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Small business fate in the US

Small business fate in the US Small businesses continue to form the backbone of the US economy though the rate of their failure has escalated the past few years. This trend occurs because of many factors both internal and external; for instance, owners’ behaviors and environmental conditions among others.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Small business fate in the US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Small Business Administration statics (SBA), the rate of success of small of business in the US is seventy percent (Schaefer, 2011). Seven out of ten businesses survive after two years of establishment and this rate is an improvement from 51 percent, which was the rate of success a few years ago. Red flag The main reason cited for small business failure is poor management where business owners lack the required management skills in critical areas such as purchasing, production, finance, and hiring among others (Gill, Biger, Mathur, Shah, Bhutani, 2010, p.1). The ability to plan, control, and organize all the operations of a business lacks in most new business. This problem is indicated by inadequate cash to meet all the expenses of the business, high turnover among employees, and failure to meet the expectations of the customers among other indicators. Insufficient capital is another common problem, which is indicated by early closure of the business due to lack of funds to meet expenses of the business. Precautionary measures Many people start businesses for wrong reasons with the sole aim of just making a lot of money without considering whether they have what it takes to run the business. Those intending to start a new venture need to consider whether they have the right mental stamina, passion, and determination to run the business. Management skills are also paramount and new investors need to check their ability to organize, plan and control all business operations. In addition, they need to en sure they have sufficient capital to start and run the new business until it can meet all its expenses. Prevention from loss The ability of small businesses to absorb loss is very low compared to that of large businesses. The owners of small businesses therefore ought to be more cautious especially when taking risks such as borrowing capital from banks and expanding the businesses. Good management of the businesses is a key factor in preventing business loss both to the owner and to lenders. Securing the business through insurance will also help in restoring the business in case of a major loss that may occur in the course of operation. In addition, owners ought to know the right time to close their non-profit making businesses prevent accumulation of unnecessary debt.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Business succession plan Most of the small businesses ar e family-owned and it is crucial to have a good succession plan to ensure that the business operates for a long time. The owner of the business needs to prepare in advance those who will takeover after he or she retires. This undertaking is important especially if the business will continue to be a family business. The owner may also employ a manager for the business if there is no family member experienced to take over the management position. The owner of the business may take other options if he or she does not intend to keep the ownership of the business to the family; for instance, s/he might consider selling the business, buy-sell agreement transfer, private annuities, and limited family partnership among other options. References Gill, A., Biger, N., Mathur, N., Shah, C., Bhutani, I. (2010). Factors That Affect Canadian Propensity To Grow And Expand Small Business. Business Economics Journal, 6, 1-10. Schaefer, P. (2011). Small Business Administration statics (SBA): The sev en pitfalls of business failure and how to avoid them. Retrieved from https://www.businessknowhow.com/startup/business-failure.htm

Formal Analytical Report Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Formal Analytical Report - Article Example However, people are nowadays failing at devoting sufficient time to their loved ones whereas, sex is dying out and humans of the advanced era are spending useless hours in the front of a shiny screen and they think that they are â€Å"socializing† but in reality they are hallucinating themselves for their better part of the day. The practice of socialization is supposed to be accompanied with strong emotions and happiness while, people were eager to meet each other (Jansen, Zhang, Sobel, & Chowdury, 2009). Humans had been writing letters to each other for centuries and that particular trend made them writers. The past generations were masters of articulating their thoughts into words because they were habitual of writing letters but nowadays things changed dramatically and each time honored human activity is getting done with the help of computers. The current generation is having thousands and thousands of friends on social networking sites but they do not know them personally and yet they think that they have buddies when in real sense they are alone. The loner in the past was aware of his or her loneliness and therefore, he or she devoted his or herself to arts, literature and painting. In this fashion their self awareness helped them in many regards (Mathisen & Einarsen, 2004). However, each of the humans living in this time is having multiple social media accounts and because of this reason, he or she presumes his or herself is an extrovert. The outbreak of an urge to be an extrovert is killing creativity in people because innovation and newness can come from the dark rooms of loners who dissolved themselves into their works and caused the world of intellect to move forward eventually. The youngsters’ minds are stuck up in socialization and they cannot possibly focus on their studies, jobs and work. The illusion of globalized networking is eating away the warmth of emotions which defined humans

Recording labels and music marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Recording labels and music marketing - Essay Example In the article "Paying the Price" there is a new owner of EMI Universal. Rivals of EMI are challenged with an opportunity to expand all over the world. Moreover, our study looks at UK albums and singles sales between the beginning of 2011 and the artists and assets behind 44% of EMI's album sales, which will have to be divested in 2012 and about 30% of UK singles sales must expand. These impressive figures underline the fact that a challenging environment of the modern music industry sets the pace of a competitive development in this field. This is a complicated background for future performance of the Company internationally. Moreover, divestments experienced by the Company can lead it to huge losses. It is hard to believe, but the artists, whose creative works and developments were rooted in this Company, are now leaving it. Artists and assets are to be sold off by Universal behind 44% of EMI's UK album sales in 18 months to the end of June 2012. This Company sold 20.4 million albu ms in UK between January 2011 and June 2012 with to-be-divested Parlophone label behind more than 3 million of them. The Company must let go albums of very popular artists, such as David Guetta, Kate Bush, Eliza Doolittle and some others. EMI's to-be-divested share of the Now! Franchise equated to more that 2.4 million UK album sales in 18th months period. There are some interests of the competitors in the field of music industry, which are violated. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that some artists stay with the Company.

Related Studies Foreign Essay Example for Free

Related Studies Foreign Essay Foreign Langer (Journal 2004 p. 76). The research team identified three types of teachers: 1. Effective teachers in effective schools; 2. Effective teachers in typical schools, and 3. Typical teachers in typical schools. In effective schools, students were â€Å"beating the odds† in test scores, and the effective teachers there found their work encouraged and sustained by a supportive school and district climate that: 1. Coordinates efforts to improve student achievement. 2. Fosters teachers participation in a variety of professional activities. 3. Creates instructional-improvement activities in ways that offer teacher a strong sense of agency. 4. Values commitment to the profession teaching. 5. Engenders caring toward students and colleagues, and 6. Fosters respect for learning as a normal part of life. Furthermore, the assumption in articles dealing with the teacher reflection is that analysis of needs, problems, change processes, feeling of efficacy, beliefs are all factors that contribute to teaches professional development, be it through enhanced cognitions or new or improved practices. Reflection is discussed and used in research in several ways. The studies in this decade centre primarily on reflection as an instrument for change and on the various ways in which reflection can be developed. A group of explicitly considers the contribution to reflection of narrative methods such as story telling (for example, about Professional Development School Experiences) and the construction of stories within professional development activities. (Breault, 2010), (Day and Leitch, 2001), (Doecke et al., 2000) and (Shank, 2006. Set in Lithuania Arl the U.S.A., the Article by Jurasaite-Harbison and Rex (2010) narrate two-year ethnographic study that looks at how teachers in three different types of schools perceive themselves as learners and how their school cultures create opportunities for teachers’ professional development. On the basis of their findings, the authors conclude that the most productive conditions for informal workplace learning is a teacher culture that encourages and values collaborative learning. Evidence shows that professional development has an impact on teachers’ beliefs and behaviors. Evidence also indicates that the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and their practice is not straightforward or simple; on the contrary, it is dialectic, â€Å"moving back and forth between change in belief and change in classroom practice† (Cobb, Wood, and Yackel, 1990; Frank et al., 1997; Thompson, 1992, in Nelson, 1999, p. 6) Wood and Bennett (2000) support this statement with the results of a study, in which a group of early childhood educators in England were helping to collect data concerning their theories of play and their relationship to practice. As a result, these educators changed their own theories or teaching practices, or even both. Similar results are reported by Kettel and Sellas (1996) in a study of the development of practical theory of student-teachers in Australia; by Kallestad and Olweus (1998) in a study involving Norwegian teachers, which shows that teachers’ professional preparation and development have a large impact on defining teachers’ goals for their students, and these goals in turn affect the teachers’ behavior in the classrooms and schools; and also by Youngs (2001). Following the examination of data assessing the effects of four different models of professional development (teachers’ networks, the use of consultants and inter-visitations, students’ assessments and school improvement plans) on teachers’ professional development and school capacity in different part of the U.S.A, Youngs found that all models generally strengthened teachers’ knowledge, skills and dispositions, and they had varied effects on other aspects of school capacity. Yet, there is still a need for more research to be done in this area. According to the latest literature, some studies have been carried out as a result of this initiative. For example, research reported by Baker and Smith (1999) identified the following characteristics of professional development as being the most effective in sustaining change in teachers: 1. A heavy emphasis on providing concrete, realistic and challenging goals; 2. Activities that include both technical and conceptual aspects of instructions; 3. Support from colleagues; 4. Frequent opportunities for teachers to witness the effects that their efforts have on students’ learning. As Ingersoll (2001) reports: â€Å"Requiring teachers to teachers to teach classes for which they have not been trained or educated harms teachers and students† (p.42). Ingersoll refers to data that show that most â€Å"out-of-field† teachers are more commonly found among first-time teachers, in low-income schools, small schools, and lower-achieving classes. Classes with â€Å"out-of-field† teachers usually generate lower student achievement. In her research, Little (2001) discovered that in restructuring schools, most of the â€Å"official time† devoted to professional development is based on the conception that professional development is a process of inspiration and goal setting where administrators have already set goals and objectives of change, and professional development activities are used to motivate teachers to strive to meet them. In summary, the professional development of teachers is a key factor in ensuring that reforms at any level are effective. Successful professional development opportunities for teachers’ have a significant positive effect on students’ performance and learning. Thus, when the goal is to increase students’ learning and to improve their performance, the professional development of teachers should be considered a key factor, and this at the time must feature as an element in a larger reform. Little (2001). Local Dr. Manila (2002) is a newly-installed principal of a public secondary school in Baguio City which ranked second to the last in the achievement test in the previous school year. As an initial step to make the school one of the best in the city she selected several teachers to undergo a professional development program that she designed, hoping to achieve the results she envisioned for the school. A year after the training, the principal expected a big improvement in the performance of their school. Unfortunately, there was no improvement in the schools’ making. It is important that you learn to decide on what training is best for and what training should come first. Professional development programs are more effective when the individual needs of teachers are taken into account. The conduct of needs assessment must consider the critical skills areas that are needed for successful performance. The strength and weaknesses of teachers in key areas that have been proven to impact directly on student achievement should be identified. In a related study entitled â€Å"Continuing Professional and Technical Education in the Philippines† by Divina Edralin, Ph.D., the author’s recommendations may also be considered in making Continuing Professional Education serves its intended purpose among professional organizations. These are: 1. Formation of a Unifying Human Resource Development Framework; 2. Review of Matrix on Continuing Education; 3. Greater access to education, training, and retraining; 4. Incentives for Professionals and Technical Workers; 5. Needs identification and assessment; 6. Effective integration of education and employment; 7. Active tripartite cooperation; and 8. Financing Scheme. Moreover, to keep Continuing Professional Education relevant to the professions, certain challenges have to be considered. Terso Tullao, Jr. 1999 (p. 32) underlines â€Å"the need to refocus CPE programs towards research, graduate education, inventions and publications†. He adds: â€Å"Professional organizations should have their own journals reviewed by national or international experts. They should also sponsor professional lectures where there distinguished members or outside experts are asked to discuss topics on their expertise. Similar to the quest of higher educational institutions to make research outputs of their professors published in international journals, professional organizations should encourage their members to publish in referred international journals. Ultimately, professionals must realize that they are the best â€Å"architects† of their personal professional development plans. They have to be more proactive and take the initiative in enhancing their competence and performance. According to Zenon Arthur S. Udani, Ph.D., 1995, on his study on â€Å"Continuing Professional Educations: Training and Developing Filipino Professionals Admist Globalization†, Professional updates which trigger build-up in knowledge and related skills more professionals to the next stage of competence-building. â€Å"As they realize that what they know and what they can do are no longer sufficient to be productive and effective professionals, competence-building becomes a more urgent concern. It calls not only for updates in professional school basic knowledge and skills, but also for education derived from pluralistic sources (continuing education for professions) found useful in assuming competence required by what professionals actually do for a living.† At the stage of competence-building, professionals, aided by their associations, would have identified their key areas of professional development and growth. Updating members of professionals associations on current issues in their field is unquestionally important. This appears to be the dominant thrust of the professional associations surveyed in this study. However, CPE in these professional associations must go beyond this stage. Competence-building and performance-enhancement must also be encouraged among the member of professional associations. Ultimately, it is the personal vision, professional drive, and sense of urgency of the individual members that would guarantee positive outcomes and improvements in professional competence and performance.

What Are The Driving Forces Behind Globalisation Politics Essay

What Are The Driving Forces Behind Globalisation Politics Essay From the end of World War Two there has arisen a trend within international relations towards increasing regional cooperation and integration.After the collapse of the Berlin wall this process has rapidly accelerated. Today there are a myriad of Regional Integration Agreements (RIA) that span all continents, regions and conceivably all nations in a complex web of political, economic, social and cultural ties European integration is one of the longest standing and most deeply integrated examples; however Asia, Africa and the Americas have all seen the need for greater cooperation and integration within respective regions. Exactly who, why and how states integrate varies greatly. As time passes and confidence grows between partners there is a trend towards a deepening of interaction and cooperation/integration may very likely extend to areas outside those originally envisaged. It can be considered that regional integration/cooperation is globalisation at a regional level, or globalisation is regional integration/cooperation on a global scale. Has increased regional integration and cooperation led to globalisation, or has globalisation led to greater regional integration and cooperation? Regionalisation and Globalisation are difficult to separate. While conceptually it is easy to recognise that regionalisation applies at a regional level there is considerable overlap. You may view the world as a system of international anarchy dominated by the nation state and motivated by national self interest; or you may have a somewhat more optimistic view of international relations and see people striving to work together for mutual benefit under a global system of systems where communities are divided into many varying subsets determined by historical, cultural, geographical and ideological factors. Regardless of viewpoint the, fact that the world is becoming more int egrated is impossible to deny. Kofi Annans quote at the start of this paper is very apt in highlighting this. Arguing against regionalisation, whatever your view on the relationship between regionalisation and globalisation, is like arguing against the laws of gravity. The aim of this paper is to determine the driving forces behind processes of regional integration and cooperation. This will be achieved by first defining what regional integration and cooperation is. This will be followed by a discussion of how regions integrate and cooperate and for what reasons using examples from Europe, South East Asia and Africa. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the driving forces behind regional integration and cooperation. WHAT IS REGIONAL INTEGRATION? Confucius once said If names are not right, words are misused. When words are misused, affairs go wrong.  [4]  With a myriad of terminology such as regionalism, globalism, regionalisation, globalisation, regional integration, global integration and so on, it is easy to misuse words and become confused by them. The problem with globalisation is that by its very nature it is complex and all encompassing. Regionalisation, which I will define as globalisation at the regional level, is therefore complex and all encompassing at a regional level. Following this logic it is therefore apparent that regional integration as a concept differs from global integration only in the geographic boundaries you place around it. So as to simplify this problem and free us from misunderstanding we need to be very clear about what regional integration is, what regional cooperation is and how these relate to the wider global environment. So that confusion is not introduced the concepts of globalisation, regionalisation, globalism and regionalism need also to be placed firmly in context. Globalisation is a term that refers to the acceleration and intensification of mechanisms, and activities that are allegedly promoting global interdependence and perhaps, ultimately, global political and economic integration.  [5]  Regionalism is defined as intensifying political and/or economic processes of cooperation among states and other actors in particular geographic regions.  [6]  Therefore regionalisation is a term that refers to the acceleration and intensification of mechanisms, and activities that are allegedly promoting regional interdependence and perhaps, ultimately, regional political and economic integration. Globalism would then be intensifying political and/or economic processes of cooperation among states and other actors throughout the world. To reiterate, globalism and regionalism are political processes consciously undertaken by states whereas globalisation and regionalisation are labels for the overall affect of the external environment, at either a gl obal or regional level, that therefore affects the choices politicians make. For obvious reasons globalisation is a much more prevalent term than regionalisation and likewise regionalism is much more prevalent than globalism. You may enquiry as to why this is and why this point is being somewhat laboured. The point is that globalisation represents the unknown or the influences outside a nations direct control. It is human nature to inflate your fears and concerns and therefore labelling the current environmental effects as a globes worth of issues is more concerning that focussing on your local or regional issues. To confront these issues however it is human nature to focus on what is being done closer to home. Thus the environment (globalisation) has a wider focus than the solution (regionalism). Integration and cooperation are best conceived as labels for progress along a line of increasing interdependence. Individual nations may start with limited or no interaction, progress to a point where they are cooperating and then reach a point where they can be considered integrated. The exact differentiation between whether a nation is cooperating partially integrated or fully integrated is outside the scope of this paper. Needless to say the example of a more integrated region is that of Europe while I will use South East Asia as an example of region that is best described as closer to cooperation than integration. To reinforce this integration is best thought of as a process. The process of integration can be viewed as comprising of four elements. The first part of the process is a movement towards greater cooperation between integrating states; another element is the transference of authority to an authority above that of the state; homogenisation of values is, whether intended or not, an outcome of increased integration; and finally the emergence of a regional/global civil society can be argued to be both a cause of and result of integration.  [7]   So what becomes more integrated during a process of integration? Integration can occur in many areas of political concern. Economic, security and social/cultural are the main areas of integration considered. Integration is a political decision made by nations leaders for political purposes. The reasons why and how integration occurs is almost as diverse as the opinions of world leaders and the challenges faced by them. Therefore in order to understand more clearly how integration comes about we need to investigate some examples of regional integration. EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Europe is considered by many as the example of the region that has progressed furthest down the road of integration. After World War Two Europe was economically ruined, socially stressed and politically divided by what was to become known as the iron curtain. The United States provided encouragement in the form of the Marshal plan to rebuild and strengthen Western Europe against the spectre of Communism in the east.  [8]  Europeans also felt a growing need to strengthen themselves against irrelevance in a bipolar world.  [9]  ,  [10]  These early security fears of Europe led to the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1949. Economically the first evidence of European integration is in the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951. The aim of the treaty was to contribute, through a common market for coal and steel, to economic expansion, growth of employment and a rising standard of living. The treaty created a supra national agency to oversee aspects of national coal and steel policy such as levels of production.  [11]   The end of the Cold War in 1989-91 has seen a further spur to European integration. With the fall of the Berlin wall and the dismantling of a bipolar world, Europe was able to incorporate further countries within an increasingly diverse framework of integration. While much of the integration was led by economic considerations, there has been increasingly greater integration at the political and social levels also. The Maastricht treaty was signed by twelve European nations in 1991 establishing the European Union (EU). Since then the EU has progressed further down the path of integration with the latest treaty being the Treaty of Lisbon that entered force on 1st December 2009. The EU now consists of twenty seven countries with a number of candidate nations awaiting entry sometime in the future.  [12]   As mentioned earlier, it was a desire to strengthen Europe against a competing ideology during the Cold War that was the first step in European integration. As it transpired, democracy proved superior to communism in the long run. Economically, liberal capitalism has enabled Europe to outperform the centrally controlled socialist markets of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. With the fall of the Berlin wall it became even more apparent that liberal market philosophies provided a basis for greater efficiency and greater competitiveness. Europe in general and the EU in particular serve to highlight this point. OTHER REGIONS MOVE TOWARDS INTEGRATION While Europe is the most advanced down the path of integration, other regions have not been idle. South East Asia is an example of a looser cooperation in the form of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN was formed in 1967 between Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. Since then membership has expanded to include Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. South East Asian integration is an example of cooperation being used to build confidence amongst developing nations. ASEAN has always been very mindful of being overly legalistic and binding. The ASEAN way of doing business has become synonymous with building close personal relationships between leaders, being flexible and non-binding in decisions and adhering to a respect of other nations sovereignty including undertaking a non-interference policy with respect to other ASEAN nations internal matters.  [13]   Despite criticisms of being all talk and no action and providing legitimacy to the military junta in Myanmar, the ASEAN way has shown a remarkable ability to engender cooperation and trust between its members. When ASEAN was first established most members were newly independent nations and the Cold War was in full swing. Indonesia was perceived by some as a threat and it was therefore felt that the best course of action was greater engagement to build confidence and trust between nations in the region. Therefore ASEANs initial aims were for social and cultural interchange. As time has passed and members have grown comfortable with each other aspects of cooperation have become feasible. Economic and military cooperation has increased and the level and diversity of programs conducted within ASEAN has increased. ASEAN now emphasises cooperation within three pillars. These are security, social/cultural and economic. As confidence has grown, ASEAN nations have also reached out further afi eld to first East Asia; in the form of ASEAN plus three (APT), in which China, Japan and South Korea are members; the East Asia Summit, which adds India, Australia, New Zealand and potentially soon Russia; through to the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in which twenty seven nations are involved.  [14]   Like Europe, South East Asian leaders made political decisions that the security and prosperity of their respective nations lay in greater cooperation and collaboration. Given their shared colonial experiences and wary of being used as superpower pawns during the Cold War, ASEAN leaders charted a course where they could find common cause with neighbouring Asian nations and through cooperation achieve stability and then economic prosperity. Social/cultural cooperation served as a confidence building measure; increased confidence lead to greater stability and greater Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); and greater FDI led to economic growth and prosperity. While Europe is an example of developed nations integrating and South East Asia provides an approach by developing nations, they are by no means the only examples. The North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), comprising Canada, the United States and Mexico was the North American response to the challenges of a globalising world and provides and example of the trend towards integration across the global North-South divide.  [15]  MERCOSUR and the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA) are likewise South American moves. Africa has had mixed success in achieving successful integration through the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), although of late as the African Union (AU), there appears to be more success even in this region.  [16]   NAFTA started with a free trade agreement between Canada and the United States and was expanded to include Mexico in 1992. NAFTA is an important example of a move towards integration between two developed economies and a developing economy. Integrating economies with such diversity of economic institutions has been challenging but successful. NAFTA has also led to greater integration throughout the Americas overall with the signing of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in 2001.  [17]  It is considered by some that NAFTA in particular and other moves towards regional integration were in response to a Fortress Europe mentality.  [18]   WHAT ARE THE DRIVERS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION? Regional integration is nothing new. Historically however regional integration was achieved through conquest or colonisation.  [19]  Since the end of World War Two there has been a growing trend of regional Integration via treaty or international agreement. Although currently regional integration is often associated with economic reasons, fundamentally regional integration is a political decision and based on political considerations. Individual nations respond to the global climate to address their needs and move forward as a society. Amongst the most basic of national needs is that of stability and security both from internal and external threats. It has been argued that one means of protecting a nation from external aggression is to become so interdependent that aggression becomes too expensive to consider.  [20]   Under the bipolar structure of the Cold War many states were looking for ways to provide additional security from the threat of superpower conflict. While global war or nuclear holocaust was one level of concern, another was the threat of becoming a victim of a proxy war between the superpowers. While Western Europe was focussed on a very real threat from communism behind the iron curtain, other regions such as South East Asia had concerns from communist insurgency or the domino theory. Overall however the Cold War effectively divided the globe into two essentially disconnected parts. So while regionalism could occur in between some nations, others were excluded because they were either on the other side of the iron curtain or determined not to take sides with a superpower. With the end of the Cold War this brake was suddenly released and a flood of connections were soon to be realised. Figure 1.1below provides a graphical representation of the dramatic increasing occurrence of regional integration agreements after the end of the Cold War.C:UsersAkoDocumentsMTATTerm 1MTAT UM MODULE 2010AUFB 5102AssignmentGraph1.jpgToday the number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) continues to multiply. The WTO notes: The surge in RTAs has continued unabated since the early 1990s. Some 462 RTAs have been notified to the GATT/WTO up to February 2010. Of these, 345 RTAs were notified under Article XXIV of the GATT 1947 or GATT 1994; 31 under the Enabling Clause; and 86 under Article V of the GATS. At that same date, 271 agreements were in force.  [21]   It is apparent from these figures that regionalism is continuing to be desirable for nations. It is worth pointing out again that economic integration is only part of the overall picture. Security and social/cultural integration also continues. The United States in particular is active in many regional security agreements. Whether they are treaties, agreements or understandings many nations in the world today have sought and continue to seek greater cooperation and integration of military capabilities to meet their regions security needs. NATO is the largest example of this and again the most advanced with regard to the level of standardisation and integration achieved. Within South East Asia the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) between Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand is a smaller example. Social/Cultural integration can take many forms. From labour laws, immigration policies, education exchanges, tourism and even sporting competitions the world has increasingly become integrated. Often social integration is a first step. Sports in particular offer an easy, non-threatening manner in which people of one nation can learn about another. Regionalism is readily apparent in sport with examples such as the European cup in football, the Super fifteen rugby competition in the southern hemisphere, the National Hockey League (NHL) in Canada and the United States. While the increase in regional integration of sporting competitions is not as significant or prevalent as economic integration it serves as a reminder that integration can take many forms and is not just a single dimensional phenomenon. Having looked at regional integration in terms of economic, security and social/cultural terms it is apparent that regional integration has been a significant phenomenon, particularly in terms of economic integration since the end of the Cold War. There is no doubt that regional integration is a political decision based on politicians seeking to do what is best for their respective nations and citizens. So what are the driving forces behind regionalism? It is generally considered that there has been two major phases of regionalism since the end of World War Two. The first phase occurred under the bipolar structure of the Cold War and saw regionalism used as a means to bolster regions abilities to deal with the security challenges of the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War in the early 90s globalisation became the driver for regionalism as regions sought to achieve competitive advantage and economy of scale economically.  [22]   There is plenty of academic debate over how globalisation has influenced the trend towards regionalism. Some consider regionalism has been undertaken to protect a region from the effects of globalisation while other argue that regionalism is driving globalisation. This has lead to the terms open and closed regionalism. Closed regionalism is where a region attempts to protect itself from the external world by reducing barriers within the region while maintaining barriers to those external to the region. The trend however has been away from closed regionalism and towards open regionalism. Open regionalism is where a region integrates so that their common market gains in attractiveness to foreign investment and improves in terms of overall economic efficiency.  [23]  It is worth noting that that it is now against WTO rules to form a regional trade agreement where greater barriers are imposed on external nations.  [24]   CONCLUSION Looking back to the discussion on definitions earlier in the paper it is now clear that the driving force of regional integration has to be the contemporary environment. Globalisation is dominating the contemporary environment. Globalisation is a label intended to simplify descriptions of an increasing inter-connectedness, interdependency and increasing complexity of human interaction throughout the globe. As much as globalisations knockers wish it to go away, Kofi Annans analogy with gravity highlights the futility of fighting globalisation. Globalisation is a logical result of improved communication and transport technology. People are increasingly aware what is going on everywhere in the world. Personal contact with people from other nations and cultures is providing greater insight into the basic humanity of all peoples. With greater visibility however also comes greater fear and concern. Global society has many layers and those layers are increasingly accessible to all. Human so cieties all have the same basic needs but globalisation can appear to threaten as much as it offers. Regionalism is a graduated response to a scary external world. People cling to those they are more familiar with and feel safer because of this. Politicians are no different to anybody else. Whether it be an authoritarian regime that wants to protect itself from a threatening world or a democratic leader that has to consider the views of the people more directly, all politicians respond in some way to the external environment. It can be argued that the end of the Cold War was a driver of regionalism. But the end of the Cold War is just a signpost in history. If it were a driver why is regionalism continuing to occur? The significance of the end of the Cold War is just that a line dividing the world from itself was removed. Regionalism occurred before, during and after the Cold War. The reason regionalism is so topical is simply because the rate of occurrence has dramatically increased in this so called second phase of regionalism. Cheap instantaneous communication is rapidly engulfing the globe. Accessible and affordable transportation is available to a large proportion of the worlds population. This easy contact with the global community will continue to drive every significant issue for at least the next fifty years.

Failures of globalization Essay

Globalization has assisted Belize in increasing its literacy rate from fifty percent in the early 1980s to eighty percent in the first part of the twenty first century. The life expectancy of the country has increased to around seventy two. This was only forty percent an estimated four decades ago. The average worker is also benefiting with better wages. Better standard of living, higher wages, advances in science and technology and increase in democracy have been the successes of the globalization experiment in Belize. Globalization has also assisted in the increase of management and professional specialty jobs. Between 1983 and 2000 the total number of such positions has increased to a percentage of forty percent in Belize (Barnett 65, 2000). Many American and European firms have set up operations in Belize which has led to the introduction of advanced technology and business practices. This has also added the benefit of spillover effects into the rest of the economy as demonstrated by the robust and competitive private sector of Belize. Globalization has increased the number of jobs in Belize. It also has increased the efficiency of producing goods and providing services at lower costs and higher profits. The incentive to produce has also increased which has benefited the business sector of Belize. The standard of living has increased with technology making efficient transportation possible (Barnett 65, 2000). The division of labor has enabled Belize to maximize the value of its output while resources have not been wasted in goods production that could be imported more cheaply. Globalization has a considerable impact in social policy by the debt crisis and influence of international donors. This has greatly accelerated the integration of Belize with the international market. Opening the economy has also created greater vulnerability to external factors. This has resulted in loss of income and jobs. This leads to demands for systems of social protection, income support, and free or subsidized health care. Currently the government provides income support for old age. One major impact of globalization has the assumption that democracy will be sustained in Belize. The tradition of democracy is significant as it has led to better health and education services. GDP per capita has also increased which indicates that Belize has invested substantial amounts of money in health and education (Bary 125, 2005). However the size of the external debt renders the health and education spending to contribute to budget deficits because of extensive borrowing from foreign donors. A number of macroeconomic trends seem to indicate the government’s success in reducing inflation, modifying the structure of employment, and opening the economy for foreign investors. Local production systems are competing with each other in Belize which allows them to see their position within a wider integrated economy. Another negative impact is that countries like Belize do not have any choice about the restrictions and conditions which are associated with the policies of international organizations like World Bank and IMF. Transnational corporate also have been able to take advantage and demand favorable economic policies to invest in the country. This has alienated some of the domestic interest groups like business and labor (Bary 125, 2005). By opening up with the international economy, Belize has also suffered from a decrease in the amount of power it has over its economic policy. Pressure from international organizations like the World Bank and IMF has pushed the country to remove barriers and allow foreign direct investment to increase trade. Further coercive policies and regulations have created income equalities in the country. Despite the substantial increase in trade and foreign investment, the level of poverty remains high in the country. Liberal financial and trade policies have caused significant inequality and stability in terms of employment and income while reducing the ability of the Belizean government to control its policies. Diminished controls over monetary policies and exchange rates have created income inequalities (Bolland 46, 2006). Certain economic policies have bred increased poverty rates. The results of foreign direct investment on employment and growth have also been mixed. The foreign investment has been saturated in certain areas. Some sectors of the economy have minimal investment. The economy of Belize has become dependant on the international market by the growing volume of cross border finance, investment, goods, and services. The majority of Belizean residents live in the rural areas in contrast to the elite of the country. The differences between social classes have increased after the advent of globalization in Belize. Capital account liberalization has created a negative impact on the local banks of Belize as they are vulnerable to financial crisis and external shocks (Bolland 46, 2006). The decrease in tariffs has also led to decline in production of certain agricultural products.

Hurrican Katrina

Proposal /Disaster Research Proposal Page 1 * My disaster paper will focus mainly on the direct and indirect effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans were made by the community and the state, which also affected New Orleans and surrounding areas. My initial research on this topic of Hurricane Katrina was that, although there was a slew of different aids and reliefs sent to New Orleans and other surrounding areas, there were periods where there wasn’t enough or too much time was taken so that the community and pretty much the federal government could have made a timely contribution. This makes my initial response to Hurricane Katrina and its effect on New Orleans and the things that were done to help them a negative response. This is why I am choosing to write about this touching topic, I want to inform readers and people who may not know some approaches taken (and not taken) to help New Orleans and the surrounding areas that were affected. * The purpose of me writing this a rgument will be to inform readers, of the direct and indirect effect of Hurricane Katrina.The tone will be informative, this strategy will suit me best for this paper because of the type of incident Hurricane Katrina was. Thesis will definitely be in the first paragraph. Most likely in the middle of the opening paragraph. There possibly will be a refutation, although, where I am going to put one at this point has not be determined. * My research question will be: What were the direct and indirect effects of Katrina on New Orleans, and what actions were made by the communities and government to effectively help Hurricane Katrina victims.Proposal /Disaster Research Proposal Page 2 * Books * Scholarly Articles * Library Database Proposal /Disaster Research Proposal Page 3 The intended audience for my informative paper will be teens and young adults, these seem to be the people who were involved and knew the most about Hurricane Katrina and the updates. Plus it is just an easier group o f people to write to. My audience is most likely between the ages of 15-30, because high school students were watching the news and getting updates by school and home, and because 30 year olds are still concerned with news.They most likely are middle class, being that most of the people effected by Hurricane Katrina were middle classed, so naturally other middle class people were tuned in. Gender probably wouldn’t matter, but education might play a big role. Being that people who were not as educated as others may not be so affected or concerned with what was going on in another state, because they themselves were not being affected.The major points that will be addressed in my analysis paper will be the indirect and direct effects of this natural disaster and the relief efforts and other helps that were made to help Katrina Victims. They will most likely find out how much Katrina victims were affected and what happened to them. Although, these will be things they have heard in the news there will also be other facts such as the economic effect this natural disaster had on New Orleans and surrounding areas.Not everything is for news, and although some people were concerned with this catastrophe, most people did not go and do their own research so they have been misinformed or left out of some things that actually did happen during this time. Some general beliefs that may be involved in his mishap, would be that when people need help, for example not being able to help themselves somebody of higher authority such as government should be able to step in and effectively take care of the situation. That is one example of personal beliefs. Proposal /Disaster Research Proposal Page 4 November 25- Type Proposal * November 26-Turn in Proposal, start research on Katrina and its effects * November 27- Research, find a thesis and begin to research on that * November 28- Research, start writing paper at least first 2 pages * November 29-Research, finish paper or co ntinue writing * November 30-Conference and feedback on what has been written so far or finished draft * December 3-peer reviews (on own time) * December 4-edit and review paper, consults notes and feedback from conference and peer reviews * December 5-Turn in paper, final copy

Haiti essays

Haiti essays Want to send this story to another AOL member? Click on the heart at the top of this window. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Haitian authorities released an opposition candidate and four associates Saturday, nearly three weeks after they were arrested following regional elections, an opposition leader said. Authorities dropped charges of incitement to violence against candidate Jean Limongy and the four others, said Evans Paul of Limongy's Space for Concord five-party coalition. Limongy, a candidate for a lower house seat, and the others were arrested May 23, two days after local and legislative elections. More than 2 million Haitian voters, about 60 percent of the electorate, cast their ballots in the violence-free elections. The Lavalas Family party of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide gained control of the upper house and was leading in most lower-house races as vote counting continued this week. Since the vote, police have arrested at least 37 opposition candidates and activists. Sixteen have been released. Space for Concord militant Laurore Noel, who was arrested with Limongy, remained in prison in Petit-Goave jail, about 35 miles southwest of the capital, Paul said. On Wednesday, three candidates projected as the winners for seats on the Port-au-Prince city council under Aristide's Lavalas Family banner were arrested on charges of having false police identification cards. Elections for legislative seats in Haiti's troubled Grand'-Anse district, where the vote was delayed due to technical difficulties, are set for Sunday, officials said. Haiti has been without a Parliament since President Rene Preval dismissed legislators in 1999 to resolve a power struggle. Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, r ...

Barth Syndrome essays

Barth Syndrome essays Barth Syndrome is a genetic disorder that only effect males. It is an X-linked ressive genetic condition. A mother that carries the genetic code for Barth Syndrome will never show signs or symptoms of it. She will always pass it to her daughters, and will have a fifty- percent chance of passing it to her sons. The daughters will never show any signs or symptoms either. Barth Syndrome only effects only the males. If a male does inherit Barth Syndrome from his mother, he only has a 30% chance of living through his first few years. Of the 30% that are diagnosed, those who seek treatment have an 85% - 90% chance of living in to their fifties. Barth Syndrome had many effects on the male body. An effected male will be far below average in weight and height. The lack of growth in the boys is often looked at as evidence of poor nutrition or some other effects of an illness, the termed used for this is failure to thrive. The effected person will have muscle fatigue. This includes all muscles, even the heart. They have a cellular deficiency that effects their ability to produce energy, causing activities that require strength or stamina, extremely difficult. Activities like walking to growing to writing. The boys also experience Neutropenia. It is a weakness of the immune system. Specifically its a reduction in the number of neutrophils. A neutrophil is a white blood cell, whose responsibility is to fight bacterial infections. Neutropenia places the Barth boys at an increased risk of acquiring serious infections. These infections may include bacterial pneumonia and skin abscesses. Treatment of Barth Syndrome can be tricky. A doctor was troubled with the case of a 3-week-old male baby admitted for congestive heart failure. The doctor did an electrocardiogram that revealed an unusual camels hump of the T waves and progressive thickening of the left ventricular wall with increa ...

CELL BIOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

CELL BIOLOGY - Essay Example Cholera toxin alters the ÃŽ ± subunit such that the G protein becomes constitutively activated. The result is an increase in cAMP and associated kinases that would amplify the cascade effect and therefore enhance the effect of norepinephrine. If the weaker interaction is still sufficient to activate the receptor but also allows for a faster exchange rate for norepinephrine molecules, then the result would be to enhance the effect of norepinephrine. If, instead, the interaction was not sufficient to activate the receptor, then the effects of norepinephrine would be inhibited because the inactive receptor would not respond to the norepinephrine signal. This will likely inhibit the effects of norepinephrine, because although binding of norepinephrine will still activate the receptor at the same rate, the receptor would no longer be stably associated with the G protein, and the signal will not be transduced from activated receptor to inactive G protein as efficiently. If the ÃŽ ± subunit is responsible for activating adenylate cyclase and signaling an increase in cAMP and activation of resulting cAMP-dependent kinases, then altering the interaction between the ï  ¢Ã¯  § and the protein kinase will have no effect. If instead, the ï  ¢Ã¯  § - protein kinase interaction is necessary for amplification of the norepinephrine signal, then weakening the interaction will have the effect described above (i.e. it will depend on whether or not the weaker interaction is still sufficient to activate the kinase.) ⇒By inhibiting protein phosphatases in general, protein kinases—activated by phosphorylation— and their downstream targets will have longer half lives because phosphatases won’t be available to hydrolyze their phosphate groups. If these kinases and downstream targets are required to potentiate the norepinephrine signal, then the effects of norepinephrine would be enhanced. 2. Receipt of extracellular signals can cause changes in cellular physiology. Some changes

Marketing 301 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing 301 - Essay Example Each business organization wants to set a price which does not just cover all the costs incurred by the company but will also generate a sizable mark-up for the company. The profitability objective will be taken into account by having a sensitivity analysis which looks at the changes in profit when prices and volume varies. It should be noted that volume sales is often inversely related to price, that is, the lower the price the higher the volume and vice versa. In order to meet the volume objective, I will make sure that the price set will encourage the purchase of the desired volume. Next, in order to meet the competition objective, I will conduct a survey of the pricing of the different brands in the market to make sure that the price charged is at par with the local industry. Lastly, the pricing should support the prestige objective. Recognizing that the young women's apparel store should have a trendy and chic image, prices should not be kept too low in order to create this imag e. Low prices are often equated with lower quality and mediocrity. 2. Based on the direct mail marketing materials that I have found, a lot of firms are utilizing psychological pricing in order to entice customers in buying their products. Blouses are often priced around $5.99 or $8.95 in order to have the effect of being cheaper than it really is. This pricing strategy seems to be very consistent with competing firms like Wal-Mart and even Target.