Shipping Logistics in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shipping Logistics in the UK - Essay Example Data for the research will be gathered from both primary and secondary data where all participants will be selected randomly to reduce biasness in the research. Questionnaires will be used to help in data collection where telephone interviews will be used to help reduce cost of travelling. After data has been collected it will be analyzed using computer programs such as Ms. Excel and SPSS and presented using tables and graphs. Confidentiality will be observed as a strategy for enforcing ethics sin research. Background of the Research The term shipping has changed from what it was associated with in the past to include any form of transport moving goods from one point to another (Lun, Lai and Cheng, 2010, p. 12). Previously, the term the term was associated with water borne transport. Consequently this extended meaning makes the industry a complex and dynamic. Logistics is described as the management of the flow of commodities from the point of production to target point with an aim o f meeting the needs of customers and companies. Logistics calls for assimilation of information, inventory, transportation, warehousing, handling and packaging of materials and security of the goods. According to Fremont (2009, p. 1), for the last 50 years, containerization has turned into the prop of globalization. Additionally, this period has seen increased international trade and consequently this calls for efficient shipping logistics. Companies and businesses demand for better synchronized shipping activities in terms of location and space by development of logistics chains. The total value of the UK logistics industry was $105.7 billion in 2010 having grown by 9.9 percent in the 2009-10 fiscal years. This sector employs thousands of people and supports a significant proportion of the country’s economy. However, the sector is facing various constrains which may impede the efficient discharge of its responsibilities to different stakeholders. One primary concern in the s ector is the security threats caused by pirates and increased terrorism cases (Askins, 2012, p. 15). The other issue facing the UK shipping sector is that fact that with enlargement of European Union, competition has increased with the newer member states to the EU who have lower operational costs. Moreover, in the late 1990s, there was increased demand for bigger containers and tanker ships overstretched the capacity of the available ports thereby impeding trade. In light of these developments in this sector, it is critical to carry out a research into the shipping logistics in UK to understand the processes and procedures implemented by different companies to ensure smooth trade between UK and other countries. Aim and Objectives of the Research The aim of this research is to understand shipping logistics in United Kingdom; the process, procedures and policies that control shipping in UK. Moreover, the research will help understand any impediments to the shipping logistics in UK an d the problems faced by shippers in UK in relation to other shippers in the European Union. Objectives of the research 1. To find the security issues facing shippers in UK 2. To assess handling of goods at the port in UK 3. To investigate whether there is adequate capacity for shipping in UK Justification of the research Findings from this research will be help regulatory authorities make better informed decisions on

The toxicity of chemicals Essay Example for Free

The toxicity of chemicals Essay Remedy I would not endorse hazardous waste landfill, waste treatment plant, deep injection well, or incinerators near a residential community because of the hazardous threats brought by the chemicals. Even though they are built so that the trash of chemical plants and the residue from pest control, there are some instance where there is a leakage that can harm the community. Hazardous waste landfills are built so that the waste from chemical processes can be dumped in this area. They are designed to resist the power of the chemicals. A deep injection well is a special kind waste landfill where the chemical residues are injected on the soil so that not to penetrate more from the environment and to the atmosphere. While a waste treatment plant treats the chemicals that lessen the impact of hazards of the chemicals. They used methods and even chemicals to in order for the hazardous chemical power be minimized. While an incinerators burned chemicals in a combustion chambers. All these methods are almost perfect because they are designed by engineers to minimize the effects of hazardous chemicals. But somewhat they have drawbacks. If people who operate this kind of methods did not operate well and accurate, they are big chances that the community will be getting toxic. And this consumes more land that must be used by the people in the community. (Network, 2005) The most practical way to response to this problem is to locate a dumping site or a site that will be building up by the waste treatment plant, deep injection well, or incinerators that is far from a community. In this way, the toxicity of chemicals that can affect the health of people can be minimized. But the most remedy to this problem is to minimize the use of chemicals that harms the human health as well as the environment. We must seek on the natural ways in preventing pest in our farms. Reference: Network, S. W. A. (2005). Landfill. Retrieved February 20, 2007, from http://www. ccthita-swan. org/Tutorials/landfill. cfm

Technique Of Montage In Cinema Media Essay

Technique Of Montage In Cinema Media Essay I have selected two films to help me to illustrate the significance of the technique of montage in cinema. They are David Wark Griffiths Birth of a Nation and Sergei Eisensteins Battleship Potemkin. I will be using the points of view of an ordinary audience as well as a cultural military historian to examine the impact of montage on our reading of the film cited. What is Montage? Montage in general parlance is a method of organising and editing the visuals ‘scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots†¦..montage may expand or contract time and space. In other words, it is an editing technique that combines or separates frames to construct narrative, sense of continuity and discontinuity and juxtapositions. Classic Examples Bollywood cinema showing a montage sequence where two brothers jump off a train and suddenly they are seven years older Montage of the mall-dwellers relaxing and having a fun time in the mall. Threshold of change In 1920s, montage was ahead of its time. Eisensteins prescience strikes us from the vantage point of the present, when we are at the cusp of a changeover from analogue modes of perception and representation to the the dispersed sensibility of the dital technology. The modern television screen typifies this shift as a site where montage and collage conflate all at once. The viewer is expected to, and does, multi-task, taking in several elements and actions simultaneously the talking heads, the intervening visuals, the text scrolls, the flash news, the sensex bar in a corner, the advertisement pop-ups and so on. Unilinear attentiveness and experience of the media are being replaced by a non-linear grasp of the clutter. True, the average mainstream star-strapped cinema, with its iconising impulse, yet uses this digital possibility very superficially. But already with digital surround sound in cinema theatres, the sound track is an experience of severalness. What montage might do to de construct the conventional rectangular screen we are riveted to and similarly unbundled and disperse our viewing experience is a fascinating thought. ‘Battleship Potemkin- An Analysis How sound image juxtapositions express meaning Eisenstein (1898-1948), a graduate of Russia State Film School, has been renowned as an advocate of Soviet theories of film montage. His montage theory is also ideological in some ways like Griffiths but his is more revolutionary in terms of aesthetics and political circumstances (dialectical montage punctuated by Marxism), and his theory aims chiefly at the audience psyche. He argues that film has its greatest impact not by the smooth unrolling of images, but by their juxtaposition ‘montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent shots shots even opposing to one another. His central concept is the collision of elements, in other words, shots should not be seen as linked, but rather as conflicting with one another. Eisenstein considers montage as a creative film element that is significant in creating: Dramatic Form Metric Montage Rhythm in the Narrative Rhythmic Montage Metaphor and Analogy- Overtonal Montage Dynamic in building up the films meaning Intellectual Montage The fourth point is the most important because no matter they are ideological or anti-ideological tools, films are made to help the audience to produce new perceptions, emotions and cognitions in the mind and to visualise the invisible conflict between the film elements. Battleship Potemkin is a class-conscious revolutionary propaganda, ordered up by the Russian revolutionary leadership for the 20th anniversary of the Potemkin uprising in 1905. The reason was because Lenin believed this film could encourage his people to support and join the proletariat in overthrowing old order. Despite of its multifarious responsibilities, the film has created an impact as montage being the forms most important film grammar. I will now move on to dialectical montage. Eisenstein suggests that we should achieve conflicts in film by using point, counterpoint and fusion. The following are examples of dialectical montage in Battleship Potemkin: How montage stimulates meaning for the viewer Cutting between the Battleships surgeon and the maggot-infested meat that the sailors are meant to eat to suggest a contradiction and absurdity of the order (to eat the rotten meat). Cutting between ghostly figures hanging and clenched fists, furthered by an inter-title ‘Down with the tyrants! to legitimise peoples anger. Cutting between the fearful faces of the unarmed citizens and the faceless militia in uniform to give a reason for the people against the ruthless czarist state. The numerous cuts in the Odessa steps sequence build the individual moments of terror into an unbearable emotional climax. This is a perfect example to demonstrate Eisensteins montage theory in relation to the forming of intellectual concepts and associations. How Sound Image juxtapositions produce meaning Firstly, he uses images of still objects to line up with images of the massacre to create a metaphorical juxtaposition: through the dynamic editing of three lion statues, he implies the awakening of anger and rebellion. The juxtaposition of these two different subjects of images (one of human, the other of symbolic image or prop) is a valuable propaganda device because it encourages viewers to deduce for themselves that the symbol describes the character. Secondly, in a fragmentary way, he shows the attacking militia by a line of marching boots advancing down the steps, this is to emphasise the militias impersonal and oppressive nature. He further contrasts it with the powerlessness of the revolutionary citizens-victims by showing a legless man who escapes with difficulty from the cold bullets. And as the troops march ahead, a military boot crushes a childs hand. There is also an old woman who is seen with eyeglasses in her first appearance then in the second shot of her, one of the glasses has been pierced by a bullet which signifies her death. Thirdly, there are shots of a mother with a baby carriage. As the mother is shot by the militia and begins to fall, there are cuts to her carriage perched dangerously close to the edge of a step. Interspersed with these individual scenes of cruelty are shots of the fleeing crowd and the approaching line of militia occasionally firing into the crowd. The fear generated by this montage is reinforced as the mother collapses and sends the carriage hurtling out of control down the steps. Eisenstein uses a lot of close-ups of the citizens like the old woman whose glasses are pierced through by bullet, the legless man, the small boy whose hand is trampled, and his terrified mother to increase the emotional impact of the sequence. The average length of each shot in this sequence is about two seconds, giving the audience barely a chance to breathe amongst the chaos. In the above examples we see that montage involves a dialectical process that creates a new third meaning from combining the mea nings of two sets of adjacent shots. Although the real 1905 revolution was repressed by the Czarist regime, Eisenstein does not depict the sailors final downfall, opting instead for an ambiguous, deliberately mythologised ending. The Story of the Montage In the film, the story goes like this: news of the uprising on Potemkin reaches the Russian squadron, which speeds towards Odessa to put it down. The Potemkin and a destroyer, also commanded by revolutionaries, steam out to meet them. Again Eisenstein uses montage to cut between the approaching squadron, the brave Potemkin, and details of the onboard preparation, he creates a tension for the precarious situation. At the very last moment, the men of the Potemkin signal their comrades in the squadron to join them, after a few good minutes of suspension, the Potemkin eventually steams among the oncoming ships without a shot being fired at it the sailors of the rival Russian fleets do not open fire on the Potemkin, responding humanely to her pleas to join them instead. Amid much cheering from sailors on all ships, the inter-title ‘Brothers! appears. The very specific dialectic approach to film form, which Eisenstein is engaged with, surrounds the idea of art always being conflict; its social mission is to make manifest the contradictions of being. Eisenstein acknowledges that montage is the most suitable for the expression of ideological statements; the films last sequence I have just gone through in the previous paragraph has demonstrated the brotherhood of man and the solidarity of the working-class. As a reinforcement of the ideology of revolution, Eisensteins ending for the film is directed towards the unwritten future, rather than the recreation of the past. ‘Birth of a Nation An Analysis Birth of a Nation is one of the complex subjects in American film history. Apart from the controversial representation of the black race and the ambitious depiction of American history during the period of Civil War and Reconstruction, the cinematic language developed by Griffith is influential within the film-making sphere. This language is comprehensive and allows effective communication with the audience. One of the essential skills in the language system is the technique of montage. In addition to exploring the potential of flashbacks, eyeline matches and camera distances, his earliest pictures also showed that individual shots were cinematic phrases that could be edited together into meaningful sequence without a concrete dramatic logic to link them. For instance, by using rapid cutting, the scene in which Lynch attempts to forced marriage to Elsie intersects with three other sequences: first, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) speeding to rescue the victim (Elsie); second, the KKK clearin g the rest of the unruly blacks out of town; third, the KKK approaching to rescue the trapped Cameron family. 4. In the above series of shots, audience are watching Elsie under increasingly dangerous moral and sexual threat, ‘at the same location in time, audience sees the glorious KKK troops riding to rescue, the tension grows until it gets to a point ‘when the two (sequences of shots) are finally brought together which is the victory of the KKK over Lynch and the other blacks. The symbolic arrangement of shots does not only create a rhythm for the narrative, it also generates a tense juxtaposition that carries the audiences emotion to ‘the next higher power. By using montage, Griffith has established the KKK as the heroes of the drama in all these different scenarios, the KKK make every effort to fight for the interest of the whites. It may not be very impressive for audience in todays cultural and intellectual environment, however for the American audience in 1915, the experience was different; this scene literally involved them with its convincing images and ideological message. As a matter of fact, many of those who had watched Birth of a Nation were so motivated that they gathered to join the rejuvenated KKK. This film is a facsimile, but it is a powerful one that is perceived by many people as true, Carter puts it this way: ‘The picture projects one of the most persistent cultural illusions; it presents vividly and dramatically the ways in which a whole people have reacted to their history With the awareness of a cultural historian, we should take a step back from these scenes and appreciate the careful direction and choreography of the mass and individual movements. We can also look into Griffiths proficient use of montage which like what I have pointed out, functions ideologically in Birth of a Nation. Conclusion As I have said, in silent cinema where visual images are the major elements, montage is particularly important. In both Birth of a Nation and Battleship Potemkin, images cutting back and forth, amid the repetitive and rhythmic score composed by keyboard, percussion, half-heard cries, speech and choral, create a rapid rhythm, aggressive and dangerous atmosphere. On a higher level, montage is used to provoke the audiences emotional recognition and go further to stimulate their intellectual reflexivity and perception. Montage is creative and abstract, a cinematic abstraction of reality that is able to explicitly shape events for maximum effect of agitation. Montage can open up new non-narrative avenues in film-making. It still has considerable impact on the cinema, both in an aesthetic or cult manner, like the Wong Kar-wais and Quentin Tarantinos films, and in a political or ideological sense, like Oliver Stones JFK and R Zemeckiss Forrest Gump. Nevertheless, montage is no longer the only channel through which images can be played around, when film-making nowadays is often partially or largely aided by digital technology, the space for the potential of visuals to expand is indeed unlimited. NOTES ON EDITING Editing is one of the most important parts of modern television lest modern television would cease to exist. Creation of Topic/Story The story is the skeleton of the edit and helps organise the edit into chapters and topics much as in writing. Rhythm and Pacing Rhythm and pacing are very important within edits because if we are editing a news story then it must be very fast with shots not lasting more than around 3 seconds. If we take the feature film and look at its basic structure then we may be able to edit the project down to around 25 minutes to fit within television schedules. The pacing will be much faster and more information will be given. If it is edited properly then the viewer should have the same feeling seeing a half hour version as for a 1hr 36 minutes version. When watching an action film such as Die Another Day we expect the cutting to be very fast, many shots to show various angles and to extend the action as far as possible to amaze the audience and in parts to contribute a little humour. In contrast if we were to watch Pride and Prejudice we would see far longer shots with a lower variety of shot sizes and elements. Although the definition of montage is editing, the term montage refers to many aspects of cinema. It is often used to suggest artistic editing, or to suggest rapid, stimulating editing. However, montage theory influences a range of filmmaking including imagery, pace and timing of editing and spectator response. The film which demonstrates preeminently the various uses of montage is The Battleship Potemkin . Conversely, montage is often a diverse and personal form of expression and there are many good examples, such as Un Chein Andalou (1929; Luis Bunuel Salvador Dali) and Citizen Kane (Orson Welles; 1941). The theory of montage arises from the work of Lev Kuleshov, who established the a + b = c definition of montage. He discovered that a picture followed by another picture produces a thought; this phenomenon is often called the Kuleshov effect. Kuleshov conducted a series of experiments, which included showing a picture of a silent, open mouth followed by a bird flying through the sky, which made people think that the mouth was singing. When he showed people the open mouth followed by a picture of food, people thought the mouth was hungry. It was from those experiments that our concept of montage developed. The imagery of the Kuleshov effect is shown below in the montage triangle. The a + b = c definition is useful because the letters can be substituted for other things. For instance, during the Kuleshov effect the spectator is effectively shown two noun-pictures, a picture of an open mouth followed by a flying bird. The spectator thought the mouth was singing, which is a verb. When Kuleshov showed the open mouth followed by a plate of bread, people thought the mouth was hungry, which is an adjective. The Kuleshov effect allows us to show pictures of nouns in such a way that people can think of words from different parts of speech, such as a verb or an adjective. It is this type of communication, achieved by montage, which gives cinema so much artistic and intellectual value.

Gay Marriage Should NOT Be Legal :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

  The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Yet, same-sex marriage continues to be a highly debated issue that leaves our society searching for answers. Traditionally marriage is the union of a man and a woman. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of marriage reads "to join as a husband and wife according to law and custom; to take as husband or wife; to enter into a close union" (452). Dictionaries are not a biased publication and serve as a guide to what words mean. The words "husband" and "wife" show that marriage is a close union between a man and a woman. This idea could be disputed if we only looked at the third part of a definition?"to enter into a close union." But if we only look at the third part, then we change the definition altogether. Obviously we can not look only at a dictionary to gain a deeply rooted belief; so let us continue with the search for a firm foundation. Elections are being affected by the way people stand on this issue. After the 1992 election, President Clinton, who is said by Human Events to be the most "pro-gay President in history," adamantly tried to abolish the ban on gays in the military. This was a victory cry for many homosexual activists. Then in the 1996 election, President Clinton admitted he would not openly oppose the bill in Congress that defines marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife" ("Same-sex Marriage Imperils the Family"). President Clinton, who generally supports gay rights, gives Americans a reason to believe that perhaps gay marriage is one step too far. Even First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton agreed that marriage should be a union of a man and a woman in her statement, "Marriage has got historic, religious, and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been: between a man and a woman" (State of the Union"). In the recent 2000 Election, both George W. Bush and Al Gore agree with the Defense of Marriage act (DOMA), which "implies that allowing homosexuals to marry constituted an 'attack' on the existing institution" ("State of the Union"). It is difficult to find many issues with which these two candidates can agree. So, it seems that since they do agree, we can assume that a gay marriage would in fact intrude upon the values of not only marriage but also we as a people.

External environment for banking industry Essay

Standard Chartered is the world’s leading emerging markets bank headquartered in London. Standard Chartered employs 30,000 people in over 500 locations in more than 50 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom and the Americas. It is one of the world’s most international banks, with a management team comprising 70 nationalities. Standard Chartered has been committed to Hong Kong and China for nearly 150 years. Standard Chartered Bank opened its first branch in China in 1858 and is the oldest foreign bank in the country. The Bank has operated in Hong Kong since 1859 and has been issuing Hong Kong banknotes since 1862. Standard Chartered PLC listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2002. The bank is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is in the top 25 FTSE-100 companies, by market capitalization. It serves both Consumer and Wholesale Banking customers. Consumer Banking provides credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, deposit taking and wealth management services to individuals and small to medium sized enterprises. Wholesale Banking provides corporate and institutional clients with services in trade finance, cash management, lending, custody, foreign exchange, debt capital markets and corporate finance. Standard Chartered is well-established in growth markets and aims to be the right partner for its customers. The Bank combines deep local knowledge with global capability. The Bank is trusted across its network for its standard of governance and its commitment to making a difference in the communities in which it operates. The new millennium has brought with it two of the largest acquisitions in the history of the bank with the purchase of Grindlays Bank from the ANZ Group and the acquisition of the Chase Consumer Banking operations in Hong Kong in 2000. These acquisitions demonstrate Standard Chartered firm committed to the emerging markets, where it has a strong and established presence and where it foresees future growth. With the acquisition of ANZ Banking Group, StanChart became the largest foreign bank in terms of branch network and profitability in India. The merged entity has a combined network of 61  branches and 74 ATMs across 15 cities of the country. Understanding the global, political, technological and socio-cultural segments of its environment is obviously critical to Stanchart’s success. It has acquired companies in order to consolidate its global operations; operates in 50 countries; seeks to display environmental and social responsibility; and deals with communications technology. It strives to take advantage of opportunities in the dynamic environment, the need to deal innovatively with new acquisitions, the problem of reframing the public’s view of banking and ongoing cut throat competition from other commercial banks and non banking entities. The bank therefore has to make clear the communication challenge and make clear the global nature of its operations to the wider community, governments and the population at large. Research evidence suggests that external environment affects a firm’s growth and profitability over time. Changes in political, regulatory features, the strength of different nations’ economies at different times, and the emergence of new technologies are a few examples of conditions in the external environment that are affecting banks like StanChart and several other firms throughout the world whether in manufacturing or services sector. The companies in attractive environments perform better than the companies that are in less attractive environments. Therefore strategy development is about ‘fit’ i.e. identifying opportunities in the environment and building strategy matching resource capabilities to those opportunities. The resources and competences of organizations also play an important role as they explain the differences between organizations, potential uniqueness and therefore superior performance. The ‘stretch’ view argues that strategies should be built on the unique competences and resources of an organization by seeking out markets in which competences have special value or by trying to create new markets on the basis of such competences Another consideration is the stakeholders of company. Organizations have different stakeholders (shareholders, customers, employees, government) who have expectations of the organizations and may exercise considerable influence and power over the strategy to be followed As said earlier, the external environment plays an important role for banks. Most of the external factors are beyond the control of a bank. The factors such as competition; political, economical, legal, government rules and regulations influence the firm’s choice of direction and action and also affect the internal environment of a bank. The external environment influences a company’s strategic options as well as the decisions made in light of them. The firm’s understanding of the external environment is matched with knowledge about its internal environment. Matching the conditions of the two environments is the foundation the firm needs to form its strategic intent, to develop its strategic mission, and to take strategic actions in the pursuit of strategic competitiveness and above-average returns. The external environment encapsulates many different influences which makes the tasks of CEOs more difficult. Identifying the different environmental influences though makes sense, is not very much useful as the overall picture of these influences does not emerge. The second difficulty is that of the speed of change. The impact of technological changes on businesses is much faster than ever before. Technology has transformed the way in which the banking business is carried out. In addition the competitive pressures are also driving more banks to diversify their product range in response to market demands. We can broadly categorize this environment into two types: remote environment and operating environment. Remote environment: This environment consists of a set of forces that originate beyond a firm’s operating environment. This comprises of political, economic, social, technological and industrial forces which create opportunities, threats and constraints to the firm. For example macroeconomic instability in an economy characterized by chronic inflation, fiscal imbalances and periodic balance-of-payments crises also affect all the banks. Operating environment: The operating environment involves the factors that provide many of the challenges a bank is facing when attempting to attract  or acquire essential resources or when striving to profitably market its goods and services in the immediate competitive position, customer profile, reputation among suppliers and creditors and accessible labor market. The operating environment is also called the competitive or task environment. Hence by considering conditions in the operating environment business can be much more proactively planned. An organization’s external environment is shown in the figure below. The figure depicts the firm’s business area, remote environment and the operating environment cutting into an area of total external environmental impact on the firm. In the banking industry if the Reserve Bank increases the reserve requirements for the commercial banks it would affect all the banking companies in the economy. This is an operational risk. Over the past two decades, commercial banks across the globe have aggressively repositioned themselves to compete under new economic, technological, and regulatory conditions. These institutions are no longer protected by regulatory entry barriers, and are confronted with a marked transformation in telecommunications and computer technology. Banks can no longer rely on traditional banking models and therefore have invested huge amounts of resources in the search for new competitive strategies. While many of these attempts had fruitless results, the most successful strategic innovations have set a new paradigm in banking and have changed the way banks compete. The manner in which commercial banks currently underwrite their loans, finance their activities, grow their franchises, distribute their services and market their images can hardly be compared to ones that bankers adopted in 1970s. Coming to the regulatory environment, banks still do not compete in a completely unregulated environment. Regulations continue to shape banking strategies for example, in US, the federally insured deposits are the basis of community bank business strategy. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) loans are a mandatory for all banks (in India, priority sector credit is mandatory for all commercial banks, this would be dealt in detail in subsequent pages). Investment decisions of every bank are influenced by capital regulations. The system of multiple regulators can affect the choice  of organizational form of banking companies. While most banks are regulated by the RBI (Reserve Bank of India), some are under dual control of government and RBI. In India, all banks are subject to RBI’s regulation but the framework is not uniform in the sense that public sector banks, cooperative banks, and private banks are governed by significant differences and not all of them have access to the payments system. The Department of Company Affairs (DCA) regulates the deposit taking activities of non-banking non- financial companies and also some activities of Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). SEBI regulates the capital markets and supervises stock exchanges, mutual funds, securities dealers and brokers, merchant bankers, credit rating agencies and venture capital funds. Companies in the insurance sector are regulated by IRDA. Banks are permitted to be involved in insurance activity through joint ventures/equity participation/selling agency type arrangements. Thus, the object of regulation itself is susceptible to some overlap. Several scandals in banks have led regulators to make increased informational demands on banks. As banking markets grow more concentrated, anti-trust laws may increasingly limit the scale and scope of bank mergers. At a minimum, regulation is simply a fixed cost that must be borne by banks, which does not influence a bank’s behavior. At the other extreme, and perhaps in a more realistic situation, regulation can significantly affect banks’ strategic choices and influence competition in financial markets. Innovations introduced in the markets are often driven by, and in some cases succeed exclusively because of the prevailing regulatory environment. Similarly, commercial banks’ competitive strategies are shaped by both new technologies, and the limitations of technology. Retail banking had traditionally been built around the paper-based payments, but IT has created new strategic possibilities for it. Electronic delivery of banking services can reduce a bank’s overhead costs to a great extent. However abandoning bank branches can also give rise to disastrous strategic costs. New technologies have a led to a great transformation in the risk management practices of commercial banks, but application of such techniques may also create some unforeseen new risks. After generations of technological stasis  in the banking industry, the ongoing rapid pace of technological change has made â€Å"strategic innovation† a viable competitive strategy for banks.

The idea of travelling through space, even living Essays

The idea of travelling through space, even living Essays The idea of travelling through space, even living and working on other planets, has fascinated people for centuries. Despite numerous setbacks and daunting expenditures, travelling in the outer space has never failed to attract people's attention and provoke controversy. Sixty years after the first Moon landing, people question whether the feat, previously thought of as a giant leap for mankind, has substantially benefited people's lives. In my opinion, landing on the Moon has enormous relevance for the quality of life, albeit not always explicit.The first implication of Moon landing is reflected in the likelihood of travelling on other planets. Moon, as the object in the outer space closet to the Earth, can serve as a launch site for the journeys to other planets. Having no atmosphere, the Moon is a permanent base for people to observe the universe easily and provide them with sufficient evidence they require for decision making on a great many significant issues, which are likely t o have direct impact on them. For example, one can learn more about the treat of potentially hazardous objects that are Likely to hit the Earth and destroy our civilization.Another remarkable breakthrough made by the Moon landing is that it reignites people's enthusiasm in the natural sciences. When today's youths become increasingly interested in such subjects as commerce, finance and business, space exploration successfully attracts and retains talents in space-related technologies. These young minds are convinced that travelling the unknown of the universe is feasible despite many challenges. They are inspired to think for the future, instead of being preoccupied with contemporary issues only.It should also be noted that the Moon has water, the basic resource for people's survival, and it abounds in solar energy, a clean and readily obtainable resource. It is also believed that minerals are plentiful there to be exploited. Some day, if people are forced to move off the Earth, the Moon might be the best shelter. Although people have not yet fully explored this possibility at this stage, preliminary investigation is imperative.Based on the above-mentioned facts, one can conclude that the Moon landing greatly impacts on distant future, although its effect is not apparent for the time being. The Moon is the eventual gateway to other planets and potentially the place of residence for the future generations. The scientific knowledge and economic benefits to be gained by building a sustainable Moon base are huge.

Biomedical models and how social trends can affect it as a dominant model of healthcare The WritePass Journal

Biomedical models and how social trends can affect it as a dominant model of healthcare Introduction: Biomedical models and how social trends can affect it as a dominant model of healthcare Introduction:ConclusionRelated Introduction: In this essay I will be discussing the biomedical model and how the social trends might be affecting it as a dominant model of healthcare. Also I will be explaining the alternative models that could be emerging with supporting examples. What is biomedical model? Biomedical model theory is based on illness and health that focuses on biological factors than psychologically.   Health and illnesses were supported by traditional medicine and the traditional scientific approaches to illnesses. It explains how bodies function in a mechanical way and that illness can be a result of injury. This approach is probably one of the easy model’s to understand as it is very specific and underlines causes for the health, e.g. strong painkillers for a muscular pain or antibiotics for infections. It tends to look for the causes and diagnose the treatment. In this way this model gained more dominancy over the centuries. for instance in the 16th century, a lot of people were involved in the health care sector, but back in those days there weren’t much technology. The popularity was with the spiritual healers, quacks and even barber-surgeons,   diseases were identified in the 18th century, by this time health care aware ness had increased, hospitals were developed, care for the sick were available locally all through private funding or charitable donations. More improvements were made in the 18th century, e.g. public health and hygiene received more attention. The use of vaccination came out in the 18th century for the smallpox. Smallpox is a highly contagious transferable disease and there was not any precise treatment for this other than a vaccination to prevent the symptoms. Still in both centuries training for professional was never compulsory or even qualifications. It was really what you knew and how you knew it. Even then surgical tools weren’t sterile or hands weren’t washed or no use of hand sanitizer. It was only in the 19th century when legislation had been passed to make sure all the doctors had a higher level medical training, this is when more people got knowledgeable and were aware of different medicine and health conditions. As the century progressed laws were passed t o correct the health concerns, and the death rate began to drop although epidemic diseases such as typhoid, cholera and measles were not controlled by any vaccination. Diseases started to spread quickly in grimy and congested areas. Social trends do affect the model as the dominant model of healthcare, because the model used modern western medicines that focused on the treatment than prevention. Social trends such as casual work, housing, social classes, environment factors had good and bad affects on this model reason being is because there was a major differentiation   between the rich and poor, health and unhealthy. The poor class could only work when work was available and that’s only on a low wage so therefore could only afford basic accommodation and contribute minimum food for the family. Due to the poor housing condition, sanitation was very poor as the accommodation probably only assist in one room sometimes with no toilet or bathroom. These factors caused bad health condition such as chickenpox, smallpox, cholera whereas those who had money living conditions were much better with better jobs with good wage and good accommodation with food on the table., these people more fit and healthily. Soc ial inequalities factors were present at the time for e.g. the gender- women seemed to suffer more physical and experienced mental health than men. Women’s hormones and reproductive system made them more liable to mental and physical ill health. Lower class women did not get the same access to health services than upper class women. Whereas men suffered excessive drinking habit, this where biomedical model came right in to, and tried to contribute to that extent to broader political and public debate about the lives people want to lead and the community they wanted to live in also the future impact they wanted to create. Conclusion The biomedical model is the dominant view of health and illness held by health officials, doctors and nurses etc. it’s crucial theory is that illness can be acknowledged and classified for example, neurological disorders, psychological disorders. So it claims things such as bacteria, faulty genes, virus cause illness, and if you can’t see the cause it can’t be proved as an illness. However there are many alternative models emerging with the biomedical model. One that’s challenging the biomedical model is Iatrogensis (Illich, 1976); Illich criticised that the medical professionals had medical human behaviours, for experiences seen as a normal part of the human condition such as pregnancy and childbirth, ageing and dying have all been brought under medical ‘control’ and examination. Hence he used the expression iatrogenic illness to illustrate any illness caused by health care. That’s why the health care focused on the treatment than prev ention. He argued that medicines were harmful to individuals and many drugs having side affects which needing reviewing. Medical interventions lacked any real evidentiary basis, really they were just acknowledged. This did not sop Illich, he went on to define what he called Social and Cultural Iatrogenesis. Social Iatrogensis claimed health issues and medical problems. Medical bureaucracy creates ill health by increasing stress, lowering the levels of tolerance of discomfort and abolishing the right to self-care. Cultural Istrogenesis was an erosion of traditional ways of dealing with pain and disability; for example painkillers would be given to severe pain.