Fat Tax brings Fat Benefits Essay Example for Free

Fat Tax brings Fat Benefits Essay Junk food. Do any of us know the meaning of the term? Do the consequences of developing lethal diseases not concern us? Apparently, todays society is well aware of what it is, (food with a low nutrition value and is usually processed or ready-prepared (Junk Food)) and what it can do, yet they prefer not to have truth repeatedly slapped in their face by the media. The way I see it, thats exactly what these individuals are asking for. They say diets are productive, but its based off of self-encouragement which can only take you so far. According to an article composed by William Dietz, Obesity is a matter of personal responsibility. Poor dietary decisions cost individuals the expansion of their waist lines. What many do not realize is that as they continue to visit fast food restaurants for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they develop an addiction. Sooner or later, they find themselves wrapped around junk foods salty fingers and havent bothered to notice that they no longer can see their toes standing upright. Higher taxes should be imposed on processed goods because it could lower death rates and medical bills that tie into obesity, encourage the consumption of healthy products, and educate Americans about adapting correct eating habits. Americans today are consuming 20% more calories than they did in the early 1980s, (Would Imposing par. 3). Also, during that time period, only one third of Americans populace were identified as obese which is equivalent to 13%. However, over the past 25 years, America has exceeded to about 60% of the population being fat (Oliver par. 8). Due to the continuous establishments of fast food restaurants, Americans have noticed that their waist lines have expanded substantially. Hundreds of years ago, McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Wendys, and Burger King were non-existant. With McDonalds Big Mac meal containing approximately 1,300 calories, its no wonder America has been suffering an obesity epidemic. Its because of these successful  companies that we have to pay for the over flowing stacks of health expenses theyve created for us. Comparing Americans then with Americans now, you could literally see the difference without the need of any statistical information from surveys, documents, and whatnot. One of the many reasons why the government is taking this fat tax into consideration is due to the overwhelming figures of premature deaths and medical bills occuring across the nation. According to studies, officials are hoping that taxation on junk food could avert 2,600 deaths, 9,600 heart attacks, 240,000 new cases of diabetes every year, (Chan par. 2). Thats not the end of it. These numbers are ascending as I we carry on with our normal daily lives. For all I know, 2013s statistics for premature deaths due to obesity could escalate to 3,500! Almost every year, Americas government is burdened by the stunning $117 million in debt they have to pay because of people becoming diagnosed with multiple heart diseases thanks to the consumption of fast food. With that being said, the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) informed the public that too much of todays society relies on the cheap and convenient take outs our restaurants provide us. They encounter at least 400,000 individuals with health problems, charging them almost $100 million a year (Lewis par. 4). For this reason, it is why unhealthy grubs are purchased regularly. If people were to choose between a $2 cheeseburger and a $10 salad wrap, what are the chances of them picking the $10 salad wrap? Thats what I thought. Its disappointing knowing that profits made from fast foods are used to assist our nations debt. Why cant the money derive from potent nourishments? Why do we allow the selling of unsalutary meals, knowing we are feeding them death munchies? In Addition, America has judgement skills that are completely frail and incompetent. Here we are placing exorbitant prices on healthy products when it should be the life-threatening comestibles that should be prohibited. A hand full of officials in the country have required several fast food restaurants to display calorie-count labels to drive individuals taste buds from convenience food. But even that wont prevent obesity (Mozes par. 7). Nevertheless, even a simple a simple label couldnt stop the hungry beasts of America from  gobbling down chunks of blubber. Due to these astonishing numbers, Americans are looking towards taxing junk food similarly to sin taxes. Its a tax on harmful items (such as alcohol, tobacco, etc.) that could reduce its consumption. Officials have been pushing for states to insitute a fat tax and consider it as a sin tax. According to several smokers in New York, they discovered that paying a total of $14.50 for one pack of cigarette wasnt worth their money. Some of them knew that complaining wouldnt get them anywhere, so they eventually ditched the dependency (Sutherland par. 2). With the assistance of this sin tax, smoking rates dropped by 12%, (Would Imposingpar. 3). This specifically proves to opponents that bomming junk food tariffs can depreciate premature death percentages and medical expenses as well. Obviously, pricey items attract less customers nowadays; so the higher the taxes, the lower the consumption. Plus, our government could distribute these taxes to health services and programs that illustrate the essence of corpulence. Also, whether the populace continues to ignore the governments warning through tariffs, either way the tariff generated $30 million in new revenue, tax records show. Basically if fast food customers wish to pursue their daily routine visiting McDonalds, itll still bring the economy extra dough to support the country. Even if our main focus is to sever societys tongue from higher cholestrol levels, we can only succor those who wish for assistance. Moreover, authorizing taxes on fast foods could subsidize the nutritional products that actually supply our physiques with the appropriate energy it naturally pines for. Knowing that the poorest in the country rely on cheap junk food, (Lewis par. 5), automatically discloses that this necessitates more natural resources. However, in America its vise-versa. The more nutrition an item contains, the more you have to pay. With higher taxes on junk food, there would be no need for the federal to tax our fruits and vegetables. Society will eventually quit their whining and chase cheaper alternatives. Representatives throughout the country have calculated that an 18% tax  on junk food would result in a 56-calorie decline in total daily intakealong with significant reductions in the risks of most obesity-related chronic diseases, (Fiore par. 12). Doctors have stressed that the recommended calorie consumed should be in the range of 2,000 calories. By the looks of it, Americans today are exceeding these limits. And they wonder why they are experiencing strokes, heart attacks, and becoming diagnosed with diabetes. Lastly, more health education could influence the populations mindset about the need to eat sugary items. Media has played a huge role in advertising greasy items. Instead, we could use this strategy to discourage our customers from purchasing fast foods, stressing our concerns of obesity. Our targets would be the same audience that was exposed to fattening commercials. Raising awareness within our communities, and then our country is what the U.S. lacks today. It has been said that You are what you eat, but are any of us aware of exactly what we are putting in our mouths? They may display what supplies make that particular meal, but do they show how much butter they use to cook steaks? Apparently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says hamburgers have been growing from 1 ounce in 1957 to 6 ounces in 1997, (Oliver par. 11). If 1997 was sixteen years ago, just imagine how hefty burgers are today? Notifying our customers about junk food should be our leaders priority. It would be irresponsible not to try everything we can to save livesPeople are dying everyday due to sugary products, (Bloomberg qtd. in Heaton par. 5). I couldnt agree more with Mayor Bloomberg of New York. He is probably the only official that wants to institute a fat tax to give back to the people he represents. Americans are self-centered, and their main focus is money. No one cares if theyre putting ones life in jeoparady by creating harmful grubs. If one was to take a stand against these fast food companies, itll have to start with our leaders. On the other hand, controversies have made society equivocal about the implementation of taxation on packaged foods. As expected, citizens of America claim that the government is becoming too controling, and their freedom of choice is being stripped from them. While our officials  intensions are to perpetuate the corpulence widespread, others feel provoked because they believe the government is trying to dictate their intellect (Lewis par. 3). Our leaders stress that taking care of the well-being of our internal organs should be our priority. However, the public refuses admit to the valuable advice they articulate. Many feel as if they were to say, Who are you to tell me what I can eat and not eat? Its only fair that the people have the last say. After all, this country was established fighting For the people, by the people (Star Spangled Banner). On top of that, as stated in an article by Jen Kalaidis, tax also costs [the] country an estimated 1,300 jobs because employees would no longer be needed in food retail sectors. Although an collection of occupations would be lost, many tend to give in and develop the mindset of a pessimistic. As Alexander Graham Bell, (an eminent scientist, engineer, innovator, etc.), proclaimed, When one door closes, another door opens. The message he speaks of is about preserverence and circulating nothing but positive thought within your mind. Americans who fear losing their jobs should realize that plantation fields and factories will demand more and more employees once the fat tax is instituted. The fields will require more man power for labor work, and for manufacturing purposes as well. You will soon after notice that grocery markets will have job oppertunites. Its actually a ripple effect, and once the economy is back to the way it was before the nation debt came about, the unemployement will be no more. Therefore, it is essential to communicate the outweighing benefits of a fat tax to the public now, before America begins to hit a downfall in the next five years. Junk food should not be outlawed, nor should it be cheap. If Americans want to continue this portliness evolvement, they can expect to see excessive aftermath in death rates. These unhealthy eats are about to rebuild our countrys values soon enough. However, with the assistance of this Twinkie Tax, I believe we could expect a tangible decline in Americas death progression and health expenses, a promotion of organic products, as well as more programs raising awareness of corpulence. Works Cited Chan, Amanda L. â€Å"Raising Junk Food Prices Could Spur People to Consume Less: Study.† The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post.com, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Dietz, William. â€Å"Obesity ProCon.org† Obesity ProCon.org. Search Engine Optimization, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Elder, Larry. â€Å"Just How Fat Are We?† WSJ: World Stream. WND Commentary, 1997-2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Fiore, Kristina. â€Å"Junk Food Tax Could Improve Health.† ABC News. ABC News Network, 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 06 May 2013. Heaton, Richard. â€Å"NYC Soda Ban Overturned then Appealed.† Digital Journal (2013): n.pag. Print. â€Å"Junk Food.† Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. n.d. Web.05 May 2013. Kalaidis, Jen. Should the U.S. Adopt a Fat Tax? The Week [New York] 25 Feb. 2013: n.p. Print. Lewis, Catherine. â€Å"The Junk Food Tax: How Much are We Willing to pay to get America Healthy?† Your Health Information Center. Insiders Health, 2011. Web. 5 May 2013. Medical Weight Loss Resources. Top 10 Obesity-Related Diseases. American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 May 2013. Mozes, Alan. â€Å"The Fat Tax.† A Controversial Tool in War Against Obesity. (23 May 2005): 2-3 Print. Oliver, J. Eric. â€Å"A Big, Fat Problem.† Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind Americas Obesity Epidemic. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2006. 1-4. Print. Sutherland, Amber. Smokers Huff Puff Over New Cigarette Tax. New York Post. New York. 3 July 2010: 1-2. Print â€Å"Would Imposing a High Tax on Fast Foods and other Unhealthy Foods Help Combat Obesity Issues in U.S.?† Debate.org. Centers for Disease Control Prevention, 22 Nov. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

Development of First Person Shooter (FPS) Games

Development of First Person Shooter (FPS) Games First-person shooter (FPS) is a video game that shows the game play around gun and projectile weapon-based combat in the perspective of main person. The player experiences the action via the protagonist eye view. In general, the first-person shooter shares common characters along with some other shooter games. From the genres inception, advanced 3D graphics elements have challenged the hardware development, also the multiplayer gaming has been integral. First-person shooters are a type of 3D shooter game, featuring a first person point of view with which the player sees the action through the eyes of the player character. Usually, a player goes through a series of levels. The best examples are Halo series, the Left 4 Dead and Half-Life series, and Golden Eye: 007. General: There are many different types of PC games in the market today. From the flight simulators to a real-time strategy, all the varieties have created niche markets amongst several computer gamers. First-Person Shooter is one of the swiftly growing game-types. Over-the-shoulder shooter games other game names which are based upon relatively premises comes under First-Person Shooter as a subcategory. We can see through the eyes of main character. The goal will be very simple for such games. However, reducing the genre to simplistic elements fails to appreciate the reasons that these games are so popular. First-person shooters implements latest technology and lead the industry. Later it provided support for multi-player gaming, also generated praise and condemnation. As we all know that the action games are fun-packed and thrilling thus become very popular. In this game, we need to use weapons, reflexes and special moves in order to beat the opponents and move ahead in the game. There are many types of shooter games. Content Analysis: In recent years, violent video games have become very popular. Every player creates their individual game content depending on the user s decisions and actions in a game. Individual game content concepts are essential for the evaluation of potential effects of media usage on cognitions, affects, and behavior. This study analyses the individually generated content with high temporal resolution. Continuous heart rate, skin conductance are associated with game content, which distinguishes the different game playing phases and transitions. In both intra-player and inter-player levels, Playing phases and transitions between playing phases are analyzed. History: The First-Person Shooters were evolved since 1970 s. Maze War and Spasim were started in 1973. However, the completion date is unknown. Later in 1974, University of Illinois was developed which was a rudimentary space flight simulator, and also first-person perspective. Detailed combat flight simulators and tank simulator development were influenced from Spasim. In 1980, Battlezone was released which is a tank game. First-person viewpoint and 3D graphics were successfully launched in 1983 for home computers In 1987, MIDI Maze was released which was an early first-person shooter. Through the MIDI interface it used to network multiplayer games before Ethernet and Internet was introduced. In 1991, Id Softwares Hovertank 3D developed ray casting knowledge to enable faster gameplay for vehicle simulators. Later advanced texture mapping was introduced though Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss. In 1992, role-playing game by Looking Glass Technologies introduced first person viewpoint and an advanced graphics engine. Due to violence associated with the First person shooters, they sometimes attract the negative attention of parents and censorship. They are liked by some and hated by others. However, now the First person shooters have evolved to be more than just mindless violence. The first FPS is Wolfenstein which was released in 1992 by id software. He Introduced super graphics, high quality sound, and unique playing styles and remained popular. In 1993, Doom was released by id software which was a big turning point in the First person shooters history. It was more powerful and advanced than Wildenstein, as it has a much larger weapons variety. One of its main selling points was its ability to stage multiplayer games. Due to Doom s success, id software has literally become the king of FPS game developers. In 1995, Star Wars were made into a FPS- Dark Forces by LucasArts. It is inspired by the movie, Star Wars. Later in 1996, RPG/FPS named Dagger fall was released by Bethesda Soft works. During this period, even the other genres are merged with FPS. One could fight enemies with swords, ride horses, join guilds, buy houses, burglarize shops, and even become a devil. In 1996, ID Software released Quake which was the first FPS to move from 2-dimensional pop-up enemies to fully 3-dimensional models. The gamers require 3D accelerator cards for high performance to play this game. In 1997, its sequel was released as Quake 2, which won much acclaim from both the gamers and critics. Golden Eye 007 which was one of the most popular console FPSs of all time was released in 1997 influenced from the movie of the same name. In 1998, the game Half-Life was released by Valve. It changed the gaming world by making its place as the greatest in the FP shooter. Amazing graphics, highly artificial environment, and a playing style influenced by movie. Thief: The Dark Project was released in the same year which emphasizes on stealth element. In 2000, Monolith Productions released No One Lives Forever. In 2001, Halo for Xbox was released by Bungie Studios. The story is futuristic and involves Master Chief fighting an alien cult and zombies in marine. In 2004, an incredibly cinematic Doom 3 was launched with the story based on mars. Later in 2004, Half-Life 2 was released which was considered as the greatest first person shooter ever. It features includes highly advanced graphics, amazing physics engine, and a super artificial intelligence. The complete history of First person shooters in brief above shows how the First person shooters have continued to push the sheath of graphics, sound, and game play. In the past decade, FPS achieved new heights. Making the gaming experience much more cinematic and realistic, First person shooters immerse the player into a completely new fascinating world. Difference between First Person Shooters and Third Person Shooters Due to crossover of features and other recent overlaps, differences between First person shooters and third person shooters continues to exist some confusion. One of the most basic differences is the character s perspective. In a FP shooters game, the player is the main character; and his viewpoint is through his own eyes. He will not be able to see himself, however, can view the surroundings. In FP shooters, you almost blow up everything you see. Hands and weapons can be seen at the bottom of the screen as the action is taking place through the eyes of the character. However, in third person shooter game, the main character can see himself on the screen. In Third-person shooters game, the surrounding environment was more clearly visible to the players. It helps the player to be more interactive with the surrounding environment. The main difference, between FP Shooters and Third Person Shooters, is the player perception in interacting with objects is more optimal. As the Third Person Shooter can see himself in the middle of the action, he can usually do some really kick-butt maneuvers like Jackie Chan style back flips and side rolls. That is the reason, the game designer is allowed to create more strongly characterized avatar, and directs the players attention as if watching a film. The boundaries between FP Shooters and Third-Person Shooters are not always clear. While the main character is driving a vehicle, many FPS games switch to a third-person viewpoint. In many other games like- Metroid Prime and Combat, the combination of first-person for aiming and third-person for driving has been used. Technology Advanced technology and Internet has led to the development of a number of multiplayer First person shooters. Multiplayer FP Shooter games online allows you to interact with players from all around the world and enjoy the FPS games online with them. You can even make teams online so as to kill the enemies easily. One of the most popular FP Shooter games online is Counter Strike is. In Counter Strike, you can interact with team partners so as to form the strategy on the selection of the weapons, decide the location and then fight enemies. Some FPS games focus on the storyline too, beside the action. Experiencing a different kind of world, you need to find clues and kill enemies silently so as to move ahead in the game. Half-Life is one such game. As a group, first-person shooters tend to be driving forces in accelerating the development of computer software and hardware. Other types of games are now trying to keep up, but FPSs have a clear lead in the technology race. The rise of the 3D graphics accelerator cannot be accredited to business applications; it is rooted firmly in computer games. It could be argued that 3Dfx, the company that created the Voodoo chipset used by several graphics cards, owes much of its success to GL Quake. A short list few FPS games: Zero Tolerance (Raycaster) Wolfenstein 3-D (Raycaster) Duke Nukem (Raycaster) Shadow Warrior (Raycaster) Doom (Raycaster) Rise of The Triad (Raycaster) Quake (3D) Quake 2 (3D) Quake III: Arena (3D) Hexen (Raycaster) Counter Strike 1.6 (3D) Counter Strike Source (3D) Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (3D) No One Lives Forever (3D) Half-Life (3D) Half-Life 2 (3D) Unreal (3D) Unreal Tournament (3D) Unreal Tournament 2004 (3D). Some popular first person shooter games description Maze war developer Steve colley, Platform; mlac PDS-1, Mac, NeXT Computer, PalmOS, Xerox Star. Release date on -INT 1974. Genre- First person shooter. Model-Single player, multiplayer Maze War (also known as The Maze Game, Maze Wars, Maze war, or simply Maze) is a historically significant video game. Maze War originated or disseminated a number of concepts used in thousands of games to follow, and is considered one of the earliest, if not the earliest, examples of a first person shooter. By later standards, gameplay has become simple. Characters in the game roam in a maze, and also capable of moving right or left, backward or forwards and entering through the doors. Other characters are represented as eyeballs. They are able to shoot each other, when a character sees another character. By shooting other players, the main player will get the points for, and if he is shot he will be lost in the game. Occasionally, a duck also appears in the passage in some versions. At that time, this is a great standard for network games. Maze war game. Wolfenstein 3D Wolfenstein 3D: Rise in popularity: 1992 1995 Generally, video game named Wolfenstein 3D is regarded as popular first-person shooter genre on the PC. Also, created the basic archetype which is subsequent games of same genre. It was published by Apogee Software and created by id Software. It was inspired by the 1980s Muse Software computer games Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein and released on May 5, 1992. The protagonist who is an American soldier, William B.J. in Wolfenstein 3D. While escaping from the Nazi stronghold of Castle Wolfenstein, Blazkowicz comes across many armed guards and attack dogs. The building consists of many hidden rooms with various food supplies, treasures, and medical kits, also three different guns and ammunition. GAME CHARACTER OF Blazkowicz in Wolfenstein 3D Details of the character Height: 6 ft, 4Weight: 210 lbs, Pros: Killed Hitler, Deployed at least 14 times Super Muscular When hes not busy killing Nazis he goes kill more Nazis, His grandson is Commander Keen, Can heal himself by eating a Hot Meal GAME PLAY of Wolfenstein 3D Each episode has ten missions (levels) which are supposed to be completed level wise. Entrance to the tenth which is a secret one can be found in the eighth level. However, we are supposed to complete only nine levels. The third episode which is a secret level can be identified in which one of the original Pac-Man levels, complete with ghosts, seen by the player from Pac-Mans perspective was recreated. ExMx map/level naming convention was first used in Wolfenstein 3D. In order to complete the episode, all the bosses need to be killed in each level. Boss enemies are drawn from one angle instead of eight unlike normal enemies. So the player cannot take them by surprise or sneak up on them. Also, they always face the player, in the first encounter. Until they see the player, bosses will not become active. A death cam (which is a replay of death) will be shown after the death of every boss. The early concept of the game included some innovative stealth concepts dragging dead bodies, swapping uniforms with fallen guards, silent attacks, etc., like in the earlier Wolfenstein games, which focused more on stealth than action. These ideas were dropped however, since they drastically slowed the game down and made the controls complicated. In game screen shot of wolfenstein 3d In game screen shot of wolfenstein 3d Halo: History of halo: Nothing says that you are a saint like having a bright halo over your head. The bright circle located at apex of the savior and the noodle of Catholic saints. Most of them lived nothing like is one of the most iconic symbols in Christendom. That is the reason; it could come as an astounding thing to learn many other icons related to Christendom. Halo was actually stolen from pagans and other religions. In ancient drawings in deities from Indian, Greek and Roman culture, a nebulous nimbus of luminosity was discovered on cave paintings. In ancient times, kings used to like to be portrayed with celestial crowns. The sole purpose is to establish special relationship with their particular gods who lives somewhere up in the sky. Halo is a video game franchise related to science fiction published by Microsoft Game Studios and created by Bungie. Main trilogy of the game centers experiences the Master Chief, an enhanced human super-soldier, and AI companion. The trilogy of video games was praised as being among the best first-person shooters on video game console. It is also considered as the Microsoft Xboxs killer app. It leads to the term Halo killer. As a developer Ensemble Studios last project, Halo games was launched into other video game genres, including Halo Wars which is a real-time strategy game. For the expansion of Halo 3: ODST and a prequel Halo: Reach, even the Bungie also contributed. Concept arts of Halo game. Screen shots of game halo HALFLIFE2 Half-Life 2 is a science fiction FP shooter game and sequel to the highly acclaimed Half-Life. It was developed by Valve Corporation and was released on Nov 16th 2004. The game uses the Source game engine, which includes a heavily modified version of the Havok physics engine. It is also known as the first video game to require online product activation. Later it was ported to Xbox and Mac OS X. It is a part of Orange Box compilation for PS 3 video game consoles and Xbox 360. Half-Life 2 takes place in a dystopian world in which the events of Half-Life have fully come to bear on human society, which has been enslaved by a multidimensional empire known as the Combine. Gameplay of Half life 2; Half-Life 2 is a FP shooter, following relative mechanics from its predecessor, Half-Life. At the bottom of the screen we can see the players health, energy, and ammunition status. Also, we can view the available weapons while toggling between screens. By picking up medical supplies and energy cells, the player can replenish his health and energy. Throughout the game we can see the puzzles and sequences involving vehicles. The player defeats his enemies with varied assortment of hand weapons. The modern-day projectile weapons like shotgun, pistol, submachine gun etc, are used. Also, more elaborate, fictional weapons like crossbow (shoots hot metal rods), a pulse rifle (disintegrate enemies on contact) are available. Some screen shots and game views of Half life 2 Conclusion: First person shooters are new phase in gaming world. With their advanced technology and sophisticated environment, FP Shooters gives a player thrilling experience. In every aspect it offers a great excitement with fast pace while playing. They give you the complete freedom to configure everything just the way you want it.

Argumentative Essay On Drinking Water Shortage Environmental Sciences Essay

Argumentative Essay On Drinking Water Shortage Environmental Sciences Essay Although most of the earths surface is covered with water, water shortage is a serious threat to the survival of humanity at present and in future. There is a water crisis which faces many parts of the world and it is a threat to survival of human beings since humans are primarily dependent on water. Shortage in drinking water is a major problem facing developing countries which have not taken drastic steps to harvest water and purify it to make it safe for human consumption. However, this problem is also being increasingly felt in developed countries where the population growth has strained available water resources and stretched the ability of governments and private firms to provide safe drinking water to the population. There are many conflicts around the world where people have died or have been injured as a result of clashes over a water resource. Most of these conflicts have occurred in Asia and Africa where most developing countries are located (Gleick 17-22). When humans cla sh over resources, this underscores the seriousness of the issue and calls for drastic actions to be taken to solve the problem. Shortage of drinking water is therefore an issue which must be investigated in detail and solutions developed to curb this problem. There are various causes of shortage of drinking water and most of these are attributable to human activities. These include such activities as deforestation and pollution which contribute to global warming, misuse of the water resource and groundwater contamination among others. It is important to develop solutions to this problem if future generations are to survive. This paper aims at analyzing the shortage in drinking water resource, its causes and solutions which should be implemented to solve the problem. The discussed issues will be summarized at the end. Shortage in drinking water It has been discussed that there is shortage of drinking water in various regions across the world. In many developing countries, people do not have access to drinking water due to various reasons. In some cases, water resources have dried up while in others, they are polluted. As a result, there populations especially in Africa face many water-borne diseases mainly due to pollution of water resources. Human activities such as population growth and industrial activities have further strained water resources and caused a shortage of drinking water. As a result, there are many conflicts over pastures or water resources and these lead to injuries or fatalities (Gleick 17-22). As mentioned earlier, this underscores the importance of finding a solution to the problem of shortage of the water resource. In the United States, there is pressure on available water resources since half of water collected is usually used in electricity generation, leaving the population to share the little left. There are already calls for charging water resources in order to increase efficiency of use (CQ Researcher 531-550). Although water protection has been implemented for years, there is still water pollution occurring within the United States. After the Civil war, America strived to provide its population with clean water and its water treatment system was and is still is one of the best globally. However, industrial revolution led to the pollution of water resources, leading to shortage of clean drinking water. Other external factors such as effects of global warming have also put a strain on available water resources. It is important to understand how shortage of drinking water occurs and its causes. These will be discussed in the section below; How human beings contribute to the problem of shortage in drinking water There are various human activities and trends which are primarily responsible for the problem of shortage of drinking water. These activities damage the environment, contaminate water sources or put pressure on water resources leading to a shortage of drinking water. Some of these will be discussed below; Pollution Environmental pollution is one of the major causes of lack of drinking water. Pollution contaminates available water sources, making water available unsafe for human consumption. Pollution also damages the environment and causes adverse effects which result in drying up of water sources (Levy 62-67). There are three major types of pollution which will be discussed in this section and these are water and air pollution as well as contamination of ground water sources. Air pollution occurs through human activities such as burning of fuel, release of harmful gases by industries or products such as vehicles, release of greenhouse gases among others. Air pollution is a major cause of global warming since gases released into the atmosphere allow more heat to be trapped within the earths surface resulting in global warming. Water pollution results from discharging waste into water sources and this is common in developing countries which do not strong laws which deter such forms of pollution. Contamination of ground water sources occurs after the use of certain chemicals including fertilizers which contaminate ground water after use, making such water toxic to humans (Upmanu et. al. 1-17). These forms of pollution reduce the amount of water resource which may be used by humans leading to a shortage in drinking water resources. Increasing population There is a very high population growth rate in many countries across the world. The average world population growth rate is over 1% and some countries especially in Africa and Asia have growth rates of over 2% per annum. A large growth rate puts pressure on available resources and causes a shortage. Human beings depend on water to live and the large population growth rate has put pressure on available water resources. Since water infrastructure and resource has generally remained constant over the years, population growth rate strains the water resource and creates a shortage in drinking water for populations across the world. Global warming Global warming can be attributed to a large proportion of the loss of water resources. It is caused by the emission of certain gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere leading to retention of heat by the earths surface. This raises the average temperatures and causes adverse effects such as heat waves and melting of glaciers. Global warming causes higher evaporation of water resources due to higher temperatures on the earths surface. This results in the decline of availability of fresh water sources. It also leads to the drying up of water resources such as rivers and lakes due to higher temperatures. Global warming should be addressed if humans are to have fresh drinking water in the long run. Use of water for agriculture Agricultural activities are a major part of many countries economies. Many people rely indirectly or directly from agriculture. Agricultural activities heavily rely on water for sustenance. In many countries, fresh water resources are used for irrigation of crops and feeding of animals. The use of freshwater sources for irrigation strains the water resource and creates shortages especially when agriculture is practiced in large scale (Buchanan Horwitz 67-69). In developing countries, areas which have large scale agricultural activities especially in water intensive agricultural activities such as horticulture usually experience water shortages due to the amount of water used in agriculture. It is important that alternative water sources are used for agriculture is there is to be clean drinking water for people across the world. Wastage of water resource Wastage of water is common in nearly all countries due to ignorance on potential benefits of conserving water. There are many ways in which water is wasted and these include letting water run within households when it is not in use, lack of water recycling and lack of water harvesting among other means. When water within households is allowed to run when not in use, it may appear to be a little quantity, but when compared against numerous households, it becomes clear how much water is wasted. When water is also not recycled like for instance purified and used for other sources, this is wastage of the water resource. Poor harvesting of water or lack of water harvesting incentives allows water which would have been put to use to be wasted. This creates a situation where people do not have access to drinking water as is the case in many countries. Solutions There are various solutions which should be implemented to solve the problem of shortage of drinking water. Some of them will be briefly discussed below; Reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere This is one of the most effective solutions needed to conserve the water resource. As has been discussed, one of the greatest threats to the availability of water is global warming. Global warming increases temperatures and encourages evaporation of water resources. Carbon dioxide emission is one of the major causes of global warming. It is therefore essential that emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is reduced. Greenhouses are some of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide and reduction of greenhouse gases will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted. The Kyoto Protocol is a global agreement by countries to reduce the amount of greenhouse emissions. More countries should join such agreements and they should develop a global approach in reducing carbon dioxide emissions (Glennon 33-38). Other measures such as planting of trees should be encouraged since trees are important in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Afforestation and re-afforestation Afforestation and re-afforestation are two effective approaches in conserving the water resource. Afforestation involves planting trees where there were none while re-afforestation involves plating trees which were cut down. The planting of trees is useful in conserving the water resource for two main reasons. The first is that trees use carbon dioxide and give out oxygen thereby purifying the air. Carbon dioxide emission has been discussed as a cause of global warming and depletion of clean drinking water due to high temperatures. Planting of trees reduces the carbon dioxide levels in air and prevents adverse effects of global warming (Solomon 46-52). The second reason is that planting of trees attracts rainfall through the water cycle which involves transpiration. Transpiration by trees allows moisture to evaporate and form clouds which eventually fall down as rainfall. Availability of rainfall increases water resources and ensures that humans have access to clean drinking water. Harvesting of water Harvesting of water is one form of water conservation and it involves collecting waste water and purifying it to make it safe for drinking (The Economist 14-16). Water harvesting should mainly be done when there are heavy rains and water should be directed towards reservoirs where it may be stored and purified for human consumption. This form of water conservation ensures that there is minimal water wastage and that human beings have access to clean drinking water. It also ensures that there is enough water to sustain human activities such as agriculture. Avoiding water wastage It is important for governments and the private sector to educate the public on importance of water conservation and avoidance of water wastage. Avoiding water wastage ensures that the water resource is conserved and that there is enough water to meet all human activities. Water wastage through simple measures, such as letting water run when not in use or using excess water to perform various household functions, is very effective in conserving the water resource if done in large scale. When the public at large is advised about these simple measures, more water will be harvested, purified and stored for consumption by human beings. Legal regulations In order to enforce these solutions, it is important to criminalize any actions which contribute to the depletion of the water resource. Human activities such as deforestation, pollution and contamination of ground water resources should be discouraged through the passage of tough laws which act as deterrent to such actions. Harsh sentences and fines should be imposed on people who are caught polluting or damaging the environment. This will discourage others from committing the same and it will encourage society to preserve various resources including the water resource. Summary and conclusion Shortage of water resources has been seen to be a serious problem which threatens the survival of mankind. Water is an essential part of the lives of human beings who need water for survival. However, there are many human activities which either pollute water resources or which pollute the environment leading to the drying up of the water resources. Some of these activities include air pollution which occurs through human activities such as burning of fuel, release of harmful gases by industries or products such as vehicles, release of greenhouse gases among others. Water pollution occurs through discharging waste into water sources while contamination of ground water sources occurs after the use of certain chemicals including fertilizers which contaminate ground water after use, making such water toxic to humans. Other human activities such as deforestation and agriculture also contribute to the shortage of clean drinking water. Population growth puts pressure on water resources mak ing it difficult to satisfy human needs. There are various steps which should be taken in order to address the problem of water shortage. Afforestation and re-afforestation are two effective approaches in conserving the water resource since they help in attracting rainfall and purifying the atmosphere. Harvesting of water is a form of water conservation and it ensures that there is minimal water wastage. Finally, string laws which discourage environmental pollution should be passed in order to ensure that the environment is conserved and that there are enough water resources for all. This will ensure that future populations survive on current water resources available.

Sweatshop Abuse and MIT’s Prospective Actions in Pursuit of Internation

Sweatshop Abuse and MIT’s Prospective Actions in Pursuit of International Labor Justice The term â€Å"sweatshop† refers to those factories relying on the exploitation and abuse of workers. Often (although not always) located in developing countries, these factories have been frequented by independent university researchers, who have published numerous accounts of worker imprisonment and physical abuse, as well as economic evidence revealing that many of these factories pay wages so small that their workers cannot live outside poverty. Several factories use horrific labor practices, and many factory workers have also been severely burned or mutilated in the workplace, while women among the labor population have often been forced to take birth control or abort their pregnancies (Given, 1997; Fernandez, 1997). The health burdens placed upon sweatshop workers have been extensively documented, and include exposure to noxious fumes, organophosphate compounds, and silica dust, resulting in record high cancer, asthma, bronchitis, pneumoconiosis, and leukemia rates in ma ny regions because workers aren’t provided with masks and gloves (Kim et al., 2000). These abuses are neither just nor irreconcilable, but many people believe that sweatshops are an economic necessity and will come to pass on their own with economic development. Closer examination of both the social and economic dimensions of sweatshop labor, however, reveals this presumption to be far from the truth. Most objections to anti-sweatshop action stem from the idea that sweatshop jobs are the best opportunities available to people living in poor conditions. â€Å"They keep coming back day after day, so they must want these jobs.† Trying to make the jobs better will simply me... ..., February). Sweat Shop Workers Struggle in New York’s Chinatown. Z Magazine. Kim, Jim Yong et al. (2000). Dying for Growth: Global Inequality and the Health of the Poor. Cambridge: Common Courage Press. Meyer, Karl (1997, June 28). Editorial Notebook. The New York Times. Mort, Jo-Ann. (1996, Fall). Immigrant Dreams: Sweatshop Workers Speak. Dissent. Richburg, Keith B. & Swardson, Anne. (1996, August 5-11). Sweatshops or Economic Development? Washington Post National Weekly Edition. Rosen, Sonia A., Jaffe, Maurren, & Perez-Lopez, Jorge. (1997). The Apparel Industry and Codes of Conduct: A Solution to the International Child Labor Problems. Upland, PA: Diane. Ross, Andrew. (1997). No Sweat: Fashion, Free Trade, and the Rights of Garment Workers. New York: Verso. Salomon, Larry. (1996, September/October). Sweatshops in the Spotlight. Third Force.

Doing the Right Thing in Hamlet :: The Tragedy of Hamlet Essays

Doing the "Right" Thing in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   When an individual has taken a certain course of action, who is to determine whether that action taken was right or wrong? And what basis should the individual passing judgment use to decide whether that action was right or wrong? Should the individual passing judgment consider the other individual's purpose or intent in taking the action, or should he consider the resulting consequences of the other individual's actions? If the individual passing judgment were to choose to do the first of these two alternatives, he would be taking a deontological stance, as compared to the later which describes the consequentialist view. As Stephen J. Freeman explains, consequentialism is the belief that "actions and/or rules are right as long as they produce the most favorable consequences for those affected by the actions or rules" (Freeman 63). Consequentialists view the morality of a consequence in two aspects. One aspect is what is called ethical egoism. Ethical egoism is "the idea that morality is defined as acting in one's own interest and in such a way as to maximize the consequences of good over bad" (Freeman 49). In contrast to ethical egoism is utilitarianism. Utilitarianists view morality as when an action promotes the greatest balance of good over bad for all people. "Utilitarianism is a teleological, goal-directed theory emphasizing happiness as the end result of human action" (Freeman 49). In Freeman's book on ethics, he discusses Holmes' proposal of two types of teleological ethical theories that apply to these two differing consequentialist views. Holmes' proposal is that of micro and macro ethics. Micro ethics regards the happiness of the individual as the highest good and defines what is right as the action that maximizes that end. By definition, micro ethics is very similar to the belief of ethical egoism. On the other hand, macro ethics views happiness as the well-being of a group as a whole and defines what is right as the action that maximizes that end. As used here, a group can be those people of a specific city, state, nation, or race, and any particular group has "greater importance than any particular individual or subgroup within it, because its good exceeds the sum of any and all of its parts" (Freeman 49). Those in support of macro ethics would justify the sacrifice of an individual or part within the group, as long as it brings about beneficial conseque nces for the group as a whole.

Dahlia Case Study Essay

OVERVIEW 1.Time Context The problem has to be solved by the year 1985. 2.Viewpoint Mr. Chua Boon Kang and Mr. Leong Sim Lam 3.Major Policy Statement Dahlia Furniture Private Limited is a local furniture industry, which supplies usually kitchen cabinets, wall units, bedrooms set and dining set. It also has metal and wood furniture sets. 4.Background of the Case a.The Company Dahlia Furniture made its entrance into the furniture industry in 1972 as subcontractors to two large furniture concerns, Ching Lin and Diethelm. It supplied mainly wall units and kitchen cabinets while bedrooms sets and dining sets were subcontracted out or obtained from local suppliers. Business went well and the company decided to branch into retailing. The business was successful in its operation especially during the time when Singapore conducted a massive public housing programs. In fact their sales increased from $4,800,000.00 to $5,500,000 in 1980 to 1981. However, during that year, the company’s sales declined especially in 1983 in which it reached only $289,000.00, and somehow recovered in 1984. Contributory factors to the decline in sales include mismanagement of Mr. Lim. Because of this, reorganizations were happening and most of the employees resigned. Also furniture industry was very competitive. b.The Industry Furniture industry in Singapore began only as an extension of the country’s oldest industry which is the sawmilling. But the demand for the furniture expanded which led to it as the leading local industry. The growth of the local furniture industry has been closely linked to the growth of the country’s construction and building industry. There are now more than 200 establishments manufacturing furniture of which 59 are both manufacturers and exporters of wooden knock-down, 35 rattan and 12 steel furniture. There has been a change in the attitude towards purchase of furniture. Fashion trend has been the latest consideration of the customers. Singporeans have become more willing to spend money to decorate their homes. 5.Environmental Analysis a.SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS †¢Safe Environment †¢Good quality of the products †¢Run the new division with the present set of designers. †¢Dahlia Furniture line was of a higher quality and price than those of other retailers. †¢Dahlia’s furniture line is more for those who want exclusivity. †¢Retail outlets are now carrying wider range of furniture. †¢Dahlias is considered as one of sophisticated furniture dealer with exclusive design for their customers. †¢Dahlia has a long experience in the field of furniture. Since 1972 they are in this field and they have worked at almost all levels of the industry like subcontracting, importing, manufacturing and retailing. †¢They have good support from local manufacturers who are in turn also working as their sub contractor. †¢The company has taken timely decision to go to retail market to get sizeable customers from medium to high class range. WEAKNESSES: †¢The company is in need of competent managers that would be of great help to the success of the furniture company. †¢Dahlia Furniture has the previous dilemma of filling their showroom with salable imported furniture and disregarding the domestic demand that the great impact in the performance of sales. †¢Dahlia has no advertisement. †¢Dahlia’s market share has become eroded by some big players in the decreasing revenues from current product †¢Poor management †¢Many workers resigned due to Ang Mo Kio Factory’s failure in. OPPORTUNITIES †¢Domestic demands for furniture rise by about twelve percent annually †¢ Increasing demand in exports to United States, Australia, Canada, Western Europe and in the Middle East. †¢Singaporeans are more willing to spend money to decorate their homes. THREATS †¢Intense competition between domestic U.S. manufacturers. †¢Powerful competitors. †¢Other companies offer lower prices b.Competitor Analysis Dahlia Furniture, aside from its manufacturing operations, aides the maintenance on the supply of their inventories to some of the local suppliers. Some of them are manufacturers while others are retailers who have their own showrooms. They can be possible competitors of Dahlia. Other competitors comprise of foreign manufacturers and retailers. Some of these are Ikea , Fly, Homestead and soon to operate Scandinavian, Italian, Japanese and American manufacturers. 6.Present Company Departmental Plans a.Product Planning Dahlia mainly supplies wall units and kitchen cabinets. It subcontracts local suppliers of bedroom sets and dining sets. b.Market Planning Dahlia Furniture advertises in Straights Times. In connection to its retailing operations, Dahlia rented a showroom to a department store in Orchard area, in Bukit Timah area and Upper Thompson area c.Production Planning The purchase of Upper Thompson and Ang Mo Kio factories are sought to increase the company’s supply. d.Manpower Planning Dahlia acquired two factories namely Ang Mo Kio and Upper Thompson. The workers of these two factories were also hired. Staffs: Sales person11 persons Clerical workers4 persons Production workers (Thompson Factory)6 persons e.Organizational Planning Dahlia Furnitures is managed by Mr. Chua and Mr. Leong. Other staffs of the company are as follows: Personnel Position †¢Chua Soo Lee General Administartion †¢Robert LamProduction and General Management PROBLEM RESOLUTION 1.Background of the Case On August 1984, Mr. Chua Boon Kang and Mr. Leong Sim Lam bought over Peter Lim’s forty six percent (46%) stake at Dahlia Furniture Private Limited. Although co-owners at one time, Mr. Chua and Mr. Leong have found Mr. Lim’s management of the company to be unsatisfactory. Some reorganization took place as most of the production workers who were doing subcontracting orders solely for Dahlia had resigned due to poor company performance in 1982. Dahlia also sold off seventy five thousand dollars ($75,000) worth of machinery used for mass producing furniture which was previously purchased by a former Managing Director, who has since left the company. Now at the helm, both are uncertain about the long term direction of the company. Meanwhile, they are both concerned over maintaining sales growth in a highly competitive industry. 2.Statement of the Problem What should the management do to maintain sales growth and improve company’s position in a highly competitive industry? 3.Statement of Objectives oLong term – To become the largest manufacturer of furniture and exporter in the furniture industry. oShort term – To maximize the profit of the company. 4.Areas of Consideration ïÆ' ¼Taxes applied to importation: The Singaporean government imposes 5%import duties for goods imported in the country. This area should be taken into consideration because this will affect the entity’s expenses when such importation has been made. ïÆ' ¼The government’s policy regarding foreign labor: In the production of the furniture , the company needs to employ the services of the laborers. The company should determine the amount of labor force needed and if there is a need to avail of the foreign laborers’ services because the government of Singapore discourages the use of foreign labor. ïÆ' ¼Competition : With the advent of the furniture industry in Singapore , more and more competing manufacturers and retailers come to exist not just from the local but as well as with the foreign brands. ïÆ' ¼Trend in the furniture industry: It should be noted that the market demands in Singapore largely depends on the buyers’ perspective of what is the â€Å"in- thing† in the fashion of the furniture industry. The company should be always updated with these current trends so that they will not be left b ehind by other contenders. 5.Alternative Courses of Action 1.Find a competent person to be the General Manager of the company 2.Intensify advertisements of the company – in the domestic and international market through joining product conventions, trade expos, putting up advertisements in local and foreign furniture and interior design magazines , broadsheets and home- Television shopping. 3.To formulate a proportionate inventory acquisition with some products imported and some manufactured, to drive away competition and at the same time, maintain its present image, also to reach all brackets of prospective clientele. 6.Analysis of Alternatives ALTERNATIVE 1 Advantages: †¢When a General Manager for the company is hired, the over- all operations will be supervised – from the production, especially to the sales operation will be given the right attention. †¢Necessary solutions will be implemented in to solve the problems of the company with the right person to handle the position and monitor the operations Disadvantages: †¢The company finds it hard to keep a competent GM to handle the operations of the company either he leaves the company to start his own business or leaves the management for another company. †¢There is a risk that the person positioned as GM be a future competitor just like what happened to one of their previous GM who decided to run his own furniture company. ALTERNATIVE 2 Advantages: †¢Intensive advertisements and promotions in domestic and international market will be the easiest gauge for the company to set awareness to the market the existence of the firm in the furniture industry. †¢Advertisements in all media forms can reach wide-range of customers, from all walks of life. Likewise joining trade expos in which the company can showcase their products and attract future clients. Disadvantages: †¢Putting-up advertisements would be costly, especially those which are shown on high class magazines or the TV channels. The company should limit expenses during this time because the company is just recovering from their losses from past years operations. †¢The market, especially the international market in which the company wishes to conquer, is highly competitive and a huge battlefield for the company. Advertisements may not be enough to outwit the competitors. ALTERNATIVE 3 Advantages: †¢Costs related to importations will be toned down because only proportionate of the inventory is imported and the remaining inventories are manufactured by the company. †¢Cost to overhead and labor will be regulated †¢The company will not have to depend largely on the local suppliers which could possibly be competitors in the long run. †¢The company could cater to middle class clients as well as the mass. †¢Insufficiency of the supply will be eliminated because the goods imported will cover up for the deficit in the manufactured goods or vice versa when imported goods have been delivered in delay. Disadvantages: †¢With the intuition that Singaporeans prefer the imported goods than those of locally made products, the goods manufactured by the company will be disregarded and will turn to change in the proportionate inventory rate. †¢The company will still incur costs for productions and importations 7.Decision Statement After further analysis of the alternatives presented, it will be best for the company to use Alternative 3 which is to formulate a proportionate inventory acquisition with some products imported and some manufactured, to drive away competition and at the same time, maintain its present image, also to reach all brackets of prospective clientele. The last alternative would best fit to answer the problem of the company regarding its inventories, maximizing profit returns and improvement of the company’s position. It should be noted that the company has a dilemma of filling up their showrooms because of the resignation of the workers in one of the factory of the company, the Ang Mo Kio so they turned out to importing goods. In turn, only the medium-class clients and upper income gainers become its customers. With proportionate inventory acquisitions, the company can control overhead, labor and importation costs. In that way, the company will minimize operating expenses leaving the company with greater profits. In using the third alternative, the company can also cater to both the middle class clients for they prefer imported furniture and the mass client for lower priced furniture which are locally made, therefore expanding the market of Dahlia. IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM 1.Action Plans a.Long-term action plans ï‚ §Putting –up additional showrooms for the mass clientele and for the middle class customers b.Short-term action plans ï‚ §Expansion of the company’s market through advertising and promotions 2.Proposed Company Operational Plans a.Product planning ï‚ §The company should produce unique furniture designs which will attract the customers b.Market planning ï‚ §Intensify advertising and promotion schemes for furniture products not just on the Straight Times for those middle class customers but to other forms of media so that it can reach other people from all walks of life. c.Production planning ï‚ §Upon expansion of the production, Dahlia should re-avail of machineries that will be used for the additional production of furniture d.Manpower planning ï‚ §The company will employ additional laborers to keep up for the additional inventory requirements. e.Organizational planning ï‚ §The management should hire a competent person to be designated in the position of the General Manager. 3.Other problems and proposed solutions †¢Strict competition in the industry oDahlia Furniture should develop innovative products so that they can have an edge over other manufacturers. The management should know its target market. In that way they can cater what their clients wish to have and in return they can develop goodwill and loyalty among their customers. OVERVIEW 1.Time Context The problem has to be solved by the year 1985. 2.Viewpoint Mr. Chua Boon Kang and Mr. Leong Sim Lam 3.Major Policy Statement Dahlia Furniture Private Limited is a local furniture industry, which supplies usually kitchen cabinets, wall units, bedrooms set and dining set. It also has metal and wood furniture sets. 4.Background of the Case a.The Company Dahlia Furniture made its entrance into the furniture industry in 1972 as subcontractors to two large furniture concerns, Ching Lin and Diethelm. It supplied mainly wall units and kitchen cabinets while bedrooms sets and dining sets were subcontracted out or obtained from local suppliers. Business went well and the company decided to branch into retailing. The business was successful in its operation especially during the time when Singapore conducted a massive public housing programs. In fact their sales increased from $4,800,000.00 to $5,500,000 in 1980 to 1981. However, during that year, the company’s sales declined especially in 1983 in which it reached only $289,000.00, and somehow recovered in 1984. Contributory factors to the decline in sales include mismanagement of Mr. Lim. Because of this, reorganizations were happening and most of the employees resigned. Also furniture industry was very competitive. b.The Industry Furniture industry in Singapore began only as an extension of the country’s oldest industry which is the sawmilling. But the demand for the furniture expanded which led to it as the leading local industry. The growth of the local furniture industry has been closely linked to the growth of the country’s construction and building industry. There are now more than 200 establishments manufacturing furniture of which 59 are both manufacturers and exporters of wooden knock-down, 35 rattan and 12 steel furniture. There has been a change in the attitude towards purchase of furniture. Fashion trend has been the latest consideration of the customers. Singporeans have become more willing to spend money to decorate their homes. 5.Environmental Analysis a.SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS †¢Safe Environment †¢Good quality of the products †¢Run the new division with the present set of designers. †¢Dahlia Furniture line was of a higher quality and price than those of other retailers. †¢Dahlia’s furniture line is more for those who want exclusivity. †¢Retail outlets are now carrying wider range of furniture. †¢Dahlias is considered as one of sophisticated furniture dealer with exclusive design for their customers. †¢Dahlia has a long experience in the field of furniture. Since 1972 they are in this field and they have worked at almost all levels of the industry like subcontracting, importing, manufacturing and retailing. †¢They have good support from local manufacturers who are in turn also working as their sub contractor. †¢The company has taken timely decision to go to retail market to get sizeable customers from medium to high class range. WEAKNESSES: †¢The company is in need of competent managers that would be of great help to the success of the furniture company. †¢Dahlia Furniture has the previous dilemma of filling their showroom with salable imported furniture and disregarding the domestic demand that the great impact in the performance of sales. †¢Dahlia has no advertisement. †¢Dahlia’s market share has become eroded by some big players in the decreasing revenues from current product †¢Poor management †¢Many workers resigned due to Ang Mo Kio Factory’s failure in. OPPORTUNITIES †¢Domestic demands for furniture rise by about twelve percent annually †¢ Increasing demand in exports to United States, Australia, Canada, Western Europe and in the Middle East. †¢Singaporeans are more willing to spend money to decorate their homes. THREATS †¢Intense competition between domestic U.S. manufacturers. †¢Powerful competitors. †¢Other companies offer lower prices b.Competitor Analysis Dahlia Furniture, aside from its manufacturing operations, aides the maintenance on the supply of their inventories to some of the local suppliers. Some of them are manufacturers while others are retailers who have their own showrooms. They can be possible competitors of Dahlia. Other competitors comprise of foreign manufacturers and retailers. Some of these are Ikea , Fly, Homestead and soon to operate Scandinavian, Italian, Japanese and American manufacturers. 6.Present Company Departmental Plans a.Product Planning Dahlia mainly supplies wall units and kitchen cabinets. It subcontracts local suppliers of bedroom sets and dining sets. b.Market Planning Dahlia Furniture advertises in Straights Times. In connection to its retailing operations, Dahlia rented a showroom to a department store in Orchard area, in Bukit Timah area and Upper Thompson area c.Production Planning The purchase of Upper Thompson and Ang Mo Kio factories are sought to increase the company’s supply. d.Manpower Planning Dahlia acquired two factories namely Ang Mo Kio and Upper Thompson. The workers of these two factories were also hired. Staffs: Sales person11 persons Clerical workers4 persons Production workers (Thompson Factory)6 persons e.Organizational Planning Dahlia Furnitures is managed by Mr. Chua and Mr. Leong. Other staffs of the company are as follows: Personnel Position †¢Chua Soo Lee General Administartion †¢Robert LamProduction and General Management PROBLEM RESOLUTION 1.Background of the Case On August 1984, Mr. Chua Boon Kang and Mr. Leong Sim Lam bought over Peter Lim’s forty six percent (46%) stake at Dahlia Furniture Private Limited. Although co-owners at one time, Mr. Chua and Mr. Leong have found Mr. Lim’s management of the company to be unsatisfactory. Some reorganization took place as most of the production workers who were doing subcontracting orders solely for Dahlia had resigned due to poor company performance in 1982. Dahlia also sold off seventy five thousand dollars ($75,000) worth of machinery used for mass producing furniture which was previously purchased by a former Managing Director, who has since left the company. Now at the helm, both are uncertain about the long term direction of the company. Meanwhile, they are both concerned over maintaining sales growth in a highly competitive industry. 2.Statement of the Problem What should the management do to maintain sales growth and improve company’s position in a highly competitive industry? 3.Statement of Objectives oLong term – To become the largest manufacturer of furniture and exporter in the furniture industry. oShort term – To maximize the profit of the company. 4.Areas of Consideration ïÆ' ¼Taxes applied to importation: The Singaporean government imposes 5%import duties for goods imported in the country. This area should be taken into consideration because this will affect the entity’s expenses when such importation has been made. ïÆ' ¼The government’s policy regarding foreign labor: In the production of the furniture , the company needs to employ the services of the laborers. The company should determine the amount of labor force needed and if there is a need to avail of the foreign laborers’ services because the government of Singapore discourages the use of foreign labor. ïÆ' ¼Competition : With the advent of the furniture industry in Singapore , more and more competing manufacturers and retailers come to exist not just from the local but as well as with the foreign brands. ïÆ' ¼Trend in the furniture industry: It should be noted that the market demands in Singapore largely depends on the buyers’ perspective of what is the â€Å"in- thing† in the fashion of the furniture industry. The company should be always updated with these current trends so that they will not be left behind by other contenders. 5.Alternative Courses of Action 1.Find a competent person to be the General Manager of the company 2.Intensify advertisements of the company – in the domestic and international market through joining product conventions, trade expos, putting up advertisements in local and foreign furniture and interior design magazines , broadsheets and home- Television shopping. 3.To formulate a proportionate inventory acquisition with some products imported and some manufactured, to drive away competition and at the same time, maintain its present image, also to reach all brackets of prospective clientele. 6.Analysis of Alternatives ALTERNATIVE 1 Advantages: †¢When a General Manager for the company is hired, the over- all operations will be supervised – from the production, especially to the sales operation will be given the right attention. †¢Necessary solutions will be implemented in to solve the problems of the company with the right person to handle the position and monitor the operations Disadvantages: †¢The company finds it hard to keep a competent GM to handle the operations of the company either he leaves the company to start his own business or leaves the management for another company. †¢There is a risk that the person positioned as GM be a future competitor just like what happened to one of their previous GM who decided to run his own furniture company. ALTERNATIVE 2 Advantages: †¢Intensive advertisements and promotions in domestic and international market will be the easiest gauge for the company to set awareness to the market the existence of the firm in the furniture industry. †¢Advertisements in all media forms can reach wide-range of customers, from all walks of life. Likewise joining trade expos in which the company can showcase their products and attract future clients. Disadvantages: †¢Putting-up advertisements would be costly, especially those which are shown on high class magazines or the TV channels. The company should limit expenses during this time because the company is just recovering from their losses from past years operations. †¢The market, especially the international market in which the company wishes to conquer, is highly competitive and a huge battlefield for the company. Advertisements may not be enough to outwit the competitors. ALTERNATIVE 3 Advantages: †¢Costs related to importations will be toned down because only proportionate of the inventory is imported and the remaining inventories are manufactured by the company. †¢Cost to overhead and labor will be regulated †¢The company will not have to depend largely on the local suppliers which could possibly be competitors in the long run. †¢The company could cater to middle class clients as well as the mass. †¢Insufficiency of the supply will be eliminated because the goods imported will cover up for the deficit in the manufactured goods or vice versa when imported goods have been delivered in delay. Disadvantages: †¢With the intuition that Singaporeans prefer the imported goods than those of locally made products, the goods manufactured by the company will be disregarded and will turn to change in the proportionate inventory rate. †¢The company will still incur costs for productions and importations 7.Decision Statement After further analysis of the alternatives presented, it will be best for the company to use Alternative 3 which is to formulate a proportionate inventory acquisition with some products imported and some manufactured, to drive away competition and at the same time, maintain its present image, also to reach all brackets of prospective clientele. The last alternative would best fit to answer the problem of the company regarding its inventories, maximizing profit returns and improvement of the company’s position. It should be noted that the company has a dilemma of filling up their showrooms because of the resignation of the workers in one of the factory of the company, the Ang Mo Kio so they turned out to importing goods. In turn, only the medium-class clients and upper income gainers become its customers. With proportionate inventory acquisitions, the company can control overhead, labor and importation costs. In that way, the company will minimize operating expenses leaving the company with greater profits. In using the third alternative, the company can also cater to both the middle class clients for they prefer imported furniture and the mass client for lower priced furniture which are locally made, therefore expanding the market of Dahlia. IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM 1.Action Plans a.Long-term action plans ï‚ §Putting –up additional showrooms for the mass clientele and for the middle class customers b.Short-term action plans ï‚ §Expansion of the company’s market through advertising and promotions 2.Proposed Company Operational Plans a.Product planning ï‚ §The company should produce unique furniture designs which will attract the customers b.Market planning ï‚ §Intensify advertising and promotion schemes for furniture products not just on the Straight Times for those middle class customers but to other forms of media so that it can reach other people from all walks of life. c.Production planning ï‚ §Upon expansion of the production, Dahlia should re-avail of machineries that will be used for the additional production of furniture d.Manpower planning ï‚ §The company will employ additional laborers to keep up for the additional inventory requirements. e.Organizational planning ï‚ §The management should hire a competent person to be designated in the position of the General Manager. 3.Other problems and proposed solutions †¢Strict competition in the industry oDahlia Furniture should develop innovative products so that they can have an edge over other manufacturers. The management should know its target market. In that way they can cater what their clients wish to have and in return they can develop goodwill and loyalty among their customers.

Inoculating with Autism

Hearing that your child is autistic, is one of the most heart wrenching experiences a parent can face. After significant research, I was disgusted when all fingers pointed to vaccines as the culprit. Is it just a coincidence that autism greatly increased when the Center for Disease Control introduced additions to the recommended vaccination program for infants in 1988? In the 1980s, autism rates were only six in ten thousand children. Currently, the autism rate is an alarming one in eighty eight children. So, roughly one million Americans are now suffering from autism. Over twenty-four years the amount of vaccines children receive grew from less than ten vaccines to about fifty vaccines. It is not just a coincidence that as the amount of vaccines increased so did the amount of autistic children. As the autism crisis worsens, more and more parents are questioning and grasping the realizations surrounding the negative effects that vaccines are having on our children's developing immune systems. In many cases, parents should not allow vaccines to be administered to their children. The perfect example of why parents should not vaccinate their children is the story of Valentino Bocca from Italy. Valentino was given the MMR vaccine when he was fifteen months old in 2004. Valentino's family says that right after receiving the vaccine he started to show signs of serious discomfort. Consequently, Valentino's family decided to act and took the case to court. Judges and the Italian Health Ministry determined that the vaccine did cause the autism after new evidence was presented. Moreover, the Valentino case is not the first case where children have been damaged by vaccines. Actually, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has paid over two billion dollars to families damaged by vaccines. This story of Valentino was a result of just one vaccine. A normal child in the first six months of life receives as many as nineteen vaccines. The fact is the more vaccines children receive means more of a risk of autism. As a parent, you have the right to choose whether or not to vaccinate your child. Some may argue vaccinations are safe and even one of the greatest health developments of the twentieth century. Moreover, some research may say that autism and vaccines are not linked at all. It is true that immunizations have protected millions of kids from potentially deadly diseases. Also, that the vaccines probably saved thousands of lives over the years. Proponents of vaccinations argue that the health benefits can outweigh the risks. In addition, some believe that without immunizations there is greater risk of catching some preventable diseases. Also, it is believed that a child who is not immunized could be susceptible to dangerous and deadly diseases. Furthermore, fighting some of these diseases can be painful, taxing on the body, include mandatory isolation, and be expensive. It is now common knowledge that autism is a catastrophic epidemic. In addition, we now know that the primary cause of autism stems from vaccines. There is substantial evidence that the vaccines are brimming with toxins according to fact sheets by the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration. The toxins that are in the vaccines we are injecting into our young children include; dozens of chemicals, heavy metals and allergens. In addition, they include several other repulsing ingredients, such as monkey kidney cells and aborted fetal tissue. American children are now the most vaccinated population in the world. However, instead of being the most healthiest, we have the highest statistics of children suffering from autism. Our children do not need to be inject4ed with toxins and aborted fetal tissue, they are born with their mother’s immunities. Most children’s immune systems can deal with most infections naturally. The vaccines themselves cause the body to be in an unnatural state and set you up for major disease. Overall, the possible side effects of vaccination, mainly autism, are just not worth the risk of being safeguarding. Every year more and more children are being diagnosed with autism. There are so many anguished parents who have had to watch their children completely regress after receiving a vaccine. When one listens to these parents, it is hard to not think that where there is smoke there may be fire. All parents should be doubting the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Parents must keep in mind that a significant amount of the research that is being done about autism and vaccines is by the drug companies themselves. With so many vaccines being forced upon our children, healthy skepticism could go a long way toward raising a vibrant healthy child. By not vaccinating your children, it simply means that you are an informed and caring parent with healthy kids that do not need to rely on high risk medicines. Ultimately, it is you that is in charge of your child’s health. Remember, educate before you vaccinate.