Europe and the Suez Crisis 1956 Essay

To what extent was the military action undertaken by the British and French in the Suez Crisis 1956 really necessary? This historical investigation seeks to evaluate and compare the factors influencing the relationships and discussions between France and Britain during the Suez Crisis and thereby provoked them to commit military force to the region. The mainbody will look at the differences and similarities in Britain’s and France’s intentions in the Middle East, the internal situation (mainly in Britain), Nasserà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s actions, public opinion in Western Europe as well as American and UN policies on the crisis. In order to carry out his investigation a variety of sources will be consulted primary and secondary, from which relevant information will be selected. Carltonà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s â€Å"Britain and the Suez Crisis† and Thomas â€Å"The Suez Affair† will be of particular use. The sources used reliability (date of publication, author etc) will be discussed. An analysis of the main arguments of the authors as well as an evaluation of different historical interpretation s will be carried out. B. Summary of evidence When Britain and France cancelled the loans to the Egyptian president, Nasser’s hydropower project, the Aswan dam, Nasser responded by nationalizing the Suez Canal Company on the 26th of July 1956. Information given in the book â€Å"The Suez Affair† tells us that the company was largely owned by British and French shareholders.1 Britain and France saw the Nasserà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s nationalization as a violation of international law and feared that this could create a power of vacuum, which could be filled by the Soviets, who were their communist enemy in the Cold War. Along with this, the nationalization of the canal directly threatened British and French influences in the area, which was rich on oilsupplies and secured Britain’s way to India. In a letter to the US President in September 1958, the British Prime Minister Eden wrote: â€Å"†¦We ought in the first instance to bring the maximum political pressure to bear on Egypt†¦ (but) my colleagues and I are convinced that we must be ready, in the last resort, to use force to bring Nasser to his senses. † 2 In â€Å"Mastering Modern World History† it is revealed that a secret Anglo-American plan called Omega suggested to overthrow Nasser by using political and economic pressure3. Despite of this plan, the issue of using military force in Egypt remained a burning issue among the British Conservatives. According to Carlton, the British Cabinet, appeared divided on the matter of â€Å"straight bash† on the Canal issue by early September.4 The public opinion was strongly pro-military actions and called Nasser a new Hitler.5 The French Minister Mollet, did not attempt to keep in good terms with any Arab, whom he felt distrust towards, and was to be a strong supporter of the decision to use military force. They believed that the money of the Algerian rebels, which they fought against, came from Cairo. Both the French and the British associated Nasserà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s nationalization of the Canal with historical analogies, which was not going to be repeated: Hitlerà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s occupation of The Rhineland as well as his take over of Czechoslovakia. The US-president, Eisenhower, strongly expressed his hostility on the matter of forces being used in Egypt. According to Peter L. Hahn, Eisenhower viewed Nasser as a danger of Western threat but believed that force only would facilitate Soviet infiltration in the region.6 So the Americans proposed an association of canal users, the SCUA, when it was revealed that the British and French tried to seek approval in the UN, where their actions could be justified due to the Soviet veto. The British did accept the SCUA, but its impact on Nasser was destined to be negligible. With the end of the SCUA Conference, French and British Ministers, engaged in negotiations with their Egyptian counterpart and agreed to the Six Principles7 (see Appendix). Although this seemed to suggest a peaceful settlement, French and British military preparations to invade Egypt continued. On 24 October the British and the French Foreign Ministers held a secret meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister who was determined to force Egypt to recognize the state of Israel. Five days after this meeting, Israeli forces invaded Egypt. When Egypt refused to withdraw from the Suez Canal, British and French bombed Egyptian airfields and landed troops at Port Said. The British-French attack on Egypt was greeted with angry protests all over the world. According to Keith Robbin, the UN unanimously condemned the Franco-British action on 2nd November8 At last, the UN proclaimed cease-fire on November 6 and British and French forces withdrew. C. Evaluation of sources â€Å"The Suez Affair† was published in 1966 (latest edition published in 1986), and was written by Hugh Thomas who resigned from the British Government after the Suez Crisis. Thomas stated purpose for this book is that â€Å"It is an interim Report.†9 in which he has used materials available and interviewed people, mainly British, involved in the Crisis. The value of this book is that it is a detailed and fascinating description of the British government’s handling of the Crisis, professionally narrated by Thomas who himself experienced the Suez Crisis has an insight in the internal situation in Britain during this period of time. However, this may also make the source biased as it is very much written from a British standpoint. This method has certain limitations as memories can alter and are not reliable. David Carlton, who also has written a bibliography about Anthony Eden, published â€Å"Britain and the Suez Crisis† in 1988. The book is aimed at undergraduates; school students and other interested in post war British history. The purpose of the book is to inform people about the recent past, in order to prevent recent political indoctrination. Although it is acknowledged in the preface that there are problems of bias, subjectivity and perspectives in studying the past, the value of reading history â€Å"outweigh the drawbacks†10. Carltonà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s book is far more analytical than Thomasà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and includes different historical interpretations of the Crisis, which is of usefulness when studying the crisis from a broader perspective. However, Carltonà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s book might be quite biased as it is very much written from a British perspective. Although both Carltonà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s and Thomasà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s books are British, they present a different view of the Suez Crisis, probably due to the different date of publication of the sources first edition. Although Thomas rewrote some parts of the book in his latest edition, the most substantial parts of his book, are based on sources available when the condemnation of the military action after the crisis made the propaganda turn against the British and French. In Carlton case, he has made an extensive use of materials released in the 80s, which seem to be friendlier towards he British and the French. By taking both sources in account they tell us how the history of the Suez Crisis has been reshaped due to political controversy and propaganda. D. Analysis If the Suez problem possibly could have been solved in a more diplomatic way, British and French prestige during the Cold War would doubtlessly have been more favorably after the crisis. According to the American journalist Donald Neff the Suez Crisis was a â€Å"hinge point in history† as it discredited France and Britain as participators in the Cold War: it strained the Anglo-American alliance, intensified Egyptian nationalism and increased Soviet influences in the region. Along with that, the attention was driven away from the Hungary uprising, for the Soviets advantage, as the shadow of Europe fell over the Suez. Hugh Thomas presents a view in his book â€Å"The Suez Affair† that the French and the British initially were determined to use military force in Egypt. He suggests that they acted in an opportunistic way: Nasser’s nationalization of the Suez Crisis gave them the opportunity to justify the use of military force. He suggests that the British and the French had strong intentions in the Middle East and to weld as many countries of the area as possible into an anticommunist defense pact. This can to some extent be true, as the Suez Crisis was an event in the Cold War, when the British and French democracies tried to, together with America, contain the expanding Communist bloc. However, other possible interpretations of the Crisis and the British and French intentions contradict this view. The historian Lowe presents evidence of the Omega plan, which suggests that Britain intended to get rid of Nasser by more peaceful means. Other evidence also supports this view. For example Eden, as quoted in section B, wanted to use military power as only â€Å"a last resort.† As we can see from the evidence given, the Americans tried to pursue a more peaceful policy in Suez. The Six Principles, as well as the acceptance of the SCUA, showed signs that the British were approaching a peaceful settlement, on America’s initiative which, perhaps, could have saved them from an international defeat. However, one can argue that these diplomatic negotiations can be seen as prolonging the process in order to convince America to accept the use of military force. They were not real but merely a facade, which covered the militant intentions of Britain and France. The more contemporary view suggests different circumstances drew Eden take the fatal decision to use military force. â€Å"Eden was faced with unprecedented pressures (†¦).† 11. According to Carlton, the conspiracy between France and Israel was not really in the hands of Eden. â€Å"Eden didn’t know with certainty that Israel would attack Egypt†.12 The role of France in the Suez Crisis must not be underestimated as she actually, in contrast to Britain, wanted to undermine Arab influences in the Middle East. Hahn and Carlton suggests that France and Britain didn’t fully understand that the Americans were going to fear that military action would open Egypt and other Middle East states to Soviet influences, undermining the policy of containment. They didn’t calculate with the fact that the Americans were going to choose to, in the first place, pursue containment rather than endorse the ally’s action. One can argue that if the American standpoint had been clearer for the French and the British, perhaps the course wouldn’t have taken the militant direction that it took. E. Conclusion Whether the military action undertaken by the French and the British was really necessary is a mere question of speculation. It is difficult to make a valid judgement on the issue as different sources present different information, which is one of the major difficulties in studying contemporary history and finding its â€Å"truth†. Sources published not a very long time after the Crisis, such as Thomas first edition â€Å"The Suez Affair† indicate that the military action undertaken by the British and the French was inevitable: the countries were highly determined to use force against Egypt. More recent materials about the Suez Crisis, presented by historians such as Lowe and Carlton, suggest that Britain and France could have solved the Suez Crisis with more peaceful means. However, it is most likely that the British and French response to the nationalization of the Suez Canal will remain an issue of controversy among the historians for the nearest future. F. List of sources Robbins, Keith, The eclipse of Great power, Modern Britain 1870 – 1975, Longman, New Work, U.S, 1983 Eden, Anthony, Memoirs: Full Circle, Book three: Suez, Cassell & Company Ltd, London, 1960 Carlton, David, Britain and the Suez Crisis, Basil Backwell, Northern Ireland, 1968 Calhoun, Daniel F. , Hungary and Suez, 1956: An exploration of who makes history, University Press of America, United States of America, 1991 Thomas, Hugh, The Suez Affair, Wiedenfeld & Nicolson Limited, London, 1967 Hahn, Peter L., The United States, Great Britain and Egypt, 1945-1956 – Strategy and Diplomacy in the early Cold War, The University of North Carolina Press, United States of America, 1991 Bowne, Colin and Mooney, Peter J., Cold War to Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tente 1945-85, Second Edition, Heinemann Educational Books, printed by Richard Clay Ltd in Great Britain 198i Calvacocoressi, Peter, World politics since 1945, sixth edition: The Arabs and Israel to the Suez War, Longman, New York, 1991 Cornwell, R.D, World History in the twentieth century, Longman, England, 1984 Lowe, Norman, Mastering Modern World History, Third Edition, Macmillian Master Series, Biddles Ltd, Britain, 1997 Gildea, Robert, France since 194, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996. Appendix The Six Principles: 1. There should be free and open transit through the Canal without discrimination, overt or covert. 2. The sovereignty of Egypt should be respected. 3. The operation of the Canal should be insulated from the politics of any country. 4. The manner of fixing tolls and charges should be decided by agreements between Egypt and the users. 5. Unresolved disputes between the Suez Canal Company and Egypt should be settles by arbitration. 1 Hugh Thomas, The Suez Affair, page 39 2 Ibid., page 41 3 Norman Lowe, Mastering Modern World History, page 230 4 David Carlton, Britain and the Suez Crisis, page 50 5 Hugh Thomas, The Suez Affair, page 40 6 Peter L. Hahn, The United States, Great Britain, and Egypt, 1945-1956, page 211 7 David Carlton, Britain and the Suez Crisis, page 52 8 Keith Robbins, The Eclipse of a Great Power, page 195 9 Hugh Thomas, The Suez Affair, page 7 10 David Carlton, Britain and The Suez Crisis, General Editor’s Preface 11 David Carlton, Britain and the Suez Crisis, page 109 12 Ibid., page 63

Changing the Culture at British Airways

Changing the Culture at British Airways 1. Problems you identified from the case Macro: The first problem changing the culture at British Airways was the merger of the BOAC and BEA. In 1971, the Civil Aviation Act became law and the board was to control policy over British Airways but both BOAC and BEA remained autonomous, each with its own chairman, board, and chief executive. This caused a split within British Airways throughout the 1970s and in the mid-1980. The second problem BA faced was the threat of privatization. In 1984 the government passed legislation that made BA a public limited company.The third was productivity was bad compared to other leading foreign airlines. The fourth was poor service. Poor customer service to the employees and customers led to reduced passenger numbers and high fuel costs. This created a reduction in profit (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, pp. 25-29). Micro: The first problem BA had that is not obvious was the change in the organization and culture. There need to be a more institutionalize change. New culture fosters a strong commitment to service. Also, the lack of unity and loyalty caused the airline to not be focused. There was a lack of recognition.This caused a lack of unifying corporate culture. Also, training needs for managers were needed. Organizations need to change to adapt to the changes inside and outside the organizations (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, pp. 28-35) 2. Causes BA will have these problems because they merge two companies with very different style of management, government regulations. They lost millions because of the mindset the management had which questioned why the need for change if we’re making a profit. The lost was great also because people were operating effectively and not efficiently.They believe that if you’re providing service at no cost to taxpayers then you’re doing well and the cost of paying a high price for advance technologies. There was not enough management time devoted to m anaging the changing environment because it was all focused inwardly on resolving industrial relations problems, on resolving organizational conflicts. Both companies had done its share of pioneering. BA needs to be reorganized to have shared desires. This resulted in a financial crises and downsizing of employees (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. 35). 3.Organizational Systems Affected Structural: The Leadership indicated that BEA was concerned with building an airline infrastructure than it did in profit. This was reflection a de-centralized leadership style and BOAC was concerned with the jet airliner which was focusing on the task. The merger caused BA to be very controlled with a lot of rules and regulations. Privatization by the British government made BA a public limited company. (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, pp. 26, 34). Psychosocial: Employees expressed their pleasure on being treated with respect.When the merger took place, both BEA and BOAC will have to be loyal to each other and unite. A greater challenge is to change the mindset of employees at all levels. The mindset is a shared way of thinking and behavior within in an organization. They are reflected in accepted behaviors and attitudes. The mindset becomes very powerful in gaining unity and focus within the organization. It provides a common focus and increases the intensity of the work being done (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. 39). Technical: BA will have to cut cost and drive customer service.The technological innovation plays and important role. If everyone works together there would be a more cohesive environment and the ability to manage change. When other airlines were not considered and competition was not a factor, BA was successful economically but there were no satisfaction with customer service (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. 26). BA need to encourage workshops was great within the organization, having done this customer assessment of the competitors allowed the employees from thinking more about the internal company policies and practices and more time interacting with the customers.Customer may become involved in product design. The more interaction between the customer and employees, the more a customer views is reflected on the organization (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, pp. 40-41). Managerial: BA Managers would have to be very proactive and have a need for change. They made Lord King the Chairman in 1981 and he recognized that a major cooperate change was needed. The leaders at BA must manage through principles. A change was needed in the culture. The leader must articulate and communicate the principles to be successful (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. 9). Goals and Values: The BA would have to have contribute to its customers, investors encourage a shared vision and values, enable employees to act by encouraging greater cutomer and cost consciousness, adaptability initiative, accountability, and teamwork. To accomplish these goals, managers will have to model the way (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. 50 ). 4. Alternative Solutions One alternative solution to changing the culture at BA is to not resist the change and take an untraditional approach.The greatest effort would be overcoming the mindset of employees at all levels of an organization. Another alternative is managers don’t have to micro-manage. It creates a negative environment. BA focus was primarily on cutting cost and driving customer service. This is a difficult challenge. BA would have been more successful if they would have put the people before the task (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. 39). 5. Recommendations and Implementation Plans BA needs to change to adapt to the changing internal and external environment through a restructuring of their organization.They should start out there merger with a vision statement and uniting as one complete team. They need to move with the times, out with the old and in with the new. With the globalizations and technology, organizations have moved from mechanical to a gradual approac h. The mindset of the employees at all levels of the organization need to be changed. BA also needs to analyze their organization through the eyes of the customer perspective. The more interaction between customers and employees the more a customer perspective is instilled within the organization.There need to be work-groups such as self-manage work teams. BA needs to be reflexive and learn from their past (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. 42). Training needs to be implemented. There must me a willingness to change for all employees and managers. BA will have the ability to become re-energized and meet the needs of the customers through innovation and being resourceful (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. 50). References Jick, T. D. , & Peiperl, M. A. (2011). Managing Change: Cases and Concepts, Third Edition . New york: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc..

Health & Aging among Baby Boomers Essay

Post WWI era babies (around 1946) until a marked slow in the birth rate of children (around 1964) were termed â€Å"Baby Boomers.† In time, these youngsters came to remove or, at the very least, redefine traditional values in nearly all aspects of life. The social changes taking place in the United States during this time were paramount. The paths taken by young adults, particularly in the 1960’s and 1970’s, were varied and not all well-chosen. However, as baby boomers â€Å"boomed† into their sixties in around  2006, many regrets later, focuses on health care – preventative, acute and chronic was on the forefront of importance. â€Å"Baby Boomers† had a positive impact on health care, in that it instrumentally turned it into a business expected to offer customer service. (Blanchette, 2014) Coming of age in an era that demanded not only customer service, but high quality health care, as well as, a friendly environment, baby boomers enjoyed the perks of medical advancements. These advancements included outpatient treatments for a larger array of ailments which appointments could be adjusted to meet the needs of the patient; therefore, less stressing about re-arranging schedules or missing work. (Blanchette, 2014) The importance of preventative care forged from the â€Å"boom era,† too. Preventative visits gave physicians the opportunity to teach patients and make certain they understood the proactive measures to take to remain healthy in order to prevent the necessity of hospitalization. (Blanchette, P. L.) Reference Blanchette, P. L. (2014). Health and aging among baby boomers. Retrieved from http:////search.proquestgenerations.com/docview/212225560/accounttid-458

Communication 270 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication 270 - Essay Example The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reveals shocking statistics of on the increase in the number of deaths, serous injuries, physical and sexual assaults and drain development problems associated with underage drinking from kids as young as 12 years. As such, it is prudent to let the public know the truth about the consequences of maintaining the drinking age at 21 and the benefits and risks of legalizing drinking age at 18 years. The introduction of almost any changes in any sector is faced with controversy. People want to enjoy the benefits of the positive side of maintaining the drinking age at 21 years while criticize the negative effects despite they being two sides of the same coin. Keeping the drinking age at 21 years helps students concentrate with their studies as opposed to partying with alcohol all weekends. Furthermore, underage drinking expose children financial burdens which leads teenagers to crime and prostitution in order to finance their habits. Postponing drinking has direct health benefits as alcohol consumption causes liver and cancer problems. However, people cannot ignore the negative side which is sneaking outside and drinking the alcohol in unhygienic areas which expose the teenagers to major evils in the society. Furthermore, teenager who drink are required to part with a premium amount for alcoholic since a third party has to buy for them. This increases the financial burden on the teenager and may get involved in evil things to survive. 2. Focus: This research will focus on recent research on drinking age and discuss the main issues on the government restrictions on drinking age. It will also analyze both the pros and cons of having the drinking age at 21 years. At the end, I will draw conclusion and recommendations on the most prudent way to go on this issue. Self-control in teenagers is very low at 18 but improves by the time they are

Research Paper - AJP Taylor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Research Paper - AJP Taylor - Essay Example It will also try to analyze briefly his career as a lecturer, historian, and columnist. c. Works of Taylor- This paragraph looks into the major historical contributions of Taylor Which starts from The Italian Problems in European Diplomacy 1847-49 and goes through some controversial works like The Troublemakers and The Origins of Second World War. I do not try to mention all the works of Taylor because it will consume so many pages, only some of the works will be mentioned. d. Taylor’s TV Career – This paragraph will try to analyze Taylor as famous figure in television and radio. The analysis starts from his beginning on the BBC show, The News. His career as a TV person will be analyzed because it added much to his fame, and on many occasions it made him a controversial figure. This paragraph will analyze what was Taylor’s approach to history. This is very important in the sense that this approach has distinguished Taylor from other historians. It will look into his believes, or rather prejudices about history and history makers. His way of popularizing history, looking at history from strange angles and his observation of great personalities also is included. b. Origins of Second World War- This paragraph will discuss his most controversial work, The Origins of Second World War. What was Taylor’s controversial argument in the book and how he tried to ‘white wash’ Hitler. d. Taylor as a controversial figure – This paragraph tries to look into the controversies (both private and public) that he created throughout his life. It starts with his three marriages. It discusses various contradictions that he made during his public life. His unholy and sycophantic relation with Lord Beaverbrook and his selfishness of befriending politicians will also be analyzed. His changing attitudes towards communism will be brought towards the end of the paragraph. This chapter is the real flesh of the research paper.

Individual case study analysis(Ireland's Tiger Economy) Essay

Individual case study analysis(Ireland's Tiger Economy) - Essay Example A stiff prohibition on foreign ownership of firms and high tariff barriers from the 1930s to the late 1950s hindered Ireland’s economic growth (Barry,1995). By the 1950s, it was evident that policies, which aimed at giving local investors the priority was not beneficial at all (Barry,1995). This was because infant industries had not matured and were not sufficiently competitive to generate sizable exports. As a result, Irish policy makers changed tact. The â€Å"control of manufacturers’ act†, which gave local investors priority, was abolished. Policy makers engineered the development of the foreign direct investment. The first step was to introduce zero corporate profits tax on manufactured exports. Secondly, policy makers initiated attractive investment grants to foreign investors. Thirdly, policy makers abolished tariff barriers. The Irish economy in the past three decades is strongly linked to FDI. The investment platform has significantly changed. Currently, foreigners who own export-oriented firms, additionally, own almost sixty percent of gross output and forty-five percent of employment in manufacturing. U.S. investors are the majority of foreign investors operating firms in Ireland followed by UK and Germany (Barrell, 1996). Amazingly, a majority of foreign manufacturing firms in Ireland imports their raw and semi processed materials. This is because FDI has abolished barriers, which hinder investment making the cost of investment extremely affordable. Current data indicates that companies, which are owned by the locals, export only 35 percent of output (Barry, 1996). On the other hand, foreign owned manufacturing companies exports a whopping 86 percent of the output (Barry, 1996). This indicates that Ireland’s economy cannot strive without the investment from foreign firms. The success of Ireland’s economy is also because of a solid political economy. Furthermore, the political, economic and legal systems of any give n country take a huge role in determining the economic well being of that particular country. Ireland’s political economy and legal systems offer a perfect environment to foreign investors. Although, seen as the most successful economy in Europe and the world at large, Ireland’s economy was greatly affected by the global financial crisis. Between 2002 and 2007, the economic prowess that Ireland enjoyed changed in fundamental ways. At that moment, the economy continued to grow steadily owing to the rapid expansion of credit cards and an increase in personal indebtedness by the Irish natives. Rising property prices were seen as one of the igniters of this situation. Between 2002 and 2007, construction activities grew rapidly, accounting for the economic boost and rise in employment (ESRI, 1997). Amazingly, the rampant growth in the construction industry was supported by huge bank lending. At that moment, the balance sheets of many Irish banks expanded relative to the siz e of the economy. Reports indicate that a majority of the banks relied, on their deposit base, to fund loans. Unfortunately, greater financial integration, which was initiated partly by the introduction of the euro, forced local banks to source funds from abroad. In addition, the same period realized an increate appetite in financial markets, which caught Irish banks with surprise. A concentration in risky lending practices and lending in property

Comparative Evaluation of Classical Realism and Classical Liberalism Essay

Comparative Evaluation of Classical Realism and Classical Liberalism - Essay Example As Morgenthau had tried to focus on through his studies and analysis, the power that a state government generally reflects on the state activities are consequences of the interests that the nation holds as a whole (Pashakhanlou, 2009). The classical liberalism on the other hand throws light on the promotion of government power that needs to be limited to highlight the power of the human beings inhabitant in the state. The primary focus of this belief is thus on individuals being able to be liberal in their activities and yet decide their democratic views on their own. The concept is also not associated with any socialism on the part of the individuals. Rather, their freedom and independence in expression of their political views as well as getting involved in political activities are considered significant in the classical liberalism concept (Koeller, 2003). The Reflections and Impacts of Classical Realism and Classical Liberalism on the international politics: Although the concept o f classical realism tried to link between the human behavior and their activities and thus the conflicts and power struggles occurring in the world of politics, yet the concept could not keep up with its implications till the current times. Considering its implications, it has been observed that the concept has been unable to act on some standard while focusing on the international politics as a whole. If it pointed to some facts of the human behavior leading to conflicts, the theory has not been able to relate that fact to the world politics as a whole. Rather, it has been associated to some parts of the world politics or some sections or groups of people. Moreover, the concept has been proved to be inconsistent since it could not explain the different terms in relation... The classical realism is focused on the conflicts, powers and wars prevailing in the political world on an international level and determines how repeatedly such political conflicts occur in the world. The classical realism concept tries to stress on the causes created by human beings that result in the initiation of political conflicts (Pashakhanlou, 2009). On the other hand liberalism is more concerned about the freedom that human beings deserve. This concept brings into focus the need to understand the requirements of the human beings more than the needs of a state (Koeller, 2003). Thus the two concepts are different in their study of the world politics. However, although having different concepts the beliefs are concerned with the humans and the impacts of the international politics on the lives of the common people. The primary difference in the two concepts lies in the fact that realism focuses on what is happening in actual in the international political world. Considering a comparative study on both classical realism and classical liberalism, it can be understood that both the concepts have been different in their views and thoughts. While realism remained concerned with the reality that occurs as a result of the human activities not considering the structural negligence, the liberalism concept focused on the needful measures that human beings required and deserved as against the importance provided to the political parties or the government authorities.

The Klondike Gold Rush Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Klondike Gold Rush - Research Paper Example The Klondike gold rush ended in 1899 after the discovery of another gold mine in Nome. The trade had a very remarkable impact to the economic and social conditions of people who resided in Seattle and Washington States. 2 The cultural beliefs were totally altered by the trade due to the introduction of foreign beliefs and ideologies. The economic input of the trade in these two states was equally significant. The essay below focuses on the outputs and benefits of gold trade to the Seattle and Washington state. Economic and Social Impact The Klondike gold mine changed the ways of living as well as the economic conditions of the people who resided in Seattle and by large the Washington state. The trade led to the development and growth of timber market in the Seattle state. The ship industry in the Seattle state expanded due to the increase in the number of traders who used ships to commute to Alaska.3The trade also led to the immigration of people to Seattle from North of Columbia bet ween the 1850s and 1860s. In 1850s, the gold rush to the Fraser River brought many California people to the North West, which led to the establishment of the mining industry that supplied gold to merchant in Victoria, Seattle, and Vancouver. It is the Klondike gold trade that led to the development of railway network in the Seattle state. As a result, the development of the railway network in Seattle was the facilitating factor which led to the development and growth of fish, timber, and wheat industries in the Northern part of the country. Additionally, the large number of immigrants to the area led to the immense development of the state. 4 As a result of discovery of gold rush trade in Klondike, the chamber of commerce of Seattle state met to discuss how to benefit from the trade. They planned to promote the state to an outfit center for the Northern goldfield. They formed a panel to advertise the state to the gold traders as well as other interested traders. The bureau was also mandated with the responsibility of encouraging local traders to join the trade for the benefit of the state. There was a huge campaign to inform the gold traders that Seattle was the only gate way to Alaska. The campaign has a very positive outcome because the Seattle state managed to attract more than three quarters of the gold seekers into their stores. Within the first three months of the trade, more than 15000 miners were using the Seattle resources in their trade. 5 The other business persons who operated in Seattle sold meat, clothes, and dried fruits to gold seekers. The city buildings and infrastructures also benefited from the gold trade. The houses, hotels, and other residential houses were overbooked by gold traders. This led to the construction of more houses to accommodate the traders. More job opportunities were created by increasing numbers of hotels, restaurants, and other related businesses. There was increase in the amount of money which was circulating in the Sea ttle state. In 1987, the state was trading with approximately $36 million. This increased to $ 68 million in 1898 and in 1899, the amount of money which were operating in Seattle rose to over$100 million. 6 In 1898, the Seattle chamber of commerce decided to increase the trade benefit by establishing an assay office. The idea was to help the state benefit from

The Economic Environment of Business (Museums) Essay

The Economic Environment of Business (Museums) - Essay Example Most museums around the world are charging entrance fees as it is the norm. This follows after several attempts by nations like Germany, France, Sweden, and Salvador tried free admission, but the project failed. Unlike other nations which have faltered in the free entry of museums, the United Kingdom (UK) has excelled in the last 10 years. The government use free admission as part of the government plan to broaden accessibility of the country’s heritage and culture. Free admission has been found to immensely increase the visitors’ numbers who visit the museums. UK’s culture Secretary Chris Smith argued that free admission would mark a new beginning for the arts and cultural life of this country. This has opened gates for the people who are entering the museums. Consequently, free entry has been the key to attracting people from all ages and across the divide. In the US entrance to the museums has long been free, but there are certain private museums that have exo rbitantly high charges and people still pay. This shows citizens are not discouraged by charges if the destination is good. Free entry has altered the image of museums because venues are staging a broader variety of exhibitions so as to bring in new people. However, the problem still remains that it can prove to be a challenge where the state’s funds are stretched to the limit. Consequently, most nations have made entry to museums chargeable. As noted by (Silito, 2011) some museums in Britain still charge including Cabinet War Rooms, Imperial War and Tate St. Ives. Discussion Museum visits Museums take various organizational forms. Museums are private non-profit organization, private profit firms, or public organizations operated in a non-profit manner. Johnson and Thomas (2008, p. 78) point out that non-profit organizations were established as result of satisfied demand for public goods. Museums’ cost structure is also responsible for establishment of non-profit firms . According to Frey and Meier (2006, pp.1020-21) assert that museums have two types of demand: private and public demand. Private demand is exerted by visitors who visit the museum as a leisure activity or as part of their profession. The core determinants relating to price or costs include, (1) admission fee; the demand for museum services are price inelastic (2) opportunity cost of time; individuals who are self employed or with higher income have a higher opportunity cost of time, compared to low income persons or with fixed working hours, thus are expected to visit museums more often (3) Price of alternative activities. The social demand influences the society beyond the experiences of the actual museum visitors themselves. The social effects include externalities and influence on the market. The external effects include: education, prestige, existence and bequest values (pp.1023). The market effects include creating job opportunities and generating commercial revenue (pp.1024). In addition, museums differ from other organizations in the services due to the following determinants: high fixed costs, the marginal costs are close to zero, are characterized with dynamic costs, and high opportunity costs. With regard to high opportunity cost Frey and Meier (2006, p. 1028) argue that museums understate their true capital costs by not taking into consideration the opportunity

A pair of blue eyes Essay Example for Free

A pair of blue eyes Essay With reference to the first seven chapters, show how Hardy uses the novels setting to develop character It has been said by many critics, that the main focus of Hardys pre-19th century novel The Return of the Native, is none of the characters, but the almost animate heath land upon which it is set. Hardys methods of describing the heath, allows us to view it as several different things to several different characters, for example, Eustacia Vye, to whom the heath is a prison, or Clym Yeobright, husband of Eustacia, who views Egdon Heath as an area housing the commonest man, a group of people who have been transformed into simplicity by the heath, who he can educate. One possible reason of this is because the heath is written to seem almost ancient, thus has had time to adapt to the way nature shapes the landscape at its will, at present, a place perfectly accordant with mans nature . With features such as barrows, Hardy has created a religious, almost pagan feel to the heath land, with on which the main characters congregate in the first few scenes, to hold a bonfire, giving the night air upon the land an eerie feeling throughout the rest of the book. The weather upon the heath through the early chapters is somewhat harsh, the storm was its love, the wind was its friend yet still the characters persist to roam the heath at night, Eustacia especially, searching endlessly for an escape. One good example is where Eustacia awaits Wildeve upon a barrow, but she utters a sigh as she waits, pondering whether he will arrive, thrown out with the winds, it became twined in with them. It is events like these which Hardy gives us insight to, that we can see the development of the characters, for example, this is just another step of Eustacia becoming even more heavily buried within the land. Hardy also uses inanimate objects other than the heath, to create an atmosphere, such as the fire which burns between Wildeve and Eustacia as they speak, The revived embers of passion glowed clearly in Wildeve now. However, Eustacia does not light a communal bonfire for the sake of community, nor for the sake of sanity, similar to the locals who feel that communication through bonfire separates them from the heath, perhaps as many as thirty bonfires could be counted within the whole bounds of the district. She lights her fire, and attempts to communicate with something which will set her free from the realm a man, to either take her from Egdon to America, such as Wildeve promises, or back to Paris, the location from which her husband has come. Another interesting feature of Hardy using objects, rather than words or actions to describe how a character feels, is Eustacia constantly viewing the heath from her telescope, as if she is hoping for some kind of miracle, a knight in shining armour to come and whisk her from her feet. Another good example of a similar event is her checking her hourglass while waiting upon the heath. These two items, the telescope in particular being from distant places (of which she wishes she could travel to), differ significantly from peasant tools or items, from which she is eager to disassociate herself from. However Hardy is again referring to the vastness of the heath, by implementing a telescope, and the immense age of the heath, by an hourglass, however, for Eustacia, the hourglass diminishes the vastness of the heath, almost providing her with something shes wished for. The heath folk seem to exist in a more than comfortable relationship with the heath, and the heath in a comfortable relationship with civilisation, as it becomes overgrown; the humans cut the furze and faggots, and put them for good use fire. The folk seem to be driving off the darkness, upon November 5th, Guy Forks night, upon a barrow used for burials in the past, the ashes of the original pyre which blazed from that summit lay fresh and undisturbed in the barrow beneath their tread. The locals dont even appear to be celebrating this fact, more so finding comfort in the spotting of other fires lighted in the district. The people here are highly superstitious, and due to the size of the community, and involvement with other communities (very little), the heath only fuels their ideas, as is shown in the third chapter, when the heath folk are talking about Christian a man who no man would marry, for the reason of the date he was born upon having no moon,No moon : hey neighbours, thats bad for him? This early superstition in the novel serves many purposes, the main ones being reader interest, and plot evolution for it is a form of superstition, voodoo, which a heath folk uses against Eustacia as she finally tries to negate the heath, causing her death. Another pastime which suitably provides the heath inhabitants when they are not creating fire is gossip. The heath only fuels the peoples desire to talk about others business, because the community is very small, so hence everybody is aware of the news of everybody else, for instance, the news of Clyms success as a scholar travels for miles before he has even reached the age of three. Personally, I do not subscribe to the belief that the heath is a character within its own right, even though Hardy inspires such thoughts with phrases such as The storm was its lover, the wind was its friend. I believe that Hardys immense concentration upon the heath is merely a sign of two its importance to the play, and as a method which he can use to develop the rest of the characters, such as Eustacia, helping her to constantly arrive at a state of enlightenment which feels that nothing is worthwhile..

German and UK Approaches to Immigration

German and UK Approaches to Immigration Over the last number of decades, migration into the EU has become a key phenomenon. According to figures from the OECD, towards the end of the 20th century an estimated figure in the region of 20 million migrants where living in the EU. That accounted for 5.3% of the total population. That figure has grown to 7.3% in 2003. These migrant movements come from various backgrounds. Many factors including political instability, media, and transport services, demographic and economic development have led to greater migration into the EU. The large influx of immigrants to the UK from India and Pakistan in the 1960s resulted in educational and cultural diversity policies to develop. In the 20th century EU countries have not intentionally â€Å"set out to build a multicultural society†. What we mean by a multicultural society is a â€Å"society consisting of many cultural or ethnic groups sharing the same space†. There are many economic and political reasons which lead to both a long term and a short term migration into the EU. Countries that saw a huge influx of migrants from neighbouring countries faced â€Å"similar challenges with regard to integration†. There was no one system by which these countries set out a list of policies to accommodate these migrants, but each â€Å"developed a different approach†. In this paper I will discuss the difference between two major countries when it comes to dealing with immigrants. These two countries/states are Germany and the United Kingdom. Each country will have its point of view when it comes to: education systems for both, children and adult migrants, employment systems, how they accommodated their religious beliefs. I have decided to not to generalise the EU as a whole, but chose countries that I feel have had different approach to immigrants. All countries adhere to basic democratic values and human rights; they are also submitted to the same European Courts of Justice. By their very logic these values and rights cannot be restricted to citizens, but must generally be granted to non-citizens. The migrants have the same rights as the autochthonous, except political rights in the narrow sense. They are entitled to the same civil, economic and social rights. This was seen in the 1955 Treaty between Germany and Italy which gave the Italian workers the same conditions of pay, health insurance, unemployment and pension benefits.†Ã¢â‚¬  Germany never defined itself as a country of immigration. This ambiguous stance has been reflected in its approach towards the integration of immigrants.† The main migrant groups in Germany are â€Å"Guestworkers† who entered Germany between 1950 and 9175. Their immigration was considered temporary and there was â€Å"no need for integration†. The second group were â₠¬Å"Ethnic Germans from eastern Europe†. These immigrants are of German origin. Immigrants who had â€Å"German ancestors. Education A study carried out by the Economic Cooperation and Development in Germany on the 15th of May 2006 show that German schools have failed when it comes to â€Å"educating immigrant children†. The study compared the native German students to those what we consider â€Å"first-generation immigrants† between 18 countries, one of which is Germany. The results were quite unsettling as the OECD showed that, students born outside of Germany â€Å"perform well below the average first-generation immigrants† in the list of countries surveyed. This was not the first time that Germany’s education system was criticised. In 2000, Program for International student Assessment (PISA) carried out a survey in which Germany was placed in the â€Å"bottom third of industrialised nations surveyed†. The next day the results were made public. Annette Schavan, the minister of Education requested â€Å"for money to be spent on schools†. Annette quoted saying â€Å"we a lso need a new funding concept†. Policies were taken to ensure the development of better education system for first and second generation children in Germany. In July 12th 2007, Chancellor Angela Merkel revealed the National Integration Plan. â€Å"This plan will provide local and state officials with a federal framework for conducting immigrant integration programs†. The NIP highlighted better â€Å"educational opportunities† for first and second generation youth. It ensured that more immigrants â€Å"enter the upper educational tracks†. In contrast, the UK has shown surprisingly very different results. Surveys also carried out by the OECD showed that first and second generation immigrant students have â€Å"on average higher levels of education† when compared to native students. However, these â€Å"educational advantages† have not resulted in successful employment for these immigrants. In fact, the gap in terms of employment for both groups is â€Å"quite dramatic† despite the fact that the same system of education is provided for both immigrants and â€Å"white natives†. When it comes to education in the UK, they have noticed that minority â€Å"children do in fact acquire a good knowledge of the English language from their peers outside school as well as from listening to their teachers†. Despite that the education system was altered slightly, whether it’s taking a decision to hold a child a year back in order to improve his English, so as to be prepared for 2nd level edu cation or the addition of extra English classes. In Ireland, a similar method was used. Employment As mentioned in the introduction, the majority of immigrants in the UK in the 1960s were from India and Pakistan. Study carried out by the LFS which compares â€Å"British born ethnic minorities and white natives† showed that the majority of immigrants were able to attain jobs. This was great news but there was one problem which the UK faced and that was: the difference between male and female minorities being employed is quite big. Figures show that more female women are being employed then to that of males. The UK had to take action in order to resolve the issue. The LFS found out that the main reason for this was that most immigrants have â€Å"remarkably strong educational backgrounds†. Figures also show that employment â€Å"probabilities of Pakistanis† male was as low as 23%. The labour market in the UK was described as a â€Å"bleak picture†. The chances of male workers attaining jobs are very low. To resolve the issue, new English language schools was set up by the government to balance these figures. In 2001, the LFS showed that such action was very successful as the ratio of male to female was balanced. In recent years the labour market in Germany for the integration of immigrants was quite similar to that of the natives. But Germany faced the opposite problem to that of the UK. Female immigrants had very low employment rates. The Turkish female immigrants, â€Å"stand out as having particularly low rates of well below 40%. Germany faced â€Å"economic stagnation† in the early 1990s. There was large decrease in immigrant employment when compared to nationals. Figures show that in 1990 there was a 10% decline in immigrant employment as opposed to 3% decline in natives being unemployed. Unlike the UK, the increase in unemployment for immigrants was not because of education but because of economic crisis. In order to rebalance the figures, a very different approach was taken. Germany had to take economic and political decisions. There was no action to limit the number of immigrants aloud into Germany but instead policies were more focused on international trade and attracting m ultinational companies. Between 1998 and 2000, the survey carried out by the LFS showed that there was a 12% increase in foreigners being employed. Religion Many people consider Germany as a â€Å"diverse country†. Many also anticipate that it will become increasingly so over time. In 2006, there was what was considered a â€Å"social cohesion† as such that German politicians â€Å"began to perceive hostility toward Muslims†. The PFRPL (Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life) ran a survey which showed that there are approximately 4.5 million Muslims living in Germany. This accounted for 5.1% of the population in 2013. The German society is a â€Å"homogenous† one. Racism is still pervasive in Germany. The image of Muslims after the September 11 has deteriorated as such Muslim religious believers has â€Å"trickled into the German national public dialogue† or in German Diskurs-Raum. There was a study carried by the University of Munster in 2010 found that Germans have a â€Å"worse perception of adherents of non-Christian religions† then any European country. Aggressive of violent attack on Muslims were expressed on Mosques and Muslim people. In oder to deal with this, Angela Merkel â€Å"initiated an integration summit† which opens the door for Germans to understand and learn about other religions and diversity. Many studies and research provided the natives with fact about Muslims in order to avoid any potential threats. There are over 1.1 million Muslims in the UK in 2001. This figure has tripled over the last decade to an astonishing 3.5 million within a decade. The Muslims have been very well accepted in the UK to a stage that there are now over â€Å"85 Islamic Sharia courts†. The British law accepted the Sharia Principles. There are over 110 mosques in the UK. The Muslim population has multiplied â€Å"10 times faster than the rest of the society over the last decade†. Conclusion In my opinion both societies have succeeded in converging with migrants. The education systems were altered slightly in both countries to accommodate migrant children as well as adults. Although I think the suggested approach to allow the cultures to â€Å"coexist† would truly show that the societies in the UK have accepted the migrant culture. Regarding the religious beliefs, the UK seem to have a slight advantage it terms of give the Muslims a sense of power. Many mosques in UK are involved in political debates as well as the fact that, some we’ll know politicians are Muslims. In Germany, there were no barriers when it comes to having permission to build mosques. A very high figure of 2,200 religious organisations shows that Germany has accommodated the religious beliefs of migrants. When it comes to employment, again both countries have provided the migrants with suitable jobs even though they might have had problems due to the lack of the native language. Overall most European societies have converged with the migrants. Reference Migration and Social Integration of Migrants 2003, Luxembourg, accessed 11 February 2014, http://www.oi.acime.gov.pt Steven vertovec / SuSanne WeSSendorf. 2004. Assessing the backlash against multiculturalism in Europe. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.mmg.mpg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/wp/WP_09-04_Vertovec-Wessendorf_backlash.pdf May, Stephen, 2001. Multiculturalism and education in Britain: an internally contested debate. International Journal of Educational research, [Online]. 35, 305-317. Available at: http://www.tariqmodood.com/uploads/1/2/3/9/12392325/multiculturalism_education_britain.pdf . Spiegel. 2006. Integration and Education: Immigrants in Germany Falling Behind. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.spiegel.de/international/integration-and-education-immigrants-in-germany-falling-behind-a-416429.html. Eric Leise. 2007. Germany Strives to Integrate Immigrants with New Policies. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=610. Dustmann,C. and Theodoropoulos, N. 2010. ETHNIC MINORITY IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN IN BRITAIN .Oxford Economic Paper, [Online]. 62, 1-24. Available at:http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~uctpb21/Cpapers/SubmissionOEP_June.pdf Bmfsfj. 2001. Family policy challenges in the organisation of migration and integration. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.bmfsfj.de/RedaktionBMFSFJ/Broschuerenstelle/Pdf-Anlagen/PRM-23893-Broschure-Integration-von-Fami,property=pdf,bereich=bmfsfj,sprache=de,rwb=true. Thomas Liebig. 2007. The Labour Market Integration of Immigrants in Germany. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.oecd.org/els/38163889. Naika Foroutan. 2013. Identity and (Muslims) Integration in Germany. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/TCM-Germanycasestudy.pdfSoeren Kern. 2011. Britain vs. Muslim Immigration. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/2056/britain-vs-muslim-immigration

The Health And Safety Hazards Risks Of Employees Health Essay

The Health And Safety Hazards Risks Of Employees Health Essay Occupational Health and Safety is a discipline with broad scope involving many specialized fields. In its broadest sense it aims at the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well being of workers in all occupations. More specifically, Occupational Health and Safety encompasses the social, mental and physical well being of workers, that is the whole person. With the alarming number of work-related sicknesses, diseases, injuries and accidents, the protection of workers against these has been found vital in the historical mandate of the International Labour Organisation (ILO guidelines 2001). The ILO celebrates world day for Health and Safety at Work on the 28th of April each year in the memory of workers who died at their workplace all over the world. One of ILOs goal is thus to boost opportunities for employees in order to obtain decent and productive work. Decent work means safe work- a positive factor which can boost up productivity and hence lead to economic growth. In this modern era, technological advancement and fierce competition bring prompt changes in the conditions of work, work processes and the organization. It can be noted that though legislation is crucial, it is insufficient to keep pace with current hazards and risks. This is why it has been found necessary to take into account the guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS) which can indeed support this effort. With the introduction of the Occupational Safety, Health Welfare Act of 1988(OSHWA 1988) which came into force in May 1989, followed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 2005(OSHA 2005) which was proclaimed on 1st September 2007 and replaced the OSHWA 1988, health and safety entered another dimension by binding the state. Health and safety started to gain more consideration in the agendas of the various stakeholders namely the Government, the employers, the employees and their trade unions, the non-governmental organisations as well as educational and training institutions. It is an undeniable fact that this has posed a need for creating health and safety awareness among the employees and employers and consequently leading to a continuous decrease in the number of work related accidents and illnesses among the Mauritian and foreign workers. In many organisations in Mauritius, there is a reactive approach to health and safety that is taking action to prevent the recurrence of an undesired event, comply with existing health and safety and other legislations. However, in other organisations such as the Pamplemousses/Riviere Du Rempart District Council (PRDC) health and safety is being dealt in a pro-active, effective and challenging way, that is, risks are being identified, assessed, and controlled before the first adverse event. Furthermore, health and safety is an integrated part of the management systems whereby at each level of management, health and safety is being looked with the same consideration as other organisational activities. 1.2 Problem Statement Lot of emphasis has been put on the attribution of adverse health consequences and lack of safety arising from work. While the number of workplace injuries, illnesses and death are increasing, there is considerable evidence that these reported rates are under-estimates of the actual numbers of injuries and accidents. Dembe (2005) outlines that workplace injuries and illnesses affect those injured or ill in terms of physical impairment, functional limitations, lost wages and hence limiting the workers ability to do their job conveniently. With regard to the nature of work, it has been found necessary to note that individuals are chronically exposed to adverse psychosocial working environments (Bosma et al, 1998; Hemingway and Marmot 1999; Belkic et al, 2004). Job position is a major concern especially when dealing with manual handling. More specifically, regular moving of components from stores or lorries or while lifting heavy loads, workers can suffer from back pain, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease and so on. For instance, the workers employed in the scavenging department at the PRDC are exposed to a series of hazards which can in turn lead to accidents if precautionary measures are not taken. It can be noted that though scavengers are provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), they do not use them efficiently. But the fact remains that there is no proper hygiene and comfort as they have to practically linger in the wastes disposed at the back of the lorry. To some extent, lack of training and poor supervision might be the causes of the workers carelessness. Nevertheless, we cannot disregard the fact stated by Olsen and Lindee (2009) that the transfer of technology can increase the risks of new failures, misuse, accidents and unhealthy workplaces. 1.3 Aim and Objectives 1.3.1 Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the health and safety risks and hazards present at the PRDC refuse collection section and hence provide recommendations for improvement. 1.3.2 Objectives: The set objectives are: To identify risks and hazards present in the PRDC refuse collection section and assess the measures in place including policies and procedures. To assess the importance of safeguarding Health and Safety at the District Council. To determine the level of Health and Safety awareness. To evaluate the Occupational Health and Safety Management System in place at the PRDC. To propose recommendations to improve Health and Safety in the working environment at the PRDC. 1.4 Research Questions: Does the District Council have a proper set of policies and procedures? Are the employees aware of the Health and Safety Policy and procedures of the organization and the different arrangement in it? How much is management committed towards the Health, Safety and Welfare of its employees? Does the PRDC undertake Risk Assessments and keep proper records as well as monitoring of progress and action taken to eliminate risks and hazards? What are the benefits brought to the PRDC by the implementation of OHSMS and barriers encountered in its implementation? CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction to the chapter In modern society, the collection of waste is often taken for granted. People put waste out and expect that its gone within a day, without even realizing how it is collected. However, for those who collect waste, the reality of the situation is very often different. Waste is an obvious public health hazard and waste collection is a very hazardous task to undertake. There are a multitude of challenges that face Local Government worldwide in this new era; rapidly evolving technologies, managing staffs, forming partnerships by engaging new citizens, delivering services, lack of finance, dealing with health and safety issues at work and socio-economic demographics are some relevant examples. Aram (2009) strongly believes that developing countries are often exposed to exploitation since they lack safeguards and expertise that prevent harm to workers. He even elaborates on the fact that previous efforts to address workplace hazards in these countries have practically failed. East Cambridgeshire District Council faces mainly the issue of air pollution. Similarly, more urban districts in Cambridgeshire have encountered air quality problems resulting from massive motor vehicle emission. It is necessary to monitor the adverse health issues in this modern era arising in the course of work. Ongoing research efforts are required regarding the magnitude of health effects associated with working conditions (Smulders et al.1996; Lavis et al.2001). For instance, an employer may implement engineering controls with the aim of eliminating a safety hazard and thus increasing productivity without even considering the direct value of health benefits. Notwithstanding these studies, clear opportunities exist to improve health and safety of workers through the improvement in work environment. 2.1 Definition of technical terms: When we refer to hazards in relation to Occupational Safety and Health, the most commonly used definition is a hazard is a potential source of harm or adverse health effect on a person or persons. Risk is the likelihood that a person may be harmed or suffers adverse health effects if exposed to a hazard. An Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) is defined as a framework whereby all hazards are identified, health and safety risks are controlled and the potential occurrences for accidents are reduced in a particular organization by putting in place all the existing control measures and continually improving its performance. In other words, the content and scope of OHSMS is determined by the identification and hazards and implementation of corresponding measure or simply evaluating the measures already in place (Mearns K. and Flin R.). An Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Program is a definite plan of action designed to prevent accidents and occupational diseases/injuries. An Occupational Health and Safety Policy is a statement of principles and general rules that serve as guides for action. Safe work practice is a written instruction outlining the preferred method of performing a task/activity whilst emphasizing ways to minimize any risk(s) or hazard that makes a safe system of work(University of Wollongong, 2011). In developing countries, refuse collection is characterized by a dominance of manual handling tasks. According to National Occupational Research Agency, an estimate of 122, 000 workers are employed in waste collection (NORA, 2009). However, refuse collectors around the world are at risks for occupational illnesses and injuries (Kuijer et al., 2010). They have a higher risk of fatal occupational injuries than the general workforce (Dorevitch, 2001) and they account for about 80% of all reported injuries (HSE). Until recently, relatively little research has focused on the hazards in the waste industry, even though waste collection is a high-hazard job with a fatality rate 10 times that of all workers (Drudi, 1997). Collecting waste has long been recognized to be a dirty and physical work. However, it is among the most fatal occupations. The collection of solid waste has been found to be among the highest risk occupations in the United States (Englehardt et al., 2001). As refuse collection is done manually in Mauritius, the refuse collectors have direct contact with waste and are therefore exposed to infectious micro-organisms, toxic materials and other harmful substances. They are exposed to an extensive variety of health risks and hazards. Refuse collectors are working in a hard, unsafe and poor working condition with a lack of work protection equipment. However, the actual risk may be largely underreported since this population of workers has not been well studied. 2.2 Health and Safety hazards and risks among refuse collectors Health and safety problem is an inevitable characteristic of the scavenging department. By its nature and variety of activities, scavenging has a bundle of hazards and unsafe situation and therefore refuse collectors are very much exposed to accident, workplace injuries and diseases. Scavenging is a labour process involved in the initial collection and processing of recoverable materials (Loan 2002). In other words, scavengers collect materials that have been discarded as waste and add value to them by sorting, cleaning, and altering the physical shape to facilitate transport. Scavenging has some detrimental effects on the refuse collectors as they live in unhygienic conditions and the nature of their occupation exposes them to potentially pathogenic bio-aerosols that may lead to the spread of various diseases. Eye irritation, respiratory diseases, skin diseases, minor injuries from stepping on broken bottles or sharp objects in the refuse, backache from bending down most of the time and headaches arising from working in the sun are some examples. Offensive odours in waste disposal sites and the abundance of fleas, along with the lack of personal protective equipment, make working conditions even more unhygienic. Rag-pickers collect plastics, paper, cardboards, c ans, glass bottles, rubber materials, ferrous and non-ferrous metals from public places, streets, dump sites or landfills can be risky as they are exposed to various infectious agents (Ray et al, 2004) and toxic substances that may cause illness. At times, they may face social abuse from certain elements of society, which may lead to social problems and hence creation of greater possibility that they get engaged into the consumption of alcohol and cigarette smoking. From a study carried out in Thailand, it can be noted that the physical health problems of scavengers undertaking routine work, are low back pain and sprains, common colds, and skin rashes. Other problems include headaches, fatigue and shortness of breath. Some scavengers do not use PPE and thus risk their health while some eat food found at the dump site which can pose a serious problem to their own well-being. Scavengers with low levels of education have more work-related accidents (Khalil and Milhem, 2004). All workplaces have hazards and risks. Hazards can cause harm, injury and can even lead to fatal accidents. Occupational Health and Safety is therefore a very essential part of every workplace as in most cases employees lives depend on it. Below are hazards that refuse collectors are exposed to: Chemical hazards Biological hazards Physical hazards Ergonomic hazards Psychosocial hazards 2.2.1 Chemical hazards Chemical hazards among refuse collectors arise from contamination with harmful chemicals like disinfectants, cleaning products and pesticides. It can be noted that these chemicals exist in form of solid, liquid and gas which can contaminate human body at the point of contact (NIOSH, 1985). Some of the common chemicals found at hazardous waste sites include asbestos, aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, herbicides, insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (NIOSH, 1985). These chemicals are associated with cardiovascular, dermal, gastrointestinal, neurologic and respiratory effects and cancer (NIOSH, 1985) There is enough evidence that dust also represents a potential hazard to refuse collectors on site. In 2002, Krajewski et al. conducted a study in Poland so as to assess occupational exposure among workers employed in the municipal waste collection and the results revealed that workers were exposed to highest dust concentration on sites of refuse collection. Refuse collectors are also exposed to vehicle exhaust fumes which may contribute to respiratory problems (Hansen et al., 1997). Furthermore, the engineering design of the refuse collection truck may cause several potential health hazards to the workers. We should note that the location of the exhaust pipes on most refuse collection trucks directs the fumes towards the work area and this can eventually result in over-exposure to carbon monoxide (Cimino, 1975). 2.2.2 Biological hazards In 2006, a survey was carried out by Lavoie et al., in Canada among refuse collectors and the results showed that they are highly exposed to airborne bacteria and fungi (bio-aerosols). Most of the time refuse collectors come across medical wastes which are often encountered in hospitals, health centres and medical laboratories. Wastes generated from health care activities, more specifically, discarded syringes, needles, cotton swabs and other types of infectious waste are often not segregated. As a result, they are disposed in normal bins. These wastes contain infectious materials that can cause diseases, if exposed to (Morton, 2010). A cross-sectional study was conducted by Rachiotis et al., 2012 among 208 Municipal Solid Waste Workers of a municipality in Central Greece in order to assess the prevalence of Hepatitis B (HBV), risk factors for infection and ways of virus transmission among them. The result demonstrated that occupational exposure to waste is a possible risk factor for HBV infection since prevalence of HBV infection was found to be 23%. Medical waste contains a huge variety of pathogenic microorganisms (Morton, 2010). Pathogens in infectious waste may enter the human body in several routes: By ingestion By inhalation Through the mucous membranes Through a puncture, abrasion or cut in the skin Contaminated sharps, mainly hypodermic needles are probably the waste items that represent the most acute potential health hazards. This may expose refuse collectors to communicable disease risks, including blood-borne viruses such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV (Morton, 2010). Moreover, sharps can cause cuts and punctures and as a result infect these wounds if they are contaminated with pathogens. Sharps are therefore regarded as a very hazardous waste class. 2.2.3 Physical hazards Slip, trip and fall risks Slip, trip and falls are common in almost all occupations, including refuse collection. The results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) Program carried out by the U.S Bureau of Labour Statistics showed that fatal slips, trips and falls took the lives of 666 workers in 2011. The fact that scavenging task is carried out regardless of the weather conditions or slippery surface caused by rain, refuse collectors are often victim of slips and falls if enough attention is not paid to the surface on which they are walking. Uneven paths, manhole covers and drains are potential tripping hazards, especially if refuse collectors are in a haste to complete the task. In addition, hurrying can also lead to refuse collectors endangering their lives by falling while climbing onto the back of the lorry to accelerate the loading. Refuse collectors suffering from a slip, trip or fall at work can result in pain and lead to a long-term disability, depending on the severity of the injury. Noise Exposure to noise at work can be detrimental to workers health and it can even increase the risk of accidents (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2005). Scavenging task takes place during peak traffic hours most of the time, thus refuse collectors are exposed to noise. The workers usually work on roads with heavy traffic and in vicinity of noisy machinery. However, very often, the collection truck itself is the cause of noise problem. Annoyance due to road traffic noise created from beeping of horns by car drivers was found to be among the highest noise factors (Chowdhury et al., 2012) Animals and Insects Bite During waste collection, refuse workers often come across animals like dogs, cats, insects or stings which represent a potential danger to them. The refuse collectors are exposed mostly to dogs while collecting domestic wastes. Since dogs are very territorial, especially when stranger enters their property, this can result in violent personal attacks. Moreover, both insects and rodents represent an occupational and public health hazards. Contact with rodents therefore can result in bites and this can lead to redness and swelling in the injured area and can even cause an allergic reaction. Insects and rodents can thus transmit diseases to workers by bites or by indirect contact. Ergonomic Hazards Manual Handling The task of refuse collectors consists of extensive heavy lifting as well as other manual handling of containers and thus increasing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (Rushton, 2003). Manual handling has been defined by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦any transporting or supporting of a load, including the lifting, putting down, pushing, carrying or moving thereof by hand or bodily force. The Health and Safety Executive(HSE) records show that more than a third of all accidents reported are injuries occurred from work and thus workers being absent for more than 3 days are related to manual handling at workplace. It can cause injury in the short term through accidents and in the longer term damage from bad handling techniques. Manual handling includes any activity: Involving forceful and repetitive movements. Where the person always maintain constrained and awkward postures. Examples of Manual Handling Activities include: *Figure 1: Manual Handling Activities *Source: esvhealthwatch.vic.gov.au The common types of manual handling injuries are as follows: Arm, shoulder and wrist injuries. Back injuries caused by unstable and heavy loads. Chronic pain. Hernias and strain injuries. Injuries caused by prolonged repetition of work (for example, a refuse collector continually collecting refuse). The above mentioned can affect an individuals quality of life and also his ability to work. The cost of ill-health will therefore depend on the nature and extent of disease and illness that is prevalent. Preventing Manual Handling Injuries OSHA requires all employers who have a legal responsibility against employees to provide them with a safe and healthy workplace. The National Standard for Manual Handling requires that all tasks involving Manual Handling at a particular workplace should be identified and risks and likelihood of injuries should be assessed accordingly. Appropriate control measures should be introduced where there is a risk of injury. Provision of adequate and sufficient training in the safe techniques and methods of manual handling and lifting. Musculoskeletal Disorders Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent one of the principal causes of occupational injury, illness and disability within many countries and various occupations (Mehrdad et al., 2008) MSDs are one of the most frequent work-related injuries among refuse collectors due to the heavy lifting, pushing, pulling and carrying activities involved in their daily duty of refuse collection (Ijzelenberg et al., 2004; Keyserling, 2000 Hoozemans et al., 2004) A survey conducted in 2008 by Mehrdad et al. among a group of municipal solid waste collectors in Tehran revealed that the symptoms of MSDs experienced by the workers were; low back (45%), knees (29%), shoulders (24%), upper back (23%) and neck (22%). Moreover, studies reveal that MSDs among refuse collectors are higher than most of the other workforces. Abou El Wafa et al., carried out a cross-sectional study in 2012 among 120 refuse collectors at the Western Municipality of Mansoura City, Egypt with a comparison group of 110 male service workers at the University in order to assess the percentage of musculoskeletal complaints and their possible risk factors among the refuse collectors. The result showed that musculoskeletal complaints were higher among the refuse collectors (60.8%) than the comparison group (43.6%). Lifting load Refuse collectors and store workers are often engaged in carrying and handling loads without proper lifting techniques which eventually causes stress on the back and musculoskeletal system. Repetitive actions worsen the situations. Some examples of handling loads would be: lifting, pulling, carrying, dragging and holding. Handling load is classified as heavy work which involves dynamic and static work. In a study carried out by Olaogun et al (2002), their findings concluded that workers who are often engaged in lifting heavy objects were mostly afflicted by Low Back Pain. It was also reported that between 80% and 90% of all back pain is caused by faulty postural habits. The knowledge of how to prevent back pain was generally poor among the respondents. Costs of Back Injuries The most common injury is to the back and it can be very painful. If, a workers job involves heavy manual labour then back injuries can certainly damage his job prospects. In Mauritius back pain is among one of the major occupational disease. For instance, all cases of occupational and work related diseases diagnosed in hospital (Ministry of Health 2009) shows the result being 37% and 39% in 2007 and 2008 respectively. It should be noted that measures taken to lessen or eliminate the problem of back pain can bring a lot of benefits to an organization (Managing sickness absences and returns to work 2005). Such measures are: Better workplace relations. Improved business performances. Safe and healthy workplaces. Retention of valued staffs. Reduced compensation and rehabilitation costs. Psychosocial Hazards Violence at work HSE defines work related violence as any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. The most common causes of violence at work are personal conflicts, frustration due to workload and poor working conditions and environment. However, violence at work can lead to other problems such as minor injury, major injury and even fatal injury. Violence to refuse collectors can cause pain, distress, disability or even death. Nevertheless, serious or persistent verbal abuse can be a significant problem as it can pose serious complication to refuse collectors health through anxiety and stress. Stress Stress at work is the reaction of workers when work load and pressures become beyond their normal capability and becomes difficult for them to deal with (Semmer, 2007). Most of the employees encounter stress to a certain degree in their daily work environment. Work related stress causes a negative impact on employees leading to poor physical and mental health state. According to the statistics of Health and Safety Executive (2005), over 500, 000 workers in United Kingdom advocated that their illness were due to stress at work and 15% of all the working population confirmed that their work was enormously stressful. However, it is widely acknowledged that work related stress is linked to elevate sickness absence, higher labour turnover and early retirement (Kerr et al., 2009) 2.2.6 Road Accidents Refuse collectors have to collect wastes from both sides of a street. Their task involves climbing on and alighting from trucks, carrying trash containers and so on. Sometimes garbage causes obstruction which prevent their ability to see approaching vehicles and thus result in accident (Drudi, 1997). According to the National Solid Waste Management Association, in 2008 there were 31 refuse collectors killed on the job in Florida. The statistics from the HSE between 2001 and 2006 shows that 513 refuse collectors suffered over 3 days workplace transport injuries. This implies that their injuries from the accident were serious enough for they were given three days sick leave. 2.3 Occupational Disease According to the Protocol of 2002 of the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), the term Occupational disease refers to any disease contracted as a result of an exposure to risk factors arising from work activity. Occupational diseases are the icebergs that challenge occupational health and safety experts. The number of cases of occupational disease reported for statistical surveys is just the tip of the iceberg. It should be noted that refuse collectors experience a variety of adverse health effect. The situation of refuse collectors in different developing countries is comparable as they are exposed to all risks than their counterparts in developed countries. A survey carried out in Bethlehem and Hebron Districts, among 209 refuse collectors revealed that they faced work related disease such as sore throat, diarrhea, shortness of breath and skin disease (Milhem, 2004). Based on Health Studies of refuse collectors carried out in India, tuberculosis, bronchitis, a sthma and pneumonia are the most frequently experienced diseases among waste pickers (Huisman, 1994). 2.4 Occupational Injury Occupational injury is defined as sudden, anticipated, and undesirable events during work, leading to harm or damage to at least one part of the body (Poulson et al., 1995). The job of waste collection is associated with a high risk of occupational injury and most often injuries among waste collectors was the back, followed by the knees, hands, and feet (Ivens et al., 1998). A study by Bourdouxhe et al. (1993) reported an even higher rate of injury among waste collectors: 74% of the waste collectors in municipality companies and 57% in private enterprise. 2.5 Housekeeping One essential component of good working conditions is good housekeeping. It helps to the prevention of occupational injuries and diseases. Good housekeeping also includes everyday cleanliness, tidiness and good order in all parts of the workplace and is important when it comes to good safety practice. The fact that housekeeping is a maintenance task; therefore it cannot be achieved without the participation of everyone in the workplace. Hazards associated with poor housekeeping: Slips, trips and falls Objects fall from above causing injury to workers Striking against unwanted sharp edges of objects causing injury Crushing injuries In America, around 300,000 disabling injuries occur every year resulting in death of 1400 workers. 15-20% of workers compensation claims are owing to slips, trips and falls at workplace. The United States Bureau of Labour Statistics (2012) declared 303,800 fall injuries at place of work in 2000. 15% of death is caused by slips, trips and falls at workplace. 2.6 Personal Protective Equipment Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is intended to protect individuals from the risks and injury creating a barrier against workplace hazards. PPE is not a substitute for good engineering controls, administrative controls or good working practices. Instead, it is used in conjunction with these controls to ensure the safety and health of workers. PPE should be used when it has been determined as its use will lessen the likelihood of occupational injury and/or illnesses when other protection methods are not available. PPE should always be worn when working with hazards. PPE that refuse collectors should normally wear: Hand protection (gloves) Respiratory masks Overall Safety boots Safety helmets The bureau of Labour Statistics of America (2012) revealed that 333, 272 eyes injuries were reported as occupational in the year 1985. Another study in connection to disabling injuries showed that there were 32, 000 hand and finger injuries, 70, 000 eye injuries, 70,000 head and face injuries and 110, 000 food and toe injuries in 1987. These figures represent 31.7% of the estimated 1, 800, 000 total disabling work injuries for the year 1987. These reports which were examined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administrator department in America show that in only those cases where a worker was injured were: Personal Protective Equipment was not being worn the vast majority of time. Some types of the protective equipment worn by the worker did not protect him fully. The importance of preventive measures According to research conducted on Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders as part of the Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorder Consortium with the National Institute of Occupationa

Hitchcock’s Work at an Auteur in his Movie, Vertigo :: Movie Film Essays

Hitchcock’s Work at an Auteur in his Movie, Vertigo Though complex and brilliantly written for its time, the plot of Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Vertigo, is only half of the genius behind it. Alfred Hitchcock’s unique presence as an auteur is truly what sets his films apart. There is symmetry to his shots that give the film an artistic feel, as if each frame were a painting. Many times, within this symmetry, Hitchcock places the characters in the center of the frame; or if not centered, then balanced by whatever else is adding density to the shot. For example, as Madeline sits and looks at the painting in the museum, there is a balance within the frame. To counter-act her position to the right of the painting, Hitchcock puts a chair and another painting on the left side, which is visually pleasing to the eye of the audience. The use of red and green not only adds a visual effect as well, but later serves as a clue that Madeline is not actually dead, when the women who looks like her is wearing a green dress. Hitchcock has a way of throwing clues in the face of the spectator, yet still allows some room for the spectator to find their own less obvious details. In the same museum scene, Hitchcock shows the viewer exactly what he wants them to see. In a sense, Hitchcock can be very manipulative with the camera. The audience sees the picture containing the women with a curl in her hair holding flowers, and then the direct connection is made by the camera, by showing the curl in Madeline’s hair, and the flowers sitting next to her. The spectator is led to believe that they have solved the mystery and she is truly possessed by the women in the picture. However, Hitchcock does this on purpose to lead the audience away from the truth that she is only acting. It is for these reasons that Hitchcock’s work at an auteur adds a level of depth and intrigue. Hitchcock has characteristics as an auteur that is apparent in most of his films, as well as this one.

Malcolm X vs. Dr. King: Passive vs; Aggressive Essay -- essays researc

Africans were brought to America by Europeans, not of their own volition, but in chains, without the knowledge that over the next several hundred years, generations and generations of our people would be brutally and unjustly treated as nothing more than property or animals. The era during which slavery flourished, Africans were bred, overworked, beaten, lynched, and stripped of any positive identity or self respect. When slavery was abolished in 1865, Africans, or former slaves, were left without a â€Å"place† in America. Where did they fit in? What was the role that they were to play as, so called, American citizens? Some, undertook the role of â€Å"leader†, and preached and taught what they felt was the best process by which, blacks could achieve equality. From the beginning, however, there were conflicts concerning the nature of how this was to be accomplished. This discrepancy over passive and aggressive attitude concerning the advancement of blacks in America h as permeated, and at times, divided the black community from the time that Africans were brought here in chains, until the present. Malcolm X’s philosophies, which centered more on blacks accepting themselves, and loving themselves, and creating their own sense of pride, was deemed racist by the media and he was portrayed as militant/violent by the Civil Rights Activists, when in fact Malcolm X’s teachings contain the exact remedy that we â€Å"victims of America† (Malcolm X uses this term to distinguish the fact that blacks were not brought to America out of their own volition) need in order to live the best lives in the conditions that we have been forced into by whites.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Booker T. Washington, born in 1856, was a prominent leader of the black community during the years following the abolishment of slavery, who believed that equality and respect for blacks would be gained over time. Washington preached to his followers that they should work on bettering themselves, not through liberal education, but by learning a trade or vocation which could be of service to either the black or white community, and that in time, whites would allow blacks to assimilate into their society. William Edward Burghardt Dubois, born in 1868 and more commonly known as W. E. B Dubois, was Washington’s adversary. Dubois preached that blacks should demand their rights, both human and civil, and that this w... ...proach of the Civil Rights Movement, led by Dr. King and financed by whites, would lead to the loss of black pride because it would encourage blacks to â€Å"try to be white† in order to â€Å"fit in† the white society. Today, blacks have the same legal rights as whites, but there is still blatant racism in America. Blacks have integrated into the white society, and the loss that Malcolm feared has become a reality. We straighten our hair in order to make it look like theirs, wear their clothes, and learn a school curriculum that centers around their history. There are more black men in prison than in college, and the percentage of black owned businesses is considerably disproportionate to the black population. The Civil Rights Movement was successful, and the Black Power Movement has been forgotten, but have blacks found their â€Å"place†? SOURCES: Haley, Alex; The Autobiography of Malcolm X; Ballantine Publishing Group; 1964 Malcolm X; â€Å"Message to the Grass Roots,† speech, Nov. 1963, Detroit (Published in Malcolm X Speaks, ch. 1, 1965) Malcolm X; speech, Dec 12, 1964, New York, NY Marable, Manning; â€Å"By Any Means Necessary: The Life and Legacy of Malcolm X†, speech; New York, NY

Pepsi Case Study Essay

Strategic issue Maintain competitive focus, while splitting PepsiCo and creating governance for the new Pepsi Bottling Group. Internal Analysis Pepsi was invented in 1893, establishing a franchise bottling system of 270 bottlers by 1910. Pepsi struggled in its early years declaring bankruptcy twice. The 1970’s and early 80’s, Pepsi surpassed Coke for the first time. Bottling was a capital-intensive business and involved highly specialized production lines. Bottling and canning could cost between $4 million to $10 million each with a minimal investment cost for a small bottling facility of $25 million to $35 million. It was estimated that 80 to 85 plants were required for full U.S.-distribution, with the cost of a fully efficient large plant with a capacity of 40 million cases to be $75 million in 1998. Among top bottlers in 1998, packaging accounted for 50 per cent of costs of goods sold, concentrate 33 per cent, sweeteners 10 per cent, and labor most of the remaining variable costs. While bottlers’ gross profits often exceeded 40 per cent, operating margins were very thin. Given the intense service prov ided by the bottlers, the relationship between the bottlers and end retailers was critical to success and sales. Pepsi structured its contracts with bottlers so that bottlers were required to purchase concentrate from Pepsi at prices set by Pepsi, giving them much greater flexibility. In the mid 80’s, Pepsi began acquiring many of its independent bottlers and by the mid 1990’s, Pepsi owned half of these outright and had equity positions in many others. Pepsi focused heavily on diversification within the beverage industry as well as beyond that in first into snack foods, with the merger forming PepsiCo and again with Frito-lay, purchased fast-food chains and casual-dining restaurants. Some of these endeavors went well such as the snack foods while restaurant expansion was failing. Analysts became concerned that Pepsi was over extending itself and was in doomed if they continued down the same path. Pepsi made the right choice exiting the casual dining market, with a slimmed down more focused future they could now focus on new profitable ventures. Pepsi’s biggest challenge now was to â€Å"reinvent itself and become a more formidable competitor.† A looming opportunity for Pepsi to be a more effective competitor would be if they were to mimic Coca-Cola’s CCE, which would raise billions of dollars. The result would make Pepsi more competitive and responsive to their  customers by allowing them to separate and focus on different functional areas of the company. The newly created Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) would be the world’s largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, which will provide PBG billion in cash when it goes public. The biggest challenge however was not the IPO, but rather creating a system of corporate governance to see PBG into the future. Craig Weatherup, current president of PepsiCo, CEO of worldwide beverages is faced with splitting PepsiCo’s worldwide bottling company from its concentrate business and the public offering of the PGB , which he would become CEO, and establishes their governance. External Analysis Business began in the Great Depression when it started competing with Coke offering twice the volume for the same price. The cola wars officially began in the 1950’s and continued throughout the century. Intense advertising battles, new packaging, new product introductions, international expansion and price wars erupted between the two companies. Pepsi captured Soviet markets and scored other international successes while Coke international success was dwindling due to poor relations with bottling partners. Pepsi profited from another of Coke’s mistakes, when Coke launched â€Å"New Coke†. However, Pepsi’s luck was short lived when Coke reinstated its old recipe. Originally Coca-Cola agreed to fix price contracts to allow for some adjustment with bottlers. In the 1980’s coke announced a refranchising plan that would eliminate weak bottlers, and expand large bottlers outside of their geographic territories. Additionally coke started to buy all of its bottlers, and created Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), and independent bottling subsidiary, selling 51% of its shares. By 1998, CCE accounted for more than 60 per cent of Coke North America’s volume and had worldwide sales of approximately $15 billion. The environment of PBG’s IPO was not ideal despite its anticipation by the market as everyone and everything was focused on the dot-com world. Identification and Evaluation of courses of action In order to stay competitive with Coca-Cola, PBG must happen in order to bring in cash flows for future investments. The most difficult task will be to assemble the new board for Pepsi Bottling Group and meeting deadlines by  which the CEO of Pepsi must have a board of directors in place. Corporate governance is the set of rules affecting the way Processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many stakeholders involved and the goals for which the corporation is governed. The most likely form of governance for Weatherup to take would be the market-based, most common in the U.S. because of its correlation with the stock market and prices. Since the markets are the primary source of capital, investors are given the most power in determining corporate policies. Therefore, the system relies on the capital markets to exert control over the corporation’s manag ement. Weatherup knew that changes of this magnitude could cause widespread confusion, so one way he could quickly assemble a board and governance would be to fall back on old colleagues and executives of PepsiCo and model PBG with similar persons and mechanisms. An option would be to try to imitate Coca-Cola’s board, and obtain members from their board. Mimicking successful past behaviors of Coca-Cola has boasted well for PepsiCo in the past, so it is likely that new governance similar to theirs would work too. In the past, it has shown that when Pepsi deviates from what Coke is doing it often results in negative outcomes for Pepsi. Having a similar board of directors could keep Pepsi in more of a Coke frame of mind and combine the best from both worlds. A negative drawback to this option would be that it would be very possible for future conflicts of interest and corruption with such close ties. Another option could be, for all of the responsibilities Weatherup is facing he could simply appoint someone else whom he sees fit, from the new board, to serve as CEO in the near future, and have them work closely with Weatherup as he establishes systems, and policies making sure everything stays in line with the original focus. That way you would have his knowledge, skills, and expertise to establish the governance and complete all of the executive duties, but his predecessor would be there watching to see how it was all created and will soon run, it would be similar to an apprenticeship. A positive outcome is that everything would occur on time by the preferred persons. A negative is that people may have doubts in the new CEO’s ability to run the company without the presence of Weatherup, and such uncertainty, could cause for stock prices to fall. Another option could be for Weatherup to ask for an  extension for when PBG goes public. He is said to be â€Å"wearing many hats, stretched too thin, etc.† Extra time would prevent Weatherup from having to rush through policy establishing processes, and could give him the option of picking the very best board of directors available rather just the first people available. Another pro to this option is that it is mentioned that the dot-com. stocks are what is making all the money, so waiting to sell the IPO’s could turn out to be more profitable in the long run.