Power Play for Juwan Howard Essay Example

Power Play for Juwan Howard Essay Power Play for Howard â€Å"Successful negotiation involves the management of tangibles (e. g. , the price or the terms of an agreement) and also the resolution of intangibles†. (Lewicki, Sanders, and Barry 2005 p. ) With regard to Juwan Howard, the Washington Bullets all-star free agent forward went into negotiation with David Falk over a $100 million contract that was offered by NBA. The negotiations that took place were complicated as all parties involved had to decide what the others move was going to produce. In the end Juwan Howard implemented value by comparing and contrasting the teams’ offers with respect to his personal value. Howard conducted integrative negotiation procedures to produce a â€Å"win-win† situation for all parties concerned. To follow in this case study Team A will evaluate the benefits, costs, and risks associated with the negotiation from the perspective of all parties involved. Brief Summary of Case Study The Juwan Howard case centers on knowing the engagement rules of negotiation. In this case, the rules were many and some rules were hidden. Juwan Howard was ready to test the free agent market. His contract with his current team the Bullets was ending and he was ready to see what the market had in store for him. He loved living and playing in Washington and the fans wanted to see him take the team to the NBA Title Playoff. Thinking of Washington as home and admiring the beaches of Miami. Juwan and his agents were looking for a specific amount for his contract. One thing Juwan Howard did in the negotiation process was to let the teams give him their offer first. Howard and his agents also did research on the market and knew what the fair market value was for a player of Howard’s caliber. We will write a custom essay sample on Power Play for Juwan Howard specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Power Play for Juwan Howard specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Power Play for Juwan Howard specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Bullets knew what they could afford. Miami knew what they could afford and it seemed as if Miami was willing to give more to have the Michigan star. The NBA has rules for salary cap for all teams as no team is allowed to exceed a certain amount on an annual basis in salary for the players. With this the teams need to do their research. Miami seemed to be in the driver’s seat in the Juwan Howard obtaining game. The Bullets had given what they could and the decision was up to Juwan. Miami came in and was willing to give Juwan what he wanted, which included luxury suites and limos to the games. Juwan was in heaven and ready to be part of the Heat organization. The NBA did all the calculations and found that Miami was not in compliance with the salary cap rules. At this point, Howard was flying to Miami to look for nice houses and dinner with Coach Riley. The shock came to Juwan when he discovered the Heat could not afford him. Juwan, as he has said all along, was willing to listen to his former team again. A rule that allowed Washington to spend whatever they wanted to obtain their superstar back on the roster was called, â€Å"the Bird rights. This rule gave Washington a chance to negotiate with Howard again and offer anything they wanted. Washington matched the Heat’s offer. Juwan decided to return to his former team as the NBA was going to arbitration with the Heat because of the salary cap violation that negates Howard’s contract with them. Managers Evaluation of Benefits Tangible and Intangible Juwan Howard thought that the negotiation of the contract me ant that he would get the full market value for the next seven years. His effort was at a high because this will enable him to get the most bangs for his buck. If he would have decided to stay with one team then he would not get as much as he would on the market. Also if he decided to go with a losing team then he must handle the losing and misery that goes along with that. Since he had been with Washington for so long he was emotionally attached to the city and people who make it even harder to leave. The Washington Bullets looked at getting Juwan Howard back on the team because he was a good player and this can help the team be better. The bond with the fans would not be broken, either. The intangible for the team would be a loss if he decided to leave. It is not easy to find a player of this caliber and the team would not be as strong. From the perspective of Miami Heat, they had not been able to sign a contract with Mourning, who was their first choice and now they focused on Juwan Howard. He would suit the team perfectly and would help Miami win. Wes Unseld the manager of the Washington Bullets wanted Juwan Howard back. This would lead to more wins for the team and more respect. The contract was a great deal of money and the risk for the manager is he may lose his job. Pat Riley the Heats manager believed that the contract would be a problem. He wanted Juwan Howard to be part of the team but he was investigated by the league because of empty promises that may not happen. This really hurt his reputation throughout the league and the offer for Juwan might not happen if the heat did not get Mourning on the team also. Juwan Howard’s Evaluation Juwan Howard is in an interesting situation in that he has to choose between money and loyalty to a team and fan base that he has grown accustomed. Finding a good player such as Howard is hard to do and the Bullets are very aware of this. They are also aware of the high offer that the Miami Heat has offered their star player. Putting all they have on the table the Bullets have made an offer to Howard hoping that they are playing on his heart strings and that his loyalty to the fans and the team will keep him in Washington. Howard is also looking out for himself and working toward getting the most he can out of these teams. He seems to be playing both sides of the fence by showing tears when the Bullets are coming back with lower offers but asking for more when higher offers from other teams are coming back with offers. Howard will not be satisfied unless he can attain the Heats offer in Washington. Even after he hears a final offer from the Bullets he has no issue going to Miami, who is offering a very high salary and asking for more. This shows a very selfish side of Howard and it also shows that Howard has no intention of being satisfied with Miami; he is just in it for the perks. It is very clear that Howard has chosen money over loyalty during this negotiation process. Conclusion When a relationship is not working individuals turn to negation to redefine their relationship. From the case study Power Play for Howard, one can conclude that to obtain positive results for all parties involved in the negotiation the representatives must define what the true problem is and understand what each party wants out of the negotiation. Howard implemented value by comparing and contrasting the teams’ offers with respect to his personal value. Howard conducted integrative negotiation procedures to produce a â€Å"win-win† situation for all parties concerned.

Evolution Essay †What are the theories given to account for life on Earth †Spanish

Evolution Essay – What are the theories given to account for life on Earth – Spanish Free Online Research Papers Evolution Essay What are the theories given to account for life on Earth? What evidence or reasoning is used for support them? Son varias las teorà ­as que intentan explicar el origen de la vida en nuestro planeta. Una de esas teorà ­as es la creacionista que se refiere al origen de la vida como producto de la creacià ³n divina. Sin embargo algunas de las teorà ­as ms relevantes para el estudio cientà ­fico sern explicadas a continuacià ³n. Segà ºn una teorà ­a los grandes volcanes existentes en el planeta desprendieron ciertos gases orgnicos que formaron la primera atmà ³sfera. Luego vinieron las primeras lluvias que formaron los lagos y ocà ©anos. Los gases volcnicos reaccionaron quà ­micamente para formar composiciones orgnicas ms complejas. Esto es evidenciado por estudios que demuestran que hace millones de aà ±os eran predominantes los innumerables volcanes en el relieve terrestre. Otra teorà ­a indica que cometas y meteoritos que constantemente llegaban a nuestro planeta liberaron gases que formaron nuestra atmà ³sfera ms primitiva. Esto segà ºn indicaciones que dicen que anteriormente abundaban los cometas en el espacio, chocando frecuentemente con los planetas. Adems que estudios han demostrado que los cometas poseen composiciones de carbono, metano e hidrogeno indispensables para la formacià ³n de compuestos orgnicos. Tambià ©n se cree que por la presencia de una especie de polvo cà ³smico en la Và ­a Lctea con composiciones quà ­micas orgnicas, es posible que los cometas, como à ºnico enlace posible, hallan transportado muestras de esas composiciones pero congeladas para que ya en la tierra reaccionaran y formaran nuevas composiciones quà ­micas. Esta teorà ­a se basa en estudios que revelan la presencia de restos cà ³smicos en fondos marinos. Research Papers on Evolution Essay - What are the theories given to account for life on Earth - SpanishLifes What IfsArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Genetic EngineeringEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Spring and AutumnUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresMind TravelHip-Hop is ArtStandardized TestingCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite Religion

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Poems

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Poems The poet laureate of Great Britain and Ireland, Tennyson developed his talent as a poet at Trinity College, when he was befriended by Arthur Hallam and members of the Apostles literary club. When his friend Hallam died suddenly at the age of 24, Tennyson wrote one of his longest and most moving poems In Memoriam. That poem became a favorite of Queen Victorias.   Here are some of Tennysons best-known poems, with an excerpt from each one.   The Charge of the Light Brigade Perhaps Tennysons most famous poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade contains the quotable line Rage, rage against the dying of the light. It tells the historical story of the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War, where the British Light Brigade suffered heavy casualties.The poem begins: Half a league, half a league,Half a league onward,All in the valley of DeathRode the six hundred. In Memoriam Written as a eulogy of sorts for his great friend Arthur Hallam, this moving poem has become a staple of memorial services. The famous line Nature, red in tooth and claw, makes its first appearance in this poem, which begins: Strong Son of God, immortal Love,Whom we, that have not seen thy face,By faith, and faith alone, embrace,Believing where we cannot prove A Farewell Many of Tennysons works are focused on death; in this poem, he ponders how everyone dies, but nature will continue after were gone. Flow down, cold rivulet, to the seaThy tribute wave deliver:No more by thee my steps shall beFor ever and for ever Break, Break, Break This is another Tennyson poem where the narrator is struggling to express his grief about a lost friend. The waves break relentlessly on the beach, reminding the narrator that time moves on. Break, break, break,On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!And I would that my tongue could utterThe thoughts that arise in me. Crossing the Bar This 1889 poem uses the analogy of the sea and the sand to represent death. Its said that Tennyson requested this poem be included as the final entry in any collections of his work after his death.   Sunset and evening star,And one clear call for me!And may there be no moaning of the bar,When I put out to sea, Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal This Tennyson sonnet is so lyrical that many songwriters have tried to put it to music. It ponders, through the use of natural metaphors (flowers, stars, fireflies) what it means to remember someone.   Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white;Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk;Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font:The fire-fly wakens: waken thou with me. The Lady of Shalott Based on an Arthurian legend, this poem tells the story of a lady who is under a mysterious curse. Heres an excerpt: On either side the river lieLong fields of barley and of rye,That clothe the wold and meet the sky;And thro’ the field the road runs by The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls This rhyming, lyrical poem is a somber reflection on how one is remembered. After hearing a bugle call echo around a valley, the narrator considers the echoes that people leave behind.    The splendor falls on castle wallsAnd snowy summits old in story;The long light shakes across the lakes,And the wild cataract leaps in glory. Ulysses Tennysons interpretation of the mythological Greek king finds him wanting to return to traveling, even after many years away from home. This poem contains the famous and oft-quoted line   To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. Here is the opening to Tennysons Ulysses. It little profits that an idle king,By this still hearth, among these barren crags,Match’d with an aged wife, I mete and doleUnequal laws unto a savage race

D6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

D6 - Essay Example To a great extent, convergence is already taking place in organizations, because they are beginning to realize that managing electronic information successfully requires a collaborative approach throughout the organization rather than compartmentalizing information into various departments.(Petersen, 2006). Thus, technology convergence that is producing information convergence is transforming organizations into networked, integrated entities. Businesses are increasingly networking with business across the globe in outsourcing their operations so that they can focus on their core competencies. As Mishra(no date) also points out, technology convergence offers other advantages, such as a decrease in the costs of voice and data transmission, through improvements in compression technology and a reduction in infrastructure costs. For ordinary consumers, convergence offers the facility of equally efficient access to information using a choice of informational electronic mediums, such as mobile phones, computers and other media devices to access the same information. While the technology is still new and relatively expensive, for example in devices such as mobile phones that also offer the facility of accessing the Internet, or mobile phones married to PCs and cameras (Goldsborough, 2006), costs are likely to go down as convergence improves, thereby providing a boon for customers. For businesses, it provides the opportunity to gain considerable competitive strengths by combining competencies as mentioned above. 2. At present, it is possible for the Internet, as well as a LAN or Intranet and an extranet (WAN) to fully converge. This is being done with e-learning for example, where colleges may use the blackboard or Intranet to exchange internal communications, require students to carry out research on the Internet and also encourage access to Extranets such as external library databases. Such converge is occurring

Computer Technology into Reading Instruction Assignment

Computer Technology into Reading Instruction - Assignment Example The technology has influenced our educational system in a number of ways. While it has served as a means to improve the quality of education, the use of technology has also greatly facilitated a better understanding and developed a mutual respect in the ongoing teacher-pupil relationship. The wide ranging implications of the use of technology in education, has been an ongoing concern of the authorities who have continued to introduce better learning facilities and optimise the learning process leading to quality education. The inclusion of computer technology in the curricula has greatly facilitated the reading, writing and comprehension skills of the students, including those with special need. The essay would be looking at the three major ways of using technology into the reading instruction that improve and improvise the achievement skills of the students: Web quest; PowerPoint; and use of websites and special web pages. While teaching is an important aspect of teachers, the train ing of the teachers is equally relevant. The world is fast changing and therefore it is important for the teachers to keep abreast with the changes that are taking place. The need to learn advanced techniques and teaching methodologies is an essential part of a teacher’s training. The use of technology in teaching has become an integral part of the curricula so knowledge of various technological teaching aids like computers and interactive boards has become vital for teachers. WebQuest is one device that vastly promotes learning process in the classroom.

I-Kuan Tao Trough the Years Essay Example for Free

I-Kuan Tao Trough the Years Essay I-Kuan Tao is classified as a syncretistic sect that had rooted from Mainland China but because of Government’s transfer of control to Communism after the World War II, it had immigrated to the island of Taiwan together with the ousted Central Government. There it had flourished its numbers of followers through the years that made it the third most popular faith in Taiwan1. According to the Country Profile of Taiwan dating March 2005, of its 12. 7 million religion members, 6. 6 percent were believers of I-Kuan Tao, next to the two most prominent, the Buddhists, 42. 9 percent and the Daoism believers, 35. 6 percent2. Like any other religion, it had tried to propagate their teachings outside its host country. I-Kuan Tao had succeeded to have significant number of co-believers in the countries of United States, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan. I-Kuan Tao, literally translated as â€Å"The Tao that unifies all with the one†, is a syncretistic sect because it believes that with the corroboration of existing beliefs, it could make a unified set of rules that would govern the people and would lead them to salvation on the Day of Judgment. According to the Purpose of Tao by an I-Kuan Tao sect in USA, I-Kuan Tao recognizes the five world religions namely the Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam3. But since I-Kuan Tao is of Chinese origin, many of its beliefs came from the first three. Since Chinese had high reverence to their ancestors, purity of the soul, respect and moderation, I-Kuan Tao had adopted these and they were formed as its fundamental rules. The last two religion recognized by I-Kuan Tao had been added to the modern day I-Kuan Tao because they had considered the similarity of its teachings to the first three. 1. World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters, World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters. retrieved 22 October 2007,http://www. with. org/ 2. Library of Congress – Federal Research Division. Country Profile: Taiwan, March 2005 Retrieved 22 October 2007, http://lcweb2. loc. gov/frd/cs/profiles/Taiwan. pdf 3. MariMari. com, Taiwan Religion, retrieved 22 October 2007, http://www. marimari. com/content/taiwan/general_info/religion/religion. html I-Kuan Tao Definition: The name I-Kuan means â€Å"penetrating with one† or â€Å"one unity† and is derived from a passage of Analects where Confucius said â€Å"an all-pervading Truth†. The name Tao has many meanings including â€Å"way†, â€Å"path† or â€Å"Truth†. History: I-Kuan Tao definitely has a long history1. According to Zhu-zi’s Doctrine of the Mean that the â€Å"Origin of Tao is from heaven and absolute; it actually comes from within and is inseparable. † Literally, no words or language can describe the origin of I-Kuan Tao. The heritage of Tao can be classified into two categories. First, the origin of Tao in the continuity link refers to the period starting from the time of Patriach Fu-xi up to the early Ching Dynasty. Second was the Origin of Tao in the creative link refers to the period during the rule of the Ching Emperor Shun-zhi. The second origin was taught to have permitted the ninth patriarch Huang De-hui in Lu-shan of Jiang-xi to set up Xian Tian Tao or the Way of Former Heaven, now known as I-Kuan Tao2. Since 4,500 years ago, the religion I-Kuan Tao is being taught, especially in overseas Chinese communities, around the world. Basically, it is a new religious movement that originated in the twentieth century China. It is a religion that incorporates much older elements from other religions such as Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese Buddhism. The name I-Kuan Tao, also called Yi Guan Dao, can be translated as the persuasive truth and it recognizes the validity of other non-Chinese religions like Christianity and Islam. As of now, I-Kuan Tao has over 45,000 followers with over 3,100 temples. _______________ 1. I-Kuan Tao Encyclopedia, I-Kuan Tao, retrieved 22 October 2007, http://www. experiencefestival. com/a/I-Kuan_Tao/id/1960382 2. World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters, The Heritage of Tao by Derek Lin, retrieved 22 October 2007, http://www. with. org/ikuantao. html â€Å"The Tao part of the I-Kuan Tao Heritage is the oldest, going back at least to the time of Huang-Di, the legendary emperor who lived over 4,500 years ago. I-Kuan Tao states that the Tao is the real meaning and the spiritual truth behind all religions, philosophies, and schools of thought. It is also the source of everything, the driving mechanism of evolution, and the life force of the universe. This concept is named Lao Mu, the personified universe†. 1 â€Å"About 2,000 years after its ancient beginning, the sage Lao Tzu came and reviews the Tao beliefs and concepts into the classic Tao Te Ching. Another sage, Chuang Tzu, contributed to the expansion of the Tao beliefs with his stories, metaphors and a different sense of humor. †2 â€Å"At about the same time that Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu were spreading their concepts, there are also other sages who were developing their own perspectives on life and spirituality. One of these sages is Confucius. He became popular as a great teacher and scholar as he revised social customs and ethics. And if you make your way south of China, the Buddha will teach you the path towards enlightenment3. These teaching also have big impact on the Chinese culture. And I-Kuan Tao identifies them and adopted these teachings into its system. † â€Å"Five hundred years after Lao Tzu came another remarkable teacher named Jesus4. His teachings, the Christian teachings, served as the foremost foundation of spirituality in the West. And just like with Confucianism and Buddhism, I-Kuan Tao embraced and incorporated the Christian Teachings. As a result, many Tao practitioners respect and study the Bible, again seeking the truth and wisdom that can bring all different beliefs closer together†.

Free Essays - The Character Traits of Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

The Character Traits of Macbeth William Shakespeare's play Macbeth shows us that cheating will not get you were you want to go. Macbeth was written in the 16th century England during the Elizabethan period, because of this the story has a complex plot and many themes that the people in the Elizabethan period would enjoy. The character Macbeth has many traits that Shakespeare used to develop Macbeth throughout the play and even how the character Macbeth advances the theme of the play. Macbeth is put together with many character traits. He is a very complex character. In the beginning Macbeth was brave and loyal. He won the battle of Norway and became the Thane of Cawdor. For brave Macbeth disdainding fortune with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution( ACT1 SC2 LNS18-20). Macbeth is also a gullible man, when he runs into the witches he believes them when they say, all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter(act1 sn2 line 50) . He is so gullible to what these witches said that he killed his best friend Banquo and nearly kills Banquo's son. Macbeth also was convinced by his wife to kill Duncan. Macbeth conscious becomes guilty after he kills Duncan when he said, will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?(act2 sn2 lines 79-80). He is thinking that nothing can take back the murders he had committed. Throughout the play Shakespeare developed Macbeth into a cold and depressed man. In the beginning Shakespeare developed Macbeth into a brave and loyal man. After the witches tell him of the prophecies Macbeth was convinced by his wife to kill Duncan. After this Macbeth starts to lose it by going crazy by seeing 3 apparitions then a row of kings(p125 sn1 lines 77-140). Shakespeare has turned the character of Macbeth totally around. Toward the end of the play when Macbeth starts to get things together he learns that he is going to be invaded by Malcolm, Donnalban, and Macduff. His wife also commits suicide. After hearing this he starts to treat his servants cold heartedly and then said "She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word.

The Importance of Vaccinations for Children

India Tuggle Mr. Stewart ENG 101-A18 Project 5 December 10, 2012 The Importance of Vaccinations for Children Since Edward Jenner introduced the first vaccine, a vaccination against smallpox, in 1778 (Allen, 48) the world has been a bit skeptical. The concept of inoculation is counter-intuitive—what sense does it make to inject a healthy person with the very virus they’re trying to prevent he or she from contracting? The very idea of it seems dangerous, even reckless. The issue with this uneasy feeling about the safety and sense of vaccinations is ignorance.We do not fully understand our own body’s immune systems; therefore we cannot fully understand how vaccinations work. Many people are under the impression that extremely harmful diseases are, for the most part, wiped out or incredibly rare. They may not see the reason for immunizing themselves or their children. But the truth of the matter is that these incredibly harmful, even deadly diseases are very much pre valent in today’s world. People come into contact with these infectious viruses on a daily basis; it is only our immune systems that keep the infections at bay.And our immune systems can only fight off these diseases through the use of vaccinations. There is a growing percentage of the population that is choosing against vaccinating their children. These parents against child inoculation have various reasons for opting not to vaccinate, including health concerns, cost of medical treatment, religious or philosophical beliefs, or their place of residence. Large portions of the anti-immunization population see vaccines as being unsafe.There have been countless claims that vaccines are dangerous and cause brain damage, mental retardation, and even arrested physical development. Some radical anti-vaccination activists assert that parents would be better off to not even vaccinate their children at all. One of the biggest controversies against vaccines is that the MMR (measles, mump s, and rubella) vaccine is supposedly linked to autism, a developmental disorder of the brain in which parts of the brain are damaged or do not develop properly.Autism is an incurable condition marked by an array of symptoms including difficulty understanding and using language, problems socializing and communicating with other people, inability to cope with changes in routine, repetitive body movements or behavioral patterns, and uncommon reactions to loud noises. Since autism’s recognition as a disease in 1943 (Allen, 371) there is still very little known about its causes. We have now found that autism is a congenital (being present at birth) disorder, but for whatever reason normally seems to become noticeable between the ages of 1 and 2.This is around the same time that children begin receiving MMR vaccines. The vaccination and autism seem to be related, but are merely a coincidence. In 2001 the World Health Organization released a statement supporting the use of MMR vacc ine. It said, â€Å"WHO strongly endorses the use of MMR vaccine on the grounds of its convincing record of safety and efficiency†¦There has been no new scientific evidence that would suggest impaired safety of MMR.On the contrary, all results from vaccine trials published reaffirm the high safety of MMR vaccine. † (Saffer, 93. ) It is true that vaccines are not completely risk free nor 100% effective, but there has been a consistent decline of childhood disease related deaths since vaccinations were put into routine use (Saffer, 10. ) Certain vaccines can cause side effects such as fever, rash, diarrhea, and aches and pains. Some more severe side effects include serious allergic reactions, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and seizures.These are extremely rare conditions and occur in about 1 out of one million doses (Link, 60. ) Today’s new parents know little of the diseases these vaccines are protecting against. They view the rare side effects as being an u nacceptable risk but have no experience with the devastating reality of the actual disease. Today in a mostly immunized population, some parents may choose to avoid these risks by opting not to inoculate their children.They see that this way, with most of the population being protected, that their child will not contract the disease because they are unlikely to come into contact with an infected person and do not have to worry about the potential side effects of the vaccinations. This concept is called herd immunity. An example of the problem with this aspect of protection is that children under the age of 1 cannot receive the MMR vaccine. There is not a serious danger of them being infected by these iruses before this age because the people surrounding them have created a barrier between the child and the disease because they have been vaccinated and therefore cannot infect others. However, if an unimmunized individual comes into the population they create a hole in the barrier aga inst infection. This unimmunized person is now a susceptible dwelling where the disease can grow and replicate, and therefore infect others who have not yet been vaccinated or who have fallen slightly behind their immunization schedule.Since it is not only infants and toddlers that are at risk of contracting these viruses, all 50 states have employed requirements for children to be vaccinated upon entering the public school system. However, according â€Å"School Vaccination Requirements: Historical, Social, and Legal Perspectives,† all 50 states accept some form of exemption from these requirements (5. ) Many parents against these vaccination requirements argue that it is a violation of their parental rights. They believe that they should decide what form of medical care their child receives.Parents should have say-so over most aspects of their child’s health care. But what these parents are not realizing is that by choosing not to inoculate their children, they are p utting so many other children at risk. The issue of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children is very severe. However only a small percentage of the population are unimmunized, if any of them come into contact with not yet vaccinated children or children behind on their booster shots they put them at risk of contracting these terrifying diseases.As for the aforementioned measles virus, according to a report from the Oregon Dept. of Human Services, â€Å"Measles is so contagious that two to three minutes spent in an ER or doctor’s office waiting room may be sufficient to infect people who pass through the same room hours later. † (Saffer, 8. ) If the MMR vaccine cannot be administered until the age of 1 and any unvaccinated, possibly infected individual comes into even remote contact with this young child, think of what potential harm they are in. As a parent, thinking about any potential harm to your child is unbearable.It is understandable why when hearing abou t the more severe of side effects from certain vaccines many people are frightened. What parents have to remember and focus on are the statistics of the occurrences of these harmful side effects. Vaccines have been proven to be both safe and effective and have now been in routine use for over 200 years. And there has been a consistent decline in the rate of child disease related deaths since the introduction of vaccines. And as a parent, they should understand that it is in no way acceptable to place another child in harm’s way.It can also be unnerving for a parent to hear that they are forced to have certain medications administered to their children. What they must keep in mind is the wide array of diseases and viruses this medication is protecting their child against. Works Cited Allen, Arthur. Vaccine. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. , 2007. Print Diekema, Douglas S. M. D. â€Å"Responding to Parental Refusals of Immunization of Children. † Pediatrics: Offic ial Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics 115. 5 (2005): 1428-1431.JSTOR. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. Hodge, James G. Jr. , and Lawrence O. Gostin. â€Å"School Vaccination Requirements: Historical, Social, and Legal Perspectives. † Kentucky Law Journal 15, Feb. 2002: 1-72. JSTOR. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. Link, Kurt, M. D. The Vaccine Controversy. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. 2005. Print. Saffer, Barbara. Diseases and Disorders: Measles and Rubella. Detroit: Thomson Gale. 2006. Print. â€Å"Your Health. Your Family. Your Choice. † National Vaccine Information Center. NVIC. n. d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

Theories of Group Formation

Theories of Group Formation Below is an explanation of the different models of group formation processes by Lewin, Tuckman, McGrath, and Gersick including the major features, steps, and characteristics. Tuckman (1965), stated these roles/processes are needed for group formation: Forming: Group members learn about each other, and the task at hand. Indicators of this stage might include: unclear objectives, confusion, and low morale. Storming: As group members continue to work, they will engage each other in arguments about the structure of the group which often are significantly emotional and illustrate a struggle for status in the group. Lack of cohesion marks this phase. Norming: Group members establish implicit or explicit rules about how they will achieve their goal. They address the types of communication that will or will not help with the task. Indicators include: Questioning performance, Reviewing/clarify objective, Changing/confirming roles, Opening risky issues, Assertiveness, Listening, Testing new ground, Identifying strengths and weaknesses. Performing: Groups reach a conclusion and implement the conclusion. Indicators include: Creativity, Initiative, Flexibility, and Open relationships. McGrath (1991), stated these roles/processes are needed for group formation: Mode I: Inception and acceptance of a project (goal choice) Mode II: Technical problem solving – solution of technical issues (means choice) Mode III: Conflict resolution – resolution of political issues conflict (policy choice) Mode IV: Execution – the performance requirements of the project (goal attainment) Unfreezing – this phase involves overcoming inertia and dismantling the existing â€Å"mind set†. Defense mechanisms have to be bypassed. Change – typically a period of confusion and transition. One is aware that the old ways are being challenged but does not have a clear picture to replace them yet. Freezing – the new mindset is crystallizing and one’s comfort level is returning to previous levels. Phase 1 – behavioral patterns and assumptions through which a group approaches its project emerges in its first meeting, and the group stays with the framework through the first half of its life. Teams may show little visible progress during this time because members are unable to perceive a use for the information they are generating until they revise the initial framework. Midpoint – at calendar midpoints, groups experience transitions-paradigmatic shifts in their approaches of their work enabling them to capitalize on the gradual learning they have done and make significant advances. This is an opportunity for the group to alter the course of its life midstream. Phase 2 – this is a second period of inertial movement, and takes its direction from plans crystallized during the transition. At completion, when a team makes a final effort to satisfy outside expectations, it experiences the positive and negative consequences of past choices. I see many roles that leaders need to provide in the group development process. A leader needs understanding of critical theories about how people learn, an understanding of patterns of discrimination and inequalities, and the benefits and liabilities associated with individual groups. Along with the ability to articulate his/her own philosophy of education, and use it to empower others’ active participation in their own transformation. According to Katzenbach and Smith (2005), effective working groups need little time to shape their purpose, since the leader usually establishes it. Despite the fact that many leaders refer to group reporting to them as a team, few groups really are. Leaders, however, should make sure the team succeeds in identifying specific purposes and goals. If the leader of a group wants to improve performance overall, he/she needs to find a way of the group taking shared ownership for the results. It is likely that a shift from individual responsibility to shared responsibility can only be achieved if the pay and reward system has a significant element that is dependent on the overall outcome. The knowledge, skills and attitudes of the leader may also need to shift significantly to be effective in this new environment. For example, a leader may need to share all of the individuals' results with the group. The group has the right to know how others are performing if their pay depends on it. This could be a challenging experience for a leader who has avoided the potential emotional stress that can be caused by this level of openness. Kozlowski and Bell (2003), stated that team training and leadership interventions have the potential to enhance team development, it is a process that generally unfolds naturally without intentional intervention. Thus the potential for improving team development and team effectiveness in many organizations is high. â€Å"However, team training and team leadership are key leverage points for enhancing the developmental process by intervening before or as teams are formed (team training) and as they proceed through the developmental rocess in the work setting (team leadership and coaching). † Kozlowski & Bell (2003). The theory that appeals to me the most is Tuckman’s theory of group formation. I believe I feel this way because it is most familiar to me, and have gone through the formal stages of forming, norming, storming, and performing. I was also a participant in a class called â€Å"How best to form your team†. This class went over these ideals that Tuckman me ntions. Refer ences Gersick, Connie J. G. (1988). Time and Transition in Work Teams: Toward a New Model of Group Development. Academy of Management Journal. Vol. 31, No. 1, 9-41. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database Katzenbach, Jon R. & Smith, Douglas K. (2005). The Discipline of Teams. The Harvard Business Review. July-August, 2005. pp. 162-171. Kozlowski, S. (2006). Group development. Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Retrieved from Sage e-References, Walden Library Kozlowski, S. W. J. , & Bell, B. S. (2003). Work groups and teams in organizations. In W. C. Borman, ed. , D. R. Ilgen, ed. , & R. J. Klimoski, ed. (Eds. ), ed. Handbook of psychology: Industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 12, pp. 333-375). London: Wiley. Lewin, K. (1999). Experiments in social space. Reflections, 1(1), 7-13. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database McGrath, J. E. (1991). Time, interaction, and performance (TIP): A theory of groups. Small Group Research, 22(2), 147-174. Retrieved from SAGE Management and Organization Studies Full Text Collection Tuckman, B. (1965). Development al sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), 384-399. Retrieved from PsycARTICLES database

The Incorporation of Venezuela into Mercosur

The Incorporation of Venezuela into Mercosur Introduction Mercosur (Southern Common Market) initially started with the Asuncion Treaty which was inked by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay in 1991 to establish a free trade province and finally to establish a common market. In 2007, Venezuela joined the forum. (Tondi 353).Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on The Incorporation of Venezuela into Mercosur specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main aim of Mercosur is to offer the probabilities to expand exports, to augment investment and to create a greater economic development among member nations. (Dominguez Oliveira 178). The core objective of Mercosur is to institute a customs union in common and a market place in common between member nations of Mercosur. (www.associatedcontents.com). Mercosur market includes free transportation of products and exclusion of custom duties among members within regions. (Motley 2006). When there was an expansion in Mercosur in J uly 2006, the internal dynamics of Mercosur are being altered. Admission of Venezuela, which is the third major economy of Mercosur group after Brazil and Argentina which aggregates over 250 million population in the regional bloc and an aggregate of a GDP of $ 1.1 trillion. To become a full member, Venezuela is required to implement Mercosur regulations and rules, which include espousal of CET and transpose Mercosur contracts with third nations into its domestic legislation. (UK House of Commons Report 80). Venezuela’s government expenditure and its economy are depending upon its oil income. About thirty percent of Venezuela’s GDP comprises of oil income. Further, oil exports constitute about eighty percent of Venezuela’s export. About 16% of Venezuela’s GDP is made up from its service sector. Though, t he economy of Venezuela is very robust, its entry into Mercosur will help to expand its economy. The main objective of associating with Mercosur is to ex pand its business within the region. (Motley 2006).Advertising Looking for thesis on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Venezuela became a full member of Mercosur in January 2006. However, Venezuela’s membership is not absolute as there is a midway phase to depart CAN and to synchronize strategies with other associate nations of Mercosur. (Massabie 153). Though Venezuela approved the† Climate Change Convention in March 1995†, but it was the very last Latin American nation to approve in â€Å"February 2005 the Kyoto Protocol. â€Å" For many years, Venezuela declined to approve the Kyoto’s Protocol in consonance with the OPEC as Kyoto Protocol did not acknowledge condition Venezuela as the major seller of oil. (Massabie 153). Mercosur has been deteriorated frequently due to political chaos between its member nations. The admission of Venezuela to the Mercosur in the ye ar 2008 brings a new member with a clearly varied political ideology into the Mercosur and has once again posed a threat to the political decision authority of Mercosur. (Tondl 28). It is to be observed that Venezuela is playing an active role in all Latin American integration mechanisms. Venezuela was an associate of the â€Å"Andean Community of Nations (Comunidad Andina de Naciones, CAN)†. (O’Keefe 99). However, Venezuela said goodbye to CAN in 2005 averring grave divergence with other member nations. In 2004, Mercosur together with Colombia and Ecuador became an associated member of Mercosur. The Protocol of Adhesion stipulates that it will be enforced once it is approved by all five signatory nations of Mercosur. The Venezuelan congress approved the Protocol of Adhesion as early as August 2006. As of January 2009, it is yet to be approved by the Paraguay and Brazil legislatures. Once the Protocol of adhesion comes into effect, Venezuela will have about four-year t ime to espouse the full array of Mercosur norms, which includes CET also. Venezuela’s immediate integration into Mercosur is also hindered by the fact that Venezuela, though it has formally withdrawn from the Andean Community as early as 2006, it is still subject to the Andean intra-regional liberalization scheme until the year 2011. (O’Keefe 99). The Southern Common Market (Mercosur) crossed nineteenth year of formation in 2010. In these nineteen years, the region transformed from a major restricted trade phenomenon to a free –trade province practically, with extra efforts in creating a customs union and moving on to a common market.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on The Incorporation of Venezuela into Mercosur specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In spite of these developments, the assimilation process sustained impediments due to varied economic happenings such as Brazil’s currency devaluat ion, Asian financial crisis and later, the uncertainty of economy witnessed by Argentina. Thus, delays to the integration phases generate creditability concerns and could endanger the future of the Mercosur. This research paper evaluates the present magnitude of economic assimilation of Mercosur, the tempo of the phases and the outcome of varied levels of economic integration. It also evaluates the entry of Venezuela, the benefits, disadvantages, the roadblocks witnessed by it to become a full member, how Mercosur has benefited due to ingression of Venezuela and what are all the future challenges to be confronted both by Venezuela and Mercosur in detail. Analysis As a new member of Mercosur, Venezuela is in a transition phase from its earlier Andean Community Association. Venezuela’s integration into Mercosur is a phased one. By 2012, its tariff to Argentina and Brazil are to be removed with privileged access for main imports from Uruguay and Paraguay, which is to be offered instantly and free trade by 2013. Venezuela has to espouse the Mercosur common external tariff within four years. Some sectors like livestock, food, electronic equipment, software and automobiles are protected sectors. Venezuela is now required to implement Mercosur trade regulations and rules, which include the adoption of the region’s Common External Tariff and to swap Mercosur’s agreements with third nations into its domestic laws. Definitely, Venezuela’s entry into Mercosur will transform the course of the region’s development. With Venezuela as a member in Mercosur, there is greater political risk is involved. Recently, another six year term of the presidency was won by President Hugo Chavez for a third term in Venezuela. This has raised an alarm among business and industry that nationalization of various main industries in Venezuela is on the card. Out of 175 ranks, Venezuela has been ranked as 164 by World Bank for doing business. (UK House of Co mmons Report 65). Significance of Venezuela’s Entry into Mercosur Entry of Venezuela into the Mercosur free trade province under the Protocol of Adhesion brings more grand factors than included in ALDI ACE NO.59 which is the present free trade agreement which Venezuela is having with each other Mercosur nations.Advertising Looking for thesis on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, under earlier ACE NO.59, many tariff curtailments are not anticipated to be wholly introduced till January 1, 2018 and there are even goods, which are excluded from free trade permanently. On the contrary, both Brazil and Argentina, under the Protocol of Adhesion (POA), as a normal rule, will abolish tariffs on all imports from Venezuela from January 1 2010 whereas Uruguay and Paraguay will eliminate the tariff for all imports from Venezuela from January 1, 2013 and in turn, Venezuela will abolish all tariffs on all imports from Mercosur nations from January 1, 2012. Immediately, after entry into the force of POA, Venezuela has consented to throw open up its market instantly to for a number of Paraguayan and Uruguayan imports. For so –called agricultural products, the protocol contains a provision that permits for a longer phase-out period ending January 1, 2014. The Political Aspect of Venezuela’s Entry into Mercosur The main aim of the Venezuela’ s intention to join Mercosur as a full member is predominantly political. Before joining Mercosur, Venezuela is not a poignant export market for the Mercosur nations. Both Argentina and Brazil, to some smaller magnitude, export some valuable manufactured products to Venezuela, mainly auto parts and also agricultural products and food items in a small quantity. Incidentally, there are few exports to other Mercosur nations from Venezuela. Currently, oil is being imported by Brazil in large quantities from Venezuela and however, these imports by Brazil from Venezuela are of miniscule as compared to global petroleum exports by Venezuela. (O’keefe 100). It serves medium and short-term economic interests to other Mercosur nations by the decision to admit Venezuela as a full member. The Argentines are much fascinated in collaborating with PDVSA, the Venezuelan state owned Petrol Company, which has offered investment capital to develop offshore natural gas and oil fields in Argentina . Brazilian state owned petrol company namely Petrobras which evincing keen interest in joint ventures with its Venezuela’s equivalent to develop and explore oil wells, mainly to explore heavy oil in Venezuela’s Orinoco River Valley, which can be exported to northeastern Brazil. Both Brazilian and Venezuelan oil companies have already invested about US$ 2.5 billion in heavy oil refinery in Pernambuco, which is in the North Eastern side of Brazil. The state petrol company of Uruguay also has a joint venture with PDVSA to establish heavy oil wells in the province of Orinoco and to establish an oil refinery in Uruguay, mainly to refine heavy crude. Further, a natural gas pipeline is being constructed from Bolivia to Paraguay and Uruguay, which is funded by Venezuela. Further, Venezuela is having planned to construct a natural gas pipeline from Venezuela to the Southern Cone of Mercosur. (O’Keefe 100). Mercosur –Venezuela Trade In recent years, there has been a rapid increase of trade flow between Venezuela and Mercosur nations. It reached a record high of US$ 7.2 billion in 2007. This represents an increase of 25% increase of the figures of 2006 and an increase of 34% increase 2003 figures. However, Venezuela’s exports to the Southern Cone bloc nations experienced a moderate increase of 10.8% between 2003 and 2007. It even shrank by 15.3% in 2007 aggregating to US$ 1.1 billion. Due to this, there was growth of US$4.9 billion in 2007 in trade balance in favor of Mercosur. It is significant to note that the trade flows between Venezuela and Mercosur were much more balanced till the start of this decade and in some instances, exhibited a marginal increase in favor of Venezuela, as in 2000, when Venezuelan sales touched the magic figure of US$1.5 billion. (Instituto Para La 56). There has been a substantial increase of exports by the four Mercosur nations to Venezuela, which stood at 60.5% in 2006 and was about 38% during the first six months of 2007. Thus, the four Mercosur nations accounted for 12% of Venezuela’s total imports. The larger drive of sales to this destination as contrasted to shipments the other parts of the world, demonstrates that the Venezuelan market’s capability for the Mercosur products, especially manufactured products like pharmaceutical products, plastics , auto and automobile parts , food , cardboard and paper. It is to be noted that Colombia was the nation which was badly affected due to Venezuela’s entry into Mercosur as it had earlier supplied of above mentioned products under preferential tariff stipulations to other Mercosur nations. Further, Mercosur imports from Venezuela demonstrated strong increase during 2006, which stood at 146.1% but declined towards 9.9% during the first half of 2007. For all Mercosur nations except Uruguay, the significance as a supplier of the bloc is relatively limited. Uruguay is the only country which soaks up almost fifty percen t of the bloc’s imports from Venezuela. Moreover, in terms of energy, Venezuela has become a significant trading partner and its fuel symbolizes almost the whole of imports from the nations in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay and over sixty percent in Brazil. Source: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113488.pdf.   http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113488.pdf. Source: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113488.pdf. Source: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113488.pdf. Source: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113488.pdf. Source: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113488.pdf.   Source: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113488.pdf. Source: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113488.pdf. wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2010_e/its10_world_trade_dev_e.pdf Venezuelaâ €™s financial and capital account behavior is closely linked to the significant current account balance of 15.1 % of GDP during the year 2003-2006. The flip aspect of this high surplus is a debit balance allocated between financial and capital account and the excess in the international reserves. The current account surplus of Venezuela is mainly attributed to the oil exports by the Venezuela’s government oil company namely PDVSA. Venezuela’s government has the decision authority to decide what quantum of this surplus can be transformed into as official assets or international reserves and what quantum is to be earmarked for financial or real investment overseas. Venezuela witnessed a net outflow of capital since 1999 which in 2006 touched 12.4% of its GDP. This balance symbolises both the surge in Venezuelan assets in foreign countries and the fall in the external liabilities. All Mercosur nations except Argentina witnessed accumulation in their international rese rves during 2006 in line with the aim of minimizing external vulnerability in a context of escalating uncertainty at the international level. Thus , Venezuela has reformed its policy towards the accumulation of reserves, which declined August 2007 to US$ 10b as against the US$37b maximum at the end of 2006 mainly because of its reallocation to the National Development Fund namely FONDEN. (Carciofi et al 3) One another advantage of Venezuela in Mercosur is that it promotes investment by Venezuela in other member nations, and investment is also made by other member nations in Venezuela, Thus , this prolonged business cycle will assist to fortify nations within Mercosur.( Bassi 2006), Venezuela will derive advantages from the introduction of total liberalization for the majority of products of interest to it in trade with other individual members of Mercosur. The greatest benefit will be in trade with the Brazil and Argentina as these nations have undertaken to introduce liberalization forward to 2010 onwards. (Carciofi 111). Major advantages may be obtained from elimination of the exception to complete liberalization and of the price band system presently applied by Venezuela in its trade with Mercosur nations. (Carciofi 112). According to Maduro, Venezuela’s foreign minister, there has been an enhanced commercial relations between Mercosur and Venezuela as trade has grown to $28 billion from the just $2 billion. Mercosur will also strive to achieve a common custom’s code to kindle and minimize the cost of commerce among Mercosur nations. Further, there is an effort by Mercosur to remove double-taxation and associated transport holdups on imports that is being transported through one member nation to arrive at another Mercosur member nation. It is estimated that by 2014, there will be complete elimination of double-taxation of imported merchandises and there will be a single Mercosur customs union, unifying terms so that duties on exports and impor ts can be arrived at and exchanged across Mercosur member nations.(IntelliBriefs 2010). Disadvantages From the above table, it is evident that the entry of Venezuela into Mercosur as a new full member has a moderate brunt on the region’s trade and economic profile. Though Venezuela is having a higher per capital GDP as compared to the Mercosur’s mean, the value of Venezuela’s annual import is not very admirable. The chief part in cost-benefit analyses of Venezuela’s admission into Mercosur is the energy capabilities that the Venezuela adds to the region. (Carciofi 101). There are fewer disadvantages for Venezuela’s accession to Mercosur. Member nations are of the view that many agreements and rules framed by Mercosur are of one sided. One another disadvantage is that Venezuela may face that it may be the victim of intellectual property privileges. With more exports of electronic products from Venezuela into other Mercosur member nations may end in copying of ideas of Venezuela’s products thereby resulting in the emergence of grey markets for Venezuela’s electronic products. (Ledesma 2008). Despite advancing the time frames which will usher advantages to Venezuela, it is significant to note that majority of selected goods already have momentous preference margins. The effect will be relatively modest even by advancing timeframe to enjoy the advantages in market access norms. This symbolizes despite there are chances for trade expansion, membership of Venezuela in Mercosur does not symbolize momentous transformation in market access norms for those associated, given the present preference as the trade liberalization deadlines already discussed in ECA 59. (Carciofi 111). External Agenda of Mercosur will be influenced by Venezuela’s Entry One of the major anxieties ventilated by the business sector over Venezuela’s ingress into Mercosur is that it may wield its influence on the external agenda of the b loc. As per National Confederation of Industry, immediately after inking the Membership Protocol, Venezuela will attain the status of inclusion in the Mercosur delegation for negotiating with other nations and blocs. Thus, without going through the transition period, Venezuela may have its articulation in such discussion as one of the framer of the Mercosur’s negotiating programs with the EU and U.S.A. (Carciofi 117). Democratic Clause in Mercosur Among the founding members of Mercosur, democracy was a common value and was visualized as a precondition for integration. It is to be noted that in the preamble either in the constituent treaty of Mercosur or the Treaty of Asuncion signed in 1991 contained democratic clause. The first ever mention about democratic setup is seen in the â€Å"Declaration of the Second Presidential Meeting of Mercosur† of June 1992. Mercosur member nations in July 1996 reiterated the significance of democratic conditionality by sealing the â₠¬Å"Declaration of the Democratic Agreement.† In July 1998, the Democratic agreement was officially instituted into the â€Å"Treaty of Asuncion â€Å"by means of the Protocol of Ushuaia. This protocol specifically provides after a phase of consultation, the rights of a member state of Mercosur can be suspended where the democratic order is in chaos, mainly to deliberate in the institutions of Mercosur. (Hoffmann Vleuten l 180). It will be interesting to follow the effect of the democratic clause, given the polemic circumstances of the democratic credentials of Chavezs government. It is to be noted that decision to include Paraguay in the Treaty of Asuncion was regarded in 1989 only after the end of the dictatorship. (Vaz 126). It is to be noted that no stringent action was taken during the Venezuela crisis other than support expression for a return to a democratic rule by Mercosur nations. It is pertinent to note that Mercosur does not have an adequate explanation on how to handle corrosions of democratic ruling. (Morton, Halperin Galic 109). Chavez’s autocratic style and Paraguay’s Opposition Though Venezuela’s request to admit as a full member of Mercosur was approved in June 2006 in Caracas by the leaders of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the proposal has to be accepted by the legislatures of the concerned nation also. Both Uruguay and Argentina legislatures were the first to acknowledge the Venezuela’s incorporation as a full member. Brazil’s Senate, after three long years of debate approved the Venezuela’s inclusion in Mercosur in December 2009. Paraguays senate is yet to accord its approval since the Paraguay’s President Fernando Lugo does not enjoy the adequate support and his opponents have raised their voice against inclusion of Venezuela in Mercosur on the ground of â€Å"autocratic practices and style â€Å" of President Chavez, which is in clear opposition to the main slogan of â€Å" Mercosur Democratic Clause.† According to Senator Romero Juca, a senator from Brazilian ruling coalition, Venezuelas role is extremely significant for the economic and social development of South America and hence, Brazil would exert its utmost pressure on Paraguay on the necessity for acknowledgement of Venezuela’s admission as a full member in Mercosur. (Brazil Mag 2010). Paraguayan opposition opposes the political style of the President Hugo Chavez and not the entry of state of Venezuela into Mercosur. They view Chavez as an undemocratic and they are of the opinion that his arrival may harm Mercosur. Some critics are of the view the Mercosur as a mirror of the European Union and lament that their entry of Chavez may injure the trade pact with EU. It is to be observed that Venezuela major imports are foodstuff and Paraguay can benefit from exporting to Venezuela its oil seeds, grains and meats.(UPI.com 2010). Whether Mercosur is a successful and what is its fu ture? Since its start-up, Mercosur has turned to be Latin America’s most elegant integration agreement. However, both Argentina and Brazil were passing through a recession and there was a disagreement on which foreign exchange policy to be perused. This disagreement has become a real threat to the future of Mercosur. (Gillespie, Jeannet and Hennessey 46). The initial success of Mercosur was demonstrated by the truth that international trade among the four nations soared to 200 percent in the 1990s. However, after 1999, trade and commerce were badly impacted due to Brazil’s currency devaluation and its consequent financial crisis and there was default of external debts by Argentina. The economy and trade were affected severely between 2000 and 2002 and especially in 2004. In particular, Argentina flouted the Mercosur access conditions by introducing several protective measures and barriers to free trade. Due to non-coordination between members, the future of Mercosur is now uncertain. (John, Craig Lynk 308). Recent happenings do not seem good for the future of Mercosur. In the year 2006, a dispute between Uruguay and Argentina over whether to permit European companies to establish two paper mills along the river that separates their border was not resolved through Mercosur’s internal dispute resolution mechanism. Further, Uruguay expanded its trade with the U.S.A and even cautioned that it may withdraw from Mercosur commenting that Mercosur is to serve the interest of Brazil and Argentina. Moreover, Mercosur has not resolved trade asymmetries that have arisen within its members, yet to resolve the concern of double tariff on certain imports from outside the bloc, yet to codify a custom code that is common and this has led some analyst to view that Mercosur has turned to be a forum of foreign policy modeling. These beliefs have only been corroborated by recent discussions between the European Union and Brazil regarding the possibility of a bilateral trade negotiation. (Seelke 8). Why Paraguay Has Not Allowed Venezuelas Entry To The Bloc? What Are/Would Be The Consequences It The Country Decides To Finally Admit Venezuela? For Paraguay, in spite of economic advantages derived by Paraguay due to Venezuela’s entry into Mercosur as its full member, the aristocrat style of Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president elevates the cause of worry for Paraguay. The political style and personality of Chavez is just conflicting to Mendez, the present president of Paraguay who emphasizes moderation. Paraguay is of the opinion that Mr. Chavez’s extreme patriotism will fetch more chaos to Mercosur. Paraguay is of the opinion that Venezuela’s confronts with Colombia will need of redrafting of its stance for Mercosur since Paraguay is of the view that Venezuela’s entry may bring a blockade in the negotiation for creating a trade relations between European Union and Mercosur nations. The adversaries of Chavezâ₠¬â„¢s program for a substitute style of integrating South American economies, which insists issues of social justices which are not restricted to his domestic foes. Both the big businesses from Venezuela and member nations of Mercosur especially Paraguay have a common grumble against Chavez may destabilize the Chavez’s effort of amalgamating the South American nations against Washington. Already, Paraguay is entangled with the heightening brawls with Argentina and Brazil, as the national leaders of Paraguay are questioning the real advantage of awarding full membership to Venezuela. Further, Paraguay is having a legitimate concern over equity treatment that travel back to very first day of formation of Mercosur. For instance, Brazil and Paraguay, which enjoy the gargantuan dam namely â€Å" Itaipu Dam† which is being one of the globe’s biggest hydroelectric energy projects an d Paraguay has raised dispute over dominance of Brazil in the Itaipu project. This has made the Paraguay politicians to allege that Paraguay’s association with the Mercosur is a disgrace since the Mercosur membership does not offer any meaningful advantages to Paraguay. Paraguay is actively engaged in establishing a bilateral trade agreement with the U.S.A which has compelled Chavez to give up his nation’s economic tie-up with the other nations of South American trade group that have followed Paraguay’s FTA with U.S.A and could end in Mercosur fugitives to renounce full membership in the Mercosur. Paraguay is of the view that Chavez main aim to join Mercosur is to shape his counterweight to U-S supported freed trade agreements thereby uttering that admission of Venezuela as indicator for integration of South American economies and a sign of triumph against U.S.A’s colonialist economic strategies for the region. Thus, there is a need on the part of Chavez to stop this encouraging the exit of Paraguay which means fracturing of Mercosur intern al unity which would symbolize a devastating philosophy rout in Chavez’s struggle to keep U.S.A’s authority isolated in the region. If at all Venezuela wants to isolate U.S.A, it should come forward to offer lower tariffs for Paraguayan merchandises well before free-trade regions are concluded for the balance of Venezuela’s inter-Mercosur commerce for the period between 2012 and 2013. This approach will help Venezuela to get the support of Paraguay by helping it to tackle Paraguay’s negative economic scenarios and it will also heighten small economies like Paraguay attitude towards Venezuela as Paraguay may have to weigh the real benefits from Venezuela’s participation in Mercosur. According to erstwhile Paraguayan President Duarte Frutos that if real aim of the Mercosur is to criticize the protectionism of EU and U.S.A, they should practice the same protectionism among the small member nations of Mercosur and if this continue, then these small mem ber nations like Paraguay may decide their concern would be served outside Mercosur. Further, Chavez call to build a common army for Mercosur may kindle Chavez’s economic and political adversaries to join under one roof to retort his action for integration or may spoil hesitant allies to get back their support to Mercosur. (Coha 2010). Paraguay is having strong political disparity but at the same time it is also of the view that Venezuela’s entry into Mercosur is more interesting to it economically. Paraguay opposition is vehemently against Chavez and not against Venezuela as his attitudes are not only undemocratic towards the press and opposition but also Chavez’s meddling in other nation’s domestic business for ever. However, adequate pressure is exerted by Argentina and Brazil on Paraguay to shift its stance against Venezuela which can have considerable impact on landlocked Paraguay given its trade discrepancies and geographic location. One another stu mbling block is that approval of both houses of Paraguay’s congress is to be obtained before the bill for accrediting full membership for Venezuela which is to be inked by Paraguay’s president Lugo. However, since Lugo is lacking majority in any of the houses of congress and hence Logo is compelled to negotiate with the ruling coalition which itself is splintered. (MercoPress 2010). Conclusion It is obvious that membership of Mercosur has not paved the way for change in the replica of economic development. Nor have the assurances of enhanced trade opportunities, larger international profile and access to new markets. Rather than an increase in exports, Mercosur has witnessed a concentration of exports. Economic growth has been disappointing and flow of FDI is rather stagnated. No doubt, Venezuela’s entry into Mercosur will definitely make aligning the bloc’s trade agendas more of a challenge. Venezuela’s foreign trade and productive structure are p oignantly differing to the present member nations of Mercosur, and this will definitely have a say on its trade policy preferences. There are two chief challenges to the future of Mercosur.The first one is the political and economic crisis. The chances of survival are not encouraging without a speedy recovery from the present global economic turmoil. There are three structural deficiencies of the present concept of Mercosur, and they are the lack of macroeconomic coordination, the institutional weakness and the intra-industry trade strategy. (Weintraub, Rugman Boyd 148). The above mentioned deficiencies can be corrected. By fine tuning the relatively demanding theory of a â€Å" Common Market† to the political realities by acknowledging the fact the readiness to share sovereignty and by substituting the greatly personal –decision making measures through a more rule oriented system and By keeping away from macroeconomic doctrines at the national level which intimidate s to generate deformed real exchange rates within the region? To rejuvenate and revitalize Mercosur, it is the need of the hour to reform its productive capabilities following comparative benefits. Mercosur’s structural weakness still remains to be resolved. If this disadvantage is considered seriously, it is obvious that the future of Mercosur must remain in doubt, even if the current economic turbulence can be conquered. (Weintraub, Rugman Boyd 148). Bassi, Raul. 12 September 2006. Venezuela in MERCOSUR. A New Mercosur. 19 October 2010 www.spectrezine.org/LatinAmerica/bassi.htm. Brazil Mag. (April 2010). Brazil to Pressure Paraguay into Accepting Venezuela into Mercosur. 19 October 2010 brazzilmag.com/component/content/article/84-april-2010/12157-brazil-to-pressure-paraguay-into-accepting-venezuela-in-mercosur.html Carciofi, et al. Mercosur. Report Number 12:2006 [Second Semester]. New York: BIDINTAL. Coha , K B. 20 July 2010. Venezuela’s First Meeting as Mercosu r Member Begins Today.5 November 5, 2010 http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/1847 Dominguez Francisco Oliveira Marco Aurelio Guedes de. Mercosur: Between Integration and Democracy.Brasilia: Peter Lang, 2006. Gillespie, Jearnet Hennessey. Global Marketing. London: Dreamtech Press, 2009. Great Britain, Parliament: House of Commons. Trade with Brazil and Mercosur. London: TSO, 2007. Hoffimann Andrea Ribeiro, Vleuten Johanna Maria Van Der. Closing or Widening the Gap? Legitimacy and Democracy in Regional. London: Ashgate Publications, 2007. Instituto Para La Integracion de America Latina Y el Caribe, INTAL. Mercosur Report Number 13:2007, Second Semester -2008. New York: BIDINTAL, 2008. John D, Craig R Lynk Michael. Globalization and the Future of Labour Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. May. (6 August 2008).An Investment Under the Mercosur Trade Centre. 19 October 2010 www.associatedcontentment.com/article/919219/an_investment_under_the_mercosur_trade_pg2_pg2.html? Massabie German. Venezuela: A Petro-State Using Renewable Energies. New York: VS Verlag, 2008. MercoPress. 11 June 2010.Paraguay Admits Pressure from Brazil to Vote for Venezuela’s Mercosur’s Incorporation. 5 November 2010 http://en.mercopress.com/2010/06/11/paraguay-admits-pressure-from-brazil-to-vote-for-venezuela-s-mercosur-incorporation Morton H, Halperin and Galic Mima. Protecting Democracy: International Response. London: Lexington Books, 2005. Motley, La’Sarah-evette Patrice. 6 January 2006. Mercosur –The Southern Common Market. 19 October 2010 associatedcontent.com/article/16507/mercosur_the_southern_commom_market_pg2_pg2.html?cat=3. O’Keefe, Thomas Andrew. Latin America and Caribbean Trade Agreements: Keys to a Prosperous. New York: Brill,2009. Seelke, Clare Ribando. BRAZIL –U.S.A Relations. London: Diane Publishing Company, 2009. Tondl, Gabriele. Trade Integration and Economic Development: the EU and Latin. New York: Springer, 200 8. Vaz, Alcides Costa. Cooperacao, integracao e processo necociador. Brazil: Instituto Brazileiro de Relacoes, 2002. Weintraub Sidney, Rugman Alan M Boyd Gavin. Free Trade in Americas: Political and Economical Issues for Governance. London: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2004. www.associatedcontent.com.(23 March 2010). Advantages and Disadvantages of Mercosur Membership. 19 October 2010 associatedcontent.com/article/2808740/advantages_and_disadvantages_of_mersocur.html www.intelliBriefs.com. (6 August 2010). Mercosur Summit Discusses Venezuela-Columbia Situation. 19 October 2010 http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2010/08/mercosur-summit-discusses-venezuela.html. www.upi.com.(6 August 2010). Venezuela Again Stopped at Mercosur’s door. 19 October 2010 upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/08/06/Venezuela-again-stopped-at-Mercosurs-door/UPI-60711281118533/

Introduction to Bipedal Locomotion

Introduction to Bipedal Locomotion Bipedal locomotion refers to walking on two legs in an upright position, and the only animal to do that all the time is the modern human. Our ancestor primates lived in trees and rarely set foot on the ground; our ancestor hominins moved out of those trees and lived primarily in the savannas. Walking upright all the time is thought to have been an evolutionary step forward if you will, and one of the hallmarks of being human. Scholars have often argued that walking erect is an enormous advantage. Walking erect improves communication, allows visual access to farther distances, and changes throwing behaviors. By walking upright, a hominins hands are freed to do all sorts of things, from holding babies to making stone tools to throwing weapons. American neuroscientist Robert Provine has argued that sustained voiced laughter, a trait which greatly facilitates social interactions, is only possible in bipeds because the respiration system is freed to do that in an upright position. Evidence for Bipedal Locomotion There are four main ways scholars have used to figure out whether a particular ancient hominin is primarily living in the trees or walking upright: ancient skeletal foot construction, other bone configurations above the foot, footprints of those hominins, and dietary evidence from stable isotopes. The best of these, of course, is foot construction: unfortunately, ancient ancestral bones are difficult to find under any circumstances, and foot bones are very rare indeed. Foot structures associated with bipedal locomotion include a plantar rigidity- flat foot- which means the sole stays flat from step to step. Secondly, hominins that walk on the earth generally have shorter toes than hominins who live in trees. Much of this was learned from the discovery of a nearly complete Ardipithecus ramidus, an ancestor of ours who apparently walked upright sometimes, some 4.4 million years ago. Skeletal constructions above the feet are slightly more common, and scholars have looked at the configurations of the spine, the tilt, and structure of the pelvis, and the way the femur fits into the pelvis to make assumptions about a hominins ability to walk upright. Footprints and Diet Footprints are also rare, but when they are found in a sequence, they hold evidence that reflects the gait, length of stride, and weight transfer during walking. Footprint sites include Laetoli in Tanzania (3.5-3.8 million years ago, probably Australopithecus afarensis; Ileret (1.5 million years ago) and GaJi10 in Kenya, both likely Homo erectus; the Devils Footprints in Italy, H. heidelbergensis about 345,000 years ago; and Langebaan Lagoon in South Africa, early modern humans, 117,000 years ago. Finally, a case has been made that diet infers environment: if a particular hominin ate a lot of grasses rather than fruit from trees, it is likely the hominin lived primarily in grassed savannas. That can be determined through stable isotope analysis. Earliest Bipedalism So far, the earliest known bipedal locomotor was Ardipithecus ramidus, who sometimes- but not always- walked on two legs 4.4 million years ago. Fulltime bipedalism is currently thought to have been achieved by Australopithecus, the type fossil of which is the famous Lucy, approximately 3.5 million years ago. Biologists have argued that foot and ankle bones changed when our primate ancestors came down from the trees, and that after that evolutionary step, we lost the facility to regularly climb trees without the aid of tools or support systems. However, a 2012 study by human evolutionary biologist Vivek Venkataraman and colleagues points out that there are some modern humans who do regularly and quite successfully climb tall trees, in pursuit of honey, fruit, and game. Climbing Trees and Bipedal Locomotion Venkataraman and his colleagues investigated behaviors and anatomical leg structures of two modern-day groups in Uganda: the Twa hunter-gatherers and Bakiga agriculturalists, who have coexisted in Uganda for several centuries. The scholars filmed the Twa climbing trees and used movie stills to capture and measure how much their feet flexed while tree-climbing. They found that although the bony structure of the feet is identical in both groups, there is a difference in the flexibility and length of soft tissue fibers in the feet of people who could climb trees with ease compared with those who cannot. The flexibility that allows people to climb trees only involves soft tissue, not the bones themselves. Venkataraman and colleagues caution that the foot and ankle construction of Australopithecus, for example, does not rule out tree-climbing, even though it does allow upright bipedal locomotion.   Sources Been, Ella, et al. Morphology and Function of the Lumbar Spine of the Kebara 2 Neandertal. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 142.4 (2010): 549-57. Print. Crompton, Robin H., et al. Human-Like External Function of the Foot, and Fully Upright Gait, Confirmed in the 3.66 Million Year Old Laetoli Hominin Footprints by Topographic Statistics, Experimental Footprint-Formation and Computer Simulation. Journal of The Royal Society Interface 9.69 (2012): 707-19. Print. DeSilva, Jeremy M., and Zachary J. Throckmorton. Lucys Flat Feet: The Relationship between the Ankle and Rearfoot Arching in Early Hominins. PLoS ONE 5.12 (2011): e14432. Print. Haeusler, Martin, Regula Schiess, and Thomas Boeni. New Vertebral and Rib Material Point to Modern Bauplan of the Nariokotome Homo Erectus Skeleton. Journal of Human Evolution 61.5 (2011): 575-82. Print. Harcourt-Smith, William E. H. Origin of Bipedal Locomotion. Handbook of Paleoanthropology. Eds. Henke, Winfried, and Ian Tattersall. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015. 1919-59. Print. Huseynov, Alik, et al. Developmental Evidence for Obstetric Adaptation of the Human Female Pelvis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113.19 (2016): 5227-32. Print. Lipfert, Susanne W., et al. A Model-Experiment Comparison of System Dynamics for Human Walking and Running. Journal of Theoretical Biology 292.Supplement C (2012): 11-17. Print. Mitteroecker, Philipp, and Barbara Fischer. Adult Pelvic Shape Change Is an Evolutionary Side Effect. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113.26 (2016): E3596-E96. Print. Provine, Robert R. Laughter as an Approach to Vocal Evolution: The Bipedal Theory. Psychonomic Bulletin Review 24.1 (2017): 238-44. Print. Raichlen, David A., et al. Laetoli Footprints Preserve Earliest Direct Evidence of Human-Like Bipedal Biomechanics. PLoS ONE 5.3 (2010): e9769. Print. Venkataraman, Vivek V., Thomas S. Kraft, and Nathaniel J. Dominy. Tree Climbing and Human Evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2012). Print. Ward, Carol V., William H. Kimbel, and Donald C. Johanson. Complete Fourth Metatarsal Andarches in the Foot of Australopithecus Afarensis. Science 331 (2011): 750-53. Print. Winder, Isabelle C., et al. Complex Topography and Human Evolution: The Missing Link. Antiquity 87 (2013): 333-49. Print.

Competitor Analysis Master Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Competitor Analysis Master - Assignment Example Dolan, 1991). This will help the company n making the necessary modifications either to its product or its marketing strategy or both as & how the situation demands. Such an effective definition of the marketing strategy & the assessment of the degree of competition with the market may also be applied to the tourism industry as well. The present essay is an attempt on the same line to determine in brief about the various strategies & competitive policies that need to be worked out by any tourism sector to be able to offer healthy & stiff competition using many popular marketing models. Strategies are the long term goals that are set up by any business entity for the purpose of achieving the desired objectives in addition to the fulfillment of the needs & tastes of the customers. The concept of marketing is no exception to this fact and as such, any marketing activity should be effectively planned & implemented according to a well-defined strategy. A strategy is different from a tactic wherein the latter is mainly concerned with addressing the short term goals of the organization with regards to the a particular product or a specific market situation. As opposed to this, a strategy is usually devised for a long period that sometimes runs into months or even years for satisfying a major objective such as an expansion of the organization into new sectors, popularizing a new product that is proposed to be introduced into the market etc.In general, there are two major parts under strategic marketing: Assessing the competition in the market. Implementing the strategic action plan as part of the usual operations. The present markets are extremely competitive in nature. Therefore, there needs to be a consistent strategy in order to provide for a way to outclass other products that provide competition through effective marketing strategies. But, in addition to having a well-defined strategy that aims to take care of long term goals & ambitions, one also needs to have an action plan in place for everyday activities. In addition, one also needs to make sure that there are adequate resources for the purpose of being able to fulfill the desired objectives.The decision of the overall strategy & its planning are hugely influenced by the market condition & the organization's objectives. These considerations can be briefly classified as shown below (Coskun Samli, 1998): If the market is favourable & the organization occupies the best position, then the best option is to mobilize the best resources towards achieving organizational goals. If the market situation is favourable but the organization's place is a bit weaker in comparison to other industry players, then the goal of the strategists should be aimed at making the best offer towards improving & consolidating the place of the company in the market. In case the market is not favourable, but the organization is better placed in comparison to its competitors, then strategic marketing policies will ultimately work towards generating short-term profits. If both the market and the organization's situation are not satisfactory, then strategic marketing should be undertaken if & only if it is felt that the proposed initiative would be beneficial at least towards a part of the business entity.