Renal transplants Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Renal transplants - Research Paper Example During this time, approximately one third of potential living donors are unable to donate to their potential recipients due to ABO or antigen incompatibility. Kidney paired donation (KPD) and kidney list donation (KLD) were the alternative options for candidates with incompatible donor (McKay, 2010, 103). The first KPD transplant was performed on South Korea in 1991. The United States performed its first KPD transplant in 2000 in Rhode Island Hospital while the first KLD occurred in England in 2001 (McKay, 2010, 104). The kidney is the most commonly transplanted organ in the world with more than 160,000 persons in the United States living with a transplanted kidney by the end of 2008 (Shoskes, 2011, 154). But despite this number, persons needing kidney transplantation still increases and a relative scarcity in terms of resource arise. A complete array of information about kidney transplantation was included in the databases of U.S. Renal Database System (USRDS), Scientific Registry o f Renal Transplants Recipients (SRTR), United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and Collaborative Transplant Study (Shoskes, 2011, 154). Procedures Before a patient undergo kidney transplantation, a series of laboratory tests and procedures are needed to perform and complete. Matching is the key tool is successful transplantation. The donor’s organ should match the recipient’s body in terms of ABO and antigen incompatibility to avoid risks of rejection. The patient with end-stage renal disease may choose from treatments such as peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, or transplantation. Transplantation is done if the patient wants the treatment or if according to disease severity, requires the transplantation procedure. The surgical team involves the pre-emptive living donor (LD) transplantation to minimize pre-operation transplant list and maximize operative choices. The LD transplantation decreases the risk of acute tubular necrosis due to ischemia, increases potential fo r matching, and offers opportunity to initiate and optimize immunosuppressive therapy, thereby reducing acute rejection episodes (McKay, 2010, 17). Background regarding the quality of the donor’s organ was predetermined and positive outcome was expected. Then, the transplant team prepares the patient for the procedure. However, if the patient has superior vena cava syndrome due to an AV graft in the previous hemodialysis, a different procedure is done by the nephrologists and cardiologists. The organ transplantation is divided into five separate procedures (McKay, 2010, 18) and discussed as follows: 1) Preparation – the surgeon discuss to the patient the surgical procedure. General anesthesia is introduced after and intraoperative measures are implemented. 2) Exposure – after prepping and draping, incision is made in the right or left lower quadrant. 3) Vascular Anastomoses – venous anastomoses first and arterial anastomoses must be last to avoid complica tions of bleeding and thrombosis. The kidney is chilled and topical iced is used liberally. Clamp is placed in the renal vein. 4) Ureteral anastomoses – is the preferred method to establish urologic continuity 5) Closing – wound/skin closure and measures to prevent complications. After completion of all the procedures in kidney transplantation, the patient is placed in the recovery area and post-operative interventions are applied. Health providers monitor for rejection signs post-operative

Community Based Rehabilitation Essay Example for Free

Community Based Rehabilitation Essay Community Based Rehabilitation(CBR) may be defined, according to three United Nation Agencies, ILO, UNESCO, and the WHO, as a strategy within community development for the rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities, and social integration of all people with disabilities. CBR is implemented through the combined efforts of disabled people themselves, their families and communities, and the appropriate health, education, vocational and social services (WHO, 1994). Institutional Rehabilitation provides excellent services to address the problems of individual disabled persons and is often available only for a small number at a very high cost. CBR as the name implies has have found in the community, its roots in the community and has to derive sustenance and support from the community. They should be rehabilitated in their community by and with people in their community. CBRfocuses on  * enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families, * meeting basic needs and * ensuring inclusion and participation. CBR was initiated in the mid-1980s but has evolved to become a multi-sectoral strategy that empowers persons with disabilities to access and benefit from education, employment, health and social services. CBR is implemented through the combined efforts of people with disabilities, their families, organizations and communities, relevant government and non-government health, education, vocational, social and other services.Mainstreaming and inclusion is seen as an effective way:to include persons with disability;to give equal opportunity and to provide a non discriminative environment for their growth and development In practical terms this means persons with disability are included in the programmes and schemes formulated by the government and others, not as mere beneficiaries but as equal members who can participate with full recognition of and exercise their rights. Need of CBR Institutional overheads and other major infrastructural expenses make the process very expensive. Moreover, the endeavours in an institution are often out of context to the felt needs of the disabled person, and thus falls short of their expectations. The fact that this person comes from a particular background and cultural setting is often ignored. The institutional culture is imposed on the disabled person and they are often expected to function as advised by the â€Å"experts†. In an institutional rehabilitation programme, the community is not linked with the process. Hence, when the disabled persons return home, it may become difficult for them to integrate into their community. Disability -Situation Time line In the 70s it was based on western health care model largely urban based and not cost effective. No real service provision for disabled. In the 80s/90s there was a shift from medical towards employment and community development. In real terms this was a social model. In the year 2000 CBR perceived in terms of Human rights and involvement and awareness of disabled persons was advocated. WHO approach emphasizes basic rehabilitation involving working partnership with local community, disabled, family, governments and professionals at regional and national levels.

Dr. Diver as Rosemarys Father-Figure in Tender is the Night :: Tender is the Night Essays

Dr. Diver as Rosemary's Father-Figure in Tender is the Night      Ã‚  Ã‚   Parents are the basic role models for their children. Both parents play an important role in raising their children, but it is the father whom is normally portrayed as the protector, advisor, and provider of the family. He is the person whom the children look up to when they are young and whom the daughters compare all men to when they become older. The father sets the standards for his children. If there is no father, children must look other places for this type of comfort and information. Sometimes they might turn to their mother who would take over the father's place as best she could. The only role that the mother cannot fulfill, however, is the comparison that daughters need when looking for a husband. To try and fulfill this need, the daughters might find a male whom they trust and believe would be a good role model and father-figure and then base their future ideals on the qualities that he portrays.    Rosemary, from Tender is the Night by Fitzgerald did not have a father figure for a good portion of her life. She had been raised by her mother, a twice widowed woman, and the boarding school in France which she had attended when she was younger. Rosemary had never really known her father when he was alive so Mrs. Speers was both father and mother to her. Mrs. Speers did a good job of being both while Rosemary was growing up, but once she became old enough to begin looking for a husband, Mrs. Speers was not quite the right person to compare men to. Mrs. Speers attempted to counteract this need by forcing Rosemary to become a more independent person. Then she would not have to rely on her or anyone else, including a man. By gradually realizing that she can make her own decisions, Rosemary also realized that she did want to have a man in her life and that she needed that father-figure for comparison. She also realized that she was missing the comfort, protection, and advice that comes from a male. It was not until she went to the French Riviera that she finally found the father-figure she had never had before, in Dr. Dick Diver.    After meeting Dr. Diver, Rosemary was left with the impression that "he would take care of her, and .

Study Tour Report to Germany on the Theme Industrial Relations, Labour Productivity and National Development

Historical and theoretical perspectives on industrial relations, labour productivity and national development Industrial relations grew out of the need for workers to join forces and present their grievances to the employers as a unified force. Kuhn (2006, p.23) suggests that everyone who earns income through work or is involved in the management of workers is immersed in the practice of industrial relations. Changes in industrial relations and the quality of employment relationships have an effect on the productivity of an organisation. In addition to this, the terms and conditions of employment have a direct effect on the workers’ quality of life both in and out of the organisational premises. If the quality of life lead by the workers is poor, then this will be transferred to their productivity at work as they will not be able to perform at the highest level regardless of the mechanisms that the employer puts in place to maximise production (Kuznetsov, Dahlman, & World Bank Institute 2008, p.31). Generally most people get to know the meaning of the term industrial relations long be fore they even get into employment. This knowledge partly comes from its daily use by friends, family and the media both of which try to present industrial relations as events that involve trade unions and conflict incidents. However this meaning is not the right one because it makes people perceive industrial relations as a rebellious movement which is not actually the case. This is why it is necessary to first ascertain a clear and useful definition of ‘industrial relations’ before considering the debate in more depth. . Korres (2008, p. 21) defines industrial relations as the interaction of people and organisations in the work place. Industrial relations is concerned with how people, groups, institutions and organisations make decisions that regulate or shape the relationships between employees and employees, employees and employers, and trade unions and employers. Therefore industrial relations are concerned with the working life, society and the national economy. T he main purpose of industrial relations is to provide a conceptual framework for ensuring that the different relationships at the organisational level run smoothly. Welfe (2009, p.56) asserts that industrial relations can be analysed using three major theoretical perspectives namely unitary, pluralist and Marxist. All of these perspectives interpret workplace conflicts, role of trade unions and variations in job regulations uniquely in order to generate solutions. The unitary theory perceives organisations as an integrated unit with all the members working towards the achievement of common objectives. There is only one source of authority which is the management, trade unions are perceived as being unnecessary (Kuznetsov, Dahlman, & World Bank Institute 2008, p. 88). The pluralist theory regards organisations as being comprised of powerful and divergent groups which are the trade unions and the management. These two groups have their own legitimate loyalties and objectives. The plur alists consider the conflict of interest and disagreement between the two groups as inevitable. Trade unions are therefore regarded as legitimate representatives of workers charged with the responsibility of bargaining for their interests. The Marxist theory sees fundamental divisions of interest between labour and capital in organisations. The inequalities of economic wealth and power are products of the capitalist system (Kattel & Kalvet, 2006, p. 38). The Marxist perspective stresses that organisational conflict is necessary and it arises from the inequitable distribution of resources. The political economy of industrial relations, labour productivity and national development Leydesdorff (2006, p. 99) says that trade unions have had inextricable links with political parties and movements in different countries. Although some states have over time managed to decentralise trade unions from national politics, others are still struggling to do so. Even in countries like India where labour movements and politics have had intricate associations in the past, independent unions are now increasingly emerging (International Conference on Computer Processing of Oriental Languages, Li & Molla?-Aliod 2009, p. 95). Owing to the historical relationship between politics and trade unionism, labour strikes seem to increase during periods of political instability. During these periods, the unions often have a tendency of displaying increased militancy as a way of offering assurance to the members that their demands will be met using all possible means. Such an assurance acts as an added incentive for the employers to join the unions. The trade unions however, in most cases distance themselves away from any acts of militarism terming it as a media ploy to negatively present their motives. Most trade unions hold the view that the media should clearly differentiate individual criminal acts from the violence that is sponsored by the unions (Llerena, Matt, & Avadikyan 2005, p. 121). Regarding the opinions held by the employers that the trade unions are heavily politicised, the trade unions believe that their employers use their political connections as leverage against workers with dissenting opinions. The unions believe that even before the employers sit down with the unions to listen to their grievances, they always have a tendency of finding out the political inclination of the dissenting workers and then hold talks with the relevant political heads. Such tendencies make it difficult for the negotiation process because collective bargaining is often compromised. Menkhoff (2011, p.77) asserts that politics and unionism have always gone together but the e ffects of the association are gross in unstable political environments as they in most cases lead to industrial disputes. Regulatory and institutional frameworks for labour and national productivity Industrial relations still has a very significant role to play in the social protection of workers in the 21st century. The adoption of protection tariffs along with restrictions on immigration plays a major role towards the establishment of legal systems for regulating labour in order to help the workers. For instance regulations that are explicitly connected to industrial policies like tariff protection with standards of labour in the form of determining the minimum wage for workers have a direct effect on industrial relations (Weiss & Schmidt 2008, p. 63). The proponents of such mechanisms are in most cases concerned with investment and social protection of workers as well as the profits of the businesses being protected. Therefore this confirms the argument that regulation of labour has both social and economic justifications. Protection regulations can stimulate labour demands in a country through policy formulation and successful implementation. Policies that increase the deman d for labour also influence the type and pattern of jobs available within a country (Blanpain & Baker 2010, p. 44). Countries like Germany, Japan and Australia pursued protectionist industrial policies in the form of active tariff and non-tariff during their key phases of industrialisation in order to facilitate development (Thornley, Jefferys, & Appay, 2010, p. 55). In addition to this, most industrialised states maintained their tariff protections until the 1980’s to help them in maintain social protection systems that include traditional labour laws. Lipsey (2006, p. 54) says that industrialised countries also use extensive procurement systems as another form of industrial policy for regulating labour standards of employees of organisations that benefit from government contracts. Therefore in such countries industrial policies have an influence on labour laws and labour market developments. However such interventions are not limited to the developed countries only because even the developing countries use industrial policies as means of fostering economic development and job growth. Bamber (2010, p. 33) asserts that industrial regulations have been curtailed by the Washington consensus since the 1980’s. This consensus holds that all nation states should pursue industrial development and alleviation of poverty through strategies of trade liberalisation and deregulation of the labour market. This implies that the developing nations should implement free trade and laissez faire industrial policies, introduce greater flexibility in regulating employment to lower the costs of hiring and firing employees to attain economic growth (Moreau & Blas-Lo?pez 2008, p. 96). Some people criticise this method as a slower way of attaining economic development in preference for industrial regulation where states pursue development through stimulating economic growth by creating quality jobs in sustainable industry. The proponents of free trade perceive industria lisation strategies that involve active state involvement in promoting economic activities as being detrimental to economic growth. The opponents on the other hand think that active industrial policies are important in attaining economic development and high living standards of the industrialised countries (Blyton, Sage Publications., & Sage eReference 2008, p. 85). Indeed the dominance of trade liberalisation as a strategy for industrialisation is unfair to the developing countries as it denies them the chance to enjoy the benefits that come with cushioning their states against the adverse effects of market exposure as was done by the developed countries in the past. The industrialised countries achieved development under different conditions from those of free trade and without industrial policy. Srivastava (2007, p. 86) suggests that trade liberation is only one among the many industrialisation strategies that the developing countries might opt to pursue. Most developed and devel oping countries pursue economic policies that involve active promotion of innovation as a means of attaining industrialisation. However, at this level it is critical to note that the practice and analysis of industrial policy is increasingly becoming very sophisticated. In terms of promoting industrial development, the current industrial policies are less focused on picking winners and tariff protection i.e. the government selection of specific industries that it considers as being more sustainable and in line with the local conditions of the labour market and business expertise over others . Although this is still prevalent in some countries most current industrial policies are directed through horizontal measures that promote innovation and competitiveness across certain regions or economies rather than being confined to certain specific preferred sectors. Much of debates on the role of industrial policy in both the developing and industrialised countries are concerned with the se lection of an appropriate path to economic development. According to Singh (2008, p. 62), there is a strong correlation between industrialisation strategy, industrial policy and traditional labour laws in the new protection policies of most developing countries. Comparative studies of labour market in southern Africa and East Asia reveal that countries will endeavour to structure their regulations on industrial relations to be in line with the industrialisation strategies that they are pursuing (Dowling, Festing, & Engle, 2008, p. 12). For instance in East Asia most of the states have been able to progress through the industrialisation stages from import substitution to export oriented and finally higher value oriented exports. This implies that the strategies for industrial relations in these countries reflect the different strategies being pursued by the state. Trade liberalisation strategies that are export oriented often have different effects for labour regulation and practices of industrial relations compared to the more protective import replacement strategies. Therefore states rely on export oriented strategies when selling products that are labour oriented where low costs of labour and production are the main sources of competitive advantage (Thornley, Jefferys, & Appay, 2010, p. 87). For instance the export oriented industrialisation strategy of Singapore compelled it to promote workplace flexibility by placing restrictions on aspects like enterprise bargaining and containing industrial disputes by restricting the employees’ right to strike. Bhatia (2008, p. 71) notes that the states that have pursued more inward oriented industrialisation strategies often have tolerance for stronger labour protections. However it should be noted that many variations of these simplified categories exist and as such it is not possible to make the conclusion that export oriented strategies are associated with low labour standards and downward pressure on labour protections than the policies that are inward oriented. However, one thing that remains certain is that there are connections between industrial policy of a country and the labour law settings. In the context of labour management regulation, industrial policy contributes to both the constitution and regulation of labour market through its effects on labour supply and demand as well as the industrial working conditions. Additionally, from a normative perspective the settings of industrial policy have a great significance on economic development of a state and consequently the social protection and quality of life. Therefore the impact of regulation of labour on industrial relations is dependent on the nature of policies chosen by the nation states. For instance states that opt to pursue government delivery of goods and services whether through monopolies or as competitor with the private sector will offer the workers more secure jobs than those of the private sector (Thornley, Jeffer ys, & Appay, 2010, p.74). However, a large amount of these public jobs often have negative impacts on the working conditions across the economy. It is therefore recommended that states should use regulations that will maintain the existing structures or facilitate structural adjustments through assisting the industries that will open up new opportunities by attracting new investments and innovation. Impact of science, technology and innovation on industrial relations, labour productivity and national development The industrial relations system pursued by a state has a direct effect on all the four elements of innovation which are: motive, content, process and outcome. The intentions behind innovation may include reduction of costs of production through decreasing the amount or quality of labour, promoting more flexible and creative use of labour and encouraging management control over labour. Dinius (2010, p. 66) claims that the contents of the innovation process itself may call for changes in the level of skills and need to accommodate the prevailing structures of industrial relations. The innovation process needs to consider the social organisation, trade unions, work groups and the physical form of the production process. In essence the outcomes of innovation are functions of industrial relations at both the individual and collective levels. Innovation on the other hand affects all the five features of industrial relations which are: work, tasks, pay, work organisation, employment levels and union organisation (Dowling, Festing, & Engle, 2008, p.38). Innovation leads to an increase in the level of skills required for completing tasks more than it reduces it. Innovation may also result to an increased responsibility especially if the increased value is closely monitored by equipment and is meant to increase organisational competitive advantage. Innovation may require the employees to widen their level of skills in order to be able to adapt to the new tasks. In most cases it calls for expansion of intellectual skills and manual skill reduction due to automation of most of the processes. The overall effect of innovation on industrial relations is that it mostly leads to an increase in the proportion of skilled workers in the labour force especially in private manufacturing. Globalisation and corporate governance: the dynamics of industrial relations and labour productivity in national development Howell (2005, p. 75) asserts that globalisation leads to the liberalisation of world economies. The liberalisation of economies has made many organisations to make structural adjustments for improving operational efficiency. The increased pressure from the public has forced business enterprises to operate within higher ethical standards and take more social responsibility. The organisations from the developed economies are in most cases required by law to observe non-discriminatory policies in hiring, treatment and paying of all workers (Kattel & Kalvet, 2006, p. 33). However as far as recruitment is concerned, globalisation is pushing organisations into recruiting managers and workers with high skills conforming to the international standards in their host countries. Globalisation and corporate governance have led to certain structural adjustments in terms of diversifications and restructuring both of which have resulted into cutting off of some jobs and recession in the job industr y. The trade unions then started to raise concerns about job losses and the adverse effects on work dynamics and their rights in some countries like India (Blyton, Sage Publications., & Sage eReference 2008, p.52). The same wave was echoed in countries like Japan and South Korea where workers formed industrial unions to counter the impacts of globalisation on their economies. These unions managed to negotiate for employment terms and working conditions as well as the payment rates. Generally, globalisation and corporate governance came into existence at a time when trade unionism was fading off in most countries. However globalisation has contributed to the deterioration of labour standards and strengthened the capital bargaining power while reducing the bargaining power of labour. Industrial relations and labour productivity: challenges and opportunities for defence and national security Industrial relations often affect the labour productivity because it contains the attitudes of the management and workers towards each other and the work itself. As such, industrial relations affect organisational productivity both directly and indirectly through variables like motivation of workers, managerial competence and institutional backup. The concept of industrial relations encompasses the interactions that occur between the employees and the employers in an organisation. The nature of this relationship has an effect on the production process because poorly motivated workers for instance have an increased tendency of not performing at their optimal levels (Kuznetsov, Dahlman, & World Bank Institute 2008, p. 61). McCallum (2008, p. 72) claims that organisational productivity is a function of the morale of the workers. For this productivity to remain on the higher side, it is important that the morale of the workers be kept at the highest possible level. Failure to motivate th e morale of the workers will result in a drop in both quality and quantity of organisational productivity. In fact Hardy (2011, p. 13) supports this position by suggesting that employee morale and productivity always go together. Therefore industrial relations as a factor that affects organisational productivity influences the production process in many ways. For example during times of industrial disputes or when the employees are on a go slow, productivity will not be affected in terms of loss of labour alone because there are other incessant work stoppages, machines and other variable and fixed capitals will not be fully utilised and this will result in low level of output and raise the average cost. The refusal to work in overtime by the trade unions also results in loss of revenue because overtime is meant to increase organisational production capacity. Strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of Germany The SWOT analysis is a strategic management tool used for identifying and categorising the significant internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external (opportunities and threats) factors that face an organisation, territory, city or even a country (Bhatia 2008, p. 55). The analysis provides strategic data that can be used in matching organisational resources with the competitive environment in which it is operating. This matching is of importance in making strategic decisions for optimising organisational performance. Struck (2011, p. 31) suggests that the SWOT analysis is important in helping the organisations to direct their actions to match the strengths with opportunities presented by the environment and ward off the threats as well as seek ways of overcoming the weaknesses. Then analysis id not a foresight approach but just a good starting point for strategic decision making which organisations can use in designing and positioning products and services . The following section a nalyses the SWOT of Germany. The findings reveal that despite its strength in areas like ability to innovate, great willingness to engage in self-directed training and good infrastructure, the country still has some serious weaknesses to overcome. These problems arise mainly from the education sector such as schools adoption and use of new information and communication technology tools and high levels of unemployment. Germany has its own strong areas especially regarding the implementation of knowledge in the society. The country has a flexible, well trained and innovative workface. In addition to this the society has very little income disparities and good quality of life. However because of the aforementioned weaknesses, the country runs the risk of having a poorly educated workforce in the future which could negatively impact its innovation ability and economic strength. Furthermore, the high rates of unemployment will continue to prevent economic growth. Strengths Ability to innovate Good access to broadband Flexible terms of work which is acceptable to many Weaknesses A weak education system that is lagging behind in terms of adapting and using new information technology tools Rising rates of unemployment Opportunities Good quality of life Flexible and well trained workforce Little income disparities Threats High rates of unemployment is limiting economic growth The new generation workforce is poorly educated Conclusion This paper has discussed the importance of industrial relations and its effects on the production process and the economy of a country. The findings reveal that good industrial relations are a prerequisite for industrial development because in its absence, the workers will lack the necessary motivation and the morale that they require to be able to produce at the optimal levels. Globalisation and corporate governance are changing industrial relations across the globe and as such it is wise for countries to invest in education and innovation so that their employees can meet the demands of the international labour standards. Recommendation and implementation strategies With the continued advancement of the effects of globalisation, past mechanisms like labour regulations are increasingly being rendered irrelevant. Therefore countries need to invest in empowering their workforce with the appropriate skills required for innovation and productivity through their education systems. The school system should be well integrated with information and communication tools so that the students engage actively with technology and in the process be able to innovate and bring forward ways of improving the production process. References Bamber, G. (2010). Regulating Employment Industrial Relations and Labour Law International Co. Kluwer Law Intl. Bhatia, S. K. (2008). Strategic industrial relations and labour laws. New Delhi: Deep & Deep Publications. Blanpain, R., & Baker, J. (2010). Comparative labour law and industrial relations in industrialized market economies. Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International. Blyton, P., Sage Publications., & Sage eReference (2008). The SAGE handbook of industrial relations. London: SAGE Publications. Dinius, O. (2010). Brazil’s steel city: Developmentalism, strategic power, and industrial relations in Volta Redonda, 1941-1964. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press. Dowling, P., Festing, M., & Engle, A. D. (2008). International human resource management: Managing people in a multinational context. London: Thomson Learning. Hardy, S. T. (2011). Labour law in Great Britain. Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International. Howell, C. (2005). Trade unions and the state: The construction of industrial relations institutions in Britain, 1890-2000. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. International Conference on Computer Processing of Oriental Languages, Li, W., & Molla?-Aliod, D. (2009). Computer processing of oriental languages: Language technology for the knowledge-based economy : 22nd international conference, ICCPOL 2009, Hong Kong, March 26-27, 2009 : proceedings. Berlin: Springer. Kattel, R., & Kalvet, T. (2006). Knowledge-based economy and ICT-related education in Estonia: Overview of the current situation and challenges for the educational system. Tallinn: PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies. Korres, G. M. (2008). Technical change and economic growth: Inside the knowledge based economy. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. Kuhn, M. (2006). Towards a knowledge based economy?: Knowledge and learning in European educational research. New York: Lang. Kuznetsov, Y., Dahlman, C. J., & World Bank Institute. (2008). Mexico’s transition to a knowledge-based economy: Challenges and opportunities. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Leydesdorff, L. (2006). The knowledge-based economy: Modeled, measured, simulated. Boca Raton, Fla: Universal Publishers. Lipsey, R. G. (2006). Services industries and the knowledge-based economy. Calgary: Univ. of Calgary Press. Llerena, P., Matt, M., & Avadikyan, A. (2005). Innovation policy in a knowledge-based economy: Theory and practice. Berlin [etc.: Springer. McCallum, R. C. (2008). McCallum’s top workplace relations cases: Labour law and the employment relationship as defined by case law. Sydney, N.S.W: CCH Australia. Menkhoff, T. (2011). Beyond the knowledge trap: Developing Asia’s knowledge-based economies. Singapore: World Scientific. Moreau, M.-A., & Blas-Lo?pez, M. E. (2008). Restructuring in the new EU member states: Social dialogue, firms relocation, and social treatment of restructuring. New York: P.I.E. Peter Lang. Singh, B. D. (2008). Industrial relations and labour laws. New Delhi: Excel Books. Srivastava, S. C. (2007). Industrial relations and labour laws. New Delhi: Vikas. Struck, O. (2011). Industrial relations and social standards in an internationalized economy. Mu?nchen: Hampp. Thornley, C., Jefferys, S., & Appay, B. (2010). Globalization and Precarious Forms of Production and Employment: Challenges for Workers and Unions. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub. Weiss, M., & Schmidt, M. (2008). Labour law and industrial relations in Germany. Alphen aan den Rijn: Kluwer Law International. Welfe, W. (2009). Knowledge-based economies: Models and methods. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

Amoco Case Write Up Essay

As long-term valuation is assumed, risk free rate is set as 30-year treasury rate, 5.73%. Cost of debt is 6.72% reflecting Amoco’s credit level. Cost of equity is calculated as 10.63%, leading to final WACC at 8.85% (Chart 1). In DCF valuation (Chart 2), long-term growth rate is assumed to be 4%. Change in working capital is calculated as the average of 1997 and 1996 figure and is assumed to be constant for simplicity. Terminal value is valued at $69,398.1 million and NPV is $51,525 million. Stock price will be $37.07, indicating an exchange ratio at 0.46. This is a very conservative valuation as our DCF price is lower than Amoco’s current market price. Regarding of multiple valuation (Chart 3), P/E ratio from comparable firms are used, which leads us to an exchange ratio at 0.68. Thus, our estimation for Amoco’s stand-alone value is from $37.07 to $54.69 per share, i.e. 0.46 to 0.68-exchange ratio. As the acquirer, our basic negotiating strategy is to low the exchange ratio as much as possible. Based on our conservative evaluation of Amoco, our opening exchange ratio is 0.46. For Amoco sides, their opening exchange ratio is 1. The big difference between our opening prices indicates this negotiating process should be tough. First, we checked the discount rate. For us, BP company, we use 8.83%, however, Amoco they use a higher one around 9%. The main difference to calculate the discount rate is that we use the 30-year Treasury rate as risk free rate compared to Amoco used 20-year Treasury rate. Moreover, we use the debt to debt plus equity but they use debt to equity to calculate WACC. To compromise these differences, we agree to use the average discount rate that doesn’t make a large influence of the valuation price. After this, we discussed the most important factor –growth rate. Based on the assumption in the case, we use 4% as terminal growth rate, 2% annual oil demand growth rate plus 2% inflation rate. However, Amoco hold the view that the oil price would grow at 6% in long-term, and it’s hard for both of us to get a compromising rate. Therefore, we jumped to synergy and currency questions, and we agreed on the synergy that Amoco would bring BP the North America  market and BP would use US currency to acquire Amoco’s share. After discussed all these details, we came back to the final offer price. We offered a higher one as exchange rate 0.6. Amoco rejected. Finally, after they thoughtful discussion they offered 0.66 exchange rate or price 52.965 as their final offer, which for us is lower than our walk-away price 65.94. Therefore, we accepted this offer and we both reach our goals to reach the deal and build a good relationship with the other management team. The previous 959.6m Amoco shares will convert into 633.336m shares of BP ADS equivalent, with the previous 965.6m ADS shares, BP shareholders will take part 60% of the new company, still have majority control over the firm. In this deal, we paid for about 20% premium, which is quite standard and normal. Because synergies from revenue and chemical divisions’ combination are not estimated nor not expected to bring benefit, the main synergy from the merge is 2 billion dollars saving of pretax operating cost. The value we create for our shareholders is $14,840.06 million (Amoco stand-alone value $46,430 million+ synergy $2 billion – price paid for Amoco $33,538.94). But this number is quite sensitive to a lot of factors, such as future energy demand, oil and gas price, industry growth potentials, ultimately affecting Amoco’s stand-alone and synergy valuation. Please see the chart 4 of sensitive analysis of Amoco’s stand-alone value according to the change of terminal growth rate in the appendices. But even modest assumptions still can lead to positive value created in this deal.

Slink, Shrink, and Wink

Slink, Shrink, and Wink Slink, Shrink, and Wink Slink, Shrink, and Wink By Maeve Maddox Last week I found the word slinked in manuscripts submitted by two different members of my writers’ group. In both mss I drew a wavy line under it to represent the shudder that the -ed past ending on this verb stirred in me. The principal parts of slink are slink/slunk/slunk.: Then I got to thinking about various verbs that rhyme with slink and realized that although slinked pushed my shudder button, I have no problem with winked. And while I accept slunk as the simple past of slink, I’ll never become reconciled to the movie title Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I want it to be Honey, I Shrank the Kids. The verb shrink has an additional kink: the attributive form shrunken. Ex. My sweater has shrunk in the wash. BUT Just look at this shrunken sweater! Here are some more verbs that rhyme with slink. Ill define only those that I think may be unfamiliar to some readers. clink/clinked/clinked â€Å"to make a sharp, abrupt metallic sound† The chain clinked as he walked. blink/blinked/blinked The prisoner blinked in the bright sun. drink/drank/drunk Like shrink, drink has an attributive form ending in -en: He walks like a drunken sailor. fink/finked/finked â€Å"to inform on† The petty criminal finked on his boss. kink/kinked/kinked â€Å"to twist or curl stiffly, especially at one point. The hose kinked at the worst possible time. pink/pinked/pinked â€Å"to cut or perforate† The tailor pinked the edges of the cloth. stink/stank/stunk The garbage stank up the house. The Compact OED gives stunk as an option for the simple past. think/thought/thought He thought a long time before making a decision. ink/inked/inked Her job was to ink the platen press. link/linked/linked The blogger linked to several sites. sink/sank/sunk The boat sank in a squall. Like shrink and drink, sink has an attributive form ending in -en: He’s looking for sunken treasure. skink/skinked/skinked Yes, this is a word in the OED: skink: v. trans. To draw or pour out (alcoholic drink), to decant; to offer or serve (wine, etc.) to a person. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating Conjunctions"Confused With" and "Confused About"50+ Words That Describe Animals (Including Humans)

What Are the Methods of Inquiry and How Are They Used in Criminal Investigation Essay Essay Example

What Are the Methods of Inquiry and How Are They Used in Criminal Investigation Essay Essay Example What Are the Methods of Inquiry and How Are They Used in Criminal Investigation Essay Essay What Are the Methods of Inquiry and How Are They Used in Criminal Investigation Essay Essay 1. What are the methods of enquiry and how are they used in condemnable probe? The method of enquiry is based on garnering discernible. empirical and measureable grounds. Basically. methods of enquiry are ways that an research worker gathers the information for the instance that they are look intoing. Methods of enquiry are used in condemnable probe by roll uping grounds. statement aggregation. and traveling through electronic databases and even the cyberspace. The methods of enquiry are all used in concurrence to retrace the offense scene. The methods are besides used by using the five W’s. who. what. when. where. and why. and besides how. There are three methods of enquiry that are used in an probe and those are authority method. doggedness method. and intuition. For illustration of a method of enquiry. is when an research worker is roll uping the statements from either the victims or informants. The research worker will take all the information and grounds that is collected. roll up it all together and come up with the Reconstruction of the offense that was committed. 2. What is the optimum mentality of an research worker and how are the constructs associated with the optimum mentality of an research worker manifest? The optimum mentality of an research worker is one that is able to look for the motivation of the offense that is at manus and able to look into all the possibilities of even the most obvious grounds that has been gathered. In my ain sentiment. I think that an optimum mentality is where the research worker can treat all the grounds at manus. in their head and come up with a decision of what occurred. Besides I believe that the mentality is one that can be taught through preparation and experience. 3. What is the scientific method and how is it applied to condemnable probe by condemnable research workers? Scientific method is defined by the World English Dictionary as â€Å"a method of probe in which a job is first identified and observations. experiments. or other relevant informations are so used to build or prove hypotheses that purport to work out it† cited from hypertext transfer protocol: //dictonary. mention. com/browse/scientific+method. In my sentiment. the research workers must use the scientific method in every one of the probes that they do. The research workers must take all the information into their heads and inquire themselves what happened. how did it go on. and why did this offense happen. Once the research worker comes up with the replies so will carry on experiments to see if their thought was the ultimate decision of what happened. So for an illustration. the research worker can state. this is a slaying. the individual was stabbed. and the motivation was this individual was caught holding an matter. After the research worker comes up with his hypotheses he/she will so prove it. if the grounds does non back up his/her theory so he would get down over on calculating out what. why and how it all occurred. 4. Discourse the three primary beginnings of information for condemnable research workers and supply elaborate practical illustrations of each beginning listed. The three primary beginnings of information are Physical Evidence and Scientific Examinations. Documentation. and information signifier people. Each beginning is valuable to an probe in its ain manner. Physical evidence/scientific scrutinies is the grounds found at the scene of the offense. This can include vesture. blood. fingerprints. arms and much more. An illustration of physical grounds could be any listed above but besides a bloody knife or a shell from a slug. Documentation can be found in logs. records. and electronic informations that could be found at the offense scene. The research worker may besides hold to travel to certain bureaus to acquire the certification. although if the research worker does this they must cognize what that bureau is able to supply. For illustration. the research worker could name a phone company and acquire the recent call log for the victims phone and happen out who they have called in the yesteryear so many hours. or even travel on the victims personal computing machine and see where they have been on the cyberspace. Information from people could come from informants and or victims. libraries. sources. and even newsmans. The research workers while questioning persons and will garner more information from them that will assist retrace the offense scene. The research workers will besides hold to do certain that all the information that they receive from any of these persons are right and non seeking to derive something for themselves.

Stephen Kings On Writing

Stephen Kings On Writing Stephen King’s On Writing Stephen King’s On Writing By Ali Hale One of the best books I’ve read about writing and being a writer is Stephen King’s On Writing. Written whilst he was recovering from a horrific accident (a van driver hit him while he was out for a walk), it’s a fascinating book combining autobiography and advice. If you’ve not heard of Stephen King, he’s a very well-known American horror writer – you may have seen films such as Carrie and The Dead Zone based on his books. The first part of On Writing is headed â€Å"CV†, and is an autobiographical account of King’s childhood and development as a writer. Loosely chronological, it’s structured in a series of short chapters or segments, each headed with a number and each dealing with a single point or topic in King’s life. It’s a fascinating insight into the makings of a famous author – not only an entertaining read but one with a lot to teach writers about persistence and working towards your dreams. King started sending out short stories to magazines and publications when he was very young: By the time I was fourteen †¦ the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and kept on writing. King writes about his early attempts at self-publication (helping his elder brother Dave write and print a newspaper, Dave’s Rag, then writing a novelisation of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum and selling it to school friends.) After â€Å"CV† there is a short section entitled â€Å"Toolbox† where King segues from a story about his Uncle Oren’s toolbox into a discussion of what the writer needs in his/her own â€Å"toolbox† of writing. This includes vocabulary and grammar as the basics on the top layer (hang around at Daily Writing Tips a while and you’ll pick up plenty of help with these!) with style coming on the second layer. The third section of the book, â€Å"On Writing†, deals with what King calls the third layer of the toolbox – everything that goes into writing good fiction. He tells us: What follows is everything I know about how to write good fiction. I’ll be as brief as possible, because your time is valuable and so is mine, and we both understand that the hours we spend talking about writing is time we don’t spend actually doing it. I’ll be as encouraging as possible, because it’s my nature and because I love this job. I want you to love it, too. But if you don’t want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well – settle back into competency and be grateful you have even that much to fall back on. This part of the book is hugely entertaining (King is very easy to read, and writes like a friendly mentor chatting to you over a beer), and absolutely packed with invaluable advice. Two of the key points King makes are: If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. King strongly believes in setting writing goals, and recommends a minimum of a thousand words a day, six days a week. I tried following his advice (whilst working a full-time office job) and didn’t last long – you might prefer to set your own goal at five hundred words a day or even two hundred. Since King himself says he writes 2,000 words a day whilst working on a book, I suspect his advice is aimed at those aiming to make fiction writing their career (especially given his advice to read for four-six hours a day as well!) King gives great advice on how to choose what genre to write in (one you read, and love), and how to create a â€Å"situation† for your story and write good description and dialogue. He goes into useful detail about what to look for when revising your work – does the story hang together, are the scenes paced well, are there factual errors? He includes an example of his own draft work and explains the edits he made to it. As King says: Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. On Writing is an encouraging but very honest look at what it means to be a fiction writer, and if you’re an aspiring author – especially if you secretly worry about not being â€Å"clever† enough or educated enough to write fiction – then I highly recommend it. You can find the book on Amazon.com Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Book Reviews category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Religious Terms You Should KnowLatin Words and Expressions: All You Need to KnowHow Long Should a Synopsis Be?

Hausman and McPherson discuss Larry Summers's memorandum Essay

Hausman and McPherson discuss Larry Summers's memorandum - Essay Example Even though Summers and Pritchett argued the â€Å"aside† on the memo as a sarcastic inference, the â€Å"aside† generated worldwide uproar and criticisms. In the book Philosophy of Economics, Hausman and McPherson debate the Summers Memo, lamenting the idea that health-impairing pollution could not be promoted or shifted to LDCs. This paper discusses one of Hausman and McPherson objections to summers arguments. In the essay ‘The Philosophical Foundations of Mainstream Normative Economics’, Hausman and McPherson suggest that the three paragraphs in Summers memo presented a scientific argument while the last paragraph highlighted moral objections. However, according to Hausman and McPherson, the entire â€Å"aside† was essentially a moral argument, which is significant to the relationship between market evaluation and welfare. By isolating welfare and preference satisfaction, and then leaning on the relationship positive economics establishes between preferences and market prices. Consequently, the Summers memo established a link between premises regarding costs and demands and conclusions regarding the specific outcomes that augment welfare (Hausman and McPherson 233). According to Hausman and McPherson the uproar instigated by the Memo signified objection to its conclusions. On page 232, they outline five objections discussing why the World Bank should not encourage the migration of pollution to LDCs. The first objection states that encouraging ‘dirty’ industries to shift to LDCs might cause more total pollution. Specifically, compared to LDCs, industrialized countries have better incentives, superior administrative ability, and extensive resources to implement pollution regulations. The second objection is that even though individuals in the industrialized economies and LDCs would agree to the migration of pollution to the third world in exchange for suitable compensation, the exchange may be discriminating. Notably, in such an

Staphylococcus and Streptococcus Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Staphylococcus and Streptococcus - Lab Report Example A petri dish containing 1 TSA 5% sheep blood agar was divided in half. A sterile swab was used to swab the throat and skin. A streak inoculation was performed for each sample on each section of the plate, which was incubated for 24 hours at 37 oC.   The resultant colonies were then tested for Gram staining and the presence of alpha, beta, and gamma hemolytic bacteria. This test was performed by observing the presence or absence of red blood cell hemolysis on sheep blood agar. The next test that was performed was the catalase test to determine the production of enzyme catalase. A small amount of the colony was placed on a glass slide after which a few drops of catalase reagent was dropped on the bacteria. The production of bubble indicated a positive test for catalase. The catalase-positive samples were then tested for bacitracin sensitivity by incubating the colonies in four sections of a blood agar plate containing bacitracin discs for 24 hours at 37 oC. A coagulase test was then performed following the observation of bacitracin resistance in the bacteria. This test was performed to detect the production of enzyme coagulase by adding a loop full of the bacteria to tubes containing rabbit plasma and incubating for 24 hours at 37 oC. The coagulase negative samples were further tested for novobiocin susceptibility by incubating the bacteria in plates containing novobiocin antibiotic disks at 37 oC for 24 hours. Novobiocin test is usually used to distinguish between S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus.

How Can E-learning Play a Strategic Role in Fast-Growing Global Essay

How Can E-learning Play a Strategic Role in Fast-Growing Global Companies - Essay Example The researcher tates that most parts of the world are connected to the Internet and both children and adults have easy access to it. Also both the educated and the illiterate brows the Internet all over the world for one information, business or the other. Through these means college courses, long distance teaching, workshops and seminars have been conducted to different audiences from one part of the world to another with great successes. Today, things have become a lot better through the introduction of the Internet technology. Things have been made a lot easier with several training organizations – colleges, universities, firms, training and human resource consultancy organizations now having their own web sites; through their web sites the services they provide to individuals can be easily downloaded and accessed. From investigation, organizations locally here make use of e-learning method. Because of the importance of the courses to the organizations, the staffs are alway s intended take active part in the causes. Some of the reasons given for the active participation in the courses, seminars and workshops include the following: fear of losing their jobs if they did not, the courses did not have any cost implication on the individual employee, it adds to their knowledge and skills and many else presented in the essay. Based on the study conducted, the researcher suggests that the success of any organization using e-learning strategy will depend on the type or category of employees they have in their stable.

Using Ethos In Designing Of Websites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Using Ethos In Designing Of Websites - Essay Example The website for a project management tool, Basecamp uses Ethos to appeal to its customers by showing its credibility. The website shows a picture of two men talking to each other. One man asks the other, â€Å"How did you get that project done without losing your mind?† The second man Answers, â€Å"BASECAMP, we love it.† The answer from the second man proofs that the website is credible and reliable in project management. There is also the bold sentence on the website that shows that last year alone, the website helped over 285,000 companies complete more than 2 million projects. When navigating through the website one realizes that Basecamp marketing site builds credibility for their products and services by listing prominent customers that depend on the company to finish their projects. The method appeals to new customers who will trust and believe that the company will also give them good products and services. The website underlines and bold statements such as â€Å"Millions of people† use Basecamp. An indication of a strong and trustworthy customer base helps the website to build credibility among other people especially new clients. The website also shows that the company’s software for doing project management can operate on a variety of operating systems both on computers and smartphones. Customers will thus, understand that the information is true and credible. The website continues to appeal to customers by putting videos of important customers explaining what they like about Basecamp. It is clear that the Basecamp marketing website ap peals to ethos.

The Invention of E Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Invention of E Commerce - Essay Example In order to understand the success of e-commerce, it would be necessary to refer to the terms and the causes of the specific invention. Reference should be also made to its characteristics, meaning especially its advantages and disadvantages. In this way, it would be easy to understand whether the invention of e-commerce has actually benefited entrepreneurs worldwide. Different views have been developed in the literature in regard to the nature and the role of e-commerce. Still, all these views have a common characteristic: they all emphasize on the value of e-commerce as a tool for promoting online sales. For example, Basu (2007) notes that e-commerce is a term used for describing ‘commercial transactions which take place in or over electronic networks’ (Basu, 2007, p. 15). Pinto (2003) refers to the definition of e-commerce as developed by the Australian Taxation Office. According to the above definition, e-commerce refers to ‘the buying and selling goods on the Internet’ (Pinto, 2003, p. 2). On the other hand, it has been stated that e-commerce is ‘the process of sharing business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions through telecommunication networks’ (Sun & Finnie, 2004, p. 47). In other words, e-commerce does not focus on sales but it can incorporates a wi de range of business activities, as described above. This means also that e-commerce is not affected solely by the economic conditions of each market but also by the local social and political conditions, as related to commerce and trade. For example, a law introducing restrictions to the exchange of business information can negatively affect e-commerce, as used by the businesses in a particular state. The history of E-commerce is closely related to the history of the Internet. In fact, it was because of Internet that the development of E-commerce has become feasible (Schmid,

Emirates Airlines Cabin Crew Strategic Development System for Essay

Emirates Airlines Cabin Crew Strategic Development System for Effective Staff Motivational Management - Essay Example The industry took a long time to recover the lost trust and business momentum. Once the sector managed to engage more air travelers the worldwide financial crises again put hit and harnessed the growth momentum. This hit is still pressing airlines and entire industry setup is changing with increasing deregulation, privatization, and open skies policies etc; all intent to meet growing challenges and align with the pace of change. Hence the industry though has high barrier for competitors to enter but it has agility to respond to the happenings round the world is very high. Aviation industry as matter of research has taken place in the recent past and researcher asserts that attention to aviation industry has recently grown and still requires to be explored. However, attempt to explore the commercial airline has barrier of cooperation from managers who are very resilient in sharing the relevant information. Hence, the researcher following the strategy of many other researchers has cont ented on the available researches from secondary sources. This report has objective to explore the cabin crew component of the human resources of airline industry. Cabin crews are frontline representatives of airline and like every front line representative of the business or brand they carry entire brand within their on-flight behavior with passenger. Hence, this resource is equally important as other human resource such as pilot who is carrier the technical expertise while cabin crews are entire company and reflection of its strategy to passenger. As the cabin crew aspect is itself a completed domain to explore, the scope of this study has been defined or limited to explore the cabin crew resource management at Emirate Airline; among the leading airlines in world and the leader in Middle East. Emirate Airline has managed to gain the continuous improvement and hence growth while giving equal focus to the employee. The airline attributes its all success mainly to the efforts of its people. This report has been developed in three sections; first section focuses on the development through background regarding aviation industry its current position and expected future trend. Since the domain of the study is human resource the researcher has provided detailed discussion of the aspects of human resources including the importance of recruitment, training and motivation in context of the cabin crew. The study follows with shedding light on the importance of these understudy front line representatives. Role, challenges and the impact of other factors such as 9/11 incident and psychological factors have been developed. Followed is information related to recruitment and selection, productivity as well as the future prospects has been discussed. One developing the literature about the human resource management with respect to cabin crew in general, second section of the report has analyzed the Emirates airline conduct of operation in the understudy segment of the human r esource. The research has provided the initially provided detailed background of the airline. Later the study examines the recruitment and selection, performance measurement and motivational tools used by emirates to keep the crew member turnover controlled. In third and last section, the researcher on based on the knowledge developed on the basis of this research has provided some suggestion for improvement with concluding remark. 1.1- OVERVIEW OF AVIATION INDUSTRY

The Invention of E Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Invention of E Commerce - Essay Example In order to understand the success of e-commerce, it would be necessary to refer to the terms and the causes of the specific invention. Reference should be also made to its characteristics, meaning especially its advantages and disadvantages. In this way, it would be easy to understand whether the invention of e-commerce has actually benefited entrepreneurs worldwide. Different views have been developed in the literature in regard to the nature and the role of e-commerce. Still, all these views have a common characteristic: they all emphasize on the value of e-commerce as a tool for promoting online sales. For example, Basu (2007) notes that e-commerce is a term used for describing ‘commercial transactions which take place in or over electronic networks’ (Basu, 2007, p. 15). Pinto (2003) refers to the definition of e-commerce as developed by the Australian Taxation Office. According to the above definition, e-commerce refers to ‘the buying and selling goods on the Internet’ (Pinto, 2003, p. 2). On the other hand, it has been stated that e-commerce is ‘the process of sharing business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions through telecommunication networks’ (Sun & Finnie, 2004, p. 47). In other words, e-commerce does not focus on sales but it can incorporates a wi de range of business activities, as described above. This means also that e-commerce is not affected solely by the economic conditions of each market but also by the local social and political conditions, as related to commerce and trade. For example, a law introducing restrictions to the exchange of business information can negatively affect e-commerce, as used by the businesses in a particular state. The history of E-commerce is closely related to the history of the Internet. In fact, it was because of Internet that the development of E-commerce has become feasible (Schmid,

Propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Propaganda - Essay Example This is because it has a way of distorting truths. The media helps in spreading propaganda to reach a wide target audience. The intention of the conveyer of the message is usually to create an understanding that is different from the people’s belief. For instance, a leader can use propaganda to propagate hate in communities. The leader can mislead the masses by giving them false information concerning the ongoing in the government. Interestingly, propaganda contains some element of truth as indicated by Jowett, Garth & Victoria (289). However, propagandist coats the lie with facts to deceive the audiences. Sometimes people who spread propaganda base their information on rumors in most circumstances. In addition, there are occasions when individuals spread propaganda unknowingly. Authorities use propaganda in justifying certain behaviors in the society. This mode of communication during the holocaust period appeared to support the heinous acts perpetrated by the supporters of the Nazi movement in Germany. Besides, I have come to realize that the use of propaganda can be beneficial of the society. For instance, campaigns to sensitize individuals in the community can take the form of propaganda. Consequently, the government can use it to eliminate fears among the masses by providing information concerning certain events in the society. There are times in which propaganda fails to reach its target audience. For example, the opponents of the ideology might receive propaganda aimed at convincing the supporters of a given ideology positively (Jowett, Garth & Victoria 307). Moreover, propaganda creates confusion when the message conveyed to the audience is incomplete. As such, it has contributed to rise of conflicts in the societies. The use of propaganda is not a new concept in the society. Records indicate that civilizations used it in communication during the 15th century. It began as a

Personal Reflection Essay Example for Free

Personal Reflection Essay Personal Reflection I will begin observing the environment through nurture and nature in developing our self concept. Self concepts are the realization of experiences gathered from history and the future in how people were, and who he or she aspires to be. Studies demonstrate that people look to society for suspicions, trust, and an accepting of what to expect from situations in society. For example, the way we intermingle and what society believes he or she is supposed to adhere to. In the social world it is our mind-set about the world, and the part we play effects our dealings. The social influences of an individual are viewed acceptable in guiding the self’s behavior. The concept of self is broken into three components; self efficacy, concept, and our self-esteem. After reviewing these concepts it becomes clearer in appreciating who I am, and my place in society. I can share my own experiences that have contributed to my social development. It gives me more knowledge and confidence of myself. Self The way we recognize ourselves defines who we are. Self concept relates to how we categorize our features and roles we see when viewing our self. A better definition of oneself is how we interrelate; the interactions influence and lead our behavior. The self concept correlates to three theories: self perception, self presentation, and dissonance theory (Myers, 2011). Self perception is how one determines their actions of other situations environmentally, persona, and approach. Our self perception allows us to witness an individual’s poor attitude; the individual can see how his or her behavior and situation relates to the manner. He or she can inspect his or herself from the outside world, deciding on values of how the individual retorts to circumstances. Self presentation presents consistency. One does not want to be or prove foolishness and inconsistent. The scrutiny of inconsistencies is a person showing artificiality and behaving as a hypocrite. However, the actions assist in giving good wisdom, which reveals the reality of us. In cognitive dissonance this shows how an individual is motivated to retain consistencies with his or her self’s cognition. The theory illustrates an individual who can sense anxiety and a need of synchronization when two ideas are incompatible (Myers, 2011). When an individual tries to validate their actions by defending it, he or she will not be amenable to correcting his or her self; demonstrating that the self is becoming consistent with actions without remembering past values. The theory is similar to the notion of self persuasion, although self perception illustrates why individuals compare his or herself to other individuals (Myers, 2011). Self Concept, Self-Esteem, and Self Efficacy I am viewed in three different aspects of life. The three perspectives explain my behavior on how I see my persona, physical self, self beliefs, and objectives, and exchanges within society. One of the first concepts is self concept. This is how the self sees his or herself in the social world. In present studies of the exact self and opposites of hopelessness are the relationships of self concept. When we are true to ourselves it provides the meaning of life. The way we see ourselves establishes our experiences of social life. I observe myself as a mother, an individual, and a friend. I hold a set of standards by setting goals, and following through with good examples that my children will follow. I rely on my friends and family for advice on adequate behavior as well as dealing with events in my life. I learn from others experiences but also link them to my own version of how situations should be dealt with. We are products of our own environment, and as I become older I expect that I will always love, know, and appreciate myself. The second concept is self-esteem that pertains to our confidence. This concept is more than thinking of one’s self, but a normalcy of our own aptitude. Self-esteem is something we all have; however, some can become the victims to grovel (Buhrmester, Blanton, amp; Swann, 2011). As I think of my self-esteem and reflections of holding my head up, not listening to others hypocritical words, and I am capable of meeting requirements; shows that I am far from perfect. However, I am comfortable with the person I am. Self-esteem is one who’s able to know and recognize who he or she is when the world is cruel and mean. The last concept is self efficacy. Self efficacy is being able to complete task that someone else can do, but he or she can do it better and more quickly. In addition there is acknowledgment of appraisal for a job well done. Self efficacy is also how a person thinks, believes, proceeds and is goaded to complete the task. It is important to the individual how well we execute in comparison to others; if we are competent and can accomplish objectives. Self efficacy is also the ability to take on new task and be successful at that. For example, my ability in obtaining a degree from UOPX to get to my ultimate goal and it contributes to myself concept and self-esteem (Myers, 2011). Social Experiences or Events of Personal Development As I reflect back on my life there were many incidents and many people who influenced me. I have been on my own as of the age of 18 and began my life as a mother at the age of 21. Once I had my first daughter I realized I could define myself and my part in society. I was no longer an individual, just a friend, or daughter. Becoming a mother was to me this life fulfilling prophecy and fueled me to want more out of life. In this stage of my life as a single woman raising a child motivated me to become a better person. My other three girls have led me to the second stage of personal development. I was married, but have separated from my husband. I walk away from that marriage with a total of four daughters, and it has given me the ambition to finish college with a degree in Psychology. This finally will put me in a place where I can do what I enjoy and be successful at the same time. I know who I am and where I want to be. This is the role I was meant to play; I am secure and gifted in meeting new people and going new places. I have conquered the element of motherhood, which others look to me for guidance. Each day I put my best foot forward to be better than the day before. Conclusion The environment has a profound impact on what we do and who we are, but the self is how we see ourselves socially and personally. The individual is a combination of his or her self concept, self-esteem, and self efficacy. We rely solely on these aspects of our lives to develop into the individual we will become or aspire to be, knowing who we are aids us in the world. It helps to make our lives easier and maneuver through every day task with ease. My past has given me an inner strength to strive and to change as the world changes. I have matured and become the person I am because I am unique; possessing qualities that make it possible for self actualization.

The Industrial Revolution :: European Europe History

The Industrial Revolution Examine in detail the History of the Industrial Revolution. Discuss why Britain led the way in the Industrial Revolution and also explain in detail the effects of industrialization on society. Had it not been for the industrial revolution, I would doubt very much that we would enjoy the technology we have in the year 2000. The reason we have this technology is that between the years 1750 and 1914 a great change in the world's history was made. People started to discover faster methods of producing goods, which increased their economy. These people were mainly British and French, but after a few years the French were distracted by their revolution, and the British continued to industrialize. However you must not think this industrialization had no effects on society because it did. So in this essay I am going to talk about the history of the industrial revolution, discuss why Britain led the way in the industrial revolution and also I am going to explain to you in detail the effects of industrialization on society. In the midevel ages people were living in total darkness, and they did not know what was going on in the world around them. Happily the medieval ages were followed by the renaissance. Then came the year 1750, the year of the agricultural revolution in Britain which led away to a revolution in industry. Charles Townshend for example was one of the people who made the agricultural revolution possible. He suggested rotating the crops every year or two, to help the soil get enriched with vitamins and nutrition's. The America's then introduced potatoes to Great Britain. New farm machines were invented, for example Jethro Tull developed a seed drill which planted seeds in straight rows and farmers began using new iron plows in place of inofitiant wooden plows. In addition to that, the enclosure movement brought wealthy people to farm larger amounts of land, which was very good for the agricultural revolution. This revolution improved peoples diet and health leading to an increased populati on, which demanded healthy food, clothing and employment. Since many farmers were seeking jobs, they found it now in the textile industry, which created a new demand for laborers. You shall notice now that the mechanical inventions were so rapid and each one triggered another new one. A few examples of these inventions are the flying shuttle by John Kay, the spinning jenny by James Hargraves, the water frame by Richard Akriwght, the power loom by Edward Cartwight, Samuel Cromptons spinning mule, and Eli Whitney's cotton gin.

The Civil Rights Movement and the Decline in Racisim :: Racism, Civil Rights, Discrimination

Throughout the 60's, racism changed dramatically in a various number of ways. Changes involved the passage of bills into laws as well as involving the overall attitude of the people. Racism was largely based on white people's hatred towards blacks until the 1960's, when several major events increased problems both from whites towards blacks and from blacks towards whites. The biggest Social protest of the 1960's was the civil rights movement. It began on February 1, 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina when four black students seated themselves at the whites only lunch counter and refused to leave until they were served. After the first sit-in, it began happening all over the country and by the end of the year, 70,000 blacks staged sit-ins. Throughout this, over 3,600 people were arrested. This movement was successful, but it demonstrated non-violent protests. After this movement began, several organizations developed. Such programs include; The NAACP, SNCC, SCLC, CORE, and the Black Panthers. The NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, while the SNCC stands for the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee. The SCLC stands for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference who started a segregation protest traveling to Birmingham, Alabama who had the reputation of one of the most segregated cities in the United States. On May 2, 1963, over six hundred protesters were arrested, and t he majority was teenage high schoolers. The next day, the police chief, Bull Conor, ordered his police officers to shoot the protestors with high-powered water hoses ordered their dogs to attack them. By the end of the march, only twenty people reached the City Hall. After the Birmingham demonstrations, the blacks gained support from the people from the North because they witnessed how violent the South was towards the black protestors. The CORE is for the Congress of Racial Equality and started the first series of Freedom Riders in May of 1961. They traveled on two interstate buses starting in Washington D.C. and traveling to New Orleans. The people who disagreed with this movement threw stones and burnt these traveling buses in order to show their dislikeness of the blacks. All of these programs promoted rights for African Americans. The Black Panthers was organized by the SNCC and became popular in the late 60's. It was founded in Oakland, California after they protested the bill that outlawed carrying loaded weapons in public.

Smartphones Are an Essential Part of Society

Smartphones are an Essential Part of Society Smartphones are helping people to be more efficient, but with some side effects. â€Å"Many colleges and universities are further pushing the boundaries of services that can be delivered on smartphones† (Gordon 2007). Even though smartphones are making the human race complacent and dependent, these mobile devices are useful tools because they make life easy and keep one organized in a fast-paced world. â€Å"Wake Forest has a MobileU (mobileu. wfu. du) pilot program focusing on mobile messaging, mobile access to information such as calendars, campus announcements, and real-time location of the campus shuttle bus† (Gordon 2007). If one were to only read, the Korean Herald, one would believe that everybody who has a smartphone; does not like to get out of their pajamas or leave the house. â€Å"The smart device boom may be a blessing for many who now have instant access to everything from emails to the nearest restaurant servi ng their favorite foods, but smart products also are making electronics companies increasingly lazy† (Herald 2011).Another example that shows that smartphones are making people lazy and too dependent is stated in, †The trend is partly blamed on technology making it easier for lazy staff to email a colleague rather than walk over to see them† (Express 2012). Smartphones are making people lazy and too dependent; they are useful tools because phones make a person’s life easier.For example, sending an Army SPOT Report message, a concise narrative report of essential information covering tactical events or conditions, requires a soldier to first enter a 12-digit date-time group and a six-digit grid coordinate, a task that takes up time in a critical situation. Smartphones, which have their own built-in clocks and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, automatically populate those fields in the SPOT Reports and other Army messages that require a time stamp and precise location information (Brewin 2011).Another example that shows that smartphones make a person’s life easier is â€Å"Connecting Soldiers application will help soldiers communicate in languages other than English, McCarthy said, outputting translation audibly through the smartphone speaker and by text on its screen. The project already has an Arabic language application, and he would like to find an affordable application that can translate Pashto and Dari, the main languages of Afghanistan† (Brewin 2011). Smartphones are a useful tool because these handheld devices help people to stay organized. An individual can do almost anything with a smartphone.Today with all the applications to download, it is easy to stay on track. Individuals can you use the calendar function to keep their appointments and send reminders about up and coming events. Smartphones also allow for checking emails and surfing the web. Smartphones also let people play games. The days of the old paper organizer are gone forever! Users of smartphones and even those that do not have these handheld devices can appreciate them. Although smartphones are making people lazy and too dependent, smartphones are useful tools for two main reasons.First, smartphones make a one’s life easier. Nevertheless, most importantly, smartphones help people to stay organized.References Brewin, Bob (2011). Army confirms battlefield smartphones tests began in December. Computers–Information Science And Information Theory Gordon, Rachel Singer (2007). Information Tomorrow: Reflections on Technology and the Future of Public and Academic Libraries. Medford, NJ, USA: Information Today, Inc. , doi: 10492819. P. 31 The Express. (2012) â€Å"Office work ‘makes you fat and lazy† THE KOREA HERALD, (2011): â€Å"IT industry too dependent on smart devices†

My Week as a Room-Service Waiter at the Ritz – Customer Service that Puts the “Ritz” in Ritzy

The phrase â€Å"the customer is never wrong,† has been attributed to Cesar Ritz, the founder of the Ritz-Carlton empire. Needless to say, the man knew from customer service. How does this luxury hotel keep its customers content—and coming back?Paul Hemp, a senior editor at Harvard Business Review, stepped into the shoes of a Ritz-Carlton room-service waiter to find out. One observation: Empowering your employees to provide top-notch customer service is not enough. You must also inspire them to exercise that power. by Paul Hemp  Reflecting on the experienceOne element of the Ritz-Carlton training is a follow-up session, known as Day 21. It typically takes place about three weeks after the initial orientation. The aim is to review the Gold Standards after new employees have had a chance to put them into practice. Though I didn't work the full twenty-one days, I sit in on the half-day session (which, amidst the frenzy of the hotel's early months, actually takes place on the 49th day after our orientation). Training director Tim Kirkpatrick starts with another mock lineup.He discusses the new-employee job certification test that department managers should have administered. He announces a new guest recognition hotline, which employees can use to call in guest preferences. And he unveils an updated version of the company's principles, now in the form of a three-dimensional pyramid. This supplements the existing Gold Standards with an additional category of seven â€Å"key success factors. † But for staff to delight customers, managers must do more than grant their employees the freedom to do what is necessary; they must motivate employees to exercise that freedom.— Paul Hemp Employees are asked about their experiences on the job. Erin Garrity, the new front-desk clerk from Johnson & Wales, is disappointed she has been assigned the overnight shift but looks on the bright side. â€Å"I get to see a lot of celebrities† at that time , she says. Her goal for the year is to be named one of the hotel's select five-star employees, and she intends to continue being the â€Å"friendliest person I can be. † John Rolfs reinforces his message from orientation that our sole job is to â€Å"make guests feel good so they come back.â€Å"The hotel's 320 employees have countless interactions with guests, he says, and it takes just one interaction to make a guest feel bad. â€Å"If you're thinking about doing your job well, trying to understand and master your day-to-day routines but not thinking about how guests feel, they'll have a difficult time forgiving you. They'll probably forgive us if the air-conditioning fails. But they won't forgive us for failing to make them feel good—because that's why they selected Ritz-Carlton. † Tim's final announcement concerns the results of the first monthly Gallup survey of Ritz-Carlton guests, released to managers earlier that day.The Ritz-Carlton/Boston Common lea ds the company's hotels in overall customer satisfaction. There is a stunned silence—after all, this is a new hotel still smoothing out the rough spots—followed by loud applause. As I leave the hotel and walk across the Boston Common in the gathering dusk, I reflect on what I've learned about teaching and motivating employees to provide truly memorable service. One thing seems clear. Great customer service should be based on dynamic principles rather than a rigid formula.You don't demand that employees say, â€Å"Certainly, my pleasure,† until it feels right to them. You don't mindlessly assume every guest wants to be pampered; some people just want to eat their dinners. I also ponder Ritz-Carlton's efforts to win the hearts and minds of its employees by, for example, making them feel part of a proud heritage. A recent study of hotel workers by researchers at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration found that, while job satisfaction plays a major role in employ ee retention, it isn't the key factor in a hotel's ability to provide excellent customer service.Rather, it is employees' emotional commitment—which is achieved in part through symbols and rituals that enhance employees' sense of identity with the company—that contributes most to superior performance. Ritz Carlton certainly has an unusually rich tradition to draw on in creating that feeling of identity. But every company, even a two-year-old startup, has traditions and even legends that can be tapped to help build employee commitment. Great customer service should be based on dynamic principles rather than a rigid formula.— Paul Hemp That kind of commitment serves as a driver of excellent customer service only when employees are empowered to take initiative. And that sort of empowerment has no potency unless employees are motivated to seize it. I am haunted by my failure to point out the confusing bin numbers on the hotel wine list, which led my guest to mistake nly order that half-bottle of burgundy. Certainly, I was encouraged during my time at the hotel to point out problems that needed fixing. Why didn't I follow through in this case? I'm not sure.But for staff to delight customers, managers must do more than grant their employees the freedom to do what is necessary; they must motivate employees to exercise that freedom. Doing that depends in part on the kinds of people you hire. Ritz-Carlton has an elaborate system for assessing in job candidates the qualities the company believes are crucial to its success. One night while I was working at the hotel, I went through the basic interview to see how I'd do. I was fairly confident I was just the sort of caring, conscientious person the Ritz was looking for.In fact, though, even after fudging my answers to a few questions, I got only ten points out of a possible fifteen in the composite hospitality assessment. Tim said that wasn't bad—†though, honestly, we'd shoot for someone w ith a twelve. † I later discovered that I fell short in my response to a question asking me to cite an instance when I took care of someone else. I said I'd often provided emotional support to my sister during tough times. But the company was looking for something more than this, an â€Å"extraordinary† example of caring. â€Å"Helping your sister? You better,† Tim said with a laugh.â€Å"Now, if you'd moved out of your house for a month and let her move in, that would be different. † Since instituting its candidate assessment system in 1991, Ritz Carlton says it has reduced its annual turnover rate from 55%, roughly the industry average, to 28%. Certainly, a genuine concern for the well-being of guests is key to providing superior customer service. But that isn't enough to truly anticipate customer needs. Another component of the Ritz Carlton's hospitality assessment is empathy—being able to imagine guests' emotional responses to their experience i n the hotel.I am reminded of Steve's care in preparing the champagne setting for the newlyweds that night and how he thought back to his grandparents' wedding seventy-five years before. To truly achieve empathy, however, I wonder if you need to jettison at least some of your personal perspective. One of John Rolfs's comments during the Day 21 session—about the dangers of employees focusing solely on the successful fulfillment of their duties—resonated with my experience as a waiter.If you're constantly assessing how well you're doing in your job—even in your genuine efforts to satisfy guests—you, not the guest, become the point of reference. Your self-consciousness, natural though it may be, distracts you from providing superior service. It's getting dark. And this train of thought risks hurtling far beyond the practical demands of a frenetic evening of room service. But, when you get down to it, my musings don't seem all that far from the Ritz-Carlton ph ilosophy.Companies dedicated to providing what might be called â€Å"extreme† customer service may need to recognize that—like great military, government, or religious service—it is, in the end, a truly selfless endeavor. They may need to establish such practices as the formal inculcation of a customer-centered credo. They might even consider providing workers with a weeklong immersion in the experience of being a customer! Whatever the means, the aim would be getting employees to leave their egos at the door and adopt the mind-set of the people they're serving.

Food Inflations-the Real Problem of Common Man in India

In simple terms inflation, or price rise is caused by too much money chasing too few goods, or, demand being more than supply. The free play of the twin market forces of demand and supply determine the price of any commodity or service. In a mixed economy like India, Government is also an important player in the market. Hence to search for the causes of inflation, becomes somewhat complex. The last couple of months witnessed a sudden and almost a run-away type of food inflation. The way the price of vegetables and other food items soared, it created doubts in the minds of the common people and the economists alike. Winter is generally the time when fruits & vegetables are at the lowest prices. This was not so this year. The prices were way above the expected normal. This happened in spite of the normal monsoon and average inflation in other sectors. It was the other way round this time. Inflation in the food sector spilled to other sectors causing the rise in overall inflation. The government and RBI are working on the lines of monetary regulations like change in the interest rates, CRR etc. But looking at the way the food prices are stuck at the higher side, don’t these monetary measures appear just temporary remedies? There are certain deeper, grass root causes which have to be actually tackled. India has come a long way in case of food grain productivity. There was a time when our Balance of payments, account was always weighed down by food grain imports and the debts incurred for these essential imports. It is not so anymore. We are self reliant now. In case of sugar, global prices are determined by the amount of India’s sugar production! States like Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat are doing well in the field of agriculture. Production may be slightly short of demand considering the huge population. Such inflation can be checked by importing. But our problem is actually the middlemen. There is a huge difference between the cost of production and the price the final consumer pays. The farmer gets a very small amount of this profit/difference of cost and final price. For example – If we are buying a vegetable for Rs. 40 per kg. , the dealer at the wholesale market gets Rs. 10 per Kg. , and the poor farmer gets a meager Rs. 3. Again this Rs. 40 too will differ depending on the locality it is being sold. Then there is always the problem of black marketing & illegal stocking of goods to get a higher price. So we actually need checks on the middlemen and the retailers. Secondly, the system of direct farm to shops has to be developed, so that the farmers are the real beneficiaries. This will also motivate the farmers to increase production. Wastage is another important avoidable problem, leading to shortage. Production we have raised. But so much is wasted because we still are a laggard when it comes to state of the art storage facilities. Even the government’s huge food buffer stock lies unused till it gets finally rotten. Why doesn’t the government release its buffer stock on time to check shortage and food inflation? Is the buffer stock merely for psychological security? The government has raised the support prices of some food items. This along with the rural employment schemes and high urban salaries has also infused excess money in the market causing the inflation. Lastly, does the government know or sincerely follow, what is happening to the prices which are subsidized or fixed by the government? There are cases where the inflation will not show in the Government statistics, but will certainly affect our household budget. As usual when the Union Budget is presented, all eyes will be on the Finance Minister and his speech will be thoroughly scanned for all the implications on the economy. But this time, there is one particular reason why ordinary citizens will be specially focused on the Budget: the hope that the Government is finally going to act decisively to contain food price inflation. It is not surprising that questions of food security and the right to food have become such urgent political and social issues in India today. Rapid aggregate income growth over the past two decades has not addressed the basic issue of ensuring the food security of the population. Instead, nutrition indicators have stagnated and per capita calorie consumption has actually declined, suggesting that the problem of hunger may have got worse rather than better. So, despite apparent material progress in the last decade, India is one of the worst countries in the world in terms of hunger among the population, and the number of hungry people in India is reported by the UN to have increased between the early 1990s and the mid-2000s. These very depressing indicators were calculated even before the recent rise in food prices in India, which is likely to have made matters much worse. Indeed, the rise in food prices in the past two years has been higher than any period since the mid-1970s, when such inflation sparked widespread social unrest and political instability. What is especially remarkable is that food prices have been rising even when the general price index (for wholesale prices) has been almost flat; thus, when the overall inflation rate was only 1-2 per cent in the past year, food prices increased by nearly 20 per cent. Sharp rise in prices It is evident that the price increase has been so rapid as to be alarming especially over the past two years, with rice prices increasing by nearly half in Northern cities and more than half in Southern cities. Atta prices have on average increased by around one-fifth from their level of two years ago. The most shocking increase has been in sugar prices, which have more than doubled across the country. Other food items, ranging from pulses and dal to milk and vegetables, have also shown dramatic increase especially in the past year. There are many reasons why food prices have risen at such a rapid rate, and all of them point to major failures of state policy. Domestic food production has been adversely affected by neoliberal economic policies that have opened up trade and exposed farmers to volatile international prices even as internal support systems have been dismantled and input prices have been rising continuously. Inadequate agricultural research, poor extension services, overuse of groundwater, and incentives for unsuitable cropping patterns have caused degeneration of soil quality and reduced the productivity of land and other inputs. Women farmers, who constitute a large (and growing) proportion of those tilling the land, have been deprived of many of the rights of cultivators, ranging from land titles to access to institutional credit, knowledge and inputs, and this too has affected the productivity and viability of cultivation. Poor distribution But in addition to production, poor distribution, growing concentration in the market and inadequate public involvement, have all been crucial in allowing food prices to rise in this appalling manner. Successive governments at the Centre have been reducing the scope of the public food distribution system, and even now, in the face of the massive increase in prices, the Central Government is delaying the allocation of food grains for the Above Poverty Line population to the States. This has prevented the public system from becoming a viable alternative for consumers and preventing private speculation and hoarding. In addition, allowing corporates (both domestic and foreign companies) to enter the market for grains and other food items has led to some increase in concentration of distribution. This has not been adequately studied, but it has many adverse implications, including the fact that farmers will benefit less from period of high prices even as consumers suffer, because the benefit will be garnered by middlemen. Sugar is slightly more complicated, as marketing margins appear to show different trends in different regions and also tend to be significantly lower than the other major crops. The dramatic increase in sugar prices is more a reflection of massive policy errors over the past two years, in terms of supply and domestic price management and exports and imports. Marketing margins So what exactly is happening? It appears that there are forces that are allowing marketing margins — at both wholesale and retail levels — to increase. This means that the direct producers, the farmers, do not get the benefit of the rising prices which consumers in both rural and urban areas are forced to pay. The factors behind these increasing retail margins need to be studied in much more detail. In addition to this, there is also initial evidence that there has been a process of concentration of crop distribution, as more and more corporate entities get involved in this activity. Such companies are both national and multinational. On the basis of international experience, their involvement in food distribution initially tends to bring down marketing margins and then leads to their increase as concentration grows. This may have been the case in certain Indian markets, but this is an area that clearly merits further examination. Many people have argued, convincingly, that increased and more stable food production is the key to food security in the country. This is certainly true, and it calls for concerted public action for agriculture, on the basis of many recommendations that have already been made by the Farmers' Commission and others. But another very important element cannot be ignored: food distribution. Here too, the recent trends make it evident that an efficiently functioning and widespread public system for distributing essential food items is important to prevent retail margins from rising. Food security A universal system of public food distribution provides economies of scale; it reduces the transaction costs and administrative hassles involved in ascertaining the target group and making sure it reaches them; it allows for better public provision because even the better-off groups with more political voice have a stake in making sure it works well; it generates greater stability in government plans for ensuring food production and procurement. It is clear that emergency measures are required to strengthen public food distribution, in addition to medium-term policies to improve domestic food supply. A properly funded, efficiently functioning and accountable system of public delivery of food items through a network of fair price shops and co-operatives is the best and most cost-effective way of limiting increases in food prices and ensuring that every citizen has access to enough food. In a context in which the inflation is concentrated on food prices, measures such as raising the interest rate are counterproductive because they affect all producers without striking at the heart of the problem. Instead, if he is serious about curtailing food inflation, the Finance Minister must provide substantially more funds to enable a proper and effect to public food distribution system. Inflation Statistics. Snapping the five week rising trend, food inflation softened to 16. 91 per cent for the week ended January 1, 2011, although vegetables, onions and protein-based items continued to remained costly. Food inflation fell by 1. 41 percentage points from 18. 32 per cent recorded in the previous reporting week. Even as the index of food inflation showed a meagre decline, vegetable prices soared by 70. 3 per cent on an annual basis in the wholesale market, official data showed. Also onions continued to pinch the pocket of the common man as the prices went up by 70. 70 per cent on a year on year basis. Among the individual items in the food inflation index, egg, meat and fish became costly by 16. 70 per cent, milk by 13. 20 per cent and fruits by 17. 71 per cent annually. However, prices of pulses declined by 14. 84 per cent, wheat by 4. 87 per cent, potatoes by 1. 67 per cent and cereals by 0. 12 per cent on an annual basis. Meanwhile, in the non-food category, the prices of fibers and minerals have climbed up by 36. 1 per cent and 16. 70 per cent, respectively. India’s food inflation rose marginally to 15. 57 percent for the week ended January 15 from previous week’s 15. 52 percent. According to official figures from country’s Commerce ministry, the primary articles price index was up 17. 26 per cent in the latest week, compared with an annual rise of 17. 03 per cent a week earlier. India has the highest food inflation of any major Asian economy, but other emerging markets such as China and Brazil are also battling double-digit food price rises.