Section of a reasearch paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Section of a reasearch - Research Paper Example As the TACO restaurant wants maximum exposure for its Street Tacos, it should set a reasonable price with the sole purpose of getting maximum exposure and space for its Street Tacos in the given market demand for that product. It can happen when the demand for a given product is elastic and the reasonable price will lure the customers in great number to purchase it, resulting in increased revenue to the restaurant. Other reason of using penetration pricing strategy is the possibility of economies of scale. The reason of using this strategy could be the fear of competitors and a restaurant wants to go ahead with its first mover entry (Pricing Strategy 2010). Penetration tactic is used for entering the generic market where competition is high; economies of scale are possible. It can decrease the demand of competitor restaurants’ Street Tacos. At the same time, the TACO restaurant will get another advantage from the penetration pricing by getting a ready market by inducing customers to try other menu items (Pricing Strategy 2010). For the TACO restaurant it is more important to capture the maximum market share first and then introduce other tactics by offering unique features like no other restaurant is offering. It can add a touch of distinctness by not putting beans and rice sides on the tacos and charging the same rate, as other restaurants are charging. In stead of rice and bean sides, customers can order some more items on the menu, which could be a more satisfying experience. The TACO restaurant should at the same time offer its customers the choice of separately ordering bean and rice sides to the Street Tacos while not letting the price increase in comparison to other restaurants selling tacos with bean and rice sides. Those customers will be tempted to save some dollars who don’t want their Street Tacos with bean and rice sides. This is a sort of

Climate Change Essay Example for Free

Climate Change Essay Climate change also known as global warming is a worldwide natural phenomenon that has threatened the existence of many plant and animal species as well as the human race. Because of the significant amount of greenhouses trapped within the earth’s atmosphere, the planet is on the verge of having erratic and unpredictable climate patterns. For the last decade, the world has witnessed the initial effects of climate change particularly during the Hurricane Katrina tragedy and the intensified drought in Africa. According to the â€Å"Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change† (IPCC), in the future, the likelihood of experiencing worse conditions of flood, drought and â€Å"other forms of extreme weather† will be rampant. Eventually, this will only lead to more loss of life and the destruction of the biosphere (United Nations Environment Programme). The common green house gas that is emitted into the atmosphere is carbon dioxide (CO2) which is being produced at an alarming rate. During the industrial revolution, the CO2 emission was measured at 280 parts per million (ppm) but now in the modern age, the level of CO2 has reached 390 ppm and it is continuously increasing by 1. 5 to 2 ppm every year. Based on the research conducted by environmental experts, the temperature in the earth’s atmosphere should only be at 2 degrees Celsius in order for all life forms to tolerate the warmth or coldness of the atmosphere. Also, scientists disclosed that there is a â€Å"50 per cent chance of keeping to 2 °C if the total GHG concentration remains below 450 ppm† (United Nations Environment Programme). Given these data, it has been evident that the production of green house gases had greatly affected the dynamics of the environment. As a result, a set of related problems have surfaced such as amplified carbon emissions, dependence on fossil fuels and use of excessive natural raw materials and energy for infrastructures. In the contemporary world, fossil fuels have been considered as one of the essential elements needed to live a comfortable modern life. In its basic form, fossil fuels are not damaging but the moment they are burned that is the only time they become harmful because they produce carbon dioxide. More so, the quantity of CO2 yielded would depend on the fuel’s carbon content. For the production of a â€Å"unit of energy,† more or less ? of CO2 is generated from coal. According to the statistics, â€Å"fossil fuels supply 85%of the primary energy consumed in the United States and are responsible for 98% of emissions of carbon dioxide. † More so, a startling figure of 80% has been attributed to the â€Å"carbon dioxide emissions† of many Americans which is credited to the utilization of â€Å"coal and petroleum fuels. † Though the industrial sector is the biggest consumer of energy, it is not the highest producer of CO2 emission. Because of the dependence of the transportation segment in petroleum, it has become the number one emitter of CO2 (Energy Information Administration). Also, the commercial and residential sectors contribute to the energy consumption by being too reliant on electricity produced by fossil fuels. Given this circumstance, the US government had signed the Kyoto Protocol which is intended to dramatically lessen carbon emissions across the globe. However, the US withdrew from its commitment and since then its CO2 production had risen to â€Å"more than 15% above 1990 levels. † More so, former President Bush disclosed in 2001 that the US government would not ratify the Kyoto Protocol because it would only result to a financial crisis and other countries particularly the developing ones were not compelled to reduce their CO2 production. Furthermore, he mentioned that CO2 reduction would be more possible if it is done in a voluntary manner and â€Å"through the development of cleaner technologies† (BBC). Since little efforts have been implemented to stop the emission of CO2 and to break the dependence towards fossil fuels, the natural resources are rapidly depleting and the earth’s temperature is continuously rising. However, there is still hope for this worsening environmental situation. Many alternative methods and products that can be utilized in order to mitigate the effects and eventually stop climate change. There are three potential policies that can be implemented by every government or institutions in the world which are the following: (1) Transportation conservation; (2) Use of Biofuel; and (3) Building Efficiency. These policies can significantly address the issues concerning climate change if it will be solidly implemented by concerned organizations or government agencies and strongly supported by the public. Transportation conservation is a process that involves the act of minimizing the use of gas-powered vehicles that emit the harmful carbon gases. The policy concerning transportation conservation can be implemented in the community or national level in order to feel its utmost impact to people’s daily living and even in the environment. There are many ways on how to make this policy work. The promotion for the use mass public transit would be an initiative that will lessen the consumption of fuel gas thus carbon emissions. Based on statistics, there over 65% of the population drive alone, only 20% practices carpool, â€Å"5% walk, 3% work at home† and a shocking 7% uses the public transit system specifically in the states of Chicago and New York. Through this, an ordinary individual can save up an average of 700 gallons of gas annually which costs $1000 to $2000 (University of Oregon). Second, in order to minimize travel, people can opt to work at home (telecommuting) or close to their home. By adapting this lifestyle, people would be less dependent on the use of cars or any type of vehicles. More so, people can opt to walk or use a bike or any vehicle that does not require gas in order to go from point A to point B. Once this is implemented and carried out by thousands of people, it is definite that there will be a significant decline in the earth’s temperature. It has done before during World War II and is surely possible and doable in the modern era. Another solution would be to remove the dependence to fossil fuel gas. It is not easy to disregard the conveniences that people have grown into. But by seeking alternative ways to power the people’s vehicles, the earth’s atmosphere can still be salvage. Biofuel is a renewable energy that is harvested from renewable sources including biomass such as wheat and corn. Unlike fossil fuels, these natural resources can easily be produced in an environmentally-friendly way. The many benefits of using biofuel are â€Å"energy security, reduce greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions, improve vehicle performance, enhance rural economic development and, under the right circumstances, protect ecosystems and soils† (International Energy Agency 11). If biofuel will be imposed as the perfect alternative to gas, it will make a huge difference in resolving climate change. On the other hand, the consumption of energy of infrastructure also contributes in the increase of the releases of CO2. Usually, buildings in the US use up to 40% of energy and 70% electricity. Government and non-governmental organizations have started to campaign for the construction of green or smart buildings. This type of infrastructure focuses on the optimal use of the natural resources and energy for a â€Å"large-scale avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions and reduction in U. S. demand for fossil fuels† (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). To be able to build energy efficient infrastructures, certain green standards must be established. But first, owners of existing commercial buildings must be persuaded to modify their buildings to become energy efficient which will help them save more money and more profits (Klustner). Among the three mentioned potential policies on climate change, transportation conservation is the best and practical way to alleviate the effects of global warming. It is an easy and simple method that everyone can follow. However, in order for this policy to work, public support and implementation sustainability must be guaranteed. Works Cited â€Å"Biofuels for Transport: An International Perspective. † 2004. International Energy Agency. 23 March 2009 http://www. iea. org/textbase/nppdf/free/2004/biofuels2004. pdf â€Å"Building efficiency technologies. † 2009. Massachusetts Institute of Technology http://web. mit. edu/mitei/research/innovations/efficiency. html â€Å"Climate change: The big emitters. † 4 July 2005. BBC. 23 March 2009 http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3143798. st â€Å"Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, and Energy. † May 2008. Energy Information Administration. 23 March 2009 http://www. eia. doe. gov/bookshelf/brochures/greenhouse/Chapter1. htm Klustner, Kevin. â€Å"The Six Degrees of Building Efficiency. † 5 September 2007. Greenerbuildings. com. 23 March 2009 http://www. greenerbuildings. com/feature/2007/09/05/the-six-degrees-building-efficiency â€Å"Saving energy in the Transportation Sector. † 1999. University of Oregon. 23 March 2009 http://zebu. uoregon. edu/1999/ph161/l24. html â€Å"What is Climate Change?. † N. d. United Nations Environment Programme. 23 March 2009 http://www. unep. org/themes/climatechange/whatis/index. asp

Internship report

Internship report Introduction My two-month internship in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation was a worthwhile experience as it helped me gain considerable and Professional knowledge about the way Moroccan diplomacy is exercised by carrying out different ministerial tasks and witnessing the way work is done in the ministry from translating documents to writing reports. My interest in International Studies and Political Science as an area of study goes back to my high school when I was keen on studying Philosophy, History and Geography. Although when I went to university I picked English Studies as my major, my growing interest in International Relations was reawaken after my three years of taking English Studies at Hassan II University, when I went to study Political Science at Beloit College under the PLUS Scholarship. The internship that I took in the ministry corresponds to my carrier interests and school major; it was also an opportunity to compare my experience as an intern at the Office of Tammy Baldwin in Beloit, Wisconsin that dated back to 2008 with my current internship in the ministry. My internship report is divided into four main sections; the first one is concerned with giving brief information about the ministry and its missions, the second one is concerned with duties and tasks that I was assigned to do in my internships, the third one is devoted to the knowledge and experience that I learned and finally the fourth section includes my critical assessment of my internship in the ministry by identifying the things that I want to change if I am to work in the ministry and comparing it to my previous internship in the USA. The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation is one of the four ministries in Morocco in which the ministers are directly appointed by the king. It is concerned with the foreign policy of Morocco and managing its diplomatic relations with foreign countries and non-state actors like the UN. The current Foreign Minister is Mr. Taieb Fassi Fihri and his secretary general is Mrs. Latfia Akherbash. The ministry undertakes various operations that can be summarized into six missions: The first one is to drive the diplomatic action of Morocco by representing its interest at the international level, insuring the development of international cooperation and coordinating the foreign relations of Morocco. The second point is to serve as the official representative of the monarchy in front of foreign countries and international and regional organizations, therefore any communication or agreement between a foreign country and Morocco must first go through the ministry before reaching its direct destination in the kingdom. The third mission is to be involved in the preparations of conferences and meetings at the international level and represents the monarchy in those manifestations. The fourth missions are to conduct negotiations of agreements, conventions and treaties that have political and diplomatic character and to coordinate the economical, political and social engagements of Moro cco. Moreover, with the exception of treaties, the ministry has the power to renew or reject any argument if it is deemed to not be in the interest of the kingdom. The fifth mission is to afford the protection of the rights of Moroccans living abroad and foreign citizens taking refugee in the monarchy, in addition to that the ministry also coordinates the activities of the public services situated outside of the country. Finally the ministry has the responsibility to inform regularly the government about the status of Moroccos foreign relations. As far as the structure of the ministry is concerned, it is divided into two main sections: the direction of bilateral relations and the direction of Multilateral relations and global cooperation, the former directions is further divided into five divisions according to geographical locations such as Arab and Islamic Affairs Division , African Affairs Division, and American Affairs Division†¦.while the second direction is concerned with Moroccos relations with non-state actors, international organizations and multilateral cooperation. This direction contains many sub-directions like Protocol, Cultural and Scientific Cooperation Direction†¦My assigned department was the American Affairs Division which is divided into two main services: Political Affairs Service and Bilateral Cooperation Service, I was assigned to the Political Affairs Service practically in the American and Caribbean section. The way the American continent is divided in the ministry is based on linguistic ra ther geographic criteria, where Central and South America speak Spanish and Portuguese while in North America and the Caribbean it is English that dominates as the official language. As a result, two sections exist within the department of American Affairs one concerned with the region of Northern America and the Caribbean and the other concerned with Central and South America. The Political Affairs Service is mostly involved in the political and diplomatic aspects of Moroccos foreign policy in harmony with its relations with the American continent. it was interesting to notice the that Morocco before starting or renewing any relation with a country a huge emphasis is put on the Sahara issue which represent the national cause number one in the ministry. The main tasks of the direction are the diplomatic and political negotiations of bilateral accords and the coordination of the exterior engagements that can be economic, commercial or social. The Tasks That I Accomplished In The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs And Cooperation Mr. Abderrahim Errehali, who is responsible for the political affairs of the Americas, was my supervisor who introduced me to the personnel that work in the division, the most prominent characteristics that I noticed in the American Affairs division is the hierarchical structure that the ministry follows where the director of the American division, Mr. Fouad Yazourh, is at the head of the department followed by chief of the Political Affairs Division, who is my supervisor, and with an equal status is Mrs. Farida Loudaya Who is the chief of the Bilateral Cooperation Service, then followed by Mr. Mostafa Rezzouk. And finally the hierarchy ends with the personnel and the secretaries. The main tasks that I was assigned to do in my internship tend to fall on clerical duties that vary from translating documents to writing reports. One of the most frequent tasks that I was asked to do during my internship in the ministry was to translate documents mainly from English to Arabic or to French and vice versa, the task is of an immense importance to the ministry especially within my department, Since the monarchy has special relations with the US and it is crucial to make its points of view understood in America and vice versa. The documents that I was assigned to render, include official correspondence with various embassies of Northern America and Caribbean countries, conferences reports and the framework of future conferences The translation was a rewarding experience because it did not only make me sharpen my English vocabulary but also my French and Arabic ones, especially in the domain of diplomacy. the internship was also an opportunity to have an experience in mak ing formal translations by paying attention to the salutations and giving each political figure his own respect, a point which has to do with cultural difference between Arabic, French and English that must be carefully considered to avoid any misinterpretations and fatal errors . One of the most frequent tasks that I was assigned to undertake are conducting research and summarizing official documents and reports, the research process was an enriching activity as it was an opportunity me to learn much information about issues that demand thorough understanding in the ministry. I made research about various subjects like the speech that Obama delivered in Cairo in June 4, 2009, the economic crisis and its effects on governance and the new American ambassador Mr. Samuel L. Kaplan in Rabat†¦ It is also very important to be aware and have a critical analysis of the international events that does only have to do with Morocco but also with different countries in the world. For instance, in my department the expulsion of two Canadian diplomats by Russia in and its aftermath was an important event to write a report about and impart it to the director. hence, One of the tasks that are crucial in the ministry is to be updated of any report or article that mention Morocco, mainly from the American think tanks, and during my stay I was asked to prepare summaries about the main points mentioned about the kingdom in the human trafficking report published by the UN, the Economic Freedom Index published by the Heritage Foundation and also about two reports that appeared in the International Crisis Group website: one about the issue of Sahara and the other about the issue of Algerian armament. Furthermore, I was also asked to write congratulatory letters to congratulate particular countries for the celebration of their national days, my colleague in the office introduced me to the way congratulatory letters are written and I drafted three congratulatory letters for Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Saint Kitties. He also showed me other kinds of letters that are usually drafted in the ministry: like a letter to congratulate a particular country upon such events as winning elections or to express condolences for a sad event. In the second half of my internship I asked my supervisor if I can work on a project or an issue that is related to the American Department and he assigned me to do some research about the Free Trade Agreement between Morocco and the USA. In order to get access to the archives my supervisor introduced me to Mrs. Houda Zemmouri, the person responsible for the FTA agreement in the department, who provided me with access to the archives and showed me the summaries of the seminar â€Å"Maximizing Trade with the United States† that was held in Casablanca in 9 and 10 June, 2009. Mrs. Zemmouri advised me to make a general research about the FTA while paying attention to the current performance of the Moroccan economy and contrast it with similar Middle Eastern countries that signed free trade agreements with the USA, particularly Egypt and Jordan. The aim of utilizing comparison is to find Moroccos strong and weak points and culminating it by drawing recommendations in respect of the comparison results so that Morocco would efficiently benefit from the agreement. As far as my research methods are concerned, I relied on the documents from the archives that were provided to me by Mrs. Huda Zemmouri who was very accommodating and ready to lend a hand, I also relied on the internet, mainly the website of the FTA that provided the agreements articles online. In addition to that, the websites of the Moroccan newspapers such as La Vie Economique and L`Economist, were very useful. I began my research by giving a historical perspective of the US-Moroccan relation that dated back to 1978, when Morocco was the first country to recognize the independence of the United States, a fact that was mentioned by President Obama in his Cairo speech. Then I talked about the implementation of the FTA, its rules and how they are meet and my last part was devoted to contrast the performance of Morocco with the ones of Egypt and Jordan upon their signature of Free Trade Agreements and b ased on the comparison I made a conclusion by stating the importance of the FTA for both Morocco to make its economy more competitive and for the USA to take advantage of what Morocco offers and make an example to lead the MAFTA that is schedule to start in 2012. In the end, I presented my finished work to my supervisor who took a look at it and ask me to make some alteration to the final version. The Knowledge I Obtained From My Internship It was very interesting to notice the use of language in the ministry, although the official language in Morocco is Arabic, the language that is still frequently used in the office is French with some differences from one department to another, and what I have noticed is that whenever a letter from the US embassy is sent to the ministry that is concerned with the parliament or the place it is very important to follow the formal correspondence with Arabic equivalent. However, when the letter is directed to some other ministries, like Ministry of Finance, it is very important that a French translation must accompany the letter while the use of Arabic is rare, a thing that I also noticed when I was delving in the archives of the FTA between Morocco and USA where I seldom come across an Arabic document whereas there was a plethora of French files. When I was working on the project I noticed the way conference summaries were executed, mostly in French, with the first page being dedicated to the headings (subject, date) and the center is a summary of the main points that were discussed in the conference while the last page includes the names of the participants and their titles, phones and emails. Working on the project was very valuable because it made research an issue of utmost importance to Morocco and gain knowledge in it. For instance, the project added to my learning that the FTA was signed in 2004 but did enter into force until 2006 due to the issue of Moroccos concern about its economy and society to meet some US standards that are delicate to the kingdom, mainly the copyrights laws (TRIPS) and the consequences of the inflow of US agricultural products on Moroccos economy such as wheat and meeting the WHO SPSS requirements. It is interesting to notice that Morocco is the fourth country to sign an agreement with the US, upon the initiation of the FTA with the USA the volume of bilateral trade exchange between the two countries experienced an increase. The targeted industries in Morocco are textile, leather and agriculture. Furthermore, Morocco signed many free trade agreements countries with 54 countries. In my comparison I noticed that Morocco compared to Jordan and Egypt has higher labor cost in addition to its reliance on European countries to buy fiber in contrast with the geographic proximity of Egypt and Jordan to cheap fiber suppliers such as: India an Turkey. I learned a lot of information by reading various reports that are published by different US think tanks like World Heritage and International Crisis The issue of Sahara is vital to Moroccos foreign policy as it the national cause number one that the morocco is working to solve through diplomatic means by persuading countries to not recognize RASD or to suspend their recognition for countries that already have relation with Polisario. in my internships I went into discussions about the subject and the countries that recognize the Polis Rio while none of the major powers recognize it, of the 46 countries that recognize RASD, most of them come from Africa and Latin America particularly in the Caribbean where the only country that has never recognized RASD there is Bahamas and among those who recognized RASD only Saint Lucia and Dominica canceled their recognition in 1989 and Dominican republic in 2002. In addition to that, of the four 4 countries that does not recognize RASD were in favor three of them voted in favor of the Algerian proposal in 2006 a fact which portray to the need of more diplomatic relations. The fact that Caribbe an countries recognized RASD did not hinder Morocco from establishing political and economic and cultural relations with the Caribbean. For instance, as afar as cultural cooperation is concerned, there is a program that is funded by the ministry that grants scholarships to Caribbean students to study in Al Akhawayn University. However, Morocco did only cut its diplomatic relations with two major countries in the region Cuba in 1980 and Venezuela in 2009 due to their recognition of RASD and establishment of its embassies in their countries. The wide concern in the United States over the rise of the radical left in America particularly in Venezuela and Bolivia was also a shared concern for Morocco, leftist government mainly those forming alliance with Hugo or what is called the populist left in contrast with the center left of Brazil and Chile as they have the potential to support polisario. I gain enormous knowledge of the Caribbean countries during my internship, although the region is geographical small with 17 countries. The most striking point that I learned, apart from the fact of being the highest place that support polisario, is the way it constituted, as many countries in central America and South America are also included in the area. Like Belize, Surinam, cooperative republic of Guyana which are belong to that area fro historical, linguistic and cultural reasons as most of those countries speak English and tend to have a rupture with the Spanish countries in Central and South America. In addition to Venezuela that has strong presence there. The region is untied under one regional organization called CARICOM (Caribbean Community) where only 2 countries are not included: Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The Vienna convention: The two major incidents that marked the Ministry was when Ben abdellah was asked to come to Morocco and the case of Norwegian embassy and its complicity in the abduction of the two children of the former athlete Mr. Sekkah Benefits of Translation the nature of working in public administration particularly in the ministry The way diplomatic relations are conducted: length and time that treaties and agreements take, signing treating between two countries is very demanding process that takes a long time due to the aim of the two countries to avoid any misunderstanding that would jeopardize their agreement, and this is why the process of translation is a huge where the main task is to compare the original document and its translation to see if there are any words that might alter the meaning of the treaty. The courses that helped me in the process: US-Maghreb Relations: FTA, Piracy, The Elements That I Want To Alter In The Ministry My internship in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation was a rewarding; however my experience in the ministry could have been more beneficial and effective if certain conditions were provided. First, the AUI should provide student who are willing to intern in the ministry with contact information of Alumni student working in the ministry so as to make the incoming interns aware of the nature of the work they should be expecting and provide them with sources to answer questions they have about their internship. Second, it would more effective if student know of their assigned department ahead of time so that they will not be surprised by their department on their first day in addition to make them avoid going through the transfer. Third, taking particular classes before doing an internship will be helpful, mainly the courses of Moroccan Foreign Policy and Research Methodology as many of the assigned task are related to doing research and writing reports and summaries. Concerning the nature of work in the ministry I would make a list of think tanks and Particular newspapers to be checked out daily, Preparing some daily work that can be done daily like looking for articles that mention Morocco in newspapers. The personnel should have some seminars of latest innovations in computer and Information technology to keep them updated of what is new in this domain, therefore enhancing their performance. To improve my research and writing report skills Comparison The main points that I noticed in comparing both my internship experience in the USA with the one in Morocco has to do with the extensive of use such tasks as translation while they are quite absent in USA. In both instance I notice the importance of the media and checking it on daily basis to look for article that mention Tammy Baldwin and those that mention morocco Responding to phone calls Writing support letters, organizing the archives, faxing newspaper articles and call sheets, searching for grants and bills The constituent call sheet Emails accounts Clothes and formality Conclusion The internship was a golden opportunity to broaden my experience in diplomacy and moroccos foreign policy by witnessing how diplomacy is exercised in the ministry. I learned valuable information and gained a professional experience that is relevant and directly related to major.

Core Identity :: essays research papers

Historically, societies have had a great deal of influence over the individuals making up their respective civilization. Every society, regardless of how autonomous their society allows their populous to be, directly and indirectly extends a level of control. Self-governing persons often think of themselves as immune to society’s invisible sway; and to varying degrees they are however, their core identity is ultimately shaped and molded by interacting with other members of humanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I hear a proverb such as â€Å"pull yourself up by the bootstraps† or â€Å"I’m the captain of my ship† it stirs feelings of sovereignty and freedom and the ability to whatever I want, whenever I want. In some cases these statements are true, if for example one wanted to go the movies, that person could simply get in their car and go to the movies. Perfect example of being â€Å"the captain of your own ship† Seems to be a sound statement, but what if the person didn’t have money to see the movie, or couldn’t walk to the movies because they didn’t have legs due to an injury during the Gulf War. Now it appears that his â€Å"ship has been commandeered†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The above case in point is an example of how society will have a â€Å"hand on the rudder of everyone’s ship† Even if that individual decided he was going to the movies, circumstances beyond his control have dictated what he can and cannot do in certain situations. Because of the war this individual had no legs, because he had no legs he didn’t have a job, because he had no job, he had no money consequently; he wasn’t going to the movies. Proverbs like â€Å"being the captain of your own ship† are merely motivational anecdotes that help alleviate the sometimes harsh certainty that is one’s potential. Everything an individual does is governed in some fashion by the constraints put upon him or her by society and their relevant place in society.

Renaissance Humanism Essay

Renaissance means to be born again. The Renaissance was a period of cultural and intellectual rebirth for Europe; it started in Italy in the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. Humanism was a very important piece of the Renaissance. This period happened just after the Middle ages which is dated from 400 to 1300. It was a method of learning based of reasoning and evidence. Studia humanitatis means humanistic studies, which were grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, and moral philosophy. Francesco Petrarca, known as Petrarch, is considered to be the founder of Renaissance Humanism. He was one of the most important Renaissance poets who applied the values of ancient Greece and Rome to questions about religious Christian doctrines. He believed in the value of the study of philosophy and literature of the past; he encouraged this. Petrarch was one of the first people to spread the word of humanism. Once he did it spread fast and almost everyone had heard his ideas on philosophy. With his ideas the world was given a new perspective on life ,which is what the Renaissance was all about. There were many figures just like Petrarch, and a lot of them were political figures who spread humanist ideas with their positions. Coluccio Salutati and Leonardo Bruni became chancellors of Florence. They reached their authorities because of prowess in Latin in their speeches. They developed new ways of thinking about Florence’s government traditions of the republic based off the old writings of antiquity. Humanism increased the influence on education. People needed to learn Greek and Latin to understand the manuscripts. This was a challenge for the poor. This led to further education in the arts and philosophies which went along with those manuscripts. Consequently, there was a blast of scientific and technological development during the Renaissance unlike any that had happened in Europe for centuries. Renaissance Humanism’s most important characteristics lies in its spirits. Humanism was regarded as a free and open breath of fresh air. It was a way of thinking for yourself, and it was critical about the Church. It argued that people needed more intellectual freedom so they could build their own wisdom. The Humanists, rather than focusing on what they considered questions of logic, focused on the relation of the human to the divine. Humans were the high point and purpose of God’s creation for them. They tried to define the human place in God’s plan and the relation of the human to the divine; therefore, they centered all their thought on the human relation to god, and therefore they called themselves humanists. Humanists never ignored their religion; humanism is altogether a religious and educational movement, it is not a secular idea. Most religions were considered humanist by nature. Humanists probably received a reputation for not believing in god because it was focused on the writings of men who did not. Though, many well known humanists were active in church. Papal secretaries, bishops, cardinals, and even a few popes (Nicholas V, Pius II) were humanists in the Renaissance. These leaders were defined as secular. They were more interested in art and literature than sacraments and theology. Renaissance Humanism left a mark in society and changed all. It was one of the most important philosophical movements in history. Thinking, studying, writing, and questioning are the best ways to learn. These were all what the Renaissance Humanism mainly focused on. While it was started in Italy by one man, it blossomed and spread throughout the entirety of Europe. Even now we study Renaissance Humanism because of the everlasting impact it had on society.

UK’s Barclaycard and the Need to Outsource

In the 21st there are two terms that keep on buzzing in the headlines: globalization and global telecommunications. These two are related because if technology continues to improve then the whole planet goes high-tech – each person beginning to realise that the world is shrinking and every year or so improvements in mobile communications, the Internet and the proliferation of wireless devices makes it easier to communicate with one another. One major implication of technology change is a concept called outsourcing.This idea is nothing new but UK’s Barclaycard is just one of the many global corporations that acknowledges the need to outsource. But it is not as simple as that, Barclaycard had to make a difficult decision, to choose between two places where they can outsource a portion of their operations – whether to ship some of their work to India or the Philippines. Overview According to Richard Bolin, Director of The Flagstaff Institute, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA , the phenomenon of outsourcing is nothing new and even as early as 20 years ago there are industrialised countries who made the connection between outsourcing and profitability:Japan intentionally got rid of sewing factories to Southeast Asia by 1981. They couldn’t waste their precious labour supply on low value sewing operations. This is what outsourcing is all about. If a company does not outsource, it will die. And if its country does not find new industries to replace the inefficient ones, it will not attract new investment and better jobs. Everybody has to understand this (Bolin). Bolin is just one of many business leaders that place their faith in outsourcing and believing that this strategy is not a threat to the nation’s economy.In the long run it will benefit the economy because it will create a very efficient system where the following positive outcomes can be expected (Brown, 2005): †¢ Increase sales opportunities †¢ Prevent missed opportunities à ¢â‚¬ ¢ Reduce annual costs almost immediately †¢ Enable business to focus on core competencies †¢ Reduce or eliminate customer complaints †¢ Increase customer loyalty In a nutshell, outsourcing is the obtaining of services from an external source, outside the company.A more technical definition uses the term Business process outsourcing (BPO), â€Å"†¦BPO occurs when an organisation turns over the management of a particular business process such as accounting or payroll †¦ the underlying theory is that the BPO firm can complete the process more efficiently† (Brown, 2005). It is easy to comprehend that if global corporations fail to figure out the beauty of outsourcing then they will be left behind by their competitors.They will eat the dust left behind by those who were able to grasp the idea that allowing others to do low value operations is the future of effective business management. It is similar to hiring a driver to do the more redundant work of driving in order to free up the CEO to do more important tasks. The positive feedback is the main reason why business process outsourcing is such a hot topic in the world today. But it does not mean that everything will turn out to be great whenever a company decides to outsource part of its operations overseas.There are obviously so many things to consider. Each case must be treated separately and a thorough analysis of the operation, the core values of the company as well as pertinent information regarding the outsourcing destination must be considered prior to the decision to shut down one portion of the operations component of the firm and outsource it outside the country. Barclaycard UK A casual overview of companies that decided to outsource part of their operations overseas will reveal that most of them have a common denominator.These companies are either in the manufacturing industry or it is a business that relies heavily on Information Technology. Those in manufacturing w ill find the conditions in China particularly attractive because of the availability of cheap labour as well as the competitive costs of building and maintaining factories. Those in need of IT personnel will turn to India simply because this is a nation where there is a relatively high concentration of English speaking people that are at the same time tech-savvy and many are knowledgeable about current trends in the IT sector (Pogson, 2008).Barclaycard is one European powerhouse that could not afford not to outsource. Barclaycard is part of the Barclays Group a conglomerate that can be found in the United Kingdom. It is Europe’s largest multi-brand credit card and also provides other forms of consumer lending businesses. Barclaycard continues to lead the way in Europe and according to their official press release they are the most recognized brand in UK with over 10 million retail customers.But they are still expanding – there are currently 8. 8 million credit cards in issue outside the UK and the firm also maintains operations in over fifty countries and four continents. According to another expert, outsourcing is unavoidable and yet he cautions that it must be likened to a journey, requiring adequate planning and coordination (Pogson, 2008). This is especially true for Barclaycard. It is not an ordinary firm responsible for the manufacture of cheap products.It is a company that handles a very important aspect of European business which is the issuance of credit cards and various lending services. In other words this is a type of business that requires high level thinking and performed by not only the most technically proficient people in the planet but also those that have the highest integrity. There are three possible destinations if Barclaycard decides to outsource part of their least important operations outside the country there are three possible candidates: India, Philippines, and the Republic of Ireland.Considering first the Republic of Ireland, it is easy to gauge that it will not be as cost-effective as transferring the operations to India or the Philippines. The only possible advantage is that the Republic of Ireland is culturally similar to the UK and the English speaking inhabitants will never pose a problem in terms of communication. But other than these two considerations, it is doubtful if Ireland can compete in terms of outsourcing rates when comparing the wages of workers in Europe to those in Asia. Considering India It is not hard to put India on top of the list.There are many advantages of using the skilled workforce of India to tackle the outsourcing needs of Barclaycard. According to finance experts at Moody’s, â€Å"India will remain a top outsourcing destination because of its tech-savvy and English-proficient urban workforce whose wages are much lower than their western counterparts† (Moody’s Investors Service, 2009). The nation has a population of more than one billion people . From this number there are millions of educated English speakers entering the workforce each year (Kobayashi-Hillary, 2004).The Indian workforce provides a compelling argument as to why Barclaycard should outsource to India. Trevor Foster-Black is the managing director of Coalition Development, a UK research company that provides information to recruitment firms and he remarked that their company uses researchers from India to structure and format data and he adds, â€Å"It would be very difficult to find such high-calibre people to do similar work in London †¦ They arrive at 4am our time and everything’s finished by the time we arrive† (Kobayashi-Hillary, 2004).It is truly amazing to realise that the location of India can be a source of another advantage; in essence Barclaycard’s operations can be sustained 24 hours a day and seven days a week due to the time differences. If Barclaycard will use the same strategy in their UK offices they would incur sign ificant costs in terms of payroll alone. One can only imagine the numbers that will be generated by overtime and other costs related to keeping an operation functioning round the clock.But if they will outsource to India, the executives at the UK headquarters can send part of their workload to their people in India and they can work while the executives are going to bed. This ensures that workflow is not interrupted and therefore Barclaycard can achieve cost-efficiency very quickly. If Barclaycard will outsource all of its call centres to India then the same level of efficiency and cost savings can be expected. The English speaking workforce in India will ensure that credit card holders can be assured of easy access to customer representatives 24/7 wherever they are in the world.The low outsourcing rates in India will also allow Barclaycard to maintain a 24 hour cycle operations without downtime and therefore Barclaycard is just a phone call away whenever a customer encountered prob lems with their credit cards. Barclaycard will definitely find it worthwhile to invest in India but globalization as well as rapid development in technology can create weakness out of strength. This means that India can be a victim of its own success. According to one commentary there are two issues that concerns would be investors: 1) security; and 2) the unravelling of a top IT service provider, Satyam.These problems are forcing European companies to create more geographically dispersed portfolio of IT outsourcing providers (Overby, 2009). India is bordered by Pakistan on one side and one only has to remember Pakistan’s association with extremists groups to understand the spate of terrorist attacks in India. It is high time therefore to consider an alternative and a quick glance at Asia will reveal that there is none better than the Philippines. Considering the Philippines There are many advantages in choosing this country as a BPO destination and these are listed as follow s:1. Outsourcing rates are low and can easily compete with those of India; 2. Transportation such as flights coming from the Western hemisphere is arguably better than other Asian countries; 3. It is culturally compatible with the United States because it was a U. S. commonwealth in the early 20th century up to 1946; 4. English is widely spoken and can be considered as the second national language; and 5. The most successful outsourcing engagements in this country are for call centres (Mezak, 2006).If seems that both countries are evenly matched in many aspects pertaining to BPO. The Philippines can boast of a highly-skilled workforce considering that it has one of the highest literacy rates in Asia, even higher than India. The only reason that India can offer more tech-savvy workers is due to the fact that there are a billion people in India while the Philippines has only less than one hundred million people. But in the English department both countries can provide excellent servic e.When the Americans came to this nation in the early part of the 20th century the country was exposed to world class education systems and even if the Americans left in the middle of the 20th century the Filipinos were able to adapt and they were able to create a system that can produce top calibre graduates annually. But there is one problem with the Philippines, â€Å"†¦it is the lack of skilled project management and experience with large software development projects †¦ it is easier to find body shops offering programmers than vendors with well-structured and well-managed teams of programmers† (Mezak, 2006).This is where India has a clear advantage over this tiny island nation. Yet, again the Philippines will not give up that easily, based on a 2007 report, Barclaycard already closed its call centre in Manchester and since the Philippines excelled in this type of business process outsourcing then it must be considered as a future destination of Barclaycard†™s call centres. Conclusion Without a doubt, outsourcing is a must if a global conglomerate hopes to stay competitive in the 21st century.If one considers outsourcing, there are three things will easily come to mind, cost-efficiency, cost-efficiency and more cost-efficiency. There is no executive in this planet that will pass up the opportunity to streamline operations and make more money in the process while retaining customer loyalty through the creation of customer friendly operations. With globalisation comes wage increase and various overhead costs that can easily force a company to bankruptcy if excess fat is not trimmed down.Instead of reducing the size of the company it is much better to outsource. With the advent of modern technology and the efficiency of 21st century transportation services it is easy to do business on a global scale. Barclaycard is just one of the many European powerhouses eager to outsource and there are three destinations: the Republic of Ireland, the Philippines and India. The Republic of Ireland already dropped out of contention considering that it is located in Europe and logic dictates that competitive outsourcing rates can only be found in Asia.Considering the fact that Barclaycard is into the credit card business and that outsourcing requirements entails the capability to provide English speaking and tech-savvy personnel there are only two remaining contestants bidding for the rich rewards of outsourcing contracts – India and the Philippines. At first glance it seems that India is the best choice for Barclaycard. This is because India has already proven itself in the BPO business especially in the IT sector which is a major requirement for Barclaycard.It boasts of English speaking and tech savvy personnel that can easily handle communication needs of the said UK firm. Moreover, if there is a need for programmers, the ability to communicate with English speaking Indian programmers are a definite advantage as compared to the hassle when communicating with programmers from other countries with poor English proficiency. There are other non-tangible advantages for India. While the Philippines was under the control of the American in the early part of the 20th century, India was for many centuries under the hegemony of Great Britain.If the Filipinos were heavily influenced by American culture, Indians were heavily influenced by British culture. As many will know there is quite a difference between U. S. English and U. K. English. If this is an important consideration for Barclaycard’s outsourcing needs then India will win hands down. If one combines this with the technical capabilities of Indian workers then this combination of factors will be very difficult to beat. On the other hand India has its share of weaknesses. India is suffering from a bad image following the debacle of Satyam, one of India’s top IT providers.The scandal that hounds Satyam will easily make future investors une asy with the idea that they are placing all their eggs in one basket. If this is combined with the recent spate of terrorist attacks then capital flight will most likely follow. If there are less investors willing to invest then India’s IT infrastructure will not be upgraded and more bad news will follow. The security threat is also serious because outsourcing is a strategy with inherent risks and yet CEOs are willing to beat the odds with the promise of profitability and efficiency.But if terrorist attacks will continue then there is a chance that operations can be affected. Barclaycard could not afford to lose one day of inactivity due to security problems. It is therefore logical to consider the Philippines as an alternative. It is also a nation blessed with English speaking and tech savvy personnel. Furthermore, the Philippines is lagging behind India thus it will remain competitive with its outsourcing rates to attract more customers and investors. If Barclaycard will ch oose the Philippines then it can expect more savings and therefore increase the satisfaction of key investors.On the other hand the Philippines is not yet ready to wrest the crown away from India. The debate will never end. There are strengths and weaknesses for both countries but it seems that Barclaycard has spoken. Two years ago Barclaycard made an important decision, â€Å"Barclaycard will move some of its operations to India following the announcement it is to close its Manchester call centre this summer† (Ferguson, 2007). While the Philippines is also strong in the call centre industry, India can provide something that is beyond the grasp of the Philippines.It is a country that is culturally similar to the United Kingdom and therefore the Indians are more adept with UK English as compared to the Filipinos. Furthermore, India was once under the domain of Great Britain and therefore Indian laws and their current legal system closely mirrors that of the UK and so for Barcl aycard it can be argued that it is easier to do business in India as compared to the Philippines. References Brierley, S. (2005). The Advertising Handbook. UK: Routledge. Buttle, F. (1996). Relationship Marketing. UK: Paul Chapman Publishing, Ltd. Brown, D.(2005). The Black Book of Outsourcing How to Manage the Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities. New Jersey: Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ferguson, T. (2007). â€Å"Barclaycard Closes Call Centre, Offshores to India. † CBS Interactive Retrieved 09 March 2009 from http://services. silicon. com/ offshoring/0,3800004877,39166239,00. htm Kobayashi-Hillary, M. (2004). Outsourcing to India. Germany: Springer-Verlag. Mezak, S. (2006). Software Without Borders. California: Earthrise Press. Moody's Investor's Service. (2009). â€Å"India to Remain Among Top Outsourcing Destinations: Moodys.† Retrieved 09 March 2009 from The Economic Times. http://economictimes. indiatimes. com/Infotech/ITeS/India-to-remain-among-top- outsourcing- destin ations-Moodys/rssarticleshow/4241062. cms Overby, S. (2009). â€Å"Philippines Looks Beyond the Call Center for Future Outsourcing Growth. † Retrieved 09 March 2009 from CIO Magazine http://www. cio. com/article/483178/Philippines_Looks_Beyond_the_Call_Center_for_Fut ure_Outsourcing_Growth Pogson, I. (2008). Outsourcing from the UK to the Far East. In Outsourcing and Human Resource Management R. Taplin (Ed. ). UK: Routledge