Principle Agent Moral Hazard

The major issue was that the commercial banks overstressed in such mortgage backed securities. Another part of the story Is that Basel I accords are credited with giving seeds to the idea of all things that could lead to recession and Basel II Is credited with magnifying Its Impact. Formed In 1988 and adopted by 1992, Basel I accords were a set of rules and regulations, to be adopted by GIG countries, that allotted different risk ratings to various types of assets held by banks. Assets, here, referred to bonds, mortgages undo etc.It took a long time for the economies to realist the problems associated with such types of system. For example, in such a framework a commercial bank was permitted to keep aside no liquid capital if it had all government bonds or gold as assets. This was so because such assets were considered safe. Further, it was required of them to keep aside small percentages of capital for every mortgage, commercial loan or bonds they Issued. With the introduction of Ba sel 2, the list was expanded to bonds backed by debts like ar or property loans and yet had to keep only a 2 percent of spare capital.Flip side to this was that the bonds ought to have AAA or AAA credit ratings from the government. Statistics tell that Just prior to the recession, 81 percent of all Mortgage backed securities held by the commercial banks had AAA credit rating. Further, 93 percent of all mortgage-backed securities held by these banks had AAA credit rating or held bonds Issued by a government-sponsored enterprise. Now this Is where the role of moral hazard comes Into play.When Basel I and abstinently Basel II accords were Introduced, the primary aim of the developed economies was to encourage consumer spending and Investments by the banks. It was not completely unforeseeable for everyone to realize that backing debt or junk manipulating credit ratings, economies tried to create a self-fulfilling system that provided for feed as well as fed upon its own. The bankers wer e in turn incentives to take risks of high magnitude, with all the depositors' money in hand, believing that there is a government always backing them.Soon the entire system gave away. This created a bigger moral hazard. How to minimize such problems? TO reduce such a problem of Principal Agent problem leading to recession, it is imperative that the regulators are on their toes. In USA, SEC did not take proper steps to ensure that the Rating agencies don't rate securities high without any strong backing to do so. Also the FIDE, the Fed, the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Office of Thrift Supervision relied blindly on the ratings given by the Credit rating agencies.Therefore, all rules and regulations given under law should be implemented properly and Justly by the regulators. The government should also ensure the timely passage of relevant legal provision and bills. Also, although Basel Ill accords have been adopted and implemented by most of the countries and the deadline is 2019 for it, the present market conditions show that the Minimum Capital requirements need an overhaul as well. Hence, Basel 4 could be started to be worked upon with refined changes and the governments should follow the rules under such requirements.

Highline Financial Services Essay

Every origination needs to separate themselves from their competition. From offering the newest and latest products to offering outstanding service. Highland Financial Services Itd. Is no different from other companies. Standing out from other organizations is critical for the company’s success. Managing partner Freddie Mack must use the information that he has been provided with to find if he may need to hire or layoff any personnel for the upcoming year. Doing this accurately will help the company reach their goals and insure the companies well being for the future. Freedie Mack will need to use moving average date technique. This technique that averages a number of recent values, updated as new values become available (Stevenson, 2012 p. 84). Freedie must use the following equation. Ft=Man= n E i-t At-i/n= At-n†¦+At-z+At-1/n. By taking amounts from each quarter in the corresponding service areas and dividing the values, Freedie will get the percent’s of growth. The example would be from year one, quarter one, service A and year two using service A quarter one (60/72=1.2% growth projection and then taking the 1.2% and multiplying this by 72). This would give the organization an 86 in service column A for year three, quarter one and so on for each quarter as we will see in the table below. Freedie would use this date to determine the growth or fall regarding the demand. He can use this to predict several years in the future using this technique. Using this technique is easy and easy to understand (Stevenson 2012, p.85). The observations from the technique are the service scores gradually are increasing with the average growth if 1.19% in service A, 1.15% growth in service B, and .98% in service C. Service A and B are growing at a higher pace, while service C is growing slower. To grow the service areas faster, Highland Financial Services Ltd. should offer higher service standards within the current service areas in the coming quarters and years. One option the company may want to explore is better training to up sell the better service package to their clients. This potentially would raise sales and allow them to hire more employees. Freedie should be concerned the organization is not growing in the service area C column. All but quarter three are down, the organization must do something to improve the service  for this quarter by looking into their operations strategy. Depending on what the companies current operations strategy is, they may want to revisit the strategy. Freedie must use up to date information on demand forecasting for the organization. One thing that they can do is use shorter time frames versus long term forecasting due to economy or other outside obstacles. Using short time frame forecasting will allow the organization flexibility if they need to adjust their forecast (Stevenson 2012, p.109). The organization should not layoff any personnel, but rather hire more staff for the business needs as they arise. While the trend shows a raise in service over the next year, they may want to plan for the future and look more into the next few years rather than just one year. Doing this will allow them to hire an appropriate amount of people and be able to train them to be ready for the upcoming business gain and future success of the business. Table below shows the forecast for Year 3 and the four quarters within the year. References: Stevenson, W, J. (2012) Operations Management, 11th edition, New York, N.Y: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Positive Reinforcement for Children Essay

From a very early age, children begin to learn about the association between behaviors and consequences. They realize that there is always going to be a consequence whether it’d be positive or negative, that would follow the behavior. Sometimes children behave very well and most of the time, children tend to give parents and others around them a hard time. When it comes to behavior modification, some basic steps include identifying the behavior, setting expectations, monitoring progress, and reinforcing correct behaviors. Positive reinforcement has a lot of effect on children when it comes to modifying a targeted behavior. A reinforcer, which can be either positive or negative, is defined as an event, stimulus, or condition that, when presented immediately following a behavior causes an increase in frequency of the behavior (Martin, G., & Pear, J., 2011 p 32). Positive Reinforcement for Children There are various opinions concerning the value of positive reinforcement when discussing modifying behaviors of young children (Sigler, E., & Aamidor, S., 1990). Children will always need guidance in good behavior, and it is a parent’s duty to provide this guidance. Parents can model good behavior and discuss with their children what constitutes good behavior, but it is helping children act on their own that will allow them to understand what is appropriate and what is not in a variety of situations. Everyone likes to be praised and children are no different. When children display good behavior, parents should acknowledge their actions by congratulating their children on their decisions. Such positive reinforcements allow children to connect that what they did has made their parents happy, and therefore was the correct choice. For example, when a child puts his toys away without being asked, having a parent say â€Å"Well done!† and giving him a cuddle will help him connect that putting toys away is a good decision. However, parents should not confuse positive reinforcement with bribery. There is definitely a difference between a reward and a bribe. If you have specific expectations for a child, such as getting their homework done before playtime or cleaning their room up each evening, you should never offer bribes to get them to do these things. They need to learn that it is their responsibility to do these things. However, if your child does something exceptionally well, such as getting a good grade on a particularly hard test, then you should celebrate and reward their achievements. This will help the child learn that there are certain things that are simply expected of them, but that going â€Å"above and beyond† has its own rewards. Children should be not be offered rewards in the hopes that they will act in a certain manner, and positive consequences should never be offered before a behavior is carried out. If it is, then parents cannot know for sure whether a child acted a certain way because it was the right thing to do or because he was told to act a certain way and promised a prize for doing so. It is essential, prior to any discussion concerning modification of behaviors, to differentiate between ‘praise’ and ‘positive reinforcement’. In the most classic definition, positive reinforcement is a method of identifying to children which behaviors are acceptable and appropriate and which are not. More specifically, the use of positive reinforcement is the act of identifying and encouraging a behavior, with the hopes that the desired behavior will increase (Burden, 2003). The theory is that any behavior followed by a pleasant stimulus is likely to be repeated (Westen, 1999). This ‘pleasant stimulus’ can be anything ‘nice’ and can also include a multitude of other positive responses (Alberto & Troutman, 1990). There are several different ways to use positive reinforcement. At the basic level, you can consider the use of natural reinforcement, social reinforcement, token reinforcement, and tangible reinforcement. All of these entail delivering a specific consequence following a desired behavior that increases the likelihood that the behavior will continue or increase in the future. Although praise is one of many forms of positive reinforcement, it is by no means the only or even the best choice when working with young children. Educators often use praise interchangeably with positive reinforcement when indeed an important distinction must be made between the two (Strain & Joseph, 2004). Consistency is very important when interacting with a child. One must stick to the rules once they’ve been made, and don’t allow the child to do something one day and then not let them do it the next. Don’t confuse a child with unimportant decisions, and remember that it’s often necessary to tell a child something more than one time. Speak clearly, and make sure that what you’ve said is understood. Above all, always maintain a positive attitude, because it’s a sure bet that they will be imitating you. Children look to adults, parents, and teachers for approval in order to confirm that the behaviors they are exhibiting are ones that are desired (Lawhon & Lawhon, 2000). By acknowledging the child’s behavior as appropriate we teach the child which behaviors are preferred over others (Bukatko & Daehler, 2001). As primitive as it may seem, most small children behave in a rather random manner repeating behaviors that get a desired or positive reaction. Some children, by chance or intuition, behave in an appropriate manner and some do not. If their ‘reinforcement’ is attention at all costs, then whatever attention given, even if directed toward a negative behavior, will increase the likelihood that behavior will be repeated (Sternberg, 1998). Young children are egocentric. Young children, especially under the age of four, have a very difficult time understanding how someone else feels (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2002). This doesn’t mean that kids are plain selfish but simply that their cognitive development is not sophisticated enough to understand their own emotions, much less someone else’s. They are unable to take the perspective of someone else and understand another’s feelings (Leong & Bodrova, 2003). As children get older they begin to learn what pleases others, but it is a gradual process that takes time (Swick, 2001). Positive reinforcement doesn’t suddenly work over night you need to grasp the child’s mind into thinking if â€Å"I do what I am told I will get a treat†. The first week or so may be a little unstable, you’ll find the child demanding treats or most of all once they have their treat they become disobedient. All you need to do is give a little understanding on the issue â€Å"if you’re nasty you won’t get any more treats†. Never give into your disciplined parenting, your child will kick, cry and scream waiting for you to give in so don’t show them any signs of cracking, the second you give in they are in control and the ladder is then twice as harder to climb to the top. People tend to wonder from time to time, if positive reinforcement is truly effective. There are four key elements to positive reinforcement that must be emphasized. 1. Reinforcement serves to increase a desired behavior, while the goal of punishment is to decrease an undesired behavior (Jackson & Panyan, 2002). It is important to acknowledge that adults have a keen understanding that an undesirable behavior has an opposing desirable one. 2. There is a phenomenon known as ‘‘extinction burst’’ (Ormrod, 1999). This is the rapid production of a behavior once the reinforcement is taken away. 3. It is important to identify positive reinforcers that are easily and quickly attainable. Giving stickers or candy is not always feasible or desirable. That is why positive attention itself is sometimes the best choice. 4. Ignoring unwanted behaviors is a key, but it is essential to stop dangerous or injurious behaviors immediately. To sum it all up, It is true that when a child is engaged in a creative activity, like drawing or painting, if you indicate, ‘‘I like the color blue you are using,’’ you will indeed get an entire page of the color blue. The important point is to understand why that would happen (Sigler, E., & Aamidor, S., 1990). This does not happen because the child sees value in his/ her own activities or because the child is dependent on an adult’s approval. In fact, this happens because what was said to the child pleased him/her and the child wants to be a part of the life and the activities that interest you. But when it comes to everyday behaviors in aversive situations that need to be modified it is better to positively reinforce. The simple rule is: whatever you attend to is what you get. If you reinforce good behavior (whatever is desirable in your eyes) by giving praise and other kinds of positive attention, children will deliver more good behavior.

United Parcel Service Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

United Parcel Service Inc - Essay Example That is through effectiveness and efficiency in combining the flow of products, funds, and information. In the course of achieving these goals, the strategy of the company aims at sustaining core competencies in pursuit of sustainability. That is through utilization of technology to generate new services while studying the behaviour of the consumers to anticipate their needs and expectations. Besides, UPS’s strategy focuses on attracting talented employees to facilitate the development of competencies through the integration of funds, products, and information. Moreover, UPS focuses on practising innovation to facilitate the realization of growth, as well as the creation of an environment, which enables employees to operate effectively and efficiently. That is in accordance with the demands and expectations of the consumers. Similarly, the strategy of the company incorporates increased investment in the core aspects of worldwide distribution, as well as logistics. Operations S trategy Cost - Low-Cost Operations UPS focuses on the achievement or realization of the lowest total overall costs in comparison to other competitors within the industry. One of the aspects of the low-cost operations is the tendency of the company to integrate technology for automation and enhancement of efficiency in addressing the demands and expectations of the target customers. This capability is essential to improving the image and reputation of the firm in its attempts towards becoming a global leader in the industry of operation.

How did the war change the attitudes of women and minorities toward Essay

How did the war change the attitudes of women and minorities toward their status in American society - Essay Example Mostly, their place was at home purposely to take care of the children and do house chores. This status was prominent due to undefined legal rights for the women. Moreover, their independence in terms of economic, civic and political issues was ignored1. However, the period of war brought about their interest in political matters. That helped in creating awareness on the issues of liberty and equality. For instance, women got involved in the war, and they felt more empowered by the idea that they could fight for the sake of the general freedom. Additionally, the idea that men, labour and the interest of children were sacrificed for the sake of war, gave them more bargaining tool. Consequently, they felt valuable and demanded equality and fair consideration in the society from the Government. Further, this helped in affirming their patriotism2. More still, according to Cott (2012), the women that were working in the defense plant, had good skills and admirable performance. That led to unique social, economic and psychological unity between women and men; something that was not there before the war. Besides, the war gave women a lot of social and psychological independence that they much desired before. For example, it brought about a stimulus to marriage. The number of Michigan weddings in December 1941 set a state record of for a single month, and this status rose again four years later with the onset of peace3. On the other hand, the war required America’s unity and mobilization as never before. In the period preceding the war, there was widespread discrimination towards the minorities with America. This discrimination was due to gender, race, and economic status. However, when most American most Americans were involved in the war, the minorities became very significant in providing labour. They changed their attitude and used the opportunity to push for favorable

Manifesto report and Stakeholders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Manifesto report and Stakeholders - Essay Example Energy which is the economic drive is another resource which we have to reduce its uses and try to come up with renewable sources of energy. My government will fund innovations geared towards production of renewable sources of energy. Funding these innovations will be one way of creating employment to the unemployed citizens as well as increasing our nation’s income. This will ensure that we will be having continuous supply of energy to run our nation’s activities be it industrial or official as well more employment opportunities for the unemployed citizens. We are looking forward to subsidize the prices of fertilizers by 10% to make them more affordable to the farmers so that they can produce healthy produce and increase their annual yield. However, it is my wish that we adopt to using manure instead of the inorganic fertilizers which is eco-friendly and very cheap since the manure is readily available in our farms (Fukuoka, 1985). If we will be spending less than we earn, it means that our national income will increase, in which new opportunities will be created leading to employment to thousands to our jobless citizens (Chester , G. A., 2013). This will also mean that the cost of production for the locally manufactured goods will be low hence low inflation. A nation with low inflation rate of less than 5% attracts more investors to come and invest and also enhances its international trade, which is my government’s mission. My government will work hand in hand with the European dimensions as they help us in several ways like teaching us on how the global markets are doing, which product is selling well in the market, reducing levies on European countries hence help in promoting trade amongst its member states. We are ready to work together with European dimension as this means that even labor can be moved from our country to the others at cheap charges which in return will

Utilitarianism and morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Utilitarianism and morality - Essay Example This theoretical standpoint was reiterated by Jeremy Bentham who made the proposition that an action is right in proportion as it tends to promote pleasure or happiness, and (an action is also) wrong as it tends to produce the reverse of the happiness. Taking a Position on whether Utilitarianism Is Correct to Condone These Actions, Given the Circumstances It is not agreeable that utilitarianism is right to condone these actions, depending on circumstances. One of the reasons why one may disagree with utilitarian’s act of condoning some actions is because, fundamentally, utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. This is seen in the utilitarians’ postulation which states that pleasure and freedom from pain are the only things that are desirable as ends. In this light, an action is regarded as morally wrong or right, depending entirely on its consequences. In this light, an action is considered morally right if it produces the best outcome of choices that have been ava iled. The flipside of this is that if an action does not produce the best outcome, then it is not right. According to Sedaris, the import of the foregoing is that actions are regarded as morally right if the greatest number benefit from it, yet there are instances where morally right standards or values may not be popular among the masses but among a few. An apt example which repudiates utilitarians’ consequentialist approach is democracy.... This is because the ethics and morality have fundamentals that surpass the concept of gain. An action is right not because it benefits the greatest number but because it is, in its essence, legitimate. It is not, for instance, ethically or morally right for an organization to whimsically decide to punctiliously trim employees’ emoluments on the mere account that such a move will increase the organization’s profit margin and shareholders’ dividend. Even if the employees being shortchanged may be few and too weak to defend themselves or resist the move and the organization have accrued increased profits, the move remains intrinsically immoral since it amounts to the betrayal of an already operational agreement or contract between the employee and the employer. Similarly, the move remains immoral simply because it amounts to the exploitation of the weak and not because it merely does not benefit the greatest number. Again, utilitarians’ act of condoning an ac tion based on the fact that it benefits the greatest number is unacceptable,simply because it reduces human beings and the concept of morality to a matter of statistics. As long as the beneficiaries outweigh the number of the shortchanged, then that action is regarded as legitimate, and the shortchanged minority is bypassed as collateral damage. Again, by saying that an act is ethically legitimate depending on its ability to benefit the greatest number of people is to reduce moral duties to a matter of popularity. This means that (the observation of) moral duty such as telling the truth and doing honest business is no longer an absolute or really necessary. Even though Emanuel Kant advances that people

Services Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Services Marketing - Essay Example In 2001 Vodafone ranked first in market value amongst British companies. Companies are affected by macro and micro factors at every stage of the product life cycle. It had always been a first-mover taking advantage of the consumer demands but by 2002, Vodafone’s shares started declining. It had already made huge investments in the 3G technology and the returns were not as expected. Global wireless markets became saturated due to slowing down of demand and increased competition. The company drew a lot of attention in the global market due to its high-profile acquisitions. Their entrepreneurial culture became a hurdle in handling saturation, competition and overexpansion which led to departure of many executives. Its recent  £23.5bn write down earned it the title of biggest loss in UK corporate history (Best, 2006). The shareholders, executives and workers are all displeased with the current state of affairs. Sustaining high performance is difficult, which was the main problem that occurred at Vodafone. Being first-movers and market leaders led to complacency and over-zealous attitude. Vodafone perhaps overlooked that services have distinct characteristics as they are intangible in nature, inseparable, heterogeneous, perishable and have a different concept of ownership (Gabbot & Hogg, 1997 cited by Zwan & Bhamra, 2003). Accordingly, five capabilities support services innovation strategy: These capabilities can drive growth that paces industry performance say Kapur, Ferris, Juliano, & Berman (2006). Based on these parameters, this report will ascertain the problems that arose in Vodafone, what efforts it made to overcome them and suggest the possible solutions to the organization. The Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) systems and services were supposed to enter the market by 2002/2003 (Ballon, 2004). This was to be a transition from 2G to

The Application of Information Technology in the Workplace Essay

The Application of Information Technology in the Workplace - Essay Example Also made possible with the availability of computer technology specifically with the development of IBM AS/400 computer and Microsoft's Windows NT which allowed software packages to become more and more user-friendly, ERP has developed to the point that it has become industry specific making it possible for ERP package to be designed to address one's specific industry idiosyncrasies. (Brown and Vessey, 2003) ERP is actually an improved version of Business Resource Planning (BRP) which came from Material Resource Planning II (MRPII) which is in turn a descendant of the Material Resource Planning (MRP). All of these are essentially computer-based approaches to scheduling and planning of material requirements and inventory. ERP has been regarded as the "answer" to the productivity and economic troubles of service and manufacturing enterprises. Due to its effectiveness, the use of ERP system as an enterprise management software tool has become widespread in spite of the presence and ava ilability of other products in the marketplace. There is but one daily practical problem that manufacturing organizations face in their operations whatever their products maybe and that is customers would always want products to be manufactured and delivered faster than one can actually make them. There will always be nearly impossible time frames and one is forced to comply if one is interested in surviving the competition. Plan manufacturing activities, delivery schedules and purchasing activities.

Discussion of readings about graphic design Essay - 1

Discussion of readings about graphic design - Essay Example Yet, on the other side it provides a graphic designer with the liberty to try a range of thematic patterns and visual elements that could be crafted while using that modular element. In that sense modularity should not be considered to be an element that limits the creativity of a graphic designer. For instance just because buildings are constructed by using modular building materials like bricks and lumber, this no way imposes any limitations on the creative possibilities that could be explored by any architect. In that sense the concept of modularity mentioned by Lupton and Phillips does blend with Gerstner’s ideas about designing programs that it has to do with placing the visual creativity and imagination of a graphic artist in the service of an already standardized and fabricated design pattern or method. It does need to be understood that in a post industrialization era, graphic art is also a commodity that is consumed on a mass scale. Thereby it would not be practical t o think about graphic art as an entity that could be left open to free and individual imagination. Hence, Gerstner is right when he talks about reducing the creative process â€Å"to an act of selection.† Richard Saul Wurman does lay stress on the fact that that such data and information that one comes across in the day to day life is not as understandable as it is actually considered to be. This stands to be true not only for the data and information that are considered to be highly specialized and professional. This is equally true for the data that is considered to be public, general and common. Hence, in the post industrialization and post information technology revolution era, the one big challenge for designers is to make the available information more easily understandable, available and visual. Mushon Zer-Aviv does correctly and precisely catch this point that data does need to be made more easily understandable and

Abortion and Religious Aspects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Abortion and Religious Aspects - Essay Example However, the main question is what leads to most of the women in committing abortion. Some of the religious leaders claim that American politics plays a major role in enhancing a great number of women to commit abortion. For example, Mary Meehan claims in a journal published last year that many liberals in America support abortion for political gains (Meehan 1). Meehan illustrates that the liberals claim that women ought to have the right to abort at their will in order to have equality especially in employment (Meehan 16). Apart from politics, religious organizations, for example, the Catholics claim that abortion is a result of poverty, poor health care and unemployment (Cahill 189). Cahill also mentions that these factors also tend to be a major hindrance when the organizations try to curb the act of abortion in the country. However, even after the arguments that occur relating to abortion, religious organizations stand on their main objective that everyone has a right to live (Gardoski 54). Abortion tends to be one of the central aspects of the discussion that emerges especially during the election period. This is because some people support the act by pointing out various reasons while others oppose. However, religious organizations have clearly come out to demonstrate their side on this issue and they totally oppose the act. The main issue that everyone including the government should consider is figuring out the main reasons that lead to abortion in order to curb the activity.

The Fugitive Light Essay Example for Free

The Fugitive Light Essay Fugitive Light by Mohamed Berrada is a narration of life of an old, aging painter named Al Ayshuni. Set in Tangier, the novel opens in the house of the said painter who was caught with artistic paralysis—not able to produce what he thinks into an artistic work. He could not paint or even sketch what were on his mind. In the middle of this paralysis, Al Ayshuni would be disturbed by the presence of another character: the divorced Fatima. A young, beautiful, and highly-spirited woman, Fatima would introduce herself to Al Ayshuni, admitting that she is an avid admirer of the artist and his works. Later in the story, Fatima will play a vital part to Al Ayshuni’s life. She will bring memories to the painter as the author will try to slowly reveal the woman’s character and her connection to Al Ayshuni’s past. It would then be revealed that Fatima is the daughter of Al Ayshuni’s past lover, Ghaylana. Not only through that case could Al Ayshuni find a connection to Fatima. Their relationship would deepen as the story progresses. The divorced young lady would eventually serve as the artist’s model for his works, muse for social gatherings, and finally, lover. Al Ayshuni would struggle between his feelings for Fatima and his unfinished business with her mother Ghaylana. Most importantly, he would try to turn back time just to find again the fugitive of his life his youth. Towards the end of the story, Al Ayshuni would finally proclaim his defeat not only in the aspect of love but in the aspect of life itself. Fatima returned to Menton, a town in the Italian border, with his new husband Matthias. The old artist has failed to regain his fugitive light that he once had. Berrada has described the artist’s feeling through using his paintings as a metaphor: Who among us does not run away from something? I return to my lines and colors: I run away from the words of these memoirs and renounce the illusion of recording through them the experiences I lived. I am content to repeat: Whats gone is gone, light and color remain for me as well as space, of which I dream through them. . . . Everything else is prattle and sermonizing blown by the winds. The Novel’s Characters Al Ayshuni, as the protagonist of the novel, has showed a variety of his character while the story progresses. Those progressions in his character, nevertheless, were evidently portrayed by Berrada. Al Ayshuni was an adopted child of a rich mentor who fostered his artistic talents by providing him his financial needs and bringing him up as man of wit and intellect. He chose to further his artistic craft instead of committing his life to Ghaylana, his first love When he met Ghaylana, though, he missed the opportunity of being with her as he chose to follow his dreams and go to Spain. Ghaylana, who is much younger than Al Ayshuni, was left heartbroken; her family has able to find her a husband. Fatima, on the one hand, was described by Berrada as â€Å"†¦friendly, her words flowed with spontaneity and affection† (Berrada 2). No wonder that Al Ayshuni easily got closed to and fell in love with her eventually. She, nevertheless, was beautiful as her mother. She has â€Å"†¦ honey-colored eyes shone with an equivocal look and her chestnut hair was cut short a la garconne. Her gown hung down her body, showing its graceful form at the lines of her bosom and waist. † Young and with intellectual maturity, Fatima has easily hooked the heart of the middle-aged artist whose life is haunted by the things he did in the past. The Novel’s Themes Two struggling set of themes can be clearly seen while analyzing the novel. First is the struggle between the ideas of the past and the present, and second, the struggle between the ideas of sexual and intellectual pleasures. Berrada has included in his novel the fight between the idea of the past and the idea of the present. The main character, Al Ayshuni, was portrayed as a man who was nostalgic of his past, desiring to regain his youth. He behaved this way since the start of his romantic relationship with Fatima. While he was living with the woman, he could not control himself to be so reminiscent. He kept thinking about the possibilities he should have encountered if ever she did not leave Fatima’s mother. Moreover, one question always bothers him: If he and Ghaylana ended up together, would he also become a father and raise his own children, probably the same ages as that of Fatima’s? Unable to change the things he did in the past, Al Ayshuni just content himself with his present life—lonely, miserable, and chained to his past life. However, he still acknowledged his mistakes and accepted his faith, saying that â€Å"running after the fugitive light is an act full of torment but it exudes pleasure and the enticements of mirage . . . It can never be compared to the sterile act of searching for words to capture shreds of stored feelings. † The second set of struggling themes that can be found in the story is the issue concerning pleasure, specifically the grapple between sexual pleasure and intellectual pleasure. In the novel, Al Ayshuni left Ghaylana to cater his urge for intellectual pleasure. When finally he has fed this urge, he loss Ghaylana who caters, on one hand, his sexual desires. It was very ironic that when Al Ayshuni gained the other one, he loss the other one. This set-up was challenged though when Fatima entered the scene. Fatima embodied both pleasures. She can cater Al Ayshuni’s sexual as well as intellectual needs. In the novel, Al Ayshuni had written in one of his papers, â€Å"During Fatima’s stay with me, I was perplexed about her; she had invaded my life as my sweetheart’s daughter, she acted with attractive maturity and sensitivity she gave me to taste various kinds of physical pleasure†¦then she refused to tell me about her life. † (Berrada 88). Mohamed Berrada: The Author Mohamed Berrada is a Moroccan writer of fiction. He also critiques works of literature and translates Arabic writings. An instructor of Arabic literature himself, Berrada is being acknowledged as one of Morocco’s finest and relevant modern writers. Berrada believes in a literary movement called attajrib, which translates to English as experimentation. In this kind of movement, the writers are experimenting new techniques in their craft. They give more emphasis on fragmented and individual thoughts, narration, images, and scenes. Underlying Issues The novel tries to tackle the issues of marital relationship, social class, and nationalism. On the first few pages of the novel, Berrada has included a dialogue between Al Ayshuni and Fatima concerning about marriage and divorce. They were watching the television about an investigative report on the situation of cohabitation of men and women in France. According to the report, the number of couples who are actually living together has reached over two million. When asked about her own opinion regarding the issue, Fatima answered that she is in favor of couples living together. For her, this arrangement could be better than marriage because the couples could find time to make sure of their feelings for each other. This stand of Fatima regarding marital relationship was seen through her actions in the story. She agreed living with Al Ayshuni in one roof until she was not sure of her feelings. Towards the end of the novel, she left Al Ayshuni for another man. The issue about marriage and divorce has been subjects of debate even long ago. The underlying themes that could also be connected to this issue are love and commitment. In the novel, Al Ayshuni did not marry Ghaylana because he is still not ready for commitment. It is very much different with Fatima’s case who opted to live with Al Ayshuni instead of marrying him. Both of them were not ready for commitment, although they were in love with each other. The issue of social class was also perceived in the story through the presentation of a clear demarcation between the rich and poor during the time when the novel took place. Al Ayshuni, for example, would never fully develop his talents if without the help of the wealthy man who adopted him. The novel evidently says that education is only for those who have the money and the power. Thus, only those who had the access to education will more or less succeed in life. In line with this, the author has also included the issue of nationalism in presenting his story. In one of the book’s passages, Al Ayshuni has observed the plurality of his place, saying that â€Å"†¦it has been a gift to all races and people. A city in common? A woman gone to perdition? Space that can’t bear constraints and boundaries? † The novel is trying to critique the idea of multinationalism and endorsing the importance of having one national identity. The author may unknowingly included in the novel his actual stand about the issue through the words from Al Ayshuni: â€Å"Isn’t all this plurality of fashions, histories, and languages of its residents what brings it close to the soul that always yearns for more than one costume and one mask, for more than one love and one body, for more than one language and one space? † (Berrada 148) Finally, Berrada’s Fugitive Light is a combination of talent and experience of the author. He was able to incorporate somehow his culture and points-of-views through the characters he created. Knowing that he himself is a literary artist, the character of Al Ayshuni is no less similar to his. It could be concluded that everything he presented about this specific character is a reflection of himself and his own stands and opinions towards the same issues that he presented in his novel. In reading the novel, I could not help to question some of the things around me that I am accustomed to believe and to do. For example, I now frequently think about the issues of marriage, divorce, and living in together. Conservative as it may seems, I still believe in the power of marriage. For me, it is not only a social act, but more of an internal practice. Here, you would be able to know and learn more about yourself. I would also like to agree with the author’s own stand about nationalism. For me, the problem now with nations is the blurring of their boundaries and limitations. In the world of globalization, it seems that everything is being globalized; everything serves for specific international purposes. There is nothing wrong with that, I must say. Maybe those kinds of changes are really inevitable. What I propose is that people of all races should still have a firm grasp of their own identity—own culture, own language, own space. It does not matter whether you belong to Third World Countries or First World Nations. The idea is that all of us should still cling to who and what we are. To end, Fugitive Light by Mohamed Berrada is a novel that truly depicts the problems within third world countries: class struggles, nationalism, and even gender roles and perceptions. I would definitely recommend this book for the very mere fact that it is honest. The story does not cater to a specific class only, or for selfish intentions of the less people. It is simply true. Works Cited Berrada, Mohamed. Fugitive Light. New York: Syracuse Un

Effects Of Toxic Pollutants On Food Chains Environmental Sciences Essay

Effects Of Toxic Pollutants On Food Chains Environmental Sciences Essay When a factory pours harmful chemicals or wastes into the air or water, when oil leaks from a burning oilrig or when a tanker runs aground, and when a farmer puts pesticides or fertilizers on a field to increase crop yield, it is said that these things pollute the environment. Pollution can take many forms. Its effects can have a major impact on food chains both in the water and on the land.  Ã‚  Everything from plants to animals, large and small is impacted. Pollutants like oil, pesticides, fertilizers such as nitrogen and phosphate from fertilizers, and lead can have a tremendous impact on the ecosystem, especially if the water gets polluted. Effects of Toxic Pollutants on Food Chains An ecosystem can be defined, as a self-contained, dynamic system made of a population of species in its physical environment. The study a community is complex and includes the interactions between the organisms that make it up, and include: plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. There are many different ways in which the community of organisms interacts. First is the food chain, where each organism is in a producer, consumer, predator, and prey relationship (Smith, Walker, et al). Next are the oxygen and water cycles that sustain the organisms. They provide the raw materials necessary for photosynthesis and cellular respiration, which make energy, and in turn, use it. When an ecosystem gets polluted, the natural balance in the system is disturbed, affecting the organisms in different ways. It is important to know how a simple act like introducing sewage water or toxic waste into a lake can threaten several animal and plants species in the area. Pollutants like oil, pesticides, nitrogen and phosphate from fertilizers and lead can have a tremendous impact on the ecosystem, especially if the water gets polluted. In a lake, for example, it can change the ecological balance by stimulating plant and algae growth, causing the death of fish due to suffocation from the lack of oxygen dissolved in the water. The oxygen cycle will eventually stop. The polluted water will also have a significant affect the animals dependant on the lake water. With no food to eat, or water to drink, they will be forced to move to another area, or face death. Both the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and the Exxon Valdez Spill in Alaska in 1989 caused significant damage to marine and wildlife habitats. In the Gulf of Mexico, it is reported that balls of oil continue to wash up along the shore, while dredging has shown mats of oil resting on the ocean floor, and oil sheen trails are still seen in the wake of fishing boats (CBS). Wetlands marsh grass remains fouled and dying, and oil can be seen in the pore space of sand and gravel deposits along the estuary edges of the Gulf. Although there was an extensive use skimmer ships, containment booms, raking of beaches and chemical and biological remediation (by introducing oil eating bacteria to eat the oil), the dispersion of the pollutants seems to have had minimal effect. In the short term, after several months, the fishing industry was allowed to resume operations (although in some areas, oil balls are found in the fishing nets). It is, however, too soon to know what the long terms effects will be. In Prince William Sound, Alaska, the use of a detergent dispersant had little effect and was stopped when it was found to be toxic to the cleanup workers and native wildlife. Wave action, which is important to disperse the oil in the water, was not enough, and the process was stopped (MacAskill). Attempts to burn the oil away, on a small scale, were successful, but had to be stopped when the weather changed. Ecosystems here form the basis of the coastal food chains. Animal life impacted by the spill included aquatic mammals, fish, birds as well as their related food chains. In the short term, hundreds of thousands of mid- and upper-level food chain animals were impacted, along with future generations (the eggs laid by salmon), for example, and in the long-term, scientists are still seeing contamination which has lead to a drastic reduction in populations across the board (Gill Elliott). Living in upstate New York, the use of nitrogen- and phosphorus-based fertilizers to increase cro p yield are commonplace. The chemicals and nutrients found in them, while beneficial for agricultural crops can be lethal in high doses for fish, birds and other wildlife. Pesticides, designed to kill pests chemically, are also dangerous when leached into soil or groundwater supplies. Heavy amounts of fertilizer chemicals like potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus in natural water systems can actually cause dead zones where wildlife cannot survive because of lower oxygen levels and chemical poisoning. Insects and organisms like honeybees and soil microbes that are beneficial to the food chain can be killed alongside the pests, eliminating that part of the ecosystem that is beneficial to crop health and sustainability. Nitrate (NO3) is a naturally occurring form of nitrogen found in soil. Nitrogen is essential to all life, and most crop plants require large quantities to sustain high yields. The formation of nitrates is an integral part of the nitrogen cycle in the environment. In moder ate amounts, they are a harmless constituent of food and water. Plants use nitrates from the soil to satisfy nutrient requirements and may accumulate nitrates in their leaves and stems (Relyea). Due to its high mobility, nitrates can also leach into groundwater, where ingestion can cause rare illness such as methemoglobinemia (found especially in infants) to occur. Nitrates form when microorganisms break down fertilizers, decaying plants, manures or other organic residues. Plants naturally take up these nitrates, but rain and irrigation water can cause them to runoff into lakes or streams, or leach them into groundwater. Although nitrate occurs naturally in some groundwater, in most cases higher levels are thought to result from human activities (Relyea). Common sources of nitrate include: fertilizers and manure, animal feedlots, municipal waste and sludge, septic systems and natural nitrogen fixation conducted by legumes, bacteria, and lightning. Nitrates that enter the food chain through non-natural means can have serious, and sometimes long-lasting effects on both plants and animals. Cattle and sheep (ruminants) are susceptible to nitrate poisoning when they drink contaminated water, animal feed or fodder. To protect drinking water, it is important to limit the loss of excess water and plant nutrients, and match fertilizer and irrigation applications to precise crop uptake needs in order to minimize groundwater contamination. While it may be technically possible to treat contaminated groundwater, it can be difficult, expensive and not totally effective. For this reason, prevention is the best way to ensure clean water. Water treatments include distillation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange or blending. Phosphorus is another common constituent of agricultural fertilizers, manure, and organic wastes in sewage and industrial effluent. It is an essential element for plant life, but when there is too much of it in water, it can spe ed up eutrophication (a reduction in dissolved oxygen in water bodies caused by an increase of mineral and organic nutrients) of rivers and lakes. Soil erosion is a major contributor of phosphorus to streams. Bank erosion occurring during floods can transport a lot of phosphorous from the riverbanks and adjacent land into a stream. It gets into water in both urban and agricultural settings, tends to attach to soil particles and, moves into surface-water bodies from runoff. A United States Coast and Geological Survey (USGS) study on Cape Cod, Massachusetts showed that phosphorus could also migrate with ground-water flows (Perlman). Since ground water often discharges into surface water, such as through stream banks into rivers, there is a concern about phosphorus concentrations in ground water affecting the water quality of surface water. Pesticides are substances or a mixture of substances, of chemical or biological origin, used by human society to eliminate or repel pests such as bacteria, nematodes, insects, mites, mollusks, birds, rodents, and other organisms that affect food production or human health (Pimentel). They usually act by disrupting some component of the pests life processes to kill or inactivate it. In a legal context, pesticides also include substances such as insect attractants, herbicides, plant defoliants, desiccants, and plant growth regulators. They can have an effect on both the water and soil. These pollutants have had some of their most striking effects on birds, particularly those in the higher trophic levels of food chains, such as bald eagles, hawks, and owls. These birds are often rare, endangered, and susceptible to pesticide residues such as those occurring from the bioconcentration (the amount of solute per unit volume of solution) of organic, chlorine-based insecticides through land-b ased food chains. Pesticides may kill grain- and plant-feeding birds, and the elimination of many rare species of ducks and geese has been reported. Populations of insect-eating birds such as partridges, grouse, and pheasants have decreased due to the loss of their insect food in agricultural fields through the use of insecticides. Bees are extremely important in the pollination of crops and wild plants, and although pesticides are screened for toxicity to bees, and the use of pesticides toxic to bees is permitted only under stringent conditions, many bees are killed by pesticides, resulting in the considerably reduced yield of crops dependent on bee pollination. The movement of pesticides into surface and groundwater happens through the processes of infiltration (when water sinks into unsaturated layers of soil) and runoff. Wildlife is affected, and human drinking water is sometimes contaminated beyond acceptable safety levels. In Beekman, New York, pesticides used to kill an infes tation of insects in a public school lead to the contamination of the village water supply when it leached into the reservoir. Sediments dredged from U.S. waterways are often so heavily contaminated by pesticide residues that it becomes hard to safely dispose of them on land. A major environmental impact has been the widespread death of fish and marine invertebrates due to the contamination of aquatic systems by pesticides. This has resulted from the agricultural contamination of waterways through fallout, drainage, or runoff erosion, and from the discharge of industrial wastes into waterways. Historically, most of the fish in Europes Rhine River were killed by the discharge of pesticides, and at one time fish populations in the Great Lakes became very low due to pesticide contamination (Smith). Many of the organisms that provide food for fish are extremely susceptible to pesticides, so the indirect effects of pesticides on the fish food supply may have an even greater effect on fis h populations. It is evident that pesticides cause major losses in global fish production, as they are extremely toxic to aquatic organisms. The literature on pest control lists many examples of new pest species that have developed when their natural enemies are killed by pesticides. This has created a further dependence on pesticides not very different from drug dependence. Finally, the effects of pesticides on the biodiversity of plants and animals in agricultural landscapes, whether caused directly or indirectly by pesticides, constitute a major adverse environmental impact of pesticides. Conclusion As chemicals diffuse up through the food chain, the top-level predators end up with the highest concentration of the chemicals in their bodies, and suffer the worst effects. They can have a major impact on all levels of the food chain. Excessive levels of pollution are causing a lot of damage to human and animal health, plants and trees, including tropical rainforests, as well as the wider environment. All types of pollution, air, water and soil, have an impact on the living environment. The effects in living organisms may range from mild discomfort to serious diseases such as cancer or physical deformities (extra or missing limbs in frogs). Experts admit that pollution effects are quite often underestimated and that more research is needed to understand the connections between pollution and its effects on all life forms. Waterborne diseases caused by polluted water can include: typhoid, amoebiasis, giardiasis, scariasis, hookworm, rashes, ear ache, pink eye, respiratory infections, hepatitis, encephalitis, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach aches. Conditions related to water polluted by chemicals (such as pesticides, hydrocarbons, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals etc) can include: cancer (prostate cancer and non-Hodgkins lymphoma), hormonal problems that can disrupt reproductive and developmental processes, damage to the nervous system, liver and kidney damage, damage to the DNA, and exposure to mercury (heavy metal). Soil pollution has many effects, as well, including: cancer, and leukemia. Lead in soil is especially hazardous for young children causing developmental damage to the brain. Mercury can increase the risk of kidney damage; cyclodienes (an organic insecticide) can lead to liver toxicity. Other effects can include neuromuscular blockage, depression of the central nervous system, headaches, nausea, fatigue, eye irritation and skin rash. Research Gill, C.  Ã‚   Elliott, J.   (2003). Influence of Food Supply and Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Contaminants on Breeding Success of Bald Eagles.   Ecotoxicology,  12(1-4),  95- 111.   Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Biology Journals. (Document ID:  404134371). Gulf Oil Slick Endangering Ecology. CBS Broadcasting [written transcript]. 2010-04-30. http://wcco.com/video/?id=78277. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Biology Journals. MacAskill, E. (February 2, 2007). 18 years on, Exxon Valdez oil still pours into Alaskan waters, The Guardian. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,2004154,00.html. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Biology Journals. Perlman, H. (February, 2011). U.S. Department of the Interior. U.S. Geologic Survey. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/urbanpho.html. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Biology Journals. Pimentel, D., Lehman, H., eds. (1993). The Pesticide Question: Environment, Economics, and Ethics. New York: Chapman and Hall. Relyea,  R.   (2009). A cocktail of contaminants: how mixtures of pesticides at low concentrations affect aquatic communities. Oecologia,   159(2),  363-76.   Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Biology Journals. (Document ID:  2021561771). Self, J. Waskom, R. (October, 2008) Colorado State University Soils Testing. Colorado State University Press: Denver. Smith,  J.,  Walker,  L.,  Shore,  R.,  Le V Dit Durell,  S.,  Howe,  P.,  Ã‚  Taylor,  M.   (2009). Do estuaries pose a toxic contamination risk for wading birds?   Ecotoxicology,  18(7),  906-17.   Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Biology Journals. (Document ID:  1847368111). Veerina, S.,   Parker, N   Fedler, C.   (2002). Effects of Sludge Filtrate on the Survival and Reproduction of Ceriodaphnia dubia.   Ecotoxicology,  11(2),  113-8.   Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Biology Journals. (Document ID:  386223921).

Branding Cities for Tourism

Branding Cities for Tourism INTRODUCTION In the times that we live in, everything from products, services, people, to places are branded. This is no more an interesting marketing technique, instead the need of the hour today. While there are some critiques of the concept, Place Branding is becoming a well accepted theoretical development by marketing gurus in the world. The days where the big cities used to compete with one another for placing headquarters of multi-national companies are gone. To a great extent, this paradigm shift can be attributed to technological advances and lowering of regulations across the world. Therefore, cities can now carve their own niche for a separate value proposition they have on offer. A great deal of research has been conducted on the concept of city branding; some of the identified requirements for city branding are leadership, strategy and creativity. It is important to admit that a city is widely different from a product, yet has its set of similarities. The greatest point of distinction is that a city is a single product, which can be multi-sold. Therefore, it is imperative that a city defines its target segments clearly. In broad terms, the customers for a city are people who live there, i.e. a citys inhabitants, people who create job there (the creative class) and people who stay there (contribute to the city through tourism). A city cannot function without its people, who form the stakeholders for the city. A city branding exercise to a great deal is driven by the concept of leadership. Leadership includes a citys citizens, government authorities, private and public companies, institutions, etc. The key to city branding is that there is no hierarchy in the organizational structure for a citys leadership board. They all are equal partners, who take strategic decisions together, implement it as a group and therefore, enjoy the benefits or bear the risks equally. In order for a city to be a good brand, the city should have distinctive, differentiated characteristics, which can be easily identified by the target group. A city branding exercise requires a city to have certain basic characteristics, without which branding cannot be successful (Winfield-Pfefferkorn, August 2005): The city must offer attractive employment opportunities The purchasing power of the citizens should be reasonable It should provide reasonable living conditions The public transport system should be in place Education and recreational facilities should be present Branding, if executed well has the capability to infuse life into the city. It has a direct bearing on the work of urban and economic planners for the city. The key is to identify the promise of a value that a city has, i.e. what is it that the city offers which can keep the businesses, institutions and residents attracted and interested in the city (Gelder Roberts, Branding Bring Life to a City, 2006). In case of city branding, the role of branding is not just strategic or visionary in nature. The value of the brand is built at every point of contact with the consumer through the experiences that the consumer has at that point. Therefore, relying only on the physical characteristics of the place is not enough. It is each experience which defines the image of the city in the consumers mind (Baker, 2007) Therefore, the process of city branding is interesting albeit very complex in nature. There are no one-size-fits-all phenomena for city branding. Each citys stakeholders need to think individually about their city and identify the differentiating characteristics, the strengths and weaknesses and the areas which need work to execute a meaningful, strategic city branding process. LITERATURE REVIEW DECIPHERING: CITY BRANDING In the competitive age today, almost nothing has a strategic competitive advantage. Therefore, the cities as well are competing with one another for attention, tourism, talent, events, investment etc. (Sicco van Gelder, June, 2008). The author points out the days where the big cities used to compete with one another for placing headquarters of multi-national companies are gone. To a great extent, this paradigm shift can be attributed to technological advances and lowering of regulations across the world. Therefore, cities can now carve their own niche for a separate value proposition they have on offer. At this point, the author points out that the traditional methods of advertising with CNN or pepping up the proposal in terms of commercial, industrial or cultural spaces is no more enough to lure consumers onshore. This is the onset of requirement of a ‘branding strategy for a city. He urges the reader to think about how a value proposition needs to be devised from analyzing which aspect of the city can be used to differentiate itself. He further explains, the three main heads with are required for branding of cities: Leadership Strategy Creativity Leadership The author has identified ‘Leadership as the most crucial component of any city branding exercise and how if leadership is taken into consideration, strategy and creativity can be built around it. The first step to leadership is identifying who are the stakeholders of the city, who would work as partners in the a combined unified goal of re-structuring the city, because unless all the stake holders are on the same page, a restructuring, branding or any such activity can be successfully implemented. In addition to this, it is important to realize that unlike a company, in case of a city all the shareholders are equally responsible for a city branding exercise forming a hybrid type of organization. â€Å"What is required is a partnership where all of the key stakeholders regard each other as equals, regardless of their power or resources, where their individual contributions are valued because, without them, the city will not realize its full potential.† Another important characteristic of leadership is that the leadership should be shared in nature, because a partnership can be created but an effective execution requires the participants to take care of their own agendas along with a collective decision making. â€Å"Shared leadership in a brand partnership requires a far greater degree of common understanding and joint thinking than traditional forms of leadership in the public and private sectors.† All the partners should be keen, eager and willing to work together. A city branding exercise is a collective wisdom which is driven by team work. The author points out that there may be various conflicts of interest, opinions, timing issues, etc. However, the stakeholders need to work together irrespective. At this point the author introduces the concept of a ‘Brand Management Organization, where he illustrates that the role of a Brand Organization is to devise a clear cut branding strategy for the city, i.e. policy changes, re-look at the concerned areas, investment, city attraction strategies, etc. Thus, in the area of brand management as a whole, a city branding provides the following lessons, according to the author: The partnership of the stakeholders is an on-going process. Their work cannot be skewed towards anyone and it doesnt end once a strategy formulation is over. The partnership is not an elitist society; newer members need to be added from time to time. The partnership needs to evolve as time changes. The partnership needs to take timely reviews of the brand strategy and be fluid in making the necessary amendments from time to time. The partnership cannot work in a silo. It needs to motivate the citizens of the city to work together with the brand strategy Strategy There are three forms of strategy which exist: Business Strategy, Brand Strategy and Marketing Strategy (Gelder, The new imperatives for global branding: Strategy, Creativity and Leadership, January, 2005). The author further illustrates that the business strategy is an overall phenomenon, which further dictates the branding strategy. The branding strategy further dictates what differentiates the brand (in this case, a city) from others, what is its unique value proposition, believable, and likeable. Based on these strategies, the promotion design, pricing, delivery, etc. can be decided. To execute the branding strategies, the marketing strategy is devised. The marketing strategy according to the author is translating the brand proposition as value for the stakeholders. As Illustrated earlier all of it revolves around leadership. The author insists that leadership is the key to the three types of strategy, which has direct implications on a successful implementation on the workforce. Creativity Creativity as the name suggests is about ideas (Gelder, The new imperatives for global branding: Strategy, Creativity and Leadership, January, 2005). Creativity according to the author can be of two types: Thinking of existing scenarios in a different manner or coming up with completely new ideas. Creativity forms an inherent component of the entire strategy design. The author explains through the ideas of Jeff Mauzy and Richard A. Harriman, who introduce the concept of systemic creativity, which is further argued by Nicholas Ind and Cameron Watt that creativity is the fluidity within the organization which breaks down barriers. The author illustrates that creativity is not restricted to the mere ideation process, but should be embedded in every aspect of a strategy. â€Å"Creativity is not the same as innovation, which may be termed ‘applied creativity. Creativity is also not the same as improvement, which may be termed ‘routine creativity. However, both innovation and improvement require pure creativity to function† To conclude, the author insists that one without the other is pointless. For a successful execution of a branding process, they all need to work in tandem with one another. WHY BRAND PLACES? Kotler explains how place branding and marketing results in the overall growth of the place and value for the involved stake holders. The equation is quite simple actually, branding a place leads to attraction for the place, which leads to varied benefits as described by the flow chart below: However, it isnt a completely upward graph. In fact, its a growth and decline cycle (Kotler, Place Growth Dynamics, 1999). While the attractiveness of a place brings new industries, job opportunities and betters quality of life, it has its own set of implications. When more and more external industries and people come into a city it leads to increase in usage of a citys resource, which further leads to depletion, increase in costs, etc. which in turn leads to increase in taxes for the community. In addition to this, the author states that there are external damaging effects as well which are defined as ‘process coincidences. Some examples of process coincidences are air pollution, increased crime rate, etc. Therefore, the learning from this is that a city should be branded to gain attractiveness, which is seen directly proportional to a citys prosperity. However, the implications of such a step should be taken into account and contingency plans should be devised by the involved stakeholders and authorities in the citys branding exercise. WHAT IS A BRAND? An Oxford dictionary definition: Brand (noun): a trade mark, goods of a particular make: a mark of identification made with a hot iron, the iron used for this: a piece of burning or charred wood, (verb): to mark with a hot iron, or to label with a trade mark. Varied definitions of brand exist across definitions and disciplines. However, there lies a common line of thought which implies that in its passive form a brand is an object by which an impression is formed, and hence branding is the process of forming this impression (Blackett, April 2004). This book attempts to illustrate how branding has evolved in both active and passive manner. â€Å"The word brand comes from the Old Norse brandr, meaning to burn, and from these origins made its way into Anglo-Saxon.† This process was undertaken to differentiate ones cattle from another. It was also realized that the farmers who took care of their cattle, hence provided much better quality were preferred and came to be identified with the marks on the cattle. The author goes on to explain how brands have come a long way since that era. He provides examples of the Mediterranean age, Ancient Rome, the British Museum, such as: potters marks, roman eagle, flags, to explain the concept further. The true arriving of brands took place during the industrial revolution, when the trading between countries became possible. In fact some of the brands during that time are some of the biggest brands even today: Singer sewing-machines, Coca-Cola soft drinks, Bass beer, American Express, Prudential Insurance, etc. Ever since, the 2nd world war, the world has seen real explosion in the world of brands (Blackett, April 2004). Elements of a Brand Brands are supposed to have some inherent features which are distinctive. Brands are intrinsically striking and that their role is to create an indelible impression (Blackett, April 2004). Intrinsically Striking: According to the author a brand is distinctive through a combination of factors such as, name, letters, numbers, a symbol, a signature, a shape, a slogan, a color, a particular typeface. He also adds that the name is the most important part of a brand, as it provides a universal language interface. However, the name can never be enough; it has to be complemented by other symbols, signs, logo, tagline, etc. which then derive the brands overall philosophy. It is the repetition of these across consumers senses which make a brand what it is. There are obviously exceptions to this rule. However, the exceptions usually only work when a brand enjoys a cult status and has a huge following of loyalists that the changes in the logo, tagline, or even the name do not affect a consumers perceptions about the brand and they continue to relate to it Creating an Indelible Impression: This is the age of high competition and high variety, the author notes. Therefore, the need to differentiate oneself from another becomes of primary importance. Since the consumer is flooded with choice, the brand needs to create an impression which is long lasting and captivating for a consumer to sit up and notice. The brand needs to function in a manner such that it creates a route map in the consumers mind making it an obvious choice amongst the clutter. This loosely translated implies that the consumer neednt be aware about the industry, i.e. the brand just needs to offer a value proposition interesting enough for the consumer to pick it above others. The author also adds that the successful brands are those, which create equity for the consumer, meets the expectations of the consumer and keep the promise they have made (Blackett, April 2004). Brands as Business Assets and Explosion of Branding Blackett further explains that this age expects brands to be assets to a company. Brands, with their ability to secure income, can be classed as productive assets (Blackett, April 2004) in exactly the same way as any other, more traditional assets of a business (plant, equipment, cash, investments and so on). Needless to say that the brands which result in high earnings for the business have direct implications on the overall performance of the business and also results in positive shareholder value for the stakeholders. As the world is moving further, more and more corporations are fighting for the same space. Also, it has moved beyond products. In this age, products are branded, corporations are branded, and literally everything is branded. Guideline for good brand management The author explains that if a brand wants to be truly successful, there are certain guru mantras which need to be incorporated in all brands across categories: Protection of the Brand: This essentially means patenting or trade-marking a brand and its complementing characteristics, such as, logo, name, colors, etc. Honoring the Stakeholders: Each brand should identify who are the stakeholders and work in an efficient manner for all of them, whether its the employees, the consumers, the shareholders or partners. Treating the Brand as an Investment Tool and not Cost: Brand owners need to realize that unless branding is viewed as an investment which brings results, appropriate actions will never be taken and true profitability will never be achieved. Hence, the school of thought which treats branding activities as cost needs to be discarded. Exploiting the Financial Potential of a Brand: Branding these days goes beyond a companys premise. Therefore, it is important for the brand owners to look for and tap opportunities where a brands equity can be maximized. Some examples which the author provides are co-branding, licensing, franchising, training, etc. APPLYING BRAND SCIENCE TO CITIES: BRANDS VS. CONCEPT Brands have sometimes been subjected to a lot of criticism from an array of industries (Gelder, Brand versus Concept in Area Development, July, 2008). Due to association of brands with advertising and marketing phenomenon various industries and professionals find it difficult to accept ‘branding, while are willing to apply ‘concept to their line of thinking. The author attempts to compare and contrast ‘Concept and ‘Brands. According to him, while the two are often used interchangeably, the key difference between the two is the applicability period. He says that while a ‘concept is a unique idea for a specific target group, it usually has an end date. A brand on the other hand, is a promise of value that must be kept for different audiences simultaneously, such as residents, visitors, businesses, investors and institutions. Essentially, brands are not short term; they form the underlying philosophy which is applicable across segments and time periods. Also, while a concepts value proposition decreases with time, in case of a brand, it increases with time. However, he suggests that there is no reason why the two should not complement each other. Particularly, in the area development, place branding process, the two should truly work in tandem with one another. If used in conjunction, the two result in benefits for both. The author further illustrates with an example: A concept such as a designer hotel, a slow food restaurant, an organic market, shared facilities for creative start-ups, an ecological district, a culture institution or a factory outlet centre, etc. can help realize the brand. BRANDING OF CITIES SENSE OR NONSENSE? With Nations, Cities, Places and Areas realizing the perils of branding themselves, branding of places is becoming a popular phenomenon, particularly in European areas. The question is whether the laws and rules of branding can be imitated for places, especially with the restricted flexibility a place offers in comparison to a product or service (Riezebos, 2007). The author attempts to solve this issue by focusing on Brand Architecture, Positioning and Organizational Structure of a City Brand. Place branding as defined by the author is a concept of umbrella branding which a term used for branding different geographical locations. He also distinguishes between city branding and city marketing, the principle difference being that marketing uses the consumer preferences as a guiding principle, while branding defines the vision which the company plans to achieve (Riezebos, 2007). In this journal, the author focuses on the term ‘city branding to disseminate the applicability of the concept as a genuine principle. Using examples of New York, Barcelona and Rotterdam, the author derives Brand Architecture, Positioning and Organization Structure in the following ways (Riezebos, 2007): Brand Architecture: From which level, i.e. country, region, city, borough or area of operations should one communicate from and for which target group? He adds that the first step to create brand architecture is identifying the target group, which in the case of a city is living, working and staying. o People who come under the ‘living category constitute of people who live there currently and people who might live there. o People who come under the ‘working category are not the people who come to a city to work, instead constitute of entrepreneurs who create new employment opportunities. o People, who come under the ‘staying category, are essentially the spin off effect it has for the inhabitants by tourists who visit, when they pay for things for their stay food, accommodation, etc. In terms of relevance for devising a brand plan for a city, the idea is to keep in mind the relevance of the offerings and value proposition for each of the target groups. He also adds that while devising the proposition for each target group, the brand architecture needs to be kept in mind. Failing to do so, will result in each level of the city (neighborhood, borough, etc.) provide their own set of offerings to the target group, which may not be in synch with the citys overall value proposition. As a result, the consumer will be confused and hence, inconsistency will not be able to form a brand for the city. Positioning: How should the brand of a city stand out? o Unlike in the case of products, service, etc. a city usually holds their own set of experiences for the consumer. Therefore, the positioning needs to be in sync with the delivery capabilities of the city, otherwise, the citys value proposition will fall flat. He also adds that positioning need not be of a positive tone, i.e. a negative city cannot present itself as a positive city. However, this does not imply that negative cities cannot brand themselves. A city can use its negative properties to brand itself as well. An example is the way Texas used its mosquitoes plague problem by starting the annual mosquitos festival. The author adds that a city should include the two key aspects in its branding: 1. Distinct positioning and differentiating factors 2. Targeted institution of sales activities such that sales activities are tied to certain activities with the city Organization Structure: What is a good structure for the management of a city? o Since there are a number of parties which influence the management of a city, all the involved parties need to work in the below defined structure: According to this structure, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) occupies the most central position (Riezebos, 2007). CMO or the Project Organization takes care of all the marketing, sales and promotional activities of all the target groups. The CMO then reports its activities to the relevant authorities or the City Brand Board (CBB). Usually the CBB consists of researchers, experts on branding and communication, appointed on a revolving term basis. The CBB then reports to the Supervisory Board, which usually includes the Mayor, certain CEOs or heads of companies and institutions. According to the author, this type of an organization structure has the following advantages: 1. Centralization of Brand Related Activities 2. Clear Separation of Execution, Strategy and Top Ranking Ambassadors He insists that these three points should be the guiding principle for drafting a branding plan for any city. COMMUNICATION MODEL FOR CITY BRANDING In a city branding exercise, there are certain types of communications which drive the image of a city (Kavaratizis, 2004). The author implies through this model that the primary target of a city is its inhabitants, and that the beginning and the end point of a city branding is the same, i.e. a citys image. Needless to say that a city always has an image, irrespective of any marketing/branding efforts dedicated to it. He identifies three main methods of communication, in terms of primary, secondary and tertiary: Primary Communication for City Branding: The primary communication revolves around the communicative effects taken by the city, which are defined by 4 types of actions: o Landscape: Essentially the outer appearance of the city, its design, architectural pieces, places of art, etc. o Infrastructure: Essentially the accessibility of the city, i.e. roads, transport facilities, conference halls, etc. o Organization: Essentially the marketing efforts of the citys authorities and how they involve the inhabitants in the decision making process o Behavior: Essentially the services available and provided in the city, events and investment patterns of the city Secondary Communication for City Branding: The secondary communication is the planned and intended communication by the city authorities, in forms of both ATL[1] and BTL[2]. It revolves around what content is being communicated and what is the communication capability of the city authorities Tertiary Communication for City Branding: The tertiary communication is derived from word-of-mouth advertising usually created by media, competing cities, visitors, etc. The author reflects that while the first two forms of communications are largely positive in nature as they are controlled and are of top-down structure. However, it is the third form of communication (Kavaratizis, 2004), which leads to maximum brand salience, making the inhabitants of the city as the chief marketers for the city. LEVELS OF PLACE MARKETING According to Philip Kotler, there are various levels to place marketing, which is a combination of target markets, marketing factors and planning groups. Target markets comprise of the certain chosen segments and the customers to whom the marketing messages are directed at. Marketing factors are essentially the attraction of the place, its infrastructure, the people, its perceived image the quality of life enjoyed by the inhabitants. The planning group is the number of stakeholders who decide and implement the process of place marketing (Kotler, Levels of Place Marketing, 2002). The author further adds that creation of a marketing process creates certain value for the consumer which involves creation of appropriate infrastructure for satisfaction of citizens and visitors, constant need for existing and new attractions which keep businesses and visitors interested, clear communication of its benefits and distinction, generation of support from citizens, government authorities, companies, and institutions. ELEMENTS OF A PLACE MARKETING PROCESS The process of place marketing usually begins with the strategic analysis of a place, which involves its strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats (Ashworth Voogd, 1994). The author points out that in case of place marketing, the elements involved need to be treated differently than marketing of products and services. He explains that each element can be sold separately or as a bundled product in case of place marketing. In addition to this a place is a single entity; however, it can be sold over and over again. The producers of a place product can be many, and the consumers are free to choose the products use for varied purposes. The price of a place product is indirect and non-monetary. The marketing of a place is not restricted to traditional advertising and promotion. A place can improve its liveability, visibility and investibility to market itself (Ashworth Voogd, 1994). There are four main characteristics of a place, which differentiate it from others; place as a character, as a fixed environment, as a service provider and as entertainment and recreation (Rainisto, Success Factors of Place Marketing: A study of place marketing practices in Nor thern Europe and the United States, 2003/2004). It is important to understand that the process of place marketing is a cyclical process, which goes on to infinity (MatloviÄ ovà ¡, 2007) as explained in the model below: According to the author, the process of place marketing begins with acceptance of the marketing concept for the city, which is developed into a vision and a long term plan, at this stage of the process the greatest driving factor is ‘Motivation. â€Å"The initiator must be able to persuade the relevant place opinion leaders about the importance of marketing for the place in question and have them as participants-multiplicators in the suggested process†. The next step is creation of a Marketing information system, where the information available in secondary sources and primary sources is analyzed, which helps develop the profile of the place based on Identity, brand and image of place (MatloviÄ ovà ¡, 2007), as the author explains through the diagram below: The author explains that creation of a place profile is dependent on the semantic differential between the current image and derived image of the city, which can be concluded through a ‘public perceptions survey. Once the profile of a place a created, one needs to conduct a detailed SWOT analysis of the place. The author explains that the SWOT analysis of a place needs to focus on three main areas, which are delimitation of the place, analysis of internal factors of the place (natural environment, demography, economy, infrastructure and business environment) and analysis of external factors (microenvironment and macroenvironment). The combination of a marketing information system, the difference between the current image of the place and the desired image of the place and finally a detailed SWOT analysis helps in formation of a strategy for further marketing of the place. Once, these three steps are covered, a key enabler for further progess is the segmentation of the market, which completes the sub-process called ‘Situation Analysis. At this point, the ‘Goals are decided for the process of place marketing, targeting also takes place at this stage. Based on the goals, a ‘Strategy is Designed, which involves positioning of the city, devising the marketing mix, scheduling inspections, zeroing in on the marketing budget, and inking the overall marketing plan. The author has developed a model for a clear segmentation of a city, as explained below: The author explains through Kotlers suggested methodology for segmentation, and points out that there is not unique way to segment, which becomes even more difficult in the case of a city due to the heterogeneity attached to the single product. He uses the classification of segmentation criterion and applies it to the city: Geographic, Demographics, Psychographics, and Behavioral. â€Å"A successful strategy will result from a detailed and systematic analysis that will respond the two fundamental questions: where is the place situated? and how did it get there? The following comparison of the whole spectrum of data and information will reveal the trends that have to be taken into account in setting the marketing goal. The essence of the conception and strategic stage could be summarized in the two questions: where does the place want to get in future? and how can it be achieved?† (MatloviÄ ovà ¡, 2007) After a clear segmentation, this can be of two types, concentrated and differentiated. The key is that a city needs to decide which of the two segmentation strategies it goes with. In plain terms, this means that if the city chooses a concentrated segmentation strategy, it focuses on a micro segment and devises a value proposition for that segment. However, since a city has the capability to be multi-sold, the city can be marketed to a bunch of segments wi

American Idol Essay -- Cheathouse Essays

American Idol â€Å"That rendition was impressive, but you do not look like an American Idol; however, we will give you one more chance. Welcome to Hollywood!† A person with a mediocre voice that is not stunningly attractive would have a harder time advancing to Hollywood on American Idol. As the judges say, an American Idol should be a distinct person with an exceptionally fantastic voice. Culture is the training or refining of intellectual faculties and the way of life for a particular people. My goal will be to critique the ideal of image on American Idol and discuss how people may or may not get though based on looks alone. In the entertainment industry, images of the â€Å"perfect† people are portrayed as women being skinny, tan, and firm and men being handsome, muscular, and original. Judges Randy, Paula, and Simon critique contestants on American Idol mostly based on their image. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and best-known Simon Cowell are the main judges on American Idol. They critique auditions in seven different cities where each performer sings and if well enough, receives the yellow ticket to Hollywood. However, â€Å"This show is called American Idol. It wasn’t good enough† is what many contestants hear. From the millions of people who try out, only a small percentage get though to the second round. The judges place those contestants into groups of three to perform on stage in front of a large audience. They eliminate hundreds of contestants to narrow the field down to jus...

Charles de Secondat, Baron De La Brede Et De Montesquieu Essay

Charles de Secondat, Baron de la Brede et de Montesquieu was born in 1689 to a French noble family. "His family tree could be traced 350 years, which in his view made its name neither good nor bad." (The Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, p. 68) Montesquieu's views started to be shaped at a very early age. A beggar was chosen to be his godfather to remind him of his obligations to the poor. Montesquieu's education started at the age of 11 when he was sent to Juilly, a school maintained by the Congregation of the Oratory. From 1705 to 1709 he studied law in Bordeaux. "From 1705 to 1709 he was a legal apprentice in Paris. There he came to know some of the most advanced thinkers of his time: Fredet, the Abbe Lama, and Boulainvilliers.(Ibid.). In 1716 Montesquieu got a seat of president a mortier in the parlement of Guyenne from his deceased uncle. Even though he did not like his job he believed parliaments were necessary to control the monarchs. In 1721 Montesquieu published the Persian Letters, which he began working on while studying in Bordeaux. The book was a success. In the Persian Letters Montesquieu showed how relative all of the French values were. Even though the technique used in this witty book was previously used by other writers, Montesquieu did a great job making fun of the European values. At that time he already believed in the immorality of European practices such as religious prosecution. The book gave roots for Montesquieu's later arguments and ideas. When in 1728 Montesquieu, with the help of his Parisian connections he got elected to the French Academy, he was happy to sell his office of president a mortier. In the course of the next three years he traveled all over Europe, visiting Germany, Hungary, England, Holland, Austria, and Italy. It is not surprising that out of his European tour the country which had the greatest impact on his later work (just like it did on Voltaire's) was England. During his stay there he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. After he returned to France the second portion of his carrier had began. He became a full time writer, traveling between his La Brede estate and Paris. It is during this period that the C... ...e world will always be remembered. Montesquieu can easily be considered a model Enlightment figure. His ideas produce a mild paradox. He wanted change for the better without crushing the current government. He wanted to educate the people of a country, but was not a radical, and therefore didn't include the peasants. He respected reason, and used it to help the mankind by creating an idle society. He critisised religion, and yet had faith in God. As a whole he tried to improve things without turning the world upside down. He was the model figure for the steady advancement of the human civilization. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Hollier, Denis , A New History of French Literature, Harvard University Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, 1989. 2. The Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, p. 467-476. 3. Loy, John Robert, Montesquieu, New York, Twayne Publishers, 1968. 4. A History of World Societies volume II, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, p. 669-679. 5. Robert Shedlock, Lessons on World History, 1980, p. 38a-38c.

World Pollulation Concerning Problem

Living in Arkansas, † the natural state† we don†t really think of our world as overpopulated, but instead often wish there was more going on. We need to be thankful though. Did you know that if your standing on a street in India and you look into a home and notice that a kitchen fire looks brighter than normal it†s probably not because of too much greese, but instead due to a burning child? Your probably thinking that sounds bizarre and how does this tie into overpopulation. Well as crude and barbaric as burning or cremating children in a kitchen may sound it happens all too often in the overpopulated country of India. If you are a hardheaded optimist you might be saying to yourself well that†s in India where they†re crazy, but you would have to be pretty crazy to argue that overpopulation in the U.S. isn†t a problem. Considering the overcrowded classrooms, used up soil and agricultural resources, lack of energy and the damage done to the air and wildlife that we are surrounded by. So what I†m getting at is that from the Phillapenes to New York to Africa our world is being used for all it†s worth. Not only will I speak about the problems with overpopulation far and wide throughout the world but also I would like to emphasize the time issue in correlation with the growth of the birth rate and death rate. Now I know that graphs are about as exciting as chapel, but this graph really simplifies the explanation of the â€Å"Malthusian Theory† which is simply a theory that was developed by Thomas Malthus in 1798 arguing that populations grow geometrically which just means that MORE PEOPLE PRODUCE MORE PEOPLE. (Explain graph.) World War 2 death rate did not effect the population climb. In result of this steadily rising population rate, India†s population exceeded 1 billion this past May. According Christian Century, India†s one billionth baby was lucky if it was a boy, because girl†s survival rates are much lower. Girls in India are commonly victims of feticide, infantcide or later, forced suicide. On the other hand sons in India can generate prosperity in a family; that is if they aren†t among the 110 out of 1000 that don†t live to see their first birthday. A lot of infants have fatal encounters with diarrhea, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, and malnutrition. This most likely has something to do with the fact that in villages over 800 million people don†t have access to safe drinking water. In China and Africa similar problems can be found due to overpopulation. There†s has been an out break of AIDS in China, because farmers† have run out of fertile soil and have began giving blood to blood dealers in exchange for money. The blood dealers are evidently not the most sanitary practicioners after reading in Washington Post that they use the same infected needle on as many farmers as possible. In Africa we all know of the famines that have devastated the country. Again we have to turn to the lack of resources for an overpopulated country where there isn†t enough food , doctors or educational oppurtunities for the society. When you take all of those factors and put them together you†ll also likely find political instability in a country. As O. Henry fittingly stated, â€Å"there are not many troubles in the world more alarming than those caused by the fire in the pit of an empty stomach.† The direct effect that overpopulation has on our agricultural development isn†t neccessarily felt by us, but of course we are effected. With a concern that we will be left providing food for the rest of the world when overpopulated countries like China run out of food is sort of scary. Despite new technology that has been developed to renourish soil after it†s been used there are side effects on our earth. The Green House effect may be one that you†ve heard of. These green revolution technologies can bring along pollution of natural waters, soil contamination and overall degradation, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. And no this isn†t a Indian, African, or Chinese problem, this pollution is occuring all over the US on many farms where the technology is rooted. Other than agricultural problems the US is also battling a energy crisis that only seems to be getting worse. Just last week the EIA announced that gas prices are at a new record high in America, climbing to $1.53 cents on average up nearly 40% from just last year. And if you†ve been watching the news at all for the past couple of months your! aware of the energy crisis in California and Oregon that has been causing blackouts for millions. Reprecussions of the same old case where there isn†t enough resources for so many people. The worst part about it is that the situation only seems to be getting worse unless scientist figure out how to create fossil fuels at the same rate that humans give birth. Our regional wildlife are suffering also due to overpopulation. According to a survey done by the U.S. Geological Survey suggest that rapid human population growth of the areas surrounding the Lake Pontchartrain Basin has put the habitat in serious danger. By the way I live only about three hours north of the basin, but internationally our wildlife has suffered without a doubt also. Now I†d like to mention, for a final grim reminder, the numerous degrading factors that overpopulation has on our earth, but as I name these factors I want you to listen to each factor and ask yourself if you have a problem with any of these situations. Famine, political instability, agricultural set backs, pollution, inhumane treatment to children, overcrowded streets and schools, and damage to wildlife. If you had a problem with any of those factors I named then you might as well go to the foundation that those problems stand on, †¦. the problem of overpopulation.