Monday, September 30, 2019
An Analysis of the Stubbies Advertisement by Coca-Cola Essay
The 2005 ‘Stubbies†advertisement by Coke-Cola owned soft drink company Lemon and Paeroa (L&P) is constructed in such manner to produce ‘New Zealand’ within it text. The advertisement has been produced with particular attention and reference to New Zealand and New Zealanders, subjugating a sense of nationalism among viewers. This essay analyses and explains how L&P creates and fosters a sense of national identity among viewers through elements of; nationalism, banal nationalism, and symbolism. The 1970s styled advertisement for L&P was created by the production company Sliversceen Auckland. The storyline shows a formally dressed suited male entering a tailor shop and becoming acquainted with the casual clothing item of ‘stubbies’ shorts (Vist4ads 2005). These are an iconic clothing item associated with rural New Zealand and are coupled with values such as practicality and comfort. A range of men are then shown in variety of situations depicting the versatility of the stubbies shorts. Although a great deal of focus is given to the stubbies shorts, the item being advertised is the soft drink L&P. It is drunk throughout the commercial, and the advertisement suggests that both stubbies shorts and L&P are essential items of iconic ‘kiwi’ culture. This is reinforced through catchphrase ‘You were there and so was L&P.’ The use of personal pro-noun ‘You’ connects and involves the audience with advertisement through the nationalistic branding technique of ‘co-creation (ZALA VOLCIC and MARK ANDREJEVIC 2011).’The reliance as brand placed upon consumers to build and disseminate the brands identity. The brand L&P has constructed their advertisement in a particular way which leaves a reliance on consumers to reflect, build and distribute brand identity of being an iconic ‘kiwi’ favourite soft drink through dra wing on their proud heritage and positive pastimes which make up New Zealand identity and culture. The consciousness of a space as a nation requires a level of imagination: a sense of people affiliating to the same state who negotiate and construct meanings. The definition of a nation requires a construction of representation of an image (Bell 1996). L&P strives to be an iconic image which in turn encapsulates the embodiment of what it means to part of the nation of New Zealand. Media scholar Claudia Bell states that the building of a nation is not all natural, rather facilitated through socialisation mechanisms that guide us a citizens (Bell 1996). The advertisement aims to guide viewers to reflect on time when men wore ‘stubbies’ and ‘everyone just left their keys in the car anyway’. The portrayal by L&P of these events is suggestive that these were ‘the good times’ for New Zealanders. The viewing population of New Zealand absorbs these values, reflections and associations with L&P as assumptions of identity, which are unconscious taken on board. The connective association with L&P and New Zealand national identity is an is an implicit marketing tool by Cola-Cola in order the present L&P as New Ze aland’s drink of choice and a natural feature of a nation as summarized through the slogan â€Å"world famous in New Zealand since ages ago.†This reminds the viewer that a nation can only be formed through history which makes us unique as a nation. Production and construction of ‘New Zealand’ in the advertisement occurs through the advertising construction and production of banal nationalism. Banal nationalism is a concept founded by Michael billig which argues that the consistent reference to the everyday representations of the nation conceptually forms expressions of nationalism such as forming an imagined sense of national solidarity and belonging among those united in a national sense. Billing claims that everyday expressions of nationalism can be as important and reactivate as the representational flag-waving of nations. (PRIDEAUX 2009) Banal nationalism is repeated throughout the L&P advertisement in a variety of ways. Firstly the sense of implied unity through the advertisements plotlines desires to be ‘our’ story and a snapshot of everyday New Zealand in the summer time of the 1970s. This is achieved through the voice-over language and popular expressions throughput the advertisement such as the colloquiums â€Å"back in the day†and ‘Kiwi’s.’ The casualness of the phrases projects a sense of understanding and unity among the New Zealand audience. The L&P drinking New Zealanders shown the advertisement embody characters which are portrayed as typical ‘Kiwis’ in 1970s such as the small Maori boy with a large afro hairstyle posed next to his bike and the characteristic rural New Zealand bloke complete with singlet, jandals, and a mullet. Banal nationalism also occurs through the advertisement portrayal of typical New Zealand scenes which are familiar with such as the dairy, the rural country side, and a summer barbeque. These are relatable settings to almost any New Zealander and enables personal reflection. The symbols of banal nationalism symbols are most effective because of their constant repetition, and almost subliminal nature, therefore a very powerful marketing and advertising tool. The production of ‘New Zealand’ occurs in the L&P advertisement through the placement of a range of symbols which are an attempt to reference and embody New Zealand as a nation. The repeated image of the kiwi bird along the window in scene when a stubbies clad male is impressing a pretty girl is not a coincidence. The kiwi bird is the product of New Zealand and being used to repeatedly remind viewers of their place in the nation, a process Michael billing describes as being ‘flagged,’ a term coined by nations overuse flying nation flags. The kiwi is iconic since the bird is native to New Zealand. The advertisement also couples the kiwi with other iconic symbols associated with New Zealand and national pride such jandals, and the act of a large summer barbeque which are symbolic of deeper meanings to the New Zealander such as relaxation and family. New Zealand indigenous symbols such as the kiwi bird that are distinctively New Zealand are particular important in the production of nationalism within advertisement simply as they are not British. Historically New Zealand derived symbols of national identity from the motherland such as Britannia (Bell 1996). The kiwi build nationality as it is naturally occurring and guides New Zealanders as citizens. Symbols are closely interlinked with national identity as they draw associations among viewers. The production of national symbols like the kiwi into this advertisement that is selling bottled soft drink is not random, rather an attempt to associate the idealised images associated with the symbol and merge with the marketed product o f L&P. The advertisers wish to make L&P symbolic and iconic and to naturally compel viewers to place L&P into their symbolic category of what embodies New Zealand as a nation and what it is to be a New Zealander. New Zealand is multicultural nation and this has been understood by the advertiser by portraying a range of different New Zealander within the thirty second video clip. This is most effectively portrayed in the end scene of summer barbeque. The barbeque is made up both Pakeha and Maori attendees who seen chatting, relaxing, and drinking L&P. The use of people who literally look like they are New Zealanders localises the advertisement for effective absorption of values. Although New Zealand has many cultural issues such as regular Treaty of Waitangi disputes, these are brushed aside and New Zealand mixed culture is produced and perceived as positive. Although L&P is part of a global multinational company Coke-Cola this is ignored and the advertisement is produced with a distinct New Zealand feel leading consumers to believe the drink is of local origin, in particular the small town of Paeora which the drink shares its name. The advertiser claim ‘world famous in New Zealand’ also slants towards the projection the soft drink is locally produced and therefore competes on a level international soft drinks cannot. (Bell 1996). A key component of nationalism is an understanding of history and the intermingled of both of New Zealand major ethnic races pays homage to New Zealand colonial past and assimilating cultures. L&P understands that the world is rapidly changing and globalisation is rapidly expanding and increasing the dominance of transnational marketplace therefore produced affirmation of ‘New Zealand†and nationalism with their stubbies advertisement to showcase and assert distinctiveness of the nation’s unique local, regional, and national identity (Bell 1996). â€Å"Any nation’s existence relies on some sense of loyalty to that nation, on patriotic sentiment, on awareness of nationalism. A sense of shared purpose, a pride in a place, acknowledgment of national success. All these combine in a sense of belonging (Bell 1996)†. Michael Billing noted that Billing noted that every day we are reminded that we belong to a nation through routine occurrences including using passports, the language of political speakers, the media and academia (Billing 1995 ). However through examination it has become apparent that nationalism has become a tool by advertisers to foster nationalist feelings to their audience. The advertisement establishes and produces New Zealand as a nation and then reproduces and represents New Zealand as an L&P loving nation. In advertising, the power of recognition is manipulated for economic ends. The ‘stubbies’ advertisement shows an idealised version of New Zealand is order to create a collective inte rest in the product. Bibliography Bell, Claudia. Inventing NZ: Everyday Myths of Pakeha Identity. Auckland: Penguin Books, 1996. Billig, Michael. Banal Nationlism . London : Sage Publishing , 1995 . PRIDEAUX, JILLIAN. â€Å"Consuming icons: nationalism and advertising in Australia.†Nations and Nationlism (School of Political Science and International Studies, The University of Queensland) 15, no. 4 (2009): 616–635. Vist4ads. L&P stubbies. 2005. http://www.visit4ads.com/details.cfm?adid=20954 (accessed 08 2, 2013). ZALA VOLCIC and MARK ANDREJEVIC. â€Å"Nation Branding in the Era of Commercial Nationalism.†International Journal of Communication 5, 2011: 598–618.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Reinventing management practices in long-term care: how cultural evolution can affect workforce recruitment and retention Essay
Management Introduction            Quality management is very vital to every society, state, community or company because it indicates the level of performance in terms of production and its success. To outline the main points to this discussions about management, definitions is very important. Management basically is the way different resources are controlled and allocated to produce the quality product that is desired in an organization(Peterson, Smith, Martorana, & Owens, 2003, p.795). It can also be defined in terms of maintenance of the organizations success and performances. The managers are involved in managing the organizations and apply different strategies of management in accordance with the needs of the organization and the workforce involved(Sarlak, 2010, p. 92-93). In order to discuss the topic management in the 21st century needs to be more of human activity, it is important to note that for the last centuries organizations applied the written strategies by d ifferent scholars to run their organizations.            The aim of this essay is to show how important it is to know the meaning of management. In earlier century management is associated with managers who are involved in controlling, motivating, planning and also allocating resources to their employees. To achieve this, the managers had to follow management strategies to enable them to run the organization and to classify their employees into different categories. For instance, the management theory X and Y classifies employees into two categories (Sarlak, 2010, P. 90-93). First category theory Y is those that need not to be forced to work and need to be motivated and second category theory X these are employees that need to be forced to work and force was applied so as to make them work. In addition, leadership styles were also used to enable the managers run the organization.            For example, the management theory X and Y this theory states how different types of workforce behave in the field. It also address how employees should be motivated so as to work well(Brannon, Kemper, Heier-Leitzell, & Stott, 2010, 68-74). The motivation of workforce is believed to be the key role to make them work well and more effective. For instance, managers follow the management approaches to control the employees and not what they know. This distinguishes them from employees who can manage without being controlled and have more knowledge of the task at hand. Benefits of Management            In theory management are procedures and policies which are formulated to enable the managers enhance the running of the organization but in reality management is more of human activity since the human beings are involved in seen that this procedure are applied and that the organization gets the best returns(Brannon, Kemper, Heier-Leitzell, & Stott, 2010, 68-74). Moreover, the management functions such as organizing, planning, and motivating deal with people in often cases. Therefore in this 21st century management is more of human activities since organizations are aimed at improving their workforce and employing the best people to run the organization.            Management is very important since it is through managing once resources that they can achieve their goal and targets. Therefore today, management is more of personal decision than that of a manager controlling people to work (Peterson, Smith, Martorana, & Owens, 2003, p.795). Most employees can work without supervision of the manger since they can manage themselves. This is possible because today people are taught in learning institute of how to manage their time, resources and also to plan. In addition, most of the employees have more knowledge and experience on how to achieve the quality end product without being controlled by managers. It is important to have some looking at the progress of the work but when their presence hinder innovation it becomes a concern to be taken care of.            Employees need to be facilitated and not controlled by managers thus the output will increase drastically. Leadership style can also interfere greatly with the freedom of employees hence innovation will be hindered(Brannon, Kemper, Heier-Leitzell, & Stott, 2010, p. 68-74). At a glance, leadership style that was used in earlier century instilled fear in employees which made them just do the work in accordance to the rules. In 21st century employees are free and they know their importance in an organizations and this has led to formation of organizations that represent employees’ rights. This is to educate employees and also make the working place conducive for the employees and employers.            Management is wide area, it involves also maintenance of other resources and how it is allocated. For example capital therefore, employees should be aware of the capital of the organization so as to learn how to maximize profit and increase the output of the company(Brannon, Kemper, Heier-Leitzell, & Stott, 2010, p. 68-74). In earlier century, status quo was very important and most manager did not want to interact with employees so as to protect their status. It is the dream of every one to be a manager but if being a manager it hinders innovation then it is good to be in the same level with employees. In today’s world, innovation has be embraced and people are moving with very high speed to innovate.            Moreover, more organizations are coming up and competition is high therefore management should be more of human activity allowing employees to be part of it and making decision that are effective. Brainstorming is good example of involving employees in decision making and problem solving (Brannon, Kemper, Heier-Leitzell, & Stott, 2010, p. 68-74). It allow the employees to give ideas on a certain question and how to solve the problem. Managers should embrace different modes of involving employees directly or indirectly in running the organization.            Management is more of human activity even if the organization uses machine to get the end product since human beings control or operate the machine. Some machine are not operated without experience and skills to use it, not all managers have skills and knowledge of how to operate the machines. This is because the role is based on managerial approaches and they strictly follow the procedures that are stipulated in the organization(Peterson, Smith, Martorana, & Owens, 2003, p.795). In this century, managers are more active and are the ones helping in motivating the employees. The organizations are now more concerned with increasing profit and being effective by training and encouraging their employees to be innovative. In this century, for an organization to acquire new machinery, also need to train its employees on how to use it.            Therefore the employees feel motivated and important since their skills are improved (Peterson, Smith, Martorana, & Owens, 2003, p.795). Unlike the earlier industries where if a machine was acquired then the employee who knew how to operate was given a chance to work and the rest were dispensed off. 21st century employees are more important to management team and are involved in major decision of the organizations. It is important to work in a conducive environment so as to nurture creativity in the organization. The scholars wrote what an ideal organization structure should look like and it is the duty of the leaders and manager to improve this ideas and come out with the best part of it. Factors Influencing Management            Innovation is very important and every organization ought to encourage an environment that can enhance it. In today’s world, the employees are given opportunity to view their ideas and also to innovate. Unlike the past years where employees could not speak nor give views of how a product can be improved (Nolan, 2008, p. 54). The manager had a role to decide on what to be done even if it means forcing people to work. When management become more of human activity than procedures to control, then the business will grow drastically. The products of an organization highly depend on the human resource to implement the other resources to achieve the end product(Peterson, Smith, Martorana, & Owens, 2003, p.795). In addition, when employees are more involved in management they have a sense of belonging and their goals is to see that organization is growing. Furthermore where employees are involved in giving suggestion on the products improve ment, they give their best ideas thus managers can pick the best ideas and implement.            However, it is not easy to make the employees be innovative in a harsh environment; therefore the mangers should be willing to balance power (Nolan, 2008 p. 44). Today every organization aim to be the best competitor in the industry thus hiring the best employees and those that can manage their time and resources effectively which is only possible if employees are allowed to innovate and be creative.            It is important to note that managers today must interact with their employees rather than commanding and directing on how the work should be done. It is clear that most employees have more ideas about the work than the managers since the deal with the resources in day to day life. The type of leadership style that is used in the organization should be more of encouraging the employees to be more creative and innovative. Generally, in 21st century management is more of human activity in contrast with the earlier century where people had no opportunity to be involved in decision making (Sarlak, 2010, p. 91-93). Everyone would like to be part of a successful innovation and also success. Achieving this is only through allowing the employees to be part of management and not the other way round. It is clear that today there more innovation coming up than the earlier years since people are allowed to come up with more ways to improve their organ ization. Employees are not servants of a manger but an asset that need to well utilized to yield more profit and also to be motivated to aim for high goals of the organization(Peterson, Smith, Martorana, & Owens, 2003, p.795). In conclusion, it is possible to achieve this if employees will be involved in management and also have a say into the leadership style of the organization. Conclusion            Management should not be for the managers and leaders only but also the employees of the company have an important role to play. A manager should motivate the employees and help them to achieve their goals. Therefore, management in 21st century is more of human activity unlike the earlier century where it was more of managerial post. It is said that â€Å"practice makes it perfect†therefore managers should interact with employees to make the work perfectly and also share their knowledge and experience. References Brannon, S. D., Kemper, P., Heier-Leitzell, B., & Stott, A. (2010). Reinventing management practices in long-term care: how cultural evolution can affect workforce recruitment and retention. Generations, 34(4), 68-74. Nolan, W. T. (2008). Wealth of enterprises: a new foundation for economics and management. [S.l.], Author house.Pg. 44-59 Peterson, R. S., Smith, D. B., Martorana, P. V., & Owens, P. D. (2003). The impact of chief executive officer personality on top management team dynamics: one mechanism by which leadership affects organizational performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 795.Sarlak, M. A. (2010). The new faces of organizations in the 21st century: management and business reference book. Toronto, Naisit Publishers. Pg. 90-93 Source document
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 2
Marketing Plan - Essay Example Russell has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has worked previously in the retail clothing sector, while Newman has also operated an adventure enterprise that used to arrange group trips to different locations across the US. However, both of them sold their respective companies to start Athletics Supreme. The owners’ previous experiences have made them confident that they can market a line of sportswear and related sports accessories that appeal to outdoor enthusiasts. This marketing plan hopes to create a long-term growth model that will build on the current success enjoyed by Athletics Supreme’s athletics equipment. The company has been successful in selling athletics equipment and we hope to transition smoothly into sportswear. Athletics Supreme intends to provide its current and potential customers with quality sportswear products that they require to accomplish their physical goals and maximize their athletics performance. The company will also provide its customers with staff who are knowledgeable about athletics and sportswear. The core products that the business will carry include apparel, shoes, and athletic equipment, as well as other complementary equipment like training literature and health supplements. Conducting market research normally involves gathering primary and secondary data, in which primary information is collected directly from consumers and potential consumers, while secondary information involves the gathering of data, statistics, studies, and reports from external sources (Burns et al, 2014). Athletics Supreme will conduct primary market research using in-store comment cards, whereas secondary research will be conducted via the local chamber of commerce. In-store comment cards should enable the company to collect information directly from the consumer on such issues as their satisfaction with the business offering, how to improve service and offerings that they may want to see in the future.
Friday, September 27, 2019
What were the World War 2 goals of the United States and its allies, Essay
What were the World War 2 goals of the United States and its allies, and how were they achieved in battle and in wartime conferences - Essay Example But in order to do this, the United States had to join hands with the Soviet Union (under Joseph Stalin), despite ideological differences between the two nations. Great Britain was the third member of this coalition, which is referred to as Allied Powers. The ultimate defeat of Germany was achieved by a concerted attack on two fronts. On the Eastern front, Soviet Union forced German troops to retreat further toward Berlin, while on the Western front American troops stormed onto the shores of Normandy in France despite heavy resistance. But prior to this strategic military operation, the three leaders of the respective nations, namely Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin met in a conference to chart out their combined strategy. So the eventual success of the United States in World War Two should be attributed to strategic diplomatic and military moves on its
Thursday, September 26, 2019
WALES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
WALES - Essay Example According to the BBC report dated 14 Nov 2012, Wales had an employment rate of 8.2% in November 2012 whereas the rate was 7.8% in the case of the whole UK for the same period. Deprivation index: - while analyzing the Wales’ deprivation index 2012, it seems that the country has satisfactory living conditions. Wales as a Tourist Destination According to BBC report dated Sep19, 2012, Wales is a rapidly emerging tourist destination in the United Kingdom with an annual industry turnover of ?3.5 billion. Statistical reports indicate that 8,078,900 people visited National Trust and Welsh Tourist Board destinations in 2002 (Wales Information, n.d.). Tourism industry plays a key role in boosting the economic growth of the Wales. To illustrate, in 2005 the tourism industry supported the economy of Wales by providing more than 100,000 service sector jobs which accounted for the country’s 8% of the workforce (ibid). The major tourist activities in Wales are mountain hiking; visitin g historic places, museums, and galleries; and shopping. Another report indicates that foreign tourists made over 1.1 million trips to Wales in 2006 (Countryside Council for Wales). Mainly, overseas tourists to Wales are from Republic of Ireland, Germany, and the United States. According to statistical information, tourism-related employment in Wales increased from 59,000 in 2000 to 78,000 in 2007 (Cultural tourism, 2012). Cardiff, the capital of the Wales, is the most popular tourist destination in the country. As Alford (2010) reports, the Cardiff tourism sector provides over 26,300 jobs and it had 14.6 million visitors in 2009. In 2004, the three cities, in term of tourists spent the most money, were Cardiff, Conwy, and Gwynedd. Wales offers improved accommodation and leisure amenities to visitors. Successes and Weaknesses While analyzing Wales’ tourism sector, it is clear that the country’s history and distinctive culture, natural environment, and attractive scener y and heritage significantly contribute to its success. The Museum of Welsh Life is the most popular tourist attraction in the country, attracting more than 600,000 tourists annually (Wales vacation packages). In addition, many castles like Caernarfon Castle and Caerphilly Castle attract visitors having historical interests. The varied landscape is another major tourist attraction in Wales. The country has three national parks including the Snowdonia National Park, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, and the Brecon Beacons National Park. Wales is prominent for its extreme sports activities like downhill cycling, surfing, and hang gliding. The Wales Rally GB is organized in the country annually. It has been estimated that nearly 1.8 million US citizens have Welsh ancestral roots (webarchieve.com). Hence, genealogy is major reason why many US citizens visit Wales each year. Well developed infrastructure is another reason making Wales one of the world’s popular tourist destin ations. The country has also developed improved road, rail, and air travel facilities, which are crucial to the success of the tourism industry. Wales’ proximity to all other UK markets contributes to the success of the Wales tourism industry. The country can offer a wide range of leisure activities including walking, mountaineering, and fishing (Sports and leisure activities in Wales). Wales Tourist Board (WTB) is a well established and financially sound entity.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Discussion Questions( corporate governance& ethics) Essay
Discussion Questions( corporate governance& ethics) - Essay Example Such a leadership style inevitably has a positive impact on the people. The Affiliative Leader- An Affiliative leader is intrinsically a networking expert and enhances the overall harmony within an organization by consolidating the interpersonal relations within that organization (Changing Minds, 2009). Such a leader turns out to be a real source of strength under stressful situations. Such leaders do provide the much needed sense of direction in the times of chaos. The Democratic Leader- A democratic leader is not only an astute listener but evokes a considerable influence on and trust in other people through one's positive inputs and a solid sense of commitment. Such a leader encourages all the human constituents within an organization to participate in the overall process of decision making. It is the natural ability of such a leader to solicit support and consensus. The Pacesetting Leader- Though such a leader has a strong drive to achieve and high personal standards, yet he/she often exhibits a blatant impatience towards the frailties of other people. Such leaders are predominantly number driven and often get ruthless in their success for personal success and achievement. The pacesetting leaders do turn out to be poor guides and mostly harbor unrealistic expectations of other people. The Commanding Leader- A commanding leader is mostly authoritarian in one's approach and expects others to willingly or unwillingly tow the strategy chalked out by him/her. Such leaders often exhibit a negligible sensitivity to emotions and do prefer to centralize the activities within an organization. Realistically speaking, commanding leaders create unnecessary frictions, insecurity and dissonance within the organizations. The leadership style of Al Dunlap in the case study under consideration is definitely pacesetting in its approach. He not only had a great drive for achievement and success, but assessed the levels of achievement within the organization he managed, solely through numerical parameters. He was highly opinionated and rigid in his approach and never made the efforts to extract inputs from other employees working within the organization. His tenure was marked by high levels of employee insecurity, rapid centralization, sweeping changes and unethical financial practices. The leadership style of Al Dunlap was characterized by low emotional sensitivity and a ruthless approach towards challenges. He did not hesitate to go for large scale lay offs and resorting to self customized accounting practices to create a faade of success. Answer 2: Al Dunlap as an Ethical LeaderAl Dunlap was an utterly poor ethical leader in the sense that he exhibited a lousy personal character. He was not guided by any ethical scruples and was a hard core opportunist who did not
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Affordable Health Care Act without sovereignty to native Americans Essay
Affordable Health Care Act without sovereignty to native Americans - Essay Example But as the Act is remarked by experts to be rigid with concern to the citizens’ need, it is ought to face different consequences (ProCon.org, 2010). This paper reviews the difficulties faced by the act as well as the citizens of the U.S. with respect to the implementation of the act. Literature Review On October 29 2009, the Affordable Health Care Act was introduced in the United States House of Representatives. Through the implementation of this act, the government intended to serve the citizens of Native American nations with efficient healthcare services and that too in a minimum expense. But the implementation of health care act has provided for various contradictions to itself which has been stated by various authors (H. R. 3962, 2009). First (2005) states that inconsistency practices in US health care system are a result of insufficient consideration to the quality systems which also caused other disadvantages related to its sole purpose. One of the major reasons for the drawback is that the policies concerning healthcare system in US was tangled with issues faced in the early experiences. The practices in relation to health inconsistencies involve the social and the technical facts as significant aspects. It is very essential to identify the problems associated with the implementation of the Act by the authority responsible, so that the outcome delivers the sole purpose widely concerned on the health securities of the citizens without or with minimum social or economic consequences. So, the U.S. government’s effort should be on eliminating the drawbacks and it should also focus on improving the quality of care provided to the patients (First, 2005). Background of the Act It has been depicted in the article of Health Policy Brief (2011) that approximately 30 lawsuits have been filed by private citizens, law makers, organizations and the state governments challenging the features of the Affordable Care Act 2009 (Health Policy Brief, 2011). In the article, it has been mentioned that sec 1501 of the Affordable Care Act identifies the ‘individual responsibility requirement’, also known as Individual Mandate. By the year 2014, the provision specifies that US citizens and nationals need to maintain ‘minimum essential health insurance coverage’ or else are required to pay a penalty allotted. Coverage can be available through an employer or individuals or even through public programmes such as Medicaid and Medicare among others. This policy measure, as mentioned in the Act, can be of adverse affect as the penalty has been sanctioned. Citizens who are below the poverty line are forced to purchase the health care policy which might result into difficult prospective. Therefore, the healthcare act should not be entitled to penalise rather the act should be implemented with great care as it is a need rather than demand (Health Policy Brief, 2011). A dilemma has often aroused regarding Health Care Act. For instance the action of federal government to impose the Act was argued to be subjected to their limitations to participate in such social development issues. Danner (2011) opposes the provision mentioned in the Act, i.e. the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which states the Individual Mandate. The policy of Individual Mandate states that each and every American must buy the Health Insurance or else will be penalised. According to Danner (2011), this is overextending usage of government power. Providing the health care by violating the freedom of the citizen is of no good and is also unconstitutional (Danner, 2011). Complaints by the associated states The Attorney Generals
Monday, September 23, 2019
Nursing Informatics- evidence-based practice and technology Article
Nursing Informatics- evidence-based practice and technology - Article Example Health information technology has made it possible for medical researchers to create a database of information gleaned from the research. It is possible to use health information technology to search online journals for evidence-based practice on how to optimize the flow of patients in and out the emergency rooms. Evidence-based practices that are used to optimize patient flow in other hospitals can be accessed via different databases (Thede, 2008). The flow of patients in the emergency rooms is a key component of quality care in any emergency department. Health Information Technology supports evidenced based practice by allowing medical practitioners to publish research results in online databases. Medical professionals from different places can access these databases (Thede, 2008). Health Information Technology has made it possible to disseminate information fast, which helps in improving efficiency in evidence-based
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1
Plato - Essay Example In an attempt to analyze the life and ideas of Plato, this paper thus purposes to reflect on chapter 4 of the book â€Å"Living Philosophy: A Historical Introduction to philosophical ideas†. Having been born around 428 BCE in Athens, Plato revolutionized the way of thinking both in Greece and the rest of the world. In his idea of rationalism, Plato regarded reasoning as the cornerstone source and test for knowledge. In his rationalism idea, Plato taught that there is existence of certain truths that cannot be changed, and there is a need for intellectual understanding to identify the truths. These truths were thus believed to be the governing forces of humanity and the universe. Drawing an analogy with the sleep to elaborate his viewpoint of Immortality, Morality, and the Soul, he understood immortality of the soul in terms of reincarnation. Just as a person can wake up after sleep, he believed the dead would wake up in another body (Vaughn, P. 52). Among Platos famous dialogues as depicted in the book â€Å"Living Philosophy: A Historical Introduction to philosophical ideas†is his notion of the Republic. He draws most of his inference of the Republic from the works of Socrates thus coming to an argument point that a republic is a society of people who are governed by justice and fulfilment in life in terms of happiness. Thus, members of the republic must all work together socially and economically to ensure every member is justly and fairly treated according to one’s contribution to the
Saturday, September 21, 2019
City Of Manila.Background of a Smart Designed City Essay Example for Free
City Of Manila.Background of a Smart Designed City Essay The City of Manila has a population of 1.7 million people and is considered as one of the most polluted cities in the world with notorious traffic congestions. The city of Adelaide is on the other hand one of the most liveable cities in the world, with a population of 1.2 million and practically no traffic jams at all. This paper compares these two cities in order to establish what manila can learn from Adelaide. The City of Manila is a relatively small city with a population of about 1. 7 million people and an area of around 40 square kilometres. The city can thus be categorized amongst the overpopulated cities of the world (Townsend, 2013). Consequently, Manila has a very high level of pollution and other challenges including traffic and poor drainage system that makes the sanitation very problematic. Background of a Smart Designed City Adelaide is a south Australian city with a population that is close to that of Manila at 1.3 million people. Initially, this city suffered from high levels of pollution owing to its large population and the energy sources being used across the city. First, the transport means today are highly effective reducing the traffic jams by 100% and the city is now considered as a ‘twenty minute city’ owing to the ability to move from one place to another easily (Fajardo, 2011). The reduced traffic jams translate to reduced gas emissions, as do the number of trees planted around schools, churches, parks, reserves, coastlines and transport corridors. These trees have managed to reduce the carbon emissions getting into the atmosphere thus making the city even cleaner. The city is planned very effectively in such a way that the transport systems are effective and diverse comprising of a South Eastern Freeway, Southern Express Way, the Port River Expressway and the Northern Expressway . This arrangement allows for effective transport across the metropolitan area thus making the city accessible without unnecessary congestions. The roads are also mostly very wide with multiple lanes to accommodate the growing number of vehicles in the city. The city has also cut down its use of fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy with a great inclination on solar energy. They have undertaken numerous campaigns to encourage the citizens to install solar panels on their rooftops, with over 200 schools having to depend on this clean energy for their power needs. As such, the city is slowly turning to solar energy to sustain its energy needs (Henderson, 2002). From its initial planning in the days of the first settlers, the city was designed to have two green rings around the city square thus implementing the green city initiative right from its birth. As a result, they have over 3 million trees within the city and a few parks and squares with a lot of trees as well. The green belt here is so extensive that it is rumoured that one can actually feel the fresh air in the city especially if they are from another part of the country or the world. These trees play a big role in keeping the city free of pollution as they mitigate from the effects of the unavoidable carbon emissions. Suggestions for Future Development and Lose Cost Estimates In order to reach up to Adelaide’s standards, the city of Milan has to undergo a number of transformations within its layout. First, the city’s roads must be reconstructed to accommodate the traffic and reduce the traffic jams. This may cost as much as $100 billion seeing as there is a need for a complete overhaul in the city’s transport system. For efficiency, subways may also be found necessary especially seeing as Manila is in a developing country and thus the urban population is likely to keep growing. The green technology in terms of shifting to solar power as a main source of energy must also be considered seeing as the country currently depends on fossil fuels for their energy. This shift should cost the government about $20 million in equipment and education programs about how to use them as well as their maintenance (Townsend, 2013). In doing this, the city will have cut down on pollution seeing as the dependence on fossil fuels is by far the most hazardous human tendency. As for planting trees and creating a green city, it should be noted that the best trees in Manila can be sourced locally and should thus be relatively cheap. The challenge however would be the sensitization of the masses in order to gain their support and cooperation for maintenance of the trees. It can thus be estimated that the local government will need about $5 million for this project and with the cooperation of the citizens and the private sector the city should qualify for a smart city categorization within approximately 30 years from the implementation date (Townsend, 2013). For this to happen however, the city’s administration will have to obtain the support and cooperation of the general public and the private sector. References Fajardo, B.K. (2011). Filipino crosscurrents. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, MN. Henderson, V. (2002). Urbanization in developing countries. The World Bank Research Observer, 17(1), 89-112. Townsend, M.A. (2013). Smart cities: big data, civic hackers, and the quest for a new utopia. New York, NY: W. W. Norton Company. Source document
Friday, September 20, 2019
The Effects of Structural Adjustment Programs
The Effects of Structural Adjustment Programs INTRODUCTION At independence, most African countries had their economies rely heavily on the production of primary commodities especially agriculture. However due to a sharp increase of market prices of agricultural products such as cocoa, tea, coffee and many more in the global market in the 1970s. Many economies of African countries grew significantly for example the real GDP of Kenya grew by 6.5% a year, by about 15% in Zambia in 1964-73 (Adepoju, 1993). African governments responded to their newly acquired fortune by increasing government expenditures in their respective countries thus less government savings. As the world was plunged into the oil crisis of the 1970s, when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) increased world oil prices so as to generate more income which they invested in the banks of developed countries. As a result, these banks embarked on a mission to loan African countries so as to facilitate the purchase of products and services offered to African countries by developed industries. Therefore African countries were encouraged and manipulated into borrowing huge sums of money from western banks. However the money borrowed by African banks ended up in the pockets of corrupt government officials, unnecessary projects or on luxuries by leaders and very little was invested so as to attain sustainable economic growth (Toussaint and Comanne 1995: 15). Moreover, the loans given to African countries were accompanied with very low interest rates. However, the situation changed drastically as the United States of America and European states increased interest rates so as to stop inflation. Hence, African countries that had borrowed money from Western banks had to pay back their loans with huge amounts of interest. These culminated into inability to pay up the loans by African countries and therefore were forced to take up new loans to pay up the increased interests (George 1995: 21 cook). As a result of the need to take up new loans by developing countries, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank developed the structural adjustment programs, economic policies as condition for the provision of loans in the late 1970s. This paper will therefore aim to give a brief overview of the Structural Adjustment Programs, by putting into focus the key components and objectives of the programs. Furthermore, the paper will highlight on Structural Adjustment Programs in Kenya, the effects of the programs in Kenya and finally draw a conclusion of the overall effects of Structural Adjustment Programs in Africa. OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGAMS Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) according to leftwitch (1996) is defined as a set of institutional and economic measures intended to solve the macroeconomic problems facing developing countries by correcting a country’s borrowing deficit, reducing the intervention of governments in the economy and opening up the state’s economy to the world market. The SAPs designed by the Bretton woods institution, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and later embraced by other major international financial institutions, were believed to consist of policies that would bring about reduction of poverty and sustainable economic growth. As underlined in the World health Organization website (2014), Structural Adjustment Programs echoes the neo-liberal ideology which pushes for globalization; hence was aimed at realizing a long-term economic growth in poor countries by encouraging the restructure and reduction of government intervention in the economy. Therefore, the components Structural Adjustment Programs as advocated by the IMF and the World Bank include: the devaluation of local currency, balance of payments management, government reduction of social services through cutting of public spending, social spending and budget deficit, reduction of tax on high earners, reduction of inflation, suppression of wages, lowering of import tariffs, tightened monetary policy. Governments were also encouraged or sometimes forced to lessen their role in the economy, hence privatize state-run industries, deregulate businesses and open up their economies to foreign competition so as to increase free trade. The Structural Adjustment Programs was a financing mechanism of the international monetary fund to support macroeconomic policies and reforms in low-income countries through low interest subsidizations and loans. According to (Finch 1985 cook), Structural Adjustment Programs were intended to provide long-term solutions to economic problems facing developing countries around the world by facilitating the achievement of sustained growth and economic stability. They were also designed to eliminate unsustainable external and internal imbalances of a countries economy. Finch further argues that, the champions of SAPs, believe it was a forward-looking and long-term solution to underdevelopment in Africa and Latin America, as it seek to increase the elasticity of an economy to have the ability to respond to changes, stimulate efficiency utilization and allocation of resources, elimination of trade deficits and finally balance the expenditure and revenue of the government. Therefore the prog rams were created as a result of the failures of the Band-Aid projects and programs which mostly responded to crises instead of enchanting a pre-emptive stance which would look into preventing crises before they arise. STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS IN KENYA Kenya gained independence in 1963, a period when the global economy was expanding and stable. This was as a result of the high prices of primary commodities that Kenya exported for example tea and coffee, therefore the country acquired a huge sum of foreign exchange which it reserved and thus could afford to deal any instability in the economy. Consequently, it can be deduced that the first decade after Kenya gained independence was a period of high aspirations and economic prosperity (Swamy 1994). The economic sector of Kenya in the first 10 years after independence had made tremendous progress, this is depicted by the fact that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had grown by 6.6%. Hence investments and savings for its per capita income were relatively high, thus Kenya could provide a better life for its citizens. For instance there was a tremendous increase in the number of schools between 1963 and 1982. Health services were improved with an increase of hospitals leading to an increase of life expectancy from 44 years at independence to 68 years in the 1980s whereas infant mortality had dropped significantly from about 220 deaths per 1000 new born to 70 per 1000 new born. With the facts mentioned, it is evident that Kenya was actually doing better than most sub-Saharan countries (Swamy 1994:196). However, as the world went into recession in the 1970s with the inflating oil prices, Kenya economic problems started after an experiment in expansionary fiscal policies which brought about a severe rundown of reserves. Like other African countries, the 1973 oil crisis worsened the living conditions of Kenyans. The situation was worsened with the dropping of prices of Kenya’s main export products, poor technology, high population growth, drought, and collapse of East African Community. In a bid to cub to emerging economic problems, Kenya successfully applied for a structural adjustment loan from the World Bank in 1980. The loan was aimed at helping Kenya correct the economic imbalances of its economy; implement institutional reforms for a sustainable and balanced economic growth. As Mwega and Kabubo 1994 argue, the loan was meant to finance structural changes in the industrial sector, promote the efficient use of external assets and enhance effectiveness of public assets. Moreover, the loan was given with conditions which required Kenya to reduce budget deficit, promote exports, liberalize trade, reform interest rate regime and cut down its funding on social services. The first structural adjustment loan was followed by another loan in in 1982 which was intended to accomplish similar objectives as the first loan. In 1986, Kenya applied for its third structural adjustment loans was aimed at implementing reforms in the agriculture sector so as to improve production, provide finances for the importation of agricultural inputs, improve agricultural research institutes and support reforms of parastatals in the restructure of publics assets and expenditure programs (Rono, 2002). Another structural loan was signed in 1988 which introduced reforms in the social service sectors especially in health and education. The policy reforms agreed upon included the introduction of cost-sharing in the provision of social services. This is where beneficiaries of services such as education and health were to pay for them either partially or fully. The reforms forced the government to withdraw its funding from health and education. Furthermore the policies forced the g overnment to retrench many civil servants in a bid to cut down its expenditure on the salaries of civil servants (Rono, 2002). EFFECTS OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS IN KENYA Structural adjustment programs have encompassed withdrawal or reduction of government expenditures on social services and basic needs mainly in the health, agriculture and education sectors. Competition from subsidized imported goods has been a major challenge for local products in Kenya due to the competition they bring about. As a result of this, the poor are continuously being exposed to austere socio-economic risks for instance retrenchment and unemployment. The effects of structural adjustment products cut across a number of sectors in the Kenyan society, however this paper will focus on the effects of structural adjustment programs on education, health, agriculture, and politics Education After independence, Kenya had been making remarkable progress in the education sector. This being measured by the number of education institutions, the rate of enrollment in universities, secondary and primary school, in addition to this, is also the level of literacy rate in the country. Education, at the time of independence was an inspiration to the human capital ideology, therefore was regarded as an important tool for economic and socio-political transformations for post-colonial Kenya. Hence the government took the sole responsibility of financing, controlling and providing free education to the citizens (Obamba, 2009). Education being given its due importance by the government, its key feature was the rapid growth of enrollment at every level of education institutions, leading to an increase in educational expenditure. For example, recurrent expenditure on education amplified from 15% in 1960s to about 40% in 1980s (Rono, 2002). However in the 1980s, after the Kenyan government started taking structural adjustment loans, there was significant swing in government funding of higher education arose due to the emergence of neoliberal economic policies of the structural adjustment programs that played a major role in policy-making of higher education. The government was forced to withdraw funding on education and further introduced tuition cost-sharing tuition fees (Obamba, 2009). The introduction of school fees led to an increased number of school dropouts, low enrollment, underdevelopment and inequality in that only the children of well off Kenyans could afford education at the expense of the poor Kenyan families. The students who failed to complete their education, failed to get employed hence the continuous degradation of standard of living in Kenya (Rono, 2002). Health Health being an important aspect of the socio-economic development of a country, Kenya after its independence embarked to address the issues of inequality brought about by the colonial development and administration. Therefore, the provision of health to all the citizens was a priority of the government. This commitment was evident with the fact that, the government provided free health services to members of the public. Moreover the public was encouraged to take part in construction of clinics, hospitals and medical training. This increased health personnel and medical structures in the country. As a result, life expectancy increased from 44 years at independence to 68 years in the 1980s whereas infant mortality dropped significantly from about 220 deaths per 1000 new born to 70 per 1000 new born (Rono, 2002). However, the economic pressures brought about in the 1980s by the structural adjustment programs placed a lot of pressure on the government’s expenditure. Subsequently, the government responded by cutting down on social services especially in health. The government introduced cost sharing whereby the beneficiaries of health services were to pay some amount of money before receiving health services for the medication and the government catering the cost of medical personnel. Thereafter medical quality has been deteriorating, thus affecting Kenyans and especially the poor and the vulnerable groups. This has led to the reduction of life expectancy rate of 68 years in the 1970s to 61 years in 2012 (Data: Life expectancy at birth, total (years), 2014) . Agriculture The structural adjustment programs on agriculture were meant to introduce reforms that would provide incentives of increased production to farmers. Although, there were improved policy reforms on implementation, agriculture and food production has been declining. SAPs were meant to remove government control and monopoly in agricultural products marketing, pricing, imports and distribution. Decontrol of prices, trade liberalization and deregulation of market encouraged the participation of the private sector in the production and distribution of agricultural products. However trade liberalization worked out to be a disadvantage of local farmers as it allowed for cheaper imports of subsidized agricultural commodities from western countries. This culminated in the collapse of certain agricultural industries in Kenya for example cotton (Nyangito, 2003). Politics Structural adjustment programs have had a mixed impact on the political arena of Kenya. It would be unfair to overlook the positive effects the programs have had on politics in the country. It is true to say that the program enforced by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund ushered in of political pluralism, greater democracy, respect for human rights and accountability of the government to the citizens. However the positive effects came accompanied with a list of negative impacts too. The programs are accused of heightening tribal tensions, polarizing communities and further increased ferocious ethnic clashes that have resulted in the death of hundreds of people and a lot being displaced as well. Moreover, the programs are said to have lessened national leaders to tribal chiefs leading to the infusion of tribalism in all sectors of development thus being an obstacle to growth and development (Rono, 2002). CONCLUSION Within the African context, the impacts of the structural adjustment programs have been a controversial issue. Presently, just about 20 years after the programs were introduced in Africa, they continue to be detested by the people because they were conveyed by a number of conditions that have worsened the living conditions of Africans. Scholars have argued that these conditions are based on economic models that are not fit for the social structure and situation of Africa. The programs were intended to improve the economy in the long run but in the short run, the social aspect of human development especially in the provision of social services has been ignored and suffered tremendously. African scholars should therefore with solutions to counter the problem brought about by structural adjustment programs rather than letting western scholars experiment programs with no reference to the social-cultural background of Africans. BIBLIOGRAPHY Adepoju, A. (1993). The Impact of Structural Adjustment on the Population of Africa. In A. Adepoju, The Impact of Structural Adjustment on the Population of Africa (pp. 1-6). London: Villiers Publication. Data: Life expectancy at birth, total (years). (2014, November 21). Retrieved from The World Bank Group : http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN Leftwich, A. (1996). â€Å"Two Cheers for Democracy? Democracy and the Developmental State.†In Leftwich, A. (ed) Democracy and Development: Theory and Practice. Polity Press: Cambridge. Mwega, F.W. and Ndulu K. (1994). Economic Adjustment Policies. In Barkan, J.D. Beyond Capitalism verses Socialism in Kenya and Tanzania, Nairobi, East African Educational Publishers. Nyangito, H.O. (2003). Agricultural Trade Reforms in Kenya under the World Trade Organization Framework. KIPPRA PP No. 25 Obamba, M. O. (2009). Myth and ceremony: Contested Marketization and Internationalization Regimes in Kenyas Higher education. Journal of Higher Education in Africa, 7(3), 125–149. Programs:World Health Organisation. (2014, November 21). Retrieved from World Health Organisation: http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story084/en/ Rono, J. K. (2002). The Impact of the Structural Adjustment Programmes on Kenyan Society. Journal of Social Development in Africa, 17(1), 81-98. Swammy, G. (1994). Adjustment in Africa: Lessons from Country Case Studies, Washington, DC, the World Bank Toussaint, E. and Comanne, D. (1995): Globalization and Debt. Notebooks for Study and Research 24/25. 1
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Essay examples --
It is already well known that treating LPS to RAW 264.7 cells increases both the latter’s length and surface area, as the former is recognized by the latter as a PAMP (Christie). While the general direction of morphological change was predicted, its degree with respect to the concentration of LPS solution treated still remained in question. Thus, the investigation assessed the following two aspects of morphological change compared to their negative control groups: Difference in average length and surface area of RAW 264.7 cells. As shown in Figure 3 of this investigation, a positive correlation exists between the concentration of LPS solution treated and the difference in average length of RAW 264.7 cells compared to that of those of the negative control group; for instance, the latter increased from 14.385  µm to 53.763  µm as the former increased from 0.1  µg†¢ml-1 to 100  µg†¢ml-1. The latter’s magnitude of increase decreased with each increase in the former, exhibiting the correlation’s logarithmic behavior; compared to the latter’s increase from 25.215  µm to 44.001  µm as the former increased from 1  µg†¢ml-1 to 10  µg†¢ml-1, the latter’s increase from 44.001  µm to 53.763  µm as the former increased from 10  µg†¢ml-1 to 100  µg†¢ml-1 was marginal. The overall correlation between the two variables shown is strong, as evidenced by its high correlation coefficient value (R2=0.9846) and the absence of outliers throughout th e data. Figure 4 of this investigation also displays a positive correlation between the concentration of LPS solution treated and the difference in average surface area of RAW 264.7 cells compared to that of those of the negative control group; for instance, the latter increased from 55.714  µm2 to 277.400  µm2 as the former ... ...ral weaknesses were considered. For instance, fractures in cytoplasmic processes most likely have originated from physical damage rather than from immunologic interactions; repeated attempts to attach coverslips onto the SEM specimen stubs using carbon adhesive tabs seems to be the cause. Nevertheless, previous studies on relevant fields show that some transcription factors involved in TLR4 signaling pathway may regulate LPS-induced apoptosis in macrophages (Ma et al. 41827). Connections could thus be drawn between the concentration of LPS solution treated and RAW 264.7 cell death to some degree. The existence of a threshold value for LPS concentration to induce cell death may also explain the logarithmic correlations seen in differences in average length and surface area of RAW 264.7 cells, suggesting a limit to which the cells can undertake immunologic responses.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
The Crucible - How John Proctor Changed Essay -- Essay on The Crucible
The Crucible - How John Proctor changed throughout the storyline from mistreating his wife by cheating on her while she was ill with Abigail, to someone who took the blame so no one else got in trouble. The Crucible In this essay I will talk about how John Proctor changed throughout the storyline from mistreating his wife by cheating on her while she was ill with Abigail, to someone who took the blame so no one else got in trouble. The Crucible is based on the true story of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials where people were hanged if they were accused of being a witch. All of them were innocent and wrongly hanged. Arthur Miller has changed some of the play so it would be easier to write about like the girls in crying out has been reduced and Abigail's age has been raised. There were also 7 judges of equal authority which has all been symbolized in Hathorne and Danforth. The story starts out with a group of girls who were caught dancing in the woods by Reverend Parris. He also saw one of them naked in the woods. Next morning Betty falls ill and Parris keeps asking what's wrong with her and what did Abigail do to her. He asks about the devil and Abigail sees this as an opportunity to blame people for being involved with the devil and getting her own back on people. We then see people coming into the house and leaving. Abigail tells all these people who she saw with the devil. Later on we get introduced to John Proctor who was respected in Salem and even feared. He is in his middle thirties and was a farmer. Then in Act2 John Proctor sits down to dinner with his wife, Elizabeth. Mary Warren, their servant, has gone to the witch trials, disobeying Elizabeth's order that she remain in the house. Fourteen... ...eople were acting quickly. At the beginning everybody speaks with the same dialect. He uses goody for names which is short for good wife. And people call each other with mister and miss. This all contributes to the feeling of a different society. Distanced not only by time but by the way it communicated. While we was reading it in class, there was some people who thought that John Proctor took the easy way out and was being selfish by committing suicide and leaving his children and wife to them selves and not standing up to the rest of the village by knowing that people wouldn't like him anymore and if he died then he wouldn't have to put up with that. I think though that he changed during the play and did what was right by trying to do his best and make up to his wife about his mistakes. He changes and tries to take the blame instead of everyone else.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
International Marketing MacDonald`s Essay
This paper will look at the development of the McDonalds Corporation in Kazakhstan and the obstacles that it has overcome. It will also look at the McDonalds Corporation in relation to its major competitors and analyze how the company has responded to its surrounding environment. In closing, we will look at the prospects for McDonald’s future and it will be clear that McDonalds will be able to maintain its dominant market position. It will continue to be a model that serves as a benchmark for others in the industry. We will go on to analyze the market segments, target market, advertisement of the corporation to the target audience and performance of McDonald’s Corporation. 1.0 Introduction McDonalds Corp., headquartered in Oak Brook Illinois, is the world’s number one fast food chain, serving about 49 million customers daily. The company operates and licenses more than 31,000 restaurants 30,000 McDonald’s in about 120 countries which generated a total $19.06 million in revenues for the fiscal year of 2012. McDonald’s brand is one of the ten most popular brands worldwide. Continuous marketing, promotional and public relations activities promote McDonald’s brand image in order to differentiate the Company from its many competitors. McDonald’s restaurant offer a menu that is uniform to all locations and emphasizes low value prices which includes its famous burgers, cheeseburgers like the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, several chicken sandwiches, Chicken McNuggets, french fries, salads, desserts, sundaes, soft drinks and other beverages. Its restaurants also provide breakfast menu that would include Egg McMuffin, bagel sandwiches, hotcakes, and muffins. Many new products were introduced in the last two years in accordance to the management’s decision to establish a new menu with more choices that is expected to bring a significant growth in sales as it was already shown by the financial results of 2012 which the highest increase in US comparable sales for the last 30 years. The successful manager constructs a marketing program designed for optimal adjustment to the uncertainty of the business climate. The inner circle represents the area under control of the marketing manager. Assuming the necessary overall corporate resources structures, and competencies that can limit or promote strategic choice the marketing manager blends price, product, promotion, channels-of-distribution, and research activities to capitalize on anticipated demand. The controllable elements can be altered in the long run and, usually, in the short run to adjust to changing market conditions, consumer tastes, or corporate objectives. Kazakhstan, from the Kazakh language, means a land of Kazakhs Stan – land. Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia, and is the ninth largest country in the world after Russia, China, USA, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and Australia. It is situated north of Uzbekistan, northwest of Kyrgyzstan, northwest of Turkmenistan, east of China, and south of Russia. Kazakhstan shares the Caspian Sea with other countries on its western border. As its neighbors in the region, Kazakhstan is a landlocked country and the second largest republic of the Commonwealth of Independent States after the Russian Federation. Kazakhstan doesn`t have MacDonald’s in the market. However it is really good opportunity to bring the fast food to a new market and get to know the culture. There must be a reason behind not having world’s most famous fast food corporation in a big country. According to my research it is possible to bring new product to the new market and get success in that market. 2.0 Objectives 1. To introduce MacDonald`s to a new market in Kazakhstan city of Almaty 2. To open 20 franchise by the end of 2015 in Almaty, Kazakhstan 3. To increase sales in fast food in 5 coming years. 4. To increase the customers till 50% by the end of 1st year. 3.0 Issues The theoretical framework of this study is based on a number of relevant theories that are discussed in this part. The model which authors constructed in this study integrates cross-culture and 4P marketing strategy. It can be divided into two parts. Firstly, the authors will analyze some components of culture which lead to the phenomenon of cross culture, such as the different values, languages and customer behaviors. During this process, Hofstede‟s culture dimensions will be employed as the approach to understand cross-culture better. Secondly, based on the analysis of marketing standardization and adaptation, the marketing mix 4ps as main international marketing strategies will be used to achieve our research purpose. When marketers discuss international marketing, one of the important issues often considered is the cultural differences. In relation to international marketing, culture can be defined as â€Å"the sum total of learned beliefs, values, and customs that serve to direct consumer behavior in a particular country‟s market†(Doole and Lowe, 2008, p.73). Such components as beliefs, values and customs are often ingrained in a society and have obvious differences among different countries. Cultural differences manifest themselves in several ways. Hofstede (2001) distinguishes symbols, heroes, rituals and values. Among theseï ¼Å'the underlying values are invisible. Although values are always invisible and may be hard to measure, they often play an important role when the marketers try to make decisions, which help to enter a foreign market. Also, according to Mooij (2004), the values that characterize a society cannot be observed directly. They can be inferred from various cultural products (fairy tales, children‟s books, or advertising) or by asking members of society to score personal values by stating their preferences among alternatives, and then calculating the central tendency of the answers. When it comes to marketing, the value concept is often used in an ethnocentric way. Besides, values are learned unconsciously, people are only partly aware of them, and measuring values is not an easy job (Lowe et al, 1998). Often, the problems they face are a result of their mistaken assumption that foreign markets will be similar to the home market, and so they can do the business in a similar way. Doole and Lowe (2007) point out that the values of a culture satisfy a need within that society for order, direction and guidance. Culture sets the standards shared by significant sections of that society which, in turn, set the rules for operating in that market. Mooij (2003) considered that the managers of transnational corporations should provide appropriate products according to the local consumer values and buying behaviors of a certain market. The product strategy owing to cultural factors, usage factors and legal factors. Hall (1990) described some countries‟ culture is high-context culture. 3.1 SWOT Analysis 3.2 Strength MacDonald’s has a strong global presence with its nearest domestic competitor being only half its size, McDonald’s is the market leader in both the domestic and international markets. MacDonald’s benefit from cost reduction through economies of scale because of its enormous size and its huge global presence allows it to diversify risk involved with the economic performance of specific countries. In international markets, MacDonald’s is well placed to expand and take advantage of long-term economic growth. MacDonald’s also has a strong real estate portfolio. The company’s outlets are located in areas that are highly known for visibility, traffic volume and ease of access. MacDonald’s also has exceptional brand recognition. This strong brand recognition creates significant opportunities for the company. MacDonald’s is able to generate more sales because of its brand recognition. 3.3 Weakness The food industry is really saturated. As a result of this, MacDonald’s has to deal with the prospect of looming market saturation, which could make it difficult to add new outlets. The market is forecast to grow by around 2% per year. Lack of product innovation is another weakness of McDonalds. The last breakthrough for McDonald’s was the Chicken McNugget in 1983, but again the company’s new strategy seems to have successfully dealt with the problem through the popularity of its new salads and other new products. 3.4 Opportunity MacDonald’s sold its Donatos Pizzeria back to its founder in 2003 and discontinued Boston market operations outside of the US. The company will instead focus on Chipotle Grill which is the company’s most successful non MacDonald’s branded chain of restaurants. Also to increase profitability the company has slowed its expansion of McDonald’s restaurants so as to refurbish and change the image of current restaurants and adding new features such as Internet access. 3.5 Treats McDonald’s is exposed to changes in the global economy. The company’s aggressive international expansion has left it extremely vulnerable to other countries economic slowdown. Foreign currency fluctuation is also another problem global companies like McDonalds. The Fast food industry is becoming an increasingly competitive sector. MacDonald’s keeps up with competitors through expensive promotional campaigns which leads to limited margins to gain market share. McDonald’s is attempting to differentiate itself, with new formats and new menu items, but other fast food industry are doing the same too. 4.0 Marketing MacDonald`s in Kazakhstan 4.1 Marketing Mix The marketing mix can be adjusted on a frequent basis, to meet the changing needs of the target group, and the other dynamics of the marketing environment Barlon and Kimuli (2006). They are as follows: product, price, place, and promotion. Having identified its key audiences, a company has to ensure a marketing mix is created those appeals specifically to those people. The marketing mix is a term used to describe the four main marketing tools the 4Ps. By analyzing detailed information about their customers, as derived from ongoing market research, the McDonald’s Marketing department can ascertain information key to determining the correct marketing mix. * Which products are well received in Kazakhstan * What prices consumers are willing to pay * What TV programmers, newspapers and advertising consumers read and view * Which restaurants are visited Accurate research is essential in creating the right marketing mix which will help to win customer loyalty and increase sales. As the economy and social attitudes change, so do buying patterns. McDonald’s needs to identify whether the number of target customers is growing or shrinking and whether their buying habits will change in the future. Market research considers everything that affects buying decisions. These buying decisions can often be affected by factors wider than just the product itself. Psychological factors are important, e.g. the image a particular product conveys or how the consumer feels when purchasing it. These psychological factors are of significant importance to the customer. They can be even more important than the products’ physical benefits. Through marketing, McDonald’s establishes a promine nt position in the minds of customers. This is known as branding. 4.2 Product The important thing to remember when offering menu items to potential customers is that there is a huge amount of choice available to those potential customers with regard to how and where they spend their money. Therefore McDonald’s places considerable emphasis on developing a menu which customers want. Market research establishes exactly what this is. However, customers’ requirements change over time. What is fashionable and attractive today may be discarded tomorrow. Marketing continuously monitors customers’ preferences. At any time a company will have a portfolio of products, each in a different stage of its cycle. Some of McDonald’s options are growing in popularity while arguably the Big Mac is at the ‘maturity’ stage. 4.3 Price The customer’s perception of value is an important determinant of the price charged. Customers draw their own mental picture of what a product is worth. A product is more than a physical item; it also has psychological connotations for the customer. The danger of using low price as a marketing tool is that the customer may feel that a low price is indicative of compromised quality. It is important when deciding on the price to be fully aware of the brand and its integrity. 4.5 Promotions The promotions aspect of the marketing mix covers all types of marketing communications. One of the methods employed is advertising, sometimes known as ‘above the line’ activity. Advertising is conducted on TV, radio, in cinema, online, using poster sites and in the press for example in newspapers and magazines. What distinguishes advertising from other marketing communications is that media owners are paid before the advertiser can take space in the medium. Other promotional methods include sales promotions, point of sale display, merchandising, direct mail, telemarketing, exhibitions, seminars, loyalty schemes, door drops, demonstrations, etc. 4.6 Place Place, as an element of the marketing mix, is not just about the physical location or distribution points for products. It encompasses the management of a range of processes involved in bringing products to the end consumer.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Outline the reasons for the growth in global tourism over the last several decades
Tourism was never a major part of everyday life in a HIC. In 1955 there were approximately 36,000 visitors to Kenya in Africa and it generated i1. 6 million. However only a decade later (2005) there was about 1. 2 million visitors and that generated about i800 million. What are the reasons for this startling development? and what are the impacts on the environment and the local indigenous tribes or cities? Now a days there are more forms of tourism. These are: Ecotourism (a sustainable form of tourism that has respect for the environment and the local cultures), Adventure tourism (trekking, cycling, climbing etc) and cultural tourism (visits to historical sites, interesting cities and different cultures). In 1841, a mass excursion (expedition/trip) from Loughborough to Leicester was organised by Tomas Cooke. This was a huge success and after this Tomas Cooke went on to developed trips to more distance destinations. Also railways and sea link were opened up. Also 30 years after starting his excursions he started his first round the world trip (video 183 development of tourism sheet). From that point on holidays were the ‘must have for the people of Britain. ‘ Most of the rich people spent their holidays in Blackpool. In the early 1900's it became the resort for the ‘common people'. One of the main reasons for this was because there were ‘works week' which was a week of full pay for a holiday in Blackpool. There are a lot of reasons for the growth of tourism over the decades these are: there are more holidays on offer so people can go on holiday for anything up to 4 weeks long. Also because there are more long haul flights to exotic destinations it is quite cheap to travel to other countries (e. g. a flight to Cape Town (South Africa) is i350). Also the other reasons for the growth in global tourism are: people can retire early with pension and go on longer holidays. Also there are a lot more people with less children due to working so people can go on great adventure holidays without worrying about their children. There are also people with a greater affluence (people are generally wealthier than in the past, and there is more money to spend on luxury items such as holidays and leisure pursuits (new key geography for GCSE p. 231), there is also a lot more mobility and accessibility (the increase of car ownership and improvements in the roads, rail and air travel. These reduce travel time and make it a lot easier). Also there are more package holidays (cheaper holidays are possible with block bookings and deals where travel, accommodation and meals are all included in the price). And finally there are tonnes and tonnes of advertising for various luxury holidays. These include brochures and holiday programmes; these promote new and different places and activities. People are now more aware of holiday opportunities available to them. As you can see there are a lot of reasons for the recent growth of tourism and there will be plenty more in the near future. B. For a named example, discuss the social, economic and environmental impacts of mass tourism growth Kenya is one of the most visited countries by tourists in the whole of Africa; in 1991 there were over 800,000 tourists that visited Kenya. This also brought approximately i4 billion. However, even though mass tourism can have its benefits it can have a lot of impacts on the population, the environment and the economy of the country as well. There are a lot of environmental impacts in Kenya due to tourism. Most of these impacts are very serious and are damaging the local environment and ruining the habitats for the wildlife. For example, on the coastline the boats that takes various tourists out to see the wildlife or go diving. However, the boats then anchor to the coral reef; this causes the corral to die and ruins the habitat for the fish. Also the beaches are overcrowded and are littered and the cars that people can drive around causes pollution. This can be a problem because if sulphur dioxide is released into the atmosphere then acid rain can be caused. Eroding the rocks and the corral reefs around the coastline. Thus destroying the local environment ran
Sunday, September 15, 2019
How does Forster(TM)s narrative style affect the relationship between reader, character and situation? Essay
Forster’s narrative style affects the relationship between reader, character and situation in many different ways. Forster’s narrative technique is often quite muddled. His style of narration wavers between optimism and uncertainty. He is always trying to show and describe one thing but means something else. He starts out with a certain vision, only to have it falter in subtle and frightening ways, and then reaffirms it. His narrative style can be rather subtle at times especially when he reveals his own opinion about a character, it is very indirect. However, on the contrary one of Forster’s narrative techniques is to address the reader directly. Forster also leaves the reader to make their own view on the character; many times he does not reveal an opinion about the character so the reader can create their own interpretation. His narrative style can affect the situation in diverse techniques. Forster can describe the situation in which Lucy can let out her emotion in her conscious and unconscious state, he reefers to music. How he describes general way of being and life in A Room with a View has a link to music. The affirmation from his certain vision comes with an artistic admission. The articulate, dominant narrative voice chooses to have things turn out that way. For example Forster show the readers that life in his novels is rather like Beethoven’s sonnets ‘ They can triumph or despair as the player decides and Lucy had decided that they should triumph’ (Page twenty nine) The music becomes a way to show and relate to how Lucy attempts to convince her subconscious of a certain lifestyle. Forster also uses his artistic admission with Lucy and the way in which Forster narrates his novel affects how the readers view the characters. Using Lucy Honeychurch as an example, the readers gain a connection with her. At the beginning of the novel Forster revealed her immaturity and often showed it with his narrative techniques. Throughout the novel the reader sees that Lucy develops into a more mature character. For example, her break up with Cecil shows the readers that she has finally distinguished her own thoughts realising that Cecil is not the man for her. The situation is narrated through the vision of art. Forster describes Cecil’s constant comparisons of Lucy to a Leonardo. It is based on Cecil’s perception of her â€Å"shadows†and â€Å"reticence†, which are actually signs of her confusion and repression. Lucy is always muddled and the reader sometimes does not comprehend her, it is all to do with her not knowing what she really wants. Just as the reader starts to think they understand her Forster muddles up his narrative technique and ‘throws’ the reader from their thoughts quite subtly. Subtlety plays quite a vital role in Forster’s narrative manner. He uses it in many ways, to describe the characters in deep thought. He also uses it with the character Mr. Beebe. He is clearly gay, just like E. M. Forster himself and Forster states the fact of Mr. Beebe’s sexuality however in an extremely clever and subtle way without making the whole situation too obvious. The indirect narration of the characters plays a major role in the novel. Forster reveals his own opinion very indirectly. It provides a fine example of the highly visual nature of Forster’s narrative style and his concentration of the gaze on characters, especially male ones. The readers can see that he favours Mr. Emerson and therefore Forster makes no criticism towards him. The readers can see that few characters receive full lengthy physical description. However, on the contrary, Forster shows the characters that he is not so fond of, for example, Miss Bartlett. Forster subtly criticises her in his narration. Most of the novel is narrated from Lucy’s prospective and at times from Mr. Beebe’s and Charlottes. Lucy and Charlotte’s relationship is exposed. Forster makes it obvious that Lucy is told what to think by Charlotte. He narrates it in such a way that it represents the freedom (or lack of it) that Lucy has. At the beginning of the novel Lucy is inferior to Charlotte and is expected to think what charlotte thinks and do what she does. It illustrates the opposition of immaturity and maturity shown in the beginning and end of the book. Forster also shows opposition within his narration between the characters. For instance, Ms. Bartlett and Cecil are described as more conservative characters more indoor kind of people and are generally narrated doing things less active. A vast majority of the time they are only narrated doing things inside. However, comparing them to Freddy, Lucy and George it shows extreme distinction between characters because they are more outdoor and active characters, often narrated doing thing outside which then goes on to show the link to the view and how they appreciate it a lot more than Cecil and Charlotte. For example, Cecil refuses to play tennis stating that he was not made to play sport. Overall, Forster’s narrative style affects the relationship between the Readers by subtly favouring the character, by showing criticism towards the character or not criticising them at all and leaving the opinion to be made by the reader. His narrative style affects the situation by linking it to something that the reader can refer to, in this case, art and music. This therefore leads to a much more vivid image of the situation that the reader creates in his of her mind.
Look Before You Leap Essay
Frankenstein is not a literary island, isolated and alone. It is connected to a great many literary works by some common themes. One such theme is the idea of experimentation. Mythology in particular and history in general, has shown us that the right to experiment comes with an equal responsibility to stop and think about what we are doing before we do it. Time and time again we have heard the story of Frankenstein. Equally well known is that of Einstein and his search for the secrets of the atom. Both of these show that reckless experimentation without adequate research can prove deadly due to unforeseen results. Victor Frankenstein provides an excellent example of how not to make decisions. This man ran headstrong into every decision he had to make, without at any point stopping to think about what he was doing. He shows us his lack of regard toward the responsibility he clearly had as the creator of the monster. His greatest mistake is when he doesn’t take the time to consider the results of his actions before the initial creation. He then exacerbates his error by abandoning his creation, like the teenage mother who, upon discovering her inability to care for her child, leaves it to fend for itself. Had Victor taken the time to contemplate his actions, he surely would have not created his monster, and he, William, Elizabeth and the rest of his family would have lived in peace. It is pretty basic knowledge that Albert Einstein worked with the scientists of the Los Alamos National Laboratory to facilitate the splitting of the atom, and consequently the development of the atomic bomb and the modern nuclear weapon. What is lesser known is that Einstein realized the result of his possibly misguided actions and immediately began to attempt to ensure that his research not be used. He campaigned within the scientific community, and begged the President not to misuse everything he had spent his life coming up with. In the end, however, 90,000 people died and 180,000 people were injured when the first two atomic weapons were released on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Had Einstein thought through the possible consequences of his work, he likely would never have been involved with the Manhattan Project. As it was, he lived his life feeling guilty about the loss of life that he felt was his fault. A common archetype of these tales of woe is that with the ability to experiment comes an innate responsibility to consider the consequences of your actions prior to acting on your ideas. History has shown that those who act impulsively eventually succumb to their lack of foresight and live to regret the results.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Is the Ecological Crisis the Human Rights Concern of the Century Essay
The ecological crisis has now become an important topic throughout the years. Even so, toward the end of the last century, the issues of such crises became a focal talking point of governments, international organisations and scholars. This most likely is, as Leigh (2005) discusses, an increasing acceptance that such ecological disasters affecting mankind has been one of â€Å"the most critical turning points†that the world has ever encountered. Such crises are experienced when our environment is modified in ways which undermine our continued existence. As the environment and its ecosystems are in a constant state of being damaged, its quality is vastly ruined and this has major effects on the lives that are dependent on it. Magdoff and Foster (2011) suggest that for the ecological crisis to be understood, it must be looked at in the sense of the boundaries of the planet. They go on to indicate that ultimately the Earth has several thresholds which it must remain in in order to preserve the gentle conditions that the Earth has experienced in the past century. These thresholds include loss of biodiversity, climate change, a depleting ozone layer, world-wide freshwater and chemical pollution. Unfortunately, the planet has already passed two of these, including loss of biodiversity and climate change due to our damaging activities that cause environmental disparities. Until recently, the ecological crisis and its subsequent effects have been discussed mainly in the scientific disciplines as merely an environmental issue. It has also been made into an economic concern. However, it is now more than ever in the 21st century being debated and referred to as a subject for human rights. This essay seeks to examine the issue of the impact of the ecological crisis, its human rights implications, and how it has come to be considered the human rights concern of the century. The Ecological Crisis The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st has seen a remarkable increase in the number of environmental catastrophes that the Earth has experienced. These disasters have not been just limited to one eographic region but they have affected nearly every single part of the planet. Some have included climate change, which in turn has been affected by the greenhouse effect and gases ; the advent of peak oil; loss of biodiversity and therefore diminished quantities and quality of food supplies; plus deforestation, chemical pollution and oil spills. These in turn have had a knock-on effect on the way of living for man and caused such issues as rising sea levels, floods, reduced food resources, droughts, and polluted air and water supply. As mentioned, the Earth’s threshold for climate change and biodiversity loss has been passed and this has already been causing irreparable harm to the planet’s ecosystems and the environment. It is still possible, however, to stop such effects from permanent harm to the environment, which is why the ecological crisis has become such an important matter for discussion today. Climate Change â€Å"Of all the environmental issues that have emerged in the past decades, global climate change has been the most serious and most difficult to manage†(Dessler and Parson, 2006). Like with the above quote, it is thought by many scientists and scholars that climate change is and will be the biggest threat to the environment mainly because of its potential to bring about such brutal destruction. Oxfam International (2008) stated that some of the 23 richest countries in the world (comprising Canada, Australia and USA) where just fourteen percent of the entire world population inhabits, produced almost sixty percent of the planet’s carbon emissions since the 1800s. The Earth’s climate is changing. In fact, it has always been varying from time to time. However, the degree of change is now the big worry. The Great Warming (2006) defines climate change as an alteration in the â€Å"long-term climate†of a particular area. It is further stated that humans contribute to this climate change by discharging greenhouse gases and sprays up into the atmosphere while also modifying the land we live on. Dessler and Parson (2006) debate the forecasts for climate change in the 21st century are more or less unclear, nonetheless, this uncertainty can work either way in that the climate may increase or decrease. The prospect of such unknowns makes this question a lot graver. Many of the activities that individuals carry out on a daily basis has contributed significantly to the greenhouse effect, the depletion of the ozone layer, and therefore climate change. As The Great Warming (2006) put it, the inhabitants of the Earth are constantly burning fossil fuels for heating of houses, for production of electricity and to run machines and vehicles. All of these activities have been adding to the warming effect on the atmosphere. The UNDP (2007) report on fighting climate change established that since the start of the industrial age, the temperature of the Earth has risen by about 0. 7 degrees Celsius and this increase seems to be speeding up with time. The report went further in determining that if a threshold of 2oC is broken, we hazard the idea of greater irreparable damage to the environment. Magdoff and Foster (2011) quotes the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stating that by the end of the century in 2100, the most probable temperature increase worldwide will be in the 2. to 4. 6oC range. This, we can see, is far higher than the previously mentioned threshold of 2oC, and as the authors mention, is a major cause for concern and panic. Such drastic climate change can ultimately lead to ice caps melting, sea levels rising, droughts, forced migration of peoples, a reduction in food produce, and danger to coastal regions. This can lead to reduced health and welfare of the population while also causing serious issues with atmospheric pollution. Other forms of the Ecological Crisis Climate change has not been the only crisis the environment has faced. There has also been widespread degradation with other human-driven activities. Goodhart (2009) explains that the ecosystem has been affected by severe exhaustion of its resources. This includes deforestation which has led to erosion and land slippage and thus pushed people out of their habitat. Oils spills have been a major source of concern, according to Goodhart, which has threatened the survival of certain oceanic species that are a vital source of food for man. The ecological crisis will affect the entire world population if nothing is done to stop the effects of all these contributory factors. This has led international organisations such as the United Nations (UN) to establish various agencies and protocols that will guide international actors in dealing with the crisis. These include the IPCC, as well as the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The UN has also held several conferences over the years to tackle the problems including the Earth Summit in Brazil and the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) . As will be seen in the next section, some of these mechanisms have begun placing more emphasis on and framing the environmental issues as human rights concerns. Relationship between the Ecological Crisis and Human Rights â€Å"As the world marks the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay points out that a wide range of universally recognized rights including food, life, water and adequate housing are under a direct threat as a result of climate change†(OHCHR, 2008a). The destruction of the environment and its consequent effects on humans is leading to grave human rights concerns. In its resolution on climate change, the UN Human Rights Council stated their concern for climate change posing a direct danger to communities in the world, further suggesting that this ecological crisis has consequences for the â€Å"full enjoyment of human rights†(HRC, 2008) . Framing of the issues in human rights terms has been a very useful tool for creating greater awareness of its impacts and ensuring that the subject reaches new actors and activists, ultimately influencing the process for the better. Human rights are now frequently referred to as â€Å"universal and indivisible†. For this reason, Hawkins (2010) suggests that every human being is â€Å"entitled to every basic right by virtue of their humanity†. As climate change is possibly the biggest ecological concern of late, many scholars refer to it the most when focusing on the human rights implications. However, there are still very deep human rights concerns for the other contributors to the crisis. Depledge (2007) mentioned that there are, at present, no organisations such as the UN that blatantly suggests a right to a healthy environment. Nevertheless, he proposes that the human right to health covered under the UDHR directly implies a link to the environment. This is because the way in which the environment is kept can and does affect the security of people. Therefore, we see truth in Commissioner Navi Pillay’s words in mentioning these rights. Hunter (2009,p. 7) also suggests that climate change can have an impact on the right to self-determination. One example of the effect of the crisis on this right is that of the Inuit people of Alaska who in 2005 submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights suggesting that their â€Å"way of life†was being hindered by climate change which in turn influences their continued existence and culture. Climate change, if continued on its current path will increasingly raise the Earth’s temperature. This will further affect the water sources, our food, and cause major disease outbreaks. These activities are bound to result in significant human rights violations under the various charters and treaties. Firstly, the right to health will see a drastic rise of malnutrition in children. There will also be a threat of major increases in droughts and flooding around the world (Oxfam, 2008). Another right that needs to be preserved during this process is the all-important right to life and security. Article 3 of the UDHR asks for the â€Å"right to life, liberty and security of person†. These rights are in serious danger of being breached from the issues of the ecological crisis. Goodhart (2009) maintains that the depletion of environmental resources like clean water and oil has â€Å"been a cause of violent conflict in several areas around the world†and this is of extreme distress because of the occurrence of, say, peak oil. Climate change can greatly affect the security of people around the world. As a result of the rising sea levels, the increased temperature and therefore the damage to land, inhabitants of the Earth will experience more flooding, droughts and fires, heat waves and higher occurrence of storms. All of these can ultimately lead to death and an increase in numbers. Another important right affected by this crisis has been the right to food as stipulated in Article 11(1) of the ICESCR . Current trends are not a good sign for people’s right to food under this treaty. Oxfam (2008) suggests that any further warming of the planet is bound to expose fifty million more people to hunger by the year 2020. Within another 30 years in 2050, that number could vastly increase to 132 million. These are extremely high numbers that would be detrimental to the survival of many regions and populations. The Oxfam report cites the case of Africa, where land for cultivation is being reduced by climate change causing the season for growing crop to decrease thereby producing less crop for food. The International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP) categorically mentions that climate change creates violations of human rights due to the constant harm that we are inflicting on the environment (ICHRP, 2008). The most serious effects of the ecological crisis will usually and unfortunately be experienced by the people whose rights and protections are currently not being respected and so occurrences like climate change, tar sands, and pollution will have a greater impact on the more disregarded populations. This includes the poor and usually indigenous peoples around the world. As Havermann (2009) put it, the indigenous peoples around the world are some of those that are most susceptible to these crises while being the ones who have the smallest responsibility for them. For example, the oil and gas expansion by multinational corporations around the world is having severe effects on climate change and the environment, leading on to issues for human rights particularly with indigenous peoples. As Karliner (1991) noted, oil and its excavation has an overwhelmingly negative effect on the economic stability of these groups. Also a huge concern, as a result, is their health which tends to suffer from these activities. The problems faced by many countries with deforestation have also been exacerbating the situation for the realisation of human rights around the world. Many of the forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. The boomerang effect is thus a reduction in the all-important biodiversity that the forests contain and that is necessary for the continued livelihood and survival of those dependent on it. This includes, according to ICHRP (2008), the over fifty million tribal inhabitants of forests around the globe who are constantly affected with their food safety harshly curtailed. If the present rates at which such deforestation and the previously mentioned rises of climate change, oil spills and pollution continue, it is thought that a majority of the rainforests on the Earth will have vanished even before the 21st century has ended. Concern of the Century? Many environmentalists and human rights defenders have framed the ecological crisis as one with a human rights dimension. This is because most see it now as a serious inhibitor to development, to the daily living of man and to fulfilling the rights that have been laid out in the various international instruments. The ecological crisis has seen a large number of environmental problems over the years and its effects are now being debated fiercely on the world stage. Some world leaders, scientists and the general population are all trying to engage in finding solutions to the problem while others still question and underestimate the gravity of the phenomenon. The issue has become a major concern, not just for the planet physically, but also in a human rights context because the ecological crisis single-handedly affects a range of different human rights as seen above. In many instances, its effects can breach more rights than some of the other current rights violators. In addition, while most abuses of human rights can generally be halted voluntarily, if these environmental problems are allowed to linger untreated then at some point in time the destruction of the environment would have become irreversible. This in turn would result in more human rights violations. As Hawkins (2010) argues, the resources of the planet are limited and so to continue with the existing trend will place humanity in peril. Also, the atmosphere cannot distinguish between the greenhouse gases that affect climate change by the region it comes from (UNDP, 2007). Climate change, for example, is non-discriminatory and unlike other rights violations being perpetrated around the world, it can affect just about anyone. This is why such a huge international human rights advocacy process has now been implemented. In a statement in 2007, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon referred to climate change as â€Å"the greatest emerging humanitarian challenge of our time†which is â€Å"menacing the whole human family†. As the UNFCCC acknowledged in the framework, the universal reach of the effects of climate change requires the â€Å"widest possible co-operation from all countries†(UNFCCC, 1992). It is evident that the human rights implications of the ecological crisis is a great concern for many people especially in the recent efforts by NGOs to publicise the matter, while a number of measures have been put in place by international organisations such as the UN to tackle the problems – through summits, conferences and protocols like the Kyoto protocol. In 2008, a resolution was passed by the Organisation of American States (OAS) on human rights and climate change (ICHRP, 2008). The commitments set forth in the 1997 Kyoto protocol are soon to end in 2012. Neglecting to meet these obligations will cause us to reach even closer to further crisis. In December 2011, Canada officially pulled out of its commitments to the protocol (Carrington and Vaughan, 2011). The backlash and criticism from world leaders and actors was astounding and this showed the level that the ecological crisis and its implications for human life have reached in this century. Conclusion Going forward without confronting this global challenge that is the ecological crisis with the seriousness that it deserves will result in countless human rights violations around the globe. The climate change, deforestation, oil spills and rising sea levels will cause a massive increase in the destruction of habitats, reduced water supply, island and coastal regions vanishing, and greater health concerns. These in turn are destabilizing many peoples’ rights to food, health, security, life and livelihood. It is imperative that the principles and norms of human rights are continuously applied to these crises so as to halt the irreparable destruction of the environment and the future of humankind. As noted by the UNDP (2007), the 20th century saw leadership disasters resulting in two world wars in which masses of people suffered. In this the 21st century, the destructive nature of the ecological crisis has become the new and preventable disaster.
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