Macroeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Macroeconomics - Essay Example According to Hayek, â€Å"the price mechanism of the free market serves to convey information about supply and demand that is dispersed among many consumers and producers and which cannot be assembled or coordinated efficiently in any other way†. And seriously â€Å"doubts whether a socialist economy is capable of solving the problems of rational allocation of its resources (Hayek, 1982)†. Keynes on the other hand favored government intervention through its fiscal and monetary policy to assuage the impact of recession and depression or financial crisis like the one United States recently had in 2009. Keynes believe that it is not only the market that can make an economy work at a maximum efficiency but such can also be raised to the that level by the intervention of the government. In contrast to Hayek, Keynes advocated collectivism through international coordination of fiscal and monetary stimulus to deflect and mitigate any downturn in economic cycle. He is also the s ponsor of deficit spending to lift an economy from depression in contrast to Hayek’s proposal that it solely market the (free) market that can achieve utmost efficiency in an economy.

Position paper over why marijuana should be legalized for recreational Essay

Position paper over why marijuana should be legalized for recreational use - Essay Example This comparison significantly influence public perception on the issue. In analyzing the arguments on for and against marijuana, supporting the legalization of marijuana has more benefits to the society than its negative effects. Consequently, marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. Most criticism on marijuana are based on the medical impact on the user. Similar to most drugs, marijuana has side effects. However, the side effects of the drug can be easily addressed. In comparison to legal and most abused drugs in the United States, marijuana poses the less significant health risks. In an argument by Brewer the health risks associated to cigarettes and alcohol cannot be compared to that of marijuana (1). For instance, numerous studies have shown the cancerous effects of tobacco. Apart from studies, it is proven that cigarette use is a major cause of cancer. This is dissimilar to marijuana. The drug still has zero proven cases reported as a cause of cancer. Still on cigarettes, tobacco is highly addictive compared to marijuana. Rampant users have difficulty in refraining from its use. On the other hand, marijuana addiction are rare as users easily cope with absence. Comparing the two drugs, Brewer is of the assumption that tobacco is hugely dangerous to human hea lth than tobacco (1). The author further asserts that tobacco has been a cause of death of 500,000 people annually in the United States (Brewer 1). From this provisions, one may assert that is cigarette is a legal drug, marijuana should also be legal. The argument is based on the adverse effects of tobacco on human health as compared to tobacco. The same comparison could be made on the effects of alcohol. As reported by the CDC, 25,000 deaths caused by alcohol overdose were reported in 201 (Brewer 1). In addition, 16,000 liver disease deaths were contributed to alcohol abuse (Brewer 1). These statistics display the impact of the health hazards associated with alcohol abuse. The same

Was the Iraq war of 2003 driven principally by US interest in oil Essay

Was the Iraq war of 2003 driven principally by US interest in oil - Essay Example It is only in December 2011 that the US completed the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq. Since the post war era, a great attention has been raised as regards to the US motives of getting involved in Iraq. The Bush Administration proposed different justifications for its decision to invade Iraq. At the beginning, it singled out the threat to US national security caused by the alleged assembling of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by the Saddam administration and connection with international terrorists. Then, it emphasized the necessity to spread democracy in the Middle East in addition to also stressed Saddam Hussein's tyrannical regime and human rights misuse (Boot, 2003). However, many sceptics consider that all of these justifications were just distractions and bureaucratic arguments. In their view, the real key driver was US interest in Iraqi oil as it is one of the main components of global power. The Persian Gulf is the heart of the world petroleum industry. It holds 65 perce nt of the world’s oil reserves and 34 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves (Everest, 2004). The Gulf has strategic importance as the global race for oil has grown. Since the end of World War II, domination in the Middle East and control its oil supplies have been very important to US foreign policy. In pursuit of these objectives, the US made various actions – political and military pressure, overthrowing governments and even menacing the use of nuclear weapons. The subordination of repressive Arab rulers, the support of Israel and Shah’s regime in Iran are good examples of US attempts to control the Middle East. There are many disputes surrounding the role of the Iraqi oil in US invention of 2003. It is argued that one of the main reasons for this war was for the acquisition of the second largest oil reserves in the world. As it has become the major factor of today’s global military-economic-political balance (Fawn & Hinnebusch, 2006). Ther e are many arguments that this was mainly commercial purpose in order to maintain the US economy and oil lobbyist. Moreover, it is widely argued that Iraqi oil has great strategic value for the US as it could decrease dependency on the undemocratic oil producing countries and undermine their economic and political situation (Alkadiri & Mohamedi, 2003). This essay will analyse the oil factor in Iraq war 2003 and its role in American hegemony. It will analyse the case for the numerous attempts made in a bid to have control over Iraqi energy resources and analyse its relationship with the US policy in the context of this war. We however observe an almost failure for the Iraq case which further resulted into the US getting weaker in terms of global domination and in terms of energy security. This study is divided into various sections. The first section of the essay provides a positive opinion about the struggle for Gulf energy resources being a major requisite of Iraq war. The second s ection of the paper offers an in-depth analysis of US interest in Iraqi oil while the third section identifies the implications for US policy in achieving their main goal in Iraq war. What was the main origin in Iraq war? President Bush has been indicted by many people for concealment of his real motives for the Iraq war of 2003 (Pfiffner, 2004). To gain an in-depth understanding of the origin of the war, the essay will examine several sets of

The Cultural Relevance of War and Art in Lysistrata Essay Example for Free

The Cultural Relevance of War and Art in Lysistrata Essay War, it seems, is mans chief preoccupation. Throughout history, as one regards how civilizations thrived and crumbled and flourished and collapsed, how cities rose up, fell, cultures subsumed and assimilated in the process, one notices that before language and art, customs and traditions, in man dwelled conflict, combat, and the pervasive propensity for hostility. On this basis, one may argue the consistency of battle in mans nature; the ever-present presence of this desire to dominate and destroy, for one reason or another: an instinct, it seems, stemming from the savage past where survival meant killing or being killed. But the advent of civilization tempered and somewhat refined mans attitude toward war. Though ever-present still, even to this day, as all base instincts are, many responses to warfare have been devised: often, alongside those who preach in favor of battle, the voices of those opposed to slaughter and bloodshed speak too, through various avenues and paths. And throughout history, no mouthpiece has been used more often than art: paintings and plays, poems and sculptures and displays of oratory: all depict what man feels, what he dwells on: that which batters and bombards his mind and soul, driving him to action. And as war remains a constant in life, so remains the presence of war in many works of art. From 431-399 BC in Ancient Greece the Peloponnesian War was fought. The thirty year conflict changed the entire social structure and landscape of Greece, inciting skirmishes and civil wars aplenty, causing much bloodshed and sorrow and suffering. The cessation of this war is the main theme of the ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata. To achieve this end, the playwright, Aristophanes, pits another base instinct against mans propensity for conflict: sexual intercourse. Aristophanes has the namesake of the play, a strong-willed woman, convince all the women of Greece to withhold all sexual favors from their husbands in order to cease the Peloponnesian War. A bloodless battle ensues between the forces of man and woman; in the end, fueled by an urgent desire to copulate, the men of the warring states of Sparta and Athens as well as their allies establish peace; this sets all aright, and celebration follows. In order to probe more deeply into the nature of the play and the concepts found therein, one must investigate the actual war Aristophanes alluded to and used as backdrop for his play, as well as the Mythology and Religion surrounding its conception. Both are integral to understanding and analyzing the social relevance of Lysistrata in the culture that produced it. When evaluated alongside current western religious inclinations and cultural leanings, one can discern the similarities and differences in the perception of war and its presence in art. The Peloponnesian War was a conflict waged between the forces of Athens and Sparta (and the people of the surrounding areas, either allied to one of the two mentioned states) over a period of approximately 30 years. The aftermath of the war completely transformed ancient Greece, restructuring the distribution of power and inflicting untold horrors upon a multitude of people and cities, in the process wreaking havoc and devastation comparable to the atrocities and mass destruction observed in many contemporary accounts of modern warfare. Aristophanes wrote Lysistrata in 411 BC, at the height of the war, which was brought to a close in 399 BC; thus the comedy was in part a piece of wishful thinking, a satirical look at the atrocity-filled events currently occurring at the time. Greek mythology, comprised of a plethora of gods and goddesses, played a large role in ancient Greek life; this is reflected in the play when Lysistrata and the throng of females, in vowing to halt any sexual activities with their husbands, seal their oath by sacrificing wine to the gods, pledging their resolve to follow through on their self-appointed task. This example portrays religion as a component and constituent of culture and history, a cultural artefact contributing to the social make-up of Greek civilization. Thus does the play begin: the women, bolstered and enforced by religion-as-culture, driven to cease a cultural event in this case, war and bloodshed. Thus do we see Aristophanes affixing a cultural context into his play, assimilating the religious and cultural practices of his time into his art, assigning it an integral role as a driving factor in the action of the play. Culture informs all pieces of art. All works can be seen as offshoots of a particular culture at a particular point in time. Lysistrata can be construed as being the product of Aristophanes, himself a product of Athenian culture and religion, compelled to create the work by the cultural events preoccupying his mind at the time, namely the Peloponnesian War. This action a cultural creation (in this case, Aristophanes) creating Art (a cultural artefact) in response to cultural Events such as war mirrors the countless acts of creation found in the myriad number of books and sculptures, plays, films, poems, and pieces of music man has produced in reaction to cultural entities and events. The brutality provoked by war and the ensuing cultural creations were prevalent in much of twentieth century history. Two world wars and countless civil wars and armed conflicts worldwide have instigated the construction of hundreds of Lysistratas, engendered by countless cultures, comprised of and informed by a multitude of sociopolitical, religious, and cultural activities. The many acts of barbarity and bloodshed have as driving forces sociopolitical and cultural Epistemes: take the Communist-driven Spanish Civil War, or the Cold War waged in the latter part of the twentieth century; take the Nazi-Ideology driven battles fought in World War 2, or the armed campaigns resulting in colonization and appropriation of land and resources and people in various parts of the world, as reflected in the subjugation of Greece by Sparta at the end of the Peloponnesian War, replayed time and time again when Western nations colonized much of Asia and Africa in the name of King, God, or Country. Razed lands and lives led many to create works of art immortalizing the history, outcomes, and consequences of the aforementioned events, contributing to the cultural and historical landscape of their own times. These cultural artefacts allow us to examine how cultural events propagate themselves, and perceive the subtle links between past and present culture and history .

Supply Chain Management in Tourism

Supply Chain Management in Tourism The integration of key business processes from end users through original suppliers that provides products, services and information that add value for customers and other stake holders. Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the operations of the supply chain as efficiently as possible. Supply Chain Management spans all movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point-of-origin to point-of-consumption. (wikipedia.com) SCM in tourism will start from planning of a product, identifying the different sectors to be included in the complete tourism product and also, in each sector of the product, The management of the raw material , inventory of raw material and delivery of the services. Tourism: An industry Tourism denotes the temporary, short term movement of people to destination outside the place where they normally live and work and their activities during their stay at these destinations. Tourism is a multi segment industry. It is an industry where the products are consumed on the spot forming invisible exports. It is also a fragmented industry with high complexity due to the price sensitive nature of demand and the intangibility, perish ability and inseparability. Tourism, like all other supply chains, operates through business-to-business relationships, and supply chain management can be applied to deliver sustainability performance improvements alongside financial performance, by working to improve the business operations of each supplier in the supply chain. The main differences between tourism supply chains and those of other sectors are that tourists travel to the product, and the product that they buy has a particularly high service component in other words, it involves a higher proportion of people in the immediate production of the holiday experience. Supply Chain Management in tourism The aim of supply chain management is to eliminate waste in the chain and to improve the customer service. The elimination of waste for example waiting time, inventory and production of non-requested products leads to lower costs. The improved customer service by means of, interlinked processes, lead to preferred suppliers and to a bigger turnover. All this leads to higher productivity (more income/ less costs). In tourism it plays a very important role to deliver the quality service with minimum gaps or reduced gaps. Shortened product life cycles, increased competition, and heightened expectations of customers have forced many leading edge companies to move from physical logistic management towards more advanced supply chain management. Therefore, in many cases, the only possible way to further reduce costs and lead times is with effective supply chain management. In addition to cost reduction, the supply chain management approach also facilitates customer service improvements. It enables the management of inventories, transportation systems and whole distribution networks so that organizations are able meet or even exceed their customers expectations. Tourism supply chains involve many components not just accommodation, transport and excursions, but also bars and restaurants, handicrafts, food production, waste disposal, and the infrastructure that supports tourism in destinations. These all form a part of the holiday product that is expected by tourists when they purchase holidays, quality, depends on performance at all the links in the tourism supply chain. A further aspect of the tourism supply chain is the activities of customers while on holiday, particularly in relation to their behavior, and what they source for themselves in particular situations. The main strategies in any supply chain are sourcing strategy, distribution strategy, inventory strategy, manufacturing strategy, customer service strategy and the strategy of integration. Tourism comprises of different industries product and service like of Hotels, accommodation, transport, destination etc. SCM strategies can be modified to suit the nature of the product. Sourcing Strategy -Sourcing mainly constitutes Make or buy decision Manufacturing management Capacity Management Make or buy decision: Services can be delivered directly or can be outsourced/Co-Sourced as done by Thomas Cook a reputed name in providing tourism services. Thomas Cook implemented strategic sourcing arrangement with Accenture by outsourcing its Back-Office activities. Through this model they were able to improve operations and reduce its cost, by US $ 243.72 million in just 16 months. Manufacturing management: In tourism, manufacturing component is limited only to certain sectors like food and craft, memento, gifts etc. Services are processed at each stage in the tourism. For example, in transport sector at airport different services like visa and immigration processing, waiting time etc are processed to deliver the maximum satisfaction to the travellers. At the destination the service is processed by providing safe environment and security to the tourists. Capacity Management: The tourism products are subject to instability of demand. Example during Muscat festival in Oman, the demand exceeds the supply in many of the sectors of tourism like in hotels and airlines. Airlines meet this excessive demand by increasing the capacity by introducing additional special flights at special rates. Distribution strategy In tourism industry, the distribution strategy has far reaching impact on the development of the industry. This makes it essential that the channel decisions are sound so that the beginning and end process of marketing are managed efficiently and effectively. A basic understanding of the structure and working of the distribution system in travel industry, including the middlemen who form the part of the system, is found essential to understand the Economics of the tourism industry. The current practices insist on four types of sales distribution of tourism as a product. One stage system: This system provides direct sales from primary suppliers of the services to consumers through its own reservation departments. E.g. airlines directly selling tickets to travellers through its reservation office. Two- stage system: This system involves single middlemen i.e travel agent. Three-stage system: This system involves two middlemen, retail travel agent and wholesaler or a tour operator. Four-stage system: This system involves a retail travel agent, wholesaler and additional middlemen known as Speciality Chancellor, who is instrumental in the development of tour packages. Inventory Strategy: An inventory of tourism products identifies the opportunities and constraints that a local authority has in attracting visitors to their town/ city/region. The number and range of attractions and activities, things visitors can see and do, are particularly important. Gaps in the product range and/or poor quality facilities will make places less attractive to visitors. In the same way lack of transport and accommodation will deter visitors from travelling to and stopping at the destination. Until an inventory of attractions, activities, accommodation and transport has been completed and this is matched with an understanding of visitor demand and Visitor satisfaction, destinations will be unsure whether they are meeting visitor expectations. In terms of prioritising tourism requirements, the attraction and activity sectors are the key areas. For Example, Tourist visit Switzerland for fun and excitement and it is the service provider that provides this opportunity to the tourists. Local government is often also, a key provider of visitor (and residents) theses attractions and amenities. Customer Service Strategy: The aim of the tour operator should be that he consistently makes the customers happy 100% of the time .Inconsistent service leads to customers not knowing what to expect. Customer service includes providing accommodation, flight details, and attractive tourist points. Employees are vital in this attempt to achieve consistently high customer service. Organisations must have the right systems in place in order to achieve their goals. If staff cannot take the right action when dealing with customers, the business will suffer. It is about five times as expensive to win over a new customer as it is to work with an existing one. Integration Strategy: Supply Chain integration Strategy links all the business entities in the supply chain. In tourism the tour operators act as producers as well as distributors. In an efficient supply chain, manufactures, suppliers, distribution channels and customers are linked in the form of a chain to develop and deliver products as a single organization of pooled skills and resources. Higher the integration process, greater is the success of supply chain system. Tour operator or service provider has to integrate all the services together effectively to design the preferred output to gain the competitive advantage. For effective supply chain management of tourism services, it is essential that different segments of product (tourism) are managed in tune with changing habits and desires of users. SCM in few of the important aspects of the tourism like accommodation, transport, food and crafts and destination are discussed briefly in this paper. Accommodation Accommodation facilities are found to be important aspect of Tourism product. For managing hotel services, at the very outset, the locational factors are found important. It is essential those hotels are easily accessible to the tourists sites or beaches or shop. The staff of the hotel should be trustworthy, well trained, and well versed with technology. Hilton Properties California manages their procurement and inventory using software application called Birch Street. There is need for development of Hotels of different Grades and categories to accommodate the tourists of all segments. The restaurants and cafeterias are also found to be image creators. The accessibility and comfort of user is important factor in satisfying experience. The place should be free from all industrial Hazards. The guests staying in hotel should be able to avail the facilities like Quality Bedrooms, conference halls, bars, shopping arcade, swimming pool, transportation arrangement, first aid facilities etc. While developing the product, the quality of services comprising of efficiency, personal attention become significant. According to Carla Gold GM Radisson hotel, Cleveland A good supply chain management starts with Hotel operator knowing the upcoming business demand. Optimum inventory management is required to minimize the cost. The tourist organizations cant think in favour of an optimal product strategy, if classified and unclassified hotels of different grades or stars are not easily available to the tourists. Unplanned development of accommodation sector can hamper the quality holiday experience of the tourist. Transport All ingredients of tourism product fail in getting positive response, if the tourists do not experience comforts while travelling or while coming to the destination. It is not possible that all the tourist sites are directly linked to the airports. Hence other transportation facilities like railways and road transport facilities become significant. The tourist organization may also offer services but most of the guest prefers to avail private transportation services. This makes it essential that the transport facilities are well integrated. The tourist should be offered safe, fast, convenient and economic transport services. Since all the tourists cannot avail air services, the railways and roadways are required to develop planned way. The schedule and speed should be maintained. The number of visitors to a country also depends on the ease with which tourists are able to obtain Visas and sail through immigration procedures. At Muscat international airport immigration procedures are b eing modernised to cut the wait for travellers. To speed up the processing of registration and to take care of security of the travellers electronic gates are installed. Hong Kong International Airport has been named best airport in the world by Skytrax. Travellers look for speed and maximum time utilization in the airport, clean washrooms, seating availability, and prices charged at food and beverage outlets, and how helpful the airport staffs are. The transport operators should behave properly, so that the tourists are motivated. The seating arrangements should be comfortable. The drivers and the conductors and other window staff should behave properly. At any cost, there should not be any compromise with the safety principles. It is important to mention that the inadequate airline capacity is critical bottle neck in are travel to and fro India, particularly during peak season. Charters not only augment air capacity but also help in promoting new destinations. This necessitates adequate attention for upgrading transporting facilities, in important tourist centres. Rail transportation needs to develop special fascination for foreign tourists. It is appreciated palace on wheels scheme. The coast line and back water areas need an intensive care. The possibility of having ship cruises along with coast line and the potential offered by the back waters of Kerela and sunderbans (West Bengal) for river cruises are required to be fully tapped. Food and crafts In many cases tour operators use local food and crafts as one of the tourist attractions of their packages Food and crafts can generate considerable profits for the local population, when volume production and delivery at set quality standards can be met by local producers. Key issues for local sourcing of food supplies in the tourism sector are quality, reliability and quantity of supply. Promotion of local sourcing therefore requires training and technical support and investment for example in storage and distribution facilities to meet quality and reliability standards, as well as the development of production and distribution networks to gather supplies from different local producers into the quantities required by hotels. Few tour operators have supply chain initiatives on the production and distribution of local, sustainable food and crafts, but some work with their local suppliers to promote local sourcing of food and other local products. Small hotels are more likely to buy from local suppliers, while some large hotels have developed programmes to encourage local production at the standards they require. This generally requires constant supervision and commitment, and success is often linked to championing of local sourcing by hotel chefs. Local sourcing and production will usually improve the contribution of tourism to the local economy, both financially and in terms of employment, and may also help to preserve local skills in craft production. For example Surajkund Crafts Mela, is the prominent tourist destination of Haryana, India. The Mela attracts lakhs of visitors, both for the amazing range of interesting crafts it showcases as well as the relaxing rural ambience of the Mela grounds. Besides shopping to your hearts content, you can also witness beautiful, colourful folk dances and also savour delicacies of various states of India. Destinations In relation to the tourism supply chain and direct inputs to tourism, destinations provide infrastructure and services. Destination initiatives for sustainable tourism seek to improve the quality of infrastructure for example, through improvements to waste management infrastructure for solid wastes and awareness raising programmes on waste management practices , to transport systems and to reduce vehicle impacts and to increase the ability of the destination to gain from tourism. Other initiatives include the promotion of linkages between tourism sites, and promotion of a wider range of tourism activities to encourage tourists to sample different aspects of the country and thereby diversify and spread the economic benefits of tourism. A number of initiatives in destinations in many developing countries are designed to enhance local employment in tourism, such as by supporting the substitution of locally-grown and locally-manufactured products in place of imports in the tourism sector, the establishment of investment and loan funds to assist local tourism businesses to start and expand, or the setting up of employment bureaux to match employees with tourism jobs. Some destinations have set up local quality of life and sustainability programmes using sustainability indicators to monitor environmental quality, and in some cases, biodiversity, as well as monitoring visitor satisfaction and changes in tourism markets. Marketing, products and operations can then be adapted according to the monitoring information obtained. The Taj Mahal one of the Seven Wonders of the World in India attracts 2 to 4 million visitors every year with more than 200,000 from overseas. Polluting traffic is not allowed near the complex and tourist must either walk from the car parks or catch an electric bus. For security reasons only five items water in transparent bottles, small video cameras, still cameras, mobile phones and small ladies-purse are not allowed inside the Taj Mahal. Conclusions Based on various discussions in the above paper, it can be concluded that rules/ trends/models of supply chain management of manufacturing technology holds good for service sector also with reference to tourism Various aspects of services with reference to tourism are discussed separately. This paper discusses that there are many components in tourism. In each component like Accommodation, transport, food and Crafts Destination etc. there is need for Supply Chain Management to deliver quality service resulting in satisfying experience or tourist satisfaction. From the discussions in the paper it can be concluded, higher the integration of services within a particular sector (intra relationship) and also amongst the different sectors (inter relationship) of tourism, greater is the competitive advantage. Services in tourism like security of tourists, minimum waiting time at different locations, Environment friendly operations etc forms the important constituents in strategies of SCM. Supply Chain Management is a strategic tool which leads in cost reduction, optimum utilization of resource, sustainability resulting in leadership in todays global competitive market. References Jha, S.M.: Services marketing; H.P.H., Bombay, 1994. Predictions that will make you rethink your supply Chain; Supply chain management review; September/October 2002; Anderson Supplier OEM Sahay, B. S. (2000). Supply Chain Management for global competitiveness, Macmillan India Berry and Parsuraman, Marketing Services: Competing through quality (New York: The Free Press), 1991 Web sites visited: http://tourism.gov.in/statistics/statistics.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_chain_management www.http:// ITT9603 Tourism and Information Technology.htm http://www.fincorp.net/reports/tourism sector report-09-04.pdf http://www.tourism.govt.nz/tourism-toolkit/toolkit-word-docs/planning-checklist-TOUR-IND-INVEN.doc

Product Study - Quorn Vegetarian Foods Essay -- Business Analysis, Veg

Analysis of the Situation There are currently 4 million vegetarians in the UK, and this figure is increasing at a rate of 5,000 each week. The fact that the number of vegetarians in the UK has doubled in the past ten years, proves vegetarianism to be constantly gaining popularity. The UK retail market for vegetarian foods is increasing by eight per cent per year, reflecting the constant demands for meat alternatives. Quorn products are amongst the most popular vegetarian foods in the UK, which is indicated through the vast amount of people choosing Quorn products as regular mealtime alternatives to meat based meals. I have chosen Quorn chicken style nuggets as my product study, as it is a well-established meat alternative, and one of Qourn's best selling products. Quorn as a company cater for many different needs of customers from social groups including religion and faith, culture, low fat diets, and of course, vegetarians themselves. History of Micoprotein and Quorn Products In the 1960's nutritionists and health experts were concerned that the predicted growth in population would mean that by the 1980's there would be a global protein shortage. Nutritionists and food scientists started a search to find new foods, which would help to meet the predicted increase in demand. The discovery of an organism occurring naturally in the soil ultimately gave Marlow Foods the opportunity to develop such a new food; mycoprotein. Research and product development work progressed. It wasn't until the early 1980's that mycoprotein could be grown on a com... ...gether to produce the batter for the nuggets. The flour and starch are mixed together along with water, and the salt is then added for flavouring. The batter is then set allowing he breadcrumbs to stick to it Wheat flour, wheat germ, yeast, salt Ââ€" are all used to make the breadcrumbs for the nuggets. The yeast allows the crumbs to grow and mixes with the ingredients, where as the wheat starch and flour are the main ingredients forming the crumbs. The salt is again used for extra flavouring. Sunflower oil Ââ€" replaces the fat in the mixture, making it a healthier option. It allows the nuggets to be fried a lot more easily, due to its high smoke point. Packaging. www.understandingfoodadditives.org Functions of ingrediants Compare chicken with quorn nuggets Packaging Price http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/awareness_campaigns/may_vegetarian.shtml

Resistance of Change in Chinese Society in the Beginning of 20’s Century

Resistance of Change Ding Ling’s â€Å"A Day†, Lu Xun’s â€Å"A Madman’s Diary,† and Yu Dafu’s â€Å"Sinking† are all works that have been written in the time of a crucial change in China. Although the stories are fictional, the writers manage to reflect and correlate their characters to the current state of their homeland. Reading the listed works we see that its characters possess many common traits such as suffering, humility, depression, and much love and patriotism for China. The authors use character’s personal difficulties, to illustrate how complex it is for China to abolish its conservative, deep-rooted, traditional ways for new ones.In â€Å"The Diary of a Madman† by Lu Xun, we see a character that is in a state of constant paranoia. He is considered to be a madman by his immediate society that is greatly influenced by old Chinese morals and traditions of imperialism and Confucianism. He believes that his social circle practices cannibalism and sooner or later he will be eaten. On numerous occasions he questions the reasons behind this immoral practice which he believes is real. Although his actual perceptions of his surroundings might be erroneous in reality, we notice a valid metaphoric meaning in his view; cannibalism as suppression of people.He doesn’t understand why people are not willing to give up their old customs of cannibalism. He claims that some who used to practice cannibalism in the past realized its immorality and stopped, yet most continue to live by old traditions. He argues immorality of old traditions should be exemplifying the west as a By illustrating this inability of social change the character demonstrates the society as one of great tradition. The character’s desire for change illustrates the revolutionary times that China was undergoing at the time.He wanted the Chinese society to abandon its traditional beliefs which were constraining their liberali ty. Order, discipline, and oppressive imperial traditions of their background influenced by Confucianism strongly shaped their beliefs and habits, making it difficult to accept new modern principles. The character feels helpless while observing his society’s challenge to change. Although we see the character’s distress, his connection and love towards China is illustrated in his last words of the diary. Declaring to â€Å"Save the Children†, the character conveys his patriotic beliefs in times of agony.We see that regardless of social resistance to change the characters’ hope of a better future for China persists, illustrating the great patriotism that is integrated in Chinese society and culture. In Ding Ling’s story â€Å"A Day,† we also see a character whose emotional state correlates to her surrounding society. In the story, a young woman lives in a poor part of a metropolis city, â€Å"under the jurisdiction of a few imperialist nation s†(12). She despises this split society, which is made of â€Å"fat bellied† capitalists and the filthy poor working class that labors for the former.Observing the miserable working class routinely occupied in their â€Å"back-breaking† tasks makes her feel depressed. She pities them and wishes she could help them realize that they deserve a better living. She thinks that if only she could influence those people, to open their eyes to a better future, she would improve their lives. She makes an attempt to improve her maid’s way of thinking, trying to melt her gloom, but soon feels anguished herself. When she considers people’s â€Å"ignorant ways of thinking and their purely selfish desires† she hopelessly gives up. The lives of those people are wretched and their minds are numbed, they are stripped of all hope and ideas as they eke out a living from one day to the next†. She sees her society suffering in this â€Å"meaningless existen ce† and not being able to change. This resistance to change irritates her greatly. She realizes that the mentality of these people is degraded by imperialistic domination for many years and is difficult to abandon. Those similar self degrading traits can also be detected in the character.Her immediate company that visits her daily takes advantage of her humbleness and overwhelms her with their sentiments regarding the ills of China. Her submissiveness restrains her desire to argue her position and take any measures. Depressed, she wants to isolate herself from everybody and sink in her daydream; the only delight of her day. We see a reflecting relationship between society and the character. Society makes her depressed and she is hopeless of change. Dreaming about a better life, she is still not able to take any actions that would help her break through this cycle of misery.While in the past two stories, we see characters that were disturbed by difficulties of change in their s ocieties, in â€Å"Sinking† by Yu Dafu the main character is troubled by his personal complexities. Various emotional problems such as loneliness, hatred, fear, sexual frustration, paranoia, and other self degrading traits lead him to a suicide. A Chinese native and a patriot, he is influenced by Chinese traditional morals and beliefs that suffocate his desire to acquaint to a new environment in Japan, where he attends school as a foreign student.Discipline and order induced in him by Confucianism of imperialistic China restrain his adaptation in this new liberal setting. We see that his relationship with his new society is hurting because of his long-established morality. He feels that his schoolmates reject him, but his paranoiac attitude and reserved appearance prevent him from making any friends. Failing to make an attempt to connect with the Japanese students, whom he considers his enemies, he loathes them even more. He is resentful that his beloved China is in time of c haos while Japan is thriving and that distances him from his surroundings even more.He is sexually frustrated and unable to connect with girls. He tries to physically ease his frustration but feels sickened and considers it to be immoral. Having been influenced by Confucian tradition, he constantly tries to discipline and improve himself, yet his attempts are always overwhelmed by new desires and beliefs. Influenced by western literature, he finds peace when he recites poetry written by romantic writers and spends his sole time appreciating nature. This aspiration of western culture and liberal thinking constantly competes with the previous morality of the character.His personal conditions and experiences represent, and are the effects of, the undergoing struggles of Chinese society during the time of political chaos. After the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, China did not have a real government. The society feels rejected, because other countries are not willing to step in and help establish a new administration. Although people anticipate a new liberal government, soon another Emperor takes office. Moral and traditional philosophy infiltrated by Confucianism made the Chinese culture humble and fearful just like the character’s personality.While manifesting many strong feelings of hate, sorrow, and frustration, the character is unable to take any measures to change his perceptions. In the end of the story the character commits suicide, stating; â€Å"O China, My China, you are the cause of my death! I wish you could become rich and strong soon!†¦ Many, many of your children are still suffering. † We can see that regardless of all the struggles he went through, the character is a great patriot of his country, and while he does not see any hope for his own healing, his sorrow and death symbolizes his hope for his Country and future generations.Contradiction We see that the characters in all three stories have various emotional and psychologica l traits that reflect China in its time of turmoil. We also see that all characters ultimately demonstrated great patriotism towards their country. In order to understand the reasons behind those qualities we have to observe a number of factors from authors’ perspective. Lu Xun, Yu Dafu, and Ding Ling were all authors that were greatly influenced by the revolutionary times in China and their stories illustrate, in part, their own feelings towards their society.The overthrow of the emperor, in the beginning of twenties century brought a new wind of change. People started to believe that new times are about to form. Western culture and political approach started to inspire people to believe that a better future is around the corner. The characters in our stories help us better to understand the circumstances and the condition of Chinese society in those crucial times. At first we observe Lu Xun’s â€Å"A Diary of a Madman† in which we see a man that is perceived a s a madman by his society.Although in the story it might be so, we can identify a certain metaphor that symbolizes the character’s wisdom. While cannibalism was actually practiced in some instances in Imperial China, Lu Xun drew a picture that resembled the old imperialistic China that suppressed its society, â€Å"eating† their liberty. Imperialism vanished by the time all three stories have been written, yet society is still unable to change their old mentality. This resistance to change because of old settled-in traditions can also be seen in both â€Å"A Day† and â€Å"Sinking.And yet Ding Ling, similar to Lu Xun, in her story portrays mainly the difficulties of social change, Yu Dafu illustrates them on an individual that is also infected with old traditions overpowering his wish for change. Society formulates individuals that in turn makeup the former. The relationship between them is inevitable. It appears that all authors conveyed their personal outlook of their society through their stories. Resistance to change might have been the most difficult obstacle China had to overcome for a better tomorrow, and the offered stories showed us the disturbances of individuals in relation to their society.