Carbon cycle and climate change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Carbon cycle and climate change - Essay Example Out of many other factors that cause global warming, one of the very important and significant factors is the increment of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) in the atmosphere. This paper basically includes the carbon cycle and the change in climate caused by this cycle. According to some statistics, the average annual concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) was around 20% higher in Hawaii in the year 2010 than it was in the year 1960, and the rate of increase in its concentration in the 21st century is doubled as compared to that in 1960. Though, the ozone hole is being recovered because of the atmospheric concentrations of CFC gases. Because of these factors the average global temperature has increased up to 0.80C in the last century and this rate is increasing up to a significant figure during this era. Other than that, the global sea level, which could be and has been a great cause of natural disasters has increase at about twice as faster between 1992 to 2010 as it was in 1950 to 2000, and the Greenland ice sheet melting is also increased up to 30% in the during the year 1980 to 2010. Now let us discus something about the carbon cycle. Carbon cycle is basically the cycling and recycling of carbon between the atmosphere, the earth’s surface, and the oceans. Other than that it is also the recycling of carbon in the lithosphere as well. Though, this take spans of time. The regulation of the earth’s temperature greatly depends upon this cycle. ... So for the years ahead, regarding the climate change, the concentration of carbon dioxide is of a great concern. Here the question again arises, that what are the major factors that affect this carbon cycle. One of the factors that I would really like to mention here is the arbitrarily induced variation in the carbon and climate. The global population is also a major factor of that. Human beings and all the other living creatures inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide (CO2). Thus the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is being reduced, and that of carbon dioxide (CO2) is increasing rapidly. The terrestrial and ocean ecosystem absorbing is even greater than half of the human carbon emissions. Let us deeply observe the connection of climate with the carbon cycle. Whenever some organic material is combusted, the products are always water and carbon dioxide gas. Nowadays the main sources of energy in the world are the fossil fuel, and the petroleum products, like petrol, diesel a nd the furnace oil. All of these things combine to result in the production of huge amount of carbon dioxide and reduction of oxygen gas when combusted in the vehicles, power houses and industries mainly. These main human activities thus result in increasing the overall temperature of the world, which is named as global warming. Basically the carbon cycle starts from these human activities, where they breath, and the fossils are burnt or combusted. Then this carbon dioxide is sent to the atmosphere, where the overall temperature is quite lower than the temperature on or near the surface of the earth. Here much of the carbon dioxide gas is absorbed, which

Globalisation. Its causes and results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Globalisation. Its causes and results - Essay Example This framework is the international strategy or strategic planning which is formulated by senior managers and executives detailing decisions regarding key issues such as where and how to produce goods or services, what products to sell, where to sell, and how and where to get resources for the production process. They must also decide how to compete with competitors and the key success factors for the company and product. Firms enter new markets for various reasons such as increased competition, discovery of new foreign markets, reaction to domestic market changes among others. Whatever the reason, the managers must chose the right market entry strategy and align it to corporate objectives (Andexer, 2008). Different strategies are linked to different entry modes depending on the situation, financial, economic, and environmental factors. The role of timely accurate marketing research and analysis to guide decision making is increasingly becoming critical. Depending on its situation, a firm may choose to use export, joint venture, direct investment, franchising, licensing, mergers and Acquisitions or global supply chains to enter new markets. The paper is going to analyse the market entry strategies of NatWest Bank since 2008. Company Background The National Westminster (NatWest) Bank is the largest retail and commercial bank in the U.K. It was established in 1968 after a merger of National Provincial bank and Westminster and District bank and began its operations in 1970. It has 1600 branches and 3400 cash machines across Britain. It also operates more than 7.5m customers and 850000small business accounts. It also has separate operations at Coutts & Co, Ulster bank, and Isle of man bank. It has been expanding over time and became a part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (RBS) which is the second largest bank in UK in terms of assets and the fifth largest in the world by market capitalisation in 2000. However, it operates as a distinct brand though most fun ctions were merged with those of RBS. The bank has many subsidiaries and offers both banking and insurance services to personal, business and commercial customers across brands and channels. It is regulated and authorised by Financial Services Authority and it is also a member of the British Bankers’ Association (Worldwide web, 2012). Global Business Development Strategy International strategy is a comprehensive framework to help a business in achieving its fundamental goals (Andexer, 2008). It is more complex than a single country strategy for a firm in that it involves dealing with complex issues such as differences in language, culture, labour, political, legal, and currency among others. The strategy is aimed at attaining global efficiency, international flexibility and worldwide learning and can take the form of home replication, multidomestic strategy, global strategy and transnational strategy (Tielmann, 2010). Home replication focuses on transferring competitive advan tage from home market to foreign market. In this case, the firm develops a strategy and uses it in international firms. It is used when the need for flexibility and global integration is low. A firm may also use multidomestic str

Economic Globalization Essay Example for Free

Economic Globalization Essay Economic globalisation is a concept that has become common in the recent times and it is popularity is growing overtime. It virtually implies the process by which two or more countries economically integrate with an aim of enabling a global marketplace or in other words creating a global single market (Fung, 2006, pp 1). The main purpose for economic integration is to enable the expansion of the market, that is, corporations are enabled to operate beyond the borders of their country of origin. The concept of economic globalization can be perceived to posses both positives and negatives depending on the context over which is being analyzed from (Gardner, 2005, pp 67) The concept of economic globalization can be traced back to the ancient days during the trans-national trade period, which is several thousand years ago. The process of economic globalization is in control of the world trade organisation that provide rules that need to be followed in enhancing effective trade interactions between various countries of the world (Stalker, 1998, pp3),. The main goal of the WTO is to enable the producers of goods and services, the exporters of the goods and the importers of goods to conduct their business with much easy. The rules are based on the agreements that are set among the trading nations, where the agreements are expected to be ratified by the parliament of respective nations (Gu, 2006, pp 157). The WTO membership is currently 153 world countries with also a number of observers. The admission date into the organization of various nations vary from one country to other as it is a voluntary participation. For example, China joined the organization on 11 December 2001 (Peerenboom, 2007, pp 145). This proposal is based on carrying a research concerning the effects of Economic globalization and Chinas accession to WTO on domestic companies. The proposal starts at first providing the background information concerning economic globalization in china and its effect on the Chinese Economy. The research questions and objectives are then provided, the scope of the study and the significance of the study as the part of introduction. Literature review will then follow methodology and lastly the time plan. The research will use the Shenzhen Energy Corporation in China as one of the Chinas domestic energy enterprises in analyzing the effects of economic globalization on domestic companies and the response of these companies to the competition that arises from economic globalization in ensuring market sustainability. 1. 1 Background Economic globalisation is perceived to have enhanced China to attain an accelerated economic growth following the expansion of its market size, which enables the country to produce more following the increased demand for their products and services (Kotler, 2005, pp 37). The country is perceived to be benefiting from the global market in a reasonable manner following the countrys comparative advantage of cheap labour (Lu, 2003, pp 567). The cheap labour is enhanced through the high population of the country that implies abundant supply of labour (Prigoff, 1999, pp 89). This situation provides the country with a competitive advantage in the world market on the reason that its products are likely to bear a low price compared to the ones of their competitors who experiences high costs of production (Allan, 2004, pp 17). Following the encouraging of economic globalization by China becoming a member of WTO, the volume of foreign investments grew in China that were likely to compete with the local producers of goods and services (Hopper, 2006, pp 297). Shenzhen Energy is one of the domestic companies that felt the impact of the foreign investment competition and responded to it accordingly in enabling market sustainability. Shenzhen Energy Corporation was established through a fund raising in 1993 on it being approved by the peoples government office in the city of Shenzhen. The company was listed in the Shenzhen stock exchange market in September 1993, and it was the first large shareholding enterprise in the national electric powers to be listed in the stock market. The company was also the first public service stock company to be listed in the Shenzhen stock market (http://www. sec. com. cn/en/about/index. aspx? ModuleNo=080102 ). The company is controlled by the shareholder, Shenzhen Energy group company that was founded in 1993 as a state owned power company. The controlling company had been growing rapidly in proportionate to the economic growth of Shenzhen economy. The scope of business for the company is to develop, produce, purchase and market the various convectional energies and new energies within China. The company engages in investments and carries operations that are meant to enhance development. It participates in the transporting raw materials that are energy related and also involves itself in port, dock and storage industry. The company has investments and operations that are related to energy in the land industry, real estate industry and also the leasing industry. The companys investments and operations are also extended to high technology industries that are meant to improve the efficiency in the utilization of energy. The companys operations go beyond the border of China, that is, it involves in the import and the export of various goods. The goods that are exported and imported by the company include the set of equipment, supporting equipment, machines tools and also the vehicles that are to be used in energy projects. The company is also engaged in providing services that are related to the energy industry that include the designing, construction, management and providing the day to day operating services to energy projects. The company also provides service that includes staff training, consultation among other services that are mean to enable improved performance of the human resources in the energy industry and the making of informed decisions. The participation in developing environmental protection technology is a task that is carried by the company following the pollution claims that are raised concerning the consumption of energy. From the accounting reporting of the companys performance in 2007, the company had a total asset base worth 24. 5 billion Yuan. The larger proportion of the companys market is based in Shenzhen where it also hold majority of the share value of the plants. Its operations are mainly concentrated in Shenzhen and its surrounding. Some of these plants in which it holds shares include Shenzhen Mawan General Plant, Shenzhen Yuelianngwan Power plant, Dongguan Zhangyang Power Plant, Huizhou Fengda Power Plant, Guangdong heyuan Power Plant, and Ghana Combustion Engine Power Plant. The last two plants as provided in the list above are under construction. The companys performance as been desirable overtime. Shenzhen Energy Corporation has consistently been awarded various tittles that include outstanding enterprise, Advanced party committee and the law abiding tax payer. Therefore, Shenzhen energy Corporation can be perceived as being a local company in China that is likely to be affected by the foreign investors in china in the energy industry as a result of economic globalization. 1. 2 Problem Statement Following the participation of China in the economic globalization as an avenue over which economic growth can be enhanced and the Chinas accession to WTO can be perceived to have posed some effects on the domestic companies in China. The effect on the domestic companies arises from fact that a number of foreign companies are likely to be established in China to compete with the domestic companies. The competition between the domestic and the foreign companies in a given industry imply that the market for some industry is likely to be divided among the competitors with respect to their competitive advantages. The companies that produce their goods and services within the market standards and price will stand a better chance of taking a larger marker share compared to the companies that are less competent. In the wake for economic globalization and Chinas accession to WTO, there has been quite a large inflow of foreign companies into the Chinese economy. The energy industry has not been the exemption. A large number of power enterprises have been flowing into the economy, and they are characterized by having a large capital base, they are of high technology and possess management efficiency. These characteristics enable these foreign power enterprises to compete favorably with the domestic power enterprises like Shenzhen power corporation. The competition has been tight between the domestic power enterprises and the foreign power enterprises that require respective enterprises to undertake some strategies in enabling them to survive in the market. Shenzhen power corporation has not been an exemption in the competition that is posed by both foreign power enterprises and the local enterprises. The corporation has been thriving despite the increased and tight competition in the energy industry. Therefore, the aim of the study is to bring the strategies that have been taken by Shenzhen power corporation in enhancing the capability of being influential and profitable in the energy industry that seem to be flooded by the foreign power enterprises that have a large capital base, operate with high technology and posses effective management skills. 1. 3 Research questions The main research question of the study is to explain the marketing strategies that have been taken by Shenzhen power corporation in enhancing market sustainability in an industry that is dominated by foreign power enterprises. The questions to be answered in the reach for answering the main question include; i. How does the corporation gather information that is meant to aid in designing marketing strategies? ii. What are the companys target groups? iii. How does the company do its pricing? iv. To what level is customer satisfaction used as a marketing strategy? v. The nature of public relation of the corporation? 1. 4 Research objectives The main objective of the study is to establish the kind of marketing strategies that have been undertaken by Shenzhen power corporation in enabling market sustainability in foreign enterprises dominated industry. The auxiliary objectives that will enable to attain the main objective of the study include i. Identify the various means in which the corporations gather information that is used in designing marketing strategies ii. Identify the target groups for the companys products and services. iii. Identify the criteria that the company uses to set its prices in ensuring effective price setting. iv. Establish the level of customer satisfaction by the corporations v. Establish the nature of the products and services provided by the corporation to the market and their uniqueness compared to the products of the competitors. 1. 5 Scope of the study The study will be based on the looking at the practices adapted by Shenzhen power corporation in relation to the attempt of the corporation to ensure market sustainability in tight competition offered by the foreign power enterprises that are characterized by a large capital base, operate with the application of high technology, and inherent with effective management. Therefore, the study is meant to address the responses from Shenzhen power corporation following the tight competition in the industry that enable the company to thrive in the industry. 1. 6 Significance of the study The significance of the study follows from the argument that economic globalization is certain to disadvantage the domestic industries, that will have an adverse impact of retarding economic growth. Following the economic globalization of China and the example of Shenzhen power corporation, the above statement seem to be invalid because Shenzhen power corporation is still profitable regardless of the economic globalization as a Chinas domestic company. This implies that, there are lessons that are to be learnt from the practices of Shenzhen power corporation following its enhanced market sustainability. The lessons will be applied by other corporations that associate their failure to the concept to economic globalization. 1. 7 Hypothesis of the study The hypothesis of the study is that domestic companies are not affected negatively by economic globalization, but it is their economic inefficiency that makes them incompetent in competing with the foreign companies. Therefore, the companies poor performance after economic globalization is not as a result of the many competitors, it is because of their inefficiency that makes them less competitive. Competitive advantage is earned by designing relevant strategies and not by reducing the number of competitor. Competition is required in the economy in avoiding the excesses that are associated with the monopolies, because the inefficient companies are certain to exit the market due to their inability to compete favorable. Therefore, competition is likely to ensure efficient utilization of resources in meeting the needs of the society. Domestic companies should thus design strategies that are meant to enable them withstand the competition in the market, and that will also promote efficient utilization of the national wealth in meeting the needs of the society. 2. 0 Literature Review 2. 1 Gathering information for strategy designing On ensuring effective strategy designing, an organization is required to gather information that is meant to be used as a tool for strategy designing. This act is meant to eliminate the act of designing strategies arbitrary as it posses the possibility of the strategies becoming irrelevant. Therefore, an organisation requires to lay some measures in ensuring that information that is available and to be used for designing strategy is representational of the real market situation, otherwise the expected results from the strategies will never be realized (Hiebing, 2004, pp 2). The source for information that will be useful for designing the strategies varies in relation to the nature of the industry, the operations of organisation and purpose to which the information will be put into. For example gathering information that is meant to be used in designing the marketing strategies, an organisation is required to get the information concerning the market condition (Boone, 2005, pp 37) The information concerning the market condition may include the desires of the customers, the market price of some products as provided by the demand and the supply forces, and practices of competitors. The right source for information that is to be used in designing marketing strategies should be obtained from the various agencies of the organisation who interact with the customers, because they are the ones who are accessible to the customers, hence likely to understand the customer desires than the managers who are responsible of administration related matters (Cundiff, 2007, pp 48) On ensuring effective designing of strategies that are meant to improve the organisations competence, an organisation is supposed to base its redesigning using the past experience. This will enable an organization to avoid the possibility of repeating the errors that were committed in the previous designs (Bradley, 2005, pp231) 2. 2 Pricing. The pricing mechanism normally depends on the nature of the market structure. A market structure can either be a monopoly, an oligopoly or a competitive market (Gummesson, 2002, pp 137) Price setting in each market structure vary depending characteristics in each market. For example, in the competitive market, every firm in the market is a price taker. They are price takers on the reason that none of the firms can determine the price in the, otherwise the price in the market is influenced by the price mechanism. In a monopoly market, a firm has the powers to determine the price of its goods through the controlling of the supply (Luck, 1985, pp 132). For a firm to survive in the competitive market, the firm is expected to sell at the market price as provided by the market mechanism, otherwise its products are likely to experience a low demand compared to the products of the competitors (Adcock, 2001, pp 102). This follows from the demand law, that explains that when the price of a good increases, the demand of the good is likely to decline. The decline of the demand follows from the consumer either switching to the consumption of a substitute good that will benefit a competitor or reduce the consumption of the good due to the budget constraint (Hisrich, 2000, pp 112) In the competitive market, a firm that is likely to produce its goods and services at the lowest costs is the one that is likely to earn a competitive advantage over the other competitors in the industry. This follows from the fact that the production of goods with low costs will have an impact of increasing the profit margin of the company when selling the goods at the market price (Kotler, 1988, pp 199). This will also enable the firm to compete favorably in the price war in enhancing the demand of the its products, because the company will be able to realize the desired profits level even when selling the goods at the price below the market price (Gualtianan, 1995, pp 89). A firm will only attain the low costs of production if it produces the goods with a lot of efficiency in avoiding waste, that is, the firm should enhance optimal allocation and utilization of the resources in attaining an optimal amount of output at a given the specific level of technology. Organizations can enhance the efficient utilization of the resources by adaptation the various practices that are meant to optimally utilize the resources that include human resource development and the adaptation of the appropriate technology that is certain to enable efficient utilization of the resources owned by a firm (Webster, 1995, pp 47) 2. 3 Customer Satisfaction. Customer satisfaction plays an important role in creating consumer loyalties. The creating of loyalties will rescue the firm from incurring a lot of expenses in advertisement on the look for customers (Davenport, 2001, pp 69). The created consumer loyalty will retain the customers, as they are likely to consume the products of the company in the future. Therefore, it can be perceived as an investment that is meant to benefit the firm to realize the flow of income in the future following the enhanced loyalty. Consumer loyalty is maintained by the firm providing high standard goods to their customers and listening to the desires of the customers, otherwise, the firm is certain to loose the already created loyalties in the future if it does not meet the desires of the customers. The firm is also required to engage in product innovations overtime that are supposed to improve the quality of the products in factoring in the desires of the customers (Hutt, 1981, pp 201). This will reinforce the existing loyalties and also create other more loyalties that are certain to ensure the future demand for the products and services provided by the firm. There normally exist variations in the desires of the customers, implying that the providing of standardized services and products to customers is certain to satisfy the customers in varied ways. In such a situation, a firm is required to either provide a wide range of products that is meant to meet the varied desires or provide customized products and services that are meant to improve the level of customer satisfaction. The advantage for creating customer loyalties through customer satisfaction is that the firm is likely to reduce the costs in advertisement and other promotions because the customers that are retained are aware of the operations of the firm and its operations (Godin, 1999, pp 32). This will enable the company to reduce its cost of operation that will be reflected as an increased marginal profits, hence a positive step towards profit maximization. 2. 4 Product differentiation and patenting. Product differentiation can be perceived as being a strategy that is meant to make the products of some firm unique compared to the products that are offered by the competitors. It will enable the customers to identify the products easily without mistaking it for the ones offered by the competitors. Differentiation may include the adding of some features to the products offered to the market that is meant to sway the customers in enhancing high demand. The differentiations that make the product unique can be copyrighted to avoid the competitors from imitating the design of the product (Sandshoes, 2000, pp43). The patents will bar the competitors from imitating the products, thus a marketing strategy that is meant to enable the firm to minimize competition. 3. 0 Methodology 3. 1 Design The research will involve the collection of information concerning the organisation in question, evaluate its performance over time, and mostly by focusing at its profitability over time in relation to the various strategies that were taken by the organisation to enhance the performance. The study will look at the marketing strategies that are adapted by the organisation and their effects on performance of the organisation. The evaluation of the effects of the strategies on the organization will be identified on using the theories that have been established in relationship to the impact of various changes that are done within the organisation on the performance of the organisation. Therefore, the study will rather use qualitative data than quantitative given the nature of the topic addressed. 3. 2 Participants The main participant in the research is the shenzhen Energy corporation. The company is chosen as a representational of the domestic companies in evaluating the impact of economic globalization on domestic companies and on how best the companies should responding through the designing of marketing strategies in enhancing competence. Shenzhen energy corporation has been used as a representational following its ability to withstand the competition from foreign companies in the energy industry in China. 3. 3 Data collection Following the design of the research, the data that will be collected should be related to the marketing strategies that the Shenzhen energy corporation had taken in enhancing competitive advantage. The strategies that need to be identified include, how the company is enhancing customer Satisfaction, how does the company do pricing, how does the company reach the target group, how does the company gather information that is to be used in decision making concerning the design of marketing strategies, and how the company make its products competitive in the market. 3. 4. Data analysis Data analysis will be done by confronting the identified marketing strategies with the existing marketing theory as provided in literature. This will enable the study to bring out the logic behind the strategies that were taken by Schenzhen energy corporation is ensuring its success. 4. 0 Time Plan. The research will take a time frame of ten weeks, where each week will be allocated its tasks as provided by the schedule below: Task Week Making contacts on places where data and literature will be collected 1 Literature Reviewing 2-3 Collection of Data 4 Data Validation 5 Data Analysis and Interpretation 6-7 writing a draft report 8 Third party reading of the report 9 writing the final report 10 Bibliography Adcock, Dennis. Marketing: Principals and Practice. Financial Times/Prentice hall. 2001. Allan, Clement. Economic Globalization: Social Conflict. labour and Environmental Issues. Edward Elgar Publishing. 2004. Bradley, Frank. International Marketing strategy. Financial Times/ Prentice hall. 2005. Boone, Louis and Kurtz, David. Contemporary Marketing. Thomson South-Western. 2005. Cundiff, Edward and Govoni, Norman. Fundamentals of Modern marketing. University of California. 2007. Davenport, Teresa. Marketing Training Programs: Marketing Training Programs. American Society for Training and Development. 2001. Luck, David. Marketing Strategy and Plans: Systematic marketing management. Prentice hall. 1985. Lu, Ding and Zhou, Huizhong. Chinas Economic Globalization Through the WTO. 2003. Shenzhen Energy Website. Company Profile. Retrieved from; http://www. sec. com. cn/en/about/index. aspx? ModuleNo=080102 Fungi, Hung-gay. Chinese Challenges of Economic Globalization: The effect of WTO Sandhusen, Richard. Marketing. Barrons Educational Series. 2000. Gardner, Susannah. Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies. Wley. 2005. Godini, Seth. Permission in Marketing. Simion Schuster. 1998. Gualtianan, Joseph and Paul, Gordon. Marketing Management: Strategies and Programs. McGraw-Hill. 1995. Gummessoni, Evert. Total relationship marketing. Butterworth-heinmenn. 2002. Hiebing, Roman and Cooperi, Scott. The One Day Marketing Plan for an organisation: Organizing and Completing a working Plan. McGraw-Hill Professional. 2004. Hisrichi, Robert. Marketing: Business Libr. Barrons Series. 2001. Hopper, Paul. Living with Globalization. Berg publishers. 2006. Hutt, Michael and Speh, Thomas. Industrial Marketing management: A Strategy View of Organizational Markets. University of Michigan. 1981. Kotler, Philp. Principles in Marketing. Pearson Prentice Hall. 2005. Kotler, Philip. Management Marketing: analysis, planning process, implementing, and controlling. Prentice hall. 1988. Peerenboomi, Randalla. Chinas Modernization. Oxford University Press. 2007. Prigoff, Wyner. Economics of the Social workers University of Michigan. 1999. Stalkeri, Peter. The Social Effects of Globalization. Prentice Hall Publishing. 1998. Webster, Fredrick. Industrial , Marketing Strategy. John Wiley and Sons. 1995.

Underachievement: African Carribean

Underachievement: African Carribean Underachievement African Caribbean Abstract This study discusses various issues related to under achievement of African-Caribbean or Black boys in British schools. The study highlights the fact that there is a denial in the British educational system of race and racism and that this is reflected in the in-flexibility of many schools to consider the differential positioning of Black boys in the UK and the effect of their experiences in the school system and opportunities gained thereafter in the workplace. In sum the study shows that there is clear evidence that African-Caribbean pupils have not shared or have been received equally in the increasing rates of average educational performance at various academic platforms. Chapter 1: Introduction Boys’ underachievement has been a major concern within academic circles and among government bodies (Gorard, Gillborn) for quite a while. Ofsted 1996 highlighted the gap between the performance of boys and girls as the attainment continued to lower for boys as they move along the key stages. Coard explores some of the issues that black children faced three decades ago. Some of the abysmal failure of black children within the British school system includes: Racist policies and practices of the education authorities in the past Racism within the curriculum itself Low teacher expectation and how destructive a force this could be Inadequate black parental knowledge of and involvement in what was happening to their children (Coard 1971). According to Coard, black children were deemed as Educationally Sub-Normal (ESN) and were excluded from mainstream. This issue coupled with racist policies and curriculum and low teacher expectation caused most of these children to encounter emotional disturbances which in the long run affected their overall performance of black children in Britain. Despite the odds, in the late 1960s and 1970s some black children were able to make it academically but the majority were not so lucky (Coard 1971). Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to investigate the educational experiences of African-Caribbean boys in the UK. The main focus will be to identify the factors that have contributed to the poor academic performance of Black Boys over the years. Furthermore, this work would investigate the claim that there is a denial in the British educational system of race and racism and that this is reflected in the inflexibilityof many schools to consider the differential positioning ofBlack boys in the UK and the effect of their experiences in the school system and opportunities gained thereafter in the workplace. This work will draw on a study in which various stakeholders voice e.g. (Tony Sewell) their experiences of why Black Boys in Britain perform poorly in schools and alsoseek to identify alternative visionsof schooling to re-engage Black males thereby increasing their prospect for a successful future. Research Questions What is the relationship between under achievement and social exclusion of black boys studying in UK schools? How are schools dealing with the issue of student underachievement of black students studying in UK institutions? Are all black boys underachieving? Significance of the Study This study is quite significant as it shows that high under-achievement rates are not just an issue for black pupils. In 2005-2006 the permanent under-achievement rate for special schools was 0.54% compared with 0.34% for secondary and 0.04% for primary schools; overall, pupils with statements of special educational need were seven times more likely to be excluded from school than pupils without statements (DCSF, 2007). Other groups who are over-represented in the statistics include children looked after by local authorities and children from Gypsy and traveller families, despite the behaviour of travelling pupils being generally good (OFSTED, 2006b). Links have been made between school under-achievement and long-term social under-achievement (Blyth Milner, 2003), as have links between school under-achievement and juvenile crime (Graham Bowling, 2005; Gilbertson, 2005); these links are also recognised by government as a policy issue (Social Under-achievement Unit, 2005). For many pupils permanent under-achievement from school marks the end of their formal education: a recent report by the Audit Commission (2006) suggests that only 15% of permanently excluded secondary pupils return to mainstream schooling. Chapter 2: Literature Review A review of the literature on student under achievement highlights the fact that ethnic monitoring of under-achievement was first introduced by the DCSF in the 2004-2005 national schools census. Data from that census indicates that although `Black Caribbean pupils form only 1.1% of the school population they represented 7.3% of those excluded from school and were around six times more likely to be excluded than their White peers. The disproportionate under-achievement of black boys is a particularly serious problem because overall many more males than females are excluded: official statistics show the ratio to be 4.3 boys for each excluded girl. Nevertheless, within the female school population, girls identified as `Black Caribbean are also particularly vulnerable to under-achievement: the school census shows they accounted for 8.8% of excluded girls in 2004-2005 (DCSF, 2006) and are thus eight times more likely to be excluded than might be suggested by the ethnic composition of schools. There is also evidence that African-Caribbean pupils have not shared equally in the increasing rates of average educational performance at GCSE. An OFSTED-commissioned review of research on the achievements of ethnic minority pupils over a 10 year period up to 2005 concludes that the relatively lower exam achievements of Caribbean pupils, especially boys in a wide range of academic and LEA research studies is a cause for concern. The research evidence suggests that ‘A combination of gender and racial stereotypes may make it more difficult for young black men to avoid being caught up in cycles of increasingly severe criticism and control’ (Gillborn Gipps, 2006, pp. 29 and 58). For black families rising under-achievement rates, combined with boys relatively low levels of achievement in public examinations, amount to an educational crisis. Under-achievement and Special Educational Needs It has been suggested (for example, Norwich, 2004; Parffrey, 2004) that in some schools children may be excluded when it is required as assessment and provision for special educational needs (SEN). Analysis of permanent under-achievement from Birmingham schools during the 2006-2007 school year indicated that 53% of those excluded were on the schools special needs register. The Code of Practice relating to special educational needs (DfE, 2004a) requires schools to draw up an individual education plan (IEP) for a child identified as having SEN and outlines a series of stages in which the school is responsible, in co-operation with support agencies, for meeting these needs. It can be argued from a personal experience and evidence from an interview with a teacher that most of the black boys that are underachieving are SEN children who comes under social emotional and behavioural difficulties and probably that is why they are underachieving because the have not been diagnosed for IEP to be made on them yet. These are pupils whose learning and/or behavioural difficulties may be placing stress on teachers but for whom the amount of additional support is limited. It is possible that some of these childrens needs might have been met and under-achievement avoided if the school had been able to access appropriate additional support at an earlier stage. Although official national statistics recognise the over-representation of children with SEN among those excluded from school, these statistics only count excluded pupils with a statement of special education need and thus record pupils with SEN as a minority (17%) of all under-achievements (DCSF, 2007). Analysis of the Birmingham data, which allows us to consider all pupils on the special needs register, indicates that over half the children permanently excluded from Birmingham schools have identified special educational needs. If this pattern is replicated across the country, then it seems likely that the extent to which unmet special educational needs may be contributing to the problem of under-achievement has been under-estimated. It is possible that some LEAs with low proportions of children assessed as having special educational needs, both overall and from particular ethnic groups, may not be identifying children in need of SEN support. Where this correlates with high under-achievement rates, there is reason to suspect that neglected learning difficulties may lie behind some of the disciplinary problems. Ethnicity and Reducing Under-achievement An analysis of the number of groups under-achieving per secondary school over the three year period 2001-2003 with the number of under-achievement in the three years 2004-2006, in order to identify schools which had reduced the number of pupils permanently excluded in Birmingham, show a reduction in the number of pupils excluded over this period, from an average of 11 to an average of seven per school. Those secondary schools which had reduced their use of permanent exclusion had, overall, cut under-achievement by nearly half for all ethnic groups. This suggests that where schools had developed policies for reducing under-achievement, these had been equally effective for all ethnic groups. Nevertheless, this still left black pupils to be over-represented among the under-achievement from these schools. The evidence suggests that if the problem of over-representation of black pupils is to be addressed and racial equality achieved then strategies which specifically address the needs of these children are important. Since African-Caribbean pupils formed some 28% of excluded pupils and only 8% of the school population in Birmingham, I wished to argue whether this might be because African-Caribbean pupils are more likely to attend schools with high under-achievement rates. A total of 14 schools with high under-achievement rates, i.e. schools which had permanently excluded 30 or more pupils in the 6 year period 2001-2006, were identified (two of them grant maintained schools). Of these, 11 had an African-Caribbean population of 8% or less and the other three had higher proportions of African-Caribbean children than for the city as a whole, ranging from 11 to 33%. Sewell (1998), mentions that African-Caribbean boys were six times more likely to be excluded from school as compared to the other group. Furthermore there are argument that these black boys were seen to be conformists in that they were seen to be accepting both the means and goals of schooling but they are most likely to be excluded. There is evidence of an interview with a black boy on page 113 which goes further to prove that not all boys are the same. This particular point is important to my research as there seems to be the assertion that all black boys are underachieving and this is what this research seeks to address. Sewell unpacks some of the oversimplification that exists in the current debate about boys’ underachievement. He goes further to describe boys as ‘a tip of the iceberg in a doomsday scenario within the school’. There seems to be a link between gender identity and anti-school attitude which makes peer group pressure which is sensitive in boys to allow the generalization to be made about boys as unified lumps, in this content as underachieving academically Identifying Good Practice The study sought to understand teachers and head teachers attitudes and approaches to under-achievement and to equal opportunities. Previous research studies have tended to ignore teachers perspectives and the ways in which under-achievement merge into the lives of schools (Gillborn Gipps, 2006), although Haydens (2007) study of children excluded from primary schools does consider the perspectives of both head teachers and class teachers of excluded pupils. My study addressed schools with low or declining under-achievement rates with the aim of identifying good practice in minimising the practice of under-achievement. In particular, I wished to establish whether teachers in the case study schools felt supported in managing difficult or challenging pupil behaviour or whether a low under-achievement rate might be masking other problems and causing stress to individuals working in these schools. Where schools are able to avoid under-achievement we wished to identify the alternative strategies they adopt. Teachers Explanations of Rising Under-Achievement Rates Teachers and head teachers in the case study schools were not asked about the impact of recent educational reforms, but as they reflected on pupil behaviour and their own attitudes to excluding pupils they made regular reference to the changing social policy context in which they are working. They referred frequently to the impact which market forces in education have made on school discipline, increased teacher workloads, changed parental expectations and to how the National Curriculum had limited the scope for schools to meet individual needs and address pupils personal and social behaviour. They broadly agree with Charlton David (2003), Blyth Milner (2004), and Hevey (2004) and Hayden (2007) that increased competition between schools for pupils’ and resources is a key underlying reason for a general rise in under-achievement. As Parffrey (2004) argues, Naughty children are bad news in the market economy. No one wants them. They are bad for the image of the school, they are bad for the league tables, they are difficult and time-consuming, and they upset and stress the teachers. The teachers believed that although schools were all experiencing similar conditions, some had resisted excluding pupils who presented problems. In that have lower excluding rate such as their own, when teachers were working with numbers of children with behavioural difficulties, they argued that the costs of maintaining higher thresholds of tolerance were felt by teachers themselves, in terms of teacher stress and fatigue. Many teachers in the study, notably those in primary schools who have responsibility for the whole curriculum, believed that the National Curriculum has led schools to accept a narrow view of education and, as Gray et al. (2004) have suggested, that it has diminished the importance of personal and social education. They indicated that curriculum pressures and demands for additional record keeping leave them with little time to support a disruptive child or to develop appropriate alternative materials for children with learning difficulties. This in turn can lead to frustration and consequent disruption among such children if they are unable to succeed in the tasks set. Teachers set these difficulties within the context of wider social problems facing childrens families, notably unemployment and poverty. They suggested that pressures faced by children in school, allied to difficulties which a number of them were experiencing out of school and young peoples belief that schooling might not support them in finding future work, were having an impact on their motivation, even at primary level: We are into the second generation of children whose parents have not worked. A lot of the original reasons why people toed the line are not there any longer and I think that a lot of the children in our school are living in situations where there does not seem an awful lot of point [to education]. Everyone wants to achieve in some form, but I feel at home and at school they are not seeing opportunities for themselves as individuals. Some of the traditional motivations are not there. So weve got to look at alternatives. Where we become negative its because of tiredness, its because of workload, its because of the amount of curriculum we have to cover. Weve lost sight of making it interesting. (Primary teacher) Interestingly, none of the teachers suggested that the removal of corporal punishment as a possible disciplinary option had contributed to discipline problems, and ultimately to the increasing use of under-achievement as a sanction, as did a number of the teachers and parents in Haydens (2007) study of excluded children. Teachers Understandings of Racial Equality Some teachers also argued that pressures to meet the demands of the National Curriculum had led to an approach where teachers often fail to consider whether or not the content of lessons builds upon particular childrens experiences and cultures. This would lead some children to feel neglected or marginalised and thus more likely to become disaffected. One teacher argued that an inappropriate curriculum was part of the solution, as was inadequate teacher training, but felt that teacher expectations played a central role: The over-representation of African-Caribbeanboys (among those excluded) is a very complicated issue. However, I think expectations make a big difference, and I think we do tend, however well intentioned, to see a black boy and think they are going to be trouble. A lot of this is down to the media and how they over emphasise issues about black boys, the society in general as well as other research findings. I think that one of the problems is that after a long period of dependency (on National Curriculum requirements) and considering new teachers now, there is a whole generation of teachers who are sent into schools without the grounding of making decisions about what is appropriate for example SEN issues in the class (experience from supply teaching) These teachers comments about a generation of teachers being inadequately prepared to make decisions about appropriate curriculum content within the context of a culturally diverse classroom was supported by a number of newly qualified teachers. Such teachers reported that they wished to develop multicultural approaches but lacked training in this area and were unaware as to where they might find suitable materials. (Birmingham report 2004) Head teachers generally showed themselves to be more aware of issues relating to cultural diversity and racial equality than class teachers. Parffrey (2004) points out that schools in Canada and the USA do not exclude children since schooling is recognised as the means by which children realise their basic human right to education. According to research studies on teachers understating of racial equality none of the teachers or head teachers interviewed in the case study schools supported the abolition of permanent under-achievement, although all heads saw it as a last resort. A number characterised it as a failure on the part of the school: `I would say permanent under-achievement is a defeat (secondary head teacher). Some head teachers recalled their personal sense of failure and distress as they recounted the experience of permanently excluding a pupil. Nevertheless, all the head teachers, including the two primary headsone of whom had never excluded and the other who had excluded only two pupils in 20 years as head teacheradvocated retaining permanent under-achievement as an ultimate sanction: Behaviour Policies Most school had developed its own system of rewards and sanctions which were generally explicit in the behavioural code. The aim is to provide a structure of support for difficult pupils, with a system of rewards and a full range of lesser sanctions so that permanent under-achievement was, where possible, avoided: There is some evidence (for example, Holland Hamerton, 2004) that even within schools there can be inconsistency in the types of offence for which pupils are, and are not, excluded. Such inconsistency might, in certain circumstances, allow sanctions to be applied in a discriminatory way. However, it could be argued that policies listing particular offences as leading to under-achievement should be avoided, as they could place heads in the position of having to exclude a pupil when mitigating circumstances might make under-achievement inappropriate. While this might mean treating the same offence differently when committed by different pupils or groups of pupils, it could also reduce the rate of under-achievement. It is essential that clear explanations of school policy are made to both pupils and parents, so they can see the justice of a schools approach. In some cases of under-achievement from school, teacher inexperience or lack of skills or training in managing difficult pupil behaviour may play a part (OFSTED, 2006a). A lot of the behavioural problems that exist , and I do not think there are many, are due to the fact that the whole staff have not got together to go over the approach to aspects of misbehaviour in real depth. So what I think is happening for example, if a member of staff does something inappropriate-this is not criticise a kid gets into the situation where the school has to send them home. But I think if we could change the approach in the classroom more, this would happen less. At the moment we have to react to situations and also we are trying to send a message to the students about the standards that are required of them. Pastoral Care and Mentoring In a case study of schools, (Birmingham city council 2004) particularly in the secondary schools, they felt that school discipline was directly related to the degree of respect which was shown to them by teachers and also to the level of support they received from teachers. A number stressed the importance of giving pupils occasional opportunities for individual tutorials with a teacher at which they might raise personal or academic concerns. Effective pastoral care systems were also highlighted by a number of head teachers as contributing to good discipline and self-discipline among pupils. At some schools the behaviour policy was incorporated within the schools pastoral policy: Managing difficult behaviour and developing discipline is to do with the whole school ethos. We are in the business of caring and supporting; therefore we do whatever we can. We are in the business of being fair. Another thing looked at was how to reinforce positive behaviour. (Head teacher, secondary school) Some schools had worked hard to ensure that their Personal and Social Education curriculum allowed all pupils to reflect on issues of their personal conduct. For example, some had introduced a mentoring programme for pupils who were presenting problems or who were disaffected. In one secondary school, a group of African-Caribbean boys who had been regularly in trouble and were perceived as vulnerable to under-achievement were being informally mentored by the (white male) head teacher. On the other hand, an African-Caribbean man could be invited to lead weekly sessions with African-Caribbean boys. Another aim was to raise self-esteem, and we be bring in consultants to work with the pupils on half-day conferences, to get them thinking about Where do I want to be in three or four or five years time?. (Head teacher, Birmingham school) Equal Opportunities Policy and Practice One explanation for the over-representation of African-Caribbean pupils within the under-achievement statistics is racism. The suggestion is not that most teachers operate in overly racist ways but that deep-seated stereotypes held by teachers and school governors may lead to black children being seen as having behavioural difficulties. Bridges (2004) suggests that with additional pressures on black families from high levels of unemployment, cuts in social spending, racial harassment and social dislocation imposed on their family and community life it is hardly surprising that some black children present themselves as aggressive in school, as this is a stance that society outside has taught them is necessary for survival. Stifling (2003), in her research into the causes of under-achievement , found that race often featured as a background issue and that although schools think they treat all their pupils the same and do not exclude black pupils unfairly, they do not take into account the factors which have caused the unacceptable behaviour, particularly racial harassment by other pupils. She concludes: Throughout the course of my research I have found evidence of open racism demonstrated by staff in schools to be uncommon. Far more common is the racial harassment of a black child by a white peer group. A government-commissioned study to establish why some schools appear more effective in managing pupil behaviour and avoiding under-achievement also highlighted racism, in the area if not in the school, as one of the problems likely to be experienced by excluded pupils (OFSTED, 2006a). Community and Support Services Previous research has suggested that in many cases of under-achievement , support from outside the school has been lacking, while the support provided within school has been to help the teacher cope, rather than to help pupils overcome their problems (Abbotts Parsons, 2003). A case study schools drew on a wide range of outside support agencies, including voluntary agencies, independent consultants and LEA support services. However, they noted that resources for LEA services were often limited and that they may not always be available for all pupils who need them. One community-based initiative which has been welcomed by a number of Birmingham schools is the KWESI project (Klein, 2006), a mentoring project run by black men which targets black boys judged to be vulnerable to under-achievement . The mentors enter into a partnership with schools to support individual children and KWESI asks its volunteers and participating schools to adopt a no blame approach, so that both parties work for the best interests of the child. Although none of the case study schools was working directly with KWESI, evidence suggests that the scheme has been influential beyond the schools where volunteers are working. It has made head teachers aware of the need to address the disproportionate under-achievement of African-Caribbean boys and may have contributed to a change in the climate of opinion. The Role of the LEA There is a clear role for LEAs in providing feedback to schools on the patterns and trends in exclusions and the impact on under-achievement. Monitoring of exclusions varied considerably among schools. Some head teachers, for example, did not have the data to discuss numbers of fixed term exclusions in relation to permanent exclusions nor any evidence as to whether fixed term exclusions helped to prevent permanent exclusions. The desirability of recording and monitoring action taken to support vulnerable pupils was also stressed by a number of schools. Birmingham LEA currently provides support for schools own monitoring by analysing their records to highlight any patterns in under-achievement by ethnic group and sex. A school wishing to monitor under-achievement thoroughly would need to collect and analyse data for both fixed term and permanent exclusions by sex, ethnic group, special educational needs, socio-economic background (for example, by entitlement to free school meals) and year group. Schools can record additional data which might indicate a need for changes in practice or school policies; for example, noting the pupil’s and teachers who are involved in incidents leading to under-achievement. LEAs might provide guidance in such matters and put schools in touch with schools in similar circumstances who have found solutions to particular difficulties. Head teachers of schools with low under-achievement rates often feel penalised if they are asked to accept pupils excluded from other schools. Head teachers also suggested that the LEA might impose a ceiling on the number of previously excluded pupils a school should be expected to take within a given period, thus protecting the support and resources available for difficult pupils within any one school. According to a research a school had received a small grant from the LEA to assist with the integration of excluded pupils. Although the head argued the money had not stretched far, this was seen as a gesture of goodwill. Such funds can support an induction programme which might include additional supervision and support from outside agencies. Other support for reintegration might include allocation of a special teacher-tutor and the development of a peer group mentoring scheme. Within LEAs there is also a need for greater collaboration between those who address the needs of vulnerable children and curriculum and advisory services which have particular expertise regarding equal opportunities and race equality issues. In many LEAs responsibility for under-achievements rests with an individual or service responsible for special educational needs; in such a situation questions of structural or unintended racism or possible racial discrimination are likely to have low priority if they are on the agenda at all. The West Midlands Under-achievement Forum, set up to bring together representatives from nine LEAs to share expertise and develop policies and strategies to minimise school under-achievement, is a good example of inter-LEA co-operation. It is not just at the level of policy development that such co-operation is important. For children living in one area but attending school in a neighbouring LEA there are sometimes difficulties in the co-ordinated provision of services. Chapter 3: Methodology Research Method For this study I have utilised the qualitative research approach. Qualitative research is much more subjective than quantitative research and uses very different methods of collecting information, mainly individual, in-depth interviews and focus groups. However, since this research study is a secondary qualitative research the data that has been collected for qualitative analysis has been through an extensive review of literature that has been published in the field in the past few years. Secondary research is often less costly than surveys and is extremely effective in acquiring information about peoples communication needs and their responses to and views about specific communication. It is often the method of choice in instances where quantitative measurement is not required. For the purpose of this project the qualitative interview is the perfect approach to take using semi structured interviews. Quantitative research involves counting and measuring of events and performing the statistical analysis of a numerical data (Smith, 1988). The assumption behind this is that there is an objective truth existing that can be measured and explained significantly. The main concerns of the quantitative approach are that, their measurement is reliable, valid and generalisable in its clear prediction of cause and effect (Cassell and Symon, 1994). Primary Data was collected first through interviews. Merriam (1994) said that; Interviews are the best form of collecting evidence if the researcher wants to find out facts that cannot be observed. The student used semi-structured int

Effects of Cocaine :: Papers

Effects of Cocaine Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of cocaine’s immediate euphoric effects, which include hyper-stimulation and mental clarity, is dependent on the route of administration. The faster the cocaine is absorbed, the more intense the high and the shorter the duration of action. The ‘high’ from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, whilst that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of stimulation. This euphoria is followed by depression and craving for more of the drug. Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. There is no way to determine who is prone to sudden death. Short-term physiological effects include raised hear rate, hyperactivity and restlessness. Blood pressure of the user is also increased and the pupils dilate. There is a great risk associated with cocaine use whether the drug is snorted, injected or smoked. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membranes of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse. The injecting drug user is at risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV infection/AIDS if needles or other injection equipment are shared. Hepatitis is another danger from the use of needles to inject cocaine. Cocaine smokers suffer from acute respiratory problems including coughing, shortness of breath, and severe chest pains with lung trauma and bleeding. In addition, it appears that compulsive cocaine use may develop even more rapidly if the substance is smoked rather than snorted. Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. Dopamine is released as part of the brain’s reward system and is involved in the high that characterizes cocaine consumption. An appreciable tolerance to the

Drinking and Driving Essay -- Drunk Driving Alcohol DUI Influence Essa

Drunk driving is considered a serious crime in every state. It is wrong, irresponsible and wastes many lives. People who abuse alcohol hurt everyone around them, endanger public safety, and create carnage on the nation's highways. There is nothing positive that can come out of drunk driving, so why do people do it? It is society's job to punish these menaces and try to take control of this out of control issue. America doesn't want to watch idly as hundreds of people are killed each day. We want to take a stand and let the world know that we may be the 'land of the free and the brave' but there is nothing brave or free about driving drunk. What should be done about this problem is debatable and certainly open to discussion, but the first step is lowering the BAC (blood alcohol concentration) level from .10 to .08. Many states have already done this and I commend them on this decision, but the government needs to mandate this to all the states. Some people oppose this decision and sa y that it is based on 'emotion, personal vendettas, and irrational, sound public policy, nor backed up by statistical data.'( DWI Dilema, Internet source) However, I disagree. We need to send the message that it is not acceptable, nor is it constitutional to drive under any influence of alcohol, weather it be .08 or .20.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Drunken driving was once treated much as car accidents?a regrettable but unavoidable part of life on the roads. But a vocal grass-roots movement led my MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) persuaded much of the country, over two decades, to view it as a type of criminal negligence. Public patience with drunk drivers quickly grew thin as well-publicized death tolls mounted. ( Mishra, Internet source)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What exactly is drunk driving? This is a question that has yet to be answered. ?To determine the concentration of alcohol in the body at any given time, it is necessary to establish the blood alcohol concentration (BAC), which measures the percentage of alcohol in the blood. When a person consumes more alcohol than his or her body can immediately eliminate, alcohol accumulates in the bloodstream and the BAC rises.?(Henderson, 23) In Connecticut the BAC level is .08, this means that the blood alcohol level needed to be arrested for drunken driving has to be .08 or higher. ?One can also be convicted of drunk driving without the results of a blood alcoho... ...st charge of failure to appear carries the potential penalty of 1 year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  America is not putting a deaf ear to the war on drunk driving. It is far from over, but every step we take to get it under control, is a step toward drying it up. Lowering the BAC level is just the first step, we still have a long journey ahead of us. Connecticut has taken a stand and been one of the twelve states to lower their legal BAC level to .08. I truly agree with this decision, and hope that other states will follow our lead. ?Strict criminal prosecution of alcohol-impaired drivers is the most effective deterrent in reducing the menace of alcohol-impaired driving.?(Henderson, 108) This battle isn?t just between people who are old enough to drive as well as drink. Teenagers, much like my self, are taking action against drunk driving. In Hamden High School we have a very active club called S.A.D.D.(Students against Drunk Driving) This club makes young people aware of the dangers of driving even after drinking small amounts of alcohol. This is an issue that i s not to be taken lightly, and it certainly isn?t. I just hope that one day, this issue will be non-existent.

Principles of Microeconomics Essay

1) If average movie ticket prices rise by about 5 percent and attendance falls by about 2 percent, other things being equal, the elasticity of demand for movie tickets is about: B. 0.4 2) A basic difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics is that microeconomics C. examines the choices made by individual participants in an economy, while macroeconomics considers the economy’s overall performance 3) An economist who is studying the relationship between the money supply, interest rates, and the rate of inflation is engaged in B. macroeconomic research 4) After several years of slow economic growth, world demand for petroleum began to rise rapidly in the 1990s. Much of the increase in demand was met by additional supplies from sources outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC, during this time, was unable to restrain output among members in its effort to lift oil prices. What best describes these events? C. The rise in demand shifted the demand for oil to the right. As price rose, the quantity of oil supplied rose. 5) Price elasticity of demand is the: D. percentage change in quantity demanded of a good divided by the percentage change in the price of that good 6) The distinction between supply and the quantity supplied is best made by saying that B. supply is represented graphically by a curve and the quantity supplied as a point on that curve associated with a particular price 7) When labor is the variable input, the average product equals the D. quantity of output divided by the number of workers 8) The increase in output obtained by hiring an additional worker is known as B. the marginal product 9) Which of the following is the best example of a long-run decision? A. An automobile manufacturing company is considering whether or not to invest in robotic equipment to develop a more cost-effective production technique. 10) Other things being equal, when average productivity falls, D. average variable cost must rise 11) According to economist Colin Camerer of the California Institute of Technology, many New York taxi drivers decide when to finish work by setting an income goal for themselves. If this is true, then on busy days when the effective hourly wage is higher, taxi drivers will B. work fewer hours than they will on slower days 12) A firm’s demand for labor is derived from the D. demand for its output 13) Owen runs a delivery business and currently employs three drivers. He owns three vans that employees use to make deliveries, but he is considering hiring a fourth driver. If he hires a fourth driver, he can schedule breaks and lunch hours so all three vans are in constant use, allowing him to increase deliveries per day from 60 to 75. This will cost an additional $75 per day to hire the fourth driver. The marginal cost per delivery of increasing output beyond 60 deliveries per day B. is $5 14) Expected economic profit per unit is equal to C. the difference between expected average price and expected average total cost 15) If a firm in a perfectly competitive market experiences a technological breakthrough, B. other firms would find out about it immediately 16) A significant difference between monopoly and perfect competition is that C. the monopolist’s demand curve is the industry demand curve, while the competitive firm’s demand curve is perfectly elastic 17) A monopoly firm is different from a competitive firm in that C. a monopolist can influence market price while a competitive firm cannot 18) The difference between a perfectly competitive firm and a monopolistically competitive firm is that a monopolistically competitive firm faces a D. downward-sloping demand curve and price exceeds marginal cost in equilibrium 19) As long as marginal cost is below marginal revenue, a perfectly competitive firm should A. increase production 20) Because a monopolistic competitor has some monopoly power, advertising to increase that monopoly power makes sense as long as the marginal C. benefit of advertising exceeds the marginal cost of advertising 21) In the Flint Hills area of Kansas, proposals to build wind turbines to generate electricity have pitted environmentalist against environmentalist. Members of the Kansas Sierra Club support the turbines as a way to reduce fossil fuel usage, while local chapters of the Nature Conservancy say they will befoul the landscape. The Sierra Club argues that wind turbines B. reduce negative externalities elsewhere in the economy 22) When negative externalities are present, market failure often occurs because A. the marginal external cost resulting from the activity is not reflected in the market price 23) A merger between a textile mill and a clothing manufacturing company would be considered a B. vertical merger 24) A merger between a baby food company and a life insurance company would be considered a C. conglomerate merger 25) The fact that U.S. managers’ salaries are substantially greater than those of comparable managers in Japan may be related to A. an increase in the demand for CEOs 26) Suppose people freely choose to spend 40 percent of their income on health care, but the government decides to tax 40 percent of a person’s income to provide the same level of coverage as before. What can be said about deadweight loss in each case? A. Taxing income results in deadweight loss, while purchasing health care on one’s own does not result in deadweight loss. 27) The U.S. textile industry is relatively small because the US imports most of its clothing. A clear result of the importation of clothing is D. the price of clothing is lower than it would be without imports 28) Countries can expect to gain from international trade as long as they B. specialize according to their comparative advantage 29) Which of the following is an example of the law of one price? D. Because their countries have similar institutions, the price paid for a computer in Germany and the United States are about the same when converted into the same currency. 30) From the point of view of consumer and producer surplus, what problem may be created when a country subsidizes the cost of energy to consumers to help alleviate the burden of higher energy costs? C. It encourages the consumption of too much fuel at the expense of other  goods.