Barclay Card

The use of Credit cards started during the first half of the 20th century. The cards were initially used to make the process of identification less complex and for confirmation of costumers when authorization was required by tellers for account purchases in retail stores. The process developed, and in the 1940’s, some banks in the united states allowed customers to buy goods and services, and have these charged to against their monthly bank charge account, rather than to a store account Development of competition Early contenders to Barclaycard emerged from their closest competitors.In 1966, prompted by the success of the bank americard network, members of the competing franchises formed the interbank card association (ICA), which was later to become known as MasterCard international. The ICA differed from bank americard in being an organization controlled by member banks which took responsibility for promoting the MasterCard brand and for setting standards for security, autho rization, clearing and settlement systems between members. ICA went international in 1968 with an association with banamex.Barclaycards strategy in the market has been associated with three continuing elements. The fist was the continued growth of the credit card market shown in exhibit 4. over the period 1989-9 the volume of credit card transaction grew at 7. 5 per cent, while debit cards grew at 40 percent. The number of credit cards in use increased by 5 percent by annum and the value of a transaction by 5. 5 percent p. a. The second factor was the relative success of visa, whose UK franchise was exclusively, enjoyed Barclaycard in the early years.Over the years, visa secured a position as the world’s most wildly used card, by 1998 accounting for $ 1. 4 trillion dollars of purchase or 55 percent of the global market. Although the competition between visa and MasterCard was less clear cut in the UK Barclaycard’s visa had international acceptability with 16million mer chants worldwide. Exhibit 5 suggests that although Barclaycard lost market share somewhat faster than the other major banks, the strength of visa’s international position to some extent offset Barclay’s premium pricing.Profitability of Barclaycard Even though Barclaycard was the first and for a considerable amount of time, the only issuer of credit cards in the UK, Barclaycard made some losses during the first decade of its operations, as the company built up its card and merchant volumes. In 1995, Barclaycard acquired 90,000 gold customers, and that launch increased Barclaycard’s market share of newly issued credit cards to more than 30 percent. Processing of Barclaycard transactions Transaction from paper to electronics introduced large economies of scale in processing.This innovation however was characterized by relatively high level, one off investments. Alternative strategic directions open to Barclaycard in its future development Barclaycard should team up more with other companies. For example, the co-operation with Sainsbury, gasoline marketer BP, and department store chain Debenhams in launching new loyalty programs. With every Barclaycard purchase, shoppers should be able to collect points that can be exchanged for gifts like restaurant meals, consumer goods, grocery shopping, flights, and cinema tickets.Barclaycard should also capitalize on the company’s strong customer base by relationship marketing alliances, with leading organizations in other service industries like celnet, BT and Marks and Spencer. Evaluation of alternatives Suitability: On the basis of suitability, the best alternatives available to Barclaycard are to ensure the continued ATM usage of Barclaycard, and to ensure automation through a fully computerized transaction system. This is because cash withdrawal through ATMs is a major customer use of credit cards.The company should also endeavor to eliminate most of the paper work in order speed up the author ization process, and provide narrative statements for card holders. Acceptability: Barclaycard’s ability to monitor and measure credit risk is very crucial to its acceptability. In 2000, the volume of Barclaycard transactions rose by 12 percent, while charges for doubtful and bad debts increased by 34 percent. Financial performance thus suggested that the company’s managers have the responsibility to find customers who were in need of rollover credit, and who were less likely to default on payments.Feasibility: Barclaycard once proposed to charge non-customers heavily for using its machines, a proposal that had to be withdrawn at that time due to heavy persecution from the press. This is not a very good strategy, and should be avoided. Recommended alternatives Barclaycard strategy in the credit card industry has been associated with the continuous growth of the credit card market, its ability to avoid price competition by branding, and also, the relative success of Vis a.Barclaycard should strive to avoid price competition by branding and by using technological developments within the card networks. This is because the intensity of the competition in the credit card business tends to lead to the best credit worthy customers gaining access to credit far more cheaply. Thus it is quite difficult for credit card transaction volumes to increase quickly without inflicting bad and doubtful debts to credit card users.

Ethical issues Essay

Similarly Newman used a correlation to interpret the findings from his study and found a relationship between undefended space and levels of crime. Correlations cannot show cause and effect, therefore other causes of these findings cannot be ruled out. One other possible explanation may have been that the different estates compared by Newman were simply in high or low crime areas, or that policing tactics of the areas was different. However in contrast Brower et al (1981) used interviews to try and establish how people felt about areas of defensible space. Interviews are a good way of obtaining rich and detailed data, however unlike Newman’s data which was factual (recorded crime figures) interview data is qualitative and needs to be interpreted by the researcher. Inevitably the way this is done may be influenced by the researchers views and therefore biased. In addition to this, as in the research by Mercer, there are issues relating to the honesty of people interviewed and providing socially acceptable responses to be considered. The research by Ley was an observation and therefore, as in Smith’s observation, this research could be argued to have greater ecological validity than research using laboratory methods, however there are problems again of observer bias affecting what is recorded. Also this study used institutionalised delinquents as participants and therefore it is difficult to generalise the results to any other situations, although the findings do have implications for institutions. Ethical issues may be particularly relevant in this study as carrying out observations of institutionalised participants may be a breach of their right to withdraw from the study. It could also be argued that if the observations were carried out by a researcher their presence may have affected the behaviour, on the other hand if video cameras were used covertly there may be a problem in ensuring that all behaviour was observed, in addition to the ethical issues mentioned. Designers and architects could use the research mentioned to ensure that working areas meant for males and females have varied sizes in order to take account of different gender needs for space. When designing housing estates architects need to ensure that the semi public areas are defensible in that they are overlooked and have markers to suggest ownership. They should also include barriers and fenced areas around homes and use plants and foliage as markers. In institutional design it would seem important to use design to clearly mark out areas in order to try and create established boundaries and reduce aggression caused by disorderly space use. It may be possible to include specific time slots for prisoners to use semi public areas to help reduce any aggression caused by dominance of most desirable areas.

Free Will And Determinism Essay

The concept of free will plays an important part in our apportioning blame or praise, and our holding persons morally responsible for their behavior and actions. In the philosophical work devoted to free will there is no strict definition of this concept but it is widely believed to be a condition necessary for moral responsibility. Proponents of determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism explain the importance of free will in their theories each in their particular way (Compatibilism; Lecture Notes on Free Will and Determinism). Silenus Silenus, the central hero of Stephen Robinett’s â€Å"The Satyr† story, can be regarded as a staunch proponent of philosophical hard determinism. Like a true determinist, Silenus, a satyr, does not believe he is responsible for his actions and behavior because he is the creation of another person, namely Hench. He explains his enormous interest in ladies as well as his promiscuous behavior by the fact that Hench gave him the extra Y-chromosome which became a major determinant of his behavior (Robinett). According to the satyr, only human beings can be held responsible for what they do. As Silenus does not consider himself a human being on the one hand, and as he was created by Hench on the other hand, it is the latter that Silenus believes is responsible for him and for anything he does. Silenus maintains that he does not know exactly why he does things and that it is Hench who made him like this, and thus it is Hench who should be held accountable for the way Silenus is and behaves (Robinett). However, nowhere in the story does Silenus give any clear explanation why he believes this. All in all, it is obvious that he does not care about responsibility at all, but considers it a useful, although peculiar, notion, which he often uses to appeal to Hench’s sense of responsibility in order to influence his decisions in his favor. Silenus’ desires and inclinations are caused by factors and circumstances which are outside his control and for which, therefore, he should not be held responsible. All he seems to be interested in is having sex with ladies and taking a drop every now and then. As we know it from the story, his love for ladies is caused by the extra Y-chromosome that Hench gave him. We can also assume that his disposition to alcohol has something to do with the â€Å"material† he was synthesized from, too. From Silenus’ deterministic perspective, it follows that he is not accountable for his decisions and actions as they are not free but are the result of his desires over which he has no control and which he is not able to resist. Libertarians would suggest that Silenus’ actions are actually free, depend on his reason and volition, and are not predetermined by any factors such as the extra Y-chromosome. From the compatibilistic perspective, Silenus’ desires are caused by the above mentioned factors but as he is still free to choose in many situations then he should be held responsible for his actions. There is plenty of evidence in the story that Silenus is able to control his behavior. For example, at Merton’s offices Silenus became interested in the receptionist, â€Å"a bird-legged girl†, who made him sexually excited. When she left him after several awkward attempts to have sex with her, Silenus at first intended to chase her but then decided to let her go (Robinett). Given the influence of the extra Y-chromosome, the receptionist’s body must have clouded Silenus’ mind. However, he was able to control his strong sexual desires at that moment because Hench could hear her screams and come to punish him. Another good example of Silenus’ ability to control his behavior can be seen during the meeting with Merton. Silenus was constantly interrupting Hench while the latter was talking to Merton. When Hench got angry, he told Silenus to be silent or he would punish him later by not feeding him properly. Although Silenus was eager to appear as a disobedient and unreliable creature, he stopped immediately misbehaving himself and annoying Hench because he did want to eat that night. One more example is a clash between Hench and Silenus which broke out when they came home after the appointment with Merton. When Hench slapped Silenus, the satyr felt like grabbing and throwing his creator across the room. But Silenus managed to control his anger because he realized that if he hit Hench he would never convince him not to sell him into slavery (Robinett). All these examples show that Silenus can, if he wishes to, control his behavior. The above mentioned examples of Silenus’ abilities to control his especially violent or unacceptable behavior also show that Silenus is able to draw causal inferences in this story. In these situations he demonstrates his awareness of the possible consequences of his actions (which could be disastrous for him) and decides to avoid them. It follows that in most cases Silenus behaves well or does not do unacceptable actions not out of a sense of deep understanding of the consequences of such behavior and, what is particularly important, responsibility for his actions, but only because he tries to escape punishment. In many other cases (for example, when he forced Audrey to have sex with him), his unacceptable behavior can be explained by the fact that Silenus, as a rational being (and he proves several times in the story that he is indeed a rational being) must realize his moral responsibility for his actions, but also understands that he is likely to escape punishment for them. As a rational being, Silenus is fully capable of drawing causal inferences of his behavior, but his acceptable or unacceptable behavior depends on whether he is likely to be punished for it or experience certain inconveniences because of it and not on his sense of moral responsibility for his actions. In every situation Silenus has the choice whether to follow his inclinations and behave in an unacceptable way or whether to postpone the satisfaction of his desires to a later time. As we can see, in some cases Silenus postpones his intentions to do certain things, but in other situations he prefers to misbehave himself rather than control himself. So in most cases it would be incorrect to conclude that Silenus could not do otherwise than he did. Silenus is in fact a drunk who avoids responsibility for his drinking habits. But the question of Silenus being a drunk should not be restricted only to this vice. He is also fond of having sex and likes being fed well. It would be fairer to describe Silenus as a person who has some bad habits and preferences (like most humans have) and tends to satisfy some of his vicious needs and inclinations but who does not want to be held responsible for his actions. For Silenus, it seems easier to enjoy life and satisfy his desires than to control them and be responsible for his actions. Silenus holds clear deterministic views on the extent of his moral responsibility for his actions. Determinists believe that human behavior, decisions, and actions are determined and caused by prior occurrences (Determinism). If all human actions are predetermined then there is no free will and humans are not morally responsible for what they do. Contemporary determinists also believe that human behavior is determined by some external causes which are beyond man’s control, particularly genetic and environmental factors (Geisler). We do not know exactly whether Robinett’s Silenus has ever heard of determinism and free will, but he successfully applies deterministic views to explain his behavior. He believes his behavior is determined and caused by his genetic constitution that was given to him by Hench and that his inclinations that are caused by this constitution can’t be controlled. Silenus maintains that if he is not responsible for what he is made from, then he can’t be responsible for what he does. Although Silenus’ position about behavior and responsibility corresponds to the views of proponents of determinism, it is obvious that Silenus’ arguments do not at all reflect his philosophical deterministic position in life, but rather are a convenient excuse for shifting moral responsibility for his actions to others. Silenus versus Hench Silenus’ â€Å"I am not responsible for what I am† and Hench’s â€Å"You are responsible for what you do† are in fact compatible. Hench created Silenus with certain predispositions which make him likely to behave and act in a particular way in certain situations. Hench is the author of Silenus’ predispositions and the one who shaped Silenus’ character. Silenus has nothing to do with the â€Å"material† he was made from and he is right when he says that he is not responsible for what he is. But Silenus is also a rational being and in several cases he demonstrates that his decisions are based on reasoning. He is also able to control and guide his behavior. It follows that it is Silenus, not Hench, who can be held responsible for what he does. So both Silenus’ and Hench’s positions are correct and compatible. In this story, the problem is that Silenus is not responsible for what he is and extends this irresponsibility to what he does. In the beginning of the story, Hench agrees with Silenus’ view of the extent of his moral responsibility. In his discussion with Audrey, Hench maintains that as Silenus’ creator he is fully responsible for him. Hench does not consider Silenus a human being and maintains that he is not able to take care of himself and assume responsibility for what he does. Hench even goes so far as to state that he is responsible for everything Silenus is or does because Silenus is exactly what he, Hench, made him (Robinett). However, we can also see Hench criticize Silenus for his unacceptable behavior, because he does not control his desires, and also suggest that Silenus should be responsible for his actions (Robinett). It seems there is a certain contradiction in Hench’s belief of responsibility for Silenus. On the one hand, he feels responsible for Silenus’ actions because he is his creator. On the other hand, although in Hench’s view Silenus is not a human being, he is at least a rational being as he often demonstrates his ability to express thoughts and explain things that are based on reasoning. Hench believes that Silenus should at least try to be responsible for his actions and control them (Robinett). We may assume from what we read in the story that there is some struggle in Hench’s mind as to whether only he should be held responsible for Silenus’ actions or whether this responsibility should be shared between both him and Silenus. As we read on, at the end of the story Hench comes to the conclusion that Silenus should be held accountable for his behavior, too. Although this conclusion is reached on the basis of his personal grievance against Silenus (because Silenus had sex with Audrey), it is clear that now Hench is firm in his opinion that he is responsible for what Silenus is, but not for what Silenus does. Gorr Michael Gorr is a proponent of the compatibilistic theory. Unlike libertarians, who maintain that humans have free will which is incompatible with determinism, compatibilists believe that determinism and free will exist and are in fact compatible ideas. According to this belief, free will is not a person’s ability to make a certain choice independently of prior causes and events, but a person’s ability to choose when he or she is not forced to do it. Compatibilists do not deny that our choices are predetermined, but they emphasize that the choices we make are examples of free will if we are not forced to make them. But if we are forced to make whatever choices we make, then this is an example of a lack of free will (Compatibilism and Incompatibilism). If a person’s action is coerced, then this person is not responsible for it. But if a person’s action is not coerced, that is, under certain circumstances the person can do otherwise, then this person is accountable for the action. Gorr’s compatibilistic position is seen in his example of â€Å"knocking down Jones†. Gorr maintains that in the case where another person pushes him and makes him bump into Jones, he should not be held responsible for his action as its consequence is not a result of his intention or choice. In the case where he deliberately bumps into Jones and injures him, he is accountable for his behavior because he could do otherwise. Gorr states that we are responsible for our actions only when we desire for these actions to occur (Gorr). Gorr accepts, unlike libertarians, the deterministic universal causation, but he rejects the deterministic belief that humans are not to be held responsible for their actions because their actions are determined and caused by factors which are beyond their control. He agrees with Hench who states at the end of the story that Silenus is responsible for his behavior which is the result of his desires even though he is not responsible for his genetic constitution that determines and causes his desires. Gorr maintains that it is not necessary to be responsible for one’s desires in order to be responsible for one’s behavior. For Gorr, it is more important to have control over one’s actions and   not to have control over the causes of these actions. So long as we have control over our actions and it depends on our choice whether these actions will occur or not, Gorr concludes, we are responsible for these actions. And Silenus, regardless of his genetic constitution and environment, should be held responsible for his actions (Gorr). Conclusion We can partly reject determinism as philosophical proposition and do not agree with the belief that whatever we do is predetermined and we can’t control it or do otherwise and are,   therefore, not to be held responsible for what we do. But it seems wrong to reject or neglect the notion of universal causation which determinists believe is integral to their theory. It would be wrong to deny that some events are caused by other preceding events, and the latter were caused by earlier events, and so on. It seems there exists an unbroken causal chain of which humans are part. Similarly, it would be wrong to deny the importance and influence of factors such as heredity or upbringing on how we make our decisions or choose to behave in a particular situation. So every event has its cause and every human action is also caused by certain factors. What does seem important in this case is, as Gorr points out, the difference in the kind of causation (Gorr). Our genetic make-up and the environment are important, but not the only, factors which predetermine or guide our behavior as we can often control them and choose to do otherwise than these factors predispose us to do. Personally, I can’t accept the deterministic position that everything that exists or occurs has a sufficient reason for existing or occurring as it exists or occurs, and not otherwise (Causal Determinism). It is hard to believe that human actions are predetermined, are not free, and can’t be changed (hard determinism), or that there is chance they could be changed (soft determinism). I do not particularly like the idea that since human actions are not free humans are not to be held morally responsible for them because in my view this promotes certain moral chaos. I am not convinced by the indeterministic position that all human acts are uncaused. I share the libertarian belief that humans actually do have free will, but like Gorr, I do not believe it is incompatible with deterministic causation. That is why I am most inclined to accept compatibilism which is something in the middle between determinism and libertarianism and does not disparage deterministic causation and accepts free will, and therefore, moral responsibility. I believe that my actions can be in fact predetermined by several factors, but in many cases I still have the possibility to choose between two and more options, and that I should be held responsible for whatever the consequences of my choice are. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Causal Determinism. Retrieved January 27, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/determinism-causal/ 2. Compatibilism. Retrieved January 27, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/compatibilism/ 3. Compatibilism and Incompatibilism. Retrieved January 27, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatibilism 4. Determinism. Retrieved January 27, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinism 5. Geisler, N. Freedom, Free Will, and Determinism. Retrieved January 27, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www.mb-soft.com/believe/text/determin.htm 6. Gorr, M. Being and Doing: Some Thoughts about Responsibility. Though Probes. 7. Lecture Notes on Free Will and Determinism. Retrieved January 27, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www.sfu.ca/philosophy/swartz/freewill1.htm 8. Robinett, S. The Satyr. Thought Probes.

SWOT Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SWOT - Case Study Example To sustain future growth; Wal-Mart should increase its presence in these markets that include Brazil, India, China and Mexico. The rise in acceptance of the company’s label products, which has experienced an increase of over 40% for the past ten years or so, is another opportunity. Therefore, to earn higher profit margins, Wal-Mart should hike the number of private label products, which are sold at the company’s store. Another opportunity that Wal-Mart has is to expand the grocery stores in order to earn more income since there is a current trend of consuming a healthier food thus increasing the demand of grocery products. Growth of online shopping is also an opportunity. Wal-Mart should seize this opportunity to increase its profits; considering that, Wal-Mart is the largest offline retailer and in 2001, the retail sector of online grew by 4.7% in the US, hitting $197 billion. The company can reach plenty of customers using this technique thus increasing its

Madness and Insanity in A rose for Emily Research Paper

Madness and Insanity in A rose for Emily - Research Paper Example The short story also, in addition, puts an emphasis on the long history of adamant societal limitations and restrictions that are set down on females, which became another factor for her suppression. Furthermore, the Griersons showed a refusal to concede to the changing times. They remained stuck in the past of their wealth and nobility that fueled the story’s plot. According to a journal written by John Skinner, Emily represented "a refusal to submit to, or concede, the inevitability of change." (Skinner 42) All in all, these subthemes altogether play a bigger role in its distressing representation of uncharacteristic mental behavior and implications that are displayed in the dark secluded demesne of Emily Grierson. The restrictions and limitations insisted on on the young aristocrat, along with the refusal to change, caused her to be extremely secluded and isolated from the rest of the world around her and later on, instigated her apparent psychological instability. Emily Gr ierson is the archetypal outcast that hides her true identity away from the society; locking herself into the house that symbolized the august Old South and that clearly represented the idleness of Emily’s life as everyone else was progressing and moving forward. The house, which shelters Emily from the community, becomes a strong evidence of the woman’s withdrawn mentality. The house plays an important role in the short story because not only does it indicate Emily’s mental condition, it also becomes a facade of the living past for which Emily is trapped inside and it is only in her passing away that the entire society is given the opportunity to gain access and view of what Emily has been doing alone in that house for years since her father’s death. When the house is finally opened up, it confirms what the people in the neighborhood had been observing and presuming about her. What occurred inside of that house strongly showed the progressive insanity th at encroached her life as she lived alone, separated from the outside. Indeed, her tragic and forced isolation and reclusion in that house could have caused the madness that destroyed her. Stuart Grassin’s journal gives a psychiatric explanation for this. It is written that when one is secluded and experience intense monotony, â€Å"after a time, the individual becomes increasingly incapable of processing external stimuli, and often becomes â€Å"hyperresponsive† to such stimulation. For example, a sudden noise or the flashing of a light jars the individual from his stupor and becomes intensely unpleasant. Over time the very absence of stimulation causes whatever stimulation is available to become noxious and irritating. Individuals in such a stupor tend to avoid any stimulation, and withdraw progressively into themselves and their own mental fog.† (Grassin 327) Emily’s father played a very important role in the story as he was the man who mainly controll ed most of Emily’ life and decided for her while he was still alive. As written in the story, the people â€Å"had long thought of them as a tableau, Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back-flung front door.†

Human Research Precis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Research Precis - Coursework Example Notably, the physician must be certain that the treatment option that they recommend is best while still upholding the patient’s rights. If for instance a randomized clinical test is being conducted to compare treatment option A and B, and the physician openly prefers treatment option A, they must inform the patient about their preference but should not force them into buying into their preference. All physicians have an obligation to obtain their patients informed consent to treatment and can attain this by explaining to the patient the benefits and risks of the preferred alternative and alternative option and allow the patient to choose their preferred choice if that is possible. A reasonable alternative is to undertake treatment alternative A or allow the patient to participate in a randomized clinical test comparing the treatment options. Apparently, when a trial is available, enrollment in a haphazard clinical test is a superior therapeutic alternative. Respect for patient’s values is a central purpose of informed consent and physicians must consider it in delivering treatment. Marquis further notes that some patients might prefer participating in a randomized study that will positively contribute to medical progress and development or discovery of aspects that will improve the health of patients in future rather than simply following the unfounded recommendations of physicians. Noteworthy, a physician can recommend a treatment as well as ask the patient whether they are willing to partake a randomized clinical test just to ensure that their consent freely expressed. What’s more, an opportunity to contribute in randomized clinical trials is ethically permissible and morally obligatory. The dilemma of whether to involve patients in randomized clinical tests can be resolved by taking informed consent earnestly. Offering patients a chance to participate in the randomized

Homers Achilles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homers Achilles - Essay Example Achilles was killed by Paris of Troy who was avenging his brother Hector's death. Paris has been termed a coward in some literature because he took advantage of Archilles' weakest spot and killed him by an arrow to his heel. Sophocles' Greek character, Philoctetes, resembles Achilles because he was wounded in his foot. His injury did not cure. Philoctetes was about to participate in the Trojan war when he was bitten by a snake on his foot. He suffered great pain and the wound smelled bad. His superior, Odysseus, betrays him and leaves him behind on an island called Lemnos. It seems Philoctetes' has an 'Achilles heel' too because his weak spot on his foot refused to heal. However, Philoctetes, unlike Achilles, does not die from his foot injury. It seems that the pain in his foot was linked to his reception of Heracles' bow. For when Neoptolemus tried to deceive Philoctetes and steal his Heracles' bow, the pain in his foot magnified. Neoptolemus took pity upon him and returned his bow. Philoctetes fought in the Trojan war. As a reward from the gods, his foot was cured of pain, smell and disease. Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus. She was a brave heroine who tried to bury her slain brother Polyneices, against the orders of Creon, Haemon's father. Her lover, Haemon, defended her actions and committed suicide after her death. Haemon's mother, Eurydice, killed herself because of grief. Creon gives up his life to his enemies.

Literature Review Outline on Improving Reading Fluency in Elementary Essay

Literature Review Outline on Improving Reading Fluency in Elementary Students - Essay Example i. Definitions and Benefits of Constant Time Delay – Citation of Reference by Aldemir & Gursel (2014): These are teaching techniques that build reading fluency by increasing word recognition. Teaching utilizes procedures that entail observational learning groups such as pronunciation of letters and spelling lessons. b) Objectives: The ambition of the study was to use a multiple baseline design to evaluate the effects on taped numbers intervention and constant time delay on number identification accuracy among kindergarten students. bb. Criticisms: The absence of response data change during intervention sessions that would aid in designing responsible mechanisms for behavior change. Elements related to peer influence such as group and choral responding were not accounted for in the study. dd. Instruments: Formative evaluation process implanted on time delay procedures involving taped interventions such as sounds, texts, video, and animations. Using multimedia computer program inserted to a 5-second constant time- delay procedure was effective in teaching sight words mm. Criticisms: Students with low mastery levels face a high chance of lagging behind in such procedures and thus would not be favored. In addition, the chorus method does not necessary entail memory retention of words that might affect students negatively. Aldemir, O., & Gursel, O. (2014). The effectiveness of the constant time delay procedure in teaching pre-school academic skills to children with developmental disabilities in a small group teaching arrangement. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 14(2), 733-740. Begeny, J. C., Krouse, H. E., Ross, S. G., & Mitchell, R. C. (2009). Increasing elementary-aged students’ reading fluency with small-group interventions: A comparison of repeated reading, listening passage preview, and listening only strategies. Journal of Behavioral Education, 18(3), 211-228. Begeny, J. C., Daly III, E. J., &

Project management performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project management performance - Essay Example These shortcomings increase the confounding effects of the productivity variables measured and analyzed. The figures calculated for each of the variables of productivity (factor productivity ratios) over a period of time can be systematically plotted to identify and predict a trend that shows change in productivity. The figures for each variable can be monitored individually or collectively with other variables. To monitor productivity over a period of one year productivity metrics for each month have to be calculated. The change in productivity (trend) between one month and another or across the 12 months can be identified by simply calculating the difference in the productivity metrics. The trend can be graphically represented by plotting the productivity metric over a period of year. Fig 1 shows a trend for multifactor (labor and capital) productivity ratio calculated for the months of January is 0.560, February 0.585, March 0.615, April 0.616, May 0.610, June 0.623, July 0.623, August 0.634, September 0.598, October 0.590, November 0.589 and December 0.590. Also for the trend ident ified to be more meaningful, the variable(s) plotted must be compared with productivity of other firms with factors similar to the one in question. This can be done by comparing the productivity metrics with external benchmarks. The last bar in Fig 1 represents the benchmark for similar (small catering/restaurants service). The operation manager of the food service unit can therefore comparatively monitor performance of the unit. The work of the operation manager can be made simpler if s/he uses Microsoft Project application to measure and monitor schedule performance of staff and inputs (monetized resources). This application will allow the manager to handle large variety of data and to (intra) extrapolate outcomes. The operation managers can use the information (factor

Pearson Chemistry Notes Essay Example for Free

Pearson Chemistry Notes Essay 1. i. All elements are composed of tiny indivisible particles called atoms. 1. ii. Atoms of the same element are identical. The atoms of any one element are different from those of any other element 1. iii. Atoms of different elements can physically mix together or can chemically combine in simple whole-number ratios to form compounds 1. iv. Chemical reactions occur when atoms are separated from each other, joined, or rearranged in a different combination. Atoms of one element, however, are never changed into atoms of another element as a result of a chemical reaction. Sizing up the Atom Atoms are very small the radii of most atoms fall within the range of 5 x 10^-11 m to 2 x 10^-10m atoms can be seen in scanning electron microscopes atoms can be moved 4. 2 Structure of the Nuclear Atom Overview Lots of Dalton’s theory is accepted except that atoms can be divided Atoms can be divided into three subatomic particles Protons Neutrons Electrons Subatomic Particles Electrons Discovered by UK physicist J. J. Thomson (1856-1940) Are negatively charged subatomic particles. Thomson’s Experiment passed electric current through gasses at low pressure. Sealed the gases in glass tubes fitted at both ends with metal disks called electrodes electrodes connected to source of electricity one electrode called the anode became positively charged other electrode, called cathode, became negatively charged resulted in glowing beam called â€Å"Cathode Ray† that traveled from cathode to anode. Findings cathode ray is deflected by electrically charged metal plates positively charged plate attracts the cathode ray negatively charged repels it Thomson knew that opposites attract hypothesized that a cathode ray is a stream of negatively charged particles moving at high speed called particles â€Å"corpuscles†. Later called â€Å"electrons† Millikan’s Experiment US physicist Robert A. Millikan (1868-1953) carried out experiments to find the quantity of an electron’s charge. Oil drop experiment suspended negatively charged oil droplets between two charged plates. then changed voltage on the plates to see how it affected the droplets’ rate of falling he found that the charge on each oil droplet was a multiple of 1. 60 x 10^19 coulomb meaning it was the charge of an electron calculated electron’s mass Millikan’s values for electron charge and mass are similar to those accepted today. An electron has one unit of negative charge and its mass is 1/1840 the mass of a hydrogen atom Protons and Neutrons Four simple ideas about matter and electric charges 1. Atoms have no net electric charge; neutral 2. Electric charges are carried by particles of matter 3. Electric charges always exist in whole-number multiples of a single basic unit; that is, there are no fractions of charges. 4. when given a number of negatively charged particles combines wit an equal number of positively charged particles, an electrically neutral particle is formed.

Vision 2020 in Malaysia An Analysis

Vision 2020 in Malaysia An Analysis Abstraction To achieve a vision during a long time is very difficult because it needs a lot of means and also peoples consent in order to be realized. Malaysia is the best example to learn how can achieve a strategic plan by studying its vision that called (wawasan 2020). In this article our group wants to give a general view on the big project in Malaysian history i.e. vision 2020 (wawasan 2020). Firstly, we start by having a look to its definition, and then we want to show some fields which these visions focused on achieving its goals, and the challenges which are facing the vision nowadays. Introduction Malaysia is one of the earliest countries in the world due to Dr. Mahathir who conceived of Vision 2020 and encouraged all Malaysians to achieve this goal by sharing in this plan. Vision 2020 has come from a personnel vision -Mahathirs vision- and it very quickly became a national Vision due to the excellent communicator of this Vision by the prime minister and his government members. The Vision sets new and higher goals for national aspiration, and this vision contribute dramatically in changing the way Malaysians see themselves and the direction of their shared destiny. No longer are we resigned to the fact that we are a developing country that will, at best, remain second rate. Malaysians are urged by the Prime Minister to strive to be the best and not settle for the second best. There is nothing that we are not capable of doing, if we are prepared to work hard and use our ingenuity and resourcefulness. vision 2020(wawasan 2020): The following text is from the Malaysia vision web site , its explain the vision 2020 presented by Dr Mahathir Mohamed at the Malaysian Business Council. The purpose of this paper is to present before you some thoughts on the future course of our nation and how we should go about to attain our objective of developing Malaysia into an industrialized country. Also outlined are some measures that should be in place in the shorter term so that the foundations can be laid for the long journey towards that ultimate objective. Hopefully the Malaysian who is born today and in the years to come will be the last generation of our citizens who will be living in a country that is called developing. The ultimate objective that we should aim for is a Malaysia that is a fully developed country by the year 2020. What, you might rightly ask, is a fully developed country? Do we want to be like any particular country of the present 19 countries that are generally regarded as developed countries? Do we want to be like the United Kingdom, like Canada, like Holland, like Sweden, like Finland, like Japan? To be sure, each of the 19, out of a world community of more than 160 states, has its strengths. But each also has its fair share of weaknesses. Without being a duplicate of any of them we can still be developed. We should be a developed country in our own mould. Malaysia should not be developed only in the economic sense. It must be a nation that is fully developed along all the dimensions: economically, politically, socially, spiritually, psychologically and culturally. We must be fully developed in terms of national unity and social cohesion, in terms of our economy, in terms of social justice, political stability, system of government, quality of life, social and spiritual values, national pride and confidence. [01] Some policies and strategies of vision 2020 ( wawasan 2020 ): the Malaysia economic policy and strategy: This new policy can be considered an add-on document to the NEP; it provides a framework towards Dr. Mahathirs new vision 2020 plan symbolizing the way forward policy towards a developed nation in 2020. This will require the nation to maintain a 7-plus percent growth rates for the next 25 years. Prime Minister Mahathir believes raising workforce quality and developing expertise in sophisticated industries are decisive elements in the countrys road to economic success and development (Brown 1993: 43). In order to facilitate these growth requirements, the NDP has relaxed many of the FDI restrictions imposed by the NEP such as equity and licensing requirements and procedures. The purpose of the Industrial Master Plan which was formulated by the United Nations Industrial.[ 02 ] Malaysia economic policy focuses on some fields to achieve its purposes : Export Facilitation. Import Substitution. Tariff Structure, Strategic Exposure. Export Facilitation: The economic rationale of Malaysia to promote exports provides the nation with three important advantages. First, it generates foreign-exchange that can reduce the amount of foreign debt needed to fund development. Second, it contributes to developing a competitive industry infrastructure from learning from investors- a move that brings technological excellence leading to higher value-added exports. By the promotion of specific industries, such as the semi-conductor industry, has speeded technology acquisition and enhanced the nations competitive Worldwide positioning. Finally, FDI provides employment in the industry sector, which to a large extent is attracted from the agricultural sector. [ 02 ] Tariff Structure: As a link to the policy of maintaining a stable economy with past budget strategies of controlling inflation, there have been major reductions and abolition of import duties on goods and services. The 1995 budget proposes a reduction of tariffs imposed on over 2,600 items of which a majority is food items (Budget 1995: 22). Also, tariffs on building materials and household appliances have been reduced. These measures will not only control inflation, but also enhance the quality of life and favor the overall climate for investments. However, Ad Valorem taxes are imposed on imported goods and services (refer to Appendix 4) [ 02 ]. Import Substitution: Economic development in Malaysia was first built on the basis of Import Substitution, indicated by the large shift of GNP distribution from agricultural sectors to manufacturing sectors. Import substitution has increased in mainly three areas, transport equipment, Industrial chemicals and fertilizers and in Industrial machinery (Onn 1988: 28). However, exports constitute the main source of growth in the manufacturing sector from 1970-1990 (refer to appendix 6). This trend can be explained by economic policy that places great emphasis on improving industrial competitiveness as a vehicle towards vision 2020. [ 02 ] Strategic Exposure Strategic exposure represents a crucial component in Strategic Trade Theory. The rationale behind lowering barriers to trade and exposing local industry to foreign competition is to create a more competitive domestic industry (Hamilton 1989: 4). Such a Level Playing Field policy will force local firms to increase their competitiveness to survive. Strategic exposure represents a direct link to becoming an industrialized nation by 2020 and the realization of economic goals. Incorporating FDI as a strategic measure to enhance technological know-how can reduce domestic learning and experience curves in selected industries. By giving foreign investors considerable tax deductible incentives in areas such as training of local employees, research and development and in promotion of exports Malaysia has been able to increase World wide competitiveness as demonstrated by increasing exports and GDP (Carrol, Errion 1991: 21). Malaysia aims for the year 2000 to have at least 1.6% of GDP spent on RD and is predicting that at least 40% will come from the private sector[ 02 ] Higher educations policy and strategy : Universities In Malaysia, with the cooperation of the local universities formulate and create action plans for reforming engineering education in preparation for the professional expectations of the future. As a result, the universities are urged to act and play a leadership role in improving the engineering education. Interaction with local and overseas industries should also be increased. This will facilitate more realistic and relevant joint projects for students and industry professionals. Through this interaction, universities will face a variety of real-world multi-disciplinary problems that are similar to the business operational problems locally and internationally. These problems can be used as test cases for solution approaches. Engineering students could form interdisciplinary collaborative teams to develop effective solutions to such problems. As a result, the desired attributes for the future engineers, for example, the ability to function on multidisciplinary team, the ability to identify and solve engineering problems, the ability to understand the professional and ethical responsibility and the ability to communicate effectively can be achieved. [03]. Infrastructure and Facilities Universities need to establish consensus on relevancy of a set of a new fundamental for engineering education. This may include information technology, bio-engineering, nano-skill-technologies, skills and understanding necessary for effectively leading multidisciplinary-teams, the challenges of framing and addressing large-scale system-of-systems problems, sustainability, lifecycle management of systems, risk-based asset management, and the need of lifelong learning, globalization, demographic realities and need for diversity [ 03 ]. Academician The pedagogy of engineering education must be changed. According to Felder many students in the United States fail to excel with only the support of traditional method used in teaching engineering. Engineering students prefer active teaching method .Therefore; the traditional teaching engineering model must be changed to a new teaching model in line with the engineers of the 21st century. The future engineering education program should include the use of ICT (Information Communication Technology). This idea suggested by many undergraduate engineering students. The ICT genre involves the use of all tools in the forms of software, on-line program and resources to create new and improved conditions for learning, for example the use of e-learning, email, word processor, and web resources (both static information and dynamic interactive information) [03]. Using ICT in Education The concept of ICT in education, as seen by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia, includes systems that enable information gathering, management, manipulation, access, and communication in various forms. The Ministry has formulated three main policies for ICT in education. The first policy is that of ICT for all students, meaning that ICT is used as an enabler to reduce the digital gap between the schools. The second policy emphasizes the role and function of ICT in education as a teaching and learning tool, as part of a subject, and as a subject by itself. Apart from radio and television as a teaching and learning tool, this policy stresses the use of the computer for accessing information, communication, and as a productivity tool. ICT as part of a subject refers to the use of software in subjects such as Invention and Engineering Drawing. ICT as a subject refers to the introduction of subjects such as Information Technology and Computerization. The third policy emphasizes using ICT to increase productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of the management system. ICT will be extensively used to automate and mechanize work processes such as the processing of official forms, timetable generation, management of information systems, lesson planning, financial management, and the maintenance of inventories. [ 04 ] health policy and strategy: The MOHs vision for the future and the strategic objectives are based on its corporate values that incorporate professionalism, teamwork and caring. Strategic Goals Prevent and reduce the burden of disease Enhance the healthcare delivery system Optimize resources Improve research and development Manage crisis and disasters effectively Strengthen the health information management system Strategies Improve governance, and adoption of appropriate technology and service Practices to empower individuals, families and communities towards attaining lifelong wellness. Develop skills and competencies to further reduce mortality and morbidity rates in furtherance of strengthening the quality of healthcare delivery. Establish effective business strategies to enhance organizational Performance and the consumption of resources. Increase the use of evidence through research to support all levels of decision making. Elevate the level of preparedness in managing disasters and health-related crises effectively. Upgrade the standards of information and communication technology as well as health informatics to maintain sound health information Management [05]. Biological diversity policy and strategy: Principles: The vision 2020 (wawasan2020) in biological diversity based on the following principles: The conservation ethic, including the inherent right to existence of all living forms, is deeply rooted in the religious and cultural values of all Malaysians Biological diversity is a national heritage and it must be sustainably managed and wisely utilized today and conserved for future generations; Biological resources are natural capital and their conservation is an investment that will yield benefits locally, nationally and globally for the present and future; The benefits from sustainable management of biological diversity will accrue, directly or indirectly, to every sector of society; The sustainable management of biological diversity is the responsibility of all sectors of society; It is the duty of Government to formulate and implement the policy framework for sustainable management and utilization of biological diversity in close cooperation with scientists, the business community and the public; The role of local communities in the conservation, management and utilization of biological diversity must be recognized and their rightful share of benefits should be ensured; Issues in biological diversity transcend national boundaries and Malaysia must continue to exercise a proactive and constructive role in international activities; The interdependence of nations on biological diversity and in the utilization of its components for the well-being of mankind is recognized. International cooperation and collaboration is vital for fair and equitable sharing of biological resources, as well as access to and transfer of relevant technology; Public awareness and education is essential for ensuring the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable utilization of its components; in the utilization of biological diversity, including the development of biotechnology, the principles and practice of biosafety should be adhered to [06]. Objectives To optimize economic benefits from sustainable utilization of the components of biological diversity To ensure long-term food security for the nation To maintain and improve environmental stability for proper functioning of ecological systems To ensure preservation of the unique biological heritage of the nation for the benefit of present and future generations; To enhance scientific and technological knowledge, and educational, social, cultural and aesthetic values of biological diversity; To emphasize biosafety considerations in the development and application of biotechnology;[06] Challenges of establishing vision 2020(wawasan 2020): The first of these is the challenges of establishing a united Malaysian nation with a sense of common and shared destiny. The second is the challenge of creating a psychologically liberated, secure, and developed Malaysian Society with faith and confidence in itself, justifiably proud of what it is, of what it has accomplished, robust enough to face all manner of adversity. The third challenge we have always faced is that of fostering and developing a mature democratic society, practicing a form of mature consensual, community-oriented Malaysian democracy that can be a model for many developing countries. The fourth is the challenge of establishing a fully moral and ethical society, whose citizens are strong in religious and spiritual values and imbued with the highest of ethical standards. The fifth challenge that we have always faced is the challenge of establishing a matured, liberal and tolerant society in which Malaysians of all colors and creeds are free to practice and profess their customs, cultures and religious beliefs and yet feeling that they belong to one nation. The sixth is the challenge of establishing a scientific and progressive society, a society that is innovative and forward-looking, and one that is not only a consumer of technology but also a contributor to the scientific and technological civilization of the future. The seventh challenge is the challenge of establishing a fully caring society and a caring culture, a social system in which society will come before self, in which the welfare of the people will revolve not around the state or the individual but around a strong and resilient family system. The eighth is the challenge of ensuring an economically just society. This is a society in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the wealth of the nation, in which there is full partnership in economic progress. Such a society cannot be in place so long as there is the identification of race with economic function, and the identification of economic backwardness with race. The ninth challenge is the challenge of establishing a prosperous society, with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient. [ 07 ] Discussion Is Malaysia on track to 2020? This is the most important question every time the issue of Malaysia 2020 has been raised. And it is important to measure and evaluate the strategies and policies to keep Malaysia on track to 2020; Siddiquee (2006) [08] indicated that the recent reforms represent Malaysias attempt to remain relevant and competitive in a rapidly changing local and global environment. It is clear that the changes are largely consistent with NPM (National Public Management) principles and they are not only geared towards enhancing efficiency and institutional capacity of the governmental machinery, they also seek to transform it into a dynamic, market-driven and customer-oriented administration. It is true that Malaysia is ahead of other developing countries in terms of ICT infrastructure and its usage, however, there is a long way to go before Malaysia can catch up with other regional leaders like Singapore and South Korea. Presently, not only the number and types of services offered through such channels are limited but also the public access to such services is inadequate. On the one hand, the public awareness about such facilities is relatively low; on the other hand, pilot projects being carried out have exposed a variety of challenges Therefore, the reforms, although generally seen as steps in the right direction, have not brought about dramatic improvements in the public sector. An analysis of the public sector competence of 12 Asian countries from 1999 to 2001/2002 by the Global Competitiveness Report shows that Malaysias ranking has dropped from 46 in 1999 to 65 in 2001/2002. Malaysia has fared poorly compared with neighboring Singapore, which has ranked first for three consecutive years. Measured on a 0-7 scale (where 0 means least competent and 7 means the most competent), Malaysias scores are 2.24, 2.50 and 2.10 against Singapores 4.52, 4.4 and 4.7 during the same period. What is even more surprising is that Malaysias 2001/2002 ranking is below that of Thailand (44), Indonesia (48), and the Philippines (58). The Malaysian experience shows that there is hardly any quick fix to the problems of the public sector and that there is a long way to go before the goals envisioned are realized. Malaysia has, despite its efforts to develop ICT especially in the Multi Media Super Corridor, receded from place 25 (in 1997) on a relative competitiveness scale of infrastructure development to place 38 (out of 49 countries in 2001). Malaysia still implement new ways to achieve its goal The government have started implementing several initiatives to facilitate the smooth development of knowledge economy, particularly in the areas of science and technology (ST), research and development, info structure and financing. Examples of some of these initiatives include the launching of the National IT Agenda (NITA) and the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). These initiatives is to position itself in the global-map of knowledge-based economies and to undertake measures in ensuring that equitable access is targeted to all segments of Malaysia society. As a whole, k-economy provides the means to maintain sustainable rapid economic growth and competitiveness in the medium and long term. As mentioned earlier, the private sector will continue to become the engine of growth in k-economy with support from the public sector. At the same time, the objective of social and economic equity will still be a critical element in this new s tage of economic development but with the added responsibility of narrowing the knowledge gap among various groups, between urban and rural communities and across the regions. Hence, having the national policies and plans in place to drive human resources, private and public sector to achieve k-economy, who is responsible for coordinating and administration of the plans, policies and strategies implemented (Abdullah, Rose Kumar (2007))[09]. conclusion Despite Malaysia have achieved many goals from 1981 till now, there are many difficulties that encounter Malaysia for achieving visions 2020 and there are a lot of problems have to be solved such as the following problems: The big gap between Malay and Chinese and Indian citizens between each others whether in communication, dealing, relationships. The non-stabilization in the leaderships of Malaysia government since 2000. Inefficiency to build a new generation to adopt vision 2020 completely. Weakness of awareness of Malaysians society to implement vision 2020. Focusing on development of the big cities like KL, PENANG and disregard the other villages. References: http://www.wawasan2020.com/vision/p4.htmln. http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1848/malay.html. N. M. Nor1, N. Rajab2 and K.M. Ismail3 ,Educating the Engineer of 2020 Malaysian Scenario ,University Teknologi Malaysia . College of Science and Technology, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Chan, Foong-Mae ,ICT in Malaysian Schools: Policy and Strategies ,Educational Technology Division, Ministry of Education, Malaysia, October 2002 from http://gauge.u-gakugei.ac.jp Ministry of Health Malaysia Strategic Plan 2006-2010,April 2008 from http://www.moh.gov.my/MohPortal/Pelan%20Strategik%20KKM%202006-2010.pdf Official declaration ,Malaysias national policy on biological diversity, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Ministry of Science, Environment and Technology, pp 23 , Thursday April 16 1998. http://www.primeministersofmalaysia.net/2020.php Siddiquee, A., N., (2006) Public management reform in Malaysia International Journal of Public Sector Management 19(4) 339-358. Abdullah, H., Rose, C., R., and Kumar, N. (2007) Human Resource Development Strategies: The Malaysian Scenario. Journal of Social Science 3(4): 213-222.

International Customs Law Case Study

International Customs Law Case Study Natasha Joseph Candoma and Rutamu are two neighbouring States along which the river Hope runs. This river contains a rare fish that both States regularly seek out. Due to the river being narrow, the two States have created a system that allows one State to fish, while the other waits until the first has left. One day, a vessel from Candoma was fishing when a vessel from Ruatmu approached. The latter vessel refused to halt, thus resulting in a collision of both vessels. The Rutamuan captain was arrested and tried in Candoman court (Abass, 2012, p. 66). The issue, in this case, is whether Rutamu breached International Customs Law when its vessel encroached upon Candomas vessel as the Candoman crew was fishing in the river Hope. The principles discussed within the chapter will be used as an aid in advising how both parties should argue their respective cases. According to Article 38(1) of the International Court of Justice, the governing rule of law in this dispute is Customary International Law (Abass, 2012, p. 27). Customary International Law is defined as the general and consistent practice followed by States, from a sense of legal obligation (Abass, 2012, p.34). The dispute between Candoma and Rutamu meet the criteria for customary international law, as without this custom, there were severe sanctions that followed. Consistent is defined as conforming to a regular pattern that is unchanging in agreement (Oxford Dictionary, 2010).   In this case, consistency and uniformity of practice are required to prove custom (Abass, 2012, p.39). Candoma constantly abided by the rules that were set out when the custom was created. Although, Rutamu, was not as consistent given the vessel breached waiting, a small degree or frequency will not prevent the formation of this customary rule (Abass, 2012, p.39). Therefore, the practice by Candoma a nd Rutamu over the course of several years demonstrates consistent behaviour. The two criteria for proving the existence of customs in International law are general state practice and opinio juris. General state practice is defined as the total sum of how States behave in respect of a particular issue or situation (Abass, 2012, p.37). In this case, the State of Candoma participated in general state practice. The party which relies on a customà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦must prove that this custom is established in such a manner that it has become binding on the other party (Abass, 2012, p.39). Since Candoma relied on this custom by practicing it, they proved to Rutamu that there was a custom to abide by. Therefore binding Rutamu to participate in the custom. Although it may be argued that, Rutamu did not participate in general state practice. According to Akehurst a number of States participating is more important than the frequency or duration of the practice. Even a practice followed by a few States, on a few occasions and for a short period of time, can create a custom ary rule (Abass, 2012, p.38). In this case, both States needed to participate in the action of this custom in order for there to be a customary law. As this custom is a regional custom, all States against which a regional custom is claimed must have accepted it (Abass, 2012, p. 37). Therefore, this shows that general state practice has not been established. Opinio Juris is defined as the psychological element underscoring States belief that they are under a legal obligation to do, or to refrain form doing, an act (Abass, 2012,p.42). Official statements are not required when determining opinio juris; rather it may be gathered from, acts or omissions (Abass, 2012, p. 40). In this case, the State of Condoma expressed opinio juris through accepting the custom of waiting as law, believing that they were under a legal obligation to fulfill such an act. They reaffirmed opinio juris through general state practice. Although it may be argued, that Rutamu did not express opinio juris. This can be seen through the States actions. Rutamu had previously objected once to the waiting custom by writing to Candoma. The act of writing justifies that Rutamu did not believe in the custom of waiting. In a regional custom, States must demonstrate customary acceptance. In other words, it can be considered as an opt in process. Meaning, a particular State must have demonstrated acceptance of this law through State practice and opinio juris to participate in such a custom (Braley Rattai, 2017). Seeing that Rutamu did not express opinio juris, and wrote to Candoma justified the State was not bound to any law. This demonstrates that Rutamu did not breach waiting; therefore this shows that opinio juris has not been established. In conclusion, both parties have strong cases in relation to this dispute. Although, Rutamu did not breach the custom of waiting as it failed to express opinio juris and general state practice, which are required in participating in a regional custom. Therefore, this State did not participate in the waiting custom and was thus not bound to it making them eligible to freely fish at any given time they want. References (APA Style): Abass, A. (2012). Complete International Law: Text, Cases, and Materials (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Braley Rattai, A. (2017, January 10). International Law: Theories and Sources. Lecture presented at University of Toronto, Scarborough. Oxford Dictionary of Current English. (2001). New York.

Fairness In The Workplace Essays -- Workplace Essays

Fairness In the Workplace  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American society is slowly, but surely, moving towards equality in the workplace. In the past decade laws have been passed that prohibit discrimination in hiring, retaining and promoting employees based on race, gender, disability and religious beliefs. Although not all groups have been included yet, the movement towards a more just workplace is evident. Nowadays, almost every single employer will have the sign 'Equal Opportunity Employer' under the name of the company, especially when recruiting. However, even though companies have adopted these standards as a part of their corporate culture, not all people are able to fully appreciate and accept diversity in the workplace. Although there are many different issues to be considered, I believe that the most prominent issue is that of socialization - the way people were taught and learned to interact with the society at large and its members. This issue has many various aspects that can help understand the difficult y of accepting diversity. These issues include unfair and outdated expectations of others, fixed views on certain issues, and unwillingness to admit that problems exist and that they need to be dealt with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The concepts of expectations and fixed views intersect in a few places. Fixed views are not what one expects of someone, but how the person relates and perceives that someone. Strong views are often followed by expectations. For example if one thinks that someone else is a violent person, he/she will expect to see outbursts of violence. If one has been ?conditioned?, by which I mean that through interaction with society on has learned a particular view or behavior, to think that homosexual relationships are ?disgusting? or at least that they are not ?normal?, one will probably find difficulty with dealing with such instances in the workplace. Williamson, in his article ?Is this the Right Time to Come Out, discusses a situation that a young homosexual employee faced at work. His boss was unable or maybe unwilling to understand the parallels of homo- and heterosexual relationships. In this particular instance, the employee had a chance to tell his employer how he fe els. Unfortunately, there are man situations where homosexual employees are afraid of being ridiculed or made uncomfortable about their sexual preference. As the article me... ...nt. However, the most difficult obstacle in removing the above two issues is the unwillingness to admit that those issues exist and deal with them. Some people might be afraid of lawsuits; it is understandable that nobody comes out shouting, ?I hate women, what are we going to do now. However, if such problems exist, they will not be removed until they are confronted. McIntosh mentions in her article that men are unwilling to admit that they are privileged and that white people are unwilling to admit that as well. This can be difficult for those who did not have as many or any privileges. I believe that such behavior is the biggest obstacle to solving problems in the workplace.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Corporations should actively participate in the quest to make the working environment a better, less intimidating place. I believe that this goal can be accomplished through further development of diversity in corporations. Ellen won respect from men in Bahrain only after they started working closely with them. Hopefully, through closer interaction we can start addressing and changing certain views and expectations that will make the new improved corporations feel almost like Aristotle?s ?polis?.

Antigone or Creon as the Tragic Hero in Antigone Essay -- essays resea

A tragic hero is a character in a play that is known for being dignified but has a flaw that assists in his or her downfall. Antigone is a Greek tragic piece written by Sophocles. In the theatrical production the use of power and morality versus law is evident. The promotion to the conflict was that Creon created a law in which enabled Polynieces, Antigone’s brother, to be buried in the proper way. As it is the way of the gods Antigone found it fit to bury her brother causing her to disobey the law of Thebes. Both Antigone and Creon, the main characters, could represent a tragic hero. However Creon is more eligible for being the tragic hero because he fits the definition. Aristotle’s idea of a tragic hero was that the character was of noble stature. Tragic heroes are great, but not perfect. If they were perfect the audience would not be able to identify with the tragic hero. And lastly the hero's downfall is the fault of their own, the result of free choice, not of acci dent. Creon was the king of the city of Thebes and the father of Haemon and Megara by his wife, Eurydice. As descr...

Legalization of Marijuana

Marijuana Background and Use in U.S. Marijuana is by far the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States and in most other countries as well. More than seventy million Americans have tried marijuana, and more than twenty million have smoked it in the last year, but does marijuana really affect people and their thinking process, and should pot be legal in the United States. I believe that marijuana should be legal because people should live life how they want, even though it could lead to harm. Marijuana hit the United States big in the 60’s and 70’s. (Wikman) Through this time period many people thought this drug was harmless. Today we know that pot is much more dangerous than previously believed. There are many slang terms used for marijuana, some are pot, weed, cannabis, Mary Jane, hash, dope, bud, green, smoke, to name a few. (Zimmer, Morgan) Pros and Cons to the Use of Marijuana There are many pros and cons to the use of marijuana. Many people use this drug for medical use, and others use it for entertainment. In the United States, using marijuana for medical purposes is illegal. Since the 1970’s thirty-five state legislatures have passed laws supporting marijuana’s use as a medicine. (â€Å"Legalizing Marijuana-The Pros and Cons.†) People suffering from nausea and vomiting, who are unable to swallow and hold down a pill, smoking marijuana is often the only reliable way to deliver THC. Another pro to the use of marijuana is diminishing glaucoma; it also can be affective in stimulating appetite in AIDS patients. There is also evidence that smoked marijuana and THC reduce muscle spasms from spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis. Physicians have reported that smoked marijuana provides relief from migraine headaches, depression, seizures, insomnia, and chronic pain. (â€Å"Medical Marijuana Truth and Lies†) I think marijuana should be legal because if people sold pot in their stores, pot smokers would buy it, and it would boost the economy. I also think some drug crimes and innocent killings would go down an enormous amount. Effects of Marijuana on Health and Activity Even though I think pot should be legal, it does cause harm to your lungs. The effects of one marijuana joint on the lungs are equivalent to four tobacco cigarettes, placing the user at increased risk of bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma. A single joint contains the same amount of tar and other noxious substances as approximately fourteen to sixteen filtered cigarettes. Marijuana smokers typically inhale more deeply and retain smoke in their lungs longer than tobacco smokers. As a result, marijuana smokers get more dangerous material in the lungs each time they smoke. Smoking pot is very harmful to your health, family, and friends. Some myths of marijuana and highway safety are marijuana-like alcohol- seriously impairs driving in some respects; pot is even more impairing than alcohol. (â€Å"The Effects of Marijuana.†)   I think this is true because marijuana does affect perception and driving ability. I believe that pot makes many people drive different, and it makes you a dangerous person at the wheel, while on this drug. Conclusion There are very little problems associated with the legalization and there is no mad scramble for the drug since it is legalized.   In conclusion, marijuana has very little harmful effects, and the effects it does have are very similar to tobacco and alcohol.   It also has medicinal uses where people can have significant benefits by using marijuana for their illnesses.   By prohibiting marijuana billions of dollars are being spent and people’s lives have been ruined. Legalization of Marijuana. In the year 1937, the United States government made the drug marijuana illegal.   This ban had little effect on people until the mid 60’s and 70’s.   This was a time where many mind altering drugs where experimented with and widely used.   During this time was also when marijuana research took place.   Early researches was vague and bias, but in the years after many legitimate studies have been conducted, and both sides of the issues have been revealed.   While looking at these studies with an open mind, one can conclude that marijuana should be legalized.   Even though there are some health risks associated with marijuana, it is no different than legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco. (Wikman) Ever since marijuana has become illegal, enforcing it has been an issue.   The federal government of America spends millions of dollars each year trying to keep it off the streets and into dealer’s hands, but their tactics barely do a thing.   The amount of money the federal Drug Enforcement Agency spends each year is $1.3 billion a year.   Overall, federal anti-marijuana efforts have cost taxpayers $30 billion (Zimmer, Morgan).   All of this money can be easily saved if the federal government can just legalize marijuana and regulate it.   Also, the government would be making money off taxes, as they do with alcohol and tobacco. Moreover, this would allow for farmers to grow marijuana and sell it to the government or individual buyers.   By allowing the cultivation of marijuana, farmers who grow tobacco would be helped because tobacco farmers these days are struggling because of the high taxes put on cigarettes.   The climate for growing tobacco is the same climate needed to grow marijuana, so this would help their incomes.   (â€Å"Legalizing Marijuana-The Pros and Cons.†) I think people that get caught with marijuana should not be punished as hard as they do. Marijuana arrest in the United States has doubled last 10 years. Tens of thousands of people are now in prison for marijuana offenses. An even greater number are punished with probation, fines, and civil sanctions, including having their property seized, their driver’s licenses revoked, and their employment terminated. Under federal law, possessing a single joint (or less) of marijuana is punishable by a fine from $1,000 to $10,000 and up to a year in prison . (Wikman) For people on probation or parole for any criminal offense, a marijuana arrest can result in their immediate incarceration. For people who live in public housing, the arrest of any family member for a drug offense can cause eviction of the entire family. Under state and federal law, mere investigation for a marijuana offense can result in the forfeiture of property, including cash, cars, boats, land, and houses. Despite these civil and criminal acts, pot continues to be readily available and widely used. (Wikman) Another reason legalizing marijuana would help the economy is the fact that there would no longer be dealers.   The use of dealers makes the price of marijuana much higher than it should be.   Mainly this is only due to the fact that marijuana is currently illegal, and dealers can set high prices.   By legalizing marijuana the price would drop to a more reasonable price, and the people who use to strain their money to buy the drug will no longer have to.   Legalizing marijuana would help the economy as a whole and for the individual. In 1996 voters in both California and Arizona approved ballot measures exempting physicians and patients from criminal prosecution when marijuana is prescribed for medicinal purposes in the relief of pain or other symptoms caused by cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, arthritis, and other illnesses and chronic conditions.  Ã‚   Four other states passed similar ballot initiative that year, including Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Nevada, and legislatures in 37 states have passed bills in support of medical marijuana.   Medicinal purposes for marijuana give people who have tried all different types of drugs for their illnesses hope for relief. (Wikman) In order for marijuana to be legal, the government would have to regulate it as they do with alcohol and tobacco.   First the government should set an age limit on the purchasing of the drug.   This age should start off at eighteen, like tobacco, and if there seems to be a problem with the age then raising the age limit should be considered.   Overall, the government should first look at countries in the world where marijuana is currently legal.   In the Netherlands, the city of Amsterdam allows the usage of marijuana.   (Zimmer, Morgan)   The usage comes with many regulations though.   For example smoking marijuana can be only smoked in coffee shops administrated all over the city.   Also people can only buy a certain amount at one time, so the distribution of it illegally can be reduced. Marijuana is still the most commonly used drug in the United States and probably will be for years to come. Marijuana is on the rise and will increase in popularity throughout the United States. I’m sure that our government will eventually legalize marijuana, but not soon. Many people argue the pros and cons of pot. I think our government should at least try to see what would happen to the economy if pot was legal, even though it is a huge risk to take. This problem is argued as much as should the alcohol age be lowered again, many teenagers argue this because if there old enough to go to fight in a war, then you should be able to drink. Many younger kids smoke pot without a care and they don’t realize the affects of the drug. America needs to start taking a larger action, and try to get the point across to the youth of America. This will always be a huge argument throughout the world. The question that everyone asks, should pot be legal in the United States. Bibliography: Zimmer, L., Morgan, J. Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence. New York: The Lindesmith Center, 1997 â€Å"Medical Marijuana Truth and Lies.† Drug Watch International. Atlanta: DWI, 1995 â€Å"Legalizing Marijuana-The Pros and Cons.† Growing Marijuana Seeds. 2002.    Legalization of Marijuana Legalization Of Marijuana By: Sam Montgomery Research Paper Emily Rodgers Legalization of Marijuana Why shouldn’t marijuana legalized? Are there actually good reasons for making it legal? Critics say marijuana is a gateway drug, but honestly, everything could be considered a gateway drug. People get high off of all kinds of things, and as soon as the high is over, they look for additional things that might give them the same effect. This includes common household products such as cough medicine, bleach, air dusters, and even permanent markers (Borba, 2012).Alcohol is legal and caused 24,518 deaths as recent as 2009; while in comparison marijuana is illegal and no one has died from overdosing on marijuana. A lot of people drink alcohol to get that â€Å"buzz† or good feeling alcohol gives in drinking large amounts, especially when one’s life might be full of problems. They think it will help them feel better, but this is only a temporary solution to their problems . There is really nothing good about drinking alcohol and it is legal, but then on the other hand, marijuana does have some good aspects and is illegal!This really doesn’t make much sense at all. Drinking alcohol is a choice made by us, and that is what marijuana should be. Similar to alcohol, the government needs to leave the responsibility for using marijuana to us. In this essay one will see that legalizing marijuana will optimize our liberty by limiting corruption, eliminate the cost to keep it illegal with the added bonus of monetary gains of making it legal, and will take out the failure to keep it illegal along with helping our country and government out for the better.The first and most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. Some people ask â€Å"Why should marijuana be legalized? † when the question should be â€Å"Why should marijuana be illegal? † From a philosophical point of view, individu als deserve the right to make choices for themselves. The government only has a right to limit those choices if the individual's actions endanger someone else. This does not apply to marijuana, since the individual who chooses to use marijuana does so according to his or her own free will.The government also may have a right to limit individual actions if the actions pose a significant threat to the individual, but this argument does not logically apply to marijuana because marijuana is far less dangerous than some drugs which are legal, such as alcohol and tobacco (Keeler, 2009). Legalizing marijuana would make free all those people in jail for possessing or smoking marijuana. Prison overcrowding is a serious, expensive, and persistent problem in our country. It makes the prison environment, violent and faceless to begin with, even more dangerous and dehumanizing.Governments at all levels keep building more prisons, but the number of prisoners keeps outpacing the capacity to hold t hem. Those in prison for marijuana law violations are the largest single category (â€Å"Earth protector,†). Marijuana-related police corruption takes one of two major forms. Police officers either offer marijuana dealers protection in their districts for a share of the profits (or demand a share under threat of exposure) or they seize the dealer's merchandise for sell for themselves.There are known cases where police officers were indicted on charges of falsifying records of money and marijuana confiscated from dealers. Legalizing marijuana would eliminate this inducement to corruption, and help to clean up the police's image. Eliminating marijuana law violation and corruption cases would further reduce the strain on the courts, freeing judges, and investigators to handle other cases more thoroughly and expeditiously (â€Å"Earth protector,†). Legalizing marijuana would immediately relieve the pressure on the prison system, and optimize the people’s liberty by cutting out the corruption.Now, if you are diagnosed with cancer or something that causes so much pain it’s intolerable, would you want to be taking all kinds of pills that could hurt your body even further in the long run or smoke marijuana with really mild side effects? Researchers from Tel Aviv University say that smoking a little marijuana could help provide dramatic relief for the elderly who suffer from a variety of chronic ailments. The scientists tested the effects of marijuana treatment on 19 residents of the Hadarim nursing home in Israel.During the study, the participants reported dramatic physical results, including healthy weight gain and the reduction of pain and tremors. According to the study authors, the elderly participants also experienced an immediate improvement in their moods and communication skills after smoking cannabis. Zach Klein, a graduate of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Film and Television Studies, said that the use of prescription medications was also significantly reduced as a result of using medical marijuana (Rannals).The answer to the question is evident here, and that is why marijuana should have been legal for decades now. The second important reason that marijuana should be legal is that it would save our government more money than it would to keep it illegal. In the United States, all levels of government (federal, state, and local authorities) participate in the â€Å"War on Drugs. † The cost to interdict the marijuana traffic and the cost of incarcerating users and traffickers runs into billions of dollars.The crisis in inmate housing would disappear, saving taxpayers the expense of building more prisons in the future (â€Å"Earth protector,†). These people get locked up in prison, and the taxpayers have to foot the bill. We have to pay for food, housing, health care, attorney fees, court costs, and other expenses to lock these people up. This is extremely expensive! The savings would be redirected toward better police protection and speedier judicial service, or it could be converted into savings for taxpayers. For a change, it's a happy problem to ponder, but it takes legalization to make it possible.In addition, if marijuana were made legal, the government would be able to collect taxes on it, and would have a lot more money to pay for effective drug education programs and other important causes. Two states, Colorado and Washington, became the first to legalize marijuana, sparking celebrations, distinct, but not mutually exclusive from those rooting for Barack Obama. The states could see a major economic boost because of the legalization. The new measure is expected to bring the two states more than $550 million combined, with more than 300 economists previously estimating that legalizing pot could save the U.S. up to $14 billion a year (Bradford, 2012). The market for marijuana is already large and will almost certainly grow substantially. Large profits await savvy and successful growers, sellers, and entrepreneurs in associated enterprises such as fertilizer and grow-light vendors; pipe, bong, and vaporizer manufacturers and dealers; banks and other financial-service providers; not to mention munchie selling convenience stores and all-night diners (Worthington, 2012). In addition, a once-thriving hemp industry could again produce high-quality cloth, paper, nutritious oil, and biodiesel fuel.Obviously, all of these businesses will need employees, providing another boost to the economy. There is nothing but gains for legalizing marijuana; so, we should hop on the train sometime soon, and it will be beneficial. The third major reason that marijuana should be legal is because prohibition does not help the country in any way, it just causes many problems. There is no good evidence that prohibition decreases drug use, and there are several theories that suggest prohibition might actually increase drug use (the â€Å"forbidden fruit† e ffect, and easier accessibility for youth).One unintended effect of marijuana prohibition is that marijuana is very popular in American high schools; because marijuana is available to everyone that has friends. You don't have to be 21 to buy marijuana. Marijuana dealers usually don't care how old you are as long as you have money. It is actually easier for many high school students to obtain marijuana than it is for them to obtain alcohol, because alcohol is legal and therefore regulated to keep it away from kids (Pope,2011).If our goal is to reduce drug consumption, then we should focus on open and honest programs to educate the youth, good regulations to keep drugs to protect underage persons, and continue to improve treatment programs for people with drug problems. The current prohibition scheme does not allow such reasonable approaches to marijuana; instead we are stuck with ‘DARE' in which police officers are not telling the truth about drugs in schools, and policies that result in jail time rather than treatment for people with drug problems.The considerable police efforts now expended against marijuana activity; marijuana related crimes could be redirected toward protecting people from those who commit real crimes. The police could protect us more effectively by focusing resources on catching murderers, rapists, and the other perpetrators of crimes against people and property. Our country tried prohibition with alcohol, and that had failed miserably. We should be able to learn our lesson and stop repeating the same mistakes. If you are accused of a crime, it takes months to bring you to trial.Guilty or innocent, you must live with the anxiety of the impending trial until the trial finally begins. The process is even more sluggish for civil proceedings. There simply aren't enough judges and staff to handle the skyrocketing caseload. Since it would cut crime and eliminate marijuana use as a type of crime, legalization would wipe thousands of cases o ff the court dockets across the country, permitting the rest of the court cases to move sooner and faster. Prosecutors would have more time to handle each case and judges would make more considered decisions.Improved efficiency at the lower levels would have a ripple effect on higher courts. Better decisions in the lower courts would yield fewer grounds for appeals, reducing the caseloads of appeals courts; and in any event, there would be fewer cases to review in the first place. Next discussion is about how traffickers are well prepared to defend their crops against intruding government forces. Legalizing marijuana would affect organized crime and subversion abroad as much as it would in the United States.A major source for guerrilla funding would disappear. So would the motive for kidnapping or assassinating officials and private individuals. Once again people could walk the streets and travel the roads without fear of marijuana-related violence. Countries would no longer be para lyzed by smugglers. The United States continued pressure on foreign governments to fight their domestic marijuana industries has clearly reinforced the image of America as an imperialist bully, indifferent to the concerns of other peoples. To marijuana farmers, the U. S. overnment is not a beacon of freedom, but a threat to their livelihoods (â€Å"Earth protector,†). Legalizing and regulating marijuana would remove some of the reasons to hate America, and deprive local politicians of the chance to exploit them. The U. S would have a new opportunity to repair its reputation in an atmosphere of mutual respect. In summary, all of these factors related to legalizing marijuana would help our government and our country in dealing with a very difficult problem for our society while providing many benefits during this time in history.In conclusion, the information provided proves how legalizing marijuana would solve many of our current problems associated with enforcing the marijuan a laws. Legalizing marijuana will optimize our liberty by improving the justice system through removal of the numerous court cases involving marijuana and to allow the courts to better focus on the hard crimes, increase the efficiency of the prison system by providing much needed space for the real criminals in the overcrowded prison system, remove the difficult task of law enforcement agencies to enforce marijuana laws hile reducing the potential for corruption. Each of these changes would produce a major cost savings to the government while opening a brand new business market with taxable revenue which would create substantial monetary gains for the government and business. There would some costs involved in regulating this new business market, but the gains would clearly outweigh the costs.Legalizing marijuana would also eliminate one component of the drug market that is very difficult for the government to enforce the laws and has been an epic failure in the past. In addition, c hanging the United States stance on marijuana to match that of neighboring countries would most likely benefit foreign relations with those countries. Ultimately, legalizing marijuana would improve our government and our country. All of these pieces of evidence provide a strong argument for why marijuana should be legal.I don’t even smoke marijuana, and I still think our country is wrong for not having legalized marijuana by now, when you consider all of the facts. The United States needs to change its old-fashioned thinking and stop being close-minded about issues like this and start looking at solving these problems from outside the box. It is time for a real change, Obama, and one that actually will benefit all of us American citizens! Reference Page Adams, J. (2008, August 18). latimes. com. Retrieved from http://www. atimes. com/features/health/la-he-marijuanapro18-2008aug18,0,3084928. story Bradford, H. (2012, November 07). 14 ways marijuana legalization could boost the economy. Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2012/11/07/marijuana-economy-14-reasons_n_2089107. html Borba, M. (2012, May 31). 13 dangerous (and stupid) ways teens get high. Retrieved from http://www. micheleborba. com/blog/2012/05/31/dangerous-and-stupid-ways-teens-get-high/ Earth protector. (n. d. ). Retrieved from Legalization of Marijuana Legalization Of Marijuana By: Sam Montgomery Research Paper Emily Rodgers Legalization of Marijuana Why shouldn’t marijuana legalized? Are there actually good reasons for making it legal? Critics say marijuana is a gateway drug, but honestly, everything could be considered a gateway drug. People get high off of all kinds of things, and as soon as the high is over, they look for additional things that might give them the same effect. This includes common household products such as cough medicine, bleach, air dusters, and even permanent markers (Borba, 2012).Alcohol is legal and caused 24,518 deaths as recent as 2009; while in comparison marijuana is illegal and no one has died from overdosing on marijuana. A lot of people drink alcohol to get that â€Å"buzz† or good feeling alcohol gives in drinking large amounts, especially when one’s life might be full of problems. They think it will help them feel better, but this is only a temporary solution to their problems . There is really nothing good about drinking alcohol and it is legal, but then on the other hand, marijuana does have some good aspects and is illegal!This really doesn’t make much sense at all. Drinking alcohol is a choice made by us, and that is what marijuana should be. Similar to alcohol, the government needs to leave the responsibility for using marijuana to us. In this essay one will see that legalizing marijuana will optimize our liberty by limiting corruption, eliminate the cost to keep it illegal with the added bonus of monetary gains of making it legal, and will take out the failure to keep it illegal along with helping our country and government out for the better.The first and most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. Some people ask â€Å"Why should marijuana be legalized? † when the question should be â€Å"Why should marijuana be illegal? † From a philosophical point of view, individu als deserve the right to make choices for themselves. The government only has a right to limit those choices if the individual's actions endanger someone else. This does not apply to marijuana, since the individual who chooses to use marijuana does so according to his or her own free will.The government also may have a right to limit individual actions if the actions pose a significant threat to the individual, but this argument does not logically apply to marijuana because marijuana is far less dangerous than some drugs which are legal, such as alcohol and tobacco (Keeler, 2009). Legalizing marijuana would make free all those people in jail for possessing or smoking marijuana. Prison overcrowding is a serious, expensive, and persistent problem in our country. It makes the prison environment, violent and faceless to begin with, even more dangerous and dehumanizing.Governments at all levels keep building more prisons, but the number of prisoners keeps outpacing the capacity to hold t hem. Those in prison for marijuana law violations are the largest single category (â€Å"Earth protector,†). Marijuana-related police corruption takes one of two major forms. Police officers either offer marijuana dealers protection in their districts for a share of the profits (or demand a share under threat of exposure) or they seize the dealer's merchandise for sell for themselves.There are known cases where police officers were indicted on charges of falsifying records of money and marijuana confiscated from dealers. Legalizing marijuana would eliminate this inducement to corruption, and help to clean up the police's image. Eliminating marijuana law violation and corruption cases would further reduce the strain on the courts, freeing judges, and investigators to handle other cases more thoroughly and expeditiously (â€Å"Earth protector,†). Legalizing marijuana would immediately relieve the pressure on the prison system, and optimize the people’s liberty by cutting out the corruption.Now, if you are diagnosed with cancer or something that causes so much pain it’s intolerable, would you want to be taking all kinds of pills that could hurt your body even further in the long run or smoke marijuana with really mild side effects? Researchers from Tel Aviv University say that smoking a little marijuana could help provide dramatic relief for the elderly who suffer from a variety of chronic ailments. The scientists tested the effects of marijuana treatment on 19 residents of the Hadarim nursing home in Israel.During the study, the participants reported dramatic physical results, including healthy weight gain and the reduction of pain and tremors. According to the study authors, the elderly participants also experienced an immediate improvement in their moods and communication skills after smoking cannabis. Zach Klein, a graduate of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Film and Television Studies, said that the use of prescription medications was also significantly reduced as a result of using medical marijuana (Rannals).The answer to the question is evident here, and that is why marijuana should have been legal for decades now. The second important reason that marijuana should be legal is that it would save our government more money than it would to keep it illegal. In the United States, all levels of government (federal, state, and local authorities) participate in the â€Å"War on Drugs. † The cost to interdict the marijuana traffic and the cost of incarcerating users and traffickers runs into billions of dollars.The crisis in inmate housing would disappear, saving taxpayers the expense of building more prisons in the future (â€Å"Earth protector,†). These people get locked up in prison, and the taxpayers have to foot the bill. We have to pay for food, housing, health care, attorney fees, court costs, and other expenses to lock these people up. This is extremely expensive! The savings would be redirected toward better police protection and speedier judicial service, or it could be converted into savings for taxpayers. For a change, it's a happy problem to ponder, but it takes legalization to make it possible.In addition, if marijuana were made legal, the government would be able to collect taxes on it, and would have a lot more money to pay for effective drug education programs and other important causes. Two states, Colorado and Washington, became the first to legalize marijuana, sparking celebrations, distinct, but not mutually exclusive from those rooting for Barack Obama. The states could see a major economic boost because of the legalization. The new measure is expected to bring the two states more than $550 million combined, with more than 300 economists previously estimating that legalizing pot could save the U.S. up to $14 billion a year (Bradford, 2012). The market for marijuana is already large and will almost certainly grow substantially. Large profits await savvy and successful growers, sellers, and entrepreneurs in associated enterprises such as fertilizer and grow-light vendors; pipe, bong, and vaporizer manufacturers and dealers; banks and other financial-service providers; not to mention munchie selling convenience stores and all-night diners (Worthington, 2012). In addition, a once-thriving hemp industry could again produce high-quality cloth, paper, nutritious oil, and biodiesel fuel.Obviously, all of these businesses will need employees, providing another boost to the economy. There is nothing but gains for legalizing marijuana; so, we should hop on the train sometime soon, and it will be beneficial. The third major reason that marijuana should be legal is because prohibition does not help the country in any way, it just causes many problems. There is no good evidence that prohibition decreases drug use, and there are several theories that suggest prohibition might actually increase drug use (the â€Å"forbidden fruit† e ffect, and easier accessibility for youth).One unintended effect of marijuana prohibition is that marijuana is very popular in American high schools; because marijuana is available to everyone that has friends. You don't have to be 21 to buy marijuana. Marijuana dealers usually don't care how old you are as long as you have money. It is actually easier for many high school students to obtain marijuana than it is for them to obtain alcohol, because alcohol is legal and therefore regulated to keep it away from kids (Pope,2011).If our goal is to reduce drug consumption, then we should focus on open and honest programs to educate the youth, good regulations to keep drugs to protect underage persons, and continue to improve treatment programs for people with drug problems. The current prohibition scheme does not allow such reasonable approaches to marijuana; instead we are stuck with ‘DARE' in which police officers are not telling the truth about drugs in schools, and policies that result in jail time rather than treatment for people with drug problems.The considerable police efforts now expended against marijuana activity; marijuana related crimes could be redirected toward protecting people from those who commit real crimes. The police could protect us more effectively by focusing resources on catching murderers, rapists, and the other perpetrators of crimes against people and property. Our country tried prohibition with alcohol, and that had failed miserably. We should be able to learn our lesson and stop repeating the same mistakes. If you are accused of a crime, it takes months to bring you to trial.Guilty or innocent, you must live with the anxiety of the impending trial until the trial finally begins. The process is even more sluggish for civil proceedings. There simply aren't enough judges and staff to handle the skyrocketing caseload. Since it would cut crime and eliminate marijuana use as a type of crime, legalization would wipe thousands of cases o ff the court dockets across the country, permitting the rest of the court cases to move sooner and faster. Prosecutors would have more time to handle each case and judges would make more considered decisions.Improved efficiency at the lower levels would have a ripple effect on higher courts. Better decisions in the lower courts would yield fewer grounds for appeals, reducing the caseloads of appeals courts; and in any event, there would be fewer cases to review in the first place. Next discussion is about how traffickers are well prepared to defend their crops against intruding government forces. Legalizing marijuana would affect organized crime and subversion abroad as much as it would in the United States.A major source for guerrilla funding would disappear. So would the motive for kidnapping or assassinating officials and private individuals. Once again people could walk the streets and travel the roads without fear of marijuana-related violence. Countries would no longer be para lyzed by smugglers. The United States continued pressure on foreign governments to fight their domestic marijuana industries has clearly reinforced the image of America as an imperialist bully, indifferent to the concerns of other peoples. To marijuana farmers, the U. S. overnment is not a beacon of freedom, but a threat to their livelihoods (â€Å"Earth protector,†). Legalizing and regulating marijuana would remove some of the reasons to hate America, and deprive local politicians of the chance to exploit them. The U. S would have a new opportunity to repair its reputation in an atmosphere of mutual respect. In summary, all of these factors related to legalizing marijuana would help our government and our country in dealing with a very difficult problem for our society while providing many benefits during this time in history.In conclusion, the information provided proves how legalizing marijuana would solve many of our current problems associated with enforcing the marijuan a laws. Legalizing marijuana will optimize our liberty by improving the justice system through removal of the numerous court cases involving marijuana and to allow the courts to better focus on the hard crimes, increase the efficiency of the prison system by providing much needed space for the real criminals in the overcrowded prison system, remove the difficult task of law enforcement agencies to enforce marijuana laws hile reducing the potential for corruption. Each of these changes would produce a major cost savings to the government while opening a brand new business market with taxable revenue which would create substantial monetary gains for the government and business. There would some costs involved in regulating this new business market, but the gains would clearly outweigh the costs.Legalizing marijuana would also eliminate one component of the drug market that is very difficult for the government to enforce the laws and has been an epic failure in the past. In addition, c hanging the United States stance on marijuana to match that of neighboring countries would most likely benefit foreign relations with those countries. Ultimately, legalizing marijuana would improve our government and our country. All of these pieces of evidence provide a strong argument for why marijuana should be legal.I don’t even smoke marijuana, and I still think our country is wrong for not having legalized marijuana by now, when you consider all of the facts. The United States needs to change its old-fashioned thinking and stop being close-minded about issues like this and start looking at solving these problems from outside the box. It is time for a real change, Obama, and one that actually will benefit all of us American citizens! Reference Page Adams, J. (2008, August 18). latimes. com. Retrieved from http://www. atimes. com/features/health/la-he-marijuanapro18-2008aug18,0,3084928. story Bradford, H. (2012, November 07). 14 ways marijuana legalization could boost the economy. Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2012/11/07/marijuana-economy-14-reasons_n_2089107. html Borba, M. (2012, May 31). 13 dangerous (and stupid) ways teens get high. Retrieved from http://www. micheleborba. com/blog/2012/05/31/dangerous-and-stupid-ways-teens-get-high/ Earth protector. (n. d. ). Retrieved from