Genetically Modified organism uses and applications Essay

Genetically Modified organism uses and applications - Essay Example GMO has far and wide many uses and applications. The technology used in GMO is called modern gene technology (Lee, 2008). Genetic engineering has led to the development in pharmaceutical and medicinal drugs technology. Many organism that are of medicinal significance haven been developed in bioreactors rather than in the field. This has so far diversified the cultivation of an organism in the reactors. Example of the organism: Chlamydomonas rehardtii (alga) and Physcomitrella (moss). The diversification has led to a great monitoring in order to get the desired results on time. Important researches in the establishment and development of treatment of different diseases and ailments have applied other genetic models to come up with modified drugs. Genetic engineering in agriculture has fetched some of the best output (Ciola, 2005). There is increased yield per unit area, reduction in production cost, enhanced composition of nutrient, resistance to diseases and pesticide, enhanced nutri ents, food security among others. There has been also advancement in crops that matures faster in harsh climatic and weather conditions that would not have otherwise matured (Lee, 2008). In the same regard, the number of animals has fetched better prices in the market due to the increased production and also resistance to diseases such as foot and mouth. A good example is the salmons which have grown at a very faster rate. In addition, soil salinity has affected many parts of the world in all agricultural aspects. This has led to poor growth, and in some cases the crops have fail to grow. For instance San Joaquin Valley is an example of diverse effect of salinity. GMO research will produce crops tolerant to saline condition such as mangrove in agricultural plants. A Mangrove gene (Avicenna marina) has been implanted into tobacco plant thus resisting salt, and other ionic stresses (Ciola, 2005). Global population has been increasing tremendously, and this has resulted to food shortag e and famine with conclusive statistics of one child dying in every two seconds worldwide. These deaths emanate from starvation without taking into account people who are very poor and undernourished. There is a need to embrace genetically engineered technology not only to the farmers, but also to the societies worldwide to produce better crops in the shortest time possible with the greatest output (Lee, 2008). Research on insects has been an area of concern and importance in equal measure, in the quest to curb and control parasitic diseases. For instance, development of GM mosquitoes has been made to represent SM1 protein, which prevents the passage of plasmodium (malaria parasite) into the gut of mosquito. This leads to the interruption of its cycle and makes it resistant. GM mosquitoes being released into the environment may eradicate transmission of malaria without using harmful chemicals such as DDT (Koch et al, 2010). Transgenic animals have genes introduced through transfecti on gene called transgenic. Introduction of DNA segmentation is integrated into the animal cell. This phenomenon is applicable to various organisms and it is often called transformation. Rabbits and mice are some of the transgenic animals. Mice are often preferred to other animals because it has favorably disposed gestation period, estrous cycle, producing several offspring per pregnancy, vitro fertilization and also availability

Rob Parsons Promotion Essay Example for Free

Rob Parsons Promotion Essay The problem with Rob’s promotion is a recurring one, especially in professional services firms and it refers to performance evaluation and more broadly to talent management. Should a person that substantially exceeds expectations in certain skills but significantly lacks other skills, be promoted by virtue of the fact that the first can somehow off-set the latter? There is no doubt that Rob is a star in his position at Morgan Stanley. Businesswise, he has a proven track record and great support from his colleagues and clients. However, at the beginning of his career with the company, he needed to improve is skills in the firm’s management area. I agree with the position taken by Paul Nasr, not to promote him to managing director after his first year with the firm. I believe Rob’s self-evaluation was the best summary of the problems he was facing: on one side, he recognized his need to develop some soft skills but on the other side, his long-term career goal was not in line with the set of management and leading skills required by the table of professional positions. In light of the evaluations received at the end of his second year, I think that Stuart should sponsor Rob to be promoted as managing director. Rob has shown that he had understood the problems and that he trusted the firm’s evaluation and coaching system. He took the message to heart in a lot of different ways. He made tremendous efforts to improve his management skills and Rob’s evaluations all noted an extraordinary amount of progress on the team player front, even if some evaluators continued to express reservations about his style. I believe the key improvement for Rob is that he understood the culture, set of values and core competencies on which the company is based. I think that one of the strengths of organizations based on partnerships is the leverage on the diversity of the partners and the various contributions they can bring to the firm. Rob is a star in his commercial orientation and he can successfully lead and develop the business of Morgan Stanley and he can be backed up by other managing directors in areas where he is weaker but in which they excel.

Challenges Faced In Excessive Executive Compensation Business Essay

Challenges Faced In Excessive Executive Compensation Business Essay Excessive executive bonus packages have been the bulk of workplace concern, community and political debate about ethical justifications of the huge disparity between compensations of the companys CEO and a factory worker. This research paper aims to explore the issue of the existing huge differences between compensations that exists between the chief executive officers (CEOs) and factory workers of most companies. Much information has been collected from various sites as indicated in the reference page. This is a real situation in many companies of extremely large sizes and recognized global positions. In my paper I will explore the significant gaps between CEOs packages and factory workers. The qualities of the CEOs, and the reasons that justify their huge payments, and the opinions of the shareholders on CEOs compensation.. Any company requires a competent CEO to move through the hard challenges of global technology and acquire competitive advantage in the global market. Performance of a worker is based on compensation from the company. Compensation should be measured by the level of expertise of a worker and the possible challenges faced by the responsibility required by the particular employee. In any business organization, hierarchy is indispensable. Senior and subordinate positions are therefore necessary in any business enterprise. However the great difference between the salaries of the most senior and the least position in the same company should be meaningful as a matter of ethic concern. The CEO of any company holds the highest rank of the particular company, organization or business enterprise, especially the one focused towards making profit. Big companies make use of board members to come up with policies that the company acts upon. The act on these policies is the sole responsibilities of the CEO of the company. It therefore implies the success or failure of the company to meet the goals and objectives as laid down by the policies is the responsibilities of the CEO of the company. To achieve success therefore, the CEO must be widely informed and visionary towards the business environment. The CEO must translate the anticipated future changes and lay appropriate measures, to cope up with any negative changes, which may affect the business (Garten, 2002). The changes expected and their thought out solutions should be communicated to the entire task force of the company so that, every participating worker is ready to face challenges posed by these changes. The CEO has a responsibility of setting a good example to the rest of the workers. Leadership competency inherent in the CEO should be used as a role model for the others to copy and utilize for the sake of the companys progress. Role modeling should extend to formulating desired standards of the company as a significant component to achieve a competitive position required by globalization. All employees should receive support and motivation as a result of the efforts of the CEO (Kim Mauborgne2005). In the business environment, there are usually threats facing productivity. There also are some favorable opportunities. The two are hidden from a normal worker, but to the CEO, the ability to foresee these issues should be automatic. This is the visionary quality of the CEO. The global market is fast expanding at a pace requiring very competitive CEOs. The labor market is accompanied by rapid technology changes and advancements, which need to be incorporated into the companys labor framework. The knowledge required in this field is essentially vested on the companys CEO whose performance is very critical to the competitive advantage of the company (Charan, Drotter, Noel, 2006). CEOs remuneration packages The compensation given to the CEOs of most companies have been a centre of interest by media, the community and the politicians. Why should they enjoy hefty packages in the tune of hundreds of times as compared to other workers of the same company? This has been a controversial issue requiring attention. The lavish payments are sufficient to afford CEOs luxurious lives and make them millionaires. The projections currently reached at using the current trend hold that by the year 2050, some companies CEOs will earn 150,000 times the average wage of a factory worker in the same company (Korten, 2001). This disparity is so huge that the issue has raised concern. Some individual feels that whatever the position of the CEO and whatever the contribution to the company the CEO makes, such a disparity is unwarranted and to the true sense, unethical. Furthermore, some companies paying such huge packages to the CEO end up realizing some loss in their production, but their existence is justified with reasons in the company. But irrespective as to whether a company makes a profit or a loss, the question remains whether the great disparity in payment between the CEO and the majority of the workers is justified. Many sectors have expressed anger towards those payments which are enormous. The compensation of the CEO is likely to scare away investors in potential fields due to the threat posed to the companies to pay CEO such high payments (Korten, 2001). The shareholders also approve the awarding of the companys stocks to the CEO as part of bonus packages. These awards empower the CEO to become owners of their employer company. This is a great encouragement to the CEO and a motivation to improve on the performance of the company. Justification for hefty CEOs Packages. The CEOs are subjected to evaluation, judgment and scrutiny by the companys shareholders, the general public, the media and the politicians. They must overcome the challenges brought about by their performance. The companies they ran have some potential opportunities to become extremely rich through their efforts. Therefore they are usually on a daily scrutiny from various spheres (Bakan, 2005). The CEO is the highest ranking talent in any company. Therefore, correct choice and hiring of the CEO is very crucial towards the performance of the company. In the daily schedules of the CEO there are no weekends or vacation, meaning that the CEOs intellectual capability is a precious asset to the company. The profits and profit margins realized by the company depend entirely on the CEO. The companys responsibility in the manipulation of existing resources lies squarely on the CEO of the particular company. The companies paying these hefty packages attribute the packages to the degree of performance of the CEO. However, the level of wisdom the boards of directors use to come up with the seemingly illogical figures of the CEOs packages is questionable. The other issue of concern is the opinion of the shareholders as regards the huge CEOs compensation (Belasco James, 1992). What are the opinions of the shareholders with respect to excessive payment of CEOs? Based on confidence the company is able to impart to its shareholders, the question of the huge pays may not come up. The shareholders approve the packages without arguments on condition that the benefits they derive from the company are handsome as compared to other companies. The packages are seen as a shield to counter any possible mishandling of the companies assets and options. Any workplace thefts are believed to be protected by the companys CEO. They are believed to posses a talent and high skills of management necessary to move the company through a competitive global business environment. This managerial talent is taken as an asset of the company just like other existing assets (Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsics, 2005). The CEO compensation is correlated with the size of the company. The assignments of the CEO are believed to be competitive due to the competitiveness required in the global market. The shareholders approval is also based upon the ability of the CEOs to capitalize the market and positioning their company at a global focal point. The fortunes of multinational business enterprises entirely lie on their CEOs. The package therefore is treated as an economic rent by the company (Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsics, 2005). Is performance of the company related to profit generation? Ironically a company with a highly paid CEO can operate at a loss. This has happened on many occasions whereby the financial statements of the company once analyzed, result to negative net income. In such a scenario, the CEO is not blamed for the losses incurred by the company. On the contrary the company argues there had been strategic plans to reorganize the companys production processes, to improve on the performance of the company in the future. This is argued from the visionary quality associated with the CEO. The logic advocated for is that, the strategic reorganizations will have far reaching economic benefits in the future of the company. The competitiveness of the company should not be perceived from the short- term perspective but rather, a long- term projection is a requirement. The company should be rooted on a stable foundation and this calls for utilization of the company resources for the long- term investment. The managerial skills necessary to achieve the long- term companys goals are possessed by the companys CEO.This is enough justification to accommodate for losses realized sometimes, within the company while continuing to offer hefty packages to the companys CEO (Bashein, Barbara, Markus Riley, 1994). The companys stock also determines to a great magnitude the justification of excessive payments to the CEO. The compensations in the market place of the companys stock may be so favorable at the time when the company is suffering losses in income in tunes of millions of dollars. This is considered insignificant given the scenario of the appreciable market prize of the companys stock(Bashein, Barbara, Markus Riley, 1994). The companys views on CEO Packages Most companies views on hefty packages of their CEOs are positive. Their skills are believed to be the cause of the companys success. Companies also believe that any improvements achieved within the company are the result of the CEO contributions. The added value of the company is the principle attraction of shareholders to the company. CEOs are therefore seen to be important figures towards attracting investments into the company through attracting enormously high numbers of shareholders. For shareholders to show interest in any company there should be an aspect of responsibility and clearness shown by the company through the CEO. The CEO is taken as the companys think tank. The CEOs intellectual capabilities are cherished as companys property available for taping. Qualities associated with a competent CEO are brilliance, information update on the companys productive environment, awareness of technology advancements and timely positive response to the changes in technology, curious on technical issues facing the company, awareness of current developments surrounding the company and increasing the speed of policy issues execution and implementation (Bashein, Barbara, Markus Riley, 1994). Conclusion The huge disparity existing between the CEOs of the best performing companies places the CEOs in extremely prestigious position with respect to their subordinates. The benefits enjoyed put them in position seen by the workers and the community as the owners of the companies. At the end of the day the CEO take home quite handsome packages that allow them to become millionaires while the factory workers struggle in their lifetimes to pay minor bills needed for their basic life. It is an appreciable fact that through their contributions, the companies attract shareholders who in return earn benefits out of their investments in the company. However the trend in the progress of the increasing disparity is a clear cause to scare investors and demoralize the workers of the company alike. The success of CEOs depends on their credibility, and represents the highest degree of integrity. This requirement is also taken as a justification for their hefty remuneration packages. The shareholders of the respective company are the most appropriate individuals suited to address the disparity issues. The shareholders are the rightful owners of the company and therefore the board of directors should act as per their guidelines. Much attention should be diverted from whatever the gains they achieve from the company in form of dividends but rather concentrate on the significant percentage of the companys profit pocked by a single CEO. The welfare of the factory workers needs to be given an appropriate attention. Most of the workers perform their duties in extremely difficult and risky situation. The risks are mostly ignored as they are not given the relevant rewards and financial coverage. This also contributes to the widening gap between their payments and those of the CEO.

Lacoste :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction Andaman Tourism Recovery Plan 2005 was developed by Tourism Authority of Thailand in order to manage the Crisis of â€Å"Tsunami† Tidal Wave, which mainly caused tremendous damages to 6 southern provinces of Thailand, which are Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Satun and Trang. This tidal wave not only affected to local people and thousands of tourists, who lost some of their family members and property in this natural disaster, but also many of tourism investors and service providers such as Hotels and accommodations, restaurants and travel agents lost their property and incomes as well. Since these 6 southern provinces of Thailand are located on coastal Andaman, they are very famous among tourists both Thai and foreigners for beautiful coasts and unspoiled nature. Each year, these provinces could bring a lot of tourists from everywhere to Thailand. The local people in theses areas earn their living mainly from selling souvenirs and providing tourism services to tourists. Therefore, when â€Å"Tsunami† tidal wave unexpectedly attacked and made many of tourists canceled or postponed the trip to Thailand, it causes the opportunity to restore the business and improve condition of living of local people after the Tsunami seem to be hopeless. Therefore, Andaman Tourism Recovery Plan 2005 will assist all stakeholders to know where Tourism Authority of Thailand is heading to in order to restore and develop these 6 southern provinces. In this report, we will study and analyze the recovery plan and evaluate the possibility to make all processes success according to the objectives, which Tourism Authority of Thailand set up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ms. Ajaree Viwatpinyo   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I.D. 463 9605   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ms.Naiyana Vongfufeungkajorn  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I.D.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Objectives -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To study the Andaman recovery plan 2005, developed by TAT. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To analyze the positive and negative of impact from the recovery plan. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To analyze the potential effectiveness of the recovery plan. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To criticize the role of concerned organization in order to create the effectiveness of the plan. According to the tidal wave disaster â€Å"Tsunami† which attacked many countries around Andaman Sea on 26th of December 2004, 6 provinces in southern part of Thailand are one of the victims of this natural disaster. In consequence of â€Å"Tsunami†, the situation of tourism in Andaman coastal provinces of Thailand is facing the unexpected crisis. Moreover, the unclear information regarding the situation in affected areas leads to the decrease of number of tourist. For example, the disaster caused many tourists to cancel hotel bookings in Satun, even the province received only slight damage.

Cultural knowledge

Cultural knowledge is of great importance for contemporary society, because in the global world it is necessary to set friendly relations and working contacts with all the cultures and countries. A potential classmate for me is Chinese student, because Chinese culture is significantly different from others and I would be able to learn new things, ideas, core beliefs from Chinese student.I know that Chinese culture is one of the oldest in the world and, therefore, it is really worth examining and studying. It would be interesting to know more about Chinese family values and belief, communication peculiarities, about economic and political objectives of the country as well as about their leisure time.Thus, Chinese student would certainly help me in expanding my cultural knowledge. Chinese people are outwardly restrained, because they are influenced by Confucius' philosophical thinking and thus they are more reserved in verbal and nonverbal communication.Emotional gestures and body lang uage is less expressive as compared with Cuba or Brasilia, for example. As for me, I am very communicative person and it is interesting for me get acquainted with completely different behavior.I know that there are peculiar values in Chinese culture and I think we should pay special attention and, maybe, even to adopt them. For example, family is considered the basis of Chinese culture, especially extended families, when several generations are living together in one house.The elder generation is respected for their wisdom and usually they are provided with good pensions compared with that in other countries. It is important to know that Chinese family members tend to work as a team living under one roof as it is mentioned above.The family welfare is contributed by every family member, either young or elder. I understand that we should follow Chinese in certain traditions, customs. Â  So, I would be provided with an opportunity to adopt some Chinese values as well as to share my cu lture and my knowledge with Chinese student. Furthermore, they are considered non-conflict people.ReferencesCountry’s Profile: China. Retrieved January 17, 2007, from http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/china/index.html

Essay on Breaking Down Foundations

Essay on Breaking Down Foundations Essay on Breaking Down Foundations Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot’s article Foundations was published in 1757 and was a very radical way of thinking for the time. Turgot discusses his opinion on â€Å"foundations† which involved corporate charities that were created to aid the community. He felt the underlying motives of the charities were aimed solely to the benefit of the founder and their self-worth, and not to fixing the true problems that were present and all the more increasing with these foundations. He also discusses how these charities change over time and the negative effect it has. Turgot then presents his ideas on what we should do to end â€Å"foundations†, and what should be done instead to further the public good. Turgot felt that charities may have had good intentions but there was more harm caused in the long run than any benefit and claimed, â€Å"Is it not very easy to do harm in wishing to do good†. Because most of these charities looked to have good intentions the public wa s blind to the ill that would come to society as a result. He points out, â€Å"misery is most common and most widespread in precisely the countries where these charitable resources are most abundantly available†. When we provide free subsistence we subsidize idleness according to Turgot. As we give to the poor and create free services we give them no desire to improve upon themselves. There is no desire to work when you can get what you need for free. This attitude which was stimulated by the charities created more beggars and loafers. There was also an example given of the establishment of the houses of asylum for repentant women. These houses were set up to provide shelter for women that were former prostitutes. They would need to provide proof of their debauched life to be accepted. This charity did nothing to prevent the cause of debauchery which was the true issue, but overlooked this and provided a means of housing for prostitutes. If anything this would encourage pros titution as after participating in such debauchery they would then have somewhere to go and be accepted. This cause and effect relation that Turgot implies is resulting from charities is further solidified when he provides an analogy of charity provided to a well-run state with no poor, â€Å"An institution offering free assistance to a certain number of men would soon create some poor†. These charities will break down a state, creating more beggars and thus increasing crime and hurting the overall good of society. Turgot felt over time charities begin to break down and it is impossible to maintain their function, stating â€Å"There is no body that has not in the long run lost the sense of its original purpose†. He felt with time we start to do things by habit and lose the original desire we once had. He references how we feel when we first visit a hospital and the feeling you have toward humanity and the emotions toward the people in misery. With habit the workers in the hospital lose this feeling and he observes their lack of concern toward the patients as they carry out their daily duties. The original enthusiasm that was once had is lost with habit according to Turgot. As a result the purpose of a foundation cannot be fulfilled continuously and idleness is created. This idleness that Turgot refers to creates inaction. This has a trickle effect through the management of the foundation, each becoming less likely to take any action to expose any issues within the foundation. Any monetary interest will supersede taking any action as profit has become the aspect of the foundation. This creates a cycle of foundations that are degenerated and then replaced again and again, instead of being changed for the better. The founders obviously take more concern to the distinction that comes with creating new foundations. The other issue according to Turgot is that needs change over time so what was once

Abigail adam essays

Abigail adam essays Abigail Adams was a women of a unique personality . She was an intellectual because she wanted to have an education and demonstrated the desire to learn. As a mother, she passionately cared for her children during periods of disease and poor health that surround the country, that threatened her own life as well as others. As a wife, she stood by her husband during the early years of his political career when he often left her alone to care for their land and family. These roles illustrate her personality, and were especially evident during the presidency of her husband, John Adams. She was always her husbands number one supporter. Throughout the biography, Abigail Adams An American Woman, Charles Akers describes a strong modern women who had an impact on American Society and womens right. At age 15 Abigail met the man whose frequent absences, due to his duty to the Nation, would oblige her to exclaim she was bereft of my better half. During their four years of evolution from acquaintance, to friendship, to courtship, to engagement, and finally to marriage, John Adams could not resist the respect developed in him for her intellect, outspokenness- yet not overstepping the boundaries a woman at her time had in relation to a male, and acute point of views. John and Abigail married in the fall of 1764, and soon after that their lives began a journey of loneliness due to the demands that public service placed on him and his family, and the lack of hesitance with which he responded. During Johns absences, Abigail earned his love, respect, admiration and consideration even more so, as he considered her husbandry in the care of their property, their children and their overall affairs at home. John did not necessarily applaud her increasing dependency and freedom in speaking her mind, but did not, however, discourage it. She would become his dearest ...

Sistine Chapel Essays - Book Of Genesis, Bereshit, Adam And Eve

Sistine Chapel Essays - Book Of Genesis, Bereshit, Adam And Eve Sistine Chapel The Presence of God Michelangelo's paintings on the Sistine Chapel contain a strong presence of God. The ideas and stories of the Bible lie at the surface of the entire ceiling. All these stories are taking from the book of Genesis, which would not be possible without God. The scenes depicted are placed in a time frame of an earlier world. This period is called ante legem, and is the period before the Mosaic Law. The scenes can be analyzed in numerous ways that depend on the analyzers faith and interpretation of the beginning of time. The chapel contains nine stories divided into three trilogies: The Creation of the World, the Creation of Man, and the Story of Noah. All of these stories have a strong Godly presence, as the viewer sees the creation, progression, and, eventual, fall of man. The idea of God evolves from panel to panel by allowing the onlooker to consider God in three different situations forcing his role to change throughout each. The establishment of the vision of diverse, yet related sym bols of biblical foundations presents a sense of the supernatural and divine world. The stories embody separate motifs; but, the piece is expressed as a unified whole with God being the only consistent presence in either idea or visual portrayal. The order of the ceiling, according to the book of Genesis, should be read from the Separation of Light from Darkness to the Drunkenness of Noah, if the viewer reads in chronological order. The Creation of the World is the first out of the three trilogies. This focuses on the emergence of God's presence, arising from his creation of the earth and the cosmic environment. the Separation of Light from Darkness exemplifies the physicality of God in the beginning of his worldly universe. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light... and God divided the light from the darkness1 This story is depicted in this scene, where Michelangelo shows God whirling in a spinning motion. The shading and use of light and dark creates a feeling of the light and dark in the midst of division. God furthers his role as worldly creator in the Creation of Sun , Moon, and Planets by making two great lights; the greater light to rule the day; and the lesser one to rule the night2. God appears to be in circular motion once again; but, in this instance, he seems as if he is circulating the newly created universe. He is, at first, transpiring from the universe, and then, turns his back to the viewer to concentrate on a new object in process of establishment. The final story of the origin of the world is the Separation of Land from Water. God is perceived as an ominous being, flying above the sea, and reaching out to the heavens. He appears to be extending his arms outward to a nonexistent boundary, as if he was luring the land out of the sea. Michelangelo, in the Creation of the World, demonstrates God's limitless power by illusions of movement. The arm position, the masterful flying, and the seemingly face paced motion persuades the viewer to see a universal creator, above all fathomable beings. God appears to be traveling through all earthly dimensions, as if forcing the creation on the undeveloped world before him. The second role of God is the Creator of Man. This section is in the center of the Sistine Chapel promoting the most concentration. This is undoubtedly strategically placed, for the importance of God's role to the God creates man to rule his last creation of the universe. This section tells the story from the creation of the primarily pure to the emergence of a sinful world. The Creation of Adam delineates God giving life to Adam. This scene encompasses an intense feeling because of the naturalistic connection between Adam and God. The body language and the positioning show the events in the story. The touching fingers give a sense of the intense power traveling from God and being transported to the fingertips of Adam. Michelangelo painted this scene with a definite basis of the bible's description, so that the viewer can actually see that God

Scientific Integrity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific Integrity - Essay Example these areas, many times their knowledge is just in politics and regulation and lacking in the particular areas where scientists are the ones who are the experts. Though politicians allegedly have the interest of the common good in mind, however, if the issue somehow interferes with the belief of their party affiliation or platform, it can determine how politicians vote on regulation. The article in regards to Feymans commencement speech addresses that the scientific method should always be used and it is scientific integrity to tell all evidence, whether it proves or disproves a theory and even recognizes that politicians may describe something scientific in a way that works in their favor, rather than looking at it from the scientific point of view. Errors in science are not necessarily scientific in nature but instead by human error and lack of intelligent judgment. Politicians are the people in power that can help make the regulations and it is necessary in some cases for regulations to be set to protect the people. However, they are uninformed which makes it impossible for them to make intelligent suggestions about

Report on the Current Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Report on the Current Financial Crisis - Essay Example They explain that increasing liquidity and increasing nontraditional mortgages which were deceptive and beyond the ability of borrowers to pay was another trigger of financial crisis. Another trigger of financial crisis was the failure in securitization and credit rating which made poorly performing mortgages into bad financial assets. Security markets and stakeholders brought down credit quality in mortgages they securitized even as credit-rating organizations erroneously rated such securities as viable investments (Bancel and Usha 179). The buyers did not carry out due diligence thereby leading to losses. The financial crisis had various impacts on the global economy and the financial markets. The crisis led to reduction in the gross domestic product in most countries. The decline in GDP in some European countries in 2009 ranged between 5 and 8 percent and the decline was highest in countries that had their financial systems highly leveraged and the credit growth was high before th e onset of the crisis. The financial crisis also led to increased rates of inflation in countries especially in countries where the financial sector has not been adequately regulated (Bancel and Usha 183). The rates of unemployment globally went up following the financial crisis. Unemployment increased due to slowed production and sales in most economic sectors thereby constraining the job opportunities. The financial crisis also led to a decline in global trade with the less developed countries suffering from huge deficits of trade. The other effect of the financial crisis was negative impacts on the exchange rates of most currencies (DLA Nordic 1). Most import dependent countries experienced a sharp decline in the value of their currencies as compared to other countries thereby disadvantaging importers. Systematic risk refers to the possibility of the whole financial system collapsing in contrast to the collapse of a single group or component. Systematic risk has spread throughout the globe due to integration of the globe in trade, markets and finance. Technology has enhanced integration thereby making the world a global village (Tchana Tchana 1). The other factor that led to the spread of systematic risks throughout the globe is regulation. Systematic risks cause increased flow of investment in different countries. This is because as the investors seek to diverse their profits and mitigate the negative impacts, they choose to invest in countries that have low risk levels. Additionally, the systematic risks caused by financial crisis causes reduction in investments as the banks lack adequate resources to loan out for capital investment. Consequently, long term investments become slowed. The financial crisis had two effects on credit such as bonds (Bancel and Usha 183). The first effect was a reduction in the number of creditors given that only those creditors able to issue good quality bonds could get to the market thereby increasing their credit ratings. Ad ditionally, average systematic risks of creditors also increased dramatically (Bancel and Usha 183). The Federal Reserve has implemented several short and long term measures to prevent the domino effects (Reddy and Joellen 1). The main aim for Fed’s involvement was to enhance liquidity given that during the period the liquidity was low. Fed offered improved liquidity via open

The Impact of Globalization on Recent Changes to Employment Patterns Assignment

The Impact of Globalization on Recent Changes to Employment Patterns and Structure in either a Country or Industry of Your Choice - Assignment Example More specifically current sources are used for the report to gain knowledge of the pattern of current changes introduced thereof and its due implications on the employment scenario. Findings The findings relate that the era of globalization or liberalization has impacted the pattern of industrial relation policies and thereby the employment structures of the Indian economy. Firstly it is noticed that the system of due protectionism of employees which was the significant feature of Indian industrial relations gradually is subjected to abolition thereby contributing to the reduction of impacts of trade unionism in India. Secondly the system of collective bargaining is also found to be decentralized to render potential to the management in governing trade union activities. Thirdly the findings reflect that how human resource management functions have focused on development of employee productivity through aspects of training and employee development. Fourthly the growth of services and communication sector industries in the country is also noticed side by side with the manufacturing sectors thereby leading to the emergence of new employment structures. Fifthly policy changes to industrial relations in the post liberalization period reflected a rise in both organized and unorganized types of employment structures leading to the growth of casual and self-employed labor market. Sixthly case studies dealt with in relation to manufacturing sectors pertaining to cotton and jute mills are presented where issues relating to modernization and employee participation are presented. The findings reflect the impacts of modernization and participative style management in the specific... The conclusion of the report specifically highlights on drawing a summary of the essential themes related to globalization and its impact on the employee patterns and structures in the Indian employment market. It also draws a summary of the findings of the report relating to the case studies used reflecting the impacts of industrial relation policy changes on the employer-employee relationships. Finally it also focuses on the pattern of recommendations sought in relation to the employment issues relating to the cases underlined. This paper makes a conclusion that the mode of globalization in relation to the world at large has contributed to the development and introduction of new set of operational, trade and employer-employee relationship aspects along different sets of business enterprises. Moreover the emergence of a liberal market has also spurred the growth of different employment sectors both in relation to the developed and developing economies. The project focuses specifically on the Indian economy where the emergence of a liberal market framework has led to the birth of casual forms of employment in sharp contrast to the existence of only organized employment sectors. Moreover the emergence of both public and private sectors in the Indian economy also triggers the development of newer styles of employer-employee relationship patterns. In fact the mode of industrial relations has gained a far flung change in comparison to the period pre and post liberalization in influencing the patterns of employmen t patterns and structures in the industrial and employment scenario of India. It is found that during the pre liberalization period the employment and the industrial structure of India were mainly governed by manufacturing and other large scale industries.

Write essay on the methodological approach(es) that you are likely to

Write on the methodological approach(es) that you are likely to use in your research and the practical or theoretical problems that your research is likely to address - Essay Example The profiles of China and USA will be put under scrutiny to answer the research question. Globalization and world economy research seeks to g how address the way politics and economy affect each other. The Korean economy features a practical society-based problem where there is a large gap between rich and poor while the economy is weighted against technological companies. The aim of the study is to find out the unfair policies that result in unequal distribution of wealth among Koreans. International trade has brought noteworthy discrepancies between develop and developing countries and has resulted in more damage than repair of the economic dilemma in the latter. According to Smelter and Reed (p. 248), countries cannot face economic predicaments alone and for that reason they enter into trade relations with each other. The inequities between countries will be put into perspective though thorough

Modern and Contemporary Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modern and Contemporary Style - Essay Example This piece of art portrays the film industry icon of French nationality, Sarah Bernhardt as taken by Emile Tourtin in 1877. It can be seen that unbelievable height of imagination and creativity has been use to produce this masterpiece of art. In-depth evaluation of the picture explores the color tone variation that brings out the best of visual impression (Brommer 47). The main object that is Sarah is dressed in cream white dress which stands out as the background color subsides. The gradually faded color towards the background exposes the original and natural appearance of this great actress. Besides, the artist seems to have noted spacing. The main object seems to capture the Centre with equidistance from the corners of the portrait. The blend of textual feeling from the visual perspective and color is observed with the cream white dress at the front and relatively rough background outlook. The shape of the picture is consistent with its size offering the best of its visual view. Contrast in color offers a better pattern and emphasis through smooth transition of the actress dress to the background space. Balance of the picture is evident from the position of the actress body parts that includes one hand on the chin while another rests on the dress. Emile shows significant expertise that characterizes quality display of art. This work displays the historical concepts that characterize art. The sculpture is a reflection of the artist’s impressive presentation skills. In respect of this master piece, the ability of the sculptor to bring out the best of art is open to all. In respect of this piece of art, the sculptor applies the elements clearly to address critical issues that pattern the message being sent by this work. Variation of color tone is offering a clear visual impression of the object with a sharp contrast between font view and the background. While

Final Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Final Paper - Essay Example There are statement releases by several autonomous scientific organizations concerning the same around the world. It is true that not every scientist agree in every component of the problem in climate change. It is why the article clearly states that not all engineers and scientists agree on the taking drastic measures against global warming. However, there is extensive agreement that climate change exists, primarily due to release of greenhouse gases from humans (NRC). Evidence of global warming is incontrovertible. It is why scientists are constantly researching various important questions concerning the matter. Questions such as precisely how much will the earth warm, how fast will it warm and the consequences it will cause to various regions. Scientists record an increase in global temperature by over 1.4Â °F throughout the previous century (NRC). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2000 to 2010 happened to be the warmest decade on record. This fact contradicts the mention of global warming not existing over ten years by the article. Changes in climate and weather are what follow the increasing global temperatures (NRC). So many facts and information show several places experiencing rainfall changes resulting in additional intense rain. There is also evidence of more intense and frequent heat waves. It is hard to deny that oceans are becoming acidic and warmer while ice caps at the North Pole are melting. All these observations prove that there is an increase of warmth in the world. We have scientists who continue to research the questions of global warming to inform society better on how to prepare for climate change. However, sufficient certainty is real concerning basic causes and impacts of climate change to validate taking actions that decrease future risks. Claiming that global warming is not a crucial matter to deal with because the evidence is smaller than predicted does not mean society should stop paying

Write essay on the methodological approach(es) that you are likely to

Write on the methodological approach(es) that you are likely to use in your research and the practical or theoretical problems that your research is likely to address - Essay Example The profiles of China and USA will be put under scrutiny to answer the research question. Globalization and world economy research seeks to g how address the way politics and economy affect each other. The Korean economy features a practical society-based problem where there is a large gap between rich and poor while the economy is weighted against technological companies. The aim of the study is to find out the unfair policies that result in unequal distribution of wealth among Koreans. International trade has brought noteworthy discrepancies between develop and developing countries and has resulted in more damage than repair of the economic dilemma in the latter. According to Smelter and Reed (p. 248), countries cannot face economic predicaments alone and for that reason they enter into trade relations with each other. The inequities between countries will be put into perspective though thorough

Final Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Final Paper - Essay Example There are statement releases by several autonomous scientific organizations concerning the same around the world. It is true that not every scientist agree in every component of the problem in climate change. It is why the article clearly states that not all engineers and scientists agree on the taking drastic measures against global warming. However, there is extensive agreement that climate change exists, primarily due to release of greenhouse gases from humans (NRC). Evidence of global warming is incontrovertible. It is why scientists are constantly researching various important questions concerning the matter. Questions such as precisely how much will the earth warm, how fast will it warm and the consequences it will cause to various regions. Scientists record an increase in global temperature by over 1.4Â °F throughout the previous century (NRC). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2000 to 2010 happened to be the warmest decade on record. This fact contradicts the mention of global warming not existing over ten years by the article. Changes in climate and weather are what follow the increasing global temperatures (NRC). So many facts and information show several places experiencing rainfall changes resulting in additional intense rain. There is also evidence of more intense and frequent heat waves. It is hard to deny that oceans are becoming acidic and warmer while ice caps at the North Pole are melting. All these observations prove that there is an increase of warmth in the world. We have scientists who continue to research the questions of global warming to inform society better on how to prepare for climate change. However, sufficient certainty is real concerning basic causes and impacts of climate change to validate taking actions that decrease future risks. Claiming that global warming is not a crucial matter to deal with because the evidence is smaller than predicted does not mean society should stop paying

Cola Wars - The Carbonated Soft Drink Industry Essay Example for Free

Cola Wars The Carbonated Soft Drink Industry Essay Threat of New Entry The existing players in the soft drink industry have much advantage relative to new entrants. First, supply-side economy discourages new entrants by forcing them to enter the market in large scale. CSD’s demand side benefits of scale also makes it difficult for new entrants to be accepted by the public. In 2002, a survey found that 37% of respondents chose a CSD because it is their favorite brand, while only 10% said so about bottled water. This demonstrates CSD customers’ high brand loyalty and their lack of desire to buy from new entrants. In terms of capital requirement, concentrate manufacturers only requires $25~$50 million to set up a plant that can serve the entire United States of America. Yet, new entrants may have difficulties competing with major players’ well-established brands and their large scale unrecoverable (therefore, hard to finance) spending on advertising. There is also unequal access to bottlers and retail channels for newcomers. Most bottlers are in long-term contracts with major CSD brands; also, the largest distribution channel, supermarkets, consider CSD a â€Å"big traffic draw†, thus provide little to no shelf space for newcomers. In addition, strong fear of retaliation from major players also makes newcomers hesitate to enter. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Required inputs for CSD are mostly raw materials such as caramel coloring, phosphoric or citric acid, natural flavors, caffeine, and fructose. Almost all suppliers of the CSD industry provide undifferentiated commodities and thus have little bargaining power and almost no strength to integrate forward. Bargaining Power of Buyers End consumers and retail channels can both be considered as buyers in the CSD industry. End consumers are likely to have brand loyalty to their CSD as analyzed in threat of new entry. Thus, consumers are expected to continue purchasing a brand unless there is a significant price increase or substantial change in flavor. Consequently, end consumers have little bargaining power. Retail channels, on the other hand, have more bargaining leverage since they buy CSDs in much larger quantities than end consumers. Yet, for retail channels such as supermarkets (making up almost one third of all retail volume), CSDs are considered a â€Å"big traffic draw†, thus reducing its bargaining power. In addition, fountain outlets (making up another 23.4% of retail channel) also have insignificant bargaining power since they rely on CSD companies’ heavy investment in dispensers, cups, point-of-sale advertising, and many other types of equipment. Threat of Substitutes CSDs are unique in terms of taste and properties. When a consumer craves CSD, it is difficult to find a replacement that can equally satisfy his or her desire. Even after CSD was identified as the â€Å"largest source of obesity-causing sugars in the American diet† in 2005, CSDs still â€Å"accounted for 73.1% of U.S. non-alcoholic refreshment beverage volume (down from 80.8% in 2000)† at around the same time. It is true that consumers are moving towards alternatives that have more natural flavors such as several tea-based drinks and bottled water; yet, CSD firms have quickly adapted to this shift and largely dominated the market of these alternatives. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Even though rivalry among existing competitors Coke, Pepsi, and Cadbury Schweppes seem intense, the profitability has not been weakened. This is largely because of the high concentration of competition and their focus on promotion, advertising, and other forms of branding instead of waging large-scale price wars. In a way, the success of Coke and Pepsi required the heavy competition on these dimensions. â€Å"Without Coke, Pepsi would have a tough time being an original and lively competitor. The more successful they (Coke) are, the sharper we (Pepsi) have to be.† says Roger Enrico, former CEO of Pepsi. The CSD industry profitability lies within the Cola War itself that forces major players to improve continuously. Through Porter’s five forces analysis, it becomes clear that CSD is so profitable because of the way its industry competition is shaped: high entry barriers due to newcomers’ unfavorable supply-side economies of scale, demand-side benefits of scale, and unrecoverable advertising spending; low bargaining power of suppliers and buyers since CSD requires mainly homogeneous commodities, buyers have high brand loyalty, and retailers rely heavily on CSD firms’ investments; well handled threat of substitutes; and healthy internal rivalry that is vital to continuous improvement.

Nature Of Competition Collusion And Pricing Airline Industry Economics Essay

Nature Of Competition Collusion And Pricing Airline Industry Economics Essay The enactment of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 eliminated price and entry regulation of the domestic airline industry. Since then the U.S. airline industry has grown tremendously. The US domestic market competes in an oligopoly landscapes. Hence there is certain level of barriers to competition. For example, control over the computerised reservation systems used by travel agents provided the majors with a powerful weapon for disadvantaging smaller competitors. American Airlines Sabre system and Uniteds Apollo system together accounted for three-quarters of all national computer reservation systems by the late 1980s. Control of this important avenue for travel agents to make reservations enabled the majors to discriminate against smaller firms in a variety of ways-from instituting screen bias favouring the on-screen presentation of the controlling firms flights, to charging exorbitant fees to other carriers for displaying their flights on these computer systems (transferring up wards of a half-billion dollars annually from the smallest to the largest carriers).[2] More recently, the Big Five carriers have joined together to collectively market their tickets online through their Orbitz Web site-an alliance that may enable them to better coordinate their non-competitive oligopoly pricing and to circumvent rules put into place to prevent them from anticompetitive using their computer reservation systems while, at the same time, disadvantaging competing distributors of air tickets.[3] Predatory Pricing Furthermore, dominant carriers were suppressing competition through predatory pricing. For example, when Spirit Airlines attempted to penetrate Northwests Detroit hub with a one-way Detroit-Philadelphia fare of $49, Northwest Airline responded by slashing its average fare on the route by 71% (from $170 to $49) and scheduling 30% more seats. Once Spirit abandoned the route, Northwest raised its fare to $230 and cut its seat capacity.[36] Similarly, when Frontier Airlines initiated service from Denver (United-dominated hub) to Billings, Montana, it offered an average $100 fare, half the prevailing fare charged by United. United slashed its fare to match Frontier; when Frontier exited the route, United raised its fare above its original level.[37] Collusion Collusion is a difficult game to play when the number of conspiring rivals is large. It is hard to keep a hundred firms in line when their cost structures differ, when their production facilities vary, and when some have an incentive to cheat on a price agreement or to violate output restrictions. Numbers make a difference. When numbers are large, conspiracies are difficult to organize, difficult to conceal, and difficult to enforce. However, public policy faces a serious challenge in oligopolistic industries like the case of the Airline industry where major carriers eschew outright collusion and rely instead on a course of conduct characterised as tacit collusion, or recognition of mutual interdependence to resemble the effects of outright conspiracy. The mechanics of tacit collusion is apparent particularly in an oligopoly market dominated by a few major players. Each carrier naturally recognises the mutual interdependence between it and its rivals. Carrier X knows that it if were to cut price in order to increase its market share, its aggression would immediately be detected by carriers Y and Z, which would respond with retaliatory price cuts of their own. Market shares would be unaffected, but all carriers would now operate at lower prices and profits. Henceforth, Carrier X cannot expect to increase its market share or revenue at the expense of its rivals. It cannot afford to calculate in terms of maximising its own profits in isolation but instead must constantly ask whether a particular decision on price or output will be not only in its own self-interest, but also in the best interests of its rivals. By recognising mutual oligopolistic interdependence, it must be concerned with group profits and group welfare. In other word, under oligopoly landscape, independent, aggressive, genuinely competitive behaviour is perceived as counterproductive-an irrational strategy for the individual carrier. In an oligopoly, groupthink will influence a carriers strategy when it is contemplating price increases as it cannot act alone. In other word, groupthink replaces the calculus of individual advantage, and each carrier must behave as a responsible member of the oligopoly group rather than as a reckless, self-seeking competitor. In oligopolies, this recognition of mutual interdependence may extend to non-price competition. For example, if carrier A refrains from aggressive price competition but seeks to increase its market share through aggressive innovation program, it cannot expect its rivals to sit idly by. It must expect them to increase their research efforts as a simple matter of self-defence, thereby nullifying its expected gains. Anticipating such retaliation which could erode oligopoly profits- carrier A might refrain from innovation for the same reasons it would avoid price-cutting. Rationality again commands responsible nonaggressive behaviours; the most effective profit-maximisation rule under oligopoly is to get ahead by getting along. Nevertheless, the level of oligopolistic interdependence and collusion varies from situation to situation. It depends on such factors as whether the oligopoly is tightly knit (small number of firms) or loosely knit (a larger number);whether it is homogeneous or heterogeneous; whether it is symmetrical (having firms of roughly equal size) or asymmetrical (with one firm disproportionately larger); whether or not the industry is mature (having had time to develop its internal arrangements and institutions to promote cooperation); whether the industry is populated by reasonable managers or by a few mavericks. In the US domestic market, the advent of the Internet has increased the efficient of signaling or collusion. Carriers can see what the competition is doing immediately by going to the Internet that allow them to react quickly by adjusting their own prices. This is a far cry from the days when price books were set in type and could not be changed for months. Now most prices can be adjusted several times a day, if needed. Apparently, this is a game that the airlines are particularly adept at. As consumers have more transparent access to real-time flight pricing through online services like Orbitz, so the airlines are almost obligated to adjust to each other. This is particularly apparent on routes where there is no rogue player, like Southwest Airlines or JetBlue as they are (within limits) free to adjust prices upward. As long as the members of the oligopoly with real selling power tacitly agree that a major price war is not in their interest, chances are that prices can quickly readj ust themselves, keeping in mind the balance of costs and optimal prices for maintaining profitable sales levels. Nevertheless, the combined market share of the Big Five network airlines (Delta, United, American, US Airways, and Northwest ) that peaked in 1992 has been declining since deregulation [ *]. Furthermore, with the influx of several low-cost carriers, tacit collusion is becoming difficult to organize, conceal and enforce even though oligopolistic rationality and its collusive consequences are inevitable concomitants of oligopoly industry structure. Pricing Pricing is important for the carriers. If prices are too low or too high, it can drag down profits. Thus, it is important for the carriers to derive profitable airfares and discourages unprofitable one. To maximise profits, the carriers should set prices so that marginal revenue just equals marginal cost. In other words, it should use profit-maximising prices as the starting point. The economic model of pricing ****show diagram****, which is called marginal cost pricing, clearly identifies a pricing strategy that will maximise profits. This pricing strategy also identifies the information needed to set prices, thus simplifying the process. In other words, the profit-maximising price is where the incremental margin percentage equals the reciprocal of the absolute value of the price elasticity demand  [1]  [ **] Based on pricing rule, the carriers should adjust its price where there are changes in the price elasticity of demand or marginal cost since the carriers compete under oligopoly landscapes with homogeneous services. Airfares have dropped significantly over the years [***] since deregulation which helped to simulate competition resulting in the entrance of several low-cost carriers. This could partially due to regulator and oligopolies increase efficiencies, putting direct or indirect price pressure on their suppliers as well as putting pressure on the wages and benefits of their employees Hence there is growing belief is that oligopolies can be price-neutral as opposed to manipulating prices. The strategic variable for airline carrier is price in the short run. Generally without product and service differentiation, the basic service offered by the carriers would be homogeneous. Under the Bertrand model, the carriers which produce at constant marginal cost and compete aggressively on price in order to gain a bigger share of the market. Under such condition, the market equilibrium is perfectly competitive pricing. However, in a loosely knit oligopoly structure, the individual carrier has incentive to offer heterogeneous services. Through heterogeneous services, it can charge personalised pricing or group pricing based on passenger willing-to-pay to achieve higher profits. For example, if carrier X sells its airfares at a single, it loses in two ways. Firstly, some passenger would be willing to pay more than $100 for a ticket during the last hour of the flight. Secondly the carrier does not sell to passengers who are willing to pay more than $50 but less than $60. This is illustrated in the graphic below, where P=price and Q=quantity. By charging such passengers at different price, the carrier could profitably sell to a much larger passenger base. Furthermore, with differentiated services, should one carrier cut its price below other carriers price; it would take away only part of the other carriers entire demand. Thus, carriers should have strong incentive to differentiate its offering in order to raise their equilibrium prices. However, there is a risk of loosing the market if the services are not on par with its pricing and demand. The carriers must balance their desire for market share at the same time avoid head-to-head price competition since the less differentiation in their services, the more direct will be in price competition among them and the lower would be incremental margins.

Impermanence and Death in Sino-Japanese Philosophical Context :: Philosophy Buddhism Papers

Impermanence and Death in Sino-Japanese Philosophical Context This paper discusses the notions of impermanence and death as treated in the Chinese and Japanese philosophical traditions, particularly in connection with the Buddhist concept of emptiness and void and the original Daoist answers to the problem. Methodological problems are mentioned and two ways of approaching the theme are proposed: the logically discursive and the meditative mystical one, with the two symbols of each, Uroboros and the open circle. The switch of consciousness is suggested as an essential condition for liberation of the Ego and its illusions. Rational logic as well as the sophisticated meditative ways of selflessness and detachment are suggested when treating the Chinese and Japanese philosophical notions, and examples of the discussed topics from the texts given. The instructive seventh chapter of the classical Daoist work, Lie Zi, is analyzed in detail and put into contrast with the answers given to that problem in the Greco-Judeo-Christian tradition. When reflecting on immortality, longevity, death and suicide, or taking into consideration some of the central concepts of the Sino-Japanese philosophical tradition, such as impermanence (Chinese: wuchang, Japanese: mujo), we see that the philosophical methods developed in the Graeco-Judaeo-Christian tradition might not be very suitable. On the other hand, it is instructive to put them into contrast with the similar themes developed in the Graeco-Judeo-Christian tradition, since these problems present a challenge for a redefinition of "philosophy" which has traditionally regarded itself as a European (and in an even less acceptable variation as a "Western") phenomenon and therefore today the very borders of philosophical discourse known in European history as "philosophia" are reexamined (affected). By rethinking the history of philosophy as a single narrative, one might come closer to the movements related to the levels of consciousness that were activated in philosophical undertakings in various Asian philosophical schools. In this regard Japanese and Chinese philosophical traditions might be instructive, since from the beginning through the various stages of their development they have attempted to put into words the inexpressible. The awareness of the insufficiency of words brought many original solutions. In the Song dynasty, for instance China produced a variety of diagrams (tu), by which the philosophers and practitioners represented their theories, which often arose on the basis of meditation techniques and could not be fully transmitted by means of language alone. The illustration of the nine step process (known in Japan as kuso) is one such representation and it is taken here as a starting point for approaching the concept of impermanence and death in the Japanese phil osophical

Independent Spirit Essay :: essays research papers

There can be a difference between a dependent and independent spirits. Independent spirits can be found in everyone and how your independent spirit can help others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A person with an independent spirit can take care of him or herself. Being a person with an independent spirit can be good: set your own rules and regulations, do jobs and chores whenever you want to, and do whatever you feel like doing. With an independent spirit, you have a lot of freedom. But with a dependent spirit, a person would have limitations and restrictions. A child would have a dependent spirit, relying on his or her parents to help guild and nurture. But, with a dependent spirit, a person wouldn’t feel the effects of an independent spirit. An independent spirit would have the stress to work for a living, take care of any children, and payoff bills and other deductions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone has an independent spirit. Some haven’t found it yet, some used it in his or hers everyday life, and some don’t even know that they have one. Young children would be an example of a person who hasn’t found it. An adult uses it everyday to get by, to take responsibility for his or hers actions and words. And a person lack abilities to take care of him or herself wouldn’t know if he or she had an independent spirit, because he or she may have had special attention at a young age, all the way to adulthood, but didn’t know how.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With your independent spirit, you can teach and help people how to find their independent spirit. It can help others by going through daily routines. By doing this, he or she can get a feel on how to take care of him or herself.

Different Parenting Styles on Children

Researcher Diana Baumrind, help to identify and describe the four basic parenting styles; authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved parents. Research studies have proven that parenting style has a massive impact on a child's psycho-social development. Parenting styles have different outcomes on a child’s social relationships, school performance, and self-esteem. Authoritarian parents lack emotional nurturing. Permissive parents lack structure, but are better at providing more emotional support. Authoritative parenting is a combination of both authoritarian and permissive. Authoritative parents are better at setting ground rules and specific boundaries and sticking to them while also giving the child the emotional support they need. Uninvolved parenting is when children have parents that tend to neglect them. Uninvolved parents are so wrapped up in themselves and could care less about providing their child with emotional support or focusing on their child’s wants and needs. The authoritative parenting style is the most positive style for children. Consequently, children who have parents that are permissive or uninvolved engage in more high risk criminal behaviors that have a lasting effect on into adulthood. Keywords: Parenting, authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, uninvolved, psycho-social development â€Å"No surprise that there are big differences in the ways we approach parenting – our culture, the situations in our lives, and even the way our parents raised us influence what we think is the right way to parent† (Ritter, 2011). Since the 1920's, health and psychology experts have wondered why children behave the way that they do. They developed an interest in a child’s behavior and the style of parenting used in the home. Diana Baumrind is a psychologist and expert in parenting adopted the four differing parenting styles. She was responsible for the idea that different parents have different parenting styles and have a different way of raising their children. Research has suggested cultural specifics sometimes play a part in parenting strategies in their relation to a child’s behavior problems. Socioeconomic statuses were also found to have an effect on child-rearing practices. Social status can have a major effect on the parental-child relationship which can cause the parents to be a lot less nurturing. This research is to uncover the different parenting styles and the effect it has on a child’s educational, mental, and social development. â€Å"Parents are high on control but low on responsiveness. They emphasize rigid behavior standards, place a premium on obedience, and are emotionally distant and unresponsive† (Conger, Simons, Gordon, Leslie 2007). This style of parenting relates to authoritarian parents. These parents attempt to mold their child into what they would like to see them grow up to be. Authoritarian parents try to control their child’s actions by enforcing strict rules, and boundaries. This is the parenting style that allows no room for error or change. These parents lack affection in their style of parenting and are a lot less nurturing. â€Å"Children with authoritarian parents tend to do less well in school, are typically less skilled than their peers and have lower self-esteem. Children can appear passive or highly aggressive. The children's wishes have not been listened to nor valued† (Baumrind, 1991). These children lack the social skills needed for healthy relationships, however, they do very well when it comes to academics. Children of authoritarian parents have very good listening skills and are use to obeying rules and always having someone tell them what to do. They do this in order to avoid getting in to trouble. Authoritarian parenting is defined as punitive. Punitive parents tend to use physical punishment as a way of disciplining their child or children. Research has shown that parents who use physical punishment to discipline their children learned it from previous generations. Both theory and research suggest that harsh physical discipline is likely to undermine adolescent efforts to express autonomy and relatedness. Experiences of harsh discipline may lessen an adolescent’s sense of felt security in the family, and thus signal to the adolescent that relationships with parents are too fragile to survive an increase in autonomy† (Bender, Allen, McElhaney, An tonishak, Moore, Kelly, Davis, 2007). Children with punitive parents often suffer from depression, lower self-esteem, and lack social skills. A problem with children that have authoritarian parents is that when a child is in need of guidance or needs help solving a problem, they often turn to someone that they can trust, feel loved, and accepted by. Authoritarian parents have such high standards for their children in order for them to be successful adults, but they fail to realize they are missing out on real opportunities to provide the guidance that their child needs the most. It is healthy to have high expectations and limits for children but it is unhealthy when the balance love and affection is not defined. This is a balance that authoritarian parents need to find in order to successfully raise their child or children. Children with authoritarian parents tend to have more mischievous behaviors then their peers’. These children lie a lot and hide their behaviors for fear what their parents will say and do. They are afraid to be honest because of the consequences that can be given or have previously been given for their actions. Even if the child’s behavior is positive, and the parent does not agree that the child should be doing the active and that this is something that goes against what the parent has planned. The child will begin to hide all their behaviors even if they could receive negative or positive feedback. Furthermore, these parents fail to realize that their children are lying to avoid always being punished and that they are helping their child develop a life full of deceitful behavior. Permissive parents are parents that seek more pleasure out of their children and are more open to letting their children to behave any way they would like. According to Baumrind, permissive parents â€Å"are more responsive than they are demanding. They are nontraditional and lenient, do not require mature behavior, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation† (Baumrind, 1991). â€Å"Research has also shown permissive parenting to be associated with negative outcomes such as school misconduct, substance abuse and low frustration tolerance† (Ang, 2005). Permissive parents have an uncontrollable love for their child but prefer to be more of the child’s friend than their parent. Permissive parents have a harder time when it comes to setting boundaries and struggle to carry out the consequences. These parents have few rules to keep order in the home such as, table manners, chores, bedtimes, homework, mealtimes, and being responsible. Permissive parents tend to let their children have control over their own behavior and make their own decisions. Even though permissive parents are loving, their lack for setting boundaries causes their children to suffer from insecurities. Lack of boundaries can cause a child to become selfish. Children with permissive parents have a high level of self –esteem and develop better social skills; however they tend to have more problematic behavior. These children lack motivation and interest in school because they are not held responsible for their actions. Children of permissive parents are self-centered and lack discipline. These children do not have many friends and lack good social skills. â€Å"Although authoritarian and permissive parenting styles appear to represent opposite ends of the parenting spectrum, neither style has been linked to positive outcomes,† (Bornstein, Bornstein, 2007). Children with permissive parents have a lot of insecurities because of the relationship that they have with their parents. They feel that their parents could care less about them. After all, these children have the freedom to do whatever they want and their parents not pay them any attention, or give them the guidance that they need to have a successful life. Dismissive parenting; or neglectful parenting; are also known as the uninvolved parenting style. This parenting style is almost like permissive parenting. One difference between the two styles is; uninvolved parents could care less about their children. These parents â€Å"lack emotional involvement and do not provide proper supervision† to their child (Dubai, 2009). Uninvolved parents provide for only their child’s basic needs such as, food, shelter, and clothing. One of the worse cases for these children is that some of these neglectful parents have major addictive behaviors which may leave the child to act as their own parent or guardian. A lot of these children lack the basic social and academic skills needed to have a successful life. They may even begin to become involved in criminal behaviors. These children do not attend school regularly which causes them to have poor academic records and a higher dropout rate. These children are more subject to become victims of physical, mental, sexual and emotional abuse due lack of supervision from their parents. These children have been found to have lasting mental and physical health problems that can affect them on into adulthood. Dismissing a child’s feelings or needs by ignoring them or telling them to forget it or get over it can have tremendous effects on their development as they grow into adulthood. The child will learn how to hold back their emotions and will have trouble with expressing their emotions properly to the people around them. Additionally, the child will develop problems establishing positive, healthy, and safe relationships. These children will even have trouble in school. Most times uninvolved parents try not to have any type of interaction with their child. These parents tend to keep themselves deeply involved in their work and any other activity they may feel is more important than their child. An uninvolved parent is a parenting style that can be learned from previous generations. Their parents may have also appeared to always be too busy to raise them, show them love, and affection, or give them positive influence for their life. Finally, children of uninvolved or neglectful parents have been found to be rated at the lowest level of all domains in life; physical, social, educational, and cognitive. The most positive, loving, warmest, parenting style would be the authoritative parent. Authoritative parents are more open to disciplining their misbehaving child; however their punishments are not very strict. They are more involved in their child’s life than the uninvolved parents and are not as harsh as authoritarian parents. Baumrind stated authoritative parents â€Å"monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative† (Baumrind, 1991). Research has shown that children who are raised by authoritative parents have higher self-esteem levels, rely more on themselves, and tend to listen more cooperatively to rules. With all of these positive influences in the child’s life they tend to be more successful in their academics and later on in life in their careers as adults. It was found that higher socioeconomic status parents are more like to display an authoritative parenting style, i. e. they are responsive to the needs of their children, and foster demands through bidirectional communication and the encouragement of independence† (Chng, no date). Authoritative parents are firm, fair, and provide continuous discipline to help their child develop proper behavior skills. These parents actively listen and consider the child’s opinions and feelings about decisions. This parent can clearly explain their expectations to their children and encourage their child to do well in all of life’s domains; such s mental, social, physical and emotional. Authoritative parents find pleasure in the child’s accomplishments. The style of parenting used by authoritative parents tends to balance the differences between authoritarian and permissive parenting styles. For example, when a parent tried to get their child obey them, no matter how the child feels or what they think about it, there times when a parent needs to step back and allow their child to make their own mistakes and do things on their own without have the parent there to interfere. In all, children that are raised by authoritative parents have more freedom to explore and be and find themselves, while receiving the love, affection, and support that they need to have a successful while have certain boundaries that have been set by their parent. Parenting styles can determine how a child will develop in the major areas of their life. After researching and learning the major impact that the four parenting styles have on a child’s development it has been shown that the authoritative parenting style has the most productive and positive effects on children. Authoritative parents instill proper amount of love, encouragement, and nourishment, while also setting the right amount of boundaries for their child. We can also evaluate that the â€Å"lack of parental involvement, poor monitoring and supervision, and harsh and inconsistent discipline, have all been established as strong predictors of antisocial outcomes in children and adolescents† (Dadds, Hawes, 2006). Authoritative parenting style can be a hard style to develop and achieve, because of culture, family size, generational background, economic status, educational level, religion and even different personalities between the parent and child. Child temperament may elicit certain parenting styles just as parenting styles may affect the relations between child temperament and behavior. It is possible that early levels of behavior problems influence parenting styles and behavior in middle childhood, which in turn influence later behavior problems† (Williams, Degnan, Perez-E dgar, Henderson, Rubin, Pine, Steinberg, Fox, 2009). It is important for parents to find a healthy parenting style that will positively produce a healthy, loving, happy child.

Genetically modified organism Essay

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism which been using genetic engineering techniques, and Monsanto is a publicly agricultural biotechnology company. Monsanto has a huge influence on GMO products. Unfortunately, Monsanto is not a great company because they produce harmful products and lie to their customers. Absolutely, Monsanto didn’t do the illegal things, but they didn’t obey the ethics. As seen in the video, I would like to discuss Contemporary Consequentialism which depend on justice, Kantian Ethics which as a form of deontological ethics and Social Contract Theory which depend on law to discuss Monsanto’s case. GMO products sounds like good for our health and economy, but some companies like Monsanto don’t do well. Contemporary Consequentialism Contemporary consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories which justice takes an important role. As its name suggests, Consequentialism is the view depend only on consequences. Justice contains distributive justice and retributive justice (Driver P61). Justice concern the distribution of benefits is called distributive justice, such as taxation and health care. Justice concern the distribution of rewards and punishments is called retributive justice, such as good citizen’s awards and prison terms. The theory â€Å"determining whether or not an action is right are the consequences produced by that action† (Driver, 2007, p. 40) did not lead to positive consequences for the Monsanto company. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also lied about their founding in 1992. Since 1992, 37 people died and thousands more were seriously ill after eating one of the GMO foods made by Monsanto. This is not only ethic issue, but also is illegal. Monsanto’s character was selfish and didn’t make the world a better place (Hinman, 2002). Monsanto should be punished by justice. These GMO foods are killing people by the tens of thousands and The FDA doesn’t have any responds. I think FDA is the biggest travesty in the U. S. They’re turning a blind eye to their patient’s misery. Kantian Ethics Kantian ethics is a deontological ethical theory which proposed by Immanuel Kant. He said â€Å"A good will is good not because of what it affects or accomplishes, nor because of its fitness to attain some proposed end; it’s good only though it’s willing† (Driver, P80). According to the video we know the world according to Monsanto. It’s a very dangerous phenomenon. They want the public to believe they commit supererogatory acts. We are present several scenarios where Monsanto’s influence on FDA and other regulatory agencies has helped them to continue their un-ethical business practices. Hinman said â€Å"what is fair for one should be fair for all. † Monsanto doesn’t care other things just want to get maximum profit with all the possible methods. This is all about money. More money is selling GMO foods to other countries that are willing to pay large amounts of money. Maybe local and organic foods are healthy but there is no market for them. Monsanto make a decision which is opposite to Kantian ethics. Monsanto needs to know we should to keep promises even when we don’t want to do. As we seen in the videos, we know no matter the starting point is moral or Kantian ethics, Monsanto and its subsidiaries made some wrong decisions. Social Contract Theory Social contract theory is the view that person’s moral. Social contract theory is rightly associated with modern moral and it is also a theory or model. Thomas Hobbs said: â€Å"where there is no common power there is no law, where no law, no Injustice (Driver, P102). † He believed that human beings were motivated by self-interest. This document which Monsanto have claims that it has â€Å"evolved from long-standing commitments to safety, environmental protection, customer service, first-class research, and product stewardship† (Robin, 2008). Monsanto’s document is total lie. Farmers also need to sign an agreement when they want to grow the GMO food from Monsanto. Monsanto does believe that they are ethically right in suing a small farmer in order to preserve the balance of the farming community as a whole. Monsanto is using everyone to monopolize food and in the end with the ultimate power over everyone. I think I don’t any great idea to solve this big problem. According to the video, I think just hope Monsanto doesn’t decide to grow marijuana. They can’t mass produce organic foods any better than they can keep Wall Street on track. We know the products which Monsanto produced should not exist. These products can’t help us to make a better world. According to this theory we know first we must be guarantees that people will not harm each other, and people must be able to rely on the other to keep their agreements. Absolutely, Monsanto doesn’t obey the theory. Conclusion Through the discussion about Contemporary Consequentialism, Kantian Ethics and Social Contract Theory, We know Monsanto didn’t make a good decision between money and moral, and the FDA also help Monsanto to lie to their people. These harmful products and illegal documents must be stopped by government. Sometimes we can find the problems, but they are difficult to solve. GMO products are an awesome invention, and I think it can change our life. People are wrong, Monsanto is wrong. Monsanto cannot find an equilibrium point between ethics and business, or we can say money and moral. Many people and company were destroyed by the profit. We need to find a great equilibrium point and it will help us to work better and will not lose ourselves. Reference Hinman, L Ph. D. (2002) Basic moral orientations overview. Power Point, Univerity of San Diego, San Diego, CA Driver, J. (2007). God and Human Nature. Ethics: The Fundamentals (pp. 22-39). Malden, MA: Blackwell. Weston, A. (2007). Creative problem-solving in ethics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. http://www. iep. utm. edu/soc-cont/.

Book Review Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Book Review Questions - Essay Example book draws conclusions based on Talmudic tradition in the creation of Elishas framework life, Steinberg wrote that the novel is developed from historical data .The data does not include any efforts of rigid conformity and literal confinement. The American Jewish literature is spirited and forms a classic historical explanation of ancient apostate Elisha Abuyah within the first century. An integral component of the story is a question relating to faith and loss of faith coupled with the rebellion and repression of the Jews to Palestine rule. Elisha is displayed as a leading scholar across Palestine who is elected into Sanhedrin; that is the top-most Jewish court for the land. However, two major tragedies awaken a series of doubt on Elishas mind about God (Steinberg 90). The doubt suppressed his faith. He journeyed into Antioch at Syria to start the conquest through Roman and Greek culture for fundamental truth and was declared an excommunicated and heretic from Jewish communities. The process of narrative illustrates Elisha having direct encounters of the force of the all-consuming culture in ancient Romans. Elisha also forced Rome’s power in choosing between loyalty to people or to own quest for truth. The people were rebelling against domination by the emperor. The Chosen narrates of a friendship after World War II between two Jewish boys who grow up in Brooklyn. The narrator and a protagonist are traditional Orthodox Jews. The character appears to have extreme dedication for scholarly work and humanitarianism. Other protagonists are brilliant and have photographic memory and passion in psychoanalysis. Over time, the story shows that the friendship developing between the two boys is marred with tensions arising from collision of cultures to each other. Modern American society also causes strain on the friendship (Potok 132). The literary themes in the book are inclusive of widespread references of senses like sight and pursuit of truth in the world. Reb

Personal case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personal - Case Study Example I major in Hutment development and leadership with concentration area of the HDL in Murray state. I anticipate graduating on 5th October 2014. Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory My life dates back when I was a little girl. I was a jovial and playful baby. The people around me were truthful which led to the elemental sense of my trustworthiness. I depended on my mother and my father for care, comfort and sustenance. By this time, my relative comprehension of the world came from my parents, particularly my mother, and their interactions with me. My parents’ regularity, warmth and reliable fondness exposed me to a world ruled by trust. There was no point in my life that my parents failed to offer a secure surrounding to meet my basic need. Just like noted under Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory, this would have created mistrust which would have resulted to suspicions, lack of confidence, withdrawal and frustration to me. Just like the Erik Erikson’s theory explains, m y mother and father took good care of me as I went through a critical stage of growth. It is essential that a child is taken good care at that age since trust and mistrust can be gained and affect the future life of the child. The theory explains how the child gains mistrust to the surrounding people if he is mishandled. The care giver that I had was appropriate in terms of response and attendance. My parents ensured that they responded on time for any need that required them to attend me. Handling me with great concern was one of the critical factors that shaped me to what I am today. During this age nearing two years, I learned about love from the surrounding. I gained immense affection from the attendance they offered me. When I needed anything, my parents ensured that they provide for me and responded to my cries in the best way possible. This contributed towards achieving the strong platforms that am founded on. The theory explains that when an infant fails to have trust toward s his or her care givers, he embraces mistrust towards the surrounding and the entire care givers. Contrary to this, I gained trust towards them and the entire surroundings. This enabled me to have an interesting life as I went through this stage. I also went on my life embracing the aspect of secure world. As I grew older, I started to choose cloths by myself. By the age of 3, I had gained control over eliminative roles and would make choices in my life while I explored the environment around me. Needless to say, my parents still provided a secure environment where I would carry out my own activities at will. My parents were patient and would wait to look at my choices and would correct me if I had gone wrong at some point. At this time of my life, I had developed a strong interest in reading and played with the radio. My parents gave me a chance to express myself and be using different things inside the house and outside. I realized that I could move my limbs through the support o f items like the table. After my parents realized that I could move through the support of a items, they bought me a walker that I used to move swiftly with. The walker gave me confidence of moving and enhanced my muscles, where I later decided to walk on my own without support. During this period, I was about two years and was going through the stage of autonomy verses shame and doubt. This is a theory well explained by Erik. I learned many things that allowed me to express myself

Cosco Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cosco - Case Study Example al., 2008, p. C-3). While this business model has been entirely successful thus far, the provision of limited choices can be problematic in the long-term. With globalization consumers are increasingly confronted with a variety of choices. Therefore shopping in an environment with limited choices may go against what modern consumers have come to expect and prefer. Costco’s business model has nevertheless been successful so far. For example in 2006, total sales in Costco’s 496 stores worldwide amounted to US$ 59 billion. Membership included 26 million private members and 5.2 million business members which amounted to US$1.2 billion in fees for Costco membership. Each of Costco’s stores realize sales each year at an average of US$128 million while its closest competitor Sam’s Club realizes only US$67 million annually (Thompson, et. al., 2008). However, since Costco and Sam’s Club are based on the same business model, the disparity in sales might be a m atter of concern. Costco can expect that at some stage Sam’s Club will attempt to take some of Costco’s market shares and the sales’ positions can be reversed. ... For example, operating costs increased progressively from US$1,037 million in 2000 to US$1,626 in 2006. However, net sales and membership fees together increased from US$32,164 million in 2000 to US$60,151 million in 2006 showing progressive increases from year to year. At the end of 2000, Costco had 313 stores operating worldwide and by the end of 2006, Costco had 458 stores. Membership has also followed a similar pattern, increasing each year from 2000-2006 (Thompson, et. al., 2008). Although membership is a big part of the business model it is a more significant marketing strategy and will be critiqued in the next section. The successful business model of offering quality goods at low prices is enabled by the warehouse membership set-up. By taking this approach, Costco is able to save the cost involved in in-store decorum and in-store customer service. In fact, Costco’s various warehouses typically display bare cement floors and shopping is designed like a â€Å"treasure h unt† experience (Thompson, et. al., 2008, p. C-6). Moreover, Costco offers limited products in volumes to lower the cost of inventory and floor management. For example, a typical supermarket or supercenter such as Wal-Mart or SuperTarget will offer between 40, 000 and 150,000 items while Costco offers only 4,000 items (Thompson, et. al., 2008). Thus far, Costco’s business model has been successful, however increasing competition indicates that Costco might have to consider revamping its business model. For instance, Costco’s largest business rival, Sam’s Club and BJ’s both use a similar business model. Both Sam’s Club and BJ’s have similar in-store lay-outs, offer about 4,000 items and feature the treasure hunt experience in which luxury goods are available at lower