World Religions – Buddhism

The idea of a â€Å"union of opposites† pervades Taoist writings and exerts a tremendous influence over the root philosophical concepts of Taoism, encompassing issues which may be considered metaphysical or even mystical, but also influencing issues of applied ethics and personal behavior.The idea of conjoined opposites begins at the root, metaphysical level of Taoist thought which asserts that â€Å"being and non-being give rise to each other†; a stark departure from Christianity which posits that God is eternal and so has always been (Chen, 1989, p.  55).This metaphysical assertion continues from the macrocosmic (universal) to the microcosmic (personal) levels, where opposites are seen to give rise to the world of motion and being: â€Å"The difficult and easy complement each other, The long and short shape each other, The high and low lean on each other, Voices and instruments harmonize with one another, The front and rear follow upon each other† (Chen, 1989 , p. 55).Following up on the universally derived union of opposites from a macrocosmic level, the Taoist asserts a union of opposites, also, within the self and in regards to personal conduct: â€Å"the sage manages affairs without action,† and therefore should practice â€Å"creative quietude† in pursuit of personal wisdom and even ambition. The idea that opposites are, in nature, united through the Tao means that moral divisions are also damaging and artificial.The true sage accomplishes merit † without claiming merit† and since â€Å"he does not claim merit, His merit does not go away† (Chen, 1989, p. 55). Such seeming paradoxes are often difficult for Westerners to understand The idea that the universe itself could be comprised of a union of opposites, rather than a pervading and omnipotent single-Creator is not compatible with idea of Christianity which elevates a dualistic vision of the universe with good and evil at odds with one another and a single, benevolent God.Taoism seems to reflect a much more organic and complete of vision, at least in my opinion although the extension of Taoist philosophies into western religion is probably not something which will happen any time soon, such a â€Å"union of opposites† would provide a rich synthesis of spiritual and philosophical ideas. References Chen, E. M. (1989). The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary (1st ed. ). St. Paul, MN: Paragon House.

Why Did a Campaign for Women’s Suffrage Develop After 1870?

Women wanted to vote so that they could gain more respect from men, they desired the right to be able to make a difference to the way the country was run. Their views were that they lived in the country therefor they had the rights to vote for the laws they have to obey. Women wanted to have to opportunity to vote for MP's that support equal rights, giving women a better life. Women wanted to be able to change the divorce law as after marriage the man gained everything and the female was left with nothing. Women craved an education equal to men, so that they can undertake more responsible, independent well paid jobs, that they could not for fill without an education. There were many areas of inequality against women. The divorce law is a string example of this. The men even had legal rights to the children if they had any, even though the woman's job was to look after the children, while the male was at work. So when the divorce takes place the Man still goes to work, and has to leave the children at home without a mother. Women strongly felt that equality was a basic and natural human right. During the 1800's many more men had gained the vote, men with possible less resulting influence than some women had. Women weren't just thinking of themselves, they felt that their education they could bring about better childcare and housing. This would benefit everyone. Their were many reasons why women campaigned for the vote, one of them being that women had to obey the laws as did the men but they had no say through political representatives on what they abided by. Women knew that as long as they had no vote, they had no respect, and as long as they had no respect, they were being paid less. The political inequalities greatly effected women's social strength, and their economical situation. Women felt that politics had entered the home, though law, therefor women should enter politics. Women found it disgusting that they were being taxed without being represented. They had to pay for the government to go against what they women believe in. All top jobs are not available to females, as they are seen as inferior. This means that opportunities in public life are denied. Generally women have a closer relationship with the children than the males do, as they look after them while the men work. Therefore women know what is better for the children, and their point of view was not considered as they had know social status. The campaign for women's suffrage started from 1870 onwards was because of a number of reasons. In 1853 Florence Nightingale bought nursing to the public eye as a respectable occupation that women could embark on without being criticised. Women showed much enthusiasm to improve and become more experienced in the profession of nursing and medicine. Florence showed initiative and responsibility that had not been shown in women before. This was an example of some progress that occurred in the 1800's, but there were still many areas of inequality. In 1870 the married women's property act was enforced, allowing women to keep i200 of their own earnings. This may not sound much but money was worth much more in these times. This was the start of many changes that age women a more equal role in society. In 1873 a law was imposed allowing women to see their children if they got divorced. This gave them closer relationships with their children, and they would have been looked after better as the men go out to work. In 1884 married women were no longer considered possession of their husbands, this meant more respect in society as they were seen as people rather than belongings. Women's role gradually become more influential as new jobs became open to women such as; teaching, civil service work and secretarial work had just taken off due to the invention of the typewriter and telephone. I feel the first real rights given to women were that they were allowed to keep i200 of their own earning. This gave women inspiration, as they knew then, that they could use that money to possibly get an education or to start a business. This also let them know that they do have some rights and they are improving. I also believe that a key change in favour of women's rights is â€Å"The Match Girls† strike. They demanded better pay and conditions, and the publicity forced the company to improve them. I feel that women decided to begin campaigning in 1900 was because of the changes that occurred, women were being given better opportunities so they felt that they had an opportunity to use this beginning to carry on the development to equal rights. Q2 Describe the Ways in Which the Methods of the Suffragists and the Suffragettes Were Different The Suffragettes and the Suffragists were two female dominated groups, who were very alike in principle but used very different methods of persuasion. The Suffragists (NUWSS) were a peaceful, law-abiding group. They did not demand the vote for all women but wanted to be on equal footing with men. The first women to join the NUWSS were well-educated, middle-class women, but in the 1890's many factory girls wanted to gain the vote, raise their wages and their living and working conditions joined the movement. By 1900 the female cotton workers were the highest paid factory workers in Britain. The Suffragists used their resources and qualifications within the movement's members to produce banners, postcards and posters. The Suffragettes (WSPU) used totally different forms of propaganda. The suffragettes had one aim; to gain political equality with men. The WSPU was formed on the 13th October 1905 when two women in Manchester were thrown out of a Liberal meeting for shouting for women's votes. They were arrested outside the meeting for hitting and spitting at policemen. This was quite typical for the Suffragettes as they tried to get publicity though dangerous stunts. The plans of the Suffragettes were very different to those of the Suffragists, as they would get publicity at any cost. They deliberately got arrested for crimes such as arson, window smashing and bombing. When they were in jail for their crimes they often went on hunger strike so they had to be force-fed. The Suffragettes made it clear that they would not stop the havoc they were causing unless their demands were met. Types of leadership were key to the actions of the movements. Millicent Fawcett saw her role as a co-ordinator; she didn't consider herself to be in charge but to give the effort of the other Suffragists some guidance. She made it clear that the Suffragists used non-violent methods of persuasion to gain the same voting rights as men. The Suffragettes were led in a very different manor, Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters led the movement forcefully. They were said to have ruled like â€Å"dictators† not listening to others, and not thinking of the consequences of their actions, purely concentrating on their battle for suffrage. The Suffragettes were based in London where all the parliament buildings are based, therefore when they wanted to protest they could do so, and MPs would see and realise how serious they were. I feel that the Suffragists were a group for women who supported women's rights to vote enough to want to make a difference and get involved but not enough to get arrested or even killed like some of the Suffragettes. The suffragettes were the most effective organisation and used their image to gain popularity and respects with men. They achieved this by calling off all their extreme petitions whilst the war was on. This gained them respect and also gave them a chance to prove themselves that they cared for the country. They proved they could do the same jobs, to the same standard if not better than the men could. An achievement by both organisations is that by 1900 over half the MP's said they wanted women to have the vote. Though much hard campaigning women's suffrage took many more years to achieve their original aims but they both did. Suffragists using a much more conventional form of propaganda such as posters etc, but they Suffragettes use much more extreme and extravagant forms. They not only showed that they wanted equal rights but they showed how much they wanted them. They went to many extremes just to gain what they very strongly believed in. Q3 Why Did Many People Oppose Giving Women the Right To Vote Many people opposed giving the women the right to vote because they feared what the women might do, if they had as much power as men did. Many people believed that if women had gained equal rights they would not stop and they would want to take complete control. Some contemporaries strongly believed that women would not vote responsibly but would be influenced by how someone looks rather than the serious political issues of the day. This relates to the lack of women's education, many people believed that a woman's place was at home. Most girls did not go to school, the only education women had was to set them up for marriage, to be able to run a household. Many people could not take women seriously because of this and women were looked upon as inferior to men. People also thought that women were too irrational and emotional to make sound judgements. Men and women were thought of to be very different. They should fulfil different roles in life. Men should live in the world of politics and work, and women in the world of the home. Women were the weaker sex, they could not be asked to fight for their country. Therefore, because they are not asked to risk losing their lives during the war, they were not citizens in the fullest sense. The campaign for women's suffrage had been, hijacked by a small, articulate but unrepresentative minority of feminists. At bottom, most women did not really care whether they had the right to vote or not. Middle-class women would use political rights to develop their careers and neglect their domestic duties. Also, if the educated delayed having families or did not have them at all, a larger proportion of babies would be born to ‘socially undesirable' elements. The nation would suffer. To give the vote to women would almost certainly lead to a certain extension for men and thus enfranchise unskilled, rootless and generally undesirable people. Basically women were inferior to men, but men feared that women would have their revenge if they gained enough power to do so, men feared for their futures. Women were inexperienced and if they had the right to vote, they would not use their ability correctly, as they cannot research anything into the subject because of their lack of education. However, men had more experience so they could make intelligent and rational decisions. The suffragettes did not made life easier for women. They just made women look crazy, stupid and incapable of making intelligent decisions. Queen Victoria did not think women should have had the right to vote. This was because she thought that there was no point in changing society, because she was happy with the way it was working, and she thought that men's decisions were intelligent enough. Women had no key role in society, they were childlike, inferior and incapable of making decisions, which could change the future for the whole country, was it worth the risk? Women had no education to prove themselves, and those who did had very little. If women could not prove themselves to their country, how were they supposed to make an impact on society? It was very hard for women to change the way in which people were thinking, women had to look and act intelligent so that people could see that they were just as clever as men. The only reason women had such a bad reputation was because many women worked at home cleaning and looking after the family. This is still an important role, if women were given the same education as men, they would be just as intelligent, the just never had the same opportunities. I believe that the lack of women's education was the most important factor of why many people did not want to let women have the right to vote. Women were set a bad status, and it would be hard to overcome this and try to act as if they were as intelligent as men were. It would be very hard for women to prove themselves. Question 4 I agree that women over 30 gained the vote in 1918 mainly because of women's contribution to the war effort. Within the women's suffrage movement response to the war varied enormously. Mrs Fawcett told members of the NUWSS, â€Å"Women your country needs you†. Many members became involved in war relief work. However not all members wanted to do war work. Some were pacifists who totally disagreed with fighting and war. Mrs Pankhurst, her daughter Christabel and members of the WSPU stopped campaigning and threw themselves into the war effort. Helping he government with recruiting and propaganda. Many middle-class and upper class women became nurses and worked directly with the army. Some of these women had the chance t work abroad; others worked in military hospitals in Britain. Some of these women found life hard, they were not used to working and the shifts night and day were long. VAD was the Voluntary Aid Detachment, these women worked unpaid until 1915. After this they received i20 a year, but had to pay for their uniforms. Some men opposed to women in men's jobs. They were worried that women doing the same job for fewer wages meant that when the war was over women would be kept on. To avoid this trade, unions made agreements with the government and employers to protect men's jobs and wages. Despite the hostility women entered all kinds of work, which before the war was thought to be unsuitable for women. Before the war the only jobs for women in transport were as cleaners, attendants and clerks. However, during the war they became bus and train conductors, railway ticket collectors, signal women and porters. 900,000 women were involved in making shells, guns and aircraft. This was dangerous work, using poisonous substances and explosives. At least 300 women died in the munitions factories from the explosions. This shows how devoted women were to their country. Munitions workers were one of the best-paid jobs during the war with wages up to i5 a week. Women were encouraged to help out on farms, to keep the country supplied with food. They worked 10-12 hours a day and did not earn as much as factory women. They could join one of three sections of the land army-agriculture, timber cutting and forage. Women in agriculture would tend sheep, pick potatoes, hoeing, ploughing, help with harvest work and work on the harvest gardens. Women on the land would live on the farm and usually had to pay for their food and lodging. They had to sign up for either 6 months or a year and were not allowed to leave without special permission. After the war the old voting system had to be changed to allow men returning from the war to be able to vote. The law said that all voters must have lived in the country for over 12 months before voting, so women argued that whilst making changes to allow the â€Å"returning heroes† to vote. It would be a good time to add women to the list of voters. The war had shaken the whole structure of society- the working classes lost some respect for the rich, many people had died or lost relatives, the whole of Europe was insecure. 1918 was therefore a time for change or starting afresh. I believe that the work, which women did during the war earned them a lot of respect and this definitely helped them win the right to vote. Women proved to society that they could be intelligent and reliable if the were given the chance. They proved that if they had more power they could help the country and they would make a big difference in the way in which the society was run. The women's movements before the war helped to raise awareness of the situation of women, this helped their cause, also politicians realised that the violent campaigning would have been renewed if they did not recognise women's rights.

Agility Resilience in organisation

The purpose of this business report is to examine AH Moor's approach to organizational agility and resilience; cooking specifically at the promotion of leadership and enterprise workforce. It explores the benefits to the organization of the implementation of a systematic plan for selecting, motivating and developing employees with the requisite skills and demonstrated behaviors to operate effectively in highly uncertain, highly unstructured environments and demonstrating how enabling this improves organizational outlook.As organizational resilience and agility is seen as a systematic property, both individual and organizational levels are explored. In today's global economic climate businesses need to sustain a competitive advantage to remain above the competition. It Is the geopolitical uncertainty, with unprecedented changes and Instability and business discontinuities that demand organizational agility and organizational resilience. Unforeseen circumstances Like the terrorist acts of September 1 lath had adverse effects on businesses that dealt with commodities such as gold, and the company was no exception. The sudden hike in gold price resulted in the company losing millions, and the lack of agility and resilience the organization possessed meant it paid greatly with the years that followed. Presently, in the many is undergoing major transformational changes to its corporate strategy and development, and a change that the new HER team is pushing towards is changing the way recruitment is being carried out.Arguably, human talent is capital; talented persons carry within them, in their knowledge and expertise, important parts that are means of production. Intellectual capital and talented labor force is now central to many business enterprises (Riveter & Kline, 2000). It Is argued adequate Job fit needs to play Into consideration to allocate correct personnel to handle a demanding Job ole within the gold/jewelry sector given the businesses geographical locat ion and fierce competition which is ever-growing due to rising gold stocks.In addition with the recent rapid development of the united Arab Emirates has seen greater rise in competition. At the individual level, resilience can be explained through occupational stress or burnout that account for the continuation of or even increases in worker performance and psychological well-being in the face of difficult work conditions (Carver, 1998; Mismatch & Letter, 1997). At the organizational level, characteristics of organizations (e. G. Man resource practices, organizational culture and values) have been related to agile reactions and continued survival under volatile, demanding work conditions (Horned & Orr, 1998; Mammal, 1998). An organization's capacity for resilience Is rooted In a set of Individual level knowledge, skills, and ablest and organizational routines and processes by which an organization conceptually positions itself, acts decisively to move forward, and overcome the poten tially debilitating consequences of a disruptive shock (Lenience- Hall & Beck, 2009).A organizations capacity for developing organizational resilience s achieved through strategically managing human resources to create individual competencies among core employees, that when combined at the organizational level, make it possible for organizations to effectively absorb uncertainty, develop situation-specific responses to threats, and ultimately engage in transformation activities so that they can capitalize on disruptive surprises that potentially threaten the survival of the organization.The lack of focus given to personnel selection has also highlighted an inability for staff to cope with the stressful pressures that come with working within gold and a highly charged industry. The company is situated in the popular Gold Soak region, where hundreds of retail shops and close to a hundred wholesale distributes are situated simply in that area alone. As a result competition is highly ch arged and the company has seen rates of turnover and absenteeism risen and levels of mental and physical well-being have deteriorated.It is the increased competition associated with the acceleration of market changes that have put pressure on organizations to react quickly whilst re-inventing themselves in response to external pressures. Study of individual differences reveals certain personality emissions such as locus of control, hardiness, and self-esteem relate to people's reaction to stresses. Rooter (1996) proposed that having an internal locus of control (believing you can control what happens in life) moderates the relationship between stresses and strain such that a strong internal locus is associated with less strain.This idea is in line with Karakas idea of perception of control. Giordano (2000) found Iranian business managers with higher levels of hardiness, the better their health and performance despite stressful situations. If there is a miss-match between individuals and the organizational culture; source of stress if a person believes organizational functions as unclear and unpredictable could lead to role ambiguity; Coco (1948) found non participation in decision process and uncertainty led was a predictor of strain, Job related stress.Literature findings are clear in regard to the implementation of stress on employee wellbeing through a behavioral, psychological and physiological perspective. Where the effects of strain can lead to the deterioration of memory, reaction time, accuracy and task performance. Modality (1986) found stress associated with less sensitivity, warmth and tolerance awards patients amongst nurses, Gaston school found association between unsupported work environments and quality of work performance in NASH staff.There is also evidence that on simple tasks moderate levels of arousal or stress seem to aid performance (Dawson et al. , 2009). Schaeffer (2004) found burnout was predicted mainly by Job demands and to lesser ex tent, Job resources; that is related to turnover intention and health problems; and that it mediates the relationship between Job demands and health problems. Three broad methods can be utilizes here to help reduce and manage stress that are grouped in three categories- remarry, secondary and tertiary interventions.The primary level of this hierarchy includes modifying and eliminating stresses. In relation to company this would include giving people more control over their Jobs and work environments; redesigning tasks they are required to do; giving flexible work schedules. Skimpier et employees to adopt to different ways of working. Bond & Bunch (2000) designed cluster of interventions that led employees having more input into decision-making and control over workloads, and put systems in place for getting advice form mangers quicker on vague tasks.Employees from intervention group reported less ill health, and higher Job performance. Perceived control in interventions group underp inned these positive outcomes. Also found individual differences appears to interact with the changes in control where Higher psychological flexibility benefited more, showing individual differences can lead to different outcomes for different employees. At a Secondary level focus on individuals response to stress, and focus more on employees than changing aspects of the organization.Increasing levels of social support for staff experiencing high level of stresses in organizations found ewer medical errors and malpractice claims in hospitals, and an increased agility and resilience in stressful environments (Murphy, 1996). This findings were also supported by Frees (1999) who looked at blue collar workers and also found social support exhibited less anxiety, and strain. Tertiary symptom directed, focus on helping individuals cope with consequences of stresses, again focus is on individuals rather than focus on organizations.One approach to provide medical care in house or outsourced for employees, another approach is PAP. Cooper and Saudi (1994) found improvements in mental health and esteem of those participating n Peeps within organizations, suggesting they can be helpful with stress, however approach this is a reactive approach not proactive because it doesn't prevent it, deal with problems after they arise rather than focus on creating positive work environments which minimize stresses.There has been rapid increase in compensation claims for work-related stress in recent years (Dyer, 2002). Furthermore it's been reported that growing proportion of employee absences may be accounted for by anxiety, and depression (McLeod 2003) and such circumstances have been found to have an effect on productivity, absenteeism, and occupational injuries. There is growing literature which argues that workplace counseling helps alleviate these issues, as well as improve employee problems.Here, it is argued the implementation of external sources through contractual agreements would be deemed beneficial as there is a lack of organizational resources and trained staff within HER to provide services, and furthermore consolidating in external counseling may be viewed as safer alternative where employees may fear of the level of confidentiality within their sessions. It should be noted not only is counseling being suggested to combat issues of individual and organizational stresses but also deal tit the impending issues of lack of diversity within the organization at present and the ongoing issues in relation to this.There are numerous studies that point out the benefits of counseling. In particular a substantial systematic review by McLeod (2001) found counseling to reduce work related stress in more than 50% of people, levels of sickness and absence reduced by 25-40%. There were clinically significant improvement in levels of anxiety, depression and stress reported in 60-75 of clients. AH Nor fails to implement development of employees through training to enable raciest, or learned routines that will provide a first response to any unexpected threats.Important organizational procedures and conduct are tied closely to of company beliefs and those beliefs then become core values which are the basis of day-to-day behaviors that translate intended strategies into actions (Hammond, 2002). Behavioral preparedness helps bridge a gap between divergent forces of learned resourcefulness and counterintuitive agility and merging forces of useful habits.A combination of useful habits and behavioral preparedness create a foundation of rehearsed and habitual expert routines that ensure an organizations initial and intuitive response to any situation will create options that than constraints (Ferrier, Smith, & Grimm, 1999). The principle behind the selection process is that individual differences between people in attitudes and skill and other personal qualities, and people are not equally suited for all Jobs therefore it is important to match the r ight person to the right Job.The main elements involved in designing and implementing personnel selection procedure can be outlined in the personal selection paradigm (Patterson and Ferguson, 2007). AH Nor possess no competency framework or reliable recruitment methods. It is suggested that the initial first steps required is a Job analysis to take place within the company recognizing the tasks that are assumed and the competencies required, including tasks that will remain stable over time.The goal of Job and competency analysis is to provide an evidence based specification to attributes that act as criteria for decision making during the selection and guide the choice of assessment techniques. Assessments are selected based on correspondence between the attributes they assess and those identified in the Job and competency analysis. It can be difficult to describe certain the behaviors associated with writing a complex financial report there for competency analysis has become very popular.It has been agreed that competency analysis goes beyond rigid boundaries of the Job title by taking into account the organization objectives vision s and strategy of staffing requirements (Livens and Sanchez 2007). Although the effects of faking are not understood but this can be reduced with providing feedback as research has suggested if individual knows the test will discussed later makes them think twice, also assessor is able to determine if individual was honest based on feedback session if they are unable to meet the data.Schmidt et al 1979, showed gains of over $1 m dollars per annum could be expected if ability tests were used to select park rangers, similar gains were also reported for computer programmer selection (Hugs & Manager 1959). Psychometric testing has grown popular in recent years, and it can be used in two ways in selection. It can provide a more detailed assessment of Job candidates and better manage applicants. They consist of tests of maximum perform ance which are tests of ability aptitude, linked to general intelligence, or specific facets like verbal, numerical and abstract etc.Tests of performance which are personality assessments. They are designed to assess aspect of individuals ability, choice of test is dependent on information gleamed from the job and competency analysis. These types of tests are used alongside early stage assessments it helps selector determine minimum acceptable level of ability for Job role, those below cut score are rejected. In Hunter and Schmidt (1998) meta-analysis general ability tests are right up with work sample and structured interviews with validity of 0. 1 . In combination with an integrity test (which would extend to personality assessment drawing on integrity-relevant traits), the validity rises to 0. 3. The particular HER system configuration that will leads to a capacity for organizational resilience. Moreover, it is important to recognize that while human capital, Just like many other assets, can be applied toward multiple ends; opportunity does not mean that the leverage potential will be realized.For example, creative problem solving routines, a clear sense of purpose, high levels of intellectual and social capital, and a propensity for iterative, double-loop learning which are elements contributing to a capacity for resilience can also contribute to developing organizational change trainees and promoting dynamic capabilities (Oriole and Savings, 2003). The perspective and mental agility that stem from needed cognitive abilities provide a foundation for an organization to be able to learn from the consequences of the actions it undertakes within its complex actions and thereby be more effective in dynamic competitive environments.Useful habits such as continuous dialogue and the trust that results from deep social capital provide the raw material for constructing meaning and making difficult choices in ambiguous situations. However, it takes deliberate intent to ensure that particular outcomes are realized. It is argued that it is the comprehensive bundle of desired employee contributions, HER principles and HER policies that enables a firm to develop a capacity for resilience (Lenience-Hall and Beck, 2011).Therefore it is argued that HER policies, practices, and activities are vital for an organizations capacity for resilience, and that organization's capacity for resilience is a multilevel collective attribute emerging from the capabilities, actions, and interactions of individuals and units within the company. Employee contributions, HER practices, and HER policies are the primary integrating mechanisms or achieving a collective resilience capability. Organizational resilience is an increasingly necessary collective competence for the company that operate in highly charged environments and those characterized by Jolts and surprises.Investments in human capital to develop employees who are adept learners, strong communicators, and skil led at creating strong interpersonal ties creates a foundation for both a capacity for resilience and effective knowledge management. Similarly, developing organizational skills such as â€Å"radicalized ingenuity' (Cutout, 2002)), using action to happen cognition (Wick, 1995), and counterintuitive thinking (Meyer, 1982) contribute to both a capacity for resilience and innovation. References Bond, F. W. & Bunch, D. (2000). Mediators of change in emotion-focused and problem- focused worksheet stress management interventions.

Future Direction of Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Future Direction of Health Care - Essay Example One of the most important challenges that will influence the future strategic direction of the healthcare sector is the advancement of information technology. The sector will face challenges with the implementation of technological platforms such as electronic medical and health records. For instance, the sector has to train workers on how to use the platform in order to maximize service delivery and achieve organizational goals (Shi & Singh, 2010). Additional complications may emerge in cases where service providers try to avoid penalties because of the failure to implement the platforms. The issue of information confidentiality is also applicable in this case. Users of healthcare information technology must maintain high levels of confidentiality, while ensuring that the systems are safe and efficient. The healthcare sector will expectedly experience a shortage of skilled workers. Most of the skilled and experienced workers are within the retirement age. The fact that the workforce is aged leads to problems of reduced productivity. When the retiring workforce leaves the workplace, there will be a loss of skill, knowledge and experience (Shi & Singh, 2010). In addition to the retiring workforce, the healthcare sector faces competition for workers from other countries and international organizations. Most healthcare practitioners are relocating to countries such as Singapore and Malaysia. Economics will influence the future strategic direction of healthcare because they determine the cost of healthcare and the availability of financial resources for the management of the sector. Government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are unsustainable (Shi & Singh, 2010). The current structure of these programs is not sufficient for the achievement of their goals. Funding towards these programs increase yearly, but they are not able to provide services to their target

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Memorandum on Public Adminstration - Case Study Example The level of infant mortality is an important indicator of health status of a community. Health People 2010 consensus document stated the reduction of infant mortality rate as one of its objectives. Numerous documentaries reveal the existence of racial disparities in infant mortality rate (IMR). African Americans and other racial minority groups experience a slightly higher IMR as compared to the IMR experienced by the whites. The disparities in neonatal mortality occur due to factors influencing the birth of extremely preterm infants and the access to specialized pediatric and obstetric care. Neonatal mortality accounts for about 67 percent of the national IMR (Khanani et al., 1). Therefore, the risk of preterm birth is a fundamental factor to assess when seeking to decrease the infant mortality. Infant death rate is a key gauge of a nation’s health. It measures the number of infants that die before they reach the age of one year. Most studies on the impacts of WIC on infant’s health have methodological limitations. In most of these studies, the independent measure is often eligibility rather than participation and measure of the results being cause of infant death or timing of those deaths. Population based surveys including WIC program participation are limited. Besides studies examining the effects of timing of WIC are very rare. Evidence on the effects of interventions such as nutritional and prenatal care on birth weight and other features of infant’s health in US populations is variegated. This makes it uncertain on how the WIC program might affect infant mortality. Since its founding in 1974, the WIC program has gained the reputation of being a successful federal funded nutrition program in the US. Numerous findings of previous studies reviews and reports show that WIC program is cost effective in nurturing and improving the health and nutritional status of

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall - Essay Example There was entrance for other allies in the war and it grew to be a world war. Germany wanted Britain but Britain could not allow Hitler to acquire it. The war ended with the entrance of America and the subsequent defeat of Japan through bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The war had increased in magnitude such that not only the death of Helter and his ally Benito Mussolini of Italy would have ended the war. But Germany was left more unstable with the clout rule of Nazi regime that had helped to hold the country together under an authoritarian rule. After the ended to the war the territory that was left that could be termed as Nazi Germany had been divided into four occupation zones according to the postal agreed. Each of the regions was occupied by the allied power, American, British, French and the soviets. The former capital of Germany Berlin was occupied by the allied powers and acted as their center of control of the whole region. It as also subdivided into four zones although the city was in the zone that was occupied buy the soviet.The intention of the agreement that had led to the division of Germany among the powers was in order to govern the country together as one. But immediately after the war there was growing tension between Soviet Union which was working to occupy the superpower vacuum in the world and the allied forced led by America. The era of cold war had just but set in.The advent of cold war saw increasing tension between the forces that had divided Germany among themselves. The French, British and American zone were brought together to form Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin. On the other hand the region which... Each of the regions was occupied by the allied power, American, British, French and the soviets.   The former capital of Germany Berlin was occupied by the allied powers and acted as their center of control of the whole region.   It as also subdivided into four zones  Ã‚   although the city was in the zone that was occupied buy the soviet.     The intention of the agreement that had led to the division of Germany among the powers was in order to govern the country together as one. But immediately after the war there was growing tension between Soviet Union which was working to occupy the superpower vacuum in the world and the allied forced led by America. The era of cold war had just but set in.   The advent of cold war saw increasing tension between the forces that had divided Germany among themselves.  Ã‚   The French, British and American zone were brought together to form Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin. On the other hand the region which was under the s oviet rule formed the Germany democratic Republic which included East Berlin.   Therefore the main forces behind division for Germany were the growing differences that were emerging between the allied forces and the Soviet Union which was mainly based on ideological differences between the two forces. (Maddrell, 2006)Growing difference between West and East  The cold war was purely based on ideological difference between the USA and the Soviet Union which was then led by Russia.   This was the main differences that had led to the eruption of the cold war.

Latino Culture is Growing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Latino Culture is Growing - Research Paper Example Latino culture is certainly changing, but it is the aim of this essay to provide evidence that Latino culture is growing within the United States and as such is becoming more influential and powerful than ever before. The hypothesis of this paper is that the literature will support the notion that Latino culture is growing within the United States, and as such the operational definition will seek to define the statement above by describing the number of Latin Americans in the United States and the areas in which their culture is growing. We will define the weight of the Latin American culture in terms of number and evidence provided within the literature that it is becoming more and more influential in all areas of cultural interest. According to our hypothesis, Latino culture is growing and as such we will expect the tests we do (in this case measuring qualitative and quantitative evidence for the growth of Latino culture) to support this, providing us with an operational definition . To understand the growth of Latino culture, it is important to understand what exactly comprises it. Latino culture at its most basic level involves anything cultural that can be found predominantly amongst those within the Latin American ethnic group. It also generally refers to movements that have come from Latin America directly, or modern adaptations of this. For example, Roman Catholicism is generally thought to be a large part of Latin American culture (Phol, 1998). Music is found within all cultures, and Latino culture is no different. Latino music generally refers to music made by those of a Latin American origin, whether it be traditional forms such as salsa or adaptations of more modern American trends such as hip-hop or rock music with a distinctly Latin flavour, such as involving traditional rhythms or singing in Spanish. Language is often associated with culture too, and we will look at how the Spanish language is the most important growing language in the United Stat es and how Spanglish (a fusion of Spanish and English) is becoming more common amongst Latin American and Anglo American teens. It is hard with Latino culture, as with any culture, to pin down exactly what makes it unique, as culture changes so rapidly. However, it is safe to assume that Latino culture can be attributed to those of Latin American origin and as such most of the cultural elements discussed within this essay will be those directly formed under the influence of people of this ethnic origin. It is widely recognised that Latino culture is growing, particularly within adolescent groups. Latino teenagers now have more spending power than Anglo teens, spending over $320 a month, which is 4% more than the average American teenager (Stapinski, 1999). This means that advertising companies have had to adapt and begin to target Latino adolescents to improve profit margins, and new advertising companies such as Lazos Latinos have started to appear, primarily targeting the Latino Y outh. With this increased targeted advertising, more elements of Latino culture have been reaching a wider audience, meaning that Anglo teenagers pick up on the trends that are currently defining Latino culture and as such the trends are spreading to a wider

The influence of technology or media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The influence of technology or media - Essay Example I have seen people doing their best to make sure that they have remained one step ahead of the technological advancements and adopted them so that they can be deemed as socially acceptable. This is the basis of my understanding as far as technology and its different tools are concerned in this day and age. This paper takes a keen look at some of the similar subjects and aspects related with technology, and highlighted where my domains have been strengthened over the years. I have seen technology to have grown by leaps and bounds in the recent past since it has touched chords with how people have incorporated it within their lives. I have seen technology to have made its mark even within the most conventional of systems. It has made me feel at ease with how revolution has come in and allowed me to comprehend the nuances of life and science in particular. I have seen my family members and friends learning quite a few new aspects related with technology. I have witnessed them being interested in the technological advancements and taking keen enthusiasm under the aegis of new gadgets, features and tools. I opine that this is an advancement of sorts which has come out as a progression in these times. I have noticed that people feel strongly about technology and are generally unhappy if they miss out on any new technological innovation that comes to the fore. Similarly, the teenagers have the most pivotal connection with technology because they are always r elated with new gadgets and tools, and are on the lookout for changes, advancements and updates as and when these arrive. This is the reason why success has been related with technology for just about everyone. Some of the stories that I can tell regarding the usage of technology have basically been limited to my exposures. The role of technology has also been apparent within the social networks like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, different

Analyzing the american beauty movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing the american beauty movie - Essay Example American Beauty Film Several symbols have been used in the movie ‘American Beauty’; the screenwriter utilizes color red throughout the film. For instance the first appearance of Annette Bening, reveals her love for roses where she’s shown cutting red roses. Allan Ball the script writer uses color red in this movie to represent the concept of life force. The concept is used symbolically since by nature, it responds towards defying revealing nature of suppressive sub-urban life. This can be seen of first appearance of Annette Bening, where she’s cutting red roses. The activity is symbolic of cutting life force after which she reveals her emotional and spiritual control, during painfully stilted family dinner. The music background used in the scene where rose petals are seen floating everywhere assist in the creation of mood on the fact that the scenes are dream sequences, hence fantasy involved. However, American dream is represented through beautiful roses a s well as luxurious furniture. Lighting variations utilized is considered excellent, since there are no sign of major distractions from actions or conversations within various scenes. Green and somber soft light is utilized in the scene where Ricky’s father beat him up on the face. Afterwards, Ricky is seen wiping blood from his face with reflection through the mirror (â€Å"American Beauty†). ... On the issue of life force, Kevin Spacey is revealed as incapable of repressing sex as part of his sub-urban life force. This is revealed through his fantasies, where the object of his lust, Mena Suvari, is shown floating on bed of red rose petals, and in some instances soaking in tub covered with roses. In "visual pleasure and narrative cinema" Laura Mulvey presents interesting facts regarding sexual imagery on both men and women. A good example is on page 837 under the header, â€Å"Woman as Image, Man as Bearer of the Look†, where the concept as represented on this film is achieved. Elaboration on this aspect is found on the final encounter between Kevin Spacey and Mena Suvari where they are almost involved in sexual encounter; there is vase of red roses shown. Further, Mulvey uses a critic’s opinion of women in cinema through summary on the facts, ‘women only matter in film because of what they mean to the hero i.e. the man’ (Mulvey 837). On the same no te, Peter Gallagher depicts Annette Bening’s pent-up sexuality through bus stop posters having red background. Spacey uses red for the purposes of depicting rebellion based on individuality representing uncivilized impulse. The hot-rod of Spacey’s boyhood dreams is also represented by bright red color. Red is further used by Chris Cooper, the psycho ex-Marine to represent sexuality and assertion of individuality, the event on kissing between her and Kevin Spacey is crowned by bright red car in the background. Assertion of individual’s uniqueness in this film is represented in numerous ways making only few overcome the quest for freedom from control (â€Å"American Beauty†). Red is used as symbol of individualism

Quality of corporate governance within an organization (Shell Company) Essay

Quality of corporate governance within an organization (Shell Company) and the impact on organizations key stakeholder - Essay Example For a company to remain competitive it must practice good and quality governance principles so as be innovative and be able to adapt in order to meet new demands from its customers and grasp new opportunities that may arise in the market. Corporate behavior is known to influence behavior of shareholder who is owner of equity in the company. Use of quality corporate governance principles by the Shell Company management was studied and the effects of applying quality governance principles studied to determine whether they have any effect on its shareholders. Table of contents Abstract 3 Chapter 1 1.1 Introduction 4 1.2Objective of study 5 1.3 Overall research objective 5 1.4 Research hypothesis 5 CHAPTER 2 2.1 Literature review 5 2.2 Importance of quality corporate governance in an organization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 2.3 Role of stakeholders in corporate governance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 2.4 Principles of good corporate governance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 2.5 Corporate social responsibility (CSR)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.12 CHAPTER 3 3.0 Research methodology 13 3.1 Evaluating level of corporate governance in the shell company†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 3.2Analyzing the stakeholder†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 3.4Process of carrying out stakeholder-based approach†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..15 3.5 Accounting techniques / business techniques used†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.16 CHAPTER 4 4.0 Findings /results 15 4.1 Code of Ethics and ethical behavior†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦16 ... Its aim is to help to meet the worlds growing energy needs in an economically, socially and environmentally viable ways now and in future in a sustainable manner. This is will be achieved by working closely with its customers, partners and policies makers so as to advance in a more efficient and sustainable use of energy and natural resources. Its objective is to engage efficiently, responsibly and in a profitable manner in oil, oil products, gas, chemicals and in other businesses and also to participate in the search for other sources of energy and development so as to meet the evolving customer needs and the world’s growing demand for energy. Shell Company believes that oil and gas will be an integral part of global energy needs for economic development in decades to come and therefore has a role in ensuring that they extract and deliver their products profitably and in environmentally and socially responsible Objective of study Overall research objective The research object ive is to find out the effect of good quality corporate governance and its impact in organization (Shell Company) stakeholders. Research hypothesis Good and quality corporate governance is vital in management of an organization and has a significant effect on the stakeholders of the shell company CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Generally corporate governance can be described as the relationships that exist between organization management, the board of directors, shareholders and other stakeholders that are involved in with the organization. Corporate governance provides a structure of framework through which objectives of the company are set. For a company to achieve

Themes in Othello Essay Example for Free

Themes in Othello Essay Themes in Othello is that of deception, developed mostly through Iago, who is an arch-deceiver throughout the play. Because he is angry that Othello has passed over him for a promotion, he vows revenge. Playing upon Othello’s jealousy, he deceives him into believing that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. He also deceives Roderigo, making him believe that Desdemona will tire of Othello and eventually be won by Roderigo. It is Iago’s repeated deceptions that move the plot of the play forward to the ultimate climax and tragedy. Another minor theme of Othello is love, and the play can be considered a romantic tragedy. The play is romantic because it celebrates the marriage of two minds as embodied in Othello and Desdemona. They marry in spite of the protests of Desdemona’s father, and she faithfully follows her husband wherever he is sent. Their romantic marriage, however, is ruined by the villainous machinations of Iago. Othello is eventually led to murder his beloved, turning the romantic play into a tragedy. A third minor theme of Othello revolves around appearance vs. reality. Iago has an honest face, which helps hide his deceitful soul. Othello appears to be strong and courageous, a leading general, but he is easily tricked into fearing that his wife is unfaithful. It appears that Desdemona has left her treasured handkerchief with Cassio; in reality, Emilia has taken it and Iago has planted in on Cassio. Because of Iago’s trickery, it appears to Othello that Desdemona is involved with Cassio; in truth, she is innocent, loving her husband dearly. Throughout the play, Iago is instrumental in making sure that reality is disguised by appearances, which he manipulates. MOOD The predominant mood of the whole play is somber and tragic. Iago works his evil almost from the opening scene, and each new deception that he plans brings greater misery. The tragic gloom that he causes is only occasionally relieved by comedy, provided by Roderigo and the Clown.

Apple Inc. Study Essay Example for Free

Apple Inc. Study Essay 1. Executive summary Apple Inc. is a technology company, which designs, produces and sells goods of the Computer, Music and Mobile-phone Industries. It is differentiated by its brand-perception and identification. Over the last couple of years, Apple has become a cult-brand, thanking it’s iLife, iTunes, QuickTime and iMac lines. Apple Inc.’s short-term goals is currently increasing the sales  of the just launched iPad (the most innovative web=browser in market). In the long-run, Apple aims for the top of the market, becoming the number one leader. Apple Inc. has incorporated numerous features that are unique and well known in the market today. We consider that there are several Apple products with several appealing features such as: iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. These products represent a revolutionary era for the development of Apple. By placing such products in the market, Apple Inc. has attracted a lot of customers in one way or another. Highly advanced technology, simplicity and design, and the sense of luxury are the main features integrated in these products. Moreover the comfort and convenience that these products provide are very crucial. â€Å"Think Different† One of the main reasons which inspired me to choose Apple Inc. is its unique, simple and luxurious image that Apple has created in the market over the years. â€Å"Think differently† which is an inspiring motto, made us believe that simplicity and creativity combined with luxury can lead to a successful and profitable company, such as Apple. Another component that we found to be challenging for us was to understand Apple’s goals, objectives and their secret of being successful. A very important fact about Apple products today is that these products are globally spread. This has created among us the idea that Apple products are no longer luxuries but real necessities due to the technological developments. Moreover, what has motivated us most to select Apple Inc., is the way we relate ourselves with its products. Each of us being an Apple consumer has build trustworthiness relationship with the products that this company offers. Owning an iPod or iPhone today definitely w ill make your life easy and simple. As mentioned above, 2010 came with the launching of the iPad, which is a totally differentiated product in the market. It is a web-browser, which also can be used as laptop, and can be useful in every aspect of educational and professional areas. Its price, compared to regular Apple prices, is pretty affordable ($499), which is an incentive for more buyers to purchase. This is the main goal of Apple in the current day. 2. Introduction According to (OPPapers, 2012).Apple Inc is an American multinational  organization located in 1 infinite loop, Cupertino, California 95014, in the middle of the Silicon Valley. It is focused on designing and developing the personal computers, other related software products, and the electronic products such as MP3 players and iPods. Apple Inc’s main products are iMac, iPod, iPhone, and its latest advanced product is iPad, which is on the verge of creating another revolution after iPhone. Apple Inc was founded in 1976 and since then Apple Inc has been leading the way in innovating new products, however it has encountered numerous ups and downs since then. Apple Inc produced the first ever extremely successful personal computer. It has been always on the forefront of innovating new products; however it has often struggled to maintain the hold on the market share in the product line. Lately, Apple Inc has transformed its image from an inventive computer manufacturer to a fully-fledged consumer’s electronic company. Some facts of its success can be calculated from its sales of $13.95 billion in the year 2005. In year 2005, Apple Inc had controlled 4.2% of the US market in PCs. Also, Apple iPods models had controlled 70% of the hard drive MP3 player market. Apple Inc enjoys the leading share in the handset market, generating over 71% of the industry’s profit with 6.5% of the international handset market. Apple unveiled its first iPhone on 9th January, 2007. The most recent iPhone, is iPhone 4S, and it was announced on 4rth October, 2011 and was released 10 days later. 3. APPLE Inc. According to (Scribd Inc., 2013) Apple has to be one of the greatest success stories of all time. The beginnings of Apple started with Wozniak assembling a simple built computer machine. It was in the summer of 1971 Wozniak 21 and Jobs 16 were introduced to each other by a mutual friend Bill Fernandez. Wozniak had shown Jobs his simple built computer machine and this impressed Jobs to the point Jobs believed he could sell it for a profit. It was here they would form a strong friendship because they not only shared a passion for computers, but because they were both known as outcasts and for the first time they had a great understanding, admiration and respect for each other‘s abilities, personality and intellect. They would begin the Apple project by selling some of their possessions: Wozniaks HP scientific calculator and Jobs Volkswagen, they raised $1300 and assembled their first prototypes in Jobs bedroom. When the project became too big for the bedroom  they moved the pro ject into Jobs familys garage, it was on a huge wooden work bench that served as their first manufacturing base. The computers were hand built by Wozniak and first shown to the public at the Home brew Computer club. After selling a number of the machines Apple was established on April 1, 1976 and went public on December 12, 1980. Apple has maintained its great success with its ability to understand what the consumer wants before the consumer even knows what they want; Apple effectively creates wants by their constant creative innovation and unique design which is stylish, user friendly and affordable. They have also been able to create a brand in the high technology world just as Chanel has in the fashion world. People can easily recognize an apple whether its the I-Pod, the I-Phone, the Mac Air or the I-Pad. It has become a product that defines ones identity in how they desire to be seen by society that is a person who is highly innovative, intelligent, stylish and apart of the in crowd. This is pure marketing genius. This marketing genius of Apple has seen this company outperform beyond the b usiness worlds expectations. While so many companies are struggling to break even in the current recession Apple is getting stronger by the day. Apple’s Most Successful Products and Services iPhone 4, iPadiPad 2, iPhone, iTunes, PowerBook G4, iPod, OS X, iMac, Quick time, Mac, Apple II. PRODUCTS and SERVICES Apple Store, Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes. Other Products and Services Desktops, Xserve, Notebooks. 4. Vision Statement It is especially important for managers and executives in any organization to agree on the basic vision that the firm strives to achieve in the long term. A vision statement should answer the basic question, â€Å"What do we want to become?† A clear vision provides the foundation for developing a comprehensive mission statement (David, 2011) a. Vision Statement of APPLE Man is the creator of change in this world. As such he should be above systems andstructures, and not subordinate to them. i. Explanation of APPLE’s vision  According to (Hamilton, 2011) Apple lives this vision through the technologies it develops for consumers and corporations. It strives to make its customers masters of the products they have bought. Apple doesnt simply make a statement. It lives it by ensuring that its employees understand the vision and strive to reach it. It has put systems in place to enable smooth customer interaction. It has put objectives in place to continuously move forward; implemented strategies to fulfill these objectives; and ensured that the right marketing, financial and operational structures are in place to apply the strategies. 5. Mission Statement â€Å"What is our business?† is synonymous with asking the question â€Å"What is our mission?† An enduring statement of purpose that distinguishes one organization from other similar enterprises, the mission statement is a declaration of an organization’s â€Å"reason for being.† It answers the pivotal question â€Å"What our business?† A clear mission statement is essential for effectively establishing objectives and formulating strategies (David, 2011). a. Mission Statement of APPLE â€Å"Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.† i. Mission Statement Analysis for APPLE Inc. Apple is mainly focusing at the following components of mission statement: 1. Apple may not be important to elaborate on its concern for its employees or to thoroughly outline its customers and targeted market. Apple is a trendy technology company which prides its self in providing easy to use electronics and efficiently run software systems. Because of this it is most important for Apple’s mission statement to focus on components like company philosophy, self-concepts, and current technologies. These aspects of Apple are what make it popular and successful today. 2. Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the  1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store. 3. Apple’s mission statement only includes descriptions of products and services and past and present technologies. 4. The mission statement from Apple is somewhat unconventional. It’s more of a brief history rather than a summary of the corporations overall purpose. It does however paint a picture of where Apple came from, how far it has come, and where it’s continuing to go. But for such a popular company it may be beneficial divulge into points like its self-purpose and their concern for public image. 6. Values As stated in (appleinvestor, 2012) Apple Values are the qualities, customs, standards, and principles that the company believes will help it and its employees succeed. They are the basis for what they do and how they do it. Taken together, they identify Apple as a unique company. These are the values that govern Apple’s business conduct: Empathy for Customers/Users Aggressiveness/Achievement Positive Social Contribution Innovation/Vision Individual Performance Team Spirit Quality/Excellence Individual Reward Good Management 7. External Audit The purpose of an external audit is to develop a finite list of opportunities that could benefit a firm and threats that should be avoided. a. External Analysis for APPLE Inc.  External environment determines the present situation of Apple Inc., and also helps find out the possible influences of the political, economical, and  social and the technological factors on the organization. b. PESTL Analysis for Apple Inc. i. Political Factors As stated in (CNetnews 2012) Apple Inc. has reportedly obtained 52% of its business from outside US in 2007. Due to the bad international relations, wars and terrorism might influence Apple Inc. in a huge way, and also the organization has no control over these factors. Apple Inc. manufactures a number of its parts and products from outside the US, like Czech Republic, Ireland, China, Korea and Cork. The bad political relations between US and the other world have bad outcomes for the Apple Inc. (CNetnews, 2012). ii. Economic Factors By the (Apple Inc., 2012) The global economic crisis had huge impact on Apple Inc. The inflation rate went high and so did the unemployment rate in the country, and since Apple Inc. products were viewed as luxury products, the customers started pending less on them. US dollar value keeps fluctuating, and thus again which have a bad impact on Apple Inc. products, however the company has purchased itself foreign currencies and thus, the economic effects on the company are minimized. Thus, Apple Inc. revenue has increased in the global market. iii. Social Factors Throughout the history of Apple Inc., two factors have been on the forefront of Apple Inc. products, the quality and the design of the product. Thus, globalization plays a very important role in Apple’s products. As the world cannot be imagined without the gadgets, thus Apple products have marked their presence on the international market. Also, as the purchasing power of the common has risen in various markets across the world the purchasing of luxury products have gone up, for e.g. the iPhone, iPods and the latest technology iPad. Possessing these items is considered as status symbols in many societies which have also increased the sales of Apple Inc. products. Another big social influence to Apple Inc. products is the rapid growth of the music industry, which have increased markets over the cyber space as well. The main virtual music store is the iTunes. Thus, in all Apple products have benefitted from the social factors as it has begun defining a modern individual lifestyle. iv. Technological Factors Apple Inc. has invested largely in its product research and development field and thus, Apple products are at the top of the new innovative products ranking. Apple Inc. has invested largely in its product research and development field and thus, Apple products are at the top of the new innovative products ranking. The technology has been fast changing in the world and the market for it has become gigantic, which has added to more and more competition and thus, as soon as technological change are concerned the product life cycle has been shortened drastically, which the Apple Inc. takes the advantage of by introducing newer products in the market, which ultimately lead the market. v. Legal Factors Nokia has filed various lawsuits against Apple Inc., claiming the violation of 13 additional patents by iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, this apart from US complains covering 24 Nokia patents. Also, in China Apple Inc. has been fighting the battle for its right to the iPad trademark. 8. SWOT analysis for APPLE Inc. SWOT analysis stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat for a particular organization, which can help in formulating a strategy for its business and can also help in analyzing its internal environment (Strengths Weakness) and external environment (Opportunities Threats). a. Strengths According to (Wharton, 2012) The first and foremost strength of Apple Inc. is its technological edge over its competitors. IPhone have turned out to be a great success and has been associated with status in many of the countries. ITunes has turned out to be a wonderful revenue generating source and since it also sells with its own tool i.e. the iPod, thus, revenue has multiplied for Apple Inc. Another strength for the organization is that for every software that Apple Inc. produces, it introduces its hardware with it too, which leads to its expertise in both the industries. Apple Inc. products are classified as luxury items, thus its products provide enough room for it, so  that the competitor products are no longer a competition. The another strikingly advantage over competitor’s products, is the design of the Apple products, and which are also simple to use. The brand loyalty of its product and its super dedicated research and development department are also its major stre ngths. b. Weaknesses Weaknesses are the disadvantages that are hindrance in obtaining the business goals for the organization. The poor relationship with the market than Microsoft is surely a disadvantage to Apple Inc. Another point could be that the products introduced by Apple Inc. have very short life cycle, which concludes that the research and development department has to be constantly maintained, which requires huge capital. Apple Inc. has very low presence in the advertisements, and also it has very small market occupation as compared to its main rival Microsoft. Thus, all this leads to the fact that Apple Inc. gets very less business from its home country US, and major of its business is from outside the US. c. Opportunities According to (Marketingteacher, 2012).Opportunities can affect both the present as well as the future condition of an organization. Apple Inc. opportunities are the introduction of more and more PC viruses, on which Apple Inc. can capitalize on. The second opportunity is the population of the world is growing at a rapid pace and thus, this opens the front for many new markets, also the purchasing power of a common man has increased drastically, who can be pursued or impressed to buy the luxury Apple products. The online sales of the organization are increasing and also, the bonds and the partnership with the other organizations have been on the rise in the past few years. Products such as iPhone have create a new set of potential customers altogether which can be targeted in the future i.e. the young population who have a craze for any new technology gadget (MarketingTeacher.com 2012). d. Threats In the past few years, many competitors have come up for Apple Inc., especially in the field of laptops, like Dell, Sony, HP, and Toshiba. Another threat could be that many of the customers have started downloading  the music for free instead of purchasing at iTunes. The product expensiveness is itself a threat to the product, as substitutes at a lower price are always available. Long lasting recession could also be a threat to its products. Windows 7 software is gaining more market place after vista flopped and last but not the least, the technological advances that have been taking place every single day, is a big threat to Apple Inc. 9. Porter’s Five Forces Model Porter’s Five-Forces Model of competitive analysis is a widely used approach for developing strategies in many industries. The intensity of competition among firms varies widely across industries (David, 2011). a. Porter’s Five Forces Model for APPLE Inc. Porters Five force Model is a very powerful tool to understand the core of the power in a business or in a company. The Porter Five Force Model for Apple Inc. is shown below: Model 1: Showing Porter’s Five Forces Model at APPLE Inc. 10. External Audit An External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix allows strategists to summarize and evaluate economic, social, cultural, demographic, environmental, political, governmental, legal, technological, and competitive information (David, 2011). a. Factors Evaluation (EFE) for Apple: EFE Matrix Model 2: Showing EFE matrix for APPLE Inc. 11. Competitive Profile Matrix The Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) identifies a firm’s major competitors and its particular strengths and weaknesses in relation to a sample firm’s strategic position (David, 2011). a. CPM for APPLE Inc. Model 3: Showing CPM for APPLE Inc. 12. Internal Audit All organizations have strengths and weaknesses in the functional areas of business. No enterprise is equally strong or weak in all areas (David, 2011). a. Internal Audit for APPLE Inc. i. Internal Environment VRIO framework The VRIO framework can be stated as the value, rarity, imitablity, and organization as a whole. VRIO framework is extremely important for the internal analysis of Apple Inc organization. Resources and Competencies 14. SWOT Matrix The Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) Matrix is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: SO (strengths-opportunities) Strategies, WO (weaknesses-opportunities) Strategies, ST (strengths-threats) Strategies, and WT (weaknesses-threats) Strategies (David, 2011). a. SWOT Matrix for APPLE S-O Strategies Increase awareness through the web of the immunity of Mac products to worms and viruses. (S5, O1) Advertise using individuals that will link Generation X Y to the iTunes and other related products. (S1, O2, O4, O5, O6) Using movies and music groups that are geared towards Gen X and Y to promote computers and laptops. (S3, S5, O2, O5, O6) S-T Strategies Increase and promote the compatibility to Window operating system. (S5,T1) Promote the originality of Apple computers and the different style and stable system that is slightly more but worth the price difference in style, stability and speed. (S2, S5, T2, T4, T5) W-O Strategies Increase ties with Microsoft and Intel and their products.(W1, W2, W4 O2, O3) Promote to business the safety of having a worm and virus free computer by using Mac. (W2, W4, O1, O5, O6) W-T Strategies Improve relationship with Microsoft and Intel so that companies will see them as compatible. (W1, W2 T1) Increase productivity and turn around of high demand products to compete with Dell and HP (W5, T2) 15. The Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix The Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix is four-quadrant framework indicates whether aggressive, conservative, defensive, or competitive strategies are most appropriate for a given organization. The axes of the SPACE Matrix represent two internal dimensions (financial position [FP] and competitive position [CP]) and two external dimensions (stability position [SP] and industry position [IP]). These four factors are perhaps the most important determinants of an organization’s overall strategic position (David, 2011). 15.1 SPACE Matrix for APPLE Model 6: Showing SPACE Matrix for APPLE Inc. 16. BCG Matrix When a firm’s divisions compete in different industries, a separate strategy often must be developed for each business. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix is designed specifically to enhance a multidivisional firm’s efforts to formulate strategies (David, 2011). a. BCG Matrix for APPLE Model 7: Showing BCG Matrix for APPLE Inc. 17. Internal External Matrix The IE Matrix is similar to the BCG Matrix in that both tools involve plotting organization divisions in a schematic diagram; this is why they are both called â€Å"portfolio matrices.† (David, 2011). a. IE Matrix for APPLE Model 8: Showing IE Matrix for APPLE Inc. 18. Grand Matrix The Grand Strategy Matrix has become a popular tool for formulating  alternative strategies. All organizations can be positioned in one of the Grand Strategy Matrix’s four strategy quadrants. A firm’s divisions likewise could be positioned (David, 2011). 19. The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM), which comprises Stage 3 of the strategy-formulation analytical framework. This technique objectively indicates which alternative strategies are best (David, 2011). a. QSPM for APPLE Model 9: Showing QSPM for APPLE Inc. 20. Finance/ Accounting Financial condition is often considered the single best measure of a firm’s competitive position and overall attractiveness to investors. Determining an organization’s financial strengths and weaknesses is essential to effectively formulating strategies. a. Financial Ratios for APPLE Sale Ratio Model 10: Showing sales ratio for APPLE Inc. Asset Turnover Ratio Model 11: Showing Asset Turnover ratio for APPLE Inc. Inventory Turnover Ratio Model 12: Showing Inventory Turnover ratio for APPLE Inc. Gross Profit Margin Ratio Model 13: Showing Gross Profit Margin ratio for APPLE Inc. 21. Conclusion It is concluded from the strategic management analysis at APPLE Inc. that technological industries are never easy to compete with. They have a lot invest at RD and have to be proactive in order to compete with their competitors in the industry. As for APPLE is concerned they have been working so well as it is shown form their products. As Apple Inc. is increasing also, those other businesses are increasing and trying to do something interesting for their own good. APPLE needs to make a drastic change. They don’t need to wait for people buy their products only when they are on sale but they need to focus more on the customer support and improve the areas they already have problems. 22. Recommendations Strategy 1 Open six computer retail stores (not just peripheral and accessories). Apple currently has stores opened throughout the United States with only peripheral and accessories for their computers. Adding the hardware should generate more hands-on awareness and use already established locations. This will increase product accessibility for those who wish to view items other than just accessories and increase awareness of the originality of Apple’s products. 2 percent increase over the next 2 years in sales representatives for the computer hardware. Strategy 2 Contract music spokesperson to attract the upcoming generation who are attending high school and college. This will invoke a sense of style and linking apple with a distinctive and memorable top 10 hit. This will stay in the customer’s awareness and influence future purchase decisions. Contracting one music spokesperson estimated $6 million. Strategy 3 Add more features to current products for greater Wintel compatibility. Features such as iTune software compatible with windows based computers, Office programs loadable from PC installation disk (This would require a software agreement with Microsoft). In late October 2003 Apple released an iTune software package that is PC ready. It will increase the United States market share at least 30 percent for the next 2-3 years. $50 million is the estimated cost for Research and Development. 23. References 1. David, F, â€Å"Strategic Management Concepts† 13 edition, Pearsons, 2011. 2. http://alvinalexander.com/blog/post/mac-os-x/apple-business-philosophy-mission-statement 3. http://writepass.co.uk/journal/2012/12/strategic-analysis-swot-and-bcg-matrix-of-apple-inc/ 4. http://blogs.hbr.org/fox/2013/01/apple-versus-the-strategy-prof.html 5. http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/apple-swot-analysis.html 6. http://investor.apple.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-12-444068 7. http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/01/by-the-numbers-apples-fiscal-2012-annual-report/ 8. http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Supplier_Code_of_Conduct_V3_1.pdf 9. http://myassignmenthelp.info/assignments/marketing-assignment-essay-writing-analysis-review-online-apple-swot-pestle-analysis/

U.S. Transportation Energy Analysis of Modal Use and Trend

U.S. Transportation Energy Analysis of Modal Use and Trend Joe Willie   U.S. vehicles travel over three trillion miles per year. The vast majority (99.64%) of these miles are traveled on U.S. roads, with the greatest portion of these miles attributed to passenger and light-duty vehicles (US Dept of Transportation, 2014). Transportation accounts for 28% of the energy used in the U.S. (US Energy Information Administration, 2016) and 26% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions equaling 1.786 billion tons of CO2 equivalent.(EPA 2016). U.S. vehicle travel increased from 724 billion miles in 1960 to the current level by 2006, at which point the total vehicle miles stabilized (US Dept of Transportation, 2014). 90% of the fuel used for transportation in the U.S. is petroleum based (US Energy Information Administration, 2016). Transportation has become the leading and most-rapidly increasing contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions both globally and the U.S (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Between 1991 and 2006, nearly half of the growth in U.S. carbon emissions was attributable to transportation. CO2 emission growth due to transportation has been driven by several factors, including increasing demand for passenger and freight transport, urban development and sprawl, lack of rail and bus transit and cycle infrastructure in many regions, fuel-inefficient vehicles, relatively low oil prices, and the limited availability of low-carbon fuels (Brown, Southworth, Sarzynski 2008). Given the scope and growth of transportation and associated emissions, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and quantify impacts and trends in various transportation modes. Light trucks (pickups, minivans, and SUVs) and passenger cars account for 34% and 24% of U.S. transportation fuel usage, respectively (US Energy Information Administration, 2016). Light trucks and passenger cars combined contribute 59% of U.S. transportation carbon emissions (U.S. Department of Energy, 2014). Fuel efficiency standards in the U.S. were initially established by Congress 1975. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards set the average, sales-weighted, fleet fuel economy for new vehicles starting with the 1978 model year, with the intention of doubling average fuel economy to 27.5 mpg by 1985. The Department of Transportation also established CAFE standards for light trucks ( pickups, minivans, and SUVs) beginning with the 1978 model year. In 2007, CAFE standards for light trucks were increased to 22.2 mpg, with further increases scheduled. No increases were made beyond 1985 levels for passenger cars until until 2007, when the Energy Independence and Security Act ra ised the fuel economy standards of Americas cars, light trucks, and SUVs to a combined average of at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020 (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2017). However, it seems likely that this standard will be scaled back by the current administration before it is implemented. Minimum fuel efficiency standards for cars and light cars are set at different levels. A passenger car is any 4-wheel vehicle not designed for off-road use that is manufactured primarily for use in transporting 10 people or less. A light truck is any 4-wheel vehicle which is designed for off-road operation (has 4-wheel drive or is more than 6,000 lbs. gvwr and has typically truck-like physical features); or which is designed to transport more than 10 people, provide temporary housing, provide open bed transport, permit greater cargo-carrying capacity than passenger-carrying volume, or with the use of tools can be converted to an open bed vehicle by removal of rear seats to form a flat continuous floor (NHTSA, 2006). The ambiguity of this definition enables manufacturers to define vehicles as trucks or cars at their discretion. Many sport utility vehicles (SUVs) produced today which seem to meet the passenger car definition above are classified as light trucks, allowing their manufact urers far greater leeway to meet CAFE standards . It is useful to analyze vehicle carbon intensity for cars and light trucks. This is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide emission per vehicle distance traveled. Carbon intensity is inversely proportional to fuel economy. From 1973 to 2008 carbon intensity decreased 33% per vehicle mile and 15% per passenger mile. After 1973, new cars became much lighter, less powerful, and gradually more efficient. By 2007 a new cars and light trucks used half as much energy per unit weight as ones sold in the 1970s. However, new car weight had increased to 80% of the 1975 values for cars, and light truck weight increased above 1975 values. As a result the decline in fuel usage per mile of new cars and light trucks sold in the 1990s was closer to 33% less than those sold in 1973 (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Low-density suburban development, or urban sprawl, has dominated development in the U.S. since World War II. This also includes scattered and commercial strip development, as well as large expanses of single-use development . Suburban households drive 31 percent more than urban households, while western households drive 35 percent than northeastern households (Kahn, 2000). Whats more, households in low density areas tend to own more cars, are more likely to own less fuel efficient vehicles such as SUVs and trucks, have lower vehicle occupancies, and use public transportation less than households in high density areas (Brownstone, 2008). Domestic air carrier service accounts for 6% of the total U.S. transportation energy use and 11% of the U.S. transportation carbon emissions. U.S. planes traveled 6 billion vehicle miles (608 billion passenger miles) for such travel in 2014. Domestic airline mileage increased from 858 million vehicle miles (31 billion passenger miles) in 1960 to 6.7 billion vehicle miles (588 billion passenger miles) in 2006 before decreasing to current levels. (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2016). It is interesting to note that although total vehicle miles have decreased by over 10% since 2006, total passenger miles have increased 3.4% during the same period. This is likely due to efforts by airlines to increase cost efficiency by increasing plane occupancy. While automobile fuel use was affected by efficiency standards, there were no similar policies for air travel. Instead, technological progress and efforts to support profitability have led to reduced carbon intensity in air transportation. Many unprofitable non-stop flights between smaller cities have been eliminated in favor of hub-and-spoke patterns developed by the major airlines, which increased plane loads. In addition, air travel intensity declined as plane occupancy increased to about 80% capacity in 2006 from around 50% in the early 1970s. This created more crowding on aircraft, but led to considerable reduction in fuel consumption. As a result, the carbon intensity of air travel declined by 60% between 1973 and 2006, greatest for any major mode of transportation (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Rail and bus shares of U.S. transportation decreased from just over 7% in 1960 to around 4% in 2008, in terms of passenger miles. This is disconcerting given that the carbon intensities of bus and rail travel are (potentially) significantly lower than both passenger cars and air travel. Rail intensity can vary considerably. Heavily used intercity passenger (Amtrak) or commuter rail lines (Metro North, LIRR) typically have very low energy intensities, well below that of auto or air travel. Unfortunately, only a few large urban transit systems provide energy intensities that are competitive with automobile travel. As a result, North American public transportation service is overall not very energy efficient (energy consumption per passenger-mile). Under current conditions, U.S. transit vehicles consume about the same energy per passenger-mile as cars, although less than vans, light trucks and SUVs (Litman, 2015) . Bus travel, including intercity buses, school buses, and urban buses, has a mixed record. In fact, because buses carried so few passengers, city buses released more CO2 per passenger-mile on average than cars/light trucks during periods in the 1990s. But by 2000, newer, more efficient buses used progressively less fuel/mile, to the point where the intensit of a bus with an average of 9 passengers fell below that of automobiles again. (Steiner Mauzerall, 2006). Efficiency of public transit vehicles is highly dependent on passenger occupancy. A bus with seven passengers is about twice as energy efficient as an average automobile, while a bus with 50 passengers is about ten times as energy efficient. Rail transit tends to be about three times as energy efficient as diesel bus transit. New hybrid buses are about twice as energy efficient as current diesel buses. Chester and Horvath (2008) and Chester, et al. (2013) calculate life cycle energy consumption and pollution emissions for vari ous modes of transportation, including fuel used in their operation, and energy used in vehicle and facility construction and maintenance. While, public transit typically uses less than half the energy of a passenger car and a quarter of the energy of a light truck or SUV, these efficiencies vary significantly with on travel conditions. During peak periods, when occupancy is high, buses are the most energy efficient mode, but during off-peak, when occupancy ise low, buses are least efficient. (Litman, 2015) Although public transit is on average only modestly more energy efficient than automobile travel, and less efficient than some commercially available cars, this reflects the relatively low occupancies of transit vehicles. Transit services with high passenger occupancy rates are relatively energy efficient. Public transit improvements can provide significant energy savings and emission reductions by increasing operation efficiency, reducing traffic congestion, and substituting for automobile travel. Residents of transit-oriented communities tend to drive significantly less than they would in conventional, automobile-oriented locations. Transit improvements support other energy conservation strategies, such as efficient road and parking pricing policies. Without high quality transit such strategies are less effective and less politically acceptable. Current demographic and economic trends are increasing demand for high quality public transit and transit-oriented development (Litman, 20 15). American railroad passenger traffic grew steadily from the late 1800s until the 1920s, when long distance travel shifted to private automobiles and rail travel began a long decline. This decline was interrupted briefly due to gasoline rationing and the suspension of auto production during World War II when railroads were put back into service to transport the great volume of soldiers and war workers. Intercity bus service, which had been very limited before 1940, expanded during this period, as well. After the war, however most rail companies discontinued passenger service entirely. Passenger stations were demolished or abandoned, and railroad cars were taken out of service. In an effort to preserve rail service, Congress created Amtrak in 1970 and provided federal funds to support the new rail system. Commuter lines provided the remaining service. This was followed within a few years with the federal governments deregulation of U.S. airlines. The great increase in air travel that be gan after mid century is projected to continue indefinitely, offering speedy and safe transportation that strain air transit facilities. Bus travel provided a low-cost alternative airplane or train travel and has retained a small but relatively stable niche (Caplow, Hicks and Wattenberg, 2000). The MTA, which is the New York Metropolitan areas transit system, is a noteworthy case study of a large-scale US public transit system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North Americas largest transportation network, providing service for 15.3 million people in 5,000 square miles including New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. MTA subways, buses, and railroads provide 2.73 billion trips each year to New Yorkers, including about one in every three users of mass transit and two-thirds of the rail riders in the U.S. While 15 percent of the nations workers use public transit to get to their jobs, four of every five of New York Citys central business district rush-hour commuters use transit service, most of it operated by the MTA (MTA, 2017). The MTA accounts for 65 percent of all New York City commutes while using just 5 percent of New York Citys total energy consumption (MTA, 2008). The MTA also boasts the largest bus fleet in the U.S. and more subway and rail cars than all the rest of the countrys subways and commuter railroads combined. According to the MTA, ridership on its mass results in a 15 million metric ton net reduction of pollutants, making New York the most carbon-efficient state in the nation (MTA, 2017). New Yorkers consume one quarter as much energy per capita as the average American, largely attributable to the MTA system (MTA, 2008). While the energy and carbon emission efficiencies of the MTA system is impressive, the economy of such an operation poses significant ongoing challenges. Fares and tolls provide 53% of the MTAs $14.6 billion dollar annual operating revenue, but the system relies on taxes and subsidies for the remaining operating funds (MTA, 2015). In addition the agency relies heavily on debt to fund capital projects, with debt payments consuming a growing share of the MTAs annual operating budget, increasing the likelihood of fare increases and, creating an estimated debt service cost of $3.5 billion a year by 2030 (Tri-State Transportation Campaign, 2017). It seems that the inspiring environmental and fuel efficiency gains attributed to a large-scale public transportation system comes with a burdensome cost. Freight accounts for about 26% of all petroleum-based fuels consumed in the U.S. transportation sector. Freight transportation demand is typically measured in tons, ton-miles, and value (dollars) of goods moved by the freight sector. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that 18.5 billion tons of goods worth $16.7 trillion were moved in the United States in 2007, for a total of 5.4 trillion ton-miles of travel (U.S. DOT). Trucks moved about 72% of all freight tonnage, accounting for 42% of all ton-miles and 70% of freight commodity value. Rail accounted for only 11% of tons moved, but 28% of ton-miles and 3.5% of total value, reflecting rails cost effectiveness in hauling heavier, but generally lower-value, commodities, such as coal and grain, over long distances. Excluding international maritime shipments, waterborne transportation accounted for a smaller percentage of tons and ton-miles. Air freight transportation constituted an even smaller share, except when measured by va lue (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). Between 1960 and 2008, the share of trucks to almost 42% of ton-miles, while rail fell from 36% of freight in 1960 to 33% in 2008. The share of waterborne freight decreased significantly while air freight grew ten-fold over the entire 48 year period, despite accounting for less than 1% of total freight travel in 2008. Disconcertingly, the modes of travel and freight that consume the most energy per unit grew faster than those that use the least energy. Freight demand is estimated to grow to 27.5 billion tons in 2040 and to nearly 30.2 billion tons in 2050, requiring ever-increasing amounts of energy. In the coming decades, all modes of domestic freight transportation are expected to increase significantly, but truckings share, when measured in both tons and ton-miles, is projected to continue to grow at the expense of rail and waterborne freight (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). The cost and volatility of fuel prices in the past decades as well as increasing interest by shippers in decreasing fuel costs and carbon emissions from goods movement have led the motor carrier industry to search for better fuel efficiency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) SmartWay Transport Partnership program works with the shipping and trucking community to reduce fuel use and emissions by promoting cleaner and more efficient engines and transmissions, more aerodynamically clean truck shapes (including nose cones, skirts and gap fairings), idle reduction technologies, low rolling resistant and single-wide tires, lower weight components and aluminum wheels, driver training, and more efficient routing and dispatching (EPA 2011). Railroads spend relatively less than trucks on fuel, due to the economies of scale and fuel savings by hauling very large volumes of freight over long distances. In 2008, railroads consumed approximately 320 Btu per ton-mile, compared to trucking, which used approximately 1,390 Btu per ton-mile. The difference in fuel use is reflected in the generally higher price of trucking services and the generally lower price of rail services, but the services provided by truck and rail also differ substantially in load capacity, routes and destinations served, frequency of service, transit time and reliability of travel time (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). Understanding trends in fuel consumption by mode of travel merits an analysis of public investment in transportation and transportation infrastructure. In the U.S., transportation infrastructure is funded primarily by user-related taxes and fees which support construction and maintenance. Congress created the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) in 1956 to provide money for construction and maintenance of the Interstate Highway System. In 1982, the Mass Transit Account (MTA) was created to invest in public transportation systems. Taxes paid by highway users are credited to the HTF and are used solely to pay for highway and mass transit improvements. Currently, a federal excise taxes on gasoline, gasohol, diesel fuel, compressed natural gas, and taxes on heavy trucks and truck tires provide revenue for this fund. Revenue from motor fuel taxes are divided between the Highway Account (HA) and the Mass Transit Account, while all revenues from heavy truck taxes are dedicated to the Highway Account. I n recent years, revenues have totaled $38 billion to $42 billion per year, with about $5 billion for the Mass Transit Account and the rest for the Highway Account. In 2015, Congress passed the $305 billion Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, a five year plan to increase highway investment from $40 billion per year to $46.4 billion per year and increased public transportation funding from $10.7 billion per year to $12.6 billion per year (The American Road Transportation Builders Association, 2016). There is also a federal Airport and Airways Trust Fund, financed by fees on air travelers and taxes on aviation fuels.which finances airport improvements and the air traffic control system. State governments finance highway construction and maintenance through a variety of primarily user-related taxes and fees including taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, vehicle registration fees, driver license fees, sales taxes on motor vehicles and heavy trucks, and traffic violation fines (The American Road Transportation Builders Association, 2017). Given the considerable and increasing concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, understanding and adapting energy use seems increasingly urgent. The transportation sectors share of energy usage and carbon emissions makes it ripe for such analysis. While improvements in fuel efficiencies in all modes of transport, conservation efforts, and expansion of non-carbon based fuels provide hope for long term sustainability of transportation in the U.S., fundamental underlying factors make significant and meaningful improvement difficult to achieve. A U.S. landscape and infrastructure which was initially designed with an emphasis on rail-based public transportation has shifted over the last century to an auto-based transportation system. The Northeast United States is littered with bike paths that used to carry an extensive rail network that has been largely abandoned. Remaining public transit systems such those run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority have provided exte nsive, well utilized bus and subway service, and salvaged right of way remnants to recover rail for commuter service that is also heavily utilized. Unfortunately, high operating and capital costs combined with a dependence upon public funds make them difficult to sustain, particularly during periods of economic difficulty. Whats more, the cost of maintaining the nations extensive highway, road, and bridge infrastructure is becoming increasingly burdensome, crowding out funding for public transit systems. Similarly, shifts in freight transport modes to more carbon-intensive forms such as heavy trucking, and the rapid expansion of air travel over the last 60 years have led to an increase in fuel usage and carbon emissions in trends that are difficult to reverse. And while the introduction of CAFE requirements for autos and trucks have improved efficiency, increases in vehicle and passenger miles and vehicle weights have limited these benefits. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 promises a future fleet of significantly more efficient cars and trucks by 2020, but this gain could be abandoned by the current Congress and President. Despite great advances in technology and awareness, sustainable transportation in the U.S. will require greater initiative on the part of the public and government. Until that occurs, transportation sustainability will remain elusive. References American Road Transportation Builders Association Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act A Comprehensive Analysis 2016 http://www.artba.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FASTAct_Publication.pdf Ben Steiner Professor Denise L. Mauzerall. Achieving Vehicle Fuel Efficiency: The CAFE Standards and Beyond May 10, 2006 Brownstone, David, and Thomas F. Golob. The Impact of Residential Density on Vehicle Usage and Energy Consumption Journal of Urban Economics, 2008 EPA. 2011. EPA and NHTSA Adopt First-Ever Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improve Fuel Efficiency of Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. EPA-420-F-11-031. Washington, DC: Grenzeback, L.R.; Brown, A.; Fischer, M.J.; Hutson, N.; Lamm, C.R.; Pei, Y.L.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Vyas, A.D.; Winebrake, J.J. (March 2013). Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future. Transportation Energy Futures Series. Prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc., and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO) for the U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC. DOE/GO-102013-3711. 82 pp. Jay Young Infrastructure: Mass Transit in 19th- and 20th-Century Urban America Subject: 20th Century: Pre-1945, 20th Century: Post-1945, Urban History, History of Science and Technology Online Publication Date: Mar 2015 DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.28 PRINTED FROM the OXFORD RESEARCH ENCYCLOPEDIA, AMERICAN HISTORY (americanhistory.oxfordre.com). 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