Christianity and Justice Essay

Christianity emphasises justice, while others emphasise compassion; this statement is fundamental in the belief of Christians. Justice means to have moral rightness that is based on ethics, civil laws, natural laws and religion. One of the Ten Commandments states, â€Å"Love thy neighbor as thy self†. This Statement was repeated seven times in the Bible, once in the Old Testament and six times in the New Testament. It is quite clear to me that our capacity to have this kind of love must be foremost in the mind of God, this also demonstrates that all individuals should be treated equally and as you would like others to treat you. Justice equated to equality. The Christian bible has many examples from both the old and New Testament that gives examples of Jesus wanting all his followers to treat each other in a just way. E. g. when he came across a lady who had been caught in the act of adultery and the crowds wanted to stone her to death and Jesus reminded them that they were all guilty of sin and they he who had not sinned should cast the first stone. Jesus throughout the many encounters with believers and non-believers has spread the message of justice and peace. In Isaiah 56:1 this is what the Lord says â€Å"Maintain justice and do what is right, ? for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. This conveys Christianity as a religion, is based on the belief that all people should be treated equally and those who fault should be forgiven. It is a religion based on forgiveness and therefore a religion, which places value on justice. Example from the New Testament is Luke 16 – The Rich Man and the Beggar, the is about a rich man who was greedy and did not share his wealth nor listed to the guidance that was offered to him while on earth and the beggar who lived a poor but good life and shared what little he had with others. On death both men were judged by God and the rich man asked if he could return to warn his bothers so that they could change their ways and God answered that all people are treated equally and all have the same opportunities to follow his example and that he would not be given special privileged just because he was rich on earth. An example of a similar scenario is the quote â€Å"Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit† found in Matthew 5:1-13 Throughout the ages the faith of Christianity continues to demonstrate that its followers choose to live a life based on justice that comes from equality. The church does not value its members by their individual wealth or social standing and many not for profit organizations are Christian based. These were commenced to give people Christian or otherwise a fair go and an opportunity to participate on an equal standing in our community. Families who take advantage of this assistance do so in times of hardship. Organizations such as Centacare – Catholic community services or Anglicare – Anglican based are there to service the community, as a whole regardless of religious believes. Their service to the community is to ensure a level of equality for all. Jesus’ teachings were about looking after one another, being equal and not judging or discriminating against someone. Martin Luther was determined to focus on Jesus’ teachings, as the â€Å"somewhat corrupt† practices performed by the Vatican became Particularly troubling to him, as it was against the nature of divine justice, which Jesus had once shown. Martin Luther wanted the adherents of Christianity to be able to access the teachings of Jesus Christ without the Vatican selling indulgences, which was basically the buying of forgiveness of sins instead of repentance and/or penance. In conclusion, I believe the quote â€Å"Christianity emphasises Justice, while others emphasise compassion† is still in practice in today’s society as it was in the days of Jesus.

Dominican and Italian

Jonathan D. Iulo October 27, 2010 Topic: Comparison Essays My Italian and Dominican families English 105 I come from two different backgrounds which are very similar but different. I chose to write my comparison essay about the Dominican culture which comes from my mother’s side and the Italian culture which is my father’s. Comparing and showing the similarities of both cultures is very interesting since I grew up with both in the house. Both cultures try to keep most of their homeland tradition here in the United States.These include religion, morals and values, customs, language, music, and food. The Italians and the Dominicans are family oriented. The male role such as the father is being the care taker financially and plays an important role in decision making in the house. The men in both cultures are the protectors. Many men in both cultures are said to be jealous, which probably comes from being over protective. They tend to be overprotective of their wifeâ€℠¢s and their daughters. The men is perceived to be the† Macho† in the family and the women are more of a â€Å"delicate† symbol.In both cultures, it is more acceptable for a man to have more than one girlfriend than for a woman. The female role such as the mother is the care giver, the one that soothes you when you are in need and the one that cooks. Women are the ones that hold the family together specially the mother and grandmother. Everyone comes to them for guidance. Women are supposed to preserve themselves for one man, although that is changing. The family always gets together on weekends and holidays. The family is very important and both love to eat.Even though Italians love pasta and Dominicans love their rice and beans; they have the coffee in common. They can drink coffee at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it’s usually espresso. Both cultures also enjoy bread. They eat bread with coffee, chocolate milk, and food in general. Italians and Dominic ans love gardening. Italians like to produce their own fresh vegetables like zucchini, eggplants, and tomatoes. Dominicans like to plant flowers of many kinds, as well as peppers and cilantro, like my mom.There is a great respect for the mother and the elders. The mothers are the ones that mainly guide you spiritually and you need their approval when it comes to relationships. They both want their children to have an Italian or a Dominican as a future wife or husband. The elders are the keepers of history memories and are the root of the family. The grandparents are usually the ones teaching you the native language, in this case Spanish and Italian. Most Italians and Dominicans are catholic and religion plays an important part in their lives.The special religious events, seasons, and the church in the community are part of the cultural traditions. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter traditions are very special events to both Dominicans and Italians. During these religious holidays t he immediate and extended families get together for church and home festivities. The families enjoy the prayers, food, and music together. Both cultures are very similar and I believe this is one of the reasons my parents and the family get along well and I enjoy being part of both worlds.

Assignment Supporting Change Within Organisations Essay

It was once said that the only constant is change which is true. This change can be a major change or a subtle one, either way change is still constant. The need for change can either be a voluntary or prompted by the organisation, these are also known as internal and external drivers. With internal the decision and outcome lies with the company however when it comes to external drivers these are out with the company’s control and they have no say over it. Impact of change The impact of change can have a huge effect on the company but also with the employees and one of the greatest challenges to companies is helping employees deal with this change. Any kind of change within an organisation can affect employees in different ways some may find the changes positive and approach it with enthusiasm but the majority will struggle with change and react negatively. These can vary from confusion, conflict, stress, fear of losing their job, lack of motivation, declined self-confidence and loss of trust between the employee and company. need for change Internal Factors As stated previously, there are many reasons for change within a company and V.Group has recently decided to rebrand the whole international company as well as globally restructure within the company too. The main internal driver for this was global influence as V. Group felt this would be an opportunity to help global partnerships recognise how vast and diverse V.Group is as previously each subsidiary company under the V.Group umbrella had its own individual logo however looking at it from a customer’s point of view they did not know each of these companies where part of the same group in turn globally ensuring its customers recognise their brand. Another internal reason was to ensure processes, systems; IT and communication were all consistent throughout the whole company. As there are many offices worldwide, it was also another good reason to bring the company closer together as one and ensure everything was unified. V.Group’s decision to restructure also had an internal driver. They saw a weakness in their processes and procedures which were not consistent throughout the whole group. In order to ensure a consistent and solid approach going forward, they have decided to allocate HR Consultants for four different regions of the world which would mean these consultants would be more accessible to the existing HR local reps and the consultants would make sure the local HR reps consistently follow the V.Group procedure throughout. External Factors Apart from internal drivers there are also external drivers that can have an impact on a company which means the business has no control over. One external driver is Technological as V.Group’s need to ensure their customers and potential client are aware of all V.Group’s services therefore the most effective way to do this is through social media and the company’s website. need for change Within the Economic factor, changes to the economy can have an impact. We have employees all over world therefore when this declines it can make the  company reflect and assess how many skilled or non-skilled employees there are and if they are truly needed. The Environmental factor could have an influence our company too and how it operates. Any climate change can have an impact on the ships we are managing on behalf of clients. If we have an agreement where we have promised a client we can manage and maintain a ship on their behalf but failed to provide this due to weather restrictions then this can affect the client / customer relationship. change impacting the business Change can affect businesses in different ways and there are many reasons. One change can be an organisational re-structure, where there may be many redundancies or more positively existing employees being given the opportunity to be promoted. Either way this can have an impact at all levels in the company. Another change can be, working policies and procedures where at present they might not reflect the company in the best light therefore it can damage the company’s reputation. Another change could be mergers and take-overs which can sometimes leave employees feeling uncertain about their future with the company, loss of trust and experience staff leaving. main factors With any change there are many factors involved within the process itself however communication has to be the key factor involved in the change process. Without this you cannot expect line managers or employees to support the change. With communication you need to ensure employees feel positive. It is also good practice the company adapts its style of communication depending on their audience and where they are in the change. Where one style might suit senior management, this might not be appropriate for administrators or cleaners. Communication can have a huge impact on the end result, it can also help to ensure targets are met, everything is kept in control and no employee disregards the change. Lack of communication could lead to frustration and lack of trust with employees. An additional factor is positively selling the change and setting the  direction the company is heading in. Within this you need to research and investigate potential threats or obstacles what could happen in the future and then communication this to employees to ensure their buy in. Another key factor is mobilisation. Ensuring that before the change process begin there is enough resources to deliver. This can be down to current premises might be too small, training might be required on a new IT system or existing employees might need re-training. Training will not only help with mobilisation but it will also help employees feel motivated and feel valued by the company. COMPARE AND CONTRAST Change is viewed in many different ways and over the years there have been different models and theories on how it is best handled. Developed by Bullock and Batten in 1985 they provided a framework on how each phase should be tackled. Their three main phases are: Exploration Phase Planning Phase Action Phase When V.Group began their re-structure they followed these phases quite similarly. They initially reviewed and verified what change was needed, who it would affect and what exactly would be involved. In this step the V.Group executive board initially sat down and discussed at length why this change was needed and would it benefit the company long term. Once this was then agreed, they then agreed what actions would be needed and subsequently their consequences too. With this phase it was decided over the course of several month that key members of senior management would hold planning meetings to discuss various issues or present different ideas with a view of presenting this to the executive board once complete. Finally for the action phase, local meetings were held by each manager for their team to advise / present the new structure. After reviewing V.Group’s approach to this, it could have been approached slightly differently and this might have helped the transition run smoother. Initially the executive board sat down to discuss the change however once this was done they could have also had various  meetings with senior management to obtain a different view point but to also help prevent any behaviour responses like fear and lack of trust and ensure they felt included. Within the next stage key senior management could have kept other members of senior management up to date with progress. It is understood that not every member of senior management throughout V.Group could be involved however to ensure other non-selected members were updated regularly would have helped with communication throughout. When they final phase was introduce, to present locally was the best approach however they could have also asked for feedback and reviews from employees. This would make them feel involved even at this late stage. BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSES There are many behaviour responses in which employees can show when change occurs within an organisation. The main one being fear. This can be merely fair of the unknown as they are used working a certain way and fear the unknown. There might also be lower levels of employee morale due to lack of communication from management or no support or presence from their line manager. Another response is the Psychological Contract which can have a negative impact. Most employees work under a mutual respect ‘unwritten’ where they might come in early or work late to finish some work without being paid however a negative impact can mean these employees would decide as they are not being paid for it then they would not work it. HR SUPPORT There are many ways HR can support employees on all levels during change. Within V.Group HR help employees by providing coaching on seeking new employment. HR can also be an advisor and give guidance to line managers or employees who need it. We can also provide support by listening, counselling, and supporting line managers. HR also provide administrative subtle support in background whether this be from providing a reference to a new employer to ensuring all their details are up to date and correct.

ZZZZ Best company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ZZZZ Best company - Assignment Example ZZZZ Best company The industry attracts various kinds of people. They can be young old, poor or rich. The entry requirements such as the license are easily attained. Some of the challenges that most of the players face in this industry include client’s complaints, payment of vendors and delay of payment. In his tender years around age 12, he was introduced into the industry of carpet cleaning, by his mother. After working for sometime, he formed his company the ZZZZ Best and began operations, at the age of 16 years. He used his entrepreneurial skills and smart minds to expand the company’s capital base. Minkow had an outstanding personality, which he later applies in creating a series of network, which helps his business to thrive into a fictitious multimillionaire empire within a short period. Mr. Minkow operated his company with a lot of caution in his bid to hide the fictitious business. For instance, he hires an accountant for a year in order to subdue an audit trail. This incident is seen when Mr. Greenspan, is resigned from his work, without proper procedures. The young entrepreneur Mr. Barry Minkow as the chief executive officer formed this company in 1982. It operated privately until 1986, when it went public. The company carried out operations in carpet cleaning until such time when Mr. Minkow realized difficulties in raising capital for the business. Minkow used the Company to get loans from financial institutions, which believed the financial values presented to them.

Jaguar Land Rover Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Jaguar Land Rover - Case Study Example Having said that different models of Jaguars are manufactured in different areas such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Solihull all in United Kingdom. Being the major wealth generator for UK there were 78 percent of Land Rovers exported to 169 countries and about 70 percent of Jaguars were exported to 63 countries and through importers and franchised dealers sales are being made. Around September of this year when Jaguar Land Rover stopped the operations in one of its two West Midlands plants but still committed to keep the Merseyside plant open. This would mean job losses will only happen to West Midlands. Reason being was to save money and not to create more jobs as the management is trying to avoid any redundancies. Hearing the news on one of the West Midlands plant closing came not a surprise to everyone as this was already anticipated several years back since opening 3 sites on current volume will really cause the Company lose some money due to below capacity operations. However, projections for 2010 chopping of another plant is a work in progress wherein one plant is seeing to shut mid-2010, either Birmingham or Solihull. Moreso, this is one way to cut the cost dramatically.

Aboriginal Women and Lesbians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aboriginal Women and Lesbians - Essay Example Aboriginal women are not given much protection by the law. The number of aboriginal women in prisons is higher than that of men, which shows discrimination against them. When Europeans arrived, aboriginal women were even deprived of their right to vote. European economic and cultural development proved to be catastrophic for them, since they were enjoying equal rights as men before the Europeans arrived. Their children were sent to residential schools at very early ages, to return after many years or never to return. Likewise, lesbians have been facing discrimination in Canada since a long time ago. They have been treated as psychologically ill persons, and are often subjected to electroshock therapies. They have not been allowed to get admitted to armed forces, and have been facing sexism at workplaces and public places. They have also been victims of anti-lesbian violence and discriminatory Canadian laws. For example, before 1969, lesbianism was considered as a crime in Canada, and was offensive enough to lead to imprisonment. Aboriginal resisted the deprivation of their right to vote, enter into business contracts, and own property. They struggled hard in the twentieth century to make themselves recognized as legal citizens of Canada. Due to their struggles, only some decades ago, law recognized them as legal persons and lifted precincts upon their right to vote, enter into contracts, and own property. They fought for their equitable position at the constitutional table. Similarly, today Canada has many national laws that protect the rights of lesbians, and imposes fines and punishments on those who do or provoke anti-lesbian hatred at workplaces or public places. For example, the Canadian Human Rights Act was designed after lesbians raised their voices against discrimination against them. This law â€Å"forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation by federally-regulated employers, landlords and services† (Sexuality Information and Education Cou ncil of the United States, 1999, para.6). To conclude, aboriginal women and lesbians have been raising their voices against the marginalization that they have to face due to hatred of the society. Many laws have passed, and many associations are working, to protect their rights, but still their suffering has not completely ended, and they are considered as mentally ill and inferior persons of the society. 2. Feminism has seen four waves since feminists, and women themselves, have started raising their voices against gender discrimination they suffer from at homes and at workplaces (Rebick, 2005). This essay tends to focus on the thesis statement that the third and fourth waves of feminism differ from the first and second waves in terms of activism and understanding relations among women, by giving a brief introduction of the four waves. The first wave of feminism arose in the nineteenth century when an organized feminist movement started in Britain in the 1850s. Although many femini sts, like Mary Wollstonecraft, had already debated on the topic of female social inequality, yet there was a need for an organized movement. First wave feminists promoted their idea of giving equal rights to women in education, employment, and decisions about marriage. However, they focused only on the problems they had experienced, and not on the problems of working women. Second wave arose in the late twentieth century when feminist activities increased. Women started to contend against discrimination, in which they were given second class status. This wave focused mainly on working class of women, which was obvious from the 1968 strike of working women at the Ford car plant, protesting for equal pay. Women also started understanding their

Account for Japans decision to go to war against the United States in Essay

Account for Japans decision to go to war against the United States in 1941 - Essay Example Attempts to successfully negotiate a ceasefire failed primarily on account of Japan’s refusal to return conquered territory (Iinkai 1973, 111). As the Second World War progressed, Japanese leaders began to feel increasingly vulnerable and particularly isolated (Bess 2008, 27). From the Japanese perspective the Soviet Union was a long and enduring enemy so that by 1936 Japan had subscribed to an anti-Communist pact with Germany and Italy. Fortifying the anti-Communist and anti-Soviet stance, Japanese military factors had conflict with the Soviet factions on Korea’s border with the Soviet Union in 1938. A larger battle would follow between the two in 1939 at Nomonhan near the border between Mongolia and Manchuria. The latter was a region in China conquered by Japan. The Soviets defeated the Japanese in this later battle and forcing Japan to conclude a non-aggression truce with the Soviets having learned that Germany had entered into a similar agreement with the Soviets. The knowledge that Germany had engaged a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union would be a turning point for Japan. In the latter stages of the 1930s Japan had commenced cooperation strategies with Nazi Germany, assuming that the two nations would jointly attack the Soviet Union and divide that country’s wealth between them (Duiker and Spielvogel 2006, 696). Japan came to the realization that it could not take the Soviet Union on its own and would inevitably have to find another method for obtaining its wealth. Attention then turned to Southeast Asia. This would mean a potential war with the Europe over its colonies in the area and the US who had already expressed disapproval of Japan’s attack on China, particularly following an attack on a US naval ship stationed in China (Duiker and Spielvogel 2006, 696). German victories in Europe in 1940 however, particularly the

Appraise Areas of Early Childhood Development Coursework

Appraise Areas of Early Childhood Development - Coursework Example From birth to the early childhood, a child is most vulnerable to the required changes in the personality and mind set. After the childhood, the habits may develop and then it is difficult to change these habits. Most of the other experts give equal importance to the language development in the children. Language is the basic tool to communicate with others. If not anyone knows the proper and ethical use of language then it is possible that he will fail to convey his message to the other people. In this way, it is a matter of fact that language development is also very necessary for the children. Here it is important to notice that this language development is best possible in the early ages of a child otherwise it will be difficult for the parents. In short, words we can say that the early years of lives of children are the best possible opportunity to make a good and beneficial person in all regard. The things happening at this point of time, are actually building up the mindset of the children, which may not change in the coming years. Cognitive Development: At first, there comes the cognitive development of a child, which is the most important perspective of the growth and development of any child. The cognitive development may show the growth and development of the brain of the children. There are several theories and practices, which are extracted after great research and analysis. These theories suggest different perspectives regarding the cognitive or we can say brain development of the child (Burger, 2010). The famous theorist Piaget says that at first the child may learn to react to those things, which are directing affecting him. It means that he can easily forget the other surrounding environment. After this stage, there comes a phase where the child is concerned about learning those things which affect him in either situation. After remembering these things, he may try to react towards those actions or movements.

Info to be emailed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Info to be emailed - Essay Example The Human resources manager who has the responsibility of preparing an employee for overseas assignment must consider other things also which may arises during the employees stay in the foreign country. Food habits and housing requirements may be different in different countries. The Americans has enjoyed the luxury of good foods and housing facilities and hence they may require the same thing while on deputation of an overseas assignment. The HR manager must be able to forecast the difficulties an American may faces in an overseas assignment and he should be able to provide solutions for that. The success of an overseas assignment lies in how comfortable the employee is in his/her stay in the foreign country. The awareness about the designated country, work culture, religions, society and the political system will be helpful for the overseas assignment. Globalization, Liberalization and Privatization policies, has opened the doors widely for business world. Big business tycoons were spreading their wings to other countries based on the business potentials and infrastructure facilities. International trade including exports and imports has increased a lot for the last two decades. The consumers are also happy to have variety of goods from different countries at their finger tips. The business competition also has been increased immensely because of the globalization policies. The small scale domestic industries are struggling hard to compete with the big MNCs. The MNCs are better organized and they have immense financial capabilities to innovate new products at cheaper rates and hence the small scale industries have difficulty in competing with such big MNCs in price and also in quality. Most of the business tycoons, expanding their business interests to many other countries to explore the possibilities there. They became saturated in their native countries and further expansion may be possible for them only in a

Legal Research Pathfinder Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Pathfinder - Research Paper Example C. 2008). That is child sexual harassment. As per Dziech, sexual harassment in education remains an overlooked problem in the society, with the senior management of these educational institutions refusing its existence and refraining from taking any strict, efficacious action against it (Lewis, J. F., & Hastings, S. C. 1994; Layman, N. S. 1994; Machay, J.). Needless to say, this problem exists even outside educational institutions and does warrant some immediate action against it. This is my personal opinion that when we adults are more or less aware of what is going on, when someone whistles in the street or leers at us in the elevator, a child does not have the necessary level of social understanding and power to know what is going on and how to stand up against it, not to mention of the subsequent mental trauma and depression (W. L. Felstiner, R. L. Abel & A. Sarat, 1980-1981). Being responsible citizens of the country, it is our duty to take care of the future of our country, and these children are the future of our country. Needless to say, every state has its own set of child sexual abuse laws and a person who has been impeached with child sexual abuse at the federal level, may still face serious consequences at the state level. Statutory rape, in the simplest of definitions, is basically sexual exploitation of the minor (USC Title 18 - Crimes and Criminal Procedure). As noted in the IPT Journal - "Child Sexual Abuse: Is the Routine Provision of Psychotherapy Warranted?† The notion that child sexual abuse is a "destroyer" of mental health  has been based largely on studies involving clinical samples (Berliner & Elliott, 1996). And this is proved by a numerous real-life examples as well. For example, the study done by the social working group ‘Mkombozi’ on the Tanzanian schools showed a shocking incident of a young boy being sexually abused by the members of the neighborhood school (CRIN - Violence Study -

Managing Multi-disciplinary Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing Multi-disciplinary Teams - Essay Example Besides, the set goals should not only be practically realizable, but also in line with the relevant criteria and objectives governing the working of a particular organization. The most important task that calls for urgent attention in the management of a multi-disciplinary team is that all the members in that team should be sure about the specific roles assigned to them (Bacal, 2009). While allocating such roles, not only the abilities and aspirations of the specific employees ought to be taken into consideration, but no confusion should be left as to the allocation of responsibility and leadership pertaining to the specific tasks and roles. It is a common tendency amongst the teams to try to retain their old ways of working. However, the attainment of optimum efficiency and the successful achievement of the project goals require the teams to be flexible and adaptable (Bacal 2009). The case study under consideration brings to the light the need for setting clear-cut goals while managing multi-disciplinary teams, but also looking into the job of performance management through regular evaluation and feedback (Bacal 2008). The case study under consideration primarily involves a set of employees that includes two respiratory therapists, an intern, an administrative staff member, and a supervising head managing the overall activities of the department.One of the respiratory therapists is relatively young and is of an enthusiastic and positive temperament. The other therapist is quieter, mature, calibrated and much disciplined in his approach towards the work. The two therapists are expected to perform a whole range of duties like conducting an analysis of the issues at hand, conducting tests, assembling the equipment, and interacting with the patients and their family members. Being a therapist happens to be a stress intensive job and both the therapists tend to handle their jobs well in their own unique way. While the friendly nature of the younger therapist makes the patients feel at ease, the balance and confidence of the older therapist leaves his patients calm and reassured. Despite their conductin g periodical meetings, the relationship between the two therapists is marked by high conflict and disagreement, owing to the large scale and considerable differences in their approaches and ideas towards their work. The differences existing between these two therapists certainly need some astute conflict management (Farmer, 2009).The older therapist's approach towards one's work is very conservative while the younger therapist is more adventurous and spontaneous in his approach and wants to incorporate new challenges and issues in the organizational list of priorities. A conflict of opinion in the sphere of organizational priorities often has the potential to affect efficiency and productivity (Kerina, 2009). While the older therapist intends to be fixed and obstinate in his adherence to safety procedures, his younger counterpart believes in taking chances and to react according to the situation at hand. This environment of high conflict is negatively influencing the working of othe r therapists within the organization.

Rebellion Against Oppression Essay Example for Free

Rebellion Against Oppression Essay How Does Oppression Within â€Å"Like Water for Chocolate† and â€Å"The House of Bernarda Alba† Lead To Unnatural Consequences? In both ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ and ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ rebellion against oppression is a strong theme, with both Tita and Adela struggling to break free of their mother’s authoritarianism. However, it is important to realise that with both characters, the authors are using them to symbolise their own journeys. Federico Garcia Lorca uses Adela’s strong willed fight against Bernarda Alba to represent the costs of repressing the freedom of others. Likewise, in Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel uses Tita’s constant battle against Mama Elena to show how women struggle to be heard and how both men and tradition can be strong oppressors. Laura Esquivel employs magic realism throughout ‘Like Water For Chocolate’ to show how Tita’s emotions are transmitted and exaggerated through food. Laura Esquivel presents the supernatural as an everyday event, however not all the characters accept it in the same way as reality, for example Mama Elena remains convinced that Tita is somehow doctoring the food to her own liking, instead of it being ‘magical tears’. Tita lives in a traditional female role, she enjoys cooking and is a selfless nurturer but she lives under a matriarchal rule. A woman who has â€Å"never needed a man for anything†, which leaves the reader questioning why Tita seems to require a man in her life in order to â€Å"alight her matches†. Adela, although fighting for her right for freedom again Bernarda Alba, still believes that she must take orders from Pepe. The traditional roles the mothers have created for their daughters continue even in their rebellion. The men in both books are not particularly strong characters. All leaving the women to suffer for the mess they have created themselves. When Librada’s daughter kills her newborn baby in order to avoid the shame of having sex with someone out of wedlock, â€Å"a big crowd† gather in order to kill her. It is completely unnatural that the woman is being prosecuted for being a â€Å"woman who tramples on decency† as opposed to a murderer. This is an ironic recasting of the Mary Magdalene narrative, which exposes the hypocrisy of Bernarda Alba’s society. This shows however, that within both texts, men are far less restricted than the women. The man is of no fault for having sex out of wedlock, it is her shame. Similarly, in ‘Like Water For Chocolate’ Mama Elena is far more annoyed at the idea of Tita shaming her family than of Pedro cheating on her eldest daughter. Mama Elena is obsessed with tradition and all her actions reflect this. Tita, being the youngest daughter of the family, is forced to remain at home until the day her mother dies. Mama Elena immediately disregards Tita’s questioning of the tradition, saying, â€Å"for generations not a single person in my family has questioned this tradition†, expressing that Tita should simply accept these traditions as fact and that she does not have the right to question her mother’s authority. Rosaura informs Tita that her only daughter will care for her and never marry, according to family tradition. Rosaura tries to mirror her relationship with Esperanza to the relationship her mother and Tita shared. Tita is horrified to discover that Rosaura plans to ‘perpetuate such an inhumane tradition†. Rosaura does not seem to have any powerful emotions and persists to carry on the family traditions as a poor imitation of her mother. It is class and not tradition that keeps Bernarda Alba from concealing her daughters from the world of marriage and men within ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’. Her mind is focused on how the world views her and her family. When Angustias is seen looking at Pepe El Romano, her mother asks â€Å"is it proper for a woman of your class to go chasing after a man? She is instantly noticing that her daughter is stepping outside her class and reining her back in. When Matirio is set to marry Enrique Humanas, Bernarda won’t allow it because her ‘blood will never mix with that of the Humanas family’ proving that her only real interest is in class rather than the welfare of her daughters. Mama Elena and Bernarda Alba have different reasons for oppressing their daughters but both women are equally as keen to enforce their rules. It is ironic how un-natural the ends of oppression are shown to be. When Tita is brought into the world prematurely after her fathers sudden death, Mama Elena is the opposite of a nurturer, never forging any bond with Tita. Tita develops a relationship with food that gives her the power to nurture and give outlet to her emotions. Tita rebels against her mother’s authority first through her consorting with Pedro. When Tita receives the news that Pedro is to be married to Rosaura, her life begins to crumble around her and throughout the novel there are many times when they meet without Mama Elena’s knowledge. Roberto, Rosaura and Pedro’s son is a strong, if not surprising influence in Tita’s actions. Roberto forges the bond with Tita that her and her mother never had and ‘contary to what she had expected’ she feels â€Å"an immense tenderness towards the boy†. It is when Roberto dies that Tita’s desire to please her mother and her own desires clash and she outwardly defies her mother and steps out of the shadow of oppression for the first time. She â€Å"tears apart all the sausages† symbolizing her finally destroying her mother’s rules. When Tita is found in the dovecote, it is ironic that Mama Elena states that â€Å"there’s no place in this house for maniacs! † when her oppressive nature is what caused Tita to break down. When John arrives and removes her from the oppressive atmosphere her mother has created, and she is offered comfort and love, Tita’s failing sanity returns leaving the reader questioning Mama Elena’s own sanity as she confines her daughters to a life of unnatural solitude. Adela is quietly rebelling continuously through the three act play; her real emotion doesn’t arise until the end. From the first act, after the funeral Adela wears a ‘green dress’ making her stand out from her more conservative siblings. The colour green symbolises fertility which Bernarda objects to. This immediately separates her from her family. Unlike Tita, Adela never covers up her feelings in front of her mother or siblings, she knows what she wants and â€Å"her body will be for anyone†. Bernarda’s cane is her symbol of authority, one bang on the floor and all is silenced. In her fury Adela breaks ‘the tyrant’s rod’, the ultimate rebellion, breaking Bernarda’s status symbol. With her object of authority broken, Bernarda can no longer oppress her youngest daughter. Lorca structures the conflict between the characters, short sentences forces the audience to feel the panic of the women and the strength of Adela as Bernarda’s matricachal world crashes down around her. In the last act Adela’s repression from being with the man she loves causes her to commit suicide, an ironic tragedy. Lorca makes the audience judge public morality by showing how women are oppressed throughout the scenes and how people react in the most unnatural fashion, women are convicted of adultery before murder. When Adela hangs herself, Bernarda is strong on the knowledge that her daughter â€Å"died a virgin†, she is much more interested in how the town see her as oppesed to the fact her daughter murdered herself due to Bernarda’s rules. Gertrudis and Paca Le Roseta seem very similar characters; they both follow their carnal desire and run away. Paca La Roseta was â€Å"carried off to the top of the olive grove† by the men, when Bernarda finds out ‘she agreed to it’ she is eager to announce her distaste, claiming Roseta is a ‘loose woman’ and therefore to be shunned. Because she breaks the rules of what is deemed acceptable she is immediately rejected In chapter three, Tita’s lustful emotions find themselves in the quail in rose petal sauce. When served, the family’s hidden lust rise to the surface, all of them experiencing Tita’s desire. Gertrudis is the ‘conducting body’ for Tita’s rebellion giving her the opportunity to enter Pedro’s ‘hot, voluptuous, totally sensuous’ body. Esquivel uses magic realism to describe Gertrudis setting aflame and running away with a man. Totally defying the rules of tradition set down by her own mother. Bernarda’s mother rebels against her daughter constantly and loudly. Constantly shouting that she wants to ‘get married at the edge of the sea’. She questions ’why isn’t there any foam here? Nothing but black mourning shawls’, she wants to go somewhere bright and full of hope instead of being locked up surrounded by the darkness of oppression. Maria Josepha is persistent in trying to escape her oppressor, trying to be a mother, outstepping her boundaries. She wishes a lamb to ‘be a child’ as she has a strong maternal instinct that represents all the girls’ wish to be a mother. How they all must have a maternal instinct Bernarda is not allowing them to have. The family is unnatural, a denial of nature. Maria Josepha represents rebelling against oppression much like Gertrudis in ‘Like Water For Chocolate’. Throughout both books, the matriarchal oppression forces both women to come to an unnatural end. The strict ideas of tradition, class and how a woman should act condemn everyone to a life of tragedy. Lorca and Esquivel are both fighting for the voices that were not allowed to speak in their own society.

Source of Competitive Advantage

Source of Competitive Advantage One of the reasons of the success of 7-Eleven Japan or SEJ comes from the consumer-focused orientation based on Information Systems use. Its complete understanding and control of its market and operations based on IT support contribute to its sustainable competitive advantage. Even though SEJ regards IS as simply a tool, it is known for proactive investment in IT and outsourcing of its critical system. SEJs strategy is outsourcing most of IS management in response to the speed of the market, this strategy allows SEJ to concentrate on developing a vision that works with the business strategy. Regularly, SEJ explores chances to obtain first mover advantage by introducing state-of-the-art technologies, for instance, point-of-sales system and Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) in which allowed 30 times faster speeds and enabled SEJ HQ to shorten analysis process of daily POS data item by item. This operational planning and control system expedites inbound and outbound logistics an d the sales forecast relies on POS data to reveal changes in consumer preference. These innovations improve replenishment process and maintain availability of products which in turn sustain the degree of customer loyalty leading to the competitive advantage. In the US, 7-Eleven was the first major convenience store chain in the US to develop a proprietary Retail Information System (RIS) feature POS, item level sales analysis, automated back office functions such as sales and cash reporting, payroll, gasoline pricing and inventory control, which are connected directly to the company accounting system and integrated gasoline pay-at-the-pump functionality. The system builds efficiencies towards ordering, distribution and merchandising processes. Similar to its strategy in Japan, 7-Eleven outsource majority of RIS to third party providers. RIS implementation provides timely, accurate sales information on an item-by-item basis in which facilitates inventory management that is known to be the key success factor in C-store business where inventory turnover is fast and replenishment process has to be able to catch up with the pace. Consequently, they are attributable to the source of sustainable competitive advantage of its operation in the US. Not to mention the introduction of integrated credit-card authorization and gasoline sales into POS register that yields more American customer base as they are mono-chronic culture who prefer one-stop shopping. References Briggs, W. Shore, B. 2007, Competitive Analysis of Enterprise Integration Strategies, Industrial Management Data Systems, vol.107, no.7, pp.925-935. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:aZIbIH9D0hsJ:suffolk.us/wbriggs/Competitive%2520Analysis%2520of%2520Enterprise%2520Integration%2520Strategies%2520EDITED%25204-23-07.doc+Competitive+Analysis+of+Enterprise+Integration+Strategiescd=3hl=enct=clnkgl=au Gottfredson, M. Puryear, R. Phillips, S. 2005, Capability Sourcing at 7-Eleven, viewed 29 April 2010, . Nagayama, K. Weill, P. 2004, 7-Eleven Japan Co.Ltd.: Reinventing the Retail Business Model, CISR WP no. 338, pp.1-20. http://202.205.89.79/download/materials/2009s/discipline/system_approach_to_accounting/Case%20Seven%20Eleven%20Japan%20cisrwp338.pdf

The Relationship Between Political Democracy And Economic Growth Economics Essay

The Relationship Between Political Democracy And Economic Growth Economics Essay The relationship between political democracy and economic growth has been a center of debate in the past fifty years. A corpus of cross-country research has shown that the theoretical divide on the impact of democratic versus authoritarian regimes on growth is matched by ambiguous empirical results, resulting in a consensus of an inconclusive relationship. Through this paper challenges this consensus. In contrast to the current consensus, we show that once the microscope of analysis is applied to the accumulated evidence, it is possible to draw several firm and robust conclusions regarding democracy and economic growth. Supporter of democracy argue that the motivations of citizens to work and invest, the effective allocation of resources in the marketplace, and profit maximizing private activity can all be maintained in a climate of liberty, free-flowing information and secured control of property ( North, 1990). Democracies can limit state intervention in the economy, are responsive to publics demands on area such as education, justice and health, and encourage stable and long run growth (Rodrik, 1999, Lake and Baum 2001, Baum and Lake 2003). Opponents of democracy, on the other hand, argue that democracies lend themselves to popular demand for immediate consumption at the expense of profitable investments, cannot be insulated from the interest of rent-seekers, and cannot mobilize resource swiftly. Democracies are said also to be prone to conflicts due to social, ethnic and class struggles. While some authors favor authoritarian regime to suppress conflicts, resist sectional interests and take coer cive measures necessary for rapid growth, others remain overall skeptical on whether regimes, rather than markets and institutions, matter for growth (Bhagwati 1995). Actually, there are millions of journal articles on the internet regarding to the topic of democracy and economic growth, and in order to get those articles, Google scholars and others journal websites are used to download those to read. Moreover, I use the snowball technic to keep on trace of the best sources. For example, when I found the best source, I look at its references, and then I followed the old references or foot notes of each best source to get more best sources. Since some journals are not free for download, I somehow need to spend money on the journal website in order to get the sources. Moreover, in term of getting best sources from the Google or Google scholar, I typed the only the key words of the topic of research. For instance, instead of using economic growth, I can use economic development, or Gross nation products of each nation. What is more, in order to limit the number of sources on the net, I used the quotation mark, plus sign, or equal sing around the word finding. Importantly, even there are a lot of website that can provide the best convincing information regarding to the topic, I still looked and priority on the famous websites before selecting the sources. Meanwhile of the finding and selecting the best sources, I scanned all the sources to get the overall ideas-what those resources mean to the readers, and in specific skill of selecting the best sources, I just looked the abstract part, and jumped to the conclusion. By doing that, I can pretty sure that I can comprehend what the papers want to be told. Then, I look at those finding, methodologies, limitation, and discussion sections to analyze, find the strength and weakness, and to critic them in the right ways. Of course, even the general knowledge of the researchers seem to be so higher than me, and in order to critic them, I need to read what the fallacy of the research are. For example, some researchers might give their own judgments which cannot be applied in some extend, and some analyzed only in the present by ignoring the past. Beside this, in order to produce this paper, first of all, I need to do a lot of extensive reading on the found sources to select the best source. During the reading, I also quoted regarding to the theme which I was prepared on the time of literature reviewing. Once I had done all the reading, I started to type all the important information to each belonging theme or coding, then I read those information which came from many different scholars to get the common sense of idea on one particular point, so by doing it back and forth with a serious attention, Finally, I can produce this research paper which can summary all the main ideas of the existed sources. Therefore, this paper presents an analysis on the democracy-growth relationship, based on 10 published studies. It is an important step to addressing the deadlock on the democracy growth relationship. The literature need such as urgent comprehensive assessment on the issue in the wake of massive democratizations for many developing countries. Reviews of this literature and many authors who have contributed to it, state that the association is inconclusive. Faced with a diverse set of conflicting results, they are unable to conclude whether the association is positive, negative or non-existent. We find that once all the available evidence is considered, holding research design differences constant, the evidence does not point to democracy having a detrimental impact on growth. Moreover, this critic paper will be able to conclude that the effect is not inconclusive. There is, indeed, a zero direct effect of democracy on growth. Second, democracy has a significant positive indirect effe ct on growth through human capital accumulation. In addition, democracies are associated with lower inflation, reduced political instability and higher levels of economic freedom. However, there is some evidence that they are associated also with larger government and more restrictive international trade. Third, there are region-specific effects on the democracy-growth relationship. Particularly, the growth effects of democracy are higher in Latin America and Lower in Asia. This research paper also that much of the variation in results between studies does not reflect real underlying differences in the democracy-growth association Rather it is owing to either sampling error or the research design process. Raresh Kumar Narayan and Russell Smyth. Democracy and economic growth China: Evidence from counteraction and causality testing. Review of Applied economics, Vol. 2, No, 1, (2006): 81-89 To examine the relationship between the democracy and economic growth in the peoples Republic of China over the last three decades. Actually, China represents an interesting case in the debate over the relationship between the democracy and growth. This study was used the short and long run effect of democracy on the china within a production function framework by following the methods of error correction mechanism, and Granger Causality tests-testing between the labor and capital, and most studies by economist have tested for correlation between democracy and economic growth and have failed to adequately address the issue of causation, and using the Granger causality tests to explore the effects of shocks of democracy and economic growth beyond the sample period through the use of variance decomposit ion analysis and impulse response functions. While labor and capital can defined the core relationship between democracy and economic growth, real GDP and income of people are also the factors, and this study found out the democratization in China is impossible, and it can be true since the China never experience of being democracy. Moreover, economic growth of china is not because of democracy theories, but its own political culture, and its own indigenous development model. Meanwhile, real income and real GDP of each nations are also the factors for democracy growth too. Actually, according to Paresh Kumar Narayan, and Russell Smyth. (2007), who conducted the similar studies, examined the relationship between the democracy and economic growth in 30 Sub-Saharan African counties, supported the Lipset hypothesis. This study used the real GDP Granger to explore the cause of democracy and an increase in GDP results in an improvement in democracy. In the long run democracy Granger causes real income and an increase in democracy has a positive effect on real income, which is found for Bostwana with the freedome house data and for Madagascare, Rwanda, South Africa, and Swaziland. However, Hristos Doucouliagos and Mehment Ulubasoglu.( 2006). Democracy and Economic Growth: A Meta-Analysis. School Working paper-economic series 2006: Deakin University. This research paper is to explore the inconclusive relationship through a quantitative assessment of the democracy growth literature and use meta-regression as the methodology to analysis by collecting all the existed literature review to conclude the impact of democracy on economic. The strength point of this study was that this study concerned many variable at the same time. For example, it looked beyond the theories, the democracy in the past and the present, and so on. In addition, Elias Papaioannou and Gregorios Siourounis. (2004). Democratization and Growth. Job market paper: London business school. This research study challenges the empirical finding that democratic institution has direct effect on economic growth by using the before-after event study approach, and controlling the permanent democratization in the specific time. The strength of this study is that it study the long trend, omit the unrelevent variable, and observe the change from one time to other time of the variable affecting the democracy, but the weakness of this research article was that it didnt distinguish between different types of autocracy for example left or right wing dictatorship and democracy -presidential or parliamentary. Noam, L and Kanta, Murali. ( 2009). Does economic development explain democratic development?. Annual meeting at the Midwest political science association. This study explore the relationship between economic and democracy by using the modernization theories to analysis, and observing those change over time. The finding of this study seems to be able to apply for the new current democracy system, but it lacked of concerning about the democratization process in the past. This research study have found out the when there is economic growth, the democratization process will come as well, and according to my perspective, this assumption can be true since when one country has a high economic growth, that nation will prioritize on the domestic affair, freedom and the growth rate of the middle class. Moreover, the longer period of time, there will be positive effect of democracy, democratization growth, and economic development. Christian. H. ( 2010). Inequality, Economic development and democratization. University of Rochester. This research concerned about the inequality, income distribution of the economic sphere and took that variable to analyze the relationship between democracy and economic growth. However, this study focused on two theories-modernization and inequality theories, which was quite similar to Noam, L and Kanta, Murali. ( 2009). The strength assumption of this study was that when there is economic growth, autocracies more or less will change their political system as well in some extend, but this assumption also failed since some rich autocracies are not more likely to become democratic ( Przeworski and Limongi 1997; Prazewoki et al. 2000). Moreover, this study concluded that democracy inequality harms democratization. Of course, in the case of some nations, when there is class tension-between the level of middle class, there will be social clash, which lead to autocratic state more than d emocracy. What is more, this study fail to analyze other variable beside income inequality since economic crisis, the complexity of democracy system are also the cause of authoritarian shift. The availability of data and econometric techniques enables all the researchers to investigate these issues empirically. However, the empirical findings span a continuum of negative, insignificant and positive estimates, creating a conundrum. For instance, the distribution of results that we have compiled from 470 regression estimates from 10 democracy-growth studies shows that 16% of the estimates are negative and statistically significant, 20% of the estimates are negative and statistically insignificant, 38% of the estimate are positive and statistically insignificant, and 26% of the estimates are positive and statistically significant. This can be implied that three-quarters of the regressions have not been able to find the desired positive and significant sign. It also implies that around half of the regression models have found statistically significant estimates while the other half found statistically insignificant estimates. Such different results are not surprising because research question posed are narrow and approach the issue from different dimensions. For instance, while certain studies focus on the physical investment channel between democracy and growth, others look at the human capital or political instability channels. Likewise, certain studies present structural estimates of a well-defined model, whereas other focus on the empirical regularities in the data. Thus, the question is perplexed with a continuum of estimates, which differ due to data sources, estimate methodologies, sample composition, and time periods. The structure of this paper will be followed by the brief review of the key theoretical arguments behind a democracy-growth association, the effect of democracy on economic, the effect of economic on democracy, and conclusion of the research paper. Theoretical Arguments: Traditional perspective: Does political democracy cause the economic growth? To Hobbes (1651), absolutist regimes were more likely to improve public welfare simply because they could not promote their own interests otherwise. Similarly, Huntington (1968) also argues that democracies have weak and fragile political institutions and lend themselves to popular demands at the expense of profitable investments. Democratic governments are vulnerable to demands for redistribution to lower-income groups, and are surrounded by rent-seekers for directly unproductive profit-seeking activities (Krueger 1974, Bhagwati 1982). Non-democratic regimes can implement the hard economic policies necessary for growth, and suppress the growth-retarding demands of low-income earners and labor in general, as well as social instabilities because of ethnic, religious, and class struggles, and Democracies cannot suppress such conflicts. In term of economic progress, markets should come first and authoritarian regimes can more or less e asily facilitate such policies. Moreover, some level of development is a pre-requisite for democracy to function properly ( Lipsets 1959 hypothesis). In short, this view implies that political democracy is a best product that cannot be afforded by developing countries. Other proponents of the conflict view and stricter state command on the economy include Galenson (1959), Andreski (1968), Huntington and Dominguez (1975), Rao (19884-5) and Haggard (1990). The conflict view became more debatable after the growth success stories in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s. The argument rest on several assumptions, the main one of which is that if given power, authoritarian regimes would behave in a growth-friendly manner. In that regard, server contrasting cases are provided where dictators pursued their own welfare and failed in Africa and the Socialist world ( de Haan and Sirermann 1995, Alesina et al. 1996). Proponents of democracy, on the other hand, argue that rulers are potential looters (Harrington 1656) and democratic institutions can act to constrain them. Most of the assumptions of the conflict view can be refuted with good reasons. Implementation of the rule of law, contract enforcement and protection property rights do not necessarily imply an authoritarian regime. In addition, Bhagwati (1995) argues that democracies rarely engage in military conflict with each other, and this promotes world peace and economic growth. They are also more likely to provide less volatile economic performance. Finally, de Haan and Siermann (1995) note that a strong state and an authoritarian state are not the same thing. However, markets can deliver growth under both democratic and authoritarian regimes. The modern perspective Actually, the political democracy-growth can be seen more precise and focused today. Theory has moved away from traditional conflict with compatibility arguments, because different aspects of the broader institutions-growth problem have been identified. For instance, many researchers have separated economic democracy from political democracy. Factors like protection of property rights, business, credit and labor market regulation, which were previously attributed to political democracy, are now being treated as part of economic democracy. Analysis of economic freedom indicators from the Fraser institute ( by Gwartney and Lawson 1996, 2000, 2003) and the heritage Foundation ( by ODriscoll et al. 2003) has shown that economic freedom, with also its other aspects, is equally relevant to growth. Recently, the world bank introduced the Doing Business aspect of institutions problem. In particular Djankov et al ( 2002a, 200b, 2005), Djankov, McLeish and Shleifer (2005), and Botero et al (2 004) benchmarked business regulations and quantified the easiness of private sectors activity in the economics based on labor hiring and firing practices; ease of starting, registering and closing business; protecting investors and enforcing contracts; and dealing with license and paying taxes. At this point one may feel that dissecting these aspect from political democracy reduce its scope to multi-party and free election only. Of course, political democracy is more than free and fair elections. First, empirical evidence shows that all the aspects of the institutions made precise above, i.e., economic democracy, governance and private sphere in the economy have high correlations with political democracy. In other words, the mere existence of participatory democracy implies the broader institutions conducive to growth. Secondly, various studies find that political democracy has enormous indirect effects on growth through human capital accumulation, income distribution, and political stability. In addition, Sturn and de Haan (2001) find that the presence of democracy in a country positively affects the level of economic freedom. Thus, on the question of political democracy and growth, one should remember the broader associations that encompass the channels, or the indirect effects, between democracy and growth rather than one to one causation from regime to growth. Thirdly, as Bhagwati( 1995) and Rodrik (2000) point out, democracies provide higher quality growth through various means. Rodirk puts it in the following way: participatory democracies enable a higher-quality growth by allowing greater predictability and stability in the long run, by being stronger against external shocks, and by delivering better distributional outcomes. Democratic institutions would help market function perfectly, as is assumed in neoclassical economic models. As an extension to such argument, the volatility channel has also been shown to be an important indirect effect of democracy on growth. Non democratic regimes are not a homogenous lot ( de Haan and Siermann, 1995, Alesina et al. 1996, Alesina and Perotti 1994), whereas democracies are more homogenous and can provide stable economic progress. Effect of democracy on Growth: Sirowy and Inkeless (1990) suggest that there are three major views on the effects of democracy on growth with their label the conflict, and the compatibility and the skeptical. The conflict thesis suggests that democracy and economic growth are incompatible because elected officals longing for popular approval make shortsighted decisions designed to maximize whose objective is to divert resources from productive activities in favor of immediate consumption. Related arguments are that democracy is less conducive to long term stability (world Bank, 1991, pp. 132-133) or long term development ( Barro, 1996) because of the tendency in majority voting systems to enact rich to poor redistribution of income including land reforms. On the other hand, the compatibility thesis proffers that democratic features such as political pluralism, institutional checks and balances and freedom of the press provide safeguards against system abuse or predatory behavior often associated with authoritarian regimes. Friedman (1962) was one of the first to suggest that economic and political freedoms are mutually reinforcing. He postulated that an expansion in political freedom fosters economic freedoms such as secure property rights and certainty of contract, which, in turn, underpin higher rates of economic growth. As Barro( 1996) argues, of course there is nothing in principle preventing non-democratic governments from promoting economic freedoms. Examples of autocracies which have increased economic freedom include the Pinochet regime in chile and the Fujimora government in Peru. The point, though, made by advocates of the compatibility thesis is democracy is more likely to be conducive to promoting economic freedoms than au thoritarianism because the political legitimacy and therefore long term survival of a democracy depends on maintaining economic rights. The third perspective, which is the skeptical view, suggests there is no systematic relationship between democracy and economic growth. While it might generally be true that there is more economic freedom under a democracy than an autocracy, there is no guarantee it will be at an optimum ( Esposto and Zaleski. 1999). Even in a democracy there will be those whose aims is to challenges the private property status quo if it is in their best interests, and because of the very nature of a democracy they will have more opportunities to do so( Przewoki and Limongi, 1993). However, the empirical evidence on the three perspectives in not clear-cut. Sirowry and inkeles( 1990) review thirteen studies; of which, six supported the skeptical view, four suggested qualified or conditional relationships, and three provided unconditional support for the conflict perspective. In a later survey, Brunetti ( 1997) reviewed 17 empirical studies of the democracy-growth relationship. He found ( at p. 167) nine studies report no relationship, one study a positive, one study a negative, three studies a fragile negative relationship and three studies a fragile positive relationship between democracy and economic growth. Helliwell (1994), Barro (1996) and Tavares and Waczing (2001) found that democracy has either a non-significant or moderately weak negative effect on growth once other growth-determining variables are held constant. On the basis of the mixed findings in the literature, a reasonable conclusion is that: We do not know whether democracy fosters or hinders gr owth (Przewoki and Limongi, 1993, P.64). However, as a provision to this, the balance of empirical evidence is with the conflict and skeptical views rather than the compatibility view. Effect of growth on Democracy: Political scientists have examined the effect of the economic growth on democracy. Most studies have found that economic growth generates demands for political right ( Lipset, 1959; Bollen, 1979; Bollen and Jackman, 1985; Burkhart and Lewis-Beck, 1994). At one level, casual empiricism seems to also support the view that economic growth promotes democracy. As Gupta et al. ( 1998, pp. 589-590) note, all of the developed, industrialized nations have a democratic political system. In contrast, most of the nations in the poorest segment of the world community operate under various forms of non-democratic political system. However, This is not ture in a blanket sense. Casual observation also suggests that economic growth does not necessarily bring about a demand for democracy. There are examples of authoritarian regimes in Southeast Asia and the Middle East where citizens are willing to forego demand for political liberalization provided their economic needs are being met. In these instance there is a good argument that it is only when the authoritarians government stops delivering on the economic front that there are calls for more political rights. An example is the fall of the Suharto regime in Indonesia following the Asian financial crisis when spiraling inflation and unemployment prevented Suharto from delivering in the economic sphere. Glasure et al. ( 1999) obtain results that are consistent with this view. Their finding suggest that in developing countries and newly industrializing countries economic development has a significant effect on democratic performance, but contrary to Lipest( 1959) economic development leads to lower levels of democracy. Glasure et al. ( 1999, p. 475) conclude: The sign reversal may stem from the possibility that as nations strive for economic development, the nations tend to trade off democracy for economic development Discussion of the results: In the result using the Freedom House dataset, Botswana stands out as the one country where there is support for both the compatibility and Lipset hypothese, i.e. there is Granger causality between democracy and real GDP in the long run, and democracy and real GDP have a positive effect on each other. The results using the Beck et al. (2001) dataset confirm long-run Granger causality running from GDP to democracy and the GDP has positive effect on democracy. The democracy growth is well established in Botswana. The OECD (1999, p.29) posited: Political stability has result fromà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦favorable economic conditions. While this is true, Botswanas economic success has also been built on democratic tradition in which there are no narrow ethnic-based interest groups with distinct means of expression, which has avoided infighting over diamonds and other political issue (Wiseman, 1990). Of course, Botswana has been described as an African success story ( Acemoglu et al., 2001) with the highest growth rate of any country in the world between 1960 and 1999. From 1965 to 1973 Bostswanas annual rate of growth of GDP was 14.8% which was the highest in the world except for the high income oil rich Oman (21.9%). From 1973 to 1984 Botswanas annual growth rate was 10.7% which was the highest in the world, outstripping Asian Tigers, Hong Kong (9.1%) and Singapore ( 8.2%) (World Bank, 1986). Between 1980 and 1990 Botswana grew at 11%, also the highest in the world over this period, with China second at 10.3% per annum. From 1990 to 2003 Botswanas growth slowed to 5.2% but was still in the top dozen countries in the World Bank world Development indicators list of countries over this period (World Bank, 2005). Botswana is one of only a few African countries with a democratic tradition (Wiseman, 1990). It has had continuous democracy since obtaining independence in 1996. The disc overy of diamond mines has facilitated economic growth, but there is more to Botswanas success than simply having abundant natural resources. There is universal agreement that the Botswana government has used the revenue from diamonds to pursue good policies (See e.g Acemoglu et al., 2001). Conclusion: The aim of this paper was to review the accumulated evidence on the impact of the democracy on economic growth. Existing studies and authors of primary studies have drawn inferences from only a limited set of information and have failed to reach a decisive conclusion. In contrast, I apply analysis, critic to the pool of 6 studies with 10 published estimates of the democracy-growth associations, and are able to draw other variables conclusions. This in line with Bhagwatis (1995) prediction that democracy does not handicap development. Second, while the direct effect is found to be Zero, this research papers result indicates that democracy has significant indirect effects on growth through various channels. In particular, this study also finds that democracy has a favorable impact on human capital formation, on the level of economic freedom, inflation and political instability. However, This study also find that democracy is associated with greater government spending and less free int ernational trade. Third, while there is no evidence of a democracy-growth effect for all countries combined all together, there are clear regional effects. The available evidence suggests that democracy has a larger effect on economic growth in Latin America, and that this is lower in Asia. Moreover, it appears that there is country-specific effect like China. Fourth, by comparing the democracy-growth association to research conducted elsewhere on the economic freedom growth assocaiton( Doucouliagos and Ulubasoglu 2006), we find that democracys direct effect on growth is zero, while economic freedom has a positive direct effect. In short, this research paper conclude that the empirical evidence that has accumulate over the past 40 years points to a zero direct effect on growth and significant direct effects on growth through factor accumulation, economic freedom, inflation and openness, with an adverse effect through government spending. The net effect is that democracy does not harm economic performance. This analysis paper can be applied to other dimension of democracy. For example, the links between democracy and the level of development rather than growth, the channels through which democracy impacts on both growth and development, as well as the determinants of democracy, are all promising areas for future research analysis to make more inclusive result.

Virtual Private Networks Essay -- VPN Internetworking Computers Intern

Virtual Private Networks Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are an easy and cost effective way to connect two or more networks over the Internet. This is achieved by using encrypted tunnels for security and efficiency. VPNs use encapsulated and encrypted IP packets and transport them across leased Local Area Network (LAN) lines. The benefits of using VPNs are reduced cost overhead, reduced management overhead, and added security (Microsoft Press, 2000). Least network lines are expensive and VPNs reduce then need for extra data connections. This in turn also aids in reducing the amount of overhead associated with managing a network. The added security benefits for a network include encrypted transmission of network data and user authentication. Passing datagrams across the Internet between sites can cause major security risk. When a datagram is passed internally within a private network it is secured behind a router and /or firewall. When datagrams are passed externally outsiders can monitor them as they pass over networks owned by other organizations (Comer, 1995). This can cause great security problems. Unencrypted packet headers contain valuable information about the internal structure of an organizations network. VPNs have overcome the problem of direct Internet access to servers and clients through a combination of the following security components: IP encapsulation, cryptographic authentication, and data payload encryption. For a true VPN to exi...

HOLOCAUST Essay -- Essays Papers

HOLOCAUST As tensions mounted up until the point of World War II and the war stormed through Europe, another battle silently raged. Not only did Hitler and the Nazi party wage war on countries throughout Europe, they also assaulted and purged entire innocent groups. The Holocaust began in 1933 and reached its height in WW II, while coming to an end with the war in 1945. Hitler used the Holocaust as a mechanism to rid his "racially superior" German state of any "inferior" groups (especially Jews) that would be of some threat or sign of inferiority to Germany. As a result of the Holocaust, millions of men, women, and children of various national, ethnic, and social backgrounds died or had their lives impacted forever. In 1933 Adolph Hitler became the Chancellor of the German government, and he and his Nazi regime came into power. At this time, Hitler also instated the Nazi racial ideology. These ideas emphasized that the Germans or Aryan race was superior to the non-Aryan peoples who were not part of the German heritage. Those who were not racially pure were on different levels. Most Slavic individuals were considered "subhuman" as were those who led unconventional lifestyles or were physically or mentally impaired. At the bottom of the list were the Jews who were considered to be a non- human race. The Holocaust began in the year of 1933. Although it effected diverse groups, the Jews received most of the abuse from the Holocaust. In 1933, there were approximately nine million Jews living in the 21 countries that would be occupied by Hitler and the Nazis during WW II ( The Holocaust). Hitler s... ...gled them into neutral territory. By the end of World War II approximately six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, along with hundreds of thousands of Slavs and 250,000 mentally and physically handicapped. The Holocaust left many innocent slaughtered and those who escaped with a lasting imprint of oppression and murder. The impressions of the Holocaust continue to effect these groups and our societal outlook even today. WORKS CITED - Bartoszewski, W. The Warsaw Ghetto. Boston: Beacon Press, 1987. - Bauer, Y. A History of the Holocaust. New York: Franklin, 1976. - Fleming, G. Hitler and the Final Solution. Berkley: University California Press, 1982. - The Holocaust: An Historical Summary. http://www.ushmm.org/misc- bin/add. (28 February 1998).

The Aeneid of Greece by Virgil The Aeneid

The Aeneid of Greece by Virgil The Aeneid, tells the story of Aeneas's journey in search of the land where he is destined to build the city that will one day become the great Roman Empire. Largely influenced by Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, the Aeneid begins halfway through Aeneas's journey, as he nears the city of Carthage, ruled over by Dido, who built the city after fleeing from her murderous brother. King Arthur of Britain, by Howard PyleThe character of King Arthur is larger than life.He is rarely presented as truly human; he is either the idealized symbol of Camelot and the virtues of the Round Table, or he is a peripheral character sometimes virtuous but rarely with a penetrating intelligence capable of seeing long-term effects and making sound decisions. Whether a historical Arthur actually existed, what we are left with today is a mythological character, memorable and tantalizing in his virtues and foibles. Beowulf was written in England, but is set in Scandinavia. The author i s unknown.This epic poem describes the hero Beowulf marching with his fourteen warriors and arrive at the place of Heorot where he finds that he king of Heorot Hrothgar terrified by a monster called Grendel. Beowulf manages to kill Grendel and his monster-mother at his abode beneath a lake. After that he returns to his country and becomes the king there and rules his kingdom for fifty years. He dies of the wounds he got once during the combat fought with a dragon. Gilgamesh Is the Priest-King of the city of Uruk.He is a tyrannical king who works his people to death and takes what he wants from them. He kills the young men at will and uses the women as he pleases. The people of Uruk cry out to the gods for help so that they can have peace. | Ramayana – is the immortal tale of Shri Rama that teaches us the values of ideology, devotion, duty, relationships, dharma and karma. Biag ni Lam-ang (Tagalog: â€Å"Buhay ni Lam-ang†) ay isang epikong tula ng mga Ilokano mula sa re hiyon ng Ilokos sa Pilipinas.Sinalaysay at sinulat sa orihinal na wikang Ilokano, pinapaniwalaang na pinaghalong gawa ito ng iba't ibang mga lumilikha ng tula na pinasa sa pamamagitan ng mga salinlahi, at unang sinulat noong 1640 ng isang bulag na manunula na si Pedro Bucaneg. Ibalon – Author Fr. Jose Castano May tatlong mga bayani sa epiking ito: Baltog, Handyong, at Bantong. Unang bayaning dumating sa lupang ibalong ay si Baltog at sya ang nagpayaman ng bukid.Ang pangalawang bayani na dumating sa ibalon ay si Handyong, nakipaglaban siya kasama ng kanyang mga tao sa libu-libong mga giyera at digma. At si bantong ang namuno sa pag patay sa kalahating tao, at kalahating halimaw na c Rabot. | Analysis: The difference between western and eastern epic, the eastern epic involves the story about Indians and Philippines but in western epic they start from the medieval ages and it involve the story about the gods and the goddess.

High School Drop-Outs Essay

When one out of three students fails to graduate in the nation, there has to be a main issue, a source of frustration or maybe hopelessness, causing students to give up on their educations when they had an opportunity to go further. When people feel that there is no hope or chance, they will give up. This is what is happening to high-school students leading them to drop-out of school despite the fact that a high-school diploma could be so beneficial to their lives and the fact that it can be prevented. In the article â€Å"High School Dropouts Costly to American Economy†, Sarah White said, â€Å"The teachers didn’t care, the students didn’t care. Nobody cared, so why should I?† I believe that in order for students to want to work in high school to achieve their diplomas, they need emotional support and a motivational backbone. When I made a good grade when I was little or even now, my parents and my teacher were there to praise me and push me to do even better and work toward higher educational goals. Because of their support, I want to do well in school and aim high in school and towards college. Without their support, advice and expectations, I probably wouldn’t care about school; this is what high school-dropouts need and are lacking. Just earning a high school diploma can improve the standard of living for a person significantly. The article â€Å"By the Numbers: Dropping Out of High School† says, â€Å"The average dropout can expect to earn an annual income of $20,241, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a full $10,386 less than the typical high school graduate, and $36,424 less than someone with a bachelor degree.† With numbers as drastic as this, schools need to not only work to get students to graduate, but desire to work for at least a bachelor’s degree in higher education for the benefit of the students. Many successful programs to improve this situation are have already been created; more schools simply need to work them into their systems. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America was created solely to serve kids in crisis, kids who are at risk for many things including not graduating on time. This club’s self-professed mission states that it serves to create, â€Å"A safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals, life-enhancing programs and character development experiences and hope and opportunity.† In other words, this club serves to provide kids with the support they need in a safe environment. These clubs have many local chapters and already serve many kids, and they are easy to create. Other solutions for the drop-out crisis include creating mentors or buddies for at-risk students in school and students getting paid for good grades; each are effective in different ways. By pairing at-risk students at school with other students who have high education goals, a support system is created where a friend can set the example and be the support. Paying students for their good grades creates incentive for students to not only stay in school, but to do well. These solutions and many others can be easy to implement and are very effective. With drop-out rates so high, more action needs to be taken by school and community to improve the futures of many children and many steps can be taken to do so. As Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.† An investment in a high school diploma is in the best interest of everyone.

Passages for Comment

B. 1) It definitely gives me a clear indication of the weather conditions. In london it was very misty/foggy, but as she slowly left london behind it started to thin out and patches of blue Rosamond Lehman uses many of the ‘fabric' metaphors so we get to see how the mist looks, which is in turn, describes the mist/fog much better. â€Å"Lentil, saffron and fawn left behind.† The words Lentil, saffron and fawn are all brown, orangy earthy colours describing London as she leaves it behind. London is all very built up and the the buildings are all very brown and dreary (linking back to lentil) â€Å"†¦but then the woollen day clarified†¦Ã¢â‚¬  , the word ‘woollen' describes the mist/fog as wool which is a fabric that you cannot see through. The phrase, â€Å"†¦ drenched indigo muslin.† ‘Muslin' is a very transparent type of fabric, so the mist looks very see-through . This fabric indicates a lighter colour change and lifting mist outside. â€Å"The skies amorphous material began to quilt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The skies amorphous material are the clouds, which are beginning to thin out. The patches of blue in the sky which contrast to the white clouds are indeed like a quilt, with many patches here and there. 2) It could also be describing the condition she is in and the way in which she is feeling. She has just woken up and heard the bad news, which has thrown her mind into overwind. The heavy mist/fog outside could mean that she is seriously worried as she is weighed down with worry and concern. She is still half asleep and as she sees the billowing mist, this gives us a sort of foggy appearance of what she is feeling like (like someone who has just woken up and cant distinguish anything properly). The ‘Muslin' fabric is telling us that her brain is not alert or sharp as she is looking, but not taking anything in. She is still in shock about the bad news and is still trying to wake up which further implies how she is feeling. C. 1) The sound and pace of the passage is very quick and fast flowing. Ernest Hemingway uses mainly two syllable words throughout, which adds to the already fast-flowing passage. This is vital in that the story needs to be quick, so that the character in the story can finish his book and so that we don't get bored with the story line. 2) â€Å"All you have to do is write one true sentence†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I think what Hemingway is saying is that all you need to do is to write a proper, structured sentence in order to get your story flowing again. A ‘true' sentence shows instead of tells, uses the five senses, uses strong active verbs, does not repeat oneself, doesn't use unnecessary words and uses metaphors and word pictures. That is a ‘true' sentence in which Hemingway describes. 3) I think that everyone has there own outlook on life, so we therefore all have different opinions on what something means. When Hemingway says that metaphorical language is ‘ornamental', i have to agree with him, because it is a way of flowering up something and it makes people use their own imagination. Thus, all the metaphors will be will be completely different and mean other things to other people. I do associate transparent language to truthfulness because you don't have to use your own imagination as all the facts are there. It doesn't use any many metaphors as there is literally only one layer of depth to something. I don't think that metaphorical language gets between reality and the reader. All people have different thoughts on the metaphors etc. So the outcome of one extract will be different to that off others.

Costco Wiki

Costco From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Not to be confused with COSCO, a Chinese shipping company. Costco Wholesale Corporation| | Type| Public| Traded as| NASDAQ:  COST| Industry| Retailing| Founded| 1983 (Kirkland, Washington)| Founder(s)| James D. Sinegal Jeffrey H. Brotman| Headquarters| Issaquah, Washington, U. S. | Area served| Worldwide| Key people| Jeffrey H. Brotman (Chairman) W. Craig Jelinek (President, CEO & COO)| Products| Discount stores, Merchandise, Cash & Carry/Warehouse club| Revenue| US$ 88. 15  billion (2011)[1]| Operating income| US$ 2. 439  billion (2011)[1]| Net income| US$ 1. 462  billion (2011)[1]| Total assets| US$ 26. 761  billion (2011)[1]| Total equity| US$ 12. 002  billion (2011)[1]| Employees| 92,000 (2012)[1]| Website| Costco. com| Costco Wholesale Corporation is the seventh largest retailer in the world. As of July 2012, it was the fifth largest retailer in the United States, and the largest membership ware house club chain in the United States. [2][3] As of October 2007, Costco is the largest retailer of wine in the world. 4] Contents * 1 Location * 2 History * 3 Costco today * 4 Sales model * 5 Membership * 6 Policies * 6. 1 Return policy * 6. 2 Food stamps in the U. S. * 6. 3 Cash Cards * 7 Products * 7. 1 Kirkland Signature * 8 Services * 8. 1 Online shopping * 8. 2 Costco Travel * 8. 3 Costco Connection * 8. 4 Food service * 9 Animal Welfare Concerns * 10 Labor relations * 11 International * 12 Locations * 13 Other wholesale formats * 13. 1 Costco Business Center * 13. 2 Costco Home * 14 See also * 15 References * 16 External links| LocationCostco is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, United States[5] and was founded in 1983 in Kirkland, Washington[citation needed] with its first warehouse in nearby Seattle. [6] Today Costco has locations in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the United States. [7] History Logo used until the early 1 990s. Founded by James (Jim) Sinegal and Jeffrey H. Brotman,[8] Costco opened its first warehouse in Seattle, Washington, on September 15, 1983. [9] Sinegal had started in wholesale distribution by working for Sol Price at both FedMart and Price Club.Brotman, an attorney from an old Seattle retailing family, had also been involved in retail distribution from an early age. [citation needed] Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton had plans to merge Sam's Club with Price Club. [10] In 1993, however, Costco merged with Price Club (called Club Price in the Canadian province of Quebec). Costco's business model and size were similar to those of Price Club, which was founded by Sol and Robert Price in 1976 in San Diego, California. [6] Thus, the combined company, PriceCostco, was effectively double the size of each of its parents.Just after the merger, PriceCostco had 206 locations generating $16  billion in annual sales. [11] PriceCostco was initially led by executives from both companies, but then Sol and his son Robert Price founded Price Enterprises and left Costco in December 1994. [6] The Costco in Moncton, New Brunswick Entrance in Henderson, Nevada In 1993, when growing competition threatened both Price Club and Costco Wholesale, they entered into a partial merger just after Price’s earnings dropped to 40%. The new company, named PriceCostco, Inc. , focused heavily on international expansion, opening stores in Mexico, South Korea, and England.Despite best efforts to recover losses, sales continued to drop. Disagreement between the two leaders, Robert Price and Jim Sinegal, regarding company direction and recovery policies soon left the merger in tatters. In 1994, the breakup was formally announced. Sinegal continued to manage PriceCostco while Price’s breakaway company was named as Price Enterprises. In 1997, the name of Sinegal’s company was changed from PriceCostco to Costco Wholesale. The first Price Club location was opened in 1976 in an old ai rplane hangar,[6][11] previously owned by Howard Hughes, and is still in operation today (Warehouse No. 01, located on Morena Boulevard in San Diego). In 1997, the company changed its name to Costco Wholesale and all Price Club locations were rebranded Costco. [6][11] CNBC premiered its documentary â€Å"The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant† on April 26, 2012. [12] Costco today In the United States, the main competitors operating membership warehouses are Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club. [13] Although Sam's Club has more warehouses[14] than Costco, Costco has higher total sales volume. [15] Costco employs about 142,000  full and part-time employees,[7] including seasonal workers.As of September 2009, Costco had 55 million members. [16] Costco was the first company to grow from zero to $3  billion in sales in less than six years. [11] For the fiscal year ending on August 31, 2011, the company's sales totaled $88. 915  billion,[7] with $1. 462  billion net pr ofit. [17] Costco is 24th on the 2012 Fortune 500. [17] The ACSI (The American Customer Satisfaction Index) named Costco number one in the specialty retail store industry with a score of 83 in Q4 2008. [18] As of September 2010,[19][dated info] Costco's board of directors is chaired by co-founder Jeffrey H.Brotman and includes three officers of the company: CEO/co-founder James D. Sinegal, President/COO W. Craig Jelinek, and CFO Richard A. Galanti. There are also eleven independent directors: Hamilton E. James (the â€Å"Lead Independent Director†), Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. , Susan Decker, Richard D. DiCerchio, Daniel J. Evans, William H. Gates, Sr. , Richard M. Libenson, John W. Meisenbach, Charles T. Munger, Jeff Raikes, and Jill Ruckelshaus. In the United States, Costco is closed on seven holidays: New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.Sales model Typical Costco warehouse interior Costco focuses on selling products at low prices, often at very high volume. These goods are usually bulk-packaged and marketed primarily to large families and businesses. Furthermore, Costco does not carry multiple brands or varieties where the item is essentially the same except when it has a house brand to sell, typically under the Kirkland Signature label. This results in a high volume of sales from a single vendor, allowing further reductions in price, and reducing marketing costs.If Costco management feels the wholesale price of a product is too high, they will refuse to stock the product. For example, on November 16, 2009, Costco announced that it would stop selling Coca-Cola products due to the soft drink maker refusing to lower its wholesale prices. [20] Costco resumed selling Coca-Cola products on December 14, 2009. [21][22] Costco also saves money by not stocking extra bags or packing materials; to carry out their goods, customers must bring their own bags or use the merchandise shipping boxes from the compa ny's outside vendors.Lighting costs are reduced on sunny days, as most Costco locations have several skylights. During the day, electronic light meters measure how much light is coming in the skylights and turn off an appropriate percentage of the interior lights. During a typical sunny day, it is very common for the center section of the warehouse to have no interior lights powered on. [23] Most products are delivered to the warehouse on shipping pallets and these pallets are used to display products for sale on the warehouse floor. This contrasts with retail stores that break down pallets and stock individual products on shelves.Costco limits its price markup on items to 15%. [24] Membership Costco in Tlalpan, Mexico City Costco is only open to members and their guests, except for purchases of liquor and gasoline in some US states because of state law; and prescription drugs because of federal law. [25] Memberships must be purchased in advance for one year. Purchases made at Costc o's website do not require a membership; however, a 5% surcharge is added to purchases made by non-members. Purchases made with Costco Cash Cards also do not require a membership, and there is no surcharge.Canadian and United States Costco locations only accept American Express, PIN-based debit cards (Interac in Canada), Costco credit cards, Costco Cash Cards, cash, checks, and EBT cards (food stamps). While Costco welcomes members to bring up to two guests, only the members may pay for items. American Express is the only accepted credit card (in the United States, Canada, and Japan) because they charge Costco very low interchange fees (a percentage of revenue from total sales made); as Costco's margins are low in comparison to other retailers[citation needed].Costco accepts Flexible Spending Account (FSA) debit cards for qualifying purchases at the pharmacy and optical departments in the US. Costco. com accepts the American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards. The website also accepts Bill Me Later accounts for payment. [26] As of November 2011, membership fees at Costco are $55 per year for a Gold Star (individual) or Business membership (older memberships are grandfathered in at $50 per year), which can be upgraded to Executive membership for an additional $55 per year. [27] Along with the additional benefits the executive membership offers (e. . home loans, car insurance, check printing services) Executive members also receive an annual â€Å"2% Rewards Check† of up to $750. 00 from Costco on all purchases made, excluding select items such as gasoline, tobacco, stamps and in some states, alcohol. [28] In Canada, membership is CDN $55. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership and includes a card for a spouse, or CDN $110. 00 a year for an Executive membership. [29] In the United Kingdom, membership is restricted to certain groups only. Trade membership is available to the owners or managers of businesses for ? 20. 00 (plus VAT).Trade members re ceive a complimentary spouse/partner card, and can purchase additional cards (at a cost of ? 12+VAT each) for employees. Qualified professionals such as solicitors, magistrates, accountants and engineers, as well as employees in certain specific sectors (such as medical services, education, local government, the civil service, airlines and banking) may apply for individual membership, which costs ? 25 including a spouse/partner card. [30] A Costco card issued in another country is valid in the U. K. ,[31] and as such, it would be possible for a U. K. esident to sign up elsewhere and use their card at home without meeting U. K. membership requirements. [citation needed] In Australia, membership is A$55. 00 a year for a business membership, or A$60. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership. [32] In Mexico, membership is MXN $450. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership, or MXN $1000. 00 a year for an Executive membership. [33] Costco is only open to members for all services and purchases. Me xican locations only accept cash and Visa Electron debit cards; purchases with MasterCard or Visa credit cards have a surcharge of approximately 4%.Purchases with the Mexican Costco credit card keep cash prices. Policies Australia's first Costco outlet, at Docklands, Victoria Return policy Costco memberships can be refunded in full at any time before they expire. [34] Costco guarantees almost all of their products with a full refund within a reasonable amount of time. Exceptions include televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, digital audio players, and cellular phones; these may be returned within 90 days of purchase for any reason for a refund.After 90 days those returns must be done through the manufacturer according to the terms of the warranty. Also excepted are tires (which are covered by their manufacturer's separate defects and treadware warranties) and batteries (which are covered by a 36/100-month warranty, where they may be replaced for free in the first 3 6 months and are covered under a pro-rated warranty for months 37-100). Costco has negotiated with manufacturers to extend the manufacturers warranty to two years for new TVs and computers (five years on TV's sold by Costco in the UK).Costco also offers a free â€Å"concierge† service to members who purchase electronics, to help answer questions regarding setup and use and avoid potential returns due to not understanding how to use the products. [34] Food stamps in the U. S. Until 2009, Costco did not accept food stamps. As of March 14, 2009, an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted Jim Sinegal, co-founder and president of the company, as saying, â€Å"Generally we don't have customers who use food stamps. [35] In response to the poor economy, as well as competitor BJ's Wholesale Club's decision in April to accept electronic food-stamp benefits chainwide,[36] Costco announced in May 2009 that it will accept food stamps on a trial basis in two New York City stores sta rting in June 2009 and depending on its success, might expand it to all New York City stores. [37] The company subsequently announced plans to expand the program beyond New York City, targeting first the â€Å"hard-hit areas likeMichigan, Indiana, and the central valley of California†, expanding to â€Å"half its roughly 410 U. S. stores by Thanksgiving†, and then going nationwide. [38] Cash Cards Costco Cash Cards can be purchased in the warehouse and members can load them with money to make non-cash purchases at all Costco warehouses in the United States and Australia. Because Costco gas stations take only Costco Cash, debit cards, American Express, and Costco credit cards, people who can only pay for gas by check or cash must purchase a Costco Cash Card inside the building before filling up.A Costco Membership is not required to make purchases with a Costco Cash Card. A non-member may not purchase or re-load a Costco Cash Card; however, they may spend more than the total value of their cash card in-store provided they pay in cash or approved debit cards for the remaining balance. [39] Products Over the years, Costco has gradually expanded its range of products and services. Initially it preferred to sell only boxed products that could be dispensed by simply tearing the stretch wrap off a pallet. It now[when? sells many other products that are more difficult to handle, such as fresh produce, meat, dairy, seafood, fresh baked goods, flowers, clothing, books, computer software, vacuums, home appliances, home electronics, solar panels, jewelry, tires, art, fine wine, hot tubs, furniture and caskets. Many warehouses have tire garages, pharmacies, hearing aid centers, optometrists, photo processors, and gas stations. Optometrists working at Costco locations will see patients without Costco memberships. Costco Optical ranks as the fourth-largest optical company in the US. [40] A membership is required to fill a prescription at the optical department. Some locations have liquor stores, often kept separate from the main warehouse in order to comply with liquor license restrictions. In some states (such as Texas), the liquor store must be owned and operated by a separate company with separate employees. [41] In 2006, Costco lost a lawsuit against the state of Washington in which it was seeking to purchase wine directly from the producer, bypassing the state retail monopoly. [42] In Australia, Costco has to comply with regulations set by each state they choose trade in; their first store in the state of Victoria benefits from some of the most liberal lcohol licensing laws in the country, with retailers permitted to sell alcohol on shelves within the store, in a manner similar to most European countries, yet they have chosen to have a separate checkout within the liquor section. [citation needed] Kirkland Signature Kirkland Signature logo Kirkland Signature branded bottled water Kirkland Signature is Costco's store brand, otherwise k nown in the retail industry as an â€Å"own-brand,† â€Å"house brand† or â€Å"private label. † It is found exclusively at Costco's website and Costco warehouses and is trademarked by the company.The name derives from the fact that Costco's corporate headquarters was located in the city of Kirkland, Washington between 1987 and 1996. [43] Costco introduced Kirkland Signature as its house brand in 1995. The idea was to identify categories in which a private label product could provide brand name quality at discounted prices. [44] To counteract the consumer confidence problem common in store branding, Kirkland Signature sometimes relies on co-branding. According to Costco, while consumers may be wary of same-store-branding, they are less likely to be wary of brands that they are familiar with and trust. 45] Services | This section does not cite any references or sources. (October 2009)| Costco acts as an investment broker and travel agent. Costco has an agreement with Ameriprise for auto and home insurance. In 2004 Costco offered an original artwork by artist Pablo Picasso on their online store; more recently[when? ] a highly regarded 1982 Mouton Rothschild wine was offered as well as other rare wines in rotation. [citation needed] Costco Photo Center is a multi-functional photography printing lab offering services at the warehouses as well as through their web site, costcophotocenter. com.The website provides free unlimited digital file storage with a current membership. Previous to May or June 2010, Costco had an agreement with Mypublisher. com for custom book and calendar publishing. Now,[when? ] they print the photobooks and calendars themselves. Online shopping The domain costco. com attracted at least 58 million visitors in 2008 according to a Compete. com survey. [46] Costco Travel Costco Travel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Costco Wholesale, and offers leisure travel to Costco members of the United States. [47] The program was esta blished in 2000 as a service to Costco members.Costco Travel's offices are located in Issaquah, Washington, adjacent to Costco's corporate headquarters. Costco Travel employs 290 travel professionals, all of whom are Costco employees. The program offers vacation packages to Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Orlando, the South Pacific, the Desert Southwest and Las Vegas. [citation needed] Other products include cruises, guided vacations, theme park packages, houseboat rentals, hotel-only lodging and luxury vacation rentals. [citation needed] Select products feature additional benefits for Costco Executive Members. citation needed] The program is marketed directly to Costco members through various Costco avenues, including the Travel Guide to Savings (found in all U. S. Costco warehouses), online in the Travel section of Costco. com. [citation needed] Costco Connection | This section does not cite any references or sources. (September 2012)| The Costco Connection is a magazine se nt free to members of the warehouse club Costco and includes articles which regularly tie into the corporation along with business, health and social articles. Food serviceA food concession stand at the Costco warehouse in Overland Park, Kansas Most Costco locations have a food court, offering a quarter-pound 100% beef hot dog or polish sausage and 20  oz drink (with refill) for $1. 50, the same price since 1985. [48] In Australia the hot dog is made of pork and is sold at A$2. 49 with large soda. In Canada the price for a hot dog and 20 oz pop drink with refill is 1. 50 CAD. [49] In Mexico, the hot dog is made of pork, and includes a drink (with refill) for $25 MXN. In the UK, the hot dog is also made from beef and you also get a drink (with refill) for ? 1. 50.Costco sold more than 82 million quarter-pound hot dogs in its food courts in 2008. [49] Pizza is also available in most locations as cheese, pepperoni, veggie, or combo, and can be ordered to go at many locations. Frozen yogurt is also served in chocolate, vanilla, or swirled together. Also offered are berry smoothies, mocha latte freezes, chicken bake, turkey provalogne sandwiches, twisted churros, chicken Caesar salads, and in some locations, gelato. French fries are also offered in some locations. Due to slow sales, the pretzel was replaced by the churro. [50] The nutrition data for the Costco Food Court items is posted online. 51] In April 2010, certain Costco warehouses in the U. S. and Canada replaced their Coca-Cola drink fountain selections with Pepsi, accompanied with a change in labels on the disposable cups. [citation needed] Animal Welfare Concerns In 2010, Mercy for Animals conducted an undercover investigation at Buckeye Veal Farm, a veal supplier to Costco. [52] Immediately following the investigative release, Costco adopted a policy against purchasing veal from producers that use the crate-and-chain production method. [53] The case prompted Ohio decision-makers to vote in favor of a veal crate phase-out in the state. 54] In 2012, Mercy for Animals conducted an undercover investigation at a pork supplier to Costco, Walmart, Safeway, Kroger, and Kmart. [55] Before the public release of the investigation, Costco announced they would begin requiring their pork suppliers to phase out gestation crates. [56] [57] Labor relations While some former Price Club locations in California and the northeastern United States are staffed by Teamsters,[58] the majority of Costco locations are not unionized although there seems to be a move in 2012 to unionize some locations in Canada. 59] The non-union locations have revisions to their Costco Employee Agreement every three years concurrent with union contract ratifications in locations with collective bargaining agreements. Only remotely similar to a union contract, the Employee Agreement sets forth such things as benefits, compensations, wages, disciplinary procedures, paid holidays, bonuses, and seniority. The employee ‘a greement' is subject to change by Costco at any time and offers no absolute protection to the workers. As of March 2011, non-supervisory hourly wages ranged from $11. 00 to $21. 0 in the United States, $11. 00 to $22. 15 in Canada, and ? 6. 28 to ? 10. 50 in the United Kingdom. In the US, eighty-five percent of Costco's workers have health insurance, compared with less than fifty percent at Walmart and Target. [60] Product-demonstration (e. g. , food samples) employees work for an outside company. In the western U. S. , the company is called Warehouse Demo Services, Kirkland, Washington. [61] Costco also uses Club Demonstration Services, based in San Diego, California. [62] In Canada, demonstrations are done exclusively by Professional Warehouse Demonstrations. 63] Demonstration employees receive a pay and benefit package that is less than that of Costco employees. [64][unreliable source? ] International Warehouses outside the US are similar to those in the US. Layout, signage, and even parking lot markings are generally identical to warehouses in the US. [citation needed] Food court menus are tailored to international tastes, with poutine on offer in Canada, seafood-topped pizza available in Asian and Mexican locations, clam chowder in Japan, Taiwan ; South Korea, jacket potatoes in the UK and meat pies in Australia. 65] The merchandise mix available in warehouses is also tailored to local tastes, with a mix of both American and local products available. Map of Costco warehouses in the US. Locations As of October 26, 2012, Costco has 611 warehouses:[66] * 442 in the United States (including 4 in Puerto Rico) * 82 in Canada * 32 in Mexico * 22 in the United Kingdom. The latest to open is in Coventry. * 13 in Japan. The latest to open is in Kobe * 9 in South Korea. The latest to open is in Gwangmyeong * 8 in Taiwan * 3 in Australia The latest to open is in Sydney In 2005 the world's largest Costco was located in Hillsboro, Oregon, U.S. [67][68] Other wholesale formats Costco has experimented with other formats. Plans for Costco Fresh, a gourmet supermarket, were abandoned in February 2003. The membership-based format was to include a pharmacy, bakery, olive bar, deli, cafe, garden center and photo and optical departments, with products packaged in smaller quantities. [69] Costco Business Center Costco Business Centers carry restaurant, hospitality, janitorial, convenience store, and professional office supplies; items are offered in bulk or in smaller quantities, and selection for a given category of product is much broader. 70] Delivery is available. Unlike traditional Costcos, products such as clothing, sporting goods, jewelry, tires, hearing aids, and optical products are not available. [70] A limited assortment of over-the-counter drugs and toiletries are sold, though there is no pharmacy. Some locations have a gas station and/or food court. All except San Diego have a Print & Copy Center. As of October 2012, there are ten Costco Busi ness Centers, located in California (Commerce, Hawthorne, Hayward, and San Diego), Washington (Lynnwood, Fife), Morrow and Tukwila, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona. [66] Costco HomeThe first Costco Home warehouse debuted in 2002 in Kirkland, Washington. The warehouse's concept was to combine the value, setting and members-only elements of Costco's warehouse clubs with the product array one would find at an upscale home store, such as Fortunoff or Crate & Barrel. The Costco Home warehouses sold furniture, housewares, kitchen products and accessories from higher-end brands such as Lexington, Ralph Lauren and Waterford[71] in a warehouse-club setting. Costco claimed that, similar to its main warehouses, it accepted lower margins in return for greater volume with minimal overhead.Over time, the concept was adjusted to include home electronics, some major appliances, office furniture, and a large selection of outdoor furniture and window treatments. Costco also partners with Glen tel subsidiary WIRELESS etc. to sell mobile phones and plans in Canada and Wireless Advocates in the US. On April 2, 2009, the company announced that it would be abandoning its Costco Home concept, closing the two existing stores in Kirkland, Washington and Tempe, Arizona on July 3, 2009, and abandoning plans for a third store on the West Coast. 72] The company cited cutbacks in consumer spending on home products and its interest in focusing on its core business as the main reasons. See also | Seattle portal| | Companies portal| * BJ's Wholesale Club * Bulk foods * Sams Club * Walmart * Privacy policy * About Wikipedia * Disclaimers * Mobile view * * The world’s fifth largest retailer by sales, Costco Wholesale Corp (Costco) known for its warehouse club model is also interested in coming to India and waiting for the right opportunity. [