Social Policy – Discipline or Area of Study?

Social Policy is that part of public policy that focuses on improving human conditions i. e. well-being of the public. Social Policy, therefore, is about welfare. It concentrates on social problems such especially issues of education, health, housing, social security and income support. According to Beveridge’s report that was published in 1942 and included in the Labour Party’s 1945 manifesto, Five Giant Social Evils had undermined the British society before the war: ignorance, disease, squalor, idleness and want. These are the five main evils that Social Policy centers on. In my view, Social Policy is interdisciplinary as it draws on many social science subjects but it is a distinct academic discipline in its own right, both in terms of its points of concentration and its methods of analysis. The development of Social Policy as a ‘policy’ and its development as a discipline are closely linked. Formed in 1884, the Fabian Society, which was influenced by the work of labour MP Sidney Webb and that of Booth and Rowntree, challenged the conservative political assumption that economic markets could meet the welfare needs of all was challenged and argued that policy intervention by the state was needed to provide those forms of support and protection which the markets failed to provide. Social Policy was then recognized as an academic discipline of importance when The Webbs – Sidney Webb and his wife Beatrice Webb, both prominent Fabians – established the London School of Economics (LSE). Within it, they incorporated the Charity Organization Society’s School of Sociology to form a new Department of Social Sciences and Administration in 1912. Its first lecturer was Clement Attlee, who became Prime Minister of the UK after the Second World War, and in 1950, Richard Titmuss was appointed as the first Professor of Social Administration in the UK. Until 1987, Social Administration and Social Policy were used interchangeably, but later the name was changed to Social Policy as it was felt that social administration focused largely on analyzing the operation of existing welfare services where as what was now known as Social Policy also analyzed the political and ideological bases of welfare provision. Social Policy is a broad but distinct academic discipline as it is closely elated to many social science disciplines, four of the more important ones being Sociology, Economics, Political Economy and Political Science, but it only draws on them to achieve what are believed to be the objectives of a successful social policy: equality, social justice, liberty and the rights of a citizen. Sociology helps one understand the causes and effects of social divisions such as those on the basis of race, gender or class. Its subject matter ranges from the micro level of face-to-face interaction to the macro level of societies at large, and traditionally, sociologists have focused on topics such as social relations, social stratification, social interaction, culture and deviance. Social Policy, on the other hand, is about provision of welfare to these various people and draws on Sociology to become aware of the various social divisions in order to better understand the needs of each particular group and how welfare can be provided to them. Economics explores the concepts of scarcity and resource allocation. In his 1932 essay, British economist Lionel Robbins described economics as the â€Å"science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses†. It also provides insight into the concepts of equity and efficiency. These concepts are central to the study of Social Policy as it is the scarce resources that policy-makers work to allocate in a way that ensures the greatest well-being of the people. They must also be able to prove that their policies are both efficient – i. e. they are the least costly and of most benefit to those intended – and equitable or fair – i. e. those in similar categories are considered in similar ways. Political Economy originally was the term for studying production, buying and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government. However, in the eighteenth century, it developed as the study of the economies of states — polities, hence political economy. It is the study of political ideologies and economic management. For a policy-maker, an awareness of these various political ideologies is indispensable as many of these arguments govern the process of making social and economic policies. Political Science focuses on the interaction between institutions and human behavior and studies the way in which institutions shape choices and how humans change institutional frameworks. It provides an understanding of constitutional arrangements in different countries and their impact on policy formulation. Political Science introduces the student of Social Policy to concepts of equality, social justice, liberty and citizenship.

Gammasonics Institute for Medical Research Pty Ltd

Gammasonic v Comrad[1] demonstrates the reluctance of the courts to interpret the Sale of Goods Act to include software downloads as a â€Å"good†, preferring to leave the matter up to statutory review. It primarily discusses whether a software package delivered by online download is effectively classed as â€Å"goods† for application of Sale of Goods Act[2] and outlines the progressive court decisions that have considered the question and have begun to recognize software attached to a medium, like a cd package as a â€Å"goods†. It also briefly addresses the applicability of statutory warranties of fitness for purpose and merchantable quality and supports that fitness for purpose and merchantable quality are implied by common law giving reference the test for implication in fact outlined in BP Refinery (Westernport) v Shire of Hastings (1977)[3] Background and overview The disputing parties are Gammasonics, a provider of services to radiologists in NSW, and Comrad, a business that provide software and information management systems to radiologists in Australia and New Zealand. The dispute concerns a contract between the parties for the delivery and installation of a software package via remote internet download called â€Å"Comrad RIS†; which was to manage workflow, patient registration and appointments, online referrals and processing of Medicare claims for Gammasonics. The software was downloaded onto Gammasonics’ server and Gammasonic were purportedly responsible for hardware configuration and the network infrastructure specified to run the software. Comrad delivered the software via internet download and certain areas of the software did not function as required. Gammasonics claimed to terminate the contract for breach of terms including â€Å"failure to deliver a functioning software package, failure to provide goods of a merchantable quality and/or for the delivery of a software package which was not fit for its intended purpose.† [4] Comrad in turn sought an award for damages due to the repudiation of the contract by Gammasonic. Trial Proceedings This case is an appeal from Local Court against orders made by Magistrate Quinn in favour of Comrad for the amount of $58,011.21. There Magistrate Quinn was not convinced the software supplied by Comrad was a â€Å"good† as defined in s5 of the Sale of Goods Act 1923[5] and â€Å"held the act did not apply†[6]. She also found Comrad failed in the delivery of certain components required for the software functioning; however it was stated that it was â€Å"Gammasonics' own acts or omissions and not any conduct for which it had contractual responsibility that rendered the system unworkable, such that Gammasonics’ purported termination was a repudiation of the contract thereby entitling Comrad to sue for damages.†[7] Material Issues The following are the key issues that arise from the judgement and contain the essential elements of the case which will be discussed in this case note. 1. Whether a software package delivered by online download is effectively classed as â€Å"goods† for application of Sale of Goods Act.[8] 2. Whether equivalent terms of fitness for purpose and merchantable quality are implied by common law. 3. Breach of essential terms The matter of whether a breach of contract is a question of mixed fact and law is also addressed in this case but it will not be extensively discussed within this case note. Whether a question of mixed fact and law arises was dealt with early in the case and Fullerton J was satisfied that the question of whether her Honour erred in holding that Comrad was not in breach of the contract, involved a question of mixed fact and law and as such leave to appeal ought be granted. Comrad also filed a notice for contention on two points one concerning the implication of terms into the contract equivalent to the statutory warranties of merchantable quality and fitness for purpose, the other on the question of breach. The Sale of Goods Act 1923 The definition of goods provided in the Sale of goods Act 1923 (NSW) s5(1) is Goods include all chattels personal other than things in action and money. The term includes emblements and things attached to or forming part of the land which are agreed to be severed before sale or under the contract of sale. It was submitted by Gammasonics that the software provided by Comrad was within the statutory definition of â€Å"goods† and they relied among other things on the implied condition as to quality or fitness in the act outlined in s19.[9] On appeal a request was made to consider whether there was a â€Å"Fresh Analysis of Authorities†[10] with a more modern approach to interpretation of the Act. Whether a software package delivered by online download is effectively classed as â€Å"goods† for application of Sale of Goods Act.[11] The case gives a thorough analysis and contains a comprehensive list of authorities that include case law and secondary sources which have reviewed this question. The key area of difference noted was that the software was delivered by download onto a server. This distinguished the case from that of others including Toby Constructions Products Pty Ltd v Computa Bar (Sales) Pty Ltd[12] where the software was held to be a ‘good’ because it comprised both software and hardware. Gammasonics relied on a passage from Advent Systems Ltd v Unisys Corp [13] as authority where an analogy was drawn to musical compositions and music on cds suggesting that once the software had been downloaded to the server it became a tangible thing. However the common thread is that software provided on a disc falls within the statutory definition of a ‘good’ while remote download via a license it appears currently does not. The case Fullerton J considered most analogous to the facts was St Albans City. [14] In this case the question of whether the transfer of the software, without the sale of the disk would give rise to a sale of â€Å"goods† under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (UK) was considered by Sir Glidewell. There the disk was likened to an instruction manual however again the distinction is made between the delivery of the software via disk format and remote download a distinction that was also noted by Sir Glidewell. An Australian case that revisted the question was Re Amlink Technologies Pty Ltd and Australian Trade Commission[15] this case did not follow the reasoning offered in St Albans City[16] by Sir Glidewell and considered the proposition taken to the extreme would see goods being defined in areas that where never meant to be covered by the act. Secondary sources were further considered as Gammasonics highlighted what they supported to be a ‘growing trend’ in Australia to recognize software as a ‘good’[17] The recent Trade Practices Law Journal article by Svantesson discussed the stages of development citing Toby Constructions[18]as the first step taken in recognition of software sold together with hardware as a good. The article also highlighted the decision in Amlink Technologies[19] to recognize software attached to some physical medium and suggested the next logical step for the courts was to further recognize software not attached to a physical medium. A passage from a conference paper was also considered[20]where the distinction is made that where a customer purchases a digitized version of an encyclopedia it is a good however where it purchases access to the encyclopedia database it is a supply of a service. The facts of this case are most like that of the first scenario and the plaintiff submitted that the authorities support the conclusion that the software provided by Comrad is a ‘good’ under the act[21] It fell however to the principals of statutory interpretation in particular the everyday meaning of goods and possession. Comrad submitted that the ordinary meaning and any interpretative words referred to things that are tangible; therefore, â€Å"because lines of computer code are intangible the position contended for by Gammasonics was inconsistent†.[22] Fullerton noted that it was preferable to give protection to consumers purchasing software by digital download and noted that research suggests that this is an increasing form of delivery means but stressed the need for legislative reform[23] in the area not judicial intervention and found that the Sale of Goods Act did not apply. Whether equivalent terms of fitness for purpose and merchantable quality are implied by common law. The case also outlines that common law terms as to fitness for purpose and merchantable quality can be implied. This is in accordance with test for implication in fact [24] from BP Refinery (Westernport) v Shire of Hastings which is: 1) it must be reasonable and equitable; (2) it must be necessary to give business efficacy to the contract, so that no term will be implied if the contract is effective without it; (3) it must be so obvious that â€Å"it goes without saying†; (4) it must be capable of clear expression; (5) it must not contradict any express term of the contract†. Although the test was ultimately not considered. Breach of Essential Terms With regard to the breach of essential terms two main areas were readdressed. The interfacing with Medicare and network incompatibility. In both cases the documentary evidence was reviewed. While the plaintiff submitted that the findings of the Local Court were in error and that Comrad was responsible for both resolving the problems of interfacing with Medicare and for creating the interfacing problems. Comrad failed to provide sufficient evidence to support these claims and Fullerton J was not satisfied that Quinn J was in error therefore the appeal was dismissed. Effect on Current Law This case has been referred to in a recent journal article discussing when ‘software is a good’.[25] It has also been referenced in the recent edition of Australian Commercial Law[26] as the authority for the principal that software delivered online does not constitute a good, within the meaning of the Sale of Goods Act[27]. The case highlighted the need for legislative review in regard to the status of computer software and with the introduction of new legistlation The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) it has finally been decided that for the purposes of the ACL software is now specifically included within the definition of goods [28] affording consumers protection under s54 Guarantee as to acceptable quality[29] and s55 Guarantee as to fitness for any disclosed purpose.[30] It also shows the courts reluctance for judicial intervention on matters that may have wider applications in the interpretation of legislation and illustrates the progressive nature of the courts to effect change.

Policy Proposal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Policy Proposal - Research Paper Example When all else fails, the oppressed may take up to armed struggle and attempt to secede from the parent nations and this brings in a long period of conflict marred with wars and fights in which innocent people get killed. During such times, the nation has to bring about a policy that would attempt to assuage the grievances of the minority people and attempt to bring them back in the mainstream politics and make them give up arms (Stavenhagen, 1996). The paper provides a policy that recommends a strategy for conflict resolution in a fictional country called Calendra. The paper is organized as follows: in Chapter 2, a situational analysis is first performed to understand the activities that have occurred and to identify the stakeholders. In Chapter 3, a literature review of implemented policies across the world is provided, that have addressed the same issues. In Chapter 4, a set of policies are recommended for Calendra.. Chapter 5 gives the conclusions and sums up the paper. As given in the case study, an armed conflict has been occurring for the past 18 years in the Western part of the Calendra where the Lathi people have been staying. These people make up 12% of the population and want to secede form the country as they have some severe grievances that have not been met. The dominant ethnic group is the Pugn and this race is which is concentrated in the north and east of the country. The fighting elements of the Lathi are few in numbers and in the 18 years of conflict, their strength has varied from 700 to 10,000. It must also be noted that the total population of Calendra is about 8 million and in the western region where the conflict occurs and where the Lathi are in power, the population of Lathi is about 45%. The Lathi have a number of grievances an the main ones are: that Lathi have been marginalized in the national power structure and the bureaucratic apparatus of the

Read an article in an art magazine the right the summery Essay

Read an article in an art magazine the right the summery - Essay Example ibuted to her success, and these include hard work and determination, her interaction with Alfred Stieglitz and the paintings of the unique landscape of New Mexico also made her famous. Despite this, as the author notes, O’Keeffe’s work was relatively unknown beyond America, and this can be attributed to the fact that European seldom organized exhibitions that involved works from American artists. In addition, American art was not valued by institutions and collectors at the beginning of the twentieth century. Although O’Keeffe knew much about European art at the time, she was never trained in Europe and neither did she travel there. Her art, unlike that of other American artists at the time, was free of European influence. Her abstract images distinguished her among the American artists. Starting the early 1970s, different European collectors started to purchase her works. One of such collectors was Baron Henry Thyssen-Bornemisza. Since then, many institutions have organized and hosted exhibitions of her works in Europe. Georgia O’Keeffe, which is the Georgia O’Keeffe museum’s retrospective exhibition in Europe, was started by Arthemisia whose offices are in Rome. The author further notes that current exhibition in Europe includes around sixty works from each of the seven decades O’Keeffe was active. Generally, the author notes that, unlike before, O’Keeffe’s works are now recognized across

Metaphysics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Metaphysics - Essay Example Although, eventually Plato's philosophical ideas could have laid the groundwork to influence the formulation of the idea of metaphysics (Walsh 1963, 34), the attempt to explain the ultimate causes and underlying nature of things, matter. The vast array of philosophers and philosophies conceptualizing the ultimate causes and underlying nature of things, familiarly known as metaphysics would most likely believe that the theory was grounded on the basic principles of Socrates rather than on his subsequent followers who had been his students. Obviously, this could be taken along the logic of passing on body of knowledge regarding metaphysics concepts by educators to students. One good way to view Socrates theory on the nature of matter is to see what were the principles developed by his successor along the ultimate causes and underlying nature of things, metaphysics. For example, according to Walsh (1963, 20), Plato expressed the idea that 'wisdom and understanding could come only if men would abandon belief for knowledge'. Obviously, this practice would engage an aggressive separation with what went before as a way of life (Walsh, 1963, 20). It also includes doing away with past behaviors. As well, it meant doing away with traditional views. Additionally, this would call for a battery of restraint.

Society should work for gender neutrality because it benefits both Essay - 1

Society should work for gender neutrality because it benefits both genders. Agree or disagree - Essay Example Gender Neutrality is beneficial for the society because it will create a balance between the individuals living in the society. There will be a more health working and living environment for the residents of the society irrespective of their genders and sexes. But if the society do not focus on this important aspect then it would be a harmful situation in the coming years of life. Women may feel dis-respect because it is obvious that men are treated as a valuable asset in the society. However, an author is of the opinion that women are playing roles that are more important in the society development (Sandberg & Maria 2). The women are fully involved in the personality building of the new generation minds. It is a famous saying that there is always a woman behind every successful man. Some authors are of the opinion that role distribution is based on the physical strength of the men and women. There can be internal hormonal differences between men and women, which are the basis of the strength of the individual (Perrin 2). Therefore, usually women are not assigned those tasks, which they cannot bear upon their body. There is another research study that boys are stronger than girls (FlorCruz 1). However, many critics argue that we should not make hard and fast rules for the responsibilities of men and women. Rather there should be an open choice or preference for both men and women. The equal opportunity availability also give a psychological value and importance, after this, it would be rest on the women that she can do it or not. Gender neutralists strongly support this point of view. Several Governments are involved in the propagation of the idea of the gender equality in their state. Sweden Government is putting efforts to keep women rights (Abend 3). The idea of gender equality or gender neutralism can only be possible when there are policies, rules and regulations regarding this point. Government should take actions to implement this strategy.

Emirates Airlines Cabin Crew Strategic Development System for Essay

Emirates Airlines Cabin Crew Strategic Development System for Effective Staff Motivational Management - Essay Example The industry took a long time to recover the lost trust and business momentum. Once the sector managed to engage more air travelers the worldwide financial crises again put hit and harnessed the growth momentum. This hit is still pressing airlines and entire industry setup is changing with increasing deregulation, privatization, and open skies policies etc; all intent to meet growing challenges and align with the pace of change. Hence the industry though has high barrier for competitors to enter but it has agility to respond to the happenings round the world is very high. Aviation industry as matter of research has taken place in the recent past and researcher asserts that attention to aviation industry has recently grown and still requires to be explored. However, attempt to explore the commercial airline has barrier of cooperation from managers who are very resilient in sharing the relevant information. Hence, the researcher following the strategy of many other researchers has cont ented on the available researches from secondary sources. This report has objective to explore the cabin crew component of the human resources of airline industry. Cabin crews are frontline representatives of airline and like every front line representative of the business or brand they carry entire brand within their on-flight behavior with passenger. Hence, this resource is equally important as other human resource such as pilot who is carrier the technical expertise while cabin crews are entire company and reflection of its strategy to passenger. As the cabin crew aspect is itself a completed domain to explore, the scope of this study has been defined or limited to explore the cabin crew resource management at Emirate Airline; among the leading airlines in world and the leader in Middle East. Emirate Airline has managed to gain the continuous improvement and hence growth while giving equal focus to the employee. The airline attributes its all success mainly to the efforts of its people. This report has been developed in three sections; first section focuses on the development through background regarding aviation industry its current position and expected future trend. Since the domain of the study is human resource the researcher has provided detailed discussion of the aspects of human resources including the importance of recruitment, training and motivation in context of the cabin crew. The study follows with shedding light on the importance of these understudy front line representatives. Role, challenges and the impact of other factors such as 9/11 incident and psychological factors have been developed. Followed is information related to recruitment and selection, productivity as well as the future prospects has been discussed. One developing the literature about the human resource management with respect to cabin crew in general, second section of the report has analyzed the Emirates airline conduct of operation in the understudy segment of the human r esource. The research has provided the initially provided detailed background of the airline. Later the study examines the recruitment and selection, performance measurement and motivational tools used by emirates to keep the crew member turnover controlled. In third and last section, the researcher on based on the knowledge developed on the basis of this research has provided some suggestion for improvement with concluding remark. 1.1- OVERVIEW OF AVIATION INDUSTRY

INDIVIDUAL CLASS PROJECT Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

INDIVIDUAL CLASS PROJECT - Coursework Example Morey Courts with detailed explanation of varied significant aspects including safety along with risk management, participatory planning and certain Acts including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Morey Courts is a centre, which provides elegant support in the form of recreation to the community members residing within Michigan. It is located at a central position in the city of Michigan and noted to be meeting the recreational needs of the people of every age. Justifiably, the recreation centre effectively incorporates certain events and games that add up to the needs for enjoyment and recreation to the people residing within the community (1Morey Courts, 2015). Moreover, providing active support towards developing the health and fitness needs of the people also adds up to be the other attractive feature of this recreation centre (1Morey Courts, 2015). There is a huge prospect for Morey Courts to make a dominant position in its respective filed, as it is going to provide an efficient support for developing the individual needs of recreation. With facilities such as group cycling, family night games and safe gaming zones for children among others are going to be highly accepted by the community members and thus there lays the chance of projected growth of the centre in near future. Furthermore, by providing a safe environment to the young people while practicing various games and events under the same roof is going to act as an added advantage for the centre to attract large masses from the locality (2Morey Courts, 2015). Additionally, with the developed facilities and larger amounts of equipments, the centre is going to increase its ability to gain the interests of the people. The popularity was largely visible while conducting a survey among the people who resided within the locality. It was noted that the centre was gaining popu larity amid the people of

BIO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

BIO - Essay Example John Scopes’s role in the Scopes trial was that of the defendant, owing to the fact that he was the teacher who went against the Tennessee State’s law that prohibited teaching of evolution in schools, by openly doing it at the high school he was teaching science (PBS, n.p.). Clarence Darrow was the defense lawyer for the accused in the Scopes Trial, who defended the right of John Scopes to teach evolution and the Darwin theory in class (PBS, n.p.). He did not only defend Scopes fiercely, but also used it as a platform to engage his longtime rival in matters of religion, William Jennings Bryan (PBS, n.p.). William Jennings Bryan testified in the Scopes Trial as an expert in Biblical matters, but behind the scenes the testimony was meant to create a platform where he would engage Clarence Darrow on the subject of evolution, which Bryan was completely opposed to (PBS, n.p.). In the courtroom, their contest of ideas between the Biblical stand and the concept of evolution in science almost sparked a physical

Justice John Paul Stevens Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Justice John Paul Stevens - Case Study Example One of the most important factors of this case is the dissenting opinion of Justice John Paul Stevens. Justice Stevens stated that the judgment reached by the court was a strained decision which was also supported by a reading which was unpersuasive. He continued to say that the decision had overturned a precedent which had stood for a long time and also that the court had bestowed the law in a dramatic upheaval. Stevens states that it was notable of the amendment because it had omitted any of the statement of the needs that were associated with the individual's rights to utilize firearms when hunting or also in self defense and that this rights were present in the Declarations of Rights of Pennsylvania and Vermont (Gary, 2008). The dissent of Justice Stevens can be seen to be focused on four points of disagreement. One of the point of disagreement is that the Founders did not intend to make the individuals rights in possession of guns an aspect of the Second Amendment and if they intended it they would have made that clause expressly in the Second Amendment. The other point of disagreement is that the preamble concerning the militia and that the exact phrase which mentions to keep and bear arms is only applicable to the state militias only and not all individuals according to the Second Amendment.

President of the United States of America Essay Example for Free

President of the United States of America Essay The year 2008 saw the growth and emergence of various cultures around the world. This progression was however affected and sometimes hampered by the various global economic and political occurrences that defined the year 2008. The beginning of 2008 witnessed elections and consequent political instability in Zimbabwe which defined the global political system tremendously. This elections, which were characterized by allegations of rigging and foul-play caused global cries against the incumbent president in Zimbabwe, sanctions were imposed on the country thereby sending the country deeper into economic turmoil. These actions affected the global interaction of cultures in the sense that many Zimbabweans and Africans felt that the Western world was trying to impose its political culture on Africans who enjoy their culture to a great extent. This feeling of culture imposition from the Western world brought into Africa rejection of the Western culture irrespective of the goodness of the culture(David, K. 72-75) The middle of 2008 witnessed the ‘heating up’ of the most dramatic elections in the United States of America. This American election had an immense effect on culture around the world because the favorite candidate in the election, Senator Barrack Obama, had various ethnic backgrounds. Born to a Kenyan father and an American mother, Barrack has been viewed as the ideal world representative. His background and connection to the Asian ethnic community, to a great extent, complements his worldly representation. Consequently, this favorite candidate for the United States presidency, who represented various cultures around the world, emerged victorious because in him, Americans and the world felt represented in the affairs of the world politics. This election and the subsequent win of Barrack Obama for the White House cemented the cultural diversity of the American people and brought other foreign cultures to fame and scrutiny. This American election and the subsequent win for Barrack Obama as President of the United States of America, went a long way to encourage and promote inter-cultural integration around the world through marriage and lifestyle(David, K. 80-82) The end of the year 2008 witnessed a most devastating slump in the global economy as the world faced the credit crunch instigated by the mortgage crisis in the United States of America. This global economic melt-down led to a decrease in travel and purchasing power of individuals. Therefore, there was a significant reduction in global interaction thereby causing a reduction in inter-cultural interaction. The reduction in the purchasing power caused a slump in global trade which is a key component of global interaction. This also therefore reduced cultural interaction on the global stage. The closing of 2008 witnessed the biggest political crisis of the year, the Middle East Crisis. This crisis has had a devastating effect on the global cultural integration due to its ever changing form of violence. Many times, the violence is political with the Palestinians and the Israelites being the two aggressors. Sometimes, the crisis takes a religious angle with the Palestinians representing the Muslim faction while the Israelites represent the Jews. This Middle East crisis has therefore slowed down cultural interaction from the political and the religious angles(David, K. 93-96) Analysis of Arts and Culture in 2008 The year 2008 showed the different effects on arts and culture by the political, economic and religious happenings around the world. The year just showed us how vulnerable global arts and culture is to extinction, and at the same time prosperity, thanks to the global economic, political and religious dispensation. Through political, economic and religious development, global arts and culture flourished and sometimes reduced to a very low point. This fact therefore poses a challenge to every human around the world to ensure the flourishing of global arts and culture by allowing and maintaining political, economic and religious stability. The future of global arts and culture as defined by 2008 is uncertain. The future lies in the choices of men. The right choices will lead to the positive development of arts and culture while the wrong choices will lead to negative developments. The future is unpredictable and uncertain†¦it lies in our choices(David, K. 100-103) Arts in Global Interaction Arts can play a huge role in global interaction. Through arts, experiences are shared throughout the world. For instance, tourists travel all over the world and are welcomed by different cultures which they end up assimilating with. They are attracted by the unique nature of the different cultures and styles and some end up purchasing commodities from those cultures which they take back home. This art work gives the tourists a story to tell to their loved ones back in their homes. Therefore, through the making and selling of art work, one individual from one global destination earns a living, while others from various other destinations get entertained and have a story to share(David, K. 109-114). Indigenous Development of Talent In the current global village, local talent has great potential of developing into independent industries. Different culture and art forms are always appealing. If the local talent can be given space to develop and grow, the global market always has room for accommodating new art works thereby creating employment and income for millions of people around the world who represent the various art and cultural backgrounds. This arts and cultural talent can be developed through national arts and cultural exhibitions where the arts and cultures are showcased to the rest of the world. These exhibitions should also develop business systems that can support trade and therefore enable the artistes to earn a decent living. This is the only way to ensure sustenance of the various arts represented by people around the world(David, K. 112-118). Survey into the Main Global Initiatives on Arts, Culture and Society A small survey can be carried out to give a deeper understanding into matters affecting arts and culture with the following specifics: Purpose Statement: the world at large need to take up the responsibility of promoting arts and culture through ensuring political, economical and religious stability. Hypothesis: arts and culture thrive in a world of political, economical and religious stability. Objective: To study the effect of politics, economics and religion on arts and culture. The findings of the survey can then be recorded and analyzed to give a comprehensive conclusion to the survey. Work cited David, Kilcullen. (2007). â€Å"Ethics, Politics, and Non-State Warfare: A Response to Gonzalez. † Anthropology Today vol. 23, no. 3. pg 56-120

Survival of Organisms in Extreme Conditions

Survival of Organisms in Extreme Conditions Organisms, known as extremophiles, survive in environments that other terrestrial life-forms find intolerable and in some cases lethal. They are evolved to survive in extreme hot niches, ice, and saline solutions, also adapting to survive in varying pH conditions; extremophiles are even found to grow in toxic waste, organic solvents, heavy metals, or in multiple habitats thought previously to be inhospitable for life. Within all the discovered extreme environmental condition, a variety of organisms have shown that they are able to not just tolerate these conditions, but they require these conditions for survival. If organisms can survive in these hostile environments on Earth it seems feasible that there could be life present in other areas of our solar system. Extremophiles are classified according to the conditions in which they grow. These sections can be further divided into two broad categories: extremophilic organisms which need these hostile conditions to survive, and extremotolerant organisms which can withstand the extreme pressure of one or multiple conditions however, grow optimally at normal and less hostile conditions. From all three domains of life, i.e. bacteria, archaea, and eukarya, extremophiles can be found. Most extremophiles are microorganisms with many of these being archaea, but protists, in the eukaryotes, have some extremophiles from the families: algae, fungi and protozoa. Archaea are the most common extremophilic domain, however are generally less versatile than bacteria and eukaryotes in at adapting to differing extreme environments. Although, some archaea are some of the most hyperthermophilic, acidophilic, alkaliphilic, and halophilic microorganisms known. The archaeal Methanopyrus kandleri strain 116 will tole rate and grow at temperatures up to 122 °C (252  °F), while the genus Picrophilus (i.e. Picrophilus torridus) are some of the most acidophilic organism, growing at a pH as low as 0.06. Bacteria like cyanobacteria, is best adapted to environments with multiple physicochemical parameters, by forming multi-layered microbial mats with other bacteria. They can survive in hypersaline conditions and alkaline lakes, which support high metal concentrations and low availability of water or xerophilic conditions, in a group of endolithic communities in stony desert regions. However, cyanobacteria is rarely found in an acidic environment at a pH lower than 6. Not only does this give insight into the origin of life on Earth, but opens up a new realm of possibilities for life elsewhere in the universe. Thermophilic bacteria are common in soil and volcanic environments i.e. hot springs. Thermophiles are thought to be one of the original organisms to have survived on earth over 3 billion years ago, in an environment with much higher temperatures, this allows possibilities to assume that a life form could be found on another planet. The ability to proliferate at growth temperature optima well above 60 °C is associated with extremely thermally stable macromolecules. As a consequence of growth at high temperature and unique macromolecular properties, thermophilic organisms can possess high metabolic rates, physically and chemically stable enzymes, and lower growth rate with a higher end product yield. Thermophilic reactions appear more stable, rapid and less expensive, and facilitate reactant activity and product recovery. Most thermophiles are anaerobes, this is due to oxygen being much less soluble at higher temperatures, therefore is not available to the organisms. Thermophiles and acidophiles have membranes that contain tetra-ether lipids, which form a rigid monolayer that is impermeable to many ions and protons. The ether type lipids are far stronger than the ester lipids found in mesophilic organisms, also the lipid layers consist of more branched and saturated fatty acids. This gives a stronger lipid complex, and is most prevalent in Archaean thermophiles. Thermophiles also stabilize their proteins, DNA, RNA and ATP, however there is no distinctive reason for how they stabilize. Though, most thermophilic organisms have more Cytosine and guanine bonds as the triple bond is a lot stronger than the Adenine Thymine bond. Thermophiles have developed unique ways of heat stabilizing their essential proteins. The protein surface energy and the hydration levels of the exposed non-polar groups are monitored and minimized by packing the hydrophobic regions into a dense core, of the protein, by the amino acids charge-charge interactions. An increased number of salt b ridges and internal networks are present, stabilizing the internal structures and an elevated amount of synthesis of chaperone proteins. Chaperone proteins unfold and help to refold proteins that are not formed properly, this is important as during hot environment there is a higher chance of misfolded proteins. The methods thermophiles employ to survive on earth could be used to survive elsewhere in our solar system. Psychrophilic organisms or psychrophiles grow best at low temperatures (freezing point of water or below) in areas such as deep sea and polar regions. The main problems for organisms in this environment is the exponential effect on the rate of biochemical reactions and the viscosity of internal and external environments, which changes significantly between 37 µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢C and 0 µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢C. (Feller Gerday, 2003; Georlette et al, 2004; Russell, 2000). In an attempt to overcome the effects on the cytoplasmic membrane, i.e. permeability and hence transportation across the membrane, there is a higher lipid concentration in the membranes containing more unsaturated, polyunsaturated, methyl-branched fatty acids, and shorter acyl-chain length. The lipid head group within the membrane is also thought to be larger. All of these adaptations increase the fluidity of the membrane and in turn survival at lower temperatures (Chintalapati et al, 2004). Another adaptation for lower temperatures is the ribosomal extract, RNA polymerase, having a larger elongation factor and the presence of peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase which have shown to retain activity near 0 °C in multiple differing psychrophilic microorganisms, like Moritella profunda, Another enzyme catalyses cis-trans prolyl isomerisation, and its high activity and overexpression at low temperatures might be important for overcoming the impaired folding protein rates. Likewise, nucleic-acid-binding proteins like Escherichia colis CspA-related proteins and RNA helicases, which are important in the transcription and translation of DNA and RNA secondary structures, are also overexpressed (Berger et al, 1996; Lim et al, 2000). The relationship between the flexibility of the membrane and the increase in activity is meant to create quite an unstable organism however, only in mesophilic environments. In a comparison of thermodynamic parameters between psychrophilic enzymes and their mesophilic homologues, at low temper ature there is a decrease in activation enthalpy, meaning a decrease in the number of enthalpy-driven reactions that have to be broken in catalysis. Organisms in this habitat are also considered to be oligotrophic as they live with lower nutrient content. Psychrophiles could use all of these adaptations in similar environments except Earth. Acidophiles and alkaliphiles are optimally adapted to acidic or alkaline pH values, acidophiles live in a higher concentration of Hydrogen ions as, Alkaliphilic organism live in a higher concentration of hydroxide ions. Acidophiles partially deflect the flow of protons into the cell by reversing the membrane potential with a reduced pore size in the membrane channels. By having a highly impermeable cell membrane organism can restrict the influx of protons, with their chemiosmostic gradient and by actively exporting protons out of the cell maintaining a habitable internal pH. In comparison to mesophiles, acidophiles have a higher proportion of secondary transporters which reduce the energy demands associated with moving protons, solutes and nutrients across the membrane. Acidophiles contain more DNA with a high proportion of protein repair mechanisms which repair at a lower pH, in B.acidocaldarius there is a higher level of cytoplasmic buffering found. In most acid environments there is a high metal content which these organisms use in their favour to stabilize their intercellular enzymes. In alkaliphilic organisms, such as Bacillus pseudofirmus and B.halodurans, oxidative phosphorylation occur to support non-fermentative growth and proton-coupled ATP synthases occurs, using proton-motive force (PMF) but mostly from the sodium-ion gradient. A major adaption of the alkaliphiles for surviving in their environments is within the diversity of their enzymes. Mesophilic organisms produce enzymes with similar activity however, do not have the same enzymatic capacity to cope with the increase pH. An internal pH is maintained by the active and passive regulation mechanisms across the membrane, actively removing the hydroxide ions. The addition of cytoplasmic pools of polyamines and low membrane permeability, with sodium ion channels actively regulates these levels. Alkaliphillic bacteria also compensate for the high levels by having a high membrane potential or coupling Na+ expulsion through the ETC. All of these processes used could be utilized by interplanetary organism. Throughout our solar system there are many environments where some of these extremophiles could use their adaptations to survive. The main necessity for life would be the presence of even a minimal supply of water. In our solar system there are environments thought to be able to support life. Titan, one of Saturns moons, has sustainable atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen, similar to earths. There are many ammonia and methane lakes on titan that theoretically could combine, in an electrically charged environment, to make an organic habitat. Thermophiles that also contain sulfureted properties could survive there as they survive in similar conditions in the deep ocean hot springs. Enceladus, another of Saturns moons has an abundant supply of water vapour geysers and Europa, one of Jupiters moons, both are thought to be entirely covered in ice. Psychrophiles and Alkaliphilic or Acidophilic organism could adapt to live in this environment. Enceladus is considered an active water w orld with oceans with Europa thought to have subglacial water systems under the ice layer. Models of Enceladus predict the oceans to be a solution of Na-Cl-CO3 with a pH of 11 to 12. This is a similar environment to Lake Shala in the Rift Valley Lakes, with a high alkaline pH and due to it being the deepest lakes on earth, a cold temperature at its lowest depth. Europa has a highly acidic water system and due to the total coverage of ice on the surface of the moon, any organism able to survive there must also be anaerobic. Overall, on earth we have many extreme environments which are considered lethal to most organism but are home to extremophiles, such as thermophiles, psychrophiles, acidophiles and alkaliphiles. From the way many of these organism adapt to survive on earth it is feasible that organism with similar adaptations could be present or could survive elsewhere in our solar system, in similar environments.

Role Of Armed Forces During Disaster Relief

Role Of Armed Forces During Disaster Relief 1. Although the man has made extensive progress in his relatively short existence on earth, he is still virtually helpless in front of vagaries of nature. Natural disasters such as cyclones, flood and earthquakes ravage mans domain at will and cause much loss to life and property. Despite everyones concern for disasters and technological developments in the world, the response to disasters has been knee jerk and uncoordinated at international, national and state levels. The problem is more acute in developing countries rather than in developed ones. The United Nations and its specialised agencies have always had an interest in and commitment to disaster relief. Therefore, there are various disaster relief, preparedness, prevention and mitigation programmes being carried out by various United Nations Organisations  [1]  . 2. The trend of occurrence of disasters is increasing and will escalate in future. Disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes, which have been the most destructive, along with the floods and droughts that arise from extreme weather conditions, are expected to get worse due to adverse impact of climate change. In the 21st century, the 2001 Bhuj earthquake; the 2004 tsunami; the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir; heavy rainfall in Mumbai in 2006 when nearly 1 m rain fell in a single day; the 2008 Bihar Kosi disaster; the August 2010 cloud burst in Leh; and, most recently, the September 2011 Sikkim earthquake have seen the armed forces as first responders  [2]  . 3. In Indian context it is unlikely that the local civil administration will have the resources available immediately to deal with a major disaster such as the earthquake that occurred in Gujarat in 2001 or the Tsunami of 2004. Therefore, it is essential that the state governments prepare detail disaster management plans and keep the resources in terms of men and material ready for use at short notice. There is a need for civil administration at the district and state levels to organise disaster relief cells with a pool of reserve. At present due to the inability of local administration to deal with natural calamities, armed forces are invariably employed for disaster relief. 4. In spite of breakdown of communications and the absence of a major strength of troops and resources, the response of the armed forces has always been prompt and won the respect of all concerned. The mainstay and strength of the Armed forces vis-à  -vis civilian organisations has been the sense of discipline, training to respond to orders, adaptability, selfless dedication to the cause, genuine concern and focused action. These factors have always resulted in many individuals and NGOs wanting to route assistance through the Armed forces. Seeing the good work being done by the Armed forces, the government organisations, NGOs and civil agencies then join in the relief effort. This generates a spirit of cooperation. The mere presence of Armed forces troops instils a sense of security and gives solace to the affected people  [3]  . Disaster Response Activities 5. Disaster management, which involves assessment and response, can be seen in various activities. The following are various activities of emergency response. Warning. Search and Rescue. Evacuation and Migration. Response and Relief. Logistics and Supply. Communication and Information Management. Rehabilitation. Post-Disaster Assessment  [4]  . 6. Natural calamities impart lessons at a huge cost of life and property. But if these lessons do not lead us to learning, then the cost will seem even heavier. At the time recurrence of disaster, the failure to learn from the previous incidents hurts the most. The massive earthquake in Gujarat and the subsequent chaos were indicators of how important prior planning is in managing relief and rehabilitation during various disasters. The Kutchh region required massive immediate assistance , however civil administration was unprepared for such crisis. Indian armed forces were employed for the relief from the begining. This made the need for a proper disaster mitigation plan very apparent. Learning from experience is essential in building a knowledge resource which would help in being better prepared in the future. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY 1. Hypothesis. A common thread in a countrys response to disaster situation is military support to civilian authorities. India disaster relief mechanism in the present form lacks the required synergy between civil and military organisations to facilitate a synergised response. 2. Statement of Problem. The civil administration often falls back on the armed forces for assistance in crisis situations. Efficient disaster management mechanism, therefore, should incorporate the armed forces at each stage. The formulated plans should specify the assistance likely to be required in disaster situations. The most efficient system will be to have seamless integration in operations, with an aim of core competency areas of each establishment giving its best in least time. The aim of the study is to examine the disaster relief mechanism existing in the country and analyze the interplay of various organizations in handling the disaster situation. Justification for the Study 3. Over the past few years, the Government has introduced a paradigm shift in the approach to disasters. Corner stone of this approach is the realisation that disaster management has to be multi-disciplinary and spanning across all the sectors of development. As calamities evoke extraordinary response, the civil authoritys reliance on the Armed Forces has also ever increased. Due to their quick response, Armed forces have become a mantra in the hands of the state to respond to such calamities spanning from Law and Order problems to large scale disasters. Despite our country being extremely vulnerable and prone to natural calamities, no detailed hazard and vulnerability assessments have been carried out either at the State or the National level  [5]  . 4. Is the country adequately prepared with infrastructure and strategy against various natural disasters? There are differences of opinion on this issue. According to some, there are certain limitations, but overall, the country is well equipped. Others, however point out that the country does not have detailed vulnerability assessments, forcing it to only respond to calamities and organise reconstruction  [6]  . It is in this context that this study assumes greater importance. It will analyse various facets of disaster preparedness, evaluate existing structures for disasters management and put forward its recommendations. 5. For the purpose of this study disasters related to war, civil disturbance and slow disasters (Like crop failure, famine etc) will be kept out. Natural disasters (Like floods, earthquake etc) and the response of armed forces in helping civil administration would be the focus of the study. The study is basically confined to the role of Armed forces, to include Air Force and Navy in providing assistance to the civil authorities in all natural calamities. 6. Method of Data Collection. Data and information has been collected from Military Papers, periodicals, newspapers and books. Disaster management setup of the country has been derived from NDMA 2005 Ministry of Home Affairs documents on disaster management. 7. Organisation of the Dissertation. The research paper is covered under the following Chapters :- (a) Introduction. (b) Methodology. (c) National policy on disaster management. (d) Role of armed forces. (e) International disaster relief system. (f) Current concerns and recommendations. CHAPTER III NATIONAL POLICY ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT As of now, the government has no concrete disaster management policy. Many disasters are first created by us and then crores of rupees are spent on rescue and relief operations. The government should focus more on a sustainable model of development which can avoid disasters. Sunder Lal Bhauguna 1. Evolution of Disaster Management in India. Disaster management in India has evolved from an activity-based reactive setup to a proactive institutionalized structure; from single faculty domain to a multi-stakeholder setup; and from a relief-based approach to a multi-dimensional pro-active holistic approach for reducing risk. The beginnings of an institutional structure for disaster management can be traced to the British period following the series of disasters such as famines of 1900, 1905, 1907 1943, and the Bihar-Nepal earthquake of 1937. Over the past century, the disaster management in India has undergone substantive changes in its composition, nature and policy  [7]  . 2. Emergence of Institutional Arrangement in India. A permanent and institutionalised setup began in the decade of 1990s with set up of a disaster management cell under the Ministry of Agriculture, following the declaration of the decade of1990 as the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) by the UN General Assembly. Following series of disasters such as Latur Earthquake (1993), Malpa Landslide (1994),Orissa Super Cyclone (1999) and Bhuj Earthquake (2001), a high powered Committee under the Chairmanship of Mr. J.C. Pant, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture was constituted for drawing up a systematic, comprehensive and holistic approach towards disasters  [8]  . There was a shift in policy from an approach of relief through financial aid to a holistic one for addressing disaster management. Consequently, the disaster management division was shifted under the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2002 and a hierarchical structure for disaster management evolved in India2. Organisation and Structure of Disaster Management 3. Disaster management division is headed by Joint Secretary in ministry of home affairs, who is assisted by three Directors, Under Secretaries, Section Officers, Technical Officer, Senior Economic Investigator consultants and other supporting staff. The upper echelon of the structure also consists of Secretary (Border Management), Home Secretary, Minister of State in charge and the Home Minister. 4. Shifting from the relief and response mode, disaster management structure in India started to address the issues of early warning systems, forecasting and monitoring setup for various weather related hazards. A structure for flow of information, in the form of warnings, alerts and updates about the oncoming hazard, also emerged in this framework. A high powered group was setup by involving representatives of different ministries and departments. Some of these ministries were also designated as nodal authorities for specific disasters3. Disaster Management Act, 2005 5. This Act provides for the effective management of disasters in the country. NDMA provides institutional mechanisms for formulating and monitoring the implementation of the disaster management. It also ensures measures by the various branches of the Government for prevention and mitigation of disasters and prompt response during any disaster situation. The Act provides for setting up of National Disaster Management Authority under Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, State Disaster Management Authorities under the Chairmanship of the Chief Ministers, District Disaster Management Authorities under the Chairmanship of Collectors/District Magistrates/Deputy Commissioners. 6. The Act further provides for the constitution of different Executive Committee at national and state levels. Under its aegis, the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) for capacity building and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for response purpose have been set up. It also mandates the concerned Ministries and Departments to draw up their own plans in accordance with the National Plan. The Act further contains the provisions for financial mechanisms such as creation of funds for response, National Disaster Mitigation Fund and similar funds at the state and district levels for the purpose of disaster management. The Act also provides specific roles to local bodies in disaster management4. National Level Institutions 7. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was initially constituted on May 30, 2005 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister. The NDMA has been mandated with laying down policies on disaster management and guidelines which would be followed by different ministries, departments of central government and state government in taking measures for disaster risk reduction. It has also laid down guidelines to be followed by the state government authorities in drawing up the State Plans and to take such measures for the management of disasters, Details of these responsibilities are given as under :- (a) Lay down policies on disaster management. (b) Approve the National Plan. (c) Approve plans prepared by various ministries or departments of the government of India in accordance with the National Plan for disaster management. (d) Lay down guidelines for the State Authorities in drawing up the State Plan. (e) Lay down guidelines for the different ministries or departments of the government for the purpose of integrating the measures for prevention of disasters and the mitigation of their effects in their development plans projects. (f) Coordinate the implementation of the policy and plan for disaster management within the country. (g) Recommend provision of funds for the purpose of disaster mitigation. (h) Provide support to other countries affected by disasters on the recommendation of Central Government. (j) Take other measures for the prevention of disaster, mitigation, preparedness and capacity building for dealing with the disaster situation . (k) Lay down policies and guidelines for functioning of the National Institute for Disaster Management  [9]  . 8. Composition of NDMA. Besides the nine members nominated by the Prime Minister, Chairperson of the Authority, the Organisational structure consists of a Secretary and five Joint Secretaries including one Financial Advisor. There are 10 posts of Joint Advisors and Directors, 14 Assistant Advisors, Under Secretaries and Assistant Financial Advisor and Duty Officer along with supporting staff  [10]  . 9. State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). The Disaster Management Act, 2005 provides for constitution of SDMAs in all the states and UTs. The Act envisages establishment of State Executive Committee, to be headed by Chief Secretary of the state Government with four other Secretaries of such departments as the state Government may think fit. It has the responsibility for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the National Policy, the National Plan and the State Plan. 10. District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). NDMA provides for constitution of DDMA for every district of a state. The District Magistrate/ District Collector/Deputy Commissioner heads the Authority as Chairperson besides an elected representative of the local authority as Co-Chairperson. The District Authority is responsible for planning, coordination and implementation of disaster management and to take such measures for disaster management as provided in the guidelines. The District Authority also has the power to examine the construction in any area in the district to enforce the safety standards and also to arrange for relief measures and respond to the disaster at the district level. 11. National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM). In the backdrop of the International decade of Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR), a National centre of disaster management has been established at the Indian Institute for Public Administration in 1995. The Centre was subsequently upgraded and designated as the National Institute of Disaster management on 16th October 2003. Disaster management act, 2005 entrusts the institute with various responsibilities, such as to develop the training modules, undertake research and documentation for disaster management, organise the training programmes, organise study courses, conferences, and seminars to promote disaster management. It is also responsible for publication of journals, research papers and books on disaster management  [11]  . 12. National Disaster Response Force. The National Disaster Response Force has been constituted under Disaster management act, 2005 by up-gradation/conversion of eight standard battalions of central para military forces i.e. two battalions each from Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force to build them up as a specialist force to respond to disaster or disaster like situations. 13. The eight battalions of NDRF consist of 144 specialised teams trained in various types of natural, manmade and non-natural disasters.72 of such teams are designed to cater to the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear(CBRN) calamities besides natural calamities. Each NDRF battalion consists of 1149 personnel organised in 18 teams comprising of 45 personnel, who are being equipped and trained for rendering effective response to any disaster situation, both natural and manmade. All these eight battalions are being trained in natural disasters while four of them are being additionally trained for handling CBRN disasters. Based on vulnerability profile of different regions of the country, these specialist battalions have been presently stationed at the following eight places:- Bhatinda. Gr. Noida. Vadodara. Pune (talegaon). Bhubaneshwar (mundali). Kolkata. Guwahati. Patna. Chennai (Arakkonam).  [12]   14. The Government of India has approved the raising of two additional battalions of National Disaster Response Force by up gradation and conversion of one battalion each of Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force to be located in the states of Bihar (Bihata, Patna) and Andhra Pradesh (Vijaywada) respectively. The administrative approval for raising the two battalions was issued on 13-10- 2010  [13]  . 15. State Disaster Response Force. The states/UTs have also been advised to set up their Specialist Response Force for responding to disasters on the lines of National Disaster Response Force by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Central Government is providing assistance for training of trainers. The state governments have been also advised to utilise 10 percent of their State Disaster Response Fund and Capacity Building Grant for procuring the search and rescue equipment and for training purposes of the Response Force  [14]  . Civil Defence 16. Role of Civil Defence. During times of emergencies, the CD organisation has the vital role of mobilising the citizens and helping civil administration for saving life and property, minimising damage, and raising public morale. 225 towns have been nominated as CD towns. 17. Each town has nucleus of four Permanent Staff along with 400 CD Volunteers for a two lakh population. It is expected that each state will have one CD Training Institute with permanent strength of 36 personnel, five vehicles and other equipments. The District Magistrate is designated as a Controller for CD Towns. The present strength of CD volunteers is 5.72 lakhs, out of which 5.11 lakhs are already trained. The target strength of CD volunteers has been fixed at 13 lakhs based on the population of CD towns as per 2001 census  [15]  . National Crisis Management 18. For effective implementation of necessary relief measures in the wake of a natural disaster, the Cabinet has established a Committee. On the constitution of this committee of the cabinet, the concerned Secretary will provide all the necessary information and data to and seek directions of the cabinet committee in all the matters concerning disaster relief. In the absence of this cabinet Committee, all matters relating to disaster relief will be reported to the Cabinet Secretary. 19. National Crisis Management Committee. A National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) has been constituted in the Cabinet Secretariat. The composition of the Committee is as under  [16]  :- (a) Cabinet Secretary Chairman. (b) Secretary to Prime Minister Member. (c) Secretary (MHA) Member. (d) Secretary (MOD) Member. (e) Director (IB) Member. (f) Secretary (RAW) Member. (g) Secretary (Agriculture) Co-opted Member. (h) An Officer of Cabinet Secretariat Convener. 20. Calamities Relief Fund. The government has earmarked two funds i.e. Calamities Relief Fund and National Fund for Calamities. The nodal agency for recommending release of these two funds is the Crisis Management Group in the Ministry of Agriculture, which is headed by Central Relief Commissioner. The allocation for the all the states under these funds is done by the Finance Commission for a duration of five years, based on the vulnerability of the states to Natural calamities and average expenditure. National Fund for Calamities is additional fund besides Calamities Relief Fund ; while 75 percent of CRF is contributed by the centre, the allocation under National Fund for Calamities is entirely by the centre and more or less discretionary  [17]  . Forecasting Warning 21. Forecasting about climate change is pre requisite for taking preparedness measure to respond to the disaster is the most important element of disaster management. The Ministry of Environment Forest , Ministry of Earth Sciences , Ministry of Science Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Non-conventional Energy, Defence Research Development Organization, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Space Research Organization and Indian Meteorological Department promote and undertake climate and climate change related research in the country  [18]  . (a) Atmosphere Watch Stations. A network of 10 Global Atmosphere Watch Stations consisting of Allahabad, Jodhpur, Kodaikanal, Minicoy, Mohanbari, Port Blair, Pune, Nagpur, Srinagar and Vishakhapatnam, is maintained by IMD as per WMO protocols and standards since 1974 to generate data and information on the exchange of trace materials between the atmosphere and the earths surface, making atmospheric turbidity and air quality measurements to quantify trends and acid rain threats. (b) Atmospheric monitoring. There are 25 types of atmospheric monitoring networks that are operated and coordinated by the IMD. This includes meteorological, climatologically, environment, air pollution and other specialized observation of atmospheric trace constituents. (c) Cyclone Warning. The IMD has established an observation network for detecting cyclones through 10 cyclone detection radars along the coasts. The detection range of these radars is 400 km. INSAT-1B satellite also monitors cyclonic movements. Ships and commercial radars are also utilized for cyclonic warnings. About 260 merchant ships have meteorological observation systems. (d) Flood Forecast. The Ministry of water resources has an effective flood forecast system with 157 flood forecasting centres covering 62 river basins. Along with IMD, they monitor rainfall water levels in the reservoirs. India has also developed radars which give accurate estimate of rainfall up to 200 km around the radar site. (e) Tsunami warning. Post tsunami dated 26th December, 2004, Ministry of Earth Sciences has established the Indian National Tsunami Warning System at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad. The Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS) was made operational on 15th Oct 2007. This agency has developed a protocol for issue for Tsunami Watch, Alert and Warnings. The Centre gives information to all responders about the origin, time, location of the epicentre, magnitude and depth of an earthquake inside the ocean and accordingly issues bulletins. (f) Avalanche Warning. DRDOs network of more than fifty laboratories is deeply engaged in developing Defence technologies. Centre for Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) is one of the laboratories of the DRDO located at Chandigarh with its primary function to do research in the field of snow and avalanches and to provide avalanche control measures and forecasting support to Armed forces. Role of Voluntary Organisations 22. The role of voluntary organisations is to help people overcome the problems created by natural calamities by providing relief services to the people. They also works as the eyes and ears by acting as the intermediary between the masses and the government agencies to avoid duplication, ensure proper distribution of resources and organise vigilance groups for preventing of misuse of resources. 23. Some of the activities under taken by voluntary organisations are:- (a) Establishing free food distribution centres, distributing blankets, clothes and medicines to prevent epidemics. (b) Organising necessary relief camps, first aid centres, and immunisation camps. (c) Organisation relief teams and sending them to far-flung affected areas to provide relief and monitor relief programmes. (d) Organising awareness programmes about different relief activities initiated by Government and Non Government Organisations. (e) Generating employment opportunities in the affected areas. (f) Adoption of families of the affected areas. CHAPTER IV ROLE OF ARMED FORCES 1. The armed forces of any nation are probably best organised to provide support for establishing a various of public services like public works, communications, transport, medical services, search rescue, and support activities. They are able to react quickly in a self contained, self sufficient and mobile fashion. Armed forces personnel are well trained in the skills necessary to perform their professional activities and can function under an integrated / flexible management system. So there is an enormous potential inherent in them to provide enormous capability to restore emergency services. 2. During the natural calamities, when many parts of the country are affected by them and it is beyond the capability of local administration to organise the rescue and relief, armed forces may be called upon to provide / organise relief measures. Armed Forces may also be called upon to provide assistance to other friendly countries, in case this has been requested for. One such example is that of Bangladesh. In 1991, when it was hit by worst cyclone in the history of the country the US armed forces, carried out relief operations  [19]  . In addition Indian Air Force also sent six helicopters for airlifting relief material to the affected areas. 3. Each year Armed Forces are called upon on several occasions for rendering assistance to civil administration throughout the nation during monsoon season for providing rescue and relief during the floods. The role of the armed forces during relief, rescue operations after Uttarkashi earthquake, Latur earthquake in Maharashtra, Chamoli earthquake and Floods in Orissa are well known. 4. Assistance Provided by Armed Forces. The Armed Forces may be called upon to render following type of assistance during natural calamities  [20]  :- (a) Infrastructure for Command and Control. (b) Medical Aid. (c) Transportation of Relief Material. (d) Establishment of Relief Camps. (e) Construction and Repair of Roads and Bridges. (f) Maintenance of Essential Services. (g) Evacuation of People to Safer Areas. (h) Stage management of International Relief. 5. Since the civil administration remains ill equipped for undertaking quick response to major disasters, the armed forces has been the primary option. As one of the most dedicated, professional, and modern armed forces in the world, the Indian armed forces respond to any disastrous situation with all their might. It is due to their technical competence, trained manpower, and logistical capabilities that they are always ready to rapidly undertake any kind of disaster-related rescue and relief operations. 6. They are also located in most remote areas where natural calamities are frequent. For instance, when the tsunami hit the Indian coast on December 26, 2004, the Indian armed forces, co-coordinated by the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), efficiently handled relief, rescue, and evacuation work under Operation Sea Wave, including extending aid to Sri Lanka and Maldives under Operation Rainbow and Operation Castor, respectively. 7. Whether, it was the Kashmir earthquake of 2005, the tropical cyclone in Bangladesh in, 2007, the fire at Burrabazar in Kolkata in 2008, the serial blasts at Bangalore and Ahmedabad in 2008, or the Mumbai attack of November 2008, the roles played by the armed forces are numerous. In August 2010, when Leh, was hit by flash floods which killed many people and left many other injured, the Indian Armed forcess resp

Poets’ Childhood Relationships with Their Fathers Essays -- literary A

Modern poets often reflect back on their childhood relationships with their fathers. Some poets see their fathers with a new found appreciation, some may look at them with acceptance, and still others are trying to move past the emotional grip a father may have had on them. Some poets see their father with a new found appreciation. For example, in Robert Hayden’s â€Å"Those Winter Sundays,† the narrator expresses his appreciation for his father when he poses the question: â€Å"What did I know, what did I know / of love’s austere and lonely offices?† (Hayden 13-14). As a child, it is hard to gain an appreciation for one’s father because one does not think about how much a father does for his child. When the speaker grows older, he reflects on his childhood and realizes how much his father has done for him. Everything that the father did for his son and family was done out of love, and the father did not gain any recognition at all. One example of the father helping his family is when he builds the fires to keep the household warm: Sundays too my father got up early / and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold / then with cracked hands that ached / from labor in the weekday weather made / banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. (Hayden 1-6) The first line explains how on Sundays his father got up early. Sundays were known as a day of rest, but the father still got up and continued to work hard even though he did not have to. Line two simply states how cold it was outside, the word blueblack meaning that it was still dark outside. Lines three through five explain how the father had sore hands from working in the extremely cold weather making the fires and how nobody had ever thanked him for doing this. Another example of... ...the death of her husband and father, she finally decides to move on and forget about her husband and father completely. She succeeds in doing so for awhile, but five months after writing the poem, the speaker commits suicide, leading the reader to believe that she had some sort of a mental issue and was never able to completely, like she thought she would be able to. It is sad that the narrator had such a hard time moving on and was majorly depressed, but sometimes it is better to move on life and not dwell on the past. Consequently, some poets may see their fathers with a new found appreciation, some may look at them with acceptance, and still others are trying to move past the emotional grip a father may have had on them. Although each poet had a different childhood relationship and different viewpoint of his or her father, they all loved their fathers deeply.

Rita M. Gross Feminism and Religion Essay -- Rita Gross Feminist Pape

In her book Feminism and Religion, Rita M. Gross provides readers with an introduction to the need for, and benefits of, androgynous scholarship in the field of religious studies. Gross strives to make readers aware of the dangers of androcentric, Eurocentric scholarship. Moreover, she advances the claim that, â€Å"properly pursued, the field of religious studies involves study of all major religions found in human history† and an equal representation of both men’s and women’s religious experiences (Gross 1-4). Because androcentrism has permeated both religion and scholarship for the greater part of history, Gross strives to correct and augment this perspective with illuminating examples of what she deems â€Å"proper† religious scholarship – scholarship that includes the experiences of women. Ultimately, Gross believes that â€Å"feminist scholarship requires the study of the actual lives and thoughts of women† (Gross 81) and that â₠¬Å"the diversity within feminist theology and spirituality is its strength† (Gross 49). The anthology Her Voice, Her Faith: Women Speak on World Religions (Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young, Editors) is a glowing example of the type of religious scholarship Gross, and others like her, fought so tenaciously to bring into being. In the introduction to Her Voice, Her Faith, Young expresses a desire akin to Gross’: When both the male and female voice become of equal strength†¦ we may begin to see for the first time three-dimensional religious worlds — fully of the two genders (and multiple cultures) but also of the human dimension that transcends their particulars†¦ This goal, of stereophonic sound, I hope, will inform the religious voices of the future (Sharma 9). Sharma and Young deftly assembled the... ...of the â€Å"stereophonic sound† Young, Gross and other feminists yearn to hear, â€Å"informing the religious voices of the future† (Sharma 9). Bibliography Gross, Rita M. Feminism and Religion. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. Heschel, Susannah. â€Å"Judaism.† Her Voice, Her Faith: Women Speak on World Religions. Ed. Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young. Boulder: Westview Press, 2003. 145-167. Narayanan, Vasudha. â€Å"Hinduism.† Her Voice, Her Faith: Women Speak on World Religions. Ed. Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young. Boulder: Westview Press, 2003. 11-57. Sharma, Arvind and Katherine K. Young, Ed. Her Voice, Her Faith: Women Speak on World Religions. Boulder: Westview Press, 2003. Wong, Eva. â€Å"Taoism.† Her Voice, Her Faith: Women Speak on World Religions. Ed. Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young. Boulder: Westview Press, 2003. 119-143.

Avarice in Ben Jonsons Volpone Essay -- English Literature

What a rare punishment/Is avarice to itself! Volpone, Act 1, sc.iv. Do the events in the play confirm this? Volpone was written at a time when Jacobean London was infected with greed, cunning and credulity. These traits Ben Jonson used to show the folly of avarice and its rewards or punishment to those whose only love is money and appropriating more of it. Volpone is all about morals, greed and the depths people will sink to get what they want, despite its consequences on themselves and others. The Jacobean audiences were familiar with its setting in Venice and they thought Italy 'was the land of sensational evil-doing. Among Italian cities Venice ... stood in the front rank for this sinister repute.' (Barish, 1972: 65) So the choice of setting was deliberate, he wanted t...

Game Addiction Essay

Gamer Addiction is an obsession with video game playing that usually begins in elementary and middle school. By college, the individual progresses from simple to elaborate games and the student is game-hooked. An activity becomes an addiction when it is used to change an individual’s mood. It becomes abuse when it interferes with ‘one’s work or school, or disrupts personal or family relationships, and becomes increasingly necessary to feel good’ (Orzack, 2005a, p. 1). Addiction takes away from life and reduces motivation to do anything beyond the focus of the addiction (IGDA panel). Niolosi (2002) found that video games are part of the daily routine for 65% of American girls and 85% of American boys. NBC News ( 5-19-05 ) reported that one in eight gamers develops patterns similar to other types of addiction and abuse. Tournemillie (2002) noted that a survey of 1500 teenagers indicated 25% were compulsive video gamers. Fifty per cent of those surveyed used the word ‘addiction’ to describe a friend’s gaming behaviors. Today’s video games are available in a plethora of venues that draw individuals into the world of the game. Games are designed to keep the player riveted to action. Players experience a sense of control when they enter into the fantasy world of speed, realism, violence, new morals, and interoperability. Many games offer on-line anonymous interaction with other people; a ‘hook’ is a sense of family or belonging in the form of a pseudo persona the player develops when repeatedly playing the game. The longer the game is played, the more the pseudo persona can replace reality. – See more at: http://www. nacada. ksu. edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Gamer-Addiction. aspx#sthash. zdhglFnU. dpuf.

Pet Overpopulation Epidemic

Persuasive Speech Topic: Pet Overpopulation Epidemic General Purpose: To persuade. Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the public is to blame for the pet overpopulation epidemic. Central Idea: In order to control the overwhelming population of homeless pets, we need to stop throwing our â€Å"family friends† away. There are 1. 5 dogs and cats put to sleep every second & 4-6 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year, states the Humane Society. The pet overpopulation epidemic has become more than overwhelming. But who is at fault for the ever increasing number of homeless and euthanized pets each year?The public, government and breeders all have their hand in this catastrophic epidemic. So who is to blame for this epidemic? Since government intervention has caused more harm than foul, what will need to change in order for anything to improve? The pet overpopulation epidemic is not a myth, not something to be swept under the rug or shamelessly forgotten. This epi demic is our making and therefore our responsibility. So where does the problem really lie? One would think its 100% the fault of breeders and those multitudes of litters. But no, that is not the route of the problem, not by a long shot.Breeders are the effect of the problem, and the massive pet overpopulation is the aftermath. Yes, breeders, as a whole, are breeding more litters than there are homes for, yet, they are selling them. So why is that, why are breeders selling their litters when there's a worldwide pet overpopulation problem? Because people do not look at the purchase of a puppy or kitten as a lifelong commitment. Puppies and kittens are so cute, most are purchased on impulse. Who could, after all, resist that cute little face? Yes, the problem lies with the general public who, do not research, and buy these pets without thoroughly thinking it through.Without doing their homework on the type of pet they should get, and without taking the time to learn what a dog really needs in order to be that perfect dog. They later â€Å"Get Rid† of their pet, passing them onto rescues or pounds. Later, most will end up â€Å"Testing Out† a different type of pet. The vast majority of people, who adopt a puppy or kitten, do not keep the animal for life. If this were to turn around and most people were to actually keep their pets through the good times and the bad, as they do their own children, the demand for these animals would go down.With less of a demand, breeders would not breed as many litters. Breeders are only breeding as many litters as they do, because people are buying them. The demand for a cute little puppy or kitten is great, because people do not keep the animal for life. Animals are recycled. If a breeder had a litter and could not sell the puppies, they would not keep having litter after litter. People are buying them, so breeders are breeding them. In a perfect world, breeders would breed less and force people to adopt from an ani mal rescue, but this is not a perfect world.The solution lies with the general public educating themselves, supply and demand, that's the solution. Lessen the demand and the supply will, on its own, lessen. The power lies within each and every one of us. Scripted by Kim Sturla (of the San Mateo ordinance fame) and her continual cross-country junketing preaching her message: â€Å"The problem is simple: we have too many dogs and cats. Too many for too few homes. † Another contributing factor to this huge problem is government intervention. The state run dog pounds make it way took easy to unload the responsibility of owning a pet onto someone else.Most people could â€Å"Get Rid† of their dogs in one day. Almost anyone can take their pets to the pound. It is very easy to â€Å"Get Rid† of a dog or cat at a local state run kill shelter (dog & cat pound), but it's not so easy to adopt a dog from one. Some years back my cousin went to a state run dog pound near his work and tried to adopt a dog. He was told it was the dogs last day, yes it was going to be killed the next day. My husband told the shelter he wanted to adopt the dog. Upon doing his paperwork he was told he could not adopt the dog because he didn't live in that county.He explained he worked down the street, didn't live in the county but worked there. No, that was not acceptable; he was not allowed to adopt the dog. The pound was going to kill the dog, but would not adopt it out to a man who lived in the next county over. These state run pounds have all kinds of rules and restrictions in place for adopting a pet, but not for dumping one. Yes, they will take your pet, and they will also kill it for you. Know if you take your dog or cat to one of these pounds chances are extremely high it will be dead in a month.The majority of cats and dogs who are taken to this state run kill shelters are not adopted out, but are killed. One might as well save the tax payers some money and kill the animals themselves. Sound harsh? Yes, it is, so don't take your pets to the pound. You took on this responsibility, now you must deal with it without dumping your problems onto someone else. What needs to change, the attitude of the general public. When one decides to buy a cute little puppy or kitten, the decision should be looked at as a 10-15 year commitment.If one cannot, or does not, wish to commit this amount of time to a dog or cat, do not buy a puppy or kitten, and then pass your problem off to someone else when it grows up and the situation does not work out as you envisioned it would. Just like when one decides to have a human baby, things will not be perfect. The child will not be perfect. They will be expensive and press us to the end with issues to deal with. Dogs and cats are not disposable and they are not all the same. Chances are, a type of dog that will fit into your lifestyle will not be the type of dog that will fit into your neighbor’s lifestyle.Sometime s there is no type of dog that will fit into your lifestyle, and if you want a pet, it’s time to consider something else, something less demanding. This research should be done before you adopt a pet, it should not be a trial and error experience. With the internet so readily available, there is no excuse for not researching BEFORE adopting a pet. It should be made harder to dump unwanted animals off at these state pounds, putting more responsibility on the pet owner. Maybe than people would think twice about buying a puppy or kitten when they were not sure if they were ready for the responsibility of owning one for life.These state run shelters are hurting the pet overpopulation problem more than they are helping. The world would be a better place if there were not an easy place to dump your pets after you got tired of them. Let private no kill rescues work with people who think they want to dump their dog. It needs to be harder for someone to dump an unwanted pet and never look back. If you would like to try owning a dog or cat, but are not sure if you are a dog / cat person, start with a full grown homeless dog or cat rather than adopting a puppy or kitten.Grown cats and dogs are easier to care for than kittens and puppies and you will not be contributing to the overpopulation problem should you decide it was not something you should have taken on. There are millions of wonderful dogs and cats that need homes. People who adopt a cute little puppy or kitten without researching, how a dog thinks, the type of pet they are getting, the care, time and responsibility it will need, and end up â€Å"Getting Rid† of your pet after it has outgrown that cute puppy or kitten stage, using one of the many common excuses for not keeping a pet, it is you who are the problem for the worlds pet overpopulation.Bibliography American Humane Association. Adoption & Pet Care: Issues and information. 2009. 5 11 2010 . Avery, Gladys. â€Å"Overpopulation – The Importance of Spaying and Neutering. † 22 July 2007. I Heart Paws. 5 November 2010 . Humane Society. Pet Over Population. 2010. 18 11 2010 . Mansuso, Judie. â€Å"One of the most frequent questions asked about SB 250 is. † n. d. SB:250. 5 November 2010 . Pennington, Ian. â€Å"Facts on Pet Overpopulation. † n. d. Eziine @rticles. 10 11 2010 . Sadler, Anna. â€Å"Pet Overpopulation — A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? † September 1994. The Cat Fanciers Association, Inc. 10 11 2010 .

A Newborn Is Thrown in the Trash and Dies

A Newborn Thrown in the Trash and Dies is a thought provoking, gut wrenching tale about an infant who is born to a teenage mother that lives in a housing project in New York and is thrown down the trash, down ten floors to thecompactor chute to its death. The story is narrated by the unnamed infant who is the subject of the story. She is the sympathetic character as she describes her projected lifehas horrible as her certain death. She doesn’t seem bitter about dying, she feels sympathy for the mother who put her in the trash and accepts her life as being â€Å"how it is,† as she doesn’t know any better. As she passes each floor she shares the peek that she is given, from learning that people talk out of both sides of their mouths, political power, her molestation, and even the death of her brother. The infant almost gives the reader the idea that her life will be just as tragic as her death and wouldn’t change anything. She would just be one of many stories published in the paper. She believes that a Russian on the other side of the world is going through the same thing, that even though they are from different countries they have poverty in common. This is true today, we hear horrible stories about things that happen to children and the people of the city have become numb to its affects. For example, children are abducted from the city all of the time and it is reported, right after the story the news anchors switches gears and gives the weather as if they were not affected by what they have just reported. It seems that it is as easy to them as reporting rain or a traffic jam, they seem unaffected which is conveys to the listening audience. Those of us who are affected will be for a short time, but not enough to where we will feel that we need to do something about it. Life will continue to go on as it always has and stories like these will continue to occur. The story makes me question what I have become numb to and what do I consider normal. When I watch the news I almost expect to see where someone is murdered in the city. What is wrong with me, us, society? The story describes that there have been nine babies discarded in 1990 and as of August of the following year seven discarded babies were discovered. How ironic is it that the name of her housing project where she is born and dies is called the Gerald J. Carey Gardens. A garden is a place where seeds are planted, nurtured and tended, the total opposite of what was happening to her.

A Review of the Literature Essay

Introduction Because the focus on market orientation has steadily increased over the last decade, academicians and marketing managers have begun to debate the effectiveness of market orientation as a profit enhancing strategy. Researchers and marketing managers are attempting to measure the benefits and costs associated with the implementation of market orientation. For researches and managers, the key questions that surround market orientation are whether or not it increases performance, and if so, in which circumstances should market orientation be implemented. In order for market orientation to become a cornerstone of business practices in years to come, these questions must be answered. This review will focus on three articles which address these key questions: â€Å"Market Orientation and Company Performance: Empirical Evidence from UK Companies† by Greenley, G (1995), â€Å"Market Orientation: Antecedents and Consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) and â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver and Slater (1990). Summary of â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver & Slater (1990) In â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† (1990), Narver and Slater address the lack of empirical evidence surrounding the effectiveness of market orientation. They begin the article by stating: â€Å"market orientation is the very heart of modern marketing management and strategy ? yet to date, no one has developed a valid measure of it or assessed its influence on business performance? as a result, business practitioners have had no specific guidance as to what precisely a market orientation is and what its actual effect on business performance may be. † Their study attempts to develop a valid measure of market orientation and its effect on the profitability of the firm. Narver and Slater’s study is designed to test the hypothesis that there is a strong correlation between market orientation and profit levels for both commodity and non-commodity businesses. Narver and Slater  hypothesize that market orientation is a one dimensional construct consisting of three behavioral components: customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination. Additionally, they hypothesize that there are two decision criteria: a long term focus and a profit objective. Based on these criteria, Narver and Slater developed a questionnaire which was given to a sample group of 140 strategic business units in the same division of a major Western corporation. They then used statistical analysis to try to determine the correlation between the adoption of market orientation and the increase in profit and overall performance. In order to obtain accurate results, the researchers attempted to limit the influence of the other forces that impact a business’s profit margin; by doing this, they were able to isolate two key variables and find the relationship between them. Based on their data and analysis, Narver and Slater concluded that there is a monotonic relationship between profit and market orientation for the non-commodity business, whereas the relationship with commodity business was only apparent above the stated median in market orientation. Narver and Slater also concluded that market orientation is economical in all environments, and the question was finding the optimal level of market orientation. Critique of â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver & Slater (1990). Narver and Slater’s study is one of the first major empirical studies on the subject of market orientation and its impact on the firm’s profit. This ground-breaking study offers empirical validation to theories that were unproven prior to the study. However, based on the results of Narver and Slater’s study, there are still many questions that remain unanswered. I found that the most significant problem with the study is that their sample was taken from a single corporation, meaning that the data they used was limited to only one industry and one region. As Narver and Slater noted in their conclusion, a sample this limited means that their results can be influenced and skewed by many variables, including corporate culture and regional practices. It is also possible that their findings are industry-specific and do not pertain to other companies outside of foresting. However, in the article’s conclusion, Narver and Slater acknowledge these shortcomings and are eager for others in different regions to conduct further research in this field. Although the limited nature of the study makes it difficult to draw any large scale conclusions about the effectiveness of market orientation, Narver and Slater have created a useful model for an empirical study of market orientation which can now be applied to other industries and regions. The most interesting part of the study is not necessarily the results, but the fact that they were able to design the first successful empirical study. Another problem with the study is that Narver and Slater concluded that an equilibrium existed: the point at which the level of market orientation reaches a point at which its cost is equal to its benefit. At this point, any increase of market orientation would only be detrimental to the firm’s profit margin. Although the study states that the equilibrium is present, the authors offer no guidance on how marketing managers can identify this critical point. Further studies should be dedicated to answering this question in order to make market orientation a more effective strategy for businesses. Additionally, in the article’s conclusion, Narver and Slater neglected to discuss a very key finding which surfaced in their data. Their study revealed that market orientation can have a detrimental effect on a company’s overall performance when certain market forces and internal conditions apply. In my opinion, this finding was largely ignored in the conclusion in order to validate their original hypothesis: that market orientation has a positive impact on the performance of an organization. Although this finding was acknowledged in the article, I felt the conclusion was somewhat misleading with regard to the outcome of the study in this respect. Summary of â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) In â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences† (1993) Jaworski and Kohli set out to empirically build upon Narver & Slater’s study. Jaworski and Kohli attempt to study the relationship between market orientation and its effect on numerous aspects of the firm. The authors lay out a series of 13 hypotheses which they attempt to prove within their study. The four hypotheses that dealt directly with the key questions noted in the introduction of this review are: A. â€Å"The greater the market orientation of an organization, the higher its business performance. † B. â€Å"The greater the market orientation, the greater the (1) esprit de corps and (2) organizational commitment of employees. † C. â€Å"The greater the market turbulence, the stronger the relationship between market orientation and business performance. † D. â€Å"The greater the competitive intensity, the stronger the relationship between market orientation and business performance. † The other nine hypotheses are related to the antecedents of market orientation, including management’s role on market orientation and the impact the organization’s structure and communication has on market orientation. Although these questions are important, I am primarily interested in Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusions on whether or not market orientation affects overall performance and profit/return on equity. Jaworski and Kohli set up two samples from which they derived their data. The first sample was made up of executives from 102 companies; the second sample was made up of 230 executives taken from the membership roster of the American Marketing Association. The authors gathered data via a questionnaire that was sent to participants by mail. Based on the data reviewed, Jaworski and Kohli concluded that market orientation is an important determinant of overall performance regardless of factors such as market turbulence, competitive intensity or technological turbulence. However in both samples, the authors found little correlation between market orientation and return on equity and market share. Jaworski and Kohli also found that the commitment of top management towards implementing market orientation is an important factor on the strategy’s overall performance, as are the levels of interdepartmental coordination and interdepartmental conflict. Critique of â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) Jaworski and Kohli’s study measures the value that market orientation creates for a business. In their introduction, the authors state their intentions quite clearly: â€Å"The purpose of this research is to address the voids in knowledge [in the Narver and Slater study]. † (Jaworski &Kohli 1993) In this study, Jaworski and Kohli build upon and answer many of the questions left unanswered in Narver and Slater (1990). In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of Jaworski and Kohli’s article is that they attempted to explain their study in an accessible manner by including a section that dealt with the implications of their findings for market managers. Unlike Narver and Slater, I felt that Jaworski and Kohli went to great lengths to try to answer the key questions that managers might have and attempted to lay down guidelines that managers could use in the implementation of market orientation. Jaworski and Kohli also realized the importance of one of the findings Narver and Slater neglected in their conclusion: that market orientation could be detrimental to a business in certain circumstances. Jaworski and Kohli explained the relationships between market orientation and certain environmental contexts including market turbulence and competitiveness. The aspect of the study that I found most interesting was Jaworski and Kohli’s discovery that there is neither an association between market orientation and return on equity nor a relationship between market orientation and market share. Although the two authors still concluded that market orientation was beneficial for overall performance, the finding that it does not help return on equity is very significant. Return on equity, for many firms, is the guiding factor in the decision-making process, especially for private equity groups and investment banking firms. Having worked for a private equity firm, where return on equity is the principal goal, I can confidently say these findings are a huge blow to the advocacy of market orientation. However, I would not feel comfortable ruling out market orientation based on one study; further research must be done on this topic. Additionally, I found one aspect of Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusion problematic: the authors concluded that market orientation had a direct relationship with overall performance, organizational commitment and esprit de corps, yet they stated that it did not influence return on equity and market share. This finding seems to be contradictory to common business beliefs, which would suggest that if market orientation had a positive impact on commitment, overall performance and esprit de corps, it would therefore have an impact on profit or return on equity. This finding is either misleading or it indicates that common beliefs regarding performance and employee motivation are incorrect. Summary of â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† by Greenley, G (1995) In the article â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† Greenley identifies a clear need for an  empirical study in the United Kingdom. As of 1995, no major empirical research had taken place anywhere but the United States. Greenley created his study based upon this research gap. His basic hypothesis, that market orientation is positively associated with performance, is taken from the aforementioned studies by Narver and Slater (1990) and Jaworski and Kohli (1993). Greenley also tested additional hypotheses from Narver and Slater’s 1990 study. The hypotheses Greenley tested dealt with the relationship between market orientation and cost, size of the company, market entry, customer power and competitive hostility in the market. Additionally, he tested hypotheses pertaining to market growth, turbulence and technological change. To obtain his data, Greenley used a slightly altered version of Narver and Slater’s 1990 questionnaire, adapted for UK business culture. The questionnaires were sent to 280 top level managers, mainly CEOs. Of those 280 questionnaires, he received 240 usable responses, which made up the data for his study. Based on the analysis he conducted, Greenley concluded that â€Å"market orientation does not have a direct affect on performance. † (Greenley 1995) He also concluded that with high levels of market turbulence, market orientation is negatively associated with return on equity, whereas with low levels of market turbulence, market orientation is positively associated with return on equity. Critique of â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† by Greenley, G (1995) Greenley’s study is the first major empirical study of market orientation in the UK, and quite surprisingly, his results were very different than the previous findings of studies conducted in the United States. Any reader of Greenley’s study â€Å"Market orientation and company performance† must immediately question whether or not business culture and practices in the UK are so different from their United States counterparts that one strategy empirically proven to work in the United States will be rendered ineffective in the UK. If Greenley’s results are accurate, multinational corporations using a centralized control method would have to rethink using market orientation. This, however, does not seem to be the case. Proctor and Gamble (P&G) appear to successfully implement global strategies, including market orientation, profitably. Therefore, I propose that Greenley’s inability to find a positive relationship between market orientation and performance is a result of a problem in his data collection process. As Greenley stated in his conclusion, his data was gathered during a recession, and therefore a manager’s thoughts on a long-term profit schemes such as market orientation might have been skewed. Also, Greenley obtained nearly 60 percent of his data from top level CEOs and Chairmen, a different sampling base than previous studies in the United States. For instance, Narver and Slater used CPUs and Jaworski and Kohli primarily used market managers for their samples. The difference in sample bases significantly impacts the results of Greenley’s study; typically, CEOs and top management, like those that Greenley questioned, are not as involved in the day-to-day implementation of market orientation and tend to be short-term profit oriented. Managers lower on the organization’s hierarchy, such as marketing managers, might have a more direct involvement with the implementation of market orientation. For future research, I think it would be more prudent to take a broader sample of managers at all levels, thereby eliminating any bias that can occur when only sampling a certain section of the managerial hierarchy. Another problem that I found in Greenley’s conclusion was the fact that he did not make the individual participants aware of the study’s purpose. Although he intended for this to be a tool for gathering accurate and unbiased data from participants, I believe this strategy actually had the opposite effect, given the timing of his article. During a recession, CEOs and Chairmen are attempting to regain short term profitability and/or attempting to scale down costs in order to survive until the recession ends. At such a time, market orientation would not be a viable option and it is unlikely that the top management Greenley questioned would consider it a useful strategy. Therefore, the data collected by Greenley during this period would have little or no relevance for the measurement of the effectiveness of market orientation outside of a recession. Conclusion All three of the articles discussed deal with the task of empirically studying the relationship between market orientation and its effects on businesses. Narver and Slater produced the first major study in this field and their research became a significant starting point for future studies. Narver and Slater’s article stated that they found a direct relationship between marketing orientation and performance; however, the study also brought to light many holes in their research and aspects of this relationship which needed further study. Jaworski and Kohli’s 1993 study attempted to answer some of the key questions that arose from Narver and Slater’s article. The questions Jaworski and Kohli addressed included why some organizations are more market oriented then others and whether or not the linkage between market orientation and business performance depend on the environmental context. The Greenley study in 1995 was the first major study done outside the United States. Greenley followed Narver and Slater’s model in his attempt to empirically study market orientation in the United Kingdom. While his methods were the same, Greenley’s research produced very different results than that of Narver and Slater, and only agreed with some of Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusions. In my opinion, Greenley’s research only added to the confusion that surrounds the study of market orientation; the differences in his results can be attributed to many factors, including gaps in previous research, differences between the United States and the UK, or differences in the economy at the time of the studies. The ambiguous results of this study confirm the need for more research in order to answer the key question of market orientation’s relationship with performance and profit. Therefore, after reading and critically reviewing the above articles, my conclusion is that further empirical research must be done in order for there to be any confidence in the use of market orientation as a performance-enhancing strategy. A multi-national study or the study of multiple multinational companies would provide valuable insight into whether market orientation is exclusively suited to companies operating in the United States or if its implementation in different countries can also be profitable. Further research must also be done in order to affirm or refute Jaworski and Kohli’s claim that market orientation has no positive relationship with market share and return on equity. I believe that if Jaworski and Kohli’s claim is true, managers, especially those operating publically traded companies, will inevitably need to rethink the use of market orientation within their corporations. List of References Greenley, G. (1995). Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies. British Journal of Management, 6:1-13. Jaworski, B. and Kohli, A. (1993). Market orientation: antecedents and consequences. Journal of Marketing, 57(July): 53-70. Narver, J. and Slater, S. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing 54(October): 20-35.