Biodiesel in Malaysia Essay Example for Free

Biodiesel in Malaysia Essay In the United States, the majority of biodiesel is made from soybean or canola oils, but is also made from waste stream sources such as used cooking oils or animal fats. Biodiesel is a diesel replacement fuel that is manufactured from vegetables oils, recycled cooking greases or oils, or animal fats. History of biodiesel around the World Transesterification of a vegetable oil was conducted as early as 1853 by scientists E. Duffy and J. Patrick, many years before the first diesel engine became functional. Rudolf Diesels prime model, a single 10 ft (3 m) iron cylinder with a flywheel at its base, ran on its own power for the first time in Augsburg, Germany on August 10, 1893. In remembrance of this event, August 10 has been declared International Biodiesel Day. Diesel later demonstrated his engine and received the Grand Prix (highest prize) at the World Fair in Paris, France in 1900. This engine stood as an example of Diesels vision because it was powered by peanut oil a biofuel, though not biodiesel, since it was not transesterified. He believed that the utilization of biomass fuel was the real future of his engine. In a 1912 speech Diesel said, The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today but such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum and the coal-tar products of the present time. During the 1920s, diesel engine manufacturers altered their engines to utilize the lower viscosity of petrodiesel (a fossil fuel), rather than vegetable oil (a biomass fuel). The petroleum industries were able to make inroads in fuel markets because their fuel was much cheaper to produce than the biomass alternatives. The result, for many years, was a near elimination of the biomass fuel production infrastructure. Only recently have environmental impact concerns and a decreasing cost differential made biomass fuels such as biodiesel a growing alternative. Research into the use of transesterified sunflower oil, and refining it to diesel fuel standards, was initiated in South Africa in 1979. By 1983 the process for producing fuel-quality, engine-tested biodiesel was completed and published internationally. An Austrian company, Gaskoks, obtained the technology from the South African Agricultural Engineers; the company erected the first biodiesel pilot plant in November 1987, and the first industrial-scale plant in April 1989 (with a capacity of 30,000 tons of rapeseed per annum). Throughout the 1990s, plants were opened in many European countries, including the Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden. France launched local production of biodiesel fuel (referred to as diester) from rapeseed oil, which is mixed into regular diesel fuel at a level of 5%, and into the diesel fuel used by some captive fleets (e. g. public transportation) at a level of 30%. Renault, Peugeot and other manufacturers have certified truck engines for use with up to that level of partial biodiesel; experiments with 50% biodiesel are underway. During the same period, nations in other parts of the world also saw local production of biodiesel starting up: by 1998 the Austrian Biofuels Institute had identified 21 countries with commercial biodiesel projects. 100% Biodiesel is now available at many normal service stations across Europe. In September of 2005 Minnesota became the first U. S. state to mandate that all diesel fuel sold in the state contain part biodiesel, requiring a content of at least 2% biodiesel. History of biodiesel in Malaysia One such fuel, which has been gaining prominence in recent years, is biofuel. Clean and renewable, biofuel has been touted as the answer to the issue of the diminishing of energy reserves. It was led by Yang. Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Dr Yusof Basiron, former Director General of MPOB, MPOB has been the pioneer and is at the forefront in researching into palm biodiesel project. Since the 1980s, MPOB in collaboration with the local oil giant, PETRONAS, has begun to develop a patented technology to transform crude palm oil into a viable diesel substitute. This process involves the transesterification of crude palm oil into palm oil methyl esters or palm biodiesel. It has also been successfully demonstrated in a 3000 tonnes per year pilot plant located in the MPOB headquarters. Palm biodiesel has been systematically and exhaustively evaluated as diesel fuel substitute from 1983 to 1994. These included laboratory evaluation, stationary engine testing and field trials on a large number of vehicles including taxis, trucks, passenger cars and buses. Exhaustive field trials with 30 Mercedes Benz of Germany mounted onto passenger buses have been successfully completed with each bus covered 300,000 km, the expected life of the engines. Biodiesel in Malaysia In Malaysia, biodiesel called the Envo Diesel was launched by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday 22 March 2006. Malaysia currently produces 500,000 tonnes of biofuel annually and the government hopes to increase this number this year. Envo diesel blends 5% processed palm oil (vegetable oil) with 95% petrodiesel. In contrast, EUs B5 blends 5% methyl ester with 95% petrodiesel. Diesel engine manufacturers prefer the use of palm oil methyl ester blends as diesel engines are designed to handle 5% methyl esters meeting the EN14214 biodiesel standard, which palm oil cannot meet. Malaysia announced that it will build three plants to produce biodiesel from palm oil, as part of efforts to reduce its dependency on foreign oil and increase demand for domestically produced palm oil. Palm biodiesel is set to become a viable alternative to petroleum diesel, Commodities Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui told an international palm oil congress in Kuala Lumpur. Palm biodiesel is attractive when oil is above $43 he added. Crude oil is currently trading around $65 a barrel. With fossil oil fuel becoming lesser and lesser and ultimately depleting the world over, it might be wise for Malaysia to adopt and implement the use of these renewable fuel resources early, as such the national oil company, PETRONAS, must take the foremost initiative first to tap this resource by making research on the blending palm oil diesel with fossil diesel to the best possible combination so that all diesel engines in this country could start using this blend or just purely palm oil bio-diesel which has been found to be an equally efficient and effective replacement. The initiative will be the first in the world on a national scale, since Malaysia is a gross producer and net exporter of both palm oil and also of fossil oil, there is no disadvantage whether Malaysia export less palm oil or more fossil oil which is value added in the form diesel and petrol. Whether or not it is economical or practical to implement this is purely a matter of policy by the government. If export fossil diesel fuel to be consumed ; used in Malaysia alone including subsidies Malaysia could increase their foreign reserves and offset the opportunity cost created by the palm oil price fluctuation and direct export earnings from palm oil. This policy implementation should be long term and will benefit future generations of Malaysians because palm oil diesel cannot be depleted owing to the fact it is a renewable resource and when in use in diesel engines it will be environmentally friendly. Whereas fossil oil diesel can be depleted and also can cause environmental damage. The cost for producing palm oil diesel could be reduced if used cooking oil from big consumers like KFC, Mc Donalds and other fast food chains could contribute used cooking oil for recycling into diesel for consumption by diesel engines. The cost of producing bio-diesel or palm oil diesel could be a fraction compared to producing fossil diesel, as crude or palm oil of the lowest grade such as soap making fats and also palm oil sludge waste could be used and it could be converted easily into bio-diesel for engine consumption on a very large scale and if there is an economy of scale the production cost could be further reduced. much research have been done by others including the King of Thailand; and the results observed have been proven to be viable and positive and therefore Malaysia should pursue this policy of implementation as the first on the national scale to enjoy the economy of scale. In etrol engines, pure bio-ethanol has been found to be an efficient and effective alternative replacement for the petrol fuel or if necessary also by blending both with less of petrol and more of ethanol as engine fuels, the optimum combination ratio to be determined by further research for all types of petrol engines; much res earch have also been done by others who have found this advantage, recently in china, a province which is a renown corn producer has been successfully producing ethanol from old and outdated stock of corn for consumption by petrol engines in its pure form without blending on large scale, that is consumption by the whole province, they are also burning bio-residues ; wastes from the fermentations plants for distilling the alcohol ethanol. Bio-ethanol could be produced by a local company using proven foreign technology on a large scale, by using bio-mass from wood wastes from forest industries, plants wastes from orchard trimmings ; also all types of wastes from sugar, maize, tapioca, palm oil ; rubber plantations ; also from reeds, grass ; rice husks from padi fields; garbage, rubbish and other wastes in the modern waste disposal incinerators could fuel the distilling of the ethanol and also produce electricity if the excess heat could be further harnessed. most of our fossil petrol and fossil diesel to be used ; consumed in the country could then be exported to earn foreign exchange reserves or the fossil oil reserves themselves be preserved for our future generations or whichever way is truly feasible and viable. Savings and conservation of our natural resources and establishing of Malaysia’s own renewable non-depleting alternative resources of fuels could be achieved using the two methods said above if imple mented by the Malaysian government on a large scale basis could result with whole new industries that could offshoot from these initiatives. These initiatives could be realised to produce and distribute bio-ethanol and palm oil bio-diesel on a large scale, from biomass, made available from the said waste resources mentioned above, this will involve investments of about between US$1 billion to US$10 billion which Malaysia can attract outside investors interested in this program because of the large biomass waste resources available in Malaysia. The end products could even be exported to other countries lacking such resources like for example Singapore at a price cheaper than fossil fuel. Disadvantages of Biodiesel in Malaysia Projects requiring Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil as feedstock have been criticized by some environmental advocates. A Friend of the Earth has published a report asserting that clearance of forests for oil-palm plantations is threatening some of the last habitat of the orangutan. Over the past decade, Malaysia has converted large tracts of tropical rainforest to palm oil plantations on the island of Borneo. Recently, several Malaysian firms were implicated in illegal burning in Indonesia that produced a polluting haze that choked residents of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysias remaining old growth forests are, biologically, some of the richest on the planet and are home to a number of endangered species including forest elephants, rhinos, orangutans, tigers, monkeys, and tapir. The government has been working to encourage ecotourism but still struggles policing its own forests.

Reverse Innovation Is Completely Different Marketing Essay

Reverse Innovation Is Completely Different Marketing Essay Large multinational companies traditionally considered deriving revenues in their home turf, and sought most of their growth opportunities within their home country. As markets saturated, they moved on to other rich countries targeting consumers from those market segments that they were able to secure in their home country. As competition from businesses both large and small increased, corporate strategy included expansion into emerging markets. Multinational companies have the capital to leverage their expansion into these emerging markets. This method allowed companies to obtain a foothold in these fast-growing economies, however, their current product offerings were too expensive to cater to the bottom of the pyramid consumers, which is sometimes the bulk of the population. Western multinationals found themselves capturing a small segment of the market, due to the unavailability of cheap products so eagerly sought by these bottom of the pyramid consumers. As done previously in ric h foreign countries, the western multinational could cater to the rich in the developing country. Unfortunately the number of consumers fulfilling these criteria is quite small compared to the entire population. Traditional strategies of globalisation later included local innovation, which together was termed as glocalisation. These local innovations were fuelled by the need to address differences in the demand structure of the current consumers. Existing products of the multinational was slightly tweaked to appeal to the locals, through various ways (include from literature). This process carried out well until local competition from emerging countries, with their superior local market understanding started developing products aimed at meeting the needs of the bottom of the pyramid consumers. These products as identified by Vijay (XXX) share some unique characteristics (low price, etc.) and are much readily accessible by this consumer base. They products created for these consumers by local businesses were highly innovative, often performing the same functions as the western multinationals product offerings, at a much lower price point. It fulfilled the need of these consumers of being of good enough quality but at the same time being easy to use. Cheap products performing the same function attracted the attention of consumers in higher income segments in the emerging countries, and gained popularity through to neighbouring countries with low GDPs per capita. Multinationals were seeing their markets slowly being taken over by these local innovators. To tackle this problem, western companies, not familiar with the demand needs of the locals created local innovation teams to create a clean slate approach towards innovation. Aside from altering current offerings, they also focused on creating completely new products sharing those factors such as low price, ease of use and good-enough quality. These products saw good responses from the local markets, bringing about increased learning of market needs to the Western multinational. The step following this original local innovation was the export of products back to the developed world. This process was coined by Vijay as Reverse Innovation in his book. The latest step for expansion of firms, this stage brings about a large number of research questions mentioned by Vijay and Trimble in their book. However, one aspect not considered was the target market in the developed country for these products. It is clear to recognize that there exists, even in the developed world, a number of consumers, especially in the bottom of the income groups, who prefer products sharing the features of low price, ease of use and good-enough quality. However, it is not clear who exactly these consumers are. With moderate success of the few successful examples of reversely innovated products in the western world, it creates the need to find out the perfect consumer profile for these products. This becomes more apparent during current recessionary periods, causing consumers to tighten t heir budgets. We analyse in this paper, from a consumer standpoint, behaviour towards these reversely innovated products. We ask whether the current economic climate will cause the purchase behaviour of those consumers, who would not necessarily have considered purchasing products sharing such features, to change or not. Literature Review Introduction Guided by the research objectives, the literature review can be broken down into three major parts; 1. Reverse Innovation and related topics, 2. Consumer behaviour and its influence on market segmentation and 3. Consumer behaviour towards reversely innovated products in western societies. Within stated topics, the literature review, first, describes briefly respective theory, its composition and provides distinct definitions, vital key models and perspectives. Thereby, research objectives of this dissertation and related theories can be clarified and explicitly distinguished from irrelevant literature available. This is specifically applicable to the topic of consumer behaviour and market segmentation with its vast amount of diverse scopes and research areas. Second, it helps to define clear definitions of different innovation models, especially those generating from emerging countries, or the bottom of the pyramid (BOP), etc. Defining Reverse Innovationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Definition History Theory (models, frameworks) Critique in contrast with other theory Analysis = hypotheses (if required) Innovation in general Brief introduction to innovation in general (including history or necessity for business?) Definition of innovation with some scholars explaining it and most popular frameworks (if available) Explanation of reverse innovation Brief introduction to reverse innovation (including origin and necessity) Definition of the theory behind reverse innovation In our paper, we focus solely on developed country multinationals, and this also sets the backdrop for the definition of reverse innovation. Indeed the term stands true only if innovations are brought back to the home (developed) country. Introducing the model of reverse innovation (4 stages of RI) (by vijay) Briefly describe all four stages (maybe I can find another model that can be described as an alternative to vijays model although probably not possible) Explaining the four stages in detail: Chris Trimble defines innovation as any project that is new to you and has an uncertain outcome (1,25). US President, Obama, talks about the need for innovation by US scientists to outdo global competition. However, Vijay argues that this can only be done when scientists stop focusing on innovation in the USA and look elsewhere for dynamic ideas based on consumer needs. Innovation can occur anywhere and Mehmood Khan, chief scientific officer of PepsiCo found that Western doctors discovered in Bangladesh the use of century old local treatment for diarrhoea by cholera. What is innovation? Sustaining Disruptive Incremental Radical Reverse Strategic Architectural Modular Competence Enhancing Competence Destroying Globalisation: Definition -43, 45 History Theory (models, frameworks) (ted levitt) Critique in contrast with other theory 51, 54 Analysis hypotheses (if required) transition to glocalisation 48 unused 33, 46, int., ghamewat Phase 1 Globalization -Multinationals built unprecedented economies of scale by selling products and services to markets all around the world. Innovation happened at home, and then the new offerings were distributed everywhere. Globalisation theory was initially developed in 1817 by David Ricardo in his Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, where he suggests that nations should specialise in the production of those goods and services in which they are most adept. However, this would benefit both trading partners only if certain conditions stayed constant, namely: There should be a balance of trade between the 2 nations so that one does not become indebted or dependant to the other in any way Capital investment should take place in home country and not allowed to move from high wage to low wage country In a sophisticatedly connected information network prevalent in todays world, these conditions do not hold, invalidating Ricardos definition. It is not possible for countries to rely on themselves alone based on their competitive advantage. Global economics is dominated by export intensive countries, thus necessitating the need for increased exports to the rest of the world as the only method for expansion. Reverse innovation, however brings back the learning from foreign countries back to the home country to strengthen the foothold in current established markets of the MNC. The bi-polar world economy dominated by USA and Europe (also Japan), has now become tri-polar with the inclusion of East South East Asia. In terms of market size, USA, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and the UK still dominate, by 2020, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan will move up to the top ten. It is easy to see their success already in a multitude of industries (Steel, Consumer electronics, Food, etc. ). This new tri polar world economy suggests the high importance companies must place to these emerging regions. diagram (447886) can be included to underline the change in globalisation Globalisation is one of the most popular buzzwords around not only in the world of business but a term to define the processes of international integration arising from increased human connectivity and interchange of ideas, products and other aspects of culture. Beerkens, 2006, summarises the different definitions and perspectives prevailing on the matter from Marx Engels, 1848 to his own definition in 2004. He postulates that the process of globalisation causes acceleration, massification, flexibilisation, diffusion and expansion of transnational flows of people. It accelerates basic social arrangements (like power, culture, markets, politics, rights, values, norms, ideology, identity, citizenship and solidarity) to become disconnected from their spatial context (mainly the nation state) to create a worldwide interconnectedness between nation states.(beerkens, 2004). This also means that the development on one side of the globe will have consequences on the other. Som prominent exa mples of globalisation include Coca Colas presence in over 200 countries (1, 43) or the restructuring of the automotive industry to adjust to cost differences around the world through relocation of competitive advantage regarding manufacturing, assembling, etc., to the rise in prices of oil in the Western world due to shooting up of demand for it during 2004 and 2006 in India and China. Globalisation benefits XXXXXX. (1, 43) argue that the effects of globalisation are yet to see any slowing down. With standardised national income, media and technology authors adopt the view that consumers would have similar needs and behaviours. For example, communications development (Bradley, 1991:384) and technology development (Ronkainen 1993:167) will bring convergence in consumer markets. McLuhan (1964) talks about a Global Village, where global media and increased travel will bring about convergence in consumer behaviour, values and lifestyles. This is supported by Ted Levitt (1983) who suggest that new technology will cause consumer needs to become consistent, based on his view of consumer rationality and price sensitivity or profit maximising intentions. However, this assumption of nationality is inherently flawed as it does not incorporate cultural contexts (Antonides 1998; McCracken 1989; Sà ¼erdem 1993). There is also small empirical evidence of consumer behaviour convergence based on universal price-minded customers in the micro level (Usunier 1996). Macro level hypotheses is al so disregarded by (Craig, Douglas and Grain 1992, Hollanders, Soete and Ter Weel 1999, Sarkar 1999). As can be easily understood, the scope of this topic is huge, and we shall look at only from an international business point of view. CONVERGENCE but in reality DIVERGENCE XXXXXX Given the ease of controlling expansion possibilities, cost reduction, resources and logistics, MNEs can now strategically disperse activities, including innovation functions in different low cost geographic locations. The motivations for conducting international business include market motives, economic motives and strategic motives. Market motives can be offensive or defensive offensive being the motive to seize market opportunities in overseas countries through trade investments, and defensive being the motive to protect the companys market power or competitive position in contrast to the domestic rivalry or changes in government policies. Economic motives apply when firms capitalise on the inter-country differences in costs of labour, natural resources and capital and taxation, to achieve economies of scale and subsequent higher revenues. E.g. Motorola establishing production facilities in Chinas special economic zones offering lower taxation rate than applicable in the US. Stra tegic motives lead firms to internationalise, capitalising on distinctive resources or capabilities developed at home (e.g. technologies and economies of scale). Firms can increase their cash flow by deploying these capabilities overseas. Firms may also wish to exploit first mover advantages, e.g. Volkswagen which was the second automaker in China, was the first to locate in Shanghai, gaining a monopoly in the market for years. Firms also gain advantage by integrating both vertically and/or horizontally involving different countries. (1, 43) There are several papers suggesting the heterogeneity amongst different markets in the global sphere. Bakhtazmai (2011) postulates that there is a decentralised regulation of markets, and while cosmopolitan nations move towards globalisation, they also reach down to the social local organisations. According to J.H. Mittelman, globalisation is a historical transformation in economy and cultural diversity. Hofstede postulated different dimensions could be used to understand and tackle cultural differences. Differences in product usage and buying motives are correlated with these dimensions (De Mooij 1998, 2000, 2001). Since peoples attitudes related to consumption are based on their values,the differences become more stable and stronger over time. Conventionally international business interprets the term culture to mean national cultures exclusively, but Hofstede (1991:253) has warned against applying national culture dimensions to subnational levels. Bakhtazmai concludes that the pace , magnitude and direction of change caused by globalisation will continue to progress rapidly through technology transfer. Dynamic management (Dowbor, 2001) requires constant adaptation to different segments of social reproduction. Benefits from globalisation may include design, purchasing, manufacturing operations, packaging, etc. making possible standardised facilities, methodologies and procedures across countries. Companies may only tweak a little bit in each area to achieve profits. The process of combining both global and local operations has become known as glocalisation. Yip and Coundouriotis (1991) argue that global strategy usage can possibly help achieve reduced costs, improved quality, enhanced customer preference and combined global resources. To understand the global consumer culture, (1,54) offers an categorization approach by integrating Roschs categorization theory into the discussion of whether consumer cultures globalize, glocalize or localize. The authors suggest that arguments for global consumer culture are made at the superordinate level. Levitt (1983) predicted the demise of local consumer culture, causing debates about viability of globally standardised marketing. Proponents of global consumer culture argue that cross border tourism, labour mobility (Holt et al. 2004) lead to standardisation of consumer demands (Alden et al 1999, Jain 1989). Advocates of local consumer culture argue that LCC remains resilient against such global forces (Jackson, 2004;Watts, 1996). However, meanings associated with the consumption factor are primarily functional or symbolic, causing the strength of the argument for a global consumer culture to vary between glocal and local consumer culture. Ghamewat, P (XX) also argues that the world today is not as globalised as many strategists believe. The world is not flat, he says, his view significantly differing from Thomas Friedman (XX)  [1]  Companies must find ways to manage differences and similarities within and across regions. Globalisation is relatively recent term, starting usage in 1960, however really starting to realise prominent existence since the 1990s. McLuhan, 1964 talks about a global village where people on earth live in a single social place. The local, however has to come to terms with the global. The mutual relationship also means that global is just plural versions of local. Hence, globalisation is always glocalisation (Robertson, 1995) captured as being global, but acting local. Glocalisation Phase 2 Glocalization In this phase, multinationals recognized that while Phases 1 had minimized costs, they werent as competitive in local markets as they needed to be. Therefore, they focused on winning market share by adapting global offerings to meet local needs. Innovation still originated with home-country needs, but products and services were later modified to win in each market. To meet the budgets of customers in poor countries, they sometimes de-featured existing products. Think Globally Act Locally (Glocal) is the at the core of international marketing departments and this defines the portmanteau word glocalisation. Early critics for global standardization talk about consumers needs and interests becoming homogenous, people willing to sacrifice product features, functions and designs, for high quality at low prices and huge economies of scale can be achieved through internationalisation. (1, 34) (1,37) (1, 37) glocalisation as a linear expansion of territorial scales should we include or not? Can also be included in globalisation (motives for globalisation, but we do not mention glocalisation in that stage yet, so unsure) Standardisation versus Adaptation, Homogenisation versus Tailoring these company activities are optimised when a company goes glocal. (1, 38) The term originated from the Japanese word dochakuka meaning global localization (do land, chaku arrive at, ka process of) (1,42) and came into existence with Japanese business practices as they brought their services in the 1980s to the USA (Japanese cars) (1,39; 1,40). The idea was applied to the marketing of products and affects all the Ps of the marketing mix. (1, 40) (1,36). The word glocal was coined by sociologist Ronald Robertson (1995). The erroneous assumption regarding homogeneity has led to firms to believe that their products will be accepted by international consumers. As studies show, their sales get saturated after a point, indicating the differences in consumer behaviour patterns. Company executives have started to innovate locally through learning of the intricacies of the foreign environment where they operate, understanding that this is the only way to leverage their global scale and reach (1, 43). Although most companies follow the notion Think Global, Act Local Glocalisation is more complex (Medeni 2004). Glocalisation was developed as a more holistic solution to globalisation and localisation, which is more sociological. (1, 41) (also glocalisation as a three level system; 1,37) In his paper, Vignali (2001) (1,36) differentiates between globalisation and internationalisation, defining the former as involving developing marketing strategies as if the world is a single entity, through full standardisation. He describes internationalisation however as incorporating customisation of marketing strategies for different regions of the world based on cultural, regional and national differences. This is in line with Levit (1983) who suggest multinational companies and global companies engage in internationalisation and globalisation respectively. (1, 38) Grune (1989) (1, 38) argues that multinationals pursue independent strategies in each foreign market and subsidiaries are essentially autonomous operations generating their own profits whilst finance and marketing efforts being coordinated by headquarters. Global companies operate as integrated systems with each subsidiary depending on the other for operations and strategy. Therefore multinationals localise while globals globalise (!) Globalisation and localisation may seem contradictory, however this mix of strategies are bound to coexist in the future. It takes into account the vast differences in practices, values, standards of living and taxation across the globe. At the core of the standardisation debate stands the argument to what extent, if at all, is it applicable to design, market and deliver existing offerings across national market boundaries (1, 34). The arguments set forth in this paper for glocalisation suggest that a distribution infrastructure is available for realisation of potential economies of scale, through successful global strategies since global market segments exist, as does global economies of scale. Tiplady (1, 35) adds that the situation is a bit complex and that globalisation does not only travel one way from the West to the Rest. The interconnected world allows ideas to transfer between nations and as they get to their new destination, they are adapted to fit the situation, meaning multinationals also learn within emerging country presence. It can be argued therefore, that reverse innovation is a type of glocalisation. Local realities shape these tweaks, for example Wal-Mart in China sells chicken feet and Chinese branded stewed pork ribs, also an indication of utilising local suppliers (tax breaks). (1, 35) Under the set of assumptions that developing countries are engaged in a slow and evolutionary process of catching up with the rich world, both economically and technologically, and they will import what they desire from the rich world, a strategy of glocalisation makes perfect sense. Firms can tap emerging markets by simply exporting lightly modified versions of global products developed for rich world customers mainly lower end models with fewer features. Glocalisation is essentially a simulation of the process of hybridization A process whereby cultural forms literally move through time and space where they interact with other cultural forms and settings, influence each other, produce new forms, and change the cultural settings. (Lull, 2000. P.242). Businesses not engaging in the process can be rejected by host country consumers, as the process of growth within these countries is organic and must happen through integration with the host culture e.g. Wal-Mart in Germany tried to naively reinforce American culture onto Germans, which led to unfavourable results. (1, 40). (1, 41) points out the important role of cutting edge technologies in advanced products and especially consumer electronics in glocalisation. Good for our reverse innovation hypotheses. When Wal-Mart tried entering Central and South America, it discovered it could not sustain by exporting only its existing formula it had to innovate. In his paper, Immelt (2009) (1, 17) suggests that the business model of adapting global offerings to local needs will not be sufficient given the slowdown of growth in rich countries. He suggests companies start reverse innovating, i.e. involve themselves in local innovation and then distributing them globally. He recognises that multinationals can adopt both strategies, there are some conflicts which must be resolved, and otherwise, emerging country multinationals, with good local knowledge will destroy giants like GE. Reverse Innovation As lastly described, due to the increasing potential of the consumer market within the poor people of emerging markets, MNEs have to start focussing more on these groups of customers. However, because of the drastic divergence in preferences Vijay argues that adaptation will not be sufficient anymore to cover the resulting differences. He defines the following gaps as the main reason of differentiating preferences. Performance Gap Customers in emerging countries have lower incomes than their contemporaries in the developed world. This causes them to demand products that deliver a lower performance from products, however at a much lower price/performance ratio. Infrastructure Gap The developed world has superior infrastructure, e.g. power, water supply, logistical solutions, political institutions, etc. These are all still under construction in the developing world and require some time to reach (or even surpass) the levels in the developed world. This means that consumers in poor countries require products that do not rely on dependable infrastructure. The implication for improved innovation from this gap is that these poor countries will adopt technologies that have either been proved to be useful in the developed world, and also technologies that are better. For example, wireless technology in India is sometimes more sophisticated than developed countries. Sustainability Gap Poor countries face stringent sustainability constraints, for example, India faces the threat of increased carbon emissions from its numerous industries. Problems such as these necessitate environmentally friendly products, which are often innovated locally, e.g. electrical cars in China, biodegradable energy (reference). Regulatory Gap Regulatory structures in developed countries are more sophisticated and require companies to go through a lot of bureaucracy before they may establish new innovations. Thus, emerging countries see regulatory hurdles quickly being passed through. This may also be due to the fact that emerging country governments want more solutions to solve their problems of high population, low education, poor healthcare, etc. Preferences Gap Tastes and preferences are different based on values and culture. Companies must be innovative to address these needs, and this requires a clean state assessment of the customers needs. Vijay argues that it becomes almost impossible to fill these vast gaps with the strategy of adaptation and essentially glocalisation. Thus, MNEs have to start from scratch utilising a clean slate approach for innovation, which is essentially part of the stage local innovation. The first out of two stages within the reverse innovation process. Mentioned gaps inhere the differences in views, traditions, cultures and experiences between the western rich world and the developing world with lower average income (Gobble, 2012). A good example of failing in an emerging market due to a glocal strategy, provided by several scholars (reference), is the failure of General Electric in the medical equipment sector. Describe book example_international business_page 28. Local innovation, as described by Vijay, functions as a bridge to overcome these differences. Immelt (2009) suggests companies to start the process with a multinationals focus on developing countries, innovating products in the country, for the country. They take a zero-based (or a clean slate) assessment of customer needs, as opposed to the notion that consumers will adopt the companys products which have been slightly altered for them. In this stage, the company can pool together its resources from around the world to innovate the most appropriate product for the local customer. This approach is into contrast to the existing glocal strategy where products are being globally standardized and designed from home and only marginally adapted to the local customers needs afterwards. Local innovation requires changes in the organisational structure, to include board of directors with individuals with superior understanding of emerging market needs. Leaders must understand that Stage 1: Local innovation Starting to realise that their glocal strategy was not suitable for the Chinese market anymore, GE created a low cost, portable ultrasound machine called the GE MAC 400. GEs conventional ultra sound machines were sophisticated, but very bulky and quite expensive, affordable by a select few in the emerging world. In 2002 GE launched this product in China combining a regular laptop with sophisticated software, selling for $30000. In 2008, this product was re-engineered and the new model sold for $15000.This new product is less than 15% of GEs contemporary offerings, and it was highly successful in emerging economies. This caused the mental map of GE to shift from the Triad (USA, Europe Japan) to the rest of the world  [2]  , and also initialised the idea of reverse innovation (taking learning back to the developed world)- Although local innovation might indicate an ultimate strategy to capture the entire potential customer population from BRIC countries like China and India, it does fulfil its role only partially. Vijay defines his theory being applicable to the middle- and especially low-end segment in the emerging markets. In the past, they have been neglected by western MNEs due to their focus on the high-end customer segments in emerging markets when utilising glocalisation. The low-end segment is providing an increasing opportunity for MNEs as it consists out of 4 billion people world-wide. Prahalad (2007) defines them as the bottom-of the pyramid with a purchasing power parity of approxamitely 5$ trillion dollars. Bottom-of the pyramid articles To meet the differences in customer preferences, different authors have identified similar theories about the product specifications needed. One theory isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.(different theories such as inclusive innovation, catalytic,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) explain inclusive, catalytic, grass roots innovation, below the radar innovation, appropriate technology, inclusive business, jugaad/ frugal innovation (focus on the last for our first major hypothesis) Factors identified by Prahalad: Affordable Products Emerging nations cannot afford goods priced for the US and Western Europe, which pushes companies to find inexpensive materials or manufacturing options. 2. Leapfrog Technologies Developing countries lack 20th century infrastructure and so have fast- forwarded to newer technologies such as mobile phones or solar energy. 3. Service Ecosystems Entrepreneurs in emerging markets often must rely on natural conditions and, therefore, should aim at building more eco-friendly products and services. 4. Robust Systems Emerging markets require products that work in rugged conditions. A gadget sturdy enough to survive monsoons in India is most likely to handle weather conditions in western countries also. 5. Newer Applications Customers in eme

Moldovas Accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Moldovas Accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) The World Trade Organization (WTO), successor of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) founded in 1947, today represents a common institutional frame- work for the development of trade relations among its members, based on the principles harmonized at the international level through a number of multilateral agreements. At present the WTO includes 140 countries, with another 32 countries having an observer status. Moldova, Armenia, China and Vanuatu are at the final stage of accession. Today only a few countries with planned economies in their past and some developing countries have remained outside the WTO. Integration, of the developing countries and of the countries with their economies in transition, into the international trade system offers a good opportunity to take full advantage from the participation to enter the globalization process. Countries with their economies in transition view the WTO, whose rules of international trade are being established and monitored , as a structure that offers an important opportunity for integration into the world economy and of the improvement of their national legal framework in the economic and commercial field. The WTO basic functions are as follows: to facilitate the application, administration and successful functioning of the WTO laws and regulatory framework; to promote the achievement of objectives of each WTO agreement that concerns specific trade issues; Proceeding from these functions, the WTO can be viewed as an international structure, which for its member states represents the following: a forum for negotiations of issues concerning trade relations and matters incorporated into international multilateral treaties; a forum for future international negotiations, representation of each members interests; a legal and institutional framework for the application of the results of talks between states; a framework ensuring the application of rules and procedures for settling disputes between states; a framework providing for the use of the mechanisms of scrutinizing and ensuring transparency of commercial policies. 3.1. Advantages of the World Trading System The world trading system is not perfect, particularly taking into account the attempts of the Member States to have after their accession, the current rules revised. However, since the establishment of the WTO in 1995, countries involved in this system maintain that a state outside the system should be aware of the advantages the WTO offers to its members and of the reasons in favor of the WTO membership. In most cases, the decision of countries to apply for the WTO membership was influenced mainly by political factors, as their economic and commercial interests were not one of the major factors in initiating the accession process. On the other hand, candidate countries were conscious of certain disadvantages of staying away from the WTO bilateral and multilateral agreements are not sufficiently comprehensive, the image of a non-member state among foreign investors is not favorable enough etc. In this order of ideas we suggest looking into the advantages of accession to the WTO. As it was mentioned above, the WTO rules were produced on the basis of the world trading system, specifically a set of rules established by the consensus of all 140 Member States of the World Trade Organization. These rules are said to make life easier for everybody, since the decisions within the WTO are taken by consensus, likewise all multilateral agreements have been negotiated and then ratified by the parliaments of each Member State. The WTO agreements are compulsory for every country, developed or less developed, big or small. Without a multilateral forum, such as the WTO, the more developed countries would have had more freedom to impose unilaterally their will on their smaller partners. Free trade reduces living expenses. A great deal of research has been done on the conflict between protectionism and free trade. Protectionism is expensive: it always raises prices. The WTO system pursues the goal of removing trade barriers by following the rules of the game set by mutual agreement and is based on the principle of non-discrimination. This brings lower production costs, lower prices for goods and services, and as a result, life becomes less expensive. The world trading system offers a much wider range of various products. Import provides for a better choice of goods and services of different quality. Even the quality of local goods can be improved in conditions of competition generated by import. Imported goods are not used only as a finished product, but also as materials, components and equipment for the production of local goods. This allows manufacturers to broaden the range of products, services and technologies applied, which ultimately contributes to the increase of exports. Trade increases incomes. Analysis and estimates of the impact of the Uruguay Round (in other words, of the establishment of the WTO) or of the creation of the European Union (EU) common market, proved that these processes brought about considerable additional revenues, which greatly stimulated economic development. Trade incurs challenges and certain risks — local manufacturers have to offer products of the same quality as the imported ones, yet not all producers succeed in this. However, the fact that there are additional revenues means that there are resources for the governments allowing for redistribution of the available benefits. This can help business operators become more competitive in the traditional fields or in the newly developed and promising ones. Trade stimulates economic growth, which implies, among other things, creation of new jobs. It is true, however, that some jobs are lost as a result of the expanding commercial activities. The same applies to the technological progress: the implementation of new technologies creates new jobs, while at the same time, cuts down jobs requiring an un- skilled labor force. In both cases, a coherent policy facilitates settlement of the employment problems, thus ensuring a better final result, particularly in conditions of a free trade, and also provides for the use of advanced technologies. It is known that trade, which ensures a more efficient and adequate use of production resources, generates division of labor among countries. An additional advantage offered by the WTO system is an increase of efficiency with less expenses. This becomes possible due to the important principles laid on the basis of the system. These principles are as follows: non-discrimination, transparency of rules and regulations, commitments to remove trade barriers and increase the access on other markets, fostering trade through making customs procedures easier and uniform, and others. à ¯Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿ In the WTO framework governments are in a better position to defend themselves from being lobbied by some smaller groups. Thus, governments can carry on a commercial policy that satisfies the interests of all parties involved in the economy. At first sight, the application of certain restrictions on imports seems to be an efficient method of supporting the economic sector. In fact, it imbalances the economy and affects other sectors. At the same time, it is well known that making exceptions leads indirectly to tax evasion and corruption. In some cases, even the protected sectors are affected. When the policy of support given by the State is incoherent and is not rendered until the final consolidation of the capacities of enterprises, the latter at a certain point can go bankrupt or be swallowed by big corporations. Due to the fact that the WTO framework covers a wide range of sectors, if there is a case in which a pressure group resorts to lobbyism in order to be protected, the government can put up resistance to such pressures, motivating it by the fact that an agreement suitable for all sectors of the economy has to be reached. In practice governments often invoke such a reason. The system encourages good government. Governments often use the WTO framework as a practical external restriction for the elaboration of economic policies, by giving the following reason, we cant act differently because its against the WTO regulations. According to the WTO rules, once a commitment has been undertaken, it would be difficult to change this decision. For business this means a greater certainty and clarity in conditions of trade. For governments this means more discipline and correctness. Also, the world trading system contributes to peace consolidation. It seems a bit exaggerated, and yet, the system contributes to strengthening peace in the world, since, to some extent, peace is a result of the application of the two basic principles of the WTO, particularly, ensuring continuous trade and offering a fair and constructive way to settle trade disputes. An eloquent example is the trade war of 1930, when the involved countries competed in raising trade barriers in order to protect local manufacturers. This fact deepened the Great Crisis and played a certain role in the outbreak of World War II. A key-element of the WTO system is the fact that disputes are solved in a constructive way. Naturally, the development of trade may generate trade disputes which can lead to serious conflicts. Therefore, a great deal of tense international trade situations can be settled by the organizations specializing in tackling trade disputes, such as the WTO. A growing number of disputes brought before this organization reflects closer economic ties throughout the world, a growing number of the WTO members and an increasing confidence in the capacity of this system to settle disputes [2]. To summarize the advantages of the WTO membership, we can name some of them: a) the implementation of the WTO agreements, in general, offer wider trade opportunities to the Member States; b) multilateral regulations with a higher degree of restrictions ensure a safer and a more stable trade environment and provide more certainty in trade relations; c) only Member States can take advantage of the rights laid down in the WTO agreements; d) the WTO agreements have substantially improved transparency of commercial policies and of the practices of trade partners, a fact that strengthens safety and stabilizes trade relations; e) only the WTO members have an access to the mechanism of settling disputes with a view to defending their rights and commercial interests; f) membership status offers an opportunity to take part in multilateral negotiations, thus, ensuring the promotion of each members commercial and economic interests. 3.2. The Republic of Moldovas Accession to the WTO Accession, accomplished in the appropriate conditions, is a rather difficult and complicated process that may be delayed and that requires a high level of competence and coordination of government institutions, as well as a political consensus to efficiently promote national interests. The accession process involves thorough bilateral and multilateral negotiations with all WTO members concerned in the policy carried on by the candidate, which can procrastinate the process of accesion. Countries in the process of accession are bound to examine and adhere to all multilateral agreements, and, optionally, to the two plurilateral agreements, adhesion to which de jure is not compulsory. In fact, the contracting parties to these agreements expect that the candidate becomes a party of these agreements in the accession process to the WTO. This condition turns automatically into a commitment, also observed in the context of discussions and positions of the WTO member states during multilateral trade negotiations. Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the WTO was determined by the advantages offered using the legal framework of international trade and by the reasons in favor of WTO membership. Back in 1993 the Government of the Republic of Moldova applied to join GAIT. The request, which following the creation of the WTO in January 1995, had been reiterated by Moldova. The purpose of accession to the WTO was to urge the process of integration into the world economy, which provides for building a democratic society, an economy based on market economy principles. The accession was motivated also by specific disadvantages of a non-member status in the WTO, in conditions when bilateral trade agreements were not sufficiently developed. It was also motivated by an adverse image, especially among foreign investors, generated by the out of the system status. Accession negotiations coincided with the structural and systematic reforms program and with the elaboration of the countrys economic policy, including the commercial one. However, an underdeveloped administrative system and a lack of human and financial resources directly affected technical capacities providing for this complex process of accession to be conducted shortly and efficiently. Besides, in addition to the fact that it was necessary to adopt a concept to promote a commercial policy which would comply with the WTO multilateral obligations, Moldova, as any applicant country, was required to accept concessions with regard to the access to the goods market and to the consolidation of customs tariffs, as well as with regard to the commitments in the field of internal support in agriculture, and the special commitments concerning trade in services. It should be mentioned that in the course of Moldovas accession the attitude of the main trade partners towards the applicant countries became harsher compared to the period of accession to GATT. The standards of adhesion have been raised considerably. Some WTO members took a firm position requiring the applicant countries to accept a higher level of obligations compared to the one accepted by the initial members, having already included the eventual results of the next future multilateral negotiations. In practice, thi s means that the Republic of Moldova had to accept the level of tariffs consolidation and certain commitments in the services area comparable to the level of the developed countries. At the same time, the Republic of Moldova did not have the opportunity to benefit from certain provisions stipulated by the WTO agreements, which provide a special and preferential regime offered to the developing countries. The status of a developing country was not given to any applicant country with their economy in transition during the period in wich they entered into the accession negotiations with the WTO. This situation made negotiations a lot harder for Moldova  than for other candidates included in the UN list of developing countries. Despite these difficulties, as compared with the other CIS states, Moldova launched a very active process, being outrun only by Kyrgyzstan and Georgia. Initially, in conformity with the accession procedure, a memorandum on the foreign trade regime was presented. Later, a Working Group for the accession of the Republic of Moldova was created comprising 24 WTO members (the European Union having one vote), followed by rounds of questions and answers. Numerous bilateral and multilateral negotiations have been conducted on the access to the goods and services market, on offering subsidies in agriculture and on aligning national legislation on the WTO regulations The most intense negotiations were conducted with Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic. India, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Slovakia, USA, Turkey and the EU The longest in duration and the most consistent were the negotiations with the EU, the United States, Australia, Canada, India, and Bulgaria A special part in the accession process was both the adjustment of the current legislation to the regulations adopted by the Uruguay Round, and the elaboration of new laws in the areas that have a direct or indirect impact on foreign trade. The negotiation process lasted long due to a negative influence of a number of factors, some of which have already been mentioned. Another important factor was the absence of an adequate institutional framework and of mechanisms of elaboration of policies necessary for the operation of a market economy at the beginning of the negotiation process, which was supposed to ensure rapid development of the latter, ft is also known that frequent changes in the upper level of administration affect and considerably tarry, the accession process. These reasons have slowed down the elaboration and adoption of an adequate national legislation, a fact noticed by the Working Group members on the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the WTO. Protraction of the Republic of Moldovas accession has partially offered some facilities to the WTO members that only the WTO framework can offer. Since the presentation of the memorandum on the foreign trade regime and, later, of the replies to the questions of the working group members for working out the Report of the Working Group and of the Protocol of Accession, Moldova had to submit a great deal of information from different fields related to commercial policies, which required significant expenses. The more this process was delayed, the more information was requested, which sometimes indirectly allowed the member states to speculate on some of the plans or strategies of the applicant countries. For example, in the process of the accession of the Republic of Moldova, information in the following areas was required: practices and prices regulations, the taxation system, subsidies in agriculture, foreign investments, the environment, customs tariffs, including preferential tariff s, payments for customs procedures, exemption from customs duties, license on import, export regulations, trading enterprises owned by the state, standardization of imported goods, sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards, foreign exchange operations, and the protection system of intellectual property rights, etc. It should be mentioned that the presentation of this information was compulsory or unavoidable, since the purpose pursued was to advance the accession process. On the other hand, all these have led to facilitation of the aims of the major WTO actors, who use different levers in the accession process in order to have the applicant countries undertake anticipated commitments within the WTO, thus ensuring their alignment on the subjects discussed during multilateral negotiations. As a non-member country we have already missed many opportunities to negotiated on various bilateral agreements with the states of Central and Eastern Europe the WTO members. Foreign business operators are discouraged by the lack of a clear set of rules, which would allow them to set up their business on the basis of internationally recognized principles. The relations of cooperation in the economic and commercial fields with the countries of the European Union or of the Central Europe Free Trade Area (CEFTA) have been blocked or not given pertinent importance. Treatment of the economic system of the Republic of Moldova as one that is not based on market principles

Luke Skywalker Typical Hero :: essays papers

Luke Skywalker Typical Hero â€Å"I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing here for me now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.† With this statement, Luke Skywalker is already on his way towards a story that is both familiar and different to all heroes. He identifies with several reoccurring traits that many heroes are cast with. Luke is estranged from his natural parents and, as he gets older, finds himself anxious to pull away from his loving foster parents and become a man of his own. After Luke’s foster parents are killed, he decides to help former Jedi warrior, Obi Wan Kenobi, aid the Rebel Alliance in restoring freedom to the galaxy, to learn the ways of the Force, and become a Jedi. Odi Wan becomes Luke’s teacher and is later replaced by Yoda, who has trained Jedi warriors for eight hundred years. Many heroes have to defeat a threshold guardian. In Luke Skywalker’s case, Darth Vador is that threshold guardian. When the Rebels are trying to destroy the death star, Luke is faced with the difficulty of choosing between trusting the Force or a machine to help him dodge Darth Vador’s laser blasts. Han Solo and his sidekick, Chewbacca, play a role in helping Luke here. They surprisingly reappear in their junky pirate ship and shoot down one of Vador’s wingmen. Vador’s other wingman is startled by the oncoming ship and swerves into Darth Vador’s ship damaging one of his wings and sending him spinning out into space. Skywalker’s real training begins after the demise of the Death Star when he goes to the Dagobah system to be trained by Yoda. Here, Luke travel’s into the Star Wars version of a netherworld, a place where both sides of the Force exist. Although it isn’t specified how long Luke is in the Dagobah system, but it appears to be three days. On his second day, Yoda instructs Luke to go into a cave where the dark side of the force is especially strong. Inside, Luke is put to the test mentally when Darth Vador emerges from the darkness. They partake in a light saber fight and Luke slices off Vador’s head. The mask cracks open and reveals Luke’s face. I is an extremely shocking experience for Luke and it also foreshadows Luke Skywalker’s origins. Luke Skywalker Typical Hero :: essays papers Luke Skywalker Typical Hero â€Å"I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing here for me now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.† With this statement, Luke Skywalker is already on his way towards a story that is both familiar and different to all heroes. He identifies with several reoccurring traits that many heroes are cast with. Luke is estranged from his natural parents and, as he gets older, finds himself anxious to pull away from his loving foster parents and become a man of his own. After Luke’s foster parents are killed, he decides to help former Jedi warrior, Obi Wan Kenobi, aid the Rebel Alliance in restoring freedom to the galaxy, to learn the ways of the Force, and become a Jedi. Odi Wan becomes Luke’s teacher and is later replaced by Yoda, who has trained Jedi warriors for eight hundred years. Many heroes have to defeat a threshold guardian. In Luke Skywalker’s case, Darth Vador is that threshold guardian. When the Rebels are trying to destroy the death star, Luke is faced with the difficulty of choosing between trusting the Force or a machine to help him dodge Darth Vador’s laser blasts. Han Solo and his sidekick, Chewbacca, play a role in helping Luke here. They surprisingly reappear in their junky pirate ship and shoot down one of Vador’s wingmen. Vador’s other wingman is startled by the oncoming ship and swerves into Darth Vador’s ship damaging one of his wings and sending him spinning out into space. Skywalker’s real training begins after the demise of the Death Star when he goes to the Dagobah system to be trained by Yoda. Here, Luke travel’s into the Star Wars version of a netherworld, a place where both sides of the Force exist. Although it isn’t specified how long Luke is in the Dagobah system, but it appears to be three days. On his second day, Yoda instructs Luke to go into a cave where the dark side of the force is especially strong. Inside, Luke is put to the test mentally when Darth Vador emerges from the darkness. They partake in a light saber fight and Luke slices off Vador’s head. The mask cracks open and reveals Luke’s face. I is an extremely shocking experience for Luke and it also foreshadows Luke Skywalker’s origins.

The Root of the Economic Crisis is Moral Crisis Essay -- Business Ethi

The foreclosure crisis is not actually a crisis, but a consequence of greed, policies, and immoral choices. The increasing rate of foreclosures and decreasing value of homes is inevitable. Bailing out banks or borrowers to help them reform loans and mortgage rates will only provide temporary relief. The crisis exists on a larger scale. Greed has overcome society increasing personal and public debt. The government is only making matters worse by bailing out lenders and borrowers whom are guided by their desires for superficial wealth. Policies passed by men and women with the selfish motive of authority, power, and preservation; men and women who have lost sight of their family, neighbor, and the well-being of society. J. Krishnamurti writes, â€Å"Society is the relationship between people- the relationship between one person and another, between one family and another, between one group and another, and between the individual and the group. Human relationship is soc iety† (1963). We no longer look out for our neighbor, we fear opening our door to strangers, and run from situations that do not satisfy our selfish desires. The foreclosure crisis is therefore a matter of thought. Our thoughts have clouded our needs with wants, our faith with fears, and our empathy with envy. To solve the foreclosure crisis we must regress to the simplest way of life, encouraging relationships that build a community, and discourage the desire to cling to materials, such as homes we cannot afford. We have all become Lumpenproletariat, according to Karl Marx, this defines us as â€Å"criminals, vagabonds, beggars; who have no stake in the economy and therefore sell their labor to the highest bidder† (Wikipedia, 2009). The institutions, gove... ...wth. Look at the entrepreneurs creating jobs. Look at the officials upholding the law without corruption. Look at the homeowner working diligently to pay his bills. Look at the contributing taxpayers. Look at the volunteers. Look at the employers treating their workers fairly. Look at the people living in peace. Reward this! Reward good deeds! Laws must be upheld and wrongful deeds given zero-tolerance. Personal consequence is how we develop coping skills, patients, and understanding. Reward only those who contribute to the well being of our society, our family, and human relationships. This will give individuals a sense of ownership within their communities, responsibility of the outcomes, and the freedom to create, grow, and prosper. When each of us has the freedom to accomplish our ambitions in good faith without tyranny, society will prosper.

Love and Disillusionment in Araby and A and P Essay -- Araby James Joy

Love and Disillusionment in â€Å"Araby" by James Joyce and â€Å"A and P" by John Updike â€Å"Araby" by James Joyce and â€Å"A and P " by John Updike are both short stories in which the central characters are in love with women who don’t even know it. The Araby story started sad and ended sadder, however, the â€Å"A and P† story started happy and ended with a heroic act that went unnoticed. The main characters both experience new situations and truths of which they were not previously aware. Both stories will be examined with contemplation according to the type of initiation that took place, the similar and different features of both characters and various elements of the short stories. In the two stories, both characters were experiencing an initiation or awareness of new actualities that were outside of themselves. The main characters both clearly learned that this instigation was beyond their control. It was impossible for them to ignore the new certainty, which they both came to understand. The location in Araby was in Dublin in a quite place â€Å" North Richmond Street, being blind was a quiet street.†(Joyce 728). The young man is poor and lived in an old house. No one took care of this house, so it was in bad condition â€Å"Air, musty from having been long enclosed, hung in all the rooms the waster room behind the kitchen was littered with old useless paper.† (Joyce 728). The garden was growing out of control; books were everywhere, and a priest died in one of the rooms. It was windy a...

Disadvantages of Large Population of a Country in Relation to Development Essay

â€Å"Overpopulation is a curse to the society’s overall growth. Several countries facing this problem are trying to control their population growth. India, for example, has been introducing family planning programs to curtail the growth of its population.† Population growth in a country using a capitalist economic system means more demand for products and therefore economic growth. For a country with a low population and a lot of land, it can be an advantage especially if the distribution of wealth remains close to level so everybody can prosper. That’s not a long term solution for the planet however. The disadvantage is that population growth puts tremendous pressure on economic and ecological resources. In the long term, the world will have to come to terms with the fact that we are consuming at a faster rate than nature is able to produce right now. The consequences of not making an adjustment in an orderly manner will not be a pretty sight. Some of the underdeveloped and developing countries face the problem of over population. Too many mouths to feed and fewer natural resources on hand can have a devastating effect on the economy. Countries like India and China have large population. In India, population growth has been on a higher scale than what the country’s economy can handle. The prosperity of a nation depends upon the standard of living of its people. Developed countries, such as the US with less population provide a better standard of living for their people. The Americans have good food to eat, enjoy a luxurious living as compared to the people belonging to Sou th-East Asia. What are the disadvantages of overpopulation one may ask? Depletion of Natural Resources: The effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The first of these is the depletion of resources. The Earth can only produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling short of the current needs. Most of the environmental damage being seen in the last fifty odd years is because of the growing number of people on the planet. They are cutting down forests, hunting wildlife in a reckless manner, causing pollution and creating a host of problems. Those engaged in talking about overpopulation have noticed that acts of violence and aggression outside of  a war zone have increased tremendously while competing for resources. Degradation of Environment: With the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it has started producing some serious effects on our environment. Rise in the number of vehicles and industries have badly affected the quality of air. Rise in amount of CO2 emissions leads to global warming. Melting of polar ice caps, changing climate patterns, rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might we have to face due to environment pollution. Conflicts and Wars: Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the resources it should be utilizing for development. Conflicts over water are becoming a source of tension between countries, which would result in wars. It causes more diseases to spread and makes them harder to control. Starvation is a huge issue facing the world and the mortality rate for children is being fuelled by it. Poverty is the biggest hallmark we see when talking about overpopulation. All of this will only become worse if solutions are not sought out for the factors affecting our population. We can no longer prevent it, but there are ways to control it. Rise in Unemployment: When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as there fewer jobs to support large number of people. Rise in unemployment gives rise to crime as people will steal various items to feed their family and provide them basic amenities of life. High Cost of Living: As difference between demand and supply continues to expand due to overpopulation, it raises the prices of various commodities including food, shelter and healthcare. This means that people have to pay more to survive and feed their families. Top 20 thought provoking effects of over population 1.More mouths to feed. 2.Lower standard of living. 3.Poverty. 4.Overcrowded cities. 5.Sickness and spreading of diseases. 6.Insufficient natural resources to provide adequate goods and services. 7.Inadequate facilities, such as housing, medical etc. 8.Problem of starvation and malnourished population. 9.Education facilities may not meet the requirements of the entire population. 10.Unemployment. 11.Higher crime rate due to unequal distribution of wealth and insufficient financial resources. 12.Environmental pollution. Trees are felled to make space for housing facilities. 13.Agricultural production is insufficient to meet the requirements of the entire population, which results in higher prices. 14.Money is diverted to ensure that the population is fed, rather than carrying out fundamental research. 15.Lower life expectancy. 16.People living in rural areas are not provided with employment opportunities. 17.Large number of people lives in unhygienic conditions. 18.Birth rate is high. 19.Due to lack of proper medical facilities death is also very high. People succumb to various diseases. 20.Child labor is common. To sustain themselves families force their children to work, rather than send them to school.