Mortgage and Housing Act in the U.S

Introduction It is pointed out that, â€Å"in its preamble to the 1949 Housing Act, Congress declared its goal of ‘a decent home in a suitable living environment for every American family’† (Schwartz 1).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Mortgage and Housing Act in the U.S specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the course of over the last six decades, beginning from the time this legislation was passed, the U.S Federal Government has engaged in assisting to finance the construction as well as rehabilitation of over five million housing units for the families that have a low income, and has also offered rental vouchers to almost two million more families. However, the housing problems in the United States remain severe. For instance, it is reported that in the year 2005, over forty two million families stayed in physically deficient housing, with more than thirty percent of their incomes be ing spent on housing and even some families were homeless (Schwartz 1). Since housing is very costly, its development as well as acquisition mostly relies on borrowed funds. It is reported that â€Å"housing construction, acquisition of existing rental buildings, and the purchase of single-family homes all rely on debt† (Schwartz 51). It is also reported that in the year 2009, the residential mortgages were more than eleven trillion dollars, and this was more than fifty percent of the whole federal government debt (Schwartz 51). Much has been written on the impacts of the US mortgage crisis on the global economy. Financial experts have warned that the impacts of the US housing and financial crises might persist if the necessary policies are not implemented (Kolb 6). As a result, adjustments in the financial institutions have been inevitable. Most mortgage lenders have tightened their lending rates to survive in the changing markets (Bardhan 2). Several financial experts belie ve that the effects of the current US mortgage crisis are far much worse than stated by the government economists.Advertising Looking for research paper on common law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Objectives of the Study The main purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the mortgage and Housing Act in the United States of America. In this study, I sought to identify how the Housing Act has achieved its intended objectives. Moreover, my investigation sought to find out how the federal housing program has survived, despite the enormous economic challenges (Krugman 15). Another objective of the study was to assess the level of the current housing crisis in the US. In this regard, a number of the affected sectors were looked at and an evaluation of how the mortgage markets have behaved all through the recession was carried out. Last but not least, the study also sought to analyze the magnitude of the effects of th e housing crisis on the annual revenue collected by the state and the local governments. The research questions for the study included: To what extent have the objectives of the Housing Act in the U.S been met? How have mortgage markets behaved all through the recession (2007- 2008)? What are the effects of housing and financial crises on the government, organizations and households? Why I was Interested in Conducting this Study The Housing Act in the U.S. was enacted with an intention of ensuring that every American has a decent home in a proper living environment. This Act was intended to help ensure that proper housing is affordable to all Americans. However, the housing and financial crises that occurred starting from the year 2007 made this goal to be hard to achieve. The crises had some negative effects on households, organizations and the government. This study sought to understand these effects and the level to which the objectives of the Housing Act have been achieved. Th is study is very important because understanding these effects, and how effective the Housing Act has been, will go a long way in helping to come up with appropriate policies.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Mortgage and Housing Act in the U.S specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Implementation of such policies will serve to prevent the same effects from being felt in the future, and to ensure the objectives of the Housing Act are achieved to the highest level possible. Literature Review It is reported that before the commencement of â€Å"the Great Depression† in the year 1929; funding for buying â€Å"owner-occupied housing was in short supply and expensive†(Schwartz 51). Mortgages usually became due after a period of between two to eleven years, depending on the kind of the lender, â€Å"requiring repayment or re-financing† (Schwartz 51). A large number of lenders had the willingness to engage in covering less than sixty percent of the value of the property, calling for a larger number of borrowers to get â€Å"the second and third mortgages†(Schwartz 51). The difficulty of funding home purchases limited homeownership to the people who were richer and assisted in making rental housing to be the main type of tenure (Schwartz 51). It is reported that the â€Å"Great Depression† affected the homeowners as well as home ownership negatively to a large extent (Schwartz 51). Unemployment became prevalent and several homeowners could not make their monthly payments for the mortgage any longer. This prompted foreclosure on an immense scale. In the course of the year 1933, over fifty percent of the entire home mortgages â€Å"were defaulted and more than 1,000 mortgages were foreclosed every day† (Schwartz 51). Those homeowners who were able to remain current on their mortgage payments evaded foreclosure (Schwartz 1). However, a large number of them were forced to engage in selling their homes when the mortgages they had come due.Advertising Looking for research paper on common law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is reported that â€Å"cash-starved banks, beleaguered by customers withdrawing their deposits, became increasingly reluctant to roll over their mortgages and instead demanded that the borrower pay back the principal in full† (Schwartz 52). In addition, during that time, the total mortgage debt of a homeowner could be more than the actual value of the house and this could leave this person in debt even after the house being sold. This is a problem that appeared again seven and a half decades later, when there was collapsing of the recent housing bubble that caused about twenty percent of the homeowners â€Å"to owe more on their mortgage than their homes were worth† (Schwartz 52) (See Appendix 1). Following increased mortgage closure and collapsing of the whole housing industry, the federal government’s response was to take various measures that completely changed the U.S’s â€Å"housing finance system† and assisted in propelling homeownership à ¢â‚¬Å"within reach of a majority of its households† (Schwartz 52). Such institutions and programs made it possible to have a considerable increase in the nation’s homeownership beginning from the 1940s until the 1960s; setting up a fresh and steady â€Å"system for housing finance† which remained concrete for over four decades (Schwartz 52). The United States’ housing and financial sectors contribute significantly to the growth of the country’s economy. In the early 1990s, the US government took an initiative of enabling more low- income earners to own homes (Marshall 23). The government authorized all the housing stakeholders to reduce their mortgage requirements. In the year 1992, the US government, through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, acquired loans from mortgage banks and mortgage brokers. Following this move, more secondary mortgage markets were created (Marshall 34). At that time, regulations required GSEs to allocate 30 % of all the mortgages purchased as affordable housing loans. However, this requirement was not adhered to and in the year 2007, financial experts noted that the percentage had risen to 55% (Marshall 45). In the years 2007 and 2008, the boom in the housing sector came to an end following the onset of global financial crisis (Francis 12). This crisis and the subsequent recession had great negative effects on the US housing and financial sectors. A dramatic increase in default rates was realized. The increase in the default rates occurred because most of the homeowners were among the worst hit individuals by the recession. Notably, most of the homeowners had no retirement accounts (Parker 67). Because of lack of retirement accounts, these individuals were left with nothing they could use to access mortgages. The affected individuals were left with no other choice but to avoid paying their loans. The crisis affected the US government, organizations, institutions, and households (Bardhan 4). Economists noted that the effects of the crisis were felt by all persons, regardless of whether or not they had participated in the growth of the housing sector (Ellis 78). As a result, most of the gains obtained prior to the recession were reversed. Methodology This research involved use of secondary data. The collection of this data involved considering the existing data. The existing data included the surveys that have been conducted by various researchers as well as the general information on mortgages and the Housing Act. The work presented by other people on the subject was examined and used in this research in order to help answer the research questions and to achieve the objectives of the study. Results and Discussion Basing on the research conducted by some researchers in the past, it was found out that, about forty percent of the people in the United States of America have experienced financial distress in the course of the recession (National Bureau of Economic Research 1). Experts point out that â€Å"spending changes provide one measure of the recession’s impact on households’ well-being† (National Bureau of Economic Research 1). In a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, it was found that about seventy five percent of the respondents pointed out that they had reduced spending, and this was because of the economic crisis. Those that reported having engaged in reducing their spending cited various reasons for the reduction: eighty percent of them cited the need of reducing debt; seventy percent cited a decrease in the level of income; forty five percent cited a change in the status of employment; forty five percent cited a reduction in the value of their homes; and thirty five percent cited stock holdings (National Bureau of Economic Research 1). This is a clear indication that the housing and financial crises have affected the households adversely (National Bureau of Economic Research 1). In considering the effects of t he housing and financial crises on organizations, the existing data on this issue was also used. It was found out that, due to the sharp decline in the value of the â€Å"mortgage-backed† securities, the retail as well as the investment banks were compelled to â€Å"write-down† losses incurred on the securities that they held (Tiller 45). This brought about great losses in the whole banking sector in the last two quarters of the year 2007. The crisis became even more intense in March 2008 when the collapse of Bear Steams occurred. It was found out that, because the crisis made the banks to be afraid of lending money, both households and businesses were not able to borrow (Tiller 45). Therefore, the households put purchases on hold while the businesses engaged in laying-off their workers. It was also found out that, in the last quarter of the year 2008, the banking sector recorded a loss of twenty six billion dollars (Tiller 45). Moreover, the research established that the local governments were less hit by the recession as compared to the state governments. However, there is likelihood that the pressures will mount. It was found out that the local governments witnessed a smaller decline in the tax revenues as compared to the state governments. According to the available information, â€Å"even as national income home prices fell by 27 percent between the end of June 2006 and the end of 2010, property tax collection increased by 31 percent during the same period, reflecting delayed response to home price changes and new tax measures† (Congressional Budget Office 1). However, the declining housing prices will, sooner or later, feed into the local government tax revenues. The research findings indicated that, both the local and state governments reacted in response to the fiscal pressures by bringing down the level of their expenditure by almost 3% in real terms, in the cause of 2008/2009 fiscal year. Moreover, the local governments engaged i n cutting their labor force by approximately two percent within the period between December 2007 and December 2010 (Congressional Budget Office 1). It was also found out that the local government raised the level of some of the taxes, property taxes included, and made their tax base to be wider. This assisted in supporting collection of tax in the initial stages of the crisis (Congressional Budget Office 1). The bursting of the housing bubble began in the year 2006 and there was accelerating of the decline in 2007 and 2008 (Baker 73; Lybeck 120) (see Appendix). The housing prices ceased to go up in the year 2006.These prices then began to go down in 2007 and have, up to now, dropped by approximately 25% from the highest point (Moseley 1). The price reduction implied that homeowners could not be able to refinance any more, where there was resetting of their rates of mortgage This made the delinquencies as well as mortgage defaults to escalate, mainly ‘†among subprime borr owers† (Moseley 1). Beginning from the month of January 2006 up to August 2008, the proportion of mortgages in foreclosure rose by three times, â€Å"and the percentage of mortgages in foreclosure or at least thirty days delinquent more than doubled, from 4.5 percent to 10 percent† (Moseley 1). These rates are found to be the highest beginning from the time of the Great Depression. The peak of the rate of delinquency that occurred previously was 6.8% in the year 1984 and also in the year 2002 (Moseley 1). It has been projected that the worst has not yet happened. The hope that the American people have been having of owning their own homes is turning out to prove to be unrealizable. Conclusion The enactment of the Housing Act in the U.S. was undertaken with an aim of making sure that each and every American citizen has a decent home in a suitable environment. This Act aimed at ensuring that proper housing is affordable to all Americans. However, the housing and financial crises that occurred starting from the year 2007 made this goal hard to achieve. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the mortgage and Housing Act in the United States. This research sought to identify how the Housing Act has achieved its objectives. In achieving the objectives of this research and answering the research questions; the available literature on the topic was reviewed and secondary data was analyzed. It was established that, following the housing and financial crises, a considerable number of households reduced their spending. This was due to various reasons, which include; need of reducing debt, reduction in the income level, change in the employment status, reduction in the value of homes, and stock holdings. It was also found out that, such organizations as banks made big losses. Moreover, both the local and state governments experienced a decrease in the tax revenues. They responded by increasing other taxes, such as property taxes. The housing and financial crises prevented the Housing Act objectives from being achieved to a considerable level. These crises have made it hard for the households to obtain funds from banks. A considerable number of people are struggling to survive and cannot be able to afford proper housing. Policies need to be put in place to ensure these effects brought in by these crises are overcome and also to ensure that, the same cannot happen again in the future in order for all of the Housing Act objectives to be achieved to the highest level possible. Works Cited Baker, Dean. â€Å"The housing bubble and the financial crisis†. Real-world Economics Review, 1.46 (2008):73 – 81. Print. Bardhan, Ashok. â€Å"Housing and financial crisis in the U.S: cause or symptom†. Vikalpa, 32.3 (2009): 1- 7. Print. Congressional Budget Office, 2010. Fiscal Stress Faced by Local Governments. Washington: Congressional Budget Office. Print. Ellis, Luci. The housing meltdown Why did it happ en in the United States? Basel, Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements, 2008. Print. Francis, Andrea. Affordable housing: the continuing search for solutions : proceedings of the National Housing Trust’s 20th anniversary housing symposium. Kingston, Jamaica : Planning Research Dept., National Housing Trust, 1996. Print. Kolb, Robert W.. The financial crisis of our time. New York: Oxford University Press,2011. Print. Krugman, Paul R.. The return of depression economics and the crisis of 2008. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. Print. Lybeck, Johan A.. A global history of the financial crash of 2007-2010. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Marshall, John. The financial crisis in the US: key events, causes, and responses. London: House of Commons Library, 2009. Print. Moseley, Fred. The U.S. economic crisis: causes and solutions, April 2009. Web. National Bureau of Economic Research, The effect of economic crisis on American households, 2012. Web. Parker, John. Turmoil in U.S. credit markets recent actions regarding government sponsored entities, investment banks, and other financial institutions : hearing before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Tenth Congress, second session. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 2010. Print. Schwartz, F. Alex. Housing Policy in the United States. Oxford: Taylor Francis, 2012. Print. Tiller, Bo. The subprime crisis and the effects on the U.S banking industry, 2011. Web. Appendix Source: Tiller, Bo. The subprime crisis and the effects on the U.S banking industry, 2011. This research paper on Mortgage and Housing Act in the U.S was written and submitted by user Carissa E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Human Dignity

Human Dignity Theory A German philosopher Immanuel Kant thought that people occupy a special place in creation. This is an old idea from ancient times; people have considered themselves to be different from all other creatures and not just different but better. Here’s a fact, people have traditionally thought of themselves to be fabulous. Kant did. On his view, people have â€Å"an intrinsic worth† in other word â€Å"dignity† which makes them valuable â€Å"above all price†. Other animals have a value only as much as they serve the peoples purpose. Kant said, â€Å"But so far as animals are concerned, we have no direct duties. Animals†¦are there merely as means to an end. That end is man,† Lectures on Ethics (1779). We can use animals in any way we please. We do not have to back off from torturing them. Kant does mention that it is wrong to torture animals, but his reason is we might suffer indirectly as a result of it, because â€Å"he who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men.† So Kant’s view is mere animals have no moral importance and people are another story. According to Kant people may never be used as means to an end. I will concentrate here on Kant’s belief that morality requires that we treat persons as an end, rather than only a means. When Kant said that the value of human beings â€Å"is above all price.† He meant this as a judgment about the place of man in the scheme of things. There are two important facts about people that in his view support this judgment. First, because people have desires and goals, other things are valuable for them, in relation to their goal. Simple â€Å"things† (and this includes animals) have value only as means to ends, and it is the human ends that give those â€Å"things† value. So if I wanted to become a better chess player, a book on chess instruction will have value for me, but aside from such ends that book has no value other than the $6... Free Essays on Human Dignity Free Essays on Human Dignity Human Dignity Theory A German philosopher Immanuel Kant thought that people occupy a special place in creation. This is an old idea from ancient times; people have considered themselves to be different from all other creatures and not just different but better. Here’s a fact, people have traditionally thought of themselves to be fabulous. Kant did. On his view, people have â€Å"an intrinsic worth† in other word â€Å"dignity† which makes them valuable â€Å"above all price†. Other animals have a value only as much as they serve the peoples purpose. Kant said, â€Å"But so far as animals are concerned, we have no direct duties. Animals†¦are there merely as means to an end. That end is man,† Lectures on Ethics (1779). We can use animals in any way we please. We do not have to back off from torturing them. Kant does mention that it is wrong to torture animals, but his reason is we might suffer indirectly as a result of it, because â€Å"he who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men.† So Kant’s view is mere animals have no moral importance and people are another story. According to Kant people may never be used as means to an end. I will concentrate here on Kant’s belief that morality requires that we treat persons as an end, rather than only a means. When Kant said that the value of human beings â€Å"is above all price.† He meant this as a judgment about the place of man in the scheme of things. There are two important facts about people that in his view support this judgment. First, because people have desires and goals, other things are valuable for them, in relation to their goal. Simple â€Å"things† (and this includes animals) have value only as means to ends, and it is the human ends that give those â€Å"things† value. So if I wanted to become a better chess player, a book on chess instruction will have value for me, but aside from such ends that book has no value other than the $6...

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots

According to science, out of all of the parts of a tree, roots are quite an important feature. It has several purposes, adsorbing water and vital nutrients from the ground and into the rest of the tree, supporting the whole tree, from the bark, to the leaves to the fruit/flowers it produces. It also helps stabilize the tree so it wouldn’t fall down easily when the weather is tough. The roots are the foundation of the tree, without it, the rest of the tree would dry up and die, moreover, the structure of the tree would be quite unstable, as it has nothing to grip the soil with and die easily due to lack of water and vital minerals. So what is culture and how is culture to people like roots to a tree? On sources like the Internet, culture is defined as an â€Å"act or a belief of a racial, religious or social group†. Cultures are tools which helps binds people together, a rich source of wisdom, knowledge and an instrument which keeps the successful humble, in short, the greatest element in keeping order in humanity. Keep in mind here that â€Å"a people† in this quote is sort of like a group of people, but with similarities which bonds/categorizes them e. g. culture. Like a tree, people who have knowledge of their cultures and their past would have a foundation to support them. This enables the group to hold onto the ground and not get uprooted when storms or big winds come, promising stability to the whole tree. The roots would also help provide tree with important nutrients and other vitamins from the soil, which allows the tree to bear fruits and flowers. In this case, knowledge and wisdom of the culture provides the people to bring wealth, health, prosperity and peace. It is also a known fact that as the tree grows larger; the roots have to grow in length in proportion to the growth of the tree. So that the support and stability needed for the growing structure of the tree are met. Failing to follow this simple yet vastly ignored rule would result in the structure of the society would be unbalanced and topple over, similarly to the bark of the tree. Which shows us that our culture must grow in proportion to the plurality of the individuals in our group. With the help of Globalization, different types of cultures are being shared around the world, logically speaking; combining traditions, knowledge and wisdom would increase the overall human culture on the planet right? In reality, not all things go as planned. As the richer, more developed countries would dominate the trade it would also dominate the Cultural Revolution pop culture is a fitting example of this. On one hand, countries that correctly use their cultural roots would benefit in wisdom from the Cultural Revolution. There are quite a few cultures that follow this trait (most of the countries originate in Asia). China, India and Japan are the most cultured ethic groups and yet the most economically successful. Just less than 50 years ago, all of the countries are experiencing various economic crisis such as war. The core of all their successes are obviously not based on money or weaponry power, neither is it from large numbers of people or the size of the country. Instead, the support comes from their deep, still intact roots of their cultures dating back to 6000 years+, providing knowledge and wise teachings to the people through ethics and traditions. This enables the whole tree to survive the winds and floods, ending with a much more fertile soil after the disaster. Unfortunately, on the other hand, there are numerous types of ethic groups who don’t follow or even have any respect left for their own cultures. There is hunger, ignorance and hatred lingering still within the society, killing the tree and it’s roots daily. Without knowledge and wisdom, individuals in the group are increasing in instability as only a few are extremely wealthy and most of the people in that group are in poverty. Another outcome of this cause is the shallow thinking of others, becoming murderers, prostitutes and drug users. These groups are like trees with rotting roots, unable to provide any water or nutrients and destroying their future. Without the foundation the tree would experience yellowing leaves and dying branches. Which a small gust of wind can easily damage the tree. This quote by Marcus Garvey is targeted to African people, who have forgotten their culture. Some people think that the main cause of this is found in the European’s divide and conquer technique and America’s public school system, where history classes are mainly about the European and the American culture. Rarely is there any topic about African or African American culture covered due to racism. Garvey is pointing to us that before globalization; the first civilizations (Africans) have deep rooted cultures, designing their own economy, weapons and jewelry before spreading to Europe. Sadly, this culture is being replaced by the western version of African culture, where they believed that Africa is where savages ran wild. My country, Indonesia is one of the countries that have a lot of cultures, from traditions, to traditional crafts to myths and legends. Which probably was the core support for the soldiers who bravely risk their lives in the Javanese war against the Dutch. In reality, I am actually quite ashamed that moving down the modern Indonesian generations seemed to have decreasing respect of culture and traditions. We’re slowly giving in to consumerism and losing our roots and traditions.

Interior Design Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interior Design - Research Proposal Example Introduction Environment Design is basically a learning milieu where design graduates are encouraged to use their innovative and inventive talent in the management and marketing of design in order to pursue their careers in the design industry. â€Å"Lighting is a science and an art†, assert Steffy (2002:1). There have been numerous developments in lighting design recently which make it an interesting topic of research. Professional lighting designers are required today since they are being offered various job opportunities in the lighting industry. There are a number of lighting design consultancies which are offering outstanding lighting schemes to its consumers and organizations like landmark hotels, restaurants, shopping spas, exhibitions, yachts, house gardens, etc. Steffy (2002:1) affirms that nearly $10 billion worth lighting hardware is sold in the United States every year. The research will focus on questions like: How rapid has the lighting design industry flourished during the last decade? Which areas of lighting design are more in demand? What particular kinds of designs are more in demand from consumers’ perspectives? What benefits has it offered to different international lighting design companies? Is the trend increasing, decreasing or is consistent? What are the hard and soft issues that arise in different lighting fields such as in interiors, exhibitions, theatre, and garden projects? What are the costs? How does lighting weigh on the companies’ budget? These issues have inspired me to conduct a research about lighting design in today’s design industry. Literature Review Sources. Some sources that are going to be helpful in the research are: Karlen, M, & Benya, J 2004, Lighting Design Basics, illustrated edn., John Wiley and sons, USA. (This book is helpful in understanding the basic science that is involved in lighting design. It is a good study guide for beginners helping them understand through concise and visual lesson format.) Tregenza, P, & Loe, D, The Design of Lighting, illustrated edn., Taylor & Francis, USA. (This book has been written for practicing designers and thus will be a helpful guide in understand what issues practicing lighting designer face. Technicalities regarding lighting and color theories and other concepts have been discussed in detail.) Past Research Papers. Some past research that will be helpful is: Dorsey, J, Arvo, J, & Greenberg, D 1995, ‘Interactive design of complex time dependent lighting’, Computer Graphics and Applications, vol. 15, no, 2, pp. 26-36. (Researchers conducted a research about lighting design in theatrical productions. They have discussed some specific techniques that help in lighting regardless of complexities of scene and design. This research will prove helpful in understanding lighting concepts in theatres.) Shacked, R, & Lischinski, D 2002, ‘Automatic lighting design using a perceptual quality metric’, Computer Gra phics Forum, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 215-227. (This presents a new approach for the rendering of 3D objects. This approach serves as an effective lighting design tool. This research will prove to be helpful in understanding lighting design tools and their working.) Methodology I plan to visit different lighting design companies to locate answers to my research questions. I plan to conduct structured personal

Research where are the IFRS are significantly different from current Paper

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Fundemental Rights of India Essay Example for Free

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Freedom of Profession, Occupation, Trade and Bussiness * Article 20 :- Protection in respect of conviction for offences * Article 21 :- Protection of life and personal liberty * Article 22 :- Protection against arrest and detention in certain cases | Right Against Exploitation | * Article 23 :- Traffic in human beings prohibited * Article 24 :- No child below the age of 14 can be employed | Right to freedom of Religion | * Article 25 :- Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion * Article 26 :- Freedom to manage religious affairs * Article 27 :- Prohibits taxes on religious grounds * Article 28 :- Freedom as to attendance at religious ceremonies in certain educational institutions | Cultural and Educational Rights | * Article 29 :- Protection of interests of minorities * Article 30 :- Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions * Article 31 :- Omitted by the  44th Amendment Act | Right to Constitutional Remedies | * Article 32 :- The right to move the Supreme Court in case of their violation (called Soul and heart of the Constitution by BR Ambedkar) * Forms of Writ check * Habeas Corpus :- Equality before law and equal protection of law | Fundamental Right 1. 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Directive Principles of State Policy 1. Part –IV, containing Articles from 36 to 50, deal with Directive Principle of State Policy. 2. The Directive Principles of State Policy can not be enforceable by any Court. 3. These are aimed at securing welfare, social and economic freedoms by appropriate State action. 4. The Directive Principles are given a place of permanence by the Constitution makers. 5. The Directive Principles of State policies have to confirm and to run as subsidiary to the Chapter of Fundamental Rights. 6. Grover Justice Supreme Court said: â€Å"Directive Principles prescribe the goal to be attained.† 7. The Supreme Court described the Directive Principles of State policy as â€Å"Conscience of our Constitution†. 8. These are positive in character. The State is directed to take certain positive steps for the welfare and advancement of the people. Directive Principles Of State Policy The Constitution lays down certain Directive Principles of State Policy which  though not justiceable, are ‘fundamental in governance of the country’ and it is the duty of the State to apply these principles in making laws. These lay down that the State shall strive to promote welfare of people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice social, economic and political, shall inform all institutions of national life. The State shall direct its policy in such a manner as to secure the right of all men and women to an adequate means of livelihood, equal pay for equal work and within limits of its economic capacity and development, to make effective provision for securing the right to work, education and to public assistance in the event of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement or other cases of undeserved want. The State shall also endeavour to secure to workers a living wage, humane conditions of work, a decent standard of life and full involvement of workers in management of industries. In the economic sphere, the State is to direct its policy in such a manner as to secure distribution of ownership and control of material resources of community to subserve the common good and to ensure that operation of economic system does not result in concentration of wealth and means of production of common detriment. (1) Equitable distribution of wealth or the socialist pattern of society and equal pay for equal work for both men and women. (2) Provision of adequate means of livelihood to all its citizens, men and women. (3) Provision of employment to all. (4) Free and compulsory education for children. (5) Living wage for workers. (6) Protection of childhood and youth against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment. (7) Organization of village panchayats as units of self-government (Article 40). (8) Prohibition of the consumption except for medical purposes of intoxicating drinks and of drugs injurious to health. (9) Organization of agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines. (10) Promotion of international peace and security and maintenance of just and honourable relations between the nations of the world. THE DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE Policy in the Constitution of India have been inspired by the Constitution of Ireland. It contains ideals of a Welfare State. The Directive Principles are  contained in Part-IV of the Constitution. RIGHT TO WORK IN THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION Article 41 in Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy) in the Constitution of India reads, â€Å"The State shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want.† The custodian of Fundamental Rights is the Supreme Court of India. The differences between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles are: Fundamental Rights * Fundamental Rights are justiciable * Indian Constitution mentions some of the most important rights of the citizens called fundamental rights. * These rights are necessary if citizens are to act properly and live democratically. * These rights are fundamental in legal sense. If Government passes any law which restricts them, then those laws would be invalid. * The Constitution guarantees us six fundamental rights. * Fundamental rights concern the individual. Directive Principals * Directive Principles of State policy are not justiciable. The provision of Directive Principles thus can not be enforced in court of law. * These are actually directions given by the Constitution of the State to adopt policies which would help to establish a just society in our country. * The aim of these instructions is to create proper economic and social conditions in which citizens of our country can lead a good life. * Directive principles concern State.

Things They Carried Essay: A Cultural Studies Approach to Enemies

A Cultural Studies Approach to "Enemies" in The Things They Carried Two men who fight over a jackknife in "Enemies", a chapter in Tim O'Brien's work, The Things They Carried. A cultural studies approach to "Enemies" allows the reader to look much deeper into the meaning of the events that unfold in "Enemies". The fight over the knife could very well reflect the events occurring in society during that time. In short, "Enemies" is about two men, Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen, who are battling not only in a war but with each other. They were viciously fighting about a missing jackknife. A question that the reader might ask themselves is, why were they fighting over a jackknife? Did it have some special sentimental meaning? These questions cannot be answered; they can only be left to wonder. Vietnam was a very mentally and physically strenuous war to fight. At any given point any soldier could snap. That is exactly what happen...

The Minimum Wage Debate

Minimum wage is defined as the lowest amount that employers can legally pay their workers per hour of labor. Most states have laws in place to enforce the minimum wage; those that do not are subject to the federal minimum wage of $7. 25. There are both benefits and drawbacks of this type of policy. Many supporters of a minimum wage believe it increases the standard of living and reduced poverty. Those that oppose a minimum wage believe it will increase unemployment and harms unskilled laborers. Introduction The Fair Labor Standards Act, passed in 1938, mandated a federal minimum wage that now applies to most work and most workers, in the United States. Originally the wage was set at 25 cents, the minimum wage has risen occasionally since 1938 to its current hourly level of $7. 25, where it has remained since 2009. When the minimum wage was roughly half the average wage, in the late 1960’s, full-time, year round minimum wage earnings for one worker lifted a family of three from poverty. Today, a minimum wage worker lives on $3,000 less than the poverty line – and the minimum wage is worth only 37 percent of the average wage (Owens, 2013). Minimum wage laws were established with certain goals in mind. Minimum wage was initially established to reduce poverty. Establishing a minimum wage in the United States removed sweat shops and insured individuals were paid properly for their work. Minimum wage additionally protects younger workers and minorities from being paid less than others. Support for an Increase in the Minimum Wage The positive effects of minimum wage are plentiful; it is believed that the minimum wage increases the standard of living for the poorest and most vulnerable classes in society and raises the average. It also stimulates consumption, by putting more money in the hands of low-income people who spend their entire paychecks. Minimum wage increases the work ethic of those who earn very little, as employers demand more return from the higher cost of hiring these employees. It decreases the cost of government social welfare programs, increasing incomes for the lowest-paid and encourages people to join the workforce rather than pursuing money through illegal means. The minimum wage also encourages efficiency and automation of industry and removes low paying jobs, forcing workers to train for, and move to, higher paying jobs (Fox, 2006). Many believe that minimum wage increases cause adverse employment effects. Three possible reasons minimum wages do not affect employment were suggested by Alan Blinder: higher wages may reduce turnover, and hence training costs; raising the minimum wage may â€Å"render moot† the potential problem of recruiting workers at a higher wage than current workers; and minimum wage workers might represent such a small proportion of a business's cost that the increase is too small to matter. He admits that he does not know if these are correct, but argues that â€Å"the list demonstrates that one can accept the new empirical findings and still be a card-carrying economist. † (Blinder, 1996). In discussing the minimum wage, Robert M. Solow, a Nobel laureate in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the New York Times, â€Å"The main thing about (minimum wage) research is that the evidence of job loss is weak. And the fact that the evidence is weak suggests that the impact on jobs is small. † (Norlund, 1997) The American public supports increasing the minimum wage by a solid margin. Nearly every survey finds overwhelming support for raising the minimum wage. For example, a poll recently conducted by the website Politico, conducted in March of 2013 found that 71% of Americans backed an increase in the minimum wage. Opposition of an Increase in the Minimum Wage Opponents of the minimum wage claim it hurts small business more than large business. By increasing wages, business owners must use their profits to increase wages or increase their prices. Cheaper labor helps small businesses employ younger and more inexperienced workers to perform less skill intensive work. It’s also argued that it may cause price inflation due to businesses increasing the price of goods sold. Small businesses with limited payroll budges cannot offer their most valuable employees fair and attractive wages above unskilled workers paid the artificially high minimum, and see a rising hurdle-cost of adding workers (Jr. , 2005). Some opponents claim that the goals minimum wage was created to accomplish have not been met. In some instances employment has decreased more than the increase in wages and thereby overall earnings are still reduced. Businesses are forced to hire fewer employees because paid wages have increased to meet the minimum. Some studies have shown that few low-wage workers actually come from families in poverty. Thus, minimum wage is more often imposed on the teenage worker with their first job than on people who would otherwise be unemployed. Additional arguments against the minimum wage include how it is ineffective compared to other methods such as basic income (or negative income tax), which is a system of social security that periodically provides each citizen with a sum of money that is sufficient to live on. This does not include a means test, the richest and the poorest would receive it as something similar to a dividend from the government. A guaranteed minimum income is another proposed system of social welfare. It’s similar to basic income, but it is normally conditional and subject to a means test. A refundable tax credit, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit is another alternative for minimum wage, which some claim was an effective stimulus for the economy. Opinion I feel very torn between the pros and cons of the minimum wage debate. I feel that a living wage for employees is necessary to ensure that poverty levels are avoided. In addition to avoiding poverty, fair wages for all is essential to reducing wage discrimination. However, I find that the increased wage paid to employees by small businesses can be crippling to their profits, particularly in our current economy and with how frequently small businesses fail. Conclusion Both sides present valid arguments, so what is the solution? One solution would be to raise the minimum wage to an acceptable higher level for â€Å"adult† workers, while retaining exceptions to allow the businesses to hire teenagers, students and temporary or seasonal workers at a lower minimum wage. This would protect those most impacted by a low minimum wage, families attempting to survive on a single minimum wage salary, while protecting the jobs of traditional â€Å"minimum wage† workers by allowing businesses to hire them at the previous rates. Though this solution has its flaws, however, employers might use a wage disparity as an incentive to hire more young workers at lower rates, leaving older workers jobless. This solution and others are highly debated by politicians and citizens and truly, no solution has been found. In time, the federal minimum wage will rise, as is dictated by laws both purposed and in effect currently. Perhaps a better solution for small businesses impacted would be a tax subsidy to balance the loss in profits from an increased minimum wage. It would increase hiring rates, and would keep small businesses at their previous profit levels. Employment would increase in a sector, small business, which our economy greatly relies on and provide those companies with incentive to increase their labor force.

Five Forces Model

Indus Motor Company (IMC) is a joint venture between the House of Habib , Toyota Motor Corporation Japan (TMC) , and Toyota Tsusho Corporation Japan (TTC) for assembling, progressive manufacturing and marketing of Toyota vehicles in Pakistan since July 01, 1990. IMC is engaged in sole distributorship of Toyota and Daihatsu Motor Company Ltd. vehicles in Pakistan through its dealership network. The company was incorporated in Pakistan as a public limited company in December 1989 and started commercial production in May 1993.The shares of company are quoted on the stock exchanges of Pakistan. Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have 25 % stake in the company equity. The majority shareholder is the House of Habib. IMC's production facilities are located at Port Bin Qasim Industrial Zone near Karachi in an area measuring over 105 acres. Indus Motor Company’s plant is the only manufacturing site in the world where both Toyota and Daihatsu brands are being manufac tured. Heavy investment was made to build its production facilities based on state of art technologies.To ensure highest level of productivity world-renowned Toyota Production Systems are implemented. IMC's Product line includes 6 variants of the newly introduced Toyota Corolla, Toyota Hilux Single Cabin 4Ãâ€"2 and 4 versions of Daihatsu Cuore. We also have a wide range of imported vehicles. VISION AND MISSION: â€Å"IMC’s Vision is to be the most respected and successful enterprise, delighting customers with a wide range of products and solutions in the automobile industry with the best people and the best technology†. †¢ * The most respected. * The most successful. * * Delighting customers. * * Wide range of products. * * The best people. * * The best technology. Mission of Toyota is to provide safe & sound journey. Toyota is developing various new technologies from the perspective of energy saving and diversifying energy sources. Environment has been first and most important issue in priorities of Toyota and working toward creating a prosperous society and clean world. MANAGEMENT TEAM: Ali S. Habib (Chairman) K Hyodo (Vice Chairman) Parvez Ghias (Chief Executive Officer)INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Mr. Adnan Qazi (Chief Information Officer) FINANCE: Muhammad Faisal (Chief Financial Officer) Mustafa Hasan Lakhani (Company Secretary) HUMAN RESOURCE: Mr. Salim Azhar(Director) LOGISTICS, ADMINISTRATION & COMMERCIAL: Mr. Salim Azhar (Director) MANUFACTURING: Mr. Y. Tsubaki (Director) SALES & MARKETING: Mr. Raza Ansari (Director) INTERNAL AUDIT: Mr. Ahson Tariq (Chief of Internal Audit) Collaboration Equity : | | | Toyota Motor Corporation| | Toyota Tsusho Corporation| | House of Habib| | | Business 😠 | | | TOYOTA GROUP|   | Technology & KD Parts|   | | Materials, Parts & Logistics Support| | | Technology KD Parts| | | Hilux Frame & Deck| | | VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS OF TOYOTA Indus Motors Co. The value chain is a sys tematic approach to examining the development of competitive advantage.It was created by M. E. Porter in his book, Competitive Advantage (1980). The chain consists of a series of activities that create and build value. They conclude in the total value delivered by an organization. The ‘margin' depicted in the diagram is the same as added alue. The organization is split into ‘primary activities' and ‘support activities. ‘ Primary Activities: Inbound Logistics: Here goods are received from a company's suppliers. They are stored until they are needed on the production/assembly line. Goods are moved around the organization. Toyota motors purchase their raw material from all around the world. In order to maximize their availability of raw material Toyota motors maintain good relationship with their suppliers. Toyota use JIT (Just In Time) approach for handling of raw material.Toyota Genuine oil is classified by quality using the Amarican Petroleum institute classi fication, ILSAC standerd and ASEA standerds, and by viscosity using the SAE classification Operations: This is where goods are manufactured or assembled. Individual operations could include organizing the parts to make new cars ;amp; the final tune for a new car's engine. Toyota motors are known for their reliability which comes from efficient operations. Outbound Logistics: The goods are now finished, and they need to be sent along the supply chain to wholesalers, retailers or the final consumer.Toyota motors manage their own Show rooms in different countries. Toyota motors make their product easily assessable. Area number of dealers Sindh 8 Punjab 12 Baluchistan 1 Islamabad (capital) 2 Azad Kashmir 1 Marketing and Sales:In true customer orientated fashion, at this stage the Toyota motors prepares the offering to meet the needs of targeted customers. This area focuses strongly upon marketing communications and the promotions mix. and 40% market share of this company and advertising budget 30%. and no sales promotion. and this company maintain market leadership. Service: This includes all areas of service such as final checking, after-sales service, complaints handling, training and so on. Toyota value their customers. And warranty-1 year/2000 miles.Support Activities Procurement: This function is responsible for all purchasing of goods, services and materials. The aim is to secure the lowest possible price for purchases of the highest possible quality. Toyota motors will be responsible for outsourcing (components or operations that would normally be done in-house are done by other organizations), and e-Purchasing (using IT and web-based technologies to achieve procurement aims). Technology Development: Technology is an important source of competitive advantage.Companies need to innovate to reduce costs and to protect and sustain competitive advantage. Toyota motors implemented production technology, Internet marketing activities, bend manufacturing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and many other technological developments Human Resource Management (HRM): Employees are an expensive and vital resource. Toyota motors manage recruitment and selection, training and development, and rewards and salary. Toyota motors consider their employees as HUMAN CAPITAL.The mission and objectives of the Toyota motor is the driving force behind the HRM strategy. Toyota motors uses following techniques to retain their employees: * Employment * Selection * Training and development * Compensation * Maintenance Firm Infrastructure: This activity includes and is driven by corporate or strategic planning. Toyota motors implemented Management Information System (MIS), and other mechanisms for planning and control in different departments. SUGESSIONS & RECMENDATIONS * Toyota motors should use Value Coalitions for better use of their under utilized recourses.Toyota develops synergies among their recourses. * Toyota should use design to maximize the perf ormance of their operations. Using the value chain approach, processes that provide direct value to the customer are modeled first. Imitative processes that support the value chain processes are modeled. * Reduction in advance amount * Delivery time to minimize * Less costly vehicle with name of Toyota * No delivery charge viewer * No price change for undelivered vehicle * Promotion should be started * Test drive facilities at all deale Five Forces Model Introduction Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest nonalcoholic beverage company. It offers a portfolio of world class quality sparkling and still beverages, starting with Coca-Cola ® and extending through over 400soft drinks, juices, teas, coffees, waters, sports and energy drinks that refresh, hydrate, nourish, relax and energize. Coca-Cola has more than 400 brands are nearly 2,400 beverage products. Four of the world's top-five soft-drink brands are: Coca-Cola, Diet Coke ®, Sprite, Fanta, Thums Up and Limca, which are formulated to appeal to local cultures and lifestyles.With operations in more than 200 countries, we have a diverse workforce of approximately 55,000 Company employees. Coca Cola family of beverages accounts for approximately 1. 3 billion servings worldwide of the 50 billion beverage servings consumed every day-a figure that indicates both strength and growth opportunity of the company. Company profile: Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, rest aurants, and vending machines in every country except Cuba and North Korea. 1] It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke (a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company in the United States since March 27, 1944). Originally intended as a patent medicine when it was invented in the late 19th century by John Pemberton, Coca-Cola was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coke to its dominance of the world soft-drink market throughout the 20th century.The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:  KO) is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. [3] The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia. [4] The Coca-Cola formula and brand was bought in 1889 by Asa Candler who incorporated T he Coca-Cola Company in 1892.Besides its namesake Coca-Cola beverage, Coca-Cola currently offers more than 500 brands in over 200 countries or territories and serves over 1. 7  billion servings each day. [5] The company operates a franchised distribution system dating from 1889 where The Coca-Cola Company only produces syrup concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold an exclusive territory. The Coca-Cola Company owns its anchor bottler in North America, Coca-Cola The company produces concentrate, which is then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the world.The bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise Coca-Cola to retail stores and vending machines. Such bottlers include Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the largest single Coca-Cola bottler i n North America and western Europe. The Coca-Cola Company also sells concentrate for soda fountains to major restaurants and food service distributors.The Coca-Cola Company has, on occasion, introduced other cola drinks under the Coke brand name. The most common of these is Diet Coke, with others including Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Vanilla, and special versions with lemon, lime or coffee. Based on Interbrand's best global brand 2011, Coca-Cola was the world's most valuable brandThe Company manufactures, markets and sells Leao / Matte Leao teas in Brazil through a joint venture with its bottling partners.During 2011, the Company introduced a variety of brands, brand extensions and beverage products: the Latin America group launched Frugos Sabores Caseros; in the Pacific group, Fanta, a fruit-flavored sparkling beverage, was relaunched in Singapore and Malaysia; Real Leaf, a green tea-based beverage, launched two vari eties in Vietnam; and in South Korea it introduced three flavor variants of the Georgia Emerald Mountain Blend ready-to-drink coffee beverage and Burn Intense, an energy drink; the Europe group launched Powerade ION4 in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and France, France launched Powerade Zero; in the Eurasia and Africa group, Turkey launched Cappy Pulpy, and India launched Fanta Powder, an orange-flavored powder formulation; Schweppes Novida, a sparkling malt drink, was launched in Kenya and Uganda; and in Uganda Coca-Cola Zero was launched; in Egypt, it launched Cappy Fruitbite; and Schweppes Gold, a sparkling flavored malt drink, and in Ghana, it launched Schweppes Malt, a dark malt drink. During 2011, the Company sold approximately 26. 7 billion unit cases of its products. The Company’s core sparkling beverages include Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Diet Coke / Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Zero, Schweppes, Thums Up, Fresca, Inca Kola, Lift and Barq's. Its energy drinks include Burn, Nos and Real Gold. Its juices and juice drinks include Minute Maid, Minute Maid Pulpy, Del Valle, Simply, Hi-C, Dobriy and Cappy.The Company’s other still beverages include glaceau vitaminwater and Fuze. The Company’s coffees and teas include Nestea teas, Georgia coffees, Leao / Matte Leao teas, Sokenbicha teas, Dogadan teas and Ayataka teas. Its sports drinks include Powerade and Aquarius. The Company’s waters include Ciel, Dasani, Ice Dew, Bonaqua / Bonaqa and Kinley. The Company competes with PepsiCo, Inc. , Nestle, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. , Groupe Danone, Kraft Foods Inc. and Unilever. SOME BRANDS OF COCA COLA Coke's Porter's Five Force Model Coke recognized that designing products, manufacturing processes and marketing strategies are to be internationally standardized.These factors are dictated by the scales of economy of different countries and the imperative need for cheaper means of production. Thus, Coke studied the five industry forces to evolve its competitive advantage over Pepsi. As per Porter’s formula, Coke’s Porter's Five Force Model plan was to differentiate its frontline Cola product from its chief rival Pepsi by adopting certain operational methods. To heighten its competitive advantage, Coca Cola applied the Porter's formula Coca Cola has an enviable track record and there are countless millions of costumers the world over and with its five forces strategy it has succeeded remarkably in differentiating its products. The five forces plan is to assess the status of the industry in the open marketplace.It goes into the nature of competition, examines the external threats and identifies the opportunities to achieve competitive advantage. 1. Intensity of Existing Rivalry The first aspect was the low business rivalry. The market was essentially shared by Pepsi and Coca Cola, with a combined market share of 80 percent. The fact is Coca Cola owns two of the three soft beverages in the market, has few competitors and constantly striving for international presence. The second was to consider the bargaining power with suppliers that can be rated as low. The role of Coca Cola was to primarily supply either sucrose or fructose and undertake the bottling work. Sugar is commonly available and can be bought in the open market.If sugar became overly costly, the company could buy corn syrup instead. They even bought this substitute earlier during the early 1980s. As a matter of fact, Coca Cola buys high fructose corn syrup as its ingredient inside U. S. and sucrose only in countries other than US. * Large industry size Large industries allow multiple firms and produces to prosper without having to steal market share from each other. Large industry size is a positive for Coca-Cola. †¦ â€Å"Large industry size (Coca-Cola)† has a significant impact, so an analyst should put more weight into it. â€Å"Large industry size (Coca-Cola)† is an easily defendable qualitative factor, so com peting institutions will have a difficult time overcoming it. Large industry size (Coca-Cola)† will have a long-term negative impact on this entity, which subtracts from the entity's value. * Mature industry 2. High number of substitutes High number of substitutes (Coca-Cola) which has a significant impact, â€Å"High number of substitutes (Coca-Cola)† will have a long-term positive impact on the this entity, which adds to its value. â€Å"High number of substitutes (Coca-Cola)† is a difficult qualitative factor to defend, so competing institutions will have an easy time overcoming it. 3. Bargaining Power of Suppliers * Water is the main ingredient â€Å"Water is the main ingredient (Coca-Cola)† has a significant impact, so an analyst should put more weight into it. Water is the main ingredient (Coca-Cola)† will have a long-term negative impact on this entity, which subtracts from the entity's value. * Critical production inputs are similar When crit ical production inputs are similar, it is easier to mix and match inputs, which reduces supplier bargaining power; a positive for Coca-Cola. * Low cost of switching suppliers The easier it is to switch suppliers, the less bargaining power they have. Low supplier switching costs positively affect Coca-Cola. 4. Bargaining Power of Buyers * Product is important to customer When customers cherish particular products they end up paying more for that one product. This positively affects Coca-Cola. Product is important to customer (Coca-Cola) which has a significant impact, so an analyst should put more weight into it. * Large number of customers: When there are large numbers of customers, no one customer tends to have bargaining leverage. Limited bargaining leverage helps Coca-Cola. â€Å"Large number of customers (Coca-Cola)† has a significant impact, so an analyst should put more weight into it. 5. Threat of new customers * Strong brand names are important If strong brands are cr itical to compete, then new competitors will have to improve their brand value in order to effectively compete. Strong brands positively affect Coca-Cola. * Customers are loyal to existing brands It takes time and money to build a brand.When companies need to spend resources building a brand, they have fewer resources to compete in the marketplace. These costs positively affect Coca-Cola. Strategic Group Map A Strategic Group Map is used to compare companies within an industry that have similar business model. These companies are compared on the basis of two variables. In the comparison of the companies in the non-alcoholic industry the two variables chosen are the percentage volume change since the last year and the current market share. The diagram identifies the two direct competitors in the industry which are PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Company. The diagram also shows that they compete on the basis of the market share of the industry and volume of sales.The two groups that can be easi ly interpreted from the map are of Pepsi and Coke and the other group being Dr Pepper the other one. Pepsi and Coke should be on high alert as the volume a change of the other group is gaining. It is not likely for any of Conclusion: Finally, to consider the possible threats of substitutes that may again be rated as low. There are quite a few reasons why the threat of substitute is low – particularly against Coca Cola. The foremost of them is brand loyalty. Coca Cola has an enviable track record and there are countless millions of costumers the world over, who would never abandon the brand and other Coca Cola products. There is no denying that Coca Cola has succeeded remarkably in differentiating its products.

Kenyan Mining Project essays

Kenyan Mining Project essays Mining Development VS. Social Disruptions: Assessing Both The Social Benefits With what was initially thought to be a feasible resource extraction proposal, has in turn lead to an onslaught of both economic and social uncertainties among more then five thousand Kenyans. Tiomin Resources, a Canadian based mining company, has shown a ferocious interest to construct 3 titanium based extraction mills along the Indian Ocean within the residence of the economically struggling providence of Africa. The proposed site(s), which rest in the fertile sand dunes along the Kenyan Coast, are thought to hold embody one of the largest supply(s) of both titanium and zirconium bearing minerals in the world. Despite what stands to be both an economical and social jackpot for one of the largest mining Corporations in the world, has in turn generated a spin off and or threat of both economic and environmental externalities from formulating in the near future. Among the focal points of major concern(s) rest the vantage points of two distraught parties. With more than ten thousand s mall-scale farmers in threat of being forced of their native soil, Kenyans argue the feasibility dynamics of such proposals arent socially balanced. Tiomin Resources rebuttals by addressing the profitable socioeconomic impact their proposal presents if operations where established in the financially dying province of Africa. As this heated debate continues, it soon becomes a question of assessing the feasible equity each party is willing to negotiate for. Not only is it imperative to question the long-run economical balance of such proposals but so to be it fitting to address the adverse effects such operations would have on the surrounding environment run economical balances. The dominant factor supporting Tiomin recent proposals to excavate within the titanium-rich sands of Kwale beach resides...

Informing ourselves to death by Neil Postman Personal Statement

Informing ourselves to death by Neil Postman - Personal Statement Example As long as we were Neanderthals, planet earth was a cleaner, greener and a safer place to live in. The environment was void of hazards, disease, danger and pollution and the world was free from poverty, hunger, homelessness and crime. All these are our gifts to ourselves, which come in a package deal with the technological zenith that we have achieved. We perceive the present scenario as the best of all possible worlds because this the farthest we have come in terms of advancement. There is no dearth of anything in this rose colored world of ours. (The "children of the lesser God " might not think so but have we ever given them a care!). We are so busy wallowing in this shallow, materialistic and cushioned lifestyle of ours that it has never occurred to us that we have lost a very precious part of us along the ages- we have lost our humanity! We might have attained knowledge but we are still far far away from wisdom. That is the reason why our world has become a "either -mine-or- yours" place. What if we never knew that the earth was such a vast planet with so much land and so much water, would we have then cared to split it up into blocks we call "countries"' Had there been no "mine and yours" territories" would the word "WAR" even exist in or dictionaries' What is it about our knowledge that instills in us the greed to simply possess apiece of land even if that means killing all our fellow beings living on it' From here started our dividing spree and we have never stopped ever since. In our attempt to systematically organize the human existence we bred complexities that we have never been able to come out of. First we made countries, divided them into states, broke the states down to cities, towns and districts, built huge walls around ourselves thus physically isolating ourselves from the rest of the world. . In the process and without our awareness, the mental and spiritual component of our being got entangled deeper and deeper into the web of "worldly wisdom". When we were done with physical divisions and the pieces of earth could not get any smaller, we never let ourselves give up. Our knowledge never let us deter and inspired us to go on. Then, we came up with this concept of religions (I call them "mass gangs") and for obvious reasons we had gang wars although they were at a much smaller scale than the nuclear or biological wars of today. First we fought over" mine- and- yours" and then we fought over " mine-is-better -than-yours" and the vicious cycle went on. Our intelligence (or rather the lack of it) has blown the light of knowledge into an satanic fire which is eating into the heart of humankind and emptying the core of our existence. Spiritually we have turned into weak, in secure, greedy, selfish and conceited individuals. Our conditioned psyche does not allow us to think beyond possessing and climbing up the ladder of success irrespective of whose face we step on in the process. I don't cal this living life; I consider it just a spiritually worthless existence. Imagine, our present day generation needs special classes and seminars on "soul searching". Isn't that ridiculous' Does it mean that we are so disconnected with out souls that we need to search them all over again'We are not to be entirely blamed for our plight.

Synthesis of -carbolines as novel CDK4 inhibitors Lab Report

Synthesis of -carbolines as novel CDK4 inhibitors - Lab Report Example Considering the importance of Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), a set of protein kinases, it is essential to explore its mechanism that makes it relevant for the lab process. The kinases aid in regulating the cell cycles, transcription Mrna processing and differentiation of nerve cells. In the function of these kinases, cyclin is crucial considering that it acts as the regulatory protein which binds the CDKs. Consequently, this means that in the absence of cyclin, less kinase activity takes place because of the absence of cyclin-CDK complexes1. CDK4, acting as a member of the cyclin-dependent kinase family, functions as an intrinsic catalyutic protein kinase complex for cell cycle G1 phase progression. D type cyclins and CDK inhibitor are important for the functioning of the kinase since they suppress the action of tumour in causing cell proliferation. The kinase works in phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product thereby helping in preventing the occurring mutation of the genes responsible for the tumuourigenesis of various types of cancer 2. Further, small compouds such as pentacyclic quaternary salt, act as promising factors in the direction for treatment of cancer. The action of the kinase in causing DNA-interchelation can be reduced by ÃŽ ²-carboline which usually acts as a non-planner maintaining the activity of CDK4. Fascaplysin acts as a pentacyclic quaternary salt used as an anti-cancer agent considering its action in suppressing certain leukemia cells in mice. Further, the salt also end up hindering CDK4 leading to arrest of cell cycle in both normal and tumours ncells in the G phase. The hindering process occurs because it binds to theATP pocket of the kinase, resulting to G arrest via a bidentate hydrogen bond donor/acceptor pair. The chain involving phosphorylation of pRb enables the cell to pass through the G1 checkpoint leading to completion of division cycle because of the associated release of E2F proteins.