American Electronics International Essay

1. Whose responsibility is it to staff the office? In this case, it appears that it is the CEO of AEI. He would be the head of the matrix system at this point. 2. What should be Blen Carty’s role, as well as that of Dr. Runnels? Blen Carty is the director of project management. Dr. Runnels is the director of engineering. I believe that Ben Carty should be responsible for requesting who he needs to head the project; however Dr. Runnels should have the final say in who he gives up out of his department. They need to openly communicate and realize the importance of each other’s needs. 3. Should Larry Gilbert be assigned? I personally do not think Larry Gilbert should be assigned to head the project. Richard Flag has a proven track record of success. I feel that the project manager should be Richard Flag and that Gilbert should work under him, even though he is a higher level engineer. It is Flag’s responsibility to manage the project, even though he does not have as much engineering expertise. 4. How would you negotiate with the functional managers? I would explain that Flag would be heading the project, and also relay to them the importance and magnitude of the project. Hopefully if they understood the effect the project would have in the grand scheme of things, they would be more open to giving up some of their staff. Perhaps helping the functional managers see the way this project could benefit the company, and in turn them, they would be easier to sell on giving up some important staff for such a long period of time.

Holy War

Holy War Essay Holy war. How can the word holy be put together with the word war? In the Old Testament though, holy war is presented in such a good light. You were going to war for Yahweh’s command. Holy war was only engaged when Yahweh summons Israel to war. Holy war was initiated when something became a threat to Israel’s loyalty to Yahweh or something became dangerous to Israelites faith. War and killing was what seemed necessary to protect Israelites from swaying towards the Canaanite religion. Holy war was only used for conquests or for the defense of the holy land. In Deuteronomy and the books of the period known as the Deuteronomistic History which includes Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st and 2nd Samuel, and 1st and 2nd Kings, we read about a conflict between the Israelites and Canaanites which leads to the Conquest of Canaan. Being a conquest, its justified to call it a holy war. It is described as â€Å"Yahweh’s battle’s† in 1st Samuel chapter 25, verse 28. Never in the Old Testament is it referred to as a â€Å"holy war. Because the Canaanites were occupying the land known as the â€Å"promised land,† the land meant for gods chosen people, the Israelites, to live on, Yahweh promised to Abraham’s descendents that they must be exterminated without mercy. He wanted all the Canaanites killed including the women and children. The Canaanites were placed â€Å"under ban† which meant they were sacrificed to Yahweh. It was though that if th ey allowed any Canaanite to live, they might cause religious corruption (Harris). One example is documented in the book of Joshua, when Israelite soldiers captured the city of Jericho and killed all men, women, children, and even livestock, all because they wanted to enforce the ban and gods orders. There were many provisions established to govern the execution of a holy war. First it is to be understood a holy war is a religious undertaking. In theory, there should be no casualties because Yahweh is doing the fighting. Also some basic provisions included have no standing army but only an army of volunteers when needed, no pay for the soldiers along with no spoils of war, no sex during a holy war, and you must fast going into battle. In the book of Deuteronomy chapters 20 and 21, God spells out these provisions and rules that go along with going to war. For cities distant from the Promised Land, provisions differed from those nations closest. When the army marched up to attack a city, they were to make its people an offer of peace. If they accepted, they would be forced nto labor. If they refused, then both sides engaged in battle (Deut. 20:10-12). They were ordered by God to kill all men in the city they were attacking. The women, children, and livestock were considered plunders and spoilers of war. As for nations closest like the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, there are different provisions. God orders them to leave nothing behind in these nations. Completely destroy them because they are the nations that might corrupt the Israelites into worshipping other gods and sin against Yahweh. Along with leaving nothing alive and the basic provisions, another provision deals with marrying prisoners. During the war, God allows you to marry any of the captives of the conquered nation. But you must shave her head, trim her nails, and remove the clothes she was wearing when captured. You may marry her one-month after the capture to allow her to mourn her parents. If you become unpleased with he, you may let her go wherever she wishes, but you cant sell her or treat her as a slave since you have dishonored her. In Samuel chapter 15, Samuel orders King Saul to attack the Amalekites and destroy everything that belonged to them. Put to death the men, women, children, infants, and all livestock as ordered by God. Saul obeyed and organized an army of two hundred thousand men. He attacked the Amalekites and took their king, Agag, captive but destroyed everything else. Saul spared Agag’s life along with, what he deemed, the best livestock. The Lord spoke to Samuel and showed frustration in making Saul king because Saul had not followed out his instructions to kill everyone and everything. Samuel met with Saul at a city known as Gilgal and asked why Saul let some livestock live? Saul’s answer was that they would be used as sacrifices to the Lord because they were the best livestock. Samuel reminded Saul that the Lord had made hi king and that he sent Saul on a mission to completely destroy the Amalkites and asked why he didn’t obey the order and do evil in the eyes of the Lord. Samuel didn’t accept Saul’s reasoning of keeping the livestock for sacrifices and keeping Agag alive. Samuel then said that God wasn’t interested in sacrifices but in obedience of his voice and commands. Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has rejected him as king. â€Å"Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king† (Deut. 15:23). Saul admitted he sinned because he was afraid of the people and gave into them. Saul then asked for forgiveness but Samuel did not accept. He turned to leave but Saul latched onto him. Samuel said again that Saul was not king anymore. Saul pleaded with Samuel for him to return with him so he could worship the Lord. Samuel finally agreed and followed. After they worshipped, Samuel called for Agag to be brought to him. Agag arrived and Samuel proceeded to kill Agag before the Lord. Samuel left for Remaha and never returned to see Saul. From that day on, the Lord regretted that he made Saul king of Israel. We see in this passage the provisions of holy war, including Saul forming a volunteer army ad Saul obliterating everything of a nation. But the difference is King Saul didn’t fulfill the order of God for this holy war against the Amalekites. Saul was looked down upon for not following God’s orders and Samuel had to fulfill the command. There seems to be no exceptions to God’s orders and provisions in holy war. The impact this episode had on me is Saul chose to disobey Gods orders of killing everything by letting some things survive. After coming to understand what holy war was, it found it to be very bloodthirsty. Innocent women and children were killed. I understand the reasoning back then though for God to feel the need to destroy nations around Israel’s â€Å"promised land† because he feared his people would start worshiping other gods. The relevance of the age-old question of â€Å"If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world,† stems from people questioning why wars, genocides, and even murder happen. The reason many people ask this question is because, as a Catholic, I really hadn’t been exposed to the Old Testament God as much as the New Testament God. There is a big difference in the New Testament God and how compassionate and forgive full he his, and the Old Testament God who would eradicate his enemy’s and never forgive some sinners such as Saul. There’s no way we can answer this question of why god allows so much evil to exist. We can try to like today’s wars and conflicts with the ideas and aspects of holy war, but out minds still cant grasp why god allows some things to happen. Could it be he’s punishing sinners who are disobeying him? If this is so how could you reason why God allowed the Holocaust to happen. The Jews were considered Gods chosen people, so why would he allow this to happen to them. Or why is there genocide occurring in Africa to innocent people. If God is good, why does he allow these things to happen? We will ask this question forever. Work Cited Harris, Stephen L. Understanding the Bible. 7th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2007.

A Brief History Of The Canadian Pacific Railway History Essay

A Brief History Of The Canadian Pacific Railway History Essay The Railways are very important part of Canada’s history and a part of transportation. â€Å"For more than a century, CP rail was called the Canadian Pacific Railway, and it remains today the railroad that helped to settle the Canadian West in the Second half of the last Century† ( Thomas York 129). The CP was not only built to provide transportation, but it was also built to get British Columbia united with Canada. It also helped many Chinese immigrants to come to Canada and had a strong impact on the political and economic connection between west to east of Canada. It is beyond doubt that the Canadian Pacific Railway was really the one that had Canada united as a country. Chinese workers had an important contribution to the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia. Andrew Onderdonk, an American who was hired for construction contractor for Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia, signed agreement with Chinese contractors in China’s Gua ngdong province. Five thousand labourers were sent from China by ship during these contracts and over seven thousand were employed from California. Between 1881 and 1884 there were 17000 Chinese labourers working on Canadian Pacific Railway. Chinese workers got paid â€Å"$1.00 a day, and from this $1.00 the workers had to still pay for their food and their camping and cooking gear, [while] white workers did not have to pay for these things even though they were paid more money $1.50-$2.50 per day†(Library and Archives Canada). The Chinese workers had the most dangerous jobs from others, as they had to break off granite and planted explosives that were used to blow up tunnels. While working on the railway, many died due to accidents, fires and dynamite blasts. The Chinese workers lived in tents, but these tents were unsafe as they did not provide protection from falling rocks. When the Canadian Pacific Railway completed in 1885, the Chinese workers needed to find new jobs. Se veral workers went back to China, while some found a new job as gardeners, cooks and servants. The Chinese moved to east of Canada and settled there, opening restaurants and laundries. When the railway finished, the government passed The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 charging a Head Tax of $50 to any Chinese coming to Canada. This act was meant to stop Chinese immigration to Canada, but the 1885 act failed and the government passed The Chinese Immigration Act of 1900 to increase the tax to $100 and The Chinese Immigration Act of 1903 to increase the tax to $500. An estimated of $23 million was collected from 1885 and 1923 from the head tax. During this period, the Chinese in Canada lived a bachelor society as families in China would not pay this much money to send their daughters to Canada. After Canada entered World War II, the Chinese communities contributed to Canada’s war efforts and this brought â€Å"independent Chinese immigrants in Canada. . . after Canada eliminat ed race and the â€Å"place of origin† section from its immigration policy in 1967†³(History of Chinese Immigration to Canada, Wikipedia.org). Chinese suffered extreme intolerance and abuse, but thanks to their work of the Trans-Canada railway, Chinese communities developed across the Canada. When the railway was building, many manufacturer began to see this railway had big economic possible.

Media, Culture and Society .... Movie, Outfoxed Essay

Media, Culture and Society .... Movie, Outfoxed - Essay Example The director’s effort to expose media magnate Rupert Murdoch as a dangerous conservative right wing, Christian fanatic; instead quickly becomes an airing of disgruntled former employee views, whose own philosophies and ideals were in stark contrast to the conservative environment within which they worked. Even though for years, decades, in fact, the American liberal party, the Democrats, have ruled the American press corps, no greater threat to that sector has emerged and caused American liberals or the American Democratic party to speak out as loudly, or, in some cases, fanatically, as the Fox News Network. Never mind that CNN, under the management and direction of liberal Ted Turner, is the liberal opposite of FNN, and resorts to the same tactics and extreme leanings as cited by the former Fox employees as being the misleading of the public opinion; that FNN has been attacked by liberals in a way that CNN never has been. At one point in the Outfoxed documentary, Bob McChesney compares Fox to organized crime, using the gangster film The Godfather, to give documentary viewers the sense of the point he’s trying to make about Rupert Murdoch’s media empire being a subversive or covert organization, instead of a mainstream news organization that serves a widespread public o pinion and market. The problem with the Outfoxed documentary is that it fails to bring to light any area of real concern in Murdoch’s media organization. The former employees, while journalistic successes in their own right, such as McChesney, Jeff Cohen, James Wolcott and Clara Frenk; come across as whining disgruntled liberals who fail to expose shed light on anything going on, or that went on, at FNN except that the conservative view promoted by the Murdoch organization was not their view. Jeff Cohen warns that â€Å"media is the nervous system of a democracy,† and says he’s concerned that FNN is committing consumer fraud with its slogan â€Å"Fair and Balanced.†

Managing Knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Knowledge - Essay Example Knowledge is passive, analytic and atomistic (Thomas, Kellogg & Erickson, 2001). This does not imply that knowledge is power, rather applied knowledge is power. To apply knowledge, to use the abundance of information that is available in any organization today, codification of knowledge is essential. Codification of knowledge into information implies making knowledge portable, re-usable and transferable within the organization (Hall, 2006). Only when this is possible can knowledge become power. Organizational knowledge can then be used to gain competitive edge over the rivals but the organization should know how to use that power. Technological advancements have made it possible to retain knowledge and transmit it to the persons concerned within the organization. Knowledge can be a powerful weapon when retained, transmitted, disseminated and applied. It is thus important to understand the implications and the ways of retaining and applying knowledge. Knowledge has been classified into two categories - tacit and explicit. Explicit knowledge is that which has been previously defined and codified. It is usually gained through formal education, training, books and now the internet. Explicit knowledge is static and does not have the capacity to renew itself (Ehin, 2008). It requires an outside entity to keep it current. Tacit knowledge on the other hand is acquired by interacting with others and is connected to life's experiences. Tacit knowledge is the basis for generation of new knowledge or "the key to knowledge creation lies in the mobilization and conversion of tacit knowledge" (Nonaka cited by Marwick, 2001). The individual tacit knowledge characterizes the human capital of an organization. Human capital is the combination of genetic inheritance, education, experience and attitude towards life and business (Bontis & Fitz-enz, 2002). Human capital is the source of innovation and strategy. Sustained competitive advantage can accr ue from a pool of human capital. Human capital adds value and is not substitutable. An organization is not a passive repository of knowledge. The tacit knowledge in the form of organization culture may interact with the explicit knowledge of the individual. The core competencies of an organization incorporate both tacit and explicit knowledge and should be conceived as a mix of skills and technologies (Lindgren & Wallstrom, 2000). These interactions and combinations result in new knowledge as organizational learning or innovation. This knowledge has to be efficiently managed so as to derive competitive advantage. Managing knowledge Managing knowledge or knowledge management (KM) is nothing more than getting the right information to the right people at the right time. It is also known by other terms like organizational learning, organizational memory and expertise management. Most organizations may not even be aware of the knowledge they have, let alone knowing how to manage knowledge. They may under estimate the value and creation of knowledge; they may even unknowingly give away what they possess (Earl & Scott, 2001). They may defer the sharing of knowledge or under invest in the utilization of the knowledge. As organizations started recognizing these facts, they created the post of a Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO), whose popularity and demand has increased in the recent

Literary analysis for Grief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Literary analysis for Grief - Essay Example The cruel hand of death was seen with just a mere act of coming together to have dinner. The event was simply beyond her understanding. According to her, life can change instantly. Her words can be taken to be mute. She could not describe what happened at that time until nine months afterwards. Her account can be best described as a great work of testimony, reach in power, grace and generosity as Joan emerges from grief. The unbelievable contrast between the ordinary circumstances and the extraordinary event that comes afterwards goes round and round Joan’s minds. She tries to reconnect events like death with grief. She meditates on family life and children. How people become sick and how they heal afterwards. She gets into deep thought on how human beings takes life normal, may be thinking that death is far away. She generally gets to view life from another perspective. Joan loved her husband so much that when death snatched him from her, she becomes deeply affected and canno t imagine how cruel life is sometimes destined to be. They had had a happy life for over forty years. Their idea of marriage was working together and cooperation. They worked for thirty five years together at home. The couples shared a lot, depended on each other so much and paid attention to one another’s ideas and thoughts. ... People have the notion that a close relative or friend can die but the thoughts given to the events that are likely to follow are very small or not matching the magnitude of responsiveness a person can show. We only expect that one may just have a mere shock on receiving news of death but there is more to it than that, there is a heavy effect it leaves on both the mind and the body. As she describes the difference between real grief and the mere thoughts of grief, great powers of her reflections are shown. According to her, as days pass by, the effects of grief reduce unlike the earlier days. According to her, the common belief that a funeral is the heightened moment of grief, is unreality. This is because a funeral is just a celebration that must occur to give a chance for others to pay their last respect to the deceased, but those affected will still be undergoing the reality of living without the deceased; a time of meaninglessness in life . In giving her account on grief, Joan co mpares and contrasts two angels of looking at grief: individual and universal perspective. Since she was a child, Joan understood that change cannot be avoided and that nature shall always be the same. In her opinion this is even captured in the payer that God’s glory will always be. The challenge that comes is balancing the fact that everyone will face death and the meaning of existence. Self pity is another component of grief that is contemplated in her testimony of grief. After careful analysis of events that come with grief, Joan is of the opinion that having self pity is normal. Self-pity is a natural phenomenon. She accepts that one can only learn and understand life’s ways given time and experiences. It leaves one a completely changed perception. (De Beauvoir

Settlement House Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Settlement House Movement - Essay Example The lady has the image of â€Å"Gentle angle of mercy† which is accurate but incomplete to certain extent as she was also viewed as businesswoman who is shrewd but has expertise in fund rising and skilled agent for publicity. All of these skills combined proved to be successful for the lady as it drove Hull House to success and gave Jane Addams a status of being a celebrity. She has been made Head of The National Conference of Charities and Corrections, the Women’s League for International Peace and Freedom and the Women’s Peace Party. She was awarded Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993 that was shared with Nicholas Murray Butler (Pickus, 10). Jane Addams is among the pioneers of social work and her aim of life was to provide as much help as possible to the people who are poor. The lady has been recognized worldwide for establishing a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois; the house was her home which was dedicated to help poor people who are living in urban areas. The primary aim of Jane Addams was to live side by side with poor people and understand their problems while help them in dealing with them so that they can live a good life (Rabin, 50). She was born in Cedarville region of Illinois State on 8th September in 1860. Her father was Legislator of the State and she had eight siblings. Her mother passed away when she was only three years old; Jane was born with curved spine and it was embarrassing for her as she was getting older. In 1881, Jane Addams completed her graduation from Rockford Female Seminary and she started studying medicine in Women’s College of Pennsylvania; she was unable to continue her education when her father passed away and her health problems made difficult for her to complete her studies. In order to have surgery for her congenital spinal defect in 1882, she abandoned her studies and went for this remedial solution for her problem. From 1883-1885, she went for tour

Companies would benefit from using a multidomesric [polycentric] Essay

Companies would benefit from using a multidomesric [polycentric] strategy in prefernce to a global marketing strategy [Anon] Discuss - Essay Example eriod of time since Dunning (1977) has driven home the point of why and how does a Multinational Enterprises (MNE) obtain this advantage away from their home bases. He developed the eclectic paradigm that explains the various factors that influence the MNE’s to decide on Internationalization through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Globalisation has become a necessity for companies in search of competitive advantage (Porter 1980). This has meant shifting of operations, especially production to other countries in preference over home countries. There is a twin objective for companies to go global; the first is to find new and cost effective production centres and the second is to find new markets. Motives for locating Production away from home countries may be summarised in a categorization formulated by Behrman (1972). The classification identifies four types of multinational activity; the resource seekers, the market seekers, efficiency seekers and strategic asset or capability seekers. The market versus hierarchy organisation of production (internalisation) was modified by the eclectic paradigm of Dunning (1980; 1988a; 1988b) who has evaluated Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in terms of ownership, location and internalisation (OLI). Market and Resource seeking motives have been the two most recognised categories of motives (Dunning 2000). These two are the main reasons for most first time internationalisation attempts by firms. It often happens that resources fall short in the home country which limit growth of firms and in turn maces them inefficient, whereas the required resources may be readily available abroad. This would tempt the firm to go international for just the reason of acquiring resources to become competitive in the home market. Many an MNE have exploited cheaper labour and raw material abroad for reducing costs of their products for sale in the home countries. This has direct bearing on the profits of the company. Most Western companies

Conflict Management Mediation Arbitration case 5 Essay

Conflict Management Mediation Arbitration case 5 - Essay Example This, as expressed is a voluntary process and this means that the settlement cannot be imposed or forced on the disputants by the mediators. Arbitration on the other hand has been defined as ‘A process in which a disagreement between two or more parties is resolved by impartial individuals, called arbitrators, in order to avoid costly and lengthy litigation’ (Investor Words – Arbitration, 2009). This is a procedure, where a third party holds a meeting for the disputants. This meeting is normally a ground for the disputants to state the issues, facts, to provide witnesses and also any possible evidence for the positions (Herrman, 2006). There is also an existence of a combined strategy. An example if that of mediation – arbitration, which consists of two stages. Firstly, mediation and then followed by arbitration. In certain cases it has been noted that mediation alone does not provide for a solution for the argument and it is then that the third party would need to bring in arbitration as well. Here the third party would act as both an arbitrator as well as a mediator (Kagel, 1976, as cited in (Herrman, 2006)). There however has been a fairly new strategy which is a combination of the two and is referred to as arb – med. This has been noted to have three phases: "In phase one, the third party holds an arbitration hearing. At the end of this phase, the third party makes a decision, which is placed in a sealed envelope and is not revealed to the parties. The second phase consists of mediation. The sealed envelope containing the third partys decision is displayed prominently during the mediation phase. Only if mediation fails to produce a voluntary agreement by a specified deadline do the parties enter the third phase, called the ruling phase. Here, the third party removes the ruling from the envelope and reveals the binding ruling to the disputants (Cobbledick, 1992; Sander, 1993, as cited in (Herrman, 2006)). To ensure

Measuring the electrical resistivity of a wire Lab Report

Measuring the electrical resistivity of a wire - Lab Report Example For a piece of the conductor, its resistance is determined using the following relationship; Where, L is the length of the wire where the voltage is measured, and A is the area of the cross-section of the wire. Resistivity is measured in ohm-meters (ÃŽ ©m). The cross sectional area can be determined using the following formula. Conductivity specifies the electrical character of the conductor in terms of its capability in conducting current. Conductivity is measured in units of ohm-meters (ÃŽ ©m-1). Most metals are very good electricity conductors (Bird, 2013). Validity is the process of determining whether or not the obtained data is correct and the degree of its validity (Holm, 2013). The process is done by obtaining the percentage errors in the readings reflecting the data accuracy. Percentage error: In every experiment, error are meant to occur due to measurement accuracies (Mathsisfun.com, 2012). In our experiment, we used the meter ruler where reading were made by eye observation. Direct observation can give different records due to different angles of view. The voltmeter and the ammeter also give wrong readings if they are not correctly calibrated. The next time we perform an experiment on the resistance of the conductor, we would first conduct research on the various factors affecting the resistance of the conductor in use and choose the most effective one. The experiment was performed by regulating the voltage on the circuit. Due to this regulations, the current flowing through the Iron conductor also changed. The reading of the different voltages were recorded and the corresponding current. Resistance was determined from the obtained recordings of the voltages and current. In the graphs obtained by plotting resistance against the length, it can be seen clearly how the length is proportionally related to the resistance. As the length increases so do the resistance. It clearly shows that our graph obeys Ohms law since the line passes

Costs and Contract Terms Essay Example for Free

Costs and Contract Terms Essay Executive Summary Over the span of 168 simulated days, team Honeybadgers managed the Littlefield Technologies job shop. The team’s objective was to maximize the firm’s cash position relative to the rest of the class. Using 50 days of historical data, the team reviewed re-order points, re-order quantity, capacity, lead times, and therefore contract terms. The team also weighed the cost of new machines against capital for inventory and interest rates, evaluating the return on investment and the impact a new machine had on lead times. Using this consideration set, team Honeybadgers purchased one tuning machine, one stuffing machine, and changed the contract terms on ten occasions. Ultimately, the team placed 5th. Actions Analysis Changing Contract Terms: A 7 day lead time generated higher revenue than the other contract terms during the first 50 days. However, we observed that there was a stretch of 5-8 days when the lead time was below a 1 day lead time during the first 50 days. Evaluating the first 50 days more closely revealed that approximately every 15-20 days, the lead time dropped substantially. Noticing a pattern, and aware that a different contract time could generate more revenue, we decided to micromanage the contracts to optimize revenue. For the duration of simulation, we adjusted contract according to the trending lead time. In times of high demand, when a lead time was more than 18 hours, we opted not to use contract #3 because of the cost of each order (avg. job cost+ordering cost = $608.33) Micromanaging the contracts according to lead times was a temporary solution. This strategy allowed us to optimize revenue when we did not have the capital to purchase a machine. Purchasing Tuning and Stuffing Machines: We originally wanted to purchase both a tuning and stuffing machine because both stations had long stretches when capacity was maxed out. However, without sufficient capital, we had to ration purchases. The tuning machine was at capacity more often. At one point the machine was at capacity for 18 days in a row. Purchasing the tuning machine eliminated a bottleneck at that station, which allowed us to produce more DSS products. Although the Tuning machine was prioritized, the bottleneck at the Stuffing machine was nearly as problematic as the Tuning station’s. The Stuffing machine was at capacity for 15 days in a row. After purchasing the Stuffing machine, bottleneck shifted again, and we were able to produce more DSS products. We did not purchase a third machine because it was unclear whether the revenue earned would offset the cost of the machine. The lead time was hovering around  ½ a day when we had the capital to make the purchase, and we did not believe the additional machine would improve our lead time enough to justify a purchase. In retrospect both machines should have been purchased earlier. We will evaluate the benefits of this approach in the â€Å"Risks and Evaluations† section. Choosing Not to Borrow: When we became eligible to take out a loan, we decided to forego the option because we did not need to borrow. Our cash standing was relatively high throughout the simulation because micromanaging contract terms proved fairly effective. Another deterrent was the grossly high interest rate. A 20% interest rate mitigated any added benefit gained from taking out a loan. Choosing Not to change re-order point: Re-ordering kits was a sizeable fixed cost, but we did not adjust the re-order point / order quantity because demand variability was fairly high. We were aware there was an opportunity cost associated with holding too much inventory because we could have earned interest revenue from the cash spent on inventory. However, we kept the order amounts Q high because (1)we want to save ordering cost and (2) we were not concerned with having too much inventory on hand when there was no direct cost (such as warehousing) associated with holding inventory. Inventory Strategy Final Hours: During the last 12 simulation days we considered developing a plan to minimize our inventory at the end of the simulation. However, we were not sure how to calculate this, and the costs associated with running of inventory was too high to risk making a mistake. Results The Honeybadgers team finished the Littlefield simulation in fifth place, posting $1,511,424 in cash. The team’s final cash position was $104,192 below the first place team, earning 93.5% of their total revenue. Risks and Evaluations At the beginning of the simulation, we wanted to maintain a high R and Q because we wanted to avoid high ordering costs. While we considered keeping inventory low to save money for a new machine, we were not sure the improved lead time could offset the cost of machines. However, in hindsight we realized that we could have managed R and Q better early in the simulation, so as to minimize the amount of excess raw inventory. We now know that we could have adjusted R according to the variability of demand, holding that the more demand fluctuates; the higher R is and vice versa. We believe that this tactic could have allowed us to accumulate enough cash to purchase machines earlier, possibly as early as day 80 or 90. Purchasing a machine earlier could have improved lead times, allowing us to switch to contract #3 earlier so as to generate more revenue. We should have balanced between ordering costs during the last 100 days and the cost of having excessive or unnecessary inventory after last day. In the last day we still had approximately $80k of inventory, which held no value after demand ceased. Managing inventory better would have given more cash on hand.

Liberty of Thought and Discussion Essay Example for Free

Liberty of Thought and Discussion Essay John Stuart Mill: John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), British philosopher, economist, great liberal (or libertarian), moral and political theorist, and administrator, was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century. His views are of continuing significance, and are generally recognized to be among the deepest and certainly the most effective defenses of empiricism and of a liberal political view of society and culture. The overall aim of his philosophy is to develop a positive view of the universe and the place of humans in it, one which contributes to the progress of human knowledge, individual freedom and human well-being. His views are not entirely original, having their roots in the British empiricism of John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume, and in the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham. But he gave them a new depth, and his formulations were sufficiently articulate to gain for them a continuing influence among a broad public. Mills most famous work in social and political philosophy, and still one of the most influential works on human rights and freedom, is his book-length essay entitled On Liberty, which we will now summarize, using Mills own section headings. Introduction of the essay: The main point of this essay is to argue that the only justification for society limiting the liberty of an individual, whether by the government or the force of public opinion, is to prevent harm to others. If the purpose instead is his own good, or some other goal, then only persuasion and non-coercive means can be justified. Mill believed that an individual had two aspects to his life 1) The individual had two aspects which concerned him alone 2) The social because every individual was also an integral part of society. The actions of the individual may similarly be divided into two categories 1)self-regarding and2)other regarding with regard to actions in which he alone is concerned, his liberty of action is complete and should not be regulated by the state and society, his actions can justifiably be regulated by the state or society.. The essay also reflects Mills passionate belief that individuality is something that should be protected and nurtured. As such, the essay illustrates his disgust at how he believed society squelches nonconformity. On Liberty is just one example of the social and political writings of Mill other works of his include, Considerations on Representative Government Major Themes: The Struggle between Liberty and Authority Individuals have often felt as though their rights were being infringed upon by an overzealous government and have fought for the ability to have their government act they wish. Individual liberties have been trampled on by various governments and this fear of authority has resulted in democracies, where the majority of the people get to decide what actions are best for the state. Tyranny of the Majority With democracies, it is supposed that the will of the people is the impetus for the governments actions and that people are participating in a type of self-governing state. However, says Mill, this is not true, democracies enable a tyranny of the majority where public opinion stomps out the voices of the minority groups and pays their needs and opinions no mind. Mill thinks that this tyranny is the gravest sort, and seeks to find the maximum amount that society can impose itself on an individual while still maintaining personal liberty. Self-Regarding Actions and Autonomy A person whose actions only affect himself is not eligible to be coerced or punished for his deeds. According to Mill, it is not societys duty or even its right to protect a person from him or her. The only punishment that can result from a self-regarding action is the weight of individual public opinion and the consequence of the actual action itself. The Veracity of Public Opinion There is no guarantee, and even a strong possibility that what the majority deems to be best indeed is not. The majority’s opinion is tainted with motives and biases that shouldnt come into play when deciding what is best for society as a whole. An analysis of past events, wars, and discriminations can show us that sometimes the majoritys opinion is not rooted in good faith. Allowing the minoritys opinion to be involved in debates and decisions can only be a good thing, no matter what the opinion is. Religion and Liberty Supporters of religion tend to view those who are less religious as less credible in their ideas for society. Mill refutes this theory and says that religious affiliation should play no role in the ability of a person to make an informed opinion about what is best for all society the truth of matters. Mill points to nonreligious men with impeccable morals as proof that religious affiliation does not indicate trustworthiness. Coercion Mill is against societal or individual coercion in all cases, except when a persons actions are harming others. He thinks it a clear abuse of liberty when coercion is used to persuade a person to stop an action that only affects himself. When a person is injuring other members of society, however, Mill thinks it fine that he be coerced to stop his actions and punished in a court of law if applicable. Mill also believes that the public has the duty to warn each other about a dangerous person and coerce one another to stay avoid him/her. Societys Obligation Society has an obligation to throw its influence towards those who are unable to process information and exercise their own liberty in a rational way. Examples of these individuals are children and undeveloped minds. Society has an obligation to children to try their best to make them rational, reasonable adults who want to follow their passions and be dynamic personalities. Part of this obligation, one that is shared by parents, is providing a strong education Mill suggests that there be universal educational standards for all children so none fall behind. Danger in the Government: Mill is very fearful of the power of the government and all his theories are molded not to give the government any more power of persuasion or procedure. Mill thinks that governments should not be allowed to make the final decisions regarding its constituency, that rather local officials should be appointed and with the central government advice, but most importantly with the input of all citizens, make the decisions. The Liberty of Thought and Discussion: If people are oppressed for holding or expressing an unpopular opinion, there are three possibilities. In all three cases, the coercion is unjustified. One, the suppressed opinion might be true. Thats the most obvious case where suppressing it is unjustified. Two, the suppressed opinion might be false. Even here, though, there are advantages to letting it be aired as long and as fully as anyone wishes to air it. Even when the prevailing opinion it counters is true, it should never fear the challenge of a devils advocate. Such a challenge can only be healthy for it. Three, most likely of all, the suppressed opinion is neither wholly true nor wholly false. Only by airing all sidesboth the prevailing opinion and any views challenging it Of Individuality, As One of the Elements of Well-Being To hold an opinion never constitutes a harm to others, and so should never be suppressed. To express an opinion almost never constitutes a harm to others, and so should only be suppressed in rare, extreme circumstances. Behavior is clearly different and can often constitute harm to others, thus it is not entitled to the same near-absolute liberty. However, even with behavior there should be a strong presumption in favor of liberty. Any alleged harm to others has to be clear and provable. When theres doubt, the behavior should not be suppressed. Many of the reasons for this parallel the reasons for freedom of expression. Just as expression might be true, false, or partly true and partly false, so might ones actions be right, wrong, or partly right and partly wrong. When theyre right they should be allowed, and when theyre wrong or partly right and partly wrong, its often best to allow them to stand as a challenge to the prevailing approved behavior, so people can best judge all the possible behaviors. There will be no positive change for society as a whole if people are not allowed to experiment with behavior that is contrary to custom and the opinion of the majority. Every progressive, positive change in history that has added to human happiness was at one time contrary to custom. To develop ones individuality, ones capacity for autonomously choosing ones own path in life, fosters happiness in and of itself, aside from the consequences of the specific behavior chosen thereby. Even if superficially it is the case that other choices coercively imposed would have been better, this benefit of being an autonomous person is lost. Unfortunately, in the modern era people seem all too blind to the value of liberty and individuality. Little is shunned or looked down upon more than eccentricity or acting contrary to custom. Of the Limits to the Authority of Society Over the Individual Every member of a society is obligated to refrain from harming others, and to provide his share of the labor and sacrifices necessary to safeguard and maintain that society. Society has the right to compel people to fulfill such obligations. If the harm rises to the level of violating the rights of others, then the law may be used against such harmful behavior. If the harm is of a lower level, then only the force of public opinion may be used against such harmful behavior. If the behavior is not harmful to others, then no coerciongovernmental or otherwisemay be used against it, and people may only seek to influence it by persuasion. It can be argued that harm to self can then harm others and so should be included in what can be suppressed, but this harm to others is too indirect and speculative. Plus, the individual is generally in the best position to know what constitutes harm to self, and so is the one who should make the decisions. Applications Not even all instances where behavior in some sense harms others should be suppressed. Sometimes people will be disadvantaged or have their liberty limited by the way other people exercise their liberty (e. g. , one person is prevented from getting a certain job because the employer hired someone else), but this is unavoidable and is normally not proper to categorize as a coercive infringement on liberty. Should people be free to obtain and possess weapons and such that are used to harm others? Mostly yes, because the potential to harm is not to be treated as the equivalent of harm. In some cases, an acceptable middle ground should be sought, for instance allowing people to own such things, but keeping strict records of their name and address, what they purchased, their stated reason for purchasing it, etc. There can be rare cases of justified paternalism where a person is coerced to prevent harm to self. An example would be physically blocking a person from crossing a bridge until it can be explained to him that it is unsafe. Because here youre not really thwarting the persons will, which is to get to the other side of the bridge, not to plunge to his death trying to cross it. There can be rare cases where a persons track record justifies intervention before the actual harm to others. If a person has an established history of violence when drunk, it may be justified to forcibly prevent him from getting drunk. There can be instances of offense that are so severe as to rise to the level of harm, and thus justify disallowing certain behaviors in public, where it would not be justified to prohibit those behaviors behind closed doors. Generally if it is wrong to use full coercion against a behavior, then it would be wrong to use partial coercion. For instance, if it would be wrong to make a certain thing illegal because its not directly harming others, it would also be wrong to tax it so heavily as to discourage it without banning it outright. Should a person be free to limit his own future self by entering into binding contracts? This will depend on the specifics. To not allow and enforce contracts would itself be a limitation on liberty, as would enforcing all contracts (e. . , slavery contracts). The law should seek a middle ground that maximizes freedom by enforcing contracts, but only with numerous safeguards, limitations, and exclusions. One area where some people are allowed far too much freedom in ways that harm others is in the family. Men are wrongly regarded as having sole authority in their home to deal with their wives and children as they see fit. The law should step in, even coercively where necessary, to ensure that women have the same rights, the same liberties as men. A question that is only indirectly related to the primary concerns of this essay is the proper size and role of government, beyond the matter of its placing direct limitations on the liberty of the individual. As a rule of thumb, smaller government is better, because individuals are in a better position to make decisions about their own lives and resources than is local government, and local government is in a better position than the national government.

The Modern Olympic Games Tourism Essay

The Modern Olympic Games Tourism Essay The modern Olympic Games are a major international event featuring summer and winter sports in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered to be the worlds foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Games are currently held biennially, with summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating, meaning they each occur every four years. Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The IOC has since become the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Games for ice and winter sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with a disability, and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes. The IOC has had to adapt to the varying economic, political, and technological realities of the 20th century. As a result, the Olympics shifted away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to allow participation of professional athletes. The growing importance of the mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship and commercialization of the Games. World wars led to the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Games. Large boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Games. The Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and organizing committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for each Olympic Games. The host city is responsible for organizing and funding a celebration of the Games consistent with the Olympic Charter. The Olympic program, consisting of the sports to be contested at the Games, is also determined by the IOC. The celebration of the Games encompasses many rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag and torch, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Over 13,000 athletes compete at the Summer and Winter Olympics in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. The first, second and third place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals: gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. The Games have grown in scale to the point that nearly every nation is represented. Such growth has created numerous challenges, including boycotts, doping, bribery, and terrorism. Every two years, the Olympics and its media exposure provide unknown athletes with the chance to attain national and sometimes international fame. The Games also constitute a major opportunity for the host city and country to showcase themselves to the world. The Olympic Games program consists of 35 sports, 30 disciplines and nearly 400 events. For example, wrestling is a Summer Olympic sport, comprising two disciplines: Greco-Roman and Freestyle. It is further broken down into fourteen events for men and four events for women, each representing a different weight class. The Summer Olympics program includes 26 sports, while the Winter Olympics program features 15 sports. Athletics, swimming, fencing, and artistic gymnastics are the only summer sports that have never been absent from the Olympic program. Cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating have been featured at every Winter Olympics program since its inception in 1924. Current Olympic sports, like badminton, basketball, and volleyball, first appeared on the program as demonstration sports, and were later promoted to full Olympic sports. Some sports that were featured in earlier Games were later dropped from the program. Olympic sports are governed by international sports federations (IFs) recognized by the IOC as the global supervisors of those sports. There are 35 federations represented at the IOC. There are sports recognized by the IOC that are not included on the Olympic program. These sports are not considered Olympic sports, but they can be promoted to this status during a program revision that occurs in the first IOC session following a celebration of the Olympic Games. During such revisions, sports can be excluded or included in the program on the basis of a two-thirds majority vote of the members of the IOC. There are recognized sports that have never been on an Olympic program in any capacity, including chess and surfing. In October and November 2004, the IOC established an Olympic Programme Commission, which was tasked with reviewing the sports on the Olympic program and all non-Olympic recognized sports. The goal was to apply a systematic approach to establishing the Olympic program for each celebration of the Games. The commission formulated seven criteria to judge whether a sport should be included on the Olympic program. These criteria are history and tradition of the sport, universality, popularity of the sport, image, athletes health, development of the International Federation that governs the sport, and costs of holding the sport. From this study five recognized sports emerged as candidates for inclusion at the 2012 Summer Olympics: golf, karate, rugby union, roller sports and squash. These sports were reviewed by the IOC Executive Board and then referred to the General Session in Singapore in July 2005. Of the five sports recommended for inclusion only two were selected as finalists: karate and squash. Neither sport neither attained the required two-thirds vote nor consequently was they not promoted to the Olympic program. In October 2009 the IOC voted to instate golf and rugby union as Olympic sports for the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The 114th IOC Session, in 2002, limited the Summer Games program to a maximum of 28 sports, 301 events, and 10,500 athletes. Three years later, at the 117th IOC Session, the first major program revision was performed, which resulted in the exclusion of baseball and softball from the official program of the 2012 London Games. Since there was no agreement in the promotion of two other sports, the 2012 program featured just 26 sports. The 2016 and 2020 Games will return to the maximum of 28 sports given the addition of rugby and golf. The host city for an Olympic Games is usually chosen seven to eight years ahead of their celebration. The process of selection is carried out in two phases that span a two-year period. The prospective host city applies to its countrys National Olympic Committee; if more than one city from the same country submits a proposal to its NOC, the national committee typically holds an internal selection, since only one city per NOC can be presented to the International Olympic Committee for consideration. Once the deadline for submission of proposals by the NOCs is reached, the first phase (Application) begins with the applicant cities asked to complete a questionnaire regarding several key criteria related to the organization of the Olympic Games. In this form, the applicants must give assurances that they will comply with the Olympic Charter and with any other regulations established by the IOC Executive Committee. The evaluation of the filled questionnaires by a specialized group provides the IOC with an overview of each applicants project and their potential to host the Games. On the basis of this technical evaluation, the IOC Executive Board selects the applicants that will proceed to the candidature stage. Once the candidate cities are selected, they must submit to the IOC a bigger and more detailed presentation of their project as part of a candidature file. Each city is thoroughly analysed by an evaluation commission. This commission will also visit the candidate cities, interviewing local officials and inspecting prospective venue sites, and submit a report on its findings one month prior to the IOCs final decision. During the interview process the candidate city must also guarantee that it will be able to fund the Games. After the work of the evaluation commission, a list of candidates is presented to the General Session of the IOC, which must assemble in a country that does not have a candidate city in the running. The IOC members gathered in the Session have the final vote on the host city. Once elected, the host city bid committee (together with the NOC of the respective country) signs a Host City Contract with the IOC, officially becoming an Olympic host nation and host city. By 2016, the Olympic Games will have been hosted by 44 cities in 23 countries, but by cities outside Europe and North America on only eight occasions. Since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, the Olympics have been held in Asia or Oceania four times, a sharp increase compared to the previous 92 years of modern Olympic history. The 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro will be the first Olympics for a South American country. No bids from countries in Africa have succeeded. The United States has hosted eight Olympic Games, four Summer and four Winter, more than any other nation. The British capital London holds the distinction of hosting three Olympic Games, all Summer, more than any other city. The other nations hosting the Summer Games twice are Germany, Australia, France and Greece. The other cities hosting the Summer Games twice are Los Angeles, Paris and Athens. In addition to the United States, nations hosting multiple Winter Games are France with three, while Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Japan, Canada and Italy have hosted twice. Among host cities, Lake Placid, Innsbruck and St. Moritz have played host to the Winter Olympic Games more than once, each holding that honour twice. The most recent Winter Games were held in Vancouver, Canadas third Olympics overall. The next Winter Games will be in Sochi in 2014, Russias first Winter Olympics and second Olympics overall. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games, 24 Nov, 2012) London Wins By 15 July 2003, the deadline for interested cities to submit bids to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), nine cities had submitted bids to host the 2012 Summer Olympics: Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York City, Paris and Rio de Janeiro. On 18 May 2004, as a result of a scored technical evaluation, the IOC reduced the number of cities to five: London, Madrid, Moscow, New York and Paris. All five submitted their candidate files by 19 November 2004 and were visited by the IOC inspection team during February and March 2005. The Paris bid suffered two setbacks during the IOC inspection visit: a number of strikes and demonstrations coinciding with the visits, and a report that a key member of the bid team, Guy Drut, would face charges over alleged corrupt party political finances. Throughout the process, Paris was widely seen as the favourite, particularly as this was its third bid in recent years. London was seen at first as lagging Paris by a considerable margin. Its position began to improve after the appointment of Lord Coe as the new head of London 2012 on 19 May 2004. In late August 2004, reports predicted a tie between London and Paris. On 6 June 2005 the IOC released its evaluation reports for the five candidate cities. They did not contain any scores or rankings, but the report for Paris was considered the most positive. London was close behind, having closed most of the gap observed by the initial evaluation in 2004. New York and Madrid also received very positive evaluations. On 1 July 2005, when asked who would win, Jacques Rogge said, I cannot predict it since I dont know how the IOC members will vote. But my gut feeling tells me that it will be very close. Perhaps it will come down to a difference of say ten votes, or maybe less. On 6 July 2005, the final selection was announced at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. Moscow was the first city to be eliminated, followed by New York and Madrid. The final two contenders were London and Paris. At the end of the fourth round of voting, London won the right to host the 2012 Games with 54 votes to Pariss 50. The celebrations in London were short-lived, being overshadowed by bombings on Londons transport system less than 24 hours after the announcement. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics, 24 Nov, 2012) Why was London chosen? A lot of available land to regenerate Government was in favor Many hotels and restaurants Has the right facilities A good transport system In Europe, close to many spectators and potential athletes A good climate during July and August Pre Olympics Preparations for the Games Economics of the Games By almost any measure, staging the Olympic Games was big business. Revenue is generated from five principal sources: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Broadcast rights-the rights to broadcast the Games in countries around the world. In recent times, the rights for the United States accounted for about 50% and the rights for Europe accounted for 25% of the total broadcast revenue. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ International sponsorship-the rights for a company to proclaim itself an Official Sponsor of the Olympic Games on a worldwide basis in the four years leading up to the Games. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ticketing-the tickets to the individual Olympic events. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Domestic sponsorship-the rights for a company to proclaim itself an official sponsor of the Olympics within the country hosting the Games. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Licensing rights-the rights to use the Olympic logos and trademarks on items ranging from stamps and coins to t-shirts and stuffed animals. Preparing For and Managing the Games Using its allocation of the Olympic revenues, the host city London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games had to plan for, organize, and manage the 17 days of the Games, all within the contractual obligations set forth by the IOC. The major tasks included: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Staging the Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony, and sporting events à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Arranging for the required stadia, arenas, training facilities, and equipment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Housing and feeding the athletes and officials à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Anticipating and solving potential transportation problems à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Meeting the needs of the media à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Providing security to ensure a safe and peaceful Olympics Importantly, while the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games was responsible for arranging for the Games infrastructure, responsibility for actually providing that infrastructure rested with the host city and country. This included the stadia and arenas to stage the events, the Olympic Village to house the athletes, the national and international transportation systems to efficiently get people to and from the host city, and the local transportation systems to shuttle people to and from the events. If funds were needed to build this infrastructure, they typically were raised through taxation, lotteries, and private investment. Chris Townsend explained: The costs of any Olympics can be broken down into software or people costs and hardware or infrastructure costs. Software costs are the responsibility of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and include the expenses associated with planning the Games, housing the athletes, and running the events. In contrast, hardware costs are the responsibility of the host city and depend greatly on the existing infrastructure. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™ The 2012 Games Great Britain was no stranger to the Olympic Games. It was one of only four nations to compete in all 26 Olympic Games, holding third place in total number of medals won. It had successfully hosted the 1908 and 1948 London Games. And it had bid on the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Games. Winning the rights to the 2012 Games was far from certain, however, with Paris, New York, Moscow, and Madrid also in the final running. The process to select the host city consisted of a series of secret ballots, with each IOC member voting for the city of his or her choice. After each round of voting, if no city obtained a majority of the votes cast, the city with the lowest number of votes was eliminated, and the remaining cities advanced to a new round of voting. By most accounts, Paris was the favourite to win the rights to the 2012 Games. However, many believed the London bid was aided by the addition of Sebastian Coe to the London Bid Committee in 2004. Coe was the 1980 and 1984 gold medallist in the 1,500-meter run, was widely considered one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time, had served as a member of the British Parliament, and was widely respected both within and outside the Olympic community. In the end, the IOC apparently was impressed by the proposal that the London Bid Committee submitted. As announced on July 6, 2005, to the joy of its many supporters, London had won the rights to host the 2012 Games in a final, head-to-head ballot in which London received 54 votes to Pariss 50. The Plans for the 2012 Games The 2012 Games were scheduled to run from July 27 to August 12, with over 12,000 athletes from 205 countries expected to compete across 26 sports and 300 events. In a perfect world, the organizing committee knew, their decisions would satisfy many criteria. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ First, given the importance of ticketing to the Games bottom line, they had a strong incentive to maximize revenues. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Second, given that the entire world would be watching, they wanted to maximize attendance-not just at the Opening Ceremony and swimming finals, which traditionally were easy sells, but also at events like handball and table tennis, which were not. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Thirdly, the wanted to fill the seats with right people- knowledgeable fans who added to the energy and atmosphere of the event. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Finally, tickets had to be accessible not only to the worlds elite but also to average Londoners, many of whom lived around the corner from the Olympic park. With 7.9 million tickets up for sale, the LONDON ORGANISING COMMITTEE OF THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES anticipated an average of 500,000 spectators per day to attend the Games, with up to 800,000 on the busiest days. It estimated that roughly 30% of all tickets would be purchased by Londoners, 25% by United Kingdom residents who lived outside of London, 20% by people from the rest of Europe, and 25% by people from the rest of the world. In addition, it expected 10,000 Olympic and political dignitaries to watch some or all of the Games, 20,000 journalists and media personnel to cover the Games, 60,000 security personnel to ensure safety, and 100,000 paid and volunteer workers to help run the Games. Location and Venues A key selling point in the London bid was the plan to build the centrepiece of the Games-the Olympic Park-in East London. As stated in Londons bid document: Great Games leave welcome legacies. Consistent with Londons long-term plan, the Games will stimulate vital economic and social regeneration in what is now a disadvantaged area. Creation of the Olympic Park will involve restoring large tracts of land in East London, with new green spaces and revived wetlands. The Olympic Village will become a desirable and socially diverse new residential area, providing 3,600 new homes in a community transformed by the Games. The intent was to develop 500 acres of existing industrial and waste land in East London into the Olympic Park. By 2012, this would include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium-for Opening and Closing Ceremonies and athletics à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The 17,500-seat Aquatics Centre-for diving, swimming, and water polo à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The 12,000-seat London Velopark-for indoor track cycling and outdoor BMX cycling à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The 12,000-seat Basketball Arena à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The 15,000-seat Olympic Field Hockey Centre à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The 17,000-bed Olympic Village After the Games, the plan was to reduce the size of several of the larger venues to fit with the surrounding community, to relocate several of the smaller venues to other parts of the country where they could be better utilized, and to convert the Olympic Village into 3,600 units of affordable housing, with an additional 5,400 new homes to be built later. The remaining sports would use existing venues located throughout London and the UK, including Earls Court (volleyball), Excel London (judo, weightlifting, wrestling), Hyde Park (triathlon), the Millennium Dome (gymnastics), Wimbledon (tennis), and Wembley (football). Transportation A second critical element of the London bid was a plan to make the 2012 Games the first public transport Olympics, with close to 100% of ticketed spectators traveling to the Olympic events by such means. To make this happen, existing transportation links to and from the East London area were to be expanded and upgraded, turning it into one of the best-connected Communities in the city. The most talked-about of these efforts was a 12-car subway shuttle called the Olympic Javelin, which would ferry passengers from Kings Cross Station, in the heart of London, to the Olympic Park in just 7 minutes. These efforts were expected to support the transport of up to 240,000 passengers per hour into and out of the Olympic Park area. In turn, to encourage spectators to use public transportation, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games had announced that the price of every ticket to an Olympic event would include the use of Londons public transportation network on the day of that event. Atmosphere finally, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games hoped to engage and excite the British public. While Sydney came to be called the Laid-Back Games, and Beijing had been unofficially dubbed the No Fun Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games wanted the legacy of the 2012 Games to be one of inclusiveness. Toward this end, Sebastian Coe noted: Whilst London will be the principal venue, it is the entire United Kingdom which will be the host. The London 2012 Games will be Everybodys Games. London 2012 will be the most accessible and participative Games ever. Putting on Everybodys Games, we are clear that our stakeholders are the 60 million people living in Britain. Delivering the 2012 games The two groups responsible for delivering the 2012 games were the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which staged the Games, and a quasi-governmental organization called the Olympic Delivery Authority, which built the infrastructure. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games forecasting budget was $3 billion. Roughly $1.2 billion of this came from its share of the broadcast revenues and international sponsorships. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games was responsible for the rest, with a planned $1 billion coming from about 60 domestic sponsors, $650 million from ticket sales, and $150 million from licensing fees. The Olympic Delivering Authoritys total expenses were projected to run about $12 billion: $6 billion for the building of the Olympic park, $4 billion for the transportation upgrades, and the rest for smaller projects, contingencies and taxes. Roughly 60% of these funds came from national taxes, 15% came from London city taxes, and 20% came from the National Lottery. Selling tickets to the games Hired as head of ticketing in September 2007, Paul Williamson was no stranger to large sporting event. Previously, he had helped set ticketing guidelines for several FIFA World Cup Finals, the Cricket World Cup etc. He was well aware of the challenges that London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games faced: Ticketing for the FIFA World Cup was a great experience, but it pales in comparison to the Olympic Games. For a World Cup Final, you sell three million tickets to 64 matches played over 30 days in 10 or 12 major cities. The teams were all of very high calibre, the stadia were all well established, and football was the most popular sport in the world. With the Olympic Games, they were trying to sell almost eight million tickets to 26 different sports played over 17 days, with some sports wildly popular and others a complete mystery to the average person. In reality, they were running 26 world championships in a fortnight. While many ticketing issues were still up in the air, some had already been decided. In particular, it was known that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A total of 7.9 million tickets would be available for sale across all events. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In late 2010, international and domestic sponsors, the 205 National Olympic Committees, the International Federations, and other IOC affiliates could place requests for tickets- specifying how many tickets at each price point they desired for each event. All would pay full price for any tickets ultimately received and, collectively, these groups would receive no more than 25% of available tickets. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In the spring of 2011, the general public could similarly place requests for tickets, via an online ballot, specifying the event, number of tickets, and price point they desired. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In the summer of 2011, ticket requests from both the IOC affiliates and the public would be processed and individuals would be informed as to whether they had obtained tickets. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Later in 2011 and into 2012, any remaining tickets would be offered for direct sale. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ During the Games, tickets still not sold would be available for purchase at box offices throughout London. Williamson noted that those applying for tickets were requesting entry to a particular event within a certain price tier. Not until tickets were matched to requests, in the summer of 2011, would customers find out where they actually sat in the stadium or arena. Managing Ticket Revenues When it came to managing ticket revenues, Williamson and his team looked to the 2000 Sydney Games for inspiration: While the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games were wonderful events, they do not provide a great ticketing benchmark for the London Games. Athens was hampered by the small size of the city and the limited capacity of the venues. And Beijing tried hard to make tickets affordable for its domestic population, resulting in ticket prices that were artificially low. But the Sydney Games were staged in large venues in the largest city of a wealthy, sports- loving country. People were willing to pay to attend events and the results reflected this fact. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games also viewed sufficient ticket revenues as vital to the legacy of the 2012 Games. As Chris Townsend noted: With so much money involved in the Games, it is easy to view ticket sales as a drop in the bucket. What is $650 million when the Olympic Delivery Authority is spending $12 billion to build the Olympic Park and the Olympic Javelin? But putting things in perspective. Last year, Manchester United generated about $150 million in ticket revenues over a nine-month season, while the New York Yankees sold $120 million in tickets over a six-month season. They were looking to bring in four to five times those amounts, which will have a major impact on the financial legacy of these Games. But Williamson knew that maximizing ticket revenue meant more than just charging high prices Peoples willingness-to-pay for a given event will depend on many factors. Theres an expectation about what a ticket should cost based on other sporting events in and around London. Theres the global appeal of a sport, with swimming and gymnastics being very popular around the world. Theres the local appeal of the sport, often driven by the host countries past success in that sport. Theres the event stage, with most people wanting to see those stages where the gold medals are awarded. And then theres a particular team or athlete that makes the difference. Williamson also reasoned that the pricing of tickets at past Games provided only limited guidance for the pricing of the London Games: First, every host city possesses unique tastes, culture, and atmosphere. While beach volleyball may be big in Australia, table tennis is king in China. Second, the reach of the Games varies by location. Given the difficulties in getting into China, tickets to the Beijing Games were largely limited to the Chinese. Given the proximity of London to the rest of Europe, they anticipate a much more international crowd. Third, this will be the first Games where ticketing will be done via the Internet, which may alter demand for some events. Finally, with the current global financial crisis, London 2012 is entering uncharted territories. Managing Attendance The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games also wanted to fill the many venues during the games. As stated in the London bid document, Great Games generate genuine enthusiasm. This will be demonstrated by full stadia across a wide range of events. Given that organizers expected close to five billion television viewers to watch some part of the 2012 Games, the last image the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games wanted broadcast to the world was that of half-empty arenas. Everyone at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games understood the potential fallout from attendance shortfalls. Pinned to a nearby bulletin board were several articles from recent games. In reference to the 2004 Athens Games, one New York Times headline read, Summer 2004 Games: Seats May Be Empty, But Not the Beaches. And in regard to the 2008 Beijing Games, the Los Angeles Times proclaimed, Empty Seats Are a Mystery at Beijing Olympics. Williamson broke down the challenge of maximizing attendance into two parts. First, you have to get people to buy the tickets. Second, you have to get those who purchased tickets to actually use them. Neither of these was a trivial task. When it came to getting people to buy the tickets, Williamson had no illusions: You just cant sell every ticket to every event. The Opening Ceremony? Sure. The final day of track and field? Sure. Michael Phelps in any of the swimming events? Sure. But what about a preliminary round of handball, table tennis, or archery? The demand is just lower for certain sports. The reality is, there were three classes of events they managed. First, there was big four-swimming, artistic gymnastics, athletics, and the ceremonies-where demand historically far exceeds supply and which likely sold out at almost any prices. They expected about 40% of ticket revenues to come from these four sports. Second, there was football, with almost two million tickets across 58 mens and womens matches. If there was any single sport with which they obsess, it was football. On the one hand, football is the most popular sport in Europe, which worked in their favour. On the other hand, unlike the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic teams were largely limited to players under 23 years of age, eliminating some of the biggest names in the sport. They hope to generate another 10% of ticket revenue from football. Third, there were all the other sports, where supply historically exceeds demand and where they had to work hard to maximize sales. But the challenge did not end with merely selling the tickets. As the Beijing organizers discovered, ge

Media And Politics: Agenda Setting And Framing Essay -- essays researc

How has media influenced public perception of political figures, issues, and institutions? Through agenda setting and framing, media has the power to set the agenda for political discussion by providing public attention to political figures, issues, and institutions. In addition, the media can frame political agendas by influencing public perception and interpretation. (Ginsberg, Lowi & Weir, 1999) Agenda Setting and Framing Political Figures and Candidates In campaigning, media coverage plays a large role for candidates. They use the media to make their name heard and image seen. â€Å"Nearly everything a candidate does is geared toward the media, especially television† (Stuckey, 1999, p. 99) Candidates make appearances on talk shows, televise town hall meetings, and press conferences. Their agenda is not the issues they present or their positions on them, but to gain media attention. If the candidates do not present interesting visuals or dramatic news, than the media can pull the plug from underneath them. â€Å"The media has a good deal of discretion over how individuals are allowed to portray themselves† (Ginsberg, Lowi & Weir, 1999, p. 298). In addition, the media has control over how they portray an individual. Thus, political figures are framed by the media. The media can set the image for a political figure or candidate, sealing their approval or disapproval for them and cementing that image toward the audience. The media can make certain political figures or candidat...

Othello, The Moor of Venice Essay examples -- Shakespearean Literatur

Othello, the Moor of Venice is one of the major tragedies written by William Shakespeare that follows the main character, Othello through his trials and tribulations. Othello, the Moor of Venice is similar to William Shakespeare’s other tragedies and follows a set of specific rules of drama. The requirements include, following the definition of a tragedy, definition of tragic hero, containing a reversal of fortune, and a descent from happiness. William Shakespeare fulfills Aristotle’s requirements in this famous play. Aristotle the famous philosopher outlined several requirements in which a play or piece of drama is to follow. The first rule that is met in Shakespeare’s play is that Othello is considered tragic hero, which every tragedy must contain. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero must be a man in a position of power who is a good person and makes a mistake during the timeline of the play due to a tragic flaw. Othello’s major flaw can be seen as jealousy: â€Å"Othello has often been described as a tragedy of character, as the play’s protagonist swiftly descends into a rage of jealousy that completely destroys his life†("Othello"). Othello is shown he is a good man within the first few scenes of the play: â€Å"She wished she had not heard it; yet she wished That heaven had made her such a man† (1.3.162-163). This line in Act I spoken by Othello, is an indication that he is a good person although it may appear that he has stolen Desdemona away from her father. Othello speaks that although he has taken Desdemona as his wife without Brabantio’s consent, he is a good person for stating his reasons for his actions as well as standing his ground. After Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, the conflict is started when Iago insinuates t... ... Works Cited Catherine Bates, "Weaving and Writing in Othello," in Shakespeare Survey, Vol. 46, edited by Stanley Wells, Cambridge University Press, 1994, pp. 51–60. Dreher, Diane. "Shakespeare's Cordelia and the power of character." World and I Apr. 1998: 287+. Fine Arts and Music Collection. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. Newton, K.M. "Othello: Overview." Reference Guide to English Literature. Ed. D. L. Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. "Othello." Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2007. 649-687. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. Shakespeare, William. Othello, the Moor of Venice. Literature. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 368-455. Print. Othello, The Moor of Venice Essay examples -- Shakespearean Literatur Othello, the Moor of Venice is one of the major tragedies written by William Shakespeare that follows the main character, Othello through his trials and tribulations. Othello, the Moor of Venice is similar to William Shakespeare’s other tragedies and follows a set of specific rules of drama. The requirements include, following the definition of a tragedy, definition of tragic hero, containing a reversal of fortune, and a descent from happiness. William Shakespeare fulfills Aristotle’s requirements in this famous play. Aristotle the famous philosopher outlined several requirements in which a play or piece of drama is to follow. The first rule that is met in Shakespeare’s play is that Othello is considered tragic hero, which every tragedy must contain. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero must be a man in a position of power who is a good person and makes a mistake during the timeline of the play due to a tragic flaw. Othello’s major flaw can be seen as jealousy: â€Å"Othello has often been described as a tragedy of character, as the play’s protagonist swiftly descends into a rage of jealousy that completely destroys his life†("Othello"). Othello is shown he is a good man within the first few scenes of the play: â€Å"She wished she had not heard it; yet she wished That heaven had made her such a man† (1.3.162-163). This line in Act I spoken by Othello, is an indication that he is a good person although it may appear that he has stolen Desdemona away from her father. Othello speaks that although he has taken Desdemona as his wife without Brabantio’s consent, he is a good person for stating his reasons for his actions as well as standing his ground. After Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, the conflict is started when Iago insinuates t... ... Works Cited Catherine Bates, "Weaving and Writing in Othello," in Shakespeare Survey, Vol. 46, edited by Stanley Wells, Cambridge University Press, 1994, pp. 51–60. Dreher, Diane. "Shakespeare's Cordelia and the power of character." World and I Apr. 1998: 287+. Fine Arts and Music Collection. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. Newton, K.M. "Othello: Overview." Reference Guide to English Literature. Ed. D. L. Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. "Othello." Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2007. 649-687. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. Shakespeare, William. Othello, the Moor of Venice. Literature. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 368-455. Print.

The Changing Role of Human Resources :: Human Resources Essays

Introduction In most companies today, the HR function provides vital services to such stakeholders as job applicants, workers, supervisors, middle managers, and executives. Yet, the HR function tends to be located at the end of the business chain, on the reactive side, and too frequently centers on carrying out actions rather than achieving outcomes. The role of the HR function is frequently one of providing people, training, and secluded HR efforts after others have formulated organizational strategy and have initiated operational accomplishment. Cost centered management of worker benefits programs such as health insurance, workers' compensation, and pension plans have also figure outstandingly in an effort to control out of control operating costs (Dunn, 2006). Discussion The HRM department at our company does not really play a strategic role in the organization. Presently they spend the majority of their time doing the day to day things like hiring people, training, and other HR efforts that allow the business to function everyday. In order for business to achieve success in the every changing business world it is important for HR departments to become more strategically aligned with the overall goals and efforts of companies. There are three key reasons why businesses are changing their methods. The first is reducing costs. HR departments should no longer want to be seen as just a support function and cost center, they need to show their value. Secondly, it is the competitiveness of business today and the fight to employ and retain people that will help drive the business. Finally, HR departments are now expected to have an understanding of how other departments function in order to make a valuable contribution to the whole of the business (Brockway, 2007). The HR professional who will succeed in guiding their organizations into the future will be those who understand and use business strategy; understand corporate culture, plans and policies; recognize future problems and work solutions; can deal with all types of people; can communicate well verbally and in writing; and can recognize, recruit and train future executives. As organizations continue to move towards collective systems and combined financial resources for managing their human capital, we are likely to see more organizational structures combining both HR and Organizational Development (OD). The time has come to quit debating OD's involvement in HR systems and seek the present opportunities of showcasing the skills of OD in building organizational capacity and having a measurable impact on workforce productivity.

Critique Zara’s strategy based upon an evaluation of the external and internal environments facing Zara.

Introduction Using your evaluation of the external and internal environments facing Zara, you are asked to critique Zara’s stated strategy of expansion into (Eastern) Europe and Asia. Consider whether the strategy is feasible, suitable and acceptable. In your answer, consider both the likely benefits as well as challenges that Zara is going to face. How does the emphasis on online expansion fit into the company’s international strategy? Zara opened its first store in 1975 in La Coruna, located in northwest Spain. International expansion of the Zara brand began with the opening of a store in Oporto in 1988. By the end of January 2006, Zara was operating in 59 countries with 852 stores: 664 stores in Europe (including 259 in Spain), 100 in America, 45 in the Middle East and Africa and 31 in Asia. Foreign sales accounted for 69% of the company’s turnover in the year 2005, with Europe being the biggest market so far. This paper critiques Zara’s strategy of expansion into ( Eastern) Europe and Asia, based upon an evaluation of the external and internal environments facing Zara. The decision for global expansion is due to both push and pull factors. The push factors are those which encouraged the organization to search for international opportunities. The pull factors include attractive situations in the host market . Limited market growth opportunities at home were major influences in the decision to expand internationally. With the opening of their first store, Zara discovered that for some, the Spanish fashion and design market was on verge of saturation. Key pull factors included the entry of Spain into the European Union. The globalization of the world’s economies, the economy of scale to be made and the similarities of consumer spending patterns was an additional pull factor. Strategy is feasible, suitable and acceptable The internationalization of Zara seemed to follow the classic stage model by first entering the culturally or geographica lly closest market prior to taking chances in a more distant market. This method aided the company’s learning curve. These stages include: †¢ Reluctance as well as trial: Zara focused their expansion on the domestic market. The maturity of the Spanish market led Zara to search for international opportunities. Expansion into Portugal was seen as an attractive as well as familiar market because of their geographical and cultural proximity to Europe. †¢ Cautious expansions: During this stage Zara expanded into markets with geographical and psychological proximate as well as with minimum levels of socio-economic developments by adding one or two countries each year to their market portfolio. Zara then began operating in France’s fashion capital, with sights on the geographical contiguous EU and points for later expansions in Northern Europe, including Belgium and Sweden. Benefits as well as challenges that Zara is going to face Zara owns many stores in Europe and Asia; international expansion has been adopted by way of three separate entry modes: †¢ Subsidiaries: This direct investing strategy is a very expensive method of entering and it involves a high level of quality management control as well as business risk. Zara adopted such strategy for European as well as Asian countries, which had been perceived for having high growth potential along with low business risks. †¢ Joint venturing: This is a cooperative strategy where manufacturing facilities and a know-how of local companies have been combined with expertise in foreign companies in the same market, particularly in large, competitive markets where it is difficult to acquire property for setting up retail outlets and where there have been the other types of barriers which need cooperation with a local firm. †¢ Franchisee: This strategy has been chosen for high-risk countries that are culturally different and have little market opportunities along with a low sale forecas t. Franchisees of Zara follow a similar business pattern to their subsidiaries regarding product, store location, interior design, and logistics, as well as human resources. When an entry mode has been decided for a specific country, Zara has followed patterns of the expansion called in company as oil stain. Experience guides Zara in these stages of expansions in each country. Emphasis on online expansion fit into the company’s international strategy Experience gained in international environments made Zara intent on rapid global expansion, with regard to the cultural and geographic proximate. Zara consolidated its position in the European market as a method of gaining a foothold in the new countries. Due to the expansion of the European Union, at the start of the year 2006, Zara was operating in 59 countries with 800 stores, with plans to add many more in countries such as Italy, France, Germany and Great Britain, with Asia as the headquarters of international operations. References Alexander, N. (1995b). Internationalisation: interpreting the motives, in McGoldrick P. and Davies, P., International retailing: trends and strategies. London: Pitman Publishing. Johanson, J. a.-P. (1975). The internationalisation of the firm four Swedish case studies. Journal of Management Studies, 12 , 305-322. Martinez, J. (1997). Jose Maria Castellano. Economistas, 73 , 118-126.

Drug Trafficking in the United States Essay

Drug trafficking has become an even bigger problem than ever before in the world today. Now days, more people are buying, selling and using drugs. To people who do it, it is just a fast and easy way to get money, not knowing all the risks. Some drug dealers are even aware of the risk that comes with the action and they still do it anyways. There are many risks when dealing drugs and the risks are all different depending on what kind of drug it is and how addictive it is. Drugs are not only spreading fast through the streets, but today drugs and dealers have found their way into high school systems. The most common drug in high school is marijuana, more commonly known as pot or weed, and hashish or â€Å"hash. † Although this drug is said to be harmless or not addicting, it can still be dangerous in many ways. This is the reason drug trafficking in the USA must be stopped. Illegal drug trafficking from Mexico into the United States is and has been killing our society for many years. For decades, the border of the United States with Mexico has been used to smuggle illegal drugs into the country with the intention to sell it for illegal usage. Many of the drugs come from Mexico or other South American countries where drugs are easily grown. Once the drugs are grown and packed, they are then smuggled across the borders of Mexico and the United States. When the illegal drugs reach the United States, they are then distributed to many drug dealers around the country. These substances are then sold in our neighborhoods, our cities and states to those corrupted enough to purchase them. Sometimes the people that buy these large quantities of drugs have drug addictions, but a lot of the time it’s people that are addicted to money that sell to the addicts for a price of good profit. Customs Agents and x-ray devices that are at the borders are the only factors that need to be bypassed in order to successfully smuggle drugs into the United States. A lot of the times, illegal substances are stopped and confiscated at our borders. However, the effort to prevent the smuggling of drugs has not reached a one hundred percent success rate. Organized crime groups from Mexico have been smuggling marijuana into the United States since the early 1970s. Which may be surprising to some, being that president Richard Nixon declared a â€Å"war on drugs† in 1971. These groups maintain a wide range of associates, often related through family or regional ties to associates living in the United States. In my opinion this makes drug trafficking seem even more dangerous than it already is. It’s scary enough that people are sneaking drugs into our country, but knowing that they live here and not knowing where or who is even scarier. According to Mark Kleiman, â€Å"Most of the illicit drugs consumed in the United States come through or from Mexico, and virtually all the revenue of Mexican drug-trafficking organizations comes from sales to the United States†. What this says to me is that the United States has got to be at the top of the charts for the largest illegal drug trafficking market. This also means that not only are other countries at fault for bringing illegal drugs into our country, but the drug dealers and drug users that live in our country are making the United States seem at fault as well for keeping the system going. If you ask me, the president of Mexico should worry about the amount of legal drugs leaving his country and declare somewhat of a â€Å"war on drugs† like president Richard Nixon did in 1971. Although the war on drugs still continues, it at least makes it known that there is a solution in progress and sooner or later it will be in effect. â€Å"Mexico is the highway of the drug trade, not the destination-or so goes the conventional wisdom†, says Malcolm Beith. (Newsweek. New York: August 17, 2009 Vol. 154, Iss. 7) The United States has been fighting a losing war against drugs for decades. Budgets have increased dramatically over the last two decades and drug-related incarcerations consistently reach new records yet drug problems worsen: adolescent drug abuse is increasing, overdose deaths are at record levels, heroin and cocaine are cheaper, more pure and more available than ever before, and health problems related to drugs, especially the spread of HIV/AIDS are peaking. Meanwhile an expensive and ineffective policy is failing to work at a rate of speed that is sufficient enough. Drug problems can be reduced at less cost if we change course and start thinking and using strategies that actually work. At a time like this when the federal budget is limited programs need to be re-evaluated. Funding needs to go to programs that work. We need new ideas to save lives; we can’t afford to continue to be wrong. Police have done their jobs with record arrests, drug seizures and record incarceration of drug offenders yet drug problems continue to worsen. Something different must happen soon before this growing problem becomes too out of hand. According to the National Coalition for Effective Drug Policies, there are a number of different things that may have to happen to ensure a change. These are, shift resources into programs that work, make treatment available on request like any other health service, prevent drug abuse by investing in American youth and providing them with accurate information, focus law enforcement resources on the most dangerous and violent criminals, international drug control efforts should be demilitarized and focus on economic development, restore justice to the US justice system, respect state’s rights and allow new approaches to be tried, and make prevention of HIV and other blood borne diseases a top priority. This may seem like a lot on paper but in exchange for a better society it is no question that whatever needs to happen must happen quick. The war on drugs has now been going on for over forty years and our government still continues to fight hard to end it. As long as our government stays strong and continues to pursue this problem, I believe that it will one day happen. And possibly even more important than that, as long as we citizens of the United States stay strong and say no to drugs or drug activity, we will continue to grow as a country and make for a better place to grow and raise our children.