Sprungli family business analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sprungli family business analysis - Essay Example This was possible since Rodolphe Lindt used the â€Å"conche† which he had introduced so as to produce chocolate which is loved and cherished to this modern day and age. He blended delicate flavor which grew and became reputable globally as Swiss chocolate (Coady, 2006). The original Spungli business eventually split up into two distinct companies namely the Lindt and Spungli business which is a public company with the other one being the family run branch known as Spungli confectionary. The division of the Company particularly took place in 1879 when Rudolf Spungli decided to devide his company between his sons David Robert and Johann Rudolf. David Robert became the owner of the family run branch known as Spungli confectionary that is today known as the Confiserie Sprà ¼ngli  while Johann Rudolf gained ownership of the Lindt and Spungli business which is eventually became a public company. However, in 1899, Sprungli family company and business which was called the â€Å"Chocolat Sprungli AG† received the request of acquiring the Rodolphe Lindt business which was smaller in stature but reputable and massive in taste and quality of chocolate which it produced. This paper critically analyzes the Sprungli family business with specific focus t o is background, history, current challenges, succession issues as well as recommendations for parallel planning process. Spungli Confectionary families run business also popularly known Confiserie Sprà ¼ngli  is the remnant of the original company started by David Sprungli in 1845. It is the initial stage where the founder and owner manage the business since it is relatively small in capital base or number of customers. In the year 1859, one of its subsidiaries in Paradeplatz grew in stature and might to become one of the famous, renowned and loved pastries and chocolate meeting points. This was the stance where the business was

Micro Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Micro Economics - Essay Example The maximization of profits by a monopolist is shown in the diagram below. The necessary condition is that the marginal cost equals the marginal revenue and the sufficient condition is that the marginal cost curve has a greater slope than the marginal revenue curve at the intersection (Koutsoyiannis, 1975). Observe since the equilibrium price is higher than the average cost of production the equilibrium output, the monopolist makes a profit. This profit is shown as the shaded region in the diagram. Figure 1:Monopolist's equilibrium A typical reason for monopoly to occur is increasing returns to scale. If a particular firm has increasing returns to scale in any particular commodity, it has a natural advantage over any other firms in that market. This situation is known as natural monopoly. Monopoly can also occur through government regulation. There can be particular sectors in the economy that government run institutions run. Private entrepreneurship is not allowed. It may also be th ese industries require so high overhead costs private producers can’t afford it. The biggest disadvantage of monopoly is that it leads to exploitation of consumers. Particularly, this is true if the monopolist uses price discrimination to extract the entire consumers’ surplus. However, as first argued by Schumpeter (1950), the monopolist’s extraction of surplus is essential for economic growth. In competitive markets, the producers have to be content with zero profits. Investment returns are normal. Consequentially, the firm cannot invest in research and development which drives technological growth and innovation. However, since the monopolist is able to derive a surplus, it can invest this in research and development funds to attain technological competence. This is crucial for the monopolist or other big firms in order to retain their status as market leaders. And typically, technological innovation is what drives economic growth since it enables the resource s of the economy to become more productive thereby breaking free of capacity constraints (Varian, 2006). Therefore, an economy can have benefits as well as damages if a monopolist is in charge of a particular market. Monopolistic competition however is a market which combines features of Monopoly as well as perfect competition. Monopolistic competition is a market comprising of numerous buyers and sellers. However, unlike perfect competition, here products are differentiated. Every seller thus is a monopolist for his own product (Ison & Stuart, 2006). The producers now are not mere price takers. They simultaneously set price and quantity to maximize prices. However, entry is costless and therefore as long as there are positive profits, new firms enter the industry. As a result, monopolistically competitive firms can only earn zero profits in the long run equilibrium (Varian, 2006). Typically, monopolistically competitive markets are what we observe the most in the real world (Koutso yiannis, 1975). Markets start off with very few producers, but attracted by profits new firms enter. As competition intensifies, firms try to differentiate their products through advertising or introducing new varieties. The biggest advantage of monopolistic competition is that firms offer horizontally as well as vertically differentiated products and this results in better matches with consumer preferences. In the long run, there are no barriers to entering or exiting the market. As long as firms make supernormal profits, new firms

Climate Change Mitigation Strategies: UNFCCC and India

Climate Change Mitigation Strategies: UNFCCC and India From UNFCCC Goals to India Abstract: Climate Change has the potential to alter the ability of the earths physical and biological systems to provide goods and services essential for sustainable development. Recognition of Climate Change as a significant global environmental challenge has a recent origin. International efforts to address the climate change formally began only a decade ago with the adoption of United Nations Framework Convention to Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992. India is a party to UNFCCC and the government of India attaches great importance to climate change issue. India is a vast country covering 3.28 million Km2 with diverse surface features and supports 16.2 percent of the global human population. Endowed with varied soils, climate, biodiversity and ecological regimes, under diverse natural conditions and over a billion people speaking different languages, following different religions and living in rural and urban areas, India is an example for a complex yet successful democratic system. Decentralization of powers through local government, to benefit the grass root level is another significant feature of Indian Government. The 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts, 1992, of the Constitution of India have endowed vast powers to local governments at rural and urban levels respectively. Indias commitments to mitigate climate change are reflected in the essence of these two acts and the working and powers given to the local government. This paper explains and brings to picture how climate change mitigation strategies are filtered in Indian System right from the UNFCCC goals to The Government of India and further to smaller levels of local governments. The paper will explain the hierarchy and working of Indian governance system and highlights the climate change initiatives within this system. The paper will also analyze the constraints and gaps in the institutional setup at local level, which, if rectified, would give more successful results in Climate Change Mitigation Mission of the Government of India. Introduction: Over a decade ago most countries joined an international treaty- The United Nations Convention on Climate Change so as to consider the impacts of climate change and to work for adaptation and mitigation initiatives for secure future and sustainable development. The convention, commonly known as the UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994. The ultimate objective of The convention is stabilizing green house gas emissions at a lower level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate systems. Under the convention the governments- Gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices Launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries. Cooperate in preparing the adaptation to the impacts of climate change. In 1997, the Kyoto protocol came into being, which shared the conventions objectives, principles and institutions and also significantly strengthened the convention by committing the parties to individual and specially; â€Å"legally binding targets† to limit or reduce climate change. The text of the Kyoto Protocol was adopted unanimously in 1997; and it entered into force on 16 February 2005. India is signatory to various multilateral environmental agreements, including The Montreal Protocol, The convention on Biological diversity, the United nations Convention to combat desertification ,including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) .Government of India attaches great importance to climate change issues. Eradication of poverty, avoiding risks to food production, and sustainable development are three principles embedded in the Convention. At present, information provided in the Indias Initial National Communication to the UNFCCC is in terms of guidelines prescribed for Parties not included in Annex I to the UNFCCC and the inventory is prepared for the base year 1994. India is a vast country. It covers 3.28 million km2 of area having diverse surface features. Also, it occupies only 2.4 percent of the worlds geographical area, but supports 16.2 per cent of the global human population. The country is endowed with varied soils, climate, biodiversity and ecological regimes. â€Å"Under such diverse natural conditions, over a billion people speaking different languages, following different religions and living in rural and urban areas, live in harmony under a democratic system†( India NATCOM,2004). Climate Change Negotiations Global warming issue became a part of the international agenda in 1988. The climate issue, initiated by the small island nation Malta, came up at the UN General Assembly in December 1988, as part of a discussion on the common heritage of mankind. The resolution set up a preparatory committee to work towards an international agreement. The concern for global warming particularly by the industrialized countries geared up since then and climate politics came into being and were refined with a series of international conferences and formal negotiations that followed. The momentum culminated in the signing of a Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) and opened for signatures at the Rio Earth Summit in June, 1992. The FCCC aims at stabilization of greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Subsequently, the parties to the FCCC adopted the Kyoto Protocol in December, 1997. However, the developing nations see the Protocol as burdened with loopholes because of the fact that it emphasizes on the economic concerns, rather than ecological or social justice. The main area of dispute between the developed countries and the developing countries lies in the sectors pertaining to equity and sustainability. However, the operational details of the Kyoto Protocol have now been finalised after intensive deliberations at Marrakech, on November 10, 2001, which was participated by 171 countries . The protocol has been guided by Article 3.0 of the FCCC, and marks the first global attempt to place legally binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions from developed countries. The Protocol calls for 5.2% reduction from their 1990 level of GHG emissions by the developed countries during the period 2008-2012. It also specifies the amount each country must contribute toward meeting the reduction goal. Nations with the highest CO2 emissions like the United States, Japan and most European nations are expected to reduce emissions by a range of 6 to 8 per cent. By 2005, all industrialized nations that ratify the accord must also show demonstrable progress toward fulfilling their respective commitments under the Protocol. Some issues that add to the complexity of the Kyoto Protocol: Considerations for baseline and its effects The target of 5.2% reduction beyond 1990 level in the commitment period 2008-2012, were dependent on 1990 emissions. This meant that if a country which had high emissions in 1990 and had reduced them between 1990 and thereafter, then it could actually increase its emission once again, or only stabilize these, and not carry out any reductions. As an example one can analyse the case of Australia. In 1990, as much as 30 percent of the emissions were from deforestation, which eventually became a blessing for the country for, instead of penalizing for creating the problem in the first place, Australia has been able to use its emission to its advantage, by winning the right to count any improvement from its 1990 level as its national credit. And as its deforestation rate has been controlled, it actually can increase its emission above and beyond the figure of 8 percent it is expected to reduce. On the other hand, USA and Japan were lobbying hard to change the date of baseline from 1990 to 1995. The reason for this lies in the fact that both the countries have made a significant increase in carbon emissions between 1990 and 1995. Flexible mechanisms The Kyoto Protocol includes three mechanisms Art.6 (Joint Implementation), Art.12 (Clean Development Mechanism) and Art.17 (Emissions Trading), These mechanisms are meant to pave an explicit way for developed countries to meet their Kyoto targets easily. The cheapest and the most attractive option for meeting the emission targets of the North (i.e developed countries-Annexe I) being the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) that will be operated on the project basis invested in the South (i.e under developed countries). This implies that, as global warming is bound to be unsolved even by the end of this century, the South would have to pay a heavy price in future once they have reached a high level of energy efficiency through means like CDM. For by then the cost of carbon cutting will be very high even for the developing countries, which would eventually have to do the carbon cutting on their own. The next issue comes on the question of energy-efficient technology, which the North wishes to push to the South through CDM. As technology up-gradation is a continuous process, hence what is the most efficient technology at the time of implementation of the CDM project, may be obsolete within few years that follows. Principle of equity: the Kyoto Protocol does not define the rights and responsibilities of all nations within a reasonable frame. So long as the world remains within a carbon based energy economy, equitable sharing of the atmosphere shall remain a critical issue, especially for poor developing countries who need a maximum space for their future economic growth. The Kyoto reduction, by itself, is inadequate to achieve a stabilization of climate change by 2100. A continual and larger reduction, similar to that stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol for the 2008-2012 period, will be needed in the future in order to begin to stabilize long-term greenhouse gas emissions. Even if stabilization of greenhouse gases is achieved, global warming will still continue for several decades and sea levels will continue to rise for several centuries. This is because Even if the emissions from the developed countries were reduced to zero in the near future, the current trends of growing emissions from developing countries alone could force the atmospheric concentration to exceed stabilization levels of 550 ppm ( Parivesh, CPCB,2006). Thus, participation of all countries, including the developing countries such as India, is essential for a successful worldwide effort to arrest the growth of greenhouse gas emissions. India and Climate Change- The Threats and Vulnerability Climate Change is a major global environmental problem and an important issue because of diverse impacts not only ecological, but economic, social, political and physical in nature and content. It is a matter of great concern especially for developing countries like India who have limited capacity to develop and adopt strategies to reduce their vulnerability to changes in climate. Global, national and local level measures are need of the hour to combat the adverse impacts of climate change induced damages. â€Å"India being a developing country has low capacity to withstand the adverse impacts of climate change due to high dependence of majority of population on climate sensitive sectors as the agriculture, forestry and fisheries†,( Shukla, et.al, 2003). This is coupled with poor infrastructure facilities, weak institutional mechanisms and lack of financial resources. This is the reason why we are seriously concerned with the possible impacts of climate change. The possible impacts of climate change are mentioned below: Water stress and reduction in the availability of fresh water due to potential decline in rainfall. Threats to agriculture and food security, since agriculture is monsoon dependent and rain dependent agriculture dominates in many states. Shifts in area and boundary of different forest types and threats to biodiversity with adverse implications for forest-dependent communities. Adverse impact on natural ecosystems, such as wetlands, mangroves, grasslands and mountain ecosystems. Adverse impact of sea-level rise on coastal agriculture and settlements. Impact on human health due to the increase in vector and water-borne diseases, such as malaria. Increased energy requirements and impact on climate-sensitive industry and infrastructure. One of the various reasons for vulnerability of India depends on its typical and diverse climatic conditions. India is subject to a wide range of variation in climatic conditions from the freezing Himalayan winters in the north to the tropical climate of the southern peninsula, from the damp, rainy climate in the north-east to the arid Great Indian Desert in the north-west, and from the marine climates of its vast coastline and islands to the dry continental climate in the interior. The Indian summer monsoon is the most important feature in dictating meteorology of the Indian subcontinent and, hence, its economy. Almost all regions of the country receive entire annual rainfall during the summer monsoon (also called the SW monsoon), while some parts of the south-eastern states also receive rainfall during early winter from the north-east monsoon. Therefore, India could be more at risks than many other countries from changes in temperature and sea level. Models predict an average increase in temperature in India from 2.3 to 4.8  °C for the bench mark doubling of carbon dioxide scenario (Lonergan, World Bank Technical Paper No.402, 1998). Temperatures would rise more in Northern India than in Southern India. In the North Indian Ocean, under a doubling, the average number of tropical disturbance days could increase from 17 to 29 a year (Haarsma et.al Climate Dynamics, Vol.8, 1993); while, without protection, approximately 7 million people would be displaced, and 5,760 Km2 of land and 4,200 Km of road would be lost (Asthana, JNU, New Delhi, 1993). Further, in the Indian context, climate change could represent an additional stress on the ecological and socioeconomic system that are already facing tremendous pressure due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and economic development. Options for Mitigation â€Å"The ability to adapt to climate change depends on the level of income and technology, as well as the capacity of the system of governance and existing institutions to cope with change. The ability to mitigate GHG emissions depends on industrial structure (the mix of industrial activities), social structure (including, e.g., the distance people must travel to work or to engage in recreational activities), the nature of governance (especially the effectiveness of government policy), and the availability and cost of alternatives. In short, what is feasible at the national level depends significantly on what can be done at the subnational, local, and various sectoral levels†(Climate Change 2001: Working group III: Mitigation; IPCC,2001).The challenges of climate change mitigation involve diverse issues economic, political, social and environmental. Governance is one of the prime issues in mitigation of climate change impacts. A structured governance system is the only tool through which any policy framework or initiative can be achieved. The importance or role of governance in mitigation thus can be described through its three pillars: Organizational Structure- Through governance the qualities of organization participation, transparency and accountability can be achieved in the mitigation exercise at all levels.. Financial Mobilization- This involves ensuring financial commitment globally, at national levels and also at local levels of the government Legal Framework- It ensures empowerment, enforcement and compliance of mitigative strategies and supporting environmental laws. As the National GHG inventory for India shows, the major increase in GHG emissions over the next 20 years would be related to energy consumption. As India has abundant coal deposits, it is beyond doubt that coal will be the dominant source of energy. Therefore, energy efficiency measures in this sector remain our prime concern. Power generation in India is expected to reach a peak demand of 176 GW by 2012, and the total energy requirement will be 1058 billion units (Parivesh, Central Pollution Control Board, 2006). This is why; increasing the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the form of low carbon options are the two main measures that can greatly reduce GHG emissions. We will now simultaneously specify what scientific mitigation tools for climate change are available for various sectors and the corresponding governance measures to actually target the process of mitigation. The energy sector: Fiscal incentives and taxes, voluntary emission reductions, green rating, and capacity building etc. Another area of importance is the transmission and distribution losses, which is energy loss. There is considerable scope of reducing losses, meant to translate into a large mitigation potential. Two major categories of Barriers hinder adoption of electricity conservation and demand management in India. a) Macro-level barrier At the level of governance system; either policy induced or due to lack of appropriate policies and; b) Micro-level barriers related to the consumers and the economic environment they face.This can be equated to lack of awareness about possible alternatives on the part of the consumers and lack of awareness drives on the part of the government. The forestry sector: IPCC Second Assessment Report categorizes three broad options for abatement viz. Conservation management: This strategy attempts to conserve the existing carbon storage capacity of forests by halting or slowing down forests deforestation and forests degradation. Storage management : This strategy attempts to increase carbon strategy in woody vegetation and soil in existing degraded forests, as well as to create new carbon sinks in areas where forests do not exists or have been cleared. These may be achieved by promoting natural regeneration, reforestation on deforested lands, aforrestation of non-forest lands and agro-forestry on crop and pastureland. Substitution management: This strategy attempts involves the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable fuel wood or other biomass products. Here, governance plays an important role based on it a capacity to generate and bring about changes in the management of forests and augmentation of use of renewable products. The agriculture sector: Methane emissions from rice cultivation remain the major contributor of GHG emissions. Other sources being enteric fermentation, manure management, agricultural soils etc. Abatement strategy in this sector in India can be achieved given the scientific expertise available in India, but require gearing up by proper governmental intervention at the level of ministry of agriculture, as far as policy initiatives are concern, and through local governments for implementation and monitoring. The industrial sector: As the national inventory of GHG shows, major contribution came from energy intensive sectors like iron steel, fertilizer, cement, aluminium, paper pulp etc. A few option available for energy efficient options in power, industrial and domestic sector are given as follows: Source: Teri, New Delhi. These can be supported by further subsidizing use of energy efficient options and where required made mandatory by the government under the periphery of the existing environmental laws of the country. Mitigation through sinks: Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by a number of processes that operate on different time scales, and is subsequently transferred to reservoirs or sinks. The Kyoto Protocol through its Ariticle 3.3 allows afforestation as a sink to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Further, Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol states that additional human induced activities in the agricultural soils and LULUCF categories may be added to the three mechanisms (Joint implementation, Clean Development mechanism and Emission trading) subject to certain conditions. In India, forestry is dominated by government based institutions. These institutions need new insight so that they can effectively incorporate mitigation policies and measures in their resource management activities. According to the central Pollution Control Board, India has been persistently implementing one of the largest reforestation programs in the tropics with over one million hectares planted annually. Nearly half of this reforestation is on degraded forests and village common land. It is estimated that the carbon uptake in forests, degraded forests, and plantations is estimated to offset the gross carbon emissions from the forests sector. Carbon dioxide emissions in India are projected to increase from no-net emissions in 1990 to 77 million tonnes by 2020( Parivesh, CPCB,2006). Barriers to mitigation: Greenhouse gas mitigation measures are compounded by several barriers inherent to the process of development. In India, inequitable distribution of income and wealth forms a core feature of barriers to effective implementation of any type of intervention in India, leave apart climate change. Available instruments to limit domestic GHG emissions can be categorized into market based instruments, regulatory instruments, and voluntary agreements. For the developing countries, however, domestic structural reforms and policies on trade liberalization and liberalization of energy markets act as barriers to GHG reduction. These policies coupled with macroeconomics, market oriented reforms, set the framework in which more specific climate policies would be implemented. The IPCC Special Report on technology Transfer (IPCC, 2000) identifies various important barriers that could impede environmental technology transfer, such as: lack of data, information, and knowledge, especially on emerging technologies; inadequate vision about the understanding of local needs and demands; high transaction costs and poor macro economic conditions; insufficient human and institutional capabilities; inappropriate technology adopted and Poor legal institutions and framework. These hold good for the overall barriers of mitigation in Indian Context also. In terms of governance and its intervention, technology transfer can be traded off with some of our own indigenous technologies. This will ensure equitable exchange and also promote indigenous Indian Science. National Policy for Climate Change Mitigation We, as present generation have inherited this environment and atmosphere from our ancestors. Further the consequences of climate change will be faced by our children in the future. And so it can be said that climate change is an inherently different and irreversible problem as compared to other environmental problems. Also, the assumption that prior experience of problems like air pollution has failed at many levels as a good model upon which policy decisions on climate can be based. Options to mitigate climate change include actual emission reductions carbon dioxide sequestration and investments in developing technologies that will make future reductions affordable and easily available since cheap relative to their current costs. Since the inception of UNFCC in 1992, the Govt. of India has been an active participant in the climate charge negotiations. India being a party to the UNFCC was the 38th country to ratify it on November 01, 1993. The Ministry of Environment Forests is the nodal Ministry for all environment related activities in the country and is the nodal Ministry for co-coordinating the climate charge policy as well. The working group on the FCCC was constituted to oversee the implementation of obligations under the FCCC and to act as a consultative mechanism in the Govt. for impacts to policy formulation on climate change. To enlarge the feedback mechanism the Govt. of India has constituted an Advisory group on climate charge under the chairmanship of the Minister of Environment Forests. Development of National Guidelines Policy Options for reducing GHG Emissions The national guidelines or framework for monitoring GHG emissions and policy options for reducing GHG should emphasize not only on issues associated with climate change but also include the following: Emission Forecasting Setting goals Policy criteria Policy evaluation Organizational and political issues Climate change and GHG emission and sequestration may include many sectors of society and extend far into the future. Furthermore, policy measures to address GHGs overlap with many other public policy objectives, however in a complimentary way. Policy formulations involve: Understanding the issues at hand, Having a broad vision of the range of actions that governments can take to address those issues, Selecting from within this the approaches that offer the most potential far achieving multiple public goals. More importantly, the policy formulation process must respond to local circumstances and must address institutional, fiscal, political, and other constraints. The Govt. of India has nevertheless addressed a large number of local and regional environmental issues in its developmental strategy that are complementary to the climate change issue. Institutional Arrangements So Far For Climate Change Related Strategies In Area of Research The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Ministry of Science and Technology (MST), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Ministry of Non Conventional Energy (MNES), Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Health and Family welfare (MoHFW), are the main ministries of the Government of India which promote and undertake climate and climate change-related research in the country. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is also am important agency involved in working of this area and is under the direct governance of the Prime Minister.It supports all the above agencies with satellite-based passive remote sensing. The MoEF, MST, MHRD and MOA operate under the umbrella of many premier national research laboratories and universities. The most prominent being the 40 laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), an autonomous body under the MST; and the vast network of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under the MOA. The CSIR is the national RD organization which provides scientific and industrial research for Indias economic growth and human welfare. It has a countrywide network of 40 laboratories and 80 field centers. The ICAR network includes institutes, bureaus, national research centers, The Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the MST coordinates advanced climatic and weather research and data collection over the Indian landmass. There are three premier institutions under DST that are solely dedicated to atmospheric science viz. the IMD, the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (NCMRWF) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). Apart from the Indian initiatives, climate change research promoted by international organizations like the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP), International Human Dimension Program (IHDP) and DIVERSITAS are being strongly supported by various Indian agencies like Indian Climate Research Program (ICRP) under DST, National Committee- International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (NC-IGBP) constituted by Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and Geosphere-Biosphere Program (GBP) of ISRO. Agencies like CSIR, also provides infra-structural and financial support to carry out research in the area of global change In Area of Development The single most important feature of our post-colonial experience is that the people of India have conclusively demonstrated their ability to forge a united nation despite its diversity, and to pursue development within the framework of a functioning, vibrant and pluralistic democracy. In this process, the democratic institutions have put down firm roots, which continue to gain strength and spread. A planned approach to development has been the central process of the Indian democracy, as reflected in the national five-year plans, state plans,departmental annual plans, and perspective plans of various ministries of the central and state governments. For the last five and a half decades, the guiding objectives of the Indian planning process have been sustained economic growth, poverty alleviation, food, health, education and shelter for all, containing population growth, employment generation, self-reliance, peoples participation in planning and programme implementation, and infrastruc ture development. The National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development, 1992, provides the basis for the integration of environmental considerations in the policies of various sectors. It aims at the achievement of sustainable lifestyles and the proper management and conservation of resources. The Policy Statement for Abatement of Pollution, 1992, stresses the prevention of pollution at the source, based on the ‘polluter pays principle. It encourages the use of the most appropriate technical solutions, particularly for the protection of heavily polluted areas and river stretches. The Forest Policy, 1988, highlights environmental protection through preservation and restoration of the ecological balance. The policy seeks to substantially increase the forest cover in the country through afforestation programmes. This environmental framework aims to take cognizance of the longer-term environmental perspective related to industrialization, power generation, transportation, mining, agriculture, irrigation and other such economic activities, as well as to address parallel concerns related to public health and safety. The statutory framework for the environment includes the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Other enactments include the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991, the National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995, and the National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997. The courts have also elaborated on the concepts relating to sustainable development, and the ‘polluter pays and ‘precautionary principles. In India, matters of public interest, particularly pertaining to the environment, are articulated effectively through a vigilant media, an active NGO community, and very importantly, through the judicial process which has recognized the citizens right to a clean environment as a component of the right to li

Opiates And The Law Essay -- essays research papers fc

Opiates And The Law   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Illicit drug use and the debate surrounding the various legal options available to the government in an effort to curtail it is nothing new to America. Since the enactment of the Harrison Narcotic Act in 1914 (Erowid) the public has struggled with how to effectively deal with this phenomena, from catching individual users to deciding what to do with those who are convicted (DEA). Complicating the issue further is the ever-expanding list of substances available for abuse. Some are concocted in basements or bathtubs by drug addicts themselves, some in the labs of multinational pharmaceutical companies, and still others are just old compounds waiting for society to discover them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Almost overnight one such venerable substance (or class of substances) has been catapulted into the national spotlight: prescription painkillers, namely those derived from the opium poppy. This class of analgesic encompasses everything from the codeine in prescription cough syrup to the morphine used in the management of sever pain. These compounds are commonly referred to as opiates and are produced naturally by the poppy. The sub-class of this type that has gotten all of the attention recently is the opioids, which are semi-synthetic compounds derived from the opiates (Wade 846). Opioids were developed for a variety of reasons, such as reducing the cost of production (morphine is expensive to synthesize) and attempting to reduce the addictiveness of the drugs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And addictive they are. Heroin is perhaps the best-known opioid around, and arguably one of the most addictive substances known to man. Opiates and opioids (hereafter generically referred to as opioids) function by attaching to receptor sites in the body called mu-receptors, which are primarily located in the brain and the digestive system. When these receptors are activated in the brain they produce a rush of euphoria and a groggy state of well being (it is interesting to note that studies have shown that this action does not eliminate the pain one is feeling, but merely changes ones’ perception of it) (Kalb). The body quickly becomes tolerant of this, however, and abuse frequently follows a steep dosage curve requiring that more and more of the drug be taken to produce the same effect. Long-term abusers develop... ...keep them from indulging their habit. The truth of the matter is no one change or modification to existing policy will have much effect if any, on the current state of affairs. It isn’t enough to ban drugs, we must work to understand their allure and the intricate mechanisms in our brains and in our psychology that make some of us too weak to resist the temptation. Only with this sort of concentrated effort will we see any progress. Works Cited Erowid Psychoactive Vaults. Home Page. 6 April 2001. . Kalb, Claudia. â€Å"Playing With Painkillers.† Newsweek 9 April 2001: 45-47. Richwine, Lisa. â€Å"US Launches Fight Against Prescription Drug Abuse.† YahooNews. 10 April 2001 . Rosenberg, Debra. â€Å"How One Town Got Hooked.† Newsweek. 9 April 2001: 48-51. Sacco, Vincent F, and Kennedy, Leslie W. The Criminal Event. New York: Wadsworth, 1996. United States Drug Enforcement Agency. Home Page. 6 April 2001. . Wade, L.G. Jr. Organic Chemistry. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999: 846-847.

Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Philip G. Satre, CEO of Harrah's Entertainment Inc. , had steered the company to a new direction and created a new competitive advantage for the company. In 1998, Gary Loveman joined Harrah's as chief operating officer (COO) and helped the company to change from operations-driven company that had its properties operate as â€Å"standalone business,† to a marketing-driven company that focused on the target customers and build loyalty under Harrah's brand. By December 1999, Harrah's had 50% growth in revenue and 100% growth in stock price and profits, which the results were significantly better than the industry. However, Satre had two questions for Gary Loveman and his team. He wanted to know how much percentage of the marketing dollars was accounted for this success and was these marketing efforts sustainable. Phillip Satre became CEO of Harrah's Entertainment Inc. in 1984. His first sustainable competitive advantage was to focus on customer. The first CRM system was the Winner's Information Network, which collected and analyzed data based on customers' play. The strategy was a success until mid 1990s when there were more competitors entered the market with better and flashier properties. The company launched the Total Gold program in fall 1997, which focused more on increasing customer royalty. After Gary Loveman joined the company in 1998, the data he analyzed was showed that customers had little loyalty to the company, so the company's main focus was to increase customers' loyalty. In order to succeed, Loveman introduced three major plans: changing the organization structure/ building the Harrah's brand, delivering extraordinary service, and exploiting relationship marketing opportunities. The new CRM was recreated and consisted of two components: Database Marketing (DBM) and the Total Gold Program. DBM could precisely predict â€Å"customer worth† – how much the casino expected to win from a customer. This system helped Harrah's to identify its potential great customers. It also helped Harrah's to develop customer centric approach to direct marketing, which comprised 3 phases to a customer relationship: new business, loyal and retention. The Total Gold Program was created to assist and support the cross-market visitation patterns of the customers. The Total Gold Program increased Harrah's cross-market revenues from 13% in 1997 to 23% in 2000. It also helped Harrah to create true royalty program which motivated customers to set goals and explained clearly for how to achieve them. Harrah's main focus was to increase customers' loyalty, so the metrics that could be used to assess its performance were customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. As far as how much percentage of the marketing efforts had contributed to the overall performance which could be measured by using return on investment metric. This competitive advantage probably sustained until the competitors introduced similar programs, which Harrah's might have to come up with new innovations. However, Harrah's had excelled in customer intimacy and also did very well in product leadership, which put Harrah's in better position than its competitors.

Fiscal Administration

Local fiscal administration refers to systems, structures, processes, resources, and the policy environment government the inter-governmental and inter-local fiscal relations, affecting, among others the following: o the giving of allotments and grants by the national government (NG) to local government units (LGUs); o sharing of taxing powers between the NG and the LGUs, and among LGUs units; o policy on tax rates and structure; o revenue and expenditure planning; revenue and expenditure planning; o revenue utilization and expenditure allocation; o monitoring and approval of budgets, tax ordinances and other fiscal measures; o policy on borrowing and borrowing instruments; and o appointment and supervision of local fiscal officers. The trends in local fiscal administration are inadequacy of own-source revenue to finance basic and devolved functions and thus render LGUs dependent on transfers from the NG.Reliance on few local taxes, particularly the real property tax and business tax ; and uneven level of expenditures hence, unequal access to local public services. With regards to the inadequacy of lgus, the national government must assist lgus in making development strategies to maximize the resources available. In that way, lgus can somehow sustain themselves and become less dependent to national government.It must also help in attracting investors regardless if the leaders are opposition or administration. Lgus must not sole rely on few local taxes. It must encourage business to pay honestly the taxes and give credit to those who pay on time. Those who evade must be persecuted regardless if they are powerful individuals and has connecrtion to top officials. The national government must help in regulating taxes and help in catching the big fishes.

Consecuencias vencimiento de la greencard y qu hacer

Consecuencias vencimiento de la greencard y qu hacer Como regla general, las tarjetas de residencia en Estados Unidos, tambià ©n conocidas como green card, son vlidas por 10 aà ±os. Si no se renueva a tiempo dentro de plazo y se permite que llegue su fecha de vencimiento, las consecuencias van a depender de si el residente est en ese momento en Estados Unidos o, si por el contrario, est en otro paà ­s. Adems, existen aproximadamente 700 mil tarjetas de residencia sin fecha de expiracià ³n. En este artà ­culo se explica cules son las consecuencias de tener una tarjeta de residencia con fecha vencida, quà © pasa si se tiene una green card sin fecha de vencimiento y cul es la diferencia entre una tarjeta de residencia definitiva y otra temporal o condicional. Green card vencida y el residente en Estados Unidos Puede suceder que un residente permanente no verifique la fecha de expiracià ³n y que su green card està © expirada. La buena noticia es que sigue siendo residente. Nunca se pierde esa condicià ³n por ese motivo,  aunque sà ­ hay otras razones por las que se perderà ­a. Lo que debe hacer es solicitar la renovacià ³n llenando en  el formulario I-90 y pagando una cuota de $455 y otros $85 por los biomà ©tricos. En algunos casos es posible solicitar una exencià ³n del pago de dicha tarifa. Lo ideal es pedir una nueva green card seis meses antes de que la actual expire y destacar que si la green card est vencida o faltan menos de seis meses para su vencimiento no se puede iniciar el trmite para solicitar la ciudadanà ­a por naturalizacià ³n. Green card expirada y residente en otro paà ­s A diferencia de lo que ocurre en el supuesto anterior, aquà ­ sà ­ que puede haber un problema si es que la green card expira mientras el residente est fuera de Estados Unidos y no llenà ³ el I-90 ANTES de salir del paà ­s. Y es que esa planilla no se puede cumplimentar desde el exterior. El primer problema que puede presentarse es que las aerolà ­neas no dejan volar hacia Estados Unidos a personas con tarjetas de residencia que han expirado. En estos casos lo que hay que hacer es solicitar una cita en el consulado estadounidense ms cercano que pueda tramitar una carta de transporte (Transportation Letter). Llevar adems documentacià ³n adicional, como 2 fotografà ­as tipo pasaporte, fotocopia legible del pasaporte, copia de la tarjeta de embarque emitida por la aerolà ­nea para viajar a Estados Unidos y la green card expirada. Adems, al cerrar la cita verificar si es necesario presentar un rà ©cord policial. Una vez que se tiene la carta de transporte en mano se debe viajar a Estados Unidos antes de que llegue la fecha de su vencimiento y, en todo caso, antes de que transcurran 30 dà ­as desde que fue emitida.   El segundo problema que puede plantearse es que una vez que el residente llega a Estados Unidos al control migratorio en un aeropuerto, puerto o puesto fronterizo terrestre, un oficial de la CBP entrevista al residente para asegurarse que sigue conservando su estatus.   Por ejemplo, si ha pasado una cantidad de tiempo considerable fuera de los Estados Unidos puede considerar que ha perdido el estatus de residente y no se le permitir ingresar. Por el contrario, si no hay problemas e ingresa, deber aplicar inmediatamente por la renovacià ³n de la green card mediante el formulario el I-90. Casos de green card sin fecha de expiracià ³n Entre 1977 y 1989, el gobierno de los Estados Unidos emitià ³ miles de green cards sin fecha de expiracià ³n. En la actualidad hay aproximadamente 700 mil tarjetas de residencia de este tipo. Son vlidas si en letra pequeà ±a tienen escrito I-551. Por el contrario, son invlidas si aparece la letra y nà ºmero I-151. Aunque las que llevan la anotacià ³n I-551 son vlidas es recomendable solicitar su cambio por una versià ³n actualizada mediante el formulario I-90. Las razones son que puede ocasionar retraso en el paso migratorio al llegar a Estados Unidos porque la foto ya tiene muchos aà ±os. Adems, con ese tipo de tarjetas no puede utilizarse Global Entry para acelerar el paso por aduanas y, finalmente, algunos empleadores se muestran reacios a contratar a un migrante con un documento con foto tan antigua. Diferencias entre residencia permanente y residencia condicional No confundir el plazo de validad de una tarjeta de residencia ordinaria, que es de 10 aà ±os y el de una residencia condicional, cuya condicionalidad debe levantarse a los 2 aà ±os para convertirla en permanente. Los dos casos en los que se puede dar una tarjeta condicional son en algunas peticiones por matrimonio cuando se obtiene la green card antes de cumplir dos aà ±os de casados y en los de obtencià ³n de la green card por inversià ³n a travà ©s del programa EB-5. A tener en cuenta: naturalizacià ³n, ciudadanà ­a y test Los residentes pueden solicitar la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense por medio del trmite que se conoce como naturalizacià ³n. Los plazos de espera para poder solicitarla dependen de las circunstancias de cada residente.   Es importante valorar que no es lo mismo la residencia que la ciudadanà ­a, ya que con à ©sta se tienen ms derechos y tambià ©n ms protecciones legales. Por lo tanto, es una opcià ³n que se debe realmente estudiar. Por à ºltimo, toma este test de respuestas mà ºltiples sobre la residencia para garantizar que sabes todo lo fundamental sobre la green card: cà ³mo se obtiene y cà ³mo se conserva. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.