Industry analysis for IBM server market

Industry analysis for IBM server market Free Online Research Papers IBM, as one of the most important multinational information technology corporations in the world, plays a role of indicator in their industry. And their strategies implies the situation and direction of IT industry. In this report, the strategic analysis for the server product and relevant services in the UK market will be mentioned. In addition, this report contains three main parts: stakeholder analysis, external internal analysis and the strategic options. Stakeholder Analysis The IBM’s main stakeholders in the UK and their expectations and interests are as follows (More in Appendix 1) : Table 1 Stakeholder Expectations and interests Owners private/shareholders Profit, Performance, Direction Government Taxation, VAT, Legislation, Employment Rate Senior Management staff Performance, Targets Non-Managerial staff Rates of pay, Job security, Working environment and hours Trade Unions Working conditions, Minimum wage Customers (Distributor/Government) Quality, Customer Care, Price Creditors Credit score, new contracts, Liquidity Suppliers Long-term Contract, Stable Payment Local Community Jobs, Involvement, Environmental issues, Shares To achieve their expectations and interests, these stakeholders affect IBM’s strategy making from different perspectives. However, the power and the effect of these stakeholders are different based on their status. The stakeholder power/interest matrix below demonstrates the power differences of these stakeholders. (more in Appendix 1) Power/Interest Matrix Figure 1 Hence, the strategy making of IBM should consider whether the new strategy can satisfy these key stakeholders who have high power. For example, the government element in the â€Å"keep satisfied†, they have high power (legislation power) but low interest. Another example is the shareholders in â€Å"key players†, who have high interest in IBM and high power on affecting the strategic decision. To sum up, if the strategic decisions threaten the benefits of the key stakeholders, this strategy might be difficult to be achieved. External Analysis PEST Analysis Political factors Taxation. The heavy taxes in the UK make the IBM server products increase the weakness on the price factor, especially on the premium price IBM products. (More in Appendix 2) Economic factors GDP factor. The healthy economic environment with strong and stable GDP in the UK provides a good market for the product and service business of IBM. Although the GDP increase rate is not fast, the stability could balance this disadvantage element. GDP composition by sector: The service industry in the UK contributed nearly 73.4% to the GDP in 2006. That indicated that the high value added service market in the UK is matured, and the customer experience on the service would be higher or more difficult to be satisfied. Chart 1 (CIA, 2007), Disposable income. The average disposable income in the UK was  £11,811 per head in 2004, and it indicated the current and potential opportunity for the products and services of IBM. (More in Appendix 2) Socio cultural factors Population and the internet users. In 2006, the population in the UK was nearly 60,609,153, and according to CIA,(2007), more than half of these people (37.6 million in 2005) were internet users. The well known about the internet indicated the opportunities of relevant products and services. Technological factors Internet. A survey from CIA,(2007) shows that there were 6,064,860 Internet hosts in 2006, and more than 400 Internet Service Providers in 2000. In this sophisticated market, the opportunity and competition will exist together. 5 Forces Analysis The threat of entry The threat of entrants for the server market was low because of the enormous costs on the RD, relevant support products and services, manufacturing and the distribution. For example, IBM spent nearly $171 million in system and technology for server product in 2005, (Annual Report,2006) and IBM spent over $1 billion in the Linux operating system in 2001.(Shankland, 2002) This was only the barrier on the cost, there were other barriers like technique, distribution channels etc. Power of Suppliers Intel and AMD, as the two biggest processor providers (monopolies) in the world, have very strong power on the chip supplying. Although the power of suppliers might be decreased resulting from the competition between these two companies, the wide range of customers and high costs on switching cause the buyers lack of power to bargain with these two giants. However, the power of suppliers for other low technical required material and parts was much lower than the core hardware providers. Power of buyers The power of buyers for the server products in the UK was high because the buyer did not concentrate to the firm and the switching costs for the buyers were low. There were many product choices for the buyers, e.g. IBM, HP, Dell etc. Competitive Rivalry By 2003, The UK server market continues to show promising signs, according to IDC,(2003), the competitive rivalry in the server market was becoming intense in the UK. These competitors included HP, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Dell and Fujitsu Siemens Computers were becoming the fifth leading server vendor in the U.K. Chart 2 Top five server vendors in the UK Source: IDC,(2003) The threat of substitutes The web hosting business might be the biggest threat of substitute for the server products in the UK. The advantages of web hosting include low cost, tech-support, easy to manage and low switching costs. In addition, the advanced personal computer might be another biggest threat to the server product. However, currently, the PC can not instead of professional server for the business uses. Internal Analysis Value Chain Analysis Figure 2 Value Chain Firm infrastructure: Supply-Chain Management in IBM.. Supply chains of IBM are becoming more complex, harder to manage and more costly to run. In fact, nearly $3.4 trillion was spent on supply chains in 2005. To address this, IBM is creating a supply-chain management business transformation outsourcing practice. The Supply chain management (SCM) solutions can help IBM to improve costs and customer service, while decreasing overall supply chain inventory. (IBM, 2006) Business Performance Management (BPM). According to 10-k,(2006), IBM enables companies to visualize end-to-end processes across business and IT systems, analyze execution in real time against goals, and make adjustments as needed. For instance, IBM offers consulting, services and middleware to simulate and monitor business processes, and provides clients with real-time analysis of the underlying IT systems carrying out those processes. HRM: To eliminating redundancies and overhead structures to drive productivity, this integration improves IBMs capacity to innovate by providing greater clarity of key priorities around shared goals and objectives and leads to a sharper focus for the company on learning, development and knowledge sharing. (10-k,2006) Otherwise, IBM acquired numbers of companies to enhance their capability. However the integration issues could appear during the acquisition process that would be the challenge of the HRM, e.g. the culture conflict. (10-k, 2006) Technology development: IBMs research and development (RD) operations differentiate IBM from its competitors. IBM annually spends approximately $5–$6 billion for RD, including capitalized software costs, focusing its investments in high-growth opportunities.(10-k,2006) Procurement: SCM outsourcing. IBM has developed Business Partner relationships with established, best-of-breed Supply Chain Management solution providers. Their solutions, coupled with IBM products and services, deliver the cost-competitive, scalable and secure infrastructure the customers need. (IBM, 2006) Acquisitions and mergers. In order to improve their businesses on the high value products and services, IBM acquired service-related companies into the global services segment, (e.g. Network Solutions). And the software-related companies that were integrated into the software segment. (Annual Report, 2006 ) Inbound Out bound Logistics and Operations: IBMs supply, manufacturing and logistics and customer fulfillment operations are integrated in one operating unit that has reduced inventories, improved response to marketplace opportunities and external risks and converted fixed to variable costs. (10-k,2006) Marketing and sales: In 2005, the company realigned its operations and organizational structure in Europe to give sales and delivery teams greater authority, accountability and flexibility to make decisions and to execute more effectively on behalf of our clients. (10-k,2006) Services: IBM Provides technology and transformation services to clients businesses, and invests to improve the ability to help their clients innovate. (10-k,2006) And this is the high value added and profitable process. (More in Appendix 3) Value System Analysis The value system of IBM is as follows: Figure 3 In this value network of server products, the processor and the software providers have higher profit pool than other suppliers. Furthermore for the distributors, the retailers have the high profit pool. Therefore, the profit space of server products for IBM is not wide enough. Value drivers: Channels Value Drivers Wholesalers: Price, choice, quality, logistics Retailers: Price, service, guarantee Business orders: Price, service, guarantee Table 3 The table above shows the main distributors of IBM and their value drivers. Because of high buyer power, satisfying their distributors is required for IBM. SWOT The SWOT model can be summarized from the external and internal analysis. Strengths: ? Advanced business performance management ? Good organization culture ? Strategic outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions ? High efficient fulfillment center ? Flexible marketing management ? Creative services Weaknesses: ? High costs in the value chain ? Possible acquisition issues Opportunities: ? Strong and stable economic market context. ? Sophisticated service market ? High individual consumption power ? Matured internet market ? High level of entry barrier to the server market Threats: ? Customers have high experience on the service ? Customers have low switching costs ? IBM has high switching costs on the core hardware ? Intense competition ? High threat of substitutes Strategies According to 10-K, (2006), the main strategy in the UK is that IBM delivers their high value added services (or software) to customers through their server product. And it can be divided into 4 pieces as follows: 1) Reallocating resources to enhance their server product business and reduce operation costs and optimize the efficiency. 2) To pursue an innovation agenda with its clients, partners and in other relationships, and to continue refining its portfolio to achieve higher value. 3) Acquiring businesses that contribute strategically to its portfolio 4) To maintain its leadership of this rapidly changing business by focusing on high-value innovation-based solutions and services while consistently generating high returns on invested capital for its shareholders. (10-K, 2006) (More in Appendix 4) Evaluations Acceptability :Stakeholder Analysis According to the expectations of the stakeholders and the power/interest map analysis mentioned above, the strategy can be accepted and supported by key players because their expectations can be satisfied by the current strategies, e.g. profit. Although that is difficult to be supported or accepted by the non-managerial employees who have high influence power but low interest on the strategy resulting from the culture conflict and management issues could appear after the acquisition, they are not the mainstream. To sum up, the new strategies are acceptable but IBM should consider carefully about their strategy for acquisition, because that threaten the interests of a small group of stakeholders who have high influence power. Suitability analysis: Lifecycle Analysis The server product is in the growing period in the UK market. (See the figure below). According to the environment analysis above, there are many opportunities on the server product or relevant services in the UK. IBM is one of the main server providers, furthermore the current strategy of IBM is focusing on server products and relevant high value added services (and software).. Therefore, these strategies are suitable to IBM. Figure 4 Lifecycle of server products in the UK Suitability: value chain analysis IBM attempts to use the strategic acquisition and reallocation to add more value in their value chain and optimize their internal system. These two strategic decisions can help IBM obtain competitive advantages on the profit and system synergy. Therefore, the strategies are suitable. . (More in Appendix 5) Feasibility: Resource deployment IBM can utilize their strengths on the finance and brand to acquire the organizations or outsource if it is required. Hence, there is no gap between IBM’s strategies and the requirement of resource coupled with competences. The current strategies are feasible for IBM. To sum up, according to the evaluation above, the current strategies of IBM are acceptable, suitable and feasible. Conclusion References Book: Johnson, G. (2005), Exploring corporate strategy, 7th ed., Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Internet: Alliance@IBM (2007), Statement of Principles, [online], Available from:allianceibm.org/, [Accessed on: 05/03/2007] Annual Report,(2006), 2005 IBM Annual Report, [online] Available from: ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/annualreport/2005/2005_ibm_annual.pdf [Accessed 12 Mar 2007] CIA,(2007),United Kingdom, [online] Available from: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/uk.html [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] EHS,(2006), The Annual Real and Nominal GDP for the United Kingdom,[online]Available from: http://eh.net/hmit/ukgdp/ukgdp_answer.php [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] Gartner,(2006), IBM gains share as server market picks up,[online] Available from: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39270920,00.htm [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] IBM,(2005), Unleashing a better supply chain,[online] Available from: ibm.com/news/us/en/2005/06/2005_06_24.html [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] IBM,(2005), Scoring high on the supply chain maturity model[online] Available from: http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/imc/pdf/g510-6219-follow-the-leaders.pdf [Accessed 12 Mar 2007] IBM,(2006),Supply Chain Management,[online] Available from: http://www-304.ibm.com/jct03004c/businesscenter/smb/us/en/SCM/nav_id/solutionareas?ca=qapromo-s0smb-b0sol-l0-d0smbna-n029-o0-g0usen-t0SVHL0re=smbsolscmsspot [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] IBM Annual Report (2006), Report of Financial, [online], Available from: ibm.com/annualreport/, [Accessed on: 20/03/2007] IBM, (2007), Partner Relationship, [online], Available from: ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/company/relationships/business-partners.shtml, [Accessed on: 05/03/2007] IBM Employees Relationship, (2007), Employees, [online], Available from: ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/company/relationships/employees.shtml, [Accessed on: 21/03/2007] IBM Governments Relationship, (2007), Center for the Business of Government, [online], Available from: ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/company/relationships/governments.shtml, [Accessed on: 05/03/2007] IBM Investors Relationship, (2007), Investors, [online] Available from: ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/company/relationships/investors.shtml, [Accessed on: 20/03/2007] IBM Relationships, (2007), Suppliers, [online], Available from: ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/company/relationships/suppliers.shtml, [Accessed on: 05/03/2007] IBM University Relationship, (2007), Universities, [online], Available from: ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/company/relationships/universities.shtml, [Accessed on: 05/03/2007] IDC,(2003), UK server market looks promising,[online] Available from: informationage.com/article/2003/october/uk_server_market_looks_promising [Accessed 12 Mar 2007] Kessler,J.QC,(2005), Taxation of Foreign Domiciliaries,[online] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_United_Kingdom#_note-intro [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] Palmisano,S.J.(2006), IBM 2005 Annual Report,[online] Available from: ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/annualreport/2005/2005_ibm_annual.pdf [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] Porter, M.F. (1979) How competitive forces shape strategy, [online] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_5_forces_analysis [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] Shankland, S.,(2002), IBM: Linux investment nearly recouped,[online] Available from: http://news.com.com/2100-1001-825723.html [Accessed 12 Mar 2007] Statistics, (2006), Regional household income, [online]Available from: statistics.gov.uk/articles/economic_trends/ET633RegionalHouseholdIncome.pdf [Accessed 6 Mar 2007] Source ESB, (2007), IBM Distributors, [online], Available from: sourceesb.com/Distributors/IBM.asp, [Accessed on: 01/03/2007] Sourcewire,(2004),Press Release: Tatung to challenge UK server market?[online] Available from: e-consultancy.com/news-blog/284667/tatung-to-challenge-uk-server-market.html?keywords=dell+server [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] Wikipedia,(2007), Corporation tax,[online] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_United_Kingdom#_note-intro [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] XKO, (2006), IBM Business Partner, [online], Available from: xko.co.uk/partners/ibm, [Accessed on: 01/03/2007] 10-K,(2006),IBM,[online] Available from: ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/annualreport/2005/2005_ibm_sec10k.pdf [Accessed 18 Feb 2007] Appendix 1 Stakeholder Analysis According to Johnson, G. (2005), stakeholders are those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn, the organisation depends. The key stakeholders of IBM are as shown in Figure 1. Key shareholders of IBM Figure 1. Stakeholders of IBM From ‘Market’ Environment Suppliers: IBM perceives diverse suppliers are good for business, spent nearly $ 2 billion with them. It is committed to increasing diversity in its supply chain (IBM Relationships, 2007). Many suppliers from Span, Taiwan, Portage, Russia, Roman and so on. The main suppliers are Intel and AMD. Competitors: Hewlett Pachard, Freecom, Fujitsu Siemens, ASUS, Supermicro, Avocent Cyclades Many competitors are HP, Dell and Sun Microsystems (Gartner, 2006). Customers: Business (Distributors as shown in distributors) Government: The IBM Center for the Business of Government was created in 1998 and is dedicated to stimulating research and facilitating discussion of new approaches to improving the effectiveness of government at all levels in the United States and across the world. Since its creation, the Center has awarded nearly 200 research stipends to leading public management researchers in the academic and nonprofit communities. (IBM Governments Relationship, 2007). Universities: IBM today is involved with many aspects of higher education, seeking to better the education of students and the work of faculty (IBM University Relationship, 2007). Individual: They will be the growing market of server in following year. Therefore, they are the potential customers of IBM. Employees The employees are separate into two types as follows: Senior Managers Non-managerial staff As a flagship for the Information Age, IBM has long understood that it is the skill, knowledge and experience of IBMers - their expertise, in other words - that differentiates this company most from others. Employees understand that, too, and their passion for the company and its future is one of the distinguishing traits of being an IBMer (IBM Employees Relationship, 2007). IBM has many ways to encourage employees, for example: Online Jams Internal Appeals Global Pulse Survey Workforce Research Distributors: According to Source ESB, (2007), they are: American Design Components Atlantic Semiconductor Computer Supplies Unlimited Jan-Tronics Div. of Janco Technology Midcom Data Technologies Synnex Aztec Components Carlin Systems IBN Electronics U.S. Microtech Inc. Partners: IBM has number of strategic alliances and partners, with the growing sense of competition the company keeps the strategy to compete and cooperate at the same time. IBM sold its PC division to Lenovo, which is the third largest PC supplier in the world. (IBM,2007) IBM Business partners are able to deliver the hardware and middleware that you need to create a secure and reliable IT infrastructure for your organisation. XKO is a member of the IBM worldwide network of skilled resellers and authorised integrators. It offers pre-sales services that ensure you choose the right IBM technology for your requirements before buying, deploying and maintaining your IT infrastructure (XKO, 2006). Sapien International is a premier IBM partner for software and developers programme. (IBM, 2007) Besides those IBM possess strategic alliance programme with Novell and Red Hat, Oracle, SAP and Siebel systems (IBM, 2007). Investors Shareholders: According to the IBM Annual Report (2006), there are more than thousands of shareholders. A share of IBM stock is among the worlds most widely held equities. Stock has traded on the New York Stock Exchange for nearly a century. Furthermore, shareholders been provided quarterly financial result and they have a say on cumulative voting, pension, retirement, medical, offsharing and other voting issues. Furthermore, the annual meeting of stockholders is usually held the last Tuesday in April. IBM regularly holds its meetings in a different city each year so that investors from different parts of the country may have an opportunity to attend. (IBM Investors Relationship, 2007) From ‘Social/Political’ Environment Trade Union: Alliance@IBM, which has the important say in the company issues like pension legislation, loss of jobs to off-shoring, promises to retirees, health care affordability and labour law reform (Alliance@IBM, 2007). Government: To UK server market, government will be separate into two parts- local and foreign governments. Local government- UK, Foreign governments can influence suppliers more and the inbound logistics of IBM. In ‘Technological’ Environment: Owner of Competitive Technologies: Intel Microsoft These key stakeholders have different roles, expectation and interest in IBM. These different expectations will increase the conflicts. For example: there are so many shareholders and they have huge power of voting. Therefore, they have a big power in IBM. However, the main expectations of them are profit. If IBM wants to keep the shareholders happy, it needs to reduce cost. However, this will conflict with the expectation of employees- working environment, good payment and so on. These expectations means IBM should increase the cost. Therefore, in some degree, the expectations of different stakeholders will increase the conflicts. Furthermore, different power of the stakeholders will also influence the strategy of IBM. According the shareholder mapping, the issues are as follows: Almost of the key players are acceptable and supportable. As customers, government is positive to the strategy. When government as a whole, it has high power, low interest and neutral attitude. However, when unions and non-managerial employees make lobbing, government may become more interested in it. The attitude of the government also may be changed by lobby. The lobbing may be about reducing work force. Appendix 2 Political factors The value added tax (VAT), charged at the standard rate of 17.5% on supplies of goods and services.(Kessler, 2005) Otherwise, corporation tax (main rate is 30%) will reduce the profit of IBM, this tax charged on the profits and chargeable gains of companies. The main rate is 30%, which is levied on taxable income above  £1.5m. (Wikipedia, 2007) (Statistics, 2006) GDP (official exchange rate): $2.341 trillion (2006 est.) CIA,(2007), GDP real growth rate: 2.7% (2006 est.) CIA,(2007), Economic factors Labor force by occupation. The labor force occupied about 79.5% in the service industry in 2004, Labor force: 30.4 million (2006 est.) : agriculture: 1.5% industry: 19.1% services: 79.5% (2004) CIA,(2007), Table 2 Year GDP at current market prices (millions of pounds) 2000 953,227 2001 996,987 2002 1,048,767 2003 1,110,296 2004 1,176,527 2005 1,224,715 (EHS, 2006) Appendix 3 Revenues from Global Services in 2005 totaled $47.4 billion, an increase of 2 percent. Our backlog is estimated at $111 billion, the same as a year ago. (Palmisano, 2006), Supply Chain: Company supply chains – sequences of business activities that join together the production of goods and services, from procurement to manufacturing and distribution are becoming more complex, harder to manage and more costly to run. In fact, some $3.4 trillion will be spent on supply chains this year(2005). To address this, IBM is creating a supply-chain management business transformation outsourcing practice. This new practice draws on the success of IBMs own internal supply-chain transformation, as well as the expertise of the worlds largest supply-chain consulting practice. (IBM, 2005) The following three company-wide organizations play key roles in IBMs delivery of value to its clients: Sales Distribution Organization and related sales channels Research, Development and Intellectual Property Integrated Supply Chain (10-k,2006) Just as IBM works to transform its clients supply chains for greater efficiency and responsiveness to market conditions, the company continues to see business value as it establishes its globally integrated supply chain as an on demand business, transforming this function into a strategic advantage for the company (10-k,2006) IBM spends approximately $38 billion annually through its supply chain, procuring materials and services around the world. (10-k,2006) Firm infrastructure: With a comprehensive knowledge of IBMs business and infrastructure solutions, as well as the products, technologies and services IBM and its Business Partners offer, the companys global client teams gain a deep understanding of each clients organizational, infrastructure and industry-specific needs to determine the best approach for addressing their critical business and IT challenges. These professionals work in integrated teams with IBM consultants and technology representatives, combining their deep skills and expertise to deliver high-value solutions that address clients pain points and innovational aspirations. (10-k,2006) The broad adoption of open standards is essential to the computing model for on demand business and is a significant driver of collaborative innovation across all industries. (10-k,2006) Technology development: Some of IBMs technological breakthroughs are used exclusively in IBM products, while others are used by the companys licensees for their products when that new technology is not strategic to IBMs business goals. (10-k,2006) Procurement: Leveraging this experience, in June 2005, IBM launched its supply-chain business transformation outsourcing service to optimize and help run clients end-to-end supply chain processes, from procurement to logistics. (10-k,2006) Operations: The companys supply, manufacturing and logistics and customer fulfillment operations are integrated in one operating unit that has reduced inventories, improved response to marketplace opportunities and external risks and converted fixed to variable costs. (10-k,2006) Simplifying and streamlining internal processes has improved operations and sales force productivity and processes and thereby the experiences of the companys clients when working with IBM. (10-k,2006) to its own manufacturing operations, the company uses a number of contract manufacturing (CM) companies around the world to manufacture IBM-designed products. The use of CM companies is intended to generate cost efficiencies and reduce time-to-market for certain IBM products. (10-k,2006) IBM believes its business as a whole is not materially dependent on any particular patent or license, or any particular group of patents or licenses. IBM owns or is licensed under a number of patents, which vary in duration, relating to its products. (10-k,2006) Outbound Logistics: Improved delivery and outcomes for its clients. (10-k,2006) Leveraging this experience, in June 2005, IBM launched its supply-chain business transformation outsourcing service to optimize and help run clients end-to-end supply chain processes, from procurement to logistics. (10-k,2006) The company offers its products directly and through a variety of third party distributors and resellers. Changes in the financial or business condition of these distributors and resellers could subject the company to losses and affect its ability to bring its products to market. (10-k,2006) Marketing and sales: Remarketing. The sale and lease of used equipment (primarily sourced from the conclusion of lease transactions) to new or existing clients. (Revenue reported as Global Financing.) (10-k,2006) Retail Store Solutions. Point-of-sale retail checkout systems, software and solutions. (10-k,2006) In addition, the group provides leading semiconductor technology and products, packaging solutions and engineering technology services to clients and for IBM’s own advanced technology needs. (10-k,2006) Services: IBM invests to improve its ability to help its clients innovate. (10-k,2006) Providing technology and transformation services to clients businesses. (10-k,2006) Client financing. Lease and loan financing to external and internal clients for terms generally between two and seven years. (Revenue reported as Global Financing.) (10-k,2006) BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION OUTSOURCING (BTO). Delivers improved business results to clients through the continual strategic change and the operation and transformation of the client’s business processes, applications and infrastructure. (10-k,2006) ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY SERVICES (ETS). System and component design services, strategic outsourcing of clients’ design teams, and technology and manufacturing consulting services. (Revenue reported as Hardware segment.) (10-k,2006) BUSINESS CONSULTING SERVICES (BCS). Delivery of value to clients through consulting services for client relationship management, financial management, human capital, business strategy and change, and supply-chain management, as well as application innovation and the transformation of business processes and operations. (10-k,2006) CENTER FOR BUSINESS OPTIMIZATION (CBO). Helps clients continually optimize their business performance by drawing upon massive amounts of real-time data, advanced analytical methods, business expertise and deep computing power. (10-k,2006) Appendix 4 Strategy map: IBM is shifting from low value added hardware leader to the high value added service leader and the premium leader to the cost leader. Appendix 5 Suitability:Profit Impact Market Strategy Revenue: 2006 2005 2004 $ m $ m $ m Global services 48,247 47,407 46,283 Hardware 22,499 24,343 31,193 Software 18,204 16,830 16,141 Global financing 2,379 2,407 2,608 Others 94 147 68 Total Revenue 91,424 91,134 96,293 Cost: 2006 2005 2004 $ m $ m $ m Global services 34,972 35,093 35,078 Hardware 14,175 15,803 22,008 Software 2,693 2,534 2,489 Global financing 1,182 1,091 1,046 Others 107 81 103 Total cost 53,129 54,602 60,724 $ m $ m $ m Gross Profit 38,295 36,532 35,569 IBM core strategy revolves around building a competitive edge which is based on their value added service, apparently they had been out from the PC market but strategically they have added a value in it by selling it to Lenovo and making it key element in IBM’s network of alliances rather than an element in the IBM portfolio. At the same time they having a policy of compete and cooperate with their competitors to address the value drivers to the customers, they understand the business is global, fast moving and unpredictable so they have to be very proactive in their approach. IBM has phenomenal reduced in overall cost of every business sector, which in fact contributing towards increased gross profit. The credit should be given to their effective and efficient way of managing supply and value chain, they have a gross profit rise of more than US $ 3,000 m and US $ 2,000 m in the year 2006 as it was in 2005 and 2004 respectively. There is also a rise in market share of IBM because of their considerable earnings per share of common stock which increased by US $ 2.77 in 2006. IBM’s subtle strategy has positive and profound impact on the overall financial health of the company, which is proved by the statistical data provided from the annual financial report 2006. Positioning analysis: Strategy Clock As shown in the strategy clock, IBM server now is in good price and value and it aims at good price and high value position. IBM also wants to get competitive advantage from this positioning. What is more, using high services to add value can help IBM to increase the brand image- which is hard to be copies. Portfolio Analysis: Portfolio Matrix IBM used to focus on the PC business. However, to conduct its strategy effectively, it sold PC business several years ago. As shown in Portfolio Matrix, server is just a small business to IBM at that time and in the ‘Question Mark’ of the Matrix. And now, it becomes the ‘Star’, where IBM invests a lot of money in. The money needed of the investment is generated from ‘Cash Cow’- the services of IBM. Service sector occupies huge amount of the total revenue of IBM. IBM tries to use this strategy balancing the ‘Cash Cow’ and ‘Star’ and also to be a stronger player in server market. Risk Analysis As mentioned in the Portfolio analysis, the invest will be supported by the money generated from service sector- Cash Cow. Research Papers on Industry analysis for IBM server marketPETSTEL analysis of IndiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Project Managment Office SystemAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaOpen Architechture a white paperDefinition of Export QuotasResearch Process Part OneTwilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Standard English Definitions and Controversies

Standard English Definitions and Controversies In the entry for Standard English in  The Oxford Companion to the English Language (1992), Tom McArthur observes that this widely used term...resists easy definition but is used as if most educated people nonetheless know precisely what it refers to. For some of those people, Standard English (SE) is a synonym for good or correct English usage. Others use the term to refer to a specific geographical dialect of English or a dialect favored by the most powerful and prestigious social group. Some linguists argue that there really is no single standard of English. It may be revealing to examine some of the presumptions that lie behind these various interpretations. The following commentsfrom linguists, lexicographers, grammarians, and journalistsare offered in the spirit of fostering discussion rather than resolving all the many complex issues that surround the term Standard English. Controversies and Observations About Standard English A Highly Elastic and Variable Term [W]hat counts as Standard English will depend on both the locality and the particular varieties that Standard English is being contrasted with. A form that is considered standard in one region may be nonstandard in another, and a form that is standard by contrast with one variety (for example the language of inner-city African Americans) may be considered nonstandard by contrast with the usage of middle-class professionals. No matter how it is interpreted, however, Standard English in this sense shouldnt be regarded as being necessarily correct or unexceptionable, since it will include many kinds of language that could be faulted on various grounds, like the language of corporate memos and television advertisements or the conversations of middle-class high-school students. Thus while the term can serve a useful descriptive purpose providing the context makes its meaning clear, it shouldnt be construed as conferring any absolute positive evaluation. (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, 2000) What Standard English Is Not (i) It is not an arbitrary, a priori description of English, or of a form of English, devised by reference to standards of moral value, or literary merit, or supposed linguistic purity, or any other metaphysical yardstickin short, Standard English cannot be defined or described in terms such as the best English, or literary English, or Oxford English, or BBC English.(ii) It is not defined by reference to the usage of any particular group of English-users, and especially not by reference to a social classStandard English is not upper class English and it is encountered across the whole social spectrum, though not necessarily in equivalent use by all members of all classes.(iii) It is not statistically the most frequently occurring form of English, so that standard here does not mean most often heard.(iv) It is not imposed upon those who use it. True, its use by an individual may be largely the result of a long process of education; but Standard English is neither the product of lingui stic planning or philosophy (for example as exists for French in the deliberations of the Academie Francaise, or policies devised in similar terms for Hebrew, Irish, Welsh, Bahasa Malaysia, etc); nor is it a closely-defined norm whose use and maintenance is monitored by some quasi-official body, with penalties imposed for non-use or mis-use. Standard English evolved: it was not produced by conscious design. (Peter Strevens, What Is Standard English? RELC Journal, Singapore, 1981) Written English and Spoken English There are many grammar books, dictionaries and guides to English usage which describe and give advice on the standard English that appears in writing...[T]hese books are widely used for guidance on what constitutes standard English. However, there is often also a tendency to apply these judgments, which are about written English, to spoken English. But the norms of spoken and written language are not the same; people dont talk like books even in the most formal of situations or contexts. If you cant refer to a written norm to describe spoken language, then, as we have seen, you base your judgments on the speech of the best people, the educated or higher social classes. But basing your judgments on the usage of the educated is not without its difficulties. Speakers, even educated ones, use a variety of different forms... (Linda Thomas, Ishtla Singh, Jean Stilwell Peccei, and Jason Jones, Language, Society and Power: An Introduction. Routledge, 2004) Although Standard English is the kind of English in which all native speakers learn to read and write, most people do not actually speak it. (Peter Trudgill and Jean Hannah,  International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English, 5th ed. Routledge, 2013) Standard English Is a Dialect If Standard English is not therefore a language, an accent, a style or a register, then of course we are obliged to say what it actually is. The answer is, as at least most British sociolinguists are agreed, that Standard English is a dialect...Standard English is simply one variety of English among many. It is a sub-variety of English... Historically, we can say that Standard English was selected (though of course, unlike many other languages, not by any overt or conscious decision) as the variety to become the standard variety precisely because it was the variety associated with the social group with the highest degree of power, wealth and prestige. Subsequent developments have reinforced its social character: the fact that it has been employed as the dialect of an education to which pupils, especially in earlier centuries, have had differential access depending on their social class background. (Peter Trudgill, Standard English: What It Isn’t, in Standard English: The Widening Debate, edited by Tony Bex and Richard J. Watts. Routledge, 1999) The Official Dialect In countries where the majority speak English as their first language one dialect is used nationally for official purposes. It is called Standard English. Standard English is the national dialect that generally appears in print. It is taught in schools, and students are expected to use it in their essays. It is the norm for dictionaries and grammars. We expect to find it in official typed communications, such as letters from government officials, solicitors, and accountants. We expect to hear it in national news broadcasts and documentary programmes on radio or television. Within each national variety the standard dialect is relatively homogeneous in grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation (Sidney Greenbaum, An Introduction to English Grammar. Longman, 1991) The Grammar of Standard English The grammar of Standard English is much more stable and uniform than its pronunciation or word stock: there is remarkably little dispute about what is grammatical (in compliance with the rules of grammar) and what isnt. Of course, the small number of controversial points that there aretrouble spots like who versus whomget all the public discussion in language columns and letters to the editor, so it may seem as if there is much turmoil; but the passions evinced over such problematic points should not obscure the fact that for the vast majority of questions about whats allowed in Standard English, the answers are clear. (Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, A Students Introduction to English Grammar. Cambridge University Press, 2006) The Guardians of Standard English The so-called native speakers of standard Englishes are those people who have somehow espoused a particular set of conventions that loosely have to do with the way English has been codified and prescribed in dictionaries, grammar books and guides to good speaking and writing. This group of people includes a large number of those who, having espoused the conventions, nevertheless do not consider themselves to be excellent users of those conventions. For many of these so-called native speakers the English language is a unique entity that exists outside or beyond its users. Rather than considering themselves owners of English, users often think of themselves as guardians of something precious: they wince when they hear or read uses of English that they consider to be sub-standard, and they worry, in their letters to newspapers, that the language is becoming degraded... Those who do feel they have rights and privileges, who have a sense of ownership of the English language and who can make pronouncements about what is or is not acceptable, as well as those to whom these attributes are accorded by others, do not necessarily belong to a speech community whose members learned English in infancy. Native speakers of non-standard varieties of English, in other words, the majority of native speakers of English, have never had any real authority over Standard English and have never owned it. The actual proprietors may, after all, simply be those who have learned thoroughly how to use a standard English to enjoy the sense of empowerment that comes with it. So those who make authoritative pronouncements about a standard English are simply those who, irrespective of accidents of birth, have elevated themselves, or been elevated, to positions of authority in academe or publishing or in other public areas. Whether or not their pronouncements will continue to be accepted is another matter. (Paul Roberts, Set Us Free From Standard English. The Guardian, January 24, 2002) Toward a Definition of SE From the dozens of definitions [of Standard English] available in the literature on English, we may extract five essential characteristics. On this basis, we may define the Standard English of an English-speaking country as a minority variety (identified chiefly by its vocabulary, grammar, and orthography) which carries most prestige and is most widely understood. (David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003) SE is a variety of Englisha distinctive combination of linguistic features with a particular role to play...The linguistic features of SE are chiefly matters of grammar, vocabulary, and orthography (spelling and punctuation). It is important to note that SE is not a matter of pronunciation. . . .SE is the variety of English which carries most prestige within a country... In the words of one US linguist, SE is the English used by the powerful.The prestige attached to SE is recognized by adult members of the community, and this motivates them to recommend SE as a desirable educational target...Although SE is widely understood, it is not widely produced. Only a minority of people within a country...actually use it when they talk...Similarly, when they writeitself a minority activitythe consistent use of SE is required only in certain tasks (such as a letter to a newspaper, but not necessarily to a close friend). More than anywhere else, SE is to be found in print. The Ongoing Debate It is in fact a great pity that the standard English debate is marred by the sort of conceptual confusions and political posturings (no matter how poorly expressed) ...For  I think there are genuine questions to be asked about what we might mean by standards in relation to speech and writing. There is a great deal to be done in this respect and proper arguments to be made, but one thing is clear for sure. The answer does not lie in some simple-minded recourse to the practice of the best authors or the admired literature of the past, valuable though that writing is. Nor does the answer reside in rules for speech laid down by either the educated of any official body held to be able to guarantee spoken correctness. The answers to the real questions will be found to be much more complex, difficult and challenging than those currently on offer. For these reasons they might be more successful. (Tony Crowley, Curiouser and Curiouser: Falling Standards in the Standard English Debate, in Standard English: The Widening Debate, edited by Tony Bex and Richard J. Watts. Routledge, 1999)

Choose from description below Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Choose from description below - Research Paper Example The author gives a good example of Europe during the Cold War when a huge percentage of the countries embraced the constriction of their soldiers (Yew-Kwang 374). However, the military draft was governed with a lot of controversies ranging from the costs incurred on the same which has forced a huge percentage of the countries to focus on volunteer efforts from other agencies so as to evade the costs (Yew-Kwang 375). Additionally, the weapons adopted in the war system are actually extremely sophisticated which has also contributed immensely to the elimination of conscription (Yew-Kwang 374). Despite the fact that the author argues, that the military draft may involve a lesser cost, it is arguable that the costs of paying this fee will be burdened on the taxpayers who have to overstretch their pockets to cater for that fund (Yew-Kwang 375). Sands’ article argues that the military draft may be useful for the protection of the humans, but the challenges that come alongside it are massive. The author gives an example of the Soviet bloc during the 2nd World War (Sands 33). The article also explains that adopting an all-conscript force is actually too expensive and does not save much cost for the taxpayers (Sands 33). Leaders of the present day era, as Sands argues, are ones that military forces and not military-conscript forces (34). Hummel explains that the military draft was applied in the case of USA during the Mexican war (30). The practices of the militia were by then varied from state to the other, some states spending about 2.5 % for the military draft (Hummel 40). Hummel takes a stand by saying that the difference portrayed in the USA militia drafts kept improving over the years, which led to efficient services from the militants (48). However, the author concludes by saying volunteer militia would be fit today, as opposed to provision of drafts as well as coercion to the militants (Hummel 69) Critique Yew-Kwang’s article may be termed as a vali d one for the study of the topic. It begins from the perspective of the author on what they would have done if they were to choose for or against the military draft. The author then gives an introduction that summarizes the paper. The next section focuses on the analysis of the work which is also explained in the form of graphical representation to explain the author’s perspective in details. The author also gives a simple model of calculation of the draft and its implications in a graphical representation with formulae to explain the graph (Yew-Kwang 379). From the conclusion of the article, it is evident that the author supports military draft in a way as he argues out to the economists that the draft may attract desirable costs. Sands’ article is in prose from and is seemingly one that contains explanations that may not actually be justified on the basis of the conclusions made. If the author had actually given raw data probably from the military personnel, the arti cle would have had a stronger implication on the reader or researcher in this field. Lastly Hummel’s work gives a historical account of what had been taking place throughout the world regarding the provision of military drafts as well as their effectiveness. With a detailed account of some of the wars fought during the time, the reader gets a clear glimpse of the exact picture of what ensued during the past and what needs to

Argument against Hiring and College-Admissions Quotas Essay

Argument against Hiring and College-Admissions Quotas - Essay Example This paper will present an argument against airing and college-admissions quotas. Additionally, it will show that using racial quotas in admitting students in colleges and either hiring or promoting employees in an organization is intuitive and substantial. A. To the government Quotas are simply numerical requirements commonly applied when hiring an employee in a company, promoting someone within an education or working center, and/or graduating members of a specific racial cluster to another level (Gildenhuys, 2004). In some cases, it is seeable that some people discriminate against others mainly due to their racial complexity. This aspect hampers growth and interaction from many angles. For example, one may fail to enter a certain college simply because he or she comes from a certain minority group. Such an act promotes racial discrimination, which is an issue that the whole universe has been fighting for many decades (Gildenhuys, 2004). In hiring, quotas are a very significant fac tor to consider since they provide a basis for selecting and thereafter hiring individuals from every social, racial, and/or economic background (Mwakikagile, 2006). Agreeably, some communities color pigmentation fails to accord them certain privileges. Some colleges and organizations do not hire, admit, or promote people of a certain color such as the blacks or Indians (Lindsay & Justiz, 2004). Some cases of racial discrimination show that there are colleges where students of Indian or black decency do not get admission whereas there are some companies that cannot hire or promote such people. People from these minority groups may possess special abilities or knowledge that...   Quotas are simply numerical requirements commonly applied when hiring an employee in a company, promoting someone within an education or working center, and/or graduating members of a specific racial cluster to another level (Gildenhuys, 2004). In some cases, it is seeable that some people discriminate against others mainly due to their racial complexity. This aspect hampers growth and interaction from many angles. For example, one may fail to enter a certain college simply because he or she comes from a certain minority group. Such an act promotes racial discrimination, which is an issue that the whole universe has been fighting for many decades (Gildenhuys, 2004). In hiring, quotas are a very significant factor to consider since they provide a basis for selecting and thereafter hiring individuals from every social, racial, and/or economic background (Mwakikagile, 2006). Agreeably, some communities color pigmentation fails to accord them certain privileges. Some colleges and org anizations do not hire, admit, or promote people of a certain color such as the blacks or Indians (Lindsay & Justiz, 2004). Some cases of racial discrimination show that there are colleges where students of Indian or black decency do not get admission whereas there are some companies that cannot hire or promote such people. People from these minority groups may possess special abilities or knowledge that they can offer and make their respective organizations gain more advantages over the others.  

Gay male culture Essay Example for Free

Gay male culture Essay American culture has focused much more heavily on gay men than on other members of the LGBT community. This may be due to larger numbers of men than women and it may also be due to gay men having more resources available to them to justify, explore and perform their sexuality. The western culture as a whole still sees men and male experience as the central experience in culture, even if the men in question are transgressing established gender norms. Gay culture relies upon secret symbols and codes woven into an overall straight context. The association of gay men with opera, ballet, professional sports, , musical theater, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and interior design began with wealthy homosexual men using the straight themes of these media to send their own signals. In the Marilyn Monroe film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a musical [filmfreakcentral. net] number features a woman singing while muscled men in revealing costumes dance around her. The mens costumes were designed by a man, the dance was choreographed by a man, and the dancers seem more interested in each other than in the female star, but her reassuring presence gets the sequence past the censors and fits it into an overall heterocentric theme. Today gay male culture is publicly acknowledged. Celebrities such as Liza Minnelli spent [topix. net] a significant amount of their social time with urban gay men, who were now popularly viewed as sophisticated and stylish by the jet set. Celebrities themselves were open about their relationships. Gay men cant be identified by the way they look or what kind of music they like. There are gay men in every field and all sorts of fashions and music. Lesbian culture A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. The history of lesbian culture over the last half-century has been linked to the evolution of feminism. Older stereotypes of lesbian women stressed a dichotomy between women who adhered to stereotypical male gender stereotypes (butch) and stereotypical female gender stereotypes (femme), and that typical lesbian couples consisted of butch/femme couples. Today, some lesbian women adhere to being either butch or femme, but these categories are much less rigid and there is no express expectation that a lesbian couple be butch/femme. There is a sub-culture within the lesbian community called Aristasia, where lesbians in the community adhere to exaggerated levels of femininity. In this culture, there are two genders, blonde and brunette, although they are unrelated to actual hair color. Brunettes are femme, yet blondes are even more so. Also notable are diesel dykes, extremely butch women who use male forms of dress and behavior, and who often work as truck drivers. Lipstick lesbian refers to feminine women who are attracted only to other feminine women. Bisexual culture In modern western culture Bisexual people are in the peculiar situation of receiving hatred or distrust [Lunde 1990] or even outright denial of their existence from some elements of both the straight and lesbian and gay populations. There is of course some element of general anti-LGBT feeling, but some people insist that bisexual people are unsure of their true feelings, that they are experimenting or going through a phase and that they eventually will or should decide or discover which (singular) sex they are sexually attracted to. One popular misconception is that [Lunde 1990] bisexuals find all humans sexually attractive. That is no truer than the idea that, say, all straight men would find all women sexually attractive. More people of all kinds are becoming aware that there are some people who find attractive sexual partners among both men and women sometimes equally, sometimes favoring one sex in particular . Distinctions exist between sexual orientation (attraction, inclination, preference, or desire), gender identity (self-identification or self-concept) and sexual behavior (the sex of ones actual sexual partners). For example, someone who may find people of either sex attractive might in practice have relationships only with people of one particular sex. Many bisexual people consider themselves to be part of the LGBT or Queer community [Barris, 2007]. In an effort to create both more visibility, and a symbol for the bisexual community to gather behind, Michael Page created the bisexual pride flag. The bisexual flag, which has a pink or red stripe at the top for homosexuality, a blue one on the bottom for heterosexuality and a purple one in the middle to represent bisexuality, as purple is from the combination of red and blue [Lunde 1990]. Transgender culture The study of transgender culture is complicated by the many and various ways in which cultures deal with gender [hrc. org]. For example, in many cultures, people who are attracted to people of the same sex — that is those who in contemporary Western culture would identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual — are classed as a third gender, together with people who would in the West be classified as transgender or transsexual. Also in the contemporary West, there are usually [hrc.org] several different groups of transgender and transsexual people, some of which are extremely exclusive, like groups only for transsexual women who explicitly want sex reassignment surgery or male, heterosexual only cross-dressers. Transmens groups are often, but not always, more inclusive. Groups aiming at all transgender people, both transmen and transwomen, have in most cases appeared only in the last few years. Some transgender or transsexual women and men however do not classify as being part of any specific trans culture. However there is a distinction between transgender and transsexual people who make their past known to others . Some wish to live according to their gender identity and not reveal this past, stating that they should be able to live in their true gender role in a normal way, and be in control of whom they choose to tell their past to. Epistemology of the closet. The expression being in the closet is used to describe keeping secret ones sexual behavior or orientation, most commonly homosexuality or bisexuality, but also including the gender identity of transgender and transsexual people [branconolilas.no. sapo. pt]. Being in the closet is more than being private, it is a life-shaping pattern of concealment where gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals hide their sexuality/gender-identity in the most important areas of life, with family, friends, and at work. Individuals may marry or avoid certain jobs in order to avoid suspicion and exposure. Some will even claim to be heterosexual when asked directly. It is the power of the closet to shape the core of an individuals life that has made homosexuality into a significant personal, social, and political drama in twentieth-century America. (Seidman 2003, p. 25). Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, in her book Epistemology of the closet, majorly focuses on male homosexuality. She is also an intellectual who is interested in gay and lesbian studies, queer studies, gender studies, and feminism. Sedgwick (Seidman 2003, p. 25) â€Å"proposes that many of the major thoughts and knowledge in twentieth-century Western culture as a whole are structured—indeed fractured—by the now endemic crisis of homo/heterosexual definition, indicatively male, dating from the end of the nineteenth century†. Incoherent ideas about homosexuality inform the way men are acculturated in the modern West, and (Seidman 2003, p. 25) since this is so, this incoherence has come to mark society generally. Incoherence characterizes the attitude toward homosexuality in the West and is beyond debate. examples, are gay men ridiculous figures of fun or are they sexual monsters who prey on young children? ; is the homosexual a limp-wrested effeminate unsuited for the armed forces, or the lothario of the showers who will gaze upon and/or rape his fellow servicemen? ; Is sexuality an orientation or is it a choice?; are homosexuals born or are they made? ; essentialism or social constructionism? ; nature/nurture?. These are all part of the effect of this crisis in modern sexual definition. Sedgwick believes that it is impossible to adjudicate between these (Seidman 2003, p. 25). In describing in general terms the mass of contradictions that adhere to homosexuality, she proposes that one consider it in terms of an opposition between a minoritizing view and a universalizing one. A minoritizing view takes the position that homosexuality is of primary importance to a relatively small group of actual homosexuals. A universalizing view takes the position that homosexuality is of importance to persons across a wide range of sexualities. Under the universalizing view, one can put nurture, social-construction, choice and a warrant for social â€Å"engineering† to eradicate homosexuality(Seidman 2003, p. 25). Sedgwick says that the current debate in queer theory, between â€Å"constructivist† and â€Å"essentialist† understandings of homosexuality is the most recent link(Seidman 2003, p. 25). She goes on to conclude that the continuation of this debate is itself the most important feature of recent understandings of sex. The aim of the book is to explore the incoherent dispensation under which we now live. Through an examination of a number of mostly late nineteenth century literary and philosophical works, including (Seidman 2003, p. 25). Melvilles BILLY BUDD, Wildes THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, various works of Nietzsche, James THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE, Thackerays LOVEL THE WIDOWER, and Prousts REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, Sedgwick discovers a number of pairs of opposing terms (binarisms) which she then shows to be inconsistent with and dependent upon each other. I found it fascinating to follow her explication of the ways in which these terms were related. Among the pairings that she assembles and dissects for our consideration are secrecy/disclosure, private/public, masculine/feminine, majority/minority, innocence/initiation, natural/artificial, new/old, growth/decadence, urbane/provincial, health/illness, same/different, cognition/paranoia, art/kitsch, sincerity/sentimentality, and voluntarity/addiction (Seidman 2003, p.25). She asserts that a true understanding of the force of the opposition of these terms must be grounded in the realization and acceptance that the content of all of these terms was determined around the turn of the century amid and through anxious questioning over who and what was homosexual. These opposing terms, all of which operate today, therefore have a residue of the homo/hetero definitional crisis(Seidman 2003, p. 25). In addition, Sedgwick perhaps delivers the coup de grace(Seidman 2003, p. 25), if such was needed, to sleek, masculine, modernist objective criticism. She demonstrates that modernist criticism finds its genesis in the homo/hetero definitional crisis and both its flight into and prizing of abstraction is a direct reflection of its homophobia.

Television and Media - TV Violence and Childrens Behavior Essay

Television Violence and Children's Behavior    Drive-by shootings and school massacres are just two of the many violent past-times of today’s youth. Is television a contributor to this insidious erosion of children's respect for life?   Much research that has been done in an attempt to answer this question. The majority of the findings are very similar in content, and the results are grim.   Television violence has been shown to cause four major changes in children's behavior:   "Increasing aggressiveness and anti-social behavior, increasing their fear of becoming victims, making them less sensitive to violence and to victims of violence, and increasing their appetite for more violence in entertainment and in real life."   (AAP Committee)   Television is causing a change in America's children, and it is not a change for the better. If watching television is increasing children's aggressive behavior, then is it also causing a higher crime rate?   Once again, the answer is a resounding yes.   "Longitudinal studies tracking viewing habits and behavior patterns of a single individual found that 8-year-old boys who viewed the most violent programs while growing up were the most likely to engage in aggressive and delinquent behavior by age 18 and serious criminal behavior by age 30." (Booth, Mullins, Scott, and Woolston)   Not only do our children exhibit an immediate reaction to violence in the media but also a long term effect of a higher propensity toward committing crimes.   Another population study stated that the homicide rate doubled within ten to fifteen years after the introduction of television into several different locations where television was introduced at different times.   (Facts About Media Violence)   We are all affect... ...can child reaches the age of 16, he or she will have witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, including 33,000 murders.   (Juvenile Crime and TV)   Apparently we accept what we see over and over again as normal behavior.   We are teaching our children that violence is acceptable by inviting it into our homes everyday.   They, in turn, are becoming more violent from the playgrounds all the way to the prisons. Works Cited Booth, Vicki, Mullins, Heather, Scott, Erika, and Woolston, Jonathon.   "Juvenile Crime and TV."   Online.   http://staff.gc.maricopa.edu/mdinchak/eng101/juvenile.htm "Facts About Media Violence."   Online.   http://www.ama-assn.org/ad-com/releases/1996/mvfacts.htm AAP Committee on Pediatrics. "Some Things You Should Know About Media Violence and Media Literacy."   Online.   http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ChildHealthMonth/media.htm

Rainer Maria Rilke Essay

Rainer Maria Rilke was born in Prague in 1875, a city with a German-speaking element. He attended the University of Prague and Linz, and soon set out on his unsettled life of wandering among friends and countries. In 1899 and 1900 he went to Russia with Lou Andreas-Salome and her professor husband, where he met tolstory and the painter Pasternak (father of the poet Boris). He was fascinated by Russian Orthodox mysticism and the solitary life of the monks. Russia was the foundation of his ways of absorbing the world; he was to say at the end of his life. He took trips to North Africa, Sweden, and Denmark, and in 1901 married to Clara Westhoff, a German, and had a daughter Ruth by her. After a year he left them, though he and Clara remained close friends. In 1902 Rilke went to Paris, where he lived off and on for the next twelve years, part of which time he was the sculptor Rodin’s private secretary. The first of his Duino Elegies were written in 1912 at Duino, Italy, in a castle which looked onto the Adriatic. Then, following a period of creative frustration, in 1921 he settled in Chateau de Muzot, in Switzerland, a small, uncomfortable, thirteenth-century stone house, with a bedroom and one tall room, where he remained the rest of his life. There, in the month of February 1922, he completed the Duino Elegies, the fifty-five poems in Sonnets to Orpheus, and a miscellany of other poems. After 1924 he was sick and by November 1926 he was at the Valmont Sanatorium. That month he published Vergers, a collection of his French poems. After pricking his finger on a rose thorn and suffering pain from severe blood poisoning, he died of leukemia at Valmont on December 29, 1926. By the time he wrote Sonnets to Orpheus, Rainer Maria Rilke was at once the most classically informed and innovatively modern writer of his generation (Rilke 1972). Unembarrassed by precursors, using them to his advantage, he stood apart from his immediate experimental contemporaries and created a modernism at once unique, cyclical, and enduring. Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus, prompted by the death of a young woman, Vera Oukama Koop, is an occasion of perfectly crafted poems, which Rilke shaped and misshaped in every possible way to suit the few days of their compelling creation. The blind angel entered him and spoke his message, and Rilke completed the first book in about three days. He returned to the Duino Elegies, and then turned back to the sonnets and completed the second book, also in a few days. So this most interior, metaphysical, secular-religious poet of the century yielded. In the poems he moves away from what might be an ordinary life of friends, lovers, and artists to one of remembrances: a dog’s imploring face, a free-flying kite, a young childhood cousin who will die, a teenage Dutch dancer, Vera Ouckama Koop, who dies in her eighteenth year and to whom his volume is dedicated. He also contemplates the indifferent modern machine that threatens the soul, contrasted with a virgin and her white unicorn that he discovers on a medieval textile in the Musee de Cluny in Paris. Finally, he addresses the silent friend of many distances, who may be Koop or Rilke himself. In this last sonnet, affirming the risk of life and art that may lead to jubilance, Rilke tells the friend, lost in darkness, to let he go and ring out. In the sonnets, Rilke exchanges his outer and inner worlds with agility. While he may find an angel or two or Orpheus’s resounding tunes inhabiting his realms, no salvific god shows up to comfort or make promises. The poet resides in loneliness, homelessness, silence, and change, his conditions for touching the sky and the fields and hearing all that is elsewhere and around him. Rilke had many friends, but he was always a guest, an uprooted monk of art, and his most accomplished work was completed in a month of 1922 in that tiny dingy castle where he sentenced himself to solitary confinement. Orpheus is a calendar of search, remembrance, and acceptance of Orpheus, the art-god of descent and resurrection, who is everywhere. Rilke succeeds in turning grief into pathos and ultimately into an ecstasy of absence and presence. Following a familiar pattern of his relations with women, Rilke moves from desire, to its frustration and negation, to the transformation into art. It is not different, emotionally and artistically from the pattern of the mystical poets as in St. John of the Cross, where the speaker moves from the burning senses, to the dark night of their negation, and to light and union which in the instance of both Rilke and the Spanish mystic is the evidence of the poem. Rilke’s Interpretation of the Greek Myth Orpheus There are three moments of the myth of Orpheus as related and commented by Rilke, first, the creation of a world through language, second, the turn which Orpheus makes at the threshold of Hades, and third, the death of Orpheus. In Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus, the poet-figure Orpheus, whom we know from Greek legend and Medieval Latin folklore, is the symbol for a poetical synthesis that joins all things in harmony and joins what appears and what by its very nature does not, Orpheus is thought to keep open what Rilke will call a dual realm between the actual and the potential that lies beyond it. The poet-figure to whom Rilke’s sonnets are addressed, of course, is the Greek poet Orpheus, who according to legend, sang so divinely that all of nature hearkened to his call, Orpheus was thus able to charm the god Hades and bring back his dead wife, Eurydice, from the underworld, holding open what Rilke calls the pure relation between the here and the beyond. And so the Sonnets to Orpheus series is about the access of poetic language to appearance and to what transcends it. Rilke’s language itself, through its elusive but also vertiginously concrete references, realizes a world that encompasses the actual and the unseen, the special transcendence (1972:189-192) of potentiality. This is why Rilke’s poetry emphasizes the other side of even ordinary things and other side not exhausted by the actuality that foreshadows it. The inspiration for Rilke’s Sonnets is twofold. First of all, it is grateful to the Orpheus legend an illustration of which hung in the Chateau de Muzot, where Rilke was staying in February 1922 when the series was written. Equally importantly, it was occasioned by the untimely death in youth of Vera Duckama Knoop( a daughter of a friend of Rilke’s), to whom the sonnests are dedicated. (1958: 185). One can infer then that Rilke takes the task upon himself, as Orpheus did for Eurydice, of establishing a relation to the mysteriousness of the other side, which Rilke claims, in a letter about the Sonnets, the dead girl symbolizes. In a commentary Rilke writes that the Sonnets are placed under the name and protection of the dead girl whose incompletion and innocence holds open the door of the grave, so that she, gone from us, belongs to those powers who keep the half of life fresh and open towards the other wound-open half(1972: 136). Rilke is fascinated by the legendary poet, who is said to have sung so beautifully that all beings, even gods, were enchanted by his song, but it is primarily the invisible potential horizon of things that Rilke’s own poetry, by invoking Orpheus, aims to bring into poetical intimacy. Through this horizontality, Rilke finds an access to what he often refers to as the essence of things. The girl is a symbol of that horizonality, a symbol of incompleteness itself: as a young girl, she was half yet to be. Her death transports her to the other side of life which illuminates life’s own incompleteness. In the Duino Elegies,(1994: 154 ),the second part of which was finished during the same profile month of February 1922, the figure of the angel which Rilke takes pains to distinguish from the Christian symbolism of the same serve unification of distinct realms. The Orpheus myth for both Rilke and his predecessor Ovid concerns the relation between this known side of life and the mysterious beyond. Orpheus is the one who has lifted the lyre among shadows, who has entered the underworld, and so the one to whom is allowed the infinite praise of poeticizing. It is because the figure of Orpheus, like the dead girl, is characterized by transcendence that he serves Rilke well here. Rilke devices in his invocation of Orpheus, a decidedly modern poetical access to the transcendent by presenting in condensed and abbreviated form, a lyrical total without translating that total into logical or even associative statements. From the first sonnet of the series, Orpheus and his song are associated by Rilke with pure transcendence. Orpheus who sang so sublimely that he was said to have become a god, transcended the ordinary relation that language gives us to things, a relation which Rilke conceives as relying upon opposites, the cleavage between being and non-being. Rilke’s reference to Orpheus is marked by a repetition of German verbs that indicate a crossing of such boundaries. His word transcends( ubertrifft) the being-here ( das Hiersein), because it overstep ontological boundaries even as he obeys them and so Orpheus enters into relation with the mystery of things and their transience. Their transience renders them intimate with our own and so we must according to Rilke resist the will to run down and degrade everything earthly, just because of its temporariness which it shares with us. Things too belong to the dual realm to which Rilke’s sonnet series repeatedly refers. This is suggested in these lines from Rilke’s Sonnet on the relationship of poetic song and the nature. Conclusion While Rainer Maria Rilke’s relation to empiricist psychology is marginal at best, his relatively unreflecting use of its imagery allows us to estimate with some accuracy the extent to which the movement had entered the general consciousness of an entire period from the 1890s on. For many readers and writers, the dispersed and fragmented subject was doubtless little more than a fashion, just as many saw impressionist painting more as a technique than as the outgrowth of a philosophy. Rilke seems to have used empiricist vocabulary and turns of thought somewhat eclectically throughout his career, he was an excellent indicator of what was generally in the air and had an exceptionally creative way of integrating it into his own original and powerfully imagined poetic universe. Influence studies of the conventional type cannot do justice to the kind of problem he poses. Throughout his life, as an almost daily custom, Rilke wrote letters of such exceptional grace and expressive force that they have come to represent a significant part of his artistic legacy. He also preserved conscientiously letters written to him by others. Family members, friends, and more incidental acquaintances collected his letters as precious gifts, in keeping with old European traditions. After his return from Paris to Muzot, Rilke set down his last will and testament in which he authorized his heirs to publish his correspondence. He realized how much of his creative energies had flowed into the letters. He had spent days and weeks just answering the growing number of questions on his work and way of life and thinking about concerns with which others had approached him. In its totality, Rilke’s work reflects his personal life and disposition, as well as, and perhaps even more so, the curiously pessimistic historical climate that became obvious at the turn of the century. He felt and recorded the insidious doubt in the strength or adequacy of a modern rationalistic society. He was extraordinarily sensitive to the deeply disturbing signs of this cultural unrest and without any sustained interest in theoretical discourse, learned to draw conclusions from the work of contemporary artists. Rainer Maria Rilke is a master at lining, and his use of contemporary meters, rhythm, and diction makes his translations more readable to a contemporary audience without losing the mysticism and lyrical quality of Rilke’s poems.

European Year of Education through Sport 2004 Essay

Research, analyse and critically examine the (European Union’s) European Year of Education through Sport 2004, illustrating your answer with examples from European countries. Sport has been a major arena for the display of popular European values ever since the very first recorded Ancient Olympics were held at Olympia in 776 B.C. The Olympics of Ancient Greece and subsequently the modern Olympics gave rise to the ideology of Olympism, a way of life that embodies through sport these qualities and values. In the years that have passed, the changing face of sport has modelled and re-modelled itself in line with contemporary trends and technological advancements, but the core beliefs have remained the same. Whilst even then in its infancy, sport had to deal with bribery and corruption, with politics and commercialism; the same evils that have plagued the sporting world at the highest level ever since; sport has survived, and the ethos of sport and Olympism continue to be heralded as the archetype of health, vitality and virtue. In September 2003 a ‘Eurobarometer’ survey was carried out, in order to establish the general public feelings towards education through sport. The results it returned were unswerving in their support. Almost two-thirds of the survey sample cited team spirit as the most important sporting value, whilst 70% were in favour of a harder crackdown on doping in sport. Amongst other revelations of a similar trend it is notable that the 2 highest responses when asked if the EU should do more to promote education through sport were those of Greece (90% said yes) and Portugal (85%). These of course will be the 2 main focal points for sporting excellence in 2004; hosting the Olympic Games and the European Football Championships respectively. It is clear that the officials of the European Union share the belief that the prominent values and health benefits that can be garnered from education through sport are desirable. Following the conclusion of the Eurobarometer survey and further research, a budget totalling à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½11.5 million was made available specifically for the initiative they dubbed ‘The European Year of Education through Sport’ (EYES). The allocation of the budget is divided, in simple terms, as described on the InfoBase Europe website, (www.ibeurope.com): ‘A budget of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½11.5 million will be available to support meetings, campaigns and events designed to further the aims of the Year throughout the European Union.’ Whilst à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½11.5 million may appear at first glance to be a substantial amount, further examination reveals otherwise. To be simplistic in analysis, let us say that the funds were equally divided amongst the European Union’s 15 member states; this would leave à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½766,667 (or à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½522,575 [source: www.xe.com]) per nation to distribute internally to cover the entire year. This would work out at around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½14,744 or à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,050 per week for the whole country, far less than the wage of some professional athletes. The UK branch of EYES has 3 ‘key objectives’: 1. Promote EYES in the UK and on a pan-European basis. 2. Give as many people as possible access to the work being undertaken during the EYES 2004 programme. 3. Engage more young people in physical activity and sport, enhancing other developments in the field in the UK. These objectives run parallel with those of the EU as a whole (see annexe 1). In terms of promotion, the initiative is being spearheaded by an ‘All-Star team’ of popular former and current stars of European sport; the most familiar of these perhaps being Jurgen Klinsmann, Clarence Seedorf, Amelie Mauresmo and Sir Steven Redgrave. Alongside these 5 are another 37 individuals (as well as the Latvian National Football Team), ranging from internationally famed to somewhat obscure, all of whom are committed to â€Å"actively supporting the campaign†. (http://www.eyes-2004.info/254.0.html) There seems to be a solid base from which to build a real Europe-wide success. In addition to the All-Star Team, EYES can boast partners from all over Europe, from a variety of different sports as well as many Governmental ministries and Educational Associations, 4 TV Channels and, perhaps most significantly, Sponsorship from VISA and the German travel company Vietentours. There will certainly be a significant amount of publicity surrounding EYES as the year goes on. The logo, accompanied by its slogan (â€Å"move your body, stretch your mind†) will be on display at nearly 200 events during 2004, including the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games and Euro 2004. It appears that from a promotional point of view, as well as the infrastructure, the EU has got it right. There will be plenty of opportunities for people to find out about and participate in EYES. But then what? Even if we were to blanket the entire continent with an awareness of EYES; even if every school in every nation participated; what next? 2005 will not be the ‘European Year of Education through Sport, II’. Surely the priority must be to lay down the foundations for future and continuing education through sport throughout the continent? Any ‘continuing legacy’ or suchlike goes unmentioned in the aims and objectives sections of EYES on both the official website and InfoBase. The focus seems to be on getting as many people interested in sport as possible, then assuming their enthusiasm will remain at a constant level without further promotion. It implies a level of naivety in terms of the EU’s awareness of the seemingly obvious expendable novelty value that can be associated with most short-term governmental and pan-European events of this ilk. There is no function in place to prevent the project from slipping into history without having made any real long-term difference to the education of the public through continuing participation in sport. The official UK website (www.eyes2004.org) contains information for schools on how to get involved, news updates on EYES projects and media releases, and online challenges for schools to take part in by inputting results from different activities into a database to create ‘live, ‘on-line’ competition between schools’ (http://www.eyes2004challenges.org/splash.htm) This attempts to address the ‘access’ aim of the website; whether or not it does this remains to be seen. In my personal experience, the efforts of the British arm of the project so far appear to have been poor, especially on the promotional side. Public awareness seems to be non-existent; I have mentioned EYES to many people, young and old, at every level of the education system; from my neighbours’ primary school children to my 16 year old brother, to my Mother, (a project manager at the local 6th form college). Neither any of them, nor any of the others I spoke to were previously aware of the EYES. Whilst I am aware that this casual sampling cannot be considered in any way to be indicative of the entire British population, they don’t exactly imply a resounding success of the project in my local area. However, it is important to note that in this, as in all cases, only 4 months of the year have passed and there is still time for awareness to be created. There are 5 projects currently running here in the UK: The use of sport and education for the social inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees. (Loughborough University) Basic Skills and Education through Sport (Hull City Council) Clean Start programme (UK Sport) Learning Through Football: Euro 2004 (Football Association) Leeds Education Activity Partnership (Leeds City Council) http://www.eyes2004.org/projectnews.htm The first project on the list highlights the poor promotional aspect perfectly. Whilst it is being run here at Loughborough University; the level of awareness of the project itself and of EYES as a whole has been minimal. Continental Europe, however, may prove to be a different story. Whilst the British Physical Education system is comparatively relaxed in its decentralisation, possibly leading to the aforementioned ineffectiveness in the dissemination of the EYES message, the French political infrastructure, for example, may prove a far more effective and efficient vehicle for the promotion of EYES due to its highly centralised nature. Another aspect is to promote the value of voluntary work for the young and the benefits it can provide for informal education. An example of this is in Portugal where by The Portuguese Youth Institute supported by the European Voluntary Service are giving children under the age of 16 the opportunity to help out in European Football Championships 2004 as ball boys and holding flags and banners before games. The aim of the scheme is to bring young people from different communities and racial backgrounds together through voluntary participation in sport. It may also be argued that, whilst 2004 may have initially appeared to be the ideal year for EYES, with 2 internationally prestigious sporting events being hosted in Europe; the reality may be somewhat different in that EYES could well be overshadowed to the point of insignificance by both Euro 2004 and the Athens Olympics. To make a conclusive statement about the success of EYES at this early stage in the year would I feel be somewhat naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. It can be said however, that the right building blocks have been put into place in order to make it a success. The infrastructure and the organisational aspect is far-reaching enough to be of use to the whole continent; whilst remaining centralised enough in key areas to focus on the same goals. The promotional side is again set up right, with representatives from many sports and many countries being involved from the high-profile to the less glamorous. Whilst the signs of implementation of EYES in schools are encouraging; LEAPS (Learning and education through activity and participation in sports) in Dublin; Basic skills and Education through Sport (Hull); Together in Sport for growing up (Italy); the true results of EYES’ success in schools may take some time due to the enormous amount of feedback required to get a realistic overview of all events and projects. The apparent lack of continuation in terms of the aims and objectives of the initiative can be put down to one of two things. One is that the EU are banking on the continuing success of a one-off push into sport, ignoring the possibility of a speedy return to the low participation rates of recent years. The more likely explanation is that, whilst the EU realise that the effects of EYES may wear off as the future years go by, it will be more effective, given the comparatively small budget available, to concentrate on getting the message out there to as many people as possible this year than to try to implement long-running programmes with less public awareness. Ultimately the deciding factor on the success or failure of EYES, as with most things, will be the budget. Even if, as suggested, the money is directed in the correct manner with minimal amounts of wastage, it is still a relatively insignificant sum on an international scale. I would predict that for there to be any lasting impression left by EYES on the future education through sport in this continent, the amount of funding behind the initiative would have to be substantially larger. Bibliography http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/Olympics/olympicorigins.shtml (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.ecdel.org.au/whatsnew/2003/sports.htm (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.ibeurope.com/Database/Factsheets/F050eyes.htm (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/sport/key_files/annee_eur/a_2004_en.html (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.xe.com/ucc/ (Accessed 15/03/04) http://www.eyes2004.org/splash.htm (Accessed 17/03/04) http://www.eyes2004.org/projectnews.htm (Accessed 18/03/04) http://www.eyes-2004.info/254.0.html (Accessed 18/03/04) http://www.eyes-2004.info/4138.0.html (Accessed 18/03/04) Annexe 1 The Aims of EYES (http://www.ibeurope.com/Database/Factsheets/F050eyes.htm) The aims of the European Year are: (a) to make educational institutions and sports organisations aware of the need for cooperation in order to develop education through sport and its European dimension, given the very great interest that young people take in all kinds of sport; (b) to take advantage of the values conveyed through sport to develop knowledge and skills whereby young people in particular can develop their physical prowess and readiness for personal effort and also social abilities such as teamwork, solidarity, tolerance and fair play in a multicultural framework; (c) to promote awareness of the positive contribution that voluntary activities make to non-formal education, especially of young people; (d) to promote the educational value of pupil mobility and exchanges particularly in a multicultural environment through the organisation of sporting and cultural contacts as part of school activity; (e) to encourage the exchange of good practice concerning the role sport can play in education systems to promote the social inclusion of disadvantaged groups; (f) to create a better balance between intellectual and physical activity in school life by encouraging sport in school activities; (g) to consider the problems relating to the education of young sportsmen and sportswomen taking part in competitive sports.

Carbon Energy Taxations

Carbon Energy Taxations Introduction For many years, companies, businesses, individual, and other entities have used fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide during combustion. Carbon dioxide is a gas that emanates from the reaction of oxygen and carbon during combustion of fossil fuels. However, carbon dioxide is not friendly to the environment as it leads to various negative effects such as pollution and global warming.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Carbon Energy Taxations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The environmental effects caused by extensive release of carbon dioxide compelled countries and environmental activists to look for ways of reducing consumption and the use of fossil fuels, as they contain high amounts of carbon. Some of the strategies used include legislations such as the Kyoto protocol, which is an agreement imposed on developed countries to minimize the amounts of carbon fuels used by their industries (Lungerfold, 2010). Another important strategy was the introduction of carbon taxes, a cost effective technique where countries pay a certain amount of tax depending on the level of carbon dioxide that they emit from fossil fuels into the environment. The prime goal of carbon taxing strategy is to reduce the negative environmental impacts of carbon dioxide. Therefore, this proposal explains the economic impact and effectiveness of carbon taxes in environmental protection. Literature Review The effects of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases such as global warming, destruction of the ozone layer, acid rains, and pollution of air forced states and environmental activists to devise strategies of minimizing the effects of carbon dioxide on the environment. Among the strategies devised is the use of carbon taxes, which is a form of tax charged on the amount of carbon emissions released into the environment (Hsu, 2012). The strategy is a market-based option whose main objective is to help mitigate the negative impacts of carbon dioxide and conserve the environment. States and countries apply carbon taxes on delivery, supply, and manufacture of products. In addition, application of the strategy extends to the use of fuels and the amount of carbon emitted in the process of production.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tisdell (2005) argues that, â€Å"the imposition of the carbon tax is to reduce the rise in the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide and prevent the onset of the greenhouse effect, which is a public issue of global warming† (p. 194). Therefore, carbon taxing is a cost effective and environmental friendly strategy that helps reduce the effects of carbon dioxide by discouraging businesses, industries, individuals, and other entities from using fuels that contain high carbon content. Carbon taxing is a strategy employed by states and countries to minimize the use of fossil fuels that contain high carbon levels. The application of the strategy entails charging a certain amount of tax on the level of carbon available in the fuel. Consequently, imposing the tax on fuel that has carbon leads to a relative increase in the cost of fuel (Hsu, 2012). Hence, individuals, businesses, and industries look for alternative sources of energy like natural gas, oil, and coal that contain little amount of carbon so that they can minimize the cost of production. This leads to reduced use of fossil fuels, which contains high levels of carbon and a subsequent reduction of environmental effects of carbon dioxide. Miller (2007) argues that human activities have increased emissions of carbon dioxide, which have accumulated in the atmosphere for many years as a greenhouse gas and cause global warming. Thus, it is evident that carbon taxing is one of the strategies that reduce the negative effects of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the environment. Taxing of carbon content in fossil fuels is a very effective strategy if properly implemented by countries. The strategy reduces emission levels of carbon dioxide from human activities such as businesses, homes, and industries. Since the strategy levies a certain amount of tax on the carbon content present in fossil fuels, many businesses, and industries opt for alternative sources of energy so that they can reduce the cost production (Miller, 2007). Hence, an overall reduction in the emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Carbon Energy Taxations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The reduction of carbon dioxide emission leads to low levels of environmental degradation and economic constraints associated with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. According to Hsu (2012), the negative effects of carbon dioxide emissions display a relationship of cause and effect, not a mere correlation. Thus, for every emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, there is an increase in the level of environmental degeneration, which leads to lower rates of productivity. Therefore, carbon taxing of fossil fuels significantly reduces environmental problems linked to global warming and emissions of greenhouse gases. The carbon tax is a cost effective market-based strategy that does not only discourage the use of fossil fuels with high carbon content, but also brings revenue to countries implementing the strategy. States and governments use carbon tax to address the challenges brought about by the emissions from carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. All aspects of state or government feel the effects of carbon taxes because an increase in the cost of production leads to increased cost of products. Hence, even the low-income earners in the society feel the effects of the strategy. Lungerfold asserts that, â€Å"keeping in mind the potential amo unt of the carbon tax revenue and distribution could have appreciable impacts† (p. 138). Furthermore, carbon tax has its foundation on the principles of economy. It focuses on the principle of unconstructive externalities, which represent unpaid costs. Thus, imposing the tax on fossil fuels that contain carbon ensures that consumers who use the fuels pay for the effects of carbon dioxide emissions. Discussion and Analysis The proposal will analyze whether taxing carbon content present in fossil fuels is an effective strategy of discouraging their use. In addition, the paper will determine if the strategy is cost effective by assessing whether its implementation increases revenues to countries and states, but does not hurt the economy of the government. The proposal will also check the magnitude of the policy in line with its implementation and if it affects the citizens who reside in the country.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ekins (2009) notes that the cost of fossil fuels will increase due to the carbon tax imposed on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the paper will analyze how governments use carbon taxes to address the challenges occasioned by carbon dioxide and emission of greenhouse gases. It will also assess whether the implementation of carbon taxing strategy to minimize the negative effects of carbon dioxide leads to increased product prices and cost of living. Moreover, the proposal will check if economists and states use the policy of the carbon tax based on the negative externalities principle. The proposal will analyze if the principle dictate that only the potential users of fossil fuels with high carbon contents pay for the effects occasioned by the carbon dioxide emissions. This implies that the proposal will analyze the economic impact of carbon taxes on governments. In addition, the proposal will identify the negative effects of carbon dioxide and gr eenhouse gases such as destruction of the ozone layer, acid rains, pollution, and global warming. Moreover, the proposal will check the efforts that countries have put in place to address these negative effects. The paper will also study the progress made by governments in implementing carbon taxing in the production, delivery, and supply of products to consumers and business people. According to Tisdell (2005), the main objective of the carbon tax is to minimize the impact of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. Furthermore, the proposal will analyze the amount of tax charged on carbon contents present in fossil fuels. In this view, the proposal will examine what the states and governments have achieved in reducing emissions from carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in terms of environmental conservation and economic development. Moreover, the paper will analyze how states and governments are implementing the policy of carbon taxing. It will also check the effectiveness of the polic y in discouraging potential consumers, businesses, and industries from using fossil fuels that have a high content of carbon. Furthermore, the paper will check the extent to which carbon dioxide emissions from industries and other human activities pollute the environment, lower productivity of environment, and increase the cost of goods and services. The proposal will assess how states and governments use carbon tax strategy in minimizing the use of fossil fuels that contain high levels of carbon. It will also analyze how states apply the policy like charging a certain amount of tax on the level of carbon emitted from fossil fuels. Additionally, the proposal will determine if the policy of carbon taxing has discouraged business people, industries, and individuals from using fuels that have high carbon content. According to Karnosky (2001), carbon dioxide has extensive effects on plants and other forms of ecosystem as it leads to global warming, which results in climate change. Moreo ver, the proposal will determine whether businesses and industries have employed alternative sources of energy like solar, hydro-electricity, and wind, which are friendly to the environment in production. In addition, the paper will analyze the level of success on the state or the government in ensuring that businesses, industries, and individuals minimize the use of fossil fuels that have high levels of carbon. The analysis will establish if the carbon taxes have reduced environmental effects of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The proposal will analyze the country’s level of involvement in the implementation of carbon taxes. It will also check if the strategy helps reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in processing plants and businesses. Moreover, the proposal will analyze the progress made by governments in discouraging factories and business firms from using fuels that contain high levels of carbon. The proposal will check if the reductio n of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions has led to increased revenues and environmental conservation as well as productivity in countries. Furthermore, Jiang (2012) highlights that, for systematic and sustainable development, a state should practice conservation strategies that support continuous development of the country for present and future generations. Therefore, the proposal will identify the level of the carbon tax charged for carbon content of fossil fuels and analyze if the tax has any impact on the use of fuels, which contain a high amount of carbon. This paper will also seek to identify if the measures, put in place by states and governments, are functional and instrumental in curbing or reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industries and business establishments. It will also identify if carbon taxing provides the required solutions to economic and environmental challenges that transpire from the emission of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. Conclusion Tax imposed on the carbon content of fuels is one of the strategies devised by countries to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The strategy imposes some amount of tax on the content of carbon present in fossil fuel used by industries and business entities especially in developed countries. The proposal discusses how states and governments can employ the strategy of carbon taxes to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and minimize the negative effects that it causes. Governments usually charge a certain amount of the carbon tax on the content of carbon present in fuels. Therefore, this leads to an increase in the price of fossil fuels, yet many people, businesses, and industries rely on the fuel. The increment discourages business entities, individuals, and industries from using the fuel and encourages them to look for alternative sources of energy so that they can reduce the overall cost of production. Furthermore, when businesspersons, indivi duals, and industries shift from the use of fossil fuel that contains high carbon content, it lowers the emission of carbon dioxide and minimizes the negative effects of carbon dioxide. Overall, carbon taxing aims at protecting the environment from global warming caused by the emission and the accumulation of carbon oxide in the atmosphere. References Ekins, P. (2009). Carbon Energy Taxations: Lessons from Europe. London: Oxford University Press. Hsu, S. (2012). Case for Carbon Tax: Getting Past Hangups to Effective Climate Policy. Washington : Island Press. Jiang, X. (2012). Legal Issues for Implemementing Clean Development. Shangai: Springer, Publishers. Karnosky, D. (2001). The Impact of Carbon Dioxide and Other Green House Gases on Foresty Ecosystem. New York: CABI Publishing. Lungerfold, T. (2010). Cap and Trade: Kyoto Protocol: Greenhouse Gas. New York: The Capitolnet Publishers. Miller, T. (2007). Living in the Enviroment: Principles Connections and Solutions. New York: Canca ge Learning. Tisdell, C. (2005). Economics of Environmental Conservation. London: Edward Elgar Publishing.