Law of property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of property - Essay Example For instance, Section 1 of the law identifies legal estates and equitable interests, while section 37 of the law identifies the rights of a husband and wife in regard to acquisition of properties (Clarke and Kohler, 2005). This paper focuses on analyzing the right of ownership of a real property, between cohabiting couples. On this basis, it is important to distinguish between real property and personal property. The following are the differences that exists between real and personal properties (Ferguson, Buck and Wright, 2004) , Real estate properties can be owned in a limited capacity, while there is no way an individual can own a personal property in a limited capacity. Upon the death of the owner of real property, the next owner is the heir of the property. In regard to personal property, the statute of distribution guards the manner in which property passes on to another individual. In entering a contract that involves real property, it must be in writing. This is because these contracts are governed by section 29 of the Statute of Frauds. Contracts involving personal property do not need to be in writing. Parties to the contract will only write the contractual agreement if the case falls under section 17 of the Statute of Frauds. Some provisions of the Mortmain act govern the transfer of real property, for purposes of protecting immediate family members from disinheritance. However, the Mortmain act does not regulate any activities of personal property, only if Chattels are involved. It is not a requirement to register mortgages under real property; however, mortgages under personal property must be registered. Basing on this background, there is extensive argument in the United Kingdom on the relevance of various property laws in the country that protects cohabiting couples. For instance on January 23RD, Lord Justice Toulson allowed Pamela Curran to appeal a decision by a county court in 2010 of stripping her rights of sharing the properties she accumula ted with Brian Collins. According to the judge, the property laws that regulate the sharing of properties by cohabiting couples in the United Kingdom were unfair to cohabiting couples (Ward, 2013). According to this case, Miss Curran had a relationship with Brian Collins from 1970s, to 2010 when the relationship came to an end. Miss Curran worked together with Brian in his business, and they lived together in his home. However, after the relationship ended, Mr. Collins threw her out of his house, leaving her penniless. However, Lord Judge Toulson denoted that the county court just applied the law (Ward, 2013). In 2007, the Law Commission in England made a recommendation for the government to change the cohabiting laws in England, so that couples cohabiting will have the same status as married couples. According to the commission, the government should create laws that provide for financial relief to cohabiting couples when they separate. According to the commission, these laws shoul d reflect the contributions of the couples in the relationship (Halsbury, 2011). They further recommend that the couples, who should benefit from the laws, are those who have lived together for a minimum period of time, and have children together. According to their recommendations, couples might gain relief from these laws, if they have a written agreement on how they will share their properties once they separate (Toler, 2012). In 2008, the government of UK said it had no intention of

What is quality management?

What is quality management? Question 1 (a)Benchmarking Benchmarking measures performance or quality aspects against a competitor or industry standard. For example we could benchmark the profits made on internal projects. The importance of benchmarking is that it continuously assess the companys performance results against that of its competitors and helps implement good practices to achieve set targets, improve efficiency and to maintain competitiveness. It is also important in decreasing the risks linked with change by observing what factors contributed to the success of other companies. (b) 7-Run Rule The Seven Run Rule, is a technique used for quality control and its importance lies in the fact that it can be used to identify non-random problems when using control charts. It is normally an automatic process whereby alerts are generated when there is a significant variation in output. It helps by determining the non-random problems by evaluating progression of specific characters for the development of products characteristics (for e.g. the no. of defects in software) which could occur in a minimum seven time period. It allows the project manager to see the processes that are out of control, thus he is able to identify the causes of these non-random events and make adjustments to the process to correct or eliminate them (c) International standards There are many tools for quality management, including quality standards and models. Some of them are: ISO 9000:2008 Capability Maturity Model (CMM) Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) ISO/IEC 9126 Software engineering ISO 15504 also known as SPICE Quality can be defined as exceeding customer needs and expectations throughout the life of a product. When we build a system, developers are looking for performance and comply with the users requirements and how well it meets the users needs fitness for use. But it happens that the system developed which is in conformity to the requirements may at the end not please the customer who is becoming more conscious about the quality of the product he is paying for. Customers are more comfortable if they see that quality is being addressed during the project. Nowadays customers requirements/needs are very high, their quality aspects have got much better, they are more demanding now compared to some time back and thats why we have customers issue management. The International Standards are important because they provide rooms for performance improvement in potentially all the activities undertaken by the organization by adopting a systematic and scientific approach to managing the organisation processes/deliverables so that they consistently deliver a product/service as per customers expectations. These processes can be quite easily managed and monitored. In return they improve and ensure that appropriate quality of service is provided to customers and as such the level of customer satisfaction automatically gets increased. Additionally International Standards are also important in helping organisations to provide a kitemark seal of approval for customers and suppliers so they know that the work of the company is of a high standard. (d) Delphi Technique We know that the higher the number of participants in a meeting, the decision making process takes longer in terms of time due to devils advocate. The meeting can get monopolised by the devils advocate whose eccentric views can reach unjustified significance and prevent the group to find consensus. We also know that in a face-to-face discussion, situations of groupthink can occur. This can lead to poor decision making which in turn leads to decrease in quality. So, to avoid such negativities, the Delphi technique is used instead. The importance of Delphi technique is that it decreases such disadvantages towards decision making in groups and creates conducive working environment whereby the probability of groupthink is zero. Anonymity allows the participants to express their opinions freely, promote frankness and avoids approving errors by reviewing earlier forecasts. Its aim is to ensure that everyone gets a fair and equitable chance to express their viewpoint, identify areas where there is agreement or disagreement and try to find consensus. It significantly improves processes of meetings to ensure the quality of deliverables and rapid decisions being taken. Question 2 (a) Net Present Value NPV recognises the value of a dollar received today to the value of that same dollar received in the future, taking into account all cash flows occurring over the duration of the project. Hence, it is said to be a measure of the true profitability of projects. The importance of NPV is to help project managers in the selection of projects by evaluating and prioritising potential projects. If the NPV of a potential project is positive, it should be accepted. However, if NPV is negative, the project should probably be rejected because cash flows will also be negative. According to the value additively principle, if we know the NPV of individual projects they can be added together and hence the value of the firm will increase by the sum of their net present values (NPVs). (b)Return on Investment ROI is the basic tool used to assess both profitability and performance and also to prioritise IT projects. It is calculated by dividing the net benefits of a project by the initial cost of the project. It is possible to identify the percentage return for each cost unit invested by multiplying this value by 100. For projects lasting more than a year we need to use discounted values to take account of the effect of inflation. The importance of ROI is evaluating the financial impact of a project before a project can be started. Negative ROI is bad and means that costs are larger than benefits. High positive values are good and the higher the better. ROI is also used in the project selection process, with investment made on those projects with the highest ROI. (c) Break†even point The break-even point is defined as the point where sales or revenues equal expenses. There is no loss incurred or profit made at the break-even point. Break-even point is important for managers for taking the right decisions. For example it helps the management in knowing the lowest number of units that could be produced to at least earn so much to cover the cost of production without profit or loss.. It helps the management to estimate up to which level sales can be reduced but even though achieve some kind of profit from production and sales or how much costs can increase to even then company at profit point and can survive loss position. (d) Parametric modeling Software cost estimation is difficult, we have several methods and one of the methods is Parametric modeling which is a mathematical model using project characteristics to extrapolate from previous project data, for example in the COCOMO model the number of Lines of Code is one parameter to use when estimating the cost of a new system. It is done at the beginning of the project and is helpful to project managers who are inexperienced in software cost estimation. Parametric modeling is only as good as the model and historic data allows and requires skilled staff to apply the formulae and interpret the results. Parametric modeling also considers several aspects related to the resources required: staffing and costs related to hardware and software required. Question 3 (a) McClellands Acquired Needs Theory As per McClelland our needs are categorized into three aspects: Achievement Affiliation Power Considering my case, currently   I am working as an ICT System Support Officer at the SSR International Airport where I am required to work on shifts and have many deadlines to respect. I can categorise my needs as follows: Achievement My aim is to become the companys next System Administrator who is the next post on the hierarchy and have my salary raised which is symbolise progress and achievement. Power I know that if I attain this post I will need to know how to deal with my co-workers and the user community. I also need to know how to use the institutional powers given to me by the management to organise the efforts, motivate, influence and manage my subordinates. This is essential for me so as to keep control of all the works and do ensure that the goals and objectives of my company are achieved. Affiliation Also, at this position it is going to be important for me to meet and learn from other System Administrators know-how and experience which are indeed important through network interactions. I also know that at this position interaction with other people in the same position is important for sharing of knowledge, skills and tips. (b) The Meyers†Briggs Type Indicator As per Meyers†Briggs Type Indicator we use a four-scale structure for identifying the personality and categorising a persons behavioural preferences: Extrovert/Introvert Sensation/Intuition Thinking/Feeling Judgment/Perception Considering my case, I categories myself as an Extrovert/Introvert I am an Extrovert person, I always discuss new ideas and tentative solutions to problems with my fellow colleagues before they are finalised. Another example is when I am participating in meetings with the top management, I do not hesitate to voice out my opinion or solution to a problem even if I am not sure if the solution is viable or not. But before that I will warn them that we are just suggesting and trying to come up with a fully working solution. Sensation/Intuition I am Intuitive, for example, where I work we have some 600 CCTV cameras which are constantly under surveillance by the Control Room Operators. Lastly we have been experiencing several slowdowns of the system and frequent problems with the workstations used by the operators. Being an intuitive person I have felt that the number of complaints has increased too much which is unacceptable. Instead of carrying a survey on the data storage capacity of our Video recorders, CPU usage, RAM usage or network bandwidth which can be done later I will try to convince the management that we urgently need to buy spare servers for our Digital Video Manager database, Access control servers, video recorders and spare workstations due to the fact theses equipments are nearing their end-of-life since they were purchased in 2006. Thinking/Feeling I have a preference for Thinking but sometimes I can be of the Feeling type too. It happened once where we were busy completing a project whereby we had to configure Microsoft Outlook with the new settings for some 600 users. We have stopped using Microsoft Exchange and using Google Apps instead. We had to complete this job in 10 working days with a workforce of 5 technicians. We were on track and 3 more days left to finish the work, then 1 technician requested 2 days off since he was aggrieved over the sudden death a close family. My Thinking preference made me weigh the effect of the two days off on the schedule and the increased workload of the other 4 technicians who now has to complete the work of their colleague. I was tempted to say NO but my feeling preference made me consider the factors from other side whereby the technicians output will be affected due to his low morale; I accorded him his two days off. Judgment/Perception I categorise myself as a Perceiver, for example when carrying out preventive maintenance on servers I prepare a rough estimate of the time taken to accomplish this task, but I will never give to anyone the estimate. This is because you never know what incidents might happen during the maintenance; some parts might get damage during cleaning/blowing for example or I may notice the beginning of hard disk failure. Therefore the original estimate will be extended due to repair or installation of a new hard disk. I would never operate as a Judger who might see the task of replacing the hard disk as a discrete task and try to complete the maintenance according to the schedule. (c) The Social Styles Profile As per the Social style profile personality of people can be perceived into four zones based on three principal dimensions of Social Style—assertiveness, responsiveness, and Versatility The four Social Styles are: Analytical, Driver, Amiable and Expressive Considering my case, I can say that I show both the Driver Style and the Expressive Style Driver I can say that I am a Driver, due to the fact that I am proactive and like to take initiative, get things done and make things happen. I constantly accept challenges and am always first into solving problems. I prefer to work within time frames and like to focus on actions that will get things done and realize concrete outcomes. Expressive I like to work fast and I like feeling the people who work with me, I am always complimenting, applause when the team has done a good job and aacknowledge the efforts put in to complete projects on schedules. Also my priorities are the user community and the stakeholders. (d) DISC Profiles As per the DISC profiles, all people share these four styles in varying degrees of intensity; D (Drive) I (Influence) S (Steadiness) C (Compliance) I am Direct and Decisive and a like to overcome obstacles and is a good problem solver. I like projects that produce tangible results. I like to discuss solutions with my team first and not afraid to speak out and is generally optimistic. I do not fear new challenges without fear. I am capable of handling several projects at the same time. Question 4 (a) Milestones Milestones are the diamond shapes we like to put in our Gantt charts. It is a kind of measurement that serves as tools to keep track of the progression and any deviation that may happen. Milestones is like the point of start of the next journey to the next milestone, and the time required and money needed will be estimated on the basis of how far we have progressed on the project and it is the number milestones that have been reached by the team. Milestones are simply short-term goals or the targets for the project team. Milestones help to boost the morale and confidence of the team who will enthusiast to go for the next Milestone. (b) Critical Chain Scheduling It is a method of scheduling that take into account the scarce resources available and which are being shared among projects when creating a project schedule. Its importance is to protect projects from the unavoidable slippages that occur in every project. It removes buffers from individual tasks by pushing them to completion in the shortest time possible and instead adds project buffer before the project scheduled completion date and feeding buffers before tasks which are on the critical path. It is a method applied to meet the tight schedule requirements that every project manager faces while, at the same time, helps companies to preserve quality and productivity. (c) Tracking Gantt Charts The importance of Tracking Gantt Chart is that it helps project managers to keep projects on schedule, make sure that tasks start and finish on schedule. The Tracking Gantt chart pairs the current schedule with the original schedule for each task and helps find trouble spots, tasks that vary from the baseline plan. Managers can then adjust task dependencies, reassign resources, or delete some tasks to meet your deadlines. (d) Reality checks Reality checks involve controlling and managing changes to the project schedule. Sometimes a task can be crushed in order to complete the project on time. Hence the importance of reality checks, it allows the project managers to know the how much buffers needs to be removed from certain tasks and redistribute it to other tasks which are lagging behind The importance of Reality Checks are that Project Managers can review the draft schedule or estimated completion date in the project charter and prepare a more detailed schedule with the project team. Also, it helps project managers to make sure the schedule is realistic and followed. if there are schedule problems, Project managers is able to alert top management well in advance. Question 5 (a) a critical path in a complex project Once I worked on a project where I had to configure a Network-attached Storage (NAS) server for the backup of CCTV Recorders and the setting up of the Tape recoders. We have already received the NAS, Dell Recorders etc, but the Cabinet for housing the equipments was not delivered on schedule due to the fact that the ship transporting the Cabinets has been attacked by the Somalian pirates. This caused the project to be completed with 40 days overdue. The configuration of the NAS which became the critical path could not be split as it has to be carried out by only one guy. (b) an effective team meeting My manager carries weekly meetings with his staff and for me his meetings are effective in the sense that there is an agenda, there is a time limit for the meeting and the meetings starts and adjourns on time. The manager ensures that talks do not stray away from original topics. There is always someone form the team assigned to take minutes of the meeting and these are sent to all members to remind them of their tasks and responsibilities. The manager always encourages the team members to speak up their thoughts. At the end of every meeting decisions are taken and everyone knows his tasks and responsibilities. The timeline of the tasks are also known to them. (c) risk mitigation that was found to be necessary I was working on a project where we had lay Fiber optic cables for the CCTV system, but during the task the team identified potential risks regarding the vulnerability of the fiber cables which could be eaten by rats. They were able to work out various mitigating strategies and came up with new type fiber cable which was more resisted to rodents and installed rodents traps and covered man holes and service ducts correctly. Indeed these risk mitigating tasks involve additional costs but was worth it and necessary. (d) crashing a task to reduce its duration Once we had to assemble 200 computers in one week with a workforce of 5 technicians working 5 days a week. Taking into account that the technicians were working on other projects too, it was quite impossible to complete the computer assembly on schedule. The only solution was to increase the workforce with more technicians from other projects in order to meet the deadline.

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Essay examples -- Threats to World Pea

The region of the Middle East frequently referred to as Palestine has long been the site of much conflict. In recent years, a major effort on the part of the International community has been employed in an attempt to bring peace to the troubled region, yet every time peace accords seem to be at hand, everything falls apart. In order to fully understand the enmity that keeps causing peace talks to break down, one must look at the roots from which the conflict stems. If the root of the issue can be clearly devised, then movements towards peace in the region will be much more succinct. Palestinian Development Under Turkish Rule Issues concerning Palestine’s development in socio-cultural and religious terms begin to become apparent to the modern world once the Turkish Empire moved into the region. The Seljuk Turks, a Muslim group, took control of Jerusalem in 1071. Their rule was characterized by struggles with the Christian crusaders of Europe. Seeking to better their own position, another group of Turks, the Fatimids (from Egypt) allied themselves with the crusaders, but were later betrayed. The betrayal led to the capture of Jerusalem and Jaffa in 1099 along with the slaughter of many Jewish and Muslim defenders at the hands of the Christian Crusaders. The Muslim leader, Saladin, attacked and gained control of Jerusalem finally evicting the Crusaders in 1291. His particular Muslim group was known as the Mamelukes, who were originally â€Å"soldier-slaves of the Arabs.† While their empire was far reaching, including Palestine, it was comprised primarily of Arab-speaking Muslims, althou gh Jews from Spain and the surrounding Mediterranean area began to settle in and around Jerusalem in the late 1300s. With the defeat... ...4). â€Å"What is the evidence that the United Nations is biased against Israel?†. http://palestinefacts.org/pf_faq_palestine_un_anti_israel_bias.php Palestine Facts. (2004). â€Å"What is the history and status of US support of Israel?†. http://palestinefacts.org/pf_ 1991to_now_israel_us_support.php â€Å"Palestine, region, Asia†. The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th Ed. http://www.bartleby.com/65/pa/Palestin.html â€Å"Passfield White Paper†. http://palestinefacts.org/pf_mandate_whitepaper_1930.php Pipes, Daniel. (2001) â€Å"The Muslim Claim to Jerusalem†. The Middle East Quarterly.Vol 8:4. http://www.meforum.org/article/490 United Nations. â€Å"The Plan Of Partition And End Of The British Mandate†. The Question of Palestine and the United Nations†. http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/palestine/ch2.pdf United Nations. â€Å"Question of Palestine†. http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/ngo/history.html

New European Urban Hierarchy

Critically assess the forces which are influencing the shape of a ‘new European urban hierarchy† (Hall, 1993). Use case studies to illustrate and assess how individual cities are positioning themselves in this new spatial order. Throughout Europe, cities and regions have launched on a path of competitive redevelopment by means of a variety of strategies, ranging from large-scale mega developments and integrated action plans to community- based local re-conversion efforts. These schemes are spread over the European urban and regional landscape, operating in a variety of regulatory, political and socio-economic contexts, welfare regimes and public policy frameworks and combine private and public initiatives and finances in a great diversity of institutional framework. However, they are comparable in the sense that they are inserted in and grapple with epochal global trends and attempt to re-assert their position in the new global economic competitive climate and its associated technological, cultural and social transformations. Each of these produces a series of profound mechanisms of exclusion/integration and, at the end of the day, it is such activities, which shape or moderate the process of polarization and exclusion itself. The 1980†³s saw competition between European cities for mobile investment in a variety of ways. Multinational enterprises boosted this competition through looking at the location of new productive plants and offices, this therefore saw city governments promoting and marketing themselves in a more beneficial way in an effort to be a magnet for inward investment. They saw ways to ‘Hall mark† events such as major sporting events; cultural festivals and trade fairs which can all have considerable economic effects. I will be looking at Barcelona, Dublin and Lille and at the different strategies they have used to respond to global, economic pressures within and between cities in positioning themselves in the European urban hierarchy and the changes that have taken place. Differences in infrastructure and human capital are widely recognised as contributing significantly to variations in regional competitiveness. The economically stronger and more prosperous regions of the Community are generally more richly endowed with more resources, while the lagging regions typically have serious deficiencies (Commission of the European Community, 1994, p. 65). All major cities have become actively involved in what has been termed ‘city marketing†. There are ways in which academics have sought to identify cities from the best to the worst, this has been established through â€Å"league tables. From these league tables the cities to be at the most highest are obviously seen as the most appealing cities to live in and also for investment. Rankings are made on the basis of economic variables such as gross domestic product per head, the unemployment rate, pressure for the demand for space or the proportion of the workforce employed in higher-order occupations. Quality of life is measured in ways such as education, health care, cultural or leisure facilities and environmental variables. â€Å"A new geography of Europe is emerging which ignores national frontiers. The most successful cities are located in what Hall termed ‘the blue Banana†. Cities in the core derive considerable scale economics and access advantages whilst cities in the periphery do not and must bare substantial distance costs† (Lever 1992:936) The core banana covers the cities of London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich and Milan. A subsidiary core banana has developed which encompasses Mediterranean cities like Barcelona, Marseilles and Nice and which is connected to the first banana through the Alpine region. Most of the successful or those furthest up the hierarchy are located within these regionalised cores. These advantages have resulted in growth due to the specialised high technology manufacture and information processing. The Commission of the European Communities has pointed there are weaknesses which are forcing investors to move out; the high costs of wages and land and also the congestion and pollution. They also stated that the older urban centres in the core have older populations and will in time undergo a demographic decline whereas the younger populations of the periphery will engender further progress. There is not a single urban hierarchy in Europe. Rather there are a number of overlapping hierarchies, which centre on particular functions†¦. Each urban area is in competition with a range of others according to the economic function and the sphere of influence – global, national, or regional – at which it performs its specialisms (Commission of the European Community, 1994, p. 44). The paradox in this statement illustrates the crucial point in the debate about territorial competition within the European urban system. It is not the urban areas themselves that are directly in competition, but the economic specialisms and functions, which operate from within them. The locations of economic activities – new production and service facilities, international institutions and major cultural and sporting events – are also a function of an urban area's social capital. The externalities generated by the degree and level of social capital are the basis for urban areas competing for the location of economic activities in the first instance and maintaining them locally in the second. However, it is the leading edge or specialist activities, contained within city-regions, which compete within the global or international economy. Given the regionally networked nature of international production and service provision, there is also a degree of complementarily. Urban policy in Lille centres on the improvement of the competitive position and the development of large-scale operations that are capable of improving the urban image and of attracting external investments. Eurolille is a large –scale commercial quarter which has included many different policy domains; job creation, education, development of urban space for new activities and function, new industries, neighbourhood revitalisation and improvement of security. The creation of the retail business centre Eurolille also led to the redistribution of commercial spaces in the city itself. The policies of urban regeneration and the struggle against social exclusion in the Lille metropolis reflect these institutional and strategic transformations. Their analysis helps to understand the process that led to the realisation of Eurolille. The most generic procedure put forward by the Ministere de la Ville and the Delegation Interministerielle a la Ville is the Contrat de Ville (CDV). The main objective of this procedure is to combat urban exclusion at the level of â€Å"priority-targeted† neighbourhoods and at the level of the agglomeration on the other. Actions for social assistance aiming at improving daily life as well structural actions involving large-scale urban operations (roads, improvement of the housing stock) are launched. â€Å"Lille could expect substantial economic benefits from its position on the TGV network† (Newman and Thorney 1996: 190) The construction of the TGV station in the centre of Lille in 1994 plays a key-role in this strategy of regenerating the Lille metropolis. The subsequent construction of an international business centre must put Lille at the heart of a Northern European transportation network and provide the metropolis with an important international role. This, in turn, should help to attract external investments, to create a pole of advanced business services; and will make the metropolitan and regional economy much more dynamic. The advent of the Channel Tunnel and the high-speed train network in France, has also improved its attractiveness. Barcelona is a Mediterranean city, the heart of the industrialization and the social, political, and cultural movements of contemporary Spain. The city has remarkable evidence of moving from profound economic crisis in 1980 to a city with a strong image. The high degree of private investment in the projects related to the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games corresponds to the great expectation created by the attractiveness of the city of Barcelona. â€Å"The Olympic games bought the attention of the world to Barcelona† (Newman and Thornley 1996:91) Among the physical impacts – which per se can have important economic effects – is the impact on urbanism. The change in the urban model can be seen immediately by comparing the density of traffic in 1990 before the ring roads were built, with the density of 1993, after the opening of the Dalt and Litoral ring roads. The changes in traffic due to the effect of these roads was one of the most synthetic expressions of the impact of the Olympic Games on the city. European integration strengthens the Western Mediterranean region, as a bridge between the centre and the south of Europe. In this context, Barcelona also has another powerful attraction: its metropolitan area, found in a central axis of European communications. Barcelona is thus an excellent location for head offices and its metropolitan area excellent for the introduction of their plants. The possibilities of capitalizing on the Olympic impulse, consolidating its new role as a service centre specialized in activities with high surplus value, seems clear. The build up to the Games brought about further impact on the city fabric, not least because it led to a massive increase in speculation on land values, and housing prices soared. There was a substantial growth in the number of properties available, which contrasted drastically with a birth rate at a record low, not to mention its negative migratory balance. Despite these facts nothing held down the rise in property prices for both home ownership and rent. Dublin as the national capital and primate city in Ireland has produced both renaissance flagship urban development projects and socio-spatially excluded communities in the drive to modernise and compete with other comparable cities in the newly emerging urban hierarchy of the European Union. The CHDDA International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) Urban Regeneration project is one of the main projects designed to enhance the city†s image and competitive position in the international urban arena. The urban renewal act of 1988, set out a process for model of regeneration in Dublin. With 23 property developers and 30 urban planners many changes were made to the city of Dublin. Since the 1980†³s Dublin has turned around and has been extremely successful from investments and has become a magnet for tourists. The IFSC represents an important attempt by the Irish government and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) to reposition Ireland in the international division of labour from national primate city to peripheral world city. It seeks to avail of some of the benefits of the hypermobility of capital within the economy of the international financial system. Dublin†s IFSC has developed a niche for itself in the international division of financial services by focusing on back office banking operations and corporate treasury activities. Although no rival to London or New York, Dublin†s ‘niche† has strong global dimensions. Temple Bar was one of the key areas to receive European funding. A variety of cultural facilities, ranging from the National Film Centre, Children's Theatre, Music Centres, Art Galleries, all received major European funding. This contributed hugely to its capital programme. In addition, it had much better financial incentives than elsewhere in the City Centre. This concentration of European Funding and Government Tax Incentives within a relatively small area has been the financial power behind the scheme. Dublin Corporation has embarked on a major regeneration project for a historic part of the city from O'Connell Street westwards towards the Phoenix Park – one of the key areas in the old Abercrombie/Sydney Kelly plan – H. A. R. P. – Historic Area Regeneration Project. It covers a large part of the inner north city and includes the city markets area, major shopping centres, important public buildings, long established residential communities, areas of dereliction and many socially deprived areas. It also includes major civic elements, like the North Quays and Smithfield. The new light rail transport system – LUAS, will pass through the area and this should have a strong economic effect. Policy tools can be applied in various combinations to manage change in practice and to attempt to achieve sustainable development. The development and implementation of city-wide environmental strategies and action plans require effective community participation and partnership mechanisms, as called for in the Local Agenda 21 programme. Local Agenda 21 is essentially a strategic process of encouraging and controlling sustainable development. The development, management and implementation of this process requires all the skills and tools that can be brought to bear by a local authority and its community. â€Å"Cities are not just passive places in which international capital or prestigious functions locate, but in the new global competition for economic growth, have themselves become important factors in creating opportunities for economic development and influencing the new urban hierarchy† (Newman and Thornley 1996:16) Cities have been positioning themselves in this ‘new urban hierarchy† through the marketing strategies and construction of new images. This has taken place by many cultural activities and symbols all of which try to enhance the European world ranking of cities. Cities are obliged to adapt themselves rapidly to constant changes in economy and in other sectors. It is essential not to forget that this new form of development implies a danger to create a bigger division than the one that already exists inside urban societies. One of the key elements in this adaptation process to new changes is that cities must have a permanent and flexible educational and training system able to adapt itself rapidly to each moment circumstances.

Philosophy and Empire in Ancient China

The late Zhou period of, also known as the Age of a Hundred Schools of thought, was a turbulent era in Chinese history. Although these schools all contended against each other, they had the same basic goal. To unify China. The three most influential schools of thought that existed were Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Although ultimately it was legalist principles and methods that ended the Period of the Warring states, through the eyes of the Confucian thinkers, Qin Shihuandi's legalist policies may have been a harsh and overtly utilitarian way of unifying China. Confucianism is a school of thought that developed from one mans want for a more â€Å"moral way † of ruling. Kong Qiu, as he was named before history posthumously named him Kong Fuzi which was later â€Å"Latinized into Confucius, was born into an â€Å"aristocratic but impoverished family â€Å". His experience with rituals of his native state of Lu in Northwestern China, led him to embark upon a â€Å"14 year period of wandering with his students â€Å". Confucius traveled to various small courts attempted to convince their leaders to adopt his philosophies of life and government. He hoped his ideas would return China to a â€Å"state of harmony and justice â€Å". Confucius later returned to his home and remained teaching, believing himself a failure, until his death in 479. In actuality he was far from a failure. His ideas spread throughout the kingdom and played a profound role in shaping Chinese civilization. We must remember that the School of a Hundred thoughts took place during the Period of the Warring states. This was a particularly turbulent period of history where philosophers were trying to come up with anything they could to bring peace and confident rule to China. Many thinkers, such as Confucius, looked to the past to provide examples of for improvement. The past, especially the Zhou dynasty, was largely mythicized and believed to be a â€Å"Golden age of harmony and prosperity â€Å". Confucius believed the Sage kings had it essentially right. A ruler should be like a father figure to his people and lead by example, not by fear. Confucius also drew upon other age-old Chinese virtues such as filial piety or xiao, a moral humanity or ren, and ritual courtesy or li. Confucian thought emphasizes the principle that humans are generally moral creatures and are â€Å"by fact, obliged to comport themselves humanely and with integrity. While Confucianism preached preached a â€Å"doctrine of benevolent reform † based on the virtues of the past, Legalism contrarily emphasized a strict utilitarian regime. Leaders in legalist thought, realized that with the extreme disorder of their present day, new and drastic measures were necessary. For a governing body to succeed, it would depend on a effective system of rewards and punishments. To ensure his power, the ruler had to keep his officials in line with strict rules and regulations and his people obedient with predictably enforced laws. Shang Yang, Han Feizi gathered that the base of a state's strength was its armed forces and its agriculture. They then tried to dissuade people from being merchants, scholars, philosophers, or artists because these careers did not â€Å"advance the interests of the state â€Å". Legalist's imposed a strict regime with clearly and strictly defined laws and expectations. Failure to comply even to the most negligible of laws resulted in severe punishment. Legalist thought was that this fear of their leaders would inspire compliance with the laws that govern the state as a whole. Although the harsh ideals of the legalist school of thought may have later been smoothed out by adopting certain Confucian ideas, they originated as vastly different systems. We can see the legalist polices that Sima Quian recorded in his expansive history of China as they were enforced by Qin Shihuandi. Confucians such as Mencius would have likely disagreed with this style of rule. There are many discrepancies we can see when comparing Sima Quian's writings and the Analects recorded by students of Confucius. Qin Shihuangdi had a tower built on Mount Langya with clear inscriptions for his people to live by. One inscription reads † Great are the Emperor's achievements, men attend diligently to basic tasks, farming is encouraged, secondary pursuits discouraged. It is made clear that the â€Å"great emperor † wants to suppress his peoples desires to pursue anything but â€Å"basic tasks † that serve the greater good. This would sound preposterous for a Confucian thinker. How can the people build a better society if they are dissuaded from education? They may be forced to build walls or fight wars for the Emperor. Confucians did not believe in â€Å"governing with decrees and regulating with punishments â€Å". They believed that the â€Å"people will evade † their forced work and will have â€Å"no sense of shame â€Å". They believed the better way to govern would be to lead by virtue and example. Whereas Qin Shihuangdi may promote a crooked aristocrat to oversee the building of walls, a Confucian would promote an â€Å"upright â€Å"citizen who was knowledgeable and educated. While the crooked man may punish insubordination with violence to scare others into working, the straight man would â€Å"preside over them with dignity, [and his people] will be reverent; if [he] is filial and loving. His subordinates would want to work for a man who believes in them and they would encourage each to work harder through their respect for one another. â€Å"As for sageness and humanity, how dare i claim them? But to learn it insatiably and instruct others indefatigably-that much may be said of me, that is all†,† humbly stated master Confucius. Humility also must have had a different meaning for Qin Shihuangdi as he was quoted â€Å"in his sagacity, benevolence and justice to have said: â€Å"I humbly propose that all records but those of Qin be burned. If anyone who is not a court scholar dares to keep the ancient songs, historical records or writings or writings of the hundred schools, these should be confiscated and burned†¦ Those who in conversation dare to quote the old songs and records, should be publicly executed, those who use old precedents to oppose the new order should have their families wiped out. This is a stark contrast to the Confucian beliefs that were composed of many older ideals. Confucians studied ancient texts such as the Book of Documents, and the Book of Songs. The ideals they upheld emphasized the importance of education which came in part from these ancient texts. How was a man to educate himself and raise his family out of poverty without an education. As Confucius says â€Å"If he learns, he will not be benighted â€Å", or ignorant of the rituals that make a virtuousin shi. In a legalist China, where â€Å"no evil or impropriety is allowed† and where â€Å"kinsman care for each other â€Å", people who were often held to the principle of collective responsibility. All family members were expected to observe others closely, â€Å"forestall any illegal activity† and report it. Even if it was against their own family or community members. If there were such people who knew â€Å"of such cases but [failed] to report them, [they] should be punished in the same way. This also is a far cry from the benevolent practice of xiao. In fact, it is fundamentally opposite of the superior teachings of Confucius. Whereas legalist theory believes that children who rebel against their wrongdoing parents will grow to be upstanding citizens, Master You states that â€Å"those who are not apt to defy their superiors, but are apt to stir up a rebellion simply do not exist. † Although this is only a theory, I would say that it should hold more water than Qin Shihuangdi's. If the state practices â€Å"filial piety and brotherly obedience†¦ [being] the roots of humanity†¦ and the government conducts itself â€Å"with [a] virtue likened to the North Star † one could surmise that it would be a fairly pleasant society to live in. Also inscribed upon Qin Shihuangdi's stele was the phrase, â€Å"The common people know peace and have laid aside weapons and armor; kinsmen care for each other, there are no robbers and thieves: men delight in his rule. † A Confucian might believe this to be quite an exaggeration for to them there were no â€Å"common † people. Only people who should be treated how you yourself would like to be treated. In a society of people who are more encouraged to cultivate their own knowledge, and attainment of skilled judgement there would be less of a need for strict rules and guidelines as the people should conduct themselves according to the virtues and morals they have attained through education. The utilitarian procedures of legalism were largely responsible for the general lack of education among the common people of China. As a opinionated Confucian scholar under the reign of Qin Shihuangdi, I would be one of the people getting together to â€Å"slander the laws † and practices set in place by my legalist ruler. While might be able to agree that a legalist doctrine was responsible for building a unified state with a large-scale political organization that established a tradition of centralized imperial rule, i could speculate that China may have been a very different place had more Confucian values been implemented. As evidenced by the rule of Shang Yang, legalist politics were successful simply through the fear they instilled in the common people. While road work and agriculture was flourishing throughout the dynasty, so was unrest. Shang Yang was quickly executed upon the death of his patron, his body mutilated and his family annihilated. In the case of Qin Shihaungdi, there were many who welcomed the stability his reign brought, yet still many outspoken scholars, philosophers and others who criticized his regime. As the First Emperor didn't want his people to be confused with the old teachings of scholars, he demanded that the books be burned and had hundreds of scholars executed. We may never know what China would be like had more of the Confucian teachings survived but i believe that their history might be a little bit less bloody.

Doing Business in Korea Essay Example

Doing Business in Korea Essay Example Doing Business in Korea Essay Doing Business in Korea Essay Political and legal impacts on doing business in Korea Korea Is known as a country that showed miraculous economic growth, and considered one of the four tiger economies of Asia. Since the sass, South Korea has built a modern, internationally oriented industrial economy largely from scratch. This economy, the fourth-largest economies (after China, Japan and India) in Asia (World Bank 2014) is based on low -cost, high quality export production. Between the late 1980 and sass, the country has seen a massive Influx of FED projects to the South Korea, and recorded an Increase quadruple the foreign investment projects during the previous 35 years (Kim Lee 2007). This outcomes Is generally attributed to the countrys transition to a more open and democratic political system after years of authoritarian rule, with a pro-business government. However, these changes have also posed a number of latent tremendous challenges to the international business operating in South Korea, which include overpopulation, rising labor cost, and corruption 1 . Overpopulation: The overabundance of regulations and bureaucracy has been considered the mall seasons that Investors are packing up or moving to other Southeast Aslant countries or staying away from South Korea. A survey of Kim and Lee (2007) reveals that there is an inaccurate interpretation and improper implementation of investment regulations among the various government agencies at all levels. The poor governance at the local governments, as a result of the intense decentralization policies In the late sass, has created unnecessary bureaucracy and lack of consistency In laws and regulations enforcement at different cycles/provinces across the countries. 2. Rising labor cost and labor union: Since martial law ended and trade union activity became legal in 1987, workers compensation has double on average and the cost of benefits has risen dramatically. Korean factory wages are now the third highest in Asia, after Japan and Taiwan. For example, in 1992 the government attempted to limit wage hikes to 5. Percent, but most firms and trade unions settled on wage Increase of around 15. 5 per cent. Unions are powerful within South Koreans labor markets. This can prove a massive hurdle to Western organizations, which may have little experience of this kind of report intervention. Most workplace negotiations will involve unions and will include discussions about compensation levels. Not only does this restrict a foreign organization that needs to pay above the market rate to attract talent, but it also means human capital issues take longer to resolve. Labor militancy- A typical characteristic of labor force In Korea has resulted In many strikes In Korea. This Is another type of social unrest, which may lead to abrupt changes In the firms business policies. This could be seen through the strike which lasted for more than a onto in 2011 by workers at the Korean Standard Chartered Bank, as workers demand the company drop plans to introduce a performance-based pay system. Corruption: Transparency International, a corruption watchdog, gave South Korea a rating of 5. 4 clean. That ranks South Korea alongside countries and territories such as Botswana, Puerco Rice and Poland but far below many of the developed nations it has sought to emulate. The problem is embedded in the countrys bureaucracy and its Confucian- based culture that emphasizes family connections, regional ties and friendships roger in school. It also can be traced to decades of close links between past authoritarian governments headed by former army generals and the big business conglomerates such as Samsung, Haunted and the now-defunct Deadwood that drove the countrys industrialization. High probability of political risks Political risk has been defined as the likelihood that political forces will cause drastic changes in a countrys business environment that adversely affect the profit and other goals of a business enterprise. The major issue doesnt lie much in Korean government but with the North. The two Koreans are still officially at war and the situation remains fraught. In early October 2007, a historic Korean summit was held in Pyongyang, North Korea. During this summit, both countries agreed that a solution to the historic rivalry over border issues needs to be found and as such both sides have signed a peace declaration aimed at replacing the armistice with a permanent peace treaty. In addition, the summit also resulted in an agreement between North and South Korea to establish a Joint economic area in the border port city of Hajj in 2008. The proposal included Joint fishing areas along the sea border and a Joint shipyard at Hajj. This is seen as a necessary first step towards thawing relations between South and North Korea. However, the situation doesnt much improving.

Facebook Usage in Business

Facebook Usage in Business Introduction Information Technology (IT) is becoming a fundamental requirement for people with desires to align with the modern world. It has been established in a multidimensional perspective that incorporates a variety of fields. These advances in IT are facilitated by mass media, cloud and mobile computing, business analytic, and social media among others (Voss, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Facebook Usage in Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apparently, the development of IT will continue integrating, advancing and producing quality outcomes. Social media are among the most developing areas in IT. It has contributed significantly to socialization, information dispersion, advertisement, sales, and business development among others. Consequently, this analysis report will pay particulate attention to social media (Facebook) that have enabled business development. Facebook Description Faceb ook is a social network that allows interaction of signed users. It was implemented by Mark Zuckerberg in the year two thousand and four (Decarie, 2010). The initial target was to enable students’ interaction in universities. However, the development of the network assumed a broad dimension that facilitated global interactions. A person registers for free and meets friends from various backgrounds for interaction. It allows users to post ideas, comment, request friendship, create pages, and chat among others. It has managed to collect users throughout the globe since 2004. Furthermore, Facebook has brought people together for communication and interaction. They allow businesses to advertise their products and services through a section referred to as the business page. Facebook has a patent that allows partnership with other profit making organizations. This depicts that there are opportunities to develop businesses through this popular network. In fact, most businesses have identified the opportunities and applied them for developmental purposes. Current Capabilities Popularity of Facebook has managed to bring people together and allow business activities. These services are being offered for free to users. Consequently, it can unite many people regardless of social class and distance between them. The large number of people logging into Facebook facilitates the advertisement and announcement through social sites. Consequently, it can collect worldwide data and information to display the prevailing issues. It is potential of accessing the globe and retrieving information in a fast manner. For instance, the arising issues about violence appear in Facebook within minutes. People post current issues freely without the necessity of confirmation.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the recent Boston bombing, people were able to d istribute the threats and suspicious activities throughout the globe. Consequently, people understood conversely about the exact occurrences at the place of bombing. Finally, it has the capacity to restrict information meant for specified people. Facebook can prevent people to access confidential information. This could be facilitated by the request of the posting user. Strengths Marketing is an area that relies on advertisements facilitated partly by the social media (Waters et al, 2009). Facebook accommodates more than one billion users worldwide. This epic tally enhances mass operation especially where many ideas area required at once. The visits made to the website facilitate sales of goods and services. In fact, Facebook redirects to partner businesses for selling reasons. The trust created by Facebook facilitates sales and development of other businesses. For instance, Facebook can influence the income of key businesses such as Safaricom. The distribution of Facebook throughou t the globe allows fast and efficient spread of information. In the United States, it is apparent that politics rely on Facebook. Also, many other civilized nations are applying Facebook to disseminate political ambitions. Facebook has achieved a criterion to facilitate business competition. Price advertisement is the most prevailing factor of this competition. This allows people to buy products after comparing prices and qualities. Finally, Facebook can facilitate mass survey for research activities. Weaknesses However, it must be noted that Facebook is not liable for individual posts. The accuracy of information posted on Facebook might be misleading. Therefore, conciseness of information posted on this site relies on the posting party. For instance, if a company claim to offer products at cheap prices, the definition of cheap would be on the hands of the buyer and the company. Facebook is facing competition from other social medias such as Twitter and Google plus. Also, accessing Facebook requires the user to pay the server. Additionally, since Facebook is not a search engine, people might prefer to join the advanced Google plus media. People can try to make fake Facebook pages with similar appearances to confuse users and hark their sites. Another, unexceptional weakness involves wastage of time. If students and children do not manage Facebook appropriately, it could consume their time and arrest the prioritized activities. Near-Term Expansion The development of Facebook is mitigating many loops about new opportunities and techniques (Mangold Faulds, 2009). For instance, there are developments that were made recently about the Facebook Exchange. This development is expected to integrate marketing through Facebook. It is targeted that a company/business will have signed customers. The customers will be able to buy products from this page.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Facebook Usage in Business specifically for you fo r only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The development of Facebook Exchange is being tested and will be available after some time. The expansion of Facebook does not rely solely on the website. The headquarters have targeted to employ 1000 new workers to operate on the site. This implies that there are additional infrastructure and facilities required for this expansion. The number of new registrations is increasing in a geometric manner. Consequently, there will be an expansion of the members signed to the site. Adoption to Safaricom Safaricom limited is a Kenyan company that runs a variety of profit making activities. The company has been providing mobile networks since 1997. It has managed to establish shops and integrate its services in many dimensions. Safaricom’s profits are related partially to social media including Facebook. Advertisements Advertisements allow Safaricom to reach customers worldwide. Customers and other people are granted the opportunity to access information. Safaricom has a Facebook page that allows people to check for the offer on call rates, data bundles and products. This familiarity allows people to identify the opportunities that could arise from Safaricom. It increases the income due to increment of purchases performed. The page shows the popularity of Safaricom limited due to the comments made on their Facebook wall and credible attitude designated by the ‘likes’ (Kirk, 2010). The page allows customers to ask questions through a messaging systems and receive adequate reply. In some instances, the advertisements include direction and privacy policies to enlighten customers about their operations. In product advertisements, Safaricom assesses customer and announces their appealing product to people. For instance, there were advertisements made about phones. Ideos were the most selling phone brands for 2 years in Kenya. The popularity of this product arose due advertisement through social and msass media. Socialization This aspect mitigates Safaricom to apply the most sociable sites that can unite people. Apparently, the integrity and trust of Safaricom lies squarely on interactions with Kenyans. Facebook offers Safaricom the opportunity to integrate its ideas with people. In fact, people from all over the globe could access Facebook and its services without going to the headquarters. The interactions allow them to present their services, such as study mode, to customers. Also, open channel for socialization allows the potential customers to integrate their abilities explicitly and gain attraction from Safaricom services. This is because there are other existing companies offering similar services to the country. These companies include Zain, Yu and Orange. This field of competition has been described explicitly under the section of competition in a following paragraph.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Competition Facebook has created a desire for many companies, including those competing with Safaricom, to engage in social media (Lerner, 2011). Consequently, a business that disregards the social media is assumed odd. This influences the income and popularity of the business. It could have influenced Safaricom to create a page showing how people are attracted to its services. Otherwise, the comments that customers provide are critical for modifications and expansions (Dickson Eckman, 2008). Safaricom manages to post its financial analysis to the social media. This depicts their apparent strategies in conducting business. Ideologies Facebook allows Safaricom to evaluate customers throughout the globe. The fast and easy services allow customers to provide comments about how they perceive Safaricom services. This facilitates modifications of their services and cautiousness when operating. For instances, it was established recently that there was a crying need for clients to share da ta bundles. This arose from the continued comments and complaints about internet sharing. Therefore, it can be identified that Facebook played a vital role of determining the needs of people. Other forums allow Safaricom to post questionnaires that can be answered by well-wishers through Facebook. Additionally, there are questions that Facebook creates to facilitate rating of business services. Safaricom services have been rated to lay the bases and trust in services and products. However, Facebook has shown the areas that Safaricom needs to modify when providing services to customers. For instance, what if the support center did not cater for customers conveniently? Individuals have been fired from jobs due to their disrespect on customers through call and Facebook support centers. Browsing Safaricom makes profits when people buy airtime to browse and chat on Facebook. Active users must ensure that they have data bundles to maintain the Facebook account online. Therefore, users buy airtime and raise the income of Safaricom. In Kenya, the development of these social sites triggered Safaricom to develop a daily internet bundle. The daily bundles vary from five to twenty Kenyan shillings. Additionally, this development triggers Kenyans to buy phones that can browse Facebook. Consequently, Safaricom developed shops to sell phones, laptops, modems, and electronic accessories among others. Therefore, it could be concluded that Facebook has led to the development of Safaricom through browsing charges. Messaging Facebook Safaricom has integrated the use of Facebook through messaging. Individuals without browsing devices can use Facebook through sending messages. These messages are sent from the Safaricom network. Therefore, charges are incurred to cater for the services being offered by Safaricom. This messaging Facebook allows the use of Facebook to every person owning a phone. In Kenya, 70% of the total country population own phones that can reply to messages. Cons equently, Safaricom’s income from messaging services is increased due to the increased number of Facebook users. Security Facebook and Safaricom have a mutual share of identity. Irregularities identified under browsing of unidentified individuals are established and defined under the Safaricom customer databases. For instance, if a person uses Facebook to cyberbully another individual, Safaricom provides records of all customer registered to use the internet. Consequently, Facebook and Safaricom can assist each other to eradicate illegal activities. Facebook users comply with the companies policies that disregard illegal activities. The registered name must represent a real person (Kim, Choi, 2007). Therefore, Safaricom allows registration of customers to the website through Facebook account. This simplifies the process of signing up to a Safaricom account. When customers increase, it is expected that profits will rise proportionally. The relationship between Safaricom and F acebook achieves attainment of trust due to their high rating. Privacy Facebook privacy keeps Safaricom confident when posting and serving customers through its channel. The privacy allows Safaricom to secure the contents of customers and their activities. Customers are, therefore, confident when sharing through the website. They are aware that their private issues will not be accessed by third parties. Legal activities require companies to provide the exact requirements and services offered. These policies are signed to ensure that a court of law can be involved in cases of dispute. It is, therefore, promising when both Safaricom and Facebook have a privacy policy to protect customers. In case a customer is offended by the companies, the legal necessities can isolate the mistakes and charge the party concerned. This makes Safaricom and Facebook trustworthy to the customers. This development boosts Safaricom when operating and serving the customers appropriately. Suggestions and Com ments This area has valid and practical implications to the development of Safaricom limited. They gather information from Kenyans and other people from the globe to develop the business. Safaricom remains updated about the occurrences of every day. This allows abrupt response before customers are lost. Otherwise, if customers remain dissatisfied without any responsive measure towards the dissatisfaction, other businesses will join the market. The suggestions allow Safaricom to evaluate the mood of people and determine the best strategies of fixing issues in accordance to the suggestions. Attraction becomes evident when a need is addressed. Customers appreciate that their voice matters to the business operations. Facebook facilitates this assessment at a fast rate and on a wide area. The media can manage to collect ideas from a million people in different countries. Conclusion Advancements of information technology are prevalent and exposed throughout the globe (Kaplan Haenlein, 20 10). This growth has been facilitated significantly by social media. Facebook has dispersed well throughout the world. It could be used to develop businesses and trigger other developments in information technology. The growth of Facebook could assume a bigger dimension than the one that we experience today. However, it is through determination and desires to test/apply ideas that these establishments become successful. Developers and other liberal minded people should establish bases to allow prosperity of businesses such as Safaricom. Also, businesses should recognize Facebook and design strategies to develop it towards their advantage. References Decarie, C. (2010). Facebook: Challenges and Opportunities for Business Communication Students. Business Communication Quarterly, 73(4), 449-452. Dickson, M. A., Eckman, M. (2008). Media Portrayal Of Voluntary Public Reporting About Corporate Social Responsibility Performance: Does Coverage Encourage Or Discourage Ethical Management? Jo urnal of Business Ethics, 83(4), 725-743. Kaplan, A. M., Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681309001232?via%3Dihub Kim, S. W., Choi, C. J. (2007). Habits, Self-Control and Social Conventions: The Role of Global Media and Corporations. Journal of Business Ethics, 76(2), 147-154. Kirk, H. (2010). How Social Media Are Changing The Face Of Business. Leader to Leader, 2010(57), 59-60. Lerner, T. (2011). Friends in Online Places: Business and Social Media. Strategic Direction, 27(10), 19-22. Mangold, W. G., Faulds, D. J. (2009). Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Business Horizons, 52(4), 357-365. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681309000329?via%3Dihub Voss, C. (2011). Social-Media-Tipps Den Vertrieb. Sales Business, 20(9), 32-34. Waters, R. D., Burnett, E., La mm, A., Lucas, J. (2009). Engaging stakeholders through social networking: How nonprofit organizations are using Facebook. Public Relations Review, 35(2), 102-106. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0363811109000046?via%3Dihub

The 8 Worst Office Problems Youll Deal With in the Summer

The 8 Worst Office Problems Youll Deal With in the Summer Summer is here! Which means most days you’ll be daydreaming about being absolutely anywhere else than where you are (aka at your desk). Here are 8 of the absolute worst summer office problems, just so you can be prepared for their awfulness in advance. 1. The Great Temperature DebateIt’s a hundred billion degrees outside and subzero inside. Whoever is in charge of the AC has gone way overboard and you find yourself shivering at your desk. You’ve brought socks and a heavy sweater just to make it through your day without losing a toe. Or worse, you’re the guy at the window with the sun baking in, and no matter what temperature the AC is set on, you’re still sweating buckets!2.  Commuting via Train or BusOkay, so this one is about getting to your office, but it’s still hell. There’s never AC in your subway  car or bus, and no one seems to understand the concept of deodorant. You’ve got smelly armpits and sweaty backs everywhere you turn. Tip: start avoiding rush hour. Come in early! Go home late! You don’t have to stay at work all that time, but you’ll spare yourself the inhumanity of the sardine commute. Happy hour, anyone?3. The â€Å"It† VacayEveryone is talking about going to that one island (like Ibiza or St. John) or that one summer party everybody goes to. None of your vacation plans or party plans are cool enough. You didn’t know people owned that much white linen.4. The Constant Countdownsâ€Å"16 days, 4 hours, and 39 minutes!† Your coworkers are all chirping out their timelines and squealing about just how soon their vacation is coming up! Even worse will be their Instagram feeds when they actually get to their glamorous destination. #neverleaving (sigh)5. Summer TreatsBe it a routine iced coffee run in the afternoon, or an ice cream habit†¦ bad for the waistline, good for morale. Still not really compensation, however, for being stuck inside.6. Outside L unchesOkay, despite sweating into your salad, so this is not a problem so much as a perk. Enjoy it. Sit on a park bench and bask.7. Dressing for WorkDo you dress for the swelter? Or the professional standard? Can you get away with showing all that cleavage? Or should you risk drenching yourself in sweat to arrive at the office modestly covered up? It’s a dilemma every day.8. The Office DeodorizerYes, we’re very glad our coworkers keep extra deodorant in their desks for days such as these. But do we need to SEE them apply? Or worse†¦ spray?

The Risks and Unknowns of Genetically Modified Foods Research Paper

The Risks and Unknowns of Genetically Modified Foods - Research Paper Example It is worth noting that increased interests, in the pursuit of genetically modified foods presents, yet, another example for such addictions. A genetically modified crop often refers to a crop whose genes have been altered in order to satisfy some specifics. In most case, these is done through selecting, isolating and copying ideal genes in ensuring that a particular crop would sustain harsh environments or certain diseases of which naturally it could not, and eventually produces a larger crop yield. Maghari & Ardekani (2011) indicate that genetically modified crop can be manipulated so that they can resist diseases and insects, as well as tolerate herbicides, which eventually, leads to production of high nutritional crop value. As of current, there are approximately 148 million agricultural lands that have been commercialized for purposes of cultivation of genetically modified crops. Canada, United States, china and Argentina have been cited as the leading regions where genetically modified crops are grown. Research has indicated that genetically modified foods are more popular amongst developing countries since through impressing this technology, these countries often strive to alleviate poverty and hunger. Consumers who are knowledgeable over the GM technology are often skeptical about its effects. It has been reported that GMOs, exhibit both harmful and unknown effects. For instance, it is cited that the environment is at a greater risk of losing biodiversity, and extinction (Skanche & Friedman, 2009). The risks emanating from genetically modified foods can either be environmental or health related. Environmental risks include the creations of super pests and super weeds. Generally, GMOs have been reputed for containing genes, which make them to be pest resistant. It is also noted that herbicide tolerant genes is a characteristics that make the GMOs to be resistant even after being sprayed by a weed killer. This is a characteristic that makes other weeds to be eradicated hence leaving the desired crop intact. Although proponents of GMOs boasts about the abilities of the crop to resist pests as well as reduced chemical application, such pest resistant genes often come with risks. The effect on biodiversity as mentioned above has been one of the issues of major concern when it comes to the GM food. According to Pandey et al (2010), GM foods have the capability of spreading their genes to other plants, and in the eventuality contaminate wild plants natural genetic makeup. Given that plants have a direct contact with one another, it becomes impractical to isolate a set of plants from the surrounding wildlife, and this applies to planted cropland. The impact of GM food on the environment is not only a concern that arises from the international growth of GM, but also its associated human health, which is a major factor in investigating the risks posed by GM foods. Maghari and Ardekani (2010) noted that some of the major issues concerning th e effects of GM foods on human health has remain unknown for many years. Safety testing methods of foods are poor and considering the fact that GM foods have been recently introduced, long term effects still remains unknown. The deepest concern could possibly lie on the GM food toxicity, and the potentiality to introduce new strains of allergy. Maghari and Ardekani (2010) have pointed out that, animals whose testing has been done have shown negative reactions ranging from premature births, abnormal births, infertility, abortions, illness and death. Critics have it that considering the signs observed in animals, it is most likely that humans are at an increased risk of experiencing similar results (Skanche & Friedman, 2009). Adding to toxicity, Pandey et al (2010

Meaning behind a Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Meaning behind a Speech - Essay Example As many Americans are faced with the responsibility of electing a President every four years, one of the highlights of the process would be the Inaugural speech given by the newly sworn in chief executive on their inauguration day. From George Washington, all the way to the present day with Barack Obama, each individual who has resided in the chair of the President has found themselves with the opportunity to creatively craft their message through interviews given to members of the mainstream press, as well as speeches given to an even wider audience. Going farther than the words written within the pages of their statements, the power of these deliveries, are further enabled by the presence of the passion within the person saying the words. Taking the time to effectively present essential points of whatever case may need to be made, through increases in tone to emphasis crucial aspects, all the way to something as day-to-day, as the choice of clothing that would be worn. One of the most relevant speech examples in recent memory would be the inaugural speech delivered by John F. Kennedy in January 1961. Being a man who sought to introduce youthful vigor and passion into the role of the nation's chief executive, President Kennedy's speech would convey the inherent desire he would possess for the powerful role of both the American government and its citizens, as well as the power of the rest of the world. Through the strength in his delivery by means of the elevation and passion of his voice, Kennedy would enhance the meaning of his message for the nation. In speaking of the presence of power held by man but also the presence of a higher being, President Kennedy states, "The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God," (Kennedy, 1961). With his delivery, the new President would convey to his audience that, within all humans, they do hold the potential to enact great change around them. All the while remembering that, to stay true to history and the revolutionary forefathers of the nation, would be to remember the significance given to the influence of God. The more an individual may believe and feel passionate about what they are saying, the evidence will show in the choice of words to be spoken and the elevation of their voice, to better illustrate those very same words. For example, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty,' (Kennedy, 1961). To assess the greater intended meaning of this, Kennedy would seek to further underline the strength of the American conviction for that which we believe in. With the delivery of this speech occurring in less than two decades since the end of World War II and just before the start of the Vietnam war, which would begin only a few short years later, the meaning behind the following portion of the President's speech, would be amplified through his eloquent delivery. "In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted

International Monetary Fund Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Monetary Fund - Article Example According to the agreements the fund is guaranteed to help the members develop economically as well as socially. Article 1 (ii) states, "To facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of international trade, and to contribute thereby to the promotion and maintenance of high levels of employment and real income and to the development of the productive resources of all members as primary objectives of economic policy." Based on this article every member state should enjoy the privileges of economic growth and development. In theory this would be a practical situation but history has show that the Fund itself has several shortcomings and weaknesses. The preliminary signatories to the International Monetary Fund were mainly countries that subscribed to capitalist policies although France was the first country to benefit from the Fund after its inception in 1947. Under the IMF agreement the countries agreed to keep their currencies convertible to the US dollar and the United States agreed to a peg system where the value of their dollar was in terms of gold. Some saw this system as unable to meet the demand of global trading. Also, speculation caused a decrease in the price of gold. There was also a subsequent devaluation of the US dollar. The par value system was discontinued in 1974 and countries were allowed to choose a system that they think was best for their exchange rate. Some saw this decision by the International Monetary Fund as a sign of weakness. "It appeared that the ability of the IMF to regulate world financial conditions was at least greatly diminished, and perhaps finished" (Devries, 1986). (Peet, Born 68). After this change of idea regarding the exchange rate the IMF added a new dimension in dealing with its member countries. It became more involved with the economic policies of the countries. Many countries especially the United States of America and countries in Western Europe had had successive terms of wealth and prosperity so the Fund did not experience a great demand from these countries. The world political situation in the 1970's, however, forced a change on the volume of lending by the Fund. Many countries, especially in the African continent became independent but their new status meant that they needed financial help. Many of these countries lacked the resources and facilities present in the countries in Western Europe. To a large extent a great number was plagued by balance of payment problems. In order to lend assistance to these struggling economies the IMF created the Structural Adjustment Facility in 1986 and replaced by the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility in 1987. This consists of concessionary grants drawn up in collaboration with the World Bank. To qualify for these loans a country has to be in the low-income category. There were a total of thirt y five countries that benefitted from the Structural Adjustment Facility. The recipients are offered lower interest rates with a chance to repay the loan from between five and ten years. As is common with other assistance of the IMF countries benefitting from these loans are required by the IMF to adhere to certain policies. These policies are very restrictive and have forced critics to argue if the Structural Adjustment Facility will bring more harm than good. Firstly, there has to be

Freedom Writers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Freedom Writers - Term Paper Example The school teacher comes from a different background then the children. The school teacher is portrayed as coming from a wealthy family with caring parents. It must have been easy for the teacher to attend college and money seems to not be an issue. The teacher obtains a job at a school that is known for having a bad name and not many students that prosper. The school is located in a poorer neighborhood and contains many different genders of teens and minorities. Location has a lot to do with economics of race and gender. Schools that are located in wealthy neighborhoods usually contain students that come from wealthy families. Schools located in less wealthy neighborhoods are likely to contain students from a poorer economic class. The movie portrays economics as referring to race and gender as; white families and students are wealthy and have less problems associated with money and less crime. Minorities such as African Americans, Asians and Latino families are likely on government assistance and struggle financially. With portrayal is shown by revealing struggles that students in poorer communities struggle with everyday. In the movie the teacher does something that no one else has ever tried before. The teacher sees the students outside of race and gender. The teacher fights to get the kids basic school supplies others take for granted. The students need notebooks, textbooks and writing utensils. The school refuses to pay for these items so the teacher takes up a second job and does what is necessary to get the students what they need. Her perseverance is shown to the students and this moves them in a way no one else has. After struggling to show the students that race and gender do not matter, finally she is able to get through to the students. The students accept her for her and then begin to accept each other regardless of social, racial and gender differences. Near the end of the movie, the teacher is able to persuade

Research Paper on Native Son by Richard wright

On Native Son by Richard wright - Research Paper Example The novel is a brilliant example of this disambiguated phenomenon. The consequences stemming from the hypocrisy of whites supremacy are converted into an evil, with regards to the misfortune. An accidental event starts the trail of continual deprival of control of consent actions by a black man. A high degree of misfortune is presented in the initiating of the plot of this novel, while the racism in the US background has fueled this misfortune; a murder of a girl by black man. The lead role is the black man, in this novel, presented in an autobiographic genre. This misfortune turned into a tragedy, when the panic added fuel to the flare for the continued criminal actions of the Bigger, till the end of his role. This panic was the ultimate byproduct of the ambiance where he used to live. An approach to the error of the system has been presented in this novel as the root cause and the motive of the tragic criminal deeds was caused by the general environment, the circumstances, in which the Bigger had to live. Background America has had racism issues for long time. In the era of 1930s the class difference among different class was stronger. The blacks were not treated equally. The novel is actually a gentle protest on this situation. This novel was also a start of the silent revolution. The novel became the best seller in few days. The intensity of the racism presently is not of that extent as it was used to be in older days. Though presently the country with prolonged previous racism has a black president, and this novel was an alarm of the upcoming situation at that time: solve the issue today which may destroy tomorrow (Schneider, 2007). Economical perspective The protagonist and his family at large had not had good economic status. For the livelihood, they had to rely on the employments given by the whites. Although the help for the blacks was there as the employment was being provided to the blacks, but on the other hands, his family was being charged the hig h rent by the same employer. Mr. Dalton was a real estate tycoon, which was providing both the employment and the high rents to his family, and the other black community. There was no any generous thing to them as this had no effective benefit to the black and his family who was surging for the economic sustainability. The security and family needs The main character of the Novel, Bigger and his fellows plan to watch a movie, and for watching movie he needed money. For this reason he and his pals decide for the robbery at a shop. The shop/ Delicatessen which they plan to rob belong to the white and they all are afraid of doing any criminal act against the whites. According to them they could get the money, but if they were caught, the law would be different, and they have to bear a lot bitter consequences. They used to rob blacks but this time they had a change in their plan. One of his fellow stepped down for the robbery, and Bigger beat him. Although Bigger’s mother is reli gious and keeps on teaching him: he has no temptations for the religion. When he thinks there is no way to get money by robbing that white, he chooses the legitimate way of earning money by deciding to go for the job. And he is appointed as a chauffeur for Mr. Dalton who is a very rich man. He is afraid of losing his job as he is not aware of the etiquettes of the rich families and thinks himself as a misfit in that environment. This inferior complex has been rooted from the circumstances he has come from and he has a denial state for his

Governmental Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Governmental Accounting - Essay Example A decrease in the pension plan funding implies the plan’s liabilities are more than the assets. In the short term the funds may get sufficient contributions and revenues to meet the requirement for paying scheduled benefits but this may only take some years. This may not take long and so In the long run the pension must eventually address the shortfalls. This will mean the pension plans seek more funding in order to cater for the surplus in liabilities and this most probably is in the form of increased contributions by the government. An increase in contributions by government would mean either an increase in taxes or reduction of services by the government to the citizens (Elmendorf, 2011). 2. A city manager was overheard saying, "Since we dont release them to the public, I dont see any value in taking the time to prepare interim reports." Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement. Companies prepare financial reports and issue to the public, creditors and investors in order to give a picture of the firm’s financial position and performance for specific periods. The reports therefore in my opinion give very useful information for persons external to the company; the reports generally show profitability, asset & debt positions, revenues, usage of cash as well as what the owners have invested over the period. Interim reports are prepared for time spans less than a year and can be used temporarily to analyze the firm’s financial standing until that time when consolidated yearly statements are made available. The reports are produced on a quarterly or semi-annual basis though some firms commonly give monthly reports to their creditors for purposes of securing loans. As such therefore the interim reports may not be required for reporting purposes but are important to investors, public, suppliers and more importantly banks for credit scoring reasons. I do not agree with the statement for the reasons stated above and the fact that

Research Paper on Native Son by Richard wright

On Native Son by Richard wright - Research Paper Example The novel is a brilliant example of this disambiguated phenomenon. The consequences stemming from the hypocrisy of whites supremacy are converted into an evil, with regards to the misfortune. An accidental event starts the trail of continual deprival of control of consent actions by a black man. A high degree of misfortune is presented in the initiating of the plot of this novel, while the racism in the US background has fueled this misfortune; a murder of a girl by black man. The lead role is the black man, in this novel, presented in an autobiographic genre. This misfortune turned into a tragedy, when the panic added fuel to the flare for the continued criminal actions of the Bigger, till the end of his role. This panic was the ultimate byproduct of the ambiance where he used to live. An approach to the error of the system has been presented in this novel as the root cause and the motive of the tragic criminal deeds was caused by the general environment, the circumstances, in which the Bigger had to live. Background America has had racism issues for long time. In the era of 1930s the class difference among different class was stronger. The blacks were not treated equally. The novel is actually a gentle protest on this situation. This novel was also a start of the silent revolution. The novel became the best seller in few days. The intensity of the racism presently is not of that extent as it was used to be in older days. Though presently the country with prolonged previous racism has a black president, and this novel was an alarm of the upcoming situation at that time: solve the issue today which may destroy tomorrow (Schneider, 2007). Economical perspective The protagonist and his family at large had not had good economic status. For the livelihood, they had to rely on the employments given by the whites. Although the help for the blacks was there as the employment was being provided to the blacks, but on the other hands, his family was being charged the hig h rent by the same employer. Mr. Dalton was a real estate tycoon, which was providing both the employment and the high rents to his family, and the other black community. There was no any generous thing to them as this had no effective benefit to the black and his family who was surging for the economic sustainability. The security and family needs The main character of the Novel, Bigger and his fellows plan to watch a movie, and for watching movie he needed money. For this reason he and his pals decide for the robbery at a shop. The shop/ Delicatessen which they plan to rob belong to the white and they all are afraid of doing any criminal act against the whites. According to them they could get the money, but if they were caught, the law would be different, and they have to bear a lot bitter consequences. They used to rob blacks but this time they had a change in their plan. One of his fellow stepped down for the robbery, and Bigger beat him. Although Bigger’s mother is reli gious and keeps on teaching him: he has no temptations for the religion. When he thinks there is no way to get money by robbing that white, he chooses the legitimate way of earning money by deciding to go for the job. And he is appointed as a chauffeur for Mr. Dalton who is a very rich man. He is afraid of losing his job as he is not aware of the etiquettes of the rich families and thinks himself as a misfit in that environment. This inferior complex has been rooted from the circumstances he has come from and he has a denial state for his

Analysis of proposed legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of proposed legislation - Essay Example he bill claims that an individual automatically commits a crime of illegal use of firearms if he or she possesses a gun while in possession of a specific amount of a controlled substance in the country. The bill is categorical and appropriate since it makes appropriate propositions that will govern the use of firearms while strengthening other existing laws that control specific substances (Webster and Jon 32). Drug abuse for example is another closely related legal aspect the bill seeks to curb. The government has categorized numerous types of drugs as controlled substances. Such drugs as cocaine, marijuana and heroin among others are example of controlled substances. Besides the hard drugs, the government regulates the use of other medicinal drugs often proposing for prescription before any form if over the counter purchase of such drugs. Such stringent legislations are responsible for the growing illegal trade on different types of drugs in the country. Drug peddling is a major social menace responsible for the rising crime rate and extrajudicial killings in the country. Drug peddlers operate in effectively structured syndicates characterized by heightened conflicts most of which result in violent use of both legal and illegal guns in the country. This validates the unique features of the law that seeks to control the use of firearms by associating guns to drugs among other types of controlled substances in the country. The bill will criminalize being in possession of a legal firearm while in possession of a specified amount of a type of controlled substance. Such is an appropriate clause that will help curb the rising number of gun violence in the country since some of the people implicated in both drug business and gun violence are always reputable business people with legal firearms. Without the bill, such individuals may readily use their guns to settle conflicts arising from the sale and use of rugs in the country. Proponents of the bill often cite the

Business Ethics And The Fast Food Industry

Business Ethics And The Fast Food Industry Ethics is the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. It is the study of morality. This paper is research based on ethnographic study conducted in one of the outlets of Burger King an American based fast food company with over 12000 outlets across 73 countries. This paper includes observations that were made in one of its outlets, interviewing some of its employees, and also includes inputs given by some chosen customers. Once all these recordings were made, the aim was to relate our findings to identify if this company is ethical in its practices. I visited Burger King Outlet in M. L Hampstead, which was pretty spacious, with about sixty seating capacity. Out of which forty were lower seats, 10 high chairs and the also had some 10 chairs specially meant for kids. Considering the crowd it seems to be enough seating facility, but during peak hours that is between twelve to three in the noon its bit difficult to get seats. Nether There neither is a specific smoking zone inside the burger king nor is it allowed in burger king. The shop is handicap friendly all the parts of store are wheel chair accessible, the doors can be opened pressing the button sitting on a wheel chair. Toilets specially meant for handicaps are facilitated. They have toy cars in which children can sit and play, it is a special attraction for children. parents bring children because of this reason. It costs fifty pens for ten mins ride. They also give free toy pack with kids meal which cost 2.99 pounds. They dont have any discount like student discount or any other discount targeting specific section of customers but they have offers like buy one get one free which is applicable for any sandwiches, expect sandwiches its not applicable to any other items . I found that many people asking for specific type of burger called whopper burger which coast 3.79 pounds. Other than this more customers opted fizzy drinks these two items seems to be very famous with burger king. I also noticed that only few people opted for take away like 20% but maximum about 80% of customers opted to eat in. one more thing I observed that from 12 to 3 in noon it is peak hours and for every ten minutes we can expect 30 to 40 costumers .so at that time six service staff were attending customers in the front desk but on other times in off pick hours there will be around 15 to 20 customers in a span of 10 minutes , so there will be 3 to 4 service staff in front. I interacted with staff and tried to collect some data. They were very friendly and cooperative and were generous to give following information They told that, there were 30 people working in that particular burger king .out of that 24 were male 16 female .In that 6 of 24 male staff were designated as shift mangers, 3 out of 6 female staff were also shift managers and there was only one branch manager. Expect this 10 members all other were service staff and they were paid 5.80 pounds per hour and shift managers were paid 6.20 pounds per hour and branch manager was paid a fixed monthly salary. They were allowed to take 40 days of paid sick leave others than this they didnt had any special comforts or benefits, and employees were given permission to have food worth 50 pens per hour. And they were paid 50 percent extra salary when they work during bank holidays and festival holidays . The staff was really diverse which include people from all ethnicity, out of which 10 were student working part time and remaining were working full time. They said they prepare a burger within 30 sec n they dont take more than 2 min to serve a customer, whatever may be the order. As far as customer concerned majority of them were middle aged, compared to young or old people and there were more female customer than male. When I spoke to some of the young customer I came to know that that rates in burger were bit costlier compared McDonalds, KFC and its other competitors and hence less in number of younger crowd. Majority of customer were very polite in the behavior but sometimes young customers behave very rudely, they even use abusive words and even through the burger if some minor mistake is happened while serving this young customers. Unlike McDonalds and star bucks, in burger king I didnt see them collecting money for any kind charity work, nether I saw any information regarding burger king charity connection. Ethics, which often called as moral philosophy is not easily defined and philosophers offer contradictory explanations of it. It is a subject which includes discussions about how we should live, what is right? What is wrong? And what we mean? To get an idea of ethics, its important to have a look at these questions: Are some of the things always wrong, If so what are those?, or does it defer on the point of view or even situation? How to measure goodness and badness? Are all humans selfish? Are really some people better at morality than others, or is everyone equally capable of being good? Why should you be good? Is Ethics a special type of knowledge? If it is so what sort of knowledge is it and how do we get it? Dose morality means obeying a set of rules? If people say, I know cheating is wrong, do they know it is wrong or simply believe it very strongly? Are moral laws the same as societies laws? This means, ethics covers a wide range of topics. The answers for these questions are hotly debated for hundreds of years and are still debated today. They affect every aspect of the way we live. They cover even issues such as whether we should pay our taxes or not and even how we treat our pets. There are two different kinds of ethics: Ethical theory and Practical ethics. Ethical theory examines the various philosophies, systems, ideas or principles used in making judgments about right/wrong/good/bad things. Practical ethics is more focuses on subjects that always invite ethical questioning such as is it is right to have an abortion or help someone who is terminally ill. No doubt these two things are related. The theory we use influences the decisions on every particular moral issue. For example, one who believes in a set of principles which states that life is sacred and no one can ever take it. This principle may lead him to think against capital punishment. So the ethical theory leads him to a view about the moral issue (the death penalty). Before we proceed, some definitions should not go amiss. Ethics comes from the Greek word ethikos which in its root form (ethos) means character or custom. For the Greeks it refereed to the appropriate or customary way to behave in society. Morality is derived from the Latin word Moralis and is concerned with which actions are right and which or actions are wrong, rather than the character of the person. Today the two terms are often used interchangeably. Business ethics concentrates on the moral standards applicable to business policies, institutions, and their behavior. In other words, is a form of applied or practical ethics. It includes not only the analysis of moral norms and values, but also attempts to apply the conclusions of this analysis to that assortment of institutions, technologies, transactions, activities, and pursuits that we call business. Business ethics investigates three different kinds of issues: systemic, corporate, and individual. Systemic issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about the economic, legal, political and other social systems within which the businesses operate. Corporate issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about a particular company. Individual issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about a particular individual or an individuals within a company. The multinationals operating in more than one country creates ethical dilemmas for their managers that managers of a firm limited to a single country may not face. The ability to shift its operations from one country to another enables the multinational to escape the social controls that a single nation might attempt to impose and can allow the multinational to play one country against another country. It can even sometimes transfer goods, raw materials and capital among its plants in different countries which enables it to escape fiscal obligations and even taxes that companies operating in a single nation forced to bear. They often get the opportunity to transfer a new technology or set of products from a more developed world to nations that are less developed. It is often faced with the dilemma of deciding which of these different norms and standards to implement in its operations. Ethical relativism is the view which states that there are no ethical standards that are absolutely true and that can be applicable to the companies and people of all societies. Thus, the theory of ethical relativism implies that whatever the majority in our society believes about morality can be considered automatically correct. Utilitarianism is a term for a view which holds that actions and policies can be evaluated on the basis of benefits and costs they will impose on society. usualy business analysts think that the best way to evaluate the ethical propriety of a business decision or any other decision is by relying on utilitarian Justice and Fairness Issues involving justice and fairness are usually divided into three categories: Distributive justice is concerned about the fair distribution of societys benefits and burdens. Retributive justice refers to the imposition of punishments and penalties on those commit wrong deeds. Compensatory justice deals the best possible way of compensating people who were wronged by others. Least Harm This deals with condition where neither choice are beneficial. In such case, a person can choose least harm possible option and which harms the fewest people. One should also sensibly argue that people have superior responsibility to do no harm than to take steps benefiting others. For example, a person has a greater responsibility to simply walk past a person rather than to hit a person as they walk past with no specific reason. Rights In the rights ethical theory the rights accepted by a society are protected and given the highest priority. Rights are considered to be ethical since a large population endorses them. Individuals may also confer rights upon others if they have the capability and resources to do so (1). For example, a person may say that his friend may borrow the car for a day. The friend who was given the ability to borrow the car is now having the right of the car for the day. Based on the theories and utilitarianism which explains ethics based on benefits and cost though burger king charging more than other counterparts like Mc Donalds and K.F.C, people thought, it worth paying and liked the quality, thus it seems to be ethical as for as the pricing is concerned. But some also thought its pricing was expensive especially the youngsters and many avoided Berger king and rather preferred other options. With there prospective it may be unethical pricing. . As for as employee rights are concerned burger king is paying the minimum pay directed by the government. Though it seems to be nothing wrong legally but when charging more than all its counterparts it seems to be unethical to stick to bottom of the payment scale, when it come to paying its employees. And in case of Mc Donalds, there rival brand they had some special schemes for its employees through corporate tie ups, but any such facilities are missing in case of burger king, says the employee. But burger king employee are happy that unlike many other fast food companies it allows its employees to have food. Food they can have is like 50 pens worth per hour, but it seems to be unethical seeing the pricing of its food items, it should be sensible and ethical if they try to increase this. And it cannot be uneconomical considering the fact that only 5to 10 employees work in most of its outlets at a time, Thus it doesnt make huge impact to its revenues. Seeing the fact that all of its outlets are disabled friendly it seems to be an ethical practice, but they might be doing it for compulsion since it is mandatory under law. Further opinion regarding being disabled friendly can be given only if we can come to know whether they are having similar practice in countries where its not a compulsion under law. They do have facilities for entertaining the kids, but they are charging for it so it hard to categories it has a act of social concern or a commercial one. But they are also giving some gifts along with kiddy meal, again this can be considered a marketing activity. They doesnt even have student or any kind of discounts which again doesnt really come under ethics , it could have been considered as a mere promotional activity ,even if they were having. One thing that really needs a mention, is its diversified staff which included all kind of people from different ethnicities, male female and students and had both part timers and full timers. The staff were very friendly and polite they treated every one in a same way the did not do any differentiation based on race, color, religion and ethnicity. There was no gender bias they treated every one the same even when some young costumers behaved very rudely they were trained to be very polite. From some of its behavior it brings a notion that it is very ethical and socially responsible. but its might not be totally true because many of these acts may be carried out of legal compulsion and some time even because of business compulsions, but one good thing, which need to be mentioned is that, its not involved in any notable un ethical behaviors. The topic of ethics itself is a debatable subject in every step. So on this topic it hard to decide or conclude whether the Burger king is ethical or not. And its might be the case of many other companies References: Manual g velasquez business ethics andrewson university 2001 Serrelo.c and fraedrich john 1994.