Operatons management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operatons management - Essay Example Moreover, the advancement of the information technology is another important add-on for logistic management. With the used of the advance IT system, operators can track the flow of materials from the point of purchasing inputs for productions to the point finished products are sold in the retail stores. This gives enough data for logistics managers to make a wise decision for the overall business operations. Lastly, the principles and value chain are also discussed. The principles of logistic management give pointers for managers to help them gauge the correctness and effectiveness of their decision making. Transport and logistics, according to the report written by Shepherd, is a sector in which global value chain (GVCs) play a vital role in connecting countries. It is also responsible for spreading technologies. It also promotes best practice with all the countries in the world. Major shipping, freight forwarding, express delivery firms are just a few of the notable firms involved with this sector. Not only big and notable firms – transport and logistics also partners with local operators. It does not focus on first world countries alone as it extends hands to low income countries or commonly known as the third world countries to help boost their flow of goods, information and other valuable resources. In addition to its vital role as a global value chains, this sector also helps improve the trade performance of many countries around the world. For example, in order for manufacturing and agricultural industries to deliver their produce or goods to consumers quickly and reliably, they need the help of the transport and logistics sectors. A banana plantation industry depends on transports and logistics sectors to ship tons of harvested bananas to different countries. Without a cost-effective model of delivering these

Imperialism in india Essay Example for Free

Imperialism in india Essay Imperialism Is the policy of extending a nations authority by territorial acqulsltlon or by the establishment of economic and political predominance over other nations (Dictionary. com). The two main categories into which the effects ot imperialism on India can be sorted into are, positive and negative. The positive effects of imperialism on India outweigh the negatives, but there are negatives nevertheless such as exclusion from the government. Britain brought western morality and innovation, which it lacked, this Improved Indian society. This morality and innovation rooted in nd then flourished Into much more after the British left. The Imperialism of India had numerous negative effects many of which ere apparent today. To start off The Government of India was run not by Indians, but by British. The Indians held positions, but none Important enough to have any Influence. This affected them because atter the British lett they took their government and their gains with them, and thus they never learned how to govern effectively and thus the people didnt take part in Government. (l) On top of that Britain industrialized India, but in the process destroyed many trades. This supplied India with jobs, but its urpose was to use India to supply Britain with raw materials. The negative effect of Industrialization of India Is that once the British left the demand for their raw materials fell, and thus destroyed the Industry. (5) With no jobs/trades for Indians to take up India fell Into unemployment and separated the poor and the rich drastically, a separation that still continues to this day. Even though the imperialism ot India had negative effects the aftermath ot imperialism left behind many positive effects that when reaped helped Indian society flourish. To start off before the British came it can be said that the Indians were not ery moral or civilized, due to things such as infanticide and widow burning. Infanticide is when the female babies are killed. Also the slave trade came toa halt. (3) Then when the British arrived In India the practices of Infanticide and widow burning were quickly stopped end eventually so was slavery. Another great contribution of Britain to India Is an Infrastructure which was most likely built by Indians but overseen by Brltlsh engineers(4) The Infrastructure provided a connection between all the people and united them, and infrastructure would also facilitate trade within India and to the borders to trade with other countries. These contributions were good but undoubtedly one of the most important positive effects of imperialism on India was education. Some of the main aspects of education that helped shape India were the English language, the sciences, and technology. (2)The most Important of these three could arguably be the English language, because while other countries dre trying to learn English many Indians already know the English language and are then able to trade and establish commerce with the majority of the world since English Is rapidly becoming a common language for business. The ciences and technology were also important because modern India is based around technology and science. imperialism of India it could be reasonably argued that India benefitted more in than Britain in the long run. In the end after Britain left India it did not take much with it that it didnt already have, it might have acquired some influenced and some monetary gain but nothing worthy of praise. On the other hand Imperialism set a basis for Indian society, it gave India an infrastructure, modern morals, but most importantly it gave India an education. This education helped India flourish and become the advancing nation that it is today.

Theories of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Theories of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) This assignment tries to discuss various theories concerning foreign direct investment and give the statement as to whether the theories provide a successful explanation of the main determinants of such activity In real sense the main theories of FDI does not provide successful explanation of the main determinants for such activity, as explained by Dunning and Lundan (2008:81) Multinational Enterprises and Global Economy 2nd Edition. Definition of foreign direct investment According to Graham and Spaulding (website information) direct foreign investment in its classical definition is defined as the company from one country making physical investment into building a factory to another country. Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an extraordinary and growing role in global business. It can provides a firm with new markets and marketing channels, cheaper production facilities, access to knew technology, products, skills and financing. For a host country or the foreign firm which receives the investment, it can provide a strong impetus to economic development. The direct investment in building, machinery and equipment is in contrast with making a portfolio investment, which is considered an indirect investment. In recent years, given rapid growth and change in global investment patterns, the definition has been broadened to include the acquisition of lasting management interest in a company or enterprise outside the investing firms home country. As such, it may take many forms, such as a direct acquisition of a foreign firm, construction of a facility, or investment in a joint venture or strategy alliance with a local firm with attendant input of technology, growing, licensing of Ewe-Ghee Lim (web information) The paper tells about two aspects of direct foreign investment (FDI): its correlation with economic growth and its determinants. The first part focuses on positive spillovers from FDI while the second deals with the determinants of FDI. The paper finds that while substantial support exists for positive spillovers from FDI, there is no consensus on causality. On determinants, the paper finds that market size, infrastructure quality, political/economic stability, and free trade zones are important for FDI, while results are mixed regarding the importance of fiscal incentives, the business/investment climate, labour costs, and openness. Dunning (1993:3), explain that there is less disagreement about FDI THEORIES globalisation as a process of towards the widening of the extent and form of cross-border transactions; and the deepening of the economic interdependence between the actions of globalising entities located in other countries. The FDI theories explain the reason why FDI occurs and the determinants of FDI. The theories have traditionally emphasises market imperfection (Hymer, 1960; Kindlebeger, 1969) and firm specific advantages or ownership advantages derived from the ownership of intangible assets such as technologies, management skills, and organisational capabilities (Caves, 1971). Hymers market imperfections theories suggested that a firm may have certain advantage that may be generated from the fields of technology, management or marketing A. L Calvet (1981:43-59) Journal of International Business Study (hhtp://teaching.ust.hk/ Accessed on 07.11.2009. He assert that Kindleberger provided the first comprehensive survey of the various theories of foreign direct investment along with the lines expressed by Hymer. He approached the question of direct investment from the standpoint of the perfectly competitive model of neoclassical economics by asserting that in a world of pure competition direct investment could not exist. Kindleberger (1969, p13) Indeed, when all markets operate efficiently, when there are no external economies of production or marketing, when information is costless and there are no barriers to trade or competition, International trade is the only possible form of international involvement. Logically, it follows that is the departures from the model of perfect competition that must provide the rationale for foreign direct investment. The first deviation had been noted by Hymer (1960/1976), who postulated that local firms have better information about the economic environment in their country than do foreign companies. According to his argument, two conditions have to be fulfilled to explain the existence of direct investment: (1) foreign firms must possess a countervailing advantage over the local firms to make such investment viable, and (2) the market for the sale of this advantage must be imperfect. It was, thus, a natural step for Kindleberger later to suggest that market imperfections were the reason for the existence of foreign direct investment. Specifically, he came up with the following taxonomy: Imperfections in goods markets, imperfections in factors market, scale economies and government imposed disruptions. This classification may be called the market paradigm; To encompass new developments in the field of determinants of foreign investment, a somewhat different taxonomy from that of Kindleberger was proposed to distinguish among four classes: (1) market disequilibrium hypotheses, (2) government-impose distortions, (3) market structure imperfections, and (4) market failure imperfections. The common feature found in all the hypotheses in group (1) will be the transitory nature of foreign direct investment. FDI is an equilibrating force among segmented markets which eventually comes to an end when equilibrium is re-established; that is when rates of return are equalized among countries. The unifying characteristic in group (2) will be the role played by either host or home governments in providing the incentive to invest abroad. Group (3) will include theories in which the behaviour of firms deviates from that assumed under perfect competition, through their ability to influence market prices. Finally, in group (4) will be classified theories which depart from the technical assumptions behind the model of perfect markets; that is, the assumptions about production techniques and commodity properties. This last category will deal basically with those phenomena which lead to market failure or, cases where the decentralizing efficiency of that regime of signals, rules and build in sanctions which defines a price market system will fail. (Bator 1958, p. 352) Market disequilibrium hypotheses: The notion of a perfect economy and perfect competition requires the assumption that prices everywhere are adjusted to bring supply and demand into equilibrium. It may well be that because of segmentation in world markets rates of return are not equalized internationally. In a disequilibrium context flows of FDI would take place until markets return to stability. Instances of disequilibrium conditions that provide incentives to invest abroad are those which apply to factor markets and foreign exchange markets. Ragazzi (1973:491) State that Currency overvaluation is perhaps the most salient example of these disequilibrium hypotheses. A currency may be defined as overvalued when at the prevailing rate of exchange production costs for tradable goods in the country are, on the average, higher than in other countries. Such an occurrence creates opportunities for profit-making by holding assets in undervalued currencies with the expectation that, once the equilibrium in the foreign exchange market is re-established, capital gains will be realized. In meantime, there is an incentive to locate production of internationally traded commodities in countries with undervalued currencies and to purchase income producing assets with overvalued money. The important point is that, once exchange rates return to equilibrium, the flow of FDI should stop. Even more foreign investors should sell their foreign assets, pocket the capital gains, and return to domestic operations. Foreign direct investment may be attracted toward areas where the average rates of profit are higher. This is basically the capital markets disequilibrium hypotheses. It implies that, for a given level of risk, rates of return on assets are not equalized internationally by portfolio capital flows, due to inefficiencies in securities markets-such as, thinness or luck of disclosure. According to Piggott and Cook (1999:260-261) International Business Economics: A European Perspective 2nd Edition It is difficult to fit into one neat theory because of the problem of definition; secondly any theory of FDI is almost inevitably a theory of MNCs. as well, and thus inseparable from the theory of the firm. Thirdly, the nature of FDI makes it a multidimensional subject within the sphere of economics as well as an interdisciplinary one. It involves the theory of the firm, distribution theory, capital theory, trade theory and international finance as well as the discipline of sociology and politics. It is therefore not possible to identify any single theory of FDI due to many explanations of FDI. Also not easy to classify these explanations into distinct and neat groups, due to substantial overlapping between some of the explanations. They grouped the theories into three categories. 1).Traditional theories 2).Modern theories and 3).Radical theories Traditional theories are based on neo-classical economic and explain FDI in terms of location-specific advantages. Morden theories emphasise the fact that product and factor markets are imperfect both domestically and internationally and that considerable transactional costs are involved in market solutions. Also they acknowledge that managerial and organisational functions play an important role in undertaking FDI. The radical theories, these take a more critical view of Multinational National Corporation (MNCs). Let 1st examine the ownership, Location and Internalisation advantages, sometimes referred as paradigm of OLI. To explain the activity of MNCs there is three different types of advantages which is important. 1).Ownership-specific advantages (OSA) These refer to certain types of knowledge and privileges which a firm possesses and are not available to its competitor. These arise due to the imperfections in commodity and factor market. Imperfections in commodity markets include product differentiation, collusion, and special marketing skills, and in factor markets appear in the form of special managerial skills, differences in access to capital market, and technology protected by patents. Imperfect market may also arise from the existence of internal or external economies of scale or from government policies regarding taxes, interest rates and exchange rates. The market imperfection gives rise to certain ownership-specific advantages, grouped under the following headings: Technical advantages-include holding production secrets such as patents, or unavailable technology or management-organisational techniques. Industrial organisation-relates to the advantages arising from operating in an oligopolistic market such as those associated with joint RD and economies of scale. Financial and monetary advantages-includes preferential access to capital markets so as to obtain cheaper capital. Access to raw materials-if a firm gains privileged access to raw materials or minerals then this becomes an ownership-specific advantage 2).Location-specific advantages (LSA)-This refer to certain advantages which the firm has because it locates its production activities in a particular area: a) .Access to raw materials or minerals this normally represents an LSA. This advantage, however, applies to all the firms established in the locality and is not sufficient to explain FDI in itself pg 261 b). Imperfections in international labour markets-these create real wage-cost differentials which provide an incentive for the MNC to shift production to locations where labour costs are low. Example electronics component firms using South East Asian locations for assembly production. c). Trade barriers-These provide an incentive for MNCs to set up production in Europe to avoid CET. Similarly, high Canadian tariff barriers have been used in the past to attract US direct investment. c). Government policies-such as taxation and interest rate policies can influence the location of FDI. Internalisation-specific advantages (ISA) occur when international market imperfections make market solution too costly. This means the market is too costly or inefficient to undertake certain types of transactions, so whenever transactions can be organised and carried out more cheaply within the firm than thorough the market they will be internalised and undertaken by the firm itself. The benefits of internalisation are as follows:- a). the advantages of vertical integration cover such things as exploitation of market power through price discrimination and avoidance of government intervention by devices such as transfer pricing. b). the importance of intermediate products for research-intensive activity: the firm appropriates the returns on its investment in the production of new technology by internalising technology. c). the internalisation is not entirely costless. It creates communication, co-ordination and control problems. There is also the cost of acquiring local knowledge. FDI theories 1). Traditional theory Capital arbitrage theory The theory states that. Direct investment flows from countries where profitability is low to countries where profitability is high. It means therefore that capital is mobile both nationally and internationally. But sometimes implication is that countries with abundant capital should export and countries with less capital should import. If there was a link between the long-term interest rate and return on capital, portfolio investment and FDI should be moving in the same direction. International trade theory-the country will specialise in production of, and export those commodities which make intensive use of the countrys relatively abundant factor. 2). Modern theory Product-cycle theory New products appear first in the most advanced economy in respond to demand conditions. The maturing product stage is described by standardisation of the product, increased economies of scale, high demand and low price The standardised product stage is reached when the commodity is sold entirely on price basis. The internalisation theories of FDI The theory explain that why the cross-border transactions of intermediate products are organised by hierarchies rather than determined by market forces. The theory of appropriability. The theory explains why there is a strong presence of high-technology industries among MNCs 3).The electric theory of FDI The theory tries to offer a general framework for determining the extent and pattern of both foreign-owned production undertaken by a countrys own enterprises, and that of domestic production owned or controlled by foreign firm. Dunning and Lundan(2008) Robock and Simmonds (1989:48) International Business and Multinational Enterprises 4th Ed Assert that, the electric theory of international production enlarges the theoretical framework by including both home-country and host-country characteristics as international explanatory factors. It argues that the extent, form, and patterns of international production are determined by the configuration of three sets of advantages as perceived by the enterprises. First Ownership (O) advantage 2nd Location (L) and 3rd Internalization (I) advantage in order for the firm to transfer its ownership advantages across national boundary Diamond Porter Theory Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan (2009:287) 12th Edition. International Business: Environment and Operations: Pearson International Edition This is the theory which shows four conditions which is important for competitive superiority: demand conditions; factor conditions; related and supporting conditions and the firm strategy, structure and rivalry. Demand conditions whereby the company start up production at near the observed market for example an Italian ceramic tile industry after World War II: At that time there were post-war housing boom and consumers wanted cool floors because the climate was hot. Another factor is factor conditions which recall natural advantage within absolute advantage theory and the factor-proportions theory Conclusion Theories of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Theories of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) This report has discussed different theoretical framework of FDI that takes place. These theories briefly explain why firms go to trouble when establishing or acquiring abroad. Theories that use on this report are Hymers contributions, product life-cycle theory, caves theory, internalisation theory, the eclectic paradigm, strategic motivations of foreign direct investment and investment path development (IDP) theory. This report also evaluates Honda automotive as an example on how they survive and compete in the competitive international markets nowadays with using FDI models, statistics and theories. Based on these analyses, I feel that FDI takes an important role to both foreign and host countries and also impact firm behaviour or effects on host economies. Introduction This report will discuss Foreign Direct Investment theories and evaluate the FDI of a leading player industry that chosen, Toyota, Japan. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is the name given to process where a firm from a country provides capital to an existing or newly-created firm in another country (Jones, 2006 #1). For example, a foreign firm may decide to set-up production in the UK and by so doing will engaging in the process known as FDI. Firms locating production in more than one country are often referred to as multinational enterprises (MNEs). Dunning (1981) notes there are two main problems with viewing FDI. First, FDI is more than just the transfer of capital, since just as importantly it involves the transfer of technology, management and organizational skills. Second, the resources are transferred within the firm rather than between two independent parties in the market place, as is the case with capital (Jones, 2006 #1). These factors give FDI own a unique key theories an d often cited as Hymer (1960) international operations of national firms; Vernons (1966) product life-cycle theory; Caves (1971) horizontal and vertical theories; Buckley and Casson (1976) Internalization theory; Dunning (1977) eclectic theory; Graham (1978) strategic behavior of firms and John Dunning (1981) investment development path (IDP) theory. This report will begin by examining the Hymer (1960) theory. (Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, theory, Japan FDI, Honda) Literature Review 1.1 Hymer (1960) international operations of national firms Hymers (1960), who saw flaws in the prevailing view that direct investments and portfolio were synonymous with one another. Hymer noted that direct investment was mainly performed by firms in manufacturing, whereas there was a predominance of financial organisations involved in portfolio investment (Jones, 2006 #1). Hymer was also explained why direct investments across various countries (Kogut, 1998 #2). Hymer (1960) expressed his dissatisfaction with the theory of indirect (or portfolio) capital transfers to explain the foreign value-added activities of firms (Dunning, 2008 #3). In particular, he identified three reasons for his discontent. The first was that once uncertainty and risk, the cost of acquiring information and volatile exchange rates and making transactions were incorporated into classical portfolio theory, many predictions, for example, with respect to the cross-border movements of money capital in response to interest rate changes, became invalidated. This was becaus e such market imperfections modified the behavioural parameters affecting performance of firms and the conduct and, in particular, strategy in servicing foreign markets (Dunning, 2008 #3). Second, Hymer stated that FDI involved the transfer of a package of resource (i.e technology, entrepreneurship, management skills, and so on), and not just finance capital which portfolio theories such as Iversen (1935) had sought to explain. The third and perhaps most fundamental characteristic of FDI was that it involved no change in the ownership of resources or rights transferred, whereas indirect investment, which was transacted through the market, did necessitate such a change. In consequences, the organisational modality of both the transaction of the resources, for example, intermediate products, and the value-added activities linked by these transactions was different. Moreover, Hymers theory of FDI draws its influence from Bains (1956) barriers to entry model of industrial economics (Tee ce, 1985). Hymer begins by noting that there are barriers to entry for a firm wanting to set-up production abroad. These are in the form of uncertainty, risk, and host-country nationalism (Kogut, 1998 #2). Uncertainty gives rise to costs in overcoming informational disadvantages associated with unfamiliarity with local customs. Each country has its own languages, legal system, economy and government, which place firms from outside of the country at a disadvantage compared to firms that are naturally resident to the country. The second barrier is nationalistic discrimination by host countries, which may occur by the government with a protectionist agenda, or by consumers of the host country who prefer to purchase goods from own national firms for reasons of patriotic or loyalty tendencies. The final barrier manifests itself as an exchange rate risk (Kogut, 1998 #2). As the firm has to pay a dividend to its shareholders in the home country it has to repatriate the profits back to its own currency. Given these barriers to international productions, why do firms engage in foreign direct investment? According to Hymer there are two reasons, whether of which could apply, and both of which are expected to increase its profits (Kogut, 1998 #2). First, the firm removes competition from within the industry, by taking-over or by merging with firms in other countries. Second, the firm has advantages over other firms operating in a foreign country. Examples of the latter are the ability of the firm to acquire factors of production at a lower cost, the use of better distributional facilities, the ownership of knowledge not known to its rivals or a differentiated product that is now known in the other country. Both reasons stress the importance of market imperfections (Dunning and Rugman, 1985), and underlying these the investor has direct control of the investment. Overall, these reasons are not sufficient for a firm to engage in direct foreign investment, as what is necessary is that it must enter the foreign market in order to fully appropriate the profits, for example, a firm could license its product to a firm in the foreign country, so that it need not directly invest in the market. However, there are problems with licensing the product. These include the failure to reach an agreement with the licensing firm over the levels of output or prices, or the costs involved in the monitoring an agreement made between the firms. 1.2 Product Life-Cycle Theory Vernon (1966), argued that the decision to locate production is not made by standard factor-cost or labour-cost analysis, but by a more complicated process (Kogut, 1998 #2, p.29). The product cycle model was introduced in the 1960s to explain market-seeking production by firms of a particular ownership or nationality (Dunning, 2008 #3). On the other hand, the product cycle was the first dynamic interpretation of the determinants of, and relationship between, international trade and foreign production (Dunning, 1996 #5). It also introduced some novel hypotheses regarding demand stimuli, technology leads and lags, and information and communication costs, which have subsequently proved useful tools in the study of foreign production and exchange (Dunning, 1996 #5). According to Vernon, a product has a life cycle that has three main stages. These stages are important as they have implications for the international location of a product as follows. Stage One: Product development process. In other words, the nature of the product that the firm is making is not standardised (Kogut, 1998 #2). Stage Two: Maturing product. This means that the need for the product to be situated near to its market declines, which allows for economies of scale. These impact on the locational decision of the firm, especially as the demand for the product is likely to grow in other countries, and the firm will have to decide whether it is worth setting up production abroad. Furthermore, this could even mean that the home country experiences exports back to it from the foreign plant. Stage Three: Standardised product. This is an extension to the maturing product stage, where the standardisation of the product has reached its zenith, and a final framework of the product has been found (Kogut, 1998 #2). 1.3 Caves Theory Caves (1971), expanded upon Hymers theory of direct investment, and placed it firmly in the context of industrial organisation theory (Jones, 2006 #1). The importance of Caves work is that this theory will linked Hymers theory of international production to the then current theories of industrial organisation on horizontal and vertical integration. Caves identify between firms that engage in horizontal FDI and those that undertake vertical FDI (Dunning, 2008 #3). Horizontal FDI takes place when a firm enters into its own product market within a foreign country, whereas vertical FDI happens when a firm enters into the product market at a different stage of production (Jones, 2006 #1). 1.4 Internalisation Theory Coase (1937), examines the role that transaction costs play in the formation of organisations known as internalisation theory (Jones, 2006 #1). In brief, Coase was concerned with why firms exist and why not all transactions in a n economy occur in the market. Coase also answered this in terms of the transactions costs involved in using the market, where this is the cost of searching and determining the market price, or, once the price is found, the cost of negotiation, signing and enforcement of contracts between the parties involved in the transaction. The process of internalisation is developed to explain international production and FDI, and one of the leading proponents is Buckley and Casson (1976). They present the MNE as essentially an extension of the multi-plant firm (Dunning, 2008 #3). Bucley and Casson note that the operations of firm, especially large firms, take the form not only of producing services and goods, but activities such as marketing, training, development and research, management techniques and involvement with financial markets. These activities are interdependent and are connected by intermediate products, taking the form of either knowledge or material products, and expertise. A key intermediate product in the internalisation theory of FDI is knowledge. One reason is that knowledge takes a considerable period of time to generate, for example through development and research, but is highly risky, so that futures markets do not exist. Sellers of markets may be unwilling to disclose information, which has uncertain value to the buyer, causing market fail. Further, sellers and buyers of knowledge can often hold a degree of market power, which leads to a bilateral concentration of power (Williamson, 1979), and uncertain outcomes (Dunning, 2008 #3). These problems indicate the severe difficulties in licensing and contracting where information is crucial. In regards to internationalisation, the public good property of knowledge means it is easily transmitted within the firm, regardless of whether it is inside or across national boundaries. This creates internal markets across national boundaries, and as Buckley and Casson state, as firms search for and exploit knowledge to their maximum potential they do so in numerous locations, with this taking place on an international scale, leading to a network of plants on a world-wide basis (Jones, 2006 #1, p.45). The internalisation theories of FDI played an important role in advancing and developing the theory of FDI in the 1970s and have remained popular since that time (Dunning, 2008 #3). 1.5 The Eclectic Paradigm (Please refer to table 2.1 and 2.2 in reading this section) Reflecting upon the history of the theory of FDI, Dunning (1977) noted that it was very much couched in terms of either the structural market failure hypothesis of Hymer and Caves or the internalisation approach of Buckley and Casson (Dunning, 1996 #5). Dunning provided an eclectic response to these by bringing the competing theories together to form a single theory, or paradigm as it is more often referred. The basic premise of Dunnings paradigm is that it links together Hymers ownership advantages with the internalisation school, and at the same time adds a locational dimension to the theory, which at the time had not been fully explored (Jones, 2006 #1). Further, Dunning does manage to introduce some new considerations, such as the impact that different country and industry characteristics have on each of the ownership, locational and internalisation advantages of FD (Jones, 2006 #1). The eclectic paradigm of FDI states that a firm will directly invest in a foreign country only if it fulfils three conditions. First, the firm must possess an ownership-specific asset, which gives it an advantage over other firms and which are exclusive to the firm. Second, it must internalise these assets within the firm rather than through contracting or licensing. Third, there must be an advantage in setting-up production in a particular foreign country rather than relying on exports (Blomstrom, 2000 #8). Different types of ownership (O), locational (L) and internalisation (I) factors are given in Table 1 (collectively known as OLI) (Jones, 2006 #1). Internalisation advantages are the ways that a firm maximises the gains from their ownership advantages to avoid or overcome market imperfections (Dunning, 1996 #5). Internalisation-specific advantages results in the process of production becoming internal to the firm. Reasons for internalisation include the avoidance of transaction costs, the protection of the good, market and finance, avoidance of tariffs and the ability to capture economies of scale from production (Dunning, 2008 #3). Moreover, not all of the OLI conditions for FDI will be evenly spread across countries, and therefore each condition will be determined by the factors that are specific to individual countries (Dunning, 1996 #5). Links between the OLI advantages and the country-specific characteristics are summarised in Table 2. For example, the ownership-specific advantage of firm size is likely to be influenced by market size in the firms home country (Dunning, 1996 #5). This is because the larger the market is, the more likely will a firm be able to gain ownership-specific advantages in the form of economies of scale. In terms of location-specific factors, labour costs will vary across developed and developing countries, while transport costs are determined by the distance between the host and home countries. Finally, country-specific factors are likely to affect the degree to which firms internalise their advantages. 1.6 Strategic Motivations of Foreign Direct Investment Despite the advances made by the eclectic approach to FDI, the theory has been criticised for ignoring another aspect of FDI theory. Knickerbocker (1973), and then advanced by Graham (1978, 1998). The distinguished feature of the strategic approach to FDI is that is believes that an initial inflow of FDI into a country will produce a reaction form the local producers in that country, so that FDI is a dynamic process. The process from the domestic producers can either be aggressive or defensive in nature. An aggressive response would be a price war or entry into the foreign firms home market while a defensive response would be an acquisition or merger of other domestic producers to reinforce market power (Dunning, 1996 #5). 1.7 Investment Development Path Theory John Dunnings investment development path (IDP) theory (1981) and its latest version (Dunning an Narula 1994) are implicitly built on the notion that the global economy is necessarily hierarchical in terms of the various stages of economic development in which its diverse constituent nations are situated. The IDP essentially traces out the net cross-border flows of industrial knowledge, the flows that are internalised in foreign direct investment (FDI) and that restructure and upgrade the global economy, although there is also the non-equity type of knowledge transfer such as licensing, turn-key operations, and the like. In this way, the IDP can thus be view as a cross-border learning curve exhibited by a nation that successfully move up the stages of development by acquiring industrial knowledge from its more advanced neighbours. A move from the U-shaped (i.e negative NOI) portion to the wiggle section of the IDP indicates an equilibration in knowledge dissemination (Dunning, 1996 # 5, p.143) and that is, a narrowing of the industrial technology gap between the advanced and the catching-up countries. Thus, IDP curve conceptualised by Dunning is an idealised pattern based on free-market exchanged of knowledge among countries (Dunning, 1996 #5). Japan Automotive Industry 2.1 Components-intensive assembly-based manufacturing and FDI (first, trade-conflict-skirting, but later rationalising type) Automobiles and auto-parts had long been targeted by the Japanese government as one of the most promising industries in which both higher technological progress and productivity were possible and whose products were highly income elastic. In addition to automobiles, another components-intensive, assembly-based industry that successfully emerged in Japan in the 1970s was consumer electronics (Dunning, 1996 #5). Both automobiles and consumer electronics came to capitalise very adroitly on Japans dual industrial structure in which numerous small and medium-sized enterprise coexisted alongside a limited number of large-scale firms; the former specialised at the relatively labour-intensive end, while the latter operated at the relatively capital-intensive, scale-based end of vertically integrated manufacturing (Dunning, 2008 #3). Furthermore, it was also in Japans auto industry (at Toyota Motor Co., to be exact) that a new manufacturing paradigm, lean or flexible production, originated as a superior alternative to Fordist mass production (Womack, Jones and Roos, 1990). This technological progress came to be reflected in rising technology exports in the transport equipment (mostly, automobile) industry. But the very success of building up the efficient, large-scale (hence exploitative of scale/scope economies) hierarchies of assembly operations in highly differentiated automobiles and electronics goods, along with increased RD and technological accumulation (which is reflected in increasing technology exports), resulted in Japans export drive and expanding trade surplus. These situations in turn quickly led to trade issues and the sharp appreciation of the yen (Dunning, 2008 #3). To circumvent protectionism, Japanese producers of automobiles and electronics goods began to replace their exports with local assembly operations in the Western markets, mainly in North America and Europe. Meanwhile, they also started to produce fairly standardised (ie. Relatively low value added) parts and components, or those that can be cost-effectively produced, locally, both in low-wage developing countries, especially in Asia, and in high-wage Western countries- in the latter, with the installation of labour-cost-reducing and labour-quality-augmenting automation equipment mostly shipped from Japan. Therefore, a network of Japanese overseas ventures began to straddle the advanced host countries and the developing host countries at the same time (Dunning, 2008 #3). Recently, these assembly-based FDIs are going beyond the trade-conflict-skirting phase to reach a new phase of rationalised cross-border production and marketing. More and more components are produced at supplied home to the overseas manufacturing outposts. Also, low-end products (models) are assigned to production and marketing in the developing host countries, especially in Asia; some are imported back into Japan. Thus, we can discern a more refined or more sharply delineated and specialised form of trade within an industry (i.e intra industry) or more appropriately within a firm (i.e intra- firm trade) and within a production process (i.e inter-process trade), a new form of trade made possible by rationalisation-seeking type of FDI (Dunning, 1996 #5). 2.2 Toyota (Please refer to appendix 1 2 in reading this section) The Japanese market is the most consolidated of all triad markets. Toyota, is a transnational Japanese international car manufacturer where headquartered in Aichi, Japan (Dunning, 2008 #3). According to appendix 1, in 2011, Toyota was the fifth biggest transnational companies with foreign sale as 60.8 percent of total. Also, it has 38% of its 326,000 workers abroad (Economist, 2012 #7). In 2009, Toyota alone has 36.88 percent of the passenger car market, 18.29 percent of the truck market and 79.72 percent of the bus market (M.Rugman, 2012 #6). Excluding Japan, Toyota is the market leader in two of the six largest countries in Asia Pacific which are Malaysia and Thailand (M.Rugman, 2012 #6). Furthermore, in 2009, two regional markets accounted for 78 percent of Toyotas revenue Asia (with Japan at 48.3 percent of revenues) and North America (at 29.70 percent of revenues); Europe was only at 14.1 percent of revenues and rest of the world 7.9 percent, and hence, it is a bi-region-focused company. According to appendix 2, In term of units sold, the geographic distribution is similar where Asia and Oceania account for 14 percent, North America 32 percent and Europe 14 percent. Therefore, in terms of revenue and units sold, Toyota is a bi-regional company (Dunning, 1996 #5) . Over 10 years, Toyotas intra-regional percentage of sales has decreased from 57.1 percent to 46.2 percent. One major reason for this is the Japanese market itself, where sales decreased for 48.4 percent of total revenues in 1993 to 38.3 percent in 2002. As comparison, North American, European, and non-triad sales have steadily increased in importance. Toyota manufactures locally over two thirds of the car sells in United States. Local responsiveness is important for Toyota. Toyota introduced its luxury models to accommodate the wealthier and aging North American baby boomers in the 1990s. Today, the company is introducing cars to target the young American customer, the demographic echo of the baby boomers. Since 60 percent of US car buyers remain loyal to the brand of first car, it is thus imperative to service this young market (M.Rugman, 2012 #6). Furthermore, american consumers, have been responsive to the companys reputation for lower price and quality at which Toyotas cars are sold (M.Rugman, 2012 #6). Also, the resale value is also higher for Toyota cars. One major advantage for Toyota is that is has some of the best manufacturing facilities in the world, and it combined this with excellent relationships with its suppliers. Until recently, Toyota was one of the most efficient companies at outsourcing production to suppliers with whom it enjoys amicable long-term, sometimes keiretsu-style, relationship (Dunning, 2008 #3). If the auto industry is to become more like the electronics industry, vehicle brand owner (VBOs), such as GM, and VW, will be the equivalent of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the electronics industry, such as Nokia, and will concentrate on designing, engineering, and marketing vehicles to be sold under their brand while others take care of manufacturing (Dunning, 1996 #5). Toyota is probably fu rther along this outsourcing route than other triad auto makers. Overall, although Toyota has much intra-regional trade and FDI, this does not mean that trade or FDI between them has declined (M.Rugman, 2012 #6). As discussed, all of them have invested large amounts of money in each other. For example, in 2008, the EU country has $1,622.911 billion of FDI in the United States and $86.915 billion in Japan. The United States imports $377 billion from the EU and $143.4 billion from Japan. So they are closely linked in terms of both trade and FDI (M.Rugman, 2012 #6). 3. Conclusions Overall, this report has reviewed the theoretical literature on foreign direct investment and Honda automotive in the FDI international markets. Since Hymer, there have been attempts to address a number of issues, such as why FDI occurs and where it locates. This report has also take on board developments in Dunnings eclectic paradigm of FDI, which not only encompasses ownership and internalisation advantages of multinational enterprise, but the role that location plays in a firms decision to invest abroad. Since the time of the eclectic paradigm, other theories have emerged that have stressed the importance of the role of strategy in FDI in the face of globalisation and a corresponding growth in competition between firms. In this, the role of the traditional barriers to entry across countries, such as the differences in the legal, economic environments and linguistic, have become less important, and FDI is now be viewed as competition between a few firms on an international stage (D unning, 1996 #5). Dunnings IDP paradigm provides a thought-provoking framework to examine the Japanese industry experience, because the case of Japan seems so deviant from the norm set forth in the macro-IDP pattern. The Asian NIEs and the new NIEs (ASEAN-4) and now new new NIEs (China, Vietnam and India) have moulded their developmental strategies along the line of MNE- facilitated development in order to swing up. Indeed, Japan automotive seems to have been a role model for other East and South East Asian countries to match in their drive to economic modernisation. In addition, to the high level of international business conducted across the triad, companies in the triad are constantly looking for new ideas from other regions that will make them more competitive. In the United States, for example, the head of the Federal Reserve System has expressed the belief that US antitrust practices are out of date and that competitors should be allowed to acquire and merge with each other in order to protect themselves from world competition (Dunning, 2008 #3). This idea has long been popular in Japan where Keiretsus, or business groups, which consist of a host of companies that are linked together through ownership and/or joint ventures, dominate the local environment and are able to use their combined connections and wealth to dominate world markets. (2000 words) Table 1 The Three Conditions of the Eclectic Theory Ownership-specific advantages (internal to enterprises of one nationality) Size of firm Technology and trade marks Management and organisational systems Access to spare capacity Economies of joint supply Greater access to markets and knowledge International opportunities such as diversifying risk Location-specific advantage (determining the location of production) Distribution of inputs and markets Cost of labour, transport and materials costs between countries Government intervention and policies Commercial and legal infrastructure Language, culture and customs (ie psychic distance) Internalisation-specific advantages (overcoming market imperfections) Reduction in search, negotiation and monitoring costs Avoidance of property right enforcement costs Engage in price discrimination Protection of product Avoidance of tariffs Source: Dunning (1981) Table 2 Characteristics of Countries and OLI-specific Advantages Owbnership-specific advantages Country characteristics Size of firm Large markets Liberal attitudes to mergers Technology and trade marks Government support of innovation Skilled workforce Management and organisational systems Supply of trained managers. Educational facilities Product differentiation High income countries Levels of advertising and marketing Location-specific advantages Country characteristics Costs of labour and materials Developed or developing country Transport costs between countries Distance between countries Government intervention and policies Attitudes of government to FDI Economies of scale Size of markets Psychic distance Similarities of countries languages and cultures. Internalisation-specific advantages Country characteristics Searching negotiating monitoring costs. Greater levels of education and larger markets make knowledge type ownership-specific advantages more likely to occur. Avoid costs of enforcing property rights. Protection of products. Source: Dunning (1981) Appendix 1 C:UsersuserDesktop20120714_woc582_5.png

Making the Cut :: Women Gender Issues Essays

Making the Cut In response to the failure of the International Bill of Gender Rights to pass congress in the fall of 2010, I propose a film that challenges society to examine the controversies surrounding gender identity construction and transgender people (Phyllis Randolph Frye, Esq., 1.) My film, "Making the Cut," is based loosely on the true story of Johns Hopkins Hospital case study "Joan/John," and chronicles the life of athlete Carla/Carlos Garcia (Diamond, 1). The film uses the example of sport as an indication that society is not yet ready to fully accept transgender individuals into its community. The film begins shortly after the protagonist Carla/Carlos has been born. The doctors immediately realize that the child has been born with a micropenis and determine, as is done to approximately 100 to 200 US children annually, that the child should undergo sex-selection surgery and be raised as a girl (Diamond, 1). The doctors attempt to explain this to the baby's mother, but as she only speaks Spanish their words are lost on her. Not being able to afford prenatal care, the mother has had no expectations for the sex of her child and rejoices when the doctors bring her a baby "girl," whom she names Carla. Carla grows up in Harlem and throughout her childhood is incl ined to participate in activities that society has historically associated with boys: sports, building furniture and playing in mock-fighting games. Carla feels more comfortable in the company of boys and often finds she identifies more closely with their lives than those of her female peers. As an athlete, Carla excels at basketball and earns the recognition of her high school coach and local media as being a basketball sensation. In her senior year, Carla is recruited to play basketball for the University of Connecticut on scholarship. Excited at the prospect of leaving the projects and being the first member of her family to attend college, Carla joins the basketball team. While studying at UCONN, Carla attends a lecture about sex-selection operations for a class. Immediately, she identifies with the stories of people whose sex was decided by their doctors at birth and begins to question her own gender identity. She starts an investigation into her childhood and discovers the med ical records recounting her sex-selection operation. Nervous about the significance of her discovery for her future, but relieved to learn that her inclinations towards feelings of masculinity had biological backing, Carla decides to live her life identifying as male.

Pearson and Mcdonal Lawsuit Analysis Essay

Executive Summary There are two major lawsuits which the main populace has defined as frivolous. One of those cases is the McDonald’s split coffee case. This is the case where the plaintiff spilled her coffee and was rumored to sue McDonald’s for 2.7 million dollars and win. The other’s case is the Pearson dry cleaning case where a man sued Chung Dry Cleaner’s 54 million dollars for losing his pants. The plaintiff won in the McDonald’s Case and the Plaintiff lost in the Dry clearance’s case. In this paper we are going to dissect each case by the facts, the law, the issues, the ethical issues, the defendants preventative measures, and then the analysis of it all. Introduction Frivolous lawsuits have over taken our society by storm. Anywhere from someone suing over a pair of lost pants to a person suing over a coffee burn. But what is Frivalous? Perhaps there is more to see in each of these suits that was originally thought. In 1992 79-year-old Stella Liebeck spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s for the coffee being too hot. In May 2005 Judge Roy Pearson sued Custom Cleaners for losing a pair of his pants. On paper both of the lawsuits look ridiculous and should be dismissed as soon as the titles are read. But when looking into the details one discovers propaganda hugely blown out of proportion on one case and the other being exactly what it looks like. What are the Facts? Factual evidence is what gives a case its meat, its substance, so without worthy facts it is very easy for a case to lose any of its stimuli. On the other hand sometimes the facts of a case with swift ones initial opinion in a complete 180. The Pant’s Suit and the McDonald’s Coffee Suit both have information to back the claim, however, only one can truly be deemed as proof. In My 2005 District of Columbia Administrative Law Judge Roy. L. Pearson claimed Custom Cleaners lost his pants. Judge Pearson said he â€Å"dropped off blue Saks Fifth Avenue suit pants with burgundy pinstripes at Custom Cleaners for $10.50 alteration and that the gray, cuffed pants they tried to return to him were not his (Andrea, 2007).† Pearson then proceeded to request Custom Cleaners, owned by the So Jin and Sooo Chung, pay him over $1,000 for a new suit. The Chungs refused and Pearson proceeded with a lawsuit asking for 65 million dollars. Before the suit went to trial the Chung’s tried to settle, offering Pearson up to 12,000 dollars but Pearson refused and instead lowered his suit to 54 million dollars (O’Rourke, 2007). The suit then proceeded to the court. Stella Liebeck was burned by coffee going through a McDonald’s drive-through. Her grandson, Chris Tiano, stopped the car in the drive through so she could put cream and sugar in the coffee. Ms. Liebeck placed the coffee between her legs, and when she pulled the top off the coffee it spilled on her (Press & Carroll, 1995). She suffered severe third degree burn injuries to her buttocks, groin, and inner thighs. She was hospitalized for eight days because of the severity and had to receive multiple skin grafting procedures. Ms. Liebeck was disabled for two years due to her injuries. McDonald’s had 700 previous customer burning cases prior to Ms. Liebeck’s case, and the company decided to keep their coffee temperature at 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Prior to going the lawsuit path, Ms., Liebeck originally requested McDonald’s settle for injury costs; however, the company offered her $800 instead. Ms. Liebeck did not receive 2.7 Million Dollars as most assume, inste ad she received a total of $640,000 included the complementary damages and the punitive damages (Litant, 1995). When laying out the facts of the â€Å"McDonald’s Coffee Case† as most call it, one is shocked to find themselves on Ms. Liebeck’s metaphorical side of the matter rather than McDonald’s. One must always review the facts to have any true understanding on the matter. After reviewing the facts given by the Pant’s Suit and the McDonald’s Coffee case, a person can identify what suit is missing necessary information. In the Pant’s Suit Pearson has no proof that Customer Cleaners lost his pants, it is all alleged. He could have forgotten them at his house or lost them himself, there is not any way to prove Custom Cleaner’s even lost his pants. But in the McDonald’s case it is easy to see the facts because they are all in statistics, in photographs, the facts are all in the evidence. One case is already losing it’s steam while another is gaining momentum, lets move on. What are the Issues? An issue is why a case is even occurring. One issue is burns from an overly hot cup of coffee. The other issue is emotional distress and financial loss due to a pair of missing pants. There may be isssues though that grow from these or are the issues really that simple? In the missing pants case, the issue is Judge Pearson’s pants were allegedly misplaced by Custom Cleaners. So how is it a pair of missing pants led to a suit battle that lasted over two years? There must have been other issues involved. First lets assess the facts we received, the pair of pants Custom Cleaners gave Mr. Pearson he claimed were not his, but they were his size and matched the alteration specification requested (Goldwasser, 2007). Other issues that grew from the case was the loss of business and harassment the Chung’s received due to Mr. Pearson’s harassment. Mr. Pearson would regularly go door to door in the neighborhood asking the community in which Custom Cleaners was centered for his support in the case against him. The Chung’s had to eventually close down the store. The issue that started this entire fiasco was a pair of missing pants, which ended up leading Judge Pearson not being re-appointed and a Custom Cleaners being shut down. After the suit Judge Pearson received a letter from the Commission on Selection and Tenure Administrative Law Judges they elected not to re-appoint him as judge and cited his pour performance as a judge and the Pants suit (Cauvin, 2007). The issues are simple to spell out for Ms. Stella Liebeck’s case. The issue, which brings about the other issues, is the plaintiff, Ms. Liebeck, received third degree burns when Mc. Donald’s coffee was spilt on her lap. The plaintiff requested the defendant pay for medical bills and work loss, the defendant refused and offered a minimal sum, which would not even cover attorney costs. The defendant does not want to lower temperature they keep their coffee at as it would lower the â€Å"optimum taste† of the product. The plaintiff was partially at fault for spilling the coffee; however, experts said if the coffee was not that hot then the injuries would never of occurred regardless of who spilled the coffee. Subsequently the issues are but they aren’t that simple. From one issue can spur another and that is the case for both lawsuits. Ms. Liebeck was severely burned by McDonald’s coffee and requested an accurate amount for her injuries, they refused, and it went to court  causing the issue of monetary loss and embarrassment for McDonald’s. The issue that grew from the Pearson case was the business loss the Chung’s received. In both cases the defendants each ended up having an issue of their own. What Law Applies? Law’s can be manipulated and misinterpreted easily. There is even a branch of the government solely dedicated to translating the constitution accurately and ethically. In both cases there are law’s that come about, but in one case it is clear the law was perversely utilized. In the Custom Cleaner’s case the suit stated Judge Pearson was, â€Å" defrauded by the owners of Custom Cleaners and by the ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’ sign they had (Cauvin, 2007). He also sued for emotional distress and legal costs (O’Rourke, 2007). Under Tort Law Pearson could be under Negligent Tort for damages, if he illustrates actual damages. Judge Pearson chose to sue under Intentional Torts, more specifically under Emotional Distress. The problem most defendants have come to is that emotional distress is ambiguous. Anyone can claim emotional distress for everyone is different with his or her tolerances. The most intriguing aspect in this case, is that the Chung’s never sued Pearson for defacement. The Chung’s had proof, witnesses, everything they needed for a successful trial. So under law the Plaintiff stretched manipulated the law definitions with very little proof for a lawsuit and the defendant did not even attempt to gain retribution. In the case of Stell Liebeck vs. McDonald’s several torn law come into the play. The definition of a tort law is â€Å"an injury to another’s person or property.† In this case there were severe damages done to the plaintiff according to the facts. There are there separate types of torn cases, compensatory nominal, and punitive. Ms. Liebeck’s case fit under compensatory and punitive. Compensatory for the injuries she received to include the special damages of doctor bills. She also is covered under punitive damages for the company was fully aware of how hazardous their product was and still refused to change the temperature of their coffee. Also Ms. Liebeck is covered under the ‘Cause-in-Fact’ of negligent Tort, since McDonald’s never went forward with any preventative measures. Her esquire Mr. Reed Morgan noted three specific charges against McDonald’s; the first being their product was  unduly hazardous due to its temperature; the second being McDonald’s failed to give its consumers the necessary warnings of the temperature; the third being the consumers could not drink the coffee at the time it was served; therefore there was breach of warranty (Press & Carroll, 1995). Mr. Morgan had the option of using a plethora of Tort law’s on behalf of his client Ms. Liebeck, and he took full advantage of that fact like any attorney would do for their case and client. In the McDonald’s case the law was not overly used, because the ones they referenced were enough for their case to be heard and be successful. But the Pearson case was another matter, the plaintiff was clearly stretching the law to try and manipulate it for his own base needs. What did the judge/jury decide? The McDonald’s case was a jury trial and the Pants case was a judge trial. Both cases were caught up in the legal battle for over two years. When the pants case finally made it to trial the case was dismissed in two days. The McDonald’s case did take a little longer for there was a lot of evidence for them to go through and there were multiple decision makers rather than just one. The Judge in the pants case held the decision not the jury. D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff found for the defendant on all counts. Judge Bartnoff denied any damage costs to the Plaintiff and ordered Pearson to pay the defendants court costs (Cleaners 1, Judge 0 in case of missing pants, 2007). Usually when one is in the judgment of ‘one of their own’ they find on behalf of their own. However it was clear Judge Bartnoff saw the absurdity of Pearson’s claim when she found in behalf of the defendants. In the case of the spilled coffee most of the jury had a 180 from their original inclinations of the case. Going into the case Jury member Roxanne Bell said, â€Å"she was insulted†¦the whole thing sounded ridiculous to me.† After the Jury heard testimony from three witnesses their opinions of the case started to alter. The first expert witness was Doctor Charles Baxter who spoke to the grotesque photographs of Ms. Liebecks’s injury and â€Å"testified that coffee at 170 degrees would cause second –degree burns within 3.5 seconds of hitting the skin (Press & Carroll, 1995).† And since McDonald’s kept their coffee at 190 degrees it is safe to say, It was extremely easy for Ms. Liebeck to get third degree burns. The other two  witnesses were actually defendant witnesses, the first was a quality-assurance supervisor at McDonald’s, and the second was a safety consultant. The first witness was Mr. Christopher Apleton who testified that even though McDonald’s had received over 700 coffee burn complaints in 10 years the company refused to lower their temperatures. The second defendant witness was Mr. Robert Knaff, who’s main problem was he contradicted himself in the middle of his testimony. As first he was tring to describe that 700 burn complaints in ten years amounted to only one in twenty-four million coffee cups, but then he later said in his testimony, â€Å"a burn is a very terrible thing (Press & Carroll, 1995).† By saying a burn was a terrible thing, then it was no longer a trivial matter. At the end of the case Ms. Bell defended the jury’s decision by exclaiming, â€Å" it was our way of saying, ‘Hey, open your eyes. People are getting burnedà ¢â‚¬â„¢ (Press & Carroll, 1995).† The Jury decided to teach McDonald’s a lesson for the over all negligence they displayed in their refusal to acknowledge the multiple previous warning they had received regarding the hotness of their coffee. The Jury awardee Ms. Liebeck a total of $2.7 million dollars in punitive damages, which at that time, is the amount of money McDonald’s would make in a two-day span. The jury was overzealous on Ms. Liebeck’s behalf for they wanted to reform and punish McDonald’s so the judge had to step in Where as in the Pants suit the judge quickly ‘put down the hammer’ on Judge Pearson. Did the judge or jury make an appropriate decision based on the applicable law controlling the cases? Why or Why not? The judge and jury both made the appropriate decisions in the verdict award, but no the appropriate decision on the fiscal award. In the case of the missing pants the judge appropriately awarded the fiscal and the verdict. The in McDonald’s case the jury appropriately awarded the verdict but inappropriately awarded the fiscal amount. Judge Judith Bartnoff made the appropriate decision according the appropriate definition of tort law in the missing pants case. In interpreting the law one must as a judge throw out the absurd cases but still justly review it. In her review of the missing pants case it was clear Mr. Pearson was unduly persecuting the Chungs over a pair of pants. Mr. Pearson did not have work loss because Custom Cleaners allegedly misplaced a pair of pants, and he was not harmed in any way. In the McDonald’s case the  jury made the correct decision in awarding the suit to Ms. Liebeck, but they made in the incorrect decision in obnoxious amount they chose to grant. Instead of awarding Ms. Liebeck the amount she was due, the jury decided to take a matter for McDonald’s company policy into their own hands to try and reform by ‘punishing’ the company so much they would have no choice but to lower the temperature of their coffee from 190 degrees Fahrenheit. The judge was correct in overturning the jury’s decision from awarding Ms. Liebeck 2.7 million in punitive damages to $480 in punitive damages. The judge recognized the jury was correct in deciding the defendant was guilty, but they were overzealous in their need to reform McDonald’s company policy. Overall the verdict for both cases was fairly awarded. What are the ethical issues in the cases? Do the ethical issues differ from the legal issues? If so How? There are ethical issues easily seen in both the Pearson and the Liebeck cases. In one case the Plaintiff was unethical and I the other case the defendant was unethical. In the Pearson case the ethical issues and the legal issues do not appropriately correspond. It was unethical for Mr. Pearson to be allowed a lawsuit of $54 million dollars for a pair of pants, but he was legally allowed. It was unethical for Mr. Pearson to deface Custom Cleaners by putting up signs in that community against them, but he was legally allowed to. It was unethical for Mr. Pearson to demand Custom Cleaners, at the time of the incident, over $1000 for a new suit, but he was legally allowed to. Many people do not take manipulate and take advantage of the freedoms the United States allows its citizens, but there are those who will not only take advantage but make others look on in disgust for why he was allowed to do what he did. There are multiple ethical issues in the Liebeck case. The main one being responsibility. It is the responsibility of the company to listen to its consumers and McDonald’s failed to do so on multiple occasions. The other is knowingly harming other, McDonald’s knew there coffee had caused severe burns on other customers in the past but had refused to do anything about it, even when they were approached by the National Burn Victims Association to do so (Howard, 1994). In this case the ethical issues do not differ from the legal issues as each ethical issue directly corresponds with a broken law by McDonald’s. there are major ethical issues by the press, congress,  and other entities continuing to further there own agenda by only giving half truths concerning Ms. Liebeck’s case. There has been a significant push by Tort reformers due to the jury decision made in Ms. Liebeck’s case, but those are using severe propaganda to do so. Both of these cases have been described as â€Å"frivolous† lawsuits. Based on your research what do you think? Is either one or both of these cases frivolous? Intro Pearson Based on the research given, the Pants Suit case was a frivolous suit. A frivolous case is considered to be absurd, unneeded, and previously thought impossible. Judge Roy Pearson, a legal professional, most likely originally thought he could use the scare tactic with Customer Cleaners for the initial $1000 ask because of his power position. Instead when the defendant refused to pay that sum, the plaintiff lost his temper and in doing so lost his professional mind. The Plaintiff was not hurt, and he did not have any significant financial loss due to the initial incident. McDonald’s On paper Ms. Liebeck’s case looks frivolous; however, after examining the facts in no longer appears to be so. A woman did spill coffee on herself and did get burned, but she was severely burned from the hazardous temperatures McDonald’s kept there coffee of hat was not fit for human consumption. The amount the jury awarded her it what most of society deems obnoxious, bringing the classification of her lawsuit to frivolous in nature. When just looking at the injuries Ms. Liebeck received from the coffee temperature, one could never deem it a frivolous lawsuit, but there are those who will seek to capitalize on a lawsuit such as this by exclaiming half-truths in order to further their own agendas. Combine Regardless of what you think of the lawsuits, how could the business owners have prevented them? What advice can you give them for the future? Intro Pearson When digging into the details of the case a very simple business practice alteration could have prevented the entire debacle in the missing pants case. Currently the Chungs have a ticketing system where they place the ticket number and article size on the clothing. However if they added to that ticket and item description the debacle could have been avoided. In doing this the customer is helped and so is the company. McDonald’s It was rather obvious when looking through the facts of the McDonald’s case how the company could have prevented their lawsuit, That is one of the main reason’s they lost the case, is because due to their sever negligence in ignoring their consumer complaints, the jury was abhorred by the company. Very simply put McDonald’s once receiving the first customer complaint should have completed testing to see what would keep their coffee at a great taste with a less hazardous temperature. Similar to other institutes had done at the advice of the Shriner’s Burn Institute lowering their temperature to 135 to 140 degrees (Litant, 1995). In the future, some advice McDonald’s should take is to listen to their customers, if there are several complaints regarding one item, then the item either needs to be altered or discontinued. Combine Conclusion

An Unnecessary essays

An Unnecessary essays The Persian Gulf War has turned out to be the most controversial war in recent history. It occurred in August 1990 when Iraqi forces occupied Kuwait because they claimed to have owned them after their release for independence from Britain. The United States led an international coalition of forces to demand Kuwaits freedom from Iraq and for Kuwait to claim its land and rights. As a result to the U.S. becoming involved in the dispute between Iraq and Kuwait, many nations supported the U.S., which gave a sense of unity among parts of the world and in the U.N. After the war, Kuwait was no longer being controlled by Iraq in any way. Due to the war with Iraq, United States was able to advance many of its war tactics and technologies, such as, night vision, scud missiles, and the stealth bomber. Also, oil prices in the United States were kept lower than they would have been if the U.S. hadnt gotten involved in the war. However, many things were left unsettled between Iraq and the United Na tions. (Persian Gulf War, Microsoft Encarta.) The Persian Gulf War led the United States into its current war with Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom. The United States concern in the Persian Gulf War was that Iraq was too controlling over Kuwait. Because The United States did not achieve one of its primary goals, which was to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, the Persian Gulf War was not necessary. First, Persian Gulf War was not necessary is because I think that disputes between other nations should be handled between the two. No other nation should get involved. It seems that the United States wants to spread the idea of liberty, justice, and freedom, and it wants to eliminate communism and dictatorship, yet it does the opposite. The United States is basically the pot calling the kettle black. The United States wants to spread liberty, justice, and freedom, but it is controlling other nations and practicall...

Head Lice Essay Essay Example

Head Lice Essay Essay Example Head Lice Essay Essay Head Lice Essay Essay Head lice, spend their entire life on the human scalp, feeding on human blood. The hosts of the parasite are humans. They do not normally in breed, however it can happen. Head lice are more common in children however they can affect a person at age or gender whatsoever. The female louse lay 3-4 eggs per day, and the eggs attach to the base of the hair shaft. The eggs need to be kept warm so the female lays them close to the scalp in cool climates and in warm weather the eggs can be laid further away from the scalp. The eggs are attached by glue from the female reproductive system; the glue then hardens, and covers the hair shaft and large parts of the egg apart from the operculum which is where the embryo breathes. The eggs are approximately 8mm long; they can be bright to a tan coloured. After the egg is hatched, the nymph leaves its shell behind. The shell stays in the hair until it is removed by the lice or by accident. The nymph will moult three times before it reaches adulthood. The abdomen grows in size after each moult. Head lice cannot survive away from the human head. The lice will mate which produces fertile eggs. The lice may find a pair in the first 10 hours of adult live, and begin mating from then on at any time of the night or day. The lice feed 4-5 days a day on human blood to survive. The lice take over the whole head however, popular areas to find them are above the neck or behind the ears. Lice move by climbing from hair to hair with their claw like legs. They invest in a new head by close contact with two people. The most common ways for the lice  to spread is shared hair brushes, towels, clothing or head to head contact. Symptoms of head lice include: itchy scalp- especially behind the ears and at the back of the head. Prev Page Diphtheria Diphtheria causes bad inflammation of the trachea, nose and throat. It is a serious contagious disease. There is many symptoms and signs included in this disease, some may include runny nose. Thankfully, because of the vaccine diphtheria is rare in most developing countries. The disease is caused by the bacterium (Corynebacterium diphtheria. It makes  toxins which causes an strange membrane to grow in the throat, which can lead to possible suffocation. Some other dangerous complications are heart failure and paralysis through the body. About 10 percent of the people diagnosed with the diease die from it. Some of the signs and symptoms are: fever, breathing problems, swallowing problems, swollen lymph nodes in the throat, runny nose, servere sore throat, abnormal cardiac rythums, fever, generally feeling unwell, breathing and swallowing problems and a furry grey/ black coating on the throat membranes,  which is made up of bacteria and dead cells. The symptoms normally begin within two to seven days after infection. Sometimes a skin infection may take place which is called cutaneous diphtheria however, it is rare. The skin infection occours when the wound is inflamed, sore and full of puss. It may be surrounded by grey skin patches. If diphtheria goes untreated, serious complications may occur. Some include: kidney damage, nerve damage, which health problems depending on which nerves are affected, heart damage, including heart failure or inflammation. Diagnosis of diphtheria may include: travel history, medical history including immunisation history, physical examination and swabs of the throat or wound. The treatment available for diphtheria is: hospitalisation, isolation to prevent the spread of infection, antibiotics (penicillin which destroys bacteria), diphtheria antitoxin given and other medicins to reduce the risk of adverse reactions to the vaccine which may include corticosteroids, adrenaline or antihistamines, surgery to remove the grey membrane in the throat if needed, treatment of  complications and bed rest for six weeks or longer depending on how severe the illness is The best and easiest way to prevent diphtheria is immunisation, if you are caring for someone with diphtheria, you must use strict hygiene (washing hands, and get a vaccination booster). The disease is spread by direct physical contact or breathing the aerosolized individuals. Diphtheria is a rare disease and there hasn’t been any cases Prev Page reported since 2003. After symptoms occur, the person is urged to seek immediate medical attention.

Write an Argumentative Outline with Ease!

Write an Argumentative Outline with Ease! Want to Know How to Write an Outline for an Argumentative Essay? An argumentative essay is quite a common task, which is assigned at both high school and college. It aims to show the tutor how students are able to study the topic, gather information, process it and provide strong evidence on a given subject. This task requires lots of energy and time, so we have decided to collect information on the key elements and features, which your argumentative paper outline should possess. During the working process, you need to study all the arguments and choose the side you are on. This may require lots of sleepless nights, as the volume of information may be very impressive. However, it doesn’t mean that a first-class argumentative essay is a huge challenge. We offer you an article, which will answer all of your questions and you will be able to create an outline that will reflect all of your ideas in a clear and brief manner. Proper structure Any time you need to start something new, you feel nervous and think that the task is too complicated. Let us assure you that after reading this guide you will find the whole process quite simple and won’t need to stress out. Your outline should consist of equally important sections, which aim to show the tutor what you stand on. These sections include: Introduction; Working on arguments; Discrowning opponent’s arguments; Conclusions. Let us take a closer look at every section. Just make yourself comfortable and continue reading! Introduction You probably know a popular saying that you won’t get a second chance to make a first impression. It greatly reflects the whole deal with the introductory section, as it can easily catch the reader’s interest or make him want to drop your essay at once. As any other paper, an argumentative introduction should consist of the hook, basic information and a thesis statement. The hook is the first sentence you read and it has a huge impact on the number of audience you will have. You will probably agree that you will likely stop reading an article or a book if the beginning is boring or uninteresting. The same applies to your essay and you need to make your hook as catchy, as possible. Here are the things you may use as a hook: Quotes of famous people or characters; Anecdotes if your topic is entertaining and doesn’t require an academic tone; A question, which will intrigue the reader; A misconception; A fact or statistics, which will surprise the audience. After the hook, you should proceed with the basic information on the subject. To make the whole process much simpler, you should try to answer the following questions: Who may consider this topic important? What matter are you going to talk about? Why you think the topic is important? You need to finish your introduction with a thesis statement, which should be not more than two sentences long. It should give the reader a chance to understand what your essay is about. It should be performed in a form of a statement about the general idea of the whole paper. Don’t forget to include your personal opinion on the subject to give the reader a chance to understand what side you are on. Remember, most of the readers pay great attention to the thesis statement, so it is crucial to make it specific, focused, clear and readable, and correspond with the main goals of your argumentative essay. Don’t forget that your thesis is not a title and shouldn’t become an absolute statement. It is the quintessence, the general idea of your work and can become your biggest strength if prepared thoughtfully. Working on the arguments Now, when your introductory section is ready, it is necessary to work on the arguments. The second section of your essay should consist evidence, which will support all of your arguments on a given topic. You should start every paragraph with the claim. It is the central part of your essay and has a great effect on the flow of your whole work. Your claims should be catchy, strong and interesting, as they form your arguments and give the reader an idea of what principles you stand for. The main goal of a claim is to determine the direction and the scope of the paper. However, it is quite simple to make such a statement: think of the subject and audience to choose a proper argument. When this part is ready, go on to providing the evidence. Every claim of your essay should be backed by evidence. This means that the reader should see that your argument is credible, valid and trustworthy. You need to process huge volumes of information to find facts, statistics, researches and so on. Once your outline is ready, you will get an idea of what claims to include to your text and you can start working on finding a proper evidence. Search for academic papers online, at libraries or ask your tutor for some materials. Remember, a claim, which is not backed with evidence, is pointless. You need to prove your point of view and give the audience a chance to see that you have completed a thorough research. They need to be sure that your arguments are strong and valid to believe you. Discrowning opponent’s arguments One of the biggest mistakes any student makes, while completing an argumentative essay is that he works only on his arguments and a proper evidence. He just supports one claim after another, trying to persuade the reader to support his point of view. However, such attitude is far from a proper one, as an argumentative essay is all about giving the audience a chance to see not only your position on the matter but also to get familiar with the opposite thoughts. That is why in the third section you need to prove arguments of your opponents and try to debunk them. It is quite a simple task, as you will have access to multiple sources, both offline and online. Try to get reliable information or find out weak places in opposite arguments to uncrown them. The structure of this section is quite similar to the previous one. Your paragraphs should start with a claim or an argument followed by your evidence why the statement is incorrect. Using such techniques, you will prove the reader that your point of view is correct. While giving the reader a chance to get familiar with both sides, you help yourself to prove you are right and earn respect and trust of the audience. In addition, you will look noble because of including other opinions to your argumentative essay. Don’t forget that this section should also be backed with trustworthy sources, proper references and credible statistics. Conclusions Once your introduction and evidence sections are ready, you can take a deep breath and have a break. Pour yourself some coffee, go for a walk and relax. Once you have a proper rest, proceed with working on the final section. It is a well-known fact that your conclusions play a crucial part in the final impression from the work. However, most of the students still neglect this section, thinking that no one ever reads it. If you want to make your conclusions flawless, you need to remember that they should consist of three parts: Restatement of your arguments; A short summary of the whole work and the thesis statement; A statement of the benefits and of a positive impact of the arguments on the society. Here you can also make a sort of a warning what may happen if the reader doesn’t support your ideas. To make the paper look organic, try to make your conclusions the same size, as the introductory section. Never use the same phrases, as the reader may think that your paper is repetitive. Tips to remember Now, when you know how an argumentative essay is created and how its outline looks like, you can be sure to perform the task in the best possible way. However, there is always a cherry on the top and here is a list of advice, which you may use throughout the way: You need to understand the topic clearly before starting your work on an outline; Always consult your plan to make sure you include every important idea to your text; Provide only credible information, which is backed with statistics. Never make up facts, as they may be checked on a plagiarism software and you will have serious troubles; Use simple language and short sentences; Edit and proofread your paper a multiple times before you eliminate all the mistakes. As you see, an argumentative essay is not a task to be afraid of. It is just a way to provide evidence on a topic, backed with trustworthy information. To make sure you obtain high grades, simply use the outline, which was discussed in our article.

Country analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Country analysis - Essay Example sser powerful sections of the society are prone to expect and accept a powerful autocratic force which acts in paternalistic format and is not in favor of democratic rights of the lesser powerful. b) Ranking2 – The ranking of Mexico 81 suggests that Mexican society experiences lesser degree in distribution of power and wealth. The general mass of the society expects and accepts the superiority of few and has to live with the socio-cultural set-up of the society that has the concentration of power and wealth in few hands. d) Analysis of the difference in ranking – Over 40 ranks differentiates USA from Mexico which means that while in Mexico workplace there is a marked difference between superiors and subordinates and both consider themselves different from one another. While in USA the process of work tends to be bit more democratic and subordinates are expected to provide their views to management. a. Definition3 – individualism outlines the degree of integration of groups among individuals of the society. Individualistic societies are marked by higher degree of stress put on individualistic nature and personal achievements. On the other end of individualistic societies, we find collective societies which are dominated by individuals who remain part of a common group, which are generally marked by huge extended familial ties and relations. b. Ranking4 – The ranking of Mexico 30 which clearly outlines the state of individualism in the Mexican society which is marked by higher degree of collective groups than reliance on the achievements of individuals. d. Analysis of the difference in ranking – The work culture and business systems of individualistic society tend to do business on performance basis contracts whereas in collectivistic society like Mexico the business is usually carried out through family links. a. Definition5 - This defines the society’s tolerance or the lack of the same for uncertainty and ambiguity. It is reflective of the degree

Asset Classes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Asset Classes - Essay Example Currently, Merrill Lynch handled investments in several asset class types. The company’s current fund holdings include Retail Holdrs Fund. The Fund’s trading symbol is ROHD. The fund falls under the Consumer Cyclical asset class category. Merrill Lynch also invests in Europe 2001 Holdrs Fund. The Fund’s trading symbol is EKH. The fund is categorized as a European Stock asset class. Another Merrill Lynch fund investment is the Telecom Holdrs Fund. The Fund’s trading symbol is TTH. The fund is categorized as Communications category asset class. Finally, the company entertains investment activities in the Software Holders Fund. The Fund’s trading symbol is SWH. The fund is placed under the Technology category asset class (biz.yahoo.com). Home Depot Inc. belongs to the Dow 30 companies. The company belongs to the stock investment asset class, a blue chip Class A asset class. People invest in the company’s stocks. In return, the investors hope to generate dividend income from their investments. If the company generates net profits, the investors will receive their expected dividends. On the other hand, if the company does not generate a net profit, the company will not be able to deliver the expected dividends to the eagerly waiting investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) shows the average price of the United States stock exchange’s 30 blue chip Class A stocks. Home Depot Inc. is one of the Dow’s 30 blue chip stocks (Fredman, 1998). The company’s stock market price on October 23, 2012 is pegged at $61.75 per share in the stock market. The price dropped by 0.47 percent compared to its prior trading day’s share price. The company’s 3rd quarter financial statements show that the company was able to favorably generated $0.70 earnings per share figure. This means that all stockholders of Home Depot Inc. are forecasted to receive $ 0.70 for every share that they invested in the company. A

Starbucks and their Substitutes. How the company stayed dominant Essay

Starbucks and their Substitutes. How the company stayed dominant against their competition before, during, and after the recession - Essay Example The period is characterized by the plunge of GDP by two triumphant quarters. Unlike its competitors, Starbucks, and their substitute have managed to stay dominant before, during and after the recession. The analysis of why Starbucks has been dominant is incredibly vital to every organization especially those companies that experience a tremendous decrease in trading activity during the recession. Starbucks can be considered as a sample test to every company that is planning to start trading in the coffee industry as well as the imminent companies on how to maintain their trading activities regardless of the economic period. During the recession, the company attempted to have a massive expansion program. There is a range of advantages that are related to the development of markets especially to a company that is already established. Some of these benefits include better turnover due to high trading, creation of employment among others An expansion and especially in an in a recession period can be beneficial to the company and at the same time it can limit. For instance, the company can acquire a significant market share before its competitors have any plan on their situation. Conversely, the company may become overexposed to various levels of risks which may reduce or constrain the company’s future programs (Higbee, Liaw, Ting, Tjho, & Ton, 2008). Fundamentally, Starbucks situation can be seen from two dimensions including a liberal and a conservative view. From a liberal point of view, Starbucks and its substitute have effectively managed to secure it going concern through the various risk control mechanism. In contrast, the Starbucks strategic plan can be viewed as a way of exposing itself to it competitors There are various alternatives actions that the company can take to ensure that they do not lose their competitive advantage despite the various drawbacks. These measures include maintaining quality standards,

Exam 2 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exam 2 - Term Paper Example Learning by human beings may be a result of training, education, schooling, or personal growth. Psychology studies how learning occurs in various contexts of life. Additionally, learning may be a result of observation, classical conditioning, and operant conditioning. This paper will look at how amateur soccer players learn to be better players than they are in regard to the three learning approaches. Three students, John, Peter, and James, had just joined high school. The three were extremely passionate about soccer and had the desire to join the school soccer team. John, Peter, and James frequently attended the team’s training sessions. The level of skill and performance of the team were greater than what the three students had, but they were still eager to join. John improved as a player through observational learning, Peter improved through classical conditioning, and James through operant conditioning. Observational learning occurs as a result of observation, retention, a nd replication of another person’s behavior, in most cases a role model. For behavior to be imitated, the observer should pay attention to the behavior of his or her role model. Additionally, the observer should retain the behavior in the memory and finally replicate what he or she had learned from the model. The observer should have the skill to reproduce the model’s action. ... stimulus, which brings forth an expected response; unconditioned response, which is a natural response to the unconditioned stimulus; conditioned stimulus formed after the association between a neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus; and conditioned response, the learned response to the earlier stimulus that was neutral. Whenever Peter saw soccer balls (Unconditioned Stimulus) during the training sessions, his urge to practice would increase (Unconditioned Response). Moreover, when he would hear a whistle (Conditioned Stimulus) being blown, he would feel like going (Conditioned Response) to the pitch to play. On the other hand, operant conditioning entails increasing or decreasing the probability of behavior due to the outcome. It involves a stimulus, response, and reinforcement (Ormrod 123). James attended every training session with the aim of improving and getting a place in the team. Whenever he completed tasks (response) in training, the coach would praise (reinforcement) h im. This made him improve his skills and general performance. Several brain parts assist in the process of learning. There are those that control learning parts and those involved in the same learning parts. Storage of information is a must for learning to be conducted. The temporal lobe organizes information, speech, and memory. It helps in retrieving memory, images, and accurate information. The amygdala helps in the organization and storage of emotion related memories. It also determines the memories to be stored and organizes all the memories storage. The hippocampus helps in creating memories that are new. It makes concepts and fits experiences into the concepts. The frontal lobe solves problems, judgment, memory, language, and personality control. Skills to solve problems and think

The Richness of Spiritual Companionship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Richness of Spiritual Companionship - Essay Example Being with friends and family members is a gone commodity since our lives are so much on the move. We are busy with the different undertakings of our lives in a manner which asks us to devote our time to nothing else but our commitments. We have lost the essence of imparting time to the ones who are close to us, the ones who are in trouble and need and the ones to whom we owe our love and gratitude. When it comes to religion, we have lost the path on which our forgiveness is destined (Hannabuss, 2011). We seem to part ways with virtuous acts and fall time and again on the road which leads us towards evil and wickedness. Spiritual compassion therefore is one aspect that comes from understanding how one interacts with the other individual and what kind of feelings, emotions and sentiments are being displayed at the best of times. This suggests the basis of his growth and development with regards to the society as a whole and the universe in essence. There is compassion happening across the board which remains a very quintessential factor nonetheless (Marques, 2011). The innovations of the present era have similarly brought problems for all and sundry. Undoubtedly these technological inventions and changes have solved our problems but when seen in the midst of our physical existence, we have not gained much over a period of time. In fact we have lost on this count by any stretch of imagination. There is just so much that can be done through finding out the real meaning of our existence yet we are shelved in our own worlds where there is nothing else but progression for one matter or the other. We just cannot seem to find time for the things in our life which hold supreme value and importance (Souto, 2007). These seem to take the backburner on a regular basis and hence our lives have become pretty much the same over and over again. One cannot really blame the advent of science and technology on our forgetting to being own selves because science and its various tool s are there to help and facilitate us and in no way be the substitutes for the people, the religion and the way of life that used to be so much close to us when we were young and when we did not care about anything apart from our loved ones, our family and the joys that childhood brought with it. It is imperative that people do not judge one another. The growing age of technology and with the advent of so many scientific innovations has meant that people have started to take one another for a ride, and thought less about what the others seem to think, perceive and therefore act upon (Levitt, 2011). The behaviors have more or less changed and this is the basis of their respective comprehensions which are coming to the fore. God has always been very clear and lucid as per his instructions towards mankind. He has made it clear that a man should come towards the good and keep away from the evil ways that embody nothing but trouble and sorrow for him in the long run. He has openly advoca ted for man to be good to his own self as well as to God as well since this would benefit him alone in all fields of life. Hence when the role of God has been discussed upon in entirety, the judgmental angle must come about from man’s perspective alone. This is significant because he is the one who decides what is good for him and what can be considered as wrong, both morally and practically within the relevant midst of things. The struggles within relationships have more or less been vital for comprehending where man has lost out. He has failed to understand the dictum of how well he can make use of the relationships and where exactly he is going wrong all this while. What this implies is that he thinks