The Concept of Leadership in the media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Concept of Leadership in the media - Essay Example Through research conducted at Fortune 500 companies, the issue of corporate social responsibility has been made significant. The research was conducted in relation to leadership issues and stated that companies more involved in corporate social responsibility were most likely to be morally irresponsible. As a way of supporting his argument, the article author gives examples of Enron and BP. Enron was involved in an accounting fraud scandal that cost its shareholders $ 11 billion while BP, which had held a safety record missed safety signs resulting in11 deaths. It is important for companies to maintain ethics and corporate social responsibility (Ormiston, 2013). Australian statistics from their national bureau of statistics show Women have accessed greater educational opportunities and employment opportunities. However in the property sector has not fully utilized the potentiality of the female gender workforce. Although there are few women employed in the industry, the Ernest and Young report also supports the evident view of gender inequality in that sector. The report further states that women are better financial performers compared to their male counterparts. The presence of male domination in a traditionally male industry points out the organizational setup is still in the developmental stages of achieving gender equality (Heaton, 2015). Intel Chief Executive is seen as visionary through investing in the improvement of its workplace diversity. Gender-related issues are still considered as contemporary issues in the present day organization as most companies have stuck to the traditional male domination. However, Intel’s Chief Executive has set a pioneering step in altering the workplace demographics by investing in the acquisition of female gender workforce. The three-year investment plan is set to change the

Dulce Desserts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dulce Desserts - Essay Example Naturally, as with any business plan, the impetus to start was born partly out of the founders dissatisfaction with her former career, combined with a passion for a new one, combined with the fact that no other firms had suitable product offerings within the range that Juanita Lane wanted to offer. Similarly, one of the trends that helped to launch the boutique bakery was the fact that a growing trend was manifesting itself in and around Nashville, TN at that time. This trend has now spread across the entire country but at the point that Juanita was starting the â€Å"Field to Fork† focus was but a nascent idea. Juanita Lane was able to capitalize on this movement by focusing the ingredient acquisition for her â€Å"made from scratch† recipes on acquiring these ingredients from local suppliers and farmers. Such a unique juxtaposition of consumer taste with product offering has helped Juanita Lane’s fledgling enterprise engage strongly with the community in ways t hat a traditional chain would not be able to accomplish. A further trend that has helped the growth of Juanita Lane is one which has been exhibiting itself all over the United States within the past few years. Due to the fact that such a high degree of emphasis has been placed on healthful foods, there has been a bit of a pushback against such a high level of focus by key elements within the consumer demographic. Due to this, many consumers seek to rebel against the low-MSG, gluttten-free, un-hydrogenated, and no sugar movement that has enjoyed such a high degree of attention. This desire to rebel, to get back to the basics is one of the prime motivators that has helped to spur Juanita Lane’s business model. As she said to the gentlemen that inquired regarding glutten free – â€Å"Sir we only do evil†. In this way, Juanita Lane is able to connect in a powerful way with elements in the community that are far more interested in the fact that she makes her bakery i tems from scratch and with local ingredients than the fact that she is using the latest wheat bran/high fiber recipe. 2. Evaluate the implementation of the concept (e.g., identify and describes how the core values are related to stakeholders; how pricing, product, promotion strategies relate to market opportunity). (25%). Like any intelligent businessperson, the first thing that Juanita Lane considered was the overall product as compared with its pricing in the desired market. In order to get a general understanding for how this should be set, Juanita spent a great deal of time performing a level of reconnaissance in the local community to ascertain what other â€Å"lesser† bakeries were charging for their goods. Although Juanita had a good idea that her products would be well received by the local community and in somewhat of a high demand based on the information provided in above topic 1, understanding the market and the pricing matrix was an integrally important dynamic i n order for the firm to be able to realize a modicum of success to guide it until it was able to become fully profitable. Similarly, by working to leverage the â€Å"core values† of the consumers (i.e. the â€Å"evil deliciousness of her creations), Juanita was able to effectively target an innate need and prevailing consumer demand with respect to her product offering. 3. Evaluate the current status and future plans of the

Shared Memory MIMD Architectures

Shared Memory MIMD Architectures Introduction to MIMD Architectures: Multiple instruction stream, multiple data stream (MIMD) machines have a number of processors that function asynchronously and independently. At any time, different processors may be executing different instructions on different pieces of data. MIMD architectures may be used in a number of application areas such as computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing, simulation, modeling, and as communication switches. MIMD machines can be of either shared memory or distributed memory categories. These classifications are based on how MIMD processors access memory. Shared memory machines may be of the bus-based, extended, or hierarchical type. Distributed memory machines may have hypercube or mesh interconnection schemes. MIMD A type of multiprocessor architecture in which several instruction cycles may be active at any given time, each independently fetching instructions and operands into multiple processing units and operating on them in a concurrent fashion. Acronym for multiple-instruction-stream. Bottom of Form (Multiple Instruction stream Multiple Data stream) A computer that can process two or more independent sets of instructions simultaneously on two or more sets of data. Computers with multiple CPUs or single CPUs with dual cores are examples of MIMD architecture. Hyperthreading also results in a certain degree of MIMD performance as well. Contrast with SIMD. In computing, MIMD (Multiple Instruction stream, Multiple Data stream) is a technique employed to achieve parallelism. Machines using MIMD have a number of processors that function asynchronously and independently. At any time, different processors may be executing different instructions on different pieces of data. MIMD architectures may be used in a number of application areas such as computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing, simulation, modeling, and as communication switches. MIMD machines can be of either shared memory or distributed memory categories. These classifications are based on how MIMD processors access memory. Shared memory machines may be of the bus-based, extended, or hierarchical type. Distributed memory machines may have hypercube or mesh interconnection schemes. Multiple Instruction Multiple Data MIMD architectures have multiple processors that each execute an independent stream (sequence) of machine instructions. The processors execute these instructions by using any accessible data rather than being forced to operate upon a single, shared data stream. Hence, at any given time, an MIMD system can be using as many different instruction streams and data streams as there are processors. Although software processes executing on MIMD architectures can be synchronized by passing data among processors through an interconnection network, or by having processors examine data in a shared memory, the processors autonomous execution makes MIMD architectures asynchronous machines. Shared Memory: Bus-based MIMD machines with shared memory have processors which share a common, central memory. In the simplest form, all processors are attached to a bus which connects them to memory. This setup is called bus-based shared memory. Bus-based machines may have another bus that enables them to communicate directly with one another. This additional bus is used for synchronization among the processors. When using bus-based shared memory MIMD machines, only a small number of processors can be supported. There is contention among the processors for access to shared memory, so these machines are limited for this reason. These machines may be incrementally expanded up to the point where there is too much contention on the bus. Shared Memory: Extended MIMD machines with extended shared memory attempt to avoid or reduce the contention among processors for shared memory by subdividing the memory into a number of independent memory units. These memory units are connected to the processsors by an interconnection network. The memory units are treated as a unified central memory. One type of interconnection network for this type of architecture is a crossbar switching network. In this scheme, N processors are linked to M memory units which requires N times M switches. This is not an economically feasible setup for connecting a large number of processors. Shared Memory: Hierarchical MIMD machines with hierarchical shared memory use a hierarchy of buses to give processors access to each others memory. Processors on different boards may communicate through inter nodal buses. Buses support communication between boards. We use this type of architecture, the machine may support over a thousand processors. In computing, shared memory is memory that may be simultaneously accessed by multiple programs with an intent to provide communication among them or avoid redundant copies. Depending on context, programs may run on a single processor or on multiple separate processors. Using memory for communication inside a single program, for example among its multiple threads, is generally not referred to as shared memory IN HARDWARE In computer hardware, shared memory refers to a (typically) large block of random access memory that can be accessed by several different central processing units (CPUs) in a multiple-processor computer system. A shared memory system is relatively easy to program since all processors share a single view of data and the communication between processors can be as fast as memory accesses to a same location. The issue with shared memory systems is that many CPUs need fast access to memory and will likely cache memory, which has two complications: CPU-to-memory connection becomes a bottleneck. Shared memory computers cannot scale very well. Most of them have ten or fewer processors. Cache coherence: Whenever one cache is updated with information that may be used by other processors, the change needs to be reflected to the other processors, otherwise the different processors will be working with incoherent data (see cache coherence and memory coherence). Such coherence protocols can, when they work well, provide extremely high-performance access to shared information between multiple processors. On the other hand they can sometimes become overloaded and become a bottleneck to performance. The alternatives to shared memory are distributed memory and distributed shared memory, each having a similar set of issues. See also Non-Uniform Memory Access. IN SOFTWARE: In computer software, shared memory is either A method of inter-process communication (IPC), i.e. a way of exchanging data between programs running at the same time. One process will create an area in RAM which other processes can access, or A method of conserving memory space by directing accesses to what would ordinarily be copies of a piece of data to a single instance instead, by using virtual memory mappings or with explicit support of the program in question. This is most often used for shared libraries and for Execute in Place. Shared Memory MIMD Architectures: The distinguishing feature of shared memory systems is that no matter how many memory blocks are used in them and how these memory blocks are connected to the processors and address spaces of these memory blocks are unified into a global address space which is completely visible to all processors of the shared memory system. Issuing a certain memory address by any processor will access the same memory block location. However, according to the physical organization of the logically shared memory, two main types of shared memory system could be distinguished: Physically shared memory systems Virtual (or distributed) shared memory systems In physically shared memory systems all memory blocks can be accessed uniformly by all processors. In distributed shared memory systems the memory blocks are physically distributed among the processors as local memory units. The three main design issues in increasing the scalability of shared memory systems are: Organization of memory Design of interconnection networks Design of cache coherent protocols Cache Coherence: Cache memories are introduced into computers in order to bring data closer to the processor and hence to reduce memory latency. Caches widely accepted and employed in uniprocessor systems. However, in multiprocessor machines where several processors require a copy of the same memory block. The maintenance of consistency among these copies raises the so-called cache coherence problem which has three causes: Sharing of writable data Process migration I/O activity From the point of view of cache coherence, data structures can be divided into three classes: Read-only data structures which never cause any cache coherence problem. They can be replicated and placed in any number of cache memory blocks without any problem. Shared writable data structures are the main source of cache coherence problems. Private writable data structures pose cache coherence problems only in the case of process migration. There are several techniques to maintain cache coherence for the critical case, that is, shared writable data structures. The applied methods can be divided into two classes: hardware-based protocols software-based protocols Software-based schemes usually introduce some restrictions on the cachability of data in order to prevent cache coherence problems. Hardware-based Protocols: Hardware-based protocols provide general solutions to the problems of cache coherence without any restrictions on the cachability of data. The price of this approach is that shared memory systems must be extended with sophisticated hardware mechanisms to support cache coherence. Hardware-based protocols can be classified according to their memory update policy, cache coherence policy, and interconnection scheme. Two types of memory update policy are applied in multiprocessors: write-through and write-back. Cache coherence policy is divided into write-update policy and write-invalidate policy. Hardware-based protocols can be further classified into three basic classes depending on the nature of the interconnection network applied in the shared memory system. If the network efficiently supports broadcasting, the so-called snoopy cache protocol can be advantageously exploited. This scheme is typically used in single bus-based shared memory systems where consistency commands (invalidate or update commands) are broadcast via the bus and each cache snoops on the bus for incoming consistency commands. Large interconnection networks like multistage networks cannot support broadcasting efficiently and therefore a mechanism is needed that can directly forward consistency commands to those caches that contain a copy of the updated data structure. For this purpose a directory must be maintained for each block of the shared memory to administer the actual location of blocks in the possible caches. This approach is called the directory scheme. The third approach tries to avoid the application of the costly directory scheme but still provide high scalability. It proposes multiple-bus networks with the application of hierarchical cache coherence protocols that are generalized or extended versions of the single bus-based snoopy cache protocol. In describing a cache coherence protocol the following definitions must be given: Definition of possible states of blocks in caches, memories and directories. Definition of commands to be performed at various read/write hit/miss actions. Definition of state transitions in caches, memories and directories according to the commands. Definition of transmission routes of commands among processors, caches, memories and directories. Software-based Protocols: Although hardware-based protocols offer the fastest mechanism for maintaining cache consistency, they introduce a significant extra hardware complexity, particularly in scalable multiprocessors. Software-based approaches represent a good and competitive compromise since they require nearly negligible hardware support and they can lead to the same small number of invalidation misses as the hardware-based protocols. All the software-based protocols rely on compiler assistance. The compiler analyses the program and classifies the variables into four classes: Read-only Read-only for any number of processes and read-write for one process Read-write for one process Read-write for any number of processes. Read-only variables can be cached without restrictions. Type 2 variables can be cached only for the processor where the read-write process runs. Since only one process uses type 3 variables it is sufficient to cache them only for that process. Type 4 variables must not be cached in software-based schemes. Variables demonstrate different behavior in different program sections and hence the program is usually divided into sections by the compiler and the variables are categorized independently in each section. More than that, the compiler generates instructions that control the cache or access the cache explicitly based on the classification of variables and code segmentation. Typically, at the end of each program section the caches must be invalidated to ensure that the variables are in a consistent state before starting a new section. shared memory systems can be divided into four main classes: Uniform Memory Access (UMA) Machines: Contemporary uniform memory access machines are small-size single bus multiprocessors. Large UMA machines with hundreds of processors and a switching network were typical in the early design of scalable shared memory systems. Famous representatives of that class of multiprocessors are the Denelcor HEP and the NYU Ultracomputer. They introduced many innovative features in their design, some of which even today represent a significant milestone in parallel computer architectures. However, these early systems do not contain either cache memory or local main memory which turned out to be necessary to achieve high performance in scalable shared memory systems Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) Machines: Non-uniform memory access (NUMA) machines were designed to avoid the memory access bottleneck of UMA machines. The logically shared memory is physically distributed among the processing nodes of NUMA machines, leading to distributed shared memory architectures. On one hand these parallel computers became highly scalable, but on the other hand they are very sensitive to data allocation in local memories. Accessing a local memory segment of a node is much faster than accessing a remote memory segment. Not by chance, the structure and design of these machines resemble in many ways that of distributed memory multicomputers. The main difference is in the organization of the address space. In multiprocessors, a global address space is applied that is uniformly visible from each processor; that is, all processors can transparently access all memory locations. In multicomputers, the address space is replicated in the local memories of the processing elements. This difference in the address s pace of the memory is also reflected at the software level: distributed memory multicomputers are programmed on the basis of the message-passing paradigm, while NUMA machines are programmed on the basis of the global address space (shared memory) principle. The problem of cache coherency does not appear in distributed memory multicomputers since the message-passing paradigm explicitly handles different copies of the same data structure in the form of independent messages. In the shard memory paradigm, multiple accesses to the same global data structure are possible and can be accelerated if local copies of the global data structure are maintained in local caches. However, the hardware-supported cache consistency schemes are not introduced into the NUMA machines. These systems can cache read-only code and data, as well as local data, but not shared modifiable data. This is the distinguishing feature between NUMA and CC-NUMA multiprocessors. Accordingly, NUMA machines are closer to multicomputers than to other shared memory multiprocessors, while CC-NUMA machines look like real shared memory systems. In NUMA machines, like in multicomputers, the main design issues are the organization of processor nodes, the interconnection network, and the possible techniques to reduce remote memory accesses. Two examples of NUMA machines are the Hector and the Cray T3D multiprocessor. Sources used www.wikipedia.com http://www.developers.net/tsearch?searchkeys=MIMD+architecture http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~galaghba/mimd.html http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2685241/Computer-Architecture-Introduction-to-MIMD-architectures

Government Intervention On The Internet Essay -- essays research paper

Government Intervention on the Internet During the last decade, our society has become based on the sole ability to move large amounts of information across great distances quickly. Computerization has influenced everyone's life in numerous ways. The natural evolution of computer technology and this need for ultra-fast communications has caused a global network of interconnected computers to develop. This global network allows a person to send E-mail across the world in mere fractions of a second, and allows a common person to access wealths of information worldwide. This newfound global network, originally called Arconet, was developed and funded solely by and for the U.S. government. It was to be used in the event of a nuclear attack in order to keep communications lines open across the country by rerouting information through different servers across the country. Does this mean that the government owns the Internet, or is it no longer a tool limited by the powers that govern. Generalities such as these have sparked great debates within our nation's government. This paper will attempt to focus on two high profile ethical aspects concerning the Internet and its usage. These subjects are Internet privacy and Internet censorship. At the moment, the Internet is epitome of our first amendment, free speech. It is a place where a person can speak their mind without being reprimanded for what they say or how they choose to say it. But also contained on the Internet, are a huge collection of obscene graphics, Anarchists' cookbooks, and countless other things that offend many people. There are over 30 million Internet surfers in the U.S. alone, and much is to be said about what offends whom and how. As with many new technologies, today's laws don't apply well when it comes to the Internet. Is the Internet like a bookstore, where servers can not be expected to review every title? Is it like a phone company who must ignore what it carries because of privacy; or is it like a broadcast medium, where the government monitors what is broadcast? The problem we are facing today is that the Internet can be all or none of the above depending on how it is used. Internet censorship, what does it mean? Is it possible to censor a... ...m for our mind's thoughts will fade away. We must regulate ourselves as not to force the government to regulate us. If encryption is allowed to catch on, there will no longer be a need for the government to intervene on the Internet, and the biggest problem may work itself out. As a whole, we all need to rethink our approach to censorship and encryption and allow the Internet to continue to grow and mature. Works Cited Compiled Texts. University of Miami. Miami, Florida. http://www.law.miami.edu/c6.html. Lehrer, Dan. "The Secret Shares: Clipper Chips and Cyberpunks." The Nation. Oct. 10, 1994, 376-379. Messmer, Ellen. "Fighting for Justice on the New Frontier." Network World. CD-ROM database. Jan. 11, 1993. Messmer, Ellen "Policing Cyberspace." U.S. News & World Report. Jan. 23, 1995, 55-60. Webcrawler Search Results. Webcrawler. Query: Internet, censorship, and ethics. March 12, 1997. Zimmerman, Phil. Pretty Good Privacy v2.62, Online. Ftp://net-dist.mit.edu Directory: /pub/pgp/dist/pgp262dc.zip.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Strategy Essay

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is one of the largest car rental companies in North America. It specializes in providing customers temporary or a replacement vehicle. Jack Taylor founded the company in 1957 where he started Enterprise Rent-A-Car as an Executive Leasing Company with only seven cars. The company began leasing cars for longer periods. Later on executive leasing launched itself as a short-term rental operation with 17 cars plus a car sales division. That’s when the company changed its name from Executive Leasing to Enterprise Leasing. Established in St. Louis, Missouri, their number of rental units began rising and by the mid 70’s the number of rentals hit 5,000. Enterprise also started offering fuel, maintenance and insurance products. In the 90’s, Enterprise expanded its operations into the UK and Canada. In 2004, Enterprise started its Month or More service to both business and retail consumers with rental vehicles. Then in 2007, Enterprise expanded into Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In addition, Enterprise purchased Vanguard Car Rental; National Car Rental and Alamo Rent a Car businesses from Cereberus Capital Management. In 2008, Enterprise and the St. Louis Car Sharing Cooperative launched WeCar which is an environmentally friendly car sharing program. Enterprise now operates more than 713,000 vehicles including more than 120 different makes and models. It also has more than 8,000 rental offices and operates 230 on-site airport locations throughout the United States, Canada, UK, Germany and Ireland. http://aboutus.enterprise.com/ 1. The strategy Enterprise is using and its components Business Strategy Enterprise’s strategy is to achieve and fulfill its mission by Jack Taylor’s  philosophy: â€Å"Take care of your customers and employees first, and profits will follow† Key elements of Enterprise’s strategy involve long-term loyalty, motivation & promotion. Enterprise employees try to build long-term relationships with customers by over delivering on their promise. Motivation acts as a key component of Enterprise’s strategy. Enterprise motivates its employees to provide exceptional customer service by developing, providing opportunities for growth and giving incentives for their achievements. Enterprise promotes managers from within, which creates a hardworking & motivated work force. Their business motto is to hire smart, motivated individuals and give them the tools to run a business by delivering customer service. Delivering exceptional customer service results in repeat customers, which results in growth at each of the local branches. Followi ng business growth, Enterprise’s strategy is to open more branches and create new opportunities for its current employees. Overall, Enterprise’s strategy is to satisfy its customers and motivate its employees to achieve long-term profitability Product and Market Strategies Enterprise has a management plan that separates them from others providing them with a significant competitive advantage. Enterprise made a decision to sustain a decentralized, professional, and entrepreneurial approach to management. Decision powers are given at the branch level where the employees are also offered unique training programs. Management trainees and interns start at the bottom learning the different aspects of the business and also experiencing different management styles. After working as a management trainee or intern, an individual has the opportunity to be promoted. Promotions are based off of performance and not on seniority. Process is Management Assistant > Assistant Manager (Begin to train, supervise and mentor employees) >Branch mangers >Area manager International Involvement Enterprise international operations are located in: Canada, UK, Ireland,  Germany and Puerto Rico. In addition, the company has more than 900 international car rental branches. The Canadian operation of the company operates a fleet of more than 55,000 vehicles in 500 locations (80 airport locations). European operations for the company are located in the UK, Germany and Ireland. Analyzing the above strategies, Enterprise appears to be adopting a growth strategy. Their strategy entails introducing new locations, adding new features to existing products. Analyzing the Industry Porters Competitive Forces There are many factors that drive competition within the car rental industry. Price competition may not be the only factor; as companies are focused on implementing a value system and long term profitability. In addition, most companies are gradually lessening their focus on their airline operations and focusing on leisure rentals. Threat of potential entrants is low since the established car rental companies have continued to increase their market share. Plus, their competition is fierce within the car rental industry. Alternatives to Business Car Rental include video conferencing, virtual teams, collaborative software, personal cars and public transport. Supplier power within the rental car industry is low. Suppliers do not have a significant influence in supplying cars as there are many. SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS Industry Recognition leading to a strong brand image Large fleet of vehicles Large scale of operations Robust financial performance within the company Top performer in Customer Service WEAKNESSES Concentration of assets Maintenance and cost of repairs No one-way rentals Very capital intensive operations OPPORTUNITIES Recent initiatives Growing global car rental market Increasing use of the internet Bigger presence at airports THREATS Intense competition High labor costs Rising Interest rates Increasing fuel prices Factor Analysis Assessment Political Legislation Environment Company Cars Competition Taxes & Duty Subsidies Keen competition, political issues with specific corporations and high taxes due to the state Economic Excess Capacity Economies of Scale Diversification Mergers and strategic alliances Environmentally safe cars Diversification between competitors Social Car Culture Fashions and Taste Redundancies Consumer taste differentiation Technology E-Commerce Safety Plant Efficiency Online Car Rental Reservation Systems Overall Market Attractiveness The overall market attractiveness for the car rental industry is fairly attractive Consumers will continue to travel and need rental vehicles for insurance replacement rentals and car sharing With low air travel numbers in recent years, the car rental industry has had a slight decline. Consumers will start to travel as the economy begins to recover from recession. On the flip side, non-airport locations are continuing to grow in revenue from people taking local vacations and insurance customers (Appendix 1 indicates revenue for Enterprise went up during recession). Small car rental companies would need to focus on niche markets or risk bankruptcy. As shown in the analysis above, there are multiple political issues including legislation, taxes and duty and company cars. Some consumers would get frustrated with the high taxes E.g. Fuel Tax, Environment Tax and Airport Tax. Economic factors shown above include: Excess capacity, economies of scale, diversification and mergers and strategic alliances. Social factors are when consumers tend to have different tastes on vehicles which will cause them to prefer different makes and models. Technological factors such as E-Commerce, safety and plant efficiency plan is an important part as well. The overall market attractiveness is high as consumers will continue to travel in out of the country and would need to rent vehicles. Consumer Analysis There are four main types of consumers: leisure, business, sharing and leasing. These consumers all have a different perspective on the business and what they went to purchase. Leisure consumers may be interested in purchasing an affordable, economical car whereas a business traveler would opt for the luxury model. 2. The actions management has taken to implement strategy, including key policies and procedures, support systems and management approaches The management of Enterprise Rent-a-Car has taken many actions to implement  their strategy. From hiring educated, competitive, social employees, giving them sense of ownership, encouraging them to be entrepreneurial, and giving its managers autonomy in operating their locations. To supporting corporate innovation in order to identify best practices and apply this knowledge throughout the company, as they did with their world famous slogan†We’ll pick you up†. Development of things such as the Enterprise Rent-a-Car Cultural Compass, to help guide their service oriented employees in interacting with the customer, each other, and the local community. Employees who followed the values of the cultural compass were recognized for their work and encouraged with the Jack Taylor Founding Values Award and a grant for a local non-profit cause. Enterprise Rent-a-Car developed the Enterprise Service Quality Index (ESQi), which provides a score for each branch based on their customer service satisfaction, in order to increase customer satisfaction, and managers were held publicly accountable for their scores. Enterprise used compensation and career advancement incentives along with the ESQi to encourage and promote employees, only if their location’s ESQi score was at or above the corporate average would they be eligible for promotion. Enterprise Rent-a-Car, also used the Automated Rental Management System (ARMS), a system which linked all of Enterprises locations together in order to automatically update and also send vehicle status reports to insurance companies, and in 2006 partnered with FIX AUTO Network to provide more efficient ways of sending collision repair and rental status reports to be monitored by insurance companies. Although Enterprise Rent-a-Car encouraged autonomy amongst its manager, and its employees to be entrepreneurial, it still administered some corporate control over individual locations to ensure consistency and to implement and accomplish its goals. Enterprises actions in all 6 of its market segments: 1. Off-Airport Market- Provided great customer service with great prices, which appealed to leisure travelers and value minded business travelers. 2. On-Airport Market- Offered prices at airports that were on average 20% below the industry average. 3. After-Market/ Used Auto Sales- Established a haggle free buying policy, selling cars below the Kelley Blue Book listed retail value. Also all of Enterprise’s used cars passed a 109-point inspection by an ASE-certified technician and had a 7-day repurchase agreement. 4.  California Vanpool Services- Prices varied according to van size, round-trip distance, and equipment included. 5. Rent-a-Truck- Provided great customer service, customized billing, and 24-hour roadside assistance. 6. International Operations-Enterprise hired locally, bought cars locally, and focused on off airport markets such as providing corporate travel cars, replacement cars, and fleet management. Our assessment of culture and the role it plays in the success of Enterprise Enterprise Rent-a-car culture is based on their core values and what the company lives by. Jack Taylor did not talk about founding values when he started up his business back in 1957 — he and his team just lived by them. They set the example through a personal commitment to the company and its customers. Those values have served as the foundation for their growth and success for more than five decades. And today, this simple, yet powerful set of beliefs is more critical than ever to their continued success; its how they hold themselves accountable everyday. When Jack Taylor founded Enterprise, he clearly articulated his business philosophy. â€Å"Take care of your customers and your employees, and profit will take care of itself.† â€Å"Treat customers the way you would want to be treated as a customer.† â€Å"Repeat customers are the quickest way to build a solid base of business.† â€Å"Never promise what you can’t deliver; deliver more than you promise.† â€Å"After dealing with us, we want customers to say, ‘This is the best place I’ve ever done business.’† Enterprise has remained true to these basic principles. Taylor’s philosophy is also reflected in a tool called the Enterprise Cultural Compass, shown below: The company developed the compass to guide service-oriented employees in conducting business and in interactions with each customer, each other, and their local communities. The compass was also intended to aid employees in focusing on key areas through the organization. To help promote the values depicted in the compass, Enterprise developed an award named the Jack Taylor Founding Values Award, which provided winners with a grant from the  Enterprise Rent-a-car Foundation that could be used for qualified non-profit causes in the winners’ local communities. Employees were expected to adhere to these principles in all of their business dealings. A failure to do so could result in disciplinary action or dismissal. Enterprise Rent-a-car’s Cultural Compass Priorities Operations – Enterprise evaluate the performance of their operating groups based in large part on how their operations maintain a balance between customer satisfaction, employee development, fleet growth and profitability. They know that keeping a healthy equilibrium among these critical factors is essential to steady, long-term growth. Diversity – Enterprise takes pride in understanding and embracing their differences in ways that drive innovation, connect them completely to their communities and make their company a place that is welcoming to all. A diverse supply chain allows their company to foster growth and opportunities for historically underutilized suppliers, while also mirroring the communities in which they operate. Work/Life Balance – Enterprise is providing an atmosphere that challenges all employees to do their best work helps them achieve successful careers and supports them in their efforts to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Sustaining their strong workplace reputation is critical to their ability to attract and retain the best people. Helping their employees achieve higher satisfaction and engagement can drive lower absenteeism, higher productivity, better retention and other outcomes that contribute to their overall success. Business Practices – Enterprise takes pride in exemplifying the highest moral standards. They know that they are held accountable by their actions and their reputation, they adhere to the strictest accounting rules and the highest ethical standards, and those standards apply to every single individual. Enterprise takes pride in holding themselves accountable for such high standards because they know that they are only as strong as their reputation that each of them maintains in the minds of customers, potential customers and employees. Community Relations and Philanthropy – Enterprise is a local company that just happens to have a presence in thousands of neighbourhoods across five countries. They actively support thousands of organizations and donate millions of dollars each year to a variety of causes. They know that business can’t be a one-way street; good  will makes good sense. Government Relations – Enterprise acknowledges that it is only with the support of key community stakeholders that they can continue to grow their business and strengthen their reputation as a responsible corporate citizen and valued member of the community. They must build and strengthen these invaluable strategic partnerships on a national, regional, and local scale. Enterprise values high standards and regard for customers and employees, one can clearly see why they have been winning so many awards for customer satisfaction as well as setting themselves as one of the best employers to work for in Canada. Their culture is based on the their mission, values and high standards for customer satisfaction and employee relations. They base their company on how their founder lived by and they believe their actions are what set them apart from other companies. All of these combined are what play a key role in the success of their company. Having such immaculate standards for themselves is what is helping them be this successful with so much competition. Their customers know that they â€Å"will not promise more than they can deliver and they will always deliver more than they promise.† 4. Our recommendations for the management 1. Enterprise can potentially decide to analyze the need of a strategic alliance or potential merge with one of its competitors. A potential alliance will allow Enterprise to continue to conduct business as usual but will allow them to have a bigger competitive advantage among its main competitors. A merge between Enterprise, a medium to large company in the industry will allow Enterprise to meet its current challenges. This will allow them to match up with its current competition which has recently acquired companies in the auto rental industry and has become the second and third largest auto rental company in the industry. Such a merge will stop the recent increase of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group and Budget Rental Group. As well, a merge will allow enterprise to increase its market share with its main competitor in the airport segment of the industry, Hertz. The previously discussed merge will allow Enterprise to grow substantially as a company, it has huge market shares in the off-airport market, however,  lately they have focused on developing their on-airport market, which has lead Enterprise to gain some market share in that segment, Hertz has begun to take notice and challenged Enterprise in the off-airport market. Since Enterprise already has a huge lead in the off-airport market it might be hard for Hertz to catch up to Enterprise but they can surely bother Enterprise. By merging with a company it will allow Enterprise to meet those challenges head on, they can have enough off-airport outlets to crush the potential growth of Hertz as well gain on-airport outlets, which can lead to gaining and taking away market share from Hertz. 2. Enterprise should strengthen relationship with insurance companies it deals with. They can strengthen that relationship by offering those companies special deals for their customers. They can offer cheaper pricing for the rental of their cars in case of an accident. By cutting down their profit margin, Enterprise can increase the loyalty of the current insurance company they have partnered with. As well such attractive pricing can pursued with current insurance companies that have decided to go with Hertz to reconsider and analyze the potential of Enterprise as a c ompany who they will use for their customers that are in need of a car. By doing this they will defeat the potential growth of Hertz in the insurance segment of the markets. 3. Enterprise should invest some money in their technology department. Investing money in the development of technology, Enterprise can have a head start in the need for their customers and develop an app to make it easier for them to either rent a car, find a retail location or book an appointment for an Enterprise employee to pick them up for a car rental delivery or a rental return. By developing an app they will be getting ahead of its main competitors and will increase their customer service. Customer satisfaction will increase since it is the company’s core culture and business model. Entering the app market will increase the positive perception currently and new customers have of the customer service that is offered by Enterprise. Enterprise will have entered a market, which had not yet been tapped into. They will increase their presence in the hospitality part of the market by delivering an easier way for its consumers to gain access to their services. 4. Enterprise should develop or adopt a rewards system that other companies  are using in order to stay competitive. Their competitors, such as National and Budget are currently using rewards program like air miles. Enterprise should adopt this reward system as well; it will be beneficial for the company to do so. First of all, as previously discussed, it will allow them to stay competitive, it will allow Enterprise to tape into a specific niche in the market where it targets customers who are in that air miles program already or are attracted by the fact that they want to be part of a reward program, where they receive things in return for using a product. By taping into this specific niche there could be substantial profit growth since not many companies are offering such programs. Enterprise already has a huge off-airport market share. A program, such as air miles will only strengthen their position in the off-airport market; as well it can increase their growth in the on-airpor t market. Enterprise should also continue emphasizing growth within the company and focus on implementing one of the following strategies: Market Penetration Although Enterprise already has advertisements on television they could focus on a different approach instead of just using the motto, â€Å"We’ll pick you up† such as focusing the commercials on the weekend special deals. Product Development Enterprise could introduce newer models and expand on their luxury car selection. Market Development- Enterprise could continue their global expansion and increase airport locations. Diversification Enterprise could establish a service called â€Å"Rent-A-Bike† We think that Enterprise should step outside of their comfort zone and implement a diversification strategy. We believe creating â€Å"Enterprise Rent-A-Bike† will gain interest in consumers and also expand on annual revenue for the company.

Canadian Family Essay

Living together, getting married and having children are all the important factors that contribute in creating a family. The Canadian family has, is and will face different types of challenges in the future. Families in Canada have changed as time has progressed. In this time period the Canadian family has faced a number of challenges. I believe this is due to the increase in divorce rates, same sex marriage and living together in common law. Depending on the situation within the family, families in Canada have found to be challenged.First of all I would like to bring out probably the most common challenge and factor which is making marriages unsuccessful, that being divorce. The divorce rate in Canadian families is increasing day by day from what it used to be. Divorce leads to a disturbance in one’s family when he/she files for one. The children of the divorced couples are not being raised up normally; moreover they are being raised up living with a single parent or living o ne week with the mother and one week with the father.The children are not getting the time and love from their parents which they would normally get if their parents lived together. In my opinion a family is a group of people involving a mother, father and their children living together in the same house, so if the parents of the children get divorced it causes that family to break when they no longer live with each other. Back in the day divorce was not that common as it is today, people would get married for life but now a days if couples get into a fight the first option that pops up in their heads is divorce.People nowadays are taking advantage of the divorce laws and are using them more commonly which is leading Canadian families challenged. Another challenge that Canadian families are facing these days is same sex marriage. When a couple of the same sex gets married together they are left with a challenge of having children together. To overcome this challenge most couples tak e the option of adopting children or having children through surrogacy, and some decide not to bring children in their lives at all.The couples that do decide to adopt children, the children are still not gifted with a mother and a father; moreover they could grow up having two mothers or two fathers. In this situation the children are not being raised up as they would be if they had both a father and a mother. On the other hand when same sex married couples decide not to adopt children and not bring them in their lives at all, this leads to their generation from further expanding. With all due espect to same sex marriage, same sex marriage is a challenge that families in our society are facing in the new era. On the other hand one other challenge that Canadian families are facing these days is the challenge of common law. Common law has become more common in the new world. Couples are moving in, living together, and having children without being married. Couples these days are spen ding more time living together before marriage than they are after marriage or they are breaking up even before getting to the extent of getting married.Common law mostly involves teen couples living or having children together, this is because teens are less mature and do not know what the responsibility of raising children together is, so often teens tend to break up with each other despite having children. Adults on the other hand tend to live together for years in common law and at some point when they do get married it may not last that long because they know each other’s ups and downs because of all the time they have spent together. In this case common law is another crucial challenge that Canadian families are facing these days.Finally I would like to say Canadian families are continuing to change and face crucial challenges such as, divorce, same sex marriage and common law day by day. Living together, getting married and having children are all important factors tha t contribute in creating a family. If any one of these crucial factors gets disturbed then it leaves the families faced with challenges. If we fulfil all the factors that contribute in creating a family in the right way then it will leave our families with less of a challenge.

Assingment Essays

Assingment Essays Assingment Essay Assingment Essay A haiku can have more beauty and thought in three short lines than any full Ii night poem has in twenty. To have something so short and so complex, only to be matched d by an even more complex pace is truly inspiring. The haiku presents intense emotion and a vivid images of nature (THAT are designed to lead) to a spiritual awakening. At first it may seem that having such a short amount written might not give someone much to interpret, but in fact it makes the imagination run wild. In Mattson Bassos under Cherry Trees he paints a beautiful picture of nature, and being among it. Bash spent many years traveling through Japan, this haiku could h eve been torn straight out of his journal, just a moment when he stopped to eat a meal, sit Eng under a cherry tree watching the petals fall, letting himself be one with his surroundings. Wit h humble simplicity, Bash didnt need a page to describe an event, his mastery of haiku allowed him to bring his readers into that moment, and reminded us to perceive what was be fore us, and not to over analyze. Looking at Carolyn Seizers After Bash , she shows the depth of haiku with the use of metaphors. Kaiser describes the moon taking its evening position in the sky, p allied, scared, not as notable as the sun that came before, but still well known. In this clever meta horn she describes how a person working in the (shadows) of Mattson Bash might feel knowing t hey (would/will) be compared to the best. Finally, Sonic Sanchez Cmon man hold me , is the most complex of the three haiku (and) its magnificence lies in its complexity. This haiku has no punctuation, its Ritter how someone would speak casually, and the possibilities of its meaning our endue as. One could interpret this haiku as depicting the fleeting nature of time and the last mom .NET we share with someone before we are nothing more than a memory. Haiku is the most important and beautiful form of poetry due to its complexity y and depth. Haiku poetry brings about spiritual insight of the world and of life.

Modern day torture interrogation techniques

Modern day torture interrogation techniques Modern day torture constitutes an interrogation technique that entails inflicting suffering to the suspect with the aim of obtaining information or a confession. The methods utilized here also include waterboarding, shock treatment and denial of food as well as application of thumbscrews.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modern day torture interrogation techniques specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Torture therefore ensures that the victim is in extreme anguish with the torturer having total control over the body of the victim (Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy, 2011). The concept that underlies torture has been the subject of debate from various angles. These include moral and utilitarian as well as political perspectives. The controversy has further been fuelled by the increased cases of terrorism around the globe. Groups that argue in favor of torture have their support based on the fact that torture involves infli cting pain on a defenseless person. These have seen to the formation of policies such as the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy, 2011). This was adopted by the United Nations in 1984. In addition, the arguments are consequential in nature. This implies that the issues raised are directed at the impact of failing to use torture in interrogation of suspects of terrorism. These include suspects that may hold information that is vital to intelligence officials such as planned attacks (Casebeer, n.d). On the other hand, arguments in favour of torture, are grounded on the fact that it becomes a case of human rights violation. This is especially the case when the information witheld is inconsequential. Arguments in favour The ticking bomb scenario presents one of the major instances that are argued to justify the use of torture as an interrogation technique. In this case, it is considered ethical to inflict pain when psychological suffering fails to bring a suspect to a confession on the location of a ticking time bomb. For example, if a timed explosive device is planted in London and the police have the suspect (Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy, 2011). The scenario further emphasizes that it is ethical to subject one person to torture in order to save thousands others. In addition, the argument that torture can be converted into a habit that may become entrenched into the justice system is heavily overwhelmed (Vaknin, 2007). This is due to the fact that other interrogation techniques have been noted to be equally misused. For instance, the use of guns and knives are equally susceptible to similar levels of abuse. Torture is also ethical in that it constitutes an ordinary method interrogation rather than a punishment to suspects. It should instead be regarded as an ordinary procedure used before trial in the same level with detention and oral interrogation.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is due to the fact that other interrogation techniques are also bound to inflict equal levels of punishment to a suspect before they are cleared of any wrong doing. This contravenes the argument put forward by St Augustine on basis of the negative moral impact of torture. To add to that, the use of torture facilitates the administration of justice as criminals have been observed to deny committing the crimes. It thus aids in finding the crime perpetrators and serving justice to their victims. From another perspective, torture is arguably justified by the fact that in times of war and instances of terrorism collateral damage is likely to occur. This refers to the sacrifice of the lives of a few people to save a country or many other lives. This implies that to maintain justice, governments and society have the right to expose suspects to torture for the greater good (Harris, 2005). For example, using torture to interrogate a terrorist group leader like Osama Bin Laden so as to salvage the lives of many innocents would be considered morally right. In recent times, it has additionally been noted that abstinence from torture by many countries is done because it constitutes being politically correct. This means that most governments have adopted the anti-torture policies at the expense of their citizens. The governments are limited in terms of law enforcement capacity so as to obtain foreign aid or military backing from other nations. Additionally, such measures are a disadvantage in times of instability or war that threaten the livelihood of the innocent. In such cases, it is only right to use torture from the moral or ethical and formal as well as utilitarian perspectives. Arguments against On the other side, torture has been heavily opposed by various interest groups on different grounds. The moral perspective for instance, views the practice as a violation. This is due to the fact that the victim is denied the right to act on their own rationale. Additionally, it lowers the moral level of the suspect under interrogation. According to Henry Shue, torture should be disallowed as it is not justified by the simple wrong or right standards. This implies that the act should not be judged by the amount of good or evil that it brings forth (Ghraib, 2004). He adds that it is wrong to use torture as the torturer has no way of verifying that the suspect has the information that they need.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modern day torture interrogation techniques specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another perspective argues against the ticking bomb scenario. It emphasizes that in some instances, intelligence personnel may capture suspects that turn out to be innocent. Further, the concept behind the ticking bomb scenario works under the premises t hat result in intellectual fraud. From a liberal point of view, the event is created as an emergency so that inhumane treatment is justified. The liberal perspective argues that torture denies the suspect their rights (Luban, 2005). Torture is regarded as an act that aims at obtaining a confession, punishing and terrifying the suspect while deriving pleasure at the practice. Moreover, it is difficult to verify the information given by a suspect under such conditions. For example, the suspect may give false information to stop the pain. The use of torture interrogation techniques has also been noted to dilute the strength of international laws and policies. For instance, disregard for international law has been associated with increased use of torture on prisoners of America and other countries. Furthermore, civilization asserts that nations adhere to amicable ways of obtaining intelligence. Torture is additionally opposed on grounds that other interrogation techniques can be used in stead. Interrogation may opt to use other techniques such as verbal confrontation or psychological control methods that afflict less or no pain. Further research also indicates that torture lacks in terms of efficiency as a modern interrogation technique. It has been noted that the information obtained under such circumstances may be misleading or wrong. In the long-term, the inclusion of torture in systems such as justice would result in greater costs rather than benefits. For instance, it undermines the value of evidence so that information obtained may be inconsequential in a court of law. The integration of torture interrogation techniques into the systems of rule has also been linked to other inefficiencies. These may affect institutions such as the military or judiciary as they rely on the initial moral of rationale (Arrigo, 2004). It is apparent that modern day torture interrogation techniques are comprise an infringement of the rights of the person under interrogation. It un dermines the moral level of the suspect. It has also been noted to be inefficient despite the pain subjected to the culprits. Moreover, the practice of torture has been found to contravene international law and morality. Therefore, torture interrogation techniques should only be applied in extreme cases whereby there is a degree of confidence that the suspect is the culprit. References Arrigo, J. M. (2004). A Consequentialist Arguement againist Torture Interrogation of Terrorist. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Casebeer, W. (n.d). Torture Interrogatiom of Terrorist: ATheory Of Exceptions(With Notes, Cautions and Warnings). Web. Ghraib, A. (2004). The Politics of Torture. Atlanta: North Atlantic Books. Harris, S. (2005, October 17). In Defense of Torture. The Huffington Post . Luban, D. (2005). Liberalism, Torture and Ticking Timebomb. Web. Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy. (2011, April). Torture. Web. Vaknin, S. (2007). Malignant Self-love: Narcissism Revisited. New York.

How to Campaign for a Mock Election

How to Campaign for a Mock Election A mock election is a simulated election process which is designed to give students a deeper understanding of the election process. In this popular exercise, students participate in every aspect of a national campaign and then participate in the voting process in order to get a complete understanding of the democratic process. The components of your exercise may include: Discovering and filing the paperwork you need to submit to runSelecting candidatesOrganizing caucusesCreating a campaignWriting speechesDesigning campaign postersCreating polling boothsMaking ballotsVoting What Are the Benefits? When you participate in a practice election, you will learn about the election process, but youll also sharpen many skills as you participate in a simulated version of a national election: You will gain public speaking experience as you participate in speeches and debates.You can sharpen critical thinking skills as you analyze campaign speeches and ads.You can gain event-planning experience by getting involved in organizing the meetings and rallies.You can learn to communicate effectively as you develop campaign materials and events. Choosing a Candidate You may not have a choice about the role you play or even about the candidate you support in a mock election. Teachers will usually divide a class (or an entire student body of a school) and assign candidates. It is important in a mock election to make the process fair and to avoid hurt feelings and feelings of being ostracized. Its not always a good idea to pick the candidate that is supported by your family because students who are greatly outnumbered can feel pressured or ridiculed for supporting an unpopular candidate. Every candidate is unpopular somewhere! Preparing for the Debate A debate is a formalized discussion or argument. You must study the rules or processes that debaters follow in order to prepare. Youll want to learn what will be expected of you! Your school may have special rules to add to the general guidelines youll find online. Its also a good idea to watch your opponents campaign advertisements on YouTube (the real candidate, that is). You can gain clues about your opponents position on controversial topics. These ads will highlight his or her potential strengths and may even shed light on a potential weakness. How Do I Run a Campaign? A campaign is like a long-running TV commercial. You are really designing a sales pitch for your candidate when you run a campaign, so youll use many sales techniques in this process. Youll want to be honest, of course, but you want to pitch your candidate in the most agreeable way, with positive words and attractive materials. You will need to establish a platform, which is a set of beliefs and positions that your candidate holds on specific topics. You will need to research the candidate that you represent and write a mock-up of those positions in language that is suitable for your audience. An example of a statement in your platform is I will promote investments in clean energy in order to provide a healthy environment for future families. (See real platforms from presidential campaigns.) Dont worryyour own platform does not need to be as long as a real one! By writing out your platform, you gain a clear understanding of the candidate you support. This will help you as you design campaign materials. Using the platform as a guideline you can: Write a campaign speech Draw posters to support your issuesWith permission from parents, design a Facebook page for your candidateCreate a poll on Facebook or in Survey Monkey to get feedback from votersCreate a campaign blog with Blogger

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis - Essay Example She is well observed to like her classmates and teachers, thus the mention of her being easy going. As the story unfolds, the candidate for the art scholarship who had all the reasons to rejoice because of the preparations told to her by her teacher and the school principal, was found broken hearted because of the cancellation of the scholarship supposedly to be awarded to her. The reason for which, being her color. Being challenged by the principal who experienced racial discrimination herself, the main character stood tall and hopeful in facing her future. On the contrary, the main character for A Rose for Emily is portrayed as a proud woman from a high and mighty Grierson family as seen in the eyes of the town’s folks. She was described to be a fallen monument in the beginning of the story as her death is revealed. But unlike Nancy Lee, her pride became a source for an internal conflict. The demand for her payment of her taxes caused her to be even more aloof and stay home most of the time. The story is told by a first person observer, narrating the events and speaking on behalf of her self and other observers. One Friday Morning on the other hand is told by a third person omniscient narrator who exposes the feelings and thoughts of his character.

Conflict in America Legalizing Marijuana Research Paper

Conflict in America Legalizing Marijuana - Research Paper Example During the previous government, this drug was illegal; however, when Obama’s government took power, it legalized marijuana and several states followed suit. This did not amuse the federal government, who were opposed to the move; it criticized the act and even went forth to pronounce legal action on those states and people found trading marijuana. Since this is an issue that may threaten national stability in the United States, it can be resolved by having the two bodies harmonize and come up with the best solution, rather than living with disputes. Keywords: Marijuana, State Laws, Federal Laws Every new government in the US comes with its own laws that favor it; the laws made reflect the promises of the new government and its political party. During the reign of President George W. Bush between the years 2001 to 2009, the government had enforced laws against marijuana. It took actions against those who dealt with the drug. However, when the government of President Obama took office, there was a different approach on marijuana; the government no longer took actions against those who were trading on the drug. According to Morgan (2011), the attorney general announced that the government was no longer going to deal with issues of marijuana peddling anymore. The announcement caused a lot of uproar from those who did not support the idea. The memorandum by the attorney general acknowledged the presence of conflict on marijuana between the federal and the state laws. As at present, the federal laws prohibit all deals on marijuana and according to the US drug enforcement administration, marijuana lacks a safe way of using it and has a high potential of becoming abused (Morgan, 2011). On the other hand, the state laws do not conform to the federal laws. An example of this is California, which became the first state to legalize marijuana, and 15 other states soon followed it. The many conflicts surrounding marijuana are not only found at federal and state domain s. This issue is also present in the medical domain; there are two contrasting arguments of medics concerning marijuana, with one group arguing that the use of marijuana has no effect to the body and the other arguing that it has effects. The American thoracic society reported that most marijuana users had no increased lung infections, while the British lung foundation had filed a report in 2002 citing the adverse effects of marijuana in the human body (Morgan, 2011). Conflict on marijuana is a major issue and of great concern. The greatest effect to Obama’s government is in the political arena. This is because most of those who are opposed to the move could use this chance to ambush an attack to the government, especially given that during the reign of the Republican Party, Marijuana was banned. Democrats’ risk losing their popularity among anti-marijuana citizens and organizations. Most international organizations and nations classify marijuana as a drug and in most countries, its use and trade is prohibited and punished by law. Permission by American government to its citizens to trade and use marijuana offers risks to the country; these include risks of losing reputation amongst international communities among others. In the New York Times, Savage (2012) informs that, â€Å"Several had cautioned that the issue had raised several legal and complex issues†. The complex issues were based on international antidrug

The Internet and Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Internet and Business - Essay Example Every business to thrive in this tough competitive market must have a business model to boost the developmental plans. A business model acts as the back-bone of a business and helps the business to make strategic decisions. River Island - as a business has a business model of stylish, high-quality fashion clothing especially for its target audience. The Body Shop on the contrary has developed a business model focusing on the natural beauty and beauty products. River Island promotes fashion and modernization; whereas The Body Shop promotes beauty with natural products. As part of business model and marketing strategy each business has their own target markets and target audiences. River Island targets young men and women, boys and girls with an attitude and style statement. The target audience is high-street consumers looking for affordable yet stylish fashion clothing by including new designs in apparel, shoes, bags and more. On the contrary The Body Shop targets consumers with more mature blend of mind set and inclined towards natural products for beauty enhancement. The target audience is restricted to consumers who are searching for natural beauty products for various requirements including, skin care, body and bath, make-up, hair, fragrance and more. Modern business world has seen fierce competitions within business houses. It is nearly impossible to have a business without any competition in modern days. River Island has also competitions such as H&M, Republic, ASOS, G2000, Padini, U2 etc to name a few. Similarly The Body Shop also faces many competitors such as Lush, Aveda, Origins, Kiehls etc to name a few. Businesses have developed marketing strategies exploiting the mass adoption and usage of Internet. The simplest and foremost of Internet marketing strategies is the website of the business. Although the Internet marketing strategies

Cons of radiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cons of radiation - Essay Example There has been an immense form of evolution of the life on earth. It is in relation to both the useful and harmful effects of Ultraviolet radiation that human beings have to live with. They can either be from natural sources or artificial sources, but the damage is as a result of human activity. For a long time, the life on earth has been exposed to radiations that occur naturally beyond the earth. It is known as cosmic radiation as well as the radioactive material that is found within the crust of the earth. The lack of proper or appropriate usage has serious consequences on the lives of humans, plants and animals. It is because they lead to the emission of the rays in different wavelengths that cause harm on the surface of the earth. In turn, it leads to a lot of damage on the human, animal and plant lives hence the radiation exposure from natural and man-made sources (Casper, 2010). Although most of these radioactive substances that occur naturally end up into the nuclear waste stream, most of these are products of the fission products emitted from the nuclear reactors. Some of the cons of these kind of radiation products include: The lack of safety of the technology that is associated with improper waste handling techniques. It results in the significant technical uncertainty that is caused by the use of geological repositories. The final isolation of the unresolved nuclear waste remains is a major cause of this. They have a great effect on the host rock owing to the construction and burial of repository (Miller & Spoolman, 2010). For a long time, radiation from the sun as well as that from other human activities that are related to treatment and the creation of nuclear weapons has been linked to global warming and its adverse effects. The exposure of some radioactive elements can turn pieces of land sterile. This means that numerous activities can no longer be performed on land with such conditions since they

Mareting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mareting - Essay Example In today's business world it has become crucial for the management to be very keen when pricing of products and services. In pricing a firm should consider the value perception of the customers that is when attaching a price to a product then that price should reflect the value perception of that product. If a firm set a price that is higher than the value of a product; then that means, the demand for that product will go down which consequently will lead to decline in the volume of sales. If this happens then the contribution (sales less variable costs) and the gross margin of that product will decline leaving that firm lesser gross and net profits (Drew 1). Alternatively, if a firm set a price that is less that its value this will lead to high demand since the customers can derive more satisfaction from the product at a lesser cost. When a customer feels satisfied with a given product this will tend to increase his/her expenditure and volumes in that product. The increase in sales of that product may not necessarily lead to increase in the product's contribution or the firm's overall profit since the value of that product is higher than its price (Drew 1). This may lead to a loss in that product and also contribute a loss to a firm's overall profits. ... The price of any product should show a reflection of its value. Every time when a firm is setting a price it should ensure that neither it nor its customers loose from the decision made (Dodd 10). It is of utmost importance for the management or the pricing team to consider both the customer-value perception and therefore, they are responsible for regular and timely review of a firm's products prices and their quality. Comparing a firm's products to other firms trading in similar products in the market which they operate in terms of quality and price is important for that firm if it will remain relevant in the market. The firm should be in a position to differentiate their products from others so that their customers can be in a position to totally distinguish them. This translates to customer loyalty since they will not be faced with confusion due to the products available thereby increasing sales volume and margins of that product. A firm's product that has many substitutes available is at high risk of loosing its market share that is if the firm product doesn't give the much needed satisfaction by the customer in both aspects of quality and price. Therefore, it is imperati ve for a firm to regularly review its products quality by redesigning to avoid being faced out of the market. Further, a firm should always offer competitive prices to its customer in order to compete favorably with other firms' products. But in so doing they should not do it while disregarding the costs involved since after all it will determine their profitability (Dodd 14). Other important internal and external factors affecting a firm's pricing decisions Internal factors (a) Experience curve This is a situation in which the average cost (AC) declines as production of a product

Separation of Retail and Investment Banking Operations Essay

Separation of Retail and Investment Banking Operations - Essay Example The need to separate the two operations is the central focus of this paper, presenting arguments for and against the move in detail. Arguments in support of separation of retail and investment banking operations Financial crisis is not a new phenomenon for the banking sector in U.K and beyond. From time to time, economic hardships that have resulted in financial crisis have been observed around the world. Year 2008 global financial crisis adversely affected financial systems in various economies. This necessitated the need to manage risks in the financial sector, which is primarily dominated by banks. Following this and other affecting factors, regulation, control and reforming the banking sector is essential. Separation of retail and investment banking operations is a positive move to take in the context of the above pursuit. That is, regulation, control and reforming financial services providers. Separating retail and investment banks would mean that the each of the two becomes a s tandalone legal entity. It is important to note that retail banks handle short term and long term payments, accept deposits and offer credit services by lending funds (De Jonghe, 2010, p. 387). On the other hand, investment banks primarily deal with financial instruments. In this regard, they are also referred to as casino banks. With the separation, it would mean that adverse effects experienced by either of the banks would hardly affect the other. That is to say that if the investment banking operations experience huge losses, the resultant negative effects would hardly affect retail banking operations especially deposits. Splitting the retail and investment banking operations is an activity that would bring forth intensive regulatory frameworks in a bid to achieve the desired outcome. The regulatory frame work adopted would be one that addresses each of the two banks as a unit independent of the other. In the situation of financial hardships, the retail banking sector would recei ve the attention of both the government and the taxpayers. The investment banking sector on the other hand would be accounted for by shareholders and investors in the same context. As a result, the adverse effects of financial crisis can neither be transferred to the retail bankers nor the government when the investment banking sector is affected. Investment banks engage in highly risky financial instruments (Upper, 2007, p.64). Tax revenues are normally used to back banking operations with or without operational risks. However, separating retail and investment banking operations would ensure that the taxpayers’ money only backs retail banking operations. The involvement of investment banks in risky financial instruments and related activities would therefore not constitute any financial burden to the taxpayers. Over and above the alleviation of financial burdens to taxpayers in times of financial crisis, individual customers to both retail and investment banks would be at an advantage. In absence of the separation, deposits in retail banks are highly influenced by investment activities. This is more so if different parts of the same bank handles both retail and investment banking operations. With the separation, the opposite of this scenario is true. However, lending risks are inevitable, but they are relatively easy to address (Modigliani and Miller, 1958, p.261–

Mareting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mareting - Essay Example In today's business world it has become crucial for the management to be very keen when pricing of products and services. In pricing a firm should consider the value perception of the customers that is when attaching a price to a product then that price should reflect the value perception of that product. If a firm set a price that is higher than the value of a product; then that means, the demand for that product will go down which consequently will lead to decline in the volume of sales. If this happens then the contribution (sales less variable costs) and the gross margin of that product will decline leaving that firm lesser gross and net profits (Drew 1). Alternatively, if a firm set a price that is less that its value this will lead to high demand since the customers can derive more satisfaction from the product at a lesser cost. When a customer feels satisfied with a given product this will tend to increase his/her expenditure and volumes in that product. The increase in sales of that product may not necessarily lead to increase in the product's contribution or the firm's overall profit since the value of that product is higher than its price (Drew 1). This may lead to a loss in that product and also contribute a loss to a firm's overall profits. ... The price of any product should show a reflection of its value. Every time when a firm is setting a price it should ensure that neither it nor its customers loose from the decision made (Dodd 10). It is of utmost importance for the management or the pricing team to consider both the customer-value perception and therefore, they are responsible for regular and timely review of a firm's products prices and their quality. Comparing a firm's products to other firms trading in similar products in the market which they operate in terms of quality and price is important for that firm if it will remain relevant in the market. The firm should be in a position to differentiate their products from others so that their customers can be in a position to totally distinguish them. This translates to customer loyalty since they will not be faced with confusion due to the products available thereby increasing sales volume and margins of that product. A firm's product that has many substitutes available is at high risk of loosing its market share that is if the firm product doesn't give the much needed satisfaction by the customer in both aspects of quality and price. Therefore, it is imperati ve for a firm to regularly review its products quality by redesigning to avoid being faced out of the market. Further, a firm should always offer competitive prices to its customer in order to compete favorably with other firms' products. But in so doing they should not do it while disregarding the costs involved since after all it will determine their profitability (Dodd 14). Other important internal and external factors affecting a firm's pricing decisions Internal factors (a) Experience curve This is a situation in which the average cost (AC) declines as production of a product

Youngs modulus of elasticity of nicrome wire Essay Example for Free

Youngs modulus of elasticity of nicrome wire Essay This can be avoided by not adding the weights if and when there are persons on the wooden block side of the wire. Apparatus Wire (around 3. 5 meters) 2x wooden blocks 1 G-clamp Weight Hook 12-15 weights. (100g each) Accuracy 0. 1g in 100g = 0. 1% error Roller Pulley Celotape Micrometer Screw-gauge. Accuracy 0. 01mm in 0. 19mm = 5. 36% error Scale (e. g. Rule) Accuracy 2mm in 3570 mm = 0. 06% error Total Approximate error range: 5. 52% = 6% RESULTS: Note: I have taken the force of one Newton to be the where the extension because I found it difficult to measure the length of the wire without pulling on it. This was because the wire was coiled originally and so kept trying to go back to its original coiled state. This means my wire length will be inaccurate to approximately half a millimetre. This would not have affected the permanent length of the wire because the wire enters the plastic region only after around 10 Newtons (Represented on a graph of axis force against extension) The slip mentioned in the results refers to how much the wire has been pulled from the two markers, which is referred to in the method. The slip is evidently not part of the extension and will be taken into account. Original Length of the Wire = 3570mm. = 3. 57 meters Original Diameter of the wire = 0. 175mm = 1. 75 x 10-4 meters. Area = 0. 0000000962m3 = 6. 92 x 10-8m3 These results may be unduly accurate and this will be taken into account in the conclusion. As the Youngs Modulus concerns the region where Hookes Law is obeyed, then this will be the region where the extension increases in small equal amounts. In this case it is 1-9 Newtons here. As this only caused small extensions of 1mm per each weight added, this is where the biggest errors will occur. Ruler to half millimetre accuracy 0. 5mm in 8mm = 0.5 / 8   100 = 6. 25% CONCLUSION What is Youngs Modulus Of Elasticity for Nicrome Wire? Youngs Modulus For Elasticity is defined as Stress Over Strain. So (Force   Length)   (Extension   Cross-sectional Area). This is the gradient of a graph representing stress over strain. (In the region where Hookes Law is obeyed) Force (N) Stress (Pa) Extension (m) Strain (Pascals) Youngs Modulus (Giga Pascals)   The gradient of the graph represent the stress over the strain. The gradient over the ? y/? x region is big enough to provide a good average. It is more accurate than the tabulated result because it contains the linear y=mx+c graph (This is due to Hooks Law) which is the line of best fit for the results (The average). The y-intercept on the graph is very close to the origin, which is what would be expected because if there were no stress (e. g. no force acting on the wire) then there would be, by definition, no strain, as there would be no extension occurring. This shows that this area is obeying Hooks Law because using the y=mx+c equation, this would say c i 0 (approximately equal to 0). So y=mx where tis the stress, x is the strain, and m is the constant; being Youngs Modulus. Conclusion: My results are accurate, because the graph was a very straight line, as all the points could be plotted to a good degree of accuracy to the original plot from the y=mx equation; Stress = (5. 52 x 1011 ) x Strain :- Where 5. 52 x 1011 Gpa is my result for Youngs Modulus for Nichrome Wire Stress (Pa) Strain Stress=(5. 52 x 10^11) x Strain Error From Original Dividing the result of multiplying the stress by my Youngs Modulus by the original, and multiplying by 100 calculated the error from original column. For every multiplication I got a a result of 6. 72%, which is close to my approximate error range of 6%. My results compared to my prediction: My results, did not entirely agree with my prediction. From preliminary experiments the Youngs Modulus would be in the region of 180 GPa.

Effect of CSR on Child Labour

Effect of CSR on Child Labour Abstract Child labour is an issue that is detrimental to sustainable development of any society. The underlying cause of child labour has been identified as poverty. The cocoa sector where this practice has been reported to be widespread is the backbone of most economies in West Africa. Chocolate and other cocoa based products are in high demand and so consumers and manufacturers alike are implicated in fuelling this trade. Corporate Social Responsibility is an important tool which if implemented and monitored properly could eventually lead to the elimination of child labour. This dissertation explores how industry with the support of the governments is engaging in programmes and projects as part of their CSR strategy in tackling child labour. Chapter One â€Å"We are the world’s children. We are victims of exploitation and abuse. We are street children. We are the victims and orphans of HIV/AIDS. We are denied good quality education and health care. We are victims of political, economic, cultural, religious and environmental discrimination. We are children whose voices are not being heard: it is time we are taken into account. We want a world fit for children, because a world fit for us is a world fit for everyone.† (Statement from the Children’s Forum to the United Nations, May 2002). Introduction 1.1 Definitions A: The definition of child labour as derived from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child (CRC) stipulates that â€Å"children should be protected from economic exploitation and any work that is hazardous, interferes with schooling, or is harmful to their health and development†. The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) defines it as â€Å"as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development†. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 138, minimum age convention in 1973 which sets the minimum age for admission into employment and ILO Convention182 on the worst forms of child labour refers to child labour as: all work that is harmful and hazardous to a childs health, safety and development; taking into account the age of the child, the conditions under which the work takes place, and the time at which the work is done. The Uni ted Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) defines child labour as â€Å"work that exceeds a minimum number of hours, depending on the age of a child and on the type of work†. B: According to the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO), Cocoa Certification is the process of certifying that the commodity has passed the performance/quality assurance tests/qualification requirements stipulated in the regulations/code: it complies with a set of regulations governing quality and minimum performance requirements: product certified may be endorsed with a quality mark or display a certification mark: it involves auditing, accredited certifying bodies, standards organisation, independent verification bodies and transactions costs. C: The Fairtrade Labelling Organisation defines fair-trade as a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in International trade 1.2 Background Information The successful elimination of child labour in the world is almost certainly one of the most vital policy objectives of today. It is at the forefront of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) as adopted by all 198 United Nations Member States in September 2000 (Grimsrud, 2003). As part of broader efforts towards a sustainable solution to child labour, the ILO, UNICEF and the World Bank initiated the interagency Understanding Children’s Work (UCW) project in December 2000. This project, which is guided by the Oslo Agenda for Action unanimously adopted at the 1997 International Conference on Child labour, elaborated the priorities for the international community in the war against child labour. Through a variety of data collection, research, and assessment activities, the UCW project is broadly directed towards improving understanding of child labour, its causes and effects, how it can be measured and effective policies coupled with stronger international cooper ation for the elimination of the practice. The issue of the worst forms of child labour in the cocoa sector came into the public glare when a UK media network, Channel 4, in a documentary in September 2000 alleged the massive use of children as the labour force on Ivorian cocoa plantations. The backbone of plantation work is backbreaking labour, done using rudimentary tools under gruelling conditions. At the time it was alleged that 90% of cocoa farms in Cà ´te dIvoire, which is the worlds leading cocoa producer engaged child labour in their operations. The government of Cà ´te d’Ivoire strongly refuted these allegations at the time but eventually admitted there was a problem in the use of child labour but not to the magnitude as alleged in the documentary (Afro News, September 2000). In 2001, following the allegations of child labour in cocoa farms, U.S. Representative Eliot Engel and Senator Tom Harkin decided to adjoin a clause to the Trade and Development Act (TDA) proposing a federal system to certify and label chocolate products as slave free. The cocoa industry successfully lobbied against this on the premise that the supply chain was too complex. A compromise was eventually reached. A protocol entitled Protocol for the growing and processing of cocoa beans and their derivative products in a manner that complies with ILO Convention 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor, signed in September, 2001. Industry agreed to establish a task force made up of government, non-governmental organisations to work towards its elimination in cocoa plantations. A critical part of this agreement was the commitment to design and implement â€Å"standards of public certification† in all of West Africa by July 1st 2005. All cocoa from this area would be certified as free from child labour. The governments would also be required by the protocol to establish monitoring systems and also issue certificates which describe the current state of child labour and forced labour in the cocoa sub-sector and efforts being employed to improve on the situation where necessary. Given the competing interests and values involved, child labour cannot be eradicated solely through domestic regulatory mechanisms and actions (Garcia and Jun, 2005). The inclusion of social responsibility and in particular avoidance of child labour in corporate strategies became inevitable for chocolate manufacturers to avoid the wrath of the public. A greater commitment to social responsibility on the part of corporations has been one solution put forth by some academics, government agencies, and development institutions to mitigate some of these negative impacts and help companies contribute more to socio-economic development in its broadest sense. Can the industry live up to its CSR commitments in relation to the cocoa industry? The concept of CSR is not new. Steiner Steiner (2006) trace its origins to the philanthropic work of John D. Rockfeller and Andrew Carnegie who gave away millions for social causes. The more contemporary understanding of CSR can be traced to Bowen (1954) who argued that managers have an ethical duty to take into consideration, broader social impacts of their decisions, and those corporations who act differently should not be seen as legitimate. In the elimination of child labour, the concerns include reducing and eliminating the use of persistent toxic pesticides and fungicides, preserving the value of cocoa agro forests, improving the social and economic status of the smallholder and labourers as well as maintaining a fair price for the commodity. These measures would ensure a sustainable production of the commodity and at same time increase household incomes and as a result reduce and eventually eli minate incidence of child labour. 1.3 The dissertation seeks to: Highlight the steps taken by countries involved to tackle child labour; Draw attention to country responses and responsiveness, to the initiatives employed by chocolate manufacturers. Elaborate on the industry response in the wake of child labour allegations within the cocoa industry. Identify CSR initiatives employed by chocolate manufacturers both individually and collectively to combat child labour. The issue of child labour has been alleged in all the five cocoa producing countries of West Africa namely Cà ´te d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Cameroon. However, due to lack of available data, this study will be limited to two countries: Cà ´te d’Ivoire which is the leading world cocoa producer and Ghana whose economy also largely depends on cocoa production and export. The first chapter has provided the background information on child labour and the purpose of this study. The remainder of the dissertation is structured as follows: Chapter two provides information on literature on the causes of child labour, corporate social responsibility as an essential tool to combat child labour, the link between the chocolate industry and child labour and the steps taken to eliminate the practice in the cocoa chain. Chapter three discusses the methods use in carrying out the study. Chapter four provides information on Cà ´te d’Ivoire and Ghana, the two countries involved in the present study. It also outlines their contribution to the elimination of child labour. Chapter five is a case study analysis of three chocolate manufacturing companies to get an insight into their CSR strategies. The case study will show the commitment and the strategy employed to approach the issue of child labour. Chapter six draws upon the case study findings. The final chapter will draw conclusions to support the hypothesis formulated in this study. Recommendations will also be formulated based on the results from the case study analysis. Chapter Two 2.1 Literature Review Introduction In recent years, there has been a surge of empirical work on child labour as well as literature regarding the plight of children working as child labourers in cocoa plantations in West Africa. The issue has attracted considerable policy and public attention over the last decade either due to self recognition or outcry from the public. Public interest in child labour seems to have been motivated by increased theoretical work and publicity by the press. Documentaries exposing the conditions to which the children are subjected aroused public awareness. The rise in interest could also be attributed to increased trade and globalization which have raised awareness about the pervasiveness of child labour and elevated concerns among rich country residents about their role in its perpetuation (Edmonds 2007).The unease about child labour as a human rights issue and its implication for the long term growth and development through its interaction with education is of great concern not just for individual countries but also for the international community. This practice is viewed as a threat to sustainable development in developing countries. Articles published between 2001 and 2002 in the wake of the child labour accusations highlighted the immorality of the practice. The horrors experienced by the children who are sometimes trafficked and even sold off by their families. The treatment meted out to them is inhumane even as they work under unacceptable conditions (Edwards et al, 2001). Some of the children engage in activity that is physically damaging or even morally objectionable (Cigno 2004). It can also be said that objectionable forms of child work have an opportunity cost in terms of forgone education. It can also bring immediate benefit to families who in this case will be the only means of survival. Child labour not only hampers the growth of human resources, it also reduces the individual’s education achievement as well as the effect and quality of the education system thereby continuing the poverty cycle (Rena, 2009). Udry 2003, further buttresses this fact by stating that the primary cost of child labour is the associated reduction in investment in the child’s human capital which occurs primarily because child labour interferes with schooling. With conflicting reports on the extent of the practice, a research â€Å"Child labour in the Cocoa Sector of West Africa† (IITA, August 2002) revealed that the figures of children working was not as high as was initially thought but that the children worked under unacceptable conditions exposed to long work hours, pesticides and other hazardous spraying agents. In addition, the Financial Times, (Circulation 477, 476 of August 7, 2002) and Business Respect (Issue Number 37 of August 20, 2002) agreed with the conclusions. These findings go to buttress the earlier conclusions of a meeting of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Minister of State with representatives of Cà ´te d’Ivoire, Ghana and members of the cocoa and chocolate industry. (Anti-slavery news, May 4th 2001). The successful elimination of this form of labour is one of the most urgent policy objectives of this decade (Busse et al, 2003). It has gradually developed from a matter of regional and national concern to one that would trigger International debates and global persuasion as well as policy intervention (Basu and Tzannatos (2003). Busse et al (2003) carried out an empirical study on the notion that multinationals invest in countries where the incidence of child labour is relatively high and, secondly, the concern that countries may gain an unfair comparative advantage in trade by using child labour. The results indicate that multinationals are highly sensitive with respect to the location of their subsidiaries and prefer countries with lower levels of child labour for fear of aggression from the public and international community. Causes of Child Labour Poverty is the major cause of child labour. In a landmark paper on The Economics of Child Labor published in the American Economic Review (1998), Basu and Van argue that the primary cause of child labour is parental poverty. Grootaert (1998) and Udry (2003) argue that poverty and child labour are mutually reinforcing: given that children of poor parents end up working and not attend school and the cycle of poverty continues. Kruger (2004) concludes that children only work when the family is unable to meet their basic needs and poorer children stand the greater risk of being withdrawn from school during production periods. This is further accentuated by Kruger et al (2007) which states that increased parental wages and household level of income are associated with lower child labour and higher school attendance. Household poverty is a very powerful motive of child labour and working comes at the expense of schooling because the income is essential for survival (Strulik 2008). Edmonds and Schady (2008). Basu et al (2007) provide recent discussions on the extent to which child labour is influenced by the income among poor households to show that the strong causal relationship between poverty and child labour. Increased trade and globalization might have contributed to the awareness of child labour but it could also be a reason as to why child labour is in demand. In trying to link globalization and child labour, Dinopoulous and Zhao (2006) cite Maskus (1997) two-sector specific factors model, in which child labour is modelled as a specific factor employed in the exportable sector and adult labour is modelled as the mobile factor. They conclude that trade liberalization raises the output of the exportable sector and increases the demand for child labour as well as child wage. They also state that trade liberalization raises the price of unskilled-intensive goods as well as guarantees a market for goods produced using child labour and reduces the returns to education. This can clearly lead to an increase in the incidence of child labour. In analyzing the effects of trade openness in a dynamic model of child labour and debt bondage, Basu and Chau (2004) discovered that trade openness increases the short run supply of child labour but this does not affect the long run incidence of child labour. In a 2005 study carried out by Neumayer and DeSoysa in which they used both Foreign Direct Investment and trade openness to explain child labour, they concluded that countries with higher levels of trade and FDI had lower incidences of child labour. Davies and Voy (2007) finds that there is no robust effect of either FDI or International trade on child labour. Using 1995 data for 145 countries, they find that FDI is negatively correlated with child labour but when controlling per capita income, the effect disappears. Even cost benefit analysis by Nielsen (1998), Canagarajah et al (1998), show that annual Gross Domestic Products (GDP) decreases by 1-2% due to the use of child labour. Why then is child labour still being utilized if it is marginally less costly than adult labour? Levison et al 1996 suggest that it might be because children are less aware of their rights and more willing to take orders without complaining. Mehra-Kerpelman (1996), further explains that in households where parents are poor this is regarded as cheap labour that makes it possible to maintain the household budget. Corporate Social Responsibility CSR may be defined, consistent with McWilliams and Siegel (2001), as actions on the part of a firm that appear to advance the promotion of some social good beyond the immediate interests of the firm/shareholders and beyond legal requirements. While some scholars argue that CSR type programs and policies were originally adopted in the mid twentieth century to avoid criticisms of social and environmental misconduct (Gutierrez and Jones, 2005); Micklethwait and Woodridge (2005) argue that many more companies are viewing CSR as a way to reduce the negative social and environmental impacts their businesses have and to maximize the positive impact of their investment, particularly in developing countries (Blowfield, 2005). There is a growing body of evidence which asserts that corporations can be profitable not only by protecting the interest of their shareholders but by also engaging in actions that will be beneficial to their stakeholders (Pohle and Hittner, 2008). Davis et al (2006) state that while CSR came into existence largely out of commitments by companies to their employees and to communities where they were located, all that has changed in that, corporations can now be held accountable for practices within their supply chain. Amaeshi et al (2006) further states that CSR often makes multinationals uncomfortable as they are often challenged by the global reach of their supply chains and the possible irresponsible practices that could occur along these chains. The mere possibility of the existence of irresponsible practices puts firms under pressure to protect their brands even if it means assuming responsibilities for the practices of independent groups along their supply chain. Some studies have shown that socially responsible firms will financially outperform rival firms by attracting socially responsible consumers (Bagnoli and Watts, 2003), and will eliminate any concerns from activists and pressure groups (Baron, 2001). Well-known companies have already proven that they can differentiate their brands and reputations as well as their products and services if they take responsibility for the welfare of the societies and environment in which they operate. These companies are practicing CSR in a manner that generates significant returns to their business. CSR, though a major instrument to tackle child labour could have a limited effect on eliminating child labour if codes are not specific, strictly implemented and monitored, and combined with alternative arrangements (Kolk and Tulder, 2004). In offering an institutional theory of CSR, Campbell (2007) argues that the relationship between basic economic conditions and corporate behaviour is linked by several institutional conditions: public and private regulation, the presence of NGO’s and other organisations that monitor corporate behaviour, institutionalized norms regarding appropriate behaviour, associative behaviour among corporations themselves, and organized dialogues among corporations and their stakeholders. It is therefore not surprising that chocolate producers are encountering extensive pressure from consumers, community groups, government, non-governmental groups and other pressure groups to engage in CSR as a means to eradicating child labour (Morrison et al, 2006). From an economic perspective, companies would be expected to engage in such activities if the perceived benefits could exceed the associated costs which in this case could be a total boycott of their products. Some theories in CSR show that companies engage in â€Å"profit-maximizing† CSR based on anticipated benefits which might include reputation management (Baron, 2001), (McWilliams and Siegel, 2001). Davis et al 2006 argue that â€Å"CSR (understood as actions a company takes that are not legally mandated but are intended to have a positive impact on stakeholders, broadly construed) is challenged by the changing shape of the contemporary multinational corporation†. Should large firms be involved in poverty alleviation instead of simply contributing to output and employment? (Hopkins 2003). The UK’s Department for International Development suggests that businesses have an important role to play in the economic growth of a country which is essential to reduce world poverty. This they can achieve through their own policies and practices. â€Å"By following socially responsible practices, the growth generated by the private sector will be more inclusive, equitable and poverty reducing† (www.csr.gov.uk). CSR by its very nature is development carried out by the private sector, and it perfectly compliments the development efforts of governments and other multilateral development institutions. There is evidence to show that a firm cannot maximize value if it ignores the interest of its stakeholder (Jensen, 2001). This is further buttressed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development publication Making Good Business Sense†, Lord Holmes and Richard Watts, define Corporate Social Responsibility as â€Å"the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. The recent concerns of how profit should be considered in a broader context of productivity and social responsibility and how corporations can better serve both their employees and surrounding society. The European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) at the Round Table Conference on Child Labour and Corporate Social Responsibility in May 2008 remarked that â€Å"recent progress on corporate accountability has been dominated by the development of voluntary initiatives†. These voluntary initiatives have not succeeded in preventing continued abuses of corporate power, because they do not provide strong enough incentives for compliance to offset the financial gains for non-compliance. They also fail to empower citizens and stakeholders to hold the companies accountable for their actions. The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD, 2000) calls for multinationals to â€Å"contribute to the effective abolition of child labour and â€Å"contribute to the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour†. Ignoring these guidelines could lead to damage in reputation (Orlitzky et al., 2003). â€Å"A good reputation enhances the value of everything an organisation does and says. A bad reputation devalues products and services and acts as a magnet that attracts further scorn† (Dowling, 2001). There are a number of challenges faced by states in the implementation of the OECD guidelines, but these are surmountable by strengthening the existing implementation system of the National Contact Points. However, there are positive growing trends movement arguing for more effective regulation of corporations relating to human rights at national and international levels (Cernic 2008). Chocolate Industry Response To Tackle Child Labour A: The link between chocolate and cocoa implicates the consumers in the encouragement of child labour (Raghavan et al 2001 article in the Knight Ridder Newspaper). This is further emphasized by the Ted Case Studies Number 664, 2002 which implicates the entire international economic community, the Ivorian government, farmers, the chocolate manufacturers and consumers who unknowingly buy chocolate in encouraging this practice (Samlanchith Chanthavong, 2002). The cocoa and chocolate industries, in conjunction with the ILO, other non-governmental organisations, the United States (US) government agencies and the affected African governments signed a voluntary and non-legislative protocol. The Harkin-Engel Protocol 2001, signed by the World Cocoa Foundation and Cocoa Manufacturers Association was aimed at developing a â€Å"credible, mutually acceptable system of industry-wide global standards, along with independent monitoring and reporting, to identify and eliminate† the worst forms of child labour as defined by ILO Convention 182 and certification that cocoa used or related products is void of child labour. ILO Press Release (ILO/01/32) of October 1, 2001 lauded this initiative and pledged to work in partnership with the cocoa industry to eliminate this form of labour. In 2001, with the establishment of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) whose main objective was to work towards responsible labour standards for cocoa growing, it was clear that the entire cocoa sector was ready to get involved and this proved their committed to the fight against child labour. A general statement by the European Cocoa Association (ECA) on 19th April 2001, affirmed it was fully committed to sustainable development in cocoa producing countries and does not tolerate practices such as slavery and child labour [and that it] remains fully committed to maintain pressure on the relevant authorities, and to pursue all avenues in order to eliminate such practices where they are proven to occur. In a further communiquà © on August 2, 2001 the ECA was concerned about the allegations and the extent of the problem and decided to first update the information they had on the scale of the practice. B: Despite general acceptance that child labour is harmful and in spite of international outcry and Accords aimed at its eradication, progress on lowering the incidence has been very slow. Child labour eradication is at the top of the agenda of the millennium development goals which hopes to achieve this by 2015. Rena 2009, states that the research on child labour represents a new area of knowledge for policymakers especially regarding education and poverty reduction programmes. It further states that increased opportunities and increased welfare reduces child labour. Industry enforcement can only be effective depending on the mode of enforcement. As many labour relationships are in informal settings within family enterprises, enforcement is often very difficult (Basu and Tzannatos (2003). Krueger and Donohue (2002) conclude that an economically active child is less likely to receive education. If income gained by the economically active child is significant for the household, then the policy makers deciding whether or not to adopt child labour legislation would face important trade-offs between distorting private decisions and correcting potential inefficiencies arising from externalities. Doepke and Zilibotti (2005) discuss the introduction of laws from an historic perspective. They suggest that child labour laws can be triggered by skill-biased technological change that induces parents to choose smaller families as occurred in the U.K. in the nineteenth century. Regulations were introduced only after the factory system which was preceded by a period of rising wage inequality, and coincided with rapidly declining fertility rates. On their part, Ceroni et al (2003) present their study as a two-stage game. Firms decide on innovation and households decide on education. In equilibrium the presence of child labour depends on parameters related to technology, parents’ altruism and the diffusion of firm property. When child labour exists, it is as a result of either firms reluctance to innovate or households unwillingness to educate or both. Therefore, the elimination of child labour would largely depend crucially on its underlying cause. They conclude that, in some cases, while compulsory schooling laws or an outright ban on child labour are both welfare-reducing, a subsidy to innovation is the right tool to eliminate child labour and increase welfare. Garcia and Jun (2005) consider that International trade sanctions are a logical avenue to confront child labour, by eliminating the commercial opportunities available for such goods. However, they state that it is not clear if domestic child labour sanctions would survive legal challenges under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) law as currently interpreted. For international trade law to serve as a viable strategy for the elimination of the practice there must first be a clear theoretical and doctrinal case for the WTO-consistency of domestic child labour-based sanctions. Basu and Van (1998), caution against the rush to exercise a legislative ban against child labour. They argue that this should only be put in place when there is clear reason to do so especially if, it would lead to a rise in adult wages which will adequately compensate the household of the poor children. If this is done otherwise, then it will only lead them to more extreme poverty. Conclusion Despite the global initiative, the incidence of child labour shows no sign of decline as it brings immediate benefit to some families buttressing the fact that the root cause is abject poverty (Cigno, 2004). International organisations as well as national development agencies are embracing and encouraging CSR in the hope that the private sector can play a lead role achieving developmental goals which include eradicating poverty, and developing the social infrastructure in the rural communities such as providing education and health improvements. However, in a recent report published by the International Labour Organisation in 2006, it confirms that the challenge in the fight against child labour in the world continues to be daunting but there is evidence that a breakthrough was in the making. The report highlights that there is already evidence of encouraging reduction in child labour, especially its worst forms. The number of child labourers globally fell by 11 percent between 2002 and 2006. They are confident that with the combination of political will, resources and the right policy choices, this evil practice could definitely be put to an end. Exasperating and discouraging for developing countries is the fact that exports remain severely hampered by massive domestic support and export subsidy programs in developed countries through high tariffs and the difficulties in the implementation of the tariff-quota system (Chaudhuri and Kumar, (2005). More damaging for the cocoa export market is the adoption of Directive 2000/36/EC by the European Union which allows chocolate manufacturers to replace cocoa butter with cheaper vegetable fats. This in itself threatens the domestic food security of cocoa producing countries and undermines their export potentials (High beam Research, 2003). This position is further highlighted by a report to the European Union by LMC international on the impact of Directive 2000