefore, it has to be laid out appropriately for successful filming. The framework includes the introduction of the film, plot, genre and conclusion. An example of a film is Nikita, which is a contemporary film with quality framework and production values. The title of the film is a name of the main character that is antagonistic. She is not sure about her origin but caught in a situation where she has to be an assassin to survive. She decides to reform and dismantle the secret government unit, which trained her. Her mission is joined by other members who agree with her idea of dismantling the unit. The introduction portrays a captivating presentation. The production values look appealing to the audience giving them interest to watch the whole film. The premise of the film is thrilling and logical (Silverblatt, 208). The premise of the film collaborates with the messages conveyed in the film. The plot is well organized and it is made of events aiming at achieving the theme of the film. For instance, the story line is to destroy an evil and secret unit of the government. The significant events of the film are based at bringing down the unit. The film triggers certain feeling in the events. Some characters who portray disloyalty or betrayal. The film portrays some malpractices done by the real life government. Such scenes trigger anger to the audience since they understand they are portraying bad behavior of real government leaders. The film is successful in triggering emotions to the audience. The audience response is paying more attention and some tend to give comment about such scenes. All the significant scenes are related since they have a common achievement (Leonard, 12). They are all involved in showing the characters’ efforts of destroying the evil unit. The characters in the film play a big role in developing the themes and other effects. The characters are related according to their roles. The group fighting evil is related by having a common goal of bringing down the unit. The other group intends to protect the existence of the evil government unit. These two groups compete with each other and it makes the film unpredictable. The actions of the characters are enhanced by the production values. The film has quality sound and soundtracks, which correspond with the events. The lighting has been customized according to the event (Mintz Randy, 100). All the sceneries look realistic to the plot of the film. For instance, the physical location of the unit resembles real government offices. It has high technological equipment and secure location. Presentations with good framework and quality production values are characterized with costly production budgets. One illustration of such a film is Abduction. The title refers to the efforts made to abduct the main character. He is a young male adult called Nathan. The genre of the film is categorized as a contemporary action film (Silverblatt, 209). Nathan realizes some strangers are looking for him. His biological father is carrying information, which the strangers need. The strangers intend to abduct Nathan and use him as bait to lure his father out. Their efforts are rendered useless after the classified information is delivered to the government. They are all killed in the struggle to retrieve the information. The introduction of the film starts with a group of young people having a party. The main character is among them but his foster parents are not aware of his whereabouts. His biological father had to give him up for adoption after his mother was killed. The father works for the CIA and has to live a confidential life. This is why Nathan lived with foster parents, who also protected him from enemies. The introduction gives the audience a basis of the films story line. The premise of the film is logical and has an impact on the messages in the film. The thought and ideas are logical and they follow each other chronologically (Silverblatt, 208). The plot contains a series of events, which develop the theme of the film. The significant events entail the main character fighting for survival. The information, which was held by Nathan, was classified and only specific government personnel should access it. The event where it was secured by the government was also a significant scene. The film is characterized by quality lighting, audible sounds, relevant scenes and appealing decor. All these production values and framework contributes to the success of producing the film (Robert, 75). Works cited Leonard, Richard. Movies That Matter: Reading Film Through the Lens of Faith. Chicago, Ill: Loyola Press, 2006. Print. Mintz, Steven, and Randy Roberts. Hollywood‘s America: Twentieth-century America Through Film. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print. Robert, G. Picard. Media Firms: Structures, Operations and Performance. Taylor Francis, 2005. Print. Silverblatt, Art. Media literacy: keys to interpreting media messages. Conn.: Praeger. 2008. Print. Van, Sijll J. Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2005. Print.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Professional development opportunities Assignment

Professional development opportunities - Assignment Example The website listed above focuses on the ethics and responsibilities that aviation professionals have in their daily work.   It is mainly geared towards those teaching aviation, however, the information contained on the site is helpful for anyone in the field. This site focuses on all aspects of aviation work, not just pilots, so it is relevant to all who work in the aviation industry.   The SAFE organization, Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, offers a variety of useful information on their site.   You can read current aviation news, learn about professional development opportunities, purchase liability insurance, read the organization’s meeting minutes, learn their code of ethics and even learn about mentoring opportunities.   The website also gives information on available scholarships for many different areas of education.   On the website, you can also sign up to have their email newsletter sent to you.   Their newsletter will keep you up to date on curr ent initiatives within the aviation industry and will keep you posted on how you can get involved if you so choose.   I believe this site, is a high quality resource for many different areas, but the main focus is on professionalism, ethical behavior and professional development.   This is an active group, so this website is continually updated, making it a good resource to return to as opposed to just reading one time.     This organization does encourage you to become a member of SAFE.  

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Safety management Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Safety management - Lab Report Example This study’s core focus encompasses thermal stress, which is exchange of heat with an ambient environment from a radiating body. However, this phenomenon may differ significantly based on varied factors besides location, which are climatic conditions, work demand and clothing. Hence, influencing workers’ conduct especially if they are working in a closed or poorly ventilated place to the extent some may exhibit irritability, working slowly or taking persistent breaks to go out where conditions are favorable. Therefore, the knowledge of this phenomenon is essential to engineers and other related experts in structural engineering when designing appropriate buildings in quest of installing proper ventilations. In this experiment, interval for elevation of temperature was at least 10 minutes in order to allow even distribution of heat and for the used equipments to stabilize for better results. Obtaining of the required results entailed measuring of both WBGTin and WBGTout coupled with tabulating them in a table for later comparisons when giving deductions. Hence, compare them though in ascertaining the premise of this experiment divergence will not show big margins. This experiment seeks to compare the two equipments’ accuracies based on their results. After having obtained the required materials and equipments required for this experiment, the second step was to set up the entire structure as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. This is to ensure after the commencement of the experiment observations are easy and devoid of errors in case of any incorrect setting of respective equipments or apparatus. Once the setting was complete, out of fifteen students they were to observed resulting data but in groups. These were to read varied temperatures quantities and recording them correctly after they have come to a consensus that they had taken respective readings accurately. The insistence of correctness in this experiment was to ensure its results do not minimum

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Balanced Scorecard as Performance Managment Tool Essay

The Balanced Scorecard as Performance Managment Tool - Essay Example The research paper will be divided into five chapters. First of all the research will highlight the main issue around which the whole story will travel. This chapter will include the introduction of the whole paper as well as the brief background of the problem. Moreover, chapter will also have a brief discussion about the need and significance of the study and its scope and effects on individuals. The second chapter will discuss the basic concepts and theory of the topic. A detailed literature review will be provided to support the research. In the next chapter, the research strategy and general methodology will be discussed. It will also elaborate the reason of adopting a specific design for the strategy. The 4th chapter will be the most important part of the research, which will show the comparison and analysis of the data collected through various means. It will also provide the recommendations with respect to its findings. The validity of the research is the focal point of the whole effort. It actually explains whether or not you have achieved your task. In other words it deals with the suitability of the methodology to the research. According to Mason , you must ask yourself â€Å"how well matched is the logic of the method to the kinds of research questions you are asking and the kind of social explanation you are intending to develop". The validity of proposed research will be established through different ways e.g. member check, peer analysis, negative analysis, audit-ability, conformability and balance

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Globalization And The Toyota Company

Globalization And The Toyota Company The world today has been seeing the strong globalization. The process is reflected not only in trade but also in manufacturing, services, finance, investment as well as socio-culture and environment in various forms and levels. Economic globalization promotes close relationships, interdependence and rapid interactions among national economies. Through the process of liberalization, the globalization creates advantages motivating the development of productive forces and economic interactions between nations. Accordingly, comparative advantages of the participatory nations are strengthened and optimized. Besides, needs for development by enterprises is a growing and indispensable trend in the integrated global economy. Their scales of development are not limited in a geographical country or region, but in the whole world. In such a world of increasingly economic globalization, enterprise managers should be able to manage both internal and external influencing factors. Owing to that the managers will have better prediction, management of resources, and business direction towards set targets. In the course of global organizational environment, there are totally 12 sessions. Out of those, in following part, I will summarize 7 sessions. Particularly, among those selected sessions, I found session 12 an interesting one, even though it is the most challenging topic for me. This session helps the managers draw up both positive and negative perspectives of their businesses. This process strictly requires good understanding of their business situation, so that they can actively cope with and overcome difficulties that they already included in the drawing negative perspective Session 1: Organizational forms and purposes: In this session, we learn about some types of establishment, such as private organizations, state-owned organizations and 3rd regional organizations, etc. Understanding of these types is an important factor for a start-up business. Selection of type has great impact on the existence and development of an enterprise. Basically, distinguish features resulted in by different types of business are: Prestige due to consumption habits, Ability in capital mobilization, Investment risks, Complexity of procedures and business establishment costs, Corporate governance institutions. In addition, we may know how to analyze business by looking at its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT method) or through Mendelow matrix that tabulates values and priorities of involving factors influencing the business. Analysis results will strongly support the managers in identifying and prioritizing factors, and then developing proper strategies accordingly. Furthermore, we also obtain better understanding of role of business types and their influencing factors. Understanding of the relationship between the organization and its environment is fundamental to development strategy. While making strategic decisions on organizational direction and scope of business, all the factors relating to goals and members expectations should be taken into consideration. From the different goals, they put questions that: to whom they offer services and how to offer, or how to deal with the business with consideration of the shareholders profits? Once answering those questions, they will determine business goals and directions as well as type of business they will adopt. References of this topic are various. Internet is such a great source where I can find lots of references. From this session, I would like to obtain an overall understanding of business types, scales, scopes, socio contributions and to whom the business offers services. One of the key points obtained from this session is to employ Medelow matrix to analyze resources and every activity of the enterprise. In such a long time, the concept of corporate governance remains a debating topic, and it is such a challenge to me. After this course, I will be more confident because I absorbed the knowledge and will learn more from my work Session3: Managerial Environment Through this session we can determine the importance and nature of external environment. Classification of environment toward business orientation needs taking into consideration of different aspects and their complexity, variety and stability of markets and competing environment. The managers can identify the importance of environmental conditions and manage them. At that moment, the managers need to know how to analyze the environment by employing PEST framework. PEST framework is a support tool for effective analysis of business environment. (Andrew Harrison, Feb 16, 2011) Political environment has effects on the business operation of an enterprise. Stable political environment will help the enterprise having better business operation and long-term strategic directions. On the contrary, it may hinder the business operation in both short and long run. Business operations are also affected by the national economy. In such a developing economy, the enterprise has more business opportunities due to increasing income of consumers and their willingness to pay. However, the enterprise should have to consider the environmental impacts on the host country from its development. The impacts which can be overuse of energies and natural resources will lead to environmental pollution and resource exhaustion. Other factors affecting the business environment which are social situations i.e. population proportion and averaged age of a country should be considered while running business. Besides, the application of advanced technologies in the business operations helps increasing yield of production and reducing labor forces. The boom of application of technologies has been changing the sales methods by applying electronic technologies, such as online sale. Online sale also changes the buying tradition of the customers that the products are delivered directly to home. Analysis of the environmental factors aims at identifying opportunities and threats through which the enterprise can reduce and actively manage risks, and at the same time optimize their strengths in doing business. In addition, we can determine business strategy to cope with and manage changes of the environment. Owing to that we become more proactive and are well prepared to deal with the crisis. This process may be associated with the strategic vision of enterprise in the future scenarios. Session4: Economy and the role of government In this session we learn about the economy and the role of government. The government governs the country with respect to set economic goals. In reality, those goals are essential part of the macro-economy and listed as follows: a modest rate of inflation, a reasonable rate of economic growth, low rates of unemployment, a balance of payments in equilibrium or surplus. These goals can be achieved through market forces. In fact, in the past the government tried to achieve all these goals simultaneously and by doing so it has encountered other problems. Today, the government focuses on management of macro-economy instead putting its efforts on a certain issue. The most important task is to keep everything under control. Example is to ensure low-enough inflation rate as compared with those of other countries. If the inflation rate is too high, it can even weaken the common currency system. How can the government manage the economy? Government must consider the tools available to achieve the set goals. Two common tools are fiscal policy and monetary policy. Fiscal policy in which use of taxes and spending is announced in the budget is part of the Governments efforts to affect demand in the economy. By using this tool, an economy can be adjusted through changing the amount of tax and expenditure. The fiscal policy is used to increase or decrease demand. The fiscal policy is basically a method to smooth the economic cycle for achievement of the goals. The government mainly uses interest rates to influence demand in the economy for restraining inflation. Increase in interest rates would increase savings and reduce consumption and investment spending. Although it is a short-term solution, it is worth achieving benefits from restraining inflation. Similarly, interest rates affect exchange rates and those involved in the trade are often affected significantly when interest rates change. Interest rates are also used to change the money supply by affecting the ability to create credit by the banking sector. Monetary policy uses the money supply and interest rates to affect demand. The interest rate affects short-term demand and is mainly used to achieve realistic goals of the Government-that is low inflation rate. The use of tax incentives designed specifically to improve labor productivity are referred to as the supply side, which is a long-term strategy designed to reduce unemployment. The government also sets out the framework of laws and regulations to govern the operation of enterprises. Accordingly, the Government acts as an important actor in the economy. Management of the economy to achieve the goals is a complex operation. In short, the government uses interest rates as a tool for short-term demand management and other taxes and spending on long-term supply side to achieve macroeconomic goals. Session 7: Economy has emerged on three continents. In the 7th session, we consider the emerging economies including Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). How do these emerging economies affect the world economy in the future and whether or not the emerging economies will usurp the U.S. position as number-one world economy? The fact is that emerging economies have been contributing largely to the development of world economy. BRIC are among the first countries getting out of the crisis. In the future, those economies can be considered as core pillars of a newly-ordered world gradually appearing and they will dominate the global economy. Even though they have distinguished economic infrastructures, each of them has particular and significant advantages. Brazil has the strength of iron and agricultural raw materials; Russia is a large country with huge reserves of crude oil and gas, India is an exchanging point and can provide information, computing services, while China has a giant consumption market and considered as a world factory with huge cheap labor forces. BRIC economies are booming with continuous high growth rate and gradually proving their important positions in the world trade. During this financial and economical crisis, BRIC is expected to have an important role in stabilizing the world economy and its role as an organization to influence the world political and economic situation following G8 and G20. Most analysts have reckoned that the prospects of the BRIC cooperation are very positive and bring opportunities to the communities of developing countries. BRIC countries have distinguished characteristics of economic development. They will complement with each other in different fields such as finance, energy, services, technology, agriculture, environmental protection and food safety as well as in the multilateral trade negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). BRIC countries are emerging and market-oriented economies and they are playing an increasingly important role in changing the structure of the current global economy. Most economists agree that, if nothing happens than expected, in 50 years the BRIC countries will be the economic entity having great power to the global economy. In 40 years, the economic size of the BRIC countries will surpass the G7 countries in GDP. The Indian economy scale will overtake Japan in 2032, while China will overtake the U.S. in 2041. In 2050, six major economies in the world will be ranked as China, America, India, Japan, Brazil and Russia. Chief economist of Goldman Sachs Investment Bank Gim predicted these four economies will form the dominant force the world economy in 2050. (Goldman Sachs, Feb 16, 2011) That is just the analysis and prediction of scientists on the future BRIC group. However, the open and developing economy together with a stable political environment are overwhelming advantages for the BRIC countries in the coming decades. Session 10: Delivering Customer Value In 10th session, we will study the goals and position of the enterprise in the market of providing products and services to customers. Customer value is the total benefits received by the customer who owns the product or service. It includes the benefits offered from products and services offers, additional services, brand image and also personal relationships. Comparison of customer value and cost of customer will form the concept for value for customers. Although competition remains tough, the quality is no longer a dominant competitive advantage. The product innovation and quality are no longer a basis for competitive advantage. Some companies turned to internal improvements by trying to work through better structure and process changes. Downsizing, restructuring, re-establishment emerged as a common management tool to create enterprise streamlined. However, whether or not the experience of these tools has made their promises is still uncertain. The operational processes are certainly changed, but the expected impacts on performance are yet achieved. The quality and organizational structure improvement keeps on going and there are continuous and strong pressures on improvement coming from outside markets a process of seeking for competitive advantages begins. A question of what the comparative advantage is becomes important to the enterprises. Instead of focusing on the improvement of activities and internal structure, a change and improvement in management is unavoidable for the enterprises that are interested in outside markets and their customer benefits. Delivering customer value is a consistent and proper strategic direction. First of all, the application of customer value delivered orientation requires the enterprises to have careful and concise study of the market and their customers. Decisions on the methods of competing in customer value delivery becomes more effective if the enterprises consider the questions: What do the customer exactly need? Out of all the values appreciated by the customers, which value should the enterprises target to for their advantages? How do the customers think of the ability of the enterprises in delivering the values? How do the appreciated values change in the future? Secondly, the managers should have to translate their customer studies into action in order to offer better services. For example, the internal processes that provide values need to be adjusted to coincide with the values that customers appreciate. If businesses become more competitive in providing better customer values, they will need a set of corresponding tools for delivering customer value. Using these tools, organizations in the future will become more qualified in integration of internal quality management and outward strategies which is consistent with the customer view of the values. Session11: Managing Market Performance In this session, we will learn about the market activities and the businesses, business regulations in a certain market and how to manage market businesses and exist in a market. In a particular market if companies are about to succeed, they must study seriously and understand well that market and their products in that market. In order to do that the enterprises must understand both the current and potential markets and evaluate the attractiveness of the market. They also must define the strengths and weaknesses of existing businesses and the potential. That does not mean to set standards for the best market. The market attractiveness can be understood in different ways depending on on specific situations of that market. A market is considered more attractive if it possesses such factors: (large, growing, high profit, competition and competitive intensity is low, low immigration barriers, the market is less sensitive to occurrences due to loss of control). Similarly, the evaluation of the companys strengths and potentials in providing services, meeting the market needs should be conducted at the same time with the evaluation of the customer needs, advantages and strengths of competitors through following criteria: The company holds a big market share, grows faster in the market, has unique and valuable and high quality products and services, higher profits, effective production and marketing, protected technology properties. In the context of the analysis of two factors including market attractiveness and the company strength, we must consider the relative importance of each factor to achieve a comprehensive assessment that helps us choose a target market. Session12: Making Sense of Uncertainty. Participating in the current rapid globalization environment, the enterprises and managers need to study the nature of the environment to be ready coping with rising problems in their businesses. In a constant and simple environment, while dealing with possible future situations, the managers often refer to the past and use the methods of prediction and assumption of unchanged situation in the future.. But this approach is no longer appropriate and it is even dangerous if it is applied in nowadays rapidly changing environment. The managers are more active in their businesses if they must make a detailed plan predict an operational process to deal with both advantages and disadvantages. Design of the good or bad scenario for business case, management and the leaders will avoid the thing happening unexpectedly they might encounter. At least two scenarios will be conducted: Script that will achieve positive business and other cases, specific activities, if their business is in good point Is a bad scenario worst for business and corporate actions as well as managers to avoid losses to the company. Advantage of both scenarios shows that the specific actions that managers need to do beside the support tools to control the actions for promotion of business activities. However, in the case of a complex and dynamic environment, more sophisticated techniques are needed. In a dynamic environment, understanding the past situation does not always help the manager see what is going to happen. A commonly used technique is the creation of scenarios, allowing users to explore the broader possibilities and thus to terms with uncertainty. Task 2 (60% of module mark) Toyota Haier Airbus British Airways Sony-Erickson Marks and Spencer Ikea HSBC SAB Miller TUI Cadburys Tata Steel You are required to select one of the above companies in class and write a report (3000 words) in which you address the following issues: Type of organisation and its scope The organizations purpose and an analysis of its key stakeholders with an underpinning rationale for the power/interest of each stakeholder group The key external environmental issues (both general and competitive) impacting the organization in 2010 and beyond The organizations market position and its segmentation in 2010 The key opportunities and threats/challenges facing the organization in 2010 with a rationale for their selection The role and purpose of scenarios as a management tool illustrating your answer with an example of a scenario for your organization based upon the key challenges generated in task 2. Answer: I will write a report for the Toyota. In todays modern society, owning a car to transport is no longer a distant issue with consumers worldwide. Therefore business has a lot invested in the manufacturing sector and business vehicles such as GM, Ford, Nissan, Toyota the new launch of car companies that will create a competitive environment is very strong in business car. And expanding business market to other countries in the trend of global integration is becoming a serious urgency to this enterprise. Enterprises need to learn a lot about the conditions, standards and procedures of the different business environment affects how for production work and their business, of course if you want, they will be, they will have to adapt and to see changes to conform and survive in the environment they want to participate. Also businesses can take advantage of available resources such as cheap labour force, and natural resources abundance in the developing countries to produce their product and then sell in local market and export ed to other countries. Toyota is one such company that I also had a long interest in newspapers, articles on the website and on other media. In this article I will analyze and learn about the business environment impacts how for this business. Toyota is an automotive group transnational headquarters in Japan. Toyota was founded by Kiichiro Toyota on 28/08/1937 from a section separate from Toyota Industries. After a long development time, Toyota has now emerged to become the largest car manufacturing group in the world in terms of sales (Kendra Marr, Jan 22nd 2009). According to the annual report fiscal year 2009 (from 01/04/2008 to 31/03/2009), Toyota provides jobs for 320,808 workers, with 529 subsidiaries, with total capital of the company up to 397.05 billion yen. Major activities of the company are to design, assemble and sell cars, race cars, trucks, transportation vehicles and related spare parts. Toyota is known for the famous brands such as the Prius (hybrid vehicles with clean fuel), Lexus and Scion (luxury), Tundra (truck) Toyota owns a large amount of shares in the company Car Daihatsu and Hino, Fuji Heavy Industries, Isuzu Motors, Yamaha Motors, and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. In addition to manufacturing automobiles, Toyota provides financial services (Toyota Financial Services), involved robots, biotechnology Toyotas market share worldwide spread. Of these 26% in Japan, 29% in North U.S., 14% in Europe Toyota to build factories in all parts of the world, manufacturing or assembling vehicles in serving the needs of that market. Major changes in the global business environment, has changed rapidly in the business environment for Toyota. The growth of global markets and expanding into resource-rich countries or emerging markets has led to a decline in the U.S. market. Due to environmental problems and threats of global warming, interest in a low carbon society has led to rising petrol prices and rapid growth in demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Finally, rising raw material prices caused the increase of raw materials used in the automotive industry, especially steel. Moreover, the challenge is now recession that has led Toyota to develop effective strategies to overcome financial losses. According to Business Week magazine in Toyotas profit fell 10% last year in the United States because the economic downturn. For this recession, Toyota has launched two short-term strategies (for example, for production systems optimized to meet the demand in the U.S.) and long-term strategies (for example, to increase hybri d production). That is the strategic goal of the Toyota business in the state of the global economy today. Mendelow I will use the matrix to analyze the role of environmental factors affecting the operations of Toyota: Figure 1: Through consideration Mendelow matrix we can see the role of the factors that affect decisions relating to Toyotas strategy as follows: With business partners, suppliers and local communities Toyota put them in the table that have less impact to Toyota because most of these factors contributing only a small part and depending on decisions of Toyota and Toyota can replace these elements with new elements even more valuable and more relevant. These factors are not vital element of the business. Actors like competitors and shareholders are located in the Keep inform the Toyota because of all the activities of Toyota and its competitors are analyzed when any new product or any act are reviewed information that is harmful or beneficial, must be treated thoroughly before using for business purposes, especially when competitors launch new products to market. The elements of the customer and the government (including provisions for legal, tax,..) of the host country where Toyota market are placed in the Keep satisfied. Consumers are objects that Toyota wants to target and their assessment is objective and is crucial to the e xistence or destruction of the Toyota. Toyotas products when launched without the support and acceptance from customers will be very difficult for Toyota business in the local market and can even lead to bankruptcy of enterprises. And finally the factors that play an important role for Toyota as owners, managers, employees, and banks. Owners have the important decision to make leadership and development company in the right direction and purpose. Bank could help Toyota help on the financing to complete the project and product development objectives and expand into new markets. And finally the officers and employees of the company they are the factors that make our products and contribute to the value of the product, they will promote and increase the value of brand products as well as Toyota Toyota is still considered the pinnacle of creativity, production quality and the power industry in Japan especially after the company passed General Motors (USA) to become the largest carmaker in the world. But now they are facing catastrophic why? Most problems related to Toyotas business environment is currently facing that are: The recovery (recall), nearly 8.5 million cars Toyota worldwide with technical deficiencies endangering the safety for the users have caused a serious crisis. From November 2009 Toyota has a withdrawal of 3.8 million cars to repair parts of the accelerator, to overcome unwanted vehicle acceleration. During the period Jan to May 2010, Toyota had recalled 2.3 million vehicles on the same reason, and stopped production at five factories in the U.S.. On 2nd September 2010, Toyota additionally recalled 440,000 hybrid vehicles (both cars have gasoline-electric), including the popular Prius model, to fix a problem in parts wins. According to Reuters news agency on 23rd February 2011, Toyota is also considering withdrawal Corolla the second best selling car after the Camry due to problems in parts of the wheel. (TBKTSG, Feb 26, 2011) The competitors with the Toyota U.S took advantage of Toyotas crisis by pushing up a promotion campaign Giving up Toyota to buy their vehicles.. Before Hyundai, two U.S. carmakers General Motors (GM) and Ford have also adopted similar measures to attract customers. GM and Ford pledged to donate $ 1,000 for consumers to switch Toyota car to their products. Customers who wish change from Toyota to GM car could get a loan to buy the car for 5 years without paying any interest(vneconomy.vn, 20 Feb, 2011) Otherwise, Toyota is also facing environmental problems for example earths warming, gas prices, increasing demand for less fuel consumption. and finally the rise of raw material will cause an increase in the price of the product in the future. Toyotas goal is to maintain its position as the worlds No. 1 in sales and continue to upgrade and further improvements in product quality and will regain its image. In 2010 it has been seen that the combined fuel vehicles of Toyota Prius sales break record for a single model in Japan. Prius sales increased program support by the Japanese Government for consumers to buy environmentally friendly vehicles. Toyota predicted that car sales reached 8.61 million vehicles in the global market in 2011 However, according to analysts, because of the recall crisis that Toyota faced in the past year, which is accompanied by a wave of claim and the record fines, there will be chasing this car in the process to regain the confidence of customers. Being number one in term of sales is not important for us, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco told AFP. Our objective is to become number one with the customer, in terms of service and customer satisfaction. (Tokyo-AFP, Jan 24, 2011) According to AFP, Toyota is still the worlds largest car maker. Its sale increases 8% in 2010, reaching 8.418 million units. Meanwhile, any U.S. rivals General Motors (GM) sold 8.39 million vehicles. Particularly in Japan, Toyotas group sales including both car Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors downs 10% in the past year. However, the groups sales in foreign markets increased 7%. Toyota sold 7.528 million vehicles last year, increasing 8% from last year. According to data provided by Goodcarbadcar.net in 2010 new car sales at Toyotas U.S. market have fallen behind both GM and Ford Motor to GM: more than 2.2 million vehicles, Ford Motor: more than 1.9 million vehicles, and Toyota: more than 1.76 million units, and the rest belong to other companies such as Hyundai, Kia, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦about 900,000 units. (Good car guy, Jan 5, 2011) Figure 2: Through the above analysis and data can be found despite declining sales in the U.S. and Japan, but Toyotas sales is still increasing in other markets, especially emerging markets like China Asian Nations. Opportunities: Situation in world oil prices is raising, customers tend to use the car consumer oriented products that save fuel or use clean energy sources. Toyota is pursuing projects to build natural gas vehicles and hydrogen by applying and technical achievements of the modern world and the results of R D. While customers are looking for alternative sources of oil, this is a lucrative project for the company. Currently, in many countries where have high demand for vehicles but the supply is still limited. Toyota may expand its market to these countries. Toyota can produce the cars that meet requirements of geographical conditions and target the young generation. These are opportunities Toyota to raise its market share. Threats: As discussed above, there are many other vehicle manufacturers around the world who have joined market. This is a big challenge for Toyota that requires Toyota has to improve the quality and price in order to compete with the existing and potential competitors. Besides, changes in the exchange rate between the dollar and yen also cause a profit decline. The increase in price of raw material is also a threat to the production. After the prolonged economic crisis, the governments are expected to proclaim tight fiscal policy that lead to the decrease in sales and sales of vehicle manufacturers. Government also encouraged their people to use less polluted means like a train, bus, high speed train instead of using polluted transport means like s cars, motorcycles. In addition, changing demographical structure, families now prefer to use the large models, the change in the use of family car as the car uses less than in making children to school, the home delivery services, also reduces the demand for cars fell significant. To analyse environmental factors I would use PEST model includes

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

CJD Disease :: essays research papers

CJD Disease   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease is a rare brain disorder that is fatal. Reseachers find about one case of CJD disease per million each year.CJD can effect anyone, this disease effects both males and females of different ethnic groups usually between the ages of 50-75 .This disease causes progressive dementia and neuromuscular problems. Researchers still don’t know for sure what agent causes the Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, it is a topic that has been debated about. It was first thought to be a virus but a virus contains nucleic acid and when researchers looked at the CJD agent, they found it contained no nucleic acid. Also the chemicals that are supposed to make most viruses inactive did nothing to decrease the inefficiency of the CJD disease. There is a new theory thought that seems to make more sense. The theory that the CJD disease is not a virus but an uncoventional agent made of protein. This pathogen called a â€Å"prion â€Å" are thought to transform other protein molecules into deadly ones by changing the shape of the healthy molecules to the dangerous conformation. Prions are what link CJD disease and BSE disease. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also know as â€Å"mad cow disease,† is believe to be caused by prions, which is believed to cause CJD disease in humans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creutzfeldt-jakob disease can acquired in three ways. First, The disease can occur sporadically, this is when there is no evidence of the disease in the person’s family. Most CJD cases occur sporadically, so it’s hard to find the orgins. Second, the disease can be caused by inheritance. This is when someone shows a mutation in the gene coding for a prion protein that was passed to them by genetics. The third way of aquiring this disease is through infection. Researchers are not sure if this is a true way to get the disease but some doctors have gotten the disease after being expose to the infectious material inside someone who had the disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease as it goes on. The average time between symptoms and inevitable death is usually around one year. One symptom of the disease is a bad case of insomnia. Other symptoms include depression, confusion, personality and behavioral changes, strange physical sensations, and problems with memory, coordination and sight. As it goes on, the person develops dementia in most cases and develops irregular jerking movements.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 34

Chapter 34 Hell Breaks Loose A wave of anxiety washed over Jody as she woke up. â€Å"Tommy,† she called. She leaped out of bed and went into the living area, not stopping to turn on the light. â€Å"Tommy?† The loft was quiet. She checked the answering machine: no messages. I'm not going to do this again, she thought. I can't handle another night of worrying. She'd cleaned up the mess from the police search the night before, put lemon oil on the wood, scrubbed out the sinks and the tubs, and watched cable TV until dawn. All the time she thought about what Tommy had said about sharing, about being with someone who could understand what you saw and how you felt. She wanted that. She wanted someone who could run the night with her, someone who could hear the buildings breathe and watch the sidewalks glow with heat just after sundown. But she wanted Tommy. She wanted love. She wanted the blood-high and she wanted sex that touched her heart. She wanted excitement and she wanted security. She wanted to be part of the crowd, but she wanted to be an individual. She wanted to be human, but she wanted the strength, the senses, and the mental acuity of the vampire. She wanted it all. What if I had a choice, she thought, if that medical student could cure me, would I go back to being human? It would mean that Tommy and I could stay together, but he would never know the feeling of being a god, and neither would I. Never again. So I leave; what then? I'm alone. More alone than I've ever been. I hate being alone. She stopped pacing and went to the window. The cop from the night before was out there, sitting in a brown Dodge, watching. The other cop had followed Tommy. â€Å"Tommy, you jerk. Call me.† The cop would know where Tommy was. But how to get him to tell? Seduce him? Use the Vulcan nerve pinch? Sleeper hold? Maybe I should just go up there and knock on the door, Rivera thought. â€Å"Inspector Alphonse Rivera, San Francisco PD. If you have a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you about being dead. How was it? Who did it? Did it piss you off?† He adjusted himself in the car seat and took a sip from his coffee. He was trying to pace his smoking. No more than four cigarettes an hour. He was in his forties now and he couldn't handle the four-pack-a-night stakeouts – going home with his throat raw, his lungs seared, and a vicious ache in his sinuses. He checked his watch to see if enough time had passed since he'd last lit up. Almost. He rolled down the car window and something caught him by the throat, cutting off his breath. He dropped his coffee, feeling the scald in his lap as he reached in his jacket for his gun. Something caught his hand and held it like a bear trap. The hand on his throat relaxed a bit and he sucked in a short breath. He tried to turn his head and the clamp on his throat cut off his breath again. A pretty face came through the window. â€Å"Hi,† Jody said. She loosened her grip on his throat a degree. â€Å"Hi,† Rivera croaked. â€Å"Feel the grip on your wrist?† Rivera felt the bear trap on his wrist tighten, his hand went numb, and his whole arm lit up with pain. â€Å"Yes!† â€Å"Okay,† Jody said. â€Å"I'm pretty sure I can crush your windpipe before you could move, but I wanted you to be sure too. You sure?† Rivera tried to nod. â€Å"Good. Your partner followed Tommy last night. Do you know where they are now?† Again Rivera attempted to nod. On the seat next to him, the cell phone chirped. She released his arm, snatched the gun out of his shoulder holster, flipped off the safety, and pointed it at his head, all before he could draw a single breath. â€Å"Take me there,† she said. Elijah Ben Sapir watched the red dots moving around on the video screen above his face. He had awakened feeling gleeful about killing the fledgling's toy boy, then he saw that his home had been invaded. He was hit with an emotion so rare it took him a while to recognize it. Fear. It had been a long time since he'd been afraid. It felt good. The dots on the screen were moving around on the stern of the boat, scrambling in and out of the main cabin above. Every few seconds a dot would disappear off the screen, then reappear. They were getting in and out of a raft at the stern. The vampire reached up and flipped a series of toggle switches. The big diesels on either side of his vault roared to life. Another toggle and an electric winch began grinding in the anchor. â€Å"Move, move, move!† Tommy shouted into the cabin. â€Å"The engines started.† Barry came through the hatch carrying a bronze statue of a ballerina. Tommy waited at the stern of the yacht with Drew. Troy Lee, Lash, Jeff, Glint, and the Emperor and his troops were already in the raft, trying to find room to move around the paintings and statues. â€Å"Over,† Tommy said, taking the statue from Barry as the squat diver went over the side into the arms of the waiting Animals, almost capsizing the raft. Tommy threw the statue down to the Emperor, who caught it and went to the floor of the raft with its weight. Tommy threw a leg over the railing, and looked back. â€Å"Light it, Drew. Now!† Drew bent and held his lighter to the end of a wax-coated strip of cloth that ran across the stern deck and through the hatch to the main cabin. He watched the flame follow the trail for a few feet, then stood and joined Tommy at the rail. â€Å"It's going.† They went over the rail backward and the Animals obliged them by stepping aside and letting them both hit the floor of the raft unimpeded. The raft lurched and righted itself. Tommy fought for breath to give a command. â€Å"Paddle, men!† the Emperor shouted. The Animals began to beat the water with their paddles. There was a loud clunking noise from the yacht as the transmission engaged and the raft was rocked as the twin screws engaged and began pushing the yacht away from them. â€Å"Rivera,† Rivera said into the cell phone. â€Å"The yacht is moving,† Cavuto said. â€Å"I think I just aided these guys in looting it.† He unzipped a leather case on the car seat, revealing a huge chrome-plated automatic pistol, a Desert Eagle.50-caliber. It fired bullets roughly the weight of a small dog and kicked like a jackhammer. One shot could reduce a cinder block to gravel. â€Å"I'm on my way,† Rivera said. â€Å"What about the girl?† Cavuto slammed a clip into the Desert Eagle, dropped another one into his jacket pocket. â€Å"She's – she'll be fine. I'm at Van Ness and Lombard. I'll be there in about three minutes. Don't call in backup.† â€Å"I'm not – oh Jesus Christ!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"The fucking thing just blew up.† A fountain of flame shot from the stern of the Sanguine II, a second passed, and the rest of the yacht disappeared in a cloud of flame that rose into the sky above her. She had cleared the breakwater and was perhaps three hundred yards out into the bay when the fuse reached Drew's incendiary cocktail. The raft had just made the dock when the explosion went off. Tommy leaped onto the dock and watched the mushroom cloud dissipate. The shock wave rolled in and Tommy reached back to the raft and caught the Emperor before he went into the water. Debris rained down around them. A pool of fire and unexploded diesel fuel spread out across the water, illuminating the whole area with a dancing bright orange. â€Å"Is this a party boat, or what?† Drew shouted. The Animals scrambled out of the raft onto the dock and began handing up the objets d'art. Tommy stood aside and watched the burn. Bummer cowered in the Emperor's arms. â€Å"Do you think we got him?† Jeff handed the Degas ballerina to Troy and looked over his shoulder. â€Å"Fucking A, we got him. Nice mix, Drew.† Drew took a bow and almost went over the edge of the dock. The Emperor said. â€Å"I can't help but think that the explosion may have attracted the attention of the authorities, gentlemen. I would recommend a speedy retreat.† Drew looked at the burning slick. â€Å"I wish I had some acid. This would be great on acid.† Jeff jumped down into the raft and handed up the last painting, the Miro. He looked past Troy Lee, who was wrestling up the heavy frame, and said, â€Å"Whoops.† â€Å"What?† Troy said. Jeff nodded past him and the Animals turned around. Cavuto had a very large, very shiny pistol pointed at them. â€Å"No one move!† They didn't. The spearguns were stacked on the dock. Glint held the shotgun loosely at his side as he prayed. He dropped it. â€Å"Drop it,† Cavuto said. â€Å"I did,† said Clint. â€Å"That's true, he did,† Tommy said. â€Å"And before you asked. He should get extra credit for that.† Cavuto motioned with the pistol. â€Å"Everybody down. On your faces. Now!† The Animals dropped. Lazarus barked. The Emperor stepped forward. â€Å"Officer, these young men have – â€Å" â€Å"Now!† Cavuto screamed. The Emperor dropped to the dock with the Animals. The screens went dark an instant before he was slammed against the side of the vault. He tumbled inside, feeling his flesh burn on the steel with every turn. The vault glowed red with the heat and had filled with smoke from the seared wires and the vampire's clothing. After a few seconds the tumbling stopped. The vampire was jammed into one end of the vault, his face against his knees. His skin was stinging and he tried to will it to heal, but it had been days since he had fed, so the healing came slowly. He located the lid by finding the smashed CRT and radar screens. Salt water sprayed in a fine mist from behind the screens. He pushed on the lid but it didn't move. He felt for the latches and released them, then heaved against the lid with force that would have crumpled a car fender, yet the lid stayed fast. The heat of the explosion had welded it shut. I should have killed him last week, the vampire thought. This is what I get for indulging my pleasures. He reached into the broken CRT, looking for the source of the spraying water, then concentrated his will and went to mist. The transition was slow, weak as he was, but when he had finally lost his solid form he followed the path of the water and wormed his way through the pinhole to the open ocean. The vault lay on the bottom in a hundred and twenty feet of water and as soon as the vampire escaped, the pressure of four atmospheres condensed him to his solid shape. He tried to force himself to mist, failed, then swam toward the orange glow at the surface, thinking, The boy dies first, then a new suit. He broke the surface in the midst of the flame slick, then scissor-kicked hard enough to bring himself completely out of the water and tried to go to mist. His limbs dissolved in the air, their vapor whipped by the flame and standing out white in the rolling black diesel smoke, but he could not hold. He fell back into the water, followed by a vortex of vapor that condensed back to solid form under water. Frustrated and angry, he began the swim around the breakwater toward the yacht club. Cavuto panned the Desert Eagle back and forth across the heads of the prostrated Animals as he moved forward to get their weapons. Lazarus growled and backed away as the big cop approached. Sirens sounded in the distance. Crew members and yacht owners were popping out of the hatches of nearby yachts like curious prairie dogs. â€Å"Inside!† Cavuto shouted, and the yachters ducked for cover. Cavuto heard footsteps on the dock behind him and swung quickly around. The gate guard, looking down the cavelike barrel of the Eagle, stopped as if he'd hit a force field. Cavuto swung back to cover the Animals. Over his shoulder Cavuto said, â€Å"Go back to the gate and call nine-one-one. Tell them to send me some backup.† â€Å"Right,† the guard said. â€Å"All right, scumbags, you're under arrest. And if any of you even twitches, I'll turn you into a red stain. You have the right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The vampire came out of the water like a wet comet and landed on the dock behind the Animals. He was burned black and his clothes hung in sooty shreds. Cavuto fired without thinking and missed. The vampire looked up long enough to grin at him, then reached down and snatched Tommy by the back of his shirt and yanked him up like a rag doll. Cavuto aimed and fired again. The second shot hit the vampire in the thigh, taking out a three-inch chuck of flesh. The vampire dropped Tommy, turned on Cavuto, and leaped. The third bullet caught the vampire in the abdomen, the impact spraying flesh and spinning him in the air like a football. He landed in a heap at Cavuto's feet. The big cop tried to back away to get another shot off, but before he could aim, the vampire snatched the gun out of his hand, taking most of the skin off his trigger finger. He leaped backward, clawing inside his jacket for his detective special as the vampire tossed the Desert Eagle over his shoulder and climbed to his feet. â€Å"You are a dead man,† he growled. Cavuto watched the gaping wounds in the vampire's leg and stomach pulsing, bubbling, and filling with smoke. He caught the butt of his revolver just as the vampire leaped, his fingers outstretched to drive into Cavuto's chest. Cavuto ducked, heard a hiss and a loud thunk, and looked up, amazed that he was still alive. The vampire had stopped an inch from him. A gleaming spear through his leg had pinned him to the dock. The black kid stood a few yards away, a gas-powered speargun in hand. The vampire wrenched himself around and clawed at the spear. Cavuto yanked out his gun, but with his damaged finger he ended up flinging it off the dock. He heard the sound of tires behind him, then a car coming down the dock. A second spear thunked through the vampire's shoulder. Tommy threw the speargun aside. The Animals were all on their feet. â€Å"Troy, throw me the sword!† Troy Lee picked up the fighting sword from the deck and threw it at Tommy. Tommy sidestepped; the sword whizzed by him and clattered on the dock near Cavuto, who was standing motionless, stunned at almost seeing his own death. â€Å"Handle first, you doofus,† Tommy said as he ran after the sword. The vampire yanked the spear out of his shoulder and reached for the one in his leg. The Emperor picked up his wooden sword from the deck and charged the vampire. Lash caught him by the collar, yanking him aside as Barry fired a third spear, hitting the vampire in the hip. Jeff let go with a blast from the shotgun. The vampire jerked with the impact of the shot and screamed. Tommy dived for the fighting sword at Cavuto's feet. The big cop lifted him to his feet. â€Å"Thanks,† Tommy said. â€Å"You're welcome,† Cavuto said. â€Å"I didn't kill those people.† â€Å"I'm figuring that out,† Cavuto said. A brown car skidded to a stop on the dock. Tommy looked up for an instant, then turned and headed toward the vampire, who was clawing at the spear in his leg. His wounds bubbled and seethed with vapor; his body was trying to heal even as new damage was inflicted on it. Tommy raised the sword over the vampire's head and closed his eyes. â€Å"No!† It was Jody's voice. Tommy opened his eyes. Jody was on her knees, shielding the vampire, who had given up the struggle and was waiting for the final blow. â€Å"No,† Jody said. â€Å"Don't kill him.† Tommy lowered the sword. Jody looked at Jeff, who still held the shotgun. â€Å"No,† she said. Jeff looked at Tommy, who nodded. Jeff lowered the shotgun. â€Å"Kill the fiend, now!† cried the Emperor, still struggling against Lash's hold on his coat. â€Å"No,† Jody said. She pulled the spear out of the vampire's leg and he screamed. She patted his head. â€Å"One more,† she said quietly. She yanked the spear out of his hip and he gasped. Jody propped the vampire up on her lap. The Animals and Cavuto stood watching, not sure what to do. Clint prayed quietly, barely audible over the approaching siren. â€Å"Blood,† the vampire said. He looked into Jody's eyes. â€Å"Yours.† â€Å"Give me that sword, Tommy.† Jody said. He hesitated and raised the sword to strike. â€Å"No!† She covered the vampire with her body. â€Å"But Jody, he's killed people.† â€Å"You don't know anything, Tommy. They were all going to die anyway.† â€Å"Get out of the way.† Jody turned to Cavuto. â€Å"Tell him. All the victims were terminally ill, weren't they?† Cavuto nodded. â€Å"The coroner said that none of them had more than a few months.† Tommy was almost in tears. â€Å"He killed Simon.† â€Å"Simon had AIDS, Tommy.† â€Å"No way. Not Simon. Simon was the animal of the Animals.† â€Å"He was hiding it from you guys. He was scared to death. Now, please, give me the sword.† â€Å"No, get out of the way.† Tommy reared back for the killing blow. He felt a hand on his shoulder, then another one catch his sword arm and pull it down. He looked around to see the Emperor. â€Å"Let him go, son. The measure of a man's power is the depth of his mercy. Give me the sword. The killing is over.† The Emperor worked the sword out of Tommy's grip and handed it to Jody. She took it, ran the blade across her wrist, then held the wound to the vampire's mouth. He took her arm in his hands and drank. Jody looked at Cavuto. â€Å"Your partner is handcuffed to the wheel of the car. Get him and walk away before anyone else gets here. I need the car. I don't want to be followed either.† Cavuto dropped back into cop mode. â€Å"Bullshit.† â€Å"Go get your partner and go. Do you want to explain this?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"All this.† Jody pulled her arm out of the vampire's mouth and gestured around the dock. â€Å"Look, the murders will stop. I promise. We're leaving and we're never coming back. So let it drop. And leave Tommy and these guys alone.† â€Å"Or what?† Cavuto said. Jody cradled the old vampire and lifted him as she stood up. â€Å"Or we'll come back.† She carried the vampire to the cruiser and put him in the back seat and crawled in with him. Rivera was sitting in the front seat. Cavuto came to the side of the car and handed his handcuff key through the window to Rivera. â€Å"I told you,† Rivera said. Cavuto nodded. â€Å"We're fucked, you know? We have to let them go.† Rivera unlocked the handcuffs and got out of the car. He stood next to Cavuto, not sure what to do next. Jody stuck her head out the back window of the cruiser. â€Å"Come on, Tommy, you drive.† Tommy turned to the Emperor, who nodded for him to go, then to the Animals. â€Å"You guys, get that stuff off the dock. In Troy's car. Get out of here. I'll call you at the store tomorrow.† Tommy shrugged, got in the car, and started it. â€Å"What now?† â€Å"To the loft, Tommy. He needs a dark place to heal.† â€Å"I'm not comfortable with this, Jody. I want you to know that. I'd like to know what your relationship is to this guy.† The vampire moaned. â€Å"Drive,† she said. They pulled off the dock, leaving the Animals scrambling around collecting the art and the two policemen staring at them in amazement. She said, â€Å"I love you, Tommy, but I need someone who's like me. Someone who understands. You know how that is, right?† â€Å"So you run off with the first rich older guy that comes along?† â€Å"He's the only one, Tommy.† She stroked the vampire's burned hair. â€Å"I don't have any choice. I hate being alone. And if he died, then I'd never know about what I am.† â€Å"So you two are going away? You're leaving me?† â€Å"I wish I could think of some other way. I'm sorry.† â€Å"I knew you'd break my heart.†

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Dell Case

Dell Case Dell Case 1. Dell?s Online Success inevitably resulted in a complete alteration of their business strategy, which focused on making every decision ?customer-driven,? while increasing efficiency across the company. With the formation of the Dell Direct Model, which focused on made-to-order products, a low cost distribution system, rapid lead times, and the maintenance of customer relationships, this new concept needed strong sales and marketing opportunities, as a customer could get a made-to-order computer shipped to their home in about 36 hours, which was a model time within the computer industry at the time. With the Internet craze of the 1990?s, the Internet presented the ease of a new information channel, which was the perfect mode of extension for the new Dell Direct Model into customer?s homes. On behalf of Dell?s original position within the PC market, as Dell did not have a distribution channel, but always directly dealt with the customers themselves, Dell?s marketing force b elieved that Dell?s venture of expanding retail sales, support help, an order tracking system, and other services directly into the homes and businesses of its customer base, would be extremely profitable through Dell Online.Dell stand at UCExpoThey were right, as sales revenues from the website generated about $3 million a day a year and a half preceding it?s launch (mostly coming from business customers), which were accompanied by high levels of customer satisfaction concerning their purchases online. With these high levels of customer satisfaction came goals to further reduce costs, which were saved by reducing the telephone calls between customers and sales reps and also by making possible higher sales quotas for sales reps as a result of the leads that were achieved as a direct result of online usage. Further success came as a result of the satisfaction accompanying customer-tailored services, such as ?Dell Premier Pages,?...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Vanity made the revolution, liberty was only a pretext

Vanity made the revolution, liberty was only a pretext ‚“Vanity made the revolution, liberty was only a pretext‚”A revolution is the overthrow of one government with replacement of another. The American Revolution against the British during 1775 to 1783 and the French Revolution against their own French government between 1789 and 1799 are both important political and social turnovers. Each country sought radical change for freedom and equality. Many similarities as well as differences existed between the American Revolution and the French Revolution. This paper will explore the driving factors as well as the similarities and differences between the two Revolutions.Both revolutions are fundamentally based on the Enlightenment ideas of John Locke. ‚“The Declaration of Independence‚” contains many of Locke‚s ideas; it is a document that states all Americans are entitled to ‚“life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness‚” (Thomas Jefferson, ‚“The Declaration of Independence‚†, in Mark S. Micale, The Western Experience: 1750 to Present Reader, Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2002, 9-12).Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 17...Similarly, the French document, ‚“The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen,‚” states that the French have rights to ‚“liberty, property, security, and the resistance of oppression‚” (‚“The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen‚”, in Mark S. Micale, The Western Experience: 1750 to Present Reader, Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2002, 13-14). Both of these documents emphasize the idea that liberty is something to which all men should be allowed. The French document was based off of ‚“The Declaration of Independence.‚” Rather than a constitution it was a statement of principles. ‚“The Declaration of the Rights of Man‚” was much more understated and less extensive (HIS 142 discussion,01-28-2008).These Revolutions were fueled and instigated by the inef ficiency of their governments and the oppression they placed on their people. Americans were unhappy with the Taxation from the British government. Unfair taxes were placed on the...

Monday, November 4, 2019

German History Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

German History - Coursework Example Money plays major roles in Lessing’s Nathan. A case in point is evident in the line, â€Å"As often happens, money is at ebb,† which is a statement made by Hafi. This in simple terms means money is on the move. Hafi meant that money is needed to facilitate any form of movement and that the lives of people are determined by the amount of money that they have or they are willing to give in return for a service rendered (Lessing, 02-11). Sittah says that â€Å"Shall earn a thousand dinars to an asper.† This statement relates to the fact that money is a motivation to work and Sittah is ready to work hard so as to earn enough income for his survival. According to Nathan, money can be used traded to gain interest thus increasing its value and amount. He confirms this by saying telling Hafi that,â€Å"Till my capital becomes. All interest.† 3. In Kleist’s novella â€Å"Kohlhaas,† the protagonist is seeking justice. But how does his wife try to get involved, and what is the outcome for her? Is Kohlhaas a cruel man? How is he projected as a father? And how is he viewed in public well before his execution? 15 pts. Upon trying to intervene in the search for justice for her husband, Kohlhaas wife is struck down by a guard in her attempt to deliver a petition notice to the Elector of Saxony. She later dies as a result of the injuries sustained during the assault. Michael Kohlhaas has been portrayed as very cruel man who resorts into carrying out an armed uprising which seem to be beyond the injustice he had experienced as a result of the seizure of a few of his horses. Contrary to his cruelty, he is portrayed as a very good family man and a father who is very calm in his interaction with his children. Before his execution, some members of the public viewed him as a savior and their liberator (Kleist, 112-115). They considered him as one advocating

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Could the Tide be Changing (Travel Agency Management) Essay

Could the Tide be Changing (Travel Agency Management) - Essay Example and Horner, S. 2006). However the recent proliferation of the e-commerce business model has challenged traditional adage that â€Å"location, location, location† is critical to commercial success (Chaffey, D. 2006); effectively undermining the traditional travel agency distribution model, forcing travel agencies to re-develop and reformulate competitive strategies to sustain growth (Zhou, Z. 2003). This is further evidenced by the recent merger of package holiday specialists MyTravel and Thomas Cook in 2007 (Taylor, I. 2007). It was reported that the merger was driven by business necessity in order to ensure survival in the competitive nature of the market facilitated by the e-commerce business model (Taylor, I. 2007). Moreover, it was propounded that â€Å"the merger is predicted to save  £75million a year by 2009/10 through cuts in duplicated services and assets including staff, shops, aircraft, offices and IT systems, particularly in the UK† (Taylor, I 2007). Whilst some analysts reacted to the merger as a further nail in the coffin of the high street travel agent, the alternative question posed is whether this in fact matters in the digital arena (Taylor, I. 2007). Moreover, it is arguable that the proliferation of the Internet and online growth could in fact have signalled a new tide against the recent trend of losses and closures within the industry. The focus of this analysis is to evaluate recent business analyst forecasts signalling the decline of the high street travel agency within the emerging online market as evidenced by the rapid growth of â€Å"virtual† travel agencies such as Expedia and lastminute.com (Evans, N., Campbell, D. & Stonehouse, G. 2003) Whilst, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) figures indicate a significant reduction in high street travel agencies (www.abta.com), this analysis will evaluate whether such

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Photograhs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Photograhs - Assignment Example This paper is a formal and iconographic analysis of Arbus photographs as compared with the works of Annie Leibovitz. Arbus is basically revered for bringing out a unique quality known as rough empathy in her photographs. Her works embody commonly gendered attributes of mystery and neurosis, which generally distort the primary intent of the photographs. As Annie Leibovitz concentrated in cool, common images of ordinary people and objects, various works in Arbus’ name reveal her penchant for the images of the sidelined, the surreal, and the impaired. Unlike Leibovitz works, Arbus’s works are ethically weakened by the vulnerability and flawed nature of the subjects. Artistically, most of her works seem to be pathetic, miserable and repulsive, rather than attractive as work of art should be. What strikes every audience who views Arbus’s works is the convincing feeling of the natural environment, and how uninterrupted her subjects existed in it. In light of her natural touch evidenced in the photos, reducing the artist to the â€Å"photographer of freaks† clearly reveals an industry where people are unwilling to come to terms with the otherness of the images (Sontag 1). When Arbus took photographs of people lacking clearly discernible flaws, she often found the off attribute, the odd edging, and the unusual lighting that projected her art as pervaded by flaws. Loser at a diaper derby, N. J. (1967), for example, is one of her iconic works showing a toddler close-up, crying bitterly. The baby’s fat fists are clenched as a sign of mourning, with the silhouette image of his mother showing her ignorance of the toddler. The photograph reveals a case of existential solitude that troubles the massive number of cute, happy baby photos by many artists such as Leibovitz. Leibovitz’s Leonardo Dicaprio with a Swan (1997) reveals a flawless work of photography. The most attractive attribute of this photo is the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Neo-liberal Critique of the Welfare State Essay Example for Free

Neo-liberal Critique of the Welfare State Essay The welfare state refers to the initiative of the government in a country to take care of the wellbeing of the public. Under the welfare state, the government undertakes the responsibility of protecting and promoting the economic and social welfare of its people (Kuhnle 2000). The welfare state is based on the equality of all. In a welfare state, the government is involved in the lives of its people on all levels. The burden of providing for the physical and social needs of the people is almost fully placed on the government. The main objective of the welfare state is the creation of economic equability and striving to improve the standards of living. The government ensures fair distribution of resources, provision of equal opportunities, and provision of public services to those who lack the means to acquire them. The government in this case takes the accountability for the wellbeing of its people (Gooden et al. 1999). Hypothetically, the responsibility is supposed to be inclusive given the fact that the welfare of the people is generally considered as a right. This is to say that citizens are entitled to the welfare state. This can also be taken to refer to the establishment of â€Å"social safety net† (Rice, Goodin and Parpo 2006). Neoliberals have attacked the welfare state from different angles with some advocating for its complete abolishment and others claiming that it should be partially eradicated (Barrow 1998). They have given very many reasons as to why the welfare state should be reviewed and necessary measures taken. They have provided a number of reasons as to why the welfare state should be reconsidered. Neo-liberals are the advocates of economic liberalization as the means by which social progress can be achieved (Niggle 2006). This paper evaluates the neo-liberal critique of the welfare state. The neo-liberals advocate for a free and liberal economy where every person is involved. It is from this perspective that the welfare state is criticized for failing to give the citizens a chance to participate in the liberal market economy (Rice, Goodin and Parpo 2006). It is argued that the welfare state makes people reliant on the government and thus fail to labor for their own needs. Most developed countries have established welfare states for providing for the needs of their people. As a result, most people do not see the need to toil when their needs can be met freely. Nevertheless, there have been studies that have provided the claim that there is no connection between the economic performance and appending on welfare in the world economies. This means that there is no proof of the fact that the welfare state hinders social progress (Niggle 2006). When the progress of some of the developed countries that provide welfare is analyzed, it is clear that some of the countries that spend less on welfare are doing worse than those that spend more. For example, the US performs worse than a country like Netherlands. This is despite the fact that the latter spends more on welfare state than the former. This therefore shows that the welfare state could contribute, but is not responsible for uneven social progress (Gooden et al. 1999). The opponents of the welfare state claim that it tends to put the burden of providing for the citizens on some people while others sit back and enjoy. This is supported by the fact that the welfare state is financed through the taxpayers’ money (Kuhnle 2000). This is from the people who are employed and working hard to earn an income. Their income is taxed to provide for the people in the country who are not able to work through the welfare state. This can however be countered by the fact that there is a great income inequality in the society today. Inequality exists between executives and the average workers, between male workers and female workers and between people of different races. The welfare state is one way of ensuring that there is redistribution of resources and income for uniform development and also to take care of the marginalized groups in the society (Rice, Goodin and Parpo 2006). There has been criticism on the welfare state based on the dispensations made by the capitalists. This is done in the efforts to redirect the working class away from the need to follow an entirely socialist society and economy. This is what has been evident in a country like Germany. Additionally, the socialist class is a strong believer in patching up the inefficient capitalist economy and revealing the loopholes in the capitalist economy. They believe that the welfare system will not be necessary where government and ownership of the means of production is implemented (Kuhnle 2000). The critics also claim that the welfare state and the contemporary social democratic programs stifle the motivation of the market. This is so because of the provision of resources like unemployment insurance policies, minimum pay, profits on taxes, and reduction of the reserved labor. The result of this is that there is very little motivation to invest. Basically, the opponents claim that the welfare state demoralizes the capitalist economy and its incentive organization. There is no capitalist who will be motivated to invest his capital in order to feed the entire society (Itoh 1995). Another criticism views the welfare state as stealing of the wealth of slavery. This is based on the classical liberal fundamental right to obtaining and property ownership. From this point of view, it is a fundamental right of every person to be in ownership of his own body and thus be allowed to enjoy the fruit of the labor of that body (Cook 2001). This is where the transfer of money from one person to another by the state in the name of the welfare state is considered stealing. It is also a form of forced labor where some people have to work hard only for the benefit of others. Despite the fact that the welfare state is created by a democratically elected government, it infringes this fundamental right that every person is entitled to. This leads to less motivation to work, where one begins to view his or her labor as being for the benefit of others. The welfare state imposes what is referred to as Servile Law (Waarden and Lehmbruch 2003). This law shares the element of the ancient slavery. According to this law, positive law states that some individuals must toil for others, who in the same way must take care of them. This is unfair because one group of the public works for one that does not work. The group that is fed from the sweat of others is mostly comprised of people who have intentionally refused to work (Mendes 2003). Some other critics argue that the welfare state tends to offer its benefactors with the same rate of income as the minimum payment (Gould 1993). This has encouraged more people to sit back and wait for the welfare. The dependants of the welfare state do not find the need to work for minimum wage where even without working they will receive the same amount. This has led to the creation of a class of citizens that are fully dependant on the welfare state. This is despite the fact that the welfare is available only for the citizens who are not able to work. In the United Kingdom for example, the idea of the welfare state was aimed at poverty alleviation by offering certain individuals basic necessities (Niggle 2006). The state of affairs currently is that the welfare state has extended to provision of finances to a large number of individuals than the nation is able to afford. There is a feeling by some supporters that this argument is ideally untrue. They argue that in the United Kingdom, the welfare system offers people very little finances compared to the minimum wage in the country. However, the dependants of the social welfare in this country have the feeling that they need to access more benefits from the government. If the government bends to these demands, it is evident that the country could be in a very huge financial trouble. People have become so dependant on the welfare state until they feel that it is their right to make demands (Cook 2001). Neo-liberals criticize the welfare state for leading to increase in taxes. This criticism is logical because the finances for the welfare states come from taxes. Enough money has to be availed for the system to operate well and ensure that all the benefactors are covered. This can only be done through ensuring that enough money is obtained through taxation from those who are working. This leads to an increase in taxes. This is basically true from case studies like in Denmark, where the tax level went up to 48. 9 percent of the country’s GDP in the year 2007. Another similar case is Sweden where the tax level was as high as 48. 2 percent of the country’s GDP in the same year (Xu 2007). This however does not mean that there is a reduction in the income of the people in the countries in question. It is argued that this is so because the state taxes ideally return to the workers it is obtained from. This is from the fact that most of the money from tax is used in the provision of public amenities that are enjoyed by the same people who are the tax payers (Barr 2004). The opponents believe that the welfare benefits offered by the government are more costly and less effective than if the same were offered by the private sector. This is in line with a liberal economy where the private sector is offered an important part to play in the economy. In the year 2000, Louis Kaplow and Steven Shafell produced two articles with the argument that any social program founded on the elements of equality and impartiality would lead to an economical system that is Pareto inefficient (Barr 2004). It is obvious that every commodity that is offered free of charge at the consumption point would obviously be highly demanded. There would be efficient allocation of resources if stipulation reflects the charges (Mendes 2003). There have been arguments that the welfare system undermines the conventional family life. Dependence on welfare state encourages over-reliance on the government and increment of social evils. Single parenthood has been encouraged since people know that they will be taken care of by the state. It has been argued that the welfare state fails on moral, social and economic grounds. The welfare system has led many people to relax and wait for the free income. As a result, people have become reluctant to get education and employment. This has led to the increase of social evils as a result. This shows that the welfare state does the society more evil than good (Cook 2001). Conclusion The welfare state was established with the needs of the people who are not able to work in mind. It is a fact that most of the criticisms against the welfare state are true. The welfare state has led to over reliance on the government, making people less inclined to work. It is also true that they have tended to discourage capital investment where people will work to benefit those who are not working. The welfare state has also led to an increase in taxes, as more finances are needed to fund the welfare state. These are some of the neo-liberal criticisms of the welfare state. This does not mean that the welfare state should be completely abolished. As mentioned in the paper, there is great income disparity in the community today. This is not the fault of those who are unfortunate to have low income and those who are not able to access employment. There is dire need to redistribute resources and income in the society. There is no better way of doing this than taxation for provision through the welfare state. The welfare state was also created for a noble objective that is, benefiting those who are unfortunate and marginalized in the society. This group is still in the society and abolishment of the welfare state will be a problem to them. It is however undeniable that something needs to be done to make this system more effective and efficient for economical development. One of the ways forward is to restrict the spending on the welfare state. This will be achieved through restructuring of the policy and reviewing the benefactors. Neo-liberal critics agree that there is need for minimum provision for those in need. This means that the system cannot be entirely abolished, but there is need for serious changes on it. This way it will be able to meet its objectives to the society, while at the same time allowing for economical development. Studies need to be carried out to find the best way forward as far as the welfare state is concerned. Barr, N. 2004, Economics of the welfare state, Oxford University Press, New York. Barrow, C. 1998, State Theory and the Dependency Principle: An Institutionalist Critique of the Business Climate Concept, Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 32. Cook, P. 2001, Discrediting Neo-Liberalism: The Social Democratic Welfare State Of The Netherlands. Available on May 12, 2010 from http://www. wlu. edu/documents/shepherd/academics/cap_01_cook. pdf Gooden, R. et al. 1999, The Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Gould, A. 1993, Capitalist Welfare Systems, Longman, New York. Itoh, M. 1995, Political Economy for Socialism, St. Martins Press, New York. Kuhnle, S. 2000, Survival of the European Welfare State, Routledge, New York. Mendes, P. 2003, Australias Welfare Wars: the Players, the Politics and the Ideologies, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney. Niggle, C. 2006, â€Å"Neo-Liberal Economic Policy: Critical Essays,† Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 40. Rice, J. , Goodin, R. Parpo, A. 2006, â€Å"The Temporal Welfare State: A Cross-national Comparison,† Journal of Public Policy 26 (3): 195–228. Waarden, F. Lehmbruch, G. 2003, Renegotiating the Welfare State: Flexible Adjustment Through Corporatist Concertation, Routledge, New York. Xu, Q. 2007, â€Å"Globalization, Immigration and the Welfare State: A Cross-National Comparison,† Journal of Sociology Social Welfare, Vol. 34.