Problem Solution: Global Communications Essay

Global communication is an operating in the telecommunication industry which provides communication solutions to customers worldwide but currently it is under tremendous pressure and uncertainty as the company is facing challenges pertaining to the rights of its stakeholders and increasing competition in the industry that has left GC behind other companies. This company is getting adversely affected by the over all situations to this extent that the share value of GC fell from $28 to $11 which is a huge blow to the shareholders of GC. So it is high time that they need to take measures and some changes in the policies in order to counter the existing problems. This paper is going to discuss the aggressive approach that the management of GC plans to implement which the introduction of new services to the local and long distance customers, further more the company has planned out a strategy on developing cost cutting measures for the reduction of costs and improve profitability and growth and then do the marketing on a global scale in order to become a truly global firm. Situation Analysis Issue and Opportunity Identification There are a lot of reasons for Global Communications standing in the market today, some of them are due to the external forces, over which the company had no control that is the strengthening of the cable company, however the company did not analyze the future trends in the market and the possibilities of growth and competition which lead to an extreme pressure on the company while some reasons were internal which they could have avoided through strategic planning and strong organizational policies. Broadly defined some of the major issues that GC faced are as follows which require some immediate action by the management: 1) To much competition in the external environment especially because of the emergence of cable companies which came up with distinct solutions related to television, phones and computers increased the pressure on firms such as Global communications, due to which the market share of GC is decreased in the industry. 2) Global communications operates in an industry which requires flexibility and quick adoption of technology advancements and if you fail to do so then even survival becomes and issue. This is what happened with Global communication it was not being as innovative as the other companies which lead to these problems. 3) The company has to deal with the plunging stock price from $28 to $11. This was as a result of intense competition. Shareholders also got worried due to the 60% reduction in the stock value and investments opportunities decreased for the company. 4) Another issue is the lay off of the employees and salary cuts while relocating, when relocation decision took place then there are several other issues that need to be dealt with it these are the relocation of the workforce or hiring newer ones from the local environment and so on. 5) The internal communication of the company is not very effective which leads to other problems and challenges within the internal environment since they are facing problems in delivering the information to the employees. The communication process of the company has been one way in this major decision of relocating. This means that GC was not able to win the workers confidence and support. The company was divided among the different stakeholders and their interests. 6) The management did not involve the workers union in the decision making of relocation due to which they are threatening to take some legal action against the company. Not only this, this also leads to lack of motivation and dissatisfaction among the workers. 7) Employee morale is low because of the management’s way of working and dealing with their issues of interests and concern. This directly has an impact on the result and outcome of the firm. The company needs to address to all the issues in the best possible ways so that it has a positive impact on the organizational performance. Some of the opportunities that they have in hand are as follows: 1) The introduction of new services as addressed by the management of the company to cater to the consumer needs and small businesses , this is also beneficial from the growth perspective 2) Outsourcing of their call centers in places such as India and Ireland which are currently located in the United States will lead to lowering of costs 3) Growth in the international markets 4) Partnership with the wireless provider company this will provide connectivity and ease of access to the customers. 5) Develop and invest in the research and development Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas The negotiations between Global communication and the technologies Workers Union (TWU) is a proof that the company has learnt from its past experience and has decided to implement new ethical codes of decision making. The company plans on resolving them in the coming future and show that business ethics matter at all times. They need a team leader which they have in the form of Katrina who is the CEO; she will come up with relevant theories which will incline towards employee and the company’s benefit and protection. She is well learned individual who is capable of revamping the organization and make it accountable in front of the senior Board. She has the leadership skills and ability to lead the company and implement an effective appraisal system and establish goals and set standards for the work, further more the decisions made will be made under consideration of the ethics of decision making. The core values of the business will be ingrained in the system which will focus of integrity and honesty. All the stakeholders are going to use the theories of ethics as a basis of guidance and reference. Problem Statement Global communications wants to develop the business further into the global market share and stock value for the benefit of all the stakeholders of the company. Global communication is under similar situation like other telecommunication firms in the industry that is competition and pressure. Therefore they have to formulate adequate yet aggressive policies and plans in order to resolves key issues of the firm else even survival will become an issue for the company. However the management has come up with two broadly defined solutions to the company’s current situation that is relocation of the business and developing new services. Along with this there is a lot that needs to be done within the firm to make it strong and integrated. Until the organizational goals, management and the employees are not focused and unified towards one direction and consistent then the long term value of the company can not be increased. Organizational communication Organizational communication is a key to organizations sustainability and grooming. Communication is the exchange of information and ideas that lead to better understanding and implementation of plan which further leads to outcome, results and organizational performance. It can be in any form such as upward, downward or informal which is more like a casual communication way. The form of communication as organization is using depends on its culture and setup and varies from one place to another. However the idea is that the communication process should be clear, concise, and correct and the next person should understand its meaning and should be able to comprehend the message which can be checked after getting the appropriate feedback. Global communication has to work on its internal communication method because of its weaknesses and in ability to give results. It has to strengthen it immediately, and take corrective measures in order to connect everybody in the organization and all the different stakeholders. The company has to address the problem of grapevine, the barriers to communication, the work place structure and the gap between the employees and the management communication which is leading resentment and dissatisfaction among them. The company at the moment needs satisfied and motivated employees which can help the company together to work towards strengthening its position in the industry. The company can set benchmarks by setting the best practices of communication method whichever suits it but it should be a two way method. Benchmarking Benchmarking is the general principles set by the organization to address to key issues and is extremely valuable for the long term performance of the business. These are the points of orientation to which you can refer after completing a specific job area as it helps in analysis and measurement and also effective usage of resources. They set standards of performance. Global communication also needs to set benchmarks for themselves in each department and system procedure of the company. By adopting this into all areas of business the company can give itself room for improvement and efficiency and it will lead to better understanding; the employees need to be trained with the best practice so that the new system can be in built in the organization’s system. Impact of risks and ethics on decision making Business ethics and conduct is an essential part of decision making. But it depends that how much consideration is given by each firm on its importance. Research and study has shown that risk can have an influence on ethical decision making. The global business environment has got increased laws and regulations which can lead to organizational crisis. Unethical decisions can not damage the reputation of the company but also stop the people from consuming their products, the sales and profits go down. Therefore apart form the laws that govern the businesses to act in the company also have to do their job. The managers at GC have to see that the employees have a high moral ground; they are honest to their work, to the community and to the organization. The manager should be aware of the possible risks and the holistic understanding of the external environment and the company’s social responsibility. The job of the management and the leaders in the company is to see that how this is made part of the value system of the company. In this way the individual employee will be able to control their own decisions and conduct and they will not be dependent on the managers and co- workers. To integrate this into the organizational constant vigilance and training of employees is required. Managers also have a tough time in understanding the risks and business ethics. One way of doing this is to understand all the stakeholders who form the ethical issues and concerns and how is this important to the organizations decisions. Measures for performance evaluation The employees and the management of an organization are like partners, together they need to give their best for results and success. GC will set standards for the entire corporation and along with that an effective monitoring system, in the mean time there should be discussions regularly on the performance. The managers need to plan an alternate plan of action in case of failure of the appraisal. It is not a one time process; it’s an ongoing thing that will go on, on a regular basis. It requires proper planning where the company goals are set and the role of each employee is described in detail to them ad to what is expected from them, the performance metrics are set and the employees are given training based on that. There will be a two way communication in this where the employee and the management will meet on regular basis and discuss the issues related to work and performance. Feedback should be taken from the employees and their issues dealt with their involvement in it. The reason GC should invest so much time and effort in the performance evaluation is because it benefits the employees, the managers and the company as a whole. Employees know their contribution to the work and understand it and get the sense of responsibility since everything is so well explained to them so they know their job. Work is more organized and mangers spend more time in planning and managing rather than taking stress. The over all profitability of the company improves and so does the productivity. Research and development Since it is operating in the telecommunication industry here technology changes occur rapidly. Therefore Global communication need to invest in this extensively and allocate separate budget for this in order to stay ahead of the market and come up with better solutions and improved quality for its customers. End-State Vision Global communication wants to see itself grow in the telecommunication industry and gain back more than what it had in this market previously. In order to achieve this goal the company wants to 1. Set realistic, achievable and timely goals for the organization 2. Produce high quality solutions to the customers and service ands products that is way above their expectations 3. Produce a working environment that gives opportunities for continuous learning and growth. It wants to make Global communication as learning organization where innovations and best practices will be implemented and new methods of efficiency would be used and 4. Maximum utilization of company’s resources 5. Set standards for work and effective use of appraisal system 6. Individual Goals should be aligned with the organizational goals 7. Take ethical issues and conduct in considering while decision making 8. Develop relations with other service providers Alternative Solutions 1. Global communication needs to work on strengthening its internal weaknesses and make them the company’s strengths. The other option that it has is to improve its external relations with other companies and rather than working individually it can work with other firms; GC can merge or collaborate with other company’s in the telecommunication industry. In this way the competition will reduce. It will make the two firms more competitive and strong. Their market share will also increase when they join. When two firms merge they will be able to share the knowledge, expertise and technical facilities and capabilities of one another. This will help them in utilizing their resources in a combined and effective manner. The two firms can set organizational goals and work towards its accomplishment. 2. Another alternate the company has is to outsource the business to some other company in the industry however under global communications name. Analysis of Alternative Solutions The solution to merge with some other company has been given the maximum weight because it seems appropriate under the current scenario, however there are different kind of problems when it comes to merger, such as if the management of the two firms do not agree on common terms and conflict of interest, goals an ideas can lead to organizational crisis. The other option is given less weight relatively because if the outsourced company fails to produce results then the name and image of Global communication will get damaged. The share value can further depreciate of the company therefore there is high risk in both the scenarios and it only depends, it is on GC to se that whether they are merging with the right kind of company. For that proper investigation and study will take place, the company will have to find another company in the telecommunication industry that will be willing to merge with GC. Even while outsourcing the business the company will have to analyze whether they are giving it to reliable people and save hands, which would be able to do to justice to the deal. Optimal Solution The company will have to analyze its structure all over again. Starting from the core activities, organizational structure, the values, traditions and working environment, lines of communication and authority they will have to find the flaws in the system before starting up any new venture and plan. After the flaws are found then planning need to done to overcome them and make Global Communication a better working place. The company will redefine its goals and communicate it to the employees. There will be effective lines of communication, benchmarking with the best in the industry and later the employees in the GC should be trained according to that. The company will adopt an effective evaluation appraisal system and proper research and development department in order to stay innovative and competent. There will be monitoring system and the end results will be compared with the set goals. The corporate culture and decision making will be based on honesty, correctness, ethics and code of conduct. The new policies and strategies of the company will give special consideration to all the interests of all the stakeholders, employee’s welfare and involvement will be one of the priorities. It is very necessary to keep a satisfied workforce as this will be reflected in the performance. Apart from that the company will invest in developing new products and services for the customers. Quality will be of high standards and the business will relocate in a country where all the infrastructure, resources and facilities are available however whatever the decision the company will take the labor union and all the important stakeholders will be involved in order to avoid any legal action or resentment among them. Implementation Plan For the accomplishment of the long term objectives of the company there need to be an effective leadership which they have in the form of the CEO Katrina, she along with her co workers are going to make this plan successful. Katrina is going to lead them and each employee’s responsibility will be explained to them thoroughly. Every one will have to work as a team and view the organization as one unit where everyone should work for the company rather than indulge in fulfilling individual goals. This is going to be gradual procedure because integrating values and ethics and appraisal system and its results will take time. All this will be reflected in the performance of the company and the decisions made by the management. Things would start to work by themselves and the lost place of GC will be regained. Evaluation of Results If the planned solution set is applied affectively into GC then soon there will be evident positive changes in the company. There will be set targets for the sales and costs and those will be compared with the end results, thus the end results measurements for the effectiveness of the plan is going to be quantitative as well as qualitative. The quantitative ones will be to amylase the sales and costs results, the employee turnover rate, and the market share and so on where as the qualitative will be in the form of employee job satisfaction and the company’s image in the externally, the management system and the internal communication efficiency and so on. Conclusion Global communication has been facing challenges in the telecommunication industry due to which its stock value and market share was decreasing this lead the company to rethink its strategies and add something new into the company in order to make it compete with the other firms in the industry. The company has plans to expand in the international markets and relocate in India and Ireland and introduce new products however first it needs to overcome the weaknesses in its internal structure that is the relations and interests within the different groups of stakeholders. This problem solution helped me to analyze the interpersonal relationship of different stakeholders and their impact on the company’s decisions and performance, the importance of ethics in decision making and the different roles played by each individual within an organization. References Abbatangelo-Gray, J. , Cole, G. E. , & Kennedy, M. G. (Sep. 2008). Guidance for Evaluating Mass Communication Health Initiatives (AN 26389567). Evaluation & the Health Professions , 229-253. Breaking Cultural Communication Barriers. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 7, 2009, from www. essortment. com/all/culturalcommuni_raxq. htm Dasgupta, S. (2006). Is Globalization Causing A ‘Race To The Bottom’ In Environmental Standards? (Part 4 of a four part series). PREM Economic Policy Group and Development Economics Group , 2-4. Downsizing With Dignity. (2009). Retrieved May 9, 2009, from http://humanresources. about. com/od/layoffsdownsizing/a/downsizing. htm Employee Involvement. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 9, 2009, from Employee Empowerment: humanresources. about. com/od/involvementteams/Team_Building_Employee_Empowerment_Employee_Involvement. htm Globalisation and Environment. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 9, 2009, from http://www. blogspot. globalisation. com/14021 Najam, A. , Runnals, D. , & Halle, M. (2006). Environment and Globalization: Five Propositions. International Institute for Sustainable Development , 13-14. Pealy, J. (2001). Fundamentals of Communication. New York: Gale Research Company.

Global Warming and Its Effects in Mumbai, India

A Paper on Global Warming and Its Effectss in Mumbai, India com/aaimagestore/essays/0817976.001.jpg"/> Present Scenario At A Glance: Global heating implies enhanced green house consequence, which entraps solar radiations, accordingly increasing the overall temperature of the Earth. The GHG creates a cover in the lower strata of the earth’s atmosphere and this phenomenon consequences chiefly from human activities. The mean planetary temperatures and CO2 degree in the ambiance are higher than they have of all time been in the yesteryear. Records show that the last 25 old ages have been the warmest in the past 5 centuries. Current state of affairs is traveling towards 4 – 5Â ° C by 2100, which seems ruinous to scientists for biodiversity, utmost conditions or low-lying rise. An addition of 2-4Â ° C may take to 10-20 % addition in cyclonal strength. This heating can travel up to an addition of average surface temperature by 3.5-5Â ° C by the terminal of the century. Fig 1:Current Green House Gas Emissions all over the universe( 1000000s of dozenss ) The recent ruinous climatic events in India are the effects of planetary heating. Mumbai, the concern capital of India, is highly vulnerable to lifting sea degrees. Harmonizing to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) , the Arabian Sea degree around Mumbai is steadily lifting at the rate of 2.4 millimeters per twelvemonth and expected to lift up to 15-38 centimeter by 2050. The metropolis is in a seismal zone and prone to see monolithic temblor or a elephantine tsunami doing impossible loss of human lives and assets. This needfully means that this would impact the economic system of the full state. Harmonizing to a 2012 study, about 2.7 million people live in countries at hazard of deluging. Until 1990, the average annually rainfall in Mumbai was 2129 millimeter, which rose by 50 % in 2005-06 ( 3214 millimeter ) . In 2005, a ruinous inundation occurred in Mumbai, doing decease of more than 5000 people and 26 July 2005 was known as the BLACK DAY in the history of Mumb ai since so. Recently, winters in Mumbai have been the coldest with temperature every bit low as 8Â ° C, when an mean temperature is about 18-25Â ° C in the past 50 old ages. Issues like the monolithic environmental debasement due to population growing and ever-increasing built-up countries worsened the hazard in Mumbai. Indian urban wetlands have reduced by 30 % in the last 50 old ages due to the rapid urban development and dumping of waste in H2O organic structures. The state of affairs is even more important because of its clime alterations due to population denseness, and its major industrial and fiscal developments many of which are developed merely above sea degree and below the high-tide degree. This inhibits natural overflow of surface H2O through the complicated web of drains, rivers, brooks and pools that drain straight in the sea and during high tides sea H2O can come in the system and lead to salt H2O flood. As a consequence, foundations of many edifices along the seashore have already started gnawing taking to a great danger. Approximately 101155 dozenss of municipal solid waste is generated in the metropolitan part, which includes biodegrada ble waste, reclaimable waste and dust. Bettering the drainage system in Mumbai could cut down the losingss associated with a inundation event by 70 % . Fig 2: Monthly Total Rainfall over Santacruz in July ( 1959-2005 ) Economic Impacts due to Climatic Catastrophes: Though Indian economic system happens to be as one of the fastest turning major economic systems, the climatic catastrophes are impacting it greatly. Harmonizing to The Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, if the planetary heating continues to lift, climatic catastrophes would do a lessening in India’s GDP by approximately 9 % . An estimated 11.4 million people and assets worth of $ 1.3 trillion would be in danger in Mumbai due to climatic catastrophes by 2070. Surveies were besides carried out by National Climatic Data Center to analyse the economic impacts from clime alteration. Bombay is likely to endure infrastructural losingss including airdromes, roads, ports, tracks, bridges up to INR 4,000 crores due to climate alteration. Surveies suggest that losingss could lift by 35 % for utmost rainfall event In Mumbai. In 2005 calamity 14,000 places were destroyed, and more than 350,000 places were affected. That twelvemonth the metropolis was impacted straight with e conomic amendss of about two billion USD and 500 human deaths. Due to climate alteration, the entire losingss for a 1-in-100 twelvemonth event could manifold by three times of the current state of affairs ( to $ 690 – $ 1890 million USD ) . Actions Taken So Far: National Disaster Management Authority, The Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Prime Minister’s Office set guidelines for the catastrophe related issues. Some of the major policies that have been issued since 1953 1s:Ministerial commission on inundation control -1964Minister ‘s commission on inundation and inundation alleviation – 1972Working group on inundation control for five twelvemonth programsNational committee for incorporate H2O resource development program -1996National H2O policy – 1987National Flood Commission -1980Five regional undertaking forces – 1996Advisers were appointed to analyze the storm H2O drainage system and to fix programs for faster disposal of overflow, cut downing inundation continuance and came up with a Maestro Plan for augmentation of SWD System and submitted concluding study, known as BRIMSTOWAD Report, in 1993. Measures taken by Central and State Governments: Structures built to forestall inundations:EmbankmentsDamsNatural detainment basinsChannel bettermentsDrain constructionsFlood zoningFlood proofingWater shed developmentBelow Government organic structures were formed for Flood Management:State Flood Control DepartmentCentral Water CommissionThe Ministry of Home Affairs has taken the Community Based Disaster Preparedness enterprise which works with the aid of the local people and the NGOs to assist people fix themselves for different climatic catastrophes by mobilising them easy, and supplying alleviation to the affected part. It besides helps to fix the seasonal calendars to foretell the climatic catastrophes, step the hazards for the community and take actions to cover with them. In December 2005, after Mumbai calamity, Government of India enacted the Disaster Management Act, under which the National Disaster Management Authority and State Disaster Management Authorities were created. The Act besides constituted Disaster Response Fund and Disaster Mitigation Fund at national, province and territory degrees. In Maharashtra, the province authorities consequently has prepared the Greater Mumbai Disaster Management Action Plan ( DMAP ) in 2007. Under this, the hazards and exposures have been identified associated with inundations, temblors, landslides and cyclones. The program includes specific alleviation and extenuation steps, Land usage planning and policies, substructure betterments and eventuality programs for Mumbai. In DMAP, measures for substructure betterments might necessitate a longer clip in footings of the socio-economic and political context of the metropolis. Besides, the policies and planning will non be utile and effectual unless they are implemented with schemes to cover with slums and migrators into the metropolis. A investigative commission ( CHITALE commission ) was established by Government of Maharashtra station 2005 inundations to look into the causes of the catastrophe and do recommendations to cut down hereafter hazards which greatly emphasized on steps to better the city’s drainage systems. The execution of recommendations included broadening of the river channel, cross-drainage work in the catchment country, remotion of invasions along the river Bankss, solid waste disposal systems, cancellation of licence of the polluting industries, controling outflowing discharge in the river and building of public lavatories, intensifying of the river for making green buffer zones, extra broadening and deepening of the river, prolongation of 18 Bridgess and river crossings. Enterprises taken by cardinal authorities, province authorities and local organic structures are as below: Enterprises at the Government Level:Integrated Energy Policy, 2006Reforming Energy Markers ( Electricity Act 2005, Duty Policy 2003, Petroleum & A ; Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 )Energy Conservation Act, 2001New and Renewable Energy Policy, 2005Energy Conservation Building Code, 200650,000 MW Hydroelectric Initiative, 2003The National Action Plan on Climate Change: Prime Minister Climate Change Action Plan and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission are major enterprises of the Central and State Governments to advance ecologically sustainable growing and reference country’s energy security challenge. The Mission marks to make a policy model to deploy 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022Natural Resources & A ; Environment Capability Plan Implementation 2008 -11.Enterprises at Local Body Level:Compulsory rain H2O reaping for all edificesPromoting energy efficient edificesImproved waste directionPrecedence to public conveyance substructurePromoting recycle and reuse of waste H2OBan on PlasticUse of energy salvaging led lampsAir pollution monitoringSchools Campaigns for consciousnessUse of Mass Transit, Car poolsUse of CNG alternatively of gasolineUse of bikeSpecific Undertakings in Mumbai Metropolitan Region:Mithi River Development Mumbai MetroDesign and building of skywalks in MMR at 67 topographic pointsBRIMSTOWAD and Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project Priority WorksMumbai Trans Harbour Sea Link Project with dispersion systemMumbai Urban Transport ProjectMumbai Metro LineBandra Worli Sea LinkDharavi Redevelopment ProjectMumbai Urban Infrastructure ProjectRehabilitation of Pavement DwellersMonorail UndertakingMumbai City Development Plan 2005-2025The province signed a Memorandum of Understanding of biennial survey across the province with The Energy & A ; Resources Institute for aRs.97.99-lakh. It will analyse jutting clime alteration impact on services like H2O resources, agribusiness, migration, marine ecosystems and support. TERI wi ll analyse a exposure index for all the sectors, impacted from variables like temperature alteration, sea degree rise and the frequence of happening of utmost events and suggest version programs for Mumbai to cover with catastrophes originating from clime alteration. The survey will measure clime alteration impacts on wellness, ecosystems, markets and urge policies to get by up with these with alterations in land usage, lodging and urban development. It estimates that the cost of clime change-related amendss to the metropolis would beabout INR2.28 hundred thousand crore if there is no version program for these catastrophes. Cardinal Government besides plans to pass INR 300,000 crores to bring forth 60,000 MW power. International Enterprises: The Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit international environmental protagonism group. NRDC ‘s India Initiative on Climate Change and Clean Energy, which was launched in 2009, works with spouses in India to assist the state construct a low-carbon, sustainable economic system. Their work in India involves four interrelated following undertakings:i‚Â · Enhancing U.S.-India Cooperation on Climate Changei‚Â · Fixing for Public Health Impacts of Climate Changei‚Â · Increasing Building Efficiencyi‚Â · Strengthening Environmental GovernanceIdeas to Implement: From Best Practices across the World: Despite the enterprises and actions taken by the Indian authorities, planetary warming supports on increasing taking the state towards a greater danger. To endeavor with it, the state should hold a richer proficient attack, networking and expansive audience procedures at every occasion. Few attacks that might turn out highly helpful are as below: Land usage planning:Measuring matching resiliency of the metropolis to heavy precipitations and clime alteration and districting take the right adaptative steps. Zoning can assist accomplish big hazard decrease and its methodological analysis might include inside informations in hydrological modeling and analyses on clime alteration scenarios. Consistent hazard direction policies:An appropriate hazard direction policy would include all steps such as reduced edifice exposure, land-use programs, information and communicating to the community, improved drainage, insurance strategies, and support to Reconstruction. Frequent low-impact events like the inundations happening frequently in Mumbai could be avoided by improved drainage. For more terrible events ; population information, zoning and land-use programs and forestalling dweller to settle in flood-prone zones could cut down the badness. For exceeding inundations ; early warning and emptying are necessity, along with support for Reconstruction and insurance to extenuate economic losingss. Hazard designation, exposure appraisal and hazard analysis find where people, belongings, and critical installations are exposed to different natural jeopardies. Micro-level planning:For developingeffective drainage systems Anti-erosion stepsat beaches and seafronts Execution of theprotection program:For Rhizophora mangles and other wetland countries Introduction ofadvanced edifice building patterns: Reducing the salt content of new edifice stuffs ; upgrading of older edifices ; and scrutiny of stableness of seaside edifices at hazard of land eroding Greaterinvesting:Investings in heath sector, wellness attention installations and wellness infrastructurefor supplying medical attention to people affected by clime alteration. Introduction ofEnergy Conservation Measuresat all degrees Enhancement of the urban ecosystem: Creation of more unfastened infinites, verdure, Parkss and tree-lined roads. Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans and Post-Disaster Redevelopment Plans:This includes emptying and sheltering, pull offing the development and renovation of land exposed to natural jeopardies. The authorities must construct butchs to make a barrier against the billowing sea and salvage the bing Rhizophora mangles environing the metropolis from being destroyed further. Community battle:The communities should understand the hazard they might see, and besides the demand to take immediate and long term actions. They should be consulted on a regular footing during the decision-making procedure to by the contrivers, applied scientists and designers to do this enterprise a success. Adaptive Architectures for Resilience:Adaptable houses could be built that respond to inundations, and every bit useable the remainder of the twelvemonth. For most of the twelvemonth, these houses function as an ordinary resort whereas during inundations it transforms to supply an option ‘turned around’ life agreement to be adopted. Some international illustrations besides show that the houses could be built on concrete drifting organic structures. These houses can cover with an addition in H2O degree of up to 5.5 meters. The population addition and planetary heating effects in Mumbai will jeopardize the metropolis much more in approaching yearss. It is high clip that Central, State Governments and Local organic structures become cognizant of the gravitation of the state of affairs and do necessary policies in urban and environmental planning, where the dwellers besides take active engagement to salvage the metropolis Citations / Mentions:Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeGlobal Warming and Its Impacts on Climate of India (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.climateemergencyinstitute.com/uploads/GLOBAL_WARMING_AND_ITS_IMPACTS_ON_CLIMATE_OF_INDIA.pdf)Best Practices: Land Use Planning Strategies and Best Development Practices for Minimizing Vulnerability to Flooding and Coastal Storms by Florida Department of Community Affair, Division of Community Planning and Emergency Management (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.floridajobs.org/fdcp/dcp/hazardmitigation/files/Protecting_FL_Comm.pdf)Best Practices: Confronting up to lifting sea-levels ; a programme of research on deluging in UK carried out by the RIBA and the Institution of Civil Engineers (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.buildingfutures.org.uk/assets/downloads/Facing_Up_To_Rising_Sea_Levels.pdf)Best Practices:Pull offing Flood Risks in Parishes ; A Best Practice Guide Produced by The Hampshire Flood Steering Group 2nd Edition (hypertex t transfer protocol: //www.leics.gov.uk/flood_risks_in_parishes.pdf)Mumbai City Development Plan 2005-2025 (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.karmayog.org/docs/mumbai2005-25.pdf)Concluding Report for Enhancing Adaptation to Climate Change by Integrating Climate Risk into Long-Term Development Plan and Disaster Management Project by Asia Pacific Network for Global Change ResearchBenchmarking Urban Sustainability – A Composite Index for Mumbai and Bangalore by B.Sudhakara Reddy and P. Balachandra (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.igidr.ac.in/pdf/publication/WP-2013-008.pdf)Natural Resources Defense Council (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nrdc.org/international/india/)Current Enterprises of Local Governments in India by Dr. Jatin V. Modi (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/foreign/english/intercity_cooperation/pdf/congre_08.pdf)Economic impact of clime alteration on Mumbai, India by Rakesh Kumar, Parag Jawale and Shalini Tandon (hypertext transf er protocol: //www.pl.boell.org/alt/download_en/Regional_Health_Forum_Volume_12_No_1_Economic_impact_of.pdf)Mumbai City Report by Archana Patankar, Anand Patwardhan, Janki Andharia, Vikas Lakhani (hypertext transfer protocol: //startcc.iwlearn.org/doc/Doc_eng_16.pdf)hypertext transfer protocol: //energymatters.webs.com/Sai Solar System (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.saisolarsystem.in/JNNSM.html)The Times of India, Environment (hypertext transfer protocol: //articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-12/global-warming/35067898_1_climate-change-mumbai-oecd-study)Hindustan Times (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Climate-change-action-plan-for-Mumbai-in-two-years/Article1-525623.aspx)Google images

Maths Report Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Maths Report - Math Problem Example The results also indicated that the smaller engine size cars have a higher MPG as compared to the bigger engine size cars. In conclusion, there is a strong negative linear relationship between a car’s engine size and its MPG and a car with a bigger engine size has the lower MPG as compared to a car with a smaller engine size. We have been provided with the car sales data containing 99 records for car make, model, price (new), price (used), age, engine size and MPG. First, I numbered each row of data as 1, 2, 3, and so on and then I used random sampling method for selecting a sample of 30 cars data using Excel Sampling (DataïÆ'  Data AnalysisïÆ'  SamplingïÆ'  Random) as shown in below screenshot showing only first 15 car number out of 30. For the Hypothesis 1, the type of calculations I performed were mean, median, mode, minimum, maximum and range, so that I know the averages and measures of spread of the car’s engine size and cars MPG. The type of statistical diagrams I made were stem and leaf diagrams, so that I investigate the distributions of cars engine size and cars MPG and scatter graph for investigating the relationship between a car’s engine size and its MPG. For the Hypothesis 2, the type of calculations I performed were mean, median, mode, minimum, maximum and range, and also lower and upper quartiles, so as I know the averages, measures spread and five figure summary of cars MPG for both the smaller and bigger engine size cars. The type of statistical diagrams I made were cumulative frequency diagrams, so that I recalculate lower and upper quartiles and median value of cars MPG for both the smaller and bigger engine size cars, and boxplots for comparing cars MPG for both the smaller and bigger engine size cars. The average engine size of cars is about 1.69L. About half of the car’s engine size is under 1.8L and the most common engine size of cars is 1.8L. The range of the car’s engine size is 2.05L

Present a paper that analyze the change in a major Research

Present a that analyze the change in a major organization(Ford,GM,Chrystler,Best Buy, Bank of America,ect.) base on the tr - Research Paper Example However, despite the wildly popular Model T, General Motors slowly but surely caught up with the Ford Motor Company by the early 1930s, and by mid 1930s it has graduated to become the world’s largest automobile company. It maintained its dominant position throughout the 1950s and 1960s. General Motor Company faced a series of dramatic changes in the economic environment in 1970s like the Oil Shock and the entry of Japanese competitors in the US market, and by 1980s it had entered the path of slow bleed. The industrial behemoth employed more than two hundred thousand employees and had manufacturing or marketing presence in more than 150 countries. It lost ground to its more nimble Japanese competitors steadily and the twin recessions of 2001 and 2009 triggered the near collapse of General Motors. The recession of 2009 was the final trigger and GM finally filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. The urge to survive forced the GM management to take unpleasant but important decisi ons. Aided by strong government support, better economic conditions, a resolute management and an upswing in the market sentiments in the US as well as all over the world, GM was finally able to bounce back by 2010. This paper analyzes GM’s situation in 2000s - the external as well as internal challenges it faced and the changes it incorporated to survive, and subsequently, grow. General Motors in 2000s General Motors entered 2000s after a heady decade in 1990s. US automobile companies like General Motors and Ford Motor Company had experienced increased sales and record smashing profits. US customers loved and bought heavy cars and SUVs - vehicles that offered higher margins than smaller, compact and fuel efficient cars that the Japanese automobile companies manufactured. General Motors, by 2000, was a vertically integrated company with multiple brands and operations. These brands/operations operated independently, resulting in a lot of inefficiency. General Motors was also h eavily investing in technology. It was embracing Internet as a new medium of interfacing with consumers as well as vendors. It was also extensively investing on new communication technologies that would offer novel features to its customers (Nohria, Dyer, and Dalzell, 2002). Challenges faced The last decade of the century has been a tumultuous one, and has witnessed dramatic changes in economic scenarios. 1. Distance from the customer: The Gulf Wars had resulted in a never before seen situation – gas prices had shot through the roof and subsequently the cost of running the car had become more important than the cost of buying the car. While the nimble Japanese players had rightly understood that the environmentally conscious consumer wanted smaller, more efficient and easy to own cars, US automobile manufacturers, notably GM, continued investing in developing bigger and more powerful gas guzzlers. GM had clearly faulted on the most critical business basics – listening to the consumer. 2. Bureaucratic decision making process: The century old legacy, the very reason why GM had become such a superpower, was lost. Faced with the onslaught of Model T which offered no choices to consumers, General Motors fought back by offering its customers a wide range of cars to choose from. This was possible because the decision making process at General Motors was fast and quick. However, almost a century of world dominance had resulted in complacency in the company. This meant the management was slow

Examining Alternatives to Globalization Research Paper

Examining Alternatives to Globalization - Research Paper Example It is a fact that the people who are against globalization would actually accept anything that has an opposite tilt to what globalization has to offer. This would mean that the globalization ranks would simply be deemed as unacceptable as they do not bring forward any benefits for their entirety. When it comes to consumerism, they opine that the phenomenon of globalization undertakes measures to make sure that the most deserving individuals within the society do not get what is theirs. Also the element of consumerism has come about with the advent of time and globalization is one such facet which has made headlines due to a number of factors, most significant of which is the premise of bringing the world together, yet this hardly takes place as is suggested by the ones who detest globalization in letter and spirit. Thus globalization is by their standards a very difficult phenomenon which has no advantages so to speak. These people believe that immigration and nutrition are affected due to the advent of globalization in this day and age. There are individuals who do not believe in the dictum of globalization because it hurts the cause of the society from a collective growth and development stance.

Domestic and Nominated Subcontractor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Domestic and Nominated Subcontractor - Essay Example Domestic Subcontractor Domestic subcontractor is one whose selection and appointment is completely taken care by the main contractor. The employer plays no part in the selection or the appointment process except for giving consent to the selection and appointment if it is required under the contractual agreement between the employer and main contractor1. Roles and Responsibilities of Employer The roles and responsibilities of an employer with respect to a domestic subcontractor are very limited. The complete responsibility of a domestic subcontractor lies on the main contractor. The employer will play no role in the selection and appointment of a domestic subcontractor, until and unless it is required by the terms and conditions in the agreement. The employer shall be responsible for the subcontractor only if it is stated with a particular condition in the contract. Nominated Subcontractor As per the FIDIC 1999 red book, the definition of a nominated subcontractor is as follows: â₠¬Å"Nominated Subcontractor† means a subcontractor: a) Who is stated in the contract as being a nominated subcontractor, b) Whom the engineer, under the clause 13 [Variations and adjustments] instructs the contractor to employ as a subcontractor2. Nominated subcontractor is one where the employer approves, selects or nominates a contractor to carry out a specific task or a subcontract. In order to understand the roles and responsibilities of the employer with respect to a nominated subcontractor, it is first necessary to understand the reasons behind using such a system. There are numerous benefits associated with nominating a subcontractor for an employer. One of the main benefits is that the process of nominated subcontractor gives the employer certain control over the selection of suppliers or subcontractors. This control over the choice and the required performance from the subcontractor ensures certain level of quality for the employer. This privilege is without having to be directly involved with the subcontractor. The choice of subcontractor is entirely rested with the employer even though the main contractor needs to approve the subcontractor. Another benefit is that the employer need not get into any contractual agreement with the subcontractor. This is because the nominated subcontractor will enter into a contract with main contractor and not the employee directly. Hence, the employer will not have any contractual arrangements with the nominated subcontracts. Also there are other reasons that might be responsible for the nomination of a subcontractor such as the proven track record of nominated subcontractor, low pricing or high quality or even certain combination of the two, long term relationship between the employer and subcontractor, etc. The employer can also have a say in the terms and conditions of the subcontractor such as pricing and scope of work. One of the specific situations, where nominated subcontractors are used is when there is a need for a subcontractor to start working prior to the appointment of a main contractor. Such a situation would arise when a specialist task takes more time to complete than the actual construction programme. Hence, in such situations it becomes very beneficial to use a nominated subcontractor. Roles and Responsibilities of Employer Following are the roles and res

Spyware and Viruses Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Spyware and Viruses - Term Paper Example Moreover, it can be used as a kind of adware, whereby the unsolicited pop-up ads are delivered by the software on top of tracking the behavior of the user. Characteristically, the software is installed when the owner is doing the installation of a kind of free software that they really needed (Parikka, 2007). When the software that is being installed by the user is completed, the spyware will attach itself to the installation and begin the collection of data from the activities of the user or the owner. The user of the computer can also be cheated or tricked into the installation of the software via a Trojan horse when it pretends to be piece of security software offered for free. The creators of spyware have been known for paying the developers of shareware to bundle their software with the authentic software and just repackaging the freeware as well as bundling it with their individual spyware (Parikka, 2007). Another way of spyware installation on an unaware computer user is drive-by downloading. Some of the earliest or first spyware did not do much than reporting to the creators every time the program was put to use. It was aimed at aiding marketing or even monitoring usage for the purposes of licensing. Although that is still happening, we find that a lot of nowadays is intended to steal private and valuable information such as the passwords and usernames for email accounts, bank sites, online games and social networking sites (Parikka, 2007). One might never be aware of the fact that they have malicious spyware on their computer, as it seems to operate in the background in a quiet manner and the explicit quality and functionality of the program might be very attractive. They are usually distributed as either ‘freeware’ or even ‘shareware’ with little or no license restrictions for the purposes of trapping as many individuals as possible. On

Porter s 5 forces analysis and a life cycle analysis - why is the Assignment

Porter s 5 forces analysis and a life cycle analysis - why is the Australian Car Manufacturing Industry closing down - Assignment Example Although global and local economic conditions have played a major part in the death of the manufacturing industry, blame has also been placed on the many parties and factors involved. By studying the current state of the industry and using porter’s five forces analysis, we can better discern as to what the main drivers were that caused the ultimate death of the Australian automotive manufacturing industry. The Australian car manufacturing industry has become far too small to be sustainable for any particular manufacturer. Australia’s three car manufacturers Holden, Ford and GM all announced they would shut down their local manufacturing operations within nine months of each other. With the local economy facing harsh times it seems that with current size of the market and increased competition from imports has simply gotten too small to be profitable. As a matter of fact, the size of the market had gotten so small that all three companies began to rely on each other just to survive and stay afloat. It has been a long time coming, the death of the Australian auto manufacturing industry. Although, there have been many interrelated reasons that have caused the slow demise of the industry many individuals put the most of the blame on the federal government. It has been blamed for much of the troubles that have negatively affected local manufacturers from their low import tariffs. Many of the federal government initiatives such as their Free Trade Agreements with China and India, low import tariffs, and the controversial automotive financial bailouts have created an industry that cannot sustain itself. Others place the blame to the car manufacturer themselves that used the Australian government like their own piggybank to bail them out financially. Additionally, the federal government and their economic policy itself have created a nation with relatively high wages, strong currency coupled with the extremely low

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers Essay

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers - Essay Example First of all, in order to create a background for my essay, I would like to start with a definition of the term 'ethics'. This term is taken from the Greek, and the Greek word 'ethos' means 'character'. Nowadays, ethics can be defined as the set of rules for interpersonal communication, which takes place either on daily basis or at the level of big business. "Making ethical decisions in business is often difficult because business ethics is not simply an extension of an individual's personal ethics or a society's standards of right and wrong" (answers.com, 2005). Just being a righteous person, who fits ethical criteria, might not be enough to handle the problems, which occur in the workplace, such as the treatment of low-wage employees and their career development. It is important to note that many professions have already responded to the demanding business problems - in particular, with the creation of "codes of ethics, statements of corporate goals, sponsor training and educational programs in ethics" (ibid) , the installation of internal jurists who deal with various ethical improprieties, and with creation of special telephone hot lines, which allow employees report anonymously possible ethical violations. A code of ethics contains certain standards of behavior, which are obligatory for the representatives of a certain profession. Moreover, a code of ethics generally provides professionals with information about the obligations towards one another, their customers, employees and the whole society. "A code of ethics is generally developed by a professional society within a particular profession. The higher the degree of professionalism required of society members, the stronger and therefore more enforceable the code" (ibid). The main function of a code of ethics is to guide employees and employers in the most complicated ethical questions, in particular those which are especially unclear. Decisions in such cases can be made more effectively and easily if the code informs about what actions should or should not be taken and about the penalties for morally wrong behavior. Many companies have their own codes of practice, or codes of ethics, which correspond to the mission of the organization and the organizational culture. There are several ethical concerns associated with low-wage workers. The most widespread ethical dilemma, which arises in many organizations is 'utility vs. morality' (Bernstein, 1997). The ideas of utilitarianism, which penetrated the business, have been developed into the utilitarian approach to ethical concerns, which concentrates on "taking the action that will result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people" (poznaklav.com, 2005). For instance, employing low-wage workers, entrepreneur, who follows utilitarian principles, would attempt to determine whether using low-wage employees would bring prosperity to the company. For instance, those business owners, who use low-wage foreign employees in response to price competition, will probably benefit from such decision. On the other hand, using low-wage workers is likely to decrease the wages of the other employees, decreasing at the same time their standards of living and thus, reducing their ability to purchase the good s the company produces. Those company owners, who support the ideas of morality (Blank, 1997) would probably pay living wages to all employees regardless

Analysis on Antigone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Analysis on Antigone - Essay Example An interesting twist might be to make the organized crime family Japanese, a story based upon the Yakuza rather than the more commonly known organized crime structure of the Italian mob. The setting of the play is justified because of the familial themes that are similar in both of the genres. The Greek setting is based upon royal familial ties and the need for both legitimacy in Creon’s authority and a conflict in which Antigone must defy his decision. The character interactions in the play by Sophocles are defined by their ties within a family and this makes the transition to a setting in which organized crime is involved have a strong potential. The genre of organized crime is based upon the ‘family’, thus the line of succession is a part of their power structure. That the role of Creon would be in jeopardy of losing his place would also play nicely in the organized crime genre because although family is important, it is not the only criteria for establishing power. The son of an organized crime boss or the brother is not necessarily in line to inherit the control of the syndicate. The misogyny in organized crime can also be translated from the Greek. In the literary genre of organized crime stories women typically do not have a great deal of power and are more often portrayed as victims. Women in Japanese society have a tradition of being submissive, thus the nature of Antigone would have the same meaning if translated into a modern context. She is both young and female, thus her opinion would not be taken into consideration similar to the way it was not taken into consideration in the Greek version until she acted. Although modern Japanese women have more power than in the past, the organized crime syndicate of the Yakuza is based upon lower socio-economic male members of the Japanese society who are disenfranchised and find a brotherhood with the Yakuza gangs. It is typically male oriented (Howard, 2011). The setting of Japan in

Eminent Domain Essay Example for Free

Eminent Domain Essay The power of eminent domain is succinctly provided under the U. S. Constitution, specifically in the Fifth Amendment which in part provides, â€Å". . . nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation† (U. S. Constitution, Fifth Amendment). The power of eminent domain is one of the attributes of sovereignty. This being the case, it can still be exercised even without a constitutional provision to that effect [Boom Co. V. Patterson, 98 U. S. 403 (1878)]. Historically, the power of eminent domain has been employed by the American colonies for public projects like roads and bridges (Oxford Companion, 2005). Originally, the power was considered to be applicable only to the federal government by virtue of the Fifth Amendment. â€Å"The power of eminent domain of state governments was unrestrained by any federal authority† {Green v. Frazier, 253 U. S. 233 (1920)]. â€Å"The just compensation provision of the Fifth Amendment did not apply to the States, and at first the contention that the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment afforded property owners the same measure of protection against the States as the Fifth Amendment did against the Federal Government was rejected† (Find Law web site, n. . ). However, with the inclusion of the Due Process clause or the Fourteenth Amendment, the power applied to the states in so far as the just compensation requirement as an element of due process as the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Chicago, Burlington Quincy Railroad v. Chicago (1897) (Oxford Companion, 2005). Except for North Carolina which exercises the power by virtue of a statutory authority, the other state governments derive theirs from their respective constitutions (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). For the power of eminent domain to be validly exercised, the following requisites or elements must concur and be proven, namely, that the property being taken is private property; there must be ‘taking;’ the taking must be for public use; and, there must be just compensation (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). The first element, private property refers to â€Å"land as well as fixtures, leases, options, stocks, and other items† (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). Property rights such as water rights and right to reasonable use of the space above one’s property may also fall within the purview of private property (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). The second element, ‘taking’ means â€Å"the taking of physical property, or a portion thereof, as well as the taking of property by reducing its value† (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). There is compensation when the property is taken or its use is extensively restricted that it amounts to confiscation. For instance, a highway was constructed over the waterfront to inland property; the owner of that property must be paid considering that he lost his right to use the waterfront (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). Also when airplane flights are low enough to deprive the owner of the private property below of his reasonable use of the space above his property must also be compensated as this amount to taking. The concept of ‘taking’ under the power of eminent domain should not be confused with the regulatory takings under the police power of the State. The power of eminent domain is also called the Takings clause. The difference is that in the exercise of the power of eminent domain, the ‘taking’ is for public use while on the other hand, the ‘taking’ in the exercise of police power is for purposes of regulating that property as it is â€Å"detrimental to public interest† (U. S. Constitution Annotated, n. d. ). The ‘taking’ in the exercise of police power is for the common welfare and is usually in the health and safety regulations (U. S. Constitution Annotated, n. d. ). The third element is ‘public use. It is required that the property is taken for the use and benefit of the public and not specific persons. The determination of whether a specific use is public or not rests upon the courts and is considered a question of fact. However, if there is a law which specifies the public use for which it shall be devoted, â€Å"courts will defer to legislative intent† (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). In the determination of ‘public use’ the courts inquire into the fact that the property would be used by â€Å"broad segment of the general public† (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). Through the years the Supreme Court in its judicial pronouncements, has expanded the concept of public use as to include â€Å"trade centers, municipal civic centers, and airport expansions† (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). In 1954, public use even encompassed beautification purposes of the community. In the case of Berman v. Parker, the Court declared that the clearing of the slums is deemed as public use. The Court reviewed the plan of District of Columbia to raze properties which are partly blighted so that a department store can be erected to be managed by a private entity. The Supreme Court upheld the decision of District Columbia and ruled that it is within the prerogative of the legislative body to determine which property can be subject to the ‘taking’ for aesthetic considerations (348 U. S. 26). â€Å"Subject to specific constitutional limitations, the legislature, not the judiciary, is the main guardian of the public needs to be served by social legislation enacted in the exercise of the police power; and this principle admits of no exception merely because the power of eminent domain is involved† [Berman v. Parker 348 U. S. 26 (1954)]. In support of the legislative body, the Court further ruled that it is within the legislature’s power to address the issues of blighted areas of the community. â€Å"Redevelopment of an entire area under a balanced integrated plan so as to include not only new homes but also schools, churches, parks, streets, and shopping centers is plainly relevant to the maintenance of the desired housing standards and therefore within congressional power† [Berman v. Parker 348 U. S. 26 (1954)]. Traditionally, the concept of public use was applied in cases which involved supplying of water, electricity, transportation, roads and bridges and the like but due to the expansion of its scope through the years, a definitive determination of its scope is difficult. Defining the scope is basically one of legislative pronouncement directed to the purposes of government, incapable of abstract or historical definition [Berman v. Parker 348 U. S. 26 (1954)]. In a recent case of Hawaii Housing Authority v.  Midkiff (1984), at issue was the Land Reform Act of 1967 which provided for â€Å"a land condemnation scheme† in which title over the real property is passed from the owner-lessor to the lessees to re-distribute land and â€Å"reduce concentration of land ownership† [Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff 467 U. S. 229 (1984)]. It allowed lessees who reside in tracts of land with at least five acres of land area to request for condemnation from the Hawaii Housing Authority. A hearing would be ordered to determine if the condemnation is for public use [Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff 467 U. S. 229 (1984)]. The rationale in the transfer of ownership is found in the preservation of a free market. The proposition proceeds from a realization that concentration of land in the hands of the few prevented the â€Å"free market in real estate† and therefore its preservation is deemed a public benefit [Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff 467 U. S. 229 (1984)]. The allowance of these takings for reconveyance of land is allowed even by the U. S. Supreme Court based on the idea that the new owners will spur more effective uses to the land and thereby create more revenues in the form of taxes for the government. The last element of the power of eminent domain is just compensation. The measure of just compensation or the amount to be paid to the owner of the property condemned or expropriated is based on the fair market value (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). It is defined as â€Å"the price that could have reasonably resulted from negotiations between an owner who was willing to sell and a purchaser who desired to buy (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). This value is determined by the uses to which the property can be devoted at the time of the taking. Factors such as â€Å"history and general character of the area and the adaptability of the land for future buildings† are also considered (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). The Court, in the case of Monongahela Navigation Co. v. United States, explained that the value of just compensation should be based on the owner’s loss being placed in the best financial position as if the property had not been expropriated rather than the value of gain for the condemnor (Monongahela Navigation Co. v. United States, 148 U. S. 312). The compensation should be paid in cash, and the amount is determined as of the date title vests in the condemnor. Interest is paid on the award until the date of payment† (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). The proceedings usually vary in the different states. Basically, it involves two phases, i. e. condemnation of the property and the determination of just compensation. During the pendency of the proceedings, the owner of the condemned property may continue in using his property provided that there is no substantial alteration of the same is made (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). In all proceedings, the owner must be afforded due process. This means that he must be duly notified and be given an opportunity to be heard, i. e. present his evidence and his own witnesses. He must be given also the opportunity to dispute the compensation determined if he does not agree with it. â€Å"The owner of the land has an automatic right to appeal† (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). There are also cases when the owner of the land is the party that commences the proceedings. This is called inverse condemnation proceedings. This type of proceedings is usually resorted to for environmental concerns when the government has encroached on the interest of the owner of the land without paying him the just compensation such as when the government â€Å"floods a farmers field or pollutes a stream crossing private land† (West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, 1998). With the disappearance of the traditional federal constitutional restraints on the exercise of the power of eminent domain, has the ‘public use’ requirement metamorphosed into public abuse. What therefore are its ramifications and how can these be resolved. Discussion and Analysis The power of eminent domain had been recognized by the American judiciary as a ‘despotic’ power, that notwithstanding, it also recognized that it is an inherent power necessary for it to subsist. Traditionally, the Takings clause was used only in clear situations necessitating public use projects where public necessity has been shown. The power has been exercised for bridges, roads and the like. As it developed, it was also exercised in relation to development of blighted areas because the removal of slum areas is considered as for a public purpose. The Berman case has to a certain extent modified ‘public use’ into ‘public purpose. ’ In fact it has passed on judicial responsibility of scrutiny to the legislative body that once the object is within its authority, the right to exercise the power becomes clear. As if this was not enough, the concept of ‘public use’ was completely eroded in the case of Kelo, et al. v. City of New London, Connecticut which was decided by the Supreme Court in 2005 (545 U. S. 4). A large-scale development plan was approved by the New London in order to spur economic development to an economically distressed city in terms of jobs, taxes and revenues. The residential neighborhood which is not blighted is supposed to be replaced by a research center, office space, conference hotel and the like. Portions of the project will be leased out by the private developers who will build the entire project. The city development agent was able to purchase private lands from the consenting owners. However, a number of the other residents refused to sell out and contested the condemnation proceedings initiated against their properties. The property owners filed an appeal before the Supreme Court after the having lost in the Connecticut Supreme Court [Kelo, et al. v.  City of New London, 545 U. S. 4 (2005)]. The U. S. Supreme Court ruled, â€Å"’public use’ should not be read literally. It has embraced the broader and more natural interpretation of public use as public purpose. Promoting economic development is a traditional and long-accepted governmental function. Therefore, the condemnations were for a public purpose and met the public use requirement† [Kelo, et al. v. City of New London, 545 U. S. 4 (2005)]. The rationale, for which the Bill of Rights in the Constitution was included, is for the purpose of protecting the citizenry from the vast powers of the government. These are safeguards to ensure individuals from possible abuses. Therefore any issue of doubt should be interpreted in favor of the individual and strictly against the government. Protecting property rights is one of the hallmarks of democracy. With the recent decision of the Supreme Court, every property now lies under the ghost of condemnation for the benefit of private persons. The requisites provided by the Constitution for the exercise of the power of eminent domain must be strictly adhered to and should not be interpreted loosely as to accommodate expanded meanings. It may be argued that redevelopment would bring benefits to the community and therefore the public as whole; still this is done at the expense of depriving and even curtailing the property rights of property owners who refuse to surrender them in the guise of a reasonable and lawful exercise of the power of eminent domain. Again, it may be argued further that these property owners would nevertheless receive just compensation. However, the proceedings and the determination of the amount of just compensation may be tedious. The owner who may have issues as to the amount already determined may have scarce resources to raise these issues in a long and expensive legal battle in court as against vast resources of government and legal machinery. In general, with an expansive justification to the taking, the peaceful possession and ownership of a property owner is disturbed. Analysis of states legislations reveal that majority of the laws contain justification for the exercise of the power of eminent domain in cases where there is a determination of blighted areas which pose unsanitary and unsafe conditions. In these cases, the necessity for public use is clearly established. In the case of Kelo, no such necessity exists and the higher risk of redevelopment authorities to take advantage of such ruling is not remote. The ruling in the Kelo case signifies the utter lack of creativity and ingenuity on the part of the state authorities to conceive and plan ways and means to spur economic redevelopment other than by taking private properties from its owners. The state officials/government seemed to have acted as middleman in procuring property for the private individuals. One of the city redevelopment directors has been quoted as saying, â€Å"city decides which properties to condemn based on whether someone in the private sector wants the land and has a project for it† (Staley, 2003). Clearly, it is the private interests that push redevelopment. The issue of whether this would benefit the public would remain to be seen and while waiting for this to materialize, the property owners were already deprived of the properties they have acquired and established residence in through time. Economic redevelopment is basically a function and responsibility of government but by approving redevelopment plans of private contractors and the acquisition of private properties under the guise of the power of eminent domain, government has in effect contracted out its function and responsibility in spurring economic development within their localities in favor of private entities. On the whole, the exercise of the power of eminent domain under the expansive meaning of ‘public use’ sends a wrong signal to private individuals. It is every American’s dream to own and establish a family home in a community where their children can grow up. In fact laws such as the Homeowners Protection Act have been enacted to support this and assist those who establish family residential homes. It is also every American’s dream to own real property so they toil and labor so that the fruits of their work can be invested for their security in the future. However, with the deplorable manner by which the power of eminent domain is now exercised, property rights are wrecked and city governments are on carte blanche as to which properties may be condemned as dictated by redevelopment companies whose only tool seems to be that. The Court in the Kelo case reverted to the States the function to impose restrictions and restraints in the exercise of the power of eminent domain. This may be interpreted as an abdication of the Court’s power to strike down the abusive manner in which the power of eminent domain was exercised. It is empowered by the Constitution under its judicial review power to declare whether an act of government officials have been executed beyond the mandated duties and functions. The Court is duty bound to ensure safeguards against government action.

Sociodemographic Health Risks in Australia

Sociodemographic Health Risks in Australia Australians regard the country environment a better and safer option in terms of lifestyle and health then populated areas, such as cities and their surrounding neighborhoods (Humphreys Rolley 1991). Moving to rural areas for a much cleaner atmosphere and away from the congestion of traffic. Nevertheless families or individuals who built life for themselves in rural and remote Australia have many health disadvantages in their path, then civilization in city areas and its regions. This is proven statistically with evidence and research that mobility and mortality rates are much higher than those who live in urban areas due to some extensive diseases that can’t be further examined in rural areas to give a full diagnosis and asses their condition due to shortage of resources and medical equipment (Humphreys et al. 1997) . There are many factors that contribute to rural health disadvantages in different specifications in relation to his/her health. This essay will be looking into the four major factors that include, sociodemographics, health status, health risk factors, costs and use of health services. Sociodemographics refers to the variables within a society and its population in terms of race, gender, socio economic statuses and mainly the population’s social wellbeing in both rural and remote Australia. Socioeconomic disadvantages and demographics of the area and its population are major and important determinants of health (AIHW, 2012). It is important to realise the main indicators such as age, health statuses, rates of hospitalisation and mortality rates for rural populations of Australia are determined by certain demographics such as sex and population size, this process is essential to clarify different health statistics (AIHW, 1998a). These points are indications in relation to poorer health, adequate nutrition, better housing and having an education with transport (AIHW,1998), to support your travel needs wither health related or not. Privation of either of these necessities will result in dramatically poorer health. Keeping in mind that if sufficient nutrition is not reachable or used it will have an immediate effect on health status. Needs like education have more of an indirect effect on health (AIHW, 1998). For instance having no educational background can result in the lack of knowledge about certain health conditions like cancer, in rural Australia there are insufficient resources to determine and treat breast cancer, cervical cancer and lung cancer which results from individuals smoking and affecting their health not being health conscious which greatly results in higher death rates (Mathers, 1994). The factors that contribute to the health of a population include social, economic, environmental and an array of lifestyle choices (AIHW, 2012). A number of factors are linked with livelihoods in rural Australia that subsequently affect health status. Factors that affect health status of given population in rural Australia include: employment, ethnicity, business grounds in rural areas other factors are from a demographic point of view looking at climate, geography, aging populations and retrieval of information in relation to health and disability (Frager et al, 1997), (AIHW,2012). These factors take different effects within rural and metropolitan Australia and may result in dissimilarities in the prevalence of an array of diseases and mortality rates (AIHW, 1998a). Australia’s indigenous population are facing poorer health then the overall Australian population. The effect is recognised by numerical categorisation of indigenous people in RRMA sub sections and by use of mort ality data collected and put in Australia’s institute of health and welfare database of mortality (AIHW, 2013). Mortality rates in capital cities was lower than those in rural and remote zones of Australia (AIHW, 1998a). There are different of health outcomes regularly used as indicators for given health populations (AIHW, 2012). Death rates, hospitalisation and cancer incidence rates are all a set of indicators for health status (AIHW, 1998a).   Health risks are the probable factors that decline the health of people from certain medical conditions or diseases. These comprise of certain factors such as their physical environment, pollutants, and communicable diseases, additionally the social environment plays an important part, family matters and disturbances (AIHW, 2003). These all result in the amplification of different diseases affecting people’s health (AIHW, 2013). Behavioral determinants such as inadequate exercise, smoking and reduction of daily activities are linked with increase in disease rates and other medical conditions. Living in rural Australia would be a negative outcome for most when asked simply by being away from health facilities, such as gyms occupying for exercise, doctor surgeries for quick treatment and having less produce stores to buy your five daily fruits and veg’s from for your daily intake. Risk factors are the probable outcomes of disease in people if there’s a link with th e medical condition and factor. Other risk factors for chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease are very complicated to determine. Generally speaking there is not one specific cause to a diseases occurrence rate, there are several factors that need to be assessed before making any thorough diagnosis. Understanding certain aspects in risk factors both rural, regional and remote Australia is the key fundamental in going forward as a nation helping individuals in need. Costs and the utilization of health services across remote and rural Australia is a topic often brought up in the parliamentary senate of Australian states. The idea behind these parliamentary debates are to enhance and better the performance of Australia as a whole country by mending all those gaps that have been left such as expenditure and utilization of health services across rural and remote Australia. The government of Australia has said a lot and personally haven’t done anything to assist with introducing new health resources and supporting the coasts for medical equipment and building safer roads for rural and remote areas so individuals are less likely prone to an accident, therefore it builds better health measures and reduces mortality rates due to degrading the risk factors associated with it. Expenditure levels, amid regions are certainly related with changes in population’s growth size and composition (AIHW), (2011). A district or region with a greater pop ulation are highly likely to have immense total health expenditures then places with lower populations. The age structure of a given population in a specific location is a vital factor in health expenditure, (AIHW), (2011). Reason is due to older individuals and youngsters such as infants and toddlers require greater health diagnosis and care. In remote and rural Australia regions usually consist of younger group sectors in populations then older pupils, (AIHW), (2011). Health care facilities such as hospitals which are the main source of receiving health assessments from ED doctors or getting an x-ray for a broken leg. Procedures in hospitals are surgical and non-surgical whilst they require chemotherapy for cancer patients or even specialist checkups on your health condition to prevent it from actually getting worse. The remoteness of hospitals from rural and regional populations in Australia may impact their access to procedures, (AIHW), (2008). Levels of health expenditure are w idely affected by certain sub factors such as the degree of illnesses and diseases, population and government set out policies and grants alongside the price for these goods and services, (AIHW 2004). Inconclusion for the population of remote and rural Australia there are many positive attributes. In comparison to the National Health Survey they have gathered data that indicates Australians, regardless of their geographical region, have knowledge of certain preventative measures for a better health, and understand the requirement for exercise to keep fit physically and mentally, pap smear tests and protection from the sun by using certain moisturisers to help prevent melanoma or other skin cancers conditions (AIHW, 2011). In addition the health of populations in rural and remote zones of Australia is much poorer then individuals who live in metropolitan regions of Australia. In relation to their health conditions such as mortality as a result of injury obtained, certain heart conditions and diseases, homicide and suicide rates. Overall there are substantial health risks associated with living in remote and rural regions of Australia among them are pollution, road safety, available health facilities, and medical equipment with treatments. However there are positives for the populations of rural and remote zones such as having peace, costs are much lesser then urban areas, less crime and a safer environment with distance from noise. Reference list: Humphreys J/ Rolley F (1991). Health and health care in rural Australia. (Original work published 1991). Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442459022. Humphreys JS/Matthews-Cowey S/ Weinand (1997).Factors in accessibility of general practice in rural Australia. Australia: Author. (Original work published 1997). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (1998). the sixth biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.Australia’s health. Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442459022. Abduljawad Raeiq Student Number Health Health Behaviour 130 Essay 17688257

Paul Willis Learning To Labour

Paul Willis Learning To Labour Much has been written in the social sciences with regard to the role the education system plays within our society. Early investigations into the sociology of education tended to be written within the functionalist tradition with social thinkers such as Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons composing their theories within this framework. This perspective often viewed the education system as necessary for sustaining efficient economic growth and for creating a meritocratic society a society where the most talented and able individuals can rise through the social hierarchy according to their own ability. However, in recent years, social scientists have found the Marxist perspective more useful in understanding the connection between education, society and the economy. This perspective in general sees society as being a site of conflict between different groups; with education being another battleground where this conflict is acted out. The main function of education then in this context is to continue to reproduce the labour force. But more importantly that the education system favours and will benefit one social group over another namely the dominant and ruling class over the subordinate. This is perhaps a crude oversimplification of the Marxist case but it is important to have some understanding of this perspective with regard to education as this is the academic context in which Learning to Labour (1977) was undertaken. It is within this perspective that much of this essay will focus, as indeed it is the theoretical framework that Paul Willis is writing from. The aim of this paper is to critically engage with the themes and perspectives presented by Willis in his groundbreaking study on the sociology of education. Before we go on to discuss Learning to Labour it is perhaps important to start with some understanding of what came before; so as to highlight how Willis findings broke new ground and pushed the debate around education forward. Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis (1976) were writing just before Willis and their approach was very similar in that the thrust of their thesis was concerned with how education prepares pupils for their future roles within the labour market. However, their theories were very much formulated around the notion of direct reproduction and because of this they have exposed themselves to the usual criticisms of economic determinism. Willis offers a more sophisticated explanation. Although he acknowledges the existence of conflict within education he does not quite share Bowles and Gintis view that there exists a straight forward relationship between education and the economy. For Willis, schools are not nearly as successful in churning out a docile workforce as Bowel s and Gintis suggest. There is always the opportunity for resistance. The lads of Learning to Labour have managed to see through the ideological smoke screen of the school and reject it, while at the same time creating their own counter-school culture. The education system then is not simply a site for cultural reproduction but also a site of production; in that it has quite unintentionally created factors (in this case the counter-school culture) which are not particularly beneficial for the reproduction of capitalism. The school used by Willis is situated in a working class housing estate in an industrial town in the Midlands. Willis concentrated his study on a group of 12 working-class boys whom he followed through their last year of school and into the first few months at work. Willis soon found that these boys, who he referred to as the lads, had a distinct attitude towards their teachers and the school. Willis observed that they had developed their own unique culture which was diametrically opposed to the value system of the school. This counter-school culture of the lads blatantly rejected the authority of the school and ascribed no value to academic work and saw no use in the gaining of qualifications. Now it is important to understand what Willis means by the counter-school culture. The acknowledgement of an emergent counter-culture within the school is not in itself new (see Hargreaves, D. 1967) but what is significant about the way Willis uses this idea is that he examines the counter-culture within its wider social context. He quite brilliantly observes that the counter-school culture is not accidental, nor its style quite independent, nor its cultural skills unique or special and that it must be understood within the larger framework of working-class culture, particularly in relation to shopfloor culture. For Willis, the counter-school culture is rich with symbols and signs of resistance against the formal zone of the school. The lads have, in a symbolic act of sabotage, inverted the values that the school espouses and created their own value system which is in defiant opposition to the institution. This opposition is mainly countenanced through style, Willis notes: It [the counter-school culture] is lived out in countless small ways which are special to the school institution, instantly recognised by the teachers, and an almost ritualistic part of the daily fabric of life for the kids. (Willis, P. 1977:12) The counter-school culture is a very masculine domain where overt sexist and racist views are quite frequently expressed. The lads continually search out weakness in others and are skilful at undermining the authority of the teachers without it boiling over into outright confrontation. The conformist students are the lads main target after the teachers. The lads feel superior to them because they, unlike the earoles, have not surrendered their independence to the school they are still able to have a laff. It is this ability of being able to have a laff that is a defining characteristic of being a lad. It also marks them out from the earoles: we can make them laff, they cant make us laff. For Willis the laff is a multi-faceted implement of extraordinary importance in the counter-school culture and is a vital weapon in the lads arsenal in their continued struggle of the informal (counter-school) over the formal (school). This winning of symbolic and physical space from the school is illustrated further in the way that the lads seem to construct their own timetable. Through wagging off from classes and always trying to get away with doing the least amount of work, the lads have become highly skilled in exploiting and seizing control of the formal zone of the school. Cigarette smoking and openly drinking have also become valuable symbols of rebellion as it further marks the lads out from the school institution and instead shows them as belonging to the larger male working-class world. Ind eed Willis draws our attention to the similarities between the counter-school culture and shopfloor culture. He writes: The really central point about the working-class culture of the shopfloor is that, despite harsh conditions and external direction, people do look for meaning and impose frameworks. They exercise their abilities and seek enjoyment in activity, even where most controlled by other. They do, paradoxically, thread through the dead experience of work a living culture which is far from a simple reflex of defeat. This is the same fundamental taking hold of an alienating situation as one finds in counter-school culture and its attempt to weave a tapestry through the dry institutional text. (Willis, P. cited in Blackledge Hunt 1985:184) When the lads reach the end of their final term and the prospect of work awaits them they remain indifferent to the type of manual unskilled labour they will go on to do. They understand that most manual work in industry is basically the same; very little skill is required and offers no satisfaction. The best the lads can hope for is an apprenticeship or clerical work, however such jobs seem to offer little but take a lot. Although the lads might not be able to articulate it, in some respects they do have some understanding of the workings of capitalism. Willis calls these insights penetrations, where the lads have been able to see through the ideological fog created by the capitalist system. An example of this is present in the way that the counter-school culture places no value in the attainment of qualifications through certificates. The conformist student may be convinced by educations meritocratic faà §ade and the promise of upward mobility but the lads know better, they are aw are that a few can make ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the class can never follow. They understand that individual success will not ultimately change the position of the working-class, and that only through the collective action of the group will this be achieved. This is articulated by the lads in the way that they place an important emphasis on loyalty within the group, as Willis observes the essence of being one of the lads lies with the group. The group always comes first and the rejection of qualifications is a rejection of the individualistic nature of the school, which creates competition between class mates with the proliferation of individual awards through exams. As Willis puts it: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is unwise for working-class kids to place their trust in diplomas and certificates. These things act not to push people up as in the official account but to maintain there those who are already at the top (Willis, 1977:128). Although they may have some understanding of capitalism, Willis contends that while some penetrations have been made the lads still have not fully seen through all of capitalisms ideological justifications. They do not possess a complete overview of how capitalism works to exploit them. In some respects the lads are unwitting conspirators in their own exploitation in that they are far too willing to enter the world of manual work; and in doing so they enter an exploitative system which will ultimately entrap them. Their attitude towards women and ethnic minorities is also destructive. They serve only to divide the working-class making it that much easier to control. For Willis then, it is quite wrong to picture working-class culture or consciousness optimistically as the vanguard in the great march towards rationality and socialism. The lads of Learning to Labour may have realised their own alienation but ultimately it is their own decisions which have trapped them in these exploitative jobs. Willis has tried to make it clear that rather than being a site for the reproduction of one dominant ideology; the school can be a place where contradictory ideologies come together in conflict. With this study Willis shows us that it is the lads resistance to school, with the forming of a counter-school culture, that has prepared them for their future roles within the labour force. Their indifference to school and their behaviour in class has paradoxically prepared the lads for the manual unskilled work which they will go on to do. So in this sense education does reproduce the labour force required by capitalism. But it is done not directly and perhaps unintentionally and most importantly of all; not without a degree of resistance and struggle. The counter-school culture of the lads, as we have seen, is not beneficial to the reproduction of capitalism, but at the same time it is not particularly harmful. Willis has shown that reproduction is not a simple process with external economic structures manipulating submissive subjects. He is very critical of these structuarlist accounts. As he says: Social agents are not passive bearers of ideology, but active appropriators who reproduce existing structures only through struggle, contestation and a partial penetration of those structures. Paul Willis ethnographic investigation has been hailed a landmark study by educators and social theorist alike (Giddens 1984, McRobbie 1978). Indeed any detailed discussion on the sociology of education, subcultures or even deviancy within society would seem redundant if there was no reference to Learning to Labour. One writer has remarked that Willis has provided the model on which most subsequent cultural studies investigation within education has been based. However, this does not mean that he is exempt from criticism. David Blackledge and Barry Hunt (1985) take issue with a number Willis conclusions. Firstly they find some of his evidence unconvincing can the lads really be representative of the working-class in general? All the pupils at the school are from working-class families including the earoles (who are clearly in the majority); surely they are more representative of working-class values and attitudes. Blackledge and Hunt argue that the values of the conformist students, with their emphasis on academic work, are as much working-class in nature as those of the counter-culture. To support this claim they point to a similar study by David Hargreaves (1967) in which he found a significant delinquent sub-culture existing in a secondary school. Like the school of Willis study, the pupils where predominantly working-class (their fathers were in manual occupations) and he observed that the school was divided into two sub-cultures: the delinquescent and the academic. However, unlike Willis, Hargre aves does note that there can be a blurring of the two categories with some students within the academic group displaying delinquent behaviour from time to time. But more importantly Hargreaves maintains that the attitudes of the academic group are consistent with the values of a large section of the working-class. So in this light Blackledge and Hunt remain unconvinced that the values of the lads are the same as the working-class as a whole. They also have trouble excepting the simple dichotomy which is at the heart of this study that there exists just two main groups, the lads and the earoles. For them this does not really do justice to the diversity of the real world in that [Willis] would have us believe in a one-dimensional world in which there are those who want an education, and those who enjoy life. It never seems to occur to him that these pursuits can be combined, and that the person who takes an interest in his or her education is not, thereby, dull, obsequious and a soc ial conformist. Despite these criticisms Learning to Labour has remained an influential and much discussed text. In fact despite being written from a cultural studies perspective its influence is particularly strong within sociology. It is within Marxism that its significance has been most far reaching however. It has encouraged Marxist writers to re-evaluate their approach to the understanding of education; paying specific attention to the different factors at play instead of providing simplistic explanations of the role of education within society. Willis is very critical of structuarlist accounts which have a tendency to see subjects as passive bearers of ideology who mindlessly reproduce the status-quo. Willis has given social agents the ability to reject the dominant ideological discourses and to resist in the reproduction of existing exploitative structures. Learning to Labour has sometimes been described as a pessimistic book but I can not help but bring a positive interpretation to the text. It is true that ultimately it is the lads own choices that lead them to some of the most exploitative jobs that capitalism has to offer. But by simply having that choice it does allow for the possibility of change. As Willis himself says there is always the possibility of making practices not inevitable by understanding them. This, I would argue, is the key thread which runs through Learning to Labour; by understanding the reasons for the forming of a counter-school culture can we bring about positive changes which will be beneficial to everyone and not just the lads. Perhaps Willis is guilty of using too many Marxist terms uncritically. The way he employs the category of social class within Learning to Labour is maybe a little outdated now. It is not a stable, fixed construct it is more fluid than Willis allows for with an interlinking between race and gender etc. Similarly at times he is arguably guilty of slipping back into traditional Marxist territory with the idea of the state being subservient to capitalist class is that still (if it ever was) the reality? Within a globalised world power is more dispersed and not concentrated in the hands of one ruling bloc; but instead there are perhaps different organised groups competing for power. Economic and informational flows can freely transcend national boundaries it is argued (Giddens 1994) that globalisation has acted to decentralise power preventing any one group from wielding too much economic and ideological control. However, it is to the credit of Paul Willis that his investigation has re mained relevant and important twenty-eight years after it was first published. It is still considered a model example of ethnographic research and has encouraged many other ethnographic studies whose emphasis was on style, resistance and cultural symbols (See McRobbie 1978, Hebdige 1979). Indeed, Anthony Giddens (1984) structuration theory which sees subjects as knowledgeable and active agents owes a considerable debt to the insights made by Willis in Learning to Labour.