MNC Corporation Production Assignment

MNC Corporation Production Assignment MNC Corporation Production Analysis of MNC Behavior Introduction Multinational corporation (or transnational corporation) (MNC/TNC) is a corporation or enterprise that manages production establishments or delivers services in at least two countries. Very large multinationals have budgets that exceed those of many countries. Multinational corporations can have a powerful influence in international relations and local economies. Multinational corporations play an important role in globalization (Bartlett et al). Multinational corporations can be divided into three broad groups according to the configuration of their production facilities: Horizontally integrated multinational corporations manage production establishments located in different countries to produce similar products. (Example: McDonalds) Vertically integrated multinational corporations manage production establishment in certain country/countries to produce products that serve as input to its production establishments in other country/countries. (Example: Adidas) Diversified multinational corporations do not manage production establishments located in different countries that are horizontally, vertically or straight (Example: Microsoft or Siemens A.G.) The paper deals with analysis of MNC behavior of three popular MNC’s viz. Exxon Mobile, Royal Dutch and BP. These are oil and gas companies from India and China. The paper will explain about how the products of these companies differ or are similar to each other and how their marketing strategies corporate strategies differ. All this will be explained through the Dunning O-I-L framework and Global Integration Local Responsiveness framework. This paper represents the compare and contrast studies of different strategies. About the companies MNC behavior differs across various locations and is different regarding marketing, finance, human resource and other aspects related to the products. The three companies selected for analyzing MNC behavior differ in geographical locations, political conditions, cultural considerations and legal frameworks. The general introduction of the all the 3 companies is as follows: Exxon Mobil Corporation or Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM): It is an American oil and gas corporation and a direct descendant of John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil company. Formed on November 30, 1999 by the merger of Exxon and Mobil, Exxon Mobil is the worlds largest company by revenue at $404.5 billion for the fiscal year of 2007. It is also the largest publicly held corporation by market capitalization, i.e. $501.17 billion. While it is the largest of the six oil super majors with daily production of 4.18 million BOE (barrels of oil equivalent). Currently, the company ranks 1st in the world in net income, which was almost $40 billion last year. The Exxon Mobil Corporation global headquarters are located in Irving, Texas. The company markets products around the world under the brands of Exxon, Mobil, and Esso. It also owns hundreds of smaller subsidiaries such as Imperial Oil Limited (69.6% ownership) in Canada, and Sea River Maritime, a petroleum shipping company (Exxon Mobile Corporation 2008). Royal Dutch Shell: It is commonly known as Shell, a multinational oil company of British and Dutch origins. It is the second largest private sector energy corporation in the world, and one of the six super majors. The companys headquarters are in The Hague, Netherlands, with its registered office in London, United Kingdom (Shell Centre). The companys main business is the exploration, production, processing, transportation and marketing of hydrocarbons (oil and gas). Shell also has a significant petrochemicals business (Shell Chemicals), and an embryonic renewable energy sector developing wind, hydrogen and solar power opportunities (Royal Dutch Shell: About Shell 2008). BP (British Petroleum): It was previously known as British Petroleum but now using only the initials, it is the worlds third largest global energy company, a multinational oil company (oil major) with headquarters in London, UK. The company is among the largest private sector energy corporations in the world, and one of the six super majors (vertically integrated private sector oil exploration, natural gas, and petroleum product marketing companies). Though, all these companies are involved in similar business practices, yet there are also certain differences among them. There is a compare and contrast scenario among these companies. To analyze these three MNC’s, the â€Å"Global Integration- Local Responsiveness† framework and â€Å"Dunning’s O-I-L† framework can be used (BP Global: About BP 2008). Similarities and Differences The products of all three companies are similar in the sense that all have natural resource seeking and efficiency seeking products. All three companies produce the same kind of products, so they also require the same kind of raw materials for the products. The products they produce are all location specific. All the companies have their established positions in the international market and are among the six super majors in the oil and gas industry. They possess abundant resource utilization capacity. They have competitive advantage, which helps them to achieve their strategic goals. The products of the companies are globally marketed. The major differences among the products of the companies are the quality and quantity of the products and the capital requirement for the products. The products also differ in the level and type of technology used and the customer demand for the product. The location where the product is manufactured is also important and it makes a big difference for the company. The export and import of the products vary from company to company. The manufacturing and innovation among the products also vary depending on the Government rules, regulations and policies in the countries in which the companies operate. The products also differ on the basis of marketing strategies used to market the product. The reason for these differences can be explained through the â€Å"Global Integration- Local Responsiveness† framework popularly known as I-R model. It is generally related with ideas of value creation. It states that these differences occur because of differences in the competitive advantage of the companies and the strategies used by them. Strategies can be global, international, multinational or transnational (Bartlett et al). The risk handling capability of the companies is also one of the possible reasons for the differences among them. The proportion of the global assets, number of countries in which the company operates in value added activities and the value of the output are responsible for significant differences among the companies of the same industry (Rugman Hodgetts 1995). These differences are not general differences. These differences are responsible for the company’s success and help it in making popular among the general public. The products of the company become known to the customers because of these significant differences and they are responsible for the growth and revenue of the company (Bartlett et al). The marketing strategies also differ between various firms and countries on the basis of the strategies used to market the products. The differences between countries occur because of alterations in the market structures among various countries with respect to the transactional costs. Differences also occur on the ground of capital availability and resource utilization. The difference in the market size is also very important. Marketing strategies differ across firms due to differences in the extent of market diversification and market stability of the firms. They differ according to the number of customers for the product and because of the market allocation for the product. The firms have set up in their respective locations because according to â€Å"Dunning’s O-I-L† framework, the assets which these companies possess are ownership specific and location specific. Though, they are available to all the firms, yet they are unique in nature and help the company to establish a difference for itself. This criterion of Dunning is based on the eclectic paradigm. The assets can be tangible like manpower, capital, etc. or intangible like technology, marketing, etc. Global, International, Multinational Transnational Firms As the companies grow and develop, there category changes and they become international, global, multinational or transnational firms. As time passes, their product category also changes. Global Firms consider the world as a single integrated unit with centralized scale intensive manufacturing. Through world wide diffusion and adaptation, these companies exploit the parent company’s knowledge and capabilities (Dunning 1993). International Firms take the overseas units as offshoots of domestic strategy. Here the core competencies are centralized and others are decentralized. It builds cost advantage through global scale operations (Dunning 1993). Multinational Firms consider the world as a portfolio of national opportunities. They are self sufficient and decentralized. Through strong resourceful national operations it creates a response to national differences. Transnational Firms comprise of all the above three firms. They are dispersed, interdependent and specialized. They have flexibility, global efficiency and great learning capability. Different Corporate Strategies The corporate strategies of the MNC’s differ across different locations as the Government policies and regulations are different in different countries. The goals and the means to achieve them differ according to the customer size and the market adaptability in different countries. The collaborations with the local partners also create a difference in the corporate strategies because they also have their company’s policies and requirements. It also differs according to the company law of the respective countries. The terms and conditions of the local partners differ, which causes significant variations in the corporate strategy (Dunning 1993).. Innovations in MNC’s Innovations are a growing trend in today’s world and MNC’s are successful till they maintain their innovativeness and creativity. Innovation does not necessarily come from the home country but it can also be sourced in the local country. The MNC’s hire the employees of the local country so it can be possible that innovations are from the local country. Government and the MNC’s There are differences among the MNC’s about the Government policies and regulations. Government’s encouragement or inhibition for the oil and gas industry depends on the type of country and the requirement of such an MNC in the country. There are also significant differences across various locations for the involvement of Government in the MNC activities. This depends on the need of the country to grow and develop and also on the economy of the country. This can also be explained with the help of â€Å"Dunning’s O-I-L† framework. The Government involvement depends on the asset availability of the country which is location specific. Social Cultural Factors The MNC’s are also affected by social and cultural factors of the local country. They have to conduct the business according to the conditions in that country. The products should be manufactured according to the needs and requirements of the people. The cultural and social sentiments of the people should be taken care of. For example, when Mc Donald’s started its business in India, it made beef burgers. But this was failed in India, as it was against the cultural, religious and social sentiments of the people of India, because Indians worship cows so they would never prefer a beef burger. But many a times it happens that MNC’s also shape the social, cultural, political and even the legal framework of the local country. The people of the local country many a times adapt to the products of the MNC’s. For example, Pizza Hut, Dominos, etc. have totally changed the eating habits of the people wherever they have spread their business. The dressing style of the people changes, e.g. Indians started wearing western style clothes. They also convince the Government to make its legal policy flexible to suit their business conditions because the country is being benefited by the MNC’s. The role of WTO in MNC activity WTO and regional trade agreements influence the MNC activities in many ways. The fundamental principles of WTO are non discrimination, free trade, encouraging competition and extra provisions for less developed countries. Through non discriminatory trading system, all the MNC’s are provided with their rights and obligations to be used while performing their operations. Each country and MNC receives fair exports and fair treatment in the markets of other countries. It provides responsibilities regarding implementation of agreements, technical cooperation and increased participation in the global trading system. These agreements help in removing trade barriers and duty free access. It also helps in protecting industrial property rights and dispute settlement. The trade agreement system helps in promoting peace, provides more choices of products and qualities (Cherunilam 2005). Export processing zone refers to one or more specific areas of a country where some of the normal trade barriers are ruled out and bureaucratic necessities are let down in the desire of attracting new business and foreign investments. This zone also refers to the manufacturing centers, which are labor intensive involving the import of raw materials and the export of factory products. This zone is of great importance for the operations of MNC’s. Geography of production The linkages in the value chain also differ around different locations. The relationship between the various functional processes is different at different locations. The spread of production differs according to the spatial distribution. This differs according to the elements of the value chain. The working of the functional processes affects the production. It differs from firm to firm because the functional units like finance, marketing, etc. differ across firms and across various locations. So the firm’s production differs according to geography as the resource availability differs from place to place. Also, the human resource management, organizational structure and managerial responsibility differ between the firms and locations. These are not the same at all the places and with all the firms. The manpower availability differs from place to place and from firm to firm. Because of workforce diversity, human resource management differs and is not the same at all places. The organizational structure also differs because of each firm’s policies and regulations. The managerial responsibility is different depending upon the size of the firm and its working. It also depends upon the strength of the organization, type of business it deals with and the amount of work done by the organization (Cherunilam 2005). MNC’s also hire local people for key positions because its not possible for the MNC’s to hire people from the home country as it is a time consuming and costly affair. Instead of doing so, they can spend money on the training of the people in the local country. The Country Subsidiary Manager is responsible for the administration and management of the MNC in the country. He helps the MNC to recruit highly efficient and energetic people. He also helps in the growth and development of the MNC along with marketing its products. Comparison and Contrast between the Indian Market and Chinese Market for Exxon, BP and Shell The strategies in both the countries will be different for all the three companies i.e. BP, Exxon and Shell. The business environment, culture and traditions of both the companies differ from each other. The customer requirements, economic growth, political and social environment and legal obligations for both the countries can be compared and contrasted. Comparison CEOs of global energy giants BP, Exxon Mobil and Shell are thrashing out their plans with Indian companies and state government officials to pump dollars into 5 states Orissa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat. The oil and gas giants (Exxon, Shell, BP), can enter the Indian market through Joint Ventures with the Indian companies like Reliance or any ONGC. To establish joint ventures with Indian companies for manufacturing, all the 3 companies should track the key trends and survey the competitive environment in the oil and gas industry, which will enable them to maximize their returns in India (BP, Exxon Shell may invest in 5 Indian states 2008). Currently, Indian conversion kit markets are overflowing with duplicate and inferior quality products. Manufacturers must devote adequate resources for research and development to create world-class offerings that stand apart from the competition. Producing less expensive, lighter, and stronger fuel storage tanks could help the companies establish a leadership position in the marketplace. Reinforcing innovative products with strong after-sales service will allow companies to establish a brand image (Indian Automotive Alternative Fuel Conversion Kit Markets 2001). The entry strategy for China will be different. In China, the companies can enter through Merger or strategic alliance with a Chinese oil company. The companies should do a detailed study of the Chinese market to enter into strategic alliance with the Chinese companies, their growth patterns and their position in the market. As the entry strategy in both the companies will differ because of their business environment; similarly, business strategies would also differ on the following grounds. Firstly, the customer ratio and demand differs in both the countries. China has more population than India, so it has a large consumer market than India for these companies. Secondly, as compared to China, the price hike in petrol is more in India, so the companies can earn high revenue in India (Cherunilam 2005). Thirdly, China’s economy is growing at a much faster rate than India’s economy. Fourthly, the income level in both the countries is different. Middle class population is high in India. The per capita income of China is more than India and even the disposable income in China is more. Nowadays, BP is focusing on an eco-friendly campaign, which can be a great success in India where pollution is a major problem. This way, it can easily attract customers and become popular. Fifthly, the culture of both the countries is different, which affects the strategies of the companies. India is a country of diverse cultures and customs, so people with different thinking and values are found in India. But China has cultural unity, so the values and traditions do not differ across the country. This is good for advertisement and publicity to the people. Sixthly, it is also the political and legal environment that plays a crucial role in any business. A company cannot ignore the political situation and legal formalities either in the home country or in the host country if it has to operate successfully abroad. There is a quasi-federal-form of government in India and democracy is the rule of the country. Whereas China is a communist country, so the political setup can make a difference to the strategies. Also, the legal environment differs from country to country. India’s market has easy access and there are no strict regulations for the trade. In India, after the liberalization in 1991, most of the sectors are opened for foreign companies. Foreign Direct Investment is increasing rapidly. FDI policy is liberalized and 100% investment is allowed, whereas in China, there is not so much liberty for foreign companies. Only, a limited number of foreign companies can establish themselves in China. Contrast There are several points of similarities that affect the strategies of the companies in both the countries. Both the countries are in a developing stage and follow collectivism. Collectivistic culture tends to embrace interdependence, family security, social hierarchies, cooperation; and low levels of competition (Cherunilam 2005). As such, the Chinese and Indian society historically focuses on social interests and collective actions, and de-emphasizes personal goals and accomplishments. Also, the people of both the countries are dominated by foreign products and import items. Conclusion Thus, from the above discussion about MNC’s, it is concluded that they differ across different locations in terms of their resources, working, legal framework, etc. They also affect the culture and social life of the people of the local country. References Bartlett et al. Building Layers of Competitive Advantage. Europe: McGraw Hill Companies Inc. BP Global: About BP. 2008. [online]. [Accessed July 19, 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: BP, Exxon Shell may invest in 5 Indian states 2008. [online]. [Accessed July 19, 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: Cherunilam, F. 2005. International Business: Text and Cases. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd. Dunning, J. H. 1993. The determinants of MNE activity. In Dunning, J. H., Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy: 76-85. Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. Exxon Mobile Corporation. 2008. [online]. [Accessed July 19, 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: Indian Automotive Alternative Fuel Conversion Kit Markets 2001. [online]. [Accessed July 19, 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: Ramaswamy, V.S Namakumari, S. (3rd ed.) 2005. Strategic Planning Formulation of Corporate Strategy. New Delhi: Macmillan India Ltd. Royal Dutch Shell: About Shell. 2008. [online]. [Accessed July 19, 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: Rugman, A.M. Hodgetts, R.M. (1st ed.).1995. International Business. New York, McGraw Hill Publishing Company. Appendix Generic Value Chain of OPERATION OUTBOND LOGISTIC MARKETING SALES SERVICE FIRM INFRASTRUCTURE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROCUREMENT INBOUND LOGISTIC Secondary Activity Or Supporting Activities Primary Activities Source: Ramaswamy Namakumari 2005.

Personalisation And Its Key Elements

Personalisation And Its Key Elements In this easy, I will be discussing personalisation in considering its key elements. Looking at the impact of Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) in meeting service user needs. How it contradict in particular the notion of choice, control and independence for old people. I will also the implications for social work practice, and my own personal practice in an anti-discriminatory point of view. The adult transforming agenda is focused on the development of personalisation of support. The 2006 Community Services White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, announced the piloting of Individual Budgets. Personalisation had its beginnings in Direct Payment which was introduced in 1987, were people who are eligible for social care can choose to receive a cash sum in lieu of services (Henwood Nigel, 2007). The development of Transforming Social Care is driven by the demographic pressures and changes to public expectations. According to Chandler (2009, p2) by 2022 20% of English population will be over 65 and the number of those over 85 will have increased by 60%. The development of better housing options and extra care housing will be crucial for the future. Majority of older people will expect to live in their own homes for as long as they possibly can. And with more people living longer and requiring support, an increasing number of families will feel the impact of these demographic changes (Chandler,2009) [online]. One of the objectives of Putting People First was to champion the rights and needs of older people in their local authority and public services within a policy, which will involve them as active citizens who may or may not need support. However, these expectations cannot be met through traditional approaches to delivering of social care services. A fundamental change in Adult Social care is required in order to ensure that the needs of each person can be met in a way that suits their personal individual circumstances. Putting people first (DOH 2009), laid out the vision for change in social careà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ this vision is of a new social care system that helps people stay healthyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ through a focus on prevention, early intervention and enablement, and high quality personally tailored services for those who need ongoing care social care support This new policy is referred to as personalisation. According to Lloyd (2010, p 189), the term personalisation is very contentious she further cited Boxall et al (2009) distinguishing between personalisation which focuses on the particular needs of individuals to the preference of one size-fits-all approach of services. The self directed support is about the control that service users can exert over the definition of their needs and the ways in which these should be met. In policy terms, personalisation is both the way in which services are tailored to the needs and preferences of citizens and how the state empowers citizens to shape their own lives and the services they receive (according to the Department of Health, document Transform Social Care, Local Authority Circular 2008, p4). Personalisation was introduced in government policy in 2007 when the Putting People First: A shared vision and commitment to transformation of adult care (DOH, 2007) Concordat was published. This outlined the reforms for social care. The key elements in the document where; Self Assessment, Individual Budget, Choice, Control, Independence. However, because personalisation is only a policy it is implemented differently across social care services. Proponents of personalisation argue that the need to personalise services arise because, services were institutionalised and driven by professional, managerial and economic agendas, rather than those of service users (Lloyd, 2010). Historically and currently, a person in need of social care services is assessed by a social worker and other agencies. Then they decide the type of support the service user will receive, who from, where and when. For a couple of years now the government has been moving towards changing that system to one which the person in need of social care gets to decide the type of support they need and how, and this is now known as personalisation. The drivers behind personalisation are found in the Our Health, Our Care, and Our Say White Paper (DOH). It suggests that people will be happier, healthier, and have better prospects for the future if they are put in control of their social care support. According to Harris White () a milestone in the pronounced shift by new labour towards personalisation was the Adult Social Care Green Paper, Independence, Wellbeing and Choice. This saw the introduction of individual budgets as the principle route to personalisation (Harris White). The Department of Health describes personalisation as an approach in which every person who receives support, whether provided by statutory services or funded by themselves, will have a choice and control over the shape of that support in all care settings Brody(2009) [online]. One key issue identified by Griffiths (2009, p3) is that individual budgets offers a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a chance to empower service users in their dealings with public services and it puts the service user at the heart of public service reform. This is one of the key values of Putting People First (2007), to ensure people in need of social care have the best possible quality of life and the equality of independence living. Griffiths (20009, p2) further argues that individuals budget will give service users a greater choiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. by giving money to the service user to purchase services from a plurality of providers. However, Forster (2002.p, 85) identified that there is little or no choice for elderly people. They can only have choice if the cost of their care is within the amount allocated by local Authority (LA) or if social workers agreed that it is suitable. This was also highlighted by Hudson Henwood (2008), in the CSCI document Prevention, Personalisation, and Prioritisation in social Care, that the coexistence à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ of self directed support alongside the Fair Access to Care (FACS) criteria have create some tensions while personalisation is concerned about promoting and maximising the choice and control of service users. it fails to determine how the eligibility of those groups is defined (Dodd, 2009) [online] The FACS policy guidance was publish in 2002 as a Local Authority Circular LAC (2002) 13. That Provides local authority with an eligibility framework for setting and applying their local criteria with the aim of ensuring fairer and more consistent eligibility decisions across the country (DOH). As Crawford Walker (2004), points out this system is failing to distribute resources to people who will benefit from early intervention. For example there are a growing number of old people with lower level needs who are likely to develop higher needs in the absence of responsive support. According to Dodd (2010), using one of the four levels within the Fair Access to Care services (FACS) banding as a threshold for rationing resources is too rigid an instrument for fairly and responsively allocate social care budget. He goes on to argue that currently, people with proven care needs are not receiving the services they need. Therefore as long as the FACS criteria remains in place as a rationing mechanism, it will be impossible to realise the universal model of self directed support envisaged within the personalisation agenda(Dodd,2010)[online] The CSCI report argues that as the government is concerned to hold down public spending eligibility criteria are a key mechanism, serving to regulate service provision in line with available resources and identified priorities. In the current financial climate were resources are tight, these criteria can be adjusted by the local authority in order to narrow access to care support. Lloyd (2010), policy makers are more focused on the economic challenges than the needs of older people. The implications for social workers according to Adams (2009, p145) is the amount of time they will have to spend with service users and carers who have individual budgets to help them gain the necessary knowledge and skills they may need to manage their budgets. Also, another limitation to personalization and individual budget has been identified by Griffiths (2009) that the current economic climate may pose a threat for individual budgets and may not survive the planned government spending cuts for the next few years.

Donnes Holy Sonnet XIV - Batter my heart, three persond God Essays

Donne's Holy Sonnet XIV - Batter my heart, three person'd God Batter my heart, three person'd God; for, you As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend; That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, 'and bend Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new. I, like an usurpt towne, t'another due, Labor to 'admit you, but Oh, to no end, Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend, But is captiv'd, and proves weake or untrue, Yet dearely'I love you, and would be lov'd faine, But am betroth'd unto your enemy, Divorce me, 'untie, or breake that knot againe Take me to you, imprison me, for I Except you 'enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me. --John Donne The analogous language of romantic passion ("I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine" [Song Sol. 2.16, New International Version]) and intellectual paradox ("Whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it" [Matt. 10.39, NIV]) has always seemed natural to those seeking to understand and speak of spiritual mysteries. Even so, John Donne's image of the Divine Rape in the "Holy Sonnet XIV," by which the victim becomes, or remains, chaste is at first startling; we are not accustomed to such spiritual intensity.[1] Previous explications have attempted to downplay this figure; for example, Thomas J. Steele, SJ [The Explicator 29 (1971): 74], maintains that the "sexual meaning" is "a secondary meaning" and "probably not meant to be explicitly affirmed." Moreover, George Knox [The Explicator 15 (1956): 2] writes that the poem does not "require our imagining literally the relation between man and God in heterosexual terms" and that "the traditions of Christian mysticism allow such symbol ism of ... ... as he tears down, possesses as he frees, is as honorable as passionate--that is, in him all paradoxes find their supra-rational resolution, resolution not only presented in the imagery of the closing couplet, but reflected in the sudden tranquillity of the completely regular iambic pentameter. Thus Donne links content to form throughout the "Holy Sonnet XIV." His aesthetic presentation of the relationships "implicit in the ancient theological conceit of the righteous soul's marriage to God"[3] is therefore doubly moving. NOTES 1. John Donne, "Holy Sonnet XIV," John Donne: The Complete English Poems, ed. A. J. Smith (New York: Penguin, 1984) 314-315. 2. William Karrigan, "The Fearful Accommodations of John Donne," John Donne and the Seventeenth-Century Metaphysical Poets, ed. Harold Bloom (New York: Chelsea House, 1986) 44. 3. Karrigan, 40.

Rates Of Reaction :: Papers

Rates Of Reaction Aim: To find out the effect of acid concentration in dilute hydrochloric acid and magnesium ribbon, and how much hydrogen gas is given off. Prediction: I predict that as the concentration of the hydrochloric acid increases the time taken for magnesium ribbon to dissolve will decrease. Apparatus: Saturated test tube Rubber bung Bowl water Magnesium ribbon Concentrated hydrochloric acid Plastic tube Stopwatch Conical flask Measuring cylinder The concentration of the acid is going to be my only variable. It will vary the time taken for the magnesium ribbon to dissolve into the acid. Other things that I will be using are not going to be varied these are volume of hydrochloric acid and magnesium ribbon. The magnesium ribbon dissolves into the hydrochloric acid because then it collides with the particles inside the hydrochloric acid. Activation energy is minimum amount of energy required for a reaction to take place. For each of the concentrations I use the activation energy will be different. If the activation energy is high then only a small amount of particles will have enough energy to react but if the activation energy is low then a lot more particles can react. The reaction will also be exothermic because it will be giving off heat and hydrogen gas. A change in concentration is a change in the number of particles in a volume. If we increase the volume the particles will collide more because they are crowded. Factors: The factors that could affect the rate of reaction are as follows: Concentration of Acid This could affect the rate of reaction because the higher that concentration of the acid the more particles there are so there is more collision per second. Temperature: If the starting temperature of the acid is different each time then the speed at which the atoms will collide will increase or decrease depending on what the temperature is.

Black Women in Sports: Sexuality and Athleticism Essay -- Expository E

Black Women in Sports: Sexuality and Athleticism Men and women who chose to engage in sports from which they would traditionally be discouraged because of their gender, particularly as professionals, redefine the sport. The social and cultural "costs" are not the result of the individual's participation, but rather the way in which sports have been socially, politically, and economically constructed. Gender is only one of the few ways in which people are categorized according to their proficiency for some athletic activities. Race and class are also factors which may prevent individuals from engaging in sports that have been traditionally excluded to them. Socially constructed notions of race, class, and sexuality compound the way in which the history of sports has developed. For example, black women athletes may be more accepted in certain sports than in others, i.e. black women in the WNBA might seem as less an anomaly for black women than for white women, and yet the success of the Williams sisters in tennis may seem more out of the ordinary for many Americans than the success of their white counterparts. Race, class, sex, and sexuality are the operative notions in which certain sports are less "traditional" for certain groups. Black women have a long history with such sports and track and field. Tuskegee Institute (later Tuskegee State University) led the nation as powerhouses for the production of Olympic competitors from the fifties to the seventies. Despite the relative lack of funding received by these schools as compared to white schools in Jim Crow Alabama, their track and field programs flourished. Perhaps this is because track and field did not require expensive equipment to train and play. While white schools... ...more free to develop their game plans rather than their outfits before the match, but hopefully their sexuality will not be completely submerged by the game either. In an article entitled, "Absent Anna Has Sexy Impact," it was noted, "Serena Williams has no problems with Kournikova's beauty bringing a tennis boost even if the subject herself cannot take a title....The majority of the credit pretty much goes to the Williams sisters and Kournikova. Those three have really made the biggest difference in the amount of publicity, the amount of popularity in the sport." Hopefully, there will come a time in women's sports when all women will be recognized for their superior athleticism, and the unique sexuality of each individual female athlete will be appreciated for how it transforms, challenges, and redefines the social, political, and intellectual dimensions of sport.

Public Smoking Ban In The UK

Smoking is a major income to the government; it brings in about à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10 billion pounds annually. The government has proceeded to raise the tax rate of tobacco above the inflation rate from 1993 to the present day, this was implemented to help reduce consumption further. This policy has resulted that tax on tobacco in the UK is amongst the highest in the world and far ahead of any of those in other EU member states. For example the price of a typical pack of cigarettes in the UK is currently à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5.54, whilst in Belgium the price is about à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.70 and in Latvia they retail at a mere 42p. The cost to the NHS of smoking related illnesses is generally not believed to outweigh the income the government makes out of tobacco sales. The government is being very hypocritical of themselves because a large amount of public money comes from the tax of cigarettes but at the same time the government is trying to stop people form smoking by banning people to smoke in public places and also with adverts on television urging people to stop smoking. There has been a lot of opposition to the smoking ban of which the arguments have been that the ban will be disastrous to small pubs that rely on smokers to keep their business afloat. Small pub landlords have said that they will loose vital trade from people who normally go out to the pub to have a smoke and a pint who now will stay at home instead and smoke and drink there. A knock on effect of the economic down turn is perceived to be a loss of jobs across the industry and rising pub prices as landlords would have no choice but to subsidise their loss of business by increasing prices. The closure of pubs would ultimately result in a lack of choice for the customer. People who are still against the ban argue alternative methods of how to reduce the health impact of passive smoking. The introduction of the use of ventilation is regarded by some as an adequate solution on its own. Some respondents are strongly of the opinion that ventilation removes all the harmful effects of smoking from the air. Designated smoking areas in public places are have previously been used before the smoking ban came into effect in various shopping malls, restaurants and clubs. People did not complain about these smoking areas, of which people who wanted to smoke could do so inside out of the way of other people who did not want to smoke. People against the smoking ban argue that separate designated smoking areas with good ventilation is a better alternative then banning smoking in public places altogether. The government doesn't want to stop there with banning smoking. They have almost banned the rights of people to smoke in their own car. The law now states that if the driver is smoking and does not have full control of the vehicle the driver can be prosecuted for smoking while driving. This is an extension of the current law which is that the driver must have full control of the vehicle at all times. What I do not understand is that why the government feels that they now have to have a separate law to cover smoking while driving, does that not also come under the law that states that the driver must have full control of the vehicle at all times? There have now also been talks that a law is trying to be passed to stop adults smoking in their own vehicle while a child is present, is this just saying to the nation that they cannot look after their own children? Ibi from Birmingham thinks that banning smoking is a way for the government to take all of our fun away. â€Å"This seems ok but doesnt anybody else worry about this being a slippery slope. First, no smoking in public places, then no smoking at all, then no drinking, no shouting, no laughing, no talking and no fun. And once this is all done they will find something else to ban. And im a non smoker.† Howard John Dell from Chelmsford agrees that the money made by the government from smokers is too high to ignore the rights of one of its biggest money makers. â€Å"I do not agree with a total ban on smoking. It is my right to smoke and the government make a considerable amount of money from my smoking through taxes which easily pays for any health cost tot he NHS.† Colin McEwan from Edinburgh agrees that the smoking ban could have bigger economic consequences than we think. â€Å"The Scottish government is drafting its own regulations regarding smoking and seems to be bent on a total ban. This, in my view is a step too far at this time. I work in Ireland where such a ban has, I believe, reduced pub sales substantially in some areas and has cost many jobs. I have no issue with the argument that people must not be subjected to passive smoking. But the alternatives, such as designated smoking areas with proper ventilation have not been properly considered. Sure it will be difficult to implement properly but the ‘Ban it everywhere' brigade does not seem to be interested in the logic †¦ only the principle.† The smoking ban seams to be supported by many more non-smokers than smokers. I think that because smokers are a minority here, the majority have won their case outright. There seams to be more suitable alternative methods than the banning of smoking in public places completely. I think that the banning of smoking in public places was a policy set up by the government to try and win the votes of the majority of people because people had lost faith in the current government because of the currently unsuccessful invasion of Iraq.

Legal opinion

In the instant case, defendant Panah was convicted in the trial court of murder and he was sentenced to death. His case is now before us on appeal because of the rule on automatic appeal in case of verdicts of death penalty.In this case, an eight-year-old girl named Nicole Parker was visiting his father, Edward Parker in Woodland Hills. At 11:00 in the morning of the said date, Nicole asked her father for a softball and glove and went outside the apartment complex of his father to play. Forty-five minutes after, Edward looked for Nicole but she is nowhere to be found. Thus, Edward looked for his daughter within the apartment complex to no avail.Edward Parker’s failure to find Nicole prompted him to call the police. Defendant Panah, the resident of apartment #122, talked to Edward and found out that the latter was looking for his missing daughter. When the police arrived, the defendant insisted that Edward come with him to Ventura Boulevard to look for Nicole, but Edward refuse d.Thereafter, one of the police was informed that Nicole was last seen talking to a man in his 20s who was living in apartment #122. Thus, the said policeman asked for the key to the said room from the manager and searched the apartment complex for Nicole but did not find her. Hours later, the detectives were informed that the defendant attempted to commit suicide and told a friend that he did something really bad that is in connection with the missing child. This friend told the police, which new information prompted the latter to conduct another warrantless search of apartment #122, wherein they found Nicole’s dead body wrapped in a bed sheet and stuffed inside a suitcase.The defendant was charged with murder, and he raised issues as to the illegality of the warrantless searches in his pre-trial motions. However, the trial judge ruled that the warrantless searches were valid, and the defendant was convicted.In this appeal, the defendant again raises the same issues, arguing that the warrantless search conducted in his apartment unit was a violation of his rights under the Fourth Amendment, and that   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   there were no exigent circumstances warranting a warrantless search.Opinion:Under this jurisdiction, we uphold the right of citizens to be secure in their houses and effects. This security is embodied in the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution and is guaranteed by the rule that searches should be reasonable and supported by a warrant based on a finding of probable cause.The Fourth Amendment states:â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but on probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.'†Thus, it is clear that as a general rule, a search warrant must be secured by police officers b efore barging in another man’s home and searching it for effects. However, this general rule admits of certain exceptions.Precedent:The case of McDonald v. United States, decided in 1948 (355 U.S. 451, 93 L. Ed 15), explained that emergency situations that serve as compelling reasons may justify the absence of a search warrant.While this case decided in favor of the defendant and emphasized his right to be secure in his house and effects, it provides authority for the other position, that is, that given reasonable justification, the requirement of a search warrant may be dispensed with. However, care must be taken so that it is certain that exigent circumstances do exist to justify a warrantless search. After all, it is a fundamental right of all persons to be secure in their houses and effects, and trivial suspicions and the lack of adequate justification should not be an exception to Fourth Amendment rights.  In Kirk v. Louisiana (536 U.S. 635), promulgated in 2002, the S upreme Court again ruled that the police’s conduct of warrantless search was illegal, because they did not find exigent circumstances to justify the absence of a warrant. It should be noted that the court only struck down the validity of the search because there was no exigent circumstances to justify the warrantless search.  Nexus.These cases are authority to serve as the exact opposite of the case at bar. Here there is clearly an exigent and emergency situation. A child had gone missing, and the police did not know whether the girl was dead or alive. Time was of the essence, and the police had to make an immediate decision as to whether to conduct a search, if they were to save the life of the girl. Thus, in this situation, there is clearly an exigent circumstance justifying a warrantless search, because the life of a young girl is on the line. Moreover, probable cause exists, since even prior to the statement of the defendant’s friend regarding his confession, the police were able to gather information from other people that the victim was last seen talking to the defendant.Thus, since there was probable cause and exigent circumstances, this case clearly falls within the recognized exceptions to the Fourth Amendment, and the right of the defendant to be secure in his house and effects was not violated.Hence, the evidence derived from such warrantless search is admissible in evidence against him, and could form the basis of his conviction. The decision of the lower court is thus, affirmed.