Safaricoms Mobile Banking

Analyzing Summarizing the Innovation Environment  Safaricom’s Mobile Banking Introduction In 2005, Safaricom, a mobile phone company based in Kenya launched M-PESA, a mobile money transfer technique. This innovation was however a brain child of Vodafone, which is Safaricom’s subsidiary company based in the United Kingdom.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Safaricom’s Mobile Banking specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With funding from UK based Department of International Development (DFID), Safaricom, which is Kenya’s leading mobile service provider agreed to roll out the M-PESA on a trial basis in the East African country. The pilot program which commenced in October 2005 saw one mainstream bank and a microfinance institution partner with the mobile service provider for purposes of providing it with the banking infrastructure needed during the pilot period. Kenya as a market Kenya is a n African country located on the east side of the continent. The country is astride the equator and borders Tanzania on the South, Uganda and Ethiopia on the North and Somalia on the North East border. To the Southeast lies the Indian Ocean. 2007 estimates indicate that Kenya has a population of approximately 37 million people with annual growth rate estimated at 2.8 percent (Fan, 2009). Although fairly late adopters in mobile telephony, People in Kenya have caught up pretty fast. In 1999, two mobile operators, Safaricom and Celtel ventured into the Kenyan market. By the end of 1999, only 17,000 Kenyans had subscribed to mobile telephony. By December 2007 however, 11.3 million Kenyans had subscribed to mobile telephony. Meanwhile however, other mobile telephone companies had entered the market. Fortunately for Safaricom, it remains the largest mobile service provider gauged by the subscriber base. According to Omwansa (2009), the company has 80 percent share of the entire market siz e. When Safaricom launched M-PESA, it commissioned agents in different parts of the country; the agent’s work was primarily to receive deposits from customers and electronically transfer this to the client’s M-PESA account. This electronic money transfer would then be registered as a cash float on the clients phone account. The agents also allowed clients to withdraw money from their accounts by simply entering the amount they wanted to withdraw on the cell phones M-PESA menu, followed by the agent number. In a country where commercial banks are few and wide apart, this financial innovation was embraced by both the banked and the unbanked population largely due to the convenience and the ease of transaction.Advertising Looking for thesis on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Safaricom however maintained that the M-PESA account was not a bank account mainly because people could neither earn inter est on money deposited nor take up loans as is the case with ordinary banking accounts. How M-PESA works Once a person opens an M-PESA account through an authorized agent, Safaricom registers this as an electronic account that one can use to receive, send or withdraw money. Any money deposited in the account is managed by Safaricom, which pools the amount in a mainstream bank in the country. By pooling the money in the commercial bank, Mas Morawczynski (2009) notes that the amount is backed as liquid deposits in the commercial bank. The agents spread through out the country allow people an easy access to money as compared to the limited number of automated teller machines or banks. Mino (2009) notes that ever since its launch, M-PESA has eased the domestic money transfer as previously people would use couriers, money orders or bank transfers to send money, which would be time consuming and often inconveniencing considering that most financial services are located in towns while qui te a significant number of recipients lived in rural areas. Figure 1: M-PESA screen shot Source: Hughes Lonie (2009) Stage of industry evolution – life cycle The industrial life cycle model indicates that a business or an innovation like M-PESA would have four stages of growth (Shaun, 2009). They are: Start-up; growth; maturity; and decline.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Safaricom’s Mobile Banking specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gauging by the events and the time-line that has passed between the trial phase and now, it is easy to place M-PESA on the growth cycle. It is obvious that the start-up period for the money transfer service was between 2005 and 2007, when M-PESA was operating as a pilot project. At this stage, it only attracted early adopters and it registered approximately 1700 users and recruited about 250 agents across the country. After the successful pilot program, M-PESA was fo rmally launched as a mobile money transfer method in Kenya. This not only increased the consumer base and the agent numbers, but the second-mobile service provider in the country Celtel launched a similar service dubbed Sokotele to compete against Safaricom’s M-PESA. Unlike Safaricom however, Celtel lacked the infrastructure that Safaricom had laid during the two year pilot program thus meaning that Safaricom still had an advantage over its competitor. The fact that money transfer could only be done between people within the same network, who had to be registered with M-PESA, gave Safaricom another advantage. At this point in its life cycle, the company was (and still is) able to capitalize on consumers who are catching up and hence the mobile telephone company still stands a good chance to consolidate as much market share as it can. In this study’s opinion, the M-PESA product is still in the growth phase mainly because the Kenyan market still has a wide untapped mobil e telephony potential. Still, Safaricom does not appear to face much competition from the other three mobile service providers especially since Sokotele (now Zap after a change of name) lacks the penetration that M-PESA has in Kenya’s rural areas. Still, M-PESA is still venturing to new markets and in 2008, Kenyans living in the United Kingdom could use their cell phones to send money to their relatives in Kenya. In May 2010, a local bank (Equity Bank) partnered with M-PESA to allow M-PESA account holders to open a savings account (M-KESHO account) with the bank. This would in turn allow M-PESA account holders to transfer money from their mobile phone accounts to the bank’s account without having to go visit the bank physically. In view of this, it is clear that Safaricom is still venturing into new frontiers and hence is still developing the M-PESA product. As such, M-PESA is yet to hit the â€Å"maturity and decline stages of the product development life cycle† as defined by Bradford et al. (2000). Strategic planning in Safaricom Bradford et al. (2000) states that strategic planning â€Å"allows a firm to define its objectives, assess its internal and external environment, formulate a strategy that fits and implement the same† (p. 121). Further, a strategic plan has provisions where the firm is able to evaluate its progress and make the needful adjustments. Accordingly, a strategic planning process has five processes namely: Mission and objectives; environmental scanning; strategy formulation; strategy implementation; and evaluation and Control.Advertising Looking for thesis on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Internal Analysis Of special interest to this study is Safaricom’s environmental scan since it defines the company’s operating environment, which is of special significance to its success or failure in its business operations. To understand the internal environment, this paper will use a â€Å"Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats† (SWOT) analysis in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses facing the company. Bradford et al (2000), observes that a â€Å"SWOT analysis is essential in matching a company’s capabilities to the available resources, and the competitive environment it operates in† (p. 121). Safaricom’s SWOT Analysis Strengths According to Hughes Lonie (2009), the two representatives from Vodafone who lay the ground work and the partnership needed to roll off M-PESA, Safaricom had core competencies which made rolling M-PESA on its network less challenging The company had the systems and connectivity capabilities needed to roll the money transfer product. This meant that whatever commercial product that was developed by the innovators had to fit within the existing systems and network capabilities. The company had an already existing network of dealer outlet. Having worked with Safaricom previously, most dealers had no problem becoming M-PESA agents once they were convinced the project was economically viable. Safaricom was not the developer of M-PESA and hence the burden of innovation and implementation lay squarely on the shoulders of Vodafone. However, as Hughes Lonie (2009) notes, Vodafone is too big a company to be interested in a small market like Kenya. This means that the benefits of a successful money transfer service would be passed to the Kenyan people as well as the partnering mobile-service provider. Weaknesses Bradford et al. (2000) holds the opinion that the absence of specific strengths in business is perceived as weakness. Fortunately for Safaricom, and in this studyâ€⠄¢s observations, the weaknesses are not as many as to deter the innovative product from existence. One of the outstanding weaknesses in Safaricom is that its 80 percent market share presents both fortunes and bad-tidings at times. The former happens when the communication lines are jammed by too many calls thus jamming the communication networks. While this was initially a problem encountered in the voice and SMS products only, M-PESA also encounters such problems from time to time. Luckily, the problem never lasts for long although it inconveniences quite a number of clients whenever the problem occurs. Opportunities With Mobile money transfers gaining popularity by the day, opportunities for Safaricom abounds not only in the Kenyan Market, but also in the extensive east African Market. Omwansa (2009) observes that M-PESA has already been launched in neighboring Tanzania, and the prospects of partnering with local banks to extend the service to mainstream banks have already cau ght up. As of June 2010, three commercial banks in Kenya had already signed up with Safaricom to allow money transfers from the M-PESA accounts to their banks accounts. The banks were identified as Equity Bank Kenya Limited, Kenya Commercial Bank and Family Bank of Kenya. Loose regulations by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) have also afforded M-PESA room for growth unmatched by any other institution in the financial sector. Omwansa (2009) reports that CBK has maintained that M-PESA is not a banking account and hence cannot be regulated as commercial banks. Since it is a fairly new product that has benefited a lot of the Kenyan populace, Omwansa (2009) also observes that the regulatory agencies seems to have an â€Å"unwritten† agreement to let M-PESA be. This is largely thought to be spurred by fears that regulating it may stifle its growth. Threats Although Safaricom is the dominant mobile service provider in the Kenyan market today, one cannot rule out the possibility of more intense competition from other players in future. Omwansa (2009) for example observes that more mobile service providers are investing in the Kenyan market offering competitive rates compared to the rates offered by Safaricom for its voice and SMS products and this could change the market dynamics in the future. Industry Analysis Bradford et al (2000) holds the opinion that a company should evaluate the industry environment before venturing into the same. This allows the company to know what to expect, the barriers it is likely to face, substitute products available in the target market and the intensity and kind of industry rivalry to expect. One of the ideal ways of gauging all these is the Porter’s five forces framework, which this study uses to evaluate M-PESA’s operating environment. Rivalry According to Porter (1998), competition among rival firms has the ability to reduce profits that the firms get from their respective market shares. In Safaricomâ€℠¢s case however, the main competitor in the market was Celtel, which had no product to compete with M-PESA. This presented an advantage to Safaricom, which would have ample time to lay its mobile money transfer at its own pace without fears that the main competitor would out do it. As noted by Omwansa (2009), Celtel only tried out the mobile money transfer after Safaricom had tried it and succeeded. The lack of penetration of Celtel’s part meant that Safaricom remained and still remains the largest provide of mobile money transfer services in Kenya. As such, the would be rivalry failed to be because Celtel’s initiative did not succeed as one would expect especially in a market where it has already been proven that most people transacting on the mobile phone platform do not own bank accounts. According to Porter (1998), rivalries between firms operating in the same environment intensify for a number of reasons. They include: many firms in the same market; a slow growing market; high-fixed costs; uncompetitive storage costs; low or inexistent switching costs; low brand identification; high barrier to exit the market; diversity of rival firms; industry shakeout leading to overcrowding. Analyzing the competitive environment which Safaricom and its product M-PESA operates in, one realizes that none of the factors mentioned above are true in the Kenyan Mobile telephony market and least of all the mobile money transfer sector. This therefore means that Safaricom can only anticipate for probable rivalry in future, but is free to dominate the market presently, just as was the case when M-PESA was launched. Threats of substitutes According to Porter’s view, the threat of substitutes occur when better performing products or services are available in the market. Cheaper products or services also affect the consumer choices. Analyzing M-PESA and its core competitor Zap (changed name from Sokotele when Celtel was acquired by Zain); the latter has fair ly lower transaction costs when compared to the former. As indicated in the diagrams graphics below, Zap is much fairer in its pricing than M-PESA. While this would have given Zap a price-based advantage over M-PESA, the statistics on the ground suggests otherwise. Although acquiring statistics on Zap usage was not successful, this study easily obtained statistics from M-PESA, which indicates that the customer base for the service was at more than 2 million people in the 2007/2008 financial year, with 2,329 agents through out the country. In the 2008/2009 financial year, both the customer and agent numbers had increased with records indicating that there were over 6 million M-PESA customers and 8, 650 agents. By November 2009, the number had yet again gone up to 5 million customers and 14, 764 agents (Safaricom, 2009). Figure 2: M_PESA tariffs Source: http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=747 Figure 3: ZAP tariffs Source: http://www.ke.zain.com/opco/af/core/home/channel.do;jse ssionid=4CF576366FC37A870DEB57F35D7EFB02.node0?channelId=-11711selectedChannels=-11704,-11711#lang=en Although this study would like to believe that Zap poses a real threat of substitute to M-PESA, it is apparent that the former would have to strengthen its subscriber base as well as its ZAP network across the Kenyan market in order to pose a real substitution threat to M-PESA. Buyer Power In Porter’s, buyer power is considered a major consideration that a firm must make when analyzing the industry environment in which they seek to operate. Buyer power refers to the impact that consumers of product and services have on the industry. Most consumers would rather have a situation where they have satisfactory products and services at low prices. However, this is only possible in a competitive environment where the there are few buyers in a rather large market share; the products are standardized; or where buyers can attain backward integration which would in turn threaten marke t players. In M-PESA’s case, the buyer power does not seem to be such an applicable concept because Omwansa (2009) reports that the mobile money transfer services has been received and adopted by the banked as well as the unbanked population in equal measure. More to this, there seems to be a wide acceptance among the M-PESA clients of not only the appropriateness of the services in a country where banks are mainly located in town centers, but also the speed of transfer is something that is much appreciated by the Kenyan market. Upon making a deposit to one’s account through an M-PESA agent, there is an instant notification through an SMS of the money transfer. One can then choose to use the money deposited in their account to pay bills, transfer money to someone else’s account or electronically buy airtime for use of one’s phone (Safaricom, 2010). Barriers/ threat to entry According to Porter (1998), barrier or threats to a company entering a specific market can arise from different source. Key among them is barriers created by the government. Luckily for M-PESA, the Kenyan government was more than willing to create a facilitating environment. According to Omwansa (2009), this readiness by the Kenyan government can be explained that Kenya is a developing country that understands that innovation holds great potential that could aid in the country’s development. More to this, Kenya is among the African markets that are fast catching up on technology and the developments so far have only brought better prospects for the government and the population. Patents are also identified by Porter (1998) as other barriers restricting firms’ entry into a market. Fortunately for Safaricom, though the initial innovation was Vodafone’s, the latter had no patenting issues and had in fact come up with the mobile money transfer idea through the encouragement of DFID in order to take innovative banking solutions to developing cou ntries in Africa and other parts of the world (Hughes Lonie, 2009). This gave Safaricom a free reign and could in turn patent this innovation hence Celtel’s adoption of the same two years after the M-PESA pilot program kicked off. Supplier power According to Porters, a firm operating within the producing industry is more prone to influences exerted on it by the suppliers. Such influence can lead to higher costs in raw materials. Being a service oriented product, M-PESA does not suffer from any pressures that could arise from the suppliers. The only contact between the service provider and the customer is the agent, and so far as Omwansa (2009) observes, the relationship between the agents and Safaricom have not suffered any major hiccups. Leadership Safaricom seems to have taken its position as the mobile telephone service provider in a fairly good manner. Gerson Lehrman Group (2010) notes that even taxi drivers know the Safaricom chief executive by name thus suggesting th at the company has maintained a close relationship with its clients. Kenya being a fairly small market, this does not seem like such a hard task to achieve. Omwansa (2009) also notes that the company has managed to engage the media very well and as a result, it has not only kept a constant image in the eyes of the public, but has also made sure that every new development in the company is reported to the public promptly. By releasing its annual performance statistics Safaricom has endeared itself to the public not only because of its profit making, but also because it has incorporated innovation in its customer service. M-PESA is one such innovation that has indeed improved the company’s share as a market leader as Ombok (2010) notes; â€Å"The growth in M-PESA and data markets are the main growth drivers for Safaricom, and will still remain so going forward† (p. 1) Controls According to Omwansa (2009), M-PESA regulation is something the Kenyan regulators do not seem v ery eager to do at the moment. However, noting the expansion of M-PESA into different sectors and the links developed between the product and the financial institutions in Kenya, regulation seems like a necessary step. Apart from regulatory controls however, the money transfer system has instilled control measures that not only ensure the security of money transfer, but also ensure that users stand nothing to loose when using M-PESA. The person identification number (PIN) that one is required to have before carrying out any transaction on the M-PESA platform is one such control. Safaricom encourages the services users not to share the M-PESA pin numbers with anyone because it is the only thing that guarantees security for their money. Omwansa (2009) also notes that there have been incidences where a person transfers money to a wrong account. When this happens, Safaricom encourages people to call the M-PESA customer care services with the details of the recipient account. The custome r service representatives are then able to reverse the money to the sender’s account. However, the money can only be reversed if the recipient had not withdrawn the money already. Strategies and Tactics Delving into the strategies adopted by most Kenyan firms is not an easy task especially because such strategies are guarded as business secrets. In Safaricom’s case however, Fan (2009) observes that the company is not only intent at delivering services to the locals, but is also focused in adding the value that consumers receive from its products, while fortifying its brand at the same time. Quoting Safaricom’s CEO Michael Joseph, Fan (2009) observes that the mobile service provider has made use of the opportunity granted to interact and accompany its clients through the mobile phones. Among the principles that Safaricom seems to have adopted not only for M-PESA but for other product lines is â€Å"think globally, act locally† concept. Like elsewhere in th e world, Safaricom understands that its Kenyan clientele needs a combination of good, efficient services at low prices, which it has worked hard to achieve. The organization has also been consistent in not only its performance but also in strengthening its brand name. Fan (2009) notes that currently, the main Safaricom’s competitor –Zain, has changed its name thrice since its inception in the Kenyan Market. Initially, it was Kencell, then Celtel and now Zain. While this change of name had no significant effect on service provisions, a cautious market like Kenya had its doubts about the sustainability of a brand that keeps changing its name. Safaricom on the other hand seems to have adopted a naming strategy that resonates with Kenyans thus giving them a sense of pride in the product. Quoting CEO Joseph once again, Fan (2009) observes that Safari is a Swahili name Journey. The PESA on M-PESA is also a Swahili derivative meaning money. As such, the firm is working hard t o assure Kenyans that the firm belongs to them, a factor that has been translated to reality by enlisting the firm in the Kenyan Stock Exchange, where locals can buy shares into the company. Financials Although statistics are not quite clear about M-PESA’s contribution to Safaricom’s profit, the money transfer service is among the key growth drivers as noted elsewhere in this study. The firms CEO was quoted by Fan (2009) stating that the firm had hit the 4.5 million customer mark in 2009 and 7,000 agents through out the country. Statistics provided in 2009 indicated that peer-to-peer transactions conducted on the M-PESA platform on a daily basis were around Ksh. 160,000 ($2,133). This not withstanding, the amount of profits generated for Safaricom is quite significant considering that the lowest charge for each transaction is Ksh. 20 ($ 0.26). Above the fixed amount that attracts this rate, customers are charged 3.6 percent of the entire amount they are sending or rece iving. Recommendations Conclusion Mino (2009) notes that the fact that Vodafone initially developed M-PESA as a peer-to-peer mobile money transfer method has put several limitations to the innovation. For starters, the amount of money that one can deposit in their account or transfer to another person’s account is limited at 35,000Kenyan shillings (approximately $500). This therefore means that merchants who would like to use the service to conduct payments for an amount exceeding the stated limit cannot do so. Notably, Safaricom does not hold or manage M-PESA operations rights since the M-PESA software is legally a possession of Vodafone. According to Mino (2009), this means that Safaricom, which is on the ground in Kenya, cannot create or distribute supplementary tools which would enable the M-PESA system to consider the interactions needed by merchants in order to conduct their business transactions without any limitations. Since Kenya is a vibrant developing market, it i s only a matter of time that another person notices the opportunity that exists through the needs presented by the merchants. This is especially considering that the deposit limit is too low to many Kenyan businessmen. As such, Safaricom should seize the moment before anyone else does it and expand their deposit limits. This will not only allow merchants to hold huge amounts of money in their M-PESA accounts before transferring it elsewhere, but will also allows Kenyans to carry huger transactions on the M-PESA platform conveniently. There is also the unending challenge of agents not having enough liquid cash to meet the withdrawal requirements presented to them by M-PESA customers. Safaricom in conjunction with the agents need to find a lasting solution to this problem if indeed the mobile money transfer is to offer wholesome solutions to the financial challenges facing Kenyans. Overall however, M-PESA has been an innovation that has not only received recognition at home, but also elsewhere in the world. In 2007 and 2008, the innovation won the Kenya Banking awards, while in 2008, it won the GSMA best broadcast commercial, Stockholm Exchange (economic development category) and also won the GSMA best-mobile money service award in 2009. This however is not to mean that M-PESA is not facing challenges. The good thing however is that the leadership in Safaricom is willing to handle the various challenges through technology and innovation so as to beat the odds and make the product a lasting service in the Kenyan Market and elsewhere in the African continent. References Bradford, R., Duncan, J. Tarcy, B. (2000). Simplified strategic planning: a no-nonsense guide for busy people who want results fast! Worcester, MA. : Chandler House Fan, J. (2009). Voice from Operators—Safaricom taking Kenyans on a pleasant Safari. Win 2. Retrieved from http://www.huawei.com/publications/view.do?id=5914cid=10948pid=10664 Gerson Lehrman Group. (2010). MPESA challenges incumb ents: the new payments rail in emerging markets. Retrieved from http://www.glgroup.com/News/mPesa-Challenges-Incumbents–The-New-Payments-Rail-in-Emerging-Markets-48515.html Hughes, N. Lonie, S. (2007). M-PESA: Mobile money for the â€Å"Unbanked†: Turning Cell phones into 24-hour Tellers in Kenya. Innovations. Winter Spring, pp. 63-81. Mas, I. Morawczynski, O. (2009). Designing Mobile money services: Lessons from M-PESA. Innovations 4(2), 77-91. Mino, T. (2009). Will the real banks please stand up? Business Daily. Retrieved from http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Opinion%20%20Analysis/-/539548/621718/-/view/printVersion/-/xmkpkxz/-/index.html Ombok, E. (2010). Safaricom of Kenya’s profit to rise 21% RenCap says (update 1). Bloomberg Business week. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-25/safaricom-of-kenya-s-profit-to-rise-21-rencap-says-update1-.html Omwansa, T. (2009). M-PESA: Progress and Prospects. Innovations/ mobile world Congress 107- 122 Porter, M. E. (1998). Competitive Strategy: techniques for analyzing Industries and Competitors. Lafayette Detroit, MI: Free Press. Safaricom. (2009). Key performance statistics. Retrieved from http://www.safaricom.co.ke/fileadmin/template/main/images/MiscUploads/M-PESA%20Statistics.pdf This thesis on Safaricom’s Mobile Banking was written and submitted by user Deborah Vega to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

An Inspector Calls Essay Essay Example

An Inspector Calls Essay Essay Example An Inspector Calls Essay Essay An Inspector Calls Essay Essay Essay Topic: Literature Priestley conveys this message through a story of a girl who was driven to suicide by members of one family. All were unaware of the fact they all knew her.   The play was written in 1946, but set in 1912. This relates to the message because its audience will know from the wars that people can affect the lives of others e. g. Hitler and Stalin. Arthur Birling is portrayed as a pompous know-it-all whom you immediately dislike. He believes that society and the community is as it should be. The rich stay rich, the poor stay poor and there is a large gap between the two. He is a man who has worked his way up to the position he is in without inheritance, he believes that a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own. Throughout the play, however, we see that Priestleys views do not concur with Birlings and he has added statements to make the audience see Birlings views as false. Birlings confidence in the predictions he makes, such as the Titanic being unsinkable, and war being impossible, give the audience the impression that his views of community are also misguided. Every one of the predictions Birling makes is wrong; the Titanic sank on her maiden voyage, World War One broke out two years after the play was set and the American Stock Market crashed in 1929. This leads us to regard him as a man of many words but little sense! Mr Birlings behaviour towards the Inspector is very discourteous. He is filled with disgust at how he came into his home, accusing him and his family of a tragedy. He does not care whether the Inspector is doing his job or not. He is also very insolent and doesnt have much respect for others. He is more interested in his own well being. This shows when he finds out that Eric (Mr Birlings son) stole money from the factory. He wasnt interested in Erics reasons for taking the money, but simply when he would get it back. At the end of Act Three, Birling seems not to have taken any of the lessons of the evening to heart. The demise of Eva Smith and the role each member of his family played in her death have not shaken his beliefs. He continues to believe that there was every excuse for what he and his wife did. In fact, he is more concerned with his own reputation than with Eva. who here will suffer more than I will? He says things that should have been said to him, you dont realise yet all youve done you dont seem to care about anything, yet when he says these things, he is of course talking not about Eva Smith, but about his own reputation and an upcoming public scandal. The attitude of Mr Birling, and his willingness to explain away the events of the evening to hoaxes and artfully crafted deception, all go towards the final twist in the plot the Inspector returning to teach the Birlings their lesson again. This ties in with the idea that if you dont learn the lesson the first time, you will be taught it again, through fire and blood and anguish. Eva Smiths story carries Priestleys view throughout the play. Due to the selfish actions of others she suffers a chain of bad luck leading to her premature death. First she asks for a rise from Mr Birling. He refuses and fires her. Next, while working in a clothes shop, Sheila (Mr Birlings daughter) requests for Eva to be fired. Then, while being harassed at a bar, Gerald (Sheilas fianci ) comes to rescue her, gives her a place to stay and supplies her with money. When he finally sent her back to the streets, she met Eric at the Palace Bar. They made love a few times and he gave her 50 pounds, which he stole from the factory. When she found out she was pregnant Eric got rid of her. Finally, she went to a charitable organisation which Mrs Birling was head of. She was refused help for a number of reasons and left with nowhere else to go. When told what they had done, each of the characters responded in different ways. Mr and Mrs Birling responded with disbelief and refused to admit they had done anything wrong. Eric was ashamed at what he had done. Gerald was also ashamed but extremely apologetic to Sheila, and Sheila was deeply regretful and was ashamed of her parents attitudes towards the ordeal. Inspector Goole is used as a way to communicate Priestleys views he acts as a social conscience of sorts. He is the voice of Priestley in the play, or the voice of Priestleys socialist views. We dont live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. He believes in responsibility for and towards everyone. Mr Birling comments on the Inspectors behaviour by saying you werent asked here to talk to me about my responsibilities. Contrary to what Arthur Birling believes, it seems that the Inspector was sent to the Birlings to teach them some responsibility. The character of Inspector Goole is mysterious. This air of mystery is intentional. The name Inspector Goole is an obvious pun (Inspector spectre, Goole ghoul). We as an audience never find out who this Inspector is. He could be anybody or anything. Priestley left the character as a mystery so as to have a larger impact. Through the Inspector, the audience is educated in social understanding and behaviour, seeing the examples of the Birlings and hearing Inspector Gooles prediction. Sheila also contributes to our response to the Inspector because she is young and impressionable, when the Inspector puts forward a view on society she agrees with him. This shows that he has great power and influence. The ending symbolises the warning that the Inspector gave the Birlings. If you do not learn your lesson the first time, you will be taught it again in fire and anguish. Priestley uses the dramatic twist of the Inspector returning at the end of the play, to emphasise this point, he makes it more effective by placing it just as the characters are beginning to relax, believing it was all a hoax. It serves to prick the consciences of both the characters and the audience. I believe the aim of Priestley when he wrote this play, was to make us think about our beliefs. He wanted to give us a sense of responsibility and make a difference in the world. He did this with a set of characters that everyone would be able to relate to.

At&t in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

At&t in China - Essay Example AT&T also needed to reconsider how its decentralized organizational structure could serve as a barrier in China where product pricing are mixed up with other factors in sealing contracts. Another barrier to be faced with a long-term view was that telecoms sector in China would probably remain a heavy regulated industry for a long-time. Like media and utilities, the telecoms industry is a sector that Chinese authorities would not trust wholly into the hands of foreigners because of its national security implications. It must be assumed that since AT&T already signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in February 1993 with the Chinese authorities allowing AT&T to offer its broad array of services in the country albeit jointly with the Chinese government meant that at even with the regulated aspect of the telecom industry, the company had been given room to negotiate terms in their undertakings. And even when the United States threatened to tie China's human rights record to the renewal of its Most Favored Nation Status - AT&T, being the America's biggest telecom firm was at an opportune time to use it to leverage its influence on the US government and use it to negotiate some favorable terms from the Chinese government. To be able to compete in China, AT&T needed to address three fronts so as to keep up with the challenge - first, the heavy regulated aspect of the Chinese telecommunicat... whose focus is to provide direct telephone services as could be seen in its primary operations in the United States was a challenge in China where providing actual telephone services was closed off to foreign companies. It must then re-focus on manufacturing and systems and network infrastructure build-up for the state enterprise agencies responsible for purchase of telecom equipment at least for the short term while actual provision of telephone services were yet closed off. The decision of whether to embark on a national manufacturing strategy must be deferred according to the set-up of the telecom industry in China, where economic decision making had been decentralized to the local government units.1 AT&T could focus building manufacturing plants on targeted locations based on which provinces or regions offer the best deals in terms of market access, tax breaks, availability of manpower, availability of competitive facilities and utilities, etc. But first it must explore venues to establish joint ventures with local Chinese companies especially in the field of 5ESS switch manufacturing, VLSI manufacturing, network management expertise, R&D with Bell Labs, optical transmission manufacturing, wireless manufacturing, customer premises equipment manufacturing, training, systems integration, and network service offerings.2 The strategy of having local Chinese partners would greatly help a foreign company such as AT&T to smoothen relationships with Chinese telecom regulators. Local partners would also offer valuable insights into the unique aspects of the Chinese market, with the special note that AT&T in 1993 had very few years of experience in terms of international or global strategizing. The importance of local partners takes an even more importance as the foreign

Evaluate and report on the most recent (FY2012 or FY2013 if released) Essay

Evaluate and report on the most recent (FY2012 or FY2013 if released) Annual Report of an Australian company - Essay Example Accounting Analysis: It includes the analysis of the company’s three key accounting policies that are likely to affect interpretation of its financial reports, what the primary areas of accounting flexibility for these policies are, and a comparison to those of Times Telecom Inc. Financial Analysis: It includes the presentation and interpretation of relevant ratios for Telstra Corp. Ltd. and Times Telecom Inc., a time series analysis of these for both the companies over the past three years, an evaluation of the company’s cash flow position from operating activities, investing activities, cash flow to debt and equity holders, and cash flow to equity holders, and an analysis of the company’s overall financial position. Prospective analysis: It includes the forecasts of key elements of income statements and balance sheets for the company for the next five financial years, the presentation of these ‘condensed’ income statements and balance sheets, reaso ns for the major forecast items, valuation of the company using the methods: Discounted cash flow method and Gordon growth model, and an indication of estimated value per share. Recommendation: It includes recommending the client on the overall analysis of the company by summarizing all the analysis and by comparing the estimated value per share with the market value. ... nal businesses include Telstra Global’s networks and managed services business, Hong Kong mobile operator CSL New World and Telstra’s China-based search and advertising businesses. 2. Business and Strategic Analysis The mission statement of the company is â€Å"We strive to serve our customers better than anyone else†. Economic Analysis: Australia is ranked 3rd out of the countries in the Asia–Pacific region. A policy framework that encourages impressive economic resilience has resulted because of Australia’s strong commitment to economic freedom. Openness to investment and global trade is resolutely institutionalized, and the economy has rebounded quite quickly from the global recession. Corruption is negligible, and a well-performing independent judiciary ensures strong fortification of property rights. Steady financial system and prudent regulations have allowed banks to withstand the global financial chaos with little commotion. Sovereign debt l evels are under full control, and public finances are soundly managed. Australia becomes one of the world’s most trustworthy and lucrative environments for entrepreneurs because of A steady and transparent business environment. Industry Analysis: The telecom market of Australia is a extremely cutthroat market with a well-established independent regulator. The growth for mobile is expected to continue within postpaid and prepaid segments as all the leading mobile operators offer HDSPA and 3G services. Australia is a leading market in smart phone penetration in the world with local smart phone ownership predicted to grow to over 60% in the next 12 months along with an expected doubling in the volume of mobile data traffic. In particular, growth projections in the order of 280% to 2015 reflect the high demand for

Customer Service Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Customer Service Plan - Essay Example Internal Customers: Owner/CEO: He wants the event to be a success from all aspects and also wants maximum sponsorship deals. Employee Teams (Internal): Sponsorship team: They want to sign maximum fruitful sponsorship deals. Operations team: They want proper coordination between the designers, models, technical staff, auditorium authority, etc. Hospitality team: There motto is to take care of designers, models, guests, sponsors and to look after them in an coordinated manner along with the other two teams. Temporary staff: They might be present if need be, to help in any activity, the teams tell them to perform. External Customers: Designer: They want their designs to be showcased in the best possible manner; they would demand the best infrastructural support for the show. Sponsors: They would want high return from the sponsorship amount they have spent and would demand the broadest mileage for their Brand. Guests: Would want to be taken care of with respect and proper concern. Current innovations: Customer service can play a key role in any industry in today's day and age, especially when differentiation in product offering has almost become commoditised. It is only out of the box 'customer service' that can add value to your business. In the context of event management customer service garners an extra connotation of importance, as event management deals with people and their expectations of a superior event experience from the company. Innovative customer service starts from proper planning about all the resources and also predicting the moot points along with possible areas of failure and taking care of them beforehand along with having contingency supporting...The event will take place on 5th June 2009, at TAFE Sydney Institute, Ultimo. The night would commence with a cocktail party and live entertainment. More than 150 guests will be invited, amongst those will be guests connected with the fashion industry. The event is a unique opportunity for the young designers as well as for the sponsors to connect with the fashion industry and its insiders. Customer service can play a key role in any industry in today's day and age, especially when differentiation in product offering has almost become commoditised. It is only out of the box 'customer service' that can add value to your business. In the context of event management customer service garners an extra connotation of importance, as event management deals with people and their expectations of a superior event experience from the company. Innovative customer service starts from proper planning about all the resources and also predicting the moot points along with possible areas of failure and taking care of them beforehand along with having contingency supporting plans with adequate resources. Communication with the customer and logical assumption of the key necessities in terms of resources are key to its success. When all these come together in perfect synchronization, customers are satisfied and there are possibilities of retaining them or gaining more business opportunities arise.

Behaviour Management in Classrooms

Behaviour Management in Classrooms Teachers face several challenges while teaching young children. One of the major challenges teachers need to adjust to while teaching in the early years of schooling is to be able to effectively manage the behaviour of students in a classroom setting. Teachers need to have realistic expectations of the appropriate behaviours that students can display in the classroom to ensure that effective and conducive learning takes place. Teachers spend most of their time in classrooms with students. Thus, it is important that they are able to successfully ascertain behaviour management strategies that will ensure classroom environments that are nurturing and marked with high levels of achievement. (Charles, C, 1996, pg 205) Therefore, it can be seen that behaviour management is an extremely imperative aspect in both the life of the teachers and students. Behaviour management refers to the actions and strategies of teachers to prevent and respond to inappropriate behaviour of students as well as to enhance self discipline among students. (Walker, J.E. and Shea, T.M, 1999 pg7) Inappropriate behaviour in classrooms may refer to students fighting, swearing, disrupting class activities for no reason, displaying loud and disorderly conduct and inept or misuse of equipment. (Walker, J.E. and Shea, T.M, 1999 pg 10) This kind of negative behaviour can cause distress, chaos and disruptions in learning especially for those who are keen to enjoy the learning. (Walker, J.E. and Shea, T.M, 1999 pg 10) Hence, it is fundamental that teachers develop an appropriate framework to manage the students behaviour. This is as the way in which behaviour is managed by teachers has a major influence on how the students will behave in the future. According to research, being able to successfully manage the behaviour of students in the early years ensures good academic learning to occur as there is a relationship between intellectual outcomes and behaviour. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 108) There are three reasons for this. The first is that a student who is responsible would adhere to certain student requirements such as paying attention and completing work on time. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 108) These are qualities fundamental to great academic achievement. Secondly, students who behave well will develop positive interactions with teachers and their peers. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 108) Having a good relationship with the teacher will enhance a students learning process as teachers seem to give less attention to students who misbehave.( McInerney, D, 1998 pg 108) Furthermore, a strong rapport among peers, especially peers who value education augments students motivation to achieve. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 108) Thirdly, students who are m otivated to behave in an appropriate and socially responsible manner will be motivated to engage well in their academic work. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 109) Instilling discipline and good learning skills in students is also essential. These lifelong skills which when imbibed at an early age will help the students to become good citizens in the future who will be disciplined in their working and adult life. Furthermore, having effective behaviour management strategies in place will result in a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and development as well as result in students understanding and developing appropriate behaviour. Hence, teachers need to be aware of a range of strategies and skills for responding to students inappropriate behaviour and managing their behaviour in the classroom. Firstly, teachers need to realise the cause of misbehaviour among the students in the classroom. There may be a few reasons as to why misbehaviour may occur. Misbehaviour and discipline problems tend to occur when students are not engaged in activities that are absorbing or interesting.( McInerney, D, 1998 pg 112) Students may also find tasks given to them either too hard or too easy hence not allowing them to achieve success. All this may lead to attention seeking through disruptive behaviour. Aside from poor quality teaching, students may have social and emotional problems such as inconsistent parenting, poverty, emotional or physical abuse, poor self esteem which could also lead to misbehaviour in classroom. . (Walker, J.E. and Shea, T.M, 1999 pg25) Other factors may include students rebelliousness or students not li king or being comfortable with their classmates. . (Walker, J.E. and Shea, T.M, 1999 pg25) According to Dreikurs, misbehaviour among students is usually a need for recognition and attention. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 125) As there are such varied causes for misbehaviour, it is vital that teachers analyse the causes of the behaviour of their students so as to provide them with helpful strategies and support to improve their behaviour. This analysis should be done by having a positive and interactive relationship with the students. (Charles, C, 1996, pg 206) Teachers should also provide personal attention towards all students to acknowledge and encourage their efforts. (Charles, C, 1996, pg 207) Teachers should also create a sense of togetherness in the classroom so that students feel at ease with one another and the teacher. Communication regularly and clearly with parents of students is also extremely essential to bring in parental support into the classroom. (Charles, C, 1996, pg 208) In this way, an atmosphere that is supportive, pleasant, encouraging and boosting self confidence as well as being non-threatening will be created. This positive atmosphere will allow teachers to better understand their students as well as the causes of their misbehaviour thus helping the teachers to implement fitting consequences and strategies in managing their behaviour. Apart from understanding the root cause of the students misbehaviour, teachers should also develop a framework of rules, routines and consequences from the onset of the year. The rules should be fair and equal towards all the students. Teachers should teach the students rules by demonstrating them clearly with concise explanations and role modelling suitable behaviour. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 110) This behaviour should then be practised and positive feedback should be given to students when they practice it. . (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 110) These rules should be guidelines of appropriate behaviour that the teacher expects whilst in the classroom and usually depends on the individual teacher. Examples of rules in the classroom could include sitting quietly and listening intently when the teacher is talking or participating in a group discussion in an apt manner by contributing well and not fighting or speaking rudely to one another. Teachers should intervene immediately if they notice misbehaviour in the classroom that is against the guidelines established occurring. This technique is withitness whereby the teachers are always aware of what is going on in the classroom. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 215) This will allow the misbehaviour to be corrected immediately and teachers could decide based on their guidelines if they want to warn the student or provide the student with a consequence. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 215) Consequences should also be applied with equality to all students and in a calm manner so that students realise that they were misbehaving and understand that their misbehaviour is against the guidelines established. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 115) A teacher should be firm but fair. Moreover, a good technique to follow if a student has broken a rule is to help a student evaluate his/her misbehaviour and to provide support to help the student improve upon their behaviour. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 122) An example of this is to confront a student who has misbehaved by asking him/her to explain their misbehaviour to bring out the cause of the misbehaviour. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 122) After finding out the cause, the teacher should establish with the student if his/her misbehaviour is against the rules established in the classroom. If so, teachers should encourage the student to find an alternative of their behaviour or to suggest a consequence that is fair to the student. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 122) This process will enable the students to understand where and why they went wrong. This technique is called reality therapy and is recommended by Glasser. (McInerney, D, 1998 pg 122) This is a practical approach that enables a student to realise their misbehaviour immediately as well as provide them with alternatives of misbehaviour to handling a similar situation. Teachers should be continuously involved in the process of helping students correct their misbehaviour so that they are aware of the misbehaviour and so that discipline is instilled in them. Apart from establishing a framework of rules and consequences, teachers should also establish a routine and an appealing curriculum in the classroom. This will help prevent boredom among the students. The classroom routine should be established at the beginning of the year and students should be made aware of it. (Rogers, B, 1990 pg 58) The routine should include smooth transitions among lessons with a prompt beginning and an appropriate concluding procedure. The learning curriculum should provide activities that are creative and innovative so that students are kept engaged and motivated to learn. Activities should also have objectives and goals that are catered to the individual students learning and development so that all students are occupied and enjoy their tasks. .(Rogers,B, 1990 pg 58) Activities should also be pitched at the different levels of ability of the students as well as have a holistic approach encompassing the physical, social, emotional and educational aspects of d evelopment. Such an interactive curriculum will reduce the occurrence of misbehaviour, minimize the chance of disruptions and ensure maximum productive work. In conclusion, teachers should strive to create an atmosphere in the classroom that is favourable to learning by maintaining a facilitating relationship with the students, establishing a reasonable framework of rules and consequences and finally, providing students with a curriculum that is not only motivating, but also appealing. The above mentioned techniques will allow teachers to understand the cause of misbehaviour in the classroom as well as to help curb it. This will be extremely beneficial to all the students as they will be provided with an environment that maximises their full potential in their learning and development and motivates them to succeed and achieve their goals.

Safety Features in Automobiles Essay -- Expository Essays Research Pap

Safety Features  in Automobiles "Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of Americans under the age of 34. Every 22 minutes someone is killed in a crash" (Vince and Larry). Since 1990, many new safety features have been put into vehicles to help save lives. These features are Antilock brakes, airbags, OnStar, and four-wheel drive or all wheel drive. "One of the best safety features available is anti-lock braking system" (Gillis). Antilock brake system (ABS) is a safety feature that keeps the brakes from locking up so the driver can maintain control over steering and directional stability in situations where the driver has to apply heavy brakes, heavy enough that if the vehicle was not equipped with ABS, the brakes would lock up. ABS is usually engaged on slippery road surfaces, when traction is minimal. If a person's brakes lock up on a slippery surface, then the vehicle could loose steering control and the vehicle could spin. ABS could help a person avoid an accident because it allows a person to maintain steering control of the vehicle (Questions and answers...). In a vehicle not equipped with an antilock brake system, the driver has to manually pump the brakes to keep from sliding. ABS works by sensing each wheel's speed. When the sensors detects that the wheels are about to lock up, the ABS computer automatically changes the amount of brake fluid being sent to each wheel. With ABS engaged, the vehicle will "Maintain optimum braking performance---just short of locking up the wheels." The computer will keep adjusting the brake pressure as the road conditions change (Antilock brake systems ...). The four main parts of an antilock brake system are the speed sensors, the pump, the valves, and the controller. Th... ...ve.htm National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (1996). Moving * forward: expanding collaborations between traffic safety and public health. MA. Education Development Center, inc.. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (1998). Questions and * answers regarding antilock brake systems (ABS). U.S. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (1999). New car safety features. U.S. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2000). Antilock brake * systems (ABS): reading this could be one of the safest things you ever do. U.S. Department of Transportation. OnStar. (2002). What is OnStar: services. Retrieved March 14, 2003, from http://onstar.com/visitors/html/ao_features.htm "Vince and Larry." (1991). Vince and Larry on belts and bags. U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which theory best explains the development of EU environmental policy?

The successful development of EU international environmental policy has been the subject of much recent study within various disciplines. One promising theory for cross-disciplinary researches of EU environmental policy invokes the concept of international regime. Regime theory might expect to explain a great deal about the development of EU environmental policy in global environmental affairs. It is insightful to consider the EU environmental policy as a regime given that the regime definition most frequently cited is so broad as to certainly include the EU where ‘norms, rules and decision-making procedures in a given area of international relations' (Krasner, 1983, p. 2) are said to be in existence. This sort of theory would enable one to consider the connections between the institutions of the EU and the member states. It may explain the inter-state relationship that lies behind the formation and development of EU international environmental policy. Te positions the EU projects in international affairs are evidently themselves the product of interest mediation and agreed bargaining directed by institutions. This paper will consider the work of both international relations (IR) and international law (IL) scholars to evaluate regime theory as instrument of EU environmental policy, using ozone layer depletion case study as specific example. Main Body International Regime Theory Although international regimes were used much earlier by IL as a means of giving an account of legal regulation in unregulated areas (Connelly and Smith 2002, p. 190), the regime theory has gained significance originally within the discipline of IR. The regime theory was developed to explain stability in the international system despite the absence or decline of domination (Connelly and Smith 2002, p. 202). It is only in the 1990th that regime theory has again become the focal point of legal scholars searching for ways to stimulate international cooperation (Connelly and Smith 2002, p. 10). This requires the organization into a unified pattern of the disciplines of IR and IL, the relationships between them having been one of mutual neglect, as explained by Hurrell and Kingsbury: Regime theorists have tended to neglect the particular status of legal rules, to downplay the links between specific sets of rules and the broader structure of the international legal system, and to underrate the complexity and variety of legal rules, processes, and procedures. On the other hand, theoretical accounts of international . . . law have often paid rather little explicit attention to the political bargaining processes that underpin the emergence of new norms of international . . . law, to the role of power and interest in inter-state negotiations, and to the range of political factors that explain whether states will or will not comply with rules. (1992, p. 12) There is no absolute agreement on what precisely forms an international regime. Goldie, in one of his works in this area, described regimes as: (1) the acceptance, amongst a group of States, of a community of laws and of legal ideas; (2) the mutual respect and recognition accorded by certain States to the unilateral policies of others acting in substantial conformity with their own, enmeshing all the States concerned in a regime with respect to those policies; (3) a common loyalty, among a group of States, to the principle of abstention regarding a common resource. 1962, p. 698) Thomas Gehring (1990) presents a more integrated work in this area, in particular as it better addresses the role of IL in international regime theory. He identifies international regimes as the regulations, developed within the context of a consultation of parties to the regime, governing a specific area of IR. Within this structure, IL is the search for unanimity and agreement on the priorities and plans for international action. Once these are made clear, norms will develop as to how to carry out these priorities and plans, resulting in accepted norms or â€Å"shared expectations† concerning the behaviour of states (Gehring, 1990, p. 37). Certainly, this progress from priority setting to norm gradual development takes time, but it is the regime structure that allows for the process to take place at all. Thus, regimes create the building blocks for the development of norms and rules. Development of EU Environmental Policy and Regime Theory. The influence of EU within environmental affairs cannot be disregarded as the environment in general has to a great extent become a matter of international concern. Of the many international organisations and specialised bodies dealing with environmental issues, the one mostly associated with such work is the European Union. Among other bodies and specialized agencies, the EU is most closely involved in environmental affairs. Regime theory is the most commonly employed theoretical paradigm in the study of EU international environmental politics. The study of the EU focuses upon how the EU affects the prospects of regime-building and how it may create the path of international cooperation. By signing up to agreements on behalf of its member states, the EU increases the scope of a regime by increasing the obligations of states that may in a different way have adopted lower standards. The EU pulls states into commitments. Often, however, the ‘convoy' analogy (Bretherton and Vogler 1997, p. 22) more precisely describes the process, whereby action is delayed by the slowest part of the train. This effect is seen during the ozone negotiations. Despite the attempts of Denmark and Germany to push things forward, the precluding tactics of France and the UK were able to ensure that on many occasions the EU was ‘condemned to immobility' (Jachtenfuchs, 1990, p. 265). Yet, by coordinating the position of (currently) 27 member nations in environmental negotiations, the Commission makes smaller the complexity of negotiations and decreases pressures upon international organisations to perform that function. Approaches informed by regime theory would also help to see the leadership role of the EU as an effort to originate cooperation conditional on the involvement of other parties. Hence the statement of a greenhouse gas decrease target as early as 1990 was planned as a first move in the ‘nice, reciprocate, retaliate' strategy that Connelly and Smith (2002, p. 269 indicated is the necessary to cooperation. Paterson (1996, p. 105) notes, for example, that â€Å"The announcement of the EU target in October 1990 was explicitly designed to influence the outcome of the Second World Climate Conference and to precipitate international negotiations†. Usually, however, IR perspectives tend to overlook the significance of intra-country dynamics to the creation of positions in international agreements. This factor severely restricts their applicability to EU decision-making development. In spite of that, in the ozone case it could be argued a combination of ‘domestic' and international pressures best explain the role of the EU in creating and supporting the regime in question. The EU is as one unit in this case. The four relationships are: one between member states and the EU; between the EU organisations in their internal power efforts; among the boards of directors and eventually between the various boards of directors and interest groups (Matlary, 1997, p. 146). With the EU environmental policy one clearly has a regime within a regime. Models of multi-level governance used to explain the policy development within Europe may be extended to include the international dimension. Viewed from this perspective, EU international environmental negotiations become a site of debate between transnational networks of environment departments from government and regional economic institutions working together with NGOs and sympathetic international organisations (such as UNEP), set against networks including Trade and Industry departments, business lobbies and international organisations which promote the interests of industry (such as UNIDO ( United Nations Industrial Development Organisation)) (Connelly and Smith 2002, p. 36). The interconnected groups operate horizontally and vertically and across national, regional and international levels including state and non-state players alike in strategic unions established on particular issues. Cooperation in Environmental Problems Collaboration is represented by the game, wherein each state follows a dominant strategy that leads to suboptimal payoffs for both. Regime theory presents the EU primarily as a tool. The EU deliberately seeks to change the system, design strategies to do so, and attempts to implement the strategies. To assess the development of EU environmental policy in environmental cooperation, then, two potential roles of the EU must be examined: the EU as tool and the EU as independent advocate. The EU helps states overcome the complexity of issues to arrive at coordination equilibrium. States usually remain concerned that others will exploit them, and the EU is needed to increase confidence in compliance. As independent actor, the EU is expected to play a significant role in environmental cooperation. Increased autonomy of the EU on some environmental issues and the increased needs of states to rely on them for collaboration and coordination allow those organizations with unified leadership and significant resources to have independent effects. Ozone: The First Global Challenge The development of the regime intended to limit the release into the atmosphere of ozone-depleting chemicals is in many ways a case of EU-US relations. The key turning points in the development of the process of negotiating from a framework convention at Vienna through to legally imposing an obligation protocol commitments at Montreal, London and Copenhagen reflect changes in the negotiating position of the EU and the US (Connelly and Smith 2002, p. 230). The development of ozone polices can be traced back to 1977. The ‘can ban' established in the US put the US in conditions to push for a global ban on CFCs. Process of negotiating moved very gradually at first against strong European opposition to cuts in CFCs, despite a Council resolution in March 1980 restricting the use of CFCs, reacting to American pressure and increasing public concern over the ozone problems. The supporters of controls (the US, Canada, the Nordic states, Austria and Switzerland), met together in 1984 to create the ‘ Toronto group'. The EU initially indicated that no controls were necessary. However, eventually it admitted that a production capacity cap may be required and presented a draft protocol that included their 1980 measures. The offered 30 per cent reduction was without difficulty achievable because use was already declining (Connelly and Smith 2002, p. 200) and in essence served to fix the status quo (Jachtenfuchs, 1990). The deadlock that resulted between the EU and the Toronto group made certain that only a framework convention could be made at Vienna. This promised intercommunion in research and monitoring and promotion of information-sharing. At the March 1986 assemblyof the EU Council of Ministers, the EU took a position of a 20 per cent CFC production cut. This was partly impelled by the threat of unilateral action by the US to impose trade sanctions against the EU (Connelly and Smith 2002, p. 261). The Montreal Protocol later agreed in September 1987 required cuts of 50 per cent from 1986 levels of production and use of the five principal CFCs by 1999. The figure of a 50 per cent cut was established as a settlement of a dispute by concessions on both sides between the EU's proposed freeze and the US's proposal for a 95 per cent cut. The Protocol contained an interval for the implementation of the Protocol by less developed countries, restrictive measures on trade with non-members and an ozone fund for technology transport. This latter element of the agreement is especially important for the EU for, as Jachtenfuchs (1990, p. 272) states, ‘The success of the EU's environmental diplomacy in this important field will to a large extent depend on how far it is able to provide technical and financial assistance to developing countries'. As a regional economic integration organisation, the EU was granted permission to meet consumption limits together rather than country by country. This was planned to assure some transfers of national CFC production quotas among EU member-states in order to allow commercial producers in Europe to improve production processes cost-effectively. Despite this concession, some European members in the Protocol process believed that they were ‘bullied' into an agreement favourable to US industry, dubbing the Montreal agreement ‘The DuPont Protocol' (Parsons, 1993, p. 61). In spite of that, on 14 October 1988 the Council adopted a law, transforming every aspect of the Protocol into EU legislation. The law came into force instantly in order to emphasise the importance of the issue and to prevent trade distortions which might emerge from non-simultaneous use of the new legislation (Connelly and Smith 2002, p. 269). At the March assembly of the EU Environment Council which took place in 1989, the UK after a long delay joined the rest of the EU in agreeing to phase-out all CFCs ‘as soon as possible but not later than 2000' (Parsons, 1993, p. 47). At the same time France submitted to external pressure to drop its uncompromising position. The London assembly of the members in June 1990 was consequently able to agree that all entirely halogenated CFCs would be phased-out by the year 2000, with successive lessening of 85 per cent in 1997 and 50 per cent in 1995. Some member states have gone beyond the restrictions stated in the international agreements, however. Germany, for instance, has passed legislation stating that CFCs be removed by 1993, halons by 1996, HCFC 22 by 2000 and CT (carbon tetrachloride) and MC (methyl chloroform) by 1992 (Parsons, 1993). On another hand, behind the diplomacy of the negotiations between the states, the case is in a fundamental way one of the competing positions of the chemical companies, chiefly, ICI (in the UK), Du Pont (in the US) and Atochem (in France). Industry agents served formally on European national delegations through the whole of the process. EU industrialists ‘believed that American companies had endorsed CFC controls in order to enter the profitable EU export markets with substitute products that they had secretly developed' (Benedick, 1991, p. 23). The EU followed the industry line and reflected the views of France, Italy and the United Kingdom in its policy. The significance of these commercial considerations is easily noticed in the persistent efforts to define cuts in HFCs and HCFCs (perceived to be the best alternative to CFCs). The EU has found it problematic to come to an agreeable position on reducing the production and consumption of these chemicals because substitute chem icals were not yet easily available. Indecision could also be explained by the fact that some European producers wanted to establish export markets for HCFCs in the less developed ‘south'. The differing commercial interests regarding the ozone issue presented the difficulty the EU faced in its effort to formulate common policy positions in international environmental process of negotiating. This case demonstrates that ozone depletion was one of the first global environmental issues to create a coordinated and consentient international response. Despite remaining weakness in the ozone regime it is regarded to be one of the few tangible successes of EU international environmental policy taking into account that governments took action before certain proof of environmental disaster had occurred. The EU has explicit rules, agreed upon by governments, and provides a framework for the facilitation of ongoing negotiations for the development of rules of law. Regime theory regards EU international environmental policy as a means by which states solve collective environment problems. Regime theory, as well as most current studies of cooperation in international politics, treats the EU as means to an end – as intermediate variables between states' interests and international cooperation. The EU is an independent actor which plays an independent role in changing states' interests – and especially in promoting cooperation. Conclusion The consideration in this paper of the ozone depletion regimes reveals that there is prospect for development in the international legal order. The picture that emerges of EU international environmental policy and politics is a complex and relating to the study of several subject disciplines. It should be noted that there is none predominant theoretical perspectives in international environmental politics adequate to explain this rich complexity. Given the complex reality of environmental cooperation between states and the context within which it develops, explaining policy processes and developments by a single theoretical perspective is an uncertain prospect. Still better understanding of the developments of EU environmental policy in these processes may be fostered by relying on a regime theory.

Ethics in America` essays

Ethics in America` essays In the beginning I felt as though I was taking a class with no meaning. I wondered to my self how will I ever stay awake through this. This is how I recall my first day of class, as we watched a video about Greek civilization. I opened my book titled Western Vision and American Values thinking this may be interesting. As I got into the first chapter Contesting World Traditions I grew confused and disinterested by the complexity of the readings which seemed to be a lot of philosophical jibber jabber but as I opened my mind to the readings I was exposed to a deeper understanding of American History including the birth of the system of government a values that are now the core of America. In chapter one of our text Contesting World traditions we learned of the many views and religious beliefs that have shaped our country. The first reading by Eagle Man a contemporary Native American writer shares his views on nature and humanity and the responsibility we have to nature and mother earth as human beings. Eagle Man expressed that man see views himself as being related to all things. Eagle wrote; Our survival is dependent on the realization that mother earth is a truly holy being that all things in this world are holy and must not be violated, and that we must share and be generous with one another. (Eagle Man 1992 pg 5 Kirkpatrick Signature Series Reader). This chapter touches the issues of environmental traditional and religious values. Chapter two focused on the rationalization of these traditions. Week three focused on the Western Vision its influences on America including Greece and Britain. A reading that sticks in my head is the Character of Citizens written by Aristotle in c. 350 B.C. in which Aristotle expresses the type of citizen a functional society must be comprised of, this my understanding of Aristotles writing. In reading Aristotles dissertation The Character of ci...

Free Essays on Prayer In Public School

Prayer in Public Schools? With the state that the nation is currently in, prayer in today’s schools has once again become a controversial topic. Many believe that schools exist to educate. While children in public schools remain a captive audience, some perceive prayer to be coercive and invasive. While religion is considered private and schools public some argue that it is not appropriate that the two should mix. Some would also argue that prayer and religion are a necessary part of human life, which often helps fulfill the â€Å"total† human experience. Is it detrimental to strip these parts of life from the schools? I pose the question, â€Å"How can prayer be harmful?† I agree that mandating a special time for prayer may offend some. Does it have to be designated as prayer time? Does prayer have to be specific to any one religion? Or would it just be better if schools adopted a â€Å"quiet time† at the beginning of each day? Each student could decide if they choose to use that time for prayer. This was a suggestion made by Secretary of State Colin Powell. His opinion is that a moment of silence would allow students with different religious beliefs to participate. Some would pray, while others would reflect on the upcoming day. A moment of silence could contribute to acceptance of diversity within the student body. It goes without saying that public schools are responsible for the academic education of its students. I do believe the moral and spiritual education of the students must be addressed as well. I understand that public schools cannot promote religion, because of the division of church and state. However, many students have taken this issue into their own hands. Contrary to the belief of what many would like to think, prayer is widely practiced in many U.S. public schools. Students have been known to pray at athletic events, in school busses, at the flagpole and during student religious clubs. In 1962,... Free Essays on Prayer In Public School Free Essays on Prayer In Public School Prayer in Public Schools? With the state that the nation is currently in, prayer in today’s schools has once again become a controversial topic. Many believe that schools exist to educate. While children in public schools remain a captive audience, some perceive prayer to be coercive and invasive. While religion is considered private and schools public some argue that it is not appropriate that the two should mix. Some would also argue that prayer and religion are a necessary part of human life, which often helps fulfill the â€Å"total† human experience. Is it detrimental to strip these parts of life from the schools? I pose the question, â€Å"How can prayer be harmful?† I agree that mandating a special time for prayer may offend some. Does it have to be designated as prayer time? Does prayer have to be specific to any one religion? Or would it just be better if schools adopted a â€Å"quiet time† at the beginning of each day? Each student could decide if they choose to use that time for prayer. This was a suggestion made by Secretary of State Colin Powell. His opinion is that a moment of silence would allow students with different religious beliefs to participate. Some would pray, while others would reflect on the upcoming day. A moment of silence could contribute to acceptance of diversity within the student body. It goes without saying that public schools are responsible for the academic education of its students. I do believe the moral and spiritual education of the students must be addressed as well. I understand that public schools cannot promote religion, because of the division of church and state. However, many students have taken this issue into their own hands. Contrary to the belief of what many would like to think, prayer is widely practiced in many U.S. public schools. Students have been known to pray at athletic events, in school busses, at the flagpole and during student religious clubs. In 1962,...

Classroom needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classroom needs - Essay Example It not only hurts teacher who takes the responsibility of molding a student, but also leaves it to the thought of student, what they want to learn. Thinking otherwise, students are admitted to school to learn and not teach the teachers how and what to teach. Any such policies would dominate the mind of teacher while he is teaching. This would have a severe impact on the overall learning cycle of the child. To do this the teacher has to have a thorough understanding of students and their psychology. A reference to this is made from (National Institute of Education [NIE], 1984) that "Teachers must help students develop skills for adapting to a rapidly changing, interdependent world. This world will demand that students think critically and synthesize large quantities of new information, show sensitivity to diversity, and develop attitudes and skills that promote lifelong learning." 1 To make a student interested in learning, an active environment be provided where students enjoy hands-on and minds-on experiences. This can be achieved when Children are made to participate actively in simulations, demonstrations, games, problem solving, experiments, integrating activities, computer usage and of course writing exercises. 2.

Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study

Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility - Case Study Example One moral standard is core ethical values. The first component of core ethical values is trustworthiness. The recall and transparency in dealing with the crisis was effective in restoring the trust and confidence of consumers. The second component of core ethical values is responsibility. McCain took an important step in affirming that Maple Leaf was assuming full responsibility for the Listeria situation. The third component of core ethical values is caring. After realizing that Listeria had caused 21 deaths, Maple Leaf recalled its products. This is because the company did not want to be the cause of any more deaths in Canada. McCain said that if he had known in advance that Listeria in the meat products would cause 22 deaths, he would have taken all measures to save those lives. The fourth component of core ethical values is citizenship. As of 2009, Maple Leaf was following the new Listeria policy that was set up by the federal government. Because Listeria is ubiquitous in the env ironment, Maple Leaf has also taken measures to educate people about the fact that Listeria is resident in most processed foods, and as such it is important to boost one’s immune system as this is the basic way to fight the routine exposure to Listeria. The second moral standard is relativism. Maple Leaf failed to report that Listeria had been detected in their products as early as March 2007. This is because, unlike other meat processing plants, Maple Leaf felt confident because the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) kept approving their products. The spokeswoman for Maple Leaf, Linda Smith, felt confident that if the USDA did not sanction the company, then any Listeria that had been detected was manageable and there was no need to cause mass panic. The third moral standard is egoism. Instead of focusing on the 22 people who had died from Listeria and the numerous sick people who consumed Listeria-infected products, Maple Leaf was more