The American dominance of the world’s

Its no doubt the United States at the moment enjoys an unchallenged hegemony in the world. For a few decades now the United States has been at the center of the international politics and economics .It has increased tenth folds the sphere of influence to areas key of its national interests.This supremacy and domination has not been a smooth ride. It has not been without its price to a point that United States citizens have paid with their blood. The events of the September 11th attack remain fresh in the Americans’ mind.The American dominance of the world’s events means that its foreign policies remain the most important in the world. It is at the forefront in shaping the world’s destiny and in rooting out any impediments on the way to securing its national interests. It has pioneered nuclear non-proliferation treaties; instituted democracy and governance, intervened militarily in unseating regimes it has felt are a threat to its national security.It continues to shape events in both far and wide countries be it the Middle East, Asia or in Africa. Core to the United States foreign policy is in the intense war it has waged against terrorist organizations in the world. The September of 2001 put into question the impregnability of the United States and all systems have been put alert since.The American government has channeled all its efforts and resources towards containing terrorist organization. In this way regimes have been toppled, thousands dead and a dictator executed.This is not just an example of how the United States, under the foreign policy, responds to international issues, how it utilizes its resources to shape events that it believes are critical to its interests and an international unipolar image.   This and more will remain the key focus of this paper. It will examine how the U.S has been responding to international crises, politics and economics (Stephen E, Flynn, 26).One such period that can highlight on the U.S. foreign policies is the cold war. Never before in the history of the United States did the government commit so much to contain the threat of a rising hegemony and a threat to its dominance. The cold war was a war of ideologies and tension-full relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.Although there was no physical confrontation between the two superpowers, the period from 1940-19900 was characterized by proxy wars, military buildup especially the nuclear arms race and supremacy in technology including the race to space.The two countries were trying to prove their international dominion and hence furthered their respective ideologies and economic systems. While the United States was advocating for capitalism the soviet bloc was a propagating for communism.In this period the United States government was using both military and financial resources to influence the political and economic trends in the world. This was the focus of its foreign policy.Economic aid then was pegg ed on a categorical statements through words and actions that a government was supporting and operationalizing the tenants of capitalism, democracy had taken a back seat then, history is full of incidences when the United States waged proxy wars to unseat democratically elected governments on mere suspicions that they were leaning towards communism and replacing with dictatorial regimes (John L P.49)

CVS business proposal Essay

Introduction In the United States, CVS is the largest pharmacy retail organization. This company operates over 6100 retail stores and specialty stores countrywide and has employed over 170,000 workers. There is a necessity of offering a wider range of prescription medication options and selections system-wide in a struggle for serving the consumer base of CVS Pharmacy more consistently and effectively. The purpose of this paper is to select a more realistic good or service for an existing industry. The paper will identify the market structure, along with elasticity of the product and will also include the way the pricing will relate to elasticity of the product. Furthermore, the paper will include the way the changes in the quantity supplied as a result of the pricing decisions will affect marginal cost and marginal revenue. Moreover, the paper will focus on the non-pricing strategies, and will explain the way the changes in the business operations could alter the mix of fixed and variable costs in line with the strategy. Market Structure The market structure of CVS Pharmacy is an oligopoly. It is a market structure in which a small number of organizations sell either differentiated or standardized products in which other organization’s entry is difficult. In this market structure, the control of the firm is limited over price of the product due to mutual interdependence (with the exception of when there is conspiracy surrounded by the organization) and in which there is a non-pricing rivalry (McConnell and Brue, 2004). The oligopoly turn out is the most common structure of big -business as the establishment of trust was limited in the United States. Evasion of pricing rivalry has turned out to be nearly automatic with four or five larger firms accountable for most of the output of every industry. If an organization were to drop the prices, it is expected that their competition will do the same and all will undergo a lower profit. Conversely, it is unsafe for any singular firm to increase their prices as the others will hold the prices with the intention of gaining a share of the market. â€Å"The safest strategy is to never lower prices and raise prices only when there is abundant evidence that the other firms will also raise prices. When business conditions permit, the price leader will raise their prices with the expectation that others will follow (McConnell and Brue, 2004). Price Elasticity â€Å"Price elasticity tells how much of an impact a change in price will have on the consumers’ willingness to buy that item. If the price rises, the law of demand states that the quantity demanded of that item will decrease† (Jennifer Tuck, Chron Small Business, 2013). Price elasticity of demand indicates the decrease in the quantity demanded. Elastic-demand indicates that the consumers of the goods or service are extremely sensitive to a change in prices. Generally, a product which has numerous substitutes or is not a necessity has demanded elasticity. Elastic demand indicates that the customers of the product are not extremely sensitive to price alterations. Upon analysis of elasticity of pharmaceutical products, it is certain that pharmaceutical products cannot be considered as a necessity. Medication is considered to be a basic item, essential for the prevention and treatment of ailments and disease and, consequently, they have a particular, non-substitutive tenacity and thus are not a necessity. It indicates, consequently, that they cannot be considered as elastic. (Tom Vander Beken, 2007). While it is factual for some branded goods with little rivalry, the demand for more crowded beneficial classifications where there are generic equivalents or rival satisfying substitutes can be highly elastic. It indicates that changes in price are met in relation to the quantity with larger changes demanded. For pharmaceutical makers, the primary goal is to realizing the degree of price elasticity. Pharmaceutical makers, for better understanding price elasticity, utilize a range of methods for assessing price elasticity, comprising quantitative research, qualitative research, and retrospective data analysis assessing the effects of a number of levels on prescription demand (Brent L. Rollins, Matthew Perri, 2013). Marginal Cost & Revenue A way to determine the quantity of profit maximization is to conclude where marginal revenue equals marginal costs. Rather than computing the profit for all levels of sales; total revenue and total variable costs are considered. Marginal revenues and marginal costs are considered in a similar way like marginal profit, thus defining the amount of change for all sales’ levels (Huter, 2012, p.2). Pricing & Non-Pricing Strategies CVS needs to think through numerous elements impacting its’ business. Pricing strategies, rivals and their current products, consumer demands and suppliers are examples of these elements. For pricing strategies, CVS should consider closeouts, discounts, product bundle pricing, penetration pricing, geographical pricing, and membership or trade pricing. For non-pricing strategies, options comprise: enhanced service quality, longer opening hours, advertising, and extended warranties (Kimmons, n.d.). By pricing similar products in a different way they must focus on regional demographics because geographic pricing enables the maximization of profit. For promoting unique or new products at provisional price drops, penetration pricing is the most effective. Finally, bundle pricing and closeouts can be engaged when several seasonal goods need to be sold off to avoid a loss (Kimmons, n.d.). Enhanced service quality, longer hours and advertising needs to be included in the non-pricing strategies. Advertising grabs the attention of the consumer to the brand and engages them, making them conscious of promotions and sales. Longer hours enables the organization the opportunity to service more clients—â€Å"the fisherman with the biggest net catches the most fish†. In the end, the automated verification and dispensing systems’ implementation will boost the quality of the service, particularly in the pharmacy to enable more pharmacists to be able to counsel the patient and provide better customer service. Barriers to Entry In the retail pharmacy industry, cost is the main barrier to entry. Economies of scale, as an incumbent, enable CVS to purchase larger quantities at lower rates due to a longer relationship with suppliers because they are purchasing in bulk. These advantages allow CVS to lower prices while maintaining profit. New entrants would not be capable of adequately competing with the old firms and do not enjoy these same benefits (Anonymous, 2012). Current Global Economic Conditions In the past six months, global economic conditions have developed. Policymakers of advanced economy effectively resolved two of the major short-term threats to global activities—the threat of a sharp monetary reduction in the United States and a euro area breakup. In response, according to the latest World Economic Outlook of IMF, financial markets have rallied, and financial constancy has developed. In 2013, the report predicts real global growth of Gross Domestic Product of 3.3% on a basis of yearly average, almost the similar as the 3.2% growth perceived in 2012, and the International Monetary Fund anticipates the growth to increase to 4% in 2014 (Thomas Helbling, 2013). The Pharmaceutical Industry of United States is one of the supporters of the US Economy. It has been perceived that the Pharmaceutical Industry of the United States is developing quickly and is demonstrating no indications of slowing down. The growth of the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. is also recognized as playing a very important part in the pharmaceutical industries around the world. Some experts have said that in the development of the United States’ pharmaceutical industries, media has played a key role. Experts have seen the major influence in the way the media has provoked health awareness among the people. Current Business Cycle’s Stage of the U.S. Economy Currently, the economy of the United States is in a stage of mid-cycle expansion. As indications of economic development seem to be gaining momentum, equity markets have solidly performed this year. In recent times, a boom in domestic energy and an increase in the housing market have been seen; while employment carries on to develop and grow. Early this year, the fiscal cliff’s resolution stopped a self-inflicted damage to the economy, letting development force to endure. â€Å"The index of US Leading Indicators—made up of 10 economic components that historically have had strong predictive power on GDP growth—also appears to confirm that growth remains intact.† (Matthew Rubin, 2013). However, current indications are becoming a reason for concern. The overdue impacts of payroll tax modification and monetary reduction through repossession has seemed to surprise financiers. Current Credit Market Conditions For consumers and for business loans, interest rates are lower this year compared to any other year. Credit exchange of U.S. government like discount, FFR and Prime rate are much lower. For example, there is a Prime rate of 3.25% and 10% more consumer loans are being given by the financial institutions. Still, loans for business are restricted and not given as easily as in the previous years. (â€Å"Beige book,† 2013) All these signs demonstrate that the market is starting to move and customers are beginning to buy and are content with the existing economy. CVS Pharmaceutical can invest in the market on this uptick by marketing with intention of attracting more customers. Conclusion The market structure of the CVS Pharmacy is an oligopoly. It is a market structure in which a small number of organizations sell either differentiated or standardized products in which other organization’s entry is difficult. Price elasticity of demand indicates the decrease in the quantity demanded. Elastic-demand indicates that the customers of the service or good are extremely sensitive to change in prices. CVS needs to think through numerous elements impacting its’ business so they may run smoothly. If CVS modifies the way they do business, they can impact their bottom line in many ways. In the past six months, global economic conditions have developed. Policymakers of advanced economy effectively resolved two of the major short-term threats to global activities—the threat of a sharp monetary reduction in the United States and a euro area breakup. The Pharmaceutical Industry of United States is one of the supporters of the US Economy. It has been perceived that the Pharmaceutical Industry of United States is developing speedily and is demonstrating no indications of lowering down. Currently, the economy of United States is in a stage of mid-cycle expansion. As indications of economic development seem to be gaining momentum, equity markets have solidly performed this year. References Anonymous. (2012). What Are Barriers to Entry, Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-barriers-to-entry.htm Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, Twelfth District–San Francisco. (2013). Beige book. Retrieved from website: http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/beigebook/beigebook201304.htm?san_francisco Brent L. Rollins, Matthew Perri, 2013 Pharmaceutical marketing, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 01-Feb-2013 Huter, S. (2012). How to Calculate the Profit-Maximizing Quantity, Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_6713701_calculate-profit_maximizing-quantity.html Kimmons, R. (n.d.). Pricing Vs. Non-pricing Strategies. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/pricing-vs-nonpricing-strategies-14166.html Matthew Rubin, 2013, Director of Investment Strategy, Strategic spotlight, an update to economic business cycle, retrieved from: http://www.btinvest.com.sg/experts-views/strategic-spotlight-an-update-on-the-global-business-cycle/ McConnell, C. R., Brue, S. L., & Flynn, S. M. (2009). Economics: Principles, problems, and policies (18th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin. McConnell, C. and Brue, S. (2004). Economics: principles, problems and policies, 16 ed. McGraw-Hill Companies Jennifer Tuck, Chron Small Business, 2013, Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/relationship-between-price-elasticity-total-revenue-24544.html Tom Vander Beken, The European Pharmaceutical Sector and Crime Vulnerabilities, Maklu, 01, Jan, 2007 View as multi-pages

Negative Impacts on Our Environment

Nowadays, it seems that every action we take during our daily lives, in some way is affecting and harming the environment. Our Earth is a beautiful planet. The design and makeup of the natural world is an amazingly unfathomable. The world was perfect at one point before we as human beings began to damage and little by little are continuing to destroy the our planet. Examples of Negative Effects For example, typing this very own essay is an ecological negative affect to our environment. Why? Because as I use the electricity and power needed to keep this laptop running and working, the energy and electricity is most likely generated from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and/or oil. Other simple everyday tasks such as using the toilet, driving to McDonalds for dinner, recording tv shows while I’m away from home, riding my friend’s motorcycle late in the evening, and even throwing a piece of paper in the trash can are all examples of small activities or daily routines that we do participate in practically every day of our lives, that in return, unintentionally, is damaging the world in which we live in today. An interesting contributing negative factor to the environment that I never knew about is the source of the foods that we eat. According to Roni Neff, Ph. D. , â€Å"The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 18% of world-caused GHGs (greenhouse gases) come from livestock production alone. The top sources are cow belching, deforestation for cattle grazing and growing soy for feed, methane from manure, and the nitrogen fertilizers used to produce these crops. A major problem is the prevention of livestock contracting diseases and so many potent chemical products are sprayed keep the animals healthy and sufficiently to prevent the loss of money. Many farmers rely much on these industrial fertilizers which unfortunately also require huge amounts of fossil fuels to produce. This is all a part of an ongoing cycle as the chemicals left on these lands eventually ends up in runoff water which from there is then poured onto our very own local water systems. While farm producers only see the positive side from the use of these chemical fertilizers since it is economically beneficial to them, scientists and environmentalists can easily see the negative effects of these chemicals not only to the environment but to our very own health as well. These include the difficulties in handling and proper disposal of the enormous quantities of animal waste, and the numerous public health risks such as antibiotic resistance, respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal effects, as well as health risks for workers and community members. Another environment affecting factor that I thought was interesting, was the business of home construction. Not only homes, but the construction of commercial businesses, shopping malls, etc. Before construction takes place, the deforestation of natural ecosystems and habitats of many animals is destroyed. Many sources of energy such as coal which is one of the main sources of power for homes and all sorts of buildings, are polluting are environment more and more. These actions result in CO2 polluting the land and air of our environment. So as our air and atmosphere layers are becoming more contaminated with gases, the amount of solid waste in our landfills is increasing largely. 25-30% of the entire U. S. ’ annual solid waste is made up from home construction and remodeling projects and the demolition projects as well. To have a better understanding of these statistics, take the average home consisting of 2,200 square feet and know that for a home of that much space would require on average at the very least 13,000 board square feet of lumber. Now, picture laying all that lumber down, its length would reach up to 2. 5miles. Remember that statistic and now observe that on average, every year there are at the very least 1. 2 million construction homes built. Now multiply each home by 2,200 square feet and remember that each of those homes uses 13,000 board square feet of lumber, i. e. , the total amount of lumber used to build all these homes stretches out more than 3 million miles! That’s enough dimensional lumber to get you to the moon and back, not just, nor twice, but six times! These are outstanding facts and it is obvious that we need to find new methods for construction, remodeling, and demolition because it is causing and imposing negative effects on our beloved Earth. Conclusion Whether one is to consider themselves a conservationist or a preservationist, a balance of both is what should be taken into consideration. Natural resources, I believe, such as water and wood, are here so that we may use them to our benefit but ethically I don’t think it gives us the right to overpower and overuse our own natural environment and surroundings. With the high intelligence and advanced technology in the world today, I would support a profound cause in the betterment and research of excavating new ideas to improving the environment’s health while still benefiting from our natural resources, i. e. , a commensalistic relationship. References Christensen, N. (2013). The Environment and You. Boston, MA: Pearson. Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4. http://www.livablefutureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/food-matters.pdf   

In God We Trust Question 4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

In God We Trust Question 4 - Research Paper Example Based on this and many other factors that this paper will illustrate, the discussions will concur with the assumption of many that America is a Christian nation. To help in proving this point, the paper will illustrate the role of religion in the society, basing its illustrations from Paul Bloom’s essay, Is God an Accident? (Comely 2012) Other illustrations will emanate from sociological theories of evolution, functionalism, and collective conscience. Religion is crucial in upholding the morality of the society as well as its legal structures. Bloom proclaims that, â€Å"The United States is a poster child for supernatural belief† (Bloom). Paul Bloom is a psychology professor at university of Yale, formerly having written Descartes’ Baby. Individually, he is an atheist but recognizes the existence of belief in religion. From polls, Bloom established that about ninety-six percent of the American population believes in God. In relation to this, more than fifty perc ent of the same American population believes in angels, the devil, and miracles. Religion has performed the role of instigating morality and ethical values in the society (Ijaz 2011). As such, most people believe that religion offers guidance by defining the difference between wrong and right. This is extremely a necessity in today’s world especially with the emergence of modernity. This implies that there is ardent need to balance the negatives with the positives in this modern world. Religion has established itself, since the beginning of times, as the positive side. Belief in God somehow restrains people’s actions, by so doing controlling evil and wrongdoings. In addition to this, religion also brings with it the conservancy nature of the world, which will similarly work towards maintaining balance between the right and wrong. From sociology, it is absolute knowledge that the world often tends to shift from liberal to conservative aspect, and vice versa. Religion co mes into play here as it brings the world from its liberal phase back to the conservative one in instances where the liberal phase is to the extreme. According to functionalism sociological theory, religion offers a set of ethical practices and beliefs that people tend to conform with, thus uniting them. Also, supporting proposal is the ‘collective conscience’ proposed by Durkheim. Secondly, religion has been the greatest element of unity all over the world. As Bloom said, â€Å"Just about everyone in this country (United States of America) believes in God† (Bloom). There are certain concepts in religion that are universal, irrespective of one’s denomination. For example, almost all religious people believe in a supernatural being, angels and /or the devil, as well as an afterlife. Such common beliefs act as a unifying factor in the society. As such religious people often tend to view themselves as one community of believers, unified by their common religi ous teachings. Unity is a paramount aspect in every society, especially since people are of different ethnic groups or cultural values. There is a need in such societies to have a common feature that unites multicultural groups, and religion fills that gap. Furthermore, religion is fundamental in the identification, awareness, and respect for other cultures that are different from one’s culture. Through religion, one can learn about other cultures, including their language, foods and clothing as well as their cultural

Science - Assessment and Transition from KS2 to KS3 Essay

Science - Assessment and Transition from KS2 to KS3 - Essay Example Formative assessment requires the teacher to feed back to the students’ information that provides the students with opportunities to improve on their learning, or that encourages the students to reflect on their own learning (Black & Williams, 1998). In contrast to summative testing, which occurs with standardised tests, formative assessment provides in-depth, immediate and contextualised information about a student’s level of knowledge and their understanding of a particular topic (Bund & Falchikov, 2004). The reflective and engaging nature of formative assessments supports teachers in becoming better assessors, and to focus on the quality of a student’s learning and understanding, rather than the quantity of work they have undertaken (Williams, Lee, Harrison & Black, 2004). The sole use of summative testing results in teachers being ignorant of the true understandings, strengths and weaknesses of their students. Formative assessment can aid in narrowing the gap between high and low achievers in the classroom (Black & Williams, 1998). The use of formative assessment requires a learner-centered approach to teaching, as the student is the end user of the assessment information (Bund & Falchikov, 2004). Effective formative assessment focuses on feedback regarding scientific tasks, and not the student. Hence, feedback focuses on the particular qualities of the student’s work, with suggestions for improvements, and without comparisons to classmates (Black & Williams, 1998). The ideal form of this requires that the student develop the ability for ‘self-assessment’, which allows them to demonstrate their understanding of the goal of the task and their learning (Williams et al., 2004). The KS3 teacher could utilize formative assessment strategies to determine the level of knowledge and understanding of science for student’s at the beginning of the year. Procedures for self-assessment, or peer-assessment, could include the use of ‘Traffic Lights’

Job Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Job Discrimination - Essay Example The following will explore job discrimination with an eye to how this form of discrimination affects certain groups of people in the labor market and how society has attempted to protect these people from discrimination. Discrimination in the workforce affects people from all walks of life. Accordingly, the employment opportunities of half of our population are hindered by latent and overt sexism in the offices of America. It is well known that women in America earn substantially less than their male counterparts. The Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963 was established more than four decades ago to protect men and women who perform the same tasks from wage-based discrimination. Sexism is an unfortunate aspect of our modern society but the EPA seeks to combat it through positive legislation aimed at correcting the pay discrepancy between men and women in the labor force. Older workers also face a variety of impediments to their active inclusion in the labor force and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from discrimination at work. Finally, people with disabilities face a plethora of hurdles in society and the Americans with Disabilitie s Act (ADA) of 1990 was established to ensure the full inclusion of people with disabilities in American society. Covering a wide variety of instances of discrimination, the ADA is the most recent piece of legislation mentioned above which aims to tackle problems associated with discrimination in the labor force (Bernbach 1996; Ripa 2007). Job discrimination prevents the active inclusion of certain types of individuals in the work environment and is detrimental both to the diversity of an office as well as to the productivity of a particular work space. Seeking to address the major challenges minorities face with respect to discrimination at work, the government has legislated policies to protect certain groups from harmful work practices. Job

Death Penalty should be legalized Research Paper

Death Penalty should be legalized - Research Paper Example This was to be upheld by all the member states of the UN. From the very beginning, the death penalty had been embroiled in controversy. The aforementioned International Bill of Human Rights was proclaimed in the year 1948, by the UN. However, this did not include any reference to the death penalty. It took nine years of debate, for the UN General Assembly to include a statement regarding the death penalty. This transpired in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Evans). As such, death penalty issues have been accorded a place in human rights. In the societies of the world, the list of penalties tend to be execution, loss of liberty by means of imprisonment or other restrictions on movement, corporal punishment, loss of property, mutilation, such as the amputation of the limbs, and loss of opportunities, such as the revocation of a driver’s license. The list of penalties for crime could vary to some extent, on the basis of the society involved. Nevertheless, deterrence would be the perceived objective of any system of penalties. It is in this context that one has to view a system of criminal justice that does not have a deterrence effect (Davis 23). Such a system would be rejected as being of no worth whatsoever. In addition, several academic studies, conducted in the recent past, have clearly shown that the death penalty has a significant deterrent effect upon murder. The analysts of these studies have declared that between three to eighteen lives could be saved for every convicted murderer who is put to death. In this context, the study conducted by Naci Mocan assumes significance. This study, which was conducted in the year 2003, by Mocan and other researchers determined that every execution would reduce the number of homicides by five. On the other hand, commuting a death sentence would translate into an increase of five in the number of

Novel Essay Chapter Analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Novel Chapter Analysis - Essay Example â€Å"Tapakwewin† is one of the World War I chapters, and it takes place in September in the area around Hill 70, near the village of Lens. The action in the chapter involves Xavier and Elijah sniping and their squad managing to take the hill from the German troops. This chapter also features the German flamethrower troops who symbolize quite well all the really horrible things about war. Mixed in with this action and horror are important character developments on the parts of Xavier and Elijah both. They also meet another Anishnabe soldier who helps to clearly define the role that Xavier’s and Elijah’s people play in the war, and how that defines who they are and the problems they have in the story itself. In relation to the other chapters of the novel, the reason that â€Å"Tapakwewin† seems central is that is really focuses on the characters of Elijah and Xavier, and how they are different and similar to one another, in a way that helps the reader to understand the novel’s central theme of loss during war-time. This theme is not only loss of life and health, as Xavier experiences, but loss of innocence and a loss of sanity. It also highlights another of the novel’s themes, which is the problems that Native Americans had and still have in integrating with the mainstream population while simultaneously maintaining their own unique traditions and cultures. The Elijah and Xavier featured in this chapter have both begun to change from who they were, and both seem to feel that they are on a course that can no longer be altered. Xavier shares Elijahs thoughts, revealing that he â€Å"wonders what is growing in him† (Boyden 262). â€Å"In the end,† he says, the answer is simple: â€Å"Elijah has learned to take pleasure in killing† (Boyden 262). This point, roughly 2/3 of the way through the novel, seems a pivotal one. In the

Hospice in Rural Countries Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hospice in Rural Countries - Research Paper Example Given the increasing statistical figures of families and patients who certainly will be facing the end-of-life crisis or issues, access to the hospice care has been a significant consideration. It has been found that the rural communities have been found to get the least access to the hospice care or a Medicare - certified hospice. In addition, the higher the number of physician found in the community shall likely to have easy access to the Medicare -certified hospice such as the urban or metropolitan. Moreover, the study shows that the number of physicians that can work in a Medicare-certified hospice can lower because of the need for the physician's certification of terminal illness. The findings show that the racial-ethnic diversity decreases from most rural places to least rural places or as the classification of the rural to urban communities progressed. The following is the table of the summary of the rural-urban, socioeconomic and physician rate variables. The computation of the median has been appropriate for this study to avoid enumeration of the numerous census data. The purpose of the calculation of the median is to approximate the middle value of every entry in the table such as the total number of the whites that resides in certain location. Table gives the reader an idea that on the average, the population of the whites living in a particular location is 84.4 or simply 84.4%. Table 1. Summary of the rate of available physician, socioeconomic, and rural-urbanclassification The above table provides the summary f the characteristics of the 3,140 counties. In 204, the census of the average county was 93,507 with the standard deviation of 304, 790. In terms of the median age of each county, on the average, was 37.3 years with the standard deviation of the 4.01. This means that the median age varies within the limits of + 4.01 and -4.01 values. The mean percentage of the population of the counties pertaining to those people who are above 65 years old was 14.76% and with the standard deviation of 4.17. On the other hand, the statistics pertaining to the people classified as under poverty line is 13.74% with the standard deviation of 5.59. The mean percentage of the minority groups such as the Hispanics and African Americans in counties were 8.76% and 6.18% respectively. The Hispanics mean percentage derives a standard deviation of 11.9 while the African Americans, 14.5% standard deviation value. Furthermore, according to the summary of characteristics of the particular counties, the physician rate reaches 12.61% with a standard deviation of 14.89. On the other hand, the mean quantity of the Medicare-certified hospice was 0.83 with standard deviation of 1.84. The significance of the values 18.99, 8.99, and 9.48 pertain to the rates of physician in the rural-urban classifications. This means that the metropolitan (most urban or least rural) has the most number of physicians qualified to work with the Medicare-certified hospice than the adjacent metro or rural areas (see figure 1). Figure 1. A comparison of MDs per 10,000 census, mean percentage of

Evolution of Management Thinking Essay Example for Free

Evolution of Management Thinking Essay It was an era where so many alterations in the world Economy took place. In the closing decades of the 19th century there was a quest of seeking innovative ways to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The Scientific Management Theory initiated on the basis of that. In this period of time crafts production was substituted by large factories in which a lot of technical revolutions have been taking place. The owners and managers were not capable of coping to these challenges therefore they hunted for advanced techniques to overcome this situation. As a solution the concepts of Job Specialization and division of labour came about. In this scenario workers who specialized in their respective tasks became more skilled. The Scientific Management Theory Fredrick W. Taylor was the architecture of the concept Scientific Management, â€Å"The systematic study of relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of redesigning the work process to increase efficiency†. It was believed that the most effective and efficient division of labour could best be determined by the concept of Scientific Management. There were four core principles in this concept. * Investigation and experimentation on organization performance * Codification of new methods/standards * Selection of employees according to codified standards * Establishing a level of performance and a pay system with rewards In 1910 most of the organizations were using this concept but selectively. Even though there was an increase in performance some disputes about this concept lead to an increase in trade union involvement. There were some major issues in this concept. * Availability of fewer jobs * Job dissatisfaction * Distrust among employees and employers. Some organizations redesigned the principles according to their vision. For example introduction of moving conveyer belts in Henry Ford’s factory can be taken in to consideration. However these approaches were not able to solve the emerged issues. Nevertheless Taylor’s work had a lasting effect on management production systems. Frank Gilbreth and Lillian Gilbreth who were the successors of Taylor studied how the working environment influences the performance of the employees. They made a heavy contribution in time-and-motion study. They demonstrated that by following arrangements organizations can solve their issues effectively. * Breaking up each job action into its components. * Finding better ways to perform the action. * Reorganizing each job action to be more efficient Administrative Management Theory Researchers attempted to discover how to create an organizational structure that leads to high efficiency and effectiveness. Theory of Bureaucracy was developed by Max Weber as a succession of these researches. Bureaucracy is basically a formal system of organization and administration designed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. There were several principles in this theory. Weber identified several factors there should be in a bureaucracy system. Simultaneously Henry Fayol identified 14 principles that should be vital to increasing the efficiency of the management process according to his perspective. These studies of Fayol and Weber laid the foundation of modern management theory. Behavioural Management Theory This is the study of how managers should behave in order to motivate employees and encourage them to strive towards high levels of performance as an organization. In the previous theory there wasn’t a major concern about the employee viewpoint. Thus Mary Farker Follett explained why it is important to think about the human side of management. According to the studies of Follett managers should behave as coaches and facilitators –not as monitors and supervisors and the importance of direct inter communication between managers of different departments to make speedy decisions. She also promoted the concept of â€Å"cross functioning† which has been used in a great scale at present. Hawthorne effect is the discovery that a manager’s behaviour and leadership approach can affect the level of performance of employees. From this study emerged the concept of human relations movement. It is basically how the supervisors should be behaviourally trained to spice up worker’s motivation, cooperation and increase their productivity. Informal organization is one of the implications of Hawthorne effect. This is the system of behavioural rules and norms that come out in a group. The study of factors that have an impact on how individuals and groups react to in organizations has been identified as the organizational behaviour. Apart from these mentioned here the most significant approach was developed by Douglas McGregor. He supposed two different sets of assumptions which were named as Theory X and Theory Y. Management Science Theory This is a modern extension of Scientific Management Theory in this approach describes how precise quantitative techniques can be used in order to make the best use of organizational resources. Quantitative management emphasises on how arithmetic can be manipulated to achieve best practises in inventory and financial capital control. Operations management presents a set of techniques that can be utilized to improve production efficiency Total quality management focuses on the art of how the whole can be managed to achieve excellence. Management information systems provide the managers with adequate information about internal and external events of an organization to effective decision making. Organizational Environment Theory This is the set of conditions and forces that functions externally to the organization but affect a manger’s capability to acquire and utilize resources. This clearly stresses on how important it is to study the environment. The open systems theory and contingency theory developed in 1960 ascertains the importance of the importance of studying the environment. The Open –Systems View This is a system where external resources are acquired and converted into goods and services then sent back to customers for purchasing. And the cycle carries on. This system is considered as an open system. Organizations which use a closed system are likely to experience entropy, the tendency of a system to lose its ability to control itself and thus to dissolve and collapse. Contigency Theory It discloses that there is no best way to organize therefore characteristics of the environment affect an organization’s ability to obtain resources. Types of structures Above describes the differences between the structures. In conclusion managers in a Mechanistic structure can obtain inputs at a lower cost preferably in a stable environment and managers in an organic environment can react more quickly in a rapidly changing environment. These contributions constructed the foundation of modern management theories. References: New Era of Management Concepts and Applications 2nd Edition Richard L. Daft, Vanderbilt University Contemporary Management fifth edition Gareth R. Jones, Texas A M University Jennifer M. George, Rice University

Review Of Cruise Tourism And Malaysia Tourism Essay

Review Of Cruise Tourism And Malaysia Tourism Essay Cruise Tourism is one of the major growth areas of world tourism Peisley, 1992; Hobson, 1993; Cruise Lines International Association, 1995. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit: There seems little doubt that, by the turn of the century, cruising will be firmly established as one of the worlds major tourism industries with significant markets in North America, the UK, Europe and Asia. The total number of annual passengers will have reached 8 million plus Cruising is the fastest-growing sector of the international holiday scene (The Passenger Shipping Association, 2003). Cruise tourism can be defined as the use of ships for pleasure cruising and not merely for transportation (UNWTO, 1997). Ocean and coastal cruise tourism is unique in the manner in which it provides a combination of transportation, accommodation, entertainment, retail and destination services. Cruise liners can be regarded as floating resort facilities, which have the major advantage of seasonal repositioning. From its predominantly Caribbean base, cruise tourism has spread across the world, increasing ports of call in all regions. As well as this, river and canal cruising has grown rapidly, particularly in Europe and China. The cruise industry is growing, expanding and accessing new markets by, in part, bringing into reach a diversity of popular and successful destinations that are new for cruise tourism, by exploiting previously under-utilised ports (Younger, 2003). 2.1.1 The cruise industry The growth of the cruise market throughout the world, and perhaps more notably in the United Kingdom (UK) has been one of the most remarkable phenomena of the 1990s (Wild Dearing, 2000). The cruise industry is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry achieving more than 2,100 percent growth since 1970, when an estimated 500,000 people took a cruise. Industry estimates are that 13.5 million people took a cruise vacation in 2009, with a total of 14.3 million passengers forecasted to sail in 2010. (Cruise Lines International Association [CLIA], 2010). In early 2001, 64 new and larger capacity ships were in production, expanding passenger capacities by 35%. More than 50% of these ships are dedicated to the United States tourism market and are now operating throughout the Caribbean (Sparrow, 2004). The cruise industrys growth is also reflected in its expanding guest capacity. Nearly 40 new ships were built in the 1980s and during the 1990s, nearly 80 new ships debuted. By the end of 2009, over 100 new ships were introduced since 2000, with 12 new vessels on the way for 2010. (CLIA, 2010) These new vessels carry more passengers, more crew, generate more waste and consume more goods and services. 2.2 Theoretical Framework According to Weaver and Oppermann (2000), tourism is a complex phenomenon involving many actors and interactive factors. Some of the actors are tourists, tour operators, cruise lines and airlines. To be able to understand the complicated nature of the tourism industry, a system based approach is suitable. Leipers tourism model can be used as the theoretical framework as it views tourism as a form of a system in which there is an operational structure built up of interacting components. Leiper who was an early supporter of the adoption of a systems approach towards understanding tourism defined tourism as: . . . the system involving the discretionary travel and temporary stay of persons away from their usual place of residence for one or more nights, excepting tours made for the primary purpose of earning remuneration from points en route. The elements of the system are tourists, generating regions, transit routes, destination regions and a tourist industry. These five elements are arranged in spatial and functional connections. Having the characteristics of an open system, the organisation of five elements operates within broader environments: physical, cultural, social, economic, political, technological with which it interacts. The components of the tourism system are shown in the model below (fig 1.1). This whole tourism system approach helps to organise our knowledge about tourism and its relationship with cruises. Leipers approach was to try and understand destinations, generating areas, transit zones, the environment and flows within the context of a wider tourism system rather than seeing them as separate independent entities. In the model there are three interactive components: (i) the tourism generating region, (ii) the destination region and (iii) transit routes which link the two regions. It is evident that transport forms an integral part of the tourism system by linking the tourist generating and destination regions together. Collier (1994) classifies tourism transport on several bases (e.g. public or private sector transport, water/land/air transport; domestic and international transport and mode of transport). Cruise tourism is considered as a system in which cruisers and operators are major actors. The tourism-generating region and the destination region are linked together through cruising which is also a tourism product. This makes cruise ships a unique form of tourism transport. People go on a cruise more than they go to a place. And yet their major competition is not other forms of transport but real places. As Morrison et al. (1996: 15) put it: Instead of competing with the airlines, the cruise lines have become their partners and now compete with destinations, resorts, and other vacation alternatives. The cruise ship itself has become a floating resort providing the maximum possible leisure and entertainment facilities. However Leipers model has been criticized for being simplistic (Prosser, 1998). Prosser provided a more detailed model that, he claimed, represents more effectively the inner complexities of the tourism environment. 2.3 SWOT analysis for Mauritius SWOT is an acronym where the letters stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is a commonly used analytical tool in business environments that has become firmly established in the literature of strategic management (Evans, et al. 2003). A SWOT analysis is a useful way of assessing the situation that a destination faces in its effort to develop cruise tourism. . According to Weihrich (1982), the SWOT analysis is the process of analysing organisations and their environments based on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This includes the environmental analysis, the process of scanning the business environment for threats and opportunities, which is considered as external factors, and the organisational analysis, the process of analysing a firms strengths and weaknesses as internal factors. Internal factors Strengths Weaknesses A strategically located port in the Indian Ocean Capacity and Infrastructure constraints- too few berths Safe and wonderful tourism destination Cyclonic period during the months of November to May Pleasant climate practically whole year round Nautical constraints- For many big cruise vessels at the same time Variety of land-based and water-based attractions Poor maintenance of beaches and attractions A great variety of cultures Low awareness in the market about cruise tourism in Mauritius Relatively good basic structures(hospitals, roads) and a good transport system Mauritius considered as an expensive destination and not within the reach of many World class quality services by Tour Operators, Hotels, Restaurants, and Travel Agents. Poor service at the port and untrained staff Minimum formalities on arrival of cruise vessels Poor road links to certain location and place of interest Lack of industry cohesion No strategic plan at MPA and MOT level External Factors Opportunities Threats Estimated two million tourists by the year 2015 Seasonality of the industry Brand name- Ile Maurice un plaisir Threats by terrorists and Somalian Pirates The cruise market Potential is strong for Regional/ International growth Competition from other exotic tourism destinations Improvement of physical infrastructure including adequate parking facilities at places of interest and other recreational areas Likely increase in oil prices affecting cost of travel Political stability of market of origin Economic uncertainty- late bookings and close-to-home cruises to avoid expense on flying Air network expansion facilitating Fly-cruise concept Strong growth of European demand (German, French and Spanish markets) 2.4 Sustainable development issues of cruise tourism: Although a relatively new phenomenon, tourism has become one of the worlds largest industries in recent years. According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO, 2004), sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. In 2008, International tourism arrival reached there were 922 million worldwide, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007. (WTO) Given its total significance, it is not surprising that the tourism industry has a substantial environmental impact. In particular, tourism development is associated with environmental problems like deforestation, soil or beach erosion, and coral ecosystem destruction. Since tourism development also tends to result in rapid urbanization, it can contribute to such problems as increased air and water pollution, as well as inadequate solid waste management (Baver and Lynch 2006, 5). The scale and gravity of these impacts tend to be amplified in the Caribbean, where the environment comprises some of the most fragile ecosystems on earth, including beaches, coral reefs, and tropical forests (Lynch 2006, 158). When sustainable tourism has been applied to the industry, more emphasis has been given to tourisms effects upon the environment and economy, rather than to factors related to its effect on communities (Hardy et al, 2002: 491) Cruise tourism is currently going through a period of revival with new vessels being launched and sailing to ever more exotic places. Criticisms Hunter (1997) argues that different interpretations of sustainable tourism are appropriate urder different circumstances. The study of sustainable tourism should not be a rigid framework, but an adaptive paradigm which legitimizes a variety of approaches according to specific circtimstances (Htinter, 1997: 851).

Impact and Challenges of Citizen Reporters

Impact and Challenges of Citizen Reporters Abstract As the global affectation by voyeuristic media challenges the standardized impart of information, it is through the contiguity of citizen reporting that standards of exchange will be challenged and influenced towards a significantly positive outcome. The following dissertation represents an amalgamation of current arguments both for and against citizen reporters and their integration into mass media. The information presented will quickly acclimate the reader to the historical importance of this debate, and through representation of an objective viewpoint, conclusions will be drawn regarding the relative sustainability of this form of media integration. The establishment of a world body of reporter will be shown as necessitated by our expansion as a world of voyeurs, which aligns the inherent need for human contact with the decided assimilation of global information. Research Questions The following questions represent my interest in the topic of Citizen Reporters: Who are the citizen reporters in today’s society and what effect do they have on the current media climate? What does the future look like for citizen reporters and what challenges lay ahead for a free-form integration of their unique viewpoints on important global incidents? Triangulation The obvious utilization of multiple sources, expanded upon either side of the citizen reporter debate will enable my objective view of all arguments and discussion. Additionally, through research and identification of current sources of citizen reporters I will be able to determine the accurate analysis of these entities within outside research, as well as my own integration of their framework into my discussion. Methodology Due to the extremely modern relationship between the substantial integration of citizen reporters and current forms of media exploitation, the most important research of this topic was encountered in magazines and journal entries which represent subjective viewpoints on both sides of the debate. Additionally, discussion with editors of affluent news entities substantiated my research and offered a more immediate impression of the distinct challenges ahead of citizen reporter utilization. Introduction As the high swells battered the coast of New Orleans, a young woman stood on the balcony of her seventh floor apartment watching cars and mailboxes as they were swept away in the current. Her images appeared days later as eyewitness accounts of the terrible Hurricane Katrina disaster and offered the public a firsthand glimpse of terrible devastation. Across the globe, â€Å"the potential value of citizen journalism first became glaring in 2005 when camera-phone images of the London Underground bombings†¦made front pages around the world.†[1] Regardless of incident, the power of the uniquely positioned citizen to provide the world with spectacular images of important global events has set precedence for the future of reporting. The debate rages, however, as to the efficacy of these first hand accounts, and the dilution of media with illegitimacy has further proffered doubt into the validity of citizen reporting. Hypothesis Ultimately, it will be through the efforts of a collaborative world media that barriers and boundaries to the freedom of information may be dismantled and dependent upon the prudent editorial mitigation of erroneous reports, the world will greatly benefit from incorporation of citizen accounts into their media diets. Personal Affectation The research herein details a highly introspective look into my own apprehensions regarding citizen reporting. In the end, through the acceptance of a world necessity for a decrease in censorship and an integration of a wide variety of sources, not just the current information monopoly, I determined that I accept and appreciate the utilization of citizen journalists. The information was readily available, yet distinguishing the more pertinent arguments from those that are simply jaded and encouraged by fear of change was a bit more difficult. In the end, personal discussions with publication editors, as well as a wide variety of material greatly assisted in my appreciation for this form of media. Defining Citizen Reporting In an effort to determine the actuation of citizen reporting, one may only need to turn to current events to spark acumen in the realization of this form of communication. The impact of images of Rodeny King in and the impactive racial slurs of Michael Richards in the US or the devastating destruction of the Underground Bombings in London, have all had an extremely provocative influence on citizen media dedication. In fact the illumination of a world of purported truths has only been affected as the local media conglomerates have begun to accept citizen participation as a necessity in the struggle for accurate and realistic information. The import of reality television and online voyeur websites such as YouTube continue to affirm the power of viewership and the necessitated prioritization of information. In fact, it is through the socialization of news and first-hand integration of rapid iconography of media shakers that the revision of global media has become a perpetual debate. The citizen reporter can potentially evolve from anyone with a camera or even a mobile phone who is lucky enough to encounter a rare and important (and sometimes not so important) circumstance. The ensuing integration of this visual media into local news shows and global media behemoths alike sustains the necessity of in depth interaction with world events. The proliferation of such varied forms of transportable media continues to affirm a desire for interaction within a global community, and through the attraction of citizen reporters, information sharing continues to become far easier. The Supporters—The World Media Conglomerate As world media organizations struggle to identify the veracity within citizen journalists’ contributions, many are accepting their import as a necessitated integration into their future business plans. In fact, through the continued assimilation of the informal journalistic body, the more impactful events will become global focuses unlike ever before seen. â€Å"The journalists role is now to concentrate harder on how, when and where we can add value through our strengths of analysis, context, background and range. But as we do this we must be open to what members of the public bring to our attention. When handled properly, it adds value and improves quality.†[2] The analytical comport of the true journalist will become the equivalent of intensive factions of editors who receive and re-interpret the findings of their citizen journalists in order to proliferate the desires of a well-informed society. Several local citizen based websites and firms have taken this approach to the extreme, standardizing their workforce into the contributions of citizen journalists, many with no prior skill or training. Yet, their effectiveness is debatable, and as financial corporations, supporting their perpetuation does not yet seem to be the most prudent of financial decisions. â€Å"Internet analyst Jay Park at Samsung Securities in Seoul argues that OhmyNews was successful because it was politically motivated, not business-oriented.†[3] The reality for countries such as Korea is that government regulation of media inhibits the ability to receive unbiased broadcasts important to political elections and the legislative power of the people. The fundamental necessity of free media continues to drive global interaction in regards to citizen reporting, oftentimes inspiring the camera toting voyeur to explore scenarios previously impenetrable to the traditional news reporter. The redefinition of media will continue to include citizen reporting into its annuls, challenging journalists to significantly change tactics and seek more affluent and provocative stories in addition to daily occurrences as their focus shifts from subversive to immersive. ‘â€Å"Traditional journalism is the outside looking in,’ Mitch Gelman, executive vice president of CNN.com, said. ‘Citizen journalism is the inside looking out. In order to get the complete story, it helps to have both point of views.’†[4] Obviously, the ability to see all dimensions within a breaking news story becomes an integral part of the global assimilation of citizens into the scheme of media reporting. Additionally, through a necessitated desire to affect change and political activism, the pertinent inclusion of a wide variety of media offers an escape from government regulated politicking. Whereas in the UK, the regulation of political campaigns means minimalizing mass media integration of television advertising, sourcing additional communicative avenues has become a significant priority. The Labour party, inspired by the power of YouTube took to advancing their cause through the well known presence of Tony Blair in an unprecedented inclusion of a major British political figure into a world formerly ruled by lonelygirl15, a once powerful yet innocuous YouTube force. It is integration of multiple media avenues which continues to afford a world media the opportunity to view uncensored information, and while political propaganda is undeniably susceptible to the affectation of the representative party, the viewers are now challenged to explore many avenues to effectively decipher thei r own pertinent information. The Naysayers—The Struggle to Protect Media Yet, the converse of the global citizen integration into mass media also poses significant concern and potential debilitating effects to this veracity based empire. So far, the most significant naysayers continue to be journalistic supporters who feel that the potential integration of citizen reporting poses significant problems for information exchange. Namely, the ability to regulate citizen content or invoke accountability protocol against those who misuse their powers and global affectation, signifies a dilution of world media which could negatively affect the transfer of important facts to the public. As governments refuse to regulate electronic content, namely publically shared information, â€Å"such changes raise policy issues that disturb some colleagues. How can our journalistic reputation be protected when we are not fully in control of our content?†[5] Oftentimes subjected to the infiltration of a derisive surfer, web and media content must constantly be edited and investigated in order to assure the publication of truth in global broadcasting. â€Å"Just as the printing press was disruptive in its time, the ubiquity of the Net and the cheap tools that give voice to anyonewhether talented or nothas kicked off a period of creative ferment.†[6] In fact there are significantly powerful web spiders or congregations of hackers and dissenters seek to flood virtuous areas of media with their own petulant inklings. Mitigation of these groups means constant warfare, and as vacillatory as the world public is, their accidental integration into global media could mean dissonance and refusal of participation in sites whose news publications incorporate citizen reporters. A secondary opinion detailing concern within the integration of citizen reporting lies in the fact that trends and fads fade when public opinion becomes stagnant. â€Å"Other industry watchers also express doubts that citizen journalism will turn out to be a going concern. Had it been an attractive global model, ‘someone would have made lots of money by now.’†[7] And, regardless of whether someone has cornered the market on citizen journalism or not, the willingness of the public to accept its efficacy plays an integral role in its future success. While many companies are copying the model set up in South Korea, the perception is that their eventual disintegration will spell a reaffirmation of journalistic principles and affect a minimalization of citizen journalism. The Future—Dog Walking Star Breaches Headlines Currently, there are few websites completely devoted to the perpetuation of citizen journalism. In South Korea, â€Å"OhmyNews, set up in 2000, now has about 90 full-time staffers 65 of them journalists and some 44,000 citizen contributors. Together, they produce around 150 articles a day. This year, it expects revenues of about $6 million, 60% of which come from online ads and the rest from the sale of the companys news product to Internet portals, and from miscellaneous services.†[8] The challenge of a completely integrated site such as this one is that online advertising, regardless of integration of unpaid citizen reporters into a news site is the influx of capital which assures perpetuation and expansion. Should this particular site not attract the investment capital needed, their failure is immanent. Yet their power and assimilation of attentive citizens represents a significant advance at the forefront of global media. They have even branched out in order to attempt incorporation of global audiences into their media focus. â€Å"OhmyNews English-language news division is produced by nearly 1,500 citizen reporters from more than 100 countries, plus five professional editors based in the U.S. and Korea.†[9] Remarkably, the reliance on conventional media continues to minimize the effectiveness of online agencies such as this one, and in spite of potentially similar broadcasts with integrated content that might represent government censorship in their countries of origin, viewers and readers have not yet attached their interests to the facilities of global reportership. Additional global journalism integrates the use of similar electronic voyeurism such as YouTube into more socially affirmative avenues such as Yahoo News. â€Å"Users can visit the section of Yahoo News, dubbed You Witness News, to upload pictures and video that will then be uploaded to Flickr and related video sites. Yahoo and Reuters editors will then go through the material to determine if any of the content can accompany news articles.†[10] It is through the dedicated editorial departments of such online agencies that the perpetuation of public support for citizen journalism will predominate the views of naysayers. Without thorough source analysis and standardized operating procedures which will guarantee the clarity and veracity of reports, sites such as Yahoo and OhMy will continue to encounter significant resistance from a traditionalist mindset. Where the romanticism of citizen journalism and the freedom of information exchange may capture the majority of the world’s nations with the novelty of more widespread and un-censored media coverage, in France, stringent legislation has now been enacted in order to ban this idea of free reporting and videography. â€Å"The ostensible purpose of the ban is to curb ‘happy slapping,’ the recording of assaults and other crimes by accomplices in order to post videos on the Internet as trophies†¦France is the first country to legislate against it Quite apart from instances of official misconduct, however, the ban attempts to squelch the growing phenomenon of ‘citizen journalism.†[11] This drastic measure has hardly been challenged by the French media organizations, as their government owned framework mitigates the exposure of the world to uncensored French news. Highly evident within this government influence is the limited media coverage of the 2005 u rban riots during which the majority of informatory video came from citizen broadcasts. The resistance from the French regime to accept the global implications of incorporation of its citizens as news correspondents shows an ongoing manipulation of public media sources. The unfortunate fact of this censorship is that dissonance among citizens results in redistribution of French attention towards online media broadcasters regardless of government regulation. The right of humanity to remain informed is an accepted practice throughout the globe, yet political interference continues to hamper the advance of propaganda-free broadcasting. Finally, asides to the mainstream influx of news sources continue to spring up throughout the global information deluge. â€Å"The Center for Citizen Media, which launched a website last month, is setting out to encourage grassroots media, and especially citizen journalism. Its one of the latest new media groups jumping into the movement to further citizen journalism online.†[12] Through encouragement and incremental journalistic education for citizens, the electronic media centers throughout the world will enforce a tactic of freedom of information, which enlivens a residual essence of historical significance: the right to know. Through dedication to human information involvement as well as integration of first-hand accounts into global events, the continuation of information sharing will stand resilient to selfish naysayers. Issues of Confidentiality One area which must be addressed within the scope of citizen journalism is the mitigation of privacy infringement. The idea that anyone with a camera or a pen could become a global media informant makes the lives of media makers much more susceptible to exposure. An individual’s scheme of recognition might include photographically accosting a famous icon with the expectation that through utilization of their image and a distorted narrative, that they could influence headlines worldwide. Throughout my research, the paparazzi played an important role already in this media manipulation, yet the integration of potentially millions of would-be journalists drastically increases the size of their information army. It will be extremely important for major media organizations to discourage their potential affect on the pervasive exploitation of media icons in order to continue to support privacy and fairness regardless of global integration. Conclusion It is not the quality of the reporting, nor is it the frequency, but it is the inherent freedom of citizen reporters which challenges the global media magnates to incorporate the influential view of its people into daily information sessions. Where news was once the ability of government bodies to communicate their policies, the integration of daily human interest stories reminds the global citizenship that it is the interest of humans which most drives effective media. Through perpetuation of the World Wide Web, the global community has shrunk the distance between continents, oftentimes finding as much brotherly interaction across borders as within. It is the unique ability to voyeuristically involve all world citizens in the occurrences which shape society and the environment with which it interacts that determines the approach taken towards future challenges. It is absolutely a necessity to mitigate the effect of journalistic elitists through citizen challenges of an information i nflux; in this way, the reeducation of a global community will be dependant on all unique perspectives, and not just those relative to the monopolistic media organization. References â€Å"Bloggers, Citizen Journalists See Katrina From the Inside; As News Organizations Cover the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Broad Strokes, Bloggers Citizen Journalists are Reporting on the devastation While Living its Consequences.† Information Week: September 1st, 2005. Fernandez, Sophie. â€Å"Happy Slapping the French Public; Sarko Takes a Stand Against Citizen Journalism.† The Weekly Standard: March 13th, 2007. Ihlwan, Moon. ‘â€Å"OhmyNews’ Oh My Biz Problem; The Korean Site for Citizen Reporting Hasn’t had Much Success So Far With its Moves Into Other Markets—And it’s in the Red at Home (Asia).† Business Week Online: November 2nd, 2006. Johnston, Garth. â€Å"YouNewsTV Turns Viewers Into Stringers.† Broadcasting Cable: 137:10, March 5th, 2007. Levy, Steven. â€Å"Dawn of the Amateurs; A Flap Over Fraud on Wikipedia Raises Questions About the Reliability of Information in the Age of ‘You Media.† Newsweek International: March 26th, 2007. â€Å"Media Analysis: Citizen Journalism Acceptance Impacts PR. (User Generated Content).† PR Week (US): December 11th, 2006. â€Å"More Sites Venture Into Grassroots/Citizen Media; There’s a Growing Number of New media Groups Pushing a Movement To Further Citizen Journalism Online.† InternetWeek: February 1st, 2006. Sambrook, Richard.â€Å"Citizen journalism and the BBC: ‘ when major events occur, the public can offer us as much new information as we are able to broadcast to them. From now on, news coverage is a partnership’ (citizen journalism).†Nieman Reports: 59.4, Winter 2005. 1 Footnotes [1] Garth Johnston, â€Å"YouNewsTV Turns Viewers Into Stringers.† (March 5th, 2007) [2] Richard Sambrook, â€Å"Citizen journalism and the BBC: ‘ when major events occur, the public can offer us as much new information as we are able to broadcast to them. From now on, news coverage is a partnership’(citizen journalism),† (Winter 2005) [3] Moon Ihlwan, ‘â€Å"OhmyNews’ Oh My Biz Problem; The Korean Site for Citizen Reporting Hasn’t had Much Success So Far With its Moves Into Other Markets—And it’s in the Red at Home (Asia),† (November 2nd, 2006) [4] â€Å"Bloggers, Citizen Journalists See Katrina From the Inside; As News Organizations Cover the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Broad Strokes, Bloggers and Citizen Journalists are Reporting on the Devastation While Living its Consequences,† (Sept 1, 2005) [5] Richard Sambrook, (Winter, 2005) [6] Steven Levy, â€Å"Dawn of the Amateurs; A Flap Over Fraud on Wikipedia Raises Questions About the Reliability of Information in the Age of ‘You Media,† (March 26th, 2007) [7] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [8] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [9] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [10] â€Å"Media Analysis: â€Å"Citizen Journalism Acceptance Impacts PR,† (Dec 11, 2006) [11] Sophie Fernandez , â€Å"Happy Slapping the French Public; Sarko Takes a Stand Against Citizen Journalism,† (March 13th, 2007) [12] Richard Sambrook, (Winter, 2005)

Violence in the Media Essay -- Essays Papers

Violence in the Media What makes the Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons so funny and memorable? Of course, the explosions, hits and falls the Coyote takes while in pursuit of the Roadrunner. Pediatrics, a pediatrician read magazine, wrote an article on the influence violence, such as that in cartoons and other forms of media, has on children from ages 2-18 titled â€Å"Media Violence.† â€Å"Although recent school shootings have prompted politicians and the general public to focus their attention on the influence of media violence, the medical community has been concerned with this issue since the 1950s,† says American Academy of Pediatrics, the author of the article in November of 2001. The article calls for a need for all pediatricians to take a stand on violence in the media and help to make sure their patients are not influenced negatively mentally or physically by violence in the media, using multiple statistics from many publications. â€Å"Media Violence† fails to be persuasiv e, however, due to its failure to show any evidence that its statistics are true. â€Å"American children between 2 and 18 years of age spend an average of 6 hours and 32 minutes each day using media (television, commercial or self-recorded video, movies, video games, print, radio, recorded music, computer, and the Internet),† claims the article citing the Kaiser Family Foundation Report in 1999. This helps to show that media is definitely a major part of a child’s life which would definitely help to make in an influence, but how does a child have time for all of this media usage between school and homework? Another statistic the author uses claims by the time a child is 18, he or she will witness over 200,000 acts of violence on television alone, stated by a Un... ...ph of the section titled Influence. These are statistics of deaths among the pediatric population caused by homicide, suicide and trauma. These statistics are believable and seem to be cold hard facts, but still, even with sympathy for deaths among children, no facts are presented to show that any of these deaths had anything to do with violence in the media. With many scholarly authors, the argument is clear and well fought, but due to the lack of show of studies or reason behind statistics, the argument is lacking believability and ends up coming across as having the same impact as saying that car accidents among women are caused by the increase of caffeine in a woman’s system over the last decade. It could be backed up with statistics of car accidents and evaluating of caffeine intake, but without connecting the two it is unbelievable, just like this article.

Hinduism in American Life Essay -- Hindu Religion Compare Essays

Hinduism in American Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The English word religion loosely translates into â€Å"rules† in Latin. Therefore, a religion teaches us how to think, how to act, and basically everything except what to eat in the morning. The Hindu and Christian religion agree on many things and our society follows some of the rules too because religion and laws are based on humanity. From holy literature many different ideas have been pawned but they are all supposed to lead you to the same things: a happy, healthy life, contribution to the world around us, and some kind of liberation after death. Concerning these ideals the Hindu religion has come up with three ways to make sure that everybody will get what they want out of life and those are the four stages, the four goals, and the four castes of life. There is so much holy war about which religion is right and wrong but if they all are striving for the same thing it is hard for me to see why they take place. In this essay I will show that Christian ity is very similar to Hinduism. The first thing that the Hindus follow to insure that you grow up to be productive (if you are in the upper three castes) is having specific stages of life. In other words throughout our life we have different responsibilities and duties which are spelled out by the Holy Scriptures. The four stages are student, â€Å"family man†, forest dweller and ascetic. The first stage of student requires you to go to school (if you were a male) and be initiated with the Upanayana ceremony. If a kid was at the top of the caste system and was preparing to be a priest he needs to get trained and before he gets trained he must have a Upanayana ceremony because without these he won’t know what he is talking about and won’t know and won’t have any credibility when he becomes a priest. It isn’t enough just to get an education and a little plaque on your wall, you must have lived a celibate life and you must be provided for by your family. This is a way of getting them to think a certain way since according to Hindu laws believe all members of a certain caste are supposed to do the same thing in the same way. The next stage of â€Å"family man† is also one that gets you not only to act a certain way but think a certain way. In this stage a man is supposed to get a wife, get a family, and repay his debts to everything that helped him including society. If you can do thes... ... to make duties and responsibilities more straightforward is the caste system. The caste system is based on reincarnation and the better Hindu that you’ve been in past lives makes you who you are. The highest people up on the social pyramid are the priests followed by kings, then merchants and finally the servents. It makes clear just how good and pure the person has been in this and past lives because they are either high up on the ladder or they aren’t. There is something beneficial about being seen as a good person. Since most of our morals in America come from the Bible if you are seen as a good Christian than you will get special job offers and when you meet your girlfriend’s parents they won’t hate you. In India you can tell who is a servant apart from who is a king because of what they do in a day and what kind of clothes they wear etc. In America we have little status symbols such as crosses that go around our neck and making conversation of wh at you learned in the bible or church. The whole point of the caste system is to segregate people and give some people certain advantages based on how well they accord with the popular religious beliefs based on region of the world.

Psy: Obedience Essay

Obedience is the act of practicing obeying; dutiful or submissive compliance. Humans have an instinct to obey because of the role authority plays. Milgram’s research proves my point in his case study that involved shocks of voltage. From birth, we learn that everything has a consequence or punishment after an action. Children learn simple philosophies in their youngest age such as obeying their parent’s requests. Something as simple as eating vegetables has a consequence. A reward gives the child satisfaction to emphasize the good behavior or, in the opposite case, bad behavior. As humans get older, this simple idea enlarges when it applies to different phases in life. Scientists like Milgrim and Marta Laupa study factors that play a role in obedience using variables like electrical shocks. In the psychology department, scientists like Milgrim, studied obedience to understand human behavior. He used cruel and unusual ways to study how humans will react to authority. The punishments included electrical shocks at different voltages. This is just one of way psychologists test authority versus obedience. His experiment involved 42 participants, some of them being the enforcer and some acting as the victim. The authority role would execute the victim with electrical shocks beginning from 15 to 450. Milgrim’s blind case study took place at Harvard University where the participants agreed to take part without any kind of explanation. The authoritative volunteer requested the number of voltages from the patient. No one objected the voltage until it reached a maximum of 450. As the voltage amount rose, the participants allegedly showed signs of stress and nervousness but never refused the electricity until the last and most fatal amount of voltage. Later, Milgrim altered the study by placing the authority figure outside of the electricity room. He or she used a loudspeaker to inform the victim of the situation. Participants were all of the sudden more reluctant to obey. This unethical experiment showed researchers and fellow observers how humans obey powerful authority to almost fatal conditions. Rather than disobeying, humans will instinctively continue even when conditions are close to death. Milgrim’s results differ from Laupa. Unlike Milgrim’s results, Laupa’s were less shocking, literally. The process involved students who were appointed as conflict managers or honor patrol. The chosen ones were taught to approach students to resolve arguments such as turn-taking. Laupa required 80 children from four classes: first grade, third grade, fifth grade, and seventh grade. Subjects were then put in situations where they must chose to listen to another person. For example, the scientist listed a few such as la dy versus former peer authority. This example is fundamental to the understanding of obedience. This illustration baffles children because they are put in a situation where the lady has adult status, which shows authority but no knowledge, but the former peer authority shows knowledge but no adult status like the previous lady. Laupa’s case proves that children are a biased subject to chose for the obedience in Milgrim’s case because children have a different way of thinking compared to adults who have prior experience to the social world. Children’s naive way of thinking benefits them since they are not interested in social system that adults are in everyday. Common sense would tell us that most people believe obedience is a critical aspect in social life and plays a great role in maintaining social order. On the contrary, every human being at different ages posses different aspirations that reflect their behavior. While some people respect authority by obeying, many do not, such as criminals or the students in detention. In Milgrim’s study, it is obvious that almost everyone respected authority possibly because they were under the impression that there were greater consequences or that they were in dire need to comply. In Laupa’s study, however, it showed that children were doubtful to peer authority and even adult authority. While some children are less timid than others, children have the instinct to question others because younger people are unaware of the social status adult figures hold. When comparing the two cases studies by Milgrim and Laupa, observers would agree that from childhood, people identify authority and obey them according to their figure in society or the status they hold.

Jeffersonian Republicanism vs. Jacksonian Democracy Essay

Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were two influential political figures in two very different eras, ranging from 1800-1808 and 1808-1840 respectively, that established two very different political philosophies. Each formed their own system that helped shape the way people think about American government. Liberalism is a political philosophy that goes against the established status quo at the time in order for change, where as a conservative is one which adheres to principles established by that same status quo. The Jeffersonian Republicans image of the common man was one vested in the educated and independent farmer, who by no stretch of the imagine had the capabilities to serve in government. The Jacksonian Democracies image of the common man expanded from farmers to include laborers, planters, and mechanics. Jackson saw these people as the true representatives of the Government, and thus its true servers. The image of the common man for each the Jeffersonians and the Jacksonians differed in the fundamental principle of the true chosen class, and its real role in Government. Although Jeffersonian Republicanism established a more liberal status quo in comparison with the old Federalist policies, Jacksonian Democracies conservative maintenance of Jeffersons status quo did more to assist the common man in regards to the political, social, and economic aspects of his era. In contrast to the Jeffersonian era, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the executive branch and the Presidency at the expense of Congressional power, while also sought to broaden the public’s participation in government. The belief in a weak national government was held by the Jeffersonians; they contended that government officials who used their powers too much were in fact abusing them (Ambiguous Democracy in America, 1800-1848). In Jeffersons time the two highest voted candidates became the President and the Vice-President of the United States. Jeffersonians believed more in the power of legislature, because it was a type of power given to the educated masses. Jacksonians however, believed in universal white manhood suffrage, rather than just the propertied class being able to vote, and supported the patronage system that enabled politicians to appoint their supporters into administrative offices, arguing it would reduce the power of elites and prevent aristocra cies from emerging. In the age of  Jackson, a candidate was chosen by a nominating convention and the President and Vice-President ran for their offices separately. The people demanded elected (not appointed) judges and rewrote many state constitutions to reflect the new values. Jackson saw no reason not to use force to achieve his goals exemplified in his handling of the Nullification Crisis of 1832, with the passing of the force act to force any law necessary (Brinkley, Alan, and Davis Dyer). Jacksonians believed in a stronger government, but it was a type of self government. In this system of beliefs, the president was considered to be a representative of the people, and thus he found no reason in his mind not to veto a law which he did not see fit. Jackson used Jeffersons policies to bring into fruition the ideals of the true common man in government. While Jeffersons ideas of social mobility reflected a growing sense of equality for all classes, Jackson established his idea of the true chosen class, and specifically geared his policies of social mobility towards this. Jefferson doubted that white civilization and Indian savagery could coexist and although he said that men were born to freedom, not to slavery, he still held many slaves. He felt strongly that women had a single purpose in life: marriage and subordination to a husband. Jefferson saw no reason to let them vote since women were never called upon to discuss politics. One of the many bills Jefferson proposed was the Bill for General Education, which allowed everyone to have as much free education as each person was fitted for (Cunningham, Noble E.). Jefferson believed education would be the cure of all evils. In the same manner, Jackson veered away from extending equality to slaves and women received little betterment, although many reforms were taking place in the time of the Jacksonian Democracy. Jackson forced thousands of Native Americans to march from Georgia to Oklahoma on the infamous Trail of Tears with his Indian Removal Act, thus showing his hatred for the Native Americans (Brands, H. W.). Jacksonians opposed programs such as educational reform and the establishment of public education. They believed that schools restricted individual liberty by interfering with parental responsibility. The importance of the Jacksonian Era was not that the gap between rich and poor had narrowed, but that there were now few barriers that prevented people from gaining wealth and power. Because  Jackson eradicated the Indian threat (a major concern for common people), and belittled the importance education, his party symbolized that a man could come from nothing, and become president, which was a source of inspiration and hope for the common man. Both Jefferson and Jackson did what they felt would economically benefit the common man however Jeffersons maintenance of the Hamiltonian economic system, which benefited the upper class, did less for the common man then Jackson, who advocated for the ideals of economic success for all. Jefferson encouraged State banks and was originally opposed to the national bank, however once in office he saw the true benefits of such a bank. Jefferson feared the consequences of industrialization, and thus didnt support it. In Jeffersons government corporate charters were granted to favorites of state legislators & often implied monopoly rights to a business, thus the common man had no chance for economic success. Jackson won the Bank War by having federal income deposited in state banks, while he continued to draw money out of the national bank by putting it into his state (Wildcat) Banks, because he saw the bank as a tyrannical source for the wealthy (Feldmeth, Greg D). Jacksonians accepted industry as essential to American economy, and thus further supported the common man. Jacksonians believed that corporate charters should be available to all who chose to risk starting a business, and thus anyone could make money (Jeffersonian & Jacksonian Democracy Comparison). This idea was exemplified in the Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge decision on corporate monopolies. Both mens ideas cause a state of relative economic turmoil, however each was generally looking out for the common man. Jeffersons policies however were still partially geared towards the elite, and thus do not help the common man as much as Jacksons economic system, which was entirely geared towards the common man. Both Jefferson and Jackson advocated for the common man, but it was Jackson that is seen as the true champion for the rights of the common man, and he was thus their true server. Jeffersonian Republicanism is characterized as liberal because from the Federalists to the Jeffersonians they changed the basic political ideology. The Jacksonians however are considered to be conservative because from the Jeffersonians to the Jacksonians the basic  political ideology didnt change, that is, advocating for the common man. Jeffersons ideas had the common man rooted in its intentions. Jefferson when in office however didnt act on these policies and Jeffersonian Republicanism was thus characterized as a system that advocated for the common man but didnt fully act for the common man. The Jacksonians embodied the American spirit, and so perfectly displayed the ability to climb from the very bottom to the very top. Jacksonians personified hope in a nation where hope was desperately needed. The growing lower and middle classes fought endlessly for their rights, which were continually denied by those in power. Jackson knew the plight of the poor, and during his administration, he made many efforts to return the country to the people. Both Jeffersonian Republicanism and Jacksonian Democracy were based on the beliefs in the freedom and equal rights of all men. However, Jacksonians acted more thoroughly on these ideas. While these two men essentially shared many of the same beliefs and ideas, there was a noticeable difference to how they acted on them and spoke out about them. Thus it can be seen that Jacksonian Democracy advocated more for the common man than Jeffersonian Republicanism. Works Cited â€Å"Ambiguous Democracy in America, 1800-1848.† 9 Nov. 2008 . Brands, H. W. Andrew Jackson : His Life and Times. New York: Doubleday, 2005. Brinkley, Alan, and Davis Dyer, eds. The Reader’s Companion to the American Presidency. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company Trade & Reference Division, 2000. Cunningham, Noble E. In Pursuit of Reason : The Life of Thomas Jefferson. New York: Louisiana State UP, 1987. Feldmeth, Greg D. â€Å"U.S. History Resources.† Jacksonian Democracy. 31 March 1998. 9 Nov. 2008 . Jeffersonian & Jacksonian Democracy Comparison. 9 Nov. 2008 .

Influence to Hong Kong as an International Logistics Hub

[pic] Influence to Hong Kong as an international logistics hub – under the â€Å"Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation† | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Influence to Hong Kong as an international logistics hub – under the â€Å"Framework Agreement on Hong Kong nd Guangdong Co-operation† cvnru1ulicenen6. iewst4d)0/su18. 4h06k244-055322175 (on ABSTRACT On 7 April 2010, The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Huang Huahua, signed the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation. The Framework Agreement builds on years of closely co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong. This report reviews the development of Co-operation Agreement between Guangdong and Hong Kong and the implementation of Hong Kong’s logistics industry based on the agreement.To fully understand this Framework Agreement, we explore the challenges confronting Hong Kong as an international logistic hub and event ually acquire some benefits through the co-operation of Hong Kong and Guangdong. REVIEW THE DEVELOPMENT OF CO-OPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN PEARL RIVER DELTA AND HONG KONG The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement – CEPA (signed on June 2003) CEPA introduced liberalization measures for various â€Å"Hong Kong service suppliers†.Logistics industry is one of the â€Å"Hong Kong service suppliers† and recognized to set up wholly-owned enterprises in mainland to provide logistics, international freight forwarding, storage, warehousing, road transport and shipping services. This arrangement not only provided opportunities to Hong Kong logistics companies to access mainland market but also liberated trade in goods and trade in services between mainland and Hong Kong.Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Co-operation Framework Agreement (signed on June 2004) The Pearl River Delta region(PRD), as known as â€Å"9+2†, which includes Guangdong, Fuji an, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hong Kong and Macau. Under this agreement, the Pearl River Delta region cooperated closely and intensively in infrastructure, trade, industry, investment and other areas. Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau have entered a new stage of economic integration. Pan-Pearl River Delta Logistics Development Co-operation Agreement (signed on July 2005) Logistics industry acts as an important role in economic development.This agreement aimed to strengthen the coordination on logistics planning; logistics and transport system; logistics information system and human resources development and technological innovation. It was a remarkable stage of model logistics development in PRD. Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation (signed on July 2010) To continue the implementation of CEPA, the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation clearly defined the social economic development between Hong Kong and Guang dong.It enhanced Hong Kong’s position as an international financial centre and expedited the development of financial services industries in Guangdong; it also facilitated the flow of key factors such as people, goods, information and capital across the boundary to build an international aviation, shipping and logistics hub and a world-class modern economic circulation sphere. A series of environmental protection plans have been carried out to create a high quality living area among the PRD.CO-OPERATION INITIATIVES ON CUSTOMS CLEARANCE OF GOODS The Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation has included infrastructure projects to enhance logistics development and communication and cross-boundary development. To achieve the facilitation of the flow of goods across the boundary, Hong Kong and Guangdong have put forward a number of specific policies and measures. Hong Kong Government advocated the standardization of the information and data required by the custo ms of the mainland.Hong Kong first launched the electronic Road Cargo System (ROCARS) in May 2010 to enable seamless clearance of road cargoes. With this new electronic information platform and building on the foundation of mutual co-operation and benefit, Hong Kong and Mainland Customs are able to make further contribution to enhance customs clearance efficiency and facilitate cross-boundary movement of goods. Road Cargo System (ROCARS) The present customs clearance arrangement at land boundary control points (LBCP), a truck driver has to stop first at an Immigration kiosk and then a Customs kiosk.He delivers a paper manifest which contains relevant cargo information at the latter to a Customs officer who determines on the spot whether physical inspection is necessary. It needs to wait for a moment until it is approved by the Customs. ROCARS allows Customs Officers to perform risk profiling before a truck arrives at LBCP. A shipper or agent needs to provide cargo data in eight fiel ds to the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) electronically before the cargo enters or exits Hong Kong by truck. Meanwhile, the shipper or agent receives a customs reference number for his consignment.The driver of a laden truck needs to report to C&ED within 30 minutes before his truck arriving LBCP, together with the customs reference number of the consignment concerned received from the shipper and his vehicle registration number. If it is not selected by the Customs, no physical inspection is required. Benefits of ROCARS ROCARS allows the Customs officers conduct risk profiling on every cargo consignment in advance and determine whether a truck needs to be inspected. All cross-boundary trucks, except those are selected for inspection, they enjoy seamless customs clearance at the land boundary.It increases the efficiency and shortens the time for customs clearance of road cargoes; it also ensures a smooth flow of land boundary traffic. For the transportation and logistics indus try, many truck drivers deliver a loaded container from China factory via Hong Kong and the goods are to be transshipped overseas by liner vessel. ROCARS can enhance speedy and secure movement of cargoes between Hong Kong and China. As a result, cargoes can be delivered on time to liner vessel stably and reliable. It encourages the development of Hong Kong as an international logistics hub.COLLABORATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY To facilitate information flow and service integration towards Hong Kong and Mainland, Hong Kong started to develop and operate the Digital Trade and Transportation Network (DTTN) on 2005. The aim of DTTN is to lower the barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enjoy e-commerce; it provides Hong Kong and the PRD with an e-infrastructure to secure the region’s place as a leading international logistics hub. Digital Trade and Transportation Network (DTTN)DTTN is an e-platform to connect the organizations in trading , logistics and financial industries and to enable them to exchange business documents electronically with their trading partners. It supports the whole supply chains, including Sellers and Buyers, Carriers, Freight Forwarders, Terminals, Government and Agencies, Inspection Agencies, Insurance Institutions and Banking Institutions; it provides a wide range of services on message routing and transformation, data inheritance, statistical and analytical reporting.Over 80 major documents such as Purchase or Sales order, Packing list, Shipping order, House waybill, Customs clearance or Letter of Credit†¦etc can be supported by DTTN service which facilitates the information flow and service integration on trading, logistics, finance, import and export businesses. Benefits of DTTN DTTN enables new business opportunities for logistic service providers to provide value-add services; Hong Kong logistics industry can compete as premium service leader on high quality value-added services r ather than merely competing on cost.Logistics information flow is one of the key factors for the companies to achieve success. DTTN help to maximize the benefits of e-logistics by utilizing a cost effective infrastructure. It is a neutral, secure and reliable e-platform for trading and logistics communities which can smooth the whole international logistics operation and improve our competitiveness. It further promotes regional integration and enhances the supply-chain efficiency. IMPLEMENTATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTSWith an excellent infrastructure and telecommunications facilities, a well established financial and legal system, a good international connections and a free market for trading. Hong Kong enjoys a number of competitive advantages in developing logistic industry. Facing the rapid growth of logistics development in Guangdong province, to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international logistic hub, HKSAR Government is urged to develop a closer corporation between Hong Kong and PRD.The Framework Agreement on Hong Kong and Guangdong Co-operation which specified several policies on expediting the construction of cross-boundary highway, rail links and ancillary works; building a high class navigation network in PRD; improving the mechanism of the five major airports in the PDR; proactively seeking national support for enlarging the air space in the PDR; supporting the aviation status of each airport, building a network of short-haul helicopter services in the PRD. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB)The HMZB project connects Hong Kong, Macau and the major cities in PRD, there will be a loop of high speed linkage among Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Guangxi, Hainan and other south western part of mainland. (Figure 1. ) [pic] Figure 1: Retrieved from Highway Department http://www. nzcchk. com/IBC%202009%2014%20-%20Hong%20Kong%20Zuhai%20Macau%20Bridge%20Project. pdf It consists of three sections (Figure 2). The western section is a link road within Zhuhai and the Zhuhai-Macao Boundary Crossing Facilities (ZMBCF). TheZhuhai Link Road will connect ZMBCF to the inland area of Zhuhai. The middle section is the HZMB Main Bridge. [pic] Figure 2: Retrieved from Highway Department http://www. nzcchk. com/IBC%202009%2014%20-%20Hong%20Kong%20Zuhai%20Macau%20Bridge%20Project. pdf The eastern section is within Hong Kong, there will be a Hong Kong Link Road (HKLR) to connect the HZMB Main Bridge to the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF). Meanwhile, the tunnel of HKLR will also connect Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to the HKBCF.HKBCF will serve as a strategic multi-model transportation hub, HKBCF will include construction cargo and passenger related facilities, public transport interchange, open road tolling system and some Government buildings will be set up in there. It is believed that the HMZB will bring more road haulage service between Hong Kong and mainland, in connection with the bridge, a highway is to b e built to connect Tuen Mun and Chek Lap Lok( TMCLK Link and the Tuen Mun Western Bypass) in order to meet the traffic demand between Northwest New Territories (NWNT) and North Lantau via HKBCF. (Figure 3) [pic]Figure 3: Retrieved from Highway Department http://www. nzcchk. com/IBC%202009%2014%20-%20Hong%20Kong%20Zuhai%20Macau%20Bridge%20Project. pdf Impacts of the HZMB The journey between Hong Kong and the Western PRD can be shortened to within three hours, it will take around 30mins from Zhuhai to Hong Kong International Airport which will significantly reduce the cost and time for passenger and good flow between Hong Kong and the Western PRD. In addition, the HZMB will bring tremendous benefit to Hong Kong, the Mainland and Macao in the areas of economic development, tourism, finance, logistics and ultural exchange. Hong Kong’s logistics industry will not only be able to get more business in the PRD but also extend their services into the inland area of the Mainland includ ing the resource-rich Sichuan Province. Hence, it further enhances Hong Kong’s status as an international transportation and aviation hub. Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Line (WEL) To promote the development of Qianhai and NWNT and enhance the co-operation between the two airports in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, there will be a cross boundary railway, WEL, to connect the western part of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, including the two airports.From now the mainland destinations of HKIA mainly are the mainland cities far away from Hong Kong such as Shanghai and Beijing. Facing the rapid economic development in Mainland, the demand for domestic flights will continue to increase; there will be the same demand of international flights of international transit flight via Hong Kong. It is believed that WEL helps to connect the two airports between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, it will help the two cities in achieving a win-win situation by complementing each other and enhancing competitiveness. Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL)To expedite the construction of various cross-boundary transport infrastructures between Hong Kong and Mainland, XRL will connect Hong Kong with the Mainland’s national high-speed railway network which will significantly reduce the journey time. XRL is an express rail to link up Hong Kong with Guangzhou via Futian and Longhua in Shenzhen and Humen in Dongguan. The terminus in Guangzhou will be located at Shibi, which is the centre of the Guangzhou-Foshan metropolitan area. The Mainland section of XRL will start from Shibi and enter Hong Kong via Huanggang. (figure 4) [pic] Figure 4: Retrieved from Legislative Council brief http://legco. gov. k/yr09-10/english/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp1022-thb200910a-e. pdf The Hong Kong Section is started from Huangguan, there will be an underground railway running from Huanggang to West Kowloon Terminus at the West Kowloon District, and between the Airport Express Kowloon Station and t he West Rail Austin Station. [pic] Figure 5: Retrieved from Legislative Council brief http://legco. gov. hk/yr07-08/english/panels/tp/tp_rdp/papers/tp_rdp-thbtcr11658199-e. pdf Impacts of the XRL XRL is vitally important to Hong Kong. It will connect Hong Kong with the Mainland's national high-speed railway network and significantly reduce the journey time.A trip between Hong Kong and Shibi on the XRL will only take 48 minutes, to Wuhan in five hours, and to Shanghai and Beijing in about eight and 10 hours respectively. The XRL will terminate at the New Guangzhou Passenger Terminus at Shibi in Guangzhou. Shibi, together with the stations at Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan, are designated as the four major national railway passenger hubs of the Mainland. The Terminus is planned to become a mega transport hub. Hence, XRL will help reinforce Hong Kong’s status as a transport, financial and commercial hub of China.It will support the sustained growth of our four traditional economic pillars – Financial services, tourism, logistics, business support and professional services. CONSOLIDATING HONG KONG’S DEVELOPMENT AS AN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS CENTRE Positioning of Hong Kong International Airport(HKIA) HKIA is the word’s busiest cargo airport, it has handled a record high of 4. 13 million tonnes of cargo in 2010. To meet the anticipated growth in demand, a new air cargo terminal is being constructed and is expected to commence operation in early 2013; the cargo-handling capacity will be increased.In long term, building a third runway is necessary to meet the forecast growth of passenger and cargo handling up to 2030. It will maintain the competitive edge of Hong Kong as an international and regional aviation centre. In view of increasing aircraft movements in PRD region, air routes and airspace open for civil aviation are insufficient, flights on many air routes have to make an additional detour or fly to a certain flight level t o ensure safety, it increased the flight time and flight delay in Mainland is always happened from time to time.To meet the aviation development needs and strengthen the economies between Hong Kong and Mainland, HKSAR government has to formulate a development plan for future air spaces capacity of the HKIA as well as the positioning of HKIA in accordance with its function as mentioned in the Framework Agreement to avoid the traffic congestion in the airspace over the PRD region. Measures to enhance the maritime port’s competitiveness To reinforce Hong Kong's position as a renowned international maritime centre and it is believed that a well established international business and maritime network is necessary.With regard to port expansion, HKSAR Government is looking for the right location for Container Terminal 10, which may be required as early as 2015. It will be other local transportation projects to shorten the travelling time of goods and commuters within the territory. The Hong Kong Shipping Register is the first-rate service offered by the Hong Kong maritime cluster. To maintain the reputation of the Hong Kong Shipping Register, the Hong Kong Marine Department will work closely with the industry to enhance the standards of Hong Kong ships and increase the competitiveness of the Register.Such as providing e-services for expanding one-stop shop services for ship registration, strengthening pre-registration quality control and enhancing coordination with the relevant Mainland authorities to offer better protection for Hong Kong ships. Hong Kong can also provide higher value-added services like maritime insurance, ship financing, international arbitration and logistic management to form a stronger industrial cluster.POSITIONING HONG KONG AND GUANGDONG AS A MODERN ECONIMIC CIRCULATION SPHERE To reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a logistics and maritime centre, Hong Kong needs to have first-class infrastructure facilities in parallel with hard i nfrastructure development. Banking and Bond Business The Framework Agreement deepens the Hong Kong’s RMB trade settlement and finance businesses at local level. It provides a best platform for Mainland authorities and Hong Kong Monetary Authority to jointly discuss and investigate how to expedite the application of RMB outside the China and continuously improve the RMB trade settlement services.It also facilitates the bond services, the qualified Guangdong financial organizations and companies can issue RMB bonds in Hong Kong. This approach creates many different financial channels to both sides and supports the development of Hong Kong’s RMB bond services simultaneously. Securities Services For securities business, the Framework Agreement pushes forward connection and mutual co-operation in respect of talents, knowledge, products, and institutions between both sides.In addition, more Guangdong financial organizations and companies are encouraged to raise funds in Hong Kong and to be Hong Kong listed companies. In order to strengthen the collaboration of securities services between Hong Kong and Guangdong, the supplement VI of Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) was signed in 2009 which permitted securities organizations in Mainland and Hong Kong to establish securities investment consultancies in joint venture mode. Insurance ServicesWith the support of Framework Agreement, the qualified Hong Kong financial organizations can set up legal institutions with insurance services in Guangdong and this facilitates Hong Kong insurance organizations to develop business in Mainland by lowering the entry requirements of Mainland insurance market. The supplement IV of CEPA helps Hong Kong insurance agents to set up wholly-owned companies in Mainland. The collaboration of China Insurance Regulatory Commission and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance in Hong Kong can continuously be increased.Developing international logis tics hub in Hong Kong and PRD region The Framework Agreement helps the development of financial logistics service in Hong Kong by integrating supply, production and sales and formed the financial supply chain system. It was the revolution of third-party logistics services in Hong Kong. Financial logistics service has became gradually popular that combined with logistics and financial products. The ability of third-party logistics services and operating profit has been improved; logistic companies can expand financing channels, reduce financing costs and improve capital management efficiency.The new third-party logistics service definitely drives toward the goal of win-win supply chain. Logistics companies can activate occupied costs of idle raw materials and finished products for optimizing companies’ resources. The provision of financial logistics service can enhance companies’ integrated logistics services and competitiveness; it further increases the business scale as well as the value-added services. The enhanced financial costing and broad financing channels reduce the capital utilization of raw materials and semi-finished products.Moreover, the optimal capital allocation can reduce the procurement costs, expand sales volume and increase the companies’ sales profits. For further support, financial logistics services help companies to expand the size of loans for smoothing the cash flow, reduce credit risk and support the disposal of bad assets. The combination of logistics services and financial services which provides an integrated supply chain financial plan, it also increases the competitive advantage and profits.Through the financial logistic services, the warehouse logistic companies can achieve multilateral success; enhance customers’ capital capability and responsiveness to market risk. It encourages customers to deal with the warehouse goods processing and facilitates the interactive information sharing of goods, large amount of goods storage and high goods turnover rate. The diversified payment methods can maximize customers’ capital settlement. Therefore, customers’ pressure on accounts receivable can be reduced.With the connection of logistics and insurance industries, it provides a comprehensive logistics insurance service for all supply chain activities and items. It includes equipment damage, goods delivery, property and facilities, operation safety of trucks and other means of transport, and employee insurance, etc. Through the enhanced financial services, increased financial channels and the supports of Mainland banks and insurance companies, the logistics industry in Hong Kong obtains abundant resources to develop the financial logistics services, logistics routes and business in Mainland.Foreign enterprises also can take Hong Kong and Guangdong as a platform to invest in mainland market, in returns, Hong Kong acts as a bridgehead for Mainland enterprises to â€Å"go global † and establishes their head office in Hong Kong and promotes their business to global markets. CONCLUSION Hong Kong is the gateway of China and positioned in the heart of Asia; we can reach all major Asian countries within four hours and half of the world's population within five hours by plane.However, facing the changes of global economic structure and the worldwide trend of forming a regional economic co-operation and competition, it is difficult for an individual city to compete at its own. As such Hong Kong has to strengthen itself by co-operating with Mainland, particularly PRD region in Guangdong, to search for larger market hinterland so as to maintain its long term competitiveness. Under the outline of the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong Guangdong Co-operation, Hong Kong has to work towards betterment by consolidating innovation into its existing pillar industries, including finance, trading, shipping and logistics.To enhance our competitiveness, Hong Kong has conti nued investing in key infrastructure projects to maintain an efficient multi-modal transport network which covering air, land and sea to meet the different needs. Major infrastructure projects like HZMB, XRL and WEL, which materialize the â€Å"one-hour intercity circle† for people in PRD region and enforce a sound regional system of marine, land and air transport integration within this region. To facilitate the logistic flow and customs procedures, ROCARS has been introduced on the customs clearance.Some other recommendations on customs procedures can be considered in future, for instance, a mutual recognition of the examination results of cross-boundary vehicles, relaxation of the restrictions on Hong Kong trucks with valid licenses to travel in Mainland, as well as a centralized electronic communication platform on other control points to shorten the customs clearance time. In parallel with hard infrastructure development, Hong Kong should continue to develop the required software, particularly in the expansion of our aviation network, nurturing fresh talent and IT development.Hong Kong should make use the advantage of legal system and professional service, an extensive shipping and aviation network so as to provide a high value-added logistic services like pick-and pack and inventory management services. We believe that maintaining a closely correlation between Hong Kong’s hard and soft infrastructure is one of the factors to sustain our economic growth and prosperity. To further reinforce Hong Kong’s position as an international logistic hub and a gateway for Asia to access global markets, we have to tie with the co-operation and development of mainland.Last but not lease, we do believe we shall always empower ourselves to meet the great challenges and proactively identify new engines of economic growth of Hong Kong. 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