Economics & study Essay

Economics is the study of how individuals use scarce resources to satisfy their needs (Lee, et al). There are a number of concepts that are associated in learning economics. These include limited resources, opportunity cost and trade-offs among many other factors of consideration. To understand and be able to make wise decisions in the purchasing of any good and service, one should better understand these concepts of economics. They are also imperative in the production of goods and services which is the primary aim of studying economics (Salaman, 1). Money and time are resources that are finite (Lee, et al). They are therefore called limited resources. A scarce resource is a resource that has a high demand and therefore proper decision making is needed to ensure that they are used optimally. Economics involves the distribution of resources so that they can satisfy individual needs. Money is scarce because it is limited in supply and therefore it should be used wisely to satisfy human needs (Lee, et al). For instance, if an individual has $ 500 in the pocket, he will choose to pay for his rent rather than buying beer for himself. Time on the other hand is an economic resource and one needs to decide well on what to do at a certain time and what to do at other times. In our daily lives, we often make decisions that impact the purchase of goods and services. These decisions depend on what our needs are and what are the resources that are at our proposal. Making decisions in economics is a very vital stage when it comes to purchasing of goods and services (Salaman, 1). An individual should make a decision that he or she will not regret when the scarce economic resource runs out. To make a good decision, one should really understand some concepts in economics like the price theory. Price theory makes one understand the prices of commodities that are in the market. When one understands the price theory, he or she can make the correct decision on what to buy at what price without incurring many losses. Opportunity cost results after careful decision making (Lee, et al). It is the cost which is equivalent to the value of the best alternative that an individual sacrifices in doing something else. By making a choice in whatever an individual does in life, he or she must incur opportunity cost. It can either be a marginal benefit or a marginal cost. For instance, an individual may have choices of either joining a masters program or getting employed in a company paying him $ 100,000. If the person decides to go for the masters program, his opportunity cost will be $ 100,000. Marginal benefit is defined as the benefit that is got by adding one extra unit in the level of activity (Lee, et al). Marginal cost on the other hand is the extra cost incurred by adding an extra unit in the level of activity. Generally, since all consumers are assumed to be rational, they tend to minimize marginal costs and maximize marginal benefits. The difference between the two gives the net benefit. Trade-offs on the other hand is closely related to opportunity cost although it reallocates the amount of time or money to be spent (Cage). This implies that there is that money that is set aside for spending on maybe house expenses. By buying less of what is not necessarily important and buying more of what is necessary, one shall have incurred a trade-off. It involves reallocation of money or time from what had been planned on (Cage). In conclusion, the study of economics helps individuals to determine on the type of choices they are to make in their daily lives. Deciding on what good or service to purchase may call for one to understand the concepts of opportunist cost, trade-offs and most importantly, have the knowledge of the scarce resources that are available to him or her. Works Cited: Cage, Michael. The differentiation trade-off and marketing to values. 2010. Web July 14, 2010 from http://www. entrepreneurslife. com/thoughts/entry/the-differentiation-trade-off-and- marketing-to-values/ Lee, Kylen, et al. The scope and methods of economics. September 17 2006. Web: July 14, 2010 from http://www. econguru. com/introduction_to_economics/scope-method. html Salaman, Graeme. Decision making for business: A reader. London: SAGE Publication Ltd, 2002.

Influences That Effect Children and Young People’s Development Essay

(A)Background. Family Dynamics Family dynamics can have a positive effect on child’s development because the child will feel settle and have a positive input into their lives and good support to help them develop and achieve what they want to achieve, this has a positive effect on their behaviour to. If family dynamics are negative then this have a negative affect on their developments such as divorce because the child may be spending time at different house and having one parent missing so they will feel unsettled and not able to concentrate on things. They may also experience missing one of their parents of relatives being in prison. Parent styles. Parents who think that education is not important have a negative input so they don’t encourage their children to get a good education here as a parent who has a good educations ants their child to get the best education and will encourage them to do more. Some parents lack the knowledge and skill to find better opportunities for their children so they don’t always get the best opportunities but parents with the knowledge and skills can give their child better opportunities to develop. Also parents with a lack of ability will not be able to help their children with their homework as well as if those parents had a good education. Children whose parents have no interested in their development will suffer because they won’t be given the support they need where as children whose parents take an interest in their development will develop more because they will be encourage to. Parents how have high expectations to achieve will push their child’s abilities more. Poverty Poverty for children means that they will have a poor quality of life so they will not always have the best diet for them to develop. It has an effect on the children’s social development because they may not be able to participate in clubs that their friends take part in such as swimming or brownies because their parents can’t afford the extra money to send them there. They may also feel singled out from their peers because their family can’t afford fashionable clothes like the latest trainers or toys that their  friends have. Poor communities have lower aspirations than those in a richer community and the child may not be given the motivation to achieve higher. Poverty can be good for development in where they stand in the family because they will do more activities as a family. Culture/religion. Culture and religion can have a negative and positive affect on a child’s development. It can have a positive affect because different cultures have a large extended family and a good support network so the child can get lots of different support and different advice not just from one person so they will develop a broader way of thinking. It different cultures children will have a wider stimulating environment such as books and art so that they gain more emotional, social and intellectual development and experiences. Culture and religion can also have negative affects to a child’s development because they may not mix with other people outside of their community or culture. They may not get the experiences of other cultures so their social confidence outside of their culture may be poor. Children from different culture may have different views to what kind of behavioural is acceptable in different situations such a poor empathy to situation that they feel in their culture isn’t such a big deal or that it is a bigger deal than other people think. (B)Health Sleep & diet Lack of sleep can affect a child intellectual development because if they are tired they may not be to concentrate as much as they should or for as long as if they had the right amount of sleep. If a child has enough sleep they can participate more in physical activities and will have the ability to concentrate longer. Poor diet can cause a child to become obsess and unhealthy because they will not get the victims they need for energy and concentration. This will also affect their physical development because we need a healthy diet in order to grow. Poor health and disability will affect a child’s social and emotional development because they may not be  able to do things that their friends can do and not feeling included. Disability can have a positive affect for other children who are friends with a disabled child because they learn empathy and to accept their disability, not just point and stare when they see a disabled person. It also helps the disabled child to feel included with their peers. It also helps the children to learn to care for each other. (C)Environment Opportunities for education and Learning. It is important that children get a lot of opportities for education and learning so they can development social and emotional skills to use through life. Children how receive poor opportunities to for an education and learning will not develop as well as child who did because they are not getting the experience and knowledge they need. If a child has good opportunities to learn them to learn then they will have better language skills to communicate with other people in lots of different social setting. They may realise that they have a talent for something such a music or sport and have aspiration to develop this into a career later in life but if they are not given this opportunity they will not have the chance to develop this skill. Play and Stimulation. It is important that a child get stimulation so they have more opportunities to learn and thrive in social setting and intellect. Interest and interaction from parents will motivate them to learn and experience different situation developing their social skills. Children learn from play and develop physical skills such a gross and fine motors skills. They learn how to talk and interactive with people. Unstimulating environment and a disinterest from parent will have negative affect because the children will not have the motivation to learn and develop their skills. Language and interaction It is important for a child’s development that children get lots of opportunity for language and interaction so that they have strong social networks and they can thrive socially. Opportunity for different language has a good impact of their intellectual development because they experience different setting and language so that can learn different words and opinions. To have a wide experience of language is good because their confidence will improve when they communicate with different people. Bad opportunities to experience different language an interaction can stop a child’s social and emotional development because they are not given the chance to hear different language. They will lack the ability to develop their imagination and views. Opportunities to be active. It is important that children have the opportunity to be active so they can develop physically. They will be healthy and be motivated to do things. If a child is not given the opportunity to be active then they won’t be able to develop their physical skills and will be unhealthy. Also by given the opportunity to be active such as playing outside they will be making friends and this will help them to develop their social and emotional skills. Describe with examples the importance or recognising and responding to concerns about children and young people’s development . Speech and language If a child or young person does not talk to anyone or even only speaks a few words compared to others, this may cause concern. This would socially affect the child or young person’s because they would find it hard to make friends, work in groups or even interact with adults. It would also affect their communicational development because they would find it hard to speak to people and also may find it hard to listen to instructions etc. Early intervention would be the best way to respond to this concern, the first step would be to have the child or young person’s hearing checked because if they have poor hearing they will find it hard to hear people so will not  want to communicate with others in case they get something wrong. Poor reading and writing. If a child or young person has difficulties with their reading and writing it may cause concern, but this may not be noticeable until the child is around the age of 6 or 7 because by this age they should have learnt how letters are formed and start to string words together. These are the main skills a child needs to help them develop in all areas. Due to poor reading and writing the child or young person will start to fall behind his peers of the same age. They may find it difficult to interact or make friends with others who are more advanced than them, in case they are bullied etc. They would struggle with their intellectual development not only with the reading and writing, but they would struggle with their memory and even their concentration. Recognition is very important because if a child falls behind with their work then all areas of their development may be affected. For example, if a child was playing on their own in the playground, for more than a few days in a row. This can affect a child’s social and intellectual development. Socially, a child wouldn’t be playing with children their own age and this can cause them to have no confidence in socialising in the future. They may be affected intellectually due to not being able to socialise and play in the playground with their peers, because of this they may not feel comfortable working with them in class. Therefore, if they are not working together in a group then they may not learn the same as everyone else, or not at the same pace. Responding to a concern like this has to be done in a professional manner, this means that you should not talk to the parent/carer or the child. You would have to make a note of exactly what was seen or heard, why it was a concern to you and the date and time must be recorded to back up your evidence. Then you need to approach the class teacher with your concern. If the teacher disregards your opinion because they are already aware of the situation, you still need to report it as it is your responsibility to discover the cause and seek help. Once it is reported, the correct person  can help the child appropriately to solve the issue correctly and get the child back on track. If a child’s problem goes without being noticed then they will be affected in many areas of development.

Functionalist Theory Essay

The functionalist theory is one that views the society as one that is social system made up of interrelated components. Each of these components is important and works together towards the achievement of a whole complete society. A common analogy supporting the functionalist theory is the human body which has several body organs which usually work together with problems in one organ affecting the rest of the body. The major components within a society are customs, traditions, norms and institutions such as families. It is agreed among major functionalists that social institutions make the essential components of society with rules and regulations being needed so as to organize the society in an effective manner. Functionalism within the discipline of anthropology developed in the early 20th century as a reaction to the extremes of the diffusionist and evolutionary theories developed within the 19th century (Goldschmidt 1996). The change was as a result of a change in focus from the more speculative diachronic examination of cultural traits and social customs as survivals to a more synchronic examination of the various social institutions existing within functioning societies. Functionalists were attempting to increase socio-cultural examination beyond the limits of the evolutionary notion of social history which viewed cultural traits and social customs as the residual pieces of cultural history. The theory has anthropological roots based on the thoughts and works of Bronislaw Malinowski, who argued that social institutions existed so as to meet the physiological needs of individuals within a society. As such, social stability was achieved by ensuring the needs of the individuals comprising the society were met with adequate knowledge of the feelings and motives of these individuals forming a basis for understanding how the society functioned. He viewed culture as the main element that ensured the needs of the members of a society were met. It is also based on the works of Alfred Radcliffe-Brown who argued that the basic divisions of anthropology were the various processes of human life within a social structure interlinked through interactions. Stability within society was therefore achieved through social practices that would repeat themselves and develop overtime supporting each other. As such, he theorized functional analysis as the attempt to understand social stability by observing how these social practices would fit together. The functionalist theory is also based on the thoughts and works of major social positivists and was first theorized by Auguste Comte following the French revolution which resulted in social malaise. This led him to see the need for social cohesion within society. This was followed by the works of Emile Durkheim that advanced the theory of organic solidarity, whose major emphasis was on the fundamental function that ethical consensus played in ensuring social order as well as building an equilibrium within society. His main concern was how certain societies were able to maintain stability and be able to survive hence proposed that such societies are usually have subdivisions with the separate divisions being held mutually by common values and symbols. In addition, Talcott Parsons argued that a social system is usually one that is comprised of the actions of individuals who are faced with a variety of choices which in turn are influenced by several social and physical factors. He posited a social system that had four types of action systems which included culture, personality, organismic, and society, with each these four systems having to satisfy four functional needs which were latency, adaptation, integration, and goal attainment. His analysis involved studying the processes and trade offs of social structures within and between the four system levels (Turner and Maryanski 1991). Central principles in the functionalist theory Functionalist analysis studies the social importance of phenomena. It seeks to examine the various functions that these phenomena serve within a society in order to preserve the whole (Jarvie, 1973). According to Malinowski, the major concepts included: †¢ Understanding behavior based on an individual’s motivation in addition to both rational and irrational behavior; †¢ Recognizing the interrelationship of the various items which comprised a culture forming a system; and †¢ Recognizing a particular item and identifying its function within the contemporary operation of a culture. Radcliffe-Brown based his works on those of Emile Durkheim who had posited that social phenomena comprised a domain of reality that was independent of any biological or psychological facts. As such, social phenomena have to be explained in terms of the other social phenomena occurring within the domain (Broce, 1973). Radcliffe-Brown therefore studied the circumstances under which the various social structures are upheld within society. He developed an analogy between organic life and social life in order to be able to explain the idea of function hence placing emphasis on the contribution of phenomena to preserving social order. Functional analysis has given value to social institutions. This is because it considers them as integrated and active components of a social system and not as simple customs (Langness, 1987). Functionalism has also contributed to the current idea that traditional usages have been formed by the necessity that human beings have to live collectively in harmony. Its emphasis on exhaustive fieldwork has offered an in-depth study of human societies. In addition, the study of functional interrelationship between institutions and customs has provided a framework for collecting information on how societies function. Major criticisms There have been several criticisms raised against the functionalist theory leading to its decline. The functionalist theory has been criticized for its major ignorance towards historical process in addition to its presumption that societies exists in an equilibrium state (Goldschmidt, 1996). Interactionist theorists have criticized this theory due to its failure to conceptualize sufficiently the multifaceted nature of individual actors and the methods of interaction within societies. Marxist theorists have criticized functionalism due to its conservativism and the fixed nature of examination used that underlined the role of social phenomena in the preservation of the status-quo within society (Holmwood, 2005). Constructionist theorists have criticized functionalism due to the use of classificatory theories that characterized phenomena based on their functions (Turner and Maryanski, 1991). Responses to Critiques Comparative functionalism, developed by Walter Goldschmidt, attempts to respond to the difficulties that have developed as a result of Malinowski’s argument that a culture can be comprehended on its own with institutions been seen as products of the various cultures within which they were created. Comparative functionalism seeks to understand institutional differences between cultures by examining phenomena within the different cultures and the problems experienced in these societies. This approach is worthwhile since it is aware of the universality of the functions to which social institutions are a response to. Problems are usually consistent from one culture to another culture, but the institutional solutions that will be needed will vary from one culture to another (Holmwood, 2005). As such, one begins with analyzing the problem so as to find out how institutional procedures provide solutions. Neo-functionalism is an attempt to revise British structural-functionalism. Some neo-functionalists seek to analyze phenomena based on particular functional requisites. Other neo-functionalists focus on matters of social integration, social evolution, and social differentiation. Others examine how the various cultural processes such as rituals, values, and ideologies integrate with social structures. However, neo-functionalism places little emphasis on how phenomena are able to meet system needs (Turner and Maryanski, 1991). This approach is worthwhile since it provides a bridge between human behavior, which frequently involves cooperation, and natural selection, where individual interaction involves competition more than cooperation. References Broce, G. (1973). History of Anthropology. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company. Goldschmidt, W. (1996). Functionalism. In Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology, Vol 2. David Levinson and Melvin Ember, eds. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Holmwood, J. (2005). Functionalism and its Critics, in Harrington, A. Modern Social Theory: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jarvie, I. C. (1973). Functionalism. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company. Kuper, A. (1996). Anthropology and Anthropologists. London: Routledge. Langness, L. (1987). The Study of Culture. Novato, California: Chandler & Sharp Publishers, Inc. Turner, J. H. & Maryanski, A. (1991). Functionalism. In Borgatta, E. F, Encyclopedia of Sociology, Vol 2. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.

Spiritual Assessment Tool Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Spiritual Assessment Tool - Research Paper Example This can lead to many doctors not addressing patients’ spiritual needs effectively enough during general consultation and practice, as well as in specific circumstances. To combat this, a number of spiritual assessment tools have sprung up, hoping to bridge the gap between patients and health care providers in this respect. This essay will analyze and evaluate the ease of use and comprehensiveness of data collected of two different spiritual assessment tools, the FICA tool and the HOPE tool. Spiritual assessment tools are simply something that is supposed to aid a health care provider in gathering any information that may make the patient more comfortable, happy and able to recover. They tend to be a guide to the kind of questions a health care provider could be asking, and as such tend to have a somewhat un-methodological approach. Both the FICA and the HOPE tools are pneumonic devices that are supposed to give a health care provider touchstone ideas that they should inquire about when dealing with a patient. They have some basic similarities and differences in terms of ease of use. The similarities in ease of use have to do with the fact that both assessment tools are based on the same foundation: a pneumonic device intended to remind a health care provider what questions they may want to ask a patient. ... ts a relatively high ease of use, as any information gathered will be of some use to the health care provider and there is no need for an exhaustive questionnaire that could be both awkward and not apply to everyone, causing issues of oppression and exclusivity as well as not giving accurate information. The overall ease of use of both assessment tools is rather high. Though the main structure of both assessment tools is relatively similar, and their overall ease of use is relatively high, there are some major differences between the two tests. One of the most noticeable differences is utility of the pneumonic device. The whole purpose of a pneumonic device is to aid in remembering the steps to use, but the HOPE acronym tends to not necessarily connect to the idea in the best possible manner. The â€Å"H† for instance, can stand for hope, but the health care provider will also need to consider sources of meaning, comfort, strength, peace, love and connection (Anandarajah, 2001 ). Furthermore, P stands for the P in â€Å"personal spirituality† or â€Å"practices,† so is not necessarily connected to the most important word (spirituality) and the E stands for â€Å"effects of medical care† and â€Å"end of life issues,† again, not necessarily connecting the most accessible idea (Anandarajah, 2001). HOPE sacrifices a good deal of its memory-assistance to have a good pneumonic device. FICA takes the opposite approach. While HOPE is a pneumonic device that is obviously and integrally related to the idea of spirituality and healing, but whose individual letters do not necessarily fit with the ideas and concepts as well, FICA is a nonsense word with no connection to spirituality and healing, but has individual letters that fit very well with the ideas and concepts. In FICA, the F

2. The balance of international payments is a book-keeping tautology Essay

2. The balance of international payments is a book-keeping tautology which is essentially irrelevant to a market economy. Discuss - Essay Example Conversely, a more vital concept of the balance of payments equilibrium is the basic balance, which is based on the presence of autonomous items in BOP. The autonomous items include items that cannot be influenced easily by the Government and are determined by certain long-term factors. Basic balance regards autonomous, the long-term capital shifts both on Government or private account held in the capital account and excludes items in the current account balance of payments. Conversely, in the capital account short-term movements such as the use of special drawing rights, borrowing from Central Banks or IMF, change in foreign exchange reserves are of accommodating the nature and transitory. Therefore, they are excluded from equilibrium and the concept of basic balance (McConnell & Brue, 2013). An alternative to these accommodating items (compensatory items) has to be made to ensure equality of foreign exchange receipts and payments. A change in the compensatory elements is essential to offset the surplus or deficit in the autonomous items. Autonomous movements cancel out over some suitable period and therefore there lacks the need for compensatory changes and in such a case the balance of payments is said to be in equilibrium (McConnell & Brue,

What Makes a Good Leader (Organisational Behaviour) Essay

What Makes a Good Leader (Organisational Behaviour) - Essay Example In contemporary times, we tend to understand and relate to ‘leadership’ in relation to management of people for attaining specific goals. A comprehensive concept of leadership can be obtained by learning about Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. This report evaluates Lincoln’s leadership qualities, as explained in literature on politics, history and management, in comparison with conventional and contemporary leadership theories. Methods: Numerous concepts and theories of leadership exist in the management literature. Northouse (2009) has clubbed various leadership theories into understandable concepts, which include the trait, management, skills, style, situation, transformational, authentic leadership, psychodynamic theory etc. In this report, Lincoln’s leadership based on these theories and perspectives is evaluated in a concise manner. Results: From skills perspective, Tarbell (2008) points out that Lincoln’s efforts in spee ch making started during his childhood and used to attend court sessions to learn law. He had the ability to attract crowds by initiating story telling acts, which were highly appreciated by the crowds. Lincoln was greatly drawn towards gaining knowledge and understanding of politics, history, as well as great leadership of people such as Washington (Charnwood, 2008). According to Curtis (1902), ‘Abraham Lincoln's originality, fearlessness, and self- confidence, his unerring perceptions of right and wrong, made him a leader and gave him an influence which other men did not have† (p.371). Northouse (2009) highlights five types of power that leaders exercise namely, referent, expert, legitimate, reward and coercive power, all of which were exercised by Lincoln. From leadership traits theory perspective, Lincoln’s leadership can be compared with Stodgill’s postulation of leadership traits (see appendix 1). In fact, Northouse (2009) explains that trait theories of leadership are based on the innate qualities and characteristics possessed by great leaders of the past, of which Lincoln is also one. The skills perspective emphasizes three main competencies, problem-solving skills, social judgment skills and knowledge. Abraham Lincoln’s skills of communicating, inspiring, immense knowledge and the way he handled the civil war are exemplary of his unmatchable leadership skills. His strategic way of handling the civil war after he was elected as the President paved successful ending of the war (Wilson, 2008), especially when he did not have any experience of handling war. Moreover, his knowledge, people connect, and ability to influence and inspire helped in this situation. Lincoln’s leadership style is believed to be flexible and also firm, and it depended upon the situation. Phillips (2007) explains that Lincoln was remarkably consistent during his Presidency, which was replicated to his cabinet members’ actions and decis ions. Here, he was also directive and encouraging. He encouraged involvement from others in critical decision making processes, especially those related to the civil war. Phillips (2007) explains, ‘Lincoln was a leader who would not and did not limit himself† (p.78); this indicates his flexibility and commitment towards his responsibilities and ambition. These two skills are considered as essential skills for leaders. On the leadership grid, proposed by Blake and Mouton, Lincoln can be placed in Team management grid because of

Ace records Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ace records - Essay Example duties in your new stations, you will be allocated a sum of three hundred dollars to enable you buy some of the things that you may find necessary for your operations. With this money, you can buy items such as personal clocks, carpets to make the office welcome and some source of entertainment like a radio to keep you company. The organization through this transformation, will intrinsically make us comfortable while we carry out our duties. This new environment will also allow for privacy given that everyone will operate in his or her own office. Extrinsically, the firm will attract more customers which will generate more income. I know some obstacles such as competition from other well-doing companies will arise but we shall put so much effort as possible. Competition is necessary in a company because it develops hard work in all business firms (Silverstein, 2007). I wish you all the best in your undertakings hoping that you will now dedicate yourselves to make this record group become one of the best in this region and beyond. All of us will be glad when in the next few years, we relocate to a much better and bigger station to make our performance even

Negotiation Strategy Article Analysis Research Paper

Negotiation Strategy Article Analysis - Research Paper Example What the authors suggest is that negotiation does not occur as a product of quick decision-making when one party believes that rapid solutions are the most beneficial to both parties. This represents an individual with premature judgment who believes that simply formulating a rapid solution can end a long-term negotiation with another party. The authors’ negotiation strategy suggests that broadening potential options for mutual solution offers both parties a wide variety of ideas to discuss, further giving both parties a chance to reflect on the long-term benefits of each option. It seems that by making premature judgment or ill-conceived solutions can have a negative impact in the long-term because they were not constructed for anything else but to end the negotiation session quickly. For a negotiator looking to establish long-run relationships, this strategy appears most viable. Another expert in negotiation strategy suggests blending both the positional bargaining theory with interest-based bargaining in order to fully achieve successful negotiations. This approach clearly illustrates, to the other party, what the negotiator’s specific interests are and helps the second party to define theirs as well. A person holding what is referred to as a principled negotiation tactic then works to create extra value in bargaining by creating a larger pool of potential options and solutions. Once the pieces of this larger pie have been analyzed and discussed, to identify which options would be most suitable for both parties, the pieces of this hypothetical pie are distributed until both parties feel they have won the negotiation (even if there really was no victor by design of mutual reward). Under this principled negotiation tactic, a negotiator makes his or her opposing party believe they have gained advantage in the bargaining

Contextual Anaylysis Are Critique Paper on Stairway at Auvers Essay

Contextual Anaylysis Are Critique Paper on Stairway at Auvers - Essay Example The thick application of paint, the swirling brushstrokes, and the brilliant color in Gogh’s painting provides a landscape that everything seem to move. In the painting, the brushstrokes sweep from the side of the stairway at the center towards all the margins of the canvas. The woman in the painting sways back and forward like curvy path walking down. The stairway seems to be gliding down the hill. His picture of the street occupied with bright blues, greens yellows of the early spring. The texture of brushstrokes makes a person desire to touch the picture (Cahan, 2003). The comprehensive symmetry, recurrent arabesques, the wavy pairings, and the ribbon patterning are among the popular decorative taste of 1890s. The painting has a tilted quality as it amount a dilute tone of green, yellow, and blue, together with white color. A scene of the many encounters and convergence focused upon the central part on the foot of the steps. Having no real dominant, the general effect of the painting is governed by the hectic movement of the unsteady diagonal lines imposed upon the objects of the unlike characters. Repetition of the restless theme is very much impulsive, though, contains many interesting variations. Therefore, the painting soon loses the aspect of ornament and ends up becoming a work of concentrated seeing and an intense passion (In Shindler & Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 2014). Discovering the contrasting straight lines in the building, the famous red roofs and the stabilizing verticals and horizontals provides the visionary quality of the artistic work. The numerous touches like yellow hats golden doorways and dark windows show the deliberate opposition to prevailing instability in the city. In between the steps and the house, the long coiling triangular shape is significant. It reminds of the cypress and roads in the previous work of ecstatic (In Shindler & Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 2014). Vincent Van

Vulnerable Population Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Vulnerable Population - Research Proposal Example the highest teen birth rate in the country (63.4 per 1,000) in 2005, closely followed by states Texas and New Mexico at 61.6 each; New Hampshire had the lowest teen birth rate (17.9). The report states â€Å"in 2006, the overall birth rate for 15– to 19– year-old females was 41.9, but So, why are the statistics for adolescent pregnancy in the US more than most other countries like Canada, UK or Sweden where teens are considered to be more sexually active? In fact there are more reasons than one (Strasburger, 2006). The youth today are not educated about birth control in their sex education classes. Parents are uncomfortable to discuss it with their children at home; even the media does not help much in promoting the concept of safe sex. Those countries which are more vocal about the issue are rewarded with low cases of unwanted pregnancy and STDs (sexually transmitted disease). Research has shown that main causes of teenage pregnancy comprise the lack of a sense of personal responsibility, immaturity, and most importantly being oblivious about the outcome of sexual intercourse. An interesting fact is that the decision to indulge in sexual activity is a complicated one, influenced by family, peers, religion, and individual behavior. In most cases, teenage pregnancy has close links with poverty, limited education and employment opportunities. Being underage, teenagers often face significantly higher complications both during pregnancy and delivery. This may include biological immaturity or complications associated with poor preconception health and antenatal care. â€Å"So, when teens become pregnant or contract an STD, they, their children, and society at large often pay a significant price, both in human and in monetary terms,† according to Douglas Kirby (2007). Here are some statistics from his article that reiterate this fact: â€Å"Roughly half (47 percent ) of all high school students in the U.S. report having sex at least once, and close to two-thirds (63

Performance and Management Essay Example for Free

Performance and Management Essay Performance and Management A. Policy For Recognizing Employee Contributions The purpose of this report is to use the compensation system we previously developed in Phases I and II to pay people, develop plans that reward performance, add benefits into the mix, and evaluate these results. First we will look at performance-based-pay as a policy for recognizing employee contributions. Performance-based-pay is a pay plan that varies with some measure of individual or organizational performance, such as merit pay, lump-sum bonus plans, skill-based pay, incentive plans, variable pay plans, risk sharing, and success sharing. It is basically a pay plan that moves away from the traditional base pay and across-the-board increases, and focuses more on factors of performance that can increase overall productivity for a company. Performance-based-pay plans can be very effective in creating a positive impact in performance of both employees and a company as a whole, but only is the plan is designed well. In order to be successful, it is crucial that the performance-pay plan be designed to support FastCat’s business strategy and compensation objectives. To design this pay-for-performance plan, we will recommend a specific policy plan that is tailored to FastCat’s goals towards success. We will compare different performance-based plans, which include individual vs. group incentives and merit vs. incentive pay, to see which combinations will help FastCat compete more effectively. a. Emphasis on Individual vs. Group Incentives Two strategies to consider with performance-based-pay plans are providing individual incentives, group incentives, or both. Individual incentive plans involve incentive compensation that is tied directly to objective measures of individual production. On the other hand, group incentive plans are incentive plans that are based on some measure of group performance rather than individual performance. Taking data on a past year as a base, group incentive plans may focus on cost savings or on profit increases as the standard for distributing a portion of the accrued funds among relevant employees. We recommend a mixture of both individual incentive and group incentive pay plans. How the individual incentive plan will work is there will be a year-end bonus pool as function of company performance. The employee’s share in the pool will be based on three factors: (1) employee’s grade, (2) employees personal performance analysis, (3) employee’s tenure at the company. This plan will go hand-in-hand with the group incentive plan we recommend, which will be a profit-sharing plan. A profit-sharing plan is a plan that focuses on profitability as the standard for group incentive. This group incentive plan will encourage employees to work hard as a team to create better company performance overall. We used the balanced scorecard approach to measure the company’s performance. A balanced scorecard approach is a way to look at what contributes value in an organization. It is a corporate-wide overall performance measure typically incorporating financial results, process improvements, customer service, and innovation. We determined that there are eight main elements that must be measured to determine good company performance. These metrics, which are weighted differently based on importance to FastCat’s business strategy, are as follows: (1) revenue growth, (2) labor costs, (3) innovation, (4) customers see FastCat representatives as responsive and knowledgeable, (5) customers value FastCat solutions, (6) employees take pride in working for FastCat, (7) employees have the tools and support to do their jobs, (8) employees understand how to make teams successful. In essence, the individual incentive plan and the group incentive plan work together to increase both individual performance and company performance. The better the company performs based on the balanced scorecard approach, the more money there is for the bonus pool in the individual incentive plan. b. Emphasis on Merit vs. Variable Pay All the pieces of this compensation system fit together Add justification on why this matches FastCat’s business and compensation objectives from problems B. Implementation a. Matching FastCat Jobs With Benchmark Survey Jobs When matching FastCat jobs with benchmark survey jobs we first had to separate the jobs at FastCat into four different job families: engineering, technical, marketing, and administration. We started off with sixteen FastCat positions of the various job families and matched them with the benchmark jobs based on the responsibilities of the job as well as the experience and competencies required to hold the position. For example, take the engineering family. For the Engineer 1 of the benchmark survey job, it is described by the following statements: â€Å"Participates in development, testing and documentation of software programs. Performs design and analysis tasks as a project team member. Typical minimum requirements are a Bachelor’s degree in a scientific field or the equivalent and up to two years of experience. † We compared that to the Usability Engineer in our own organization. Some responsibilities of the Usability Engineer are as follows: â€Å"Contributes to the development and implementation of FastCat web applications,† â€Å"work with FastCat quality assurance to ensure integrity of FastCat software; test, debug, and fix data,† and â€Å"design appropriate software testing strategies. † The position requires a B. S. egree in Computer Science or related field plus at least two years of experience. A competency required of the position is to communicate with team members, support team decisions, and work effectively as part of a team. As the numbers within the families of the benchmark jobs increase (Engineer 2, Engineer 3) the responsibilities, experience, and competencies required of the position also increase. For example, Senior Fellow, the position we assigned the most JE points in the organization to, was matched with Engineer 5, the highest position in the benchmark engineer family. . Determining Relevant Market(s) When selecting market competitors to establish our suggested pay policy line for FastCat our team tried a few different markets before deciding on the one we felt most reflected the values of the company. The first market group we chose to try was all the surveyed industries provided to us by FastCat. This line fit well with our benchmark jobs being fairly close to the line on both the high and low end. The second fit we looked into was just using the data regarding Software companies, this line seemed to fit slightly better than the previous with jobs on both the high and low end of the JE scale being fairly evenly distributed above and below the line. The final fit we tried was software companies with the exception of company 15 because we found that their compensation data created a huge outlier from the average of the other companies. We decided to go with the final fit of only software companies excluding company 15 because we felt this line best reflected our views on which jobs were most important. c. Adjusting our Data for More Desirable Regression Results Our team was rather flexible when making decisions about possible adjustments to our data during and after making our regression results. At first when our team was benchmarking the FastCat jobs against other companies, we felt that a couple FastCat jobs were very similar. We matched two of them with the same survey job titles. The first match was Software Developer and Implementation Consultant, which were both matched with â€Å"Engineer 2†. The second match was with Administrative Assistant II and the Administrative Aide, which were both matched with â€Å"Office Support 2†. When we were entering the data into the software to create a regression analysis, we realized that we would only be able to create this analysis on fourteen jobs, instead of the sixteen that was expected. We initially decided that moving some of our matches around and entering full data for all sixteen jobs would be the proper route to take. Our R? number was not where we wanted it to be after doing this; coming in at less than . 70, and this was probably because it was a bit forced and unnatural for us to change the jobs around just to get the full amount of jobs. Going back to our original benchmarking brought our R? up considerably. When we looked at the new data we saw that there was one major outlier and it was the Senior Quality Assurance Technician. Our team had marked this position at a â€Å"Technician 4† originally, but we all took a look at the FastCat information again and reached an agreement that we had made a mistake in benchmarking the position. What threw us off at first was the statement that the Senior Quality Assurance Technician was, â€Å"at the direction of the Implementation Consultant, which had a rather low amount of Job Evaluation points. We decided to move the position from a â€Å"Technician 4† to a â€Å"Technician 5†. This is the last change we made, and it gave us our final R? of . 882. d. Different Grades and Ranges Regarding grades of pay and the range of pay within those grades we chose to go with 4 grades of 100 JE points each. We found this to be a satisfactory suggestion as the jobs falling within these ranges have a relatively similar importance to the company and should be compensated in a way that demonstrates this. We used 15% as our selected range for all grades, meaning that the amount paid in each grade would range from 15% below to 15% above the midpoint of our pay policy line within that grade. With the results from the selected grades and ranges we had one difficulty; the difference in pay from grade 1 to grade 2 was nearly $10,000. To fix this discrepancy and encourage our lower level employees to stay with the company we chose to use an above market policy of 15% for this grade to close the gap. After completing these steps we had a pay policy that we felt was right to suggest to the FastCat Company for their base wage policy.

My Favorite Holiday Destination Essay Example for Free

My Favorite Holiday Destination Essay I have been going to Lumina resort my entire life. Even though my teenage years, where it seemed nothing could entertain my adolescent attitude, I looked forward to vacationing on the lake of bays every summer. As a child, I recall Petticoat. For a few hours every day my parents got a break to do as they pleased, as my sisters and I made crafts, learned songs, played games, and heard stories. It was also a great way to make friends with other children visiting the resort. Lumina always has great Petticoat leaders. The children just adore them; always sitting on their laps, waving at them in the dining room, or dragging along their ankles when the week is over and it’s time for goodbyes! Returning as a teenager never seemed like a lame family holiday. With all the returning friends I had made in years previous, the activities and fun seemed endless. Tubing became a sport to us. Lounging in the sun never seemed so relaxing – with the waves licking the shores and the breeze coming off the bay. I learned how to wakeboard at Lumina; the staff spent countless years helping me stand up on the wake, and never grew tired of my mistakes. Movies in the TV room, playing cards on the deck, eating junk food in the beautifully preserved cabins. All great memories. Every night we would sneak to Frosties – the on-resort convenience store – and get a little something sweet to enjoy. As a young adult, I can’t say I’ve ever had such a great time. The lake of bays club always promises something fun. Wine and Cheese night starts everyone off at the beginning of the week to meet new guests and reconcile with old friends. Poker, pool, and darts allow for good fun with fellow vacation-goers. Live entertainment is my family’s personal favourite. Tobin – the artist that has been recruited for the past few years – is amazing, and keeps the audience dancing, drinking, and having fun. Karaoke night is the night to let loose and show all your new and old friends your talent. Of course, the beach, water activities, sports, tournaments, and excursions are just as much fun in adulthood as they were in childhood. The chef, Shawn, makes some of the best dishes I’ve ever tasted. Whether it’s a classic Caesar salad, or a new recipe, Shawn always promises taste and quality. One of the best benefits to Lumina is the food is included in the price. For your vacation period, you do not have to cook once (this is a great thing for mothers!). The staff are some of the most sociable, and helpful individuals. Tec and Vicky (the owners) can always be found if something needs to be done, or assisted with.

Risk Management at the Olympic Games

Risk Management at the Olympic Games Strategising to Moderate Risk at Mega Events: the case of Olympic Games Abstract The management of risk at mega events is the focus of this dissertation. The framework for criticality of risk areas is identified through a literature review in the chosen domain of Olympics as an instance of mega events. The study looks at different areas of risk and examines assertions made in online archived articles in the public domain. The dissertation uses web based archival resources to acquire such articles using judgmental sampling. Content analysis is the method of analyses complemented by analysis of variance and correlation analysis. Reflecting on discussion on risk, and on the orientation of shortcomings and prescriptions in articles used as data -is the empirical basis for the study. The implications emphasize a greater role for the host city communities the risk and benefits are central to minimizing risks in planning and implementation. The importance of such moderation in alliancing and orientation is also found to be beneficial for the organizers of mega events. The study is limited in scope due to sample size and accessibility issues but delivers to the two research questions it is based on, draws out key implications for risk management, and also, reflects on the Games themselves as sequential settings that belong to a larger set of mega events. Such events due to their sequential nature of occurrence- have tremendous opportunity to learn for performance improvement. Preface This study has been helped tremendously by online portals as data sources especially Highbeam.com, and also, the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts reports to do with Olympic Games. Guidance and orientation received from the University have been very helpful in organizing this study. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to friends and family for their co-operation during my busy days while conducting this study. Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Since the decision for revival of the Olympic movement at the behest of Baron Pierre de Coubertin in Sorbonne, in Paris in 1894, the Olympic movement has come a long way. After nearly fifteen hundred years the first games in Athens were held in 1896. The chronology has come a full circle with the Athens Games on 2004. Over this time frame the Olympic movement is a signifier of prestige and also political clout. However, as with all forms of growth and maturity in a continuously changing world problems and issues have reshaped time and again to challenge the smooth execution of Olympic Games and their perception in minds of the global audience whether it be the public or the governments or also, the sportsperson and organisers. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made sure through instruments, producers, rules and routines that it controls the aspects of these mega events – the primary focus being to maintain them not only as the top sporting event but also ‘the ’ mega-event that has no comparable competitor (Hill, 1992). This mandate of size, scope and ambition brings with it an ever more complex environment. The risk of poor performance is associated with such complexity that is difficult to understand and distil into delivery concerns. The internal facets not withstanding, constant challenges like the unpredictability but at the same time likelihood and associated concern of events such as acts of terrorism compound the interface with externalities. The impact of the socio-economic frame of reference at Game sites, the expectations of the IOC and other stakeholders on the reputation and legacy front et al., provide a platter that has a risk quotient attached to every aspect. The management of this risk is critical to carry the movement forward as a successful global phenomenon that brings together people in a fulfilling manner driven by healthy sporting camaraderie. This dissertation examines risk areas in Olympic Games with an objective to arrive at a risk framework and then derive the relative importance of different risk areas. Using evidence from published sources it also tries to contextualize shortcomings in management of such risk and potential solutions that can help moderate risk. In this frame of reference, the dissertation makes an implicit case for contextualizing and assessing learning from past experience, and the shape of the current schema of risk management for London Olympics, 2012. 1.2 Research Questions The central research questions that drive this study are as follows: 1. What is the relative critically of areas of risk that are associated with the Olympic Games? 2. What are the shortcomings in existing ways of managing risks? How can these shortcomings be addressed? 1.3 Dissertation Outline This chapter sets the mandate for the study and is followed by a literature review that looks at risk from a mega event perspective and in context of Olympic games in particular. The third chapter outlines the approach and methodology for this dissertation. Among other aspects of data and sample selection it provides a perspective of textual analysis and other allied techniques used for interpreting the same. The fourth chapter presents the research findings under different research questions. A relative criticality of risk areas based on the risk framework /typology in the literature review section is arrived at. The orientation of shortcomings and recommendations in the sample articles is also presented. The findings are then taken forward to a research discussion chapter where the implications of the findings are taken forward for Olympic Games as a case of mega events. The dissertation concludes by providing a snapshot of study achievements, limitations of the study, and leads for future research. Chapter 2. Literature Review 2.1. Introduction ‘Mega-events’ are way for cities, nations and economies to further their development agendas. Olympic Games no doubt belong to this fold of events and probably the most significant of them all. The reputational and economic effects on cities of hosting the Games have been well-documented (e.g., Andranovich, Burbank Heying, 2001; Miyazaki Morgan, 2001). However, there is much more work to be done in scoping the risk that is associated with these games. Aside from the fiscal debacle of the Montreal Olympics, right from the onset of the modern Olympics, critical situations have afflicted the games. Political factors have had a role to play with the Nazi bandwagon riding the 1936 Olympics, disruptions through the Wars, and also, anti-apartheid and cold war boycotts. Munich and Atlanta Olympics on the other hand encountered terrorism reshaping the security connotations forever (Burton, 2003). Hosting the Olympic Games requires a range actors and institutions to come together and the risk of management that such diversity brings with it is also considerable. While the rewards for the community remain high e.g., like being labeled an Olympic world class city the risks of failure are equally great both in the execution of the games, and the stigma that such failure may bring to the community, management and the government. Rationalizing, motivating and organizing remain key to risk control in addition to the unpredictable externalities that may impact such events (Ansell, 1997). In the next section I discuss the Risk from a perspective of distilling a typology that can closely approximate the numerous variables that associate with a mega event. There after I discuss Olympic risk in the specific context of Olympic Games and the games to be held in London in 2012. 2.2. Risk and Mega Events The idea of risk is very subjective and highly contingent on the situation and area in question. The understanding of risk as the probability of loss is very macro. This probability is sometimes complex to diagnose as the involved variables are subjective and the probability itself is to make it ambiguous-uncertain. Furthermore, risk is also a matter of significance and relative consequence that various negative influences bring upon an initiative or institution (Tannert et al, 2007). A discussion to arrive at a typology of risk that is comprehensive and suitable to be considered for mega event scenarios needs to start with Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). With its moorings in financial engineering of risk, ERM covers risk associated with all organisational and institutional silos whether insurance, financial or in general- operational issues. The detailed risk maps that inhabit the increased awareness about risk are now even more important especially in light of the externalities and unpredictable that have been re-emphasized in the aftermath of 9/11. These range from a risk typology that involves interest rates to even more subjective reputational risk aspects. Furthermore, risk is more associative and less silo-ed as the consequences ricochet for the whole organisation or institutional system that may comprise multiple organisational entities as in mega events – thus culminating into macro level strategic risk frame also (Ahlquist, 2003; Barnoff, 2004). Risk management can be seen at several levels in the case of institutional mechanisms (Quarantelli, 19988; Horlick-Jones et al.; 2001; Kunreuther et al. 1995; Tarlow, 2002): : Stemming from externalities with some predictability consensus associated with them. For instance, political-legal, economic, and also social Stemming from externalities with very less or no consensus on the predictability like natural calamities and terrorism (different from perceived likelihood. For instance, an act of terrorism may be likely but cannot really be predicted as against the earlier type!) Institutionalization and legacy risk Corporate/institutional risk that stems from integrating multiple parties into the management- decision frame. The challenge is to effectively work on negotiation and on the complex pattern of alignment of different stakeholder objectives. For instance, given multiple organisational systems that comprises institutional mechanisms for mega events. Reputational risk are a part of this risk in the main but also can stem from other types Operational risk -that could stem from supply chain management issues, sub-contracting issues, and work efficiency problems, among others. In the case of mega events another form of risk that has to do with the size and scope of the event, and is based on the premise that greater these are the more likely are the above likely to manifest themselves. This can be termed – ‘Event Complexity’ Risk (Ceniceros, 2001). Risk of managing information about risk is also an associated factor here. In the information age a lot of data is available on all risk related variables but this also makes the potential for complexity through multiple interpretations very likely. In the pursuit of information – intuition has lesser and lesser of a role to play. This becomes critical when the issue is of externalities with a low prediction quotient. 2.3. Risk at Olympic Games The idea of Olympism is ingrained in an institutional mechanism that integrates a legacy and numerous organisations when the legacy has to be taken forward in the form of other games. Beyond the exchanges and relationships that are contracted out to be economically meaningful the social, legacy and reputational aspects impart a â€Å"common meaning system† (Scott, 1995: 56). By extension the implications of risk become even more nuanced for Olympic Games. In part, because the baggage of ideology and thus the expectations being immense –more than probably any other mega event on the planet. The following snippets that emphasize this ‘expectation assertion’ and thus reflect not only on the nuanced nature of risk but also the risk of failure: The Olympic Games are subject to a most complex web of risk variables given the scope and expectations discussed so far. The categories of risk discussed in the previous section apply, and the aspect of ‘event complexity risk’ (Ceniceros, 2001) discussed before amplifies them in the context of Olympics. The legacy of Olympics marked by manifestation of externalities, strategic and operational issues all come together to shape an ever increasing concern for ‘things that can go wrong’ The Olympic Games are staged in collaboration with a given city. The consequences of how risk is managed are thus most important for the city and its people. The ramifications of course are nationwide. The connection is depicted in the naming of the Olympic Games Berlin 1936; Los Angeles 1984; Sydney 2000 et al.– it is the city that is associated with operationalisation of the Games, and also has its own mascot, emblem et al. The communities both in administration and in public domain of host cities provide for the direction to the initiative in the specificities of control that are given to a city. It is this localized application of the global and time established mandate of Olympics that initiates the formation strategies, operations , delivery mechanisms and the relationships that comprise them within the host city and beyond it also. Finally, in turn, this impacts the host city and all stakeholders beyond and within its frame of reference through the performance of the Games and the legacy the Games leave behind (Burbank, 2001). In the run to London 2012 risk management has become a much codified and dwelled upon feature. However political lobbying and public sentiments some times take attention away from it. For instance, during the bidding evaluation process the London transport system was seen as having serious problems by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – this was given a back seat in subsequent evaluation exercise. While provisions for risk are formally made as for the 2012 games, the provisions are but only token in light of the heightened risks of terrorism. Athens 2004 in particular -was also marked by delayed, rather ‘dangerously just in time’ completion of facilities. The experience has resulted in the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) imposing a master schedule that supervised ongoing progress (Burbank, 2001; Jennings, 2006). Sponsors and license fees are a key component of revenues and in light of the failure to adequately protect these in Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 saw innovative strategies in place and the learning has continued to shape the delivery mechanism of the London 2012. Lessons from the past improve the delivery mechanism and the risk management apparatus, changing times require innovation to be continuous- proactive and not only in response to problems and failures of the past (Hamel, 1996). Increasingly most of the investment that is to help host the games is sold to the taxpayer as additional benefits or infrastructure improvements that would occur irrespective of winning the bid to host the games. Besides moderating most internal political and fiscal discontentment, this also contributes to ‘planning of a lasting tangible legacy’. This is one of the seven key risk areas identified by the House of Commons Committee of Public accounts (July, 2007). This list that highlights both the generic and specific concerns is adapted from the report with excerpts of comments from the House of Commons highlighting the nature of concern. It is important to note that many operational facets especially security span several of these listed areas like for instance ‘Coordination of the multiplicity of organizations and groups involved in the Games’ and ‘Delivering the Games against an immovable deadline’ among othersHouse of Commons (2007) The delivery of the London Olympic Games 2012 has been configured around two new bodies the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), and the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympics Games (LOCOG)- the former providing facilities, and the latter, staging the games. These bodies are supervised by the Olympic Board, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that comprises the Government Olympic. The number of bodies that link up to provide services feed into a complex supply chain which is not easily comprehendible but the delivery mechanism can be seen as follows: The complexity of the delivery mechanism and the even more nuanced supply chain has a knock on effect on the other listed factors- for example the timely delivery aspect is contingent upon the effectiveness of co-ordination. The timescale from securing the bid to eventual hosting is quite big- the resultant inflation and unpredictable external factors affect budgetary issues. On the other hand, the contractual procedures required to say for instance, harness fresh private sector funds make it cumbersome to source then with such re-estimates. One example of changing circumstances is heightened security risks that may also require re-estimates. The lottery money that is going into 2012 is being diverted from other just causes and such resource re-direction needs to come good in the future from surpluses created by the impetus of the games. Having a structured approach to supply chain management and recognizing the extensive processes that will be required to facilitate construction and reworks for instance- are key to effective management. Monitoring of progress via a steering group will help keep a check on the various cogs of the complex machine that also stems from the ‘master schedule’ requirement mentioned before (Jennings,2006). The lasting legacy issue is about reuse and sustainable orientation of facilities and infrastructural developments to generate a source of income over life. This is key to realizing long terms benefits from the impetus of the games. The discussion on the above that leads from the typology provided also suggests as range of micro factors that need to be put in context. As later in this dissertation – these micro factors that lie within the ambit of the typology are crucial to examine shortcomings and recommendations from web based archived publications. These micro risk areas can be listed as follows as mainly from the above discussion: Scheduling (the preparation flow from award of the games to being ready comfortably and in time) Infrastructure Quality (the quality of facilities and how customized they are to delivering the games) Sponsorship (a resource bracket that is not only about monetary issues but also to a degree about sanction) Licensing issues (the arrangements to appropriate services and rents) Security (issues to do with management of crowds in the old days now primarily about terrorism) Legacy (the impressionistic statements the Games make on the city-nation and the Games themselves) Resource opportunity cost (in light of other good causes) Coordination (in delivery) Extant literature that has dwelled on shortcomings and recommendations across some of these areas hints at resourcing, sanction from top and public support as driving variables towards addressing shortcomings related to the aforesaid areas. Toohey and Taylor (2007) for instance, have highlighted the role of public sentiments in shaping response to threats of terrorism. The impact of how fear, anger, optimism, and pessimism as attributes of such sentiment translate into the public ‘buying in’ to the organisers claims about the efficacy of security, were key as per their empirical analysis. In the risk management area the need for ‘special events to have special risk management’ mandates (Ceniceros, 2001) is propounded explicitly or implicitly in most literature. Such literature highlights the ‘event complexity’ issue that is a part of the typology propounded in this review based on literature. What such research also suggests is the need to be very explicit in fleshing out risk variables no matter how unconventional they may appear (McGee, 2006; Roche, 2006). The unconventionality is what has required me to distill a novel framework in typology and in micro areas in this literature review – to be examined and validated in the later chapters In the subsequent chapters I examine the Risk associated with Olympic Games. This is done in two complementary ways. I examine the perceptions about risk in recent past through a methodologically embedded analysis and then draw implications largely in context of the prospective frame London Olympics 2012. While the former provides for a perspective on relative criticality of risk areas, and how shortcomings and recommendations associated with it are tabled the latter provides a platform to contextualize the findings. In the parts of the dissertation to follow -data sources for this analysis and a detailed methodology are provided prior to analysis and findings of the study. Chapter 3. Approach Methodology 3.1. Introduction This dissertation is based on secondary data sources. Web based archival documents, and also literature that provides narratives of different Olympic Games have been used. In some cases, references to changes in the delivery mechanism in the aftermath of a critical incident in the preceding games, form basis to reflect on the genesis of approaches to risk management. In others, which are a majority, author perception and orientation are taken as an indicator of the risk and shortcomings of risk management at the mega events of Olympic Games. A detailed methodology as described and illustrated in this chapter tries to work on these in a robust manner. The listed areas of risk in general for mega events and contextualised to London 2012 games in the literature review- are taken as the bedrock to flesh out different factors that associate with each area. There are overlapping and micro factors like private funds generation, contractual arrangement for physical assets and security- but these have been worked at in an aggregated manner under the risk typology proposed. Some specific discussion on these follows under the findings section but the focus remains to generate a holistic risk perspective as per the research questions of this dissertation. An analysis based on web based published material using content analysis or textual analysis (as archival text is the frame of reference) informs this dissertation. This is on a sample of articles in leading newspapers and periodicals on Olympics Games. The content analysis technique will make use of phrases, concepts, and their meaning to elucidate which are prime areas relating to risk concern and how the related factors are perceived. There is an opportunity to see cultural variations not only over time but over samples that belong to different parts of the world but the lack in spread in articles has defeated this additional objective – not affecting the addressal of the research questions. Textual analysis bases itself on the extent of occurrence and also on the implied meaning as in opinions voiced and intended (Lecompte et al., 1992). The data codes generated have been processed using statistical tools as described later in the chapter. As stated, after presenting the r esearch findings in the chapter to follow, the relative criticality of risk factors is discussed primarily in light of London 2012 and mega events in general later in this dissertation. 3.2. Data The sample of popular newspaper and periodical articles under content-textual analysis was expected to be about 50 over the last five years, given that we need to examine contemporary- relative importance of risk areas and factors. I have been able to locate 51 articles that are of relevance after going through nearly 200 articles to generate this shortlist. The sampling can thus be classified as judgmental. As mentioned, a regional classification was also intended but lack of articles that were comparable from the Asian and African perspective did not allow for this. The popularity weighing has also been done away with given this modification in selection criteria brought upon by access and availability issues – new criteria drawing to some degree on discourse architecture by a lead thinker in the field of semiotics- Foucault as described later is used for assigning weights. Archival information from the House of Commons Committee of Public accounts (HC) is available and upda ted version(s) have been used to support the comparison between content analysis findings and the risk assessment schema that exists. Though the Beijing games in 2008 were kept out of the frame of reference as material on these was rather limited, and also because the prospective frame was intended to be the London Olympics- some articles inevitably referred to the forthcoming Beijing Games as well. 3.3. Textual Analysis Textual analysis is a form of content analysis where archival text is the platform for distilling meanings and implications. This includes online material. The analyses includes a perspective on the ‘intended’ vs. the ‘visible’ meanings and also the environment and players who enact the ‘transaction’ of the message.(Babbie, 1997). Textual analysis thus works in a frame of reference that seems to stem from ‘Semiotics’ of the study of meanings ( Bignell, 1997), is key to understanding such analytical approach. This is profiled here to draw on concepts that can be reflected in coding of the textual data. Roland Barthes (1915-1980) is the first key thinker here of course building upon the basics of semiotics propounded by Saussure (Barthes, 1954, 1967, 1975). He speaks of certain levels at which meanings are pegged – the explicit sign actually indicates a deeper meaning or implication. Among many others’ Michael Foucault is another important thinker – his views on the ‘context’ and the manner in which ‘discourse’ gets shaped both across time and within a given situation at a point in time have been much cited (Groden Kreiswirth 1994). 3.4. Methods in Analyses From the preceding discussion it can be summarised that the following are useful in setting out works for textual analysis: (Barthes amongst others) – looking at deeper meanings (Foucault) – looking at lineage and moorings support from past expressions The characteristics of the web based published articles are as below for profiling the analysis to give a snapshot of how the analysis has been conducted They are a form of written text that arise both in response to previous postings and also independently in context of a phenomenon or event. To this extends the signs can be primary or secondary. For instance, critiquing claims about the efficacy of arrangements at the proposed game or just objectively stating the resource input into risk management and the claims about how these are going to affect the games They can be quasi –primary signs at a particular point in time as they may refer not directly to the event but follow a line of thought from previous events that had temporarily terminated in the past. So signs can manifest themselves in dormant forms till they are called into play again. For instance, semblance to arrangements in Olympic games that were held far in the past So going back to our classification of risk in the preceding chapter: Stemming from externalities with some predictability associated with them. For instance, political-legal, economic, and also social Stemming from externalities with very less or no consensus on the predictability like natural calamities and terrorism (as argued before : a likelihood there but prediction is not possible) Institutionalization and legacy risk Corporate/institutional risk that stems from integrating multiple parties into the management- decision frame. The challenge is to effectively work on negotiation and on the complex pattern of alignment of different stakeholder objectives. For instance, given multiple organisational systems that comprises institutional mechanisms for mega events. Reputational risk are a part of this risk in the main but also can stem from other types Operational risk that could stem from supply chain management issues, sub-contracting issues, and work efficiency problems In the case of mega events another form of risk that has to do with the size and scope of the event, and is based on the premise that greater these are the more likely are the above likely to manifest themselves. This can be termed – ‘Event Complexity’ Risk Demonstrating analyses for coding: I will take snippets (some parts of articles) from the postings used and reflect on them. From the discussion presented, in the main, I will keep in mind the base concepts of Semiotics as by Saussure, extended by Barthes and the explanation provided by Foucault that discontinuity and lineage are characteristic of every discursive statement or published text. Here I explain how the article has been looked at to draw coding for analyses. The source URL article produced here which is by Sally Jenkins in the Washington Post. Only some parts of the article are reproduced below as in quotes italics for this demonstration purpose. â€Å"†¦.The thing to do with the Athens Games is to believe in them until were absolutely forced not to. Anyone who has a chance to go to the Olympics is asking themselves a plain question: Is the trip worth it? The answer is plainly, yes, if only because of a principle best expressed in The Greek Way, by Edith Hamilton. She wrote something that all American athletes should take note of: Civilization, a much abused word, stands for a high matter quite apart from telephones and electric lights†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.This could be the motto of the Athens Games, given the delays in finishing stadiums, roads, and other infrastructure, and the explosion of three small bombs in the last two weeks. Nevertheless, its not a bad lesson, and its one that the more cosseted American athletes could use. In fact, maybe we could all do with some Greek culture†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦..Neither apparently do modern Greeks. Eighty percent of Greeks recently polled said they believe some kind of attack is inevitable. Fifty-two percent of Americans believe an attack is likely. U.S. Sen. Jon Kyle (R-Ariz.), the chairman of the Senate committee on terrorism, said the safest place to watch the Olympics is at home on television†¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦To date, no American athlete has withdrawn from the Games specifically because of security. But an NBA player is your best bet. The players are definitely concerned, Jermaine ONeal, the Indiana Pacers forward and a member of the U.S. team, told the Associated Press. Not even the Queen Mary seems to console Ray Allen, who cited the USS Cole, the American destroyer that was attacked by al-Qaeda in October 2002 and lost 17 sailors. The only thing I can think of, Allen said, is the battleship that got blown up†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Hamilton wrote, For a hundred years Athens was a city where the great spiritual forces that war in mens minds flowed along together in peace; law and freedom, truth and religion, beauty and goodness, the objective and the subjective there was a truce to their eternal warfare and the result was the balance and clarity, the harmony and completeness, the word Greek has come to stand for . . . and in all Greek art there is an absence of struggle, a reconciling power, something of calm and serenity, the world has yet to see again. Or as an ancient poem says, Greece and her foundations are . . . built below the tide of war†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..† Source: When It Comes to Athens Youve Got to Be

The Crisis of Religion in the Elizabethan Age :: Religion Religious Elizabethan Age England Essays

The Crisis of Religion in the Elizabethan Age The Elizabethan Age underwent a continuing crisis of religion that was marked by a deepening polarization of thought between the supporters of the recently established Protestant Church and the larger number of adherents to the Roman Catholic faith. Of these latter, Edmund Campion may be taken as the archetype. Well known as an Englishman who fled to the Continent for conscience's sake, he returned to England as a Jesuit priest, was executed by the English government in 1581 and was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1970. It has been observed that the author of the Shakespeare plays displays a considerable sympathy and familiarity with the practices and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.i The intent here is to show a link between this English Catholic leader and the writer of the drama, Twelfth Night, as revealed by allusions to Edmund Campion in Act IV, scene ii of that play. A Brief Outline of Campion's Life Though Edmund Campion (1540-1581) was a scholar at Oxford University under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth I's court favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Campion's studies of theology, church history, and the church fathers led him away from the positions taken by the Church of England. From Campion's point of view, to satisfy the new orthodoxy of the Church of England, a reconstructionist interpretation of church history was being set forth, one chat he found difficult to reconcile with what he actually found in the writings of those fathers [2]. Had the veil been swept away? Were St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom really Anglicans rather than Roman Catholics? Or were the church authorities trimming their sails to the exigencies of temporal policy? Questions such as these dogged Campion, and eventually his position at Oxford became untenable since he could not make the appropriate gestures of adherence to the established church [3]. Instead, Campion retreated from Oxford to Dublin in 1569, where he drew less attention and enjoyed the protection of Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy for Ireland, and the patronage of Sir James Stanihurst, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, who planned to have Campion participate in the founding of what was to become Trinity College in Dublin [4]. During this period a number of significant events took place. In 1568, the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, was driven from her realm into England, where she came under the protection and custody of the English Crown.

Essay --

Table of Contents I. Executive Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ II. Description of Business†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ III. Management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. IV. Market†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... V. Financials†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Executive Summary: Krystal Melendez The average day care model accepts children from birth to about 12 or 13 years old. Business hours being between 7am to 8 pm, Monday- Friday, maybe Saturday. It is often difficult for parents/guardians to find a child care provider that will allow their child to sleep overnight or after regular business hours on a routine basis. Slumber Care is a 24 hour, year round child care center catering to infant and adolescent age groups. The services offered are ideal for parents/guardians who have rotating shifts, late shifts, are in need of a break, or have an emergency situation. Including those individuals who are facing barriers and obstacles in employment due to the inability of available services offered during their particular job schedule. Slumber Care will generate income by charging tuition f...

Music Censorship is a Violation of Free Speech -- Argumentative Persua

Music is one of the most popular ways of expression and has been for generations. It makes us want to dance, inspires, soothes, relaxes, and sometimes tells us a story. Music is something the whole world shares and has brought together different kinds of people. However, there has been a question on whether some music has affected society negatively and crossed the line with some of its lyrics, content, and the persona of the artists. Certain music has been boycotted and even banned in the U.S. Pro-censorship supporters say that music is something that can deeply affect our society especially children who should not have to be subjected to things like violence, sex, drugs, or hate. However, being that music is a form of expression, censoring it would just be violating everyone's right to freedom of speech and expression. The First Amendment clearly states that the U.S. government cannot make a law stopping the freedom of speech. Pro-censorship supporters say music is not included under the First Amendment but it is since music is expression. The freedom of speech includes freedom of expression and the right to hold your own opinion. This country is founded on the idea that we should be able to say, read, or publish anything we want. Music is an artist?s form of expression and banning or censoring his or her music would be stopping his or her right to say whatever he/she wants. We also have and value our own opinions and ideas and in return, respect every one else?s. If someone bans or censors a certain song because of it?s ideas, then we are not respecting the artist?s right to an opinion. An audience might have a certain opinion which we can discuss among ourselves, yet if an artist wants to sing a song about it, people want... ...nd doesn?t necessarily reflect the artist. Eminem has never raped anyone or killed anyone, but when he raps about it, it is just the way he feels at the moment sometimes but never engages in the action. In today?s society, we value and learn to tolerate different cultures and people. Sometimes people end up expressing themselves differently as well. This country is based on the idea that we may express ourselves any way we want to, be it religion, organizing, writing, or speaking. Music has been a popular form of expression for centuries. These days, in the country best known for freedom, some people are trying to censor it the freedom of music. Music should not be censored along with any other form of expression otherwise what we and artists say are being controlled. If we value freedom, then that includes what we may say and how we say it even in musical form.

Cari’s Story Essay

A)How could an infection in Cari’s nasal passages and pharynx spread into her sinuses? The infection in Cari’s nasal passages and pharynx was able to spread into her sinuses due to the sinuses being a drainage area for the nasal passages. B)What is the cough reflex? Describe the process that Cari’s respiratory system is using to clear her lungs by coughing. The cough reflex is used to clear sputum and irritants that are in the nasal passages and pharynx. There are cilia in her trachea that is moving mucus up from the lungs. When the mucus becomes abundant it triggers the cough reflex. C)Which structures found in the terminal bronchioles and alveoli normally would protect Cari’s lungs from infectious pathogens and particulate matter? There are macrophages found in the terminal bronchioles and alveoli that normally would protect Cari’s lungs from infectious pathogens and particulate matter. D)How would the resistance of Cari’s airways be affected by excess mucus and fluid in her lungs? The excess mucus and fluid in the lungs would raise the resistance of Cari’s airways because of the small diameter the buildup would cause. The fluid would have some of alveoli under water where they could not function properly and there would also be more friction from the buildup. E)How would Cari’s lung compliance be altered as her alveoli fill with fluid due to pneumonia? Cari’s lung compliance would increase from trying to force gases into and out of the alveoli. Those are filled with fluid due to the pneumonia. F)How would fluid in Cari’s lungs affect her total lung capacity? The fluid in Cari’s lungs would lower her total lung capacity by not allowing the space that is taken up by the fluid to be filled with air. G)How does the elevation of Cari’s respiratory rate alter her minute ventilation? The elevation in her respiratory rate would alter her minute ventilation by raising it. Minute ventilation is determined by times ing respiratory rate by total volume. H)Normal blood oxygen saturation levels are greater than 94 percent; Cari’s blood oxygen saturation level was 90 percent at the time of her exam and an initial arterial blood gas analysis done when she was admitted to the hospital revealed her arterial Po2 was 54 mmHg. How do these clinical findings relate to the internal respiration in Cari’s body? The clinical finding of 90% oxygen saturation level and a Po2 of mmHg would show that the arteries are having too much oxygen, since a normal Po2 of a resting person is 40 mmHg and exercises lower Po2 levels. A normal resting oxygen level  should be about 94% with no added Oxygen. I)Which of the symptoms has described are due to lack of oxygen and reduced oxygen exchange at her tissues? Cari’s symptom of â€Å"panting like a dog† is due to the lack of oxygen and reduces oxygen exchange at her tissues. J)As Cari’s Pco2 rose, how was the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin affected? The oxygen carrying capacity of hemoglobin with rising Pco2 will decrease since CO2 will take O2’s seat on the short bus. K)How would you of expected Cari’s decreased Pco2 and alkaline blood pH to have affected her breathing? As acidity increases (pH decreases), it enhances the unloading of oxygen from hemoglobin. L)How would administration of oxygen enhance Cari’s central drive to breath? Giving Cari proper steady flow oxygen will keep her body from having to work harder to breathe. M)Which anatomical structures in Cari’s respiratory system were initially involved? N)Why was Cari plagued with a chronic smoker’s cough? Because Cari is a smoker this has caused the cilia in her respiratory passages to become irritated. O)Which damaging effects of tobacco smoke led to Cari’s impaired respiratory defense mechanisms? Impaired alveolar macrophages can lead to the impaired defense. The physiological sites and mechanisms by which nicotine acts on the brain. P)How did the pneumonia affect Cari’s lung function? Pneumonia can reduce the ability of the lungs to allow oxygen diffusion across the alveoli.

Current Economic Development of Oil Exporting Countries

Current economic development of oil exporting countries. (by the example of Saudi Arabia) Introduction3 OPEC and oil prices. 4 History4 Common development problems of OPEC member countries6 Saudi Arabia8 History8 Economic development9 Main goals9 Role of the government10 New industry sectors10 Private sector11 Foreign labor11 Social and politic structure12 Conclusion14 Literature15 Introduction. The subject of this research is the economy and society of the oil-exporting countries while the topic can be described as current economic development of the oil-exporting countries and their prospects. As the best example we have chosen Saudi Arabia. The oil-exporting countries are important players on the world market. They can set up oil prices reducing or increasing extraction rates, and mostly this is the only way they get money for their budgets, oil deposits have great influence on their economy. That’s what is called Dutch disease and what their biggest problem is. Some measures in many fields should be taken to get rid of this disease, to change economic and social structure, to make a shift to new phase in their development. This statement constitutes the thesis of this term-paper. The general purpose of this research is to find common stages and common problems of oil-exporting countries development, try to explain them and suggest some solutions. The goals can be determined as the following: 1. To look at the OPEC, its history and common problems of the Member Countries; to follow the interconnectedness between oil price and prosperity of the oil-exporters. 2. To consider brief history of Saudi Arabia for better understanding of that country. . To estimate the role of the government, private sector, new industry sectors, foreign labor and social and politic structure in economic development; to show current situation and topical problems in all these spheres. 4. In conclusion try to forecast the possible ways of further development. This term-paper can be used for further research in this sphere. OPEC and oil prices. Today oil is natural resource that has great influence on the development of oil-produ cing countries like Russia or the OPEC countries. If a country exports huge amount of oil its price determines budget of the country, political situation, prices for a wide range of goods. It's so because oil isn't just raw material for gasoline production, also for plastics, construction materials and so on. Many oil-exporting countries can set up oil prices reducing or increasing extraction rates, and in the same time no one in the modern world can live without gasoline or electricity. So, we can say that oil is a race in which the main targets are power and money, huge sum of money. But sometimes oil exporters go to the extremities – their budgets depend only on oil prices, in fact this field is a real money spinner. That's how the Dutch disease begins. A good example could be the OPEC countries. OPEC has the biggest oil deposits in the world (almost 80%) and they play a crucial role in oil pricing. This organization controls extraction rates (what leads to controlling of oil prices), foreign policy and strategy of Member Countries. That's why we'd like to consider OPEC itself, its history and common problems. History. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a cartel of 12 countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. The organization has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings among the oil ministers of its Member Countries. T he OPEC Member countries came together to form this international organization with several aims. Some of the aims are: †¢To protect the interest of the member countries. To make sure that the price of petroleum products do not change much. †¢To make certain a regular supply of petroleum oil to other countries. †¢To make sure that member countries get suitable income from sale of oil products. †¢To decide policies to follow relating to production and sale of petroleum oil. However, OPEC has not always been able to achieve all these aims. Venezuela was the first country to move towards the establishment of OPEC by approaching Iran, Gabon, Libya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 1949, suggesting regular and closer communication among oil-producing countries. It was a topical question because all oil-exporting countries were exploited by such corporations as British Petroleum, Chevron, Exxon, Gulf, Mobil, Royal Dutch, Shell and Texaco, which controlled crude oil refining worldwide. These corporations organized a cartel and reduced procurement prices. Initially the OPEC wasn't taken into account. Europe and the U. S. didn't believe than Arabic governments could find a compromise and reduce extraction rates. Honestly speaking first 10 years wasn't very successful for OPEC. But in the 1970-s with help of 1973 oil crisis, Arab-Israeli conflict and second crisis in 1979 OPEC transformed into important political and economic force. By the way being part of OPEC is a huge responsibility. High oil prices are the consequence of low extraction rate. But if one country in pursuit of higher incomes tries to sell a little bit more than its quota is, then price goes down even for those countries that did everything right. Nowadays oil prices are still high in comparison with 1990-s (when normal price per barrel was 22-28 dollars), but since June 2008 they have dramatically fallen, as it is shown on the graph below. The war in Iraq and increasing demand in Asian-Pacific Region, especially in India and China that are consuming large amount of fuel, can be named as a reason for such growth. Anyway the OPEC countries still have their problems and many of them are much the same because of cultural, historical, governmental and economical similarity, some countries almost overcame them and others didn't. Most illustrative will be the example of Saudi Arabia as the country having the biggest oil deposits in the world. Common development problems of OPEC member countries. Below is the list of the typical problems which OPEC countries usually face. Not long ago Arabic countries were under the reign of the USA and Europe, which exploited their resources leaving countries themselves underdeveloped. In the end of XX century everything changed. Briefly the scheme of their development could be described this way: 1. Dependence on western countries. 2. 1970-s crises. Inflow of petrodollars. 3. Euphoria, thoughtless investments and projects. 4. Attempt to create a new type of social structure. 5. Admitting mistakes, appearing of new aims like development of different industry sectors, not only oil-extracting. All these periods have their common difficulties. Firstly, Arabic countries fell behind all developed countries and because of their cultural specialty weren’t ready to radical innovations which were so needed. Women are still not interested in education; almost 50% of them are illiterate. By the way it is one of the crucial problems in such countries – the lack of educated people, especially with higher technical education, consequently appears deficit of well qualified workers on the plants and other enterprises. Employees were absolutely not ready to start working on advanced equipment. That's way many executive positions are occupied by foreign specialist, what isn't very good option for the country. Second main problem is the Dutch disease – too strong dependence on one industry sector. Budget, living standards, national projects – all these depends only on oil prices, which are not always foreseeable and controllable. For example too warm winter reduces consumption of fuel, what reduces oil demand and consequently oil price. Many other factors have the same influence, and all of them hit oil-exporters, making them too vulnerable. In Saudi Arabia 85% of budget are petrodollars, so it's clear how important for them oil price fluctuations are. And the last important problem is that government not always can make reasonable investments. Arabic sheikhs started huge constructions and projects â€Å"to the glory of the country† which were usually unprofitable. Only later this wish to spend money became weaker and investments – more useful. Actually, these are main difficulties of OPEC countries. In every oil-exporting country governments more or less successfully tried to find proper solutions to these problems. Saudi Arabia. History. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an Arab monarchical state. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Persian Gulf lies to the northeast and the Red Sea to its west. It has an estimated population of 27. 6 million, and its size is approximately 2,150,000 square kilometers. Today it is one of the few fastest growing countries in the world with a high per capita income of $20,700 Some figures: Population: 27,601,038 (0. 3% of world population) Density: 11/km2 Urban population: 80% GDP (2007): $555,055 billion Oil resources: 261. 2 billion barrels, 26% of world oil resources (amount that is enough for 86 years of consumption) Extraction rate: 8 million barrels per day. Among Arabic countries Saudi Arabia is the richest, because its oil deposits are the biggest, like its OPEC quota. Country itself isn't very big, but population is growing. Literacy rate is very low – only 63% and it is very serious problem, as was said earlier. Economic development. As it was mentioned, economy of Saudi Arabia depends on oil market and it's impossible to analyze it without taking into account oil industry. Because of oil export and money inflow this country made visible leap in development and today some indexes are just like in Europe or in the U. S. Society is developing too, leaving behind prejudices. Main goals. There are three main goals for the state: 1. GDP growth 2. Diversification of national economy. 3. Development of human resources. These goals were set 30 years ago and still being a topical question. But a lot of efforts were put to reach these goals. For example in 1970 GDP was 22. 9 billion riyals and in 1982 already 524. 7 billion. A diversification is also present. The role of oil sector is reducing. Processing industry was established, and there are a lot of financing projects. What is not less important, financial sector has appeared. But anyway, as of 2007, non-oil manufacturing contributed 10% to Saudi Arabian GDP and less than 6% of total employment. But development of human resources is falling behind. Actually the problem of lacking qualified labor force was solved by inviting foreign specialists. Role of the government. Initially the most profitable oil deposits were exploited by western companies, but today the biggest oil producing company – ARAMCO – was nationalized and oil policy was reviewed. Now extraction rates became smaller and deposits were used in more rational way. Today more than 95% of all Saudi oil is produced on behalf of the Saudi Government by the ARAMCO. In June 1993, ARAMCO absorbed the state marketing and refining company (SAMAREC), becoming the worlds largest fully integrated oil company. But the second problem was how to spend money. Governors were wrong hoping that petrodollars inflow will last forever. Money was invested in useless projects, and some spending was just uncontrolled. It all led to overheated economy. Also there was an effort to copy western system of production, but it also wasn't successful. All these things were a reason to work out a new plan of economic development, attracting more private capital and making more reasonable investments. In the last few years there is a privatization tendency in Saudi economy, of course except ARAMCO. Also government supports oil industry, giving money for development of the new deposits. New industry sectors. In the world Saudi Arabia plays the role of crude oil exporter, and it isn't the best position on the world market. That's why they are trying to find new profitable spheres. And one of them could be petrochemistry. This field grows every year and today Saudi Arabia is the main manurial supplier on the Middle East. Of course today it's impossible to cure the Dutch disease, but maybe someday oil exporting countries will not depend so much on oil prices. Private sector. In 70-80-s government created good conditions for private sector. Such things like transfers, legislative support, special banks and funds were aimed at supporting this sector of economy. Powerful oil industry till now is a good base for economic development. The government is still attempting to promote growth in the private sector by privatizing industries such as power and telecom. Saudi Arabia announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies in 1999, which followed the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. Shortages of water and rapid population growth may constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products. But this governmental support has the second side – private enterprises are still hoping on help and transfers from government and western partners. Without such support it's more profitable to invest money abroad. And that's the problem. But anyway private sector is growing and private capital goes to high-tech development and research. Foreign labor. As was said, there is a lack of well educated specialists on the plants. The government tries to promote so called Saudization – national policy to encourage employment of Saudi nationals in the private sector instead of workers from South and Southeast Asia. Despite these efforts, the country draws a significant portion of its labor force from foreign countries, especially from South and Southeast Asia (notably India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, and Sri Lanka), East Asia, East Africa and from other Middle Eastern countries. There are also some people from North America, South America, and Europe. Hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers and skilled workers from regions of the developing world migrate to Saudi Arabia, sometimes only for a short period of time, to work. Although exact figures are not known, skilled experts in the banking and services professions seek work in the Kingdom. Social and politic structure. An Arabic country always remains an Arabic country with its own culture, social and politic structure. Saudi Arabian culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam. Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, are located in the country. Also it shouldn't be forgotten that it is the monarchical state. All it leaved an imprint on people and their set of mind. Although huge sums of money were spent on health care and educational programs, the social structure didn't change a lot. It is still important to which family or place you belong; ruling establishment stayed the same, just like the attitude to women. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are banned from driving on public roads. Women may drive off-road and in private housing compounds, that can be very huge. Their attempts to change something usually lead to nothing. Several international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Committee have issued reports criticizing the Saudi legal system and human rights violation in various political, legal, and social areas, especially severe limitations on the women rights. The Saudi government typically dismisses such reports as being outright lies or asserts that its actions are based on its adherence to Islamic law. Political structure also is very traditional – the monarch makes all decisions and any attempts to loosen his power, like advisory board, have failed. There is no freedom of speech and no political opposition, although there are a lot o people abroad who criticize such policy. So, development of Saudi Arabia is very controversial. On the one hand, financial and oil-producing sectors are growing in high gear. On the other hand people's set of mind didn't change and with this excess baggage it's impossible to move forward. Other controversial thing: government wants to keep Islamic values, but in the same time educational system is an exact copy of the American one, and American talk-shows and cartoons are demonstrated on the national television. There is an opinion that all it happened because of too fast growth. The society wasn't ready for petrodollars and all these goods which it gets. That's why people have very vague ideas of what they need today or in the future – new way of life or traditions and Islamic values. Conclusion. To sum it all up, we'd like concern possible future of oil-exporting ountries. In a foreseeable future it is impossible to find alternative energy sources which could fully substitute oil and gas. World demand will grow and there are only four countries which can increase extracting rates. These are: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nigeria and Gabon. It means that political and economic power of OPEC will grow. But also it's obvious that raw materials like crude oil are cheaper than processed goods like gasoline. That's why huge sums of money must be invested in the development of oil refineries and it's a very important long term investment. By the way this developing process must involve not only industries but also people themselves, because a state can change only after its citizens. Anyway, dependence on oil prices is very unreliable and undesirable, like any dependence, even if it helps to finance social projects. Current economic crisis has shown that. Governments of oil exporting countries must find a compromise between this Dutch disease with massive capital inflows and healthy but maybe not so rich economy.