The Strengths and Weakness of the Airborne Express

In a highly competitive industry the structure of a firm is very important to its success. Today firms are moving away from the centralized structure of the past, and adopting a more decentralized structure (Management Challenges in the 21st Century p 315). The air express industry is no exception. FedEx, the leader in the air express industry since the late eighties, is also leading U.P.S. in the race to become decentralized. Airborne Express is not even in the race. In order to compete in today†s changing environment, Airborne Express needs to move away from its old fashioned centralized structure and form a more decentralized structure. The old fashioned structure is not the only variable that makes Airborne the follower in the air express industry. The Internet and information systems are transforming the air express market into an electronic commerce market, and Airborne needs to transform it†s operations to meet this growing market. This report describes the strengths and weakness of the organizational structure of Airborne Express. Furthermore, it also gives recommendations for future changes in Airborne Express. The first section of this report addresses how the organization of the firm evolved, and what changes are taking place structurally in its industry. The second section discusses labor issues in the air express industry and how they affect Airborne Express. The third section addresses the growing electronic commerce market and how it†s affecting the industry and Airborne Express. During the eighties many air express companies were formed and many were destroyed. However, three companies came out of this highly competitive period on top. They were FedEx, U.P.S. and Airborne Express. Airborne survived this highly competitive period by adapting to the external forces affecting the industry. One of the external forces affecting Airborne was the size of the competition. U.P.S. and FedEx were just swallowing up competitors. So Airborne decided the best way to compete was to be the low-cost provider of air express service. Robert Cline, CEO of Airborne explains their strategy â€Å"When you are up against UPS and Federal Express, those guys are so big and so well capitalized that you have to have a tool to fight with them. It wasn†t going to be size; it wasn†t going to be how well-known we were. So, we decided to be the low-cost operator.†(Washington CEO P 33). However, to become the low cost operator Airborne had to make many structural changes. One of those structural changes was that Airborne centralized its organization as much as possible. After all, why pay middle management high salaries when upper management can make all the decisions. Furthermore, what CEO would trust middle management to make decisions during the unstable period of the company†s history? Another major change Airborne underwent in the eighties, was to differentiate its service. Unlike its two major competitors, FedEx and UPS, Airborne changed its strategy to concentrate on providing services for large corporations (Airborne Express†s 10-K form p5). This strategic change not only gave Airborne product differentiation and market specialization, but also benefited by taking away the need for advertising. Therefore, it could save the $35 to $40 million it was spending a year on advertising, and use it to help become the low-cost operator (Washington CEO p 36). Airborne made important structural and strategic changes in the eighties, which contributed to its success. However, in the nineties, Airborne is reluctant to change with the environment. As mentioned earlier, many firms are moving towards a more decentralized structure. Airborne seems to be using the same structure that got it through the eighties. Consequently, its decision making is still coming from top management, and no responsibility is being delegated to lower management. FedEx however, has experienced growing success by using a decentralized structure. â€Å"Delegation, as demonstrated by FedEx, can lead to a more empowered work force and resulting heightened productivity and quality, reduced costs, more innovation, improved customer service, and greater commitment from employees† (Management Challenges in the 21st Century p 285). Airborne†s centralized structure is also one the reasons its been experiencing labor problems. The last few years have plagued the air express industry with labor problems that have kept CEO†s of major companies like UPS, FedEx, and Airborne Express on their toes (The New York Times Nov 1998). Since the UPS strike of 1997, air express companies are fighting to keep good relations with their workers. The Teamsters† strike with UPS over part-time and full-time help taught small business not to rely on one express company. UPS is not the only company having labor problems. With the use of lengthy negotiations and hefty salary promises FedEx has settled a labor dispute with its pilots, and are entering the year 2000 without labor problems (Institute for Technology and Enterprise P 12). Airborne Express, however, is experiencing major labor disputes with its pilots. Although under contract, Airborne pilots are not happy with management. A representative for Airborne claims â€Å"Airborne management has failed to implement key provisions in the contract†. This failure plus the firing of an Airborne pilot has the pilots angry (Traffic World P 1). Since the pilots are under contract, they can not strike, but they can stop flying volunteer overtime, which makes up 15 percent of Airborne†s flights. In November of 1998 the pilots voted to stop flying overtime (Traffic World P 3). Airborne needs to smooth over relations with its pilots soon, because the contract expires May of 2001. Therefore, unless Airborne settles this dispute, it will be facing an imminent strike. Another labor issue affecting Airborne is the Teamsters Union. Airborne signed a five-year contract with the Teamsters Union in 1998. There are three major provisions in this contract (Associated Press online p 2). 1. Provides improved working conditions for Airborne employees. 2. A Bonus for employees the first year, followed by a yearly wage increase for the last four years of the contract. 3. At least 50 percent of the current part-time work force will be changed to full-time by 1999, with the remaining 50 percent offered full-time positions by 2000. The last provision is could have consequences for Airborne Express. Using part-time help is a way for express companies to cut expenses by not having to pay full-time benefits. How will Airborne be able to keep up its strategy of being the low-cost operator if they lose the efficiency of a part-time workforce? Airborne Express needs to operate as efficiently as possible if they want to have the capital to compete in the growing electronic commerce market. Today the air express industry is faced with a technology that will force express companies to change organizational structure and basic operations. This technology is electronic commerce, or better known as the Internet. Presently, Internet sales make up 15 percent of the retail market, and are expected to make up 55 percent of the market by 2005 (Institute for Technology and Enterprise p 1). In order to compete in this growing market, many retail companies are changing their operations and selling products over the Internet. Because of this, there is a need for air express companies that can cater to the needs of online retailers. Express companies need to supply services such as just-in-time inventory or virtual inventory. In order to best describe the importance of this new market to Airborne Express†s future, I†m going to address the way FedEx is changing their structure to compete in this new market. One way FedEx is dealing with this new market is by providing just-in-time inventory services for companies. FedEx provides this service by connecting to an online retailer†s web site, and when a sale is achieved over the Internet, the order is placed directly with FedEx. Once FedEx receives the order, it picks up the product from the supplier and delivers it to the customer. This all takes place without the online retailer touching the product (Institute for Technology and Enterprise p 4). FedEx supplies this service for a percentage of the online retailer†s sales. There are three air express companies competing for control of this electronic market and Airborne is not one of them. The three companies are FedEx, UPS, and DHL. If the express industry is affected as much as predicted, Airborne could lose its ranking as third in the express industry to DHL. Airborne Express might be gambling on the hope that there will be companies who will fight this move to electronic commerce, and will give Airborne enough old fashioned express business for them to succeed. This is a major gamble. â€Å"Concepts like just-in-time manufacturing and mass customization were no longer just theory; a number of firms had carved out distinct niches in the market place by focusing on developing these capabilities in manufacturing and production. Tight supply chain integration was no longer perceived as a competitive advantage. It was being seen as a competitive imperative† (The Economic Benefits of Air Transport, 1997 p 23). Airborne needs to connect to the electronic commerce market before it loses the opportunity. In conclusion, Airborne made some wise changes to its structure in the eighties. These changes differentiated Airborne from its competitors, and allowed it to be the low-cost operator. However, in the last few years with Airborne†s failure to change with the environment and with labor disputes in its near future, the future for Airborne Express looks bleak. Unless Airborne wants to go back to transporting flowers it needs to rethink its strategy.

Ethical Dilema Essay

In this paper, I will discuss the ethical dilemma faced by a nurse who is caring for an eight month old patient, who reports with his mother to the emergency room with a suspicious fracture. The mother provides a plausible story, and the physician knows the family and does not suspect abuse. I will discuss the action I would take in order to provide the appropriate care for this patient. As a registered professional nurse, I feel the only approach to the case is to report the injury to Department of Family and Child’s Services (DFACS) for their investigation. When a report is made, DFACS will complete an investigation and make the ultimate decision if abuse or neglect was the cause of the injury. Each nurse has a duty to report all suspicious injuries to DFACS, regardless of her feelings on abuse or neglect. This is true even when the physician knows the family or does not suspect abuse. The nurse is responsible for her own actions. In order to provide the best quality of care for this patient, I would take the statement from the parent about how the patient was injured, and then talk to the physician to gather the physical finding, which may include x-ray reports after this information is gathered, I would report the case to the local DFACS. Anytime there is a suspicious injury regardless of the plausibility of the story, or if the physician knows the patient and does not suspect the parent, the DFACS case must be reported. The nurse in this situation has a duty to report this injury and let child services decide if the patient is in danger. I would perform a complete examination of the patient and communicate with the physician, in addition to noting any other signs of abuse, along with paying close attention for indicators of abuse. Indicators of abuse can warn healthcare providers to pay closer attention to situations that may indicate abuse or neglect and someti mes there are not indicators even though the child may be abused (Henderson, 2013). Three indicators of abuse or maltreatment include physical, child behavioral and parent behavioral indicators (Henderson, 2013). These indicators should not be considered in isolation but should be considered along with the child’s condition in the context with overall physical appearance and behavior; however, it is conceivable that a single indicator may be consistent with abuse or neglect (Henderson, 2013). Considerations of abuse are raised by injuries to both sides of the body and/or to soft tissues, injuries with a specific pattern or injuries that do not fit the explanation, delays in  presentation for care, and/or untreated injuries in multiple stages of healing (Henderson, 2013). It would be helpful to check the patient’s record for previous unexplained injuries or history of frequent visits to the emergency room or physician’s office. Any burns or patterns of bruising during the examination would warrant further investigation. Other signs of physical abuse I would monitor for include signs of pain where there is not visible injury and lack of reaction to pain. I would also note any emotional signs of physical abuse, which include passive, withdrawn or emotionless behavior, and fear when seeing parents. Any symptoms noted on exam should include this in the report to DFACS. Since the physical signs of abuse are often visible, most cases of abuse are recognized by a healthcare provider (Padera, 2009). These signs may be noted at routine appointments or while providing acute care. The ethical principle of non-maleficence and beneficence are addressed with this case. The ethical principle of non-maleficence helps to ensure that healthcare providers do not harm to their patients. If I did not report this case to DFACS for investigation and the abuse continued causing any harm to the patient, this would be an ethical violation of non-maleficence on the part of the nurse. The ethical principle of beneficence ensures that health care provider’s actions benefit the patient. By choosing to report this case to DFACS, my actions would benefit the patient and help ensure that the patient was no longer being abused. As a nurse, if I did not report this to DFACS for investigation, I would be in violation of the nurse practice act, and I could be held liable if the patient suffer more injuries or death at the hand of an abuser. My report of child abuse or neglect is confidential and immune from civil or criminal liability as long as the report is made in â€Å"good faith† and â€Å"without malice† (https://www.oag.state.tx.us/victims/childabuse.shtml). Provided these two conditions are met, as a nurse, I am immune from liability if they are asked to participate in any judicial proceedings resulting from the report (https://www.oag.state.tx.us/victims/childabuse.shtml). In conclusion, mandatory reporting can produce unanticipated and unwanted consequences (Buppert & Klein, 2008). Nurses may be concerned about reporting suspected abuse especially, when the investigation is completed, no abuse or risk to the patient is found (Buppert & Klein, 2008). Boards of Nursing rarely  discipline nurses for failure to report and nurses are covered with their nurse practice act when they make reports in â€Å"good† faith (Buppert & Klein, 2008). Given this information there is no reason not to report this mother to DFACS for investigation. References: Buppert, C. & Klein, T. (2008). Dilemmas in Mandatory Reporting for Nurses. Medscape. P. 4- 16. Henderson, K. L. (2013). Mandated reporting of child abuse: Considerations and guidelines for mental health counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 35(4), 296-309. Padera, Connie. (2009). Nursing, Child Abuse, and the Law. 7(37). P. 122-126. When you suspect child abuse or neglect: A general guide. Retrieved from https://www.oag. state.tx.us/victims/childabuse.shtml

Question and answer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Question and answer - Assignment Example In this particular sense, standardized nation is imparted to the customer by seeking to employ best practices that will exhibit quality customer care, support, and other related benefits in tandem with the service that is provided. Although it is true that it is more difficult to categorize and classify standards with respect to services, this is in fact being done within a litany of different industries and will be represented more and more in the coming years. The underlying reason for the global matrix design almost always maintaining a transitional nature has to do with the fact that the current rate of business growth and development, not to mention the devolution of consumer demand and dynamics of business, are nearly continually in flux. As a direct result of this flux, it is necessary for the matrix design of any industry or business that seeks to integrate with the consumer to remain relevant and evolve alongside the aforementioned changes. In the eventuality that a global matrix design is not transitional and does not provide a degree of evolutionary change with the aforementioned external forces, it is very likely that the firm or business entity in question will lose its competitive advantage and will be unable to match the consumer demands that are represented throughout the market. This will in turn provide unique opportunities for those firms that do have a global matrix design that is transitional and can react to the unique changes that are being represented. As can readily be noted, the current marketplace is one that requires continual differentiation is means of matching the competition and providing for the needs of the consumer. Because of this, is in turn necessary for the firm to seek to satisfy many different elements of wants. In this way, the reader can come to a further appreciation with respect to the way in which differentiation relates to operation management. Within such a definition understanding, product design,

America and the Second World War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America and the Second World War - Essay Example They also honor the people who leave legacies through being good at doing something or achieving a great feat in their lifetimes. This kind of lifestyle has largely remained unchanged especially for the German people hence views about them will always remain same (Burgan, 55). The real surprise is the fact that an individual in this society who has done so much and achieved great things ends up living his sunset years in a manner that does not befit a person of his caliber which is directly influenced by the leadership in place. I would pursue the following themes: Education, Politics, Inter-cultural relations, and Family Unit and Socio-cultural activities. The most important thing I have learned from this course is that if anyone obliges him or herself to work hard, then definitely they will end up successful. Anyone who is illustrious is bound to succeed. It does not matter what a personal background or start point is, if they work hard then surely they will succeed in anything they set their minds. The context here is about an American president by the name Mr. Woodraw Wilsons. During campaigns for the presidency of the United States of America, he had used the aspect of not getting America involved in world wars as his main bait for winning re-election, which he did narrowly. Then after that, he changes his policy. He felt that if America wanted to have a greater say in world matters, then it had to involve itself in war and through this get as many allies as possible. And as such President Wilsons, in an effort to make America not to remain neutral in a world war, made a proclamation of May 1917 before Congress and for a declaration of war to be made on the Germans (Burgan, 45). In my opinion, the Zimmermann telegram was not a valid reason for getting into war but was simply a pretext.

Critcial Thinking ID301 Bachelor's Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critcial Thinking ID301 Bachelor's - Term Paper Example It is, hence, not the judgment of a single person or a single group. It needs to be a decision that may be applicable for majority of DWI cases. The sound claims and arguments presented by Kathleen Rice in Martin Heidgen’s case, call for a revision in the laws pertaining to homicides. She is of the opinion that DWI homicide cases should be prosecuted as murders and the offenders should be dealt with accordingly. This paper further elaborates on the topic and affirms the reasonableness of Rice’s arguments to a great extent. Some argue that education, social awareness and individuals’ acceptability of the severity of driving under the influence incidents are the route to long-term solution of drunken driving incidents. However, the case reveals a well researched analysis that â€Å"despite all the publicity, all the education campaigns, and all the advertising over the past decade, the number of drunk-driving fatalities has not gone down† (CBS, 2009). Hence, the statistics reveal a counter argument and a stronger claim against such an approach which is theoretical and less operative practically. The claim of letting such offenders to live independently in the society again by not implementing stricter and more severe laws is like giving them another chance to kill a person or persons. Laws are made for the safety of the wider population, the society, and not the individual offenders who would forget the incident and the minor punishments and repeat the offense. Steven Lamagna, who defended Heidgen in the case, was not able to accept that prosecutors are â€Å"charging a vehicular homicide with murder, with a life sentence† (CBS, 2009). Lamagna provides an argument in favor of Heidgen as he â€Å"had no previous convictions of any kind†. However, having no prior convictions does not prove a person as innocent like it does not prove him as guilty of the current offense. It may, however, be helpful in the investigations and evidence gathering

Petroleum supply in the usa Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Petroleum supply in the usa - Term Paper Example According to the energy sector of the United States, petroleum products meets about 40 % of the Americans needs and wants. Most of the American citizens worry about the harzoudous effects of oil on the environment and they would like the nation to keep moving and acquiring more sustainable oil sources. Additionally, there is controversy over the political stage management and the sources of the American oil, which is vital in meeting the demands of oil in the American state (Wisegeek.com, 1). In more than 200 million years, formation of oil beneath the surface of the earth occurs continuously. However, in 200 years time, the rate of consumption of the oil formed beneath the surface of the earth is high. Research done shows that in 40 years to come, depletion of the oil resources remaining would occur. The United States would still have other fossil oil like shale, oil, coal, tar, sands and natural gas. This means that even if depletion of all the oil resources occurs in the United States, they would still have other fossil fuels that would earn them capital. United States do not only depend on the sale of oil as their only source of income but they have other sources. However, most of these energy resources are too expensive and the process of converting them to transportable fuels for use would cause harm to the environment as they produce harmful emissions to the surroundings (Glass, 5). Between the year 1950 and 1970, the world demand for oil has increased from 11 million barrels to 57 barrel respectively. The United States consumes almost 20.7 barrels of oil, which is the most compared to other countries, which are the five next largest consumers of oil, which Germany, Japan, Russia, China and India. The United States remains the largest consumer of oil even though the world demand for oil has increased as the economies of China and India has developed (Wright, 1). In the year 2009, refineries used an

Project and homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project and homework - Essay Example > 30. Under the assumption that the population is distributed normally a two sample z test for independent samples with unknown ÏÆ'1 and ÏÆ'2 is suggested. The above mentioned test is used to test the difference between the means of two populations. The standardized test statistics is, The computed T-statistics and p-value with 5% level of significance and critical value t(0.05, 82) = 1.98, are exhibited in table 1.1. The computation is done under the assumption of unequal variances due to the observed difference of respective values in descriptive statistics (table 1.0) between both the samples. 2) Columns containing data are OLD, NEW. This data contains information showing the amount of sales for 15 stores both before and after new shelf facings were installed. You suspect and wish to prove that the mean sales with the new facings is different from the mean sales under the old facings. The samples are considered as dependent due to the fact that they are related to same population. The population standard deviations of the both the samples are unknown. The sample sizes are considered to be small i.e. < 30. Under the assumption that the population is distributed normally a paired sample t-test is suggested. The above mentioned test is used to test the difference between the means of two dependent samples. The standardized test statistics

World Leaders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Leaders - Essay Example is method in the early 1910 revolutionized American industry by promoting mass consumption and allows it to produce more than 15 million copies of the  Model T  automobile. Through his industrial leadership capability, Ford became one of the richest and most famous figures of his time. The paper discusses the profile of Henry Ford as one of the model leader of nineteenth century and explores his transformational leadership style. The paper also discusses leadership characteristics demonstrated by Henry Ford and aspects of servant leadership. Transformational leadership is the key aspect of Henry Ford’s leadership. Transformational leadership of Henry Ford is depicted by the particular success of  Fordism  which was  based on the philosophy of rationalization and standardization. Rationalization is the decomposition of the activity of the worker into elementary tasks which allows an industrial process to work on machine tools specialist. This leads to a simplification and standardization of gestures and a consequent increase in productivity (Alizon, Shooter and Simpson, 2009). Ford was a pioneer in this industrial philosophy and transformed the entire face of automotive industry of the time.  Standardization in the Ford factories is was pushed to the extreme that only the Model T was produced, and even that only in black because of its fast drying time.  This favored not only an increase in production but also the geographic expansion of the Model T as standard parts could easily be sent for repair. According to Maxwell (2009), Ford possessed three essential qualities possessed by a transformational leader. Ford developed a unique vision of the future of the organization that encouraged subordinates to work harder to achieve that vision (Maxwell, 2009). Ford also possessed excellent communication skills and was ready to rally employees to his cause which distinguished him as a prominent transformational leader. Ford also possessed confidence in his vision which

WAR Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WAR - Article Example this is regarding to the agreement with some large companies that would contribute and help students to manage his work position.students in the universities will get the option to ownership the device or to rent it .WARcreates a virtual environment for learning based on simulated examples from course curriculum.. The projector is used to display 3D models and also has a lamp and speakers. The pen type projector consists of photolithography lenses operating in 3D to reflect images and components. WAR itself can be thought of as a unique and innovative concept incorporating the state-of-the-art technologies of ubiquitous learning, adaptive multiple intelligences, etc. Tangible to intangible The business model of WAR is unique in terms of providing the advantages of a ubiquitous learning environment that facilitates students to learn the concepts of their curriculum in virtual real-time using models that can be projected in 3D. The idea of WAR also can be found to be unique in its appr oach to marketing and business, as it focuses on the creation of value to customer rather than creating a tangible asset for economic profitability. The intangible nature of the innovation makes it a standard frame of reference for delivering service over a network of businesses and academic entities. While the philosophy of service delivery through WAR is akin to the concept of Service-dominant Logic (SDL) (Lusch et al., 2011) which helps managements and marketers to use this frame of reference to deliver intangible service offerings, the efficient utilization of the service still depends on the ability of the consumer or student, manager, teacher, etc.in utilizing the service for profitability through increasingly collaborative processes. Personalized experience Consumers today have more access to information, increasingly network in the globalized world, use internet technologies to become aware of the products and services of different companies and are able to provide feedback. There is an increasing awareness of the rights and responsibilities of both consumers and companies owing to increased communication and collaboration during their interactions. Further, companies always have to engage consumers for sustaining their business and also bringing the consumer-company interaction under severe scrutiny.This leads to a challenging situation for companies to develop innovative and profitable patterns of collaboration that can help create value for both and a coherent system for value creation that matches the company’s supply value chain and consumer demand is to be developed based on a new frame of reference for value creation, called co-creation (Source 1). Co-creation of value is centered on consumer experience, and the design of WAR successfully achieves this value in terms of a small device or pen and a flexible temporary ownership of the device. While the different events during consumer-company interaction create experiences for the consumer in the context of space and time, it is the individual consumer’s experience that determines meaning of the interaction. This personal involvement and experience is a combination of subjective, objective and relational events and interactions creating personalized experiences, with the individual at the centre and companies having little say over the outcomes (Source 2). WAR has been achieving this goal with its targeting of students in two phases: experience and share the program and providing feedback. While co-creating of value is important for a company, it should also be able to deliver profits against this value creation, which is another major consideration for the companies. Delivering Profits Customer-centered marketing does not

Listening Habits Essay Example for Free

Listening Habits Essay â€Å"Tap, tap, tap.† is what you hear as your elbow partner is writing their pencil against the table. The tapping continues to go on until the teacher says something important then there is a moment of silence. There are many bad listening habits out there, it’s just finding them within ourselves, but everyone else as well. A bad listening habit that one may obtain is finding a subject that it too boring or dull. In order to pay full attention, you need something worth giving the attention. Another thing that poor listeners do is make fun of how the speaker is; meaning they either don’t like the way they look, speak, or act. It doesn’t matter who or how it comes out; what matters is what comes out. One last poor listening habit is trying to take every single detail down. You’re just writing a lot of useless information because you and I both know that you won’t go back and read it all. I myself am guilty of having some bad listening habits as well. One of them is that I get really excited about one part of the presentation that I completely blank out on the next part. I need to work on keeping focused on the entire presentation. A second bad habit that I contain is that I get lazy so I only listen for the most important facts and write them down. I should be alert throughout the whole presentation that way I can get more then the facts, like the little details. The last poor listening habits that I have is that I get distracted extremely easily. No matter how fast a distraction distracts me, I need to fight the urge to let it get to me! Luckily, there are ways to help us become better listeners! One way is to guess or predict what the presenter will say next. This will help us be engaged in the presentation and get something out of it. Another helpful idea to try is to point out the supporting materials, along with being engaged. This will also help us get better studying material. One last habit that will be great to get into is summarizing while the speaker is taking a break. Summarize what they said in your mind to help you keep track of what they are talking about. No matter with all of the bad listening habits, we can easily change them. Not only will this help us in high school, but it will also help us in college. Better listening skills along with other college readiness skills will help us walk into our future pretty easily. All it takes is the willingness of the student themselves to give that little extra push!

Devolution In The UK | Analysis

Devolution In The UK | Analysis This essay has explained the process of devolution in the UK. It has also compared the UK with other countries, such as, Iran, Iraq, Spain, Belgium and Bahrain in respect of devolution. It has been discussed the differences between the above countries in respect of continental, geopolitical, cultural and religious factors. The process of devolution in the UK has been mentioned as a democratic process, and how nations have been allowed to express their political and cultural solicitations. Comparisons and the differences between Catalans, Flanders and Bahrainians have been analysed. The essay also compared the differences between Wales and Kurdistan in respect of devolution. It has been found that the people of Catalonia in Spain and Flanders in Belgium have got similar problems which are based on linguistic and historical conflicts. It has been considered that the main problem between people in Bahrain, based on religious differences, because of the Sunni Muslim being in minority rule the Shi`i Muslims are in the majority. According to the content of this essay, one of the main factors that encourage the minority nations towards separation and devolution is based on discriminatory policies by central government. It has been mentioned that in democratic countries the process of devolution is more peaceful and more successful in comparison to non-democratic countries. Devolution in the UK Introduction This assignment explains and covers the process of devolution in the UK and the advantages and disadvantages of devolution. It also compares the UK to other countries with similar situations, in respect of political, geopolitical, national, cultural and historical factors. It will also discuss what shifts the nations towards devolution, why nations want more power from central government what are the barriers in the fore front of the process of devolution, who is slowing down the speed of decentralisation. In order to compare and contrast the process of devolution in the UK ,with other countries in Europe and even other countries outside of Europe, for example, countries such as Iran, Iraq, Spain, Belgium, Turkey and Bahrain. To explore these information within this essay some sources need to be searched, such as, internet, books and journals. This essay will cover the history and foundation of devolution in the UK; it will explain the process of devolution in countries within the UK, such as, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In terms of barriers in the fore front of devolution by political parties in the UK, this assignment discuss and discover the reasons, why those parties preventing the process of devolution, such as , Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Main body History and foundation of devolution in the UK It looks at the history of devolution in the UK, how a form of administrative devolution started in Scotland in 1885, when the Scottish Office was established as a department of the UK government. The Scottish Office for some issues had more responsibility which in England and Wales was dealt with by Whitehall departments. (Jennifer, 2008) There were some other attempts by the Scottish government such as the referendum in 1979 to establish a Scottish Assembly which wasnt supported by the majority of the electorate. In 1989 the Scottish Constitutional Convention was established which was supported by the people of Scotland and political parties to draw up a detailed blueprint for devolution including a proposal for a directly elected Parliament for Scottish with wide legislative power. (Jennifer, 2008) There are some other countries with similar geopolitical situation as the UK. The comparison of the UK with countries like Iran, Iraq, Syria, Spain and Belgium, there are differences between each country, in respect of geographical, cultural, political, and economical factors and religion but they have something in common. All of them have been established by a variety of nations, and these countries have been ruled by one nation which is in the majority, however, the nation rule such countries often is not in majority. For example, over 70% of the population in Bahrain are Shi`i Muslim but the government run by Sunnis in the minority. (Ojallan, 1999, p 120) There are some reasons why other nations in those countries want more power, autonomy or independence. A reason could be that the nation which is in power deprives and tries to assimilate the smaller nations, therefore, deprived nations attempt to obtain their own independence or autonomy or to have more power to make appropriate and enthusiastic decisions for their own regions. (Ojallan, 1999, p 134) To gain these kinds of powers two things have usually been used as political tools, devolution and revolution. In terms of devolution there are some similarities between the UK and Spain in respect of multinationals, there are other nations in Spain such as Catalonia and the Basques, they have their own autonomy. (Ojallan, 1999, p 140) The effect of devolution in the UK and how nations such as Wales, Scotland, and Ireland have been affected by devolution, People who lives in Wales see the advantages of devolution in Wales. As Welsh people are in the process of devolution they see how devolution create a greater regional identity and develops those structures that support the growth of business, political power, social welfare and culture which suit the people in the region. (Mitchell, 2009) Devolution enables Wales, Scotland, and Ireland to have more power to make their own decisions on the basis of cultural, politics and economical factors relevant for their regional demands. (Ryder, 2004) HISTORY OF DEVOLUTION IN WALES To really understand the importance of devolution in Wales, people need to look at the history of the country. As in every country in the world, the people of Wales have got their own geographical, cultural and political identity. People in the Wales faced a linguistic challenge from 18th century till 20th century, when the Welsh language was forbidden by the government in Westminster. In 1845 the Minister of State of Education was summoned to the Westminster parliament for an inquiry. As a result of that a commission of 3 young English advocates carried out an examination and ended up with a report which was published in 1847. Finally, they came to the conclusion that as well as poverty and degradation, the Welsh background and language had created barriers and affected the economical, educational and moral progress. As Sir Reginald Couplad mentioned It is not surprising that the Commissioners should have swept aside the ancient language of Wales as ruthlessly as Macauley a decade earlier had swept aside the ancient languages of India. But the commissioners ignored the fact that the reasons for poor educational, economical, moral conditions and poverty in Wales were discriminatory policies in central government. Thus, people of Wales had no chance except being poor and that is why Wales wanted more power and the people of Wales continued to fight to protect their identity and prevent the English ruling class from considering Welsh people as the same contempt with the people of Africa and India 50 years ago. (Kireey, 2007) By looking at the history of the United Kingdoms flag how introduced and imposed to the UK by two Acts then you see the advantages of devolution in Wales. Henry VIII announced himself as king of Wales. Those acts forbade the Welsh language from being used in official places, this encouraged young wealthy Welsh man to go to London for their fortune and influence, and stop speaking Welsh. The English rulers attempted to change or remove the Welsh cultural principles and identity. This trend continued until 1746 when a Law was passed by parliament stating any Act by English Parliament automatically would include Wales, this process continued until 1967. (Kireey, 2007) In the 20th century Wales started getting back what they had lost in identity, accordingly, the Ministry of Education was created in 1907 and in 1957 Wales got Minister of State and gradually in 1964 he was given a position in the cabinet of the UK. From 1979 till 1997 when the Tory party was lead by Thatcher and Major, unemployment rose, coal, steel mines were destroyed, thus, the relationship between Tories and the Welsh people got darker and people lost their hope with the Tories. These poor policies and (historical conflict and cultural differences) were a good start for Welsh nationalists to encourage the public to decentralise the power and prepare Wales for a referendum in 1979 when the Labour Party took over the government. By the time Labour came to power in 1979 devolution was promised along with Scotland and Ireland. The first referendum occurred in 1979 whether to have a devolved Assembly or not. However, the majority of Welsh the people voted against devolution in the referendum. (Kireey, 2007) Discriminatory policies from Central Government towards Wales were sceptically considered as factors of devolution in Wales. Three decades ago majority of Welsh voters rejected the government Wales devolution Act in a Referendum in 1979 by 79.8% to 20.20%. Nearly two decades later Welsh people voted in a referendum in 1997 for devolution which resulted in 50.3% in favour and 49.7% against .( Kireey,2007) Therefore, the referendum in 1997 delivered the establishment of the National Assembly of Wales; this referendum shows how people`s opinion has changed in Wales during these two decades. According to E.S.R.C (2004), (Economic and Social research Council) in a series of surveys they found out how Welsh people welcomed devolution and the continuation of that process and even in some cases demand a strong and powerful parliament for Wales and how these trend became a popular opinion. (Wyn , 2004) According to the same survey, nearly two -thirds of the Welsh population are now in favour of devolution compare to 1979. People in Wales have more trust in National Assembly of Wales to act in Wales than the central government in Westminster. For instance, the same survey shows that 67.6% of Welsh people trusted in the Welsh Assembly at least most of the time, to act in Wales but only 23.1% of people said it doesnt make any difference for them. Wales as other nations has got internal differences, thus, these differences undoubtedly played a great role to change people`s attitude to welcome the referendum in 1997 and 1999 National Assembly for Wales election. Politician in Wales focused on three suggestions in order to encourage Welsh voters to vote in favour of devolution, these were: Strengthen the sense of Welsh national identity Help to develop a more civic (rather than ethnic) Welsh identity Strengthen Wales affinity with Britain According to ESRC (2004) the sense of Welsh national identity is stronger amongst younger voters. For example, this tables in below shows the differences by age. (Wyn , 2004) National Identity 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-59 60-64 65+ Welsh, Not British 27.4 22.3 25.9 23.1 20.0 20.0 20.8 More Welsh than British 36.9 32.5 30.7 24.5 25.0 28.8 21.9 British not Welsh 8.3 9.5 11.6 12.5 5.0 9.8 9.8 NATION IDENTITY BY AGE COHORT, 2003 (%) (Wyn, 2004) The three referendums in Wales It was for the third time that the Welsh people voted for devolution in a referendum since 1979. There are some differences between the referendum in 1979, 1997 and 2011. The referendum in 1979 was the foundation of devolution for further referendums in Wales. In spite of that, Welsh people voted against devolution in the first referendum. The first referendum in 1979 created a positive atmosphere, however, the majority of the Welsh people voted against devolution because it was an informative start for future devolution referendums in Wales. The comparison of the second and third referendums shows the difference between now and thirty years ago in respect of people`s understanding about the advantages of devolution for the Welsh economy and cultural identities. (O`Reilly, 2011) In a speech in Cardiff University the Former First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan, said that since the first devolution in 1979, Wales has created 120,000 more jobs and he believed it was the right time for Wales to have what Scotland and Northern Ireland had obtained decades ago. On the other side, unofficial spokeswomen for True Wales group NO campaigner, Rachel Banner, believes that Wales is in different stage compared to Scotland and Northern Ireland. She said, Northern Ireland has got its own particular traditions and Scotland has got its own educational system for hundred years. (Withers, 2011) Abby O`Reilly a news paper writer, believes that one of the main reasons that the majority of people voted against devolution in 1979 referendum was because people werent informed about the content and advantages of the devolution. She believes that a lot of the Welsh people were still confused whether vote yes or no. She also mentioned in her Guardian article, February 2011, My friends either have no interest in voting, or plan to vote yes .A vast number of the electorate currently range from confused to indifferent, with 29% unsure how to vote or planning to abstain. (O`Reilly, 2011) She believes over 90% of welsh people read English newspapers which are devoid of Welsh news. She also believes Welsh politics are marginalised by English press. However, one of the most effective tools to inform people about the content of voting is an official campaigns which is absent in the most of the time in Wales. (O`Reilly, 2011) O`Reilly claims that, the main campaigner for True Wales tactically was short sighted and her aim wasnt only to inform people about the risk of yes vote for referendum, However, she was confused and didnt know the exact aim of referendum. Banner was supported by Welsh rugby union executive Roger Lewis, however, she said, Yes for Wales was nonetheless denied public funding because legally campaigns must be funded on both sides, or not at all. (O`Reilly, 2011) The common interest of nationalist parties in Wales and Scotland The referendum in 1979 was a good opportunity for the nationalist parties in the UK to accelerate their political activities, such as Plaid Cymru and SNP (Scottish National Party). Nationalism is used as a strong political method in politics in the UK. (Fusaro, 1979) Unlike Nationalist parties in Northern Ireland, the two nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales they werent violent and they were less familiar to the English people. Plaid Cymru and SNP both used the logical method of the referendum to raise people`s attention and they have been more successful in elections in recent years. The important ideological differences between SNP and Plaid Cymru were based on historical differences between Wales and Scotland. Another difference is Plaid Cymru usually is to the left in respect of politics, whilst SNP usually stands to the right of the centre. But they have got common interests to support each other in order to reduce the power of Westminster. (Fusaro, 1979) The last referendum on 3th of May 2011, gives more power to Wales. This referendum was very vital and important for Welsh people in general and politicians in particular. Politicians as true representatives of the public in Wales can pass its own laws without asking for permission from Westminster. The majority of constituencies in Wales voted in favour of allowing the Welsh Assembly to legislate instead of Westminster in devolved policy areas, such as health, education and transport. These new powers will be executed in May 2011. This is a clear indicator of a new history of true Wales to determine its own destiny and take the appropriate steps for a better Wales. However, there are areas which will remain within the responsibility of central government; these are economy policies, defence and foreign affairs, policing, criminal justice, social security, employment and energy. (Wyn J, 2011) Political parties have different views about devolution in Wales Most of the Conservatives in Wales believed that the Plaid Cymru see devolution as a tool towards independence, thus, they were opposing Plaid Cymru idea of devolution. They were determined to confront further devolution in Wales, but in recent referendum on 3th of March 2011, the leadership of Conservatives in Wales was supporting the YES campaign. (Jones, 2010) This change in Conservatives policy towards devolution in Wales shows that people in Wales are determined to continue the process of devolution. On the other side, Labour, Plaid and Liberal Democrats as usual supporting the process of devolution for further referendum, however, there are some members of Labour and Liberal Democrats are have no desire to show further devolution in Wales. The coalition between Labour and Plaid could squeeze the power of the Conservatives in Wales. (Copus, 2009) Other significant reason that might help Nationalist Parties and Labour in Wales and Scotland was the discriminatory and wrong policies by the government of Thatcher before 1997. During 1979 and 1990 when Thatcher was prime minster she changed the economical policies and deregulated the financial sector then as a result of that unemployment rose rapidly especially in Wales. All these factors and discriminatory policies of Conservatives made Thatcher the most unpopular prime minster in Wales. The only political party in the UK that uniformly antagonised the devolution when it was approved in 1997 was Conservatives. (Jones, 2010) One of the main reasons that Plaid Cymru is more successful, in compare to other political parties in Wales, Plaid Cymru was established in Wales in 1925 and the main ideology of the party was independence for Wales and Social Democracy. Plaid Cymru unlike other parties in Wales concentrated on promoting and defending the culture and identity of Wales. The majority of Plaid Cymru supporters are located in the Welsh speaking areas in Wales; this is an indicator of how successful it was the nationalism slogans and policies of the party. (Simon, 2008) The leaders of plaid Cymru focuses on Waless economy, culture, language and identity. In the most of their speeches they dont mention England or other part of the UK. For instance, in a speech the leader of Plaid Cymru said that our party guaranteed over 50,000 jobs and 30,000 apprenticeships for Wales. He also said that Plaid `s policies have protected thousands of jobs in Wales during the hard recession and he also added that Wales economy will recover and once again will grow and the nation became wealthier. (Simon, 2008) Brief comparison of Kurdistan and Wales The first kingdom of Kurdistan was established 2711 years ago by king Dieko and they were known as median. Medians were in power until 580 BC, then gradually Cyrus the Great became the king of Median and Persian and incorporated both Median and Persian. One of the main reasons that Cyrus could rule these two nations was because his mother was Median and his father was Persian, thus, it was more possible for him to incorporate both nations under his kingdom. (Atroushi, 1994) In the 19th century Kurdistan was divided by two emperors the Sunni Muslim Ottomans and the Shi`i Muslim Safavids until the last Kurdish prince of Ardalan in 1865. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, President Woodrow Wilson tried to help to establish the Kurdish state in 1919. The Lausanne Treaty in 1923 completely undermined the issue of an independent Kurdistan. Having an independent country among Kurdish people anywhere in the world became a dream. One of the main differences between Wales and Kurdistan is the geopolitical location; the place where Wales is located in is Europe, this continent is the epicentre of democracy, tolerance and socialism in the world but the place where Kurdistan located is a place where countries still execute, imprison and torture the political activists. Unlike Wales Kurdistan has been occupied by some non democratic and dictator countries such as Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey they dont allow the Kurds to have referendum on independence. Kurdistan unlike other occupied nations in the world has got more potential to be an independent state. Kurdistan is rich in oil and other minerals such as; copper, iron, coal. Kurdistan is one of the best places in the earth for agriculture and as we know Kurdistan is the mother of Neolithic revolution in Mesopotamia which is now known as Kurdistan. (Atroushi, 1994) In March 1988 the world witnessed genocide against humanity in Halabja Kurdistan of Iraq. Friday March 1988 over 5000 humans lost their life by the chauvinist Arab government of Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of people fled Kurdistan to neighbouring countries to save their lives. However, after second Gulf War the resolution 688 of no fly zone was imposed to on the Iraqi government, under that resolution a part of Kurdistan got half autonomy. After the war against Saddam Hussein in 2003 and the collapse of the regime of Saddam Hussein in the same, Kurds in Iraq changed their solicitation from autonomy to federalism and this solicitation has been admired and accepted by international society and the majority of the Iraqi parliament. (Atroushi, 1994) The differences between Catalan and Wales in respect of devolution Catalonia incorporated with Spain for nearly 300 years, the existence of Catalonia goes back for more than 2000 years. Catalonia declared independence many time but hasnt been recognised by the Spanish government. Catalonia was a separate country and they had their own law and privileges until Felipe IV died in 1700. Gradually Catalonia`s ancient right were abolished and they were banned from speaking, reading and writing and Catalan, it was a crime for anyone to speak Catalan and they were imprisoned and punished for it. They closed down all Catalonia`s universities and replaced them with censored universities, they tried to destroy the Catalan culture and identity. Finally, the first Spanish Republic was formed in 1873, the most important thing which surprised the Catalonia was, and the first two presidents of the Spanish republic were Catalan. However, this republic didnt last more than one year but it was a good start and the opportunity for political parties to express themselves freely in other regions of Spain such as, Galicia and Basque country. In spite of all barriers, attempts and ethnocentrism by the Spanish central government, Catalan not only didnt become a lost nation, the Catalan language and traditions once again continued and showed its enriched culture. The Catalan economy`s success in the 19th century surprised the world and Spanish people in particular, these successes convinced central government, to accept and to believe in the ability of Catalonia . The great culture, economy, politics and traditions of Catalans encouraged central government and various political parties in Spain with different ideologies such as, socialists, Republicans and Carlists to pay more attention and to show more support to the Lliga Regionalista. Finally, in 1914 central government was convinced to offer some autonomy to Catalonia. But once again these concessions didnt last long, in the beginning of the 20th century, when Miguel Primo de Rivera came to power in 1923 he executed his as a dictator in Spain, thus, once again the Catalan language was banned, his dictatorship lasted until 1930. In 1931 the president of Generalitat came to power and he declared the federal republic of Catalonia but two years later a right wing government came to power in Madrid by general election. In 1936 dictator Franco became head of state of Spain. Franco was supported by his fascist allies, Italy and Germany. He killed, tortured and imprisoned many people in Spain. (Harris, 2008) President Luis Companys was captured by Nazis in France and extradited to Spain where he was executed in 1940. Catalonia was under bad economical, political, cultural and linguistic repressions. In the 1950s some Catalan groups organised under cover activities. Abbot Escare of Montserrat, a religious leader, who was supported by the Vatican, determined to fight against Franco. Catalan once again took control of Catalan society after the death of Franco in 1975. Finally, in 1980 the democratically elected Catalan parliament officially opened under the presidency of Jordi Pujol. In 2005 a new statute of autonomy was passed which guaranteed the Catalans identity as a nation but within the Spanish state. (Harris, 2008) Devolution in the Northern Ireland As we know the Northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland they were one nation and one country in 1169. Ireland was occupied by the Romans in 1169 and they ruled Ireland until middle Ages. After British victory in 1603 over Ulster, Britain controlled completely whole Ireland until 1801, but Irish people like other occupied nations resisted freeing their country. (NK, 2003) Finally, Britain inevitably signed a truce in 1921 which was considered as final solution of Irish problems to solve the dispute between the Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants and the ends of British occupation on the whole country. The above Armistice recognised the Free State of Republic of Ireland and continuation of the Northern part of Ireland as a part of United Kingdom. One of the main factors which encouraged the division of the Ireland and separated Ireland to the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland was religion. Majority of the southern part of Ireland are Catholics and the majority of the Northern part of Ireland is Protestants, thus, these religious differences since the Romans occupation in 1169 created conflict between Irish people in North and south of country. (NK, 2003) In 1997 along side of the Scotland and Wales, devolution return to the Northern Ireland in 1998 under the Good Friday Agreement, as the result of this agreement, the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly and power sharing executive was occurred. In March 2010 the Hillsborough Agreement, transferred the power of policing and justice to the Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement in 1998, transferred the below matters to the Northern Ireland: Transferred Matters: Education, Health and Agriculture. Reserved Matters: Policing and Criminal Law, which will be transferred to the assembly at the later date. Excepted Matters: Matters of National importance, such as defence, taxation and foreign policy.( NK,2003) The devolution in Belgium To find out the conflict between Dutch speaking Flanders and French speaking Francophone Wallonia we have to look at the history of Belgium. The name Belgium comes from Begae a Celtic tribe. Belgium existed before the first century. Belgium was occupied by Romans during the first century. Gradually, Romans lost their control over Belgium, and then Spain in 1519 invaded Belgium until 1713.The Belgium was occupied by Austria in 1713 to 1794. Belgium was ruled by different invaders since first century, but after all these rulers, once again Belgium was occupied by Napoleonic France in 1795. During the French Revolution but after the defeat of Napoleon`s army, Belgium divided from French territory and joined the Netherland as a part of the country by the congress of Vienna in 1815. (Humperdink, 2011) Finally, Belgium became independent from the Netherlands via an uprising of Belgians. The celebration of an independent Belgium didnt last longer than 1914. Belgium was occupied twice during 1914 and 1940 by Germany. Belgium was liberated by British, Canadian and American armies in 1944; these liberties helped Belgium to regain the economic and political power. But the language and political differences between Dutch Speaking Flanders and French speaking Wallonia encouraged the increase of division between them. The linguistic differences in Belgium encouraged Flanders and Wallonia people toward separation. According to a poll by Le Soir newspaper, over 49% of Wallonia people who are French speakers would like to become French if their country broke up. The majority of Flanders welcome autonomy because Flemish people are richer than Francophones. Flanders comprises 60% of Belgium population and they produce 75% of GDP and they pay more than 80% of the net taxes. Therefore the above economical differences might encourage the Flanders to attempt for more devolution and these kinds of nationalist movements alarmed the Francophones that Flanders nationalist encouraging Dutch speakers towards independence. (Humperdinck, 2011) However, Kriss Peeters the Ministry President of Flanders, in an interview with to BBC News said I am not in favour of independence , he also insisted the solidarity between Flanders and others will remain. Gie Goris the editor of Mo Magazine believes the countries which the political parties formed on the basis of ethnics, for instance, like Sri Lanka are inherently unstable. The aim of the New Flemish Alliance (NVA) separatist party is an independence country for Flanders the Dutch speakers in the Belgium. In an election in 2010 NVA took 27 seats of 150 seats of Belgium parliament. This support by Flanders, to NVA in the above election, indicates the interest of Flanders towards an independence country for Flanders. (Hughes, 2010) These Linguistic borders are one of the main factors to create fundamental division within the countries like Belgium. The comparison of countries, such as Belgium and Wales in respect of devolution, explains the impact of nationalism on public policies and how this ethnic linguistic differences divide the societies and creates separatist opinion and accelerate the this kind division towards independence. (Erk, 2003) Conclusion This assignment has discussed the idea of nationalism as one of the main factors that encourage people towards devolution. The activities of nationalists based on geopolitical, cultural differences and these differences created a kind of cultural and political hegemony. Thus, the countries such as Wales and Scotland, feel that their culture and identity assimilated, they believe the way central government dealing with their regions is based on discriminatory policies. It has been found that Religion as culture and linguistic differences is also one of the factors that divided the nations. Referencing Copus C(2009) English national parties in post devolution,(online) www.palgrave.journal.com. Accessed 18/01/2011. Erk J (2003) Linguistic borders, Journal of Public Policy, volume 23, issue 2. Ferhadi A (1992) The Kurds in Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria, (online) www.wrmea.com. Accessed 29/03/2011. Fusaro A (1979) Nationalism in the UK, (online) Polity journal, cited in ww

Wallace Stevens Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

In the essay â€Å"Why Stevens Must Be Abstract,† Charles Altieri says â€Å"Stevens realized that the abstraction he desired on the level of content might be possible without the traps of ideology, if he could adapt to poetry the testimonial, self-referential dimension of art explored in painting. An art that enacts what it asserts can be said to finesse ideology, because its assertions do not depend on relating to the world through propositional, or even dramatic, chains of inference that have obvious dependencies on beliefs within a particular social order.† (Italics mine) (322). Stevens’ movement toward adapting the testimonial, self-referential dimension of art in his poetry is apparent in comparison of his earliest and later work. His earliest poetry (pre-twentieth century) used a lyric style and content reflective of a Romantic/Humanist longing for organic unity seeking universal truth, described by Altieri as the ‘traps of ideology. His later poetry succeeds in finessing ideology, using abstraction and stylistic invention to depart from the universal and engage the reader in a modernist experience. In this paper I will demonstrate an evolution in Stevens work toward a successful use of abstraction to ‘finesse ideology’ and create an art that enacts what it asserts. While this evolution can be seen throughout his work and applies to a multitude of themes, for the purposes of this paper I will focus on his use of seasonal and life cycle metaphor to engage the reader in the experience of the poem; the concept of negation as the point of emergence; and the use of structural techniques to enact the experience of negation and emergence in both form and content. Stevens’ Assertion It is important to identify the assertio... ...pher. â€Å"The Moving Eye in Williams’ Earlier Poetry,† in William Carlos Williams: Man and Poet, Carroll F., Terrell (Ed.). (Orono, ME: National Poetry Foundation) 1983. Eeckhout, Bart. Wallace Stevens and the Limits of Reading and Writing. (Columbia: University of Missouri Press) 2002. Harel, Kay. â€Å"Again Is An Oxymoron,† in The Wallace Stevens Journal, 26, (Spring 2002). Stevens, Wallace. Collected Poetry and Prose. Kermode, Frank (Ed.) and Richardson, Joan (Ed.). (New York, NY: Penguin Putnam, Inc.) 1997. Walsh, Thomas F. Concordance of the Poetry of Wallace Stevens. (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press) 1963. Referenced in Eeckhout, Wallace Stevens and the Limits of Reading and Writing. Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Agnes, Michael (Ed.) and Gurlanik, David B. (Ed.) (Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide) 2001. Wallace Stevens Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays In the essay â€Å"Why Stevens Must Be Abstract,† Charles Altieri says â€Å"Stevens realized that the abstraction he desired on the level of content might be possible without the traps of ideology, if he could adapt to poetry the testimonial, self-referential dimension of art explored in painting. An art that enacts what it asserts can be said to finesse ideology, because its assertions do not depend on relating to the world through propositional, or even dramatic, chains of inference that have obvious dependencies on beliefs within a particular social order.† (Italics mine) (322). Stevens’ movement toward adapting the testimonial, self-referential dimension of art in his poetry is apparent in comparison of his earliest and later work. His earliest poetry (pre-twentieth century) used a lyric style and content reflective of a Romantic/Humanist longing for organic unity seeking universal truth, described by Altieri as the ‘traps of ideology. His later poetry succeeds in finessing ideology, using abstraction and stylistic invention to depart from the universal and engage the reader in a modernist experience. In this paper I will demonstrate an evolution in Stevens work toward a successful use of abstraction to ‘finesse ideology’ and create an art that enacts what it asserts. While this evolution can be seen throughout his work and applies to a multitude of themes, for the purposes of this paper I will focus on his use of seasonal and life cycle metaphor to engage the reader in the experience of the poem; the concept of negation as the point of emergence; and the use of structural techniques to enact the experience of negation and emergence in both form and content. Stevens’ Assertion It is important to identify the assertio... ...pher. â€Å"The Moving Eye in Williams’ Earlier Poetry,† in William Carlos Williams: Man and Poet, Carroll F., Terrell (Ed.). (Orono, ME: National Poetry Foundation) 1983. Eeckhout, Bart. Wallace Stevens and the Limits of Reading and Writing. (Columbia: University of Missouri Press) 2002. Harel, Kay. â€Å"Again Is An Oxymoron,† in The Wallace Stevens Journal, 26, (Spring 2002). Stevens, Wallace. Collected Poetry and Prose. Kermode, Frank (Ed.) and Richardson, Joan (Ed.). (New York, NY: Penguin Putnam, Inc.) 1997. Walsh, Thomas F. Concordance of the Poetry of Wallace Stevens. (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press) 1963. Referenced in Eeckhout, Wallace Stevens and the Limits of Reading and Writing. Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Agnes, Michael (Ed.) and Gurlanik, David B. (Ed.) (Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide) 2001.

How to Sell A Website :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

How to Sell A Website Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com It is a joyous time when you are ready to sell your website. While you will be fraught with questions and unknown variables when ultimately you decide to sell your website it can be like winning a jackpot and a big change to your life. You might have been building your web business for years, consistently working on it day after day and night after night. When it finally sells you get a (hopefully) big cash injection and move on to new projects feeling renewed and excited about your future prospects. But before this can happen you have to make the sale, which in and of itself is a tricky task. I sold a website back in 2004 and at the time it was a pretty big deal for me. I had built the site for a hobby in 1998. The funny thing was I didn’t really think about selling my site because it was making money so consistently. It had become so routine that it was just part of my life. One day it dawned on me - Why can’t I sell it? It produces revenue so has a value - let’s give it a go! I really wanted to move on to other projects and just the idea of not having to look after the site was a huge relief - I knew selling it was the right thing to do. But how on earth do you sell a website? How To Sell A Website I’m going to recount the processes I went through to sell my site. By no means should you consider what I did as hard and fast rules but they should give you some guidelines. Remember that there are many ways you can go about the process and you should explore all your options before deciding to sell. How Much Is Your Site Worth? Your site is worth as much as someone is willing to give you for it. Simple answer really. I know, that doesn’t help when you go out advertising a site for sale and everyone is asking how much you want for it and you don’t know what to say. You don’t want to undercut yourself especially after years of hard work, but then again, you are selling a website - virtual property - it just seems a little bit strange doesn’t it.

Drug Usage In Todays Youth Essay -- Essays Papers

Drug Usage In Today's Youth Today's teenagers cry out incessantly for their personal freedom but have thrown their responsibilities as well as their right to these personal freedoms out the window with their increasing turn towards drugs. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 1997, nearly fifty percent of high school seniors have used marijuana. i This is a shocking statistic. However, it not as shocking as the fact that this percentage has been on a steady increase since 1992 and has shown no sign of leveling out any time soon. The youth of today have not only started to use illicit drugs in more frequently, but drugs are reaching a greater number of adolescents and teenagers each year. One big problem with today's youth is that the majority does not fear the consequences of drugs. In addition, they are increasingly using illicit drugs and almost regard drugs as the popular thing to do. There are countless movies out where today's youth is portrayed as drug users. Even if it is not a drug based movie, there is at least one comment on, reference to, or portrayal of the use of drugs by all types of people. The worst part about it is that it is not only the stereotype drug user in these movies that is using the drugs. In fact, in several of the pop culture movies that have been released in the past few years it is the most popular kids in school that are using the drugs. For instance in the movie "Clueless," at a party, Cher and the other popular kids smoke marijuana and make it sound like it is all right to do. This portrayal of not only the slackers, but also the cool kids in today's society using drugs is a big influence on today's youth that using drugs is ok. Using drugs is irresponsible, unh... ... and added personal freedom, this is hindered by the addition of drugs to this natural cycle. If a user is to irresponsible to not see the disadvantages of drugs why should any freedom be gained. The problem with today's society is that they always want the quick fix to everything. This is upheld with the youth of today's society wanting personal freedom, but no responsibility. i High School Youth and Trends. NIDA Infofax. Database on-line. Available from http://www.nida,nih.gov/Infofax/HSYouthtrends.html ii Hamilton, Linda. "Recreational Drugs: An Alluring Threat to Your Body Chemistry." Dance Magazine, January 1996 iii Same as ii. iv Brook, Judith S., Balka, Elinor B., Whiteman, Martin. "The Risks for Late Adolescence of Early Adolescent Marijuana Use." American Journal of Public Health, October 1999 v Same as iv.

A Class Prophecy

CLASS PROPHECY â€Å"It’s already 10:30 in the morning, I must hurry or else I will be late for my next flight. † I suddenly exclaimed as I look at my watch to check the time. It was the last day of my trip here in Seoul, a getaway from the pressures of being a neurosurgeon. I immediately left the hotel to get my car and drive myself to the airport. While I am looking out the window of my car, the big screens in the busy streets caught my attention featuring the fashion and showbiz industry.Speaking of fashion, Angelica Somoray, a supermodel, is now a well-known K-Pop performer who is soon to be married. Desiree Micairan, an accountant, owns a workshop for dancing, singing and acting. Elaina Lara is currently working in her newest romantic movie with the most sought after leading man, Mike Joshua Luchana, who is hailed as the â€Å"Actor of the Decade. † These three girls, Angelica, Desiree, and Elaina are also International Dance Icons who replaced the Pussycat Dolls. As I arrive in the airport.I never expected that I would run into my former classmate, Celina Burlat dressed with a uniform that has the logo of a U. S Airline. She is now a flight stewardess taking the same trip to France where she and her family migrated. While waiting for departure, Celina handed me a magazine that features Mr. Vhan Gonzales, and Mr. Alexis Virgel Aladad who are successful business tycoons. After some time, the pilot announces that we are almost ready to depart. Such voice seems so familiar to me.So that when the stewardess announces the names of the pilots, I was really sure that the pilot of the plane which I was boarding is our former classmate, Jay Roll Solon, and his assistant, Jason Baterbonia. So when the plane landed in the airport, I did not waste time to meet the pilots. When we were standing face to face each other, I could hardly believe to see the pilots such handsome & self-assured persons in their pilot uniforms. They invited me to a flashy lounge in the airport. We were so excited to meet again and we talked about our present lives as well as reminisce our high school experiences.I ask about our former classmates and immediately, Jay Roll, having met many of them to different parts of the world, told me about their success and their whereabouts. John Riel Deiparine and Daniel Van Manaez who are both famous classical musicians, are currently in a world concert tour. John Riel was named as the â€Å"Mozart of the 21st century. † Daniel, on the other hand, is named as â€Å"The Great Soprano. † Runette Marie Diaz, the writer of the best cooking magazine in the world, owns 52 branches of her Spanish Restaurant.Oscar Awardee, Nicole Manuawan was declared as one of the richest people in the world by Forbes Magazine. The Chicago Bulls sharp shooter Kevin Cortez who replaced Derrick Rose led his team on a championship game against the big-three of Miami Heat who were Randy Gumapac, Ryan Lara, and Clark Lauron. T hey are few of the Filipino Athletes in the NBA League. May Roselle Joyce Ang, owns one of the most prestigious commercial banks in the world. Marjewrie Gallego, a lawyer in profession, is elected as judge in the International Criminal Court.John Dorryl Payumo works as a manager at the Microsoft Company. He is one of the founders of the latest social networking site. John Aleth Bocal, who is a clinical pharmacist, owns the famous Aleth’s Pharmacy. After bonding with the pilots, I got into my car and drive to the nearest hotel to stay in. The next morning, I started the day with a prayer. I turned on the television and again, I saw Bea Ayuban on her daily news segment, â€Å"Good Morning Bea† with her co-host who is apparently his husband, Tombelle Lara. Tombelle is one of the members of the famous Altima Band.The lead vocalist, Julian Caderao, is on a vacation trip with her fiance. After the segment, I turned the TV off. All of a sudden, my phone began to ring. It was Engineer Kristine Joy Alcordo inviting me to visit her home. It was already dark when I reached her home. My friends, Engineer Leo Abunda and Architect Xena Gonzales were also there. They told me about the constructions they have been through. Kristine, Leo, and Xena are the men behind those great buildings around the world. The night was fun bonding with them. Not until the neighboring house began to explode on fire.I quickly opened my eyes and realized that I was only dreaming as my classmates laugh because I was taking a nap in our Economics class under Sir Jefferson Guinang. But for me, it is not only a dream. It is a dream that needs fulfillment. If only we persevere, study hard, and pray, nothing would be impossible to be reached. This prophecy serves as a challenge among the Seniors. May we all achieve these realms. Thank you and God Bless Us All. Written by: downbeatdynamo. tumblr. com Written for: IV – EMERALDS BATCH 2011-2012

E-Business and E-Commerce

INTRODUCTION E-Business is important in future perspectives considering that the amount of trade conducted electronically have grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. E-bussiness uses the internet and other networks as well as a variety of Internet technologies to support e-commerce and business processes. It includes e-commerce, which is the buying and selling of products or services over the Internet. The Internet and related technologies have changed the way businesses are operated and people work. I.E-BUSINESS A. What is it Many businesses today are using Internet technologies to conduct business processes over the Internet. E-business can be defined as the use of the Internet and other networks, as well as Internet technologies to work and facilitate business processes, electronic commerce and enterprise collaboration within a company and with its customers, suppliers and business partners. Generally, any online exchange of information, money, resources and servi ces is a part of e-business. B. E-business infrastructureE-business infrastructure made up of a variety of components. It includes hardware, softwares, support services, human capital and telecommunication networks. Examples of hardware are computers, servers and routers. Human capital, such as information system specialists and programmers, is important to operate e-business processes. In addition, many companies use networks such as intranet that is a private network inside a company for managers and employees, and extranet, which links a company with its customers, suppliers and business partners outside the company.Other companies use a virtual private network (VPN) which provides a private line through the internet. It uses the public Internet backbone as a channel for private data communication (3:20). Thus, a VPN allows remote offices, business partners and customers to use the Internet, rather than expensive private lines, to reach company networks by using tunneling softwar e. This software encrypts data and then sends the data to their destination. II. E-COMMERCE A. What is itE-commerce is the buying, selling, marketing and servicing of products, services and information over the Internet and other networks. Many businesses use the Internet, intranet and extranet to support the commercial processes including advertising, sales, customer support and Internet security. Most advertisements on the Web are in the form of sending e-mails and banner ads, which is in shape of a long horizontal rectangle on the top of the Web page (3:10). These advertisements could attract a huge number of visitors to the advertised Web site.E-commerce website must help customers to welcome and serve them personally and efficiently in order to increase customer loyalty. B. E-commerce advantages and disadvantages E commerce has several advantages. For sellers, e-commerce is an effective way to reduce costs and enlarge their markets. They cut additional labor cost and they do no t need to print and distribute mail order catalogs. In addition, e -commerce allows customers to compare prices at different websites.Then, they make purchases at their homes at any time. E-commerce websites offer variety of products for example electronic books, music files and computer softwares. However, e-commerce has some disadvantages. Consumers are not willing to buy some products over the Internet because of security and quality concerns. Online furniture businesses, for example, have failed because customers want to test the comfort of an expensive item such as sofa before they purchase it (1:1).

Obesity: Who Is at Fault?

Obesity: Who is at Fault? Name University of International Business and Economics Obesity: Who is at Fault? It is no secret that an increasing amount of Americans are gaining weight and much of this blame is put on fast food establishments such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and Krystal’s, to name a few. According to Warren Belasco and Philip Scranton (2002), â€Å"The increasing consumption of convenience foods is an international trend influenced by changing lifestyles† (p. 3) From a superficial perspective, this doesn’t seem like much of a problem.However, Robert Jeffery and Simone French (1998), authors of the article Epidemic Obesity in the United States: Are Fast Food and Television Viewing Contributing? assert that â€Å"Obesity is an important public health problem that, in recent years, has reached epidemic proportions† (p. 277). In fact, some are calling the problem the â€Å"obesity epidemic. † Several lawsuits against fast food establishments have been filed by those who are overweight. It’s a serious problem, one that cannot be ignored. Before anyone assumes that it’s just the United States, think again.With the increasing number of fast food establishments in countries other than the United States, such as China, Japan, and Brazil, so are obesity rates. The obesity epidemic can no longer be ignored and must be solved. While the problem is known, the source of it is not and must be traced. What exactly is the source of obesity? Many people believe it to be fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Krystals, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell. After all, are they not the ones distributing the food so unhealthy and high in calories? Are they not the ones advertising delicious, backstabbing food?Are they not the ones making the food so addictive that the consumers have no choice but to eat it and come back for more? It is not a secret that there have been countless lawsuits against fast food establishments. One of the most popular lawsuits, Pelman v. McDonald’s, has been nicknamed the â€Å"McLawsuit. † In this lawsuit, two overweight children (one of whom was nineteen years old) sued McDonald’s seeking compensation for their health related problems cause by obesity. There is no debate that most people understand that fast food is unhealthy, regardless of what the Pelman v.McDonald’s lawsuit claims. There have been documentaries recording, such as Morgan Spurlocks’ Supersize Me, in which he eats McDonald’s for three meals for a month. The result is irrevocable and much more severe than any of the three doctors he had hired imagined. It would be hard to find someone that denied that fast food was unhealthy. However, this does not mean that it is the reason for obesity. Fast food establishments should not be blamed for the obesity epidemic because when it all comes down to it, it†™s a simple matter of choice.Fast food establishments do not hold their consumers at gunpoint and force them to buy their food, nor do they additives in their products to make it chemically addictive, despite what the plaintiffs lawsuit claim. Todd G. Buchholz, an international economist, keynote speaker, and author of â€Å"Are Fast-Food Establishments Making Americans Fat† poses an interested scenario: The overweight baseball fan jumps to his feet in the bleachers of Wringley Field, screaming for the Chicago Cubs to hold onto their 3-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning.He squeezes a Cubs pennant on his left hand while shoving a mustard-smeared hot dog into his mouth with the right. The Dodgers have a runner on the first who is sneaking a big lead off the base. The Cubs’ pitcher has thrown three balls and two strikes to the batter, a notorious power hitter. The obese fan holds his breath, while the pitcher winds up and fires a blazing fastball. ‘Crack! â €™ The ball flies over the fan’s head into the bleachers for a game-winning home run. The fan slumps to his bleacher seat and has a heart attack. Who should the fan sue? a) The Cubs for breaking his heart? (b) The hot dog company for making a fatty food? (c) The hot dog vendor for selling him a fatty food? (d) All of the above? (p. 1) While this scenario seems completely absurd, there is quite a lot of truth in how today’s society works. The question that Buchholz proposes must be dealt with. Just who is to blame for obesity? The vendors? The fast food corporations? There have been lawsuits, many which are still prevalent today. The question has not been answered and people are still seeking answers.As stated earlier, many believe the fault lies with the fast food corporations, which is why countless lawsuits have been filed against them. However, perhaps there is more than one reason why fast food establishments have been under attack. Buchholz examines this very perspective. Lawyers are under pressure to take these cases for fear that if they do not, their reputation will be tarnished. Under any normal circumstances, it would be easy to turn the cases down. Unfortunately for them, it they are no considered normal circumstances.Despite the popularity of fast food, it has become quite popular for people to denounce the restaurants because of reasons such as: the food is making the people fat, the corporations brainwash kids, and they bribe the children with toys. Michelle M. Mello, Eric B. Rimm, and David M. Studdert analyze one lawsuit in particular. Pelman v. McDonald’s, or rather, the â€Å"McLawsuit,† as it was dubbed by the public, was filed against McDonald’s by two overweight children seeking compensation for their health problems caused by obesity. They had claimed that McDonald’s had deployed deceptive advertising, promotion, and sales.In addition, the corporation had produced food that was not only unsafe but had also failed to warn consumers of the dangers of its products. It is quite interesting to note that the plaintiff’s attorney had also filed a similar lawsuit against McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants on behalf of adults. Believing it would be unsuccessful, the attorney withdrew the case to pursue Pelman. With children as plaintiffs, it was believed that the success would be higher, as the children would be seen as representatives of the afflicted population (Mello, et al. 2003, p. 208).The judge, Judge Sweet, dismissed the case, stating, â€Å"Nobody is forced to eat at McDonald’s, except, perhaps, parents of small children who desire McDonald’s food, toy promotions or playgrounds and demand their parents’ accompaniment†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Stout 2003). In an interview with the plaintiff’s lawyer’s colleague, John Banzhaf, he admits: The biggest problem is what lawyers call causation†¦it’s hard to tell what cau sed a heart attack. What percentage is obesity, versus other factors? And was McDonald’s 4 percent, versus 2 perfect for Haagen-Dazs? Everybody knows that, if you want to lose weight, you eat less, less calorie input, and more exercise.You don’t have to learn that. (The Center for Consumer Freedom, 2003) The case drew national attention but many spectators realized it was more or less a farce in order to make a few extra dollars for the plaintiffs and their lawyer. The authors list key points of the case made by the plaintiffs’ lawyers, one of which the case is compared to those made against tobacco companies. However, there are significant differences. Unlike tobacco cases, there has been no evidence to prove that fast food contains chemicals that are addictive. Mello, Rimm, and Studdert are not the only ones to note this. Buchholz also acknowledges this key point.Additionally, no person has claimed that they have ever become sick from â€Å"second hand† eating. Another key point is that while cigarette research has been consistent over the years, diet research fails to do the same. In fact, their research is often contradictory. There are claims that the consumers are often too ignorant to understand the risks of the food they eat. However, this is a moot point of fast food restaurants. Consumers are becoming more aware of nutritional and caloric value of food and because of this, fast food restaurants, have reacted by making their nutritional value readily available to the public.Not only that, they have also changed their menu to feature more salads and foods with less calories. Buchholz brings up yet another important and crucial point: to understand the answer, you must understand the nature surrounding the problem. He states that even with the popularity of fast food establishments, people still eat two thirds of their daily calories at home. So while critics do a wonderful job of portraying fast food restaurants as manipulat ive, evil corporations, they fail to compare fast food to food made at home, school, or restaurants that do not fall into the fast food category.While plaintiffs’ lawyers condemn the nutritional value of fast food, they fail to acknowledge that alternatives are just as bad. For example, school meals are not much better than fast foods. While the schools provide few calories, in place is more saturated fat, more than fast food establishments provide. Saturated fat is â€Å"the more dangerous subset of fats† (Buccholz, p. 4). In fact, Buchholz notes, fast food actually has fewer calories today than they did four decades ago. In the 1970s, the fat content of fast food meals and home cooked meals were very similar.Even twenty-nine years ago, while home cooking may have won prizes for their extraordinary taste, very few would receive them from today’s nutritionists. Of course, that’s not the only thing to focus on. Modern jobs frequently require less physical work, meaning less time spent burning calories and more time being stationary. There are more desk jobs, which means workers are paid to sit in their seats rather than exert energy. Work at home jobs are also more prevalent. With the growing popularity of the Internet, money can be made without even taking a step outside of the house.A survey shows that while people are not eating larger meals, they are snacking a lot more, something that definitely contributes to the calorie count. According to Buchholz, people have actually doubled the calories consumed between meals. This is a crucial point to keep in mind when examining the cause for obesity. Portion size is something else that is also criticized harshly. While fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s have been super sizing meals, they seem to be the target of many consumers despite other places that have also been supersizing their food, with little or no criticism.Examples provided by Buchholz include movie theatre popc orn containers or all-you-can-eat buffets. Studies show that people can eat bigger portions of fast food-like meals such as hamburgers and fries not at the restaurants but in their own home kitchen. Home cooked hamburgers on average now weigh eight ounces rather than the five to seven ounces served in restaurants, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Despite the movie theatre down the block selling super sized popcorn or the all-you-can-eat buffet, which encourages people to loosen their belt buckle, they are not under attack as a cause for obesity. Common sense dictates that McDonald’s, even if they have a super size option, does not encourage the consumer to eat all they can. All-you-can-eat buffets, on the other hand, do. Buffets encourage the consumer to exceed the limitations of their stomach and eat as much as possible. However, ironically, buffets have evaded the line of attack and blame by consumers.Yes, fast food restaurants contain plenty of calories and no one denies that this is not healthy. However, in comparison with other food alternatives, fast food does not seem as bad as the media portrays them to be. â€Å"Unlike smoking, fast food appears to be safe when consumed in moderation†¦scientists at snack-food companies have reportedly investigated how certain foods trigger overeating, but not damning evidence has emerged that food manufacturers manipulate the content of their products to get consumers addicted† (Mello et al. p. 211) Moderation is the key. In a study done by Robert W.Jeffery and Simone A. French, the objective was to observe the correlation of TV, fast food, and body mass index (BMI). The results showed that the former two were positively correlated with BMI in women but not in men, and predicted weight gain in women with high income. This information is supports the claims made by Buchholz. Buchholz stated before that there are more people simply staying in one place rather tha n burning calories. Such is what happens with television viewing. To watch television means to do little to not moving, equaling to no calories burnt. Epidemic Obesity in the United States: Are Fast Foods and Television Contributing† concluded that increases in availability of fast food and television may contribute to growing obesity rates. Fast food is a lot more prominent and available than it was in the past. It is simply a lot more accessible than before. However, Buchholz has this point covered; while fast food is a lot more prominent, so are jobs that require less moving and increase in time to eat and snack. Fast food may contribute to obesity but it simply not the only cause, nor should it be the main focus if people are looking to fix the problem.In â€Å"Fast Food: Unfriendly and Unhealthy† by S Stender, J Dyerberg, and A Astrup, association between fast food intake and weight gain is shown. The authors note ways in which fast food can be â€Å"obesogenic. à ¢â‚¬  One must look at necessary things such as the portion size, energy density and fat content. The authors then conclude that reducing portions to normal sizes, eliminating trans fat, switching to lean meat, and other such actions would benefit the consumers in their quest for lowering obesity rates. However, by reducing portions to one size takes away the right of the consumer to make choices, argues Buchholz (p. 0). Beyond medical research, Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker, produced the documentary Super Size Me in 2004. In this film, Spurlock undergoes a mission to see what would happen to his body if he eats McDonald’s three times a day for one month. The rules were simple: if it wasn’t on the McDonald’s menu, he couldn’t have it; he must sample everything on the menu within thirty days; he must have McDonald’s three times a day; he can only and must super size the meal when asked; and will attempt to walk as much as the t ypical American.Throughout the film, Spurlock goes through a change, both physically and mentally. His three doctors, nutritionalist, and personal trainer that he had hired all agreed that he was physically above average before his experiment began. Though all three doctors had predicted that the â€Å"Mcdiet† would have a negative effect on his body, none expected anything to be as drastic as what really happened, included but not limited to heart palpitations, and liver deterioration. Some of the results were irreversible.At the end of the documentary, Spurlock shows that some people do indeed eat McDonald’s more frequently than they should, resulting in their weight gain and obesity health issues. Spurlocks’ main focus is on the negative impact of McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants. However, this is unfair to the corporations. While McDonald’s may cause health problems, it only does so when consumed frequently. Even though he has shown t hat there are people who eat McDonald’s frequently, he failed to mention that the consumers have a choice.Fast food corporations are not holding their consumers at gunpoint and forcing them to buy their food but Spurlock presents his information in such a way as to convince his audience that it is indeed the corporations who are at fault and thus, it would be counterintuitive to his position on the subject matter. Daniel J. DeNoon (2006), author of â€Å"Obesity More Complex Than We Think? ,† suggests that even though doctors are blaming obesity on overeating and inactivity, there are other factors that play critical roles. Even if the other causes have little effect, they may together make a big difference.Other reasons include, but are not limited to, lack of sleep, pollution, and prevalence of air conditioning, side effects of medicine, genetics, and age. So while fast food corporations may contribute to the obesity problem by providing food high in calories, the co rporations cannot control any of the other factors that may lead to obesity. While it seems to be quite the trend for consumers sue fast food corporations for their obesity problems, one must reconsider if the question of whether the problem lies within the food or the corporation and reevaluate their position.It’s easy to point the finger and there is no denying that fast food, when consumed frequently, is harmful. However, there has been no evidence stating that when consumed in moderation it is harmful. Unlike the lawsuits against tobacco companies, there is nothing chemically addictive about fast food, nor has anyone died of second hand eating, since swallowing food requires self consent. In fact, fast food restaurants have been proven to not be physically addictive (Buchholz 3).By blaming corporations for the food the public is choosing to eat, it suggests that the public is incapable of making wise decisions and thus degrades the individual. Everybody wants a scapegoat for their problems because nobody likes to admit that it may not be their personal fault. Fast food isn’t to blame. The consumers are. Fast food establishments aren’t making consumers fat. Consumers are making consumers fat. Works Cited Belasco, W. , & Scranton, P. (2001). Food nations. Routledge. Buchholz, T. (2003). Are fast-food establishments making americans fat?.Journal of Controversial Medical Claims, 10(4), 1-10. DeNoon, D. (2006, June 27). Obesity more complex than we think?. Retrieved from www. webmd. com/content/article/124/115592 Jeffery, R. , & French, S. (1998). Epidemic obesity in the united states: Are fast foods and television viewing contributing?. American Journal of Public Health, 88(2), 227 228. Mello, M. , Rimm, E. , & Studdert, D. (1998). The mclawsuit: The fast-food industry and legal accountability for obesity. American Journal of Public Health, 88(2), 207 216.Special report: Judge dismisses frivolous mclawsuit. (2003, January 22). Retrieved fr om http://www. consumerfreedom. com/2003/01/1753-special-report-judge-dismisses frivolous-mclawsuit/ Spurlock, M. (Director) (2004). Super size me [DVD]. Stender, S. , Dyerberg, J. , & Astrup, A. (2007). Fast food: Unfriendly and unhealthy. International Journal of Obesity, 31, 887-890. doi: 10. 1038 Stout, D. (2003, January 24). Obese teens lose mclawsuit. Retrieved from http://www. theage. com. au/articles/2003/01/23/1042911491525. html