Statement of Cash Flow Essay Example for Free

Statement of Cash Flow Essay The importance of cash the cash flow statement help businesses and creditors understand how liquid a company is. Team A discussed some important factors about the statement of cash flow. The purpose of the statement of cash flow and how it is used in accounting is explained. The direct and indirect method of preparing a statement is used. Steps in preparation and classification are explained. The team also examines things that they struggled with and also things that they were comfortable with. The purpose of the statement of cash flow Statement of cash flows purpose is to provide information of cash payment, cash receipt of a business during a period. It also provides answer to question for future investors wanting to make investment in the company. The investors will looks at the business cash flow statement â€Å"where did the cash come from during the period, what was the cash used for during the period, what was the change in the cash balance during the period† (Kieso, Weygandt, Warfield, 2010, p. 198). This shows the business economic and solvency which is more attracted to the investors. The statement of cash flow reports has four major categories, and they are 1) Cash effect of operating during a period. 2) Investing transactions transaction. 3) Financing transaction and 4) the net cash increase or decrease during the period. Between the four every aspect of a business transaction is covered. Statement of cash flow documents shows incoming and outgoing cash of the business. The document makes available a direction in which help guide decision of potential investor, reader, or lender understand the company financial report. Because this document is prepared last it will show a company income statement, balance sheet, owner equity statement, as the result, the report adds validity and accountability to the company financial statements. For example, investors, analysts, potential investors, stockholders, and lender use the statement cash flow report to evaluate the financial strength of the business. How the statement of cash flow used in accounting A company will use the statement of cash flows to illustrate cash payments and receipt payments for a specific period. This report shows how cash changes because of transactions that occur in daily operations such as investment transactions, financing transactions. This report will illustrate to investors and managers the level of liquid resources the company has available. Understanding a company’s cash flow will show the source of cash, the uses for the cash spent, and the balance of cash at the end of the period. This report will tie the information given on the income statement and on the balance sheet. The combination information provided in these statements provides a company’s inflows and outflows of cash. The statement of cash flows removes transactions not related to cash events and allows a person to look at the areas within the business that generate cash or the areas that cause a loss of cash (Luft, 2012). Analyzing the statement of cash flow gives investors and managers a history of how the cash earned and how the cash was used along with the amount of cash remaining at the end of the month. The usefulness of the Statement of Cash Flow The usefulness of the statement of cash flow is for businesses to understand how they are dong financially. Businesses use the statement of cash flow to know how quickly their assets can be converted into cash. Creditors are concern about how they will be paid. When a company can produce a high amount of cash, they can pay their bills. The statement of cash flow also provides information about a companys spending habits. Because a company has net income does not mean their business thriving. Knowing the companys net cash will provide the information needed to know whether or not to do business with them (Kieso, Weygandt, Warfield, 2010). The inflow and out flow The statement of Cash Flow outlines the inflow and outflow of cash from a company for a given period. Inflows include the transfer of funds to a company from another party as a result of core operations, investments or financing (Nordmeyer, 2012). The inflow of cash is generated when businesses either sell their products or perform a service for revenue. Theses inflows can range from collections on accounts, monies from investors, or interest on loans. Cash outflow, on the other hand, is money leaving a company. The outflow of cash from a company can include dividends paid to stockholders, bills, or the materials purchased to complete the products a company sells. Steps in preparation There are three major steps in preparing a Cash Flow Statement. The first step is to â€Å"determine the change in cash† (). This is calculated by comparing the current year’s cash balance to the previous year’s cash balance. For example, XYZ Inc. has a cash balance on its balance sheet of $100,000 and $90,000 for years ending December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2012 respectively. Their change in cash would be a decrease of $10,000. The second step is to â€Å"determine the net cash flow from operating activities† (). This step is depends on the method chosen. The â€Å"direct method reports cash receipts and disbursements from operating activities† (). XYZ, Inc. reported the following: revenues of $80,000, accounts receivables $20,000, accounts payable $30,000 and operating expenses of $50,000. To calculate the net cash flow they would subtract accounts receivable from revenues ($80,000-$20,000 = $60,000) to determine cash collected from revenues. Then, subtract accounts payable from operating expenses ($50,000-$30,000 = $20,000) to determine cash payments for expenses. Cash collected from revenues minus cash payments for expenses equals net cash provided by operating expenses ($40,000). This does not take into consideration income taxes. In contrast, the â€Å"indirect method adjusts net income for items that affected reported net income but did not affect cash. † This is done by adding back noncash charges in the income statement to the net income and deducting noncash credits (). Finally, the third step â€Å"determines the net cash flow from investing and financing activities. † This step determines â€Å"whether any other changes in balance sheet accounts caused an increase or decrease in cash† (). This step could include changes in common stock, retained earnings, or bonds. The hardest part in grasping the cash flow steps was learning when to add or subtract an increase or decrease. However, through research I could learn an increase in accounts receivable, prepaid expenses, and how accounts payable is subtracted and a decrease is added (Investopedia, 2012). Increases are added and decrease are subtracted for prepaid expenses and inventory (Investopedia, 2012). This week reflect on the statement of cash flow. Team A spoke about the importance of the statement of cash flow. It is need to determine where a company is financially. It is also use to understand the liquidity of a business. Why companies use the direct method or indirect method of preparing a statement is explained. Steps in preparation and classification are explained. The team also examines things that they struggled with and also things that they were comfortable with.

Statistical Analysis: Causes and Death and Illness

Statistical Analysis: Causes and Death and Illness Meagan Atcheson The statistics around causes of death are imperative as well as vital in determining and monitoring the health status of populations as well as for identifying critical priorities for various health systems. Most industrialized countries have effective systems in place to determine the main causes of death. In contrast to this, developing countries are not as advanced in placing such systems which proves detrimental in trying to improve the overall health of the nation. Indeed, there are vast differences in the top causes of death within developed countries versus the developing countries. This essay will compare and contrast the top five causes of death in the United States of America and in South Africa as well as provide evidence and explanations for these differences. Moreover, it will critically discuss the risk factors, health policy, disease progression and treatment advances or lack thereof with regard to particular causes in each context. Finally, it will address certain app roaches needed to improve the health of populations. The most fundamental aspect of any health policy looks at methods to maintain as well as improve the health status of a population. Defining the health of a nation as well as how health is measured is critical to any health care system (Kronenfeld, 2002). The World Health Organization defines health not only in terms of the negative definition where health is seen as the absence of disease but also incorporates physical, mental and social well being (World Health Organization, 1948). Mortality rates are the basic form of measurement needed to asses health status. By counting the number of deaths in a year and comparing it to preceding years, the health status of various populations can be determined (Ogden, 2007). Health statistics have shown that diseases, their occurrence as well as mortality rates differ from one country to the next; more specifically developed countries as opposed to developing countries (Tool Tool, 2004). Developed or industrialised countries such as the USA are typically more economically advanced with a high level of economic growth and standard of living as well as advanced technological infrastructure. In contrast to this, developing countries like South Africa have a lower standard of living, are under industrialised and have poorer economic growth (Szirmai, 2005). Ranking causes of death is an extremely useful method for representing mortality statistics (Ogden, 2007).The U.S department of health and human services released a report at the end of 2009 on the leading causes of death in the United States by age, sex and race. The top five causes death in rank order were found to be; diseases of the heart; malignant neoplasms; chronic lower respiratory diseases; cerebrovascular disease and accidents (unintentional injury). It is imperative to note the differences in ranks for age. For example the leading causes of death for infants were accidents; congenital malformations; deformations; chromosomal abnormalities and malignant neoplasms. This differed to the age group of between 2-44 years where the leading causes were unintentional injuries, homicide as well as suicide. For individuals over 45, the primary causes of mortality respectively were heart disease and cancer. Certain variations and similarities exist between the different genders. For b oth genders, heart disease and cancer were the first and second leading causes of death. The third cause for men was unintentional injury versus stroke for women. The fourth leading cause for both sexes was chronic lower respiratory disease followed by stroke for men and Alzheimer’s for women. Little deviation was found among the different races (Heron, 2012). These results remained the same for data collected in 2011 (Hoyert Xu, 2012). The South African statistical release for 2010 showed Tuberculosis (TB) to be the leading natural cause of death. The second leading cause of death was influenza and pneumonia. The third primary cause was intestinal infectious diseases followed by other forms of heart disease (not Ischaemic) and then cerebrovascular diseases. The first two causes; tuberculosis and influenza and pneumonia were the top two causes for both male and female. The third leading cause for women was cerebrovascular disease followed by intestinal infectious disease and then other forms of heart disease. This differed to that of the male group whose third leading cause of death was intestinal infectious disease followed by other forms of heart disease and then cerebrovascular disease. The age group as well as the various provinces in South Africa were included in this statistical report to illustrate slight differences in the top causes of death. In the Free State as well as in Limpopo, the leading cause of dea th was influenza and pneumonia unlike all other states where tuberculosis remained the main cause of death. The major death cause for children below the age of fifteen years was intestinal infectious disease compared to the age group 15-64 whose main reason for death was due to TB. For those aged over 65, cerebrovascular disease caused the most deaths (Statistics South Africa, 2010). Being a developing country, South African individuals face a high risk of contracting and dying from Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a disease where bacteria enters and invades various body tissues such as the lungs, brain and kidney. It is spread from individuals who contain the untreated, active form of the Tuberculosis bacteria through droplets releases into the air via coughing, sneezing or speaking (Wouk, 2010). Although there are numerous risk factors for TB, it mostly affects poorer individuals who are living in rural areas with a lack of affordability for transport as well as treatment, people with weak immune systems, those who lack access to Directly Observed Treatment, Short course (DOTS) as well as those who are uninsured. Furthermore, the strongest risk factor for the development of TB is HIV. These two diseases continue to have a deadly association as each drives the development of the other. Drug resistant strains of the TB bacteria is a huge risk factor leading to the e normous amounts of deaths in South Africa (Davies, 2005). Moreover, the poor health care system as well as the limited number of properly trained health workers in South Africa threatens the majority of people who contract Tuberculosis (Downing, Gwyther, Mwangi-Powell, 2012). The National Department of Health in South Africa implemented the National Tuberculosis control programme which aimed to reduce mortality due to TB as well as prevention of drug resistance development by 2005. However, the health policy surrounding TB in South Africa needs to be strengthened considerably in various areas. Firstly, public health services need to improve DOTS implementation as well as more emphasis needs to be placed on access and utilisation of health services (World Health Organization, 2009). Moreover, different approaches need to be taken in regard to the HIV on TB relationship. Furthermore, higher quality strategies are needed for better TB diagnosis and treatment (South African Department of health, 2004) Although TB is curable, it is the progression from latent TB infection to multidrug- resistant TB that results in the high mortality figures in South Africa. Individuals with latent TB infection show no signs and symptoms of the disease as it is still in the harmless stage. However, if these individuals do not receive proper treatment, reflecting majority of the cases present in South Africa, it develops into TB disease. It usually starts out with damage to lung tissue but often lands up affecting many body tissues and organs. Moreover, TB is extremely resilient and adaptable. Often in developing countries, the right combination of drugs are not taken for the right amount of time due to a large number of reasons such as poverty and this then leads to multidrug-resistant TB. If left untreated multi-drug resistant TB can be fatal (Dyer, 2010). There have been major efforts to improve TB control and treatment in South Africa. Fixed dose combination tablets (FDC’S) were introduced in 2000 in the hope of prevention of resistance and easier administration. Together with the combination tablets, directly observed treatment is enforced to ensure treatment adherence and to help prevent emergence of drug resistance (South African Department of health, 2004). Despite these efforts, the TB incidence and fatality rates still continue to increase. It is therefore not a lack of treatment that hinders South Africa from reaching their target for TB control, but rather a lack of appropriate infection control measures in public health settings together with the high prevalence of HIV that results in increased numbers of drug resistant TB cases (Weyer, 2007). Heart disease in developed countries like the United States is mostly attributed to individual behaviour and lifestyle unlike TB in South Africa. This disease can be linked to risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet, alcohol abuse, diabetes, lack of physical activity as well as high blood cholesterol and blood pressure. Age, heredity and gender also play a role in the development of heart disease (Brannon Feist, 2010). In contrast to developing countries, Americans face very different risk factors which can often be attributed to their fast paced and busy lifestyles. America implemented a public health action plan to prevent heart disease and stroke which addresses an urgent need for the action of prevention. This is in contrast to South Africa’s health policy that still needs to be strengthened. Public health agencies together with the general public of America are needed to help promote the national goals of preventing heart disease as support for these health programmes continue to remain low. The American health action plan aims to improve cardiovascular health through prevention, early detection as well as treatment of various risk factors. This plan also includes developing new health policies that includes innovative intervention programmes for especially high risk groups that will result in measurable impacts (U.S. department of health and human services, n.d.) Heart disease is a chronic condition that tends to get worse over time. Unlike TB, heart disease is not infectious and cannot be spread from one person to the next which is often the case in small areas such as the townships in developing countries. Heart disease is mostly a direct result of lifestyle choices. Furthermore, the progression of heart disease can become extremely unpredictable as it is different for each person. In some instances, the symptoms of the disease can remain stable over months or even years before becoming worse, while in others these symptoms may rapidly development. In America, early stages of heart disease are seen as early as age 15. Hypertension as well as other cardiovascular risk factors has all been linked to the progression of heart failure (Abraham, 2001). New treatments for heart disease have dramatically improved the life expectancy of these individuals in America. Drugs such as statins, antihypertensive agents, thrombolytic agents, anti-platelet as well as anti-coagulation therapies have all proved to be effective treatments. Moreover, novel device based therapies is an advancement in treatment that has contributed to a decline in cardiac mortality in the United States. Through being a developed country, they have access to modern genetics and genomics that will allow for more targeted use of drugs to emerge in the future which will greatly improve the effectiveness of therapy. This is in contrast to South Africa’s limited resources and modern medical advances that still allow drug resistant TB to be a major cause of death (Weisfeldt Zieman, 2007). Apart from cerebrovascular disease and some forms of heart disease, the leading causes of mortality differed significantly between the United States and South Africa. These variations can be explained by the different risk factors, health policies, disease progressions as well as treatment advances or a lack thereof between the two countries. In contrast to developed countries, developing countries have vastly different health priorities due to a diverse set of risks. The many factors such under industrialization, high unemployment rates, underdeveloped health care system as well as the low standards of living is the answer to why causes of death are so unalike. Moreover, the problems in the quality of health care need to be addressed in order to see the health of South Africans improve. In America, additional intervention programmes need to be introduced to help better the health status of the nation. Furthermore, through the comparisons of the approaches South Africa takes in regar d to Tuberculosis versus the approach to heart disease taken in America, proper explanations of the mortality cause differences can be seen. References: Abraham, W. T. (2001). Anti- adrenergic therapy in hypertensive patients with concomitant  disease. In L. Ryden (Eds.). Disease progression throughout the cardiovascular continuum. (pp. 25-26 ). Germany: Springer- Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Brannon, L., Feist, J. (2010). Health psychology: an introduction to behaviour and health  (7th Ed.). USA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Davies, P.O. (2005). Risk factors for Tuberculosis. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis, 63(1), 37-46. Downing, J., Gwyther, L., Mwangi- Powell, F. (2012). Public health and palliative care: a  perspective from Africa. In L. Sallnow, S. Kumar, A.Kellehear (Eds.). International perspectives on public health and palliative care. (pp. 69- 84). Oxon: Routledge. Dyer, C.A. (2010). Biographies of disease: Tuberculosis. California: Greenwood Press. Heron, M. (2012). Deaths: Leading causes for 2009. National vital statistics reports, 61(7).  Hyattsville, MD: National Centre for Health Statistics. Hoyert, D.L., Xu, J.Q. (2012). Deaths: Preliminary data for 2011. National vital statistics  reports; vol 61 no 6. Hyattsville, MD: National Centre for Health Statistics. Kronenfeld, J.J. (2002). Health care policy: issues and trend.USA: Praeger Publishers. Ogden, J. (2007). Health Psychology (4th Ed.). England: Open University Press. South African Department of Health. (2004). The South African National Tuberculosis  Control Programme: Practical guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/ Statistics South Africa. (2010). Mortality and causes of death in South Africa: findings from  death notification (P0309.3). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. Retrieved from www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P03093/P030932010.pdf Szirmai, A. (2005). The dynamics of socio-economic development. UK: Cambridge  University Press. Toole, G., Toole, S. (2004). Essential AS Biology for OCR. UK: Nelson Thornes Ltd. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for disease control and  Prevention.(n.d.). A public health action plan to prevent heart disease and stroke. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/action_plan/pdfs/action_plan_full.pdf Weisfeldt, M. L., Zieman, S.J. (2007). Advances in the prevention and treatment of  cardiovascular disease. Health Affairs, 26(1), 25-37. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.1.25 Weyer, K. (2007). Case study: South Africa. Bulletin of the World Health Organization,  85(5), 325-420. World Health Organization. (1948) Preamble of the Constitution of the World Health Organisation as adopted by the International Health Conference. Geneva: Switzerland.   World Health Organization. (2009). WHO policy on TB infection control in health care  facilities. Geneva: WHO Wouk, H. (2010). Tuberculosis.NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. Is Globalisation Undermining State Sovereignty? Is Globalisation Undermining State Sovereignty? Is globalization undermining state sovereignty? Throughout the years it has been argued that globalization has a significant effect on state sovereignty. That ongoing debate between scholars and social scientists is trying to determine whether or not state can still maintain its own sovereignty. Weiss (1998) suggests that there are certain factors such as investments in international economy, multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations which undermine the state sovereignty. On the other hand, Krasner (2001) argues that in the past similar things such as free trade existed and state sovereignty was able to dominate. The essay will focus on defining globalization and sovereignty. Then it will observe how multinational corporations, inter-governmental organizations, open market economy and international crime can reduce state’s power and therefore undermine sovereignty. Sovereignty is a very broad term which Barkin and Cronin (1994, p.107-30) simply defines as the power of state to make and amend any law within its own state boundaries. Moreover, sovereignty is defined as the â€Å"absolute supremacy over internal affairs within its territory, absolute right to govern its people, and freedom from any external interference in the above matters† (Martinez, 1996; Wang, 2004, p.473). The state is the supreme political authority within its territory and therefore it does not recognize any higher political authority outside it. With this definition it would be easier to determine whether or not globalization affects certain aspects of it. Beekens (2003, p.130) illustrates globalization as the â€Å"world-wide interconnectedness between nation states supplemented by globalization as a process in which basic social arrangements (such as power, culture, markets, politics, rights, values, norms, ideology, identity, citizenship, and solidarity) become disembedded from their spatial context (mainly, the nation-state) because of the acceleration, massification, flexibilisation, diffusion, and expansion of transnational flows of people, products, finance, images, and information.† Therefore, first we are going to observe how economic factors of globalization – free market, increasing power of multinational corporations affect the state sovereignty. The end of the World War Two and the Cold War led to a more open world economy market to countries and individuals as a result of globalization. Therefore, international trade between countries increased significantly where foreign direct investments and multinational corporations participated too. Since there was an open free market some countries reached GDP as never seen before. For example, a drastic changes can be seen in countries such as France where the GDP export ration rose almost four times and in the United States where it doubled (Michie, 2011, p.30-40). Michie (2011, p.40-43) also mentions that these examples show us that international trade has grown with time leading to economic dependency between countries which undermine state sovereignty. This dependency gives the power of other countries to manipulate and control the economy of another country. For example, in order to attract more consumers for its goods and services, China buys US bonds to maintain the US dollar currency high. This undermines states sovereignty, because it undermines the â€Å"absolute power of a state over internal and foreign affairs within its own boundaries† (Wang, 2004, p.474-76). In this way US is dependent on China to buy their bonds. Multinational corporations and their foreign direct investments are another part of globalization which undermines state sovereignty. The investments only in the developed countries have risen from 17 to 25 percent between 1990 and 2000 which simply shows that the multinational corporations are a big part of the production and manufacturing of goods and services in few countries (Michie, 2011, p.45-50). Furthermore, between 1960s and 1970s there was an increase in foreign direct investments by EU and US multinational corporations which attracted other countries to get involved too. Strange (1996, p160-80) argues that globalization has increased the powers of multinational corporations making the state sovereignty weaker. Furthermore, Strange notes that the advancements in technology, wider communications, international trade and transportation are parts of the globalization process which is also seen as an impact on state sovereignty. For instance, states do not have full authority o ver individual businesses which operate in the free market economy. As a result of globalization there is an increased competition between international businesses and therefore, state sovereignty is undermined because it questions the power of the state over its internal affairs (Strange, 1996, p181-99). The biggest challenge which state sovereignty is facing even now is international crime. This is when the state cannot protect its citizens from external or internal affairs as for example terrorism. To prevent that governments form inter-governmental organizations. These organizations are not profit organizations and their target is to resolve concerns and problems that affect the world. Such organisation is the United Nations. A good present example of an international group which pose a threat to state sovereignty is Al Qaeda. As Aydinli (2006, p.35-45) says, the attacks on US and Spain in 2000 undermined their state sovereignty because they were not able to protect their citizens. On the other hand, in the same year the United States also intervened Iraq and Afghanistan ignoring the United Nations. This could also be seen as international crime because they ignored state sovereignty and just went into these Middle East countries blaming them for supporting terrorism. Despite the fact that the inter-governmental organizations are supposed to promote peace, sometimes they violate state sovereignty too. For example, in 1999 NATO intervened Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in order to prevent more â€Å"humanitarian suffering and more repression and violence against the civilian population† (Solana, 1999). This can be seen as an example of countries, members of NATO, trying to stop this humanitarian catastrophe. Although NATO’s actions were legal and justified, the government of Yugoslavia undermined sovereignty by putting its own citizens in danger. This contradicts to one of the aspects of state sovereignty in which the state should protect its own population. Another example is Mali. France, which is a key ally in NATO and UN, started a military campaign in Mali again the jihadists which led to an â€Å"intensive airstrikes† in order to block them (Hammond, 2013). In this case NATO affects the state sovereignty because they intervene to protect the people, whereas the state has to govern and protect its own citizens. This intervention might lead to further violations of human rights or even ethnic conflicts, even though the purpose of this intervention was to stabilize the country. Therefore, as Albala (2005) says, the actions of these inter-governmental organizations undermine the aspects of state sovereignty as they move into other state`s territory and also participate in the internal and external affairs of the state. Also the international community is currently condemning Russia for undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine. It is unclear if internal sovereignty will be possible. Furthermore, Russia will support protests against the new government even if they have to use military power. Russia has also withdrawn their loans from Ukraine making them dependent on Western financial support. At the same time, the territorial integrity of the country is partly at stake as long as pro-Russian parts of Ukraine might feel threatened by the clear pro-Western course of the new intermediate government.This can also be seen as another example of undermining state sovereignty. Globalization is not just a threat to state sovereignty, it is more like a threat to culture and national identity. For example, at no point in the history of the EU or ECC as it was called erasing borders and merging states have been seriously considered. Despite the fact that the European Union is an inter-governmental organization seeking for peace and development, it opens the borders between the member countries. Free market economy, free trade and immigration have shaped the EU more as one state than an organization. That occurs because the open boundaries lead to merging the cultures and national identity is fading away. All this can raise questions to Member states whether or not their national identities and state sovereignty are undermined. Moreover, it does undermine the state sovereignty but in a different way – throughout international law. International law has been affected by globalization in terms that it makes the international law into a global public law (Garcia, 2005, p.1-2). What it means is that globalization is actually trying to expand the â€Å"domain of justice† (Garcia, 2005) from domestic to global. An example is the European Union. When a country in the EU wants to make a law, firstly they have to follow the agreements on European Law and regulations. Garcia (2005, p3) says that â€Å"International harms to individuals are understood within a framework of harm to a state’s rights†. Simply, the state cannot claim laws as it wishes and it also has no sovereign power on internal and external affairs Furthermore, other form of international organizations are the international non-governmental organizations. They start as small community groups where some of them work also with the government, aiming to help where the government is struggling (Baylis, Smith Owens; 2011). However, these organizations have spread their work on a global scale and their influence has risen. Inter-governmental and international non-governmental organizations have one target which is global governance – where transnational actors aim to solve problems that affect more than one state. Such organizations are the Red Cross, Care International, Oxfarm International. When one of these international NGO goes into a country with a stated purpose as for example to give medical help or fight against violence as Amnesty International does in Somalia, they agree not to get politically involved in anyway. If their work is, for example, then stopped by the government who accuses them of showing a bias in whi ch they treat and expel them from the country then the NGO can complain to the UN and ask for support to continue their work. Recently, Amnesty International has requested the UN Security Council to â€Å"tighten arms control embargo on Somalia† (Amnesty International publication; 2014). Last year the UN Security Council allowed Somalia to import small arms and light weapons (Amnesty International publication; 2014)). The intergovernmental organization weakens the state sovereignty in that case because despite the fact that they have stabilized the country on first place, their actions have made the government weaker to defend its sovereignty. To summarize, we first looked at what state sovereignty and globalization mean followed by criticism about the influence of globalization over states. We saw how foreign investments by the multinational corporations and the increasing dependency between economics markets as such as the case with United States and China. State sovereignty was undermined because governments became more unstable and lost control over international businesses becoming dependent on them for proving jobs and taxes. This also undermines one of the main principles of state sovereignty which was the absolute power of the state over its internal affairs, citizens and freedom (Martinez, 1996; Wang, 2004, p.473). Globalization has also brought international crime and international organizations which undermine state sovereignty in different aspects. Terrorism as we mentioned weakens the state making it unable to protect its own citizens. Globalization has been also seen to undermine national identity and state v alues as with European Union where the European Supreme Court acts as highest law within the European Union. Since some governments cannot guarantee protection there are inter-governmental and international non-governmental organization such as NATO, Amnesty International, United Nations which intervene to help those countries such as Yugoslavia, Mali and more recently Ukraine and Somalia. Although they have been also seen to undermine state sovereignty because sometimes as with Somalia, the international organizations have even worsen the situation. With all these factors of globalization – free market economy, multinational corporations, foreign direct investments, international crime and international law it can be concluded that state’s sovereignty and control over its territory has declined throughout the years due globalization. Bibliography: Amnesty International, (2014) â€Å"UN Security Council urged to tighten arms embargo on Somalia† Press release: 04/03/2014; Available on: http://amnesty.org/en/news/un-security-council-urged-tighten-arms-embargo-somalia-2014-03-04 Last accessed: 05/03/2014 Albala, N. (2005) â€Å"‘We the peoples’, not the states†, Available on http://mondediplo.com/2005/09/06people Last Access on 04/03/2014 Aydinli, E (2013): Assessing violent nonstate actorness in global politics: a framework for analysis, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, DOI:10.1080/09557571.2013.819316 Available on: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09557571.2013.819316#.Uxez-Pl_uSo Last Accessed on 04/03/2014 Barkin, J. and Cronin, B. (1994). The state and the nation: changing norms and the rules of sovereignty in international relations. International Organization, 48, pp 107-130. doi:10.1017/S0020818300000837. Available on: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=onlineaid=1583540fulltextType=RAfileId=S0020818300000837 Last accessed: 04/03/2014 Baylis J., Smith S. and Owens P. (2011) â€Å"The globalization of world poltics†; Oxford University press Dr. Javier Solana, (1999); Press Statement on Yugoslavia case Available on: http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/1999/p99-040e.htm Last accessed: 05/03/2014 Garcia, F. (2005) â€Å"Globalization and the Theory of International Law† International Legal Theory 11, (2005): 9-26. Available online on: http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1093context=lsfp Last accessed: 05/03/2014 Hammond, J. (2013) â€Å"Mali: Disregarded Lessons in ‘Humanitarian’ Intervention† Available on: http://www.jeremyrhammond.com/2013/01/23/mali-disregarded-lessons-in-humanitarian-intervention/ Last Accessed: 05/03/2014 Krasner S. SOVEREIGNTY.Foreign Policy[serial online]. January 2001;(122):20. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2[emailprotected]hid=4214bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#db=bthAN=3934097. Accessed March 5, 2014. Michie, J. (2011), The Handbook of Globalisation, e-book, accessed 05 March 2014, http://rhul.eblib.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=685074>. Strange, S. (1996). The Retreat of the State. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Who is really in charge of the world economy? Not only governments, argues Susan Strange in The Retreat of the State. Big businesses, drug barons, insurers, accountants and international bureaucrats all encroach on the so-called sovereignty of the state. Professor Strange examines the implications of this rivalry and points to some new directions for research in international relations, international business and economics. Cambridge Books Online. Web. 05 March 2014.http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511559143 Wang, G. (2004)† The Impact of Globalization on State Sovereignty†; JF Chinese Journal of International Law; Available on: http://chinesejil.oxfordjournals.org/content/3/2/473.short Last Accessed: 04/03/2014 Weiss, L. (1998) â€Å"Themythofthepowerlessstate: governingtheeconomy in a global era†; Oxford Polity Press

The Moviegoer By Walker Percy Essay -- essays research papers

In Walker Percy’s story The Moviegoer, Binx Bolling, a Stockbroker on the verge of turning thirty is on a quest. Set in 1960 New Orleans during Mardi Gras Binx, an upper class southern gentleman sets out to find out about himself. Answer questions that have tugged at his soul. Questions about despair, everydayness, religion and romance. Binx is stuck in a quagmire. He must break out from this cloak of ennui and find the essence of being. But how? How can people, a person with a soul and a world at their fingertips be so inept at finding what makes them alive. Can it be found in religion or on the arm of a southern beauty? Maybe it can be found in the surrealism of a movie, or the excitement of making money. What if an answer is found? Will it frighten a person back to their everydayness? Some of these question are sound, others may be just thoughts in the authors mind, but they are questions that Binx must find out about. The following will talk about the idea of despair & everydayness and if others think about searching the way Binx Bol ling does. Binx is deathly afraid of being pulled into everydayness. That is to say that he does not want to fall into the trap of a daily, weekly of life long rut. He does not want to settle for just living just an existence. He wants to be noticed, to have the ability of excitement on a daily routine. To work hard and start a family and fight for what he thinks is a grand life. Only to realize years later that such a routine was estab...

Animal Farm: Character Analysis Of Napoleon :: Animal Farm Essays

Animal Farm: Character Analysis of Napoleon by George Orwell "Napoleon was a large rather fierce looking Berkshire boar," that was spoiled and always got his way. He was the only pig of the kind on the farm. Napoleon was a great rival to Snowball. Snowball was very outspoken while Napoleon was very secretive and did not talk much. Napoleon and Snowball prepare for the Rebellion in a very similar manner, and have many goals alike. Old Major's vision was important to both Napoleon and Snowball and develop his ideas into a plan. The society was to be set-up after the Rebellion. Napoleon's plan benefits himself while Snowball's are benefiting to all the animals. After the Rebellion Napoleon takes charge of the milk and the apples, at this time the plan that benefits him is put into action. Napoleon does not take part in the activities for the animals. As part of Napoleon's plan he disagrees with Snowball on most of the issues. Napoleon is a secretive plotter that works behind the scenes and someday plans to eliminate Snowball as a rival. For example he secretly trained the guard dogs in secret, keeping them completely hidden from view. Napoleon was also very good at developing support for his ideas, after meetings he would talk to the other animals one on one and "psychologically brainwash" them. He is very kiniving in his ways to get more power and is always trying to discredit and undermine the other animals. One time he urinated on Snowball's plans for the windmill. Napoleon's sense of timing is keen and this is very useful is his quest for more power. At just the right time he implies that Snowball's teachings are not beneficial to the other animals. Then the time comes when Napoleon has to carry out the rest of his plan, getting rid of Snowball. But by the time the animals realize what is going on Napoleon has taken control and is ready for any objections. Napoleon eventually gains total power and symbolizes a despotic ruler. In this book Napoleon represents "Stalin and his counterpart in the Russian Revolution. Napoleon always has to have the best produce, best quarters, whiskey, and clothing. He distracts the other animals from the fact that he is modifying the original Animal Farm visions. He ruthlessly kills anyone who protests his

Maine is More Family Friendly than California :: Free Argumentative Essays

Maine is More Family Friendly than California I moved to California three years ago from Maine. I really like it here. But when my husband and I start a family, I want to move back. Quite simply, Maine is a better place to raise children than California. There are many reasons why Maine is superior. Take the crime rate, for example. According to the United States Census Bureau, the 1992-crime rate per 1000 people in Maine was 131; California's was 1120! Some could argue that these crimes might have no impact on children, so let's look at the child abuse rates. Maine's rate was five per 1000 people, compared to 326 in California (1). These numbers portray a safer environment in Maine. My parents only began locking their homes front door a few years ago; they now lock it but leave the key in the mailbox just two feet away. I never lost my car keys in Maine because I always left them in the ignition; try that here and see how long you have a vehicle! The crime rate isn't the only difference-how about poverty? 1996 statistics from the United States Bureau of the Census show 13.8% and 18.2% rates for child poverty in Maine and California, respectively (1). Money isn't everything, but certainly a poverty-level lack of income won't help in child rearing. Education is another important factor to consider. The United States Department of Education reported the national average percentage of high school seniors who graduated during the 1992-1993 school year was 71.1%. Maine's percentage was 74.3, while California posted 67.9% (1). I believe this is due to a much smaller population, which, in turn, produces smaller schools. Student-to-teacher ratios tend to be much smaller. I graduated with a class of thirty-six students. My school's total enrollment (grades 6-12) was around 130. Individual attention was not a problem. Maine schools (and perhaps Maine families in general) also do a better job of educating their teens on sex and birth control. Pregnancy rates per 1000 teenage girls in 1996 prove this. Maine's rate was a low 57 as compared to California's 125 (Alan Guttmacher Institute 1). Preventing teen pregnancies will help keep the high school graduate level high and, consequently, keep the poverty level low. There are also benefits of growing up in Maine that cannot be measured by statistics. There is a sense of community evident, even in Maine's larger towns and cities.

The Sea and the Fury

The Sea and The Fury Piracy seems more suited to Johnny Depp and Robert Louis Stevenson books, not devastating violent acts that have had an ever-growing fear in the 21st century. Southeast Asia, or the `Arc of Instability' (a more appropriate name for this essay), has become a hot spot for modern day pirates within the last decade. Maritime Terrorism has also become more widespread due to several Southeast Asian terrorist groups who have the intention and capability of waging terror on the high seas. However, one cannot say that piracy is a more persistent and significant threat to regional security than international terrorist networks.In many cases, piracy and terrorism overlap, and can therefore be constituted as the same thing. Piracy is defined by the United Nations as â€Å"violence on the high seas, that is, beyond any state's territorial waters† (Young & Valencia, 269) and to the International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau as â€Å"an act of boa rding or attempting to board any ship with the intent to commit theft or any other crime and with the intent or capability to use force in furtherance of that act†. (Young & Valencia, 269. Maritime Terrorism is defined as â€Å"political piracy† which is â€Å"any illegal act directed against ships, their passengers, cargo, crew or against sea ports with the intent of directly or indirectly influencing a government or group of individuals. † (Young & Valencia, 270. ) Because these acts are similar in nature and intent, one cannot be said to be more of a threat than the other. This paper will analyze separate cases of piracy and terrorism and cases where the acts overlap, with attention given to the Straits of Malacca, one of the world's busiest waterways and a veritable sitting duck for terrorism and piracy.Piracy has made a remarkable return to the new world with hundreds of cases being reported every year. With many of the surrounding countries in the South Pac ific being economically and politically unstable, and the fact that the seas are some of the most heavily trafficked in the world, piracy has become a viable means of thievery. â€Å"Reported incidents of piracy worldwide have dramatically increased over the last 5 years, peaking at 469 in 2000. A significant portion of these incidents occurred in Southeast Asian waters, increasing from 22 in 1997 to 164 in 2002.Indonesian waters alone accounted for 119 out of 469 reported worldwide incidents in 2000, 91 out of 335 incidents in 2001, and 103 incidents of a total 370 reported incidents in 2002. † (Young & Valencia, 270. ) Piracy is used for financial gain, with different levels of piracy set at common thievery, temporary seizures, long-term seizure and hijacking. The Straits of Malacca saw a cargo ship, the Alondra Rainbow, of aluminum ingots hijacked on its way to Japan. The crew was held hostage for a week before being set adrift; they were later found by a Thai fishing boat .The ship was found weeks later in Indian waters. Terrorism is usually not heard of at sea, but is just as serious as it is on land. â€Å"Terrorism, and its maritime manifestation, political piracy or maritime terrorism, is motivated by political goals beyond the immediate act of attacking or hijacking a maritime target. † (Young & Valencia, 271. ) The Abu Sayyaf Group, the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka and the Jemaah Islamiyah are three terrorist groups with roots in the South Pacific that have taken advantage of the high volume of shipping that passes through the waters by perpetrating acts of piracy and terrorism.Al-Qaeda is also thought to be an enemy that would terrorize ships traveling through the region. â€Å"Not only do pirates terrorize ships' crews, but terror groups like al-Qaeda could also use pirates' methods either to attack ships, or to seize ships to use in terror attacks at mega-ports, much like the Sept. 11 hijackers used planes. A more sinister scenario is that a small but lethal biological weapon could be smuggled into a harbor aboard ship and released.Terrorist groups regard seaports and international cruise lines as attractive targets because they lie in the intersection of terrorist intent, capability and opportunity. † (Banaloi, 67. ) This has affected Southeast Asia horribly, causing drops in tourism, trade and shipping revenues. Terrorist groups are more rampant in this region because of the great amount of political unrest and are usually able to procure the weapons needed for such activities relatively easily due to the political climate and amount of Black Market goods. This may be only the beginning of Maritime Terrorism.In 1982, the United Nations drew up the Laws of Sea, detailing how many miles offshore nations could call their own and where maritime boundaries were regarding international waters. However, the flaw here lies in the fact that the United Nations did nothing to provide for nations that have conflicting boun daries except add an addendum that stated that nations had to â€Å"peaceably† come to a compromise. Conflicts have arisen due to the fact common waterways are narrow, nations have competing claims for boundaries, and an abundance of rich resources have been found in the area. Piracy and terrorism overlap in several ways, particularly in the tactics of ship seizures and hijackings. And some of the conditions which allow it to thrive are also similar to the causes of terrorism, for example, poverty, political instability, permeable international boundaries, and ineffective enforcement. † (Young & Valencia, 271. ) Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore all border the Straits of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping areas in the world. Oil has been tapped and pumped off the coast of East Timor by Australia.Brunei is rich from oil deposits, as would the Philippines, Vietnam and China be – if someone drew up a proper boundary and split the territory. All of these claims hav e led to an amazing amount of unrest in the area, culminating with escalating violence. â€Å"Because piracy is frequent in Southeast Asia, terrorists have found it an attractive cover for maritime terrorism terrorists could adopt pirate tactics of stealing a ship, which they could then blow up or ram into another vessel or a port facility, to sow fear.Thus, security experts consider the line between piracy and terrorism to have blurred in Southeast Asia. † (Banalaoi, 64. ) A narrow waterway linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Straits of Malacca are bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and sees thousands of shipping cargo pass through its ports every year. â€Å"The Malacca Strait alone carries more than a quarter of the world's maritime trade each year – more than fifty thousand large ships pass, including forty to fifty tankers.Because the strait is the maritime gateway between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, it will remain a world center of maritime activity. It has been argued that it would be difficult for terrorists to disrupt shipping in the strait by sinking a ship in a precise spot. However, were terrorists to hijack one and turn it into a floating bomb to destroy ports or oil refineries, the effect would be catastrophic. Such an attack incident would not only cripple world trade and slow down international shipping but spread fear-more broadly than on 9/11. † (Banaloi, 65. The United States has expressed grave fear over the possibility of sinking a tanker in the Straits, and has, along with India, taken to patrolling the waters. Japan has also expressed concern over the safety of the Strait with good reason: Japanese ships were hijacked in 1998, 1999 and 2000, one of which was the infamous Alondra Rainbow. Needless to say, the problem is not going to go away. Piracy has become more rampant in the Straits during the last few years, and is expected to rise even more when China begins using more oil. â€Å"T he number of such attacks has tripled over the past decade.In the first week of June, for example, a tug and barge disappeared on their way to Port Klang in Malaysia, armed robbers looted a tanker in Indonesian waters and crews repelled two other attacks in the Strait itself. † (www. economist. com. ) Despite the apparent rise of piracy and the serious potential for terrorist acts, all hope should not be lost. â€Å"A total of 16 countries and one administrative region were represented at the Asian Maritime Security Summit: Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.After discussing measures to deal with piracy and maritime terrorism, the participants adopted an â€Å"Asia Maritime Security Initiative 2004† calling for cooperation among their countries in this area. It seems fair to see this development as an expression by Japan of its readiness to take the initiative in regional maritime security. † (Isami, 49. ) Recently, Japan, no doubt influenced by its hijackings, has spearheaded a campaign to end piracy and terrorism in the Straits and other sea-lanes in the South Pacific.One popular idea raised at the conference was building an Asian Coast Guard, wherein each nation would send people to be trained as officers and be able to patrol and safe guard the waters. The Copenhagen School in Denmark â€Å"introduced the concept of â€Å"securitization† to challenge the traditional conception of security. Emmers applies the â€Å"securitization theory† to have a deeper understanding of the â€Å"securitization† of drug trafficking, piracy/maritime terrorism, and people smuggling in Thailand, Singapore and Australia, respectively. (Banaloi, 388. ) â€Å"Securitization† has become a theory used to pinpoint the ways in which regions become â€Å"securitized† and â€Å"de-securitized. † The theory has been met with gr eat fanfare, especially in the South Pacific. Yet another theory to help scholars and government aides with the situation is the Grey Area Theory presented by Peter Chalk, where threats to the stability of nations are provided by non-nation processes, organizations and people.A review of his theory stated, â€Å"The piracy chapter touches on important weaknesses in international law, particularly in relation to the sensitive issue of â€Å"hot pursuit† and the problems of seas where there are disputed or no clear maritime boundaries, truly â€Å"grey-areas. † It also raises significant regional examples of active cooperation, such as the joint maritime patrols by the littoral states of the Malacca and Singapore Straits which have helped to reduce incidents of piracy. (Grundy-Warr, 111. ) The Royal Malaysian Navy has stepped up efforts to patrol the Straits, as has the Singaporean Navy. While the navies have reduced some acts of piracy and terrorism, the Straits under the Indonesian zone are largely unguarded due to lack of funds. The United States has offered assistance, but Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have declined, preferring advice and equipment rather than actual presence, which they fear might anger their country's inhabitants.Piracy and terrorism have been blended together to form a rather extreme form of diabolical action. Terrorism is the face of global disorder in the coming decade and will need to be prevented in order to ensure a safer world. The war over installing a democracy in Iraq may not be the way to staunch the flow of terrorism, but a â€Å"securitized† Straits of Malacca could ensure the safety of people, trade and economic cooperation for years to come.

Telstra Segmentation

The broadcasted advertisement launched by Tellers a few months ago highlighting the statement â€Å"we are Australian†. D) Electronic Interactive Marketing (internet): When you type in ‘Tellers' on Google, a sponsored link gets displayed on the right side of your web page which display the different sales promotion undertaken by Tellers. 2. The mall target market for all which all these different marketing communication tools are used is the market consisting of Australian people, mainly those wanting to purchase a telecommunication providers service.All these communication tools aim at attracting the customers from this market and making them purchase Telltale's arrives. Although, the actual market targeted might vary for one communication tool to another, however the company uses these deferent marketing tools to target the entire consumer market right from young to old, students to retirees, etc. As a result it can be stated that one of the segmentation variables on t he basis of which Tellers targets consumers is the demographic variable of age. 3.Communication Objective: Advertising (Outdoor Media/ Billboard): This advertisement aims at attracting the consumers to purchase the latest mobile phone (Motorola IV) with a Tellers service. The mall feature aimed at attracting the consumers Is the city search application where people can search for restaurants on the their mobile for free and decide on which place to have a meal. Advertising (Print Media): This advertisement aims at attracting consumers using the services of other telecommunication providers and makes them sign up with Tellers.Also another objective of the advertisement Is that for encouraging people to sign up with Big Pond which Is the broadband service offered by Tellers. This can be effective because the benefits offered by Tellers can convince the consumers to choose Tellers ever other service providers. Broadcast Advertising: The aim of the television commercial is to promote am ong the consumers of Australia that Tellers is indeed an Australian company and to promote such an Image that the customers choose the domestic brand (Tellers) over other International telecommunication service providers (Boatmen). Gun an advertisement can generate great goodwill for the company and play a major role on improving the public relations. Interactive Advertising: Such a sponsored link aims at diverting the attention of the Internet user and attracts him/her towards different sales promotion and offers revived by Tellers. Such interactive advertising can at times be non-productive due to factors such as not appealing to consumers, consumers least interested in it, not seen by the users, etc. 4.A new marketing communications approach used by Tellers could be handing out mobile connections with minimum credit to the arriving passengers at airports for them to use. In this approach, Tellers sets up counters at the airport arrival lounges and hands out the mobile connections to the arriving passengers. At times, when people come to Australia from foreign countries, they do not have a ready mobile injection, which they can use to contact their friends or relatives in Australia.They have to go in search of the retail outlets of these service providers and compare the available alternative. This can be a very lengthy and time-consuming process at times. In place of this, if Tellers provides free telephone connections to arriving people at the airport with minimum credit, it will be able to improve its public relations to a great extent and the image of the company can also improve drastically. However, such a marketing communications approach can be expensive and at times not be very effective.