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