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Brave New World By Aldous Huxley - 983 Words

Imagine a world where complete control is in the hands of the government. Imagine a world where science, literature, religion, and even family, do not exist. Imagine a world where citizens are conditioned to accept this. This is exactly how the world is portrayed in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The focus of the World State is on society as a whole rather than on individuals. Some characters from the novel have a harder time accepting the conditioning. Through these characters, we learn the true cost of a government-dominated society. In Brave New World, Huxley conveys that a totalitarian government will provide happiness and peace by abolishing individuality and free thinking. In a Brave New World, the government creates a society that provides prosperity and unity even after revoking individuality. The characters are conditioned to be happy and accept their place in society. They are assigned a caste position which determines their physical features and also their job. The cont rol extends to the color of clothes they wear and the transportation they use. In this society, citizens are not allowed to be an individual. It is difficult to believe that citizens in any society could accept this amount of control and remain content. Why are there no revolutions by the people? Why don’t they question their placements and roles in society? Why don’t the citizens accost the government? Mustapha Mond explains to John, Helmholtz, and Bernard why the government believes theShow MoreRelatedA Brave New World by Aldous Huxley668 Words   |  3 PagesIn Brave New World, there are similarities that have a deeper meaning that we can understand. There are personal effects in Aldous Huxley life that contribute to what he has written in the book. Aldous Huxley throughout his life have seen, done, and events have happened to him, just like all of us, but he has expressed it in his book. So when Aldous wrote the he had so many ideas. I have read the book; it’s notRead MoreBrave New World by Aldous Huxley811 Words   |  3 Pages Brave New World is based around characters who gave up the right of freedom for happiness; characters who ignored the truth so that they could live in a utopian civilization. The deceiving happiness was a constant reminder throughout the book. Almost every character in Brave New World did whatever they could to avoid facing the truth about their own situations. In this society, happiness is not compatible with the truth because the World State believes that happiness was at the expense of theRead MoreBrave New World By Aldous Huxley1525 Words   |  7 PagesA Brave New Feminist The novel Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley in 1932 is known for its social satire, utopian values, and unusual standpoints on stereotypical gender roles. In this time where futuristic technology has completely taken over, and men and women are given the same opportunities for everything, â€Å"the genders appear equal within the social order; both men and women work at the same jobs, have equal choice in sexual partners, and participate in the same leisure pursuits† (MarchRead MoreA Brave New World by Aldous Huxley664 Words   |  3 Pagesfor the fact being in the future and in the past time has changed and many differences were made. In his Dystopian Society Huxley portrays masses of niches where the government produces clones for specific reasons. Huxley decides throughout Brave New World that cloning humans is unethical. He then becomes in contact with the society’s most powerful Alphas and Betas clones. Huxley suggest in BNW that lower class groups in clo ning humans to act like servants to terrorize them into working hard conditionsRead MoreA Brave New World by Aldous Huxley1189 Words   |  5 Pages In the world of sex, drugs, and baby cloning you are going to be in many situations where you feel like the world we live in should be different. In the story Brave New World, they had sex with multiple partners along with a very bad use of drugs. It is weird that Aldous Huxley wrote this book in 1931 about the world he was living in during that time and how it is similar to the world we live in today. Nowadays, drugs are still being used and people are still engaging in sexual encounters withRead MoreBrave New World By Aldous Huxley968 Words   |  4 PagesAldous Huxley’s utopia in Brave New World foreshadowed and illuminated the complications within modern day society. Upon its release, the narrative became widely banned all over the United States due to the unorthodox thoughts and actions of multiple characters in it. Early readers, as well as modern day audiences, feared and rejected the ideals that Huxley incorporated into his perfect society; however, our society today is heading towards the dark paths the older generations desired to avoid. Read MoreA Brave New World by Aldous Huxley895 Words   |  4 Pagesthe novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley tells of a society where everyone is the same but, compared to t oday’s society, everything is different. Huxley tells of a world where everything that happens or takes place is because of one’s own desire and nothing more. The hero in the novel, a â€Å"savage† named John, is Huxley’s main focal point. It is through his eyes and mind that the reader sees what’s going on. Now when I read this novel, I began to think, â€Å"Could this perfect, conformed world actuallyRead MoreA Brave New World by Aldous Huxley1684 Words   |  7 Pagesimperfect world and is usually only a hopeful dream. These types of worlds can greatly be described in detail through the world of science fiction. Aldous Huxley was an English writer who lived during a time when war and chaos were engulfing the world. His works reflect his view and thoughts on a dystopia, which is a false utopia, and describes what could occur in possible governments of the world. The ability to understand and dive into the thoughts of the author is what make s world literatureRead MoreA Brave New World by Aldous Huxley614 Words   |  2 Pagesthem truly happy. What if someone were to tell you that what you thought was true happiness was all an illusion. In a Brave New World by Aldous Huxley people in the world state are conditioned and drugged up by soma to not experience true happiness. In a world that is perfect, human beings do not have to depend on drugs to keep our world in balance. In a Brave New World by Aldous Huxley there is always a perfect drug called soma that keeps everyone happy, which they have based their society on. ThisRead MoreA Brave New World by Aldous Huxley948 Words   |  4 PagesWelcome to a world were â€Å"Brave† is not just a word; It has a true meaning. This is a story were everything as you know it, doesn’t seem to be right and will completely change your way of thinking. When this story was written, life was very harsh for many people†¦.Mostly for the author who wrote â€Å"Brave New World† During this time (1930s) they didn’t have much sexual content Living The Future Of The Past In The Present†¦.. In the air; But Aldous made a future full of sex for them and we are the

The European Union Sets Guaranteed Prices to Farmers Free Essays

The European Union sets guaranteed prices to farmers for agricultural products. This is in order to encourage production. Show how this can happen with a supply and demand diagram. We will write a custom essay sample on The European Union Sets Guaranteed Prices to Farmers or any similar topic only for you Order Now The provision of food is extremely significant for the human well-being so agricultural markets have always been treated in a different way by governments. There are various factors on which the success of farmers depends. It is not a simple production that needs a certain amount of resources to manufacture a certain amount of products which will bring expected profits. Variable determinants of the agricultural market like the weather or natural disasters create a situation in which in order to maintain a particular amount of food available on the market, governments encourage farmers to produce more. They tend to do it in a similar way, often, by providing them with subsidies and setting guaranteed prices of the products. Pic. 1. This diagram shows us the correlation between the supply and demand curves in the farming sector. Both of them are quite inelastic, because of a constant need for agricultural products and their regular provision. We can see that the excess of supply is cause by the encouraging policy of the EU, increasing the competition among the farmers. This leads to a greater supply which is often far above the real demand. The difficult matter to solve for authorities is setting the actual minimum price, because the consumers would obviously prefer a lower price than the farmers. This leads to many misunderstandings and mistakes in the chain of supporting the agricultural production. The European Union decided to create a whole system of subsidies for the farmers. However, to maintain the food safety within its borders, the EU established guaranteed prices for products. This particular system of intervention is called the Common Agricultural Policy, The CAP. The farming sector is protected and purposefully kept stable. The most important aim of CAP is to sustain regular supplies from the farming branch. Bad weather conditions or natural disasters usually harm the harvest and decrease the amount of agricultural products. To maintain a particular amount of food available on the market, he EU decided to encourage farmers to grow more crops, developing the competition among them, but what is even more important, increasing the number of suppliers. This means that generally more products are available, even in extreme situations. Guaranteed prices also allow to keep farmers’ income during good harvest when prices would be driven down and protect consumers form incredibly high prices during a bad harvest. Moreover, more farmers are assured th at they do not really risk their expected income and they develop their methods of growing. Provided with generous subsidies, they can invest more capital to increase their long term profit. Such a situation results as a higher productivity and efficiency of the farming sector. On the other hand, extended usage of lands is a cause of ruining the environment. Overdeveloped sense of competition among the suppliers leads to more crops being grown, and more lands being used. Most farmers easily avoid an environmental laws and limitations which are not really executed. Regular polluting waters and grounds with overdosing insecticides result as a natural catastrophe and are not survivable for the local fauna and flora. Furthermore, such actions undertaken by the EU led to overproduction. Because of an extremely high number of suppliers, the market was overwhelmed with products. As a result, governments were forced to sell the excess onto the world market and by doing it, they harmed farmers form countries that do not provide such support. Most of them, developing countries, whose economy is based on the farming sector, were instantly defeated on the market, finding it impossible to compete with such a system, because the prices offered by Europeans were too low for them to sustain their regular income. To sum up, guaranteed prices strongly support farmers in the European Union, maintaining the provision of food at a sufficient level. However, over-usage of such a way to encourage them to be more efficient and competitive, leads to problems like environment pollution and threatening developing countries. Moreover, in long term such actions harm the interest of consumers, who cannot benefit from any changes on the agricultural market and even expect lower prices from massive suppliers. How to cite The European Union Sets Guaranteed Prices to Farmers, Essay examples

Strategic Development of Nab

Question: Discuss about theStrategic Development of Nab. Answer: Organizations Overview Every organization has some strategic methods for the development of their company which is considered to be different from any other standard methodology. In order to reduce the risks and increase the companys standards by giving it huge profits the strategies have to be designed which apparently contributes for the growth of the company. A systematic planning is the secret for the companys growth. In the present report we would discuss about one of the leading banking sources in Australia named National Australian Bank which provides sources for the Australian citizens in terms of funding including benefits in other banking terms of generating business. The classic pathway of companys growth into a successful organization is put in words in over a period of time. Let us have a look on the strategic business ideas and its effectiveness. Table of Contents Organizations Overview.. 2 Business Outline. 4 NABs Strategy. 4 Business Approaches used by NAB.. 5 NAB two famous controversies. 5 NAB-Control Managemnet analysis. 6 Culture in the Organization. 7 Organizations leadership Qualities. 7 Inference. 8 References. 9 Business Outline The streamlined path of introducing business strategic ideas in any organization is a big task since iyt should involve all the related areas for development. National Bank in Australia has been categorized in the business related to the monetary which is a framework of wide sector business capitalization in Australia (Antonakis, 2015). This bank has made an tempt of online banking portal which in turn created a popularity in this present internet freak generation. NABs Strategy Advantages of Competitive, task and Image: NAB is mainly focussed on the financial resource that has to be offered to the Australian citizens as a key factor along with some defined economic amenities as it is trying to achieve the top level state in the business world in the entire Australia. Besides the ultimate objective of NAB is to create an opinion that it is the famous and reputed bank throughout Australia and surrounded areas such as New Zealand. The National Australian Bank wants to compete with all other banks in Australia and even other closely related countries by making a state in business sector which is found to be the advantage in competitive firm (Bureau, 2004). Strategies in Progress: In order to gain the satisfaction from the customers we need to provide them with excellent services that are appreciated and required by them by competing with the other competitors. For maintaining that, a proper business strategic planning is required for enhancing the business in this competitive world (Davis, 2007). In a similar way, a business strategy is developed by NAB which states that a social approach with high responsibility is required which corresponds to the constructive and maintainable effects in the clients, populace and societies living stay. The present business strategy that is being followed by NAB is: To benefit the clients with the rights they are eligible for Focussing on the streamline that widespread the business Business Approaches Used by NAB A better planning strategic idea has been released by the National Australian Bank in order to grow the sales and to earn customers to their bank and to make them the long term clients for their business. Australia and New Zealand are the two countries where it is focusing to develop their business with reputation as stated. Increasing the sales while benefitting the customers by providing space is the main motto of NAB. Now a days online banking is the source chosen by many customers so NAB has decided to expand their business in this firm by streamlining their attempt (Sun, 2006). They have made a separate section for processing their ideas into this area and started taking calls for the online banking sector which drastically started giving response by gaining popularity. It has given them the best support because of the advanced technology. The NAB has created a website which is ecofriendly that is the mobile and tablet users can make their payments and transactions at one go wit hout stepping out from their stable place. It is benefitting customers in choosing the products that are wanted according to their needs whenever required by holding them. A new program called Flybuy has been appealing the citizens (Davis, 2007). They are making an attempt of appropriate usage of available resources. The Bunnings productivity and popularity are being increased hand in hand. After introducing their products it has increase their revenue. The introduction of modified services is being focused to increase the sales and production. Increase in leadership qualities can enhance their growth. The NAB in turn is trying to introduce other benefits to the customers in regards of loan and liquid cashing. While focusing on the current ideas they are showing interests in the implementation of new strategies to increase sales and process development. NABs Two Famous Controversies Issues faced from Competitors: There are several complaints received from the competitors against NAB saying that they have manipulated the other small scale business people to lower their prices including the suppliers for keeping their banking sector on the top notch. It has given a chance for the producers to make profits from their payments. The other company people who are collaborated with NAB are making money with difficulty without any profits. It has been said by the competitors that the investors and the debt customers are being pressurised to cut down the costs with which there are no proper dealings occurring. The return on investment is largely expected with high interests besides which the customers in debts are unable to clear their dues on time is the main issue (Benz, 2014). A request has been sent to government to look after this high investor who is craving for power and to give chance for small scale investors along with customers in debts. It has become a problem for low investors to fix prices of their products and is often have to step back for introducing new products against NAB. Issues faced from customers: There are three key factors that are affected in any prospect. From March 2008, Return expected on the amount spent would fall to 0.4 percent, each bug interest has been lowered by a record of 2.03, 0.06 rate is focussed down, is the minimum level. Till March from previous six months there is a cost of 8.1 increases for every penny which has been followed by no reduction in three years. Besides the customers who are in debts were forced to clear their loans, the most tragic measure of National Bank in Australia (Barnet, 2001). NAB Control Management Analysis Analysis on PESTLE: It talks about the mangements control measures to keep the friendly environment in the organizations space. The situation of Political condition is that there would be no restriction at all as NAB is found to be benefit for any company since it is found to be ruling the financial sector in Australia. The Economic and Social conditions are showing the better signs of developemnt in Australia which seems to be increasing the growth in the oirganizatyoon.In order to maintain the relation with buyers for continuous update NAB has acquired a new business online by using the legal and environmental solutions at its best with the preference of advance technology. The bothering part is how financial sectors are being affected by the culture is to be considered but it has been noticed that NABs effectiveness over that is understood by the customer as it has found that it has power on almost many business sectors which are money oriented. It has made its way in the country on the top level because of its quick response. Analysis of SWOT: Strength of NAB which is most important is the items related to finance. In Australia National Australian Bank has been identified to be one of the fast growing and the developing monetary assorted player by the topographical diversification. All the top level administrative powers are been given to this bank through which it is making benefits from interests in turn huge return on investments. There is a small decline in banks functioning because of the margin drawn for the profits (Davis, 2007). NAB has been acquired by the financial institution of Great western by lending their hands for the profitable banking of NAB income to the higher level. The last one is that the national and international banking system of Australia has been affected because of the competition imposed by other developers which is showing impact on its functioning. Culture in the Organization The culture in any organization would be different there would be no comparison between the work and any other cultures from one company to the other. There are some particular set of rules that are to be followed by every employee in the organization irrespective of the position. These generally include friendly environment, good work culture, no communication gaps and the work quality is expected to be of high standards. The rules that are set by the company decide the behaviours of workers with their colleagues. There is a big difference between the National Australian bank and other financial institutions in Australia which is found to be unique banking. It has the huge number of employers along with lager number of customers which can be more than 1000. In the market which is competitive NAB provides finance services to the customers and other group of banks at very low price (Antonakis, 2015). The culture in the organization is streamlined with a proper organizational structure where it tries to implement new technological ideas into their banking sector. The processing system is quite fast when it comes to checkout, and is clearly maintained with simple format which is all computer based. In order to connect to the people it has been endorsing and promoting their products with the appealing ads and impressive front line matter. In market place this company has the superior place which has been maintained quite some time and continuing (Davis, 2007). It has been supported by the government of Australia to maintain their position at number 1 place in the banking sector. The sales in the company should always been in risisng side so they trying implementing the new technology to drawm customers attention. A campaign named Down Down has lowered the prices. Organizations Leadership Qualities A leading financial service provider operating in Australia is the National Australian Bank after it has been exempted by the competitors. There is no or less competition for NAB comparingly. Another top banking group which is providing competition to the NAB is the Commonwealth bank of Australia. In Australia the framework of business financial sectors are under the supervision of NAB, Australia and New Zealand banking sectors. Most of the Australian citizens spend at least 100$ in NAB every week which is an important point to be noted. By which we can know that it has drawn larger group of customers towards its banking. It has been considered by the Australian and New Zealand banking sectors because of its developing quality (Sun, 2006). There are separate plans made for the NAB to grow in this area. The ideas that has grabbed customers towards NAB is because of the 1$ liquid cash and the campaign named Down Down. It has immediately attracted the customers which in turn gave an opp ortunity for the customers to get loans at low interests and required funds but kept the business investors and suppliers at loss. It has implemented several advantages in order to enter the customers banking space. The special benefits that are offered by NAB to students are sporting goods, funds to study if they have an account in NAB. It made major efforts to reach to this position at which it is at present. It has overlooked at the competition given by other competitors and made a complete efforts to bring it up to the top position by implementing their ideas in endorsing their products (Barnet, 2001). To create special attention for their brand they used celebrities as their weapons by charging the suppliers and by taking commission from them. The reason behind the increment in the company sales is because of promotion through media, TV etc. The critical situations are so coolly handled by the NAB which indicates their leadership assets. Inference The staus of Natianl bank in Australia has been on rise in the market place and has gained immense popularity as a leading fianancial sector in Australia. It ahs startd as small company frim and has gained 1000 of customers at present. It has to be noted that in sometime the National Australian Bank would beat the competition without any doubt as it has maintained its existence strong by following best leadership strategies (Barnet, 2001). It has given a rigid competition to all other financial companies because of its friendly leadership strategies. The final outcome that is the rapid growth in sales is only because of its strategic values and the marketing ideas of NAB framework. The strategic development of the company is because of all the set standards. References Limited,National Australia Bank . (2016, September 04). Our Corporate Responsibility Appraoch. Retrieved from nab.com.au: https://www.nab.com.au/about-us/corporate-responsibility/responsibility-management-of-our-business/our-corporate-responsibility-approach Antonakis, J. (2015). The Leadership Quarterly. An International Journal of Political, Social and Behavioral Science. Barnet, R. D. (2001). Controversies of the Music Industry. Greenwood Publishing Group. Benz, J. (2014). NAB Legal Guide to Broadcast Law and Regulation. CRC Press. Bureau, P. N. (2004). Annual Report. National Accountability Bureau. Daft, R. L. (2014). Fundamentals of Management. Journal of Business Strategy, 2935. Davis, S. (2007). Leadership in Financial Services: Lessons for the Future. Springer. NAB. (2007). Global trends in skill-based volunteering . The Allen Consulting Group. Press, O. U. (2007). Large Print Bible-Nab. Oxford University Press. studies, D. O. (2014). The Roman Frontier in Central Jordan: Final Report on the Limes Arabicus Project, 1980-1989, Volume 1. Dumbarton Oaks. Sun, S. (2006). Organizational Culture and Its Themes - Canadian Center of Science. Journal of Business Case Studies. Thurau, T. H. (2010). The Impact of New Media on Customer Relationships. Journal of Service Research, 52-55.

Issues in Medical Ethics free essay sample

An examination of the social, psychological and ethical issues concerned with death. This paper looks at issues of death and the medical ethics involved . The author examines the phenomena of comas and brain death and the moral and ethical dilemmas concerned. Looking back throughout the history of medicine, there was a time when people believed that death occurred when the heart stopped and breathing ceased. Cessation of respiration was often determined by placing a feather beneath the nose of the patient where it would move with the slightest breath. A doctor simply placed their ear on the patients chest and listened for a heartbeat to determine if the person was still alive. However, since little was known about states of limited or nonexistent consciousness in which a heartbeat was undetectable to the human ear, some people were buried alive. Tragedies like this made it clear that new methods were needed to determine when a person was considered dead. We will write a custom essay sample on Issues in Medical Ethics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Resistance in wires.

Resistance in wires. Aim: To alter the length of wire and measure the effect on the resistance.Apparatus: 3 wires of widths 28, 30 and 36.1 ammeter - to measure the current in amps4 crocodile clips - attach to the wires6 leads - use to connect circuitRuler - to measure length of wireMasking tape - measure and tape against the rulerPower pack - supply energy in voltsVolt meter - measure the voltage in voltsVariable resistor - control the resistanceBrief: First I will carry out a pre-test where I will test the 3 widths and then choose one that has the lowest resistance meaning it has a higher current. Once I have completed the pre-test, I will carry out the experiment. I will change the length of the wire about 5 times each at 5 different volts for the input. I measure the output voltage using a voltmeter and the current using an ammeter.Scrap Metal Recycling PilePower packVariable resistorAmmeterWireVoltmeterVariables to keep fair test:‚Â ·Length of wire - input‚Â ·Resistance - it will be kept t he same‚Â ·Voltage - will alter‚Â ·Current in amps - output‚Â ·Width of wire‚Â ·Temperature‚Â ·Type of metal for wireMetallic bonding theorye- e- e-+ + +Free electrons move e- e- a sea of electronsWhen pushed by volts + +e- = Delocalised electrons+ = Metal cationAs the metal cations and the electrons are oppositely charged, they will be attracted to each other, and also to other metal cations. These electrostatic forces are what hold the particles together in metals.Metallic bonding is present in all metallic elements. Positive ions of the metallic element form a giant lattice (regular arrangement), with the valency electrons floating over them. This means that the electrons...

4 response essays ( about Chemical waste disposal ) Essay

4 response essays ( about Chemical waste disposal ) - Essay Example Had he chosen to write about one particular technique and given details about that method it would have been a better article. Even if he wanted to include all the information he should have structured the essay well. He should have explained the waste that he was talking about and how a particular method is directed against a particular waste. However, he simply mixes it all. Having said that, his effort to provide information about the main methods is pretty commendable. I think he manages to correctly introduce the topic of waste management. He explains why we need waste management-for conservation of our environment. Methods like recycling are perhaps the best method for waste management. Further, water pollution can mainly be controlled through sewage treatment. Besides these methods solid waste management is a very important aspect to waste management since solid waste is generally ignored and it has been piling up over the years creating havoc in our environment. The author mentions the need of renewable energy. However, it is only related to conservation of environment and most would not consider it related to waste management. But I think the writer is clever enough to realize it as a secondary method to waste management. Since use of renewable energy sources would mean less use of conventional energy sources like coal and hence there will be less waste that is produced by conventional energy sources. The reason I mention this article here is because this article is a very optimistic article among all the pessimistic views that we hear daily. The article does provide good basic information but it could have been better. article. He is not just able to mention why exactly we need to look for a method for waste management but in choosing to write about perhaps the newest technology of waste management he has saved the both his time and the time of the reader, directly jumping on the possible solution to the problem. He believes

Political Corruption in Bulgaria after 1989 Essay

Political Corruption in Bulgaria after 1989 - Essay Example Though showing some improvement in the recent years, Bulgaria holds the shame of being labeled as the corruption capital of Europe. It is the corruption at the political level that is most dangerous in the country. All political parties operate with an open funding system. Such a condition, with no obvious management, surely encourages corruption. However, some facts and figures will show the 'politics' behind Bulgaria's corruption. In an attempt to modernize the nation's economy, the communist government enforced different industrialization programs. Until democratizing reforms began in 1989, Bulgaria remained a communist country. The Bulgarian nationalism underwent a drastic change since its first multi party elections in 1990 (U.S.-Bulgarian Relations, 2008). But the transition from the communist rule to a free market economy was not easy. The introduction of Banking reforms, and program to privatize state-owned assets turned out to be challenging issues. Due to the fall of communism, the country lost all its Soviet market. The Bulgarian goods could not find a good market. It led to a substantial contraction of the financial system. The rising inflation and unemployment became major problems. To add oil to the fire, the Bulgarian government had to battle with the uncontrolled corruption at all levels of administration. In the last two decades, Bulgaria underwent complet... In the last two decades, Bulgaria underwent complete political transformation. It is imperative to say that the political transformation has contributed much to the restructuring of the nation's entire mechanisms. On the other hand, how effective those reorganizations, is a question of active debate. However, it could enjoy steady economic growth and macroeconomic stability, problems are too many. It struggles hard to come up as a democratic power. Unfortunately corruption has become a key word in any study of Bulgaria. The National Assembly, which is supposed to monitor all anti corruption mechanisms, proved to be ineffective. Corruption is among the five most important problems Bulgaria is facing today. Five most critical problems Bulgaria is facing Unemployment 58,40 % Low incomes 51,30 % Crime 45,40 % Corruption 38,50 % Poverty 31,60 % High prices 22,90 % Political instability 17,70 % Healthcare 11,50 % Pollution 3,60 % Education 2,70 % Ethnic problems 2,10 % The sum of percentages exceeds 100, as respondents have given up to three answers (Source: Five most critical problems Bulgaria is facing, http://www.online.bg/coalition2000/eng/ci-feb99/2.htm) This social evil happened to spread widely in various fields of Bulgarian public life. Corruption has developed as a key principle in many fields like administration and judiciary. Political party finance, public administration and judiciary are the most affected areas. The Bulgarian community has begun to understand the magnitude of corruption of ministers and senior officials. Due to corrupt bureaucracy, any official procedure has become a 'hard nut' for the common man. He has to pay a huge amount to the police, health

Write a report on the company called Marks & Spencer Essay

Write a report on the company called Marks & Spencer - Essay Example It is this overall sales figure where the returns on the shareholders’ stake in M&S business will be later derived, as well as the company’s sustainability of operations over the long run. Figure 2 highlights the changes in the different sales figures (M&S 2004-2008). By looking at the growth of sales using the previous year as benchmark, the increase or decrease in the company’s efforts to generate more sales can be later probed more deeply; that is, whether this increase or decrease in the growth can be attributable to management’s practices or external factors. Figure 3 shows the different areas of M&S, which include: UK general merchandise business; UK food business; International general merchandise business; and the International food business. The company’s overall increase in sales will be determined by the increase in the different business areas of the company, thus it is helpful to learn the contribution of the different areas by looking at the company’s sales breakdown. People. As the change in management results in a more experienced senior management and executive committee, the development of management capability gives the M&S an opportunity to develop its skills. Since these people are new, although experienced, the whole management capability of the company is not yet fully developed. Thus, this is a weakness to the company. Resources. By dividing the total liabilities figure by the M&S total assets figure (M&S 2008, 96), the debt ratio of 86.9% is derived. With this very high debt ratio, there is a possibility that the company will have less access to debt as its credit rating changes as more debt makes it riskier to the eyes of investors. The firm’s only choice can be equity financing for its future expansion. This is a weakness to the company. Innovation and Ideas. The company emphasises innovation as one of the company values. Apart from innovation in product development, this

Effectiveness of Fracking Regulations

Effectiveness of Fracking Regulations Overview of Report This report has been prepared by The MSSD for the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Governments. This report will be looking at the effectiveness of the regulatory framework of the fracking industry, it will assess the current framework, evaluating whether the framework is fit for purpose, and if not, propose alternatives considering that a lighter touch to regulation is the approach wanting to be taken. Because we are only at the exploratory phase of drilling in the UK, the main focus will be on pre-drilling regulations. What is Fracking? We will briefly look at what Fracking is and how it works, and looking at this will also allow us to be able to assess the most pressing environmental concerns and the controversies surrounding fracking. Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.  Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.  The process can be carried out vertically or, more commonly, by drilling horizontally to the rock layer and can create new pathways to release gas or can be used to extend existing channels. The term fracking refers to how the rock is fractured apart by the high-pressure mixture.[1] In the UK, drilling is only at an exploratory phase, however, there are plans for this to intensify as shale gas reserves have been identified across the UK. Impacts and Concerns Having looked at what Fracking is, we will identify it’s impacts on the environment and its most pressing concerns. The extraction of shale gas is a topic that is highly controversial in the United Kingdom, this is mainly because of the environmental concerns it raises. One of the major concerns is the water usage in the extraction, the volume of water that is needed. Vast amounts of water are required for the process and this must be transported to the fracking sites[2]. The water tends to be transported to the sites, which has its own environmental impacts, though some sites could use the local water resources and the volume of water that is required could place a strain on local water resources. In addition to the amounts of water, the water is mixed with chemicals, this mixture could escape and could spill or contaminate groundwater in the surrounding areas. Another concern is that fracking could lead to small earthquakes. This was the case in the town of Blackpool, where two tremors struck, one registered a magnitude 2.3 and the other 1.3. Both tremors occurred near the local drilling site. This caused the operation to suspended, the site operators, Cuadrilla, commissioned a report, which found that â€Å"Most likely, the repeated seismicity was induced by direct injection of fluid into the fault zone†[3] The report goes on to question whether further earthquakes are to be expected from fracking, it says â€Å"the earthquakes occurred because of a rare combination of circumstances: the fault was already under stress, was brittle enough to fracture and had space for large amounts of water that could lubricate it†. The report says â€Å"this is unlikely to happen again at the Preese Hall site.†[4] To reduce the risk of earthquakes, it has been proposed that seismic activity monitoring is introduced around fracking sites. Advantages and Disadvantages of Fracking The main advantages of fracking include, an increase in the production of natural gas, some could argue that this would ease the burden on finite resources such as fossil fuels, fracking would thus diversify our energy supplies. A further advantage is that this is a relatively clean energy source, providing environmental benefit. The gas produced emits less carbon per calorie of energy produced than other fossil fuels. It is easy to inject and it can be transported directly, shale gas requires very little infrastructure investment before it can be injected into the national gas grid, thus proving to be an economical benefit. Fracking is also the most natural way to pump gas from the ground. An abundant supply of natural gas makes prices relatively cheap to producers and consumers. The disadvantages of fracking include, Risk of groundwater pollution, Risk of localised earthquakes (probably not a huge risk when well-regulated in the UK), Localised noise and traffic congestion, Loss of amenities, when fracking wells are sited in areas of natural beauty and national parks, A high water demand for the â€Å"process water† needed by the fracking technology used, potentially entailing additional stress on water supplies, Planning blight on local properties, and suffering by those unfortunate enough to live near a proposed site for a fracking well. [5] Environmental Policy Context Fracking also poses wider questions about current thinking on sustainability and the environment. [6] John Allen writes, â€Å"the shale revolution has the potential to provide the UK with local, low cost, clean sources of energy and potential for local energy independence† [7] from a sustainable development viewpoint, this makes for positive reading. If fracking is low cost and a cleaner source of energy, it enables sustainable development. However, looking at the intricacies of fracking, this may not seem the case. For the process to take place, a vast number of resources are needed, and here you look at whether fracking, as an industry, is sustainable. The shale gas industry consumes materials such as water, sand, chemical treatments, drilling fluids, all of which require transport by road and rail. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is the use of water, the volume required is vast, and to sustain that, there must be an infrastructure in place and policies in place to ensure that whilst providing the water to sites, there is no inconvenience to the water flow in the local area and if being transported via tank to the site, this must be done in a way where the environment is put first. If we are looking at this from the standpoint â€Å"what is best for the environment†, surely the question would be, why does the policy not encourage the use of no oil and gas in the UK, because this would be the best policy for the environment. The answer to this would be several factors, mainly economical and convenience, the ecosystems we live with and in are so adept to using those resources, that to prohibiting use would mean that our systems would fail to exist. A middle ground has been established, whereby the environment is somewhat protected and that human needs are met, and this needs to be the case with fracking, whilst there are signs that there are benefits, economically the policy must promote sustainable development. â€Å"History shows us that whenever we can extract fossil fuels, short term gain, usually trumps long- term consequence. Much has been made, on both sides of the argument, of the US experience, but fracking has not found universal welcome. France, for instance, is in the process of banning it, and Poland is currently deciding whether to develop the industry, or concentrate on other forms of energy.† [8] John Allen If there is regulation and procedures in place to negate the downsides, surely a cleaner alternative is beneficial long term.      Regulation of Fracking Now we will be looking at the regulatory framework that is in place for the industry. This section will be split into three parts: 1) An overview of the regulatory framework, 2) Assess and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the frameworks, 3) Consider whether any improvements can be made to the framework, looking at different types of regulation.    Overview of Regulation The Environment Agency (EA) in England and Wales, and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are the environmental regulators who monitor the environmental aspects of shale gas fracking. The key regulation that governs how shale gas fracking operators comply with environmental laws is the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.[9] Figure 2: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation The framework that surrounds fracking is one that is quite complex. Companies wanting to explore must have permission from a number of regulatory bodies before they can proceed. In order to explore and produce shale gas, operators must pass rigorous health and safety, environmental and planning permission processes.[10] The first stage is obtaining a Petroleum Exploration and Development License, (PEDL), these are issued by the Oil and Gas Authority. The Oil and Gas Authority work closely with other regulatory partners to ensure that the exploration and development is safe and sustainable. [11] A PEDL obligates companies to follow its terms. Key PEDL terms include: conferral of the right to get petroleum, payment of fees in return, parameters of the field licensed to the operator, obligation to obtain written consent prior to drilling, operator’s obligation to work the licensed area in accordance with ‘good oilfield practice’ and termination and surrender provisions. PEDLS are licenses which grant exclusivity to operators in the license area, they do not give immediate consent for drilling an exploration well or any other operation. Briefing paper After a PEDL has been granted, the operator of the proposed site must then obtain local planning permission from the Minerals Planning Authority, as shale gas operations involve the extraction of minerals. The MPA involves local authorities including representatives from districts and county councils.[12]   Planning applications require the submission of a standard application form, supported by plans and drawings, certificates of ownership relating to the application site and design and access statements. An operator must also negotiate access with landowners. A PEDL and planning permission alone do not give operators consent to conduct their operations, access must be secured by the operator, this tends to be through a license or a lease to be taken that are conditional on the grant of satisfactory planning consent. When a decision is made on a planning application, only planning matters called â€Å"material considerations† can be taken into account. There is no exhaustive list of what constitutes a material planning consideration, although there are some â€Å"principal issues† for consideration, shown in Figure 3 [13] MPA’s are screened to determine whether any proposals require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Environment Protection Agency an EIA describe this as â€Å"the process by which the anticipated effects on the environment of a proposed development or project are measured.  If the likely effects are unacceptable, design measures or other relevant mitigation measures can be taken to reduce or avoid those effects.†[14] This, however, is a contentious issue, as it’s not clear whether operators are obliged to conduct and EIA and submit an environmental statement under the EU’s EIA Directive[15] to accompany their application. Under the EU law, all projects require an environmental statement, though those under Annex 2 require a case-by-case examination, and considering certain criteria, it is determined that such a project is likely to have significant effects on the environment. Even if an EIA is not required, environmental and health impacts can be addresses through the conditions of planning permission. Mineral Planning Authorities are responsible for ensuring operators comply with these conditions. The MPA, in determining an application, will consider the advice of a variety of statutory consultees with regards to the protection of the environment and the public. Local planning conditions can address the aesthetic impacts, as well as contributions to local noise, traffic and air pollution. The density of local population may be considered in the local planning permission process. There will also be conditions for when operations finish, the operator would be responsible for safe abandonment of the well and for restoring the well-site to its previous state or a suitable condition for re-use. The authority which granted permission would require suitable restoration as a condition of the planning permission. [16] The next part of the regulatory process is that operators will probably require a number of environmental permits issued by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations to conduct onshore activities.   The environment agency takes a risk-based approach to regulating, thus the regulation of each site is bespoke to that site, as the they take into account local site characteristics and site specific environmental risks.   The Environment Agency  ensures that any shale gas operations are conducted in a way that protects people and the environment. The Environment Agency’s environmental permitting regulations cover: protecting water resources, including groundwater (aquifers) as well as assessing and approving the use of chemicals which form part of the hydraulic fracturing fluid, appropriate treatment and disposal of mining waste produced during the borehole drilling and hydraulic fracturing process, suitable treatment and management of any naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and disposal of waste gases through flaring.[17]   With regards to water, if operators are wishing to abstract more than 20 cubic meters per day for operational purposes, they will need to obtain a water abstraction license under section 24/24A of the Water Resources Act 1991[18] The licenses are issues by the Environment Agency. A factor to bear in mind here is the Environment Agency make it clear that water availability at site is not â€Å"guaranteed†, this links back to the planning permission stage, as if the operators are unable to have a pipeline, they will have to transport the water to the site, which is expensive, but also, with regards to the environment, transporting tanks of water would be something they would have to consider. Another element to be considered is the element of â€Å"induced seismicity†. The MPAs should consult the British Geological Survey (BGS) to advise on induced seismicity and help to identify suitable locations for well, drawing on a national and site-specific understanding of geology. [19] Under s.23 of the Mining Industry Act 1926[20] â€Å"firm sinking boreholes greater than 100ft (30m) deep must give written notification to the Natural Environmental Research Council. Operators are under several other continuing obligations, such as keeping records of their operations and retain specimen cores. Once the above has been completed, the operator must notify the Health and Safety Executive at least of 21 days in advance of any drilling operations, The Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995[21] require this. A coordinated regulatory effort is required to ensure that shale gas wells are designed, constructed and operated to standards that protect both people and the environment, it must be noted that it only protects those in proximity of sites. HSE monitors shale gas operations from a well integrity and site safety perspective. We oversee that safe working practices are adopted by onshore operators as required under the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974, and regulations made under the Act. These specifically are: The Borehole Site and Operations Regulations 1995 (BSOR) applies to shale gas operations.   (These regulations are primarily concerned with the health and safety management of the site). The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Construction, etc.) Regulations 1996 (DCR)[22] apply to all wells drilled with a view to the extraction of petroleum regardless of whether they are onshore or offshore. (These regulations are primarily concerned with well integrity). HSE works closely with the Environment Agency (EA) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to share relevant information on such activities and to ensure that there are no material gaps between the safety, environmental protection and planning authorisation considerations, and that all material concerns are addressed. [23] Drilling operations must not be commenced unless a health and safety policy is prepared which demonstrates that adequate measure will be taken to safeguard the health and safety of the persons on the site. Once the HSE step is completed, we arrive at one of the final steps in the regulatory process. This is the Oil and Gas Authorities consent to drill. Operators are obliged to seek the OGAs written consent prior to the start of drilling operations. OGA consent is one of the final, and coordinating consents in the shale gas process. In considering whether to issue consent to drill, the OGA will have regard to the suite of regulatory controls discussed above, including ensuring that planning permission is in place, environmental permits and consents have been obtained, and that the HSE has received notice of intention to drill. Planning permission is one of the approvals required before any activity may start on a site. The planning authority decides whether the activity is acceptable at that particular location, after local communities and other interested people have had the opportunity to set out their view on the benefits and impacts of the proposal. On receipt of OGA’s consent to drill, and subject to the finalisation of a hydraulic fracturing plan and agreed method for monitoring induced seismicity (where fracking is going to be conducted), an operator has in place the requisite consents and may continue its operations. This concludes the pre-drilling regulatory framework, there is a duty in place whilst drilling takes place, and as mentioned, conditions are set out for after the drilling process has been completed. Strengths and Weaknesses One of the main strengths with the framework presented above, in my opinion, is that the process to start drilling is so rigorous. There are many steps an operator must take in order to start drilling, this has a lot of cost and time investment necessary, so these rigorous checks and procedures ensure that the operator is competent and ensuring the environmental protection necessary to offset any negative impacts of fracking in the main. Another strength with the framework is the fact that a condition of granting permission to drill, there must be plans in place on how the site will be restored to ensure that it becomes usable land again, showing that the regulation is offering a protection measure. However, it could be argued that there are more weaknesses with the regulation. One of the major ones that comes across with the regulation framework provided above, is one concerning Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). An operator may have to carry out an EIA, if the MPA deem necessary when screening the proposal presented, however, there is no obligation to do so, it only has to happen should the MPA feel it is a necessity in this case.   There isn’t a â€Å"one size all fits† approach here, it’s bespoke. Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) has become best practice in non-shale gas industries[24], however like the EIA, an ERA is not mandatory, an ERA, unlike an EIA would assess not only the impacts of hazards, but also their likelihood. In their report, the Royal Society recommended[25], that to manage environmental risks, an Environmental Risk Assessment should be mandatory for all shale gas operations, involving the participation of local communities at the earliest possible opportunity. I would agree with this statement, an EIA and ERA should be a mandatory step, for all potential operators and cases of fracking, not just some, it should be a universal requirement when applying to drill for shale gas. In her Article, Emily Gosden writes that the Fracking Regulations may inadequate, with regards to climate change[26]. From the regulation mentioned above, it does not tackle issues such as climate change in much depth, whilst it looks at environmental factors, it seems that this isn’t the most pressing matter on the agenda. The article reports that Britain’s fracking regulations may be inadequate to prevent environmentally damaging methane leaks, and that the current regulatory regime fell short of the minimum necessary standards. [27] Prof Jim Skea, one of the report’s authors, said that the law instead gave â€Å"quite a lot of discretion† to the Environment Agency (EA) over what monitoring it would require of future shale gas production. Here, I would agree, the EA can often be quite vague when it comes to these matters, an example mentioned above would be the water abstraction licenses requirement, the EA are very vague when it comes to a definitive answer. This could be something that could be further considered. Another weakness in my opinion is that the current framework at present, isn’t very environment focused, and even if it is, a lot of the environmental factors aren’t factors that are mandatory for operators or regulators to take into account, as already mentioned, the EIA not being mandatory is one part. The regulation does not look at in enough detail issues such as climate change, air pollution, water pollution, and other means of contamination, these factors should be of more importance when coming to regulate the shale gas industry, yes, they may be considered, but even that at best is brief. Alternate Proposals The current framework that has been looked at in this report can be seen to be rigorous in the main, there are a number of steps an operator must take before being able to start the process. The current framework could be seen as being on the â€Å"heavier side† of regulation, and in the brief, a theory was posited that there be a lighter touch on regulation, in this section, we will look at whether this can be the case, and if so, how can it be the case.    With regards to regulation, there are two approaches that can be taken. There is Direct Regulation, which can often be referred to as â€Å"the command and control† regime, this is where standards are set, as are penalties for failing to meet them, there are often several ways of drafting direct regulation. [28] The other approach is Indirect Regulation. Whereas direct regulations focus on the polluting activity itself, indirect regulation tends to centre on economic instruments, the effect of which will be to impose higher burdens on higher polluters, there is also self-regulating, whereby you can apply methods such as voluntary environmental agreements and codes of conducts to regulate. These systems tend to have vague standards and are flexible and non-interventionist in their nature. We will look at whether we stay with a command and control approach adopted, or would a self-regulating approach be more effective in this situation. Before we start that, we will briefly look at whether the current framework we have looked at is effective in its purpose, however looking at the effectiveness of the framework is an area where one struggles as in the UK, we are not at the stages where there is mass production of shale gas, we are merely at the early exploratory stages of the process. The only real working example is the Cuadrilla site as mentioned at the start of this report. Though some regulation, such as the induced seismicity was introduced because of that site. Self-regulating such an industry seems impractical considering the disadvantages mentioned earlier in the report. Simon Sneddon writes that this method of regulation is more flexible than the traditional command and control methods, and this method is non-interventionist in nature and that these methods are criticised for having vague standards and for being unaccountable, and there is no realistic enforcement system. This, as a regulation method would not work with an industry such as fracking. An industry where there are many impacts both environmental and economic and as such a framework of command and control would be better suited, there is a set of rules, or steps put in place and there are penalties and fines for operators should they fail to abide. This is very similar to the current framework in place. The risks that fracking entails, it would be a uncertain approach to have a light touch to regulation. However, when there is more data to analyse once further fracking takes place, it may be the case that we could adopt a self-regulating framework or one that is lighter than the one in place, but until then, the current â€Å"command and control† framework is one that is effective and sufficient for use. Conclusion The regulation in place at present is several steps that an operator must take before they are able to drill for shale gas. The procedure is one that is described as rigorous and upon evaluation this seems to be the case, though as mentioned when looking at alternatives, there is no way of knowing how effective the regulation is in the UK, until there are more working examples of fracking. [i] [1] Bbccouk,  What is fracking and why is it controversial?   (BBC News,  16 December 2015)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [2] Bgs,  Potential environmental considerations associated with shale gas  (Bgsacuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [3] Michael Marshall,  How fracking caused earthquakes in the UK  (New Scientist,  2 November 2011)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [4] Ibid 3 [5] Steve Last,  The pros and cons of fracking in the UK and why you need to know about them  (Lowimpactorg,  14 October 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [6] DrGareth Evans,  Fracking: Truly Sustainable?  (Sustainablebuildcouk,  16 Dec 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [7] Allen John,  Fracking: believe the hype for a sustainable UK energy market  (The Guardian,  22 January 2014 )  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [8] Ibid 6 [9] Hsegovuk,  The regulation of onshore unconventional oil and gas exploration (shale gas)  (Hsegovuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [10] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [11] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [12] Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. [13] Briefing Paper Number 6073 on Shale Gas and Fracking – House of Commons Library [14] Wwwepaie,  Environmental Impact Assessment   (Wwwepaie,  0)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [15] Directive 2011/92/EU [16] Department of Energy and Climate Change – Fracking UK Shale: Regulation and Monitoring – February 2014 [17] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [18] Water Resources Act 1991 [19] Ibid 7 [20] Mining Industry Act 1926 [21] Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995 [22] The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Constructions, etc.) Regulations 1996 [23] Hsegovuk,  The regulation of onshore unconventional oil and gas exploration (shale gas)  (Hsegovuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [24] Contribution from Professor Simon Pollard, Head of Department, Environmental Science and Technology, Cranfield University [25] Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. [26] E Gosden, ‘Fracking regulations inadequate’ The Telegraph (7 July 2016) accessed 10 May 2017 [27] ibid 20 [28] Simon Sneddon,  Environmental Law  (2ND edn,  Pearson  2015)  54-61 [i] Bibliography Websites http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14432401 http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/shaleGas/environmentalImpacts.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21120-how-fracking-caused-earthquakes-in-the-uk/ http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/unconventional-gas.htm https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation http://www.epa.ie/monitoringassessment/assessment/eia/ http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/unconventional-gas.htm Steve Last,  The pros and cons of fracking in the UK and why you need to know about them  (Lowimpactorg,  14 October 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 DrGareth Evans,  Fracking: Truly Sustainable?  (Sustainablebuildcouk,  16 Dec 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 Allen John,  Fracking: believe the hype for a sustainable UK energy market  (The Guardian,  22 January 2014 )  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 Directives Directive 2011/92/EU Reports Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. Contribution from Professor Simon Pollard, Head of Department, Environmental Science and Technology, Cranfield University E Gosden, ‘Fracking regulations inadequate’ The Telegraph (7 July 2016) accessed 10 May 2017 Department of Energy and Climate Change – Fracking UK Shale: Regulation and Monitoring – February 2014 Briefing Paper Number 6073 on Shale Gas and Fracking – House of Commons Library Acts Water Resources Act 1991 Mining Industry Act 1926 Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995 The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Constructions, etc.) Regulations 1996 Books Simon Sneddon,  Environmental Law  (2ND edn,  Pearson  2015)  54-61 Misc. PowerPoints and Notes from Lectures.

College Admissions Essays - Something Daring and New -- College Admiss

College Admissions Essays - Something Daring and New Think about something you never did in high school but wish you had done. Now imagine your time at college. Propose taking up something daring and new, and describe how it might affect your life. For years I have harbored a secret desire to become a cheese aficionado. This is not entirely arbitrary. Cheese, as an independent entity outside of any broader alimentary context, is at once worldly and whimsical. It provides the ideal complement to that side of my personality which has historically been dominant. My experiences have been largely rooted in the world of the abstract and the intellectual. Mathematics, music, writing, and the like have given me a certain sense of detachment from reality. While I have historically enjoyed this detachment, there is always a desire to diversify. Eating cheese is a direct immersion in the world of the senses, where things are taken at face value. You don’t analyze cheese, you just eat it — a refreshingly simple outlook on life. At the same time, cheese offers the oppo...

Dostoyevsky’s The Underground Man Essay

In Notes from Underground, Dostoyevsky describes a character burdened with significant inner conflict over love which interferes with his ability to think rationally, prevents him from developing lasting friendships, and cause him to believe he has found true love following a sexual encounter. After being bumped by an officer in a tavern, the Underground Man became obsessed with â€Å"revenge† against the officer and planned a subsequent encounter where he could â€Å"bump him with [his] shoulder† and not ‘yield an inch,† (133, 135). The Underground Man wants the officer to treat him with dignity and respect and as his equal. However, the Underground Man’s inability to develop an actual relationship with the officer or even engage in a conversation with him is indicative of the Underground Man’s inability to think rationally. This passage shows that the Underground Man’s desperate desire for human interaction irrationally causes him to seek a negative human encounter. Instead of confronting the officer directly, the Underground Man spends months obsessing about the officer before he finally engages in pitiful revenge that leaves him feeling like a failure. The Underground Man learns he is an unwanted guest when one of his former college acquaintances tells him that he has only been invited to a dinner party because he â€Å"insisted on joining† them and the Underground Man feels â€Å"crushed and humiliated† that his supposed friends don’t really want him at the party (153). This is another example of the Underground Man seeking friendship but his base and rude nature interferes with his objective. He becomes so concerned that his college friends are ridiculing him that he insults one of them. As a result, his friends are disgusted with him and clearly wish he would leave. Although the Underground Man believes he has fallen in love with Liza and wishes to save her from a life of prostitution, he concludes â€Å"loving means bullying and dominating† which causes him to insult Liza by paying her for sex thereby treating her like a lowly prostitute (199). The Underground Man’s attempt to save Liza is misguided. He does not have a better life to offer Liza. He may have additional monetary security but he lives in misery without any close human connections and his life experience is less fulfilling than most prostitutes. The Underground Man has lofty goals of saving Liza from a life of prostitution but he ends up insulting her by thrusting money into her hand as he leaves his apartment. Dostoyevsky’s created a desperate and lonely man torn apart by inner turmoil and conflict. The Underground Man sought love and friendship but ended up with tragedy, hate and loneliness because he was unable to think rationally, he allowed his ego to interfere with his ability to create and maintain friendships and he insulted and alienated a woman who may have loved him.

The eNotes Blog Catcher in the Rye To Be Dropped from CurriculumPuh-lease

Catcher in the Rye To Be Dropped from CurriculumPuh-lease New Common Core Standards drop classic novels in favor of informational texts. The US school system will undergo some big changes within the next two years, chiefly due to a decision to remove a good deal of classic novels from the curriculum, or so the recent media reports would have you think. The idea behind discouraging or reducing the teaching of old favorites like The  Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird is to make room for non-fiction informational texts in the curriculum. These should be approved by the Common Core Standards of each state. Suggested texts include, Recommended Levels of Insulation by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Invasive Plant Inventory, by Californias Invasive Plant Council, among others. Mmmm, I just love me a good read on insulation levels while I soak in the tub. So, the idea behind this is that children who pass through such a school system will be better prepared for the workplace, their brains packed with useful, practical knowledge rather than brimming with literary fluff (my personal summation). It has the backing of the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief of State School Officers, and even the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, which partially funded the directive. But is that estimate correct? Will reading more non-fiction in favor of fiction breed better writing, or more informed graduates? The discussion is extremely divided. One Arkansas teacher wrote in this Telegraph article, In the end, education has to be about more than simply ensuring that kids can get a job. Isnt it supposed to be about making well-rounded citizens? Meanwhile, another reader weighed in for the pros of teaching more scientific texts: I dont understand how adding non-fiction books to reading lists REDUCES imagination.   Hard science is all about imaginationthe what ifs of nature and the universe  I am sick of English professors acting like English Literature is the only bastion of imagination/critical thinking/culture. When I first read that article stating that The Catcher in the Rye  and other novels specifically would be gone from curriculums nation-wide, I was alarmed and frightened, though I now know it was needlessly so. The reactions of protesters are a tad hyperbolic, given that the two soporific texts I named above are found amongst a long list of alternate suggestions in various subjects, for instance  Circumference: Eratosthenes and the Ancient Quest to Measure the Globe by Nicholas Nicastro, and The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston, interesting and well-written books in their own right. English Literature classes will not be barred from teaching certain classic novels, as some of the reports would have you believe, though they may have more limited time to teach them than before. Yes, the school system will be changed and possibly not for the better, but Salinger and Lee arent going anywhere. All in all, the arguments for both sides make overblown assumptions: on the one, that students will miraculously be better prepared for the job market, on the other, that all imagination and creativity will be drained from impressionable young adults. So, which side do you stand on, if either? Is the teaching of informational texts merited, or best left to vocational studies? Tell us in a comment below!

The Genetic Aspects of Infertility essays

The Genetic Aspects of Infertility essays Infertility or the inability to reproduce, affects males and females as well. It is caused by numerous factors such as a trinucleotide repeat expansion in the androgen-receptor gene in males, or a luteinizing hormone deficiency in females (Lee SL, et al, 1996; Dowsing AT, et al., 1999; Nachtigall LB, et al., 1997). In the past, the causes of infertility were unknown. This is due to the fact that symptoms are hardly ever detectable. Most infertile individuals do not experience any symptoms at all. The small percentage that does show symptoms is very likely to receive an incorrect diagnosis. This occurs because the symptoms are very common to other illnesses as well. Symptoms such as loss of strength, and fatigue are common to many different conditions (Nachtigall LB, et al., 1997). This disease was believed to be predominant in females. This assumption is incorrect, since males show the highest percentage of infertility in comparison to females. Due to the complexity of spermatogenesis, the process through which millions of sperm cells are produced, the probability of defective sperm is higher than that of an egg in the female reproductive cycle. For spermatogenesis to be successful it requires the presence of androgens, and a functional androgen receptor. This androgen-modulated, DNA-binding protein regulates transcription of androgen target genes. Since the androgen-receptor gene was isolated and cloned, mutations in this gene have been associated with various disorders including complete androgen insensitive syndrome, various motor neuron diseases, and prostate and ovarian cancers as well. Many phenotypically normal men have abnormalities of the androgen receptor. These infertile males are more likely to have longer than normal CAG (a trinucleotide) repeats in the androgen-receptor gene than fertile males. This elongation is responsible for spermatogenic defects as well as reduced sperm count. Lower numbers of CAG repeats ...

Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Knowledge Management - Essay Example This paper, will therefore, discuss some of these challenges facing knowledge management with regard to business company located in Latin America and Caribbean. The major challenges facing companies is how to disseminate crucial information to all members of the organization and to the contracting parties in timely and proper manner. This challenge is trigged by lack of proper synthesizing of the information processing technologies and the lack of ability in members to learn and apply technology to improve human relationship. Another challenge is the management of individuals in knowledge and information sharing to create a common harmonious working team. The challenge includes the ability of the company to change the minds of its followers, to create a common understanding. The big challenge here is on how the company should create a culture of sharing, learning, innovation through the collective knowledge and intelligence of people it works with. Adapting to changes and flexibility is another challenge that may face the company operating in these fast growing economies. The company may encounter difficulties in executing the contracts due to the rapid changes in information flow concerning policies and regulations in the business sector. The voice of People who are experience in this sector and environment go unnoticed by company sometimes. In addition, the challenge of shared leadership is a major problem that may face the company, particularly in this new environment. The experience and skilled workers, in the field of sales and contract execution may be denied the platform to learn and design new methods that can help boost contracting power and sale for the company. The focus for the company should be in integrating all these three aspects through information technology adoption. The company should facilitate efficient and prompt information sharing and innovations by providing the necessary

How airlines have been effected by the economic recession and how they Essay

How airlines have been effected by the economic recession and how they adapted - Essay Example ironment of cutthroat business, the company must adapt dynamic strategies within the broader paradigm of ethical consideration which would meet the shrinking pocket of the customer. At the same time, the strategic plans must also ensure comfortable margin of profit for the companies. Hence, airlines are being creative in the following ways: Dynamic pricing as per the demands of the customers have become the most common strategy of the airlines. Low fare strategy and giving fringe benefits with higher fare has become popular as it attracts not only those customers who work within the defined budgets but also the premium class who an afford extra. Interesting some airlines have also started offering different classes like business class, executive, economic and premium economic depending on the legroom and extra facilities like free drink, enclosed cabin, etc. Customers are being offered innovative packages and arrangement within flights. While some airlines like Virgin offer personal space by allotting front row for business class, others like British Airways is giving its premium economy class more privacy, space and comfort in a secluded cabin. Kay (1995) says that business relationships are linkages that promote organizational growth. Airlines are evolving new ways of earning and seasonal tickets for defined tourist places are being offered at flexible prices. Thus, airlines are also forging alliances with leisure market, corporate world etc. to boost their revenue. In the current times, food and drinks that were taken for granted on long routes have now become charged items. The local airlines and some international airlines have started charging for the food and drinks from the customers. The airlines compensate the financial loss on low fare by charging exorbitantly on eatables on flight. Space allocation or leg room has become a scarce item. The airlines have increasingly been charging customers for extra legroom and for preferred seat like window or

What went wrong in measuring and managing risk associated with Research Paper

What went wrong in measuring and managing risk associated with financial institutions - Research Paper Example est rate risks, credit risks, foreign exchange risks, and liquidity risks that affected the functions of investment bankers, securities – stocks, bonds, derivatives -- mutual funds and insurance rate. A research into the measuring and managing techniques has been made to understand what went wrong and where. Taking the example of HSBC Holdings plc – a global financial institution providing all financial services under its umbrella, it has been attempted to explain how things went wrong. Financial institutions cater to the needs of different types of customers by providing relevant financial services. Financial institutions worldwide have been affected by the adverse market environment created by the US sub prime fiasco. Trouble began when the financial companies started relying too much on the innovation in the blind faith that it will yield returns. In the current context of sub prime melt down, initially the balloon of leveraging the assets’ market went on getting bigger and bigger, creating unrealistic and illusionary hype in market, which in the end shrank the balloon to cause global crisis of liquidity in financial institutions. Selling of financial products and services is a risky business, fraught with internal and external risks associated. Measuring and managing financial risks is crucial to the success of a financial company. There are different types of financial institutions operating at national as well as global scale. Before delving deep into the list of errors committed by financial institutions, it is significant to define the scope of financial institutions like banks, insurance, mutual funds, securities firms, investment banks, and finance companies. A financial institution collects funds from private as well as public investors to use them in financial assets. Financial institutions play the role of mediators in share markets and debt security markets. Financial activities may include bonds, debentures, stocks, loans, risk

Microsoft Corp.s Pricing Policies Essay Example for Free

Microsoft Corp.s Pricing Policies Essay Executive Summary This case study focused on the Microsoft Corporation and charges made by their competitors, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice of antitrust violations and a monopoly of the computer operating systems and applications software, software development tools (e.g., programming language software), and hardware peripherals (e.g., Microsoft Mouse) that Microsoft specializes in. It focused on numerous issues that would lead one to believe that Microsoft was in fact monopolizing the entire industry they were in. . In order to adequately discuss and analyze the issues of this case, I have broken this paper up into four separate sections. Section 1 Key Terms Concepts: Description of the key terms concepts that pertain to this case Section 2 The Case Against Microsoft: Identify the facts and information that support my case against Microsoft Section 3 The Defense of Microsoft: Identify certain facts and information that support a defense of Microsoft Section 4 Discussion: What I have learned from the case After reading this case study, I went back to the email that I received from you and went over the questions that you suggested we consider. The first question was: If you were the DOJ how would you build a case against Microsoft or a dominant leader? I will attempt to do this in Section 2 The Case Against Microsoft. The second question was: If you were Microsoft how might you defend yourself against DOJ claims? I will cover this in Section 3 The Defense of Microsoft. I will attempt to show why it was very necessary for the DOJ to bring a case of monopoly and antitrust violations against Microsoft. In doing this, I will attempt to put myself into Microsofts shoes and defend their claims that they have not created a monopoly. Section 1 1. Key Terms Concepts The reason I decided to include these terms and concepts was to make it easier for me to write this paper and use certain terms without describing them each time I used them in my paper. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division: The Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, a presidential appointee, ran the Antitrust Division of the DoJ. When the Division thought the evidence was sufficiently persuasive, it brought criminal charges. The Division also entered into negotiations with businesses to end litigation in exchange for consent decrees in civil cases, or nolo contendere (no contest) please in criminal cases DOJ: Department of Justice: The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans (http://en.wikipedia. Org /wiki / United_States_Department_of_Justice) DOS: Disc Operating System FTC Federal Trade Commission: The FTC enforces federal antitrust and consumer protection laws by investigating complaints against individual companies initiated by consumers, businesses, congressional inquiries, or reports in the media (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission) ISVs: Independent Software Vendors MS-DOS: Microsoft Operating Systems NDAs: Non-disclosure agreements OEMs: Original Equipment Manufacturers OS: Operating Systems PC: Personal Computer Sherman Anti-Trust Act: it made illegal any form of contract or combination between entities in regards to trade and commerce that would have the effect of restraining trade. And it also put responsibility on government attorneys and district courts to pursue and investigate trusts http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Sherman _ Antitrust_Act) The Clayton Act of 1914: The Clayton Act was designed to prevent monopoly in the beginning rather than to remedy its effects. To accomplish this goal, Congress authorized antitrust prosecutions whenever business practices maysubstantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in any line of commerce, in any section of the country. Section Two of the act forbade sellers from discriminating in price selling goods of like grade and quality to different buyers at different prices when such differences were neither cost justified nor necessary to meet competition. Section Three limited the use of tying and exclusive dealing contracts. Tying contracts required purchasers or leases to acquire a second, separate product in order to obtain the desired product. Exclusive dealing contracts obliged a purchaser or lessee not to deal in products of competitors Vaporware: is software or hardware which is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge, either with or without a protracted development cycle. The term implies deception, or at least a negligent degree of optimism; that is, it implies that the announcer knows that product development is in too early a stage to support responsible statements about its completion date, feature set, or even feasibility (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware) Section 2 2. The Case Against Microsoft In order to make my case against Microsoft and prove that they are most assuredly in violation of monopoly and anti-trust regulations, I will answer the following questions: 1. Is this a case of monopoly? 2. Is this case a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? Is this a case of monopoly? When I began considering my approach to this paper, I first thought about situations where I was absolutely sure I had been the victim of a monopoly. In order to do this, I first had to make sure that I fully understood exactly what a monopoly was. The American Heritage ® Dictionary defines a monopoly as Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service. In simpler terms, I have always thought of a monopoly as a big corporation doing its best to screw-over the little guy (A.K.A the customer) by doing its best to make as much money as possible. The first situation that came to mind when I thought of a monopoly was how the Comcast cable company had a virtual strangle-hold on the cable service in my homes area. Since they had exclusive control of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service, in this case they were the only cable provider in our area, you were forced to settle for Comcasts service unless you had satellite television or you were willing to settle for the wonderfully fuzzy reception from the antiquated rabbit ear antennas of years past. As a result, we unfortunately had to deal with Comcasts horrible service and always rising rates. Luckily for us, another competitor came in to the picture when WOW! (Wide Open West Internet-Cable-Phone) set up service in our area. We switched cable providers almost immediately and we couldnt have been happier. They have provided excellent customer service and their rates are consistently lower  than Comcasts. As a consumer, we definitely benefited from the increased competition and eventual abolishment of the cable company monopoly in our area. With that out of the way, I was forced to look at whether or not Microsoft had a monopoly in their particular industry. Based on the information in this case, I cannot say that Microsoft has a monopoly on any single entire industry. Do they dominate the majority of endeavors that they choose to participate in? Of course they do. Just look at some of these numbers: As you can see from Table 1, Microsoft dominates the market shares of suite software in the United States. The only problem with these numbers is the fact that they are limited in their time range. In my experience, three years is a long enough time to make an approximate forecast for future happenings, from a financial standpoint. However, that is from a transportation and supply-chain perspective where the main variable happens to be the customers shipping fluctuations. In a volatile and constantly evolving market such as software development, these numbers could sway tremendously with the introduction of a new and sought after product or changes in consumer wants and desires. Table 2 shows the financial numbers of Microsoft and three of their competitors: This also tells a lot about Microsofts market dominance, but this time from a financial standpoint. Two things that stand out to me in this table are the fact that Microsoft has almost twice as much net revenue than their nearest competitor (Microsoft has 4,649 and Novell has 1,998). The second thing that jumped out to me is the fact that all of the competitors show an increase in net revenue from 1984 to 1994. Based on the growth of Microsofts competitors (which there are more than one), I feel confident in saying that Microsoft does not have a monopoly in their industry. They do not meet the standard set forth by the simple definition in the dictionary of Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service. As you can clearly see from the tables, Microsoft  does not have exclusive control of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service. However, Microsoft does in fact hold a monopoly on many other counts, one of which is that Microsoft Windows, the Microsoft OS, is installed on most personal computers that can be purchased from Dell, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, and the like. Because this OS comes pre-installed, we as the consumers do not have much of a choice and there is not much of an alternative for us to go with unless we want to switch to an Apple Macintosh OS. Although Microsoft isnt a natural monopoly in the classically defined or economic sense that Ive identified above, it is a natural monopoly in the land of cyberspace. Microsoft is the path of least resistance for government, consumers, and programmers alike. Microsoft may have many faults, but they make a lot of things easier too. Most of us are willing to accept a monopoly such as Microsoft has for increased convenience and usability. Microsoft is a one-product company, no matter how it may sometimes appear. Their success is fundamentally due to the success of Windows. It rose to power with one product, and it resides there because of the success of that product. Unfortunately for us, this is not only the best product on the market, it is the only true alternative for us to use. In my book, regardless of the textbook definition, this constitutes a monopoly by Microsoft. Is this a case a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? As I stated in Section 1, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act makes illegal any form of contract or combination between entities in regards to trade and commerce that would have the effect of restraining trade. Based on this case and the readings from week #7, there is proof that Microsoft did violate the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, particularly Sections 1 and 2 of the Act. Section One prohibited contracts, combinations and conspiracies in restraint of trade while Section Two outlawed monopolies and attempts to monopolize. Microsoft violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by illegally using its market power to restrain trade in the high tech industry. A filing from the DOJ on December 19, 1999 stated that Microsoft engaged in illegal conduct in five separate ways: * by tying browser sales to sales of the operating system; * by using its market power to illegally maintain a monopoly; * by attempting to monopolize the browser market; * by imposing exclusive dealing arrangements between itself and Internet service providers and/or developers; and * by imposing first boot-up and screen restrictions on computer makers. http://news.com.com/2100-1001-233992.html The DOJ filing in December of 1999 shows exactly why Microsoft was in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Some of the things that Microsoft has done that clearly violate the act include, but are certainly not limited to: Microsoft customers upgrading their copies of Microsoft Office at the Microsoft website, but using the competitions web browser, are greeted with a message insisting on the use of MSIE for the full edition of the update. On November 18, 1998 the digital greeting card company Blue Mountain Arts discovered that beta versions of Microsofts Outlook Express (which comes free with Internet Explorer) were automatically filing Blue Mountains e-mail greeting cards into the junk folder rather than the inbox. Shortly afterwards, Blue Mountain Arts discovered that Microsofts WebTV service was blocking their e-mail greeting cards as well. When the courts ordered Microsoft to ship Windows without an integrated Internet Explorer, the company complied by offering a non-functional version of the OS, claiming that the browser was now so completely  integrated into Windows to remove it was tantamount to breaking the operating system. -All three of these examples were taken from the following website: http://www.vcnet. com /bms/departments/dirtytricks.shtml To summarize, Ive identified the following facts: Microsoft does have a monopoly in their industry Microsoft did violate Acts 1 and 2 of the Sherman Anti-trust Act It is convenient for Microsoft to say that their success is solely based on them being able to produce good products. Although they do devote extraordinary resources to improving their technologies, they also work diligently to stifle growth and in-roads from their competition. Section 3 3. The Defense of Microsoft I am not going to spend a great deal of time attempting to defend Microsoft. They have spent millions and millions of dollars working tirelessly to do it themselves. Furthermore, I firmly believe that they have established a monopoly and that this monopoly serves to futher one parties interests: Microsofts. However, I did some research online and came up with the following paragraph from an article titled The Microsoft Antitrust Suit written by Peter Tracey. In it, he wrote The persecution of Microsoft is an assault on the free market, and on the intelligence of the American people. It is the result of long-held envy by Microsofts competitors, including Netscape and Oracle. It is in violation of the constitution, being both ex post facto and vague (Getman). The governments persecution of Microsoft should be stopped, moreover, the antitrust legislation that has exposed business to unfair and unreasonable practices should be repealed. (http://www.levelthreesolutions.com/ peter/msantitrust.html) In Microsofts opinion, the government should not get involved in determining what means a company uses to produce their products. They feel that they have been able to succeed through hard work, tenancity, and superior products. Although it may be unfortunate for their competitiors, Microsoft feels that if you cant stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. In essence, Microsoft makes the most money doing what they do by taking solid ideas from other people, such as the Disc Operating System, and making them better. Microsoft doesnt monopolize the industry. They simply work harder, take risks, and capitalize where other companies have floundered. Section 4 4. Discussion Before I discuss this particular case study, I must tell you that I have always been a big fan of Microsoft and Bill Gates. I have enjoyed the relatively cheap cost of Microsofts software such as Microsoft Excel and Word. I have also felt that with each successive upgrade of these products I have only been able to improve my performance both at work and school. I also thought it was impressive that Bill Gates could take his ideas, push forward with his undefeatable will, and become one of the richest people in the entire world. However, this case study and the analysis that Ive done with it has really opened my eyes to the seamy side of Microsoft and Bill Gates. I was so moved by this case that I even went and downloaded one of Microsofts few internet browser competitors, Netscape, to compare its product with Internet Explorer. When my wife asked me what my paper was I about I told her it was about Microsoft and whether or not they were a monopoly in the industry. Her very quick and wry response said it so perfectly: Duh, of course they are. Even I know that. I think this says it all so succinctly. Do I think Microsoft needs to be disbanded or separated in to two different operating companies? Not really. Like I said before, I enjoy Microsofts products and I use them constantly. In fact, I am writing  this paper using one of Microsofts products, Microsoft Word. I just honestly think that fair competition and a level playing field for Microsofts competitors would only benefit the consumer in the long run. More people with new insights will be given the chance to expand the technology already in place. Too many companies are skittish about taking on Microsoft because of the monopoly and the fear of being annihilated. Finally, I have learned that cases of anti-trust and monopoly are not always as clear cut as one may think. I always thought that Microsoft had a clear monopoly and that there was nothing any of us could ever do to remedy it. I also really didnt care as long as they continued to improve Windows and the accompanying Office Suite. I can see now that competition in all economic arenas, whether it is cable television or fast-food or computer software, is important, no vital, for lower prices and increased technological growth.