IKEAs Marketing and Expansion Strategy Analysis

IKEAs Marketing and Expansion Strategy Analysis This report is a follow on from the in class IKEA presentation based on the IKEA case study IKEA-Managing global expansion. Being a multinational successful organisation there would be various corners to look at in order to analyse IKEA however this report will focus on the analysis of IKEAs globalization and internationalization models, as well as key opportunities and threats faced by IKEA and their cultural web and how it supports their current strategies. Overview of the furniture market Based on Mintel research database, the sales of furnishings and houseware in the top 25 global economies generate annual revenues of more than $270 billion. However the sales of furniture were hit hard in 2008 and 2009 by a combination of fewer housing transactions and the recession. With the exception of IKEA, US companies (Furniture Village, Homebase, DFS etc) dominate the global home furnishings landscape, yet the worlds most lucrative regional market is still Europe. Buying furniture nowadays is not as simply organised as in the past where you just had to take what was available from the few retailers and wait weeks before it was delivered. Today competition is all about offering the right product, for the right money, in the right way. Just under half of adults (25 million) look for lasting quality when buying furniture. Retailers need to prove their quality with customer reviews and demonstrating how items can stand up to heavy usage especially in households with kids. Service is important and four in ten adults are influenced by the presence of knowledgeable and helpful staff when choosing between stores. The role of staff has shifted from one of a sales person to be one of consultant. Further visiting showrooms is a key part of the buying process for furniture as it gives the customer an idea about their wanted environment however focus remains on price. Overview of the company IKEA Group is a global and privately-held retailer of Scandinavian (Swedish) designed home furniture and accessories and now retailer of its own food label. Their products range focuses on good design, good quality and function at a low price. In the mid-2000s the company was leader in the flat-pack furniture business generating annual sales of 21.5 billion euros. The company has the biggest market share in the UK. It operates about 301 stores overall in 36 countries most of them in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. The company was founded by Mr. Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 and although partly controlled by the Kamprad family, it is under the ownership of the Stichting INKGA group, a charitable foundation registered in the Netherlands. IKEAs main UK competitors include Asda, Argos, Debenhams, Next, Tesco, John Lewis etc. The Difference between Internationalisation and globalization Globalisation entails all the operations undertaken by an organisation that envisions itself present in many countries worldwide. IKEAs past globalisation strategy was based on one design fits all which meant that initially they did not adapt to the local markets. However as they expanded in Japan and the US they soon realised that they had to tailor made their products to fit the countrys specifications and requirements if they wanted to succeed. For instance, the US customer preferred big and ample furniture and houseware while in Japan they looked for small and simple items to fit their small living environments. In opposition internationalization is at the other end of the globalization as it takes into consideration what each particular market has to offer and not what the company has to offer to the market. IKEAs strategy has adapted over the years in a way that they think globally and act locally. IKEAS INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGY Key Opportunities IKEAs main strength is its international brand recognition built up on low product prices and design. Its product portfolio caters for most lifestyles and budgets. The implementation of cost leadership strategy in order to penetrate new markets is a definite strength and opportunity IKEAs costs were/are approximately 30%-50% below competition prices. The costs of transportation were cut by 80% by providing furniture in flat packs. By offering simple and modern designs and by introducing cash and carry and self service concepts, IKEAs stores were guaranteed a success. After investigating the German market IKEA took advantage of the poor organisational strategy of the existing furniture dealers in the country and changed its operations by providing customers immediate delivery of quality goods at low prices when they opened their Munich store. Their West German market has expanded through aggressive advertising despite the challenges encountered by the law suits initiated by its competitors and trade associations. In the UK, IKEA provided unique products, low prices and cashcarry service. In this way the firm achieved competitive advantage over its existing competitors that were taking as long as 3 months to deliver the goods. Opposed to their competition, IKEA demonstrated efficiency and skill. As mentioned previously, in their US placement IKEA had to adapt their product range to suit the requirements of the American market. They redesigned the store layout to provide more directions and shortcuts for customers who opposed to the idea of wandering through the store. They also increased the size of their beds, bed linens, sofas, armchairs etc., as the European sizes were too small for the American customer. In addition they also offered a customization of their products. Further their US expansion IKEA made a bold move by opening a mega store in Chicago with a new layout (double the size of a normal IKEA store). It had 3 levels that included a self service warehouse, customer service and cafe on the first floor as well as a showroom and a market place on the other floors. From there on the stored were designed to improve the direction and flow of customers. IKEA also offered home delivery and assembly for an extra charge. The US expansion was a success due to these measures and strategy adaptation despite their competition continuously replicating IKEAs products. Threats The organisations main weakness is that they are very much reliant on the European market where 82% of its stores are located. The threat here is represented by the competition as IKEAs methods have been copied by other retailers that have introduced similar product ranges at low prices. Market saturation is another threat as with the development of e-commerce in each European country customers can compare prices, reviews and switch to alternative suppliers if necessary. Further threats are represented by the recession in Europe as well as the adverse effect of a weak dollar on sales in the US. Political and economical instability of the Chinese and Russian markets are also a potential threat since IKEA is planning on expanding in these two markets. However IKEA is successfully counteracting its main weakness (over reliance in Europe) with its key opportunity expansion in the emerging markets in Asia and Eastern Europe. The Cultural Web and the Organisational Culture The organizational culture describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization which define its environment or it can simply describehow things are done around here To analyse IKEAs cultural web we need to use the Cultural Web model. The Cultural Web identifies six elements that help to make up the paradigm the pattern or model of the work environment. By analyzing the factors in each, we can see: what is working, what isnt working, and what needs to be changed. Stories The hero in the company is Ingvar Kamprad seen by the employees as a visionary who worked hard, lived simply and gave an example to all. In fact IKEA is all about the Swedishness a simple culture with simple values such as humbleness, simplicity, teamwork etc. The brand image varies in different countries depending on the countrys culture. eg: in Sweden (low priced, low quality brand), UK (poor service) etc. Rituals and Routines The Company strongly believes in staying close to its customers. In fact every store is a parent-friendly environment people come first. However IKEA is also focused on its people and their working way. Employees dress informally and work in a relaxed office environment with open plan floors. On their website IKEA remarks that A career in IKEA is not a ladder, is what and where you make it. They expect teamwork and mistakes as long as the employee learns from them. However IKEA is also about making the impossible in cost cutting. In fact, staff travelled economy and took buses or stayed in hostels. There are wall stickers to turn off lights, taps and computers after each use. Stores that cut costs the most receive a reward from the management. Symbols It is normal to find the same features in every IKEA store. For instance, all shop floor staff dress in uniform (yellow blue) for the Swedish flag colours. There is a restaurant, a food hall a childrens corner as well as little shopping helps such as pencil, paper, shopping bag, and tape measure. As mentioned previously, IKEA is all about Swedishness and focus on a minimalistic and simple design delivered in their custom flat packs. Their main symbol is the brand name and the brand colours all significative of Sweden and their Swedish founder Kamprad. Organisational Structure Typical of IKEAs organisation is their informal management which is presented in a non-hierarchical and caring manner. There is typically only 3 hierarchical levels of responsibility between the store manager and the employee. Every month there is the so called Anti-bureaucrat week where management spend a whole week in the warehouses and stockrooms. Appropriate training programmes are given to all company management. However as always on IKEA s organisational structure is their focus on cost cutting and as such they incite all designers and material buyers on cost reductions. Control Systems At the centre of the IKEAs control systems is quality control. Emphasis is put on delivering good quality, sturdy furniture that passes their standards. Further way to control their operations is by making sure that the management works closely with the staff making also sure that their warehouses are correctly labelled in their products. Rewards are given to the stores that generate more profit and that cut more costs considering that one of the principles of IKEAs strategy is cost cutting. Power Structures Senior management was predominantly Scandinavian and only in the last 5 years the strategy of only forwarding employees who were Scandinavian or Swedish speaking into management has changed. However all employees are involved the individual store operations and encouraged in their work thanks to their friendly management strategy. Employees are in fact egged on to take responsibilities in order to assess their performance; their ideal is that every employee is important to IKEAs success. The Paradigm IKEAs cultural web supports its current strategy. In the past IKEA favoured the Sweds for managerial programmes but in the last 5 years international career management is now seen essential to sustaining international growth but more steps and measures need to be taken to ensure that other backgrounds are fitted into the managerial programmes. The organizational career culture supports the corporate strategy with suitable structure and rewards. IKEAs cultural values are things like informality, cost consciousness and a very humble and down to earth approach as passed down by Kamprad along with responsibility and teamwork and ensuring that their employees are highly motivated and committed. Cultural and Corporate Strategy Changes Put more emphasis and work on employees of other nationalities/backgrounds in order to create a multicultural environment by having a diverse management and strengthen IKEAs corporate view being a multinational group. Since all IKEAs stores are out of the city centres many customers in the big metropolis do now own a car or have suitable transportation in order to be able to shop in IKEA therefore a possible strategy change could entail IKEA to have smaller retail outlets near city centres perhaps selling furniture on catalogue but definitely having stock in-store for houseware and smaller items. Many IKEA competitors offer free delivery on orders above a certain amount; as we have previously shown competition is fierce in Europe therefore this measure could ensure that the profit is taken by putting a minimum spending limit in order to qualify for free delivery (e.g. free delivery on orders above 150 GBP or more) and would therefore open IKEA to more budget oriented customers. Another suggestion to attract more customers would be to have quick assembly tips/class in store for the non-diy oriented customers. IKEA is all about self service but not many customers are skilled to deal with DIY and assembly. This measure would make sure that their products are opened to every type of customer. Self service warehouse and furniture pick up places all contain some long numbers in regards to the desired item. Perhaps IKEA could implement a new system where warehouses havelabels, not numbers making it easier on customers. (e.g. Section: Chairs. Aisle-3, Type: Victa) Conclusions IKEAs main strategies remain the same; success is ensured by adopting aggressive price strategies and aggressive advertising as well as a wide product range unlike any competitor at the moment. Service however needs to come to focus to improve customer purchasing and still maintain their market position as other cheaper players are entering the market such as the supermarkets. Is getting any bigger better?

Lipids :: essays research papers

Lipids The subject I will cover is lipids. I will tell you about the description of it’ s organic compound. I will tell you where it is found. I will tell you what the uses are in plants and animals. I will also tell you about it’s chemical structure and give examples of types of these compounds, such as cholesterol. The organic compound of lipids have many similarities. They are almost always greasy, fatty, oily, or waxy. They do not dissolve in water, but they do in other organic solvents. This is like if you get grease on your hands it is hard to wash of because it seems to repel the water. You can find lipids in many places. They are usually in fatty foods like butter, salad dressing, and cooking oils. They can also be found inside of animals as the form of fat. Lipids are always found in fat because when you get a build up of lipids it forms fat. Lipids have many uses amongst plants and animals. The main use of these are for energy and storing energy. When they store energy they make triglycerides also known as fat. There are also many other uses such as insulation and protection. They are also used in making cell membranes. They make it so that the cell can maintain it’s shape by keeping water and water-soluble compounds from passing through it. The lipids that are waxy are usually used to make protective coatings on the surface of plants and animals. Since a lipid is an organic compound it contains carbon. They also contain hydrogen and oxygen, but in some very complex chains there is also phosphorus and/or nitrogen. Lipids are made by the dehydration synthesis of glycerol and fatty acids. This is when three molecules of fatty acids combine with one molecule of glycerol by taking water out of the solution. Lipids are always huge molecules, which means they have a lot of energy like twice as much as sugar. This is because more energy goes into making it so you get more out of it when it is broken down. The following is what a lipid would look like. When lipids are made they can produce many different compounds. One of those is phospholipids. These are what help make cell membranes and keep water out of them. They also make a very common lipid and that is cholesterol. Cholesterol is and extremely complex lipid. It builds up on the inner walls of the arteries. Lipids :: essays research papers Lipids The subject I will cover is lipids. I will tell you about the description of it’ s organic compound. I will tell you where it is found. I will tell you what the uses are in plants and animals. I will also tell you about it’s chemical structure and give examples of types of these compounds, such as cholesterol. The organic compound of lipids have many similarities. They are almost always greasy, fatty, oily, or waxy. They do not dissolve in water, but they do in other organic solvents. This is like if you get grease on your hands it is hard to wash of because it seems to repel the water. You can find lipids in many places. They are usually in fatty foods like butter, salad dressing, and cooking oils. They can also be found inside of animals as the form of fat. Lipids are always found in fat because when you get a build up of lipids it forms fat. Lipids have many uses amongst plants and animals. The main use of these are for energy and storing energy. When they store energy they make triglycerides also known as fat. There are also many other uses such as insulation and protection. They are also used in making cell membranes. They make it so that the cell can maintain it’s shape by keeping water and water-soluble compounds from passing through it. The lipids that are waxy are usually used to make protective coatings on the surface of plants and animals. Since a lipid is an organic compound it contains carbon. They also contain hydrogen and oxygen, but in some very complex chains there is also phosphorus and/or nitrogen. Lipids are made by the dehydration synthesis of glycerol and fatty acids. This is when three molecules of fatty acids combine with one molecule of glycerol by taking water out of the solution. Lipids are always huge molecules, which means they have a lot of energy like twice as much as sugar. This is because more energy goes into making it so you get more out of it when it is broken down. The following is what a lipid would look like. When lipids are made they can produce many different compounds. One of those is phospholipids. These are what help make cell membranes and keep water out of them. They also make a very common lipid and that is cholesterol. Cholesterol is and extremely complex lipid. It builds up on the inner walls of the arteries.

M&M Project

They are one of the most popular candles In America, being Included In many different outlets Including MASCARA, hot air balloons, video games, you name It. In this report I plan to go over each individual part of the M&M report that was conducted throughout the course of the class. While doing that I will try to explain it to the best of my ability in the simplest terms possible so even someone who doesn't have a lick of statistical knowledge will be able to understand what took place and be able to grasp the results. Part 1 In the first part of the M report, we had a very simple task.The task was to go UT to a convenience store and buy three bags of M, and count how many different pieces of candy were In each of the three bags. Out of the entire student's in the class I would say every single student's count of each individual color was different. But for the classes sake all of the colors were added up, as was the grand total of all the candies combined in the three bags. The gran d total was: Blue 934, Orange 1025, Green 928, Yellow 639, Red 556, Brown 616 and the total being 3684. It is interesting because watching the video they said that certain colored candies have a higher percentage than others.One of those colors being Red, and Red is the lowest. Part 2 In part 2 we were tasked to find the sample proportions as well as the sample mean. After we finished calculating those two, a histogram was created. After that, another sheet on the spreadsheet was used to calculate a descriptive statistics. Finally a summary of a list of things was needed to be gathered for the final portion. There Is a pretty simple to calculate the info that is generated in the descriptive statutes. There is a handy tool called staunch that If you plug In a few numbers It will spit back the answers that you are searching for without all the fuss.Part 3 In part 3 our goal was to construct confluent intervals for the proportion of each color as well as the mean number of candles per bag. A 95% confidence level gives an indication of how accurate your calculated value is, which Is more accurate than simply the mean or the median. A 95% confidence level means that 95 out of 100 times your value will fall in between your confidence interval; so 95 out of 100 times 1 will De In your consonance Interval. I en enlarger your consonance level (percentage) the smaller your interval will be and therefore the more accurate your results will be. Part 4For Part 4 we were tasked to find the null, alternative hypothesis, the critical value, test statistic, whether or not to reject the hypothesis, and the conclusion of each individual color. As well as a test claim to determine if the bag would have more than 54 pieces of candies. The null hypothesis basically states that there is no statistical difference between the groups you're comparing. The alternative states that there is a difference. You accept the null when your statistical analysis value is below the critical value, which depends on the p value. For this section we had to get calculate for each individual color.After that, we had to test that the bag had more than 54 different pieces of candies. Part 5 Finally, for part 5 we had to do a similar test as part 4 except this time it wasn't for all of the colors. It was only for red and brown combined. So we do the same formulas that were used in part 4, and we were able to achieve the answers we were looking for. We found that for red and brown the critical value at . 05 alpha, was 1. 960 the test statistic -1. 773 and we failed to reject it. Quality Assurance I would say that from watching the video, there seems to be two reasons that loud affect the process of the colors.One of the reasons that I think the colors could potentially be off target is because it is possible that the ink gets low in the tanks that spray the gloss onto the pieces of candy. Another reason that they could be discovered is when they are all mixed together; they may or ma y not be dry. If they aren't dry, then there is a chance that some of the pieces could rub together, and some of the color could rub off on the candy. The package distribution is another thing that would affect the percentages of the candies.Although in the video is talks bout how certain colors have a higher or lower or share a mixed percentage, there is a chance that even knowing that, the machine could make errors, and divvy out some out the pieces incorrectly. Conclusion Overall the project was something that was interesting to work on. It offered some new insight on the M&Ms candy itself. Prior to doing the assignments I had no clue that they were broken down into specific percentages, nor do I know that they had people that studied the colors of the candy! Also when you bring statistics into the mix, it also adds another layer of fun so to speak.

Sociologia urbana Essays - Popular University Of Cesar, Valledupar

Sociologia urbana Essays - Popular University Of Cesar, Valledupar Sociologia urbana La sociologia urbana es el estudio sociologico de la vida social y de las interacciones humanas en areas metropolitanas. Es una disciplina normativa de la sociologia que intenta estudiar las estructuras, procesos, cambios y problemas de un area urbana y, hecho eso, proveer aportaciones para el urbanismo y el diseno de las politicas. Los sociologos urbanos usan el analisis estadistico, la observacion, la teoria social, las entrevistas, y otros metodos para estudiar un rango amplio de temas, incluidas las tendencias de migracion y demografia, la economia, la pobreza, las relaciones interraciales, las tendencias economicas, etcetera. Durante la revolucion industrial, sociologos como Max Weber y Emile Durkheim se centraron en la urbanizacion creciente de la vida social y en los efectos que tuvo sobre los sentimientos de alienacion y anonimidad en el individuo. La Escuela de Sociologia de Chicago es una influencia importante en el estudio de la sociologia urbana. Muchos de sus hallazgos han sido refinidos o rechazados, pero el impacto duradero de la Escuela todavia se pueden encontrar en las ensenanzas de hoy. Sociologia rural La sociologia rural es un campo de la sociologia y las ciencias agrarias tradicionalmente asociada con el estudio de la estructura social de las zonas rurales y sus conflictos, aunque actualmente incluye dentro de sus ambitos de estudio temas interdisciplinares como la alimentacion y la agricultura o el acceso a los recursos naturales que trascienden las fronteras de los espacios rurales tradicionales. Su nacimiento se remonta a Estados Unidos a fines del siglo XIX. Dentro de los enfoques teoricos, uno de los primeros trabajos que sistematizo las fuentes de esta disciplina es el del sociologo ruso-estadounidense Pitrim A. Sorokin considerado como el fundador de esta disciplina academica y Carle Clark Zimmerman titulado Principles of Rural-Urban Sociology publicado en 1929 Sociologia medica La sociologia medica o sociologia de la salud es una rama tanto de la sociologia como de la medicina encargada del analisis de las organizaciones e instituciones medicas; la produccion de conocimiento y la seleccion de metodos relacionados entre ambas areas, la accion social y la interaccion entre los profesionales de la salud, como tambien de los efectos socioculturales derivados de las practicas medicas. Los campos que interactuan comunmente con esta disciplina son la sociologia del conocimiento, los estudios de ciencia, tecnologia y sociedad y la socioepistemologia. Los sociologos medicos se encuentran interesados en las experiencias cualitativas de los pacientes, desempenandose en los limites de otras disciplinas tales como la salud publica, el trabajo social, la demografia, la gerontologia, entre otros, con el fin de explorar la convergencia entre las ciencias sociales y las ciencias medicas. Una de las problematicas que trata la sociologia medica es la desigualdad en el acceso a la salud asociado a las clases sociales y razas, siendo los resultados de las investigaciones un objetivo en la creacion de normativas y mejoramiento de las politicas publicas dentro del ambito estatal Sociologia del derecho La sociologia del derecho, es aquella rama que estudia los problemas, las implicaciones, objetivos y todo aquello concerniente a las relaciones entre el derecho y la sociedad. Ante todo las relaciones sociales, entendidas como las conductas que tienen en cuenta la actitud y la conducta de otros, en ciertos aspectos se encuentran alcanzadas por la regulacion juridica. Asi, la relacion entre vendedor y comprador, la de propietario y locatario, la del empresario y el trabajador, la del prestador de servicios y sus clientes, ingresan al plano de lo que el derecho regula. Las relaciones entre los dirigentes politicos y los afiliados a los partidos politicos, entre los dirigentes sindicales y sus asociados, entre los dirigentes empresarios y sus pares de la misma actividad, los medicos y sus pacientes, los profesores y sus alumnos, los que proveen un servicio de transporte y los usuarios, los integrantes de congregaciones religiosas y sus fieles, los socios de una actividad comercial, productiva o de servicios, los que practican determinado deporte y sus companeros de equipo o rivales, las relaciones entre conyuges en la familia, las relaciones entre padres e hi jos, las relaciones entre hermanos, las normas que regulan el matrimonio, el divorcio o la separacion de hecho, la normativa que regula las sucesiones, el testamento, la donacion de bienes, la cesion de derechos, etc... Sociopatologia Estudia las causas sociales de la conducta "desviada" (prostitucion,

Facts About the Burial of Qin Shi Huangdi

Facts About the Burial of Qin Shi Huangdi In the spring of 1974, farmers in Shaanxi Province, China were digging a new well when they struck a hard object. It turned out to be part of a terracotta soldier. Soon, Chinese archaeologists realized that the entire area outside of the city of Xian (formerly Chang an) was underlain by an enormous necropolis; an army, complete with horses, chariots, officers and infantry, as well as a court, all made of terracotta. The farmers had discovered one of the worlds greatest archaeological wonders: the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. What was the purpose of this magnificent army? Why did Qin Shi Huangdi, who was obsessed with immortality, make such elaborate arrangements for his burial? The Reason Behind the Terracotta Army Qin Shi Huangdi was buried with the terracotta army and court because he wanted to have the same military power and imperial status in the afterlife as he had enjoyed during his earthly lifetime. The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, he unified much of modern-day northern and central China under his rule, which lasted from 246 to 210 BCE. Such an accomplishment would be difficult to replicate in the next life without a proper army, hence the 10,000 clay soldiers with weapons, horses, and chariots. The great Chinese historian Sima Qian (145-90 BCE) reports that construction of the burial mound began as soon as Qin Shi Huangdi ascended the throne, and involved hundreds of thousands of artisans and laborers. Perhaps because the emperor ruled for more than three decades, his tomb grew to be one of the largest and most complex ever built. According to surviving records, Qin Shi Huangdi was a cruel and ruthless ruler. A proponent of legalism, he had Confucian scholars stoned to death or buried alive because he disagreed with their philosophy. However, the terracotta army is actually a merciful alternative to earlier traditions both in China and in other ancient cultures. Often, early rulers from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties had soldiers, officials, concubines and other attendants buried along with the dead emperor. Sometimes the sacrificial victims were killed first; even more horrifically, they were often entombed alive. Either Qin Shi Huangdi himself or his advisors decided to substitute the intricately-made terracotta figures for actual human sacrifices, saving the lives of more than 10,000 men plus hundreds of horses. Each life-sized terracotta soldier is modeled on an actual person as they have distinct facial features and hairstyles. The officers are depicted as being taller than the foot soldiers, with the generals tallest of all. Although higher-status families may have had better nutrition than lower-class ones, it is probable that this is symbolism rather than a reflection of every officer actually being taller than all of the regular troops. After Qin Shi Huangdis Death Shortly after Qin Shi Huangdis death in 210 BCE, his sons rival for the throne, Xiang Yu, may have looted the weapons of the terracotta army, and burned the support timbers. In any case, the timbers were burned and the section of the tomb containing the clay troops collapsed, smashing the figures to pieces. Approximately 1,000 of the 10,000 total have been put back together. Qin Shi Huangdi himself is buried under an enormous pyramid-shaped mound that stands some distance from the excavated sections of the burial. According to ancient historian Sima Qian, the central tomb contains treasures and wondrous objects, including flowing rivers of pure mercury (which was associated with immortality). Soil testing nearby has revealed elevated levels of mercury, so there may be some truth to this legend. Legend also records that the central tomb is booby-trapped to fend off looters and that the emperor himself placed a powerful curse on any who dared to invade his final resting place. Mercury vapor may be the real danger, but in any case, the government of China has been in no great hurry to excavate the central tomb itself. Perhaps it is best not to disturb Chinas infamous First Emperor.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example This implies that regardless of whether or not the theory of anthropogenic global warming eventually finds a firm and strong support in the peered-reviewed journal, it cannot be denied that there is a consensus in a world scientific body on the anthropogenic root of global warming and its association with fossil fuels. The United Nations-created IPCC â€Å"states unequivocally that the consensus of scientific opinion is that the earth’s climate is being affected by human activities† and that â€Å"the observed global warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations† (Oreskes, 2004, p. 1686, citing an IPCC document). Further, according to Oreskes (2004), â€Å"the IPCC is not alone in its conclusions† because â€Å"all major scientific bodies in the United States whose expertise bears directly on the matter have issued similar statements† (Oreskes, 2004, p. 1686). For example, Oreskes (2004, p . ... hropogenic and greenhouse gas-associated climate change to be an accurate reflection of the current thinking of the scientific community on the issue (Oreskes, 2005, p. 1686). According to Oreskes (2004, p. 1686), the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) have issued statements with a conclusion that â€Å"evidence for human modification of the climate is compelling.† Second, environmental activism is good because it is through environmental activism that we can adopt policies that promote good health and a better quality of life associated with clean air, clean seas and oceans, clean rivers, and clean terrestrials. For instance, Wong et al. (2004) examined the health benefits of reducing air pollution under the United States Clean Air Act and estimated that the decrease in morbidity and mortality among children would add at least US$600 billion to the $100 billion benefits through the reduced morbidity and mortality of adults. Third, environmental activism because it promotes intergenerational equity: development must not be at the expense of the future generations, we must meet the needs of our generation but not to disadvantage of future generations. For instance, Weiss (2008, pp. 615-616) noting that â€Å"the impacts from warming are predicted to be long-term, widespread and severe† has affirmed that â€Å"climate change is an inherently international problem with extremely serious implications for equity between ourselves and future generations and among communities in the present and future.† Thus, in summary environmental activism promotes humanity’s survival or comfort, good health and quality of life, and intergenerational equity. Position 2: Negative Response We can also cite three key

You will need to pick a topic for me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

You will need to pick a topic for me - Essay Example These are just some of the questions that plagued the venerated Philosopher David Hume. In section four of A Treatise of Human Nature (1739), Hume states that the majority of people believe that they are the ‘same’ person that they believe they were two, five or even ten years ago. Although many different aspects of themselves will have ‘changed,’ they still feel that their personal identity remains the same.1 So if we do not truly know ourselves, then what is this information that we have about ourselves? What are all these insights that only we have access to that we assume constitutes our identity? In this paper we will examine Hume’s theory that all we observe are our perceptions, not our true self. We will look at what Hume states in his treatise and discuss whether what he says is plausible in any way. Let us begin by examining Hume’s epistemology. Empiricism was a pivotal to Hume’s theories, particularly the work of Locke.2 Empiricism sought to â€Å"discover†¦the original, certainty, and extent of human knowledge.†3 Hume’s treatise was his attempt at â€Å"developing a ‘science of man,’†4 that would show and explain to us â€Å"the extent and force of human understanding†¦which could explain the nature of the ideas we employ, and of the operations we perform in our reasoning.†5 He believed that all human knowledge originates with experience, and that all of our experiences are of our own perceptions.6 It was when Hume applied these ideas to our personal identity and the notion of the ‘self’ that his argument against â€Å"the existence of a substantival mind†7 was born. His argument is a logical one, although worrying (to think that there is a possibility that we cannot know our true ‘self’). Hume believed that because all of our knowledge is derived from our experiences, and that our experiences depend directly upon our perceptions, that these