RESORT MANAGEMENT Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

RESORT MANAGEMENT - Research Paper Example c. The resort would include 4 main luxury suites and 12 executive double rooms with additional facilities like local sightseeing services, shuttle systems, laundry facilities, restaurants, buffet breakfast options, free internet connection and room services like spa therapy. The service provided by the resort would include both the primary services and a number of augmented services. d. The main departments relevant to the resort would include a tourism management department, operations management department, human resources department and accounting and finance departments (Abrams and Abrams 56). e. The target market trends include increasing interest towards visiting these kinds of places for adventure sports and preference to spend more money for getting high quality service and experience. The visiting trends of the tourist are similar in both winter and summer seasons which mean that the resort is likely to generate good business all round the year (Predeaux 102). a. The resort is expected to add value to the host community. The establishment of the new business would create employment opportunities for the local people and thus create economic opportunities in the area. Also, the local suppliers of products and services required for the hospitality industry would benefit from the scopes of providing their products to the new resort. The investments in the resort would also improve the economic scenario of the area and contribute to the revenue generation of the area. b. However, the equipments and installations required for the skiing and other sporting activities provided by the resort like the gondola services and rope tows may disrupt the local habitats of the area. The deforestation of some areas for establishing the skiing facilities and the accommodation spaces may lead to harmful impacts on the environment. The original ecosystem may be damaged by the establishment of the resort and its ancillary services.

Aqa as Philosophy Revision Notes †Reason and Experience Essay Example for Free

Aqa as Philosophy Revision Notes – Reason and Experience Essay Knowledge and Belief †¢ People can believe things that aren’t true. †¢ For you to know something, it must be true and you must believe it. †¢ Beliefs can be true or false. †¢ Beliefs can accidentally be true, but it isn’t knowledge. Types of Knowledge †¢ Analytic – true by definition – â€Å"Squares have 4 sides†. †¢ Synthetic – not analytic, true or false in the way the word is – â€Å"Ripe tomatoes are red†. †¢ A priori – doesn’t require sense experience to know – â€Å"all bachelors are unmarried†. †¢ A posteriori – can be established through sense experience – â€Å"Snow is white†. All Analytic propositions are known a priori. This doesn’t mean that all a priori propositions are analytic. The main question is â€Å"Are all synthetic propositions a posteriori? † i. e; do we have some knowledge that doesn’t come from sense experience? It is this question that forms the debate between rationalism and empiricism. Rationalism vs. Empiricism †¢ Main dividing questions are: â€Å"What are the sources of knowledge? †, â€Å"How do we acquire it? †, â€Å"How do we get concepts? †. †¢ Rationalism gives an important role to reason. †¢ Empiricism gives an important role to the senses. †¢ Why can’t we use both in acquiring knowledge? Rationalism. †¢ Rationalism claims that we can have synthetic a priori knowledge of the external world. Empiricism denies this. †¢ Rationalists argue that it’s possible for us to know some synthetic propositions about the world outside our own minds, e. g. Maths and morality. Empiricists argue that it is not. †¢ Both rationalists and empiricists accept that we naturally have certain thoughts and feelings inside our minds. Empiricism †¢ An advantage of empiricism is that it allows us to quickly see how we ascertain our knowledge – through our senses by perceiving how the world is, which is a causal process – it requires no mental reasoning. †¢ Empiricists also claim that this is how we acquire our concepts – through our senses. †¢ Once we understand the acquired concepts, we gain analytic knowledge. If we have knowledge that doesn’t come from sense experience – how do we get this knowledge? Rationalists argue that we either gain this knowledge from ‘rational intuition’ or ‘insight’, which allows us to gain this knowledge intellectually, or we just know these truths innately as part of our rational nature. Rationalists may also argue that some, or even all of our concepts are innate of come from rational insight. Do All Ideas Derive From Sense Experience? John Locke – Mind as a ‘Tabula Rasa’ †¢ Locke argues that all ideas derive from sense experience. †¢ He says that the mind at birth is a ‘tabula rasa’ – a blank slate that gets filled up with ideas from the senses. †¢ He refutes the claim of ‘innate ideas’. †¢ Ideas can either be part of a proposition: â€Å"He had the idea that it would be fun to take the day off†; or they can be concepts: â€Å"the idea of yellow†. †¢ Locke says that all our concepts derive from sense experience, and that we have no knowledge prior to sense experience. From Locke’s definition of ‘innate idea’, it follows that everyone with a mind should have the same ideas. However, there is no truth that every person (including people lacking reasoning skills) can assent and agree to. So perhaps, with Locke’s definition, innate ideas are ones that we known as soon as we gain the use of reason. Locke refutes this, saying that we aren’t lacking reason but the knowledge of ideas. For example, a child can’t know that â€Å"4 + 5 = 9† until the child can count up to 9 and has the idea of equality. It is the same thing as knowing that an apple is not a stick – it’s not a development of reason, just the gaining of knowledge of ideas. So therefore, if we must first acquire the concepts involved (through sense experience), the proposition cannot be innate, as no proposition is innate unless the concepts used are innate. Locke argues that the mind has no concepts from birth, and so no truths or concepts can be innate. A Different definition of ‘innate idea’ †¢ Locke’s definition and argument against innate ideas hasn’t been criticized †¢ People who believe in innate ideas don’t accept Locke’s definition †¢ Nativists maintain the view that innate ideas are those which cannot be gained from experience †¢ Nativists tend to argue on how concepts or knowledge can’t be acquired from sense experience †¢ Because we don’t know all concepts from birth, there is some point when we become aware of our concepts †¢ Rationalists argue that experience triggers our awareness of our innate concepts. Experience as a ‘Trigger’ †¢ Children begin to use certain ideas at certain time, and their capacities develop, so why can’t their concepts and knowledge also develop? †¢ Children begin to use certain ideas at certain times †¢ Experience still plays a role – a child must be exposed to the relevant stimuli for the knowledge to emerge, e. g.language. †¢ An idea is innate if it cannot be derived or justified by sense experience. Empiricists on Arguing Concepts John Locke 1. The senses let in ideas 2. These ideas furnish an ‘empty cabinet’ 3. The mind grows familiar with these ideas and they’re lodged in one’s memory 4. The mind then abstracts them, and learns general names for them 5. The mind then has ideas and the language by which it can describe them †¢ However, what does it mean to ‘let in ideas’? †¢ We contrast ideas with sensations, e. g. the sensation of yellow isn’t the same as the concept of yellow †¢ Locke fails to make this distinction David Hume †¢ Hume believes that we are directly aware of ‘perceptions’ †¢ Perceptions are then divided into ‘impressions’ and ‘ideas’ †¢ Both Locke and Hume divide impressions into ‘impressions of sensation’ and ‘impressions of reflection’ †¢ Impressions of sensation come from our sense data and that which we directly perceive †¢ Impressions of reflection derive from the experience of our mind, such as feeling emotions. †¢ Hume says that ideas are ‘faint copies’ of impressions †¢ Therefore, there are ideas of sensation (e. g. the idea of red) and ideas of reflection (e. g. the feeling of sadness, happiness) †¢ Concepts are a type of idea. †¢ Hume’s theory of how we acquire ideas (from copying them from impressions) is a theory of how we acquire concepts) †¢ Locke and Hume both have slightly different versions of how we acquire ideas with which we can think †¢ We start with experiences of the physical world which we get from sense data and experiences of our mind †¢ For Locke, this gives us ideas once we employ our memory to reflect on these experiences †¢ According to Locke, this makes it sound that the remembered experiences are the ideas with which we think †¢ Hume corrects this, and says that we remember and think with the copies of the sensory impressions. Simple and complex concepts †¢ A complex idea is just an idea made up of several different ideas, e. g. a complex idea (a dog) is made up of simple ideas like shape, colour and smell. †¢ This complex idea has a complex impression †¢ We can therefore form complex ideas by abstraction. †¢ As an objection, rationalism raises the question of where do non-empirical ideas come from? †¢ Empiricism is appealing, as we seem to intuitively trust our senses and it easily answers such questions. †¢ However, there are complex ideas that correspond to nothing from our sense experience, e. g. unicorns or God. †¢ So do all ideas derive from sense experience? †¢ Empiricists argue that these complex ideas are made up from simple ideas, which are copies of impressions (e. g. a unicorn is the simple concepts of a horse, a horn, and the colour white, and combined together they give us a unicorn) †¢ Hume and Locke argue that when creating complex ideas, one can only work with the materials that our impressions provide – simple ideas †¢ Complex ideas are no more than altering or abstracting these simple ideas †¢ Therefore, empiricists answer this rationalist objection So Are There Innate Concepts? †¢ What would an empiricists’ analysis of complex concepts like self, causality, substance, etc.be? †¢ These concepts must either be innate, or reached using a priori reasoning †¢ Hume accepts that these complex concepts cannot be derived from experience †¢ However, he states that each of these concepts has no application †¢ These concepts are confused, and we should always use concepts that can be derived from experience †¢ For example, we don’t experience our ‘self’, we experience a changing array of thoughts and feelings. †¢ To come up with the idea of ‘self’, we’ve confused similarity with identity †¢ We do the same with the idea of a physical object †¢ A physical object exists independently of experience, existing in 3d space. †¢ But can experience show us something that exists independently of experience? †¢ If I look at a desk, look away, and then look back again, the desk must have existed when I wasn’t looking at it. †¢ I can’t know that my experience was of the same desk, only that the experiences are similar †¢ When coming up with the concept of a physical object that exists independently of experience, I confuse similarity with identity. †¢ Hume concludes that these concepts are incoherent confusions †¢ This can be objected though †¢ This makes most of our common-sense understand and analysis of the  world incorrect – we know that our concepts are coherent. †¢ Empiricism now seems to challenging to accept, as it makes our concepts ‘illusory’. †¢ The fact that we cannot derive the aforementioned from experience shows that they are innate †¢ Empiricists therefore have a flawed argument – explaining our most abstract concepts is an argument that these concepts are not derived from experience. †¢ Does this therefore mean that they’re innate or arrived at through rational intuition? †¢ One reason to think they’re innate is that children use these concepts before they develop rational intuition. †¢ Rationalists therefore argue that experience is the trigger for the concept Does all knowledge about what exists rest on sense experience? Hume’s Fork †¢ We can have knowledge of two sorts of things: ‘Relations between ideas’, and ‘matters of fact’ †¢ Relations of ideas are propositions like ‘all sons have fathers’ †¢ Hume argue that all a priori knowledge must be analytic, and all knowledge of synthetic propositions must be a posteriori †¢ Anything that is not true by definition (‘matters of fact’) must be learned through the senses †¢ Hume’s ‘matters of fact’ are essentially analytic truths. Matters of Fact †¢ Hume says that the foundation of knowledge of matters of fact is what we experience here and now, or what we can remember †¢ All our knowledge that goes beyond the aforementioned rests on casual inference †¢ For example, if I receive a letter from a friend with a French postcard on it, I’ll believe that my friend is in France. †¢ I know this because I infer from post mark to place †¢ I think that where something is posted causes it to have a postmark from that place. †¢ If the letter was posted by my friend, I believe that he is in France. †¢ I ‘know’ this because I rely on past experiences. †¢ I don’t work out what causes what by thinking about it †¢ It is only our experience of effects and causes that brings us to infer what cause has what effect. †¢ Hume denies that this is ‘proof’ †¢ He says that knowledge of matters of fact, beyond what we’re experience here and now relies on induction and reasoning about probability. Induction and Deduction †¢ The terms relate to a type of argument †¢ Inductive is where the conclusion is not logically entailed by its premises, but supported by them †¢ If the premises are true, the conclusion is likely to be true. †¢ The French letter example is an example of inductive reasoning. †¢ A Deductive argument is an argument whose conclusion is logically entailed by its premises †¢ If the premises are true, the conclusion cannot be false †¢ E. g. Premise 1: Socrates is a man; Premise 2: All men are mortal; Conclusion: Socrates is mortal. Using a priori intuition and demonstration to establish claims of what exists †¢ Rationalists argue against Hume, saying that some claims about what exists can be grounded on a priori intuition. †¢ A priori demonstration, or deduction, is deduction that uses a priori premises †¢ Rational intuition is the view that you can discover the truth of a claim by thinking about it  Descartes †¢ Descartes says that we can establish the existence of the mind, the physical world and God through a priori reasoning. †¢ He attacks sense experience, and how they can deceive us †¢ We can’t tell if we’re being deceived by an evil demon through our senses, as what we are experiencing will be false †¢ We can establish that we think, and therefore we exist, even if our senses do deceive us (as we don’t need our senses to know our mind exists) †¢ This conclusion of thinking and doubting that we exist was gotten to by pure reasoning. †¢ He also establishes that the mind can exist from the body. †¢ Descartes says we don’t know what causes these experiences †¢ It could be an evil demon, God, or the physics world exists exactly how we perceive it. †¢ If it was God, it would mean he was a deceiver as we have a very strong tendency to trust our senses †¢ If it was a demon, God must have created this demon to deceive us, and because God is perfect by definition, this would mean God isn’t a deceiver, and so he can’t have made a demon – so there must be some kind of a real world †¢ Through a priori intuition and reasoning, Descartes says that the external world must exist, because God exists, and he would not deceive us. Conceptual Schemes and Their Philosophical Implications †¢ Humans don’t all have the same concepts †¢ There are two distinguishable elements to our experience: the data of the senses, and how this data’s interpreted by our concepts †¢ By the latter, it implies that different people would impose different conceptual scheme if they have different concepts. †¢ Conceptual relativism claims that because our conceptual scheme affect how people experience and understand reality, people with different conceptual schemes have different realities. An Implication: Conceptual relativism. †¢ We assume people have different ‘realities’ because we can’t translate their to ours †¢ It assumes language ‘constructs’ reality to say reality is relative to our conceptual schemes †¢ It would mean that reality is dependant on language, which isn’t true – we express our realities by language †¢ A proposition in one conceptual scheme can be true without needing to be express in another set of scheme. †¢ This means that there isn’t one set of scheme with how the world works †¢ An objection is that people argue that the relation between experience anc conceptual schemes doesn’t make sense. †¢ Benjamin Whorf says that languages organize our experience of the world †¢ This is like trying to organize a wardrobe itself and not the clothes in it †¢ If a conceptual scheme organizes our experience, then our experience must be comprised of individual experiences †¢ Conceptual scheme all have a set of experiences in common †¢ We can pick out individual experiences like smelling a flower, feeling cold, etc. †¢ Any conceptual scheme with these sorts of experiences will end up similar to our own, despite the concepts one hold and their language, and so translation between two different conceptual schemes will be possible. †¢ There may be small parts that can’t be translated, but this only leads to a very mild form of conceptual relativism. †¢ We can’t necessarily combine conceptual scheme †¢ An example is that we can have more or less colours in our vocabulary, and so can describe things in different ways. †¢ The Greeks thought that there was only one colour – bronze, and that everything else was a different shade of bronze. †¢ This doesn’t mean they saw everything in what we call ‘bronze’, it’s just how they described their experiences. †¢ We can therefore only state things depending on the concepts we have.

Shipboard Message Relay System :: essays research papers

Shipboard Message Relay System I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Problem Statement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Design a system that automates the manual message relay system utilized onboard U.S. Navy ships during the 1991 Gulf War. Each ship that was part of the Arabian Gulf task force had a Unix-based system that stored and processed naval messages. Computer operators of different departments onboard the ships prepared the messages manually utilizing an MS DOS based system. The messages were then printed and delivered to the ships telecommunications room. Once received by the ships telecommunications room personnel, messages were manually logged into a book for tracking. The messages were then retyped on a teletype and proofread to ensure their accuracy. Each teletype was equipped with a paper tape puncher. After verification that the message had been retyped correctly, the message was punched to tape for loading into the Unix-based system via a tape reader. Then messages were transmitted via one of the various available circuits; high frequency (HF), ultra high frequenc y (UHF), or satellite. This manual process made message processing slow and laborious by shipboard personnel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A new system was required that would reduce the duplication of certain processes, for example, having to type the message twice, and to improve the speed of the process from start to end. In the case of the system onboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway, it required the ability of automating the transmission of messages from terminals located throughout the 35 departments onboard the ship into the Unix-based system located in the telecommunications room without any manual intervention. Additionally, telecommunications personnel needed the ability of accessing the messages for editing, if needed, and relaying them through the appropriate circuits without the need of retyping or printing any documents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After documenting the problem and high-level requirements the team commenced gathering information to identify what was already in place to support the new system. The team gathered information by reading the tech manuals of the Unix-based system, interviewing departmental personnel, walk-through of spaces where the terminals were located, and interviewing personnel from the Naval organization responsible for the development and installation of the system. The team prepared different interview forms targeted to the duties of the personnel being interviewed. For example, one was developed for the departmental personnel throughout the ship. They were our main customers. Another form was developed for telecommunications personnel. Also, a different form was used from the development and installation team.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the information gathering process it was discovered that in order to connect the departmental terminals with the main system in the telecommunications room a software upgrade and new wiring would be required.

Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib

Hadrat Ali was the son of Abu Talib, a prominent Quraish chief and custodian of the Holy Ka'bah. The mother of Hadrat Ali was Fatima. Fatima was a cousin of Abu Talib. Thus, both the father and mother of Hadrat Ali were Hashimites, and that was a great honour. Hadrat Ali was born in unusual circumstances. On the 13th day of the holy month of Rajab, Fatima, the mother of Hadrat Ali, visited the Ka'bah to perform the pilgrimage. During the course of the pilgrimage and while circumambulating the Ka'bah, Fatima felt the pangs of childbirth.She retired to a secluded place in the precincts of the holy Ka'bah, and there Hadrat Ali was born. Hadrat Ali has thus had the unique honour to be born in the House of God. When both mother and the child returned home, the holy Prophet, and Hadrat Khadijah came to see her newborn child. Since his birth, he had not opened his eyes, and that worried both Fatima and Abu Talib. However, when the holy Prophet took the child in his lap, then he opened his e yes. So the first person that Hadrat Ali saw after his birth was the holy Prophet.When the holy Prophet was asked whether he approved of the child being named either Asad or Zaid, he said that since the child was born in the House of God, he should be named Ali (the word Ali being a derivative of Allah). Hadrat Ali had thus had the distinction of being named after Allah. No one before him had ever been so named. Furthermore, the name acquired more sanctity because it was suggested by the holy Prophet. His life The life of Hadrat Ali can be divided into three distinct periods.The first period comprises the first 32 years of his life and extends from 600 to 632 CE. I call this period the period of the education and action. It was during this period that he received his education under the loving care of the holy Prophet; imbibed with values of Islam; and acquired all the attributes that contribute to greatness When Ali was five or six years old, a famine occurred in and around Mecca, affecting the economic conditions of Ali's father, who had a large family to support. Muhammad took Ali into his home to raise him.When Muhammad reported that he had received a divine revelation, Ali, then only about ten years old, believed him and professed to Islam. A whole group of companions said that he was amongs the first ones to accept islam. During the persecution of Muslims and boycott of the Banu Hashim in Mecca, Ali stood firmly in support of Muhammad In 622, the year of Muhammad's migration to Yathrib (now Medina), Ali risked his life by sleeping in Muhammad's bed to impersonate him and thwart an assassination plot so that Muhammad could escape in safety. [1][6][21] This night is called Laylat al-Mabit.According to some hadith, a verse was revealed about Ali concerning his sacrifice on the night of Hijra which says, â€Å"And among men is he who sells his nafs (self) in exchange for the pleasure of Allah Ali was 22 or 23 years old when he migrated to Medina. When Muham mad was creating bonds of brotherhood among his companions (sahaba) he selected Ali as his brother. [4][6][24] For the ten years that Muhammad led the community in Medina, Ali was extremely active in his service as his secretary and deputy, serving in his armies, the bearer of his banner in every battle, leading parties of warriors on raids, and carrying messages and orders. 25] As one of Muhammad's lieutenants, and later his son-in-law, Ali was a person of authority and standing in the Muslim community. Familylife In 623, Muhammad told Ali that God ordered him to give his daughter Fatimah Zahra to Ali in marriage. Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (pbuh) found his wife in tears, he then sought the cause of it, Fatimah Zahra (pbuh) responded, â€Å"I thought of my state in the end of this life and in purgatory, since the transition from my father Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) to my own house reminded me of my transition to the grave.By the grace of Allah (SWT), let's rise for prayer in the first hours of our married life and spend the night in worshiping the Lord. † Indeed, in the sweetest and most memorable moment of her life, the very example of human excellence and the gems of women in heavens and on earth, Fatimah Zahra (pbuh) remembers the reason of her creation and asks her husband to accompany her in spending the night seeking closeness to Allah Ali had four children born to Fatimah, Theirs was a simple life of hardship and deprivation.Throughout their life together, Ali remained poor because he did not set great store by material wealth. To relieve their extreme poverty, Ali worked as a drawer and carrier of water and she as a grinder of corn. Often there was no food in her house. According to a famous Hadith, one day she said to Ali: â€Å"I have ground until my hands are blistered. † and Ali answered â€Å"I have drawn water until I have pains in my chest. â€Å"[ [edit] In battles Arabic calligraphy which means â€Å"There is no brave youth except Ali and there is no sword which renders service except Zulfiqar. With the exception of the Battle of Tabouk, Ali took part in all battles and expeditions fought for Islam. [6] As well as being the standard-bearer in those battles, Ali led parties of warriors on raids into enemy lands.Prpphet Muhammad gave him standards on many occasions. Ali first distinguished himself as a warrior in 624 at the Battle of Badr. He defeated the Umayyad champion Walid ibn Utba as well as many other Meccan soldiers. According to Muslim traditions Ali killed between twenty and thirty-five enemies in battle, most agreeing with twenty-seven. 33] Ali was prominent at the Battle of Uhud, as well as many other battles where he wielded a bifurcated sword known as Zulfiqar. [34] He had the special role of protecting Muhammad when most of the Muslim army fled from the battle of Uhud[1] and it was said â€Å"There is no brave youth except Ali and there is no sword which renders service except Zulfiqar. â€Å" [35]He was commander of the Muslim army in the Battle of Khaybar. [36] Following this battle Mohammad gave Ali the name Asadullah, which in Arabic means â€Å"Lion of Allah† or â€Å"Lion of God†. Ali also defended Muhammad in the Battle of Hunayn in 630. 1] Life after Muhammad (during the reign og the 3 caliphs) Another part of Ali's life started in 632 after death of Muhammad and lasted until assassination of Uthman Ibn Affan, the third caliph in 656. During these years, Ali neither took part in any battle or conquest. [4] nor did he assume any executive position. He withdrew from political affairs, especially after the death of his wife, Fatima Zahra. He used his time to serve his family and worked as a farmer. Ali dug a lot of wells and gardens near Medina and endowed them for public use. These wells are known today as Abar Ali (â€Å"Ali's wells†). 60] He also made gardens for his family and descendants Ali did not give his oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr un til some time after the death of his wife, Fatimah. [4]Ali participated in the funeral of Abu Bakr but did not participate in the Ridda Wars. [63] He pledged allegiance to the second caliph Umar ibn Khattab and helped him as a trusted advisor. Caliph Umar particularly relied upon Ali as the Chief Judge of Medina. He also advised Umar to set Hijra as the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Umar used Ali's suggestions in political issues as well as religious ones. 64] Ali was one of the electoral council to choose the third caliph which was appointed by Umar. Although Ali was one of the two major candidates, but the council's arrangement was against him. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and Abdur Rahman bin Awf who were cousins, were naturally inclined to support Uthman, who was Abdur Rahman's brother-in-law. In addition, Umar gave the casting vote to Abdur Rahman. Abdur Rahman offered the caliphate to Ali on the condition that he should rule in accordance with the Quran, the example set by Muhamma d, and the precedents established by the first two caliphs. Ali rejected the third condition while Uthman accepted it.According to Ibn Abi al-Hadid's Comments on the Peak of Eloquence Ali insisted on his prominence there, but most of the electors supported Uthman and Ali was reluctantly urged to accept him. [65 Election as Caliph as soon as Uthman died, all eyes turned to Ali. The companions of the Prophet could not think of anyone else, to restore peace, and law and order to the Dar-ul-Islam which was battered by economic and social conflict. All the leading Muhajireen and Ansar, therefore, gathered in the Mosque of the Prophet, and agreed, at a caucus, to ask Ali to take charge of the government, and to steer the ship of state to safety.A delegation then called on Ali, and requested him to accept this responsibility. Ali, however, did not accept the offer of the companions, and said that he preferred to be an adviser rather than the caliph. But the companions insisted and told him that there was no other capable of it. But Ali was not eager to grasp this opportunity as he knew that the caliphate was not to be taken with its roses and its thorns, the roses were all gone and all that was left were thorns. So basically accepting the caliphate would only mean wearing a crown of those thorns.Ali knew that if he accepted the caliphate his reign would begin with a civil war, which was not an auspicious beginning. Ali wanted to rebuild the infrastructure of the Islamic society or to bring it back as just as it was in the times of Prophet Muhammad but he realized that he could do so only in the most determined opposition from Quraish. Ali considered all of this and therefore was not willing to take over the caliphate. However at last after great insist from the companions Ali accepted the proposal on the condition that he will put the commandments and prohibitions of Allah and his messenger before everything.

Economics Stock market Essay

Playing the stock market is like gambling. Such speculative investing has no social value, other than the pleasure people get from this form of gambling. On the surface, this seems true. Folks are just buying and selling and hoping the difference will end up in their checkbook. They are not improving the lives of others, encouraging certain business practices, buying and using goods, or hiring and training workers. In fact, the businesses that they buy and sell may never matter to them and never know about their activity. So, what social value was there? However, upon deeper reflection, there might be more. The buying and selling creates liquidity in a public market and permits business to obtain cheap funding for projects that produce jobs, feed communities, train workers and support charities. And, to the extent that playing the stock market educates the investor (no telling if it does or not), the investor might learn about company activities and get interested in particular firms and support their goals. This evolution from disinterested to interested/active may or may not occur but it is possible. Yes, they might be trying to beat the odds, as in a black jack game but this activity might be ultimately educational and provides the grease that lubricates the capital markets. Playing the stock market is like gambling. Such speculative investing has no social value, other than the pleasure people get from this form of gambling. On the surface, this seems true. Folks are just buying and selling and hoping the difference will end up in their checkbook. They are not improving the lives of others, encouraging certain business practices, buying and using goods, or hiring and training workers. In fact, the businesses that they buy and sell may never matter to them and never know about their activity. So, what social value was there? However, upon deeper reflection, there might be more. The buying and selling creates liquidity in a public market and permits business to obtain cheap funding for projects that produce jobs, feed communities, train workers and support charities. And, to the extent that playing the stock market educates the investor (no telling if it does or not), the investor might learn about company activities and get interested in particular firms and support their goals. This evolution from disinterested to interested/active may or may not occur but it is possible. Yes, they might be trying to beat the odds, as in a black jack game but this activity might be ultimately educational and provides the grease that lubricates the capital markets.

5 Ways to Network with DailyWritingTips.com

5 Ways to Network with DailyWritingTips.com 5 Ways to Network with DailyWritingTips.com 5 Ways to Network with DailyWritingTips.com By Mark Nichol DailyWritingTips.com readers often ask us about our presence on social networks, so in this post, we provide details about how to interact with DWT and with other people who care about how they communicate. 1. Find us on Facebook, at Facebook.com/DailyWritingTips. There, you will see links to DailyWritingTips.com posts and can check out comments by other readers. (Please like our page if you haven’t already done so!) 2. Follow us on Twitter, at Twitter.com/Writing_tips. All posts are published on our Twitter stream, so if you follow us, you can link to them through our tweets. 3. Add us to your Google+ circles to stay up to date on our posts and possibly to join us on future hangouts. 4. If you’d like to ask a question about a post or respond to the post perhaps you have an additional example or another good strategy to share with others submit a comment at the bottom of the post. 5. If you have a suggestion for a post topic, or a question unrelated to a post, our email address is info@dailywritingtips.com. (However, if you have a question or a thought about a particular post, it’s better to comment, because then thousands of other readers can see what you have to say, too, and perhaps respond to your note.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"Abstract Nouns from Adjectives45 Idioms with "Roll"

On International Environmental Law †Book Summary

On International Environmental Law – Book Summary Free Online Research Papers On International Environmental Law Book Summary International Environmental Law in a Nutshell, which is written by Lakshman D. Guruswamy and Brent R. Hendricks, introduces the relevant concepts of international environmental law(IEL), contemplates the socio- scientific evidence confronting lawmakers and addresses the resulting corpus of substantive law. Expert authors cover international environmental problems such as population, biodiversity, global climate change, ozone depletion, Antarctica, toxic and hazardous substances, land and vessel- based pollution, transboundary water pollution, desertification, and nuclear damage. Generally, this book can be divided into three parts: Part one, which consists of Chapter one, two and three, discusses the basic concepts of the international environmental law, such as the definition of the international environmental law, the sources and forms of the international environmental law and so on. Part two, including fourteen chapters, from Chapter Four to Chapter Seventeen, emphasizes the specific international environmental problems, such as population, biodiversity, global climate change and etc. Part Three, the last part, Chapter Eighteen, draws the blueprint of the future of the international environmental law. The first part of this book (Chapter one, two and three) illustrates the basic and important concepts of the international environmental law, which can help students, especially the ones who have not studied the IEL at all, clearly understand what the IEL is, what makes the IEL different from the other international laws, what constitutes the IEL and how the IEL become effective. Although the definition of the IEL can be diverse, this book gives the most understandable one to the students. In the first page of this book, it is written that â€Å"International Environmental Law (IEL) bears a name that reflects the content. At its substantive core, IEL endeavors to control pollution and the depletion of natural resources within a framework of sustainable development†¦ IEL is formally a branch of nation states for nation states, to govern problems that arise between nation states. † Then, the authors distinguish the IEL from traditional international law in two aspects. â€Å"First, its creation and vigorous, if uneven growth, owe much to national environmental laws and policies. Nation states frequently have entered into landmark international agreements and practices, driven largely by the momentum of law, regulation, and policies applicable to their own environmental problems, and not necessarily because of the gravity of international problems. Second, the law- making in IEL has been shaped primarily by bio- physical not geo- political forces, and this communal foundation has at times sheltered it from the disfiguring political dissension found in other areas of international law. These two factors have inevitably, albeit asymmetrically, infused the objectives of national environmental regulatory laws, and the conceptual frameworks of environmental sciences, into the corpus of IEL. † To wholly study IEL, it is crucial for students to grasp the substantive corpus of the IEL. And in authors’ view, there are several types of the sources of the IEL: treaties, customary law, general principles of law and judicial decisions. 1,Treaties â€Å"are written agreements governed by international law, entered into between two or more states, creating or restating legal rights and duties.† Treaties are the principle source of IEL, owing to the nature of environmental problems. â€Å"These problems range over a wide spectrum of future contingencies. Moreover, they demand continuous observation and monitoring, as well as quick legal action and implementation in response to ongoing and relatively rapid changes in scientific knowledge and conclusions†¦ None of the four sources of IEL can fulfill all of these requirements†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And treaties, vague and nebulous, need to be interpreted so that they can be implemented. Usually, in the opinion of the authors , the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is perhaps the best known international courts, but the ICJ depends on the acquiescence of the parties for its jurisdiction. Also, the authors introduce the conflict between the treaties and other international laws. 2, Customary law â€Å"refers largely to unwritten law inferred from the conduct of states (practice) undertaken in the belief that they were bound to do so by law.† And customary law mainly comes from the forms, such as the national legislation, diplomatic notes and correspondence and statements and votes by governments in international organizations and forums of varying kinds and etc. One of the weaknesses of custom is that they are all unwritten and uncodified, so one way to remedy this shortcoming is to codify or re-state customary law, thus making it known and accessible. 3, General principles of law. It is of the great importance when some articles of a statute â€Å"need to be interpreted in accordance with its ordinary or plain meaning, in context, and in light of its object and purpose.† 4, Judicial decisions. â€Å"The statute of the ICJ restricts the role of judicial decisions to that of a ‘subsidiary means for the determination of riles of law’ however, judicial decisions still play an important role in any system of customary law by restating, codifying, and clarifying the often uncertain and usually unwritten customary law.† The authors also list the other sources of law, such as the writings of the most highly qualified publicists or scholars, resolutions, declarations, action plans and so on. In the first part of this book, the authors introduce the landmark developments of IEL from 1972 to the presentthe historical continuum, which helps us better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the subject. It includes five historical conferences that have influences on the development of the IEL; they are The 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. The 1982 United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea. The World Commission on Environment and Development. The 1992 United Nation Conference on Environment and Development. The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. What weights most in these three chapters is the implementation. It is said that â€Å"most international treaties require implementation within individual nation states. Implementation of treaty obligations, however, is hampered by the fact that the vertical command and control power structure governing domestic politics within nations is conspicuously absent within the international legal order. In international society, power or authority rests on a horizontal base made up of coequal sovereign states, and can be built into a pyramidal structure only if these nations consent to and join in such an endeavor. While piecemeal building upon the base has resulted in the substantive corpus of IEL noted in Chapter One, there is no overarching pyramid of authority consisting of law- making, law- interpreting, law- implementing, or law- enforcing institutions.† So, the authors start discussing the many international organizations that facilitate the implementation of IEL, the complia nce mechanism, the diplomatic avenues and judicial remedies. It is in the view of the authors that despite the impressive growth of IEL and its expanding domain, there is still no single institution or organization that serves environmental protection in the way that the World Trade Organization (WTO) advances, interprets, implements, and enforces the concept of free trade. The institutions and organizations enlisted to advance IEL are fractured, fragmented, and divided along functional, regional, bureaucratic, and geo- political lines. In the global area, there are institutions and organizations, such as the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and so on. In th e regional area, there are many institutions also become a part of role in developing IEL, and European Union (EU) is the most advanced form of international organization in the world and is evolving into a continent- wide political confederation. Still, many treaties have set up institutional arrangements (or rudimentary international organizations) for their implementation. For example, the sporadic conference of the parties under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer is one way to implement the treaties. And, the Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are playing an increasingly important role in IEL, such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Although there are so many institutions and organizations in the World, they do not enjoy or exercise the power and authority of national legislative, executive, and judicial bodies that supervise and enforce the implementation of laws within nation states. Then, it is important that the substantive rules of international law should first possess an internal force or dynamic that makes sense to the parties and invokes an attitude of compliance rather than non-compliance. There are two ways that lead to compliance, first, treaty negotiators try to formulate and endow substantive rules with some compliance-generating character. Second, conventions or treaties also create institutions and techniques that induce compliance. The authors give some examples to illustrate how the two ways, especially latter way, form the compliance mechanism. Many environmental treaties require that parties explore diplomatic and other means of settling their differences before resorting to judicial or quasi-judicial dispute settlement. Such as the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects and so on. Therefore, the diplomatic avenues become a way to settle the international environmental problems. Apart from regulatory regimes supervised by or through agencies established by treaty, judicial enforcement provides another avenue for securing compliance with the law. Judicial remedies may be used to obtain specific items of compliance and can act as deterrents by bringing embarrassment, perhaps ignominy, to bear on wrongdoing states. More commonly judicial or quasi-judicial remedies within IEL are invoked through inter-state litigation, and are based on the grievance remedial principles of â€Å"state responsibility† or international trot law. And then, the authors explain in detail on the judicial avenue to resort the problems caused by the traditional ways. 1, Jurisdiction, jurisdiction can prove to be a difficult obstacle. In the Legality of the Use by a State of Nuclear Weapons in Armed Conflict case, the ICJ defined the concept to include legal capacity or status, and held that it lacked jurisdiction because the WHO was unable to demonstrate legal capacity. However, d espite these defects, judicial remedies can prove to be an effective way of implementation the law if they are administered by a tribunal having compulsory and binding jurisdiction like the UNCLOS tribunals, and if the tribunals assume a more activist role in interpreting and applying the substantive law. 2, Accountability for transboundary environmental harms, in this part, the authors use the accountability for transboundary harms in 1955 to illustrate the specific way of how the ILC to deal with the codification of the law, including the application of SR, international liability for injurious consequences arising out of acts not prohibited by international law, civil liability, conclusion, the effectiveness of international environmental law, the relationship between IEL and domestic law,. In the second part of this book, the authors detailedly enumerate the problems that facing people, such as population, biodiversity, global climate change, ozone depletion, Antarctica, toxic and hazardous substances, land and vessel- based pollution, transboundary water pollution, desertification, and nuclear damage. And in every single chapter, the authors usually illustrate in a way as the nature of the problem, and then the legal response. One, Population. Needless to say, the growth of global population has dramatically increased to an extent that the earth we live can no longer afford. On the basis of the statistics, â€Å"it took until approximately 1804 for the global population to reach 1 billion, this figure doubled to 2 billion by 1927- a span of only 123 years. The global population reached 3 billion in 1960 (33years); 4 billion in 1974 (14year); and 5 billion in 1987 (13year). It then took a mere 12 years for the global population to reach the current level of approximately 6 billion people in 1999.† And without doubt, the numbers will continue rising in the future, so what directly induces from the unchecked population growth is that the resources on the earth will not meet the need of everyone. Meantime, the environmental impacts of population growth are ubiquitous and universal. For instance, population growth has a direct impact on agricultural resources. The demand for food created from population growth has necess itated an increase in required cropland area at the expense of natural ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands. In order to introduce the remedial objectives, the authors first illustrate the theories on population growth. They are the Malthusian apocalypse and neo-Malthusian, economic transition and redistributional theories of population growth. Although the two theories are poles apart, they both seriously believe that the growth of population must be checked. So, the authors relate on the legal response on the growth of population. The approach fashioned and proclaimed at the â€Å"Earth Summit† the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), hopes to integrate economic development, social development and environmental protection without compromising the needs of present and future generations. In the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development, the result is a comprehensive plan that incorporates ideas from many theories. Though there is controversy in this Program of Action, this is one big step of humans to give methods on balancing the growth of population and other problems. Two, Biodiversity Biodiversity sustains life on earth by maintaining atmospheric quality, regulating local climates, absorbing pollutants, protecting watersheds, and generating and maintaining soils. Despite the fact that biodiversity plays an important role in the humans life, it is suffering from loss, and mainly based on the â€Å"use-value† of species and ecosystems, within economic, ecological, and aesthetic frameworks, also on ethical values, which are different than use-values and arises from a belief in the intrinsic worth of a species. The primary cause of the loss of biodiversity is habitat destruction resulting from the expansion of human population and activities. And other direct causes include invasion by introduced species, over-exploitation of biological resources, industrial agriculture and forestry, pollution, and potentially, global climate change. In order to meet people’s needs for biological resources while ensuring that those resources last indefinitely, it is crucial for all the humans to conserve the species biodiversity, and it must be based on global frameworks of equity and justices as well as sustainable development. And the legal response to the conservation includes the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and International Treaties Related to Biological Diversity, Regional Treaties and Agreements Related to Biodiversity. The CBD is a framework treaty which possesses only the power to seek appropriate forms of cooperation with the executive bodies of other biodiversity conventions. And in order to fully understand this treaty, the authors bring us to the two overriding principles in this framework convention: (1) Equity and Resources Transfers, (2) Sustainable Development (Conservation and Sustainable Use). After the authors pay more attention to detailedly illustrate the two principles and thus we can see how important these two principles are in the framework treaty. The Cartagena Protocol on Biodiversity is a supplementary agreement to the CBD, which acted upon the Art 19(3) of CBD: â€Å"The parties shall consider the need for and modalities of a proto col setting out appropriate procedures, including, in particular, advance informed agreement, in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of any living modified organism resulting from biotechnology that may have adverse effect on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.† And thus the protocol aims at the detailed aspect on the biotechnology which can make a contribution towards achieving the objectives of the Convention if developed and used with adequate safety measures for the environment and human health. The International Treaties Related to Biological Diversity includes: The 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), The 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention), The 1971 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention), The 1979 Convention on the Conservation of Mig ratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Conservation). The Regional Treaties and Agreements Related to Biodiversity. They include a cluster of treaties protecting the Antarctic and so on. Three, Global Climate Change When referring to the global climate, one will mention the Greenhouse gases (GHGs), and the past several years had witnessed the on and on discharging of carbon dioxide, and significant quantities of other GHGs such as methane and nitrous oxide, all of these have altered the natural distribution of atmospheric gases that blanket the earth. According to the statistics, the atmospheric CO levels will increase to between 540 ppm to 970 ppm by2100, which is respectively 90% to 250% higher than the concentration in the late 1700s. Today’s CO concentration of approximately 370 ppm is about 95 ppm greater than the pre-industrial concentration. This could correspond to a mean global temperature increase from 1.4? to 5.8?,an increase range that is two to ten times larger than the central value of observed warming over the 20th century. And scientists predict that if the trend continues in the future, the global climate will be changed greatly that cannot be reversed, and will do harm t o not only the humans themselves, but also the plants and animals living on the earth, maybe one day what happened in the science fiction will come true. Then a cluster of remedies objectives have been set forth in the United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Changes (UNFCCC), and the ultimate objective is to achieve â€Å"†¦stabilization of greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at a level that would present dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner. † The international legal responses to the threat of climate change or global warming are not only found in the UNFCCC, but also in the Tokyo protocol to the UNFCCC. On the basis of the UNFCCC and the Tokyo protocol, the authors discussed the substantive obligations, institutions and implementation, outstanding issues, and implications. 1, Substantive obligations. It is important not only for the developed countries but also the less-developed countries to cooperate together to solve the climate problems.2, Institutions and implementation. The authors specifically introduce how to implement the convention; they are conference of the parties, secretariat, subsidiary body for scientific and technological advice, subsidiary body for implementation, financial mechanism. 3, Outstanding issues. In this part, the authors quote the famous issues concerning the implementation, such as joint implementation, technology transfer and financing, adaptation, and costs?benefits. 4, Implications. The a uthors talked about the small problems involving the implementation, and give some suggestions. Four, Ozone Depletion Ozone is a shield to protect living organisms and humans on earth from exposing to a range of adverse consequences. However, research data has largely concluded that human activities are causing the ozone depletion. In order to restore the ozone shield and prevent the future enlarging of the ozone hole, it is necessary to prohibit the use of damaging chemicals. And legal responses to this include the Vienna Ozone Convention, the Montreal Protocol, adjustments and amendments, transfers, trade restrictions, technological and financial assistance, and the impact of the regime. There are abundant ideas in this part and this will help students to better understand the problem of the ozone depletion. Five, Antarctica Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, iciest, driest and highest major landmass on earth. The fifth largest continent in the world, Antarctica comprises around 9% of the earth’s continental crust and is approximately twice the size of Australia. However, only a tiny fraction of the continent itself is visible, as 98% of its 5.4 million square miles is buried beneath an immense sheet of ice. Antarctica means to humans not only the scientific and archeological importance but also the economic and political consequence. Unfortunately, over the last half of the 20th century, the Antarctic Peninsula region has grown warmer. Given that the 90% of the world’s ice located in Antarctica, were this ice to melt the sea level would rise some 200feet- dramatically impacting human and other forms of life across the entire planet. Considering the threat to the Antarctica, in 1959 the 12 claimant and nonclaimant states met to resolve the problem and eventually sighing a compromise treaty- the Antarctica Treaty. Within the 1959 Antarctica Treaty area, the 1972 Convention for the Conservation of Antarctica Seals limits harvesting of three species of seals. And 1980 Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic marine living resources aims to conserve all living resources found south of the Antarctic Convergence. And 1988 Antarctic Mineral Resources Convention. 1991 Antarctic Environment Protocol chose to create an environmental protocol to the 1959 treaty. Six, Toxic and Hazardous Substances Toxic and hazardous substances can cause significant damage in small, even minuscule, amounts. They are among the pollutants responsible for transboundary air and water pollution, as well as land-based pollution and dumping. About 95% of all hazardous pollutants are created by industries that generate four primary groups of toxic and hazardous chemicals. They are toxic metals, petrochemicals, pesticides and radioactive materials. Toxics often impact ecological food chains by bio-accumulating in the tissues of aquatic organisms and this does harm to the humans and living organisms deeply. Legal responses to the toxic and hazardous substances include toxic and hazardous substances in general, before 1998, no international treaty existed regarding the distribution and use of hazardous substances across all media. In the absence of such a treaty, the FAO and UNEP filled this gap with two sets of voluntary guidelines. After there is prior informed consent, such as 2002 FAO International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides, 1987 UNEP London Guidelines for the Exchange of information on Chemicals in International Trade, Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. In light of hazardous wastes, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, the Convention on the Ban of Imports Into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes Within Africa, the International Convention on Li ability and Compensation for damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea. Seven, Land-based pollution At least 80% of all marine pollution comes from sources that are located on land, and it has loomed more problematic to the extent that urban growth has departed from principles of sustainable development, and environmental protection has been ignored or minimized by economic growth. In general, there are eight groups of pollutants that are deposited into the ocean from land-based sources: chemical nutrients, sewage and bacterial agents, oil, organic chemicals, metals, sediments and litter, radioactive substances, heat. Though land-based sources contribute the highest percentage of marine pollution, the international commitment to controlling these wastes remains understandably low. Only the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Montreal Guidelines for the Protection of the Marine Environment Against Pollution from Land-based Sources, the Global Program of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities and the Washington Declaration on Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities. Eight, Vessel-based Pollution The transportation of crude oil or refined products results in the release of approximately 136,000 tons of petroleum per year into the oceans of the world. And this will cause harm not only to the sea itself but also the humans and the living organisms. International law has responded to the harms, the 1973/1978 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation, International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas In Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties, Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Cooperation for Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000. Nine, Dumping Many types of wastes that are difficult to dispose of on land have traditionally been dumped directly into oceans and rivers without regulation. This includes many hazardous materials, such as sewage, industrial effluents, sludges, radioactive wastes and polluted dredged spoils. Thus, to reduce the harm, international legal responses include United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter. Ten, Conservation of Marine Living Resources The Oceans cover 75% of the earth’s surface and human depend on the oceans for their living, however, without protection, the oceans will not be capable for the future of the next generation, so, it is the time to protect the oceans. The legal responses to the protection of the Oceans include United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNEP regional seas programme, International Convention for the Regulation of Whalting. Eleven, Transboundary Air Pollution Human demands lead to a number of physical processes and activities that convert raw materials, energy, and labor into desired finished products. Diverse pollutants are introduced into the environment during various stages of these production and consumption cycles. In this part, the authors mention the famous case- 1941Trail Smelter Arbitration. This case has since become the basis for the general prohibition against transboundary environment harm that was definitely restated in the 1992 Rio Declaration: States have , in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental and developmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. Also, Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution is the treaty that regulates the transboundary pollution. Twelve, Transboundary Water Pollution Waters cover the face of the earth. And we have seen that the environmental health of the oceans is critical to humanity. However, the healthy waters have become polluted because of human activities. Meantime, pollution introduces into rivers, watercourses, and coastal waters of one state can affect another through transport, diffusion or dispersion. International and Regional ways include Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, 1992 ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and Lakes. And also the authors mention some famous cases on the transboundary water pollution, which become the rules for the future solving problems. Thirteen, Desertification Desertification refers to the process of climate change and human impacts that create desert environments in â€Å"drylands†- the arid, semi-arid, or dry sub-humid regions of the world. Human activities, driven by population growth, energy needs, and the lack of land have led to over-cultivation- the farming of land beyond its sustainable fertility. Desertification raises questions common to other international environmental problems, and must be addressed within the conceptual framework of sustainable development. In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and development adopted Agenda 21, a program for sustainable development, which recommended preventive measures for threatened or slightly degraded drylands and rehabilitative measures for moderately or severely degraded drylands. Fourteen, Nuclear Damage The military use of nuclear bombs can lead to unparalleled suffering, especially the radiation, radiation can cause destructive chemical changes, and when harmful radiation strikes human tissue, it strips electrons or neutrons of the molecules and atoms and thereby kills or damages human cells. And it has the power to destroy all civilization and the entire ecosystems of the planet. So, fear of such destruction has led the international community to seek way of containing and eliminating the nuclear threat from both military and civilian sources. To ban all together the nuclear weapons and find other ways to substitute for the civilian nuclear uses are the best method to control the nuclear damage, however, it is unreal to realize this, so the authors discuss the international way concerning the protection from the nuclear damage. The last part of this book mainly talks on the future of the international environmental law, although the international community has done much concerning the protection of our environment, the road ahead still in the twists and turns. International Environmental Law in a Nutshell is a very useful book that not only for the students, who study the IEL, but also the handbook to the teachers and students who have well known the IEL. 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Chinas First Historically Documented Walled Cities

Chinas First Historically Documented Walled Cities Shang Dynasty cities were the first historically documented urban settlements in China. The Shang Dynasty [c 1700–1050 B.C.E.] was the first Chinese dynasty to leave written records, and the idea and function of cities took on an elevated importance. The written records, mostly in the form of oracle bones, record the actions of the last nine Shang kings and describe some of the cities. The first of these historically-recorded rulers was Wu Ding, the twenty-first king of the dynasty. The Shang rulers were literate, and like other early urban dwellers, the Shang employed a useful calendar and wheeled vehicles, and practiced metallurgy, including objects of cast bronze. They used bronze for such items as vessels for ritual offerings, wine, and weapons. And they resided and ruled from large, wealthy urban settlements. Urban Capital Cities of Shang China The early cities in the Shang (and the predecessor Xia dynasty) were imperial capitals- called palace-temple-cemetery complexes- that acted as the administrative, economic, and religious centers of government. These cities were built within fortification walls which provided defense. Later walled cities were county (hsien) and provincial capitals. The earliest Chinese urban centers were located along the banks of the middle and lower courses of the Yellow River in northern China. Since the course of the Yellow River has changed, modern maps of the ruins of the Shang Dynasty locations are no longer on the river. At the time, some of the Shang were probably still pastoral nomads, but most were sedentary, small-village agriculturists, who kept domesticated animals and raised crops. There the already-large Chinese populations over-cultivated the originally fertile land. Because China developed the techniques of using rivers for irrigation of their fields later than in the heavily trade-networked Near East and Egypt, fortified cities appeared in China more than a millennium earlier than in Mesopotamia or Egypt- at least, thats one theory. Besides irrigation per se, sharing ideas via trade routes was important to the development of civilization. Indeed, trade with tribes in the central Asian steppes may have brought one of the other components of urban culture, the wheeled chariot, to China. Aspects of Urbanism Defining what makes for a city in terms relevant for ancient China, as well as elsewhere, American archaeologist K.C. Chang wrote: Political kingship, a religious system and hierarchy that coupled with it, segmentary lineages, economic exploitation of many by a few, technological specialization and sophisticated achievements in art, writing, and science. The layout of the cities shared that of other ancient urban areas of Asia, similar to ones in Egypt and Mexico: a central core with the surrounding area divided into four regions, one for each of the cardinal directions. The Shang City of Ao The first clearly urban settlement of ancient China was called Ao. The archaeological ruins of Ao were discovered in 1950 C.E., so near the modern city of Chengchou (Zhengzhou) that the current city has hampered investigations. Some scholars, including Thorp, suggest that this location is really Bo (or Po), an earlier Shang capital than Ao, founded by the founder of the Shang Dynasty. Assuming it really is Ao, it was the 10th Shang Emperor, Chung Ting (Zhong Ding) (1562–1549 B.C.E.), who built it on the ruins of a Neolithic settlement dated to the Black pottery period. Ao was a rectangularly-walled city with fortifications like those that had surrounded villages. Such walls are described as ramparts of pounded earth. The city of Ao extended 2 km (1.2) from north to south and 1.7 km (1 mi) from east to west, yielding an area of about 3.4 square kilometers (1.3 square miles), which was large for early China, but small compared to comparably dated Near Eastern cities. Babylon, for instance, was roughly 8 sq km (3.2 sq km). Chang says the walled area was roomy enough to include some cultivated land, although probably not the peasants. Factories for making bronze, bone, horn, and ceramic objects and foundries and what may have been a distillery were mostly located outside the walls. The Great City Shang The best-studied Shang Dynasty city is the 14th century B.C.E. city of Shang, which was built, according to tradition, by the Shang ruler Pan Keng, in 1384. Known as the Great City Shang (Da Yi Shang), the 30–40 sq km city may have been located about 100 mi (160 km) north of Ao and near Anyang north of the village of Hsiao Tun. An alluvial plain created from Yellow River loess deposits surrounded Shang. Irrigated water from the Yellow River provided relatively reliable harvests in an otherwise semi-arid area. The Yellow River created a physical barrier on the north and east and part of the west. On the west was also a mountain range providing protection and, Chang says, probably hunting grounds and timber. Fortifications and Other City-Typical Objects Just because there were natural boundaries doesnt mean Shang was without a wall, although evidence of a wall has yet to be discovered. Within the central parts of the city were palaces, temples, cemeteries, and an archive. Houses were made with walls of pounded earth with light poles for roofs covered with rush matting and all plastered with mud. There were no grander structures than those made of wattle and daub, although Chang says there might have been two-story buildings. The Great City Shang was the capital- at least for ancestor worship/ritual purposes- for 12 Shang Dynasty kings, unusually long for the Shang Dynasty which is said to have changed its capital many times. During the period of the 14 predynastic Shang lords, the capital changed eight times, and in the period of the 30 kings, seven times. The Shang (at least in the later period) practiced sacrifice and ancestor worship, with mortuary rituals. The Shang dynasty king was theocrat: his power came from the peoples belief that he could communicate with the high god Ti via his ancestors. Small Earlier Chinese Cities Recent archaeological excavations have determined that remains in Sichuan, previously thought to have been from the Han Dynasty, actually date from as early as c. 2500 B.C.E. Such sites were smaller complexes than the ones from the three dynasties but may have held a primary position among Chinese cities. Updated by K. Kris Hirst and N.S. Gill Sources:​ Lawler A. 2009. Beyond the Yellow River: How China Became China. Science 325(5943):930-935. Lee YK. 2002. Building the Chronology of Early Chinese History. Asian Perspectives 41(1):15-42. Liu L. 2009. State Emergence in Early China. Annual Review of Anthropology 38:217-232. Murowchick RE, and Cohen DJ. 2001. Searching for Shang’s Beginnings: Great City Shang, City Song, and Collaborative Archaeology in Shangqui, Henan. Review of Archaeology 22(2):47-61.

MGT499 MOD 5 CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MGT499 MOD 5 CA - Essay Example The management is feeling the heat of this issue as the brand ranking slipping down at a pace which requires immediate revisit of concerned strategic guidelines. Acknowledging the situation, Riki Inuzuka the Managing Officer, Corporate Planning Division and Research Division for Toyota states, â€Å"We will continue to make concerted and unified efforts to ensure quality as well as to achieve a higher level of safety.† (Inuzuka, 2011). An in-depth analysis into the structure of the organization, controls applied to ensure implementation of strategies and organizational culture can help to trace the root causes of the safety scandals currently facing Toyota. In seventy-five years of history, the company is predominantly governed and steered by â€Å"Toyoda clan† with some regimes of non-family top level management. This obviously, suggests some structural and strategic flaws as far human-resource management is concerned. In the first place, keeping the steering seat reserved for Toyoda family suggest that performance is not the only merit to reach the heights one may aspire in his career with Toyota. Obviously, when this favoritism and nepotism travels down the path and creates serious unrest and concerns among sincere performers. Secondly, it creates rift among family and non-family managers and creates a stressed environment, where non-family manager will feel insecure and therefore may go for some out of the box options to prove their worth and impress the higher management. Last two non-family presidential regimes; 1995-1999 Hiroshi Okuda and 2000-2009 Katsuaki Watanabe have successfully expanded the global share of the car-maker but not without a changed focus of strategic controls from quality to quantity and goodwill to profitability. (Shirouzu, 2010). The Toyoda family regained the leadership at Toyota when Akio Toyoda was announced as the president of the Toyota. Akio is now trying to shift the focus of the company from

Social Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Psychology - Essay Example taurant and hotel management about it, because he was my friend and I didn’t want to compromise our friendship and working unity over something like this, I didn’t say anything. Another time, I also took food from the cafeteria, along with P.M. He took most of it, but I kept a couple of sodas. The third time, I stole three steaks on my own. I think I wouldn’t have finally been fired for stealing, if I had done the right thing and reported P.M. This itself could be considered counter-factual thinking, though, because it is not rationally based: the past happened, and I cannot go back and change it, to make it fictional. I also saw these events with P.M. as being progressive and related to each other, but counter-factually, this could mean I was just ascribing meaning to them which they didn’t really have. B-Some psychologists suggest you can reduce cognitive dissonance by restoring positive self-evaluations that are threatened by the dissonance. Elliot and Devine (1994) refer to this as self-affirmation. Give an example of a time in your life when you reduced an unpleasant internal state in some self-affirming way. One time, I was able to overcome a bad situation in my life in a self-affirming way, using my sense of morality. I wanted to list examples of their morality may be more prone to give an accounting of their personal beliefs than what they see to be a proscribed function of weighing behavior by a set standard. â€Å"An affirmation is more effective when stated in the present tense. For example; "I now have a wonderful job." Avoid affirming something in the future tense, e.g. "I am going to have a wonderful job" or the results will always be waiting to happen† (Self, 2010). Therefore, ethics is perhaps a better measure of district leadership practice than morality, as it is seen as being less intertwined with belief systems than it is with more generalized (good or bad) behavior in relation to oneself and others. Like morality, ethics are

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

Costa Coffee - Case Study Example The efficient and effective branding of its mobile coffee shops can promote Costa Coffee's popularity amongst its target consumer group, St. Andrews' students, faculty and staff. Branding is the concept through which an organization creates and maintains a unique identity. According to Williams (2004) branding differentiates a product or service. It begins with an organization's mission and core beliefs (Williams 2004). The goal of differentiating is to make an organization immediately recognizable to its publics by "consistently and repeatedly providing an ideal combination of attributes - both tangible and intangible, practical and symbolic, visible and invisible" (Knapferer 1994). While the usual drive behind branding is generating revenue from sales or increasing brand loyalty for repeat purchase, branding can also be used to effectively increase knowledge of an organization and what it does. When it comes to branding an organisation, especially one offering a new service such as mobile coffee services, branding can establish connections among stakeholders associated with the organisation (Arozian 2003). Branding can also serve to support processes for communications initiatives in reaching those stakeholders (Arozian 2003). Branding of Costa Coffee's mobile shops can generate support for this novelty in, but it is a long-term process. Branding is not something that is accomplished overnight, but rather something that grows out of consistent presentation of the unique selling point. Over time this unique selling point, in this case bringing brand coffee to consumers, becomes tied to the brand name and logo so that consumers associate value with an organisation. The overall result of branding is that the consumer perceives that the branded product is more valuable than identical non-branded items because "the brand is present even when it cannot be seen" (Knapferer 1994). As Costa Coffee's mobile shop brand identity grows, Costa Coffee's perceived value will likely increase in the mind of the consumer. This pull generated by a brand is called brand equity. Brand equity could be considered one of the most important concepts in marketing because the generation of brand equity is the goal at the core of many marketing activities. According to the text, Advertising Excellence, brand equity combines "five elements: brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality, associations other than quality (such as style, excitement, or healthiness), and proprietary assets" such as trademarks (Bovee et al. 1995). Through the deployment of the branding tool, Costa Coffee can generate brand equity for its mobile coffee shops and, in so doing, benefit from all of the five components of brand equity listed. As it has been argued in the above paragraphs, the branding tool can significantly contribute to the success of Costa Coffee's mobile coffee shops. Costa Coffee is, in itself, a recognisable coffee brand which is popular within St. Andrews. Through the extension of its services to consumers, wherever they are, Costa Coffee will ensure that selection of its coffee brand becomes the more logical and convenient choice. Added to that, its visibility will increase, as will its popularity and visibility among its targeted consumer base. This is precisely the reason why the group considers this tool critically important to the success of the project. This tool, which was introduced through class lectures and

RESPONSE ESSAY SUMMARY SHEET Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

RESPONSE SUMMARY SHEET - Essay Example paper analyzes some common negative externalities, as well as possible ways through which government intervention may control and regulate these externalities. The study conducted in this paper is based upon a case study of the wastewater management system in Australia. The analysis of negative externalities in this case study is better approached by tackling the following three questions: 1. Explain what negative externalities are, and why there may be the case for government intervention to address them. Describe some of the ways to correct the negative externalities and the pros and cons of each method. Provide real life examples. An externality occurs when some activities by consumers or producers result in unintended direct or indirect effects over other unintended players in the market. Externalities may be negative or positive (Laffont 2008). In this case, negative externalities arise when the action of a party results in damage to other people without any form of compensation being awarded for that damage. Within the context of a business environment, a negative externality refers to a spill-over of an economic transaction that result in negative effects on a party that has no any direct involvement in the activity that causes the externality. Thus, the first party does not incur any costs for the repercussions on society while the second party gets no benefits from the effects inflicted upon them. Externalities constitute one of the many reasons that lead to government intervention within the economic sphere. Thus, it is because the production, consumption, as well as investment decisions made by households, individuals, and organizations or firms usually affect people who are not directly involved in the transactionsMost externalities fall into the technical externalities category. In this context, the indirect effects impact on the production and consumption opportunities of other people, though the cost of the product or service does not consider

Intercultural Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Intercultural Communications - Essay Example This also explains the communal nature of Chinese, their lives are relatively settled and this reliance on agriculture accounts for their attachment to the earth. Furthermore, the Chinese language is seen to adopt ancient characters that are names of natural botanical plants (Wu). Being Chinese is perceived as a cultural identity rather than a matter of race, implying that anyone of a different descent who abides by their cultural values and norms can be called Chinese. From an informal aspect, the Chinese refer to themselves as sons of Han, which is the majority ethnic population in the country. Overall, there are 56 ethnic groups but overtime the 55 have come to be assimilated to the Han group. Moreover, the Mandarin dialect identifiable with the Han and their administrative system has been made official by the Chinese government. This implies that all Chinese must familiarize themselves with these; however, there are legal systems in place that protect the minorities. Their existence is important to the overall Chinese population because of the territories they are found in, and the cultural relations they have with neighboring countries such as North Korea, Thailand and Kazakhstan. Therefore, the Chinese government must acknowledge their existence to avoi d any threats to their national security (â€Å"Chinese Cultural Studies†). Personally, I belong to the Bai ethnic community that originates from Southwest China particularly from Yunnan province. My ancestors occupied the Yunnan-Guizhou region that features many rivers including Nujiang and Lancang. Combined with the large tracts of land and dense forests, the river valleys present in this region provided for abundance in fruits and produce; in general a stunning landscape. Our ancestors clad in white sheepskin which resulted to our title Bai as it means white men while the language they

Therapeutics and diagnostics reasoning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Therapeutics and diagnostics reasoning - Essay Example The other steps include verifying, labeling and recording (Afful-Broni, 2014). This paper aims at identifying and critically analyzing the ethical, legal, practical, and administrative issues concerning to drug administration. The paper then explored and critically discussed facets of diagnostic reasoning and pharmacokinetics pertinent to a variety of medications mostly used in patient’s care. There is a growing necessity for nursing practitioners in both primary and secondary care settings to enlighten themselves on various issues surrounding drug administration. Drug administration is an essential part of nursing role that is underpinned by professional and legal requirements. In order to maintain patient’s safety, it is of the essence that nurses’ post registration and pre-registration knowledge and skills be developed in order that they can be able to competently administer medications and perform drug calculations (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013, p. 67). There are various principles that govern drug administration in nursing. These principles aim to provide patients safety. In order to provide secure drug administration, the nurse ought to perform the rights of drug administration.  These rights are the right client, the right drug, the right dose, the right time and the right route. With familiarity in drug administration, there are five additional rights, which are essential to nursing professional. These additional rights include the right assessment, the client’s right to education, the right documentation, the client’s right to refuse, and the right evaluation (Andersen, 2012, p. 56). The principle of the right client or right patient entails administering medication to the right patient. The right client or patients needs to be confirmed by looking at the wristband, and by read-through a second bit of identification. This might be a

Intercultural Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Intercultural Communications - Essay Example This also explains the communal nature of Chinese, their lives are relatively settled and this reliance on agriculture accounts for their attachment to the earth. Furthermore, the Chinese language is seen to adopt ancient characters that are names of natural botanical plants (Wu). Being Chinese is perceived as a cultural identity rather than a matter of race, implying that anyone of a different descent who abides by their cultural values and norms can be called Chinese. From an informal aspect, the Chinese refer to themselves as sons of Han, which is the majority ethnic population in the country. Overall, there are 56 ethnic groups but overtime the 55 have come to be assimilated to the Han group. Moreover, the Mandarin dialect identifiable with the Han and their administrative system has been made official by the Chinese government. This implies that all Chinese must familiarize themselves with these; however, there are legal systems in place that protect the minorities. Their existence is important to the overall Chinese population because of the territories they are found in, and the cultural relations they have with neighboring countries such as North Korea, Thailand and Kazakhstan. Therefore, the Chinese government must acknowledge their existence to avoi d any threats to their national security (â€Å"Chinese Cultural Studies†). Personally, I belong to the Bai ethnic community that originates from Southwest China particularly from Yunnan province. My ancestors occupied the Yunnan-Guizhou region that features many rivers including Nujiang and Lancang. Combined with the large tracts of land and dense forests, the river valleys present in this region provided for abundance in fruits and produce; in general a stunning landscape. Our ancestors clad in white sheepskin which resulted to our title Bai as it means white men while the language they

Tort law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Tort law - Essay Example This case had to be referred to the Law Commission due to the uncertainties and lack of sufficient material to make judgment about the case. Another similar case was that of Addie v Dunbreck 1929 AC 358. In this case the judge ruled on that the owner of the land must avoid negligently avoid harming the trespassers. This judgment raised the question about duty of care. Because of this case a commission was formed in the UK to investigate this case which later decided that the legislature should come up with the duty of care to be owed to uninvited visitors or trespassers (Mullis, 2011). This proposal was also endorsed by the Pearson commission. The case of White v The council of the City and District of St Albans 1990 was the first case that endorsed this law. In the ruling of this case, the judge ordered that all working and especially construction places be well fenced to a reasonable ground to prevent damage and injury to the trespassers. It is however important to notice that the 1984 ACT has no valid statements which indicate that the duty can be excluded from the occupier. On the other hand there has been suggestions that this is possible especially because since there are no provisions which forbids the exclusion. The 1977 Unfair Contract Terms Act seems to weaken this law since it does not apply to the 1984 Act. The 1957 Act is however supported by the case of Beddeley v Earl Granville 1887 19 QBD 423 which shows that a statutory duty is not under any form of exclusion however no case is law is directly relating to the Act. Strict liability means that a party is imposed with a liability without evidence of committing any offense such as negligence or tort (Alix Adams, 2012). For quite a long time strict liability have been applied to animal cases since animals do not have the right conscious to make decisions (Elliott & Quinn, 2007). The defendant find him/herself imposed with a liability without fault for

Some People Believe That the Earth Is Being Harmed Essay Example for Free

Some People Believe That the Earth Is Being Harmed Essay Some people think that things humans are doing hurt the planet; but others hold the opposite view and believe positive contribution of human activity to the Earth. Although the human contribution is no doubt, from my point of view, it is also undeniable that humans are harming the planet. Firstly, human industrial activities are seriously affecting the environment. Considering this issue, industrial plants probably hold a main responsibility. Many industrial plants just pay close attention to promoting their manufacture of new products and raising their benefits, but they do not care much about possible environmental problems from such their economic activities. The operation of industrial plants usually produces a massive amount of environmentally damaging matter, which will be discarded directly to the surrounding if the plants do not have their own good system of handling waste. The produced industrial waste products can include toxic chemicals such as carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid, and other hazardous waste that put risks to the environment where human and animal are living. As a result, the human industrial activities have unintentionally become main factors that contribute to environmental damages, namely air pollution, water pollution, the green house effect and the global warming, which have already been worrying issues of the world. According to a recent environmental research, it is estimated that production activities of industrial plants worldwide account for about 43% the total amount of air pollution and water pollution produced by the world annually. Along with the industrial development, even human daily activities have adverse impacts on our Earth. One of them that must be taken into account is transportation activities. Human commuting transportation is more and more aggressive, while traffic density and therefore associated environmental problems have soared considerably over the years. Exhaust fumes from means of transportation such as vehicles, cars and buses are also elements that have caused the green house effect and the global warming. Besides, using air conditioners can also ruin the environment. Air waste produced by air conditioners is one of factors that activate the process of ozone destruction, which can cause serious health problems to humans and other animals. Our seemingly harmless routine activities have actually been undermining our home, the Earth. In conclusion, as an implication when there are more and more environmental problems and natural disasters associated with human activities, people are posing a threat to the planet, and the subsequent outcome is increasingly taking serious effect. If we do not control or stop their damaging actions, the Earth will suffer seriously soon, and so will our own lives. Despite it is a good signal that people are now more aware of environmental problems accompanied by our activity, we also need more concrete actions and efforts to minimize damages we are causing to the Earth.

Selecting Channel Members

Selecting Channel Members Distribution plays an important role in the implementation of the international marketing program as it enables the products and services to reach the ultimate customer. And international marketing firm has the option of managing its distribution function either directly or indirectly through middleman or a suitable combination of the two. Due to physical distance, and also the differences in geographical, cultural and market characteristics of the trading countries, use of middlemen is found quite prevalent in international marketing. In fact, distribution is one such primary functions of marketing which makes use of the services of external independent agencies that bind the firm in a long term relationship. International Distribution Channels:- Distribution has two elements, the institutional and the physical. Physical distribution aspects cover transport and warehousing. The longer the channel, the more likely that producers profits will be indirectly reduced. This is because the end products price may be too expensive to sell in volume, sufficient for the producer to cover costs. Yet cutting channel length may be impossible, as country infrastructure requirements may dictate them being there. As already mentioned international marketers have the options of organizing distribution of their goods in foreign markets through the use of indirect channels, i.e. Using intermediaries, direct channels or a combination of the two in the same or different markets. Indirect Distribution Indirect channels are further classified based on whether the international marketer makes use of domestic intermediaries. An international marketer therefore, can make use of the following types of intermediaries for distribution in foreign markets. Domestic Overseas Intermediaries Commission buying agents Country-controlled buying agents Export management companies (EMCs) Export merchants Export agents Piggy backing Foreign Intermediaries Foreign Sales Representatives Foreign Sales Agents Foreign Stocking and Non-Stocking Agents State Controlled Trading Companies Direct Distribution The options available to international marketer in organizing direct distribution include sending missionary skies representatives abroad from the headquarter, setting up of local sales/branch office in the foreign country or for a region, establishing a subsidiary abroad, entering into a joint venture or franchising agreement. Companies having long-term interest in international marketing find it expedient to deploy their own sales force in foreign markets. This helps them in increasing their sales volume through committed market development activities, better control and motivation of foreign intermediaries being used, and paving the way for smoother transition to direct distribution and marketing. International Distribution Policy:- The international distribution policy of a firm according to Cateora, should cover the following factors: Question of control, size of margins, length of channels, terms of sale and channel ownership. Resource (money and personnel) commitment plans for the distribution function management keeping profit goals in a foremost position. Specific market goals expressed in terms of volume, market share and margin requirements, to be accomplished. Return on investment, sales volume and long run potential as well as guidelines for solving routine distribution problems, and The relationship between long-and short-term goals, the extent of the companys involvement in the distribution system as well as the extent of its ownership of middlemen. Adapting to distribution patterns Notwithstanding, the international distribution policy of the company, the factor of flexibility to adapt the distribution policy to local conditions of the foreign markets is very crucial for effective results. A clear understanding of the target market characteristics covering aspects such as traditions and conventions in the wholesaling and retail distribution patterns shopping habits of customers including customers reliance on channel members for product information and servicing; commercial terms; and legal requirements help define the selection of channel. The following trends help to illustrate the need to the above analysis for suitable adaptation of the distribution patterns: In the US, there has been a rapid expansion of large supermarkets and other retail chains, and also the deep-vertical integration into wholesale and manufacturing by large retail houses: In Sweden, a powerful consumer-oriented cooperative movement handles a substantial business in food, petroleum, etc. In Mexico, there is a modern retail distribution for the urban people, and traditional outlets and public distribution system exists for the poor. In China, wholesalers mainly control the Chinese distribution system. In Japan, large trading companies, handle half of Japanese trade while a large number of wholesale and retail outlets help products to penetrate in its market. In Saudi Arabia, a small number of hands approved by the royal family control its manufacturer-wholesaler retailer distribution system. Agents in Foreign Markets Agents, known by different names and performing varying functions in different foreign markets, have a historically established place in international distribution. While agents do not take the title to the goods, their importance stems from: local language proficiency, access to important policy and decision-makers, overcoming business culture differences, short circuiting the buying-selling process, and performing the cumbersome formalities and complying with routines and procedures of the foreign market. Selecting Distribution Channels and Channel Members:- Channels are an integrative part of the marketers activities and as such are very important. They also give a very vital information flow to the exporter. A channel is an institution through which goods and services are marketed. Channels give place and time utilities to consumers. In order to provide these and other services, channels charge a margin. The, longer the channel the more margins are added. Within the overall international distribution policy of the firm, the factors of: capital requirements; level of distribution costs; desired extent of control over distribution channel; depth of market coverage; product-market distribution pattern characteristics; competitive practices; legal requirements; and Short-term versus long-term involvement of the firm in international marketing govern the choice of distribution channels. Basically the choice comes down to two alternatives, the producer /seller selling direct or through an international merchant or agent. This is followed by the development of criteria for the selection of specific intermediaries. The criteria generally includes factors as financial soundness, local government contacts, business reputation, distribution network, technical support and infrastructural facilities (esp. relating to heavy industrial goods), business experience and managerial expertise, commercial terms, and extent of exclusivity to the international marketer. As the selection of the channel members commit the marketer to them for a relatively long period of time, their selection involves a cautious process and a careful analysis and referencing. Some international marketers make us of an elaborate process in this regard which begins with relative rating of candidate firms on pre-determined criteria. After the channel member is selected it is a prudent business practice to enter into a written agreement spelling out the scope of commitment to each other and thus minimizing the possibility of disputes and misunderstandings, 5 lists the items that should be included in a typical agreement with the foreign channel members. Items to include in an Agreement with Foreign Channel Members Name and address of both parties Date when the agreement goes into effect Duration of the agreement Provisions for extending or terminating the agreement Description of sales territory Establishment of discount and/or commission schedules and determination of when and how paid. Provisions for revising the commission or discount schedules Establishment of a policy governing resale prices Maintenance of appropriate service facilities Restrictions to prohibit the manufacture and sale of similar and competitive products Designation of responsibility for patent and trademark negotiations and/or pricing The assign ability or non-assign ability of the agreement and any limiting factors Designation of the country and state of contract jurisdiction in the case of dispute Motivation of Channel Members In order to get the best out of the international marketer and channel member relationship it is necessary that economic and non-economic incentives be used for the purpose. It may be emphasized that channel members being independent business entities, their key consideration for relationship is economic. If the channel member does not get an adequate economic return it is unlikely that he will put in his best in the business. In addition, regularity of contact, involvement in goal setting, better understanding of the international marketers business, and provision of assistance in market development or other areas of deficiency of the channel members capability prove useful for getting the channel members more than what they are generally expected to contribute. Robert Douglas Stuart suggests the following ways for strengthening the channel members loyalty: Build your distributor with your company: bring him into your picture; discuss future plans as they affect his area with him, seek his advice. Give your distributor an effective profit margin; try to keep in mind that you want to be in business with him for several years; make him want to continue the relationship. Be sure he has credit terms which make him competitive, or more so, in amount and length of payment. Maintain regular correspondence, and make sure he can clearly understand what you have to say. Make a point of commenting on successful distributors in whatever communication you use in his area (advertising, publicity, sales bulletins, and so on) Control of Channel Members Control of channel members in international distribution though difficult yet is an important aspect of its management. Accomplishment of sales targets, market coverage and development goals, payment schedules, and profit contribution made are some of the factors on which the performance of channel members is appraised and controlled. Constant monitoring, periodic reviews, regular communications and intermittent suggestions help a marketer to control its channel members and keep the marketer-channel member power balance in its favor. Legal requirements and adverse impact on reputation must be given their due weight age if and when the unavoidable decision of termination of channel member is to be taken. International Physical Distribution Management (IPDM):- Ever since globalization transformed the transport sector, national boundaries have become permeable to penetration by trade, creating the need for flexible transport solutions. Intermodalism and containerization were the by-products of this era and were poised to metamorphosis transport of general cargo, moving it `seamlessly through sea and land arteries. Forty years ago, the physical process of exporting or importing goods was arduous. Goods needed to be transported by lorry to the port, unloaded into a warehouse and then reloaded into the ship `piece by piece. The management of physical distribution of goods includes the functions as well as costs associated with packing, order taking and processing, and inventory control. Given the geographical distance, the associated business risks and the variety of transportation modes available, the management of this function poses a difficult challenge so far as the objectives of ensuring ready and regular supply of goods, in foreign markets at the most optimal costs are concerned. Physical Distribution Management, known as the dark continent of marketing offers tremendous potential in cost cutting and improving profitability. It requires the use of a systems approach and the management of the transportation, warehousing and inventory functions in an integrated manner. Containerization `Containerization, the term very familiar to present day shipping industry was a completely unknown concept a few decades back. It was Malcom McLean, owner of a huge trucking company in USA, who first conceived the idea of containerization by transporting. Containers through `Ideal X in 1956 and initiated a revolution in the history of shipping industry. Over the years, the industry has created a separate identity within the shipping world through continuous development and Maersk Lines, PO Nediloyd, Sealand Services (CSX), APL and others have come up as international majors serving customers all over the globe. The growth of containerization in India has been slow and steady. The formation of Container Corporation of India (Concor) as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Railways in 1988 boosted the efforts at increasing containerized traffic in the country. Over the years, volume of container traffic has experienced continuous growth and registered a volume of2.22 million TEUs in 1999-2000 at the major ports of India. A significant number of international container lines are active in India making business through their own office or through selected agents. Amongst the Indian shipping companies, only `The Shipping Corporation of India is active in the international liner business. It has tied up with Zim Navigation of Israel and Yang Ming Line of Taiwan to provide services on international routes. Of the 11 major ports of the country, Jawaharlal NehruPort (JNP) and Mumbai Port have. Established as the gateway ports for container traffic to India having a combined market share of around 60% of the total container traffic. Lack of adequate infrastructure in form of container handling equipment, CFS network and rail network in other ports have led to concentration of container traffic at Mumbai and JNP. Liberalization and privatization policy taken up by the Government of India has resulted into the commissioning of new ports like Adani and Pipavav. The various advantages offered by containerization include: Containers can be loaded and sealed at the consignors premises or at nearby container depot, minimizing the risk of theft. Since the goods are not directly handled during voyage, the risk of damage is minimized. Cargo can be loaded in a matter of hours rather than days the reduction in handling time at ports results in increasing berth capacity. The faster turn-round enables ships to make a higher number of annual voyages and reduces the number of necessary ships. Because of the numerous advantages, both air and water carriers encourage the use of containers by charging lower rates for containerized shipments. Conclusion:- International distribution and sales policy decision is one of the most complex aspect of international marketing management. Along with price and promotion decisions, a decision has to be made on the distribution system. There are two components to this the physical (order processing storage/warehousing and transport) and the institutional aspects. The latter involves the choice of agents, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, direct sales or sales forces. Again, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, it is in the channel of distribution that the international marketer can encounter many risks and dangers. These involve many transaction costs both apparent and hidden. Risks include loss in transit, destruction, negligence, nonpayment and so on. So careful choice and evaluation of channel partner is a necessity. Regular report on foreign markets, foreign visits, and deployment of sales force abroad and, an in-depth analysis of physical distribution cost and obstacles help a firm to streamline its international distribution, offer superior customer service, and keep distribution cost within reasonable limits. Since distribution decisions bind the marketers with their channels for long-term, its implications in terms of costs, flexibility, control and reputation must be examined carefully before committing the decision.