Northern Renaissance Art

The age of Renaissance by and large was a period of humanism described by another soul of opportunity, another feeling of the individual, another authenticity in envisioning nature and the development of the craftsman as an individual maker. The Renaissance craftsmanship customs created in Italy and afterward made a trip toward the north of the Alps and there got known as â€Å"Northern Renaissance†. In spite of the fact that the Northern Renaissance shows a few contrasts from that of the South, it imparts to the Italians in the three fundamental Renaissance characteristics, to be specific, â€Å"a new enthusiasm for the universe of truth, another acknowledgment of that world as having autonomous incentive for imaginative creation independent of any too sexy presuppositions, and the partition of the few arts†. (Rowley, Sarton, Schevill and Thompson, 111) However, these characteristics showed themselves in the north and south in very various appearances in light of the crucial contrasts between the Gothic and the Classic conventions. Italy's atmosphere, customs, and racial inclinations could never allow to acclimatize the Gothic convention, and the northern nations would always remember it. For instance, in northern convention we can't discover the scientifically accurate viewpoint to uncover the space and volume, just as the interaction of light and shadow is supplanted by the trustworthy work with light and hues. North Renaissance pictures became living elements through the new authenticity which could render the nitty gritty quirks of the individual and cultured methodology and this quality gets from Gothic style. For instance, Jan van Eyck's authenticity prompted an assessment of the subtleties of reality, with the goal that he painted representations that are persuading similarities. To show how the idea of Art Nova was reflected underway of northern craftsmen it is fitting to examine some of them. All in all the authenticity of the north as Rowley and his partners put it â€Å"was more rambling and more moment than that of the south†. (114) Jan van Eyck's painting of Arnolfini and his significant other is pressed with odds and ends, the pooch, shoes, pads, organic product, fly whisk, light fixture, and the mirror which rehashes them all, engraving on the mass of the luxuriously outfitted room recording that Jan ‘was here’. The new component of light, which appears to be diffused through the room, is viewed as brightening for each different article. Jan van Eyck gives us an authenticity that is more than genuine. In Eyck's Virgin and Child with Chancellor Rolin authenticity showed itself in a tiny assessment of items. Every hair and each pore of the skin was examined so cautiously that the visual solidarity of the entire was lost in the concentration upon little detail. The investigation of surfaces brings about the characteristics of things, the mind blowing utilization of light and shading tones influenced by light which makes the work unique in relation to Italian Renaissance. The most astonishing attribute of northern authenticity is the nonappearance of development. After the emotional motion of Giotto’s sytheses and the Internationalists, the figures of Van Eyck, appear to be totally solidified. Maybe a significant part of the â€Å"sanctified mood† (Rowley, Sarton, Schevill, and Thompson, 116) of Van Eyck's works of art is made by the way that his kin never take a gander at anything, which gives them an inquisitively expelled quality. Another craftsman of the period, Robert Campin, was one of the most punctual and most noteworthy bosses of Flemish composition. Portrayed by a naturalistic origination of structure and portrayal of the objects of every day life, Campin's work denotes the break with the overarching International Gothic style and prefigures the accomplishments of Jan van Eyck and the painters of the Northern Renaissance. One of his showstoppers is the Mã ©rode Altarpiece, a triptych of the Annunciation with the contributors and St. Joseph on the wings. The Virgin is depicted in a setting of common authenticity in which inside goods are rendered with the straight to the point and cherishing tender loving care conventional to the Art Nova of Flemish workmanship. Campin's enthusiasm for the common and household world commands his envisioning of the sacrosanct story. This element to portray consecrated intentions inside unremarkable setting likewise vouches for the distinction among South and North as respects Renaissance. Campin fastidiously portrays even the littlest play in a procedure which consolidates semi-straightforward oil overlay on water-based dark shades that outcomes in the production of room. However Campin’s work incorporates a few emblematic components like the metal laver or lily bloom, both alluding to Mary's immaculateness. The developments of the Northern Renaissance were evident in painting as well as in design workmanship. In this way Claus Sluter was the powerful ace of early Netherlandish design, built up exceptionally individual great, naturalistic structures. The magnificence of Sluter's structures must be resembled in Flemish painting by the van Eycks and Robert Campin talked about above. Crafted by Claus Sluter mix authenticity with otherworldliness and momentous magnificence. Sluter was a trailblazer in workmanship, and along these lines it is simply to apply the idea of Art Nova to his works as well. He moved past the overarching French preference for smooth figures, sensitive and rich development, and liquid falls of drapery. His figures are profound, gigantic, predominantly huge and adjusted structures. The six-sided Well of Moses, presents six life-sized prophets holding books and parchments. The head and middle part of Christ from the Calvary uncover a force and power of controlled articulation that passes on overpowering loftiness. Enduring and abdication are blended, an aftereffect of the manner in which the forehead is weaved, however the lower some portion of the face, tight and depleted, is quiet and without solid pressure. The figures of the piece overwhelm the building system yet in addition strengthen the sentiment of help that the structure gives through their enormity of development. Sluter's most recent saved work is the burial place of Philip the Bold comprising of forty figures, each around 16 inches high and made up the grieving parade. Sluter considered the figures as weepers, of whom no two are similar; some are transparently communicating their distress, others are containing their sadness, however all are robed in substantial fleece, hanging pieces of clothing that once in a while shroud a bowed head and face to pass on a concealed grieving. Sluter encapsulated in design the developing attention to an individualized nature with a suffering magnificence. Reference List: Harbison, Craig. The Mirror of the Artist: Northern Renaissance Art in its Historical Context, New York: Abrams, 1995. Rowley, George et al. The Civilization of the Renaissance. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1929.  Â

Business Environment - Meeting global and local needs Coursework

Business Environment - Meeting worldwide and neighborhood needs - Coursework Example The principle reason for this association type is to serve the network in general and conveying open advantages (Fletcher, 2005). Association: It is such an association type, which mostly contain at least two accomplices so as to direct a business. In this association type, the accomplices included use the accessible assets and along these lines share benefits similarly or proportionately (Fletcher, 2005). It is very clear that various partners have differing needs alongside targets. An association for the most part progresses in the direction of meeting its foreordained objectives alongside the destinations of the partners. It very well may be obviously seen that associations chiefly make a strategy, which helps in consenting to the destinations of assorted partners by a specific degree (Morris and Baddache, 2012). It is unequivocally accepted that the partners can be profited just when associations offer some incentive added items to the clients. This will absolutely make the partners to get considerable benefits and help them to get high profits. Aside from these, the aforementioned perspective will likewise furnish the workers with better pay. Moreover, this will likewise support the efficiency of the associations to satisfy customers’ need and subsequently serve the partners adequately. The associations can meet the targets of the partners by fulfilling customers’ necessities, empowering such associations to watch ascend in overall revenue. In this manner, the definition of a successful field-tested strategy will assist the associations with meeting stakeholders’ destinations by a specific degree (Boutelle, 2004). One of the basic jobs alongside duties of an association is to serve clients as per their separate requests and inclinations. An association must work under the limits of law. In such manner, the conviction just as the notoriety of an association outlines a crucial part (Heslin and Ochoa, 2008). It merits referencing that an

Word of the Week! Torpor Richmond Writing

Word of the Week! Torpor Richmond Writing Torpor, torpid: they describe the mood and setting of a gloomy late-February day. The ground is muddy, the buds not quite ready to open. A few daffodils are in bloom, but, really? April seems a year away. We will see a bit more snow and ice. If a prior Word of the Week,   doldrum, fit the late-summer mood last year, our word today provides the right February descriptor: listlessness, dullness of mood, or spiritual lethargy, as the OEDs entry puts it. That was my sense of it as a word-hungry undergrad who sometimes felt a bit torpid, for various existential or self-inflicted reasons. The term seems to date to at least the 13th Century, probably earlier given its unaltered Latin origin. Its also fun for me to see a Latin term come down to us basically unchanged, without sounding very Latin. An obsolete usage applies to physics, specifically, inertia.   The OED provides a noun form, too, torpidity. Shake off your torpidity and take a brisk walk. Spring will arrive. Please nominate a word or metaphor useful in academic writing by e-mailing me (jessid -at- richmond -dot- edu) or leaving a comment below. See all of our Metaphors of the Month  here  and Words of the Week  here. Photo by the author.

Male Violence And Aggression Against Women - 2849 Words

Statement of the Project’s Research Question and Importance The topic of this research is male violence and aggression against women in the United States. My research question is â€Å"Is male violence against women dependent upon location and setting?† I am studying different forms of male violence or aggression against women because I want to discover the locations and settings in which females are most vulnerable and most oftentimes victimized. This knowledge will ultimately enable policymakers and advocates to better understand where and why these atrocities take place, as well as in what ways they affect American women. I believe an increased awareness amongst men and women alike will initiate changes in protecting women, as well as make†¦show more content†¦Statistics such as this are publicized so that policies can be developed and these victims can have greater advocacy, such as the 1991Violence Against Women Act in the United States (Goodman 1993). The informational document developed by the WHO as well as a report di scussing the current research being done on male violence against women states the most common forms of violence against women, the severe fatal and non-fatal health consequences of violence, and the factors that increase a woman’s risk of being a victim of violence (Garcia-Moreno 1993 and Goodman 1993). More recently, studies looking at abuse against women in the U.S., such as the 1996 National Violence Against Women (NVAW) Survey, seek to understand both women’s and men’s experiences with violence. The survey along with a report from the National Institute of Health (NIH)’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism discovered violence against women has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, especially in the area of intimate partner violence and sexual assault (Tjaden 2000 and Abbey). More specifically, the research done by the NIH focused primarily on male violence while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, suggesting that a majority of violent acts involve drugs and alcohol in settings where they are commonly found, such as college campuses and perhaps on dates. Other studies focus more on verbal harassment in the workplace Many researchers share frustrations over

A Post Modern Critique Of Marvin Harris Text, Death,...

A Post-Modern Critique of Marvin Harris Marvin Harris’ text â€Å"Death, Sex, and Fertility: Population Regulation in Preindustrial and Developing Societies† is reviewed and critiqued in this paper from postmodern standpoint. Marvin Harris was a leading proponent of the cultural materialist theory, which is used in â€Å"Death, Sex, and Fertility† to explain population regulation in terms of infrastructure, the component of society dealing with the modes of production and reproduction used by a people to enhance their survival and social wellness. Modes of production (MOPs) are the ways a people produce their means of subsistence, ranging from hunting and gathering to intensive agriculture. Modes of reproduction (MORs) consist of practices that affect reproductive processes that can then affect birth and death rates of a society. These modes include topics such as the care of offspring, the treatment of women, prolonged lactation, and sex, with deviations into ab ortion, infanticide, and the costs and benefits of child-rearing. In the review section of this paper, each chapter is separately summarized in relation to the MOPs and MORs they mention. The chapters all focus on different periods of time to further explain how contextualized MOPs and MORs are. The critique portion of this paper examines â€Å"Death, Sex, and Fertility† from a postmodern theoretical perspective. Basic differences between cultural materialism and postmodernism will be discussed. Review: Population Regulation...

Is Gaming Harmful Free Essays

Is Gaming Harmful? Video and computer games, like many popular, entertaining and addicting kid activities, are looked down on by many parents as time wasters, but why? , is it because they are harmful? , or is it simply because they are spending too much time on them instead of studying. Both have many good arguments, but I am going to write about the one in which I feel are most valid. One of the many good points against gaming is that children, teenagers and adults alike are losing sleep over video games because they are staying up all night and letting their â€Å"addiction† take over. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Gaming Harmful? or any similar topic only for you Order Now The definition of addiction is: â€Å"The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something. † And anyone who likes and plays videogames has experienced this at some point. Its not only kids that think about going home from school to play video games, many adults think about at work too, the average game player is 30 and has been gaming for about 12 years. This means that many people, no matter of their age or sex, are putting video games before their school or work by missing out on important sleep and not putting their full concentration into their work. On the other hand, Gaming has been proven to increase social skills in young people as most games include a multiplayer feature that encourages people to play the game with others, whether it be online with friends or sitting together which is important for young kids growing up as it helps them make friends and sustain relationships. It also helps them realize how important it is to be sociable when they are starting school or a new job. Although some could argue that video games can do children social harm as many children play there selves for many hours each day and rarely interact with their family or friends. They could also argue that video games can cause great physical harm. The physical harm can occur when the child spends long hours of concentration on fast movement or because of the screen flicker. Also when children play video games they sit in for long hours that in the long run will stunt their natural growth and damage their backbone. Video games are more commonly known as a hobby you do sitting down somewhere comfortable and relaxing but what most people fail to realize is that there are a new type of video game emerging that get you on your toes and exercising. These include such consoles as PlayStation Move, Xbox Kinect , Wii, etc. These devices are designed to keep you active while you game and can give you a good physical work out instead of playing seated, these kind of games also can give you a good mental work out as most games for these console require lots of problem solving and also help improve your hand eye co-ordination skills. However, there are some that would say playing videogames can cause mental and psychological harm. Their reasons for this are they believe that when playing video games, children do not apply much mental effort and believe that video games are not creative enough. This could lead to the child developing lazy mental habits and also being impatient as real life is not as fast as their game might be. There are also some that believe that children can become violent because they become habituated to the violence that occurs in some games they might play. How to cite Is Gaming Harmful?, Essay examples

The Case of the Healthy and Tasty Food Industries

Questions: Task 1: Performance, objectives and assessment of Healthy and Tasty food industries?Task 2: Ways to address the flaws and suggestions for further improvement?Task 3: Business plan for the future to strengthen organizational performance?Task 4: Change management in the Healthy and Tasty food industries? Answers: Task 1: Performance, objectives and assessment of Healthy and Tasty food industries The SBEs or the small business enterprises constitute a vital part of the economic progress and development of the economy. As a matter of fact, the small business enterprises worldwide have achieved an extraordinary feat of being one of the most potent contributors to the economy in terms of income generation, training and managerial practices, stimulating competition, in terms of savings and also for the incorporation of state of the art technology and innovative means to aid the business processes and activities paving the way for a prosperous economic development path ahead (Iqbal and Urata, 2002). Apart from such functions the conventional aspects pertaining to the reducing of unemployment rates in the nation, providing, boosting the growth rate of the economy, improving the per capita income levels and the amount of disposable income in the hands of the people, and in reducing the inequalities in income distribution across the economy. The business ideas that lead to the start up of a small business enterprise are the most vital factors on which the success and prospects of the venture depend. As such, one ought to be very calculative and well- informed while making key decisions about the start up small business enterprises (Meyanathan, 2004). The Healthy and Tasty food industries was started with an initial investment of 50, 000 Pounds and with the passage of time has emerged to have become one of the most successful small business enterprises of the UK and has won several accolades in the sector of mayo foods and salads catering to the needs of commercial food makers and fast food chains as well as catering to the needs of the households. As a company dealing in mayonnaise and salad items, the company dedicates itself to the quality health and safety concerns and seeks to provide mayo and salad products to the domestic as well as commercial customers at reasonable rates and in all the exciting varieties and flavours that are available. In the course of the past five years of the existence of the Healthy and Tasty food industries, the company has gone through some of the most crucial phases of development and has faced major issues with changes and shifts in the trends of the market dynamics and customer behaviour (Ananth an, et al. 2010). However, the aspects of quality and commitment to health and safety has been one of the most marked aspects of the Healthy and Tasty food industries through the time of five years and it has grown even stronger in the recent times owing to the increased awareness about health and safety factors and the quality of the mayo and salad items that are used for household purposes as well as commercial purposes in the fast food outlets. As such, having spent a considerable amount of time in the present market and having achieved some exemplary success and having tackled intense issues the strengths and weaknesses of the Healthy and Tasty food industries can be identified as under: Strengths: The popularity of the Healthy and Tasty food industries has increased greatly since the time of its inception and owing to the high quality and price affordability factors it has been able to develop a strong base of loyal customers The Healthy and Tasty food industries is fortunate of being awarded a place in the top 100 of the best emerging small business enterprises of UK for the year 2010 and this has influenced its brand name and brand reputation considerably (Ansoff, 2009). The Healthy and Tasty food industries has a wide and well connected network of business to business as well as business to customer clients and enjoys the upper hand over the rivals by virtue of its commitment to quality, health and safety. The management of the Healthy and Tasty food industries also manages a potent supply chain and manages to get raw materials of the best quality from the different suppliers. However, notwithstanding the strengths and core competencies of the Healthy and Tasty food industries, there do remain some areas of lacunae or weaknesses which the Healthy and Tasty food industries suffers from and some of the most prominent of those can be identified as under: Weaknesses: The weakness of the Healthy and Tasty food industries can be related to the fact that though considerably successful in the past five years the Healthy and Tasty food industries has not been able to expand its market into greater locations or to engage new customers to an extent as good as its rivals have done. Moreover, the Healthy and Tasty food industry has also not performed impressively in terms of diversifying into new product lines to woo more customers towards the brand. The lack of proper loyalty programs for the loyal customers is also cited as another of the weaknesses of the Healthy and Tasty food industries in terms retaining the loyal customer base and preventing them to be wooed away by other competitors offering extra facilities and privileges for the loyal customers (Cady and Buzzell, 2006). Objectives of the Healthy and Tasty food industries: The objectives of the Healthy and Tasty food industries can be identified as under: 1. To be the leader in the mayo and salad catering sector for both, domestic as well as business to business clients 2. To expand the market base to other prosperous areas of South Londonand other adjoining areas where the fast food chains are rampant 3. To diversify into products and services that help stimulate sustained demand for the products of the brand and attract the attention of the customers 4. To invest in people and technology to be able to cater in a better manner to the varied needs of the customers 5. To work in collaboration with famous food and restaurant chains in UK and prosper along the path of success in a sustained manner. 6. To be a good corporate citizen and promote health, safety and well-being of the people and larger community. Performance of the Healthy and Tasty food industries: Altogether, the performance of the Healthy and Tasty food industries has been impressive compared to its rivals like the Berjaya Food Berhad there do remain some areas where the Healthy and Tasty food industries ought to make improvements and advancements to enjoy the competitive edge over the well-positioned rivals and other brands dealing in alternatives and substitutes (Cravens, 2002). If the performance of the Healthy and Tasty food industries is to be judged vis-a-vis the envisaged objectives, as have been mentioned in the preceding section, the performance of the Healthy and Tasty food industries needs detailed discussion and analysis to be able to draw inferences on this matter. The performance of the Healthy and Tasty food industries, so far being a popular brand among the domestic as well as business clients is concerned has been satisfactory in the sense that the customers have been loyal to the brand and in spite of the lack of special and well defined loyalty programs for the loyal customers, they have stuck to the brand and its products in a sustained manner and have helped the Healthy and Tasty food industries develop a brand identity and an unmistakable brand name recognition of its own (Dess and Miller, 2003). This can be attributed to the strengths of the brand which lies in its constant and ever improving commitment and dedication to high quality of mayo and other salad products and its concern for the health and safety of the consumers manifest in the quality, packaging, storing, use of containers and treatment of the products at its facility and also while transporting the products to the clients over long distances. The other strengths of the Healthy and Tasty food industries in terms of ethics and transparency and being a good corporate citizen has been very impressive and is regarded as one of the most prominent factors that attribute it the special status and perception it enjoys in the hearts and minds of its consumers and the community, at large (Jeffs, 2008). Moreover, a flawless track record in this context and being featured in the list of the top 100 emerging small business enterprises of UK has accentuated its brand image and perception to attain new heights. However, the aspects pertaining to the diversification of the products and expanding the market to new destinations have been the areas where the management of the Healthy and Tasty food industries has not been able to perform to the desired levels. The other areas where the performance of the Healthy and Tasty food industries has been found to be negative or below the mark have been the areas of providing the expected levels of customer service to the customers in terms of building rapport, personal networking and advertising and promotional aspects leading to results below the intended mark. This can be owed to, among other factors, the lack of proper sync of the various departments of the organization and the lack of efficient modern system of message and information sharing and management leading to gaps in communication and knowledge management (Keith and Gubellini, 2008). Moreover, the choice of decision as to which theory is to be adopted in practice to retain the competitive edge in the market in the wake of intense competition has also been another cause of worry for the managers of the Healthy and Tasty food industries. The understanding of this matter through the cost leadership theory, if low cost strategy is to be the key to strategic advantage or high quality of products, has been a major issue for Healthy and Tasty food industries. Task 2: Ways to address the flaws and suggestions for further improvement The use of the tools like the key performance indicators, internal audits, benchmarking the processes and activities and customer satisfaction surveys in the preceding section have brought to the fore the strengths and weaknesses of the Healthy and Tasty food industries and that being already done, it is necessary that meaningful and feasible recommendations and suggestions are provided to the managers of the Healthy and Tasty food industries to address the areas of weakness and meet the flaws effectively and efficiently (Kollat, et al. 2002). Firstly, to make the internal communication and information sharing system better, the incorporation of the latest technology would be vital so as to provide the base for the betterment of the other allied activities and process all of which depend on the effectiveness of information sharing. The establishment of a cloud based information sharing system can enable the personnel of the production and marketing team coordinate and share information working in real time and this way they can make and implement policies and strategies accordingly with the best possible appeal and synchronization with the product and hence, transcending into better attraction and appeal factors of the same (Mooradian, et al. 2012). Sharing of information and knowledge in the organization can lead to better results for all the departments of the Healthy and Tasty food industries and lead to better functioning of the organizational machinery and transcending into better business performance. Better training and grooming of the employees through identification and incorporation of codes of best practices and better managerial practices can help a great deal in overcoming the weaknesses of the Healthy and Tasty food industries in the short as well as in the long run. Moreover, diversifying into new products and expanding the market base to new destinations coming into collaboration with famous and popular food and restaurant chains can help the Healthy and Tasty food industries have sustained demand for their products and also help a great deal in popularizing the brand and letting aware more people about the products it deals in (Mooradian, et al. 2012). Diversifying in to new products and new varieties of the existing product lines can help develop the attraction of the customers towards the products and can also help attract new customers towards the brand. The adherence to low cost leadership can be the most suitable strategic choice for the management of the Healthy a nd Tasty food industries in the present as well as in the future in the days to come when the competition is sought to attain new heights and intensities and the price affordability criterion, obviously not compromising with the quality or health and safety factors, would be the key to turn the tide of customer purchase decision making towards the brand and its products. In line with the concept of stakeholder analysis as well as the stakeholder theory, the engagement of the stakeholders in the decision making process with absolute emphasis on marketing research and intelligence gathering on the roles and activities of the various stakeholders would be at the core of the future strategies of the Healthy and Tasty food industries in order to address the flaws that currently plague the organizations prospects and stand as impediments on its way to success and fame (Reddy, et al. 2010). Task 3: Business plan for the future to strengthen organizational performance The business plan for maintaining and strengthening the performance of the Healthy and Tasty food industries can be related to the factors of sustainability of business, being a good corporate citizen, have the upper hand over the rivals through high product quality, superior customer services and utmost emphasis on health and safety factors while still offering the products at affordable prices. The business plan for the Healthy and Tasty food industries would put the customers at the heart of all the activities and endeavours aimed at strengthening the competitive position of the brand and to be the most popular mayonnaise and salad caterer for the wide clientele base (Sadler, 2003). So far exploring the new opportunities in the new markets are concerned the markets of the adjoining areas of South London which are the hotspots of fast food chains and quick service restaurants would be on the radar of the Healthy and Tasty food industries seeking to come into mutually beneficial partnerships and collaborations with such entities to be able to expand the market base of the brand over to areas outside the main city and also to make more people aware of the brand and the variety of products its offers to its customers (Sen, 2008). Targeting the college goers as well as the residents of the adjoining areas apart from the business entities mentioned above would on the first priority list of the Healthy and Tasty food industries to advertise and market its products. This would lead to the expansion of the physical reach of the brand and would also enable the managers to establish rapport and forge long term relationships with such clients. The financial feasibility and the other aspects related to the feasibility report seem to be suitable for the Healthy and Tasty food industries to tread along the path of the opined business plan for improvement of its strategic status and to strengthen its performance and organizational output levels in a great way in the upcoming days. The concept of low cost leadership while maintaining the quality of the products would be the key appeal of the brand and the core competency that would enable it to develop, maintain and further strengthen the upper hand over the rivals and establish a positive and impressive brand image in the hearts and minds of the customers and the audience, at large. Commitment to business ethics, corporate social responsibility and environmental concern would be at the core o the business plan for the Healthy and Tasty food industries that would see it reach greater heights of success in the upcoming years (Meyanathan, 2004). Use of modern state of the art technology to be able to serve the customers in a more convenient and comfortable manner would also be another important facet of the business plan and the Healthy and Tasty food industries would invest in people and modern technology to be the leader in the mayo and salad catering sector of UK in the years to come. Task 4: Change management in the Healthy and Tasty food industries: The need for effective and efficient change management is of paramount importance for the Healthy and Tasty food industries to thrive and prosper in a sustained manner. In response to the changes and shifts in trends the changes and advancements need to be incorporated within the organizational and business management contexts of the Healthy and Tasty food industries to be able to work smoothly and efficiently in the wake of the changed circumstances with the changes in market environment, roles and activities of the competitors, the economic conditions and the ever changing and evolving customer behavioural trends and dynamics (Meyanathan, 2004). For effective change management, to bring about necessary changes in the manner of working of the organization as well as in the areas of communication system, the power relationships and the hierarchical dynamics, effective change management strategies followed on a step by step manner would be necessary for the business. Decentralization of power, establishment of two way communication system, laissez faire system of management and leadership style and a more open and smooth information and message sharing would be the prominent changes and advancements that would be required to be brought about into the organizational settings of Healthy and Tasty food industries (Iqbal and Urata, 2002). In line with the theory of change management, educating and making aware the managers, supervisors and the employees about the need and the benefits of change, rewarding the managers for short term wins and consolidating on the wins for greater results would be the approach adopted for effective c hange management for the Healthy and Tasty food industries. Guiding the employees and managers, selecting team leaders from amongst the employees and junior managers to be leaders for change and rewarding the ones who fall in line would be at the core of the strategies (Mooradian, et al. 2012). Moreover, monitoring the modus operandi or the manner of working of the various departments and echelons of the organization towards the designated path of change management and then building on the achievements to establish a culture of the changed patterns and practices would form the backbone of the change management strategies for the Healthy and Tasty food industries. References: Ananthan, B., Appannaiah, H. and Reddy, P. (2010).Business management. Mumbai [India]: Himalaya Pub. House. Ansoff, H. (2009).Strategic management. New York: Wiley. Cady, J. and Buzzell, R. (2006).Strategic marketing. Boston: Little, Brown. Cravens, D. (2002).Strategic marketing. Homewood, Ill.: R.D. Irwin. Dess, G. and Miller, A. (2003).Strategic management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Iqbal, F. and Urata, S. (2002).Small Firm Dynamism in East Asia. Boston, MA: Springer US. Jeffs, C. (2008).Strategic management. Los Angeles: SAGE. Keith, L. and Gubellini, C. (2008).Business management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Kollat, D., Blackwell, R. and Robeson, J. (2002).Strategic marketing. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Meyanathan, S. (2004).Industrial structures and the development of small and medium enterprise linkages. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Mooradian, T., Matzler, K. and Ring, L. (2012).Strategic marketing. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall. Reddy, P., Appannaiah, H. and Sathyaprasad, B. (2010).Business management. Mumbai [India]: Himalaya Pub. House. Sadler, P. (2003).Strategic management. Sterling, VA: Kogan Page. Sen, M. (2008).Business management. Jaipur, India: Oxford Book Co.

Euthanasia Is Defined As The Act Of Painlessly Ending The Life Of A P

Euthanasia is defined as: the act of painlessly ending the life of a person for reasons of mercy (Encarta '98.) proponents of it believe that unnecessarily prolonging life in terminally ill patients causes immense suffering to the patient's friends and family members. Three reasons euthanasia should be supported are: euthanasia has been accepted in many other societies in the past, it helps alleviate the pain and suffering felt by people close to the patient, and it is only used after all other routes have been tried and failed. Euthanasia was accepted by many past societies. Ancient Greece and Rome both practiced it on the elderly and on children who "lacked health and vigor." Socrates and Plato both approved of its use when necessary. In fact, most ancient cultures sanctioned the use of voluntary euthanasia (when a patient gives permission to someone to help him/her die) for the sick and infirm. Once a certain level of illness has been reached, and there is no cure in sight, the horrible suffering of the patient and his/her family members must be taken into account. If a person is lying on his or her deathbed without the hope of ever getting better, instead of watching the patient's slow deterioration, it sometimes may be best to end it before the sufferer loses all the dignity he or she has left. If that person gives his or her permission, why shouldn't a doctor or family member grant a simple last wish and pull the plug on the machines breathing artificial life? Of course, most importantly in the battle over euthanasia is this: it is only used as a last resort. Doctors aren't coming into rooms at midnight and killing perfectly healthy people for extra bed space. These people are either total vegetables or about to die anyway. Practitioners of voluntary euthanasia are doing these people a favor. They want to die; they need to die. Summarily, euthanasia should be condoned because its practice has a long history, it relives some of the anguish felt by sufferers and their families, and it is used only after all other attempts to heal a person have been exhausted. Just think: if a person is in torment in front of your eyes, would you allow them to continue his or her suffering or would you do them a favor and end it in a merciful way.

Colonies of the New World essays

Colonies of the New World essays The early colonies whether they were one of the Middle, New England, or Southern, they knew they needed a central government. The southern colonies had a certain way of handling their lives. Their way of life sometimes did not agree with the other colonies so they did things differently. They relied mostly on slave labor while the other colonies did not. Their economy was based on tobacco. The social structure went as follows The Southern Colonies were larger and more spread out than the other two colonies so they held county organizations rather than town meetings due to the distance. They had County judges and sheriffs who ran the local governments. That was the governmental difference between the southern colony and its Middle and New England counterparts. All three colonies had a royal governor, with an appointed council, and an elected assembly. This showed that the colonies often differed in their approach but in the end they always had the same beginning format. The economy of the Southern colonies consisted of plantations and various-sized farms that were widely separated and grew key staple crops. These plantations and farms were mostly operated using indentured servants or slaves. This colony had a one-crop economy that did well when the weather was favorable. But Mother Nature was not always kind to the settlers and when the conditions changed for the worse the colony suffered greatly. This meant that the Southern colonies were more dependent on England and the generosity of other colonies for manufactured goods and other food items. Tobacco, Rice, and Indigo were the main crops in selective states. Waterways provided the main form of transportation since there were many rivers in that area. While the Puritanism was rampant ion the New England Colonies, Anglicanism was the established Episcopal Church, though in Maryland there was a large minority of Catholics. Like the Middle colonies the Southern colonies pract ...

Business report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business report - Essay Example Amazingly, even if the processing industries die out, packaging will not follow the same suit because there are products which need packaging in their raw state. This aspect sets a clear detachment of packaging from the manufacturing. Manufacturing only accentuates the packaging industry operations. Packaging is itself a wide and complex industry. It takes different forms. This is because products to be packaged are different. For this reason, you find that the industry is as diverse as the products to be packaged. Liquids cannot be packaged the same way solids like biscuits are packaged. The magnitude of the product to be packaged is also considered when it comes to packaging. As the cost of packaging trickles down to the cost of producing the entire product, then size is a key feature which if ignored it would result to unknown costing mistakes. This report presents a detailed business report on a plastic bottle manufacture. Bottling is a giant industry. Basically, many liquid proc essors have often opted for bottling to package their output. The convenience which comes with bottling lacks an equivalent. Plastic bottling is accommodative to many forms of liquids and hence many manufacturers result to it. Any investor who wants to invest in the most dynamic industry then needs to embrace plastic bottle packaging industry. It is a sector where the rate of return is high and risks involved are minimal. Actually it is the only industry which violates the principles of investment of the higher the risk the higher the profit. The report analyses possibility of entrance into the market. It gives details of the market analysis and its interpretations. All costs involved have been analyzed. These costs include the Fixed and variable costs. Budgeting is a key element in the financial management of any organization and this report includes a budgetary estimate which comes with production of these plastic bottles. The stocking aspects have been taken into account also to ensure that the best policy is adopted in the implementation of plastic bottles production. Production of these bottles call for technical inputs. This report presents a link between the manufacturing principles and how the actual production is carried out. Some of the aspects captured in this report are the jobbing, designs and how quality and continuous improvement are sustained. In addition, there is some focus in to the way models are produced and justified for use in the final product production. It is a report which upon the implementation of the recommendations suggested bottling will be turned into a multibillion making industry. Bottling is added value by inclusion of the modern technology in the production. The world is going green and the bottling industry has to follow the suit. For this course, the production will concentrate on production of biodegradable plastic. This implies that there has to be specialties in the making of the bottles and it is these specialties tha t are making these bottles unique from what has been there previously in the market. Market Analysis for the

Costs of Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees to Students in the Essay

Costs of Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees to Students in the European Union - Essay Example In countries, where education was not expensive, a major increase in the fees has been observed in the past few years. The example is Canada where the fee structure doubled in the last ten years. The fees of universities differ in terms of the courses, level of degree and between national or international students. Students take admission in the institutions where they are able to bear the fees because the cost of education varies from region to region. The international students are very particular in taking admission in those colleges or universities where they can afford the fees because most of these students take financial aids from the bank or funded by themselves. The international students have to show their financial balance sheet in order to take admission in a good university and they have to prove from their balance sheet that they can afford all the expenses in the first year of their education. If they are not able to meet these requirements, then they are not eligible to apply for student’s visa. In the universities of USA, it is comparatively easy to get admission because of the facility of university funding but in UK and other European countries, it is relatively difficult to take admission. The students in order apply in universities of Europe fulfill more complexed requirements and formalities and because of variation in the education cost, these universities deal with two aspects that include the cost of tuition and living expense. The purpose of this study is to compare the cost of educational degree in USA and European Union and compare which region is more suitable to study for students. Higher education differs from university to university and it is not sure that how college experience of student is going to be. In each university, there are different rules and regulations that students have to follow to compete with the social standard and reputation of university. There are some obvious similarities between the colleges and un iversities of the United States and the European countries. The standards of the United States universities are different from the standards of the European institutes and there is a cultural difference in both regions and this difference reflect in their system of education (Sheng 2012). Education in European Countries: In the 2020 Strategy of Europe, the European Council has made a structure of Union to gather all the instruments that include expansion of jobs and high growth. The main target of the European Union in this strategy is to increase the education level and all the members of the European Union must fulfill the education requirements that council have made. The economic research recently conducted reveals that in order to achieve the goals and meet the future objective of European Union, measures should be taken to improve the education in the region. The European Union has developed human capital policy because it is recognizing the significance of giving education to the people. The basic motive of the European Union to educate its citizen is that union understands upcoming requirements of education and more skills needed from people to compete in future. The cost of degree in universities of Europe is relatively low but top ten universities are planning to increase the fee structure of students and they are trying to increase the fees up to ?4,000 this year. However, they are certain requirement that

Reformation of Chinas Pension Scheme

Reformation of Chinas Pension Scheme During the time of writing my dissertation, I have has many help from people both intellectually and emotionally. I would like to take this space to thank first of all, my supervisor, Mr. Robert Plumb, for offering me the support and guidance all the way through. I am grateful to my friends in the BSc Actuarial Science class for the great time I had during the three-year study at Cass Business School. I would like to thank all the lectures for making our lives at school so convenient and pleasant. Last but not least, many thanks to my family and other friends who have always given me encouragement and support during this process. Abstract The rapid ageing population in China has slowed down economic progress. Certain steps should be taken in relation to the pension system in order to cope with such a situation. There are several models of pension reform in the world, the most important one is perhaps the multi-pillar pension system advocated by World Bank. China actually reformed the current pension scheme based on this multi-pillar model. With a responsible attitude, the experience gained in Chinese pension reform will lead to a stronger and deeper national system that can eventually provide social welfare for the entire Chinese population. In Chapter 1, I will introduce the main types of pension schemes and the historical background of China pension system and illustrate how it developed. The current situation of Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pension system is displayed by the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index in Chapter 2. The four main problems of Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pension system and the urgency of reform is explained fully in Chapter 3. The different types of reform are followed by, along with what China chose to do in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5, the performance of reform is evaluated. Chapter 6 is mainly about the problem pointed out in the recent China Two Conference and the future trend of Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pension reform. Table of Contents Acknowledgements2 Abstracts-3 Chapter 1 Introduction-5 Chapter 2 Current situation of China pension system8 Chapter 3 Problems of Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pension system and reasons for pension reform10 Chapter 4 Different types of pension reform and what China chose to do15 Chapter 5 Evaluation of pension reforming-20 Chapter 6 Conclusion-23 Reference25 Chapter 1 Introduction Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s population has been ageing rapidly, and financial support for the pension system is facing a number of resultant problems. The system itself is also divided unevenly across regions and sectors. Furthermore, globalization makes the transaction between countries and sectors more difficult. Therefore, reforming Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pension scheme has become an urgent issue. This report will begin with a brief overview of the historical background of the Chinese pension system. It will move onto the pension crisis and relevant problems at present, followed by the different types of pension reform and the way China has chosen to reform. Finally it will conclude with the evaluation of Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pension reform. The main goal of pension reform is to ensure the elderly live a peaceful life in retirement. In order to achieve this goal, China still has to solve a lot of economic and social problems. The Chinese government started its national pension system reformation in the 1990s by setting up a three-pillar state pension system in urban areas, which is a remarkable step in pension reform. Recently, Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index revealed that the Chinese pension system is facing a large challenge. There are five main problems occur in Chinese pension system: Financial problem; Ageing population; Institutional problem and problems occur in transaction. Several types of pension reform can be chosen and after considering the situation in China, the multi-pillar system stands out to become a wise solution. Compare to those developed countries, Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pension reform still has a long way to go. With positive attitude, we believe that the system will become mature in the fu ture. The main types of pension scheme as follows: A pension scheme can be classified as a defined benefit scheme or a defined contribution scheme according to the determination of benefits. A defined contribution (DC) scheme is dependent on the amount of money contributed and the performance of the investment. A traditional defined benefit (DB) scheme is a plan in which the benefit on retirement is determined by a set formula, rather than depending on investment returns. Another definition of a defined benefit scheme is that it is an arrangement where the benefits payable to the members are determined by the schemeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rules. Value of Pension Fund Assets DB Value of Financial Assets DC Value of Pension Fund Assets Value of Financial Assets Basically, the pension scheme in China is a defined benefit, PAYGO system for older employees and retirees, multi-pillar system combining social pooling and individual accounts for younger employees. This system includes (a) a mandatory defined benefit paid out of social pooling account, (b) a monthly annuity paid out of the defined contribution, employee individual account, and (c) a voluntary supplementary individual account. After briefly explaining the main types of pension scheme, the historical background of China pension system will be illustrate as follows: In 1949 the Chinese government adopted a provisional constitution of the common Programà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, which mentioned that the labour insurance system should be introduced progressively in companies; this provided a legal basis for the establishment of a unified, national labour insurance system. On February 25, 1951, the Central Peoples Government promulgated The Peoples Republic of China Labour Insurance Regulations, which required companies to implement pensions, medical insurance and industrial injury insurance for their employees. This was Chinas first social security law; it clearly defined insurance coverage, insurance premium collection, insurance items and standards, as well as the implementation and supervision of the insurance industry as a whole. During the next three decades the government gradually improved the pension system. Then, in 1984 China overhauled the entire pension system. The change was started in some rural areas first. The system was based on being paid mainly by individuals, supplemented by the communities, supported by government policies and resulted in the accumulation of funds in personal accounts. In 1991, thanks to economic development, the government established a combined system with a state pension, company pension and private pension. Basis of calculating accrual of pension insurance during that time: Range of income Rate of pension insurance 60% 60%-300% of average income actual income >300% of average income 300% In 1997 the Chinese government formulated a new policy, which started to establish a unified nationwide pension system for every enterprise employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s insurance. Chinas basic pension system is a combined model of state and individual accounts. The basic pension covers workers in urban enterprises; all urban enterprises and their employees must fulfill the obligation to pay the basic pension. At present, employers contribute about 20%, and employees 8%, of the total income. The rates paid by employers are partly used in the state pension and the rest goes into the personal accounts; the rates paid by employees are used in private accounts. In 1997, the policy became clearer. It can now be seen that the main purpose of the basic pension in the future is to protect the basic livelihood of retirees in their twilight years. After several years of reform, the people involved in pension scheme increased from 86.71 million (at end of 1997) to 108.02 million (at the end of 2001); the number of people receiving the basic pensions raised from 25.33 million to 33.81 million. The average monthly basic pension increased from 430 RMB to 556 RMB. In order to ensure the timely and full payment of the basic pension in recent years, the Chinese government have made efforts to improve the pooling level and constantly increased the financial input into the basic pension fund. From 1998 to 2001 the central government expenditures for pension fund subsidies amounted to 86.1 billion RMB. Chapter 2 Current situation of China pension system Recently, Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index revealed that the Chinese pension system is facing a large challenge. They measured the ranking according to the adequacy, sustainability and comprehensiveness of the system in each state. From the comparison of the private and public pension systems index in five continents, across eleven countries, Chinas system achieved relatively low ratings. This shows that Chinas growing pension system needs to be further developed and reformed in order to cope with continued pressure from the ageing population, and in order to remain competitive in the world. According to the pension index (total 100) estimates, the Netherlands ranks first, with an index of 76.1, followed by Australia (74.0), Sweden (73.5) and Canada (73.2). The UK ranked fifth with 63.9, while the lowest-ranked pension systems are those of Japan (41.5), China (48.0) and Germany (48.2).    Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index Country Overall index value Sub-index values Adequacy Weighting 40% Sustainability Weighting 35% Integrity Weighting 25% Netherlands 76.1 80.5 62.5 88.2 Australia 74.0 68.1 71.0 87.8 Sweden 73.5 68.5 75.2 79.1 Canada 73.2 76.2 64.2 80.9 UK 63.9 56.6 56.4 86.3 USA 59.8 49.2 69.4 63.4 Chile 59.6 48.9 54.1 84.5 Singapore 57.0 51.7 68.9 49.1 Germany 48.2 60.8 44.3 33.7 China 48.0 64.7 38.5 34.7 Japan 41.5 39.2 34.4 55.2 Average 61.4 60.4 58.1 67.5 Source: Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index Among these countries there was no one pension system which achieved A-Level (an index of more than 80). Mercer said that this shows that even the worlds most advanced pension system needs to be adjusted in order to ensure that the support is sufficient for a rapidly aging population. Although the lowest-ranked countries are not yet falling into the lowest level, the category E (an index of less than 35). However if the major defects are not resolved, the effectiveness and sustainability of all these systems will face challenges. Chapter 3 Problems of China pension system and reasons of pension reforming Chinas pension system is actually still in personal accounts, which are kind of on a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"PAYGOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ system, combined with some public administration. The system is presently in a transition period. Of the results, the following problems stand out: 3.1 Financial Problems Firstly there are the financing problems. The actual payment rate is low and it keeps decreasing. Since the payment of the transition cost is still a problem, the pension accounts in many places have fallen into financial bankruptcy. According to the statistics from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the state-owned enterprises owe 38 billion RMB to the state in unpaid pensions all over the country. That is why the money raised in personal accounts is being used to pay current retirees. Even so, the funding is still not enough and when there is a deficit in financing, the local tax revenue is used to bridge the gap. In fact, the local and central government is working to save a lot of places where the pension co-ordination is already in bankruptcy. If the situation does not improve, it could threaten the sustainability of the central government. Another financial problem is that the personal account is actually just a name, which means it guarantees nothing. Since the Govern ment has not clearly informed us how they will pay for the transition costs over the past few years, all the money that has been raised in these accounts for funds has been used to pay the current pensions of retired employees, which turns personal accounts into empty accounts. One of the biggest progresses in Chinese pension reform is the introduction of a defined contribution scheme. It is compulsory for the workers to join the savings plan, therefore the welfare responsibilities are transferred from the government and enterprises to individuals. However, an important question makes people pause for thought: will the funding of this defined contribution plan really indicate the fulfilling of the fund, or it is just a fanciful à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"PAYGOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ plan with no actual fund that plays the same role as the pillar I scheme. This issue has already led to misbehaviour in some local authorities. Some of the contributions to personal accounts have been used to pay current retirees, which leads to empty accounts and all the time the transition costs remain unclear. Implicit pension debt from the restructuring costs arose in the process of the old PAYGO pension system through the accumulation scheme. After we established the partly-accumulated system with social pooling combing individual accounts, the pension included two parts: a basic pension and an individual account pension. However, people who retired before the pension reformations did not have sufficient accumulation in individual accounts, while those who started to work before reform but retiring after reform only have limited personal accounts accumulated, and the basic pension can only provide a limited level of protection. Although there are no or only limited personal accounts pension accumulation for these two kinds of retirees, the commitments made under their old pension scheme still have to fulfilled, therefore this formed a pensions debt. Under the current PAYGO system, because the right of pensions is implied, the debt is called a hidden debt. However, when the pension system transferred to a whole or partly accumulation based one, the implicit debt became obvious. In order to ensure the continuity and fairness of the pension system, the new system must assume the responsibility for the debt. The Government has to fulfil the pension rights of those retirees. In our country, apart from these two parts of pensions, the additional pension to the retirees caused by inflation or wage increasing also belongs to the scope of implicit debt of the pension, generally speaking, Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s implicit pension debt includes payments to retired employees, transitional pension contribution to those who started work before the reform, as well as the adjustment fee applied to inflation and wage growth. Another important cause of the financing problems is that there are no specific responsibilities for historical debt between different levels of government. Our government did not specify the individual responsibilities between companies and governments with regard to the debt caused in transition period. The greatest problem of dealing with implicit debts is a lack of motivation and unclear responsibility allocation. Not only in the experimental areas, but also in other cities. Every party attempts to avoid its responsibilities. Both parties rely on each otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s financial input and lack of motivation in terms of the pension supervision. Therefore an increasing deficit became inevitable. 3.2 Ageing Population Secondly, the ageing of the population has now become a huge issue for many countries in the world. The problem is however, much more serious in China. Since China has a large population base, plus nearly 30 years of reform and opening up, peoples living standards have increased greatly. Health and medical conditions have been markedly improved. People expect to live longer and the elderly population increases every year; it is now more than 160 million. China has become the worlds largest elderly populous country, accounting for 1/5 of the total elderly population of the world, and 1/2 of Asia. Currently about 12% of the total population in China is aged over 60, although it is expected that this number will increase to 26% by 2050 because of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"one-childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ policy and the improvement in life expectancy. Now, the ratio of the working-age population to the retirement-age population is 8:1 and it will decrease to 2:5 by 2050. The average age in China is now 31 and it will reach 40 in 2050. The distribution of population in China Source: World Bank Institute (Dr. Wang Yan) This scenario showed that with a gradual decline in future population growth, Chinas labour force in 2020 to 2025 will stop growing, and decline thereafter. However, the population aged 65 and over will continue to grow. Therefore, the elderly dependency ratio will rise from 11% to 25% by 2030 and 36% by 2050. The system dependency ratio will not be less than the current 30%, which means that three workers support one retiree; by 2030 the ratio will rapidly reach 69% and 79% by 2050. The PAYGO system in 2000 has a 60 billion surplus, but the gap in pension income and expenditure will be significantly expanded. Over the next few years, the accumulation of pension reserves will become negative, and in 2050 it will reach 102,730 billion RMB. It is clear that the growing pension deficit will pose a threat to financial stability, and has already brought instability to Chinas future economic development. It has significantly increased the financial pressure on the system and makes the need for further reforms even more urgent. Nowadays, there are only 170 million employees are members of a pension scheme; that is less than 15% of the population. As the population grows older, if the current pension provision remains the same, the pension funds in China will have a deficit in next five years; furthermore, this can lead to a deficit in trillions by 2040. The national pension funds could be short 2.5 trillion RMB (which is around US$ 368 billion) over the next 20 years if nothing is done to remedy this now. 3.3 Institutional Problem Thirdly, the system itself is not well developed. The pension system is divided at all administrative levels. In 1999, 27 provinces were supposed to achieve co-ordination of the provincial funds according to documentation, but in fact only 5 (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing and Hainan) out of 27 provinces fully realized this co-ordination. In the other 22 provinces, only 1%-2% of the money from different cities was gathered in order to establish public funds. Due to the lack of co-ordination there are five provinces that have yet to establish such a fund, which means the policy was not really working out. Furthermore, the current co-ordination is not perfect in many ways. The collection and expenditure of pensions were not administered separately by different organizations. Also because of the payment strategy, which is that companies pay the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"netà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ value (pension income minus the money paid to retired employee) into funds, the contribution rates b etween provinces and cities, in some cases even between companies, have great differences. Moreover, the coverage of pension systems is narrow and they have regional imbalances. Until the end of 1998, the basic pension provision covered only 78.4% of employees of state-owned enterprises, 16.2% of group companies and 5.4% of other urban enterprises. There were no pension plans for self-employed and individual entrepreneurs in cities. For rural areas, there are some creative plans by local officers, but again coverage is very limited. The coverage of pension scheme in China is restricted based on employment in the work unit, rather than on citizenship, which means the reform only targets a small number of the population. This is in contrast to developed countries, where the pension system is relatively mature and covers nearly all of the workforce. In these countries, what they need to do is to avoid large future deficits and unsustainable ageing populations. However in China, there is far more to consider. More than half of Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s population lives in rural areas. As a bequest of past economic and pension policies, there is great inequality in both economic development and pension coverage between the urban and rural areas (urban areas are mainly the eastern coastal areas and rural areas are mainly the western part of China); the urban population is generally better covered than rural and migrant populations. The special household registration system, which was used to control the movement of people between urban and rural areas, helped split the population into urban and rural. The productive workers from the rural areas migrated to cities for more attractive working opportunities and higher incomes. However they will not be able to benefit from the urban social security since they were not under the registration of the special system. The lack of regulation is another issue. Since there is no social insurance law in China, the local social insurance agencies are weak enforcers of power. This makes collecting payments even more difficult. Also since there is no such law, it is hard to apply penalties. From the international point of view, the states basic pension systems are mostly being legislated by state first, then organised by the Central Government. However, Chinas pension system formed gradually under the basis of summing up experiences of local reform. It is only written in the Constitution of the nationals that citizens have the right to receive substance. Other pension systems were implemented in accordance with regulations promulgated by the State Council. The Social Insurance Law, as it has already been called for many years, is still in the process of taking advice, which means that pension rights are infringed due to lack of legal protection. This further led to a large number of arrears and made mana gement of the pension system even harder, without any strong legal grounds. 3.4 Problems occurring in transaction Finally, another challenge will be the transfer between pension accounts. The disadvantage of migrant workers is that their accumulated benefits in their pension accounts from their previous employers cannot be moved. It is therefore a risk for them to give up their accumulated benefits in one work place and take another new position in a different city or province. It is difficult for the government to transfer the pension accounts from one city or province to another, especially when such workers tend to move frequently for immediate job opportunities. Therefore, the migrant workers cannot receive their pension benefits from past employment and finally lose out financially when they return to their homeland at the end. At present, in a large number of cities, pension consulting business is processed by computers. In more developed cities, pension consulting networks have been established. But as a whole, Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pension-collection policy still has a lot to improve; information system coverage is still below average. It specifically shows in the following ways. Firstly, information authorities and management systems are not adapting to the overall development trend. Also, the lack of a complete and versatile information operating system of social security results in slow delivery of information and finance data, as well as slow construction of the reconciliation system among departments. Chapter 4 Different types of pension reform and what China chose to do Since the last century, many countries worldwide started to reform their pension systems. The following graph shows that most countries made parameter adjustment without changing the basic framework of the pension system, including the change to the fee structure, revenue structure and method of management reforms. In addition, about 21% of the countries made a fundamental structural change to the national public pension system. Proportions of different types of pension reform Source: Schwarz Demirguc-Kunt (1999) Different countries chose various forms of pension reform according to their countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s basic economic and social conditions. However, to sum up, there are five main types of pension reform, which are as follows: Parametric Reform Parametric reform is the adjustment of parameters of the existing public pension system, including adjustments of payment, remuneration, and benefit eligibility. The main purpose of such a system is to reduce the public pension expenditure Privatization Reform In order to alleviate the pressure on the public pension system, in recent years a major trend has been to expand the market for private pension funds. A number of countries have taken many measures to encourage voluntary private pension systems, such as giving preferential tax policies, reducing the size of the public pension system and other steps. Notional Account Reform The state transferred the PAYGO, defined benefit public pension system to a notional accounts system. Under such a pension system, employees are just like those in a private pension system, as its contribution is credited to individual accounts, and receives interest. Workers receive a pension upon retirement, depending on the amount of money in their personal accounts. However, there is no actual accumulation of funds in the employees personal account, as the money paid by active employees is used to pay retireesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ pensions. That is, the notional accounts system benefit has a defined contribution, but its means of financing is still PAYGO; therefore it is called a Notional Defined Contribution system. From Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution Although the transformation from the current PAYGO defined benefit system to a fully funded defined contribution system is one of the main trends of reform, a small number of African and Asian countries have chosen to do it the other way round. They have changed from a fully funded defined contribution system to a PAYGO defined benefit system. This is because these countries have accumulated a fund, which is managed by the Government provident fund system. Due to a lack of regulations and governments often abuse their powers, and such pension funds not only failed to obtain a reasonable rate of return, but in some countries also suffered serious diversion and erosion. In order to limit the rights of the government, these countries decided to change the pension system to a non-funded PAYGO system. Since under such a scheme there is no accumulation of funds, therefore the Government tends to be unlikely to abuse the funds. Multi-Pillar System After 100 years of development, the pension system has shown a wide variety of forms. Different forms of pension system have their own advantages in achieving their goals, but some shortcomings are inevitable. Therefore, the World Bank has been advocating the establishment of a multi-pillar pension system, allowing complementary advantages and risk diversification. In 1994, the World Bank proposed in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Averting Old Age Crisisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ the establishment of a three-pillar pension system: (a) the first pillar is a public, PAYGO, usually defined benefit and redistributive pension system; (b) the second pillar is a private, funded, almost always defined contribution pension system; (c) the third pillar is a private, funded, voluntary, supplementary, preferably defined contribution pension system. In 2005, the World Bank extended the establishment of the three-pillar system to a five-pillar system in the report of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"21st Century Elderly Income Securityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. Among them, the zero pillar is to provide a minimum protection, non-contributory national pension system, the fourth pillar is the informal supporting system within the family to the elderly, or formal social welfare system. The five pillars have their own characteristics and different functions; and can be able to cope with different types of risk. Zero pillar is helping to eliminate poverty for the poor segment of society, as well as secure those groups working in informal sectors with low incomes. It is regarded as a part of the social safety net. The aim of the first pillar is to respond to a short-sighted individual risk, low-income risks, uncertainty in life expectancy and investment risks in financial markets, but it is vulnerable to demographic changes and political fluctuations. The second pillar through a mandatory savings system can prevent the short-sighted individual risk, while the privately managed pension system would avoid influence from political risks. However, the second pillar pension system is vulnerable to the impact of financial market risks, and transaction costs are relatively high. The third pillar can compensate for the rigidity in the design of the other pillars, but privatel y managed pension funds may have financial risk and agency risk. The fourth pillar has the main function of family protection, and through the social welfare system to provide medical care and housing protection to the elderly. Compared to a single pension system, the greatest strength of a multi-pillar pension system is its ability to withstand risks, which is significantly enhanced. This is because the factors affecting each pillar are not entirely relevant to each other. In many cases, the relevance is very small, even negative. For example, if the first pillar is a PAYGO, defined benefit pension system, the main factor affecting this pillar is the growth rate of wages. While the second and third pillar may be a completely accumulation based, defined contribution pension system, and the main factors influencing it will be the investment rate of return. As the correlation between the rate of wage growth and return on investment is very small, it is efficient to distribute the pension assets in these three pillars. In addition, there is also a complementary relationship among the different pillars. For example, in the individual defined contribution pension system, workers need to take an amount of savings in their personal accounts and convert it into an annuity. At this time, employees have to bear the risk of changes in interest rates, as well as the risk of death. However, defined benefit pension systems can spread the risk of death. Again, the third pillar à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" a voluntary occupational pension system is vulnerable to income fluctuations and job changing, but the first and second pillar pension system can offset these effects. Many countries adopted the multi-pillar pension system because the World Bank recommended the concept of such a model. However, the specific choice of a mix of pillars depends on the national situation, including the status of the existing pension system, reform objectives, administrative capacity, the level of development of financial markets, the level of restructuring costs and other factors. In low-income countries, the goal of a pensions system should be defined as the eradicati

Energy Drinks Case Study Essay

Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Case Study There are new coming items in beverage industry during the mid-2000s, which are energy drinks, sports drinks and Vitamin-Enhanced beverages. These items focus on different flavors, specified consumers, efficient distribution systems, and products innovation in the beverage market. They compete with water, soft drinks, juices, tea, and other common drinks, which are in low prices, good and long history of brand reputation, easy to accept the taste. From 2005 until now, alternative beverages grow fast and take more and more market share in the whole world beverage market. The main alternative beverages companies are Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull and Hansen Natural Corporation. Energy drinks, spots drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages use many strategies to find a good position in the beverage industry in the Global market, which also give us some ideas about how to operate beverage companies. Firstly, alternative beverages take the action via wider product selection, better product quality, good delivery system to gain sales and market share. For example, PepsiCo develops 12 flavors of Amp Energy drinks and 28 varieties of SoBe vitamin-enhanced drinks (Gamble, 2010, p. C-83). Again, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola through their own soft drinks distribution channels to deliver energy drinks at the same time, which reduce much time and cost. Secondly, energy drinks take big actions to enter emerging market opportunities, like most Asia countries and South America. For example, alternative beverages take 31. 5% market share in Asia-Pacific in 2009 (Gamble, 2010, p. C77). Thirdly, Energy drinks, spots drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages try to acquire or merge with other small companies to strengthen market standing and competitiveness. For instance, PepsiCo has a multiyear distribution agreement with Rockstar to distribute Rockstar energy drinks in the United States and Canada (Gamble, 2010, p. C-83). Coca-Cola also has a multiyear distribution agreement with Hansen Natural Corporation to distribute Hansen’s Monster energy drink in some areas of the United States, Canada, and six European countries (Gamble, 2010, p.C-84). SWOT Analysis Strengths| Weaknesses| * Healthier than traditional soda. * Global brands * New product development * Strong manufacturing and distribution capabilities * Strong support of parent company| * High price * Consumer limitation| Opportunities| Threats| * Growing demand for healthy drinks * High growth developing markets * Cost reduction measures| * Traditional drinks competition which includes price and taste * Regulations and law * Health risks * Environment problem * New entrents|. To solve weaknesses and threats, alternative beverages industry companies set up business models to match the customer value and gain profit. Firstly, Energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages companies develop many different flavors to match different customers’ taste. Second, these companies also focus on different customers’ demands. Third, they sell products in many different locations, not only supermarkets, but also convenience stores and vending machines around every corner, which give convenient service to customers. Fourth, alternative beverage companies always try to follow the state law and regulations. Try to avoid risk ingredients. Fifth, to pretend the health risk, some companies placed warnings on their products labels. Sixth, because many people and organizations are focus on environment issues, alternative beverages’ plastic bottles and cans are really concern by these people. To solve this problem, beverage companies recycle plastic bottles and cans to keep pollution away. I also have some recommendations to alternative beverage companies to grow bigger and faster in the global market. First, try to make innovation on the local taste in different countries. Do research on people’s taste in various countries. McDonald’s is a good example in promoting global market. McDonald’s knows Indian people don’t eat beef and pork and love spicy food, so McDonald’s over there never have any product with beef or pork but with more spicy taste. Again, don’t put sensitive ingredients in the drinks. People are more curious about health and drink ingredients. Many organizations are strict with it, too. Try to produce healthier and more nutritious drinks to the market. Moreover, drinks’ function attempts to everyone, but not only for a small group of people. Nowadays, teenage boys always buy energy drinks, people who do sports, fitness, or other strenuous activities bought sports drinks; adult consumers are interested in buying vitamin-enhanced beverages (Gamble, 2010, p. C-77). What I recommend is alternative beverage companies should develop beverages suitable for most people. White collar can drink energy drinks; sports people also suitable to buy some kinds of vitamin-enhanced beverages. Additionally, don’t publicize the function too powerful. Some alternative drinks have some special effects, but not like what the advertisement said. If the company wants to operate for a long time running, it should be honest and act in good faith. Last but not least, incumbents of alternative drinks use strong brand preferences, high degrees of customer loyalty, significant cost advantages to keep new entrants out of the market. References: Gamble, John E. (2010). Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages. Crafting & Executing Strategy. p. C-77. Gamble, John E. (2010). Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages. Crafting & Executing Strategy. p. C-79. Gamble, John E. (2010). Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages. Crafting & Executing Strategy. p. C-83. Gamble, John E. (2010). Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages. Crafting & Executing Strategy. p. C-84.

Psychology †Nature/Nurture Debate Essay

â€Å"Outline and comment on the two schools of thought involved in the study of the nature-nurture debate in psychology. Explain, using examples, why this debate gives rise to so much controversy.†Ã‚  The debate concerning the influence of nature and nurture (or heredity and environment) on human behaviour is one of the longest running, and most controversial, both inside and outside psychology. It deals with some of the most fundamental questions that human beings ask about themselves, such as ‘How do we come to be the way we are?’ and ‘What makes us develop in the way we do?’ (Gross 2005, P.900) There are three sides to the debate: on the nature side are the nativists or ethologists who believe that children develop almost entirely as a result of genetic influences, with their environment having little effect; on the nurture side are the behaviourists or empiricists who believe people are born as a blank slate which is ‘filled-in’ over a lifetime through learning and experience; and in the middle are the interactionists who, hence the name, believe children develop as a result of an interaction between biology and environment. I will now look at the arguments in more detail. Genetic transmission is the way we acquire characteristics through inheritance. Each cell in the body contains a nucleus, which contains a substance called DNA. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is organised into long strands called chromosomes, and each chromosome is made up of thousands of genes. Genes are the basic unit of hereditary transmission and direct the way that growth and development happen within a plant or animal. Just after an animal is conceived, it is made up of a tiny group of cells. As these grow and divide, each gene acts as a code or set of instructions for making a particular protein. These proteins control the cell’s internal chemistry and tell the cell what to do, giving the organism particular characteristics and determining the way its body functions. We inherit 23 pairs of chromosomes from our parents, 46 in all, half from our Mother and the other half from our Father. They combine to produce all the information an embryo needs to develop biologically. Since we inherit particular chromosomes through the egg and sperm, we also inherit the particular characteristics coded for by the genes on those chromosomes. Arnold Gesell, a pioneer of developmental psychology, was an extreme nativist. He believed all individuals pass through the same genetically programmed series of changes, with the instructions for these changes being passed on at the moment of conception. â€Å"Gesell was mainly concerned with infants’ psychomotor development (such a grasping and other manipulative skills), and locomotion (such as crawling and walking)† (Gross 2005, P.901). Gesell established a research institute devoted to identifying ‘normal’ ages for a wide variety of behaviors and characteristics; he used a motion picture camera to film thousands of children in various stages of development. This genetically programmed series of changes is called maturation. It is important to look at maturation as we try to understand genetic influences on behaviour. Some genetic influences are obvious at birth such as hereditary illnesses or abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome, but the things we inherit don’t necessarily show up all at once. â€Å"The physiological changes which take place during puberty, for example, arise because of genes that are present at conception, but they only happen when the body is mature enough for them to take place. In the same way, certain forms of behaviour may only emerge once the individual is mature enough† (Hayes and Orrell 1998, P.7). In 1938 Lorenz and Tinbergen put forward four characteristics to identify directly inherited behaviour in animals. These are: stereotyped behaviour, which always occurs in the same way because behaviour which is directly caused by genetic influence can’t be affected by the environment; species-specific behaviour, because each species has its own genetic make-up the behaviour should differ to that of other species; the behaviour should appear in animals raised in isolation, because if it is truly inherited there should be no need to learn it; and the behaviour should appear complete even if the animal has not had chance to learn it.

The Importance of E-Commerce in Our Lives - 1061 Words

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