How Did the Disability Program Begin

How Did the Disability Program Begin How Did the Social Security Disability Program Begin? Nearly 63 years ago, the Social Security Disability Insurance program was signed into law. But how did we get there? In honor of the upcoming anniversary of the programs passage, we take a look at how it all began.The Creation of Social Security  U.S. social workers and social scientists advocated for insurance that would protect Americans from illness, unemployment, old age and work-related injuries. European countries had already established programs protecting its citizens, and movements sprang up in the United States for this cause.In response to growing pressure, in 1934, President Roosevelt created the Committee on Economic Security. Chaired by his Secretary of State, Frances Perkins, the committee created a report outlining legislation for a social security program.Ironically, the report mentioned how illness is a major factor in economic instability, but no clear recommendations were made for disability legislation at that time.The findings in the report established the bas is of the Social Security Act, which was signed by Roosevelt in 1935. The Social Security Board (now known as the Social Security Administration) was established the same year.It wasn’t until more than two decades later when the Social Security Disability Insurance program was established in 1956. Let’s take a closer look at some of the highlights on the road to creating the federal disability program.Making the Case for the Impact of Disability Economic Challenges Leading up to its establishment, many key figures fought to pass disability benefits.Economist Edwin E. Witte led the Social Security Administration’s Advisory Council. In a 1938 report, he argued that benefits should be available for Americans who become permanently disabled before 65, and that the benefits should also be available for their dependents.In an Advisory Council report in 1948, council members stated that up to 2 million Americans suffer from disabilities on any given day, which made it impossible for them to work and provide for their families. They reasoned that the economic challenges of disabilities were far greater than those of old age.Aid to the Permanently and Totally DisabledArthur Altemeyer, the leader of the SSA for nearly twenty years, made various proposals about the disability program during his time as a leader. In 1949, he proposed a federal disability insurance program to the House Ways and Means Committee. A variation of the legislation passed as the Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled, and only provided federal grants to states to oversee the program.The Disability Freeze – Protecting Disabled Workers Social Security Benefits In 1952, Altmeyer created the idea of the disability freeze, which protected workers’   who were forced to leave the workforce due to a disability. Under the freeze, disabled workers could still collect social security benefits at the normal retirement age.In 1954, the freeze was supported by the Eis enhower administration and passed. The freeze defined disability as â€Å"the inability to engage in substantial gainful activity due to a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that could be expected to result in death or to be of long-continued and indefinite duration.†To be eligible, an applicant must have a solid work history and his or her condition must have lasted for at least six months. In order to determine eligibility, it was decided that individual states would make the decisions, with agreements with the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.The Disability Determination Process 1n 1955, the Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) was created, which included medical physicians and representatives from various organizations, such as labor unions and hospital administration. The MAC was responsible for creating standards for evaluating disability and worked in conjunction with state agencies and the SSA.The group established changes to the disability determination process. It stated that:An applicant’s physical or mental condition must prohibit applicants from performing substantial gainful activityThe condition must be expected to last for a year or is terminalThe impairment must meet or equal one or more of the listings in the SSA’s Listing of impairmentsIf a serious impairment does not equal the listings, an applicant’s age, education and work history are evaluatedIf a person can no longer complete work he or she did in the past or complete new work, they are considered disabledPassage of Social Security Disability Insurance In 1955 The House of Representatives created legislation that would establish disability insurance for disabled workers who were 50-years-old and older. Debates between the House, Senate and organizations such as the American Medical Association became heated.After a close vote, President Eisenhower signed the Social Security Disability Insurance bill into law on August 1, 1956. The disability program provided cash benefits to applicants between the ages of 50-64. Children who were disabled before the age of 18 of retired or deceased workers were also eligible.After decades of fighting for the rights of the disabled, the passage of the Social Security Disability program was a victory for advocates and the disabled.Impact of the Program In the 63 years after its passage, the SSD program has undergone various expansions and changes. The program has helped millions of disabled Americans and dependents during the most difficult times in their lives.At a Glance:  Approximately 10 million disabled workers, disabled widows/widowers and adult children received SSD benefits in 2017.About 6% of Michigan’s population of 18-64-year-olds (374,899) receive disability benefits.The most common conditions are diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (36.7%) followed by mental disorders, neoplasms, diseases of the circulatory system and diseases of the nervous system and sense organs.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan  works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the  Social Security Disability Benefits  they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental, or cognitive impairment, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  now for a free consultation at  800-701- 5524.Let Michigan’s experienced Social Security Disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence. disability lawyers, Michigan Disability Attorney, social security disability program, social security disability program history

Biography of Margaret of Valois, France’s Slandered Queen

Biography of Margaret of Valois, France’s Slandered Queen Born Princess Marguerite of France, Margaret of Valois (May 14, 1553 – March 27, 1615) was a princess of the French Valois dynasty and a queen of Navarre and France. An educated woman of letters and patron of the arts, she nonetheless lived in a time of political upheaval and had her legacy tainted by rumors and false tales that portrayed her as a cruel hedonist. Fast Facts: Margaret of Valois Full Name:  Margaret (French: Marguerite) of ValoisOccupation: Queen of Navarre and Queen of FranceBorn: May 14, 1553 at Chà ¢teau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye,  FranceDied: March 27, 1615 in Paris FranceKnown For: Born a princess of France; married Henry of Navarre, who eventually became the first Bourbon king of France. Although she was notable for her cultural and intellectual patronage, rumors about her romantic entanglements led to a false legacy depicting her as a selfish and hedonistic woman.Spouse: King Henry IV of France (m. 1572 - 1599) French Princess Margaret of Valois was the third daughter and seventh child of King Henry II of France and his Italian queen, Catherine de’ Medici. She was born at the royal Chà ¢teau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where she spent her childhood alongside her sisters, the princesses Elisabeth and Claude. Her closest familial relationship was with her brother Henry (later King Henry III), who was only two years her senior. Their friendship as children, however, did not last into adulthood, for several reasons. The princess was well educated, studying literature, classics, history, and several ancient and contemporary languages. At the time, European politics existed in a constant, fragile state of shifting power and alliances, and Margaret’s mother, a savvy political figure in her own right, made sure that Margaret learned as much as possible about the complexities (and dangers) of domestic and international politics. Margaret saw her brother Francis ascend the throne at a young age, then die soon after, leaving her next brother to become Charles IX and her mother Catherine to be the most powerful person behind the throne. As a teenager, Margaret fell in love with Henry of Guise, a duke from a prominent family. However, their plans to marry went against the plans of the royal family, and when they were found out (in all likelihood, by Margaret’s brother Henry), the duke of Guise was banished and Margaret severely punished. Although the romance was quickly ended, it would be brought up again in the future with slanderous pamphlets that suggested Margaret and the duke had been lovers, insinuating a long-standing pattern of licentious behavior on her part. Political Unrest in France Catherine de’ Medici’s preference was for a marriage between Margaret and Henry of Navarre, a Huguenot prince. His house, the Bourbons, was another branch of the French royal family, and the hope was that the marriage of Margaret and Henry would rebuild family ties as well as brokering a peace between French Catholics and Huguenots. In April 1572, the 19-year-olds became engaged, and they seemed to like one another at first. Henry’s influential mother, Jeanne d’Albret, died in June, making Henry the new king of Navarre. The mixed-faith marriage, held at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, was intensely controversial, and it was soon followed by violence and tragedy. Six days after the wedding, while a large number of prominent Huguenots were still in Paris, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre occurred. History would blame Margaret’s mother, Catherine de’ Medici, for organizing the targeted murders of prominent Protestants; for her part, Margaret wrote in her memoirs about how she personally hid a handful of Protestants in her personal apartments. By 1573, Charles IX’s mental state had deteriorated to the point where a successor was necessary. By birthright, his brother Henry was the heir presumptive, but a group called the Malcontents feared that the intensely anti-Protestant Henry would escalate religious violence even further. They planned to put his younger brother, the more moderate Francis of Alenà §on, on the throne instead. Henry of Navarre was among the conspirators, and although Margaret, at first, disapproved of the plot, she eventually joined in as a bridge between moderate Catholics and the Huguenots. The plot failed, and although her husband was not executed, the relationship between King Henry III and his sister Margaret was forever embittered. Queen and Diplomat Margaret’s marriage, at this point, was fast deteriorating. They were unable to conceive an heir, and Henry of Navarre took several mistresses, most notably Charlotte de Sauve, who sabotaged Margaret’s attempt to reform the alliance between Francis of Alenà §on and Henry. Henry and Francis both escaped imprisonment in 1575 and 1576, but Margaret was imprisoned as a suspected conspirator. Francis, backed by the Huguenots, refused to negotiate until his sister was set free, and so she was. She, along with her mother, helped negotiate a crucial treaty: the Edict of Beaulieu, which gave Protestants more civil rights and permitted the practice of their faith except in certain places. In 1577, Margaret went on a diplomatic mission to Flanders in hopes of securing a deal with the Flemings: help from Francis to overthrow Spanish rule in exchange for putting Francis on their new throne. Margaret worked to create a network of contacts and allies, but ultimately, Francis could not defeat the mighty Spanish army. Francis soon fell under Henry III’s suspicion again and was re-arrested; he escaped again, in 1578, with Margaret’s help. The same series of arrests captured Margaret’s apparent lover, Bussy d’Amboise. Eventually, Margaret rejoined her husband, and they settled their court at Nà ©rac. Under Margaret’s guidance, the court became exceptionally learned and cultured, but it also was the site of many romantic misadventures among the royals and courtiers. Margaret fell in love with her brother Francis’s grand equerry, Jacques de Harley, while Henry took a teenaged mistress, Francoise de Montmorency-Fosseux, who became pregnant and gave birth to Henry’s stillborn daughter. In 1582, Margaret returned to the French court for unknown reasons. Her relationships with both her husband and her brother King Henry III were in shambles, and it was around this time that the first rumors about her supposed immorality began to circulate, presumably courtesy of her brother’s loyalists. Tired of being pulled between the two courts, Margaret abandoned her husband in 1585. Rebel Queen and Her Return Margaret rallied the Catholic League and turned against her family and husband’s policies. She briefly was able to seize the city of Agen, but the citizens eventually turned on her, forcing her to flee with her brother’s troops in hot pursuit. She was imprisoned in 1586 and forced to watch her favorite lieutenant executed, but in 1587, her gaoler, the Marquis de Canillac, switched allegiances to the Catholic League (most likely by bribery) and set her free. Although she was free, Margaret chose not to leave the castle of Usson; instead, she dedicated the next 18 years to re-creating a court of artists and intellectuals. While there, she wrote her own Memoirs, an unprecedented act for a royal woman of the time. After her brother’s 1589 assassination, her husband ascended to the throne as Henry IV. In 1593, Henry IV asked Margaret for an annulment, and ultimately, it was granted, especially with the knowledge that Margaret could not have children. After this, Margaret and Henry had a friendly relationship, and she befriended his second wife, Marie de’ Medici. Margaret returned to Paris in 1605 and established herself as a generous patron and benefactress. Her banquets and salons frequently hosted the great minds of the time, and her household became central to cultural, intellectual, and philosophical life. At one point, she even wrote in an intellectual discourse, criticizing a misogynistic text and defending women. Death and Legacy In 1615, Margaret fell seriously ill, and died in Paris on March 27, 1615, the last survivor of the Valois dynasty. She had named Henry and Marie’s son, the future Louis XIII, as her heir, cementing the link between the old Valois dynasty and the new Bourbons. She was buried in the funerary chapel of the Valois in the Basilica of St. Denis, but her casket disappeared; it either was lost during the chapel’s renovations or was destroyed in the French Revolution. The myth of a cursed, beautiful, lustful â€Å"Queen Margot† has persisted, largely in part because of misogynistic and anti-Medici histories. Influential writers, most notably Alexandre Dumas, exploited the rumors against her (which likely originated with her brother’s and husband’s courtiers) to criticize the age of royalty and the supposed depravity of women. It was not until the 1990s that historians began to investigate the truth of her history instead of centuries of compounded rumors. Sources Haldane, Charlotte. Queen of Hearts: Marguerite of Valois, 1553–1615. London: Constable, 1968.Goldstone, Nancy. The Rival Queens. Little Brown and Company, 2015.Sealy, Robert. The Myth of the Reine Margot: Toward the Elimination of a Legend. Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 1995.

Differentiation and Learning Styles Dissertation

Differentiation and Learning Styles - Dissertation Example Learners exhibit differences in their potentials that educators should focus on and to which new educators should be introduced. This is because some teachers find it challenging to deal with the differences. Many bases also exist for the differences. Some students are more brilliant than others are and some have more challenges in the learning process. Social backgrounds and language differences also form bases for differences. While identifying differences may be easy when dealing with small groups of students, large groups offer challenge but teachers can often organize students into smaller groups to facilitate personalized teacher-learner interaction and understanding of individual students (Wu 2013, 125- 133). The need for teacher training on differentiation also emerges from contradictions that result from differentiation attempts. Results from an empirical study show that policies, number of students, duration of lessons, inappropriate differentiation, and students’ di fferentiation initiatives without teachers’ attentions are significant factors to differentiation outcomes and teachers’ training on the factors is important (Rontou 2012, p. 146, 147). In addition to training educators, the educators’ approach to managing their classes has significant effects on differentiation and associated effects. An understanding of students’ background and their potentials and using this to motivate and empower students has demonstrated effectiveness in influencing learning processes.

LAW FOR BUSINESS Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

LAW FOR BUSINESS Assignment - Essay Example In general, compensation for economic loss resulting from damage to property can be recovered. As such, it is difficult to clearly distinguish between pure and consequential economic loss. This was demonstrated in Spartum Steel and Alloys Ltd v Martin &Co, wherein, the defendant had by inadvertence caused damage to an electronic cable in the plaintiff’s factory. The outcome of this act was a reduction in profits, and a general delay in the functioning of the factory. The court while awarding damages for the pure economic loss caused, rejected the claim for general damages (Speaight, 2009, p. 23). The compensation was with regard to the economic loss that was the direct outcome of the damage to property. The floodgates argument has several features. One of these contends that allowing recovery for pure economic loss in some instances would result in a plethora of lawsuits, which would effectively diminish the functioning of the courts. Furthermore, the imposition of widespread liability would unfairly and disproportionately burden a defendant. In addition, the defendant would be hard pressed to assess his potential liability on causing damage to the effects of a primary victim (von Bar, Drobnig, & Alpat, 2004, p. 124). The number of secondary loss sufferers becomes indeterminate and depends on all those who have an economic interest in the primary victim’s property. ... 19). On several occasions, the floodgates argument has been employed, in order to restrict liability. Thus, the House of Lords admitted this argument in Majrowski v Guys and St. Thomas’s NHS Trust. In this case, it was held that an employer could be deemed to be vicariously liable for an employee’s breach of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Moreover, in Conn v City Council of the City of Sunderland, the Appellate Court ruled that classifying an act as harassment would depend upon the place and context in which it had taken place. Consequently, it dismissed the plaintiff’s claim of injury as the language employed by the supervisor had been what was commonplace in that industry. In the case of Weller v Foot and Mouth Disease Research Institute, the inadvertent release of a virus from the defendant’s institute, resulted in a near epidemic of foot and mouth disease among the cattle of that area. As a result, the farmers in that area had to slaughter th eir cattle, and auctions could not be conducted. The auctioneers made a claim for damages. In its ruling, the court held that the auctioneers had merely undergone an indirect financial loss, and were therefore not eligible to claim damages (Harpwood, 2008, p. 87). Thus, the floodgates argument has been successfully contained by the judiciary. This is evident from the ruling in the above cited cases. Question Two: Extent of Accountant’s Liability to Non – Clients An accountant’s liability, with regard to clients and non-clients was determined through the judgement of the courts in the following cases. A negligent misrepresentation, despite being honest, can result in a claim for damages. This holds good, even if there had been no contract

Statement of the problem Essay Example for Free

Statement of the problem Essay As a prominent American historical figure, society’s opinion on John Brown is highly influenced by culture and value systems. However, it is a given that some of these values continuously fluctuate and some remain throughout time. With the changes in time and values from the time of John Brown’s active action and his death, how did public perception of him change? If so, what are the factors that affect these changes? Objectives This paper seeks to shed some light on how John Brown was viewed throughout history and time and what factors affected these perceptions of his character. An analysis of information regarding his portrayal in popular culture and a discussion on how these portrayals came about shall be included in this paper. Significance of the Study This study is geared towards looking at and analyzing John Brown’s life and seeing how society viewed him while he was alive and after his death. Since it has been established that there has been a conflicting public opinion regarding John Brown, this study will help shed some light on the reasons for this differing public opinion and analyze the factors that contribute to these differences. Using John Brown as a base, sociological dynamics can be more fully understood. Scope and Limitations This study shall only be using online articles, journals and some books as its reference. Data shall be gathered from these materials and a suitable data analysis by the author shall be the basis of the conclusions made in this paper. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Abolitionism and Slavery in the United States The Roots of Slavery Slavery in the United States involved the selling, purchase, ownership of African or even Native American slaves. It first began when the English built their community in Virginia in 1607 and ended up being widely-accepted tradition until 1865. Many of the slaves were gathered from pagan countries and this was written into law by 1705. In Columbia, a slave is defined in law as a human being who is â€Å"deprived of his or her liberty for life and is the property of another. † It was legal to own and keep slaves for as long as they were still alive from 1654 to 1865. By 1860, ownership of slaves has become so widespread that a fourth of the population during that time are comprised of slaves. Disease, famine and damages caused by the war against Native Americans have kept available labor down, and this made importation of slaves more palatable for many business men. The slaves were treated as capital for labor intensive commerce such as the cash crop industry of tobacco. They were considered as the life line of the south’s agricultural industry. A large proportion of the slaves were owned by farmers from the south, as a single farmer there owned an average of 20 slaves. Labor intensive commerce was mostly found in the south as these regions grew tobacco, cotton and sugar as primary exports. Many of the slaves were found in these farms, and here they contributed much to the economic welfare of the country. Racial basis of slavery were not only applied to Africans and Native Americans, but also to some members of the Caucasian race. Some Europeans were also utilized as slaves under a contract to pay debts. These white slaves were only held for a limited amount of time and not fully owned like African slaves.

The Minimum Wage Must Be Increased Essay -- Federal Minimum Wage

"No family gets rich from earning the minimum wage. In fact, the current minimum wage does not even lift a family out of poverty." -- Jon Corzine Many people can think back and remember what it was like to put in an application for that first job and be presented with a position. Taking that position represents adulthood and is a very exciting time for a young person. All first jobs usually start with a minimum wage. Minimum wage is the minimum an employer has to pay an unskilled worker based on the regulations set forth by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that was originally established in 1938. As people think back about their first jobs they can also remember what the minimum wage was when they took that position. Minimum wage is only increased based on the cost of living from the prior year. If the previous year shows an increase then the minimum wage will increase in the coming new year. Sinegal (2009) stated "The increase in the minimum wage is long overdue. Paying your employees well is not only the right thing to do but it makes for good business". Based on the cost of living we show for the year of 2009 minimum wage will not increase for 2010. Minimum wage is currently at $7.25 per hour. Most people who start at this rate are young people who are in high school or college and are working a few hours to help pay for school. After they graduate they can apply for better jobs and move on. People who live in areas without growth, single mothers trying to raise their children, and uneducated people are working more than one minimum wage job to make enough money to pay their financial obligations. While the cost of living did not increase, minimum wage is low because no increase is planned for 2010 a... ...year’s cost of living. What constitutes cost of living to the federal government and it that assessment being addressed fairly? Minimum wage is too low. The federal government must raise the minimum wage so that the average American will not need to continue to work multiple jobs. References The Department of Labor. (2010). Compliance Assistance - Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/index.htm The Department of Labor. (2010). [Graph Table State Minimum Wage] Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm About.com US Government Info. (2009). The Federal Minimum Wage. Retrieved from http://usgovinfo.about.com/blminimumwage.htm Sinegal, J. (2009). Business for Fair Minimum Wage. Quotable Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.businessforafairminimumwage.org/Quotes

Environment Industry Marketing

The study is about the analysis of the environment of car industry and the selling scheme for Ford Motor Company. It initiates with examining of external environment of car industry by utilizing PEST analysis and Porter ‘s five forces analysis. After the internal analyses that focus on the resource audit on trade name, merchandises, markets, engineering, people and boy on, the value concatenation analysis of the company will be behavior. Then the generic competitory schemes would be discussed through SWOT analysis, Ansoff Matrix and BCG Matrix in order to place the general concern scheme taken by the Ford Company. After stipulating the company scheme by those analysis tools, the strategic ratings would be drawn together with the scheme control methods. Finally, a suggested recommendation for the company hereafter development will be mentioned at the terminal of the study. I. Introduction 1.1 Aim of The Report This study aim to place the external environmental of the planetary car industry, step and evaluate feasible and sustainable selling schemes utilizing by the Ford Motor Company. Through appropriate theoretical constructs and theoretical accounts, together with appropriate methodological analysiss, the organisation within its contextual scene will be carefully examined, and warrant recommendation will be mentioned. Though the study, how a successful corporation is operated and how its concern scheme is implemented and controlled will be understood. 1.2 Company Background Ford Motor Company is an American transnational corporation and one of the universe ‘s largest car manufacturer based on world-wide vehicle gross revenues. It has industries and distributes cars in 200 markets across six continents and has approximately 300,000 employees and 108 workss worldwide[ 1 ]. Ford now encompasses many planetary trade names, including Lincoln and Mercury of the US, Jaguar and Land Rover of the UK, and Volvo of Sweden and one-third commanding involvement in Mazda every bit good[ 1 ]. Ford introduced methods for large-scale fabrication of autos under different trade names and large-scale direction of an industrial work force and its combination of extremely efficient mills and low monetary values revolutionized fabrication had made the company successfully go a universe taking car industry. 1.3 Rational of Company Selection Car industry is a consistant developing industry in the planetary in the twenty-first century. Ford Company is a universe taking automobile industry, which has its concern all over the universe. To analysis the planetary car industry environment and the development scheme for such a universe celebrated company would be a greate aid to understand how concern schemes are generated, implementated and controlled and meanwhile to see how would the company make to maintain its concern perform good when confronting a complicated environment and a diminution market. 1.4 Company Vision, Mission and Value The company ‘s vision is ‘to become the universe ‘s prima company for automotive merchandises and services. ‘ And the company ‘s mission is to go a ‘global, diverse household with a proud heritage, passionately committed to supplying outstanding merchandises and services. ‘ And together with a company value that ‘do the right thing for our people, our environment and our society, but above all for our clients[ 2 ]. Based on its vision, mission and company value, the Ford Company is enterprise to maintain its prima place in the planetary, and do attempt to supply first-class merchandises and services that satisfied its clients. Approachs that be taken to carry through it ends and aims with sing the harmoniousness of concern environment and modern society. II.EXTERNAL ANALYSIS 2.1Environmental Analysis 2.1.1 Industry Background The universe car industry has good developed for many decennaries and stable advancement was made during recent old ages. Now the automotive fabrication sector produce over 60 million vehicles every twelvemonth[ 3 ]and lend approximately 2.45 trillion Euro one-year grosss[ 4 ]. There are legion universe celebrated car manufacturers all round the planetary, and although the competition in car industry becomes more and more ferocious, it is still one of the biggest markets in planetary industry. 2.1.2 PEST Analysis Finlay[ 5 ]point out that distant environment affect concerns by an indirect manner and would do alterations in a company ‘s operation. The car industry touches on a broad scope of facets, such as industry, supply concatenation, retailing and so on. As a consequence, many factors such as authorities policies, local ordinances, and societal civilization differences would act upon this industry. By patterning the distant environment with PEST analysis ( see appendix I ) , factors that would impact the planetary car industry would be examined. 2.1.2.1 Political and Legal .Competition Policy Anti-monopoly policies such as the EU competition policy tack several barriers to competition to do certain houses operate under a certain legal model[ 6 ]. This policy has force a perfect competition in car industry and will perfectly impact car industries ‘ selling scheme to some extend through forestalling houses from conspiring by price-fixing and every bit good commanding the size of houses. . Environment Legislations Nowadays, much attending has been devoted to the environmental issues. Organization such as European Environmental Liability Directive has formulated many Torahs and ordinances for environment protection[ 7 ]. Those statute laws force industries to believe over the environmental harm their operations may convey along, so that industries have to take action to protect the environment. . Car Industry Legislations and Policies First, ordinances in many parts have introduced different emanation bounds for Diesel and gasolene vehicles. Since 2005, all cars have to make the Euro 4 emanation criterion in European states[ 8 ]. And in America, stricter emanation criterion is set since 2005[ 9 ]. Besides, some authoritiess are promoting car manufacturers to bring forth environmental friendly vehicles. For illustration, UK authorities had asked car industries to plan new extremist low C household auto in 2003[ 10 ], which says can be the measure rock of the new coevals fuel efficiency autos. .Taxation With the infliction of a fuel revenue enhancement, consumers will hold to believe more carefully about their buying determinations. In the planetary, many states has really high fuel revenue enhancement, such as in the UK, it has took revenue enhancement higher up to 81.5 % of the entire monetary value of fuel[ 11 ]. And in Europe, EU has imposed a minimal revenue enhancement of 0.287 Euro per litre on gasolene[ 12 ]. As a consequence of such a high fuel revenue enhancement, the use of autos would be reduced to a great extent for many people. 2.1.2.2 Economic .Economic Growth and Inflation For these old ages, the planetary economic system is turning steady. Forecasters say that the mean universe growing rate of 4.9 per centum in the period 2003-2006 will go on at least for the following two old ages[ 13 ]. In footings of rising prices, there is a study shows that an increasing planetary rising prices with the one-year rate of consumer monetary value rising prices in the U.S. went up to 4.2 per centum in May,2007 ; 2.2 per centum in Great Britain and 2.5 per centum in the Euro zone[ 14 ]. As a consequence of the increasing rising prices, people may prefer to pass their money right now alternatively of salvaging money in the bank and it would promote people to devour merchandises such as cars. .Trade Globalization has removed many barriers to cross-border activities and international trade can make great chances for local concerns to spread outing their concern into new countries overseas to run into a whole new set of possible clients[ 15 ]. The ever-closer international concern relationship would supply the industry more cost-efficient resources and meanwhile provide clients the chances of wider picks. .Labour Force The unemployment figure in the planetary is increasing every twelvemonth. It is said that no affair in the developed states like United States and the United Kingdom or in the development states in China, and India, they are bring forthing less employment than it has in the past even though economic growing is strong[ 16 ]. So, in many topographic points all around the universe, the velocity of occupation creative activity can non catch up with the gait of population growing. This big figure of unemployment indicates that many people may hold non hold steady income to afford a auto. .Personal Income and Distribution of Wealth Despite a high and turning planetary mean income[ 17 ], planetary distribution of wealth, ingestion, and chance still remain badly imbalanced. The wealthiest 20 per centum of the population consumes 80 per centum of the resources[ 18 ]. As a consequence, people who could afford an upper category merchandise merely history for a little proportion of the entire population and most people merely has the mean income. 2.1.2.3 Social-cultural .Demographics population Although recent long-run demographic projections suggest a fast slowing of planetary population growing, grounds shows that the figure of aged people is turning fast[ 19 ]. As a consequence, industries should see merchandise that oriented to the aged. family Some experts claim that there was a diminution in the mean size of family in the twenty-first century[ 20 ]. Due to the increasing figure of older people and the smaller size of family, I think the little auto may go the chief watercourse for its practicality. .Private and Public Transportation Though the public transit may non be the first pick of some people, it is still the best replacement of private transit such as private autos. This is particularly true when increasing automobile use generates some negative impacts such as congestion, traffic accidents and extra vehicle emanations. So some authorities is be givening to switch people off from private transit to public transit with the attempt that bettering the public presentation[ 21 ]. .Environment Issues Environmental jobs that touch us all has now has drawn the attending of public. People become more awareness about environment issues such as air pollution and nursery gas emanation. For illustration, Public are informed by many channels about the impacts of conveyance can convey, such as the clime alteration, human wellness fondnesss and loss of biodiversity[ 22 ]. As a consequence, consumers may go more cautious when buying autos. Meanwhile it is evidently the use of environmental friendly merchandises would turn up an increasing tendency. .Other Social Concerns auto parking Parking can be a large job for many drivers. It is ever difficult to happen a topographic point for parking and the monetary value charged for parking is sometimes goes really high[ 23 ]. As a consequence, some people would instead to utilize public transit alternatively of utilizing their private autos. route safety Road accident is ever a large issue for drivers. Take UK for illustration, harmonizing to the 2005 one-year study of UK section of transit[ 24 ], there is a entire figure of casualties in 2005 were 271,017 with a figure of 3,201 people killed and 28,954 injured. The high hazard of driving would act upon consumers ‘ determination on buying. public wellness Recent old ages some diseases such as SARS had challenged societal stableness[ 25 ]. This had consequence people ‘s imposts and their behaviour to some extend. For illustration, there is a crisp lessening of public transit usage rate during the period of SARS in 2003. These public wellness issues more or less have influenced the planetary car market. 2.1.2.4 Technology .New Energy Since increasing attending has paid to environmental issues, research workers are seeking actively for new exploitable resources that can alternatively of gasoline and Diesel. Bio-fuels are one of the most favourite replacements at current, which says made from renewable resources such as agricultural harvests or waste. They are more environmental friendly and can be refined as conventional gasoline that used in today ‘s engines[ 26 ]. Another replacement is natural gas that is comparatively cleaner comparison with other options. Besides, it is claimed that natural gas is non merely a inexpensive energy, but besides can good suited to driving utilizations[ 27 ]. In add-on, Lewin[ 28 ]believe H fuel cell autos that will hit the market in close hereafter and many car manufacturers are be aftering to establish this sort of merchandise. Besides, solar power is besides a executable replacement for car manufacturers. It is claimed that the really first solar power trade for resuscitating auto batteries had made by a Canadian maker of solar panels with the VW[ 29 ]. .Computer Aided Design Program Wernle and Bolduc[ 30 ]point out that vehicles design in the new century must be typical and tempting so that it would win a ideal market portion. It is ever a difficult and clip devouring procedure for auto interior decorator to plan a auto that non merely unite with great comfort and safety public presentation, but besides has alone manner. Now, with the aid of some computing machine plans such as Alias it would salvage much clip for car manufacturers to acquire autos to market quicker by cut downing the figure of clay theoretical accounts and paradigms[ 30 ]. . GPS and Car Navigation System It is study that Garmin Ltd. , the largest GPS device shaper in the universe had sold around 5 million units in 2006 for personal pilotage equipment[ 31 ]. Presents, GPS becomes more and more of import to auto drivers in every twenty-four hours life. With the aid of GPS system information associated by mileometers, gyroscopes[ 32 ], a auto pilotage systems can acquire drivers wherever they want to travel. Information is transmitted by independent pilotage systems without the engagement of an external waiter by the usage of a bipartisan communicating between pilotage centre and the onboard vehicle detectors. The system can cipher the optimum path automatically and so give necessary ushers and some programmes even can supply users with extra information such as hotels and shopping promenades demoing on its digital maps. As GPS and auto pilotage system has widely accepted by many people, it will go an of import factor when people doing their consideration. 2.2 The Structural Analysis of Industries Competition between houses is important to modern economic systems[ 33 ]. In competitory environment, there is a set of external influences which is able to impact administrations ‘ action[ 34 ]. Administrations have to to the full understand that environment in order to do attempt to make competitory advantage so that to accomplish success. In the undermentioned portion, Porter ‘s five-forces ‘ ( see appendix II ) attack will be used to analyzing the competitory environment. 2.2.1 The Menace of Entry Johnson[ 34 ]suggest that the barriers to entry find the menace of entry. If the barriers are high so the menace of entry would be comparatively low[ 35 ]. The entryway barriers in planetary auto industry can be proposed as followers: . Economies of Scale Since the of all time falling auto monetary value[ 36 ], in order to cut down cost, many car manufacturers keep increasing their end product volume. For illustration, Toyota Motor Manufacturing had increased from 220,000 to 285,000 on Toyota Corolla and Avensis theoretical accounts in UK 2004 one-year production capacity and Mazda ‘s domestic production capacity has increased by 14 per centum in the same twelvemonth[ 37 ]. Therefore, new entrants who want to come in this industry have to come in with either at a big graduated table and hazard strong reaction from bing companies or they have to come in at a little graduated table and accept a cost disadvantage[ 35 ]. . Production Differentiation For car manufacturers, it is ever hard to make typical merchandises, as the basic techniques of auto fabrication are no longer a secret for few industries. Now the focal point is bit by bit turning to safety[ 38 ], manner, comfort and new engineering for illustration a computing machine control panel such as supplying the driver with telematics, GPS[ 39 ]because of the quality spread among the different industry become narrower. As a consequence, it would evidently more clip consuming and would pass more money for those car manufacturers to plan a new theoretical account that is different from the rivals ‘ . .Capital demand of Entry To entry the automotive industry requires non merely advanced technological but besides tremendous capital[ 40 ]. It costs a batch on planing a new theoretical account, production, distribution and so on. And the larger the graduated table the company has the more capital would be spent. So entrants who want to come into this industry should foremost do certain if they have adequate money. . Cost Disadvantages Independent of Scale Porter[ 35 ]province that established companies may hold cost advantages such as proprietary merchandise engineering, favourable locations, favourable entree to raw stuffs. Many celebrated car manufacturers have already established their cost advantages. Take the illustration of Ford, it spend about 450 million on automotive research and development in Britain to maintain advanced engineering every twelvemonth. As a consequence, it is hard for a rival who does non hold cost advantages to interrupt into the industry. To sum up, the entry barriers in universe car industry is comparative high, so it is non an easy work for new entrants to come in to this field. 2.2.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers may hold strong power over the industry if the industry is dominated by few providers or the shift costs is high to alter one from another[ 34 ]. When sing the constituents section of car industry, it is now confronting a globalisation tendency. Rivals non merely exist in the domestic market, but besides rise from abroad, which means that the constituents section is full of competition and the bargaining power of providers would be reduced. Beside, auto companies are now seeking constituent shapers and original equipment makers in some developing states such as India, China and Far East in order to salvage money[ 41 ]. Honda, which used to beginning major portion of its constituents from UK providers, for illustration, is now cut downing its UK seller base. As a consequence, this worldwide sourcing tendency has become a menace that limited the power of providers. In add-on, in car industry there is a tendency of allying with other makers to portion design and development costs late. It is said that vehicle industries are working together much closer with their spouses and seek to develop vehicle platforms jointly. Most of big auto makers like Ford, GM, and Volkswagen have cut down their figure of platforms[ 42 ]and some theoretical accounts will utilize the same platform in order to cut down cost. Manufacturers can non merely cut down their fabrication cost to some extend by this manner, but besides would go more powerful when bargaining with constituents providers because increasing volumes of constituents may necessitate. And meanwhile it may assist makers cut down natural stuff costs. In a word, the bargaining power of providers in planetary car industry is low. It is an chance for many auto makers that provide a opportunity of be aftering their buying scheme better and more profitable. 2.2.3 Bargaining Power of Buyers Harmonizing to Porter ‘s[ 35 ]theory, purchasers have the power of coercing down monetary values, dickering for higher quality and more service, and playing rivals against each other. In the undermentioned portion, the bargaining power of purchaser in planetary industry will be discussed from several different facets. .Products Differentiation As in planetary auto market the merchandise distinction is non really obvious due to the car industry acknowledge is no longer a secret. There are tonss of car manufacturers in this market, and the basic maps of their merchandises are about the same and the lone differences would be the design and some other extra maps. So clients can ever happen alternate provider who offers a cheaper monetary value, gives the most satisfied merchandise, and provides the best client service. . Importance of Buying If the merchandise is really of import for the purchasers, the bargaining power of purchasers may relative high[ 35 ]. In car market, the importance of buying seems instead low. Statistic shows that in developed states, the mean ownership of autos is rather high, take Britain as an illustration, statistic shows that 3 in 4 families have entree to a auto and over half ( 52 % ) of all rural families had two or more autos in 2005[ 43 ]. So in those states to buying a new auto may non be so necessary for most of the households. . Information Searching If purchasers have full information about merchandise, demand, market monetary value, their bargaining power would be greater than those with less information[ 35 ]. We are now come ining a great new epoch of information. Peoples can seek merchandise information through assorted methods, such as friends, gross revenues assistant and different medias. And it is said that persons particularly those who are extremely involved with the purchase of a merchandise are thought to be more active on information searching[ 44 ]. Today ‘s mass media, no affair the newspapers, magazines, wireless, or telecasting, all contain a big sum of information. Besides, the entrance of Internet epoch has simplified the procedure of information seeking procedure to a great extend. All these factors mentioned supra have provided consumers with more information. What it comes down to me is that in car industry, the auto makers ‘ selling scheme would be effected by the comparative high client bargaining power. 2.2.4 Pressure From Substitute Merchandises Substitutes play a restriction function in industry[ 35 ], it provide the same map as the merchandise of the industry to restrains industry devising net income. There are several agencies would be the replacement merchandises of car. . Public Transportation system Public transit would come foremost to most of people when believing about the replacement of private autos. More and more people are willing to give up autos and utilize public transit particularly when the service of public transit is better. Besides, since there are increasing figure of SOHO workers, many people choose to work at place by Internet. So they do non necessitate a auto to drive to work, therefore the significance of having a auto is decreased. . Car rental and Car Sharing Today, the ever-rising gasoline monetary value becomes another factor that forces many people cut down the use rate of their autos. Many people choose to lease a auto for travel or portion one auto between friends alternatively of driving entirely. As a consequence, demand of buying a auto would be decreased and there is increasing demand for auto rental particularly now some rental houses have provided more complete and customerizedservices[ 45 ]. To sum up, public transit, auto rental and auto sharing could be some of the replacement methods of having private autos. All of these agencies have pressed threaten on the universe car industry. 2.2.5 Intensity of Rivalry Among Existing Competitions Porter[ 35 ]point out that competition occurs for the ground that one or more rivals feels force per unit area or sees the chance to better place. In planetary car industry, competition among the rivals is really strong and the major rivals are closely balanced so that the competition is increasing intense. Besides old challengers such as General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, those Nipponese car manufacturer like Toyota and Honda now are deriving stronger power in this industry. Because there is small distinction among the merchandises, when make up one's minding buying, one challenger is ever compared to another invariably in monetary value, quality, lastingness, and many other facets. As a consequence, in order to derive market portion in the car industry, company should supply better merchandise every bit good as better service so that it could take the market portion from their rivals. 2.3 Strategic Group Analysis To place strategic groups which has similar strategic features, following similar schemes or viing on similar bases can assist to understand the most direct rivals and of any given organisation and besides can assist place possible chances and menaces[ 34 ]. Strategic groups in car industry can be identified harmonizing to the merchandise ‘s category and position such as those upper category industries such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, and up medium, medium and lower medium industries such as Honda, Ford and other market section such as rushing auto and so on. In different parts, each groups ‘ power are vary. It is indispensable to Ford Company to place different state of affairs in different topographic points all over the universe, so that the concern scheme can be chosen decently. III. INTERNAL ANALYSIS 3.1 Resource Audit Resource audit is utile in understanding strategic capableness harmonizing to Johnson[ 34 ]. To place the handiness of resource that can be used is of import for a concern. In the followers, the resource of Ford Company would be examined. 3.1.1 Brand The Ford Motor Company controls the many auto trade names wouldwide, such as Jaguar, , Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, and Volvo[ 1 ]. Through acquisition, Ford Company got control of some celebrated trade names such as Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo. Based on the client cognition and trust of those upper category trade names, the gross revenues of other sections and trade names of Ford auto had been promoted[ 46 ]. By constructing the image of Combining solid refined design and the best new engineerings available[ 2 ], the company becomes a powerful challenger in the market, and the trade name has widely accepted by many people. 3.1.2 Merchandises and Market Ford has legion locations where Ford vehicles are developed, manufactured, sold or distributed[ 47 ]. These works and office locations work to supply a footing of the company ‘s prima place in auto market for many old ages, which take duty in fabrication vehicles and power merchandises, technological development, buying and distribution its merchandises all around the universe. Although with high cost-efficient Ford theoretical accounts such as Transit, Fiesta and Focus that have become the best marketer for many old ages[ 82 ], there would be a job of shriveling of market and worsening in profitableness recent old ages. 3.1.3 Finance Harmonizing to Ford Company 2006 one-year study[ 48 ], although the company is at loss during the twelvemonth for the unsated public presentation in North American market, the state of affairs in Europe market is still profitable with the gross revenues of vehicles that generated the major income and hard currency of the company ‘s automotive sectors ‘ gross. In add-on, the involvement on finance receivables generated the primary income of the company ‘s fiscal services sector ‘s gross. Based on its vehicles and fiscal service gross revenues, the company has the ability to back up some engineering development or hold some farther investing such as Diesel technology[ 49 ]. 3.1.4 Technology Ford invests to a great extent in new engineering. In Britain merely, it spends around 450 million on automotive research and development yearly. In Dunton Technical Centre, it has the largest automotive design and technology installation in the UK and one of the most advanced installations of its sort in Europe[ 47 ]. The accent on engineering enables the company have a solid footing of merchandise development. As a consequence, competitory advantage through new technique, programmes such as digital in-vehicle system called Sync created with Microsoft[ 50 ]that is turning out this summer is a good illustration. 3.1.5 Peoples In order to fit its employees with stronger capableness, Ford offers good equipped larning resource centres and developing programmes for all employees. These human resource direction actions has non merely trained sufficient qualified employees for the company, but besides provided a base for bring forthing conversations of company ‘s strategic alteration[ 51 ]. On the other manus, recent bad public presentation forced Ford Company to shear its employees. It is said that a downsized Ford would cast up to 30,000 occupations and 14 mills by 2012 in order to be more advanced[ 86 ]. 3.2 Value Chain Analysis Value concatenation ( see appendix III ) analysis has been widely adopted as a manner of understanding the relationship between strategic capableness and administration ‘s resources. As to Ford Company, in its really early old ages, the company has controlled the full value concatenation[ 52 ], now it endeavors to incorporate its multi-tiered value concatenation which include main elements such as real-time quality feedback from the market to tier, stock list decrease, dealing decrease, collaborative ocular design studios, rapid client feedback, accelerated clip to market[ 53 ]. Through those actions, the resource use is enhanced so there would be less resource is wasted during the production and dealing. Besides, the cost efficiency has increased by constructing the economic systems of graduated table, cut downing supply cost and effectual communications between providers and purchasers. In add-on, a carefully planned selling mix and a better service would advance effectivity, such as the attempts that the Ford Company put on CarsDirect and online merchandising[ 54 ]. IV. GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES 4.1 SWOT Analysis 4.1.1 Strengthens Company ‘s Large Scale Ford Company is one of the largest automotive makers in the universe. It manufactures and distributes cars in 200 markets across six continents[ 1 ]. The big size has brought the company economic systems of graduated table every bit good as name acknowledgment and client trust. Product Diversity Through acquisition, Ford Company now has owned many universe celebrated trade names include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo[ 1 ]. The company ‘s merchandises has penetrated into every sections of car industry and each trade names has its ain strengthens in different section, such as Land Rover is celebrated of its 4X4 vehicle and Lincoln is a good know luxury auto. Profitable Financial Services Division The fiscal services division, Ford Motor Credit, plays a cardinal function in maintaining the company afloat. Even the automotive division are reported at loss[ 48 ], there is grounds that the fiscal services still remain net income. As a consequence, the gross made by fiscal services division would be a great aid when its automotive sector is non executing good. Strategic Alliance By collaborating with some strategic confederation, the company can profit a batch from the advantages of their spouses ‘ . Ford has announced to get down offering Sony-branded audio systems in Ford and Mercury cars[ 55 ]and Microsoft package will be used for the Ford Sync wirelesss[ 56 ]. Besides, Ford Company besides support rushing squads such as NASCAR[ 57 ]and it besides participated in sport event such as expression one for many old ages and it is one of the taking maker in automotive racing[ 1 ]. This accomplishment has brought good repute to the company. 4.1.2 Failings Bad Proformance in US market As an American auto industry, Ford Company done severely in its domestic market recent old ages. The dissatisfactory public presentation in the US market has affect the company ‘s operations to a great extend. Decline in Profitableness The company ‘s profitableness has declined in recent old ages. The company recorded grosss of $ 160,123 million during the financial twelvemonth ended December 2006, a lessening of 9.5 % over 2005 harmonizing to the 2006 one-year study[ 48 ]. In add-on, the 2006 one-year study besides shows that the company ‘s mean gross growing during financial 2006 stood at negative of 9.5 % which is lower than the industry norm of 10.2 % during the same period. Decline in Market Share Though Ford is the 1 of the biggest car manufacturer, its public presentation is non that satisfied, as it has lost its market portion in the few old ages. Evidence shows that Ford may fall from 2nd to 4th topographic point in market portion in 2007 behind General Motors, Toyota, and Chrysler[ 60 ]. The diminution in overall market portion would chiefly due to worsen in company ‘s retail market portion in my sentiment. As a consequence, continued diminutions in company ‘s market portion would do a significant bad consequence on company fiscal status and its operations. Merchandises Recalls Ford has recalled a figure of vehicles in 2007 owing to assorted grounds. It is reported that 37,400 has been recalled 2008-model-year F-Series Super Duty trucks with 6.4-liter Diesel engines following studies of tailpipe fires[ 58 ]and recalled about 527,000 Ford Escape from the 2001-04 theoretical account old ages because the antilock brake system poses a safety jeopardy[ 59 ]. These merchandises recalls has influenced the gross revenues to some extent because clients would get down to doubt the quality and lastingness of the merchandises. 4.1.3 Opportunities Environmental Friendly Merchandises Nowadays, as a consequence of the increasing consciousness of environmental issues, authoritiess has issued many environment protection ordinances such as set more rigorous emanation criterion and consumers besides began to demo their willingness of buying environmental friendly merchandises. As a consequence, the clearer and more fuel-efficient autos would be an chance in the hereafter. Ford Company had set up a Centre to spearhead the development of intercrossed vehicles in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Centre is portion of a planetary enterprise to rush up the debut of fuel-efficient intercrossed vehicles[ 61 ]. Opportunities in China China has a great market potency with a continuously developing economic system and based on a big population. In China, particularly those coastal metropoliss, the life criterion is increasing dramatically, and buying a auto has become a common issue for many in-between category households. With its spouses Changan Automotive Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. , Ford is accomplishing more growing. It is said that the joint venture ‘s gross revenues more than doubled in 2006, and all Ford Motor trade names ( Ford, Lincoln, Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo and the commercial Transit ) had posted gross revenues 86.6 % higher than in 2005[ 62 ]. The good impulse of Chinese market provides large chances to the company to do net income in this possible market. 4.1.4 Threatens Rising Raw Material Price It is said that makers will pay more for natural stuffs[ 63 ]. The company ‘s natural stuff cost is increasing due to lift in monetary values of aluminium and steel and McKay[ 64 ]suggest that a combination of factors led it to believe most metals would be stronger in the short to medium term. As a consequence, the company may hold to pass more on those indispensable natural stuffs for its production. Stricter Emission Standards The European Union adopted Euro3 and Euro4 as comprehensive emanations ordinances for rider vehicles and heavy and light commercial vehicles in 1999 and In 2005, the European Union created a new emanation criterion ( Euro5 ) and is more rigorous on demands for gasolene vehicles and Diesel vehicles, which will go effectual get downing around 2009[ 65 ]. Because of the more and more rigorous emanation criterion, the company have to plan and bring forth more fuel-efficient vehicles in order to fit those criterions. Increasing Competition Ford ‘s market portion has declined thanks to fierce competition among its old challengers and the freshly coming Nipponese companies. Not merely its old challengers such as GM and VW are seeking their best to supply better merchandises and services to their clients, meanwhile, these Nipponese vehicle makers such as Toyota and Honda now have established a strong market place in the rider autos section, and even mean to process light trucks section[ 66 ]where Ford may used to be strong. This state of affairs has threaten the Ford Company ‘s market to a great extent. 4.2 Strategic Options ‘Specific strategic options for development ‘are most usefully considered in the context of the overall generic scheme which an organisation is prosecuting ‘ pointed by Johnson[ 34 ]. Depend on the pervious analyzing on the competitory environment ; the generic schemes of Ford Company will be discussed in the followers. 4.2.1 Porter ‘s Genetic Strategy Porter[ 35 ]argues that cost leading scheme, distinction scheme and concentrate scheme are three cardinal methods that enable a house to accomplish sustainable competitory advantage. 4.2.1.1 Cost Leadership Cost leading can assist a company to be an ‘above-average performing artist ‘ and enable the company the handiness of commanding monetary values suggested by Porter[ 35 ], and elements like economic systems of graduated table, experience, location, clocking all can be the cost drivers. It reckons that the Ford Company ‘s labour costs account for merely about 9 % of its entire costs of production, and conveyance to clients that are largely moderately local or at least in the same continent, which are a farther 2 % . Based on these, once more with a heavy investing in mechanization, the company has the ability to vie with low-priced makers[ 67 ]. Besides, in order to command the overall cost, Ford had cut its provider to acquire lower costs by making concern with fewer, more capable providers[ 68 ]. 4.2.1.2 Differentiation Porter[ 35 ]defines distinction as ‘to be alone in its industry along some dimensions that are widely valued by purchasers. ‘ Differentiation can be achieved by alone merchandise, monetary value, distribution, publicity, service and so on. Along with engineering invention such as the emerge of Ford Model U, merchandise distinction can be found in auto designing that alteration and grow with clients ‘ budget, demands, activities and personality. It is manufactured utilizing procedures and stuffs that are safe, productive and renewing, and it runs on clean, renewable energy[ 1 ]. Besides, services such as finance service and vehicle purchase programme besides make the company distinctive from others. 4.2.1.3 Focus Strategy A focal point scheme is based on narrow competitory range within an industry. The focuser select a peculiar section or group of sections so tailor their merchandises to run into the demand of client better[ 35 ]. As there are so many trade names under the Ford Company, each trade name may concentrate on a certain section so that the clients would non be dispersed, and it is easier to fulfill those peculiar demands of their mark clients. For illustration, Land Rover is celebrated of its off-road vehicles ; Lincoln is the representative of luxury autos and Ford is executing better in average category section. 4.2.2 Alternate Directions for Strategy Development In this subdivision, the strategic waies that Ford Company would used will be set out based on the Ansoff Matrix ( see appendix IV ) . By usage this model, the manner that can accomplish growing through merchandise scheme can be identified[ 6 ]. 4.2.2.1 Market Penetration Market incursion in bing markets with present merchandises is through winning rival ‘s clients by more effectual publicity or distribution, or cutting monetary values[ 6 ]. Cutting monetary value would pull more clients. The cost-effective orientation can be found in Ford trade name such as the cost-saving advantages of the new Mondeo is the cardinal sell point that from cheaper insurance to take down fuel ingestion[ 69 ]. Ford ‘s more luxury trade names such as Land Rover prefer the utilizing of publicity instead than price-cutting in order to maintain its trade name image in their clients ‘ head. Take Land Rover as an illustration, for the publicity of its latest Freelander 2 in Great Britain it use heavy Television advertizement every bit good as direct mail battalion related to the ads[ 70 ]. Besides, Ford now has focused on the value pricing, which accomplished chiefly by cutting the spine monetary value. Through value pricing, dealing monetary values ( the figure really paid ( or financed ) by the purchaser ) is closer to sticker monetary values and consequently clients would experience more valuable and the immense discounts paid to clients would be reduced as good, which creates a cost advantage[ 71 ]. 4.2.2.2 Market Development A market development method the organisation maintains its present merchandises and at the same clip embarking into new market countries, which include come ining new market sections, working new merchandise maps and distributing into new geographical countries[ 34 ]. The switch to bring forth other merchandise is non easy for car manufacturers, so develop new market is a wise pick when present market is going saturated. As the unsated gross revenues public presentation on the US market in recent old ages, Ford is now ready to develop its market in South Africa and Asia ( particularly in China and India ) .Ford is be aftering to extinguish its old corporate constructions which known as the independent concern units, and unify its automotive operations worldwide. The company established Western markets which offer merely limited growing possibilities and have an effort to turn outside its traditional markets where tend to be more market potency[ 72 ]. Ford has ready set up assembly operations in such states as China, India, Vietnam, Poland and Belarus and South Africa every bit good as an of import portion of its planetary enlargement programme. 4.2.2.3 Product Development Harmonizing to Jobber[ 6 ], merchandise development involves the development of new merchandises for bing markets, including widening bing merchandise lines to offer greater pick and merchandise replacing that offers new theoretical accounts or trade names. Ford is ever seeking a manner of developing its merchandises. This twelvemonth, with the Ford Flex that introduced in March, the Ford ‘s planetary merchandise development system comes to the market. The system uses computer-created practical tools alternatively of expensive and time-consuming physical paradigm testing and the company hopes that up to 80 per centum will come under the practical umbrella in the following few old ages[ 73 ]. With the aid of the new system, new theoretical accounts would more easy designed and face to the populace in less clip. Besides, Ford besides endeavored to seek some environmental friendly merchandises alternatively of the old 1s to accommodate to the worldwide environment protection issues. It was the first American car shaper to establish a intercrossed vehicle. It is study that Its Escape loanblend athleticss public-service corporation vehicle produces 80 % less smog than ordinary vehicles[ 74 ]. Through merchandise development, the Ford would better its merchandises in order to fulfill clients ‘ demand and wants better, so that the public presentation of the company can be enhanced. 4.2.2.4 Diversification Diversification is the option that concerns the development of new merchandises in new markets. It is suggested as the most hazardous option, but besides can be the most rewarding 1[ 6 ]. Ford ‘s fiscal service sector is a trade name new merchandise in its un-reached market. However, when the company ‘s automotive division is describing at loss, the fiscal service division is still reported net income[ 48 ]. Now the fiscal services division is considered as a chief factor that ‘keeps debt ball turn overing ‘[ 75 ]. As a consequence, in order to maintain the company afloat, it is of import to maintain the good public presentation of the fiscal service sector. 4.2.3 BCG Matrix In the followers, the portfolio planning of Ford Company would be examined through BCG Matrix ( see appendix V ) . By utilizing BCG Matrix, determinations sing the pick of which brands to construct, keep, harvest or divest would be decided. The Ford Company BCG Matrix can be identified as the undermentioned manner ( see table 1 ) : Ford Company ‘s chief trade name Ford performs good in the medium/lower market, particularly in the European market and in China. Several theoretical accounts have become the best marketer in the market recent old ages. As a consequence, it is possible to put more on them in order to accomplish farther development. Bill Ford had point out that Chinese market has big potency[ 83 ], so Ford Company now has wage more attending on Chinese market. Besides, as a wider credence of Nipponese autos, Mazda besides becomes a star trade name. Some people believe that Ford should enlarge the portion in Mazda in order to increase the capableness to vie with other trade names such as Toyota or Honda[ 84 ]. However, in the turning non-luxury market, Volvo and Mercury may have fewer market portion comparison with Ford and Mazda. The profitableness may non so satisfy with these two trade names, so they become inquiry Markss and necessitate farther consideration on investing. Ford Company choose non to deprive these trade names but seek to construct them and try to turn the inquiry marks into stars to obtain more portion in upper medium market. In the shrinkage higher car market, Ford ‘s Lincoln and Land Rover have comparative high market portion. Customer trueness towards these trade names is high, so in the section they still have their power to be the hard currency cow to supply liquid financess. It is wise to keep the gross revenues and market portion of hard currency cattles so that extra hard currency would be used to fund the development of stars or inquiry Markss. On the other manus, another luxury trade name Jaguar may be the dog merchandise of the company that needs to reap or divest. Ford Company eventually decides to sell the Jaguar trade name[ 85 ]in order to bring forth a positive hard currency flow to fund other trade names and operation. V. EVALUATION AND CONTROL 5.1 Strategic Evaluation It is of import to measure corporate schemes to guarantee that a company is accomplishing its ends through right way. To analyze if the concern aims, programs and policies are appropriate is indispensable for the organisation development. There are three major standards of measuring concern schemes: suitableness, acceptableness and feasibleness[ 34 ]. 5.1.1 Suitability Suitability concerned about if the schemes fit the environment and the organisation capableness and to see if the schemes can run into the outlooks of stakeholders[ 34 ]. In footings of business-level schemes, Ford Company takes the advantage of its big graduated table and makes the best of its diverseness of trade names to heighten its concern profile and enlarge its concern country. Each trade name under the Ford Company can hold their ain mark market and clients, and at the same clip different selling scheme can be used to hike gross revenues. This scheme is suiting good with the corporate development that guarantee a solid footing of its growing. Besides, Ford Company ‘s generic schemes can be considered successful for the perfect public presentation in its concerns particularly in its star trade names such as Ford and Mazda. As to the merchandise development and international enlargement schemes, Ford Company ‘s different growing scheme through that used on different mark market can be considered in the right way. By utilizing market incursion scheme through mooing the cost and supply a cost-effective Ford trade name merchandises and increasing the publicity of its luxury car trade names, the market place would be good protected. Besides, by working market in some underdeveloped state and new merchandises development, market development and merchandise development scheme is good received. In add-on, the variegation is found effectual in its fiscal service sector where conveying tonss of net income every twelvemonth. And for portfolio direction, it is sensible for Ford Company to keep its stars and sell several trade names that has limited hereafter development potency in order to obtain adequate money to fund other trade names. 5.1.2 Acceptability Acceptability is concerned with the expected public presentation results of a scheme in footings of return, hazard and stakeholder reactions[ 34 ]. As Ford Company ‘s fiscal public presentation can be found now on the downward, harmonizing to company ‘s one-year study ( 2006 )[ 48 ], the company ‘s developing scheme should be carefully examined to see the market chance. For illustration, although the intercrossed vehicle may hold potency in the hereafter, the right clip to set to much attempt on this sort of merchandise may non yet come. If the company spends excessively much money on it, there would be a fiscal hazard. So, in order to guarantee a solid enlargement in the hereafter, market incursion scheme would foremost be considered. In add-on, as the fiscal service sector is public presentation good, it is the right clip to beef up this market in order to win more net income to back up the company ‘s operation. 5.1.3 Feasibility Feasibility is concerned with whether an organisation has the resources and competencies to present a scheme[ 34 ]. Ford Company ‘s fiscal public presentation can be found now non such satisfied. Harmonizing to company ‘s one-year study ( 2006 )[ 48 ], the company is seen a downward tendency. Both the gross revenues and the market portion are found declined. As a consequence of this, the company ‘s developing scheme may face troubles. The company would non hold sufficient financess to back up its merchandise development schemes every bit good as the international enlargement scheme. Besides, The rival ‘s state of affairs is an of import factor that would impact the company ‘s scheme. Although most of Ford ‘s chief challengers such as Volkswagen, Renault and Peugeot have besides found diminution, the Nipponese car manufacturer Toyota still in growing[ 76 ]. And Toyota is the major challenger that compete with Ford on its most possible intercrossed vehicle market[ 77 ]. This state of affairs would consequence the merchandise development of the Ford Company, as a consequence, the company should take action to forestall farther diminution in order to keep strength to vie with its challengers. 5.2 Strategic Control After critical evaluating of the company scheme and comparing the existent public presentation with coveted consequences, feedback would be bring forth for direction in order to make up one's mind how to take disciplinary actions[ 52 ]. After experienced a hard twelvemonth in 2006, Ford Company is taking dramatic stairss to transform its concern by bettering cost construction, raising merchandise quality, obtaining funding and replenishing merchandise line with new vehicles[ 48 ]. The company hoped that good consequences could be seen through these strategic controls. Besides, Ford ‘s regional operations that run as mostly independent concern units in the yesteryear are considered to be changed due to inefficiencies past systems. In December 2006, the company announced an organisational realignment that purpose to better operation effectivity had puts extra focal point on markets and clients and accent on better leveraging its planetary assets and capablenesss[ 48 ]. By sharing vehicle architectures and constituents globally, and taking full advantage of planetary economic systems of graduated table, the company will leverage its resources worldwide more expeditiously[ 48 ]. In add-on, because of the bad public presentation in the North America Market, the company has decided to repair its concern in that country. A $ 5 billion decrease in one-year operating costs by 2008 would be put into consequence. At the same clip, the company is speed uping new merchandise development, it is said that it will rush up the clip it takes new merchandises to market by 30 to 50 per centum[ 48 ]. And the most recent determination made by Ford Company that to sell Jaguar and Land Rover is another methods to do money which can used to reconstitute the company ‘s North American operation because it conveying the company one million millions of financess if they successfully sell the two trade names. VI. Recommendation Based from pervious analysis and rating of Ford Company ‘s schemes, here comes some recommendations. On business-level scheme, it should maintain on prehending chances of new concern and by utilizing its advantages on corporate graduated table to spread out concern country. Opportunities exist non merely in its traditional markets in those western states, large potency can be found in other part such as Latin America and Asia. Besides, the fiscal service sector is found full of possible, so accent could be put in this country in order to bring forth more financess to back up its car sector. Besides, the company should beef up its nucleus concern, new merchandises that are more cost-efficient and typical could be concentrated on in order to hike the gross revenues and grosss by get the better ofing challengers ‘ . Besides, some star concern of the company should still be paid attending to, such as to maintain Ford ‘s market place in China, strengthen the gross revenues of 2006 best marketer such as Ford Fiesta, Mondeo, Focus in the European market[ 82 ], do attempt to maintain these theoretical accounts being the market leader. Meanwhile, production cost should be purely controlled to accomplish higher border. Some programs that focus on a comparatively little market such as the intercrossed vehicles would be postponed after the company ‘s public presentation is turnaround to positive. In add-on, if the merchandising of Land Rover and Jaguar still can non obtain adequate capital to carry through the deficient financess to reconstitute the North America operation, the company would hold to take to sell Volvo in order to buoy up the load of operate such a large company and bring forth adequate money to go on its concern. VII.CONCLUSION After a elaborate analysis of the Ford Motor Company, decision may pull at that the transnational company adheres its mission and vision, through consistent schemes every bit good as the go oning planetary development to accomplish its concern ends and aims. Although its recent old ages ‘ bad public presentation had brought some troubles to the company, strategic alterations ‘start with a solid foundation of squad work and an firm focal point on client ‘[ 48 ]would hopefully convey dramatic consequences. The overall development of Ford Company ‘s scheme and the manner of commanding its concern can be learned from many facets. II. Porter ‘s 5 Forces Critique Porter[ 35 ]provinces that the cardinal facet of a company ‘s environment is the industry it competes because of industry construction has a strong influence on finding the competitory regulations and the company ‘s schemes. He besides points out that outside forces normally affect all the houses in the industry, which depends on five basic competitory forces ( figure 2 ) . Beginning: Porter, M. ( 1980 ) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Rivals, MacMillan. Harmonizing to this model, the strength of competition determines a house ‘s profitableness potency whereas the possible net incomes are determined by the comparative bargaining power of the houses and their clients and providers in the industry[ 80 ]. Harmonizing to McGee ‘s[ 81 ]thought, these are five cardinal forces that influence the attraction of the industry and impact its profitableness. III.Value Chain A value concatenation ( see figure 3 ) links a set of value-creating activities that begin with natural stuffs, and from providers so move on to some valued-added bring forthing and selling activities, and at the terminal the distributers get the concluding goods so pass to the manus of the consumer[ 52 ]. A systematic analysis of single value activities can take to a better apprehension of a administration ‘s capableness[ 52 ]. IV. Ansoff Matrix Harmonizing to Jobber[ 6 ], Anosoff Matrix is a utile method to analyze growing chances. By uniting present and new merchandises, and present and new market into a 2Ãâ€"2 matrix, four merchandise schemes known as market incursion or enlargement, market development, merchandise development and variegation are revealed ( see figure 4 ) . V. The Boston Consulting Group Growth-Share Matrix Harmonizing to Jobber[ 6 ], BCG matrix ( see figure 5 ) provides guidelines for strategic thought. By measuring the place of a concern in its industry, a company can get down to see the appropriate strategic aim for each line every bit good as the investing precedences. Figure 5 The Boston Consulting Group Growth-Share Matrix Beginning[ 78 ]: Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. ( 1999 )Researching Corporate Strategy, 5th edition, Harlow: Fiscal Times-Prentice Hallway Mention [ 1 ] Ford Motor Company website & lt ; www.ford.com & gt ; ( entree on 20 July ) [ 2 ] Ford Motor Company UK web site & lt ; www.ford.co.uk & gt ; ( entree on 20 July ) [ 3 ] Gu, Y. ( 2002 ) ‘Overview of universe car industry ‘ inWorld Manufacturing Engineering & A ; Market,04/2002, p42-43. [ 4 ] Zhang, Z. ( 2003 ) ‘Developing tendencies on universe car industry in the early old ages of the twenty-first century ‘ inWorld Manufacturing Engineering & A ; Market,04/2003, p35-36. [ 5 ] Finlay, P. ( 2000 )Strategic Management: an debut to Business and Corporate scheme, Harlow: Fiscal Times-Prentice Hall. [ 6 ] Jobber, D. ( 2004 )Principles and Practice of Marketing, 4th edition, Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. [ 7 ] Crowhurst, G. ( 2006 ) ‘The Environmental Liability Directive: A UK Perspective. ‘ in European Environmental Law Review, Vol.15, Issue 10, p266-276. [ 8 ] DieselNet web site, ‘Emission Standard ‘ & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.dieselnet.com/standards/eu/ld.php & gt ; ( accessed on 24 March 2007 ) [ 9 ] Yin, T. ( 2005 ) ‘An Introduction to the American Emission Regulation for Motorcycles Runing on Expressway ‘ inMotorcycle Technology, 07/2005, p24-25. [ 10 ] ‘The UK authorities ‘s Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge. ‘ inAutomotive Engineer, Vol.29, Issue 2, Feb 2004, p34-34. [ 11 ] Petrolprices web site, ‘fuel revenue enhancement ‘ & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.petrolprices.com/fuel-tax.html & gt ; ( accessed on 24 March 2007 ) [ 12 ] GTZ study: International Fuel Prices 2007 [ 13 ] Beams, N. ( 2007 ) After strong growing, universe economic system at a turning point & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wsws.org/articles/2007/apr2007/grow-a24.shtml & gt ; ( entree on 24 July ) [ 14 ] Counihan, G.. ( 2006 ) ‘COMMENT ‘ in Finweek, 6/29/2006, p110. [ 15 ] ‘Global trading — planetary funding. ‘ in Works Management, Vol.60, Issue 5, May2007, p10. [ 16 ] Stokes, B. ( 2006 ) ‘Jobless Globalization ‘ in National Journal, Vol.38, Issue 23, 6/10/2006, p58. [ 17 ] Pogge, T. ( 2005 ) ‘Real World Justice. ‘ in Journal of Ethics, Vol.9, Issue 1/2, Jan2005, p29-5. [ 18 ] Jackson, S. ( 2007 ) ‘Empires of the MIND. ‘ in Presidency, Vol.10, Issue 1, Winter2007, p14-19. [ 19 ] Francis, D. ( 1998 ) ‘Population Growth Slows, and Aged Ranks Rise. ‘ in Christian Science Monitor, Vol.90, Issue 234, 10/28/98, p6. [ 20 ] Potts, M. ( 2007 ) ‘Population and environment in the 21st century. ‘ in Population & A ; Environment, Vol.28, Issue 4/5, Mar2007, p204-211. [ 21 ] Geerlings, H. , Klementschitz, R. and Mulley, C. ( 2006 ) ‘Development of a methodological analysis for benchmarking public transit administrations: a practical tool based on an industry sound methodological analysis. ‘ in Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol.14, Issue 2, Jan2006, p113-123. [ 22 ] European Environment Agency ( 2003 ) ‘Europe ‘s environment: the 3rd appraisal ‘ inEnvironmental assessment study No.10,Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. [ 23 ] BBC web site, ‘parking ‘ & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/C2332 & gt ; ( accessed on 26 March 2007 ) [ 24 ] Department of conveyance, ‘Road Casualties Great Britain: 2005 one-year study ‘ . [ 25 ] Brad, A. and Jonathan, F. ( 2005 ) ‘Toward Inherently Secure and Resilient Societies ‘ . inScience, Vol.309, Issue 5737, p1034-1036. [ 26 ] ‘Consider the options ‘ , in Economist, Vol.375, Issue 8424, Particular subdivision, 4/30/2005, p21-24. [ 27 ] Di Pascoli, S. , Femia, A. and Luzzati, T. ( 2001 ) ‘Natural gas, autos and the environment. A comparatively ‘clean ‘ and inexpensive fuel looking for users ‘ , in Ecological Economicss, Vol.38, Issue 2, p179. [ 28 ] Lewin, T. ( 2006 ) ‘Hydrogen inches toward mass market ‘ . in Automotive News, Vol.81, Issue 6227, p22. [ 29 ] ‘VW marks foremost solar power trade. ‘ in Automotive Engineer, Vol.31, Issue 2, Feb2006, p10. [ 30 ] Wernle, B. and Bolduc, D. ( 2004 ) ‘Auto design enters a new aureate age ‘ , in Automotive News, Vol.78, Issue 6099, p20. [ 31 ] Frank, R. ( 2004 ) ‘Safety Rules the Road ‘ , in Design News, Vol.60, Issue 14, p73-76. [ 32 ] Obradovic, D. , Lenz, H. and Schupfner, M. ( 2007 ) ‘Fusion of Sensor Data in Siemens Car Navigation System ‘ , in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Vol.56, Issue 1, p43-50. [ 33 ] Hooley, G.. , Saunders, J.and Piercy, N. ( 1998 ) Marketing Strategy & A ; Competitive Positioning, Second edition, Harlow: Prentice Hall. [ 34 ] Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. ( 1993 ) Researching Corporate Strategy, 3rd edition, Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall. [ 35 ] Poter, M. ( 1980 ) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Rivals, MacMillan. [ 36 ] Automotive Fore

International Environmental Law and Developing Nations Essay

The global environment, in its magnificent entireness, is unburdened by boundaries that distance peoples and communities on the ground, created by manmade issues of race, language, and religion or through greed, conquest and political machination. Man, despite his many victories over nature is helpless in the face of universal natural forces and unable to protect the limited environs of his homeland from global environmental developments. While this ensures that even the most powerful nations are not able to restrict natural forces like the rains and the winds, it also leads to the effects of environmental degradation in one area manifesting themselves in peculiar ways in distant locations. Sulphur emissions in one country cause acid rain in another. Depletion of the ozone layer from CFCs used in one nation can lead to skin cancer on the opposite side of the world. The global environment is an integrated, yet evolving system. Such drivers of environmental change as population pressure and pollution know no boundaries; in fact the waste generated from such phenomena is released into the global commons of the seas and the air. When forests are cut down the ensuing carbon sequestration hastens global climate change. This is however only part of the devastation that occurs because forests also perform a variety of other ecosystem services, which include improving air quality, enriching soil, providing renewable resources, regulating hydrology, and contributing to biodiversity. The occurrence of many such natural phenomena are choked and their benefits lost when peoples and communities act unthinkingly and under the belief that their natural resources are theirs to do with as they please. (Barrett, 2005) Recent decades have seen the emergence of a global agreement amongst nations to act together to resist further environmental depredation and promote sustainable development, which in turn has resulted in the signing of numerous treaties and the enactment of laws concerning diverse environmental issues. While treaties and laws have been agreed upon and signed, their actual implementation has been inadequate due to reasons that include differing perceptions of individual nations about the various provisions of these agreements and their potential to impact national or regional objectives, as well as available infrastructure, systems and resources. (Victor, 2001) This assignment aims to delve into and investigate the reasons for these differences, especially the ones that exist between developing and developed nations, the impact of these issues upon global and regional environmental conditions and the actions needed to correct the situation. 2. Commentary International law has become very relevant to the environment in recent decades. Most nations, including Australia have entered into various treaties, conventions and agreements, many of them at the initiative of the United Nations. Important treaties signed since the beginning of the eighties include the Montreal Protocol on the Ozone Layer, the Convention on the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Heritage Convention and the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change. The task of governing these treaties and safeguarding these enormously complex ecosystems falls on a number of local and international organizations, the most important of which is the United Nations Environment Programme, a key UN body entrusted with the task of coordinating the work of different organizations and gathering information. (Barrett, 2005) With more than 150 international much hyped treaties covering practically every aspect of life on earth, air and sea and providing for their protection from hazardous waste, deforestation, over fishing and other forms of depredation, the world should have by now become environmentally very safe. However even as extensive international action on working out treaties and agreements takes place, the actual position on the ground remains vastly different. Most of the provisions of these international laws exist only on paper, the constraints of international diplomacy and relations making them virtually irrelevant. (Mastny & French, 2002) The controversy surrounding the Kyoto Protocol represents the diverse issues raised by different nations that lead to differences of opinion, disagreements and finally delays in carrying out much needed environmental actions. The Kyoto Protocol was drawn up in Japan in 1997 to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its objective being to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by establishing reduction targets and by developing national programmes and policies. It binds industrialised nations to reduce worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases by an average of 5. 2% below their 1990 levels. Whilst a number of developed nations have ratified the treaty and committed their governments to achieving the set targets, the US has gone back on its earlier commitment (given in 2001), and President Bush has stated that the US will never sign the treaty. Even as negotiations are underway for enlarging the number of ratifying countries, strong opposition to ratifying the treaty still remains in Australia. While both the US and Australian administrations argue that the potential costs of implementing Kyoto make it detrimental to economic growth, they also feel Kyoto to be fundamentally flawed as it excludes developing countries, which account for 80 % of the world’s population, and whose carbon emissions will inevitably grow as they develop. Both China and India are exempt from Kyoto targets because of their low per capita emissions and their development needs. The fact that the US accounts for 25 % of global greenhouse emissions today and that Australia has one of the highest per capita emissions in the world has not dented the resolve of these counties not to ratify the treaty. (Shaffner, 2007)

Write To Be Scanned

Write To Be Scanned Write To Be Scanned Write To Be Scanned By Michael Writing for the computer screen is different than writing for the printed page. There is actually a physiological difference between the two reading materials. Paper, as youve noticed, doesnt flicker (unless its on fire). If you need more light to read by, you can always turn on another light or move closer to the window. But a computer screen does flicker. How fast it flickers is called the refresh rate, and the refresh rate of most monitors is set too low by detault. And if you aim another light at your computer screen, youll only get more glare. All this means that the eyes of your readers will tire out faster when they read from their computer monitor. So people will be anxious to read faster. In the old days, you could pore over the latest letter from your grandmother over a cup of tea. Dont expect your customers to sip tea while they read your sales letter, unless youre a very captivating writer. What is the best way to write for the screen? Write short. Get to the point. Say it quickly. Use the inverted pyramid style of writing, like a reporter does. Write in lists. Use bullets those little marks that begin each line in this list. Or if youre writing instructions (a form of technical writing), discuss each step in order and use numbered lists instead of bulleted lists. Write to be scanned. Most people who read computer screens are looking for information. Help them to find the information as soon as possible. You may think you should hide the juicy bits within a flowing, glowing sales pitch (such as your price and how to order) in hopes your potential customer will read all of it. But if you dont provide the information your reader wants before they get impatient, they will go somewhere else. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsTop 11 Writing Apps for iOS (iPhone and iPad)How Do You Pronounce "Mozart"?

Rise and Fall of Nazi Officer Franz Stangl

Rise and Fall of Nazi Officer Franz Stangl Franz Stangl, nicknamed The White Death, was an Austrian Nazi who served as director of the Treblinka and Sobibor death camps in Poland during World War II. Under his co-direction, it is estimated that more than 1 million people were gassed and buried in mass graves. After the war, Stangl fled Europe, first to Syria and then to Brazil. In 1967, he was tracked down by Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal and extradited to Germany, where he was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died from a heart attack in prison in 1971. Stangl as a Youth Franz Stangl was born in Altmuenster, Austria, on March 26, 1908. As a young man, he worked in textile factories, which would help him find employment later while on the run. He joined two organizations: the Nazi party and the Austrian police. When Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the ambitious young policeman joined the Gestapo and soon impressed his superiors with his cold efficiency and willingness to follow orders. Stangl and Aktion T4 In 1940, Stangl was assigned to Aktion T4, a Nazi program designed to improve the Aryan master race gene pool by weeding out the infirm. Stangl was assigned to the Hartheim Euthanasia Center near Linz, Austria. Germans and Austrian citizens who were deemed unworthy were euthanized, including those born with birth defects, the mentally ill, alcoholics, those with Down’s syndrome and other illnesses. The prevailing theory was that those with defects were draining the resources from society and polluting the Aryan race. At Hartheim, Stangl proved that he had the proper combination of attention to detail, organizational skill and absolute indifference to the suffering of those he deemed inferior. Aktion T4 was eventually suspended after indignation from German and Austrian citizens. Stangl at Sobibor Death Camp After Germany had invaded Poland, the Nazis had to figure out what to do with the millions of Polish Jews, who were considered subhuman according to the racial policy of Nazi Germany. The Nazis built three death camps in eastern Poland: Sobibor, Treblinka, and Belzec. Stangl was assigned as chief administrator of the Sobibor death camp, which was inaugurated in May 1942. Stangl served as camp director until his transfer in August. Trains carrying Jews from all over Eastern Europe arrived at the camp. Train passengers arrived, were systematically stripped, shaved and sent to the gas chambers to die. It is estimated in the three months that Stangl was at Sobibor, 100,000 Jews died under Stangl’s watch. Stangl at Treblinka Death Camp Sobibor was running very smoothly and efficiently, but the Treblinka death camp was not. Stangl was reassigned to Treblinka to make it more efficient. As the Nazi hierarchy had hoped, Stangl turned the inefficient camp around. When he arrived, he found corpses strewn about, little discipline among the soldiers and inefficient killing methods. He ordered the place cleaned up and made the train station attractive so that incoming Jewish passengers would not realize what was going to happen to them until it was too late. He ordered the construction of new, larger gas chambers and raised the killing capacity of Treblinka to an estimated 22,000 per day. He was so good at his job that he was awarded the honor â€Å"Best Camp Commandant in Poland† and awarded the Iron Cross, one of the highest Nazi honors. Stangl Assigned to Italy and Return to Austria Stangl was so efficient at administrating the death camps that he put himself out of work. By the middle of 1943, most of the Jews in Poland were either dead or hiding. The death camps were no longer needed. Anticipating the international outrage to the death camps, the Nazis bulldozed the camps and tried to hide the evidence as best they could. Stangl and other camp leaders like him were sent to the Italian front in 1943; it was hypothesized that it may have been a way to try and kill them off. Stangl survived the battles in  Italy and returned to Austria in 1945, where he stayed until the war ended. Flight to Brazil As an SS officer, the genocidal terror squad of the Nazi Party, Stangl attracted the attention of the Allies after the war and spent two years in an American internment camp. The Americans did not seem to realize who he was. When Austria began to show interest in him in 1947, it was due to his involvement in Aktion T4, not for the horrors that took place in Sobibor and Treblinka. He escaped in 1948 and made his way to Rome, where pro-Nazi bishop Alois Hudal helped him and his friend Gustav Wagner escape. Stangl first went to Damascus, Syria, where he easily found work in a textile factory. He prospered and was able to send for his wife and daughters. In 1951, the family moved to Brazil and settled in So Paulo. Turning up the Heat on Stangl Throughout his travels, Stangl did little to hide his identity. He never used an alias and even registered with the Austrian embassy in Brazil. By the early 1960s, although he felt safe in Brazil, it had to have been clear to Stangl that he was a wanted man. Fellow Nazi Adolf Eichmann was snatched off a Buenos Aires street in 1960 before being taken to Israel, tried and executed. In 1963, Gerhard Bohne, another former officer associated with Aktion T4, was indicted in Germany; he would eventually be extradited from Argentina. In 1964, 11 men who had worked for Stangl at Treblinka were tried and convicted. One of them was Kurt Franz, who had succeeded Stangl as commander of the camp.   Nazi Hunter Wiesenthal on the Chase Simon Wiesenthal, the well-known concentration camp survivor, and Nazi hunter had a long list of Nazi war criminals he  wanted to be brought  to justice, and Stangl’s name was near the top of the list. In 1964, Wiesenthal got a tip  that Stangl was living in Brazil and working at a Volkswagen factory in So Paulo. According to Wiesenthal, one of the tips came from a former Gestapo officer, who demanded to be paid one penny for every Jew killed at Treblinka and Sobibor. Wiesenthal estimated that 700,000 Jews had died in those camps, so the total for the tip came to $7,000, payable if and when Stangl was captured. Wiesenthal eventually paid the informant. Another tip to Wiesenthal concerning Stangl’s whereabouts may have come from Stangl’s former son-in-law. Arrest and Extradition Wiesenthal pressured Germany to issue a request to Brazil for the arrest and extradition of Stangl. On February 28, 1967, the ex-Nazi was arrested in Brazil as he returned from a bar with his adult daughter. In June, Brazilian courts ruled that he should be extradited and shortly thereafter he was put on a plane for West Germany. It took German authorities three years to bring him to trial. He was charged with the deaths of 1.2 million people. Trial and Death Stangl’s trial began on May 13, 1970. The prosecution’s case was well-documented and Stangl did not contest most of the accusations. He instead relied on the same line prosecutors had been hearing since the Nuremberg Trials, that he was only â€Å"following orders.† He was convicted on December 22, 1970, of complicity in the deaths of 900,000 people and sentenced to life in prison. He died of a heart attack in prison on June 28, 1971, about six months after his conviction. Before he died, he gave a long interview to Austrian writer Gitta Sereny. The interview sheds some light on how Stangl was able to commit the atrocities he did. He repeatedly said that his conscience was clear because he had come to see the endless train cars of Jews as nothing more than cargo. He said he did not hate Jews personally but was proud of the organizational work he had done in the camps. In the same interview, he mentioned that his former colleague Gustav Wagner was hiding in Brazil. Later, Wiesenthal would track Wagner down and have him arrested, but the Brazilian government never extradited him.   Unlike some of the other Nazis, Stangl did not appear to relish the killing he oversaw. There are no accounts of him ever murdering anyone personally like fellow camp commander Josef Schwammberger or Auschwitz â€Å"Angel of Death† Josef Mengele. He wore a whip while at the camps, which he apparently seldom used it, although there were very few eyewitnesses who survived the Sobibor and Treblinka camps to verify it. There is no doubt, however, that Stangl’s institutionalized slaughter ended the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Wiesenthal claimed to have brought 1,100 former Nazis to justice. Stangl was by far the â€Å"biggest fish† that the famous Nazi hunter ever caught. Sources Simon Wiesenthal Archive. Franz Stangl. Walters, Guy. Hunting Evil: the Nazi War Criminals Who Escaped and the Quest to Bring them to Justice. 2010: Broadway Books.