Monday, January 27, 2020

The Rise Of China History Essay

The Rise Of China History Essay INTRODUCTION China perceives itself as a central power on Earth. The rest of the World is an array of greater and lesser powers which neither have unified structure nor a single head Macnall Mark  [1]   1. The quiet yet spectacular rise of China in the last two decades has brought the Oriental dragon on the thresholds of changing the contours of international power politics. China has emerged as the third largest economy in the world and the largest trading partner of all the emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America replacing the USA and EU. China is known to be pursuing a not so transparent path of steep growth in strategic military capability and has developed a credible nuclear and missile deterrence capability. 2. China is rising along with worldwide concerns over the strat implications of the growing Chinese power. Whether any nation likes it or not, China has emerged as a power to reckon with and its hybrid model of quasi- state capitalism semi democratic authoritarianism sometimes dubbed as the Beijing consensus  [2]  makes an interesting case study for the strat thinkers. 3. During the cold war, China pursued a policy of leaning to one side (either the Soviet Union or the United States) from within a posture of strategic independence. After the disintegration of USSR, it has been making official and emphatic pronouncements of promoting a multipolar world order and its own desire to attain the status of a world power. China has generally maintained an outwardly peaceful outlook and the World has not seen any major intervention by China except possibly in the case of North Korea where the Chinese action can not be defined as responsible. However, as China begins to assert its economic prowess and military capability, the global and regional powers are besieged with the growing realisation of a need to develop mechanisms to deal with the potent China threat. 4. There appears to be a near consensus that China will soon become a world power. However, whether China will fulfil the responsibilities that accompany the mantle of a Global power remains to be seen. Whatever be the case, China has arrived at the centre stage of world politics and the world has to cater for China in all their strategic outlook. Hypothesis 5. The rise of China into a global power in foreseeable future is a fact every nation state has to understand and reckon with. China is on the path of development of comprehensive national power before it asserts itself to take the centre stage of the world order . Assertion of Chinas economic and military might in conjunction with its soft power status in the UN to challenge the unipolar world order is likely to bring it in conflict with the sole super power USA. Manifestation of the true Chinese aspirations and intentions are likely to emerge by the year 2030 by which time it may be too late for world players including India to decide on how to align with the changed world order centred around China.   Statement of the Problem 6. This research seeks to study and analyze the rise of China as a world power and its effect on the global power equation. The paper also seeks to study as to how the major international players including India will manage or adapt to this change in the international arena. SCOPE 7. This research will primarily focus on the strat activities of China and its implications for other nations including India. It will analyse the World view of the Chinese growth and the management of the change in global power equations due to Chinese growth. The research has been carried out under the following main heads:- (a) Historical/Background Issues. After a brief mention of the rise of Chinese civilisation, its geography and population, this part includes the research carried out to understand the advent of nationalism and communism in China and the transformation from Mao to Market as Deng Xiaoping laid the foundation for open market policies within a centrist communist regime. (focus more on the contribution of the CCP and its evolution in the era of Xiaoping. Not to cov econ its detls to avoid overlap with para c below). (b) Chinas Grand Strategy/ Capabilities and Intentions. The national and military objectives of China and the growth of its military capability to meet its regional as well as global ambitions have been analysed in this part. (Focus on the Chinese perspective only avoid giving the perspective of the other powers to avoid duplication with para e below). (c) Economic and Social Growth of China. The emergence of China as a major economic power with substantial forex reserves and its global reach to new markets have been analysed. The Chinese initiatives for social growth to facilitate the economic growth in the long term have also been examined. (only the economic and social growth of china , avoid views and perspective either Chinese or World view as it is being cov in other parts) (d) Chinas Growing Vulnerabilities Weaknesses. While China has made much progress, it still has many blemishes. The threats of economic disparity, alienation of ethnic minorities like Tibetans and Uighurs, environmental threat due to urbanisation, lack of energy resources and the plight of farmers and migrant labour working in the SEZs are some of the threats which may derail the stability of China. In addition to discussion of the internal weaknesses of China, its performance in relation to internal obligations like nuclear non proliferation, global war on terror , human rights front and world trade issues have also been analysed in this part. (e) Effect and Analysis of Chinas Rise. The effect of Chinas rise on the world order and major world players like USA, EU, Asia Pacific, Russia, South Asia and India and their response have been analysed in this part.(you can skip the effect on India and the Indian response as it will be coc in detl in para f) (f) Implications for India and How Should India Respond. There are areas of common interests as well as areas of competition and concerns between the two Asian giants. In view of the meteoric growth of China, India has a wide range of options to include collaboration, engagement, containment, confrontation and alliance with other global players like USA, Japan, Australia and Taiwan etc . The options of India ranging from deterrence to dissuasion capability and the multi pronged and multi lateral policies to slow down the prowling dragon of China have been analysed in this part. ( the alliances by India may be common between paras e and f, both gps may work on it for the time being for maint continuity of your flow, can be rationalises later) PRESENTATION 8. The presentation of the Minor Research Project will be conducted as under:- Minutes (a) Historical/Background Issues 05 (b) Chinas Grand Strategy/Intentions 12 (c) Economic Social Rise of China 06 (d) Chinas Growing Vulnerabilities Weaknesses 10 (e) Effect and Analysis of Chinas Rise 12 (f) Implications for India and How Should India Respond. 14 (g) Conclusion 02 (h) Questions Answers 20 (j) Summing up by SI 05 (k) Comments by CI Army/Comdt 05 Total 90 (this is tentative , based on the term of ref that we have only 60 mins for presentation the obvious achievements of China need not be devoted too much of time and space . I have tried to keep the sub parts/contents of the sub topics in mind while allotting time . Historical background part may appear less to you but that being the introductory part should not be too long I feel) CONCLUSION 9. The meteoric rise of China in the World order has been one of the most discussed and debated issues of the new millennium. After more than five centuries of dominance of the Western Block, the Oriental Dragon is well poised to take the centre stage in the World politics and economy. 10. There is a considerable amount of debate on issues like how long can the dynamic growth in Chinese economy continue or its nearly totalitarian regime survive but the there can be no dispute to the rising might of the Chinese economy and military power which has shown remarkable signs of resilience, stability and adaptability . 11. The expectation that China eventually would pursue an assertive strategic policy subsequent to attaining comprehensive national strength would be fairly consistent with the conduct of previous great powers historically. Chinese experience of geopolitical primacy and the association of that primacy with good order, civilization, virtue, and justice, may make the pursuit of geopolitical centrality through assertive behaviour once again attractive. 12. The global players and India will have to develop a multi lateral approach for dealing with the rise of China. While China has the right to peaceful development of its own country, any asymmetric growth in military capability is bound to pose a threat to the power balance in regional as well as global levels. 13. India must engage China in a constructive manner to expand bilateral trade and co-operation while enhancing its own military and economic potential to deal with any possible Chinese misadventure like 1962. Our focus has to be based on building matching capabilities rather than reading the Chinese intentions alone as while the capabilities take years to build, intentions may change overnight. Note- Please come prep with all the proposed changes/amdts to any part of the synopsis or any addition/deletion to the scope of your respective topics/sub topics. You may send in your suggestions by mail also.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Uncovering the Truth: Fad Diets

Uncovering the Truth: Fad Diets Uncovering the Truth: Fad Diets Longing for perfection has always been the driving force behind the development of civilization and the inventive spirit of the human being. We want to be perfect in every aspect of our lives: family, work, wealth, appearance and health. Lately society has turned its attention on appearance and health. With shows like Biggest Loser, a reality television series that follows overweight people learning to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle while competing against other contestants on the show to lose the most amount of weight, becoming increasingly popular and countless amounts of weight loss books filling up the shelves in bookstores; it seems that our society is focusing more strongly on getting physically fit and healthy. While some people choose physical activity to maintain their bodies in good shape, others prefer a passive way of dieting. Dieting originated as a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. While dieting, the dieter finds a way to organize their eating habits so that the food they consume decreases or stabilizes their weight safely. Although people continue to use dieting as a tool for healthy weight loss, the diversity of diets today is overwhelming. The popularity of dieting has began to overshadow its essence, in turn causing people to abuse diets and show slight consideration to the ways dieting can actually influence a persons’ body. In some cases diets have proven to be of paramount importance to a person’s life, weight experts have determined that a well designed diet-and-exercise program can improve your odds of succeeding at weight management and cure things such as diabetes: Type Two. But in many cases, diets abuse persons’ physical health and mental sanity. A special term has been invented for the types of unhealthy diets that involve restricted nutrition and/or limit the amount of the necessary to normal functioning of one’s organism calories, promising quick and easy weight-loss. Subsequently, they are referred to as fad diets. This is a look at some of society’s most popular fad diets and their effects. Description of Fad Diets These are some of the most popular diets out now:  · Low-Carbohydrate/High-Protein Diets  · High Carbohydrate/Low Fat Diets  · Controlled Portion Size Diets  · Liquid Diets  · Dieting Pills  · Cabbage Soup Diet The first diet type we look at is currently one of the most followed plans in the world. These are known as Low-Carbohydrate (CHO)/Low Fat Diets. Although there are many different versions of these diets the basis for them is the same. These diets declare that the source of the weight problem is CHO, thus concluding that if CHO is eliminated; the dieter will successfully lose weight. For instance, the core of the very popular Atkins diet is based around the theory that significant consumption of CHO is the specific cause for obesity. Therefore, Atkins restricts the dieters’ daily CHO intake and reduces their caloric intake to between 1,200 and 1,800. Atkins, 1992) In general, this type of dieting allows such foods as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, CHO-low vegetables, and butter-although prohibiting CHO products (bread, pasta, potatoes, etc. ). Although dieters may lose weight at first, the grave reality about these diets is that the food plan they propose is not entirely safe. While on these diet plans, the body misses out on vitamin B and C and other essential nutrients. This is due to the lack of fruits, whole grains, an d fibers allowed in this diet. Furthermore, the dieters’ run the risk of damaging the normal functioning of their kidneys. Without CHO to use for fuel, the body switches into a metabolic state called ketosis. When the body is in ketosis, it gathers energy from ketones- a form of carbon that is created from the breakdown of fat. The more ketones in the body, the harder the kidneys have to work to filter those ketones out. Making the kidneys work over like that can result in renal failure. (Pasternak, 2006) Next we look at another popular diet fad type, although not as popular as the low carbohydrate diets, High Carbohydrate (CHO)/Low Fat diets are quickly gaining momentum. This is thanks in large part to Dr. Dean Ornish’s Eat More Weigh Less Diet, also known as the Ornish Diet. These diet plans focus not on the amount of calories being consumed, but rather on the CHO/ fat balance in meals. On the Ornish Diet foods that are allowed to be eaten in any quantity and at any time include vegetables, fruits, and grains. Some foods, such as low-fat dairy products, may be consumed in small quantities. However, there are food types that are strictly forbidden as part of the diet plan, among these are foods are meat, oils, nuts, sugar, and dairy product that are not low-fat. Ornish, 2007) Unfortunately, these diets do not make a clear distinction between the good fat and the bad fat. Since the emphasis is based so strongly on fats dieters are lead to believe that fat itself is the problem. In actuality the most dangerous fat is transient fat, which may be found in cookies, while animal fats are known to be beneficial to the human organism. For example, it is common knowledge that fish and nu ts contain fats that help the human body fight heart disease. We need to be aware of what is good and bad for the body so we know what kind of foods to eat and what the limit is. The next diet we look at is much different from the previous one’s we have looked at. Unlike the CHO eliminating or fat eliminating diets, The Volumetric Plan Diet claims that what is being consumed is not what counts, rather how much one eats at a time. (Rolls and Barnett, 2000) This type of dieting teaches to control the whole process of eating by checking the size of the serving for each meal and mastering the number of meals a day a person has. Consequently, these diets do not address the quality of the food pattern; they instead concentrate on servings. For example, The Volumetric Weight Control Plan suggests that the dieter lower their caloric intake by 1,000 calories. (Rolls and Barnett, 2000) While the plan explains very well how to count calories, they neglect to inform dieters of the healthy choice of foods that should be consumed. Abiding by this fad dieting can be mentally stressful as the dieter feels enormous guilt if they stray from the diet. Also, this diet makes it justifiable to consume unhealthy food, by allowing the dieter to limit the unhealthy food to small portions but with no limits as to how many times a day it should be consumed. Liquid Fad diets establish liquids as the main element of the diets. Commonly, these liquids come in the form of shakes or juices. The severe form of this diet requires consumption of liquid only; nevertheless, there is a lighter approach when shakes substitute one or two meals. This is an extremely low-calorie type of fad diet. Its main drawback is the short-term results it produces. Though manufacturers claim that the liquids purify the organism, there is not essential scientific evidence to support this claim. The facts are that this diet works by diminishing the calories intake. However, this is achieved through low nutrition value the liquids. General consequences from these diets include frequent colds, hair loss, and fatigue. Absence of natural sources of vitamins and microelements such as fruits and vegetables may also lead to digestion disorders. Another type of diet plan that may lead to digestion disorders, among other things, is fairly considered the most hazardous of all the fad diets. In the past two decades, Americans have spent billions of dollars on diet pills. Though diet pills offer quick solution to the problems of being overweight, they do not deliver the promised result. In the case we will look at phenylpropanolamine (PPA). PPA is one of the most widely used hunger suppressants. PPA affects the hypothalamus, the control center of the brain; it interrupts the hypothalamus from telling the brain that the body is hungry, thus, causing a person to eat less. The negative side of PPA is that you must stay on it to curb your appetite and some of the more mild side affect are irrability, palpitation of the heart and being tired. More serious side effects include cardiac arrhythmias, intracerebral hemorrhage and psychosis. Concluding our diet types is the widespread Cabbage Soup Diet. A unique fact about this diet is that no one really knows where it originated from. The cabbage soup diet recommends that the dieter eat little more than cabbage soup throughout the day. By cycling on and off of the diet (7 days on, 14 off) it guarantees the dieter that they will lose anywhere from ten to twenty pounds in a weeks’ time. (Danbrot, 1997) The truth about this diet is that it restricts your caloric intake to less than 1,000 a day. There are no proteins or fats in this diet and an unhealthy amount of vitamins and minerals are missing. Pasternak, 2006) Side effects of this diet include: diarrhea, light headedness and abdominal pain. These are some of the most popular diets being used by people today. We have seen the diets and learned all of the negative e physical reaction our bodies may have to them, but dieters also run a risk of being physiologically affected by these diets. Physical and Physiologica l Consequences of Fad Dieting In general, fad diets are usually low-calorie diets that result in a quite sufficient weight loss over a short period of time. However, it is deceptive because it is not fat-loss, but instead water-loss. Weight is simply gained back when a person returns to their normal eating habits. Latest research shows that such a pattern causes risk of obesity and may lead to anorexia or bulimia. Two-thirds of the human organism consists of water, thus, a considerable water-loss to the body results in dehydration. Dehydration, in return, will lead to weakness and reduction in urine and sweat production, which may also lead to an electrolyte imbalance. Electrolytes live in our blood and plasma, and their job is to transmit nerve impulses throughout the body. McBride, 2008, June 11)Since electrolytes are fluid-based, drastic water loss through extreme dieting or vomiting can rapidly lower the amount of this essential substance. Less liquid in the organism can lead to a nervous breakdown or heart attack. Furthermore, fad diets may lead to a number of different conditions. Diets that encourage you to eliminate milk, oil, potatoes may lead to deficiency vitamin A, which is immensely important for a h ealthy functioning of the body. In actuality all the fad diets covered in this paper lacked adequate nutritional value. Diets, like Atkins for example, do not provide the vitamins the dieter needs, or micro-elements, such as zinc and calcium to maintain a healthy body. The human body needs a well-rounded nutrition that includes all the vitamins and micro-elements available. If these vitamins are omitted on a day-to-day basis it will inevitably result in energy depletion and quick wearing out of the internal organs. The first sign that your diet is a poor nutrition choice is experiencing sleeping disorders which eventually may lead to memory deterioration. Malnutrition is frequently observed in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In 60% of all COPD patients are malnutrition is seen but only 29% of those patients have a body weight equal to or above 90% of ideal body weight. (Consequences of Poor dieting, 2010)Another result of lacking the necessary vitamins is considerable hair loss as a reaction by the hair follicles to the shock the organism is experiencing. As a result of being on a diet, the dieter my not get any satisfaction from what he or she is eating. Desire for receiving pleasure from food is natural to the human being; accordingly lack of satisfaction is one of the main reasons why many people drop dieting early on. When abiding by the diet, the restricted product becomes the obtrusive idea, and the longer the person stays on a diet, the more frustrated they become. Before long, the desire to eat the prohibited food item overcomes their fear of failing the quest for weight loss. As a result of the struggle they face, the dieter may start consuming much more calories than they actually need, or used to eat before becoming a dieter and quickly gain the weight (Medina, Dieting and its Consequences, n. d. ) Likewise, the dieter may develop food obsession, from pickiness to constant counting of calories. Whether the person is still on a diet or not, their mind still functions as that of a dieter, which will include all of the damaging consequences; including depression. In conclusion, the research carried out in this work has shown that fad diets present unconditional danger to health and may lead to serious dysfunctions. Satisfying our needs is the natural law of life. Dieting requires us to ignore the natural necessity of the human body. No matter how attractive fad diets may seem, it is highly recommended they be avoided. A quickly- achieved result is not a sufficient price for damaged health. Instead of eliminating essential nutrients from the menu, dieters should focus on keeping a healthy eating plan that includes different types of foods rich in vitamins and micro-elements. Healthy habits, such as being physically active, are an excellent way to permanently lose extra weight with the benefit of improving their health. References Atkins, R. , MD. , (1992). Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. New York: HarperCollins Consequences of Poor Diets (2010, January 03) retrieved from: http://www. diagnose-me. com/cond/C2556. html Danbrot, M. (1997) The New Cabbage Soup Diet. New York: St. Martins Press Medina, J. (n. d) Diet and its consequences. Retrieved from http://www. helium. com/item/944418-diet-and-its-consequences McBride,H. (2008, June 11) Health consequences of dangerous dieting. Retrieved from http://www. obesity –treatment. com/feature/health Ornish,D. , MD. (2007) The Spectrum. New York: Ballantine Books Pasternak, H. , M. Sc (2006) The 5-Factor Diet. New York: Ballantine Books Rolls, B. , PhD & Barnett,R. A. , (2000) The Volumetrics of Weight-Control Plan. New York: HarperCollins Zelman,K. , MRH, RD, LD (2008, January 24) Retrieved from: Webmd. com/diet/liquid diets.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Management of Financial Resources and Performance Essay

This assessment accounts for 100% of your overall module grade. It is an individually written assignment of about 3000-3500 words (10% -/+) excluding appendices, to be submitted to LSS Business School on the deadline shown in the student portal with the appropriate cover note according to the guidelines given in the student handbook. Your work is expected to be analytical and evaluative, consolidate on relevant theory and indicate a good level of application abilities. In order to complete this assignment you are required to select a company of your choice and identify the various stakeholders and their Interests on the company. You need to briefly explain how they can be managed effectively in the organisation using about 1000 words. Then select another company that is listed in FTSE (or equivalent in your own country), and conduct an audit of the businesses current position, you are required to identify the business planning and current strategy used in the organisation with specific reference to performance analysis and utilisation of resources (Including International considerations) for competitive advantage and assess the financial position using a series of management accounting techniques for decision making. Use about 1500 words in order to complete this. Using about 500-1000 words briefly explain the investment appraisal techniques that could be used by an organisation, and apply the techniques to conduct a investment appraisal for the following scenario 123 LTD is a clothing manufacturer operating in UK for more than 10 yrs, As a strategic decision to expand it’s operations, the company plans to set up a manufacturing unit in another country and produce designer clothing to sell in that country. Current interest rate is 10%, The options available are: USA Running expenses is estimated to be  £210K per annum and expected revenue is USD 700K per Annum An additional approval fee of  £22K needs to be paid in advance to trade in the country annually. France Running expenses is estimated to be  £190K per annum and expected revenue is EURO 450K per Annum. An additional approval fee of  £25K needs to be paid in advance to operate in the every yr. In addition a one off Royalty Fee of  £25K needs to be paid despite of the operational years. Switzerland Running expenses is estimated to be  £200K per annum and expected revenue is Swiss Francs 3800K per Annum, An additional License fee of  £30K needs to be paid in advance to operate in the route for a yr. Given the controls in this country, any factory of this nature will need an inspection by the authorities every 3 yrs amounting to  £70K per inspection. Cost of New machinery for this purpose in any country is  £450K, Life time of the Machinery is 10 yrs and at the end of 5 yrs the machinery will attract, a residual value of  £150K. Any material that you will decide to use as a result of your research would need to be submitted at the back of your assignment in the form of an appendix to ensure that the tutor is also briefed to the same level as you, when assessing your work. Take great care and follow the wording below carefully, to ensure that you have covered all the requirements sufficiently, according to the given tasks below.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Floriculture †a Booming Sector for Women Entrepreneurs in...

Floriculture – a booming sector for women entrepreneurs in rural India Abstract India is gifted with diverse agro-climatic conditions like good quality soils, suitable climate, abundant water supply, low labour cost, which form effective support system to Floriculture . India has an added advantage that it has good export relations with the countries like Japan ,USA, and other European countries . Commercial floriculture is becoming important from the export angle. The liberalization of industrial and trade policies paved the way for development of export oriented production of cut flowers. As traditional flower cultivation is apart of Indian agriculture it is very near to the rural India .With growing†¦show more content†¦Present status and growing trade is still in infancy. Floriculture in India is being viewed as a high growth Industry. The new seed policy had already made it feasible to import planting material of international varieties. Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Women in floriculture: A very little effort has been done on entrepreneurship development among women farmers. The tendency to be an entrepreneur empowers women and enables them to gain from commercial agriculture especially floriculture. There is a tremendous opportunity in floriculture trade at entrepreneurial level for women. Besides growing and selling cut flowers, women can, set up small enterprises where value-addition can be made like exports .Trade in dried flowers is also on the rise. The women can easily tap this opportunity. Enabling women farmers to enable women take advantages of the developments in floriculture, it is important to change the system at various levels. They are basically at three levels: †¢ Policy level (like provision of higher subsidy to women-owned farms). †¢ Field extension level to encourage women farmers take up greenhouse. †¢ Women farmers’ level where more of women extension workers need to be engaged to transfer the information and knowledge to women farmers. There is also a need to organize knowledge and skill training for women, either exclusively for them at the village level or along with their male family members at the Model Floriculture Centre (MFC) level, on