Environmental Issues in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Issues in Canada - Essay Example The essay "Environmental Issues in Canada" focuses on the environmental problems that exist in Canada. A comprehensive analysis of some of the most predominant problems in Canada are provided in this paper. For example, the ozone layer is depleting every day because of the poisonous gases released into the atmosphere. Sooner or later the ozone layer is going to split wide open and the human beings and the animals will be affected largely because of this. Skin cancer will become very common in human beings and this will also have other serious repercussions on human beings. The levels of acid rain are unprecedentedly high in Canada and this is because of the pollution. â€Å"On Feb. 2, 2007, the United Nations scientific panel studying climate change declared that the evidence of a warming trend is "unequivocal," and that human activity has "very likely" been the driving force in that change over the last 50 years. The last report by the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in 2001, had found that humanity had "likely" played a role.† Global Warming, Acid Rain and the depletion of the ozone layer will heavily affect the life of human beings; the depletion of the ozone layer will make human beings more vulnerable to skin cancer. The flora and fauna will inevitably get affected because of all the above concerns. Acid rain is acidic in nature and any rain which consists of unusual amounts of acid can be called as acidic rain. The main cause of acidic rain is the emission of nitrogen and sulfur.

Transcending the insanity and illusions of the ego as a path to Research Paper

Transcending the insanity and illusions of the ego as a path to finding bliss - Research Paper Example From the psychological observation and analysis of changes in condition of Maria right from the time she started using drugs, it can be concluded that she is suffering from severe drug addiction and abuse. She started with small intake of alcohol and smoking small number of cigarettes per day, but due to addiction, she ended up consuming large amount of drugs resulting to substance abuse (Twerski, 32). The development issues of drug addiction and substance abuse also became clear when her health started deteriorating spontaneously thus resulting to consequential withdraw from the society. The fall in her grade and general performance in school are also sufficient testimonies to severe addiction and drug abuse that carried away her concentration in school. With reference to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders, Maria conditions qualify meet criterions for substance abuse and substance dependence. To start with, substance abuse is usually evident when the victim fails to perform vital and critical roles and instead spends most of the time in using drug (Wurtzel, 33). Substance abuse also occurs when individual continues to use specific drug even at the time when the use posses physical dangers. Furthermore, substance abuse becomes inherent when the user maintains its use even at the time when problems connected to use continue to compound. All the discussed signs and manifestation of substance abuse are evident in Maria. Instead of allocating most of her time in doing school work, she uses the time in smoking marijuana, cigarette and drinking beer. She also continues to use the drugs despite of the physical dangers of the drugs on her health as witnessed by tremendous fall in her body weight. Furthermore, Maria pe rsists using the drugs even after falling victim of STI as evident by her contraction of genital herpes. Substance dependence on the other hand

How can the planning system encourage more sustainable patterns of new Essay

How can the planning system encourage more sustainable patterns of new housing development urban design - Essay Example Planning of homes has major impact on functioning level within societies. The planning and design of homes should consider various factors such as access to jobs, community facilities and access to transport. Well organized and planned housing development assist in the creation of unity hence contribute towards reduction in anti-social behavior. Development of cities, towns and leisure centers should consider various development policies such as environmental policies. Various destinations all over the world should consider creation of barrier-free movement within cities which would accommodate people of all walks of life (Scott 2000). Urban planning is defined as the art involved in designing places for the purpose of settling people. Such designs should consider accommodating more sustainable patterns of new housing development. New housing design method presents one of the most important elements of urban planning. The planning process entails various aspects such as aesthetic value of building masses based on the intended functions. In addition enough passage areas are constructed to enhance easy movement of both people and vehicle traffic. This would improve communication links within towns. Urban planning and design incorporates visionary frameworks which projects quality outlook of the development formats capable of accommodating vast developmental activities and at the same time maintains socio-cultural activities (Susan and John 2004). Development of modern quality housing requires the use of upgraded technology capable of producing modern designs and at the same time maintaining a sustainable environment. Infrastructural development does not entirely define an urban metropolis; it is also defined by the expectations and ambitions of its habitants and characterized by its upsides and downsides. The Cities background, practices and communal set up, form the core of city’s existence. There is need to effectively administer

Imposing tax on soda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Imposing tax on soda - Essay Example It’s a serious problem that people are facing. Yet levying soda tax, does have a proper way of controlling obesity. First, soft drinks tax might increase low-income family economic burden. For example, many low-income families in the U.S have more than 3 members, and any spending expenses could be important to them. Leonhard (2010) reports that â€Å"a small soda tax could actually have a worse impact on some families’ budgets than a substantial one---by raising the price of soda without affecting consumption† (p.1).It’s similar with teenagers, even though they are big soda drinkers, they are especially price sensitive. In addition, low-income family has few members who are overweight due to their economic situation. It’s unfair to them to pay soda tax. Secondly, it could not reduce the quantity of obesity. There are a great number of factors such as eating habits or racial groups that cause obesity. For instance, fast food such as McDonald, KFC are popular in American. Burgers, fries are parts of people live. They have high calories and they also lead to fat build up. McLeay point out (2003) â€Å"one out of four people in America eat fast food.† Myfit.ca reveals that 50 million people in the U.S. rely on fast food. People are able to drink water or juicy instead of soda† (as cited in Helpugide. Org). Yet it’s hard to change their eating habits. If say soda drinks is a factor that causes obesity, fast food is the root cause of obesity. Therefore, levying tax mere on soda drinks cannot decrease the level of obesity. Besides, racial groups also have effect on the level of obesity. Marlow and Shires (2010) explained â€Å"Consumption data reveal that white persons consume more carbonated soft drinks than other ra ce groups, and that blacks consume more high-calorie fruit drinks and ads. Nutritive sweetened beverages suggest that fruit drinks and Ades are a greater cause of obesity than carbonated soft drinks† (p.37). If the

Stylistic Imitation Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Stylistic Imitation Catcher in the Rye Essay Goddamn it’s bright out here, all the phonies going to the lousy lake that depresses me. It really does. Everyone and they’re phony smiles just trying to get on a boat. It’ll make you puke just seeing these goddamn girls with their tits all in their face, make you want to puke. It really will. The only girl worth looking at was old Jane Gallagher; you could stare at that ass of hers all day long. You really could. She looked like one of those playboy models. Those girls sure are nice to look at. One of my friend’s mom was in one of those magazines. We sure used to tease him a lot but when his mom came down everyone got real quiet and just watched the way she would walk, goddamn it was nice. Stradlater always had those magazines all over the place. Ackley kid was always saying how he necked with one of them, you always knew he was lying but you went with it anyways. That kind of stuff made me sick to think about. You see it all the time, you always see some old man with a young girl. It’ll make you sick. I heard Ackley kid call my name so I walked over to him. I’ll admit it, I wasn’t too crazy about him, but he had his license and a car. He was a lousy guy. He really was. He was always looking for a fight like he was a tough bastard and all. I have only been in one fight in my life, the bastards name was Billy the kid. He was a big guy about 6 feet tall, the bastard picked me up and threw me on the ground just about knocked me out then I got up and he hit me again knocking me over, that’s all I remember though I don’t like talking about it much. I hate when people start talking about something and they just drag the story on too long that kind of thing pisses me off. It really does. Then they start talking about there brother or what they had for lunch. Those bastards just start annoying me. Ackley kid said â€Å"Caulfield what the hell are you doing? † I replied â€Å"trying to rubberneck old Jane Gallagher but you stopped me goddamnit. † Ack said â€Å"Well let’s go to the pub and get a drink. † The pub is the only local bar that’ll sell you booze if your underage. â€Å"Alright well let’s get the hell out of here then, I want to get stinking drunk. †

Vygotskys Educational Theory Essay Example for Free

Vygotskys Educational Theory Essay Vygotsky is an important theorist in the twentieth century in education. He has come up with the theory discussing the zone of proximal development and its application to the education of person with special needs. This theory has been put into practice in coming up with strategies for persons with intellectual challenges. But this however does not come up with full support as some of the propositions in his theories have been criticized. In his theories he considers the zone of proximal development to possess upper and lower limits where children are categorized in the limits. The first misconception that can be deduced from his theory is that assessment of a child’s zones provides a biased incomplete picture (Robert, 28). Hence an accurate picture of the child’s learning style, development level, and learning ability cannot be obtained through comparison to children of similar ages or degrees of motivation. Thus the zone’s width depending on its causes could be undesirable or desirable. Measurement is another hindrance observed in the theory. This is because, there exists no metric scale to configure a child’s individual zone. This is because Vygotsky at times measured the zone in terms of chronological age in relation to mental age. This has drawback in that comparison cannot be done by the number of years. For instance a 9 year old behaving like a 12 year old has a 3 year age difference. This cannot be applied in a case of children with ages 5 and 8 as the difference is similarly 3 years (Kozulin, 40). The zone meets another obstacle since little is known on the stability and generality of an individual’s zone. The domain of one child’s zone is not equal across different children (Daniels, Harry, and Mariane, 80). This is due to the fact that behavior differences do occur in children of similar ages. Thus a zone is not stable and neither can it be generalized. The theory pays little attention to issues of development across different ages. It gives little idea how a child’s level of cognition would constrain or permit processes in the zone. It also ignores the effect different settings have on children and ignores cognitive skills needed to respond to varying stimuli. The theory overlooks the fact that varying developmental levels lead to varying responses to a setting (Kozulin, 67). Finally Vygotsky’s theory lacks tasks  prototypical to be associated with the theory as he relies on general summaries. Considering the aforementioned weaknesses, many theorists and educationist borrow little from his theory in its application to special education. This is coupled with the fact that persons with special needs occur in a large diversity. Hence the theory would call for individualization of strategies adopted for special needs learners. Works cited Daniels, Harry, and Mariane Hedegaard. Vygotsky and special needs education: rethinking support for children and schools. London: Continuum International Pub. Group, 2011. Print. Kozulin, Alex. Vygotskys educational theory in cultural context. UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print. Robert, Michelle Suzanne. Vygotsky theories meaningful relationships. Burnaby B.C.: Simon Fraser University, 2005. Print.

Understanding The Definition Of Internationalisation Systems Commerce Essay

Understanding The Definition Of Internationalisation Systems Commerce Essay Internationalization consists of standardized products or service through globally standardized marketing and production processes that target standardized customer needs. Internationalisation can be described as the process of increasing involvement in international operations (Welch Luostarinen, 1988: 36). Another definition proposed by Calof and Beamish (1995: 116) denotes internationalization as the process of adapting firms operations (strategy, structure, resources, etc) to international environments. Kutschker and Bà ¤urle (1997) as both definitions have crucial fact internationalisation needs an overall support from the organisation as it is changing the environment to expand in various manners the process mostly consists of macro factors to evolve. 3. The Uppsala Approach in detail The Uppsala approach was an outcome of Swedish researchers (Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 1975; Johanson and Vahlne, 1977) which focused their interest on the internationalization process. Studying the internationalization of Swedish manufacturing firms, they developed a model of the firms choice of market and form of entry when going abroad. Their work was influenced by Aharonis seminal (1966) study. (Svend and Hollensen2004) It is seen that companies begin their operations in abroad in fairly nearby market and gradually penetrated distant market. Companies should entry in new market with the export agents and sales subsidiaries. The approach specifies direct relation between market knowledge and market commitment is postulated, as knowledge can be gathered with effective use of human resources. Consequently, the better knowledge about a market can be derived, the more valuable are the resources and the stronger the market position of the firm. Uppsala approach requires general knowledge and market specific knowledge, where as market specific knowledge can be derived from practical experiences by entering the new market. However the approach stress on experimental learning as it cannot be acquired by objective knowledge (e.g., through marketing researches or reports) and must be gained mainly through direct experience. As the approach deals with experimental learning the human resource should be managed i n proper manner. It has distinguished between four different modes of entering an international market, where the successive stages represent higher degrees of international involvement market commitment. They as follow Stage 1: No regular export activities (sporadic export). Stage 2: Export via independent representatives (export modes). Stage 3: Establishment of a foreign sales subsidiary. Stage 4: Foreign production manufacturing units These four stages deal with as no regular export activities in new market and knowing the market by experimental learning which helps in utilization of resources in effective ways. Exporting through independent agent can be suitable way of entering in new market as most of the firms prefer the way of entry. Consequently, the threats and opportunities in a new market will be discovered primarily by those people who are working there. Experience generates business opportunities and constitutes a driving force in the internationalization process (Johanson and Vahlne, 1990: 33). The model is founded on four core concepts: Market knowledge, market commitment, commitment decisions and current activities. Market knowledge and market commitment at a certain point in time are assumed to affect the commitment decisions and how the activities are carried out in the subsequent period, which in its turn will influence market knowledge and market commitment at later stages. On the basis of these four concepts, and by making the assumption of instrumentalism, the model predicts that the basic pattern of firms internationalization is to start and continue to invest in just one or in a few neighbouring countries, rather than to invest in several countries simultaneously and That the investments in a specific country are carried out cautiously, sequentially and concurrently with the learning of the firms people operating in that market. Firms are supposed to enter new markets with successively greater psychic distance and the market investments develop according to the so called establishment chain. Mats Forsgren. (2000.p5) This model deals with entering new market which is nearby or investing in single country rather than making a mess. It has leapfrogging tendency which allows entering in distant market. It shows companies can learn from their past experiences and practical knowledge. In these cases, competitive forces and factors override psychic distance as the principal explanatory factor for the firms process of internationalization. Furthermore, if knowledge of transactions can be transferred from one country to another, firms with extensive international experience are likely to perceive the psychic distance to a new country as shorter than firms with little international experience it can affect the smaller firms in case of psychic distances. The approach requires long term involvement in market to gain knowledge. The approach can be cost efficient to apply at initial stage but can take long time evolve the production barriers. The approach underlies crucial importance people interest involved in the process. By sales subsidiaries it can be easy to find problems and opportunities in the market. 3.1 Advantages It deals with indirect exporting of product with help of external export agents or merchants. Low cost entry method which helps using capital in other factors quickest way of entering the new markets. Establishing foreign sales subsidiaries can help increase sales, potential customer base in market and creates market awareness about the product which identifies customer tastes and cultural factors which may change as per new market. By using foreign manufacturing unit labour cost and cost of production can be minimized. Drawbacks Occasional exporting of goods can divert customers interest. Lack of knowledge in initial phase as the exporting is done by agents or exporting merchants. Inter-organizational learning in a business network implies that deep and long-lasting business relationships facilitate the assimilation of tacit knowledge from the different factors in the market. Human resources development programmes should be to gather knowledge about market. The Uppsala Model implies that different groups at the operational level have a profound influence on the internationalization process. It is a relatively extreme bottom-up perspective, where the bottom plays the leading part and the headquarters play walk-on parts. It is not ease to apply for small firms in case of psychic distance. 4. Macro environmental forces and impact on an organisations internationalisation decision-making process. Partnerships As Partnerships and Alliances are increasing as companies realize it is not always desirable to manage all stages. These may mislead when the organisation wants go solo in the market as culture integration, domestic or international, are mentioned as the biggest challenges for alliances. Distribution channels The distribution channels may affect as carrying products to various place where there is lack roadways or long distance it may cost more than estimation cost of distribution of material to market. Technological Technology continues to exert the biggest current and future impact on organizations. At the same time the Internet and intranets are changing the way employees interact with customers and each other. It needs innovation in the technology and manufacturing process, the services should be customer friendly, fast reaction, and acceptance of change. Competitors They may create obstacles in entering the market and provide misleading informations about market to stop new firms and may create monopoly for some products. Public pressure groups These factors directly affect or impact the organization and they influence the managerial decision, the organizational goals, structure and targeted groups of customers.  Competing Political, sustainability of the Physical Environment, Advances in Science and Technology Cultural As per the new market it is hard cope up with diverse cultural factors involved, Cultural, and Religious Ideologies. Regional, cultural groups may involve in restricting the foreign companies to enter in the market to nationalise the trade. Suppliers Suppliers of raw material and various inventories for production as it may impact on cost of production and it may change from market to market factors change. 5. Example related to Internationalisation Various industries in automobile have approached this kind of strategy in strong global competition. Such as SKODA, VOLKSWAGEN, VOLVO, GENERAL MOTORS, and Productivity within the industry has risen over the years, and consumers are offered increasingly better products at lower prices. More and more manufacturers are establishing plants in countries where production costs are considerably lower and also purchasing more components there. In time, production costs for the major producers will essentially be at the same level. 5.1 Strategies Most of these companies have first started with exporting the products and then after studying market started their production in developing nations. The Volkswagen Group safeguards its future through local production operations with integrated growth in markets such as China, India and Russia. Worldwide, the Volkswagen Group has 61 production facilities in 21 countries. General motors and Skoda have their production houses in developing nations where the cost of production is less as compared to exporting the products. In case of VOLVO about 95% of the companys production capacity is located in Sweden, Belgium, Brazil and the USA. But the company is moving towards low cost of production countries such as China, India and about 22% of their production is from Brazil. Continuing to cut costs and drive out complexity in all aspects of operations. 5.2 More efficient purchasing Purchasing is another area where we have implemented changes in order to improve our cost position; mainly through better coordination at the global level they have also intensified our cooperation with suppliers in order to cut the costs of components. [But] there is a good deal still to be done. Among other things, we are increasing the share of purchases from low-cost countries. 5.3 Moving production to low-cost countries There has been change in the business model for units that could be considered as non-core operations or in which profitability was too low. [For example], instead of continuing production in the US and EUROPEN nations, which was less and in some cases non profitable, they have started to out-source their products from the manufacturers in China and Brazil and India. Maintaining competitive production in the changing the business models. It is also important to continue relocating production from high-cost to low-cost countries. Most of companies goals are too achieved by 2012. Sources: Companies website: www.volvo.com/trucks,www.gm.com www.volkswagen.com/annualreport, www.new.skoda-auto.com 6. The Process of Internationalisation Internationalisation fundamentally alters the price-setting strategies of domestic economic agents. This is true for agents operating in product markets, factor markets and financial markets. At a micro level, internationalisation directly alters pricing behaviour by deepening product and factor markets. More potential buyers and sellers imply greater competition and a reduction in excess returns. At a macro level, internationalisation also has the potential to change the incentives faced by public policy makers (David Gruen and Geoffrey Shuetrim 1994.P.312) From the above definition it can be derived that trade between two or more nation where there is potential buyers and sellers of good in which the pricing behaviours may alter from product and various factors involved in market which directly or indirectly benefits consumers .The factors involved in these process may vary from place to place but to enter new market knowledge is essential. It can be complex as policy and regulations change as per the market. It can make potential market for customers. There are various trade unions to promote international trade such as WTO World Trade Organisation, EU European union , ASEAN Association of South-East Asian Nations, NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement ,AFTA ASEAN Free Trade Area, COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. They encourage the trade within the members union. 7. Main challenges in Internationalisation The informal trade barriers for internationalisation are such as lack of information on business opportunities and weak contract enforcement. The Financial burden such as exchange rate risk, political risk and credit risk as they may change as per the market secure local trade. Foreign regulatory environment can change the norms of trade for the industries. The lack of domestic support structure in way of financial support, advice by responsible people can make a change. Cultural and linguistic barriers cannot be changed as we have seen in case of various fast food companies e.g.: K.F.C in India and Japan. The geographic distance between nations can make impact on their trade system. There must be two way communications among countries members which are involved in the system. As the market changes there has to be innovation in the product which suits to the market. Absence of specialised labour in work force can be challenging impact on organisation in internationalisation of market. There has to promotion of networks to gather information about new market. The border zones and cross-border cooperation in various nations the cross-border situation is critical most of the times these may impact on system. 8. CONLIUSION This report is made to analysis the internationalisation is widely seen to be the dominant tendency of our time and it is very complex process and not easy to apply in practical. There various macro aspects have affect the decision making process of organisation. These factors can be taken under control by the firms. According to the report it is specified that after using the processes there can proper utilization of resources the organisation can minimize the cost of production. The internationalisation is challenging process with changing markets and foreign regulatory environments. Moving production to low-cost countries is effective factor in internationalisation as it can be efficient utilization of investment in new market. There are various organisations which help in the process as WTO, EU, and ASEAN.