Eco Parks & Environment

Industrial ecologists are championing eco-industrial parks or EIPs as tools for pursuing sustainable development. An EIP is a community of companies located in one region that exchange and make use of each other's by-products or energy. Among the best known is Kalundborg, Denmark, a city in which the major industries and the local government trade their waste streams and energy resources. Many commentators see Kalundborg as a model that should be copied and improved upon. Imagine what a team of designers could come up with if they were to start from scratch, locating and specifying industries and factories that had potentially synergistic and symbiotic relationships,† writes Paul Hawken (1993, 63), author of The Ecology of Commerce. Ernest A. Lowe (1997, 58) points out that â€Å"while industrial ecosystems must be largely self-organizing, there is a significant role for an organizing team in educating potential participants to the opportunities and in creating the conditions that support the development. Because of this enthusiastic endorsement, numerous EIPs have been planned in North and South America, Southeast Asia, Europe and Southern Africa (Ayres 1996; Indigo Development 1998; Gertler 1995; Lowe 1997). Kalundborg, a small city on the island of Seeland, 75 miles west of Copenhagen, is indeed an impressive example of a recycling network. In this city of 20,000, the four main industries–a coal-fired power plant (Asn?s), a refinery (Statoil), a pharmaceuticals and enzymes maker (Novo Nordisk), a plasterboard manufacturer (Gyproc), as well as the municipal government and a few smaller businesses–feed on each others' wastes, in the process turning them into useful inputs. The Asn?s power company supplies residual steam to the Statoil refinery and, in exchange, receives refinery gas that used to be flared as waste. The power plant burns the refinery gas to generate electricity and steam. It sends excess steam to a fish farm that it operates, to a district heating system serving 3,500 homes, and to the Novo Nordisk plant. Sludge from the fish farm and pharmaceutical processes becomes fertilizer for nearby farms. The power plant sends fly ash to a cement company, while gypsum produced by the power plant's desulfurization process goes to a company that produces gypsum wallboard. Finally, the Statoil refinery removes sulfur from its natural gas and sells it to Kemira, a sulfuric acid manufacturer. However, consultants id not design, nor did Danish government officials finance, Kalundborg's industrial symbiosis. It was, rather, the result of many separate bilateral deals between companies searching to reduce waste treatment and disposal costs and to gain access to cheaper materials and energy while generating income from production residue. Kalundborg, like other similar examples, developed entirely through market forces (Garner and Keoleian 1995; Gertler 1995; Lowe et al. 1996; Schwartz and Steininger 1997). Today, there is still no higher level of administration managing the interaction of Kalundborg companies and local government. Lowe 1997, 59). Jorgen Christensen, a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, notes: â€Å"I was asked to speak on ‘how you designed Kalundborg. ‘ We didn't design the whole thing. It wasn't designed at all. It happened over time† (Lowe 1995, 15). This essay shows that the movement toward public planning of eco-industrial parks rests on a misreading of the Kalundborg experience. Kalundborg is not unique but rather is characteristic of industrial loops that cities have fostered for hundreds and even thousands of years. To assume that EIP planners can replicate and improve upon Kalundborg reflects insufficient knowledge of how market forces have historically promoted resource recovery. This essay compares private and public mechanisms in the development of industrial loops and illustrates how regulation of hazardous waste in the United States currently thwarts such industrial symbiosis. The essay concludes by arguing that greater reliance on market forces would be the most effective way of replicating the Danish experience.

Iron Crowned Chapter 18

It really felt like that, like I was killing a living thing. And in a way, I was. I was destroying the land's connection to Katrice. The land and its monarch are one. Kind of an esoteric concept †¦ but, well, the truth. I'd certainly felt it in the Thorn Land. It was why I couldn't ever stay away from that kingdom for very long. It called to me. It was part of me. And so, I was essentially cutting a living thing in two. White-hot power burned through me as I did, the crown's magic connecting with my own and pouring into the dirt below. I had little sense of my surroundings, save Katrice screaming. Below me, in a spiritual sort of way, I could feel the land resisting at first. It didn't want to break its ties. In the end, it had no choice. The crown's magic was too strong. Seconds, minutes, hours †¦ I don't know how long it took, probably hardly any time at all. But suddenly, it was done. The crown's power faded from me, and the land lay there open and unclaimed. Raw and wounded. As the magic's haze wore off, the rest of the world slowly shifted back into focus for me. I stared around at the gaping faces and at Katrice, huddled and sobbing. I thought she'd aged before, but it was nothing compared to now. Being ripped from the land had devastated her. Her dark hair was almost all gray now, her face gaunt and lined. And all around †¦ all around, the land was restless. I could feel its energy, calling out †¦ reaching out †¦ yearning for a new master. Hardly any of the people gathered showed any recognition of this. They were still watching the drama of me and Katrice. A few spectators had puzzled looks on their faces, as though they too could hear the land. It was because they were powerful enough to take it, I realized. The land was already seeking those who possessed the strength to join with it, and looking up, I saw from Cassius's face that he could sense that. Katrice's son hadn't had the power to claim a kingdom, but her nephew did. So, for my next impulsive act of the day, I stuck my free hand into the ground. Just like the last time, soil that started off hard and ungiving soon grew soft and warm. My hand sank into the earth, and I was welcomed, as though someone were clasping my hand in return. Warmth filled my body, a comforting warmth very different from the crown's searing heat. I closed my eyes, striving to stay with that connection, to show I was worthy. Part of me was already given over to the Thorn Land. I had to fight to claim this land as well. Then, I felt it†¦. I felt the land accept me. And as it did, the ground began to shake. At first, I thought it was just some aftereffect of the magic, but then I remembered what had happened when the Thorn Land had bound itself to me. The land took on the form that spoke to my soul, that was natural and right to me. Aeson's former kingdom had shaped itself into the Sonora Desert, the land of my birth. The Rowan Land was trying to do the same thing. No, no! Not again. A semi-tropical kingdom transforming into a desert had wreaked havoc on its residents. We'd faced starvation, drought, poverty†¦. It was only recently that the kingdom had gotten on its feet again, becoming prosperous and self-sustaining. I wouldn't go through that again. Frantically, I tried to think of some other form. But what? I hardly ever left the southwestern United States. A quick image of the Catalina mountains flashed into my mind, the slopes snowy and pine-covered like the day Kiyo and I had fought the demon. I could feel the land start to grip that picture, and I yanked it away. This kingdom had some small mountains, but that was a tiny percentage of its terrain. I couldn't turn this place into Switzerland or Nepal. Stay the same, stay the same, I begged the land. For the sake of its occupants, I needed the landscape to remain unchanged. It was difficult, though. The land wanted to bond to me, to what was ingrained within my soul. Thinking back to the journey here, I tried to picture the rows and rows of cherry trees along the road. I remembered the sun shining through other deciduous trees and flowers growing in clusters. I thought about the stretch of rowan trees. Stay the same, stay the same. Gradually, the earth around me began to slow its shaking and finally stop – except for one spot. Not far from where I rested my hand, the ground cracked open and leaves and branches burst through. I scurried back, watching in as much awe as I had the first time a magical tree burst forth, growing and unfurling its leaves to full-size in seconds. I held my breath, wondering what it would be, this tree that dictated my new kingdom's nature. It was †¦ a rowan tree. I wasn't the only one who thought this was weird. â€Å"Didn't you claim it?† asked Jasmine, puzzled. I rose to my feet beside her, brushing dust off of my jeans. â€Å"I †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Had I? That was a rowan tree, making this – by all Otherworldly reasoning – the Rowan Land. Which is what it had been already. Maybe it hadn't worked. Maybe the crown hadn't done what I expected it to. Maybe Katrice had won it back somehow. But, no. There it was. I felt it. The land. The earth. The rocks. Every leaf and flower. The scents, the colors †¦ they were all sharper and more intense. If I opened myself up, I could feel every single piece of this land. It hummed. It buzzed. The energy was dizzying, and I forced myself to shut it out for a moment. â€Å"No,† I told Jasmine, wonderingly. â€Å"It's mine.† I stared at the rowan tree, more perfect than any real one could be, its orange-colored berries bright against green leaves swaying in the breeze. I reached out and stroked one of the leaves, vaguely aware of Katrice still sobbing. A tingle of power ran through me. â€Å"It's still the Rowan Land †¦ except, it's my Rowan Land.† Things were a little awkward after that. The soldiers were no longer trying to imprison me, but they also weren't ready to jump at my every order. My companions were of little use. Imanuelle, per her nature, was content to sit back and watch the mess I'd stumbled into. Kiyo wore a disapproving look on his face, and I feared I'd have a lecture coming later. Jasmine still seemed to be in shock. The only time she came to life was when I debated what to do with Katrice and Cassius. Unsurprisingly, Jasmine's suggestion was to kill them. â€Å"Confine them to her rooms,† I ordered, hoping someone would obey me. â€Å"Guard them with †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was kind of at a loss. Theoretically, gentry knew how this worked. Whoever controlled the land ruled, but I wasn't entirely sure the guards around here would be so keen about imprisoning the woman who had ruled them ten minutes ago. Volusian, I thought. Now that I was in control, I could summon him without fear. Then, I realized I needed him for more important things. I looked pleadingly at Kiyo, needing no words. He nodded. â€Å"I'll watch them.† He turned abruptly, urging the former royalty inside with a couple of guards who'd decided to get on board with me right away. Kiyo being on guard served two purposes. I could trust him to do a good job – and, the longer he did, the longer I was safe from his disapproval. I then spoke the words to bring Volusian to me, the sight of him further frightening those who already watched me with terror. I'd let the storm dissipate, but darkness still seemed to wrap around my minion as his red eyes assessed me, the Iron Crown, and the tree. â€Å"Unexpected,† he said. â€Å"Go to Rurik,† I told him. â€Å"Explain what happened and have him bring an occupying force here immediately.† I didn't know what that meant exactly, but I did know military control took precedence here if we were going to secure the land. Rurik would know what to do. Governing would come later. â€Å"And then †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Now I hesitated. â€Å"Have Shaya contact Dorian about what happened. Then return to me.† Volusian paused, waiting for anything else I might add. When nothing more came, he vanished, and the sun seemed to shine a little brighter. It was all a waiting game now, and I glanced around at the Rowan Land's still-stunned residents. â€Å"Well †¦ that's it. Carry on as usual. Guard the gates. No one leaves. And you †¦ go get your soup or †¦ whatever you're eating.† That was for the civilians. When no one moved, I hardened my expression and repeated my orders more loudly. Fear flashed across the Rowan citizens' faces, and they sprang into action. This inner courtyard was huge, and I spotted an unoccupied spot near some carts that must have delivered supplies earlier. I walked over to them, Jasmine following, and sat on the ground. It was a weird spot for a queen, I supposed, but I wanted to rest while waiting for Rurik. Plus, it still let me keep an eye on this delicate and dangerous situation. The bulk of the guards were out here, and I didn't think mutiny was out of the question yet. People were moving after my commands, but it was mostly to gather in anxious clusters and discuss what had happened. Jasmine sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. â€Å"I want to go home,† she said. â€Å"We will. As soon as Rurik gets here, we'll head back to the castle and let him deal with this.† â€Å"No.† Her voice was small. â€Å"My other home. The human world.† I turned to her in astonishment, dragging my gaze from some peasants who were begging the guards to let them out. â€Å"What? But you hate that world. You always said this is where you fit in.† â€Å"It is,† she agreed. â€Å"But I just want †¦ I want to get away from all this for a little while. From magic. And castles. And †¦ whatever. I want to watch TV. I maybe want to see Wil. I want to charge my iPod. And my playlist doesn't suck.† I couldn't help a laugh. â€Å"I kind of want all those things too. We'll go soon. We'll †¦ we'll cut those chains. I-I'm sorry I don't have the key with me.† She shrugged. â€Å"It's fine.† â€Å"Kiyo's going to be upset about all this,† I murmured, surprised to be confiding in her. â€Å"You did the right thing,† Jasmine said. â€Å"I mean, aside from not killing Katrice and Cassius. But you can still do that.† Any residual smile left on my lips vanished. â€Å"Cassius †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"They were lying,† she said bluntly. â€Å"He didn't do anything.† â€Å"Jasmine †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'm serious.† She looked at me, her blue-gray gaze level and steady. â€Å"He talked a lot of talk when he came to see me †¦ touched me a little. But that was it. I think they just wanted to scare me.† She didn't elaborate on the touching. I didn't ask. I was just relieved she hadn't gone through what I had. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I told her. â€Å"I'm sorry I didn't protect you better.† Now she smiled. â€Å"You did fine. And hey, you ended the war, right? You won.† I turned away, staring off into space. â€Å"I guess I did.† We didn't talk much after that. I was tired, exhausted from all the magic. Apparently, using an ancient, powerful artifact wasn't as easy as it seemed. Neither was proving your dominance over a large piece of land. I'd felt wiped out last time but had gotten out of the Thorn Land as quickly as possible. Now, sitting here, I was stuck in the Rowan Land, still acutely aware of its every sensation. That intensity would fade, just as it had with the Thorn Land, but for now, it was like a hammer banging inside my head, demanding attention. I practically flew to the gate when Rurik arrived. Once admitted, he and the force behind him paused. Studying the situation, he had a reaction similar to Volusian's. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Things happened kind of fast,† I admitted. â€Å"It was well done. Possessing this land was a much better idea than simply defeating Katrice in battle.† I scowled. â€Å"Well, can you possess it for now?† He grinned. â€Å"Gladly.† Turning from me, he fixed a hard gaze on those gathered. â€Å"You're all now subjects of Queen Eugenie, daughter of Tirigan Storm King,† he barked. â€Å"Kneel.† I looked on imperiously as they obeyed. I knew this was necessary to establish our control. No weakness, no hesitation. We were conquerors. I'd long since taken off the Iron Crown but wished I'd brought my normal one of authority. Oh, well. It wasn't like I could've foreseen this when packing. Everyone in the keep fell to their knees, heads bowed. We let them stay like that for several seconds while my stomach sank. Finally, they were allowed to rise, and Rurik kicked into full martial law mode, demanding an assessment of all soldiers and issuing rules for servants and refugees. He had a few tasks for me – more actions that made me seem queenly – before finally declaring I could leave. â€Å"I'll sort out the immediate problems,† he told me in a low voice. My own soldiers were now out and about, establishing order. â€Å"We'll lock this place down, start scouting the immediate area, sifting out those who can be trusted.† He paused eloquently. â€Å"I'll probably have to throw a large part of their military into the dungeon.† â€Å"Do what you have to do,† I said. I had a feeling he'd eventually want to talk executions but was holding back for now. I imagined I looked as tired as I felt. â€Å"And you simply want to imprison the former queen for now?† he asked. â€Å"For now.† Jasmine scoffed beside me, and Rurik's expression showed he shared her opinion. â€Å"Well, don't stay away long,† he said. â€Å"You need to make your presence felt. And you need to connect with the land.† â€Å"I know, I know,† I grumbled. I'd avoided the Thorn Land before, but it had kept calling me back. â€Å"I know how this works.† He arched an eyebrow, that sardonic smile of his returning. â€Å"Do you? Do you know what's happened?† I threw my hands up, gesturing around. â€Å"I got stuck with another kingdom.† â€Å"Do you know how many other monarchs control more than one kingdom?† I shook my head, presuming whoever did must live far from me. â€Å"No one,† said Rurik. â€Å"I †¦ What? No.† Dorian had mentioned conquering more than one land, making me think it must happen now and then. The Iron Crown's purpose suggested as much. â€Å"There must be someone else.† â€Å"No one,† Rurik repeated. â€Å"You're the only one. The only one in ages †¦ well, except for Storm King.† The world swayed around me again. I once more just wanted to go somewhere and lie down. My reaction brought a bigger smile to Rurik's face, but I swore there was a little sympathy in his eyes too. â€Å"Congratulations,† he said. â€Å"Congratulations, Eugenie – Queen of Rowan and Thorn.†

Applying Marxism to contemporary issues of work and employment

Marx’s ideas of ownership of production, alienation and power relationships may play a key role in explaining contemporary issues in work and employment such as lack of job security, having a voice within the workplace and discrimination. As stated in â€Å"The workplace and social democracy in the post-crisis age†, the financial crisis and recession have caused a change in attitudes towards employment relationships. More now than ever employees worry about job security. Marx belonged to a period of industrial society, whereby factories had thousands of employees all under one authoritative figure, the Boss or Manager. Job Security in this era was not a massive issue as it is now in contemporary times. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 1999 published the results of Job Insecurity and Work Intensification survey and showed that job insecurity had steadily been rising since the second world war. The majority of job insecurity lay in the manufacturing industries and blue-collar workers during the 1970’s and 1980#s but at the beginning of the 1990’s professional and managerial workers had their first great exposure to job insecurity. The information age which we now live in has cost many civil servant s their jobs, due to streamlining of systems through computer technology. White collar workers were much less prepared for the changes affecting their occupation. Because redundancy had never occurred to these workers before, the idea of unemployment caused most to experience anxiety and insecurities. Some argue this is an overreaction when compared to the bigger issue of insecurity experienced by the working classes (Giddens, 2009). Anxieties from job insecurities can lead to â€Å"loss of control† and a link has been made between job insecurity and poor overall health (Burchell et al, 1996). This feeling of helplessness against impending unemployment can be explained by Marx’s theory of alienation. Blauner (1964) argued that the introduction of automation to factories has reduced worker alienation. Automation has helped to â€Å"integrate the workforce and gave workers a sense of control over their work that had been lacking with other forms of technology†. E vidently having a sense of ownership towards your work and feeling part of a community diminishes alienation and in turn will diminish any sense of job insecurity: as workers will feel their role within the workplace is needed. Richard Sennett (1998) conducted a study of workers in a bakery which had an automated high-tech production line. Ironically none of the workers were actually bakers but workers trained in how to use the machinery, but only how to use the machinery. The â€Å"bakers† had no physical contact with the bread at any point. Computers decided every aspect of the baking process. However, despite the workers being skilled with computers, not one was trained in how to fix the computers when they broke, causing massive disruption amongst the production line. Sennett found that the workers wanted to be useful and fix the computers but did not because the automation had destroyed their autonomy. Computer technology within the workplace has not only led to an incre ase in workers’ skills but also a group of clerical, service and production workers who lack autonomy in their jobs, are alienated from their work, and lack job security. Another issue concerning work and employment in the UK currently is the movement of work. In a bid for maximum profit, some companies have moved the work from its country of origin to developing countries, where the work is cheaper. Now British companies such as Primark and Matalan have been accused of exploiting workers in these other countries because of their extremely low pricing. It is widely known that transnational factories in developing countries use sweatshop conditions, child labour and pay exploitative rates of pay. Any codes of conduct put in place are either sneakily avoided or completely disregarded altogether: â€Å"research consistently revealed an inadequate, if not poor, level of integration of CSR and Code compliance responsibilities in the internal structure of MNEs and suppliers† (ILO, 2003). However, as wrong as we may think this is, it could be argued that there has just been a shift in location of exploitation. Marx argued that the bourgeoisie, or the owners of production, exploited workers during the period of feudalism. Society was divided into peasants who worked on the land and nobles who were paid in terms of both crops and labour in return for protection, during this period wages were practically unheard of. For Marx, owning land and being able to take food from peasants if fundamentally different from being a peasant working on the land. Peasants (according to Marx) were a group with shared interests and attitudes and nobles were another. This still applies to today’s world of transnational corporations (TNCs). TNCs open factories in developing countries where cheaper labour can be found. The motives between TNCs and nobles are not all that dissimilar. Although TNCs have the resources to choose where to place their factories, such as technology, money and power, whereas nobles were born into a position of power and had no desire to move as they were meant to serve a duty to protect the fundamental relationship betw een owner and producer are still the same. Nobles wanted to extract maximum surplus and gain power, peasants wanted to be free or at the very least have more to eat. The introduction of towns and technology created a possibility for â€Å"free† labour it actually only led to new classes such as bankers and guilders and thus created new conflicts. In modern day society Marx’s theory of class conflict and exploitation is still relevant. TNCs take the role of the nobles or the owner of production and sweatshop workers take the role of peasants, exploited for their cheap labour in order for the TNCs to gain maximum profit and inevitable more power. Increasing intensity of international competition, particularly from Far Eastern countries, where wages are lower, weakens unions’ bargaining power (Western, 1997). In the early development of modern industry, workers had little or no political rights and very little influence over the conditions of work in which they were employed. Unions were developed in order to restore this imbalance of power between workers and their employees. Through Unions workers influence within the workplace was considerably increased. Originally, unions were set up as defensive organizations; workers could stop any overwhelming power that employers enforced on workers’ daily lives. Now, workers have negotiating rights with employers (which means they can press for economic benefits and any problems within the workplace can be discussed). Unions have essentially enabled workers to have a voice within the workplace and in turn have helped the working classes battle through their struggle with the bourgeoisie, as Marx highlighted. â€Å"Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie today, the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class. The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of modern industry, the proletariat is its special and essential product.† Marx depicted the working classes as in a constant resistance to acquire a voice/power and the introduction of Unions, especially the dramatic influence Unions gained after the second world war, has made this a possibility. However, alongside international competition, there are several other factors that have created a fall in union density within industries. High levels of unemployment due to recession in the world economic activity, particularly during the 1980s has weakened the bargaining power of labour and the introduction of right-wing governments such as Margaret Thatcher in 1979 led to an aggressive assault on unions throughout the 1980s. These attacks on unions can be seen replicated in the recent conservative coalition government as well. But possibly the most prominent of union failings was seen during the National Union of Minors strike in the UK in 1984-5. Marx believed that â€Å"the proletariat †¦ is a revolutionary class† and that at some point the working classes would rise against the owners of production. However, this is unlikely to occur any time soon. Union membership has declined considerably in industrialized countries and right-wing governments are not the only source of blame. High unemployment and more flexible production decrease the force of unionism (unionism works well when many people work together in large factories and there is a collective atmosphere). Having considered this though, Unions are highly unlikely to disappear. Workers individually have very little say or power when it comes to their employment and rely heavily on unions to provide this type of support. The collective strength that unions give t o workers enables the proletariat to carry on with their struggle against the bourgeoisie and as long as unions continue to work hard in stabilizing their position within the economic and political sphere then trade unions are likely to be here to stay. However, the chances of their ever being an uprising as Marx has suggested in his writings is dubious. Dwindling memberships to unions suggest people are losing faith in union support and this implies that workers have almost given up in their â€Å"struggle†. One of the aims of unions is to eradicate discrimination within the workforce. Discrimination in the workplace has always been a recurring issue. Gender divisions within the workplace have never been eradicated, nor has ethnicity (not fully anyway). Divisions of labour between genders have been evident in humanity for thousands of years. Inequality in modern day society is seen as wrong. From an economic view point not making use of everyone’s maximum potential regardless of their gender, class or ethnicity is wasteful. From a Marxist perspective, societies that have inequality will suffer. But for women, it can be questionable if women are in the job market at allWomen suffer from a dual burden (Young, 2000). In modern society women are expected to maintain a job whilst dealing with domestic chores and childcare. Because of these responsibilities thrust upon women, women are more likely to be found in certain job sectors which tend to be low in status. Women are more likely t o be found in â€Å"poor quality† jobs (part time, temporary, low pay, long hours, unpleasant, few benefits). Again this seems unlikely to be choice (or not â€Å"free† choice) but some have argued that these jobs reflect women’s preference for jobs compatible with home life and child care. Marxist feminists argue that men benefit from family life at the expense of women. Women as mothers are pressured by culture to have children and to take time out of the labour market to bring them up. These children become the workforce of the future at little or no expense to the capitalist class. This also benefits men, because it means that women cannot compete on a level playing field for jobs or promotion opportunities if their first priority is looking after children. But this male dominance is not universal. Some men are even discriminated against in the workforce due to their class or ethnicity. Factors such as language skills intervene causing racial preferences wit hin the workplace. The â€Å"job application culture† we live in requires individuals to give off first impressions that dazzle, however many companies look for image or whether you would â€Å"fit† in to the company. Not having UK qualifications may make applications harder (if an employer does not recognise a level of qualification he is likely to disregard it). Ethnic minority groups come under discrimination, however not all the time and not everywhere. In some companies whereby international relations are crucial to their business, languages skills may come in useful. But still discrimination occurs, whether it is gendered or ethnic. Arguably not making full use of a persons’ skill is wasteful. Economically it should not matter who a person is or what a person looks like for a job to get done. And Marx, in this instance, is correct in stating that not making full potential of every worker will cause society to suffer. Not just at the level of the company, b ut also at the level of the individual. Bibliography: Blauner, R. (1964) Alienation and Freedom (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press) Burchell, B. Et. al (1996) â€Å"Job Insecurity and Work intensification: Flexibility and the Changing boundaries of work† (York: YPS ILO (2003) â€Å"Business and code of conduct implementation: how firms use management systems for social performance† (Geneva: ILO), mimeo Jameson, H. 22 March 2011, â€Å"The Workplace and social democracy in the post-crisis age†, Policy Network, http://www.policy-network.net/articles/3981/The-workplace-and-social-democracy-in-the-post-crisis-age, Accessed 25th March 2011 Marx, K. Communist Manifesto. Sennett, R. (1998) The corrosion of character: The personal consequences of work in the new capitalism (London: Norton) Western, B. (1997) Between classes and market: Postwar Unionization in the Capitalist Democracies (Princeton: Princeton University Press) or put poshly – appropriate the fruits of our labour but here is the problem according to marx in the evil capitalist system the capitalist (the factory owner) pay the exchange value of labour for an individuals service which is only enough to keep him alive but the capitalist gets the use value of his labour (the total value of the labour) or put poshly – appropriate the fruits of our labour but here is the problem according to marx in the evil capitalist system the capitalist (the factory owner) pay the exchange value of labour for an individuals service which is only enough to keep him alive but the capitalist gets the use value of his labour (the total value of the labour) Applying Marxism to contemporary issues of work and employment Marx’s ideas of ownership of production, alienation and power relationships may play a key role in explaining contemporary issues in work and employment such as lack of job security, having a voice within the workplace and discrimination. As stated in â€Å"The workplace and social democracy in the post-crisis age†, the financial crisis and recession have caused a change in attitudes towards employment relationships. More now than ever employees worry about job security. Marx belonged to a period of industrial society, whereby factories had thousands of employees all under one authoritative figure, the Boss or Manager. Job Security in this era was not a massive issue as it is now in contemporary times. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 1999 published the results of Job Insecurity and Work Intensification survey and showed that job insecurity had steadily been rising since the second world war. The majority of job insecurity lay in the manufacturing industries and blue-collar workers during the 1970’s and 1980#s but at the beginning of the 1990’s professional and managerial workers had their first great exposure to job insecurity. The information age which we now live in has cost many civil servant s their jobs, due to streamlining of systems through computer technology. White collar workers were much less prepared for the changes affecting their occupation. Because redundancy had never occurred to these workers before, the idea of unemployment caused most to experience anxiety and insecurities. Some argue this is an overreaction when compared to the bigger issue of insecurity experienced by the working classes (Giddens, 2009). Anxieties from job insecurities can lead to â€Å"loss of control† and a link has been made between job insecurity and poor overall health (Burchell et al, 1996). This feeling of helplessness against impending unemployment can be explained by Marx’s theory of alienation. Blauner (1964) argued that the introduction of automation to factories has reduced worker alienation. Automation has helped to â€Å"integrate the workforce and gave workers a sense of control over their work that had been lacking with other forms of technology†. E vidently having a sense of ownership towards your work and feeling part of a community diminishes alienation and in turn will diminish any sense of job insecurity: as workers will feel their role within the workplace is needed. Richard Sennett (1998) conducted a study of workers in a bakery which had an automated high-tech production line. Ironically none of the workers were actually bakers but workers trained in how to use the machinery, but only how to use the machinery. The â€Å"bakers† had no physical contact with the bread at any point. Computers decided every aspect of the baking process. However, despite the workers being skilled with computers, not one was trained in how to fix the computers when they broke, causing massive disruption amongst the production line. Sennett found that the workers wanted to be useful and fix the computers but did not because the automation had destroyed their autonomy. Computer technology within the workplace has not only led to an incre ase in workers’ skills but also a group of clerical, service and production workers who lack autonomy in their jobs, are alienated from their work, and lack job security. Another issue concerning work and employment in the UK currently is the movement of work. In a bid for maximum profit, some companies have moved the work from its country of origin to developing countries, where the work is cheaper. Now British companies such as Primark and Matalan have been accused of exploiting workers in these other countries because of their extremely low pricing. It is widely known that transnational factories in developing countries use sweatshop conditions, child labour and pay exploitative rates of pay. Any codes of conduct put in place are either sneakily avoided or completely disregarded altogether: â€Å"research consistently revealed an inadequate, if not poor, level of integration of CSR and Code compliance responsibilities in the internal structure of MNEs and suppliers† (ILO, 2003). However, as wrong as we may think this is, it could be argued that there has just been a shift in location of exploitation. Marx argued that the bourgeoisie, or the owners of production, exploited workers during the period of feudalism. Society was divided into peasants who worked on the land and nobles who were paid in terms of both crops and labour in return for protection, during this period wages were practically unheard of. For Marx, owning land and being able to take food from peasants if fundamentally different from being a peasant working on the land. Peasants (according to Marx) were a group with shared interests and attitudes and nobles were another. This still applies to today’s world of transnational corporations (TNCs). TNCs open factories in developing countries where cheaper labour can be found. The motives between TNCs and nobles are not all that dissimilar. Although TNCs have the resources to choose where to place their factories, such as technology, money and power, whereas nobles were born into a position of power and had no desire to move as they were meant to serve a duty to protect the fundamental relationship betw een owner and producer are still the same. Nobles wanted to extract maximum surplus and gain power, peasants wanted to be free or at the very least have more to eat. The introduction of towns and technology created a possibility for â€Å"free† labour it actually only led to new classes such as bankers and guilders and thus created new conflicts. In modern day society Marx’s theory of class conflict and exploitation is still relevant. TNCs take the role of the nobles or the owner of production and sweatshop workers take the role of peasants, exploited for their cheap labour in order for the TNCs to gain maximum profit and inevitable more power. Increasing intensity of international competition, particularly from Far Eastern countries, where wages are lower, weakens unions’ bargaining power (Western, 1997). In the early development of modern industry, workers had little or no political rights and very little influence over the conditions of work in which they were employed. Unions were developed in order to restore this imbalance of power between workers and their employees. Through Unions workers influence within the workplace was considerably increased. Originally, unions were set up as defensive organizations; workers could stop any overwhelming power that employers enforced on workers’ daily lives. Now, workers have negotiating rights with employers (which means they can press for economic benefits and any problems within the workplace can be discussed). Unions have essentially enabled workers to have a voice within the workplace and in turn have helped the working classes battle through their struggle with the bourgeoisie, as Marx highlighted. â€Å"Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie today, the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class. The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of modern industry, the proletariat is its special and essential product.† Marx depicted the working classes as in a constant resistance to acquire a voice/power and the introduction of Unions, especially the dramatic influence Unions gained after the second world war, has made this a possibility. However, alongside international competition, there are several other factors that have created a fall in union density within industries. High levels of unemployment due to recession in the world economic activity, particularly during the 1980s has weakened the bargaining power of labour and the introduction of right-wing governments such as Margaret Thatcher in 1979 led to an aggressive assault on unions throughout the 1980s. These attacks on unions can be seen replicated in the recent conservative coalition government as well. But possibly the most prominent of union failings was seen during the National Union of Minors strike in the UK in 1984-5. Marx believed that â€Å"the proletariat †¦ is a revolutionary class† and that at some point the working classes would rise against the owners of production. However, this is unlikely to occur any time soon. Union membership has declined considerably in industrialized countries and right-wing governments are not the only source of blame. High unemployment and more flexible production decrease the force of unionism (unionism works well when many people work together in large factories and there is a collective atmosphere). Having considered this though, Unions are highly unlikely to disappear. Workers individually have very little say or power when it comes to their employment and rely heavily on unions to provide this type of support. The collective strength that unions give t o workers enables the proletariat to carry on with their struggle against the bourgeoisie and as long as unions continue to work hard in stabilizing their position within the economic and political sphere then trade unions are likely to be here to stay. However, the chances of their ever being an uprising as Marx has suggested in his writings is dubious. Dwindling memberships to unions suggest people are losing faith in union support and this implies that workers have almost given up in their â€Å"struggle†. One of the aims of unions is to eradicate discrimination within the workforce. Discrimination in the workplace has always been a recurring issue. Gender divisions within the workplace have never been eradicated, nor has ethnicity (not fully anyway). Divisions of labour between genders have been evident in humanity for thousands of years. Inequality in modern day society is seen as wrong. From an economic view point not making use of everyone’s maximum potential regardless of their gender, class or ethnicity is wasteful. From a Marxist perspective, societies that have inequality will suffer. But for women, it can be questionable if women are in the job market at allWomen suffer from a dual burden (Young, 2000). In modern society women are expected to maintain a job whilst dealing with domestic chores and childcare. Because of these responsibilities thrust upon women, women are more likely to be found in certain job sectors which tend to be low in status. Women are more likely t o be found in â€Å"poor quality† jobs (part time, temporary, low pay, long hours, unpleasant, few benefits). Again this seems unlikely to be choice (or not â€Å"free† choice) but some have argued that these jobs reflect women’s preference for jobs compatible with home life and child care. Marxist feminists argue that men benefit from family life at the expense of women. Women as mothers are pressured by culture to have children and to take time out of the labour market to bring them up. These children become the workforce of the future at little or no expense to the capitalist class. This also benefits men, because it means that women cannot compete on a level playing field for jobs or promotion opportunities if their first priority is looking after children. But this male dominance is not universal. Some men are even discriminated against in the workforce due to their class or ethnicity. Factors such as language skills intervene causing racial preferences wit hin the workplace. The â€Å"job application culture† we live in requires individuals to give off first impressions that dazzle, however many companies look for image or whether you would â€Å"fit† in to the company. Not having UK qualifications may make applications harder (if an employer does not recognise a level of qualification he is likely to disregard it). Ethnic minority groups come under discrimination, however not all the time and not everywhere. In some companies whereby international relations are crucial to their business, languages skills may come in useful. But still discrimination occurs, whether it is gendered or ethnic. Arguably not making full use of a persons’ skill is wasteful. Economically it should not matter who a person is or what a person looks like for a job to get done. And Marx, in this instance, is correct in stating that not making full potential of every worker will cause society to suffer. Not just at the level of the company, b ut also at the level of the individual. Bibliography: Blauner, R. (1964) Alienation and Freedom (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press) Burchell, B. Et. al (1996) â€Å"Job Insecurity and Work intensification: Flexibility and the Changing boundaries of work† (York: YPS ILO (2003) â€Å"Business and code of conduct implementation: how firms use management systems for social performance† (Geneva: ILO), mimeo Jameson, H. 22 March 2011, â€Å"The Workplace and social democracy in the post-crisis age†, Policy Network, http://www.policy-network.net/articles/3981/The-workplace-and-social-democracy-in-the-post-crisis-age, Accessed 25th March 2011 Marx, K. Communist Manifesto. Sennett, R. (1998) The corrosion of character: The personal consequences of work in the new capitalism (London: Norton) Western, B. (1997) Between classes and market: Postwar Unionization in the Capitalist Democracies (Princeton: Princeton University Press) or put poshly – appropriate the fruits of our labour but here is the problem according to marx in the evil capitalist system the capitalist (the factory owner) pay the exchange value of labour for an individuals service which is only enough to keep him alive but the capitalist gets the use value of his labour (the total value of the labour) or put poshly – appropriate the fruits of our labour but here is the problem according to marx in the evil capitalist system the capitalist (the factory owner) pay the exchange value of labour for an individuals service which is only enough to keep him alive but the capitalist gets the use value of his labour (the total value of the labour)

Personal Narrative Being a Christian in a Pluralistic Society Research Paper - 1

Personal Narrative Being a Christian in a Pluralistic Society - Research Paper Example When I first started out as a young Christian, I thought that all worldviews that were not my own had to be wrong or backward in some way.   Then, as I began to become wiser with age—having attended Selma Unviersity—I learned about different ways one can see the world with my university studies.   I learned more about my Christian faith and how to preach at Birmingham Baptist Bible College.   At Faith Grant Seminary in Birmingham, Alabama—my spiritual formation was shaped even more than when I was at BBBC.   My BA in pastoral theology, my MA in religion, and my doctorate of Divinity have all shaped who I am today.   Without that theological training, I doubt that I would have become as open-minded as I am today.   In addition, I studied through distance learning with Trinity Distance Studies.   As such, I am currently working towards a Masters in General Psychology with University of the Rockies, after having received a BA in Psychology from Ashford University in 2007.   Before getting my degree in psychology, I never had fully appreciated how complex human beings are—from their motivations to their religious practices and everything else which makes people their unique selves.  Ã‚  When I first started out as a young Christian, I thought that all worldviews that were not my own had to be wrong or backward in some way.   Then, as I began to become wiser with age—having attended Selma Unviersity—I learned about different ways one can see the world with my university studies.   I learned more about my Christian faith and how to preach at Birmingham Baptist Bible College.   At Faith Grant Seminary in Birmingham, Alabama—my spiritual formation was shaped even more than when I was at BBBC.   My BA in pastoral theology, my MA in religion, and my doctorate of Divinity have all shaped who I am today.   Without that theological training, I doubt that I would have become as open-minded as I am t oday.   In addition, I studied through distance learning with Trinity Distance Studies.   As such, I am currently working towards a Masters in General Psychology with University of the Rockies, after having received a BA in Psychology from Ashford University in 2007.   Before getting my degree in psychology, I never had fully appreciated how complex human beings are—from their motivations to their religious practices and everything else which makes people their unique selves.  Ã‚   The reason why pluralism is the focus of this writing is because I feel it is a very important issue to address in today’s society—and I have learned to become comfortable with pluralism, because I now understand the intricacies of Cartesian dualism and can appreciate the fact that everyone who does not believe what I believe is necessarily wrong.   In fact, we may all have different paths to God, but that does not make my religion any better than someone else’s.   We just have different perspectives.   I believe this is a wholesome outlook in a world where relativistic attitudes are common, and lots of people don’t stand up for their beliefs anymore.   I believe that I can be a strong, committed Christian—even in the face of shifting paradigms in various religious communities.   The context in which my learning took place with regards to pluralism includes a strict Christian upbringing in a Baptist family.  Ã‚  

Information Security - Amazon.com Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Information Security - Amazon.com - Term Paper Example Many businesses are solely dependent on storing information on the database. The details regarding the employee workings, salaries and the Banking activities are carries out through storing it into the database under strong security to prevent access from unauthorized access. Not only the firewall and the antivirus system provides security to a system but the system design is also needed to be done in such a way so that it provides strong security system to be decoded by the hackers and break the security. Several viruses can be planted to a system which can erase all data in a minute and even certain hard-wares can be used which can bypass the firewall and enter into the system. The login information provided at different sites for transaction process are needed to be very secured otherwise there can loss of information and hackers can steal information for unlawful activities which can incur huge loss for the account holder both in terms of monetary and data loss. For certain issue s like banking system and network activities the system should be highly secured as lack of security can cause huge loss money along with data. About Amazon.com Seattle, Washington based fortune 500 company Amazon.com is the leader of e-commerce business process globally. In the year 1995 Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com and then expanded gradually with wide range of products and services with international sites and strong network and customer service worldwide. Amazon.com claims to be the Earth’s most customer centric online service company who can provide anything that the customers’ need and they provide the lowest price possible in the market. With a diversified product line ranging from new, refurbished and also used items in various categories like jewelry, gourmet, apparel, books, music, toys, personal care electronics etc Amazon.com provides the solution for all under one roof (Rappa, 2010). The company operates sites at different parts of the world like United K ingdom, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and at China. The technological innovation and the growing trend in the internet industry give a great advantage for the company to innovate new features in to the site. The website provides the special search engine feature for its different items for a more customized search and helps a more easy buying process for the customers. The new AWS (Amazon web services) gives an end-to-end security and privacy in the cloud computing world for the customers and provides a more sophisticated approach than the single data center. With the new innovations day by day the company plans to expand into more geographical regions in coming years and build relation with more sellers and shoppers and implement a more secured e-commerce system for the customers (Amazon.com, 2011). Current business issues on Information Security Amazon.com follows the cloud computing technology which is the modern trend in the e-commerce system. It gives the flexibility fo r the company to expand its business and get connected to a larger mass of people with the development facility of the different application for different devices (Amazon Web Services, 2010). Figure 1: Cloud Computing (Source: India Current Affairs, 2011) But this cloud computing technique of Amazon.com has several security issues which are needed to be evaluated by the company for a more secured information security. Broadly these

A proposal to review the effect of progressive muscle relaxation Essay

A proposal to review the effect of progressive muscle relaxation techniques on chronic pain in cancer patients - Essay Example A randomised controlled trial 17 3. Chapter Three: Preliminary Literature Review 19 3.1 Progressive Muscle Relaxation 19 3.1.1Complete sequences of progressive muscle relaxation 20 3.2 Synthesis 23 Bibliography 26 Appendixes 29 Appendix 1 Time Table 29 Appendix 2 30 Abstract The proposed research for this study will discuss the progressive muscle relaxation and its techniques along with the effect that it has on chronic pain in patients with cancer. The techniques discussed can have a significant impact on reducing and relaxing chronic pain in patients with cancer. The research for this study will be conducted through an examination of secondary research as relevant literature provides valuable information and knowledge about PMR and its impact on chronic pain. Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction Pain is the eternal companion of mankind, with medical practitioners spending a great deal of their time assessing and finding ways to alleviate pain. Chronic pain is extremely common i n patients with cancer, especially those who are found in stage IV of the disease. Pain can be divided into four types of intensity: weak, moderate, sever, and very severe. All analgesic therapy in cancer patients is based on the use of non-narcotic, narcotic, and support (adjuvant) drugs, the use of which forms the basis of a three-step approach to pain management which was developed and proposed by the world health organization. It is estimated that one third of all cancer patients suffer from moderate to severe pain related to their cancer and over 50% of patients diagnosed with cancer suffer from some form of pain. The most common types of pain related to cancer are due to the cancer tumor and the treatment. Unlike those who suffer from chronic pain that is unrelated to cancer, those with cancer experience pain in more than on area; the pain can be both acute and chronic and often varies in presentation. Pain is associated with the consequences of changes in psychosocial relatio nships, decreased quality of life, and increased rates of depression and anxiety (Melzack 2005, p. 971-979). Unfortunately, patients and providers often find that pharmacologic therapy does not completely control pain associated with cancer. Pharmacologic management of pain often comes with side effects such as nausea, constipation, drowsiness, pruritus, sedation, and delirium. Complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies, including mind-body techniques, are often sought out. Mind-body therapies are recommended in addition to pharmacological approaches for cancer patients experiencing pain. 1.2 Background/Justification Cancer pain is a complex phenomenon that often occurs due to tumor progression and related pathology, surgery or other invasive procedures. Toxicities of chemotherapy and radiation can significantly contribute to that pain as well as infection which all lead to a multidimensional model of cancer pain that can include the five components of: (1) physiologic (o rganize etiology of the pain); (2) sensory (intensity, location, quality); (3) affective (depression and anxiety); (4) cognitive (the meaning attached to the pain); and (5) behavioral (activity level, analgesic

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

International Business - Essay Example Globalization has led to integration of global production (global sourcing and coordination between the diverse locations) and integration of global markets (the rise of global brands and international distributors). Ultimately, globalization yields to increasing: culture convergences; interdependence among states economic integration; trade liberation; and, global capital markets (Hill 2012, p.4). Globalization of markets Globalization of markets delineates the progression witnessed in the assimilation and amalgamation of different world markets into a shared market. This means that national markets are increasingly amalgamating into one vast marketplace. This process eventually yields to the adoption of common products or services propelled by the resultant cultural shift. ... The growth of national companies such as Coca Cola and MacDonald’s into larger global organizations has drawn attention to the fact that global companies can now be able to synchronize their operations across continents, yielding to enhanced efficiency and attainment of economies of scale. One of the paradoxes of globalization that can be highlighted details that technology has fostered the efficient delivery of standardized products, as well as promoting diverse forms of tailored products for various markets; however, the registered growth of global markets has been highly prevalent within sectors that depend on standardized products for all clients. Markets for consumer products, on the other hand, have not been homogenized as anticipated (Reinert 2000, p.42). The positioning numerous markets, especially within advanced economies have increasingly been reversed as imports of standard products are frequently cheaper compared to the local equivalent. Hence, domestic manufactur ing companies are increasingly struggling to match the multinationals that enjoy economies of scale, in addition to, massive resources. Globalization of production The factors that impact on the situating of an entity’s manufacturing infrastructure usually vary between countries, and may be complementary in a foreign country relative to the host country. This means that entities are persistently placing their individual productive operations at highly rewarding global locations (Hill and Jones 2007, p.265). As such, it is becoming immaterial to label various products as ‘Japanese,’ ‘American,’ German,’ or ‘British.’ This derives from the breaking down of the manufacturing process into separate stages in which each phase takes place within the most

Brazil, One of the BRICS Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brazil, One of the BRICS Countries - Essay Example Brazil has since been a leading nation in the global scene with the integration of all of the universal races from all the continents. The mulatto constitutes the second majority of the population with the whites occupying 53% in population (Nascimento, 2007). The rest are black and other tribes that share the remaining constitution in the population. The largest South American nation has been developed based on a diverse economic activity with a tropical climate in the north and temperate southern climate. The nation has been developed based on these activities and the abundance of a rich mineral reserve that supplies the population with a livelihood source to support a growing population. The rich composition of the Brazilian nation has been built on diversity in the population and the rich culture that shape the development witnessed in the country. A multi-dynamic population that forms the culture constitutes the composition of Brazil. The nation had been formed based on the indi genous Portuguese population that dictated the initial cultural practices and the catholic religion that is more dominant. However, the southern nation experienced an increased migration pattern that saw the arrival of an increased and diversified culture. The population has been created based on the greatest population composers in Indigenous Americans, Africans and the varied Portuguese population that have interacted to create diversity experienced in Brazil. The architecture in Brazil, the Portuguese language and the religion has since been the identity of the nation based on the original inhabitants of the land. The multicultural platform has created integration that tolerates foreign inhabitants capable of integrating into the population, and generating the cultural affiliation realized in the bend of traditional and contemporary cultural traditions. The population composition of Brazil has reflected the culture of the nation with African, American, Portuguese and European nat ions reflecting the identity of the nation. The mestizos had been created as the result of the interaction of the colonizers in Portuguese and the natives. The Mulattoes were a new culture from the African slaves and the colonizers and after liberation in 1888 slavery was eradicated to eliminate racial imbalance (Hollander, 2003). The entire population in Brazil adopted Portuguese as the language for interaction with the Roman Catholic religion constituting the chief religion in Brazil. Hollander (2003) state that the diverse population has also influenced the food, culture and heritage of the nation, to present, distinct practices to be highlighted in the ceremonies witnessed. The cultural affiliations are reflected in the greatest event practiced in Brazil during the carnival held 46 days prior to the Easter holiday. The reflection accorded had been the culture practiced in the pagan religion that had existed in the native inhabitants before the introduction of Christianity. Varie d tribes occupy the regions in Brazil and each bear varied principles and practices. The Bahia region composed on mainly African origin practice a distinct music, language and religious perspectives. The food that is mostly adopted in the culture has been in rice and beans with manioc as the leading composition in the diet. Although urbanization has led to the adoption of a globalized trend in completion of the activities, there has been the preservation of the cultural

Managerial Functions of Abu Dhabi Media Company Essay

Managerial Functions of Abu Dhabi Media Company - Essay Example These roles define the overall roles of the company’s executives in promoting the objectives of the organization through the established processes and business operations. As a result, the company is diversified with regard to service provision though its core business is media and entertainment. The functions of management of the company reflect its diversified nature in the sense that the managers of the firm play a wide range of duties in overseeing the vast operations of the company. For Abu Dhabi Media Corporation, the managerial roles of its executives describe the course of management that incorporates several business functions like marketing, finance and accounting. Therefore, roles provide constructive methods of categorizing data regarding management along with the most primary managerial processes of the corporation since its incorporation in June 2007. Every business organization has goals and objectives that govern its existence and operation in the business sphe re. Accordingly, each organization endeavors to achieve some purposes that are predetermined and practiced through the entire course of its existence. In order for a company to succeed in its endeavors, its needs people as employees through which the company performs its processes. However, since people need direction the aspect of leadership and management is of core importance. Managers of an organization represent the people who administer the achievement of the organization’s objectives. Managerial functions provide a template upon which the managers of the respective company base their decisions, actions and operations. The managerial roles of Abu Dhabi Media Corporation define the frontiers of operation and operations that govern the roles of the company’s management. Abu Dhabi Media is a media corporation based in Abu Dhabi and owns a number of media houses in the UAE including TV stations, newspapers, Printing Pres and radio channels like Abu Dhabi Television, Holy Quran Radio, Al Ittihad newspaper and Image Nation (Books LLC, 2010). The organization was incorporated in 2007 as a corporation fully owned by the government. The legislation was enacted to lead to the growth of a multifaceted media firm in the Emirates. Among the objectives of forming the organization was to establish a cultural hub in the Middle East, as well as concentrate attention on Abu Dhabi as the commanding zone of the Emirates. Therefore, the crown prince of the Emirates founded five-member board of directors which comprised of chairman, deputy and three other members. The board was the supreme decision making organ of the comprehensive corporation that is responsible for the expansion of the vision and objectives of the organization and provide leadership. The corporation’s first assignment was the formation of the initial newspaper in English in Abu Dhabi, in mid 2007. As the company expanded, it established a number of TV stations along with radio channels that are under different management. Each subsidiary of the holding company is managed by an executive director under whom there are several managers who execute the decisions and vision of the company through their roles. Currently, the following functions of manager are incorporated in the normal functioning of the media company; staffing, organizing, leading, controlling, planning and directing. The roles, which

What A Star-What a Jerk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What A Star-What a Jerk - Essay Example Usually, behavior problems involve violations of policies or work rules (Fallon, & McConnell, 2014). However, the noble thing Jane needs to do is to show that she has the authority and let Andy know what is acceptable and what is not. I once encountered an employee behaving like an Andy when I was a manager of a retail store comprised of several other employees. There was this one individual who thought that she could do as she pleased on my shift. She did her job well and treated other employees and customers with respect. The only problem I had with her was the way she communicated with me. I managed to handle this situation in a professional manner and from that experience, the behaviour of this individual significantly improved and she began to observe and respect the company policy towards management. Some form of behaviour simply needs to be corrected without necessarily taking disciplinary action against the individual employee behaving like an

Phuket Beach Analysis Essay Example for Free

Phuket Beach Analysis Essay Statement of the Problem Should the management of Phuket Beach Resort accept the offer made by PlanetKaraoke Pub to set up an outlet inside the hotel or should the managementoperate a pub, Beach Karaoke Pub, by itself? II. Case Background Mike Campbell, General Manager of Phuket Beach Hotel is considering an offermade by Planet Karaoke Pub, a fast expanding company, which is looking for avenue in Patong beach area for setting up another outlet. The Board of Directorsof the establishment had previously rejected several old offers because it offerslow return on investment. The space was located on the second floor of the main building and was verymuch under-utilised. Planat Karaoke Pub offered to sign a four-year leaseagreement with the hotel for rending part of the unused space. It proposed topay:a. a monthly rental fee of 170,000 baht for the first two years; andb. thereafter, a 5% increment for the next two years. Planet Karaoke Pub required only 70% of the unused space measuring 3,000 sq. feet. This would allow the hotel to keep the remaining space for the creation of analley two years later. Mike Campbell is contemplating on creating a pub operated by the managementof the hotel itself since such establishments attract a lot of customers andtourists. Mike Campbell sought the assistance of Kornkrit Manming, the hotel’s FinancialController to review the offer from Planet Karaoke Pub and estimating revenuesand costs associated with an alternative project, Beach Karaoke Pub. III. Objectives With the given two alternatives on hand, this case aims to:a. ome up with a concrete recommendation to the board of directorsof Phuket Beach Resort of which of the two alternatives will offer a higherreturn on investmentb. determine if operating a pub in the hotel, whether by a third party orby management, will be a good investment on the part of the hotel. c. compute for the relevant cashflows associated with each projects? The 25% fear factor is applied on the projected annual net room revenuerepresenting 50% of the pub revenue – 50% from hotel guests. . Overhead expenses allocated to the Planet Karaoke Pub project amountingto 55,000 baht and 16% of sales representing salaries for the Beach KaraokePub project are considered irrelevant costs since these costs will not differbetween alternatives. Both are allocated costs. 5. The weighted average cost of capital is 10. 75% computed using 10%interest rate and 12% hotel owners’ cost of equity on its capital structureconsisting of 25% debt and 75% equity respectively. The cost of equity isassumed to be after tax. 6. All payments and inflows assumed to have been made at the end of theyear. The two projects have unequal lives: Planet Karaoke Pub to run for 4 yearswhile Beach Karaoke Pub to run for 6 years. 8. It was envisaged that the proposed pub would not affect the hotel’s futureexpansion plans. 9. The existing system ranked projects according to their average return oninvestment and payback period, regardless to the time value of money. 10. Similar development proposals had been rejected by the board because itrequired a long payback period. Other proposals were also discarded due toits low return on investment.

Role of Warehousing in Logistics Essay Example for Free

Role of Warehousing in Logistics Essay Many organizations are using this different types of warehouses according to their requirement. For storing different types of goods and for transporting different goods, these warehouses are used rapidly. The main requirement of the logistics is the warehouse management functions. In logistics, the management of the goods is done. The management of the goods include controlling the flow of goods, and information about the goods. Different warehouse systems are used in logistics for making it effective. The different systems are warehouse management system and the warehouse control systems. For maximizing the efficiency, these systems are used a lot. These are the different operations which are done using the warehouses in logistics. They provide various services like labeling, ticketing, configuring and testing. They provide the services very rapidly. These warehouses act as the control centers for monitoring the goods. For customer satisfaction one has to use the warehouses. In any logistics system, transporting of the goods is done from one location to the other. For checking whether the goods are transported to the customers at the right time and date, for this warehousing is used. Before delivering the goods, the goods are replenished in the warehouse initially. Although the storage is done for a short period, they are widely used. The time which is needed for transporting goods will also become less as the warehouses are placed near the centers. So, the cost of the transportation gets reduced. So, for any business the main integral part is the warehouse. To be successful in real estate, the maxim is location, location, location. In a way, that is the rule for warehousing success. And warehouse success is very important to customer satisfaction.

The Types Of Money Used Today Economics Essay

The Types Of Money Used Today Economics Essay The types of money used today include; Coins, Paper currency, Bank drafts, Money orders, Stocks, Bonds, Treasury bills, Credit cards, ATM cards, Options, Gift certificates, Cheques,Travelers Cheques and many more. Money is converted into two categories, commodity and fiat money. 2.2.1Commodity money What constitutes a commodity? A commodity is generally accepted, without further clarification, as anything that can be bought or sold. This prompts further questioning. What is the communitys present accepted means for buying and selling? The answer is,money. A commodity therefore is a thing to which a money price can be attached and which can therefore be bought or sold with money. If money itself is a commodity, then money is a thing that can be bought or sold with money. The above reasoning not only involves a vicious circular logic of explaining and defining something in terms of itself, but also paves the way for an ascending infinite inflationary spiral (Peter Lock 2008). According to Peter Lock (2008), the definition of a commodity needs to be modified if it is to be consistent and to avoid all circular logic. An economic commodity is any marketable goods or service which has an intrinsic value in itself and whose value can be relatively assessed using an extrinsic suitable stable non-commodity money standard and hence bought and sold. In other words, an economic commodity is any marketable good, other than money, which money itself can buy. Modern money either as bits of plastic or paper, or as numbers in ledgers and computer memories, has no intrinsic value in itself. Its only value is its otherness. It does perform a valuable service in the marketplace by measuring the value of all other goods and services and facilitating their exchange. The mindset of money as a bartering device should not be included in or confused with the mindset for its use as a commodity. Their purposes and functions are self-contradictory, being diametrically opposite. The former exists as a stable extrinsic measure of worth for a community as a whole to use. The latter as an unstable intrinsic measure of marketplace purchasing power for individuals to abuse in their exploitation of the whole global community for their own personal aggrandizement and exercise of usurped power (Peter Lock, 2008). According to Peter Lock (2008), as long as money is treated as a commodity, uncertainty and insecurity must result. It is not a question of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It is simply a challenge to devise a system whereby the rich well fed haves can keep their fat share of humanitys commonwealth cake and at the same time let the poor hungry have-nots eat a just and reasonable thin slice of it as well. Money as a commodity only exists for the personal profit and increasing wealth and power of the haves: some of the rich get richer, all the poor get poorer. In an economic system where money is self-self functioning in positive feedback as a commodity, the evil treatment meted out to the have-nots who constitute the vast majority of the community becomes more and more inhumane. The term commodity money can be given to the kind of money that is at the same time a commercial commodity. Commodity money has an intrinsic value and that means it is considered to be worth something in its own right rather than simply being a token of financial value such as a banknote. The commodity itself constitutes the money, and the money is the commodity. The best known form of commodity money is gold or silver coins, though any commodity can fulfill this role. The commodity itself; since more is being produced and less being used for non-monetary purposes, the resources devoted to additional production and the benefits forgone must be counted as the price of the system. Examples of commodities that have been used as medium of exchange include gold, silver, copper, salt, peppercorns, large stones, shells, alcohol, barley and cigarettes, just to highlight a few. These items were sometimes used in a metric of perceived value in conjunction to one another, in various commodity v aluation or Price System economies With a commodity money balances is part of the markets for goods and services. Use of commodity money is more the same with barter system. The use of shells or ivory was nearly universal before humans discovered how to work with precious metals; in China, Africa, and many other areas, use of cowrie shells was common. Historically speaking, many different metals have been used as standard money: iron in ancient Sparta, tin in ancient Syracuse and probably also in early Egypt, copper in early Palestine and in early Rome, and brass until recently in many parts of China. In modern times, however, monometallism has been based mostly on the so-called precious metals, silver and gold, with an increasing preponderance of gold since the latter part of the last century. Historically, the strongest and most stable currencies were those backed by gold and silver. It was this gold/silver backing that gave the currency its intrinsic value. In most cases, a countrys currency was actually gold or silver coins. Gold and silver have always been a universal form of money and measure of wealth providing stability in an otherwise unstable world (Tony DiCicco, 2002). A commodity money can give rise to a large amount of price instability if either there are large changes in the supply of the commodity or if there are large changes in the non-monetary use of the commodity. An example of a commodity money that gave rise to price fluctuations is the cigarette currency used in POW camps in the Second World War. The price of goods in terms of cigarettes depended on the relative availability of cigarettes and goods. If no cigarettes were received in the camp for some time, the supply of them would diminish (because prisoners would use them as commodities: they would smoke them) and their value would rise. A rise in the value of cigarettes meant that cigarettes bought more, or that prices fell. When a shipment of cigarettes would arrive, their increased availability would cause their value to drop, which meant prices would rise. Its stated that the erratic delivery of cigarettes and the resulting waves of inflation and deflation were a major problem in t he mini-economy of the POW (camphttp://ingrimayne.com/econ/Money/Commodities.html). Colonists often resorted to the use of commodity money, where a colonys principal commodity would circulate as a medium of exchange. The Massachusetts Bay Colony used corn and beaver skins as its medium of exchange. In the Southern colonies, it was tobacco and rice; and throughout most of the colonies, animal skins, corn, powder and gun shot, and livestock were often used. Since the market value of commodity money was determined by supply and demand, its value as money often decreased when there was an over supply in the marketplace. In addition, commodity money lacked uniform quality, and was prone to spoilage, difficult to transport, and costly to store (http://www.bos.frb.org/education/pubs/historyo.pdf ). pictures below shows examples of commodity money that where used: Gold Silver Shells Barley 2.2.2Fiat money The currency we all use today is legal tender for taxes and debts. It has no intrinsic value, it is not convertible and it is not tyrannically imposed on all transactions. This money fiat money was born in Massachusetts in 1690. Historians have claimed that it was a simple wartime substitution of fiat money for specie, as has happened many times since then, but this view is anachronistic. Later governments learned from Massachusetts that fiat money is a good wartime emergency, but for Massachusetts this was not an obvious idea (Dror Goldberg). Dror Goldberg mentions that Massachusetts had to issue money to pacify mutinous troops who returned defeated from war. However, formally issuing money, and backing it with land (as was then standard), would have been fatal for the long-run independence of the colony. Massachusetts had lost its charter in 1684, partly because it minted its own coins (a violation of the royal coinage prerogative). Moreover, all the colonys land was temporarily considered to be the kings land from 1687-1691. In 1690, when Massachusetts had to issue money, its agents were lobbying for a new charter in London. It could not afford to upset the king by violating his coinage prerogative again and backing money with his land. The solution was to issue IOUs, as any English subject was allowed to do, not back it with land, and not force it on trade. Like any IOU issuer the colony could offset its credits with it, namely making it legal tender for taxes. It was also made effectively legal tender for debts in an elaborate, dishonest way. The outcome was fiat money (Dror Goldberg). The Massachusetts Bay Colony issued in 1776. The evolution of commodity money into paper in America Paper money first appeared in America in in the late 17th century. In 1690, the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in an effort to increase government spending while avoiding the unpopular act of raising taxes, began printing paper money to pay for its expenses. To convince the Massachusetts Bay colonists to accept the paper as payment, the government promised to redeem the paper in gold and silver coin collected in taxes at a later date. It also promised to never print paper money again. While both promises were quickly broken by the government, is is interesting to see that, again, what caused people to begin accepting paper money as payment for goods and services, is the understanding that the money could ultimately be redeemed for tangible wealth in the form of the commodity money in use at the time (Chris Lind). The pictures below is an example of fiat money: Federal Reserve Note 1941 Federal Reserve Note 1950 The evolution of commodity money into paper in China Paper money first arose in China around 800 AD during the Tang Dynasty. Prior to the existence of paper money, a merchant selling his goods in the city of Szechuan, risked loss by theft as he transported his commodity money and unsold goods back to his home city. As a way of earning revenue, the Chinese government, in posession of fortified strongholds in each city to store tax revenues, offered the following service. For a fee, a merchant could deposit their gold and silver coin with the government in city A. In exchange the merchant received a paper receipt for the gold deposited. When the merchant arrived back home at city B, he could go to the treasury of that city to redeem his paper reciept for the commodity money in use. Over time, as people learned that the commodity represented by the paper would actually be there, merchants began buying and selling with the paper receipts themselves (Chris Lind). Kuan note is the oldest known banknote in the world (Mike Hewitt) However, its use was very short-lived, by 1455, after over 600 years, the Chinese abandoned paper money due to numerous problems of over issuance and hyperinflation. The term fiat money can be given to money that comprises things with a special legal qualification and the money used today is fiat money.Fiat means let it be done or by order of authority. Fiat money basically means that the currency has no intrinsic value (nor can it be redeemed for precious metals or something of intrinsic value) and the money is based solely on faith. Rather, the currency is only backed by the goodwill of the government that issues it. Normally the government is the one that declares legal tender. With fiat money its not real but it represents goods and services that it can buy thus it can be defined as the baskets of goods and services that it represents. For fiat money to be valued, the money supply must be limited and it must be impossible to counterfeit (PÄ ±nar Yesin 2010). Fiat money is created by a narrow cadre of globalist bankers that seek a new World order. Fiat money is created out of thin air. The fiat system is based on debt. We owe and they are owed. With the power they accrue, a plan has been launched to reorganize all aspects of human life. That plan is called Agenda 21 or Sustainable Development. It is a U.N. program, agreed to by 178 nations, that is designed to create a world order where human beings are regarded as biological resources. The evolving system does not recognize unalienable rights (Michael Shaw, 2009). Since fiat money has no direct legal connection to a commodity money there is no real economic cost to its production, the supply of a fiat money can never be self-limiting; and the value of a fiat money is always largely a matter of public confidence in the economic or political stability of the issuer. Historically every major fiat money have self-destructed in what is popularly called hyperinflation caused by either unlimited increases in the supply of that fiat money by the issuer or accelerating loss of public confidence in the continued value of the money or the economic or political fortunes of its issuer or both. Steve Elwart says that today, fiat money will always bring on inflation for two reasons: 1) Politicians like to induce inflation because it gives the people the illusion of prosperity and 2) its declared value is much higher than the cost of producing it. Whether it is a $1 or $100 bill in fiat money, it costs only 4 cents to produce. In todays electronic age, the pr oduction cost for new money is zero since money creation is just a keystroke and an entry in cyber-space. On the other hand, in history, if you had a $20 gold piece, the cost of that gold piece, less the cost to produce it, was about $20 (Steve Elwart). The Barter system was prevalent before the origin of fiat currency. In this system, commodities were exchanged for commodities. For example, if one person need rice and the other one need coconut, the person who has cultivates rice has to search and find out the person having coconut. Only then the exchange will take place. This itself was the serious disadvantage of barter system. For some times the different commodities acted as money and they were named as commodity money. After years of a coin system the paper fiat currency came in to existence. In the coinage, a gold smith acted sometimes as a banker. A government body started to control the printing of all types of moneys. Banks started to deal with money. They accepted savings and gave loans in the form of money. Apart from these transactions, banks started to generate bank money ( Robert Mendez). Modern society again replaced old money with other new forms of money like, demand drafts, credit cards, etc. Now we dont need to keep a liquid form of money with us. All our transactions can be made by using credit cards. We can do all our shopping with these cards. Even if money is used in different forms, the importance of money is still not deteriorated. According to Steve Elwart in his research entitled Commodity Money and Fiat Money: A Bushel of Wheat for a Penny, says that a government puts fiat money into circulation first by connecting it to a gold or silver standard, but then cuts the link and says that gold and paper are no longer convertible, making the piece of paper legal tender for all debts public and private. It is obvious that debtors would be very happy if the pa-per money lost its value because they could pay their debts with inflated currency. In a letter to Edward Carrington in 1788, Thomas Jefferson wrote, Paper is poverty à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is only the ghost of money, and not money itself. Jefferson died bankrupt because of the early United States money (monetary) pol-icy based on paper. It is not that fiat currency is a new invention. Fiat currency actually made its appearance over 1,000 years ago. China was the first country to issue true paper money around the 10th century A.D. Although the notes were valued at a certain ex-change rate for gold, silver, or silk, conversion was never allowed in practice. The bills were supposed to be redeemed after three years in circulation, but as more bills were printed with the older notes being refused redemption, inflation became evident. Government measures to prop up the currency were unsuccessful and it fell out of favor (Steve Elwart) . Steve continues to say that at this point, people start to feel the pinch of their money buying less. They demand that their government do some-thing. Since studies have shown that voters only have a memory of one year when it comes to politics, politicians will make sure that the economy is good in an election year.6 They will artificially stimulate the economy to give voters the illusion that times are good again and reelect the incumbents. This lasts only so long and inflation, with its problems kick in again. This cycle of increasing the currency supply and price inflation ultimately ends with the collapse of the currency, sometimes preceded by hyperinflation. (Hyperinflation and its cultural effects will be covered in Part 3 of this series.) Surprisingly, the country has not learned its lesson and the devalued fiat currency is replaced with yet another fiat currency. Greece is a perfect example of this cycle (Steve Elwart). Steve Elwart says the Greek drachma was minted in gold and silver in ancient Greece and made its reappearance as a fiat currency in 1841. Since then, the value of the drachma decreased. During the German-Italian occupation of the country from 1941-1944, hyperinflation ravaged the country, ending with the issuance of 100,000,000,000 (100 billion)-drachma notes in 1944. After Greece was liberated from Germany, old drachmae were ex-changed for new ones at the rate of 50,000,000,000 to 1. Only paper money was issued, again a fiat currency. Greece then went on a program of deficit spending for social programs and inflation started once again. In 1953, in an effort to halt inflation, Greece joined the Bretton Woods system and the drachma was revalued at a rate of 1000 old drachma to one new drachma. In 1973 the Bretton Woods System was abolished; over the next 25 years the official exchange rate gradually declined, from 30 drachmas to one U.S. dollar to a ratio of 400:1. On January 1, 2002, the Greek drachma was officially replaced as the circulating currency by the Euro (again a fiat currency). Today, Greece is once again is in trouble. After years of continued deficit spending and the governments easy monetary policy, Greeces financial situation was badly exposed when the global economic downturn struck. Very quickly, the governments creative accounting practices were exposed. The national debt, put at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬300 billion ($413.6 billion), is bigger than the countrys entire economy, with some estimates placing it at 120 percent of gross domestic product in 2010. The countrys deficit-how much more it spends than it takes in-is 12.7 percent (Steve Elwart). This time though, Greece just cant inflate their way out of the problem. Now that they are on the Euro (in the Euro-zone), they have little control over their monetary policy. All their loans are in Euros and they must pay back the loans in Euros. One way to balance the national books is to implement harsh and unpopular spending cuts. Another way is to default on their debt. This would seriously damage the Euro as other countries look at default as a way out of their financial problems. (In fact, financial experts are predicting the demise of the Euro in as early as five years.8) A third way out is to separate itself from the Euro, go back on the drachma (fiat currency again) and then set an exchange rate of the drachma to the Euro at an artificially high number. The cycle of fiat money would then begin again. As long as a country is on a fiat currency, inflation is sure to follow. Using a fiat currency could well reduce a civilization to work an entire day for a bushel of wheat,(Ste ve Elwart). Failures of Government fiat money History has taught that lodging monopoly power over the nations stock of currency in a purely discretionary central bank, unconstrained by a monetary constitution, is highly dangerous. The money-process is likely to become politicized, with monetary policy becoming subservient to fiscal policy and with monetary authorities exhibiting a bias toward inflation. James A. Dorn mentions that a study of about 30 currencies shows that there has not been a single case of a currency freely manipulated by its government or central bank since 1700 which enjoyed price stability for at least 30 years running. Although the Fed has achieved intermittent price stability since its inception in 1913, its long-run performance has been unsatisfactory, especially when compared to commodity-based standards such as the classical gold standard. The issuance of fiat money by governments is, in truth, a white collar crime; and, as happens when white collar crimes are discovered, a highly visible paper trail le ads directly back to the wrongdoers-in this case, the central banks (Darryl Robert Schoon). In fiat based economies, time is the enemy and 95 years have passed since fiat money was introduced into the US. In America and elsewhere time is passing and the clock is ticking and recently its been sounding more and more like a time bomb (Darryl Robert Schoon) . Comparison between types of money Fiat money is the term for a medium of exchange which is neither a commercial commodity, a consumer, or a producer good, nor title to any such commodity: that is irredeemable paper money. In contrast, commodity money refers to a medium of exchange which is either a commercial commodity or a title thereto. There is no doubt that fiat money is possible. Its theoretical possibility was recognized long ago, and since 1971, when the last remnants of a former international gold (commodity) standard were abolished, all monies, everywhere, have in fact been nothing but irredeemable pieces of paper (Hans-Hermann Hoppe). As asserted by Cary A. Deck, Kevin A. McCabe and David P. Porter ( ),fiat money is a convention that allows individuals to complete trades without relying on the coincidence of wants or diverting valuable commodities to serve as money. In order for individuals to accept intrinsically worthless fiat money in exchange for valuable goods, the agents must believe that the money can be used to complete subsequent purchases of other goods or services. Advantages of Commodity money According to the information about commodities monies on the internet, the reduced value of the money will encourage people to use the item more in its commodity use. For example, if gold serves as money, and its value drops, people will increase their use of gold for jewelry, tableware, and artistic purposes. Their actions will reflect the law of demand: whenever a commodity becomes cheaper, people use more of it. Thus if there is a sudden influx of gold into a country that uses it as money, part of the influx will be diverted to its commodity use, and the effects on the amount of money, and hence on the price level, will be lessened. On the other hand, a sudden decline will also be cushioned, because as the commodity grows more valuable, people will transfer it from its commodity use into a monetary use. If the amount of gold declines and it rises in value, there is an incentive to melt down jewelry, tableware, and artistic objects and use the gold as money. Hence a doubling of gol d may not double the amount of money, and cutting the amount of gold by one half may not cut money by one half (http://ingrimayne.com/econ/Money/Commodities.html ). Another reason for price stability with a commodity money exists when that commodity is used by many other nations. When the price level in any one nation changes, the commodity will flow across borders to where it is most valuable( Robert Schenk, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1977 ). Disadvantages of Commodity Money When valuable resources are used as money, those resources cannot be used for consumption. Copper used to make pennies cannot be used to make electrical wire. The supply of money is determined by supply of the commodity. The money supply could fluctuate substantially. The discovery of new gold would mean that the supply of money would increase and the price level would rise. There is a lack of stability when a currency depends on being able to find and produce a particular naturally occurring but naturally rare substance. When gold is being used as commodity money it can be a disadvantage since the government cant meaningfully increase the supply of gold over a short period of time, for example the Fed can be able to increase the supply of fiat money in 10 weeks by more than 100%, with gold this cannot be accomplished. . Advantages of Fiat money Is an efficient form of money; since it can be produced costlessly, there is a gain from using it instead of something else that is both costly to produce and has alternative uses (Neil Wallace).Uses relatively little of societys resources. Fiat money has an advantage over commodity money in the senses that the same laws that come up with laws that created the money can also make a decision to replace the money if it ever gets damaged or destruction occurs. Fiat money has more stability as compared that of gold-backed currency in the sense that commodity based currencies are inherently pro-cyclic, increasing volatility in terms of the regular business cycle and come and go recessions. This stability allows investors, capitalists and creditors to make rational, firm decisions based on sound expectations that have little room for uncertainty; and thus make more risky and subjective investments. Studies also shows that during the Great depression, countries that used fiat currency syste m fared more stable and much better off than those dependent on commodity-based currency. As mentioned by Chris Lind, fiat money is generally seen as a convenience or a protectionist system; It is much easier to carry around a piece of paper than 50 pounds of gold or some other commodity. Trustworthiness; the community trusts that the paper receipt or certificate actually represents the tangible good printed on the paper. Fiat money can and still created in arbitrary amounts, and is made more available on a favorable basis to the government and commercial banks. With fiat money the Fed can be able to increase the supply by more than 100% within 10 weeks, the advantage of being able to do that is that the government can manipulate the system to mitigate panics and disasters. Take for example the last fall would have being a bigger mess if gold was the monetary numeraire Disadvantages of Fiat Money The longer a fiat money system exists, the greater the odds of economic collapse. Over time fiat credit money destroys economies because time exacerbates the systemic flaws of credit-based, sic capital, markets (Darryl Robert Schoon). Fiat money is not self limiting, which can make nations which rely on this type of currency extremely vulnerable to hyperinflation. Government controls money supply and it may cause inflation by printing too much money the following example shows how fiat money can really cause inflation the example is taken from a journal by Andrew Digeson White (1933), early in the year 1789 the French nation found itself in deep financial embarrassment: there was a heavy debt and a serious deficit. The vast reforms of that period, though a lasting blessing politically, were a temporary evil financially. There was a general want of confidence in business circles; capital had shown its proverbial timidity by retiring out of sight as far as possible; throughout the land was stagnation. Fiat money becomes worthless when its no longer used that is when the government declares. Fiat money distorts the time value of money and in so doing destroys both money and the economies that use it (Darryl Robert Schoon).