International business Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International business - Movie Review Example Among those victims is a senior risk-management executive, who was working on a major analysis just when he was let go. As the person is leaving he hands a USB drive to an analyst who works late in the night. The data on the usb disturbs him and turns out to be first rumbling of the storm. He unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm and further finds out that both the market and the company are about to crash. On this he calls his seniors and colleagues in and informs them about the companys financial disaster which follows an emergency meeting and a long panicked night until dawn when the owner of the company John Tuld arrives. The owner is informed of the financial crisis which the company was facing over the past 40 months the company have packaged a series Mortgage Backed Securities (Mbs) into one tradable commodity. The idea was quite profitable but it requires a month to layer the products that is, they have to hold the products for a longer time than desired and they are based on mortgages and risk is elevated. The company’s (MBS) have decreased by 25%, and that was the rate at which the losses will exceed even the current value of the company. The company based on historic patterns, had exceeded their levels of volatility that is their historic volatility has exceeded the limits. They were already facing the crisis as the company has broken through for the past 5 days. The owner was told it will take weeks to clear the problem and if they stop buying it will be noticed and they were left with 60 traders only. The owner inquires how bad the situation was and he was told that the company was al ready in a crisis, the young analyst also informs him that him if the assets were to be decrease by just 25%, it will exceed the value of the company. The decision made by the owner was to

Kant's Perpetual Peace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Kant's Perpetual Peace - Assignment Example Therefore, he advanced an honorable approach to similar address factors. In the current world, nations have formed international treaties to cease tensions and guide resource allocation (Kant, 2007). The treaties like the Nile Treaty guide the equitable sharing water resources in the African Nations thereby reducing resource-driven conflicts. Besides, the Geneva Conventions promulgated in the year 1949 helped to cool the tension of the World War II. It described the fundamental rights of wartime captives and offered protection for the bordering people and the wounded thereby minimizing the prevalence of the war. Nations also formed treaties to combat global terrorism and enhance peaceful coexistence of the nations. The most notable include the Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts and Convention on Offenses and Acts Committed on Board Aircraft (Cassese, 2006). The treaties so far have protected citizens of various countries against acts of terrorism that can trigger incidence s of war. It is an approach borrowed from Kant’s Perpetual Peace framework. Kant also indicated that global peace shall arise if the worldwide community and neighbors respect the sovereignty of other nations. Respecting the independence of other nations, entail respect of the countries institutions and symbols of unity. These include the presidency, the national flag, and the constitutions. In addition, valuing the sovereignty of other nations include observance of the cultural heritage and non-interference.

Cambodia And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

Cambodia And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay Our global environment has irregularly changed from year to year. There are many scientific evidences showing that climate change is caused by two factors including natural causes and human activities mainly affecting to the global atmosphere due to the emission of greenhouse gases, such as Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (NO2), and other industrial gases. The change of climate by human activities has caused negative impacts including global warming, sea level rise, increased natural disaster (cyclone, flood, and drought) and has impacted economic development. Obviously, Climate change is real and happening in Cambodia that it cannot avoid. Cambodia is considered to suffer much due to its high levels of poverty and poor infrastructure to cope with natural disasters and other longer-term effects of climate change. Hench, Cambodia is likely vulnerable to Climate Change and Global Warming and in the mean time the rest of the world is concerning that it comes to be dis cussed and debate. The term climate change is often associated with the term global warming. Climate change can be defined as the significant changes in the climate of the Earth, such as precipitation, temperature or wind, which lasts for long period of time, for decades or longer. Global warming can occur from a number of causes, both man-made and naturally occurring. Global warming is also commonly associated with the warming that occurs as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities. (What is Climate Change and the Difference between Climate Change and Global Warming) Global warming and climate change can impact agriculture and food production around the world due to: the effects of elevated CO2 in the atmosphere, higher temperatures, altered precipitation and transpiration regimes, increased frequency of extreme events, and modified weed, pest, and pathogen pressure. Cambodia is one of the developing countries which tends to give less impacts of climate change than in wealthy industrialized countries. Anyways, Cambodia is likely to suffer from the impacts of climate change and global warming that it need to adapt to those changes, especially in terms of droughts, floods, soil erosion and the loss of biodiversity. This in turn will affect land productivity and people will become poorer. In the mean time, Cambodia is an agricultural country that many hectares of land are growing rice. After rice, we keep the land idle, which means we dont grow year-round. As a matter of fact, rice production can contribute to climate change, through flooded fields and the use of chemical pesticides and nitrogenous fertilizers. Agricultural can also potentially help mitigate climate change through soil carbon sequestration by practicing sustainable agriculture practices. (Workshop, May 27-28,2010) More importantly, man-made have impacted most on climate change and global warming. Population growth has disturbed the balance between our ecosystems on our planet as the atmosphere and seas pollution, destruction of the rain forests, fire burning out of control, alteration of sensitive ecosystems, and destruction of the ozone layer. These activities have created an unprecedented Climate Change and Global Warming. Obviously, in Cambodia there is a big space between the rich and the poor as poverty remain the big problem that many poor people live in the disorder condition. Usually people who live next to the river, lakes or sea, mostly water quality is not good since water is polluted by wastes, rubbishes, poisonous chemical substances from pesticides of farmers and industrial wastes or accidents that lead to the endanger of people health. In addition to Cambodias disorder infrastructure which pollutes the clean air due to the smoke of those machines as well as many old vehicles rem ained in the cities produce too much harm on environment. Moreover, Cambodia had faced many wars that left many explosives on many hectares of land which is not only the greatest danger of humanity, but may also have a long-term cumulative effect on the earth climate. Developing countries like Cambodia have been severely affected by climate change and lack the resource to tackle on its own, Hun Sen said at the opening ceremony Monday at the countrys first National Forum on Climate Change. Even though there is a strict environmental policies adopted by developed and developing countries, in somehow the rule of law and economic development is still weak and Cambodia in some way was affected. For instance, there are reports that tons of toxic waste is deposited in Cambodia by other nations. In November 1998, a large quantity of mercury-laden waste from Taiwan was dumped in Sihanouk Ville, a famous tourist and port area in Cambodia. Due to health concerns, thousands of residents fled from the area, resulting in several accidents along a bumpy, narrow road with at least four dead and 13 injured. Surprisingly, a month later another case was found involving more than 650 tons of film scraps from Taiwan again. In addition, several months prior to this, th e Sihanouk Ville police found waste materials including x-rays, used cassette and videotapes from South Korea. (New York Times). Cambodia is a victim of climate change, and developed countries should shoulder more responsibility in reversing the effects of global warming, said Prime Minister Hun Sen (National  Forum  on  Climate  Change). For this reason the rich was blamed to be more responsible that they have more resources to settle this matter and huge countries should not blame less-developed countries.   Climate Change and Global Warming give direct and indirect impact on the country, community and individual level. On the country level, Cambodia which largely depends on agriculture is vulnerable to agricultural inactivity and losses due to natural disasters. Therefore it will experience slow economic growth due to the global recession and economic crisis which lead to poor and underdeveloped health infrastructure that aggravate health problems and further burden the government. Many livelihoods will be affected by natural disasters. Not only homes and properties, agricultural produce and health, but even community as a whole that result in facing the economic downturn, hence it will lead to more social crime. For instance, by the end of the century, higher sea levels in the Mekong Delta, where nearly half of Vietnams rice is grown, may inundate about half (~1.4 million ha) of the deltas agricultural lands. Compared to developed and other developing states, Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States have released relatively small amounts of fossil fuels and thus contribute little harm to climate change and global warming. Yet they seem to be suffered the most. Developing countries in Asia like Cambodia has the least capacity to adapt to Climate Change and Global warming and is therefore in need of whatever external support in order to cope with these issues. Low adaptive capacity has made Cambodia among the most vulnerable region despite it is relatively low suffered from Climate hazard. However, still other areas with high adaptive are vulnerable due to their high population densities and closed location to Climate hazard of sea level rise and floods namely Jakarta and Thailand (John E .Newby/WWF Canon, October 2009). It has been known for some time the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to changing weather patterns, particularly severe floods and droughts that lead to immense poverty, hunger and disease. The rising sea level, along with other climatic changes, threatens the very survival of many SIDS. Approximately 860 million people in LDCs and SIDS will be adversely affected by climate change, many of them becoming environmental refugees. (Hamilton, 2005). Many SIDS rely on one or few economic activities, especially tourism or fisheries, both of which are highly influenced due to natural disasters. Climate change is expected to impact aquatic ecosystems, and alter the distribution and production of fish. Fish migration routes, spawning and feeding grounds, and fishing seasons are all likely to change, and the impacts on fishing communities are uncertain. Rising seas, more severe storms, and saltwater intrusion in the deltas will damage the regions aquaculture industry, which is based on species with limited saline tolerance, such as catfish in the Mekong Delta. Cambodia and Vietnam are among the most vulnerable on recent climate change impacts on fishery in 130 countries that is heavy dependence on fisheries, high exposure to climate risks, and limited coping capacity (Mirza, 2003). Apart from that Asian is the places of interest for tourists, including wildlife areas and parks may be disrupted with less tourism due to Climate Change and it also has significantly impacted on agriculture and decreasing in the supply of water and soil moisture during the dry season, which put the stress on the available of water supplies and increasing the need for irrigation. Rice growing areas may also be affected which gives a bad effect on agricultural trade, economic growth and the development (McLeman, 2005). For instance, farmers who directly depend on agriculture are vulnerable to extreme events which can destroy their entire crop due to floods or droughts that occur unpredictably or at the wrong time of the cropping cycle (Warner et al. 2009). The participations from other NGOs and INGOs are really necessary in order to cope with Climate Change and Global Warming. For instance, UNDPs climate change work in Cambodia focuses on strengthening the capacity of government to respond to climate change, creating opportunities for knowledge sharing and building partnerships, as well as supporting research into the impacts of climate change on the countrys economic and human development. For the fulfillment on Climate Change in Cambodia, UNDP has supported the Ministry of Environment to produce various technical reports since 1999 with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The work of UNDP has not only helped the country fulfill its obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but to strengthen governments capacity to respond to climate change, mainly through the Cambodia Climate Change Office (UNDP release ). Climate Change and Global Warming is the hot issue that it is not concern in the region Cambodia itself but as the globe issue; therefore it need to be involved from everyone and other institutions. As a poor country like Cambodia we need some fund in respond to Climate Change and Global Warming for we cannot cope with such a problem alone. According to the project by the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance, Cambodia is supported its capacity to develop and strengthening preparedness for climate change risk; for instance, to communities that are vulnerable to climate change and other natural hazards. To run this project, CCCA grants will be implemented that requires the support from the Government and civil society, as well as with technical support by external development partners. More than 80 per cent of Cambodians rely directly on agriculture for their livelihoods, but global warming is likely to affect rainfall patterns, possibly causing crop failures and food shortages. Moreover, the impact of climate change will be an unprecedented and increasing global threat to life, livelihoods and life-supporting systems. Actually, Cambodias contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is low which ranked number 109 by the World Resources Institute, with emissions of only 0.29 tons of carbon dioxide per head of population each year. Nonetheless, Cambodia is suffered from the effects of global warming due to excessive emissions in other parts of the world. Like other countries in Southeast Asia, Cambodia is expected to experience higher and more intense rainfall. The effects are likely to include more severe water scarcity and more frequent floods, resulting in crop failures and food shortages. A remarkable loss of biodiversity will cause a decline in ecosystem services. C oastal communities and eco-systems are likely to be affected by rises in sea levels as well. Hench, higher temperatures and humidity will create conditions for increased incidence of malaria and dengue fever. In respond the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA) was announced at the forum by the EU and UNDP and formally launched in February 2010. Despite Cambodia is likely to be hardest hit by climate change, Cambodia was selected to be a pilot country which was funded in the form of pooled and non-targeted resources on the basis of contractual agreements between each donor and UNDP by development partners (UNDP/Arantxa). In regard to the environmental protection, includes sustainable management and sustainable use of natural resources in responses to Climate Change and Global Warming, both international level and national one are together trying to cope with it. In this spirit, Cambodia has been working hard to fulfill its own obligation as it fully supports the efforts to address climate change based on the key principles of the United Nations Framework of Convention on Climate Change, which require specific needs and special circumstances of developing country parties, especially those that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Consequently, Cambodia have acceded the Kyoto Protocol on 04 Jul, 2002 (UNDP, 2004). Moreover Cambodia has completed National Adaptation Program of Action to Climate Change (NAPA) in late 2006 to address the urgent and immediate needs of the country adapt to climate change (Trisurat, 2009). Besides national concern, there are also concern form international actors and outsider states on this problem. In this regard, UNFCCC has created the High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, chaired by Norways Prime Minister Stoltenberg. Moreover, the US has pledged US$5 million to catalyze efforts to mitigate emissions of Black Carbon, and other countries Norway, Canada, Sweden, Denmark and Finland have joined in this effort and may also pledge contributions (Otero, 2010). According to the concern from some head of states has risen that solutions to the problems of climate change should be reinforced and coordinate in an integrate manner within the framework of sustainable development (8th Asia-Europe Summit Brussels, 2010). At first Cambodia could not fulfill National Adaptation Program of Action to Climate to Climate Change (NAPA) only until in late 2006 that it succeed in the fulfillment to address the urgent and immediate needs of the country adapt to climate change. It is clear that least developed countries like Cambodia and others are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their limited adaptive climate change capacities. It is clear that weather related change and complex man-mad disaster are increasing frequency and severely in one nation can affect to various part of the world. Their impact on the environment and on climate cannot be overlook. Therefore, broad commitments to address climate change should be agreed at a regional level to ensure that the actions of one country do not negatively affect or undermine the efforts of their neighbors. Though the results of environmental and natural depletion may not be visible now, it will be a heavy burden for Cambodias next generations, who will have difficulty in ecological system. It illustrates that Cambodia is facing the risk of unsustainable development for its next generation. Immediate action is required to tackle hence the government and all other stakeholders must come up with strong policies and fast action to combat climate change. In short, Climate change is closely linked to human activities not only in wealthy industrialized countries people and their livelihoods but also other less developing countries. In particular Climate Change will impact the social and economic in small islands, and also affecting key sectors such as tourism and agriculture, and resulting in risky infrastructure due to Climate variability, including extreme events such as storms, floods and sustained droughts. Therefore the negative impacts of climate change could create a new group of refugees, who may migrate into new settlements to seek new living. Indeed, LDCs and SIDS have neither the financial resources nor the technical capacities to meet their adaptation needs due to climate change and global warming. Consequently, the international community needs to provide stronger financial and technical support to the LDCs and SIDS through the special funds under international frameworks. . In respond special effort needs to be done. Obviously, Cambodia is likely to experience the impacts of climate change and therefore must be prepared to adapt to the changes on the environment, especially in terms of droughts, floods, soil erosion and the loss of biodiversity. Consequently, they will need to adopt sustainable practices on agriculture by reducing the vulnerability of soil based agricultural production systems through the management of soil fertility, management of the cycle of soil more efficiently in grasslands and cropping systems. (Canon, Oct,2009). Moreover, there should be the participating of NGO network members and the government in order to increase their understanding on the issue and what everyone can do is to save water, against pollution, forest protection, wildlife or animals and environmental reservation, recycle, reuse the energy recreation that is a part of daily life. Therefore, in respond to address Climate Change, we should improved energy efficien cy and better use of alternative and renewable energy. We must encourage investment in clean development mechanisms and therefore, green economy must be considered at the top priority of the development agenda. Hence, all countries need to consider setting their own Green House Gaze in the limited target and promote sustainable management of natural resources. Moreover, the regions governments and people need to identify a way to sustainably develop their economies, alleviate poverty, and conserve the regions extraordinary species and ecosystems. The region should improve environmental management capacity and more effective conservation in order to adapt to and reduce the unavoidable climate change impacts (Canon, Oct,2009).

Economic and Environmental Benefits of Global Organic Production Essay

Economic and Environmental Benefits of Global Organic Production Although organic production as an entity is controversial, it is gaining momentum across the world in terms of sales. Organic foods have become more popular as people become more concerned about what it is they are consuming. This increased demand for organic products has lead to organic production on a global scale. With an increase in global organic production have come many benefits both economically and environmentally. Organic agriculture's aim is, 'to augment ecological processes that foster plant nutrition yet conserve soil and water resources. Organic systems eliminate agrochemicals and reduce other external inputs to improve the environment and farm economics' (Pimental, et al). Organic production is not only beneficial to the population as a whole but to the small time farmers who are attempting to survive in a capitalist world. In the U.S., 'National Organic Standards Program prohibits the use of synthetic chemicals, genetically modified organisms, and sewage sludge in organically certified production' (Pimental, et al). These types of eliminations mean less costs and more environmental benefits. Organic production is a step towards self-sustainable farming. As this movement spreads across the world, sales continue to climb with a higher demand for organic products. This demand creates a larger profit margin making it a logical move for small farmers to switch to organic production. ?Organic food sales total more than $7 billion per year and are growing at double-digit rates? (Pimental, et al). When farmers begin to think in terms of profit instead of yield, organic production becomes a viable move. Farmers benefit from this style of agricul... ...thout damage to the land or through killing off key species in the ecological web. The globalization of organic production provides hope for the future through the sustainability of the small farmer and the environment. An increase in profit margins will allow farmers who are struggling to survive against big corporations an edge. For the environment, this means sustainability of soil and biodiversity. It also means the elimination of chemicals that are harming water sources and the health of people. In the end, the globalization of organic production is a beneficial move whether organic foods are better for people or not. Works Cited Pimental, David; Hepperly, Paul; Hanson, James; Douds, David; and Seidel, Rita. ?Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems?. Vol. 55 No. 7. BioScience, July 2005.

Learning Team Reflection Essay

Alan Litchman and Laura B. Trust, Co-Presidents of Finagle a Bagel, own a bagel business in Boston (Parrino, Kidwell, Bates, 2012). Alan and Laura met in business school and after gaining business experience in other industries they purchased the bagel business with the intent of growing it as much as possible. They have two primary target markets: 1) retail stores and 2) wholesale accounts with large institutions. In this paper, we will briefly discuss a few of the strategies they used to manage their working capital. The owners of Finagle a Bagel were tired of working for other people so they decided to buy one new business. They have used several financial concepts to manage the financial accountability of their small business. They have controlled costs from the beginning of the process to the delivery of the product, as well as the administrative costs. Other items that have been highlighted are the management of cash flow, payback, and the schedule of cash entries, which has allowed the company to pay its debts. They have established a good relationship with the banks in order to negotiate the time frame for payments and rate. Suppliers are also a key success factor for the company, as the payment terms are negotiated to match the flow cash. The company’s focus is to maintain its financial management so that the business may grow and return large profits. The Finagle a Bagel also has a policy of recognizing the hard work of their employees. The owners believe that managers and employees are responsible for the success of the company. Together, the company is growing in a sustainable and financially healthy way. According to Alan Litchman, when making any investment, first one has to understand what the demand for the new product is going to be, and what kind of product can be made with the new equipment (Parrino, Kidwell, ba tes, 2012). Alongside his wife, Mr. Litchman explained how important it is to understand the company’s performance and opportunities to better apply capital investment in the company. They both explained, in their own words, the importance of setting up strategies and planning before putting a new product on the market. The couple also spoke about debt. Laura Trust said that debt is ‘a necessary evil’ and sometimes taking debt has its benefits if compared to finding capital through other means, such as pursuing a partner (Parrino, Kidwell, Bates, 2012). In this case they did not want to take a venture capital partner because the owners wanted to have authority  when making business decisions, thus avoiding ‘working for someone else’ (Parrino, Kidwell, Bates, 2012). This shows that the owners prefer a business structure like a sole proprietorship. Lastly, the fact that interest rates have been dropping for small business also supported their decision to take on debt to invest in the company. The couple is very educated when making business decisions, as they understand that even when a company has financial resources, the business gains more by obtaining financial resources from banks with small interest rates, while allowing the resources they have to generate dividends with higher interest rates. This is generally called borrowing ‘cheap money’ (Investopedia, 2014). Finally, credit is also discussed. They mentioned trade credit, which is the amount of time given to pay back vendors for the products bought. The longer the term, the better, as it allows time to receive revenue before having to pay the debt. This is another very important recommendation on how to properly use cash flow and avoid taking on debt. Overall, Alan Litchman and Laura B. Trust demonstrate a thorough understanding of how to manage their capital so that their small business continues to grow and increase their net profits, despite economic challenges in the community and the country. References Investopedia. (2014). Cheap Money. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cheap-money.asp Parrino, R., Kidwell, D., Bates, T. (2012) Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, (2nd Ed) John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Navistar Company Essay

Executive Summary Trimco is a main supplier to Navistar. Navistar relies heavily on Trimco at their assembly plant. Navistar and Trimco must improve their quality management systems in order to have the right parts, in the right number shipped at the right time without any damages or defects. Navistar and Trimco must start imploring a more collaborative approach to their business process. Navistar needs to address their policy problems. Our last minute design changes seriously disrupt the supply process. The robbing of parts also creates a snowball effect of problems in other areas, or down the line. Trimco has several problems including high employee turnover, mixed technological capability with respect to manufacturing processes, and a lack of internal control. Areas of deficiencies must be jointly identified and solutions to these deficiencies must be collaboratively tackled. With these improvements, the cycle time from customer order to delivery should be reduced, which would allow a higher level of customer service at an overall lower cost. The delivery times for the custom-designed trucks should decrease with the recommended implementations. Navistar must identify the problem to Trimco. Trimco must be aware of these deficiencies and collaborate with Navistar to remedy these. Navistar must then look at the problem internally. Top management has given them support in this matter and they must be utilized. Input across different business functions must be taken. Working with other departments will help identify issues that were previously not seen. Incomplete parts can be monitored with a quality control system that compares parts ordered or required with actual parts sent. Last minute design changes must be stopped, as they are not sufficient to let Trimco manufacture the parts on time. Quality of the parts can be addressed by raising awareness of the issue, and by also ensuring packaging and handling of parts are done in meticulous order in order to reduce damages. The â€Å"robbed† parts must be stopped as it cr eates additional problems. It is a short-term fix that produces long-term negative effects. Issues Identification There are several issues for both Navistar and Trimco. I have asked shipping and receiving at both Navistar and Trimco to record the frequency of the trim problems as well as the root causes for each occurrence over a 6-month period. Firstly I will outline the problems here at Navistar. I find that we are storing/handling parts following improper receiving procedures, which include lost, misplaced, and damaged materials. Often parts contained within kits were damaged to the point where they could not be installed into truck interiors causing added costs for Trimco, and delay our assembly here at Navistar. We have also accepted parts that are defective. These parts sometimes went undetected until installation. These parts had to be either scrapped or returned to Trimco for replacement and credit. We must collaborate with Trimco in order to reduce their costs in this area. Communication between Trimco and Navistar will help reduction in total supply chain costs, which is a key measure in the strategic initiative that we are trying to plan in order to reduce these issues. Another issue is the robbing of parts for higher priority uses, which are caused due to supply failures. This of course translates to even more supply failures. This has caused continual shortages, lost stock, (which is the highest reason identified for trim part shortages) and excessive ordering. Another issue is last minute design changes. Navistar needs descriptions or specifications in describing the need in sufficient detail to ensure that the correct goods are ordered in the correct quality, at the correct time, at the correct place. It is considered one of the most important keys to successful strategic management. This is an issue for both Navistar and Trimco in that Navistar has to rework the parts, or order new parts to fill the demand. Specification outlining must be looked at in a strategic sense with Trimco and Navistar communicating different ideas in order to make these situations minimal. Another issue is the JIT suitability. Safety stock is still required which would beget calling it a just in time system. This must be addressed on both sides. Issues for Trimco include quality control problems. Shipping defective material, incorrect material, and even damaged parts, causes increased cost and decreased productivity for both Trimco and Navistar. Another issue for Trimco, which was also an issue for Navistar, was JIT suitability. It seems that at times Navistar expectation can be too high with the last minute specification changes,  which can lead to incorrectly punched parts, or incorrectly sent parts that has been an issue. Environmental and Root Cause Analysis The main cause of the issues for both Trimco and Navistar are quality issues. Both the supply plant and we the assembling plants are running into quality issues. Trimco Industries is a large supplier of automotive trim parts. It is also a very large Navistar supplier. Trimco faces several problems including mixed technological capability with respect to manufacturing processes; high employee turnover that affects employee training and awareness levels that impacts its ability to meet customer needs effectively. Shipping is an issue in that it lacks internal process. Correct parts aren’t always shipped, and the shipping of materials is not sufficient as damaged parts are ranked second as a reason for trim part shortages. Internally we have some issues as well. The last minute design change that we allow to occur, seriously disrupt the supply process. The stealing policy that allows workers to rob parts from one job for another only worsens existing problems. Inventory count, and easy identification of parts is negatively affected. This represents a short-term solution that equates to problems in the long run. The control over incoming parts seems to be an issue that needs to be addressed. Parts that are missing, damaged, defective or incorrectly sent, are being identified too late for Trimco to send appropriate replacement parts in time for assembly. Parts that are being stored at Navistar are being damaged between the time they are received from Trimco and the time they are required for production. This can equate to inefficient packaging, t even mishandling in our receiving area. This damage would indicate that inappropriate storage and handling procedures are being used at Navistar and Trimco. Navistar operates in a highly competitive industry. It has a long-standing history, and reputable background, but there is always pressure to reduce margins in any way possible in order to stay competitive in the industry. Navistar is in the cus tom truck business and currently has a 28.6% share in the North American market. At any given time 50-80% of our orders can be customized. Customers took time in designing their trucks to their specifications and expect timely delivery with impeccable quality. Missing and/or parts are directly impacting both the customer and bottom line costs. This represents 60% of trim part shortages. Trim shortages account for an estimated $200,000. This is a very generous estimation with the estimated cost potentially being far higher than this figure. The processes used both at Navistar and at Trimco are not sufficient to respond to last minute design changes, maintain a continuous supply of defect-free and correctly ordered parts, prevent internal stealing of parts and control the damage of parts during shipment. The quality management programs at both Navistar and Trimco need improvement to effectively change their current processes. All processes, both Navistar and Trimco’s must be in control, centered, and possess minimal variation. Strategically, if these problems were resolved, this would improve Navistar’s offering to our custom-designed truck customers. Trimco also has a high rate of attrition, which adds to the overall cost. This rate of turnover affects the training levels of employees and their ability to control processes, to respond to last minute design changes and to ensure the accuracy of trim part shipments. The cost of this employee attrition is high in many respects. Employees are paid $23 an hour in 1997. When these shortages occur there will be overtime needed which equates to $34.50 per hour. The constant turnover also has training costs, which can’t be measured in the employee’s hourly wage. The JIT system utilized is perhaps too stringent on time, especially with the issues at hand. A balance must be reached between a JIT system’s tightness and the ability of both the supplier and customer to work together to ensure a smooth and efficient supply chain system. There is not one root cause but rather two. The quality management programs at both Navistar and Trimco need improvement to effectively change their current processes. Strategically, if these problems were resolved, this would improve Navistar’s offering to the custom-designed truck customer. Navistar and Trimco’s JIT system must also be looked at. Alternatives and/or Options Again supplier relationships come to the forefront. Communication with Trimco is necessary in order to get a better understanding of Trimco’s problems, and where we think we can help. The JIT system utilized is   too stringent on time, especially with the issues at hand. A balance must be reached between a JIT system’s tightness and the ability of both the supplier and customer to work together to ensure a smooth and efficient supply chain system. Navistar employs a strategic centralized purchasing structure where all communication is done at Navistar headquarters. An alternative would be to have collaboration at both companies’ headquarters as to get a better line of communication. Another alternative would be for a better ERP system to be implemented. This would require additional costs, and would be a strategic move for the long run, but this could help with specification issues, as well as demand on both levels. Recommendations and Implementation The quality management programs at both Navistar and Trimco need improvement to effectively change their current processes. Strategically, if these problems were resolved, this would improve Navistar’s offering to the custom-designed truck customer. Some options that can help both Navistar and Trimco would be to delve deeper into their supplier relationship. Both parties can conduct a careful study of the processing line for both Navistar and Trimco in order to obtain a complete understanding of both companies manufacturing processes. The first step would be to notify Trimco of the supply problem. We understand the problem, and Trimco has had added costs, but we need to communicate with Trimco and have them understand how the supply problem effects Navistar’s bottom line, and ultimately how it affects our customers. This step should help open the lines of communication and help facilitate the beginning of the process. Next step would be to internally have top management involved. Top management already supports quality improvement efforts as it’s so important to Navistar’s bottom line. Let them know of the issues being faced. Support from management will help facilitate the necessary authority needed with Navistar to gain cooperation amongst the needed employees to help identify and resolve the supply problem. Upper management is primarily concerned with financial impact, but they must be aware of the impact of the problem both to the customer and those finances. The policy issues surrounding the problem with respect to last minute design changes and robbing and the deficiencies associated with Trimco must be communicated. Next would be to gain input from stakeholders. Input and feedback must be taken from other Navistar employees. Communication with Trimco is also vital in order to access additional data related to the problem as well as potential solutions to effectively resolve th e interior trim supply problem. Navistar can start by gaining input from the shipping manager, line manager, line employees, the chaser, quality managers, and design engineers. Trimco should also gain input from the shipping manager, shipping employees, and design engineers. This method will have multiple outcomes. It will start by identifying the problem to the company as a whole. The impact of the workers can be better communicated by identifying the issue. Feedback can be attained based on this as well. Line employees and shipping employees are first hand with respect to being effected by the problems, and they may voice their concerns. An added benefit of this will be that several implementation issues will be addressed before encountered. Communication and brainstorming will help identify the problems before implementation and this will be facilitated through a team approach. The design changes need to be stopped as it causing major delays and issues with Trimco. We must collaboratively agree to a set time frame that is feasible for both parties. Navistar can look at Trimco’s operation thoroughly—from design through manufacturing and delivery. Supplier relationship can take a bigger role, as Trimco is a major Navistar supplier. Communication is vital between Trimco and us. Some options and alternatives to other problems: To tackle incomplete shipments. A better EDI or implementing a joint ERP systems in which Trimco can improve control over parts being sent to Navistar with tracking being done in the ERP system. This will cost Trimco both financially and time wise, but will have a longer strategic impact in their business operations. An option to the parts quality problem would be to have Trimco have a better process when sending out parts to Navistar. Trimco needs to stop sending defective parts to Navistar, as Navistar has used these parts and ultimately had to scrap and replace them later on in their production. This is added cost and inefficiencies. Also damaged parts are second highest behind missing parts. Trimco will need to improve packaging and packing of shipping containers. On Navistar’s end, better storage of materials must be looked at in order to prevent the damage of parts while awaiting assembly. Parts can be stored in strategically   bins, or Navistar can look at other options such as storage towers. There would be added cost, but parts can be easily located, and can be much safer from damage. Monitor and Control Collaboration and communication between Trimco and Navistar is paramount in the monitoring and controlling of this outcome. Quality departments for both companies will be heavily involved in the monitoring of this implementation. Monitoring in the form of regular reports on defects, damages, and incorrect parts must be implemented in both companies. Reports to be conducted by shipping managers and line managers. There will be regular intervals where these figures will be displayed and addressed in a collaborative setting between the two companies. Integrating other business functions will be crucial as budgets can be looked at. Costs associated with these implementations should reflect a decrease in added costs and addressing expenses and looking at the budget can monitor this. The bulk of monitoring will go to the quality departments through internal reporting and tracking of damaged, defective, and incorrect parts.

Hiroshima Bombing essays

Hiroshima Bombing essays In August of 1945 nuclear weapons were exploded upon the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Following the bombing of the cities the Japanese immediately surrendered to the Allied Nations. The cost of the war was devastating. Never has there been such destruction brought down by a simple blast of splitting atoms. Killing as many as 240,000 Japanese citizens, the dropping of the bombs became one of the most written about contemporary historical topics (Hiroshima s monumental decision to drop the bombs was developed from a complex background. While Truman emphasized that the bombings were the result of military reasons, clearly there were the influences of the political, diplomatic issues and many other pressures that enforced his decision. Truman did believe that the bomb would be used specifically for military use. He knew of the ferocious fighting currently taking place in the Pacific, and naturally had a desire to minimize what he felt would inevitably be a long, bloody struggle. And adding even more pressure from a military standpoint came when a second invasion was discussed (Rhodes). The invasion would require risking several American soldiers to fight a violent fight against the Japanese on mainland Honshu. Thus, it seemed that military pressures lied most heavily on Trumans mind. After the dropping of the bombs President Truman quoted in The New York Ti...

Functions of the mitochonria,ER,chloroplast,and golgi comple essays

Functions of the mitochonria,ER,chloroplast,and golgi comple essays Mitochondrion are sites of cellular respiration. The outer membrane is smooth. The inner membrane is convoluted with cristae that provide surface area. Proteins that function in respiration are built into the inner membrane. Membranes divide mitochondrion into internal compartments. The intermembrane space is between the inner and outer membrane. The inner membrane encloses the mitochondrail matrix and some of the steps of cellular respiration occur here. The endoplasmic reticiulum consists of cisternae that are a network of membranous tubules and sacs. It separates the internal compartment, cisternal space from the cytosol. The Smooth ERs surface lacks ribosomes. It includes enzymes involved in phospholipid, steroid, and sex hormone synthesis. This ER is also involved in carbohydrate metabolism and the detoxification of drugs and poisons. Certain drugs increase the production of the Smooth ER in the liver, which leads to an increased tolerance and less effectiveness. The Smooth ER also functions in the storage and release of calcium ions during muscle contraction. Ribosomes a re attached to the Rough ERs surface. Secretory proteins are manufactured here and many become covalently bonded to small carbohydrates. When this happens, they are called glycoproteins. The Rough ER manufacturers mambranes by inserting proteins formed by ribosomes into the membrane. The Rough ER enables the transport of vesicles to be transferred to other parts of the membrane. Chloroplasts contain the green pigment chlorophyll. Two membranes bind them. Chloroplasts enclose a fluid called stroma and a membranous system of flattened sacs called thylakoids. Thylakoids that are stacked together form grana. Photosynthesis occurs in the choloroplasts. The Golgi Complex is a stack of flattened membranous sacs. There, products of the endoplasmic reticulum are modified, sorted, and routed. Vesicles join the cis face and add to th...

Biography of Malcolm Gladwell, Writer

Biography of Malcolm Gladwell, Writer English-born Canadian journalist, author, and speaker Malcolm Timothy  Gladwell is known for his articles and books that identify, approach and explain the unexpected implications of social science research. In addition to his writing work, he is the podcast host of  Revisionist History. Early Life Malcolm Gladwell was born on September 3, 1963, in  Fareham,  Hampshire, England  to a father who was a mathematics professor, Graham Gladwell, and his mother Joyce Gladwell, a Jamaican psychotherapist. Gladwell grew up in Elmira, Ontario, Canada. He studied at the University of Toronto and received his bachelors degree in History in 1984 before moving to the U.S. to become a journalist. He initially covered business and science at the Washington Post where he worked for nine years. He began freelancing at The New Yorker before being offered a position as a staff writer there in 1996.   Malcolm Gladwell’s Literary Work In 2000, Malcolm Gladwell took a phrase that had up until that point been most frequently associated with epidemiology and single-handedly realigned it in all of our minds as a social phenomenon. The phrase was tipping point, and Gladwells breakthrough pop-sociology book of the same name was about why and how some ideas spread like social epidemics. became a social epidemic itself and continues to be a bestseller. Gladwell followed with Blink (2005), another book in which he examined a social phenomenon by dissecting numerous examples to arrive at his conclusions. Like The Tipping Point, Blink claimed a  basis in research, but it was still written in a breezy and accessible voice that give Gladwells writing popular appeal. Blink is about the notion of rapid cognition - snap judgments and how and why people make them. The idea for the book came to Gladwell after he noticed that he was experiencing social repercussions as a result of growing out his afro (prior to that point, he had kept his hair close-cropped). Both The Tipping Point and Blink were phenomenal bestsellers and his third book, Outliers (2008), took the same bestselling track. In Outliers, Gladwell once again synthesizes the experiences of numerous individuals in order to move beyond those experiences to arrive at a social phenomenon that others hadnt noticed, or at least hadnt popularized in the way that Gladwell has proved adept at doing. In compelling narrative form, Outliers examines the role that environment and cultural background play in the unfolding of great success stories. Gladwells fourth book,  What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (2009) gathers Gladwells favorite articles from  The New Yorker  from his time as a staff writer with the publication. The stories play with the common theme of perception as Gladwell tries to show the reader the world through the eyes of others - even if the point of view happens to be that of a dog. His most recent publication,  David and Goliath (2013), was inspired in part by an article that Gladwell penned for  The New Yorker  in 2009 called How David Beats Goliath. This fifth book from Gladwell focuses on the contrast of advantage and probability of success amongst the underdogs from varying situations, the most well-known story concerning the biblical David and Goliath. Although the book didnt receive intense critical acclaim, it was a bestseller and hit No. 4 on  The New York Times  hardcover non-fiction chart, and No. 5 on USA Todays best-selling books.

Fashion is no longer led by design, but rather marketing Essay

Fashion is no longer led by design, but rather marketing - Essay Example Consumers thrilled by the advertising themes tend to buy without focusing on the product offerings by the brand (Agins, 1999, p.14). Marketing is more important than designs, but however the importance of design cannot in anyways be neglected. Importance of Marketing in the Fashion Apparel Industry The marketing activities of any industry depend on a set of four functions viz. product, price, place and promotion. The designing of the apparel by the apparel or the clothing industry encompass the product factor in the marketing activities. However, the other marketing activities related to the promotion, place and price must be so used as to help highlight the product usages and unique features. In that marketing activities first endeavor to focus on enlarging the scope of seasonal offerings to the customers. Different segments like women, men, and sports possess separate attributes for producing seasonal products. The number of seasonal offerings increases in the case of women apparel s than for men apparels. For the sports segment a separate line ‘resort wear’ is introduced which needs special promotion efforts to be largely marketed. Promotion and distribution activities of the designer wears constitute selling such garments through the construction of retail outlets or organizing large fashion shows for the promotion of the new lines introduced (Jay, n.d. p.198). Marketing activities in the field of fashion merchandise occupies a place of strategic importance in its ability to relate the firm’s production activities to the outside world. The garment industry through the use of proper planning, promotion and distribution activities can endeavor to get a larger market share of its designed products. In the planning stage the garment manufacturing firms through the incorporation of extensive market research activities endeavor to understand the needs of the consumers and target groups and design products accordingly. Moreover, the designers th rough the spontaneous study of international design standards endeavor to create a product to be accepted in the international market. Fabric designers should lay increased focus on enhancing the product quality through the creation of new textures through blending of fiber yarns and other finishing activities. Having the product built the fabric manufacturers then concentrate on the marketing activities. The marketing activities must focus on making more number of customers aware of the product specialties of the particular brand based on the features of the textures and blends incorporated to produce the desired quality. Marketing activities encompass a wide range of events like advertising, promotion, creating huge publicity and rendering presentations. Presentations can be created to inform the large audiences about the designs incorporated to enhance the quality standards of the products and reflect such development based on market trends. (Frings, Stephens, 2002.pp. 138-147). Marketing Activities affecting the market for Designs The increased focus lent on marketing activities helps the firm to incur more revenue through gaining a larger market share. However, the firms through the use of strategies like price penetration where the prices of the products are considerably lowered to gain wider market

Understanding Middle Eastern Politics and Global Hegemony Essay

Understanding Middle Eastern Politics and Global Hegemony - Essay Example This perspective, according to Verbeek (2003), is strengthened by a traditional realist framework which integrates the positivist handbook reflection of international law and hence believes that international law is either at best simply a rationale for decision made based on interests in power politics or immaterial to concerns for national interest. Existing literature reviews show evidently the meagerness of scholarly attempts to explain the Suez crisis within the context of realist theory. The realist argument that law was quite irrelevant to either American or British foreign policy, outside its ability to give explanation for foreign policy, seems to neglect the historical proof that suggests international law had a greater significant effect on British and American foreign policy conduct (Fawcett, 2009). The realist argument that international law was either an easy alibi for policy motives or lacking relevance, as regards to British policy, seems to be flawed. Historical docu ments indicate that legal concerns were a major component considered by both American and British legislators in the development and execution of foreign policy throughout the Suez crisis (Fawcett, 2009). Realist theory, according to Hansen (2011), with its focus on actual exercises and demonstrations of power, would expect that if ever international law could consider the conduct of the State it would be to defend course of action where law reinforced the favored policy. If the State is somewhat less dominant or influential and in a ‘lower’ legal status, in the sense that its favored course of action would more simply be judged ‘unlawful’, realism would expect that law would become irrelevant to the policymaking process (Mattern, 2005). Realism would expect that... The researcher states argument that law was quite irrelevant to either American or British foreign policy, outside its ability to give explanation for foreign policy, seems to neglect the historical proof that suggests international law had a greater significant effect on British and American foreign policy conduct. The realist argument that international law was either an easy alibi for policy motives or lacking relevance, as regards to British policy, seems to be flawed. Historical documents indicate that legal concerns were a major component considered by both American and British legislators in the development and execution of foreign policy throughout the Suez crisis. Realist theory, according to Hansen, with its focus on actual exercises and demonstrations of power, would expect that if ever international law could consider the conduct of the State it would be to defend course of action where law reinforced the favored policy. If the State is somewhat less dominant or influenti al and in a ‘lower’ legal status, in the sense that its favored course of action would more simply be judged ‘unlawful’, realism would expect that law would become irrelevant to the policymaking process. Realism would expect that international law would become immaterial to a State where law and policy objectives conflict, and particularly in cases where the State is rivaling a quite stronger State and law is not an expression of ‘actual power’ as defined by realism.

Public Awareness and Human Diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Public Awareness and Human Diseases - Essay Example With an increasing incidence worldwide, DM will be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for the foreseeable future. DM1 is classified on the basis of the pathogenic process that leads to hyperglycemia, as opposed to earlier criteria such as age of onset or type of therapy. The two broad categories of DM are designated type 1 and type 2. Type 1A DM results from autoimmune beta cell destruction, which leads to insulin deficiency. Individuals with type 1B DM lack immunologic markers indicative of an autoimmune destructive process of the beta cells. However, they develop insulin deficiency by unknown mechanisms and are ketosis prone. Relatively few patients with type 1 DM are in the type 1B idiopathic category; many of these individuals are either African-American or Asian in heritage. Type 2 DM1 is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by variable degrees of insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion, and increased glucose production. Distinct genetic and metabolic defects in insulin action and/or secretion give rise to the common phenotype of hyperglycemia in type 2 DM. ... Likewise, prevalence rates of IFG3 are also increasing. Although the prevalence of both type 1 and type 2 DM is increasing worldwide, the prevalence of type 2 DM is expected to rise more rapidly in the future because of increasing obesity and reduced activity levels. DM increases with aging. In 2000, the prevalence of DM was estimated to be 0.19% in people 20 years old. In individuals >65 years the prevalence of DM was 20.1%. The prevalence is similar in men and women throughout most age ranges but is slightly greater in men >60 years. The prevalence of type 2 DM and its harbinger, IGT2, is highest in certain Pacific islands, intermediate in countries such as India and the United States, and relatively low in Russia and China. This variability is likely due to genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. DM prevalence also varies among different ethnic populations within a given country. In 2000, the prevalence of DM in the United States was 13% in African Americans, 10.2% in Hispanic Americans, 15.5% in Native Americans (American Indians and Alaska natives), and 7.8% in non-Hispanic whites. The onset of type 2 DM occurs, on average, at an earlier age in ethnic groups other than non-Hispanic whites. Mortality rates in people with diabetes exceed those in the general population despite many recent improvements in care. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the young, and is a substantial cause of morbidity as well as mortality at all ages. After the introduction of insulin in 1922 it was hoped that adverse consequences of diabetes might become a thing of the past, but mortality rates are still higher than those in the general population and, in addition,

The incredible trust we put in technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The incredible trust we put in technology - Essay Example In the business world, technology has made work to be both cheaper and easier. This is because there have been innovations that rest the work which was done by human beings to computers. For example, in companies financial accounting and filing was normally done by workers manually. Nowadays there have been computer softwares such as Point of Sale which do a company’s accounting much quicker as every transaction is made. This means that accounting is done on the go. This is very cheap and time saving unlike the past where it took a lot of time and money since manual receipts hard to be filed and a lot of accountants had to be hired. Technology has been used remarkably in the communication sector. Advances in technology have resulted in mediums of communications which are both cheap and fast. A good example is the use of email to communicate. Before, long distance communication used to take a long time since letters were the ones commonly used and delivery could take long. Howe ver, the advancement of technology seen the use of the internet in the communication industry. Technologies such as email have been widely used since it is both fast to communicate using an email and cheap. In fact, it is very rare to find people using the postal office to send letters which might take even a week to reach the intended person. Sending and receiving of emails takes a maximum of five minutes irrespective of the geographical distance that is between the people who are communicating. People have also relied on technology while going about normal day to day activities. For example, people can access books over the internet very easily. This has made life easier especially for students who can access reading materials over the internet. However, scholars are beginning to view technology more of an evil than a good in the society. This is because of the high dependency that human beings have developed for technology. For example, students no longer go to libraries to read books to further their knowledge. This is because of the accessibility of written materials and journals over the internet. However, these journals can be inaccurate since they are not legally published. There are also old literatures that one cannot access over the internet. Social interactions in the society are also diminishing as a result of the dependency of technology. This is due to social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which have limited physical social interaction in that people use them to communicate and meet people over the internet (Harrington 140). The problem here is that although people are socializing over the internet, this is not as effective as physical socializing since it does not involve the physical contact in physical social interaction. For example, if someone loses a loved one there is a difference in sending them a consolation note and physically going to console them. Physically consoling them is much personal and better. Overdependence of technolog y has also resulted in the society becoming dumber. This is because people often use search engines to find answers to various questions. People refer to articles in the internet if they want to find information rather than do that in books and creditability becomes a matter of contention. For instance, one might Google to find out whether on earth there are extra terrestrial beings. If the first search result is an article that supports

Investment in Libyan Oil Industry Dissertation

Investment in Libyan Oil Industry - Dissertation Example The intention of this study is Libya, an important nation situated at the centre of the North African Mediterranean coast. Having the largest resource of oil in the African region, Libya has been a prominent exporter of crude since early 1960s. The Arab Jamahiriya of Libya, encircled by Algeria and Tunisia in the west, Egypt and Sudan in the east and Niger and Chad in the south has however not been viewed as an attractive destination for investments in the more recent past. The international community has been seeing Libya under its leader Colonel Qadhafi as a state that supports and nurtures rebels and finaces terrorists activities against the western nations. This perception led to the imposition of sanctions by the United Nations in 1992 and a series of restrictive measures and trade embargo by the United States.With the final removal of all the sanctions and owing to reforms being undertaken in the country and improvement in relations with other nations, opportunities are now bei ng explored to take up investments in the country and take advantage of the emerging situation. Libya on its part appears to be making all the right moves. Colonel Qaddafi too has expressed his opinion in favour of reforms together with the vision of applied socialism and popular democracy. Multinational companies and foreign institutional investors (FIIs) are now being given encouraging signals to invest in the country. Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem, supported by Seif al-Islam, the son of Col Qaddafi has started the reforms process.

Cyber Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Cyber Law - Essay Example Therefore, an analysis of all of the above will begin below, starting with the legality of Naj’s actions and whether or not he needs to give Sarah the information she is asking for. Advise Naja of the legality of his actions, and whether he needs to give Sarah the information she is asking for. One of the issues in this question deals with Sarah’s right to privacy. The advent of new communication technologies including the distribution of personal information; the acceleration of the speed of communication through e-mail, IM, social networking and the like; and the ability of employers to electronically monitor employees has made this a hot-button issue.1 As employers cannot reasonably take the Internet and e-mail away from their employees without hurting the company's efficiency, there must be a balance between the need for employers to provide the Internet for business-related functions and reasonable personal use, and the employees tendency to abuse their privilege. Therefore, employers increasingly turn to tools such as monitoring employee e-mail and Internet usage, and disciplining employees who abuse the privilege.2 Employers typically do this with software that reads, intercepts and monitor's employee's electronic e-mail and Internet usage, much to the consternation of many employees.3 At present, â€Å"employers can lawfully intercept, search and read any messages stored in workplace computers because courts have ruled that employees have no expectation of privacy in workplace electronic communications.†4 As employee abuse of e-mail and Internet privileges can have severe consequences - in addition to lost productivity, such abuses also open the employer up to security breaches, viruses and hacking, not to mention that employees commit crimes against their employers more than third parties5 - there is a definite need for employers to subject their employees to surveillance. Then there is the issue of â€Å"cyberslacking,† whi ch is just like it sounds – employees abusing their privilege and taking away valuable company time with their personal on-line activities, which leads to loss of productivity and theft of company resources.6 However, employees have rights as well, and there are a number of different UK cases and statutes that are implicated in employee surveillance. One such is the Human Rights Act 1998, which states in Article 8 that â€Å"everyone has a right to respect for his private†¦correspondence.†7 Courts have interpreted this particular Act in a variety of ways that would be pertinent to the question of employee surveillance. For instance, the court in Halford v. UK [1997] I.R.L.R. 471 (1997). This court found that intercepting phone calls made from an employee on business premises was a breach of the employee’s privacy.8 This decision was upheld in Valenzuela Contreras v. Spain (1998) 28 E.H.R.R. 4839 and Douglas v. Hello Ltd. [2001] QB 96710. Other decisions per tinent was the decision in Niemitz v. Germany (1992) 16 E.H.H.R.R. 97, in which the search of a lawyer’s office invaded his private life.11 However, the right to privacy is not absolute – if the employer has a legitimate concern that is being furthered by the seizure, which a surveillance would be considered to be, then the employer would be held to be

Investment in Libyan Oil Industry Dissertation

Investment in Libyan Oil Industry - Dissertation Example The intention of this study is Libya, an important nation situated at the centre of the North African Mediterranean coast. Having the largest resource of oil in the African region, Libya has been a prominent exporter of crude since early 1960s. The Arab Jamahiriya of Libya, encircled by Algeria and Tunisia in the west, Egypt and Sudan in the east and Niger and Chad in the south has however not been viewed as an attractive destination for investments in the more recent past. The international community has been seeing Libya under its leader Colonel Qadhafi as a state that supports and nurtures rebels and finaces terrorists activities against the western nations. This perception led to the imposition of sanctions by the United Nations in 1992 and a series of restrictive measures and trade embargo by the United States.With the final removal of all the sanctions and owing to reforms being undertaken in the country and improvement in relations with other nations, opportunities are now bei ng explored to take up investments in the country and take advantage of the emerging situation. Libya on its part appears to be making all the right moves. Colonel Qaddafi too has expressed his opinion in favour of reforms together with the vision of applied socialism and popular democracy. Multinational companies and foreign institutional investors (FIIs) are now being given encouraging signals to invest in the country. Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem, supported by Seif al-Islam, the son of Col Qaddafi has started the reforms process.

High School vs College Essay Example for Free

High School vs College Essay A good education is an important part of one’s life. To achieve a good education, one should attend both high school and college. Although some people think high school has a lot in common with college, I find them to be very different. After graduating from high school, I enrolled into college and noticed that there are many differences between them. A few of these differences include the amount of work given to the students, and the attitude and responsibilities of the teachers and students as well. First of all, high school is the first step to a higher level of learning. This place equips us with the proper knowledge needed in order to survive college and other higher levels of learning. The topics being taught in high school are generalized in basic Math, Science, English, foreign languages, and many other subjects. The students are more relaxed and their responsibilities are not that complicated and heavy in a sense that there are fewer requirements and their due dates are not immediate. High schools have been criticized for not giving enough homework or assignments to its students. The main contrast between the two educational institutions is the workload that is given to the students by the teachers. While I was attending high school, I could go days without having any homework during the entire week. High schools are characterized for assigning a single homework assignment or task per class or even per day. On other hand, there are many ways in which the attitudes of the teachers in high school differ from the attitudes of the teachers in college. In high school, the majority of the teachers seem to be stricter and have more rules for the students to follow. High school teachers are responsible for making sure each student obeys those rules to the fullest extent and carry out disciplinary ac tions for those who do not obey them. One example in which a teacher has taken on a disciplinary action was when students were tardy or skipped their scheduled class, the students usually received detention along with an F for the day. I have also noticed high school teachers have strict rules to obey given to them by a higher authority. These rules include no eating or drinking in class, and sometimes not even chewing gum. Another way in which the attitude of the teachers differ is that in high school the teachers seems to be more responsible for what they say and have to make sure they do not curse or say something that can offend a student. If a high school teacher offends a student, the  student has the privilege to complain to the principal, and most of the time the teacher has to take full responsibility. Furthermore, the attitude of students in high school and college also differs greatly in ways such as their dedication to schoolwork and to learning. High school students believe they most attend to class because they are being forced by the law or because their parents insist them to attend, and not because it helps for their future. The majority of high school students start the school year with excitement, but as the time goes, they become frustrated and bored. They begin questioning why they are in school, or what the purpose of doing homework is. While I was in high school, I had the opportunity to notice that many students prefer to goof during class time rather than doing their assignments. For the most part, high school students do not take their courses as seriously as they should. Moreover, there is always a class clown or someone tending to sleep, or even carrying a private conversation with other classmates during lectures. In contrast to high school, college is very specific and cautious about studying. In college, I was told by one of my instructors that a college student is expected to study for three hours a week, per credit. The subjects a student will learn and discuss are much more specific since you finally chose a career path you will take in the future. College students are notorious more mature, but also more responsible causing their workload to be more complex and heavier. Responsibility encourage changed for the simple fact that the curriculum is much more tedious and complicated due to the detailed topics that are discussed regarding your chosen career path. A college student may be given several tasks or homework assignment to do all that the same time for one class. For example, as a college student I have been given several pages to read from a text and a seven hundred word paper as well. Although colleges requires attendances and many of them try to enforce it; some teachers do not. While I am attending college, I am now able to see the difference between how there are some teachers who feel it is the students responsibility to come to class or not. If a student chooses to skip the class, the teacher will rarely say something to the student. However, even if colleges instructors are considered more flexible than any other teachers, students usually get an F for the day in which they are absents. Colleges provide a huge variety of freedom and independence to its students  because they believe students should be mature enough to make their own decisions on whether to attend a class or not. In contrast to high school teachers, college instructors are even able to say almost anything they want regardless of whether it offends someone or not such as in the occasion when a college instructor said, We dont need more black people around here during one of his lectures. By the time students get accepted at colleges, most of them already know their educational goals. Through my time spent in college I have realized students have the mindset to succeed in college because they want to be able to achieve their goals. People who decide to attend to college are working towards obtaining a higher level degree, and not just to play around on campus, or to waste their time pretending to pay attention. This is a higher level of learning, thus, requiring more time, and effort as well as devotion to studies. High school and college are very important in the educational processes because often one cannot get a good job without a well-developed education. This education frequently comes from having a high school diploma and a college degree. Although high school and college carry some of the same features; they also have several differences between them. Some of the ways which high school and college differ include the amount of work given to the students, the teachers’ attitudes and responsibilities, and the students’ attitudes and responsibili ties as well. High school and college play important parts in the lives of many people although they may be thought as similar, they also differ in several ways.

Study of Initial Public Offerings in Saudi Arabia

Study of Initial Public Offerings in Saudi Arabia This research focuses and does a relative comparison of initial public offerings (IPOs), their motivation and pricing within Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom (UK). It looks at their respective trading bourses or stock exchange markets and the process companies go through in order get publicly listed on these trading bourses and in an attempt to raise capital from the public. The paper also addresses the economic dimension of IPOs within the respective countries, and its impact on the companies that do decide to issue and go through an initial public offering (IPO). The overall approach used to accomplish the research involves a comparative study of initial public offering (IPO) processes, the motivation of going public for companies in both Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, and the pricing structures for the initial public offering (IPO). Needed information or data involves a look at both countries regulatory bodies, in this case the capital markets authority (CMA), from which much needed information on trading processes is be inferred from, as well as looked at. The use of questionnaires to top management of selected firms is used to give an insight into the motivations for private firms desiring to do an initial public offering (IPO). It becomes clear at the end of the study that the motivation for going public remains primarily the same across both countries, the only difference being within their regulatory bodies and requirements for doing so. Background of the Study During the last two decades, initial public offerings (IPOs) have seen a dynamic expansion in markets around the world. A literature search indicated that substantial research has been done on this topic and it has attracted policy makers attention. In addition, the IPO market has proved to involve potential uncertainty and risk due to the large amount of money invested (Ritter, 2002). Initial public offerings of stocks are the foremost important channel of new capital flow to young companies (Gregoriou, 2006). It is also defined by (Draho, 2004) as An IPO is the first time that the shares in a company are sold to public investors and subsequently traded on the stock market. Going public process is a stage when a company sells shares traded equity for the first time. For a private firm to enter the IPO, it needs an established business plan to indicate to stakeholders of the goals in which the firm will be working towards. Moreover, IPOs is a way to increase liquidity of the company that need for growth through the sale of companys owners shares to investors who believe that the company has a successful future. Going public process is preceded by the most vital process which is valuation and the principle behind this process is to justify the price of the shares which are offered to the public. Evaluation process is essential for the company to consider its value in comparison with other firms in the stock market. Moreover, it tells the company the highest price should be offered, and it will inform the buyer that the lowest price should be pay. The company should have a skilled team management, qualified accountants and underwriters to satisfy the requirements of going public and to identify the future aims and strategy after going public. (Stanley, 2005). Thereafter, other stage should take place known as Due Diligence in order to ensure that there is no opportunity for uncertain information. This stage includes advertisements which taken out in newspapers must present the entire company prospectus. The going-public process will also include a group of banks and brokers, as mentioned, to establish a price per share and the proposal must be admitted to the official list by the listing authority in the issuing country. After this is accomplished, an underwriting period allows shareholders to sell their shares to the public at the issue price; this period varies from company to company depending on company goals. It is obvious that this procedure requires time and money however; it is worth if considering long term benefits (Geddes, 2003). With regard to motivations, this study will cover the most common to give a better understanding of the advantages. Several factors are considered by decision makers to encourage companies to go public, including the chance to increase shareholders wealth by expanding operations, to enhance the companies reputation and prestige, create better organization by attraction of employees. Going public promotes a firms acquisition value and boosts customer confidence. In addition, an IPO is an easy way to finance a firm and to diversify its operations (Benton, 2005).Rousseau and Wachtel (2002) argued that the stock market provides a developed mechanism to improve the economy and raise growth rate due to liquidity exist to investors which can be used in new projects. However, financial factors are still the most important considerations in going public (Madura, 1998). IPOs are attractive and occur more regularly when other investment opportunities are not as attractive as these offerings, but as with any decision, going public has disadvantages as well as advantages. If a companys shares are traded on the stock market, it will lead to a change in ownership structure as well as a loss of control by principals; therefore, the decision making will be shared(Albarak,2005) Regarding an IPO in Saudi Arabia, transformation of enterprises companies in the kingdom to the join -stock ones is not a new experience, but the number of joint- stock companies was very little.In 1984, a decision was decree to start trading shares through local banks. In the same year, it was formation of a ministerial committee to oversee the market. Saudi Monetary Agency took over control and supervision of the market operations in 1985. 1990 it was the year of introducing the first electronic system for trading shares in Saudi Arabia. In 2001, was launched (Tadawel) trading system, add modern techniques and characteristics to keep pace with developments in the world. Financial market environment has been developed; rules and the issuance of new regulations were established. As a result of these developments Capital Market Authority was established in 2003 according to the latest standards and foundations. The combination of stock market and oil prices, has given a strong boost t o the Saudi market. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter tends to expound on the comparison between the initial public offering (IPO) process, pricing, and the IPO implication to firms in Saudi Arabia and in the United Kingdom (UK). Several researches have been undertaken throughout the world, discussing IPO processes and its impacts on economies and businesses. Most of these previous researches have been pursued by considering a specific country; have but lacked effective comparisons with other economies. In this study, the extra mile is achieved by selecting two entirely different economies, in terms of IPO processes and financial regulations. Discussion on early researches have been made along with the effective exploration and comparison of the existing IPO process, its implications and pricing issuesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ considering Saudi Arabian and UK economy. Initial public offerings of stocks are the foremost important channel of new capital flow to young companies (Gregoriou, 2006). It is also defined by (Draho, 2004) as the first time that the shares in a company are sold to public investors and subsequently traded on the stock market. The going public process is a stage in which a company sells shares to the general public and traded as equity on a trading bourse for the first time. For a private firm to enter the IPO, it needs an established business plan to indicate to stakeholders of the goals in which the firm will be working towards. Moreover, IPOs are a way to increase liquidity of the company that need for growth through the sale of companys owners shares to investors who believe that the company has a successful future. 2.2 Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) When a private company undertakes to go public via divestment of its private equity or stock, it is said to be getting into an initial public offering (IPO). The two main reasons most firms go public include acquisition of additional capital to finance growth or the raising of finances to pay off debt. Since initial public offerings (IPOs) denote the public trading of a firms shares, it has long been documented by various literatures that many first-day trading is usually abnormal. Huge price gains are the norm in IPOs between the offer price and the closing price by the end of trading on day one. This difference in the gain in prices is rarely justifiable since the main aim of IPOs is to raise money for the company, yet as seen, money is left on the table in most instances that the company could have gained from. Academic scholars and financial experts continue to research and look into this anomaly that has continued to baffle the industry (Ritter Welch, 2002). 2.2.1 The IPO Process in Many Countries For many countries globally, the steps of going public are pretty much the same. The regulatory body in each country is usually the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), whose main role becomes a security agent in the prevention of fraud and in the protection of investor interest. Most IPOs begin with the selection of the investment bank(s) who serve as the companys underwriters. As an underwriter, the bank purchases shares from the company and sells them to the general public on behalf of the company. Due to the legal complexity IPOs can impose, attorneys are used to aid through the entire setup process. In certain instances, some firms opt to sell their shares directly to the public, but this is seldom the case. Registration statements are then prepared and submitted to the SEC. The statement contains reports of the companys fiscal health as well as the business plan during and after the IPO. Since the SEC is the regulatory body, it scans these statements and carries out its due diligence on the bank to ensure that it is in compliance with all rules and regulations needed to carry out an IPO. After finalizing with registration statements and while still waiting for SEC approval, a company needs to prepare what is known as a preliminary red herring prospectus. This is prepared with aid from the firms underwriters. The prospectus details the companys financial records, plans for the future, as well as specifications of what the price for the floated shares will be. This prospectus is primarily used by potential investors seeking more detailed information on a firm prior to buying shares and has a legal warning preceding the IPO as it awaits SEC approval. Completion of the prospectus gives way to a roadshow in which both underwriters and company officials visit various trading hubs within the country and promote the IPO. In other countries, this information is given to the public via gazette notices, broadcast announcements and distribution of prospectuses. The aim of this is to give potential investors as much information as possible regarding the company and attain feedback in relation to what potential investors feel about the whole process. Once the SEC has gone through the prospectus and given information and is satisfied all regulations and requirements have been heeded, it gives a nod for the proceeding of the IPO. Amendments are made by the company if the SEC still needs corrections to be made prior to their approval. In countries which have more than one stock exchange, the company must choose the exchange where its intended floated shares are to be sold and listed against. Arguably the most complex of all decisions in an IPO process is the decision on the price the floated shares will be sold at and how many of the same should be issued to the public. This is done with consultation with the companys underwriters. The underwriters buy huge stakes of the companys shares for sale to the market. Huge investors are also at times given the privilege to buy the same shares a day prior to listing the shares on the stock market. In countries like the US where the general public gets to buy shares in the secondary market and in which the company does not really gain from the sale at this point, the IPO process concludes for the company after underwriters and huge investors have bought the companys shares. In other countries, the general public is permitted to acquire shares from the primary market directly through stock brokers who deal directly for the company. 2.2.2 Initial Public Offering (IPO) Pricing and key Influencers/Players Traditionally, the IPO pricing was done by agreeing upon and fixing an issue price based on the capital they were trying to raise. This price was agreed upon by the company and the merchant banker. The general public was simply left with the obligation of looking at the price offered and deciding whether or not they would fill in an application form at the given price and subscribe to the issue. Researchers worldwide have arguably revealed that this method is the single largest reason for IPO under pricing (Stanley, 2005). Many IPOs are known to under price the value of a companys shares by as much as fifty percent. Said and done, neither the company nor the investment banker really ever knows the real price of the companys shares. Ironically, the answer to how much a share should be sold for falls at the discretion of the buyers since they are the ones who predetermine at the open of trading how much they are willing to pay for a share of stock. This is what can be described as the hallmark of a healthy IPO market (Shah, 1999). While this is not a realistically possible way to determine what price to sell the stock at, the underwriter looks at elements such as the value of the firm and compare it with that of similar firms, how much capital is needed from the IPO, conducts preliminary research to find out how receptive the market may be, and finally, sets upon the final decision on the price that should be floated to the general public for sale. Easy at it sounds, setting the IPO price is a very delicate and sensitive procedure that takes the effort of many stakeholders and combined calculations from accountants (Draho, 2004). Undeniably, the most important player during the IPO process is the underwriter. The underwriter in many instances is also the investment banker and his primary importance becomes that he has the appropriate distribution channels and contacts necessary for the companys shares. The underwriter also assists in determining the price of the IPO and creating enthusiasm for its listing (Geddes, 2003). The other key players include those involved in the IPO process like the SEC who are in charge of ensuring correct practices are adhered to, and last but not least the private equity company itself. The latter is extremely vital in the process as they have all insider information of the newly-to-be-listed company and any action from them can trigger a response within the trading bourse at the stock exchange. 2.3 Initial Public Offering (IPO) Process in Saudi Arabia In comparison with other developed stock exchange markets, the Saudi Stock Market (SSM) is much newer and classified as an emerging market within the Middle East and North African region. According to Al-Barrak (2005, p.32), there is no explicit list of documented IPO cases in Saudi Arabia and of all the listed companies on the SSM, just ten IPO cases occurred in Saudi Arabia from 1988 until 2004. In Saudi Arabia, companies, by law adopt the book-building process to go public. CMA handles all the application process and takes the decision on whether a company can go public or not. Eighty-five investment companies in Saudi Arabia took part in the book building process in 2009. According to the CMA, fraudulent activities can be handled beforehand, and this process ensures transparency, fairness, and equality in the system (Capital Market Authority (CMA), 2009, p 29). Oil revenues have provided great liquidity in the process of introducing new IPOs in Saudi Arabia. Investment banking in Saudi Arabia was still in its infancy until 2004, and very few firms had gone through an IPO (Al-Barrak, 2005). 2.3.1 Capital Markets Authority (CMA) Evaluation of IPOs The CMA binds firms and makes those requesting to have an IPO or seeking permission to get involved in other investment activities adhere and meet all legal, operational and financial regulations. In the process, companies are required to convince the CMA that the financial activity the company intends to get into or start is proper. Firms are also supposed to provide the evidence of all required financial and managerial expertise for any said financial undertaking (Ritter, 2002). 2.3.2 Future Developments Improvements are underway in the IPO and financial regulation process. Many private and family-owned businesses are thinking of going public due to the provision of an exit route through IPO. Regulations regarding any take-over by a company have also been laid out in an attempt to avoid hostile takeovers, and in ensuring fairness and transparency in the process. Other encouraging steps taken by the CMA have been in the defining and writing down of the listing rules, information and disclosures investors can get. These regulations, though not a quantum leap toward an ideal financial market, certainly boosted investors morale. Investors showed confidence, and Saudi Telecom experienced over 900,000 subscribers. Al-Hilad performance was amazing as the bank raised SR9 million of excess capital in 2005  [i]  . 2.4 Initial Public Offering (IPO) Process in the United Kingdom (UK) Within the United Kingdom (UK), there has been only one IPO between 1980 and 2003. The reason for this slow pace was deepened in the poor regulatory frameworks, and dual processes for having a conversion from a Limited Liability Company to publicly listing one. A strong regulatory framework could act as an incentive to the merger or listing, but such benefits have not been found within the UK in the IPO process (Ritter Welch, 2002). 2.4.1 Due Diligence To make sure that the company going public meets all necessary requirements, it is required by UK law that the companys accountants and legal advisors provide a comprehensive written report after reviewing the company from a complete legal, financial, and commercial perspective. In some cases like real estate where valuation matters a lot, the concerned investment banks are also required to submit a detailed due diligence report about valuation (Draho, 2004). 2.4.2 Pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO) Research Prior to starting any IPO promotion activity, the investment banks research analyst is responsible to make a research note on the company. This research note is issued two days prior to the IPO launch. Pre IPO law helps to educate and protect investors by providing the impartial review of the companys valuation. The research analyst provides the financial projections with their own perspective about company; which illustrated an element of impartiality in the entire process. This research also becomes a marketing tool and automatically sets market expectations regarding the company. The research note is written in light of the available companys data (Rousseau Wachtel, 2000). 2.4.3. Investor Presentation of IPO After completing all the pre-IPO requirements, presentations are used by management to promote the companys IPO. This process continues until three weeks prior of the listing. The sales team of the involved investment bank provides all the information needed by investors, and follows up the potential buyers. As investors have the option of submitting orders with their prices, the receiving or investment bank gets an idea about average price of a share that investors are willing and able to pay. While choosing the investors, companies prefer institutional investors due to long-term commitment they show. This is contrary to hedge funds which can affect a share price for short-term gains (Draho, 2004). 2.4.4 Disclosure Document The preparation of the companys prospectus is highly important for an advisor, as it can be used as a marketing tool to attract investors and for meeting the disclosure requirements of AMI and the prospectus rules for the listing companies. 2.4.5 Underwriting Agreement Within the underwriting agreement, two types of negotiations are involved: The first is between a company, its shareholders, and its respective legal advisors. The second is between an investment bank and its legal advisors. Involvement of a private equity investor is highly desired in the process (Benton, 2005). 2.4.6 Post Initial Public Offering (IPO) Requirement After a company registered as a listed company, both the investors and the board must follow the UK law, and operate the companys affairs within the stipulated UK regulatory regime. Adherence according to the financial services and market act of 2000 stipulates that insider trading laws, disclosure, and transparency rules must be ensured, as well.

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay: Southern Tradition Exposed -- Kill Mockin

Southerners are known to be proud of their traditional beliefs. To Kill A Mockingbird allows its readers to question and consider those beliefs. Maycomb represents a typical old southern town. Not many people move into Maycomb and not many people who live there journey beyond its boundaries. As a result, the opinions held by many of the citizens of Maycomb are left to grow and foster in the same families for many generations. The circumstances in Maycomb are less than ideal for generating change and more prone to sustaining traditionally accepted codes. Two codes embedded within southern social beliefs are class and race. The years of 1960 and 1961, when To Kill A Mockingbird was published, signaled a time of great change. The civil rights movement was in full swing and the country was undergoing social and economic reconstruction. Traditional thinking was being transformed into ideas and thoughts that had never been considered before, and old traditions were pitted against new ones. Looking into the Deep South, in a little town named Maycomb, tradition for most people meant prejudice, separation, and racism. Atticus Finch chooses to fight against this "old tradition" with traditions of his own. Because of his highly ethical character, Atticus is able to honorably defend Tom Robinson and promote a "new tradition" for himself and his children. Respect, dignity, and equality form the backbone of Atticus' belief system, a belief system containing qualities that are often overlooked in the traditional South. In the absence of outside support, Atticus fights his battle the only way he knows how -- with pat ience, perseverance, and honesty. The South and tradition are synonymous. Southerners are known to be proud of their tra... ... After realizing that he is fighting an uphill battle, it is Atticus' integrity that keeps him pushing forward. He sees the problems with southern traditional social codes and he realizes they must be redefined -- for the sake of his children, and his children's children. Atticus knows that one of these days someone is "going to pay the bill for it"(p.221). He realizes that traditional beliefs will not be changed over night, and he does not expect it. His solution to his dilemma is to stick firmly to his southern tradition and his beliefs. Atticus Finch is a true Southern gentleman. His courage, nobility, pride, and honesty allow him to do what few men at the time could do. Atticus does not fool himself by ignoring the inevitable. He accepts his position and attacks the traditional views that he does not believe in like a true gentleman -- face to face.