Evolution of Medicare Essay

Abstract The article briefly describes about the Medicare and its benefits. The article also explains the loopholes in the Medicare policy and why it lacks certain vital aspects. Finally in the concluding remarks I have explained the gray areas where the Medicare needs some rectification and improvement to help serve its purpose. Evolution of Medicare According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Medicare is stated as a health insurance program for people aged 65 years and above or people with disabilities but under 65 years of age and/or people suffering from end-stage renal disease such as permanent kidney failure. Diane Rowland stated that Medicaid originated based on companion legislation enacted in 1965 providing â€Å"federal matching grants to states to finance care.† According to Tricia Neuman, Medicare covers about 41 million people with 35 million elderly and 6 million disabled below 65 years of age. Medicare can be classified into following parts: Part A – Inpatient hospital care and limited skilled nursing care Part B – Physician services and other outpatient hospital services Part C – HMO’s and other private care (Combination of Part A and Part B) Part D – Outpatient prescription drug coverage.   The US Department of Health and Human Services stated that an individual is eligible for Medicare if S/he or spouse has been employed for a minimum of â€Å"10 years in a Medicare covered government employment† and is 65 years or above and a permanent resident cum citizen of the US. An individual below 65 years of age but suffering from a disability or end-stage renal disease would also qualify to avail of Medicare services. According to the National Medicare Commission some of the important points to be noted are as follows: Without reform Part A of trust fund is bound to become bankrupt in the year 2008. Medicare beneficiaries are already paying 30% of their health care costs from their pockets for items such as premiums, services and products not covered under Medicare. The Annual Medicare expenditure is expected to rise in the range of $2.2 trillion to $3 trillion by 2030. Consequently the Medicare spending would occupy a â€Å"larger part of the federal budget† and funding for other important programs like national defense, justice, health and safety and environmental protection will potentially get affected. According to Holly Sklar, besides being costly the US ranks 29th in World Health Organization healthy life expectancy rankings and sad to note that US is behind 36 other countries in child mortality of age less than five years. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) the United States topped with a 15% spending of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health in 2003 in comparison to an average of 8.6% spending in 30 other OECD countries. Despite the fact that US tops among the OECD countries in spending from its GDP, some of the startling facts are that it has lesser number of physicians, nurses and hospital beds per person and fewer MRI and CT scanners than an average OECD nation. â€Å"Lack of health insurance is killing many more Americans than terrorism.† After a brief discussion about Medicare, it is clear that reforms need to take place on an immediate basis to avoid bankruptcy of Part A of trust fund and the steps seem to be moving in a right direction with regard to charging higher premiums to those with higher incomes, thus bringing in equality in treatments. A flaw rectified recently was in respect of outpatient drug benefit, but there needs to be some more improvement so as to provide long term care and also provide hearing aids, eyeglasses and dental care. References Medicare Eligibility Tool. The US Department of Health and Human Services. Page retrieved from: http://www.medicare.gov/MedicareEligibility/home.asp?dest=NAV%7CHome%7CGeneralEnrollment&version=default&browser=IE%7C7%7CWinXP&language=English Diane Rowland. Medicaid: The Basics (2005). Kaiser Commission on Medicaid. Powerpoint presentation available on: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/medicaidbasics/medicaid.html Tricia Neuman. Medicare 101 (2005). The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Powerpoint presentation available on: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/Medicare%20101/Medicare101.html National Medicare Commission. The Facts About Medicare. National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. Page retrieved from: http://medicare.commission.gov/medicare/factpage4.html Holly Sklar. Time for Health Care for All on Medicare’s 40th Anniversary (2005). Politics of Health. page retrieved from: http://politicsofhealth.org/main/time_for_health_care_for_all_on_medicare_s_40th_anniversary

Servicescape in the frazier museum and the louisville free public library

Servicescape is defined as, â€Å"the environment in which the service is delivered and where the firm and the customer interact.† (Baker and Cameron 1996) It encompasses several factors related to the delivery of service which includes all the physical, behavioral, and emotional aspects that surround services delivery. However, with each type of service, various factors must be considered in order to gauge the quality of the servicescape in the delivery of the said service. For instance, the delivery of services of the Frazier Museum and the Louisville Public Library are distinct in several ways. Although both companies deliver educational and informational services to the market, they have different ways of delivering the said services to their clients. The Frazier Museum allows its visitors to take a peek into American History. It allows its visitors to understand and value better the various events that have shaped the country to what it is today. The museum delivers such service through different ways. For one, there are exhibition halls where important and valuable artifacts are on display. Also, the museum provides its patrons with various interpretation exhibitions of different historical events. Advance audio-visual equipment are also a vital component in the delivery of the museum’s services for it makes the experience more interactive. On the other hand, the Louisville Free Public Library employs traditional methods to deliver the information needs of its clients. The library is well-equipped with the necessary tools in order to provide its clients with the information that they seek. Various collections of books are the primary sources of information that the library delivers but these are supplemented with various audio-visual equipment. Furthermore, the library classifies its sections depending on the user. This means that there is a children’s section which contains materials devoted solely to children. Also, the library provides various tools to ensure that their handicapped and disabled patrons still get to enjoy the library’s services. Although the library provides a complete range of services, it lacks in ways by which they can attract more users and visitors. This is where the Frazier Museum has the advantage. The museum constantly seeks ways of improving its servicescape so as to attract more visitors. Also, it constantly changes in order to make the experience of visiting the museum more enjoyable and fruitful each and every time. The Frazier Museum has the advantage over the Louisville Public Library when one considers the servicescape of each. The museum has the ability to give its visitors the experience that they want when the visit. Moreover, the museum is able to incite the patriot within each visitor and make him realize again the profound history of the very nation to which he belongs to. As earlier mentioned, the emotional factor is a vital component in servicescape.   Furthermore, since the museum’s main target market is composed of tourists and students, especially kids, it is able to ensure that the experience is enjoyable through various interactive tools. In other words, the environment in delivering the services of the museum is inline with its target market by addressing the needs of the said market. Finally, the dynamic environment of the museum ensures that it is able to readjust itself depending on the changing needs of its target market. Reference: Baker, J. and Cameron, M. (1996), â€Å"The Effects of the Service Environment on Affect and Consumer Perception of Waiting Time: An Integrative Review and Research Propositions,† Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 24, Number 4,

Black and Decker International Case HRD Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Black and Decker International HRD - Case Study Example With an integrated approach involving the two companies, the proposal involved several processes but the main idea was to create a global company that took all the Black and Decker strategies as well as those of Emhart Corporation. With the processes and tasks all the way from market research to overcoming of the regional challenges and differences, the company had the idea of acquiring new personnel as well as more money which would be used for financing the acquisition of the new company. Mr. Grunewald was at tough challenge carrying out all tasks ahead but he has the required experience and with the momentum of the company, he was able to create a very formidable progress (Levitt, 2009). The last part of the case indicates a reflection back to the previous four years when the company was struggling but there is the four-part strategy that has seen it move up the performance ladder. There are several sources of the company’s recent performance improvements. The first strong factor is the acquisition of the other company Emhart Corporation. Emhart makes products that act as an addition to the product line of Black and Decker. The performance improved because of the large diversity of the products that it produces. The second important source is the integration of very qualified personnel in Fred Grunewald. He has been at the company for the past 18 months and yet the strategic plan he is setting is already bearing much. The image of the company in the eyes of the customer is at a very stable rate and therefore there is a positive increment to the customer base in terms of product purchase. He does market research, product design improvement and implementation, proposes laying off of some unproductive managers and hiring a new personnel in the company. This sees the company practically progress to higher levels in its operations (Levitt, 2009). The current performance at the company is being driven by a combination of factors. The

Film critiques on The Bad Sleep Well (Kurosawa, 1960) Essay

Film critiques on The Bad Sleep Well (Kurosawa, 1960) - Essay Example This opening goes a long way in setting the groundwork for the plot of the story, since the audience is shown a few facts about those involved with the wedding. We see that Tatsuo has threatened to kill Nishi and that Nishi has only married Keiko for the wealth and power of her family. All of this is revealed during a seemingly happy time, which sets the rest of the film up very well. The audience is also privy to Nishi seeking revenge for the death of his father. He blames corporate entities for this death, which is why he wants to show the world how corrupt the corporate world is in Japan. The main issue is that the corporation that he focuses on is owned by his father-in-law. At the same time, however, we see Nishi legitimately fall for his new wife, which makes it more difficult for him to reach his objectives. This part of the plot features similarities to Shakespeares Hamlet, as the protagonist, Hamlet, focuses on getting revenge on a family member for the death of his father. The ending of this film is a tragedy, similarly to Hamlet, since the protagonist dies while attempting to reach his goals. The main difference is that the villain in The Bad Sleep Well, Iwabuchi, does not die, while Hamlet’s villain, Claudius, does perish. Perhaps the main goal of this film is to create a social commentary on the state of Japan at that time. Those who were involved in the corporate world could get away with nearly anything, unless there was enough evidence to back it up. We see at the end of the film that even though Nishi and Wada were both murdered, everyone involved in the situations knows that no one will ever be convicted of the crime because there was not any firsthand evidence present. On the other end of the spectrum, we see lower level employees of this corporation feeling bound to the company. Wada, for example, would rather die than

Stagnant Performance of Textile Industry of Pakistan Essay

Stagnant Performance of Textile Industry of Pakistan - Essay Example Industry is even experiencing other issues that have taken place internally, the workforce is under trained and the productivity levels are lower, there is a lack of leadership within the industry, the industry has failed to differentiate and add value. Other internal issues that are hurting the industry very badly includes high rate of inflation, low rate of production of power and increased rates of interest at which bank loans and funds are provided. Body There has been an increase in the demand for clothing and textile industry goods throughout the world (FAINI, 1992). Past two decades have experienced tremendous amount of success of the industry of textile. During the period 1990 the total export of textile conducted throughout the world was 212 billion and after 18 years it increased by $401 billion (Ahmed, 2012). Pakistan even witnessed an increase in the amount of textile goods produced and exported during the era of 1990 to 2008. During the period of 1990, Pakistan exported $3.6 billion worth of textile related goods and by 2008, this figure increased to 11 billion (SHARMA, 2006, p.19, LOPEZ ACEVEDO, 2012, p, 1999). Pakistan has experienced growth in the industry but has faced various obstacles and challenges due to which the growth rate has been slow. Pakistan’s share in the export of textile has declined to 1.81% during 2008 from 2.23% as recorded in 2005 (SCHAFFER, 2009, p.344). During this three years period the production of textile has remained volatile due to heavy increase in power prices and low amount of availability of power. Pakistan faces various problems due to which the growth of their textile industry has remained sluggish. The main element of any textile industry is cotton raw material and... This paper gives an insight into Pakistani textile industry and gives recommendations on its further development. The major role in the success of the textile industry of Pakistan has been plated by Cotton which is a very important raw material for the nation. Pakistan is regarded as the fourth most producer of cotton raw material and third most user of this raw material throughout the world. It is expected the industry will continue to grow and become one of the reason of economic growth in the economy of Pakistan. This industry has proven to attract foreign money into Pakistan’s economy and it is responsible for hiring the highest number of employees in Pakistan and there is no other industry that can replace it. Over the previous four decades the textile industry of this nation has displayed its strength in the international arena. Textile industry of Pakistan is not new and has a very huge history. The day when Pakistan gained existence on the world map, it had only two te xtile mills operational within the nation. Later, due to policies adopted by the government, the industry grew at a very fast pace. Today it is the leading sector of Pakistan and is the major contributor for the success of the economy of Pakistan and the manufacturing industry. The paper states that cost of production can be further decreased with the adoption and implementation of machinery that produces higher amount of bales as compared to the quality of bales being produced currently.

Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Abortion - Essay Example Sinnott and Robert (467), argue that one can use pills that terminate the life of the embryo or go through medical processes of abortion. In this article, I will discuss the disadvantages of abortions, and some of the long-term effects one has to carry on after the procedure. I will also discuss on the legal nature of the act and the religious view of the practice. From a religious point of view, I agree that, killing of any human life is wrong, and there is no any legible reason for life termination. All life begins at conception and hence fetuses are just innocent beings and no killings are justifiable by law and religious holdings. I view it that, every being is unique, and termination of any life means the extinction of an individual with a unique genetic code (Sinnott and Robert 469). Out of biological knowledge, I understand that genes carry desirable traits that are rare and desirable giving organism’s unique qualities. The different aspects like knowledge, performance, or significant physical appearance may be in the genes of the terminated embryos. I agree with Sinnott and Robert (470) that, all humans have their potentials no matter how they may seem; hence, every life has a mission to accomplish, and thence it is wrong to terminate any life that may not yet be born. I agree with him that it is wrong to destroy foetus and no killings are justifiable. I find the act of causing pain on other living creatures wrong. Abortion causes pain moreover, sufferings to the foetus which later results to its death. My opinion remains that, however young the foetus is during the time of abortion it still causes it pain and sufferings, which is un-acceptable on any living creature. Governments that have legalized on abortion allow killings, and this means tolerating un-ethical practices in the societies. According to my thinking, this is lack of respect for young life. It is a terrible thing, and it results to under populating some regions since the

City Development in Northen Virginia and Seoul Essay

City Development in Northen Virginia and Seoul - Essay Example If all the above are available and conveniently, located, then communities may live well. However, if houses are built in such a way that they are dispersed or in isolation, then chances are that local governments/ other stakeholders will have to spend huge sums on this. 2 Additionally, such poor city plans cause excessive consumption of fuel, wastage of time when getting from one point to another and limited productivity. Excess use of resources also aggravates the situation. When Cities or towns build their houses in distant locations, then tax payers will have to spend huge sums of their money in constructing access roads. However, Northern Virginia lacks some of these features. In Accomack County, a whooping eighty percent of the employees in the area work within it. Therefore, the remaining percentage has to travel to other destinations found outside it. On the other hand, thirty four percent of the workers in Prince William County work within it. The remaining workers have to go outside the county. This implies that almost seventy percent of workers in some other county have to move to another county when going to work. 3 The overall result of these changes is... Additionally, poorly built houses are more difficult to maintain because they require high costs per unit. These high costs are eventually transferred to the tax payer and he may find it difficult to ache out a living in such an area. Many administrators in Northern Virginia have made the mistake of assuming that further road construction will solve the problems however, this not necessarily true. The most viable option for Northern Virginia is introduction of smart building plans. If houses were built in convenient locations, there would be a lesser burden on the taxpayer because houses would be constructed in one area and there would be no need for excessive fuel use in transport. This also means that smart city development also prevents pollution since it will be minimizing carbon emission. 4 Northern Virginia has recorded high levels of sprawling houses because the local government has not bothered regulating private developments. This implies that houses are built haphazardly and it becomes increasingly difficult to manage their resource utility. Northern Virginia's buildings are also not functionally planned. For instance, constructions may be done in very fertile soils that are better sources of farmland. Additionally, where houses are concentrated, some of them do not have any form of buffer zones to a low fro differences in functionality. For example, a dairy farm and a town home are located near one another. Perhaps the biggest problem in Northern Virginia is the fact that the local authorities have minimal powers with regard to land use. Most of them lack the ability to plan houses in the Coty. Private developers have the ability to determine which parts will develop and which ones will not. The law specifically

Gender Inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Inequality - Essay Example y termed Enquà ªte Mortalità ©, Morbidità © et Utilisation des Services- EMMUS (translated as Survey on Morbidity, Mortality and Use of Services) that realized similar result on domestic violence against women. According to the 2000 of the EMMUS report, 30 percent of the women who participated reported having faced violence by their partners/spouse since age 1. In the period marking 2005-2006, the percentage went down to about 27 percent, and in 2007 went down further to 25 percent. It is possible to see that the prevalence of the domestic violence has been on the decline over the years. One possible interpretation of the outcome has been linked to the 2005 revision of the penal code. Such is the case that following this revision, rape became a major crime that was punished by 10 years to lifetime imprisonment. Here, it is believed that this revision may have created some level fear to the violence perpetrators. Another possible explanation is the idea that fewer women could affor d the courage of reporting violence by their spouses knowing well that the consequences for such violations had been made more severe. Be that as it may, these variations in percentages may not be too significant, showing that perhaps the present judicial changes have not served well to bring about the necessary security for women who face the risk of domestic violence. Comparison of the prevalence of this vice in Haiti with that depicted in USA and some Carrabin counties show a slight difference, with Haiti taking the lead. For instance, in 2000 the percentage of domestic violence reported by women with regard to an intimate was set at 25, a figure that is slightly lower than that recorded in Haiti. Based on this comparison, it is possible to see that the Haitian society does not necessarily present more violence against women; however, the low level development may heighten the difficulties experienced by the victims. World banks added its voice on this issue underscoring the need

Policing Policies Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Policing Policies - Research Paper Example One of the more popular areas where policies have been implemented has been in the issue of policing and the creation of rules that govern law and order (Ratcliffe, 2008). This sector can be said to be one of the most significant areas in which policies have been utilized, and they are the reason behind the ability of law enforcement to maintain order within a society as well as determine the appropriate methods through which those that breach the laws that have been set out should be treated (Stone, 2008). The perspective used to create these policies will determine the methods in which the community will deal with the rules and regulations and those who break them (Peterson, 2005). There are two major policy perspectives that can be studying when broaching this subject; they include problem oriented policing and zero-tolerance policing. Problem Oriented Policing This policy perspective refers to a strategy that focuses on the problem that is being faced in a bid to come up with eff ective ways with which to deal with that specific problem (Taylor, 2007). The strategy involves the analysis of the various crimes that rock the society and then focus on developing solutions that will adequately solve the problem and is based upon ongoing studies to evaluate the progress made, and if the original solution needs to be modified or changed in any manner in order to make sure that the policies developed are successful in their endeavor (Stone, 2008). This strategy believes that by closely studying the problem, one is able to come up with more effective answers and solutions as they are given the chance to gauge not only the problem itself, but its underlying cause as well (Ratcliffe, 2008). By doing this, one is not only able to deal with the problem once it occurs, but determine ways in which the source can be dealt with in a way that will stop the problem from popping up in the first place(Peterson, 2005). The policy can be said to focus more on the effort of crime p revention rather than dealing with the crime itself and aims at working together with the community in a bid to decrease the level of crime rates in the society (Althaus, Bridgman & Davis, 2007). This perspective focuses on research and analysis and strives to prove that the best way of dealing with a problem is determining its cause so as to strike at it from its foundation (Fischer, Miller & Sidney, 2006). Problem oriented policing can be said to function on the basis of â€Å"prevention is better than cure† motto. There are various steps that can be taken when approaching the making of policies from this particular perspective (Ratcliffe, 2008). The process can be presented in over teen steps but can be summarized in just three steps that are taken by those who take part in this particular policy perspective. They include: Identification and Analysis of the Problem The initial step is analysis of the problem before any steps could be taken. The particular problem will need to be closely scrutinized in a bid to sufficiently understand the problem so as to determine the best way to solve it. This can be acheived by going through the various police records as well as interviewing members of the

Drug addiction Essay Example for Free

Drug addiction Essay As a part of the human service professional reviewing case studies will be an important part of the job. Not only should we keep notes on every client but we could use them as a reference for future clients. The case studies could become useful if past and future clients have similar cases. In this case study we will examine family, social, and intimate relationships. Identify any role changes that may have occurred, and immediate and future effects of healthy and unhealthy habits demonstrated in this case study. My case study is on Jackson the 25-year-old, unemployed, single adult male, with a substance and alcohol abuse problem. After graduating high school Jackson started attending college the following fall to earn a degree in chemistry. In the course of his freshman year Jackson suffered a major head injury in a car accident. As a result he sustained loss of his cognitive and analytical functioning skills, due to damage to his Cerebrum. Jackson begin drinking alcohol and abusing the painkillers giving to him by Doctors following the accident. As a result Jackson is now using prescription painkillers and mixing with alcohol to relieve the pain of feeling like a failure because he had to quit college. He now lives with his mother in Chicago Illinois where he currently attends a substance abuse program. Growing up in a single-parent household without the contributions of a father figure, Jackson has had problems holding on to any type of relationship. Although he’s been involved with women in his past, while in college he began to question his sexuality after becoming sexually attracted Hall 3  to this college roommate, uncomfortable with the way he was feeling toward another man Jackson asked the transferred to another room. As a son, Jackson was dependent on mother. Growing into a man, he left for college and begin to gain independence. After the accident it seems roles may have changed over time because Jackson has retreated back to his infant dependence stage. He’s now reliant on his mom, painkillers, and alcohol. As a middle adult male Jackson’s future looked bright, but after slipping back to young adulthood Jackson has lost the inability to maintain  control over his life. Jackson’s unhealthy habits will have many ill effects now and in the future. Starting with his alcohol abuse as stated in an article about underage drinking among college students, alcohol use among college kids is a major concern†¦ At colleges and universities throughout the United States. The main problem being alcohol is consumed by students on the under the legal age of 21 (Miller, Stout, and Shepherd, 2000). Jackson’s drinking is putting at risk for splurging on alcohol, killing someone or himself, or trouble with the police. Jackson also suffers from substance abuse problem, which according to the article, Trauma and Substance Abuse, there are an estimated 20. 6 million young and middle adults that are classified as the defendant on drugs or alcohol (Galonte, Salman, Albers, and Sena, 2012). Jackson’s drug use is also increasing the risk of death. After long-term drug and alcohol use Jackson’s behavior could lead him to stealing from his family, thus bringing Hall 4 about issue of trust within the family. His run-ins with the police and having a record could hurt his chances of obtaining a job. The drug use could also affect him from being able to pass a drug test. Jackson’s inability to gain his sobriety is not only hurting himself, but his future, family, and even his health (mixing alcohol with prescription drugs can damage the liver). This paper has assessed Jackson in great detail. A 25-year-old middle adult whose future seemed bright, but due to the accident Jackson has lost all hope. Jackson needs to complete his substance abuse program, become sober, become employed, and consider going back to school, this will ultimately built his self-esteem and give him self-worth. After careful consideration, I will continue to follow up with the client in order to repair his self-confidence and interpersonal skills, so that he can improve his Intimate and personal development. Hall 5 Reference 1. Galante, J. M. , Ahmad, S. Albers. E. A. (n. d. ) Trauma and Substance Abuse: Deadly Consequences of Intravenous Percocet Tablets. Clinical Communication; Adults,() 2. Miller, N. S. , Stout, A. W. , Sheppard, L. M. (2012, September). Underage Drinking Among College Students. The journal of emergency Medicine, 43 (3), e167-e169.

Opium Trade Between British India China History Essay

Opium Trade Between British India China History Essay Opium use dates back to the seventh century. It was grown in Asia and used for its medicinal properties to cure diarrhoea and relieve dysentery and cholera pains. China was introduced to this drug by the Arabs in the ninth century. (Feige, 2008) Its medicinal properties were clearly known in the thirteenth century. Its consumption started changing from medicinal to recreational purposes during the seventeenth century. It became a threat when people started smoking it as a mix of tobacco and opium. This is when the first policy banning the smoking of opium was passed by the Chinese emperor. During the same period in India, the Mughal dynasty was extensively growing opium poppy and doing profitable trade with China and East Asia. This trade was a large source of revenue for the Mughal dynasty. As the downfall of the Mughal Empire started in 1658, the British through the East India Company took over the major cultivation and production of opium. Economics of trade The British formally started illegal trade with China in 1673. A form of triangular trade started between British, China and India where in commodities such as silver, tea and opium were bartered between the countries. This trade strategy was a smart scheme by the British to gain personal benefits. During this trade, India was merely an instrument for the British to produce the opium that they intended to sell to china in return for tea and silver which was exported to Britain. China played a major role in this trade as it was the sole producer and consumer of tea and opium involved in the trade. The East India Company occupied the Indian states of Bihar and Bengal and expanded trade through the port of Calcutta. (Zhong,2010, 86-105) Even though opium smoking was banned except use for medical reasons with licence in 1729 by the Chinese government, illegal smuggling continued. Despite these efforts opium use was increasing significantly and gradually spread from the coasts to the centre of the country. The Chinese officials had become corrupt and excepted bribes from the traders. The British took advantage of this situation and occupied the port of Canton and Macao. After this sudden increase in the use of opium, in 1796, the port of Canton was banned for trade. But this did not last for long as the British did not withdraw. The British started selling opium at the port of Calcutta to local merchants from China who illegally traded the opium into China. During 1830-1839, the entire southern coast of China was under the British monopoly. The Chinese emperor kept reiterating the policies regarding import of opium, smoking and illegal trade throughout the period from 1821 to 1838. During the later periods, death pena lties were also imposed on the illegal drug traders. (Wakeman, 1978) In Britain during this time, the parliament decided to control the trade with China directly through the Crown and not through the East India Company. Representatives from the crown went to convince the Chinese emperor to open trade at Canton and make opium trade legal. The emperor denied this and further in 1839, released a 39- article statute. This stipulated at banning opium at the ports and arresting the consumers to get to the illegal traders. It was a stricter edict that aimed at punishment of the smokers and the traders both locally or internationally. This plan failed as all the informers and officials were associated with the trade and werent ready to surrender. After many failed attempts to control the trade, the Emperor decided to send Lin Zu-xe to control the trade in the ports of canton. Lin Zu-xe took extreme steps to stop the illegal trade by burning the British opium and trying to destroy the British ships. This led to the First Opium War which lasted from 1839 to 1842. This war resulted in the defeat of Lins army and the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing. This treaty was a successful attempt by the British to take advantage of Chinas weakness and demean them further. The treaty opened various ports to the British, Chinese monopolies were removed and ultimately China was completely opened to the west. (Wakeman,1978) By 1853, the exports from china surpassed the imports by the British. The British had to look for strategies to balance out the trade in the triangular trade. They took tea, spices, silk and silver from the Chinese and in return increased the amount of opium imported. The British stressed on promoting the use of opium to increase its demand. Slowly the relations between the Chinese government and the British became extremely coarse and this led to the Second Opium War (1856-1857). The successors of the Chinese emperor also opposed this illegal trade and fought the British but in vain. The joint army of British and French fought this war and defeated the Chinese. The Chinese, humiliated again, had to sign the Treaty of Teintsin. This treaty opened some more ports to the west and also asked china to pay the victory allies silver for their victory. The Chinese protested and denied this payment. The British and French forces marched into Peking and attacked the palace. The Chinese were d efeated and signed the Treaty of Peking which finally legalized opium. (Sheng, 2007) Worst affected victim- China The Chinese government was incapable of protecting its country from this social menace and from the influence of the west which ultimately led to legalizing a dangerous drug. The fundamental forces that led to this include Chinas own weaknesses that worsened during this time and to the major influence from the British. Firstly, China as a country was devastated during the 18th century. The Chinese emperors were against foreign trade from the beginning and were true supporters of Chinese culture. They opposed any kind of trade and barter of goods with the so call western barbarians. (Sheng, 2007) But they were unsuccessful in imposing strict state policies against opium. Even though many serious edicts were issued, the illegal trade continued till it became legal in 1860. Every time the Chinese government retaliated to this kind of illegal trade, the British fought the opium wars and retained its trade monopoly by forcing the Chinese government to open its ports. Also the trade was depleting China of all its resources of silver and spices. The incapacitated Chinese government was economically and financially not able to support itself and the finances of the war that they had to legalize opium to collect taxes that would help pay for the war losses. Also, the country had to deal with floods and comm unal unrest during the same period. There was a vast difference between the rich and the poor in China during this time. The population on the coasts of china was getting richer due to the illegal trade as they sold the goods for trade at extremely high prices. On the other hand, labour class was extremely poor. They were morally and financially very weak to support themselves. They were the major proportion of population that resorted to opium use and became addicts. This addiction increased as opium was very cheap and easily available in the markets. This was when opium was used merely to forget the reality and not for any medical reasons. Even though there were various policies against opium, none of them actually worked because along with the locals, the government and military officials were also corrupt and part of this illegal trade. (Sheng,2007) Secondly, the black-market trade by the British was a driving factor for the spread of this drug. Tea had become a serious commodity for the English and they wanted to increase the imports of Chinese tea. The British captured the port of Calcutta that made it easy to exchange goods between China and India. Initially, the British took tea from china in return for opium. Later their demands were silk and spices in exchange of more opium. The British bribed and bullied china to continue and strengthen their new illicit enterprise. Whenever they sensed resistance from china they fought them to sign one sided treaties. Their major motive was to increase their revenue. The British had already occupies India and wanted complete trade monopoly with China. If they could accomplish that then they would dominate East Asia. One key ethical issue of this trade was that the British had ignored the fact that this dangerous drug was being banned in their own country even when they were illicitly trading it into China to make as much money was they could from this trade. Their visible intention was to exploit this trade in a way to gain maximum profits from it regardless of its affects on the other nation. All the opium from India was being dumped into China. Therefore, opium was a commodity for the Chinese but later it became a forced commodity which was being forced by the British. Therefore, China was facing a severe opium problem which had to be addressed internationally. It was the responsibility of the countries that had deposited tonnes of opium into China and degraded the countrys economy and culture, to amend the mistakes made over the years. The issue deserved an international response through world-wide laws on production and consumption of opiates. International conventions were finally set and laws were formulated in a global context to finally control the narcotic drugs.

Pros and Cons of the European Union Essay -- European Union Economics

Do you think it is useful for a country to join into a union, especially the European Union, to strengthen their economic position? The question could be simple to answer but an individual must look much deeper into the situation. For instance, what are the pros and cons of joining a union? The European Union has many pros but also many cons. The European Union was formed in February 1992 with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. It consist of originally twelve members – Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, and Germany. Those twelve members originally formed the European Union until 1995 when three other countries joined the Union – Austria, Finland, and Sweden. The European Union currently is formed of twenty-five members with the ten new members – Cyprus, Malta, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia being added in 2004. In 2007 two other countries (Romania and Bulgaria) could join the European Union. European Union covers a mass majority of the Europe and the current Union membership covers a population base of nearly half a billion people. In 1992 the European Union decided to go for economic and monetary union, involving the introduction of a single European currency managed by a E uropean Central Bank. The single currency, the euro, became a reality in January of 2002, when euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in twelve of the 15 countries of the European Union (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland). (Europa) The information below will consist of the pros of the European Union. With the development of the European Union the countries are able to have the benefit of the principles of European integration, such as free competition or free movement of goods and capital, which will encourage the movement from a post-socialist economy to a free market economy in East-central Europe. The principle of free movement is saying that you can work and study anywhere in the Union if you are a citizen of the Union. By spending part of their education or training in another European Union country, the citizens can acquire an insight into other work environments and gain skills that are very useful in later life. By having a closer joint effort and sharin... ... the European Union. It has several characteristics about it that I do not like. For example, I do not like how the Union only has a single interest rate. I think that each economic cycle needs different interest rates for certain situations that occur in the Union. For instance, if you are in the European Union and let’s say you are going through a depression you are going to need to lower the interest rate but in the European Union you have no choice. The information above in the paper about the European Union has many pros and cons. The only reason the countries are entering the European Union or any other union is they feel it makes their country stronger and better economically. Yes, when you enter into a Union you are gaining some things but what some countries do not see are is that you are giving up just as many or more things. Works Cited Niebor, Jeremy. The pros and cons of Economic and Monetary Union. 1998 http://www.bullen.demon.co.uk/niebor.htm Venckute, Jurgita. European Union: New Members. 2003, http://www.debatabase.org/details.asp?topicID=233 Europa. The History of the European Union. 2004 http://europa.eu.int/abc/history/index_en.htm

Two Great Works :: essays research papers fc

Two Great Works Thesis Statement: The morals and themes in both the book and the movie are parallel in the story of racism and Alabama life in the 1930’s told through a young girl’s eyes (Scout). I. Introduction A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comparing the book to the movie B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Challenges of director II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Differences between movie and book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Characters   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aunt Alexandra   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Miss Maudie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morals and themes of the book the are same III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deletions of situations that appear in book and not in the movie A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mrs. Dubose and Jem’s lesson 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Atticus’s lesson 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  courage   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tom Robinson’s trial   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  left hand on the bible   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  cup toss   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  affect on audience   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Passing of time   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  two years in book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  one year in movie IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Similarities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Themes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  innocence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  prejudices V.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusion Garcia 1 Two Great Works It is funny how when some infinitesimal facts, situations, and characters are changed in the making of a movie from a book, the morals are changed and concepts are not fully understood. This however, is not the case when comparing the book To Kill A Mockingbird to the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. The morals and themes in both the book and the movie are parallel in the story of racism and Alabama life in the 1930’s told through a young girl’s eyes (Scout). A director has many challenges to overcome when making a book into a movie because of the simple fact that the visual pleasure one gets is different from the pleasure of reading that an audience gets. Therefore, deletions, combinations of characters, and changing of scenes is necessary in order to correctly adapt a film to a book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many differences between the movie and the book. While watching a movie, one can not keep track of as many characters as when reading a book. A book takes a lot longer than two and a half hours to read, which is about as long as or longer than most movies. Since there is only a short time to comprehend characters, the shorter the list, the better. In the book there was a character named Aunt Alexandra. Aunt Alexandra is Atticus’s sister and moves in with Atticus, Scout, and Jem in order to help raise the children. In the movie, Miss Maudie helps atticus raise the children and helps teach Scout to become a lady. Though Miss Maudie is also in the book, the movie combines Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra into just Miss Maudie. The deletion of Aunt Alexandra had not real negative impact or decline of worth on the movie. It did not change any of the morals or themes that were adapted from the book to the film.

Effects of Segregation and Racism in Of Mice and Men Chapter 4 :: John Steinbeck

In the story, Crooks' home is, "a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn." This suggests that he is isolated from the other men and treated like the animals he cares for and as such is made to live with them. Crooks' "bunk" was actually a long box filled with straw, which could further reinforce the fact that he is treated like an animal or it could show that he is poor and has low, if any social status. To say that Steinbeck seems to make his characters seem low and poor, Crooks seems to have a number of pleasant possessions, however, some are damaged but this could represent their amount of use. These include, "a single barreled shotgun" which suggests that he feels threatened and needs protection, although it could be a trophy from previous times in his past that he would like to remember. Also, he owns a "big alarm clock" which may show that he is punctual, ordered and that he requires being on time given the job but it may also show that because he is isolated from the other men, he relies less on others to awaken him in the mornings. ?A tattered dictionary? is another of his personal items, which could define his character as intelligent, but that he wants to be seen and it could be a way to prevent his constant loneliness from being a problem. Another piece of his home comes in the form of ?a mauled copy of the California civil code,? which can be used to represent his character?s intelligence plus that he reads to escape solitude, in addition to this point, as a coloured person in those times, Crooks? life must have been difficult, knowing his right as a person could aid in protection with which he needs. The last article in Crooks? inventory of significance would be his ?gold-rimmed spectacles,? which could enable him to see clearly, but may also allow him to view the world in a different perspective. The last point regarding Crooks? room may perhaps be seen as a relevant one, ?this room was swept and fairly neat?? could illustrate Crooks as a proud, aloof man. Finally, the fact that Crooks keeps his distance and demands that others keep theirs could again reinforce the point that he feels threatened and this would keep him protected. When Lennie enters the room, we learn more about the effects of isolation. Effects of Segregation and Racism in Of Mice and Men Chapter 4 :: John Steinbeck In the story, Crooks' home is, "a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn." This suggests that he is isolated from the other men and treated like the animals he cares for and as such is made to live with them. Crooks' "bunk" was actually a long box filled with straw, which could further reinforce the fact that he is treated like an animal or it could show that he is poor and has low, if any social status. To say that Steinbeck seems to make his characters seem low and poor, Crooks seems to have a number of pleasant possessions, however, some are damaged but this could represent their amount of use. These include, "a single barreled shotgun" which suggests that he feels threatened and needs protection, although it could be a trophy from previous times in his past that he would like to remember. Also, he owns a "big alarm clock" which may show that he is punctual, ordered and that he requires being on time given the job but it may also show that because he is isolated from the other men, he relies less on others to awaken him in the mornings. ?A tattered dictionary? is another of his personal items, which could define his character as intelligent, but that he wants to be seen and it could be a way to prevent his constant loneliness from being a problem. Another piece of his home comes in the form of ?a mauled copy of the California civil code,? which can be used to represent his character?s intelligence plus that he reads to escape solitude, in addition to this point, as a coloured person in those times, Crooks? life must have been difficult, knowing his right as a person could aid in protection with which he needs. The last article in Crooks? inventory of significance would be his ?gold-rimmed spectacles,? which could enable him to see clearly, but may also allow him to view the world in a different perspective. The last point regarding Crooks? room may perhaps be seen as a relevant one, ?this room was swept and fairly neat?? could illustrate Crooks as a proud, aloof man. Finally, the fact that Crooks keeps his distance and demands that others keep theirs could again reinforce the point that he feels threatened and this would keep him protected. When Lennie enters the room, we learn more about the effects of isolation.

Romanticism in Why Do I Love You, Sir?

Romanticism in â€Å"Why do I love You, Sir? † Many know of Emily Dickinson reclusive behavior, but very few know about her brief engagement to George Could, a student at Amherst College. Unfortunately, her wealthy father broke their engagement off because he was Just a poor student. It is believed that this disappointment triggered her initial withdrawal from society and the start of her life as a writer. She lived without marrying and devoted a significant amount of time to writing poetry and letters during a time now known as theAmerican Romanticism movement. This movement affected Emily writing and is evident in much of her poetry. Emily Dickinson displays many of the characteristics of the American Romantic period in her poem â€Å"Why do I Love You, sir? † First, an obvious connection to American Romanticism in this poem is Emily unconventional punctuation, short lines, and capitalization. Formerly, poems were structured strictly to fit into heroic couplets. In di verging from the ordinary, Emily used romanticism to destroy the authoritarian structure and give way for allowing he poet and reader to feel the way that each individual felt.With no guidelines, one is allowed to be free and let things flow into their ideal shape of religion. For example, the very first stanza, envoy do I love' You, Sir? † is oddly punctuated. The narrator is seemingly repeating a question that has been questioned of her which is suggested by the quotation marks around â€Å"why do I love. † This leads way that the narrator is quoting someone. Secondly, Emily use of nature to explain her simple answer â€Å"Because—† is also characteristic of the American Romantic poets.Romantics love nature because of its sensibility and connection to basic emotions. Nature's design is straightforward. Built to survive and reproduce are its only goals. There are there Just because. Emily first simplistic response is â€Å"The Wind does not require the G rass/ To Answer— Wherefore when He passes/ She cannot keep Her place†. Emily likens herself to blades of grass that are quivered by the wind. Just as when Sir passes she is shaken with Joy Just by his presence. Additionally, the wind does not solicit the grass to tell why it was affected.However, the wind did so inquire the answer would be because. Just as simple as can be Just like nature intended. Later on in the poem, Emily brings up lightening another major player in Mother Nature to further emphasize her argument. Lightening also doe not question why it's impulsive flash of brightness causes an eye to close, â€Å"Because He knows it cannot speak—â€Å". Still if it could express its feeling it will answer because. Thirdly, individualism is key to romantic poets. Her feelings are evident for however this Sir is and she is free in expressing her emotions.Whether Sir is God or secret crush, the reader's own interpretation is vital in this decision. The capit alization of he is significant in the fact that she is most likely referring to God. It is almost impossible to explain why someone has an affinity for a certain someone. Only nature can explain most simply and it answer is â€Å"Because—â€Å". Either way you cannot explain factually why you believe in God or why you had a love at first sight moment. Ultimately nature decides it all. It is as simple as â€Å"The Sunrises—Sire completely Me—/Because He's Sunrise—and I see?/Therefore—Then—/l loveIn conclusion, red is to a rose as Emily Dickinson is to Romantic poet. Emily encompasses all that is Romantic. She was original by revoking the structure of everyday poems of times before, using nature to explore feelings, and use nature as ways to exemplify the things we do. She also made the individual important and the main character to her poems. Overall, this poem is a great example of the legacy Emily Dickinson left to American literature. W orks Cited Dickinson, Emily. â€Å"Why Do I Love You, Sir? â€Å". Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter. N. D. Tuesday. 9 July 2013

HR Generalists vs. Specialist Essay

Working in construction teaches you a good deal of generalist versus specialist management. It is often understood that general managers are what hold the projects together; however, the specialists are who get the job done. Similar to this functionality, human resource management also struggles to decipher the value of both types of managers. Whether it is in construction, accounting, finance, business administration, health care, law, etc., there are always individuals who obtain knowledge on different levels. Having less knowledge of a particular specialty doesn’t make them less valuable. In my professional opinion, I believe the value of a generalist and a specialist are more often based on the volume of the project or organization. Timothy Bartram and his fellow colleagues discuss these relationships in their article titled â€Å"Editors’ Note: Specialist Versus Generalist Managerial Roles in HRM.† Bartram collects a few articles by various authors to convey what happens in the corporate world between these positions. From my understanding, the authors of this article are advocating for the HR specialists of the world. They find that the specialists often get bullied by the general managers because of their perfectionism. According to the authors, human resource generalists focus more on the rate of productions while HR specialists focus on protecting the organization from legal liability (Bartram, 2013). Since in most case, the specialists report to the general manager, it is common for the general manager to feel superior; however, Bartram and his colleagues beg to differ. Although they seem to be the voice of the HR specialists, they are in no way undermining the work of HR generalists. In the second article I read the authors Steven J. Cesare and Coleen Thornton discuss the importance of both managerial positions and their responsibilities. Though they may not have intended to, they’re article seems to suggest that generalists are more anxious to climb the corporate ladder while specialists work to achieve their own goal and recognition from their peer specialists. This is an interesting argument and relatively true in many cases. I, also, have come to learn that generalists more often seek the approval and applause of their superior while specialists are more interested in being innovative and furthering their knowledge. Cesare and Thornton mention how individuals evaluate themselves as either position according to their education versus their profession. For example, if an individual obtains a degree in  engineering and works as a project manager, they consider themselves an engineer which is the specialty while a project manager is more general. Vice versa, people also identify themselves as their profession over their academic degree.

How to Make Dumpling

For Chinese, dumpling is our traditional food. In Ancient, dumpling represents money. So they eat it for good luck. Until now, we also eat it when we celebrate some traditional festivals. Because we think it will bring some good luck for us. In lots of Chinese’s mind, dumping is delicious. But if we want to make it, the process is complicated. Now I will explain you how to make dumpling. Because the dough should ferment, we must make dumpling wrapper first. At this step we should have flour, water, a container, a wet cloth, a knife, a rolling pole and a pastry board.After prepare those materials, we can beginning to make the dough. We put flour into a container, then pour water into the container, and be careful about the proportion between flour and water. It is important to make the good dough. After that, stir it strenuously to make it sticky, put a wet cloth on the dough and wait 20 minutes to let it ferment. 20 minutes later, we can roll dough into a round piece. We shoul d cut part of the dough and put it on pastry board, knead a part of it to a strip and cut it into small pieces.Then press each piece and roll it with a rolling pole into a round piece. Now we will do the stuffing. It is the core of making dumpling. If we do not have good stuffing, it means we fail in the whole steps. Today we choose pork and scallion stuffing to an example. At the start of making stuffing, we should chop pork up and mix it with chopped scallions. Meanwhile we also put in seasonings like salt, sesame oil, pepper, chopped green onion and ginger to get our favorite flavor.And then stir the ingredients in a container well to make them evenly mixed. We can also put an egg to make the stuffing tender. When we finish those two steps, we will do the last step which is make dumpling. There are many shapes of dumpling like waveform, crescent, wallet form and lock from. Waveform is easiest to make. So lots of us like to make dumpling like it. Now I will tell you how to make th is shape. Put right amount stuffing in the middle of dumpling wrapper. And double over the dumpling wrapper to become the semicircle.Then knead it from left and let the forefinger around thumb to push it have pleat. Repeat this motion until it to right. After that, a dumpling it completely finished. Those are all steps of make dumpling. Please notice those steps and do not forget the core of making dumpling. Stuffing is the head of dumpling. And memory that delicious dumpling comes from carefully person. Do not careless in it. In our mind, dumpling is so complicated. But if we do it with our family, it will become an unforgettable thing for us.

Crown Cork & Seal in 1989

Strategic issues and options open to Avery In order to develop a future strategic decision plan we have assessed Crown’s business with a SWOT analysis, keeping in mind all issues Avery has to consider. That implies an evaluation of the different strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Crown Cork’s business.The analysis is as follows: †¢ Strengths: Crown’s return on equity and total return to shareholders was ranked much higher than its competitors’, creating high value to its customers; Crown has a tremendous skills in die forming and metal fabrication, and they can move to adapt to the customer’s needs faster than anyone else in the industry; Crown’s research teams also worked closely with customers on specific customer requests. Weaknesses: Growth slowing in metal containers; the possibility of diversifying beyond the manufacture of containers was not at hand, because while Crown’s competitors had aggressively expand ed in a variety of directions, Crown had been cautious. †¢ Opportunities: expand its product line beyond the manufacture of metal cans and closures, since industry observers forecast plastics as the growth segment for containers in the 90s; Avery also considered the growing opportunity in glass containers; the bidding for all or part of Continental Can would almost double its size and make them even more international. Threats: Avery knew that most mergers in this industry had not worked out well; the challenge of taking two companies that come from completely different cultures and bringing them together; Potential bidders for all, or part of Continental’s operations, included many of Crown’s U. S. rivals in addition to European competition; the continuing threat of in-house manufacture of metal cans. Regarding to the strategic options which are open to Avery, we have thought about three options as the most profitable and likely ones.The first one would be to exp and its product line beyond the manufacture of metal cans and closures, aiming its business to the plastic container segment which held much promise. The second option would be to merge with Continental Can. It would provide them such size in metal can industry that they would be the highest can metal manufacturing company in the globe. The last option would be to remain on the metal can industry without merging with Continental Can. This option would be the less profitable one, but on the other hand it would be the less risky one.They would be able to try to improve even more its manufacturing process and taking advantage of its competitors’ diversification. The growth in metal can segment is supposed to be stuck, but maybe they would rise its market share reaching higher revenues to Crown’s shareholders. Metal container industry After the John Connelly’s reorganization and strategic changes, Crown competes in the metal containers industry, more specifically in the beverage cans market and the aerosol market.To compete in this market, since the seventies, Crown has developed a conversion from steel to aluminum cans and manufacturing them with the two-pieces model. The metal container industry has changed considerably over the last years. Since 1981 to 1989 the market has grown from 88,810 to 120,795 million of cans. This means that this industry has experienced a grown of 36% over the past 8 years period, representing 61% of all packaged products in the United States in 1989.For a better understanding of the metal container industry, we are going to present the Porter's five forces analysis: – Threat of new competition. We considered this force low due to the industry’s high barriers to entry. Some of these barriers are: a) High initial capital investment: Each two- piece can line plus its peripheral equipment needed cost approximately $20-$25 million. b) Strong rivalry among competitors: five established and experienced fir ms dominated the industry with an aggregate 61% market share. ) Low operating margins due to aggressive discounts of competitors. Thread of substitute products: a) Plastics: plastic’s market share has grown from 9% in 1980 to 18% in 1989. Plastic’s light weight and convenient handling contributed to widespread consumer acceptance. b) Glass: In the beer category consumers had certain preference with glass bottle that would work to its advantage in the coming years. Bargaining power of buyers: There were large buyers such as Coca-Cola Company, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , PepsiCo Inc. , and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.These buyers usually maintained relationships with more than one can supplier and they could punish poor service and uncompetitive prices by cuts in order sizes. In addition, many large brewers moved to hold can costs down by developing their own manufacturing capability. Bargaining power of suppliers: The country’s three largest aluminum suppliers were Alcoa, Alcan and Reynolds Metals. Aluminum prices increased by 15% while steel prices increased by 5% to 7%. – – – 1 – Intensity of competitive rivalry: In 1989, five firms dominated the metal can industry, with an aggregate 61% market share.American National Can held 25% market share, followed by Continental Can (18%), Reynolds Metals (7%), Crown Cork & Seal (7%), and Ball Corporation (4%). Pricing was very competitive among them. Most companies offered volume discounts to encourage large orders. John Connelly’s thrust to success Connelly’s arrival to the presidency of Crown brought about important changes in the way the company operated, the actions he took were actually beneficial for the company, taking it from bankruptcy to a situation of annual profits with annual revenues growth about 12%.To achieve the success, the company did not apply complex strategies, nor invested in neither revolutionary products nor innovative diversific ation; in his own words the plan was to apply â€Å"just common sense†. The company moved from a paternalistic leadership to a functional organization, Connelly also eliminated the divisional line and staff concept, he were able to reduce with this actions Crown’s payroll by 24% in less than two years. Another key to success was that they were focused on enhancing the existing product line.Connelly was not interested in researching new materials or packaging, because of that he closed the Central Research Facility, and worked closely with large breweries in the development of two-pieces cans. Even though it was not a company based on innovation, Crown worked closely with their customers to provide them technical assistance and to satisfy their requests. To successfully carry out its policy of controlling costs and improving quality, Crown also needed to focus its growth policies in developing countries, taking advantage of new business opportunities to expand its marke t share.Connelly emphasized national management wherever possible to develop the internationalization process. New challenges in the industry The most significant changes that are taking place in the industry are the more often using of plastic containers and glass bottles, and the diversification and subsequent consolidations due to low profit margins, excess capacity and rising material and labor costs within the metal can industry. Some competitors have invested in stuff such as insurance, energy exploration, glass containers or high-technology market.In our opinion, Bill Avery should respond with a thorough market analysis, assessing each of Crown’s options to keep its market share and then choosing the most profitable in terms of revenues and duration. Only once they have done this analysis, they are able to make the correct decision, which can be to remain in the metal can industry, the diversification to other segments of the market, or to merge with Continental Can. T hat implies the need to think deeply in each option before make the decision of either change Connelly strategy or remain in the same market segment with the same strategy. 2

Computer Science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer Science - Coursework Example Morals talk about sujective own doctrines concerning wrong and right. This essay discusses morality and ethics and the social framework of ethics in the society. Morals have a bigger social component to principles and have a habit of having a very broad approval. Morals are broadly more about upright and wicked than other principles. We therefore critic other people more intensely based on morals than principles. An individual can be termed as wicked, however there is no word for them not succeeding principles. Values or routine with regard to good or bad conduct. While moralities also recommend dos and donts, principles is eventually a subjective scope of good and bad. Since we have faith in in something being good or bad. Typically stable, however can transform if a person’s faith change. Moral individual even if conceivably certain by a higher agreement, may opt to trail a code of conduct as it would relate to an ethic framework "Make it fit". Ethics rise above cultural customs (Velasquez et al., 2015). Some individuals reason that there are universal guidelines that apply to every person. This kind of reasoning is known as moral absolutism. Moral absolutism disputes that there are some ethical guidelines that are constantly correct and that these guidelines can be revealed and that these guidelines are applicable to all individuals. Immoral deeds are actions which go againist these ethical guidelines are regarded as wrong regardless of the conditions or the results of those deeds. Absolutism perceives a worldwide outlook of mortality. With absolutism there is one established rule for all individuals which facilitates the enlisting of universal guidelines such as the Assertion of Human Rights. Certainly more and more individuals reason that for several moral concers there isnt a single good response just a collection of

COMPANY LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

COMPANY LAW - Essay Example The deregulatory claims are premised on the view that inside information fosters market efficiency and that granting the property rights to security managers is an efficient compensation scheme. Prohibition of insider trading in European Union is justified on the basis of equity and fairness to all market participants. Generally, both firms, shareholders and the society benefit from the accurate pricing of the securities since it leads to efficient allocation of capital and decreases the volatility of the prices in the market thus attracting the risk-averse investors. The firm will also benefit from the accurate pricing through increase investor confidence in the security and reduction in monitoring costs. According to the proponents of deregulation, insider trading will benefit the society since it moves the price to a level which it would be if the inside information was available to the public. Henry Manne, asserts that insider trading leads to price accuracy thus it is an efficie nt mechanism for compensating the security managers for the release of stock information2. The aim of the new EU rules was address the divergence of the member states in their approach to market abuse3. Variations in the national laws have allowed many security managers to escape prosecution for insider dealing. Some countries even lack the sanction powers while other countries do not have sanctions for certain market manipulation offences. For instance, Bulgaria does not have any criminal laws to govern insider trading while other countries impose only up to five years maximum imprisonment for inside trading related offences. Another problem to the effectiveness of the sanctions is the Bank secrecy laws in some countries. For instance, French authorities have faced challenges in tracing the persons who executed order in Paris Stock Exchange via the Swiss banks. Some of the problematic effectiveness of sanctions includes the gaps in regulation of commodity derivatives, lack of legal certainty of the market abuse directive, the gaps in regulating new markets, platforms and over the counter instruments in the emerging markets. EU Directive 2003/6/EC24 adopted in 2003 updated the legal framework on insider dealing and market manipulation behavior. However, several market, technological and legislative changes have led to changes in the financial landscape thus creating loopholes for insider dealing. The Market Abuse Directive (MAD) faced numerous challenges in curbing insider trading. For instance, Section 3.1.1 of the MAD covered limited financial instruments

Human elemant for project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Human elemant for project management - Essay Example From the very beginning open communication was encouraged and it led the team to work in excellent working environment. Due to such working environment and open communication, the members of my team started trusting each other and addressed each other by their first name. This let us establish and work on common goals and we put aside the personal goals when working in team. Each member of my team was highly involved and participated in the completion of work. They were motivated and did almost every task before they were asked to perform. This high commitment towards the team and work made the completion of task much easier than expected (Edmondson, 2003). Formation of a team is one of the most essential process to gather the most intellectual and talented members. As the academic theories anticipates that for a successful team formation it is essential to go through specially designed programs that last 12-24 months (Eppler & Sukowski, 2000). Availability of time was the major cons traint to form a perfect team but still I was able to form a team that was ready to work together towards the achievement of desired goals and objectives. As indicated by Lennox (2001) that an effective team could significantly change the direction of the organisation and to make this happen my team members trusted each other and motivated one another to keep moving forward till the completion of tasks. The second important process for effective team is its development (San Martin-Rodriguez, Beaulieu, D'Amour, & Ferrada-Videla, 2005). For the development of an effective team we adopted and followed Tuckman’s theory of team development (Mullins, 2008. My team experienced all five stages of team development i.e. forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (Reilly & Jones, 2008). At the forming stage, team members introduced themselves to one another which led to the evaluation of common interest. This introduction also helped the members of the team to establish their preferences and dislikes towards others in the team. Since, each member of the team had unique skills and talents they distributed their roles according to the resources that each members had access to rather than by votes or any other formal process. Shortly after the determination of roles and responsibilities my team established common practices of behavior. This establishment of common practices helped the team to work together and helped the team members to eliminate all the discriminating factors that could affect the performance of my team. In order to communicate with one another, my team members selected English as the primary language as all the members of my team was aware of this language. The storming phase was the most difficult phase for my team as each member was trying to force their ideas and opinions. In order to resolve such intense discussion, I offered my team with a solution i.e. to hear what was being proposed by each team member and vote would decide regard ing the selection of idea. As a result of such decision, my team was able to work effectively but the disadvantage with such decision was that it took quite some time but in the end, the team was once again on the same platform. My team members appreciated each idea even though they had totally opposite ones but this allowed the members of my

Individual assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Individual assignment - Essay Example The later part of the study would encompass recommended strategies for bringing forth improvement in certain areas. Caring Hotel is located in Craven Hill Gardens, London. This hotel is easily accessible by guests due to its location. It can be visited with friends and family. Staff members of this hotel are warm and helpful. Guests are attended properly and efforts are made to deliver desirable service quality to visitors. However the management has not taken active measures to provide best amenities in hotel rooms. Often guests find it difficult to stay in such hotel rooms which lack basic amenities. Tripadvisor reviews also states that there is inappropriate management of daily operations. Waiting time in queue is comparatively longer than other budgeted hotels. Delay in check-in tends to decrease customer satisfaction level. Guests have been witnessed to spend their maximum time on the reception. The rooms of Caring Hotel are quite spacious and this aspect is appreciated by all visitors staying in this hotel. Management has implemented best techniques in terms of designing proper interiors an d sustaining traditions or cultural values. There are many individuals who travel to London for business purpose or to spend a vacation with their family. In such circumstances, it becomes problematic to stay in luxury hotels since overall expenditure would drastically increase. Budgeted hotels like Caring Hotel is a suitable option for all those individuals either travelling for business purpose or for a small vacation with family (TripAdvisor LLC, 2015). Caring Hotel is a well-known budgeted hotel, situated in one of the best locations in London. The hotel charges fair value and keeps its premises or rooms clean so as to enhance customer satisfaction level. This hotel is operating in a highly competitive segment. Budget hotels are more in number in current scenario. This

Post-colonial literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Post-colonial literature - Essay Example He grew up in Leeds, England, and read English at Queen's College, Oxford. He is the author of six novels, several books of non-fiction and has written for film, theatre, radio and television. Much of his writing - both fiction and non-fiction - has focused on the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade and its consequences for the African Diaspora. John Maxwell Coetzee, 1940, South African novelist, b. John Michael Coetzee. Educated at the Univ. of Cape Town (M.A. 1963) and the Univ. of Texas (Ph.D. 1969), he taught in the United States and returned home (1983) to become a professor of English literature at Cape Town. He immigrated to Australia in 2002. Several of Coetzee's novels are noted for their eloquent protest against political and social conditions in South Africa, particularly the suffering caused by imperialism, apartheid, and postapartheid violence. His books are also known for their technical virtuosity. Crossing the river has to do with black people fighting for their freedom. It has to do with slavery and the differences between black and white. That is what the book is about of course only the writer creates different situations in each separate story, which makes it more interesting to read, but it also shows the different aspects of 'crossing the river'. In the introduction to the story the so-called 'father' tells the reader about how he sold his three children: Nash, Martha and Travis. (A desperate foolishness. The crops failed. I sold my children.). This statement of the writer has a confusing meaning. Question would arise who is taking Why does someone do such a thing To others it is not acceptable but the explanation of the person delivering this statement can be understood as we go along with this literature. The first story is titled 'The Pagan Coast'. The story is about Nash. Nash Williams is a very loyal slave. His master is Edward Williams and he is a very generous master. Edward Williams, too, is guilt-ridden. At age 29, he inherits his father's estate, including 300 slaves. Concerned to still his conscience, Williams educates them and trains the best and brightest to become missionaries. He also displays an "excess of affection" for his young male slaves, especially to Nash Williams who calls Edward "Father," signing let ters from Liberia, "Your son." (J. Griffin). He made it possible for all his slaves to get an education. There are some slaves who are complaining of for the unfair treatment to them by Williams. This is the reason that most slaves wanted to break free and 'cross the river' is that they were treated so terribly. With Nash it was different. He was treated very well,

UK supermarket sector is an oligopoly. Critically evaluate this Essay

UK supermarket sector is an oligopoly. Critically evaluate this statement - Essay Example Their trade was valued approximately at ?76.78 billion in the year 2000 and had increased by 4.5% over the years (Tyler, 2011). In this study, the discussion will critically evaluate the citation that UK supermarket sector is an oligopoly. For this purpose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons and Safeway will be included in the study since they are the top five supermarket chains. The Oligopoly Market According to Investopedia, â€Å"An oligopoly is much like a monopoly, in which only one company exerts control over most of a market. In an oligopoly, there are at least two firms controlling the market† (Investopedia, 2011). In the UK supermarket there are mainly three big companies that operate and control the market. These are Tesco, Sainsbury’s and ASDA. Its presence is also felt in the European market as most of the supplies of the supermarket are through these companies. The oligopoly market structure is such that there are few sellers, who control the market . Unlike the monopolistic competition, perfect competition and monopoly market, the oligopoly requires to think strategically. In oligopoly, the sellers are huge enough to have an influential affect upon the market. A seller needs to respond to its competitors’ choices, but the competitors are countering to the sellers’ choices. For instance, when Tesco responds towards the choice of Sainsbury’s, at the same time Sainsbury’s reacts to the choices of Tesco in the UK market (Ohio State University, 2000). In the oligopoly markets, there are tensions in relation to cooperation as well as self-interest in the companies such as Tesco, ASDA & Sainsbury’s in the UK. If all these companies limit their productivity, it will affect the prices that will tend to be high, but then there are possibilities of the companies to have an incentive to expand their output (Ohio State University, 2000). Strategic Decision in the Oligopoly Market The strategic decision is crucial in the case of firms that are interdependent. In the UK market’s supermarket sector Tesco, Sainsbury’s and ASDA are interdependent as they control the market in this segment. They cannot act independently; consequently they have to take into consideration the likely responses of the competitor in order to make any kind of alteration in the pricing and non-pricing activities. They develop the strategies based upon the probable reaction of the rivals (Economics Online, 2011). In the UK supermarket, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and ASDA need to decide strategically in certain aspects of the market that are listed below: Competition Strategic Decision The firms need to strategically decide whether to compete with the competitors or join together. It is tough to decide as a prediction made by the firms against the decision made by the rivals might turn out to be wrong (Economics Online, 2011). Pricing Decision The firms need to strategically decide whether to increase or decrease the price or to keep it at constant. It is difficult for the firms to decide. They generally undertake the

The food industry in the United State Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The food industry in the United State - Essay Example Moreover, the rest of the world has already recognized the need to put labels on all products that contain genetically modified organisms and implemented the corresponding legislations. Subsequently, there is a sufficient ground to consider the lack of GMO labels as a serious problem of the modern food industry that demands immediate and effective solutions to preserve safety and rights of the general population. To start with, the issue of GMO labelling should be viewed as a national concern since it touches upon all Americans rather than some particular group. For instance, since the massive production of GMO foods was launched in 90s, they gradually took the great share of the market and, today, constitute the prevailing majority of all the available products. Namely, near 70 percent of all processed food that are sold on the territory of the United States contain genetically engineered ingredients as well as the majority of the crops sold throughout the country are genetically modified. (Dahl 359-361) According to Louise Chu, more than â€Å"88 percent of all corn and 94 percent of soybeans† are genetically modified. (Chu) It follows that people are left without any option apart from consuming products remaining unaware of what they are actually paying for. Subsequently, it seems irrelevant that people are not given the opportunity to learn about the genetically engineered ingredi ents that were added to the product together with all the rest information put on a label. As a result, it is possible to regard the absence of GMO labelling laws as a direct violation of people’s rights to know what they are buying and consuming. Moreover, the seriousness of the discussed problem is reinforced by the fact that GMO products are potentially harmful for the health of people. Firstly, the overall range of possible effects

Lab Report On Sensory Threshold Essay Example for Free

Lab Report On Sensory Threshold Essay Lab report on Sensory Threshold In this lab the purpose is to test the sensory threshold of a human body. To say it in terms that are easier to understand, we are testing how accurate certain points are on a body with response to touch. We are using three points on the body, the forearm, palm, and index finger. With these three points we will be testing to see how sensitive each point on the body is by measuring the distance of which we can feel one or two points. The part of the brain that allows us to feel, the somatosensory cortex, is mapped out in relation to which parts of the body it processes its touch. Parts of our bodies have different densities of pressure receptors, the densities of these receptors correlates to the amount of brain tissue devoted to processing the somatosensory information. The face for example has a high densities of pressure therefor the somatosensory cortex has a large amount of area for the face, compared to the leg that doesnt have as much pressure receptors, and therefore uses a small area of the somatosensory cortex. (See illustration Fig. 511) With this information about how touch relates to the somatosensory cortex I expect that the index finger will be the point where we are the most sensitive then the palm followed by the forearm. The index finger should be able to detect the smallest distance between pokers than the palm or the forearm. To test the threshold of the human body we took a divider with two sharp points on the end of it. With the pointer we were able to set it to different measurements. We used measurements from .25 centimeters to 4 centimeters with an increment of .25 centimeters. After me measured the distanced out we taped the individual with the point, set to a certain distance, on either ; the forearm, palm, or index finger. The individual then had to decide wether we poke them with ether one or two points. Every once and a while we would tap the individual with one point so that they wouldnt be able to just guess that we were using two points. To keep everything on track we chose one side to do the testing on, and varied the distance of the pointer throughout the experiment and also the location of the tap. After conducting this experiment we compiled all of the data from every PSY  201 lab class and averaged the results together to give us a larger testing group. With the data we took the average of the percent correct for each distance for each position on the body. (see fig 1.1 From the data we noticed that the index finger had the greatest sensitivity with 67% of the answers were correct at .25 centimeters. The forearm seemed to be the next sensitive at .25 centimeters with 22% answering correct. The palm seemed to be the least sensitive at the smallest distance, .25 centimeters, with only 18% getting it correct. In the smallest distance there seems to be some what of a deviation from what the rest of the data states, because in the rest of the data the palm seems to be more sensitive with the percents being higher with correct answers, so it seems that the palm is more sensitive than the forearm. As the distance of the pointers increased so did the percent of correct answers, with a larger pint it seems as though it is easier to distinguish between on and two points. The index finger started to reach 100% correct at the distance of 1.75 centimeters, compared to the palm obtaining 100% correctness at 2.5 centimeters and the highest that the forearm ever got was 78% correct at 4 centimeters. This data seems to show the relation to he area of the brain tissue used in the somatosensory cortex does relate to the sensitivity of a particular area. The finger has the largest area then the palm has the second most area followed by the forearm with the least area amount. This experiment happened as I thought it would with the finger being able to detect the smallest distance followed by the palm and then the forearm. The index finger data shows that it was able to detect a tap from two points at a distance of .25 centimeters apart 67% of the time that is a very good strong average proving that it is the most sensitive of the three. In the .25 distance for the palm the average was only 18% correct, yet when tested with a poker with a distance of .5 centimeters the average percent correct jumped up to 40%. It seem as tough there was an error at this distance for the palm perhaps both pointers didnt hit or even the tester might not of taped them good enough. This large of a jump deviates to much compared to the next increment to be correct. The rest of the percents seem to rise a little as the size goes up by around 2% to 18% seeming like they are a  normal jump. Just as I predicted the forearm is the least sensitive of the three, it never reached 100% at any distance and the numbers didnt get very high relaying that it is the least sensitive. In my graphs you will notice a trend, that as the distance of the pokers increases so does the percent correct.(fig 1.2-1.4) This is because by increasing the distance between the pokers your touching the same pressure receptors and so they translate easier wether it was one or two. Also the percents were the highest for the Index finger followed by the palm and then the forearm and the greater sensitivity relates back to the area used in the somatosensory cortex. Perhaps to better test the points on the body we could use a smaller distance an see how small of a distance the index finger can notice this would give us a better idea how sensitive the fingers are. This data compile d from our experiment helps to support the idea that the more sensitive parts of our body use more brain tissue in the somatosensory cortex.

Federal programs Essay Example for Free

Federal programs Essay Throughout the twentieth century, Congress has established a great number of federal programs administered by agencies within the Executive Branch. Through this process of a wide-ranging allocation of authority to the executive Branch, Congress has assisted in creating a massive Federal Bureaucracy. The relationship of Congress to the Executive Branch today must therefore be seen in terms of its relation to this Bureaucracy, as well as its relation to the Presidency. In order to gain some control over the operations of the various agencies which had been established within the Executive Branch, in 1946 congress began to develop a sequence of configurations and procedures designed to manage the Administration. This process was also known as congressional oversight. There are several methods through which congressional misunderstanding operations take place: the committee process, congressional administrative offices, casework, as well as a number of administrative practices. Where the congressional oversight functions take place, there are three types of committees: authorizations committees, appropriations committees, and governmental operations committees. The first type of committee is the functional committee which initially establishes or authorizes the program or agency. In the case of a military program, this would be the Armed Services Committees in both chambers. ‘In the case of an urban program, this would be the Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee in the House and the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in the Senate. Similarly, each program area within the Federal Bureaucracy is related to at least one specific substantive standing committee in each chamber of Congress. ’ (Issa, 2011) In attempting to follow the oversight activities through these authorization committees, a number of complications are often encountered. One of these is the result from the fact that a particular governmental agency may fall within the authority of several different practical committees or subcommittees. As a result, the agency may play ‘one committee or subcommittee against the other in order to achieve those results in Congress which tend to benefit the agency the most. (Office of The Law Revision Counsel, 2012) Another problem is that a committee which establishes a program is often too involved with the outcome of its own efforts to be willing to investigate adequately the operations of the program it has initiated. One of the most substantial places where an amount of oversight activity takes place is in the appropriations process. The budget for an agency must be approved anew each year. ’ One might assume that this yearly appropriations process would lead to a careful annual inspection of the budgets of all the various governmental agencies. (Issa, 2011) This is not the case. The federal budget is so great and compound that it is impossible to consider carefully the budget of each agency and program on a year-to-year basis. What happens instead is that budgets are often routinely approved from year to year with general reviews only occurring sporadically. In addition, many agencies develop quite close relationships with the subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees which spe cifically deal with their agency. These agencies are therefore often able to abstract some special favors from these particular appropriations subcommittees. The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Governmental Reform were initially established to manage congressional concern over governmental processes. Thus, many see these committees as an ideal place for maintaining congressional observation over the activities of the vast Bureaucracy located within the Executive Branch. However, because of jurisdictional differences and because of the hesitancy of most representatives and senators to provide for satisfactory independent oversight activities, the efforts of these governmental operations committees have been quite restricted. The three administrative offices within Congress are used to some extent in the congressional oversight process. The General Accounting Office, The GAO has the accountability, not simply for performing accounting audits, but also for judging how various programs are being managed. In other words, the GAO often performs the task of program assessment. The GAO plays a significant role in congressional oversight. The Congressional Research Service, while preparing reports and studies to assist members of Congress, the CRS sometimes includes some information on the activities and routines of various governmental agencies. This is another important source of oversight information for members of Congress. The Congressional Budget Office gathers information on the budgets of the various governmental agencies and to report on new budgetary requirements and propositions that are made through the Executive Branchs Office of Management and Budget. Budgetary information is an extremely important source of data upon which the various congressional committees can judge the effectiveness of specific governmental programs. Granting, the information gathered by the CBO may seem to permit for substantial congressional oversight, the fact is that it is the agencies that often use this informational link for their own purposes in pursuing their requests for additional funding directly to the congressional committee, instead of directing all their communications through the OMB. This short circuits the use of the OMB as one of the Presidents management tools. Efficiency, from an overall standpoint, we can see that these three congressional offices. The General Accounting Office, the Congressional Research Services, and the Congressional Budget Office combined with the staffs of individual congresspersons and senators and the staffs of congressional committees are able to supply our national legislators with vast amounts of information and evaluations of governmental activities. ‘In fact, the United States Congress has available to it one of the most extensive research staffs of any national legislature in the world. ’ (Issa, 2011) Nevertheless, the availability of information and study alone is not sufficient for effective congressional oversight. The desire to follow through on this available information is another necessary ingredient and it is this ingredient which is often lacking. Many times congressional oversight is limited by the worries of various congressional committees and subcommittees over their particular jurisdictions and in a substantial number of instances, the burdens of organized special interests also interfere with the ability or wishes of members of Congress to significantly oversee governmental operations. Aside from these problems, there are also the boundaries of time. Congresspersons are loaded with extremely dense schedules. They have a large number of often conflicting responsibilities to perform. Representatives and senators must therefore place priorities on the use of their time. Often oversight activities lose in this shamble of priorities to legislative activities, to the creation of new programs to deal with current problems, and to casework concerns. Representatives and senators, themselves, do not usually become directly involved in much casework or fundamental services. It is their staff that deals with these matters. However, representatives and senators are usually informed by their staffs of many of these problems, and it is through these specific interactions that these legislators often get the most intense impression as to the effectiveness of many governmental programs. Casework thus provides an important source of direct, specific information which proves very useful in congressional oversight activities. Congress has also passed some major reforms and reconnoitered a number of major legislative techniques, many of which have had the effect of enlightening congressional oversight. Sunshine Laws. During the 1970s, Congress attempted to open up many facets of governmental operations to the general public. This was done through the Freedom of Information Act and the Government in Sunshine Act. By making information more broadly available to the public, these acts also increase the amount of information available to Congress. The Congressional Veto. Very often Congress passes rather broad pieces of legislation. It is then up to specific agencies to fill in the details of these laws, both with regard to the building of governmental agencies and the processes which they follow. One might note for example that while Congress passes general tax laws, the details of the regulations regarding the payment of federal taxes is to be found not in the tax law itself but rather in the Internal Revenue Code which is developed by the Internal Revenue Service, which is an executive agency. The problem that were presented by the executive agencies developing a great many regulations or codes is that the only way Congress is able to affect these details is through the passage of new legislative acts. As we have seen, this is often a burdensome and prolonged process. In order to avoid this, Congress now writes into some authorization bills requirements for a congressional veto. According to this procedure, when an agency disseminates rules filling in the details of congressional legislation, Congress automatically has the power within a specific time period to veto some of these rules and to demand that the agency fill in the details in a different way. The important thing is that Congress can do this without having to go through the process of passing a new law. Although this procedure is rarely used, it does offer the prospective for a far greater legislative control over the procedures by which the Bureaucracy operates. Sunset Legislation. In starting governmental programs or agencies, Congress usually sets no time limit on the functioning of the program or agency. Since the 1970s, a practice developed by which Congress authorizes the existence of a program or agency for only a inadequate amount of time. In other words, Congress specifies a date by which the agency or program will conclude to function. In order for the agency to continue its operations after that time, a new bill must be passed allowing its continued existence for another specified period of time. This practice is obviously intended to avert the continued existence of agencies or programs which no longer meet a legitimate need or which fail to meet a legitimate need effectively. A dissimilarity on sunset legislation is the procedure of annual authorization. According to this procedure, the continued existence of governmental agency must be approved on a year-to-year basis. While this practice obviously creates tremendous difficulties in the ability of such an agency to engage in long-term planning, it does suggestively increase the potential effectiveness of congressional control. ‘Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB). Zero Based Budgeting is a technique through which administrators must carefully justify their entire agencies budgets. Zero based budgeting requires a continual top-to-bottom assessment of all agencies programs designed to insure their cost effectiveness. ’ (Issa, 2011) We can see that many structures and techniques have been developed to allow Congress to be more effective in its oversight activities. However, jurisdictional disputes and pressures from various well organized special interests continue to prevent these new techniques and sources of information from being used effectively. In many occurrences, the actual nature and effect of government policy depends less on the actions of our elected officials than it does on the activities of non-elected bureaucrats who often remain totally immune from the pressures of the general publicalthough not necessarily from those of well-organized special interests. One of the major political issues determining our national future is the question of how well our government is able to represent effectively the needs and desires of the American people. As we have noted, the role of Congress as a representative of the people was one of the most important functions of this first branch of government envisioned by the Founders when they drafted the Constitution. However, the many new needs which our national government has had to meet in this century have placed this role of representation under great stress.