IKEA Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IKEA Analysis - Essay Example Retaining competitive advantage is inevitable for firms to ensure profitability. This can be achieved by implementing effective management strategies and processes that allow them to conduct a thorough internal analysis of their businesses, such as benchmarking, value chain analysis etc., to name a few. For the purpose of this paper, benchmarking as a method of internal analysis is used and applied on IKEA. The process of benchmarking is of vital significance for organizations today, since it affords them the ability to compare their performance with that of their rivals or similar processes within their own organizations. The process was first used and introduced by Xerox Corporation, with a view to gain competitive advantage over their rivals in the industry, and capitalize on their strengths by overcoming their weaknesses and limitations (Zairi, 1996). The process of benchmarking is evolutionary in nature, whereby the companies involved begin by analyzing the various internal proc esses employed by them, and seek improvements in areas identified as problematic, thus ensuring best practices within the organizations (Wireman, 2004). Definitions: The concept of benchmarking has been widely used within the field of management and is defined differently by different authors. According to Zairi (1996: 35) "A benchmark refers to something that serves as a standard by which others may be served". However one of the most commonly and widely used definitions of benchmarking is the one developed by Xerox, which states describes benchmarking as "the continuous process of measuring our products, services and practices against the toughest competitors or those companies recognized as industry leaders" (cited in Kozak, 2004: 5). 2. Introduction: The global furniture retail industry comprises of various stakeholders and players. IKEA is one such international furniture retail chains, which dominates the global furniture market. It was founded by a Swedish furniture manufactu rer, Ingvar Kamprad, in the year 1943 (IKEA, 2012a). IKEA today, has grown into a global retail brand, with as many as 131,000 employees working in 41 countries across the globe, generating annual sales worth 24.7 billion Euros (IKEA, 2012b). IKEA, as is apparent from the statistics mentioned above, has come to become one of the most globally trusted and appreciated brands in the retail furniture industry. However by the turn of the 20th century, several new players entered the industry, thus making it imperative for the existing businesses to improve and enhance their product capabilities in order to retain their competitive positioning in the industry. In present day competitive climate, the firms within the retail furniture industry are required to lower their costs, improve product range and quality, and cater to a wide consumer segment spread across the globe, in order to increase their profitability. The situation is worsened with the highly volatile external economic environm ent, making it difficult for firms to offer good quality products at lower prices. Its core business mantra is â€Å"Low prices with meaning† which drives them to strive for lowering the costs of their

Culture Art and Technology Essay Example for Free

Culture Art and Technology Essay Among figures of religion, Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammed, and Siddhartha Gautama are some of the prominent individuals who have shared before the world their religious experiences with respect to their own religion. Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism have all received a great amount of fundamental advancement from the ideas and actions of these important individuals. Not only did they help shape the very religion they are attached to—they established it like no other. Yet even though their beliefs and characters are particularly unique from one another being human examples of the tradition in which they are a part of, they still hold one common strand—they all had religious experiences that were influenced by their family ties, geographical location and cultural background to name a few. Through the course of the years, history tells us that the raids later evolved into a struggle motivated by religious grounding— believers against non-believers. This indicates the idea that the spiritual experiences and conquests of Mohammed hold a central position in defining the religious practices of Muslims. While Gandhi espouses peaceful and non-violent methods in attaining the causes of Hinduism, Mohammed and Islam’s concept of jihad adopts the idea that religion itself can be the primary reason for engaging in violent measures in order to further the goal of Islam. Nevertheless, the fact remains that Mohammed’s role in the development of Islam as an established religion in many countries separated by geographical boundaries is crucial inasmuch as it cannot be denied. The same holds true for Siddhartha Gautama whose reputation in the religion of Buddhism is greatly acknowledged as essential both by believers and academic scholars. As Herman Hesse suggests, Siddhartha espouses the idea that, for one to know one’s quest in life, it is imperative to find the source from within and not from without, like a â€Å"flowing river† that attracts â€Å"a deep love for this flowing water† (Hesse 100). Introspection, or an inner contemplation, is one of the main precepts being pushed forward by Siddhartha which further suggests the idea that each individual must take time to isolate one’s self from others in order to be able to focus and to introspect. This idea can be rooted from one of Siddhartha’s life-transforming moments. The religious experience of Siddhartha began after his encounter with a sick man, a poor man, a beggar and a corpse that revealed unto him the idea that humanity is filled with sorrow brought about by the sufferings in life . Being isolated away from the outside world after being confined within his home for almost the entire duration of his early years, Siddhartha began to realize the deeper side of life after the experience. He decided to leave behind his previous lifestyle and pursued, instead, a life of intense asceticism. However, Siddhartha realized that to live one’s life is to neither live in excessive abundance of wealth and material possessions nor in extreme plainness after overhearing a teacher discussing music. In the end, he pursed the Middle Way, or the way of life that takes the middle path instead of the extremes . These aspects hold the key to understanding the Buddhists’ primary religious experience which is significantly felt, at least in modern times, in the social context of teaching others the way of living life in the Middle Path through a life of internal contemplation or personal reflection. As Siddhartha dedicated his life to pursuing the Middle Path after his yogic meditations, followers of the Buddhist religion later on adopted this method as one of the cornerstones or identities of their group. This suggests the idea that the religious experience of Buddhists in general is strongly tied to a personal level as its most basic foundation. Manifested through yogic meditations, Buddhist monks of today incorporate in their daily lives these principles . Moreover, it can be observed that Islam calls for a life that is centered on Allah while Hinduism, as exemplified by the life of Gandhi, calls for a life that should be dedicated towards the lives of others . It is religious imperative in Islam that Muslims should direct their lives towards revering Allah in every thought and action and that, correspondingly, the religious experience of every Muslim should all the more reflect their strong attachment to Allah (Boyd 69). As Mohammed himself is the foremost Muslim who has been able to fully actualize this thought, it remained an integral part in the lives of the millions of Muslims all around the world. This incorporates the idea that the religious experience of a single individual—the prophet Mohammed—has greatly affected the succeeding generations that came to follow the same path. While Islam essentially requires the primordial importance of Allah, Hinduism has been closely attached to the sense that it is a religion that is centered on others. The same holds true for Buddhism although the religion reflects reverence to â€Å"the Awakened One† or Buddha and that Hinduism itself has its own versions of celestial entities or â€Å"Devas† as well as the concept of â€Å"Brahman† which refers to the greater Self or God. These things constitute the belief that, although Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam have parallel ideas of higher beings or divine entities, it appears that Islamic treatment for a higher being supersedes those of the other two. This can be rooted out from the fact that the scriptures of Islam and its religious followers and believers put Allah above everything else while Hinduism and Buddhism, through their yogic meditations, allow or give due importance to the self as well. This is not to say that Islam as a religion does not give due importance to its believers. It only entails the idea that Islam treats man as a being that should be placed under Allah and that Hinduism and Buddhism illustrate a rather more salient consideration for the welfare of man. Mahatma Gandhi, for example, showed his concern for others by teaching the poor exploited peasants in the region of Champaran in Bihar about the satyagraha, inquiring about their sufferings, educating them to fight for their rights and at the same time to carry out their obligations to the nation as a whole . Siddhartha, on the other hand, lived his forty-five years traveling along the country, finding sustenance on the alms given by other people after teaching the people the means that will liberate humanity from worldly sufferings . Moreover, one of the notable religious experiences of both Gandhi and Siddhartha is pegged on the idea that they both waged a â€Å"battle† in terms of forwarding their beliefs in the context of their religion. While Gandhi strived for peaceful measures—passive resistance, for example—in order to achieve his aim for a peaceful world with equality among religions and Siddhartha pushed his ideologies of liberating humanity from the worldly sufferings they experience through teaching them the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, Mohammed took a rather different approach. The fact that Mohammed engaged in jihad or in battles through the â€Å"sword† reveals the idea that Mohammed will take up arms in defending the religion against aggressors or in forwarding Islamic tenets. Thus, it can be argued that the religious experience of Mohammed, or at least the part in which he waged battles in his religious life, is distinctively different from those of Gandhi and Siddhartha. The differences in the religious experiences among the three can be largely seen on their corresponding actions and exploits during their existence and the resulting consequences it created on their religions. This also affects these religions view on disasters. Jihad is indubitably a central part of Islam; Yogic meditations play a significant role in Buddhism and Hinduism with former embracing the Middle Path and the latter guiding the lives of its believers through its sacred texts. The Qur’an greatly emphasizes the idea that Allah should be above everything else; Hinduism seeks to treat everyone and every other religion their due recognition in the sense that to each is his own truth or, at the most, God; and Buddhism’s goal is to free human beings from suffering and the cycle of rebirth and make them know the â€Å"truth†. Conclusion The religious experiences of Mahatma Gandhi, Siddhartha Gautama, and Mohammed all have a great bearing on the religions they belong to. These individuals have a large sum of contributions not only to the expansion of the reaches of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam but on the very central precepts of these religions. Although each of them has their own specific religious experiences and beliefs, and that while it may be true that each of them forwards distinctive approaches in meeting their religious goals, they all nevertheless share the parallel idea that religion is a significant section of their lives. In essence, however, their respective cultural background, geographical location, and family ties among many others have strongly shaped their religious experiences which, as a consequence, influenced their religion. Above all these, by comparing and contrasting the lives of Mohammed, Siddhartha and Gandhi, one is able to better understand some of the main—and oftentimes subtle—differences between these religions view on disasters in life. References: Aly, A. The Life of the Prophet Muhammad. 1999. (October 3, 1999): ATT Knowledge Ventures. April 2008. http://home. att. net/~a. f. aly/muhammad. htm. Borman, William. Life, the Chief Value: Wrong Aims and Methods, and False Views. Boyd, Stephen Blake. Malcolm Xs Religious Pilgrimage: From Black Separatism to a Universal Way. Redeeming Men: Religion and Masculinities. Ed. Stephen Blake Boyd. Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. 69. Gandhi and Non-Violence. Albany, N. Y. : State University of New York Press, 1986. 200. Gandhi, Mahatma. An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Long Island, N. Y. : Buccaneer Books Inc, 2007. Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. New York: Bantam Classics, 1981. Levine, Marvin. The Story of Siddhartha. The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga: Paths to a Mature Happiness: With a Special Application to Handling Anger. Mahwah, N. J. : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. , 2000. 12. Life of Siddhartha Gautama. 2002. Human Ecology. April 2008. http://199. 33. 141. 196/courses/idm2002/leung/rootbiography/pages/Life/lifemain. html. Mahatma Gandhi: His Life in Pictures. New Delhi: The Central Electric Press, 1954. Neusner, Jacob, and Tamara Sonn. Jihad (Islam). Comparing Religions through Law: Judaism and Islam. New York: Routledge, 2002. 203. Some Thoughts on the Power of Focused, Principled Hatred. Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror. Washington, D. C. : Brasseys Books, 2004. 6. Swenson, Don. The Dilemma of Delimitation: The Study of Ethos. Society, Spirituality, and the Sacred: A Social Scientific Introduction. Peterborough, Ont. , Canada: New York Broadview Press, 1999. 255. Yob, Iris M. Growing up Buddhist. Keys to Interfaith Parenting. Hauppauge, N. Y. : Barrons, 1998. 79.

Philosophy of Science Essay -- Informative, Scientific Method

Background In the modern technological and highly specialized world scientists are seldom aware of the work of philosophers; it is practically unparalleled to find them queuing up, as they have done in Popper's case, to swear to the great practical beneficial influence which that philosophical work has had upon their own (1). In his paper he started by the following â€Å"The problem which troubled me at the time was neither, 'When is a theory true?' nor, 'When is a theory acceptable?' My problem was different I wished to distinguish between science and pseudo-science; knowing very well that science often errs, and that pseudo-science may happen to stumble on the truth† (2) Karl considers the empirical method of observations ensued by test or series of tests to approve a theory, and analysis of the results (empirical method) is not acceptable. As an alternative he recommended the following â€Å"I often formulated my problem as one of distinguishing between a genuinely empirical method and a non-empirical or even a pseudo-empirical method--that is to say, a method which, although it appeals to observation and experiment† (2) He established that the main problem in the philosophy of science is that of demarcation, i.e., (distinguishing between science and what he terms 'non-science). Karl popper summarized his ideas in seven points as followed: 1. It is easy to obtain confirmations, or verification, for nearly every theory-if we look for confirmations. 2. Confirmations should count only if they are the result of risky predictions 3. Every 'good' scientific theory is a prohibition: it forbids certain things to happen. 4. A theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is non scientific. 5. Every g... ...ns no observation is free from the possibility of error. 6- Karl popper considered that scientific logic is deductive logic. so all scientific theories are tested by trying to falsify them. In order to do this, scientists deduce predictions from theories and if the predictions prove to be false, then deductive logic dictates that the theory is false. If the predictions prove to be true, then the theory is not proven true, simply this means that is corroboration to this theory. 7-last one (conventionalist twist) or a’ conventionalist stratagem'.)these words created to explain the trying some admirers of some theories to rescue the theory from refutation tried to save their theory, By introducing some auxiliary assumption, or by re-interpreting the theory in this way that it escapes refutation, but they destroyed or at least lowered, its scientific status (2).

What are the narrative techniques used by Tennyson in “Mariana”

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, Mariana, follows the story of a jilted woman from Shakespeare’s â€Å"Measure for Measure.† The epigraph of the poem â€Å"Mariana in the moted grange† is taken from a reference of this play, and the narrative techniques within the poem combined with the context of the isolation of the character give us an insight into the melancholy that not only the character of Mariana feels, but perhaps also Tennyson himself. Arguably the most prominent narrative technique used by Tennyson is the imagery within the powm which is an outward manifestation of Mariana’s inward melancholy.The monotonous â€Å"glooming flats† outside of her house reflect her life; she is going nowhere now that she has been jilted and apparently has no wish to! In addition to this, images of isolation prevail throughout the poem, â€Å"The lonely moated grange†. This further adds to the belief that Mariana is cut off from the vibrancy of human life. Tennyson is particularly clever with this narrative technique; giving the description of an inanimate object, such as the â€Å"moated grange† using an human emotion, it allows the reader to reflect this feeling onto the character of Mariana, which further gives insight to the solitude that her character is feeling.The imagery throughout is of vital importance, due to the fact that we learn nothing of the physical appearance of her, yet the bleak desolation of the landscape which she lives in allows the reader to project this image onto her character and gives an insight towards the inner turmoil and isolation that the character is feeling. In addition, the image of decay is one of the most obvious forms of imagery throughout, and further reflects the fact that Mariana’s life is wasting away waiting for a man. . The quotation:â€Å"With blackest moss the flower plots, Were thickly crusted one and all.†suggests the idea that the melancholy Mariana has been feeling has not been a short term thing. The fact that the usually green moss has turned black raises the question that Mariana may be wallowing, and perhaps even enjoying her melancholy, due to the fact that it highlights the amount of time she has been in such a state. This quotation further shows the contrast between what her life could have been, and how she is living now. The mention of â€Å"flower-plots† indicates that her life could have been flourishing and filled with colour, if she allowed it to be so, yet it is simply dark and  bleak. This imagery of colour is entwined throughout the verses, with consistent references to â€Å"blacken’d waters† and â€Å"the rounding gray†.A startling piece of imagery which contrasts this darkness is the â€Å"poplar tree† with â€Å"silver green†¦gnarled bark† This is a dominant image throughout the poem, and has been interpreted to be a phallic image of the man who abandoned Mariana, an d is continuing to haunt her life even after he has left. This interestingly reflects the attitudes of the time. Throughout Tennyson’s poetry there are examples of feminism, and critique of the attitudes towards woman at the time. This reflects the Victorian idea that a woman can only be complete with a man in her life, and the life of a woman without a husband is â€Å"dreary†.The sheer melancholy within the poem could perhaps be a further jibe from Tennyson about society at this time, indicating that he believes that the idea that women should live like Mariana if they don’t have a husband is utter nonsense. A further technique used by Tennyson to tell the story within â€Å"Mariana† is the use of the structure. The verse structure â€Å"abab cddc efef† is almost encircling, with the central quatrain having a rhyming couplet in the middle, such asâ€Å"And wild winds bound within their cell, The shadow of the poplar fell†This emphasises th e psychological constraints of Mariana’s depression and depicts further the stasis of her life. The couplet in the middle is trapped, unable to escape due to the constraining verses, which clearly reflects the attitude that Mariana has to life. In addition to this, the verse form is unique to Tenyson and does not follow the traditional verse forms of other poetry, further adding to the idea that Mariana feels alone in life, and that there is nobody that is able to sympathise with her situation. Tennyson uses other language techniques such as onomatopoeia develop the story of â€Å"Mariana†, and is further used to reflect her character. The most brilliant example of this is;â€Å"The doors upon their hinges creak’d; The blue fly sung in the pane; the mouse Behind the mouldering wainscot shriek’d†The density of the onomatopoeia within this section suggests nightmarish and crazy sounds, and screams of despair, and create, as Ebbatson phrased â€Å"a landscape of inertia and loss†, which correlates with the emotions of the character. Furthermore, this quotation offers a stark contrast to the rest of the poem. Tennyson uses powerful words such as â€Å"shriek’d† and â€Å"creak’d† which are a harsh difference to the rest of the poem, which is mainly compiled of inactive verbs such as â€Å"fell†. The abundance of inactive verbs throughout the poem further reflects Mariana’s idleness, and really emphasises the onomatopoeia within this verse to reflect the dramatic sounds made from outside. Pathetic fallacy is a further narrative technique;â€Å"And wild winds bound within their cell,†This is another example of the way Tennyson uses the surroundings to reflect character; Mariana’s consciousness is really a wild wind, but she chooses to keep it imprisoned and â€Å"trapped within their cell†, adding to the perception that she is actually enjoying her melancholy. Th e alliteration of â€Å"wild winds† consequently accentuates the mayhem of her consciousness, and gives the reader further insight into the character. A final technique used by Tennyson is repetition, which is present throughout the poe,. Perhaps the most obvious form of repetition is the refrain, which is repeated at the end of each verse;â€Å"She only said, ‘My life is dreary He cometh not’ she said: She said, ‘I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead!†The fact that this is at the end of it gives an insight into the monotony of Mariana’s life, yet it also has an effect of creating annoyance towards the character of Mariana. Evidently as this is the only thing that she can say, it may appear that she is wallowing in her sadness, and further adds to the impression that Tennyson gives off throughout the poem about the feminist aspect. The use of direct speech within this refrain is the only part in the poem where we get a direct view of M ariana. It is therefore more immediate than the rest of the devices used to describe her character in the poem, and could perhaps evoke sympathy. However, it is not only the refrain which is repeated.The repetition of feminine rhymes such as â€Å"dreary/aweary† reflect  the feminine nature of the character, and the drawn out nature of these words and the unstressed syllable at the end reflect the languorous nature of the poem and create an effect of infinite weariness. Furthermore, the dramatic change of the final two lines of the refrain in the last stanza offers perhaps the only change to the stasis of the poem, which is a further narrative technique, and the final line â€Å"Oh God that I were dead!† shows that Mariana has come to the decision that she is fed up of living a lfe of shadows and nothingness.In summary, Tennyson uses an abundance of narrative techniques to tell the story of Mariana. Whilst it is essentially a poem of stasis, the methods such as image ry and repetition cleverly give the reader a deeper insight into the character featured in the poem, and have an interesting message about Victorian society concealed within them.

Legalizing Infant Euthanasia

Since the evolution of man, infants have been born with severe illnesses. These infants may be able to survive due to advancing technologies, but are left with possible and probable defects. Many infants will die even though they are being treated because they are not equipped to sustain life. These circumstances have led to the debatable issue of infant euthanasia, or mercy killing, to allow these babies an end to their suffering, and die peacefully. While many people feel that euthanasia is murder, infant euthanasia should be legalized to spare terminally ill newborns of long, painful deaths, and to spare them of possible life-long disabilities. Euthanasia is said to be morally wrong by pro-life groups. They point out that infant's may not be suffering while they are dying. They also emphasize that advances in pain management make it possible to relieve all or almost all pain. These people say that children should be saved at all costs, no matter how great the disability may be. They accentuate that the infants may be saved due to advancing technology, and that there are also therapy treatments for their possible disabilities. However, in considering whether or not to treat a newborn, the main goal should be to spare infants of long, painful deaths. Most experts believe that the primary answer to this issue is to follow what's in the child's best interests. If his mental and physical handicaps are overwhelming and it would be inhumane to prolong his life, then treatment should be withheld or withdrawn. After all, saving an infant for a life of suffering is hardly a humane and loving act. An infant was born with a skin condition similar to third-degree burns over almost all of its body for which there was no cure. The baby's mother was young, unwed, and indigent. Providing basic nursing care caused tearing away of the skin. The infant could not be fed orally because of blistering in the mouth and throat. Any movement of the infant seemed to cause it pain. Even with intensive care its life expectancy, at most, was believed to be days. It would have been reasonable, merciful, and justifiable to have shortened the baby's dying by an intended direct action chosen by the parent and the neonatologists. In cases relevantly like this, it is not immoral or morally wrong to intend and effect a merciful end to a life that, all things considered, will be meaningless to the one who lives it and an unwarranted burden for others to support. Among the women who work in the Stanford intensive care nursery, several said that if they were to have an extremely premature baby, they would not want it to be treated aggressively. One woman said that if she knew what was about to happen she would stay away from a hospital with a sophisticated intensive care unit. Others say they would make sure they were under the care of a doctor who would not press the extremes on survival. Many parents would make a similar choice but are not given the opportunity. It has been called a violation of God's commandment not to kill. â€Å"†¦ in effect, the demand that physicians fight death at all costs is a demand that they play God. It is a demand that they conquer nature, thereby declaring themselves more powerful than God's order. † Perhaps the ideal of conquest will be replaced by the ideal of living in agreement with nature. The most benign technology works in harmony with natural causes rather than intruding on them. The â€Å"Baby Doe† rule is a list of guidelines stating that a baby should be treated aggressively with very few exceptions. These exceptions to the rule are when â€Å"the infant is chronically and irreversibly comatose†, when the treatment would merely prolong dying, not be effective in ameliorating or correcting all of the infant's life-threatening conditions, or otherwise be futile in terms of the survival of the infant†, and when â€Å"treatment would be virtually futile in terms of the survival of the infant and the treatment itself under such circumstances would be inhumane†¦ This policy rather loudly states that parents and professionals may not consider the salvageable infant's life prospects no matter how harmful they may appear. A graphic illustration of the potential harm in the treatment of a handicapped infant is provided by Robert and Peggy Stinson's account of their son Andrew who was born at a gestational age of 24 1/2 weeks and a weight of 800 grams. He was placed on a respirator against his parents' wishes and without their consent, and remained dependent on the respirator for five months, until he was finally permitted to die. The seemingly endless list of Andrew's afflictions, almost all of which were iatrogenic, reveals how disastrous this hospitalization was. Baby Andrew was, in effect saved by the respirator to die five ling, painful, and expensive months later of the respirator's side effects. â€Å"†¦ the physicians who treated him violated an ancient and honored Hippocratic principle of professional ethics,`Primum non nocere', First do no harm. As shown in the examples above, infants that are treated aggressively will die more slowly and painfully than if they were allowed a quick and peaceful death. By using aggressive treatment on severely ill infants, many are â€Å"saved† to live with life-long disabilities. To demand that physicians use intensive care technology beyond the point when it is likely to assist with a patient's problems, as the Baby Doe regulations require, is to demand that they violate their professional commitment to do no harm. To argue that infants must be treated aggressively, no matter how great their disabilities, is to insist that the nursery become a torture chamber and that infants unequipped to live be deprived of their natural right to die. Helen Harrison, author of â€Å"The Premature Baby Book: a Parent's Guide to Coping and Caring in the First Years†, wrote about how families are at the mercy of an accelerating life-support technology and of their physicians' personal philosophies and motives concerning its use. She wrote after interviewing numerous parents and physicians in heartbreaking situations of delivery-room and nursery crises, â€Å"I sympathize with physicians' concerns when parents request that there be no heroic measures. However, I sympathize infinitely more with families forced to live with the consequences of decisions made by others. Above all, I sympathize with infants saved for a lifetime of suffering. † The decisions involving the care of hopelessly ill and disabled newborns should be left to the traditional processes, to parents and physicians who do the best they can under difficult circumstances. B. D. Cohen, author of â€Å"Hard Choices† wrote, â€Å"Until such time as society is willing to pay the bill for truly humane institutions of twenty-four-hour home care for all such infants, to offer than death or living death, shouldn't these decisions be left to those who will have to live with them? † There is a disease called Spina Bifida which affects between six thousand and eleven thousand newborns in the United States each year. The children are alive but require urgent surgery to prevent their handicap to intensify and bring about death. Paralysis, bladder and bowel incontinence, hydrocephalus or water on the brain are all part of the child's future. Severe mental retardation, requiring total custodial care, is the likely fate of 10% of the 15% of the children. Some 10% of the children will die prior to reaching the first grade, in spite of aggressive medical care. These infants, incapable of making their own decisions, deserve to be spared the pain and suffering of such severe diseases and illnesses. Although some claim that euthanasia is the killing of a human, infant euthanasia should be legalized to spare severely ill babies of drawn-out, excruciating deaths, and to spare them of the possible defects from their illnesses. Infants continue to be born with such disabling illnesses daily. Many parents are left burdened throughout their lifetimes. They may not be prepared to provide the round-the-clock treatment that is needed. New York State should bring about peace by legalizing euthanasia, and end the suffering for all people intimately involved in situations described previously.

Students and Plagiarism Essay Example

Students and Plagiarism Essay Example Students and Plagiarism Essay Students and Plagiarism Essay Essay Topic: Students Plagiarism is the act of using another user’s research or work without providing an adequate citation or crediting the source. Plagiarism is considered one of the most serious violations of intellectual property in learning institutions. Plagiarism is considered the lack of integrity and interpreted as cheating. It does not matter if the students knowingly or accidentally copied the work. However, despite the disciplinary measures taken to ensure that students do not plagiarize their work, most students fail to provide citations as needed. A different number of authors have tried to provide solutions for plagiarism in institutions. Some authors argue that the approach taken by institutions towards plagiarism in student’s work is entirely wrong. Institutions treat plagiarism as a crime or lack of integrity. Both result in harsh penalties to the student responsible. Students do not fully understand plagiarism and instructors and institutions should do more to educate stud ents on plagiarism ethics, detection methods, avoidance and also consequences. A common viewpoint given by learning institutions and instructors is that students continue to plagiarize in assignments despite the seriousness of the consequences involved. Some argue that students have inherent disregard for school rules and regulations or are rebellious. Susan Blum explains in her article that plagiarism does not indicate the lack of ethics or integrity but the lack of knowledge. Blum notes that institutions approach to plagiarism is entirely wrong. Schools treat plagiarism as lack of integrity by the student or as a crime. Schools that treat plagiarism as the lack of integrity or morality create honor codes. Honor codes are appeals to students to do what is considered right. Honor codes assume that if the social pressure on students is strong enough, they will be less negligent and act accordingly. Students are required to affirm that they will perform per rules set

Mangrove Habitat Profile

Mangrove Habitat Profile Their unusual, dangling roots make mangroves look like trees on stilts. The term mangrove can be used to refer to certain species of trees or shrubs, a habitat or a swamp. This article focuses on the definition of mangroves and mangrove swamps, where mangroves are located and marine species you can find in mangroves.   What Is a Mangrove? Mangrove plants are halophytic (salt-tolerant) plant species, of which there are more than 12 families and 80 species worldwide. A collection of mangrove trees in an area makes up a mangrove habitat, mangrove swamp or mangrove forest.   Mangrove trees have a tangle of roots which are often exposed above water, leading to the nickname â€Å"walking trees.† Where Are Mangrove Swamps? Mangrove trees grow in  intertidal  or estuarine areas. They are found in warmer areas between the latitudes of 32 degrees north and 38 degrees south, as they need to live in areas where the average annual temperature is above 66 degrees Fahrenheit. It is thought that mangroves were originally found in southeast Asia, but have been disbursed around the world and are now found  along the tropical and subtropical coasts of Africa, Australia, Asia, and North and South America.  In the U.S., mangroves are commonly found in Florida. Mangrove Adaptations The roots of mangrove plants are  adapted  to filter salt water, and their leaves can excrete salt, allowing them to survive where other land plants cannot. Leaves that fall off the trees provide food for inhabitants and breakdown to provide nutrients to the habitat.   Why Are Mangroves Important? Mangroves are an important habitat. These areas provide food, shelter and nursery areas for fish, birds, crustaceans and other marine life. They also provide a source of livelihood for many humans around the world, including wood for fuel, charcoal and timber and areas for fishing. Mangroves also form a buffer that defends coastlines from flooding and erosion. What Marine Life Are Found in Mangroves? Many types of marine and terrestrial life utilize mangroves. Animals inhabit the mangrove’s leafy canopy and waters underneath the mangrove’s root system and live in nearby tidal waters and mudflats. In the U.S., larger species found in mangroves include reptiles such as the American crocodile and American alligator; sea turtles including the hawksbill, Ridley, green and loggerhead; fish such as snapper, tarpon, jack, sheepshead, and red drum; crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs; and coastal and migratory birds such as pelicans, spoonbills and bald eagles. In addition, less-visible species such as insects and crustaceans live among the roots and branches of the mangrove plants. Threats to Mangroves: Natural threats to mangroves include hurricanes, root clogging from increased water turbidity, and damage from boring organisms and parasites.Human impacts on mangroves have been severe in some places, and include dredging, filling, diking, oil spills, and runoff of human waste and herbicides. Some coastal development results in total loss of habitat. Conservation of mangroves is important for the survival of mangrove species, humans and also for the survival of two other habitats – coral reefs and seagrass beds. References and Further Information: American Museum of Natural History. What Is a Mangrove? And How Does it Work?. Accessed June 30, 2015.Coulombe, D. A. 1984. The Seaside Naturalist. Simon Schuster. 246pp.Law, Beverly E. and Nancy P. Arny. â€Å"Mangroves-Florida’s Coastal Trees†. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved online October 17, 2008 (as of August 2010, the document appears to no longer be online).

29 Great Colleges for B Students and How to Get In

29 Great Colleges for B Students and How to Get In SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Generally, the better your grades, the more college options you'll have. However, some students are under the false impression that you need straight As in order to get into a wonderful college. Students stress and worry that a few Bs will sentence them to an inferior university. Fortunately, getting Bs won't prevent you from being able to go to a good school. There are a number of excellent colleges that admit B students. I'll provide a list of 29 of the best colleges for B students and explain how to find a good college if you're a B student. Are You a B Student? You Can Still Go to a Great College If you’re at the end of your junior year or the beginning of your senior year and you have mostly Bs on your transcript, don't freak out: you can still gain admission to an excellent college. Since super selective colleges will likely be a big reach for you, you might want to set your sights on quality schools that are significantly less selective. For example, Stanford only admits around 5% of its applicants, and its average admitted student has a high school GPA of 3.95/4.00. By contrast, the University of Michigan has an acceptance rate of 28%, and the average admitted student here has a GPA of 3.83/4.00. As a B student, you might have trouble getting into schools in the top 50 on the US News and Forbes rankings lists; however, you might have a decent chance of getting into a school in the top 100. Considering there are almost 3,000 four-year colleges, the #100 college is still better than over 99% of colleges in the US. For instance, according to our admissions calculator for Indiana University Bloomington, a student with a 3.2 GPA and a 29 ACT composite score would have about a 62% chance of getting accepted. Indiana University is currently ranked #89 by US News. How Much Do Your Grades Matter for College Applications? It should go without saying that your grades are a huge factor in determining your college options. In fact, grades are one of the most important factors colleges use when deciding whether to admit you. According to a 2017 study on the state of college admission conducted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 77% of colleges believe that overall GPA and grades in college prep courses are considerably important admission factors. Meanwhile, test scores from the ACT, SAT, etc., are deemed considerably important by just 54% of colleges surveyed. This indicates that grades are by far one of the most important factors in college admission. It's not just grades that mean something, though; colleges also want to see that you're challenging yourself with difficult courses. According to the NACAC study, 87% of colleges deem the rigor of a student's course load at least moderately important. In other words, just getting good grades isn't enough- you also need to get good grades in tough classes. Although you can still get into a great college as a B student, if you have any extra time before your college applications are due, I recommend using it to try to improve your grades. Not All B Students Are Created Equal Colleges take many factors into account when determining admissions, including grades, classes, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, recommendations, and the personal statement. All else being equal, a student who got all Bs in regular classes is going to be much less qualified than a student who got all B+'s in mostly honors and AP classes. Generally, this is reflected in your weighted GPA, which weighs harder courses more heavily than regular classes. So in this example, the student with straight Bs would receive a 3.0 GPA, and the student with straight B+’s (assuming she took four honors classes out of six total classes) would get a 3.97 GPA. That said, you can compensate for lower grades by excelling in other areas. For example, if you had a 3.4 weighted GPA and a 33 ACT score, you’d probably be able to get into much more selective schools than would a student who has the same GPA as you and a 27 ACT score. Also, you might be able to make up for lower grades if you exhibit exceptional achievement in your extracurriculars. If you're an Olympic-level athlete or a successful entrepreneur, you might be able to gain admission into the most selective colleges- even with some Bs on your transcript. Overall, if you’re a B student but want to get into highly selective colleges, focus on ensuring that all other components of your college applications are as strong as possible. If you go to the Olympics, you can get into a good school with lower grades. How Did I Create This List of Colleges for B Students? I compiled this list of great schools for B students by looking at various ranking lists, including US News, Forbes, and Niche. I gave extra weight to the US News rankings because they’re the most referenced and prestigious of the college rankings. I considered a college accessible to B students if its average GPA for admitted applicants was less than a 3.75. If you've got a weighted GPA in the range of 3.30-3.80, all the schools below could be reach, target, or even safety schools for you. If your weighted GPA is less than 3.30, you might also want to take a look at the best colleges for students with a low GPA. By no means does this list contain all the great colleges for B students. Ultimately, I tried to come up with a diverse list that included colleges from all regions and of all types, including large public universities and small liberal arts colleges. List of the Best Colleges for B Students Below, we introduce our list of great colleges for B students. I categorized all the schools by region: West, Midwest, Northeast, and South. For each school, I listed its location, US News ranking, average GPA, average SAT score, average ACT score, and acceptance rate. Keep in mind that US News separates its school rankings into four categories: National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities, and Regional Colleges. Most of the schools on our list are National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges; no Regional Colleges made the list. For all regions, the listed US News ranking is for National Universities unless otherwise noted. Lastly, here are the ranges for GPA and other items on our list: Average GPA: 3.33 to 3.83 Average SAT Score: 90 to 1340 Average ACT Score: 25 to 30 Acceptance Rate: 34% to 81% West School Location US News Ranking Average GPA Average SAT Average ACT Acceptance Rate Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA #3 Regional Universities West 3.75 1270 28 54% Pepperdine University Malibu, CA #46 3.64 1300 28 39% San Diego State University San Diego, CA #127 3.7 90 25 35% University of Colorado, Boulder Boulder, CO #96 3.62 1250 27 80% University of Oregon Eugene, OR #102 3.55 80 25 83% University of the Pacific Stockton, CA #106 3.52 1200 26 65% University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT #9 3.61 1220 25 66% Pepperdine is pretty. (CampusGrotto/Flickr) Midwest School Location US News Ranking Average GPA Average SAT Average ACT Acceptance Rate Beloit College Beloit, WI #68 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.29 1200 27 54% Creighton University Omaha, NE #1 Regional Universities Midwest 3.79 80 27 72% College of Wooster Wooster, OH #67 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.68 1270 27 56% Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, IN #90 3.72 1250 28 76% Michigan State University East Lansing, MI #85 3.71 1200 26 71% Purdue University West Lafayette, IN #56 3.75 1280 29 57% University of Iowa Iowa City, IA #89 3.63 1240 26 81% Wabash College Crawfordsville, IN #56 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.65 70 25 63% College of Wooster Kauke Hall (Maitri/Flickr) Northeast School Location US News Ranking Average GPA Average SAT Average ACT Acceptance Rate Clark University Worcester, MA #66 3.63 1310 29 55% Fordham University New York, NY #70 3.65 1320 29 46% Providence College Providence, RI #2 Regional Universities North 3.43 1240 28 52% Rutgers University Piscataway, NJ #56 3.73 1300 28 58% St. Lawrence University Canton, NY #56 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.56 1300 28 48% Syracuse University Syracuse, NY #53 3.63 1260 28 47% University of Delaware Newark, DE #89 3.71 1240 27 65% University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA #70 3.89 1270 28 58% Purnell Hall at the University of Delaware (Mathieu Plourde/Flickr) South School Location US News Ranking Average GPA Average SAT Average ACT Acceptance Rate Auburn University Auburn, AL #5 3.86 1230 27 84% Baylor University Waco, TX #78 3.68 1280 28 39% Furman University Greenville, SC #51 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.7 1290 29 61% Rollins College Winter Park, FL #2 Regional Universities South 3.3 1270 27 64% Sewanee: University of the South Sewanee, TN #49 National Liberal Arts Colleges 3.73 1290 28 47% Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX #80 3.6 1230 28 41% Samford Hall at Auburn University (Jason Coleman/Flickr) How Should You Use This List of Colleges for B Students? If you’re a B student looking for a great college, be sure to research any of the colleges on this list that interest you. Use the school websites, finders, guidebooks, and ranking lists to guide your research. You can also go on college visits to truly get a feel for some of these schools and determine whether they might be a good fit for you. Furthermore, I advise you to consult with teachers, counselors, parents, current students, and alumni to get more information and to further narrow your college search. How to Find Other Great Colleges for B Students: 2 Resources There are plenty of excellent schools for B students that didn’t make the list above. Here are a few different ways to identify other colleges that might work for you. #1: College Finders On Big Future, you can’t search for colleges by average GPA, but you can search for colleges by SAT/ACT score and selectivity. Because most good colleges for B students have an average SAT score of around 1200 and an average ACT score of around 27, you can look for colleges that match that criteria. These colleges range from very selective (25-50% of applicants admitted) to less selective (more than 75% of applicants admitted). You can select additional search filters to help find schools that better fit what you want in a college. With the website College View, you can enter your SAT/ACT score and unweighted GPA in your college search. #2: PrepScholar Database Our PrepScholar database contains profiles for every college. A school's profile lists its acceptance rate, average GPA, and average standardized test scores. We also have an admissions calculator on every school profile so you can roughly determine your odds of admission based on your GPA and SAT/ACT test scores. To find a school's profile, search for "[School Name] PrepScholar admissions" on Google. Another great feature is located at the bottom of each school's profile page. There, you'll see three lists: schools that are harder to get into, schools that are equally hard to get into, and schools that are easier to get into. I suggest looking up the profiles of the schools on our list above to find other schools that are about as selective and to get even more good colleges for B students. For instance, on our PrepScholar page for Syracuse University, Boston University and UT Dallas are listed as harder to get into, Penn State and Hofstra are listed as equally hard to get into, and Ohio University and Quinnipiac are listed as easier to get into. You can use these lists to identify other schools that might interest you. These are schools that are listed as "equally hard to get into" on Syracuse's profile. How to Improve Your Chances of Admission Even as a B student, there are a number of ways you can improve your odds of getting into your dream school; this depends on where you are in the college application process. Here are some examples of things you can do to improve your application: Follow an SAT or ACT study plan and give yourself time to take the test a second or even third time if your scores aren't up to par Come up with a compelling essay topic for your personal statement Spend the summer before your senior year doing something incredibly interesting, such as traveling abroad or volunteering Remember that colleges consider a multitude of factors when evaluating your application. By strengthening any of these components, you can increase your odds of being accepted! What's Next? Is it really important for you to attend a top-tier school? Find out if it really matters where you go to college. Do you want to go to a college in the Midwest or the South? Then check out my lists of the best colleges in the Midwest and the South. Are you looking for a traditional college experience in a fun setting? Learn about the 23 best college towns. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Distance Leaning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Distance Leaning - Essay Example That distance learning paradigms can benefit from the aforementioned is emphasised by Alan Tait, a faculty member at the Open University, UK, whose article is the primary focus of this critique. Commencing with a historical overview of the evolution of open and distance learning in the United Kingdom and Europe, Tait (2003) identifies transportation technology as having played a pivotal role in the development of the stated phenomenon. A railway system supported by an organised and efficient postal and mail services enabled tutors to guide, direct and educate students across distance. Certainly, as Tait (2003) concedes, the system was fraught with a number of challenges, most of which stemmed from the absence of any form of interpersonal communication between students and tutors. With the evolution of such information and communication technology tools such as the home computer and the internet, open and distance learning became e-learning. Reputable higher educational institutions began to offer courses, degree and certificate programmes over the web. Within the context of open and distance learning, e-learning stands out as a revolutionary development for several reasons. In the first place, and as Tait (2003) emphasises, while earlier forms of distance learning had partially overcome the challenges posed by space and distance, web-based learning obliterated distance. In the second place, while open and distance learning, as delivered through correspondence, partly overcame the challenges posed by distance, it was not able to do so vis--vis time. Web-based learning, on the other hand, annihilated this particular challenge just as it did as regards distance. In other words, web-learning is a revolutionary development within the context of open and distance learning because it enabled cross-distance interpersonal communication and immediacy of delivery (Tait, 2003). Despite its numerous advantages and even though it successfully overcame many of the more significant of the challenges which confronted earlier distance learning paradigms, e-learning has to be restructured towards higher levels of student-orientation. As Tait (2003) notes, facts and figures indicate that the field is highly competitive, on the one hand, and there are high non-completion, or student drop-out rates on the other. Universities or educational institutes which offer web-based services must, both as a response to competition and high non-completion rates, need to focus on the improvement of their delivery paradigm through the integration of student support systems (Tait, 2003). Besides the fact that student support systems should be integrated into the e-learning delivery paradigm because it is a popular student demand, the imperatives of integration emanate from the fact that it will significantly improve and facilitate e-learning and will, additionally, reduce non-completion rates. Student support systems will function to support the learning process through the provision of more immediate tutor-student mentoring and guidance as would extend the learning and emotional support which would encourage students to complete the programme, on the one hand, and bring e-learning closer to the levels of efficiency and effectiveness attained

Kantian Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Kantian Philosophy - Essay Example In my attempt to delineate what is universal and empirical in Kant’s philosophical though and inquiry, I shall explore the connection between happiness and goodness and provide a logical analysis on my part to clearly show how a certain thing can be empirical or universal. At the same time, I shall work on the idea of reason in influencing how happiness and goodness work in relation to the universal and the empirical. Principle of a good will is important because it determines the extent and the scope of what might be the effect and the accomplishments of it. Having such condition, it can be considered that goodness may be considered universal depending on the purpose behind it. Having that said, one can observe that a good intention may or may not result into something beneficial even if helping can be considered morally good in its own right. People will always work out the presumptions that surround goodwill. This is where things can be considered to be jumping out the univ ersal condition that Kant tries to achieve. However, one cannot disregard the fact that inclinations are subjective which can devalue the universal condition. I would like to draw a connection between Kant’s notions towards happiness which can be connected to how the universality of a certain will can be considered absurd. Desire is one of the key concepts that Kant has put into place as he provides reasoning on how happiness works. 4 Possibly, it is a natural phenomenon experienced by people since it is natural and universal to show desire. However, the very subjectivity of it limits it be observable in the case of an individual and cannot be considered to be highly applicable in most cases. Variations then emerge. How does reason gives a condition to attain both of the phenomena? Goodness and Happiness are both subjective but reason has a certain conditioning it imposes on it to allow to materialize universally and empirically. However, Kant points out that duty has a certa in influence on how happiness and goodness can be achieved. Reasoning provides the condition where duty cannot be considered universal or far from universal due to the inherent personal will that a person imposes on duty. 5 The subjectivity that has emerged from it became the influential condition as to how one may argue that goodness and happiness are done. Goodness is seen based on how a person does not want to abuse another person; however, there is still a personal bias that there is a way to look for happiness in the manner of achieving goodness. Analytically, it can be seen that happiness and goodness cannot be separated. The universality of it, presumably, can be seen on how people feel it and act on it. Its practical use is already universal in its own right. It just becomes empirical as the experiences of it vary accordingly to contexts. Extensively, it can be seen that goodness is inherent in humans because of reasoning that there is a need to keep things on order and by d oing so, happiness is achieved. This becomes a highly synthetic and a dual paradigm of action. One may act for both goodness and happiness with separating it. The very manner of acting the happiness and goodness is already universal in its own right since it people have a moral inclination to do such. Experiences are the ones that make the universality empirical since it is even safe to say that Kant’s philosophy is relatively individualistic in nature. In this case, will become one of the most important conditions since its imperativeness make it part of practical and universal thought. Will is

Open economy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Open economy - Term Paper Example The primary advantage for consumers living in a country with an open economy is obvious in that they have a much larger variety of goods to choose from. The caveat here must be â€Å"if they can afford to buy them.† Additionally, these consumers may also invest financially outside of the country. Regarding country as a political entity, it is not required to equal its output of goods and services and can, if it wishes, spend more money than it itself produces within its economy by borrowing from abroad, or it can spend less than it produces and lend the difference to other countries. A primary example of this previous statement is the United States as the former country mentioned, and China as the latter, a situation widely discussed and criticized by many as detrimental to the future economic and political stability of our nation as well as its security. ChinaDaily.com quotes President Obama. â€Å"The long-term deficit and debt that we have accumulated (with China) is unsustainable. We cant keep on just borrowing from China... We have to pay interest on that debt and that means that were mortgaging our childrens future with more and more debt" (para. 2-3). At over $700 billion in U.S. government securities, and despite its own mixed participation in the open economy which discourages foreign investment, China is the single largest holder of U.S. debt. With a budget deficit of over 1.8 trillion, the US continues to import Chinese goods and allow it access to investment and debt purchase at a disproportionately alarming rate. With the world economy shrinking, c oncerns are many that China will either stop buying our debt or call in markers we are unable to pay. Much of what is touted about the benefits of open economy to poorer nations is largely theoretical. Chidambaran in India in Transition presents a positive view of the

Serving Customers in Global Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Serving Customers in Global Markets - Essay Example Why: Apple Inc took home repeat Brand of the Year distinctions in three categories—Tablet, Computer and Mobile Phone in 2013. Apple scored strong points for all elements of Brand Equity namely Quality, Familiarity and Purchase Consideration. In the world of tablets, Apple’s iPad series which expanded its offerings in 2012 with the iPad mini and it received the Tablet Brand of the Year award for second consecutive year. The Apple has a more than 100 products under its brand. Purpose: The reason for going into 1 Crossgates Mall Road Albany, NY 12203 is to evaluate the service levels which are offered by the staff present in the store. This is important since it affects the customer satisfaction with respect to product and pricing offered to them. Location: The location was chosen since it was reputed of being the best place to test-drive and explore Apple products. Under one place one can easily find every product of Apple including one of the most knowledgeable Apple people. Choice of Provider: The main reason for choosing Apple Inc. is that the company is world renowned for its top quality products meeting the customer expectation. Apple came out with innovative products like Tablet, iPad, iPhone etc. which revolutionized the mobile industry. Again it is known for good customer service. Expectation: My expectation is that the shop should have all the recent products released by Apple available along with good customer service support staff that should be knowledgeable at resolving my issue and a pleasant atmosphere. Segmentation- Segmentation of the market is very important as it is the key process of capturing the market share and launching the product. When a particular product is been developed by any company it need to find out which segment of customers can utilize that particular product. Apple came up with the i-phone with all the latest technologies in build in, it had kept the price of the product high and segmented it in the

{Porfolio Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

{Porfolio - Assignment Example the-job training program that ensures nurses work in various stations and additional trainings given to provide them with better understanding of organization’s performance. The staffs are also supportive of each other which help to create a learning environment. Communication barriers and failure to clearly identify individual strengths and talents make the organization fall short of the expected empowerment levels. From the leadership environment assessment survey, questions 7, 8, and 16 registered a â€Å"No† response. In regard to question 7, competition among group members at my organization is not healthy and productive because it has promoted individualism as opposed to team spirit. Competition among group members has enhanced relationship conflicts among departments given that task variety is low and more routine (Matsao, 2005). Strengths and talents of individual members are less recognized in the organization due to low levels of delegation and inter-group competition. Seniors or supervisors are in charge of most activities with nurses having little autonomy in executing key tasks. Finally, channels of communication are not clear and open because the system is a bit more closed. Idea generation and effective feedback mechanisms are missing as the system favors top-down information flow. As an organization that is determined to excel in service delivery, status quo cannot be allowed to continue. Competition among group members if well harnessed and controlled can help members to be more innovative, promote cooperation, knowledge sharing and enable members achieve higher productivity levels as a team (Matsao, 2005). Proper and early identification of individual member strength and potential talents is essential in developing leaders who can steer the organization into top performance through effective leadership and rewards that come with such a process (Fulmer and Bleak, 2008). Through this, employees are able to achieve their full actualization instead

Serving Customers in Global Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Serving Customers in Global Markets - Essay Example Why: Apple Inc took home repeat Brand of the Year distinctions in three categories—Tablet, Computer and Mobile Phone in 2013. Apple scored strong points for all elements of Brand Equity namely Quality, Familiarity and Purchase Consideration. In the world of tablets, Apple’s iPad series which expanded its offerings in 2012 with the iPad mini and it received the Tablet Brand of the Year award for second consecutive year. The Apple has a more than 100 products under its brand. Purpose: The reason for going into 1 Crossgates Mall Road Albany, NY 12203 is to evaluate the service levels which are offered by the staff present in the store. This is important since it affects the customer satisfaction with respect to product and pricing offered to them. Location: The location was chosen since it was reputed of being the best place to test-drive and explore Apple products. Under one place one can easily find every product of Apple including one of the most knowledgeable Apple people. Choice of Provider: The main reason for choosing Apple Inc. is that the company is world renowned for its top quality products meeting the customer expectation. Apple came out with innovative products like Tablet, iPad, iPhone etc. which revolutionized the mobile industry. Again it is known for good customer service. Expectation: My expectation is that the shop should have all the recent products released by Apple available along with good customer service support staff that should be knowledgeable at resolving my issue and a pleasant atmosphere. Segmentation- Segmentation of the market is very important as it is the key process of capturing the market share and launching the product. When a particular product is been developed by any company it need to find out which segment of customers can utilize that particular product. Apple came up with the i-phone with all the latest technologies in build in, it had kept the price of the product high and segmented it in the

Managing People and Organisations Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managing People and Organisations - Case Study Example PEST analysis shows that ALSTOM political situation was feeble in 1999 and continued to remain till 2003 until they change their HRM policies to unite the new and old employees. Among the major concerns were lack of funds, updated technology and unskilled labour which they overcome in 2005 by revising their policies and considering social factors on a cultural basis which gained customers' trust and trained their unskilled managers and employees so that they could move with the 'new' labour department. ALSTOM currently should consider economic conditions to be updated on a weekly basis as this would provide the managers with the latest updates to take financial decisions regarding investment and budgeting control. ALSTOM should also sought new ways to lower its' costs and increase its plant's efficiency. ALSTOM unintentionally became dual service business which consisted of a two-fold unit, the existing sector and the newly formed sector. This was the main reason why the industry started engaging in various conflicts. The service sector that was considered 'useless' in ALSTOM was promoted on 'managerial' post while the 'production' unit that consisted of the people who were considered as the real pioneers of the Industry, were merged with the newly formed staff. Any proposal suggested by the new comers and qualified staff was immediately opposed by the existing sector. ... This was the main reason why the industry started engaging in various conflicts. The service sector that was considered 'useless' in ALSTOM was promoted on 'managerial' post while the 'production' unit that consisted of the people who were considered as the real pioneers of the Industry, were merged with the newly formed staff. Any proposal suggested by the new comers and qualified staff was immediately opposed by the existing sector. The conflicts were not limited to the people alone, managers were also involved. Industrial unity began to fragile in the face of multiple pressures; some of them were even brutal which gave rise to the political involvement of managers which widened the potential scope of internal conflict and therefore threatened the basic industrial unity. As a result there started a cold war in two sectors which resisted unity simply as a means of self-protection. (Minkin, 1991, p. 8) The emergence of Uncertainty The existence of 'uncertainty' tended to further reinforce the sense of there being a political sphere distinct from the industrial world which is evident from the development of two distinct centres, the OEM and the newly emerged sector the one growing out of the other seemed to imply the acceptance of two orders and two sets of functions. All of this enhanced the possibility of political and employees' union role-playing in a way that accounts for much of the subtlety and flexibility of the organisational relationship. Walter's management was aware of the fact that ALSTOM was lacking experienced employees; therefore with the formation of OEM, ALSTOM hired capable employees. Inflexibility The more united the organisation, the better is its' structure in terms of flexibility. Walter perceived the two

The First World War Essay Example for Free

The First World War Essay The First World War though had the majority of the countries of the world involved in it, yet the major protagonists were European. Some of the historians and researchers even go as far as to name this war as an Imperialistic war. This is because one of the major reasons for the war to erupt was â€Å"due to the rivalries triggered off by the pressures of highly organized financial monopolies operating in the different European countriesâ€Å"(Henig, 2002, p. 38). Though this does not entirely explain the cause of the war, it nevertheless points towards the prominent presence of the European countries in the war. One of the major reasons for the war to erupt was due to the German’s interest in occupying colonies in Africa and Far East. There was a deep mistrust of the remaining European countries about its objectives. The colonial ambitions till this point were dominated by England, Russia and France, and to an extent Spain, and these countries had fought multiple wars amongst themselves regarding their colonial expansions. This created a power bloc in the European region which emerged clearly during the Morocco crisis. France entered the war fearing an invasion from Germany and also because of a long dispute for the areas of Alsace and Lorraine which it had lost to Germans in an earlier was in 1870-71. England entered the war because the successful invasion of France as well as Belgium would have made Germany very powerful. Germany and Russia in turn were in the war because they wished to defend themselves against their powerful European enemies. However much of the tensions caused due to this reason would have been sorted out without the need for any need for a war on such a scale. The catalyst for the war was yet another European crisis which actually led to the World war. The crisis occurred in the Balkan regions. Germany and Russia in order to gain allies supported Balkan countries i. e. Austria-Hungary and Serbia. When France Ferdinand, the crown prince of Austria-Hungary, was murdered on 28th June 1914, Serbia emerged as the hand behind it because they wished to be free from Austria-Hungary. Russia supported the Serbs because it considered it to be strategically important. This led to Germany declaring a war on Russia, from which point the war started and quickly spread through the entire Europe and in turn their colonies due to the tensions already present between the countries. Japan, though was not a colony of any of the European countries entered the war because it had a military agreement with Britain to aid it in any war, and so Japan declared a war on Germany (Strachan, 2001). There were two countries – Italy and United States, who had policies for a neutral approach during the World war at the start. In case of Italy, Allies persuaded it in to the war against its former allies i. e. Germany, Austria- Hungary by promising large territorial gains in the Austria-Hungary region. This made Italy join the war with the Allies in 1915. United States was one of the last countries to enter the war. United States was purely a capitalist country and had no interest in subscribing to wars. In fact President Woodrow Wilson had declared a policy of absolute neutrality in the war at its outset. However, President Wilson was the one to break its stance and join the war. This was because of the German stance for unrestricted submarine warfare which would have threatened America’s commercial shipping. The American commercial shipping was directed towards the Allies, and so it did have a great risk of being attacked by Germans, and when the attack did take place America reluctantly joined the war towards the very end in 1917. The impact of the World War was huge on all the countries involved. There was a huge loss of life and property on both the sides. Imperialism lost out and there was a period of intense socialism and communism, especially in Russia. The social class system became more liberal especially in Britain and France. Since the cost of the war was in billions, there were heavy taxes put on the traders to recover the costs, and this led to large scale economic problems in many countries, which was brought to a head during the Great Depression period in the 1920s and 1930s. United States came to be reckoned as a world power because of its decisive role in the war. In Europe many new states were created. League of Nations was created to sort out international problems, which would prove to be a failure soon. To take care of the down spiraling economic conditions many countries like Russia, Italy and Germany went in for military dictatorships (Henig, 2002). However, the impact was worst for the losing side. Germany became an outcast in front of the rest of the world. Million of people had died or become disables which meant a huge scale of unemployment. It was excluded from the League of Nations and had to give up a lot of territory to the winning side especially the disputed area of Alsace and Lorraine. Austria and Germany were separated and there was a limit on the size of the army of the countries. The countries also had to pay a lot of money to the winning sides to pay for the war damages which did moral as well as economic damage to the countries and the people living in these countries (Strachan, 2001).

Socio-Cultural Impact of Tourism

Socio-Cultural Impact of Tourism Chapter 2 Literature Review There are many researchers who have examined on how tourism affects the local people in a destination. They have worked on how to assess the negative and positive impacts of tourism on society. This literature review will be based on the research of the socio-cultural impact of tourism on the local people in Mauritius. The impacts that tourism brings to the local people will be assessed by the use of a questionnaire. This literature review will be completed by searching for journal articles, relevant studies which have been previously done on the topic. Overview of Tourism Tourism is an active and deal process which include direct and alternative relationship between people and originator of tourism products. The interaction between people is the is often the necessary feature which characterizes a tourism experience. These experiences can lead to both positive and negative impacts and this should be controlled in order to maximize the positive impacts and minimize and negative impacts (Sheldon Abenoja). Positive and negative feature of tourism can be moved to the tourists and the hosts population as a tourism product can only be consumed in a destination. One of the most influential socially based plan refined to examine the impact of tourism has on local people and the environment in which the local people live is dependent on the work of Doxey (1975), who was able to demonstrate the feeling that local people show as tourism extend and start to use greater area of a local economy over time. (Doxey) also argued that there are basically four levels to be considered when assessing local feelings towards the tourism industry. These are as follows: Euphoria: This is where tourist come to a destination where they are received with little control and planning in a destination Apathy: Tourists are accepted by the local people in a destination, commercialization takes place and there is a relationship between groups. Annoyance: As the tourism industry is being saturated, local people tend to have uncertainty about a location of tourism. Tourism planners increase infrastructure instead of controlling the growth of tourism. Antagonism: Local people start to become irritated and this is presented to tourists and tourism and planning is restorative. The number of impacts from tourism is physically wide and it often has the authority on areas beyond those usually linked with tourism (Kreag 2001). It is difficult to measure the exact type and magnitudes of impacts of tourism as they cannot be viewed in a separate way because the effect brought by tourism alone and the effect which has been accomplished by other agents of change such as modernization, development, and the influence of media (Archer Cooper, 1994; Lickorish Jenkin, 1997; Mathieson Wall, 1982). Socio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism According to (Oppermann Chon, 1997), they argued that the socio cultural impacts should be available in towns and it should be designed in such a way in order to achieve the ideals of sustainable development. The socio-cultural impacts of tourism occur when there is the interaction between the host, or local people, and guests, or tourists (Smith 1995). However, Glasson, Gofrey and Goodey (1995) argued that the socio-cultural impacts are the people impacts of tourism and it concentrates on the day to day changes and quality of life of residents in a destination. It has been stated by (Opperman and Chon 1997) that tourist and the host interactions does not have effect on the hosts and the society of the host, but also it has an effect on the tourists and the tourists societies. Socio-cultural impacts have both positive and negative forms and it is the hosts and the guests who are affected (Cooper et al., 1998; Oppermann Chon, 1997). Moreover, (Pi-Sunyer, 1973), stated that socially and culturally, tourism has often been victim of social tensions. It can be noted that the principal impacts affected by the tourists and host relationship are the demonstration effect, that is when the behaviour of the hosts community is developed in such a way to imitate the tourists (Boissevain, 1979; Tsartas, 1992). During their stay in a destination tourists interact with the local residents and this interation brings an outcome such as modifications in the quality of life of the hosts community, value system, labour division, family relationships, attitudes, behavioural patterns, ceremonies and creative expressions (Fox 1977; Cohen 1984; Pizam and Milman 1984). The encounters of tourists and the hosts occur when tourists are buying goods and services from any host individual where there are at the same place and at the same time and where they can exchange ideas and information (de Kadt 1979). Another type of encounter which occur in tourism is where there is a failure in promoting mutual understanding among different nations and stereotypes prevail (Nettekoven 1979; Krippendorf 1987; OGrady 1990). In addition, socio-cultural impacts of tourism also include change in the language that is used in a destination (White 1974; Brougham and Butler 1977; Jeffs and Tavis 1989; Wallace 1997); growth in the consumption of alcoholics, crime, prostitution and gambling (Young 1973; Graburn 1983; OGrady 1990). According to Brunt and Courtney (1999) argued that socio cultural impacts of when there is the interaction of tourists-host could be utilized to host residents and was affected by their role and their relationship within the tourism industry. Communities Perspective of Tourism Considering the attitude of local people the large range of the positive and negative impacts of tourism on the community at large and individual can be analysed (Fredline, 2004). (Ratz 2002), said that the lives of the hosts community are changed by two major factors which are namely the tourists-host relationship and the development of the tourism industry itself. Local people and foreign companies are encouraged to invest in different types of tourist enterprises (Larsen 1998) and this is looked in such a strategy to motivate economic activities to take place which will make the state become richer. In a host community, not every people perceive the impacts of tourism in the same manner. Researches says that the level of satisfaction of residents in a destination and their attitudes in relation to tourism are conditional on their perception of the impact of tourism. Socio-Cultural sustainability Cultural sustainability is the maintenance of local values, the way that people live in their environment and identity (Heikkinen et al. 2007). According to (Besculides, Lee, McCornick, 2002; Simpson, 2008) the cultural and social as aspect of sustainability may be supported by tourism development by granting a change of declining traditional industries appealing infrastructure development promoting pride referring to culture and community, fostering cultural acceptance amongst visitors, keeping cultural heritage, fostering cross institutional acceptance and bring into existence educational favorable circumstances. However, (Liu 2003; Stronza, 2007), argued that tourism can bring up new lifestyles, belief, and values to hosts, and come through changes in the living form of the communities. Positive socio-cultural impact of tourism Tourism brings into contribution of an improvement of the social infrastructure in a destination. Cultural development can be considered as a positive impact of tourism. Various situations exist where tourism is the active force behind the preservation and awareness of local culture and traditions. (United Nations, 1996; Jamaica Sustainable Development Network, 2001; Tourism Product Development Company 2005; du Cros; 2001) Negative socio-cultural impacts of tourism For some islands, there are negative social impact that are created due to tourism. An increase in the price leads to a fall in the standard of living of the local community. Fishermen are deprived from their occupation. Sometimes locals are prevented to get access to public beaches as most hotels give priority to tourists to enjoy the beaches and therefore locals are left with only part of the beaches. Moreover, there are capacity issues where the beaches are overcrowded which leads to traffic congestion and noise pollution, reverse acculturation and high crime rates also occur (United Nations, 1996; PA Consulting Group, 2007). Physical influences causing social stress The physical power that increasing tourism has on a destination can cause social stress because this encounter the local community. Cultural degeneration such as damage to cultural heritage may take place from vandalism, littering, pilferage and illegal removal of cultural heritage items or by changing the historical landscape that surrounds it. Resource use conflicts will arise because there is a competition between the host community and the tourists for making use of prime resources such as water and energy which are limited in supply. Conflicts will arise when there will be the construction of hotels in coastal areas. Culture Clashes As tourism is the movement of people to different places geographically and places of social relation between tourists and the hosts, culture clashes may come forward because of differences in their cultures, ethnic and religious groups, values, lifestyles, languages and levels of prosperity. There will be economic inequality between local people and the tourists as they spend more than they often spend in an economy. Behaviour of tourists causing irritation Tourists usually fail to respect local people and their moral values due to carelessness in a destination. They may not respect the locals traditions by taking pictures where they are not allowed to do so and they may also be not well dressed in religious places like temples, mosques, and church. Crime Jud (1975) stated that amount of criminal movement facing foreign tourists grows as the number of illegal chances increase. He also said that the more tourists arrival in a destination will result in more chances for crime to take place. However, Lin and Loeb (1977) argued that there might not be a certain connection between tourists and criminal activities. Moreover, Bernasco and Luykx (2003) stated that there are three factors which pull crimes against property and these are attractiveness, opportunity and accessibility. As a result if communities do not protect themselves and imperfectly put in order by external agencies, some individuals will precise their personal temperament and devotion towards criminal behaviour. Moreover, Shaw and Mc Kay (1992) stated that a weak organizational form within a community may produce an environment more favorable for criminals against people and vice versa. Job level friction There has been a lack of professional training and low-paid tourism jobs such as waiter, cleaner gardening are offered to local people whereas the higher-paying jobs are like managerial jobs are offered to foreigners. Change of local identity and values Conventional tourism can bring impact change or loss of recognition and values and leads to influences as stated below: Commercialization of local culture Tourism can turn local culture into product and this is when religious traditions, local customs and festivals are diminished to adjust to tourist expectations and this has been called as reconstructed ethnicity. Standardisation A destination aim is to satisfy and it risk standardization, accommodation, food and drinks, etc must meet the want of the tourists in a destination Adaptation to tourist demands In destination tourists have the desire to buy souvenirs, arts, crafts, cultural manifestations. Craftsmen in many tourists destinations have changed their products by designing new types to make them match the new customers tastes. Increase of Prostitution and sex tourism According to the WTO (World Tourism Organisation) experts (1994) sex tourism has its principal intention that effect of a commercial sexual relationship. Sex tourism is absolutely tangible encounter in which the partner is not anymore an animated object. Many men go to Asia to choose Asian girls because no communication is possible. Sex workers can be migrant women in a destination from neighbouring countries. Moreover, sex tourism has impacted to an increase in AIDS in India. It has been discovered that upper grade hotels have their supply for sex tourism to take place. Sex tourism is also linked to drug peddlers who search for long vacation tourists at cheap destinations. The economic impacts of tourism According to (Loomis and Walsh 1997) businesses and public organizations are progressively showing interest in the economic impacts of tourism at national, state and local levels as the tourism industry contributes to the nations balance of payment (BOP) and this provide a great supply of income (Tatoglu, Erdal, Ozgur, Azakli, 2000). The World Traven and Tourism Council (2012) reported that tourism can be beneficial to an economy in terms of increasing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Moreover, (Andereck Valentine, Knopf and Vogt 2005) reported that tourism industries can have a positive effect on the economy of a community by effecting diversity, and tax revenue. Furthermore tourism is taken into consideration as a determinant that provides a higher living standard and which effect to attract investors to do investments and tourists to spend which as a result creates greater benefits than costs (Brida, Osti Faccioli, 2011). The benefits that tourism bring in an economy According to (Rithie, 2000; Carolson Millan, 2002; Getz, 2005) said that the events in a destination tend to improve the infrastructure and development capacity. (Westerbeek et al. 2005, p. 133) reported that when infrastructure is well articulated consisting of physical venues, accommodation and facilities such as transport can lead a an even to success and reducing costs, ameliorating the convenience of spectator, as well as the athlete and long term benefits for the local community when the event ends. Multiplier effect Tourism as a supply of income is difficult to measure, this is because it creates multiplier effect (Clarke et al, 2009; Brida et al, 2010; Rastegar, 2010). Multiplier effect is the abundance of money which is generated due to tourist spending in an economy it increases as it passes through different areas of the economy (Dritsakis, 2008; Boopen, 2006. Tourism does not only leads to employment opportunities but also motivates growth in the primary and secondary sectors of the industry. Primary tourism sectors namely, lodging, dining, transportation, amusements and retail trade are influenced directly and most of the other sectors are have impacts of the secondary effects. Direct effect in the economy These are production changes which are linked with the actual effects of changes in tourism expenditures. An increase in the number of tourists staying in a hotel would lead to an increase in profits due to sales in the hotel sector. Direct effects of tourists spending also include hotel payments for wages and salaries, taxes, and supplies and services. Indirect effect in the economy This is the re spending of the hotel industrys revenues in other behind industries. For example industries which supplies products and services to hotels. Modification in sales, jobs, and income in the linen supply industry shows another area of indirect effects after all connecting hotels to various degrees to multiple other economic sectors in the region. Induced effect in the economy Induced effect is the household income earned directly or indirectly by tourism spending. For example employees from the hotel and employees from the linen supply are supported directly and indirectly by tourism, they spend their money in the local region expenses of housing, food, transportation and spending of added wage, salary, or owners income are considered as induced effect. Indirect effects of tourism on GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Tourism is a big constituent of the services economy, representing 30% of international trade in services. Taking into account of the revenue, the T20 countries generate nearly 70% of global tourist activity. In addition, the contribution that tourism can make to the growth of the economy is found in its indirect impacts, which in the T20 countries showing over 45% of tourisms total contributions to the GDP. These indirect impact which are linked both to goods and services bought by the tourism sector and to investment and public spending multiplied by tourism are an important factor of economic growth. The exchange rate effect of tourism Tourism is a major foreign currency earner as it supplies the market with foreign currency and this market would not exist if tourism would not be so large. This diminishes the cost of foreign currency below what it would otherwise be. Creation of employment According to (Bridenhann and Wickens, 2004), tourism is an industries among many other industries which has the highest power to contribute towards job creation and economic development, especially in rural areas. Environmental impact of tourism Negative environmental impacts takes place when the level of visitors in a country exceeds the carrying capacity of an environment or use greater space that is required for an environment. When it is uncontrolled, it brings threats to many natural areas around the world. The environment quality, natural and man-made is of great importance to tourism. However, the relationship with the environment is intricate. The environmental impact is related with the construction of the general infrastructure in a destination such as roads and airports, and of the facilities of tourism, such as resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses. As the negative impacts of tourism can destroy the environment in the long-term, and these impacts should be minimized. Further literature of the negative environmental impact of tourism is as follows: Land Degradation The important resources of land are fertile soil, forests, wetlands and wildlife. Due to an increase in the construction of tourism facilities there has been pressure on these resources. Direct impact can be caused by providing tourists with the facilities needed such as accommodation and other infrastructure needed on the environment. Moreover, when there is deforestation, forest often suffers from this disaster. Air and noise pollution Pollution is something harmful that begins into the environment and these harmful materials are called pollutants. It can be natural such as volcanic ash. Pollution can be also produced by human activity for example trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water and land. There are various things that are useful to people create pollution. Cars eject pollutants from their exhaust pipes. Burning coal to produce electricity pollutes the air. Industries and homes spread garbage and sewage that can pollute the land and water. Impacts on Biodiversity Tourism can cause loss of biodiversity in various ways for example by competing the wildlife for habitat and natural resources. Negative impact on biodiversity can be caused by trampling, stress in animals, import of invading species, destruction of habitats, marine habitat deterioration. Strain on water resources Water is one of the important resource that is needed to survive and for a business to continue to operate water is need in the everyday operation of the business. Hotels use water in swimming pools, golf courses and also water is used by the tourists for personal use. Therefore there is a tendency for shortage of water and generating a greater volume of wastewater. Energy Utilisation Hotels use huge volume of water. Tourists staying in a hotel use on average 1/3 more water per day than a local inhabitant. The consumption of energy per m2 per year by one star hotel is 157kwh (380 KWh in a four star hotel) (EEA, 2003). However, the infrastructure is not suitable as it has been designed to cope with peak periods. The role of the UNWTO, (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) towards the environment In order to prevent the unfavorable impacts of climate change, the IPCC reports 2007 need 25-40% emission reduction sphere for the Annex 1 Parties (industrialized countries) by 2020, compared to the basis year 1995.

Soft Money in Economics :: essays papers

Soft Money in Economics With each election cycle rolling around every 4 years, the various political parties, especially the Republican and Democratic parties, are setting new records for campaign contributions and raising higher and higher amounts of money toward their goals. It seems elected officials spend more and more time on fundraising and less time on working for the people they are sworn to serve! Now what is wrong with that picture? Does the phrase "We have the best government money can buy," mean what it says? If it did, our nation would be in serious trouble. Only  ¼ of 1% of the people give 80% of all campaign contributions. These special interest groups and wealthy individuals are controlling the people's government. Whether the issues are concerned over the military, education, Medicare, or Middle East issues, individuals like you and me have little or no say in what should be done to correct the situation. Soft money and the whole campaign finance reform issue is a very big concern to our economy. Yes it does have a more political stance then an economic stance but it will affect the regular hard working families of our nation. Have you ever taken the time to actually read the U.S. tax codes? If not, you are very lucky. It's a huge mess and hardly readable, but there is a reason why you can't read it. Former Sen. Wyche Fowler (D-Georgia) once said, " [E]very single interest that comes to you has got a special private interest where they are seeking to get subsidized, through the tax code†¦" Tax bills are a good place to hide those special legislative favors congressmen and women receive when they are elected. With the money donated from insurance industries, health professionals, and law firms and a huge amount of special interest groups, the resulting factor ends up being a tax system skewed toward big-money interests. How will this affect your standard of living? Well†¦lets look at the something everyone has problems with and that is oil and gas prices. The gas industry is a very generous industry for politicians and in turn very prosperous in reaping the benefits. In the '98 election cycle, ga s companies gave over $22 million in soft money contributions. This huge contribution gave gas companies a long list of tax breaks created by a Congress that is supposed to be the best money can buy.