Globalization and the Commons

Anne Essay about Environmental Collapse Essays

Anne Essay about Environmental Collapse Essays Anne Essay about Environmental Collapse Paper Anne Essay about Environmental Collapse Paper The world today is encountering a lot of environmental problems. One of these problems that is evidently seen everywhere is pollution. Pollution is the addition of chemical or physical agents to the air, water, or land in an amount that can threaten human health, plants, and wildlife. It also lessens the human enjoyment of the environment. Pollution is mainly caused by the people, and this results in natural disasters, dirty and contaminated environment, and diseases. The primary cause of pollution is the people. As we all know, our country is overpopulated and consequently, it adds up to the pollution. Since there are many people, a lot of space is being occupied. The place gets crowded, thus not having room for air, noise, and garbage disposal. The lack of discipline and selfishness of people also worsen pollution. Undisciplined people throw their trash anywhere they want to while selfish people do not care about what is happening around their environment. Instead of the people helping diminish pollution, they become the ones aggravating it even more. Lack of dumpsites also increases pollution because people don’t have enough space to throw out their garbage. Pollution also has its adverse effects such as natural disasters, diseases, dirty and unpleasant environment. Natural disasters such as flood and erosion occur because of pollution. Floods take place because trash that is not thrown in the proper place clog the sewers and drainage. Erosion, on the other hand, takes place because of the rubbish buried under the soil. The soil could not hold anymore because of abundant trash buried under, thus causing soil to erode. Another consequence of pollution is diseases. People get diseases such as cholera and amoebiasis from contaminated water, which is again due to the garbage thrown in rivers or other bodies of water. These diseases could also lead to death sooner or later. Pollution also makes the environment dirty, messy, and unpleasant to look at. We can see that pollution causes diseases, natural disasters, and dirty environment. In order to lessen these things, we must act responsibly, take care and be more conscious of our environment.

Evaluating published research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Evaluating published research - Essay Example In this section, they state that beyond the investigation of corporate governance mechanisms, there is a great deal of discussion about how good or bad the existing governance mechanisms are of non-financial firms in industrialised countries. These arguments are provoked by the fact that each industrialised country has a different system of corporate governance that disciplines the management of firms: e.g., the United States and the United Kingdom have a market-oriented system of corporate governance, whereas Germany has a bank-oriented one. The researchers single out uniqueness and peculiarities of the Anglo-American and German context, discuss advantages and limitations of cultural approach. The next section "Governance and national culture" defines and explains the notion of culture and corporate governance. Buck and Shahrim (2005) define and explain different approaches to corporate governance and culture applied by culturalists and institutionalists. This section is based on careful analysis of current literature and different perspectives dominated in modern management theory. The authors state that the public mind-set as represented particularly in the ranks of the country's communication and education elites was, to say the least, anesthetized by the nonstop onslaught of these offensives. In contrast to culturalists, "some institutionalists deny the relevance of national culture, claiming that it amounts to national stereotyping, that national characteristics can change quickly, and that measures of culture have been calibrated in ways that are themselves culture-specific" (Buck and Shahrim 2005, p. 42). Indeed, corporate governance mechanisms consist of economic and legal institutions, such as the design of bankruptcy procedures, the allocation of control to the board of director

France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

France - Essay Example The river basins in the country are the Rhone, the Seine, the Loire and the Garonne (Encyclopedia.com). All of them played a significant role in the history as they were used as the main transportation routes before the railway replaced them. The population of the country is about 64 million of people with 20 percent of them living in the Parisian region (OECD). The French people have the highest female life expectancy in the EU; at the same time, they are the biggest consumers of medicine in Europe and the second biggest consumers of alcohol on the continent (after Luxembourg) (â€Å"Interesting Facts About France†). Andre Gide, the famous French Nobel Prize winner in literature, once said about the French people, â€Å"French people are Italian people in bad mood† (â€Å"Interesting Quotes†). About 85 percent of the population are Roman Catholics; about 2 percent are Lutherans and Calvinists; Muslims comprise about 8 percent. At the same time, more than 40 percent claim they are atheists (Encyclopedia.com). The official language is French; there are also several regional languages spoken in the country, such as Alsatian, Basque, Catalan, Breton, Corsican, Occitan, Franco-Provencal etc. French was the language of diplomacy and aristocracy throughout the entire Europe and the Ottoman Empire. In addition to this, it was the official language in England for more than three centuries (â€Å"Interesting Facts About France†). France is famous by its well-developed food-and-drink industry. In particular, France is one of the greatest producers of wine and liquors in the world. In fact, wine has been produced in the country since the Roman times. In total, there are more than 450 wine appellations in the entire country. Also, cheese production is flourishing in the country: more than 300 types of cheese, including Camembert, Livarot, Brie de Meaux, Roquefort, Reblochon etc., are made there. What is more, France is the

LEGAL REASONING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

LEGAL REASONING - Essay Example The state offers tax exemptions on property left to spouses after the death of their partners (Wood, 2011). However, the state denied her request on realizing that she was married to a person of the same sex. There was a federal law in force in the US, the marriage act that defended marriage, DOMA, which failed to include a same sex partner in its definition of the term ‘spouse’ (Leonard, 2013). She decided to file a suit in court challenging the constitutionality of the federal law provision after agreeing to pay the taxes. Both the US Courts of Appeal and the US District Court delivered a ruling that the provision in the statute law was not constitutional and as such ordered the State of New York to issue a refund for the sum paid by Windsor in taxes for her property (Boies & Olson, 2008). The Supreme Court, in a similar case pitting the Governor of Utah and the Salt Lake City Clerk, in their capacities against Derek Kitchen, Kate Call, Kody Partridge, Moudi Sbeity, Laurie Wood and Karen Archer, did not uphold the decision by the state of Utah to ban marriages by same sex couples in 2004. The plaintiffs complained of abuse of their rights by the state of Utah, since it failed to recognize such marriages and accord them the recognition accorded to marriages between heterosexual partners (Engdahl, 2009). One of the reasons given by the Supreme Court to justify their decision in the appeal was that the provision of that federal law encouraged the curtailment of the right of all American citizens to marry any person of their choice (Leonard, 2013). Further, it would deny this section of the population their right to establish a family as they may will, raise their children as well as enjoy the unconditional protection offered by the laws of the State concerning marriages (Fredericks, 2009). Justice Kennedy posited that the Fourteenth Amendment in the US Constitution protected these rights. It has always been a

Globalisations Effect on National Governance

Globalisations Effect on National Governance Globalisation has significantly reduced the ability of governments to govern. Do you agree? Discuss. Globalisation, according to Van Acker and Curran (2004), is the process of increasingly international integration and global interchange of trade, markets, products, ideas and other aspects of culture, which is triggered by technological innovations and â€Å"underpinned by shifting power relations that sees finance capital as relatively dominant and transnational corporations as very powerful vis-à  -vis the nation state† (p.3). It is obvious that globalisation has changed the world dramatically and its profound impacts can be seen in every aspect in our society. It brings about numerous positive influences including creating greater access to goods from all over the world; extending international and intercontinental exchanges, and improving economic development (Baines Ursah, 2009). However, great opportunities come with great threats. Many studies show that there is a clear connection between globalisation and unemployment and financial crisis; as well as with environmen tal problems and inequity (Madeley, 2009). Thousands of studies have been done by worldwide experts to analyse its influences upon economy, politics and sociology, yet the results are still highly diversified and paradoxical. Regarding globalisation’s impacts on politics, several scholars have claimed that, besides a number of advantages, it also results in various negative consequences for many countries’ governments (Daalder Lindsay, 2003; Van der Westhuizen, 2009). This paper strongly argues that globalisation notably weakens the ability of government to govern, especially in terms of the eruption of the internet, and the growth of terrorism – which are considered as by-products of globalisation. The essay also includes an opportunistic effect of globalisation in reducing corruption in certain governments. As a product, as well as a catalyst of globalisation, internet is a global system of many independent networks containing unlimited resources of information and services that can be accessed almost everywhere all around the world (Horner, 1997). With nearly three billion users worldwide, however, the rapid expansion of the internet has led to a global crisis of governance (Morozov, 2010). This happens due to the fact that the internet is operated without a central governing authority, as well as the borderless nature of itself (Rose, 2005). Additionally, many scholars argue that the management of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers a private non-profit organisation headquartered in the USA, over the domain name system – a crucial element for the function of the internet, has significantly reduced the power and governing ability of national governments, especially towards communication and information policy (Palfrey, 2004). Obvious examples are misinformat ion, illegal transaction, online piracy, copyright infringement, espionage, and cyber hacking that occur every second on the internet in which the government is not able to have a full control of (Galicki, Havens, Pelker, 2014), thus in this case, the government’s ability to govern is lessened and limited so remarkably that it is put on a high risk situation of being attacked. Another significant example relates to the Titan Rain cyber attack in 2004 in which several United States defence contractor computer systems, including those at NASA, the Lockheed Martin, Redstone Arsenal, and Sandia National Laboratories, were attacked and infiltrated in order to gain illegal access to military intelligence and classified data. This attack is believed to have its origin from Chinese government and is considered as one of the biggest cyber raids in the internet era (Miles, 2011). Another interesting case is the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa since 2010. This massive event, which was triggered partly by the online diplomatic cable leak in November 2010, includes a series of politic activities such as protests, demonstrations, riots, and civil war that led to mass government overthrown and changes throughout the countries of the Arab League and surroundings (Jones, 2012). These activities were extremely well-organised and wildly spread by the effectiv e use of social media and the internet (Jones, 2012). These evidences illustrate how vulnerable national governance can become when confronting with the eruption of the internet and globalisation. Another challenge of globalisation that reduces government’s governing ability is terrorism. According to Zimmermann (2011), there is a close connection between globalisation and the rapid growth of terrorism globally. The technological revolution and mass media, the interconnectedness between individuals and organisations, migration, all of which are associated with globalisation, play an important role for terror networks to strengthen and enlarge their power internationally. In particular, a globalised trade makes the arms trade more globalised, thus weapons can easily get into the wrong hands (Stohl Grillot, 2013). Moreover, thanks to technological advancement, the internet, and the high availability of inexpensive hi-tech devices and softwares, many terrorists and terror groups can easily spread fears and improve their impacts worldwide by creating their online existence, popularising videos and footages of terrorist acts such as roadside bombs, beheading, or executions. The use of these means also significantly enhances their communication potential more than ever. The most recent example of this is a series of beheading videos circulated online by a terror group named Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in 2014 (Porter, 2014). Using these videos with wide coverage, this group were successful in stretching fears and showing to those opposing them, especially the USA and other Western countries, how violent and powerful they are. Another famous case is Mustafa Setmarian Nasar – a first generation terrorist who attempted to accomplish everlasting influences by uploading his terrorist videos on the internet before being arrested in Pakistan in 2006 (Shlapentokh, 2012). These proofs have demonstrated how considerably globalisation can promote terrorism. The question needs to be answered now is how terrorism can negatively affect the capability of governments to govern. According to Kampf (2014), terrorism is defined as political violence involving political aims and motives from an illicit identifiable organisation, which is designed to generate terror and psychic fear by conducting acts of violence, such as brutal victimisation, and exploitation or non-combatant target massacre, in order to achieve certain desired goals. Such activities, with their intense political consequences, extremely reduce governments’ governing ability in different ways, and at different levels. Numerous recent studies have shown that terrorism can actively affect and shape the course of domestic politics by modifying the preferences of voters and voting behaviour during an electoral campaign. Terrorist activities also have strong impacts on government formation as well as its survival (Indridason, 2008). A salient example for this case is the unexpected victory of the Socialist party over the People’s party – the incumbent governing party, during the Spanish legislative elections in 2004. This surprised outcome is believed due to three terrorist bomb attacks on the Madrid train line that killed and injured hundreds of people, which happened just three days before the Election Day (Indridason, 2008). In addition to those hypotheses, William, Koach and Smith (2012) asserted that terrorist activities also harmfully impact the stability of parliamentary governments. Furthermore, some governments might become too sensitive and their duration could be shortened due to the effects of terror attacks. It is obvious that by contributing to the growth of terrorism, transitively, globalisation with all of its advanced products and components can seriously weaken the governing ability of certain governments, or even make them overthrown. Nevertheless, one can argue that globalisation can also bring opportunities for stronger governing abilities among certain governments. An important example of such positive impacts relates to reduced corruption, since corruption can threaten the legitimacy of the incumbent government and lead to public dissatisfaction (Seligson, 2002). Many studies have been done to analyse the relations between globalisation and corruption to find out either they are directly or inversely proportional to each other. Interestingly, most of them conclude the latter. By examining data from 127 countries, a research in 2011 claimed that globalisation is a powerful weapon to oppose corruption, especially for those countries with middle and high income (Lalountas, Manolas Vavouras, 2011). Similar results and findings have been made by Asongu in a recent research in 2014. Additionally, another study conducted in 2001, evaluating information from several countries during a twenty-year long period, demonst rated that the casual connection from openness to corruption is persistent and strong, and that openness can indeed lead to a reduction in corruption (Bussolo, Bonaglia Braga de Macedo, 2011). In conclusion, this paper has demonstrated that globalisation has significantly reduced the ability of governments to govern via its by-products such as the internet and by contributing to the growth of domestic and transnational terrorism in different ways. It also mentioned that globalisation can bring opportunities for countries to effectively reduce corruption. However, it cannot be denied that globalisation is an inevitable phenomenon and plays an important role in the development of every country in the world. Thus, it is crucial for governments to learn how to strengthen opportunities created by globalisation and view its many challenges as excellent opportunities to better cooperate with governments on a global scale to produce solutions for global problems, such as terrorism, internet security, sustainability, and global peace. These important areas suggest excellent topic areas for further research. References Asongu, S. (2014). Globalization (fighting), corruption and development. Journal of Economic Studies, 41(3), 346-369. Doi:10.1108/JES-04-2012-0048 Baines, H. V., Ursah, J. R. (2009). Globalization: Understanding, management, and effects. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Bussolo, M., Bonaglia, F., Braga de Macedo, J. (2001). How globalisation improves governance. OECD Publishing. Doi: 10.1787/774554632487 Daalder, I. H., Lindsay, J. M. (2003). The globalization of politics. The Brookings Review, 21(1), 12. Galicki, A., Havens, D., Pelker, A. (2014). Computer crimes. American Criminal Law Review, 51(4), 875. Horner, K. (1997). Internet: A definition. Retail Delivery Strategies, (8), 5. Indridason, I. H. (2008). Does terrorism influence domestic politics? Coalition formation and terrorist incidents. Journal of Peace Research, 45(2), 241-259. Doi: 10.1177/0022343307087183 Jones, P. (2012). The arab spring. International Journal, 67(2), 447. Kampf, Z. (2014). Newsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Media and terrorism: Changing relationship, changing definitions. Sociology Compass, 8(1), 1-9. Doi:10.1111/soc4.12099 Lalountas, D. A., Manolas, G. A., Vavouras, I. S. (2011). Corruption, globalization and development: How are these three phenomena related? Journal of Policy Modelling, 33(4), 636-648. Doi:10.1016/j.jpolmod.2011.02.001 Madeley, J. (2009). Globalisation. Appropriate Technology, 36(1), 52. Miles, A. (2011). Why the Chinese cyber attack is the ultimate scare story? London: New Statesman Ltd. Morozov, E. (2010). The Internet. Foreign Policy, (179), 40. Palfrey, J. (2004). The end of the experiment: How ICANNs foray into global internet democracy failed. Harvard Journal of Law Technology, 17(2), 409. Porter, B. (2014). What is ISIS? Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-12/what-is-isis/5518990. Rose, R. (2005). Introduction: The internet and governance in a global context. Journal of Public Policy, 25(1), 1-3. Seligson, M. A. (2002). The impact of corruption on regime legitimacy: A comparative study of four Latin American countries. The Journal of Politics, 64(2), 408-433. Doi:10.1111/1468-2508.00132 Shlapentokh, D. (2012). The intellectual and political exchange among jihadists: The case of Mustafa Setmarian Nasar (abu musab al-suri). Journal of Applied Security Research, 7(3), 301. Stohl, R., Grillot, S. (2013). The international arms trade. Hoboken: Polity. Van Acker, E., Curran, G. (2004). Governing business and globalisation. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education. Van der Westhuizen, C. (2009). Power and insecurity: The politics of globalisation. Hervormde Teologiese Studies, 65(1), 1-7. Williams, L. K., Koch, M. T., Smith, J. M. (2013). The political consequences of terrorism: Terror events, casualties, and government duration. International Studies Perspectives, 14(3), 343-361. Doi:10.1111/j.1528-3585.2012.00498.x Zimmermann, E. (2011). Globalization and terrorism. European Journal of Political Economy, 27, 152-161. Doi:10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2011.09.003

Financial Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

Financial Accounting MidTerm I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Debit vs. Credit A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Debit Debit = left side of T-account On the Balance Sheet a debit indicates: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An increase in an asset 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A decrease in a liability 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A decrease in shareholders’ equity item B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Credit Credit = Right side of T-account On the Balance Sheet a credit indicates: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A decrease in an asset 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An increase in a liability 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An increase in shareholders’ equity item ** HINT** - Identify two components of each transaction: 1.) what did you get; 2.) where did it come from. The debit is what you got, and the credit is the source of the item you received. For instance, let’s imagine that you purchase a computer with your credit card. Since the computer is what you received it’s going to result in a debit to the asset account for your computer. The credit will be applied to the credit card liability account for the same amount. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What accounts Increase/Decrease with debits and credits   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Account Type  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Debit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Credit Balance Sheet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assets   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decrease Balance Sheet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liabilities  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decrease  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase Balance Sheet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Owner’s Equity  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decrease  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase Income Statement  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Revenue  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decrease  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase Income Statement  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cost of goods sold  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decrease Income Statement  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Expenses  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decrease III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Typical Accounts A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assets Cash  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marketable Securities Accounts receivable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Notes receivable Interest Receivable  Ã‚  &nb... ...ccounts decrease cash and appear with negative signs. 2) Step 2: Classify the change in each balance sheet account as an operating, or investing, or financing activity and enter it in the appropriate column of the work sheet using the same sign as the first column. 3.) Step 3: Sum the entries in the Operations, Investing, and Financing Columns and net the 3 sums to ensure that they equal the net change in cash. ***Things to Remember*** In T-accounts the balance are as follows:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Asset: balance on the left   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liability: balance on the right   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stockholders’ equity: balance on the right Balance Sheet is written as follows:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assets   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liabilities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stockholders’ equity Income Statement is written as follows:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sales   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other Revenue   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cost of Goods Sold   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Expenses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Net Income Statement of Cash Flows (Indirect Method) is written as follows: Operations Investing Financing

Customer Service and Class Discussion

MAR1011 WK8 HOMWRK Class Discussion (30 points) This week's discussion focuses retail distribution strategies. You will have the opportunity to analyze traditional and non-traditional retail strategies. Please respond to the following prompt in the class discussion section of your online course: 1. How would you classify Wal-Mart in terms of position on the wheel of retailing versus that of an off-price retailer? Individual Work (35 points) The following assignment allows you to analyze the Mall of America.You will have the opportunity to develop strategies designed to assist the Mall of America in acquiring new customers. Please read the â€Å"Mall of America Shopping and a Whole Lot More† case study (pages 313-315). After reading the case, please answer the following questions: 1. Why has the Mall of America been such a marketing success so far? 2. What specific marketing actions would you propose that Mall of America managers take to ensure its continuing success in attract ing visitors (a) from the local metropolitan area and (b) from outside it? 3. Your assignment should be at least 1-2 pages in length.Quiz (40 points) This quiz will consist of questions taken from Chapters 12-13. The quiz will contain 20 multiple choice and/or True or False questions. This quiz covers the following material: †¢In Marketing: The Core read: oChapter 12, â€Å"Managing Marketing Channels and Supply Chains,† pages 271-294. oChapter 13, â€Å"Retailing and Wholesaling,† pages 295-316. MAR2305-14 Class Discussion (35 points) It is important to understand the sources of customer satisfaction in order to address the issue effectively. Lucas provides strategies to identify communication breakdowns.Please review Chapter 7 in Customer Service Skills for Success, and discuss all the following questions: †¢What is your definition of a dissatisfied customer? †¢What are the sources of customer dissatisfaction? †¢What can service providers do to pr event and deal with dissatisfied customers? Individual Work (40 points) Service breakdowns can occur unexpectedly and need to be handled promptly. Complete the â€Å"Handling Service Breakdown at AAA Landscaping† case study on page 248 of your textbook. Please answer questions 1-4. Each answer should be a minimum of one paragraph. The total minimum document length should be 300 words.

Essay on The Social Security DebateEssay Writing Service

Essay on The Social Security DebateEssay Writing Service Essay on The Social Security Debate Essay on The Social Security DebateIntroduction  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Domhoff’s book Who Rules America: Power and Politics, the author is focused on sociological analysis of important issues that help to better understand how class and power work in the United States. The information provided by William Domhoff allows the reader to critically assess the key skills of competent citizenship. Assessing two organizations, Booking Institution and Heritage Foundation, it is necessary to take into consideration social security issues discussed in the book. Social security debate involves different opinions of the effectiveness of the existing social security policy (Greider, 2005). William Domhoff has developed criticism of the organizational or institutional capacity of the U.S. political and business elite in shaping public opinion. William Domhoff believes that public opinion can be used to move social security policy only in the context of politic al agendas of powerful political and business elites (Domhoff, 2014).The Social Security Debate: Assessment of Two OrganizationsBrookings Institution1) The organization Brookings Institution is a non-profit public policy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The organization’s mission is â€Å"to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations that advance three broad goals: strengthen American democracy; foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans; and secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system† (Brookings Institution, Official Website, 2014).2) The political viewpoint of this organization can be characterized as corporate-conservative organization. Brookings Institution serves as an effective coordination mechanism.   According to Domhoff (2014),   â€Å"Brookings Institution is â€Å"mainstream or on the right wi ng†(97).3) Brookings Institution is a non-profit public policy organization. It is involved in the policu planning process. The organization has direct relation to the model of class, power and politics discussed by Domhoff in his book. Brookings Institution is considered to be a think tank in the U.S., which is focused on international development issues, domestic economic policy and social policy implementation.4) The views about social security expressed at the organizations’ website are different.   According to some experts, â€Å"Social Security is that action should be taken as soon as possible to close the projected long-term imbalance† (Aaron, 2013, p.1). It has been found that social security faces a crisis today. Researchers state the U.S. Social Security benefits are lower than in other developed countries. They claim that â€Å"the lifetime value of U.S. Social Security benefits is 40 percent lower than the average of those nations† (Aaron, 2013, p.1). According to the official information provided by Brookings Institution, social security policy launched in 1935, has provided millions of American citizens with the requires amount of income for retirement. However, today â€Å"more money is collected in Social Security taxes from workers than is paid out to retirees† (Social Security policy, 2014, p.1). However, the situation will be changes as â€Å"baby boomers† start to retire and the workforce shrinks due to the recession. The U.S. government provides various strategies to fill the gap, e.g. increased borrowing and taxes or paying fewer benefits.5) My own critical evaluation of this site is based on the validity of information provided by the organization.   The facts are properly stated and documented. The interpretations are convincingly supported by facts and other evidence, such as documents. The policy proposals are convincing.Heritage Foundation1) Heritage Foundation  is a well-known researc h and educational institution that was founded in 1973. The organization’s mission is â€Å"to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense† (Heritage Foundation, Official Website, 2014).2) The political viewpoint of this organization can be characterized as ultra conservative.   According to Domhoff (2014), Heritage Foundation hires â€Å"young ultra conservatives who are willing to attack all government programs† (97).3) Heritage Foundation is non-profit organization, which is involved in the opinion shaping process. The activity of this organization relates to the model of class, power and politics discussed by Domhoff in his book. The organization pursues its goals by conducting accurate research on significant policy issues, and sharing these findings with the primary audiences, including the members of the U .S. Congress, the staff members of Congress, the key policymakers, the nation’s news media representatives, as well as the members of the policy communities (Heritage Foundation, Official Website, 2014).4) The issue regarding social security is discussed at the organization’s website. The organization is focused on negative opinion regarding current social security policy. According to experts, â€Å"Social Security’s finances significantly worsened last year, according to the 2012 trustees report, because of a weakened economy and structural problems with the program†(Heritage Foundation, Official Website, 2014).5) My critical evaluation of the site is based on the information provided by the organization. The facts are properly stated and documented. The interpretations are convincingly supported by facts and statistical data. The policy proposals are clear and convincing.Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, it is necessary to co nclude that both organizations involved in the social security debate agree with the fact that social security faces a crisis today. Considerable changes in social security policy should be made to solve current social security problems. The U.S. government should improve economic system in order to develop effective social security programs, paying due attention to the U.S. demographics.

Failure of Saint Francis Dam essays

Failure of Saint Francis Dam essays The city of Los Angeles needed a bigger water supply to provide water incase of drought or interruption of the current aqueduct. Construction of the Saint Francis Dam started in 1924 right outside of Los Angeles. Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water, Mr. William Mulholland, was in charge of every aspect of the design and construction of the dam. The St. Francis Dam was designed to be 175 feet tall and to hold back a reservoir of 30,000 acre-feet. Right after construction began in 1924, Mulholland decided to raise the dam 10 feet and increase the capacity of the reservoir to 32,000 acre-feet. In July of 1925 when the dam was about halfway completed, Mulholland again decided to raise the dam another 10 feet to a total height of 195 feet with a new capacity of 38,170 acre-feet. After construction of the dam, leaks were detected, Mulholland neglected these leaks and considered the dam to be safe. The day of the collapse Mulholland was asked to inspect ne w found cracks, found by the dam keeper Tony Harnischfeger. Mulholland considered the dam to still be safe. A moment before midnight on March 12, 1928 the St. Francis Dam collapsed. The twelve billion gallons of water rushed out from behind the dam in the form of a wave seventy eight feet tall destroying twelve thousand homes, eight thousand acres of farmland, and killed in excess of 450 people on its way to the Pacific Ocean. The total damage is estimated at fifteen million dollars. Mulholland made several catastrophic decisions in the design and construction of the Dam. The base of the dam was not widened to compensate for the additional water storage the city had required of it. There were no contraction joints, which allow concrete to crack in a controlled manner when it cools. No drainage galleries, tunnels that run through a structure to allow inspection for cracks and leaks. These galleri ...

Reflection Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Reflection Paper - Assignment Example The reading I liked most is the one concerning transportation emissions and its effects on the land use as it involves such issues as environmental pollution. The part of commute emissions and the experimental design was very interesting. I also liked the behavior model that explained the route choice and the experiments accompanying the theory. However, I did not like the topic on traffic lights, as the diagrams were no easy to understand especially the calculations. The four engineering projects in the lecture are travel behavior dealing with research on travel behavior and approaches and technologies to travel surveys. SUTRN dealing with system simulation and their evaluation and lifecycle analysis was another project in my Monday lecture. Another project was the automated class dealing with autonomous vehicles, infrastructure, and congestion during transportations. Transportation emissions that relates transportation and land use was also one of the projects together with commuter emissions. The most interesting transportation-engineering project was commute emissions that described the employees commuting options to work. The employees such as different types of vehicles, bicycles, and walking used different means of transport methods. Walking and cycling are less likely to emit pollutants to the environment as compared to vehicle transport. I found it interesting due to its applicability on a daily basis in many countries as countries try to regulate the amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Transportation engineering is very important in our daily lives as it helps engineers and governments plan on matters related to transport in their countries. Transport planning is very important especially in overpopulated cities to enable the effective flow of traffic and prevent congestion. Any research on transportation is important

Marketing to consumers in saudi arabiawhich facets of their multiple Article

Marketing to consumers in saudi arabiawhich facets of their multiple identities do they use when - Article Example Despite the fact that cross border trade of various entities like people, products, ideas, etc. have resulted in cultures getting mixed up and losing their core identity, yet the foreign element in the home culture has not fully revamped the local culture anywhere in the world; the glimpse of the home culture remains there no matter how much the foreign culture influences it. However, this phenomenon does lead to the outcome that culture is no more a static variable but is dynamic and continues to grow as embedding of culture takes place. This dynamicity and the cross border trade has actually led individuals into behaving differently in a differing set of circumstances or simply put, they tend to portray different culture or cultural identities in different situations. Observations reveal that this is a major issue with immigrants in particular as they face dual challenge; adapt to the local environment and retain their identity. Subsequently, the arising phenomenon leads to the out come that consumers tend to utilize varying facets as they come across different situations. The purpose of this research is to analyze and differentiate between situations and circumstances that make consumer use one of the facets and prefer one over the other defining a varying consumer and consumption pattern. This research is to be conducted in the environment of Saudi Arabia. In particular, this research is aimed at investigating and highlighting the cultural variables that derive the process of marketing communication, perception of quality of service, and choice of consumption in the various categories of products and/or services. Consider the example of a young lady in Saudi Arabia; the first consideration when going out would be towards religious concerns in terms of meat and choice of restaurants. The same lady would definitely move beyond religious considerations when choosing an institute to study, for example. Even when the female goes towards shopping, the consideration and precedence for fashion and societal acceptability might be on the higher side. Similarl y, her attraction to an advertisement may be totally opposite to what her clothing or religion or institute depict her personality to be. Understanding, comprehending and investigating the variables that derive these patterns of choice and consumption is the underlying aim of this research. Saudi Arabia has a different and unique set of characteristics that are associated with its dynamics and other variables. Some of these are listed as below: Firstly, the population constitutes various nationals present, and some of them tend to be influential due to the background or their strength. Secondly, the fact remains that Saudi Arabia is an expatriate driven economy, and the expats there have strong affiliation with their nations as they cannot gain the citizenship status therewith. Thirdly, Saudi Arabia nationals have this tendency of traveling overseas and interacting with individuals from various customs, backgrounds, religions, cultures, norms, etc. Another point of consideration is the tremendous growth that is currently