Stumper 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Stumper 4 - Assignment Example My answer is also correct but it is not detailed to the lather. Both answers explain the effects of such situation in the short run. My answer gives general information while the teacher’s goes as far as categorizing the major economic components that face the full impacts. For instance, the teacher talks about the how businesses, households, commercial banks and the foreign exchange markets react to lower Fed Fund Rates. Nevertheless, both answers explain the result of the expansionary monetary policy that is enacted during trough phase of the business cycle. In this question, both answers are correct though there slight difference in the explanations. Both answers focus on the long term effects of a strong expansionary policy and the resulting effects. Some of the effects discussed include price levels, aggregate demand, aggregate supply, inflation, rate of unemployment and Gross Domestic Product. In my own opinion, the assignment is ninety five percent

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Journal - Essay Example Is it truly desirable to be free from the social bonds and obligations of a community? I am not convinced. I would argue that money, more than any good or service, has been commoditized in our economic system and created alienation. The last three decades have seen an explosion of money, commodity markets and communications which now beginning to bear the consequences. Whatever else this period of ‘globalization’ brings about, it represents a rapid society extension to a more comprehensive level than the 20th century norm which categorized society with a nation-state. So as to live in this world together, we must devise new ways of executing things for each other which go beyond our attempts on achieving local self-sufficiency (Holmes 13). I term this historical process ‘commoditization’. In history, commoditization has been closely related to the social extension by means of money and markets. Money is unique because its value is not inherent but ascribed. In a barter system absent of money there is obvious and immediate benefit for both parties in an exchange. When utilization of a fiat currency is employed, it means that benefits are not immediate (they are at least one step removed) and assumes that the currency will be recognized by future trading partners. In this system, money should function as a means to an end and be perceived as a proxy for goods and services. All value to money is ascribed – once a currency is no longer recognized as valid, it is useless or literally â€Å"not worth the paper it’s printed on† (Holmes 46). Since money must be widely recognized as legitimate in order to be useful, it also functions as a form of social control. The issuer of money implicitly offers a contract to users wherein the latter will follow the rules of the former. Participation in a nation’s economy is dependent on an individual’s willingness to use that nation’s form of currency. A few of my own journal works tie into this theme. The first pertains to the differences in lending that I have observed in my personal life and comes from a journal entry I wrote on September 24th. Specifically, if one friend lends another a good or service of relatively low value, there is no expectation of reimbursement. However, if the same value amount of money were to be exchanged between friends, an expectation of reimbursement would exist. This is an example of the commoditizing and alienating effects of money that Hyde discusses. It begs the question: why is the exchange of money an alienating and impersonal interaction? I believe part of the answer lies in the fact that money is not available for immediate consumption. It is instead a credit, or â€Å"IOU† that can be redeemed in a later transaction. Related to this is the fact that in the United States it is considered impolite to give money as a gift. Another journal entry was about an interesting news story I read on October 18th. The story, â€Å"Seizure of Ship From Argentina Forces Shake-Up,† by Emily Schmall, came from the New York Times. It was about a US hedge fund, Elliot Capital Management, which seized an Argentine ship that had docked in Ghana. The fund is owed $370 million by the Argentine government as a result of its 2001 default. I was struck by the fact that a private enterprise such as a hedge fund could find backing from courts in the US and Ghana to seize a government asset. Though Argentina is appealing their case to the

Importance Of Soil Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay

Importance Of Soil Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay Quantitative determination of the extent and impact of soil erosion by water in the tropics have been sketchy. However all available evidence indicates that accelerated erosion is a problem of serious magnitude and with a multitude of negative effects in many tropical countries. The awareness to conserve soil began approximately nine thousand years ago when human civilization shifted from nomadic hunting and gathering experience to a more permanent, settled and intensive soil-dependent plant and animal farming systems (Miller, Rasmussen and Meyer, 1985). Soil provides the medium from which most of the sustenance for humankind is derived. This thin, complex, crustal carpet uniquely integrates many attributes of the lithosphere, atomosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere (Miller, Rasmussen and Meyer 1985). Soil is regarded as a nonrenewable source since its formation from the parent rock material to an agriculturally productive growth medium is a very slow process (Lal 1990). The top soil is where most of the living activities of both flora and fauna take place. According to Brady and Weil 1999, the top soil is the upper most part of the soil ordinarily moved in tillage or its equivalent in uncultivated soils which range in depth from 7 to 25 cm (the plow layer). Removal of this plant nutrient enriched topsoil due to soil erosion would result in lowering of soil fertility through losses of both organic matter and nutrients which would result in decline of crop yields (Lal 1986; Rose and Dalal 1988). This loss in soil productivity due to erosion is serious in caribbean countries where fertilizer substitute for the lost plant nutrients is not affordable. This would lead to poorer soil profile characteristics such as low organic matter levels (Rose 1989;Rose 1998). Soil Erosion is perhaps the most serious form of land degradation throughout the world. For the tropics specifically, while it is acknowledged that erosion is more serious than else where, no analytical or systematic studies have been undertaken to document the problem, it consequences or potential solutions. Soil erosion results in lost water and plant nutrients at rates even greater than those occurring naturally through leaching ( Brady and Weil 1999). If there are no conservation practices present, soil erosion will occur and land degradation, reduced productivity due to loos of top soil, increased runoff and off site sedimentation problems (such as siltation of bodies of water and damage to crops and roads) will occur. The consequent socio-economic costs of sometimes more obvious off site damage are commonly easier to identify and quantify (Chrisholm 1987; Rose 1993). 1.2 Soil Conservation Strategies The caribbean is characterized by steep slopes. The degrees of steepness and the proportion of the land area classified as steep may vary. In Trinidad and Tobago, a larger propotion of steep slopes is still covered with natural vegetation which reduces the soil washed off the surface. Trinidad is marked with a long dry season in the early part of the year and then followed by an intense wet season. Most erosion occurs when the land is cleared of vegetation for farming. This usually occurs just before the rainy season. It is important to note however that most food crop production in Trinidad as well as the rest of the Caribbean, is carried out by small farmers on sloping land with no attention to soil conservation practices. This is the main reason for severe soil erosion in Trinidad and Tobago and by extension the Caribbean. Soil conservation is understood as not only involving the control of loss of soil material due to erosion but also the decline in fertility (chemical, physical and biological breakdown of the soil). (Young 1984). The adverse effect of soil erosion is not confined only to decrease in soil depth but ultimately to the loss loss of organic matter and plant nutrients and consequently to degradation of soil physical properties and crop yield decline ( Young 1984). It is important to note however that treating the benefits of soil conservation in isolation from other agricultural improvements does not assure adoption of the soil conservation practice (Young 1984). Integration of soil conservation is important ( Douglas 1988; Shaxson 1988). Sheng and Meiman (1988) stated reasons for the difficulty of farmers in adopting soil conservation practice. The reasons are as follows: i) long time for the result of soil conservation to be realized, ii) identification of benefits from soil conservation and iii) the need for big investments by farmers. It is important to note however that Williams and Walter (1988), in a terracing project in Venezuela, found that improvement in the living incomes and opportunites for employment, increases the difficulty of motivating the farmers to adopt soil conservation practices. Apparently when low income and underemployment prevail, farmers easily participate in soil conservation programmes (Williams and Walter 1988; Liao et al 1988). The adverse effect of soil erosion is not confined only to loss of soil particles but also the loss of organic matter and plant nutrients. As a result of this crop yield decline will occur (Young 1984). Conservation farming should serve as the basis for counteracting the problem of soil erosion. To carry out this approach in developing countries, novel approaches in extension and research are needed. The majority of the soil conservation techniques were developed in the United States of America under condtions different from the other parts of the world experiencing erosion (Sheng, 1982; Hudson 1988; Sheng 1988). The techniques that worked well in the United States were extrapolated to the tropics in the 1930s and 1940s. It took fifty years to realize that these methods were unsuitable for the tropics ( Hudson,1987; Hudson 1988). The dominant traditional farming system in the tropics are the shifting cultivation and related bush fallow systems (Okigbo and Greenland, 1976). The non-ac ceptance of the many recommendations on soil conservation methods is attributed to their in appropriateness and incompatibility with the farmers operating environment (Douglas, 1988). The following agricultural conditions in the United States of America paved the way for the development of soil conservation activities (Hudson,1982;Hudson 1987): Combined good topography and favourable climate Low population pressure for intensive land use Strong and sustained government support well educated and informed agriculture sector Readily available credit and financial support Reliable prices and market outlets for agricultural produce Highly developed and highly mechanized agricultural industry. According to Hudson (1987), the absence of these conditions in most developing countries made the North American approach to soil conseration in appropriate. The absence of political will, or the limitations in or lack of resources often hindered soil conservation programmes in developing countries. The main aim of soil conservation should be preventation rather than cure. Soil conservation activity should be focused mainly on preserving good land rather than reclaiming damaged land. Without waiting for visible soil erosion damage, farmers should be encouraged to understand that there is a need for soil conservation due to continuing reduction in agricultural yield (Hudson, 1987). Loss of agricultural productivity should be emphasized in any soil conservation programme. For sometime, soil erosion research activities had almost been exclusively directed towards uantfying soil loss, hence data on the effect of soil erosion on agriculture productivity is seriously lacking (Crosson and Stout, 1983; ASAE,1985; Follet and Stewart, 1985; Stocking, 1985). Removal of topsoil resulted in decline of yield of a variety of agricultural crops (El-Swaify, Dangler and Amstrong 1982). Factors like type of soil, depth of soil, fertility status, topography, and type of crop affected the size of the decline in agricultural yield (Frye et al, 1982; Langdale and Schrader, 1982; Schertz 1983). There is limited data for soil and crops in the tropics (Lal, 1977). The effects of soil erosion on soil productivity in the tropics are move severe than for temperate countries (Moberg, 1972). This is because of highly weathered soils, fragile fertility status and most crop nutrents are found in the topmost layer of the soil. There is also significant deterioration of physical qualities of the soil as a growing medium after soil erosion (Lo, 1990). Higher erosion rates, the more severe changes in chemical qualities resulting from erosion and the inability of the farmer to provide the necessary inputs for restoring those qualities to a sufficient level were the primary reasons given for these conclusions (El-Swaify, 1990). The benefits of soil conservation are not immediately realized in every case and may initially result in crop yield reductions (John 1988). Improvement in agricultural production, rather than mitigating soil erosion, is of more significance and desirable for the farmer, while prevention of soil loss is an unreal concept for them (Hudson, 1987). The new approach of soil conservation will be a mixture of both agronomy measures as well as mechanical works ( Tracy, 1988). Mechanical systems are frequently expensive, consume space and time, need regular maintenance and do not assure improved crop production (Roose, 1988). Too much emphasis put into mechanical works discourages effective soil conservation policies (Rose, 1989). Conservation farming systems include improved farming, with mechanical protection works being a component of last resort. This approach is consistent with the principle that improved agricultural production should lead to better soil erosion control (Hudson 1988). Biological measures provide immediately recognizable short term benefits to farmers. Any mechanical work involved in soil conservation must m aximize the use of locally available experts, minimize, the use of structures and required labour. Community involvement must be involved (Hudson, 1987). To gain acceptance by farmers, any proposed soil conservation strategy should offer short-term, apparent, rapid or immediately recognizable, directly effective benefits and positive results, particularly for subsistence farmers who work in a short-time scale and who comprise a large percentage of farmers in less developed countries (Harper and El-Swaify 1988; Hudson,1988; Lovejoy and Naiper, 1988; Sanders, 1988; Thomas 1988; Tracy, 1988; Wenner, 1988; Williams and Walter, 1988). Soil conservation techniques recommended for farmers should be simple, easily understood and demonstrated, low cost, productive, sustainable and acceptable (Douglas, 1988;Vonk 1988). Conservation measures should involve principles that can be applied to more than one situation. However, methods and techniques are often site specific and caution should be exercised in extrapolating them to other sites (Saunders 1988). Adoption of soil conservation technology is assured if the farmers have full understanding, support and participation in all the stages of the project, from planning, implementation to maintenance (Harper and El-Swaify, 1988; Sanders, 1988; Vonk 1988; Tracy 1988). Farmers full participation is ensured if they are convinced that their relevant and important needs can be adequately met (Sanders 1988). Thus the farmer needs to be recognized as part of the solution rather than a part of the problem (Hudson,1987; Hudson,1988).

Linguistic Stereotypes Essay -- Research Papers Language Essays Langua

Linguistic Stereotypes Language is a method in which individuals communicate in order to get their opinion across to the listening party. Language is the tool which ideas can be conveyed in various ways. Typically, language is referred to verbal communication, however, it ranges to all methods of communication i.e. sign language. Linguistic stereotypes are an existent form of discrimination. Since, languages are criticized and mocked due to the connection between language and cultural character. Thus, language is significantly related to the identity of the speakers. In addition, languages are vulnerable to criticism due to differences in cultural behavior. Firstly, according to ‘dictionary.com’ identity is defined as the variety of characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group. Or in simpler terms the individuality of a person which makes him part of a society or creates a cultural connection or resemblance. These characteristics can be religion, culture and any other form of behavior that shows a sign of distinction. A personal interpretation is, the link established between an individual and a group which have unique characteristics. Language has a personality and a mood, created by the behavior of the speakers and their cultural identity. Moreover, this includes the tools speaker use to communicate through i.e. sign language. Languages can be described by human emotions and feelings; therefore, language is personified and dynamic. Historical events have lead to changes in languages in caused flexibility and dynamicity of language. Globalization and colonization also had an effect in word borrowing, and many languages have been altered due to this. Languages are also interpre... ...conversation and mood. Finally, the media’s involvement in creating stereotypes, and their ability to harness linguistics to establish links between language and identity. Comedians use accents as a method of criticizing a group of people and referencing to cultural behavior. Therefore, Linguistic stereotypes occur due to the association between language and the identity of a group of speakers. Works Cited: Preston, Dennis R. ‘Do you speak American?’ 27 April 2005. . Rabidcow. ‘Language Stereotypes’. 26 April 2005. Spark Notes.com ‘Casablanca, study guide’, 27 April 2005. . ‘Dicionary.com Definition of Identity’

Current Pharma Scenario in India Essay

The Indian Pharmaceutical industry has been witnessing phenomenal growth in recent years, driven by rising consumption levels in the country and strong demand from export markets. The pharmaceutical industry in India is estimated to be worth about US$ 8 bn, growing at an annual rate of 12-15%. In world rankings, the domestic industry stands 3rd in terms of volume and 12th in value growth terms. The ranking in value terms may also be a reflection of the low prices at which medicines are sold in the country. The industry has seen tremendous progress in terms of infrastructure development, technology base and the wide range of products manufactured. Demand from the exports market has been growing rapidly due to the capability of Indian players to produce cost-effective drugs with world class manufacturing facilities. Bulk drugs of all major therapeutic groups, requiring complicated manufacturing processes are now being produced in India. Pharma companies have developed Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliant facilities for the production of different dosage forms. In addition, India’s long-established position as a preferred manufacturing location for multinational drug manufacturers is quickly spreading into other areas of outsourcing activities. Soaring costs of R&D and administration are persuading drug manufacturers to move more and more of their discovery research and clinical trials activities to the subcontinent or to establish administrative centres there, capitalizing on India’s high levels of scientific expertise as well as low wages A highly fragmented industry, the Indian pharmaceutical industry is estimated to have over 30,000 manufacturing and marketing units. Indian pharmaceutical industry will be the 4th largest industry of the country in 2013 turnover wise. The organized sector accounts for just 5% of the industry, while a huge 95% is in the unorganized sector. A large number of players in the unorganized segment are small and medium enterprises and this segment contributes 35% of the industry’s turnover. Why medicines are essential? * Increased health consciousness * Increased life span * Changed lifestyle, increased stress * Junk food consumption * Recurring problems of senior citizens (Kidney problems, cardiovascular problems etc.) * Increasing frequency of accidents. (Above figures are taken from –MAT07 July 2012 IMS ORG data) (ORG IMS Research Pvt. Ltd. is the one global source for leading-edge, customized business intelligence about the pharmaceutical market, providing clients with critical information, analyses and answers that drive superior business decisions and strategies.) Along with the manufacturing of the dosage forms raw material manufacturers, diagnostic products, surgical product manufacturers and packaging element manufacturer forms an integral part of the industry. OPPURTUNITIES: a) Generic Market: India has a significant share in the global generics market and is ranked third. In recent years, this segment has been facing stiff competition which makes the scale of production important to improve profitability. India has pre-dominantly been a generic player and has the potential to gain a global presence for the following key developments: * Multiple branded drug patent expirations in the short term of span. According to IMS Health, after 2006-2007 many top selling product patents expired .E.g. In Nov 2011 patent of brand Lipitor expired. Such expiration carries tremendous impact on the generic market. * Increasing confidence of consumers in generics in the developed markets * A pro-generic sentiment from healthcare authorities driven by the pressure of containing rising healthcare costs * An aging population across the world, leading to increasing demand for low cost therapies * Global healthcare crisis like AIDS in the developing world, necessitating affordable medication for the masses Generic companies in India are recognizing the importance of patent expiries and are making significant incremental investments in research and drug development. b) Outsourcing: India’s status as an information technology superpower, with access to specialist skills and 24/7 work hours, is a huge advantage as it strengthens its position as the destination of choice for contract research, including drug discovery. Eighty-two percent of U.S companies overall rank India as their first-choice IT outsourcing destination, says leading international clinical research organization Chiltern International, adding that IT and ITenabled services (ITES) companies have been expanding their activities in India to new business segments such as bioinformatics and life sciences; those doing so or planning to include Accenture, Intel, Satyam, Cognizant, IBM, Oracle and TCS. Wipro Spectramind, India’s largest third-party offshore business process outsourcing provider, is conducting bioinformatics work for global pharmaceutical companies MNCs that have already entered into off shoring contracts include Pfizer India, which has signed a preferred provider contract for its biometrics division with Cognizant Technologies India and is also working with SIRO Clinpharm; Wyeth, working with Accenture in clinical trial data management; GSK, whose biomedical data sciences and clinical data management centre in Bangalore supports studies for the group worldwide; and Novartis, which has a software development centre for specialized drug development programs India’s Other Advantages for Off shoring * Low-cost skill base * Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) and U.S. FDA compliance levels * High visibility in generics * High-quality, compliant manufacturing * Strong financial position with ability to scale up * Manufacturing capacity * Access to new technologies * Cost efficiency and track record * Industry position * Recognition of product patents c) Contract Manufacturing: Manufacturing outsourcing-supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates * Development outsourcing-conducting preclinical and clinical trials * Customized chemistry services-contract research services for compounds pre-launch. CHALLENGES: Even after the increased investment, market leaders such as Ranbaxy and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories spent only 5-10% of their revenues on R&D, lagging behind Western pharmaceuticals like Pfizer, whose research budget last year was greater than the combined revenues of the entire Indian pharmaceutical industry. This disparity is too great to be explained by cost differentials, and it comes when advances in genomics have made research equipment more expensive than ever. The drug discovery process is further hindered by a dearth of qualified molecular biologists. Due to the disconnect between curriculum and industry, pharmas in India also lack the academic collaboration that is crucial to drug development in the West and so far. It can be defined as planning and executing various concepts of price, promotion, distribution and services offered to potential buyers. 1. Challenges Shift from acute to chronic With the disease burden shifting from acute to chronic and lifestyle changing, product portfolios of companies are also changing rapidly to include long-term therapies. That brings in greater challenges of ‘adherence’ to therapy for better patient outcomes. In the case of infectious diseases, the problem of drug resistance is looming large too. Consumer mind-set towards health Proactively attending to health seems to be the last thing on the Indian consumer’s mind. Unless one falls sick, he does not seek medical attention. And even after he falls sick, the inclination is towards a quick recovery so that he can get back to work. Only recently, this is beginning to change amongst a certain section who have begun to take preventive health check up seriously, and pay attention to nutrition and lifestyle for better health. Doctor mind-set With the ratio of doctor: people being very low, doctors are extremely busy treating patients. With less time on hand, they cannot pay attention to patient education or counselling. Nor are they able to give enough time to update their knowledge, even if they wish to. Thus with newer therapies being made available, continuing medical education programs for doctors are becoming increasingly important. Such seminars, conferences and the internet meet this need. Multiple brands, reduced differentiation With hundreds of companies marketing the same molecules with different brand names, no differentiation between brands, doctors giving just a minute or so to detail, the challenges for today’s pharma marketer are immense. 2. Opportunities Improving healthcare infrastructure With more and more private hospitals being constructed, government spending on healthcare increasing and more number of people accessing health insurance; the domestic market does provide greater opportunities. However, the mind-set and skill-set needs to be tuned for this. Access to information on health People are increasingly accessing information on health, some of which is correct, but most other being confusing and inaccurate. Doctors are facing questions from patients too. This offers a great opportunity for the pharma marketers to provide cutting edge tools to the doctor to help him stay updated, and to reach patients with educational and accurate information. This also opens doors to marketers of OTC and nutraceutical products to reach consumers. Penetrating rural markets Some companies have already taken steps to reach rural markets. More innovative strategies to reach these markets are needed for growth. Here again, using technology could be the key. Penetration of the mobile being large in India, this medium offers great opportunity. Institutes offering pharmaceutical marketing courses: 1. NIPER 2. Narsee Monjee Institute of Mgt Studies, Mumbai 3. Indian Institute of Pharmaceutical Marketing,Lucknow 4. SIES, Navi Mumbai CONCLUSION There has never been a more important time for India’s government and its drug producers, both multinational and domestic, to work together in partnership for the good of the industry and the nation. With its enormous advantages, including a large, well-educated, skilled and English-speaking workforce, low operational costs and improving regulatory infrastructure, India has the potential to become the region’s hub for pharmaceutical and biotechnology discovery research, manufacturing, exporting and health care services within the next decade. For foreign investors, collaborations with India present a huge opportunity both in terms of joint production for the global market and supply of the growing domestic market. There is a need for regulatory reform in India to encourage leading global players to continue and accelerate the outsourcing of their R&D activities-beginning with discovery research-to the subcontinent.

Food waste Essay

Fresh vegetables, ready-to-cook meals, and cheap meat is what a modern consumer’s supposed grocery list comprises of! Dump it all into your fridge full of deals, discount offers and feel happy. This is how the shop keeper gets a loyal customer. At the end o the story, it’s the food industry’s creed that the customer is always right†¦.. If food became it s own pungent country, it would be the world’s third biggest contributor to climatic changes. According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of the world’s total food is wasted around the world, literally to fork direct from the farm. In West, most of the food waste occurs because usually the leftover ingredients are tossed out. The major reason for food wastage is that the harvest of a farmer does not meet the retailer’s specific demand. Considering tomatoes, if too small or even too big to be sold to retailer will be left to rot in fields. Whilst, in developing countries the scenario is a little different because the food rots between fields and markets due to shortage of storage capacity. Awareness campaigns regarding food waste have already begun in the Western part of the world. Organizations are educating people about the waste of food at household level and how can it be eliminated or reduced to an extent. This is just the bit of the whole chunk. Even supermarkets are playing their part by producing recipes to use leftover food and pamphlets to store your food in the best possible manner. Likewise, many grocery stores have initiated redistribution of unsold stocks and excess to charitable organizations. Looking at food waste in local context, Pakistan is also the culprit for this wastage in spite of the fact that underfeeding and food shortage are areas of serious concern. Although we produce adequate food for our nation but still the wastage level is at its peak. This is because of careless attitude of our state and our society’s love for excess food. When we talk about consumption of food, negligence by society also needs to be tackled. At social events as well as weddings, it is quite usual for people to pile up a mountain of food on their plates and eat just a portion of it as if this is the last time they are eating food. Much is needed to done to store perishable items such as fruits and vegetables. State needs to look into this matter with utmost care and also to preserve grains by creating extra facility for storage purpose. On collective basis, way of thinking needs to be changed. It is not only unethical but also an act of being socially irresponsible to waste food when millions around the world sleep empty stomach. According to Tim Lang, professor at City University London, food waste is a symptom, not a problem. So to eradicate these symptom governments, non-governmental organizations like UN can discourage wasteful exercises by producers of the food, farmers, consumers and grocery stores. Food spoiling and wasting is causing physical destruction to mother earth. So let’s join hands to exterminate wastage of food for those who starve and are under privileged.