For Understandable Reasons, the Founders of Sociology

Jessamy O’Dwyer 18/10/2012 Introduction to Sociology Mark: A- Essay Qs. For understandable reasons, the founders of sociology paid little attention to ‘’ environmental issues’’. However modern-day sociologists do. Discuss the sociology of the environment in terms of globalisation, consumption and sustainability. Introduction Over the course of this essay I will address the area of environmental sociology in two parts. Firstly, I hope to explain why the field of environmental sociology was not an area of relevance to the founders of sociological thought.Then in the second part of the essay I will go on to discuss the birth of the field of environmental sociology. Within this new subfield sociologists have written at great length about the many environmental issues facing the world today. Many of these issues are overlapping and interconnected. I will address three of these challenges I believe to be most acute; (1) Globalisation, (2) Human consumption , and (3) Sustainability.Sociology in context The founders of Sociology (Marx, Durkheim and Weber) paid little attention to environmental issues because they were not seen as relevant or particularly problematic to society at the time, and therefore were not considered as topics of significance to classical social scientists. Instead they focused on matters such as poverty, stratification, social inequality, class systems, industrial development, religion and government.The detrimental impact of human beings on our natural surroundings were not yet acknowledged and the â€Å"natural landscape was taken for granted, simply as the backdrop to the much more pressing and urgent social problems generated by industrial capitalism† (Glidden’s, 2007). The Emergence of Environmental Sociology It wasn’t until the late 1960s that environmental issues were first recognised as relevant challenges in the field of sociology. In the United States the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act highlighted the strain hat the environment was under as a result of human consumption, and the increased demands of agriculture and industry. This was one of the first written laws designed to lay down a broad national framework for protecting the environment (NEPA, 1969). The emergence of this subfield was a direct consequence of the growing interest in environmentalism in the 1970’s. I will now address the environmental challenges posed by (1) globalisation, (2) human consumption, and (3) sustainability from a sociological perspective. GlobalisationOne of the contributing factors that has magnified environmental awareness in the latter half of the twentieth century are the impacts of globalisation. Globalisation is a process where the amount of economic, social and cultural activity carried out across national borders is increased. The process of globalisation has significant economic, social and environmental implications, both positive and negative. It ‘ ’enables free flow of goods, capital and technology and thus it becomes a motivational force for nations to develop themselves and (can) create a more gainful environment in the world scenario’’( Alamar.K, 2010). While this growing flow of capital, technology and trade has arguably helped the developed nations of the world to expand further, this has often come at the expense and exploitation of natural resources in developing countries. For example ‘’the demand for hardwood and woodchips in developed countries, such as Japan and the Netherlands, accelerates deforestation, soil impoverishment and a loss of local biodiversity in less-developed parts of the world, such as Brazil and Indonesia’’ (Dreher.A, Gaston . N. 2008). The world has been recast as one big universal market place and whilst the benefits of this are many, it is also having a negative effect on our environment. Some of the other negative effects of globalisation on the environment manifest themselves in the increase in air traffic, cars, sea transport, waste and the ever rising consumption of water and fossil energy. These factors all have profound impacts on the environment ranging from local to global (Dreher. A, Gaston. N, 2008).Increased Human Consumption As previously stated in the introduction the issues of globalisation and consumption are interdependent. The increased ‘flow of goods’ made possible by globalisation has led to a greater international demand for consumer goods. Much of the debate surrounding environmental challenges centres on this area of changing human consumption patterns. Consumption refers to â€Å"the goods, services, energy and resources that are used up by people, institutions and societies’’ (Gidden's, 2001).There is a direct correlation between high levels of consumption and economic development. As economies have flourished particularly in developed countries, this in turn has resulted i n the average person having more disposable income to spend on luxuries after necessities. These luxuries come in the form of more food, clothing, personal items, leisure time, cosmetics, holidays, cars and so forth (Giddens 2001). In a lifetime the average person consumes tons of raw materials, which must be extracted, processed and eventually disposed of as waste.In industrialised countries it is becoming increasingly difficult to dispose of the enormous amounts of refuse. Landfills are fast filling up and many urban areas are struggling to find places to dispose of domestic waste. For example, a report released by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency for the year 2011 found that uncollected household waste was estimated at 128,000 tonnes, which is a matter for on-going concern given the likely hood that some of it may have been burned or dumped. This is a trend common to most if not all developed economies.The impact of deforestation is not always confined to the local area; it can also have regional and potentially more global effects (e. g. , global climate change). Human impact as a contributing factor to many regional natural disasters (e. g. Bangladesh floods in 2007) cannot be easily quantified. What is clear however is that we are witnessing major shifts in our natural environment. These changes are manifesting themselves at local level in uncultivable soil, desertification, water contamination and air pollution. SustainabilityThe modern concept of sustainable development has emerged gradually over the last 40 years. During this time individuals, communities, governments, and nongovernmental organisations (NGO’s) have developed an awareness for the importance of the environment and humans’ increasing negative impacts on the natural world (Hardisty. P, 2012). Sustainable development is defined as ‘’the use of renewable resources to promote economic growth, the protection of animal species and biodiversity, and the commi tment to maintaining clean air, water and land’’ (United Nations Our Common Future Report 1987).Sustainable development means that growth, ideally, be carried out in such a way as to recycle physical resources, rather than deplete and destroy them, and to keep pollution levels to a minimum (Gidden’s 2001). Currently a third of the world’s population live directly off their own local produce (UNDP 1998). These people’s livelihoods are entirely dependent on the land. Therefore this makes them extremely vulnerable to any environmental change. One example of these changes is soil degradation experienced in parts of Asia and Africa.As local populations grow, so too does the demand for increased agricultural output, which leads to over-farming (Giddens, 2001). More efficient and sustainable methods of farming need to be urgently employed so as not to completely exhaust the land for future generations. In order for sustainable development to make an impac t it requires individuals, businesses, multinational corporations and the government to commit to a policy of reform in how they consume resources and the methods they use to dispose of solid waste and manage air pollution.There is reluctance amongst many to adapt to sustainable development as they argue it will come at the expense of economic growth. Therefore the real challenge facing environmental sociologists is to find ways to convince or incentivise these individuals and organizations that sustainable development is the only way forward. Conclusion Over the course of this assignment I have explored the emergence of environmental sociology beginning in the 1960s.I have analysed three of the most urgent challenges facing scholars of sociology including globalisation, changing human consumption patterns, and sustainability. One thing that has become apparent is that these challenges are all interlinked, and therefore cannot be addressed in isolation. The effects of globalisation and changing consumer patterns are evident on both a local and global scale. In support of this argument I have endeavoured to provide both local and global examples of the impacts of these sociological forces.Clearly the relationship between humans and the environment is a complex one. Our increasing demand for raw materials is stripping the earth of its already scarce resources, and therefore this relationship is unsustainable, and in urgent need of rebalancing. The urgency and scale of these environmental challenges have meant that sociologists have had to redefine the parameters of classical sociology. If the environment was once merely a ‘backdrop’ to the study of â€Å"human social life, groups and societies† (reference), changing circumstances have dictated that it can no longer be side-lined.Instead, environmental sociology must be understood, appreciated and addressed with the same diligence a traditional disciplines of sociology. Bibliography Books: * G iddens, Anthony, Sociology 4th edition, Polity Press, 2001, Ch. 19, Pg 609-621. * Hardisty, Paul E, Environmental and Economic Sustainability, CRC Press, 2010, Ch. 2. Journals: * Alamar. K and Murali. N, Globalisation, the Environment and sustainable Development, Taylor and Francis Group, London 2010. * Alamar. K and Murali.N, Environmental Management, Sustainable Development and Human Health, Taylor and Francis Group, London, 2008. * Dreher. A, Gaston. N, Martens. P, Measuring Globalisation; Gauging its’ Consequences, Springer Science + Business Media, LLC, 2008. * Internet Resources: * National Environmental Policy Act, 1969 http://www. epa. gov/region1/nepa/ (accessed 7/10/12) * Environmental Protection Agency, Irelands Environmental Challenges and Priorities Report, 2012 http://www. epa. ie/ (accessed 4/10/12)

Oration piece †Life and works of Rizal Essay

When I was young and innocent, I used to dream of great and wonderful things for the Philippines. I dreamed to see the Philippine flag raised in each and every household, and at the same time singing our national anthem in a blaring voice and a smile on their faces. When I’m old enough to see the real state of our country, these dreams were shattered. I don’t see flags in people’s households but I see households broken. I don’t hear songs but I hear gunshots, cries and remorse. I don’t see smiles but marks of poverty. This was not the Philippines I was dreaming of. This is not what our national hero wished and died for. We need someone who can bring the change in our country. As Filipinos we need not a leader with wealthy family, or rooms of medals and diplomas. Rizal didn’t show off his achievements because people already know him as someone great. He doesn’t need to play a movie of all His works or achievement because his works spoke for themselves. I do say that we must win our freedom by deserving it, by improving the mind and enhancing the dignity of the individual. Loving what is just, what is good, what is great, even to the point of dying for it. Just like Rizal. Rizal is generous in all his endeavors in various fields science, mathematics, literature and the arts, giving it his all, therefore always emerging in excellence. The very person who should lead our country must be someone who has a heart for excellence. Rizal has great dreams for the Filipinos, and he never, not even once underestimated them. With unwavering trust and conviction, Rizal believes in the abilities of the Filipino people and banks on them for the progress of the Philippines. My fellow young men and women, if we want to establish a better Philippines, we need a real president who embodies the characteristics of Dr. Jose Rizal. Let us always remember that authority without love and sacrifice is definitely self serving . Rizal studied in different schools, some of these are Ateneo Municipal de Manila where he was declared one of the sobresaliente or outstanding, University of Santo Tomas where he switched from law to medicine.

Ping Sweeps and Port Scans Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ping Sweeps and Port Scans - Case Study Example Ping sweeps are used to detect the IP addresses that are being used by live hosts. Ping messages are made up of a pair of ICMP messages referred to as Echo Request and Echo Reply (Chen & Davis, 2006). Unfortunately, ping is usually taken advantage of by attackers to scan a block of IP addresses for a set of active hosts. There are many tools that can perform a ping sweep, and this further makes it easy for attackers to exploit. The major advantage is that ping sweeps can easily be noticed. In addition, it possible for ICMP messages to be blocked, and therefore some organizations might opt to block these messages as a safety precaution. When the administrator wants to carry out a ping sweep, he may enable the ICMP messages temporarily and block them after the ping sweep (Chen & Davis, 2006). Generally, ping sweeps are an old and slower technology and are rarely used today. A port scan refers to a series of messages sent by an individual with the intent of breaking into a computer system (Christopher, 2014). The messages are sent to each port one by one. Once the attacker breaks into the computer, he will be able to learn about the computer network services each associated with a port number provided by that computer (Christopher, 2014). The attacker can also learn about the owners of these services and understand whether or not anonymous logins are supported on that computer. A server that is publicly accessible is highly susceptible to port scans. Luckily, port scans are easy to detect. In addition, using the proper tools, the amount of information relating to open services can be limited.  

Summary of Article on Current Business Issue Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary of on Current Business Issue - Article Example Each year thousands of new college graduates enter the job market in America. During the summer of 2012 the U.S. economy lost 8.8 million jobs and only added 3.8 million which results in a net job loss of 5 million jobs (Corona, 2012). It is estimated that if the U.S wants to cut down the unemployment rate to 6%, which would be near the natural unemployment rate of 5%, for it to happen the U.S would have to create 361,000 jobs a month for the next three years (Corona, 2012). One of the reasons that the official economic unemployment rate the government promotes is not accurate is because it does not account for the 88 million Americans that have given up in finding a job due to the poor job marketplace in America. The unemployment dilemma in our country is about to get worse because as reputable sources such as the Wall Street Journal predict a slowdown in the second half of the year and high unemployment for years to come (Corona, 2012). The current employment crisis in America is t he government fault. The current economic policies the government is implementing are not creating sufficient jobs to reduce unemployment in America. President Obama has been heavily criticized for maintaining Bush tax cuts for the middle class for another year. The policy Obama implement has been viewed as a strategy to earn votes during the upcoming elections. These fiscal policies are outdated since they are aligned with the strategies that the government has used during the last ten years. There is some speculation that the current government is going to impose tax hikes if the Democratic government is reelected. The Unites States economy has a great effect on the economies of many countries around the world. â€Å"There is some truth that our problems are a reflection of troubles in the European Union and a softening of the Chinese economy† (Corona, 2012). The Unites States is the largest trading partner with China and it is not in the best interest of China for the U.S economy to be suffering. Most economists agree that when the U.S economy is booming it has ripple effect that positively impacts the global economy. The TARP legislation has been viewed as a negative variable that has not served its purpose of helping the economic system. These governmental policies were focused on saving the banking industry rather than the general business community. A major reason for the bad state of the U.S economy is the lack of trust of American in what the government if doing. People are getting frustrated at the slow reaction of governmental official at tacking the issues and problems in the economy. A major drawback of the new governmental policies is that they are increasing the taxes for business entities. This is causing a lot of multinational companies to move their operations oversee where they can obtain cheaper labor costs and preferential tax treatments. A lot of companies in the U.S are riding tough economic times and the government is not doing a nything to gain their confidence that they can continue to operate in America in a profitable manner. When businesses face tough economic times the inevitable result is a lack of job creation and a movement of multinational operations to downsizing their operations in America in search for cost savings by moving operations oversee. It is sad that in the United States small companies

Rawl's and Chamberlain argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rawl's and Chamberlain argument - Essay Example 1) Explain Rawls's argument for the difference principle from the original position The differences in the political philosophies of John Rawls and Robert Nozick mostly relate to variance in their initial assumptions and system of argument. According to the different principle, it allows inequalities in the distribution of goods subject to those inequalities stand to the advantage of the worst-off members of the society. He is convinced about the rationality of this principle and tenders the following reasons for his stand: The right of each citizen on the total goods available with the society is equal. This goes to prove that he must have equal share in the material wealth of the society. What is the justification for unequal distribution? His argument is simple and straightforward. If the distribution system works to the advantage of the worst-off section of the society, that arrangement is fair enough. Rawls explains his strategy of setting up the original position through risk-m inimisation. Elaborating this Dr. Jan Garrette argues, â€Å"The Difference Principle has elements of other familiar ethical theories. The "socialist" idea (see Distributive Justice) that responsibilities or burdens should be distributed according to ability and benefits according to need is partly contained within the Difference Principle. We may reasonably assume that the "least advantaged" have the greatest needs and that those who receive special powers (hinted at under "social inequalities") also have special responsibilities or burdens. However, the merit principle that the use of special skills should be rewarded is also included in the Difference Principle.†(www.wku.edu/)Does this stand to reasoning? With the acceptance of the different principle, one visualises a situation where all suffer, in varied degrees except the one at the top. Risk-minimisation propounded as per the different principle will not hold good in all the situations. It may even lead to ridiculous c onclusions. (2) Explain Nozick's 'Wilt Chamberlain' argument In his book â€Å"Anarchy, State, and Utopia,† Robert Nozick argues, â€Å"Moral philosophy sets the background for, and boundaries of, political philosophy. What persons may and may not do to one another limits what they may do through the apparatus of a state, or do to establish such an apparatus.†(6)Wilt Chamberlin is a popular basketball player and the society adores him so much that 1 million people are ready to give him 25 cents each to watch him play basketball during the course of the entire season, assuming g that he will not entertain any other transactions. On the strength of this example, Nozick develops an argument. He writes, â€Å"Nozick's famous Wilt Chamberlain argument is an attempt to show that patterned principles of just distribution are incompatible with liberty. He asks us to assume that the original distribution in society, D1 is ordered by our choice of patterned principle, for insta nce Rawls's Difference Principle.† (seattlecentral.edu) Through this deal, Wilt will now own $250,000 and overnight he has a big sum as compared to any other member of the society. He further elaborates this example and comes to the conclusion

Virtual Religious Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virtual Religious Service - Essay Example As for me then, this is just a fundamental way or strategy in order to increase the number of people in the church. With many people coming in and congregating, there would be financial advantage for all the leaders who were successful in building a Christian congregation. The other misconception I have is relevant to self-fulfillment or self-actualisation of a person. I once believed that there must be a strong sense of accomplishment when you can build your group and ensure a large number of followers who are willing to take part under one’s rule. I therefore had a funny thought concerning pastors that their ultimate reason of initiating a church is to gain the advantage of personal satisfaction of taking the pride for establishing a group, and not just ordinary but a multitude. The above were two of my greatest presumptions about Christianity, which have remarkably changed when I happened to observe one of its virtual service and actual discourse with a born-again Christian . The following includes the information I obtained that changed the way I look at Christianity, particularly from the point of view of a born-again Christian. ... The bottom line of his point was eventually pointing to the fact that the world does not know what love can do for our own good. In fact, he managed to show me that if a criminal considered loving his neighbor, he would never end up doing the crime in the first place. If there is love for our neighbor, hatred would never dominate, but understanding, respect and carefree countenance showing love for everyone would have persisted. He also tried to establish the point on what is the ultimate reason of global warming. From his point of view, this happened because of the selfish interest of the capitalists, allowing them not being able to think of the future, but only on how they would add up something to their bank accounts even at the expense of the environment and the inhabitants in general. After these, he introduced me to the point that to love is the ultimate source of other prevailing Christian values, just as how Christ showed love for the humanity as our model. I pondered on this and then I thought that if many people like this man would think like the way he does, I am sure we will be living with peace and far away from troubles. This therefore eliminated my preconceived thought about Christianity and the people in the church. Increasing therefore the number of people in the church, especially those who have born-again experience just as this man would not harm the world, but it would instead give a great chance to change this blue planet for the better. As his concluding point, he told me that Christ’s pattern of discipleship, as an ultimate way to proliferate the Christian values, would make things happen for us for the better. Pastoral ministry is not about fame, but a great responsibility Hearing one of the virtual religious services of a born-again

American history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

American history - Essay Example Under Brigham Young the Church took a more aggressive view of self-defence, especially when under attack from Native American tribes. The Spanish-American war, however, split the Mormon church with different factions taking sides both for and against participation in the war. Eventually, the policy evolved. In the final analysis, this war marked the end of Mormons believing themselves to be separate from other American citizens. They agreed to be ruled by the Commander-in-Chief. The agreed to fight in war when required and to stand up for both their faith and their country when called to do so. This was certainly a turning point in the history of the Mormon Church and its role in the United States. This article offers a reappraisal of the Spanish-American war. The idea that is commonly said of this war is that it was a short, minor conflict that provided a big boost to the American ego. In truth it was not an easy war to win, nor was America properly prepared for it. Additionally, its consequences would last for many years to come and shape much of America throughout the 20th century. While prosecuting and concluding this war, Roosevelts goal was to strengthen and preserve American power around the world. He took an aggressive approach towards doing this as he did in many aspects of his life. He felt that democracy and capitalism were well worth preserving and fighting for. Indeed, Roosevelt would have agreed with E.H. Carr who wrote a few years later about political realism. Utopianism is unrealistic. It supposes that a perfect world can be created by men and that is one of our goals on Earth. Carr was a realist: he believed the world is not perfectible and that efforts to do so will end in failure and sometime calamity. The political system contains too many variables for any person or group to control. The League of Nations was a good example of this. The problems of the

Ethical reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical reflection - Essay Example For example, the case of physician-assisted suicide must be understood. Religious beliefs may go against this, but people must understand that sometimes it becomes crucial for the physicians to make the patient die with dignity and peace rather than leave him die in distress. People confuse negative rights with positive ones, as we see that the patient’s family insists upon occupying the waiting room on religious grounds. On the other hand, the importance of spiritual, religious and cultural beliefs can also not be denied, since these beliefs form the basis of a national or cultural identity which cannot be compromised upon. Hence, a middle path must be sorted out that satisfies both the medical considerations of the case and the spiritual/religious/cultural beliefs linked to it, just like Buryska (120) states, â€Å"The ethical principles that must be balanced are respect for autonomy (the wishes of the patient) and beneficence (the physician’s judgment of what is bes t for the

Reggio Emilia Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reggio Emilia - Article Example Role of Teachers: Teachers' role is that of both facilitator and partner in learning which includes selecting topics based on student interests ands experiences, providing resources (notes, slides, audio or visual taping) on topics, composing small groups of friends to work on projects favoring cognitive conflicts, developing collaboration among all students to question things, emerging out project content by student's spiral understanding, extending time to a project and supporting in documentation. They share portfolios instead of checklist of skills, tests or diagnostic evaluations at end of each year. Role of Parents: Parents are an active part of their children's learning experience and they take many forms such as day-to-day interaction, work in the schools, discussions of educational and psychological issues, special events, excursions, and celebrations. Parents have the right to be involved in the life of the school. Children with special rights: Children with special rights have first priority for enrollment into the schools beginning at three months of age. If the child's neighborhood school is full, then he/she has to go to another school. They have an additional teacher with special experience and training. Children with special rights stay an extra year.

Socrates guilty or not Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Socrates guilty or not - Essay Example Socrates was convicted with four charges which stated that Socrates studied things up above in the heavens and below the earth, and was capable of making the worse of the arguments appear as the strongest ones owing to his eloquence, which he denies upfront. Furthermore, Socrates was accused of corrupting the mind of the youth of Athens, this charge was a consequence of the prior charges, and he was regarded as an evil doer, who made the youth follow in his evil plans; all this three charges culminated in the claim of the prosecutors that Socrates denied their gods and on the contrary had created gods of his own, and thus called him an atheist (Academic.mu, 2010, 1). Socrates defended himself and negated all these claims; however it is debatable as to whether he had managed to grasp the attention of the jurors, but even if he did, he angered them by proposing the alternate punishment for himself, which showed that he did not fear the jury or the prosecutors or death. Socrates respond ed to all these charges from the prosecutors in a detailed and complicated manner, which is rather confusing and leads the people away from the actual context, like other dialogues of Socrates narrated by Plato, such as ‘Euthyphro’ (Jowett 2008). The response of Socrates managed to make the prosecutors to agree to his denial, he rounded the argument in such a manner as to confuse others. He claimed that the charges against him were false, and levied by people who were personally angered by Socrates, and they were not knowledgeable and wise, and were careless of their people, and did not actually worry about the Athenians, but rather the reputation damage that Socrates caused them by calling them unwise. In order to take revenge from Socrates and teach him and other people who deviate from their orders that they would not be spared by them or the court, and therefore the trial of Socrates resulted in a death penalty which was approved by the majority of the jurors. Socrates

Jerome Paul Witkin Essay Example for Free

Jerome Paul Witkin Essay The work of art that I chose is Jeff Davies, an oil painting painted in 1976 by Jerome Paul Witkin. It depicts a man, presumably named Jeff Davies, standing and taking up the entire frame of the picture. He is wearing a plain tee shirt which is stretched over and exposing a bit of his protruding stomach, a pair of worn jeans, a huge down coat, and a hat. He stands in a plain, dirty-looking room. At the very bottom of the painting is the edge of a table and a mostly empty plate. Everything about Jeff Davies says manliness: his burly stature, his graying beard, his dirty work clothes. His hands are stuffed in his pockets, hes frowning, hes rolling one eye and the other is squeezed shut. The way that he stands in front of his plate with no chair in sight makes me think that this man doesnt sit down or stay still for long. And yet, the flaws of Jeff Davies that are depicted make the picture seem completely authentic, holding nothing back from the viewers. However, this painting was painted by Jerome Paul Witkin, he is New York painter, born in 1939. Since he was born around the time of the Great Depression, it makes sense that Witkins work should reflect social realism, depicting a working class man as its subject. Witkin believes that moral values are as important as formal or aesthetic ones. So maybe it wasnt so far-fetched of me to think of Jeff Davies as an honest man and the hero of the painting, instead of just its subject. On the other hand, the other painting that I chose is The Act of Judith and it’s also was painted by Jerome Paul Witkin on 1979-80. However, The painting features what looks to be a middle-aged Native American woman offering a mask that she has made to a person whose hand is only seen. Evidence supporting my observation of her as a Native includes her hairstyle, dress, and darker skin tone. The conclusion that she made the mask comes from the work space she is in, the tools surrounding her, and the paint on her hands. She wears an expressionless face and gazes directly out at the viewer. Upon further consideration, I feel that the viewer is represented as the person receiving the mask via the hand in the lower right corner. This interpretation means that we, as the viewer, have no choice but to be a part of this painting. We are forced to consider the meaning because it involves us.

Female Empowerment In The Developing Countries Sociology Essay

Female Empowerment In The Developing Countries Sociology Essay Over the years, the issues of gender inequality and female empowerment in the developing countries and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular have been a call for concern by local, national, Sub-regional, regional and international Institutions and governments per se to promote development. Unlike women in the developed counties who are, in relative terms economically empowered and have a powerful voice that demands an audience, and positive action, women in the developing countries have been generally silent and their voices have been stifled by economic and cultural factors. In Sub-Saharan Africa, economic and cultural factors, coupled with institutional factors dictate gender based division of labor, rights, responsibilities, opportunities and access to and control over resources. However, literacy, education, employment, access to media as well as decision making are some of the most disputed areas of gender disparity and female empowerment in SSA. (UNDP 2005) However, this project is focus to analyze why the process of gender and female empowerment is lower than expected in SSA. Therefore, to have a flexible understanding of the analyzes, the project would analyze the issues of gender and empowerment in SSA and to give attention to some country statics and analyses on gender variations in urban and rural milieus. To have a balanced presentation of the analyses, the project would make use of the modernization and inequality theory to argue the facts. Recent studies indicate that women in the developing countries and SSA in particular, lack enough access to productive resources such as land, education, employment, health services, decision making, basic human rights and harmful traditional indicators are some of the socio-economic marginalization of women in these societies. Analyzes Gender and education: In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Right acknowledged that everyone has the right to go to school (UDHR article 26), but yet educational inequality is still a major violation of rights of women and girls and an important barrier to social, economic and personal development in SSA. Since then, a number of treaties and declarations have been adopted to turn these aspirations into reality, but nevertheless discrimination on female education remains pervasive in most societies of SSA. (UNESCO 2003) According to DFID (2006), in Sub-Saharan Africa, the highest numbers of out of school girls are in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Mozambique. Considering the case of Mozambique in SSA, gender disparity in primary, secondary and especially tertiary education continuously persist despite government and international stipulations. Following a CIA 2006 report Mozambique has a population of 19.7million and 800,000 square km. and as one of the largest poor countries in southern Africa, faces a set of unique development challenges such as physical and social-cultural infrastructure and effective local administration is far lacking behind. (CIA 2006) A UNDP (2004) report also points out that 32 percent of the population is 6-18 years of age with annual population growth rate of 2.3 percent and child mortality rate is 152 per 1000 and most Mozambicans are not expected to survive more than 40 years of age due to HIV/AIDS, malaria, and extreme poverty which girls and women are the most vulnerable. Following a similar view, primary education is compulsory and free, but yet parents are unable to afford school needs for kids such as school uniforms, books, shoes and other related materials, because of poverty and other traditional influences and the obvious result is drop out from school and the most affected are girls. (UNDP 2004) Generally, gender gap in access to education pronounces more in the secondary and tertiary levels in the developing countries and SSA in particular than in primary level. In an article of UNFPA (2005), based on 2001/2002 millennium indicator data base of United Nations, the ratio of female enrollment in the secondary school per 100 boys is 46 in Benin, 57 in Equatorial Guinea, 60 in Cambodia, 62 in Djibouti and 65 in Burkina Faso. The report therefore indicate that disparity in education increases at higher level of studies in most developing countries of SSA (UNFPA 2005) Although the problem of gender disparity in education have been affected by poverty and traditional upheavals, the government and International Institutions have taken drastic measures to ensure a balance in education on both sexes in most developing societies and communities (SSA). Yet there is still a grand difference between rural and urban enrollment in most of this societies. However, the issue of gender inequality remains a fact in educational sector though might equate as time elapses in SSA. Gender and employment: One of the areas where there is high gender disparity between males and female in SSA is at the employment status which is manifested at occupational segregation, gender based-wage gaps, women ´s misappropriate representation in the informal employment, unpaid jobs and higher unemployment ratio (UNDP 2005) if development is not engendered it is endangered (ibid) This means that the fact that women are under-represented in the formal sector hampers development since traditional Muslim women and rural African women are mostly engaged in domestic unpaid jobs. As women in Sub-Saharan Africa have low status in the community, the activities they perform tend to be less valued and that explains why women ´s low status is perpetrated by their low status activities (ibid). Almost everywhere women are worst paid than men in the same work done(Hedman 1996 p; 19) In-depth analyses on women employment status by Hindin (2005) showed that only 17% women in Zimbabwe, 12% in Zambia and 4% in Malawi are employed at higher status paid jobs meanwhile the respective percentages of women whose partners have higher status jobs are 52, 43 and 53 percentages (Hindin 2005, p; 121) Women are overrepresented in the informal sector in the developing countries especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The 2009 World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report holds that women in SSA have very difficult working conditions and even harsh particularly in countries with higher informal sectors. These women have undefined work places, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions and often low level of skills and productivity. They receive low or irregular incomes; have long working hours, lack access to information, market, finance training and technology. According to the same report, rural African women are the most affected by this situation, about 85 % in Somalia, 70 % in Gambia and 90 % in Zimbabwe respectively. (WEFGGR 2009) Following a BBC world news report 2005, rural African women do not have access to media to get more information on market situation and world trends since most of them are illiterates, poor and local farmers. According to this report, less than 2% of rural Sub-Saharan African women read newspaper and women are disadvantaged with regard to women access to watch television. The report indicated that in the year 2000, among girls and women aged 6-49, only 3.6% and 6.9% had access to television in Malawi and Rwanda respectively. (BBC world news report 2005) Employment gender segregation is mostly found in rural areas than urban cities in developing countries. Take for instance in Cameroon in SSA, employment gender related issue are lower in big cities such as Yaoundà ©, Douala, Baffoussam, Ebolowa, Bamenda and many other major cities than in rural outskirt villages where the main source of employment is farming. Here women do the bulk of the job though informal but are relegated at the background because of traditional beliefs. Local farming is the main source of employment, but yet traditional norms do not give women access to landownership, credit accounts and a complicated inheritance tradition is practiced. (Cameroon tribune 2004) Gender and Decision making: The fact that Sub-Saharan African women have low access to education, employment chances and couple with limited media access and other cultural upheavals minimizes their decision making power in general and in the household as well. (UNDP 2005) No society treat it women the same as men (ibid). Regarding decision making at household level, local level, community level, and national level of women in Africa, though parliamentary representation has lightly increase, no country in the world has reach gender parity level in decision making.(ibid). According to data obtain from the millennium development indicator of the United Nations; cited in UNPFA (2005) women represent 16% of world parliamentary seats, 21% in the developed world, and 14% in the developing countries. This minimal parliamentary representation of women could be due, among other issues, different electoral systems in different countries, women ´s socio-economic status, socio-cultural status, traditional and other cultu ral beliefs of women ´s place in the family and society and of course women ´s double burden of work and responsibilities. (UNFPA 2005) Women ´s low decision power, particularly in SSA, is more pronounced at the rural than urban localities as well as in house hold decisions making. According to a survey carried out by Emmanuel Vasty (1993) about 50% of women in the Northern Muslim region of Nigeria stated that they cannot freely purchase children ´s clothing without the full decision of their husband nor carry a child to the hospital without the authorization of their husbands. This they claim is according to Muslim tradition and beliefs that a man is superior in every aspect and therefore they have to succumb to men ´s orders. (Emmanuel, 1993 p; 74) Similarly, data of low decision power making is seen in the analyzes of Hindin (2005) in join SSA countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Somalia and Cameroon. According to Hindin analyzes, rural women are the most low powered than urban women in these conutries. In the rural villages where strong traditional beliefs prevail and are in favor of men, men are more likely to have a final say over women ´s own health care, large household purchases, visiting relatives, what food to cook as well as the number of kids to bear and when to have this children. Most of these decisions are jointly made in urban households since most of the females are well exposed and educated therefore participate in household decision making. (Hindin 2005, p; 164) Gender and poverty: According to IFAD (2005) it is asserted that there is feminization of poverty in gender especially in SSA and mostly in local outskirt villages and around urban slumps. That generally, poverty among women is rising faster than poverty among men. Following the same IFAD survey report, the poverty level of women living in the rural areas and urban slumps increased to 48% in 1965-70 and in the mid 1980s, by comparison, the numbers of poor men were 30% within the same period. poverty has a woman ´s face-of 1.3 billion people living in poverty, 70% are women (ibid) This clearly indicate that women are the most vulnerable in extreme situations like war, disease, widowhood, poor inheritance rights, ownership of resources, and other traditional and cultural factors contribute to the high rate of female poverty level. (IFAD 2005) Gender subordination does not arise out of poverty per se, though a strong association is often made between gender and poverty, women are said to form the majority of the poor according to UNDP (2004 p; 7) This means that Sub-Saharan African women despite the gender fight to reduce poverty are still subjected to poverty because of their subordinated position in the society. Developing women especially in SSA are not yet free because of strong traditional attachment and the fact that they are relegated at a private influence keep them dependant to their partners.(UNDP, 2004, p; 7) According to Kabeer (1996) traditional subordination is the key factor of poverty among girls and women in the following developing African countries Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Chad. Kabeer argue that because these countries are both made up of Muslims and Christians, women and girls in the Muslim sector of the countries are bound to be affected by poverty because of strict Muslim customs and traditions. The main source of income is by pastoral normadism in rural areas wondering from place to place in search of greener pastures for cattles. These local nomads have to move along with their wives and kids which indicate that steady education is not secured for the girls and other children and the wife depends soly on the sale of cattles for sustenance and decision on sales is carried out by the man. Therefore, the wife and kids stay poor and voiceless at the background. (Kabeer 1996, p; 89) Kabeer in his analyzes further argue that rural women in developing countries especially in SSA are always affected by poverty because they are mostly engaged in non income paying jobs at the private spheres and in the household while measure financial decisions and income jobs are done by the men. In a typical traditional African setting women stay at home to take care of kids, prepare food, clean up the house, do laundry, and other domestic unpaid jobs. Meanwhile men go out there in search of income paid jobs and according to traditional beliefs a good wife is one who is not carelessly seen in public. That is why women are dumfounded with poverty and take whatever men give to them without much argument. However, some households have realized that it is necessary for women to be educated and have a job that would reduce the burden on men and relief women from poverty. (ibid) Gender and Health: Gender gaps are also persistent in health status in access to health services and health outcomes (World Bank 1993, cited in WHO 1995, p; 21) This means that the issue of gender inequality, poverty and female empowerment needs to be addressed in health status reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa and especially in the interior villages where there are little or no health services and women are badly affected during pregnancy to birth. In conformity with the same survey carried out by WHO in 1990, rural masses in SSA, over 36% of healthy lives are lost by adult women age 15-44 was caused by reproductive health problems especially maternity related causes and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) compared to only 12% for men. There is therefore a clear indication that women are more vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases and complicated health issues especially during delivery. Following the same survey, an additional 5% of healthy life lost by women caused by domestic violence and rape. (W HO 1995, p; 21) It is certain that the gap between the health status of the rich and poor is at least wide like a century ago and have become wider still (ibid) Health policies to improve the lives of the poor have been the main focus for the past 25 years and rural women are the most endangered by poor health services since most communities go without a full train medical doctor. Health diagnoses are done by traditional herbalist and women are vulnerable to more contracted and complicated health problems. (WHO 1995) According to UNICEF (2004) the disparity between developed and developing countries maternity mortality ratio is greater than for any other indicator. Every year around 200 million women become pregnant, approximately 150 million come to terms, 20 million of the pregnancies are unsafe abortions many of which tend out to have complications, disabilities and death, of the remainder there are 500,000 maternal deaths and a further 20 million women suffer severe and disability poor pregnancy management and delivery (WHO 1994) However, the majority of the affected in maternity mortality is in the developing countries in the aforementioned statistics. It was estimated by WHO 1994 that, in Chad, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Cameroon approximately, there are 10 medical doctors per 1000 pregnant women in urban city general hospital in SSA and 1 medical doctor in a whole rural sub-division with approximated population of 5000 people. (World Bank 1994, p; 2, WHO 1995/UNICEF 1996) Gender and Power: The influence of power greatly affect gender relations especially in household decision making and power differ depends on the region and level of exposure of the female. From every indication, African girls and women have been deprived of their rights and power and this have been however backed by traditional justifications. This has been a prevalent in many Sub-Saharan African countries that practice patriarchal succession especially in countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon respectfully. There is a traditional belief in these countries that women have to be docile, submissive, tolerant, answerable, obedient, loyal, domestic and faithful for which there is traditional justification. These superior rights given to boys by tradition compel females to be inferior and lack total power and control over their own lives and obligations. (Hirut 2004 p; 35-42) The socialization processes that determines gender roles in Sub-Saharan Africa are partly the reasons for the subjugation of females in these countries and societies rendering them powerless to an extent. Power determines the level of inequality between sexes and power relations differ from urban to rural and the more education a female acquire the more she become empowered and ignores most traditional subordination norms. Therefore, education gives power to most females to know their rights and obligations though traditional values still prevail despite the amount of education a female acquire in SSA. The issue of power relations in most households is felt differently in urban and rural areas in SSA. (ibid) The differences in the way individuals are treated through their socialization process, due mainly to their sex status, leads to real psychological and personality problems between males and females irrespective of their level of exposure. In most African countries, society is socialized in such a way that boys have autonomous powers and girls are rendered inferior. In the process of upbringing boys are expected to learn and become self reliant, bread winners, authoritative, decisive and responsible in different activities meanwhile girls are brought up to conform, obedient, dependant, and specialized in private spheres activities like cooking, washing clothes, fetching water, caring for children and other household domestic activities irrespective of their level of education and exposure. This traditional socialization processes and unequal opportunities have made the process of gender equality slow in most Sub-Saharan African countries. (ibid) Gender and Culture: The fight on gender equality and female empowerment have been greatly influenced by cultural factors in the developing countries. Most African countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast etc have diverged cultural backgrounds and have different perceptions on the issue of gender and female empowerment. (UN 2005) Traditional and religious beliefs have been the major cultural roadblocks for gender equality and female empowerment. Considering the fact that most African countries have Christians and Muslim populations, the issue of gender is more obstructed by the Muslim since Muslim norms are a taboo if disrespect. (Hirut 2004) Generally speaking, traditional norms, Muslim norms and Christian beliefs accept female subordination as a good practice and hence make it difficult for equality to reign in developing societies. (ibid) A UNDP (2005) report indicates that female enrolment in schools is generally lower in Muslim sectors than Christians ´ in countries that have both Muslim and Christian populations in SSA. This means that education which is the main tool for female empowerment and gender equality is considered wastage of resources in some Muslim communities because of stiff Islam beliefs. Christian and other traditional beliefs also favor female subordination exposing men at a dominant position causing major obstacles for female empowerment. Although more Christians and Muslim societies have realized the importance of female education that gives girls and women power through employment and exposure, other factors such as poverty and traditional mal practices are still a socio-cultural hindrance to the issue of gender and female empowerment in SSA. (ibid) Conclusion: In the end, the issue on gender and female empowerment in the development process of Sub-Saharan African remains a heated debate among scholars, theorist, Institutions, researchers, Governments, NGOs and International Organizations to find a kind of approach to intrude in the cultural justification of female subordination in the development process of SSA. Contrasting studies have also questioned if the fight for gender equality and female empowerment is an actual push to enhance African development or it is just a way to impose western and North American superiority? The question on why is the issue of gender equality and female empowerment slower than expected in the development process of SSA is a question of perspective. Many reasons can account for high gender inequality and low female empowerment in SSA, but this depends on which angle the problem is viewed. Throughout the project, the problem of gender inequality and slow female empowerment have been viewed at a cultural and traditional dimension explained by inequality and the modernization theory meaning that the project have choose to analyze the problems of inequality on the factors caused by culture and traditional values in SSA. That not withstanding, the same question can be analyzed by other economic and socio-political factors. In the course of the project, a lot of factors have been illustrated as elements responsible for gender inequality and slow female empowerment in the development process of Sub-Saharan Africa. The elements analyzed by the project as responsible for high gender inequality in SSA are poverty, illiteracy, cultural barriers, traditional beliefs, disease and HIV/AIDS, unemployment, decision making and the issue of power sharing are all accountable for low female empowerment in the development process of SSA. Research have proven that the slow development process in SSA is not about gender equality, because gender inequality exist everywhere in the world, and inequality still exist among sexes regardless of the level of development a society have undergone. In connection to the two theories used in the beginning of this project, it is crystal clear that gender inequality would still persist irrespective of the technological advancement of a society. This is clearly seen by tracing the origin of male domination, sex distinction and predisposition of men in extreme conditions as explained by the inequality theory. In the other hand, cultural roadblocks are viewed by the modernization school as the reason for wide gender gap in the development process of SSA. That notwithstanding, cultural values endures despite technological improvement in any society. However, the issue of gender inequality needs a serious attention from both local, national, sub-regional, regional governments and International Organization to seek for alternative approaches in the development process of SSA. Although policies and institutions have been put in place pertaining women ´s participation in the development process of SSA, existing programs and strategies should be reviewed to make the efforts more effective and innovative. To empower and integrate women in the fight for gender equality and the development process of SSA, the local government and International Institutions can embark on the following, intensify family planning methods, encourage more female education, fight early marriages and create conditions for women to work and earn an income, focusing on gender rural development programs especially working to bring cultural evolution toward gender equality in all aspects, and strategies of such programs should consider region specific problems i .e. customs and traditions in order to be more effective. This project ends up asking some questions for further investigation by other researchers, Can the equation of gender and female empowerment actually facilitate the development process of Africa? Or the true problems of Africa ´s underdevelopment are political and economic stagnation caused by it tragic history.

Financial Report for Furniture Company | Example

Financial Report for Furniture Company | Example Financial Report Scenario: Must Have Furnishers TABLE OF CONTENTS (JUMP TO) INTRODUCTION TASK ONE: Effect of Policies on Company Performance TASK TWO: Effect of Product Diversification and Promotions TASK THREE: Risk Analysis   TASK FOUR: Production and Profitability TASK FIVE: Buying Out and Merging CONCLUSION REFERENCES APPENDICES A-E TABLE 1. CASH FLOWS TABLE 2. SIMPLIFIED PROFIT AND LOSS TABLE 3. SIMPLIFIED BALANCE SHEET TABLE 4. PROFIT AND LOSS FOR MARCH 2001 THROUGH MARCH 2002 TABLE 5. BALANCE SHEETS FOR MARCH 2002 AND MARCH 2003 FOR COMPARISION INTRODUCTION A company with staying power within the marketplace will have a keen understanding of ebb and flow, be able to communicate change and put into practice strategies that also reflect flexibility and values for growth situations. The relationship between values and culture, leaders and teams of employees must maintain a healthy balance in order for the status quo of everyday operations to remain but also for the strategies to remain in place and augmenting in flux with market variables. This paper presents an interesting scenario of five tasks for you as the management trainee to explore and devise a financial report based on the company’s financial statements such as Profit and Loss, Year End results and other balance sheets. There is a new sales manager, who has promoted new policies toward change to increase sales and production but in other words created growing pains toward an organisation that will require investment, acquiring equipment and employees. It is part of your job to remain focused and subjective to the task at hand and evaluate each of the five tasks with the future of the organisation in mind but also the validity of such growth and the future investments needed. While outside investment is warranted at times, with a growing successful venture, it is assumed that some capital can come from within. However it is curious if her â€Å"tried and true† scheme will work for the present economic state. So many consumers purchase ticket item s on instalment credit but will this happen when consumer confidence is down and what will this mean for the organisation? TASK ONE: Effect of Policies on Company Performance There is concern that the company cannot keep up with production for this new promotion scheme set into place by the new sales manager who has promoted credit related sales. The director is concerned and has asked you to compile a report elaborating on whether the performance of the company and it’s financial position at the year-end has improved because of the new policies put into place. What is your opinion and rationale? According to the end year statements, operation costs are down which means the factory has reached a new level of efficiency. This indicates that something is going right at the shop room floor when compared with the prior year. It can be expected that the future productivity will be even higher with that rate of growth and profitability in consideration. However part of the scheme has been to introduce a line of credit to the consumer as a way of purchasing high ticket items and furnishing their homes. The main concern here when looking at the year-end statements comparatively should be cause of alarm on the point of the director. The prior year 2002 there were 166 debt accounts to the company. This year 2003 there are 1166 debt accounts and this is at a growth rate of a thousand new accounts or a rate 14 percent for this segment. The main concern here is the rate of repayment that needs to be established over time with these debtors. How quickly are they paying off their accounts a nd at what rate of interest? This could become a problem should some of them fall behind because then the company needs to implement a debt collection service, which will be an additional expense to the company. Sometimes it is impossible to collect on such merchandise. While the promotion may have spawned a tremendous amount of growth, it has also opened up the company for increased risk in the future for profit and loss. The year 2003 was a good one but one must also consider should the present promotion continue for 204, what are the long-term benefits and risks to having extended credit lines to consumers? TASK TWO: Effect of Product Diversification and Promotions Pricing strategies usually change as the product passes through its life cycle. There are a number of different methods of determining price depending on the product. In today’s game, diversification of products and product add-ons is the key to success especially in a saturated market like furniture. There is much competition. It is with this in mind that companies usually develop multiple promotions as opposed to just one. This way, the company has a promotion that can be priced for every budget. For your organisation, this may mean running ad campaigns, for instance a two for the price one during the winter season or provide extra perks for the customer who buys package deal. Right now free delivery seems to be a front runner of what the consumer is concerned about when shopping for furniture. As well as the credit offer, which may not drive many to purchase right away, have a sweepstakes drawing or a movie night that features your most comfortable display model. In a satur ated market, it is important for the prices to remain competitive, even reduced at certain times of year. By employing another marketing scheme, it is quite possible that you may see a reduction in credit accounts and more people spending cash especially if the price is right. Still one must be careful to get a return on the product as a profit because also one must consider the cost of acquiring the product, keeping it in stock and delivering to the customer. It is important to always keep in mind the cost of keeping the unit per unit in inventory. This goes beyond what it just costs to produce the unit. Still with the introduction of a counter promotion with reduced price, you will see more inventories out of the warehouse and less debtor credit involved in the transactions. TASK THREE: Risk Analysis The manager has asked you to assess the validity of two projects that are independent of each other and require proper recommendation. You will need to run a risk analysis as well as a net present value analysis in order to determine which project to recommend as both will reduce the handling cost and warehouse stock levels as a means to better manage inventory. We use different pricing models as a framework to aid in the analysis. Such models as CAPM and APT aid in figuring out the levels of risk involved with both projects. For financial professionals it is of utmost importance to assess risk as accurately as possible in order to sell in this case the project. Companies are more than often risk adverse and do not want to take a loss with the money invested. In this respect most companies enjoy a conservative approach, which means the less risk involved the better. Because APT builds upon CAPM and takes the theory to a new level, it requires further analysis to prove the point. Still first in order to understand APT, one must first have a grasp of CAPM works. CAPM can only work to assess risk in the long run scenario. CAPM also assumes the investor does not have inside knowledge and that the Beta is known. This is the only way an expected return can be determined with CAPM. Mark McCracken defines Beta as â€Å"equals 1.0000. 1 exactly. Each company also has a beta. A companys beta is that companys risk compared to the risk of the overall market. If the company has a beta of 3.0, then it is said to be 3 times more risky than the overall market† (par. 1). For this scenario each project has a beta. The amount of risk and the type of risk can be determined by diversification. Systematic risk, which is market risk or undiversified risk, is the portion of an assets risk that cannot be eliminated via diversification. The systematic risk indicates how including a particular asset in a diversified portfolio will contribute to the risky nature of the portfolio. Unsystematic risk, which is firm-specific or diversifiable risk, is the portion o f an assets total risk that can be eliminated by including the security as part of a diversifiable portfolio (Mathis, par. 1). So obviously there are some projects that will not be included in a diverse portfolio because of its defined risk under this theory. CAPM digs deeper to assess for an expression, which relates the expected return on an asset to its systematic risk. This in turn gives the financial professional better idea of the project’s risk behaviour. The equation used is as follows: (Mathis, par. 3) The measure of systematic risk is considered Beta or bi while E[Ri] is equal to the expected return on asset I and Rf is the risk-free rate. E[Rm] is the expected return on the project and E[Rm] – Rf is the market risk premium for the company stock. Once the Beta is known then the risk and rate of return can be found. APT is different because not only can forecast for the long term, it can also work for the short-term scenario. This fact makes it the better of the two theories because it gives the financial professional more tools to assess risk and the rate of return. APT does this by using a model that captures all the data. Other things this model can perform for risk assessment take into account company needs. Risk Estimates such as Tracking Error, Value-at-Risk (VaR), forecast volatility, systematic active risk, beta to benchmark, correlation with benchmark. APT carries out these calculations in a linear framework with a number of different variables. This is how different time frames can be used. For the APT model there are several outside factors to take into account. The ‘Now’ asset is defined by a number of beta possibilities, each of them representing asset sensitivity to a particular factor and characterizing systematic risk associated with this factor, and, as before, residual yield E. In this respect the risk allotted to this particular venture is less. This multi-factored model brings up many questions for the finance assistant. One thing to keep in mind is that not all factors carryover to risk in this area. There are factors that remain assets to an organisation faced with such decisions. This is one reason why periods of growth need solid leadership. This effectively assesses the risk involved for the furniture company’s returns. The NPV is assumed as the present value of the projects cash inflows minus the present value of the projects cash outflows (Mathis, par. 2). This relationship is expressed by the following formula: (Mathis, par. 2) TASK FOUR: Production and Profitability Your company is considering purchasing another machine due to the increase of production of furniture products and advanced sales of select models featured in the current marketing scheme. You are faced with figuring out if purchase of the machine is a profitable idea and if so what is the long-term cost? And how should it be funded? There are factors one is aware of when purchasing a new piece of equipment. Revenues will not change if the machine is purchased. Both the present machine and the new machine will last 5 years and will have no disposal value in five years. The new machine will cost  £400,000. The old machine can be disposed of right now for a disposal value of  £10,000. The new machine will reduce operating costs by $ £100,000 per year (assume cash flows at the end of the years). Assume a required rate of return or discount rate of 9%. Is it feasible for the company and cost effective? From the standpoint of long-term investment, it seems the new machine will be a valued addition to the team and allow production to not only run at current levels but also maintain new levels of efficiency. Also because it is considered a long-term investment, the company should also consider it an investment and possibly obtain a credit line for the local bank to cover this asset. In this way, the company can also apply for extended warranties to cover any maintenance or break down of the machine over the life of the loan. If the company has prime credit, a low interest rate of 6% is guaranteed and look into possible incentives with the local bank as a regular customer who pays on time, it may be possible to reduce the interest if there is not a pre-payment penalty. Suffice it say, there is cash flow that could be allocated for the purchase but also used for reinvestment in other areas of the company. Traditionalists will want to pay as much upfront as one can but if the long-range benefit outweighs the short-term loan, then by all means allow the company a li ttle space to get ahead with the new machine. Like above the net present value for the machine can be determined with the following equation. The NPV is assumed as the present value of the projects cash inflows minus the present value of the projects cash outflows (Mathis, par. 2). This relationship is expressed by the following formula: (Mathis, par. 2) TASK FIVE: Buying Out and Merging Every business needs planning or a defined strategy in place for future growth and control of known issues. There is a certain amount of power that comes from knowing what’s next. Smaller firms are vital to the economic health and stimulus of the world, mainly western nations like the United States and those found in Europe. Much of the success of these firms falls into the hands of leaders involved with everyday management but also the planning for future generations. Sir Adrian Cadbury writes, â€Å"Firms form the basic building block for businesses throughout the world. The economic and social importance of regional family enterprises has now become more widely recognized† (p. 5). In fact, it has been found that many firms do not survive the transition a generational business can represent. Many do not see life after the transition, which leads to decreased economic mobility and health. With this in mind, it is very important to have a transition strategy in place. T his requires proactive information sharing with all members even if some are not directly involved with day-to-day operations. This will ease the burden of conflict that may arise later. As with any organisation, knowledge management is key to good communication but with a small firm also instrumental for a successful future. This leads one to wonder how the structure of a smaller firm may differ from larger corporations? Is there a chain of command? How does leadership work?   It seems recently the trend of one company buying out another or merging to become one larger company is on the rise. It is in the news everyday, only drawing minimal concern from the public as regulators call into question the legality of such actions. Do mergers and acquisitions make the world a better place for consumers or do they just offer less for the consumer to choose from in the marketplace. It seems that most large companies see this practice as a means of redefining the marketplace by getting rid of the competition and making the competition work for them. In this respect, governments are able to make the rules of the merger and acquisition, setting the standard by which products of both companies can continue to compete with each other in a given market. This in turn, fuels the fire for increased advantage, working toward the goal of ultimately feeding off each other’s energy until it is exhausted. One finds this type of government control more in telecommunicatio ns and banking than other industries. For the retail industry, it seems a foregone conclusion that eventually opportunities will present themselves. From the looks of their balance sheets of Furniture Concepts there is a reason the company seeks a merger with another company. There seems to be a large amount of sales but not enough profit being generated. Within the last year their expenses have tripled but the production has not. They look to be in trouble. Another concern is founded within their name it self. Why call them selves a Furniture Concepts store when they sell carpet? It should be Carpet Concept. It may be that they have diversified their production schemes so far that this amounts to the increase of expenses? The recommendation would be to acquire the company, keep high performing employees on board and cut the lard. Expenses may also be attributed to bad debts acquired to maintain production or inflated management salaries? This would be a good move for the organisati on and also allow our furniture store to diversify without much overhead or inventory issues. CONCLUSION An organisation needs a clear picture of financial health in order to maintain operations and continue a path of growth toward market share. Many things go into deciphering this financial status. Part of what has happened here is a need for new tactics that are tried and true but without great risk affiliation like the credit offer. This strategy while well meaning for the short term has caused long-term ramifications for the organisation starting with growing pains. Lastly, research shows that the greatest obstacle to accepting new policies is fear of change. Therefore, this makes the transition period crucial and should be handled with kid gloves by management. Communication should be open and clear. REFERENCES 2003, ‘Capital budgeting needs vision’, Business Line, Islamabad, 21 July. Allen, G 1999, Introduction to Marketing, Mountain View College, Mountain View. Anonymous 1991, ‘Risk and Return’, The Economist, p. 1-2. Brozik, D 2006, Time Value of Money, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. Cadbury, S A 2000, Smaller Firms and their Governance Creating Tomorrow’s Company from Today’s, Egon Zehnder International, London. Colli, A 2001, Knowledge and Leadership Succession in Small and Medium Family Firms. Evidence and Generalization From the Italian Experience, Bocconi University, Milan. Lefley, F 1997, ‘Management Accounting’, Journal of Accounting, vol. 75, iss. 1, p. 64. Mathis, R 2004, ‘Corporate Finance Live: Capital Asset Pricing Model’, viewed 10 September 2008, http://www.swlearning.com/web-resources/CAPM.htm.> Mathis, R 2004, ‘Corporate Finance Live: Present Value’, viewed 10 September 2008,  http://www.swlearning.com/web-resources/timevalue.htm.> Mathis, R 2004, ‘Corporate Finance Live: Risk and Return’, viewed 10 September 2008,  http://www.swlearning.com/web-resources/riskandreturn.htm.>. McCracken, M 2004, ‘CAPM’, viewed 10 September 2008, http://www.teachmefinance.com/capm.html>. Miller, D Whitney, J 1999, ‘Beyond Strategy: Configuration as a Pillar of Competitive Advantage’, Business Horizons, vol. 42, no. 3. Wignaraja, G 2004, ‘Building Business Competitiveness,’ International Trade  Forum, 1 April. APPENDICES APPENDIX A Table 1. Cash Flows APPENDIX B Table 2. Must Have Furnishers Ltd. Simplified Profit and Loss Account for the year ended 30/09/03 2002 2003 APPENDIX C Table 3. Must Have Furnishers Ltd. Simplified Balance Sheet for Must Have Furnishers Ltd. for the year ended 30/09/03 APPENDIX D Table 4. Furniture Concepts Ltd Profit and Loss Account for the period March 2001 to March 2002 Profit and Loss Account for the period March 2002 to March 2003 APPENDIX E Table 5. Balance Sheets for March 2002 and March 2003 for Comparison Balance Sheet as at 12 March 2002 Furniture Concepts Ltd Balance Sheet as at 12 March 2003

In Defense of Elitism Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"In Defense of Elitism† Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The dominant theme in this essay appears to be this: post war social changes such as offering increased university admission promote the view of egalitarianism in education. The author’s main issue with â€Å"secondary† education is the sheer numbers of our population that the United States as a whole educates. According to Mr. Henry, the United States educates nearly thirty percent of high school graduates who go on to a four year bachelor’s degree. He believes that the increased number of graduates has led to a workforce of mediocrity. In the author’s comparison to other leading countries, the United States has academic standards and achievement requirements which do not directly insure that this nation’s youth are job ready with a four year degree. Mr. Henry’s theory states that the United States as a whole needs to restrict college admissions to only half of those who would seek degrees. In the essay, the author is of the opinion that by reducing the number of degree seeking students, a nation can improve quality and the value of a college education. To decrease the quantity of students would in the long run increase the quality of education. The author sees the necessity of restricting higher education to include only those who have demonstrated at an early age in the educational process the ability and ambition to pursue a higher education. In his opinion, following this process would allow only the more intelligent or ambitious of students into college, therefore assuring a competent post graduation workforce. Would severely limiting admission achieve the steep goals the author believes it will? Mr. Henry states that in order for the job market to sustain ample job opportunities for university graduates, those chosen should meet strict educational standards early in the education process. Without these measures, he believes, the American education system will continue to degrade as everyone will become equal, with none terrible and more importantly, none great. Mr. Henry asserts his belief that in a watered down workplace, complacency is only eclipsed by averageness. For an individual to progress and excel through college, it takes a certain measure of drive to achieve the necessary academic quality. This drive requires its recipient to work harder and achieve better grades, more income... ...ity of a four year education; those restrictions would also deny the opportunity of higher education to many who could achieve even greater success than those who had been chosen. Throughout history, there are stories of ordinary individuals who rose up to live extraordinary lives. To not allow someone the opportunity to achieve their potential would serve not only to separate the classes farther, it would also cause the stagnation of our economy. Jobs would be easier for the chosen educated, as there would be less competition. The truth is, it is that very competition that pushes every sector of our economy, driving companies to make better products or offer better services. Without competition, industries quit moving forward and better products don’t get engineered. It is clear to me that returning our education system to one in which only the chosen few were admitted would actually cause far more damage to society than the danger the author speaks about. If someone choo ses to take the necessary steps to achieve greatness, no one should be able to hinder them except themselves. Work Sited Page Henry. William A â€Å"In Defense of Elitism† NMR, 171-175 Prentice Hall, NJ In Defense of Elitism Essay -- essays research papers â€Å"In Defense of Elitism† Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The dominant theme in this essay appears to be this: post war social changes such as offering increased university admission promote the view of egalitarianism in education. The author’s main issue with â€Å"secondary† education is the sheer numbers of our population that the United States as a whole educates. According to Mr. Henry, the United States educates nearly thirty percent of high school graduates who go on to a four year bachelor’s degree. He believes that the increased number of graduates has led to a workforce of mediocrity. In the author’s comparison to other leading countries, the United States has academic standards and achievement requirements which do not directly insure that this nation’s youth are job ready with a four year degree. Mr. Henry’s theory states that the United States as a whole needs to restrict college admissions to only half of those who would seek degrees. In the essay, the author is of the opinion that by reducing the number of degree seeking students, a nation can improve quality and the value of a college education. To decrease the quantity of students would in the long run increase the quality of education. The author sees the necessity of restricting higher education to include only those who have demonstrated at an early age in the educational process the ability and ambition to pursue a higher education. In his opinion, following this process would allow only the more intelligent or ambitious of students into college, therefore assuring a competent post graduation workforce. Would severely limiting admission achieve the steep goals the author believes it will? Mr. Henry states that in order for the job market to sustain ample job opportunities for university graduates, those chosen should meet strict educational standards early in the education process. Without these measures, he believes, the American education system will continue to degrade as everyone will become equal, with none terrible and more importantly, none great. Mr. Henry asserts his belief that in a watered down workplace, complacency is only eclipsed by averageness. For an individual to progress and excel through college, it takes a certain measure of drive to achieve the necessary academic quality. This drive requires its recipient to work harder and achieve better grades, more income... ...ity of a four year education; those restrictions would also deny the opportunity of higher education to many who could achieve even greater success than those who had been chosen. Throughout history, there are stories of ordinary individuals who rose up to live extraordinary lives. To not allow someone the opportunity to achieve their potential would serve not only to separate the classes farther, it would also cause the stagnation of our economy. Jobs would be easier for the chosen educated, as there would be less competition. The truth is, it is that very competition that pushes every sector of our economy, driving companies to make better products or offer better services. Without competition, industries quit moving forward and better products don’t get engineered. It is clear to me that returning our education system to one in which only the chosen few were admitted would actually cause far more damage to society than the danger the author speaks about. If someone choo ses to take the necessary steps to achieve greatness, no one should be able to hinder them except themselves. Work Sited Page Henry. William A â€Å"In Defense of Elitism† NMR, 171-175 Prentice Hall, NJ

Is Downloading Free Music from the Internet Legal? :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Is Downloading Free Music from the Internet Legal? Nowadays, it is extremely easy to download free music from the internet. All someone has to do is download some peer to peer file-sharing application such as Kazaa, Edonkey, Blubster, or Bearshare, and you have unlimited access to download just about anything that you please. But is downloading free music from one of these applications legal? I think that it is. This paper will look at both sides of the argument. The first online peer to peer file-sharing application was Napster. Napster allowed people to copy music from their CDs onto their computers in mp3 format. They then allowed other members of Napster to download these songs onto their computers. Once this caught on, millions of people were downloading thousands of songs a day. And as you can imagine, this did not make the record companies happy with the idea that people were getting their music for free instead of buying the CD. It also caused a problem with some of the recording artists. Most notably Metallica. In 2000, Metallica filed a lawsuit against Napster and won. As a result, Napster banned about 300,000 of its users who were sharing Metallica songs. Soon after, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) filed a suit against Napster and the file-sharing server was forced to shut down. [1] You kind of have to wonder if the downloading of mp3s really hurt the recording artists. When the artist makes a CD, they make relatively little money from it. Most of the millions that an artist makes is from merchandising and endorsements. Most of the money from CD sales goes to the record industries executives. In an article from Young Money, Meredith Corbin states that â€Å"the executives from the recording industry should change the way they operate by either lowering the price of CDs or taking a pay cut.

Music is Where the Heart Is :: essays research papers

Music is where the heart is   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Has a song ever flowed into the moment so perfectly that you can feel the artist soul take you over? It would be safe to say that this has happened to everyone. Humans as artistic creatures have the need to not only express their feelings in words but also create an atmosphere of emotion with music so that their very soul is out in the open for the world to hear. Fear, anger, heartbreak, rebellion, and love are all things we express creatively through music. These emotions are expressed differently through out the many types of music that the world has to offer and all have very distinct sounds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Punk is the epitome of an obnoxious rebellion, circle jerks pissed at the world. Basically punk is a lifestyle that has grown from original to mainstream and back. The raw fast music created by urban youth has influenced people around the world with catchy anthems of rebellion and unity. A lot of the vulgar and aggressive qualities have been lost in this music over the years as it’s become more popular. Punk is now watered down with love ballads and bands dressing the part, misrepresenting the original intentions of punk with its anti conformist values. I think this quote by black flag sums up my view on punk, â€Å"we are born with chance, and I am going to have my chance. We are tired of your abuse, try to stop us but its no use.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hip hop originally had intentions of help the minority's struggle be more broad band exposed outside the ghettos to raise attention to the problems they endure because of their status economically and socially. Free styling is a style of hip hop that can show some ones talent, proficiency and mastery of the art that is hip hop. this is often shown by personality and the character that the artist is trying to convey. Hip hop is vocally driven and does not focus on the beat as much as the message. if you do come across hip hop that is looped with R&B chorus’s and focuses more on the instrumental then the lyrical content you are most likely listening to what is known as â€Å"rap and bullshit† (R&B).

The Return: Midnight Chapter 44

On the smal est moon of the Nether World fine ash was fal ing. It fel on two already ash-covered bodies. It fel on ash-choked water. It blocked the sunlight so that an endless midnight covered the moon's ash-coated surface. And something else fel . In the smal est imaginable droplets, an opalescent fluid fel , colors swirling as if to try and make up for the ugliness of the ashes. They were tiny drops, but there were tril ions upon tril ions of them, fal ing endlessly, concentrated over the spot where they had once been part of the largest container of raw Power in three dimensions. There was a body on the ground on this spot – not quite a corpse. The body had no heartbeat; it did not breathe, and there was no brain activity. But somewhere in it there was a slow pulsing, that quickened very slightly as the tiny drops of Power fel upon it. The pulsing was made up of nothing but a memory. The memory of a girl with dark blue eyes and golden hair and a smal face with wide brown eyes. And the taste: the taste of two maidens'tears. Elena. Bonnie. Putting the two of them together they formed what was not exactly a thought, not exactly a picture. But to someone who only understood words, it might be translated: They are wiating for me. If I can figure out who I am. And that sparked a fierce determination. After what seemed like centuries but was only a few hours, something moved in the ash. A fist clenched. And something stirred in the brain, a self-revelation. A name. Damon.

A comparison and contrast Between the works of whitman and hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman were both well-known story-authors of their own time. Their enthusiasm in presenting the details of their stories in a more realistic yet humorous approach have made it possible for them to understand the ways by which readers really opt to receive their copies of the stories that they ought to read.The reason why the works of both authors attracted the attention of the researcher of this topic is the fact that the said revolutionary-writers in the American literature have so much to do with how the ways of writing of the American writers today have radically changed through the years (Babbit 17).The constant referral of both authors with their characters as the main life of their stories have particularly made their works interesting as they try every element in their stories to refer back to the characterization of the persons referred to in their writings.Through the research that has been commenced earlier, the authors were indeed referred to as the primary keys to the development of the presentation of the American literature up to the present era. There are times when the writings of the said authors were referred to as something out of the extra ordinary during their own times, however, being extra ordinary on their part has been an effective way of implicating change in the ways by which the thoughts of the American authors are presented to the public in writing.From the traditional serious plot of writing, the prose and poetry of the American literature has been changed into a more radical and liberated presentation that mostly deals with the things and issues that are afflicting the human society at the present era (Irving 32). Reading then became more interesting and entertaining to many audiences of the American literature. Aside from which, the presentation of the informations became more effective and casual that the writings tend to affect all sorts of readers both young and old alike. (Lauter 65)Particularly focusing on the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne on Rapaccini’s Daughter, it could be observed that the writer indeed encourages the use of metaphoric description of the details of the situation being presented through the stories made.This particular new approach in presenting stories that simply stating what is obvious, it could be noted that the writers today have already considered this particular process of presenting details in a much accepted manner, whereas even the deepest thoughts of the writers which are not considered normal or acceptable by the present society have the chance of being shared to readers through the metaphoric presentations as per presented by Hawthorne himself in his first works.Although the said informations have already been gathered, a more in-depth reasoning as to how they actually affected change within the premise of American literature is still encouraged to be given close attention to. Further studies on the matter shall help the readers unders tand why the authors mentioned above sorely needs recognition as they were indeed able to revolutionize the ways by which literature is presented to the society.Come to think of it, if it were not for the historical writers like Whitman and Hawthorne, the ways by which the American authors presented their ideas may not have been liberated at all making reading a much-lesser appreciated source of information considering the fact that technology today gives way to larger and faster ways of spreading information through the Internet in the form of blogs and media presentations. Without the existence of the said authors, American reading materials may not have been as widely accepted in the society as they are today.To be able to come up with the primary informations needed to prove the claims presented in this study, especially that of the works of Hawthorne and the impact that they have been making in the literary presentations of the American writing group, an online library [Questia ] shall be accessed by the author as well as local libraries shall also be consulted.Several commentaries from librarians shall also be incorporated within the study to be able to create a more actual picture of the presentation of the facts that shall be handled within the said paper. The constant attention given to how both authors affected the Modern American Literature shall be continuously used as the basis of the presentation of the informations in this study.Through integrating the results from all possible sources, the author expects the work to be more effective and practical for the public to read and learn from. Not many among the American population would consider this study as an important factor of social advancement. However, considering the fact that literature is an indication of the modern society’s development, this study shall be proven worthy on the basis of its effectiveness in affecting the lives of the people in the human society at present.

International Economic Essay

Globalization process refers to the worldwide incorporation of economic, cultural, political as well as religious and social arrangements. There are other definitions with the IMF referring it as the growing economic interdependence of nations globally through improving quantity and range of inter-country trade, free international capital flows and extensive widespread of technological knowledge. Economically, it’s defined as the union of prices, products, wages as well as interest rates and margins to fit in the developed countries standards. Globalization has various advantages such as appearance of global production, markets as well as wider access to a variety of internationally produced goods for consumers and producers. Secondly, there is emergence of international economic markets and greater access to external funds for; local, national and other borrowers. Thirdly, it’s economically beneficial in that there is recognition of an international common market depending on the autonomous exchange of commodities between nations. Fourthly, there is a formation of world political government that maintains the relationship between nations and ensures the freedom arising from social and economic internationalization. In addition, there is a greater information flows between different countries hence enhancing communication, while encouraging intercultural contacts and adoption of other cultural ideas hence promoting the adoption of new technology and practices therefore encouraging unity and harmony. Finally, it encourages global cooperation which assists in solving environmental challenges such as water and air pollution, over fishing of the seas and climate change. Similarly, it encourages health competition between nations and industries hence ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in the production of commodities. This ensures that goods produced are of high quality and charged fairly. This ensures that consumers are not exploited by producers who may produce counterfeit goods and charge high prices. In the wake of internationalization, productivity is essential so as to meet the international demand for goods and services and remain competitive in the world market. At the same time, nations which experience economic growth are fairly placed and their commodities are highly demanded in the world market. It also ensures that can trade with others effectively and efficiently by meeting the required standards as they can afford the current technology and production techniques. Tariffs refers to a tax on foreign goods once they are imported i. e. immediately on arrival at the port, the custom officer examines the goods and imposes a levy as per the custom formula. There are various types of tariffs such as: an ad valorem tariff which is a percentage of the value of a commodity while specific tariff is charged on a commodity as per its weight, volume or surface, but not to its value. It shows many units of a currency are charged per amount or area. There is also a revenue tariff that refers to a group of levies imposed mainly to raise income for the government while protective tariff is mainly imposed to temporarily raise the prices of imports while protecting the local or domestic industries from foreign competition and dumping of unwanted commodities or imports. However, they raise the price of a commodity as per the imposed levy, hence exploiting the consumers of the good or manufacturers who utilize as a raw material, at the same time ii can lead to trade war when it doesn’t favor the imposing country. Trade blocks are formed to minimize or eliminate tariffs against trade with each other and impose protective tariffs on imports outside the block, while custom union has a common external tariff as per agreed strategy; the member countries divide the revenue from the tariff on commodities entering the union among themselves. Economic theories argue that tariffs are unnecessary disruption of consumers’ sovereignty and the rule of free market. They argue that it is unjust to the consumers and generally unfavorable for a nation to protect a non performing industry, it’s healthier to let it collapse and give way a new efficient one to grow in its position. Others claim that protective tariffs that assist in protecting infant industries permit them to develop and withstand competition in the international trade once they expand their size. Similarly, tariffs can be used as a political tool to define the boundaries of an independent country as absence of tariffs establishes a free market system with no borders. However, it has been argued that tariffs assist developing countries as they are easy to collect, and these countries lack institutional capability to efficiently raise revenue and sales taxes. Non tariff barriers to trade are ways to avoid free trade regulations such as those of European Union (EU), World trade organization (WTO) etc. hat restrict imposition of tariffs such as anti dumping regulations and counterfeit goods measures, which have similar results as tariffs though imposed in special conditions. Other non tariff barriers are in form of processing or production requirements of a commodity with an import ban imposed on those goods which do not meet the requirement or condition. Some trade barriers are openly allowed in very limited conditions, when reckoned important to safeguard health, safety, sanitation or depletable resources. Non tariff barriers to trade take many forms such as state subsidies that favor an individual or industry hence disadvantaging others subsidizing, therefore becoming more competitive in the market as well as national regulations on safety, health, employment and product classification which tend to discriminate some business while favoring others. Quotas are also form of barriers as an industry can’t produce more than the recommended quantity, hence regulating its production capacity and trade in general. imilarly, foreign exchange control and multiplicity forms a non trade barrier as countries or industries that do not access it cant participate in foreign trade easily, hence it acts as a form of trade barrier as well patents and copyright laws that give an individual or industry the ultimate powers to produce a commodity alone, therefore regulating trade. Others include bribery, corruption, unfair customs procedures, restrictive licenses, import bans and restrictive import regimes which act as an obstacle to trade.