India of my dreams Essay

Today, India is characterised by communal violence, religious strife, terrorist movements, regional alienation, political chaos, constant economic hick-ups, general corruption, Mafia raj, bomb-culture, etc. The great India of Lord Buddha, Mahavir, Shankaracharya, Swam Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru is on the verge of break-up, unless of course, we put an end to these malaises that are eating into its very fabric. The ills of decadence, hibernation, disharmony and the lethargic existence of the nation must be addressed to, if we want to see a glorious and a vibrant India. I dream of such a glorious and wonderful India in the days to come. India is a multicultural, multi religious, multilingual nation and, hence, in order to maintain peace and harmony, due importance has to be given to the sentiments of each community. However, this secularing and pluralism have come to be subdued by religious fanaticism and communalism. In the name of construction of temples and mosques we do not seem to hesitate even to take the lives of our neighbours. Today, when we should be focusing on the country’s all-round development, our attention is focused in untangling the mess known as the ‘Ayodhya tussle.’ This undue importance given to religion has ruined our national peace, social equilibrium and international standing. Mumbai bomb explosion, Gujarat violence, Godhra incident, continuous Kashmir carnage, etc., speak volumes about how we have managed to turn the land of peace into a land of blood. Therefore, my dream of India is an India where religion would no longer be in national focus, where religion would be put into the backyard meant purely for personal practice. I dream of a day when people in India would live and die for their motherland than for their religion. Today, in India, the gap between the have’s and the have- not’s is ever increasing. Nearly 90% of India’s wealth is in the hands of 10% of people. The current social discrimination based on birth, caste and religion is  breaking the national fabric. In my future India there would be no more concepts such as, Reservation, OBCs, Backward classes, under-privileged, etc. These man-made boundaries of demarcations would be broken down 21st century India would an India where everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, and religion, would have equal opportunities to live and work. In my future India, everyone would have enough to eat and enough to wear. There would be no more deaths use to poverty and starvation. None would die due to paucity of medical facilities. There will be enough jobs for all, education would be work-oriented and everyone would have adequate opportunities for learning. Every village would be connected by roads and by internet. The country’s military expenditure would be minimised and maximum would be spent for social improvements. Green revolution, white revolution and IT revolution, etc. would characterise our land. In my India of 21st century, the present evils characterising the Indian political system of India such as instability, rampant corruption, political scams, misuse of public money, glorification of leaders, horse-trading, criminalisation of politics, manipulation of election process, etc., would be unheard of. My future India would have a political system, where person with dubious character or criminal background can never assume any public office, where election would no longer be based on money power or muscle power but rather totally free and fair. My India of 21st century would be a great India highly esteemed by the other nations of the world. She would be a permanent member of the UN Security Council and her voice would be heard ‘loud and clear’ in the International arena. India’s role as the torchbearer of peace would be highly appreciated. The Kashmir problem would be a thing of the past and she would have peace and friendship with all her neighbours. She would be considered a major Asian  power at par with China and a highly developed nation with a world of IT professionals who are ready to venture out into the unknown frontiers. I do not think that my dream of India is too idealistic or too unrealistic. A day is not far off when I would be fortunate enough to see this glorious India sparkling with the noble ideals of peace, high economic standards, political stability, social harmony, international recognition, etc. Let my country awake from its present slumber and rise up to great heights of glory and prosperity. It would be an India like the India which the great patriot Rabindranath Tagore visualised: â€Å"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free, where the world is not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls†.

The United States Became an Industrial Power

The United States became an industrial power by tapping North America’s vast natural resources, including minerals, lumber and coal, particularly in the newly developed west. Industries that had once depended on waterpower began to use prodigious amounts of coal. Steam engines replaced human and animal labor, and kerosene replaced whale oil and wood. By 1900, America’s factories and urban homes were converting to electric power. Dependence on fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas), which powered machines of unprecedented speed and strength, transformed both the economy and the country’s natural and built environments.What is vertical integration? Vertical integration is a business model in which one company controlled all aspects of production from raw materials to finished goods. Once his engineers designed a cooling system, swift invested in a fleet of refrigerator cars and constructed a packing plant near Chicago’s stockyards. What is horizontal integrat ion? Horizontal integration is a strategy pioneered by Rockefeller. Like swift he pressured competitors through predatory pricing, but when he had driven them to failure, he invited rivals to merge their companies into his conglomerate.The roles the government played in this story were in an effort to attract corporate headquarters to its state, New Jersey broke ranks in 1889, by passing a law that permitted the creation of holding companies and other corporate combinations. Despite reformers’ efforts, a huge wave of mergers in the 1890s further concentrated corporate power. By 1900, America’s largest one hundred companies controlled a third of the nation’s productive capacity.Such familiar firms as DuPont, Eastman Kodak, and singer had assumed dominant places in their respective industries. The immense power of these corporations would henceforth be a recurring political concern. Roles that the government could have played but didn’t was that distressed by the development of near monopolies, reformers began to denounce â€Å"the trusts† and that some states outlawed trusts as a legal form. The nineteenth century's industrial philosophy dates, actually, from Adam Smith's â€Å"The Wealth of Nations†, published in 1776.This is really the â€Å"capitalist bible† in which the notion that greed has a socially useful role is first popularly put forward. It also puts forward the notion of the â€Å"invisible hand† that guides the market to improve the standard of living of everyone, without regard to the actual intentions of its participants. This is the â€Å"magic of the marketplace† many capitalists are so fond of referring to. But, by the late nineteenth century, these concepts of Adam Smith had been distorted and fused, to some extent, with the ideas of Charles Darwin about evolution.This led to the extremely pernicious and largely discredited concept of â€Å"Social Darwinism†, related to Na zism, in the twentieth century. Social Darwinists believe that only those who are socially successful and powerful should have the right to survive, and that providing assistance and support to the â€Å"weak† is, actually, antisocial. According to this view, society can only progress if the â€Å"strong† exploit, suppress and, eventually, destroy the â€Å"weak†. The factors that I don’t really agree with are the Ideas of social Darwinism.I don’t think that the strong should not help the weak because what if were the strongest person in the world with the most money and were at the top and we refuse to help someone who is at the bottom like the very bottom were in there’s no more down only way is up at that point say we become the weak party and them the strong party what if we need the help they need and the refuse us that help because we believe in social Darwinism as an whole and we didn’t help them reach the top when we were up t here so why should they help us.Industrialism changed the nature of work and in many respects caused an uneven distribution of power Among interest groups in American society. Industrial workers were employees rather than producers, And repeating specialized tasks made them feel like appendages to machines. The emphasis on quantity Rather than quality further dehumanized the workplace. These factors, in addition to the increased Power of the employer, reduced the independence and self-respect of workers, but worker resistance only led employers to tighten restrictions. Industrialism also brought more women and children into the labor force.Although job opportunities Opened for women, most women went into low-paying clerical jobs, and sex discrimination continued in the workplace. Employers also attempted to cut wage costs by hiring more children. Although a few States passed child-labor laws, such laws were difficult to enforce and employers generally opposed State interference in t heir hiring practices. Effective child-labor legislation would not come until the Twentieth century. As the nature of work changed, workers began to protest low wages, the attitude of employers, the hazards of the workplace, and the absence of disability insurance and pensions.The effectiveness of Legislation designed to redress these grievances was usually limited by conservative Supreme Court Rulings Out of frustration, some workers began to participate in unions and in organized resistance. Unionization efforts took various directions. The Knights of Labor tried to ally all workers by creating Producer and consumer cooperatives; the American Federation of Labor strove to organize skilled Workers to achieve pragmatic objectives; and the Industrial Workers of the World attempted to Overthrow capitalist society.The railroad strikes of 1877, the Haymarket riot, and the Homestead and Pullman strikes were all marked by violence, and they exemplified labor’s frustration as well a s its active and organized resistance. Government intervention against the strikers convinced many workers Of the imbalance of interest groups in American society, whereas the middle class began to connect organized working-class resistance with radicalism. Although this perception was by and large Mistaken, middle-class fear of social upheaval became an additional force against organized labor.Not only did industrialization affect the nature of work, it also produced a myriad of products that affected the everyday lives of Americans. As America became a consumer-oriented society, most of its Citizens faced living costs that rose faster than wages. Consequently, many people could not take advantage of the new goods and services being offered. But, as noted above, more women and children Became part of the paid labor force. Although many did so out of necessity, others hoped that the Additional income would allow the family to participate in the consumer society.The Nativists didnâ⠂¬â„¢t take too kind to the wave of new immigrants. The reason most industrial workers put up with the difficult conditions of their work because factory owners, especially those involved in the steel industry and in the coal mine industry, often would build company towns. Workers were given cheap rent in these towns to go along with their low wages. In essence the worker was trapped. The company town afforded him a place to live and without the job he couldn't live there.

Compensated Demand Curve

The Compensated Demand Curve Definition: the compensated demand curve is a demand curve that ignores the income effect of a price change, only taking into account the substitution effect. To do this, utility is held constant from the change in the price of the good. In this section, we will graphically derive the compensated demand curve from indifference curves and budget constraints by incorporating the substitution and income effects, and use the compensated demand curve to find the compensating variation. Let us consider a price increase for a normal good, a good whose demand increases as income increases. In Figure 7. e. 1, assume that the price of Y (PY) is $1, and that the individual has an income of $100. The initial price of X (PX) is $1, so the individual’s initial budget constraint is therefore BC1, with a vertical intercept of 100, and a horizontal intercept of 100. The individual reaches his optimum (maximizes utility) at point A, where his initial budget constrai nt BC1 is tangent to the indifference curve IC1.Let’s say that at this point, he maximizes his utility by consuming 43 units of good X. If PX increases from $1 to $2, his budget constraint will rotate inward until it reaches BC2 where there is now a horizontal intercept of 50. The individual now reaches his new optimum where the indifference curve IC2 is tangent to BC2 at the point B, where he maximizes his utility by consuming 18 units of good X. We can use these points to plot a demand curve for good X: According to Figure 7. e. 1, when PX is $1, the individual maximizes utility at point A where he consumes 43 units of X.This information can be replotted on a curve showing the relationship between the price of X and the quantity of X consumed (figure 7. e. 2). At a price of $1, the individual will consume 43 units of X, so the point A will replot on figure 7. e. 2 as the point A’. Similarly at point B, at a price of $2, the individual will consume 18 units of X, so t he point B will replot on figure 7. e. 2 as the point B’. If we connect A’ and B’ together, we will get the ordinary demand curve for good X In order to obtain the compensated demand curve, we must first observe 2 effects that take place as PX increases:Substitution Effect: when Px increases from $1 to $2, X becomes relatively more expensive than Y, so the individual consumes less X. To show the substitution effect, we must hold the individual’s utility constant. To do this, we draw a budget constraint BC3 that is parallel to BC2 and shift it up until it is just tangent to a point on his original indifference curve (IC1). This occurs at point C, where the consumer is consuming 29 units of X. The substitution effect is the movement from point A to CIncome Effect: because Px has increased, the individual’s purchasing power has decreased, and thus has less money to spend on both X and Y. Because X is a normal good, the individual will consume more as his income increases. The individual will reach an optimum at point B where he will consume 18 units of X. The income effect is the movement from point C to B To summarize, Total effect = Substitution Effect + Income Effect = A to C +C to B We have already found the ordinary demand curve by replotting points A and B as points A’ and B’.In essence, this is the total effect of the increase in PX. Because the compensated demand curve assumes that utility is held constant, it only shows the substitution effect. Therefore, we simply have to replot points A and C. We have already determined that point A replots as A’ at a price of $1 and a quantity of 43. At point C, the individual consumes 29 units at a price of $2; so we can replot this point as point C’ on figure 7. e. 2. If we connect these 2 points together, we get the compensated demand curve. We can prove that good X is a normal good. One way to do it is to look at Figure 7. e. and notice that between po ints B and C, as income increases, the consumption of good X increases, which fits the definition of a normal good. Another way is to look at the compensated demand curve and compare it with the ordinary demand curve. The compensated demand curve in figure 7. e. 2 is steeper than the ordinary demand curve. When this condition holds, good X is a normal good. We can also use the compensated demand curve to find the compensating variation. The compensating variation is the amount of money required to restore an individual to his original utility level when prices change.In figure 7. e. 2, it is represented by the area between the two prices, and left of the compensated demand curve – it is the sum of areas S and T. Meanwhile the change in consumer surplus is simply the area between the two prices and left of the ordinary demand curve – it is the area S ———————————————à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ †¢ Next, consider a price decrease for an inferior good, a good whose demand decreases as income increases.In Figure 7. e. 3, assume that the price of Y (PY) is $1, and that the individual has an income of $100. The initial price of X (PX) is $2, so the individual’s initial budget constraint is therefore BC1, with a vertical intercept of 100, and a horizontal intercept of 50. The individual reaches his optimum (maximizes utility) at point A, where his initial budget constraint BC1 is tangent to the indifference curve IC1. Let’s say that at this point, he maximizes his utility by consuming 17 units of good X.If PX decreases from $2 to $1, his budget constraint will rotate outward until it reaches BC2 where there i s now a horizontal intercept of 100. The individual now reaches his new optimum where the indifference curve IC2 is tangent to BC2 at the point B, where he maximizes his utility by consuming 28 units of good X. Using the same method as described in figure 7. e. 1 and figure 7. e. 2, we can replot A and B on figure 7. e. 3 as A’ and B’ on figure 7. e. 4. If we connect these points together, we will get the ordinary demand curve for good XIn order to obtain the compensated demand curve, we must first observe 2 effects that take place as PX increases: Substitution Effect: when Px decreases from $2 to $1, X becomes relatively cheaper than Y, so the individual will consume more X. To show the substitution effect, we must hold the individual’s utility constant. To do this, we draw a budget constraint BC3 that is parallel to BC2 and shift it down until it is just tangent to a point on his original indifference curve (IC1). This occurs at point C, where the consumer is consuming 33 units of X.The substitution effect is the movement from point A to C Income Effect: Px has decreased, so the individual’s purchasing power has increased, and thus has more money to spend on both X and Y. Because X is an inferior good, the individual will consume less as his income increases. The individual will reach an optimum at point B where he will consume 28 units of X. The income effect is the movement from point C to B To summarize, Total effect = Substitution Effect + Income Effect = A to C +C to B Using the same method as described in figure 7. . 1 and figure 7. e. 2, we can replot A and C on figure 7. e. 3 as A’ and C’ on figure 7. e. 4. If we connect these points together, we will get the compensated demand curve for good X We can prove that good X is an inferior good. One way to do it is to look at Figure 7. e. 3 and notice that between points B and C, as income increases, the consumption of good X decreases, which fits the definition of an inferior good. Another way is to look at the compensated demand curve and compare it with the ordinary demand curve.The compensated demand curve in figure 7. e. 4 is flatter than the ordinary demand curve. When this condition holds, good X is an inferior good. Again, we can also use the compensated demand curve to find the compensating variation. It is the area between the two prices, and left of the compensated demand curve – it is the sum of areas S and T ——————————————————————————————————————————————– †¢ Let us now consider a price decrease for an extreme case: a giffen good.A giffen good violates the law of demand and results in an upward s loping demand curve. In Figure 7. e. 5, assume that the price of Y (PY) is $1, and that the individual has an income of $100. The initial price of X (PX) is $1, so the individual’s initial budget constraint is therefore BC1, with a vertical intercept of 100, and a horizontal intercept of 50. The individual reaches his optimum (maximizes utility) at point A, where his initial budget constraint BC1 is tangent to the indifference curve IC1. Let’s say that at this point, he maximizes his utility by consuming 37 units of good X.If PX decreases from $2 to $1, his budget constraint will rotate outward until it reaches BC2 where there is now a horizontal intercept of 100. The individual now reaches his new optimum where the indifference curve IC2 is tangent to BC2 at the point B, where he maximizes his utility by consuming 30 units of good X. The total consumption of good X has actually decreased; let us decompose this. Using the same method as described in figure 7. e. 1 and figure 7. e. 2, we can replot A and B on figure 7. e. 5 as A’ and B’ on figure 7. e. 6.The shape of the ordinary demand curve for a giffen good is as follows: between the points A and B, it is upward sloping (known as the â€Å"Giffen Range†), and at any price above or below points A and B, respectively, the demand curve is downward sloping. This results in a backward-bending ordinary demand curve W In order to obtain the compensated demand curve, we must first observe 2 effects that take place as PX increases: Substitution Effect: when Px decreases from $2 to $1, X becomes relatively cheaper than Y, so the individual will consume more X. To show the substitution effect, we must hold the individual’s utility constant.To do this, we draw a budget constraint BC3 that is parallel to BC2 and shift it down until it is just tangent to a point on his original indifference curve (IC1). This occurs at point C, where the consumer is consuming 47 units of X. The sub stitution effect is the movement from point A to C Income Effect: Px has decreased, so the individual’s purchasing power has increased, and thus has more money to spend on both X and Y. Because X is a giffen good, the individual will consume less as his income increases; also note that the income effect is stronger than the substitution effect.This results in the individual reaching an optimum at point B where he will consume 30 units of X. The income effect is the movement from point C to B To summarize, Total effect = Substitution Effect + Income Effect = A to C +C to B Using the same method as described in figure 7. e. 1 and figure 7. e. 2, we can replot A and C on figure 7. e. 5 as A’ and C’ on figure 7. e. 6. If we connect these points together, we will get the compensated for good X Note that the compensated demand curve is still downward sloping.This is because the substitution effect always works in one direction, while the income effect can work in both directions Study Questions 1) Redraw figure 7. e. 1 and figure 7. e. 2 for a decrease in the price of a normal good. Shade the area representing the compensation variation. 2) Redraw figure 7. e. 3 and figure 7. e. 4 for an increase in the price of an inferior good. Shade the area representing the compensation variation. 3) Redraw figure 7. e. 5 and figure 7. e. 6 for an increase in the price of a giffen good. Shade the area representing the compensation variation.

Japanese Internment Camps Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Japanese Internment Camps - Research Paper Example (Lee and Kathleen, 2011, p606) In addition to the Japanese racial origin, the Japanese navy attack on the Pearl Harbor made the Japanese Americans residing in the United States to be regarded as dangerous and untrustworthy. Two thirds of the Japanese detained were Japanese born in America and included both the elderly and the young. The camps were surrounded by barbed wire fence and had heavily guarded by military personnel. The attack on Pearl Harbor left the American citizens in great fear of another attack. This made the representatives of the sates put a lot of pressure on by then President Roosevelt to take firm action against Japanese descent living in the U.S. (historyonthenet.com, 2011) On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066. This order gave the Secretary of War and Military Commanders Authority to come up with military restricted zones to in deal with US national security threats and breaches from dangerous individuals. Even though the Executive Order 9066 did not identify the Japanese America as the targets, the Japanese living in California, Oregon and Washington became the first target. This was primarily because of an idea that was erroneously held that the West Coast of Japanese posed a major threat to America due to its proximity. The Japanese Americans living in Hawaii were exempted from detention so as provide labour for the agricultural economy of the Americans living in Hawaii region. (Lee and Kathleen, 2011, p607) The War Relocation Authority (WRA) established ten permanent internment camps in US. These sites included Topaz in Utah; Jerome and Rohwer in Arkansas; Manzanar and Tule Lake in California; Granada in Colorado; Minidoka in Idaho and Heart Mountain in Wyoming. This internment camps were established hurriedly to house a community of thousands of the Japanese American families. (Lee and Kathleen, 2011, p608) Under the terms of the signed Executive Order 9066, a population of 120,000 people o f Japanese America living the US were forcefully removed from their homes and taken to internment camps located in different regions in the US. They had been given only 48 hours to vacate from their homes. The justification by the US government for their actions was that the Japanese Americans were spying for the Japanese and thus were dangerous. Among those interned were American citizens and half of the population were children who had not in the past shown any disloyalty to the state. (historyonthenet.com, 2011) Depending on the regions, the internment camps were established. the prevailing extreme weather conditions like dust storms, high temperatures, strong winds and blizzards caused a great misery to the Japanese Families. The Japanese internees had been allowed to bring with them only a few belongings from their homes. Within the camps, privacy was minimal or even non-existent as strangers lived in the same barracks and required to share rest rooms which were not partitioned and even had to use common areas for washing and cooking and access to adequate food was a problem. In the camps, health care was poor and a lot of people suffered from high levels of emotional stress and some even died. (thinkquest.org, 2011) Also, the Japanese Americans were placed under maximum supervision and were subjected to styles known as Jim Crown that involved restrictions such as controlled gathering and numerous

Emerging Trends in Civil Liability Cases Annotated Bibliography

Emerging Trends in Civil Liability Cases - Annotated Bibliography Example For a case to be successful, the applicant has to prove that the government official violated his or her constitutional or federal law rights and whether the officers acted under color of law. As such, the article presents a discussion of a series of case rulings in which the plaintiffs sought to be awarded legal relief under the provision of Section 83. The liability cases studied and analyzed by Ross are related to correctional officers, since such officials are at the highest risk of litigation. In total, the study examined 3,205 correctional liability cases filed against correctional officials under Section 1983. The claims for such cases were many and varied, but Ross identified sixteen categories indicating trends in the litigation claims. These categories include violation of free speech rights, cruel and unusual punishment, and failure to protect a claim. The large sample evaluated increases the reliability of the study. In addition, by examining the trend over a long period of time and considering cases from all facilities in the United States District Court system, the validity of the findings from the study is increased. This validity is further strengthened by the credibility of the researcher since Ross is a University Professor with the Criminal Justice Program. The study observed that majority of the cases were filed without legal counsel, and this could present a weakness in the findings since some of them could have no legal basis. According to Ross’ findings, the number of correctional liability claims filed under Section 1983 is directly related to the prisoner population and would continue to increase with a proportional increase in the population of prisoners. CJ professionals would use this fact to vary the population of inmates in particular correctional facilities, thus reducing potential conflicts that could result in litigation claims against correctional officers.

Crime Causation and Diversion Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crime Causation and Diversion Paper - Essay Example There are several intervention, diversion and prevention programs that have been created to help the youths avoid getting into criminal careers when they become adult in that way reducing crime rates in the society (Greenwood 2006). These programs are also aimed at ensuring that the youths people’s lives are salvaged and that they are able to live productive lives later. This paper will discuss the youth advocacy program and Jeopardy programs. Jeopardy Program Jeopardy program is a program aimed at intervening and preventing gang violence in the city of Los Angeles. This program focuses on youths aged 7-16 years of both genders and their parents. The program works through school, community and the police department in ensuring that young people achieve permanent changes in behavior as a way of ensuring that they eventually positively contribute to the development of the community. The program targets children who are at risk of being recruited to gangs. This is especially in n eighborhoods in the city that are known to be dominated by dangerous gangs (Jorge 2013). The programs give these young a variety of training both physical such as martial arts and formal training thus channeling their energies in productive adventures. The Jeopardy program has several goals. It aims at reducing the level of truancy and school drop out in the community. By keeping the children in school, they are kept away from company that may recruit them to a gang and a life of crime. It also aims at improving the youth’s grade in school and promotes graduation rates. When the learners’ grades are good, they have hope of even going to college and getting into a good career. Their energy is thus focused on achieving this. It also aims at addressing psychological disorders in the youth that may lower self esteem (Jorge 2013). This is because research has reported that people are bound to get into criminal activities to boost their esteem. It also aims to impart the you th with life skills such as problem resolution skills, decision making and goal setting skills. All these are seen to lead to the achievement of the ultimate goal which is to reduce gang involvement. All these aims are achieved through several activities carried out by the Jeopardy program team. This first thing that they do is to identify the children in the community who may be at the risk of being involved in gangs. They then conduct interviews with the children and their parents in order to identify which is the most effective method of dealing with the problem. The families are then referred to the local counseling agencies. This is followed by monthly seminars held with the family every month. During these seminars the progress of the child is assessed. The child is also told to choose from a wide range of activities to engage in and is monitored for at least a year until positive behavioral change has been reported. Youth Advocacy Program (YAP) The youth advocacy is an early intervention program that was aimed at youth at risk of getting into a life of crime and their parents. They would refer the parent to treatment and counseling agencies. The main aim of this program was they reduce the development of hardcore youth delinquency and reduce the crime rates in the society. During the juvenile investigation procedure, in cases where the offender is a minor, the case would be

The Problem Of Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Problem Of Planning - Essay Example In statistical terms, random sample means the set of items that are drawn from a large set of items (population) and it is the subset of the population. The method of sample satisfies the criterion of randomness, that is, each item has equal chance to be drawn or selected. The only factor an item to be selected is mere chance. But in order to ensure the equal chance to all items, once an item is selected, it should be replaced by the population. If the population consists of heterogeneous subgroups or different strata, it would be advisable to sample each subpopulation (stratum) separately. Stratification is the process of grouping members into relatively homogenous groups. The random sampling is applied within each stratum. This method of random sampling from different strata improves the representative nature of the sample by reducing the sampling error. The sample size is the number of observations that constitute the sample and it is normally represented by an integer (positive number). The sample size is determined by a number of factors like convenience, time, money and the purpose of the study. But in many cases, the decision of sample size becomes confusing. Though the published literature on this issue is not very much rich in comparison to its importance, there are articles and books which are concerning the sample size determination. Some of them are Kraemer and Thiemann (1987), Cohen (1988), Lipsey (1990), Shuster (1990), and Odeh and Fox (1991). Determining Sample Size is such an important issue that the reliability of the results mainly depends on this. The decision of how large would be a sample is so important that it enables the statistical judgments would be accurate and reliable. For this, the sample size should not be too small or too large.

War and Meaninglessness of Life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

War and Meaninglessness of Life - Research Paper Example On the other hand, in the attempt to summon meditation to end war and fighting, Lennon writes â€Å"Imagine there’s no heaven ... Imagine there’s no countries† at the beginning of each stanza. On hearing, it seems that the ballad of â€Å"Imagine† is a spoken song with a rhythm that humbly persuades the audience to aim for peace and perceive a ray of hope in loving each other rather than being divided by individual causes. The song likely mesmerizes the listener to heed and understand how essential it is to put an end to hostilities by imagining a world without faith, without nation, and with only a few moments to spend. This situation would only take place when people are stubborn to proceed with separate ways and are reluctant to strive to unite in belief or principles that lead to happiness and improvement of well-being. Lennon’s â€Å"Imagine† proposes that war would only come to a stop when people begin to accept the truth and respond wi th positive action after pondering on the undesirable consequences of violence and complete disorder. In a similar manner, â€Å"Fix da World Up† concretizes resolution for a variety of social issues in and out of a society. Mastaplann raps â€Å"Fix da World Up† to convey the unwanted pregnancy of the girl named Susie, drug addiction, the constant struggle for peace between Jews and Arabs, racial discrimination, and ignorance.â€Å"If I Ruled the World† in 1985 and the version rendered by Nas bearing the same title in 1996 share a common principle of rapping the struggle against abusive authorities.... On the other hand, in the attempt to summon meditation to end war and fighting, Lennon writes â€Å"Imagine there’s no heaven ... Imagine all the people living for today ... Imagine there’s no countries† at the beginning of each stanza. On hearing, it seems that the ballad of â€Å"Imagine† is a spoken song with a rhythm that humbly persuades the audience to aim for peace and perceive a ray of hope in loving each other rather than being divided by individual causes. The song likely mesmerizes the listener to heed and understand how essential it is to put an end to hostilities by imagining a world without faith, without nation, and with only a few moments to spend. This situation would only take place when people are stubborn to proceed with separate ways and are reluctant to strive to unite in belief or principles that lead to happiness and improvement of well-being. Lennon’s â€Å"Imagine† proposes that war would only come to a stop when peo ple begin to accept the truth and respond with positive action after pondering on the undesirable consequences of violence and complete disorder. In the similar manner, â€Å"Fix da World Up† (Mastaplann, 1993, track 3) concretizes resolution for a variety of social issues in and out of a society. Mastaplann raps â€Å"Fix da World Up† to convey the unwanted pregnancy of the girl named Susie, drug addiction, the constant struggle for peace between Jews and Arabs, racial discrimination, and ignorance. With its rhythm and substance, the rap artists can be felt to raise the level of consciousness of the targeted young audience by means not only of the style and lively beat, it is particularly striking how Mastaplann rappers invested craftsmanship by demonstrating wide knowledge of their environment and the prevailing

Field Notes and Reports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Field Notes and Reports - Essay Example Criminal investigation is the way of finding out, assembling, organizing, classifying and presenting evidence to establish what occurred and the person involved with the crime. Criminal investigation is a useful process, and it uses subtractive explanation, a reasonable procedure in which the ending follows from certain details. An investigator proves that the suspect is guilty of a crime through a certain aspect of the evidence (Lyman, 2013). There exist three main scientific methods in which a criminal can be identified, they include; Dactylography: is the study of fingerprints as a way of identifying an individual. Dactylography is regarded as a dependable way of recognizing an individual because the fingers’ and hands’ papillar lines are unique (Lyman, 2013). DNA: Forensic scientists can utilize DNA contained in the semen, blood, skin, saliva or hair found at the scene of a crime to recognize an identical DNA of a suspect. The FBI was the initial public sector crime laboratory in the United States to allow cases for DNA scrutiny. Uniformed and plainclothes officers play different roles in the criminal investigation as people rely on them to safeguard their lives and property. Various police officers focus in various fields such as chemical and microscopic scrutiny, guiding and firearms lessons, or handwriting and fingerprint recognition. Some work in various departments such as Special units and special weapons and tactics also known as SWAT (Lyman, 2013). It reviews and estimates the related features of an offense committed by diverse criminals. The inductive reasoning is founded on the hypothetical and investigational study of the criminal behavior. Inductive reasoning does not require expert forensic acquaintance, education or guidance in the criminal behavior study (Becker, & Dutelle, 2013). Deductive reasoning requires acquaintance and application of psychology, sociology, criminology and psychiatry. In deductive reasoning an

African Americans Consequence Essay Example for Free

African Americans Consequence Essay The African Americans played a major role before and after the Civil War, beginning from 1861 to 1870, which helped shape the course and consequences of the Civil War. In determining how African Americans shaped the course and consequences of the Civil War, one must assess how African Americans were given more opportunities. Politically, African Americans began to have a role in voting and to have the President and Republican Party fight for their full freedom. Socially, the African American’s class began to be looked at differently. Ideologically, the African Americans were being looked at as equal and made sure that people knew they were people too. Although African Americans had to continue to fight for their equality, they did, in fact, shape the course and consequences of the Civil War by having political, ideological, and social actions. African Americans had no rights to vote or involve themselves in politics but that changed after the Civil War. Giving African Americans the right to vote shaped the consequences of the Civil War by African American’s views being looked at as well. On August 1865, the Convention of the Colored People of Virginia was proceeded which claimed that since African Americans are free, they deserve to vote (Doc H). The African Americans spoke of being given suffrage, and then they were given the right to vote. This shaped a consequence of the Civil War because the African American’s views were no longer over looked. During the Civil War, no one J. Crespo P a g e | 2 paid attention to what the African Americans wanted but afterward, they were granted the voice to speak about what they wanted. After being heard and given the right to vote, the African Americans had participation in Constitutional Conventions. A map shows the following: the participation of African Americans and Whites in Constitutional Conventions during 1867-1868. (Doc J). Politically, the whites did not want to be overtaken by the African Americans, so they had a larger participation to overrule the African Americans. The whites wanted a powerful Democratic Party that supported their wanting. The African Americans still participated in the conventions to make sure the Republic Party was strong enough to continue to give the African American their rights. African Americans participating in the Constitutional Conventions shaped one of the consequences of the Civil War by not letting whites take over the political system. Not only did the African Americans have a consequence politically with being heard and not having white supremacy, politically African Americans were also given their freedom. African Americans were being given their freedom. Politically, African Americans were being granted a change in society. Abraham Lincoln published a letter on August 26, 1863 that proposed the following: the African Americans as a whole, everywhere, should be granted their freedom for they fought for the North (Doc C). Abraham Lincoln was trying to persuade the Whites to agree on freedom for the African Americans in the United States. African Americans were being freed everywhere instead of just the North. Politically, this helped the African Americans tremendously because they were going to be freed everywhere. One of the consequences was African Americans being freed in the North, but then African Americans were going to be freed everywhere, including the South. After the letter sent out by Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party decided to try to get an amendment that freed all African Americans. In 1864, the Republican Party’s platform stated the following: they wanted an Amendment to J. Crespo P a g e | 3 officially end slavery everywhere (Doc D). Politically, the African Americans were beginning to be seen as people throughout the nation. This consequence after the Civil War proved that African Americans were no longer going to be slaves anywhere. African Americans found their freedom with the help of the political power of Abraham Lincoln and Republican Party. Then the African Americans were socially looked at differently. The African Americans were no longer such a low class because people began to look at them differently and notice the good things about African Americans. Socially, the African Americans were being helped by the people. On July 30 1861 General Benjamin F. Butler reported to the secretary of the war stating the following: the African Americans should be free since they are a part of the North (Doc A). Socially, the North no longer presented the African Americans as property. This shaped the Civil War because the African Americans became part of the Union that fought for the North. Then after the Civil War was won and the African Americans were freed, their school system proved them socially equal and good as the whites. In March 1864, Charlotte Forten, an African American teacher in South Carolina Sea Islands, said the following: she spoke of how happy the African American children were to learn and how much knowledge they have attained (Doc E). Socially, the African Americans were no longer looked at as less smart than the Whites. The consequence of the Civil War with the African Americans socially with schools showed their equality to whites. Socially, the African Americans were no longer looked at as slaves or less knowledgeable. The African Americans, ideologically, were no longer looked as property. The African Americans were beginning to be looked at the same as the whites. The African Americans no longer were looked at as property. Ideologically, the African Americans caused a consequence of the Civil War to be looked at as people. On March 7, 1864 in The New J. Crespo P a g e | 4 York Times it stated the following: African Americans have gone through a drastic change to now be free Americans in the United States equal to the whites (Doc F). The African Americans were no longer the property they were once known of; African Americans were people just as the Whites. Ideologically, this proved that a consequence of the Civil War was the change of equality that African Americans had. After The New York Times had posted the article, Thomas Nast from Harper’s Weekly on August 5 1865 had posted the following: a picture of lady liberty standing next to an African American Union Solider asking â€Å"And Not This Man? † (Doc G). Ideologically, the picture proved that the people no longer were going to look at African Americans as property so they should be treated equal. The North wanted the South to have the same thoughts about African Americans. This set a consequence of the Civil War by having the African Americans no longer being looked at as slaves as they were when the war had begun. After the African Americans were no longer looked at as property, the African Americans made sure the Whites thought of them as people no matter what. African Americans were going to deal with racism and injustice but they made sure that the whites knew they were people also. Ideologically, the African American consequence after the Civil War was that African Americans are people, not slaves nor property. On August 20 1862 in New York during the resolution of African Americans in Newtown, African Americans stated the following: they wanted to make sure that the President knew that they were not going to leave because the United States was their country also that they were going to fight in for their freedom (Doc B). This constructed the course of the Civil War because the African Americans began fighting in the Civil War. Ideologically, African Americans were looked at as people in the nation of the United States to fight along the Whites for their freedom and country. After the Civil War, when African Americans were no longer slaves and granted their freedom, some J. Crespo P a g e | 5 whites resisted the full freedom of African Americans. In 1867 with Rebecca Parsons she went through the following: she went back to receive her kindred since she was a free slave but the owner would not allow her to because they were â€Å"his† (Doc I). Although, Parsons did not allow Rebecca her children it proved that Parsons realized she was also people because she demanded them back from him. Rebecca is no longer a slave who has to stand down, she also had rights which proved she is as equal as Parsons. Ideologically, after the Civil War this was a consequence by African Americans no longer being looked at differently because they were people also. African Americans ideologically created the course and consequence of the Civil War by being looked at as people and not slaves. African Americans shaped the course and consequences of the Civil War by ideological, social, and political reasoning. African Americans were known in the United States as slaves and property but they no longer were during and after the Civil War. They became people of equality to the whites in the United States. They no longer had no say in politics; they were given rights and opportunities to speak of their views. They no longer were viewed as property but people. Also, they weren’t the low class everyone had always labeled them as. African Americans helped the Union win the war to win themselves the freedom they deserved.

Rising Powers And Global Balance Of Power

Rising Powers And Global Balance Of Power No one can forecast the future with certainty, though immediate future can be predicted with relative correctness based on contemporary realities, tendencies and realities. The cold war has ended. The US no longer faces the constant threat of aggression from its erstwhile adversary, the former USSR. Did someone ever forecast the demise of USSR, US emerging as the sole super power or the attack on the Twin Towers? Aggression grows in unsettled or disorderly times and explodes in power vacuum. The world is dynamic and so is the notion of power. Throughout history we can see the Balance of Power Concept in action. The states of Europe held each other in balance through the first 300 years of the modern state system. The clearest example of the balance of power concept can be found in the Cold War wherein two superpowers, the US and the USSR, held world balance between them. Both states sought to deter domination by the other through arms buildup and the creation of strong systems of all iances. Today power is distributed in a pattern that resembles a complex three dimensional chess game. On the top chess board, military power is largely unipolar, on the middle, economic power is multipolar, the bottom is the realm of transnational relations that cross borders outside the government control which includes non state actors. Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the sole super power in the world. No single state acted as effective counterweight to the US. However, some shifts have been witnessed recently due to globalization, market forces and operation of non state actors without regard for national boundaries and loyalties which has made the balancing phenomenon more complicated. Therefore, some recent studies in the field of International relations advocate that power politics including balancing of power has become obsolete and the theory of balance of power has lost its relevance. This phenomenon has raised a series of questions and just a few are:- a. Has the phenomenon of balance of power lost its relevance? b. Will the world be without any state in the global lead role? c. Is the world transforming to multipolarity? d. Are traditional measures and sources of power losing their relevance in the world? e. Are effects of globalization rendering the state borders and notion of sovereignty irrelevant? f. How are non state actors including VNSAs influencing the balance of power? g. Will the geo-economics really replace geo-politics? h. Will the current powers allow the shift in balance of power without violence? Scope Past and contemporary global order. Myths and realities of rising powers and global balance of power. Rising global trends in balance of power. Pakistan 2050, challenges and opportunities. Major conclusions and Recommendations for Pakistan HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF BALANCE OF POWER 4. Prehistoric and Medieval Periods. During the Period of the Warring States in China (403-221 BC), the development of large, cohesive states accompanied the creation of irrigation systems, bureaucracies, and large armies equipped with iron weapons. These Chinese states pursued power through a constantly shifting network of alliances. In ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 BC), the rising power of Athens triggered the formation of a coalition of city-states that felt threatened by Athenian power. 5. Pre World Wars Period a. In the 17th century the Habsburg dynasty, which ruled Austria and Spain, threatened to dominate Europe. During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), a coalition that included Sweden, England, France, and The Netherlands defeated the rulers of the Habsburg Empire. b. Early in the 19th century, Napoleon repeatedly made efforts to conquer large areas of Europe. A broad coalition of European states-including Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia-defeated France in a series of major battles that climaxed with Napoleons defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. c. The classical European balance of power system emerged thereafter in an alliance known as the Concert of Europe, organized in 1815 by Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich. This loose alliance between Britain, Russia, Austria, Prussia, and France ensured that a handful of great powers would coexist, with none able to dominate the others. Under this system, and with Britain playing a balancer role, peace largely prevailed in Europe during the 19th century. It is not an accident that the doctrine of the balance of power-alike in international and in domestic politics-received its classic and most rigorous statements at a time when foreign policy was largely a matter for rulers who could use the war potential of their states for their own aggrandizement. It was because a ruler had to be able to wage effective war that he had to be allowed the armed force that contributed to his domestic control. d. British reliance on a navy rather than on a standing army was important to the growth of British liberties-and later to American liberty. In a sense, therefore, the international balance of power was needed to check the pretensions of rulers who lacked any effective domestic check. The balance of power, however, although it may act to restrain the actions of those who believe in the doctrine, is in the first instance a device to restrain others. 6. Inter and Intra World Wars Period (1914-1945) a. When World War I broke out, although all parties made some effort to maintain or protect the balance of power (which, of course, they interpreted differently), none of them could argue that governments, or princes, were behaving in the way that one would expect. German apologists had to contend that Germany was surrounded by malevolent foes and that the survival of Germany was at stake. The allies had to contend not merely that Germany was too powerful for comfort, but that German militarism threatened a European civilization that would otherwise be peaceful. The argument, in short, could not be cast in terms of the balance of power. b. In order to contain German and its allies, a formidable alliance was formed in Europe. German threat was such that USA broke away with the centuries long stand of neutrality and joined the alliance against Germany. Status quo however, was maintained in Europe. Historians will long continue to debate the causes that finally brought the United States into the war. c. Same was the case in World War II, where, a status quo was required to be maintained and German advances were to be stopped, alliance on the lines of World War I was formed. The alliance completely decapacitated German led axis powers. In both the World Wars, the entry of the United States so quickly and completely tilted the balance of power in favor of the side it joined. Had the United States been regarded as an element in the balance; the wars in the form they took would never have broken out and it is here that the world saw the introduction of WMD. 7. Cold War Period a. It was well recognized that the United States and the Soviet Union were in direct and unique competition. The appalling consequences of nuclear war introduced a new kind of stability. The so-called balance of terror or balance of deterrence ensured that each nuclear power was anxious not to give the other power any sort of signal that would justify an attack, and was also anxious not to identify such a signal. This caution was compatible with, and even required, an arms race. b. The ideological struggle reflected the knowledge of both great powers that they contended in a fast-changing world; and the Cold War began to lose intensity, not when the protagonists decided to abandon it but when world circumstances changed and new elements began to contribute to the balance. c. It became almost conventional to speak in terms of a world of four poles-the United States, the Soviet Union, Europe and Japan. d. US led West used all means and opportunities to balance Soviet military power and kept on trying to contain Soviet Union. On the other hand Soviet Union formed an alliance with the opposite block countries to counter the US. Struggle of countering each power continued till the Soviet Union finally collapsed. With the subsequent disintegration of the Soviet Union, the United States became incontrovertibly the worlds dominant power. 8. Post Cold War a. After the disintegration of Soviet Union, USA emerged as sole global power hence as per the ground realities, the entire world had to align its policies with the US. Without an apparent foe to challenge its security, the major question confronting U.S. foreign policy was what would succeed the Cold Wars bipolar balance of power. b. The issue among academics and political commentators was whether the United States should emphasize its dominant position as a unipolar global power, or seek a leading role in a tripolar or multipolar system. 9. Conclusions from Historical Perspective. In nut shell post cold war power balance is categorized by US unilateralism, Wests political, economic and social control to the extent that the situations symbolize with that of eighteenth and nineteenth centurys colonization. Striking conclusions of the post cold war power balance are as under:- a. The end of the Cold War in US and Europe and the ongoing integration of the European economies alongside attempts at greater political integration in the continent have given rise to a view that traditional concepts of security are no longer relevant. There is a powerful perception that the idea of the state and its sovereignty has been made irrelevant by processes that are taking place at both the global and local level. Concept of security has been widened to the extent that currently it includes everything under the sun. b. Concept of Balance of Power has also been changed from the known enemy threat to fear of unlimited unknowns. Interpretations of the balance has also been changed from balance among nation states to balance among civilizations and much beyond. c. Post cold war era reintroduces the phenomena of colonization with changed face of chaining the third world through economic, trade and technology transfer policies under the umbrella of IMF, world bank, various technological regimes and UN. MYTHS AND REALITIES OF RISING POWERS AND GLOBAL BALANCE OF POWER 10. Preamble: Balance of Power strategies amongst nations and regional and security alliances have been a recurrent and normal feature of global history. Power shifts when they take place generate corresponding responses in strategic jockeying by established powers to recreate new balance of power to ensure the continuance of the old established order. The present world order-characterized by an unprecedented number of democratic nations; a greater global prosperity, even with the current crisis, than the world has ever known; and a long peace among great powers-reflects American preferences, and was built and preserved by American power in all its political, economic, and military dimensions. The perception of US decline today is certainly understandable, given the dismal economic situation since 2008 and the nations large fiscal deficits, which, combined with the continuing growth of the Chinese, Indian, Brazilian, Turkish, and other economies, seem to portend a significant and irreversible shift in global economic power. Some of the pessimism is also due to the belief that the United States has lost favor, and therefore influence, in much of the world, because of its various responses to the attacks of September 11. The detainment facilities at Guantà ¡namo, the use of torture against suspected terrorists, and the widely condemned invasion of Iraq in 2003 have all tarnished the American brand and put a dent in Americas soft power-its ability to attract others to its point of view. With this broad perception of decline as the backdrop, every failure of the United States to get its way in the world tends to reinforce the impression. Powerful as this sense of decline may be, however, it deserves a more rigorous examination. Measuring changes in a nations relative power is a tricky business, but there are some basic indicators: the size and the influence of its economy relative to that of other powers; the magnitude of military power compared with that of potential adversaries; the degree of political influence it wields in the international system-all of which make up what the Chinese call comprehensive national power. Moreover, a great powers decline is the product of fundamental changes in the international distribution of various forms of power that usually occur over longer stretches of time. Great powers rarely decline suddenly. A war may bring them down, but even that is usually a symptom, and a culmination, of a longer process. After the brief overture we will now try to reconstruct the developments that are providing basis for the ongoing debates on the subject and also formulate basic definitions for the terms and phrases being used in this study. 11. Definitions Rising Power. Rising power is a national power having certain ingredients to threaten the status quo of global settings. Pedelford and Lincoln have described it as: Strength composed of economic, psychological, moral, military and political elements, successfully directed to the furtherance of national interests, co nstitute rising national power. In our opinion, this is by far the best definition of rising power in that it takes into consideration both classical and modern views regarding the sources of power and also touches on the objectives for which it is used. Rising power operates in international field in this sense. However, it should be noted that the concept of rising power is Relative, Conditional and Situational. Relativity of Rising Power. It is relative in that it has no absolute dimension. Power is rated by the effect it can bring about. State A may be powerful vis-à  -vis B but can at the same time be weaker than C. For instance, India is stronger than Brazil but at the same time weaker than China in terms of economic might. Conditional. Rising power is conditional in that it depends on variety of factors, the exact role of which is difficult to assess. States A and B may have equal resources, military strength etc yet they may differ in effective power. A strong sentiment of Nationalism, for instance, in State A may inspire popular support to government action and policies and may prepare the people for greater sacrifices. This is bound to add to As power. If any such sentiment is totally absent in State B and the nation is torn by intense internal dissentions, this may make it weaker vis-à  -vis A despite its equal or even superior resources and military preparedness. India and Brazil are cases in point. Situational. Rising power is situational in the sense that it depends on specific international situation. Despite unchanged condition of resources and military might of both, the power equation between States A and B may change because of changed international situation. B may at once become powerful vis-à  -vis A because of some favourable turn in the international situation. Development of friendly relations between America and India and the formation of an unwritten alliance between US, India and Israel has affected China and Pakistan equation with her neighbours. 12. Shift in Global Balance of Power A Myth or Reality The global shift of power to Asia and the global strategic dominance of the United States has been the subject of discussion since many years. Main theme of the debates and discussion is that whether United States power is in absolute decline or relative decline. Either way, with the global shift of power to Asia what would inevitably follow is that the global balance of power would also be acquiring newer contours. The shape of the global order is largely a function of the prevailing balance of power. As discussed earlier, since 1945, this global order has been dominated by the United States, a question arises that will the relative U.S. decline and the rise of the rest lead to the decaying of this established order? The international system is both complex and contradictory at the same time. The world being dynamic, predictions and forecasts tend to be subjective than objective. Nobody predicted at least not out loud- the fall of the Berlin Wall, Japans loss of influence, the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, the upsurge in Islamic fundamentalism, Arab Spring and the meteoric rise of the oil prices. Without wishing to predict the future, and instead taking the current situation as a starting point, the international system is characterized by three general tendencies. a. A new international order which is both uni and multi-polar at the same time. b. The rise of Asia (China) which will come to dominate the 21st century in the economic dimensions of world order. c. The (re)enforcing of the religion. 13. New Uni and Multi-Polar International Order a. Moving Towards Geo-Economics. During the Cold War, international system was differentiated by the ideological confrontation between two superpowers. In the early stage of the post Cold War, the tripartite world dominated by Europe, the USA and Japan characterized the environment. The current constellation of global forces and alliances is much less clear than it was in the two previous stages. In this third stage, a world order which is multi-polar and uni-polar at the same time is taking shape. It amounts to an a la carte menu which makes room for both old and new powers as well as old and new alliances. The world is uni-polar in the military and political spheres on account of the clear domination of USA, and multi-polar in all other facets of international relations. The upcoming world economies of the BRICS-countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South-Africa) up to now seem to follow an approach of pursuing geo-economics while avoiding to reopen the existing conflicts, at least for the time being. China is following a comprehensive approach towards national power. India is also pursuing geo economics while simultaneously modernizing its military might for a more dominant and perceived global role. Other countries and alliances/blocks also follow to varying extent different models to modernize their economies. Sanjaya Baru puts it: Indias economic opening up in 1991 created the basis for Indias re-integration with not just the global economy but also its own wider Asian neighborhood. That was the geopolitical and strategic consequence of Indias improved economic performance and greater openness since 1991. Indias Look East and Look West policies were logical consequences of her re-integration into the global economy. The geo-economic and geopolitical consequences of the reforms of 1991 were not an accident. They were well understood at the time based on an analysis of what had happened to the closed Soviet and Soviet-style economies in the 1970s and especially 1980s, and the open economies of east Asia, including Dengist China.  [1]   b. Contemporary Political Order-Future Trajectories. No phenomenon dominates the current global political landscape more than the USA being the sole Super Power. The US is currently the only country that has the military might that influences global affairs and deploys military power across the globe. However, there are other power centers such as China, EU and Russia. NATO also figures out at this power calculus. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Republic in 1990, the erstwhile Cold War ensured a balance of power which greatly stabilized the global political landscape. In contrast however, the current uni-polarism has presented attendant consequences for the world. This has been seen in unprecedented anti US sentiment around the globe. Conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the US- Iran debacle therefore reflect a current global political system which is becoming increasingly unstable partly due to US unilateralism. 14. The New Hierarchy of International States Although there are many other players in the globalised world multinational companies, the churches, and social movements amongst them nation states continue to determine the pecking order of international power. The European Union (EU) is no exception to this. Its principle springboard into the international arena is economic, both diplomatic and military spheres remaining the prerogative of member states. Its failure to present itself to the world as a body which acts and speaks with one voice, means that the European model of using integration as an instrument for international influence has not succeeded in establishing itself as an alternative to the nation state. When considering the international state hierarchy, various terms continue to co-exist which have not been clearly defined: (1) superpower (USA), (2) global power or great global power (China, India, Russia), (3) emerging powers (Brazil, Russia, India, China, BRIC), (4) medium sized powers (Brazil, Canada, South Africa and others), (5) regional power (several), (6) smaller powers (Luxemburg or Haiti, for example). a. Superpower and Global/ great power. When considering the international state hierarchy, various terms continue to co-exist which have not been clearly defined. To belong to the category of Super Power like USA or global/ great power like China, India and Russia. Besides quantifiable statistics, two components which are more difficult to evaluate are prerequisites: first of all, an efficient diplomacy and foreign policy capable of projecting power and, secondly, the perception and/or recognition of that status of power by third party countries. In line with these criteria, the following quantifiable data allow us to single out a number of influential countries by size, economic weight, growth, military capacity or their contribution to the international system. Apart from these criteria, there are other factors which allow us to reassess certain countries in the international hierarchy: above all, the demand for energy, which justifies the international importance of Iran, Iraq and even Russia in the international system. To a large extent, oil also explains Middle Eastern countries strategic position in international politics. After all, a third of all black gold is produced in Arab states. Another criteria is a countrys technological level, something which explains, amongst other things, Chinas economic success (electronics industry) and also Indias (software). Another more recent element is the use of religion as a political instrument, justifying the international relevance which countries like Israel, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan have acquired in recent years. b. Emerging Powers, Medium Size/Regional and Smaller Powers. In terms of quantifiable data, China tops the list along with India and Brazil, in the hierarchy of international power. Other countries (like Mexico, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia or South Africa) are on the waiting list or in the second row. Amongst these, it is worth distinguishing between soft powers and hard powers, depending on the resources, military, economic, diplomatic or cultural. In line with this, apart from the so-called BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) whose basis is economic, other emerging powers with global influence can be identified: in terms of hard, or military power, Pakistan (nuclear power) and Iran (potential nuclear power), in terms of economic weight, Mexico and South Africa and, for reasons of population, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria also feature. 15. Emerging Blocks. It is commonly perceived that some emerging blocks and regional alliances like SCO, ASEAN and BRICS respectively will gradually transform the existing power balance in the future. a. Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO. SCO was originally founded to counter terrorism and separatism on its member states territory. The security interests of the organization are now increasingly complemented by economic and trade issues. The bloc is expected to counter US influence in areas including Chinese neighborhood and Russias near abroad. b. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). An acronym for the economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa combined. The general consensus is that the term was first prominently used in a Goldman Sachs report from 2003, which speculated that by 2050 these five economies would be wealthier than most of the current major economic powers. The BRICS thesis posits that China and India will become the worlds dominant suppliers of manufactured goods and services, respectively, while Brazil and Russia will become similarly dominant as suppliers of raw materials. It is important to note that the Goldman Sachs thesis isnt that these countries are a political alliance (like the European Union) or a formal trading association but they have the potential to form a powerful economic bloc. BRICS is now also used as a more generic marketing term to refer to these four emerging economies. 16. Regionalism. The study of regions, regionalism, regionalization, regional governance, regional integration, regional cooperation and other proximate terms have burgeoned since the 1990s, along with the real world emergence of the so called new regionalism in that period. Major regional forums include the European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Organization of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to count few of them. Regionalism appears to be growing rapidly. Regionalism in fact is a byproduct of globalization, yet, it offers a collective response to the coercive dimensions of globalization. Therefore, the political unanimity of thought against countries of a particular regional organization such as ASEAN, would not be easy to muster when seen in the backdrop of such coercion if applied against a country which is not part of any such regional dispensation. The core regions are politically stable and economic ally dynamic. They organize for the sake of being better able to control the rest of the world, the world outside their own region. The intermediate regions are closely linked to the core regions. They will be incorporated as soon as they conform to the criterion of core-ness, that is, economic development and political stability. The peripheral regions, in contrast, are politically turbulent and economically stagnant. Consequently they must organize in order to arrest a process of marginalization. Their regional arrangements are at the same time fragile and ineffective. Their overall situation makes security regionalism and developmental regionalism more important than the creation of free trade regimes. They are necessarily more introverted. The core regions are those regions which are politically capable, no matter whether such capability is expressed in the form of a political organization or not. So far only one of the three core regions, namely Europe, aspires to build such an organization. The other two, that is North America and East Asia, are both economically strong, but so far they lack a regional political order. Structurally close to core are the intermediate regions, all in preparation for being incorporated in the core, the speed depending on their good, core-like, behaviour. They are:- a. Central Europe, obediently waiting first in line for membership in the European Union. b. Latin America and the Caribbean, in the process of becoming North Americanized. c. China, South-East Asia and the European Pacific, or Oceania (Australia, New Zealand), all now being drawn by Chinese and Japanese capital into the East Asia economic space. 17. Remaining in the periphery are thus the following five regions:- a. The post-Soviet area, the major parts of it now in the process of being reintegrated in the form of Commonwealth of Independent States (perhaps laying the ground for a future core region). b. The Balkans, where the countries have lost whatever little tradition of cooperation they once might have been involved in. c. The Middle East, a region defined from outside and with a most unsettled regional structure. d. South Asia, with a very low level of regionness, because of the cold war (sometimes getting hot) between the two major powers, India and Pakistan. e. Finally, Africa, where in many countries the political structures called states are falling apart. 19. Major indicators. By 2025, According to an International Futures model measuring GDP, defense spending, population, and technology for individual states, the relative political and economic clout of many countries will shift. The United States however, will find itself in the position of being one of a number of important actors on the world stage, albeit still the most powerful one. The relationship between achievements in science and technology and economic growth will be one of the leading factors of the US power. As per National Innovation System (NIS) contracted global survey of scientific experts, the United States currently boasts a stronger innovation system than the developing economies. Main indicators and determents of the major powers in 2025 Country Population GDP Economy Military Spending USA China 6.8 India 6.2 Russia Graphically the data could be depicted as International Organizations, 2020-2025 (%/year) 21. Analysis. Five very different countries: China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa are emerging. The shape of the global order is largely a function of the prevailing global power balance. Nevertheless, there are three conditions that could lead to the end of this liberal international order. a. Though it is possible that another hegemon would rise at some point, this is unlikely to happen at least in the next two decades. We have had two dramatic transitions in the global system in the last century, but both happened as a consequence of the collapse of major powers. The end of the Second World War saw the demise of not just Germany and Japan but many European great powers, leaving a bipolar order dominated by the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 converted that bipolar system into a unipolar one. While there are plenty of predictions of other great powers rising, there are none that suggest the U.S. will collapse. And short of that, what we are likely to witness are gradual rather than dramatic changes in the balance of power, and these will take a lot longer than two decades. Hence, the possibility of a new global order framed by another global hegemon is not very likely in the immediate future. b. The second possibility, more probable than the first, is the rise of several new powers such as China, Russia, Brazil, India, South Korea who are growing strong enough to share the stage with proportional strength with the U.S., even if they do not necessarily match the U.S. Such a multipolar order could gradually erode the current international liberal order. But this will not be because these powers do not share the norms of the curre

Deep Sea Vents: Origin of Life Theory

Deep Sea Vents: Origin of Life Theory Assess one hypothesis of the origin of life:  Life may have emerged from deep sea vents Introduction Fossil evidence confirms that life on Earth existed at least 3.5 billion years ago (Orgel 1998). This rapid appearance of life is considered to be a remarkable event after the late heavy bombardment 100 million years before, which had the potential to destroy any possible habitats suited to living organisms (Abramov Mojzsis 2009). All life today can be phylogenetically linked to a last universal common ancestor (LUCA) whose closest known relatives are present day hyperthermophiles (Abramov Mojzsis 2009, Glansdorff Labedan 2008). This suggests that the earliest form of life on Earth may have originated from a single cell which emerged spontaneously in a high temperature environment. It is assumed that the development of the first living protocell occurred through a stepwise accumulation of necessary components (Mirazo et al. 2014). Experiments have shown that the simple prebiotic molecules required can be made under various conditions independent of a biological system (Orgel 1998, Mirazo et al. 2014) and it is often hypothesised that these reactions could have occurred near hydrothermal vents (Huber Wachtershauser 2006, Dai 2012, Budin et al. 2009). The ways in which these prebiotic molecules assembled into a self-sustaining cell have not yet been elucidated. This has led to some ambiguity regarding which prebiotic materials and chemical processes are required for the initiation of life (Mirazo et al. 2014). Assessing the ways in which life may have originated could provide insight into the possible locations of extraterrestrial life in our solar system (Spiegel Turner 2011). While current research aims to identify a single origin of life, it is important to observe multiple possibilities to ensure continued progress. Defining life – the cell To determine the point at which life first emerged, it is important to identify the features which separate living biological entities from non-living chemical building blocks. This paper will therefore conform to the assumptions that the universal unit of life is the cell (Palmer 2013) and that all living organisms are autonomous and self-replicating (Bich Damiano 2012). With these definitions in mind, it can be seen that all life on Earth shares three major cellular properties: a genetic code for information storage and replication, metabolism for the acquisition of energy and nutrients, as well as selectively permeable membranes that separate them from the surrounding environment (Mirazo et al. 2014). These components are made up of complex organic molecules that are commonly synthesised from within the cell itself. Life today uses nucleic acids for their genetic code, amino acids make up metabolic proteins and lipids form cell membranes (Mirazo et al. 2014). If we assume that th e first living cell from which all life ascended also consisted of these types of molecules, we must consider how they formed independently under early Earth conditions. Starting materials and chemical evolution Similar to how multicellular organisms emerged through increasing complexity and natural selection from the environment, the building blocks for life are thought to have developed through a process of chemical evolution. The Miller-Urey experiment in 1953 showed that amino acids can be formed quite readily from simple materials such as hydrogen, methane and ammonia when subject to an electric charge (Orgel 1998, Mirazo et al. 2014). While is it commonly suggested that the strongly reducing conditions used in the experiment may not have been analogous to the true early Earth conditions, it was the first of its kind to prove that complex organic molecules can be made without the help of a living system (Mirazo et al. 2014). Many experiments since then have shown similar abilities of simple molecules to reach prebiotic complexity under a variety of different conditions (Keller et al. 2014, Longo et al. 2012, Novikov Copley 2013). Research in 2006 showed the possibility of producing ÃŽ ±-hydroxy and ÃŽ ±-amino acids from simple molecules under high pressure and temperature with nickel and iron catalysis (Huber Wachtershauser 2006). These conditions and reactants were likely to be present in concentration and temperature gradients at volcanoes or hydrothermal vents in the early acidic ocean (Huber Wachtershauser 2006). Later simulation experiments have also shown that polynucleotides have the potential to be produced near alkaline deep sea vents and that protocell-like vesicles can form in thermal diffusion columns (Dai 2012, Budin et al. 2009). The typical materials used in these experiments are likely to have been present on Earth before the emergence of life and are listed by Mirazo, Briones and Escosura (2014): The main starting materials in prebiotic chemistry are one-, two-, and three-carbon atom molecules, such as hydrogen cyanide, cyanate, cyanogen, formaldehyde, formamide, formic acid, ammonium formate, ammonium cyanide, urea, acetaldehyde, cyanoacetylene, and cyanoacetaldehyde (p. 289). These molecules can be produced from gaseous mixtures of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen, ammonia and water through UV radiation, shock waves or spark discharge (Mirazo et al. 2014). Given appropriate conditions, the resulting materials can then combine further through redox, photochemical or hydrolytic reactions (Mirazo et al. 2014). The origins of prebiotic monomers are often debated (Orgel 1998, Mirazo et al. 2014). It is proposed that the required quantities of starting materials were not being produced in the vast oceans of the early Earth. It is therefore speculated that they were unable to achieve sufficient concentrations for further synthesis (Mirazo et al. 2014). An alternative source of starting materials to their formation on the early Earth is their possible delivery from space during the late heavy bombardment (Mirazo et al. 2014, Orgel 1998). Meteorite analyses show that they can contain a wide variety of organic materials, including those which are used by living organisms (see table 1). The amount of organic matter deposited during this period is estimated to be two to four orders of magnitude higher than the current mass of the biosphere. It is therefore possible that a significant portion of the staring materials on Earth were of extraterrestrial origin (Mirazo et al. 2014, Orgel 1998). This als o suggests that organic synthesis is a universal process (Longo et al. 2012). Source: Mirazo, Briones and Escosura 2014 p. 289. Genes, metabolism and membranes The origin of more complex prebiotic structures such as membranes, polypeptides and genes are significantly less distinct. The agreement that living organisms require the ability to replicate imposes that the first form of life probably emerged from an RNA world (Vasas et al. 2009). However, the abiotic production of RNA has been shown to be remarkably difficult. While a metabolism first model addresses this issue (Novikov Copley 2013), it is uncertain if the process adheres to the definition of life (Vasas et al. 2009). Huber and Wà ¤chtershà ¤user (2006) theorise that life emerged stepwise from a â€Å"pioneer metabolism† to a fully functioning organism. Whereas Budin et al. (2009) suggest that the spontaneous formation of amphiphilic membranes in rock microchannels of deep sea vents may have provided suitable housings for the initial polymerisation of nucleotides. An all-encompassing view is held by Mirazo, Briones and Escosura (2014), stating that: When these various difficulties are considered, it is unlikely that scientists will ever know which exact synthetic itinerary led to the first forms of life. A nonhistorical point of view might be more fruitful, the target of research turning to be the general physicochemical processes that could trigger the transition from a nonliving chemical system into a protoliving one and, finally, into a living organism (p. 287). Nonetheless, there is a significant absence of evidence suggesting that any collection of chemical processes will lead to a living entity (Spiegel Turner 2012). To reject the discrete steps that may have led to the emergence of a cell could limit our understanding of how life is formed. Why hydrothermal vents? Hydrothermal vents currently support dense and diverse communities of organisms, indicating that their wide-ranging chemical and physical gradients have a remarkable capacity for supporting life (Novikov Copley 2013) (see figure 1). Their internal and nearby structures have the potential to provide microenvironments for concentrating organic materials and catalytic minerals. They can provide both high and low temperatures which can assist in the production of high activation energy and low thermal stability materials, respectively (Novikov Copley 2013). Hyperthermophilic microorganisms have been reported to exist in temperatures between 80 °C and 100 °C and many species are the closest living relatives to the last universal common ancestor (Glansdorff Labedan 2008). It is speculated that the thermotolerance of the early descendants of LUCA was an adaptive deviation from the original protocell (Glansdorff Labedan 2008). Nonetheless, evidence suggests that LUCA was moderate the rmophilic (40 °C to 80 °C) to mesophilic (20 °C to 45 °C), possibly signifying a broad preferred temperature range (Glansdorff Labedan 2008). If life originally emerged from a hydrothermal environment, it can be expected that it would require a potential for adaptability to survive in such varying conditions. Figure 1. Diagram of the chemical and physical interactions that occur in and around hydrothermal vents. A wide variety of temperatures and chemical products exist in the vicinity of a deep sea vent. Source: Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 2013. Issues and important considerations As previously mentioned, there is currently no experimental evidence of a transition from prebiotic organic material to a fully replicating autonomous system. It is therefore possible that the conditions applied in simulation experiments still do not replicate those of the early Earth. The first life on Earth may have been introduced from elsewhere during the late heavy bombardment (Abramov Mojzsis 2009) and may therefore have been in conditions that are completely unlike those considered in the literature. Additionally, the earliest organisms may have been incomparable to the life that exists today. Alternatively, the models which are applied to define life may be inhibitory to our understanding of its origin. Vlaardingerbroek (2012) suggests that the separation between biological and chemical evolution and a specific origin of life is problematic, advising instead to observe the emergence of life as a gradual and detailed process absent of a single impartial event. Conclusions and future possibilities Although the theory of life emerging from hydrothermal vents is convincing, we should maintain a broad perspective on the possibilities of the origin of life until more information is acquired. Many of the current hypotheses are plausible – the abiotic production of building blocks has been proven in a multitude of different instances. However, evidence that can confirm the possibility of making a cell abiotically from these building blocks is needed to reinforce this idea. If abiogenesis is found to be common and rapid given appropriate conditions, it is likely that it is occurring on many other locations in space (Spiegel Turner 2011). Such possibilities would lead to a plethora of exciting research opportunities into the discovery of extraterrestrial life. References Abramov, O., Mojzsis, S. J. (2009) Microbial habitability of the Hadean Earth during the late heavy bombardment, Nature, 459(7245): 419–422. Bich, L., Damiano, L. (2012) Life, Autonomy and Cognition: An Organizational Approach to the Definition of the Universal Properties of Life, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, 42(5): 389–397. Budin, I., Bruckner, R. J., Szostak, J. W. (2009) Formation of Protocell-like Vesicles in a Thermal Diffusion Column, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 131(28): 9628–9629. Dai, J. (2012) Novel molecular fossils of bacteria: Insights into hydrothermal origin of life, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 310: 249–256. Glansdorff, N., Xu, Y., Labedan, B. (2008) The Last Universal Common Ancestor: emergence, constitution and genetic legacy of an elusive forerunner, Biology Direct, 3(1): 29. Huber, C., Wachtershauser, G. (2006) ÃŽ ±-Hydroxy and ÃŽ ±-Amino Acids Under Possible Hadean, Volcanic Origin-of-Life Conditions, Science, 314(5799): 630–632. Keller, M. A., Turchyn, A. V., Ralser, M. (2014) Non-enzymatic glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway-like reactions in a plausible Archean ocean, Molecular Systems Biology, 10(725): 1–12. Lal, A. K. (2008) Origin of Life, Astrophysics and Space Science, 317(3-4): 267–278. Longo, L. M., Lee, J., Blaber, M. (2013) Simplified protein design biased for prebiotic amino acids yields a foldable, halophilic protein, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(6): 2135–2139. Novikov, Y., Copley, S. D. (2013) Reactivity landscape of pyruvate under simulated hydrothermal vent conditions, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(33): 13283–13288. Orgel, L. E. (1998) The origin of life – a review of facts and speculations, Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 4(98): 491–495. Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (2013) Vent Fluid Chemistry. Retrieved from http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/eoi/chemistry/fluid.html Palmer, B. S. (2012) A review on the spontaneous formation of the building blocks of life and the generation of a set of hypotheses governing universal abiogenesis, International Journal of Astrobiology, 12(01): 39–44. Ruiz-Mirazo, K., Briones, C., de la Escosura, A. (2014) Prebiotic Systems Chemistry: New Perspectives for the Origins of Life, Chemical Reviews, 114(1): 285–366. Spiegel, D. S., Turner, E. L. (2011) Bayesian analysis of the astrobiological implications of life’s early emergence on Earth, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(2): 395–400. Vasas, V., Szathmary, E., Santos, M. (2010) Lack of evolvability in self-sustaining autocatalytic networks constraints metabolism-first scenarios for the origin of life, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(4): 1470–1475. Vlaardingerbroek, B. (2012) The Sorites Paradox, ‘Life,’ and Abiogenesis, Evolution: Education and Outreach, 5(3): 399–401. Barco NV Analysis: SWOT, Position and Product Life Cycle Barco NV Analysis: SWOT, Position and Product Life Cycle Barco NV is one of the top three global manufacturer, focused on expensive, high-quality products in a niche market. It focuses on the graphic projector, projector market has the greatest growth and income. Barcos market share of 4%, a video projector, 23% and 55% of the data projector graphics projector. Barcos main competitors, Sony, Electrohome and NEC. In my opinion, scrap the BD700 and star new high-end projector is the smarter choice. His strongest competitor, Sony develops a new product 1270 super data projector and trade show in the Boston. It is a high-performance graphics applications and low price. From the Table A Product Segment Growth, 1988, we can find that Graphics predicted annual growth, 1989-1994 were 40.2% from 1988 4% units. Data only grows 12.3% from 1988 33% units. Its mean graphics market growth is more than Datas market growth. The BD700 is BarcoData700. Datas market is growing slowly. That means new product BD700 is fail product and fail in the market. Thats why I agree scrap the BD700. I will show more analyze in my product life cycle. And BG400 (BarcoGraphics400) is old model. If 1270 go in the market, BG400 will be kick-off from the market, because BG400 is the high price and low benefit product when 1270 come in. To star new high-end projector it is the smarter choice. Barco can develop new-product like as BG800 or upgrading BG700. In the Niche marketing, Barco need to keep pursuing top of the line in the high-end niche market and declining the prices, and Barco can win back the competitive edgy. Mission Statement High quality, high technology, popular, and five stars customers service, are all in ours product. Three levels of product Projector is popular in the world, especially graphics projector. Projector is used in the class by the professors and very important in multimedia instruction. Thats the core customer value. Its customers needs. And in these customers, when they chose the projectors they are care about the brand name, features, quality level, packaging, and design, its customers wants, these are actual product. And most customers are actually care about the band name, features, quality level, packaging, and design, and these are actual product. The features are the points Barcos new high-end projectors positioning, and also it is customer wants. In the Actual product, I will focus on the features, Barcos BG800 projector is new scanning frequency and new tubes than the 1270 the BG800 with at least 90kHz of scanning frequency and new tubes (p 249). Barco is famous brand name in the worldwide. Sony, it is not a profession projector brand. Customers will choose the professional brand-Barco. However, in the augmented product, customers want a good after-sale service and product support. In that part, Sony has good after-sale service and product support. That also is a good point for Barcos customer future cost, and collect customers information for the new-products. Also, it will become the point that customers care about when they chose the company. Barco need to improve that part, because thats customer wants. And its customer future cost, and researcher can collect customer information and wants from the new-products in the test marketing. Barco and Sonys strengths and weaknesses. First, Barcos products have a better scan speed is higher than the Sony. Barco dealer for 20% of the box distributors and 80% of the dealers and the dealer of Sony were 50%, tank dealers, and 50% of the system dealer. And we clearly can see customer needs and wants of three levels of product. Positioning is important part of customer wants. Positioning New high-end products are very important for Barco, its positioning on the high-performance graphics applications and middle high price like as BG800. Because Barcos strong competitor, Sonys 1270 is high-performance graphics applications and low price. Keeping high technology, appropriate price cut, and doing market research are the good way for the new-products. The BG800 in type of consumer product is classified the shopping products. Customer would like to compare these product, features, design, brand name, quality level, and packaging. The BG800 is the one Barco develop and position for the high-end products. Product life cycle In the product life cycle, BD700 are almost developed. But BD700 is the fail product like what I said in the beginning. But Barco already paid for the BD700 development fee and that was the sink cost. And Barco cannot take this money back. In the product life cycle, if BD700 is the right product, it can run like the curve, keeping to spent money for introduction. But the problem is BD700 is the fail product, its wrong product. In the development, its the sink cost. Sony is in the product development area, and they can stop and decline the loss, but Barco. Right now Sonys product 1270 is passed the product development area and they will keep to following the product life cycle curve, introduction, growth, maturity, and Decline. The profits will between the end of introduction and the end of decline. Barco can start to develop BG800 and also follow the curve, because BG800 is the right product right now. Possible Value Propositions From the upper, we can find that BG400 is in the more prices and more benefits area. But when 1270 are come in the market. BG400 will go down to the more prices and less benefits. And the 1270 will go to the less prices and more benefits area. Its very bad for BG400. Because no one want to buy a expensive and less benefits product. Barco will lose that market. From the positioning, BG800 will go in to the more prices and more benefits area. Thats good to fight with 1270 in the market. Customers really need the less prices and more benefits product, but some customers want more of the product, like they want and compare different brand name, features, and after-sale service. So they will choose BG800. The New-Product Development Process In the idea generation, Barco has many ideas. I will talk about three ideas from Barco; finish the BD700, scrap the BD700 and start new high-end projector, and improve BD700. In the idea screening, I suggest Barco scrap the BD700 and start new high-end projector. If that idea is passed, Barco will continue the next part-concept development and testing. BG800 is show up in the concept development and testing of the new-product development process. And then, Barco can do the marketing strategy development and business analysis. In the marketing strategy development, Barco can follow the Niche market to find what they fit. Following the Niche marketing, Barco can position the BG800 to the high-performance graphics applications and middle high price. So their marketing strategy will fit at high-performance and high price or middle high price. In the Business analysis, Barco need to do more market research and collect more information from the customers, price, needs, and wants. The third step will go in to the product development like as the graph of product life cycle, beginning the product development and products introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The test marketing is beginning on the products growth. That means in the test marketing, it is beginning on the products growth and test the new product whether or not fit in the market growth and market share. And the last part, it will star the commercialization. SWOT Analyzing the Barcos superiority from the case, its show that Barco has two big markets: the United States and Western Europe. From the Table B Geographic Segment Growth, Barco has 50% units in the United States and 36% units in the Western Europe 1988 and the predicted annual growth of each are 9% and 11.5% from 1989 to 1994. And the weakness part is the relationship with dealer. Barco hasnt the system dealer who know-how of integrate and install equipment packages. From the Table D BPSs Pricing Index, BPS has 41% direct cost and 59% gross margin, and this is the high margin. Existing dealers liked to sell BPSs products. But BPSs product is complexity. In 1989, few dealers could survive without the Sony volume; an estimated 80% to 90% of professional audiovisual dealers worldwide Sony products because of reliability and low price among dealers (p. 244). Sony has a lot of dealers and good for his product selling. The opportunity of Barcos products are high technology and famous brand in the worldwide of projectors. Barco can develop high-end product BG800 or upgrading BG700. The threat is Barco need to scrap BD700 production. It means they lose a lot of money and need more time for the new high-end product development. And they will lose a lot of market share from their competitors. If the BG800 are not fit in the market, Barco will lose and never come back. Line stretching and Line filling Barco need to fill in the gap of Sony. Keeping the high quality and dropping the price, its the good way to fill the line of product line decisions. Right now Barco is in the high quality and high prices. And Sony is in the low prices and low quality. Sony keeps the low price and develops high quality product, 1270. If Barco develops BD700, the low price and low quality, will lose the market. If Barco scarp the BD700 and develops the high-end product BG800, it would be keep their high quality. Barco havent low price product, so he has no line filling. Barco have high price and high quality product. Barco will have line filling when he drop the price and keep high quality. Finding the gap of Sony is the good way to win the battle. Summary Surviving in the competitive market is not easy. To scrap BD700 and start a new high-end product, BG800, is the smarter choice. From the analysis, Barco need to find their new product whether or not fit in the market. Finding the customers needs and wants, its very important. Barco need to redefine its target market from collecting customers feedback and competitors strategic. To position new-product, its still important for Barcos line filling. Positioning also use to the Possible Value Propositions, to find where the area is and where is the competitors. Understanding the product life cycle is good for losing money and scraping the fail products. The right product will follow the product life cycle curves. Understanding the SWOT, Barco has two big markets: the United States and Western Europe. the weakness part is the relationship with dealer. The opportunity of Barcos products are high technology and famous brand in the worldwide of projectors. Barco can develop high-end product B G800 or upgrading BG700. The threat is Barco need to scrap BD700 production. In the line stretching and line filling part, Barco need to find his line, high prices and high quality, dropping the prices and keeping high quality are go way to filling the line of product line decisions.