World Systems Theory

Dane Fuentes Sociology 10/19/12 World System's Theory Immanuel Wallerstein’s World Systems theory is the theory of how multinational corporations and industrializing nations have dominated the world over the last 500 years. Wallerstein also takes a look at how â€Å"periphery† and â€Å"semi-periphery† nations have become dependent on â€Å"core nations†, due largely to their lack of varied resources and driven by the need to survive.Wallerstein goes on to explain how colonialism has been replaced by neo-colonialism, a new form of using people, land, and resources purely for economic gain. This neo-colonialism, he claims, will lead to a perpetuation of wealth and more strict ascribed statuses and global stratification. One way neo-colonialism is highly visible, is in the presence of sweat shops or maquiladoras. Maquiladoras are sweat shops that are owned by multinational corporations that are common in developing and under-developed countries.These sweat-s hops do not give their worker’s any rights. There is no job security, benefits, or retirement pensions. People work, until they can no longer work, and then perish. The worker is then replaced, possibly by his children, and the corporation moves on, never noticing the now disenfranchised worker who has to find a new means of survival and, in his desperation, perhaps turning to crime. The IMF and World Bank are two multinational corporations that also may have contributed in many ways to the massive inequality that is the global economy.These financial institutions provided aid to needy countries. However, in exchange for this aid, the IMF and World Bank asked for very strong influences in those needy countries as well as heightened interest rates on the loans themselves. The countries are then, in turn, caught in a cycle of conceding to the Banks demands and paying their national debt. Many underdeveloped countries, such as Ghana and The Philipines, cannot pay these debts, so in turn, these debts grow.At the same time, the multinational corporations are syphoning out resources due to their influence within those countries, leaving barren wastelands and poverty-stricken, disenfranchised people in their wake. Therefore, it may be seen that the multinational corporations may have sought to help these developing countries in a time of need, but in truth they were seizing an opportunity to indirectly buy the land from under the people living on it. This forms the basis of neo-colonialism.

Critically review the situation at RestaurantCo Essay

This essay analyses the case of RestaurantCo, a large non-unionised restaurant company with over 300 branches across the UK, and more than 7000 employed staff members (Suter & Marchington 2011). According to Brad and Gold (2012, p.401) the term non-unionised is a ‘workplace, where managers have flexibility in designing work, selecting, promotion and training people, and determining rewards and other human resources (HR) practices.’ As briefly defined managers carry out many duties and responsibilities for the business. In order to have a better understanding of the role of line managers and employee relations at RestaurantCo it would be necessary to explore and outline the strengths and weaknesses of the company. To be more specific, this essay will explore and outline the main strengths and weaknesses in the working style of branch managers and the structural centralisation within the organisation, the formal and informal employee involvement and participation (EIP) practices, the working relationships between front line managers and employees, and the competitive effectiveness of the organisational HRM system and capability framework for branch managers. This case study of RestaurantCo focuses on the organisational problems that stems from the centralisation of corporate decision making and monitoring. The company regarded itself as a high quality restaurant business with a strong focus on positive employee relations thus reflected in their history of informal employment relations approach (Suter & Marchington 2011). However, since the change in ownership the company had to implement new business strategies and HR practices as well as make further enhancements to the restaurant environment. For instance, the changes in the restaurant environment included refurbishments, expanded food and drinks menus, and cost savings by integrating the supply chain with other  restaurants owned by the group (Suter & Marchington 2011). Consequently, some of these changes were seen as quite extensive and problematic for restaurant managers. For instance, some of these organisational changes were somewhat inefficient and costly in terms of deliveries and that mistakes were frequently made in the order and supply of ingredients (Suter & Marchington 2011). Managers were no longer able to order directly from suppliers but instead were instructed to direct their orders through the supply chain department, whose understanding of the needs of individual branches were seen as limited (Suter & Marchington 2011). There were also additional changes in improving customer service such as the introduction to the ‘Mystery Customer’ initiative (Suter & Marchington 2011, p.213). This program initiative was seen as a form of corporate centralised monitoring and control of service, which somewhat contradicts the supposed given autonomy to branch managers. This demonstrates senior management distrust in its branch managers’ abilities to meet or fulfil their duties and responsibilities. This form of control violates the ‘psychological contract’ between the branch managers and employers which is also known as a ‘two-way exchanged of perceived promises and obligations between employees and their employer’ (Bratton & Gold, 2012, p. 12). In this case, senior management had infringed on the trust between its branch managers by having a ‘centralised monitoring system’ in placed to gather customer information and business performance, thus in turn viol ating their psychological contract (Suter & Marchington 2011). Consequently, creating a negative ‘low-trust and low-commitment’ relationship compared to a ‘high-trust and high-commitment’ participatory relationship between senior management and branch managers (Bratton & Gold, 2012, p. 160). Nevertheless, control is seen as somewhat necessary by senior management, but ‘too much control might be counterproductive’ (Dant & Nasr, 1998, p. 7). Hence, ‘excessive levels of control’ should be carefully considered as it will ‘impact on business performance levels’ (Dant & Nasr, 1998, p. 7). As stated in Dant and Nasr (1998, p.7) tight control is generally not perceived well by managers who are driven by a strong desire for ‘independence and autonomy’, they may withheld ‘authentic and helpful information’ from senior management or employers in order to preserve some indirect form of control as they might believe that their input would not be valued or validated. In this particular case, tight control would lead to less cooperation between branch managers and senior management. Furthermore, feedback from mystery customers to senior management may not be as useful or informative compared to the managers’ vast degree of knowledge and experience regarding its local business restaurant market environment and business performance levels. Rather than just rewarding ‘performance related bonus’ to managers who receive an overall satisfactory rating from mystery customers there should also be incentives or reward schemes in placed for managers who actually provide ‘authentic and helpful information’ to senior management (Michael, 2002, p. 329). This sort of privileged information could further enhance the organisation’s productivity and performance. For instance, the organisation would have a greater competitive advantage through new strategic opportunities and awareness of new threats as mentioned by its’ branch managers (Michael, 2002, p. 329). This ‘upward’ flow of information decentralises the tight monitoring and control of senior management but more importantly strengthens the communication, commitment, trust and employee relations between senior management and its branch managers through reciprocal cooperation and reward schemes (Michael, 2002, p. 329). It is crucial in service industries that branch managers be given more autonomy to make operational decisions as their understanding of the business environment surrounding their individual branches is relatively more extensive compare to senior management and management support, who have limited understanding of the business environment. This process is referred to as ‘decentralisation’ (Dant & Nasr, 1998). According to Suter and Marchington (2011), each restaurant establishment was usually run by a branch manager and two assistants. The role of supervisory responsibilities was shared between the branch manager and assistant manager due to the long operating hours and the shift system, hence, the manager on duty would take on the role of supervising employees (Suter & Marchington 2011). The manager on duty dealt primarily with problems and issues in regards to employees, and that wider issues were assigned to the branch manager. The branch managers in addition carried out a number of HR functions such as employment appraisals, pay reviews, and personal development plans (Suter & Marchington 2011). These branch managers had described their work as being more intensified and that the HR policies had become more sophisticated and  formalised (Suter & Marchington 2011). Branch managers were supposedly allowed a fair degree of autonomy in how they could manage the restaurant. A key element of the capability framework enabled branch managers to take charge of their own delivery and performance. However, managers experienced great difficulty in making operational decisions regarding their restaurant. Some of the reasons were due to the fact that the management support team were not always readily available to branch managers but also that company-wide operational decisions were being implemented at branch levels, in turn conflicting with branch managers’ operational decisions (Suter & Marchington 2011). Branch managers should be provided with support throughout the restaurant operational hours from the management support office except, the restaurant support team operates on a 9-5 office-based workplace arrangement (Suter & Marchington 2011). This would lead to significant problems when the restaurant requires assistance after the support office ends operation, therefore causing an inconvenience when decision and support is needed. It might also affect the organisation’s reputation if issues are not promptly resolved. Without proper support and facilitation from the support management team, branch managers are unable to perform their role efficiently. Under the influence of senior management, branch managers were pressured into implementing formal relationship practices with their employees (Suter & Marchington 2011). However, one of the core components of a psychological contract is ‘workplace communication’ which will generally help to minimize the ‘false consensus effect,’ meaning that people assume that they share the same perceptions (Bratton & Gold, 2012, p. 433). For instance, branch managers perceived the restaurant and its employment relations as informal whereas head office had expressed the need for more professional management and more importantly had over-rated the formality of policy implementation at branch level (Suter & Marchington 2011). Notably, communication is a significant component of a psychological contrast as it is quite evident that branch managers and senior management had conflicting views on how the restaurant business needed to be operated. Alternatively, It would be beneficial for senior management and branch managers to effectively communicate their views across to one another in order to minimize the ‘false consensus effect’ (Bratton & Gold, 2012, p. 433). Again, to ensure that this can actually happen, senior management  would need to be more readily available to branch managers and vice versa in order to strengthen the psychological contract between them. According to the branch managers the organisational change brought about more job responsibilities, intensified workload and more expectations from senior management (Suter & Marchington 2011). Whilst handling their ‘supervisory responsibilities’, the day–to-day HR functions and operational responsibilities such as ordering and control of stock/supplies, forecasting labour budgets and marketing initiatives were devolved into the roles of branch managers (Suter & Marchington 2011). This devolvement of HR functions into the role of branch managers goes beyond the parameters of what is required of branch managers. Despite this, senior management have not provided their branch manager with further additional training in their new responsibilities and duties neither has it been outlined in their legal binding contract. Even though the assistant managers and branch managers shared the same responsibilities of supervising the employees, employees still reported directly to the branch managers (Suter & Marchington 2011). Instead of sharing this supervisory responsibility of employees, it would be more efficient and productive to delegate this responsibility to the assistant manager so that branch managers can focus more on the operational responsibilities and HR functions. Another obstacle branch managers had identified was their inability to make operational decisions regarding the day-to-day running of the branch due to the lack of coordination or collaboration in the senior management company-wide operational decision-making process (Suter & Marchington 2011). This in effect reinforces senior management distrust in its branch managers’ ability to fulfil their role and therefore, causing resentment and animosity towards senior management from its branch managers. According to Dant and Gundlach (1998, p.37) ‘excessive controls aimed at monitoring’ employees can be costly as it can generate ‘motivational and morale problems’ among employees. It is important from a management perspective to ‘balance the forces of dependence and autonomy’ within the business in order to maintain ‘the long run viability’ of the business organisation (Dant & Gundlach, 1998, p. 37). In terms of achieving overall effectiveness senior management need to contribute to a more productive relationship between branch managers and employees in their organisation. Another important aspect to consider is  that the company and branch units have ‘contrasting economic and managerial characteristics’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 276) whereby, the senior management of the company must meet two key management challenges: ‘maintaining uniformity and system-wide adaptability’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 277). With reference to RestaurantCo, units in a chain share a common identity by operating under the RestaurantCo trademark (Bradach, 1997, p. 277). There are five underlying categories of uniformity in an organisation and they are, ‘the line manager, organisational systems, learning culture, role and responsibility and HR department and professionalism’ (Harrison, 2011, p. 921). In order to ‘preserve the integrity and value’, the company must enforce uniformity across these five underlying categories through bureaucratic control and standardisation (Bradach, 1997, p. 277). Furthermore, in order to ensure the sustainability of the company, it must be able to adapt to the ‘opportunities and threats’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 282). In addition, senior managers must identify and implement system-wide adaptation processes and practices that will fit to some extent across all of the individual branches, except the main challenge of this is to ensure that all the branches move in the same direction. The ‘plural form’ model of management proposed by Bradach (1997) can be used to effectively a ddress the uniformity and system-wide adaptability problems. The ‘plural form’ consists of four processes which are as followed: ‘modelling process, ratcheting process, socialisation process and mutual learning process’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). Through these processes the company can pursue greater uniformity and improve system-wide adaptation across the restaurant chains (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). The modelling process is focused on the structural element of the management by increasing the use of common practices across the organisation and the restaurant chains (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). The ratcheting process is part of the control system of management which enables both branch managers and senior managers to influence each other as well as increase the level of uniformity and performance of the chain overall (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). The socialisation process reflects the career path aspect of management, which essentially helps to create a shared understanding of what is required to operate a restaurant, thus will increase the uniformity across the chain (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). Lastly, the mutual learning process is also referred to as the strategy making  process, which focuses on improving the system-wide adaptability by providing ‘performance data and demonstrating new ideas to help persuade branch managers to adopt the proposed system-wide adaptations’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). Overall the ‘plural form’ is used to overcome some of the control problems associated with managing restaurant branches and maintaining uniformity across the chain (Bradach, 1997). Another important key issue highlighted from this case study is how formal and informal employee involvement and participation (EIP) practices are implemented by management. According to the RestaurantCo capability framework which consisted of eight capabilities, four related specifically to informal EIP (Suter & Marchington 2011). EIP is influenced or shaped by four dimensional factors which are, the two type of ‘forms of EIP’ (formal and informal EIP), ‘degree of involvement of the employees’ (ranged from very little to a considerable amount), ‘different levels of EIP within the organisation’ (head office to branch level) and ‘scope of subject matter’ (long term plans that are central to the organisation and short term issues regarding the restaurant) (Marchington & Kynighou, 2012, p. 3338). RestaurantCo depend heavily on their employees’ interaction with customers, for this reason it is noticeably best to implement informa l EIP because their engagement with customers is instrumental to the organisational performance levels and profitability. By using informal EIP branch managers are able to gain employees’ affective commitment to the organisation (Rodrigues, 1994). Although, branch managers must take into consideration the contextual circumstances in relation to the restaurant and the four contingencies outlined above to assist in determining the appropriate EIP to implement for their given work situation (Rodrigues, 1994). More specifically, formal EIP was utilised in the larger and busier restaurant branches as branch managers had less time to involve employees informally and formal EIP was the most effective way of bringing staff members up to date with important information and news (Suter & Marchington 2011). On the other hand, informal EIP was utilised or practised more predominately in the smaller branch restaurants (Suter & Marchington 2011). However, effective co-existence of formal and informal EIP is essential for the organisation’s long term sustainability (Denton, 1994). Informality at RestaurantCo is an effective instrument of recognising and managing employee voice (Denton, 1994). The  role of informality is to give employees an open channel for informal communications with managers, so that they can address their concerns and to give informative feedback on work related issues (Beattie, 2006). The constant changeability and flexibility of the workplace environment, illustrates the need for informal day-to-day communications in comparison to official formalised meetings with employees, which can be more costly and time consuming. Above all, the flexibility and diversity of organisational arrangements in the service industry reinforces the need for the implementation of informal EIP practices (Beattie, 2006). In summary, the RestaurantCo case study illustrated some important strengths and weaknesses in the HR management practices and organisational frameworks. Overall, several weaknesses were identified such as the need for informal relations between line managers and employees, the importance of decentralisation to enable cooperation and collaboration between branch managers and senior management through the ‘plural form’ model. Furthermore, it was exemplified that there should be a co-existence and implementation of both formal and informal EIP in the workplace. Evidently, business performance levels can be improved by balancing the dependency and autonomy of branch managers, so that they can efficiently perform to their capabilities. In conclusion, this essay highlighted some positive and negative issues regarding operational responsibilities of senior management and branch managers. References Beattie, RS 2006, ‘Line Managers and Workplace Learning: Learning from the voluntary sector’,Human Resource Developmental International, vol.9, no.1, pp. 99-119, viewed 2 Setptember 2013, Ebsco database. Bradach, JL 1997, ‘Using the plural form in the management of restaurant chains’, Administrativ.e Science Quarterly, vol.42, no.2, pp. 276-303 viewed 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Bratton, J & Gold, J 2012 Human Resource Management: theory and practice, 5th edn, Palgrave Macmillan, London. Dant, RP & Gundlach, GT 1998, ‘Dependence in Franchised Channels of Distribution’, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 14, pp. 35-67 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Dant, RP & Nasr, NI 1998, ‘Control techniques and upward flow of information in franchising in distant  markets:conceptualisation and preliminary evidence’, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol.13, pp. 3-28 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Denton, DK 1994, â €˜Empowerment through Employee Involvement and Participation: Ford’s Development and Training Programs’, Empowerment in Organisations: An International Journal,vol. , no.2, pp. 22-28 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Harrison, P 2011, ‘Perspective on Practice: Learning culture, line managers and HR professional practice’,Journal of European Indutrial Training ,vol. 35, no.9, pp. 914-928 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Marchington, M & Kynighou, A 2012, ‘The dynamics of employee involvement and participation during turbulent times’, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol.23, no.16, pp. 3336-3354 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Michael, S C 2002, ‘Can a franchise chain coordinate?’, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol.17, pp. 325-341 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Rodrigues, CA 1994, ‘Employee Participation and Empowerment Programs: Problems of definition an d implementation’,Empowerment in Organisations,vol. 2, no.2, pp. 29-40 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Suter, J & Marchington, M 2011, ‘The role of line managers and employee voice in the restaurant industry’, in T Dundon and A Wilkinson (eds), Case studies in global management: Strategy, innovation and people management, Tilde Press, pp. 212-220

Main Idea and Purpose for Shooting an Elephant by Orwell Essay

The main idea of the story â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† by Orwell is the effect of the oppressor is not only on the oppressed, but himself. There are several evidences found in the text to support the main idea. First, the author mentioned about the treatment of a European woman gets when she went to bazaars alone. This explained the freedom of security had been taken away. Since European had colonized Burma at that time, there was growing hatred toward European. Freedom to act also been seize when the narrator was expected to shoot an elephant even it’s not in his wiliness. In the story, Orwell had an inner struggle whether to kill the elephant or not. He taught that if the elephant were kept alive, it worth at least a hundred pound. However, if it were shot dead, its tusks only going to worth about five pounds. Moreover, he anthropomorphized the elephant by referring ‘it’ to ‘he’. He said, â€Å"It seems to be that it would be murder to shoot him. †(519) Plus, a life had been killed needs to be considered and there would be possibilities that the elephant will escape again, causing damage to the village. These reasons made Orwell to question his decision. Another crucial reasoning that drones the narrator to open fire is his identity as an Imperialist that control fellow Burmese. If he did not kill the elephant as the villagers expected, he would be viewed as a coward. This will further affect efforts to enforce law and coded in Burma. The narrator also described, ‘I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroy,† to show an imperialist had to control or act as what had been expected. These conclude an oppressor would be affected when taking control of others. The purpose of the text is to educate people on the consequences of one’s act. The author presented his story with hatred and fed up tones as he described how sick he was to serve the Empire. Next, he gave a metaphorical explanation on how he was set to react. He compared himself to a ‘hollow posing dummy conventionalized figure of a sahib’. Like an actor on stage, he forced to do what was expected by the ‘natives’ or audiences. In the story, the elephant also resemble the Empire power. As he shot the elephant, its body just altered but did not fall. After several shot, it fell to the ground. The elephant was dying but not dead. This resembled the Empire diminishing power over Burma.

What Are the Causes and Impacts of Water Pollution Essay - 1

What Are the Causes and Impacts of Water Pollution - Essay Example Water pollution has numerous causes, some of which can be avoided by promoting and implementing proper waste treatment before disposal in water bodies, proper application of fertilizers and herbicides in farms and appropriate usage of water by users in its natural state. Most municipalities mainly in the developing world do not have modern sewage treatment systems to optimally treat wastes collected. Moreover, the systems in place are not very efficient in the treatment of the wastewaters since most are poorly maintained and repairs are hardly affected. In addition, treatment is mainly restricted to primary and secondary treatment processes thus removing only pathogens and gross organic wastes. The water released is thus harmless to other users but laden with nutrients (Rogers 2004). High nutrient fertilizers applied to agricultural lands mainly by large scale farmers are a source of pollutants causing water pollution. High levels of nitrogen and phosphorous are essential in the efficiency of these products. Therefore runoff from fertilized areas into water bodies such as rivers causes a dramatic increase in nutrient levels in the water bodies.(Jeffries & Mills 2003). Many domestic and industrial detergents contain significant levels of nutrients which are responsible for eutrophication of water bodies. An example is the cleaning activities carried out by residents living around a water body. Domestic and industrial solid wastes deposited in various areas contain large amounts of organic matter and heavy metals. Nutrient-rich, organo-chemical byproducts of decomposition are leached from these sites and find their way into water bodies through surface and underground flow. Many industries in numerous parts of the world release effluent laden with nutrients, organic matter and heavy metals into water bodies. These components increase the nutrient content of the water causing its eutrophication. Various manufacturing industries such as chemical, beer and tanning industries regularly release acidic substances from point sources directly into water bodies such as rivers. In addition to these sources, low PH precipitation resulting from atmospheric pollution (acid rain) is a major cause of water pollution .This has been observed as a substantial problem especially in industrialized countries.

Compare Jenny in Lawns to Louise in The Fat Girl Essay

Compare Jenny in Lawns to Louise in The Fat Girl - Essay Example Self identity is the basic theme of both the stories. Louise is a fat girl who is constantly nagged by her mother to lose weight; otherwise she will never be able to attract any guy. This creates a complex in her personality and she starts pretending to go on a diet. She doesn’t eat in public or in front of her mother. She wants to please her mother and improve her image in the eyes of her friends that she doesn’t eat- yet she is fat. She eats when she is alone and derives pleasure from her secret for many years. This habit develops into a complex that gets deeper and deeper until she reaches college and remains fat as ever. She notices the disapproving expressions of her mother, old friends and relatives but she doesn’t want to change herself. She believes that she is much more than just a fat girl. This is a very important characteristic which is comparable to Jenny in ‘Lawns’ who is aware of the fact that she is sexually abused by her father. She learns to keep this secret from her mother and everyone else. She is an intelligent student and enjoys sexual relationships with other guys unlike Louise- but she doesn’t fall in love with any of them until she meets Glenn. Jenny also develops a psychological disorder of stealing things: mails, cookies, money. So, both girls develop a habit of stealing or hiding something from the rest of the world. Both are also lucky in friendship. Carrie, Louise’s friend helps her lose weight by being very supportive and as a result, Louise finds Richard who marries her and they apparently start living a happy life. Strangely, Louise feels that she had lost her soul along with her weight. She doesn’t feel like herself anymore and once she gets pregnant she finds the true meaning of her life and accepts herself the way she is. She decides that she doesn’t want to change herself for anyone and happily seeks comfort in motherhood. She starts eating secretly and despite Ri chard’s reaction to her gaining weight, she indulges in her secret habit of eating. One decisive evening, when the two are quarreling over her weight issue, she decides it is time to stand for her. She realizes that she made the wrong choice of going against her will and losing weight for the sake of finding a nice guy and for the approval of others- like her mother. â€Å"She thought of Carrie telling her of smelling chocolate in the dark and, after that, watching her eat it night after night. She smiled at Richard, teasing his anger.† (Dubus 139) She accepts her identity the way she is and faces Richard in the final scene with a candy bar in her hand. This shows that she asserts her choice and refuses to bow down to social pressure. This is an indication of the freedom of choice that she exercises and decides for herself, regardless of what her husband might think of her. Jenny is a victim of sex abuse by her father since she was nine. She accepted it as her fate and let him do it for many years. In fact she enjoyed it or perhaps she found it a way of getting her wishes fulfilled. Her parent is responsible for creating a psychological problem of stealing things- just like Louise, whose mother’s obsession with her weight develops her secret eating habits. She steals mails and the gifts that are meant for other people. The reason why she reads letters of other people is perhaps to know about their secret lives. She might want to know if there are others

Country with a Large Refugee - Afganistan Essay

Country with a Large Refugee - Afganistan - Essay Example Gibney (p.1). Moreover, political conflicts, destruction, and social unrest showered refugees nowhere but primarily in Pakistan and Iran. By doing this the Afghans not only brought mistrust on themselves but carried their war into other lands and created unrest there too. Since then, Pakistan, Iran nor Afghanistan has seen a silver lining in the cloud. This research will mainly focus on answering these five questions in detail, giving evidences and providing conclusions. As Afghanistan is limited by topographical and ethnic divisions, by the end of 19th century, the British and Russians acknowledged the importance of the weak country, acting as a buffer between them. This was the reason why the finalizing of its borders, in 1890’s raised the concerns of London and Moscow. So the Iron Amir of Afghanistan, Abdur Rahman Khan, had to seek help of British subsides. This pattern continued, with little variations, till 1978. Then America replaced Britain as leader of the West after W orld War II. The two giants of the age continued to interpolate Afghanistan, which was both profitable and at the same time, risky for it. None of them wanted a war in Central Asia, and so their agreements maintained Afghanistan’s territorial integrity. In order to do so, the Soviets and US paid for its internal security and economic development, as Afghanistan was unable to do so by itself. Hence, this scenario not only shows the disadvantage of Afghanistan acting as a buffer-state, but also the profit it was getting by doing so. Unfortunately, this scenario ended with the Marxist Coup of April 1978 as Afghanistan went from the buffer state to the Cold-War front line. Now only the Soviets had their interest left in the country, so it was only they who provided money and offered guarantees. The Soviets secretly encouraged and financed Afghan communists from before the formation of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) until the party unexpectedly came to power t hrough a military coup on 27 April 1978. USSR, without much evidence, fueled the fire by sending advisors for helping PDPA give control back to Nur Muhammad Taraki. When this help was resisted by the masses, Moscow retaliated by sending in military men who started commanding the Afghans forces unofficially. This is how it all started, what we know today as the Invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. Their era however ended in the poor country when the Mujahidin, who had fought the Soviet Union took control of Kabul on 28 April 1992. The fighting between the

Critical Analysis of Tourism Websites Assignment

Critical Analysis of Tourism Websites - Assignment Example With that said, I found the official tourist website for Greece and took a look around. The website is mediocre and the web designer must have used a strange layout code because mousing around causes weird changes to the layout. The header has four tabs: Home, Site Map, Newsletter Subscribe, and Contact. The homepage itself offers additional tabs: Greece (which expands to include links to History, Civilisation[sic], Geography, General Info, and Before You Travel), Explore (which expands to include links to Destinations, Culture, Sea, Nature, and Religion), Enjoy (which expands to include links to Activities, Leisure, Touring, and Gastronomy), Specials (which expands to include links to You in Greece, Downloads, and Newsletters), and GNTO (which expands to include links to About Us, Business Newsletter, Links, and Competitions). There is so much information, at first the website can seem a bit daunting. There are all kinds of related links, a plethora of historical information, most w ith links to outside websites that offer tourist trips, and an events calendar (though it didn’t seem to be functioning on the several visits I made to the website). Most notably, the website offers a large column of social networks that they hope you â€Å"like† them on—which seemed distracting, actually. I came to the site to learn more about Greece, not worry about their Google +1 or Twitter status. The website does include some photos of Greece and its monuments, though I was severely disappointed in quality, number, and size. Essentially, this website looked like they took their â€Å"Travel Greece† brochures and turned them into a website. Nothing special, too many choices that lead to the same places, and a distracting layout that makes choosing a tab to visit next confusing. Most frustrating, is that getting into the culture of Greece is nearly impossible, simply from the lack of visual evidence. Over and over I second-guessed this choice as the m ain tourism website for Greece, but GTNO stands for Greek National Tourism Organisation[sic], which is supervised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Overall, if I hadn’t seen Greece in movies and literature previously, I wouldn’t want to visit there if this were the only site available. The lack of visual evidence is frustrating, and though they offer a large amount of historical information about the cities and monuments, the information is not, ironically, very informative. At just about every opportunity, the website links you away from the main site to give the real information. From this tourism website, I’ve gotten a sick feeling about Greece. I’ll keep it as my destination because I believe the country is far more beautiful than the tourist site lets on, but I was highly disappointed because it seems—at least it should be this way—that the main tourism site’s only function is to attract tourists and visitors to their landm arks. Nightmare Excursion: Israel Sure, it may be the fount of the world’s oldest and most prominent holy site; but it’s guaranteed to be wrought with civil war and unfathomable dangers to the average tourist. With that said, I took a gander at Israel’s official tourism site which bears the promise, â€Å"Israel: Come find the Israel in You.† The Ministry of Tourism’s site is actually quite impressive, not at all what I expected. Obviously, their website wouldn’t be openly promoting their thousand-year-old holy wars, but the aesthetic was far more pleasing than imagined.

Sociology of the body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sociology of the body - Essay Example This study is being undertaken in order to establish a well supported notion or social construct in the sociology of the body. Discussion Different members of society often fashion or build their bodies based on accepted societal views of masculinity and femininity. In so doing, they often try to shape and use their bodies to fit their gender and cultural expectations. This practice seems to emphasize not so much on the distinctiveness of our bodies, but more on what society dictates as acceptable forms or shapes (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 227). Our genes partially determine our biological make-up and other environmental factors complete our physiology. Outside such biological constructs, cultural and social factors and attitudes attached to gender-based practices are also a crucial part of our overall make-up. Such practices create bodies which some social groups classify as masculine or feminine. In effect, the longing for better looking bodies have manifested in trends which len d greater support to cosmetic surgery, growth hormones, anabolic steroids, bodybuilding, and other fitness regimens for both men and women (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 227). Many advertisements for plastic surgeries also target men and women in their vulnerabilities. Men with gynecomastia or enlarged breasts, and women with small breasts have been exposed to ads which declare solutions to their issues – for men wanting to be rid of their gynecomastia and for women wanting bigger and perkier breasts (Lorber, 1994, p. 3). Women have also been exposed to the societal notion or expectation that having perky, large, and firm breasts, as well as slim bodies is the accepted shape to be in. In effect, many women wanting to fit the accepted societal demands have given in to breast lifts/reductions/augmentations and to puffier lips, toned abdomens, and shapely buttocks (Grogan, 2008, p. 52). Advertisements for plastic surgeries have capitalized on the portrayal of ideal images of beaut y – young, fresh, thin, and shapely forms. Millions of Americans have heeded these demands with about 6.9 million of them giving into the cosmetic surgery in 2002 alone; 88% of these are actually women (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 278). Most of these surgeries have included liposuction, eyelid surgery, nose reshaping, breast augmentation, breast reduction, as well as hair transplants and ear reshaping for men. In terms of age, most of those seeking plastic surgery fall in the 34-50 year age group and most of these surgeries have been carried out among the whites, with few having been performed on minority groups (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 8). Due to its high cost, these surgeries have mostly been carried out in the affluent population, however, considering the general population’s obsession with losing weight through exercise machines and diet pills, it is a trend which still covers many people regardless of financial capability or ethnic affinities. Bodies are socia lly constructed because they are tools used by many people in order to gain some form of progress or advancement in their life (Davids, Evans, and Lorber, 2006, p. 55). Even if the business and employment world may capitalize on one’s skills, talents, knowledge, and educational background to determine employment, still, it cannot be denied that one’s looks affect a person’s success and employment status. One classic example is the fact that there has

Al Baik Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Al Baik Analysis - Essay Example Over the years Al Baik has grown and has opened few outlets in Makkah, Yanbu and Taif but has not gone global. This paper aims to talk about situations where the companies do not tend to go global and the reason behind the decision. Al Baik is one such company which utilises the most of its home ground and feels that it should expand only when the company fits to all the requirements to go global and maintain its brand name at the same time. AL Baik has been the price leader and has applied the strategy of both cost leadership and differentiation through which it has been able to achieve competitive advantage and according to the CEO of AL Baik, Rami Abughazalah the company has been able to flourish in Saudi Arabia and has given a tough competition to its brands such as Mc Donald’s and KFC. A literature review has been provided where the fact of going global has been discussed and also why companies do not go global despite of the buzz globalization, what are the benefits of g oing global and the expansion mode in Saudi Arabia and their culture. The research has been conducted both in primary and secondary method in order to get into the details of the plans of expansion of AL Baik, the famous fast food restaurant. Thus it can be concluded that AL Baik has plans to expand in the future but only when the situation and the conditions are correct and according to the situations favouring AL Baik. ... The restaurant was not franchised but it was an agency from the US from a company which sold fryers and secret mixers. The restaurant stood at Jeddah. But during the first year of its operation the company suffered a huge loss because people at that point of time did not understand the concept of fried chicken. Thus in order to create an awareness of the product Shakkour Abughazalah printed on every bag a statement that explained the meaning and concept of fried chicken. The company reached its first milestone when about 100 people visited Al Baik on a day and thus it continues to serve people in Jeddah and in nearby cities. Today Al Baik is one of the most famous fast food chains of restaurants operating in Jeddah and has opened few outlets in Makkah, Yanbu and Taif. In Jeddah the company has about 40 outlets and has been the market leader. Research Methodology The research methodology includes both primary as well as secondary research. On the basis of the research it has been anal ysed that Al Baik has made its plans for expansion but considering the conditions it would expand. In terms of primary research, interview was conducted with the CEO of AL Baik, Rami Abughazalah and secondary research was based on from the research made on the literature review. This has also helped to come in to conclusion as to why firms do not go global and also the reason for organisation going global. An analysis into the interview of the CEO has made it clear the strategies and the plans of the company to expand. Business Strategies used by Al Baik The business strategies adopted by AL Baik is based on the interview conducted with the CEO of Al Baik, Rami Abughazalah. Therefore assumptions are made on the strategies used by AL

Nutrition and Illness Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Nutrition and Illness - Research Paper Example There has been enough epidemiological evidence that shows the risk factors and nutritional levels. In the past decades, there have been rapid changes in the scientific world; these developments have shown that nutrition plays a very crucial role in the prevention and control of morbidity and serious illnesses in people which do not originate from communicable diseases. There are various factors that have played a role in the poor dietary status of the people around the world. These have been attributed to natural calamities, droughts that have hit many places across the world, environmental changes that have led to unpredictable weather patterns, rapid changes in lifestyles and diets, urbanization, economic forms of development, as well as globalization of the market. These issues and others are posing a serious threat to the nutritional status of people; in this category, developing countries have been reported to be worse hit by the trend (Lipton, 2001). One would expect that stand ards of living which have improved, expansion of food availability, diversification of food options, and access to other services should be good for the maintenance of high nutritional diet. However, this is not the case. There have been reported very significant negative impacts that have resulted from inappropriate patterns in dietary; they have decreased the physical activity levels of the people and also led to a corresponding rise in the chronic diseases that are related to diet. Poor people or those who live below the threshold of one USD per day are most affected. Food production and sale have shifted from the local settings to an international market arena where global food cultures are being taken up in place of local preferences. As such, people do not pay a lot of attention to the nutritional value of what they eat (Jacobson & Silverglade). Many could attribute this to the every-demanding life where people have new challenges and new demands that must be met daily and, th us, do not take time to think about what they consume in terms of nutrients. Other attribute of this trend to the job market gives people less time to perform their personal tasks, such as cooking a good meal, at home. Changes in the world food economy have also been reflected in the dietary patterns being currently experienced. There has been a marked increase in the consumption of foods that are considered energy–dense with high content of fats; the worst being thee saturated fats with low carbohydrates that are not refined. When these patterns are put together with the decline experienced in the expenditure of energy in relation to the kind of sedentary lives that many people, especially in white collar jobs, lead, the only thing that remains is disaster in terms of illnesses that turn out to be very chronic. Nutrition gets even more complicated when sedentary kind of life comes into the picture. This paper takes a keen look at the nutrition and illness issue as one that i s affecting the global community in a health context. Analysis There are very alarming trends that are emerging in diseases or illnesses at the global arena. Recently, there have been present very striking events, most of which have been attributed to global causes, and these are directly related to the issue of nutrition. These trends and events that are taking centre stage on the international

The Benefits of Organic Food to Human Health Essay Example for Free

The Benefits of Organic Food to Human Health Essay Organic refers to the way agricultural foods is produced and processed. It is using methods and materials that are of low impact to the environment. And the primary goal is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants and people. Research published in a 2001 study showed that the current fruit and vegetables that are conventionally grown in the United States have about half the vitamin content of their counterparts in 1963. The study was based on a comparison of published USDA figures. Produced in organic farm, organic food is grown under government supervision. Therefore it is healthier for the environment which it is produce with an organic farming method that are less disruptive to the ecosystem and less dependent on chemical. . In today society, people are always in search of factors that give them an edge in maximum their health. As we all known a healthy diet and appropriate rest all has an impact on our health. Therefore there has been an overwhelming group of people that believe the benefits of organic food. Many people purchase organic food because it contains more nutrient than conventionally grown food. Its true there have been more than a hundred studies comparing the nutrient content of organic and non-organic foods. Official food composition tables, including data compiled by the US Department of Agriculture, reveal that since the 1940s the mineral levels in fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy have declined substantially in conventional foods. Combine this with longer storage, and more processing of crops and its not surprising that we may be getting fewer nutrients in our food than we were 60 years ago. The artificial fertilization associated with conventional crops produces lush growth by swelling produce with more water. On a pound-for-pound basis, organic food has more dry matter (i. e. iron). We can expect also that phytonutrients, which are antioxidants involved in the plants own defense system, will be higher in organic produce because crops rely more on their own defenses in the absence of regular applications of chemical pesticides. Evidence is emerging that confirms this expectation. Higher levels have so far been found of lycopene in organic tomatoes, polyphenols in organic potatoes and flavonols in organic apples. A recent review of the subject estimated that organic produce will tend to contain 10-50% higher phytonutrients than conventional produce. ( Mark Jeantheau,2005) Partly because of this and for other reasons too, there are higher levels of nutrients in organic produce. Research by American nutritionist Virginia Worthington has confirmed that, based on the dietary patterns, the differences can be enough to help you achieve certain nutrients that you otherwise might not get. Despite of improve a person nutrient level intake, organic food also has a lower pesticides residue. A Consumer Union report found that fresh peaches, frozen and fresh winter squash, apples, grapes, spinach, pears, and green beans had some of the highest Toxicity Index ratings. (Edward Groth III,February 1999). However conventional-food provider also claims that pesticide residues are no threat to human health. Yet consumers intuitively know this is a false assurance. In 1999, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimated that nationwide there were at least 10,000 to 20,000 physician-diagnosed pesticide illnesses and injuries per year in farm work. Exposure to pesticides can cause a range of ill effects in humans, from relatively mild effects such as headaches, fatigue, and nausea, to more serious effects such as cancer and neurological disorders. (U. S. General Accounting Office, GAO-01-815, Page 4, August 2001). Researchers have linked symptoms such as headaches, tremor, and lack of energy, depression, anxiety, poor memory, dermatitis, convulsions, nausea, indigestion and diarrhea with dietary intakes of pesticides. It also has claimed that women diagnosed with breast cancer are six to nine times more likely to have the pesticides DDT or hexachlorobenzene in their bloodstreams compared to women who did not have breast cancer. Organic food also has no harmful and less food additives. Antibiotics, growth promoters and other additives are added to non-organic meat during the animals life and while the meat is prepared for consumption. Normal intensive farming methods mean that animals live in overcrowded, unhealthy conditions where disease would quickly spread through the herd where antibiotics not used. Although antibiotics are still used to treat organically reared animals, the healthier living conditions of the animals mean that antibiotics are used prudently to treat specific ailments, rather than as a preventative method. Once the animal has been slaughtered and the meat is being prepared for human consumption, additives are often added to it to improve the flavour, colour or texture of the meat, or to make it stay fresh longer. (T. H. Carson,2005). Organic food producers are prohibited from using additives that research has shown may be harmful to human health, such as sulphur dioxide or artificial colourings. But as our organic meat is reared more naturally, the meat has its own natural flavour, texture and colour, and does not need any artificial enhancers! Besides that, children also need organic food the most as childrens are generally fast on developing organs, brains, and detoxification, however weak on immune systems. Children also have a large intake of food per kilo of body weight. Children may be at risk of higher exposure to the toxins found in nonorganic food because the food is often made up of condensed fruits or vegetables, potentially concentrating pesticide residues. Pesticides pose special concerns to children because of their high metabolisms and low body weights. More than 1 million children between the ages of 1 and 5 ingest at least 15 pesticides every day from fruits and vegetables. More than 600,000 of these children eat a dose of organophosphate insecticides that the federal government considers unsafe, and 61,000 eat doses that exceed benchmark levels by a factor of 10 or more. (Ranchers and Foresters,1998, pp. 1-3. ). Meanwhile, artificial colorings and preservatives in food and drink are thought to contribute to hyperactivity in pre-school children, and while many still contest this issue, a recent study in the UK found that the proportion of hyperactive children was halved when additives were removed from their diets. Many additives such as preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colorings and flavorings, MSG, hydrogenated fat, and phosphoric acid are prohibited in organic food production. As a conclusion, it is so important that the organic food benefits be made aware to the people as it offers a lot of good benefits to human health. Many people usually wonder why there are so many diseases these days. Therefore, making a commitment to organic food means making a commitment to your health. Organic food is how foods supposed to be, a valuable part of any regimen intended to maintain, improve, or restore health. Although there are many different benefits that we can get from the consumption of organic food, the most basic organic food health benefit that we get is pure, clean fruits, vegetables and other foods and a lot more healthier.

Proposal Plan Essay Example for Free

Proposal Plan Essay The purpose for the organization Walgreens is to stay put in a dynamic, self-motivated and energetic business environment. Walgreens is a successful business looking to progress overall presentation and place the company for potential expansion. In order for this to follow through, a total rewards program needs to be created. The incentives and compensation plan must connect with the goals of the organization. A solid rewards program will build motivation in the work place. As the text states, â€Å"The notions that rewards are means to motivate employees assuming that the rewards are distributed fairly. Rewards seem to be part of many different perspectives in motivation (Helsley, 2013). The most important part is the employees in this organization, and sadly the motivation is not up to par. Employees who lack motivation, insinuates that employees are not receiving proper rewards. Instead of management focusing on only one specific part of a department, they should rather work together towards a solid vision for the business. Presently, there is room for opportunity, to actually analyze the Human Resource Management system and see which problems which are leading employees to show lack of motivation. Through various researches, employees and outside sources, especially Human Capital Consulting organizations, believe that financial compensation is lower than market value. Employees do also not comprehend how pay interlinks with job performance. 20011 to 20012 surveys show that employees think that pay connects to seniority (Pulakos, 2004). Adding to standard compensation, individual rewards are not well connected to performance. For example, departments like Research Development and sales focus the transaction force and rarely see any return. The lack of proper positioning for financial compensation and work performance is causing confusion and affecting the motivational problems. Walgreens needs to acknowledge that employee’s views need to be considered. This is the reason why the distance in understanding between the employees and the business needs to be fixed. Alterations to financial compensation can be expensive. The consultant from Human Capital Consulting the reward and compensation system needs to be fully reformed. The total cost of the reward system alterations are about $165,000. Since the business has been dealing with sales declining an investment of that sort would put the organization at a high risk (Walgreens Co. , 2013). Even though the company has to cope with that expense the organization has the chance to better compete in the market and reduce the risk of losing employees to other businesses due to financial compensation formats. This problem can be resolved if the management team at Walgreens takes into consideration the cause of external competition. Key objectives to consider are to make certain that the pay is enough to attract and sustain employees. If employees do not see that their pay is competitive compared to what other organizations are giving for the same type of work, then that might cause for the employee to leave. Even though employee motivation and financial compensation are viewed as big problems for Walgreens, the business’ ability to form attraction and support career enhancement has been dwindling. The problems can be caused by the lack of Human Resource Management in the business strategic human capital management, with a failure by leadership to form a successful culture that aids the business objectives. As the business sets itself straight and alters its strategy, it will be vital to effectively train employees and make certain that they are set for the challenges that come their way. Sadly, motivation issues are harming the business and may affect the strategic changes. Examples of the weak culture and employee development are seen in the Research Development and sales parts of the organization. Each section contributes to the success of the business but receives rarely any recognition, whether it is pay or just an overall recognition. Walgreens has the chance to brace the culture and form a complete employee development system that supports the enterprises vision and goals for the future. To add to this the business has the ability to explore other areas aside from the financial compensation to augment employee motivation and job satisfaction. Executing a career development system will not be enough for long-term enhancements. Management at Walgreens will need to center on building situations that practice career development (Walgreens Co. , 2013). Employees at Walgreens have different interests. These interests can include financial compensation, career enhancement or development, strong and effective communication and of course support from the management team. Employees have the right to be rewarded fairly and be acknowledged for their efforts and hard work to the organization. To add to this, employees have the right to be included in the organizations culture instead of being part of teams that are divided up. This usually leads to a lack of direction. Employees crave cooperation, a challenging working environment and dedication. Thats why effective end state goals would be to make certain that employee motivation is being measured effectively. Also, form career development plans and spot out important achievements within the business. Not only employee motivation should be worked on, but also set up a comprehensive rewards system. The reward system will give employees the chance to take charge of their reward as well as form a spot to market benefits that pertain to Walgreen employees. An internal web application should be created by HR (Walgreens Co. , 2012). The system will center on benefits administration, cross-function team goal management, and incentive rewards tracking systems. Employees will have the option of reviewing their benefits and make alterations on their time. Also, managers will be able to appraise the improvement and donations made by cross-functional teams. Sales statistics will also be part of the reward system to keep track of sales performance. Overall, Walgreens needs to restructure its employee compensation program. This means that the organization needs to first acknowledge that employee motivation is low. From there, increase it, by rewarding employees for a job well done. Acknowledging them in front of their employees and even bonuses will be nice. Flexible schedule is so important. Basically, re-evaluating everything to make certain that employees are feeling valued.

Analysis of Refugee Protection Mechanisms

Analysis of Refugee Protection Mechanisms INTRODUCTION On any given day, thousands of individuals including women and children from all parts of the world are forced to flee their homes for fear of persecution or to escape the dangers of armed conflicts and other refugee-creating force making claims for refugee status in foreign countries. If the key in defining who a refugee is, should not be the reason for leaving ones country but rather the reason for being unable or unwilling to return to it, then in contemporary international system, the problems of border control and trans-boundary flows of asylum seekers are ever relevant to states as well as to the academic researchers in the field of International Relations. After the crises in the management of refugees during World War II, international bodies, primarily United Nations, has allocated significant proportions of its attention and its resources to build up and develop norms of refugee protection as part of the international system of governance. The primary goal of the collective attempts was to lay down the basics for refugee protection in cases of political turmoil, civil or national wars and ethnic conflicts. These attempts, though, were not only the results of the dramatic event of World War II as hinted above, but also accompanied the development of Human Rights regimes at the global level since the late years of the 1940s. It is in this context that the Convention related to the status of Refugees had been drafted and was released on 28th July, 1951. Additional international document in the field is the 1967 Protocol Relating to the status of Refugees known as the New York Protocol. According to the UNHCR 2008 Global Trends report, there were some 42 million forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2008. This includes 15.2 million refugees, 827000 asylum-seekers (pending cases) and 26 million internally displaced person (IDPs).[1] The legal obligations requiring that receiving states not return these refugees to situations of serious human rights abuse derive from international law, but does the so-called international refugee law clearly determine how governments respond to involuntary migration? If the answer is yes then why do states pay lip service to the important of honouring the right to seek asylum, but in practice devote significant resources to keep refugees away from their borders.[2] My work will attempt to evaluate the international refugee system so as to discover whether the norms in the system for refugee protection constitute an international regime, as defined by international relations literature in order to show that if it is a regim e, then states are no longer afforded the full freedom of action and decision making under the doctrine of sovereignty and that they have a certain level of obligation to abide by regime rules and help in the upkeep of the regime. International regime is increasingly in a state of crisis. While armed conflict and human rights abuse continue to force individuals and groups to flee, many governments are retrenching from their legal duty to provide refugees with the protection they require. In this work, I will attempt to explain among other things, refugee laws increasingly marginal role in defining the international response to refugee protection. This will lead me to suggest the basic principles upon which I believe reformulation of international refugee protection mechanisms should be predicated. Refugee law must be reaffirmed, bolstered and perhaps reconceived to respond to this serious deterioration in the rights and security of refugees. This thesis will evaluate the international legal mechanisms for refugee protection. Its premise is that refugee law is a mode of human rights protection. The paper will address the legal definition of a refugee, refugee rights and the institutional and procedural structur es through which claims for protection are evaluated. It will clearly define and apply contemporary legal standards, within an international and domestic legal context, and subject the present domestic and international regime to critical scrutiny. TOPIC AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work is to closely look at the international refugee protection system that is made up of the various conventions, treaties and regional agreements, and domestic refugee policies, in order to determine whether or not the system constitute an international regime. The purpose of trying to discover whether these mechanisms for refugee protection do or do not constitute an international regime is to show that the members of the regime (i.e. signatory states to the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol, regional agreements and those states that have enshrined the Convention in to their domestic asylum policies) thus have their actions restricted considerably by the very fact that they are members of the regime. They are no longer allowed the full freedom and decision-making afforded to them under the doctrine of state sovereignty. Regime plays important role in the international system in bringing about co-operation and stability. In my analysis of regime theory, I will attem pt a highlight of the role the refugee protection regime plays within the international system as a whole and discuss whether the roles are changing. THESIS QUESTION: In lieu with the above, this paper will attempt to address the following thesis questions: Do the contemporary refugee protection mechanisms in the international system constitute an international regime? If the system of protection is an international regime, what kind of regime does it represent? What are its characteristics and how is it important? How are restrictive measures adopted by states affecting the international protection regime? Specifically, do they account for the change within or of, the regime, or a weakening of the regime itself? What is the role of the regime within the international system as a whole, and how is this role evolving especially in the face of states use of restrictive measures? THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The study will use the Rationalist approach to regime theory. The mainstream rationalist theories of (interest- based) neo-liberalism and (power-based) neo-realism are the basis for the theoretical framework for this write-up. The focus on neoliberal or interest based theory of regime represents the fact that it has been extraordinarily influential in the past (two) decades and have come to represent the mainstream approach to analyzing international institutions.[3] The work will however not be limited to these two theories. In a situation where millions of innocent lives are at stake each year and states come together to attempt to solve the existing problems and potentially stop it from occurring in the future, the researcher believes that it is not rational to assume that state action is driven by self interest and power politics alone. In contrast, state behavior within the international refugee protection regime largely comes from humanitarian concerns for people in need and fr om respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law. It is in this light that the thesis will also consider the use of constructivist paradigm so as to show the importance of international norms, rules and principles, both within the regime itself and the role they play within the domestic asylum policy. SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF STUDY The work will aim at addressing the contemporary mechanisms in the international system for the protection of refugees focusing on post WWII onwards to current from historical perspective. While looking at the restrictive measures that states across the entire international system practice, the researcher will not undertake a close examination of any specific state within the international system of protection, but rather would address the system as a whole in an attempt to define and analyze its contents, discuss its importance in the international system and analyze the various changes that may be occurring within it and how these may affect the regime. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The methodological framework of this research is a qualitative one. This study will use interpretivism as its main research philosophy. A descriptive research intends to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study (Creswell, 1994). It is also concerned with relationships and practices that exist, beliefs and process that are on-going, effects that are being felt or trends that are developing. In addition, such approach tries to describe present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the respondents of the research (Creswell, 1994). Unlike quantitative research methods, which largely use a positivist epistemological position, qualitative research methods are based on an interpretivist epistemological position which stresses the understanding of the social world through an examination of the interpretation of that world by its participants. Interpretivism holds a different logic of research procedure from positivism. It seeks to understand human behavior, instead of just explaining it, which is what positivism seeks to do. The ontology of qualitative methods is constructivist, which contends that social phenomenon is continually being accomplished by social actors- they are produced through social interaction and are thus constantly being revised.[4] Basically, a descriptive research utilizes observations and surveys. It is for this particular reason that this approach was chosen by the researcher, whose intention is to gather first hand data. Moreover, this will allow for a flexible approach that when important new issues and questions arise at the duration of the study, a further investigation can be conducted. Another advantage is that with this approach, the research will be fast and somehow cost-effective. Aside from the qualitative finding method, secondary research will be conducted in this study. Sources in secondary research will include previous research reports, existing findings on journals and existing knowledge on books, newspapers, magazines and in the internet. The study will undertake an extensive review of the relevant literature on the subject of refugee flow, asylum policy, border control, state sovereignty, international humanitarian and human rights laws, and international refugee law. Basically, interpretation will be conducted which can account as qualitative in nature. STRUCTURE OF THE PAPER CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION In the first chapter, the researcher will introduce the aim of the thesis and formulates the research questions. The methodology of the thesis, a secondary research method and a qualitative, interpretivist, constructivist approaches will be outlined. Finally, the relevant theoretical and empirical literature will be reviewed. CHAPTER 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK This chapter will present the rationalist approach to regime theory, including neoliberal and neorealist theories. These theories are chosen as the theoretical framework for the thesis and will be used to evaluate the international mechanisms for refugee protection so as to discover whether or not the system constitutes an international regime considered as legal. CHAPTER 3. THE INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE PROTECTION MECHANISMS: AN INTERNATIONAL REGIME? The third chapter will firstly provide the definitions of the key terms discussed in the work. Then, it will discuss the historical background of the system. It will further discuss the three major components of the refugee protection mechanisms in the international system namely: the legal documents (various conventions, treaties and regional agreements), the protection bodies (UN bodies, human rights organizations, among others) and finally domestic refugee policy. The chapter will finally show how these three levels of protection are integrated to form the refugee protection mechanism. CHAPTER 4. THE REFUGEE PROTECTION MECHANISMS AS AN INTERNATIONAL REGIME. In this chapter, the researcher will attempt a discussion of the various types and components of international regime that exist in the international system. This discussion is then related to the international protection system in an attempt to prove whether or not the system constitutes an international regime, and what type of regime it is. It evaluates the role of the regime and its importance within the international system as a whole. CHAPTER 5. RESTRICTIVE MEASURES In this chapter, a description of the various restrictive measures that states practice in order to cut down the influx of refugees across national borders is presented. The reasons for, and effect of, the restrictive policies are outlined. The concept of state sovereignty in relations to states reasons for, and justification of, the use of restrictive policies will also be discussed in this chapter. CHAPTER 6. RESTRICTIVE POLICIES AND REGIME CHANGE This chapter will outline the neoliberal, neorealist and constructivist explanation of regime transformation. It will attempt to prove whether or not the use of restrictive measures by member states represents a change within, or of, the regime, or a weakening of the international regime of refugee protection. It then discuss the potential impact of the regime weakening on the regime itself, as well as for member states and for the refugees. CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSION This is the conclusive part of the work. The researcher will address the research question and attempts to answer them by providing a summary of the main conclusions about the refugee regimes type, strength and importance, and the role that it plays in the international system and how this is evolving. LITERATURE REVIEW (ANNOTATED) From the initial review of literature, the researcher found resource materials including the following books, legal documents, journals and articles which will provide insights in to the study: ALTERNATIVES, Turkish Journal of International Relations. Volume 5, number 12, spring and summer 2006. Countries have different approaches to refugee protection system. This article can be very useful for the research as it shows that one of the major differences in approaches is the receiving and/or transit status vis-a-vis the refugee flow. Using four European countries- Belgium, Slovenia, Greece and Turkey as cases, the article examines refugee policies and makes an evaluation of differences in refugee protection system that each country develops. Donnelly, Jack, International Human Rights: A Regime Analysis in International Organization, Vol. 40, No. 3 (summer, 1986), 599-642. Donnellys article will be used in order to discover what type of regime the mechanism for protection in the international system is. It is useful for regime analysis. Creswell, J. W. 2003. Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE. Thousand Oaks. USA. For the researchers choice of method of investigation, a reference to Creswells work on research design will provide great help. Guy S Goodwin-gill: (1996) The Refugee in International Law2nd Edition. Oxford University Press: Oxford. In this book, Goodwin-Gills provide an excellent overview of contemporary international refugee law, the three levels of protection, and the meanings and workings of the treaties and conventions on refugee protection. The book is widely recognized as the leading text on refugee law and as an excellent treatise of the international law on refugee, all the major problems are discussed in a general and lucid way. Hasenclever, Mayer and Rittberger (1997) Theories of International Regimes. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. This book is very essential in the writing of this thesis as it provides an overview of the rationalist approach to regime theory. The book examines in detail the neoliberal and neorealists distinct views on the origins, robustness and consequences of international regimes. Hathaway, James (ed) (1997) Reconceiving International Refugee Law. Martinus Mijhoff Publishers: The Hague. Hathaways Book, a collection of essays by leading migration scholars, will be helpful in that it offers a response to the concerns of many states that refugee protection has become no more than a back door route to permanent immigration. It explores the potential for a shift to a robust and empowering system of temporary asylum, supported by a pragmatic system of guarantees to share both the cost and human responsibilities. Helmut Breitmeier (2008). The Legitimacy of International Regimes. Ashgate Publishing Limited. England. How legitimate are outcomes, outputs and impacts of international regimes? In this book, theoretical and empirical chapters balance one another. The book explores the question whether problem-solving in international regimes is effective and equitable and whether regimes contribute that sates comply with international norms. It also analyses whether non-state actors can improve the output and input-oriented legitimacy of global governance systems. Michelle Foster (2007) International Refugee Law and Social Economic Rights. Refugee from Deprivation. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. A range of emerging refugee claims is beginning to challenge the boundaries of the refugee convention regime and question traditional distinction between economic migrants and political refugees. Fosters book will greatly help in identifying the conceptual and analytical challenges presented by socio-economic deprivation. It undertakes an assessment of the extent to which these challenges may be overcome by a creative interpretation of the refugee convention, consistent with correct principles of international treaty interpretation. Keohane, Robert O., International Institutions: Two Approaches in International Studies Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 1988), 379-396. This is a journal article by Keohane that will also be helpful in formulating the rationalist approach to regime theory. Krasner, Stephen D. (ed) (1989) International Regimes. Cornell University Press: Cambridge This book by Krasner includes articles by various authors on neorealist and neoliberal approaches to regime theory. It also provides sharp criticism of regime theory and so therefore will help the research. Wendt, Alexander, Anarchy is what States Make of it: The Social Construction of Power Politics in International Organization, Vol. 46, No. 2 (Spring, 1992), 391-425 Wendts article will be useful in creating an alternative understanding to neorealism of how and why cooperation occurs in the international system of states. Aside, a variety of conventions, treaties, and agreements Will also be reviewed and referred to, including the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, the Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, the 1990 Dublin Convention, the 1990 Schengen Convention, the 1977 Treaty of Amsterdam, the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights, the 1981 African Charter on Human and peoples Rights and the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights and its Protocols. These documents can be accessed in the annexes of Guy S, Goodwin-Gills book The Refugee in International Law2nd Edition. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 379-550. 2008 Global Trends: Refugee Asylum- seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons (16 June 2009). James C. Hathaway (Ed.). Re-conceiving International Refugee Law. P. xvii Hasenclever, Mayer and Rittberger (1997) Theories of International Regimes.p.4 Creswell, J.W. (1994) Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. in Bryman (2001) Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Oxford, p.264

Point of View in Eudora Welty’s A Visit of Charity Essay -- Visit Char

Point of View in Eudora Welty’s A Visit of Charity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every now and then point of view is worth writing about, because only every now and then is point of view actually seriously considered. In Eudora Welty’s â€Å"A Visit of Charity,† the third-person limited point of view of the little girl, Marian—her self-consciousness, descriptions, and fear—exactly portray what a little girl might experience in a nursing home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To Marian, this is probably the first time in a nursing home. She is there simply because she wants to gain points; when asked who she would like to visit, Marian simply states, â€Å"any of them will do.† She brought flowers simply because they added a point, and hid her apple outside rather than have it accidentally considered to be a gift. Marian is a very self-conscious girl; she is deftly aware of all the point values associated with the visit and is wearing the same cap that â€Å"all the little girls were wearing that year.† While actually visiting the ladies, she is very afraid, as a young girl might be in a strange place, but is still mindful of her own affairs ...

America Does NOT Need Gun Control Essay -- Argument Paper Argumentativ

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the years, a great amount of effort and money has been spent on legislation regarding gun control. Gun control advocates maintained that increased gun control could reduce the soaring crime rates found in cities across America. However, most of the arguments used for gun control are the result of careful manipulation of data and emotional appeal. These â€Å"myths† are twisted by our liberal media until they are seen as the truth. However, despite the claims of gun control activists, gun control does not reduce crime, it only leaves law abiding citizens increasingly vulnerable to violent crime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One common claim of gun control advocates is that gun control in foreign countries, notably Great Britain, is responsible for their lower crime rates. They present statistics showing that Britain has lower murder rates than America, but skip some other interesting information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, the gun control methods used in Britain include searches and other checks found unconstitutional in America. Also, the British are far more successful than Americans in prosecuting criminals. For instance, 20% of robberies reported in London end in conviction, compared to only 5% in New York City (Ten Myths 5).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a broader sense, consider that despite the fact that in a typical year about 8.1 million violent crimes will be committed in America, only 724 thousand will be arrested. Of those, only 150 thousand will receive prison sentences, and over 36 thousand will serve less than one year terms. The biggest problem in America is our revolving door justice system (Ten Myths 3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite the efficiency of British investigative procedures, the British armed robbery rate has never been less than twice the highest recorded before the gun control laws took effect in 1920. In fact, over the last twelve years, the British armed robbery rate has increased an astonishing 300% while the American rate has dropped (Ten Myths 5). Also, from 1930 to 1975, the British murder rate has increased 50% while the American murder rate rose 30%. Another foreign nation, Jamaica, totally prohibited gun ownership in 1974. By 1980, Jamaica’s gun murder rate was six times that of Washington D.C., which has the highest rate of any American city. However, Switzerland, Israel, Denmark and Finland, all of whom have a higher gun ownership rate than America, all have lower crim... ...educe crime. I. Introduction II. â€Å"Myths of Gun Control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Foreign gun control works   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Gun control reduces â€Å"crimes of passion†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Criminals do not fear armed citizens   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  D. Guns contribute to crime   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  E. Criminals are constitutionally exempt from gun control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  F. American favor gun control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  G. Police support gun control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  H. Registry is a harmless aspect of gun control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I. Gun control reduces crime III. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Solutions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Final analysis and personal observations WORKS CITED Bender, David ed. Would Gun Control Reduce Crime? St. Paul: Greenhaven Press, 1984. Matza, Michael. â€Å"Do more guns mean less crime? No point blank answers† Philadelphia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enquirer 31 May, 2007. NCPA Crime Summary. Available (Online) http://www.arcrafts.com/think/Essays/NCPA Crime.html. 4 April 2007. Pratt, Larry. â€Å"Concealed guns save lives.† USA Today. 26 April, 2007. natl. ed. Rogers, Bill. â€Å"Gun Locks Go Faster Than Police Can Hand Them Out.† Naples Daily News. 27   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  March, 2006, natl. ed. Ten Myths About â€Å"Gun Control.† Available (Online)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.arcrafts.com/think/Essays/Ten.html. 4 April 2007.

Hamlet :: essays research papers

Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the themes I found in the play Hamlet, was the way Hamlet seemed to hold back on getting revenge for his father’s murder once he know who did it. After his father’s death and the hasty remarriage of his mother to his uncle, Hamlet started to spiral into a suicidal frame of mind. It is in this state that he meets the mysterious figure of his father’s ghost where he is told that it was his uncle, Claudius responsible for his death. Hamlet pledges to revenge his murder by Claudius who, the ghost also informs Hamlet, had already committed adultery with his queen during his lifetime. â€Å"Although Hamlet accepts the ghost’s word while he is with him, seeds of doubt about the ghost’s authenticity have been sown from the very beginning of the play and continue to torment Hamlet up until the end of the play† (Heilman p.45). Hamlet is not shore if this is really his farther or a devil in disguise. Hamlet Swears revenge will be quick for his father’s murderer. For the two months since Hamlet has seen the ghost, Hamlet has been unable to commit his vowed revenge; unable to explain to himself either his long delay or his depression and insanity. Maybe he’s scared of taking revenge on Claudius, he may think by taking revenge he endangers his own soul. â€Å"No matter how right a man might think his motives are, if Claudius is innocent; the act of revenge would inevitably make Hamlet as evil as the accused in the eyes of God† (Becker p.32). â€Å"Hamlet decides to test Claudius’ guilt and the authenticity of the ghost; he will stage a performance of a play, which will reproduce Claudius’ crime and observe his reaction to it†(Durband p.304). This plan was successful because Claudius broke down during the performance. Hamlet now knows Claudius is the murderer, and the ghost was actual his father. Hamlet has a perfect opportunity to achieve his revenge when he accidentally comes upon the guilt-ridden Claudius alone in prayer. Again he rationalizes himself into delay, this time on the grounds that his revenge would not be horrible enough as Claudius penitence might save his soul from hell. Although Hamlet dies at the end, he was able to avenge his father’s death. Because Laertes confessed that the king was to blame for hamlets mothers death as well as for the poison on the sword, Hamlet was able to achieve his revenge in terms that exonerated his soul from danger.

Liveable Cities

Urban Transportation: Towards A Liveable City CHUAH PEI JIN ABSTRACT Cities as we know them today are already dramatically changing. Our living environments are reshaping the way we live. Malaysia is planning for long-term sustainability, encouraging us to think about how we can shape it and new ideas that can transform our future. The importance of ecosystem has resulted in the concept of Livable City that becomes a popular concept which is widely used in most city center of established country but in Malaysia it is still considered a new concept.It is obvious that the concept has contributed a great deal to the urban environment. This research will discuss the contribution of urban transportation bringing forwards our country to become a livable city by taking Penang as its case study. Achieving livable city concept is important as it subsequently enhance city with benefits that sustainable lifestyle can provide in terms of environmental, economic and social. Therefore this initiat ive will be further enhanced on policy commitment by the Penang State Government to make Penang a Cleaner, Greener and Healthier city.What has constantly guided our approach to sustainable development is far-sighted, holistic, and comprehensive planning, which enables us to take into account future development needs through an integrated planning process. INTRODUCTION The twenty-first century finds civilization heavily based in cities that have grown into metropolitan areas. Many of these focal points of human activity face problems of economic inefficiency, environmental deterioration, and an unsatisfactory quality of life–problems that go far in determining whether a city is â€Å"livable. A large share of these problems stems from the inefficiencies and other impacts of urban transportation systems. The era of projects aimed at maximizing vehicular travel is being replaced by the broader goal of achieving livable cities: economically efficient, socially sound, and environ mentally friendly. This explores the complex relationship between transportation and the character of cities and metropolitan regions. Transportation for Livable Cities dispels the myths and emotional advocacies for or against freeways, rail transit, bicycles, and other modes of transportation.The consequences of excessive automobile dependence and shows that the most livable cities worldwide have intermodal systems that balance highway and public transit modes while providing for pedestrians, bicyclists, and para transit. The policies necessary for achieving livable cities: the effective implementation of integrated intermodal transportation systems. Traffic impact mitigation measures can be divided into two categories: those related to land use and those related to transportation.Two case studies in Bangkok, Thailand showed that measures related to land use were effective in reducing congestion in the area surrounding a development, while traffic-related measures were useful in al leviating site-specific impacts. In the centre of Bangkok, the ineffective implementation of measures related to land was considered one of the major causes of traffic congestion. It is recommended that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration should develop more explicit policy tools for mitigating the traffic impact of new developments.DEFINATION OF LIVEABLE CITY A liveable city is cities that provide a good quality of life for its citizens. * Develop in an environmentally responsible manner * Sustain a robust a vibrant economy BACKGROUND Penang is a state in northern part of peninsular Malaysia. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia and consists of Penang Island and Seberang Perai on the mainland. Penang Island consists of about 1048 km2, with an estimated population of around 1520 thousand, while Seberang Perai occupies an area of about 738 sq km, with a population of 670 thousand.The major urban centers on the island are Georgetown, which is the administrative centre, and Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam on the mainland. Penang Island has an international airport and is linked by a ferry service and a bridge to the mainland. The major port facilities are on the mainland, while passengers and minor cargo vessels are handled at Swettenham Pier on the island. Penang is a highly urbanized state, with a vibrant economy driven primarily by manufacturing industry and tourism.Known as the â€Å"Silicon Valley of Asia†, it is home to most of the major electronics and semiconductor giants in the world and is a major centre for international industrial investment. With its beaches, multicultural and heritage attractions, Penang is also a leading tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors. Until the current financial crisis, the state was experiencing a rapid rate of economic growth with an average of 12 per cent growth in gross domestic product between 1992 and 1997. CURRENT URBAN TRANSPORT ISSUES IN PENANGCities are locations hav ing a high level of accumulation and concentration of economic activities and are complex spatial structures that are supported by transport systems. The larger the city, the greater its complexity and the potential for disruptions, particularly when this complexity is not effectively managed. The most important transport problems are often related to urban areas and take place when transport systems, for a variety of reasons, cannot satisfy the numerous requirements of urban mobility.Urban productivity is highly dependent on the efficiency of its transport system to move labor, consumers and freight between multiple origins and destinations. Additionally, important transport terminals such as ports, airports, and rail are located within urban areas, contributing to a specific array of problems. Among the most notable urban transport problems are: i. High private vehicle dependency To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ii. Public transport inadequacyThe limited capacity, poor reliability a nd quality of public transport facilities in the state is a major determinant of mode of transport choice. Presently, over 60 per cent of those travelling by bus (schoolchildren, factory workers, migrant workers, the poor and elderly) are captive passengers who do not own a private vehicle (Penang State Government 1995). Despite significant improvements having been made to the bus system in the last few years, such as the introduction of air-conditioned buses and minibuses and the expansion of routes, the proportion of bus passengers on he busiest routes is estimated to remain below 30 per cent. While bus users complain about delays and missed schedules, bus operators are frustrated by buses being unable to follow fixed schedules due to traffic congestion during peak hours. iii. High rate of traffic accidents The number of road accidents in the state more than doubled between 1991 and 1995, while the number of casualties and deaths increased by 235 per cent and 175 per cent respecti vely. Casualties per 1,000 vehicles also increased from 3. 5 in 1991 to 9. in 1995. The rate of fatalities in 1995 (34 per 100,000) was more than twice that in 1991 (13 per 100,000) and significantly higher than the level considered acceptable (5-10 per 100,000). More than 50 per cent of fatalities and 60 per cent of casualties are motorcyclists. It is also significant to note that between 1992 and 1996, 12 to 15 per cent of total fatalities and 10 to 13 per cent of total casualties were pedestrians, and 5 to 7 per cent of total fatalities and 5 to 6 per cent of total casualties were cyclists. iv.Inadequate facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and the mobility-impaired Existing pedestrian footways are of inadequate quality and do not provide sufficient levels of safety and comfort to encourage walking. Facilities for cyclists, such as bicycle lanes, are non-existent. The transportation needs of the mobility-impaired such as the elderly and the disabled, as well as those of young chi ldren have also been seriously neglected. v. Traffic Congestion and parking difficulties Traffic congestion in Penang has reached fairly serious levels due to the rapid increase in traffic volumes on the major urban roads.Traffic volumes between 1975 and 1995 more than doubled on most roads, with increases of up to 5 times on certain road sections in Seberang Perai. In terms of vehicle concentration, there has been an increase of almost 40 per cent since 1980, with an estimated doubling in travel delays. Traffic is growing at an average of 7 per cent annually on most of the major roads in the state (Highway Planning Unit 1995) in close correlation with the average 8 per cent annual growth rate in the total number of cars and motorcycles.While congestion reduces travel speed, which causes much inconvenience and economic loss, it also results in higher vehicle emissions due to engine idling and the frequent acceleration and deceleration associated with stop-and-go conditions, as most vehicle emissions (except nitrogen oxides) typically decrease with speed. vi. Environmental impacts and energy consumption To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ SUGGESTION * Improve bus service with Rapid Penang [Initiatives by Penang State Government] To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Introduce Park and Ride System [Bridge Express Shuttle Service] The BEST service was introduced by the Penang State Government in March 2011 as the country's first park and ride service as an effort to promote more efficient connectivity via public transport in the state. On average, some 800 passengers commute between Penang island and the mainland daily. From 3 September 2012, in addition to the existing park and ride hub at Sunway Carnival Mall, the BEST service introduced two new feeder hubs at Bandar Perda and Auto City at Juru. Save on fuel and toll charges, park your car and take a free ride on the BEST service.If you stay on the mainland and drive to work daily in the Bayan Lepas FIZ, the BEST service i s made for you. Park your car at Sunway Carnival Mall for RM 1. 00 (per entry) or park for FREE at Bandar Perda* and Auto City. BEST covers all areas in FIZ 1, 2, 3, 4, Technoplex and BLlP. -lQ the evening, the BEST service takes you back to your car. * CATS (CENTRAL AREA TRANSIT SERVICE) Rapid Penang CAT (Central Area Transit) is the free bus service funded by Penang state government with frequencies of every 20-30minutes around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Georgetown.Tourist can just hop on the bus without any fare. * Cycling action plan To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ * Improve public space leads to increase quality of life To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ * Walking areas, proper sidewalks and car-restricted zones To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CONCLUSION REFERENCES DAP PENANG . (February 5th, 2013). Building a cycling city. Available: http://dappg. org/11735/cky_20130204b/. Last accessed 27 Feb 2013. Vukan R. Vuchic (December 31, 1999). Transportation for livable cities. US: C enter for Urban Policy Research. 376.Liang Fook Lye, Gang Chen (2010). Towards a Livable and Sustainable Urban Environment: Eco-Cities in East Asia. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.. 222. HOKAO, K ; MOHAMED, S S (1999). TRAFFIC IMPACT MITIGATION FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS: A WAY TO REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN MAJOR CITIES. London: Transport Research Laboratory. 1-32. Dietrich Garbrecht. (1999). Walkability: A Prerequisite for Livable Cities. Available: http://www. livablecities. org/blog/walkability-prerequisite-livable-cities. Last accessed 1 March 2013 . Liveable Cities Urban Transportation: Towards A Liveable City CHUAH PEI JIN ABSTRACT Cities as we know them today are already dramatically changing. Our living environments are reshaping the way we live. Malaysia is planning for long-term sustainability, encouraging us to think about how we can shape it and new ideas that can transform our future. The importance of ecosystem has resulted in the concept of Livable City that becomes a popular concept which is widely used in most city center of established country but in Malaysia it is still considered a new concept.It is obvious that the concept has contributed a great deal to the urban environment. This research will discuss the contribution of urban transportation bringing forwards our country to become a livable city by taking Penang as its case study. Achieving livable city concept is important as it subsequently enhance city with benefits that sustainable lifestyle can provide in terms of environmental, economic and social. Therefore this initiat ive will be further enhanced on policy commitment by the Penang State Government to make Penang a Cleaner, Greener and Healthier city.What has constantly guided our approach to sustainable development is far-sighted, holistic, and comprehensive planning, which enables us to take into account future development needs through an integrated planning process. INTRODUCTION The twenty-first century finds civilization heavily based in cities that have grown into metropolitan areas. Many of these focal points of human activity face problems of economic inefficiency, environmental deterioration, and an unsatisfactory quality of life–problems that go far in determining whether a city is â€Å"livable. A large share of these problems stems from the inefficiencies and other impacts of urban transportation systems. The era of projects aimed at maximizing vehicular travel is being replaced by the broader goal of achieving livable cities: economically efficient, socially sound, and environ mentally friendly. This explores the complex relationship between transportation and the character of cities and metropolitan regions. Transportation for Livable Cities dispels the myths and emotional advocacies for or against freeways, rail transit, bicycles, and other modes of transportation.The consequences of excessive automobile dependence and shows that the most livable cities worldwide have intermodal systems that balance highway and public transit modes while providing for pedestrians, bicyclists, and para transit. The policies necessary for achieving livable cities: the effective implementation of integrated intermodal transportation systems. Traffic impact mitigation measures can be divided into two categories: those related to land use and those related to transportation.Two case studies in Bangkok, Thailand showed that measures related to land use were effective in reducing congestion in the area surrounding a development, while traffic-related measures were useful in al leviating site-specific impacts. In the centre of Bangkok, the ineffective implementation of measures related to land was considered one of the major causes of traffic congestion. It is recommended that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration should develop more explicit policy tools for mitigating the traffic impact of new developments.DEFINATION OF LIVEABLE CITY A liveable city is cities that provide a good quality of life for its citizens. * Develop in an environmentally responsible manner * Sustain a robust a vibrant economy BACKGROUND Penang is a state in northern part of peninsular Malaysia. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia and consists of Penang Island and Seberang Perai on the mainland. Penang Island consists of about 1048 km2, with an estimated population of around 1520 thousand, while Seberang Perai occupies an area of about 738 sq km, with a population of 670 thousand.The major urban centers on the island are Georgetown, which is the administrative centre, and Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam on the mainland. Penang Island has an international airport and is linked by a ferry service and a bridge to the mainland. The major port facilities are on the mainland, while passengers and minor cargo vessels are handled at Swettenham Pier on the island. Penang is a highly urbanized state, with a vibrant economy driven primarily by manufacturing industry and tourism.Known as the â€Å"Silicon Valley of Asia†, it is home to most of the major electronics and semiconductor giants in the world and is a major centre for international industrial investment. With its beaches, multicultural and heritage attractions, Penang is also a leading tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors. Until the current financial crisis, the state was experiencing a rapid rate of economic growth with an average of 12 per cent growth in gross domestic product between 1992 and 1997. CURRENT URBAN TRANSPORT ISSUES IN PENANGCities are locations hav ing a high level of accumulation and concentration of economic activities and are complex spatial structures that are supported by transport systems. The larger the city, the greater its complexity and the potential for disruptions, particularly when this complexity is not effectively managed. The most important transport problems are often related to urban areas and take place when transport systems, for a variety of reasons, cannot satisfy the numerous requirements of urban mobility.Urban productivity is highly dependent on the efficiency of its transport system to move labor, consumers and freight between multiple origins and destinations. Additionally, important transport terminals such as ports, airports, and rail are located within urban areas, contributing to a specific array of problems. Among the most notable urban transport problems are: i. High private vehicle dependency To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ii. Public transport inadequacyThe limited capacity, poor reliability a nd quality of public transport facilities in the state is a major determinant of mode of transport choice. Presently, over 60 per cent of those travelling by bus (schoolchildren, factory workers, migrant workers, the poor and elderly) are captive passengers who do not own a private vehicle (Penang State Government 1995). Despite significant improvements having been made to the bus system in the last few years, such as the introduction of air-conditioned buses and minibuses and the expansion of routes, the proportion of bus passengers on he busiest routes is estimated to remain below 30 per cent. While bus users complain about delays and missed schedules, bus operators are frustrated by buses being unable to follow fixed schedules due to traffic congestion during peak hours. iii. High rate of traffic accidents The number of road accidents in the state more than doubled between 1991 and 1995, while the number of casualties and deaths increased by 235 per cent and 175 per cent respecti vely. Casualties per 1,000 vehicles also increased from 3. 5 in 1991 to 9. in 1995. The rate of fatalities in 1995 (34 per 100,000) was more than twice that in 1991 (13 per 100,000) and significantly higher than the level considered acceptable (5-10 per 100,000). More than 50 per cent of fatalities and 60 per cent of casualties are motorcyclists. It is also significant to note that between 1992 and 1996, 12 to 15 per cent of total fatalities and 10 to 13 per cent of total casualties were pedestrians, and 5 to 7 per cent of total fatalities and 5 to 6 per cent of total casualties were cyclists. iv.Inadequate facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and the mobility-impaired Existing pedestrian footways are of inadequate quality and do not provide sufficient levels of safety and comfort to encourage walking. Facilities for cyclists, such as bicycle lanes, are non-existent. The transportation needs of the mobility-impaired such as the elderly and the disabled, as well as those of young chi ldren have also been seriously neglected. v. Traffic Congestion and parking difficulties Traffic congestion in Penang has reached fairly serious levels due to the rapid increase in traffic volumes on the major urban roads.Traffic volumes between 1975 and 1995 more than doubled on most roads, with increases of up to 5 times on certain road sections in Seberang Perai. In terms of vehicle concentration, there has been an increase of almost 40 per cent since 1980, with an estimated doubling in travel delays. Traffic is growing at an average of 7 per cent annually on most of the major roads in the state (Highway Planning Unit 1995) in close correlation with the average 8 per cent annual growth rate in the total number of cars and motorcycles.While congestion reduces travel speed, which causes much inconvenience and economic loss, it also results in higher vehicle emissions due to engine idling and the frequent acceleration and deceleration associated with stop-and-go conditions, as most vehicle emissions (except nitrogen oxides) typically decrease with speed. vi. Environmental impacts and energy consumption To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ SUGGESTION * Improve bus service with Rapid Penang [Initiatives by Penang State Government] To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Introduce Park and Ride System [Bridge Express Shuttle Service] The BEST service was introduced by the Penang State Government in March 2011 as the country's first park and ride service as an effort to promote more efficient connectivity via public transport in the state. On average, some 800 passengers commute between Penang island and the mainland daily. From 3 September 2012, in addition to the existing park and ride hub at Sunway Carnival Mall, the BEST service introduced two new feeder hubs at Bandar Perda and Auto City at Juru. Save on fuel and toll charges, park your car and take a free ride on the BEST service.If you stay on the mainland and drive to work daily in the Bayan Lepas FIZ, the BEST service i s made for you. Park your car at Sunway Carnival Mall for RM 1. 00 (per entry) or park for FREE at Bandar Perda* and Auto City. BEST covers all areas in FIZ 1, 2, 3, 4, Technoplex and BLlP. -lQ the evening, the BEST service takes you back to your car. * CATS (CENTRAL AREA TRANSIT SERVICE) Rapid Penang CAT (Central Area Transit) is the free bus service funded by Penang state government with frequencies of every 20-30minutes around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Georgetown.Tourist can just hop on the bus without any fare. * Cycling action plan To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ * Improve public space leads to increase quality of life To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ * Walking areas, proper sidewalks and car-restricted zones To be continuing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CONCLUSION REFERENCES DAP PENANG . (February 5th, 2013). Building a cycling city. Available: http://dappg. org/11735/cky_20130204b/. Last accessed 27 Feb 2013. Vukan R. Vuchic (December 31, 1999). Transportation for livable cities. US: C enter for Urban Policy Research. 376.Liang Fook Lye, Gang Chen (2010). Towards a Livable and Sustainable Urban Environment: Eco-Cities in East Asia. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.. 222. HOKAO, K ; MOHAMED, S S (1999). TRAFFIC IMPACT MITIGATION FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS: A WAY TO REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN MAJOR CITIES. London: Transport Research Laboratory. 1-32. Dietrich Garbrecht. (1999). Walkability: A Prerequisite for Livable Cities. Available: http://www. livablecities. org/blog/walkability-prerequisite-livable-cities. Last accessed 1 March 2013 .