International Trade and Globalization Essay Example

International Trade and Globalization Essay PART 1 GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT CHAPTER ONE Globalization Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to 1. Describe the process of globalization and how it affects markets and production. 2. Identify the two forces causing globalization to increase. 3. Summarize the evidence for each main argument in the globalization debate. 4. Identify the types of companies that participate in international business. 5. Describe the global business environment and identify its four main elements. A LOOK AT THIS CHAPTER This chapter de? es the scope of international business and introduces us to some of its most important topics. We begin by presenting globalization—describing its in? uence on markets and production and the forces behind its growth. Each main argument in the debate over globalization is also analyzed in detail. We then identify the key players in international business today. This chapter closes with a model that depicts international business as occurring within an integrated global business environment. A LOOK AHEAD Part 2, encompassing Chapters 2, 3, and 4, introduces us to different national business environments. Chapter 2 describes important cultural differences among nations. Chapter 3 examines different political and legal systems. And Chapter 4 presents the world’s various economic systems and issues surrounding economic development. 24 Emirates’ Global Impact DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The Emirates Group, founded in 1985 and headquartered in Dubai, is one of the world’s leading commercial air transportation service providers. Emirates has built up a strong brand name as a leader in the aviation industry, particularly in terms of its excellent customer service and its very rapid growth. It provides passenger, cargo, and postal carriage services to approximately 100 destinations worldwide. The company is also involved in the wholesale and retail of consumer goods, in-? ight and institutional catering, holiday services, and hotel operations in Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, Africa, Asia, Australasia, and North America. The Group’s operations are global in many ways. Emirates is renowned for its excellent customer service, but how does it attract new customers and keep current customers happy when it operates worldwide in many different countries and cultures? We will write a custom essay sample on International Trade and Globalization specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on International Trade and Globalization specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on International Trade and Globalization specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The answer is that global customers need global services too. If you visit Emirates’ Web site (see www. emirates. com) you will see it has multi-language booking services, customized in-? ight entertainment and provides international food and drink during the ? ight. Furthermore, Emirates Group employs about 50,000 people, and it’s interesting to note that its cabin crew is highly diverse in terms of nationality, religion, and languages. In fact, the group operates a global recruitment process, and its staff, from cabin crew to engineers, comes from all over the world. As you read this chapter, consider how globalization is reshaping our personal lives and altering the activities of international companies. 1 Source:  © Mccarthystudio/ Dreamstime. 25 26 PART 1 †¢ GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT G lobalization is reshaping our lives and leading us into uncharted territory. As new technologies drive down the cost of global communication and travel, we are increasingly exposed to the traits and practices of other cultures. As countries reduce barriers to trade and investment, globalization forces their industries to grow more competitive if they are to survive. And as ultinationals from advanced countries and emerging markets seek out customers, competition intensifies on a global scale. These new realities of international business are altering our cultures and transforming the way companies do business. International Business Involves Us All The dynamic nature of international business affects each of us personally. In our daily communications, w e encounter terms such as outsourcing, emerging markets, competitive advantage, sustainability, and social responsibility. And each of us experiences the result of dozens of international transactions every day. The General Electric alarm clock/radio (www. ge. com) that woke you was likely made in China. The breaking news buzzing in your ears was produced by Britain’s BBC radio (www. bbc. co. uk). You slip on your Adidas sandals (www. adidas. com) made in Indonesia, Abercrombie Fitch T-shirt (www. abercrombie. com) made in the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Eagle jeans (www. ae. com) made in Mexico. You pull the charger off your Nokia phone (www. nokia. com), which was designed in Finland and manufactured in the United States with parts from Taiwan, and head out the door. You hop into your Korean Hyundai (www. hmmausa. com) that was made in Alabama, and pop in a CD performed by the English band Coldplay (www. coldplay. com). You swing by the local Starbucks (www. starbucks. com) to charge your own batteries with coffee brewed from a blend of beans harvested in Colombia and Ethiopia. Your day is just one hour old, but in a way you’ve already taken a virtual trip around the world. A quick glance at the â€Å"Made in† tags on your jacket, backpack, watch, wallet, or other items with you right now will demonstrate the pervasiveness of international business transactions. International business is any commercial transaction that crosses the borders of two or more nations. You don’t have to set foot outside a small town to ? nd evidence of international business. No matter where you live, you’ll be surrounded by imports—goods and services purchased abroad and brought into a country. Your counterparts around the world will undoubtedly spend some part of their day using your nation’s exports—goods and services sold abroad and sent out of a country. Every year, all the nations of the world export goods and services worth nearly $15 trillion. That ? ure is around 40 times the annual global revenue of Wal-Mart Stores (www. walmart. com). international business Commercial transaction that crosses the borders of two or more nations. imports Goods and services purchased abroad and brought into a country. exports Goods and services sold abroad and sent out of a country. Technology Makes It Possible Technology is perhaps the mo st remarkable facilitator of societal and commercial changes today. Consumers use technology to reach out to the world on the Internet—gathering and sending information and purchasing all kinds of goods and services. Companies use technology to acquire materials and products from distant lands and to sell goods and services abroad. When businesses or consumers use technology to conduct transactions, they engage in e-business (e-commerce)—the use of computer networks to purchase, sell, or exchange products; service customers; and collaborate with partners. E-business is making it easier for companies to make their products abroad, not simply import and export ? nished goods. Consider how Hewlett-Packard (HP) (www. hp. com) designed and built a computer server for small businesses. Once HP identi? d the need for a new low-cost computer server, it seized the rewards of globalization. HP dispersed its design and production activities throughout a specialized manufacturing system across ? ve Paci? c Rim nations and India. This helped the company minimize labor costs, taxes, and shipping delays yet maximize productivity when designing, building, and distributing its new product. Companies use su ch innovative production and distribution techniques to squeeze inef? ciencies out of their international operations and boost their competitiveness. e-business (e-commerce) Use of computer networks to purchase, sell, or exchange products; service customers; and collaborate with partners. CHAPTER 1 †¢ GLOBALIZATION 27 Workers at a factory in Indonesia inspect electronic parts bound for global markets. Today, companies can go almost anywhere in the world to tap into local expertise and favorable business climates. For example, U. S. businesses exploit technology by subcontracting work to Chinese companies that write computer software code and then e-mail their end-product to the U. S. clients. In this way, companies can lower costs, increase ef? ciency, and grow more competitive. In what other ways might technology and global talent facilitate international business activity? Source: AFP Photo/Bob Low/Newscom. Global Talent Makes It Happen Media companies today commonly engage in a practice best described as a global relay race. Fox and NBC Universal created Hulu (www. hulu. com), one competitor of YouTube, as a cool venue for fans to watch TV shows online. Hulu employs two technical teams—one in the United States and one in China—to manage its Web site. Members of the team in Santa Monica, California, work late into the night detailing code speci? cations that it sends to the team in Beijing, China. The Chinese team then writes the code and sends it back to Santa Monica before the U. S. team gets to work in the morning. 2 Some innovative companies use online competitions to tap global talent. InnoCentive (www. innocentive. com) connects companies and institutions seeking solutions to difficult problems using a global network of more than 145,000 creative thinkers. These engineers, scientists, inventors, and businesspeople with expertise in life sciences, engineering, chemistry, math, computer science, and entrepreneurship compete to solve some of the world’s toughest problems in return for significant financial awards. InnoCentive is open to anyone, is available in seven languages, and pays cash awards that range from as little as $2,000 to as much as $1 million. 3 This chapter begins by presenting globalization—we describe its powerful in? uence on markets and production and explain the forces behind its expansion. Following coverage of each main point in the debate over globalization, we examine the key players in international business. We then explain why international business is special by presenting the dynamic, integrated global business environment. Finally, the appendix at the end of this chapter contains a world atlas to be used as a primer for this chapter’s discussion and as a reference throughout the remainder of the book. Quick Study 1. De? ne the term international business, and explain how it affects each of us. 2. What do we mean by the terms imports and exports? 3. Explain how e-business (e-commerce) is affecting international business. 28 PART 1 †¢ GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Globalization globalization Trend toward greater economic, cultural, political, and technological interdependence among national institutions and economies. Although nations historically retained absolute control over the products, people, and capital crossing their borders, economies are becoming increasingly intertwined. Globalization is the trend toward greater economic, cultural, political, and technological interdependence among national institutions and economies. Globalization is a trend characterized by denationalization (national boundaries becoming less relevant) and is different from internationalization (entities cooperating across national boundaries). The greater interdependence that globalization is causing means an increasingly freer ? w of goods, services, money, people, and ideas across national borders. As its de? nition implies, globalization involves much more than the expansion of trade and investment among nations. Globalization embraces concepts and theories from political science, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy as well as economics. As such, it is not a term exclusively reserved for multinational corpora tions and international ? nancial institutions. Nor is globalization the exclusive domain of those with only altruistic or moral intentions. In fact, globalization has been described as going â€Å"well beyond the links that bind corporations, traders, ? nanciers, and central bankers. It provides a conduit not only for ideas but also for processes of coordination and cooperation used by terrorists, politicians, religious leaders, anti-globalization activists, and bureaucrats alike. †4 For our purposes, this discussion focuses on the business implications of globalization. Two areas of business in which globalization is having profound effects are the globalization of markets and production. Globalization of Markets Globalization of markets refers to convergence in buyer preferences in markets around the world. This trend is occurring in many product categories, including consumer goods, industrial products, and business services. Clothing retailer L. L. Bean (www. llbean. com), shoe producer Nike (www. nike. com), and electronics maker Sony (www. sony. com) are just a few companies that sell global products—products marketed in all countries essentially without any changes. For example, Apple’s iPad qualifies as a global product because of its highly standardized features and the company’s global marketing strategy and global brand. Global products and global competition characterize many industries and markets, including semiconductors (Intel, Philips), aircraft (Airbus, Boeing), construction equipment (Caterpillar, Mitsubishi), autos (Honda, Volkswagen), ? nancial services (Citicorp, HSBC), air travel (Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines), accounting services (Ernst Young, KPM G), consumer goods (Procter Gamble, Unilever), and fast food (KFC, McDonald’s). The globalization of markets is important to international business because of the bene? ts it offers companies. Let’s now look brie? y at each of these bene? s. REDUCES MARKETING COSTS Companies that sell global products can reduce costs by standardizing certain marketing activities. A company selling a global consumer good, such as shampoo, can make an identical product for the global market and then simply design different packaging to account for the language spoken in each market. Companies can achieve further cost savings by keeping an ad’s visual component the same for all markets but dubbing TV ads and translating print ads into local languages. CREATES NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES A company that sells a global product can explore pportunities abroad if the home market is small or becomes saturated. For example, China holds enormous potential for e-business with more than 400 mi llion Internet users, which is greater than the population of the entire United States. But while more than 70 percent of people in the United States actively surf the Web, just 30 percent of people in China do. So, the battle for market share in the Middle Kingdom is raging between the top two online search engines— Google (www. google. cn) and Yahoo! (www. cn. yahoo. com). Seeking sales growth abroad can be absolutely essential for an entrepreneur or small company that sells a global product but has a limited home market. CHAPTER 1 †¢ GLOBALIZATION 29 Ecstatic customers display their new iPads in Mexico City. The iPad is Apple’s (www. apple. com) ? rst tablet computer and a global success that excites style-lovers the world over. The iPad lets users surf the Web, write e-mail, ? ip through photos, and watch movies—all on a device that is only 0. 5 inches thick. Thousands of applications expand the iPad’s capabilities even further and more are creat ed daily. Apple standardized the iPad to reduce production and marketing costs and to support its powerful global brand. Source: STR/Newscom. LEVELS UNEVEN INCOME STREAMS A company that sells a product with universal, but sea- sonal, appeal can use international sales to level its income stream. By supplementing domestic sales with international sales, the company can reduce or eliminate wide variations in sales between seasons and steady its cash ? ow. For example, a ? rm that produces suntan and sunblock lotions can match product distribution with the summer seasons in the northern and outhern hemispheres in alternating fashion—thereby steadying its income from these global, yet highly seasonal, products. YET LOCAL NEEDS ARE IMPORTANT Despite the potential bene? ts of global markets, managers must constantly monitor the match between the ? rm’s products and markets to not overlook the needs of buyers. The bene? t of serving customers with an adapted product may outweigh the ben e? t of a standardized one. For instance, soft drinks, fast food, and other consumer goods are global products that continue to penetrate markets around the world. But sometimes these products require small modi? cations to better suit local tastes. In southern Japan, Coca-Cola (www. cocacola. com) sweetens its traditional formula to compete with sweeter-tasting Pepsi (www. pepsi. com). In India, where cows are sacred and the consumption of beef is taboo, McDonald’s (www. mcdonalds. com) markets the â€Å"Maharaja Mac†Ã¢â‚¬â€two all-mutton patties on a sesame-seed bun with all the usual toppings. Globalization of Production Many production activities are also becoming global. Globalization of production refers to the dispersal of production activities to locations that help a company achieve its cost-minimization or quality-maximization objectives for a good or service. This includes the sourcing of key production inputs (such as raw materials or products for assembly) as well as the international outsourcing of services. Let’s now explore the bene? ts that companies obtain from the globalization of production. ACCESS LOWER-COST WORKERS Global production activities allow companies to reduce overall production costs through access to low-cost labor. For decades, companies located their factories in low-wage nations to churn out all kinds of goods, including toys, small appliances, inexpensive electronics, and textiles. Yet whereas moving production to low-cost 30 PART 1 †¢ GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT locales traditionally meant production of goods almost exclusively, it increasingly applies to the production of services such as accounting and research. Although most services must be produced where they are consumed, some services can be performed at remote locations where labor costs are lower. Many European and U. S. businesses have moved their customer service and other nonessential operations to places as far away as India to slash costs by as much as 60 percent. ACCESS TECHNICAL EXPERTISE Companies also produce goods and services abroad to bene? t from technical know-how. Film Roman (www.? lmroman. com) produces the TV series The Simpsons, but it provides key poses and step-by-step frame directions to AKOM Production Company (www. akomkorea. com) in Seoul, South Korea. AKOM then ? lls in the remaining poses and links them into an animated whole. But there are bumps along the way, says animation director Mark Kirkland. In one middle-of-the-night phone call, Kirkland was explaining to the Koreans how to draw a shooting gun. They don’t allow guns in Korea; it’s against the law,† says Kirkland. â€Å"So they were calling me [asking]: ‘How does a gun work? ’† Kirkland and others put up with such cultural differences and phone calls at odd hours to tap a highly quali? ed pool of South Korean animators. 7 ACCESS PRODUCTION INPUTS Globalization of production allows companies to access re- sources that are unav ailable or more costly at home. The quest for natural resources draws many companies into international markets. Japan, for example, is a small, densely populated GLOBAL CHALLENGES Managing Security in the Age of Globalization n a lawsuit. The damaged reputation of Goldman Sachs following its $550 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (for its actions before and during the ? nancial meltdown on Wall Street) is estimated to have cost the ? rm nearly 40 percent ($6 billion) of its brand value in one year. †¢ The Challenge. Like the risks themselves, the challenges are also varied. First, companies should identify all potential risks to their facilities and develop a bestpractice property risk program. Second, employees should change passwords often, guard computers and mobile devices ith software patches, and return company-owned digital devices when leaving the ? rm. Third, as they come under ever-increasing scrutiny, companies should act ethically and w ithin the law to protect their reputations. †¢ Want to Know More? Visit leading risk consultancy Kroll (www. krollworldwide. com), leading Internet security ? rm Check Point Software Technologies (www. checkpoint. com), and Internet security agency CERT Coordination Center (www. cert. org). Sources: Douglas McIntyre, â€Å"The 10 Biggest Brand Disasters of 2010,† Daily Finance Web site (www. daily? nance. om), July 21, 2010; Erik Schatzker and Christine Harper, â€Å"Goldman Could Have Managed Reputational Risks Better, Cohn Says,† Bloomberg Businessweek (www. businessweek. com), July 1, 2010; The Risk/Earnings Ratio: New Perspectives for Achieving Bottom-Line Stabililty (Johnston, RI; FM Global, June 2010); An Introduction to the Business Model for Information Security (Rolling Meadows, IL: ISACA, 2009). The globalization of markets and production creates new challenges for companies. As well as the need to secure lengthy supply chains and distribution channels, companies must secure their facilities, information systems, and reputations. Facilities Risk. Careful planning and facilities assessment (around $12,000 for a midsized company; $1 million for a large ? rm) can be well worth the cost. Large companies with top-notch property risk management programs are said to produce more stable earnings. And companies practicing weak risk management experience 55 times greater risk of property loss due to ? re and 29 times greater risk of property loss caused by natural hazards. †¢ Information Risk. Computer viruses, software worms, malicious code, and cyber criminals cost companies around the world many billions of dollars each year. The usual suspects include disgruntled employees and dishonest competitors, but often are hackers who steal customers’ personal and ? nancial data that is then sold worldwide to the highest bidder. Upon quitting their jobs, some employees simply walk away with digital devices containing con? dential memos, competitive data, and private e-mails. †¢ Reputational Risk. News regarding the actions of today’s largest corporations spreads worldwide quickly. Reputational risk is anything that can harm a ? rm’s image, including accounting irregularities, product recalls, workers’ rights violations, and involvement CHAPTER 1 †¢ GLOBALIZATION 31 island nation with very few natural resources of its own—especially forests. But Japan’s largest paper company, Nippon Seishi, does more than simply import wood pulp. The company owns huge forests and corresponding processing facilities in Australia, Canada, and the United States. This gives the ? rm not only access to an essential resource but also control over earlier stages in the papermaking process. As a result, the company is guaranteed a steady ? ow of its key ingredient (wood pulp) that is less subject to swings in prices and supply associated with buying pulp on the open market. Likewise, to access cheaper energy resources used in manufacturing, a variety of Japanese ? rms are relocating production to China and Vietnam, where energy costs are lower. Despite its bene? ts, globalization also creates new risks and accentuates old ones for companies. To read about several key risks that globalization heightens and how companies can better manage them, see this chapter’s Global Challenges feature, titled â€Å"Managing Security in the Age of Globalization. † Quick Study 1. De? ne globalization. How does denationalization differ from internationalization? . List each bene? t a company might obtain from the globalization of markets. 3. How might a company bene? t from the globalization of production? Forces Driving Globalization Two main forces underlie the globalization of markets and production: falling barriers to trade and investment and technological innovation. These two features, more than anything else, are increasing competition among nations by leveling the global business playing field. Greater competition is simultaneously driving companies worldwide into more direct confrontation and cooperation. Local industries once isolated by time and distance are increasingly accessible to large international companies based many thousands of miles away. Some small and medium-sized local firms are compelled to cooperate with one another or with larger international firms to remain competitive. Other local businesses revitalize themselves in a bold attempt to survive the competitive onslaught. And on a global scale, consolidation is occurring in many industries as former competitors link up to challenge others on a worldwide basis. Let’s now explore in greater detail the pivotal roles of the two forces driving globalization. Falling Barriers to Trade and Investment In 1947, political leaders of 23 nations (12 developed and 11 developing economies) made history when they created the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)—a treaty designed to promote free trade by reducing both tariffs and nontariff barriers to international trade. Tariffs are essentially taxes levied on traded goods, and nontariff barriers are limits on the quantity of an imported product. The treaty was successful in its early years. After four decades, world merchandise trade had grown 20 times larger, and average tariffs had fallen from 40 percent to 5 percent. Signi? cant progress occurred again with a 1994 revision of the GATT treaty. Nations that had signed on to the treaty further reduced average tariffs on merchandise trade and lowered subsidies (government ? nancial support) for agricultural products. The treaty’s revision also clearly de? ned intellectual property rights—giving protection to copyrights (including computer programs, databases, sound recordings, and ? ms), trademarks and service marks, and patents (including trade secrets and know-how). A major ? aw of the original GATT was that it lacked the power to enforce world trade rules. Likely the greatest accomplishment of the 1994 revision was the creation of the World Trade Organization. WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the international organization that enforces the rules of international trade. The three main goals of the WTO (www. wto. org) are to help the free ? ow of trade, help negotiate the further opening of markets, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Treaty designed to promote free trade by reducing both tariffs and nontariff barriers to international trade. World Trade Organization (WTO) International organization that enforces the rules of international trade. 32 PART 1 †¢ GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT and settle trade disputes among its members. It is the power of the WTO to settle trade disputes that really sets it apart from its predecessor, the GATT. The various WTO agreements are essentially contracts between member nations that commit them to maintaining fair and open trade policies. Offenders must realign their trade policies according to WTO guidelines or face ? es and, perhaps, trade sanctions (penalties). Because of its ability to penalize offending nations, the WTO’s dispute settlement system truly is the spine of the global trading system. The WTO replaced the institution of GATT but absorbed all of the former GATT agreements. Thus, the GATT institution no longer of? cially exists. Today, the WTO recognize s 153 members and 30 â€Å"observer† members. The WTO launched a new round of negotiations in Doha, Qatar, in late 2001. The renewed negotiations were designed to lower trade barriers further and to help poor nations in particular. Agricultural subsidies that rich countries pay to their own farmers are worth $1 billion per day— more than six times the value of their combined aid budgets to poor nations. Because 70 percent of poor nations’ exports are agricultural products and textiles, wealthy nations had intended to further open these and other labor-intensive industries. Poor nations were encouraged to reduce tariffs among themselves and were to receive help in integrating themselves into the global trading system. Although the Doha round was to conclude by the end of 2004, negotiations are proceeding more slowly than was anticipated. REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS In addition to the WTO, smaller groups of nations are integrat- ing their economies as never before by fostering trade and boosting cross-border investment. For example, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) gathers three nations (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) into a free-trade bloc. The more ambitious European Union (EU ) combines 27 countries. The Asia Paci? c Economic Cooperation (APEC) consists of 21 member economies committed to creating a free-trade zone around the Paci? c. The aims of each of these smaller trade pacts are similar to those of the WTO but are regional in nature. Moreover, some nations are placing greater emphasis on regional pacts because of resistance to worldwide trade agreements. TRADE AND NATIONAL OUTPUT Together, the WTO agreements and regional pacts have gross domestic product (GDP) Value of all goods and services produced by a domestic economy over a one-year period. gross national product (GNP) Value of all goods and services produced by a country’s domestic and international activities over a one-year period. boosted world trade and cross-border investment signi? cantly. Trade theory tells us that openness to trade helps a nation to produce a greater amount of output. Map 1. 1 illustrates that growth in national output over a recent 10-year period is signi? cantly positive. Economic growth is greater in nations that have recently become more open to trade, such as China, India, and Russia, than it is in many other countries. Much of South America is also growing rapidly, while Africa’s experience is mixed. Let’s take a moment in our discussion to define a few terms that we will encounter time and again throughout this book. Gross domestic product (GDP) is the value of all goods and services produced by a domestic economy over a one-year period. GDP excludes a nation’s income generated from exports, imports, and the international operations of its companies. We can speak in terms of world GDP when we sum all individual nations’ GDP figures. GDP is a somewhat narrower figure than gross national product (GNP)—the value of all goods and services produced by a country’s domestic and international activities over a one-year period. A country’s GDP or GNP per capita is simply its GDP or GNP divided by its population. GDP or GNP per capita Nation’s GDP or GNP divided by its population. Technological Innovation Although falling barriers to trade and investment encourage globalization, technological innovation is accelerating its pace. Signi? cant advancements in information technology and transportation methods are making it easier, faster, and less costly to move data, goods, and equipment around the world. Let’s examine several innovations that have had a considerable impact on globalization. E-MAIL AND VIDEOCONFERENCING Operating across borders and time zones complicates the job of coordinating and controlling business activities. But technology can speed the ? w of information and ease the tasks of coordination and control. Electronic mail (e-mail) is an CHAPTER 1 †¢ GLOBALIZATION 33 indispensable tool that managers use to stay in contact with international operations an

buy custom The Human Epidermal Growth essay

buy custom The Human Epidermal Growth essay According to Slamon et al783 epidermal growth factor receptor that is present in human is a member the trans-membrane growth factor receptor. In the biology language it is encoded as HER2/neu. It is evident that in the United States alone about 25% to 30% of the breast cancers that are diagnosed, HER2 is highly present in these cases. These patients with the over-expressed HER2 exhibited an aggressive form of cancer that limits their level of survival. This is because the HER2 cells play a direct role in maraud the body along the pathogenic malignant cells that cause cancers. These revelations of the HER2 symbiotic relationship with the pathogenic cancerous cells provided researchers with the opportunity to investigate on a safe therapeutic agent that could be induced in the patients to offer alterations to this relationship between the HER2 and the cancerous cells. Research findings discovered that monoclonal antibodies that are produced in the body inhibit the growth of the HER2 cells that aid in over-expressing the malignant cancer cells. Therefore, these monoclonal cells could be used against them (Slamon et al784). These anti-HER2 monoclonal cells, popularly known as the rhuMAb HER2 were produced from the cloned human IgG framework and engineered towards ensuring that they were safe when used in cancer patients with the over-expressing HER2 cancer aiding cells. In order that the medical practitioners could be sure that the use of anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies could be clinically safe, test were undertaken on two trials. The first trial entailed the incorporation rhuMAb HER2 combined with chemotherapy in the patients and the second trial was based in chemotherapy alone. This research main objective was to find out the response rate and clinical safety of using the rhuMAb HER2 antibodies in treating the patients. After thorough scrutiny, the research concluded that the first trial as a form of treating was safe. Buy custom The Human Epidermal Growth essay

Types of Spanish Pronouns

Types of Spanish Pronouns Almost all of us like to take shortcuts, and thats one way to think about what pronouns are: In both Spanish and English, theyre usually a shorter and quicker way of referring to a noun. Common pronouns in English include he, she, what, that and yours, all of which usually would be replaced by longer words or more words if we didnt have the pronouns at our disposal. Spanish and English Pronouns Compared In general, pronouns in Spanish function much as they do in English. They can fulfill any role in a sentence that a noun can, and some of them vary in form depending on whether theyre used as a subject or an object. Probably the biggest difference is that in Spanish most pronouns have gender, whereas in English the only gendered pronouns are he, she, he, and him. If a pronoun has gender, it is the same as that of the noun to which it refers. (In English, gendered pronouns nearly always refer to people are animals, although it is possible to refer to a few personified objects by gender, such as when a ship or a nation is referred to as she instead of it.) In Spanish, there are also a few neuter pronouns that can be used to refer to an unknown object or to ideas or concepts. In the list of pronoun types below, be aware that many of the pronouns can have more than one translation, many English pronouns can have more than one Spanish equivalent, and not all pronouns are listed in the examples. For example, the English me can be translated as both me and mà ­, depending on the context, and the Spanish lo can be translated as him, or it. Not all Spanish pronouns are listed here, but enough to convey how others would be classified. Note also that many of these words that function as pronouns, particularly the indefinite and relative pronouns, can serve as other parts of speech. Types of Pronouns Pronouns can be classified as to how they are used, and all of these classifications apply to both Spanish and English. Note that some pronouns, such as me and ella, can be more than one type of pronoun. Subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence. Examples include yo (I), tà º (you), à ©l (he), ella (she), ellos (they), and ellas (they). Yo quiero salir. (I want to leave. I or yo replaces the name of the person speaking.) Demonstrative pronouns replace a noun while also pointing to it. Examples include à ©ste (this), à ©sta (this), à ©sa (that), and aquà ©llos (those). Note that many demonstrative pronouns have written or orthographic accents on the stressed vowel. Although such accents used to be considered mandatory, these days they are treated as optional if they can be omitted without causing confusion. Quiero à ©sta. I want this. (Ésta or this replaces the name of the object the speaker is referring to.) Verbal object pronouns functions as the object of a verb. Examples include lo  (him or it), la  (her or it), me (me), and los (them). Lo no puedo ver. (I cant see it. Lo or it replaces the name of the unseen object.) Reflexive pronouns are used when the direct object and the subject of a verb refer to the same person or thing. They are used much more in Spanish than in English. Examples include me (myself), te (yourself), and se (himself, herself, themselves). Juan se baà ±a. (John is bathing himself. John is the subject of the sentence, and he is performing the action of the verb on himself.) Prepositional object pronouns are used as objects of a preposition. Examples include mà ­ (me), ella (her), and nosotros (us). Raà ºl lo comprà ³ para nosotros. (Raà ºl bought it for us. Nosotros and us are the objects of the prepositions para and for, respectively.) Prepositional reflexive pronouns are used when the object of a preposition following a verb refers back to the verbs subject. Examples include mà ­ (myself) and sà ­ (himself, herself, itself, themselves). Marà ­a lo comprà ³ para sà ­ mismo. (Marà ­a bought it for herself. Sà ­ and herself are the objects of para and for, respectively, and refer back to Marà ­a, the sentences subject. Possessive pronouns refer to something owned or possessed by someone or something. Examples include mà ­o (mine), mà ­a (mine), mà ­os (mine), mà ­as (mine), and suyo (his, hers, theirs). La mà ­a es verde. Mine is green. (Mà ­a and mine refer to the object possessed. The feminine form in Spanish is used here because it refers to an object name that is feminine. The possessive pronouns in Spanish are usually preceded by el, la, los, or las, especially when they are subjects.) Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific people or things. Examples include algo (something), nadie (nobody), alguien (anybody), todo (all), todas (all), uno (one), unos (some), and ninguno (none). Nadie puede decir que su vida es perfecta. (Nobody can say his life is perfect.) Relative pronouns introduces a clause that gives more information about a noun or pronoun. Examples include que (that, which, who, whom), quien (who, whom), cuyo (whose), cuyas (whose), donde (where), and lo cual (which, that which). Nadie puede decir que su vida es perfecta. (Nobody can say that his life is perfect. The relative pronouns here are que and that. The clause su vida es perfecta gives more information about nadie.) Interrogative pronouns are used in questions. Examples include cul (what), quià ©n (what), and cundo (when). Spanish interrogative pronouns use an orthographic accent. Cul es tu problema? (What is your problem?)

English Literature Religion in the Parable of the Sower by Octavia Essay

English Literature Religion in the Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler - Essay Example In the novel, Lauren criticizes the American Christian tradition. Lauren, who is the daughter of a Baptist teacher, has lost faith in her father’s God, the God of Christianity. Her feelings are clear in the novel when she writes, â€Å"At least three years ago, my father’s God stopped being my God. His church stopped being my church† (Butler, page 7). According to Lauren, the Christian God is nonsensical regardless of the environmental and social problems. She, therefore, merges what she learnt from her biblical scripture as the truth due to her experiences of suffering, hatred, violence, and murder. Lauren’s way of thinking becomes understandable when she reflects on a storm that was raging in the Gulf of Mexico which claimed lives of hundreds of people. Lauren writes, â€Å"Is it God? Most of the dead are the street poor who have nowhere to go and who don’t hear the warnings until it’s too late for their feet to take them to safety. Whereà ¢â‚¬â„¢s the safety for them anyway? Is it a sin against God to be poor? We’re almost poor ourselves†¦.How will God my father’s God behave toward us when we’re poor (Butler, page 15)?† She inquires how the relations between poverty and suffering mirror her knowledge that it is the unfortunate who suffer most in her society. But she does not truly think there is a God in heaven that punishes the unfortunate. She considers the Christian God is just a justification for others’ poverty while others flourish. The blame for poverty and lots of suffering is put on God so that those in authority do not have to be accountable for it.Lauren continues with her criticism when she writes that the Book of Job â€Å"says more about my father’s God in particular and gods in general than anything else I’ve ever read† (Butler, page 16). Lauren summarizes the Book of Job as follows: â€Å"In the Book of Job, God says he made everything and h e knows everything so no one has any right to question what he does with any of it. Okay. That works.

Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Topic - Essay Example The paradigm can be categorized into two functional parts: information retrieval and information dissemination or exposure. CCN directly routes and delivers pieces of content at the packet level of the network, allowing automatic and application-neutral caching in memory wherever situated in the network (Karl, and Andreas 331). This yields to efficient and effective delivery of content when required. Given that the architecture allows caching effects as an automatic consequence of packet delivery, memory can be utilized without building costly application-level caching services. Why do we need content-centric networking (CCN)? CCN’s security model centers on explicitly securing the content itself rather than endpoints, whereby packets travelling across the network content can be safeguarded against from alteration, damage, or snooping from unauthorized parties. Name data networking or content-centric networking represents an alternative approach to the architecture of computer networks. CCN draws from the principle that a communication network ought to allow a user to focus on the data that one needs instead of having to reference an explicit, physical location where the data is to be retrieved (Wang, Chen, Zhou, and Qin 93). The modern internet architecture centers on a host-based conversation model generated to enable geographically distributed users to utilize a number of significant, immobile computers. The content-centric networking pursues to adapt the network architecture to match the present network usage patterns. Content-centric networking presents a broad range of benefits such as content caching to minimize congestion and enhance delivery speed. CCN also allows simpler configuration of network devices, besides building security into the network at the data level; nevertheless, the change of communication paradigm may present challenges for network activities such as real-time multimedia applications (Karl, and Andreas 332). Recent research ha s demonstrated that such applications may be feasible. Moreover, building content routers that back content-centric networking at high speed remains an open problem to crack. How it works Application-layer designs forms the basis of content-centric interface. This presents benefits such as easier deployment, improved flexible delivery, and effortless backwards compatibility. The present internet establishment features a tree of physical equipment to link streams of packets from any leaf to another. The present system can be regarded as efficient for communication, but not for distribution. The overall proposal of content-specific networking appreciates that a significant amount of information produced once, and then repeated numerous times. Hence, it is sensible to distribute the copying of any correlated activities into the networks’ tree of equipment. In most of the instances, significant storage exist, and could be utilized more efficiently in the event that it could recog nize certain content and only remain with one copy of it. The structure of the network equipment (tree shape) scales content delivery to match the size of the audience and minimize up-stream equipment to the minimum required to generate the content. CCN utilizes a practical data storage cache at every level of the network, which in turn, dramatically minimizes the transmission traffic,

CPT Literary Significance Notes Essay Example for Free

CPT Literary Significance Notes Essay Plot * Liesel, her mother and her brother Werner are all travelling on a train, to greet Werner’s and Liesels foster parents. * Liesel, illiterate has a dream o Adolf Hitler and speaks to him in broken German. * As she is half awake, Liesels brother dies, and there were two Nazi soldiers who argue on weather they leave the body there or take it with them. * Both Liesel and her mother are traumatized by his sudden death and 2 days later he is buried. * After the ceremony finishes Liesel digs at his grave but is dragged away by her mother, but before getting on another train Liesel steals a book she is unable to even read the title of. * She is taken to a place in Munich called Himmel -Heaven to meet Rosa and Hans Hubermann, her foster parents. * She refuses to meet or get out of the car with her suitcase that only contains her clothes and the book she stole from her brother’s gravesite. * The only person that manages to get her out of the care is her foster father. * Liesel feels abandoned by her mother, but understands that it’s better for her to live there and be protected from the poverty; she also learns that her father was a communist, but she doesn’t yet know the meaning of that word. * Liesels foster mother acts harshly upon her and calls her a pig girl when she refuses to bathe, but claims to loves her. * Her foster father, Hans develops a closer relationship with her and teaches her how to roll cigarettes. she starts calling them mama and papa * Liesel got terrible nightmares about her brother the first few months and was accompanied by Hans, who she kept the book hidden from. * She kept the book as a symbol reminding her the last time she saw her brother, and the last time she saw her mother. * Liesel is put in school but has to stay with a much younger grade, just learning the alphabet. When she turns ten she joins the Hitler Youth. * Liesel makes a friend names Rudy who stands up for her when other kids call her stupid. * They always pass Rudy’s fathers tailor shop and a street with broken homes with yellows stars (Star of David) on them. * Jesse Owens is a black runner Rudy is obsessed with, he colours himself black with charcoal and is dragged and lectured at home by his father, saying not to pretend to be black or Jewish because of the racist Nazis * Hans discovers the stolen book and agrees to teach her how to read, even though he himself is a poor reader. * Hans teaches Liesel every night, and continues to comfort her after her nightmares. * Liesel is later put into a class of her own level, but is not asked to perform same tasks because of her teacher, Sister Maria. * the whole class but Liesel is asked to read in front of the class, Liesel insists and is embarrassed in front of the whole class when she is unable to read and beaten by Sister Maria. * Liesel is made fun of by many students but get angry to a point where she beats Tommy and Ludwig up. She is upset about being called stupid and remembering her brother, Rudy walks her home and comforts her. | Character * Death- narrator * Liesel Meminger-(The book thief) a nine year old, steals books even though she doesn’t know how to read. Liesels love for words is incredible. Forced to move in with foster parents, because her mother is unable to keep her safe or take care of her needs. She is determined to be able to read and write. She doesn’t know what is actually happening around her, and the fact that the Nazis and Hitler are taking control and using their power for evil. * Hans Hubermann- Liesel papa, her foster father. She describes him as a very mellow and genuinely nice man, his kindness and gentleness is what makes Liesel close to him, we are told that he is the one that Liesel loves most. Protecting and helping others is what he does, he is a painter and used to be a part in the army. He doesn’t support Hitler or the Nazi but in order to protect his family and show loyalty to his people he applies for a membership multiple times. He is well known and like in the town but some people call him Jew lover He teaches Liesel how to read even though he himself is at 4th grade ability. He makes her feel safe and their relationship becomes very strong. * Rosa Hubermann- Liesels foster mother, her job is to do the ironing and washing for the wealthy people from the town, she is a very cold woman with a very foul mouth. Death tells us that even though she is very harsh towards her husband and Liesel she loves them both very much and deep inside actually has a very big and worm heart. * Rudy Steiner- Is one of Liesel very first and only true friend. He loves Liesel and stands up for her, he keeps her company and is able to cheer her up when she is down, just like how Hans is able to. He was also referred to as the boy who was obsessed with the black American athlete Jesse Owens. * Alex Steiner- Rudy’s father was a part of the Nazi part, only to protect his family. He had nothing against Jews, he found his son coloured black in order to represent Jesse Owens and gave him a lecture that he should be proud to be white, not black. an be proud that he has beautiful blonde hair and big blue eyes, and he should want to be like a black person or a Jew * Hans Junior and Trudy Hubermann- The Hubermanns children, Hans and his father don’t have a close relationship because he does not think his father tries hard enough to join the Nazi party which he supports greatly, and Trudy is a maid and babysitter for the wealthy. * Frau Holtzapel- A neighbour that spit on the Hubermanns door every time she walked past * Sister Maria- A halo surrounded the grim reaper nun beat Liesel for wanting to read in front of the class which she was unable to do, made fun and didn’t believe in Liesel. * | Theme Discrimination- Hitler effected and killed many people, Liesel did not know that, she was unaware of what was happening around her because she was so young, In their town all the Jews were getting their homes and stores shut down and taken away from them. Even if you didn’t support the Nazi party you would have to apply to it to protect your family and yourself from being questioned and killed.Jesse Owens had just completed the 4x100m relay and won his fourth gold medal. Talk that he was subhuman because he was black and Hitler’s refusal to shake his hand were touted around the world. Even the most racist Germans were amazed with the efforts of Owens. Love and Friendship-Liesel and her father bonded and she felt closest to him right away, she was sent to him and his wife because her mother was unable to take care of her, she was mad at her but understood that it was the right thing to do, her love for her mother and brother was indescribable, when her brother died it was as if her world had collapsed, she had constant nightmares about being at his grave site for a long time. Somewhere in all the snow, she could see her broken heart, in two pieces. Each half was glowing, and beating under all that white. | Style/ Literary Devices Discrimination-But you’ve got beautiful bond hair and big SAFE blue eyes, you should be happy with that, is that clear? Metaphor- Rudy’s dad was telling him he should be glad he is neither black nor Jewish, and be thankful that he has blond hair and blue eyes, Hitler’s preference that kept him safe.Love and Friendship-Like cigarettes and kerosene. Sitting in the water, she imagined the smell of it, mapped out on her papas clothes. More than anything, it was the smell of friendship, and she could find it on herself, too. Liesel loved that smell. She would sniff her arm and smile as the water cooled around her. Metaphor- Liesel loved her papa just as much as he loved her, his scent made her feel safe and she felt comfortable, she loved it. She knew that her papa would keep her safe and they would do anything for each other.|

Euthanasia is Moral Essay -- Argument for Euthanasia

Recent debates over active euthanasia, "killing" a terminally ill patient, in Holland, has raised the question whether euthanasia is immoral or a simple human right. Doctors seem to have no doubt. They made an oath. The definition of Euthanasia depends on whether it is active or passive. Active Euthanasia I only allowed in Holland, and it means that the doctor takes direct measures to put a patient to sleep, whereas passive Euthanasia only involves stopping pill consumption, or stopping treatment. In England, only passive Euthanasia is allowed. Euthanasia touches some of the deepest feelings in human beings. It is the power over life and death, and responsibilities no one wishes to take, have to be taken. This, of cause, leads to the ultimatum, that it is the patient's own choice. But can we allow some one to take their own lives? Doesn't this mean that everyone else around the patient has failed, that more could have been done? From the patient's point of view, a lot of arguments talk in favour of euthanasia. For one, no body wants to be a burden. If a person has had a car accident, which paralyses him from neck and down, and is doomed to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he knows that he will be 100% dependant on the ones that care for him, his lived ones, forever. It can also be mentioned that the life quality of a terminally ill patient, gets reduced a lot. Never being able to walk again, never being able to talk to your children again, never being able to go shopping, swimming, playing, driving etc. must be terrible for anyone. The whole situation only gets worse, if the patient himself can see that his condition is worsening, and only time keeps his thoughts clear. A third very importa... ... disease by killing the patient, as he believes. It allows the patient to die in peace with no suffering. Steve Forbes calls euthanasia barbaric (31). Isn't it far more barbaric to force someone to suffer rather than helping them to end their misery? Euthanasia is ethical, and physicians should be allowed to assist in it legally. My great-grandfather was terminally ill with cancer. He couldn't eat or sleep, he just laid there, constantly in pain. There was nothing they could do as far as cancer treatment, because his body was too old and weak. So, he suffered for almost 2 months, while we all watched him suffer more and more everyday as he lay there dying. He stated many times how he just wanted to die and didn't want to live anymore. But, we (society) forced him to suffer. This is something that should have never happened and should never happen again.

Recent Stock Market Crash and Government Initiatives

And Government Initiatives for stabilizing the market Dear Sir Here is the report on â€Å"Analysis of Recent Stock Market Crash and Government Initiatives for stabilizing the market† which I have prepared as the requirement of completion of the ABA degree and the course BUS 498, Project Work. While making the report I studied the reasons of stock market crash of Bangladesh during 2010-201 land government taken initiatives to stabilize the market situation. I have come to know a lot of things about the practical scenario of the capital market in Bangladesh.The whole experience of this report writing enabled me to bridge the AP between classroom learning in my academic study in the university and real life situations to a great extent. I thank you and the University for providing me such an opportunity. Sincerely yours, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT For helping to making this project, at first, I would like to thanks the Almighty and My parents. I am grateful to the employees of broker house s who helped me in collecting data and other necessary information for this report. I would also like to thank my friends and relatives for their supports.I would like to express my respected appreciation to my instructor Md. Zulu Haze. His constant guidance and advice played the pivotal role in making this report a success. He always gave me his suggestions that were crucial in making this report as flawless as possible. The project report is prepared to fulfill the partial requirement of the ABA program. Regarding the outcome of this report, I would like to express my sincere gratitude, profound thankfulness and indebtedness to my honorable teachers of the Department of Business Administration.I must take this opportunity to thank Dacha Stock Exchange for giving me the opportunity to complete my project requirement ND gave me the chance to show my practicability in the organizational arena. Executive Summery This report is about identifying the causes behind the recent collapse of capital market in 2010-2011 and government initiatives regarding that. To identify the causes and effective initiatives requires plenty of time and informational resources. Due to shortage of that the report highlights on the principal areas of the topic. The whole report is divided into six chapters covering their own respective parts of the topic.Chapter one Contains the detailed information about the recent market crash n 2010-2011 and government initiatives for stabilizing the market. The chapter includes several segments such as origin of the report, background, rationale of the report, objectives of the study, scope and limitations. It describes the background of the capital market in our country in details. Chapter two report revealed the methods used in collecting the objectives of the report which are the causes of the market crash and government initiatives regarding that. Primary and secondary data sources are used to complete this report.The chapter shared the direct op inion and ideas of he investors and informational data from Journals, paper articles and websites of the capital markets about the catastrophic incident of the capital market. The third chapter of the report provides an detailed description about the capital markets of Bangladesh and its history, Dacha stock exchange (DEEDS) and its missions, objectives and functions, Chitchatting stock exchange (CASE) and its vision, mission and objectives & an overview of Bangladesh securities and exchange commission (BASE) have been given consecutively.DEEDS is the present form of former east Pakistan stock exchange. It is the largest capital market of the country. CASE is known as the pioneer of modern capital stock exchange in the country. The mission DEEDS & CASE is to create a successful well-organized and transparent market of international standard to facilitate the competent entrepreneurs to raise capital and speed up industrial growth for overall benefit of the economy. So that Bangladesh can be a perfect investment ground for the domestic and foreign investors.The prime objective of the DEEDS & CASE is to create a nation-wide stock market also beyond the national boundary. The activities of DEEDS and CASE are regulated by the Bangladesh securities exchange omission. Beech's mission is to protect the interests of securities investors, developed and maintained fair, transparent and efficient securities markets, ensure proper issuance of securities and compliance with securities laws. This chapter discusses elaborately about these topics. Chapter four raises the detailed discussion about the capital market crash in 2010-2011.It highlights the December 2010 and January 2011 separately to explain the exact situation before, during and after the capital market collapse. There was an extreme disorder among the investors and law enforcers in the street. The government, regulatory bodies and BASE took immediate steps to minimize the losses of the investors and regain the st ability of the capital market. A committee of four members had been formed to find out the reasons behind the catastrophic incident.The committee submitted the report identifying the reasons which are role of market regulators and their employees, demutualization of exchanges, uniform face value of shares, trade in pre-pip placement, misuse of omnibus accounts, faulty asset revaluation, irregularities in book building method, lack of knowledge of small investor, December closing of financial institutions, serial ND artificial trading, issue of right and preference shares, suspicious transaction of top players, block placement and direct listing.The fifth chapter of the report explains the necessary steps taken by the government to overcome this recent catastrophe in stock market.In order to bring stabilization in the capital market government has taken some initiatives such as increasing the merging loans,relaxing the maximum limit of merchant banks investment starting netting syste m once again,altering mutual fund rules, introducing circuit breaker on the capital market index ,enforcing disciplinary measures against illegal activities,reviewing the transparency in transaction through Boo accounts etc. Chapter six consists of the recommendations which are stated to make the capital market more stable. He major recommendations are all the parties have to work perfectly, government can improve its guidelines for stock market, the decisions regarding the market should be taken considering behavioral psychology of the investors, in order to make the market more attractive, the corporate tax bracket can be lowered in order to encourage pompons to list their companies in the exchanges, the regulatory bodies' frequently changing policy and rules that is not good for the market stability, at the initial stages of stock market development, appropriation of state owned enterprises can make a signification contribution, regular TV and radio program should be made on deve lopments and other topics relating to the stock market to make the investors aware etc. The study has attempted to find out the major reasons for the recent stock market crash of Bangladesh in 2010-11 and role of different regulatory organizations including DEEDS, CASE, SEC and the government of the country. A number of reasons for the stock market crash have been identified. Though many causes were identified, few factors emerged stronger in the recent stock market crash.The causes includes over exposure of banks and financial institutions, poor monitoring of regulators, corrupted employees of regulatory organizations, margin loan, direct listing, insider trading, book building, lack of general investor's knowledge, imbalance of share and intervention of Bangladesh Bank. Other reasons, mentioned in discussion section were also liable for the crash. It also tries to suggest regulatory organizations to follow the recommendations to stabilize the capital market more efficiently.

Banking Industry Meltdown Essay

Determine which moral philosophy (as discussed in chapter 6) is most applicable to an understanding of the banking industry meltdown Moral philosophy in business is hard to classify, especially in today’s economic times where there are government bailouts, loss of paying jobs, home foreclosures and the horrible real estate market. The banking industries near complete collapse can be closely linked to the mortgage crisis that has hit the United States but there are deeper issues that have lead to the banking industry meltdown. The banks acted with an egoism moral philosophy which has sometimes been described like a loan sharking operation, just legal. The banks pay very little interest to its depositing members for interest bearing accounts like 1% or even less than that while at the same time charging 15% to 35% on credit card balances. They do this because there is no limit placed on interest rates that a bank can charge by the federal government. The banks feel this is right or acceptable behavior in terms of their individual financial institutions maximizing their own interest. Due to these financial instruments put in place by the banks and not think about the possible consequences they presented if consumers defaulted on these loans. The downfall was never even examined by the banks or its investors, and it came to catch up with them in 2008-2009 with the economic downturn. No one cared to think ahead, thinking they had a fool proof plan that couldn’t fail because the insurance policy derivatives presented. Banks and investors carried themselves with Ego that displayed they couldn’t fail. However, as the case revealed in 2008-2009 the housing market tumbled due to consumers not being able to make payment on their variable rate mortgages leaving the real estate market overheated. Since banks and investors made decisions that seemed to maximize their own self-interest they acted in an egoism moral philosophy manner. Analyze the case study and discern if the â€Å"white collar† crimes committed differ in any  substantive manner from other more â€Å"blue collar† crimes White-collar crimes are mainly defined as illicit acts perpetuated by a person with a high and respectable social statu s in the course of his or her profession or occupation. This is basically related to the social idea relating the concept of white-collar jobs to professional fields In the modern criminology field, white-collar crimes is defined and identified based under two basis and reference namely by the type of offense and the type of offender. The first reference involves acts related to property issues, economic aspect, law violations and others are considered as white-collar crimes as these cases involve professional degree and culture. The second is based from the type of offender wherein the social class and personal stature of the criminal are considered. Some of the common manifestations of this form of crime are fraud, bribery, computer crime, forgery, insider trading embezzlement, and others. â€Å"Blue collar crimes are looked at in the more traditional manner as acts that are mostly offensive and violent in a physical nature such as theft, harassment, and murder. In this case derivatives were the main culprit that were used to commit the â€Å"white collar† crimes against its victims (stakeholders and customers). The crimes committed by the banks in my opinion were no different. Any crime is basically an illicit act that is illegal and forbidden by the law in which is punishable, â€Å"blue collar† or â€Å"white collar,† the crimes committed I feel are the same in any manner. Though the crimes were not of a physical nature they still caused harm to those who were affected by the crimes that were committed. For this reason I feel that the â€Å"white collar† crimes that were committed were no different in a substantive manner than â€Å"blue collar† crimes that are committed. Determine and discuss the role that corporate culture played in the banking industry scenario Corporate culture and social responsibility is good for business, as social, environmental, and ethical issues have been increasingly climbing up the list of priorities of business agendas and strategy. Culture makes every organization unique and bonds members of an organization together. The culture of the organization verifies what behaviors and ideas are acceptable and appropriate. Corporate culture is defined as a set of values, norms, and artifacts, including ways of solving problems that members (employees) of an organization share. (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell 2011). The corporate culture could have  played a huge role in the banking industry scenario as ethics and social responsibility should be important to all businesses and business people. The banking industry had a decision to make and they chose to disregard their ethical responsibilities which helped contribute to the downfall of the banking industry in 2008-2009. If the banks had followed a more ethical corporate culture they would have been less likely to make the unethical decisions that they made. They should have adhered to the tradition and history of their respective financial institutions and considers their investors, stakeholders, and customers before making the decisions that they made. If they would have taken the time to do this they would have taken the time to further investigate and evaluate the possible ramifications of their actions and possibly look for alternatives that may have averted the banking industry meltdown that followed. Postulate how leaders within the banking industry could have used their influence to avert the industry meltdown A lack of business ethics is definitely partly to blame for the United States current financial woes, and it was the absence or complete disregard for them by the leaders in the banking industry that led to the banking industry meltdown. Self-regulation should not be underestimated, as from it you get a strong corporate culture that tells leaders what is right and wrong, leading to the consideration of not just themselves (the banking institution) but the investors, stakeholders, and customers. The egoism philosophy which I feel the banks adopted would have been replaced with more of a utilitarianism philosophy making decisions that would benefit the most persons involved. The leaders in the banking industry were just the opposite of what we are calling them â€Å"leaders,† because if they took the responsibility and truly led they could have used their stature to influence decisions that could have help avoid the banking industry meltdown. Follow the leader; is what I relate this particular situation to, as if banking industry leaders would have stood up and put their voice to doing the right ethical thing setting the standard for not only themselves and their bank but the others they could have adverted the banking meltdown. Follow the leader; is what I relate this particular situation to, as if banking industry leaders would have stood up and put their voice to doing the right ethical thing setting the standard for not only themselves and their bank(s), but the others they could have adverted the banking meltdown. The  leaders could have used the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to back their decision and should have taken a bigger stand. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is an accounting overseeing measure to ensure efficient corporate governance and maintaining the confidence of investors. It also requires that the businesses to assume responsibility for transparency in financial reporting. If the leaders would have taken this stand they could have set a standard and influenced the banking industry to make better decisions. If the leaders within the banking industry would have used their influence they could have possibly avert the industry meltdown. I will not say that these actions will have averted the meltdown as no one can predict the future as anything could happen, all we can do is to rationally and ethically evaluate all possible scenarios, develop and implement plans to try and prevent meltdowns like the one in 2008-2009. Bibliography http://www.hrmreport.com/article/Business-ethics-is-inextricably-linked-to-the-current-financial-meltdown/ Thomas, Huw November 29, 2012 Principles for enhancing corporate governance, October 2010, ISBN 92-9131-844-2 (print); http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbs176.pdf Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2008). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases US: South-Western, Cengage Learning. Haig, M. (2005). http://www.frbsf.org/news/speeches/2009/0416.html, Conference on the State of the U.S. and World Economies—â€Å"Meeting the Challenges of the Financial Crisis† By Janet L. Yellen, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, April 16, 2009

The Danger of Long-Term Exposure with Crystal Meth Essays

The Danger of Long-Term Exposure with Crystal Meth Essays The Danger of Long-Term Exposure with Crystal Meth Paper The Danger of Long-Term Exposure with Crystal Meth Paper Methamphetamine, more famously recognized in its street name as â€Å"Crystal Meth†, is a silent killer among long-term users. The effects vary widely and depend on the amount taken, time of exposure with the drug, methods of consumption, user’s weight, age, and lifestyle. It is a powerful stimulant that even small doses can have an immediate effect and last longer in the brain than most of the common street drugs. In 2006, 1. 9 million Americans age 12 and older had abused the drug at least once (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2008). Instead of creating a rush in sensation, Crystal Meth provides a longer-lasting high of up to 12 hours just from an initial intake. This sudden high is believed to have resulted from high-level of neurotransmitter dopamine exposure. Dopamine is responsible for the pleasurable sensations in the brain that creates a â€Å"sense of well being†. Aside from the high, users also experience increased alertness, rapid talking, and eye wiggles. Long-term Crystal Meth abuse produces permanent and damaging effects, both physically and psychologically. Addiction is the most documented psychological side-effect of prolonged methamphetamine usage. It is a continual, degenerating disease, described by compulsive drug-seeking and drug abuse. It is triggered by the functional and molecular changes in the brain. Tolerance on the drug will only heighten the addiction level because users will need larger dosage to achieve the same desired effects. Chronic abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, characterized by intense paranoia, mood disorders brought by visual and auditory hallucinations, out of control rages illustrated by a sudden burst of anger and shouting. Interviews from patients in rehabilitation areas around Toronto showed that they continue to feel a tingling sensation of insects creeping on their skin. This irritating feeling made them scratch and pick at their skin that results to open sores and infection. These psychological effects are intensified when the user suddenly stops taking the drug. Temporary physiological effects include hyperactivity, decrease in appetite, increase in stamina and energy, involuntary body movements, nausea, skin irritations and headaches. There is also a problem known as â€Å"Meth mouth† where users have rotting teeth because of reduced blood flow. Cardiovascular problems found are increase in heart rate, irregular heartbeat, and irreversible, stroke-producing damage to small blood vessels that will eventually lead to stroke and heart failures. Extended dependency or overdose effects can include a change in the sleeping pattern, restlessness, gastrointestinal narrowing from lengthened eating disorders, tremor and weakened immunity. Prolonged use of up to several years can lead to erectile dysfunction, liver, kidney and lung damage. Scientific studies on animals with long-term methamphetamine exposure have confirmed that it has toxic effects on the dopamine-containing areas of the brain. The toxic effect of the drug has been the leading cause of death in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kanthi De Alwis, this deadly drug could be the liable for 80 fatalities in the region within the year. An increase in stroke, bronchial asthma and heart attacks can point to Crystal Meth dependency. Even only on the early month of August, 44 deaths have been listed as methamphetamine-related. It has been alarming for her to discover that these natural deaths like stroke can now be caused by using Crystal Meth on a long-term basis (Gordon, 2004). Stopping the danger of overdose and long-exposure from methamphetamines may already be too late for those patients that have received permanent damage. Proper awareness from the effects of this drug can save thousands of lives in the United States alone. Contacting a medical professional is advisable. Institutions like the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto can give advice to those family members who want to rehabilitate their love ones who are Crystal Meth dependent. Reference Methamphetamine – NIDA Drugs of Abuse and Related Topics (2008). Retrieved September 29, 2008, from nida. nih. gov/DrugPages/Methamphetamine. html Information About Crytsal Meth. (2006). Center for Addiction and Mental Health. Toronto. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from camh. net/About_Addiction_ Mental_Health/Drug_and_Addiction_Information/crystal_meth_information. html Gordon, Mike. (2004). Crytsal Meth Kills in Unexpected Ways. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from http://the. honoluluadvertiser. com/article/2004/Sep/05/ln/ln03a. html

Why Your Personality Type is Important For Your job

Why Your Personality Type is Important For Your job When we fall in love with someone, we don’t expect that person to be everything- to tick our every box or satisfy our every need. So why do we so often expect that kind of â€Å"you complete me!† feeling from our jobs? Not even the dreamiest of dream jobs can be all enjoyable all the time. Barry Schwartz, a researcher on human behavior and mastermind of choice, recently suggested that most of us will find ourselves in one of two categories when it comes to making (and keeping) decisions: we’re either maximizers or satisfiers.A maximizer always wants what’s best. (Top-end stereo speakers, the greatest recipe for sangria, the fastest car.) A satisfier, on the other hand, is content with what is good enough, as long as a few basic criteria are met. (The recipe has to include red wine and macerated fruit and be easy enough to make in bulk.) Mr. Schwartz found that maximizers tend to be more â€Å"successful† (with nicer, flashier things, better careers, etc.), but that their satisfier peers are much happier with their lot.Career-wise, a satisfier might be pleased to stay in one job forever, provided it ticks the requisite boxes (good pay, challenging tasks, benefits, fun co-workers). A maximizer probably won’t be completely content at any job. There will always be another pay raise or promotion on the horizon- another, better company to work for- another, better reward for doing something else.There’s nothing wrong with being a maximizer. Striving to be and do your best is always a good strategy†¦ But it might be worth asking yourself what your criteria are, then seeing how well your current job holds up. If your current job ticks all your boxes and then some, maybe it’s worth asking why you really assume the grass is greener at that other company. Your grass might be just as nice, and worth cultivating.

The switching roles of moms and dads Research Proposal

The switching roles of moms and dads - Research Proposal Example Ebony (1999) makes this clear: ‘a generation of new millennium parents – mostly middle-class professionals – is blurring the traditional lines and writing new rules for child-rearing’. In summary, due to fundamental changes in the past half century, the economic and social roles of mothers and fathers have become interchangeable and flexible. Over the past half century or so, women have taken on a much more prominent role in the labor market, which has presumably meant a more equitable sharing of caregiving tasks between mothers and fathers, in those households where both parents are in residence. Amato (1994) was correct in proposing that ‘the massive movement of married women into the paid labor force disrupted the traditional division of labor within the nuclear family’ (p.1031). Indeed, he found that 67% of married mothers with children under 18 were in paid work, so that ‘mothers now share the breadwinning role with their husbands’ (Amato, 1994, p.1031). With the ready availability of effective contraceptives since the 1960s, women have been able to take full control of their reproductive lives, with many choosing to delay childbirth and starting a family until they feel that they have established a secure and successful career in their chosen sector. Additionally, the availability of widespread and affordable childcare allows many mothers to return to the workplace, sometimes soon after the birth of a child. The changing economic role of mothers is fully borne out in the figures. From 1948-2001, the percentage of working age women either in employment or looking for paid work rose from under 33% to over 60% (APA, 2010). In many families, the mother is at least as powerful an economic actor as the father, and often more so. For many, traditionally-prescribed gender roles and responsibilities have been dissolved, with decisions on the divisions of roles now