Concept of Demolition Man Essay

* The Hollywood film represents the danger of globalization and cultural and environmental homogeneity, standardization and sanitation. * Friedman argues that because globalization is creating a single marketplace, it is homogenizing consumption and culture and can run the risk of wiping out ecological and cultural diversity throughout the world. In the Cold War system, cultures didn’t interact as frequently or directly as they do today, where they are often offered up for global competition and comparison against one another. Diversity in Globalization * Friedman argues that because globalization is often associated with Americanization, countries need to develop strong cultural and environmental filters so they can interact with but not be overwhelmed and swallowed by the herd. He suggests the most important filter is the ability to â€Å"glocalize,† meaning a culture’s ability to absorb natural influences into their culture yet reject those that are alien—to assimilate aspects of globalization into your culture in a way that adds diversity without overwhelming. * Globalization will be sustainable as long as we manage these filters in a way that protects our culture while simultaneously getting the best out of others’ cultures. Methods for Greening Globalization * Mobilize the environmental entrepreneurs– term coined by Keith Algers for an organization meant to stop the logging activities in the rainforest in Brazil while formulating a plan to avoid unemployment among these loggers. Looking at the bigger picture, it implies finding solution to the growing problems of compromise in the industrialized society that environmental protection and economic development can coexist together. * Environmentally Sound Production Methods – Corporations and shareholders should be pressured by the government to adapt new environmental policies. The government hitting companies over the head with both new regulations and new tax incentives to be green, and with SFC telling companies they have to start accurately portraying their environmental liabilities to shareholders—such as where they are being sued for dumping and what the cleaning up cost—there has been a paradigm shift. * Learning how to use globalization itself. Where globalization is an asset is in the fact that it is creating â€Å"Super-empowered environmentalist†, who are acting on their own, can now fight back rather effectively against both the Electronic Herd and governments. Thanks to the Internet, environmentalists in one country are quickly relaying how a multinational behaves in their country to environmentalists in other countries. Preventing cultural homogeneity * GlocalizationHhlksal;kl;ksdsl;adkls;adkals;d—the ability of a culture, when it encounters another strong cultures, to absorb influences that naturally fit into and can enrich that culture, to resist those things that are alien and to compartmentalize those things that, while different, can nevertheless be enjoyed and celebrated as different. * Unhelathy Glocalization—when you absorb something that isn’t part of your culture, doesn’t connect with anything latent in your culture, but you have so lost touch with your culture, you think it does. * Glocalism alone is not sufficient to protect indigenous cultures from globalization. Some hard filters are also needed. To begin with you need zoning laws, protected area laws and educational programs to preserve unique regions and a cultural heritage from insidious homogenous development.

How are adults presented in “Romeo and Juliet” Essay

There is a large difference between youths and adults in Romeo and Juliet. The adults often make emotionally driven decisions, often ones that go back on what they have previously said. An example of this is Lord Capulet, who changes his mind on the marriage of his daughter. This drastically changes the plot of the story and could have been the reason for the death of Romeo and Juliet. They see the world in a different light to the youths. The younger men in the Montague and Capulet families love to fight, and would happily insult the other family in order to start a fight. However, Lord Capulet, and maybe Lord Montague, is less happy to begin the fight, although he would try to join in, like in act one scene 1. Lord Capulet says â€Å"’tis not hard. I think / for men as old as we to keep the peace† and later on in the play he also compliments Romeo by calling him a â€Å"virtuous and well-governed youth†. Capulet and Montague could have ended a feud, which was started by their ancestors â€Å"ancient grudge breaks to new mutiny†. You do not find out what Lord Montague thinks about the feud, only that Capulet â€Å"thinks† that Montague has the same opinion as he. Later in act 1 scene 5 Capulet gets very angry with Tybalt for wanting to start a fight with Romeo. Capulet expects Tybalt to obey him, as he is the master of the house. When Tybalt still refuses to give in to Capulet, his multi faceted side comes out. Capulet changes from arguing to Tybalt â€Å"Marry, ’tis time† to complementing the guests â€Å"Well said, my hearts!† and then back to arguing with Tybalt. Lord Capulet loves his daughter very much. In act 1 scene 2, when Paris asks for Juliet’s hand in marriage, Lord Capulet tells him that Juliet is too young, but he can start to court Juliet and in 2 years, they may marry. You can tell that he cares about Juliet because he says that Paris may only marry if Juliet agrees, â€Å"An she agreed within her scope of choice, / Lies my consent and fair according voice.† This is surprising for a patriarchal society and where the daughter has to do what the father says. When Lord Capulet says that Juliet is too young to marry Paris he makes a indirect reference to his wife. â€Å"And too soon marred are those so early made† who we later find out married Lord Capulet when very young. Lord Capulet changes after Tybalt dies. Maybe because he loves Juliet so much he wants to help her, but instead he makes her life worse. He tries to cheer her up -believing that she cries over the death of Tybalt- by moving the date of the wedding forward to three days time – Thursday. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, lord Capulet becomes very violent, and shows another side of himself. He threatens to hit her and says â€Å"unworthy as she is, that we have wrought / So worthy a gentleman to be her bride?† He goes on to say that he was cursed when she was born, and then insults the nurse by calling her a â€Å"mumbling fool!† The nurse is used as comic relief in the play. She is bawdy and comes from a lower class than the majority of the rest of the cast. Simply the fact she is from a lower class makes her slightly funnier, and she often jumbles up her words – â€Å"I desire some confidence with you† and speaks in prose. She gets on better with Juliet than Lord or Lady Capulet, and so Juliet confides in the nurse. The nurse is loyal and caring but very bawdy. However, when Juliet needs her most, the nurse turns away from Juliet, and changes her loyalty by saying â€Å"I think you are happy in this second match,† She goes on to say that Romeo is no longer there so she has to marry Paris. This is shocking because you believe that the nurse was always on Juliet’s side, In act 1 scene 3, the nurse talks about Juliet when she was a little girl, and of many slightly rude tales of Juliet. These stories horrify Lady  Capulet, but the audience find them funny. It shows the difference between the nurse and Lady Capulet, and their different upbringings. The nurse knows more about Juliet than her own mother The nurse brings a lot of tension into the balcony scene, because she keeps calling Juliet inside. You worry that she may come outside and ruin Romeo and Juliet’s romantic moment. But it also brings an element of comedy to it, because it annoys Romeo and Juliet, and you imagine in your head how she would act if she did come out and see Romeo and Juliet on the balcony, confessing their love. The nurse adds a bit of tension in act 2 scene 5 when Juliet is waiting to find out what Romeo has said about their marriage. She will not tell Juliet what Romeo has said, and even though the audience already know what has been said, they are still concerned in case something terrible has happened. When Lord Capulet is insulting Juliet about her marriage to Paris, the nurse stands up for Juliet, even when Capulet attacks the nurse verbally. This may be when the nurse has a change of thought, and decides the marriage between Juliet and Paris is a good thing.

In What Ways Has the United Nations Organisation Influenced the Essay

In What Ways Has the United Nations Organisation Influenced the Conduct of Diplomacy - Essay Example Attitudes toward the UN are based on having governmental and international interference. This affiliation makes it easier for the government to work toward a resolution while national involvement with the conflict becomes secondary (Ernst, 1037: 2008). Actions of the UN The United Nations has not only suggested and become involved with resolving conflict at earlier stages. There are also initiatives that have been propagated and organized by the UN which serve individuals in various countries. An approach which has been taken is multilateralism. This strategy is based on diplomats of several countries working together to provide solutions to foreign affairs. Often, larger states work unilaterally to create a different approach to solving problems. Foreign policies, interference from governments working together and the development of councils in various countries to enhance the security of a nation are some of the outcomes of this approach. The security enhancement and other policies that have been implemented as a result can work to take proactive measures against conflict while ensuring that individuals have the capacity of overcoming challenges now emerging at a global and national level. Peacekeeping operations, government diplomacy, economic recovery, assistance with health programs and climate negotiations are some of the several programs that have developed as a result of this concept (Plenum, 2011). The concept of multilateralism works to overcoming challenges and to move into a higher sense of diplomacy. The UN has the ability to intervene and provide changes with the governance offered with the associations between nations. Intergovernmental organizations are able to work with finding solutions while offering higher security. If... This paper approves that the concept of foreign policy and the soft power of the UN are furthered by the overall sense of political barriers that naturally form within nations. The use of foreign policies and the need to have legalities within a specific nation is one that causes most who are in nations to be forced to take sides. The main view that is seen always has an opposing view, even when there is a common purpose. The conflict then comes from tensions that can’t be resolved by those in the UN or other regions and builds a sense of ideological interests that continue with the conflicts of various nations. This report makes a conclusion that the concept of diplomacy is one that is continuously being altered and re-defined. The United Nations organization has used various measures to change this particular outcome and to influence the way in which diplomacy works. The association with diplomacy is one that is regulated by education, suggestions and the overall ideologies that the UN has created. This is combined with the legal implications that the UN can reinforce and the agendas that are carried out by NGOs and other non – governmental organizations. These are all able to work by changing the influence within the UN. However, there is often the inability to create influence because of foreign policies and the nature of various governments. While the UN is able to spread specific levels of diplomacy through mediation and education, the limitations rely on national governments and the main approaches used to creating a sense of peace resolution and diplomacy within the region.

Research report explainin a recent innovation in your area of intrest Paper

Report explainin a recent innovation in your area of intrest or expertise - Research Paper Example Google provided the platform of using android in cell phone (Jackson 6). The top ten android phone available in India are LG-G3 , Sony Xperia Z3 , HTC One M8 , Motorola Moto X , HTC One E8 , Sony Xperia Z3 (compact) , Samsung galaxy S5 , LG Nexus 5 , Oppo Find 7a , Xiaomi Mi3. Android mobile phones are the most powerful and the only big competitor of apple I phone. Android have become so powerful that it provides the customers to customize the operating system as per their requirement. The android phones are tested and checked by the digital test laboratory before it is introduced in the market. Android has undergone a lot of improvement and several updates were done to improve the operating system. It has also included new additional, features for its customers. HTC has joined hands with Google to launch the first nexus smart phones in collaboration with Google. Google have considered or announced Nexus and smart phones as their flagship product. Android possess the ability to run the operating system which leads to the changes in the default launcher. Android has facilitated the user for quick downloading, installing, removing and updating the applications from his/ her own devices (Murphy 35). Android has become a part of our life, since it operates on battery. Android is designed in such a way so that the consumption of power will be minimal. When working on the android is stopped, the operation cannot be performed but the application is open. Android has the quality of managing, storing and maintaining the memory automatically even when the memory of the device is less. It will automatically delete or remove the applications that are used rarely and it helps the user to maintain all the data automatically, sometimes the valuable application may get deleted. Open Handset Alliance is the main development and beneficial for the developers of android. Open Handset alliance allows or facilities the developer to spread

Measles and the two vaccination shots given to ensure the child will Essay

Measles and the two vaccination shots given to ensure the child will never catch Measles - Essay Example Another unique feature of AAI is that it improves upon repeated exposure (Levinson and Jawetz 353). Vaccines are preventive agents that contain viral molecules to activate the AAI, so that when the virus is encountered in the environment, large amounts of specific antibodies are already present to act against it. Both humoral and cell-mediated immunity play a role in developing AAI (Levinson and Jawetz 353). This writing tries to explain the reasons behind the timing and the number of dosages of vaccines, particularly measles and diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccines. In particular, basics on immune response and immunization are provided, before a detailed discussion on vaccines is given. Although their mechanisms are different, innate immunity and AAI interact with each other for optimal response against a potential infection. The non-specific innate immunity is responsible for the engulfment of foreign molecules by macrophages or other antigen-presenting cells (APC) like dendritic cells and B cells (Levinson and Jawetz 357-359). Upon phagocytosis of foreign bodies, AAI then ensues when these APCs expose the engulfed antigens to their surfaces through class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) membrane proteins. The antigen-MHC complex then binds with an antigen-specific receptor on the surface of a helper T lymphocyte, initiating the release of interleukins (IL) that stimulates the maturation of many immune cells (Levinson and Jawetz 359). In turn, the activated helper T cells initiate the release of interleukins (IL), particularly IL-2, which initiates antigen-specific T-cell growth and activates cytotoxic T cells, IL-4, which promotes growth of B cells, and IL-5, which allows activation of B-cells. IL-4 and IL-5 also induce the transformation of IgM to IgG, IgA and IgE. In effect, it stimulates clonal expansion of both T and B cells after exposure with specific antigens. Cytotoxic T cells, in particular,

Florida Merid Award Program evaluation Term Paper - 1

Florida Merid Award Program evaluation - Term Paper Example A school district may make available extra pay supplements for the workers who display good work attendance. The awarding of the additional payment is done in accordance with an assessment of the performance of the employee. Student performance, mainly, forms the base for the assessment. School-based administrator’s assessment is based on student’s (as a group) performance. School teachers get evaluated by the school principal while school-based administrators get evaluated by the district superintendents. The evaluation is done in relation to their (teachers and administrators) specific assessments (Chait, 2007). Teachers form a foundation of all reform efforts in education. Improvement of teaching workforce quality results to the success of the teachers. According to research, a well performing teacher is an asset to all students, especially those who live in poverty. In merit pay for teachers, teachers are offered incentives in form of money so as to improve the performance of students in their respective classes and performance of the school at large (Buddin et al, 2007). The Florida merit award program has proved to be successful and advantageous in a number of ways. Some of the strengths of the program include: The program also motivates employees. Research indicates that an increase of one percent may increase the performance of the employees by about two percent. However, providing bonuses for good performance is more effective as compared to automatic pay rise since it can elevate the performance of an employee to as much as nineteen percent Merit award program attracts qualified applicants or candidates to the profession of teaching, since incomes vary largely and have a basis on the strength of local teachers unions and local tax revenue The results received are positive. The program enhances high productivity or increased work quality as result of employees working

Examining the need for more fully accredited Schools of Architecture Essay - 1

Examining the need for more fully accredited Schools of Architecture in historically Black Colleges & Universities - Essay Example wer, and with the empowerment that these high learning institutions would give to the blacks, there were high chances that the blacks would no longer hear a thing that the white man said and thus cease to be their slaves (Gasman, and Tudico, 2008). The history of the start of historically black colleges and universities dates back in the mid and early 19th century. The first ever black colleges and universities were started secretly and they used to be located in hidden places such as basements of churches and box cars. This was a strategic move by the pioneers of these black colleges and universities so as to avoid the discovery of the white population of the existence of these colleges. Naturally, these colleges and universities started to grow and with the urge of more blacks seeking a higher education berth, more and more historically black universities started cropping up. Some of the pioneers of these universities, referring to the starters, include Mary M. Bethune, a desire of education that was inspired to open up a college with limited funds of less than $2 and less than 10 students back in the early 1900s. Currently, historically black colleges can boast of having brought up some of the black scholars that exist. The se include; W.E.D Du Bois, who went through Fisk University, Toni Morrison, who went through Howard University and the great revolutionist, Martin Luther King, Jr. who went through Morehouse College. To date, there are more than 106 colleges that can be accredited as historically black colleges and universities spread through the entire United States of America. As a result of the history behind the start of these historically black colleges and universities, most of them don’t boast of fully accredited high end courses that are being offered in them. In this case, high end courses refer to the courses that are considered in high esteem among the professional or career circles. These include courses such as medicine, architecture, courses

The Case of the Off-Rhythm Bongo Player Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Case of the Off-Rhythm Bongo Player - Essay Example As explained by Jason Bardi reports from the Scripps Institute, "calcium is a second messenger and regulates many different intracellular processes, including gene expression within cells." (Bardi, 2004) and "the transfer or spread of this excitability to a neuronal network, manifested as electro-graphic and clinical seizures, occurs via synaptic transmission." (Wellmer J, Su H, Beck H, Yaari Y and Eur J Neurosci, 2002) The effect on ion channels and effect on threshold are distinctive in the sense that "native calcium channels have been classified by both their electrophysiological and pharmacological properties and are generally divided into low-threshold (T-types) and high threshold (L-, N-, P/Q- and R-types). The L-, N-, P/Q- and R-type channels typically activate at membrane potentials near -30 mV and display diverse kinetic, voltage-dependent and pharmacological properties.1 The availability of specific pharmacological agents targeting the high threshold channels has permitted elucidation of many of their physiological functions. The T-type calcium channels describe a class of molecules that transiently activate at relatively negative potentials (-60 mV) and for which a general lack of high-affinity selective blockers has made their exact physiological contributions lag behind those of the high-voltage activated isoforms" (Snutch, 2005) The effect on Bado's muscles including the aching, twitching and tingling fingers is based on how the calcium mediates constriction and relaxation of blood vessels. This includes those excitable cells which controls the nerve impulses like those occurring in his twitching fingers. More definitively explained by Jane Higdon of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon University, calcium plays a role in mediating the constriction and relaxation of blood vessels (vasoconstriction and vasodilation), nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, and the secretion of hormones, such as insulin. Excitable cells, such as skeletal muscle and nerve cells, contain voltage-dependent calcium channels in their cell membranes that allow for rapid changes in calcium concentrations. For example, when a muscle fiber receives a nerve impulse that stimulates it to contract, calcium channels in the cell membrane open to allow a few calcium ions into the muscle cell. These calcium ions bind to activator proteins within the cell that release a flood of calcium ions from storage vesicles inside the cell. The binding of calcium to the protein, troponin-c, initiates a series of steps that lead to muscle contraction. The binding of calcium to the protein, calmodulin, activates enzymes that breakdown muscle glycogen to provide energy for muscle contraction. (Higdon, 2003) As explained in the following afflictions, cell excitability and effects on the skeletal muscle are discussed: a) Hyperkalemia: "In acute hyperkalemia, the ratio of intracellular to extracellular K+ is decreased. The gap between the resting membrane potential to the excitability threshold is decreased and the nerve conduction is initiated more easily. If this continues it progresses to weakness of muscles. Gradual hyperkalemia, as in

Magnifying and Obscuring Essay Example for Free

Magnifying and Obscuring Essay The stories of John Updike’s â€Å"AP† and William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† both make use of the first person point of view in narration but with very different and quite powerful effects that also affect other elements of the story. The ways in which these two stories play with the individual elements of a piece of fiction show just how important it is to make sure that these individual elements are all taken cared of and built-up with equal care and attention, because a problem with one element can result into a problem with the entire story; the elements must all be able to work together to support each other and to weave a tight story. â€Å"AP† uses the first person, non-omniscient, singular point of view (POV) narration to build rapport with the main character, Sammy [for example: â€Å"Im in the third check-out slot, with my back to the door, so I dont see them until theyre over by the bread; I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through. † (Updike 560)]. This connection with Sammy is a very important one because it is pretty much the driving force of the story; learning of what’s going on in a teenage boy’s head while there are half-naked girls walking about can make an interesting read. This point of view is really what helps push the reader on along as she or he plods through the â€Å"AP† plot. With â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, on the other hand, we are given the first person, non-omniscient, plural point of view. Obviously, because it is plural it cannot be the view of the main character, Miss Emily Grierson. Instead we seem to have the entire story narrated to us by the entire town [â€Å"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral; for a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin† (Faulkner)]. This works to increase the mystery that surrounds Miss Emily and her house because we never really knew what she is thinking or feeling. This point of view, giving an air of mystery, again, helps push the reader on to discover what happens throughout the story. Relating with the use of the POV are the different story plots. Here, we can see a great difference between â€Å"AP† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† because we find that one is mainly character-driven while the other has a strong plot that keeps the readers going through the story. It is â€Å"AP† that is, obviously, character-driven because of its simple plot of a boy wanting to elicit the attention of some pretty girls, which is quite common. Even the events in the story and the simple chronological way that it folds are quite ordinary; it is really Sammy – his thoughts and his feelings – that make a reader interested in the story. And, even up to the ending, readers are all interested only in Sammy’s fate and no one else’s [â€Å"I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter† (Updike 564)]. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, on the other hand, we have a story with a strong plot, aided by the effective point of view narration, which moves the story along. The story hooks readers into the plot by making them curious about who Miss Emily Grierson is from the very beginning – readers are wondering why she is a â€Å"fallen monument† and what is so interesting about the â€Å"inside of her house† (Faulkner). The non-linear timeline that the story follows also strengthens the mystery of Miss Emily because the building block to her life must be pieced together slowly and with a certain amount of intuition, at first. Now, the characters of the two stories are also very different – one is as open to us as a book laid flat-open, while the other is mystery to the very end. With Sammy of â€Å"AP†, we never seem to see a concrete glimpse of in terms of physical appearance but the readers would all know him if they met him. The first person narration lets us in on all the things that makes Sammy think and tick with that little grocery stop. In his observation of the girls, we find a young man with a keen eye and, also, an eye for beauty. He also shows us the ability of a good imagination when he imagines how the girls behave and how their relationships with each other must be like as when he describes the tall girl as: â€Å"a tall one, with black hair that hadnt quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very striking and attractive but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much. † (Updike 561) Sammy, as we can surmise, is a boy that is very much in-touch with his surroundings and his imagination. The characterization of Miss Emily, in contrast, is one that is left murky and shadowy. Because we only see her through the townspeople’s eyes, we never really see her clearly; we can only watch her through the stories, the memories, and the patchwork guesses that these observers give us. But even from this blurry view of Miss Emily through a window, we can see how guarded and closed-off she is from her environment [as when she acted ignorant of Colonel Sartoris’ death (Faulkner)] – the total opposite of Sammy. In â€Å"AP†, we are set-up in a small grocery store that effectively concentrates our attention on no one and nothing else but Sammy and his current preoccupation. The AP grocery store acts as the perfect magnifying glass to help us focus on our main character and how he deals with the current situation. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is set-up up throughout decades of a life and in different places of the town; this manner of a setting makes for even more mystery as the reader tries to fill in all the gaps between the years that the narrators had no contact nor any knowledge of what went on in Miss Emily’s life. The vast setting diffuses the readers’ minds and it wanders across time and space, searching for a complete picture of Miss Emily Grierson. These two stories, perhaps more different than alike, prove that good stories don’t need to follow a certain pattern to mold in order to be good; it is in the writer and the dedication to his work that makes a story count. Works Cited Faulkner, William. A Rose For Emily. 16 February 2008. Fu Jen University: Department of English Language and Literature. 26 June 2009 http://www. eng. fju. edu. tw/English_ Literature/Rose/el-text-E-Rose. htm Updike, John. â€Å"AP†. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature Eighth Edition. Ed.

Genetically organism Essay Example for Free

Genetically organism Essay Everyone in the world competes in his/her way to maintain standards through which he/she can feed themselves and their loved ones with food. It is the basic necessity every human being requires daily from birth until death. Today in the modern days different forms of many foods have evolved ranging from organic foods to genetically modified foods. Since the genetically modified foods have taken over the market they are known to be greater in resistance to pesticides and viruses, provide higher nutritional value and have a longer expiration date. Lastly, these foods are sold at cheaper prices in comparison to the organic foods. However, the potential risks of these foods are still being debated all over the world. The three reasons why the genetically engineered food should be labeled separately are the health hazards, religious ethical concerns, and economic concerns involved. The reason why genetically modified foods should be labeled separately from organic foods are the health hazards involved in the production. The major health hazard involved in the non-labeling of genetic foods is that people all over the world have allergies to particular types of ingredients used in the manufacturing of the foods. The genetically modified foods include soybean, maize, chicory, potato, squash, oilseed rape (canola), pineapples, and strawberries. [1] Genetically modified foods can cause health diseases such as cancers, a newly discovered disease Morgellons, and other allergies. Without any specific labeling, the rate at which these diseases can occur doubles because people allergic to certain genes used in these foods, and there is no other way to determines these foods contain these genes or not. A recent article published in Lancet examined the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract in rats. This study claimed that there were appreciable differences in the intestines of rats fed GM potatoes and rats fed unmodified potatoes. Many children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. (Raab, Grobe; 2009) [2] The quoted article above examines the differences between the Rats that fed on organic produce of potatoes and the ones’ that fed on the GM potatoes. The rats that fed on GM foods developed precancerous cell growth in their digestive tracts, inhibited developments of their brains, livers, and testicles. They also faced enlarged pancreas and intestines, and suffered immune system damage. The quote also demonstrates the possibility of the harmful side effects that GM foods can cause to future human generations. The possible solution to minimize these side effects is that Extensive testing of GM foods should be required to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies. Labeling of GM foods and food products will acquire new importance. Before buying a certain GM product, people will be able to determine if they are allergic to its ingredients or not. Another reason why genetically modified foods should be labeled separately from organic foods is the religious ethical concerns involved in the production. Different religious groups prohibit themselves from eating certain types of animal products. For example, Muslims do not eat any type of enzymes extracted from Pork. [3] Thus, using genes to create traces of genetic material from pork in GM foods and plants without labeling them could cause a stir in the Muslim sect. Another ethical concern is that Animal rights can harmfully be affected by excessive manufacturing of Genetic Foods. For example, Sheep given more powerful hormones could suffer problems relating to growth and problems in digestive systems. Without specific labeling on foods, animals being tested cannot be identified, and this could lead to further malpractices by large corporations. Ethical and religious concerns include the belief that the technology involved is unnatural, and preoccupations regarding the consumption of religiously forbidden ingredients from certain animals. These new technologies, it is argued, violate religious freedom by placing a burden on those who follow strict religious dietary laws. The government is not constitutionally obligated to make accommodations in favor of religious groups that are incidentally affected by neutral rules. Accordingly, the neutral decision of not labeling genetically modified foods met this constitutional standard and was not subjected to a more rigorous constitutional adjudication test. (Lietz, 2000) [4]. The quoted excerpt above from the Harvard law review emphasizes the importance of the labeling on genetically modified foods because without explanation of how these foods are manufactured, it is unethical and unfavorable to religious and cultural groups that restrict themselves from practices in consumption of certain ingredients included in these foods. In other words, the use of these technologies is harming the religion freedom of people. [4] The government of United States protects the non-labeling by not passing laws that require rigorous tests on GM foods because it is believed that there are already laws that protect religious groups. The third reason why genetically modified foods should be labeled separately is the economic concerns involved in the production. The main economic concern is that the world food market could be monopolized by large multinational corporations that control the production and distribution of genetically manufactured seeds. If this happens, they would be able manipulate governments to pass laws that don’t require companies to label their GM foods. [5] Monopolization will increase prices of seeds and eliminate small level farming. GMOs are the products of large corporations and considered intellectual property. Thus, they are protected by patents and copyrights. This means that if farmers want to use genetically modified crops, they must buy it from a corporation. If the world relies solely on GMOs, this means that these corporations will control the worlds food supply, leading to the monopolization of food. The use of GMOs is driving out the need for small farmers. These small farmers are forced to switch to GMOs in order to compete with other GMO farmers, but in the process, they are subjugated to the control of the corporation that produced the GMOs. (Barton, 2002) [6] The above passage was taken from a research about non labeling consequences published in the Harvard Law Review that extrapolates the consequences if the food industry is monopolized. It explains that if this happens, the patents and copyrights will increase prices of foods massively and abolish the system of low scale farming. Each and every farmer will need to rely on large corporations to grow crops, and GM foods will be seasonal that means in every season the seeds will expire and costs of storage and harvesting will sky rocket. All in all, the corporations will completely take over the food sourcing misleading people in what they produce for the sole purpose of profits. Thus, it will be considered legal and ethical. Regulations should be passed by governments all around the world that strictly insist on the labeling of genetically manufactured foods. Without labeling on the Genetically Modified Foods the health hazards, religious ethical concerns, and economical concerns will increase over time. Therefore, instead of looking at the future from the eyes of the economic benefit, the world should look at the consequences this evolution could lead. Works Cited Page 1. Genetically Modified Food. Crowdsourcing Questions Answers. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 May 2011. http://lockergnome. net/questions/48354/genetically-modified-food 2. [6]Barton. GMF Labeling Issues. Harvard Law Review, Winter 2002. Web. 18 May 2011. http://leda. law. harvard. edu/leda/data/438/MelendezJuarbeRiveraTorres. html. 3. Daneil, Genetically Modified Foods | Better Health Channel. Home | Better Health Channel. Deakin University. Web. 18 May 2011. http://www. betterhealth. vic. gov. au/bhcv2/bhcarticles. nsf/pages/genetically_modified_foods? open. 4. [2]Grobe, and Raab. Genetically Modified Foods | Better Health Channel. Home | Better Health Channel. Deakin University. Web. 18 May 2011. http://www. betterhealth. vic. gov. au/bhcv2/bhcarticles. nsf/pages/genetically_modified_foods? open. 5. [4] Lietz, supra note 11, at 416; Julie Teel, Regulating Genetically Modified Products and Processes: An Overview of Approaches, 8 N. Y. U. ENVTL. L. J. 649, 660-61 (2000) 6. Genetically Modified Food. Crowdsourcing Questions Answers. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 May 2011. http://lockergnome. net/questions/48354/genetically-modified-food.

Case Study Market Entry Modes Marketing Essay

Case Study Market Entry Modes Marketing Essay Introduction One of the biggest realities of our lives is the fact that we are living in a world were the walls of our homes, virtually, no longer exist. We live in an open, interdependent and interconnected world, where living in isolation and maintaining privacy is no longer possible. Globalization, lifting of trade barriers, revolution in information technology and many other factors has brought people closer than ever in the history before. Quite reasonably, globalization had a great impact at the corporate world as well. Even if companies want, they cannot contain themselves into their domestic markets since the desire to grow and grow constantly have made them obsessed with international expansions. Consider these examples. Exxon Mobil is an American firm, which receives more than 75 percent of their yearly revenues from operations in rest of the world. Finnish employees no longer form the majority at Nokias head quarter, which is a Finland based company; surprisingly, employees from China and India dominate the numbers. Honda, a Japanese automobile maker, has its biggest production plant in Ohio. 3M would lose more than 53% of its revenues if the American government asks them to restrict their operations within the United States (Johnson Turner, 2009). Ford would find itself in big trouble if there were some disturbance in America-Brazil relations because Ford manufactures most of its cars in Brazil. BMW directly finds itself affected with any changes in the economy of South Africa or India because of the presence of its manufacturing plants there. McDonalds earns 63 percent of its income from operations outside the United States of America (David, 2010). Therefore, the point here is more and more companies, everyday, are trying to increase their scope of operations in terms of geographical markets. However, in the process of expanding globally, one of the most important decisions that firms have to undertake is deciding on the market entry mode. Quite reasonably, d eciding on the market entry mode is important because it is the base on which rest of the operations would be conducted throughout the life of that expansion. Since there are varying levels of control, risk, involvement, nature of competition, investment and market costs, speed of entry and profit potential in each option, therefore, the decision for the same has to be made after great thought, decision, analysis, market research and debate. This paper is an attempt to explore, analyze and examine these different modes of entries in foreign markets, looking at their advantages and disadvantages and best fit situations. The remaining portion of the paper would try to bring the previously mentioned concepts in practice by shedding some light on the best-fit market entry mode for an automobile firm in Czech Republic. Market Entry Modes Even a glance at the literature available on international marketing and specifically market entry modes and strategies would reveal that there are differences between authors and management experts on how they group these modes and strategies. Furthermore, as the time passes and market place becomes more competitive, firms are trying to use new, complex and innovative entry strategies. However, important here to note is that the underlying idea or the basic concept is the same. Therefore, in light of the most of the material present on this topic, market entry modes can broadly be grouped into four categories, which are exporting, licensing/franchising, Joint ventures/ Strategic alliances and Full ownership/direct entry (Onkvisit Shaw, 2008). Exporting One of the oldest, well-established and traditional forms of entry in any foreign market is through exporting. According to its definition, exporting is the process of selling goods and services produced in one country to various other countries. As mentioned earlier, there are many ways in which marketers divide and classify exporting mode. One-way of doing the same is classifying it as occasional exporting and active exporting. Occasional exporting is a passive way of exporting with low level of involvement in the process. The company decides to export from time to time, when needed, demanded or whenever, it appears feasible to the company. However, with active exporting the company actively engages in the process and takes on the responsibility to export throughout the year. However, a more acceptable and superior way of classifying them is in groups of direct exporting and indirect exporting (Johnson Turner, 2009). Indirect Exporting Amongst all the possible market entry modes, indirect exporting is the way that offers minimal risk, minimal level of involvement, however, at the same time, the returns or profit potential also remains low. Most companies that would want to entry in the market in any form would initially test the waters with indirect exporting. The whole idea of indirect exporting is to sell goods with intermediaries in between which can take the responsibility of dealing with the company and the rest of people. For example, domestic based export merchants, who buy the products of the company and assume the responsibility of taking care of the rest of the deal. Domestic based export agents try to deal with foreign purchases and in return, they are paid a commission. Cooperative organizations, which are usually under public sector, governmental or administrative control would deal with foreign purchasers on behalf of many exporters. Lastly, there are export management companies as well which would ma nage the companys exports in return for a fee or a small share in the profits (Onkvisit Shaw, 2008). Direct Exporting Once they have gained experience, many firms try to jump into the arena of direct exporting by eliminating all the intermediaries and dealing directly with the final purchasers. Despite the fact that exporting in general, is the lowest risk, lowest control and lowest involvement option available in all strategies, yet comparatively with indirect exporting, it increases the risk, control and involvement. Companies are now own their own to understand their purchases, contact them, negotiate with them, understand their culture and needs, unsaid and unheard signals and others. Companies may end up mistakes in the same if they do not have the expertise, knowledge and experience; however, it is tempting because careful execution may increase the profit potential. Firms may also have to develop an overseas sales force, travelling export sales representatives, overseas sales branch or subsidiary, foreign-based distributors or agents, set of international contacts or an export department sole ly to look after the exports of the company (Johnson Turner, 2009). Contractual Mode When firms try to assume more responsibility, want to take higher risks and control in return for high returns they try to enter into contractual agreements with others for their entry in the foreign market. Since comparatively with all other methods, the responsibility is low, therefore, it is also regarded another troublefree and simple method. Following are different variations of the contractual mode (Hollensen, 2009). Licensing The licensor simply issues a license to a foreign company so that the company can gain access or use the selling rights of the product, trademark, patent, trade secret, and manufacturing process. The same is done in exchange of a fixed fee, certain percentage of profit margin, or royalty. It aims at creating a win-win situation for both the partners since the licensor gains entry in the market for a very little risk and level of involvement and the licensee gains the rights to use or sell the product for a little fee. Management Contracts Firms like Hyatt and Marriot sell management contracts to foreign hotel owners to run their hotels in the name of their companys brand for a fee. In fact, the company may even assure to buy some stake in the assets of the foreign hotels as well (David, 2010). Contract Manufacturing As the name suggests, when exporting seems to be an expensive option, the company would hire a local manufacturer and ask him to initiate the production on behalf of the company. Franchising Another very common form of contractual agreements is franchising. For example, KFC has franchised its operations in Pakistan to a Dubai based company name Cupola that runs its businesses in Pakistan in exchange for a share in the profits. KFC has offered Cupola complete control over using the brand, inventories, and raw materials and in return, Cupola is taking the responsibility of operating all the franchises (Johnson Turner, 2009). However, in case of an incompetent franchisee or licensee, the company may find damage and destruction to its brand name. Furthermore, if appropriate legal terms and conditions are not defined, then the contractual partner may emerge as a competitor either in the domestic market of the company or, when the company decides to end the contract and enter in the market by itself. Furthermore, important here to note is that contractual agreements are the best way when the company is looking for comprising on their profit margins in return on low level of h assle, control, involvement and investment (Cateora Graham, 2007). Joint Ventures / Strategic Alliances Consider these examples. Ready to drink tea and coffee, which is currently being sold in huge amounts in Japan, is a result of joint venture between Nestle and Coca Cola. In order to become a dim ant force in selling baby diapers in Italy and United Kingdom, Procter Gamble and Fater, which are rivals in the rest of the world, decided to join their hands and work together. When Unilever wanted to enter in the Chinese ice cream market, it has no choice but to work together with Sumstar, a public sector Chinese company (Shenkar Luo, 2008). As evident from these examples, many players in the international market would use the method of joint ventures in order to operate in different markets. There are various reasons for the same. First, for many countries, joint venture may be the only mode of entry. Second, the company might lack the financial, intellectual, physical, managerial or other resources to undertake the venture all alone. Third, merger of two firms may offer them the chanc e to emerge as the market leader in that market (Lymbersky, 2008). However, there are many problems with joint ventures at the same time, which need to be addressed in order to make sure that the ventures are successful. First, firms often find themselves fighting over the use of retained earnings, a partner may believe it should be reinvested, other may think that it should be used to pay more dividends. Second, cultural problems always arise when firms from different cultures are trying to work together. Pre-requisite knowledge about other cultures is extremely important. Third, the partners may not be able to trust each other in terms of using and sharing important internal information. Fourth, problems also arise when a partner tries to end the joint venture since terms of the same have not been decided yet. Fifth, partners always try to ensure that their own competitive, bargaining and negotiative position could be strengthened, at times by putting the joint venture at stake. It is also important to note that as compared to the modes of exporting and contracts, joint ventures allow the firm to exercise greater control, earn more profits in return for more risk, higher investment and higher level of involvement (Czinkota, et.al., 2010). Full Acquisition Lastly, the most way, which offers the maximum possible control, maximum profit potential, maximum level of involvement, requires maximum investment and which is the most risky is full direct acquisition. Quite clearly, the firm decides not to merge or collaborate with anyone or accept any intermediaries in between but to do it on your very own. There are various modes of entering any market directly. A firm may decide to buy and set up his very own new planet, right from scratch. It is also known as green field investment. The way would be in which the firm may decide to acquire the resources, name and operations of any existing company in the market. Direct investment is a decision taken in situations when the market appears to be big enough to offer advantages of economies of scale, government and other stakeholders are very friendly, the market is huge enough that saturating point would come after many years and until then the profit potential or the ROI is high or the company is sure that it has or it would be able to have to good, favorable and friendly image in the country. Again, important here is to note the fact that high returns which this mode of entry offers is only and only in return of the high risk that the mode incorporates (Wagner, 2009). Example of Czech Republic As mentioned in the introductory phase of the paper, that now the paper would use the Czech Republics automotive industry as an example to apply the concepts presented above. Czech Republic and its Automotive Industry Surrounded by Poland, Germany, Slovakia and Austria, Czech Republic is land locked country located in the central Europe. The country came into being in 1993 and since then it has been a member of NATO, OCED and EU. With high incomes, GDP per Capita, stable economic growth and overall better economic outlook, Czech Republic is a developed country, which has attracted many investors over the years (OCED, 2010). The automotive industry of Czech Republic is one of the most important sectors of the Czech economy where it has witnessed a lot of foreign investment. Technologically advance infrastructure, high incomes, stable economy and changing consumer preferences means that the industry offers some serious prospects fro growth. Currently Skoda is leading the automotive industry of Czech Republic (Pavlà ­nek, 2008). Best Entry Mode and Justifications Political and Legal Factors: It is mainly due to favorable political-legal macro environmental factors that it joint ventures appear to be more feasible as compared to licensing or exporting. Firstly, the government of Czech Republic is extremely enthusiastic and serious about increasing and encouraging foreign investors to enter the Czech market and invest in it. Therefore, the government offers various incentives, which include corporate income tax relief, job creation grants, training grants, transfer of land on discounted rates, discounts of purchasing land for businesses and others. Secondly, the government is taking all possible steps for improving the infrastructure in the country, which will further increase the demand for automobiles in the country. Third, the government of Czech Republic is also considering adopting Euro by the 2013-2014 (OCED, 2010). Economic Factors: Czech Republic is high-income country and one of most developed and industrialized countries of European Union. Stable Economy, healthy inflation rates and ranks 26th in the world in terms of GDP per capita, Czech Republic has a strong banking system. Furthermore, it has been ranked high on the factor ease of doing business. Despite the fact the economy shrinked due to the current crisis with negative GDP growth rates, but the country has plans for even more aggressive growth as the economy recovers in order to make up for the lost growth in the recession. Therefore, the country offers many prospects of growth (OCED, 2010). Social Factors: Unlike other European countries, 71 percent of the Czech Population is the age bracket of 15-64 years. Since these are the people who are the prospective buyers of automobiles, there are chances of extensive growth (OCED, 2010). Technological Factors: Czech Republic has been ranked as the 4th country in world in terms of attractiveness for automotive research. Furthermore, the country has a huge pool of skilled labour, both in managerial and technical fields. The country has high level of IT spending which is around 3.2 percent of the GDP when the EU average is around 2.72 percent (Czinkota, et.al., 2010). Rivalry: -Another reason for the same is due to high rivalry amongst the current players in the industry. Players like Skoda, Fait, Toyota, Ford, Citron, Renault and others are almost balanced with each other, which fuels the rivalry. However, if a competitor of considerable, even moderate financial and technological strength decides to enter with a joint venture, then it would disturb this balance of the industry by making the partnership emerge as the biggest firm of the industry. Quite understandably, the same would help in decreasing the threat of rivalry in the market (Czech Invest, 2009). Economies of Scale: Without any doubts, automotive industry is one those where historically, firms have always tried to rake advantage of economies of scale by large-scale production. However, presence of many players and their own different production houses means that none of the player has been able to take complete advantage of it. However, with a joint venture, both the companies would be able to produce together and produce more, thus reaping the benefits of economies of scale (Pavlà ­nek, 2008). Cost of entry: Entering in any automotive industry of the world requires considerable amount of investments as compared to many other industries. Moreover, with increasing investment, increases the overall risk in operations as well. Therefore, it is advisable to get to establish partnership with other firms so that the cost of entry could be reduced and at the same time, substantial level of control over the operations could be gained as well (Czech Invest, 2009). Access to distribution channels: Distribution channels hold immense importance for any industry, however, for automotive industry marketing and distribution channels are of above average importance. Customers are greatly influenced by the distributors, therefore, access and partnerships with them is really important. However, presence of well-established existing players means that any firm, which tries to enter directly the automotive industry, would have to face a tough time, at least in its initial days, for getting access to the distribution channels. Joint venture with an already established partner in the market would mean that the firm would not have to put considerable amount of energy in this regard (Pavlà ­nek, 2008). Cultural barriers: Quite reasonably, Czech Republic has its own culture, which has not been researched very much since it has been less than two decades since it became an independent country. Any new entrant in the market would face cultural barriers, however, with joint venture, the player which is already working in the market and has know about he dynamics of consumer behaviours and market conditions would offer substantial help in overcoming this barrier.

Tension and Suspense the Novel and the Opening Scene of the Film Jaws E

Tension and Suspense the Novel and the Opening Scene of the Film Jaws Peter Benchley wrote "Jaws" the novel before it was made into a film directed by Steven Spielberg. "Jaws" is a thriller with the main aim being to build up suspense and tension. In the novel Peter Benchley uses many variations of language techniques to emphasise important points that build up suspense. He also uses sentence and paragraph structure to affect the reader in many different ways. Steven Spielberg on the other hand uses different camera angles and shots alongside lighting effects to create atmosphere and tension. In the background he uses music and sound effects to add to the dramatic visual images he creates. Finally Steven Spielberg uses specific dialogue to show the victims feelings and emotions. At the beginning of the film the soft, relaxing underwater noises of communicating sharks instantly sets the scene and creates the feeling of being deep underwater. The familiar beach sounds have a calming effect, which immediately lulls the audience into a false sense of security. The black screen that appears at the start of the film doesn't provide the audience with anything interesting to look at so the focus is strongly on the soundtrack. When the opening credits appear, the contrast between the bold, white credits and the plain black screen really stands out. The white credits could symbolize the innocence and vulnerability of the victims against the black, evilness of the shark. As the credits start to roll the first note of the chilling "Jaws" music is struck. The peaceful aquatic sounds are abruptly interrupted by the slow, deliberate minor strokes ... ... him and Chrissie really creates atmosphere. Every time the camera switches to the boy the audience is reminded of how frantic the atmosphere around Chrissie is. The contrast of these two opposite atmospheres makes the attack seem far worse in the film than in the novel. I think that the film involves the audience more than the novel because the use of camera shots can bring the audience close to the action. The shark's eye view is a very good shot and ultimately brings the audience into the middle of all the panic and confusion. It also build suspense as the audience can see exactly what the shark can see and when the shark is advancing towards Chrissie's legs they know exactly what the shark is aiming for. When the attack is going on the close-ups at water level make the audience feel like they're in the water.

Serialization in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens :: Charles Dickens

In Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, serialization is an important and effective tool that divides the literary work into episodes, creating a suspenseful plot. In addition, serialization also creates a "soap opera" effect on the novel's readers, leaving them with a cliff-hanger scenario at the end of each episode. A major effect of serialization is the change it renders in character development. Sydney Carton would be a prime example. In the novel's beginning, he is portrayed as a drunk, a loser with no purpose to his life. However, as the readers go on, they find that Carton is, indeed, not what he seems to be. Ultimately, our reprobate saves Charles Darnay's life from certain death and is instrumental in having him escape to England with his beloved Lucie, their daughter, and his father-in-law, Dr. Manette. Charles Dickens uses an unusual method of serialization that resembles that used by daytime soaps. After covering several plot developments of several characters, usually primary ones, he switches to a series of subplots involving other characters, usually secondary ones. For example, after Dickens covers the adventure of the Marquis St. Evremonde, he jumps back to Darnay. The effect is a narrative hook that encourages the readers to go on. This leads to suspense and, of course, a successful tale. A final, and obvious, effect of serialization is the steady advancement of plot development. As the novel is divided into thematic parts, it gives the readers a definite feeling for the plot and causes them to think about possible outcomes.

Food Lion-Case Analysis Essay

Food Lion LLC is an American grocery store company headquartered in Salisbury, NC, that operates approximately 1,300 supermarkets in 11 Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states as well as Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia under the Food Lion, Harvey’s Supermarket, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, and Reid’s banners. With approximately 73,000 employees, Food Lion LLC is the largest subsidiary of Delhaize Group. Delhaize Group is a food retailer headquartered in Belgium, which operates in seven countries. Delhaize Group was founded in Belgium in 1867. The principal activity of Delhaize Group is the operation of food supermarkets in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. Supermarket News ranked Delhaize America No. 10 in the 2007 â€Å"Top 75 North American Food Retailers† based on 2006 fiscal year estimated sales of $17.3 billion. By cutting its overhead dramatically, Food Lion has been able to offer â€Å"everyday low prices† to consumers and still manage to reap some of the highest profits in the supermarket industry. Faced with a struggling economy and increased competition in the form of supercenter outlets, Food Lion has responded with some store closures and work force reductions, but has also sought to revitalize the grocery shopping experience through the introduction of a store concept called Bloom, intended to provide a uniquely convenient layout and competitive prices. Key Dates in the companies History 1957-Food Town is established in Salisbury, North Carolina. 1974:Belgian grocer Delhaize acquires Food Town. 1982:Company changes its name to Food Lion. 1986:Tom Smith, who started at the company in the 1950s as a grocery bagger, becomes CEO of Food Lion. 1999:A new management team seeks to revitalize Food Lion. 2001:Food Lion becomes part of Delhaize’s umbrella company for its American holdings. Case Analysis The faced many challenges such as information technology (IT) in the managing financial records recently, with system audits and continuous failures. They broken many rules within the Sarabanes oxley act. The sarabanes Act which is also known as the ‘Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act’ (in the Senate) and ‘Corporate and Auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act’ (in the House) and more commonly called Sarbanes–Oxley, Sarbox or SOX, is a Unites States federal Law that set new or enhanced standards for all U.S. Public company boards i.e. food lion, management and public accounting firms. The problems latter proved to be linked to inadequate timing in planning activates, and inconsistent level changes with corporate management. Outside of the above Food Lion faces many staying afloat in the technological advanced completion such as Wal-Mart. Struggling against many influcuations in the prices and bundling package deals. Food lions attempts to offers things that others don’t to set their standards apart with a recipe area and automated shopping list that can be sent to local providing retailers. Additionally, food lion offers retailers many different purchase options with the MVP card, which also, allows them; maintain records of the customers shopping habits and budget. Creating coupons suit the needs of certain individual shoppers has revolutionized the food retail industry. These marketing strategies are not original but nonetheless quintessential for their success. One of the most innovative situations that food-lion is the vendor diversity clause which is n ot only an anti-discrimination minorities but offers specials contracts with minorities. Additionally, joining forces with exterior company guiding star, which a rating corporation for the products, services, and treatment proved by and for Food Lion. Along with Animal welfare survey and verification with produce and poultry products. They are known for deals and bonuses in the food industry. Food lion is known for sales and promotions, which as allegedly breaking the competition down to the lower deals to even remain marketable. Providing weekly sales on curtains products for a limited time only. Furthermore, offering Shoppers’ Companion online, which is where shoppers can offers suggestions and comments and concerns, i.e. management tips and unsanitary employees. The new and improved MVP card issuing not only saving, but also saving star credits which generates real money on rebate and giveaway options. The MVP card also, has Tally register where the online system keeps account on how much you have saved with the card printable coupons from home. The company will re-open over 269 stores which all are going to include free grocery giveaways. Also, large charity donations and contributions to groups such as: boy and girl scouts of America, YMCA, Feed the children, Harvest Hope, and large donations of free food to may shelters and orphanages much of the public views the company as not just a supermarket but a savior. Currently the company has plans of expanding thought the central, and western regions of the United States, but first wish to stabilize their current stations and locations. Some recent news and talks of merging with some of the completion on the level Conclusion I conclude that even though the margin for change increasing along with customer demand shifting, Food Lion has done a great job to cope with inconsistent data recorded and observed. By offering more customer demand based products instead of consumer retail they has improved on revenue. They has stood by their actions scandalous and praiseworthy, from branch closing and violating of SOX act codes to donated billions and saving many small third world countries to hunger. Moreover, their strategy is a good one lower the prices give them fresher produce and improve the overall shopping experience, and they certainly have lived up to their promises and expectations. Many of these issues have been fixed by great change in management process for hardware, software database, and application groups. The company received a dully-awaited makeover in the past few years, which will surly; sustain them for decades to come. Food Lion has many pitfalls such as competitors, and technology, however o verall with studious work ethics they will prevail and maintain.

Pathogens Essay

Pathogens are everywhere. They are in people, animals, and the environment. Pathogens come in a wide variety. The types are fungal, bacterial, viral, and other parasites. All pathogens can be dangerous, but two of them are more dangerous. These two types that more dangerous are fungal and bacterial. While both fungal and bacterial pathogens cause illness, they differ in the way they are transmitted, the way they are treated, and the diseases they cause. First, the way fungal and bacterial pathogens are transmitted is different.Most fungal pathogens are not transmitted person to person but instead by inhaling fungal spores. On the other hand bacterial pathogens are transmitted in many ways like through touch and air. Bacterial pathogens are also transmitted by bodily fluids. The most common infection that is transmitted by airborne pathogens is Tuberculosis. Some of the Bacterial diseases that are transmitted Group A Streptococcus, Invasive Group B Streptococcal, Haemophilus influenza . Some bacterial diseases transmitted by bodily fluids are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, and Chancroid.Second, they are different in the way they are treated. Bacterial infections are usually treated with antibiotics pills. Penicillin was discovered in the 1920s by a British scientist named Alexander Fleming. Fleming almost accidently discovered the natural growing substance. He named it Penicillin after the Penicillium mold that made it. The first antibiotic discovered that could attack certain bacteria was Penicillin. In 1940 two scientists, Howard Florey and Ernest Chain, were researching projects in bacteriology looking for ways to enhance or continue with chemistry.Using chemistry they created a brown powder that kept its power for more than a few days. After experimenting they found it to be safe. It was needed right away on the front lines of World War II so mass production started right away. Penicillin saved many lives that would have been lost due to bacterial infection even in minor wounds (Rosenberg, n. d. ). On the other hand fungal infections are usually treated using antifungal creams or injections. Antifungal creams are used to treat things like athlete’s foot, ringworm of the groin and body, skin infection because of Candida yeast.A serious systemic infections like crypotococcal meningitis. Antifungal injections are used to treat infections like Candidiasis, Coccidiomycosis, and Crypotococcal Meningitis. Antifungals work by exploiting differences in mammalian and fungal cells to kill the fungal organisms with no dangerous effects on the host. Fungal and human cells are alike at the molecular level. Antifungal drugs can cause side effects; some could be fatal if the drug is not used properly (Antifungal medication, n. d. ). Finally, the diseases that fungal and bacterial pathogens cause are completely different.Fungal diseases are rarer and more likely to be fatal. One of the most fatal fungal pathogens is Candida. Candidiasis infectio ns have many types the most common non-fatal type is oral also known as thrush. Invasive Candidiasis infections occur if Candida yeast gets in your bloodstream and you have a weakened immune system and a yeast infection goes untreated. Candidiasis infections have a forty to fifty percent mortality rate for systemic infections (Hidalgo, 1994-2013). Bacterial diseases are more common and there are so many different types.Some bacterial infections are Botulism, Lyme disease, and gonorrhea. Botulism is a disease that causes neuroparalysis because of a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium Botulinum. The three types of botulism are infant botulism, foodborne botulism, and wound botulism. Infant botulism is caused by ingested C Botulinum spores that germinate in the intestine and produce toxin. Infant botulism has less than a one percent mortality rate. Foodborne botulism is most commonly caused by improperly canned or home-prepared foods. Foodborne Botulism carries a mortality rate of five to ten percent.Wound botulism is caused by contamination of a wound with toxin producing Botulinum. Wound botulism has a mortality rate of fifteen to seventeen percent (Chan-Tack, 1994 – 2013). Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called borrelia burgdorferi. It is carried by black legged ticks that have bitten mice or deer infected with Lyme disease. Stage one of Lyme disease is when the bacteria has entered the body but has spread throughout the body. Stage two is when the disease has spread through the body some. Stage is a widespread infection.Each stage of Lyme disease also has different symptoms. Stage one symptoms are like the flu. The symptoms include fever, body-wide itches, and muscle pain. Stage two symptoms are paralysis or weakness of face muscles, pain or swelling the knees or other large joints, muscle pain, and heart problems. Stage three symptoms are muscle weakness, numbness and tingling, abnormal muscle movement, and speech problems. Stage three of Lyme disea se can cause long term joint inflammation, heart rhythm problems, and brain and nervous system problems.These problems include concentration problems, memory problems, nerve damage, sleep disorders, and vision problems. (Lyme Disease, 2013). Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The bacteria grow in warm, moist areas of the body, like the tube that carries urine out of the body. In women the bacteria can be found in the reproductive tract. Symptoms normally appear in two to five days after infection. Sometimes symptoms take up to a month to appear and some people never have any symptoms. Some symptoms are burning and pain while urinating, sore throat, and discharge from the penis or vagina.Complications like joint infections, heart valve infection, or meningitis may occur in both men and women. Scarring or narrowing of the urethra or pus around the urethra may occur may occur in men. Pelvic inflammatory disease, scarring of the fallopian tubes, infertility may also occur in women (Gonorrhea, 2013). In Short, while fungal and bacterial pathogens are different in the way they are transmitted, the diseases they cause, and the way they are treated. They are dangerous to us because the hold a form we can’t see without a microscope.They cause diseases like Candidiasis and Botulism. The infections are treated with pills, creams, and injections. These pathogens are most commonly transmitted by touch, inhalation, bodily fluids, and air. They can’t be avoided all of the time. We will never see them coming but, we can increase our knowledge about them. Increasing our knowledge will decrease our chances or getting them by knowing what causes them we can avoid them better. References: Rosenberg, J. (n. d. ). Alexander Fleming Discovers Penicillin. Retrieved from http://history1900s. about. om/od/medicaladvancesissues/a/penicillin. htm Antifungal medication. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Antifungal_medicatio n Hidalgo, J. A. (1994-2013). Candidiasis. Retrieved from http://emedicine. medscape. com/article/213853-overview#showall Chan-Tack, K. M. (1994-2013). Botulism. Retrieved from http://emedicine. medscape. com/article/213311-overview#show Lyme Disease. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002296/ Gonorrhea. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004526/

School Finance Article Analysis

After the Second World War, there has been a dramatic increase on school finance in the United States. Through the article, Guthrie explains some of the critical incidents that contributed the considerable increase of the per-pupil expenditures in public elementary and secondary learning institutions. Upon reading the article, one should have an understanding on how do certain events affect per student spending in America. Some of the factors cited by Guthrie are the constant expansions regarding the services offered by schools, more pricey specialized classes on high school students, and special education programs. Also, Guthrie includes that grants for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with disabilities make a contribution to increased costs. In the article, Guthrie suggests that it is very likely that the increasing expenditure on school finance continues. With this, the author offers some solutions to be considered to put a halt or, at the least, control its growth rate. Some of these are privatization and contracting. Just like the article states about the increasing per student expenditure, school finance in Massachusetts is also affected by the factors stated earlier. Thus, one can say that Massachusetts is on its way on a much higher education budget. In the event that the education status in Massachusetts will continue (that is, its school’s productivity is increased), there can be a possibility that the trend will snap, thus making the funds for public elementary and secondary schools could be minimized.

Comparison of Indirect Cost Multipliers for Vehicle Manufacturing Essay

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor The University of Chicago, nor any of their employees or officers, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of document authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof, Argonne National Laboratory, or The University of Chicago. COMPARISON OF INDIRECT COST MULTIPLIERS FOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURING INTRODUCTION In the process of manufacturing and selling vehicles, a manufacturer incurs certain costs. Among these costs are those incurred directly as a part of manufacturing operations and those incurred indirectly in the processes of manufacturing and selling. The indirect costs may be productionrelated, such as R&D and engineering; business-related, such as corporate staff salaries and pensions; or retail-sales-related, such as dealer support and marketing. These indirect costs are recovered by allocating them to each vehicle. Under a stable, high-volume production process, the allocation of these indirect costs can be approximated as multipliers (or factors) applied to the direct cost of manufacturing. A manufacturer usually allocates indirect costs to finished vehicles according to a corporation-specific pricing strategy. Because the volumes of sales and production vary widely by model within a corporation, the internal corporate percent allocation of various accounting categories (such as profit or corporate overhead) can vary widely among individual models. Approaches also vary across corporations. For our purposes, an average value is constructed, by means of a generic representative method, for vehicle models produced at high volume. To accomplish this, staff at Argonne National Laboratory’s (ANL’s) Center for Transportation Research analyzed the conventional vehicle cost structure and developed indirect cost multipliers for passenger vehicles. This memorandum summarizes the results of an effort to compare and put on a common basis the cost multipliers used in ANL’s electric and hybrid electric vehicle cost estimation procedures with those resulting from two other methodologies. One of the two compared methodologies is derived from a 1996 presentation by Dr. Chris Borroni-Bird of Chrysler Corporation, the other is by Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc. (EEA), as described in a 1995 report by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), Congress of the United States. The cost multipliers are used for scaling the component costs to retail prices. ANL METHODOLOGY The ANL methodology described here is based on an analysis concerned with electric vehicle production and operating costs (Cuenca et al. 2000; Vyas et al. 1998). The analysis evaluated the cost structure for conventional vehicle manufacturing and retailing and assigned shares of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) to various cost contributors. Multipliers developed from the ANL methodology are applied to the manufacturing cost of an individual component in order to scale the component cost to the retail price. Several cost contributors are included in the methodology, as summarized in Table 1. Some of the vehicle components for electric and hybrid electric vehicles would be procured from outside suppliers. This assumption is applied to electric drive components, excluding the battery; the vehicle manufacturer would produce the rest. Thus, two cost multipliers, one for the components manufactured internally and the other for outsourced components, are necessary to estimate the price of electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Outside suppliers would incur some of the costs normally borne by the vehicle manufacturer. In the ANL methodology, we assume that the costs of â€Å"Warranty,† â€Å"R&D/Engineering,† and â€Å"Depreciation and Amortization† are borne by the Page 1 suppliers of outsourced components. The outside suppliers would include these costs in their prices. The following two cost multipliers are computed by using â€Å"Cost of Manufacture† as the base: Cost multiplier for components manufactured internally = 100/50 = 2. 00. Cost multiplier for outsourced components = 100/(50 + 6. 5 + 5. 5 + 5) = 1. 50. Table 1 Contributors to Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price in ANL Methodology Cost Category Cost Contributor Relative to Share of Cost of Vehicle MSRP Manufacturing (%) Vehicle Manufacturing Cost of Manufacture 1. 00 50. 0 Production Overhead Warranty 0. 10 5. 0 R&D/Engineering 0. 13 6. 5 Depreciation and Amortization 0. 11 5. 5 Corporate Overhead Corporate Overhead, Retirement and 0. 14 7. 0 Health Selling Distribution, Marketing, Dealer 0. 47 23. 5 Support, and Dealer Discount Sum of Costs 1. 95 97. 5 Profit Profit 0. 05 2. 5 Total Contribution to 2. 00 100. 0 MSRP METHODOLOGY DERIVED FROM BORRONI-BIRD PRESENTATION In his presentation, entitled â€Å"Automotive Fuel Cell Requirements,† at the 1996 Automotive Technology Development Customers’ Coordination Meeting, Borroni-Bird included charts on the â€Å"Typical American Automobile: Price/Cost Breakdown. † The charts provided a graphical breakdown of vehicle price, showing cost contributors and profit. We used the charts to arrive at percentage shares of vehicle price by various contributors. Table 2 shows the resulting allocation. Page 2 Table 2 Price/Cost Breakdown Based on Borroni-Bird Presentation Cost Category Cost Contributor a Vehicle Manufacturing Fixed Cost Selling Sum of Costs Profit MSRP a Material Cost Assembly Labor and Other Manufacturing a Costs Transportation/Warranty Amortization and Depreciation, Engineering R&D, Pension and Health Care, Advertising, and Overhead Price Discounts Dealer Markup Automobile Profit. Relative to Cost of Vehicle Manufacturing 0. 87 0. 13 0. 09 0. 44 Share of MSRP (%) 42. 5 6. 5 4. 5 21. 5 0. 10 0. 36 1. 99 0. 06 2. 05 5. 0 17. 5 97. 5 2. 5 100. 0 These two contributors are scaled to sum to 1 in the third column, as in Table 1. In his presentation, Borroni-Bird did not evaluate the treatment of in-house or outsourced components. His methodology does not lend itself to easy computation of cost multipliers comparable with those in the ANL methodology, unless we make a few assumptions. We have assumed that â€Å"Material Cost,† taken together with â€Å"Assembly Labor and Other Manufacturing Costs,† would form the â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing† base for the in-house components. The costs of â€Å"Transportation/Warranty,† â€Å"Amortization and Depreciation,† and â€Å"Engineering R&D† would be borne by the suppliers of outsourced components. However, â€Å"Amortization and Depreciation† and â€Å"Engineering R&D† costs were merged with â€Å"Pension and Health Care,† â€Å"Advertising,† and â€Å"Overhead† costs by Borroni-Bird. We assumed that half of the costs under this category would be borne by the suppliers of outsourced components. Our assumptions led to the following cost multipliers: Cost multiplier for components manufactured internally = 100/(42. 5 + 6. 5) = 2. 05. Cost multiplier for outsourced components = 100/(42. 5 + 6. 5 + 4. 5 + 10. 75) = 1. 56. These cost multipliers are very similar to those computed with the ANL methodology. Comparison of ANL and Borroni-Bird Methodologies The information from Tables 1 and 2 is shown in terms of cost categories in Table 3. Both methodologies use vehicle manufacturing cost as the base and add other costs to it. The share of MSRP attributable to â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing† is 50% in the ANL methodology, compared with 49% in the Borroni-Bird Methodology. Borroni-Bird combined several cost contributors under â€Å"Fixed Cost. † These contributors include (see Table 2) â€Å"Amortization and Depreciation,† â€Å"Engineering R&D,† â€Å"Pension and Health Care,† â€Å"Advertising,† and â€Å"Overhead. † Except for the inclusion of â€Å"Advertising,† â€Å"Production Overhead† and â€Å"Corporate Overhead† in the ANL methodology can be combined to form an equivalent category. ANL’s total of 24% by production Page 3. and corporate overheads is slightly lower than the total of 26% by Borroni-Bird. The ANL category of â€Å"Selling,† which includes â€Å"Distribution,† â€Å"Marketing,† â€Å"Dealer Support,† and â€Å"Dealer Discount,† is broader than that of â€Å"Price Discounts† and â€Å"Dealer Markup† specified by BorroniBird, and this category’s contribution is understandably slightly higher in the ANL methodology. The share of MSRP by â€Å"Profit† is the same in both methodologies. The absolute differences, computed as ANL value minus Borroni-Bird value, are 1% for â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing,† –2% for â€Å"Fixed Cost,† and 1% for â€Å"Selling† cost. Table 3 Comparison of Vehicle Price/Cost Allocation by ANL and Borroni-Bird Methodologies ANL Methodology Cost Contributor or Category Vehicle Manufacturing Production Overhead Corporate Overhead Selling Sum of Costs Profit MSRP EEA METHODOLOGY The methodology of Energy and Environmental Analysis is summarized in the OTA report OTAETI-638, entitled Advanced Automotive Technology: Visions of a Super-Efficient Family Car, published in September 1995. The values of some cost contributors are not listed in the report. Moreover, depreciation, amortization, and tooling expenses are assumed to be case-specific and therefore must be computed for each case. In order to make the EEA and ANL methodologies comparable, some assumptions were necessary. These assumptions are described in the summary below. The EEA cost equations can be simplified as follows: Cost of Manufacture = Division Cost ? [1 + Division Overhead] Manufacturer Cost = [Cost of Manufacture + Assembly Labor + Assembly Overhead] ? [1 + Manufacturing Overhead + Manufacturing Profit] + Engineering Expense + Tooling Expense + Facilities Expense Retail Price Equivalent = Manufacturer Cost ? [1 + Dealer Margin] Borroni-Bird Methodology Share of Cost Contributor or Category Share of MSRP (%) MSRP (%) 50. 0 Vehicle Manufacturing 49. 0 17. 0 Fixed Cost 26. 0 7. 0 23. 5 Selling 22. 5 97. 5 Sum of Costs 97. 5 2. 5 Automobile Profit 2. 5 100. 0 MSRP 100. 0 Page 4 The report lists the following values for overhead, profit, and dealer margin: Division Overhead = Supplier Overhead = 0. 20 (We assume that division and supplier overheads are equal; only the supplier overhead is given in the report. ) Manufacturing Overhead = 0. 25 Manufacturing Profit = 0. 20 Dealer Margin = 0. 25 Because the documentation in the OTA report does not provide values for â€Å"Assembly Labor,† â€Å"Assembly Overhead,† â€Å"Engineering Expense,† â€Å"Tooling Expense,† and â€Å"Facilities Expense,† cost multipliers cannot be computed directly from these data. The â€Å"Assembly Labor† and â€Å"Assembly Overhead† share of MSRP is 6. 5% in Borroni-Bird’s presentation. The engineering, tooling, and facilities expenses can be taken as the sum of â€Å"R&D/Engineering† and â€Å"Depreciation and Amortization† from the ANL methodology, at 12% of the MSRP. In deriving the division cost and price relationship below, we use the term Retail Price Equivalent (RPE) from the OTA report instead of MSRP. The RPE can be computed as follows: RPE = = = {[Division Cost ? 1. 2 + 0. 065 RPE] ? 1. 45 + 0. 12 RPE} ? 1. 25 Division Cost ? 2. 175 + 0. 268 RPE Division Cost ? 2. 175/(1 – 0. 268) = Division Cost ? 2. 97 Putting ANL and EEA Methodologies on a Common Basis As it was described in the OTA report, the EEA methodology did not provide enough data to compute the cost multipliers. We assumed some cost shares to be the same between the EEA, Borroni-Bird, and ANL methodologies while developing the above relationship between Division Cost and RPE. The EEA methodology is based on the material and labor costs of a division of the vehicle manufacturer, with other costs added on. The ANL methodology evaluates an assembled vehicle, using the vehicle manufacturing cost as the base cost. The ANL methodology also assigns additional costs to the outsourced components, whereas the treatment of such components is not clear in the EEA methodology. We have attempted to develop a common basis for the ANL and EEA methodologies by assigning shares of the final vehicle price, RPE in the EEA methodology, to individual cost categories similar to those listed in Table 1. Table 4 presents such a summary for the EEA methodology. Three cost contributors, â€Å"Division Cost,† â€Å"Division Overhead,† and â€Å"Assembly Labor and Overhead,† are combined under the â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing† category. Two cost contributors, â€Å"Manufacturing Overhead† and â€Å"Engineering, Tooling, and Facilities Expenses,† combine to form the â€Å"Overhead† category. The â€Å"Dealer Margin† in the EEA methodology represents a factor applied to all manufacturer costs and profit. We assumed that this factor represents all costs of selling the vehicle. Although the profit is computed at the manufacturing level by EEA, we moved the profit to the bottom of the table to be consistent with prior tables. The cost allocation in Table 4 allows us to compute the in-house components cost multiplier as follows: Cost multiplier for in-house components = 100/(33. 7 + 6. 7 + 6. 5) = 2. 14 Page 5 To compute the cost multiplier for an outsourced component, one more assumption is necessary. In the ANL methodology, we assumed that the supplier will bear the costs of â€Å"Warranty,† â€Å"R&D Engineering,† and â€Å"Depreciation and Amortization. † However, the EEA methodology does not identify the warranty cost separately. We assumed it to be half of â€Å"Manufacturing Overhead† at 5. 05%. This, with the earlier assumption related to â€Å"Engineering, Tooling, and Facilities Expenses,† led to the following computation: Cost multiplier for outsourced components = 100/(33. 7 + 6. 7 + 6. 5 + 5. 05 + 12) = 1. 56 These multipliers, adapted from our extension of the EEA information on vehicle costs, are very close to those derived from the ANL and Borroni-Bird methodologies. Table 4 Contributors to Retail Price Equivalent in EEA Methodology Cost Category Cost Contributor a Vehicle Manufacturing Overhead Selling Sum of Costs Profit Manufacturing Profit Total Contribution to RPE a Division Cost a Division Overhead Assembly Labor and a Overhead Manufacturing Overhead Engineering, Tooling, and Facilities Expenses Dealer Margin Relative to Cost of Vehicle Manufacturing 0. 72 0. 14 0. 14 0. 22 0. 26 0. 49 1. 97 0. 17 2. 14 Share of RPE (%) 33. 7 6. 7 6. 5 10. 1 12. 0 22. 9 91. 9 8. 1 100. 0 These three cost contributors are scaled to sum to 1 in the third column, as in Table 1. Comparison of ANL and EEA Methodologies The information from Tables 1 and 4 is presented in terms of cost categories in Table 5 for easy comparison. The â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing† cost share is 46. 9% in the EEA methodology, compared with 50% in the ANL methodology. EEA’s RPE share of 22. 1% by overhead is lower than the ANL value of 24%. The cost of selling is 22. 9% in the EEA methodology, which is close to the ANL value of 23. 5%. The largest difference is in the RPE share by profit, which is 8. 1% in the EEA methodology, more than three times the ANL value of 2. 5%. According to Economic Indicators: The Motor Vehicle’s Role in the U. S. Economy (American Automobile Manufacturers Association 1998), the average net income before taxes for the three domestic manufacturers was 3. 9% during 1994-1997. Aside from vehicle sales, this value (3. 9%) includes income from spare parts sales and vehicle financing. Thus, the profit share appears very high in the EEA methodology. The absolute differences – computed as ANL value minus EEA value – are 3. 1% for component/material cost, 1. 9% for overhead, 0. 6% for selling, and –5. 6% for profit. Page 6 Table 5 Comparison of Price Allocation by ANL and EEA Methodologies ANL Methodology Cost Contributor or Category Vehicle Manufacturing Production Overhead Corporate Overhead Selling Sum of Costs Profit MSRP SUMMARY An attempt to put three methodologies for automobile cost allocation on a common basis is presented in this technical memorandum. This comparison was carried out to verify the reasonableness of the cost multipliers used in ANL’s cost models for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. When put into a common format, by means of certain assumptions, the three approaches yielded the cost multipliers provided in Table 6. Table 6 Summary of Cost Multipliers Computed on a Common Basis Multiplier for In-House Components Outsourced Components ACKNOWLEDGMENT Funding for the analysis presented here was provided by the Planning and Assessment function of the Office of Transportation Technologies of the U. S. Department of Energy, managed by Dr. Philip Patterson. This technical memorandum is produced under U. S. Government contract No. W-31-109-Eng-38. REFERENCES American Automobile Manufacturers Association, 1998, Economic Indicators: The Motor Vehicle’s Role in the U. S. Economy, Detroit, Mich. Borroni-Bird, C. , 1996, â€Å"Automotive Fuel Cell Requirements,† Proceedings of the 1996 Automotive Technology Development Customers’ Coordination Meeting, U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Transportation Technologies, Washington, D. C. ANL 2. 00 1. 50 Borroni-Bird 2. 05 1. 56 EEA 2. 14 1. 56 EEA Methodology Share of Cost Contributor or Category MSRP (%) 50. 0 Vehicle Manufacturing 17. 0 Overhead 7. 0 23. 5 Selling 97. 5 Sum of Costs 2. 5 Profit 100. 0 RPE Share of RPE (%) 46. 9 22. 1 22. 9 91. 9 8. 1 100. 0 Page 7 Cuenca, R. M. , L. L. Gaines, and A. D. Vyas, 2000, Evaluation of Electric Vehicle Production and Operating Costs, Argonne National Laboratory Report ANL/ESD-41, Argonne, Ill. (to be published). Vyas, A. , R. Cuenca, and L. Gaines, 1998, â€Å"An Assessment of Electric Vehicle Life Cycle Costs to Consumers,† Proceedings of the 1998 Total Life Cycle Conference, SAE International Report P339, Warrendale, Penn. , pp. 161-172.

Bcom275 Legalization of Marijuana

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marijuana may help decrease nausea, stimulate appetite, and decrease pain (2006). Alternately, the American Medical Association (AMA) does not support smoked marijuana as medicine (1995-2013). With such conflicting opinions around this highly controversial drug, there are many questions to be answered in order to decide the steps the federal government can/should be made for a final resolution. Argument For Nearly one in ten Americans used marijuana in 2010; however, our nation spends over seven billion per year to enforce the illegalization of this natural substance. A recent poll taken in 2011 shows marijuana has increasingly become the preferred drug for Americans. Overall, 6. 9 percent, or 17. million, of the United States population used marijuana in 2010 according to the survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Increase Use of Marijuana, 2011, para. 2). Dr. Jeffrey Miron, an economics professor at Harvard University, completed a study which determined the approximate cost of enforcing the illegalization of marijuana. The report estimates legalizing marijuana would save, â€Å"$7. 7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforce ment of prohibition. $5. 3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2. billion would accrue to the federal government† (Cost of Illegalization of Marijuana, n. d. ). The United States has been engaged in a losing battle against marijuana since the implementation of the Uniform Narcotic Act in the 1930’s (Bonnie Whitbread, n. d). We are not only wasting $7. 7 billion per year, but losing potential revenue. Americans could stand to profit a substantial amount of income if marijuana were to be legalized and regulated by the Department of Agriculture. â€Å"Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales would range from $2. billion per year if marijuana were taxed like ordinary consumer goods to $6. 2 billion if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco† (Cost of Illegalization of Marijuana, n. d. ). Marijuana is not addictive and has a stark contrast of addictive properties when pitted against the addictive characteristics of legalized toba cco and alcohol. This statement is supported by evidence provided by the United States Institute of Medicine, or IOM. The IOM states â€Å"fewer than one in 10 marijuana smokers become regular users of the drug, and most voluntary cease their use after 34 years of age. By comparison, 15 percent of alcohol consumers and 32 percent of tobacco smokers exhibit symptoms of drug dependence† (Supporting evidence, n. d. , para. 2). The IOM also observed cannabis withdrawal symptoms are rare and do not require substitution medicine to stop usage. When marijuana smokers cease consumption, the overwhelming majority do not experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms demanding re-initiating use of marijuana according to the IOM. President Richard Nixon commissioned the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse in 1972. The primary objective the commission was to expose dangers of drug use and provide a detailed report on marijuana. Nixon’s commission issued a report titled, â€Å"Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,† which reviewed existing marijuana studies and determined marijuana does not cause physical addiction (National Commission on Marijuana, 1974). Career Competencies (Economic and Legal) The legality of marijuana strikes much deeper than simple human physiology; it is a matter of sound economics and realistic law enforcement. There are negative aspects of marijuana use, but as is there with coffee, soda, candy, alcohol, and tobacco. Americans need to revaluate old rhetoric where marijuana was deemed evil and a gateway drug. The only reason marijuana could be considered a gateway drug is because often time’s consumers are exposed to shady drug dealers on a substance deemed as illegal. If Americans opened their eyes and minds to see how much money and effort is wasted to fight a losing battle become aware of how much could be profited from the legalization of marijuana the decision is straightforward; marijuana should be legalized. Argument Against Contrary to popular belief, marijuana is addictive, and can lead to other health problems such as; lung cancer, low sexual drive (libido), and of utmost importance is to address the concern of marijuana as a â€Å"gateway† drug. Addiction has been redefined and continually evolving for decades. Whether a given substance is defined as â€Å"addictive† in a given society or culture, has to do largely with social custom and political convenience. Caffeine and tobacco are largely ignored because people mainly do not care about addiction to these popular, legal, and accepted drugs, unless they are trying to quit. According to the American Psychological Association, APA, addiction â€Å"is a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms† (2013). Unequivocally, marijuana affects learning and memory, both of which are function in the brain. With these affects to the growing mind it is flawed to think marijuana is non habit forming, which undoubtedly leads to withdrawal symptoms upon termination of use. Marijuana is sex-inhibiting. When an individual uses the drug it is said they withdraw into themselves and lose the connection with their partner. Research into this phenomenon dates back to the 1970’s in which one report showed it reduces testosterone enough to impair the libido in many women and in some men. According to this research, some of the responses included: â€Å"My boyfriend and I have smoked (fairly heavily) for the past year and I would say that it 100% has a terrible effect on our sex life. It’s been a huge libido killer for our relationship†; â€Å"As I’ve continued to use marijuana (been almost five years smoking now) it’s inhibited sex for me more and more† (Castleman, 2012). Furthermore, there is scientific evidence to support that long-term marijuana smoking alters the reproductive system. The gateway theory postulates the use of less harmful drugs (such as marijuana) may lead to future risk of using more dangerous hard drugs. To test this theory a group of researchers in Sweden administered rats the equivalent of the THC (the chemical found in marijuana delivering the â€Å"high†) in one joint to lab rats. After this administration of THC the rats were allowed access to heroin by pressing a lever. According to this study, the rats who were administered the THC took larger doses of heroin than the rats who did not receive the THC injection (Ellgren, 2007). Upon inspection of the rat’s brain, it was discovered the brain cells associated with positive emotions were altered by the THC dosage, thus lending the need for higher drive for more heroin than those without the THC. Ethical Issues More research is needed in order to legislate the use of marijuana. Contemporary medicine and pharmacology are based upon the application of scientific principles and extensive clinical research to determine the safety and efficacy of a drug. Marinol, a synthetic version of the naturally occurring component of marijuana, is a well accepted, well researched, and more effective treatment than marijuana (Kraus, 2007). This approved drug, like marijuana, helps alleviate chronic pain, reduces chemotherapy-related nausea, and with HIV/AIDS treatment it helps with symptoms known as â€Å"wasting syndrome†. Many proponents of legalizing marijuana for these specific illnesses have not looked into marinol as a safe alternative. As a matter of fact the only difference between marinol and marijuana is that marinol does not stimulate the â€Å"high† associated with marijuana. Career Competencies (Psychology) Psychologists from all over the United States attest to the negative effects of cannabis. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) a cannabis user can develop; cannabis intoxication- development of maladaptive behavior that developed shortly after or during cannabis use; cannabis intoxication delirium- a disturbance of consciousness with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention; cannabis-induced psychotic disorder, with delusions- prominent hallucinations or delusions in excess of those usually associated with the intoxication; and cannabis-induced anxiety disorder- prominent anxiety, panic attacks, or obsessions or compulsions that causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning American Psychiatric Association, (2000). The DSM has other classifications for cannabis use; however the mental disturbances highlighted promote the more severe effects of continued marijuana use. Conclusion Marijuana has the reputation of being a gateway drug, although not every heroin addict started out smoking marijuana. Marijuana is prohibited and it puts individuals in circumstances where they are exposed to harder drugs, therefore if the FDA had regulations on marijuana, those individuals would never have to be exposed to those situations. In regards to the effects of marijuana, like a low sex drive, just like every medication whether it is over the counter or prescribed, there will be side effects which will affect everyone differently. Marijuana has the ability to alleviate aliments such as nausea, and other types of pain. Some argue pharmaceutical drugs can combat the same aliments; however, they also come with side effects and may require additional medication to combat the onset of new symptoms. Taxation of marijuana alone would help the economy. The fact the U. S. is wasting 7. 7 billion dollars enforcing the prohibition of the substance is persuasive enough in its self, as well as the potential revenue brought in by taxing the substance like tobacco or alcohol. Keeping marijuana illegal is only keeping drug dealers in business. While law enforcement continues to chase these petty drug dealers it is costing our taxpayers millions of dollars to put and keep drug dealers behind bars. The legalizing of marijuana would benefit the economy greatly, therefor marijuana should be legalized. The use of Marijuana and Cultural difference between Japan and The United States The history of Cannabis in the country of Japan can be traced back to 300 – 500 BC. Cannabis was a widely used plant for the majority of Japanese culture and daily lives. Cannabis fibers were used to not only create baskets and fishing tools, but were also used in creating divine clothing for the Emperor’s. Burning of cannabis was also used for old traditions, for example rooms of worship were purified by burning cannabis leave by the entrance. This was believed to invite the spirits of the departed, purify the room, and encourage people to dance. Japan’s cultivation of Cannabis came to a halt at the end of World War II when allied forces occupied and began to help rebuild Japan. It was America General Douglas MacArthur and his colleagues who re-wrote the Japanese constitution in 1948 and mirrored many of the United States laws. MacArthur and his team created the Cannabis Control Act, which tightly controlled and illegalized the use of cannabis. Due to the extreme cultivating of cannabis and its widely uses in daily lives, Western companies found a market with providing synthetic products to replace cannabis. Today, cannabis is a drug guarded and considered taboo among the Japanese culture. The use and history of cannabis is all but forgotten within today’s Japanese society, and when it is discovered people have, or are using it recreationally, they are shunned and casted as â€Å"stone-cold drug addicts† (Uno, 2011). Many Japanese people consider marijuana and other ‘hard drugs’ to be the exact same and believe all drugs have the same effect. This ideal thinking of marijuana has lead Japan to be one of the strictest laws and punishments compared to other developed countries. In 1993 a Disc Jockey from New York, Christopher Lavinger, was arrested and was sentenced to 16 months in prison and 35 days in solitary confinement after Japanese police found 1. 5 grams of marijuana, 3. 5 grams of cocaine, and some LSD (Hays, 2009). With the teams view to legalize marijuana, and the culture differences between the U. S. nd Japan, the first step to move towards a ‘Pro-Marijuana’ Japanese country would be to educate the people on the benefits cannabis can provide. As described above, the financial profit gained would be tremendous and can go back to the people in various ways. The people would also need education on their history of using cannabis within their ancient traditions and target many high-profile figures to support the use of marijuana. Because of the strict laws and taboo views Japan has of cannabis, it would be a hard road, but the understanding and education used properly, Japan could create legislation that would override, or amend their constitution and current laws banning its use. References American Medical Association (AMA). (1995-2013). Retrieved from http://www. ama-assn. rg/ American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (4th ed. ). American Psychological Association (APA). (2013). Retrieved from http://www. apa. org/topics/addiction/index. aspx Argument: Marijuana is not addictive. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://dbp. idebate. org/en /index. php/Argument:_Marijuana_is_not_addictive Bonnie, R. , Whitbread, C. (n. d). The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge: An Inquiry into the Legal History of Historian of American Marijuana Prohibition. Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved from http://www. druglibrary. org/schaffer/Library/studies/vlr/vlr3. htm Castleman, Michael. Marijuana’s Effects on Sex Vary with Individuals. † Marijuana. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"Marijuana and Sex: Surprising Results of This Blogger’s Informal Survey. † Psychology Today (1 May 2011). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Ellgren, Maria. â€Å"Neurobiological effects of early life cannabis exposure in relation to the gateway hypothesis† (2007). Retrieved from http://publications. ki. se/xmlui/handle/10616/38245? locale-attribute=en Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2006). Retrieved from http://www. fda. gov/NewsEvents /Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2006/ucm108643. htm Hays, J. (2009). Marijuana, Legal Highs and Illegal drugs in Japan. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails. com/japan. php? itemid=664 Kraus, Mark L. â€Å"Legalizing Medical Marijuana Is Not a Good Idea. † Medical Marijuana. Ed. Noel Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Current Controversies. Rpt. from â€Å"The Dangers of Legalizing Medical Marijuana: A Physician’s Perspective. † 2007. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. Marijuana use rising in U. S. , national survey shows. (2011). Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://www. reuters. com/article/2011/09/08/usa-drugs-idUSN1E7870N520110908 Olson, D. (1998). Hempen cultrue in Japan. Retrieved from http://www. cannabisculture. om/articles/101. html/ Stirring the Pot: Could Legalizing Marijuana Save the Economy?. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. forbes. com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2012/04/20/stirring-the-pot-could-legalizing-marijuana-save-the-economy/ The first report of the National Commission on marihuana (1972 ): signal of misunderstanding or exercise in ambiguity. (1974). Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1749335/ The White House President Barak Obama. (2013). Retrieved from http://m. whitehouse. gov/ondcp/marijuana Uno, M. (2011). WEED CRISIS: Enter Japan’s Void. Retrieved from http://www. thestarklife. com/2011/06/17/weed-in-japan/ Bcom275 Legalization of Marijuana According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marijuana may help decrease nausea, stimulate appetite, and decrease pain (2006). Alternately, the American Medical Association (AMA) does not support smoked marijuana as medicine (1995-2013). With such conflicting opinions around this highly controversial drug, there are many questions to be answered in order to decide the steps the federal government can/should be made for a final resolution. Argument For Nearly one in ten Americans used marijuana in 2010; however, our nation spends over seven billion per year to enforce the illegalization of this natural substance. A recent poll taken in 2011 shows marijuana has increasingly become the preferred drug for Americans. Overall, 6. 9 percent, or 17. million, of the United States population used marijuana in 2010 according to the survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Increase Use of Marijuana, 2011, para. 2). Dr. Jeffrey Miron, an economics professor at Harvard University, completed a study which determined the approximate cost of enforcing the illegalization of marijuana. The report estimates legalizing marijuana would save, â€Å"$7. 7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforce ment of prohibition. $5. 3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2. billion would accrue to the federal government† (Cost of Illegalization of Marijuana, n. d. ). The United States has been engaged in a losing battle against marijuana since the implementation of the Uniform Narcotic Act in the 1930’s (Bonnie Whitbread, n. d). We are not only wasting $7. 7 billion per year, but losing potential revenue. Americans could stand to profit a substantial amount of income if marijuana were to be legalized and regulated by the Department of Agriculture. â€Å"Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales would range from $2. billion per year if marijuana were taxed like ordinary consumer goods to $6. 2 billion if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco† (Cost of Illegalization of Marijuana, n. d. ). Marijuana is not addictive and has a stark contrast of addictive properties when pitted against the addictive characteristics of legalized toba cco and alcohol. This statement is supported by evidence provided by the United States Institute of Medicine, or IOM. The IOM states â€Å"fewer than one in 10 marijuana smokers become regular users of the drug, and most voluntary cease their use after 34 years of age. By comparison, 15 percent of alcohol consumers and 32 percent of tobacco smokers exhibit symptoms of drug dependence† (Supporting evidence, n. d. , para. 2). The IOM also observed cannabis withdrawal symptoms are rare and do not require substitution medicine to stop usage. When marijuana smokers cease consumption, the overwhelming majority do not experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms demanding re-initiating use of marijuana according to the IOM. President Richard Nixon commissioned the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse in 1972. The primary objective the commission was to expose dangers of drug use and provide a detailed report on marijuana. Nixon’s commission issued a report titled, â€Å"Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,† which reviewed existing marijuana studies and determined marijuana does not cause physical addiction (National Commission on Marijuana, 1974). Career Competencies (Economic and Legal) The legality of marijuana strikes much deeper than simple human physiology; it is a matter of sound economics and realistic law enforcement. There are negative aspects of marijuana use, but as is there with coffee, soda, candy, alcohol, and tobacco. Americans need to revaluate old rhetoric where marijuana was deemed evil and a gateway drug. The only reason marijuana could be considered a gateway drug is because often time’s consumers are exposed to shady drug dealers on a substance deemed as illegal. If Americans opened their eyes and minds to see how much money and effort is wasted to fight a losing battle become aware of how much could be profited from the legalization of marijuana the decision is straightforward; marijuana should be legalized. Argument Against Contrary to popular belief, marijuana is addictive, and can lead to other health problems such as; lung cancer, low sexual drive (libido), and of utmost importance is to address the concern of marijuana as a â€Å"gateway† drug. Addiction has been redefined and continually evolving for decades. Whether a given substance is defined as â€Å"addictive† in a given society or culture, has to do largely with social custom and political convenience. Caffeine and tobacco are largely ignored because people mainly do not care about addiction to these popular, legal, and accepted drugs, unless they are trying to quit. According to the American Psychological Association, APA, addiction â€Å"is a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms† (2013). Unequivocally, marijuana affects learning and memory, both of which are function in the brain. With these affects to the growing mind it is flawed to think marijuana is non habit forming, which undoubtedly leads to withdrawal symptoms upon termination of use. Marijuana is sex-inhibiting. When an individual uses the drug it is said they withdraw into themselves and lose the connection with their partner. Research into this phenomenon dates back to the 1970’s in which one report showed it reduces testosterone enough to impair the libido in many women and in some men. According to this research, some of the responses included: â€Å"My boyfriend and I have smoked (fairly heavily) for the past year and I would say that it 100% has a terrible effect on our sex life. It’s been a huge libido killer for our relationship†; â€Å"As I’ve continued to use marijuana (been almost five years smoking now) it’s inhibited sex for me more and more† (Castleman, 2012). Furthermore, there is scientific evidence to support that long-term marijuana smoking alters the reproductive system. The gateway theory postulates the use of less harmful drugs (such as marijuana) may lead to future risk of using more dangerous hard drugs. To test this theory a group of researchers in Sweden administered rats the equivalent of the THC (the chemical found in marijuana delivering the â€Å"high†) in one joint to lab rats. After this administration of THC the rats were allowed access to heroin by pressing a lever. According to this study, the rats who were administered the THC took larger doses of heroin than the rats who did not receive the THC injection (Ellgren, 2007). Upon inspection of the rat’s brain, it was discovered the brain cells associated with positive emotions were altered by the THC dosage, thus lending the need for higher drive for more heroin than those without the THC. Ethical Issues More research is needed in order to legislate the use of marijuana. Contemporary medicine and pharmacology are based upon the application of scientific principles and extensive clinical research to determine the safety and efficacy of a drug. Marinol, a synthetic version of the naturally occurring component of marijuana, is a well accepted, well researched, and more effective treatment than marijuana (Kraus, 2007). This approved drug, like marijuana, helps alleviate chronic pain, reduces chemotherapy-related nausea, and with HIV/AIDS treatment it helps with symptoms known as â€Å"wasting syndrome†. Many proponents of legalizing marijuana for these specific illnesses have not looked into marinol as a safe alternative. As a matter of fact the only difference between marinol and marijuana is that marinol does not stimulate the â€Å"high† associated with marijuana. Career Competencies (Psychology) Psychologists from all over the United States attest to the negative effects of cannabis. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) a cannabis user can develop; cannabis intoxication- development of maladaptive behavior that developed shortly after or during cannabis use; cannabis intoxication delirium- a disturbance of consciousness with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention; cannabis-induced psychotic disorder, with delusions- prominent hallucinations or delusions in excess of those usually associated with the intoxication; and cannabis-induced anxiety disorder- prominent anxiety, panic attacks, or obsessions or compulsions that causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning American Psychiatric Association, (2000). The DSM has other classifications for cannabis use; however the mental disturbances highlighted promote the more severe effects of continued marijuana use. Conclusion Marijuana has the reputation of being a gateway drug, although not every heroin addict started out smoking marijuana. Marijuana is prohibited and it puts individuals in circumstances where they are exposed to harder drugs, therefore if the FDA had regulations on marijuana, those individuals would never have to be exposed to those situations. In regards to the effects of marijuana, like a low sex drive, just like every medication whether it is over the counter or prescribed, there will be side effects which will affect everyone differently. Marijuana has the ability to alleviate aliments such as nausea, and other types of pain. Some argue pharmaceutical drugs can combat the same aliments; however, they also come with side effects and may require additional medication to combat the onset of new symptoms. Taxation of marijuana alone would help the economy. The fact the U. S. is wasting 7. 7 billion dollars enforcing the prohibition of the substance is persuasive enough in its self, as well as the potential revenue brought in by taxing the substance like tobacco or alcohol. Keeping marijuana illegal is only keeping drug dealers in business. While law enforcement continues to chase these petty drug dealers it is costing our taxpayers millions of dollars to put and keep drug dealers behind bars. The legalizing of marijuana would benefit the economy greatly, therefor marijuana should be legalized. The use of Marijuana and Cultural difference between Japan and The United States The history of Cannabis in the country of Japan can be traced back to 300 – 500 BC. Cannabis was a widely used plant for the majority of Japanese culture and daily lives. Cannabis fibers were used to not only create baskets and fishing tools, but were also used in creating divine clothing for the Emperor’s. Burning of cannabis was also used for old traditions, for example rooms of worship were purified by burning cannabis leave by the entrance. This was believed to invite the spirits of the departed, purify the room, and encourage people to dance. Japan’s cultivation of Cannabis came to a halt at the end of World War II when allied forces occupied and began to help rebuild Japan. It was America General Douglas MacArthur and his colleagues who re-wrote the Japanese constitution in 1948 and mirrored many of the United States laws. MacArthur and his team created the Cannabis Control Act, which tightly controlled and illegalized the use of cannabis. Due to the extreme cultivating of cannabis and its widely uses in daily lives, Western companies found a market with providing synthetic products to replace cannabis. Today, cannabis is a drug guarded and considered taboo among the Japanese culture. The use and history of cannabis is all but forgotten within today’s Japanese society, and when it is discovered people have, or are using it recreationally, they are shunned and casted as â€Å"stone-cold drug addicts† (Uno, 2011). Many Japanese people consider marijuana and other ‘hard drugs’ to be the exact same and believe all drugs have the same effect. This ideal thinking of marijuana has lead Japan to be one of the strictest laws and punishments compared to other developed countries. In 1993 a Disc Jockey from New York, Christopher Lavinger, was arrested and was sentenced to 16 months in prison and 35 days in solitary confinement after Japanese police found 1. 5 grams of marijuana, 3. 5 grams of cocaine, and some LSD (Hays, 2009). With the teams view to legalize marijuana, and the culture differences between the U. S. nd Japan, the first step to move towards a ‘Pro-Marijuana’ Japanese country would be to educate the people on the benefits cannabis can provide. As described above, the financial profit gained would be tremendous and can go back to the people in various ways. The people would also need education on their history of using cannabis within their ancient traditions and target many high-profile figures to support the use of marijuana. Because of the strict laws and taboo views Japan has of cannabis, it would be a hard road, but the understanding and education used properly, Japan could create legislation that would override, or amend their constitution and current laws banning its use. References American Medical Association (AMA). (1995-2013). Retrieved from http://www. ama-assn. rg/ American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (4th ed. ). American Psychological Association (APA). (2013). Retrieved from http://www. apa. org/topics/addiction/index. aspx Argument: Marijuana is not addictive. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://dbp. idebate. org/en /index. php/Argument:_Marijuana_is_not_addictive Bonnie, R. , Whitbread, C. (n. d). The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge: An Inquiry into the Legal History of Historian of American Marijuana Prohibition. Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved from http://www. druglibrary. org/schaffer/Library/studies/vlr/vlr3. htm Castleman, Michael. Marijuana’s Effects on Sex Vary with Individuals. † Marijuana. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"Marijuana and Sex: Surprising Results of This Blogger’s Informal Survey. † Psychology Today (1 May 2011). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Ellgren, Maria. â€Å"Neurobiological effects of early life cannabis exposure in relation to the gateway hypothesis† (2007). Retrieved from http://publications. ki. se/xmlui/handle/10616/38245? locale-attribute=en Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2006). Retrieved from http://www. fda. gov/NewsEvents /Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2006/ucm108643. htm Hays, J. (2009). Marijuana, Legal Highs and Illegal drugs in Japan. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails. com/japan. php? itemid=664 Kraus, Mark L. â€Å"Legalizing Medical Marijuana Is Not a Good Idea. † Medical Marijuana. Ed. Noel Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Current Controversies. Rpt. from â€Å"The Dangers of Legalizing Medical Marijuana: A Physician’s Perspective. † 2007. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. Marijuana use rising in U. S. , national survey shows. (2011). Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://www. reuters. com/article/2011/09/08/usa-drugs-idUSN1E7870N520110908 Olson, D. (1998). Hempen cultrue in Japan. Retrieved from http://www. cannabisculture. om/articles/101. html/ Stirring the Pot: Could Legalizing Marijuana Save the Economy?. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. forbes. com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2012/04/20/stirring-the-pot-could-legalizing-marijuana-save-the-economy/ The first report of the National Commission on marihuana (1972 ): signal of misunderstanding or exercise in ambiguity. (1974). Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1749335/ The White House President Barak Obama. (2013). Retrieved from http://m. whitehouse. gov/ondcp/marijuana Uno, M. (2011). WEED CRISIS: Enter Japan’s Void. Retrieved from http://www. thestarklife. com/2011/06/17/weed-in-japan/