An Analysis Of Drug Dealing Criminology Essay

An Analysis Of Drug Dealing Criminology Essay A drug is a substance that influences biological processes is too inclusive. Broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage. Definition may be more or less useful according to a specific setting or context. For drugs three such contexts come to mind: medical utility, psycho activity and illegality. The medical utility definition regards a drug as a substance that is used by physicians to treat the body or mind .Obviously, the medical definition contains both an objective and a subjective element. In order for a drug to be used medically, we assume that it does something to the body that is, it acts as a healing agent. This is its objective reality. But in addition a drug has to be recognized as therapeutically useful by physicians, which may not take place even if it works as a therapeutic agent. Controversy may exist with respect to whether some drugs are medically useful. For instance as of this writing, marijuana is recognized and legitimated as medicine in 10 states but not the other 40 and it is not so recognized by the federal government , heroin can be used as a painkiller in the United kingdom but not in the United states. This is the subjectively or socially constructed side of the medical definition of how drugs are defined. For explaining drug dealing I am using thre e different theories which we have discussed in the course term one. Three theories are 1) The classical school, 2) The Chicago school and 3) subcultures. The classical school: The central themes of the Classical school are not really part of Criminology. The classical school was largely inspired by the notion that society was governed by a social contract. This emphasised the importance of free will so that criminal behaviour was the result of a rational choice. Society had the rights to punish offenders and it was considered that doing so would have a different effect. In the eighteenth century so called classical thinking emerged largely in response to the arbitrary and cruel forms of punishment that continued to dominate. Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham two of the most important enlightenment thinkers in this area through coming from very different philosophical position. Both sought to limit the barbarity of eighteenth century system of justice. Beccarias general theorem is that a punishment may not be an act of violence of one or of many against a private member of society, it should be public immediate and necessary the least possible in the case given p roportionate to the crime and determined by the laws  [1]  . Successful deterrence in Beccaries view first of all required punishment to be certain. The more likely one is to be punished for ones action, the less likely one is to engage in deviant behaviour. The law must be clear and must be enforced consistently. Second, the swiftness of the punishment also has a positive impact on the violation of rules .Third, the severity of the punishment must be significant enough to deter further misconduct but no more severe than is necessary to bring about the effect  [2]  . Although the drug is used for some purposes benefit to the society like as medical purpose but the misuse pf drug can be traced in the human society from earlier. It has a great destructive effect on the society particularly on the young society as they are the most vulnerable victims of so called drug dealing. The impact of drug dealings plays a very dominant rule on the society as the abuse of misuse of drug i s capable of affecting the route on the society. The increasing impact of misuse of drug can be found in different society and in different part of the world. So drug dealing is widely recognised as an offence under different jurisdiction in the world. We should have paid more concern relating to the matter of that, how can we deal with this problem of misuse of drug. On the one hand we must ensure that proper punishment of the offenders, where as this is also important to ensure all basic rights of the offender as per direction of classical school and other theories. An offender must not be punished for others act. The law relating drug dealing must be clear and must be enforce consistently .However we need to keep it in our mind that our purpose not to punish and punish against the offenders. But put an impact of this punishment on the society thats why the people can understand easily what would happen if they commit any crime. According to the Beccaria: the end of punishment therefore is no others than to prevent the criminal from doing further injury to society and to prevent others from committing the like offence. Such punishments therefore and such a mode of inflicting them ought to be chosen as will make the strongest and most lasting impression on the minds of others with the least torment to the body of the criminal. British philosopher Jeremy Bentham adopted some of the ideas from the classical approach to punishment. He regarded our own system of punishment s as illogical and called for the introduction of a more precise and wholly enforced criminal code of 1792.Benthams theory is that human behaviour is generally directed at maximising pleasure and avoiding pain. Individuals broke the law, he felt in order to gain excitement, money, sex or something else that was valued. There were some difference s between Beccaria and Bentham. Both rejected the death penalty, through Bentham argued that it could be used in cases of murder arguing that in almost all cases its negative consequence outweighed any positive ones that might ensue. Bentham was a firm believer in the efficacy of the prison. According to Bentham the social action should be guided by the objective of ensuring the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Since misuse of drug is destructive of the whole society, so this is a criminal offence and not merely an offence against morality. This why the punishment of drug dealer must be ensured in such a manner which can be cited as a good example for society . A gain as like as Beccaria punishment are viewed by Bentham as essentially negative and they, therefore, must be restricted so as only to produce desired outcome. The punishment should be proportionate o the crime committed and must not be exceeding the limit to the crime committed. The Chicago school: In the 1930s a branch of urban sociology often referred to as the Chicago school of human ecology opened up a new approach to explaining crime. This school grew from the ideas of Robert park, who suggested there were parallels between communities of human and those of plants and animals. Park adopted some of his central concepts from biology .Chicago university has a special place in the history of criminology. Chicago was Americas second largest city and it was undergoing rapid and significant change. Half of the population of Chicago in 1900 has been born outside the USA.A city compromised several natural areas with characteristics blended from their ethnic composition, socio economic make up and physical surrounding. Patterns of change in the city paralleled changes in balance of nature. They were influenced by economic competition for space and the urban environment was affected by a process of invasion, dominance and succession. Park viewed the human population in American citie s as being migratory rather than fixed. Two members of the Chicago Shaw and Henry Mckay developed the ecological model using it as the basis for a wide ranging study of juvenile delinquency in Chicago and other American cities. For Chicago they divided the city into 140 areas of one square mile each and mapped the residences of recorded delinquents. They also divided Chicago into concentric zones and calculated the percentage of the juvenile population resident in the areas and zones. Shaw and Mckay suggested that community problems were concentrated close to the centre of the citys centre core and rates declined radically. The highest rates occurred in areas where buildings were in decay where economic status was lowest and where there were greater concentrations of recently arrived families similar results were found in American. Chicago law school represent one of the most dynamic theory of modern criminology. The finding the shaw and Mckey subjected that community problems were concentrated close to the centre of the city. The highest rate of diligence residence was found close to the city canter core and rules declined residence. According to shaw and Mckey the socio economic condition place a dominant rule behind any kind of offence. However the authenticity of this statement can also be found at a close look in the shaws and Mckeys theory . The tendency to commit any drug related offence is higher in poor and urban society than residential area. A s we know over 80% of total production of opium is being produce in Afghanistan where the socio economic condition is so poor. They are suffering from hunger and poverty which produce a fertile land for growing opium. A close attention may also reveal that potential customer of illegal drugs is much higher in the cities and the urban area rather than in residen tial area. The authenticity of this argument is proven by Shaw and Mckeys theory. Chicago law school theory also confirmed the process of invention dominance, succession is said to lead to break down of social equilibrium. Subcultures: The sub cultural explanation offered by Cloward and Ohlin extends part of Mertons theory and also incorporates some aspect of cultural transmission . Cloward and Ohlin considered that many young boys would suffer from problems of adjustment and frustrated ambition. Some would look for deviant solution .Cloward and Ohlin added a new perspective to strain theory by suggesting that access to illegitimate opportunities was unevenly distributed. As a result the types of delinquency and of associated subcultures in which those youth participated would be largely determined by the opportunities presented in the communities where they lived. Cloward and Ohlin said there were three types of delinquent subculture. Firstly, the criminal subculture: This would be found in working class areas where there was already a developed structure of illegitimate opportunities. It was mainly concerned with theft for profit. Secondly, the conflict subculture: This would develop in areas which lacked legitim ate and illegitimate opportunity structures and which were socially disorganised. Delinquent activities would resolve around gang fights. Thirdly the retreatist or double failure subculture: This subculture would be adopted by youths, looking for a deviant solution who did not become involved in one of the other subcultures because of internalised inhibitions or because they tried to do so but failed. Activities were mostly concerned with the use of drugs. An important point about Cloward and Ohlins theory is that for them a delinquent group was one which had delinquency as a central activity. Toby suggest that if they were right gang delinquency would account for less than a tenth of juvenile prosecutions in America. Now if someone asks a question that is, who is the major victim of so called drugs dealing? Obviously the answer is young people of the society. It has already made clear by cloward and ohlin theory, whereby it was stated that the young boys would suffer from problems of adjustment and frustrated ambition. And as a result they could be influenced to take drugs. The cloward and ohlin added a new perspective to strain theory by suggesting that access to illegitimate opportunities was unevenly distributed. As a result the types of delinquency and of associated subcultures in which those youth participated would be a largely determined by the opportunities presented in the communities where they lived. So this frustration about life would lead the young people to commit any crime including drug related crime and misuse of drug. It has been found in the long running Gang history in America whereby a large number of youth involved of taking illegal drugs and misuse of drugs. Drug use can be a problem to the society in two ways : objectively and subjectively .The objective or essentialist perspective defines social problems by the harm that certain condition inflict on the society death , disease, economic cost , a reduction in productivity and so on. The subjective or constructionist perspective defines social problems by the concern certain condition cause and the steps society takes to deal with them. Thus drug use the consumption of alcohol and tobacco included, are problems to society because they harm their users and the rest of us as well .And drug use is also a problem to society because many people fear and are concerned about the consumption of psychoactive substances and try to do something about reducing its extent, through legislation, law enforcement, treatment, media representations, prevention and education. The drug control system of the League of Nations was inherited by the United Nations (UN).   The World Health Organization (WHO) participation is based on a statutory responsibility for evaluating drugs for control.   UN drug control organizations underwent a variety of iterations as new pharmaceutical drugs came to market and natural drugs came under international drug control.   The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is currently the lead UN drug control organization.   UNODC has approximately 350 staff members worldwide  [3]  . Licensing and regulating the drugs trade would require international agreement to work effectively, with purchase of drugs at source from producers in developing countries. The Uk could go it alone and licence domestic cultivation and supply ,although there will always be a demand for higher quality cannabis resins (e.g. Moroccan Pollen, Charas , Nepalese, Minali etc), although this could partially be supplied by ( potentially very high potency) resins produced from domestic plants  [4]  . The financial effects of legislation and regulation of the drugs trade would have benefits in excise duty VAT, general economic growth and expenditure savings, with modest additional expenditure required to establish a regulatory authority and give the regulator effective teeth to tackle abuse of the system. Biblography: 1. Newburn, T (2009), Key reading s in Criminology, Culmcott , William. 2. Maguire, Morgan Reiner, M, R R (2002),The oxford handbook of Criminology, Cornwall, Oxford. 3. Goode, E (2005), Drugs in American Society, New York, The McGraw-Hill Companies. 4. Gossop, M (1996), Living with Drugs, England, Ashgate Publishing Ltd. 5. Illegal Drug Trade, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_drug_trade, 03-02-10. 6.Matthew J Atha BSc MSc LL.B, Taxing the UK Drugs Market , http://www.idmu.co.uk/oldsite/pdfs/Taxing%20the%20UK%20Drugs%20Market.pdf ,03-02-10. 7.Drug policy around the World, http://www.drugpolicy.org/global/ungass/history, 02-02-10.

Analysis of the European Transportation Industry

Analysis of the European Transportation Industry Abstract The European transportation industry has been evolving for the last century but the pace of change accelerated in the recent years with the deregulation and intensification of competition between different modes of transport. The new agenda of the European Commission for the future of the industry after 2010 comprises of policies that try to establish sustainable transport that will meet the challenges of the current market environment the growing concern on gas emission, lack of funding as a result of the financial crisis, increasing oil prices and aging population in continental Europe. This paper analyses the current situation in the transport industry in Europe and the expected change in the competition between different modes with particular focus on the rail and road passenger transportation as a result of the policies for creating a fully integrated European transport network. Using the scenario analysis three possible outcomes have been identified as a result of the anticipated developments in regulations as well as feasibility of implementing those measures. Most reasonable of the three scenarios is the one where implementation will be taking place with mixed rigor in different member states, in addition the expected shift in passenger transport from road to rail will commence but at relatively slow pace. The result of the successful implementation of the new regulatory developments will be increased competitiveness between rail operators as new entrants will come to the market, increased efficiencies in the ex-monopolistic companies, and better service for the end-consumer both quality and price. The above scenarios provide a long-term perspective on the development of the intermodal competition in the passenger transport in Europe, since the time horizon for assessing the effect of a particular regulatory takes at least 10 years. The starting point is the current situation on the market which unfortunately has to go a significant change before the head-to-head competition between rail and road starts. The implications from the current study can be used as the basis for future research and scenario development with more sophistication. Regulations will definitely be in the core of transport industry development and the future trends as discussed in Chapter 3 will influence those policies with different degree. It is worth trying to understand and better prepare for the future both from business and social perspective. Thus the current study tries to bring the reader one step closer to that point. 1. Introduction Transport network is considered the backbone of the economy. It is a complex system that is influenced by multiple variables like population consumption, settlement patterns, organization of the production processes and the capacity of the infrastructure. As a major sector of the European economy transport has a top priority in the strategic agenda for building the single European Union market. The history of the sector is characterized with the key features of network industries natural monopolies, vertically integrated players, heavy investments in infrastructure, public subsidies, regulated prices. The globalization of economic activities and the gradual liberalization of the transport market, had led to changes in the business dynamics and structure of the sector. The environmental impact of transport became a priority in the development of policies and regulations for the industry. One push in the direction of more environmentally sustainable solutions is seen in promoting rail transport as a substitute for road transportation. The existing literature gives strong case in support for this scenario. This paper tries to explore the future scenarios in Europe and analyze the expected effect from the introduction of the new transport policy on the intermodal competition of passenger transport between rail and road. Chapter 2 presents the basic characteristics, development trends and economics in the network industries. Giving a starting point for understanding what has shaped the transport industry so far. In Chapter 3 are discussed the trends and challenges in the development and implementation of regulations in the transport industry in Europe. The focus here is on to rail and road passenger transport and the existing intermodal competition between the two modes. The following Chapter 4 includes analysis of the current competitive landscape of passenger transport in Europe. The market subject to analysis is defined as â€Å"transportation of passengers in the geographical boundaries of Europe† and it does explicitly exclude the transportation of freight which is characterized with different product/service specifications. The players who compete in this market are assumed to be only the providers of land transport rail and road operators. In addition the road mode comprises of bus and coach, while the rail mode includes railways, metro and tram. The purpose of the analysis is to give possible answers to the questions: Is rail the future transportation mode for passengers in Europe? Are regulatory policies the main tool for introducing intermodal competition? As a tool for conducting the analysis is used the traditional Porters five forces framework with a main focus on the barriers of entry representing the main competition force looking from the current market perspective into future scenarios. Using the results of the competitive advantage/disadvantage of each mode further scenario building is conducted applying a framework on industry scenarios and competitive strategy under uncertainty (Michal Porter). The results of the scenario analysis are taken in light of potential recommendations to both regulatory bodies and the providers of land passenger transport in Europe. Finally the conclusions derived are summarized in Chapter 5, including the possible implications, future research areas and limitations of the current study. 2. Characteristics of network industries One of the simplest ways to describe a network industry is by picturing good or services delivered through a set network both physical and virtual to an end customer. The network is established through the connection of numerous nodes which subsequently define the character of commerce in the industry. What is common in these types of industries is that the infrastructure which is comprised of many different elements links upstream supply units with the customers who are downstream. The basic components of a typical network industry comprise of: 2.1. Common structure in the network industries Although the industry structure varies across countries and different industries, the following cases are considered the most common ones: Vertical integration and monopoly in this case a single company operates the network infrastructure and both upstream and downstream components. Vertical integration with competition in the downstream or the upstream components -this case is similar to 1 but the company faces competition in the downstream and/or upstream components. Vertical separation with upstream and/or downstream competition, but the company that operates the network infrastructure does not operate in either the upstream or downstream components. Joint ownership in this case the infrastructure is owned jointly by companies competing in the upstream and/or downstream components. Infrastructure (facility-based) competition means competition among vertically integrated firms. 2.1.1. Historical background of the network industries in Western Europe In order to gain better understanding of the current developments in the network industries a short historic flashback is presented. The period of the 19th century Even in early 19th century when the free trade was dominant philosophy the government involvement was visible especially in the network industries. The triggering factor was the rights of way for railway tracks, gas and water, telegraph lines. After expropriation of the rights governments ease their way in establishing control over prices and profits by monitoring the engineering and financial stance of the respective companies. Overall the intervention of the government was limited more to arms length regulations and subsidies. The end of the 19th century is characterized with developed networks in telecommunication, rail, electricity supply which calls for more market opportunities and new entrants in the sectors. But the collapse of capitalism in 1930s brought distrust in governments ability to control private monopolies only through arms length regulations and subsidies. Thus alternative model was sought especially in network industries like telecommunication, railways and electricity. The time of the public ownership has come with the classic example of nationalization of the railways in France, Sweden, Spain and the UK in the period from 1937 to 1947. The period of the 20th century The main goals of the new state-owned enterprises were to provide service in the public interest along with break-even financially. The big challenge came from defining what is â€Å"public interest†. Eventually the solution was found, particularly for the network industries, in the so called â€Å"universal service† which comprises of standardized prices and service quality in the whole country. As a result of this approach the price of a product was fixed regardless of its point of distribution or delivery location for example electricity tariffs per kilowatt hour in different parts of the country were the same irrespective of the varying costs of supply. The second objective for the state enterprise was to break-even financially. The goal turned to be more difficult to achieve than initially planned having no clear guidance or support from the respective government authority. The â€Å"universal service† approach was not able to provide enough profits from areas of growth so as to compensate for the unprofitable ones. The period after 1960s is characterized with growing pressure on managers to meet the financial targets of â€Å"break-even† and beyond. The hope that the â€Å"universal services† will be able to cope with the unprofitable sectors by sustaining the profitable ones proved unsuccessful. Further, competition was growing and state owned enterprises were not flexible enough to respond adequately. Governments were worried with increased budget deficits coming from the rising public sector borrowing requirements. All of these contributed to the wave of privatization in Europe which had different timing across countries. In summary, the era of state owned enterprises was coming to its end. Its primary goal was to secure social and political unification and by the time of the second half of the 20th century much of this has been achieved. The technological developments changed much of the industries. New means of communication sprang apart from the traditional railways road, airlines, telecommunications. Although the strategic significance of a particular recourse was still the same, there was no need to keep it monopolized, for example one national air carrier. Financial returns from national resources like oil and gas were put into different legal forms thus allowing for concessions and tax schemes to be more profitable in the long-term. The Western European network industries had gone through tremendous changes for the last two centuries. The heritage left is the current surge for establishing more competitive regimes by allowing customer to benefit from improved quality and higher security standards. 2.2. The liberalized landscape in the network industries Coming from the state-owned natural monopolistic regime, the companies in the network industries had a structure where a non-competitive component of the industry was vertically integrated with a potential competitive component or activity. The separation of the two components by main sectors is summaries in a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as illustrated in the Table 1. Scope for competition varies depending on geography and nature of demand, amongst other things. Services in lower-density, lower volume residential areas are less likely to be competitive than services to high-density, higher volume commercial areas. Source: OECD report â€Å"Restructuring Public Utilities for competition†, 2001, p.9 The natural monopolistic structure has evolved both as a result of the deregulation and the innovation that came with technology development. Once non-competitive components started being replaced by new components competition was spread in a broader sense. An example of such change in the competitive landscape of an industry is the break-through in mobile technology. The new mobile vs fixed communication has brought competing models in the same market segment. The European Union experience in liberalization of network industries continues with the enforcement of Community law; different directives and specific regulations designed to harmonize the newly liberalized markets in member states. The expectations for the future are to have one unified market which promotes rivalry among companies that deliver better choice for customers both in quality and price. 2.3. Overview of the economics of network industries The basic features used to describe the specifics of the economics in the network industries are investments, production, pricing and regulations. 2.3.1. Investments Compared to other types of industries in this case the initial investment is higher as the infrastructure costs are significant but necessary requirement for the successful delivery of the product to the customer. In addition the structure of the existing network influences its modification or extension thus allowing for extra costs compared to green field investments in other industries. For example in the railway transportation building the network meaning tracks is both expensive as an initial investment and subsequent maintenance costs. First, the main condition for laying the tracks is to have property right on the land which might be expensive to obtain, or to regulate. Second, the track technical execution is costly and third the future maintenance requires long-term commitments and highest quality of service provides which again is at a significant cost. 2.3.2. Production Economies of scale are realized when a product becomes standardized and an addition unit produce reduces the average cost of production. The complexity of network industries allows in certain businesses for such economies to be achieved but the variable cost component is less obvious than in other industries. The more popular concept in the network industries is the so called â€Å"surface/volume effect† in which case the available infrastructure provides for lower unit cost when output is increasing with the plant production. For example, when there is a large scale industrial or transportation equipment the costs for manufacturing are related to the surface of the equipment while the output from it is function of the volume to be transported (cases of oil, gas etc.). As a result the surface increases with the square of the equipment scale while on the other hand the volume increases with its cube. The ratio of surface/volume representing the average cost is a decreasing func tion of the scale. In practice, this leads to very large equipment being built. Economies of scope exist when a company is able to produce several goods at a total cost smaller than the sum of the costs of these activities when they are isolated one from the other. A business in a network industry might own a piece of equipment and the workforce that can produce large quantities of goods/services with similar specifications. For example, the building of information database which subsequently can be used for various activities without additional costs. Vertical integration exists in the case when a single company performs a number of successive distinct operations in the production process of a particular good or the provision of a service. In the context of network industries, especially those involved in the so called â€Å"public service†, the vertically integrated structure of a company can be justified if it manages to provide cost reduction in the service/product. Some sources of these cost benefits can come from technical complementarities, like better co-ordination between successive stages in the production process, also another social benefit might come from the removal of successive private profit-margins that are realized by intermediaries. On the other hand, the vertical integration in an upstream direction can be used by a company as a control mechanism on its customers, suppliers and competitors. The risk in this scenario comes from the fact that by controlling the delivery of certain strategic inputs, the com pany can gain dominant position on the end market. Example from the network industry is when a company owns both the control of the access to transport infrastructure and at the same time is a user of the infrastructure. 2.3.3. Competition The network industries are characterized with strong externalities which result from the interdependence of the agents. The interdependence is described with the effect that the level of satisfaction of one member has on other members in the network. These externalities are both positive and negative. The case of positive externalities is when particular action of a member increases the utility of the others or the so called â€Å"club externalities†. The spill-over effect is another positive externality, when the existence of a network in a certain area â€Å"spills† its benefits outside of its boundaries. In the case of negative externalities called â€Å"congestion externalities† the entrance of a new user in the network affects negatively the existing users. In practice the size and composition of a network are the result of a trade-off between club benefits and congestion costs. The composition and size of the network might change and the set access price would make some members to leave and other to join. This means that the number of those who wish to be in the network depend on the number of those who are already in the network. In this case equilibrium is reached when demand is compatible with itself, namely when the number of the members is exactly the same as the number of the candidates. But because of the earlier described club effect, at the given price would exist several equilibriums. The competition discussed here is ex post, meaning actual competition between two or more companies in the market. As already described, the competition in network industries is characterized with multiple equilibrium configurations for a given set of competing companies which implies that the quality of the service provided by the companies is endogenously determined by the participation of the clients. Here, the expected quality not the actual one is what matters. Another key feature of the competition in a network industry is that it can evolve into some kind of co-operation by decisions of compatibility. Compatibility can be achieved through standardization and the reason for companies to resist it is that it leads to more homogenous products. As a consequence of the standardization, the competition is enhances and loss of profit margins for the incumbent players. For example, in the electricity industry, there is a long tradition of co-operation at both national and international levels for the frequent power exchanges through interconnections. The usual dynamics of competition between companies are modified in a network environment as a result of the endogenous quality of the network and the necessity to reach a critical size in order to survive. So competition at the initial stage is considerably fierce. Companies have to make significant investment to capture the critical customer mass then sustain the image of better than the competitor quality of service / goods which subsequently will enhance the quality of the network. Later, switching costs create a lock-in effect and competition between those companies that managed to get through the initial phase is softer. Because of these companies have an incentive to heavily invest in infrastructure at the entry aiming to create a momentum and realize higher profits on next stage. Competition becomes weaker with the maturity of the industry, companies with existing installed base have less incentives to invest in quality and the only factor that triggers competition may come f rom break-through in the technology. If, no such happens then new entrants will be hard to overcome the competitive advantage of the incumbents. Still in some network industries certain elements like infrastructure remain natural monopolies as a result of the strong economics of scale and scope and relatively high degree of lumpy capital investments. 2.3.4.Regulation of network industries The liberalization process in the network industries brought the co-existence of monopolistic and competition elements in most industries. The change in the market structure requires new developments in the regulatory regimes in those industries but the transition phase as illustrated in Figure 1 is pursued with various conflicting priorities in the sole task to establish competition on the market. Currently, the European Union agenda is to have a set of regulations that will facilitate and speed-up this process. The ultimate goal is to increase efficiency in the performance of the industries and promote higher quality with the introduction of new products thus providing for lower consumer prices. Still the liberalizing policies face certain constraints coming from: the monopoly control legacy in the network industries, the common state aid subsidies, the institutional diversity in various countries, private vs public services objective; the existence of bottlenecks in the network infrastructure and the need for establishing interconnections between rival networks. Figure 1: The evolution of regulation over the three phases of market structure. Source: Lars Bergman, Chris Doyle, Jordi Gual, Lars Hultranz, Damien Neven, Lars-Hendrik Roller â€Å"Characteristics of network industries in Europes Network Industries: Conflicting priorities† published in 1998 by Center for Economic Policy Research.† The next chapter focuses on the current and future regulations in the European transport sector. It emphasizes some of the implications from the development and implementation of the regulations on two specific modes of passenger transport rail and road and the effects on the intermodal competition between them. 3. The regulatory framework in the European transport system â€Å"Transport is the backbone of the European economy, accounting for about 7 % of GDP and more than 5 % of total employment in the EU. As a network industry, transport requires elements such as infrastructures, vehicles, equipment, ICT applications and operational procedures to interact smoothly in order to move people and goods efficiently.† 1 Figure 2: Transport growth compared to GDP growthEU-27 Source: European Commission: â€Å"EU Energy and Transport figures† statistic book 2009 As one of the main sectors in the economy of a unified European market, transport is subject to continuous efforts from regulatory bodies to bring efficiencies and better product/service to customers. The framework for strategic development of the sector is set in the White Paper issued by the European Commission for a period of ten years and mid-term review is conducted which gives up-dates on the progress and recommendations for future developments. In 2010 the current strategy is to be reviewed and next decade program will be set forth in a new White Paper incorporating the new policies in light of the future trends in transport sector development. _________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Transport. Report â€Å"A sustainable future for transport†. 3.1. Trends influencing the European transport policy The EU White Paper 2001 and the mid-term review in 2006 drew key conclusions and set the directions for continual work on the EU sustainable transport policy. The key conclusions to be put forward in the new paper include optimization of each transport mode to bring competitiveness and propensity, transition of all modes to more environmental solutions both resource consumption and external costs. In addition each mode should be used efficiently on its own and in combination with all other modes so as to achieve sustainable utilization of resources. Looking at the future prospects of the industry and its development the following trends will have a significant influence on shaping the regulatory regime of the transport sector in EU. 3.1.1. Environmental challenges Transport is one of the sectors that have a tremendous impact on the environment. It is the only sector that has constantly increased its GHG emissions in the recent decade as illustrated in Figure 1. The growing concern on the global climate change has led to the adoption of climate and energy package by EU with a target to cut GHG emissions by 20% compared to levels in 1990. The environment aspect will be the main external factor influencing all modes of transportation and the respective players in the market. 3.1.2. Urbanization There has been a clear trend in the growth of urban population which is predicted by 2050 to be 84% of total European population2. This trend increases the challenges on the transportation sector as more density is brought in the urban networks accordingly with more environmental issues and congestion problems. The costs of both environmental and structural problems increase with the growth of cities density as longer delays in traffic jams incur larger fuel costs respectively emissions of CO2 are higher. One of the greatest challenges in this context is the building of additional infrastructure within the cities while bringing collective modes of transportation in resolving the congestion problems. 3.1.3. Migration and mobility According to the data provided by Eurostat 3 in the next decade EU is expected to add another 56 million people to its population as a result of a migration trend. This could be a positive trend for aging Europe as usually migrants are relatively young and settle in the developed urban regions that mainly contribute for the economic development. Another factor affecting the structural change in the population density is the internal mobility of workers between member states. This would be more visible with the removal of certain administrative and legal barriers in the labour market. 3.1.4. Ageing of population As mentioned in the previous paragraph one of the challenges in the coming future of Europe is the aging population. Compared to the world trend over the next 50 years, the annual average growth rate in the EU-27 population will be constantly declining as shown in Figure 4: Source: Eurostat (demo_plan), United Nations, Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division (2008), ‘World urbanisation prospects — The 2007 revision. 3. Eurostat (population and social conditions), Statistics in Focus No 72/2008; and European Commission, ‘Demography report 2008: Meeting social needs in an ageing society. SEC(2008) 2911. This particular phenomena has a very deep impact on the transport sector on few dimensions. First the availability of resources (human capital) will diminish. According to the EC â€Å"2009 ageing report† in 2060 there will be only two active workers for every pensioner. In the long-term this requires more contributions for pension funds thus limiting public finances for the supply and maintenance of the transport infrastructure. Overall, the end result might be more costly transportation products/services for the society as a whole. Second, the elder members of the society although much more flexible than a decade ago do travel less than younger population. This has a direct effect on the demand side for transport services both regional and long-distance. Another characteristic of an elder customer is that he/she puts high priority on factors like safety and comfort which in its turn requires different focus on the future specifications of the products/services provided in the transpiration industry mainly safety and reliability which pushes further the quality standards in the sector. 3.1.5. The financial crisis and global trends It is hard to ignore the current and future impact of the recently started economic crisis. The economic growth as forecasted few years ago had dramatically slowed down and this has led to major restructuring in all sectors of the economy. Still the continual globalization trend serves positively the transport sector, with the increasing need for integration and deepening of the single European market. The growing world population expected to reach 9 billion in 20505 is seen as the main challenge for all sectors of the economy, including transport. The scares resources that should provide for the growth in consumers, requires better model for creating sustainable transport sy

Spiritual Emptiness in Hemingways A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Essay

Ernest Hemingway's short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," first published in 1933, is written in his characteristic terse, unembellished style. The definition of "Style" is "the characteristics of language in a particular story and . . . the same characteristics in a writer's complete works" (Gioa and Gwynn, "Style" 861). Short words and a curt tone are so characteristic of Hemingway's style that writers frequently parody them in "International Imitation Hemingway" contests (Gioa and Gwynn, "Style" 861). But Hemingway could only his express this story's theme -- that there is nothing beyond the here and now of daily existence, no God to embellish our lives -- in an unembellished style of writing. The somewhat empty style of this short story is not "Imitation Hemingway"; it's consistent with the story's theme of spiritual emptiness. Almost thirty lines of "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" are pure dialogue with few clues, other than what is said, about who is speaking. In the rest of the story, the percentage of words with more than two syllables is very low. Some biographers point out that Hemingway learned his rules of writing working for the Kansas City Star, whose style-book admonished reporters to "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English, not forgetting to strive for smoothness" (qtd. in Desnoyers 2). Was the curt style of "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" caused only by Hemingway's having learned writing from a newspaper style-book? He later said about those newspaper rules, "Those were the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing. I've never forgotten them. No man with any talent, who feels and writes truly about the thing he is trying to say, can fail to write wel... .... "One True Sentence." The Longman Masters of Short Fiction. Eds. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 375-376. Desnoyers, Megan Floyd. "Ernest Hemingway: A Storyteller's Legacy." The Ernest Hemingway Collection. 12 December 2002. John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. 20 August 2003. . Gioia, Dana, and R.S. Gwynn. "Ernest Hemingway." The Longman Masters of Short Fiction. Eds. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 370-372. Gioia, Dana, and R.S. Gwynn. "Style." The Longman Masters of Short Fiction. Eds. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 861-862. The Hemingway Resource Center. "Ernest Hemmingway Biography>Key West." The Hemingway Resource Center. LostGeneration.com. 20 August 2003. .

Teen Marriage Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Relationship Essays

Teen Marriage What is marriage? Marriage is â€Å"the institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family† (Marriage 729). The fact is, marriage, to most of society, is something much more than that. To some, marriage is the uniting of their souls; to others, it is merely an escape from their fear, their pain, and their agony. The sad truth about it is that many of those marriages will end in divorce. So how do couples know if what they have will last forever? It is impossible to know for sure. No one can tell them that they definitely have what it takes to make a marriage last. Marriage is about compromise and understanding. It is also about give and take. If one party in the marriage is unwilling to give, and only takes, the marriage will be short lived. Statistics show that in 1998, 2,256,000 couples became married, and 1,135,000 couples became divorced (Fast 1,2). For every two couples getting married, there is one that is getting divorced. In fact, half of ALL marriages end in divorce (Ayer 41). That is a sad reality to face. Those percentage rates increase as the age of the participant’s decrease. It seems these days, fewer and fewer teens between the ages of 14 and 18 are getting married. This is a change for the better. Teens are usually not prepared for marriage. Marriage comes with many responsibilities; most of which teens are not prepared to handle. â€Å"Early marriage, though possessing certain inherent dangers, is widely practiced in contemporary America† (Teenage 1). Even if teens feel they have the potential for a lasting marriage, they should still wait to become married. One of many arguments against this is that if the teens feel they are â€Å"destined† to be together and they wait to become married, there is a strong potential for pregnancy before marriage. However, just because teens wait to become married does not mean that they wait to share the privileges that married couples share. Today, sex before marriage is widely practiced. Many couples, who are not even considering marriage, have sex. Chances are that if a teen couple is thinking about marriage, they probably have already had intercourse. Allowing the teens to become married would only encourage sex before they are fully prepared to handle the responsibilities that come ... ...ociety; we do not need teens, which are not ready for marriage, to be married. Marriage is all about compromise, understanding, and give and take. Teens have not fully grasped that concept yet. They need to experience more in life before becoming married. They are missing out on so much; it is truly not worth it to rush into marriage. Works Cited Ayer, Eleanor H. Everything you need to know about teen marriage. 1st ed. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 1990. "Fast Stats A to Z." [online] Available http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/ default .html, March 7, 2001. Holt, Chatal Danino. "The three R's of Relationships." [online] Available http://www.aboutyourmarriage.com/communicating/article/ three_r.html, February 12, 2001. Holtrop, Holly. Personal interview, March 12, 2001. "Marriage." Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. 1991. "Teenage Marriage: weigh it carefully!" [online] Available http://www.bible .ca/ f-teen- marriage.html, February 14, 2001. Tobin, Dr. Michael. "Personal Responsibility." [online] Available http://www. aboutyourmarriage.com/columns/drtobin/responsibilities.html, February 7, 2001.

How Organisations Manage Their Culture Strategically Essay

Recent reviews of the relationship of organisational culture to Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) suggest that culture plays a significant role in strategy implementation for sustaining competitive advantage and contributing to firm performance (Dyer & Ericksen, 2005; Roberts & Hirsch, 2005; Roehling et al. , 2005). A search of the literature reveals only two empirical studies examining organisational culture from an SHRM perspective. The first study was a micro SHRM analysis examining the relationship between organisational culture and HR practices. An international study was conducted using Hofestede’s model to examine each participating country’s cultural characteristics at a national level. The findings from this study showed support for a stronger relationship between HR and internal communication practices and a weaker association with rewards (Papalexandris & Panayotopoulou, 2004). A second study of companies in Asia used a contingency approach to examine the effect of culture and HR on firm performance. A content analysis of public documents was carried out to assess cultural values for each organisation. The findings suggested that organisations with â€Å"elite† or â€Å"leader† value profiles with a complementary HR system achieved higher financial performance (Chew & Basu, 2005). Although both studies had a number of limitations, both also provided preliminary empirical support for examining organisational culture as an important factor in SHRM research. From the practical viewpoint, different organisations while implementing their strategic vision of organisational culture pursue different strategic HRM objectives: to create trusting environment highlighted by cooperation and openness, to gain new market share and reaches targets, to achieve operational efficiency, to look for new opportunities and welcomes new challenges, etc. The most prevalent and cited quantitative approaches to strategic assessment and management of culture in organisations are Hofstede’s (1983) GLOBE dimensions model, Kets de Vrie’s five dysfunctional types model (DeVries & Miller, 1986) and Cameron and Quinn’s (2006) competing values framework (CVF). From both practical and critical perspective, managerial literature has relied heavily on the competing values framework, which as a result, has been empirically validated (Cameron & Quinn, 2006; Kwan & Walker, 2004). CVF has also been tested in various ways in the HR literature using both quantitative (Prajogo & McDermott, 2005) and qualitative (Boggs, 2004) approaches, such as in studies showing that certain culture values are positively associated with HR outcomes including organisational commitment, job involvement and empowerment, and employee outcomes including job satisfaction (Goodman, Zammuto, & Gifford, 2001), operational practices (TQM) and productivity outcomes. Cameron and Quinn’s (2006) competing values framework offers the most compatible practical framework for organisations for several reasons. First, CVF links to strategy implementation and resource-based view (RBV) through the integration of both values and dimensions in the model. The values framework allows for an assessment of organisations based on competing dimensions, which draw out the characteristics of organisational cultures. Second, it provides a level of assessment that tie to RBV’s social complexity of managerial style and leadership, along with its emphasis on organisational capital (i. e. , organisational administration and coordination). Third, the framework has been empirically tested and shown to be valid (Cameron & Quinn, 2006; Igo & Skitmore, 2006; Kwan & Walker, 2004). Fourth, the framework is measured using the Organisational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI), which assesses an organisation’s overall cultural profile through a self-reported survey method. The survey is easily transferable to a format that respondents can interpret and respond to. The competing values framework differentiates organisational cultures on the basis of four culture types. Using the Organisational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI), an organisation’s overall cultural profile and dominant characteristics can be assessed through a self-reported survey. The model considers two sets of competing values. The first set represents the contrast between the degree of control an organisation exercises on the one hand and the degree of flexibility it offers on the other. In other words, where one dimension shapes the values for organisations that provide a flexible environment with discretion, the other dimension shapes values around a controlled environment with stability. The second set of competing values is represented by the contrast between the degrees to which an organisation has an internal versus an external focus. Organisations that value an internal focus are interested in the ways in which the organisation integrates and operates internally, whereas organisations with an external focus are more interested in examining and responding to the forces outside. These competing dimensions serve as the basis to develop characteristics that shape four organisational culture types, which are measured by the OCAI. Each of these four main culture types has notable distinguishing characteristics. Studies using this approach to examine organisational culture have revealed that a company often has one dominant culture type but demonstrates varying degrees of each of the other types (Goodman et al. , 2001; Kwan & Walker, 2004; Prajogo & McDermott, 2005). The four organisational culture types are briefly described below. Clan: social environment in which employees work well together in teams. Leaders focus on mentoring employees and facilitating group problem-solving. A strong emphasis on ooperation and openness is evident, highlighted by a concern for people and customers. High levels of employee loyalty are often found in clan-dominant cultures. Market: results-oriented approach emphasizing growing the market and customer base. Leaders are hard driving and competitive with a high demand for achievement. Emphasis is on being a market leader, which is pursued through goal orientation. Hierarchy: environment with a strong emphasis on rules and processes. Leaders in such environments are typically good coordinators and organisers. The focus of this culture ype is to develop a stable environment with job security and conformity to rules by employees. Dependability and efficiency are key to its success. Adhocracy: innovative, creative environment that encourages risk-taking. Leaders in this culture type are entrepreneurial and encourage others to take risks and innovate. Employees motivated by challenges and new opportunities to create products and services are drawn to adhocracy-dominant cultures. Organisations depending on their existing or potential organisational culture type can employ specific organisational methods to achie ve their objectives.

Essay Writing

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a quantitative success: IIM study There are some good tidings for the Union Human Resource Development Ministry from its flagship enterprise, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), to universalise elementary education. A study conducted by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), has found that the SSA has met with considerable success quantitatively if not qualitatively.While quality remains an area of concern, the SSA has been able to bridge the enrolment, retention and achievement gaps between the sexes and among social groups. According to the IIM-A study titled `Shiksha Sangam: Innovations under the SSA,' the out-of-school population had come down from 28. 5 per cent of the six-to-14 year age group in 2001 to 6. 94 per cent by the end of 2005. Dropout rates at the primary level stands at about 12 per cent and 190 of the 400 districts were showing a declining trend in 2005-2006.The SSA has been able to bring Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ( SC/STs) — weak points in earlier efforts to universalise elementary education — into the educational mainstream. Greater share The share of SC/ST children at the primary level in 2004-2005 was actually greater than their respective proportion of the population: 20. 73 per cent in the case of SCs against a population share of 16. 2 per cent and 10. 69 per cent against a population share of 8. per cent. The gender gap in enrolment now stands at 4. 2 percentage points at the primary level and 8. 8 percentage points at the upper primary level. In 2005-2006, there were only 22 districts (of the 400 for which data was available) where the gender gap was more than 10 percentage points at the primary level. However, the success rate on this count in the upper primary level is not so good as 82 districts have reported a gap of more than 15 percentage points. Essay Writing Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a quantitative success: IIM study There are some good tidings for the Union Human Resource Development Ministry from its flagship enterprise, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), to universalise elementary education. A study conducted by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), has found that the SSA has met with considerable success quantitatively if not qualitatively.While quality remains an area of concern, the SSA has been able to bridge the enrolment, retention and achievement gaps between the sexes and among social groups. According to the IIM-A study titled `Shiksha Sangam: Innovations under the SSA,' the out-of-school population had come down from 28. 5 per cent of the six-to-14 year age group in 2001 to 6. 94 per cent by the end of 2005. Dropout rates at the primary level stands at about 12 per cent and 190 of the 400 districts were showing a declining trend in 2005-2006.The SSA has been able to bring Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ( SC/STs) — weak points in earlier efforts to universalise elementary education — into the educational mainstream. Greater share The share of SC/ST children at the primary level in 2004-2005 was actually greater than their respective proportion of the population: 20. 73 per cent in the case of SCs against a population share of 16. 2 per cent and 10. 69 per cent against a population share of 8. per cent. The gender gap in enrolment now stands at 4. 2 percentage points at the primary level and 8. 8 percentage points at the upper primary level. In 2005-2006, there were only 22 districts (of the 400 for which data was available) where the gender gap was more than 10 percentage points at the primary level. However, the success rate on this count in the upper primary level is not so good as 82 districts have reported a gap of more than 15 percentage points.

Inland Whale Essay

Finally, In the story of ‘Testily, Sun's Daughter† is the cause of the events that enroll in the story. My claim is, The cautionary tales â€Å"The Mans Wife†, â€Å"Butterfly Man†, and † Testily, Sun's Daughter† reveal that Native American societies and cultures depended on gar popup cohesiveness and not letting greed or personal desires take over. In â€Å"The Man's Wife† the man does many things that affect nature and the way of living.The man doesn't want to let his dead wife leave in peace so he stays with her, burns off his hair, and didn't eat or sleep while he was waiting for his wife. A quote that pro eves this is, â€Å"He as however able to tie around her waist a rope of eagle's down, and clinging to one end of it, he walked a few steps behind her all through the 132). This qua Toe proves that he insisted on being with her that he even went through and tied a rope roar ND her. This also shows that desire has taken over and he w ill do anything to be with her.Not her thing that the man did was going into the dead people's land. A quote that proves this is, â€Å"l must warn you that to the dead the smell Of the living is offensive, and there will be restiveness as among them, feeling of the impropriety of your being here at all†(Kookier 137). This is imp rattan because it shows that the man shouldn't be invading the home of the dead because the e dead and living should not interact with the dead. If this happens the dead is disturbed and t he balance of nature is disturbed.The man should of let go and moved on so his wife's spirit t can be in peace and the desire of his wife can go away. In the story â€Å"Butterfly Man† Clanswoman can't choose who to be with became use of the things she admires or that she likes. At first she was with her baby at the v illegal while her husband was gone. Then she left when not supposed to and saw a butterfly a ND followed it on and on, left the baby on the bu sh alone never to return because of what she wanted.A quote that proves this is, â€Å"Nor was it flying at random, for its standards COUrse WA s leading her ever up and back, farther into the hills, farther from the river†(Kookier 61 ). HTH s is important because it shows that her wanting that butterfly she never noticed how far SSH e was from her home and her baby. Another thing she does is disobey the butterfly man whew n he said not to look up and look at the other butterflies.A quote that shows that she disobey deed the butterfly man and looked at the other butterflies is, â€Å"Her eyes followed his flight and SSH e took one hand off the girdle and reached greedily for him†(Kookier 63). This quote is imports NT because when something is desired so much that they break the rule they are suppose d to follow like not leaving their house when husbands are hunting or the one the butterfly man gave which as never to let go and look up at the other butterflies.This kind of stuff and other things may lead to jealousy and many more things. In the story â€Å"Testily, Sun's Daughter† the cause of the events that unroll in the story are because Of Testily, Sun's Daughter. When Testily accepted Theta's proposal I Hoopla was mad. A quote that proves this is, â€Å"Hoopla was angry. He grabbed Tequila's arm, shouting, She's mine! She's mine! I am older than you and she is mine! â€Å"(Kookier 114). T his quote is important because it shows that Hoopla being jealous he ended up pulling Test