Paper about Atheism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Paper about Atheism - Essay Example It could be that they think in the tangible sense that anything that exists must be able to be proven. Many highly intellectual people need proof and evidence of something to ever believe in its being. Some philosophers and sociologists are not this way as they create a thought and see how society relates to it or use philosophy to explain something. Religion in some ways, is a philosophy. Religion could be seen as a way to keep going in life. To have faith in something that is unseen often gives people a meaning to their point of being. People use religion to talk to a God or to ask for help from angels in hopes that there is something out there to help them through. One would think that a life without some sort of spirituality or religion would be a life that has no meaning. For many, having a God or something to believe in is as essential as breathing. Varying religions contradict each other so much. Hundreds of religious views are followed by a group of people. Is religion a form of brainwashing? Religion and a belief in a higher power could just vary so much because for each person, that is what works for them and it is what they have come to know. Not that all people who believe in religious views are naà ¯ve. Those who are atheists, certainly are not naà ¯ve into believing that there is some other power that is accountable for all that is incorporated into being. They are not willing to turn their lives into something that they cannot see, hear, feel or touch. To have faith in a god is to believe in something that cannot be felt among any of those senses but to only read teachings of those that came before us. There is controversy about the actual term atheism. The word is of Greek origin of a combination of â€Å"a† and â€Å"theos.† The true meaning of â€Å"atheos,† though is questionable. â€Å"Atheos† could mean â€Å"no God,† â€Å"without God,† â€Å"lack God belief† or

Discussion 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Discussion 5 - Essay Example mally held at the home of the elder family members, this is the one time during the year when the whole year when the clan is expected to gather to partake of a dinner normally composed of chicken and fish. The strange part is that the chicken and fish dishes are not consumed but are instead meant as offerings. I have often had to explain to our foreign guests that the chicken and fish are meant to honor the Chinese pun that says â€Å"every year have chicken and fish left over† or â€Å"have profit every year† for businesses, and for families, it could mean â€Å"be blessed every year†. I realize that it is a waste of perfectly good food not to partake of the dishes served specifically for the â€Å"pun† purpose. However, it is Chinese tradition and culture that dictates we must do it. It is a tradition that has the best of intentions and has never brought harm to anyone. Which is probably why my family also continues to honor the tradition to this very day and we find ourselves constantly having to explain ourselves to our foreign guests who, in the process, learn more about Chinese cultures and

Unregistered Trade Marks Of Hong Leong Bank Bhd Marketing Essay

Unregistered Trade Marks Of Hong Leong Bank Bhd Marketing Essay Disclaimer: The trade marks, service marks, and logos (the Trade Marks) of Hong Leong Bank Bhd used and displayed in this paper are registered and/or unregistered Trade Marks of Hong Leong Bank Bhd and respective groups. Nothing on this paper should be construed as granting, by implication, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trade Mark displayed on this paper, without the written permission of the respective authority. Views expressed in this report are those of the author. Table of Contents About Hong Leong 4 Industry Analysis 4 Why Porters 5 Model 4 Limitations of Porters Model 6 Strategic Capability Analysis 6 3.1 Stakeholders 7 3.2 SWOT Analysis 7 3.2.1 Why SWOT Analysis 7 3.2.2 Hong Leong Bank SWOT Analysis 7 3.3.3 Limitations of SWOT Analysis 9 Strategic Choices 9 4.1 Strategic Choices 9 4.1.1 Why Porters Generic Strategy 9 4.2 Strategic Direction 10 4.2.1 Why Ansoff Matrix 10 4.3 Method for Pursuing Strategic Direction 12 4.4 Implication and Evaluation of Analysis 12 Justification of a Strategy 13 5.1 McKinsey Growth Pyramid 13 Conclusion 15 References 16 Abbreviations HLB Hong Leong Bank PIN Personal Identification Number SMS Short Messaging Service SME Small and Medium Enterprise RM Ringgit Malaysia SMI Small and Medium Industry ISO International Standard Organization BNM Bank Negara Malaysia ATM Automated Teller Machine About Hong Leong Bank Hong Leong Bank Berhad was found by Ji Chiew. The bank starts operations in 1905 in Kuching, Sarawak. In 1 January 1982, the Head Office relocated from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur. The consolidation of banking institution to meet the requirement of Bank Negara Malaysia marks another milestone for Hong Leong Bank Berhad. Hong Leong Bank Berhad was listed on Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange on 17 October 1994. The market capitalization as of recent days is RM 470 million, according to bank website. Hong Leong Bank has diversified the businesses into financial services, manufacturing, and property and infrastructure development. The services available are personal financial services such as credit cards, investment, loan, deposits, insurance, priority banking, personal banking and Hong Leong Club Rewards for customer loyalty (Hong Leong Bank, 2009). Industry Analysis 2.1 Why Porters 5 models Porters model determines the competitiveness of an organization using the five different forces and shows how the forces are related. To develop business strategies effectively, organizations must understand and act in response to those forces. (Porter, 1985) (Fornell and Wernerfelt, 1987) Rivalry Among Existing Competitors There are 37 banks, which are recognized and licensed to operate in Malaysia and more financial institution are opening soon. The trend of increment of the number of banks within the industry is fast and there are great challenges for HLB to create and maintain a good market share. Other banks are seems to be more aggressive to get and retain customers. This force is not in favor of Hong Leong Bank. (BNM, 2009) Threat of Substitute Products and Services Even though there are many financial institutions available, some unique facilities can only be obtained from the bank only. American Express facilities, co-branded products (e.g. MTV), higher interest rate, club rewards, junior/senior savings, overdraft are the few products which only available to this bank. Thus this force is in favor to the bank. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) (BNM, 2009) Bargaining Power of Buyers Having the whole range of financial players apart from the retail banks, it is evident that customers can move within the 40 operators and can also decide to switch to the other non-banking institutions. Their choice can even extend to the insurance companies, depending on the nature of the product. For instance if a customer is looking for a small amount of loan, he/she can even get the said product from organizations like AEON, etc. The close location of various banks is also giving customer a very high bargaining power too. For instance in a location of Puchong Jaya, along the street of Jalan Kenari it is easy to find at least 9 banks within 100 meters Maybank, Public Bank, Eon Bank, CIMB Bank, HSBC, Alliance Bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional, UOB. With this concentration the bargaining of customers always goes high before customers start looking on a differentiated service. For the said bank, this is absolutely a negative favor since the potential customers can shift easily to differ ent point. (BNM, 2009) Bargaining Power of Suppliers The core business of the Hong Leong Bank is product and services which mainly focuses on safety of monetary management. The suppliers provide some tangibles like checkbooks, lockers, private banking, priority banking. The impact of these in HLB is not much significant since they are not really like the raw material. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Threat of New Entrants The Bank Negara Malaysia has set a minimum capital requirement of RM5 billion for a bank to be registered. The conditions set for registering a bank are not difficult to obtain, hence entry barriers become low. Thus more foreign owned financial firms are keen to open their business in Malaysia. Certainly these institutions will pose threat on existing banking business as theyll have unique products and services. This force is not in favor of Hong Leong Bank. . (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) From the above analysis of HLB 5 forces analysis, the diagram below will provide a summary of the banks overall industry analysis. Threat of New Entrants (-) Threat of Substitute Products and Services (+) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Rivalry among existing competitors (-) Bargaining Power of Buyers (+) 2.2 Limitations of the Porters Model Porters 5 force analysis talks about the external forces applicable to the outside of business. Todays business is much more vast and robust requiring dynamic approaches which should be an integration of different approaches rather than depends on a single analysis. Internal factor analysis requires much analysis as external. Designing, visioning and learning approaches should be considered when an industry analysis is done. Proters 5 forces are lack of these factors. (Porter, 1985) (Gronroos, 1997) Strategic Capability Analysis 3.1 Stakeholders Stakeholder Analysis identifies important groups of people or individuals that can have an influence on the Project. These Stakeholders can have their own objectives and views, which may differ and conflict with other Stakeholders. A Stakeholder Analysis is required to identify all the parties who are directly or indirectly affected by the enterprises operations. This includes not only the traditional shareholders, but also some new groups that the insights of sustainable development tell us must be consulted in decisions that affect them. (Roberts, Varki, and Brodie, 2003) (Fombrun and Shanley, 1990) In an organization, internal stakeholder is the employees or people who work inside the organization. External stakeholders exist outside the organization but have a direct interest in what it does (e.g. shareholders, governments, customers) etc. (Roberts, Varki, and Brodie, 2003) 3.2 SWOT Analysis 3.2.1 Why SWOT Analysis? SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are external factors. (Spreng and Chiou, 2002) In SWOT, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors and opportunities and threats are external factors. 3.2.2 Hong Leong Bank SWOT Analysis Strength Hong Leong Bank Berhad (HLB) principal activity is providing consumer-banking services including credit cards, investment, mortgage, deposits, insurance and priority banking. Other activities include business banking, trade financing, working capital facilities, treasury, foreign exchange, money market operations, capital market securities trading, investment, and takaful business. It has been recognized as one of the most profitable bank in Malaysia. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) It has 186 branches, 17 business centers with talented and motivated employees throughout Malaysia making it one of the most widened banking sectors in Malaysia. Their first award year 2004, an acknowledgement for their active participation in spurring the growth of the SMEs in the country. This award certainly spur Hong Leongs strength to bring more value added financial services to customers and the SMI community and to help them face the extremely challenging and competitive business environment both locally and globally. Launched in October 2005; the Hong Leong Mobile Credit Card is the first of its kind, allowing customers who are provided with a six-digit personal identification number (PIN) to pay for goods and services using mobile phones via short messaging service (SMS). This offering is the result of Hong Leong Bank tie-up with technology provider Mobile Money International Sdn. Bhd. This unique method of payment, known as Mobile Money is speedy, convenient and cost effective. Using only the mobile phone for approval of transactions and payments, there is no longer a need for the physical plastic card, merchant terminals or Internet terminals. Payment requests are delivered via SMS. There is no need for card members to be present at the point of sales or at the merchant outlets. Payments can therefore be made from wherever card members are, at whichever place where there are mobile phone signals. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) In 2007, Hong Leong Bank bagged the Asian Bankers Best e-Banking Project 2007 with its Internet banking offering, Hong Leong Online. The award recognizes the best emerging technology practices and benchmarks in Asia Pacific banks. Apart from the Asian Banker award, Hong Leong has also been ranked as the third most popular Malaysian online banking site. Online banking transactions helped the bank save about RM24mil from March to October 2007 as each online transaction cost about 20% compared with about RM3.50 for every over-the-counter transaction. Weakness In line with its strong customer service culture, the HLB continues to maintain its superior delivery standards which have been behind against international ISO standards. HLB is yet attained bank-wide ISO 9001:2000 certifications for customer service at the front office of its branches and bank-wide loan delivery service. This is a major drawback for the HLB to have a better customer base. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As to compete in the industry of banking, interest rate is a major challenge as customer will choose for a higher interest rate for savings account and for the lowest interest rate for the loans that the customers are seeking for their financial assistances and better service for the customer. Hong Leong Bank needs to change according to the environment as to compete and remain as the market leader. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As Hong Leong Bank has moved ahead to the Electronic banking or transaction there is greater risk or security threats circulated to the users of online banking or transaction. There are non technical threats such as phising whereby it is the act of tricking someone into giving them confidential information or tricking them into doing something that they normally wouldnt do. The common applications of this approach is to send fake emails (email spoofing) to a victim purporting to come from a legitimate source and requesting information (such as the bank account number and the password) or directing the victim to a fake internet website where this information can be captured. Opportunities The bank may recruit young and talented staffs and provide them proper training to create a talent base as well as provide job to those who are in need. This may also reduces the unemployment rates in Malaysia. This talent base is able to adopt with internal formation and usually stay with the bank until the end. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As the banking industry grows and provides opportunities for the local customers indirectly it also given an opportunity to the foreigners who stays in Malaysia. They tend to use banking services more frequently to have different types of account. This additional customer base will bring more money inside the bank and of course banks will gain profit from various types of transactions. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Bringing the bank closer to the consumer could be the vital opportunity. Providing a payment gateway where ATM card could be used as like a credit card for everyday usages. Since these customers will use won money, bank may encourage them to save more to get more benefits. Establishing more ATM and branches and electronic features (e.g Western Union money transfer) will definitely bring more customers in. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Threats Ease of distributing credit card could be a disturbing role the bank is playing. While credit card repayments are depends fully on customer payment, if it is not paid, bank has to go long way. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) The bank is not really in forefront position to introduce new products and service as market demand changes. It if often seen that the bank introduces the products in different name when the service is already available in the market by other bank. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) 3.2.3 Limitations of SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis usually very subjective. It simply looks at the negative factors first in order to turn them into positive factors. So it is advisable to use SWOT as guide and not as prescription. (Spreng and Chiou, 2002) Strategic Choices 4.1 Generic Strategy 4.1.1 Why Porters Generic Strategy Generic strategies are widely used today even though it was invented in 1980s. Three options are available for organizations to adopt to achieve sustainability which are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Each of the three options are considered in two aspects of the competitive environment: (i) Competitive advantage talks about the prices (high or low) of the products, (ii) Competitive scope talks about the market size (narrow or broad). (Porter, 1985) (Chen, 1999) (Sanzo et al, 2003) Overall Cost Leadership The low cost products are the product leader in the market. It may also included the time required to built and delivery the products to customers. As it is mentioned earlier, using online banking, it would help the bank as well as customers to save more. Developing and maintaining online business is not low-priced itself. Yet it could provide vital thumbs-up to banks generic strategy. If more customers opt for online transactions, bank wouldnt have to spent time on serving customer physically thus itll requires less resources (e.g. less branch, less employees). These less resources will push ahead the bank with extra finance to improve other services. (Harris and Goode, 2004) (Sanzo et al, 2003) Differentiation Differentiated goods and services are designed to satisfy the customers with the lowest price/cost available for similar kind of products. HLB Flexi FD is a fixed deposit product which gives higher interest rate to the customer. Thus the bank will be in risk of loosing money. So it has to bring and retain much customer to cover the loss. The loss must be cover to be competitive. Since banking industry changes rapidly, HLB will have to customize the products and services over times to hold ensure customer satisfaction. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) (Jones, Mothersbaugh, and Beatty, 2000) Focus In focus an organization can afford neither a wide scope cost leadership nor does a wide scope differentiation strategy, Here an organization focus effort and resources on a narrow segment of a market. Competitive advantage is generated specifically for the niche. A company has two options to choose: use either a cost focus or a differentiation focus. Taken example of HLB structured investments. Invested amounts are 3rd-party transactions and bank itself doesnt provide any guarantee of returns of money to the customer. In this segment, HLB is a low profile character. Even though bank is charging some commission on the investments, customers who are willing to invest are to do so at own risk. (Jarvelin and Lehtinen, 1996) (Evans and Beltramini, 1987) 4.2 Strategic Directions 4.2.1 Why Ansoff Matrix The Ansoff Growth matrix is a strategic direction tool that helps businesses decides their strategies for growth. Ansoffs product/market growth matrix discuss about the strategies on which the business deliver new or current products in new or current markets. Overall output of Ansoff product/market matrix is sets of strategies that set the direction for the business growth. (Auh et al, 2007) (Sanzo et al, 2003) These are described below: Market penetration Market penetration is a general name of selling current products into current markets. The bank continuously introduces loan and credit products to customers to leap ahead. Since the banks most incomes come from loan and credit facility, reshape of current products will ensure market growth and increase of usages by existing customers. Market penetration for HLB will be focused on the central markets that it is very familiar with, competitors are known, customer needs are defined and returns are potential. (Gustafsson, Johnson, and Roos, 2005) (Agrawal, 2001) http://strategyiseverywhere.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ansoff_matrix.png Market development Market development tells about the distribution of current products in new market. With its existing banking facilities, the bank introduces private banking for the customers who loves personal banking. For everyday needs of banking, investment, loan, protection a dedicated personal banker is always there to serve the individual customer to fill their needs. These personal banking is nothing different than existing policies; focus goes to its loyal customers which puts big amount inside the bank. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) (Filotto, Tanzi, and Saita, 1997) Product development Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets. Saving multiplier plans is recently introduced by the bank. Hong Leong Savings Multiplier Plan is a unique investment tool that utilizes the powerful concept of Dollar-Cost-Averaging and offers a customized solution to tackle the distinct financial challenges throughout different life stages be it to secure a comfortable retirement or to ensure a steady flow of pension-like funds or for putting aside adequate funds even for childrens education. Islamic banking is another example of product development. (Metawa and Almossawi, 1998) (Haron, Ahmad and Planisek, 1994). Diversification Diversification is the growth strategy where new products are to be delivered in new market. This strategy is more risky for business growth as often business takes longer time to survive in a new market. HLB recently spread their business in Vietnam. Since Vietnamese culture differs from Malaysia, the bank has to adopt the culture as well as compete with well established Vietnamese banks. (Shankar, Smith, and Rangaswamy, 2003) (Evans and Beltramini, 1987) 4.3 Method for Pursuing Strategic Direction Forward Looking Policy Monetary policy management needs a forward-looking policy due to the time gap between policy actions and their intended effects on output and inflation. HLB built a macro model which would determine the impact of policy actions. Understanding the microeconomic factors are important too determine the inter-linkage of monetary policy mechanism. (Fornell and Wernerfelt, 1987) Deepening of Financial Markets New financial products are traded in the Money/Bonds market by the introduction of Hong Leong Banks Debt Capital Markets Structured Finance (DCM/Structured Finance) unit within Wholesale Banking provides innovative tailor-made solutions to financial institutions, corporate, agencies and high net-worth individuals through comprehensive offerings in the debt capital markets. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) Strong Foreign Currency Reserve Foreign exchange reserves form part of the national assets and these needs to be deployed rationally keeping in mind the principles of safety, liquidity, and return. The reserves, which are currently deployed by the HLBs in-house reserve management treasury dealers, are in short-term high quality bank deposits. (Naser, Jamal, and Al-Khatib, 1999) Reliable and Secured Payment Systems To reduce the settlement time significantly and increase cost effectiveness the bank plans to establish an electronic clearinghouse to do almost every transactions online with tighten security and handy usability. Opening an account, apply for credit cards are already in place. The bank further steps in mobile banking for dedicated user. Recently the bank introduces e-broker services (HLeBroking). HLeBroking allows the flexibility of placing orders either through a phone call to our trading hub or via the internet. Professional dealers centralized in the hub are always on hand to execute transactions and monitor shares investment portfolio. (Shankar, Smith, and Rangaswamy, 2003) (Harris and Goode, 2004) 4.4 Implication and Evaluation of Analysis During this analysis it was assumed that strategies are reasonably orderly and knowable and, in turn, that evidence can help to evaluate theories that claim to explain these strategic positions. Data and information often founded confusing and imperfect. It seems almost certain that no single study can validate or invalidate a theory. Besides, there is a good chance that a large number of studies will not generate consistent results. (Agrawal, 2001) The methodology were used in analysis is not about developing a foolproof system; it is at least partly an art. There is no mechanical system that will escape judgment, sense, and intelligence. But this does not eliminate the need for techniques and standards. Product delivery approaches, geography, demography does plays role in strategic position which were missing in the analysis done. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) The strategic planning process adopted by HLB was participative, consultative and result oriented. But the takes time to achieve results. While some important factors the bank missed out during strategic choices, individual departments must do their respective environmental scans through a SWOT analysis whereby they identified their internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external opportunities and threats. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Business trends changes randomly. Todays product may not be available tomorrow. Thus no strategic plan could be exactly fit into business strategy. However, HLB could consider a more diversified strategy which would be more beneficial to determine strategic stand. Justification of a Strategy As the strategic position and strategic choices are different from the matrix analysis, a better strategic growth model is optimal solution. 5.1 McKinsey Growth Pyramid McKinsey growth pyramid is an upgraded version of Ansoff Matrix with broader discussing of important strategic factors. With every possible action there are certain alternatives (e.g. acquisition, joint ventures, alliances etc) with risk measurement from low to high. Existing products to existing customers This is considered lowest risk options go on businesses with current asset and current customer. But itll not be much beneficial for bank in long terms. Existing products to new customers Introduce existing products to new customer which may help them meet their daily financial needs so that they dont look for other financial choices. Consumers always look for much return while bank always looks for low give-away. New customers can be a turning point for any bank. Demographical (e.g. adult, children, senior) products would be vital products to attract new customers. (Harris and Goode, 2004) New products and services Over time, new products must be channeled into banking business. Broader distribution if Islamic banking could be a important factor. It is seen that many nom-Muslims adopted for Islamic banking. Since there is trend of Islamic banking growth, the bank should not take the risk to risk the potential customers due to lack of proper preparation. Some of the products may be delivered to existing customers. Risk may incur if the products doesnt appeal the customers. (El-Bdour and Erol, 1989) (Gerrad and Cunningham, 1997) New delivery approaches Todays consumer seek more convenient service provider. Banks are not exempted indeed. Many banks had adopted special facilities for different customers. Priority banking could be one solution. In priority banking everyone is unique and therefore has very specific financial needs. Thats why bank will offer a comprehensive range of privileges for convenience. Setting up special services only for young generation can be another important product delivery approaches. Dedicated services will invite more young generation to adopt the services. However, it could cost the bank some extra amount and if the products are not selling well, bank will face loss of resources. (Yoon, Guffey, and Kijewski, 1993) (Mols, 2001) http://www.filecluster.com/screenshots/61893.gif New geographies Geographical expansion is one of the most powerful options for growth but also one of the most difficult. The bank already went global opening branches in Singapore and Vietnam. This strategy is proven fine for well reputed bank (e.g. Citibank) but it has to be cautious in business. Geographical movement may bring new customers with solid financial needs but the bank has narrow down the scope of services due to high risk. (Sanzo et al, 2003) New industry structure The bank may re-assert the liquidity franchise and continue to address the yield challenge. While economics of the business have changed, unlike other countries, pricing and credit spreads did not adjust in tandem in the Malaysia. The quality of strategic asset-liability management, liquidity and capital management differentiates. Re-asserting core businesses with efficiency, unit cost management, operating leverage, dynamic pricing as well as customer value or returns on each customer relationship. Cross-selling and customer service are key success factors. (Agrawal, 2001) New competitive arenas Using competitive arena, business may transfer their resources and knowledge to new industry using vertical integration. This may pose immense risk to bank itself. Bank may loose it all investment. Despite the risk, this will help the bank grows rapidly and spread their products throw many distribution channels. (Gronroos, 1997) Conclusion The pre- and post-crisis strategic postures are a tale of worldwide economic fall down. The postures are characterized by the scaling up of the business, refining value propositions in each business, responding to competition and price war, building new capabilities and strengthening the risk and IT infrastructure as the bank sought to incrementally improve our market share and positioning. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) (Gustafsson, Johnson, and Roos, 2005) The era ahead is more opportunistic in nature, with a rapidly changing eco-system and higher regulatory and prudential requirements. The shadow of the state on the sector globally is more pronounced. (Auh et al, 2007) Overall, the banks competitive strategy has to pivot on a competitive delivery, consisting of quality people, knowledge base and result oriented capability, market intelligence and local community embedment, entrepreneurialism and how it organize itself to scale and build new names. As it emerges from the crisis, it needs to re-segment the customers to market changes and re-build a compelling proposition on how to scale sustainability while staying opportunistic tactically. (Auh et al, 2007) References Auh, S., Bell, S.J., McLeod, C.S., Shih, E. (2007), Co-production and customer loyalty in financial services, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 88 No.3, pp.359-70. Fombrun, C., Shanley, M. (1990), Whats in a name? Reputation building and corporate strategy, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 33 No.2, pp.233-48. Gustafsson, A., Johnson, M., Roos, I. (2005), The effects of consumer satisfaction, relationship commitment dimensions, and triggers on consumer retention, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 69 No.4, pp.210-18. Harris, L.C., Goode, M.M.H. (2004), The four levels of loyalty and the pivotal role of trust: a study of online services dynamics, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 80 pp.139-58 Roberts, K., Varki, S., Brodie, R. (2003), Measuring the quality of relationships in consumer services: an empirical study, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37 No.1-2, pp.169-96. Sanzo, M.J., Santos, M.L., Và ¡zquez, R., à lvarez, L.I. (2003), The effect of market orientation on buyer-seller relationship satisfaction, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 32 No.4, pp.327-45. Shankar, V., Smith, A., Rangaswamy, A. (2003), Customer satisfaction and loyalty in online and offline environments, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol. 20 pp.153-75. Spreng, R.A., Chiou, J. (2002), A cross-cultural assessment of the satisfaction formation process, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 36 No.7-8, pp.829-39. Yoon, E., Guffey, H.G., Kijewski, V. (1993), The effects of information and company reputation on intentions to buy a business service, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 27 pp.215-28. Porter, M E. (1985) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, New York: The Free Press. Gronroos, C., (1997) Value-driven Relations Marketing: From Products to Resources and Competencies. Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 13, Number 5, p. 407-419. Agrawal, P. (2001), The relation between savings and growth: co-integration and causality evidence from Asia, Applied Economics, Vol. 33, pp. 499-513. Chen, T.Y. (1999), Critical success factors for various strategies in the banking industry, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 83-91. Dannenberg, M. and Kellner, D. (1998), The bank of tomorrow with todays technology, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 90-7. Filotto, U., Tanzi, P.M. and Saita, F. (1997), Consumer needs and front-office technology adoption, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 13-21. Mols, N.P. (2001), Organising for the effective introduction of new distribution channels in retail banking, Europ

Jeremy Bentham : Father of Utilitarianism Essays -- Ethics Morals Phi

Assess the merits of Utilitarianism (24 Marks) Utilitarianism is a theory aimed at defining one simple basis that can be applied when making any ethical decision. It is based on a human’s natural instinct to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Jeremy Bentham is widely regarded as the father of utilitarianism. He was born in 1748 into a family of lawyers and was himself, training to join the profession. During this process however, he became disillusioned by the state British law was in and set out to reform the system into a perfect one based on the ‘Greatest Happiness Principle,’ ‘the idea that pleasurable consequences are what qualify an action as being morally good’. Bentham observed that we are all governed by pain and pleasure; we all naturally aim to seek pleasure and avoid pain. He then decided that the best moral principle for governing our lives is one which uses this, the ‘Greatest Happiness Principle.’ This is that the amount of overall happiness or unhappiness that is caused by an action should determine whether an action is right or wrong. He stated, ‘the greatest happiness of all those whose interest is in question is the right and proper, and only right and proper end of human action’ Here Bentham is saying that the principle is the only valid of deciding and justifying our actions, that the principle should be applied regardless of any others, as it is the only true and reliable way of defining whether an action is right or wrong. An advantage of utilitarianism is that it can be applied to any situation. Unlike many moral approaches you are not restricted by rules such as ‘it is always wrong to lie,’ or ‘killing is never right.’ This allows the philosopher to consider any dilemma or problem in it’s own specific context. For example applying Kantian ethics, abortion or euthanasia would have to be defined as wrong, however a utilitarian has the scope to make there own decision considering a range of factors and situations. Bentham realised that because this theory is based on the outcome of our actions it may be difficult to assess fairly which action will produce the most happiness. He therefore developed the ‘hedonistic calculus’, a form of calculating the happiness resulting from an act by assessing 7 different factors of the pleasure produced such as intensity and duration. In doing this Bentham was attempting to create some sort of ... ...ilitarianism, like any other ‘list of rules’ approach to morality can be wrong in certain situations and encourages people to blindly follow rules. Utilitarianism is a reality, not just a theory like many other philosophies; it is practiced every day, for instance the vote system. This ongoing practice of utilitarianism in society has show that it is flawed. Just because the masses vote for something, doesn’t make it right. The masses can be fooled, as in Nazi Germany for example, thousands of people were behind Hitler even though his actions were undeniably evil. Utilitarianism is a logical system, but it requires some sort of basic, firm rules to prevent such gross injustices, violations of human rights, and just obviously wrong thing ever being allowed. This could be the ‘harm principle’ which Mill devised. ‘Acts of whatever kind, which, without justifiable cause, do harm to others, may be, and in the more important cases absolutely require to be, controlled by the unfavorable sentiments, and, when needful, by the active interference of mankind. The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.’

An Analysis of Freud’s Critique of Religion Essay

In his book Future of an Illusion, Sigmund Freud critique uses his method of psychoanalysis on religion. By comparing the relationship between human and religion to that of a child and his parents Freud effectively demonstrates that religion is a product of the human mind. After exposing religion as a an illusion Freud concludes that humanity will be better off when it has forgone religion. This paper will argue that Freud’s assertion that religion is an illusion is correct because of it’s blatantly traceable evolution through the history of the human civilization and psyche. The first argument that Freud makes in his assault on religion regards civilization. Freud argues that human civilization arose as a result of mankind’s needs to protect itself from nature. â€Å"It was precisely because of these dangers with which nature threatens us that we came together and created civilization.† (Freud 19) As a result of the need for organization and manpower to prepare defenses against nature, the instincts of men had to be controlled. He furthers this argument by saying that two human traits, laziness and the unwilling nature of the masses to listen to reason are responsible for the necessity of the rule of law. Freud then describes the various methods of coercion that can be employed by civilization to halt instinctual privation. The most important of which he points out as being religion. The main reasons that Freud ranks religion as being/having been the most important tool in civilization are it’s ability to explain the various inequities and inexplicable phenomena that afflict human civilization. Freud points out how ancient civilizations used religion to â€Å"humanize† nature. By making these natural terrors beings that could be dealt with just like men it allowed people the chance to react to and have the illusion of influence on nature. He also illuminates with slight sarcasm how convenient religion is in it’s ability to rectify all the trials and tribulations of life for us. â€Å"Everything that happens in this world is an expression of the intentions of an intelligence superior to us, which in the end, though its ways and byways are difficult to follow, orders everything for the best.† (Freud 23) The existence of this divine creature who creates justice for us ensures that the masses will not stray from the laws and tenets of religion  and society for fear of being judged by this entity. Religion is also valuable to civilization for it’s ability to explain death. Thanks to religion, death became something other than simply the termination of a life. Death stopped being the end and was recasted into the role of a doorway to another existence. As though knowing that the continuation of life were not enough, religion furthers it’s own appeal by promising that the afterlife will be better than life on Earth. The afterlife itself also serves a function as well. A desire to gain entry into this afterlife will cause many of the masses to renounce their instincts. Another argument Freud makes is how religion is an attempt to fill in the gaps where civilization and the pursuit of life cannot make individuals happy. He says that, â€Å"The urge to rectify the shortcomings of civilization which made themselves painfully felt† is fulfilled by religion. (Freud 27) This can be seen throughout modern society in many different forms. It is telling that quite often individuals who are extremely ill, paralyzed, poor, or otherwise frowned upon by civilization and culture tend to be more religious. Later Freud turns his argument to the legal historical proof surrounding religions. Using an analogy of a child learning geography and simply accepting on faith that the places he sees on a map exist rather than going on a journey around the world, Freud attacks religious doctrines. He does this by pointing out that though the child takes on faith what he sees on the map, he could take a journey around the world and see for himself that these places indeed exist. He then applies this same manner of thinking to religious doctrines when he asks what these kind of claims these doctrines are founded on and why we should believe them? The answers he says are that they were believed by our ancestors and that it is forbidden to question them. Freud points out that it is the latter point which highlights society’s own awareness of â€Å"the insecurity of the claim it makes on behalf of its religious doctrines.† (Freud 33) The own paranoia that religions have of even questioned shows how much they realize that their beliefs do not follow reason. As Freud shows us the early church recognized this all too well when it instituted a doctrine that maintained that religious doctrines  do fall under the microscope of reason. The most common religious document of all time, The Bible, holds a particular Proverb that further illustrates the paranoia or religion against reason. â€Å"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding†. (Proverbs 3:5) Another important concept that Freud uses to critique religion can be found in his broad background in psychology. He alludes greatly the Oedipus complex in his dealings with God and the individual. According to Freud, humankind is similar to a child who needs to be protected and supported in his/her everyday life, thus he/she sees God as supportive, protective father. Freud gives his own theories far too much justice in this regard. One does not need to regard God as a father-figure to believe in him. There are many people who believe in God but do not accept God as a beneficent omnipotent being. However, we cannot say that Freud in his genius could not apply psychoanalysis to these other divinations of God and rectify them to individual situations. Freud’s best argument in favor of religion’s existence as an illusion is when he describes the convenient nature of religion to particular times of civilization. Freud says that we know approximately at what periods and by what kind of men religious doctrines were created. He also argues that it is very telling how religion tells us almost exactly what we want to hear. â€Å"We shall tell ourselves that it would be very nice if there were a God who created the world and was a benevolent providence, and if there were a moral order in the universe and an afterlife; but it is a very striking fact that all this is exactly as we are bound to wish it to be.† (Freud 42) Freud’s assertion that religions are in fact illusions created to deceive men into reunouncing their instincts for the advancement of civilization is based entirely on generalizations about all religions. These generalizations, however, can be well supported when one looks back throughout history. Religion could easily be compared to a chameleon that changes it’s color to fit whatever the needs of civilization are to survive. It is ironic that religion can be traced throughout history as being so adaptable given the intransigent foundations of religion. Whether or not religions really are illusions as Freud’s ultimate conclusion states, there is undoubtedly a clear link between religion and the evolution of civilization. A fantastic example of religion changing it’s color in order to better fit the evolution of civilization can be seen in the ancient Order of the Knights of the Temple Mount or Knights Templar. The Knights Templar in the middle ages were created to be the shock troops for Europe’s holy war against the infidels. When this war was lost and the military arm of the knights were no longer needed, the organization was systematically eliminated. It’s leaders were charged with heresy and killed and it’s wealth was confiscated, simply because the organizations purpose no longer coincide with church doctrine. Another great example of religious adaptability can be seen in the evolution of Christianity in Rome. As the old religions in Rome were in decline and material decadence had taken over, Christianity appeared over the horizon as one of the saving graces of the Roman empire. As the threat from barbarians grew in on the empire’s borders grew, so did Christianity place in Rome. It was eventually elevated to being the state religion under the empire Diocletian. Even Christianity would not be able to save Rome from the barbarian hordes. In their hour of defeat Romans were undoubtedly able to pray and ask for salvation from Christ. It is interesting that such a doctrine would arise shortly before a time of annihilation. Finally, it is important to note the role of religion in capitalism. Capitalism, as pointed out by Marx, is a vastly unfavorable system of economy for many people. While some would argue that it allows people the freedom make their own destinies, others would say that capitalism traps some in a cycle of poverty. Either way, those who are born poor are in a highly disadvantaged situation to those who are rich. That is, in this world. With religion and the afterlife, all are on an equal playing field. In fact, the poor even have quite an advantage. â€Å"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God† (Matthew 19:24). This type of thinking has been fundamental for the stability of capitalism throughout history. No amount of earthly wealth  could ever compare to the golden paved streets of heaven and eternal bliss. Freud’s critique of religion demonstrates the disturbing correlations between religion and civilization and shows us the true motives behind religions existence. Freud proves that religion was a product of the human necessity to protect itself from nature and the need that arose from there to stop our own instincts from destroying our creations. In conclusion, Freud disproved the claims of religious doctrines as being divinely originated, but he did not disprove God. His belief that it was time for civilization to grow up from religion may be correct but it will never happen. Religion is far too embedded in civilization to ever be removed by simply showing the educated it’s true purpose. Like life on this planet, religion has adapted to whatever environment our 8000 year old civilization has placed it. Even if everyone knew religion to be nothing but an illusion, that knowledge alone would not be enough to make that illusion disappear from the psyche of humanity. People would have to have a conscious desire to not believe in religion for it to be eliminated. This desire to discover the truth would be outweighed by the desire of a majority of humanity to rectify the inexplicable world of death and injustice to their own lives.

Fresh Water

Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful to humans. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require fresh water. 97% of water on the Earth is salt water, and only 3% is fresh water of which slightly over two thirds is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. [1] The remaining unfrozen freshwater is mainly found as groundwater, with only a small fraction present above ground or in the air. 2] Fresh water is a renewable resource, yet the world's supply of clean, fresh water is steadily decreasing. Water demand already exceeds supply in many parts of the world and as the world population continues to rise, so too does the water demand. Awareness of the global importance of preserving water for ecosystem services has only recently emerged as, during the 20th century, more than half the world’s wetlands have been lost along with their valuable environmenta l services.Biodiversity-rich freshwater ecosystems are currently declining faster than marine or land ecosystems. [3] The framework for allocating water resources to water users (where such a framework exists) is known as water rights. [pic] [pic] A graphical distribution of the locations of water on Earth. |Contents | |[hide] | |1 Sources of fresh water | |1. Surface water | |1. 2 Under river flow | |1. 3 Ground water | |1. 4 Desalination | |1. 5 Frozen water | |2 Uses of fresh water | |2. 1 Agricultural | |2. Industrial | |2. 3 Household | |2. 4 Recreation | |2. 5 Environmental | |3 Water stress | |3. 1 Population growth | |3. 2 Expansion of business activity | |3. Rapid urbanization | |3. 4 Climate change | |3. 5 Depletion of aquifers | |3. 6 Pollution and water protection | |3. 7 Water and conflict | |4 World water supply and distribution | |5 Economic considerations | |5. Business response | |6 See also | |7 Further reading | |8 Notes | |9 References | |10 External links | [pic ][edit] Sources of fresh water [edit] Surface water Main article: Surface water [pic] [pic]Lake Chungara and Parinacota volcano in northern Chile Surface water is water in a river, lake or fresh water wetland. Surface water is naturally replenished by precipitation and naturally lost through discharge to the oceans, evaporation, and sub-surface seepage. Although the only natural input to any surface water system is precipitation within its watershed, the total quantity of water in that system at any given time is also dependent on many other factors. These factors include storage capacity in lakes, wetlands and artificial reservoirs, the permeability of the soil eneath these storage bodies, the runoff characteristics of the land in the watershed, the timing of the precipitation and local evaporation rates. All of these factors also affect the proportions of water lost. Human activities can have a large and sometimes devastating impact on these factors. Humans often increase storage capacity by constructing reservoirs and decrease it by draining wetlands. Humans often increase runoff quantities and velocities by paving areas and channelizing stream flow. The total quantity of water available at any given time is an important consideration.Some human water users have an intermittent need for water. For example, many farms require large quantities of water in the spring, and no water at all in the winter. To supply such a farm with water, a surface water system may require a large storage capacity to collect water throughout the year and release it in a short period of time. Other users have a continuous need for water, such as a power plant that requires water for cooling. To supply such a power plant with water, a surface water system only needs enough storage capacity to fill in when average stream flow is below the power plant's need.Nevertheless, over the long term the average rate of precipitation within a watershed is the upper bound for average consumptio n of natural surface water from that watershed. Natural surface water can be augmented by importing surface water from another watershed through a canal or pipeline. It can also be artificially augmented from any of the other sources listed here, however in practice the quantities are negligible. Humans can also cause surface water to be â€Å"lost† (i. e. become unusable) through pollution. Brazil is the country estimated to have the largest supply of fresh water in the world, followed by Russia and Canada. 4] [edit] Under river flow Throughout the course of the river, the total volume of water transported downstream will often be a combination of the visible free water flow together with a substantial contribution flowing through sub-surface rocks and gravels that underlie the river and its floodplain called the hyporheic zone. For many rivers in large valleys, this unseen component of flow may greatly exceed the visible flow. The hyporheic zone often forms a dynamic interf ace between surface water and true ground-water receiving water from he ground water when aquifers are fully charged and contributing water to ground-water when ground waters are depleted. This is especially significant in karst areas where pot-holes and underground rivers are common. [edit] Ground water Main article: Groundwater [pic] [pic] Sub-Surface water travel time [pic] [pic] Shipot, a common water source in Ukrainian villages Sub-surface water, or groundwater, is fresh water located in the pore space of soil and rocks. It is also water that is flowing within aquifers below the water table.Sometimes it is useful to make a distinction between sub-surface water that is closely associated with surface water and deep sub-surface water in an aquifer (sometimes called â€Å"fossil water†). Sub-surface water can be thought of in the same terms as surface water: inputs, outputs and storage. The critical difference is that due to its slow rate of turnover, sub-surface water sto rage is generally much larger compared to inputs than it is for surface water. This difference makes it easy for humans to use sub-surface water unsustainably for a long time without severe consequences.Nevertheless, over the long term the average rate of seepage above a sub-surface water source is the upper bound for average consumption of water from that source. The natural input to sub-surface water is seepage from surface water. The natural outputs from sub-surface water are springs and seepage to the oceans. If the surface water source is also subject to substantial evaporation, a sub-surface water source may become saline. This situation can occur naturally under endorheic bodies of water, or artificially under irrigated farmland.In coastal areas, human use of a sub-surface water source may cause the direction of seepage to ocean to reverse which can also cause soil salinization. Humans can also cause sub-surface water to be â€Å"lost† (i. e. become unusable) through p ollution. Humans can increase the input to a sub-surface water source by building reservoirs or detention ponds. [edit] Desalination Main article: Desalination Desalination is an artificial process by which saline water (generally sea water) is converted to fresh water. The most common desalination processes are distillation and reverse osmosis.Desalination is currently expensive compared to most alternative sources of water, and only a very small fraction of total human use is satisfied by desalination. It is only economically practical for high-valued uses (such as household and industrial uses) in arid areas. The most extensive use is in the Persian Gulf. [edit] Frozen water [pic] [pic] An iceberg as seen from Newfoundland Several schemes have been proposed to make use of icebergs as a water source, however to date this has only been done for novelty purposes. Glacier runoff is considered to be surface water.The Himalayas, which are often called â€Å"The Roof of the World†, contain some of the most extensive and rough high altitude areas on Earth as well as the greatest area of glaciers and permafrost outside of the poles. Ten of Asia’s largest rivers flow from there, and more than a billion people’s livelihoods depend on them. To complicate matters, temperatures are rising more rapidly here than the global average. In Nepal the temperature has risen with 0. 6 degree over the last decade, whereas the global warming has been around 0. 7 over the last hundred years. [5] edit] Uses of fresh water Uses of fresh water can be categorized as consumptive and non-consumptive (sometimes called â€Å"renewable†). A use of water is consumptive if that water is not immediately available for another use. Losses to sub-surface seepage and evaporation are considered consumptive, as is water incorporated into a product (such as farm produce). Water that can be treated and returned as surface water, such as sewage, is generally considered non-con sumptive if that water can be put to additional use. [edit] Agricultural [pic] [pic] A farm in OntarioIt is estimated that 69% of worldwide water use is for irrigation, with 15-35% of irrigation withdrawals being unsustainable. [6] In some areas of the world irrigation is necessary to grow any crop at all, in other areas it permits more profitable crops to be grown or enhances crop yield. Various irrigation methods involve different trade-offs between crop yield, water consumption and capital cost of equipment and structures. Irrigation methods such as furrow and overhead sprinkler irrigation are usually less expensive but are also typically less efficient, because much of the water evaporates, runs off or drains below the root zone.Other irrigation methods considered to be more efficient include drip or trickle irrigation, surge irrigation, and some types of sprinkler systems where the sprinklers are operated near ground level. These types of systems, while more expensive, usually offer greater potential to minimize runoff, drainage and evaporation. Any system that is improperly managed can be wasteful, all methods have the potential for high efficiencies under suitable conditions, appropriate irrigation timing and management. One issue that is often insufficiently considered is salinization of sub-surface water.Aquaculture is a small but growing agricultural use of water. Freshwater commercial fisheries may also be considered as agricultural uses of water, but have generally been assigned a lower priority than irrigation (see Aral Sea and Pyramid Lake). As global populations grow, and as demand for food increases in a world with a fixed water supply, there are efforts underway to learn how to produce more food with less water, through improvements in irrigation[7] methods[8] and technologies, agricultural water management, crop types, and water monitoring. [edit] Industrial pic] [pic] A power plant in Poland It is estimated that 22% of worldwide water use is industrial. [6] Major industrial users include power plants, which use water for cooling or as a power source (i. e. hydroelectric plants), ore and oil refineries, which use water in chemical processes, and manufacturing plants, which use water as a solvent. The portion of industrial water usage that is consumptive varies widely, but as a whole is lower than agricultural use. Water is used in power generation. Hydroelectricity is electricity obtained from hydropower.Hydroelectric power comes from water driving a water turbine connected to a generator. Hydroelectricity is a low-cost, non-polluting, renewable energy source. The energy is supplied by the sun. Heat from the sun evaporates water, which condenses as rain in higher altitudes, from where it flows down. Pressurized water is used in water blasting and water jet cutters. Also, very high pressure water guns are used for precise cutting. It works very well, is relatively safe, and is not harmful to the environment. It is also u sed in the cooling of machinery to prevent over-heating, or prevent saw blades from over-heating.Water is also used in many industrial processes and machines, such as the steam turbine and heat exchanger, in addition to its use as a chemical solvent. Discharge of untreated water from industrial uses is pollution. Pollution includes discharged solutes (chemical pollution) and discharged coolant water (thermal pollution). Industry requires pure water for many applications and utilizes a variety of purification techniques both in water supply and discharge. [edit] Household [pic] [pic] Drinking water It is estimated that 8% of worldwide water use is for household purposes. 6] These include drinking water, bathing, cooking, sanitation, and gardening. Basic household water requirements have been estimated by Peter Gleick at around 50 liters per person per day, excluding water for gardens. Drinking water is water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or used with out risk of immediate or long term harm. Such water is commonly called potable water. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard even though only a very small proportion is actually consumed or used in food preparation. edit] Recreation [pic] [pic] Whitewater rapids Recreational water use is usually a very small but growing percentage of total water use. Recreational water use is mostly tied to reservoirs. If a reservoir is kept fuller than it would otherwise be for recreation, then the water retained could be categorized as recreational usage. Release of water from a few reservoirs is also timed to enhance whitewater boating, which also could be considered a recreational usage. Other examples are anglers, water skiers, nature enthusiasts and swimmers. Recreational usage is usually non-consumptive.Golf courses are often targeted as using excessive amounts of water, especially in drier regions. It is, however , unclear whether recreational irrigation (which would include private gardens) has a noticeable effect on water resources. This is largely due to the unavailability of reliable data. Additionally, many golf courses utilize either primarily or exclusively treated effluent water, which has little impact on potable water availability. Some governments, including the Californian Government, have labelled golf course usage as agricultural in order to deflect environmentalists' charges of wasting water.However, using the above figures as a basis, the actual statistical effect of this reassignment is close to zero. In Arizona, an organized lobby has been established in the form of the Golf Industry Association, a group focused on educating the public on how golf impacts the environment. Recreational usage may reduce the availability of water for other users at specific times and places. For example, water retained in a reservoir to allow boating in the late summer is not available to farm ers during the spring planting season.Water released for whitewater rafting may not be available for hydroelectric generation during the time of peak electrical demand. [edit] Environmental Explicit environmental water use is also a very small but growing percentage of total water use. Environmental water usage includes artificial wetlands, artificial lakes intended to create wildlife habitat, fish ladders , and water releases from reservoirs timed to help fish spawn. Like recreational usage, environmental usage is non-consumptive but may reduce the availability of water for other users at specific times and places.For example, water release from a reservoir to help fish spawn may not be available to farms upstream. [edit] Water stress [pic] [pic] Best estimate of the share of people in developing countries with access to drinking water 1970–2000. Main articles: Water crisis and Water stress The concept of water stress is relatively simple: According to the World Business Cou ncil for Sustainable Development, it applies to situations where there is not enough water for all uses, whether agricultural, industrial or domestic.Defining thresholds for stress in terms of available water per capita is more complex, however, entailing assumptions about water use and its efficiency. Nevertheless, it has been proposed that when annual per capita renewable freshwater availability is less than 1,700 cubic meters, countries begin to experience periodic or regular water stress. Below 1,000 cubic meters, water scarcity begins to hamper economic development and human health and well-being. [edit] Population growth In 2000, the world population was 6. 2 billion. The UN estimates that by 2050 there will be an additional 3. billion people with most of the growth in developing countries that already suffer water stress. [9] Thus, water demand will increase unless there are corresponding increases in water conservation and recycling of this vital resource. [10] [edit] Expans ion of business activity Business activity ranging from industrialization to services such as tourism and entertainment continues to expand rapidly. This expansion requires increased water services including both supply and sanitation, which can lead to more pressure on water resources and natural ecosystems. edit] Rapid urbanization The trend towards urbanization is accelerating. Small private wells and septic tanks that work well in low-density communities are not feasible within high-density urban areas. Urbanization requires significant investment in water infrastructure in order to deliver water to individuals and to process the concentrations of wastewater – both from individuals and from business. These polluted and contaminated waters must be treated or they pose unacceptable public health risks.In 60% of European cities with more than 100,000 people, groundwater is being used at a faster rate than it can be replenished. [11] Even if some water remains available, it c osts more and more to capture it. [edit] Climate change Climate change could have significant impacts on water resources around the world because of the close connections between the climate and hydrological cycle. Rising temperatures will increase evaporation and lead to increases in precipitation, though there will be regional variations in rainfall. Overall, the global supply of freshwater will increase.Both droughts and floods may become more frequent in different regions at different times, and dramatic changes in snowfall and snow melt are expected in mountainous areas. Higher temperatures will also affect water quality in ways that are not well understood. Possible impacts include increased eutrophication. Climate change could also mean an increase in demand for farm irrigation, garden sprinklers, and perhaps even swimming pools [edit] Depletion of aquifers Due to the expanding human population, competition for water is growing such that many of the worlds major aquifers are becoming depleted.This is due both for direct human consumption as well as agricultural irrigation by groundwater. Millions of pumps of all sizes are currently extracting groundwater throughout the world. Irrigation in dry areas such as northern China and India is supplied by groundwater, and is being extracted at an unsustainable rate. Cities that have experienced aquifer drops between 10 to 50 meters include Mexico City, Bangkok, Manila, Beijing, Madras and Shanghai. [12] [edit] Pollution and water protection Main article: Water pollution [pic] [pic] Polluted waterWater pollution is one of the main concerns of the world today. The governments of numerous countries have strived to find solutions to reduce this problem. Many pollutants threaten water supplies, but the most widespread, especially in developing countries, is the discharge of raw sewage into natural waters; this method of sewage disposal is the most common method in underdeveloped countries, but also is prevalent in qu asi-developed countries such as China, India and Iran. Sewage, sludge, garbage, and even toxic pollutants are all dumped into the water. Even if ewage is treated, problems still arise. Treated sewage forms sludge, which may be placed in landfills, spread out on land, incinerated or dumped at sea. [13] In addition to sewage, nonpoint source pollution such as agricultural runoff is a significant source of pollution in some parts of the world, along with urban stormwater runoff and chemical wastes dumped by industries and governments. [edit] Water and conflict The only known example of an actual inter-state conflict over water took place between 2500 and 2350 BC between the Sumerian states of Lagash and Umma. 14] Yet, despite the lack of evidence of international wars being fought over water alone, water has been the source of various conflicts throughout history. When water scarcity causes political tensions to arise, this is referred to as water stress. Water stress has led most ofte n to conflicts at local and regional levels. [15] Using a purely quantitative methodology, Thomas Homer-Dixon successfully correlated water scarcity and scarcity of available arable lands to an increased chance of violent conflict. 16] Water stress can also exacerbate conflicts and political tensions which are not directly caused by water. Gradual reductions over time in the quality and/or quantity of fresh water can add to the instability of a region by depleting the health of a population, obstructing economic development, and exacerbating larger conflicts. [17] Conflicts and tensions over water are most likely to arise within national borders, in the downstream areas of distressed river basins.Areas such as the lower regions of China's Yellow River or the Chao Phraya River in Thailand, for example, have already been experiencing water stress for several years. Additionally, certain arid countries which rely heavily on water for irrigation, such as China, India, Iran, and Pakistan , are particularly at risk of water-related conflicts. [17] Political tensions, civil protest, and violence may also occur in reaction to water privatization. The Bolivian Water Wars of 2000 are a case in point. [edit] World water supply and distributionFood and water are two basic human needs. However, global coverage figures from 2002 indicate that, of every 10 people: †¢ roughly 5 have a connection to a piped water supply at home (in their dwelling, plot or yard); †¢ 3 make use of some other sort of improved water supply, such as a protected well or public standpipe; †¢ 2 are unserved; †¢ In addition, 4 out of every 10 people live without improved sanitation. [6] At Earth Summit 2002 governments approved a Plan of Action to: †¢ Halve by 2015 the proportion of people unable to reach or afford safe drinking water.The Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000 Report (GWSSAR) defines â€Å"Reasonable access† to water as at least 20 liters per person per day from a source within one kilometer of the user’s home. †¢ Halve the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation. The GWSSR defines â€Å"Basic sanitation† as private or shared but not public disposal systems that separate waste from human contact. As the picture shows, in 2025, water shortages will be more prevalent among poorer countries where resources are limited and population growth is rapid, such as the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia.By 2025, large urban and peri-urban areas will require new infrastructure to provide safe water and adequate sanitation. This suggests growing conflicts with agricultural water users, who currently consume the majority of the water used by humans. Generally speaking the more developed countries of North America, Europe and Russia will not see a serious threat to water supply by the year 2025, not only because of their relative wealth, but more importantly their populations will be better aligne d with available water resources.North Africa, the Middle East, South Africa and northern China will face very severe water shortages due to physical scarcity and a condition of overpopulation relative to their carrying capacity with respect to water supply. Most of South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern China and India will face water supply shortages by 2025; for these latter regions the causes of scarcity will be economic constraints to developing safe drinking water, as well as excessive population growth. 1. billion people have gained access to a safe water source since 1990. [18] The proportion of people in developing countries with access to safe water is calculated to have improved from 30 percent in 1970[19] to 71 percent in 1990, 79 percent in 2000 and 84 percent in 2004. This trend is projected to continue. [18] [edit] Economic considerations Water supply and sanitation require a huge amount of capital investment in infrastructure such as pipe networks, pumping stati ons and water treatment works.It is estimated that Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations need to invest at least USD 200 billion per year to replace aging water infrastructure to guarantee supply, reduce leakage rates and protect water quality. [20] International attention has focused upon the needs of the developing countries. To meet the Millennium Development Goals targets of halving the proportion of the population lacking access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015, current annual investment on the order of USD 10 to USD 15 billion would need to be roughly doubled.This does not include investments required for the maintenance of existing infrastructure. [21] Once infrastructure is in place, operating water supply and sanitation systems entails significant ongoing costs to cover personnel, energy, chemicals, maintenance and other expenses. The sources of money to meet these capital and operational costs are essentially either user f ees, public funds or some combination of the two. But this is where the economics of water management start to become extremely complex as they intersect with social and broader economic policy.Such policy questions are beyond the scope of this article, which has concentrated on basic information about water availability and water use. They are, nevertheless, highly relevant to understanding how critical water issues will affect business and industry in terms of both risks and opportunities. [edit] Business response The World Business Council for Sustainable Development in its H2OScenarios engaged in a scenario building process to: †¢ Clarify and enhance understanding by business of the key issues and drivers of change related to water. Promote mutual understanding between the business community and non-business stakeholders on water management issues. †¢ Support effective business action as part of the solution to sustainable water management. It concludes that: †¢ B usiness cannot survive in a society that thirsts. †¢ One does not have to be in the water business to have a water crisis.

My Struggle through High School Essay Example

My Struggle through High School Essay Example My Struggle through High School Essay My Struggle through High School Essay Essay Topic: High School Middle School Name: Course: Lecturer: Date: My Struggle through High School I have always been ambitious in everything that I do. This has enabled me to work with dedication and diligence. Other than the occasional instances of sickness, my school years in elementary and all through middle school were flawless, as I swayed with the motions of school life. However, this was to change during my final years in junior high when I began noticing changes in my health. I had noticed a small lump in my armpit, but I had not thought much about it. It was only after some several months had passed that I felt an intense pain and I decided to have it examined. By this time, I had already started high school. The first visit to the doctor did not reveal much. I had to take some medical tests and the biopsy revealed that I had cancer. I could not believe it at first, for I could not understand how I could get cancer at my age. This denial made me reluctant in starting treatment, as I sought the second and third opinion concerning the diagnosis. All the doctors at different health centers confirmed the diagnosis. I finally yielded to the pressure from my family and healthcare providers and I began the cancer treatments last year. I had to go to the hospital many times, and the treatments I received made me tired and weak. My situation was worse because of my weak immune system. I missed school for many days. The pain I felt was immeasurable and I could not compare it to anything I have ever experienced. It was during this time that I realized the value and benefits of having genuine friends. They would visit me often at home, and they would make the time to study with me during the weekends. I was determined to finish high school and graduate at the same time with them, and I put a lot of dedication in my studies at home. I did not attend classes, and I missed the opportunity of learning, as the others were learning. Although I took the time to study on my own, I knew that I could not compare this with the classroom experience. I did not have the time to go to the library or to use the learning resources that were available to the other students. All these struggles and challenges affected my experience through school. Since I began the treatments, I have noticed great improvements in my health. The first few months in my final year were tough, as I had to catch up with my classmates. My dedication finally paid off. I am in the top high school in Baltimore, and securing a good grade is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that I put because there is much competition. My experience with cancer and the struggles I faced made me realize that a person can accomplish anything if he or she determines to work with diligence and dedication. It made me resolve to work harder to fulfill my life’s dreams. This has led me to apply to this institution, because I know that it represents a beginning for me to accomplish the objectives I have set. The institution is renowned for its top quality education, and a dedicated faculty, something that I identify with and appreciate.

Free Essays on War On Vieques

The movie â€Å"War on Vieques† opened my eyes to a part of Puerto Rico in which I was unaware. I am glad I had the opportunity to view this movie in class as it opened my eyes to something I was wholly unaware. The developments over there came to me as shocking revelations, for it seems almost as if it were a scandal. First off, the island of Vieques is located in the Caribbean Ocean. It is located on the Eastern side of Puerto Rico. Since the early 1900’s, our very own U.S Navy has been occupying much of the island of Vieques. The U.S navy occupies this territory for their own selfish reasons, and it continues to be a problem. Technically the U.S is allowed to be in that territory as they do have the right with Puerto Rico being a U.S colony. However, the land is misused and it is felt that the U.S is abusing their power. The U.S has been occupying the island for military purposes that date back quite a few years. The U.S rather bullied there way in, forcing the natives out of there land in some ways. The natives were forced to live wherever the U.S would let them, and they had to accept it. The years of military testing have taken there toll on the island. The land has been noticeably affected. There have been serious contaminations deposited throughout the land due to all the toxic weapons the U.S have practiced with. This is seriously leading to the deterioration of the land. There are many reports of chemicals, dust particles and residues.... Free Essays on War On Vieques Free Essays on War On Vieques The movie â€Å"War on Vieques† opened my eyes to a part of Puerto Rico in which I was unaware. I am glad I had the opportunity to view this movie in class as it opened my eyes to something I was wholly unaware. The developments over there came to me as shocking revelations, for it seems almost as if it were a scandal. First off, the island of Vieques is located in the Caribbean Ocean. It is located on the Eastern side of Puerto Rico. Since the early 1900’s, our very own U.S Navy has been occupying much of the island of Vieques. The U.S navy occupies this territory for their own selfish reasons, and it continues to be a problem. Technically the U.S is allowed to be in that territory as they do have the right with Puerto Rico being a U.S colony. However, the land is misused and it is felt that the U.S is abusing their power. The U.S has been occupying the island for military purposes that date back quite a few years. The U.S rather bullied there way in, forcing the natives out of there land in some ways. The natives were forced to live wherever the U.S would let them, and they had to accept it. The years of military testing have taken there toll on the island. The land has been noticeably affected. There have been serious contaminations deposited throughout the land due to all the toxic weapons the U.S have practiced with. This is seriously leading to the deterioration of the land. There are many reports of chemicals, dust particles and residues....

4 Anthropological Concepts Applied

Anthropologists believe that we learn to interact by picking up cultural codes of conduct starting from infancy; hence human behavior isn’t biologically acquired, but shaped by a guider. For example, in the documentary â€Å"Acting like a thief† by Kerim Friedman and Shashwati Talukdar,the â€Å"Chharas† were brought up in a nomadic lifestyle,where stealing was the norm. Dakxin’s grandmother admits that â€Å"people saw them as artists as well as thieves†. In 1871, they were labeled as a â€Å"criminal tribe† and were sent to prison camps by the British. Here the government kept strict checks on them, to the extent of following the women to the bathrooms, while men were forced to work or were beaten up. The social stigma that developed as a result of the people being labeled â€Å"born criminals† was internalized by their own grandparents, and the children let it define who they were as they grew up. This is evident by the response of one of the children, Vivek after he saw his mother getting beaten up on a street because she was caught in a burglary was that, â€Å"I don’t have a problem saying that my mother used to be a thief. Since I live in a society of born criminals, so of course I am a son of a thief, not a government official. † The idea that the guider shapes the identity of the community is also exemplified by the fact that even if the children wanted to get rid of the criminal stigma attached to them, it wasn’t an option. They weren’t given the opportunity to get jobs and hence had to resort to the illegal brewing of liquor as their only source of income. As is evident in this documentary, we can see that the behaviors and culture of a person is influenced by the culture of the society or group that he was born in. The concept of racism developed in the 19th century when colonialism was at its height and anthropologists tried to understand the many diverse people they encountered. They tried to evaluate the differences, classifying the world according to biological aspects like skin colorant important part of the social practices of racism is Ethnocentrism, which is the â€Å"belief that the moral standards,manners,attitudes and so forth of ones own culture are superior to those of other cultures† (Bailey,Garrik and James 15). This helped people justify the systematic violence and oppression on people of one society by another on the basis of factors like ethnicity and caste. At that time, on top of the framework of evolution was the western European civilization. The British believed themselves to be the pinnacle of evolution, the most culturally, physically and socially evolved (Bailey, Garrik and James 68). This thought process was a big part in the colonial apparatus and was also one of the reasons the British were able to label the people of chhranagar as â€Å"Born criminals. This label attached the stigma of a criminal community to the Chharas even after they got de-notified after India gained independence. Therfore, it allowed the police to get the power that they had accumulated and abused. According to Kalpana, â€Å"the police used to take the women back to the station after bail, tie them to a tree, beat them and give them electric shocks. †Innocent people were forced to admit to crimes , and if they refused they were beaten to death-as in the case of Buddhan. The injustice of such acts was apparent but so was the fact that â€Å"the police could do anything they want to. According to Dakxin, even the proof of a man’s innocence was rendered â€Å"useless. † Based on their ideas of being morally and culturally superior, the police had taken away the Chharas basic rights to freedom of speech and expression. â€Å"Rites of passage are a specialized set of rituals associated with the life cycle of individuals; the culturally defined age categories through which a person passes between birth and death. It is a public ceremony or ritual that marks a change in social status, usually brought about or related to increasing age† (Bailey, Garrik and James 201). People from various religions have different kinds of rituals with varying meanings attached to them. In Hinduism, an important event in the life cycle is marked by invoking the presence of the warrior goddess; Durga. This ritual is called a Jagrata. In Cat Viberts documentary, â€Å"a Rajasthani Jagrata, we see how Rathore takes his first born child to the â€Å"village of his heritage† for a ceremonial head shaving on his second birthday. Vibert described her experience of the ritual at the temple, â€Å"mediums gathered around a drum and began collectively chanting. A man stood up and began to lurch and yell. After sometime his eyes rolled back into his head, he ran into the temple and rang the bell. He was being possessed by the Goddess and the embodied deity sealed herself in the temple and the villagers went in one by one to ask her questions. † Besides the ritual, there is a lot of singing and dancing and the hair cutting ceremony to welcome the child in the family as he turns two. Gender Classification is one example of cultural knowledge. Cultural Knowledge involves shared knowledge about how we behave in ways that are meaningful and acceptable. It guides behavior such that the people can survive, reproduce and transmit their culture. † Every individual has a different social identity and expectations attached to them. Women typically are expected to stay in their homes and fulfill their domestic duties, whereas men take care of the responsibilities outside the house. During the whole trip that Vibert took for the ceremony, we saw the responsibility of the women to overlook the children, make the chapattis and do the domestic chores. Even during the ritual, the women were seated at the back whereas the men stayed in front. Moreover, the fact that the barber performing the ritual was a man and that the goddess possessed a man, shows how men had a more elevated stand in society. An anthropologist views different societies from an insider’s perspective and tries to understand human nature and behavior. Through their ethnographies and documentaries, they give people a voice to express their point of view and rid themselves of generalizations that put them at a disadvantage.

Monique and the Mango Rains. Gendered Inequality from an Essay

Monique and the Mango Rains. Gendered Inequality from an Anthropological Perspective - Essay Example Women, however, are not allowed by law of the land to own any property and in case they do, then it is assumed to belong to the immediate male over them. They are not to be listened to since their views are underrated. Traditionally and historically, some chores are considered ‘masculine’ and no woman is allowed into these fields no matter their qualifications. This is male dominance and sexism, which fiercely promotes gender inequality in the society. These are some of the truths that have shaped unspeakable gender inequality. In the book ‘Monique and the mango rains’, Kris highlights on the different areas where women have been discriminated against in the Mali community, bringing about gender inequality. This essay highlights these concepts of inequality and how they have hampered women rise to higher positions in the community. Kris presents a personal encounter of the life situations in the western country; Mali, painting a pathetic picture of what wome n undergo. Women, here, are given less significance by the community as a whole. They are not given adequate maternal care in the case of reproductive health. In the building of the economy, the feminine gender is neglected. Even the little that they earn out of their hard work is planned for inappropriately by the men who control them. They are given no option to choose or decline marriage, whereby, they are mostly forced into it. It is very worrying, how they are multitasked with most of the chores in their homes and community (Holloway & Bidwell, 2007). There are various components that are seen as promoting gender inequality among the Malian women portrayed by Holloway. Some of these components include issues on reproductive health. It is, for instance, mentioned that, among the community of over 1,400 occupants, there is only one midwife; Monique. She is overwhelmed with activities ranging from helping expectant mothers to deliver, advising of health since they are mostly malno urished and even on matters of birth control, which is almost unheard of in this society. This is too much for only one woman; therefore, most of the reproductive health issues are left unattended to. Mortality rate among pregnant mothers is given as very high; every one women out of 12 die out of reproductive related issues (Holloway & Bidwell, 2007). There is the component of gender inequality on the part of economy streamlining. The only salaried working woman mentioned here in the Mali community, is Monique. She is seen working the whole day in a makeshift birth centre under a torn roof. Her salary, however, goes to the extravagant father-in-law and unfaithful husband. She cannot be able to plan for her salary independently. This shows that a woman in Mali is voiceless even in managing her own resources. Outside this clinic picture, the woman is also overworked. There are, however, no accounts of productive use of these funds, which mostly goes to their male relatives. They are left with little, if any, to manage and help in economic growth matters. The Malian women have the most disadvantageous part in forced marriages. It all starts with Female Genital Mutilation (F.G.M.), which to them is universal. This argument is developed from the instance where we are told that Monique thought that this rite was universal, that even Kris must have undergone it. This rite is the first step in developing

The Unrepentant Chocolatier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Unrepentant Chocolatier - Essay Example This will directly lead to the generation of revenue from the intended target consumers over a longer period of time as compared to that of new products introduced by various other competitors in the market. The company has increasingly committed itself to the development and fulfillment of long term goals and is dedicated to a slow process of brand building for its products. The long term dedication shown by the company towards the brand building as well as its promotion efforts of Nespresso led to increase in the number of consumer conversion from high profile coffee selling brands like Starbucks to a more affordable cheaper alternative provided by the Nestle brand. This shows that the long term effort of the brand has helped to establish consumer connect for the global Swiss company. Weakness The global brand Nestle has been facing a severe shortage in sales for the bottled water products. The bottled water division which constitutes 10% of its entire business interest around the world has been declining sales figures from the established markets due to the impact of recession. Though there are chances of revival of the bottled water market with the bouncing up of the economy, there are also chances of facing increasing resistance from the environmental groups. The lineup of bottled water products is also a source of tremendous weakness for the company as the quality of the bottled water products is declining significantly. In the second quarter of 2009, the products of Nestle’ lost high percentage of market share to various competitors in the high value market that is existent in the United States. The impact of recession has also hit the consumers spending on the company’s product lines in the advanced economies. As a direct step towards the reducing of lifestyle costs, consumers are increasingly shifting to unbranded food items, which have taken a direct impact on the revenue generation cycle of the company. The investors in the share market are also highly concerned with the fact that Nestle might reinvest majority or the entire portion of the cash that it will be receiving from the divesting off the shares of its eye care business in building up and developing the company’s non profitable businesses. This has brought down investor confidence in the company’s processes of handling its own businesses and has reversely affected the company’s share prices in the equity market. The brand Nestle has also stirred significant investor skepticism as the investors feel chiefly that the company has become large as well as unproductive. Opportunities The brand of Nestle is increasingly focusing its attention on the research and development of functional foods, which have high health benefits. Reports by Pricewaterhouse Coopers significantly predict that the global market for functional foods is estimated to stand at $128 billion by 2013. Also, with the increase in market demand for the functional foods in th e European market, it can be increasingly assumed that it will be the new product lines surrounding the functional foods that will be acting as a significant source of revenue for the future and will promote strong growth for the company in the European markets. The brand Nestle has made investments towards the development of functional foods almost a decade ago. This particular early investment plan provides the company with an advantageous position as

Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Speech - Essay Example With this idea in mind, she further stressed that their own government, who is supposed to be the one protecting their rights as citizens of this country, is treating women unjustly. Per the Fourteenth Amendment that was adopted in 1968, no legal rights could be denied to any individual born in the United States. Anthony decided to question the government against the context of the amendment by stating that women born in this country are citizens, and are hence entitled to their rights including the right to vote. The ultimate purpose of her speech is to encourage all citizens, both women and men, to come together and fight for a cause. In the following pages, the different concepts of persuasive speech will be used to critically analyze Anthony’s speech. To obtain her purpose, one could say that Anthony used both pathos and logos effectively in her rhetoric. As a backgrounder, pathos is one of the three modes of a persuasive rhetoric. It is the element that appeals to the emotions of the audience. Logos, on the other hand, is the element that appeals to the logical side of the audience. It is also one of the three modes of a persuasive rhetoric. Anthony started her speech by saying â€Å"friends and fellow citizens† to appeal to the emotions and logic of the listeners --- â€Å"friends†, to connect to the listeners’ emotions, and â€Å"fellow citizens†, to subtly hint that they are all equal, holding the same set of rights and privileges, and governed by one set of laws. She stated her argument in a way that expressed her anger, disgust, and rationale. She referred back to the preamble of the Federal Constitution and stressed out that the â€Å"we† that pertains to the people of the United States m eans every individual regardless of gender. She emphasized it further in the fourth paragraph by repeatedly pointing out

Bard, M. G. The complete idiot's guide to Middle East conflict Annotated Bibliography

Bard, M. G. The complete idiot's guide to Middle East conflict - Annotated Bibliography Example Bennett, A. G. (2009). The Big Book of Marketing: Lessons and Practices from the World's Greatest Companies. New York City: The McGraw Hill Companies. This book was taken into account because it gave an in-depth detail about the strategies of both Pepsi and Coca-Cola in Cyber war, and how both companies attracted internet users through its marketing approach. Although much is not written about the competition in internet, but at least Pepsi and Coke are competing for marketing slots on the internet. This book is about the internet marketing strategies and rivalry between different well established brands such as Google and Yahoo, HP and Apple etc. The book gives an early history of the initiation of cyber war between Coca Cola and Pepsi; where Coca Cola introduced â€Å"Coke Rewards† as result of Pepsi introduction of â€Å"Pepsi Stuff†. This book is extremely credible because of its neutral approach to cyber marketing with respect to different rival countries. Solis, B., & Kutcher, A. (2010). Engage!: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the Web. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc. This Book was written by well known author of internet marketing Brian Solis and well known actor Ashton Kutcher. It gave an in-depth detail about internet marketing ventures of Coca-Cola and analyzes its success in that aspect.

Business Optimization via IoT Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business Optimization via IoT - Research Paper Example The Internet of Things is linking new areas like energy grids, creating floors, transportations systems as well as healthcare amenities to the internet. If an object has the ability to embody its self digitally, then it is possible to manage it from any area (GAGLIO & LORE 2014, 57). This unification means additional information assembled from more areas, with further ways to enhance competence as well as advance precautions and safety. In the internet of things, a thing may be either a ranch animal containing a biochip transponder, an individual comprising of an implant to monitor the heart, an automobile having in-sensors to help the driver realize incase the pressure of the tires is low or any other artificial or natural object capable of being allocated an IP address. To date, the IoT is frequently related to machine-to-machine communication in power and manufacturing, gas and oil efficacies. Products that are created with the machine-to-machine aptitudes are regularly known to a s being smart. The huge increase of IPv6’s in space address is a vital aspect in the growth of Internet of Things. In accordance to Steve Laibson, an infrequent docent at the Museum of Computer History, the address space development indicates that individuals can allocate an IPV6 address to all atoms found on the earth’s surface and still contain sufficient addresses remaining to execute additional 100+ earths. This simply means that people could easily be in a position to allocate an IP address to all the things contained in the earth. An enhancement in smart nodes number and quantity of upstream information produced by the nodes is anticipated to create new alarms regarding data confidentiality, data control as well as safety. Even though the idea of internet of things remained unnamed until the year 1999, it has been in progression for many years.