Literature Courework Essay

Choose two stories from ‘An Evening in Guanima’ that you considered to be the â€Å"best† or your favourite. Explain the reasons for your choice considering: theme, characters and writer’s style. The author got her inspiration for these stories from her birthplace, Cat Island, which many believe was originally called â€Å"Guanima† by the Lucayans. She frequently visited her grandparents in Port Howe, where, via storytelling, she discovered the fascinating world of Bahamian folklore. Therefore, it was for this reason ‘An Evening in Guanima’ was created. One of my personal favourites is â€Å"The Girl on the Gallows† because of the writer’s style – which I felt encompassed varied techniques; impressive characterization and theme. Another favourite is â€Å"The Gaulin Wife† with its distinct writer’s style, ingenious characterization and obvious, clear-cut theme. I love the writer’s extremely descriptive writer’s style; it paints picturesque scenes of this exotic land and enabled me to visualise the characters while learning about their personalities. â€Å"The sheen of Christa’s skin, the colour of honey from bees feeding on wild marigolds†¦ and no less golden and beautiful was her hair† – this allowed me to effortlessly visualise Christa and Glinton describing her personality as being â€Å"sweet† told me she was a kind-hearted character. On the contrary, the author used words like â€Å"jealous† and â€Å"spiteful† when describing Anacarla and this, to me, denoted a vicious character. Christa was portrayed as a becoming yet humble girl with a kind personality while Anacarla on the other hand, was portrayed as â€Å"a cruel viper of a princess†. This made me despise Anacarla but feel nothing except fondness and sympathy toward Christa. I greatly admired the manner in which Glinton intertwined structure and symbolism when discussing the bird-messengers. She structurally highlighted the words â€Å"Princess† and â€Å"Queen† by capitalizing them and used each type of bird to symbolize both Christa and her impending destiny. The first bird was common; a duck, this to me represented Christa’s humble social status as â€Å"a daughter of the common people†. The second bird was an iridescent parrot which, I felt represented Christa’s undeniable beauty. The bird’s feathers were used to fashion a bonnet for â€Å"a sour-faced woman who had no eye for their beauty† and I took this to mean that this woman did not appreciate the bonnet’s inordinately beautiful plumage. In the same way Christa’s rejected admirers and jealous rivals ceased to appreciate her beauty when she was sentenced to be hung. The third and final winged-messenger was a powerful, majestic eagle. It was observed that this was the only messenger that addressed Christa as â€Å"some-day Queen† and because of her prowess the eagle was able to soar above the clouds, thereby evading hunters. From my perspective, the eagle soaring above the clouds symbolized Christa rising in status and power to the prestigious position of queen. The theme of this story was that â€Å"Good always triumphs and evil doers eventually get what’s coming to them†. This made me feel optimistic that this theme would hold true to real life. I like the title of â€Å"The Gaulin Wife† because it is short and has an interesting key word. I like the fact that the title is short because it does not reveal much about the story, leaving me to puzzle over what the story will entail. This coupled with the use of the key word â€Å"Gaulin† piqued my interest and prompted me to read the story. The writer’s style added to my joy in reading the story because it contained an abundance of Bahamian dialect. I felt the writer infused the writing with Bahamian dialect in order to add a â€Å"cultural flavour† to the story. This, in turn, made the story more interesting to me. This technique was used in the line â€Å"her ma musse pity frog or goggle-eye fish†. It was lines like this that showed me that the main character was disrespectful and completely inconsiderate of others’ feelings. The author’s description of his actions also added to my perception of his personality. The fact that he promised to wed several girls before leaving them â€Å"high and dry† showed me the narcissistic and down right cruel aspects of his personality. This characterization flowed perfectly into the theme which was â€Å"Bad karma tends to seek out those who deserve it†. I gravitated toward â€Å"The Girl on the Gallows† because of its writer’s style, my favourite technique being the imbedded symbolism, and characterization – which made me feel different emotions toward the characters; I despised Anacarla but sympathized with Christa. I chose â€Å"The Gaulin Wife† because of the use of dialect in the writer’s style and the clear-cut, hard-to-miss theme.

Health Promotion Essay

This essay will begin by discussing the different definitions of health that have been put forward, and will also discuss the necessity of health promoters to be able to understand why there are differing definitions of health and the importance of the difference in our understanding of what health means to the individual. There have been many definitions of health, which include phrases such as ‘absence of disease’, and ‘ability to cope’. The World Health Organisation (WHO) (1946) gave its definition of health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. However, it is very difficult to define health due to its complexity and broadness. Health and well-being can be described as the absence of physical illness, disease and mental distress. This is a negative definition of health and well-being, as it is impossible for a person to free from illness or disease. Health and well-being can also be described as the achievement and maintenance of physical fitness and mental stability. This is a positive definition of health and well-being or health and well-being as being a result of a combination of physical, social, intellectual and emotional factors. Stimson and Webb (1975) carried out research which suggested that people have their own private comments on their own ill health, compared to what they chose to tell their doctors. The research indicated that people did not always believe or accept the medical explanation given for their illness. The study suggests people hold their own views and hold their own explanations for ill health. (Doyal. L. at el. (1991) A Theory of Human Need. London. Macmillan) Health promoters have to collect a significant amount of information before they can put out a campaign on a particular disease. They have to look at health models and their approaches and even statistical information from CENSUS reports, death certificates, survey’s, and even General Practitioner (GP) records and so on. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defined health promotion as ‘enabling people to gain control over their lives’ (WHO 1986). There are four approaches to take in to consideration before putting together a health promotion campaign, and they are: The medical approach: this focuses on activity which aims to reduce morbidity and premature morbidity. Activity is targeted towards whole populations of high-risk groups. This kind of health promotion seeks to increase medical interventions which will prevent ill health and premature death. The medical approach is conceptualised around the absence of disease. It does not seek to promote positive health, for example ‘Smoking advertisement’, smoking adverts only advertise damage the body will develop through regular inhalation of tobacco. This kind of promotion can be criticised for ignoring the social and environmental dimensions of health. In addition, the medical approach encourages dependency on medical knowledge and removes health decisions from people concerned. The medical approach also relies on having an infrastructure capable of delivering screening or an immunisation programme. This includes trained personnel, equipment, laboratory facilities, and information systems which determine who is eligible for the procedure and record uptake rates. And in the case of immunisation, a vaccine which is effective and safe. The educational approach: the purpose of this approach is to provide knowledge and information, and to develop the necessary skills so that people can make their own informed choice regarding their health behaviour. The educational approach should be distinguished from a behaviour change approach, and that it does not set out to persuade or motivate change in a particular direction. However, this will be the service user’s voluntary choice, and it may not be the one the health promoter would prefer. The educational approach is based on a set of assumptions about the relationship between knowledge and behaviour: that by increasing knowledge, there will be a change in attitudes which may lead to a change in behaviour towards a healthier lifestyle. To provide educational information to clients regarding health and well-being, provisions would have to be put in place, through the following resources: leaflets, booklets, visual displays or one-to-one advice with their own GP. By providing these sources this may provide opportunities for people to share and explore their own attitudes towards health education. Empowerment: This approach helps people to identify their own concerns and gain the skills and confidence and for the person to act upon them. Social change: this approach recognises the importance of social-economic environment’s in determining health. Its focus is at the policy or environmental level, and the aim is to bring about changes in the physical, social and economic environment which will have the effect of promoting health. This approach will also look at social class, the promoter will take in to consideration people’s gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, working, unemployed and so on. Basically the social approach will look at theories that are linked to social class and determine whether or not, that poverty and low social class are the reasons for high mortality rates linked to a specific disease. This is when the promoter will now go away and put together his/her campaign. The Acheson Report (1998) shows that there is an existence of health inequalities and their association to social class, in this report there is data, even though there is a down fall in mortality, the superior classes take in to account more rapid mortality deterioration. Also The Black Report (1980) shows that there are higher levels of poverty in the lower class and higher death rates due to ill health, the higher social class live in a more advanced area which is much more suitable for living conditions, but in contrast to that, people who live in a higher class seem to live in the centre of a city which is much more prone to pollution. LO2 Whether we come from poverty, working class or a higher class background, there are many health influences all around us, for example the environment we live in can influence our health; for instance, living with a partner who is controlling can impact on the stability of mental health, living in a city centre can influence poor health due to pollution (inhalation of fumes from motor vehicles and fuel plants). Although living in a higher class society can have a positive effect on better healthcare, there are still factors of negative influences on health and well-being. Smoking, eating the wrong types of food, lack of exercise, no socialisation, alcohol, misuse of drugs, all these things can have an enormous negative effect on our health and well-being. However eating the correct foods (5 ADAY) and consuming the correct portion size as well as combining at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day can have a great deal of positive’s upon our lifestyle. For instance exercise is good for the brain as well as the body. According to NHS Choices (2013) ‘by eating five portions of fruit or vegetables and just 30 minutes of activity a day, will increase the secretion of Serotonin within our brains’. Serotonin is a hormone found in the brain, it influences our mood, sexual function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behaviour. So we could say the more Serotonin we produce the healthier the brain becomes, which results in a happier you. LO3 For the third and final part of this essay I am going to talk about the political side of health promotion within the UK and take a look across the globe at other parts of the world. Health Promotion is everywhere we look, especially in the media. We see it every day in the news whether it be on the television or in the newspapers. Health Promoters plan and develop ways to help people to change their eating and exercise habits to improve their way of life. There are lots of Health Promoters today that campaign against unhealthy living. Health Promoters give you guidance to a healthier lifestyle whether it is help with eating habits, smoking, alcohol intake, oral health, physical activity and mental health. Each and every one of us will indulge ourselves in to a habit and put ourselves at risk of chronic diseases at some point in our lives. According to Dr Robert Beaglehole (2011) â€Å"The real tragedy is that more hasn’t been done to avoid this epidemic, as overweight and obesity, and their related chronic diseases, are largely preventable†. Approximately 80% of heart disease, stroke, type 2 Diabetes, and 40% of cancer could be avoided through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use. † This is why Health Promotional campaigns are important, as it gives us a better outlook on life and can also expand our lives too (Huffington Post) 2011. Health promotion is an important element of the government’s health agenda. On forming a new government, the new labour set public health policies in line with its health agenda. Out of this rose a new white paper Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, which sets ambitious targets for life expectancy to be increased, and inequalities in health to be reduced. The Labour Government plan to achieve this through its public health policy in a â€Å"third way† (Connelly 1999). ‘Labour’s policies are aimed at strengthening communities, and encouraging individuals to seize opportunities and take responsibility for their action’. The Government hopes to improve the health of individuals by reducing health inequalities through health promotion. By doing so the Government will look at a range of different sources of information before they decide the need of a health promotion campaign. The Government have their own facilities to obtain information such as up to date statistical evidence via the website www. direct. gov/statistics . They can also obtain information from Registry Offices, such as marriage certificates, death certificates and birth certificates. By doing so, the Government will acquire accurate results to continue lobbying the new health promotion campaign needed to address the UK to improve quality of life. Before the campaign can be given the go ahead to become a final document, the Government have to look for ethical errors. For instance is the health promotion campaign fair to all people who are involved, meaning, does the campaign aim its information at all service users or is it aimed at a particular generation, gender, culture and so on. For a health care promotion to be respected it has to be aimed at everyone regardless of the persons background. By involving all service users, promoters can eliminate discrimination and visually display that equality and diversity are no longer an issue within our society especially in the health care sector.

Development and Globalisation Essay

GDP- Gross Domestic Product – the value of all the goods and services produced in a country in a year, in $US, usually expressed as â€Å"per capita† (per person). PPP (purchasing power parity)* figures are more useful. *Adjusted for loss of living GNP- The total value of goods and services produced by one country in a year, plus all net income earned from overseas sources, in $US. HDI- Human Development Index: It is a summary composite index that measures a country’s average achievements in three basic aspects of human development: health, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. Life Expectancy †¢ Literacy Rate †¢ Standard of Living (measured in GDP per capita) It gives a more complete picture of development of a country than GDP alone as it considers social factors and not just economic factors. Development Continuum Originally there were three groupings that made up the development continuum, they were: †¢ First World (those developed countr ies that had a democratic government and a strong economy) †¢ Second World (communist countries) †¢ Third World (UN developed countries) However as time has gone on newer economies have started to develop caused by different development patterns and speeds. The Development gap †¢ The gap between rich and poor countries †¢ Most commonly, the gap is thought of in terms of income/economics †¢ It also social, environmental and even political aspects There was a suggested North/South divide originating from the Brandt report in 1980, where the north accounted for 80% of GDP but only 20% of the population; however this too requires some artistic licence and is a very general way of dividing countries. There are more accurate ways of grouping countries as listed below and as countries move through the development continuum countries pass from one category to another: †¢ Developed (MDC’s – the most well developed countries eg. UK) †¢ Developing (Countries which are undergoing development – arguably they all are. Eg. Malaysia) †¢ LDC’s (Least Developed Countries – eg. Ethiopia) †¢ NIC’s (Newly Industrialised Countries – Have just finished development (10 years or so) Eg. China) †¢ RIC’s (Recently Industrialised Countries – Further behind than the NIC’s eg. Dubai) Centrally Planned Economies (The few remaining communist countries eg. North Korea) †¢ Oil Rich Countries (Countries rich in oil eg. Saudi Arabia) Causes for the Development Gap †¢ Colonialisation – colonial powers took resources from poorer countries †¢ Price of commodities is often controlled by TNCs ensurin g high profits for MEDC firms and low prices paid to LEDC producers – Fair trade set up in reaction to this. †¢ LEDCs are now primary producers – producing low cost commodities, e. g. bananas †¢ Primary commodities have fallen in price, or stayed steady, while commodities they need has increased, e. . oil What is preventing the Development gap from closing? †¢ Many LEDCs main industry is as primary producers – generally low profit †¢ Internatnioal trade dominated by TNCs †¢ Rapid The Asian Tigers Who or what are the Asian Tigers? Asian economies that have progressed economically at such substantial rates that have come to rival the earning capacity and quality of living of those being first-world countries – Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea. Globalisation Globalisation: The increased inter-connection in the world’s economic, cultural and political systems. Positives |Negatives | |Allowed the movement of people m ore easily |Uncontrolled migration | |Increased foreign trade |Inequality in wealth | |More access to food, services, healthcare etc. ll over the world |Heavy environmental cost | | |Loss of countries individual cultures, global cutters | †¢ Globalisation began in the 19th century as there was the beginning of movement of people and goods; †¢ Increase in independence †¢ Increase in trade as well as the spread of industry †¢ Beginning of Trans National Corporations. Globalisation continued in the 20th century and was shaped by a number of factors including: 1. Emergence of free markets (capitalist economy) 2. Deregulation of world financial markets 3. The establishment of the General Agreements of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) –the WTO which sought to lower trade barriers. 4. The emergence of trade blocs 5. The establishment of the IMF and the World Bank 6. Development of global marketing and the continuing rise of TNCs. Flows †¢ Capital o ICT allows cheap, reliable and almost instantaneous communication o Allows sharing information o Allows transfer of capital o Allows Marketing around the world †¢ Labour o Improved transport for people Size of air craft o Low cost airlines o High speed rail links o Specialised workers- doctors, ICT etc. o Unskilled workers †¢ Products and services o Integrated networks o Goods handling o Computing logistics o Container revolution o Improved transport for goods o Global marketing, the world as one market and create products that fit various regional market places e. g. coca-cola and McDon alds Patterns of production, distribution and consumption Manufacturing has gone from developed countries to lower wage economies. This is known as the GLOBAL SHIFT, which is brought about by FDI by TNCs. Many LEDC’S have benefited from the transfer of technology which has meant these countries can raise their productivity without raising their wages to the level of the developed countries. This has lead to the de-industrialisation of richer countries and the focus on tertiary and quaternary industry. There has also been outsourcing of service operations, such as call centres, Mumbai, this extends the influence on a global scale also the employment costs are a lot lower even though there is a highly educated workforce. Positive and negatives of the global shift Positives for MEDCs |Negatives for MEDCs | |Movement of polluting industries away from their country |Could lead to wide spread unemployment | |Growth in LEDC’s may lead to demand for exports from MEDCs |Loss of skills | |Cheaper imports can keep the cost of living down benefiting the retail |Negative multiplier effect | |sector |Large gap between skilled and unskilled workers who may experience | |Labour market f lexibility and efficiency |extreme redeployment differences | |Development of new technologies leading to investment |deindustrialisation of some areas, such as the North | |Help to reduce inflation | | |Positives for LEDC’s and NIC’s |Negatives for LEDC’s | |Development of new industries Rapid urbanisation and rural-urban migration | |Increased employment |Westernised approach to economy | |Helps to reduce development gap |Increased environmental damage die to polluting industries | |Increased FDI and investment which can lead to improved services such as |Exploitation of labour | |infrastructure, health care and education |Disruptive social impacts | |Increased exports helps BoPs, and increases income and GDP |Over-dependant on one industry | |New technologies |Destabilises food supplies, less agriculture | | |Health and safety issues because of tax legislation | Patterns of production and processes In manufacturing there has been a global shift of marketing f rom MDC’s to LDC’s. This leads to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by the TNC’s. This has led to the de-industrialization of MDC’s but means that they can also be more productive due to the transfer of technology. Newly Industrialised Countries (NIC’s) First Phase †¢ Asian Tigers (Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore) started to appear in the 1960’s, as developed countries looked at their less developed neighbours †¢ Rapid industrialisation due to the increased spread of TNC’s. †¢ They share similar characteristics which allowed for such industrialisation: – Large populations – Well educated populations – Culture – work ethic – Less rigid laws on health and safety – Government support through loans and grants Rely less on foreign support and set up their own businesses such as the Chaebols in South Korea, comprising of companies such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai †¢ This has now become a multinational an d located in several different countries. Second Phase †¢ As wage prices increased in the primary TNC’s (The Asian Tigers) †¢ Countries that could offer lower wage prices such as Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines and Thailand, Mexico and Brazil Third Phase †¢ China and India, Turkey, South Africa and the Philippines †¢ China has seen the fastest rate of economic growth of any country †¢ India’s industry is heavily based around services – which accounted for 50% of its total GDP. †¢ New TNCs are now being set up in Indian such as Infosys, Bangalore. Positives of India |Constraints of India | |Large English speaking population |Other countries are beginning to compete | |Costs 37% lower than China |Negative reaction in MEDCs | |Costs 17% lower than Malaysia |Rising wage rates | |Professional salaries ? of UK and USA |High cost of training | |Low telecommunication costs |Negative impacts on quality | |24 hour working to fit with tim e differences |Corruption and bankruptcy | |Huge labor force for labor intensive jobs e. g. all centers |Command economy, governemtn speding on subsidies rather than investment | |IT college graduates, 2 million/year |Infrastructure beyond major cities is poor | | |Literacy only 61% | Growth in the 21st Century Emerging Economies account for 70% of the global population, countries including the BRICs (Brazil, Russia India and China) as well as countries such as the UAE and South Africa. The increase has been due to: †¢ Raise living standards †¢ Increase opportunities for the population †¢ Increase FDI †¢ Become more of a world player with market to an international standard Countries at very low levels of economic development LDCs †¢ The countries were outlined by the United Nations and of the top 50 33 are in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are defined by the following: – Low incomes ($800 GDP per capita over 3 years) Human resource weakness, nutrition, hea lth, education and literacy – Economic vulnerability shown by signs of dependency on one industry †¢ Many of them suffer from widespread conflict, disease, geographical disadvantages, urbanisation and fast urban growth (demographically speaking). Quality of Life †¢ Most of the population cannot afford basic immunities †¢ Resources of such countries are not evenly distributed. †¢ Attempts to reduce poverty †¢ High population growth rate means that numbers living in extreme poverty are increasing. †¢ Many of these countries depend on FDI Debt †¢ From the 1970’s onwards some countries found themselves in a debt crisis because the borrowed large amounts from the developed world. For many countries at low levels of economic development that breaking free of poverty can only ever be a vision. †¢ There are certain policies being put in place by the IMF and the World Bank to help free the HIPCs †¢ They have provided debt relief and interest free loans. †¢ SAPs Structural adjustment programmes o Government spending cutbacks to fund debt repayments o Mexico was the first country o 3 main aims:- ? Promote exports- integration and liberalisation ? Reduce government spending- privatisation and cutting costs ? Encourage foreign investment o Both intermediate and poor countries have had SAPs applied o Some success but SAPs could make matters worse especially for the poorest people because:- Loss of credit and subsidies from the government ? Food production falling ? Devaluation of currency leads to dramatic rises in prices ? Less spending on health and education by government †¢ Another scheme, the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) †¢ Aimed to cancel the debt of the HIPCs †¢ per capita income US$380 a year or less would be eligible for MDRI debt relief from the IMF’s resources Social Problems †¢ Lack of income, healthcare, education, sanitation etc. †¢ The Millennium Deve lopment Goals were set up specifically to help countries out of the cycle of poverty however they don’t look well to be completed in 2015 (the original target). Global, Social and Economic Groupings Trade Bloc is a group of nations who have joined to stimulate trade and benefit from economic cooperation. The countries involved agree to free trade between them but impose tariffs on goods from countries outside the bloc. Made for a variety of reasons: †¢ To further socio-economic development †¢ To increase alliances and trade †¢ To allow free movement †¢ To prevent war Types of groupings include:- †¢ Free trade areas- tariffs and quotas are reduced on goods between members and restrictions are put in place for goods coming in to the area e. g. NAFTA †¢ Customs unions- tariff on imports from outside the group e. g. Mercosur †¢ Common Markets- like customs unions but with greater freedom of movement of labour and capital, e. g. previously EU, current example East African Common Market †¢ Economic Unions-all of the above as well as member states are also required to adopt common polices in areas such as agriculture (CAP) fisheries, transport, pollution (Kyoto agreement), industry, energy and regional development e. g. EU Positives and negatives of trade blocs |Positives |Negatives | |Greater chance of peace between member nations. Having to share economic resources | |Faster and smoother economic development |Many countries will have to pay a large sum of money regularly to be in a | |Trade barriers removed |trade bloc | |Higher standard of living. |Elites can hold a disproportionate amount of power. | |Certain areas of a national economy can be supported – eg. Agriculture |If one courty falls in to ecomic crisis the rest of the member states are | |through the CAP. |effected | | People seeking work can move between member states– EU. Non-member states badly affected, lack of trade | |Possibility of a common currency- Euro |Loss of sovereignty | |Greater political influence |Loss of some finacail controls e. g. European central bank | |If countries become indebted member states can help bail out, Greece, | | |Ireland. | | Aspects of globalisation TNCs Transnational Corporations are companies that operate in over two countries – usually having their research and headquarters in the country of origin and locating the manufacturing plants overseas. As an organisation becomes more global, regional R&D and headquarters will develop. TNCs can be split in to three different groups according to what industry they are:- †¢ Resource extraction o Mining, gas extraction and oil producing o ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP †¢ Manufacturing o High-tech ? Computers, microelectronics, pharmaceuticals ? Hewlett Packard, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca o Consumer goods ? Motor vehicles, televisions and other electrical goods Many of these are assembly industries ? Ford, General Motors, BMW, Sony o Mass produced consumer goods ? Cigarettes, drinks, breakfast cereals, cosmetics and toiletries ? Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, Unilever, Heinz †¢ Service operations o Banking/insurance, advertising, freight transport, hotel chains, fast f ood outlets, retailers o Barclays, AXA, McDonalds and Tesco Growth of TNCs Why do TNCs expand to different countries? †¢ Larger populations with cheaper Labour Costs †¢ Better government policies such as grants, lower taxes and subsidies †¢ Less stringent rules on employment and pollution †¢ Fewer restrictions due to trade barriers †¢ Greater supply of raw materials To take advantage of trade within trade blocs †¢ Allowing them to grow thereby achieving economies of scale, reducing costs, finance new investment and compete in global markets †¢ Allow them to set up in markets that they want to sell in †¢ To acquire geographical flexibility so that they can shift resources and production between locations to maximise profits To serve a global market, TNCs may globalise production by:- †¢ Produce for the market in which the plant is situated †¢ Use one plant to produce for a number of countries †¢ Use integrated production †¢ Source parts in places where they assemble their products close to the market, GLOCALISATION Impacts of TNCs on a host country Positive Impacts |Negative Impacts | |Employment |Competition | |Injection of capital into the economy |Adverse effects on local companies which might not be as efficient | |More disposable income will create a demand for more |Environmental concerns | |housing, transport and local services |Less stringent pollution laws so more pollution allowed | |Multiplier Effect |Labour exploitation | |Investment by a TNC can trigger more employment by |Exploit cheap, flexiable, non-unionised labour forces in developing countries | |cumulative causation bringing greater wealth to the |Minimum age | |area |Urbanisation | |New working methods |Factories built in major urban centres leads to younger workers migration to the area | |Transfer of technology will create a more skilled |Negative effects on the rural areas | |workforce. |Removal of capital | |JIT developed |Prof it back to country of origin | |Escape Tariffs/trade barriers e. g. Nissan in |Outside decision making | |Sunderland |Plans effecting the development of plants are made in host country to boost profitability | |To take advantage of government incentives, subsides,|Little consiereation for local people | |EPZs (export processing zones) etc. |Dependancy on TNC | |Lower costs – especially labor |More westerniese approach to life | |To reach foreign markets more effectively | | |To exploit mineral and other resources | | Development Issues within the world Trade vs Aid Trade is deemed as the more sustainable path out of the two to economic development as it helps to promote the growth in the volume and value of goods, leading to jobs and greater incomes, some of this income will help to generate domestic demand leading to investment and the multiplier effect. This will also lead to rising living standards and gaining of skills by local people However it relies on three factors: †¢ Adoption of capitalism †¢ Economic growth to ‘trickle don’ so everyone benefits †¢ Promotion of free trade This is a similar path that was taken by the MDC’s and more recently the NIC’s. However many of these NIC’s had largely stable governments, a well educated workforce and they employed protectionist policies to stimulate growth e. g. tariffs and import quotas. However there are still problems with trade for a variety of reasons: They cannot be competitive in world markets as they need to invest in equipment, technology and training to make business productive and then infrastructure etc. †¢ Schemes like the CAP undercut mainly agriculturally based LDCs †¢ Wealth does not always trickle down to those who need it, like aid. †¢ Debts mean they would have to make millions before they made profit and due to the cuts imposed by the World Bank and IMF it often means there are public spending cuts especially on health care and education Aid can be either: 1. Bilateral – from government to government. 2. Multilateral – Where collective governments donate to an organisation (such as the World bank) who the distributes it to suffering countries. 3. Voluntary – Where small NGOs send workers to help. NGOs such as Oxfam Aid is not always in the form of money sometimes it is in the form of goods or technical assistance. There are also several ways aid can be delivered †¢ Tied aid o Will limit the power of nations and may eventually cause resentment †¢ Short-term aid o Usually following an emergency such as earthquakes or tsunamis o This can be help with rescue operations o Medical supplies, shelter, food and water †¢ Long-term development projects o Improving food availability and farming methods o Helping to provide improved shelter o Health care and education o Developing better livelihoods and improving income o CAFOD, Catholic Agency For Overseas Development †¢ Top down aid Throwing’ money at a country and allowing them to get on with it. o It usually focuses on large scale, expensive projects which are unsuitable for the local community. , such as HEP projects e. g. Nepal o It often doesn’t go to the people who need it most o Usually tied †¢ Bottom up o Mor e helpful to the local community however still bring their problems. o Small scale o Treat the individuals as individuals with creativity and intelligence o They work with people to create what the community most needs and supply the materials o They can undercut local business. However aid is not perfect and may critics say:- †¢ Aid does not reach those who need it the most, it is kept at the top by the government Aid is often used ineffectively on large scale, expensive projects which are often left uncompleted †¢ Sometimes countries don’t even have the correct infrastructure to use the aid effectively †¢ Dependency can be created which is often not sustainable is aid is a large proportion of national income †¢ Tied aid comes with strings attached, in some cases with every dollar given in aid $7 is given in return Economic vs. Environmental Sustainability ‘Development that meets the needs of today without compromising the needs of tomorrow’ This would be achieved by †¢ Human potential being improved †¢ The environment is used and managed to supply people on a long-term basis †¢ Implies social justice as well as long term environmental sustainability The capacity of the environment to provide resources and absorb increasing levels of pollution is the critical threshold controlling how far population can increase and economies expand sustainably The Rio Earth summit set out the following points for each aspect of sustainability. Environmental Principles: †¢ People should be at the centre of concerns †¢ States have the right to exploit their own environment but should not damage that of others †¢ Protecting the environment is integral to development †¢ People should be informed of projections for the future as well as the current environmental situation †¢ There should be environmental legislation and standards within states †¢ Laws should be enacted regarding liability for pol lution †¢ The movement of substances that are harmful to others should be restricted States should warn neighbours of any environmental unease †¢ EIAs (Environmental Impact Assessments) should be carried out on all major plans Economic Principles: †¢ The right to development must be fulfilled so as to meet development and environmental needs of present and future generations †¢ States should work together to eradicate poverty in order to decrease disparities in living standards †¢ The needs of the poorest countries should be put first †¢ Unsustainable production and consumption patterns should be eliminated †¢ States should cooperate to restore the earth’s ecosystem †¢ Scientific information and innovative technologies should be transferred to improve understanding States should support an open economic system, with few trade barriers and tariffs †¢ National authorities should endeavour to promote the internationalism of environmen tal costs, taking into account that the polluter should pay For anything to be effective it must strike the right balance between the three core principles – economic, social and environmental. Sustainable tourism myth or reality? As tourism is an increasingly expanding, billion dollar industry, it has increasingly been looked at to become more sustainable. Up until now it has followed this pattern: †¢ The environment attracts tourists for its attractions †¢ The money spent should help to maintain these features However as tourist flows increase it starts to do more harm than good, particularly to small areas which can’t deal with the massive influx, this can lead to the destruction of farm land to golf courses, and destroying natural habitats such as coral reefs, destroyed by water sports ,e. g. Philippines . Sustainable tourism ‘seeks not to destroy what it sets out to explore’ It attempts to make sure that: †¢ It preserves natural resources for future generations. †¢ The local communities and their culture are recognised as the most important in the tourist sector †¢ Economic benefits of tourism must partly go to those who are local to the area †¢ Everything is guided by the wishes of local people and communities At the Rio Earth Summit an environmental checklist was drawn up to show how the tourism industry could become more sustainable, these included: †¢ Waste minimisation, land use, re-use and recycling Energy efficiency, conservation and m anagement †¢ Transport †¢ Water (freshwater and waste) †¢ Land use planning and management †¢ Involvement of all stakeholders in the planning †¢ Involvement of staff, customers and communities in environmental issues Sustainable tourism is an industry committed to making a low impact on the natural environment and local culture, while helping to generate income and employment for local people. Tourist can help by: †¢ Being informed of the local culture, politics and economy †¢ Respecting local cultures †¢ Contributing to local cultures and tolerance †¢ Supporting local businesses and traditional values †¢ Use the least amount of local resources Ecotourism Is one of the fastest growing sectors within tourism †¢ An economic process by which rare and beautiful ecosystems and cultural attractions are marketed internationally to attract tourists †¢ Planning and management is an important factor o Capacity is managed o Encourages conservation, by educating local people and tourists o Focuses on the environment †¢ Criticised for being ‘egotourism’ in some cases. Sustainable ecotourism must : o Have a limit to the number of visitors to sustain the environment o Set up and run in cooperation with local people Case Studies Measuring Development- HDI HDI = 1/3 (life expectancy index) + 1/3 (education index)+ 1/3 (GDP index) Advantages |Disadvantages | |Political competitiveness |Does not take into account poverty | |More factors and reliable ones |PPP values change very quickly, inaccurate or misleading. | |Easy and cheap to collect data |Little sense of income distribution | |Sign of welfare in the future, improving health and education, |Quality of life does not seem to be that closely linked | |supply-side policies which can indicate the long-term patterns of AS |Doesn’t take account like war or political oppression. | |curve |Based on normative economics. |The success of government p olicy |Other measures such as access to internet might be more important. | |Easily comparable to other countries |Changes over time – ceteris paribus | Comparing 2 countries, Nepal and the UK |Measure |UK |Nepal | |HDI |28/187 |157/187 | |Life expectancy |80. |68. 8 | |Expected years of schooling |16. 1 |8. 8 | |GNI per capita, PPP adjusted |33,296 |1,160 | |Pop. Living on $1. 25 per day % |0 |78. 1 | |Population with at least secondary education , female : |1. 015 |0. 48 | |male | | | |Sustainability, Change in forest area (%) |9. 8 |-24. 5 | |% of population living in urban areas |79. 8 |19. 2 | Sub Saharan Africa – A country at low levels of economic development †¢ Sub Saharan Africa contains many countries with the lowest HDI ranking in the world. †¢ Many hold backs from development including war, disease, famine, debt, lack of infrastructure etc. They need large amounts of FDI that will not leave them in a worse situation than when they started. †¢ HDI, lowest ranked are Mali, Sierra Leone and Niger (all with an average of 0. 33) †¢ The top, ranked 119th and 120th in the world were Gabon and South Africa. TNC-Barbie in Taiwan -global shift of manufacturing †¢ Barbie, an American company Mattel , was produced a Japan in 1959 †¢ Has seen a global shift in manufacturing since it started. †¢ They moved to Taiwan in the 1960’s to take advantage of cheap labour costs and increased scale of production. †¢ At its peak Taiwan alone made more than 50% of all Barbie dolls in the world. †¢ Within 20 years Taiwan’s incomes began to rise which then led to Barbie moving somewhere else Mattel opened its first factory in China in 1987, wage prices were much lower and gradually production was mover there. †¢ Today Mattel produces Barbie’s in China, Indonesia and Malaysia – taking advantage of the second stage of NICs, the Tiger Cubs. Taiwan has further benefited from globalisation, as it is now home to companies that manufacture most computers and MP3 players such as BenQ TNC-Coca Cola – Global Marketing †¢ A company with a single product in which minor elements are tweaked for a different market. †¢ The company uses the same formulas, one with sugar and one with Corn Syrup for different markets. †¢ The bottle design is the same and is regulated depending on different countries standards. The only countries in the world that do not sell Coca Cola are Iceland, North Korea, and Antarctica. †¢ It is not sold in Iceland because all bottles must be the same shape as there is a large recycling project and coca cola refuse to change the shape of their bottle as it is part of their brand †¢ Labour costs may be lower in some countries, especially LEDC countries. Low labour costs = higher profits †¢ Legislation on working conditions, workers’ rights, health and safety, and the environment may be less strict in some countries. Relaxed legislation = lower overheads = more profit. †¢ Some countries may try to encourage multinationals to invest in their countries by offering lower tax rates and financial incentives. More favourable taxation = lower overheads = more profits. Unilever †¢ Unilever is a very widespread (branches in 90 countries) – include most countries in N ; S America, Europe, Australasia, Russia, China, India, a number of African countries = MEDCs, NICs and some LEDCs †¢ Sales also very widespread: A lot of African countries (many LEDCs and LLEDCs), Greenland, some countries which were part of the old Soviet Union (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikstan) †¢ Very few countries where Unilever has no presence Asian Tiger- South Korea †¢ 13th largest economy †¢ Strong government †¢ Highly skilled and motivated workforce †¢ Large amounts of trade with a positive BoP Problems †¢ Move to democracy takes time †¢ Large aging population †¢ Unequal pay for women and poor working conditions for 52 hours a week †¢ Pollution with poor construction in infrastructure, roads and sewage BRIC economies It is said that these countries will be dominant by 2050, these brick economies, don’t just rely on export industries like the 1st generation NIC’s. Brazil emerging economy †¢ President Lula, who began in 2003 took the economy out of dept and is now a stable country †¢ Generates $1. 5 trillion GDP/year †¢ Reliable power, with sustainable sources, such as hydro electric power, sugar cane, bio fuels, sustainable in own Tupi oil fields FDI is the 4th largest in the world, $45 billion each year †¢ Very easy to communicate with †¢ Emerging middle class †¢ Good highly skilled work force However there are some areas where Brazil will need to improve if its development is to continue being sustainable:- â € ¢ Will become a increasingly aging population †¢ Destruction of the rainforest †¢ Increasing cost of manufacturing †¢ Poor infrastructure †¢ Unequal society †¢ Slow national growth †¢ Increased crime and corruption †¢ 25% of the population live in poverty, favelas, Sao Paulo China – Third Stage of NIC Development †¢ In 1978 China began to follow the path of development of the Asian Tigers through an export driven road to development. Communist control was relaxed to allow this to do so. †¢ Foreign investment and joint ventures was encouraged. †¢ The internationalisation of the Chinese economy is also called the GUANXI NETWORK referring to the connections that exist between Chinese people and companies scattered all around the world †¢ In order to attract foreign industry in SE China, 14 ‘open’ coastal cities and 5 Special Economic Zones were set up. †¢ They allow tax grants which would give more prof it and were in favourable locations, geographically, to work. †¢ Labour was 80% cheaper in these areas †¢ There was a large amount of FDI for the bulk of the 21st Century †¢ Receiving up to $50 million per year. In 2006 they received $63 billion, their highest recorded figure. †¢ Sustained growth of up to 10% – one of the highest in the world. †¢ China became part of the WTO meaning that trade went from just over $250 billion to just under $1 trillion, almost quadrupling as they got greater access to global markets. Problems: †¢ Dramatic gap between rich and poor †¢ Huge rural/urban migration has left thousands in the countryside isolated as well as a decrease in agriculture meaning that poverty and famine has spread. †¢ Deterioration of environment and use of natural resources †¢ Dependent on the economy of the buyer †¢ Putting other populations before their own †¢ Development of two Chinas, east and west Chongqing –largest urban industrial city in the south-western part of china, 32 million people – A major focus on migration and of the western development policy – South of the Gorges Dam – Population grows by 500,000 people a year – Chicago of china – Heavy industry dominates – Large pollution problems, air sewage – 2000 tonnes of waste a day India – NIC driven by services Many people think that the Indian service sector is driven by call centres; however its involvement in the service sector it accounts for 50% of GDP as there is a high population of skilled workers. Software and IT companies have been attracted to India because:- †¢ Second-largest English speaking human resource in the world Investment friendly and supportive government politics †¢ Good infrastructure for power, transport and data communication †¢ World’s third largest brain bank †¢ Stable democratic with over 50 year of inde pendence †¢ Large market size †¢ Investment and tax incentives for exports in certain sectors such as electronics, telecom, software and R;D The UK and USA has fuelled the service sector in India as Indians migrated to gain skills which they would take back to their home country. Such skills were used to set up companies like Infosys which is now a TNC based in Bangalore. Bangalore has become the centre of ICT because:- †¢ First state to set up engineering collages First t set up a technology university †¢ Grants and tax incentives for the IT industry †¢ 1991 software technology park was built †¢ Now over 6 technology parks Infosys one of the largest software companies in India †¢ Founded in 1981 and had first foreign clients by 1987 †¢ Overseas offices in Boston and in MK †¢ 455 of workforce based in Bangalore Growth in the 21st century Dubai – An RIC †¢ Dubai is located in the United Arab Emirates †¢ Globally central as it is half way between London and Sigapore †¢ Fastest growing economy †¢ Its economy boomed upon the discovery of oil in the 1960’s. †¢ There was a growth of 300% between 1968 and 1975. †¢ There was rapid immigration. To make itself less dependent on oil, Dubai invested in new infrastructure which attracted FDI and now Dubai’s economy is heavily based around tourism as well as banking †¢ Oil and Gas currently occupy less than 5%. †¢ Borrowed money to fund many projects †¢ One of the country’s most effected by 2008 market crash, massive inflation problems †¢ Chinese and Indian banks brought a lot of Dubai’s debts Social problems †¢ Vast numbers of immigrants †¢ Poor working conditions, 20 hour day in some cases, because people took out loans to get to Dubai, and now due to little work they have to work all hours to get as much money as they can †¢ Live in poor conditions in tent cities out of the actu al city †¢ Passports are taken by employers on arrival Environmental problems †¢ High electricity cost and rising carbon emissions Sewage because there is not enough water, as the city is in a desert, water is more expensive than oil †¢ Nuclear waste †¢ Adu Dhabi, must look to help out by providing solar energy Countries facing low levels of economic development Nepal– †¢ One of the poorest countries in the world – 157/177 in HDI †¢ Its GDP per capita is also one of the lowest at $1,049 †¢ Shortage of energy, supplies †¢ Little money to spend on development †¢ Due to relief little transport infrastructure, remote communities †¢ Mainly subsistence farming and tourism †¢ 78. 1% of the population live on less than $1. 25 a day †¢ Little education and health care provisions HIPC- Tanzania †¢ 40% of the population live below the poverty line †¢ HDI is ranked 152 Life expectancy is 58. 2 †¢ Annual GDP per capita is $800 †¢ 75% of employment is based on agriculture †¢ Literacy rate is 64% Reasons for poverty †¢ Topography and climatic conditions – limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area †¢ Industry- mainly limited to agricultural products and light consumer goods †¢ Dependant on agriculture which accounts for half of GDP †¢ Products include coffee, cotton, tea, tobacco, cashews and sisal which are highly competitive and have falling prices †¢ Tourism is booming especially in the National Parks Attempts to help †¢ Government: a national poverty eradicated strategy- to reduce abject poverty 50% by 2010 The World Bank, IMF and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania’s deteriorated economic infrastructure †¢ Structural Adjustment Policies, SAP’s, poverty reduction strategy papers †¢ â€Å"Vision 2025† programme set the goals of a high quality of livelihood by year 2025; peac e, stability and unity; a well educated society and a competitive economy based on sustainable growth and equity †¢ UN MDGs The results of attempts to help Tanzania †¢ Not improved quality of life †¢ Income and welfare indicators fell †¢ Even more dependent on foreign aid †¢ Increased environmental damage †¢ Pick up in industrial practice including gold and natural gas †¢ Increase private sector growth Recent debt relief in Tanzania One of the poorest countries in Africa even though it had some of its international debt written off †¢ $3 billion will be discounted over the next 20 years †¢ Tanzania’s total international borrowings of more than $7 billion Socio-Economic Groupings NAFTA †¢ USA, Canada, Mexico †¢ Set up in 1994 †¢ Aims – To eliminate trade tariffs between the three countries, pushed by the establishment of other socio-economic groupings like the EU. Mexico saw it as the best option as it had buil t up debt in previous years. |Pros |Cons | |Trade between member countries tripled in the first 13 years. Canada has been affected by the US increase | |Increased employment in the USA as manufacturing grew |Some US jobs have been lost as the plants have moved to Mexico | |Mexico got increased FDI as other countries wanted to locate inside |Dumping in Mexico | |NAFTA. |Mexico is being exploited because o less rigid pollution laws which | | |affects surrounding countries | EU 27 member states, set up in 1957 as the European Economic Community Aims – †¢ Promote social and economic progress amongst member states †¢ Have more government influence †¢ Introduce EU citizenship †¢ Prevent war †¢ Create better laws Positive impacts |Negative impacts | |Group activity on waste, pollution control and climate change |Loss of sovereignty over some decisions | |Common currency |Greece and Spain situation | |Large labour market due to ease of movement |Sharing fishi ng grounds | |CAP support |Power of elite | |Peace in EU |Small areas fell isolated | Unilever– TNC †¢ Set up in 1890 by William Hesker Lever, who owned a soap company which revolutionised Victorian hygiene †¢ Unilever was formed by the merger of the Dutch margarine producer ‘Margarine Unie’ as they had the common raw material palm oil †¢ In 1937 Lipton tea was acquired and in 1957 birds eye joined Colworth House facility near Sharnbrook continued research efforts in food preservation, animal nutrition and health problems associated with toothpaste, shampoo and other personal products. It is one of several R ; D centres †¢ In 2008, the companies had over 300 manufacturing sites in more than 100 countries across every continent †¢ Unilever employs over 170,000 people and has annual company revenue of over $50 billion in 2007. †¢ Unilever has had problems with animal testing, child labour and deforestation due to the use of palm oil CA FOD- long term and short term aid Aims are to promote long-term development; respond to emergencies; raise public awareness of the causes of poverty; speak out on behalf of poor communities; and promote social justice Long-term aid †¢ Improving food availability and farming methods †¢ Helping to provide improved shelter †¢ Health care and education †¢ Developing better livelihoods and improving income Short-term aid †¢ Provide aid to disaster stricken countries †¢ Set up temporary shelters for those left homeless Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa ; Goma), Ethiopia, Kenya Swaziland – top Down Aid †¢ Top down development is usually difficult as often hundreds of thousands of people’s needs need to be ‘catered for’ and it is difficult to satisfy everyone. †¢ The ideal goal is a communist state with a ‘one size fits all’ approach. †¢ Swaziland is in Southern Africa. It is ranked very low in the world for human development. †¢ Many individual concerns to deal with which weakened the country, AID’s, famine and drought. †¢ The number of orphans was increasing as the death rate did correspondingly. à ¢â‚¬ ¢ Several branches of the United Nations which were trying to help them such as the UN food programme, and a many NGO’s. †¢ They were distributing imported food to hundreds of thousands of people which was ultimately a good thing. †¢ However, the farmers of the local area were not able to sell the produce that they grew †¢ Therefore not able to take advantage of the wet season that blessed them. †¢ There was also a state of dependency Difficult to draw the line between those who should receive aid and those who did not. Other top down aid include large scale projects such as building dams and HEP stations like those proposed in Nepal, this can lead to the loss of valuable farm land and can limit the water downstream, leading to widespread droughts. Nepal, FoST – Bottom Up Aid †¢ Foundation of sustainable technologies †¢ Treats people as individuals with ideas and creativity. †¢ Due to the lack of energy in Nepal and the reliance on wood, leading to deforestation and help problems in the home due to the amounts of smoke †¢ Subsides the purchase of products including solar cookers and no-smoke indoor cookers Educates people on how to make briquettes, which produce no smoke from waste, to prevent deforestation †¢ However there are limited resources to make the solar cookers and there for they are limited and rely on donations †¢ Not every community has the money to buy the equipment or has access to finding out about products †¢ Not sustainable in the long run if the donations stop Overall top down and bottom up development are both ways of narrowing the development gap, the gap between rich and poor countries. Both, like anything in life have pros and cons however the possible way forward is through micro-credit loans which give people the credit and respect that they deserve. This creates a successful and sustainable way of life and helps to lift individuals out of poverty. Economic vs. Environmental Sustainability Holes bay |Economic |Environmental | |High unemployment especially in Hamworthy gate |Ramsar and SSSI sites rare birds and invertebrates | |30 Ha of unused land, power station site |2nd largest natural harbor in the world | |Poor access to Poole town centre | | The construction of the twin sails bridge Environment:- direct flow around the support pillars of the bridge causing deposition behind the pillars, †¢ May affect the tidal flats within holes bay, and Poole harbour †¢ Sediment becoming trapped within Holes bay building up the marshes †¢ Tidal salt marshes, to the build up of humus causing the build up of peat rising the level of the and creating fresh water marshes within Holes bay †¢ Poole harbours marshes could decrease in size †¢ Destroying many habitats for bird’s invertebrates and plants alike. Economi c:- †¢ Greatly over budget with its total cost coming in at over ? 37m †¢ Engineers spotted a large crack in the surface of the bridge making it unsuitable for use The development of the power station site will also cause an increase drain on local recourses such as schools and the area might not be able to cope, †¢ Increase the flow of traffic over the bridges. †¢ Not enough jobs generated in the area †¢ Increased population density and increased unemployment. †¢ Increased crime Brazil- Curitiba †¢ 2 million people in the population †¢ city wide service to recycle products †¢ Recycling and garbage system prevent waste issues, organic and nonorganic, with two different trucks for different types of rubbish †¢ The rubbish is sorted and distributed and reused this means that 2/3 of rubbish is recycled †¢ It also creates more jobs to help reduce unemployment Jaime Lerner, was an architect and later became mayor and designed the cur rent layout of Curitiba †¢ The city has changed from being an agricultural area to a more industrial city †¢ Flood problems have also been solved by building the parks on the flood plains and making artificial river banks around them this also prevents squatting and slums appearing in the parks †¢ Is home to many multinational industries, such as Nissan, Renault, Volkswagen, Audi, Volvo, HSBC, Siemens, ExxonMobil, Electrolux and Kraft Foods †¢ The per capita income for the city is $ 17,977 Sustainable tourism Nepal – concentrated in certain areas such as Khumbu, Chitwan National Park, Annapurna National Park and the Sagarmartha National Park, The number of tourists increasing from 526,705 in 2007 to 710,547 in 2011, – Actions must be taken in order to preserve Nepal. – Problems with air pollution from the transport of tourists and fires getting trapped in the valleys due to the high mountains – Increased demand for water and food suppl ies, taking away goods from the locals – The same tracks are used by all of the tourists, erosion and destabilises the soil – Increased the risk of landslides. – Some tourists are also not respectful of people’s culture and the wildlife – Poor sewage disposal – Khumbu region problem with the amount of waste generated by trekking teams – 500kg per team all waste must be taken down the mountain rubbish there have been clean up operations carried out during training and acclimatisation time of people who wish to climb Mt. Everest †¢ for people to pay the Sherpa’s to carry down peoples rubbish †¢ Nepalese Government has begun charging deposits on tourists and are only returned if groups bring down their own rubbish †¢ Nepalese Government that they should limit the number of tourists †¢ Dismissed as it has been concluded that this will bring more harm than good, by limiting one of the country’s biggest ind ustries they could face increased widespread poverty. Kenya, Kigio Tourism is the 2nd largest contributor of GNP after agriculture. One example of where agriculture has been replaced by tourism is Kigio. Kigio Wildlife Conservancy is a 3,500-acre protected Conservancy †¢ 2 hours drive from Nairobi. †¢ Originally a cattle ranch, sold by the family to the local community who after a few years decided to forgo cattle ranching in favour of wildlife conservation. †¢ The community now receives a regular income †¢ Conservancy fee each guest pays helps towards the maintenance of the conservancy. †¢ Wide ranging habitats †¢ Many wild animals, honey badger, and over 200 bird species †¢ Protecting nearly 100 species of indigenous plant species which are being destroyed outside the conservancy. †¢ The Conservancy is at the forefront of ecotourism in the Rift Valley lakes area. Guests are encouraged to participate in low impact activities – o guided nature/bird walks, o cycling, fishing o Day or night game drives are conducted in open-sided 4Ãâ€"4 vehicles †¢ Lodges work closely with the local community and support several enterprises, schools and an orphanage. †¢ Guests can visit a group of widows that craft sisal baskets, a group that makes jewellery from recycled paper and a rug weaving factory. †¢ The lodges only sell what is made by the community and pay a fair price. †¢ A large percentage of the price is donated to the community fund. †¢ Every year, children from the local community and schools are invited to participate in ecotourism workshops †¢ To protect and improve their environment.

Complete Computer Network Infrastructure for a Real or Ficticious Research Paper

Complete Computer Network Infrastructure for a Real or Ficticious Business - Research Paper Example After defining the specification, we will address network devices along with switch and router deployment. Moreover, we will define all the associated servers that will play a vital role in synchronizing data with remote offices in this scenario. Furthermore, a proposed network diagram will be represented for each site i.e. site 1 and site 2. Sub netting will play a dominant role in breaking down global IP addresses into local IP addresses for each node on the network. For the WAN architecture, we will discuss the technologies, protocols and services that will be used for connecting these sites together. Moreover, for maintaining and monitoring the network, we will discuss network security features that will be implemented in this proposed network. The RADIUS access server will provide synchronization of data between both sites operating on a Virtual Private Network. In addition, Domain name Service will also be discussed. 2 Introduction Organizations associated with health care need s to acquire up to date technological trends in delivering patient care at the optimal level. Medical information systems developed for supporting health care, facilitate organizations to align with best practices and quality and to make these health organizations successful in the market. However, acquiring and maintaining computer networks can be a difficult task along with its alignment with the goals and objectives of the organization. Moreover, along with the alignment with organizational objectives, involvement of all stakeholders in the implementation of a network is vital for understanding the purpose and benefits. Likewise, customization of network design is a requirement for supporting organizational goals and objectives, which can be a complex task. 3 Network Architecture 3.1 Topology We will apply star topology, as the network design will follow a centralized server / client architecture. Star topology will provide centralized administration and configuration of all the nodes on the network. Moreover, star topology initiates low broadcasts on the network, consequently, consuming low bandwidth and at the same time making the network capacity on optimal levels. 3.2 Workstations The minimum hardware specifications of the workstations that will be installed in the current scenario are: System Specification Processor Intel Dual Core E5400 2.7GHZ (2MB cache – 800MHZ FSB) Motherboard Intel DG41RQ (LGA775-SND+AGP+GIGA LAN-800MHZ FSB) Memory 1GB DDRII (800 Bus) Hard drive 320GB 3.5" SATA-II 7200RPM Optical drive DVD Drive 16 X Chassis Thermal HT Support 3.3 Network devices Network devices are the objects for any network. The network functionality relies on the network devices .The dependability of the network devices emphasizes on the requirements of the organization. For example, an organization dealing with 3D animation and rich media may require a Gigabit Ethernet rather than Fast Ethernet. This is because the subordinates share the animated data among themselves for various purposes. The 3D animation contents are large in volume and require gigabit Ethernet for moving files at a high speed within the network. Hospitals may share high quality medical images with remote offices, resulting in a consideration of bandwidth requirement of the Internet or site to site VPN as well. 3.4 Switch Implementation Fast Ethernet switches will be implemented instead of hubs. Switches are more powerful and intuitive as compared to hubs.

Criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Criminal law - Essay Example When there are different parties to a crime, principle offenders are deemed to have contributed to committing the offence. In this case Andrew decides to kill his wife Sue in order to be with Beth. He acts by hiring a hit man, John to do the work for him on some payment. In doing this, he acts as the counsellor. This is by encouraging, and inciting John to commit the crime and offering him money as payment for it. This makes him a party to the crime as a counsellor. A person who counsels or procures another person to commit a crime is a principle offender if the offence is actually committed. He is therefore liable for the same penalties as John as if he had committed the offence himself. It is immaterial whether the offence actually committed was the same as that counselled. Provided that the facts surrounding the offence committed are a probable or direct consequence of that counsel. For example in the case of Twelve v R , where a son procured a witchdoctor to kill is mother whom he believed was a witch and was responsible for killing his children. He believed that the witchdoctor would superficially k ill his mother however; the witchdoctor killed her by shooting her on the back in her hut at night. The son was held to have been likely convicted of murder for having procured the witchdoctor to kill his mother. The means used was immaterial, guiding another person to commit a crime, makes one a party to the offence. For example in the case of DPP of Northern Ireland v Maxwell , A drove his car to a pub knowing that he was guiding another vehicle containing members of a terrorist movement. A realised that some kind of attack was to be made but did not know the form it would take. Members of the terrorist group threw a piped bomb into a pub but fortunately, it did not explode. A was held guilty for being an accessory to a crime and of doing an act with intent of causing the explosion and being in possession of explosives. The court found that those were offences within the range of possibilities, which he contemplated, would be committed. Andrew is therefore criminally liable for at tempted murder of Tim and his penalty is the same as that of John. Even if the person killed was not the person he intended, he still is a party to the transferred murder of Tim. Similarly, since Andrew had procured John to kill Sue, who ended up attacking Tim instead, it still stands that Andrew advised him to commit a crime of that nature. It does not matter that it is Sue he wanted killed. As long as John acted on the procurement, Andrew also provided John with the gun to be used to commit the crime. Helping giving assistance to the perpetrator or offering the weapon in the doing of a crime, whether before or during the commission of the offence makes one an aider or abettor to the offence. Andrew had the intention to kill Sue and thus it does not matter that John killed the wrong person. There was still the intention to commit a crime. Andrew is then a principle offender by virtue of this and thus he is jointly liable for attempted murder of Tim since there is a common intention by the offenders to commit the murder. This is illustrated in R v Bainbridge3 where the appellant supplied thieves with cutting equipment for breaking into a bank. It was held that the equipment was to be used for some kind of breaking even if he did not know what particular bank. Likewise, since Andrew knew the purpose the gun was going to

Church History Seven Churches in Bible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Church History Seven Churches in Bible - Essay Example According to their belief whatever is mentioned in the bible is the word of God (Kwintessential, nd). According to the concept of Dever (nd), the Church plays an important part in the development of the Christian culture and religion. In his review he pointed out the fact that the principleadopted by the church is a vitalfactor of Christian truth. According to his opinion It is the most noticeable part of Christian theology as well, and it is vitally connected with every other part of the Christian culture. (Dever, nd).In this paper, the main objective is to discuss about the initial stages of the development of Christian culture and religion. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the initial stages of the development of the Christian culture across the globe, how it able to spread all over and what are the impact of this concept and thought process in the society. Research Questions: This is mainly a research paper which has the focus on the Christian religion and culture a cross the globe. In present world the Christian religion is the largest and has its presence all over the globe in all the countries. But the situation was not like that in the initial stage. The research questions of this paper are as follows: 1. How the Christian religions develop across the globe with the time? 2. Over the years of the development, what are the problems that the people who believe in this religion and culture have to face and how they able to combat those. 3. How the seven churches mentioned in the bible able to spread the thought of Christ in the society? 4. What according to the modern age people are the key behind the success of the religion? Background: Development of the Topic: The church is the backbone of the development of the Christian religion over the world. At the beginning there were lots of objection from the people who were the ruling authority of the society. But despite their objection the thought process started to gain popularity all across the globe. According to the analysis of Patheos Library (nd), Christianity developed from the thought process of Judaism in the 1st Century C.E. The concept of Christian religion is entirely based on the life, teaching ideology death, and resurrection of the Jesus Christ. According to the review of the Patheos Library, there are several branches of the Christianity, each of the branches has variety in their beliefs and practices, but most importantly the basic principle was always the same. There are three major classes or branches available in the Christian religion; these are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. There are several sub-categories also in all these three branches. The tradition belief of the Christian community is there is one and only God in the world, they used to believe that the Jesus was the divine and he was send by the all mighty to save this world. Having faith in Christ is the basic thought process of the religion. The basic text where the e ntire concept and the thought process of Christ were noted is the Bible. It includes both the Hebrew Scriptures  and the New Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures is also known as the Old Testament. The basic concept of the Christian is mainly based on worship, fellowship, study of the God, and also by the engagement with rest of the

Philosophy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophy Paper - Essay Example Hume is representative of skepticism in the search for Truth, skepticism of the mind itself in its ability to make valid judgments devoid of connection with material reality. Only when mental deductions were tied directly to â€Å"objective fact† through material measurements and statistical replicability would they be validated by the scientific method. Thus, the foundations of epistemology are revised with Hume in European thought, and Kant’s â€Å"Critique of Pure Reason† is an example of this in German philosophy of the same period. Kant’s polemics against metaphysics served to promote their devaluation in Western thought from the early 18th century, and metaphysics with its subjective methods that could not be proved or measured empirically were no longer considered objective knowledge. Hume’s writings on the biases, and the manner that logic reasons from the biases awoke Kant to writing his â€Å"Critique of Pure Reason† and other treatises. What Hume wrote of in the biases Kant would formulate more clearly in a conceptualization of a priori knowledge. In Kant’s philosophy, the logic of the biases was transformed into a type of integral essentialism, where the logic governing a process was held by the observer to be simultaneously its own nature, cause, and identity. This is based in an analysis of materialism that, like Hume, was based on substance and empiricism as indicative of the factuality of truth. In Kant, the application of moral awareness is limited to experience in the w orld as such, and therefore cannot be extended beyond being through speculation to places where the individual had no experience, thus limiting metaphysics to physics in the academic context of knowledge construction and validation. Kant’s model of consciousness was based on the preservation of the moral consciousness within logical thought or as its greater context of understanding. Thus, through this application, the biases in the

Vietnam Anti-War Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vietnam Anti-War Movement - Research Paper Example It was during that period that evolution of resistance started amongst Vietnamese nationalists led by Ho Chi Minh pressing for independence. The resistance resulted to the World War 1 that took place between the years 1914 to 1918. France continued to cling to its empire but Ho embraced Marxism-Leninism and built a strong following called Vietminh. The organization prepared to assume power of their territory after the occurrence of the Second World War. The war left France very weak but partly basing its strategies on racism contempt for the Vietnamese, French officials still had a believe that they could reassert their control and power over Indochina. Vietnam Antiwar Movement was a movement against the US involvement in the Vietnam War. Opposition of the Vietnam war took place in the late 1960s and early 1970. The movement took place in form of demonstrations in the year 1964 and continued to grow in terms of strength in the later years. The U.S fell in confusion between those who preferred peace and those who advocated the continuity of involvement in the Vietnam War. The biggest numbers of the participants of the movement were mothers, students, and anti-establishment hippies. Opposition developed with the participation of the African-American civil rights, Chicano movements, women’s liberation, and organized labor sectors. Other groups that joined the movement comprised of journalists, lawyers, academics, clergy, military veterans, leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and physicians. One of the physicians who participated in the movement was Benjamin Spock. Opposition of the war was mainly conducted using peaceful and nonviolent events. However, some few events were deliberately violent and provocative. In fact, some cases called for the police to use violent tactics against all the demonstrators. By the year 1970, there was a steady increase in the majority of Americans considering involvement of the US military in Vietnam as a mistake. Decades later,

Marketing research .. project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing research .. project - Essay Example With 95% confidence interval; it means that we accept the null hypothesis that the mean response to X166-reasonable Prices are lower than 6 and reject the alternative hypothesis that the mean response to X166-reasonable prices are higher than 6. From a practical standpoint, the results of the Univariate hypothesis test showed that respondents perceived the menu were significantly lower than 6 and this can be reflected by the mean of 4.508641975 for X14 and 4.338271605 for X16. The mean values for X22 and X32 are 4.82963 and 0.348148148 respectively. To determine if the two mean are significantly different with an equal variance, a t-statistical analysis is undertaken. The one tail results give a t-critical of 1.647649 while the two tail gives a t-critical result of 1.964318. However; going by the one tail, the t-critical is 1.647649 compared with a significance level of 0.00, we accept the null hypothesis that the two means are statistically significant. According to the book page 498, this analysis was supposed to compare the level of satisfaction between male and female-considering the mean. However, from the results there is no substantial support for the null hypothesis to ascertain that the two means are equal, and hence we conclude that male customers are significantly more satisfied than female customers. The mean values of X21, X22 and X23 are 4.82963, 4.464198 and 3.785185. The null hypothesis is to test if the mean of the variables are significantly different. The p-value=3.59 while the significant level ÃŽ ±=o.05; therefore we accept the null hypothesis that the mean of the variables are significantly different (p-value>0.05). That is, the mean perceptions of males between the two restaurants do not differ significantly on satisfaction or likelihood of

Applied Strategic Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Applied Strategic Management - Case Study Example However, the nature of their work and the type of organization they work for will determine how these common environmental factors are perceived - whether they are seen as positive or negative, threats or opportunities (Yvonne 15). Strategy is the most exciting part of manager's work in an organization because it gives the chance to put all his new skills to work. Strategic thinking involves a comprehensive analysis of a business in relation to its industry, its competitors, and the business environment in both the short- and the long-term. Ultimately, strategy is a company's plan to achieve its goals. Corporate managements often do not know clearly what they want or how they'll get there. Organizational strategy is about the effective processing, interpretation of, and response to, information both inside and outside the organization. Organizational strategy helps in bringing administrative efficiency and inculcate within element of success through several ways. Managers should keep informed about important factors and developments in both their external and internal environments. They can do this by constantly 'scanning' their environment, which is, by establishing and maintaining a network of contacts, maintaining good communication channels, keeping up-to-date in their field and monitoring important issues and activities. This proposal is going to provide a case strategic company analysis on The Body Shop. The focus of the report is to show strategic analysis of the company and the environment around it that influences the organization. An assessment of the organization's existing strategies and impact of the external environment with recommendations to improve will also be included 2. Introduction of selected organization: The Body Shop The Body Shop is an international public limited company and was founded in United Kingdom in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick. The Body Shop is part of the L'Oreal family which is their parent company. Today the company has 2100 stores in 54 countries with a range of over 1200 products all animal cruelty free and many with fairly traded natural ingredients (Thebodyshopinternational.com) 3. Marketing Environment The Body Shop works in a clean environment where they have managed to keep their competitive edge. They work is a diverse environment and they also aim to encourage a healthy environment in the world by working against torture of any kind to humans and animals. Marketing activities are influenced by several factors inside and outside the business firm. These factors or forces influencing marketing decision-making are collectively called marketing environment. It comprises all these factors, which have san impact on market and marketing

Future proofing an organization against talent lost as baby boomers Term Paper

Future proofing an organization against talent lost as baby boomers retired - Term Paper Example The exodus of the baby boomers combined with the falling birth rates will intensify the competition for the global talent. Most of the businesses from the developed world recognize the need to capitalize on the international markets. It helps the companies overcome the challenges of aging work force evident in their domestic market, by tapping into new growing pool of highly educated talent. However, the rapid growth of the economies of the BRIC countries also means that new businesses are entering the markets. The competition is increasing. Most of the organizations are already experiencing stiffer competition as they expand internationally. The entry of new businesses threats to shrink their international market share. The third trend is that, women form a significant portion of the workforce. Having more women working is transforming the workplace and creating new markets. A woman brings a unique perspective on tapping on some of the growing markets. Also having more women working has increased their saving and spending and thus good for the business. In United Kingdom, the female segment is increasing faster. Currently, the generation X and Y forms the majority of the world population. This generation view of life is different from that one of the baby boomers. They have different goals and motivation. This means that different leadership style will be required to motivate them. The business leaders will need skill not only to do business in this broad environment but also to attract and maintain talents from more diverse and fluid workforce. Skills like people’s kills and emotional intelligence will be highly valued. As the global transformation accelerates, it is becoming more crucial to understand the fundamental trends that shape the future of the workplace. It is, therefore, important for todays leader to formulate a vision for future

The Analysis of Crisis Communication Strategies Essay Example for Free

The Analysis of Crisis Communication Strategies Essay By definition crisis is a situation that has reached a critical phase (Crisis definition). Crisis is characterized by its lack of stability, unpredictability and short decision-making time. According to Fearn-Banks (1996) crisis is â€Å"a major occurrence with a potentially negative outcome affecting an organization, company, or industry, as well as its publics, products, or good name†. The negative consequences of a crisis are not limited; crisis can be, but not necessarily, a very serious threat to organization’s functioning and stability. Some scholars argue that an organization can benefit from a crisis situation if such is handled properly (Ulmer, Sellnow, 2000). Communication scholars have been conducting multiple researches, seeking to formulate some generalized and applicable theories of crisis communication and crisis management. Since crisis is a crucial period in lifetime of an organization that can affect its future, understanding crises and knowing how to manage these difficult situations effectively are essential skills that corporate managers should posses. This paper will explore the crisis of Redux Beverages which was caused by controversy surrounding the launch of the new product. On September 25, 2006, a new Las Vegas based brewing company – Redux Beverages launched a new energy drink called Cocaine. Since the first days on the market the drink has become very controversial. The public didn’t have a problem with the content of the new beverage, which is very similar to Red Bull or Monster. It was its’ name that people didn’t really feel quite right about. Redux Beverages’ CEO and inventor of Cocaine, Jamey Kirby thought that naming an energy drink after a dangerous narcotic was â€Å"a fun name†, the public, however, did not agree (â€Å"Cocaine drink claims† 2006). The negative publicity that Redux Beverages received as a result of the launch of new product led to the eruption of a reputational crisis. The public accused Redux Beverages of promoting and glamorizing drug usage among teens and young adults, who are the major target and consumer of energy drinks. Just about a month after the introduction of Cocaine a convenient store giant 7-Eleven decided to pull Cocaine from the shelves (Mooney, 2006). The controversy related to Cocaine energy drink continued throughout the fall and winter. People started questioning not only the name of the drink, but also the marketing strategy used by Redux to promote their product. On April 4, 2007 the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter notifying the firm that their product was marketed illegally as an alternative to an illicit drug and a dietary supplement. The letter from FDA claimed that â€Å"street drug alternatives, i.e. , products that claim to mimic the effects of recreational drugs, are not intended to supplement the diet and, as a result, cannot lawfully be marketed as dietary supplements† (Douaud, 2007). Moreover Redux Beverages was accused of having identified some of the drink’s ingredients incorrectly as dietary supplements that could lower blood cholesterol, protect nerve fibers, or help patients with anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The FDA threatened that the failure to respond to these violations would result in legal actions (Other, 2008). On May 5, 2007 Redux Beverages announced that the company decided to temporarily cease the distribution of Cocaine. In the same announcement the beverage’s makers notified consumers that the drink will be still available for purchase under a different name – Censored. Redux Beverages crisis isn’t an example of a severe, dramatic case. Unlike some crises, Cocaine crisis wasn’t unexpected. The makers chose a scandalous name because they knew it would be controversial and as Jamey Kirby said â€Å"controversy sells† (Nizza, 2007). The controversy was expected and somewhat desired. Redux Beverages knew that breaking into the energy drink market was a very challenging task and that they had to come up with a marketing strategy that would win them new customers. It was quite obvious that naming an energy drink after an A-class narcotic would result in negative opinions and outrage, what was not predictable was the extent of that outrage. Redux Beverages could not have predicted that the product will be eventually pulled from the shelves and that the controversy surrounding the product would initiate a battle with the Food and Drug Administration. This situation could be explained with chaotic systems theory – the uncertainty of how people will react to the launch of a controversial product resulted in inaccurate prediction of long-term outcomes (Sellnow, Seeger, 2001). Due to the controversy surrounding the launch of Cocaine energy drink Redux Beverages’ public image has suffered. The firm was accused of promoting and glamorizing drug use among teenagers and young adults. The marketing strategies used to promote the drink were perceived negatively and were widely criticized. In response to such accusations Redux Beverages used some of the theorized by Benoit known as Image Restoration Theory. According to Benoit (1997) image repair strategies can be applied if an individual or an organization is perceived as responsible for an offensive act. Moreover Benoit (1997) claims that it is not important whether the act was truly offensive; important is what people’s perceptions are and if the public believes that an organization committed a heinous action then its reputation and stability is at risk. In case of Redux Beverages one could argue that the act was not extremely offensive and people’s reaction might have been exaggerated, still the percentage of negative responses from the audience was that high that Redux had to react and address the arisen issues. At first Redux Beverages’ representatives appeared to be quite difficult to reach. Numerous news reporters covering the story stated that they had been unable to reach anyone who could represent the firm and make some comments regarding Cocaine controversy. Throughout the duration of the crisis Jamey Kirby, the CEO and inventor of Cocaine had been the most active spokesperson for the firm. Kirby denied the accusations of promoting and advocating drug use to young people. Kirby focused mainly on reduction of offensiveness of the committed act; he used image restoration strategies such as: bolstering, minimization, differentiation, transcendence and attack accuser (Benoit, Czerwinski, 1997). In the first few interviews Jamey Kirby responded to some of the questions regarding the controversy surrounding his product Cocaine. In efforts to defend the drink Kirby highlighted some positive aspects of Cocaine (bolstering) – in an interview for CNBC Street Signs Kirby said that Cocaine is the energy drink that has â€Å"by far the best quality†; according to Kirby Cocaine doesn’t give the consumer a â€Å"crash from the sugar and the jitters from the caffeine† (Burnett, 2007). But even with that having been said the public remained outraged and kept accusing the drink makers of promoting illegal drugs, especially to teenagers and young adults. The public was concerned that the marketing of the controversial drink was mainly focused on media channels such as MySpace and YouTube that are known from being widely used by young, impressionable people. Kirby uses minimization claiming that â€Å"people know the difference; I don’t think people will look at our drink and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to buy some real cocaine’†(William Pres, 2008). This was definitely not the best response. Teenagers are definitely a very impressionable group and ignoring the risk of selling a product that could potentially cause some to reach for an illegal substance is pretty irresponsible. Some outraged people raised voices that not only is Cocaine advocating drug use, but also putting at risk the health of its consumers due to a very high content of caffeine. According to the product’s label an 8. 4 ounce can contains 280 milligrams of caffeine, 750 milligrams of taurine, guarana, B vitamins and sugar (Redux Beverages, LLC). All these ingredients are supposed to give the drinker the energy high. Some people were concerned whether such high doses of caffeine will not harm young drinkers. In response to these concerns Kirby used differentiation and compared the content of a can of Cocaine to other energy boosting beverages such as Starbucks coffee. In the interview for CNN News Room Kirby says â€Å"if you look at the other beverages on the market a Starbucks 20 oz. Grande Coffee has 500 milligrams of caffeine we are just slightly over half that, so we don’t have any pathological levels of caffeine in our drink†(Nguyen, 2007). Kirby’s comment may seem to be a bit irrelevant, especially if to look at the fact that he compared 500 milligrams of caffeine in a 20 oz.size cup. If to pour Cocaine drink into a 20 oz. cup one would drink an equivalent of almost 670 milligrams of caffeine, nearly 1786 milligrams of taurine and even more energy boosting ingredients. As a result of the controversy and negative public response to the new energy drink the Food and Drug Administration decided to step in and take a closer look at Cocaine drink and its marketing. In April of 2007 the FDA issued a warning letter in which Redux Beverages was accused of marketing Cocaine drink illegally as an â€Å"alternative to an illicit street drug† (Other, 2008). Moreover, the Food and Drug Administration disliked the fact that Cocaine was marketed as a dietary supplement â€Å"intended to prevent, treat, or cure disease conditions† (Cruse, 2007). According to the product’s label one of the ingredients, more specifically inositol â€Å"reduces cholesterol in the blood; helps preventing hardening of the arteries, and may protect nerve fibers from excess glucose damage†(Cruse, 2007). Redux Beverages was given 15 days to correct the violations, otherwise the company would have faced legal responsibility (Other, 2008). In response to this occurrence Jamey Kirby said: â€Å"We are correcting the violations that the FDA believes we have†. As a result Redux Beverages initially made some changes to the marketing strategy and removed slogans such as: â€Å"liquid cocaine† and â€Å"speed in a can†. The webpage was also corrected and instead of calling the drink a dietary supplement Cocaine had become an energy supplement (Other, 2008). In the beginning of May 2007 the official webpage of Cocaine energy drink announced that the beverage’s distribution had been temporarily ceased. Following the decision Clegg Ivey, one of Redux Beverages partners revealed that the company was planning to keep selling the drink under a different name which would be released soon. In addition Ivey made a quite ridiculous comment advocating the product: â€Å"Of course, we intended for Cocaine energy drink to be a legal alternative the same way that celibacy is an alternative to premarital sex†. Ivey also revealed that Redux decided to cease the distribution of the product because the FDA had threaded with punishment by imprisonment (Serrano, 2007). Few days later Redux resumed the sale of Cocaine under a new name – Censored. The official website of Cocaine drink featured multiple slogans and notifications marking the end of Cocaine. The new slogan for Censored energy drink was â€Å"Censored by the Man† which clearly referred to FDA’s decision to ban Cocaine name. On July 17th of 2007 Redux Beverages decided to change the name of the former Cocaine once again. The new name would actually be nameless. Redux Beverage’s new marketing strategy was to sell the drink in a can that looked almost like a red former Cocaine can; the difference was that the logo was missing. The drink makers decided to design a can which would feature a blank box in which consumers could write whatever name they wanted. Since then the controversy surrounding Cocaine energy drink had started to die down. That was until early 2008 when the energy drink was re-released under its original name. Redux Beverages had addressed and corrected the violations highlighted by the FDA and resumed sales of Cocaine. The marketing strategy had been modified. Cocaine was available in three versions: original (with the throat-numbing effect), cut (mild version) and free (sugar-free). Following the re-release the Food and Drug Administration issued another warning letter. On July 9, 2008 Redux Beverages received another warning in which the FDA expressed concerns regarding fonts used by Redux on the drink cans. Cocaine was distributed in red, 8. 4 oz. cans with a logo spelled out in a white, powdery font. The letters resembled letter-shaped lines of drug cocaine. In addition, the FDA had objection to the use of word â€Å"cut† as to an additional logo tagging a milder version of the drink. Jamey Kirby responded to these accusations with transcendence: â€Å"In the last year or so, the US has experienced life-threatening problems with our domestic supply of tomatoes, spinach, peanut butter, imported seafood and even pet food. Worse, many experts predict that the next terrorist attack could focus on our food supply. So, why is the FDA wasting its precious resources complaining about what fonts Redux is using to advertise our product? † (just-drinks. com editorial team, 2008). In this situation using a strategy such as transcendence cannot result in anything positive. Kirby accused the FDA of bothering him with some ridiculous claims while more important work should be in progress. Then the company attacks the FDA and makes fun of the agency saying: â€Å"School teachers everywhere should now be on notice that things written in chalk will be scrutinized more closely by the federal government and could subject the chalk-bearer to civil and criminal liability. No word from the government on whether a chalk ban is next, but school districts across the nation would be well-advised to consider a shift to dry-erase boards. But please, for goodness sake, do NOT sniff those markers! † (just-drinks. com editorial team, 2008). Eventually Redux Beverages decided to use yet another image repair strategy – corrective action – and announced that the firm is working to address the FDA’s concerns and correct the violations that the agency had identified. The case of Redux Beverages from the Image restoration Theory could serve as a great case study presenting a script for image abolition. Redux Beverages has not done anything to lift up the company’s public image after the onset of crisis. The majority of press releases made by Redux during Cocaine controversy didn’t help to persuade the public that their concerns are unnecessary and groundless, but rather reassured them that Redux doesn’t care about anything else than sales and profit. Since public opinion about the company and its product are very important in Cocaine crisis, the case could be also analyzed from the perspective of Group Opinion Formation Process. Many people express concerns about impressionable groups such as teenagers or young adults who may be easily influenced by mass media or peers that can result in some reckless decisions. Many adults react with outrage when they see that their children may be exposed to things such as cigarettes, alcohol, sex or drugs. According to Struges (1994) theory of Group Opinion Formation these concerns could be classified as the first step of group opinion formation (1)â€Å"latent issue†. Redux Beverages’ launch of Cocaine energy drink would be the second step representing the (2) triggering event. Then the controversy and people’s debate would represent the next two steps of the process – (3) formation of pros and cons and (4) debate initiation. Then the onset of crisis would represent (5) the time lapses which leads to (6) formation of public’s opinion. In case of Cocaine crisis the public’s opinion about the company was mainly negative – Redux Beverages has received countless words of criticism and contempt. The last two steps involve formation of (7) social action and (8) social norm (Struges, 1994). Generating and maintaining a positive public opinion is vital for organizations, thus if the initial opinion about a company is positive, then the chances of keeping this perception during crisis are significantly higher. Redux Beverages has generated a negative public opinion during the onset of Cocaine crisis, if to suppose that the company will face another crisis in the future it will be much more difficult to gain the support of the public and generate a positive public image. The theory purposed by Struges (1994) is somewhat related to Coombs (2007) theory of Situational Crisis Communication. The SCCT recognizes reputation as â€Å"a valuable, intangible asset† which â€Å"can attract customers, generate investment interest, improve financial performance, attract top-employee talent, increase the return on assets, create competitive advantage and garner positive comments from financial analysts† (Coombs, 2007). Organizations with better reputation before crisis will still have better reputation than organizations which pre-crisis reputation was poor (Coombs, 2007). In case of Redux Beverages the crisis which had occurred between 2006 and 2008 was not too serious. The company had encountered some financial losses due to the temporary cease of distribution and several rebranding actions. Still, the crisis dealt mainly with the firm’s public image and reputation loss. According to Situational Crisis Communication Model if Redux Beverages is to face a more serious crisis in the future the company is very likely to suffer much more than in the aftermath of Cocaine controversy. The two components linked to the previous crisis – crisis history and prior relationship reputation will negatively affect the attribution of crisis responsibility. Knowing what strategies Redux Beverages used to deal with the previous crisis it is very likely that the potential crisis response strategies will also increase the attribution of crisis responsibility. Redux Beverages poor reputation and high attribution of crisis responsibility will result in public’s negative reaction to an organization. In case of another crisis, Redux Beverages is much more likely to be held fully accountable for the offensive act. Redux Beverages have not done any work to prepare for any potential crisis. The firm does not follow any of the ten best practices for risk and crisis communication purposed by Venette (which include: 1. Process approaches and policy approaches there has been no data released about any policies formulated by Redux Beverages. 2. Pre-event planning – Redux Beverages was not prepared for the crisis caused by controversy surround sales of Cocaine and continues its operations without any pre-crisis planning. No data has been released that would state otherwise. 3. Partnership with the public – Redux beverages seems to care about the sales, and thus about their buyers. Still Redux doesn’t seem to be concerned about their consumer’s health and disregards any doubts about the safety of their highly caffeinated product. 4. Listen to the public’s concerns and understand the audience – Redux Beverages failed to address the public’s concerns regarding the risk of selling a product that is being marketed as a street drug alternative. 5. Honesty, candor and openness – Redux Beverages repeatedly denied comments and interviews with proves that the honestly and openness are not the company’s priorities. 6. Collaborate and coordinate with credible sources – the conflict with the Food and Drug Administration indicates that the organization doesn’t collaborate and is not coordinated with credible sources. 7. Meet the needs of the media and remain accessible 8. Communicate with compassion, concern, and empathy – Redux Beverages fails to communicate in this manner. 9. Accept uncertainty and ambiguity 10. Messages of self-efficacy. The way in which Redux Beverages decided to manage the crisis caused by the controversy surrounding the launch of a new energy drink was not very effective. The crises communication strategies chosen by the organization didn’t really help its reputation and basically created a solid base for even worse crisis in the future. The lost reputation of the company will cause that any little mistake on their behalf will never be perceived as an accident or misfortune, but rather as their own fault. Redux Beverages has not gained any support in the eye of the public, nor governing and legal agencies. The only success of Redux Beverages is that the company gained the rights to re-release and resume the sales of the energy drink with a controversial name – Cocaine. References Benoit, W. L. (1997). Image repair discourse and crisis communication. Public Relations Review, 23(2), 177-186. Benoit, W. L. , Czerwinski, A. . (1997). A critical analysis of USAir’s image repair discourse. Business Communication Quarterly, 60(3), 38-57. Burnett, E. (Speaker). (2007). Cocaine energy drink [Television series episode]. In CNBC Street Signs. New York. Cocaine drink claims to be real thing. (2006, September 21). Mail Online, Retrieved from http://www. dailymail. co. uk/news/article-406304/Cocaine-drink-claims-real-thing. html Coombs, T. W. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. 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