Minimum Wage Increase Or Will It Remain The Same

The real question everyone wants to know is, is the minimum wage going to increase or will it remain the same? Let s go back in time to where it all started in 1938. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the minimum wage to twenty-five cents an hour. FDR had a great statement about minimum wage and it s not for little kids. The statement proposes no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in the country (Olsen). This is the original thought behind what we now know, today, as minimum wage. The problem is that other salaries have risen exponentially and the minimum wage has remained stagnant and has not kept up with inflation. When I think about minimum wage, I think about all the jobs that are out there and how many people are unemployed and struggling to find a job. If the minimum wage increases and stays with the cost of living, this will change people s income and help those who are living off of minimum wage. W ith minimum wage going up it can help provide income to our civilization. It is necessary, but can t be increased so dramatically so soon. It is hard to think about, but the lives that are touched the most by a low minimum wage are often children. These children also have less time with their parents because their parents will often have to work overtime or several jobs to make ends meet. If the minimum wage were to go up, parents could provide more for their children, but it can tShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Over Minimum Wage854 Words   |  4 Pagesbefore hand would have never dreamed of having. A common controversy in America is the issue over minimum wage. The main issue over minimum wage is whether or not it should be raised or if it should stay the same. Personally I feel that it should remain the same. Minimum wage jobs were not created to become careers. Increasing minimum wage can lead to many things such as the loss of jobs, the increase of prices, and could also keep peopl e from reaching their true potential. There have been manyRead MoreMinimum Wage Rise Proposal1105 Words   |  5 PagesHonorable (name of US Senator): I strongly recommend you support your â€Å"minimum wage rise proposal† on San Francisco’s evidence, which in 2004 enforce a 26% increase in minimum wages resulted in a â€Å"significant increase in wages and compressed wage inequality without create any detectable employment loss† . By reading this memo, you will found a resume of Dube et. at (2007) study underlying both: strong evidence that support wage rises in some contexts, and the more relevant advices respect the limitationsRead MoreEconomics Of America s Minimum Wage956 Words   |  4 Pages2008 recession, the pay for American workers remains at the same rate as when the recession began. Low wage jobs have dominated the job growth associated with the post-recession recovery. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour remains decades out of date. â€Å"The federal minimum wage has lost more than 30% of its value and would be more than $10.59 per hour today if it had kept pace with the cost of living over the past forty years†. (â€Å"Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, 2013). In November 2013, New JerseyRead MoreMinimum Wage Does Not Impact The Poverty Rate600 Words   |  3 PagesMinimum Wage Does Not Impact The Poverty Rate The Working Poor Gain Little Other than Protection In the 1930’s, during his second term as president, Franklin Roosevelt fought for and constructed many versions of legislation to end the exploitation of women and children. Finally on October 24, 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act became effective. The Act limited the hired workers to be no less than sixteen, the work week to no more than forty hours and the minimum wage to be twenty-five cents anRead MoreFirstly, I Would Like To Talk About How This Topic Relates1092 Words   |  5 Pagesindividual. I feel that it is very crucial that the government sets these wage policies because obviously without them we would have firms and business who would treat employees wrongly. Although some may say the minimum wage restriction is too low I however feel that it is reasonable from a college student’s perspective. To me the reason I am in college is so I don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck by means of minimum wage. My plan is to one day own my own company where I w ill be the one payingRead More Minimum Wage Legislation Essay958 Words   |  4 Pages Minimum Wage Legislation I am going to pose the question to you the students of Sir Sandford Fleming College, do you really want the minimum wage legislation left in affect? As college students you are not benefiting or gaining anything from minimum wage legislation. The minimum wage legislation requires all employees to be paid at least some fixed given dollar amount per hour. This sounds good, but it isnt all that it seems! Minimum wage is an example of government intervention. The governmentRead MoreShould Minimum Wage Be Raised? Essay1596 Words   |  7 Pagesgovernment has so generously termed the â€Å"minimum wage†. In Missouri, the minimum wage has been set at a rather appalling $7.65 per hour while in other states there are wages starting as high as $10. Though arguably the economy is not as sluggish and terrible as it once was, $7.65 per hour will not help those who have children, no college degree and debts to pay. It is not only Missouri that has minimum wage laws, but every other state in America has minimum wage laws in place. Both California and SeattleRead MoreThe Canadian Constitution And The Minimum Wage1510 Words   |  7 Pageswouldn’t be different for the minimum wage. The Canadian Constitution sets how this matter will be treated and specify that each province should has its own responsibility for enacts the minimum wage subjects. Minimum Wage can be a subject of high level of discussions since it affects lots of people and there are multiple factors that affect how the minimum wage is implemented, measured, and fair. From a basic perspective, the factors that are included in minimum wage are not well defined as criticalRead MoreMinimum Wage And Its Effect On Employment839 Words   |  4 Pagesso, the minimum wage in the United States (U.S.) have been a topic of interest for many parties. On one side, the parties that oppose an increase in the minimum wage believe that an increase will spark an epidemic of high unemployment rates. On the other side, the parties are asking for an increase in the minimum wage for many other reasons, including help lower the poverty levels, afford health insurance and higher education among other needs. Throughout the U.S., the inequality of wages and compensationRead MoreMinimum Wage And The Wage845 Words   |  4 Pagespresidential election of 2016, low-wage workers began dem anding for a raise in the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour. On April of 2016, governor Jerry Brown signed the minimum wage to be raised to $15–an-Hour in California by 2022. It is hoped that raising the minimum wage will reduce the economic disparity between the wealthy and the poor and to help people who earn minimum wage gain more purchasing power. However, the article California Moves Toward $15-an-Hour Minimum Wage by Alejandro Lazo and Eliot

The Spread Of Hiv / Aids - 2482 Words

HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, which leads to the inability to fight infections and disease. The final stage of HIV is AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, meaning the body has an extremely low count of white blood cells making the body an easy station for disease (What, p. 2). HIV and AIDS are prominent in most areas of Africa, but it is especially severe is Nigeria. As of 2013, there are 3.2 million people living with HIV in this country, which has also led to approximately 210,000 AIDS related deaths (HIV, p. 1). There are many aspects contributing to the reason that HIV/AIDS is so prominent in this area of Africa, but there are also several steps being taken to slow the spread and ultimately contain this virus. The Spreading of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria Religious Norms HIV and AIDS can be spread in multiple ways. The spread of HIV/AIDS has been largely blamed on many of the religious norms that are regularly practiced in Nigeria. Much of this country operates under Islamic laws that encourage polygamy and discourage the use of contraceptives. â€Å"The women also blamed the prevalence of AIDS in the community on the gendered culture†¦where women lack the power to say ‘no’ to sex when their husbands demand it† (Iyiani, Binns Shannon, 2010, p. 9). Due to the practice of polygamy and early marriage of young girls, women are more affected by this virus than men. Islamic laws also give the final say to men; therefore, womenShow MoreRelatedSpread Of Hiv / Aids1574 Words   |  7 PagesThe Spread of HIV/AIDs in Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa has been singled out as having the most serious HIV epidemic in the world. There is need to curb the spread of HIV in the continent by leveraging the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the factors responsible for the spread of the disease. This paper attempts to investigate the risk factors involved in the spread of HIV and how to reduce HIV prevalence regardless of these risks factors. The paper then goes a step further andRead MoreReduced Spread Of Hiv / Aids1179 Words   |  5 Pages Reduced Spread of HIV/AIDS in Zambia MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases Camryn Wong IB Geography October 24, 2015 Word Count: The United Nation created eight Millennium Development Goals to reduce the increasing disparities between the developing and developed worlds. The sixth goal focuses on the combat of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Zambia is a prime example of how this goal was achieved. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Zambia that started in the mid-1980sRead MorePrevention Of The Spread Of Hiv / Aids Essay3367 Words   |  14 PagesThe objective of this paper is aimed at investigating interventions for the control of the spread of HIV/AIDS in the United States, comparing both the rural and urban areas. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services â€Å"an intervention is a combination of program elements or strategies designed to produce behavior changes or improve health status among individuals or an entire population† Interventions may include educational programs, new or stronger policies, improvementsRead MorePrevention of Spread of Hiv/Aids1798 Words   |  8 Pagesmain ways the HIV can be spread: 1. Sexual intercourse 2. Intravenous drugs 3. Blood transfusions (which are very rare now because all blood is tested) HIV is spreading like wild fire among adolescents because they dont believe it can happen to them. Prevention for positives is only possible if a person knows his or her HIV status. Voluntary counseling and testing strategies (VCT), a cornerstone of HIV prevention, has generally been seen as a first defense against the spread of HIV disease, withRead MoreImpact of Culture on the Spread of Hiv/Aids in Kenya5438 Words   |  22 PagesAbdalla A. Bafagih Professor Trent Newmeyer Sociology of AIDS Soc 309Y1F June 21, 2004 Impact of Culture on the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya a national culture is not a folklore, nor an abstract populism that believes it can discover the people’s true nature†¦.a national culture is the whole body of the efforts made by a people in the sphere of thought to describe, justify and praise the action through which that people has created itself and keeps itself in existenceRead MoreHiv / Aids : The Rapid Spread Of Infectious Disease Essay2136 Words   |  9 PagesAn epidemic can be defined as â€Å"The rapid spread of infectious disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time†. When the culmination of an epidemic spreads across countries (then being identified as a pandemic) the affliction of the disease affects people of all varieties, being excluded from no cultural or social background. From The Black Death of 1347 to the Spanish Flu during World War I, pandemics have deeply affected populations throughout the world,Read MoreWhat Social Factors Have Drive n the Spread of Hiv/Aids in Sub-Saharan Africa?3708 Words   |  15 PagesWhat social factors have driven the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa? The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the immune system caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV is transmitted via unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, and from an infected mother to child during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding. There is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS. AIDS is a debilitating condition that has great socialRead MoreAIDS and HIV Essay1520 Words   |  7 PagesHIV, or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus which damages and kills cells of the immune system. It attacks the T-cells, key cells of the immune system, and uses them to make copies of itself. After being infected with the virus it progressively interferes and eventually destroys the immune systems ability to fight the anti-genes. HIV may develop into the syndrome AIDS, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV is an STD - a sexually transmitted disease - and therefore most commonly itRead MoreMary Fis her Speech Summary846 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the late 1990s, the HIV virus spread to different parts of the world affecting millions of people and causing the death of many people. The spread of the virus brought fear to many people, especially those in America. Negative attitudes toward those with HIV or AIDS grew which made those with the virus feel ashamed of being exposed to the virus. Mary Fisher argues that raising awareness of HIV/AIDS is necessary to not only prevent the spread of the virus but to also help support those, notRead MoreHiv / Aids : A Huge Complication Around The World1562 Words   |  7 PagesHIV/AIDS in Russia versus South Africa HIV/AIDS is becoming a huge complication around the world. More and more countries that are not commonly known to have an issue with AIDS/HIV are developing epidemics. It is common knowledge that South Africa struggles with an HIV/AIDS epidemic, but a lesser known country affected would be Russia. The epidemic spread in Russia because of drug users, prostitutes, and cultural shame. It spread in South Africa because of African men’s refusal to use condoms and

The Study of the Consumer Expenditure in Mall

Question: Discuss about the study of the Consumer Expenditure in Mall in Australia. Answer: Literature Review Consumers within the Australian society are observed to be highly conscious regarding their status in the society and they consider using branded products to maintain their status symbol. It has been observe that there has been tremendous growth in the number of malls in Australia. Demographic patterns of Australia consumers and advancing Australia economy that is resulting on increased consumerism in Australia (Moriarty et al., 2014). Favorable demographic aspects, altering lifestyles, a well-built surge in income, global exposure, effect of globalization that is changing the mindset of Australian consumers are certain factors those have resulted in growth of malls in Australia. Considering that acquiring a product remains the major motivation for increased shopping in mall, Australian consumers also prefers shopping to be a hedonic experience. Such hedonic experience that is increasing consumer expenditure in Australian malls encompasses emotional aspects of shopping, entertainment , escapism, and imagination. Malls in Australia appears appealing to the Australian consumer segment by offering them several beneficial shopping experiences. Moreover, economic concept in which focus is relied on current consumers desire for greatly getting associated with positive shopping experiences rather than just purchasing goods and services from malls (Papadopoulos Heslop, 2014). Four distinct type of economic progression is explained that ranges from commodities to products and finally experiences. There are four aspects those affects increased consumer spending in Australian malls. The four positive experience those increases consumer expenditure intention includes entertainment, educational, esthetic and escapist experiences. Mal visitors in Australia are observed to be highly value conscious (Reinders Bartels, 2016). They tend to visit malls for several reasons other than shopping that includes window-shopping, eating and seeking leisure. This offers mall retailers in Australia to gain an opportun ity to transform these consumers into regular consumers through offering them beneficial value proposition. It is deemed that a mall is highly relied on the success of all the shops within operating their business within it. For this reason, it is vital to realize the real desires of all its consumers in terms of value they want (Moriarty et al., 2014). Perceived value related with the Australian malls is observed to have a vital role in enhancing consumer satisfaction with shopping in the Australian malls. In addition to that, a considerable perceived value that is linked with the Australian malls has a significant role in encouraging consumer willingness to purchase from the malls and this also positively increases the intention increased expenditure in the malls of Australian consumers (Bryman Bell, 2014). It can be stated that advertising strategies serves as valuable assets for the Australian malls these days as it can greatly affect consumer-expenditure behavior. It can have a great role in expanding business of Australian malls. Australian consumers depend on value for cost products and consider purchasing products having high product benefits. If malls understand and deliver desired value of its consumers in a better manner, a mall can attain huge number of loyal consumers and can develop long-term effective relationships with the consumers (Panneerselvam, 2014). Advancing the quality of products along with managing the social responsibilities by the Australian malls can help in positively affecting the expenditure behavior of its consumers and can enhance consumer satisfaction and loyalty. In the recent era, it is observed that international and emerging markets business war is not just based on price but also on consumer satisfaction. Sales promotion strategies developed by the Australian malls is also deemed to have vital role in enhancing the business performance graphs it serves as a powerful strategy to increase the re-purchase intention of the consumers for their offerings. In Australia, offering special discounts also is turning out to be a driving force for the malls as it can persuade its consumers to transform their behavior in consideration to the products sold in the malls in a positive manner. For such reasons, it can be said that delivering superior value to consumers emerges to be leading weapon that happens to serve as effective way in which malls can communicate their messages to their target audiences. This serves as promotional strategy that can promote awareness associated with their offerings. Expenditure behavior of consumers can be altered positi vely because of attractive advertisements of Australian malls (Romaniuk Nenycz-Thiel, 2013). In the recent years intense competitive surrounding necessitates that the malls addresses consumer expectations along with offering products that exceeds the expectations of the target consumers. This can further positively affect consumer-expenditure behavior towards certain products of the companies. Developing effective sales promotion strategies can facilitate Australian malls in attaining their consumer retention objectives. Moreover, investigation regarding whether non-store elements affects the mall selection of the Australian consumers is to be investigated through the completion of the current research. Research Questions The research questions those are to be answered in this investigation are: What are the aspects those have an impact consumer expenditure in shopping malls? How social aspects affect consumer use in shopping centers? In what monetary setting consumption of consumers in shopping malls might be controlled? Through answering the formulated research questions, the current study will reveal the ways in which Australian consumers. The research will investigate that the consumers are highly impacted by social, personal and psychological factors those impact their perceptions towards a mall. It is deemed that there are several factors those impacts buying behavior of Australian consumers those are impacted by the connection of several interpersonal impacts namely subcultures, cultures along with numerous internal influences those derive from within the consumers. Such factors include consumers personal feelings and thoughts encompassing their perception, lifestyle, motivation, attitudes, and emotions and buying intentions (Moriarty et al., 2014). Research Methodologies and Techniques The research methodology section will explain the manner in which the data collection process will take place in investigating the The study of the consumer expenditure in mall in Australia. The information that will be collected will be majorly the secondary ones. Information regarding the buying behavior of Australian consumers and attempts malls to develop effective advertisements and constructive offers will be gathered from several Australian official websites along with existing journals on consumer buying behavior (Smith, 2015). In order to evaluate the components that affect client consumption in shopping center the researcher will develop an effective research plan for the recent study. Selecting the best possible research plan is deemed major undertaking for researcher to attain constructive research results. Additionally, in order to accomplish the recent research and to attain certain unfamiliar truth regarding a particular factor affecting consumer-buying behavior and mo netary setting consumption of the clients in shopping center can be controlled or not, the researcher needs to follow exploratory research plan in this exploration (Moriarty et al., 2014). Moreover, quantitative research methodology will be employed in this research and along with that, deductive research approach will be followed in investigating whether the client use in shopping centers is encouraged by the social impacts. Research hypothesis will be formulated in the next step (Tarone et al., 2013). This process of collecting data can consider testing the formulated research hypothesis and such data will be secondary data. This is the reason for which, the data will be gathered through employing non-probability sampling technique. Total statistics will be accumulated from several renowned companies involved in developing effective strategies for determining the client use in shopping centers is encouraged by the social impacts. SA significant value gathered through regression co-efficient analysis is observed to signify that the selected independent variables gave a significant impact on consumer expenditure behavior in Australia (Taylor et al., 2015). In order to investigate the consumer expenditure in mall in Australia, survey research method will be employed by the researcher. The questionnaire that will be designed by the researcher will encompass two major question segments. The first section of the survey questionnaire will contain questions that will gather data regarding the demographic profile of the survey participants. This section will include questions regarding the respondents age, marital status, gender, income, and educational level that will be analyzed through using nominal scale (Walter Andersen, 2013). The second section of the questionnaire will contain questions regarding the selected variables of the current research those includes consumer expenditure, components that affect client consumption in shopping center and consumer behavior. The data gathered from this section will further be analyzed through using five point liker scales (Moriarty et al., 2014). The current research has selected the target respondents to be the 50 teenager Australian consumers and 10 marketing managers of few renowned malls in Australia. Therefore, the sample size selected in this research will be 55 survey respondents. Questionnaires were distributed to the target respondents by means of e-mail and social media websites. The current research intends to investigate the The study of the consumer expenditure in mall in Australia. For this reason, the researcher will employ the positivism philosophy through associating the consumer expenditure theories in the current scenario. In the recent research, the philosophy of positivism will facilitate the researcher in accumulating appropriate responses from the survey (Wiek Lang, 2016). As the researcher in this exploration will employ quantitative evaluation in order to gather effective research results for this reason, deductive research approach will be implemented in this study. This is deemed relevant for using in an exploration that can attain real results from the research findings as the researcher has used positivism philosophy in this research. Deductive research approach suits well with the positivism philosophy as it involves analyzing the gathered data with the help of previous trends along with proven facts (Moriarty et al., 2014). Moreover, secondary data is collected from evaluating the recent trends of the identified research problem. In the current research, the primary data will be collected from the human responses, it is highly authentic in contrast to use of the secondary data. For this reason, in investigating the The study of the consumer expenditure in mall in Australia the researcher will employ both secondary and primary data devoid of focusing on just one data collection method (Zhang et al., 2014). As the recent exploration will focus on analyzing the The study of the consumer expenditure in mall in Australia, the researcher will select suitable research design in order to evaluate the ways in which the components that impact client consumption in shopping center will be revealed. For this reason, the rec ent research also encompass describing the detailed impacts of the factors those impacts the shopping expenditure intention of the Australian malls. In addition, the researcher also centers on preparing a list of recommendations in order to facilitate the marketing managers of the Australian malls to realize in what monetary setting consumption of the clients in shopping center can be controlled (Wiek Lang, 2016). Research Plan While carrying out the recent research, the researcher will attempt to gather relevant data for reliable sources and participant responses. The researcher will also attempt in sustaining the reliability of the collected data from the excel applications for data interpretation. It is also gathered that, in the research process the secondary data might be manipulated to certain extent that can affect the research quality and outcome that will be taken care of by the researcher (Moriarty et al., 2014). Week 1 Week 2 Week 6 Week 10 Week 12 Identification of research problem Literature review Data collection Research Analysis Final Capstone due Table 1: Research Process Timeline (Source: Authors Creation) Research Process The research process segment analyses the manner in which the total research will be accomplished. In order to attain effective research results, the researcher will consider carrying out this research in accordance with suitable and accurate research process. In the overall process of research, numerous stages require being followed by the researcher in this study while accomplishing the research (Lu et al., 2014). In order to ascertain the reliability and validity of the research results, the researcher will remain aware and highly observant regarding the objectives, aim and questions set for the research. In order to collect relevant information regarding The study of the consumer expenditure in mall in Australia, the researcher will consider selecting certain respondents and present the open-ended questionnaire to the survey participants in order to attain accurate research findings. In order to select most suitable sampling technique for the current research, the researcher must consider selecting simple random sampling process along with numerous open-ended questionnaires. Selecting and gathering of all the research related important information from the survey respondents would facilitate the researcher to draw constructive conclusions from the research in an effective manner (Lushey Munro, 2015). Consistency along with feasibility of the gathered information will be made sure by the researcher in order to gather suitable results from the research through dealing with any type of unsuitability and distortion. Data Collection and Analysis Methods Research on the The study of the consumer expenditure in mall in Australia can be carried out by means of following information collection techniques that includes subjective and another one is deemed quantitative information collection technique. Subjective information for the research will be collected from relevant and authentic journals, books and scholastics (Keller, 2016). Additionally, gathering of quantitative information technique will be greatly focused on collection of ample vital and optional information. In order to carry out the research effectively, the researcher will follow quantitative information collection technique to attain effective results from the recent research. In this research technique, the researcher will mainly focus on the technique of vital and auxiliary information gathering technique. Through the help of using several tables, outlines and diagrams the researcher will represent the findings of the research and will reveal the ways in which consumer expenditure in mall in Australia indicates the purchasing power of the Australian consumers (Leary, 2016). Moreover, analysis of data collected will be carried out through employing numerous statistical techniques namely correlation, mean, median and standard deviation. In addition, analysis of time series will also signify whether several vital aspects of enhancing the consumer expenditure in mall in Australia have signified growth over the past few years or not. Cutler evaluation will also be conducted for analyzing the ways in which factors such consumer expenditure in mall in Australia has increased its effectiveness in enhancing advertisement strategies of these malls. Expected Outcomes Findings gathered from the accomplishment of the current research will reveal that item assortment; extravagance is deemed to have increased impact and constructive relationship with the customer expenditure behavior and brings in more consumers in the shopping centers. Consumers tend to perceive the sal4s strategies of the shopping malls in a positive manner. The recent research will signify that consumers in Australia are highly conscious regarding the social impacts and for this reason, they prefer using branded goods from malls having benefits those attracts consumer consumption (Buil et al., 2013). Moreover, components affecting consumer consumption considered by Australian malls affect the buying behavior of its consumers positively. The current research will offer an insight to the monetary setting consumption and malls regarding the ways in which they can make their marketing and promotional tools effective for gaining attention of their consumers. With the help of this resea rch, marketing managers of Australian companies can realize the ways in which realizing the components that affect client consumption in shopping center can improve consumer expenditure of Australian malls (Cha et al., 2016). It will be gathered that components affecting consumer consumption has considerable positive impact and association with customer expenditure behavior. Components that impact client consumption in shopping center also has positive impact on customer buying behavior as research findings have indicated that social impacts consideration of Australian malls has a dynamic role particularly in the expenditure behavior of consumers in Australia. In light of the research findings, it can be indicated that the current days discount offers by malls serves as largest marketing weapon for gaining attention of the consumers and motivating their expenditure intention (Flick, 2015). The research will also reveal that developing efficient social image and sales promotion strategies has a vital role in transforming expenditure behavior of its consumers. The recent research will reveal that Components that affect client consumption in shopping center as major driver persuading consumer expenditure tha t indicates to the consumers likely perception and feelings regarding a mall that has a considerable impact on consumer expenditure behavior. Moreover, it will also reveal that consumer-expenditure decision is greatly impacted by the low cost offerings and attributers advertised by the Australian malls and this are determined by consumer perceptions regarding offers provided by malls in a great sense. References Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2014).Research methodology: Business and management contexts. Buil, I., Martnez, E., de Chernatony, L. (2013). The influence of brand equity on consumer responses.Journal of consumer marketing,30(1), 62-74. Cha, M. K., Yi, Y., Bagozzi, R. P. (2016). Effects of Customer Participation in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programs on the CSR-Brand Fit and Brand Loyalty.Cornell Hospitality Quarterly,57(3), 235-249. Flick, U. (2015).Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research project. Sage. Keller, K. L. (2016). Reflections on customer-based brand equity: perspectives, progress, and priorities.AMS review,6(1-2), 1-16. Leary, M. R. (2016).Introduction to behavioral research methods. Pearson. Lu, L. C., Chang, W. P., Chang, H. H. (2014). Consumer attitudes toward bloggers sponsored recommendations and purchase intention: The effect of sponsorship type, product type, and brand awareness.Computers in Human Behavior,34, 258-266. Lushey, C. J., Munro, E. R. (2015). Participatory peer research methodology: An effective method for obtaining young peoples perspectives on transitions from care to adulthood?.Qualitative Social Work,14(4), 522-537. Moriarty, S., Mitchell, N. D., Wells, W. D., Crawford, R., Brennan, L., Spence-Stone, R. (2014).Advertising: Principles and practice. Pearson Australia. Panneerselvam, R. (2014).Research methodology. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. Papadopoulos, N., Heslop, L. A. (2014).Product-country images: Impact and role in international marketing. Routledge. Reinders, M. J., Bartels, J. (2016). The roles of identity and brand equity in organic consumption behavior: Private label brands versus national brands.Journal of Brand Management, 1-18. Romaniuk, J., Nenycz-Thiel, M. (2013). Behavioral brand loyalty and consumer brand associations.Journal of Business Research,66(1), 67-72. Siamagka, N. T., Christodoulides, G., Michaelidou, N. (2015). The impact of comparative affective states on online brand perceptions: a five-country study.International Marketing Review,32(3/4), 438-454. Smith, J. A. (Ed.). (2015).Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage. Tarone, E. E., Gass, S. M., Cohen, A. D. (2013).Research methodology in second-language acquisition. Routledge. Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., DeVault, M. (2015).Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley Sons. Walter, M., Andersen, C. (2013).Indigenous statistics: A quantitative research methodology. Left Coast Press. Wiek, A., Lang, D. J. (2016). Transformational sustainability research methodology. InSustainability Science(pp. 31-41). Springer Netherlands. Zhang, S. S., van Doorn, J., Leeflang, P. S. (2014). Does the importance of value, brand and relationship equity for customer loyalty differ between Eastern and Western cultures?.International Business Review,23(1), 284-292.

Moive Review free essay sample

Im a big fan of rap and hip-hop music, so one of my favorite movies is 8 Mile. It is a semi-autobiographic film about Amines life. Starring well-known artists in the movie industry, such as Brittany Murphy, Meeker Prefer, Omar Benson, Kim Besieger, and Mine himself, 8 Mile became one of the most successful movies about musicians ever made. Set in Detroit, 1995, the story revolves around a white boy named Jimmy 8-Rabbit Smith, an inspiring rapper, trying to succeed In a music style cost known for black artists.Jimmy lives In a trailer park with his mother and his younger sister on 8 Mile Road, the Imaginary line that separates Detroit In two halves the have-sots and have-onto. The very first scene of the movie presents The Shelter- the building where all the rap battles take place. It Is Friday night and Its time for Jimmy to go on stage and battle lyrically with another Inspiring rapper, But when he gets the microphone, he chokes and gets booed off stage. We will write a custom essay sample on Moive Review or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page That really takes helm down and he is almost ready to give up on his dream. After some dramatic twists and turns, Mr.. Smith mans up, gets over his pains and plunges in the courage to go back on stage and show everybody what his level of skills is like. In some kind it reminds me of the movie The White People Cant Jump. The movie has won many prestigious awards, including an Academic Award for Best Original Song, which makes Mine the only music artist with an Oscar.Not only with brilliant acting, but also with very good soundtrack and deep and moving lyrics, the film will definitely touch your heart and many people will find themselves in a situation similar to Jimmys. To sum up, Ill say that 8 Mile is worth watching and Ill recommend Otto not only music lovers, but also everyone interested in realistic movies that will make them think about life opportunities and one-time chances.

Nuclear Iran, Anxious Israel

Introduction Although Iran’s nuclear program still remains one of the most vexing foreign policy challenges confronting the international community, scholars and political commentators still holds the opinion that this issue could fundamentally reshape the strategic landscape of the Middle East in general and Israel in particular (Grotto, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Nuclear Iran, Anxious Israel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the meantime, this debate is increasingly typified both by mounting pessimism about whether the diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions spearheaded by Western countries can indeed prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arsenal, and by fortified optimism that the ramifications of a nuclear-armed Iran are controllable (Edelman et al, 2011). As has been demonstrated in the article â€Å"Nuclear Iran, Anxious Israel†, the conflict exemplified by Iran’s nuclear ambitions is assuming new trajectories, but no viable solution to the impasse seems in sight (The Economist, 2011). It is the purpose of this paper to analyze the above named article with a view to present a well-argued and informative opinion on the Israel-Iran conflict and its implications for the Middle East. Summary of the Article The article, â€Å"Nuclear Iran, Anxious Israel†, demonstrates compelling evidence that Iran is still actively involved in developing nuclear weapons and this Islamic nation could indeed have at least one workable weapon within a year’s time from now if it opts out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). As noted by intelligence sources, â€Å"†¦Iran has already begun moving part of its uranium-enrichment capacity to Fordow, a facility buried deep within a mountain in Qom† (The Economist, 2011, para. 2). The article is also clear that while Iran employs ambiguous tirades in its talk of nuclear weapons development, the t op brass in Israel knows pretty well that the realization of a nuclear-armed Iran will never be in the best interests of Israel though opinion is still divided on whether and how to rope in Iran with the intention of stopping its nuclear ambitions. The article also brings into the picture the international community, particularly the United States, and attempts to describe how different scenarios may play out in the future should Iran go ahead to develop nuclear arsenal or in the eventuality that Israel launches preemptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in an attempt to discourage further nuclear development.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Either way, the article is categorical that there is need to approach the Israel-Iran conflict soberly and exercise restraint if a viable solution to the conflict is to be found (The Economist, 2011). Analysis of the Main Points Perhaps one of the main points that come out clearly from the article is that politics, more than Iran’s technical and industrial capabilities, may determine whether the country and its political class will choose to develop nuclear weapons (The Economist, 2011). Here, we need to evaluate the origins and implications of the conflict to understand why politics rather that capabilities inform the probable trajectories of the conflict. In evaluating the origins of the Israel-Iran conflict, particularly in terms of historical, religious, political and cultural facets of the issue, debate has been ranging that Iran is predominantly controlled by religious hardliners afflicted with a messianic passion whose major objective is not to uphold their earthily domination over the Iranian state, but to accelerate the return of the Mahdi (Bon-Meir, 2010). This, according to Grotto (2009), can only be â€Å"†¦accomplished by annihilating Israel, waging war against infidels, an d sowing chaos† (p. 47). This particular author further posits that it is this religious convictions that have propelled the current Iranian leaders, Including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, toward an end-of-days scenario where they firmly believe that the price for Iran may be national martyrdom, for which its casualties will be overwhelmingly rewarded in the afterlife, while survivors will forever enjoy the favor and goodwill of the returned Mahdi. This evaluation is perhaps most concisely articulated â€Å"†¦by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a March 2009 interview for The Atlantic, where he warns that Iran is poised to become a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs† (Grotto, 2009, p. 47). This may precisely be the reason why, according to the article, the prime minister is fronting for Israel to undertake preemptive attacks on Iran nuclear facilities to decisively deal with the fear of a theocratic political regime that embr aces the Shia religious tradition of martyrdom (The Economist, 2011; Silverstein, 2010). In evaluating the geographical ramifications, Grotto (2009) notes that â€Å"†¦a nuclear arsenal would enable Iran’s leadership to deter conventional military threats, thereby reducing the ability of its main military rivals, Israel and the United States, to project conventional military power over it† (p. 45).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Nuclear Iran, Anxious Israel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Political analysts are of the opinion that such an arrangement would definitely work to the advantage of Iran since it is bound to give the country some leverage to initiate and prosecute limited regional conflicts against the Jewish state of Israel, other countries in the Middle East, and the United States forces deployed in the region (Grotto, 2009). This point of view has been well elaborated by the auth ors of the article, who suggest that due to the small geographical size of Israel, even a minor nuclear attack could prove disastrous to its own existence (The Economist, 2011). Opinion The authors of this article, in my view, assume a middle ground that provides no foreseeable solution to the conflict at hand. This is understandable considering the magnitude of the issues at hand and the complexity of the foreign relations between the countries that have already been sucked into the quagmire. As has been noted by Edelman et al (2011), it is the opinion of many scholars and political commentators that attacking Iran may not be the best solution for Israel considering the religious fundamentalism and political indoctrination already discussed in this paper. But a conflict of this nature needs to have tangible solutions, which are elaborated below. The authors of the article rightly argue that â€Å"the arguments against an attack [against Iran] are still overwhelming, even for Israe l† (The Economist, 2011, para. 5). The reasons given for taking this viewpoint are varied, including the fact that a targeted preemptive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would still only delay the Islamic State, not stop it. It is also true that the economic ramifications for taking such an action could be catastrophic. However, a careful analysis of literature dealing with the conflict demonstrates that it is unwise to insinuate that the Obama administration should continue taking a laid back approach on the issues as suggested by the authors of the article. Indeed, the United States must maintain their active role in the conflict by expressly stating that they are ready to assist Israel to â€Å"†¦contain Iran even if it developed a nuclear arsenal by establishing clear redlines that Tehran would not be allowed to cross without risking some type of retaliation† (Edelman, 2011, p. 45).Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, the United States should make it clear that it will be compelled to respond if Iran uses its nuclear arsenal for reasons other than power generation, transfers them to a third party, invades Israel, or increases its support for terrorist networks such as Hamas, Al Qaeda, and Hezbollah. The authors of the article suggest that the international community should pursue a multi-thronged course of action in dealing with the Israel-Iran conflict, namely: â€Å"†¦pushing sanctions, on the one hand, and preparing for a nuclear-armed Iran on the other† (The Economist, 2011, para. 6). But as suggested by Grotto (2006), economic and political sanctions on Iran seems not to have achieved much and it seems they never will, partly due to the economic muscle of the country due to its petroleum resources and partly due to countries such as Russia and China, who have refused to support the UN Security council in imposing tougher sanctions on Iran. Yet, the authors of the ar ticle fail to provide a roadmap of how Israel and the West can live with a nuclear-armed Iran in the event that Tehran fails to curve in to sustained sanctions. Indeed, the perspective that Tehran will give in to sustained sanctions, in my view, is far too sanguine by virtue of the fact that it rests on the questionable suppositions that economic sanctions will inarguably elicit or induce caution and restraint on the part of Iranian political and religious leaders. The best bet in the current conditions, it seems, is to prepare living with a nuclear-armed Iran. The authors of the article are of the opinion that Iran should be viewed as an international pariah should it fail to halt its uranium enrichment programme. In addition, the authors argue that the international community should not only push for tougher sanctions, but they should also step up the clandestine operation to disrupt Iran’s nuclear facilities (The Economist, 2011). This arrangement, in my view, constitutes a valid plan of action not only because of the religious fundamentalism embraced by Iranian leaders and their indoctrination with annihilating Israel and issues of national martyrdom (Grotto, 2009), but other nations in the Middle East will acquire incentives to start their own nuclear programs to hedge against Iranian weapons capability if Tehran is allowed to continue with uranium enrichment (Bon-Meir, 2010). Indeed, Grotto (2009) argues that Iran must never be allowed to go ahead with its plans because â€Å"†¦the emergence of additional nuclear-capable states in the Middle East presents more possibilities for miscalculation and mistake, which raises the chances of a nuclear conflagration† (p. 45). If this view is reinforced, the authors of the analyzed article are therefore right to suggest that the United States should in fact be in the forefront in providing countries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia with advanced ballistic missile defenses to guard against Iranâ₠¬â„¢s threats. Conclusion The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran, which seems to be the conclusion of the authors of the analyzed article, raises the fundamental question of whether the international community can develop effective policies to deter Tehran from using its nuclear weapons (Grotto, 2009). The proposition that the International community can deter Iran from developing or using nuclear arsenal against its perceived enemies, particularly Israel, rests on a series of judgments about the goals and behaviors of the country’s political and religious leaders. To date, the behaviors and actions of these leaders remain questionable since all efforts to request Tehran to accept reassuring constraints on its nuclear program have gone unheeded, thus the need for the international community to do whatever it is within their reach to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities for the main purpose of the realization of a peaceful world. Reference List Bon-Meir, A. (2010). Israelâ⠂¬â„¢s response to a nuclear Iran. International Journal of World Peace, 27(1), 61-78. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database. Edelman, E.S., Kreqinevich, A.F., Montgomery, E.B. (2011). The dangers of a nuclear Iran. Foreign Affairs, 90(1), 66-81. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier Database. Grotto, A. (2009). Is Iran a martyr state? Brown Journal of World Affairs, 16(1), 45-58. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database. Silverstein, R. (2010). Iran, Israel and the U.S.: Resolving the nuclear impasse. Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics Culture, 16(3/4), 52-56. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database. The Economist. (2011). Nuclear Iran, anxious Israel. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/leaders/2011/11/12/nuclear-iran-anxious-israel?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/ar/nuclearirananxiousisrael This essay on Nuclear Iran, Anxious Israel was written and submitted by user TheInitiative to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Psychology of the Breakfast Club essays

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Leadership Exhibition (Mahatma Ghandi Coursework

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Besseren lösungen für detaillierte problemfelder

Besseren là ¶sungen fà ¼r detaillierte problemfelder 1 Grundlagen des Benchmarking Benchmarking (BM) ist, in Ergà ¤nzung zum klassischen Unternehmensvergleich, durch das systematische Suchen nach rationellen Vorgehensweisen und besseren Là ¶sungen fà ¼r detaillierte Problemfelder und Prozesse außerhalb der „eigenen Welt bzw. der eigenen Branche gekennzeichnet. Nicht die Unterschiede zu anderen Unternehmen sind beim Benchmarking der Schwerpunkt der Untersuchung, sondern die gezielte Identifikation der besten Praktiken, mit denen à ¼berdurchschnittliche Wettbewerbspotentiale zu erreichen sind. Benchmarking wird entscheidend durch folgende Frage charakterisiert: „Warum machen es andere besser und was kà ¶nnen wir daraus lernen? Der Beweis der Durchfà ¼hrbarkeit neuer Ideen durch ihre tà ¤gliche Anwendung in anderen Unternehmen und die damit verbundene Motivation der eigenen Mitarbeiter ist ein wesentlicher Bestandteil des Benchmarking. Erst der Blick à ¼ber den eigenen Tellerrand ermà ¶glicht Leistungssprà ¼nge um Grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸enordnungen. Damit erweist sich Benchmarking als ein Instrument zur Leistungssteigerung fà ¼r Unternehmen aus allen Branchen und gewinnt unter den Managementtechniken immer mehr an Bedeutung. Die flexiblen Einsatzmà ¶glichkeiten als „Werkzeug um verkrustete Unternehmensstrukturen aufzudecken oder als Instrument zum Aufzeigen der Optimierungsmà ¶glichkeiten von Geschà ¤ftsprozessen bis hin zur Entscheidungsunterstà ¼tzung bei Fragen der strategischen Ausrichtung machen das Benchmarking wertvoll. Benchmarking darf jedoch nicht als das Wundermittel zur Steigerung der eigenen Wettbewerbsfà ¤higkeit verstanden werden, denn insbesondere klein- und mittelgroße Unternehmen haben noch Schwierigkeiten bei der praktischen Umsetzung des Benchmarking. Das Neue des Benchmarking liegt im branchenà ¼bergreifenden Vergleich mit den Besten und dem Setzen von Maßstà ¤ben fà ¼r das eigene Unternehmen. Die Vorgehensweise des Benchmarking integriert dabei vorhandene Managementmethoden und bringt erst durch eine konsequente, ganzheitliche und kontinuierliche Anwendung den gewà ¼nschten Erfolg. Verschiedene Voraussetzungen sind dazu allerdings erforderlich (siehe Abb. 1): 1.1 Definition Benchmarking ist ein kontinuierlicher Prozeß, bei dem Produkte, Dienstleistungen und insbesondere Methoden betrieblicher Funktionen à ¼ber mehrere Unternehmen hinweg verglichen werden. Dabei sollen die Unterschiede zu anderen Unternehmen offengelegt, die Ursachen fà ¼r die Unterschiede und Mà ¶glichkeiten zur Verbesserung ermittelt werden. Der Vergleich findet dabei zu Unternehmen statt, welche die zu untersuchenden Methoden oder Prozesse hervorragend beherrschen. Diese Unternehmen werden dabei oft als „Klassenbeste best in class bezeichnet. (Vgl. Camp 1989, S.19). 1.2 Ziele des Benchmarking Benchmarking ist an erster Stelle ein Zielsetzungsprozeß. Aber, und das ist wichtiger, es ist ein Mittel, die Praktiken, die zum Erreichen neuer Ziele nà ¶tig sind, zu entdecken und zu verstehen. Diese sind wahrscheinlich das wichtigste und grundlegende Resultat des Benchmarking. Neben dem grundsà ¤tzlichen Ziel des Benchmarking, Vorgaben zu setzen, ist der motivierende Wert ebenfalls erheblich. Wenn Bechmarking voll integriert wird in die Verantwortlichkeiten, Arbeitsprozesse und das Vergà ¼tungssystem, wird die Organisation willens und fà ¤hig, sich aus eigenem Antrieb in Richtung realistischer Ziele zu bewegen und existierende Arbeitspraktiken zu à ¤ndern. Sie wird Maßnahmen ergreifen und Verà ¤nderungen herbeifà ¼hren, die sonst hà ¤tten diktiert werden mà ¼ssen. (Vgl. Camp 1994, S. 34). Benchmarking kann sich dabei auf verschiedene Objekte beziehen (siehe Abb.:2) 1.3 Nutzen des Benchmarking Es gibt viele Wege, den Nutzen zu beschreiben, der aus Bechmarking gezogen werden kann. 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Noch im gleichen Jahr wurde ein branchenà ¼bergreifendes Benchmarking-Projekt in den Bereichen Logistik und Distribution durchgefà ¼hrt. Dies lieferte den endgà ¼ltigen Beweis, daß Benchmarking auch auf Geschà ¤ftsprozesse außerhalb der Produktion à ¼bertragbar ist und Benchmarking-Partner nicht aus der gleichen B ranche stammen mà ¼ssen. Besonders bemerkenswert, blickt man auf den Zeitpunkt Ende der 70er, Anfang der 80er Jahre, ist die Betrachtungsweise von Benchmarking als kontinuierlicher Prozeß. Dies ist eines der wesentlichen Probleme der Praxis. Wichtig ist, schon an dieser Stelle festzuhalten: Industrielle Prozesse unterliegen einem steten Wandel. Immer neue Verà ¤nderungen, Verbesserungen mà ¼ssen dokumentiert und eventuell in einen Benchmarking-Prozeß eingebunden werden. Eine einmalige, Im Hauruck-Verfahren durchgezogene Benchmarking-Aktion kann nicht erfolgreich sein. Robert C. 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Dies dokumentiert sich bis heute an den Lehrstà ¼hlen europà ¤ischer Wirtschaftshochschulen. Zumindest in Europa entdeckten zuerst die Controller das Hilfsmittel Benchmarking. Diese bereits geà ¼bt im Umgang mit einer Vielzahl von technischen Vergleichswerkzeugen erkannten schnell die Chancen, die die Arbeitstechnik erà ¶ffnete. „Benchmarking ist wichtiger Bestandteil des Instrumentenkastens des zunehmend strategisch orientierten Controllers, schreiben dann auch Horvath und Herter (1992, S.7). Sicher ist es sinnvoll, Benchmarking erst einmal im Controlling anzusiedeln. Der Controller kann anregen, kann Hilfestellungen im Umgang mit verschiedenen Werkzeugen geben, dennoch wird er à ¼ber die nachtrà ¤gliche à ¼berprà ¼fung und Vergleichsrechnung, den Denk- und Kreativprozeß des Benchmarking auf der Management-Schiene nicht ersetzen. Anders als beispielsweise im Target Costing, kann das Controlling sinnvolles Benchmarking nur anregen, stimulieren, nicht jedoch konkrete Zielvorgaben bereitstellen, an denen sich die jeweiligen Funktionsbereiche frei orientieren kà ¶nnen. Im Benchmarking geht es um das Vorausdenken, nicht um das Nachrechnen! Das ist die elementare Botschaft! Und dementsprechend kann die Technik im aktuellen Arbeitsprozeß von allen Funktionsbereichen genutzt werden; egal ob das Marketing seine Feldorganisation à ¼berprà ¼ft, die Produktion bestimmte Montageschritte unter die Lupe nimmt, die Beschaffung den Prozeß der Auftragsvergabe nà ¤her beleuchtet. Fà ¼r all diese Aufgabenstellungen genà ¼gt es nicht, einen Controller aus dem Vergleich entwickelte Zielwerte vorgeben zu lassen. Benchmarking ist ein dialogisches Instrument, das die Leistung aller Mitarbeiter aus den Funktionalbereichen beansprucht (Vgl. Rau, 1996, S. 63). 2 Formen des Benchmarking Prinzipiell kà ¶nnen drei Formen des Benchmarking unterschieden werden, die im europà ¤ischen Rahmen Verwendung finden (sieh Abb.: 5). Das Benchmarking von Unternehmen ist bislang am weitesten verbreitet. Hier lernen Unternehmen voneinander, vergleichen Kennzahlen und tauschen sich à ¼ber die Objekte des Benchmarking aus. Beim Benchmarking von Sektoren wird die Leistungsfà ¤higkeit einzelner Sektoren gegenà ¼bergestellt. Ziel ist es, von anderen Sektoren, die nach ausgewà ¤hlten Kriterien besser erscheinen, zu lernen. Das Benchmarking von Rahmenbedingungen gewinnt insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund der Europà ¤ischen Union eine neue Qualità ¤t. Hierbei sollen in Zukunft z.B. politische, gesellschaftliche oder wirtschaftliche Rahmenbedingungen miteinander verglichen werden, so daß ganze Là ¤nder in die Lage versetzt werden voneinander zu lernen. Im folgenden wird das Benchmarking von Unternehmen nà ¤her beleuchtet, das wiederum in die beiden Klassen internes und externes Benchmarking aufgeteilt werden kann. 2.1 Internes Benchmarking Internes Benchmarking stellt die einfachste Form des Benchmarking dar, da es keinerlei Beschrà ¤nkungen von außen zu beachten gibt. Beim internen Benchmarking versuchen Organisationen, von ihren eigenen Strukturen zu lernen. Es werden à ¤hnliche Ablà ¤ufe untersucht und à ¼ber unterschiedliche Bereiche hinweg miteinander verglichen, um detaillierte Informationen à ¼ber das zur Verfà ¼gung stehende Leistungspotential zu erhalten. Beim internen Benchmarking richtet sich der Blick des Management nach innen. Es gilt aktuelle Arbeitsablà ¤ufe und Praktiken objektiv zu erfassen und diese transparent zu machen. Dadurch erhà ¤lt man die nà ¶tigen Details, um die Ressourcen gezielt auf diejenigen Aspekte zu konzentrieren, die einer à ¤nderung bedà ¼rfen. Hà ¤ufig wird ein internes Benchmarking genutzt, um mit der Methode vertraut zu werden und dieses Wissen fà ¼r ein externes Benchmarking zu nutzen. 2.1.1 Unternehmensbezogenes Benchmarking Innerhalb eines Unternehmens ist es mà ¶glich à ¤hnliche Prozesse zu finden, die man vergleichen kann. Diese Prozesse sind gekennzeichnet durch technologische, organisatorische und personelle Einflà ¼sse und richten sich z.B. auf Zweigwerke oder Abteilungen. 2.1.2 Konzernbezogenes Benchmarking Diese Technik wird eingesetzt beim Vergleich von mehreren Werken oder Unternehmensteilen innerhalb eines Konzerns. Es kann hierdurch die beste Praxis innerhalb der Organisation identifiziert werden und ermà ¶glicht so die klare Identifikation von Schwachstellen. Die Vergleichsmà ¶glichkeiten sind im Gegensatz zum unternehmensbezogenen Benchmarking hà ¶her und stellen damit prinzipiell ein grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸eres Potential dar. Konzernbezogenes Benchmarking eignet sich insbesondere fà ¼r eine objektive, fundierte Vorbereitung eines externen Benchmarking, fà ¼r eine Bestandsaufnahme und zur Verbesserung der Mitarbeiterkommunikation und -motivation. 2.2 Externes Benchmarking Benchmarking ist insbesondere eine Technik, um nach außen zu blicken, wobei ein Vergleich der Praktiken des eigenen Unternehmens mit unternehmensexternen Praktiken vorgenommen wird. Vergleich bedeutet, daß eine Grundlinie der à ¤hnlichkeiten vorhanden sein muß. Diese à ¤hnlichkeiten mà ¼ssen vor dem Benchmarking genau identifiziert werden. Erst dann sind ein gà ¼ltiger Vergleich und die Identifizierung von Verbesserungschancen mà ¶glich (Vgl. Mertins, 1993). Eine grà ¼ndliche Vorbereitung hilft, die beim externen Benchmarking hà ¤ufig anzutreffenden Skeptiker produktiv werden zu lassen. 2.2.1 Marktbezogenes Benchmarking Die Konkurrenzanalyse ist als ein Instrument anzusehen, das Informationen à ¼ber die derzeitigen und zukà ¼nftigen Marktaktività ¤ten der Konkurrenz, deren Stà ¤rken und Schwà ¤chen sowie deren mà ¶gliche Reaktionen auf Marktverà ¤nderungen liefert. Sie là ¤ÃƒÅ¸t einen Vergleich mit Unternehmen zu, die die jeweiligen Unternehmensaktività ¤ten in hervorragender Weise beherrschen, blickt jedoch nicht à ¼ber das Umfeld der direkten Konkurrenz hinaus. Mit dem Marktbezogenen Benchmarking ist es mà ¶glich von der Konkurrenz zu lernen, Verbesserungen einzuleiten und die Marktsituation objektiv im Auge zu behalten. Die externen Anstà ¶ÃƒÅ¸e verhindern die Neigung zur Selbstzufriedenheit und Bà ¼rokratisierung, die in allen Organisationen vorkommt und unterstà ¼tzt so die à ¼berzeugung, daß man immer zumindest ein wenig besser werden kann. Ein wesentlicher Unterschied zwischen einer reinen Konkurrenzanalyse und Benchmarking ist darin zu sehen, daß ein unmittelbarer Informationsaustausch zwischen den Unternehmen etabliert und ein gegenseitiger Lernprozeß initiiert wird. Problematisch dabei ist in der Regel die zu à ¼berwindende Verschlossenheit von Konkurrenten untereinander. Der sogenannte Benchmarking-Verhaltenskodex gibt hierzu zwar Verhaltensregeln, in der Praxis ist es jedoch meist schwer das Konstruktive Gesprà ¤ch aufzunehmen. 2.2.2 Branchenbezogenes Benchmarking Branchenbezogenes Benchmarking geht à ¼ber den bloßen Vergleich zweier Firmen hinaus und hat seinen Schwerpunkt in der Suche nach Trends. Es untersucht also die Leistungsfà ¤higkeit einer bestimmten Funktion in branchenweiter Ausprà ¤gung. Dazu ist es notwendig, eine weit grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸ere Gruppe von Unternehmen zu untersuchen, als dies beim konkurrenzbezogenen Benchmarking der Fall ist. Branchenbezogenes Benchmarking sucht nach Trends statt nach Wettbewerbspositionen und dient zur Leistungsanalyse von Subsystemen. Die Grenzen zum konkurrenzbezogenen Benchmarking sind jedoch fließend, so daß es kein klares Differenzierungsmerkmal gibt, wo eine zielgerichtete Studie aufhà ¶rt und die Trendforschung beginnt. Der wesentliche Vorteil des Branchenbezogenen Benchmarking gegenà ¼ber dem marktbezogenen, ist darin zu sehen, daß keine unmittelbare Wettbewerbssituation besteht, da auf anderen Mà ¤rkten agiert wird. Somit gestaltet sich der Informationstransfer meist offener. Da di e Unternehmen aus der gleichen Branche sind, gibt es jedoch beim Vergleich von Prozessen viele à ¤hnliche Merkmale, was fà ¼r ein erfolgreiches Benchmarking unumgà ¤nglich ist. 2.2.3 Branchenunabhà ¤ngiges Benchmarking Der Schlà ¼ssel zum langfristigen Erfolg im Wettbewerb ist nicht Gleichheit, sondern à ¼berlegenheit. Man mà ¶chte die beste Praxis, wie sie gegenwà ¤rtig existiert einholen und dann à ¼berholen. Deshalb richtet sich Benchmarking an den Besten aus. à ¼ber Branchen hinweg wird nach neuen, innovativen Praktiken, unabhà ¤ngig von ihrer Quelle gesucht. Es geht darum, die besten Praktiken zu finden und zu nutzen, um die vorhandenen Praktiken innerhalb der eigenen Organisation innovativ zu verà ¤ndern. Erfolg an externen Kriterien zu definieren, bedeutet eine Vorstellung von Bestleistung zu entwickeln und das Unternehmen auf ein neues Leistungsniveau zu heben. Benchmarking am Klassenbesten beruht auf der à ¼berzeugung, daß der Prozeß der Wertschà ¶pfung à ¼ber viele unterschiedliche Institutionen hinweg auf à ¤hnlichen Merkmalen beruht. Branchenunabhà ¤ngiges Bechmarking ist zwingend Benchmarking von Geschà ¤ftsprozessen. Voraussetzung ist daher eine klare Definition des zu vergleichenden Prozesses. Bereits wà ¤hrend der Definitionsphase erkennt das Projektteam oft erste Schwachpunkte und kann Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung ableiten. Dies wirkt besonders motivierend auf die Beteiligten. 2.3 Zusammenfassender Vergleich In der folgenden Abb.:6 sind die Vor- und Nachteile der Arten des Unternehmens-Benchmarking zusammengefaßt (Vgl. Pieske, 1994). 3 Die Phasen des Benchmarking Der Benchmarking-Prozeß besteht prinzipiell aus fà ¼nf Kernphasen (Abb.: 7). In der tà ¤glichen Benchmarking Praxis kà ¶nnen diese Kernphasen um unternehmensspezifische Schwerpunkte erweitert werden. 3.1 Zielsetzung Ausgangspunkt des Benchmarking ist die Zielsetzungsphase. Hier wird der Fokus des Benchmarking-Projekts festgelegt. Diese Phase ist fà ¼r den gesamten weiteren Prozeß von entscheidender Bedeutung, da Fehler oder mangelnde Sorgfalt das Ergebnis verfà ¤lschen oder unbrauchbar machen. Es ist wichtig, das Management schon in dieser Phase einzubinden, da die sichtbare Unterstà ¼tzung und die aktive Begleitung der Benchmarking Projekte durch das obere Management wà ¤hrend aller Projektphasen ein Schlà ¼sselfaktor fà ¼r das Gelingen des Benchmarkings ist. Jedes Benchmarking-Projekt sollte einem strukturierten und formalisierten Ablauf folgen. Dadurch kà ¶nnen Meilensteine vereinbart und Ergebnisse besser kontrolliert werden. Im à ¼brigen sind Reihenfolge und Inhalte der Prozeßschritte fà ¼r die Beteiligten leichter nachzuvollziehen. Ausgangspunkt fà ¼r die Bestimmung der Benchmarking-Ziele sind die strategischen Ziele des Unternehmens. Diese Ziele werden bei der Festlegung der Benchmarking-Ziele mit eingearbeitet. Sind die Ziele des Benchmarking-Projektes festgelegt, gilt es, das Benchmarking-Objekt genau abzugrenzen und die Benchmarking-Art festzulegen. Der Zielfindungsprozeß, der am besten in Form eines Workshops erfolgt, kann mit Hilfe verschiedener Techniken unterstà ¼tzt werden (sieh Abb.: 8). Bei einem Zielworkshop sollten zwischen vier und zehn Personen beteiligt sein. Dies sind beim Benchmarking Vertreter des Management, die Prozeß-Eigner und zumindest ein Moderator. Zunà ¤chst schreibt jeder Teilnehmer die Ziele des Benchmarking-Projekts auf Moderationskarten, wobei darauf geachtet werden soll, daß jede Karte nur ein Ziel enthà ¤lt, dieses mà ¶glichst prà ¤gnant und verstà ¤ndlich formuliert und gut leserlich geschrieben ist. Fà ¼nf bis sieben Karten pro Teilnehmer sollten in der Regel ausreichen, da sonst zu viele Ziele generiert werden und eine Strukturierung schwerfà ¤llt. Nach einigen Minuten werden vom Moderator bereits die ersten Karten eingesammelt und gemischt, damit nicht klar erkenntlich ist, von wem welches Ziel formuliert wurde. Die eingesammelten Karten werden an einer Moderationstafel fà ¼r alle Teilnehmer sichtbar angepint. Dies dient nicht zuletzt dazu, daß die Teilnehmer die Mà ¶glichkeit haben, in welche Richtung die anderen Teilnehmer denken und daraus Anregungen fà ¼r weitere Ziele bekommen. Nach etwa weiteren zehn Minuten werden die Teilnehmer sofern diese noch vereinzelt Ziele definieren gebeten, die letzten Ziele zu formulieren. Daraufhin werden auch diese Karten eingesammelt, gemischt und angepint. Nachdem alle Karten an der Tafel hà ¤ngen, werden die Ziele vom Moderator langsam vorgelesen und die Teilnehmer werden gebeten, bei Unklarheiten sofort nachzufragen. In solch einem Falle wird der Kartenautor gebeten, kurz das Ziel zu beschreiben und es wird bei Bedarf im Team eine neue Formulierung entwickelt, die auf einer neuen Karte vom Moderator niedergeschrieben wird. Falls sich einzelne Ziele auf mehreren Karten wiederfinden, wird im Diskussionsprozeß die treffendste Zielformulierung ausgewà ¤hlt und die anderen Karten werden verworfen. Bevor eine Karte verworfen wird, muß jedoch in jedem Fall der Autor gefragt werden, ob er damit einverstanden ist. Nach dieser Runde sollten alle Ziele fà ¼r alle Beteiligten klar verstà ¤ndlich sein und es kann mit der Strukturierung begonnen werden. Dazu wird zunà ¤chst das Oberziel identifiziert und an einer separaten Tafel befestigt. Gemeinsam mit den Teilnehmern wird nun eine Zielhierarchie erarbeitet, was in der Regel die schwierigste Phase des Zielworkshops darstellt. Hierbei wird den Teilnehmern nicht nur der Zusammenhang der verschiedenen Ziele deutlich, sondern auch deren Priorisierung (Vgl. Heisig, 1996). 3.2 Interne Analyse Die interne Analyse ist in den meisten Projekten die zeitintensivste Phase des Benchmarking. Nach einer Untersuchung von 3M werden hier ca. 45% der gesamten Projektlaufzeit benà ¶tigt (siehe Abb.: 9). In dieser Phase wird die Grundlage fà ¼r das Verstà ¤ndnis der eigenen Prozesse gelegt und bereits erste Stà ¤rken und Verbesserungspotentiale aufgedeckt. 3.2.1 Geschà ¤ftsprozesse und ihre Beschreibung Unter einem Geschà ¤ftsprozeß ist ein Ablauf zu verstehen, der im allgemeinen Sinn Objekte verarbeitet bzw. transformiert. Die Objekte, die zur Beschreibung der Geschà ¤ftsprozesse eines Unternehmens verwendet werden sind Produkt, Auftrag und Ressource. Produkte sind die konkreten Gà ¼ter und Dienstleistungen, die das Unternehmen an den Kunden liefert bzw. die Materialien, Rohstoffe und Dienstleistungen, die zur Produkt- bzw. Serviceerstellung verwendet werden (Zulieferprodukte). Auftrà ¤ge veranlassen die Durchfà ¼hrung von Aktionen. Grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸ere Unternehmen unterscheiden meistens mehrere Arten von Auftrà ¤gen, z.B. Werkstattauftrà ¤ge, in denen Produkte aus mehreren Kundenauftrà ¤gen, gefertigt werden. Ressourcen sind alle Betriebsmittel, die fà ¼r die Produkt- oder Serviceherstellung benà ¶tigt werden. Dies kà ¶nnen Maschinen, Werkzeuge und Transportmittel, aber auch Personen sein. Auch Informationen kà ¶nnen Ressourcen sein, wenn man beispielsweise an Zeichnungen denkt, in denen angegeben ist, wie ein Produkt zusammengebaut werden soll. Diesen drei Objektarten ist gemeinsam, daß sich ihr Zustand durch die Bearbeitung à ¤ndert. Die Bearbeitung selbst wird durch die Aktion, die vierte Objektart dargestellt. Mit diesen vier Objektarten ist es mà ¶glich, Geschà ¤ftsprozesse einheitlich zu beschreiben. Gerichtete Pfeile geben an, in welcher Reihenfolge Objekte verà ¤ndert werden. 3.2.2 Informationen, die aus einem Geschà ¤ftsprozeßmodell gewonnen werden kà ¶nnen Ein Geschà ¤ftsprozeßmodell kann Ausgangspunkt fà ¼r weitere Untersuchungen, Vergleiche und Verbesserungen sein. Sinnvolle Fragestellungen betreffen die Effizienz der dargestellten Prozesse. Einige Beispiele: Wie oft werden Angebote à ¼berarbeitet? Gilt der dargestellte Ablauf fà ¼r alle Auftragsarten? Welche Durchlaufzeit ergibt sich fà ¼r die einzelnen Phasen eines Geschà ¤ftsprozesses? Lassen sich Ablà ¤ufe parallel durchfà ¼hren? Das Geschà ¤ftsprozeßmodell ist daher Diskussionsgrundlage fà ¼r die Mitglieder des Benchmarking-Teams und trà ¤gt somit bereits zu mehr Transparenz bei. Den Abschluß dieser Phase bildet die Formulierung eines Fragekatalogs. Diese Fragen beziehen sich auf das Gesamtprojekt und seine Einbindung, Teilaspekte bzw. Prozesse, Meßgrà ¶ÃƒÅ¸en sowie die Praktikabilità ¤t von im Rahmen der internen Analyse erkannten Optimierungsmà ¶glichkeiten des Benchmarking-Objekts. Die genaue Definition der Meßgrà ¶ÃƒÅ¸en stellt dabei einen wesentlichen Schritt zur Gewà ¤hrleistung der Vergleichbarkeit dar. Die Benchmarking-Praxis zeigt allerdings, daß gleiche Begriffe nicht nur in verschiedenen Unternehmen, sondern innerhalb eines Unternehmens hà ¤ufig unterschiedlich verstanden werden. Der Fragebogen dient jedoch nicht nur zur Sammlung der Meßgrà ¶ÃƒÅ¸en bei potentiellen Vergleichsunternehmen, sondern là ¤ÃƒÅ¸t die angesprochenen Unternehmen auch erkennen, ob ein Benchmarking mit ihnen sinnvoll erscheint. Bei der Formulierung der Fragen sollte man darauf achten, daß Die Fragen allgemeinverstà ¤ndlich sind Die genaue Definition von Meßgrà ¶ÃƒÅ¸en enthalten ist Der Grund fà ¼r die Erhebung klar wird 3.3 Die Vergleichsphase In dieser Phase stehen die Auswahl von Vergleichsunternehmen und der Vergleich der Objekte, hier die Prozesse, im Vordergrund. Eine besondere Schwierigkeit dieser Phase ist es, Partner zu finden, die bereit sind, sich offen auszutauschen und damit in einen gegenseitigen Lernprozeß einzusteigen. Dies bedeutet, daß der Partner einen vergleichbaren Prozeß bzw. Prozeßabschnitt in seinem Unternehmen etabliert hat, bei diesem Prozeß zumindest in Teilaspekten besser ist und zur Teilnahme bereit ist. Der Auswahlprozeß des geeigneten Partners gliedert sich in eine Generierungs- und eine sich anschließende Selektionsphase. Ziel der Generierungsphase ist es, mà ¶glichst viele unterschiedliche, potentielle Benchmarking-Partner zu finden, wozu prinzipiell verschiedene Vorgehensweisen geeignet sind (siehe Abb.:12) In der Praxis bietet sich immer eine Kombination der unterschiedlichen Methoden an. So werden im Benchmarking-Team Vorschlà ¤ge in Form eines Brainstormings erarbeitet, wà ¤hrend parallel jedes Mitglied aufgefordert ist, à ¼ber die Literatur und à ¼ber Preistrà ¤ger an relevante Informationen zu kommen. Aufgabe der Selektionsphase ist die Verdichtung der vorhandenen Informationen anhand von Bewertungskriterien. Die Selektionsphase stà ¼tzt sich auf die bereits beschriebenen Informationsquellen sowie auf Fragebogenaktionen und Telefoninterviews bei Benchmarking-Partnern. Zu den Bewertungskriterien gehà ¶ren Gà ¼te, Qualità ¤t und Vergleichbarkeit des Benchmarking-Objektes, die Professionalità ¤t des potentiellen Vergleichpartners und eine Gewichtung in Abhà ¤ngigkeit von der Zielsetzung. Weiter ist auch nach Aspekten wie Mà ¶glichkeit, Aufwand und Nutzen der Datenbeschaffung, der à ¼berprà ¼fbarkeit und Interpretationsmà ¶glichkeit der Daten sowie der daraus resultierenden Ergebnisse auszuwà ¤hlen. Wirtschaftliche Parameter und das Image des Partnerunternehmen sind von untergeordneter Bedeutung, sollten aber in der Bewertung berà ¼cksichtigt werden. Nach Abschluß des Selektionsprozesses werden in der Regel acht bis zwà ¶lf Unternehmen zur ersten Kontaktaufnahme ausgew à ¤hlt. Abschließend findet Priorisierung der ausgewà ¤hlten Vergleichsunternehmen statt. Ergebnis ist eine Auflistung der Auswahlpartner in Rangfolge. Sie dient der Reihenfolge der Ansprache von Vergleichsunternehmen. Die Herausforderung wà ¤hrend der Durchfà ¼hrung des eigentlichen Vergleichs besteht darin, den Vergleichsprozeß wirklich zu verstehen, seine Stà ¤rken zu erkennen und die Wirkungszusammenhà ¤nge zu begreifen. Hilfreich dabei sind Kennzahlen, die eine Gegenà ¼berstellung vereinfachen, eine Modellierung, die den Prozeß schnell verstà ¤ndlich macht und ein Fragebogen an den Partner, anhand dessen er sich in die Problematik einarbeiten und fà ¼r den Austausch vorbereiten kann. Der persà ¶nliche Austausch von Informationen ist jedoch durch keine Kennzahlen oder Prozeßmodellierungen zu ersetzen. Gerade beim Zusammentreffen der Benchmarking-Partner, der am besten bei einem der beiden Partner und nicht auf neutralem Boden stattfinden sollte, werden Informationen ausgetauscht, die sich schwer in Worte fassen lassen. Hier findet das eigentliche gegenseitige Lernen statt. Fà ¼r die Prozeßbewertung kà ¶nnen die Leistungsparameter der Prozesse herangezogen werden. Diese mà ¼ssen jedoch relativiert werden, da bei der Gegenà ¼berstellung von Zahlen stets die interne Situation und die Umwelt der Benchmarking-Partner berà ¼cksichtigt werden mà ¼ssen, also die Voraussetzungen und Randbedingungen, unter denen die Ergebnisse erzielt wurden. Nicht die bloßen Zahlen sind zu betrachten, sondern die Geschà ¤ftsprozesse hinter den Zahlen mà ¼ssen verstanden werden. Bezogen auf den eigenen Prozeß muß bestimmt werden, welche Praktiken geeignet sind, die gesetzten Ziele zu erreichen, und welche Mà ¶glichkeiten sich durch die à ¼bertragung ergeben. Dazu sind die Ursachen in den Leistungsunterschieden zu analysieren. Nur wenn die tatsà ¤chlichen Grà ¼nde identifiziert werden, kà ¶nnen à ¼ber den reinen Vergleich hinaus die unterschiedlichen Potentiale der verschiedenen Prozesse aufgedeckt, die Realisierbarkeit bewertet und zukà ¼nftige Entwick lungen vorausgesagt werden. Das Ergebnis der Vergleichsphase ist die Kombination der bezà ¼glich der einzelnen Teilaspekte des Benchmarking-Objektes am besten erachteten Praktiken und Parameter. Man erhà ¤lt bezogen auf den untersuchten Geschà ¤ftsprozeß die bei den verschiedenen Benchmarking-Partnern erkannten besten Praktiken, da kein einzelnes Unternehmen fà ¼r sich in Anspruch nehmen kann, in allen Belangen fà ¼hrend zu sein. 3.4 Ableitung von Maßnahmen Die Aufgabe des Benchmarking-Teams besteht darin, die Resultate aus den Analysen dem Management, den F

The Rain Forest Essay -- Ecology Environment Research Papers

The Rain Forest   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The destruction of the rainforest is a problem that the people of the world can not continue to ignore. 14 percent of the Earth's land used to be covered by rainforests yet this number has dropped significantly to only about 6 percent (http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/index.html). Rainforests provide the people of the world with many necessities, some of which would no longer be available if rainforests did not exist. In the last 50 years, rainforests have declined at a terrifying speed of 150 acres per minute or 75 million acres per year (http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/index.html). People must open their eyes to the horrible tragedy that will inevitably occur if the citizens of the world do not realize the seriousness of this problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To better understand the importance of the rainforest, one must be knowledgeable about what a rainforest actually is. The two main types of rainforests are temperate and tropical. Tropical rainforests are located in Latin and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and other areas in which temperatures stay above 80 degrees Fahrenheit year round. They can be found in 85 countries all over the world, however, 90 percent of them are concentrated into fifteen countries, each containing over ten million hectares. Tropical rainforests receive 160 to 400 inches of rain each year. Although these dense, damp forests cover just 5 percent of the Earth's surface, they can provide homes for between 50 and 90 percent of the Earth's plants and animals (http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review1.shtml).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tropical rainforests consist of three distinct layers referred to as the forest floor, the understory, and the canopy. The forest floor contains very poor soil which is mainly due to the trees not allowing for ample sunlight to reach the ground. Because only one to two percent of the light at the top of the forest's canopy manages to reach the floor below, photosynthesis ceases to exist. On top of the soil lies a thin layer of the remains of millions of dead trees, plants, and animals which are quickly broken down by the numerous number of organisms on the floor (Nichol 45). It contains a variety of insects as well as larger mammals such as gorillas and jaguars. The understory is home to smaller mammals such as anteaters, lemurs, and tree kangaroos. It also contains ... ...rcent of the Earth's land used to be covered by rainforests yet this number has dropped significantly to only about 6 percent (http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/index.html). Rainforests provide the people of the world with many necessities, some of which would no longer be available if rainforests did not exist. In the last 50 years, rainforests have declined at a terrifying speed of 150 acres per minute or 75 million acres per year (http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/index.html). People must open their eyes to the horrible tragedy that will inevitably occur if the citizens of the world do not realize the seriousness of this problem. Sources Cited http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/index.html http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review1.shtml http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review2.shtml http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review3.shtml http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review4.shtml http://www.davesite.com/rainforests/review5.shtml http://www.stevensonpress.com/intro.html http://www.ran.org/ran http://www.mtc.com.my/lib/formal/fact4/overview.htm Nichol, John. The Mighty Rainforest. The Netherlands: David and Charles Printing, 1990.

The Etruscans – Ancient History

The Etruscans The Etruscan civilisation is distinguished by its unique language and its beautiful art. The Etruscan economy was based on agriculture, trade and mineral resources. We also know the greeks traded with the Etruscans because the Etruscan alphabet is similar to the greek one. The Etruscans are thought to have either been â€Å"native† to Italy or to have migrated from Lydia Lydia ina round 800bc beause of famine. Etruscan cities were very powerful and were though to have been ruled by â€Å"The Etruscan League† which was (according to roman legend) founded by two Lydian noblemen; Tarchun and his brother Tyrrhenus.The league was made up of 12 cities but which twelve exactly is unsure. Each city state met once a year where a leader was chosen to represent the league. The league was both religious and political. Etruscan homes were mud-brick, with timber on stone foundations, some with upper stories. Some etruscns even had underground drains leading to main sewa ge drains located under the streets! Etruscans did a lot of farming, they grew barley, millet, wheat, grapes and other fruits and they raised pigs, goats, sheep, ducks, chickens and cattle. Cattle was used for food and to pull plows and wagons.Etruscan miners dug copper, lead, iron and tin. Metal workers and sculptors turned metals into weapons, utensils, jewellery and sculpture. Etruscans were famous for their art, especially in bronze and clay. Etruscans also enjoyed many forms of entertainment including gambling with ivory dice, music and dancing (for religious reasons and pleasure), playing board games similar to chess and backgammon and watching ant taking part in sports. Etruscans traded goods and metals with the Greeks, Carthage, Syria and many other Mediterranean countries. Merchants traded for luxury items like gold, silver and ivory.Etruscans were also very religious, much like many other tribes of the ancient world. Their religion was deeply influenced by eastern greeks, as was etruscan art. Etruscans had special training institutes to teach their religion and their complex curricula included not only religious laws and theology but also the encyclopaedic knowledge required by the presets, which ranged from astrology to zoology and geology. Etruscans had many gods, whom they worshipped on outdoor platforms made of dirt or stone. Later, they built temples of wood, mud-brick, and clay on stone foundations, which were usually elaborately coloured and adorned.Soothsayers predicted events and the Etruscans believed in omens which were signs of what was to come. They believed that the destiny of man was completely determined by the many gods and deities which etruscans worshipped. They followed complex rituals involving dancing and singing. A lot of etruscan literature comes from burial remains and tombs. The dead were cremated or buried in cemeteries outside each city. Those that were buried were put into individual tombs(if you were rich) called catacom bs and often tombs were filled with works of art and treasures of gold, silver, bronze and ivory.

Charles Darwin And Imperialism Essays - Charles Darwin, Free Essays

Charles Darwin And Imperialism Essays - Charles Darwin, Free Essays Charles Darwin And Imperialism England went through dramatic changes in the 19th century. English culture, socio-economic structure and politics where largely influenced by the principles of science. Many social expressions occurred due to these changes. Transformations which categorized this time period could be observed in social institutions; for instance: the switch from popular Evangelicalism to atheism, emergence of feminism and the creation of new political ideologies (Liberalism, Conservatism and Radicalism). These are just a few of the changes that took place. All of this social alteration can be attributed to the importance of science. The English people began to trust more in empiricism and logical thought than in faith and glory of the empire . One who contributed greatly to this transformation was Charles Darwin. In his two most famous works, The Origin of Species and The Decent of Man, Darwin introduces the concept of "the survival of the fittest" and "natural selection". The Darwinian ideas introduced into English society justified a great number of political policies and social movements. England at the turn of the century was still a largest power in the international system. The English perceived, through the justification of Darwinism, they were fit to be the imperial hegemon in the world. The issue this essay will deal with is Imperialism and how Darwinism justified its practice. Darwin argued in his work, The Decent of Man, "When civilised nations come into contact with barbarians the struggle is short except where a deadly climate gives its aid to the native race. . . the grade of civilisation seems to be a most important element in success in competing nations."(Darwin, Decent of Man, p. 297). In this observation, Darwin connotated superiority to civilized nations. In this same work, he referred to the indigenous people as "savages, barbarians and tribal men". This immediately transfers a condescending attitude toward the "uncivilised people". Darwin classified them as tribes while the English and other Aryan cultures were a race. These claims of basic inequality gave the English the "jurisdiction" philosophically, to exploit the colonies to a greater level than previously attained. The drive to "Christianize" the colonies was abandoned, politically. The view shifted from "owing the primitive world" education and Christianity, to a more self-interested "we English are naturally better". Therefore, the we should be exploiting you, because, that is why you are here. Charles Darwin had a tremendous amount of influence on the scientific community and the English population. It can be seen that Darwinism played a large part in justifying the imperial behavior of England. Darwin's studies on nature and the behavior of animals had unlocked "Pandora's Box" in a manner of speaking. He studies reveal how close to nature humanity really is. The English empire quickly saw themselves as a dominant predatorial species of the world. In conclusion, the English empire used Darwinian concept to justify the on-going process of imperialism. Charles Darwin's ideas elevated the ego's of the English people to over-estimate themselves socially and globally. The affects of Darwinism can be seen throughout the spectrum of social interaction both in the animal kingdom and human society.