Foreign Aid and the Development of African Nations

The African Nations, particularly those lying in the Sub-Saharan region have been subject to poverty, inadequate financial resources of their respective governments, lack of proper infrastructure and essential services like health, sanitation and water supply. These countries have also long been plagued by corrupt leaders, who have no concern about the sufferings of their citizens, despite growing their personal wealth based on the countries’ natural resources and foreign aid.Despite billions of dollars of foreign aid pouring in the region by countries like the United States, U.  K. , Germany and Japan there is no tangible change in the development of these countries. This paper will discuss the role of foreign aid in the development of the African Countries. Though, the common perception among the people is that the sub-Saharan Africa receives fairly large amount of foreign aid, but there is no proper outcome of it. They often complain that most of aid given to the African governments is consumed in non-development expenditures, or either is directly deposited in the overseas accounts of the rulers.But the fact is that the amount of aid given to these countries is never enough, particularly when considered the amount of development work done. Another problem is the method of distribution of the foreign aid, as there is very little amount, which is directly handed over to the African governments for their projects. Most of the aid is either in the form of technical support in which most of the aid is used in paying the officials of the aid giving country in exchange of their services. For e. g.the United States, which is considered as a major ODA, provider in the region does not spend, as she should have and as much resources she has. Most of the foreign aid provided by the United States is either in response to catastrophes like famine, earthquakes and tsunamis etc. , or in the form of emergency relief, like the U. S. wheat supply in cases of shortage of food supplies due to draught in many African countries. (Sachs, 82) On the other hand the actual amount of Official Development Assistance is far below as it is thought by many Americans.It is simply because large portion of ODA is disbursed primarily to the strategic nations like Iraq and Afghanistan. The remaining amount left for the non-strategic countries is then distributed either via NGOs or in the form of technical expertise and services. In both cases none of the amount is directly handed over to the recipient government. Thus the leftover of the ODA, which is directly handed over to the aid recipient nations, is significantly low. The same is the case of most donor nations like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and Italy etc.The amount of aid actually handed over to these governments, which may help them to practically implement the public development projects like hospitals, schools, water supply and sanitation etc. (Sachs, 82) According to the 2003 U. S. gove rnment statistics regarding the ODA given by the United States to the sub-Saharan Africa, the total amount given was $4. 7 billion only. The sad story is that out of this huge amount only $118 million were directly handed over to African governments in order to support public development programs run by the government and communities.  (Sachs, 83)Therefore the given statistics regarding the U. S. aid depicts the inadequate amount of direct aid given to the African nations. Now speaking about the output and consequences of the foreign aid in the development of sub-Saharan African nations, the results are not encouraging. Partly because of inadequate amount of aid, ineffective method of aid distribution and disbursement, corrupt governments and leaders the outcome is not overall satisfactory regarding virtually the entire sub-Saharan region.The United States and other donor countries can shed their burden by using the United Nations as a platform of foreign assistance to the sub-Sah aran regions. (Tharoor) Kenya is a good example to analyze the role of foreign aid in the economic and public development of the country. Kenya had been among those countries, which have received huge external aid flows from the donor nations and institutions in order to foster economic growth and reduce poverty.But unfortunately the outcome has never been satisfactory as there is no major improvement in the economic growth of the country, neither there is any significant reduction in poverty or any tangible public development as an outcome of foreign aid. The country like other sub-Saharan African nations faces high indebtedness, unemployment and absolute poverty. The poor economic performance of the country has led to high dependency of Kenya on foreign aid. (Njeru, 1) The Kenyan development expenditures were slightly above 10% of the total government expenditures during the late 90s.This shows a development expenditure decline of about 50% from the 70s, which was just below 20% a t that time. Due to poor economic performance the government development budget has increasingly become dependent on donors. For e. g. in the 80s only 40% of the development expenditure depended on foreign aid, while in the next debate the dependence had raised to 70%. (Njeru, 6) This increasing dependence was the result of poor performance and using the local government resources on non-development expenditures.Most of funds disbursed by the donors is either in the form of appropriations-in-aid or revenue, the most common of which is appropriations-in-aid method. Using this method the donors have direct contact with the project coordinator, but there is a drawback of this method as the government loses control of these projects there is a big chance that they may become white elephants. (Njeru, 9) On the other hand, under the revenue system the funds are disbursed directly to the Treasury via special accounts in the central bank, but here are some other risks, like misuse of the fu nds because of weak accounting system at the Treasury.  (Njeru, 9)During the post-independence period Kenya receive heavy inflow of foreign aid particularly from the British. In the 70s and 80s there were high development activities in telecommunication networks, land settlement schemes, health and education sectors. During the 80s Kenya had enjoyed the highest level of foreign aid flow and there were about 600 active development projects in the above-mentioned sectors. (The Role of Foreign Aid in Development, 37)The major setback in the initial development progress was brought by former president Kenyatta and his successor Daniel arap Moi, as they not only backtracked the on going progress by making some unsound decisions like price control, marketing boards which soon adversely affected the prices and production incentive. Import substitution was also an important drawback, which resulted in poor economic condition and forced the government to stall many public development proje cts. (Erixon, 14) Corruption is also an important factor, which has led to the wastage of large amount of foreign aid.According to the Transparency International’s index of corruption Kenya was among the 10 most corrupted countries. According to TI the incidence of corruption is about 50% in most ministries, city councils, parastatals, SOEs and other governing bodies. (Erixon, 14) President Kenyatta’s regime was plagued by his so-called land reforms in the name of which he received large amount of foreign aid and subsequently became the largest landowner in the country. His alleged favor to his tribesmen and kinsmen, the Kikuyu, also resulted in mass corruption and loss of large amount of donor’s money.Using foreign aid to support their own kindred has become a norm in the Kenyan politics. (Cohen, 7) Presidents Moi’s regime is also marked by misuse of foreign aid in favor of the relative and political supporters. For e. g. the Kenyan government received $ 873 million in official development assistance in the fiscal year of 1991/92. All this aid was either on grant basis or loan basis and supported some 654 public development projects. These projects have about 2,000 sub-components, in order to give every ethnic group a fair price of the fund.Not surprisingly a large amount of the fund and project resources were not used accordingly. (Cohen, 13) Moreover the public developments on district level were also done on ethnic and political basis, as those areas where the residents are either the tribesmen of the president or loyal to him will receive a large sum of budget and public development programs, while those who oppose him like the Kikuyu, the people of the former president Kenyatta receive marginal amount of budget and public development funds. (Cohen, 16-17)President Moi’s government and leadership have been marked with more corruption and use of foreign aid on their own behalf. According to a Guardian report, President Moi , his associates and relatives have allegedly moved more than 1 billion pounds of government money to nearly 30 countries including Britain. Other relatives who have been involved in corruption of millions of dollars government money include Moi’s sons, which have moved 384m and 550m pounds respectively. (Rice) This report clearly depicts how ruthlessly these corrupt leaders have looted their country and fellow countrymen.The same is the character of NGOs in this regard, as most of the NGOs working in Kenya have their loyalties with one of the political parties or ethnic groups and they only work in their interest. Moreover those NGOs which are honest to their mission and objective face constraints and suppression from the government and they are only allowed to work according to the interest of the government officials, and their interest is always to do a favor to their kinsmen or political allies.In this way the people in real and dire need are often neglected, only becaus e they do not have enough political power or ethnic relation with the people in the office. Botswana is another case and a different story. The country has been the best example of good governance and leadership in the continent by far. It is the only country, which has been democratic in spiritually and practically throughout the entire post-independence period. The country has actively promoted the its’ citizens social and economic development throughout its post-colonial history.The country led by its founder Sir Seretse Khama and his successors were dedicated to deliberate democracy and market economy. Khama played an important role in developing a law-respecting political culture, which was wholeheartedly endured by his successors. (Rotberg) Though Botswana has received a heavy amount of foreign aid inflow the public development of the country in not based on that primarily. The main factor, which contributed in the country’s success, is its good governance and la ck of corruption.According to Transparency International Botswana is the least corrupted country in the African continent far better than many European and Asian countries. (Williams) Botswana has shown its capability of utilizing the amount of donors’ funds. Botswana has the strongest state institutions, professional civil services, strong planning systems and centralized aid management systems. All these have helped the country to utilize the funds wisely and accordingly with the minimum loss and misuse possible. The effective use of aid effectively contributes to the project plans, but also gave the country more control over the aid.This is in contrast to Kenya where the foreign aid froze twice due to poor compliance of the Kenyan government to the conditions of the donors. (Renzio, Whitfield & Bergamaschi, 1-4) After the independence Botswana was among the poorest countries of the world and there was lack of proper infrastructure and social and economic institutions. In t he initial post-independence period the country has used large amount of foreign aid, but the leadership was wise enough to use the foreign assistance in proper way.The government also preferred grants to loans and used diversified donors and also made a habit of refusing to accept aid when not necessary. (Togo, 3) The government wisely used foreign aid in not only developing the public sector like health, transportation, sanitation and water supply, but also used the chance to invest the aid heavily in the diamond mining industry which later boosted the country’s economy and help Botswana to overcome her dependence on foreign aid. (Togo, 4) But in the 90s the situation has changed and the new generation of leaders have emerged which are not willing to follow the path of Khama.They have allegedly used the government funds as their personal possessions acting double as the directors of private funds thus reserving these funds for the projects run by their firms. Furthermore in 1992 the credibility and respect of the Botswana government was further tarnished by the notorious Housing Corporation scandal in which the Vice president and other high-ranking officials were allegedly involved. (Togo, 5) Despite all these downfalls and shortcomings emerging in the new general of politicians, the country is still the least corrupt as compared to other African nations.According to recent studies Botswana has received the highest level of foreign aid up to 1980s, which has played a significant role in the development of the country. The foreign assistance had been as high as $200 per capita in 1980s. But the studies show that aid has only played siginificant role in public development in the early years of independence, when the country relied completely on the British aid for its expenditures. But in the next decade the ratio of aid had declined sharply, and the revenue from diamond mining far exceeded the aid. In the late 80s the share of aid fell to 3% of GDP fro m 29% in 1967.Therefore foreign assistance played significant role in the first two decades of the country history. (Togo, 6) The founder president of Botswana made his priority to secondary education in order to increase the proportion of the natives in the countries civil service and other comprehensive development projects, like mine development, construction of dams and irrigation. The government wanted to provide the natives jobs and reduce poverty. Thus they used the foreign aid initially to promote education and then focused on the infrastructure like roads, electric power and water supply, which will become the basis of the mining industry.(Togo, 8) The government than acquired $2. 5 million loan from the World Bank to finance the Shashe complex diamond-mining project. The government also won technical assistance from several developed countries. The foreign assistance acquired was largely used in the development of the infrastructure of the Shashe Complex project. Then the aid was used for the development of the human and physical capital. (Togo, 8)Thus Botswana used foreign assistance for the development of the human capital by promoting education and physical capital by developing the infrastructure.In this way one can easily conclude that foreign assistance played an important role in the development of the country in the first two decades. But when the case of Botswana is compared with that of Kenya, it becomes clear that foreign aid is not the sole factor in the success of a country. In the last four decades Kenya has received more foreign assistance than Botswana, but the country never became economical strong as Botswana did. The primary reason was the different in the vision and approach of the rulers of the two countries.The Kenyan first two rulers have been among the most corrupted and autocratic type of rulers and they have no interest in the welfare of their fellow citizens. They ruthlessly used the countries resources as personal possessi ons. On the other hand the Botswana founder president Khama and his successors have been honest to their country and fellow citizens and wisely used their country’s resources as well as the foreign assistance they had received to develop their country’s economy, public sector institutions and infrastructure. Therefore foreign aid has never been the primary factor in any country’s development.

Natural Beauty of Pakistan Essay

Natural beauty is un matched. Pakistan have world most beautiful places for visit, specially at its best in northern areas of Pakistan and Kashmir region. This part of the country is famous all around the world because of sky high mountains, lush green valleys, mighty rivers, beautiful lakes, and amazing wildlife. The Pradise on Earth ‘Neelum Valley’ Mini Switzerland ‘Swat Valley’ and Mountain Kingdom ‘Hunza valley’ are the major tourist attractions in Pakistan. All these places are real natural beauty of the world. Here, below is a list of top 10 Best Natural Places to Visit in Pakistan. The naturally beautiful places of Pakistan, you will not found these beautiful places all over the world. Top 10 Best Natural Places to Visit in Pakistan 1. Neelum Valley Neelam Valley is a 144 km long bow-shaped valley in Azad Kashmir Region. The Valley is situated at the North & North-East of Muzaffarabad (The Capital of Azad Kashmir). Running through the Lesser Himalaya, the Neelam River valley has excellent scenic beauty, panoramic views, towering hills on both sides of the noisy Neelum river, lush green forests, enchanting streams and attractive surroundings make the valley a dream come true. Neelum valley is one of most attractive place for tourists due to its famous lush greenery, springs, streams,lakes and hilly and sloppy mountains. Some of its famous places like Athmuqam, Kutton Jagran, Karen, Neelum, Ratti Galli, Baboon, Noori top, Sharda, Sharda Fort, Sharda University (The Oldest University of Sub-Continent) Kel, Surgon, Halmet, Taobut and many more. 2. Hunza Valley The Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit–Baltistan region , It was formerly a princely state. The Hunza valley is situated north/west of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around 2,500 metres. The Valley has three Regions – Upper Hunza (Gojal); Center Hunza and Lower Hunza. Hunza valley is the most beautiful place to visit and have many places to see. Some of these beautiful places are. Rakaposhi Base Camp; Diran Base Camp; Hoper Glacier; Passue and Gulmit; Khunjrab Pass; Atta Abad lake and Nagar valley. 3. Swat Valley Swat is a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. Swat Valley, Mini Switzerland of Pakistan has many attraction for visiting such as Mahodand Valley & Lake, Natural Ushu Valley & Ushu Forest, Malam Jabba (Famous ski resort in Swat Valley), Madyan, Swat & Kalam Vallies, Bonir, Der and many other naturaly beautiful sites. 4. Kalash Valley Kalash Valley is one of the major tourist attractions in Pakistan. This is situated in the Chitral district of Pakistan. This valley has a historic background but its history has controversies. Kelash is actually a very old Greek civilization. The people belonging to this civilization are called ‘The Kelash’. Belongs to old tribes and have their own religion and culture. This valley has a unique and amazing culture. The People here live in small villages which they built on the hill sides. These villages are at the banks of the streams and rivers. People construct their homes with rough shaped logs. People of Kalash are cheerful, they celebrates many festivals like Uchal Festival, Phoo Festival and Chomos Festival. There are many attractive sites for visiting. 5. Kaghan Valley The Kaghan Valley is a beautiful valley in the north-east of Mansehra District . It attracts many tourists from not only Pakistan but also from the whole world. Laying in lower Himalayan mountains range, the Kaghan  valley, famous for its bewitching splendor and natural beauty, is one of the most charming tourist resorts in scenic Hazara division. There are many beautiful and attractive spots like Shogran, Jared, Naran,Lake Saiful Muluk, Lake Dudipat Sar, Lake Lulu Sar, Babusar Pass and much more to do. 6. Murree Hills This is a summer hill station, summer resort and is sitated in Murree, the subdivision of Rawalpindi District. Murree was the summer capital of the British Raj in the Punjab Province. People from all over the Pakistan wish to go there in summer to enjoy its beauty and in winter season for astonishing experience of snowfall. Bhurban and New Murree (Patriata) are a main tourist center. One of the most favorite tourist point of Murree is Galliat, it has fascinating greenery and scenic beauty that attracts tourist belonging different regions of Asia. Most Popular Picnic Points of Murree Hills are Dunga Gali , Muskpuri Hill , Nathia Gali, Bara Gali and Mall Road. 7. Shandur Pas Shandur – The Highest Polo Ground on Earth, is about 3738 meter an above sea level and lies midway between Chitral and Gilgit. Each summer a hug event called the Shandur polo festival is organized here, which is a big source of attraction for the tourists. Different come against each other in this freestyle contest. The pass is generally unpopulated and passing through its snow covered slopes in winters is an exceptionally difficult adventure. The polo ground is about 168 Km from the main town Chitral and accessible by jeep. The road is closed during winter due to heavy snow. 8. Rawalakot Rawalakot is a town in Azad Kashmir, and is the district headquarter of Poonch Division. It is in a beautiful valley surrounded by hills, which is located 80 km away from Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Rawalakot is a summer visiting point The winters in Rawalakot are cold and chilly. There are many attraction for visitors like Banjosa; Toli Pir; Poonch River; Tatta Pani;  Banjosoa Lake; Sudhngalli and many more. 9. Ziarat Ziarat is the capital of Ziarat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Ziarat is a famous holiday resort of Balochistan and nearly every trip from Karachi to Quetta stops at Ziarat. Ziarat was the summer residence of the chief commissioner of Baluchistan, and sanatorium for the European troops at Quetta. There is a good water supply, and the hills around are well-wooded and picturesque. A visit to Quetta is incomplete without a trip to Ziarat. Ziarat is a hill station in the Sibi district of the province of Baluchistan. It remains quite cool during summer and receives enough snowfall during the winter. 10. Jehlum Valley This is an ideal valley of Azad Kshmir region for both the domestic and international tourists. The curling river Jhelum passes through from East to West between the high green mountains of this valley. This valley has a most beautiful valley â€Å"Leepa Valley† . This is the most fascinating & loveliest valley in Azad Kashmir. Its lush green rice fields in summer and typical wooden Kashmiri houses present a wonderful view to the people visiting the area. Walnut, Apple, Cherry and honey of Leepa are very popular and in great demand. There are many visiting sites like Peerchanasi, Chikar, Chinary, Leepa, Chakothi, Ghari Dopatta, Chokothi Cham-fall and Zilzaal Lake.

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International Business Strategy - Essay Example The theoretical framework applied for external audit is the PESTEL analysis. The political system in China significantly favours entrepreneurship. Having risen from a middle-income country to a near developed country in less than a century, the political system has a history of favouring entrepreneurship (bec.org). Hong Kong is the richest country in the mainland China with a GDP of US$ 258 billion. This makes it one of the most economically viable nations. The purchasing power in the country is estimated by the World Bank to be US$ 42.653. The country has other established foreign and local brands that pose great competition to Koyo Jeans. These include Diesel, Calvin Klein and Levis which are international companies; and Gallery and Lucky Brand, which are Hong Kong-based (lowtax.net). Being a local company, Koyo jeans do not experience any social or political barriers. The population of Hong Kong is more than 7 million people most of whom embrace the European and traditional Chinese clothing as fashion. Because of the cultural orientation of the products, the demand for Koyo Jeans’ products is high among the people who can be said to be luxurious shoppers. They have been quite receptive of the Koyo products over the years and has helped the company develop. Canada has a democratic tradition dating back to mid-nineteenth century. A general governor governs the country, and the political system is fairly stable. Being a developed and industrialised country, the political system is supportive to businesses, both local and foreign. The population of Canada is more than 34 million people and is in constant expansion. The Canadians are not only affluent but also fashion sensitive. This means that there is a ready market for the products. Jeans market in Canada experienced a 2% increase in 2013 (euromonitor.com). The main competitors in this market are the European brands; Diesel, Calvin Klein, Levi; and the Canadian

Architectural Design Considerations of a Light Warehouse Essay Example for Free

Architectural Design Considerations of a Light Warehouse Essay Warehousing warehousing is the receiving, storage, and delivery of goods. Receiving – receiving is the acceptance of goods with a degree of accountability therefor. Storage – storage is the safekeeping of goods in a warehouse or other depository. Delivery – delivery is the transfer of goods to the transportation carrier or customer. Distribution – distribution is a function of warehousing which includes the preparation and delivery of goods according to plan or special order. Supply chain efficiencies depend upon the efficiency of logistics including transportation and warehousing operations. Warehouse efficiencies depend upon a combination of warehouse design, layout, infrastructure, systems, process and people. Warehouse Design element aims to maximize the utility of space, equipment and efficiency of operations. We will briefly cover the various elements of a warehouse design and understand their importance. In basic functional aspects, a warehouse function consists of Material receipts including unloading, unpacking and inspection, put away and Storage of materials in various categories of storage locations, systems updating, pull materials for dispatch and delivery of materials after processing. Warehouse Location, Layout and Building The location of a warehouse should ideally be situated in a flat ground. The location should be easily approachable and in a area suited for this nature of business. Locations closer to markets or to national highways would be ideal. Public transportation and communication infrastructure should also be available. The layout of the building should be designed to accommodate fleet parking, and enable containers to drive in and drive out easily. Any time two containers should be able to pass through on the path without any interruption. There should be enough free space for vehicles to maneuver. The layout should also provide for other utility, safety and security operations. Building is normally constructed using galvanized metallic sheets mounted on C Section girdles. The flooring should be RCC concrete with weight bearing capacity as per requirement of the load to be calculated in each case. The ground should be flat, even and smooth surface to facilitate MHE movements and dust free. The roof height would be a major consideration to be able to install multi vertical storage racking installation. The walls and roof should be designed with suitable lighting panels and ventilators for air exchange fitted with bird cages. The number of loading and unloading docs and placement of these docs play an important role in the design of operations and efficiency of operation. All weather docks and the facility should enable 24 hours operations. Dock Levels. The docks should be equipped with dock levelers and all these have to be installed during construction phase itself. Ramps have to be provided to facilitate movement of forklift etc. Lighting design will depend upon the layout and the racking design. Internal Layout Internal layout design will be built taking into account the operational process, nature of goods, volumes of transactions both inbound and outbound, storage types, in house operations involving put away and pull sequences and process requirements including packing, kitting etc and the availability of floor space coupled with building layout design of inbound and outbound docks. The design aims to maximize space utilization, minimize MHE movement and Manpower movement. Types of Storage Types of storage are determined by the nature of cargo. Depending upon the cargo whether finished goods, raw material parts etc, the types of storage can vary from bulk stock, block stock, racking, pallet racking, shelf racking, binning, unit pick or loose pick face, carton pick etc. The storage types vary with nature of materials with different types of storage designs for drums, pallets, tires, cartons, tube and rods etc. Racking Designs Material Handling Equipment Racking Design takes into account the storage type, storage unit, volume and weight coupled with the available floor space and roof height to design system which maximizes the storage capacity. Put away and picking process and transactional volumes are also taken into consideration. The inventory profile study would include detailing of number of SKUs in each category of fast moving, slow moving or other criteria as per the nature of business and the storage type would be designed as per the inventory profile and the process. Racking designs are very many and varies with the type of industries and nature of inventory. Normal racking designs include pallet racking on multiple levels. You can have shelving, binning or combination of bulk stock and forward pick face racking designs. Block stack racking and other types of high density racking can be found in FG warehouses. Mezzanine store binning and shelving rack designs are normally designed for spare parts and small parts. Highly automated racking designs can have automatic retrieval systems and conveyors in the warehouse. Material Handling Equipments are specified based on rack design coupled with pallet design, nature of cargo, weight and the warehouse layout etc. Forklifts, reach trucks, hand pallet jacks, trolleys are normal Material handling equipments in normal warehousing operations. Warehouse Layout Design Sizing the Space Requirements Warehouse layout sizing is a critical aspect of planning a new facility or re-designing an existing building. Many times organisations start from a fixed view of what size the facility will be, and most times the square footage is based on affordability. The problem with this, is that the building may end up be to big, and therefore more expensive or to small and put operational constraints into the facility before the design even gets off the ground. Warehouse Layout and Sizing: The correct way to size the facility is from the inside, that way the actual size required will fit the operational requirements, and will ensure that all available space is used and you are not paying for unused space. Estimating Space Requirements: Short and long term, based upon forecasts, historical usage patterns, and projected changes. Developing new layouts to maximize usage of space. Short- and long-range sizing of individual areas: racks, shelving, automated systems, docks, staging, offices, and support. The final sizing needs to come from the operational requirements of the building, this can only come from modelling the design. Key Factors to Consider during Warehouse Sizing Order Picking: Methods for Piece Pick, Case Pick, and Pallet Pick Operations. Deciding on the amount of space you will need is not just about how much product you wish to store. The type of picking you intend carrying out is a fundamental part of the decision process. The methods for order picking vary greatly and the level of difficulty in choosing the best method for your operation will depend on the type of operation you have. The characteristics of the product being handled, total number of transactions, total number of orders, picks per order, quantity per pick, picks per SKU, total number of SKUs, value-added processing such as private labelling, and whether you are handling piece pick, case pick, or full-pallet loads are all factors that will affect the decision on how much space will be required. Therefore when you have:- Full pallet picking you will need more racking space than open floor space. Lots of case picking you will need more ground floor pick faces, than you will need for full pallet picking and you may also need a case to pallet consolidation floor area. Lots of small quantity piece picking you will need packing pallet consolidation areas on the floor. Holding requirements include defining the physical size of the inventory on hand. Unless the on-hand total is fairly stable across the year, it is usually preferable to plan for a high but not peak inventory level. To fully utilize the space, it is important to determine how product needs to be stored (e. g. , floor stacked, pallet rack, shelving, case flow) and how much of each fixture type will be required. Cube data (length ? width ? height) for each product is a very useful kind of information for many aspects of capacity planning. Workflow requirements encompass everything from how product arrives to how it leaves the facility and everything in between. The objectives of this aspect of planning are to minimize product handling, to reduce travel as much as possible, and to minimize the resource requirements (labor, packaging, transportation) to move the product to the customer. Among the factors to consider are the following: (1) Link the way product arrives with where it is to be stored (location capacity). If possible, store all of a product in one location and pick from that location as well. This does not work if stock rotation matters (expiration dates, serial number, or lot control issues). 2) Locate the highest-volume products (greatest number of orders, not physical size) closest to the outbound shipping area to minimize the travel required to pick and ship orders for them. (3) Because vertical travel is always slower, locate as many products as possible on or close to the floor. (4) Allow for staging space to handle product that is in transit, such as items waiting to be put away. Warehousing was supposed to disappear with L ean Manufacturing. This has rarely occurred but the nature of warehousing often does change from storage-dominance to transaction dominance. Warehousing buffers inbound shipments from suppliers and outbound orders to customers. Customers usually order in patterns that are not compatible with the capabilities of the warehouse suppliers. The amount of storage depends on the disparity between incoming and outbound shipment patterns. In addition, the trend to overseas sourcing has increased the need for warehousing and its importance in the supply chain. | Design StrategiesOne key to effective design is the relative dominance of picking or storage activity. These two warehouse functions have opposing requirements. Techniques that maximize space utilization tend to complicate picking and render it inefficient while large storage areas increase distance and also reduce picking efficiency. Ideal picking requires small stocks in dedicated, close locations. This works against storage efficiency. Automation of picking, storage, handling and information can compensate for these opposing requirements to a degree. However, automation is expensive to install and operate. The figure below shows how different transaction volumes, storage requirements and technologies lead to different design concepts.

Growth opportunities in detergent market

Growth opportunities in detergent market The case deals with Unilevers Home Care Cleaning range and is evaluating the growth opportunities in the marketing of detergents to around 48 million low income consumers living in the Northeast region of Brazil. Clearly, the aim of Unilever, like all profit making organizations, is to have a bigger piece of the pie. Its first step forward is to assess whether or not, its target market is lucrative enough. To do so we first understand the buying behaviour of the target users, analyse the current market scenario and Unilevers internal environment. The importance of knowing how people will behave is tantamount to knowing the secret of organisational success. The simplest description of consumer behaviour is the purchase and/or consumption decision of an individual and/or household who buy goods and services for personal consumption. In the case we analyse the behaviour of group of individuals in the Northeast of Brazil and the use of detergent and soap in order to evaluate whats not working for Unilevers growth in that market segment and decide the best positioning strategy to encourage increased consumption. Because we know comparatively little about human behaviour, we as marketers, tend to make some assumptions to know how consumers will react to what we do. The first one being, consumers go through a rational decision process when they buy. We assume the process to start with ignorance of the consumer and moving through awareness, information search, short listing alternatives and so on until the ultimate goal purchase is reached.. A distinction is further made between two types of products purchasing: high involvement and low involvement. Washing detergents are low involvement products where consumers may not go through the entire decision making process and either pick a brand out of compulsion, out of a desire to seek variety or because of their past preferences and experiences, or they may pick a brand due to some constraints such as income and amount allocation to household spending. Consumers put preferences and budgetary constraints together to determine their choices. The No rtheast Brazilian households are low income groups and thus the price of the laundry soap, bleaching liquid and detergent powder is a primary criterion for evaluation of the brand of laundry products. The women in this region of Brazil tend to pick a particular brand based what others in their social group are using (as they often do their washing in a public laundry or by the river with a group of friends) and their own past experience and satisfaction. The second assumption is that consumers are brand loyal either loyal to your own brand or loyal to your rivals brand. A wall street journal (19th October 1989) published that 48% consumers remain loyal to the laundry detergent they are already using. To penetrate and gain additional market share, Unilever will have to offer some extra inducements to get the NE consumers hooked and divert their loyalty towards its brands. The stimulus response model (Exhibit 1), the starting point for understanding consumer behaviour, has been used to understand the Brazilian household behaviour towards washing detergent powders and soaps. The stimuli enter the consumers consciousness and the buyers characteristics and decision processes lead to certain purchase decisions. Our task, as marketers, would be to understand what happens in the consciousness of the north-eastern Brazilians between the arrival of stimuli and the purchase decision. Exhibit 1: Stimulus Response Model Source: Marketing Management, Kotler, 2003, p.184. The women in this region of Brazil tend to pick a particular brand based on the performance of the product on the six attributes cleanliness, whitening, productivity; fragrance and softness; ability to remove stains; ability to dissolve in water; packaging of the product; and the ability to keep colours from running out. Cultural factors Culture, subculture and social class are the fundamental determinants of a persons basic values, perceptions, wants and behaviour. Majority (39.8 million) of the north eastern population of Brazil ranges from grade D to E- of social class. Brazilians are concerned about their position in a social class, because no class interacts with another social class unless it is in a professional way. Since the past many years, the vast income social stature difference has been impressed in the society.  Still, the north easterners take great pride in how they look and present themselves in the society, despite their poverty and inability to purchase a variety of clothes. It is perceived to be the duty of the lady of the house to maintain cleanliness of clothes of her family, as it is seen as an indication of the dedication of the mother to her family. It is the reason why the north eastern women spend a long and laborious time at doing the laundry. They first scrub the clothes with a soap bar, then bleach those clothes to remove tough stains, and finally wash the clothes with detergent powder to add a pleasant fragrance. This is opposed to women in the south eastern region who just simply mix detergent powder and softener in a washing machine. Social factors Consumers behaviour is also influenced by social factors such as the consumers relation to small groups, family, and social roles. Women from the northeast of Brazil do their laundry at a public laundry or at a nearby river or pond along with their friends. It is the most pleasurable activity as they get to meet and chat in their social network. It is here that these women discuss matters of personal and home cleanliness such as which laundry detergents they use, how their experience has been, and likely word of mouth promotions take place. Personal factors The characteristics of the individual consumer such as his age, economic situation, occupation and lifestyle play an influential role as well in assessing consumer behaviour. Of the 48 million, 25.4 million people of the north eastern region of Brazil have an annual income of less than $1700. In Recife, for example, only 28% households own a washing machine. Thus, having a push strategy for a detergent powder isnt going to be fruitful. Even though the per capita income for the whole Brazil was $4,420, it wasnt quite reflective of the north-eastern region, where the per capita income was $2,250 only. This translates to the fact that even though a product may have the right and required attributes, if not appropriately priced, people of this region would not pick it up from the shelf since they are constrained by their incomes. Also, since the people from the low income group own less clothes, their washing needs are frequent, and hence, a product that would be a success would be one t hat is affordably cheap, available in bigger quantities (for example, saver price or additional 20% pack) and removes dirt well keeping the colour from running. Psychological factors An individuals buying choices are manipulated by four major psychological factors motivation, perception, learning and beliefs and attitudes. The low income consumers of the Northeast have developed six key attributes (Exhibit 2) which would determine their attitude towards the brand of detergent they chose to use for their laundry. For them, the ability of the detergent to clean and whiten the clothes with a small quantity of the product is the most important attribute. The NE women often associate a strong pleasant fragrance with softening power and gentleness to fabric and hands. The ability to remove stains without the use of a soap bar and bleach, and the ability of the detergent to dissolve in water without any residue on the fabric, are equally important attributes. Packaging and the running down of colour are the least important features. Ladies perceive doing their laundry as a leisure activity where they meet and natter with their friends. They discuss and learn from each others experiences of personal and household cleaning habits and products. Main brands / players Competition is important in influencing how successful an organization can be. Merely producing a good product which matches consumer requirements and provides satisfaction should not be the goal. A firm must competitively position itself in the minds of its customers so that its products stand out. Unilever was the first to introduce laundry detergents in Brazil with Omo, followed by Minerva, Campeiro, Skip, Rinso, Drive, Puro and Unox to name a few. Competitive challenges came from Procter Gamble, ASA, and other small Brazilian companies. Market leading brands from PG included Ace, Bold Pop. ASA contested with its Bem-te-vi laundry soap and Invicto detergent powder. Even though PG entered the Brazilian market 59 years after Unilever, it entered the market quiet swiftly by strategically acquiring an existing Brazilian company, Bombril and its three brands Quanto, Odd Fasses Pop. With in-depth RD and investment for manufacturing improvements, PG rebranded Quanto to Ace, and Odd Fases to Bold, which are now key competitors with Minerva and Campeiro. In terms of market share, for the laundry detergent powder segment, Omo is the market leader with a 52% share, Minerva Campeiro collectively account for 23% share, while Ace, Invicto other PG brands take a 22% share jointly and other Brazilian brands take a 3% share. Unilevers 75% market share compared with competitors 25% share in the laundry detergent segment indicates a strong penetrative strategy that gives Unilever the competitive edge. Market share in the laundry soap segment is not so pleasing. Little console is that PG did not manufacture laundry soap. But local Brazilian companies posed enough competition. Even though Minerva had a 19% market share in this segment, smaller Brazilian companies, enjoyed the rest of the 81%. In terms of pricing promotion strategies, Unilevers premium brand Omo was the highest priced (whole sale price) at $3/kg. None of the competitors came in this price range. Because of its strong power to remove stains with low quantity, it became a market pioneer. It used a very simple yet direct advertising message which said removes stains on pockets, cuffs collar, clearly attracting consumers for whom cleanliness was of highest importance. It was meant to target the high income group. Minerva (Unilever), Ace (PG) and Bold (PG) fell in the same price category and probably targeted the upper middle income group; while Campeiro (Unilever), Pop (PG) and Invicto (ASA) targeted the lower middle income group. Minerva attracted consumers for whom the fragrance and softness were of key importance with its advertising campaigns. Pop used a Bundle promotion and Contest Strategy it ran a contest offering 200 washing machines and gave away 2 copies of the Viva! Magazine with its purchase. Table 1 below gives details on the Pricing strategies followed by the main brands in the laundry detergent segment. SWOT Analysis An analysis of Unilevers internal environment (strength weaknesses) and its external environment (opportunities threats) is depicted in Exhibit 3. Exhibit 2 : SWOT Analysis Strategy Suggestion With the above mentioned scenario, Unilever faces the following choices to cater to the low income group of the North eastern region of Brazil : Extending Omo Rebranding Campeiro Launching a new product Customising a product from its international portfolio Brand extensions are only profitable if the existing brands equity is strong and positive and it is likely to transfer its benefits to the new extension. Brand extensions face a serious challenge if not recognised and met with positive action will probably lead to death of existing brands. Before considering extension of Omo, Unilever should be aware of the fact that consumers get puzzled by the variety of identical products and may end up buying a rival brand. Omo already has its niche market with its Price-Quality inference strategy. It enjoys a 52% market share in the detergent powder product line. Even though the low income group of the NE likes Omo, but to target that segment, Unilever would have to reduce the price drastically and lower its profit margins. This would cannibalise its high margin sales with low margin sales in the short term and in the long term Omo would lose its price premium and would create confusion in the minds of people. Radically changing Campeiro and rebranding it does seem like a good option Exhibit 4 details the strategy. But, the perception of its brand value is not strong or positive with consumers of detergent powder. It only has a 6% market share. One of the lucrative options is to launch a new brand. Exhibit 5 evaluates the strategies of introducing a new product altogether. Unilever can introduce a new product to replace /or supplement Minerva Campeiro in its existing markets, and to serve new market the NE region of Brazil. The issues with rebranding Campeiro, repositioning Minerva would also be resolved. But before deciding to establish a new product, Unilever has to layout the profile of the target market, understand the problems they face and group them into segments, evaluate competition, identify core competencies, identify areas where competitor is vulnerable and define a new value proposition for the new target market. Introducing a new brand would be to Unilevers advantage, as its entering a target market which it has not catered earlier in Brazil. Another worthwhile option is to introduce a customised version of an existing and successful brand from Unilevers international portfolio of detergent powder. But the brand would have to be carefully selected one that caters to a similar demographics and similar income group; one that has high success rate with the right marketing mix. For example, Active Wheel Unilevers brand in India targets the low income group, stresses that with this product people will need to put less efforts to do their laundry, promotes the whitening attribute, is the biggest laundry brand with sales revenue of  £21million 2007. The advantages of considering this option are various. The same ingredients and basic formula can be used. Similar pricing strategy. Customisation required only in language on the cardboard boxes. Meaning and content of advertisements can be the same, only changes required would be to fit the ad to local environment. Probability of success is higher, although it is not guarante ed that a brand that works in one region will work in the other too. Even if the rumours of reducing brand portfolio are true, this option would still be lucrative as no new brand is being introduced; alternatively, Unilever could completely drop Campeiro and reposition Minerva, along with introduction of a brand from its international portfolio. The growing size of typical supermarket retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Grupo Pà £o de Aà §Ãƒ ºcar in Brazil has produced extra shelf space that has allowed and encouraged such proliferation. The US magazine Business Week publishes an annual survey of the Best New Products. From the 38 noted for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991, there were only 13 brand extensions and 3 genuine product innovations that were titled under the best new products over the 3 years. Ehrenberg (Repeat Buying, 1988) found that most buyers buy several brands over a period of time. They buy some brands more often than others and some not at all, but they mainly buy a large range of acceptable brands. The frequency with which they buy each brand varies from consumer to consumer but, on an average, it matches the brands overall market share. Unilevers forward strategy should not appear to make a distinct product without a real difference and that merely tries to differentiate the brand from competitors.

Contact :: essays research papers

The movie Contact, based on the novel by Carl Sagan, is a fascinating journey through the human mind that attempts to answer the questions that humans have been asking since the dawn of time, “Are we alone in the Universe?'; Ellie Arroway (portrayed by Jodie Foster), the main character of the movie refers to the historic event upon which the movie is based, contact with an alien civilization, as one of the most significant events in human history, and rightly so. This film explores the religious implications of such an event as well as the faith that one has to have afterwards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Arroway’s journey indeed resembles that of the “hero’s quest.'; Of course Ellie being the hero, is faced with something the world has yet to encounter: contact from aliens. She then voluntarily sacrifices herself for what seems to be ‘a greater good’.....to be the first human to converse with an extra-terrestrial existence, only to be disregarded because of her beliefs. That was one hurdle she had to overcome. The religious extremist was a ‘demonic adversary’ that, for a moment in the movie, appeared to have terminally halted the entire project. Then ‘the wise counselor,’ the man with cancer, emerged with his purpose: to lead Arroway on the right path. Faced again with taking the journey that could only be taken alone, she of course had to find a reason that would make it harder to leave, the ‘companion’ (Matthew McConaughtey’s character). This was another hurdle she had to overcome. She takes the journey to come out a changed person, for the better, as the movie evidently is implying. And in the end, the hero is reunited with the one she loves, her ‘companion.’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This movie bridges the gap between science and religion. How else can you explain the moving ending of an agnostic scientist trying to explain what just happened to her without the benefit of one shred of proof?

Images of Addiction :: English Literature

Images of Addiction 'Addiction', 'craving', 'dependence', 'enslavement', 'habit', 'obsession' these are some of the many ways of describing a persons need for something or someone. Addiction and the way it's presented is the main focus of two books, 'Junk' by Melvin Burgess a contempary novel written in 1996 and 'The Man With The Twisted Lip' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a short story from the Sherlock Holmes series written in 1892. I will be comparing the two similarly themed stories and discuss how they show images of addiction. Both of the books use many different techniques to make the story as realistic and believable as possible. In Junk each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character in the 1st person narrative. This style of writing gives the story a lot of credibility and often involves different characters telling the same event but from a completely different perspective. This is not just very interesting for the reader: it also gives you the chance to get deep into the characters heads and to find out what they are thinking. You can also formulate your own opinions of characters as many of them, particularly Gemma, really involve the reader and try to talk them round to their points of view. In contrast 'The Man With The Twisted Lip' is very formal and written throughout by the same character, Dr Watson. The details are very precisely written like a report of what has happened with constant references to street names and timings to give the effect that everything in the story has really happened one example is 'found herself exactly at 4:35 walking through Swandom Lane on her way back to the station'. Another method the authors use to convey a sense of realism is the language. In 'Junk' there is a lot of teenage slang and swearing both in the dialogue and the text itself, which adds a sense that you are getting the full truth however disturbing it may be, not a sugar coated version. I also thought that the way the story was written as if the characters were talking to you worked really well because you felt the characters were telling you, not just writing it down. Another important aspect of creating realism from the language was the way the characters began to use 'junkie slang', drug terminology, unheard of at the beginning of the novel but common place by the end. This really helped to show how the lives of the main characters had really changed as the book progressed. Cultural references are also important because they help people to relate to the story and put the

Henry Fleming In Red Badge Of Courage Essay -- Red Badge Of Courage

Henry Fleming in Red Badge of Courage The Civil War forced many young boys out of childhood and into adulthood. Most of these young boys were not prepared for war, and Henry Fleming was one of these boys. Henry Fleming's life in New York was routine. He had his normal share of friends and lived on a farm. When Henry got up in the mornings, he always knew exactly what the day had in store for him. This simple and boring life drove Henry to enlist. Henry wanted some excitement and to be seen by everyone as a hero. He wanted to be a man. However, his mother was strictly against his joining the Union Army. She thought that the Army was for rough and uncivilized heathens. His mother's greatest fear was that these heathens would influence Henry to start drinking and swearing. Despite his mother's concerns, Henry enlisted in the Army. But being in the Army wasn't enough, Henry was anxious to go to battle. All along the way to his station he and his fellow recruits were treated kindly. Old men patted them on their backs and young boys admired them when they stopped for rest. This warm feeling faded when they reached the camp. Here life was boring for Henry. The only thing his company did was drill day in and day out. All of the experienced soldiers told war stories every night by the campfire. Henry could only listen because he was still 'wet behind the ears'. He felt left out and often sat alone wondering about battle. War was like an illusion to him....

Public Finance and Taxation Essay

There are varying definitions of what public sector economics is and what topics it covers. In a layman’s language Public economics is the application of economics to the activities undertaken by the state. Black et al. defines public sector economics as â€Å"the field of economics which studies the nature, principles, and economic consequences of government expenditure, taxation, financing and the regulatory actions undertaken in the non-profit making government sector†. Thus it looks at the efficiency of various approaches used by government in its day to day operations. For the government uses economic policy instruments which are designed to influence economic behavior in order to achieve certain outcomes. The government has various goals which it pursues they include; i) Macro-economic stability ii) Enhanced economic growth iii) Balance of payment stability iv) Income distribution. The ultimate goal of these policies is to improve people’s welfare. As already mentioned government uses instrument of fiscal and monetary policy to achieve its goal. The use of government expenditure and taxation to influence economic outcome is referred to as fiscal policy. Fiscal policy is often outlined through the annual budget which is presented to parliament every year. The budget outlines its objectives in the budget and how these are going to be achieved. On the other Monetary policy is aimed at influencing the supply of money and consequently economic growth. The central Bank is an independent arm of the state which is mandated with running the monetary policy. In Zambia, monetary policy is the responsibility of the Bank of Zambia. In public sector economics we study the impact of instrument of fiscal policy on economic efficiency. Instruments of fiscal policy include; i) Expenditure ii) Taxation iii) Financing iv) Regulations The first two involves the procurement and spending of the government funds on various programs such as public infrastructure, education, health and public security. Example the government collects revenue using tax and spends the revenue on education, health, roads etc. in economic terms the use of these two constitutes the direct mobilization and allocation of scarce resources. In contrast, regulation entails a law or administratively proclaiming an enforceable instruction that leads to a different allocation of private sector resources than would apply in the absence of government intervention. That is allocation resources are influenced indirectly. Example the government through the Environmental Council of Zambia has put regulations to curb environmental damage; this has lead to increased investment in environmentally friendly technology by private firms. This is something the profit seeking private sector would not have done if there was no government intervention. PUBLIC FINAN CE AND IDEOLOGY Opinions on how government should function in the economic sphere are influenced by the ideological views concerning the relationship between the state and the individual. Political philosophers have distinguished two major approaches. These approaches are the organic view and the mechanistic view of government. Organic View of Government In this view society is considered as a natural organism and the government is the heart of such an organism. Society is an organic whole, just as the human body. Each individual is a constituent part of the organism just like a body part. In this view an individual has significance only as a part of the community and the good of the individual is defined with respect the good of the whole. A person’s action is seen as important if it leads to the improvement of the wellbeing of society. In Plato’s view, ‘an activity of citizen is only desirable if it leads to a just society’. In this view, the goals of society are set by the state which attempts to lead society, toward their realization. The goals of society do differ from one state to another. For example Plato conceived that the goal of government was the achievement of a golden age in which human activities would be guided by rationality. In short society strived to achieve a state in which the decisions of all individuals and the state were rational. So society was support all activities which would lead to the achievement of this goal. In Adolf Hitler’s view, the state’s goal was the achievement of social purity. He envisaged the creation of a supper race. To achieve this goal the state supported all activities which were aimed removing human impurities. They include bizarre actions such as extermination of Jews, physically disabled people and invasion of all countries to ensure that his goals are achieved over the world. The Grand Ayatollah Khomeini argued that the goal of society is to create good believers. Thus all actions of individuals and the state should be aimed at creating a cadre of believers. Closer home, Kaunda envisaged that the goal of society was the attainment of a just society. He coined the concept of human centered development or Humanism. In this ideology he argued all the actions of individuals and government should be aimed achieving a society in which all persons are equal to each other. Proponents of the organic view argue that certain goals are natural for the societal organism such as pursuit of sovereignty over some geographical area. From a policy perspective, the organic view emphasizes combating poverty and equity issues notably redistribution of income as justification for government intervention. In addition, this view tends to support existence of a large government. That is government has a large part to play in of the nation’s activities. Mechanistic View of Government In this view government is not an organistic part of society, but it is a creation of people to better achieve their individual goals. Here government is seen as a reflection of individual preferences or tastes. In short, society is a mirror of individual wants and needs. In this case, government intervention is only justifiable if it leads to individual welfare maximization. An individual will only support a government if it helps him/her to achieve their individual goals. Example government should protect individuals from violence. To do so the individuals gives government coercive power. In Adam Smith view, Government should protect society from violence and invasion from other states. This view advocates for government intervention only to correct market failures and letting the market decide who gets what. In addition, the role of government should be limited to certain public works such as roads, bridges, sewer, and airports. These are infrastructures which make society function. There are several divergent views within the mechanistic view. Some of these are; i) Libertarians View which argue against any further role in the economy beyond providing justice and protecting individual liberty. ii) Social democrats believe that sustained government intervention is need for the good of individuals. These interventions can be as diverse as safety regulations at work place, banning racial discrimination, welfare payments to the poor. In totality, the mechanistic approach focuses relatively more on the efficiency of markets and economic growth. ROLE OF THE STATE 1. Equity and Efficiency Principles Pareto Efficiency-occurs when it is not possible to improve the welfare of some people without making the welfare anyone worse. An economic system that is not Pareto efficient implies that it is possible to change resource allocation without making any one worse off. Example if an economic system is not Pareto Optimal it is possible to increase consumption by one group and reduce for others without making them feel worse off. This is known as Pareto Improvement. Pareto improvement occurs when a change to a different allocation makes at least one individual better off without making any individual worse off. To make us under this lets assume that; i) There are two individuals A and B, ii) There are two goods X and Y, iii) There are two factors of production Labor (L) and Capital (K) iv) We assume that we have a static economy such that XA+XB=X and YA+YB=Y Exchange Efficiency or efficiency in consumption Efficiency in consumption is achieved when the marginal rates of substitution are equal for all persons; MRSXYA=MRSXYB The Marginal Rate of Substitution is simply the slope of indifference curve. ∆∆Y ∆X X MRS=-∆Y∆X If you have a utility function: uX,Y=U0 totally differentiating MUxdX+MUydY=0 MRSxy=-dYdX=MUxMUy In the Edgeworth box efficiency is achieved where the indifference curves are tangent; Lets pick a point such as ‘e’. At point ‘e’ it is possible to make person A better without making person B worse off. This can be done by moving along Indifference Curve no B2 to point d. At point‘d’ the welfare of person A improves because he moves from a lower indifference curve A2 to a higher indifference curve A3. The improvement for person A continues until point ‘c’ where the indifference curves are equal. At point ‘c’ it is not possible to make any Pareto improvement. At point ‘e’ we have MRSXYA>MRSXYB This also true for point ‘d’. This outcome of Pareto efficiency is only possible under perfect competition. This is because in perfect competition all consumers face the same market prices for these goods. That is they equate the marginal rate of substitution to the same price ratio. MRSXYA=MRSXYB=PxPy Each individual maximizes their utility function subject to the budget constraint. That they maximize the following function U0=uX,Y subject to I=XPx+YPy therefore the langrangian L=UX,Y+ÃŽ »(I-XPx-YPy) First order conditions ∂L∂X=MUx-ÃŽ »Px=0 and ∂L∂Y=MUY-ÃŽ »PY=0 MUX=ÃŽ »Px and MUy=ÃŽ »Py solving simultaneously we getMUxMUy=PxPy=-dYdX=MRS Therefore, each person will equate their MRS to the price ratio. Production Efficiency Production efficiency requires that the marginal rates of technical substitution are equal in the production of good X and good Y. That is MRTSLKX=MRTSLKY In the Edgeworth box this requires this occurs where the isoquants are tangent to each other. The marginal rate of technical substitution is simply the slope of the isoquant. K L U0 ∆K Given an isoquant QL,K=Q0 totally differntiating we get MPldL+MPKdK=0 MRTSLK=-dKdL=MPlMPK Lets have a factor Edge worth box to make our illustration easier. Remember from our study of micro-economics we defined an isoquant as a curve that represent the combination of labor and capital which give the same level of output. In the diagram below production of X uses labor from point X to the right and capital from X upwards. For good Y it is the opposite of good X. All points along XPY are Pareto efficient in the sense that it is not possible to improve or increase the output of good X or good Y without reducing either of them. To under this lets pick point ‘a’ which is not along XPY. This point is not Pareto optimal because it is possible to improve the production of X without reducing the output of good Y simply by moving along the isoquant no Y2 output of good X improves/increases to X2 from X1. Pareto efficiency is only possible under a perfectly competitive market system because all produces face the same factor prices (PK and PL). Thus Pareto Optimality condition reduces to: MRTSLKX=MRTSLKY=PKPL Proof: Q0=QL,K subject to C=LPl+YPy therefore the langrangian L=QL,K+ÃŽ »(C-LPl-KPk) First order conditions ∂L∂L=MPl-ÃŽ »Pl=0 and ∂L∂K=MPk-ÃŽ »Pk=0 MPl=ÃŽ »Pl and MPK=ÃŽ »PK solving simultaneously we getMPlMPk=PlPk=-dLdK=MRTS Therefore all firms will be minimizing their costs while facing the same factor prices. OVERALL EFFICIENCY This requires that the production possibility frontier (PPF) and the social welfare function are tangent. That is; MRSXY=MRTXY. X SWF PPF Y The PPF shows the maximum quantity of good X and good Y that can be produced using the existing technology and resources. An increase in the amount of labor and capital available or an increase in the level of technology will make the PPF to move outwards to the right. All points inside the PFF are attainable but not efficient and all points the right of the PPF are not attainable. To achieve, the Marginal Rate of Substitution for society (slope of SWF) must be equal to the PxPy and the marginal rate of transformation (slope of PPF) must be equal to the MCxMCy or resources must be fully utilized. In perfect competition, P=MC. Hence it is possible to achieve the following outcome; MRSXY=PxPy=MRTXY=MCXMCY. Thus a perfectly competitive outcome results into a Pareto optimal allocation of resources. It is important to note that Pareto optimal allocation may not be the best outcome in the sense that it does not consider equity. That is there is no equity consideration. Equity is the fair d istribution of resources in sources. There are two concepts of equity used in economics horizontal and Vertical Equity. Horizontal equity means that people in similar positions/situation must be treated equally. Example if two people have HIV and the same level of CD4 count they should have equal access to ARVs. The only condition is that they are positive and have the same CD4. Vertical equity means that people in different economic situations must be treated differently from a poor person when allocating resources. This is because treating them in the same manner is not equitable. MARKET FAILURE A market failure occurs when the market fails to allocate resources according the Pareto criterion. In other words, a market failure is a situation in which the market fails to allocate resources efficiently according to the Pareto Criterion. Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics Welfare economics is the systematic method of evaluating the economic implications of alternative resource allocation. It answers the following questions; i) Is a given resource allocation efficient? ii) Who wins and looses under various allocations? First Fundamental Theorem of welfare Economics- It states that if there is a perfectly competitive market and consumer tastes are convex then any equilibrium will be a Pareto optimal allocation of resources. In short, the competitive market allocates resources efficiently without any need for government intervention. Further, the theorem states that the price from the perfectly competitive market induces selfish individuals independently maximizing their welfare, to bring the economy to a socially optimal state. That is prices rise in response to excess demand and they fall in response to excess supply. Normatively this theorem says that use free market system to allocate resources. The Second Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics states that â€Å"society can attain any Pareto optimal allocation of resources by making a suitable assignment of initial endowment of resources and then letting the people freely trade with each other as in the Edgeworth box.† To help us underst and this lets relook at the contract curve which gives the Pareto Optimal outcomes.

Oedipus Innocent Essay

In Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus relentlessly pursues the truth of his own ancestry and actions in the past, making this play a tragedy of action in which, in the end, the king goes into exile, believing that he has killed his own father and had incest with his own mother. While this latter conclusion is not debatable, it is questionable whether or not Oedipus killed his father, and he could be innocent. All the proof is that he killed his father is from the seer and prophet Tiresias. his fears and suspicions and discover the truth, which is his fate, he is doomed in doing so. â€Å"To his mother son and husband both, he sowed the loins his father sowed, he spilled his father’s blood! Go in and reflect on that, solve that, and if you feel I’ve lied from this day onward call the prophet blind† (Sophocles). All Oedipus knows is that he killed a man at a crossroads: there was no direct communication between them, and no recognition. One would think that Oedipus, however metaphorically blind he may be at this point, still has eyes enough to recognize his own father. His own obsessive seeking of the truth could also contribute to the fallacious assumption that Oedipus makes, without proof, that he has indeed killed his own father. In pursuing the answers to his own tragedy obsessively, Oedipus becomes a sympathetic figure who is blind to the possible truth, and accepts that he has killed his father without having overwhelming proof. There is still a reasonable doubt that the person at the crossroads could have been a complete stranger. But Oedipus’ will demands that he use his essential nature to fight against destiny, and this makes him somewhat blind to the facts. There is no proof beyond the shadow of a doubt that Oedipus has really killed his own father. It is simply what Oedipus believes. Sophocles (2005). Oedipus the King. Norton Anthology of Literature. New York: Norton.

Compare and Contrast Wilson’s and Roosevelt’s Progressivism

Advocates of progressivism had a goal of curing society’s ills by improving government and its role, but some progressives had different approaches to this reform. Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt can be used as examples of this complex reform because they both wanted to improve the economy, but had different incentives behind the programs they used to do so. Roosevelt’s program of progressive reform, New Nationalism, was created in an effort to regulate only those trusts that were â€Å"bad† for public welfare – he distinguished some trusts to be either â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad. He stressed the need for control of corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of natural resources. To illustrate, he intervened in the Anthracite Coal Strike on behalf of the workers. He threatened to nationalize mines if the corporations who owned them didn’t consent to arbitration and pay increases for the workers. The Hepburn Act of 1906 was passed to r egulate the railroads by increasing the government’s power to oversee their rates.In that same year the pure food and drug act was passed which prohibited the selling of dangerous medicines and impure foods. Along with that, the Meat Inspection Act was passed and it helped eliminate diseases caused by meat because it enforced sanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry. However, Roosevelt’s greatest success was in the conservation of the environment. The Newlands Act was passed which created a way for government to irrigate deserts. Roosevelt became an admired public figure because of his involvement in reforming society.Unlike President Roosevelt, President Wilson believed that every single monopolistic business was bad because it disrupted the economy and must be abolished as a result, so he worked towards â€Å"busting trusts. † Wilson’s reform program, New Freedom, sought to attack what Wilson called the Triple Wall of Privilege – the tarif f, banks, and trusts. After it passed, the Underwood-Simmons Bill reduced tariff rates substantial enough to bring real competition to America which helped break the power of the trusts. The Federal Reserve act was happily signed by Wilson and it directly affected the amount of currency circulation. Related article: Jamestown and Plymouth Compare and ContrastThe Federal Trade Commission Act created an authoritative agency that helped businesses become decorous in the eyes of government. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act used the Sherman Act to name certain business acts illegal. Wilson’s New Freedom was the brand of activism and progressivism that he brought to the national level that was different from others. Both Roosevelt and Wilson held leadership qualities like no other and had strong views for America although they were completely different in their approaches for changing America itself.

Computer Motherboard (Descriptive)

Computer Motherboard Motherboard acts like the arteries of a human taking the blood all over allowing the blood to travel. It has many line-like structures that are like the veins and the arteries. These lines are the wires mounted on the motherboard that keep thousandths or even millions of connection. Motherboard is a small yet powerful device inside the computer system. The motherboard has three cards on it. First, the graphics card, it is like the eyes of the computer, it acts like the eye that saw and reflects images to the screen.Second, the sound card it is the mouth of the computer, it sends sound to the speaker, it shouts what the computer says. And the third, the modem, the nose of the computer. It sniffs messages from the wires coming from the telephone lines. If there’s a blood, there’s also the heart. The processor of the computer acts as the heart of the computer. It has a square-shaped chip that has many pins. It sits on the motherboard controlling all th e cards including the motherboard.It controls, allows, and restricts information that is being disseminated into the system like the heart. It also has a heat sink and a fan keeping the processor cool. To be able to complete the system, it also has the brain. Hard disk serves as the brain of the computer. It is rectangular in shape. Inside it, there’s a mirror-like disk where all the information are stored. The disk spin at greater speed, depending on the information /data is being written into the disk.Motherboard is also consists of chips, transistors, and capacitors. It is the other component of the motherboard that acts like the organs of the system. These chips may be small as a grain of rice and bigger as a coin. Transistor is a small, black in color and rectangular in shape. It is sometimes recognizable because of its three metal legs attached on it. Transistors is consists of thousand or even million of IC (Integrated Circuit) packed in one part. And the capacitors ar e like tanks attached in the motherboard.It varies in size; it may be small, medium or large depending on the voltage and its capacitance. Motherboard is consists of millions of chips, transistors and IC’s. It acts like the body of the computer. Without it, the computer will not work. It is like the trunk of a tree. It is an amazing thing that has millions of wires attached in a small board. It is powerful and fundamental part that the computer will not work without it. Reference: * Motherboard. Retrieved from http://www. en. wikipedia. org/wiki/motherboard

Doctrine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Doctrine - Essay Example In order to provide a comprehensive understanding about human nature, Marx made a clear distinction between the actions of animals and the activities perform by human beings differentiating themselves as a superior creature in the earth (Sayers 610-612). In the identification of human nature and taking into concern Marx’s distribution theory, it can be affirmed that Marx had given a distinct place to the individuals in society. According to him, individuals are no longer slaves in the prevailing communist societies. They can play a decisive role in the development of modern societies. In the background of communist society and Marx’s distribution theory, individuals not only tend to generate greater value for themselves but also serve the best interests of every community member. Thus, labor forces are not only selected by the individuals but also play a foremost role in making greater contribution towards the welfare of the communist societies (Rosen

Week 6 _Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week 6 _Assignment - Essay Example It provides authentication as well as integrity of data and information of the user (Interpeak, 2005). IP Spoofing- An intruder connects to host server by duplicating his/her IP address when address-based authentication is been used. The IPSec protocol uses cryptographic authentication rather than address-based authentication for protecting from IP spoofing attack (Oppliger, 1998). Session Hacking- An intruder can connect to a server which is authenticated. At that point of time, IPSec helps to protect the connection as the intruder does not know the session key necessary for encrypting the data stream (Oppliger, 1998). Denial-of-Service- An intruder sends TCP messages to flood buffer space of targeted system but if there is IPSec protocol it will provide a denial-of-service attack and will reveal intruder’s identity if he/she is using original IP address (Oppliger, 1998). Application layer manages views of the user over the network. It defines about the processing of the application on different systems end communicate over the network. All the processes which are running in various systems or else end-users communicate with the help of application layer protocol (Rouda, 2006). XML stands for Extensible Markup Language, which is used to encode document in a format which is understandable by both human beings and machine. It facilitates to develop a common format of information in a flexible manner. Yes, it is possible to design a universal security solution at one layer. Generally, security suites work on one layer without collaborating with other protocols. A security system can be build with single layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The OSI model is really a theoretical device used to help explain how the network and internet functions. When a Web communications is secured using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) which is used for securing message transmission

Does God exist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Does God exist - Essay Example Fundamentally, Anselm seeks to provide a priori proof, which is to negate the view presented of the fool in the Bible who says there is no God in Psalm 14:1 (Princeton University para 2). Therefore, he works from the angle of trying to present the arguments and proofs that an ideal or wise person should have. This implies that in Anselms views, a wise and a good person will be one who can go into himself, evaluate things and see and accept that God exists and have a feeling of his attributes and features which are not so obvious or clear to the average mortal. In Anselms earlier work, Monologion, he states three arguments to prove the existence of God. He first thinks that there is something above all goodness and that is a superior good. He believes that things are good in different way and they all go through a supreme good thing. That thing is good in itself and is the source of the good things. Therefore, since other thing cannot be greater than the good thing through itself, that thing must be supremely good. Anselm therefore concludes that the supremely good thing is also supremely great. There is, therefore, one thing that is supremely good and supremely great. In other words, supreme among all existing things. The second argument states a similar idea that all existence must come from one ultimate cause. If there are several causes then they either must exist independently or support each other. However, if those causes exist by supporting each other mutually, they cannot exist by causing what they supported. Therefore, if they exist independently, it means that they share a common power and become an ultimate cause. Finally, Anselm argues that there must exist one thing that every existing things exists through. To explain this, he illustrates his idea as follows; things must exist through something. And something might be one or more than one. If there is more than one thing, either they