The Judicial Reviews Of Nhs Decisions About Rationing

The courts have generally supported NHS decisions about rationing. Critically analyse this statement with reference to the judicial reviews of NHS decisions not to pay for a treatment. The NHS is the closest thing the English have to a religion. Yet, as with all religions, informed debate is clouded by myths. The first is that the NHS does not have enough money. Spending on the NHS rose sevenfold between 1949 and 2002 (allowing for inflation) and has continued to rise since then. We can never spend enough on the NHS because the more we spend, the more demand there will be for healthcare. It has been widely accepted that rationing of the National Health Service (NHS) is paramount to maintaining and balancing public resources. In a utopian world it would be possible to provide every patient with every medical treatment that they would require, however this is not possible and therefore rationing has to be applied by local health authorities. Simply, there are not enough resources and medical staff available to keep up with the ever evolving demands of the public, and once more, these medical resources can’t at times tend to the needs of the medical advancements made every day. Some equipment and medicines are extremely costly and the NHS struggles to balance public budgets in the face of such advancements. One survey of a primary care trust in the NHS found that the panel that made that decision about funding new treatments was faced with applications that would haveShow MoreRelatedExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesservices. BBC – structural changes to deliver a better service. Sony (B) – more structural changes at the high-tech multinational. Web Reservations International – growth of an Irish SME company through its online reservation system and business model. NHS Direct – using communication and information technology to provide new ‘gateways’ to public services. Doman Synthetic Fibres – resource planning for new products in the synthetic fibres industry. Marks Spencer (B) – turnaround at the high street legendRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesTwentieth-Century World History †¢ Carl J. Guarneri 213 7 The Technopolitics of Cold War: Toward a Transregional Perspective †¢ Gabrielle Hecht and Paul N. Edwards 271 8 A Century of Environmental Transitions †¢ Richard P. Tucker 315 About the Contributors †¢ 343 _ IN TR OD UC TIO N Michael Adas B y any of the customary measures we deploy to demarcate historical epochs, the twentieth century does not appear to be a very coherent unit. The beginnings and ends of

Henry David Thoreau Transcendentalist Writer - 2009 Words

Henry David Thoreau was a nineteenth century American author who lived during the height of Transcendentalism. He became an important contributor to this movement (â€Å"H. D. T.† Poetry Foundation). Thoreau received much information about this movement from Emerson, a noteworthy friend of Thoreau. Thoreau wrote many significant works in American literature, including Walden and â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† The works of Henry David Thoreau were strongly influenced by the Transcendentalist movement and centered around his stay at Walden Pond. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1817, to John and Cynthia Thoreau. He was the third of four children (Bloom 7). From early on, Thoreau felt a strong connection to the natural†¦show more content†¦He later became the secretary and curator, being endowed with the responsibility of organizing the agenda and location of meetings (Bloom 17). The Transcendentalist movement was centered in Concord. The philosophy of Transcendentalism stated that knowledge originated from the voice of God within humans. This knowledge was essentially their â€Å"inner light† or â€Å"over-soul† (Goodman). In other words, one’s conscience is an innate trait. It was society that corrupted people’s moral sense. Despite the fact that many Transcendentalists wanted to change society, they believed that these changes had to begin with individuals (â€Å"H. D. T.† Encyclopedia Britannica). These changes that were advocated by Transcendentalists pertained to pressing social issues at the time, such as the mistreatment of Native Americans, the Mexican War, and the expansion of slavery (Goodman). Transcendentalism was the antithesis of Unitarianism, another philosophical movement that was developing at the time. Many of the major theories of Unitarianism were developed by John Locke, who believed that the best way for people to grow in knowledge and understanding was through the use of one’s senses and the scientific method (Goodman). Transcendentalists believed that there were two ways to attain knowledge: through the senses or through intuition. The latter, they believed, was significantly more useful than the former. In brief, Transcendentalists preferred individuals overShow MoreRelatedFrederick Douglas And Henry David Thoreau950 Words   |  4 PagesFrederick Douglas and Henry David Thoreau The life and works of Henry David Thoreau and Frederick Douglass’ has had a lasting impact in the literary field since there work is studied now in most colleges. Although, the writers travelled in the same circle and were both friends of Ralph Waldo Emerson the pair were not friends. 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Ethical Decision of American Accounting Free-Samples for Students

Questions: 1.Using the American Accounting Association (AAA) Ethical decision model explain the Ethical Issues involved here and recommend a course of action for Jacqui. 2.With reference to relevant case law, prepare a report for the Managing Partners of MYH on the strength of any negligence case that Oasis might bring against MYH. Answers: Introduction American Accounting Association (AAA) founded in 1916 is seen to have a rich and reputable history for holding a premier community of accountants in academia. The diversity of the membership has been able to create an environment with collaboration and innovation (Aaahq.orgm, 2017). The report is intended to address the various types the ethical and legal issues which need to be considered at the audit divisiosn at Miller Yates Howarth (MYH). The study will include the application of American Accounting Association (AAA) ethical decision model explains the ethical issues involved in the given case study. The various types of the recommendation for the study have been also considered on the use of model. The latter part of the report has applied the relevant case law and prepared recommendations for the managing partners of MYH. 1.AAA Model Determination of Facts The give case is based on MYH accounting firm, which majorly operates in NSW and Queensland. Morgan Fertilisers Pty is recognized as one of the long standing client of the company, with its operations located across Tamworth and Toowoomba. Morgan Fertilisers had recently changed its contractor for waste management to Dumparound Ltd. Jacqui, one of the senor audits has knowledge about the community activities and she also knows that local council are investigating Dumparound Ltd. for level of toxic waste at one of its sites. Identification of ethical issues The considerations of the ethical issues have been mainly seen to be based on Morgan Fertilisers Pty who has changed its contractor to Dumparound Ltd. for waste management. The main form of the ethical concerned has been raised by Jacqui Leak, who is acquainted with the fact that Dumparound is being investigated by the local council for the level of toxic waste at one of its sites. The contract between Morgan Fertiliser and Dumparound is not seen to specify for any damages and it hasnot been signed by Dumparound. The contract is seen to be held substantially for 3 years and Jacqui is concerned about the implications. Identification of major principals and rules, values Apart from the prevailing of ethical issue, the main legal issue has been identified with AASB 102 on valuation of inventories. The cost of the valuation needs to be identified and recognized in terms of asset and the same needs to be carried forward for the revenue recognition. The applicable code under APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants has been seen to be applicable with Section 310 conflicts of interest. As per the application of this rule the members are of MYH are expected to support the legitimate and ethical objectives in terms of the application of the relevant procedure in the organization. Specification of the alternatives The main specification of the alternative has been further seen to be based on evaluating whether the adjustment the adjustments in the inventories between the years end and the dates of physical count are recorded appropriately. In addition to this, the auditor needs to analyze the outward and inward movement of stocks with the date of cutoff date, until count date is established with the validity of the date based on the closing date of the year. Comparison of values and alternatives The comparison of the values is based on the application of APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants has been seen to be applicable with Section 310 conflicts of interest vs. AASB 102 on valuation of inventories. Based on the application of APES rulings the members responsibility to an employing organization needs to base on professional obligations to comply with the fundamental principles which are in conflict. It has been further seen that a member in the business needs to support employer and the rules and procedures appropriate to an organization (Doxey et al., 2015). Based on the considerations of the rulings of AASB 102, the main considerations has been based on the measuring the net realizable value or cost of an asset which needs to be carried forwarded with the revenue recognition. The cost of the inventories needs to further consider the various evaluations which have been relied on the factors such as cost involved in making the assets ready for use (Gaynor et al., 2015). Identification of the alternatives access the consequences In case the inventory value is overvalued, the net income needs to be overstated as per the gross profit of the company. The overvaluation of the retained earnings needs to overvalue as per the retained earnings. The value of the equity, total assets and the current assets of the company may be overvalued with the retained earnings (Abernathy et al., 2015). Recommended Decision The main recommendation has been seen with Oasis Ltd bring forward the negligence charged in terms of the audit of MYH. However, this needs to be based on the sole decision of court to deal with the case on its way where MYH may or may not be held for the negligence. 2.Report for the managing partners of MYH Based on the considerations of AASB 102 on valuation of inventories, the main issue has been seen with the error in valuation of the inventories at the cost of the asset recognized and the value carried forward with the revenue recognition. The inventory needs to be measured based on the realizable cost or value, which is lower. The cost of inventories needs to be considered based on the conversion cost, purchase cost and the cost which is incurred in making the asset ready for the specified purpose. It needs to be noted that the inventory cost may not be recoverable in case the portion of the inventories is damaged or obsolete. The inventory cost is not expected to be recovered in case the evaluated expenses of the completion or the assessed expenses to the sales policy have been expanded. The main consideration for the recording of the inventories below the cost to the net realizable amount is considered to be reliable in nature, which should not be carried with the excess of the a mount expected from the realization of the sales. In case the inventory is overvalued the net income and the gross profit needs to be overstated. The main impact will also lead to overvaluing of the retained earnings, total assets and the equity of stockholder. The net income has been also overvalued for the overvaluation of inventory with fewer number of the cost of goods sold which is charged for the revenue. The increased amount of the net profit further indicates on the equity of the stakeholders and the retained earnings. Due to the overvaluation of the inventory, the accounting period has been changed to the starting of the inventory towards the finishing of the accounting period which turns into starting inventory with the accompaniment of the time frame. The period of the cost of goods needs to be considered with the COGS, as this will be too high and will be able to bring the period of the net income and consider the gross profit to be too low. As per the per the case of Morgan Fertilisers, it has been identified that they carried high amount of value of the inventories in the balance sheet and it was taken over by Oasis Ltd., successfully. Despite of this, after two months, the inventory of the company was overstated. It has been further seen that more than 50% of the inventory was obsolete and were not supposed to include the valuation count as per the inventory. The various types of the considerations of the other inventories were seen to be based on the actual value. In addition to this, MYH needs to be valued as per the stock valuation of the management. The physical confirmation of the inventories is the responsibility of management for the entity. The duty of the management has been further seen to build on the strategy for checking of the inventories once in a year in order to establish the financial statement formulation. The auditor further needs to do a complete review of the technique to get the adequate and suitable for the audit confirmation and tallying the same with the physical inventory. The auditor needs to be present physically for the investigation and inspect the inventory and survey to check the systems set around the management to record the changes in the dependability of such procedures. The auditor cannot opt for inventory count which is available as per the alternative measures and the adjustments in the inventory with the date of count which are seen to be accurately recorded. The auditor needs to review the various types of the management information and the internal control in terms of re-counting, tagging, stock sheets and the identification of the obsolete and non-moving or the rejected items. He also needs to consider the cut off procedures for the valuation of the WIP along with the movement of the inventory. As per the general rule the auditor is not liable towards the third party and liable to their clients. The consideration for the third party has been shown below as follows: The financial statement is not seen to be true The auditor has intentionally or recklessly ignored a certain fact which is seen to be untrue Errors has been committed in the final accounts preparation Negligence on the part of by auditors employee Preparation of the financial statement intentionally so that the third party may take proper action As per the case Esanda Finance Corporation Ltd v Peat Marwick Hungerfords (1997), it has been observed that the corporation lent money to a company based on the audit report. However after the default of the payment, Esanda claimed to the auditors of providing a loan as per the issued audit report, which breached the mandatory accounting standard. Conclusion As per the given case the auditor of the MYH verified the stock correctly, they also accepted the valuation however the management did not consider the obsolescence of the stock. It has been further seen to be evidenced that Oasis Ltd. got under significant pressure by the client for the completion of the audit with the limited time period, for completion of audit within one month from the date in the balance sheet. It has been further seen that the Oasis Ltd bring forward the negligence charged in terms of the audit of MYH References Abernathy, J., Hackenbrack, K. E., Joe, J. R., Pevzner, M., Wu, Y. J. (2015). Comments of the Auditing Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association on PCAOB Staff Consultation Paper, Auditing Accounting Estimates and Fair Value Measurements: Participating Committee Members.Current Issues in Auditing,9(1), C1-C11. Doxey, M. M., Geiger, M. A., Hackenbrack, K. E., Stein, S. E. (2015). Comments by the Auditing Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association on PCAOB Release No. 2015-004, Supplemental Request for Comment: Rules to Require Disclosure of Certain Audit Participants on a New PCAOB Form: Participating Committee Members.Current Issues in Auditing,10(1), C1-C10. Gaynor, G., Janvrin, D. J., Pittman, M., Pevzner, M., White, L. (2015). Comments of the Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association on IESBA Consultation Paper Improving the Structure of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants. The American Accounting Association. (2017).Aaahq.org. Retrieved 24 August 2017, from https://aaahq.org/

Public Relations Campaign Case study

Introduction In marketing their products and services, firms in different economic sectors are faced with a challenge emanating from the business environment. In order to deal with these challenges, organizations have to be effective in their marketing communication.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Public Relations Campaign Case study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Moutinho and Chien (2008, p.179), incorporation of integrated marketing communication is one of the ways that firms can achieve this. There are diverse marketing communication techniques that firms can consider. One such technique entails using public relations. Egan (2008, p.247), defines public relations as the process through which a firm develops the image of its products and services. Alternatively, public relations can be defined as the process through which a firm develops a strong relationship with the public. In an effo rt to understand public relations, this paper illustrates case studies of firms that incorporated public relations in their market communication effort. Case Studies Problem and situations Over the years it has been in operation, Procter Gamble Company has managed to acquire a substantial market share with regard to consumer goods. One of the products that the firm produces is Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Upon its introduction into the market, Dawn gained a substantial recognition and reputation within the market as being an effective detergent in the removal of grease. However, the company faced a challenge from the competitors who were luring customers. Dawn’s competitors were imitating the value that the firm offers to its customers’ by offering dishwashing detergents in larger bottles and at a lower price. This had adverse effects on Dawn which lost a proportion of its market value (Business Consulting Buzz, 2009, para. 3). Similarly, Johnson Johnson has been effectiv e in the provision of consumer goods around the world. The firm is committed at developing new products in order to meet the customer’s demands. The firm deals with diverse product categories such as adhesive bandages.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An example of adhesive bandage that the firm supplies to the market is the Band-Aid bandage. During the 20th century, Band-Aid became widely recognized amongst a large number of households. However, the firm experienced a challenge emanating from an increment in the intensity of competition. Investors ventured the market with the objective of exploiting the presented market potential. To exploit the market opportunity, competitors developed cheaper generic bandages similar to Band-Aid. As a result, Band-Aid lost a significant proportion of its market value. Solutions In an effort to improve the public image of their products, Proctor Gamble and Johnson Johnson integrated public relations. Proctor Gamble contracted Marina Maher Communications (MMC) to conduct a public relations campaign on its behalf. The objective of the public relations campaign was to communicate the value of Dawn to the customers as being a strong dishwasher. The message of the public relations campaign was that one 25oz bottle of Dawn dishwasher could clean more than 10,000 dishes. For the campaign to be effective, the firm considered it necessary to incorporate an effective slogan which is ‘Dawn Goes The Distance’. Additionally, the firm considered it vital to integrate a strong visual which would communicate the message of power and value. To achieve this, the firm contracted Robbie Knievel of the MMC. He was well known as a daredevil with regard to motorcycling being the son of the famous cyclist Evel Knievel. Robbie Knievel was to jump over 10,000 dishes which were then to be washed with only one 25 oz bottle of Dawn. The show was witnessed by over 1625 spectators. This public relations campaign was very successful. The story was carried in different media such as the radio and the print media. Within a period of one week, the campaign had appealed more than 67million consumers.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Public Relations Campaign Case study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Similarly, Johnson and Johnson contracted a public relations company known as Ogilvy Public Relations2 to undertake a public relations campaign on its behalf. Ogilvy hired Emma Roberts a renowned Nickelodeon Star to endorse Band-Aid bandage. Emma Roberts conducted a comprehensive campaign on different mediums. For example, she conducted a campaign on stickwitawards.com by giving children an opportunity to win a trip to Nickelodeon studios located in Hollywood. The campaign was very successful as evidenced by the 65 million impressions on Band-Aid it developed over the media. The public relations campaign contributed towards Band-Aid regaining its market. Additionally, the campaign contributed towards development of a stick-it-with attitude amongst parents and their kids. Conclusion Public relations campaign is a critical element that firms should consider in their effort to deal with marketing challenges. In their marketing communication, it is paramount for firms to integrate public relations campaign. From the case studies, the two firms effectively integrated public relations campaign. By contracting celebrities to endorse their products, both firms were able to improve the public image of their products. This led to the firms re-establishing their competitive advantage within their respective markets. Recommendations Prior to conducting a public relations campaigns organizations should consider the following. Developing a comprehensive understanding of the objective of the campaign. This will aid in developing an effective public relations campaign. Organizations should also formulate the most effective public relations campaign. Reference List Business Consulting Buzz. (2009). The public relations campaign; two case studies. Web. Egan, J. (2008). Marketing communications. London: Thomson.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moutinho, L. Chien, C. (2008). Problems in marketing. Los Angeles: Sage. This research paper on Public Relations Campaign Case study was written and submitted by user Ayana Mcpherson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Arranged Marriages In India essays

Arranged Marriages In India essays India is one of the world's oldest civilizations. It is a country of rich cultural, historical, and spiritual customs. The essence of religion prescribes a form of worship and guides daily conduct. Hinduism is the largest sector of religion believed by the East Indian culture; other branches are Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Zoroastrian (Srivastava 1995). The general basis of Hinduism practices is implemented throughout most of the East Indian people. One of the most significant beliefs, exercised within the Hindu religion, is marital customs. Arranged marriages, religious affiliation, bestowing of the dowry, the caste and the extended family system are all strongly imposed upon Hindu religious couples upon and preceding marriage. The Indian family system, which is better known as the extended family system has always been an important aspect of the East Indian culture. The extended family system pertains to the husband's family, where the newlywed couple will reside and contribute to the family's livelihood (Srivastava 1995). Despite the many social, cultural, and technological changes within India, the extended family system still continues to prevail in modern India. The males within the family are seen as the higher achy and protrude their dominance and control over all financial and economical needs (Segal 1991). The women constantly maintain the household chores, such as: taking care of the children and the elderly, socializing, communicating, and instilling cultural values upon the children (Segal 1991). The East Indian culture is more shifted toward the bearing of male children, which are greatly desired and preferred over female children (Segal 1991). Indian culture gives much importance to family r elationship. The parents take care of their children, and the children obey their parents, thus, in turn, the parents find a suitable spouse(s) for their children from appropriate families (Srivastava 1995). The idea behind...

How Long Is the SAT With Breaks

How Long Is the SAT With Breaks SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT is a marathon that takes up your whole Saturday morning. But exactly how long is it? How long is the SAT with breaks? How long is it with the Essay section? Without it? This article gives the answers to these questions and also offers a few key tips on how to use SAT breaks to your advantage on test day. What Is the Total Time for the SAT Plus Essay Test? Including breaks, the SAT is exactly four hours and seven minutes long.This time includes all sections (Reading Test, Writing and Language Test, Math No Calculator Test, Math Calculator Test, and optional Essay) as well as all breaks. Here is the exact breakdown of time by section: Section Order on Test Total # of Questions Total Time (Minutes) Reading 1 52 65 Break 1 2 - 10 Writing and Language 3 44 35 Math No Calculator 4 20 25 Break 2 5 - 5 Math Calculator 6 38 55 Break 3 7 - 2 Essay (Optional) 8 1 50 There are three breaks throughout the test.There is a 10-minute break after the Reading section and a five-minute break after the Math No Calculator section. For these two breaks, you can leave the room, use the restroom, eat a snack, etc. However, for the final break, which is after the Math Calculator section, you're given just two minutes to stretch next to your desk; you may not leave the room at this time. Use a watch to keep track of your time! What If You're Taking the SAT Without the Essay? If you're taking the SAT without the Essay, the order and timing of the test are the same, except you'll leave right after the Math Calculator section and will not stay for the Essay. The total time for the SAT without the Essay (with breaks) is three hours and 15 minutes. Here is the SAT without Essay chronological timing breakdown: Section Order on Test Total # of Questions Total Time (Minutes) Reading 1 52 65 Break 1 2 - 10 Writing and Language 3 44 35 Math No Calculator 4 20 25 Break 2 5 - 5 Math Calculator 6 38 55 How to Use SAT Breaks to Your Advantage The breaks alwayscome after the 1st, 3rd, and 4th sections, so use themto recharge.Move, stretch, use the restroom, drink water, and eat energy-packed foods.Bananas are great! If you need help picking a snack, we've got alist of excellent ones. It can be hard on your body to sit for so long, so definitely use the breaks to move around. Also, remember that the breaks get shorter as the test continues.The second break is your last chance to use the bathroom or grab a snack before almost two more hours of testing, so be sure to use it! Minions are awesome. What’s Next? Preparing for the SAT? You should read our free ultimate SAT study guide. And if you're taking the test soon, learn how to cram for the SAT. Not sure where you'd like to go to college? Learn how to do college research right, and get help finding yourSAT target score. Hoping to be accepted to atop school? Check out our guides to getting into Harvard and Stanford. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today!

Market research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Market research - Essay Example One of the easier methods of new product development is brand extensions. In 1980, the company launched cornflakes in the UK market. Buoyed by its huge success, it has been regularly expanding this market through the strategy of brand extensions. Crunchy Nut clusters launched in 2003 was followed by Crunchy Nut Bites which hit the market in 2008. All these brands have been hugely successful for Kellogg’s. This paper traces the success story of Kellogg’s. It outlines the importance of marketing research, provides for a critique on the four-stage research process at the company and also presents the salient findings from marketing research undertaken for the Crunchy Nut Bites and the new Coco Pops brand. 2.0 Introduction Kellogg’s is a world leader in the cereal market. With nearly 500 successful brands in its portfolio, it believes in a domineering market presence through the all-important strategy of innovation complemented by marketing clout. Truly, a transnatio nal corporation, it has manufacturing facilities in 18 countries which enables it to cater, far and wide, to over 180 countries, globally. Kellogg’s introduced Crunchy Nut Cornflakes in the UK market in 1980. Over the next two decades, this brand generated huge sales of around ?68 million. In 2003, Crunchy Nut Clusters, a product extension, was launched in two varieties – Milk Chocolate Curls and Honey and Nut. This strategy was highly successful as it enabled Kellogg’s to garner annual revenues of ?21 million. Riding on this success, in 2008, Crunchy Nut Bites, arrived in the market. Achieving a record of nearly ?7 million in its very first year of full sales, the newest launch was also a major hit. The most critical factor in the success of Kellogg’s new product initiative is its elaborate, marketing research. Research is, unfailingly, undertaken for every single step of the way right from idea generation to market commercialization. Primary as well as Secondary research is carried out. Both forms of research, namely, qualitative and quantitative research is given due importance. A unique four-stage approach commencing with discovery and leading onto selection of the best product idea, is followed by transforming the idea into a complete new product and concludes with a forecast of sales for the new product. This comprehensive research framework has stood the company is very good stead, over the years. It enables it to maintain constant interaction with the most important stakeholder of any organization, irrespective of form, nature and size, the consumer. This consumer-marketer interaction and interface enables Kellogg’s to regularly tap the consumer’s pulse and identify their wants and needs. This mode of consumer empowerment translates into strong consumer advocacy of the Kellogg’s brand and goes beyond customer satisfaction leading to consumer delight. Consequently, consumer retention becomes easier and ne w customer attraction is also facilitated through product promotions and other marketing efforts. In days of reduced market research spending (Quelch 2009), its reliance and stress on the need and efficacy of marketing research, has paved the way for a sustained competitive advantage (Porter 1965), for Kellogg’s. 3.0 Contents Innovation refers to creation or introduction of something new. Though innovation and creativity is used synonymously, innovation is greater than

Public Anger And The Occupy Wall Street Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Anger And The Occupy Wall Street - Essay Example The idea was obviously to goad and move the government and to convince them that people the limit of patience of a docile public has been reached (Moynihan, 17 March 2012). The OWS movement was a continuation of the anger felt by a frustrated public across the world. This was seen in the Tahrir square of Egypt, the Arab Spring movement of Saudi Arabia, protests in the UK, Spain, Greece, India, Pakistan, Libya, and many other nations. In many places, these movements have succeeded in bringing in some level of change. In Egypt, the President Mr. Mubarak was forced to resign, in the Middle East, changes were brought in the manner in which people were governed, in Greece, the government was forced to change its stance on the Euro. In a way, such movements have brought in changes though not to the extent those were planned. These mass-based movements can be traced to Mahatma Gandhi who used non-violent protests to throw out the British from India. China had the Tiananmen Square protests that ended in a massacre. Such movements become successful when there is a mass-based movement and more people in different cities join the movement. Zit must be a movement by the masses and not by a few. Some discipline, leadership and an agenda are needed else the movement becomes anarchy and lewd acts, violence and anti-social elements take over the movement. It is interesting to see how the common person on the street is affected. When such protestors block roads and they do not allow traffic to pass, people cannot go to work, to school, and the ill cannot go to the hospitals and so on. When traffic is blocked, the government machinery grinds to a halt. Police can be called in but they can do little when the number of protestors is in thousands.

Business Operations Strategies Essay Example for Free

Business Operations Strategies Essay Cost Leadership- Cost Leadership is a way of getting a competitive advantage by finding the most efficient way of manufacturing the good or delivering the service in the industry. A cost leadership strategy is where a business aims to be the lowest cost manufacturer within its industry. Low costs can be achieved through economies of scale in production and distribution, access to cheaper raw materials or inventing an innovative way of producing a product. Visibility- Operations can be influenced with something such as what they can see from the operations in action. Service based businesses will have a higher based level of visibility, while customers will rarely see the operations process of a manufacturing based business. The implications for operations of a highly visible operations process are that the quality of labour will be significant. Operations will generally need to have well trained, highly skilled, adaptable staff that are able and willing to deal with the individual needs of customers. A close relationship with human resource will be essential. Speed is also a crucial factor in operations as customers usually have a much lower tolerance for waiting. Short time lags are important in operations between the customer ordering and the delivery. Otherwise the customer may get sick of waiting and move onto a competitor. Overheard costs- This refers to the ongoing expenses of an operating business. Overhead expenses are all costs on the income statement except for direct labour, direct materials direct expenses. Overhead expenses include accounting fees, advertising, depreciation, insurance, interest, legal fees, rent, repairs, supplies, taxes, telephone bills, travel and utilities costs. Over-head costs can be classes under four titles such as Functional classification, Classification on the nature of expenditure Element-wise classification and Classification on behaviour of expenditure. Globalisation- Gives the consumer the opportunity to purchase products from the business will provide them with the best value for money. Globalisation is the integration of different national economies into a single market where goods and services can be traded easily. This can increase the flow of goods, services, people, finance, and information around the world. It refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people, and economic activity. Cost Based Competition- A business can keep it competitive edge by structuring a cost based competition with other businesses. A business can gain price advantage over its competitors by using operational strategies that lower costs. In this approach a business can reduce its prices lower than its rivals. This should increase the profit of sales and market share. Supply Chain Management The supply chain management includes all the businesses directly linked to one another to supply goods and services to one another. This is useful in way of a business being able to consume various resources necessary to produce a good or supply a service. Good suppliers are to be found that can provide good inputs with the best price and reliability. Technology Technology is the equipment and knowledge that are available to help businesses perform certain functions or make products. Technology is very important and very crucial in businesses. The most significant influence is on businesses that fail to keep up with the progress in technology by hanging onto equipment or operation methods where competitors have released new technology giving them an advantage. Adapting new technologies may make a business more competitive if the technology is widely adopted but it prevents the loss of competitiveness. Government based policies Government policies can be a very important influence on the operations functions of a business. They can impact on the operations function include regulation, subsidies and grants, and taxes and tariffs that encourage or discourage aspects of operations or ways the operations functions are conducted. Corporate and Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility refers to the relationship between business and the broad society and the way its relationship is perceived and managed. The focus of the responsibility is to ensure the business activities have a positive impact on society and the stakeholders in the business. These days the community have high expectations about the behaviour and the behaviour of a business. Volume Volume is that amount of a product that is produced. Sometimes a business will be better off producing more than what is needed to ensure they will have the products ready to be sold. This can work out to be cheaper in ways of getting the products made in bulk, this can be both convenient for the buyer and the seller. An example of this would be Dominos pizza. If they have their pizzas already made and cooked for people, it would be more convenient for them to just walk in and buy it straight out of the oven rather than ordering the pizza and having to wait for the usual waiting period. Quality expectations A business that is customer focussed will try to produce goods and services that will satisfy the desires of its customers. Customers always have their own idea of how a product should be and what quality it should be at. The business must keep their intentions in mind. An example of this would be at JB HIFI. A woman wants to buy a pair of ear phones. She enters the shop intending to buy a $20 headset but the shop does not have the product in her price range, the woman ends up disappointed and goes to another shop. Sequencing and Scheduling These are tools that are used to identify all steps in operations process and organise them into the most efficient way and order to complete. A key role of operations when scheduling and sequencing is to perform a detailed task analysis to determine the different parts of the entire process of making a good or providing a service. There are many factors come under scheduling and sequencing such as- What production and activities are used. When a particular activity will occur. How long an activity will take to finish. What activities are independent and can therefore occur at the same time. What activities are related so that one can occur before the other What resources will be used etc. Legal Regulations Legal regulations are a very important influence on any business. It impacts on the operations functions of a business. Legal regulations are laws that regulate the ways things can be done. They are also important because of the potentially dangerous aspects with the use of the equipment in the business. Each State Government Have legal regulations that govern the behaviour of the employer and the employee in the work place, it is a legal requirement to provide a safe working environment. Logistics Logistics are a massive part of the functions of a business. It is a crucial aspect of the supply chain management. Logistics is important because it can be part of a source of a competitive advantage if a business can do their logistics activities more cheaply than their competitors. An example of this would be when Woolworths spent billions of dollars on overhauling their entire distribution system. This is what gave them their competitive edge over Coles. E Commerce This is one of the fastest growing aspects of supply chain management. The term E-commerce refers to the use of the internet for all aspects of commercial transactions. An example of this would be EBay. This is a website where you can buy and sell your own personal items. Businesses also use this site to sell their products too. This gives them a wider range to sell their products to all over the world. Global Sourcing Global sourcing is important in the supply chain of management because businesses are increasingly seeking raw material and component parts wherever they are cheapest. Buying and selling raw materials around the world is very useful in ways of saving money and making money. Buying raw materials from other countries may work out to be cheaper than to buy the products from the country the business is based at. Outsourcing Outsourcing is a very significant in the development in current business practises. It is a supply chain of management strategy that can provide very significant value to a business. Outsourcing is the term used when goods and services that would normally be part of the business are obtained outside of the business. Inventory Inventory is an area of operations that is undergoing significant change. It is often called stock and refers to the store of transformed resources waiting to be processed. To have an inventory can be very useful in the case of having an impulse of buyers. Having the stock already produced and ready for sale will be convenient for both the buyer and the seller. Economies of Scale (EOS) This is when the managers of a business design a factory to conduct the transformation process. They have to make the decision as to the capacity volume. Economies of scale in other words mean the expansion of a business to minimise costs through the use of high volume and production. An example of this would be Wal-Mart, they are a massive franchise and are expanding all over the world. Product differentiation The Product differentiation strategy and is a very different way of developing a competitive advantage. A product differentiation is concerned with developing products that are different from their competitors because they have benefits or attributes a customer values. This means that customers will be willing to pay more for a differentiated product. Visibility Customers appreciate being able to see what they buy and try it out before they get the product. This is an approach of having good customer service from the staff showing off the product to the interested customer. An example of this is at Athletes foot. The customer enters the shop and immediately gets attended from staff. The staff will then assist the customer in trying and showing the customer what he/she is interested in. Customer Service Customer serive is a massive part of running a successful business. With helpful staff that is able to assist you, this makes things much easier for the customer and will make them more willing to buy the product. So either way with this approach everybody wins depending on how well the customer service. Flexibility When a business is manufacturing a product or delivering a service in a dynamic environment the ability to change is important. A business must have the ability to make changes to suit the changes to keep up its competitive edge and keep up with the game. Flexibility is important for every business because businesses can fall behind and lose track of what else is happening within other businesses. Warranties Warranties are very important to customers. Potential customers often find that a number of competing products will effectively meet their needs. This is to do with products such as cars and white goods such as refrigerators, televisions etc. Warranties become an important part of the consideration in the customers choice. Speed Speed is a major factor within running a successful business. Customers appreciate quick service and prefer to be in and out of the shop as quick as possible. Speed refers to the time difference between a customers request for a good or a service to when it is actually received. Control Dependability Dependability is an important performance objective for many businesses. It means that the business is consistently good in its quality and its performance. This is a key performance indicator for all businesses. Having a dependable business will keep customers coming back for more, and will keep people talking about the reliability of the business. Environmental Sustainability Environmental sustainability is a massive concern to both the wider world and the community and of what the business has of impact on the environment. It is the ability to maintain the qualities that are values in the physical environment. Climate chance, Water, Waste etc. Quality Assurance Quality assurance involves establishing and using a set of procedures and/or processes that will prevent product defects from occurring in delivering services. Global factors There are a number of global factors that influence operations strategies. They include global sourcing, economies of scale, scanning and learning and research and development. Global sourcing is where products are acquired outside the home country and are bought from overseas for cheaper sales. Scanning and Learning This is the competitive global environment within which many large businesses operate which is constantly changing. Technology as an example is changing at a very fast rate. Businesses need to scan and learn off other businesses what is going on in the market of other businesses.

The Bottled Water Industry Essay examples -- Marketing Water Business

Markets Water is something that anyone around the world could get from the tap for free, but now it is all the rage for the beverage industry. Bottled water has become the industry's fastest growing segment, both in volume and profits. Due to the consumer's needs and wants for a healthier lifestyle, the beverage industry provides a necessary product to the consumers, which is bottled water. Water is essential and with the demand to participate in a healthy lifestyle, the water industry will be successfully profitable. The market size for this industry has been growing and will continue to grow in a rapid pace. Over the past ten years, bottled water has moved from being the preserve of a relatively small market into the U.S. mainstream, with sales of about $7.5 billion, and that's only for water in bottles of 1.5 liters or less (Durr). According to the International Bottle Water Association, Americans spend $5.6 billion in 2000 on bottled water. By 2005, Americans will consume 7.2 bil lion gallons of bottled water, up from about 5 billion gallons in 2000, the association reported. A factor that will continue to drive the bottled water market is foremost the desire to live a healthy lifestyle. Which leads to the concerns of contaminants found in the tap water. People will pay high prices for water, just to be ensured that it is safe to drink the water that they purchased. Drinking lots of water also prevents dehydration. According to the Bottled Water Web (www.bottledwaterweb.com), 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Most people know the health benefits of drinking water, which will drive the consumer to hit the water bottles more. At the same time, packaging in a portable plastic bottles and greater ... ...are looking for a beverage that combines rehydration with vitamins and minerals, and 75 percent said they would buy fortified water if available (Durr). According to Stephen Kay of the International Bottle Water Association in Alexandria, Va, People are demanding more from their foods and beverages, so, they're choosing water with added functions and attributes (Durr). With Americans focusing on fitness and a healthier lifestyle, companies are positioning these fortified water as something better than water. It's just like water but with better attributes, and provides more than what water does. Aquafina Essentials is touted as "enhanced water", and the label on Propel, a new product from Gatorade describes the clear beverage as "fitness water." While Propel is targeting towards athletes, Aquafina Essentials is targeting those who are very health conscious.

Autobiography of a Classroom Essay

I am a very big classroom in a well-known public school. I cater to needs of the kindergarten class of the school, accommodating I think about eighty five children, a big number isn’t it? I understand that I am the best looking room in the school as, the very small children study here. I am very attractively decorated so that the little ones like to come here every day. The room that is me – is decorated with beautiful coloured pictures. The walls are a blend of some colours I do not know the names of. The furniture that is placed in the length and breadth of the room consists of small round tables to seat four children on each table, and the chairs are also tiny. That is not all, all the furniture is a mixture of many colours. When the children come inside the class they almost fight to sit on certain chairs. That makes me understand that they like the colours and fight for their favourite colours to sit on. At the top two ends of the length of the classroom there are two bigger tables and full size chairs for the teachers to sit. Since there are so many children there are two teachers while in other classes there is only one each. I am a treat for everyone to see. My pleasure knows no bounds when everyone who comes inside the class, admires me, appreciates my get up and the colours that don me. I have the twin advantage of being the most beautiful room in the school and also having the cutest of children coming to spend their time with me. Thus, my life is full of beauty, colour, noise and laughter and at times of course also crying and howling of the children. At times some new entrants to the school come to me with their mothers and, cry as if they had come to the slaughter house to be butchered. At such moments even by heart cries for the little ones and I wonder why man makes these little children come to study if they do not want to. I of course do not know how important studies are for human children, I only feel sad seeing the children cry. My life is full of a very busy schedule though very interesting. The routine of my daily life is so busy that, I do not get any relief for quite long hours. In the morning as early as 6 a. m. wo sweepers come open the lock of my room or rather me, and off they start working on me. They sweep my floor, squab it, dust each and every piece of the furniture in me. Thus, I get alerted as soon the room is unlocked. It is not even 8 a. m. when the little brats start pouring inside my body’s doors. At times they enter with so much noise that my whole body feels the rattle of it all. Their movements are so loud that now, I cannot even think of any rest. School bags get flung, tiffin boxes are strewn all about, water bottles are kept just anywhere and there is a lot of commotion all over. Soon the maid enters the room and keeps everything in order and my appearance at once improves and I look tidy and well kept. For these small ones the school hours are just three from, 8 a. m. to 11 a. m. These three hours is my duty time, and just is the time when I also get the day’s entertainment. Being a classroom for the Kindergarten children I get a great chance of hearing conversations between the teachers and the parents. Since this is the first time their children have entered school, parents devote a lot of time to talking about the school and its standards. At times I find that some parents are just too critical and, inspite of getting all the best in this school they always seem to be unhappy and dissatisfied with something or the other in the school. Such parents keep lecturing about things missing in the classroom, the school or even in the playground. When I hear such complaints, my heart sinks and I wonder if they will allow or not allow their children to come to me any more,. For such conversations I have understood that, these days parents pamper the children too much, and it seems that they can never yes, never be satisfied. I am quite surprised to see the vast difference in opinions. While on the one hand I, and also many parents think that I am very beautiful, well kept, and decorated, others of the same clan are always complaining of many defects in my appearance. This gives me a feeling of depression and I do wonder if I can do anything in the matter. After some thinking bouts, I realize that, I can do nothing to satisfy these unhappy parents. I am just here in the hands of the school authorities and stand here as and how they keep me. My working hours are just six, from 6 a. m. when sweepers enter to say 12 noon when I am locked after all children go. After my duty hours I just relax but also feel lonely. No matter what is said about me, I am thoroughly enjoying my life in the cute company of little children. Their company makes me also feel young though now I am quite old. Every summer vacation I am painted afresh, my furniture is painted, and, I am ready to welcome my little friends, new and old with a new look, new enthusiasm and renewed vigour. I pray that my life is forever allowed to remain so interesting and so relaxed. I just love all the children and teachers who come here to me, to work and play in the restricted area within my four walls.

Award

Has anyone ever thought about being on stage at the MAT or Red Carpet Awards giving an award next to a famous person you would die to see laughing and making jokes? I HAVE, and I believe I would probably pass out cold. But honestly for me, standing here right now is a little bit better than that. It gives me great pride to be here today, awarding what must be the finest, most wonderful exponents of cheerleaders In this country. They say fortune favors the brave and It Indeed takes a lot for these girls here to go out on the competition floor ND give It all they have to bring home the medal.There are a select few that have gave 1 10 % on and off the mat to promote there name In cheerleader. The All- American Cheerleader award Is not easy to receive yet always goes to the most loyal one to the sport. Some of the many ablest the winner of this award must present to the table are: Standing tuck, triple toe back, a layout, and the ability to load a stunt with a full up and base a flyer wi th 3 body positions. She must also present many team corporation and outstanding sportsmanship.The young lady who is receiving this award this evening not only achieved all these skills but she went above and beyond with greater skills. She has presented leadership skills through working at the children's facility here at Brenan, carrying out many office positions in many organizations, and holding herself up to high standards to be a role model. She has many young cheerleaders wanting to follow in her footsteps just because of the way she presents herself as a well-rounded person, and her many achievements up to this point.Within her office positions, cheerleaders, and her Job she is dedicated and hardworking. She always has her tasks completed early and never fails to exceed thought everything. She has also already accepted many awards for group competitions and individual events to keep pushing herself to be better. Many of the award include: Top sportsmanship, Number one in stat e competition (Receiving a state ring), and all around best stunt group. This young lady has never failed to show excitement and interest in everything she has done.Even though sometimes she may e ready to throw her hands up and walk away she always pushes to the end. TLS one performer stood out because of her sheer determination, talent and energy In the performance and life skills that follow. So without further ado, the winner of this competition is Skylark Hawkins. Award By Chelsea-Holland Ladies and Gentlemen, wonderful exponents of cheerleaders in this country. They say fortune favors the brave and it indeed takes a lot for these girls here to go out on the competition floor and give it all they have to bring home the medal.There are a select few that have gave 110 % on and off the mat to promote there name in cheering. The All- American Cheerleader award is not easy to receive yet always goes to the most loyal one to the sport. Some of the many abilities the winner of this aw ard must present has many young cheerleaders wanting to follow in her footsteps Just because of the be ready to throw her hands up and walk away she always pushes to the end.

Word Choice Discrete vs. Discreet

Word Choice Discrete vs. Discreet Word Choice: Discrete vs. Discreet You know those times when your friend has a massive zit on their face but you don’t say anything because you don’t want to embarrass them? That’s called â€Å"being discreet.† Or should that be â€Å"discrete†? No, it shouldn’t. But many people confuse these terms due to the fact that they sound  identical when spoken. It’s therefore worth taking a minute to run through what these words mean and how to use them correctly in your work. Discreet (Careful or Prudent) As suggested above, the correct term to use when describing something which has been done to avoid embarrassment, or to keep something confidential, is â€Å"discreet†: When I went to the clinic, the nurses were very discreet. Until you left. Then they laughed about your genitals. [Photo: OnCall team/Vlastimil]It can also be used to describe something designed to be subtle, or not attract attention: The pattern on the lapels is complemented by discreet stitching on the collar. â€Å"Discreet† is related to the quality of â€Å"discretion†, although â€Å"discretion† can also mean â€Å"freedom to make decisions† and â€Å"discreet† is not used in this sense. Discrete (Separate or Distinct) When something is â€Å"discrete†, it is separate or distinct from other similar things: Wagner’s Ring Cycle is divided into four discrete parts, played in series. The valkyries were anything but discreet. â€Å"Discrete† also has some specific, technical meanings, though these tend to be related to the idea of being â€Å"distinct† or â€Å"separate.† Discrete mathematics, for instance, is a field of math that focuses on discontinuous structures (e.g., integers, graphs and logical statements). Discreet or Discrete? As you can see, these terms have very distinct meanings (you might even say that they’re â€Å"discrete†). As such, you should take care to use them correctly in your work. When describing a situation in which someone is being secretive or careful not to cause offense, the correct term is â€Å"discreet† (e.g., â€Å"You can tell me your secret. I’m very discreet.†) When you’re describing something which is separate from other similar things, the term to use is â€Å"discrete† (e.g., â€Å"Any machine can be broken down into its discrete components.†) Remember: Discreet = Careful/subtle Discrete = Distinct/separate

The Definition, History, and Impact of Redlining

The Definition, History, and Impact of Redlining Redlining, a process by which banks and other institutions refuse to offer mortgages or offer worse rates to customers in certain neighborhoods based on their racial and ethnic composition, is one of the clearest examples of institutionalized racism in the history of the United States. Although the practice was formally outlawed in 1968 with the passage of the Fair Housing Act, it continues in various forms to this day. History of Housing Discrimination Fifty years after the abolition of slavery, local governments continued to legally enforce housing segregation through exclusionary zoning laws, city ordinances which prohibited the sale of property to Black people. In 1917, when the Supreme Court ruled these zoning laws unconstitutional, homeowners swiftly replaced them with racially restrictive covenants, agreements between property owners which banned the sale of homes in a neighborhood to certain racial groups. By the time the Supreme Court found racially restrictive covenants themselves unconstitutional in 1947, the practice was so widespread that these agreements were difficult to invalidate and almost impossible to reverse. According to a magazine article, 80% of neighborhoods in Chicago and Los Angeles carried racially restrictive covenants by 1940. The Federal Government Begins Redlining The federal government was not involved in housing until 1934 when the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was created as part of the New Deal. The FHA sought to restore the housing market after the Great Depression by incentivizing homeownership and introducing the mortgage lending system we still use today. Instead of creating policies to make housing more equitable, the FHA did the opposite. It took advantage of racially restrictive covenants and insisted that the properties they insured use them. Along with the Home Owner’s Loan Coalition (HOLC), a federally-funded program created to help homeowners refinance their mortgages, the FHA introduced redlining policies in over 200 American cities. Beginning in 1934, the HOLC included in the FHA Underwriting Handbook â€Å"residential security maps† used to help the government decide which neighborhoods would make secure investments and which should be off-limits for issuing mortgages. The maps were color-coded according to these guidelines: Green (â€Å"Best†): Green areas represented in-demand, up-and-coming neighborhoods where â€Å"professional men† lived. These neighborhoods were explicitly homogenous, lacking â€Å"a single foreigner or Negro.†Blue (â€Å"Still Desirable†): These neighborhoods had â€Å"reached their peak† but were thought to be stable due to their low risk of â€Å"infiltration† by non-white groups.Yellow (â€Å"Definitely Declining†): Most yellow areas bordered black neighborhoods. They were considered risky due to the â€Å"threat of infiltration of foreign-born, negro, or lower grade populations.†Red (â€Å"Hazardous†): Red areas were neighborhoods where â€Å"infiltration† had already occurred. These neighborhoods, almost all of them populated by Black residents, were described by the HOLC as having an â€Å"undesirable population† and were ineligible for FHA backing. These maps would help the government decide which properties were eligible for FHA backing. Green and blue neighborhoods, which usually had majority-white populations, were considered good investments. It was easy to get a loan in these areas. Yellow neighborhoods were considered â€Å"risky† and red areas (those with the highest percentage of Black residents) were ineligible for FHA backing. The End of Redlining The Fair Housing Act of 1968, which explicitly prohibited racial discrimination, put an end to legally-sanctioned redlining policies like those used by the FHA. However, like racially restrictive covenants, redlining policies were difficult to stamp out and have continued even in recent years. A 2008 paper, for example, found denial rates for loans to Black people in Mississippi to be disproportionate compared to any racial discrepancy in credit score history. In 2010, an investigation by the United States Justice Department found that the financial institution Wells Fargo had used similar policies to restrict loans to certain racial groups. The investigation began after a New York Times article exposed the company’s own racially-biased lending practices. The Times reported that loan officers had referred to their Black customers as â€Å"mud people† and to the subprime loans they pushed on them â€Å"ghetto loans.† Redlining policies are not limited to mortgage lending, however. Other industries also use race as a factor in their decision-making policies, usually in ways that ultimately hurt minorities. Some grocery stores, for example, have been shown to raise prices of certain products in stores located in primarily Black and Latino neighborhoods. Impact The impact of redlining goes beyond the individual families who were denied loans based on the racial composition of their neighborhoods. Many neighborhoods that were labeled â€Å"Yellow† or â€Å"Red† by the HOLC back in the 1930s are still underdeveloped and underserved compared to nearby â€Å"Green† and â€Å"Blue† neighborhoods with largely white populations. Blocks in these neighborhoods tend to be empty or lined with vacant buildings. They often lack basic services, like banking or healthcare, and have fewer job opportunities and transportation options. The government may have put an end to the redlining policies that it created in the 1930s, but as of 2018, it has yet to offer adequate resources to help neighborhoods recover from the damage that these policies inflicted. Sources Coates, Ta-Nehisi. â€Å"The Case for Reparations.†Ã‚  The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 17 Aug. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/.â€Å"1934: Federal Housing Administration Created.†Ã‚  Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston, www.bostonfairhousing.org/timeline/1934-FHA.htmlâ€Å"The Legacy of Redlining in Rust Belt Cities.†Ã‚  Belt Magazine, beltmag.com/the-legacy-of-redlining-in-rust-belt-cities/.Redlining (1937- ) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed, www.blackpast.org/aah/redlining-1937.â€Å"Understanding Fair Housing,† U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Clearinghouse Publication 42, February 1973. Electronically accessed,  law.umaryland.edu/marshall/usccr/documents/cr11042.pdfLab, Digital Scholarship. â€Å"Mapping Inequality.†Ã‚  Digital Scholarship Lab, dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/.

Education Article Summary Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Factors that Shape US Energy Policy for Central Asia

Factors that Shape US Energy Policy for Central Asia Many factors influence the formulation of US energy policy. This chapter lays out the comprehensive description of the institutions which shape US energy policy towards Central Asia in general. Further this chapter would look into the international scenario, which has made US Congress, Federal Bureaucracy and Interest Groups in shaping Energy Policy towards Kazakhstan. And Turkmenistan Throughout the 1980s and before US experienced a major sorting out process, determining who would participate in energy policymaking and what the organisational arrangements for citizen involvement would be, though by 1980 the President and the Congress had been able to reach compromises on the basic issues faced by them following the onset of the energy crisis. With decisions on these basic issues the foundation for a stable national energy policy system appeared to be in place. The rudimentary energy policy system that was in place by 1980, provided the framework necessary to manage both energy supply and demand and to develop new resources (Barkenbus: 1982:413-414). Before going into the detailed focus on the role of iron triangle towards Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in particular a brief understanding of how the policy is influenced by the Congress, Interests Groups and the Bureaucracy would be appropriate. Congress: Decision making in Congress where law is formulated, differ from decision making in the bureaucracy, where it is implemented. The institution setting greatly influences the policy outcome.[1] If not sovereign, Congress is considered to be prominent in formulating national energy policy. The president may mandate or oppose energy programs. But he is usually dictated by the Congress. It is the congress who can legislate on energy policy and raise the resources to underwrite it. The presidents freedom to act independently of congress on energy matters is limited severely by law, custom and political circumstances. Policy may be formulated by judges or administrators by interpreting or implementing a congressional enactment. But policy making by them is limited by congressional guidelines and over shift (Cowney: 1985: 82-86). Congress is characterized as house divided and authority dispersed between its two chambers. Its members are even torn by conflicting claims of local and national interest. Although congress is fragmented, it cant be denied that there is opportunity for policy innovation. From the apparent authority of the congress, it becomes clear that congress often reveals not power exercised but power dissipated, not policy made but policy paralysed(Victor:1984:313) The number of committees and subcommittees with energy as their title grew steadily from two in the 92nd Congress (1970-1972) to numerous in the110th Congress In the 96th Congress jurisdiction over some aspect of energy policy was claimed by more than 38 committees of the House of Representatives. The Senate traditionally has fewer committees than the House. Nevertheless it had at least ten major committees and several dozen subcommittees exercising some authority over energy legislation. The committees are proposed by the legislators desire to exercise some authority over major public issues. There also perpetuates jealously and competition between subcommittees and their leaders in energy policy making. Vigorous conflict over energy policy produced by each chambers over squabbling committees is intensified by rivalries between House and Senate energy committees. Such competitions are due to traditional differences between the two chambers, their divergent constituencies, constitutional responsibilities, institutional histories, conflicting personalities and committees aspirations. Moreover, the various energy committees within and between the two chambers, often respond to different energy interest (Raycraft and Kash: 1984:239-249). The fragmentation of power in the Congress is not only due to the formal division of authority among committees. There are other significant causes as well such as there are five hundred and thirty five geographical units the states and the congressional districts. These numerous factors constitute a vast array of diverse parochial interests with powerful influence in the legislative process. The Senator and the Representatives ambassador to Washington are regarded by the constituents as the guardian of the local interest. The Senator and the ambassadors are supported to play the role of energy provider and protector (Chubb: 1983:30-56). Bureaucracy: The executive branch of the federal government is a constitutional unit. Within the executive branch there are thirteen cabinet departments, fifty two independent agencies, five regulatory commissions and numerous lesser entities. More than 2.8 million employers divide their loyalties among these institutions. When closely observed, the executive branch is found to be a mosaic of disparate bureaucratic interests, each zealous to achieve its special mission. It is very challenging for the president to bring these different interests into accord with his own administrative programs. Its success depends upon his personality to a greater extent. The designs for the administrative management by the White House are continuously impeded by the political obstacles. In order to unite the bureaucracy, the president must constantly fight for the competing claims of agencies self interest, the political pressures upon the agencies from Congress and the pressure from an agencys own clientele. The federal bureaucracy is a plurality of institutional interests. They are always active in shaping the policies which will be administered by them. The bureaucracy is governments interest lobby (Chubb: 1983:30-56). Interest Group: The number of interest group striving to impress their will upon government is legion. Among one hundred thousand nationally organised interest groups in the United States, high proportions are involved in politics. When the politically active state and local groups are added to the already existing numerous interest groups, it becomes obvious that the interest groups are pervasive in the United States governmental system. They represent virtually every major social group with some claims upon government (Barkenbus: 1982:413-414). The formations of new groups are often triggered by the rise of new issues on the governmental agenda. And conversely, new issues on the agenda reflect the growing political influence of new interests. The number of interest groups in national energy policy increased significantly after 1973 oil shock. Oil companies have been the major interest groups in terms of energy policy formulation. While analysing the role of oil companies it can be said that they are playing the role of nongovernmental bodies. They have added a degree of variety to international political relationship. Sometimes they have even made the international relationships complicated which might otherwise have been quite harmonious. But in reality oil industries are primarily economic institutions. One of the characteristics of the economic actors is that so long as they can function reasonably well, they generally accept the status quo. No industry can sacrifice its profit for the sake of political principle. None of the oil industry can turn down the chance of developing important new deposits. Of course companies have to choose between possible ventures. The political climate of the countries in which these ventures fall is the only one of the factors taken into account. The political tactics available to compan ies for gaining access to promising markets are limited (Scott: 2005:12-149). The strategies adopted by the oil company are usually predictable but along with the strategies, the leadership of the company also matter to a greater extent. The underlying economics of the industry make it possible to predict the general direction in which companies will move. The development of oil companies can be stimulated by ease of access of the various oil deposit the source of existing oil production the size development and location of the worlds leading economies some facts about the motivation of the imperial powers some assumptions about the behavior of companies in an international oligopoly Some information about the level of government experience in most of the potential producing countries. The sheer size of the US market and the fact that there was a significant oil industry in existence in USA meant that American oil companies where bound to play a dominant role. As an analyst has noted that US had no history of significant engagement with the Central Asian Region before 1990s. It is the discovery of energy resources of the Caspian Sea that made the region important of the US foreign policy makers. The Central Asia and the Caspian Region is blessed with abundant oil and gases that can enhance the lives of the regions resident and provide energy for growth in both Europe and Asia. The impact of these resources on US commercial interests and US foreign policy is very significant. The United States first official foray into the Caucasus and Central Asia came in 1991 during the Bush administration. But it was not until major oil contracts were signed between US oil companies and the government of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in 1993-1994 that the region really began to register on the radar screen of the American public. The commercial interests of US oil companies in exploiting new energy reserves gave US policymakers a specific interest to protect in the Caucasus and Central Asia the US has come to see Caspian resources as one of the few prospects for diversifying world energy supply away from the Middle East. The role of the iron triangle in formulating US energy policy towards Central Asia can be understood by 1998 Congressional Hearing. In this hearing the subcommittee on Asia and Pacific examined the US interest in the region. It was acknowledged by the US Congress that Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan possess large reserves of oil and natural gas. It was further observed that Uzbekistan has oil and gas reserves that may make it self sufficient in energy and gain revenue through exports (Congressional Hearings: 1998). According to Mr. Bereuter the president of the Subcommittee on Asia and Pacific stated that US policy goals regarding energy resources in the region were based on the following factors- Independence of the states and their ties to the West. Breaking Russias monopoly over the oil and gas transport routes. Promoting Western energy security through diversified suppliers encouraging the construction of East West pipeline and, Isolating Iran. In addition it was stated by the then Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot, that the United States sought to discourage any one country from gaining control over the region, but rather urged all responsible States to cooperate in the exploitation of regional oil and resources. It was noted that the Central Asian Region has emerged as one of the significant opportunities for investment opportunities for a broad range of American companies. This in turn will stimulate the economic development of the region. Debates in the Congress According to the Department of Energy, US has following interest in the region- Energy security Strategic interest and Commercial interest in promoting Caspian region energy development. It is further observed that US has an interest in strengthening global energy security through diversification, and the development of these new sources of supply. Caspian export would diversify rather than concentrate world energy supplies. This will help in avoiding the over reliance on the Persian Gulf. It was agreed in the Congress that United States has strategic interests in supporting the independence, sovereignty, and prosperity of the Newly Independent States of the Caspian Basin. And it was desired to assist the development of these States into democratic, sovereign members of the world community of the nations, enjoying unfettered access to world markets without pressure or undue influence from the region. In other words, it can be observed that the iron triangle i.e., Congress, Bureaucracy and the Interest Group have following four objectives with regard to Central Asia: Promoting Multiple Export Route-The administrations policy is centered on rapid development of the regions resources and the transportation and sale of those resources to hard currency markets to secure the independence of these new countries. The US government has promoted the development of multiple pipelines and diversified infrastructure networks to open and integrate these countries into the global market and to foster regional cooperation. It was decided to give priority to support efforts by the regional governments and the private sector to develop and improve east-west linkage and infrastructure networks through Central Asia and the Caucasus. A Eurasian energy transport corridor incorporating a trans-Caspian segment with a route from Baku, Azerbaijan, through the Caucasus and Turkey to the Mediterranean port was included. Emphasizing on Commerciality-It was realized that the massive infrastructure projects must be commercially competitive before the private sector and the international financial community can move forward. Keeping this in mind the Baku-Ceyhan pipelines was most endorsed. Cooperating with Russia-It was decided to support the continued Russian participation in Caspian participation in the Eurasian corridor was also encouraged. For this purpose US companies are working in partnership with the Russian firms in the Caspian. Isolating Iran- the US Government opposes pipelines through Iran because development of Irans oil and gas industry and pipelines from the Caspian Basin through Iran will seriously undercut the development of East-west infrastructure, and give Iran improper leverage over economies of the Caucasus and Central Asian States. Similarly, John Maresca, Vice President of International Relations, Unocal Corporation, focused on three issues with regard to Central Asia- The need for multiple pipeline routes for Central Asian oil and gas resources. The need for US support for international and Regional efforts to achieve balanced reforms and development of appropriate investment in the region. While emphasising these issues, argued for the repeal or removal of section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, because this section unfairly restricts US Government assistance to the government of Azerbaijan and limits US influence in the region. Unocal and other American companies are ready to develop cost-effective export routes for Central Asian resources. So, after this analysis of the iron triangle in terms of the Central Asian Region it can be concluded that the Cooperation of power, federalism, interest group pluralism and other checks and balances in the constitutional architecture of the United States political system created a strong bias towards bargaining, compromise and instrumentalism in energy policy making today. the electoral cycle often compels energy policy to conform to the economic and political bias of legislative constituencies charged with implementing energy policies, attempt to impose upon those policies their own bureaucratic values, their unique political per spective growing from their several missions and many other institutional concerns sub government and the public opinion also influence policy. These elements in the policy process have long been recognized. They emphasise a truth often ignored in discussions of US public policy. The United States and the rest of the world are facing energy problem. The era of abundant, reliable, low-cost energy is in the past. Currently the condition will be that of scarcity and the continuing need to manage the complex and difficult issues associated with the use, supply, pricing and trading of energy to prevent economic, political, environmental and military crisis. Imported oil is the heart of energy problem. As mentioned earlier the economic growth and the consequent growth in energy demand requires increased need for imported oil. To understand the full scope of Congressional perception focus on Energy Security act-S.932 of 1980 is essential. Energy Security Act S. 932 Representative Christopher J. Dodd on June 25, 1980 observed that with respect to the energy act it represented a long overdue commitment of federal dollars to promote energy independence for America. He acknowledged the growing dependency of United States on imported oil. The Energy Security Act provides 25 billion for exploration of a variety of energy alternatives including synthetic fuels renewable resources, conservation, and gasohol. It mandated two actions -the filling of our strategic petroleum reserves and the study of acid rain problem. Though the historical energy security act comprehensively dealt with the synthetic fuel but it was not entirely about the synthetic fuel bill. This act also provide $3.1 billion to establish conservation and solar banks that will offer federal subsidies in the form of below market loans, loan guarantees and grant to finance solar and conservation work in homes, apartments and small business. Christopher J. Dodd argued that $ 3 billion includ ed in this bill to the energy bank was not enough to release the full potential of conservation and solar energy. But this funding was perceived to be a good beginning, and believed that the experience of the coming years will prove the worth these alternatives to continue oil imports. He further argued that the United States government must devise an effective national strategy to break the hold of OPEC and energy conservation in our homes and business should be taken as a vital part of that strategy (Congressional Hearings: 1980) The former Clinton Administration stressed that U.S. support for free market reforms directly served U.S. national interests by opening new markets for U.S. goods and services, and sources of energy and minerals. U.S. private investment committed to Central Asia had greatly exceeded. U.S. energy companies have committed to invest billions of dollars in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. U.S. trade agreements have been signed and entered into force with all the Central Asian States. By focusing on Congressional debates on Energy Policy with particular focus on Central Asia, the complexity of policy formulation can be understood. Further the various Hearings held by the Congress have also provided significant evidence that explains the changed nuances of Central Asia policy. It also helps to illustrate the argument that the Congress considered the Central Asian Region very important for US interest. In particular Congressional understanding of the Enormous Energy Export Potential that could ease Americas energy problem went a long way in shaping US policy towards Central Asia. For instance, despite concern on human right violent political movement, US government virtually supported the US government decision to promote a new pipeline from Kazakh to Azerbaijan and from Ceyhan to Turkey. Some analysts have noted that there has been different emphasis on the level of US involvement in the CAR. According to some there have been linkages between the adequate progress in democratisation and improving the human rights. The importance of energy resources to US has been disputed in early phase of 1990. However, the Congressional interest in Central Asia was reflected in the passage of Silk Road in late 1999 which enhanced US policy alteration, humanitarian needs, economic development (including energy pipelines) and communications, democracy and the creation of civil societies in the South Caucasian and Central Asia. The Bush energy policy was directed towards securing cheap oil because US oil consumption was below projected to increase by one-third over the next two decades. The white House during Bush Administration also had for greater domestic drilling and wants to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the oil industry. The Administrations National Energy Policy Development Group, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, acknowledged in a May 2001 report that US oil production will fall 12% over the next 20 years. As a result US dependence on imported oil which has risen to a great extent (CRS Report: 2005). September 11 brought with it a dramatic reconfiguration of the entire international security environment as well as a fundamental shift in the ranking of American foreign and security priorities. Virtually every other foreign policy priority was now subordinated to the effort to create an anti-terrorist coalition (Chenoy: 2001:149-160). It is observed that the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon has underlined the connection between oil and politics. When it became confirmed that the most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, it impacted on the oil market to a great extent. Since Saudi Arabia constitutes one fourth of the total petroleum reserves, United States had to look for some other alternative sources in order to fulfill its energy requirement. United States is dependent on foreign oil for its 58% of energy requirement which is likely to increase up to 65% by 2020 (Chenoy: 2001:149-160). The counterstrike of September 11 shattered the old barriers and opened new horizons. The United States Congress acknowledged the importance of the Central Asian republic for the fulfillment of its oil requirement in the 107th Congress. It was acknowledged that the Central Asian Region is inflicted with terrorist activities and hence consequently political instability. The support from the Congress and the administration was urged. It was argued that the US assistance in developing these new economics will be crucial to business success. A strong technical assistance progress throughout the region was endorsed. After September 11 Washingtons approval of more than US$1.4 billion for the economic recovery of barren and battle scarred Afghanistan provides the Bush administration with possible insurance for deepening its petro-political sphere of influence along Russias boarder in the form of revived Trans-Afghan pipeline. Further it was realized by the US energy analysts that the vast reservoir of oil and gas can be protected by the deployment of US special operations forces to Georgia because it will neutralize Russias influence in the region. It is noteworthy that the Vice president Dick Cheney, former CEO of the oil services company Halliburtons also a veteran of the American oil industrys presence in the Caspian Basin is sufficient to manifest the US presence in the region With almost $30 billion already invested by US oil companies in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, the suggested Afghan route would cost only one-half the amount of the other alternative which would run through Georgia to Turkeys Mediterranean coast ( Alam :2002:5-26). The Caspian Sea region is widely viewed as important to world markets because of its large oil and gas reserves. Most Energy Company regards the Caspian Basin as the Persian Gulf of the 21st century. In Central Asia and elsewhere, America found new friends in hour of need. It can be said that the Sept. 11 have awakened many Americans to the interdependence to the even -smaller world, to their vulnerability especially in energy. The growing American stake in Central Asia is one response to that. It can be said that the American war against terrorism has also become a battle to control the energy resources of the Central Asian Region. Since Central Asian region can offer the United States a rare opportunity to diversify world oil supply, it could be one of the most important areas of US foreign policy. However, in Washington D.C., and especially in the US congress, foreign policy tends to be an elitist sport. Few members of the Congress focus on foreign policy and accepted by the most of the Americans. As a result, few members of the congress view foreign policy and the Caspian region in strategic terms. The Central Asian Region is viewed by the most members of the congress through one or more of the following perspectives- The Azerbaijan- Armenia issue US policy towards Iran US policy towards Russia Partition and domestic politics. Among the four factors mentioned above, the fourth one i.e. that is partition and domestic politics is perhaps the most important. Members of the Congress tend to be overly responsive to their domestic constituents and some even support certain ethnic groups as a way to raise campaign contribution. This leads to a phenomenon termed ethnic politics. Critics argued that ethnic politics have driven US policy towards both Azerbaijan and Iran (Congressional Hearing: 2001). In order to understand the attitude of Congress towards the Central Asian Region in the aftermath of Sept. 11 attack on World Trade Centre (WTC) and Pentagon, the congress role towards Azerbaijan-America issue, Iran, and Russia requires a brief consideration. The Azerbaijan-Armenia issue On the Azerbaijan Armenia issue, congress tends to favour Armenia and uses foreign aid legislation as a means of exerting pressure on Armenias neighbors particularly Azerbaijan and Turkey. The most obvious example of this is the section 907 at the Freedom Support Act which prohibits US government aid to the government of Azerbaijan. Concern over the plight of Azeri refugee and the increasing importance of United States investment in the Azeri oil sectors; have led Congress to adjust section 907 incrementally each year since it took effect in January 1993. Nevertheless, Congressional attitude towards the region began to change significantly in 1997. The changes occurred for several reasons: The presidential elections in Armenia appeared to be less than free and fare this damaged Armenias image on Capitol Hill and embarrassed lawmaker who had clouted Armenia as the democratic ideal for the region. Some members of the congress thought the Armenia lobby had gone too far and was out of step with the realities on ground. The Armenian lobby was pushing for what some members of Congress thought was excessive legislation. As the deadline for a decision on the main export pipeline route approaches Congressional interest has continued to rise. There was the increased number of Congressional delegation traveling in the region. At least five delegations visited the region in 1997 including one led by senator McConnell. However, since his trip he has taken a more balanced approach to the region. This is noteworthy because McConnell is the chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations, the subcommittee which has jurisdiction over section 907. The House of Representatives, however, continued to reject attempt to weaken section 907. Congress tends to be an incremental body and the facts demonstrate that there is momentum towards making further revisions in section 907. As a result of this increasing momentum it is believed that the US Senate is now positioned to make substantial changes in 907. Senate headway will be critical because progress will have to be made in a House-Senate c onference committee and the House of Representatives continues to be solidly on the side of Armenia and is likely to support a significant softening or repeal of S.907. A major problem especially in the House is that section 907 is not on the radar screen for most Representatives since 907 is usually inserted into the foreign operations appropriations legislation at the subcommittee level, only 13 House member-less than 3% have an opportunity to vote up or down on 907 each year (Congressional Hearing:1997). Congressional attitude towards Iran: Iran is the most stable country politically and economically bordering the Caspian, and offers the most attractive pipeline routes: it is important to understand congressional attitude towards that country. Congress is opposed to Iran and has limited the Clintons administrations flexibility in dealing with it. In this respect, Congress has played a significant role. In the opinion of Congress no country undermines American interest more than Iran. Since the Iranian revolution the United States has sought to isolate Iran diplomatically and politically and more recently economically. Congress has passed the Iran-Libya Sanction Act (ILSA). This act was passed without a single member of congress voting against the sanctions. Congress has rarely adopted any controversial piece of legislation unanimously which have a wide range of implications. This law is causing problem for the companies trying to move Caspian oil to market. US companies are prohibited from partnering with Iranian firms in the Caspian (CRS Report: 2003). US Policy towards Russia Another regional issue clouding Congress view of the region is US policy towards Russia. Congress is skeptical of Russia, and its relations with Iran. For many members of Congress opposing the Soviet Union was a major pillar in their political philosophy during 1980s. Today there are still resident effects of this cold war attitude especially Republican party. In 1997 dozens of bills were introduced seeking to impose sanctions on Russia. Congress has consistently opposed Russian efforts of nuclear cooperation with Iran. Congress views the possible pipeline alternative through Russia, southern route through Iran, eastern route through Afghanistan and western rout through Georgia and Today Congressional view of the pipeline can be summed up in three ways: congress is opposed to pipelines routes through Iran, Congress is skeptical of routes through Russia, and is dubious of routes through Afghanistan. Turkey and Georgia are the only options in view of the Congress. Therefore, it is obvious why Congress has expressed support for pipeline along an east-west axis. This also helps to explain why the US government (Congress and the administration) are increasingly calling the Baku Ceyhan route the preferred route because it belongs NATO, ally, and avoid Iran and Russia. During 1998, Congress continued to advocate isolation of Iran and continue the incremental progress in US relations with Azerbaijan. While formulating energy policy for the United States, Congress is the preeminent force. But congress is a house divided. Its authority is dispersed between the two chambers. It is due to the fact that its members are usually torn by the conflicting claims of local and national interest. In spite of having fragmented opportunity it can be expected for policy innovation. On the brighter side, the United States has important energy interests in Central Asia. With its recent energy resources, Kazakhstan could become one of the largest oil exporters in the world. The United States has a strong interest in this oil getting to the world market at reasonable prices via multiple pipelines (Congressional Hearings: 1998). The 107th Congress supported governments efforts to promote a new pipeline from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, the gateway to the entire Western oil market. It was also acknowledged that in addition to energy interests, the United States also has a strong interest in working with the existing Central Asia governments on combating drugs and on divesting themselves of their weapons of mass destruction materials ( Congressional Hearings:2001). Finally, domestic security concerns for the Central Asian region particularly about violent political movements also got due consideration. The world gets nearly hal Factors that Shape US Energy Policy for Central Asia Factors that Shape US Energy Policy for Central Asia Many factors influence the formulation of US energy policy. This chapter lays out the comprehensive description of the institutions which shape US energy policy towards Central Asia in general. Further this chapter would look into the international scenario, which has made US Congress, Federal Bureaucracy and Interest Groups in shaping Energy Policy towards Kazakhstan. And Turkmenistan Throughout the 1980s and before US experienced a major sorting out process, determining who would participate in energy policymaking and what the organisational arrangements for citizen involvement would be, though by 1980 the President and the Congress had been able to reach compromises on the basic issues faced by them following the onset of the energy crisis. With decisions on these basic issues the foundation for a stable national energy policy system appeared to be in place. The rudimentary energy policy system that was in place by 1980, provided the framework necessary to manage both energy supply and demand and to develop new resources (Barkenbus: 1982:413-414). Before going into the detailed focus on the role of iron triangle towards Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in particular a brief understanding of how the policy is influenced by the Congress, Interests Groups and the Bureaucracy would be appropriate. Congress: Decision making in Congress where law is formulated, differ from decision making in the bureaucracy, where it is implemented. The institution setting greatly influences the policy outcome.[1] If not sovereign, Congress is considered to be prominent in formulating national energy policy. The president may mandate or oppose energy programs. But he is usually dictated by the Congress. It is the congress who can legislate on energy policy and raise the resources to underwrite it. The presidents freedom to act independently of congress on energy matters is limited severely by law, custom and political circumstances. Policy may be formulated by judges or administrators by interpreting or implementing a congressional enactment. But policy making by them is limited by congressional guidelines and over shift (Cowney: 1985: 82-86). Congress is characterized as house divided and authority dispersed between its two chambers. Its members are even torn by conflicting claims of local and national interest. Although congress is fragmented, it cant be denied that there is opportunity for policy innovation. From the apparent authority of the congress, it becomes clear that congress often reveals not power exercised but power dissipated, not policy made but policy paralysed(Victor:1984:313) The number of committees and subcommittees with energy as their title grew steadily from two in the 92nd Congress (1970-1972) to numerous in the110th Congress In the 96th Congress jurisdiction over some aspect of energy policy was claimed by more than 38 committees of the House of Representatives. The Senate traditionally has fewer committees than the House. Nevertheless it had at least ten major committees and several dozen subcommittees exercising some authority over energy legislation. The committees are proposed by the legislators desire to exercise some authority over major public issues. There also perpetuates jealously and competition between subcommittees and their leaders in energy policy making. Vigorous conflict over energy policy produced by each chambers over squabbling committees is intensified by rivalries between House and Senate energy committees. Such competitions are due to traditional differences between the two chambers, their divergent constituencies, constitutional responsibilities, institutional histories, conflicting personalities and committees aspirations. Moreover, the various energy committees within and between the two chambers, often respond to different energy interest (Raycraft and Kash: 1984:239-249). The fragmentation of power in the Congress is not only due to the formal division of authority among committees. There are other significant causes as well such as there are five hundred and thirty five geographical units the states and the congressional districts. These numerous factors constitute a vast array of diverse parochial interests with powerful influence in the legislative process. The Senator and the Representatives ambassador to Washington are regarded by the constituents as the guardian of the local interest. The Senator and the ambassadors are supported to play the role of energy provider and protector (Chubb: 1983:30-56). Bureaucracy: The executive branch of the federal government is a constitutional unit. Within the executive branch there are thirteen cabinet departments, fifty two independent agencies, five regulatory commissions and numerous lesser entities. More than 2.8 million employers divide their loyalties among these institutions. When closely observed, the executive branch is found to be a mosaic of disparate bureaucratic interests, each zealous to achieve its special mission. It is very challenging for the president to bring these different interests into accord with his own administrative programs. Its success depends upon his personality to a greater extent. The designs for the administrative management by the White House are continuously impeded by the political obstacles. In order to unite the bureaucracy, the president must constantly fight for the competing claims of agencies self interest, the political pressures upon the agencies from Congress and the pressure from an agencys own clientele. The federal bureaucracy is a plurality of institutional interests. They are always active in shaping the policies which will be administered by them. The bureaucracy is governments interest lobby (Chubb: 1983:30-56). Interest Group: The number of interest group striving to impress their will upon government is legion. Among one hundred thousand nationally organised interest groups in the United States, high proportions are involved in politics. When the politically active state and local groups are added to the already existing numerous interest groups, it becomes obvious that the interest groups are pervasive in the United States governmental system. They represent virtually every major social group with some claims upon government (Barkenbus: 1982:413-414). The formations of new groups are often triggered by the rise of new issues on the governmental agenda. And conversely, new issues on the agenda reflect the growing political influence of new interests. The number of interest groups in national energy policy increased significantly after 1973 oil shock. Oil companies have been the major interest groups in terms of energy policy formulation. While analysing the role of oil companies it can be said that they are playing the role of nongovernmental bodies. They have added a degree of variety to international political relationship. Sometimes they have even made the international relationships complicated which might otherwise have been quite harmonious. But in reality oil industries are primarily economic institutions. One of the characteristics of the economic actors is that so long as they can function reasonably well, they generally accept the status quo. No industry can sacrifice its profit for the sake of political principle. None of the oil industry can turn down the chance of developing important new deposits. Of course companies have to choose between possible ventures. The political climate of the countries in which these ventures fall is the only one of the factors taken into account. The political tactics available to compan ies for gaining access to promising markets are limited (Scott: 2005:12-149). The strategies adopted by the oil company are usually predictable but along with the strategies, the leadership of the company also matter to a greater extent. The underlying economics of the industry make it possible to predict the general direction in which companies will move. The development of oil companies can be stimulated by ease of access of the various oil deposit the source of existing oil production the size development and location of the worlds leading economies some facts about the motivation of the imperial powers some assumptions about the behavior of companies in an international oligopoly Some information about the level of government experience in most of the potential producing countries. The sheer size of the US market and the fact that there was a significant oil industry in existence in USA meant that American oil companies where bound to play a dominant role. As an analyst has noted that US had no history of significant engagement with the Central Asian Region before 1990s. It is the discovery of energy resources of the Caspian Sea that made the region important of the US foreign policy makers. The Central Asia and the Caspian Region is blessed with abundant oil and gases that can enhance the lives of the regions resident and provide energy for growth in both Europe and Asia. The impact of these resources on US commercial interests and US foreign policy is very significant. The United States first official foray into the Caucasus and Central Asia came in 1991 during the Bush administration. But it was not until major oil contracts were signed between US oil companies and the government of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in 1993-1994 that the region really began to register on the radar screen of the American public. The commercial interests of US oil companies in exploiting new energy reserves gave US policymakers a specific interest to protect in the Caucasus and Central Asia the US has come to see Caspian resources as one of the few prospects for diversifying world energy supply away from the Middle East. The role of the iron triangle in formulating US energy policy towards Central Asia can be understood by 1998 Congressional Hearing. In this hearing the subcommittee on Asia and Pacific examined the US interest in the region. It was acknowledged by the US Congress that Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan possess large reserves of oil and natural gas. It was further observed that Uzbekistan has oil and gas reserves that may make it self sufficient in energy and gain revenue through exports (Congressional Hearings: 1998). According to Mr. Bereuter the president of the Subcommittee on Asia and Pacific stated that US policy goals regarding energy resources in the region were based on the following factors- Independence of the states and their ties to the West. Breaking Russias monopoly over the oil and gas transport routes. Promoting Western energy security through diversified suppliers encouraging the construction of East West pipeline and, Isolating Iran. In addition it was stated by the then Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot, that the United States sought to discourage any one country from gaining control over the region, but rather urged all responsible States to cooperate in the exploitation of regional oil and resources. It was noted that the Central Asian Region has emerged as one of the significant opportunities for investment opportunities for a broad range of American companies. This in turn will stimulate the economic development of the region. Debates in the Congress According to the Department of Energy, US has following interest in the region- Energy security Strategic interest and Commercial interest in promoting Caspian region energy development. It is further observed that US has an interest in strengthening global energy security through diversification, and the development of these new sources of supply. Caspian export would diversify rather than concentrate world energy supplies. This will help in avoiding the over reliance on the Persian Gulf. It was agreed in the Congress that United States has strategic interests in supporting the independence, sovereignty, and prosperity of the Newly Independent States of the Caspian Basin. And it was desired to assist the development of these States into democratic, sovereign members of the world community of the nations, enjoying unfettered access to world markets without pressure or undue influence from the region. In other words, it can be observed that the iron triangle i.e., Congress, Bureaucracy and the Interest Group have following four objectives with regard to Central Asia: Promoting Multiple Export Route-The administrations policy is centered on rapid development of the regions resources and the transportation and sale of those resources to hard currency markets to secure the independence of these new countries. The US government has promoted the development of multiple pipelines and diversified infrastructure networks to open and integrate these countries into the global market and to foster regional cooperation. It was decided to give priority to support efforts by the regional governments and the private sector to develop and improve east-west linkage and infrastructure networks through Central Asia and the Caucasus. A Eurasian energy transport corridor incorporating a trans-Caspian segment with a route from Baku, Azerbaijan, through the Caucasus and Turkey to the Mediterranean port was included. Emphasizing on Commerciality-It was realized that the massive infrastructure projects must be commercially competitive before the private sector and the international financial community can move forward. Keeping this in mind the Baku-Ceyhan pipelines was most endorsed. Cooperating with Russia-It was decided to support the continued Russian participation in Caspian participation in the Eurasian corridor was also encouraged. For this purpose US companies are working in partnership with the Russian firms in the Caspian. Isolating Iran- the US Government opposes pipelines through Iran because development of Irans oil and gas industry and pipelines from the Caspian Basin through Iran will seriously undercut the development of East-west infrastructure, and give Iran improper leverage over economies of the Caucasus and Central Asian States. Similarly, John Maresca, Vice President of International Relations, Unocal Corporation, focused on three issues with regard to Central Asia- The need for multiple pipeline routes for Central Asian oil and gas resources. The need for US support for international and Regional efforts to achieve balanced reforms and development of appropriate investment in the region. While emphasising these issues, argued for the repeal or removal of section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, because this section unfairly restricts US Government assistance to the government of Azerbaijan and limits US influence in the region. Unocal and other American companies are ready to develop cost-effective export routes for Central Asian resources. So, after this analysis of the iron triangle in terms of the Central Asian Region it can be concluded that the Cooperation of power, federalism, interest group pluralism and other checks and balances in the constitutional architecture of the United States political system created a strong bias towards bargaining, compromise and instrumentalism in energy policy making today. the electoral cycle often compels energy policy to conform to the economic and political bias of legislative constituencies charged with implementing energy policies, attempt to impose upon those policies their own bureaucratic values, their unique political per spective growing from their several missions and many other institutional concerns sub government and the public opinion also influence policy. These elements in the policy process have long been recognized. They emphasise a truth often ignored in discussions of US public policy. The United States and the rest of the world are facing energy problem. The era of abundant, reliable, low-cost energy is in the past. Currently the condition will be that of scarcity and the continuing need to manage the complex and difficult issues associated with the use, supply, pricing and trading of energy to prevent economic, political, environmental and military crisis. Imported oil is the heart of energy problem. As mentioned earlier the economic growth and the consequent growth in energy demand requires increased need for imported oil. To understand the full scope of Congressional perception focus on Energy Security act-S.932 of 1980 is essential. Energy Security Act S. 932 Representative Christopher J. Dodd on June 25, 1980 observed that with respect to the energy act it represented a long overdue commitment of federal dollars to promote energy independence for America. He acknowledged the growing dependency of United States on imported oil. The Energy Security Act provides 25 billion for exploration of a variety of energy alternatives including synthetic fuels renewable resources, conservation, and gasohol. It mandated two actions -the filling of our strategic petroleum reserves and the study of acid rain problem. Though the historical energy security act comprehensively dealt with the synthetic fuel but it was not entirely about the synthetic fuel bill. This act also provide $3.1 billion to establish conservation and solar banks that will offer federal subsidies in the form of below market loans, loan guarantees and grant to finance solar and conservation work in homes, apartments and small business. Christopher J. Dodd argued that $ 3 billion includ ed in this bill to the energy bank was not enough to release the full potential of conservation and solar energy. But this funding was perceived to be a good beginning, and believed that the experience of the coming years will prove the worth these alternatives to continue oil imports. He further argued that the United States government must devise an effective national strategy to break the hold of OPEC and energy conservation in our homes and business should be taken as a vital part of that strategy (Congressional Hearings: 1980) The former Clinton Administration stressed that U.S. support for free market reforms directly served U.S. national interests by opening new markets for U.S. goods and services, and sources of energy and minerals. U.S. private investment committed to Central Asia had greatly exceeded. U.S. energy companies have committed to invest billions of dollars in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. U.S. trade agreements have been signed and entered into force with all the Central Asian States. By focusing on Congressional debates on Energy Policy with particular focus on Central Asia, the complexity of policy formulation can be understood. Further the various Hearings held by the Congress have also provided significant evidence that explains the changed nuances of Central Asia policy. It also helps to illustrate the argument that the Congress considered the Central Asian Region very important for US interest. In particular Congressional understanding of the Enormous Energy Export Potential that could ease Americas energy problem went a long way in shaping US policy towards Central Asia. For instance, despite concern on human right violent political movement, US government virtually supported the US government decision to promote a new pipeline from Kazakh to Azerbaijan and from Ceyhan to Turkey. Some analysts have noted that there has been different emphasis on the level of US involvement in the CAR. According to some there have been linkages between the adequate progress in democratisation and improving the human rights. The importance of energy resources to US has been disputed in early phase of 1990. However, the Congressional interest in Central Asia was reflected in the passage of Silk Road in late 1999 which enhanced US policy alteration, humanitarian needs, economic development (including energy pipelines) and communications, democracy and the creation of civil societies in the South Caucasian and Central Asia. The Bush energy policy was directed towards securing cheap oil because US oil consumption was below projected to increase by one-third over the next two decades. The white House during Bush Administration also had for greater domestic drilling and wants to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the oil industry. The Administrations National Energy Policy Development Group, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, acknowledged in a May 2001 report that US oil production will fall 12% over the next 20 years. As a result US dependence on imported oil which has risen to a great extent (CRS Report: 2005). September 11 brought with it a dramatic reconfiguration of the entire international security environment as well as a fundamental shift in the ranking of American foreign and security priorities. Virtually every other foreign policy priority was now subordinated to the effort to create an anti-terrorist coalition (Chenoy: 2001:149-160). It is observed that the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon has underlined the connection between oil and politics. When it became confirmed that the most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, it impacted on the oil market to a great extent. Since Saudi Arabia constitutes one fourth of the total petroleum reserves, United States had to look for some other alternative sources in order to fulfill its energy requirement. United States is dependent on foreign oil for its 58% of energy requirement which is likely to increase up to 65% by 2020 (Chenoy: 2001:149-160). The counterstrike of September 11 shattered the old barriers and opened new horizons. The United States Congress acknowledged the importance of the Central Asian republic for the fulfillment of its oil requirement in the 107th Congress. It was acknowledged that the Central Asian Region is inflicted with terrorist activities and hence consequently political instability. The support from the Congress and the administration was urged. It was argued that the US assistance in developing these new economics will be crucial to business success. A strong technical assistance progress throughout the region was endorsed. After September 11 Washingtons approval of more than US$1.4 billion for the economic recovery of barren and battle scarred Afghanistan provides the Bush administration with possible insurance for deepening its petro-political sphere of influence along Russias boarder in the form of revived Trans-Afghan pipeline. Further it was realized by the US energy analysts that the vast reservoir of oil and gas can be protected by the deployment of US special operations forces to Georgia because it will neutralize Russias influence in the region. It is noteworthy that the Vice president Dick Cheney, former CEO of the oil services company Halliburtons also a veteran of the American oil industrys presence in the Caspian Basin is sufficient to manifest the US presence in the region With almost $30 billion already invested by US oil companies in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, the suggested Afghan route would cost only one-half the amount of the other alternative which would run through Georgia to Turkeys Mediterranean coast ( Alam :2002:5-26). The Caspian Sea region is widely viewed as important to world markets because of its large oil and gas reserves. Most Energy Company regards the Caspian Basin as the Persian Gulf of the 21st century. In Central Asia and elsewhere, America found new friends in hour of need. It can be said that the Sept. 11 have awakened many Americans to the interdependence to the even -smaller world, to their vulnerability especially in energy. The growing American stake in Central Asia is one response to that. It can be said that the American war against terrorism has also become a battle to control the energy resources of the Central Asian Region. Since Central Asian region can offer the United States a rare opportunity to diversify world oil supply, it could be one of the most important areas of US foreign policy. However, in Washington D.C., and especially in the US congress, foreign policy tends to be an elitist sport. Few members of the Congress focus on foreign policy and accepted by the most of the Americans. As a result, few members of the congress view foreign policy and the Caspian region in strategic terms. The Central Asian Region is viewed by the most members of the congress through one or more of the following perspectives- The Azerbaijan- Armenia issue US policy towards Iran US policy towards Russia Partition and domestic politics. Among the four factors mentioned above, the fourth one i.e. that is partition and domestic politics is perhaps the most important. Members of the Congress tend to be overly responsive to their domestic constituents and some even support certain ethnic groups as a way to raise campaign contribution. This leads to a phenomenon termed ethnic politics. Critics argued that ethnic politics have driven US policy towards both Azerbaijan and Iran (Congressional Hearing: 2001). In order to understand the attitude of Congress towards the Central Asian Region in the aftermath of Sept. 11 attack on World Trade Centre (WTC) and Pentagon, the congress role towards Azerbaijan-America issue, Iran, and Russia requires a brief consideration. The Azerbaijan-Armenia issue On the Azerbaijan Armenia issue, congress tends to favour Armenia and uses foreign aid legislation as a means of exerting pressure on Armenias neighbors particularly Azerbaijan and Turkey. The most obvious example of this is the section 907 at the Freedom Support Act which prohibits US government aid to the government of Azerbaijan. Concern over the plight of Azeri refugee and the increasing importance of United States investment in the Azeri oil sectors; have led Congress to adjust section 907 incrementally each year since it took effect in January 1993. Nevertheless, Congressional attitude towards the region began to change significantly in 1997. The changes occurred for several reasons: The presidential elections in Armenia appeared to be less than free and fare this damaged Armenias image on Capitol Hill and embarrassed lawmaker who had clouted Armenia as the democratic ideal for the region. Some members of the congress thought the Armenia lobby had gone too far and was out of step with the realities on ground. The Armenian lobby was pushing for what some members of Congress thought was excessive legislation. As the deadline for a decision on the main export pipeline route approaches Congressional interest has continued to rise. There was the increased number of Congressional delegation traveling in the region. At least five delegations visited the region in 1997 including one led by senator McConnell. However, since his trip he has taken a more balanced approach to the region. This is noteworthy because McConnell is the chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations, the subcommittee which has jurisdiction over section 907. The House of Representatives, however, continued to reject attempt to weaken section 907. Congress tends to be an incremental body and the facts demonstrate that there is momentum towards making further revisions in section 907. As a result of this increasing momentum it is believed that the US Senate is now positioned to make substantial changes in 907. Senate headway will be critical because progress will have to be made in a House-Senate c onference committee and the House of Representatives continues to be solidly on the side of Armenia and is likely to support a significant softening or repeal of S.907. A major problem especially in the House is that section 907 is not on the radar screen for most Representatives since 907 is usually inserted into the foreign operations appropriations legislation at the subcommittee level, only 13 House member-less than 3% have an opportunity to vote up or down on 907 each year (Congressional Hearing:1997). Congressional attitude towards Iran: Iran is the most stable country politically and economically bordering the Caspian, and offers the most attractive pipeline routes: it is important to understand congressional attitude towards that country. Congress is opposed to Iran and has limited the Clintons administrations flexibility in dealing with it. In this respect, Congress has played a significant role. In the opinion of Congress no country undermines American interest more than Iran. Since the Iranian revolution the United States has sought to isolate Iran diplomatically and politically and more recently economically. Congress has passed the Iran-Libya Sanction Act (ILSA). This act was passed without a single member of congress voting against the sanctions. Congress has rarely adopted any controversial piece of legislation unanimously which have a wide range of implications. This law is causing problem for the companies trying to move Caspian oil to market. US companies are prohibited from partnering with Iranian firms in the Caspian (CRS Report: 2003). US Policy towards Russia Another regional issue clouding Congress view of the region is US policy towards Russia. Congress is skeptical of Russia, and its relations with Iran. For many members of Congress opposing the Soviet Union was a major pillar in their political philosophy during 1980s. Today there are still resident effects of this cold war attitude especially Republican party. In 1997 dozens of bills were introduced seeking to impose sanctions on Russia. Congress has consistently opposed Russian efforts of nuclear cooperation with Iran. Congress views the possible pipeline alternative through Russia, southern route through Iran, eastern route through Afghanistan and western rout through Georgia and Today Congressional view of the pipeline can be summed up in three ways: congress is opposed to pipelines routes through Iran, Congress is skeptical of routes through Russia, and is dubious of routes through Afghanistan. Turkey and Georgia are the only options in view of the Congress. Therefore, it is obvious why Congress has expressed support for pipeline along an east-west axis. This also helps to explain why the US government (Congress and the administration) are increasingly calling the Baku Ceyhan route the preferred route because it belongs NATO, ally, and avoid Iran and Russia. During 1998, Congress continued to advocate isolation of Iran and continue the incremental progress in US relations with Azerbaijan. While formulating energy policy for the United States, Congress is the preeminent force. But congress is a house divided. Its authority is dispersed between the two chambers. It is due to the fact that its members are usually torn by the conflicting claims of local and national interest. In spite of having fragmented opportunity it can be expected for policy innovation. On the brighter side, the United States has important energy interests in Central Asia. With its recent energy resources, Kazakhstan could become one of the largest oil exporters in the world. The United States has a strong interest in this oil getting to the world market at reasonable prices via multiple pipelines (Congressional Hearings: 1998). The 107th Congress supported governments efforts to promote a new pipeline from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, the gateway to the entire Western oil market. It was also acknowledged that in addition to energy interests, the United States also has a strong interest in working with the existing Central Asia governments on combating drugs and on divesting themselves of their weapons of mass destruction materials ( Congressional Hearings:2001). Finally, domestic security concerns for the Central Asian region particularly about violent political movements also got due consideration. The world gets nearly hal