Midterm Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Midterm - Assignment Example Some of the code’s provisions do not sound fair, for example, a code number 2. It states that an employee of Ashland University, who has responsibilities with respect to education loans, or any agent, shall not accept any gift from a lender, guarantor, or servicer of education loans. This is quite unfair owing to the fact that, at times, an employee can be awarded just for services well rendered and refusal to accept it might be taken as rudeness by the giver (Holloway, 2011). A loan can also be given to an employee on the basis of need and not on any favor’s basis; hence, it turns out to be inconsiderate on the side of the employees (Holloway, 2011). Code number 6 forbids the institution from borrowing loans from various parties. This happens to be quite unfair basing on the fact that once in a while the bank may happen to be down financially and the loan might be of great help. There is no crime in asking for the loan as long as the payment is guaranteed. Is any part of the code routinely violated? The rule on accepting gifts from lenders is often violated. Why do you think these violations occur? The human part of a person finds it hard to resist a gift just because of professionalism. At times, one gets into a problem and is in a real need of a loan and the only option is the forbidden party, hence goes ahead and breaks the code. What are the usual consequences of such violations? The consequences of such violations can be tough. The most common is being sacked.

Environmental Scanning Essay Example for Free

Environmental Scanning Essay Everyone in Pakistan well as many sitting thousands of miles away, the business community too is waiting to exhale. And so, all that’s visible in the run up to the precise moment – General Elections 2013 – are lots of breathlessly red faces. Generally, election year produces diametrically opposing reactions within the public and private sectors. While the incumbent seeks to woo fickle voters through last ditch spending (think: poverty alleviation, development projects, etc.), the private sector often buries its head and its wallet in the sand until the storm of unpredictability has passed. Consequently, the business outlook for 2013 will remain depressingly unexciting until the new government settles down. The global recession isn’t going away anytime soon and the IMF recently cut global growth forecasts for 2013 to 3.6%, down from its earlier estimate of 3.9%. Although the Pakistani Government is doing its best to convince anyone who will listen that it is going to manage ‘four’ percent growth in the coming year, nobody is really convinced. The Government doesn’t really have the money to spend. Public revenues – proposed tax amnesty schemes notwithstanding – are low; the fiscal deficit is 8.2% and, to make ends meet, the Government is borrowing heavily from the banking sector. For decent growth, the Government needs a tax-to-GDP ratio in the vicinity of 16%; all it can muster at present is 9.1%. While inflation has finally been brought into the single digit realm, few are deluded enough to imagine it will last. First, global commodity prices (particularly oil) are still heading upwards. Second, with just enough forex reserves left for three months of imports and no bilateral or multilateral donor rushing to save Pakistan from Islamabad, the rupee is poised to come under serious pressure. (In November alone, Pakistan had to repay a staggering $616 million to the IMF.) Third, the Government has the State Bank printing Rs 1.5 billion a day. All inflationary enough on their own, the combined effect of these three will make for a very painful and prolonged hangover . Further, savings are low and the cash flush banks are too busy throwing rupees at the Government to bother with the few businesses that would be willing to invest in Pakistan prior to elections. Simply put, banks would much rather bolster their profits by lending to an insatiable but dependable Government than lend to the brilliant but risky private sector. Significantly, while the  Central Bank has now cut its policy rate by a cumulative 200 basis points since August, its critics are still unhappy with the decision. Their first bone of contention is that the temporarily low inflation numbers do not merit monetary easing and the State Bank is just making it cheaper for the Government to borrow more rather than hauling it up for doing so. Further, they cite data on private sector credit off take that shows that the same actually declined after the deep cut in August (150 basis points) while Government borrowing increased. Businesses, on the other hand, say that interest rates are st ill too high to consider investing. (Foreign investment, of course, requires a climate unavailable in a frontline state in the war against terrorism.) While the specific merits of this allegation can be argued over, the business environment in the country presents a series of uncontroverted and inescapable realities that dilute the impact of the high cost of borrowing. There are obviously those who cry about energy shortages, the unpredictability of supply and the fear that the dollar-rupee exchange rates will cross Rs 100 by June 2013. There are others who moan about the law and order situation and the fact that extortion levels jump up dramatically in the run-up to an election as political parties gather funds for electioneering. But first and foremost is the fact that the entire country is in a state of political flux and the economy is teetering on the brink of a full blown crisis. Typically, investment – be it the setting up of large projects or just the import of new machines for spinning – has a significant gestation period. An investor, who can’t predict whether his deals with the current Government will be honored by the next or what the duty structure will look like by the time his machines come in, is generally wary and prefers to sit on the sidelines until he gets more clarity. Take the example of the energy sector. The long, sizzling summer of 2012 and the frequency of power riots across the country clearly showed that Pakistan has graduated from being energy insecure to an energy crisis state. Throughout this period, the Government and its ministers frequently spoke of the need for more energy related projects, alternative energy and what not at much touted ‘energy conferences’. At various points during the year, the import of energy from even Iran and India were discussed. Clearly, there is significant unmet demand and correspondingly, great returns in the business. Theoretically then, given that energy infrastructure projects take ages to  mobilise, investors should be queuing up to begin these before the summer of 2013. But while a few canny, deep pocketed investors are making ambitious plans, even they are not committing money to these projects just yet. Clearly, the top priority, for even those investors who are mostly immune to political persecution because of their wealth and/or influence, is political stability. This stability, however, refers not only to the political parties that form governments but also the nature of the economic policies they pursue. If an investor raises $200 million to set up an LNG import business, for example, he needs to know what the returns will be and how long the government intends to buy the product for and in the absence of this certainty; no one will cough up the cash. Key External Factors Business, now-a-days is vitally affected by the economic, social, legal, technological and political factors. These factors collectively form business environment. Business environment, as such, is the total of all external forces, which affect the organization and operations of business. The environment of an organization has got internal, operational and general lives managers must be aware of these three environmental levels and their relationship and importance. The term business environment implies those external forces, factors and institutions that are beyond the control of individual business organizations and their management and affect the business enterprise. Business environment influence the functioning of the business system. Thus, business environment may be defined as all those conditions and forces which are external to the business and are beyond the individual business unit, but it operates within it. These forces are customer, creditors, competitors, government, socio-cultural organizations, political parties national and international organizations etc. some of those forces affect the business directly which some others have indirect effect on the business. 5 Key External Factors: * Economic Forces * Social, Cultural, Demographic and Environmental Forces * Political, Governmental and Legal Forces * Technological Forces * Competitive Forces Economic Forces: Economic environment refers to the aggregate of the nature of economic system of the country, the structural anatomy of the economy to economic policies of the government the organization of the capital market, the nature of factor endowment, business cycles, the socio-economic infrastructure etc. The successful businessman visualizes the external factors affecting the business, anticipating the prospective market situations and makes suitable to get the maximum with minimize cost. Social, Cultural, Demographic and Environmental Forces: The social dimension or environment of a nation determines the value system of the society which, in turn affects the functioning of the business. Sociological factors such as costs structure, customs and conventions, cultural heritage, view toward wealth and income and scientific methods, respect for seniority, mobility of labor etc. have far-reaching impact on the business. These factors determine the work culture and mobility of labor, work groups etc. For instance, the nature of goods and services to be produced depends upon the demand of the people which in turn is affected by their attitudes, customs, so as cultural values fashion etc. Socio-cultural environment determines the code of conduct the business should follow. The social groups such as trade unions or consumer forum will intervene if the business follows the unethical practices. Political, Governmental and Legal Forces: The political environment of a country is influenced by the political organizations such as philosophy of political parties, ideology of government or party in power, nature and extent of bureaucracy influence of primary groups etc. political stability in the country, foreign policy, Defense and military policy, image of the country and its leaders in and outside the country. The political environment of the country influences the business to a great extent. Legal environment includes flexibility and adaptability of law and other legal rules governing the business. It may include the exact rulings and decision of the courts. These affect the business and its managers to a great extent. Technological Forces: The business in a country is greatly influenced by the technological development. The technology adopted by the industries determines the type and quality of goods and services to be produced and the type and quality of plant and equipment to be used. Technological environment influences the business in terms of investment in technology, consistent application of technology and the effects of technology on markets. Competitive Forces: * Globalization of corporations, knowledge, products, consumers, and communication. * Growing competition within and across countries, amongst domestic companies, and between domestic and transnational companies. * Link between international trade and international labor standards and parallel efforts to secure labor market flexibility through relaxation of labor laws and standards for stimulating investment, both domestic and foreign * Speedy flow of information, capital, and innovation throughout the world. * Rising expectations of all stakeholders. * Easy access to the best and the least expensive products and services, worldwide. * Rapid pace of change ( £If the rate of change in our organization/society is slower than the rate of change outside the organization/society, we will be led by others.’) * Faster response time (As Smajda of the World Economic Forum avers, the days of big fish eating small fish are over. It is the fast fish which swallows the small fish.’) * Growing socio-economic inequity. Now, we are going to discuss about different sectors which are affected by these key external factors and take opportunities to it but threats are also exists. * Service Sector * Agriculture Sector * Telecom Industry * Cement Industry Service Sector Services sector is largest and fastest growing sector in the world economy, accounting largest share in total output and employment in most developed countries. In case of Pakistan, the shares of services are increasing in all sectors of economy over the period. In fact, the growth rate of services sector is higher than the growth rate of agriculture and industrial sector. The Services sector has registered a growth rate of 4.0 percent during July-March of the fiscal year 2011 12 against 4.4 percent last year. It is dominated by Finance and Insurance at 6.5 percent, Social and Community Services 6.8 percent and Wholesale and Retail Trade 3.6 percent. I. Distributive Services: Transport, Storage and Communications * Railways * Water Transport * Air Transport * Pipeline Transport * Road Transport * Mechanized * Non- Mechanized * Communications * Storage * Water Transport Wholesale, Retail Trade and Hotels and Restaurants * Wholesale and Retail Trade including * Imports * Purchase and Sale Agents and Brokers * Auctioning II. Producer Services: Financial Institution * State Bank of Pakistan * Commercial Bank * Other Financial Intermediaries * Insurance Corporations and Pension Funds III. Social Services: Public Administration and Defense Social Community and Private Services * Education * Medical and Health Services Environmental Scanning: Economic Forces The Services sector contributes 53.8% to Pakistan’s GDP. Its major sub sectors are Finance and Insurance, Transport and Storage, Wholesale and Retail Trade, Public Administration and Defense. Services contribution to our GDP is gradually increasing. During the current period of financial downturn, the services sector has been a major contributor to growth. Pakistan’s GDP grew at the rate of 2.4%in 2010-11. The services sector grew at the rate of 4.1% as against 2.9% last year. The main contributors to this growth are public admin and defense (13.2%) and social services sector (7.1%) A cursory look on the composition of subsectors that contribute most to the services sector shows that retail trade, wholesale trade, research and educational consultancy services, restaurants and hotels, financial, construction, and some business services, such as computer and information technology (IT) services, and professional services, such as engineering, legal and accounting services, IT and related services have been most significant. Banks, DFIs and insurance companies, account for 98 percent of value added in this sector. The finance and insurance sector comprises State Bank of Pakistan, all scheduled (domestic and foreign banks) development financial institutions (DFIs), all insurance (life and general) companies, Modaraba/leasing companies, moneychangers and stock exchange brokers. The financial sub-sector consists of all resident corporations principally engaged in financial intermediations or in auxiliary financial activities related to finance. Social, Cultural and Demographic Forces Demography and lifestyle changes have the major contribution to increase in the growth of consumer demand of services. Pakistan’s consumption data shows that the demand of services is increasing over the time. During the 1985-86 people spent more of their income on goods then services. A number of factors such as income growth, changing demographic profile due to more urbanization, and the socio-economic environment are having its impact on retail scene. Pakistan retail is currently a virgin territory. This is more important in view of the large number of middle class population and available high-disposable income in the age group 25-35 years. Successful Retail Chains like Hyper star, Metro Makro has opened the avenues for the upcoming retailers. In Lahore, large numbers of households do the grocery shopping at Hyper star, Jalal sons, Alfatah, HKB, Metro, Makro and CSD. This shows the changing lifestyle and shopping preferences of the urban population of Pakistan. This retail growth is also supported by the increasing literacy rate in Pakistan; current urban population is more educated than their ancestors and has a better understanding of retailer influences on shopping as the larger retailer give quality assurances to consumers. Political, Governmental and Legal Forces Governments around the globe are gradually coming online using processes in which Information and Communications Technology (ICT) play an active and significant role, beyond simple digitalization, or automation of governance  services, or provision of LANs, since it is ultimately a tool for good governance and human development. The main objectives of e-Governance are to increase transparency of government working, increase and diversify public information and its value, and increase the quality of products and services being currently offered. This helps reduce high transaction costs (in terms of time, efforts and opportunities lost) by timely and relevant access to government information, especially for those who are disadvantaged or marginalized or living in remote rural areas. Services are still identified with line ministries and government departments; there is increasing recognition amongst policymakers for improvements in skill levels in many sectors and for a departure from inward-looking policies. In view of the dramatic changes in the services sector, regulatory and policy issues have continued to gain importance in policy-making circles for the last 15 years. Technological Forces Technology allows businesses to do everything faster. Many processes that once required ledgers, checkbooks and journal notations have now moved onto computer systems. Logging in and out, updating inventory information and communicating can now are happening much more swiftly. Technology moves very quickly, constantly evolving and creating new devices and faster systems. Businesses note these changes and attempt to move with technology, adapting it to their present and future needs. Pakistan has seen an explosive growth in the ICT sector in the last few years with deregulation and ending of the monopolies of the state sector. The number of mobile phones achieved their 2007 target two years earlier, and the recent deregulation of long distance (LDI) wireless local loops (WLL), other sections have served to provide faster, better and wide coverage, all at lower costs. Competitive Forces Of the non-factors input used by the services sectors, 61.1 percent were  purchased from commodity producing sectors, suggesting strong backward linkages of services with commodity producing sectors. Of the total purchases from the commodity sectors, 73.9 percent were purchased from manufacturing sector, followed by 14.6 percent from construction, and 7.7 percent from electricity and gas sectors. The service sectors purchases from agriculture sector account for 3.3 percent of total purchases from commodity sectors. About 76.5 percent of services sector (public administration and defiance, 40.6 percent and transport and communications 35.9 percent) made purchases from the commodity producing sectors respectively. Forward linkages the shares of individual service sectors in total purchases from commodity producing sectors are agriculture 28.1 percent, mining and manufacturing 70.2 percent, electricity and gas distribution 1.0 percent, and construction 0.7 percent. Technology also increases the possibility of crime. A tech-savvy employee can embezzle funds and make it difficult for the company to trace. Hackers can access personal and financial data of customers who trust the company to keep their information safe. Agriculture Sector Agriculture: Agriculture, also called farming or husbandry, is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food, fiber, biofuel and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. Agriculture generally speaking refers to human activities, although it is also observed in certain species of ant and termite. The word agriculture is the English adaptation of Latin agricultÃ… «ra, from ager, a field, and  cultÃ… «ra, cultivation in the strict sense of tillage of the soil. Thus, a literal reading of the word yields tillage of fields. Agriculture Sector in Pakistan: Pakistan has a rich and vast natural resource base, covering various ecological and climatic zones; due to which the country has great potential for producing all types of food produce. Agriculture has an important role in generating economic growth. Agriculture affects the economy in three ways namely, first, it provides food to consumers and fibers for domestic industry; second, it is a source of scarce foreign exchange earnings; and third, it provides a market for industrial goods. Agriculture Sector is a key sector of the economy and accounts for 21 percent of GDP. The supportive policies of the government resulted in a growth of 3.1 percent against 2.4 percent last year. Major Crops registered an accelerating growth of 3.2 percent compared to a negative growth of 0.2 percent last year. The major crops including Cotton, Sugarcane and Rice witnessed growth in production of 18.6 percent, 4.9 percent and 27.7 percent respectively. However, preliminary estimates of wheat production showed a negative growth due to late receding of flood waters in lower Sindh which hampered the timely cultivation of the wheat crop. Livestock has witnessed a marginally higher growth of 4.0 percent against the growth of 3.97 percent last year. Fisheries sector showed a growth of 1.8 percent. Forestry recorded a growth of 0.95 percent as compared to the contraction of 0.40 percent last year. The total geographical area of Pakistan is 79.6 million hectares. About 27percent of the area is currently under cultivation. Of this area, 80 percent is irrigated and Pakistan has one of the highest proportions of irrigated cropped area in the world. Most of Pakistan is classified as arid to semi-arid because rainfall is not sufficient to grow agricultural crops, forest and fruit plants and pastures. About 68 percent of the geographical area has annual rainfall of 250 mm, whereas about 24 percent has annual rainfall of251 to 500 mm. Only 8 percent of the geographical area has annual rainfall exceeding 500 mm. Hence supplemental water is required for profitable agricultural production, either from irrigation or through water harvesting. Agriculture is largely dependent on artificial means of  irrigation. Of the total cultivated area, about 82 percent or around 17.58 million hectares is irrigated, while crop production in the remaining 3.96 million hectares depends mainly upon rainfall. The Irrigation Canal Command Area (CCA) has been grouped into classes on the basis of the nature and severity of its limitations water logging, salinity, sodality and texture. At present about one-fifth of the cultivated land in CCA is affected by water logging and salinity to varying degrees. An additional area of 2.8 million hectares suffers from sodality. Notwithstanding huge investments, the water table was 0 to 1.5 m under 2.2 million hectares of irrigated land, 1.5 to 3 m under6 million hectares and 0to 3 m under 8 million hectares. Thus Pakistan needs to overhaul its entire drainage and reclamation strategy reduces its cost and makes it efficient. Environmental Scanning: Economic Forces Flooding in 2011, affected crops like rice, cotton and sugarcane, although in the current year, 2011-12, they performed well and provided support and continued to support food security objectives this year. The agriculture sector recorded a growth of 3.1 percent in 2011-12. The profitability of agriculture sector during 2011-12, remained high because the farmers received good prices for rice, cotton and sugarcane, which allowed for greater financial resources passed on to the rural economy. During 2011-12, the overall performance of agriculture sector exhibited a growth of 3.1 percent mainly due to positive growth in agriculture related subsectors, except minor crops. Major crops accounted for 31.9 percent of agricultural value added and experienced a growth of 3.2 percent in fiscal year 2011-12 with negative growth of 0.2 percent in 2011. The role of credit is instrumental in the agriculture sector where Pakistani farmers often lack finances necessary for carrying out vital farming activities. This issue, if not addressed, can cause a multitude of problems, ranging from the exploitation of poor farmers at the hands of informal sources of credit, to a slowdown in the adoption of modern farming techniques and inputs, resulting in slow development of this chief sector of our economy. Social, Cultural and Demographic Forces Agriculture generates productive employment opportunities for 45 percent of the country’s labor force and 60 percent of the rural population depends upon this sector for its livelihood. * Established 40 surveillance and 66 rapid response units (RRUs). * Processed 0.4 million samples of blood, tissues and swabs for screening against Avian Influenza * Establishment of the Bio security Laboratory-3 is under process * Disbursed Rs. 23.5 million as compensation to Avian Influenza affected farmers Pakistan is maintaining Avian Influenza (bird flu) free status since June 2008 million tons was from marine production and the remaining came from inland waters. In July-March, 2010-11 the production was estimated to be 937,082 million tons, where 672,652 million tons was marine and the remaining was produced by inland fishery sector. Recognizing the vital role the sector plays in ensuring food security, generating overall economic growth, reducing poverty and the transforming towards industrialization. Political, Legal and Governmental Forces The present government is determined to improve the quality of life of the people and to banish hunger and malnutrition from the country by making agriculture an efficient, productive and profitable sector of the economy. In order to improve governance in the public sector the government took bold steps and brought in the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of 1973. Accordingly, Ministries performing tasks which were provincial subjects were devolved from the Federal level, including the Ministry of Food and agriculture. Two major steps in order to solve the food security issues on a permanent basis; The first step is the establishment of the National Food Security Council representing Federal, Provincial and local level Governments. Secondly, through a Letter of Intent the Ministry, in collaboration with World Food Program, is launching the Zero Hunger Program  worth US $ 1.6 billion to address the food security objective. A total of 290 veterinary clinics have been established providing veterinary services at 70 percent reduced costs to rural farmers at their door steps i.e. 100 percent achievement. Technological Forces The Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCRD) is engaged in providing seed certification coverage to public and private sector seed companies of the country. It provides seed quality control services through its 28 seed testing laboratories as well as monitoring of seed quality in the market. The activities and achievements of the department during 2011-12 are described below: * During the year 2011-12, forty-five (45) new seed companies were registered, making the total number of registered seed companies in the country 774, which includes four public sector and five multinational companies. * Twenty-two (22) new crop varieties were approved {(5) wheat, (11) cotton, (3) oilseeds, (2) pulses and (1) fodder}. * During 2011-12, different crops offered by the various seed agencies, totaling 502.6 thousand acres, were inspected for certification purposes. * During 2011-12, a total of 13.7 MT of imported seed of various crops and hybrids, with a total value of Rs. 3287.6 million, was tested under the Seed (Truth in Labeling) Rules. 1991 at the port of entries i.e. Lahore and Karachi. * Almost 718 samples of seed and propagating material of various vegetable and fruit crops were tested at the Central Seed Testing Laboratory, Islamabad for detection of fungal and viral disease using latest diagnosis techniques and protocols. The Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCRD) is engaged in providing seed certification coverage to public and private sector seed companies of the country. It provides seed quality control services through its 28 seed testing laboratories as well as monitoring of seed quality in the market. Competitive Forces Pakistan is member of the Cairns Group (an alliance of 18 countries looking for ambitious outcome in the Market Access areas), G-20 (group for safeguarding interest of developing countries in agriculture negotiations) and the G-33 (group of developing countries and LDCs aiming to get preferential terms in Market Access and Special and Differential treatment). In negotiations on market access, domestic support and export competition, Pakistan’s stance is supportive of the G-20 collective position. Pakistan strongly supports improvement in market access by reducing tariffs, reducing tariff escalation, and eliminating tariff peaks. Pakistan also works closely with the Cairns Group on tropical products issues. Pakistan has entered into Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with China, Malaysia and Sri Lanka and has exchanged a draft FTA with Singapore which includes an investment protection clause. In addition to WTO membership, Pakistan is party to two agreements for regional trade liberalization. The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) comprised of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan; and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) with India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives. A Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) have been in place between Pakistan and the United States since July 2003. Both countries are now negotiating a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). Telecom Industry Telecommunication: Word Telecommunication has two parts. One is Tele and other is Communication. Communication means conveying or disseminating the information. Word Tele is a Latin word which means far off. Telecommunication is the dissemination of signals to a far palace for the purpose of sharing some message or idea. In ancient time codes, smokes, drums or other components were used for conveying information but now a day telephones, fax, emails etc is used. So now the new definition of Telecommunication states sharing of data over a distance, through electric means. Telecom Sector in the World: In this fastest growing world information flows through the signals and cables in form voice or text. Telecommunication is not just bringing the people together but it is also bringing different economies, cultures and countries together. Now we can see the whole world as a Global Village. Now Telecommunication is an essential part of our lives. With the Expansion of this sector, the world has gained about $3.85 trillion in year 2008. And the service revenues have reached about $2 Trillion and Expected to reach the level of $3 Trillion in 2013. And this revenue is about 3% of the World GDP. The major part of telecom sector is internet and Telephones. Telecom Sector in Pakistan: Pakistan is on the verge of Telecom revolution Pakistan continues to be one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world. Reforms introduced by successive Pakistani governments over the last decade have dramatically changed the nature of telecommunications in the country. The Pakistani telecom sector has attracted more than $9 billion in foreign investments. During 2007-08, the Pakistani Communication sector alone received $ 1.62 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) – about 30% of the country’s total foreign direct investment. By March 2009, Pakistan had 91 million mobile subscribers – 25 million more subscribers than reported in the same period 2008. In addition to 3.1 million fixed lines, while as many as 2.4 million are using Wireless Local Loop connections Pakistan is ranked 4th in terms of broadband Internet growth in the world, as the subscriber base of broadband Internet has been increasing rapidly with the total base crossing 170,000 in the country. The rankings are released by Point Topic Global broadband analysis, a global research centre. Pakistan according to PC World was amongst those top five countries with the highest SMS traffic processed with 763 million SMS during 2008-09. In terms of year-on-year growth, Pakistan traffic volume grew by 253 percent compared to last year during the same period. The contribution of telecom sector to the national exchequer increased to Rs 110 billion in the year 2007-08 on account of general sales tax, activation charges and other steps as compared to Rs 100 billion in the year 2006-07.Pakistan telecom industry is handling the telecom companies  which are operating at this time like Mobilink, Ufone, Warid, Telenor, Zong etc†¦

Conditions for the Haber Process

Conditions for the Haber Process In this essay I will find out what are the best conditions for the production of the maximum yield in the Haber process, by running simulations of the Haber process at different conditions to determine the best conditions. From the Experiment I found that the lowest temperature possible and the highest pressure possible would provide the best conditions to operate the Haber process at for the maximum yield possible. Introduction The Haber process is an important Process used in chemical Industry to manufacture Ammonia from Nitrogen and Hydrogen that originate in the air. The reason why its very important is it turns an inert gas Nitrogen (N2) and a very volatile and reactive gas Hydrogen (H2) into ammonia which is a stable compound but reactive enough to be used in different aspects. Why was the Haber process discovered? During the First World War Britain Cut off Germany Supply route to Chiles salt peter natural deposits. Since the Allies (Russian Empire,  United Kingdom,  France,  Canada,  Australia,  Italy, the  Empire of Japan,  Portugal  and the  United States) has gained control over the natural deposits of saltpetre from natural deposits found in Chile, therefore cutting off Germanys access to materials that the needed to produce necessary items such as food, guns, bombs other war materials.   Germany has to find ways to produce its own hence the Haber process which was discovered in 1909 by a German chemist named Fritz Haber to produce ammonia was set into industrial scale in 1913; the produced ammonia was later processed into a Synthetic Form of Chile saltpetre Introduction The Haber process is the process that uses extracted nitrogen from the atmosphere and reacts the nitrogen (N2) gas would react with 3 moles of hydrogen (H2) gas by using a medium temperature around 473K-673K (200- 400 °C) High atmospheric pressures such as 250 atmospheres (25331250 Pascal) and a catalyst to create ammonia (NH3). Due to advancements made to technology we are able to do reaction at extremely high temperatures such as 2300K (2026 °C) and we know that a reaction occurs faster when conducted at the highest temperature possible but the Haber processs success is not calculated on the speed of the reaction but on the yield of the ammonia that is produced during the reaction. Although increasing the temperate would surly increase the rate of reaction in a normal forward reaction the problem with using this method on the Haber process is its not a normal forward reaction type of reaction but is an equilibrium type of reaction. The Chateliers Principle states increasing the temperature will cause the equilibrium position to shift to the left side of the reaction resulting in a lower yield of ammonia because the forward reaction is exothermic. N2(g) nitrogen + 3H2(g) hydrogen Very High heat, Low pressure, catalyst 2NH3(g) ammonia Reducing the temperature will cause the equilibrium system to change the point of equilibrium to minimise the effect of the change, and hence it will produce more heat due to an increase the exothermic reaction therefore causing the wanted increase in the yield of ammonia. N2(g) nitrogen + 3H2(g) hydrogen Low heat, High pressure, catalyst 2NH3(g) ammonia However, the rate of the reaction at very lower temperatures is exceptionally slow, and so a higher temperature should be used to increase the speed of the reaction which results in a lower yield of ammonia but a temperature low enough to create more ammonia than use in the reverse reaction hence we have the final equation is an which an above normal ammonia production. N2(g) nitrogen + 3H2(g) hydrogen High Temperature, Low pressure, catalyst http://www.avogadro.co.uk/chemeqm/eqm_sign.gif   2NH3(g) ammonia Increasing the pressure condition of the haber chamber causes the equilibrium position to shift to the right resulting in an increased yield of ammonia because ammonia has more gas molecules (more moles) on the left hand side or the forward reaction of the equation (4 in total 3 Hydrogen and 1 Nitrogen) than there are on the right hand side or backwards reaction of the equation (2 in total 2NH3). N2(g) nitrogen + 3H2(g) hydrogen High Temperature, Low pressure, catalyst 2NH3(g) ammonia Increasing the pressure means the system will have to adjust to reduce the effect of the change, which is reducing the pressure built up by reducing the amount of moles that can be located in the equilibrium reaction. Uses as ammonia One of nitrogens upper most important uses is in making ammonia (NH3), which is a colourless gas with a strong odour, similar to the smell of urine because urine contain some most definitely contains ammonia. The production of ammonia changes the non oxidation properties of nitrogen as the Oxidation reaction. Pharmaceuticals Used in the manufacture of drugs such as sulphonamide which inhibit the growth and multiplication of bacteria buy the removal of replacing the aminobenzoic acid for the synthesis of folic acids and minerals as well as vitamins and thiamine. Fertilizer An important usage of ammonia is in the making of fertilizers. Ammonia can be used directly as fertilizer by adding it to irrigation water because plants need a good supply of nitrogen in order to grow and which ammonia is able to provide. It is also used to produce the urea (NH2CONH2), which is also used as a fertilizer. Another important use of ammonia is to create nitric acid (HNO3), which is then also used to make fertilizer. The Haber Process didnt lonely provide the Germans with Saltpetre but revolutionized the agriculture industry with an increased yield in crop production enabling them to continue. Cleaning Products Many people use household ammonia as a disinfectant. Nitric acid-made form ammonia-is used in explosives. Ammonia is also used in the plastic industry and as a feed supplement for livestock. The dipole moment of this compound and this is consistent with its geometry, a triangular pyramid due to its electronic arrangement obeying the octet rule, Four pairs of electrons three bonding pairs and one lone pair repel each other giving the molecule the triangular pyramid shape of bond angles of 107 degrees is close to the tetrahedral angle of 109.5 degrees. The electronic arrangement of the valence electrons in nitrogen is described as sp3 hybridization of atomic orbitals. The NH3 molecules and their ability to make hyrodgen bonds explains thir polarity and high solubility of ammonia in water. A chemical reaction occurs when ammonia dissolues in water as it acts as a base acquiring a hydrogen ion from H2O to ammonium and hydroxides ions NH3(aq) + H2O(l) http://www.avogadro.co.uk/chemeqm/eqm_sign.gif NH4+(aq) + OH-(aq) The production of hydroxide ions when ammonia dissolves in water gives the solution of ammonia its alkaline characteristics (basic properties), The double arrow in the equation states that an equilibrium has been reached between the dissolved ammonia gas and ammonium ions The ammonium ion acts as a weak acid aqueous solution because it dissociates to form Hydrogen ion and ammonia. (Shakhashiri, 2008) This is why dissolved ammonia is used in cleaning products because its able to react with both and acid stain and alkaline stain meaning its an all round cleaning products even though the acid is weak its strong enough to deal with domestic stains. Explosives Sodium Nitrate is a Chemical compound with the chemical compound of NaNo3 has been referred to as Chile saltpetre before. And is produced by a reaction of a metal and an acid to produce a salt and is highly soluble in water. (Quote) Sodium Nitrate can be used as a fertilizer and as a material from the production of explosive gunpowder. Naturally gun powder is a rapid burning compound made of Carbon (C12) potassium nitrate, KNO3 and Sulfur and is used in guns because of its capacity to burn in a rapidly producing enough pressure to propel a bullet and not explode. (Quote) Sodium nitrate has antimicrobial properties when used as a food preservative. It can be used in the production of nitric acid by combining it with sulfuric acid. It can used as a substitute oxidizer used in fireworks as a replacement for potassium nitrate commonly found in gun powder. Because sodium nitrate can be used as a Phase Change Material it may be used for heat transfer in solar power plants. Imporantance of Nitrogen Nitrogen gas (N2) is often used as a substitution for air which is a mixture of 78% nitrogen 78%), Oxygen 20%, and 1% of other gases such as Water Vapour Argon and Carbon dioxide (0.03%). where oxidation is unwanted. One area for use is to maintain the freshness to food products by packaging them in nitrogen gas to reduce the fermenting of food due to its properties for preventing oxidization which can cause Rancid unpleasant odour or taste of decomposing oils or fats (http://www.school-for-champions.com/chemistry/nitrogen_uses.htm). Argon has been used as replacement for air in light bulbs to prevent the heated tungsten filament from reacting with the oxygen found in air because Argon is an inert gas but is expensive so ammonia can be reverted back to Nitrogen gas by the process gentrification to replace Argon in light bulbs and is cheaper inert material than Argon. Nitrogen is also used as a controlled storage and Transportation measure food packages due to its capacities to be used as a noble gas, to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and is now used during storage to displace most of the oxygen in the containers http://www.igs-global.com/nitroswing/hdlg.htm, for the purpose of slowing down the reparation and deterioration of food as proven in biochemistry as in aerobic respiration 32 ATP molecules are created from one glucose molecules and 2 ATP molecules are created from one glucose molecule which is a clear sign that respiration and deterioration of food occurs at 16 times slower during anaerobic respiration which respiration without the presence of oxygen, than respiration occurring aerobically which is respiration with oxygen present. Investigation Design To do this Investigation I will be using a simulator that allow we to change the conditions of the Haber process chamber and notice the change in the yield and work out the direction that the equiliburm will take with extra options such as catalysis. Firstly I had to decide what the 2 variables I would be looking at during this investigation and decided that the dependant variable will be the yield of ammonia that I would receive from running the simulations. The Controlled variable will be the temperature and atmospheric pressure that the reaction will be taking place. Another variable that I looked at was if the reaction will be taking place in the presence of a catalyst of not. It was decide that due to the lack of acquiring two or more simulations that were able to run the haber process reaction in the presence of a catalyst The uncontrolled variable would be required in this reaction because the aim of the reaction is to achieve a dynamic equilibrium which is a reaction in which the forward reaction and backward reaction are equal in a closed environment. Meaning all variables and atoms present are controlled and accounted for. Set both simulations at the same pressure and temperature to and begin the reaction recorded both results and create a table of results and find the mean of both tables. Redo the experiment changing the controlled variables every time and recording the yield of the reaction at those conditions Create a Graph using both the mean table to display the results that where shown in the table. This Is the haber process taking place without the presence of an iron catalyst at the temperature of 300oC and 191 atmospheric pressure. Which will give me the amount of ammonia produced in grams and will be working out in percentage of the nitrogen used to allow compatibility of the 2 different simulations that one will be using. Is the Haber process taking place without the presence of an iron catalyst at the temperature that the Chateliers Principle indicates will be the most effective in the promotion of increasing the Yield. Because this Simulation cannot give the yield of the Haber process ammonia moles or grams I have to change the data received from the first simulation into compatible data. Results From these results obtained in the diagram above we notice an increase in yield as we increase the pressure of the reaction while keeping the temperature the same which agrees with the information placed in the beginning of the introduction which states icreasing the pressure will cause the equilibrium position to shift to the right side of the reaction resulting in an increased yield of ammonia since there are more gas molecules Simulation 2 (changing the Pressure but keeping the Temperature at 150) From these results obtained in the diagram above we notice an increase in yield as we increase the pressure of the reaction while keeping the temperature the same which agrees with the information placed in the beginning of the introduction which states the Chateliers Principle states increasing the temperature will cause the equilibrium position to shift to the left side of the reaction resulting in a lower yield of ammonia because the forward reaction is exothermic. And the 0.8 ( r) shows that there is a high positive correlation between the yield amount The Curve tends to show that if the pressure was increased any more that 1000 the increment in the production of ammonia may not be justified for the amount of effort that will be put into creating a haber process camber at that atmospheric pressure. The equilibrium expression for this reaction is: Keq = [NH3]2 [N2][H2]3 Temperature (oC) Keq 25 6.4 x 102 200 4.4 x 10-1 300 4.3 x 10-3 400 1.6 x 10-4 500 1.5 x 10-5 As the temperature of increases, the equilibrium constant decreases as the yield of the ammonia decreases. http://nawabi.de/chemical/ammonia.asp The results of the Ka test agree with the graphs that simulation 1 and simulation 2 provided. As the Ka increases the PH reduces towards the more acidic range meaning the NH3 concentration increases meaning for the best yield of the Haber process, industry must obtain the highest level Ka. Conclusion In conclusion the from the graphs and from the working out of the Keqi can state that the best conditions to process the haber process under is the lowest temperature that is usable because it increases the yield of the haber process in a linear regression which is a positive feedback increase in the yield of ammonia the optimized temperate was 200oC because it provided the highest yield. The other condition that was optimized during this experiment was pressure and after the experiment I found that the highest possible pressure is the optimum condition for this reaction to take place under. Because it gave the highest yield of ammonia compared to lower pressures which all provided lower yield. Evaluation The simulations that were used during this Essay were accurate enough to accept as possible theoretical yield but did not take into account of the possibility that some materials would be lost during the preparation for the haber process. It would have been better if I had more simulations and different type of simulations to check if the results I received from using these simulations were accurate or not and would increase the reliability of this experiment. The limitations to using this method were the some simulations couldnt operate a catalyst which limited the amount of results I was able to obtain and didnt factor in any cost effectiveness into the reaction. The haber process occurring in the presence of a catalysis does not affect the amount of NH3 that is produced by the reaction yet it only hastens the reaction by lowing the activation energy is takes for atoms to react. This would increase the rate of reaction without taking into consideration the geometric position that theses atoms need to react. A catalyst is a chemical that is used in a chemical reaction to speed up the rate of reaction with out the compound being used up in the reaction itself, meaning after the reaction the catalyst retains its structure and physical properties it had before the reaction took place. It works by lowering the activation energy of the reaction. The iron catalyst acts as a platform on which the Nitrogen and hydrogen atoms will bind on to before under going the reaction. The binding on to the catalyst is creates a transactional compound N2(g) nitrogen + 3H2(g) hydrogen Fe http://www.avogadro.co.uk/chemeqm/eqm_sign.gif   2NH3(g) ammonia Another Factor that I should have researched was the rate of reaction and possibly to the cost effectiveness of having a lower rate of reaction over the time effectiveness of having a high rate or reactions. Looking at the effect that the rate or reaction would have on at equilibrium And working out possible ways to reduce the forward reaction to increase the yield of ammonia by adding a rate determining step for the forward reaction to encourage the forward reaction to reaction and produce ammonia but would discourage the backward reaction from according either by adding third party molecule such Sulphuric acid to create ammonium sulphate and can easily to separated by heating to 235oC because it sublimes to create ammonia and sulphuric acid and the gases are at different weights meaning using a gases filtration method and condense then separately. (NH4)2SO4(s) NH3(g) + H2SO4(g) http://image.tutorvista.com/content/equilibrium/reversible-reaction-equilibrium-state.gif Another improvement would be to calculate the H of the reaction while looking at G and S of the reaction to allow to choose the most accurate best conditions for the reaction and most accurate cost effective option for the reaction. Because the having a positive H means the need more energy placed in which reduces the cost effectiveness of the reaction but may increase the yield of the ammonia while the G which measure reactions ability to reaction at room temperature which would increase the rate of reaction and the low temperature would mean the equilibrium would shift and allow the ammonia to be created in much more yield making the reaction cost effective and maximum conditions for the maximum yield. By working out the S and H I could use them to work out the amount of unused heat which is lost to the surroundings during the reaction, after this work out which reaction conditions provide the less heat lost to the surrounding while still providing an acceptable amount of yield. Af ter working out the H, G and S if would help me make a more informed decision on which of the reaction conditions provided current industry yield and cost and work out which conditions provided either current industry yield at a lower cost or improved yield at a higher cost and ultimately work out which conditions produced greatest yield and at the lost possible cost. Another improved for this experiment would be increasing the range of pressure that was used during the simulations because I noticed in the graphs that increasing the pressure post 1000 would make the production of ammonia not as effective as lower pressures are.

Versatile Change Strategy: Thriving in a Complex World Essay -- busine

Abstract This paper presents a perspective of the multifaceted components associated with change and offers insight on the strategy to effectively manage the change. For the purpose of exploring an actual change process, I have chosen the area of increasing productivity and the rising demands organizations have today to do more with less. I have chosen the subject because of the critical nature of the requirement to change and the firm belief that organizations that do not take a pro-active and holistic approach are destined to fail. Surviving and thriving in a multifaceted world requires a versatile change strategy. There must be more variety in the strategy than in the system you are trying to change (Bennet & Bennet, 2004). This is similar to a common saying that implies we cannot envision the future or change the present with the same thought or intellect processes that we carry from the past or that we used to get to the present. One way of looking at accomplishing the task of breaking out of the old mold is to use a combination of past experiences and adding them to current realities and then projecting a vision of the future to be created with the synergy created by the all of the joined forces. The ICAS (Intelligent Complex Adaptive System) change strategy refers to a connectedness of choices. This means having a clear direction for the future with a cohesive understanding of why that direction is desirable coupled with individual decisions, support, knowledge and sharing and some common beliefs and values (Bennet & Bennet, 2004). Conventional wisdom cannot alone sustain the strategy, and is many times restricted by habit and pre-conceived notions. Habits are funny things. We reach for them mindlessly,... ...Natural Intelligence. Boston. Red Wheel/Weiser. Moore, Christopher. (1996). The Mediation Process. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2007). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education. Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Doubleday. Chapter 11 Page 11 Shani, A, & Pasmore, W., (1985). Organization Inquiry: Towards a New Model of the Action Research Process. Glenview: Scott, Foresman. Van de Ven, A., (1986). Central Problems in the Management of Innovation. Management Science. pp. 590-607. Wells, S., (2001). Making Telecommuting Work. HRMagazine. October. pp. 34-45. Zivnuska, S., Kiewitz, C., Hochwarter, W., Perrewe, P., & Zellars, K., (2002). What Is Too Much Or Too Little? Journal of Applied Social Psy

Symbolism in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

Abel Girma Mr. Lucky English Language and Literature IB Y1 04 September 2012 Word Count: 1087 The Consciousness of Symbolism in â€Å"A Rose For Emily† â€Å"Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair† read the last lines of â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, a short story written by the American author and Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner, published in 1931.These last words put a shocking and rather disturbing end to this piece depicting the strange life of Emily Grierson, and her obdurate refusal to adapt to changes in her life, living in her own non-transforming world. Various symbols are used throughout the text although Faulkner did not use any kind of conscious symbolism. The validity of this claim lies in his Nobel Prize in Literature acceptance speech, his biography and his in terview on the meaning of â€Å"A rose for Emily†. Emily Grierson is portrayed as â€Å"A fallen monument† from the very beginning of the story as the narrator starts to describe the ceremonial procedures following her death.Soon after, her home, a â€Å"house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies. † (Section I of â€Å"A Rose for Emily) Is adjacently undermined as â€Å"an eyesore among eyesores † (Section I of â€Å"A Rose for Emily), invaded by the deteriorating and industrialized neighborhood that used to be an illustriously reputed neighborhood in the 1970s. This is a fine example of symbolism used in the text as it gives an inkling of the stubbornness in which Emily, a southern woman has lived her life cleaved to the past and immersed in old southern traditions.Similarly, the â€Å"Rose† in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is a thought-provoking symbo l due to the fact that it is never mentioned throughout the totality of the story. The interpretations of the â€Å"Rose† are unbounded and debatable. It can be understood as being a rose of sympathy Faulkner would like to dedicate to Emily for she had lived an undeniably grim life of solitude and misery. It can equally be interpreted as a rose representing the love Emily desperately needed in her life but never truly found, seeing as a rose generally symbolizes love in most cultures.Likewise, another shock kindling and incontestably pivotal symbol in the story is confined within the last sentence, â€Å"the long strand of iron-gray hair†. These last words reveal the gruesome moral depravity in which Emily lived a great part of her life, sleeping beside the decaying corpse of Homer, the first potential true-love in Emily's life that decided to leave her soon after they started spending a lot of time together. The strand of hair symbolizes the often heretical path which people cross in the quest for love.There is not a clear enough correlation between most of the symbols and what they symbolize for them to have been an application of conscious symbolism. Furthermore Faulkner himself has ascertained that he doesn't rely on consciously using symbolism to channel his philosophies as an author. Effectively, William Faulkner blatantly denies using any conscious symbolism. He explains: â€Å"I was simply trying to write about people [†¦] it was no intention of the writer to say, Now let's see, I'm going to write a piece in which I will use a symbolism [†¦]† (extract from the interview â€Å"A Meaning of â€Å"A Rose for Emily†).This quotation further validates the argument that the symbolism used by Faulkner was unintentional. Ray Bradbury, one of the most renowned American writers of the 20th century explains his take on this topic in a response to a letter from a 16 year old student in 1963. The student wanted to know more abo ut the use of symbolism in literary works so Bradbury stated that â€Å"I never consciously place symbolism in my writing. That would be a self-conscious exercise and self-consciousness is defeating to any creative act. [†¦ ] The best symbolism is always unsuspected and natural. Faulkner also describes his main interest as a writer as being about â€Å"the human heart in conflict with itself† (Nobel Prize acceptance speech). Thus, his sole purpose as a writer goes against the act of using conscious symbolism. Accordingly, in â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, he tells the outlandish, yet compelling story of Miss Emily Grierson's internal conflict in the pursuit of happiness and love that leads her to unorthodox – even satanic – acts. Faulkner's â€Å"A Rose for Emily† offers symbols with limitless interpretations and therefore proves to a considerable extent that the use of those symbols weren't conscious.Moreover, It would be contumelious not to agree with the author when he denies the use of conscious symbolism. Symbolism in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is consistently present and plays a major role in the possible readers' interpretations of the story's message. However, the use of symbols in a literary work is inevitable and isn't always a product of a conscious act. This means that the fact that there is symbolism in the text isn't a contradiction to the author's initial goal which is writing a mere ghost story inspired by â€Å"a picture of a strand of hair on the pillow in the abandoned house. (Interview on The Meaning of â€Å"A Rose for Emily†). Consequently, the unconscious symbolisms within the story give it sophistication and depth due to its readers' interpretations, not due to the immoral act of imposing symbolism upon them. The American author Isaac Asimov encompasses the answer to the controversy of the use of symbolism in his response to the same letter about from the 16 year old student: â€Å"Conscio usly? Heavens, no! Unconsciously? How can one avoid it? † Faulkner did not use conscious symbolism in â€Å"A Rose for Emily†.Numerous applications of symbolism are present in this short ghost-story and they do hold a non-negligible position in the overall meaning of the piece based on each readers' understanding of them. Nevertheless, the literary virtuoso, William Faulkner did not intentionally place these symbols as a means to convey his message in a latent manner. In lieu of doing so, he straight-forwardly wrote a simple ghost-story containing inevitable symbols. As a matter of fact, we may ask ourselves: to what extent is the conscious use of symbolism in literature in order to convey message, efficient and effective?

The Common Life

The Common Life After reading "The Common Life," and "The Uses of Sidewalks," it is easy to see that the main idea in both essays is security. The question that arises from reading the two essays is: What method is best to provide security in a community? In both essays, though used in different ways; the community is used as a means for security. The types of security provided by both essays are very natural. Though the police are preferred by most people as means of protection, the community looking out for each other is done rather naturally. Thoroughly analyzing both essays can show which security procedure is more efficient compared to the actual police department.Scott Russell Sanders, the author of "The Common Life," has very interesting ideas when it comes to adding better security to the community. Sanders wanted to take the more natural approach in obtaining security. With most people, having a gun, security throughout the home and the police department seem like natural approaches towards security.Sanders Preserve - Glenville, New YorkSanders does not think this is the way to achieve better security. His approach is to get to know the people in the community better. By doing this, as the individual gets to know the people in their neighborhood better, they start to look out for them and make sure they are o.k., without knowing they are doing it. This reflects more of a side-effect rather than the actual intention. It seems as though Sanders analyzed this idea in motion and noticed it was a building block for security. Sanders thought up this idea in hopes that it would spread from community to community, in order to increase security awareness. This was a safe environment could be established.The ideas of Scott Russell Sanders are very interesting yet his ideas have...

buy custom Business, Society and Ethics; Coffee Growing and Fair Trade essay

buy custom Business, Society and Ethics; Coffee Growing and Fair Trade essay Coffee growing and drinking originated in Kaffa Ethiopia, and spread throughout the world. It is a widely grown cash crop especially in Africa and is responsible for a substantial percentage of most developing countries foreign incomes. However coffee growers continued to suffer losses in spite of coffees ready market and in an effort to change this situation, a couple of non governmental organizations have come up with the fair trade movement. Fair Trade Fair trade is a global movement aimed at alleviating poverty and empowering farmers through creating sustainable market opportunities for them in developing countries. For a long time now farmers have suffered from fluctuating low market prices in the agricultural market leading to fluctuating low incomes for producers. Fair trade aims at stabilizing agricultural products farm gate prices in order to stabilize farmers income and to protect them from unfair losses. Farm gate prizes are defined as the value of an agricultural product the first time it is introduced to the market. This global network of nongovernmental organizations seeks to certify and label products such as coffee, tea and chocolate in pursuit of their agenda. As a result of this movement the income of most coffee farmers has been stabilized. This is achieved through the fair trade minimum price which sort of acts as a floor price to protect farmers in times of downturns in the market. The fair-trade premium is an additional financial amount above the fair trade minimum that has enabled farmers to invest in modern agricultural technology and improve their living standards. Fair trade provides farmers with pre-financing to enable them get the product into the market and to cater for production costs. Fair trade movement has had a positive effect in that it has led to improved product quality, stable market prices and empowerment of farmers through education and training. The fair trade market model represents an organized and formal trade setting where the aim is to alleviate poverty and provide sustainability by offering fair conditions for trade to producers. The free trade market model however, does not involve government intervention and there is free flow of goods and services dependent on the market forces; demand and supply. It is characterized by high and fluctuating prices. I have used fair trade coffee before because it is a quality product availed at a fair price. I also realize local farmers benefit when their products are supported domestically. Fair trade coffee if not well embraced by consumers will force farmers to opt for cheaper production methods compromising on quality. Fair trade coffee is purchased directly from farmers at a higher price compared to standard coffee with the objective of providing economic incentive for farmers and improving their working conditions. Tackling Poverty through Trade Coffee growers are facing a major problem due to unstable market prices and unfair competition. They compromise on quality in order to take advantage of cheaper production methods. They lack enough finances to package their products and end up selling the coffee as a primary good for far much lower prices than it is really worth. The retailers make too much profit from the coffee they sell while the growers make little or no profit and in some cases losses. Fair trade movement aims at enabling farmers to package and certify their coffee in order to enable them present it as a finished product. This however can only work if this move is supported by local consumers. If they can find a ready local market it makes it easier to sell it to international markets. Long term contracts create a level of stability and reduce the uncertainty of suffering from fluctuating market prices. The fair trade network enables farmers to access export markets therefore improving their market conditions. This has enabled lots of coffee growers who had left the field during the international coffee crisis to reconsider growing coffee again for a living. Most people do not really think about the effort behind the manufacture of the coffee they drink. When they purchase coffee their decision on what coffee to purchase usually is based on the price, quality and taste of the consumer. They are almost ignorant of their effect on the well being of the coffee growers. Farming practices have improved, farmers have been empowered and become skilled and their incomes have generally increased improving their living standards all as a result of fair trade coffee. The reaction towards fair trade was different. However most of the population believes that it is a commendable move. The argument is we are the consumers and we have the potential of making this movement a success or a failure. Consumers who go after quality especially agreed that it was better to avail expensive quality coffee than cheap non quality coffee. They therefore support the movements principals of fair trade premium and the opportunity for pre financing. It ensures that enough finances are available to use modern production technology hence produce quality coffee. Most of the population supported the fair trade movements move to purchase directly from growers eliminating middlemen and hence saving the consumer from paying high prices to cover transaction costs. The consumer is therefore able to consume quality coffee at pocket friendly prices without really hurting the growers incomes. The middlemen however lose out in this arrangement because they are not needed to transact between producers and assemblers and consumers. Labeling the product helps the consumer realize the origin of the product as local and rids them of the mentality that local is not quality. Most off the individuals who had not tried free trade coffee had the misconception that locally produced products do not meet the right quality standards. In earlier times coffee was sold as a primary product then packaged by foreigners and there was the general misconception that the companies responsible for this packaging somehow improved the coffees quality. Local labeling changes this mindset and increases consumers confidence in locally produced goods. While most of the local population is open to the idea of supporting local production there is a percentage of them that are totally indifferent. This group does not make a deliberate move to choose locally produced products over imported products. Their argument is that the local producers have to up their game enough for their products to be quality as the international goods. They have nothing against the origin of the product but they will choose quality anytime regardless of whether or not these products are locally produced. Criticisms against the fair trade area have been brought up. Critics claim that this movement still benefits retailers more by offering them a higher markup while only providing farmers marginally higher prices. The movement also aims at cost reduction and profit attainment yet it is pretty obvious to consumers that corporations that make large profits by selling free trade products do not pay their workers as well as the profit margins would imply. It therefore may cause the misconception that this movement has been put in place to benefit the implementers rather than the farmers. Another criticism is that farmers mark up price is very low at moderately above the cost of production and hence coffee growers do not make as much profit as the final sellers. The general feeling is that fair trade movement has improved farmers welfare to an extent that is obviously better than before, but their condition can be made better. Fair trade encourages farmers to form cooperatives which some criticize as encouraging the very level of bureaucracy they try to eliminate through middlemen. Creating standards in these cooperatives has not been observed and this causes critics to question whether they are a good idea. Cooperatives can be just as corrupt as other organizations and there is no guarantee that they will refrain from corrupt and unethical practices. In conclusion the outcome of this movement will be profitable for farmers and hence for the economy as a whole. Continued locally produced quality products will not only increase the domestic market but the international market too. Fair trade also brings with it a level of security especially for farmers due to the level of organization unlike free trade which is characterized by constant price fluctuations and uncertainty. Buy custom Business, Society and Ethics; Coffee Growing and Fair Trade essay

Definition and Examples of Business Jargon in English

Definition and Examples of Business Jargon in English Business jargon is the specialized language used by members of corporations and bureaucracies. Also known as corporate jargon, business-speak, and bureaucratese. Business jargon typically includes buzzwords, vogue words, and euphemisms. Contrast with plain English. Examples and Observations Hes successful in interfacing with clients we already have, but as for new clients, its low-hanging fruit. He takes a high-altitude view, but he doesnt drill down to that level of granularity where we might actionize new opportunities.Clark winced. I remember that one. I think I may have had a minor stroke in the office when he said that.(Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven. Alfred A. Knopf, 2014) The Poisonous Spell of Business Jargon The next time you feel the need to reach out, touch base, shift a paradigm, leverage a best practice or join a tiger team, by all means do it. Just don’t say you’re doing it.If you have to ask why, chances are you’ve fallen under the poisonous spell of business jargon. No longer solely the province of consultants, investors and business-school types, this annoying gobbledygook has mesmerized the rank and file around the globe.Jargon masks real meaning, says Jennifer Chatman, management professor at the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. People use it as a substitute for thinking hard and clearly about their goals and the direction that they want to give others.(Max Mallet, Brett Nelson and Chris Steiner, The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon. Forbes, January 26, 2012) Laser-Focused At companies ranging from children’s book publishers to organic-food purveyors, CEOs are increasingly training powerful beams of light on their targets. The phrase laser-focused appeared in more than 250 transcripts of earnings calls and investor events this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, on pace to eclipse the 287 in all of 2012. It’s business jargon, says L.J. Rittenhouse, CEO of Rittenhouse Rankings, who consults with executives on communication and strategy. What would a more candid disclosure be? We are focused. What does a laser have to do with it? . . .David Larcker, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business who has studied deception on investor conference calls, says that when executives start using a lot of jargon, it makes you wonder about the believability. Rittenhouse, who analyzes shareholder letters for an annual report on CEO candor and reviews about 100 conference-call transcripts each year, has found that companies that use fact-deficient, obfuscating generalities have worse share performance than more candid companies.(Noah Buhayar, The CEOs Favorite Clichà ©. Bloomberg Businessweek, September 23-29, 2013) Business-Speak In an infamous December 2012 press release, Citigroup announced that it would begin a series of repositioning actions that will further reduce expenses and improve efficiency, resulting in streamlined operations and an optimized consumer footprint across geographies. Translation: 11,000 people would be repositioned out the door.Business-speak, with its heartless euphemisms and empty stock phrases, is the jargon that everyone loves to hate. . . .For several years, Mark Liberman, a linguist at the University of Pennsylvania, has been keeping an eye on the words and phrases that are condemned as business-speak, and he has noticed that as much as mission statements and deliverables, what gets under people’s skin are expressions like impactful, at the end of the day, and low-hanging fruit. As he has investigated these expressions, he noted in a post last month on the blog Language Log, he has found that they are as common in sports, politics, social science, and other spheres as th ey are in business.(Joshua J. Friedman, Jargon: It’s Not the Business World’s Fault! The Boston Globe, September 15, 2013)Dharmeshs culture code incorporates elements of HubSpeak. For example, it instructs that when someone quits or gets fired, the event will be referred to as graduation. This really happens, over and over again. In my first month at HubSpot Ive witnessed several graduations, just in the marketing department. Well get an email from Cranium saying, Team, Just letting you know that Derek has graduated from HubSpot, and were excited to see how he uses his superpowers in his next big adventure!(Dan Lyons, Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble. Hachette, 2016) Business-Speak in Higher Education As universities are beaten into the shapes dictated by business, so language is suborned to its ends. We have all heard the robotic idiom of management, as if a button had activated a digitally generated voice. Like Newspeak in Nineteen Eighty-Four, business-speak is an instance of magical naming, superimposing the imagery of the market on the idea of a university–through ‘targets, ‘benchmarks, time-charts, league tables, ‘vision statements, ‘content providers. We may laugh or groan, depending on the state of our mental health at the thickets of TLAs–three-letter acronyms, in the coinage of the writer Richard Hamblyn–that accumulate like dental plaque. . . .The code conceals aggression: actions are undertaken in its name and justified by its rules; it pushes responsibility from persons to systems. It pushes individuals to one side and replaces them with columns, boxes, numbers, rubrics, often meaningless tautologies (a form will ask first for ‘aims, and then for ‘objectives’).(Marina Warner, Learning My Lesson. London Review of Books, March 19, 2015) The Epic Poetry of Modern Business Jargon is an invaluable tool in massaging meaning for marketing purposes. Investment is a particularly fertile field. Promoters may describe a start-up with no customers as pre-revenue, optimistically implying that sales are inevitable. Hoped-for turnover will be projected in a business plan, a document used for raising finance and scrupulously ignored thenceforth.Terminology that deflects criticism while bestowing spurious professionalism is essential to the manager. Hence the phrase Im outside the loop on that excuses knuckle-dragging cluelessness. Im afraid I dont have the bandwidth is a polite way of saying: You arent important enough for me to help you. And It is my understanding that . . . allows the speaker to assert vague suspicions as solid facts...Jargon is the epic poetry of modern business. It can turn a bunch of windbags in a meeting room into a quick wins taskforce. I once asked a handyman toiling in an office doorway whether he was installing a wheelchair ramp. No, he said solemnly, its a diversity access feature.(Jonathan Guthrie, Three Cheers for the Epic Poetry of Jargon. Financial Times, Dec. 13, 2007) Financial Jargon: Reversification The images and metaphors keep doing headstands. To bail out is to slop water over the side of a boat. That verb has been reversified so that it means an injection of public money into a failing institution; taking something dangerous out has turned into putting something vital in. Credit has been reversified: it means debt. Inflation means money being worth less. Synergy means sacking people. Risk means precise mathematical assessment of probability. Noncore assets means garbage. These are all examples of how the process of innovation, experimentation, and progress in the techniques of finance has been brought to bear on language, so that words no longer mean what they once did. It is not a process intended to deceive, but . . . it confines knowledge to a priesthood- the priesthood of people who can speak money. (John Lanchester, Money Talks. The New Yorker, August 4, 2014) Greenspans Fed-Jargon A special area of financial jargon is Greenspeak, the terms and phrases of Federal Reserve Board Chairman [1987-2006], Alan Greenspan. For decades a small group of economists known as Fed-watchers, pored over the statements made by the Federal Reserve, looking for indications of changes in Federal Reserve policy. Today, almost every investor and business person in the U.S. listens to the latest Fed pronouncements. From his 1999 description of the technology stock market as irrational exuberance, to his considerable period, soft patch, and short-lived descriptions of the economy and monetary policy in 2003-2004, the words of Alan Greenspan [became] common in American business jargon. (W. Davis Folsom, Understanding American Business Jargon: A Dictionary, 2nd ed. Greenwood, 2005)

Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Safety - Essay Example ucating people regarding safety precautions and providing them with information and knowledge, ergonomics is a more hands-on practice in which professionals are required to use their skills to design an effective system to prevent high levels of risk for employees (Zacharatos, Julian, & Iverson, p. 91). I would prefer to work for the mining industry as I feel that this industry has more need for designing safety practices as the workers of this industry are succumbed to high levels of risk. Hence, practicing ergonomics for this industry would be highly effective and applicable. Q2. The presentation â€Å"Goal Setting for Young Professionals† has several important points that can be of significance when planning a career. One of the most important points that grasped my attention was the differentiation between a career and just a job. Hence, the presentation emphasized that a person should choose their career path wisely, and he should not just consider it a job, but should consider it a progressive stage of life that a person needs to excel in. Q3. Developing passion and purpose in your career is a vital component to success. In order to develop passion and purpose in your career, it is highly important to be interested in the field you work in and have vigor to continue working in that field permanently. Moreover, it is also highly essential to have a dream or set goals that you want to achieve which work as fuel for your passion and set out your purpose in your career (Salvandy, p. 88). Without setting appropriate goals and defining a career path, it is difficult for a person to have passion and purpose in their career as they are usually aiming for mediocrity. Moreover, without a specific purpose in your career, any path you are on is likely to be considered the right one. Choosing career paths that interest you or offer opportunities for growth, enhancement of skills, and learning opportunities are likely to be those in which you can develop passion and

Vomiting Reflex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Vomiting Reflex - Essay Example This means that it can receive direct emetogenic stimulation from the cerebrospinal fluid and blood. The CTZ sends impulses to the vomiting impulses to the vomiting centre. The process of vomiting includes the retching and the expulsive phase. In the retching phase, the vomiting centre transmits motor efferent impulses to the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm resulting in increased intra-abdominal pressure. It also results in anti-peristalsis forces that can go all the way to the duodenum and ileum. Gastric content accumulates in the stomach resulting in relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (John, 2010). This is accompanied by hypersalivation, increased heart rate and sweating through the parasympathetic outflow. The hyoid bone and the larynx are elevated so as to open the upper esophageal sphincter. This is followed by the closure of the glottis. The increased intra-abdominal pressure and anti-peristalsis forces results in the expulsion of the abdominal contents. The following is a flow chart demonstrating the vomiting reflex. The contents and color of the vomitus may be used to diagnosis the cause of vomiting. Bleeding from the esophagus is showed by the presence of fresh blood in the vomitus. When the blood originates from the stomach, for example, perforated peptic ulcer, the vomitus has coffee ground appearance. This is because the acid found in the stomach reacts with the iron found in hemoglobin. Presence of bile in the vomitus indicates that the pyloric valve is open. This means that there is massive contraction of the duodenum leading to expulsion of bile (John, 2010). Fecal content in the vomitus indicates a gastrocolic fistula or intestinal obstruction. In case of intestinal obstruction, the vomiting relieves the associated abdominal pain and distension. These features are used to determine the origin of pathology in the gastrointestinal

Management Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Management Principles - Essay Example This report identifies the advantages and disadvantages of the lifetime employment model and offers lessons for today’s managers who are still considering using this lifetime employment system. When employees are given lifetime employment guarantees, the business must consider its responsibilities in terms of the law. Gibson and Piscitelli (1997) offer that business leaders must be careful about certain statements which are made which can be interpreted by employees to mean that their jobs will always be secure. In one large, multi-national business environment, a business manager, in passing workplace discussion, told his employee that â€Å"we will retire together†. This statement was made in an environment where no such lifetime employment guarantees were part of the business model, however the employee was able to convince the legal system that a lifetime employment contract was implied, thus imposing significant consequences for the business. Even though this was not a business where lifetime employment was being offered to employees, it tends to illustrate the importance of considering the legal responsibilities of these agreements. Repa and Stewart (1999) offer that the largest legal risk is when employees begin to perceive that contracts exist between themselves and the business entity, thus the creation of an implied contract becomes grounds for legal disputes. In a business where lifetime employment is part of the business model, companies must consider the risks of these types of agreements as employees have considerable legal resources available in the event that employees perceive breaches of these contracts, whether implied or based on written employee contracts. The business must also consider that, when offering lifetime employment guarantees, the current marketplace or economic conditions will not always, in the future, be favourable

The Legacy of Enlightenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Legacy of Enlightenment - Essay Example The opposing strand was counter enlightenment which constituted of royal antagonists of the old order and conservative clerical thinkers of both catholic and protestant denominations. Despite reaction, western religious traditions have been deeply enriched by the enlightenment. The mainstream religions have adapted to the enlightenment ethical values of free inquiry, democracy, equality and universality. Religious battles have tended to cease where enlightenment values were most cherished (Zafirovski, 2010). The concept of enlightenment is both a philosophical concept and an historical process. The critical social theory uses enlightenment in the wide sense as advance of thought which has always aimed at liberating human beings from fear and installing them as masters. The essence of enlightenment is understood as the choice between alternatives. The concept of enlightenment describes a fundamental structure of reason and characterises the historical practices that in modernity have led to rationalization and reification. The modern enlightenment is an embodiment of self cancelling ideas of bourgeois, democratic culture. Following the early critical theory, politics of emancipation is by necessity a politics of enlightenment, a form of enlightenment that transcends the parameters of modernity as the product of the eighteenth century enlightenment and thus beyond the latter itself. The modern enlightenment epitomizes and completes a process of enlightenment that began several millennia ago. This differentiates pre-modern and post modern enlightenment including persuasion and education, as non coercive means of moral regulation in contrast to coercive forms of social control (Jacob, 2001). The age of enlightenment or age of reason was aimed at reforming the society and advance knowledge. It also saw the promotion of science and intellectual exchange and opposed superstition, intolerance and profanity in churches and the government. A distinction occurs between oc cidental and oriental enlightenment whereas the former is associated with rationalism and liberalism and the latter constitutes mysticism and conservatism or traditionalism. Enlightened thinking is said to begin during the renaissance period, with the reformation or even the Greeks (Jonathan, 2001). The Children of Enlightenment According to Todorov, there are three ideas that form the basis of enlightenment project. These are universality, autonomy and human end which he believes is the purpose of our acts. What we require today is the realignment of enlightenment thinking in a way that preserves our culture while subjecting it to a critical evaluation, assessing it in light of wanted and unwanted consequences. The traditional antagonists of enlightenment are equated with Hydras that keep on growing even after they are cut. These traditional antagonists will never succeed because societies are becoming more liberal in the quest for autonomy and dialogue. He continues to assert that he is sceptical about the use of human rights since they are used as instrument for justifying our western superiority. There is a distinction between religions which appeal to human beings or to tribe only. Human beings have two obligations only; to love God and to love their neighbour. One characteristic about enlightenment is the celebration of plurality and difference. Decolonisation as such was channelled by ideas of autonomy,

Egomania Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Egomania - Essay Example Another factor that is also worth noting about egomania patients is that they are not in love with themselves per se, but with the image that they create and believe that people will accept and respect (Kernberg, 257-287). This disorder has been found to possess a higher prevalence among men and male and female narcissists tend to use different techniques which include seduction, sexuality and physique. The above mentioned traits make it very difficult for these individuals to interact with other people and this aspect of the disorder has been widely debated. The paper will be dedicated towards analyzing the impact egomania symptoms have on other individuals. As mentioned above, egomania is associated with self-obsession. These patients rarely credit or acknowledge other individuals around them. This attribute is likely push people away (Kernberg, 257-287). For example, if a group of students carries out a project together. Egomania will not accept the input of others and instead illustrate their own viewpoints. This is likely to push other students away as they will be willing to participate in the project and gain a deeper understanding of the principle involved. In addition, every individual needs accreditation for his or work and this factor is likely to push other people away (Kernberg, 257-287).... The same example may also be used for workers in company as they are likely to be closer to their bosses. They are likely to be considered as â€Å"workaholics† and are also determined to go the extra the extra mile in this setting (Miller, 640). The bosses will have confidence when they delegate work and assignments to these individuals as they are less likely to neglect their responsibility. They are also likely to volunteer themselves for certain roles to show themselves and the community their superiority (Miller, 640). Egomaniacs also feel superior to everyone around them as they feel they have capabilities that other people do not possess. This factor is likely to have a negative impact on the attitudes of work mates towards these individuals. It is human nature for one to want to feel valued and making someone feel inferior is likely to decrease a person’s self esteem and hence reduce his or her positive feelings towards the oppressor. These individuals are also different to others around them as people are normally courteous, and humility has become an admirable trait in societal norms. Therefore, the way they act is likely to place them in a separate category from the standard behavioral traits and people are often unwilling to accept these negative changes. Egomaniacs have also been found to have a higher likelihood for success. This is because the attributes associated with this condition makes the people less attentive to societal distractions. Their goals and motivations are only centered on success and they have no conceptions of failure (Ronningstam, 222-227). This is an appealing quality to individuals in different spheres of life as these people

Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project 2 - Essay Example Precipitation concentration is more in the summers and spring seasons and more often accompanied with thunderstorms and tornadoes. Light snowfall is experienced. Lincoln is subjected to harsh cold and continuous heat waves in winter and summer respectively. Although, the average monthly temperature ranges from 22.4 °F in January, while 77.8  °F in July. The weather extremes has been observed to be persistent for 14 nights in winter below 0  °F, 40 days beyond 90  °F, and above 100  °F for 5 days (Weather forecast, 2012). The greatest temperature difference between New York and Lincoln is 3.25  °C while it is 13.25  °C between Lincoln and Las Vegas (Weather forecast, 2012). Latitude is a determinant of climate of an area in a way that the areas closer to equator have warm climate while those located far from it have cold climate. All of the given stations are located to the North of equator, Las Vegas being nearest of all experiences more temperature than other two. Alti tude is also a determinant of climate. The higher the altitude of a region, the colder is the climate and vice versa. Among the chosen stations, New York city has the least altitude while Las Vegas the highest. However, the weather forecast result show that the variation in temperature is not solely due to one factor. The closer an area located to a vast body of water, the more temperate will be the climate. Among the given three stations, New York City’s weather is more warm and humid due to its near proximity to Atlantic Ocean. While Lincoln experience dry summer as there is no close proximity to water body. Las Vegas being a desert experience dry and hot summers. On choosing the weather in any other season the temperature will show a different pattern. In winters, Lincoln is expected to be the coldest of all three. Part C. Local Geography Answer 1 The city chosen is Lincoln which is second most populous city of Nebraska State in United States of America. Lincoln is also th e capital of Lancaster country. Geographically studied, the city is located at 40 °48?35?N 96 °40?31?W (Lincoln, NE Population and Races, 2010). The statistics of United States Census Bureau tells that total area which is covered by Lincoln city is 75.4 square miles (195 km2) where 0.7 square miles is water and remaining 74.6 square miles is of land (Lincoln, NE Population and Races, 2010). The area code of Lincoln, NE is 402 which cover most geographic area of the city. According to 2010 statistics, the city’s total population is 258,379 which is increased by 14.54% that was in 2000. The population density of Lincoln, NE is approximately 2,859.42 (people per square mile) and the growth rate of population is 14.54%which is higher than the Nebraska State’s average rate of approximately 6.72% (United States Census Bureau, 2010). The most dominant race is white representing 72.1% of the city’s total population. The Hispanic Population consists most of Mexican 7 4.61% of total Hispanic population. Other Hispanic groups include Cuban Puerto Rican, Central American and South American (Lincoln, NE Population and Races, 2010). Answer 2 In business pages section, I found approximately 52 business that has included â€Å"

The Legacy of Enlightenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Legacy of Enlightenment - Essay Example The opposing strand was counter enlightenment which constituted of royal antagonists of the old order and conservative clerical thinkers of both catholic and protestant denominations. Despite reaction, western religious traditions have been deeply enriched by the enlightenment. The mainstream religions have adapted to the enlightenment ethical values of free inquiry, democracy, equality and universality. Religious battles have tended to cease where enlightenment values were most cherished (Zafirovski, 2010). The concept of enlightenment is both a philosophical concept and an historical process. The critical social theory uses enlightenment in the wide sense as advance of thought which has always aimed at liberating human beings from fear and installing them as masters. The essence of enlightenment is understood as the choice between alternatives. The concept of enlightenment describes a fundamental structure of reason and characterises the historical practices that in modernity have led to rationalization and reification. The modern enlightenment is an embodiment of self cancelling ideas of bourgeois, democratic culture. Following the early critical theory, politics of emancipation is by necessity a politics of enlightenment, a form of enlightenment that transcends the parameters of modernity as the product of the eighteenth century enlightenment and thus beyond the latter itself. The modern enlightenment epitomizes and completes a process of enlightenment that began several millennia ago. This differentiates pre-modern and post modern enlightenment including persuasion and education, as non coercive means of moral regulation in contrast to coercive forms of social control (Jacob, 2001). The age of enlightenment or age of reason was aimed at reforming the society and advance knowledge. It also saw the promotion of science and intellectual exchange and opposed superstition, intolerance and profanity in churches and the government. A distinction occurs between oc cidental and oriental enlightenment whereas the former is associated with rationalism and liberalism and the latter constitutes mysticism and conservatism or traditionalism. Enlightened thinking is said to begin during the renaissance period, with the reformation or even the Greeks (Jonathan, 2001). The Children of Enlightenment According to Todorov, there are three ideas that form the basis of enlightenment project. These are universality, autonomy and human end which he believes is the purpose of our acts. What we require today is the realignment of enlightenment thinking in a way that preserves our culture while subjecting it to a critical evaluation, assessing it in light of wanted and unwanted consequences. The traditional antagonists of enlightenment are equated with Hydras that keep on growing even after they are cut. These traditional antagonists will never succeed because societies are becoming more liberal in the quest for autonomy and dialogue. He continues to assert that he is sceptical about the use of human rights since they are used as instrument for justifying our western superiority. There is a distinction between religions which appeal to human beings or to tribe only. Human beings have two obligations only; to love God and to love their neighbour. One characteristic about enlightenment is the celebration of plurality and difference. Decolonisation as such was channelled by ideas of autonomy,