The Extra Value Meal :: Creative Writing Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aaron lit a Basic brand cigarette as Amir pulled his beat up 1976 snot green Chevy Nova into the crowded parking lot of the McDonalds on Route 1 in Saugus, Massachusetts. He always seemed to do this to himself; lighting cigarettes when he'd just have to snipe them out on the bottom of his tattered army boot. He put his pointer finger to his head and pantomimed shooting himself. Amir glanced at him uneasily, then scanned the lot for an open space.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aaron drew hard on his cigarette, filling his lungs with as much smoke as possible. He needed to get as much nicotine as time allowed. He shut his eyes, flicked his tongue against his sterling silver lip ring, spinning it in the hole. It hurt a little. "Probably fuckin' infected," Aaron chuckled, thinking of the night he pierced it himself, using only a heated up safety pin and a bottle of Smirnov vodka for a pain killer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amir pulled into a handicap spot. "You can't park here," Aaron said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Sure I can," Amir replied. Aaron studied the face of the Bosnian Immigrant. Amir had fought for two years in the war against the Serbs. His face was remarkably pleasant, although his eyes looked as if they belonged to a forty year old man and not a seventeen year old boy. His tan skin and wide smile seemed out of place when one took in Amir's mohawk and torn black t-shirt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "It's a handicap spot."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Exactly," Amir said with a smirk. "I got you in my car, and you're a retard."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Fuck you," Aaron said, "I'll blast you Sylvester Stallone style."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amir burst into hysterical laughter. "You watch too much television."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aaron shrugged and slowly exhaled through his nose, decorated with a silver hoop ring through his septum (also self-pinned). He caught sight of himself in the rearview mirror. He felt cold.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His eyes were alert, almost piercing. Around those fiery, stabbing eyes were lines of sadness, although he was also only seventeen. His hair was bleached blonde and messy --Johnny Rotten messy. His face was long and thin, a result of many days of not eating, either because he had no money for food or because he simply forgot to eat. He was menacing, with his facial piercings and angry eyes, but there was something about his mouth, a kind of innocent smirk that gave hint of something real within his hard, rough punk rock shell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amir got out of the car slowly, stretching out his arms. Aaron caught glimpse of something wild and almost ancient in Amir's eyes. He got out, too,

The Right To Die Essay example -- essays research papers fc

The Right to Die Modern medical technology has made it possible to extend the lives of many far beyond when they would have died in the past. Death, in modern times, often ensures a long and painful fall where one loses control both physically and emotionally. Some individuals embrace the time that modern technology buys them; while others find the loss of control overwhelming and frightening. They want their loved ones to remember them as they were not as they have become. Some even elect death to avoid burdens of lingering on. They also seek assistance in doing so from medicine. The demands for assisted suicide and euthanasia are increasing (Kass 17). These issues raise many questions, legal and ethical. Although neither assisted suicide and euthanasia are legal, many people believe they should be. A great number of those people may never be faced with the decision, but knowing the option would be there is a comfort (Jaret 46). For those who will encounter the situation of loved ones on medication, being treated by physicians, sometimes relying on technical means to stay alive arises a great moral conflict. I wish to explore this topic on ethical, not legal issues. Do people have a right to choose death? More in particular, are euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide morally legitimate? Euthanasia involves a death that is intended to benefit the person who dies, and requires a final act by some other person, for example, a doctor. Physician-assisted suicide, which requires a final act by the patient, can also be undertaken for the good of that patient. The essential point is that both involve intentionally ending a human life (Emanuel 521). But how, some ask, can we ever allow people to intentionally end human lives (even their own lives) without degrading human life? How, others ask, can we simply prevent people from deciding when to end their own lives without denying people the freedom so essential to the value of a human life? As these questions suggests, the debate about the right to choose death may appear to present a stand-off between people who endorse life's true value, and those who think life's value depends on the interests, judgments, and choices of the person whose life it is. Through self identification individuals evaluate their own lives and its quality through their own values and belief systems. In order to maintain human dig... ...' dignity. Euthanasia, for some people, may be seen as a more humane way to die. Bibliography Emanuel, Esekiel and linda L. Emanuel, "The promise of a Good Death," The Lancet, May 16, 1998, v351, n9114, pp521-529. Meier, Diane E., Carol-Ann Emmons, Sylvan Wallenstein, timothy Quill, Sean Morrison and Christine Cassel, " A National Survey of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the United States," The New England Journal of Medicine, April 23, 1998, v338, n17, pp1193- 1203. Brock, Dan W., "Palliative Options of Last Resort," JAMA, December 17, 1997, v178, v23, pp2099-2104. Jaret, Peter, "Can There Be Comfort and Dignity at the End of Your Life?" Family Circle, November 18, 1997, v110, n16, pp42-46. "Last Rights," The Economist, June 21, 1997, v343, n8022, pp21-24. Gletzer, Randi, "Life/Death Decisions," American Health For Women, March 1997, v16, n2, pp80-85. Kass, Leon R. and Nelson Lund, "Courting Death: Assisted Suicide, Doctors and the Law," Commentary, December 1996, v102, n6, pp17- 28. Outerbridge, Daved E. and Alan R. Hersh, M.D., "Easing the Passage," HarperCollins, New York, NY, 1991.

Essay examples --

CASE STUDY 1. What are the Inputs, processing and outputs of UPS’s package tracking system? Answer: INPUT: UPS’s package tracking system input is associated with a package that is scan able bar -coded label. The sender scan able label, package destination, the recipient, and the package should arrive Includes detailed information. Users downloaded by UPS or UPS website to access provided by using special software can print their own labels. PROCESSING: Package is raised before, scan able bar -coded label data Mahwah, New Jersey, or Alpharetta, Georgia, one of the centers in the UPS has transferred to the computer and sent to its final destination the closest distribution center goes. Label in the center dispatchers and traffic data downloaded every driver to know that the most efficient delivery route using special software to create, season, and location of each stop. A delivery information acquisition device (DIAD), a handheld computer, the way his or her day Free UPS enables drivers. DIAD also automatically sign users grab information as well as pickup and delivery. Package tracking information from UPS for the storage and processing is transferred to the computer network. At various points along the way from sender to receiver, bar code equipment package label and the progress of the package of Central computer data feed is used to scan shipping information. OUTPUT: UPS computer network information about users to provide delivery information or to answer customer questions can be accessed worldwide. Customer service representatives connected to the central computer, desktop computer, check the status of any package to customer inquiries and are able to respond quickly. UPS, users have their own computers or wireless devices... ...ollection options include receiving payments or can be very helpful and billing options as a business which can reduce the cost of shipping plus any third- party receiver and Shipper billed to other parties (receiver or any other person). Shipper -receiver only shipping costs or any other country in which a third party pays the duties and taxes paid to Shipper pays the duties and taxes are the options for international billing options can reduce the cost of business just for the shipping costs . Transactions with other businesses worldwide to make business easier and to get a business that can target market. Shipping cost analyzes and cost of such reports , management reports and reports as Freight generates reports , the download is available for download business analysis tool is also . This tool for accountants in business a long time and can save a lot of effort

The Sociological Imagination – Obesity in United States

Obesity has become a large and dark reality in United States. For someone who does not have sociological imagination being overweight is the result of bad personal choices or genetic predisposition. Being overweight might have been the result of past individual struggles that were caused by wrong individual decision-making or behavior. For those who get the interplay of the heart of sociological imagination this is a complex social issue that is the result of patterns of modern economic and social life. Obesity’s effect in society can be seeing in the number of life-long and potentially life-threatening diseases and conditions, like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. People who get sociological imagination would most likely blame how the increase in these diseases put pressure on the health care system in the United States; thus, causing the taxation of already overcrowded hospitals and overworked health care professionals. They might also think that the impact on obesity is linked to diseases that contribute to early death and create an economic burden. A sociological imagination might blame these to the public policies that contribute to the problem are restaurant industries that serve inexpensive and easy-access foods with high calories and low nutrition. A demographer is someone who statistically studies the human population. According to Dr. Crosnoe, in order to compare different populations, we need national or international data. As a demographer, I want to find out the rate of obesity in each state, what ethnicity and race has the highest obesity rate, and the lifespan in United States. I would survey the human population in the United Sates to find the characteristics of the population in obesity. According to CDC report, non-Hispanic black is at 36. 8% and Hispanics is at 30. 7%. Thus, a demographer might hypothesizes that family influence is the causes of obesity. Too often Americans eat out; consume large meals and high-fat foods, and put taste and convenience ahead of nutrition. I can use this survey to rank racial groups in the United States. I can look at the trend of lifestyle behaviors such as what a person eats and his or her level of physical activity. Obesity continues to be a major health problem in the United States, leading to high rates of mortality. A historical sociologist is someone who studies trends across time using historical data. As a historical sociologist I want to know the factors that causes obesity, change in lifestyle. As a historical sociologist might hypothesizes that technology changes affect the obesity rate to go up since the 80s. I can look at how technology has made our lives easier and at the same time, made people lazy. For example, today, more people drive long distances to work instead of walking, live in neighborhoods without sidewalks, tend to eat out or get take out instead of cooking, or have vending machines with high-calorie, high-fat snacks at their workplace. Health-care providers must pay closer attention to obesity, and importantly, do their part to prevent obesity by focusing on children and adolescents who are only slightly or moderately overweight.

Discuss the Major Issues Associated With Expatriate Failure and Assess Some Strategies HR Can Formulate and Implement In Order To Increase the Rate of Successful Assignments

Introduction The importance of the management of expatriate’s has grown as the number of multinational companies has increased significantly over the last few decades, therefore increasing the need to be aware of potential problems which could cause high failure rates in expatriate assignments (Anderson,2005). Porter and Tansky (1999) write that an unsuccessful expatriate assignment is very costly for both an organisation and the expatriate themselves. But despite this very few companies have adequate processes for both selecting and training these expatriates. As Harzing (1995: 457) notes, virtually every writer measures expatriate failure as â€Å"the percentage of expatriates returning home before their assignment contract expires†. Brewster (1988) also defines failure as assignments where expatriates were brought home earlier than planned. Brewster and Scullion (1997) say that the fact that corporations have heavy cost pressures has led to the policies for employee movement acro ss countries being looked at. They also observe that it is becoming more noticeable that both the social and economic cost of failure in business abroad is more damaging than business done in home countries, especially in terms of market share and damage of customer trust (Zeira and Banai,1984). It is therefore pertinent for academic research to both look at the major issues associated with expatriate failure and why expatriates often ‘fail’ in their assignments. From reading the literature these can be identified mainly as a lack of thorough selection procedures from employers to identify which managers would be successful on assignments in foreign countries. This can range from not identifying what attributes certain candidates have that would make them more likely to succeed, to not identifying the family situations of potential expatriates which would also be conducive to successful assignments abroad. Once these factors have been identified it is then logical to assess what procedures could be put in place for the company to stop failure of expatriate assignments and how they can identify successful candidates for the roles. This is the format this essay will follow. Reasons for expatriate failure This study will first look at the issues associated with expatriate failure and what reasons and factors there are which lead to this end result. Enderwick and Hodgson (1993) observe that expatriate failure is caused by rash recruitment policies combined with preparation and training which is not thorough enough for the manager. This draws attention to the limited role of HR in the management of expatriates, and Halcrow (1999) also writes that HR are confined to administrative support as opposed to playing any meaningful role in any strategic aspects. It is this lack of attention to detail and impulsive selection practice for expatriates which causes many of the problems. It fails to identify different characteristics and traits which are likely to be conducive to success in expatriate projects. Klaus (1995) notes that in the majority of companies expatriate selection happens quickly and irrationally. Something which is inherent in many international businesses is the fact that their selection procedures for expatriate managers are rather informal and they do not possess thorough enough assessments (Brewster.1991). Mendenhall and Oddou (1985: 39) argue that companies often think that domestic performance success would equal overseas performance success, regarding the manager’s technical skills as being the most important factor to consider when looking at candidates to select for managing projects abroad. This shows a disregard for identifying the differences which can affect performances in different countries and cultures. The underlying assumption that companies who use this formula is that â€Å"Managing [a] company is a scientific art. The executive accomplishing the task in New York can surely perform as adequately in Hong Kong† (Baker & Ivancevich,1971: 40). Therefore a lot of multinational companies tend to send the manager and their family to the foreign countries without any cultural training. And when training is administered it is often far too broad or is not followed up with any reflection on how effective it was (Tung, 1981). Brewster and Scullion (1997) discuss these difficulties that International companies who do actually undertake training and development programmes for expatriates come across. The first of these is that the manager not only has to adjust to a new job but also to an entirely different culture which they are not familiar with (Mendenhall and Oddou, 1985). As well as this, there is the family to consider. Training programmes for families also needs to be addressed as this is considered a major factor behind expatriate failure, and this is often not addressed correctly or at all. There is however, evidence that managers themselves value cultural training an awful lot and see the benefits from this (Brewster and Pickard, 1994). Cross-cultural training has long been proven to enable effective cross cultural assignments, yet still a lot of firms do not utilise this (Black, 1988). Different training and developmental models for these managers working abroad have been worked on over the last decade. These tend to take into account the job and the individual as well as the culture before deciding the amount and type of personal development that is required (Tung, 1981). Mendenhall and Oddou (1986) have developed a ’cross- cultural training approach’, consisting of three varying levels. Information-giving approaches are those which consist of factual briefings and cultural awareness development. Affective approaches would usually consist of cultural development combined with different scenarios and role plays. Finally, immersion approaches. These are different styles of assessment centres and in the field experience and scenarios. According to this model the style of management training given should take into account on a number of factors dependent on the project and the manager. These could include the length of stay and the amount of integration required to fit in with the host culture.(Mendenhall and Oddou, 1986) Mendenhall et al. acknowledge there are many personal obstacles which could lead to many expatriates not completing their assignments and being branded a failure. These include factors such as â€Å"culture shock, differences in work-related norms, isolation, homesickness, differences in health care, housing, schooling, cuisine, and the cost of living, to name but a few† (1987: 331). These are all personal characteristics and attributes which would affect expatriate manager’s morale and ability to do an effective job. Porter and Tansky (1999) write that a high learning orientation is critical for an expatriate manager, this is because they will have continual experiences which are not similar to those they usually experience, and will need to be able to be resilient in the face of different challenges. Anderson (2005: 567) notes that although in the private sector the selection of expatriates is usually down to their technical competence, with â€Å"minimal attention being paid to the interpersonal skills and domestic situations of these potential expatriates†, that non-government organisations do actually utilise methods such as psychological testing and a variety of methods to ensure that the expatriates family is taken into consideration as well . These methods therefore usually lead to more effective expatriate assignments and less failures, in the next section of this report we will delve deeper into ways in which the likelihood of expatriate success can be increased. What can be done to improve expatriate failure rates? Currently the selection processes for expatriate candidates are not effective enough in predicting which managers will be successful in these assignments. It is necessary to focus on how these can be improved to address the rate of failures among expatriates. Halcrow (1999) has reported that less than two thirds of a survey of HR professionals identified personality as an important consideration when picking expatriate candidates, and 11 percent said it has little or no importance at all to the process. Family issues were also given the lowest of priorities, and 25 percent did not regard them as important. Here then, are the issues that need to be addressed, as can be seen from the previous section whereby these were identified as major factors in the success of expatriate projects. Effective selection, training and placement of expatriate managers is critical to international success argue Nicholson et al. (1990), and therefore the procedures put in place for this need to be effecti ve. Mendenhall et al.(1987: 333) state they have attempted to find the criteria which can predict productivity and acclimatisation in overseas assignments, and that a set of personality factors have been identified by numerous authors. They profess that these are â€Å"self-orientation, others-orientation and perceptual orientation† . Self-orientation includes factors such as how to reduce stress and how managers deal with being alone whilst abroad. ‘Others’ orientation includes factors such as how good the manager is at forming relationships and their ability to communicate with others. ‘Perceptual’ orientation includes different factors such as how flexible a person is and how open minded they can be. However, they indicate that US firm’s still appear to use only technical competence as their criteria for expatriate selection, and this is what needs to change as that is not a great predictor of expatriate manager success. The model proposed by Ay can (1997) also says that factors should be identified which are expected to account for a substantial amount of variance in expatriate adjustment. This is the fit between the expatriate and their environment which leads to less stress and better work productivity. This encompassed psychological, socio cultural and work adjustment. It is also required that organisational support and preparation is necessary. Porter and Tansky write about the possibility of a learning orientation which could be important for both assessment and training for expatriates. They suggest that employee’s with weaker learning orientation could result in low levels of judgement in challenging foreign circumstances and vice versa. They state that this learning orientation approach could â€Å"benefit employees and their families and can increase the organisation’s chance for international success† (1999: 48). Porter and Tansky (1999: 50) observe that to eliminate the risk of expatriate failure that more emphasis should be placed on: â€Å"better identification of employee’s who are likely to function effectively in different cultures, development activities to enhance functioning in the expatriate role, and systematic analysis of problems during the expatriate assignment.† Mendenhall et al (1997) observe the impact upon spouses and families is also not taken into account when sel ecting managers for expatriation. As can be seen in the previous half of this report, how their family copes with the relocation can impact greatly upon the morale of expatriate managers. Some academics also suggest that the families of expatriates should be assessed on similar criteria to the managers themselves. Stone (1986) observes that failing to identify this problem is the greatest failure in the selection process for expatriates. Therefore one would have to agree that, as the family is seen as a major factor in whether a expatriate manager succeeds or not then they should definitely be taken into account during the selection process. Guptara (1986) has written that there are a number of psychological tests that can be used in the recruitment processes for expatriates to test such psychological traits which could be conducive to successful expatriates, however this does not appear to be commonplace in corporate recruitment processes. Ioannou (1995) discusses the results of a National Foreign Trade Council of New York survey. Here it was shown that a variety companies did not use any form of psychological testing for possible expatriate managers. Tung (1982) finds that it is extremely rare that a company carries out a thorough assessment of a manager who is being considered to work in another part of the company abroad. Porter and Tansky (1999) advocate the application of a learning orientation to help this. They suggest questionnaire responses to show details on a managers beliefs about different traits and if they possess them. As well as task simulations to show if a person has different learning orientation beh aviours. For example who which people will look for new strategies rather than rescind from these strategies when things do not go as planned immediately (1999:52).Here can be seen the discrepancy between academic musings on the topic and that of the practitioners. Writers emphasise soft skills while actual research into company practice indicates an obvious reliance on technical competence for the selection. If this were to change then expatriate projects may achieve a greater success rate. Two major propositions can also be derived from Mendenhall and Oddou (1985) findings. The first would be that expatriate cultural adaptation is a multi dimensional process rather than a one dimensional one. This means that selection procedures of international companies for expatriates should be changed from their present one dimensional focus on technical competence as the most important criteria towards a more multi dimensional one. This should focus therefore focus on personal attributes which may be conducive to success working as an expatriate manager. Mendenhall and Oddou (1985) also recommend that training which deals with these factors needs putting in place, and which needs to be multi dimensional as opposed to one dimensional. Gudykunst, Hammer, and Wiseman (1977) combined a number of differing development approaches and compared the cultural adaptation abilities of managers who received the integrated training with managers who were the recipients of just one dimensional training. Integrated training produced much greater levels of culture adaptation. Along with other academics they again mention that both the selection and training processes must include the family of the expatriate. As well as this the culture adaptation training should be given to the expatriate’s family. As observed in the first half of this essay, it was shown that it was vital that not only the expatriate manager themselves, but also their family was happy as both had an effect on morale and performance. Corporate HR teams should have a clear direction to also hire a work fore who are internationally comfortable and experience too. Thus these would prove to be effective expatriate managers as they are relatively used to the process and overcoming the challenges they would face (Mendenhall and Oddou.1985). Conclusion In conclusion as many academics have identified there are serious problems with the way many corporations select and manage expatriate managers and their assignments. Many problems stem from the initial selection stage which is seen to be very lax and informal from many different businesses. These initial mistakes in the selection process mainly centre around focusing purely on technical competencies within managers for expatriate selection, and this has been proven to not be the most successful of indicators for success in international assignments of this manner. This is because it fails to take into account other factors which make a person more likely to be successful. This can include personality traits such as adaptability and how resilient they are. It also neglects the domestic and family situation of different managers, and indeed many HR teams have said that they do not even take this into consideration or treat it as important at all. Academics have also suggested solutions to these problems in the way of recruitment processes and training processes which would be incredibly useful for business’s to implement with their selection and training for expatriates. These vary from personality tests to assess the traits that people have and if these would be conducive to being successful as an expatriate manager abroad, to a variety of assessment centre styles testing out people in different scenarios and if they were the type of person likely to succeed. As well as this it would be recommended that companies look at the family of potential expatriate managers to see if these were also likely to be happy once moving abroad as this has a visible and proven impact on the morale of expatriate managers. Training also needs to be more effective and focus on broader issues as opposed to just technical competency and understanding company systems fully, but to train expatriate managers culturally as well. Overall the key problems are predominantly to do with the selection processes of corporations. They need to improve by taking a wider range of issues into consideration and not just a one dimensional view of ‘if it works in our country it will work in another culturally different county’ approach. But they need to consider the softer side of managers, such as their characteristics and family lives, this is something business leaders could learn from academics. Bibliography Anderson, B.A.(2005). Expatriate selection: good management or good luckThe international journal of human resource management. 16:4 567-583. Aycan. Z. (1997) Expatriate adjustment as a multifaceted phenomenon: individual and organizational level predictors, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8:4, 434-456, Baker, J. C., & Ivancevich, J. M. (1971). The assignment of American executives abroad; Systematic, haphazard, or chaoticCalifornia Management Review, 13:3, 39-41. Birdseye M, Hill J. (1995). Individual, Organizational/Work and Environmental Influences on Expatriate Turnover Tendencies: An Empirical Study. Journal of International Business Studies, 26:4, 787-813 Black, J. S. (1988). ‘Work role transitions: a study of American expatriate managers in Japan’. Journal of international Business Studies, 30:2,119-34 Brewster, C. (1988) Managing Expatriates, International Journal of Manpower, 9:2. 17–20. Brewster, C. (1991). The Management of Expatriates, London: Kogan Page. Brewster, C. and Scullion, H. (1997), A review and agenda for expatriate HRM. Human Resource Management Journal. 7. 32–41 Enderwick, P. and Hodgson, D. (1993) ‘Expatriate Management Practices of New Zealand Business’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 4:2. 407–23. Gudykunst, W. B., Hammer, M. R., & Wiseman, R. L. (1977). An analysis of an integrated approach to cross-cultural training. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 1, 99-110. Guptara, P. (1986) ‘Searching the Organisation for the Cross-cultural Operators’, International Management, 41(8): 40–2 Halcrow, A. (1999) ‘Expats: The Squandered Resource’, Workforce, 78(4): 42–8. Ioannou, L. (1995) ‘Unnatural Selection’, International Business, July: 54–7. Klaus, K.J. (1995) ‘How to Establish an Effective Expatriate Program – Best Practices in International Assignment Administration’, Employment Relations Today, 22:1. 59–70. Mendenhall, M. and Oddou, G. (1985) ‘The Dimensions of Expatriate Acculturation: A Review’, The Academy of Management Review, 10 (January): 39–47. Mendenhall, M.E., Dunbar, E. and Oddou, G.R. (1987) ‘Expatriate Selection, Training and Career Pathing: A Review and Critique’, Human Resource Management, 26:3). 331–45 Nicholson, J.D., Stepina, L.P., & Hochwarter, W. (1990). Psychological aspects of expatriate effectiveness. In B.B. Shaw, J.E. Beck, G.R. Ferris, & K.M. Rowlans (Eds.), Research in personnel and human resources management, supplement 2, 127–145. Porter G. and Tansky J. (1999) Expatriate success may depend on a learning orientation: Considerations for selection and training. Human Resource Management. Spring. 47-59 Tung, R. L. (1981) Selection and training of personnel for overseas assignments. Columbia Journal of World Business, 16:1, 68-78 Tung, R.L. (1982). Selection and training procedures of U.S., European, and Japanese multinationals. California Management Review, 25, 117–126 Zeira, Y. and Banai, M. (1984). ‘Present and desired methods of selecting expatriate managers for international assignments‘. Personnel Review, 13:3, 29-35.

National Security

National Security: How Working Without Warrants Puts Us At Risk Samantha Schmidt English 112-L04 April 19, 2012 National Security: How Working Without Warrants Puts Us at Risk After 9/11, the whole country was sent into a tailspin. The fact that the United States, one of the most powerful countries worldwide, had suffered such a blow was mind blowing. The people were terrified. So too insure that a tragedy of that magnitude never happened again, the government put into place many new precautions.The most noticeable precaution would of course be the security in airports. What used to be a fast and simple process became a long, intrusive, uncomfortable experience. However, the biggest change is almost undetectable. To prevent another terrorist attack the National Security Agency (NSA) was given the ability to place individuals under surveillance. That means watching their emails, internet searches, and even listening in on phone conversations.In the beginning it was understood that the NSA would have to obtain warrants before placing individuals under surveillance, but as time passed it became apparent that the NSA often skipped the warrant process. If the NSA has the correct amount of evidence to give them probable cause against a suspect then they should be obtaining warrants. The National Security Agency has been providing important information to the US Military and major US decision makers since 1972. The NSA is responsible for a very large amount of information passed down the lines.The agency also enables Network Warfare operations in order to defeat terrorist organization foreign, and domestic. (National Security Agency, 2011) A warrant is a piece of paper giving law enforcement the ability to search, and seize items or information when probable cause has been presented (Search, 2010). When obtaining warrants, law enforcement must show enough evidence to prove that they have good reason to be interested in this certain individual. When one bypasses the ob taining of a warrant, they are endangering any chance of a conviction.Once a case gets to court, if it is discovered that the law enforcement agents acted without a warrant the case can be dismissed. If a terrorist is found, and brought to trial the evidence will be heavily examined, and the topic of warrants will come up. Once it is revealed that evidence was acquired without a warrant, the case can either be dismissed or the defendant could be found not guilty. Then due to Double Jeopardy, that same suspect cannot be tried again under the same charges. So proceeding in an investigation without a warrant can lead to letting a dangerous terrorist back into the public.In 2010, Federal Judge Vaughn R. Walker, ruled against the government stating they had violated a 1978 federal statute requiring court approval for domestic surveillance, when in 2004 they intercepted a message between a now-defunct Islamic charity, two of its lawyers, and Al Haramain. Judge Walker, Chief Judge of the F ederal District Court in San Francisco, ruled that the government was going to be held liable and would pay the plaintiffs for having been â€Å"subjected to unlawful surveillance. Judge Walker further displayed his objection to FISA’s action by stating it had â€Å"Obvious Potential for governmental abuse and over reaching† This was not the first time a specific wiretapping incident had been considered illegal. In 2006 Federal Judge Anna Diggs Taylor’s ruling of an illegal ruling was reversed on the grounds that the plaintiffs could not prove they were under surveillance, and therefore lacked the legal standing to sue. (Risen & Savage, 2010). Even when the NSA obtained warrants, they were often procured under spotty methods.In his 2006 essay; Big Brother Is Listening, James Bamford points out the flaws of the NSA’s warrant process. He gives the account of Jonathon Turley, a George Washington University Law professor who was employed by the NSA as a youn g intern. The FISA (Foreign Intelligence surveillance court), courtroom was hidden away on the top floor of the of the Justice Department Building (because even the location is supposed to be secret), is actually a heavily protected, windowless, bug-proof installation known as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or SCIF.Turley recounted â€Å"I was shocked with what I saw. I was convinced that the judge is that SCIF would have signed anything that we put in front of him. And I wasn’t entirely sure that he had actually red what they put in front of him. But I remember going back to my supervisor at NSA and saying, ‘That place scares the daylights out of me. ’† The idea of judges signing warrant requests when they have not even read them and therefore, do not understand them is quite worrisome.When a judge signs a warrant, they must read to see if there is enough legal grounds to approve it. By signing without reading, a judge is giving the ok to watch these people having no idea if there was probable cause or sustainable evidence. When a judge is presented with a warrant application, they should have to read that application in its entirety. They should have to know that there is proof without a reasonable doubt that this person should be put under surveillance.They should fully understand the details and evidence of the case, and then decide if surveillance is really necessary. More important though, the NSA should always get a warrant before placing an individual under surveillance. Not only to protect our privacy, but to make sure the charges stand up in court. Even though the NSA is a government agency, they cannot bypass the rules of investigation. References Bamford, J. (2006). Big brother is listening. White F. D. , & Simone J. B.The well-crafted argument. (406-415) Boston, Ma: Wadsworth. National Security Agency. (2011). Retrieved April 18, 2012, from www. nsa. gov/about/index. shtml Risen J. , & Savage C. (2010, Ma rch 31). Federal judge finds NSA wiretaps were illegal. The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2012, from www. nytimes. com/2012/04/01/us/01nsa. html Search Warrants: An Overview. (2010). Cornell University Law School. Retrieved April, 17, 2012, from www. law. cornell. edu/wex/search_warrant

M&A in India in Past Few Years Essay

Abstract The process of mergers and acquisitions has gained substantial importance in today’s corporate world. This process is extensively used for restructuring the business organizations. In India, the concept of mergers and acquisitions was initiated by the government bodies. Some well known financial organizations also took the necessary initiatives to restructure the corporate sector of India by adopting the mergers and acquisitions policies. The Indian economic reform since 1991 has opened up a whole lot of challenges both in the domestic and international spheres. The increased competition in the global market has prompted the Indian companies to go for mergers and acquisitions as an important strategic choice. The trends of mergers and acquisitions in India have changed over the years. The immediate effects of the mergers and acquisitions have also been diverse across the various sectors of the Indian economy. Till recent past, the incidence of Indian entrepreneurs acquiring foreign enterprises was not so common. The situation has undergone a sea change in the last couple of years. Acquisition of foreign companies by the Indian businesses has been the latest trend in the Indian corporate sector. The Indian IT and ITES sectors have already proved their potential in the global market. The other Indian sectors are also following the same trend. The increased participation of the Indian companies in the global corporate sector has further facilitated the merger and acquisition activities in India. The various factors that played their parts in facilitating the mergers and acquisitions in India are favorable government policies, buoyancy in economy, additional liquidity in the corporate sector, and dynamic attitudes of the Indian entrepreneurs are the key factors behind the changing trends of mergers and acquisitions in India. Even though mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have been an important element of corporate strategy all over the globe for several decades, research on M&As has not been able to provide conclusive evidence on whether they enhance efficiency or destroy wealth. There is thus an ongoing global debate on the effects of M&As on firms. This article seeks to explore the trends and progress in M&As India. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1618272 MERGER & ACQUISITION IN INDIA: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY The phrase mergers and acquisitions (abbreviated M&A) refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling and combining of different companies that can aid, finance, or help a growing company in a given industry grow rapidly without having to create another business entity. In business or economics a merger is a combination of two companies into one larger company. Such actions are commonly voluntary and involve stock swap or cash payment to the target. Stock swap is often used as it allows the shareholders of the two companies to share the risk involved in the deal. A merger can resemble a takeover but result in a new company name (often combining the names of the original companies) and in new branding; in some cases, terming the combination a â€Å"merger† rather than an acquisition is done purely for political or marketing reasons. Mergers may be broadly classified in (i) Horizontal mergers: A situation when two or more merging companies manufacture similar product in the same industry. (ii) Vertical mergers: A situation when two or more merging companies work at different stages of manufacture of a same product. (iii) Conglomerate mergers: A situation when two or more merging companies operate in different industries. The word acquisition, also known as a takeover or a buyout, is the buying of one company (the ‘target’) by another. An acquisition may be friendly or hostile. In the former case, the companies cooperate in negotiations; in the latter case, the takeover target is unwilling to be bought or the target’s board has no prior knowledge of the offer. Acquisition usually refers to a purchase of a smaller firm by a larger one. Sometimes, however, a smaller firm will acquire management control of a larger or longer established company and keep its name for the combined entity. This is known as a reverse takeover. Another type of acquisition is reverse merger, a deal that enables a private company to get publicly listed in a short time period. A reverse merger occurs when a private company that has strong prospects and is eager to raise financing buys a publicly listed shell company, usually one with no business and limited assets. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1618272 Reasons for Merger and Acquisition †¢ Operating synergies: The uniting of two firms improve productivity or cut costs so that the unlevered cash flows of the combined firm exceed the combined unlevered cash flows of the individual firm †¢ A vertical merger between a supplier and a customer, eliminates various coordination and bargaining problems †¢ A horizontal merger between competitors, produces a less competitive product market and cost savings from combining R&D facilities and sales forces †¢ Financial synergies: Information and incentive problems may cause cashstarved firms to pass up positive NPV projects, but cash-rich firms to overinvest in negative NPV projects †¢ Conglomerates can use internal capital markets to transfer funds from negative NPV projects to positive NPV projects †¢ †¢ Enhance the flexibility of the organization Reduces bankruptcy risk Objectives In this article an attempt has been made (i) To examine the presence of trends and progress of M&As in Indian corporation. (ii) To analyze year-wise and industry-wise variance in number and amount of M&A deals. Hypotheses To cover the above objectives following hypotheses have been formulated: 1. There is no significant difference in number and amount of M&A deals in between years and between industries. 2. There is no significant difference between M&A progress in manufacturing and service sector Industry-wise Trends of M&As The industry-wise trends in number and amount of M&A deals between 2000 and 2007 are presented in the Table 1 and Table 2 and the industry-wise trends and progress of M&As have been analysed on this basis Food and Beverages: India is the world’s second largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the biggest with the food and agricultural sector. The Indian food market is estimated at over US$ 182 billion, and accounts for about two thirds of the total Indian retail market. According to industry experts, the market for carbonated drinks in India is worth US$ 1.5 billion while the juice and juice-based drinks market accounts for US$ 0.25 billion. Growing at a rate of 25 per cent, the fruitdrinks category is one of the fastest growing in the beverages market. The Indian food processing industry plays a significant role in diversifaction of agriculture products, generates employment, enhances income of farmers and creates a surplus for export of agro-foods. The important reason of the M&A activity initiated in this industry are deregulation, restructuring disinvestment, restructuring by parent companies and presence of foreign players. Textiles Industry: Until the economic liberalization of Indian economy, the India Textile Industry was predominantly unorganized industry. The opening up of Indian economy post 1990s led to a stupendous growth of this industry. India Textile Industry is one of the largest textile industries in the world. Today, Indian economy is largely dependent on textile manufacturing and exports. India earns around 27% of the foreign exchange from exports of textiles. Further, India Textile Industry contributes about 14% of the total industrial production of India. Furthermore, its contribution to the gross domestic product of India is around 3% only. Textile Industry involves around 35 million workers directly and it accounts for 21% of the total employment generated in the economy. However the important reasons for the M&As in these sectors are: growth of power looms and handlooms sector at the cost of mill sector which has ultimately resulted in making them sick and unviable. This has led to an increase in the closure of mills; in addition, continued and persistent use of old plant and machinery has led to low profitability in the mill sector and thereby forcing some of mills to closedowns. Chemicals, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals: Under this category companies operating in the industrial groups of chemicals, drugs, pharmaceutical, cosmetics petrochemicals and rubbers have been taken into account for analyzing the trend and progress. The drug & pharmaceutical industry in India meets around 70% of the country’s demand for bulk drugs, drug intermediates, pharmaceutical formulations, chemicals, tablets, capsules, orals and injectibles. There are about 250 large Pharmaceuticals manufacturers and suppliers and about 8000 Small Scale Pharmaceutical & Drug Units which form the core of the pharmaceutical industry in India (including 5 Central Public Sector Units). These bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals manufacturers produce the complete range of pharmaceutical formulations i.e. medicines ready for consumption by patients and about 350 bulk drugs i.e. chemicals having therapeutic value and used for production of pharmaceutical formulations. Owing to a significant increase in Pharmaceuticals exports, India’s USD 3.1 billion pharmaceutical industries are growing at the rate of 14 percent per year. It is one of the largest and most advanced among the developing countries. Even the number of pharmaceuticals exporters, manufacturers and suppliers is increasing tremendously, the factors that contributed to increase in M&A activity in these sectors are: Introduction of the process Patent Act in 1970, which required Indian companies to recognize international process patents. This has given an opportunity for the Indian companies to grow. This growth is associated with M&As and the emergence of WTO has brought about fundamental changes in the pharmaceutical industry. Trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) of WTO require all Indian companies to comply with international patents. This has mainly happened in the form of M&As. Non–metallic Mineral Products: In this sector, cement and ceramics manufacturers are the primary players. The factors responsible for M&As are: before 1999 cement industry faced many problems like liquidity crisis, inadequate expenditure on infrastructure and costs of inputs. South-east Asian crisis brought narrowed profitability resulting to the bigger players withstanding the pressure of lower profitability and smaller and marginal players closing down or merging with big players and trying to appear favorable for a takeover. National Quadrilateral Road Project and State Government Policies to construct the irrigation projects could be other factors responsible for this boom. Basic Metal, Alloy and Steel: This is one of the oldest and traditional industry sectors in India. Companies operating in metals, alloy, steel and related concerns are grouped under this head. The factors contributing to M&As in this sector are: Slowdown of the economy during the year 1996-97, the capital markets, remaining depressed for the past couple of years, drying up sources of investment funds for industry, small and medium corporate finding it difficult to access institutional funds and export growth subjected to competitive pressure from imports. Information Technology and Telecom: Companies operating in the IT, Software, telecom and convergence sector are clubbed in industry, the central government has formed an independent department of information technology. Since the removal of restrictions on foreign capital investment and industrial de-licensing, India’s Telecom industry has shown large growth The Important factors for increasing M&As in this sector are: Consistent efforts were made by the department of telecom and its constituent organizations for upgrading and expanding the telecom networks and services and the Initiation of internet and web based developments and introduction of cell phone in India;. Automobiles and Automobile Ancillaries: Companies operating in automobile sector, locomotives, transport and spares have been included under this head. The Indian transport industry has been gradually playing a catalytic role for producing a wide variety of vehicles, passenger cars. Important factors responsible for an increase in M&As in this sector are: Globilalization is pushing global auto majors to consolidate, to upgrade technology, enlarge product range, access new markets and to cut costs. Competitive pressure and presence of global players have resulted in a number of M&As in this sector. Energy, Power, Gas and Oil: Companies operating in the field of energy, power, gas and oil are included in this group. Important factors responsible for an increase in M&As in this sector are, low rate of growth in power generation depressed the growth rate of industrial production and has necessitated immediate attention of big companies like Reliance Industries and due to unavailability of power and frequent disruptions have given an impetus to M&As in this sector..