Future Outlook and Raising Capital in the Sports Drink Market

The approach and obstacles to raising capital and managing future change can make or break a new company that is trying to compete for market share in the sports beverage industry. According to a recent monthly labor report, most new businesses have the best chance of surviving during the first two years (Knaup, 2005). The young company must also determine how to best utilize legal services. It is one thing a new business venture should not only consider but plan for. Another area of concern and attention must go to the issue of raising money to fund the business. The competitive and lucrative sports drink market has in the past been dominated by two main players, Gatorade and Powerade. Together they have long held over two thirds of the market share. However, the future outlook shows that the market is starting to include a wider variety of sports drinks that are targeting a broader range of personal needs. LJ Enterprises will utilize more than one avenue in raising capital. This will help to ensure the new company is funded well from the start in order to give it the best chance to succeed. 1. Discuss the future outlook and industry trends related to the new venture. Future Outlook and Industry Trends The future outlook for the sports drink industry involves many new companies entering the market and offering different types of non traditional sports drinks. Gatorade has been leading the market for years but has yet to really come out with a new product. They have pushed different marketing campaigns and tried to repackage their product a bit, but the formula and product remain fundamentally the same. This is where new companies are able to gain ground against the bigger and more established market leaders. One new trend in the industry is to target a specific segment of the market such as kids or athletes. The now discontinued product Gatorade Tiger was one way the market leader and our competitor tried to innovate and take advantage of this trend. This product was heavily marketed to the endurance athlete and team sports. Powerade is now targeting the kid segment of the market with their product called Powerade Play for kids. This product contains 20% of the Daily Value (DV) of four B vitamins, 100% DV of vitamin C, 20% DV of zinc, a trademarked electrolyte system and 25% less sugar (Spano, 2005). Another industry trend being seen involves the concept of ‘nutrient timingâ€Å". This involves drinking certain nutrients around the time of physical exertion or exercise to allow for shorter recovery time and for specific needs such as strength training or endurance. So far, this practice has focused mainly on carbohydrates and protein but in the future the trend will be nutrient timing for non-nutrients. The most well known sports drink currently involving nutrient-timing are protein based recovery drinks or Ready-to-Drink beverages. LJ Enterprises new product offering, Sore-B-Gone will be a perfect fit for this emerging market trend. 2. Discuss the legal or concerns related to the venture idea Legal Services and Industry Concerns In most cases the entrepreneur will need to protect his or her intellectual property. The practice of acquiring patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets will ensure this property is protected by the courts and through the services of an attorney. An attorney can be specialized in one area such as patents or real estate. It is important for the attorney and the client to develop a good working relationship. This can help to give the entrepreneur much needed confidence and help to ease some of the risk launching a new venture. One if the first things a new company will want to do after hiring the services of an attorney is to have a conversation about patents. Most of the work will be done by the lawyer who will work to secure a patent for the new company. In doing this, the entrepreneur gains exclusivity regarding his or her invention for a limited amount of time. The time that the invention or product will be patented depends on which type of patent is acquired. A Utility patent will grant the owner protection for twenty years from other people or businesses making, using, or selling the invention that has been patented. This type of patent usually involves a process such as the mixture of ingredients. It is this type of patent that LJ Enterprises will seek in order to protect its intellectual property, such as our drink mixture. Another type of patent is called a design patent. This one has a term of fourteen years and involves the appearance of an object. For example, if a company wanted to protect a product or container configuration, this would be the type of patent that would be needed. It will be very important for any company looking to sell internationally to file for an international patent. This will protect the company from unforeseen laws or taxes involving the many different countries. 3. Discuss the approach and obstacles to raising capital for the new venture. Approaches to Raising Capital In the beginning stages of starting a new business venture, the entrepreneur will face many difficult tasks. One of these tasks will be deciding how to raise the necessary funds in order to get their product or idea off the ground. The best course may involve one or many sources depending on the business needs and initial capital already available. One easy and logical first step would be to ask friends and family. In most cases this group is excited about their relatives or friends taking on a new venture with the chance of making a lot of money. However, this approach can damage relationships if certain expectations are not met and/or investments are not paid back as promised. Another problem is that the capital borrowed is often small and not enough to cover all the initial costs. Another more effective approach is through Angel investors. This group has more money available to give the new business but one of the downsides is they may want a stake in ownership, stock options, or some other kind of compensation up front. This will not be an ideal option for the owner who wants full ownership of the company. Yet another option is the standard bank loan. The two key elements to obtaining this type of loan is the business owner’s personal credit history and having a soild bsuiness plan. It is the ntention of LJ Enterprises to first enlist the help of a wealthy uncle with very deep pockets. This initial investment from Uncle Taylor will be around $30,000. A decent sum of money but not enough to do all the things the company initially wants to do. The company will also need to try and secure a small business loan from a bank. We will ask for $50,000 in order to cover all the start up costs and to help out with daily living expenses while getting the product launched. Obstacles to Raising Capital One of the major setbacks to getting capital for a new business venture is the huge risk involved with such an undertaking. However, this risk can be somewhat averted if the business owner can create a good pitch to lenders and managing the money effectively once the loan is secured. Another obstacle to raising capital is not asking for enough money in the first place. In a 2004 U. S. Bank study of reasons for small business failures, 79 percent cited â€Å"starting out with too little money† as one of the causes of their collapse (Sugars, 2007) . Other barriers to getting the amount of capital needed are failure to get the proper legal documents, poor cash flow management, having too many lenders, and focusing too much on the idea and not enough on management. LJ enterprises has considered all of these factors and intends to due the following to increase its chances of being properly funded. First off, we intend to limit our lenders to only two. Secondly, an accountant will be hired to manage the cash flow and overall record keeping. Lastly, the services of an attorney will be utilized from the beginning so that no important legal documents are missed. The company hopes to maximize the chances of gaining its initial capital by following these guidelines. Conclusion Currently one of the most important trends in the sports beverage market is the concept of nutrient timing. It is for this reason that we feel our product, Sore-B-Gone, is being introduced at the right time. It is vitally important to the health and future on the company that the services of an attorney are obtained right from the start. An attorney can not only assist but increase the changes of the new venture obtaining much needed initial capital. If the new company can avoid some of the obstacles to obtaining capital such as managing money effectively and following the advise of the attorney, the company may just survive and thrive in the marketplace.

Mcdonald’s Green Marketing Strategy

How McDonald’s Change Their Customer Perspective and Increase Their Sales with Green Marketing The green issue has became a global issue since year 1990s, peak in year 2000s. In business, it can drive people perspective to choose which brand was good or bad. McDonald’s probably is one of the company that realize this issue is very important for their business in this century. McDonald’s is the biggest fast food chain in the world with more than 32,000 outlets in 117 countries. The company has employed more than 1. 7 million people. Last year, they’ve made 1. 2 bn out from 6. 1 bn.For years, many critics came up against McDonald’s about how bad they treat world environment and questioning how far they care about people healths, especially on obesity. The most famous â€Å"attack† to this fast food company probably was a documentary film that tells a people who eat Mcdonald’s meals for a month would hasten his death. McDonald’s al so considered to have responbility of 28% waste package (littering) in UK. Public suggested the company to more persuade their customers not to do littering. And also, public critics McDonald’s happy meal which caused early obesity to child.Those critics had succeed to change people perspective, in year 2000, their income declined with some outlets shut as their new record. Started in 2000s, McDonald’s is fighting back, massively and quietly counter the critics with green marketing. It is not only to increase the company sales, but more important to change the way customers think about McDonald’s, their perspective. But how they do it? McDonald’s is not sustainable company from the beginning, they has core DNA to create delicious food, fatty foods, and sugary foods.They must be careful to take an action, the green strategy not only have to change customers willing to buy, but also it could reduce cost and generate more valuable profit. McDonald’s i s aiming to blow up their green with five criteria, there are nutrition and well-being, sustainable supply chain, environmental responbility, employee experience, and community. They started to create a new logo –switching their traditional red background with the deep green one- to promote a eco-friendlier image.McDonald’s has done a lot of things in order to prove their environmental responbility to their customers, especially by reduce the energy they used. In Germany, at less 100 McDonald’s restaurant would use the green logo by the end of year 2009. And also, some restaurant in Great Britain and France would too. They started to use eco-friendly package – 80 percent of their package was made of renewable resources-. They change white napkins with plain brown, which saves 1. 3 million dollars annualy, while reducing energy, woods and water use.In France, some restaurants has made an innovation to use eco-friendly sofware that can reduce electricity us age by 11%. In Sweden, they use CO2 detector in their restaurants to adjust ventilation, which is reduce the usage of electricity by 15% anually. Various anti-littering campaign is spread to many countries, such as Portugal, UK, France, Switzerland, Australia, and others countries. From their menu, they change a bit in the name of their customer health, they reduce French fries size, adding fruits to its food, bring more healthier salad, less sugar drinks and foods, even low fat foods.Moreover, in Germany, there are some restaurants that provide no burgers and sells salad at just 7 euros, they can choose 5 traditional salads and mix it. Another weapons is sells coffee –sustainbly grown coffee and organic milk- with brand McCafe, while they offering low-calorie foods in the other sides. This strategy was made a significant growth, in Germany there are currently 1386 reaturants with 737 integrated McCafe inside, encouraged by a worlwide revenues of 23. 5 billions dollars.They a lso made a contribution to the local communities, all supply of each restaurants is provided by the local farmers in that city, except their global sponsor drinks, Coca-Cola. They also prove that they care about woman livings, 28. 1% of worldwide top management (VP and Ups) are women, while 50% Company Owned Restaurant Managers are women too. The last but not least, more than 30 countries recognises McDonald’s as great place to work. All of green things above was successfully delivered to customers by various medias, it proved by the increasing growth 13% sales in year 2011 from year 2008.And also, the legendary Big Mac sales rose 10 percent last year, helping keep the company stock price to nearly $100 a share. In the other hand, the advertising budget has been estimated to exceed $2 billion. It shows that McDonald’s has successfully came back to winning by counter critics with the right strategic green marketing. They do the strategy without change the â€Å"fastfoo d† image, but they do with showing their will and contribution to the environment. Finally, it can change human perspective and willing to buy with the increasing sales as the success parameter.Sources Birkner, Christine. 2012. McDonald’s Scores Itself on Sustainability: Will Consumers Be ‘Lovin’ It’?. http://www. marketingpower. com/ResourceLibrary/Documents/newsletters/mne/2012/1/mne_mcdonalds_sustainability. pdf. September 3rd 2012. O Brien, Keith. 2012. How McDonald’s Came Back Bigger Than Ever. http://www. nytimes. com/2012/05/06/magazine/how-mcdonalds-came-back-bigger-than-ever. html? _r=1pagewanted=all&&pagewanted=all. September 3rd 2012 Environmental Leader. 2012.McDonald’s Counters Criticism With Green Marketing Effort. http://www. environmentalleader. com/2009/05/19/mcdonalds-serves-up-green-practices/. September 3rd 2012. Salisbury, Peter. 2011. Behind the Brand: McDonald’s. http://www. theecologist. org/green_green_li ving/behind_the_label/941743/behind_the_brand_mcdonalds. html. September 3rd 2012 Laura, Nerdy. 2011. McDonald’s going green – I’m lovin’ it. †¦?. http://businessnerds. wordpress. com/2011/05/29/mcdonald%E2%80%99s-going-green-%E2%80%93-i%E2%80%99m-lovin%E2%80%99-it/. September 3rd 2012.

Casablanca analysis

Lund and Captain Renault arriving at the airport to supposedly send Victor Laszlo off to Lisbon, Portugal. Rick Blaine meanwhile plans to send ‘Sis off with her husband. The night before alls had c unfrosted Rick In his deserted cafe about the letters of transit and tries to force him at gunpoint to give them to her, but gives up saying she's unable to due to her still loving him.She explain ins why she oft him without explanation which was because she felt she had to tend to her Ill huh spans who she had believed to have died escaping trot a concentration camp. Rick agrees to h alp leading her believe she will stay with him when Laszlo leaves. Laszlo shows up after narrowing escaping a police raid, and tries to persuade Rick to use the letters to take alls to safe TTY. When Renault arrives with an arrest warrant, Rick convinces him to release Laszlo by promo sing to set him up for the more serious crime of being in possession of the letters of transit.Rick then forces him at g unpoint to assist in their escape. Upon arrival to the airport, Rick does NT give alls much of a choice to either board the plane with Laszlo or stay with him believing that she would regret it and that she needs to help Laszlo with his work. This choice is set up as her either sacrificing her love with Rick & leaving to be honorable for staying in her marriage or staying with him for uncertain future. The former option is emotionally satisfying as an end to thee r relationship s It's filled with honor, grace and dignity.It's the ultimate resolution to their dilemma after having the perfect affair in Pans and then their bad timed reunion. Alga's â€Å"choice† at the end of the film Is not a matter of right or wrong. Whether or not alls chooses to stay In her marriage SSH old not be a matter of It being the right or wrong choice, rather It's her own personal decision w nether or not to choose to be happy and that would not have affected future events In a general SE nose.

Operations Management Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Operations Management Exam - Essay Example A great deal of focus is on efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Therefore, operations management often includes substantial measurement and analysis of internal processes. Ultimately, the nature of how operations management is carried out in an organization depends very much on the nature of products or services in the organization, for example, retail, manufacturing, wholesale, etc.It is about the transformation of production and operational inputs into "outputs" that, when distributed, meet the needs of customers. Operations Management deals with the design and management of products, processes, services and supply chains. It considers the acquisition, development, and utilization of resources that firms need to deliver the goods and services their clients want. Operation Management ranges from strategic to tactical and operational levels. Representative strategic issues include determining the size and location of manufacturing plants, deciding the structure of service or telecommunications networks, and designing technology supply chains. Tactical issues include plant layout and structure, project management methods, and equipment selection and replacement. Operational issues include production scheduling and control, inventory management, quality control and inspection, traffic and materials handling, and equipment maintenance policies. In a production unit (e.g. ... Capacity management is responsible for ensuring that infrastructure resources are well geared up to satisfy planned business needs effectively. The desired goal for capacity management is to provide a service that is proactive rather than reactive in nature. Measuring capacity Capacity, being the ability to produce work in a given time, must be measured in the unit of work. For example, consider a domestic air conditioning units factory that has a capacity of 10,000 " machine hours" in each 40 hour week. This factory should be capable of producing 10,000 "standard hours of work" during a 40-hour week. The actual volume of product that the factory can produce will depend on: -The amount of work involved in production (e.g. does a product require 1, 5, 10 standard hours -Any additional time required in production (e.g. machine set-up, maintenance) -The productivity or effectiveness of the factory. The major work components of capacity management are: Performance management is a continuous improvement process that examines application and system performance and analyze them for possible improvements, analyzes the costs and requirements, commissions the corrective work, then measures and reports the results. An effective performance management team can reclaim infrastructure capacity by finding ways to improve the way applications consume resources. Workload management uses data from performance monitoring tools to separate resource usage by business process rather than individual increments of usage on a particular infrastructure component. The goal is to address capacity needs on a business process basis. Since some business processes have downstream effects on other

Plot Structure Analysis of Frankenstein Coursework

Plot Structure Analysis of Frankenstein - Coursework Example In contrast, this perfect human turns out to be a ugly monster, and he runs away from it because of its disgusting appearance. This is the mid-point of this narrative, observed in that Frankenstein rejection of the monster created a feeling of loneliness of it, and in its attempt to find company, it ends up murdering his own brother, and having a young innocent girl bear responsibility of his death in the eyes of general society members. This narrative reaches climax when Frankenstein realizes the real murderer of his brother, creating a twist on preceding actions. How a â€Å"perfect† creature created by an individual turns out to be his own pain? This narrative strives to advise human race on truth and value of accepting life in its simplicity. Underlying truth is that mankind seeks to achieve peace and perfection, by creating things he thinks ought to be there for this form of life, and at the end of it ends up destroying himself, and those close to him. This narrative is of great value in contemporary society, where wars and mass destruction is the order of the day in a bid to achieve

Warring States assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Warring States - Assignment Example Xunzi According to Xunzi, otherwise known as Xu Qing, education was the key to growing a nation politically, socially and economically. He argues that for a person to be morally upright he/she must first understand the Way, approve of it and abide by it. The Way in this case being a path that leads from personal obsessions and inclinations. As a result of adhering to the set of laws bound in the Way, the person would then both morally and intellectually stable. From most of his writings Xunzi is seen to promote learning through borrowing from his personal experiences and generally nature. It is during the Zhou Dynasty that the kingdoms realized a dramatic shift in weaponry with the introduction of iron-ware in the form of helmets, arrows and spears. Politically this was a game changer for the kingdoms that embraced this new technology as opposed to the traditional wooden weaponry. This in turn led to a more skilled infantry and advanced kingdoms and warfare (Hobson, 2004). Xunzi thro ugh his scholarly exploits inclined towards educating the ordinary population as well as nobles through his odes and poems on the importance of embracing education without compromising governance. Through his teachings and promotion for education, Xunzi apparently became one of the most sort after philosophers of his time and was soon elevated to the position of magistrate by Lord Chunshen of Chu the prime minister of Lanling. Confucius Confucius was regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of his time and his wise teachings still echo up to this day. It is from Confucius that great minds such as Xunzi and Mencius arose and the great Chinese revolution after the fall of the Zhou Dynasty. In his philosophy, he is accredited for promoting personal and social morality as well as justice and honesty within the society and the government at large. Through his teachings the Zhou Dynasty was able to remain as one of the biggest ruling dynasties in the history of China. His fundamental teachings led people to value life more than property as opposed to that time when ordinary people were more inclined into acquiring personal property. As a result of his teachings, the Zhou emerged as undoubtedly one of the best political civilizations of its time (Creel, 1949). It is from his idealistic principle of loving one another that most of the Warring States managed to coexist with each other in spite of their differences and moreso noticeable economic growth between the kingdoms. Mencius Although both Xunzi and Mencius shared the same teacher they ultimately did not share the same sentiments on how people were to live. Apart from defending the Confucian principles and teachings, Mencius fostered four main ethical themes in his teachings; humaneness, wisdom, propriety and observance of rites. Mencius combed the land moving from one kingdom to another pleading for the lives of prisoners and smaller kingdoms based on his ideal teaching ‘human nature is good’ whi ch was strongly refuted by Xunzi. However, it is from his teachings that most kingdoms were seen to be united through a common political point of view. Contrary to Xunzi’s teachings which promoted people to learn new ways, Mencius teachings promoted a much stable way of political governance of the kingdoms by holding fast to the basic of life’

The relationship between geography and culture along the mississippi Essay

The relationship between geography and culture along the mississippi river - Essay Example The river’s drainage basin is great. It can cover a combination of England, Ireland, Wiles, Spain, Portugal, Scotland, France, Germany, Australia, Turkey and Italy. This entire region as wide as it is fertile and so is the Mississippi valley. The Mississippi River has impacted a lot in the way of life of those leaving along its environs. This paper will explore how the river and its geography has affected the cultures of those who live along its banks. The Mississippi river draws its waters from twenty eight states and territories. The water is drawn from Delaware in the Atlantic seaboard and from all states between Delaware and Idaho which found on the pacific slopes. From the Ohio junction to almost half way to the sea, the river’s width is viewed to be almost a mile. The width however diminishes above the mouth. At the junction of Ohio, the river’s depth eighty-seven feet and the depth increases to one hundred and twenty thousand years. Its spread is calculate d to be forty-five degrees longitude. It receives water from fifty four rivers which can be navigated using boats. It also receives from other hundreds of rivers which are navigated using keels and flats. The river grows narrower and deeper towards the mouth. The river has a remarkable difference in its rise and fall in the lower part of the river. The rise is uniform towards Natchez about fifty feet. At Bayou La Fourche it raises by twenty-four feet, fifteen at New Orleans and only two and half at the mouth. Reports have indicated that the river empties around six million tons of mud into Mexico gulf. The deposits of mud gradually extend to the land. The Mississippi river

Should Students be Expelled From School for Cheating or Plagiarizing Essay

Should Students be Expelled From School for Cheating or Plagiarizing - Essay Example Plagiarism is the violation of the sole purpose of education. If the purpose of education is to teach one how to be a man, a plagiarizer in the very first place destroys this basic premise of education itself. Moreover, a plagiarizer or an academic fraud pollutes not only himself but also the environment of the whole institution. Often students are inspired by the positive result of their friends’ uncaught plagiarism. Therefore, in order to check the corrupting impact of plagiarism and academic fraudulence, students should be expelled from school if they are caught cheating or plagiarizing. The plague of plagiarism revealed in various research reports is rather terrifying. According to according an â€Å"Academic Cheating Fact Sheet† more than seventy five percent of the college students confess that they have cheated at least one time in their school life. Only a few of these plagiarizing students get caught, where the majority had been able to evade the authority or t heir teachers. (â€Å"Academic Cheating Fact Sheet†) If the school authorities were strict enough to establish exemplary punishment by expelling the cheating students, the plague of plagiarism would not spread at such a high rate. The deterrent effects of expelling a cheating often get reduced by the lack of the academic authorities’ goodwill to prevent this academic crime. Obviously expelling a student is to be taken as the ultimate punishment for a plagiarizing student.... Obviously expelling a student is to be taken as the ultimate punishment for a plagiarizing student. In my opinion, expelling a student from an academic institution plays only a partial role in reducing this academic crime in the campuses. One will commit a severe a mistake if he or she relies on it as one and only means for resolving this problem. Reports show that students often plagiarize because a. they do not any clear idea of what plagiarism is, 2. they do not feel the stigma as well as negative consequences of plagiarism, 3. they feel that they have no other choice but to plagiarize and 4. they feel it is easy to plagiarize (Reid) Indeed the first two reasons are the students’ lack of knowledge about what plagiarism is and lack of awareness of the negative impacts of plagiarism on the students’ academic skills and its negative consequences in broader contexts such as the society, the nations, etc. It is the academic authorities’ duty to raise awareness amon g the students. The students are assisted promptly, warmly and friendly in any case they need assistance. Only after taking all types of preventive and complementary measures to remove this crime from an academic campus, expelling a plagiarizing student should be made the unalterable law. Argument against â€Å"students should be expelled from school if they are caught cheating or plagiarizing† If plagiarism or academic fraudulence is considered as a plague or a disease, expelling a plagiarizing student means banishing him or her to suffer alone, avoiding a teacher’s pedagogic duty to nurse the rotting mind of his or her students. So I staunchly oppose this view that â€Å"students should be expelled from school if they are caught

The Strategic Causes of Conflict - What caused the 1991 Gulf War Essay

The Strategic Causes of Conflict - What caused the 1991 Gulf War - Essay Example There are other reasons for war such as ethnic and religious killings among others. War has become part of human beings and for a long time, it has really affected them. Generation after generation, nations have sent their youths to the fields to participate in these wars. Some have died in these wars as war does not discriminate. The costs of these escapes are very evident and some have been very severe1. For example, a look back to the damages that the First World War brought to the political structure of Europe makes it possible to understand the effects of war, and fight to stop its causes. 2 It is not a surprise to find that most historians are less concerned on the causes of war and have tended to concentrate on the causes of peace. This is not sufficient because the absence of peace is as a result of the war. Therefore, it is very important to look at the causes of a war rather than look for ways to bring peace after a war has already happened. The aim of this paper is to dig deep to the events that triggered the gulf war of 1991, and briefly shed light on the consequences of that war. What is the Meaning of the Term War? Before embarking on discussing the Gulf war that took place in 1991, there is need to clearly understand the meaning of the term war. There are many definitions of the term war, but only one definition will be used in this paper. The term war refers to the large scale violent conflict that occurs between organized groups that have already established governments or at times, those that seek to one day establish their own.3 Something that should be noted is that not all conflict is war, but only the large scale conflict is referred to as war. Therefore, the Gulf war of 1991 suits the description of war, as it involved large scale conflict. As mentioned earlier, this paper will concentrate on the causes of the Gulf War that took place between the American military and their supporters, and the Iraqi government in the year 1991. First, her e is a brief on the general causes of any kind of war and the meaning of the term war. General Causes of War The televisions, radios, and newspapers constantly remind people that the world they live in is not a world that has absolute peace. Day in day out, the reports are showing different nations being affected by conflict. For example, Somalia is country that has suffered warfare for many years. Statistics about wars are always frightening and since the Second World War, most of the social scientists have made great efforts, to attempt to identify the causes of interstate wars. Many researches have shown that there is no single master cause of war, but rather, the causes are different. Most of the wars occur as a result of a number of important causes and due to this, many states have found it difficult to solve their differences to bring about peace.4 Some have tended to argue that banning of nuclear weapons will help in eliminating the causes of war in the world. I tend to argu e otherwise because there are other root causes of wars around the world and some may come as a surprise. The following are different classes that can be used to classify the causes of war: Individual level causes: The causes of war in this category are normally short term and immediate. These are causes such as a leader’s personality. A leader’s personality on occasion plays an important role in the way he or she reacts to stressful situations. For example, a leader

Evaluate the relationship between clinical and experimental Essay

Evaluate the relationship between clinical and experimental neuropsychology - Essay Example It is definitely not sufficient to categorise these cases as language deficits- it is evident that language deficits can assume a broad array of forms. In every cognitive sphere, comprising language, memory, visual perception, abstract reasoning, and attention, it is likely to discover fascinating instances of dissociations within a particular cognitive function or if not interesting alterations of the normal mechanism (Bradshaw & Mattingley 1995). The implication these cases present is obvious, and not unforeseen to clinicians and researches in the discipline of neuropsychology (Maruish & Moses 1997): ‘within any given cognitive function, a whole range of things can go wrong; conversely, a specific deficit in memory, attention, or language can manifest itself in a variety of interesting ways’ (p. 59). Therefore, how can practitioners approach and understand this wide range of deficits? To what level can experimental neuropsychology inform practitioners what type of diso rders may take place and how they manifest core brain processes? To what level can clinical neuropsychology help practitioners to develop frameworks of cognitive functioning that can explain both disordered and normal performance? In the recent decade, there has been a remarkable and functional union of framework within the clinical and experimental branches of neuropsychology (Stirling 2002). It can be seen in these two fields the increasing application of component process analysis in formulating paradigms of cognitive functions and in formulating assessment methods to diagnose the nature of different disorders (Vasterling & Brewin 2005). This paper attempts to review the model for this kind of approach, and then to explain how it could be relevant in two distinct areas: spatial attention and visual imagery. These illustrations demonstrate how clinical and experimental viewpoints can be integrated within a potent and descriptive

Term paper 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1 - Term Paper Example The Revelations of the Perfect Masters transcend the mind-barrier, where bliss alone reigns. It is a conflict-free zone and can not be captured in the printed pages. It can only be experienced. When slavery was actively and horridly practiced in South America, one could unhesitatingly assert that the guardians of religion had Cross dangling on their necks, but not Christ in the hearts. It is strange how religion remained mute witness to sleepwalking barbarity to the meanest of the mean deeds of slave holders. The Church protected and blessed them! The religious masters were the greatest torturer of the slaves. Slavery was a tragedy in the lives of the blacks. That it was practiced in the name of religion was the double tragedy! Slaves in the 1800s were kept ignorant about everything, except that they also possessed the human-body, in which the soul resided in that God-given abode! The first sentence about the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, the American Slave, is profound and says something tragic about the life of the slaves. The white masters had perfected the art of ultimate suppression of the blacks. Douglass writes, â€Å"I was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland. I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday.† The question about the age was not liked by the white masters and it was termed improper and impertinent and in dication of a restless spirit of the individual. The scheme of torture was perfected, like that of a well thought plan of a mansion drawn by an architect. Black children suffered, from the cradle to the grave, from the womb to the

Internet Addicition Essay Example for Free

Internet Addicition Essay Much evidence has been alleged that social pathologies are beginning to surface in cyberspace (i.e., internet addictions). A lot of controversy is surrounding the question, is there proof that the internet is being abused and misused by individuals on an everyday basis and should we consider this to be a major mental health problem? Key Arguments: * Why do people have attachment insecurity and dissociation with their lives to make them choose to be disorganized, and allow a fantasy world to take over resulting in problematic internet abuse. * How information and communication technologies changing our way of interacting with reality. * What are the psychological symptoms involving disturbed relationships with technologies emerging, how some are more affected than others. * How different forms of related dependence behaviours, such as an addiction to social networking, cybersex, online gambling, or web-based role-playing games are affecting our need to be on the internet. * How some games reward achievements and goals making the cyber game goals more important of that than reality goals. * Does social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and other forms of cyber communication have detrimental effects related to internet addiction. * Internet Gambling, main reasons for internet addiction, however not just costing their health but impacting finances and crippling family relationships. Critical Analysis Article 1: Reference (2) Researchers have begun to examine the personal and social consequences associated with excessive online involvement. The present study examined college students problematic Internet use (PIU) behaviors Its specific aim was to investigate the links between PIU with both internalizing (depression, social anxiety) and externalizing (substance use and other risky behaviors) problems. Article 2: Reference (4) There are many psychological factors surrounding the present issue of internet addiction, using evidence such as Social Networking Sites (SNS)e.g., facebook , twitter etc, Massive Multiplayer Online games and Internet Gambling as my three key topics. The aim is to provide a clear and concise method about how individuals who consistently spend their time on the internet are having detrimental effects on their physical, social and psychological life. Article 3: Reference (5) There is an increasing need for the provision of both internet addiction prevention and care for any sufferers, psychologist should be weary of the dangers of internet abuse when youth present with anti-social, aggressive behaviours. Socialization in girls may be warped towards online contact and the user may beneï ¬ t from providing alternatives. The aim is to focus on internet-related addictive behaviours and how to include the use of suitable diagnostic tools, a detailed personal interview, a mental health status examination and information regarding the overt behaviours gathered by the surroundings. I want to engage the reader to believe that internet addiction is a real mental health issue, that effects youth all the way to late adolescent, whether it be an addiction though games, gambling, social media etc, there is evidence to say that individuals influenced by this addiction are not progressing in life, because excess use of a cyber world has become a major part of their li ves or taken over their lives. Structure: – Evidence addiction in Video Games (Kuss, Daria J; Griffiths, Mark D. Studies): Main conclusions stemming from this source – Psychological Evidence to Addiction (Griffiths, M Study Gencer, S L Koc, M Study): Main conclusions stemming from this source – Evidence addiction to Social Networking Systems (Kittinger, R., Correia, C J., Irons J G Article): Main conclusions stemming from this source References Bozkurt, H; Coskun, M; Ayaydin, H; Adak, I; Zoroglu, S S (2013). Prevalence and patterns of psychiatric disorders in referred adolescents with Internet addiction. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. 67(5), pp. 352-359. De, L., Josepth, A. (2013). Problematic Internet Use and Other Risky Behaviours in College Students: An Applicationof Problem-Behaviour Theory. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(1), pp. 133-141. DOI: 10.1037/a0030823. Gencer, S L Koc, M. (2012) Internet abuse among teenagers and Its relations to internet usage patterns and demographics. Journal of Educational Technology Society. 15(2), pp. 25-36. Griffiths, M. (2010). Internet abuse and Internet addiction in the workplace. Journal of Workplace Learning, 22(7), 2010, pp. 463-472. Kittinger, R., Correia, C J., Irons J G (2012) Relationship Between Facebook Use and Problematic Internet Use Among College Student. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 15(6), pp. 324-327. Kuss, D J; Griffiths, M D., In ternet video game addiction: A systematic review of empirical research in the literature. Revue Adolescence. 30(1), 2012, pp. 17-49.

Will ethical behavior pay off in long run?

Will ethical behavior pay off in long run? Answer: I do believe that ethical behavior will pay off in the long run, however I do not believe it will pay off as much as people expect it to. People want ethical behavior to be widespread and change the world, but the truth is that some people will never be ethical. Plus, what is ethical to one person is unethical to another. It depends all in the way individuals interpret things. So although I think that consistently acting ethical and passing those beliefs down through the generations will pay off, I do not believe it will pay off as much as people want it to. Definition: Pearson Custom Publishing (Pearson, 1998-2002) defines ethics as the standards of conduct and moral judgment. Markula Center for Applied Ethics (1995-1998) defines ethics as those standards that compel one to refrain from committing crimes against another person such as stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud. It is also the standards that encourage honesty, integrity, compassion and loyalty. Ethics is not a religious principle, nor is it based on feelings about a particular problem. It cannot be defined as a legal practice because laws are created to protect rights, not manage ethical principles. While the definition may seem clear, ethics as a practice is somewhat ambiguous since interpretation plays a big part in how people perceive right from wrong. The Markala Center for Applied Ethics (1995-1998) states that in order to understand the meaning of ethics we must find answers the following questions, According to what standards are these actions right or wrong? What character traits (like honesty, compassion, fairness) are necessary to live a truly human life? Defining ethics is relatively easy compared to practicing ethics in the work place. Since the primary concern of most businesses is the bottom line, the ethical views may differ based on the type of business. Ethical views of employees may also differ from the views of the company. This can cause conflict among workers and management as companies strive to improve the bottom line. Personal ethics may be compromised in an effort to keep a job. Most Renowned companies like Enron, Satyam, Lehman Brothers, Tyco, Worldcom, Adelphia, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Arthur Anderson à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Came tumbling down. They were the darling of the masses as well as the bourses. They were seen to be responsible to employees, shareholders, suppliers, customers. All the reputation and trust built over years was wiped off due to unethical practices. For a business to be successful, it need not compromise with mortality. The more the business does something unethical or illegal the more likely that it will be caught. When ethical environment is poor, organizational performance suffers because of poor group dynamics and suppressed communication. In unethical organizations the employee morale is badly affected leaving organizations vulnerable to setbacks. Sound ethics is necessary precondition of any long term business enterprise. Excellence in business must exist on foundation of values that most of us hold dear. Without a base of shared values, trust and mutual benefits, todays national and international business would fall apart. Basic principles of integrity and fairness can build an enduring reputation. No separate ethical laws are required; we already have a plethora of laws encompassing every facet of business The Factories Act Indian Contract Act Sale of Good Act Companies Act The Consumer Protection Act The Indian Forests Act Prevention of Corruption Act The Mines and Minerals (Regulation Development Act) Agriculture Marketing Act Prescription Drug Marketing Act Accounting Act In the 21st century in the age of instant noodles and instant information, stakeholders can not be taken for granted and they evaluate the business on the following yardsticks Is the business complying with the law of the land? Does the business have a sense of propriety? Do product claims match reality? How forth Coming is the company with information sharing How does the company handle third party ethics How charitable is the company? How does the company react when faced with negative disclosures? Responsible Business Business should not be considered as a commercial activity aimed at maximizing profit. Profit to be maximized but not at the cost of responsibility to shareholders, suppliers and customers. Business should always take into consideration aspects of human rights and social responsibility. Wealth and knowledge must always be shared with the community as water in village pond unlike water in a private well. Pay Back Time Ethical behavior induces further ethical behavior. Employees who are treated ethically will be more likely to behave ethically with customers and business associates. Ethical behavior/decision making will overtake unethical or immoral practices in the long run. Ethical behavior results in confidence, stability of mind and soundness of position, restful sleep and hassle free life. Energies are freed for maximum productivity, creativity, flow of knowledge, information and reasoning capabilities. While practicing unethical behavior one has to engage in exhaustive subterfuge, resulting in diminished effectiveness and reduced success. Satisfy your Inner self Being ethical is doing the right thing when no one is watching Integrity has no need of rules. Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobodys going to know whether you did it or not-Oprah Winfrey. Most Reversed Tatas were among the first families in India to spread their wealth and wisdom for the benefit of humanity, some examples: In 1998 the Tata Mills failed to pay a dividend. The name Tata was at stake. Sir Jamesedji Tata risked his personal fortune to save a public company, displaying that people mattered to him before profits. In 1924 when Tata Steel was its lowest ebb with no money to pay co-workers, Sir Dorabji Tata risked his entire personal fortune of Rupees One Crore(of that time) which also included his wifes jewelry to get a loan from Imperial Bank of India, for public limited company to save the name of Tatas. One of the guiding principles of JRD Tata was- No success or achievement in material terms is worthwhile unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people and is achieved by fair and honest means. Business as a spiritual pursuit encapsulates JRDs philosophy and the ethos of the group he symbolized by stating that we (in Tatas) have retained the fire of idealism and in its glow we have come to recognize that no wealth or power can be more valuable than our dignity; no loss or profit can be more critical than loss of our credibility; no skills or qualification can substitute the integrity of our character. Conclusion Utilizing the principles of ethics in the decision making process will help to ensure that decisions made are fair and respect the rights of those parties involved. Unfortunately, ethical decision making is only as morally sound as the person making the decision. If the person making the decision is does not live by an ethical code, the decision will be swayed in the direction of that belief. Therefore, in order to make sound ethical decisions, decision makers must constantly evaluate their own beliefs and strive to live in an ethical manner and that will definitely pay off in longer run. References http://www.sptimes.com/News/110200/NIE/Treat_others_as_you_w.shtml http://www.powerhomebiz.com/books/ethics101.htm http://essaysforstudent.com/tag/ethical%20behaviour/page1.html http://www.allbusiness.com/buying_exiting_businesses/3503597-1.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_leadership http://www.businessballs.com/ethical_management_leadership.htm 7. Fu, Jie, and Joshua Hall. Forthcoming. Fremont General Corporation. In Booms and Busts: An Economics Encyclopedia, Mehmet Odekon, editor. New York: M.E. Sharpe. 8. Morningstar. 2009. Our 2009 CEO of the Year Nominees. Online at: http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=269242. Question 2 Within the business context business are expected to have good ethical values and act socially responsible. The problem is that the ethics of a business is a mixture of individual sets of ethics. This is why it is important to have good individuals as employees. It is also equally important that when you go to work somewhere that you feel like you share the values of those you work with. Ethics is not just talking about the right thing. It is doing what is right in every decision that is made. Based on the above observation discuss the impact on society that ethical leaders can make. American corporations dole out an estimated 15 billion dollars per year on training and consulting for up and coming mangers and leaders. Some target high performers and potential leaders within the organization. Others believe that leadership is more about what you do rather than who you are and, therefore, everyone in the organization is capable of becoming a leader. We have been arguing and writing about the science and practice of management since the early 1900s, and about leadership for at least 2000 years, all in an effort to demystify both. Is management, in fact, a practice, an art, or a science? Are leaders born or made? What do managers actually do? The argument continues. :- It is important to have good individuals as your employees but it is also important that those employees should be ethical because only they make the right decision and make others to follow. Some of the theories that tells us about the leadership ethics are being given to us by some of the philosophers as they are really heplfull they are given below:- Heifetzs Theory -Leadership involves authority to help followers uphold values in the workplace. Burns Theory Emphasizes the moral development of followers and maintains high standards of moral conduct. Greenleafs Theory Strong ethical overtones, true leadership is service to others. Moral development plays a vital role in building up good ethics. Acc. To john locke A new born child is a blank tablet on which life script can be written. Experience and learning shapes the content, structure and direction of a persons life. Examples of Great Ethical Leaders Cyrus the Great (590 BC-529 BC) The study of Cyrus the Great and establishment of his ethical Persian empire some 2500 years ago is a good indication that in our time the concept of world order based on ethics, ethical state, peace and harmony among nations are not an impossible goal and illusion. In this century the most fundamental and essential ingredients of an evolution towards these goals are democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of choice, freedom of religion, cultural toleration, human rights, political feedback mechanism, open trade policy, and open communications among people in this globe. The ethics of life are the pursuit of awareness for us and others. The ultimate goal is total awareness. Ethical Government is a means of achieving that goal by raising man to a higher state of total awareness. Ethical leaders can lead men toward Ethical Government and Society, which can lead man to total awareness. To increase mans power is always ethical. However, only men who use power to expand awareness are et hical. Men who use power to diminish awareness are unethical. Business ethics in the field As part of more comprehensive compliance and ethics programs, many companies have formulated internal policies pertaining to the ethical conduct of employees. These policies can be simple exhortations in broad, highly generalized language (typically called a corporate ethics statement), or they can be more detailed policies, containing specific behavioral requirements (typically called corporate ethics codes). They are generally meant to identify the companys expectations of workers and to offer guidance on handling some of the more common ethical problems that might arise in the course of doing business. It is hoped that having such a policy will lead to greater ethical awareness, consistency in application, and the avoidance of ethical disasters. An increasing number of companies also require employees to attend seminars regarding business conduct, which often include discussion of the companys policies, specific case studies, and legal requirements. Some companies even require their employees to sign agreements stating that they will abide by the companys rules of conduct. Many companies are assessing the environmental factors that can lead employees to engage in unethical conduct. A competitive business environment may call for unethical behavior. Lying has become expected in fields such as trading. An example of this is the issues surrounding the unethical actions of the Saloman Brothers. Not everyone supports corporate policies that govern ethical conduct. Some claim that ethical problems are better dealt with by depending upon employees to use their own judgment. Others believe that corporate ethics policies are primarily rooted in utilitarian concerns, and that they are mainly to limit the companys legal liability, or to curry public favor by giving the appearance of being a good corporate citizen. Ideally, the company will avoid a lawsuit because its employees will follow the rules. Should a lawsuit occur, the company can claim that the problem would not have arisen if the employee had only followed the code properly. Sometimes there is disconnection between the companys code of ethics and the companys actual practices. Thus, whether or not such conduct is explicitly sanctioned by management, at worst, this makes the policy duplicitous, and, at best, it is merely a marketing tool. To be successful, most ethicists would suggest that an ethics policy should be: Given the unequivocal support of top management, by both word and example. Explained in writing and orally, with periodic reinforcement. Doable.something employees can both understand and perform. Monitored by top management, with routine inspections for compliance and improvement. Backed up by clearly stated consequences in the case of disobedience. Remain neutral and nonsexist. The effectiveness of ethics officers in the marketplace is not clear. If the appointment is made primarily as a reaction to legislative requirements, one might expect the efficacy to be minimal, at least, over the short term. In part, this is because ethical business practices result from a corporate culture that consistently places value on ethical behavior, a culture and climate that usually emanates from the top of the organization. The mere establishment of a position to oversee ethics will most likely be insufficient to inculcate ethical behavior: a more systemic programmed with consistent support from general management will be necessary. The foundation for ethical behavior goes well beyond corporate culture and the policies of any given company, for it also depends greatly upon an individuals early moral training, the other institutions that affect an individual, the competitive business environment the company is in and, indeed, society as a whole. The caring leaders focuses on the welfare of : Customers : Employees : Shareholders : Community : Define problems : Find out best alternatives : Collect information Religious views on business ethics The historical and global importance of religious views on business ethics is sometimes underestimated in standard introductions to business. Particularly in Asia and the Middle East, religious and cultural perspectives have a strong influence on the conduct of business and the creation of business values. Examples include: Islamic banking, associated with the avoidance of charging interest on loans. Traditional Confucian disapproval of the profit-seeking motive. Quaker testimony on fair dealing.

Globalization And Trade Liberalisation Economics Essay

Globalization And Trade Liberalisation Economics Essay The current period in the world economy is regarded as period of globalization and trade liberalisation. In this period, one of the crucial issues in Development and International Economics is to know whether trade openness indeed promotes growth. With globalization, two major trends are noticeable: first is the emergence of multinational firms with strong presence in different, strategically located markets; and secondly, convergence of consumer tastes for the most competitive products, irrespective of where they are made. In this context of the world as a global village, regional integration constitutes an effective means of not only improving the level of participation of countries in the sub-region in world trade, but also their integration into the borderless and interlinked global economy.(NEEDS, 2005) Since 1950, the world economy has experienced a massive liberalisation of world trade, initially under the auspices of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), established in 1947, and currently under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which replaced the GATT in 1993. Tariff levels in both developed and developing countries have reduced drastically, averaging approximately 4% and 20% respectively, even though the latter is relatively high. Also, non-tariff barriers to trade, such as quotas, licenses and technical specifications, are also being gradually dismantled, but at a slower rate when compared with tariffs. The liberalisation of trade has led to a massive expansion in the growth of world trade relative to world output. While world output (or GDP) has expanded fivefold, the volume of world trade has grown 16 times at an average compound rate of just over 7% per annum. In fact, It is difficult, if not impossible, to understand the growth and development process of countries without reference to their trading performance. (Thirlwall, 2000). Likewise, Fontagnà © and Mimouni (2000) asserted that since the end of the European recovery after World War II, tariff rates have been divided by 10 at the world level, international trade has been multiplied by 17, world income has quadrupled, and income per capita has doubled. Incidentally, it is well known that periods of openness have generally been associated with prosperity, whereas protectionism has been the companion of recessions. In addition, the trade performance of individual countries tends to be a good indicator of economic performance since well performing countries tend to record higher rates of GDP growth. In total, there is a common perception that even if imperfect competition and second best situations offer the possibility of welfare improving trade policies, on average free trade is better than no trade. From the ongoing discussion, it is evident that trade is very important in promoting and sustaining the growth and development of an economy. No country can isolate herself from trading with the rest of the world because trade acts as a catalyst of growth. Thus Nigeria, being part of the world, is no exemption. For this reason, there is a need to thoroughly examine the nature of relationship between trade openness and output growth in Nigeria. Trade Openness And Output Growth: Historical Experience Of The Nigerian economy Today, Nigeria is regarded to have the largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa. In the last three decades, there has been little or no progress made in alleviating poverty despite the massive effort made and the many programmes established for that purpose. Indeed, as in many other sub-Saharan Africa countries, both the number of poor and the proportion of poor have been increasing in Nigeria. In particular, the 1998 United Nations Human Development Report declares that 48% of Nigerias population lives below the poverty line. According to the Report (UNDP, 1998), the bitter reality of the Nigerian situation is not just that the poverty level is getting worse by the day but more than four in ten Nigerians live in conditions of extreme poverty of less than N320 per capita per month, which barely provides for a quarter of the nutritional requirements of healthy living. This is approximately US$8.2 per month or US27 cents per day. Doug Addison (undated) further explained that the Nigerian economy is not merely volatile; it is one of the most volatile economies in the world. There is evidence that this volatility is adversely affecting the real growth rate of Nigerias gross domestic product (GDP) by inhibiting investment and reducing the productivity of investment, both public and private (see figure 1 below). Economic theory and empirical evidence suggest that sustained high future growth and poverty reduction are unlikely without a significant reduction in volatility. Oil price fluctuations drive only part of Nigerias volatility; policy choices have also contributed to the problem. Yet policy choices are available that can help accelerate growth and thus help reduce the percentage of people living in poverty, despite the severity of Nigerias problems. Figure During the period 1960-1997, Nigerias growth rate of per capita GDP of 1.45% compares unfavourably with that reported by other countries, especially those posted by China and the Asian Tigers such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. Viewed in this comparative perspective, Nigerias per capita income growth has been woefully low and needs to be improved upon. (Iyoha and Oriakhi, 2002). In like manner, Ogujiuba, Oji and Adenuga (2004) wrote that the Nigerian economy has severally been described as a difficult environment for business. With a population growth of about 3%, it has been acknowledged that the current average output growth rate of less than 4% will see the country being poorer in the next decade. A study conducted by Iyoha and Oriakhi (2002) on Nigerias per capita GNP from 1964 to 1997 shows that it rose steadily from US$120 to US$780 in 1981. Thereafter, it fell almost steadily to US$280 in 1997. Thus, between 1964 and 1981, income per capita increased by 550% or at an annual average rate of 32.3% while between 1981 and 1997, it fell by 64.1% or at an annual average rate of 4%. It is worth noting that if income per capita had continued to increase beyond 1981 as it did before then, Nigerias GNP per capita would have equaled US$1,279 in 1997. The difference between US$280 and US$1,279, i.e., approximately US$1,000.00, is a rough measure of the cost to the average Nigerian of domestic macroeconomic policy mistakes and adverse international economic shocks. Likewise, in 1960 agricultural exports accounted for 70.8% of total exports while petroleum accounted for only 2.6%. Exports of other commodities like tin and processed goods amounted to 26.6% of total exports. By 1970 agric ultural exports only accounted for 33% of total exports while petroleum exports had started to establish dominance by exceeding 58% of total exports. By the time the oil boom began in earnest in 1974, petroleum exports accounted for approximately 93% of all exports. The relative share of agricultural exports in total exports had shrunk to 5.4% while other products accounted for the remaining 1.9%. Since 1974, with the exception of 1978 when the relative share of petroleum in total exports amounted to 89.1%, petroleums share in exports has consistently exceeded 90%. Indeed, since 1990, the relative share of petroleum in total exports has exceeded 96%. Agricultures contribution has fluctuated between 0.5% and 2.3% while the share of other products has fluctuated between 0.5% and 1.7%. Thus, petroleum exportation has totally dominated the economy and indeed government finances since the mid-1970s. Meanwhile, a puzzling and disturbing aspect of Nigerias export boom is that the growth it generated did not seem to be lasting or to have had a significant effect in changing the structure of the economy. For instance, in the 1970s, there was a major increase in measured GDP but the structure of the economy remained basically unchanged (see figure 2 below). This led Professor Yesufu (1995) to describe the Nigerian economy as one that had experienced growth without development. Figure During the period of 1970-1985, import substitution industrialization (ISI) strategy was a dominant feature of trade policy in Nigeria. The trade policy was generally inward oriented. Under this ISI strategy, infant manufacturing industries were protected using high tariffs, import quotas, and other trade restrictions like import licensing. Non-tariff barriers to trade such as import prohibitions were also utilized. During this period, trade policy was also adjusted in response to the exigencies of the balance of payments. Also, Nigeria was operating a fixed exchange rate regime under which the value of the naira was essentially tied to the U.S. dollar and gold. It is worth noting that the trade policy pursued during this period resulted in a rapid increase in manufacturing production and employment, particularly during the era of the oil boom (1975-1980) and that led to a rise in the share of manufacturing in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 5.6% in 1962/63 to 8.7% in 1986. (Iyoha and Oriakhi, 2002). In 1986, Nigeria adopted the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of the IMF/World Bank in 1986. With the adoption of SAP in 1986, there was a radical shift from inward-oriented trade policies to outward-oriented trade policies in Nigeria. These are policies and measures that emphasize production and trade along the lines dictated by a countrys comparative advantage such as export promotion and export diversification, reduction or elimination of import tariffs, and the adoption of market-determined exchange rates. Some of the aims of the Structural Adjustment Programme adopted in 1986 were diversification of the structure of exports, diversification of the structure of production, reduction in the over-dependence on imports, and reduction in the overdependence on petroleum exports. The main SAP measures were: deregulation of the exchange rate trade liberalization deregulation of the financial sector adoption of appropriate pricing policies especially for petroleum products rationalization and privatisation of public sector enterprises and abolition of commodity Marketing Boards. However, as a result of trade liberalization gospel of the SAP, the Nigerian external sector has really grown in leaps and bound. For instance, the total domestic exports of Nigeria in 2006 amounted to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¦7555141.32 million as against à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¦6621303.64 million in 2005 showing an increase of 14.10%. Domestic exports recorded negative growth rates in 1993(7.70%), 1994(45.5%), 1997(2.03%), 1998(38.48%), and 2001(27.06%). The largest increase in domestic exports was witnessed in 1995(448.42%). Total imports (c.i.f) stood at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¦2922248.46 as against à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¦1779601.57 million in 2005 recording an increase of 64.20%. Total imports also recorded negative growth rates in 1994(45.72%), 1998(9.41%) and 2004(18.07%). The value of total merchandise trade amounted to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¦10477389.78 million in 2006 as against à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¦45272.24 recorded in 1987. External trade was dominated by domestic exports between 1987 and 2006 averaging 67.17% while impo rts (c.i.f) averaged 32.82% (see figure 3 below). Consequently, the trade balance was positive between 1987 and 2006. Oil exports remains the dominant component of export trade in Nigeria between 1987 and 2006 accounting for about 93.33% of total domestic exports. On the other hand, non-oil exports accounted for a small value of 6.67% over the same period. (NBS report, 2008). Figure Therefore, it could be understood that SAP involved the deregulation and liberalization of the Nigerian economy. This policy thrust dovetailed nicely with the emerging international orthodoxy to the effect that deregulation and economic liberalization would yield the optimal allocation of scarce resources, reduce waste, and promote rapid economic growth in developing countries. Unfortunately, there has been no significant progress made in the achievement of these objectives. The economy is still excessively dependent on petroleum exports while the degree of openness of the economy has increased. The trade openness of the economy has significantly increased in the past three decades, with the trade-GDP ratio rising from 31.54% in 1970, to 46.91% in 1980, 57.23% in 1990, 88.16% in 1995, 85.26% in 2003 and 57.63% in 2007(see figure 4 below). Indeed, in the 1990s the ratio of trade to GDP has averaged 70%. This extreme openness of the economy could be disadvantageous in that it makes the country highly susceptible to internationally transmitted business cycles, and, in particular, internationally transmitted shocks (like commodity price collapse). A good example of this effect on the Nigerian economy is that of the global food crisis of 2007 and current global economic/financial crisis. Figure Statement of Research Problem Nwafor Manson (undated) noted that the Nigerias trade policy over the years has been determined by one/more of the following: Need to protect and stimulate domestic production (import capital goods at low prices etc) Need to ameliorate /prevent balance of payment problems Need to boost the value of the Naira Need to be competitive and enjoy the benefits of openness Need to increase revenue and International agreements. Today, as part of moving with the trend of globalization and trade liberalisation in the global economic system, Nigeria is a member of and a signatory to many international and regional trade agreements such as International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organisation (WTO), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and so many others. The policy response of such economic partnership on trade has been to remove trade barriers, reduce tariffs, and embark on outward-oriented trade policies. Despite all her effort to meet up with the demands of these economic partnerships in terms of opening up her border, according to the 2007 assessment of the Trade Policy Review, Nigerias trade freedom was rated 56% making her the worlds 131st freest economy while the countrys GDP was rank 161st in the world in February, 2009. The economy has struggled vigorously to stimulate growth through openness to trade. In fact, it seems that as the country put greater effort to boost her economic growth by opening up to trade with the global economy, the more she becomes worse-off relative to her trading partners in terms of country output growth. Having reviewed the related literatures and considering the structure of the Nigerian economy as related to trade openness and output growth, we may then ask the following questions: Does trade openness have any significant impact on output growth in Nigeria? Is there any other macroeconomic variable that has significant impact on output growth in Nigeria? Is there any linear association (correlation) between trade openness and output growth in Nigeria? Is there long run relationship between trade openness and output growth in Nigeria? Has there been any significant structural change in output growth between the pre-SAP and post-SAP period in Nigeria? Objective of the Study The broad objective of this research work is to study, in its entirety, the relationship between trade openness and output growth in Nigeria. This broad objective can be subdivided into the following smaller objectives: To examine the impact of trade openness on output growth in Nigeria. To identify other internal and external macroeconomic shocks that determine output growth in Nigeria. To determine the linear association (correlation) between trade openness and output growth in Nigeria. To ascertain the possibility of long run relationship between trade openness and output growth in Nigeria. To determine the possibility of structural changes (if any) in output growth between the pre-SAP and post-SAP period. Statement of Research Hypothesis In view of the foregoing study, with respect to trade openness and output growth in Nigeria, the following null hypotheses will be tested: Ho: Trade openness does not have any significant impact on output growth in Nigeria. Ho: There is no other macroeconomic variable (internal and external) that have significant impact on output growth in Nigeria. Ho: There is no linear association (correlation) between trade openness and output growth in Nigeria. Ho: There is no long run relationship between trade openness and output growth in Nigeria. Ho: There is no significant structural change in output growth between the pre-SAP and post-SAP period. Justification of the Study Nigeria is currently undergoing a series of transformation in every sector of the economy, including the external sector of the economy. The countrys economic policy in the last two decades had one dominating theme which is an integral part of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) trade liberalization. This policy was espoused on the argument that it enhances the welfare of consumers and reduces poverty as it offers wider platform for choice from among wider variety of quality goods and cheaper imports. Today, there are many existing literature on the topical issue of trade openness and growth of which some support the axiom that openness is directly correlated to greater economic growth with the main operational implication being that governments should dismantle the barriers to trade. The focal point of this research work is to identify the short comings and benefits of this argument as well as check the validity of this mainstream axiom in Nigeria in the presence of various i nternal and external shocks. Significance of the Study The role of international trade in the developmental journey of an economy can not be overemphasized, especially with the current trend of globalization. Nigeria, being part of the global village, is not left out of this world development. This research work is carried out to study how trade openness has influenced the performance of the Nigerian economy through output growth in the presence of other internal and external shocks. The findings of this research work transcend beyond mere academic brainstorming, but will be of immense benefit to federal agencies, policy makers, intellectual researchers and international trade think tanks that occasionally prescribe and suggest policy options to the government on trade related issues. It will also help the government to see the effectiveness of trade liberalization policy on the economic growth of the nation over the years. This research work will further serve as a guide and provide insight for future research on this topic and related field for students who are willing to improve on it. It will also educate the public on various government policies as related to trade issues. Scope and Limitation of the Study This research work span through the period of 1970-2007 (38 years), and is within the geographical zone of Nigeria. Thus, it is a country-specific research. This research exercise, like every other research work, is really a rigorous one that consumes much time and energy especially in the area of data sourcing, data computation and modeling. The work is relatively limited base on time and financial constraints, data availability, precision of data and data range, and methodology adopted which could further be verified by future research. Nevertheless, the researchers have properly organized the research so as to present dependable results which can aid effective policy making and implementation at least for the time being. Chapter Summary and Prospect In this chapter, we have introduced the concept of openness and output growth, the problems this study seeks to address, the targeted objective of the study and the hypotheses this study seeks to verify. We have also explained the justification for and the significance of this study as well as the scope and limitations of this study. In the next chapter, we shall review the related literature, both theoretical and empirical, as well as limitations of the previous studies. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Openness refers to the degree of dependence of an economy on international trade and financial flows. Trade openness measures the international competitiveness of a country in the global market. Thus, we may talk of trade openness and financial openness. Trade openness is often measured by the ratio of import to GDP or alternatively, the ratio of trade to GDP. It is now generally accepted that increased openness with respect to both trade and capital flows will be beneficial to a country. Increased openness facilitates greater integration into global markets. Integration and globalisation are beneficial to developing countries although there are also some potential risks. (Iyoha and Oriakhi, 2002). Trade openness is interpreted to include import and export taxes, as well as explicit non-tariff distortions of trade or in varying degrees of broadness to cover such matters as exchange-rate policies, domestic taxes and subsidies, competition and other regulatory policies, education polic ies, the nature of the legal system, the form of government, and the general nature of institutions and culture (Baldwin, 2002). 2.2 Theoretical Literature The issue of whether trade and increased openness would lead to higher rate of economic growth is an age-old question which has sustained debate between pro-traders and protectionists over the years from classicalists like Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, to John Maynard Keynes, Raul Prebisch, Hans Singer, Paul Krugman and so on. Theorists from both theses have influenced policy in many countries and at various stage of development. There has also been a huge policy debate about what constitute good and bad policies for these countries, especially the developing countries including Nigeria. Should these countries completely open up to international trade? Or should they instead, at least temporarily, protect some or all of their industries from the world market forces? Formal arguments have been developed pro and con of both theses. These arguments were discussed extensively by Maskus (1998) thus: Argument One: Economies will grow faster if they protect domestic industry from import competition. This is a general statement of the Infant-Industry Hypothesis, which states that manufacturing sectors in underdeveloped economies must be sheltered from competition in order to have the incentive to invest capital, learn how to produce goods efficiently, take advantage of scale economies through large-scale production, and develop innovative or distinctive products that can be sold on world markets. The broadest application of the infant-industry argument for isolation from global markets emerged in the widespread use of import substitution policies in developing countries. A policy of import substitution for industrialization purposes (ISI) involves extensively controlling virtually all components of the economy in order to direct resources into manufacturing. It is an old idea, but its modern origins come from economists writing in the 1950s and 1960s (Arthur Lewis, Raul Prebish, Hans Singer, Gunnar Myrdal, others), who claimed that developing economies faced two fundamental probl ems. First, their status as primary-commodity exporters left them vulnerable to world swings in commodity prices (e.g., oil, sugar, tin, copper, etc.) and also that over the long run, commodity prices would decline relative to manufacturing prices and costs of new technologies. Second, because developing countries have high population growth rates and abundant labor supplies, it would be difficult to absorb workers into primary production. Rather than waiting for comparative advantage to push resources into labor-intensive manufacturing, it would be better to force industrialization through ISI policies. Such programs became common in the 1950s throughout Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia. They are still much in evidence in many countries. Policies imposed in a thorough ISI program include the following. Escalating tariffs, or tariff rates that rise with the stage of processing. Thus, low tariffs on primary goods, medium tariffs on industrial inputs and machinery, and high tariffs on final goods, particularly consumer goods such as food products, clothing, cosmetics, automobiles, and so on. Such tariff structures establish very high effective rates of protection for final goods, meaning that auto factories and so on were strongly protected. Considerable taxes on production of primary commodities in order to push labor out of the countryside and into the cities for developing manufacturing. Such taxes include tariffs on imported fertilizers, price ceilings at very low rates for crops, export taxes on farm goods, and so on. For these reasons, ERPs in agriculture were often strongly negative, vastly reducing output and productivity in farming. Fixing exchange rates at expensive levels (i.e., overvaluing the domestic currency), again in order to discourage primary exports and production and also to reduce the cost of imported inputs for manufacturing sectors. Such exchange rates tended to generate large trade deficits, forcing governments to borrow from abroad and build up debt. It also required setting and controlling multiple exchange rates, so that capital and input transactions could take place at cheaper rates than goods imports in order to protect domestic industry. Extensive systems of quotas and licensing for imports and production. Rigorous controls on FDI coming into the country, requiring foreign firms to meet certain performance requirements. Also controls on imported technologies, with governments placing restrictions on costs of technology and under what terms it would be transferred to local firms. Extensive nationalization of industry to establish state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in key sectors, such as petroleum, steel, chemicals, construction, banking, and airlines. These industry champions received government subsidies and were favored in the process of capital allocation, typically being allowed to borrow at very low rates from state banks (usually at negative real interest rates). To some degree these policies successfully pushed industrialization, but rarely of an efficient kind. Developing countries are full of large manufacturing operations that operate at inefficiently low scales because market sizes are small and product quality is not good enough to penetrate export markets, which is a costly activity. These operations are partly supported by government subsidies, generating vested interests in keeping them going and opposing liberalization. Relative prices of goods are heavily distorted by the various subsidies, trade restrictions, and licenses. Other unintended effects include massive shifts of workers into the cities and worsened sanitation and health problems. However, the question is whether such policies have limited growth. Evidently many other factors are at work. What seems clear is that such countries have not performed well in terms of acquiring and improving technologies, have lagged significantly behind in product innovation and adaptation, have inefficient and distorted agricultural and manufacturing sectors, and have not performed well in building human capital, physical capital, and infrastructure. Some relevant figures are given later. Thus, these sources of growth have likely been limited in countries pursuing ISI programs. Argument Two: Countries will grow faster if they are open to international competition This is the basic hope underlying trade-reform programs that involve extensive liberalization of trade and investment barriers, reduction of controls on technology transfers, unification of tariff rates and domestic tax rates, removal of consumption and production subsidies, and deregulation of industry and privatization of state-owned enterprises. It is the essential philosophy behind World Bank loans to facilitate restructuring and IMF lending packages that require microeconomic structural reforms. It is also a very old idea (going back to Adam Smith and David Ricardo at least) but its modern translation into trade liberalization largely began with the reforms in Chile in the 1970s advocated by the Chicago School of economists (e.g. Milton Friedman, George Stigler). A somewhat different version of this approach is (to contrast it with ISI) called export promotion, which is the policy followed largely by East Asian and Western countries. These approaches are not necessarily liberal in the sense of free competition. There are many examples of sheltered and subsidized domestic firms or industrial groupings; much of this protection was designed to encourage infant industries to mature and export. However, the key component of export promotion programs is not to discourage exports, as is done under ISI programs. The basic policies under export promotion include the following. Properly valued exchange rates, meaning exchange rates that do not discriminate between imports and exports. This is accomplished either through flexible rates or pegged exchange rates that are allowed to move gradually to account for inflation differences between the country in question and major export markets. In this sense, the exchange rate did not impose any tax on exports. Remove taxes on export production and, indeed, make the tax and tariff system as neutral as possible across sectors of production. Thus, while in most of these nations agricultural production was protected from import competition, in manufacturing there was relatively little discrimination across types of goods. It is for this reason that export-promotion policies are far closer to open trade policies than are ISI policies. There were certainly major exceptions to this rule in many export-promotion countries, however. Rather than rely largely on import protection to promote infant industries, some active forms of export promotion in manufacturing and high-tech sectors were taken, including favorable allocation of loans and subsidies and rebates of import tariffs paid on imported industrial inputs. Recognizing that exporting is harder than cutting off imports because exports require improving levels of quality and considerable foreign marketing costs, East Asian firms have emphasized quality control and access to foreign technologies on favorable terms. Governments have supported this by ensuring strong public educational efforts, investments in infrastructure for exports, and technology transfer policies that attempted to force inward technology flows at cheap prices. Recent problems in some countries (especially Asian countries) indicate that while export-promotion strategies may have contributed to growth, they ultimately cause serious problems of overproduction (excess capacity) relative to the economys ability to consume commodities. (Maskus, 1998) The World Bank favors lifting the protectionist measures that have locked low-income countries out of rich-country export markets. In fact, most international bodies (WTO, IMF, World Bank etc) strongly support the case for trade openness and financial liberalisation when setting up programs for developing countries or when multilateral meetings occur. Some of the arguments put forward in favour of increased openness to trade include the following: Specialization: Gains from specialisation in the good in which the country has a comparative advantage such as productivity gains, lowe

Ronald Reagan Essay -- essays research papers fc

Reckoning with Reagan:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ronald Reagan was more than a president. He was a phenomenon. Since he left office in 1989, many authors have tried to effectively identify who this man really was. He was an icon to some, and an enigma to others. He stood up to the worst economic, domestic, and international threats of the time and yet, took naps in the middle of cabinet meetings. At the height of his popularity in 1986, he had, as Time magazine put it, â€Å"found America's sweet spot. â€Å" Reagan had ideals of what he felt America should be like, and made it his number one goal to share his unrelenting optimism with every person in the country. He pledged to bring Americans a â€Å"little good news.† and created a strong bond with the public. Throughout his eight years in office, he continually motivated and energized his supporters while at the same time, confounded and mystified his detractors. Reagan stood tall among the thirty-nine presidents that preceded him, and was one of the most popular leaders of the twentieth century. In his book, Reckoning with Reagan, Schaller attempted to reconcile the facts and myths that surrounded Reagan during his entrance into public service, his back to back terms as governor of California, and his eight years as President of the United States. Although, he briefly outlined Reagan's earlier years as a Hollywood actor, corporate spokesperson and motivational speaker, Schaller concentrates on the presidency and how Reagan impacted America to such a degree, that it would be felt for years to come. And for the first time since Kennedy, an era would be defined by a single man: Ronald Reagan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though he would stop short of saying that he was born in a log cabin, Ronald Reagan grew up in humble beginnings. The son of an alcoholic father whom couldn't hold down a job and a religious mother, Reagan was encouraged at an early age by his mother to act in school plays. An activity in which the young Reagan showed much promise. Because of a difficult home life, Reagan created a distance between the reality of his troubled surroundings and the fantasy of how things should be. Many believed that such mental redirection at this early age played a big role in his vision and ideals for America years later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After he graduated high school in 1932, Reagan went to wor... ...le of a charasmatic leader in that he remained above the fray. That ability was not so much due to his personal political saavy, but rather, the public's refusal to allow him to be portrayed in any negative light, similar to a famous movie star or professional athelete caught in a compromising situation that would spell disaster for the average citizen. Instead of public outrage, the celebrity is met with sympathy and understanding as well as an odd public comdemnation of his or her accusors. As Schaefer charasmatic authority, he defined Reagan. â€Å"Charasmatic authority is derived more from the beliefs of followers than from the actual qualities of leaders. So long as people perceive a leader as having qualities setting him or her apart from ordinary citizens, that leader's authority will remain secure and often unquestioned.† (p. 431). Bibliography   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shaller, Michael. Reckoning with Reagan: America and Its President in the 1980s. Oxford University Press: New York, 1992. Shaefer, Richard T. Sociology, Eighth Edition. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2003

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.

Surfing, Duke Energy, and the Coastal Alliance :: Personal Narrative Environment Essays

Surfing, Duke Energy, and the Coastal Alliance On my way out to the beach I still had no idea what I was going to do for my fifth essay. As my surfing buddy and I exited the freeway and entered the town of Morro Bay I saw three giant gleaming smoke stacks surfacing over the top of the hill. As we got closer to the beach the three smoke stacks gave way to a massive power plant that was a mere fifty feet from the water’s edge. It was surrounded by a fifteen foot cement wall and cameras everywhere. I thought what a perfect topic for my paper. As we parked and started to suit up I noticed there was an abundance of strange looking birds all around us. My friend explained to me that the whole area is an estuary preserve that protects endangered bird species. With the towering Morro Rock looming overhead we began to wade into the surf. After I made it out past the break I turned around and saw a giant sign against the harbor wall that said â€Å"Welcome to Morro Bay† with the towering smoke stacks grasping hold of the tiny harbor like three long fingers. By the time we were done surfing I was determined to research this area further. Not just for this paper, but the fact that there was no way that the power plant is helping the estuary or the ocean. After having the opportunity to surf Morro Bay, I felt it my responsibility to protect these waters so that future generations might enjoy it. It turns out that there is a huge controversy going on because Duke Energy is attempting to get a permit to remodel the entire power plant. The official Duke Energy website starts off by saying that remodeling projects are going to begin shortly. I noticed that the plant was nearly fifty years old so it seemed logical that the plant needs renovation, but I was not convinced so I read on. Already treading on thin ice the writer tried to insert a little blurb about seawater intake at the end of the paragraph.

Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse” Article Found in the Electronic Reserve Readings

The use of the Career Interest Profiler displayed that I was Teamwork centered portraying a work culture towards: working in a close knit team, working closely with customers and suppliers, lots of interdependence, friendly and supportive colleagues, cooperative and sharing atmosphere. The next trait of the Career Interest Profiler displayed that I was an Expert portraying a work culture towards: varied and ground breaking work, high emphasis on specialist expertise and lots of specialist roles, high engagement-people encouraged to express opinion, innovation, creative atmosphere, control your own work schedule and organization, dynamic an changing environment. The last trait of the Career interest Profiler displayed that I was Supportive portraying a work culture towards: secure, stable environment, clearly defined jobs, goals and expectation, no conflicting demands, considerate management, focus on employee welfare, lots of personal development and feedback, lots of recognition and celebration of success, and fun place to work. The Career interest Profiler reviled that I am a leader whom can work under pressure and also create an employee friendly working environment. A person who put people first and would treat employees the way I want to be treated. As a Navy Officer, Basketball player and today in my career field I’m often counted on to lead people. My approach when working with people has always been to be honest, fair and treat a person with respect and acknowledge the positive in a person because everyone will tell you when you’re doing something wrong. My Strengths in Competencies displayed I was very strong in Innovating, Coping with Pressure, and Adapting to Change. These Competencies top my measuring scale with four bars out of possible five. The Applying Expertise and Adhering to Values on the measuring scale showed two out of five possible bars and the last Competency Strength displayed Strategizing which displayed one out of five possible bars. After reviewing my Strengths in Competencies, it demonstrated to me that I can work under pressure, meet deadlines, and confirmed that I can accept change. This is true because working in my profession the Laws are always changing and the technology is always changing as well. The Work Culture Preferences displayed that I was Artistic, Conventional and Enterprising. It also showed my Career matches being Business and financial Operations, Management, Sales and Related, Legal, Community and Social Service, Personal Care and Service. This is very unique because I gave 6 years to the Military as public service, worked as a Youth Detention Officer, Youth Worker and now for the Department of Veterans Affairs as an Advocate for Veterans. The possible employers that would fit with my provided competencies would be a College, University, High school, Government, City of State Office, Police Department, Prison, Department Store, and Owner of Private business. The possible jobs that would align with my work culture preferences would be a Head basketball Coach, Detective, Police Captain, EEO Officer, and Human Resources Specialist, or Management staff. The ways in which understanding my personal competencies will help me improve my critical thinking skills is to evaluate all information I receive before making a decision on any level. This is best described for me, as receiving all the needed facts before I make any critical decision. My competencies strengths also are utilized in all efforts to help me evaluate an argument. The best example of me using my competencies strengths during an argument is when I’m engaged with a veteran who is irate, and also talking very loudly during an interview for VA benefits at my place of work. I always take control of the situation, by speaking in a much lower tone and always letting the veteran finish his statement. Most often by acknowledging the veteran and having the facts when the veteran is presenting sometimes calms them down.