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The Effect of Extreme Dependency on Computers| Extreme Dependency on Technology Technology, good or bad? Some say it’s great, but that is said by drug users about illegal substances as well. They are essentially one in the same; once you have used them and they become part of your life, you are never the same again. Once you have researched via computer, or found your way to an unfamiliar area with a gps, doing it the old way is never as easy or as foolproof as it once was. These days, when you loose your phone or even have little reception, you worry; your pulse races, your palms sweat, and you perspire.This is not good. Something that used to make our lives easier now makes our lives harder. Most of us don’t even know how to use a map or to mail a letter anymore. The library, what’s that? If you go to a library, it’s probably to use the internet, not to read a book. The computer is a wonderful invention if you like moving fast. We can do everything a com puter can, except it takes us much longer. Wall Street is a big blue and green blur of humming computers and screens, it almost seems to have a life of its own, it’s like an urban jungle.If that system crashes, our economy falls to the ground in flames as well. Books are written in months instead of years. School becomes a mad thrash to get everything typed, created, or turned in on time. What happened to good old paper and calculators? Calculators are a hot issue in my opinion. While they are wonderful little contraptions, our dependency on calculators is worrying. When I walk through that door into the calc room, my grade rests in the hands of a small shiny piece of blue plastic dotted with smooth yellow buttons and stuffed with four triple-A batteries.Compare me to a crack addict, honestly; without my Texas instruments calculator I’m as good as dead. Gps’s are amazing little gadgets. About the size of a slice of bread, they help you find your way like a perso nal tour guide perched on your dashboard. Maps might as well be carved in stone; they’re old news. Does a map tell you where the nearest taco bell is? Does it recalculate when you miss a turn? Unfortunately, no — Gps’s are a godsend for the directionally challenged. The subtle, warm feeling of accomplishment you get when you find your way around with a crumpled up paper map is likely gone for good, it’s a shame.Survival of the fittest, I guess. But when you run out of batteries, or your gps breaks; good luck finding your way. They are as addicting as anything else humankind has created. As I was browsing for a topic for my illustrative essay, something funny happened. I clicked my merry little way to Google. And within minutes, I had a topic, quite ironically, about dependency on computers. My initial thought on what to write about did not come about by careful thought and planning, it came about through Google and my horrid dependency on computers.Depend ency on computers is unavoidable, unless you are Amish or a member of a tribe deep within the jungle. Computers have allowed us the monumental achievement of space travel, the wonder of deep sea submersibles, and the deadliness of heat seeking missiles. No doubt, great achievements not possible without computers. But for everyday activities like finding your way, doing mental math, or writing a paper, computers are a shortcut, they make life easier. We need to learn to do things with and without a computer. For example, I know many people who cannot do mental math to save their lives.At this point, technology is really part of us. Instead of having that knowledge of simple math to rely on, we build upon the base that calculators provide instead. More advanced math is not possible without that technology, though honestly we should be able to do it either way. Through this it’s much easier to screw things up; once you have become used to listening to music anywhere, anytime, th rough your ipod, it’s a downer to not have music. If your ipod breaks, it’s almost like quitting smoking. You MUST buy a new one, you can’t just stop listening.Cell phones are an utmost convenience. Nary a child or senior citizen lacks one, and they do everything from email to texting to taking pictures. How long until they come equipped with electric toothbrushes? If you’ve ever been in an accident or had car trouble, that cell phone is your lifeline, and there is no alternative. You cannot mail someone; and pay phones are nearly nonexistent. Without your phone, you get the jitters, you feel unsafe, and out of it. It happens to me on those days where I forget and leave it at home – I know 95% of the population is the same way.So obviously technology had done much good. Our quality of living has gone up substantially. But at the same time being perched up her in this greatly advanced society, on top of stacks of microchips and USB ports, it’ s a lot easier to lose our footing and tumble back to earth. At some point, the infrastructure will crumble; everything needs an overhaul sooner or later. We would live in much more stable times if it were not for computers. On the same note, we would live in a much slower, less equipped world. Is his a good trade off? It depends on your outlook and opinion. There is no doubt technology can crash and burn, and there is no doubt that technology has simplified out lives. Hopefully we can stabilize it before something drastic happens and we are left moving at 1889 speed. Thus technology has made it a whole lot easier to do most things – and much easier to mess them up – a double-edged sword| Computer addiction  is a mental illness which causes the excessive use of  computers  to the extent that it interferes with daily life.Excessive use may explain problems in social interaction, mood, personality, work ethic, relationships, thought processes, or  sleep deprivati on. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not include a diagnosis for such a disease. The term ? computer addiction? originated long before the Internet. Some people develop bad habits in their computer use that cause them significant problems in their lives. The types of behavior and negative consequences are similar to those of known addictive disorders.Contents  Ã‚  [hide]   * 1  Effects * 2  Origin of the term * 3  History * 4  See also * 5  References| ————————————————- [edit]Effects Excessive computer use may result in, or occur with: * Lack of social interaction. * Using the computer for pleasure, gratification, or relief from stress. * Feeling irritable and out of control or depressed when not using it. * Spending increasing amounts of time and money on hardware, software, magazines, and computer-related activities. Neglecting work, school, or family obligations. * Lying about the amount of time spent on computer activities. * Risking loss of career goals, educational objectives, and personal relationships. * Failing at repeated efforts to control computer use. * Never getting off the computer. A cause for many of the above-mentioned effects may be that computer games do not stimulate the release of neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of satisfaction and relaxation, such as oxytocin and endorphin, in the same way that real world activities do.

Study on the Financial Management for Small Business

Financial Management for the Small Business B. The â€Å"Thirteen Steps† to acquiring a business B. Beginning the search-who can help? 2. Choosing the method that is best for your situation 3. Some different methods of valuing a business VI. The rewards of working for yourself The decision to purchase a business of your own is not an easy task. There are many things to consider before the final decision is made. First of all, exactly what do you want to accomplish? To make millions of dollars, right? Or is it to have the freedom of being your own boss? Whatever the reason, you must be sure that it is something that you are ready to devote an exorbitant amount of time and energy into and that it is something that you really want. Otherwise, you might be stuck doing something that you hate. If you are ready to commit then you must ask yourself just how far will that commitment extend. How much of your own time, energy, and money are you willing to sacrifice? After the decision is made, the acquisition of a small business can be summed-up into nine steps, in which most will be elaborated upon later. â€Å"These are the nine steps to any business acquisition, regardless of its size or industry: 1. The search, locating a business available for sale. 2. Identifying alternative candidates. 9. Managing the transition period.† (Tuller, 10) Some considerations that cannot be avoided when purchasing a small business include: the question of needing a partner, the current economic factors, considering alternate locations, and developing a tax strategy. When debating whether or not a partner is needed or wanted, you need to know if you're going to need additional equity as well as sharing the risk of failure. For these reasons, a partnership seems to be a great idea, but there are also many cons that should be recognized. Having too many partners can alter the ease of decision-making, shared liability can cause obvious problems, and sharing profits means less for you. Added to this, getting out of a partnership can be very difficult. Evaluating the current economic factors simply means to know what you are getting into. Be sure to have some knowledge about the business itself and it's market. Know how to make and sell the product efficiently and in a service industry, be sure to know the current and correct way things are done-sometimes they are not one in the same. Location is key. â€Å"Location of the target can be a major determinate in both the financing of the deal and probable success in managing the business after closing†¦There's no sense spending time, effort, and money on a target located in the wrong place.† (Tuller, 12) Along with this, the personal strife of having to travel a great distance to get to work can be very frustrating. So, be sure that the location of your potential business is profitable in every way. One the greatest minds of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, once said, â€Å"tax is the most difficult thing in the world to understand†. Unfortunately, with the ever-changing laws, that problem gets worse every year. This means that you should have knowledge of the current tax laws. â€Å"‘You will have a unique opportunity to make decisions on exactly how much money will change hands, and how I will allocated on the payment schedule.†(Smorgenburg, 112) Maximizing profit for both you and the seller can only be done through proper knowledge of tax law, if you are not comfortable handling this alone, a consultant might not bad a bad idea. After all of the above is settled, the next thing to figure is the amount of initial income is required. Not only the income required to purchase the entity (which will be elaborated upon later), but also the amount of money that you need to survive for the years to come. â€Å"If you need $100,000, then don't look at smaller companies which can only yield $30,000.† (Tuller, 23) â€Å"The following 13 steps will help to locate a target and close the deal in the shortest possible time-and when buying a company, time is money. 2. Prepare a reasonable Acquisition Plan. 3. Review current tax laws for structuring the deal. 4. Develop a detailed plan for sourcing potential targets. 5. Perform a preliminary due diligence investigation. 6. Negotiate a price and terms based on a realistic valuation. 7. Perform a thorough due diligence investigation. 8. Prepare a complete business plan. 9. Develop sources for at least three alternative financing structures. 10. Arrange for the final updated due diligence investigation. 11. Write the Buy/Sell Agreement and negotiate the final contract language. 12. Plan how you will operate the company after closing. Yet another crucial instrument in the purchase of any business is the Acquisition Plan. This document lists every step and detail leading to the closing of the deal. Starting with the industry survey, it lists the start date, the finish date, and the cost of each of these processes. Following the survey is the target search, then on to the due diligence investigations. The importance of this plan revolves around the organization of a solid purchase. With this, you are able to enact the purchase at the right moment for you, this time being a buyer's market. If you need to wait out the bear market, you can do it much easier with everything laid out in front of you. Hence, the Acquisition Plan does the job. All of the above steps and considerations are a waste if you are unable to find a business for sale. The difficulty of finding the type of business that you will purchase is put to ease through an M & A consultant, accountant, or simply browsing the Wall Street Journal. A smaller gas station or party store-type business can usually be found in the local paper. On the other hand, if you are looking for a larger company, an M & A consultant may be pricey (2-15,000 dollars for a retainer), but this is probably the best way to go. Be sure to ask the consultant many questions regarding his or her creditability. For instance, get a list of references and ask about the number of deals he closed in the past 12 months. Negotiating a purchase price involves a thorough valuation of the projected purchase. Evaluation of a business is essential because you need to know what you are paying for and how much you should pay. † If you are a buyer, your valuation will also be helpful to you when you meet with lenders, so that you can help justify the mount you are asking to borrow. For this purpose alone, however, a valuation is not generally worth the effort.† (Horn, 20) There are many different methods that you can use to properly determine the value of the entity. The most common methods are as follows: the Ability-To-Pay Method, this method is used in almost all buy/sell cases. It makes clear whether the acquisition can pay for itself out of its own cash flow. The Discounted Cash Flow Method is most often used when the company is going to be purchased as an investment and held for a limited number of years. It is also used in high-risk situations, such as highly leveraged deals that have more of a proportion of debt than usual. The third method is the Excess Earnings Method, used to value any profitable company. The Excess Earnings method â€Å"assumes that a business is worth the market value of its tangible assets, plus a premium for ‘goodwill' if the earnings are high enough.†(Horn, 51) Another area that must be calculated is goodwill. â€Å"Goodwill is not an operating cost and cannot be depreciated. It does not provide you with tax relief†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Smorenburg, 114) Since there is no record of the worth of goodwill, it can be fairly difficult to determine an accurate buying price. Usually the seller will set the price based on their knowledge of the company. The set price, however, should be reasonable. Negotiations can be made to produce an agreeable price. The next step is to set a purchase price. â€Å"There is no right or wrong way to value a business. Each company has different characteristics†¦ Obviously, the seller will argue that the net asset value method is right because that's what he invested in the business.†(Tuller, 103) You should consider all factors in the P/E/ ratios, liquidation value, net asset value, and historic and projected cash flow. After analyzing these aspects of the business, you should be able to determine a fair price for the entity. â€Å"The letter of intent is a document that aims to formalize the terms around which a later negotiation will revolve. As such, the letter is primarily a tentative offer that remains subject to further negotiations and confirmation of material facts through a process of due diligence†¦By offering a letter of intent, you tangibly solidify your resolve and thereby make the seller understand that you are a serious buyer.†(Smorenburg, 126) The letter of intent covers the precise terms of the deal, the payment details, and management and other issues involving the transfer. You need to give your accountant and lawyer a draft of the letter for review. This way, you are protected from any loopholes that can harm you. It proves that you are a serious buyer and entices the seller to more openly discuss sensitive aspects of the business. The letter is a written contract that can be legally cancelled at any time without the consent of the other party, so be sure that you and the seller are in agreement. Once everything is settled and you and the seller are in agreement to the term of the letter of intent, the next task you face is finding the initial capital. Using other people's money to finance a purchase is a key ingredient if business success. Financing falls into two separate categories: debt and equity. Debt financing is the most elementary of the two. It is basically taking a loan from a lender and paying it back with interest. It is reliant on the business or individual's ability to pay the loan off. Usually, collateral will be made available to the source of the loan in the case that you cannot continue to make payments. A good credit history and reputation is another aspect that financing is reliant upon. With these, a loan is much easier to get. â€Å"Equity financing means obtaining funds in exchange for selling or giving up a part of interest in the business. Equity financing is not a loan; rather, it is the sale of a part of you business.†(Fallek, 82) The popularity of equity financing has increased in the high tech industries in the past few years. However, selling a part of your newly purchased business may not be your cup of tea, so choose your type of financing wisely. Some traditional sources of capital include yourself, family and friends, commercial banks, loan companies, insurance companies, credit unions and private investors. The old saying, â€Å"don't mix business with pleasure† is applicable when dealing with family and friends. Taking a loan from these sources can cause turmoil if the loan cannot be paid back. Banks are the standard for business lending. â€Å"The amount they charge is based on two factors: the size and history of the customer and the risk the bank will take in providing the loan.†(Fallek, 85) If you are able to decrease the bank's risk and have a standing credit line, you will get the most out of your loan. The other types of traditional lenders are less frequently used, but are also good sources of capital. â€Å"Nontraditional money sources are unlimited in number and type, but you need to be creative to acquire the necessary funds from them.†(Fallek, 89) These sources include customers, suppliers, leasing companies, local development companies, and advertising for money. Customers or potential customers are often great sources of funding, as well as suppliers. Suppliers will furnish you with the necessary equipment and product. Leasing companies and local development companies are also good nontraditional sources of capital. â€Å"You can actively seek funding by running a display advertisement in the business section under the appropriate heading in the classified ads of your local newspaper. Specify the amount of money needed and the type of business for which it will be used.†(Fallek, 91) Yet another source for funding might be through the Small Business Administration. They offer different types of loan programs to small businesses. The SBA Guaranteed Loan Program grants a loan on the basis that the individual needs more time than allotted by other lenders to pay back the loan, has insufficient credit, or lack business experience. â€Å"There are no restrictions as to the number of SBA loans a company or individual may have, as long as the SBA's exposure does not exceed $750,000.†(Fallek, 96) The final step in acquisition of a business is the closing. You will need a lawyer if you don't currently have one. The search for the right lawyer requires certain questions to be answered. For instance, you want to find out the lawyer's hourly rates, experience, availability, if there is any conflict of interest between the lawyer and the seller, and any other applicable questions. The best way to find a lawyer is word of mouth, ask friends and family for references. When a lawyer is located, you must then begin the audit review. â€Å"Even thought most buyers work with their local CPA in preparing the business plan and counsel with him on tax matters relative to the acquisition, the audit review should be preformed by an independent CPA firm in the same city as the target company; preferably on of the ‘Big-5' firms†¦ The audit review consists of a comprehensive look at business since the last audit with particular emphasis on determining the adequacy of internal controls and internal reports.†(Tuller, 192) Be sure to take this step, it examines all aspects of the business and insures that it is a safe investment. After this is complete, it's time to close the deal. The documents generally needed for proper closure are: a buy/sell agreement, an earn out agreement, a promissory note terms and conditions agreement, title search and title insurance, lease agreements, employment contracts, personal guarantees, and an equity agreement with the lender. These documents are dealt with and an announcement should be made to the employees, customers, and vendors of the change in ownership. â€Å"There is a mood of anticipation, of excitement, and even-if the truth be know-of fear. Of all the events which take place in the business world, nothing can match an acquisition closing for pure excitement and thrill.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(Tuller, 203) the actual signing of the transfer documents will not usually take more than an hour. The key is not to worry about what you are signing, that's what your lawyer is for. After all the money spent, the time devoted and the effort put forth, the business is finally yours. Running your own business can be very rewarding. You don't have anyone to answer to besides the government. You are in complete control. Along with this the ability to write off certain expenses is enough of a reward in itself. The effort you put forth is completely up to you. The life and death of the business is in your hands.

Abortion Should Be Legal

Abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy by removing the fetus from the mother's uterus and should only be carried out by trained medical personnel. Abortion was introduced at a very early age in society. I believe people should choose their own path and their own future, right down to abortions. I believe in choice. Pro-choice. People's lives and rights should not be interfered by the opinion of another. There are certain rights given to a person which cannot be removed or changed.This gives the choice-maker the right to live with his/her own decision without the guilt or disturbance of a third party. Live your own lives. A body belongs to one soul, giving one soul the rules and rights over it. People tend to forget that. As in an economy, when something is in demand, legal or not, people will sell and buy it. But what about those people who feel guilt over something that shouldn't pressure them? May it be abortion or not. Most people would like to live under the choices the y make without the world pushing them over or religions battering them with stones.With the evolving moral standards of society, abortions are becoming more and more justified. Abortions, the practice of removing a fertilized egg from a mother has become a controversial issue in American society, but should be generally supported because there are circumstances where the mother to be is unable to sustain a pregnancy safely. Young low income women and or girls who become mothers have grim prospects for the future and in the case of rape or incest, forcing a woman made pregnant by this violent act would cause further psychological harm to the victim.In, â€Å"The Cost of Choice†, the National Abortion Federation (NAF) and Planned Parenthood, among other pro-abortion advocacy groups and organizations, have formulated and published standards and guidelines for affiliated clinics and physicians. In fact, Planned Parenthood clinics, with few exceptions, must adhere to the operation al standards and protocols mandated by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. State legislatures have obtained copies of these standards and protocols and have used them to formulate minimum health and safety standards for abortion care. Encounter Books, 2004. p 128. ) Those who are against legalizing abortion/pro-life believe that a fetus is a person and should be granted life just as every other living being on this earth. Imagine a mother and child falling into dangerous river rapids and a family member or bystander must decide who to save. It's a terrible decision that must be made. Regardless of the decision, one life will be lost and one saved. This situation differs so fundamentally from abortion on demand, which is to kill the unborn baby for convenience, as opposed to choosing which life will be saved.Pro-life activist / believers think that abortion is murder, and that life begins at conception. â€Å"In biology and in medicine, it is an accepted fact that the life of any individual organism reproducing by sexual reproduction begins at conception (fertilization). † â€Å"By all the criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception. † â€Å"Human life begins at the time of conception. † â€Å"Human life begins when after the ovum is fertilized the new combined cell mass begins to divide. â€Å"The beginning of a single human life is from a biological point of view a simple and straightforward matter – the beginning is conception. †(Boonin, 2002, p. 21) Pro-choice believer think that Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes the same result, however statistics show that most women who carry a child do not give their child up for adoption. They might also believe that, an abortion can result in medical complications later in life; the risk of ectopic pregnancies double.Abortion for medical reasons where the mother's life is in jeopardy that should be left to the discretion of the mother, family, and doctor. It's true, the mother and the unborn baby are still two separate individuals/entities, but under these difficult circumstances, it's truly a personal decision for those directly involved. Abortion in cases of rape and/or incest should be treated the same as abortion for medical reasons. It should be up to the victim of the rape or incest what she wants to do in this rare and terrible situation.Some countries now with moderately restrictive laws permit abortions to protect a women's health, to end pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, to avoid genetic or other defects, or in response to social problems such as unmarried status or low income. Rape one of the top reasons why I believe that a woman should be able to have an abortion. Rape is the act of sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent or with a minor. Having a child resulting from the mother being rape causes many metal problems for the mother as the birth of the child could be a remembrance of what happen.Incest is sexual intercourse between people who are of blood relations this is one of the reasons why abortion should be legal. It is believed that 50% of all incest cases happen to children fewer than 17 years of age. It has also been stated that children who are conceived by incest are more likely to the possibly leading to mental retardation Birth defects are any abnormalities in the structure or function of the fetus. About twenty percent or more of malformed fetuses are aborted; the rest results in a newborn baby with a birth defect.Each type of birth defect is rare . All live births can cause increased percent of infant deaths in the period immediately after birth. Low income is when people have little or no money coming into the home. To care for a child is very expensive you need to buy pampers, milk, formula's, clothes, powder, cream, soap, towels, cribs and if u are working u need to pay for ah baby sitter. It takes an average o f $15000 a year to care of a child. There are now 1. 3 million surgical abortions per year in the United States. 0 The Alan Guttmacher Institute (the research arm of Planned Parenthood) reports that women have abortions for two primary reasons: lack of financial resources and lack of emotional support. .(Encounter Books, 2004. p 198. ) One needs to take into consideration the developmental stages of the fetal life span. Most abortions occur soon after the confirmation of pregnancy, (usually prior to 12 weeks gestation. ) The first twelve weeks is known as the first trimester or the embryonic phase. At this time the fetus is about 3-3. inches long having a weight of 15-20 grams. The neurological system is primitive at best, demonstrating only vague swimming motions. In the late 1880’s, The American Medical Association led the fight to criminalize all abortions. The campaign was a total success, with every state outlawing abortion. However, criminal prohibition did not stop wom en from obtaining illegal abortions, which sometimes resulted in severe medical problems. (Abortion, 2002, para. 8) I think this would cause more harm than good to make abortion illegal.Every woman should have the right to make that decision without the government getting involved. I do not recommend abortion as a birth-control method of choice. I merely state that it is a fact the most important single method of birth-control in the world today, and to cut down on population growth we should make abortion easy and safe while we continue to develop other and more â€Å"satisfactory† methods of family limitation. In addition to the 5 million women in the U. S. without access to birth-control for whom abortion would seem a mater of right when they want t, there are the uncounted thousands who after conception suffer some diseases of discover some defect which makes the birth of a live healthy baby unlikely, and the many, too, whose contraceptive methods occasionally do not work . Today abortion under modern hospital conditions is safer than childbirth. Instead of making abortion more difficult and dangerous for women, lawmakers should promote policies that reduce the need for abortion. Almost 50 percent of all pregnancies in this country are unintended, including over 30 percent within marriage.And over half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion. In the Roe vs. Wade the Supreme Court ruled that a woman was allowed by the Constitution's 14th Amendment to receive an abortion before the first trimester. It now appeared that the pro-choice advocates had won the political tug-o-war at last. However, violence continues between the two groups as the animosity and resentment has grown to new heights. The most important part of reproductive rights is the principle that a woman has the right to decide whether and when to have a child.Religious beliefs, politics, incident of pregnancy, support, economy, long term consequences, such as regrets and depression, being able to take responsibility, and health issues are major factors that must be taken in consideration before resulting to abortion. For any pregnant woman, making a decision to abort her child is painful and ruthless, but under certain situation such as rape, young age and financial reasons, a woman should have the right to choose to terminate her pregnancy if she chooses to do so by aborting her unborn child.

HUM112 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HUM112 - Essay Example What he is basically doing here is to avoid prior philosophical prejudices and embark on his journey with something fresh. It is the accumulation of his thought process that he summarizes the direction he takes as ‘I am thinking, therefore I exist’. He cannot doubt this knowledge which makes it easy for him to vouch for this fact. So the direction of his thoughts is built on ‘clear and distinct perception’; headed in a direction towards things that are purely impossible to doubt. This is when I was sure that the ending would be very different from the way that the reading had begun. And I was correct in the way the surprise ending was Descartes ends up confirming that God formulates the truth of apparent and distinct perceptions. 2) Since you were expecting a different ending, evaluate how successful the author was in convincing you to accept the validity of the â€Å"surprise ending† that was not clearly suggested at the beginning. Well while I appre ciate the interesting conclusion that the reading takes there are certain points that lead me to think that the evidence and argument that Descartes has put up to validate God are neither original nor very satisfying.

Hovey and Beard Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hovey and Beard Company - Case Study Example The Hovey and Beard Company Case presents us with a job design of a painting process which demonstrates errors in the design of the job by engineers which resulted into inevitable problems at work (John, Robert and Michael, 2010). The fact that the hooks were designed to move in a continuous array in front of the painters without a method of regulating them indicates problems with job design. However it can be argued that the calculation of the time that each painter was given before the hook would fall out of reach shows that the engineers were aimed at ensuring that the job was designed well to meet the demands of the job. In this scenario, trainee painters are expected to make more errors especially with the timing of the hooks and thus decreasing their productivity. The reinforcement theory is used within the Hovey and Beard Company Case as illustrated by the training bonus that the trainee painters are given. The aim of this bonus is to enable the trainee to meet the gap in prod uctivity which would result from lack of skills and experience in the job. The job was designed in a way that the trainees were expected to be skills at the end of six months when the training bonus was withdrawn (John, Robert and Michael, 2010). The contribution of the reinforcement theory to job performance is to motivate employees to improve their performance in the job. In the Hovey and Beard Company Case, the training bonus was reduced gradually as a way of reinforcing the motivation of the painters to improve their performance so that by the end of the six months they were able to perform normally without mistakes and thus enable the efficiency of the job to be enhanced. The problems that were observed in the second month of the training in the Hovey and Beard Case can be attributed to poor reinforcement and thus less motivation by the supervisors. The job design would have been wrong leading to many of the hooks falling out of the range of the painter (John, Robert and Michae l, 2010). However, it can be argued that the engineers increased the rate at which the hooks moved because they expected the efficiency of the painters to have improved by the second month. The complaints of the painters that the hooks were too fast would also demonstrate that the supervisors expected unrealistic improvement of performance by the painters in the second month. Question 2 The performance diagnosis model is a tool that is used to define problems that result in the performance of tasks of a specific job. The diagnosis performance model aims at identifying the desired levels of employee performance in the execution of various processes of a job. Secondly, the model is important in the identification, specification and implementation of the most appropriate intervention of improving the employee performance so that the problems at the work place are solved with effectiveness (Stahl, 1997). In the Hovey and Beard Company case, some employees quit because of the high expect ations of performance which they would not cope with. The replacement of the employees with new ones caused even worse problems. This illustrates inappropriate application of the performance diagnostic model by the supervisors. The supervisors replaced the employees with new ones because they thought that it was the most appropriate intervention for the problem. Their failure in the application of the performance diagnostic tool is due to their inability to clearly identify the

If the research budget is limited, there is no need to conduct Essay

If the research budget is limited, there is no need to conduct marketing research - Essay Example This essay discusses that as marketing research is important in the successful promotion of the products/service of an organisation, it must be given due consideration. It is inevitable for an organization to allot a separate budget for marketing research. Undoubtedly, an organisation that desires to thrive in the field can never say excuse for having not enough funds. As far as an organisation is concerned, market research is conducted not only for learning purpose but also for flawless decision making process. It is on the basis of the information gathered through research an organization decides whether or not to make changes in the existing product line. To illustrate, a well conducted research would propose multiple options for introducing new product line or entering into new markets. Apart from obtaining new customers, more importance must be given for retaining the existing customers. Long term loyalty and relationship between the organisation and the customers are not just d eveloped on a single day. They are the result of strenuous efforts made by the organisation by closely understanding the needs and preferences of the customers. Moreover, the data collected through market research can help marketers to make decision on product quality or services expansion. It may result in introducing more innovative product or redesigning the marketing strategy. Similarly, the potential problems associated with launching a new product can also be identified through marketing research. If the probable difficulties are known in advance, firms can take steps to address them on time. The research conducted after a product launch will help the firm to determine further steps. According to Malhotra & Dash (2009, p.45), Marketing research helps an organisation to know the demographics and psychographics of customers. It reveals the number of persons who buy the products, why they buy, when they buy, the frequency of their buying, and the sources of their buying; and it a lso includes the social status and the regional location of the customers (ibid). As market research bring out information regarding age, sex, population, buying behavior, and location, firms can easily determine whether to change their market segments or business destinations to more favorable ones. In the absence of such a study, taking flawless decisions is unlikely. Marketing research is one of the best ways of knowing the strategies of competitors, their identity, marketing network, scale of focus and many more. It is important for a business firm to observe how its rivals carry out business as it evaluates its own progress or loss. By imitating the competitors on an equal scale, one can retaliate on the same manner as the competitors do. These actions would help the firm not only to improve the product quality but also to obtain prospective customers for the organisation. Marketing research can sometimes be used as an evaluation tool which may help in making comparative studie s so that the organization can track its own progress over a period of time. In addition, in some occasions marketing research helps to explore what went wrong. For example, Johnson & Johnson Company probed into the poisoning of their capsules

Analytical report of GUCCI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Analytical report of GUCCI - Essay Example Analytical report of GUCCI The company also offers products such as sportswear and purses. This company has distribution points and retail stores in all parts of the globe. It also has wholesale points where it sells its products. These include the departmental stores, duty-free boutiques, directly owned stores and franchise stores. Since its establishment, the company has continuously expanded to other markets in the world. It started with its first store in Florence and later to New York, and at present, the company has over 250 directly owned stores and 40 franchised stores. Notably, during its Gucci progress, the company acquired numerous companies. The acquired companies include Bottega Veneta, Sergio Rossi, and Yves Saint Laurent Gauche. Gucci is typified as of traditional craftsmanship; high fashion and Italian style and offers beautifully crafted voluptuous items with an intensive modern sensibility. Since the establishment of the company in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, the brand name has been the preferred c hoice of brand among astute men and women. Gucci typifies the outstanding goods made in Italy with their matchless and unique amalgamation of high craftsmanship, modern glamour and luxury. This company is committed to superiority and distinction and has dedicated employees who have enhanced the company’s legacy with a rigorous offering of analytically celebrated fashion collections and other lifestyle goods. Each of Gucci’s items is accompanied by a century’s worth of craftsmanship quality and exceptional design. Gucci has been in operation for 90 years now and prepares itself for 90 more years ahead. The company is dedicated to its function in the society, from philanthropy to sustainability. The company has progressively been involved in activities that seek to reduce its environmental effects and has been engaged in activities that promote women’s rights (Gucci, 2013). Gucci has encountered myriad transitions since its establishment as a luggage compan y. It primarily sold voluptuous leather items, and within a few years the company had become renowned among the international astute clientele. Gucci’s primary goal since this period has been to become the group leader in the opulence products market at a world-wide level and maintain the position. The company’s global presence was developed when the company first established a store in New York, United states in 1950’s. This made the company’s items attract the attention of many celebrities in the nation such as Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn. Notably, the company even went to the extent of naming one of its products, a bag, as â€Å"Jackie O† (Zargani & Luisa, 2006). Gucci’s goals also include coordinating a standard and global planning process, diminish global complexity from the diverse regions, and enhance system accuracy and lessen business risks. Gucci also aims to double its customer base from 500 million to almost on e billion by 2020. The organization has been targeting emergent markets and is on the pathway. It has done exceptionally well in India and China, where it has intensified its penetration through premium and mass brands. Additionally, Gucci upholds a sustainable development program that engrosses numerous environmentally accountable approaches and the

JOB STRESS, SATISFACTION AND INTENTION TO LEAVE AMONG NEW SAUDI NURSES Research Proposal

JOB STRESS, SATISFACTION AND INTENTION TO LEAVE AMONG NEW SAUDI NURSES - Research Proposal Example The author further associates stress with a positive effect on employee turnover rate. Aflab (2013, p. 12) explains possible factors to the association between workplace stress and both employee’s satisfaction and turnover. According to the author, stress increaser â€Å"safety and healthiness hazards† (12) whose effects include poor psychological health and increased susceptibility to injury and diseases. Cheng (2009, p. 11) supports the role of workplace stress in increasing employee turnover rate and introduces an interaction effect between stress and employee satisfaction to in influencing turnover rate. With reference to the role of organizational change on employees, the author argues that employees’ values influence their stress on job. Stress and job satisfaction then affect each other before they, each, influence employee turnover rate. Empirical studies shows existence of many factors to job stress, job satisfaction, and employees’ intention to leave their organizations, observations that could be indicative of the environment in the nursing profession. A study that aimed at investigating relationship between job stress and depressive symptoms among nurses in Korea established significance of job stress that translates to the symptoms. The symptoms further relates to some work environment factors such as job security and absence of reward. These imply significance of pleasure at work on employees stress that the depressive symptoms can detect (Yoon and Kim 2013, p. 171- 173). Vijay and Vazirani (2012, p. 48- 50) also explains significance of job stress in the nursing environment. Based on empirical results from a study on causes and moderators of stress, the authors note that job environment such as dealing with difficult associates of patients, poor remuneration, and challenges in interpersonal relations i nfluences level of stress in nurses. The level of stress

English Paper Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

English Paper Final - Essay Example A Marxist society is always in a process of being created, and this occurs through communication and negotiation (Giddens et al, 2003). When the family breaks down, these important functions no longer occur. Social order becomes confused either because they were never understood to begin with under the functionalist perspective or because there is no communication or negotiation under the Marxist perspective. This sort of breakdown can be discovered in many recent examinations of American family life such as that included in Katie Arnoldi’s fictional novel The Wentworths. As is shown in The Wentworths, for reasons of pride or competition, today’s society typically allows for little real connection between family members which makes it difficult for us to truly communicate with one another. Katie Arnoldi’s book tells the story of a small family in Southern California struggling to overcome the division and dissension of the postmodern lifestyle. Although the family is not the worst family to be found anywhere, it is highly dysfunctional. The Wentworth family consists of August Wentworth, who is an aging man who has always been something of a playboy and is only just beginning to recognize that this lifestyle is no longer fulfilling. August is married to Judith, who has become obsessed with keeping her body looking like a 20-year-old despite the fact that she has three children already well past that age and with keeping everything exactly the same. At one point in the book, her entire day is destroyed because of a missing pair of silver serving tongs that are not where they belong. August and Judith have three adult children. The oldest is Conrad, who remains single and is a high-powered lawyer in L.A. He also is sexually deviant, engaging in masochistic activit ies and consistently choosing to sleep with women who resemble his mother. Becky is the

The NGO Activism via Official Website, a Case Study of WWF, Save the Dissertation

The NGO Activism via Official Website, a Case Study of WWF, Save the Children, and Greenpeace - Dissertation Example Greenpeace†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.48 4.4. Use of Web Technology by WWF, Save the Children, and Greenpeace: A Comparative Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.51 4.5. Brief Overview on Other NGOs using the Internet Technology†¦...53 4.6. An Overall Analytical View†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..56 5. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.60 6. References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.63 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am thankful to all m y faculty members, colleagues and institution for giving me an opportunity to study the use of the web technology and the significance of the official websites of the three selected NGOs- WWF, Save the Children, and Greenpeace. I am also especially thankful to my supervisor, _______ ________ for the timely advice, feedbacks and tips which aided me in improving upon my work and remain punctual in the agreed scheduled deliveries of dissertation chapters. ABSTRACT The use of web technology has overcome serious difficulties in the modern business world and the manner in which organizations tend to market their products or services. The present study focuses on the use of the official websites by the non-governmental organizations in reaching out to common masses of people, marketing their activities and trying to get them involved in their activities. The focus is primarily on three NGOs- World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Save the Children, and Greenpeace. A detailed study and analysis on the contents of the official websites of these three NGOs have clearly revealed the importance of the web technology in the enhanced performances of the... The modern times can be called the age of the Internet. More and more uses of the internet can now be found to influence the activities of different organizations and their marketing processes in the business world. This includes the activities of the NGOs as well. In the present times, NGOs are involved in virtual activism, where the digital media of the NGO websites are given credentials for helping and training people. Moreover, any positive change which results in the betterment of society is embraced by the population of the world as a whole. The goal is reached only â€Å"Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection† (Tagore, 1996, p. 27). When this proactive approach is adopted via the website of any NGO; people of the society respond to it positively, and support the causes. The vital consideration is whether the NGOs are using the Internet facility with ingenuity to augment their success. The use of websites can be realized to be in use since a long time. However, the use has been made effective in the recent times when the users of the web technology have realized that with internet they could enhance their activities and gain more profits and success. Thus in the recent times, every business organization might be observed having their own website. This is primarily because the world has now become more competitive and every organization tends to focus on factors that might put them into a higher position among the population of the world.

The 8 Cross - Cultural Curative Factors Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The 8 Cross - Cultural Curative Factors - Article Example The client will share the personal emotions faced due to negative self-thought, making it easier for the social worker to co-operate. The next step of â€Å"mastering† will involve the social worker changing the client’s perception of self by giving authentic examples of the client’s worth. This would mean the self-image of the client will change with the discussions. Lastly, â€Å"honoring† as the client will slowly accept his/her self-worth and feel good about it. The client will recognize the fallacy of negative self-worth and change towards positivity, eventually becoming productive and confident. In the case of Chicano clients, as they place special emphasis on familial bonding, the mastering and honoring step will involve the family making the client realize his/her worth. Since family holds unequaled importance, such words of appreciation will have a profound impact on the client, readily healing him/her from negative self-thought. If the motive of the social worker is grassroots organizing, the â€Å"hold† and â€Å"tell† stages of the intervention will be same. However, â€Å"mastering† would involve, along with perception changing discussions, the client’s interactions with like-minded individuals who have improved. â€Å"Honoring† would involve the client working with these groups to promote positivity. The client will be influenced by these groups, thereby not only achieving personal betterment, but also promoting such betterment. Also, as Chicano clients generally possess respect for spirituality and folk people, these groups promoting positivity should likely include religious priests and shamans (primitive natural healers). The inclusion of these people will not only make the group more effective, but also attract the Chicano clients to join and work with them in close

Operating Systems Essay Example for Free

Operating Systems Essay Interfaces that are graphical in nature are known either as Graphical User Interfaces(GUI) or WIMP interfaces (Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointer). Typically, these types of interfaces are available in multi-programming environments or in applications software that involve a considerable degree of complexity. In a GUI, there are: A window for each open application. Many windows can be open at the same time but only one window can be active at any one time. There may be some way of indicating which one is active (perhaps by making the bar at the top of the active window blue). Menus and icons. Available functions can be selected in one of two ways, either by using pop-up menus or drop-down menus, or clicking on icons. An icon is simply a small picture that represents a specific function- clicking on it selects that function.   A pointing device, usually a mouse but in certain circumstances a graphical tablet and pen can be used. These are used to make selections.   The use of the keyboard to navigate through the application is minimized because it is relatively time-consuming way of working.   Natural language. Natural language interfaces are those that allow the user to communicate in their native language, such as English. It allows the user to instruct the computer without need for a particular syntax. The system needs to be able both to interpret inputs in natural language from the user, and to act upon them, and, also preferably to generate natural language statements in response to user input. Sometimes it is also referred as a conversational interface. The questions are displayed on the VDU and the answers are entered via the keyboard. For example, imagine a user has initiated a save file request. The conversation might be: COMP:Whats the file name? USER: chapter1. txt COMP:what folder? USER: userguide COMP:File already exists. Overwrite? USER:Yes COMP: Done. This kind of interface can be found on data entry terminals and other types of dumb terminals connected to a network where non-experts users are guided through the complex tasks they need to perform by the computer.   Command line Command based interface is one where the user types a series of commands at the keyboard which tell the computer what their intentions are. It is also known as linguistic manipulation. The characteristics of a command based interface are   the user needs to know what commands are available   the user needs to understand the commands Characteristics of a command based interface 1) The system is very much more open than in the other types of interface. Other interfaces restrict the options that the user has available to them. This can be particularly important for the system manager because different users can only be allowed to have access to specific parts of the system. 2) Command based interfaces can only be used by computer literate people because the user need to understand the commands and their uses. 1. Define what is meant by the term operating system. (2) 2. Give two reasons why an operating system is likely to be stored on backing storage rather than in the memory of the computer. (2) 3. Distinguish between a multi-programming and a multi-access operating system. (2) 4. State what is meant by a distributed system, and give an advantage of this type of multi-access system over a simple network of machines. (2) 5. A computer operator takes phone calls from the public who ring up asking whether a particular item in a catalogue is available. The operator needs to type in a series of responses to questions put to the caller, so that the computer can check the file and determine whether there are any of that item available. Design a screen interface that would be suitable for the operator to use. (4) 6. The technician responsible for maintaining the system in question 5, uses a command line interface. a) Explain what is meant by a command line interface. (2) b) Give two advantages and one disadvantage to the technician of using a command line interface rather than a menu based interface. (3) Answers: 1 A. -A (suite of) programs-which run the basic functions of the computer -giving an environment in which to run application software. A question which begins with the word define, leaves very little room for manoeuvre because it is asking for a standard answer. This is not an opportunity to show your prowess by making up an answer that is original- there arent any. Note, also, the fact that three answers have been given. Always try to give one more answer than seems to be required by the question. If you look at a mark scheme for an examination paper, the mark points are listed as a set of bullet points so there is no reason why you should not do the same. This style of answer helps you to write down your thoughts easily without getting confused by the language. The purpose of this examination is not to test your ability with English, rather to test your knowledge of computing. 2 A. A full operating system requires a large amount of storage space that is better utilised in the computer memory for applications Storage of the operating system on backing storage allows for easy upgrading or changing from one system to a different one. Note that the temptation to call the operating system the O. S. has been resisted in the answer. In general, do not use abbreviations in your answers. There are exceptions, where the abbreviation is the accepted form, but your own versions may be ambiguous or, even, not understood by the examiner. If you do need to use an abbreviation, because the term is to be used a number of times, give the term in full with the abbreviation that you want to use in brackets after it. For example, the first time that you use the term operating system write operating system (OS) you can then use OS as often as you like in the rest of your answer. 3. A. A multi-programming operating system is one where the user of the machine is given the impression that they can carry out more than one task at a time. A multi-access operating system is one where it is possible for more than one user to access the system apparently at the same time. Note that there are a large number of points that could have been made about both of these operating systems, but most of them would not answer the question. It is important when answering a question starting with distinguish to choose facts that show a comparison. 4 A. A distributed system is one which uses many storage locations on different machines to store software and files. Access to files can be speeded up because more than one file command can be carried out at a time. When an advantage is asked for it is normal to state in the question, either explicitly or implicitly, with what the comparison should be made. Be careful to give an advantage using this comparison and not a more generalised one. 5 A. Form type interface Catalogue number Space for the description of goods which will be filled in by the computer itself Spaces for computer to produce availability and price Laid out with spaces for input. What is just as important here are the things that would not be on the screen. The question makes it quite clear that there is no ordering going on, so spaces for name and address, or method of payment, are not only going to score no marks, but will probably be penalised because they demonstrate that the candidate has not understood the question. In this type of question it is important to demonstrate that you have taken the situation into account. 6 A. a)-Series of commands typed at a screen prompt -which give specific instructions to the computer. b)Advantages: -Entire system is available to the technician -Access to the particular part of the system required is gained more quickly than using other types of interface. Disadvantage: -The technician needs to know the commands that are available -The technician needs to understand the way the system is designed so that it can be navigated efficiently. Note. The language used in this answer is not the sort of language that a candidate will use in an examination. Dont worry about this. Answers like so that you can get around the system are perfectly acceptable. System Software James Leong Mook Seng.

Analysis Of The Cuban Missile Crisis History Essay

Analysis Of The Cuban Missile Crisis History Essay Introduction The Cuban Missile Crisis was an event occurred in October 1962 when the USA detected that the USSR had deployed medium range missiles in Cuba, which was ninety miles away from Florida. It was the period that the cold war reached its peak because of the possible confrontation between the two superpowers, the US and the USSR, at the time. The Cuban Missiles Crisis was a very important part of the world history because of the risk of nuclear war that could lead to the destruction of the world. Therefore, it is very fascinating to identify what happen before the crisis, the causes, the actual events in the crisis, and the impacts of the crisis (Rich 2003, 416-428). Prior to the Crisis The Cuban Revolution, began in 1956, was the outcome of extensive economic oppression of Cuba by the USA. During Batistas, the ruthless ruler of Cuba, regime, Cuba per capita income was twice greater than other countries in general. The Cuban economy was controlled by the USA, which owned 90% of Cubas telephone and electronic services, 50% of Cubas railway, and 40% of Cubas sugar production (Johnson 1965,p 443). Furthermore, the USA put a very strict controlled on Cuban sugar production. The USA also controlled Cuban import quota, divided lands in to estates, and forced the Cuban farmers to grow monoculture crop, which was sugar (Dye Sicotte 2011, p.674). These USAs investments in Cuba were massive. By the end of Batistas rule, Cuba had the highest investment from the USA than any other countries in Latin America at that time; thus, Cubas per capital income was the highest in Latin America (Johnson 1965, p. 445). However, the distribution of wealth was not equally distributed. The ma jority of people were illiterate, and the mortality rate was very high because the health care system was not extended to the poor in the rural areas, who remained in poverty (Mabry 2003). Furthermore, Batista was a corrupted dictator, and a pro western ruler. These political and economic oppressions from Batiste and the USA inspired Fidel Castro, the charismatic revolution leader, to revolt for reforms (Rich 2003, p. 417). Between 1956 to 1959, Fidel Castro, Ernesto Che Guevera, and his younger brother Rual used the tactic Guerilla warfare to fight against Batistas army at Mount Sierra Maestra in Cuba where he gained support from the local framers. The guerrilla warfare proved to be successful. On January 1959, Castro and his troops were able to overthrown Batista and his government. After the overthrown of Batista government, Fidel Castro set up a shadow government consisted of major Cuban political figures. Still, the majority of power was in the hand of Castro. When the shadow government failed to put forward his reforms, he dismissed them, and took control of the government as he appointed himself Cubas prime minister (Rich 2003, p 418). Two months after the victory of the Guerrilla force, Castro paid his first visit to the USA where his story was romanticized by the media. He was supposed to have a meeting with Eisenhower; however, the President refused to have a meeting with him, and went to the golf court. He was accommodated by Nixon, who was the vice president at that time. During the meeting, he refused to accept USA financial support because he believed that it would continue the USA influence in Cuba. After Castro visited the USA, the relation between the USA and Cuba began to decline (Rich 2003, 419). One month after the visit, Fidel Castro began his reforms. He nationalized Cuban lands, cattle ranch, bank, railroads, oil, and other utilities, which were once owned by the USA (Perez 2011, p. 230-231). On the other hands, the relation between the Cuba and the USSR had become more dynamic. In order to reach economic independency from the USA, Castro turned to the USSR for support. As a result, in 1960, Cuba trade with the USA declined to 0%; while, trade with the USSR increased to 43% (Leogrande Thomas 2002, p 325-363). The Bay of Pig Invasion The Bay of Pig Invasion, January 3, 1961, was the CIAs plan to overthrown Castro government by launching thousand of Cuban exiles on Cubas Bay of Pigs believing that only thousand of trained exiles would be able to overthrown Castro government. However, the mission was a total failure because the Cuban army was already waiting for the Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs. As a result, one hundred people were killed and thousands of people were taken as political prisoners. The Bay of Pigs invasion was the last Eisenhower administration plan, which took action during Kennedy presidency (Rich 2003,p. 420). There were several reasons for the causes of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. However, the main reason was the US insecurity of its decline in Latin America domination. The USA based their policy on Latin America policy accordingly to the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the USA must contain its influence in the Latin America (Perez 2011, P.233). In other words, the idea that the communist Cub a could influence other Latin America countries to transform their political systems to communism was intolerable for the USAs standard (Ferguson 1961, 288-290). Causes The Soviet Unions Hidden Agendas There were several reasons for the USSR to installed missile in Cuba. According to Khrushchev, his two main motives were to balance the missile gap between the USA and the USSR, and to prevent any further America invasion on Cuba (Cimbala 1999, p. 199). Khrushchev believed that the only way to prevent Cuba from the USA invasion was to install missiles in Cuba (Allyn et al 1989-1990, p.138). He believed that it would protect the Cuban national pride. Moreover, in 1959, the US installed Jupiter and Thor missiles, intermediate-range ballistic missiles, in Turkey, which pointed directly at the USSR. Furthermore, during the 50s and the 60s the US had advanced the USSR in terms of the arm race, therefore, Khrushchev decided to deploy missiles in Cuba as a mean to for the USSR to reach symmetry with the USA, which would provide him with negotiation power for the missile trade. He wanted to propose to US that the USSR would remove missiles from Cuba if the USA would remove missiles from Turk ey (Allyn, Blight Welch 1989-1990, p.139). His motive to reach symmetry in terms of arm race with the USA could be seen as a mean for the USSR to boost its nation prestige. If the USA could deploy missiles in Turkey and Italy, the USSR could also deploy missiles in Cuba, which was ninety miles away from the USA (ibid). Nevertheless, President John F. Kennedy already planned to remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey. (Berstein 1980, p. 120-121). Thus, there should be hidden agendas under Khrushchevs actions. According to many American scholars, the deployment of missiles in Cuba were Khrushchevs plans to test USA reaction for future war, to demonstrate the USSR nuclear superiority to the Soviet and Chinese governments, to persuade the USA that the arm race was useless, and to increase Khrushchev popularity at home and in the Communist bloc, so that he could have freedom to reduce USSR arm built (Cimbala 1999, p. 199). Cuban insecurity The main reason for Cuba agreement on the installation of missile with the USSR was its insecurity. After the Bay of Pig Invasion in 1961, the CIA planed many assassin plots on Fidel Castro. According to the BBC, the CIA and the Cuban exiles came up with more than 600 plots to assassinate him. The plots varied from poisoning, car bombs, to massive underwater explosion. The suspects involved in the plot varied from the mafias to one of Castros ex lovers (Campbell 2009, n.d.). One of the assassination plots that actually took place was a strafe in Havana hotel by Alpha 66, which killed several Cubans and Soviet technicians (Brenner 1990, p.121). On the same hand, the USA began a serious trade embargo against Cuba. If other countries trade with Cuba, they would not receive financial aids from the USA. The Cuban government viewed the USs policy as a mean to weakening the Castro government by weakening Cubas economy (Brenner 1990, p. 188). Moreover, the Cuban intelligent discovered that t he CIA planed another invasion on Cuba, Operation Mongoose, which would be more substantial than the previous invasion. In order for the Cuban government to protect Cuba sovereignty, they believed that they need military aids from the USSR (Brenner 1990, p. 189). Therefore, Castro decided to let the USSR installed missiles on their island. The Crisis and the Resolution In 1962, the USSR sent a cargo ship to Cuba. The ship carried sixty missiles with forty launchers, and 40,000 Soviet technicians for the deployment of middle range missiles in Cuba (Kozak 2009, p. 19). On October 14, the U-2, USA spy plane, spotted missiles in Cuba, which pointed directly to the US. The US intelligent informed the President on October 17 (Berstein 1980, p.9). After the President was informed, there was a meeting between President John F. Kennedy and the EXCOMM, the Committee of the national Security. Many plans were proposed during the meeting. One of the most obvious plans was the scheme to use air strike to remove missiles from Cuba. However, Robert Kennedy, John F. Kennedys younger brother, advised the President not to use air strike because there was no way to guarantee that the air strike could remove all of the missiles from Cuba. If the air strike could not remove all missiles from Cuba, it would give the Cubans time to deploy missiles against the USA. Similar ly to the air strike, any military strikes against the Cuban could lead the Cubans to deploy missiles against the USA. Therefore, President Kennedy and his advisors came up with the naval blockade method as a way to deal with the Cubans (Rich 2003, p. 422). On October 22 John F. Kennedy announced to the media that the Cubans had deployed missiles against the USA with the aid from the USSR. He informed the media of the quarantine, naval blockade, as a mean to bloc USSR ship that carried missile to Cuba, and if the USSR did not turn or stop its cargo ships from entering Cuba, there would be consequences (Weimasma, Larson 1997, p. 13). However, the USSRs cargo ships did not turn back, but its cargo ships did not break the USA quarantine. It seemed that the confrontation between the USSR and the US could happen anytime (Weimasma, Larson 1997, p. 13). Nevertheless, from October 22 to 28, President JFK and Chairman Khrushchev exchanged several letters. Kennedy received Khrushchevs second letter on October 26. The letter proposed that the USSR would remove missiles from Cuba if the USA removed the Jupiter missiles from Turkey and, and that JFK must make a promise in front of the public that the USA would never invade Cuba (Thinkquest Cuban m issile crisis: letters, 1997). On October 27, one day after Khrushchev second letter was sent, the USs U-2 plane was shot down in Cuba. This act was seen by some of American politician as an invitation to start war. This is the quote from Secretary of Defense McNamara `This means war with the Soviet Union. However, because of the secret meeting between Robert Kennedy and Soviet ambassador Dobrynin, the situation was able to cool down. Robert Kennedy assured that the President would remove the missiles in Turkey (Weimasma, Larson 1997, p. 21) On October 28, JFK sent Khrushchev another letter proposed that in exchange for the USSR to uninstall missiles from Cuban soil within the UN inspection, the USA would never invade Cuba, and secretly uninstall missiles from Turkey. Khrushchev accepted the proposal from President Kenndy; thus, both countries were able to resolve their conflicts. In essence, the Cuban Missile Crisis was able to resolve because the USA accepted the USSR proposal. I t removed missiles from Turkey, and made a public announcement that it would never invade Cuba. On the same hand, Khrushchev accepted the USA proposal, and uninstalled missiles from Cuba within inspectors from UN observation (Thinkquest Cuban missile crisis: letters, 1997). Nevertheless, JFKs motives to secretly remove of the missiles in Turkey and Italy should be emphasized. Why would he need to do it secretly? According to many scholars, he was afraid of national resistance from the government and the American citizens as well as losing support from them (Weimasma, Larson 1997, p. 23). Impacts The Cuban Missiles Crisis left several impacts on the USA and the USSR foreign policy. The first impact was the increase in communication between the US and the USSR. Because of the crisis, both superpowers had realized that they needed to improve communication between the two countries to prevent any forms of crisis from occurring again (Rich 2003, p.425). As a result, a hotline was installed between the USAs president and the USSRs chairman (ibid). Moreover, because of the potential confrontation between the two superpowers, which could lead to nuclear war, President Kennedy began to favor the idea of coexistence (Billingsley, p.6). Therefore, after the crisis, there was a temporary period of dà ©tente, the period that the cold war heat cools down (Billingsley p.7). In addition, in August 5, 1963, the USA and the USSR both signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The treaty forbidden the testing of nuclear weapons on the earth surface, space, and underwater (Rich 2003, p.427). However, the treaty itself was futile because it did not stop the built up of nuclear weapons, and prevent China from obtaining the nuclear weapons on the following year (Rich 2003, p. 428). Subsequently, the USA and the USSR continue the arm race for another twenty five years. They also competed in terms of strategic gaining (Billingsley p.6). Furthermore, the treaty caused the relation between the USSR and China to decline. Because of the treaty, China concluded that the USSR was being weak, and more importantly, sold its soul to the capitalist camp. Hence, China broke out from the USSRs spear of influence and gained the status of superpower by itself. This caused the balance of power to become imbalance (Rich 2003, p. 428). After the Cuban Missile Crisis, most of the USs oversea policy was focused on the Americanization of Vietnam and the Vietnam War, which required full attention from the USA military resources (Rich 2003, p. 423). Conclusion In conclusion, the major events prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis were the Cuban Revolution, and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The main causes of the crisis were the Soviet Union hidden agendas and the Cuban insecurity, which was caused by the United States of America. During the crisis, President John F. Kennedy and Chairman Khrushchev exchanged many letters before the resolution could be made. The period of the crisis was the period that the cold war reached its peak because both superpowers almost confront each other. If they had confronted each other, the use of nuclear weapons could have happened. After the crisis, the USSR removed missiles from Cuba under the UN supervision in exchanged for the USA to remove the Jupiter missiles in Turkey, and to never invade Cuba. The impacts of the Cuban Missile Crisis were the improvement in communication between the USA and the USSR. A hot line was established between both countries leaders. Moreover, President Kennedy began to view the USA rel ationship with the USSR in terms of coexistence. As a result, there was a period of detente, and agreement of the Nuclear Test Treaty Ban, which was signed by the USA and the USSR. However, the nuclear competition still continued for the next 25 years. Furthermore, both countries began the competition in the new area, which was the strategic competition.

Impact of Dumping and Agricultural Subsidies on Developing Countries

Impact of Dumping and Agricultural Subsidies on Developing Countries The term subsidy is often used in the economic context, but the concept behind it fails to have been defined appropriately for all practical purposes. The term is most often used synonymously with governmental transfer of money to an entity in the private sector, or it may refer to the provision of a good or service at a price below what a private entity would otherwise have had to pay for it. Moreover, it may also refer to various government policies that may favorably affect the competitive position of private entities, in the form of procurement policies or programs to educate workers. Ambiguity continues to prevail with respect to the aforementioned measures as subsidies in the meaningful sense of the term.  [1]   Governments engage in a wide range of tax and expenditure policies that impose costs and confer benefits on entities belonging to the private sector. To an economist, perhaps a natural phenomenon for identifying subsidization is a hypothetical market equilibrium without governmental activity. The classic economic models of general competitive equilibrium, for example, are entirely decentralized and embody no government sector.  [2]  The government makes an entry by way of taxation and expenditure policies, this alters equilibrium prices and output. Activities for which the net returns are reduced are discouraged to some degree, and those activities are then subject to be taxed. Activities for which the net returns are enhanced will be encouraged to a degree, and they may be said to be subsidized. The difficulty with this concept of subsidization is that it is exceedingly difficult to apply as a practical matter. The hypothetical market equilibrium without government cannot be observed, and indeed is not clear that the concept is coherent. Implicit in the classic general equilibrium models is a capacity for actors to engage in transactions, yet it is difficult to see how such a capacity can arise in a large economy without a government to create property rights. Further, the deviations from any benchmark equilibrium that result from government activity are exceedingly complex. Governments engage in a wide variety of taxation practice, not only are the number of tax instruments large in number, but the incidence of the various taxes is often quite uncertain. Governments also engage in innumerable regulatory programs that impose costs on private entities of various sorts; in the form of occupational health and safety programs, environmental quality programs, programs to transfer resources to certain disadvantaged groups, and untold others. Finally, government expenditure programs provide vast benefits to private sector entities in direct and indirect ways, including public education, highways, research and development funding, low cost insurance, fire and security services, a legal system, and on and on. Against this backdrop, it is surely impossible in practice to ascertain the precise impact of governmental activity on any entity according to the sort of benchmark put forth above. The simplest alternative is to look at each government program in isolation, and to ignore the question of whether any benefits conferred may be offset by costs in another form. If a particular program confers benefits on a private entity, a subsidy is declared to exist without further inquiry. Further it is plausible to assume that generally applicable tax, expenditure and regulatory policies affect most enterprises almost in equal standards and thus do not confer any form of subsidy. Programs of narrow applicability that target benefits at particular industries, by contrast, might be assumed to confer benefits that encourage production in that industry. To illustrate, a government might make an investment tax credit available to all industries that use durable goods, on the premise that all industries benefit about equally and that any affects on international competitiveness wash out through exchange rates, such a program might be ignored for purposes of identifying subsidies. By contrast, if the automobile industry is the beneficiary of a special tax credit program for investment in automobile manufacturing, a subsidy might be found as to that industry. Yet another alternative is to focus on the impact of government on private activities relative to the impact of other governments on similarly situated entities elsewhere. In the international context, one might look for programs that seem to confer particularly large benefits on particular entities relative to the benefits that governments confer on similar entities in other countries. The presumption would be that most governments tax and regulate in somewhat similar fashion, resulting in similar effects on the competitive position of most private entities only when a program for a particular group of private entities stands out as especially generous relative to such other programs would a subsidy be present. Thus, for example, if most governments provide a certain range of benefits to their farmers, those programs might be presumed to have a cancelation affect in international trade more or less, and no subsidy would be found. Each of these alternatives have obvious deficiencies. The first has the virtue of simplicity, but its essential failing has been noted above by ignoring the offsetting costs imposed by government on private actors it raises a great danger that subsidization will be found where a private entity has not been meaningfully advantaged by government programs. Indeed, because so many government programs are funded out of general revenues, a narrow focus on particular government expenditure programs without any offset for various forms of taxation would lead to the conclusion that there is rampant subsidization. The second alternative deals with the insuperable complexities of calculating the net impact of national governments on domestic industries which are avoided by assuming that generally applicable programs have a neutral impact while targeted programs do not. But there is no reason to believe that this assumption is correct. Many broadly applicable programs have widely disparate effects on different industries. The third alternative brings out another dimension, and treats subsidization as an alteration in the competitive position of private entities relative to similar entities elsewhere. This shift in emphasis perhaps captures the notion that subsidization involves tilting the playing field, and might be defended on that basis. This assumption has inherent practical problems the presumption that most governments tax and regulate similarly with respect to background factors that affect the competitive position of private entities is highly suspect, and the mere fact that a particular type of program exists in one country and not another, or is more generous in one country than in another, is at best a weak marker for a program that shifts the competitive balance overall. In sum, it is far easier to conceptualize a subsidy in simple economic models that it is to identify a subsidy in practice. Any administrative rule for determining whether a particular government program is in relation to subsidy or not will result in serious errors of over-inclusion and under-inclusion. The OECD, which estimates agricultural subsidies, uses a broad definition that includes any government policy that distorts the market such that prices do not reflect marginal costs. So a tariff on imports, which taxes consumers by raising the price of imported agricultural products to benefit producers, is a subsidy, just like a direct payment to a farmer. That however is not the common understanding of a subsidy. Their definition is narrower, referring only to government payments that allow prices to remain below marginal costs. Some are direct, such as payments to farmers; others are indirect, such as government support for irrigation infrastructure, which allows producers to exclude that cost from their prices. The OECDs Producer Support Estimate (herein after PSE) is the most widely used estimate of the agricultural subsidies provided to the farmers on the developed countries. The PSE has been challenged by the developed nations on the grounds that the two-thirds of the estimate is comprised of not the direct support provided to the farmers but rather what is referred to as the non-subsidy support. This component of the PSE includes the market price support which is essentially the tariffs, price support and quotas. Despite the fact that none of these are subsidies per se yet he OECD figure tries to calculate the dollar estimate of this figure and incorporate it in the PSE.  [3]   Dumping An Overview In economics, dumping can refer to any form of predatory pricing, and is by most definitions a form of price discrimination. However, the word is now generally used only in the context of international trade law, where dumping is defined as the act of a manufacturer in one country exporting a product to another country at what may be perceived as an unreasonably low price, usually meaning below the costs of production. The term has a negative connotation, but advocates that free markets see dumping as beneficial for consumers. When these subsidized goods are exported to foreign markets it can be referred to as dumping.  [4]   More than 40 members of the World Trade Organization (herein after WTO) are now active users of antidumping policy, and developing countries are the newest and most frequent users. However many developing countries have started using antidumping to limit imports, thereby having given up other forms of flexibility in trade policy by adopting WTO disciplines and agreeing to bind their tariffs. Despite antidumping policys escalating use by developing countries, relatively little is known about which industries within developing countries are using antidumping and how they are using it. Under the WTO Antidumping Agreement, any member that uses the policy must create an administrative procedure to investigate demands for antidumping protection. Firms in an industry that seek this form of import protection must overcome the organizational challenges of free riding in order to initiate and successfully pursue an antidumping legal proceeding. Before a government can impose a definitive antidumping import restriction, the Agreement also requires that its administrating authority solicit and collect substantial economic evidence to confirm that market conditions and behavior of foreign exporters satisfy technical, WTO mandated legal criteria. Nevertheless, given that antidumping has become many WTO member governments protectionist instrument, the resulting pattern of antidumping import protection across industries may be an increasingly important indicator of these countries overall patterns of import protection. While the four historical developed-country users of antidumping the US, EU, Canada and Australia have continued to be active users under the WTO, they are no longer the dominant users as they were during the prior decade (1985-1994) under the GATT regime. A sizable share of the global use of antidumping, at least as measured by the frequency of initiated cases and imposed measures, is now made up of new user developing countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Turkey and Venezuela, the nine developing countries forming the sample of our formal empirical investigation.  [5]   WTO and the Agreement on Agriculture An attempt to regulate the protection afforded to the farmers in the developed countries and the tariff rates in the developing countries through the Agreement on Agriculture which is an international treaty of the World Trade Organization. It was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (herein after GATT), and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO on January 1, 1995. This AoA is based on three concepts or pillars which are domestic support, market access and export subsidies. However not much has changed since the AoA was implemented. The document hinged precariously on eliminating agriculture subsidies as a basic step in getting the fiscal house in order. Knowing well that any reduction in subsidies would be politically suicidal, the developed countries managed to not only maintain the level of subsidies but in fact succeeded in increasing it manifold. At the same time, they continue to arm-twist the developing countries to reduce tariffs and open up markets for farm goods from the industrialized countries. As already stated, the developed nations often believe that the PSE is not an accurate indicator of the amount of the protection afforded by them and have repeatedly challenged this statistic. In this paper the researcher will analyze the subsidies granted to the agricultural sector in the developed nations, its impact on the developing nations and the role played by the WTO in negotiations between these two blocs. C h a p t e r 1 : A g r i c u l t u r a l S u b s i d i e s a n d D u m p i ng in t h e D e v e l o p e d N a t i o n s Widespread dumping by the Developed Nations: The WTO Antidumping Agreement and the Theory of Endogenous Trade Policy January 1, 2005 marked the 10-year anniversary of the World Trade Organizations Agreement on Agriculture (AoA). When governments launched the agreement, they hailed it as a victory for farmers around the world: farmers were to benefit from more trade, greater access to markets and higher prices. A decade later, there is unquestionably more trade in agricultural products. However, higher and fair prices for farmers seem further away than ever. It is hard to make the case that the Agreement on Agriculture has done anything to benefit farmers anywhere in the world. Since the WTOs inception, widespread agricultural dumping, the selling of products at below their cost of production, by global agribusiness companies based in the United States and European Union has wreaked havoc on global agricultural markets. Hit hardest are the farmers in the developing and the least devel oped nations who have been forced to go out of business because of these policies. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has documented export dumping from U.S.-based multinational corporations onto world agricultural markets for the last 14 years. The U.S. is one of the worlds largest sources of dumped agricultural commodities. The latest update shows that the US still undertakes large scale dumping the five most commonly exported products namely; wheat, soybean, corn, cotton and rice. Though the statistic shows that the amount of dumping has gone down as compared to the previous statistic but this is perceived to be largely as a result of the reduced supply because of bad weather and pest infestation than as a change in policy.  [6]   The proliferation of WTO-authorized antidumping laws and the global increase in use of this form of administered import protection has been widely recognized (Miranda, Torres and Ruiz 1998; Prusa, 2001; Zanardi, 2004). While antidumping was once a policy instrument used primarily by the US, Canada, EU and Australia, it is now used actively by over 40 WTO member countries. To develop a theoretical motivation for our empirical analysis of the determinants of antidumping use by industries in developing countries, we proceed in two steps. In the next section we describe the WTO Antidumping Agreement, which sets out the general rules for national administration of antidumping law as well as the technical evidence necessary for a government to justify imposition of any new antidumping measure. Given the political-economic environment created by the WTO Antidumping Agreement, in section we use the theory of endogenous trade policy to generate additional testable predictions for the economet ric analysis. The WTOs evidentiary requirements for national use of antidumping Since the 1947 GATT, the rules of the international trading system have authorized countries to establish national antidumping statutes and to implement antidumping trade restrictions.  [7]  During the Kennedy and Tokyo Rounds in the 1960s and 1970s, negotiators attempted to put more structure on the GATT antidumping rules, but countries adopted the resulting Antidumping Codes only on a plurilateral basis. The 1995 inception of the WTO and its Antidumping Agreement (WTO, 1995) provided more detailed guidance for countries to implement and administer antidumping laws.  [8]  First, because the Antidumping Agreement was part of the Single Undertaking, it established a common set of basic rules that would apply to all WTO members and be subject to the enforcement provisions of the WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU).  [9]  Second, relative to the GATT, the WTO Antidumping Agreement did impose more structure on the evidentiary requirements for a government to implement a new antidumping measure, although those requirements still allow for substantial government discretion and are at best questionable from the perspective of economic welfare. Under the Antidumping Agreement, a national government must undertake an investigation and consider substantial economic evidence before it can impose a definitive antidumping measure that restricts imports. The investigating authority is instructed to consider a number of factors when making its decision, but most critical among them are whether two important legal criteria have been met: that a domestic industry suffers material injury and that this injury is the result of dumped imports. The domestic industry provides evidence of dumping to the national governments antidumping authority by showing that prices of competing products sold by foreign exporters in the domestic market were lower than the normal value of the product (WTO, 1995; Article 2.1). The national government authority has substantial discretion in calculating the normal value benchmark with which to compare the export price. The benchmark can be determined by any of three methods: i) the price for sales of the same good in the exporters home market, ii) the price for export sales of the same good in a third market, or iii) a constructed measure of the exporters average cost.  [10]   Dumping in the United states: Dumping by U.S.-based corporations is possible because commodity production is badly managed. The 1996 and 2002 U.S. Farm Bills have produced a vast structural, price-depressing oversupply of most major agricultural commodities. This oversupply has driven prices down. Both the 1996 and 2002 Farm Bills were driven by efforts to make them compliant with WTO rules. The result has been the institutionalization of agricultural dumping by U.S. farm policy. U.S. farm subsidies are frequently blamed for agricultural dumping, yet they are only a symptom of a much deeper market failure. The sharp increases in agricultural dumping in the U.S. can be traced to the 1996 U.S. Farm Bill, which stripped away already weakened programs that were designed to manage supply. These supply management programs helped to balance supply with demand, ensuring a fair return to farmers from the marketplace. The pre-1996 commodity programs in effect set a floor price that commodity b uyers had to pay farmers. Given the structural imbalance in market power between farmers and agribusiness corporations, the government traditionally intervened to ensure competitive markets and prevent anticompetitive business practices.  [11]   In 1996, the U.S. government abandoned intervention mechanisms at the behest of agribusiness lobbyists, supported by free trade economists. The result: U.S. agricultural prices went into freefall. Without the supply control programs and other interventions, commodity buyers were able to drive prices below the costs of production and leave them there. To prevent the collapse of U.S. agriculture, Congress then set up counter-cyclical payments to make up part of the losses resulting from the Farm Bill reforms. The U.S. now has very expensive farm programs that distort market signals while doing nothing to correct the deeper distortion inherent in the unbalanced market power between farmers and commodity buyers and processors.  [12]   The event of dumping in itself does not pose a major problem for the international community but what has been a constant source of concern is the widespread damage that has caused to the developing countries.  [13]  The researcher shall devote the next two chapters of this project to discuss the damage that have been caused all around the world because of dumping by the developed countries and the mechanism employed by the WTO to counter this problem and how far that has been successful. C h a p t e r 2 : T h e I m p a c t o f D u m p i n g a n d A g r i c u l t u r a l S u b s i d i e s o n D e v e l o p i n g C o u n t r i e s. Ten years after the World Trade Organization (WTO) came into existence, and some 20 years after the holy grail of economic liberalization for more open markets and less government intervention in the developing world based on the idea that economies must grow if poor people are to reap the benefits of globalization, the tragedy is that the process of economic liberalization may already have set poor communities back a generation.  [14]  No where has the impact been more severely felt than in the agricultural sector. Conventional wisdom has it that the agricultural sector is heavily subsidized in most developed nations. Whatever difficulties may arise in determining the net impact of government on industries in general, most observers seem to agree that agriculture is a net beneficiary of government largesse. It is ironic that the one sector considered to be the most subsidized is subject to the least degree of discipline on subsidies (among goods markets). As noted, both export and domestic subsidies are generally permissible under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, though subject to negotiated ceilings and some reduction over time. The absence of tight discipline on export subsidies is unfortunate for the reasons discussed at length earlier. Export subsidies are almost certainly a source of economic distortion, and indeed the agricultural sector affords a case study of how pressures for competitive subsidization have led trading nations down the road of mutually wasteful expenditures. The resistance to the elimination of domestic farm programs is likely a source of economic waste as well, for much the same reason that any form of protectionism is a source of waste. But as indicated in the discussion of protective subsidies, it is hardly clear that protection through subsidization is any worse from an economic standpoint than other forms of protection. Thus, if the political equilibrium is such that agriculture must be protected, domestic farm programs may be no more troublesome that border measures. One objection that might be tabled to the continued coexistence of domestic farm programs and protective border measures for the same commodities (assuming that protection is inevitable) is that multiple protective measures complicate trade negotiations. If country A wishes to bargain for access to the agricultural markets of country B, it is harder to evaluate the benefits of a tariff concession from country B in the face of a subsidy program that also protects farmers in country B. The added transaction costs of negotiation in the face of multiple instruments of protection can be avoided by channeling all protection into a single, transparent policy instrument-this is the essential rationale for efforts in the WTO/GATT system toward tariffication of all trade barriers. Yet, the prevalence of domestic farm programs suggests that border measures alone are inadequate to the task of achieving the anticompetitive purposes compelled by current politics. One need only look at the United States, which is a net exporter of many agricultural commodities, to realize that import restrictions may do little to ensure politically acceptable prices or rates of return to the producers of certain commodities. Thus, perhaps the best that can be done is to schedule all the protective policies, both subsidies and tariffs, and bargain over both simultaneously to achieve limits on their magnitude. This is the approach of the Agriculture Agreement, and one might reasonably hope that sequential rounds of negotiations over these protective instruments in the agricultural area will produce gradual liberalization, much as the sequence of negotiating rounds under GATT brought great reductions in the tariffs applicable elsewhere. There is also something to be said for the effort in Annex 2 of the Agriculture Agreement to favor subsidies that do not encourage output. To the degree that subsidies are being granted for reasons that do not relate to the correction of an externality, programs that confer financial benefits on the intended recipients without inducing an expansion of their output may create fewer distortions. The caveat, of course, relates to the fundamental problem of identifying subsidies in the first instance-an output-expanding subsidy might counteract some distortion associated with other tax and regulatory policies. But in the agriculture sector, where most observers believe that net subsidies are present at the outset, efforts to channel farm aid into programs that do not stimulate agricultural production may make good sense. Subsidies to the producers of goods and services lower the producers costs of production, other things being equal. This reduction in their costs of production can lead to an expansion of their output in two ways, depending on the nature of the subsidy. First, some subsidies depend directly on output-the subsidy program may provide a producer with $1 for each widget that it produces, for example (or $1 for each widget that it exports, the classic export subsidy discussed below). Subsidies that increase with output in this fashion are economically equivalent to a reduction in the short-run marginal costs of production for the producer that receives them. In general, producers will respond to a reduction in short-run marginal costs by lowering price. Of course, when price falls, the quantity demanded by buyers will rise and output will expand to meet the increased demand. Second, even where the amount of the subsidy is not contingent on output and does not affect short-run marginal costs of production, subsidies can affect long-run marginal costs in a way that causes additional productive capacity to come on line or to remain on line. For example, imagine an unprofitable company that is unable to cover its variable costs of production at any level of output, and would thus shut down its operations under ordinary circumstances. A subsidy to that company that is contingent on it remaining in business can avert a shut-down in operations-it must simply be enough to allow the company to cover its variable costs at some level of output. Likewise, a subsidy can induce a company to build new capacity to enter a market when the expected returns to entry absent the subsidy would not be high enough to induce entry. It is also possible, to be sure, that a subsidy will have no impact on the output of recipients. Imagine, for example, that a government simply sends a company an unexpected check for $1 million. The money is in no way contingent on the companys output, or on it remaining in business. The owners of the company will be pleased to receive this subsidy, of course, but there is no reason for them to change their operations in any way-whatever level of output was most profitable without the subsidy will also be most profitable with the subsidy. These observations suggest another important issue that must be confronted in conceptualizing subsidies. For a government program to confer a subsidy, must it encourage an increase in output by the recipient? If it does not, then it cannot tilt the playing field in a way that causes detriment to competing producers. But if this question is answered affirmatively, it becomes necessary to inquire whether the government program in question affects marginal costs in the short run, or has an effect on long-run marginal cost that is sufficient to cause capacity to remain in production when it would exit otherwise, or to enter when it would not otherwise. Such issues are not always easily resolved.  [15]   The adverse effect of Dumping: Dumping in amongst the most harmful of all price distortions; developing country agriculture, vital for food security, rural livelihoods, poverty reduction and generating foreign exchange, is crippled by the competition from major commodities sold at well below cost of production prices in world markets. The structural price depression associated with agricultural dumping and a dual effect on the agricultural structure of the developing countries. Firstly, as a result of the below cost imports the farmers are driven out of their domestic markets. If the farmers do not have access to a safety net of subsidies and credit, they have to abandon their land. When this happens, the farm economy shrinks, in turn shrinking the rural economy as a whole and sending rural people into trade-related migration. Second, developing country farmers who sell their products to exporters find their global market share undermined by the policy of a depressed global price. Th e cascading effects of dumping are felt around the world in places as far apart as Jamaica, Burkina Faso and the Philippines.  [16]   The effect of Dumping on Indian Agriculture: The liberalization of the Indian economy initiated during the early 1990s was launched with a view to accelerating agricultural growth by ending discrimination against agriculture. The idea was to turn the terms of trade in favor of agriculture through a large, real devaluation of the currency and increase in output prices of agriculture. An exponential growth was expected which was to have a significant impact on poverty reduction and thereby have a positive impact on livelihood security of hundreds