Relationship Between Regulation and Market Structures

The study of government regulation and the competitive environment for business is relevant to all those who study business. All business candidates need to understand how the competitive environment will impact their employers and businesses. A- There are four major pieces of legislation known as the Antitrust Laws. After the U. S. Civil War, local markets changed into national markets because of transportations were improved, mechanized production methods, and sophisticated corporate structures. In the 1870s and 1880s, many firms became dominant in different industries like meat packing, railroads, coal, and tobacco. These firms often consolidated their industries and over charged its customers. The government formed laws called antitrust Acts to help control these behaviors. * Sherman Act of 1890 was formed to be brief and directly to the point: * The government would investigate organizations and companies suspected in violation of the Sherman trust act to limit monopoly. Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, with any person or persons to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce shall be found guilty of a felony (as later amended from â€Å"misdemeanor†). The Clayton Act of 1914 contained the desired elaboration of the Sherman Act. * Outlaws price discrimination when such discrimination is not justified on the basis of cost differences and when it reduces competition. * Prohibits tying contracts, in which a company requires that a buyer purchase another of its products as a condition to purchase the desired product. * Prohibits the acquisition of stocks of competing corporations when the outcome would be less competition. * Prohibits a director of one firm to act as a board member of another firm where the effect would be reduced competition. The Federal trade commission act of 1914 * The act gave the Federal Trade commission (FTC) the power to investigate any competitive practices at the request of any firms or on its own initiative to discover any unfair competition in the industry. * The Celler-Kefauver Act of 1950 †¢The Celler-Kefauver Act amended the Clayton Act, Section 7. It prohibits the merger of firms by acquiring tis stock. The Act closed the loophole by making sure that one firm does not obtain the physical assets of another firm when the effect can reduce competition. B- The intended purpose of industrial regulation as it applies to the following market structures: 1. Oligopoly is small groups of firms control the market. For example: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile control the cell phone industry. Industrial regulation is used to reduce the market power of Oligopolies, to prevent collusion (where small firms secretly set prices) and increase market competition. 2. Monopoly is where one company control prices in the market where there no substitute to the product. Industrial regulations are used to prevent companies from monopolizing in given markets. C- The major functions of the three primary federal and state regulatory commissions that govern industrial regulation. 1- The federal energy regulatory commission in 1930 is the jurisdiction of electricity, gas, gas pipelines, oil pipelines, and water powered sites. The major function of the federal energy regulatory is to regulate the transmission and sale of natural gas, oil pipelines, and wholesale of electricity. There are other functions that involve license and inspect hydroelectric projects and monitor and investigate energy markets. – The federal communications commission was formed in 1934 in the jurisdiction of Telephones, television, cable television, radio, telegraph, CB radios, and ham operators. The major functions of the federal communication commission include processing applications for licenses, analyzing complaints, conducting investigations, developing and implementing regulatory programs, and taking part in hearings 3- State public utility commission is f ormed in the jurisdiction of electricity, gas, and telephones. The major function of State public utility commission is to regulates the rates and services of a public utility that include water, gas, and electricity D- Social regulation is intended to deal with the broader impact of business on consumers. The government established several agencies including equal employment opportunity commission and health administration protect consumers from businesses in the late 60s. The purpose of social regulation is for the government to oversee the safety and quality of goods or products as well as the conditions of these products are manufactured. E- There are five primary federal regulatory commissions that govern social regulation. 1- Food and drug administration (1906) has the jurisdiction and function over safety and effectiveness of food, drugs, and cosmetics. 2- Equal employment opportunity commission (1964) has the jurisdiction and function over hiring, promoting, and discharge of workers. – Occupational safety and health admiration (1971) has the jurisdiction and function over industrial health and safety. 4- Environmental protection agency has the jurisdiction and function over water, air, and noise pollution 5- Consumer product safety commission has the jurisdiction and function of safety of consumer products As a company, studding the law can help in saving money, time and efforts to stay productive in the market. All business candidates ne ed to understand how the competitive environment will impact their employers and businesses.

Immigration Restriction Act Essay

Immigration restriction act- 1901 The Immigration Restriction Act (1901) can be argued was a policy enacted to reflect the prejudices in Australian society at the time. The Immigration Restriction Act consisted of the Australian Parliament limiting immigration to Australia, which came to be known as The White Australia Policy. The White Australia Policy consists of various historical laws that favour immigration to Australia from Britain but strongly discourage non-whites or people who are not of British descent. At the turn of the Century Australia was still a relatively new country. It’s population was 4 million, somewhat small, compared to other world populations. At the time the general public consensus was that Australia should be a white country and allowing indiscriminate immigration could threaten its identity. The White Australia Policy had overwhelming support from Australia’s white population, so it could be argued that its introduction was merely a reflection of the public’s ideals at the time. This is reflected by historian Myra Willard: â€Å"†¦no motive power, operated more universally on this continent, or in the beautiful island of Tasmania†¦ than the desire that we should be one people, and remain one people, without the admixture of other races.† Myra Willard, ‘History of the White Australia Policy to 1920’. Melbourne University Press, 1923. p 119 It is clear that white Australians were passionate about preserving a white Australia. Undoubtedly the Federal Government was under a great deal of public pressure to conform. By analysing the reasoning behind the Policy it was more than just an attempt to preserve white culture. As the Parliamentary debates at the time convey, there was an argument that the white race was superior and non-whites were deemed inferior. The Prime Minister at the time Edmund Barton delivers this message to Parliament. â€Å"We are guarding the last part of the world in which the higher races can live and increase freely for the higher civilisation. I place before the house a measure of definite and high policy.† Although the White Australia Policy did have overwhelming support within Parliament and the public there were some who opposed the new policy. Some objections were made on moral grounds citing that the Laws were brutal and offensive. â€Å"I have already admitted that it is our duty to restrict the immigration of Asiatics†¦ I cannot bring myself in the face of appeals like that, and in the face of the knowledge I have of India and Asia generally, to do anything in the insulting and brutal  way proposed by the Bill†¦.† Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates’, November 13, 1901. p 7158 Opposition was also met with from Britain, which many Australian parliamentarians were concerned about. The British Government had warned against an outright ban based on race and colour. The Immigration Restriction Act would be contrary to the British principle of equality and would deeply offend their Indian subjects and their Japanese allies. Despite Britain’s clear objections many were still prepared to support the Bill even if it meant breaking ties with Britain. This is clearly expressed by William Morris Hugh es: â€Å"We want a White Australia and are we to be denied it because we shall offend the Japanese or embarrass His Majesty’s ministers? I think not†¦ If we are to go on making things smooth for His Majesty’s Government- if our first and only desire is to shape a policy to suit our own ends, then we know where we are. We have come, it appears to me, to the parting of ways.† William Morris Hughes, ‘Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates’ September 12, 1901. p 4825 Prior to 1901, immigration was controlled by the colonies. During the gold rush in the 1850’s many migrants came to Australia from around the world and wanted to settle there. While the majority were from Britain, 60,000 came from Continental Europe, 42,000 from China, 10,000 from the United States and just over 5,000 from New Zealand and the South Pacific. By the time of Federation the total population was close to four million of whom one in four were born overseas. The Australian colony was soon shifting to a population of different migrants. This left Australians introduce policies that would control migration. The Australian colonies were particularly concerned with the amount of Chinese migrants and the conflicts that had arisen between the Chinese and white Australians settler. Prior to 1901 the Colonial States gathered to discuss ways of prohibiting Chinese migration and other migrants. Thus when Australian Federation was formed, the Immigration Restriction Act was introduced as solution to the problem the colonial states had been facing. As a result the number of Chinese migrants decreased instantly. At face value the Immigration Restriction Act was arguably racist and exclusionary. However in early 19th Century Australia it was widely viewed as a necessity. Australia was still a new country with a relatively small population. It was viewed worldwide as a land of prosperity and became popular for many to migrate there and seek their fortune. Had not the Federal Government implemented laws to regulate  immigration Australia could have potentially lost its identity as a predominately White Nation. The Immigration Restriction Act appealed to people’s fears and the need for self preservation, and at the time this argument was fairly plausible. In each and every avenue of life we find the competition of the coloured races insidiously creeping in, and if we are to maintain the standard of living we think necessary, in order that our people may be brought up with a degree of comfort, and with scholastic advantages which will conduce to the improvement and general advancement of the nation, some pause must be made in regard to the extension of the competition of the coloured aliens generally. (Member of parliament 1901). This quote clearly states that the majority of Parliament felt strongly about protecting Australia’s white identity. This was done in the face of opposition from Britain and the likelihood of upsetting other countries like Japan. It was a bold step but the majority of Australians were determined. . The White Australia Policy was an important chapter in Australian history. It had its benefits and limitations. It affected not just Australia but many people around the world. It was something that many coun tries were against and is very different to what Australia’s immigration policy is today. BIBLIOGRAPHY Immigration Restriction Act 1901 – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Restriction_Act_1901 USED ON: April 14th The Establishment Of The Immigration Restriction Act – ABC http://www.abc.net.au/federation/fedstory/ep2/ep2_events.htm USED ON: April 26th White Australia: Immigration Restriction Act 1901, Australia to 1914 http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-127_t-350_c-1213/history-of-racist-attitudes-and-fear/nsw/history/australia-to-1914/white-australia-immigration-restriction-act-1901 Copyright  © 2013 Red Apple Education Ltd. All rights reserved. USED ON: April 14th White Australia policy – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Banana Yoshimoto comparative essay

Banana Yoshimoto effectively portrays various common themes and motifs in both â€Å"Helix† and â€Å"Newlywed†, in revealing the subconscious state of mind of the respective protagonists. Although the storylines are quite different, we get the feeling that many themes and strategies such as isolation, incredible poetic effect, and the recurring use of a helper figure used to develop the characters, are relatively interchangeable. These literary patterns allow for the protagonists to both escape the shallowness that plagues them, and bring to light the deeper meaning behind their subconscious (now conscious) struggles, especially those relating to their true feelings for their personal companions. Isolation is a recurring theme that is a catalyst for the subconscious state causing the climactic epiphanies within the protagonists of both stories. This is comparably portrayed through the blatant representation of shallow urban relationships. In â€Å"Helix†, we witness this theme of shallowness through the personal thoughts of the protagonist at the beginning of the story. In a moment of reflection, the protagonist exclaims, I feel as if my heart will stop beating, because once I know that much about a woman, it can never work out between us. (Helix, 651) Alluding to his lover, this theme of shallowness is difficult to ignore as the narrator is transparently portraying his ability to write off a relationship on incredibly superficial grounds. In â€Å"Newlywed† however, Banana uses the same approach in order to portray this theme of isolation, yet goes to quite an extreme to illustrate her character’s subconscious thoughts. The transformation from bum to beauty is a symbolic element of the story, and is supposed to confuse both the narrator and the reader at first, but it soon becomes clear that there is a deeper philosophical meaning to this odd occurrence. This bizarre intervention, in what seemed to be quite an ordinary context, rapidly changes the pacing and evolution of the story itself. At first, the narrator is unsure of himself, which ultimately leads the reader to question the reliability of his story: â€Å"I tried convincing myself that this was nothing more than a drunken nightmare. That’s what it was, an ugly duckling dream, a transformation from bum to beauty.† (Newlywed, 5) The isolation that surrounds the protagonists of Newlywed and Helix both physically and emotionally is what ultimately leads to the epiphanies that expose the underlying feelings towards their companions. Whether it is an empty train cabin, or the deserted city of Tokyo, Yoshimoto definitely seeks to portray the feeling of seclusion in order to emphasize the revelations that expose the protagonists’ true emotions. Another common aspect in both â€Å"Helix† and â€Å"Newlywed† is Yoshimoto’s use of poetic language and literary symbolism in order to develop both her characters and the story with greater depth. Despite that fact that many of the descriptions that she gives on behalf of the narrator are purely physical, and extremely shallow, it is an important aspect of both stories, as it helps lead to the dramatic changes that occur within the protagonists. In â€Å"Newlywed† for example, when the beautiful woman on the train asks the narrator about his wife, the first description that he gives, is purely physical: â€Å"She’s short, and slender, and has long hair. And her eyes are real narrow, so she looks like she’s smiling, even when she’s angry.† (Newlywed, 6) These superficial descriptions may be attributed to the fact that the narrator was in a â€Å"drunken state†, yet clearly depict him as a man that is not madly in love with his wife. By contrast, the poetic imaging in â€Å"Helix† reveals a man that is clearly in love with his girlfriend. Even near the beginning of the story, when he is expressing his feelings of uncertainty toward his relationship, he still gives this poetic illustration of his girlfriend: â€Å"She was like an evening moon, her white light almost swallowed by the gradations of pale blue sky.† (Helix, 651) This beautiful poetic image of his girlfriend is surprising to the reader, as he had just explained that he was having difficulty overcoming her idiosyncrasies. This dramatization brings the reader to the realization that the protagonist’s stream of consciousness narration is very unpredictable, yet will ultimately lead to his ability to expose his true feelings as the story develops. The author clearly likes to represent this feeling of indecision with poetic illustration as it is used several times in both stories. In â€Å"Newlywed†, the narrator vividly describes his mixed feelings toward his wife, Atsuko, during the peak of his epiphany-like experience: â€Å"For me, the beautiful, all-encompassing web spun by this creature is at once so polluted, yet so pure that I feel compelled to grab on to it. I am terrified by it but find myself unable to hide from it. At some point I have been caught up in the magical power she has.† (Newlywed, 16) Banana doesn’t strictly limit her poetic language to the story’s character development; she also uses it to depict specific moods in order to contextualize certain situations that shake up the intensity of the story itself. Coincidentally, in both â€Å"Helix† and â€Å"Newlywed†, the feeling of isolation is commonly portrayed throughout both stories with the unique use of grandiose language. This allows the protagonists to avoid any outside distractions that would interfere with the personal situations that they have to deal with. Tokyo is described as being a ghost town at the beginning of â€Å"Helix†, for example. â€Å"There was not a soul on the dark streets, save the autumn wind. I encountered this emptiness at every moonlit corner I turned†. (Helix, 651) Clearly unusual in a city like Tokyo, Yoshimoto is almost desperately taking this context to the extreme in an attempt to add an element of absurdity to the situation, and maintain a clear line of focus on the protagonist and his continuous train of thought. In â€Å"Newlywed†, she uses the same strategic language to create a context of solitude in order isolate the protagonist: â€Å"I looked around to see if anyone else had witnessed this amazing transformation, but the passengers in the neighboring cars seemed miles away, in a totally different space, separated by a transparent wall, all looking just as tired as they had moments before, indifferent to my surprise.† (Newlywed, 4) The language that Yoshimoto uses is not only unique, but allows the reader to fully contextualize themselves within the story, and fully comprehend the conscious and unconscious struggles within each story’s protagonist. The use of helper figures is another way that the author both challenges and exposes the protagonists. The most evident helper figure from both stories is the seemingly god-like character that transformed from a homeless man to a beautiful woman in â€Å"Newlywed†. The interpretation of this symbolic figure is entirely left to the reader’s imagination, yet its crucial role in the storyline and to the protagonist’s character development is indisputable. This peculiar intervention is a clear example of how far Yoshimoto is willing to go to force her characters to express their thoughts. At first, it is difficult to process what the narrator is depicting; yet as the story develops, we quickly learn that this character has a specific purpose to act as catalyst to the protagonist’s epiphany-like reflection about his life, specifically in relation to marriage. After opening up to this woman about his life, he explains how he felt about what he had experienced on the train that night: â€Å"Deep inside, I felt timid, even scared, not about my own drunkenness or fear that my mind was playing tricks on me, but the more basic sensation of encountering something much larger than myself, and feeling immeasurably small and insignificant by comparison†. (Newlywed, 12) From this, the reader is able to see that this man is clearly having a life changing experience that is allowing him to re-evaluate the major aspects of his life, including his relationship. This helper figure to the protagonist allowed him to bring out the subconscious struggles that seemed to weigh on him throughout the story. On the other hand, â€Å"Helix† presents multiple helper figures, some seeming as random and arbitrary as that of â€Å"Newlywed† and similarly allows the protagonist to truthfully evaluate and ultimately expose how he feels about the woman that he loves. The first helper figure that seems to startle the narrator does not take the form of a person, but rather a situational mind-cleansing seminar that his girlfriend brings to the table. She explains, â€Å"I guess that’s the chance you take if you go to one of these sessions. You might even end up forgetting things that seemed really important to you, things you don’t want to forget†. (Helix, 652) This seminar quickly becomes a euphemism for breaking up in the mind of the narrator, and his response, â€Å"don’t go†, unconsciously shows his fear of losing her. This ultimately shifts the dynamic of the story as he had previously inferred his desire to break up with his girlfriend at the beginning of the story. Yoshimoto also inserts a random explosion near the end of â€Å"Helix† as the lovers discuss their love for each other. Much like most of the random events that present themselves in her stories, there is a deeper meaning below what we see at the surface. This strange intervention that causes people to â€Å"[poor] into the [empty] streets from every doorway† (Helix, 654) encapsulates the unpredictability that is portrayed throughout the story, and through the narrator’s stream of consciousness narration. This ultimately leads the story to end on a note of misunderstanding and confusion surrounding the protagonist’s comparison of love to the helix of a strand of DNA. The interventions are not only incorporated to reveal and expose the true feelings of each protagonist, but also change the dynamic of each story and help maintain a feeling of unpredictability toward the narratives themselves, as well as the unreliability of the protagonists.

U08a2 Measure of Solar Rotation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U08a2 Measure of Solar Rotation Paper - Essay Example The synodic period is the temporal interval that it takes for an object to reappear at the same point in relation to two other objects (linear nodes), e.g., when the Moon relative to the Sun as observed from Earth returns to the same illumination phase. The synodic period is the time that elapses between two successive conjunctions with the Sun-Earth line in the same linear order. The synodic period differs from the sidereal period due to the Earth's orbiting around the Sun (Wikipedia 2011). Using Sunspots in Measurement of Solar Rotation. The rotation of the sun has been measured by the motion of various features ("tracers") on the solar surface. The first and most widely used tracers are sunspots. Though sunspots had been observed since ancient times, it was only when the telescope came into use that they were observed to turn with the Sun. The English scholar Thomas Harriot was probably the first to observe sunspots telescopically as evidenced by a drawing in his notebook dated De cember 8, 1610, and the first published observations (June 1611). Johannes Fabricius had been systematically observing the spots for a few months and had noted their movement across the solar disc. This can be considered the first observational evidence of the solar rotation. Christopher Scheiner, (1630) was the first to measure the equatorial rotation rate of the Sun and noticed that the rotation at higher latitudes is slower, so he can be considered the discoverer of solar differential rotation. Each measurement gives a slightly different answer, yielding the above standard deviations (shown as +/-). St. John (1918) was perhaps the first to summarize the published solar rotation rates, and concluded that the differences in series measured in different years can hardly be attributed to personal observation or to local disturbances on the Sun, and are probably due to time variations in the rate of rotation, and Hubrecht (1915) was the first one to find that the two solar hemispheres rotate differently (The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 5th Edition, Page: 287). Sunspot Analysis: (Spotexerweb[1].pdf) (Day 1) June 22, 2011 Sunspot Latitude 15 Degrees Sunspot Longitude: 60 Degrees (Day 2) June 23, 2011 Sunspot Latitude: 15 Degrees Sunspot Longitude: 45 Degrees (Day 3) June 24, 2011 Sunspot Latitude: 15 Degrees Sunspot Longitude: 30 Degrees A AC( ( A\ Rotation of Sun Calculation: Difference in Longitude in Day 1 and Day 2: DL1: 15 (Delta Longitude) S1 = 2 days x 360 degrees 2 x 360 = 2 x 24 = 48 Degrees DL1 15 Difference in Longitude in Day 2 and Day 3: DL2: 15 (Delta Longitude) S2 = 2 days x 360 degrees 2 x 360 = 48 Degrees DL2 15 Calculation of Average (S): S = (S1 + S2) = (48 + 48) = 96 = 48 Synodic Rotation Period 2 2 2 Sidereal Period of Rotation (P): P = (S x 365.25) = (48 x 365.25) = 17532 = 42.424 Sidereal Rotation (P) (S + 365.25) (48 + 365.25 413.25 Comparison with Period of Solar Rotation for Solar Equator: Solar rotation is able to vary with latitude be cause the Sun is composed of gaseous plasma. The rate of rotation is observed to be fastest at the equator (latitude ?=0 deg), and to decrease as latitude increases. The differential rotation rate is usually described by the equation (Wikipedia 2011): Citations The Essential Cosmic Perspective, n.p. (5th Edition), Page: 287, Book Tracking Sunspots Data from SOHO, Spotexerweb[1].pdf, Web Sunspots,Wikipedia, The

Legal Research Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Legal Research Exercise - Assignment Example It therefore threatens the global nature of the internet and active internet users. The Act is currently in the courts subcommittees on courts, Intellectual property and Internet for review. Free Flow of Information Act of 2013 provides specific instructions on information disclosure from a specific person connected to news media. The Act restricts any person from the judicial department from obtaining any information from journalism unless all the other sources are fully exhausted or the court order issues a statement allowing the same to happen. The Act is currently in the subcommittee’s house in the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and the Internet department for further furnishing The Free Flow of Information Act of 2013 prohibits a covered journalist from information disclosure, unless a judge allows it under tight and specific criminal and civil issues. The Act is currently placed under General Orders in the Senate Legislative Calendar (Number 238). Strategic Lawsuit against Public Participation is formulated with an intention of intimidating people through burdening them with a heavy cost of legal proceedings until their option remains opposing the criticism they have. Defamation therefore involves use of false statements in altering a person’s reputation. In Indiana, laws that preach against defamation and SLAPP suits are available

To what extent have the processes of globalization resulted in a Essay

To what extent have the processes of globalization resulted in a decline in the relative importance of the TRIAD economies - Essay Example This paper looks into the processes of globalization, the triad economies and the extent to which the processes of globalization have resulted in a decline in the relative importance of the TRIAD economies (The triad consists of the European Union, Japan and the United States). Globalization is not new especially so considering the fact that people, for thousands of years, and later, corporations, have been buying from as well as selling to each other at great distances lands, for example, through the renowned Silk Road across Central Asia that in the middle ages connected Europe and China. Similarly, people and corporations for centuries have invested in ventures in other nations. In effect, several of the prevailing features prior to the First World War outbreak in 1914 are analogous to those of the current wave of globalization. However, during the past few decades, there have been developments in policy and technology, which have stimulated increases in cross-border investment, trade as well as migration. The increases are so large that majority of observers believe that the world has gotten into a qualitatively new phase as far as its economic development is concerned. For instance, the world trade volume has risen by 20 times since the year 1950, and foreign investment flows almost doubled from 468 billion dollars in the year 1997 to 827 billion dollars in the year 1999 (Globalization101.org 2). According to Chase-Dunn, the processes of globalization include political, cultural and economic processes. The modern-day transnational corporate networks’ growing stature as well as the growing interconnectedness of services, goods, markets and finances heavily influences these processes. Cvetkovich and his co-authors note that this influence entails the formation of a new global culture, new transnational political organizations and a new world market. This globalization process involves a dialectical relationship between its political, cultural and

Business Law Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Law Organisations - Essay Example Since â€Å"unfairly prejudicial† is not defined by the Act, this means that there are broad reasons why a minority shareholder may bring a cause of action against a corporation, which effectively negates the constraints established by Foss. This paper will examine Foss, will examine derivative actions, and will examine the Companies Act (2006), concluding that, while Section 260 of the Act does not provide shareholders with any more protection than what was had under Foss, section 994 does provide this protection. Foss v. Harbottle Even though shareholders are effective in holding directors accountable, the UK courts have a common law rule, delineated in Foss v. Harbottle (1840) 67 ER 189. In this case, two minority shareholders accused the defendants, who were the directors of a company called â€Å"Victoria Park Company,† of misapplying land, wasting land and obtaining improper mortgages, without the permission of the shareholders. The court in the Foss case dismisse d the shareholders case, stating that only the company itself has a right to sue the directors. The reasoning for this might be best stated by the court in a subsequent case, Edwards v. Halliwell [1950] 2 All ER 1064. The judge in this case states that the sound reason why minority shareholders cannot bring an action against directors is that, if there is only a minority bringing the case, it would mean that the majority of the company is in favor of what was done. Ramsay & Saunders (2006) state that there are two prongs to the Foss case – one, it established the â€Å"proper plaintiff† who is the company itself; two, it established the principle that directors should be independent and not subject to shareholder meddling into business affairs (Ramsay & Saunders, 2006). There are exceptions to the Foss rule. One is that the company did an illegal or ultra vires act. A shareholder can bring an action on this basis, because the majority cannot ratify an illegal or ultra vires act (Wedderburn, 1957; Cockburn v. Newbridge Sanitary Steam Laundry Co. [1915] 1 IR 237). Another exception is that, if the company takes an action which, in the company’s constitution, requires a â€Å"special majority† to take this action, then a minority shareholder may sue if the company takes this action in contravention to its own constitution (Black, 1983; Edwards v Halliwell [1950] 2 All ER 1064). Berkahn (1998) states that another exception is that a shareholder’s â€Å"personal rights† have somehow been infringed by the corporation, therefore that shareholder has a right to sue for his personal rights infringement (Berkahn, 1998; Pender v Lushington (1877) 6 Ch D 70). Another exception is the â€Å"fraud on the minority† exception, which means that the wrong-doers actions amounts to fraud (Lo, 2004; Atwool v Merryweather (1867) LR 5 EQ 464n). Buckley (1976) states that this last action is the only derivative action of the exceptions , as the first three exceptions involve personal actions. Therefore, according to Maloney (1986), this action is the only true exception to Foss (Maloney, 1986). Statutory Actions Although Foss limited the actions that minority shareholders can take, statutory actions have restored many of the rights of the minority. One is that the Companies Act (2006) has given shareholder permission to bring

E-Business Foundation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E-Business Foundation - Essay Example The main redeeming aspect about Google’s approach has been its innovative approach.Thus, it is seen that all their website projects integrate the latest thinking on design, usage, accessibility, technology and marketing strategy. Google has been serving their customers for over a decade now. They have attributed their success and long life to their quest for making rewarding and long-term relationships with both potential and existing clients it is believed that Google take special interest in the success of their clients and work hand- in- hand to ensure that the product is of high quality that could meet the clients’ goals and objectives. Google has decided to take over YouTube for $1.65 million in stocks. This would spell great opportunities for internet users and content owners throughout the business world. The takeover merges one of the largest and fastest growing online video entertainment businesses with Google's proven proficiency in organizing information and creating new models for advertising on the Internet. The merged companies would focus on providing a better, more comprehensive experience for users interested in uploading, watching and sharing videos, and will offer new opportunities for professional content owners to distribute their work to reach vast new viewers. Next, Google has also received approval from the US Federal regulators to acquire Double Click for $3.1 billion. Google generates revenue from selling text-based ads that appear next to search results.

Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and Kants Perpetual Peace Research Paper

Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and Kants Perpetual Peace - Research Paper Example The people who lived stress less life had good morals and they were filled with pity, and thus they could not hurt one another (Kant et al 3). As time progressed, the man began to change. As the number of people increased, the ways in which people could satisfy meet their daily needs changed. Because of the difficulties that people began experiencing, they started seeing each other and also began living together. They called these places communities because many people created large areas and made them settlements. They also continued working but they did so by dividing work between themselves. This they called it a division of labour and it happened between small units of people which were known as families. Division of labour leads to the invention of tools and other practices such as farming that made life easier. The fact that they worked and become tired led to the need for rest (Kant et al 4). They thus recognized the need to rest and work the following day, which they called l eisure after some time doing that. During leisure, people began to talk about the comparison between one community and another and also between themselves. This comparison brought about public values that led to shame and pride when one was told to be more superior to others. In addition, a certain community was considered more powerful than others if they had more resources. This started to make people envy property and pride and contempt. The desire for one to be recognized as superior or powerful, lead to some people isolating themselves from others. Isolation made these people accumulate property of their own. Soon the society leant of private property as important resources that brought pride and fame.

Obesity In Infants Causes and Affects Research Paper

Obesity In Infants Causes and Affects - Research Paper Example In a journal published by the American Academy of Pediatrics researchers established that "childhood obesity may be caused factors that operate at the earliest stages of life," (Bagley, 2009). Fast foods and lack of physical activity may be the cause of obesity in many people, but it does not explain why "obesity in infants under 6 months has risen 73 percent since 1980", (Bagley, 2009). Babies certainly are not eating extra buttered popcorn at the movies, Big-Macs at MC Donald's or Sonic's milkshakes. Babies less than 6 months of age are drinking specially formulated baby formula or breast milk, and are just being introduced to baby foods at 6 months. So, what causes obesity in infants? Scientists believe that a number of factors may lead to obesity in infants. Not breast feeding, hormones inherited from parents, hormones that mother and child may have been exposed to through foods that were ingested during pregnancy, or exposure to toxins in commonly used household items like plast ic spoons and plates. Further, some items used to feed babies like their bottles may contain some small traces of toxins, which are ingested during feedings. Retha Newbold (Bagley, 2009), of The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in North Carolina believed that emerging evidence shows being overweight is not just the result of making poor food choices, or lack of activity, but that exposure to environmental chemicals during development maybe contributing to the obesity epidemic in America. There is no doubt that while a woman is pregnant exposure to harmful chemicals can cause serious illnesses that become more apparent years and even decades later. It is not far-fetched to believe that fetuses and infants can be predisposed to obesity through hormones and chemicals. In a study conducted by Newbold, lab mice were injected with normal or the same levels of estrogen as people are generally exposed to in the environment. The study showed that in six months the mice that were exposed to the estrogen was 20 percent heavier and had 36 percent more body fats than mice that were not exposed to the estrogen. Newbold was made sure that both the exposed and the controlled mice in the study were fed the same amounts of food and were exposed to the same amount of activity. These implications are huge, and this study shows that there is a direct correlation between some hormones and obesity in infants. Bruce Blumberg (Bagley, 2009), a scientist at the University of California, Irvine said "there is a correlation between obesity and a lot of things, and that finding a link between hormones/ chemicals didn't mean much (Born To Be Big, 2009)." However, later Blumberg conducted his on study to find out if any links exist between harmful chemicals and obesity in infants. In his research study Blumberg specifically tested a chemical called tributyltin, which is commonly found in pesticides, fungicides, marine paints and some plastic products. " In 2006 he fed pregnant mice tributyltin, and found that their offspring were born with more fat already stored, more fat cells, and became 5 to 20 percent fatter by adulthood," (Bagley, 2009). All these studies highlight that obesity is not just eating more calorific food or more energy intake but is also influenced by various environmental as well as genetic factors. It is of the foremost apprehension

Media Studies †Relationship between a media genre and society Essay Example for Free

Media Studies – Relationship between a media genre and society Essay On one level, dystopian films have a direct relationship with society. By their very definition, dystopian films present a negative representation of a future or alternate society. They are often mis-labeled as science fiction films because of their futuristic setting but although here are obvious similarities, their overriding artisticness is more closely united to another genre: film-noir. Stylistically, many dystopian films hark back to the darkest times in Western Society’s recent past; indirectly referringto the struggles of the depression, the oppression of totalitarian governments and the horrors of World War Two, reinvented into a fictionalized, dark future. More recently, post 9/11 fears have informed the ideas of dystopian films. Wikipedia’s definition of ‘dystopia’ clearly illustrates this connection: A dystopia is any society considered to be undesirable and is most usually used to refer to a fictional (often near-future) society where current social trends are taken to nightmarish extremes. It is the second part of this definition that is particularity relevant to this essay –Dystopian films are inseparably connected to the society in which they are created, inducing a ‘nightmarish’ future by reflecting issues, concerns, fears or values that exist in the public consciousness of that particular society. The central premise of these films is of a world gone mad, sometimes through the greed, ignorance or stupidity of man, sometimes though external influences. These dystopian worlds may be shaped my social, technological, medical, environmental, political or economic forces. Within this environment, there is (usually) an individual who realizes the flaw and tries to challenge or rectify it. Depending on the filmmaker and the viewing ‘market’, it will either end happily, with the protagonist victorious; or not. Wikipedia’s definition concludes that, â€Å"a dystopian all too closely connected to current-day society.† Three dystopian films, created in different societies at different times, all display the connection between society and genre, albeit in very different ways. These films are Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1926), Andrew Nichol’s Gattaca (1997) and Alfonzo Cuaron’s Children of Men (2006). Metropolis is widely regarded as the first science fiction film, although it also can be seen as the blueprint for Dystopian films, Inspired by the skyline of 1920’s Manhattan, Lang created a throbbing, dystopian uber-city of the year 2000, where a decadent aristocracy thrives on the swear of laboring hoards underground. Filtered through both German Expressionism and Christian symbolism, this dark fairy tale pits man against machine, and the head against the heart. Metropolis can be easily read as a criticism of capitalism and the social and economic divisions in post WW1 Germany. Its resolution suggests a socialist solution, built on mutual respect and closer link between the ‘head’, and the ‘hands’ . An economically depressed post World War one German society, including an ambitious politician, Adolf Hitler, certainly identified this story with their own lives. Ironically, Jewish Lang’s criticism of the ranked nature of German society and how the downtrodden masses in the city of Metropolis turn quickly to violence is a visionary vision of the rise of fascism. The ideas behind Metropolis were drawn from contemporary German society, although it was Lang’s visit to New York in 1924 that inspired his city of the future. He described this first real metropolis as, â€Å"a street as if in full daylight lit by neon lights and topping them, oversized, luminous advertisements, moving, turning, flashing on and off, spiraling†¦the buildings seemed to be a vertical veil, shimmering almost weightless, a luxurious cloth hung from the dark sky to dazzle. â€Å"From this impression, Land and his designers shaped their futuristic city by blending of all the latest artistic trends, of which Germany was at the forefront: Art Deco, Surrealism and Expressionism. Here we see society’s influence on this work. Another important cinematic technological advancement was the revolutionary special effects of Eugen Schà ¼fftan, who created advanced visual displays widely acclaimed in following years. Among the effects used are miniatures of the city, a camera on a swing, and most notably, the so-called Schà ¼fftan process, the use of models and mirrors to create the illusion of varying scale, later also used by men such as Peter Jackson in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. The scene where Rotwang creates the robot Hel in Maria’s likeness still amazes as a masterpiece of special effects, as well as commenting on the possible negative effects of technology when placed in the wrong hands. Mid to early 20th century Dystopian fiction/films were largely concerned with totalitarian governments, faceless bureaucracy, surveillance and control issues. They were a reflection of the political chaos of the middle of the century, where World War Two, the advent of the Cold War and other global conflicts threatened the democratic way of life. Films such as On the Beach and Forbidden Planet all referenced the growing conflict between the Soviet Union and the USA, and the threat of ‘alien’ invasion and nuclear holocaust. New Zealand director Andrew Nicols Gattaca is set in a near-future America where, non-enhanced babies are born only to the poor and the sexually reckless. Those who can afford it consult with a genetic technician before initiating a pregnancy, and select their future childs traits for optimum success: sex, life expectancy, intelligence, and appearance. Children with pre-selected genes are classified at birth as Valids. They are the ruling elite, eligible for top careers and entitled to high social status. In-Valids labor at unskilled jobs with no way up or out. Clearly, the ideas of genetic selection has direct links to the ‘unlocking’ of the DNA Genome (Gattaca itself is named after the letters used in describing DNA) and the explosion of gene science taking place in the late ‘90’s. Gattaca acts as a warning to western society about this fast-advancing area of science, and where it could all lead. The film celebrates the stubbornness and cunningness of Vincent, an In-Valid, with a serious heart defect who defeats his genetically superior brother and the ‘system’ through determination and belief. Gattaca is a celebration of the triumph of human spirit over a pre-ordained existence. Like many other mainstream dystopian films, Gattaca’s narrative construct follows an individual’s struggle and victory against ‘the system,’ offering hope over defeat for its audience. It seems that most Dystopian films are aim to frighten and provoke. And what makes these films, and this genre work, is their ability to tap into the ideas and beliefs of contemporary society. As a rule, the more realistic and alarming a dystopia is, the more frightening and provoking it is. One such recent film that explores the possibilities and probabilities of its society’s future is Alfonzo Cuaron’s Children of Men. The 2007 film set in 2027 shows that for the past 18 years, no humans have been born, due to some medical disaster. It is the end of the human race and civilization has collapsed, apart from in Britain, where the film is set. However, to keep a semblance of order, draconian laws control who may stay in Britain†¦shades of pre-war Germany, where fear of outsiders is used to control the populated. What makes this film so plausible is not necessarily the plot but world that has been created around the characters and storyline. There are references to post 9/11 America and their government’s ‘Homeland Security Bill’, where the removal of freedoms by the government are justified for the greater good. This always leads to â€Å"the Uprising† of the deprived and downtrodden. Curaon populates this world with a present-day who’s who of ‘pressure groups’, which allow the audience to make connections with society. Like all dystopian films, Children of Men show how those things that already exist in our society could lead to if left unchallenged. Regardless of when these films are made, they take contemporary concerns of the society in which they are created and take them to a nightmarish conclusion. Philosopher Slavoj Zizek’s summaries of dystopian films do not point toward alternate reality, they simply make reality more that what it already is. The nightmare that we are expecting is here. This is a genre that has captured the imagination of the filmmakers and audiences alike as it is in our nature to speculate on where the events of today will lead. It is the creativity and imagination of the filmmakers that will determine how successful their vision is.

Teachers Day Essay Example for Free

Teachers Day Essay Image by surojitbasak2007 via Flickr Calcutta, India, Aug 26, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio) In India 5th September is celebrated as Teachers day as a mark of tribute to the contribution made by teachers to the society. 5th September is the birthday of a great teacher Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, who was a staunch believer of education, and was the well-known diplomat, scholar, president of India and above all a teacher. The day commemorates the birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakhrishnan, a philosopher and a teacher par excellence, and his contribution towards Indian education system. Dr Radhakhrishnan believed that teachers should be the best minds in the country. On this day, we gratefully remember the great educationist, apart from honoring all the teachers that have made our life much more knowledgeable and fulfilled, as serving as our beacons of light. When Dr. Radhakrishnan became the President of India in 1962, he was approached by some of his students and friends and requested him to allow them to celebrate 5th September, his birthday. In reply, Dr.Radhakrishnan said, instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers day. The request showed Dr. Radhakrishnans love for the teaching profession. From then onwards, the day has been observed as Teachers Day in India. One of the most celebrated writers in the modern India today his work varies on philosophical, theological, ethical, educational, social and cultural subjects. He contributed numerous articles to different well-known journals, which, are of immense value and seems to surprise various readers because of the depth in the meaning of the articles. Teachers day is now one of the occasions that is looked forward by the

Oil Exploration And Production Companies Management Essay

Oil Exploration And Production Companies Management Essay The oilfield service industry is a sector which mainly provides services to the oil exploration and production companies. Schlumberger is the leading name in the oilfield servicing market which has lots of stake in the highly competitive market environment of the Middle East. This report is basically an in depth understanding about the behavior and performance of Schlumberger in the highly competitive environment. The initial analysis of the report would focus on the qualitative aspects of the oil field service industry. It would provide an overview of about the current trends prevailing in the industry which would help in getting a better understanding about the issues and the current matters taking place. It would provide an in-depth analysis of how the oil and gas prices are affected by the demand in industry. In order to run a successful business, every company should have a competitive advantage in the market. This aspect would be analyzed through Porters five force model, which will identify the sources of competitive forces Schlumberger would face in the market in the future. The later part of the analysis would focus on the strategic approach of Schlumberger and the positioning of the company in the market with regards to its competitors which are Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Weatherford. The strategic approach identification of each company and the market position would be done by utilizing Porters framework of competitive analysis and will help in analyzing the position of the companies through its competitors array. This report will provide insights into the speed with which the competitors in Middle East are able to acquire the market share and also analyze Schlumbergers value-creating strategy which would determine how long this competitive advantage will last. List of figures: Figure 1: Revenue of the Oilfield Service Industry in Billion $ Figure 2: Upstream Capital Expenditure from 2001 2013 Figure 3: Average rig Count according to Baker Hughes International Figure 4: Porters five force model Figure 5: Production of crude oil in the Middle East Figure 6: Production of natural gas in the Middle East Figure 7: Revenue of Schlumbergers competitors region-wise Figure 8: Estimated percentage of merger and acquisitions in next 2 years. List of Tables: Table 1: Baker Hughes International Rig Count displaying the active rigs. Table 2: Relation between WTI crude oil price, upstream CAPEX and avg Rig Count Table 3: Impact of each force on the oilfield service industry Table 4: Key success factors of the oilfield service industry Table 5: Global and Middle East revenues of Schlumbergers competitors in Middle East Table 6: Comparative analysis of Schlumberger and its competitors Table 7: Competitors array of Schlumberger Table 8: YTD revenue of Schlumbergers competitors Contents Introduction: The oil and gas industry seems to have recovered from the slump in 2008-09 due to the economic crisis as we can see that the oil and gas prices are rising for the past three years. The oilfield service industry which is an integral part of the petroleum industry was no exception to this phenomenon. The oilfield service industry which provides services to the exploration industries has witnessed increase in the profitable quarters over the past three years and it continues to grow despite the current Eurozone crisis and all the challenges faced by the service industry due to economic situations such as the BP Deepwater Horizon incident. Schlumberger, which is the leading oilfield service company all across the globe, enjoys a major market share over other companies and has been one of the most profitable companies amidst all these hardships. As of December 31, 2011, the company had more than 113,000 people of over 140 nationalities working in approximately 85 countries. The companys revenue touched $39.54 billion in 2011 crossing the highest revenue by any company in this sector. Schlumberger is located in various geographic areas such North America, Latin America, Middle East/Asia, Europe and Africa. In the Middle East/Asia region, Schlumberger does have a competitive advantage over others but no competitive advantage is permanent. Thus the company has to keep a constant check on its existing competitors and the new players to the oil field services industry. Given the industry context mentioned above, the main aim of this business report is to analyze the current trend in this industry and also to analyze Schlumbergers competitors in the Middle East to sustain its competitive advantage. The primary objective of this report is to ensure that Schlumberger is aware of the changes going on in the Middle East that is affecting its ongoing strategies and business plans and also to keep a close eye on its competitors new strategies and the advancements they are making. It is also to ensure that their current strategies are in line with the business environment and if not, what changes can be brought about in order to keep it at par with the other competitors within the industry. The main findings of the project will assist Schlumberger not only in maintaining their strong position within the industry, but will also help them in evaluating and forecasting about the changes in advance and develop their business plans accordingly. Chapter 1: Literature Review: Porter five forces Model: There are a number of management tools which analyze the industrys profitability despite the existing competitions and changes in the economy. This section will help us in getting an understanding about the appropriate strategies to gauge industry analysis. For getting an understanding about the proper strategic analysis of an industry, there are a few management tools and theories such as SCP Paradigm, Porter five forces model and Value Net model. The Structure Control Performance framework is derived from the Industrial Organization (IO) economics and it studies the market based on the three elements and also tries to draw a connection between them, (Fu, 2003). Mason (1939, 1949) and Bain (1951, 1956, 1959) as cited in (Goddard, Wilson and Lipcztynski, 2005, p6) had developed the SCP paradigm. It correlates the relationship between the market structure, company conduct and company performance (Ajlouni, 2010). According to this approach, the structure of a market influences the conduct of the firms operating in the market, which in turn influences the performance of those firms. (Goddard, Wilson and Lipczynski, 2005, p6). Thus the SCP paradigm analyses the industry in three steps. First, the structure analyses the basic framework of the market which is required by the company for conducting business. It involves the buyers and sellers, barriers to entry, product differentiations, vertical integration and diversifications. Second, the model analyses the behavior of the firms to get an in depth analysis about the business objectives, pricing policies, research and development, acquisitions and mergers. The third, performance describes the parameters required to measure the performance of the industry through profitability, growth and increase efficiency. The SCP Paradigm is based mainly on empirical research than on theoretical aspects and it was one of the dominant models till the early 1980s (Slade, 2003). Thus there were many criticisms about the model because of its dependence on the empirical researches and one of the main problems of the paradigm was to analyze many of the variables in each factor of the paradigm. The further growth on the Industrial Organization witnessed the introduction of Porters five forces model. One of the well-known and an important framework is Porter Five Forces Model. Porters five forces is heavily influenced by the SCP Paradigm as one the Structure of the paradigm is basically the Porter Five Forces model and the other Performance is outcome of Porters model which is the profitability (Goddard, Wilson and Lipcztynski, 2005, p16-18). Micheal E.Porter (1979) developed this model which attempts to handle the main forces which affect the industry structure. Porter five forces model tries to explain the industry structure and the competitive conditions by evaluating the following forces: the risk of new entry in the industry, the degree of rivalry among established competitors, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers and the threat of substitute products. According to Porter, the presence of stronger forces of the model, make the business environment of the industry to be more challenging and is less attractive to the investors. On the contrary, if the forces are weak, then the companies seem to be in a more profitable condition as there would be less competition in the market. According to Kevin Coyne and Somu Subramanian (1996) as cited in The McKinsey Quarterly(2001), this model is built under three essential assumptions: Firstly, the buyers, suppliers, substitutes and competitors are not related and do not interact with each other in the industry. Secondly, more capital will be available to the companies that have a structural advantage over their competitors and potential entrants. Thirdly, there is much lower risk involvement which let the companies in the market to plan properly and prepare a strategy accordingly. According to Mintzberg (1994), Porter assumption that future of the industry can be predicted based on the present market conditions is being discarded by Mintzberg. He explains that a company cannot forecast future market conditions precisely owing to economic changes and also technological innovations. Every model has its limitations and criticisms and Porter Five forces model is no exception to it. The limitations are: Firstly, the model was based originally on the economic situation of the eighties when there was a strong competition and relatively stable market structures. Second, it does not focus on the different challenges that a company faces as it enters international arena. The challenges faced by them in other nations are extremely different in comparison to what it faces in its own nation. Third, Porter takes into consideration only the industrial factors, whereas it overlooks the company resources available to the industry without which the profitability of the industry cannot be determined. Finally, as and when the companies expand, they diversify themselves into various other markets and other regions and thus the model does not concentrate on role of expansions and various acquisitions (Parnell, 2004, p50-51). Brandenberger and Nalebuff (1985) as cited in Unknown (n.d.) too identified an important flaw in the Porter model. In the book, Coopetition (Competition + Co-operation), has been discussed but the model ignores the strategic alliance which exists between some industries and which in turn helps each other to bring out a finalized product. These are mainly known as complementors in business terminology. Thus Brandenberger and Nalebuff in addition to suppliers, consumers and competitors introduced a new force namely the complementors. This was known as Value Net. This is basically an extension of the Porters model and is known by the name of Value Net model. Porters five forces analyze what are the challenges in the face of their growth opportunities whereas Value Net model analyses threats and opportunities available to the industry (Unknown, n.d.). Porter admits that developing a strategy in a new emerging industry or in a business undergoing revolutionary technological change is a daunting proposition (Downes and Mui, 2000, p60). According to Downes and Mui, Porter explains that the new digitalized and high tech world comes with a lot of complexities and developing a full proof strategy is a daunting task and this does not mean that the old rules are invalid. But if we look around in todays work environment, we will find that every industry is heavily dependent on the new technology. Thus Downes and Mui introduced three new forces to the Porter five force model namely Digitalization, Globalization and Deregulation (Downes and Mui, 2000, p64-67). These are the driving forces which steers the modern business houses in the right direction and amongst these the most important force is Digitalization. Thus the setback with the Porters framework is the absence of the digitalization force which has revamped the industries with the introduction of modern technology. Though from the above discussion it may appear that Porter five forces is outdated as it does not consider digitalization. But if we consider both its assumptions and limitations, it is one of the effective management tools that can be used in business and can easily be understood by the managers. Porters Competitive Framework: There are different strategic frameworks available which would be helpful for doing a competitor analysis. The most prominent among them are Porters Competitive Framework and SWOT analysis. Porters Competitive Framework is a management tool which is used to analyze the industry on four basic elements namely: future goals, current strategies, assumptions and capabilities. Future goals discuss what drives the competitor, current strategy discusses what a competitor is doing or can do, assumptions focus on the supposition made by the firm about itself and the industry and capabilities discuss about the strengths and weaknesses of the firm (Porter, 1980). This is one of the most prominent frameworks but a lot of researches are based on assumptions about competitor analysis which is discussed below. A lot of scholars have defined what a competitors analysis is but the most difficult part is the evaluation of the competitor at a firm level (Tsai, Su and Chen, 2011). A number of studies have been conducted on how a competitor could be analyzed at a firm level. Porac et al, 1995 presented a cognitive model which is developed on the basis of the observation the firm makes about its competitors actions and reactions and then decide on its strategy. Also, Baum and Lant (2003) as cited in (Tsai, Su and Chen, 2011) illustrated that resemblance in geographic location, price and size are sufficient for a firm to have an idea about their competitors. Chen in 1996 gave a different perspective of competitor by introducing the two-firm concept explaining that a competitor analysis is mainly based on market commonality and resource similarity. But many researchers found the two-firm concept to be difficult to relate with the competitor analysis. Competitors analysis is necessary for every enterprise as because there may be certain gaps which the company might not foresee while making competitive decisions. Zajac and Bazerman(1991) discussed the relation between the strategic decision making process and competitive analysis and named the gap between them as competitive blind spots. They discussed how a wrong assumption by a firm about its competitor may result in blind spots. Rothschild (1979) too discussed on where the companies many miss the link and what are the questions to be posed for a proper competitor analysis. Tsai, Su and Chen, 2011 gave a different perspective with regard to the competitor analysis by introducing the concept of competitor acumen. It illustrated about the relationship between the different firms in the same industry and also the extent to which a firm can understand its competitors. Every researcher mentioned above has challenged the Porters framework but none of these have the same prominence as Porters framework. However, there exists a challenge which in the Porters framework that cannot be ignored. Porter does discuss about the fact that when a competitor analysis is done, a firm should know both its direct (current) and indirect (emerging) competitors. However, it does not discuss whether a firm should consider all its competitors or only the top three or four or just a bunch of them. Thus the firm has to analyze the industry first, identify its competitors and then go for competitor analysis (Rao, 2011). The SWOT analysis focuses on the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats which a firm faces and its advantages in comparison to other competitors in the marketplace. SWOT analysis has a lot of advantages, for example its framework is extremely simple which helps a firm to identify its focus and can be applied to many intelligence reports like market intelligence. The analysis has a drawback as well. It can be too private and disconnected from the realities that are impacting the company (Evans, n.d, p7). Since Strength and Weakness part is been covered in the Capabilities part of the Porters framework and Opportunities and Threats are also discussed, it is an important competitor analysis tool despites its limitation. Chapter 2: Oilfield Service (OFS) Industry and its trends: 2.1 Background of the Oil Field Service Industry The energy sector comprises of the petroleum (oil and gas industry), electric power, coal, nuclear power and the renewable energy industries. The petroleum industry plays an important role in this sector as crude oil and unconventional natural gas account for a large percentage in worlds energy consumption which is around 56% (BP, 2012). Thus, the work of the petroleum industry is primarily classified into two main activities namely- upstream and downstream activities. The upstream activities in this industry are the exploration and production activities. The exploration activities include locating of the hydrocarbon reserves, such as oil and gas reserves, which can be done through desk study, aerial survey and seismic survey. After locating the reserves, the next step is to drill the surface and pump the hydrocarbon out of the reserves. This can be done both on the onshore (water) and offshore (land) through drilling rigs. After the drilling and getting an idea about the size of the oil field, the next step would be production and development activity where the oil and gas is produced through various techniques and services. After the oil and gas has been extracted from the reservoir and brought to the surface, it is then taken to the refineries where the downstream activities begin. The downstream activities in the industry include refining and processing of the oil and gas products and then further distribution of these products through various distribution channels like the retailers, distribution companies, chemical plants etc. The important industry which supports the upstream activities is the oilfield service industry. The oilfield service industry provides equipment and services which are utilized in the exploration and extraction of the hydrocarbons mainly oil and gas. This industry is thus the backbone of the oil and natural gas industry providing various services and equipments for the proper running of the industry. (Etechinternational, n.d.) 2.2 Demand for the oilfield service industry: The demand for the oil field services industry in the market can be measured in terms of the revenue generated by the industry over the years. Given below is the revenue generated by the industry in USD billion over the years from 2007-2011 and it also states about the forecast of the industry for the next five years till 2016. (Source: MarketLine, 2012) Figure 1: Revenue of the Oilfield Service Industry in Billion $ The global revenue of the industry increased till the 2008 where it reached the highest point of USD 361.9 billion. Then there was a decrease in the revenue in 2009 to USD 256.9 billion where the revenue declined by 29.1% mainly due to the global economic and financial crisis resulting in the drop of the oil price. The WTI Crude Oil Price for past few years (refer Appendix 1) indicates that the oil price was once at its peak in 2008 at $145.16/barrel (Yahoo Charts, 2012) and then there was a sudden drop in the oil price and this price drop did sustain in the industry for quite sometime. This drop in the price of the oil led to loss of billions of dollars due to various macro and micro-economic factors in the market (Hamilton, 2009). But later on after the financial crisis, the industry started to improve its business and now since the market has been stabilized and it seems to be rising and expected to reach global revenue of $638.4 billion by 2016 (MarketLine 2012). Knowing the basics of the oilfield service industry, gives us a brief idea about the indicators which is extremely useful for understanding the growth of the industry and the factors influencing its growth. 2.2 a Upstream Capital Expenditure: The growth of the oilfield service industry also depends upon the capital expenditure of the companies in the upstream industry. The companies in the upstream industry is basically segregated into large integrated super-major oil and natural gas companies, international independent oil and natural gas companies which are also known as the International Oil Companies(IOCs), and the national or state-owned oil companies known as the National Oil companies(NOCs). Thus the upstream expenditure will result as a combination of all these three types of companies. The upstream capital expenditure appears to be rising over the past few years and is expected to be profitable over the next few years as well. The total capital expenditure was estimated to be USD 450 billion in 2011(Brown, n.d), which was at an all time high over the years and the oil field service industry seemed profitable at this juncture. The oil and gas exploration and production capital expenditure (CAPEX) for the past decade and for the next few years is shown below. (Source: Combination of WoodMackenzie Corporate Analysis Tool and Upstream Service cited in Brown,n.d and Energy Equipment and Support Services Oilfield Services Sector Report, 2010, please refer Appendix 2 and 3) Figure 2: Upstream Capital Expenditure from 2001 2013 In the above figure we see that the upstream capital expenditure does not include the exploration and appraisal spend. In this graph, we see that the expenditure was increasing until 2008, after which there was a dip in 2009 due to the global economic and financial crisis. 2.2b Rig Count: There are many indicators where the investors of oilfield service industry can gauge the growth or the demand of the industry. The upstream capital expenditure is one of the principal indicators which provide insights on how the industry is generating the revenue but the major concern with the upstream capital expenditure is that the figures are not released on a timely basis as it is shown in the quarterly or the annual report. So it is difficult to have updated information for a particular period of time like weekly or monthly about the industry. Thus, to have timely updates about the industry, another important indicator which helps the investors to know about the global demands of the industry is known as the rig count. The rig count indicates the number of rigs which are currently active in the industry and this shows the number of active rigs, and the specific areas has more demand indicating the demand for more labor. It is very easy and the quickest way for accessing the growth in the oil field service industry. It is used by many companies, analysts like for example Wall Street analysts use the rig count for profit projections from the oil field service companies (Sprehe, 2004). There are a number of rig counts available to serve the industry like the Baker Hughes, Smith Tools but the most commonly used rig count is the Baker Hughes (BHI) rig count as it is one of the oldest rig counts in the industry. Baker Hughes Rig count gives a weekly update on the North America rigs and a monthly update on the International rigs. Area Last Count Count Change from Prior Count Date of Prior Count Change from Last Year Date of Last Years Count US 17-Aug-12 1914 -17 10-Aug-12 -60 19-Aug-11 Canada 17-Aug-12 326 +27 10-Aug-12 -160 19-Aug-11 International Jul-12 1264 -21 Jun-12 +114 Jul-12 (Source: BHI Rig Count as on 20-Aug-12, Baker Hughes Investor Relations, Rig Count) Table 1: Baker Hughes International Rig Count displaying the active rigs As we see in the above table, it shows the update on the active rigs in America, Canada and in the International arena as well where we can see that the last count for the America rigs is on the 17-August 2012(weekly) whereas for International it is July 2012(monthly). This table also analyses the changes in the active rig count from the date of prior count. This table also presents before us a clear picture on how the industry has grown comparing from previous years figures (Baker Hughes Investor Relations, Rig Count, 2012). The Baker Hughes rig count measures the number of rigs which are actually being drilled at a give point of time on a weekly (North America) and monthly (rest of world) basis. This indicator also provides additional information like rig count in different states, or whether the rigs were used for drilling the oil or the natural gas from the surface. A lot of products and services are required for an active rig and thus the use of these products and services show the demand for the services provided by the oilfield service industry (Brener, 2008). An increase or decrease in the rig count also shows the fluctuations in the job market of the oilfield service industry. Increase in rig count increases the job opportunities in the oilfield. The BHI count considers the count of active rigs which means the rigs which are actually drilling holes on the land or the sea to extract the oil or the gas. Therefore, if a rig is being transferred from one location to another, or is being involved in non-drilling activities like casing or completion and production activities, then Baker Hughes does not count the rig as active, even if the activity is still being performed at the field by a number of suppliers and outworkers. Though the rig count provides us with a brief idea about the drilling activity, it does not show many other important factors. The factors which the rig count does not focus on are production activities, depth, cost and location (Brener, 2008). The chart shows the average rig count worldwide from 2000 to June 2012 and we can observe that number of rigs have been on the increasing trend apart from when there was a dip during the financial crisis which hit the industry adversely. (Source: Baker Hughes Investor relations, Rig Count 2012). Figure 3: Global average Rig Count (Oil + Gas + Misc) according to Baker Hughes International The average rig counts for 2011-present from various geographical locations is shown in Appendix 4 where we observe that North America has been leading all the way and that is where the companies generate the maximum amount of revenue. 2.2c Current Industry Trend: The trends of an industry help us to understand what are the current issues and their effect which help us to speculate the likelihood of its impact in the future. There have been many other micro and macro factors which affect the industry trends like government rules and regulations, the oil and gas demand and supply etc which ultimately are the main reasons for the fluctuations in oil and gas price. Thus the trend of the industry can be known from the fluctuations in the oil and gas prices. High prices are beneficial for the industry and vice-versa. The following table shows the relation between the WTI oil price, upstream capital spending and the rig count. Avg. oil rig count Int. N.A. Canada Avg. WTI Oil Price 2007 768 297 127 76 2008 814 379 161 87 2009 764 278 103 55 2010 825 591 199 80.5 2011 897 984 278 95.5 2012(August) 946 1344 260 93.5 (Source: Avg.WTI Crude Oil Price Average WTI crude oil price Yahoo Charts. Upstream CAPEX Combination of WoodMackenzie Corporate Analysis Tool and Upstream Service cited in Brown, n.d and Energy Equipment and Support Services Oilfield Services Sector Report, 2010, please refer Appendix 2 and 3. Average oil Rig Count Baker Hughes Investor Relations) Table 2: Relation between WTI crude oil price, upstream CAPEX and oil Rig Count The above table shows the main trends in the industry indicating that the its demand is dependent on the Upstream CAPEX and Rig count which depend on the WTI crude oil price. This shows that when crude oil price increase, there is a tendency for the investors to invest more in this industry. We see a dip in 2008 due to the economic crisis but in this year we saw that the highest price was $145.16 per barrel in July and the lowest was $30.28 per barrel in December. The average rig counts has also seen a dip during the year 2009 from 2008 indicating that there was less demand of labor during that year. Thus we can suggest that the Rig Count depends on the Investment in the Upstream Industry which in turn is dependent on various factors such as crude oil and gas price fluctuations. Having known the trend in the industry we need to analyze how a company will maintain its profitability in different economic situation which holds good for the future as well. This can be analyzed in the next chapter using the Porter Five Forces Model. Chapter 3: Porter five forces analysis: In order to know the profitability of an industry, the corporate strategists suggest using the Porter five forces model as it is the best way for anticipating the competitive environment. Porter (2008) said Understanding the competitive forces, and their underlying causes, reveals the roots of an industrys current profitability while providing a framework for anticipating and influencing competition (and profitability) over time. The Porter 5 forces are: Rivalry among existing customers, Threats of substitutes, Power of suppliers, Power of buyers and Threats of new entrants. The impact of the forces on this industry is shown in the following table: Forces Impact Rivalry among the existing competitors HIGH Power of Suppliers MODERATE Threat of Substitutes LOW Power of Buyers HIGH Threat of New Entrants LOW Table 3: Impact of each force on the oilfield service industry (Source: 12manage, n.d.) Figure 4: Porters five force model 3. a Threat of new entrants: If we consider this particular industry, then one thing that is pretty clear is that the competitors have been operating in this sector for many years and giving them a tough challenge is not an easy task. An ideal new entrant tries to enter and capture the market share and put pressure on the competitors directly by applying new technology and new ideas. The impact of the new entrants in the oilfield service industry is low. The presence of

American Secularism: Intent Analysis Essay -- Politics, The Separation

Dwight Eisenhower once wrote that, â€Å"Without God, there could be no American form of government† (Forbes, 2009: 1). Decades later, in a speech in Turkey, President Barack Obama claimed that America does not consider itself a Judeo-Christian nation. Modern arguments about the separation of church and state tend to seize upon such statements. But neither opinion can truly elucidate the true nature of American secularism (or lack thereof). Instead of criticizing Eisenhower for breaching that fabled wall of separation, or President Obama for conducting an arbitrary public opinion poll during a speech, focus must shift to the Founders. Specifically, the words of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, those men most widely documented on this issue, must be examined. From the synthesis of these men’s views, the documents they had a leading role in crafting, and historical perspective, a vision of American religious freedom is apparent. With the Constitution, the Framers inst ituted bold, practical boundaries for the interaction of organized religion and the federal government (Jefferson’s â€Å"wall†). But they did not envision the federally mandated â€Å"walls† that currently stand between the (local) public square and basic religious manifestations or practices. A narrower interpretation of the Establishment clause is closer to what was instituted by the Framers. This paper will argue that a wall of separation between church and (the federal) state was erected only insofar as the Constitution dictates it in the religion clauses. It will also posit that the present interpretation of that separation is a thoroughly modern construct built by modern society and actions of the federal government. This will focus around two main arguments: that federal... .... This divergence is the result of an effort to enlist the Framers in a defense of certain positions; positions based in legal frameworks never enacted by those men. If these arguments are accepted, a reevaluation of federal attitudes is in order. Rolling back a century of incorporation doctrine would be both impossible and foolish. But the executive can refrain from prosecuting states who institute laws that appear within the realm of state sovereignty in the area of secularism. Ultimately, of course, the decision will rest with the courts. If the arguments presented here (and similarly elsewhere) are accepted, an overhaul in judicial interpretation of the Establishment Clause should be undertaken by the judicial branch. Thus a legitimate debate over secularism can begin that does not inaccurately shroud modern constructs of secularism in the aura of the Framers.

Augustines Confessions Paper -- Literacy Analysis

When one reads the word "confessions," one would not necessarily associate it with the word "narrative." Confessions seem to be more of something stated directly without any story-like element. They are also a more personal thing- one does not simply put them in a story form unless purposely intending to do so, because usually it is something that expresses guilt for something personal or is between the author and their conscience (or perhaps to themselves). However, there can always be an exception, like Augustine's Confessions. It is written as a form of a narrative, even though the original the main audience for whom it was written is God, yet it is also intended to be read by anyone, almost as a didactic piece that sets an example through the portrayal of his life and his decisions. Augustine takes what he has experienced during his life and with details such as parallels to the bible turns it into a narrative that he writes with an intention of educating or perhaps setting an ex ample for any reader. ​Augustine writes his confessions not as a list, but as one event that flows to another- like a narrative. At first glance, it appears to be as the title says- a book of confessions. However, it cannot solely be approached "as a penitential work, concerned with the confession of sins, which indeed it is, in some degree; but this is not Augustine's primary concern. (Bonner 164)." He means that it is not just a confession to God, that indeed God is the main audience, but not the only audience. Augustine even states this in the actual text: "I too, O Lord, also so confess unto Thee that men may hear, to whom I cannot prove whether I confess the truth, yet do they believe me whose ears charity openeth unto me (10.3.3)" and again wi... ...no means starting on the morally correct path but still was able to turn that all around, and almost like an inspiration to all that it is never too late to make a difference or change in one's self. Works Cited Merriman, C.D. "Http://www.online-literature.com/saint-augustine/." Saint Augustine. Jalic, 2005. Web. 30 Mar. 2012. ​ O'Donnell, James J. "Augustine." : Confessions. Web. 30 Mar. 2012. . Bonner, G. Starting With Oneself; Spiritual Confessions: Augustine's Confessions. ExpTim 101, 1990. 163-64. Print. Troxel, A. Craig. ""What Did Augustine 'Confess' in His Confessions?" by A. Craig Troxel."Trinity Journal 15.2 (1994): 163-79. EarlyChurch.org.uk: 10 Years of Resourcing the Study of Early Church History. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. . ​

Joshua (the Novel) :: essays research papers

Herm’s question, “Josh, what do you think of Religion?'; becomes the beginning of a period of both joy and conflict for Joshua as he is then often encountered with many related questions and, later, contradiction from the Church. These questions all lead to similar answers, in which Joshua expands on his ideas. And because of this further discussion, it’s important to read all of his responses throughout the book in order to understand his reply and to intelligently decide to agree or disagree. Therefore, my reaction to Joshua’s reply is based on everything he said concerning religion. The question arises from a discussion between Pat, Herm, and Joshua concerning his lifestyle. They are walking home from breakfast at the diner and the other two are interested in why Joshua doesn’t mind living alone. “Don’t you get lonesome living by yourself?'; Herm asks (72). But Joshua explains to them that he values the serenity of living alone. He tells them that he can peacefully enjoy the beauty of nature outside and the animals also keep him company at times. But the main reason why Joshua never feels alone is that God is always with him, loving him always, and will never abandon him: “No. I like being by myself… God is with us all the time'; (72). Pat and Herm agree but still can not imagine living alone without any feeling of loneliness and this discussion of God leads to Herm’s question. Joshua’s response is similar to a sermon or speech, and is over a page in length; he is firm in these beliefs and reiterates them several times throughout the book. He is very prepared for the question; before saying a word he asks, “the way it [religion] is or the way God intended it to be?'; (73). And when he is sure of the latter, releases everything inside him, as if he was just waiting to explain what people had been doing wrong. His main point is that Jesus wanted to free those under the pressure of rules in their religions and offered a comforting God who loved them, asking only for honor and worship in return. Joshua is also disappointed in the way the clergy preside over their congregations: “Jesus did not envision bosses… He wanted his apostles to guide and serve, not to dictate and legislate'; (74). Joshua feels that rules and traditions are blocking people from growing in love of God, that the people become unable to think for themselves and panic when changes are made.

Large technology based corporation

1) Why carly didn’t come sooner to discuss project delay Carly knew she was the problem because she caused the delay by not delegating the project work to Morris and other team members. She wanted Morris and other team member to be blamed for non-performance. She wanted things to worsen so that other members can be sucked for he feared that they were more experienced than him. He mistreated them so that they can give up and quit the job. 2) Carly hasn’t had a conversation with Morris or vice versa about their differences This is because they lacked the skills of a good communicator. They did not have the ability to communicate to people at all levels. There was no clear communication about their responsibility, how they are supposed to perfom, goals and their expectations. Carly viewed Morris as her rival. She was negative about Morris and could not accept him. Carly thought Morris would contradict with her and disagree with her. She is feeling inferior to Morris because Morris had a higher level of degree than her. How they should respond They should be open to each other, negotiate effectively and persuade each other to ensure that success is achieved. This will support both individual and achievement of the team by getting guidelines on how to accomplish the results. They should get to understand one another and know where they contradict and accept one another the way he or she is. 3) Biggest problem with the way these team members interact They lack team building skills because they lack substances that hold the team together which is unity and cooperation to achieve common objective. They do not understand the process of transformation required to progress from being strangers to each other to being a single unit which is cohesive. There are no leadership styles to be used at each stage of developing the team. They lack understanding of each team player and how each of them can be used at the proper time to solve problem once it arise. What they could do to remedy the problem They should understand one another’s strengths and weaknesses and try to cope with them instead of avoiding each other. They should be ready to accept correction once they do a mistake knowing or not knowing. They should take advice given by those in higher authority and follow the instructions given to them. Problems should be shared once they arise and look for solutions together. Cooperation between team members should be emphasized and also unity in order to strengthen the team. 4) Should carly continue to serve as project manager? I think carly should not continue to serve as a project manager because she lacks the ability to delegate task, she is notable to check and control the project. She does not allow Morris and other team members to participate in the project in order to complete it. She is not delegating the work and at the same time not able to complete it by herself. Carly lacked leadership competence because she is not able to lead others successfully, she has not won any track record and has no ability to inspire team members, challenge or encourage them to put more effort in their job. For these reason, the post of the project manager should be given to another person who is experienced and committed to his job. 5) How I would begin to address this situation I would call carly, Morris and the team members together, listen to their problems and discuss the solutions together. Plan to remedy this problem Team building skills – the team should come together to achieve the objective of the corporation. The main objective would be to complete the project at the set time and strive to meet the deadline on when all the activities should be completed. Transformation – the team should understand each other, know their abilities and talents and know how each of them contributes to the sucess of the corporation. They should come up together and build a unit that utilizes all its ability to be successful. Leadership styles – the manager should know how to lead the team and offer advice where necessary. She should be listened to and his decision should be final even after conversation with the team members. The leader should have the ability to make wise decisions that will not mislead other team members. Understanding – they should know how each team member can be resourceful and know his contribution in solving problems. OUTLINE OF A PLAN FOR GETTING THE PROJECT BACK ON TRACK FOR JANUARY L RELEASE Introduction Key methods of preventing the failure of the project Beginning the project in the right way Prevent all the problems before you begin Finalize what is required of you  Agree on the scope of the project  organizing project to avoid problems  Know all the steps in planning  Finalize the objectives of the project  Get all the required resources and keep then  Know the duration taken to finish the project  Emphasize on preventing the problem rather than reaction  Get a realistic plan  Finalize on how to manage the project  Develop final plan of management and ensure it is approved  getting work done  Always stay focused and avoid time wasting. Ask questions to know how the project is going on  Know performance and how the project is doing  Retain corporation by use of rewards and building team  Update the plan to make sure the project always stays on track  proving your success  Confirm that the job is done to the requirements  Be signed off formerly by the manager  Celebrate success of the project REFERENCE Lewis James; Fundamentals of Project Management; Amacom Division Mgt,2002                     

Reagan Revolution Through President Obama

Strayer University 2012 ‘Reagan Revolution through President Obama† Prof. Jahangir Salehi Alesia Cleveland maitland campus Introduction Will the Obama Revolution advance America’s interest Washington, March 1, 2012-Thomas Jefferson once observed, â€Å"Every generation disserves a new revolution. † Depleted in war and facing economic collapse, America embraced Barrack Obama as a vanguard of the revolutionary hope in 2008. Where candidate Obama had a thin substantive record to assert the claim for highest elective office in 2008, Obama has laid down numerous markers since January 2009 that deserve and should get close scrutiny through Election Day.Turning Points in History Turning points in history can mean that changes in the ways things are done in the past, sometimes for the better and other times for the worse. Two notable turning points in history were the Industrial Revolution and also World War I. These both had some political and social impacts. The I ndustrial Revolution was a time of great change and increased efficiency. No more would be goods be produced by individual means of farming and agriculture, but now by the use of machinery and factories. Technology was beginning to increase along with the food supply as well as the population.However, this increase in population would be a greatly impact the social appearance of that time. Urbanization was becoming much more widespread. Cities were becoming overwhelming crowed and there was an increase in disease as well as severe child labor. Although child labor would be reduced somewhat due to unions, the Industrial Revolution still controlled both its posture and negative results. World War I was another turning point in history. The turning point consisted in the way war fought and how it has changed due in the advances in technology that took place during this time in the 1900s.War was triggered in the Balkans were the Ottoman Empire had once maintained control industrializati on and technology had both contributed in the advances n the development of weapons. The devastatingly was the cause of millions of deaths in World War I. War was fought in trenches and they used machine guns as well as tanks and hand grenades. There was definitely a turning point in the way of war would be fought. However, the most important turning point in the war had to be the involvement of the U. S. The U. S. tried to remain neutral in the war that ended up joining Allies.Thanks’ to the U. S. ’s involvement; however, the Allies received the help needed to win the war. In conclusion we can see the revolution and wars can be lead to positive and negative. How the Aids Epidemic was shook America’s HIV/AIDS continues to take a disproportionate toll on Americans, and Unites States leaders must take action now to address the disease’s devastating effect according to a new report. â€Å"(Arias) throughout history of the epidemic, HIV/AIDS has been a persi stent cause of death in African American community. Reports say that blacks have been affected by HIV/AIDS epidemic and more than half of the new disease diagnose, despite being only 13% of the United States population†. (Arias 1) the HIV/AIDS epidemic is an extremely serious cause of death in the African American community, but its spread can be prevented with the roper treatment and life practices. Many causes have been given on how African Americans are so seriously affected by the disease. The most suggested cause of African Americans contracting the disease is through sexual practices.Some of the sexual practices include unprotected activity. The disease is not just coming from one race but all races of people. The motivation For us to go to war with Iraq and Afghanistan the Bush administration has justified its war against Iraq on the grounds: Saddam Hussein’s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, his links to so-called terrorist including the notorio us terror network al-Qaeda, which carried attacks on American interests and soil, and liberating Iraqis from oppression and tyranny and bring it in the fold of democracy Advocates of war in the U.S. administration claimed that Iraq had continued to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD’S), and with Saddam Hussein capable of making them available to terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda, it put the U. S. at a imminent risk. The Iraq carried on to seek as well as build weapons of mass destruction further holdup by the U. S. will simply allow Saddam to build up a larger and deadly armory.The Middle East and the Muslim world in wide ranging did not together in carry of al Qaeda history. The Americans public is at the moment trained for war, willing to admit causalities as well as strongly supports the president. In the past seven years there has been immense treaty of tension to the United States and Iraq the United States have been converting demeanor. References www. dail ykos. com www. aei. org/the Reagan revolution www. iv3. newsmax. com/a/real_obama