Death Penalty Outline

Understanding the Death Penalty General Purpose: My general purpose is to give the audience a better understanding of the death penalty. Specific Purpose: My purpose is to inform my audience about the different death penalty methods. Introduction: I. We all know Thomas Edison as being the creator of the light bulb, but what most don’t know is he executed animals using his knowledge of electricity. That’s where it all began. II. The death penalty is the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense.III. It is also known as Capital Punishment. The two words merely mean the same thing. Some look at â€Å"Death Penalty† as being the penalty received whereas others look at â€Å"Capital Punishment† as being the actual execution. IV. What makes capital cases different from other cases is more pre-trial time, more experts, more attorneys, and jurors have to be quizzed on their views of the death penalty. All crimes are not capital cases. Transition: To begin let’s start with the different methods of execution. Body: I. There are five methods of execution. . Lethal injection b. Electric chair c. Gas chamber d. Hanging e. Fire squad Transition: First let’s explore lethal injection. I. Lethal Injection is the primary source of execution used in the United States; The U. S. became the first country to use lethal injection. There are three different drugs used in lethal injection. A. Sodium Thiopental- A sedative drug that puts you in a coma-like, unconsciousness sleep. B. Pancuronium Bromide- Prohibits all muscular-skeletal movements and paralyzes the diaphragm to stop respiration. C.Potassium Chloride- Interferes with the electrical signals of the heart, causing cardiac arrest. According to U. S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, along with Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and Samuel A. Alito, There are a total of 36 states now use lethal injection as their most prevale nt source of execution. 27 of the 36 require lethal injection to be the method of execution. There is a lethal injection machine, but rarely used because of the fear that it will not work on the first try. II. Transition: Another method is the Electric Chair.This is the method where a high voltage of electricity is sent through the body. A. Before the execution, the prisoner’s head and legs will be shaved where the electrodes are placed. The prisoner’s head, torso, arm, legs, hips, wrists and ankles are tightly fastened to the chair. (Robert O. Hippe, Judge of the Nebraska Court of Appeals) B. A plate is placed around the prisoner’s head and left calf creating a path through the body. C. Larger sponges which have been soaked in solution are placed under each electrode, next to the prisoner’s skin.Burning is expected in electrocutions, so a fire extinguisher is kept close by. III. Transition: A third method of execution is the gas chamber. A. During an exe cution, the prisoner is placed in an air-tight room where potassium cyanide or sodium cyanide is put into a pan of hydrochloric acid causing the prisoner to not be able to process hemoglobin, as stated in the article â€Å"First Execution by Lethal Gas† B. The prisoner then falls and chokes to death. C. Only 4 states in the U. S. allow gas chamber as a form of execution. D. Gas chamber is the most expensive method of execution.IV. Transition: The fourth method of execution is hanging. A. The inmate must be weighed the day before the execution. A sandbag weighing the same as the prisoner is then used a â€Å"test dummy† to determine the length of drop necessary for a quick death. B. If the rope is too long, the inmate could be decapitated. If the rope is too short, it will result in a slow death causing the tongue and eyes to protrude. C. Hanging was the most common source of execution in the U. S. up until the 1890’s. V. Transition: The final method of execution is the firing squad. A.Five shooters will aim at the prisoner, but only four will have live aim. One shooter has a dud that creates the same sound. B. They all shoot at an area the size the palm of your hand. (Kevin P. Robillard, Editorial Assistant at POLITICO) Conclusion: I. Transition: I have informed you about the death penalty and the five methods of execution. f. Lethal injection g. Electric chair h. Gas chamber i. Hanging j. Fire squad II. I hope that now you have a better understanding of the death penalty. WORKS CITED . â€Å"Capital Punishment. †Ã‚  ProCon. org. Encyclopedia Britannica , 25/04/2008.Web. 10 Sep 2012. . Richard, Dieter. ProCon. org. N. p. , 07/02/2007. Web. 10 Sep 2012. . . â€Å"Forms of execution in the United States,1977-2009. â€Å"ProCon. org. N. p. , 16/04/2008. Web. 10 Sep 2012. . . â€Å"Did you know?. †Ã‚  ProCon. org. N. p. , 08/05/2012. Web. 10 Sep 2012. .

Mother/Daughter Relationship in “I Stand Here Ironing”

There are numerous reasons why a child behaves in a certain way or why he or she grew up to be the person they are now.   Experts say that how a mother brings up her kid greatly affects the psychological thinking of her child.   Well, besides the other factors like race, environment, health, and education, they say that mothers have a great role in the nurturing of their child.   This is shown in the works, â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† by Tillie Olsen and â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan.   However, it was mother-daughter relationship shown in these emotion-steering novels. In the first novel mentioned, â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing†, this featured a mother who let the so-called experts take care of her child.   She thinks that the experts know what is best for her child (http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/analysis001.php).   Although she does want to follow the rules of these experts but she was forced to do so because she does not have any other choice (http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/). However, the environment also plays a large role why she was forced to follow the experts in sending her child, Emily, to nursery at a very early age, and sending her to a recuperative home where she moves by numbers, where she was not free to do what she wants and Emily was not even allowed to have physical contact with her parents.   And during this time, America was experiencing the Great Depression.   It was hard for the mother to manage their home, take care of young Emily, and it was most difficult to work. And because she had to work, she did not have ample time to spend with Emily.   It even got to a point where she had to let her parents-in-law to take care of Emily.   It was also a huge adjustment when her mother remarried but things got worse when she had four younger siblings.   There was also a time when the mother was pregnant with her second daughter and Emily got measles.   She was not permitted to come close her mother for the safety of not only her mother but also the baby.   As for school, Emily performed not at all satisfactory. Having four siblings to take care of, she can only study at night when all of them are already asleep.   Not to mention that her brothers and sisters were the culprit for scribbles on important material and missing books.   Emily was not at all close to her mother no matter how her mother tried to be close to her.   Her mother was too busy doing other things that she had not been really in touch with her daughter. Emily was always left alone.   On the contrary, she had a knack for arts and comedy.   Though her childhood can be classified as bleak, she can be found shining through the art of comedy.   It is quite remarkable that Emily had made it through it all without the actual help and guidance of her mother.   Unexpectedly, she found her real self, what her passion was without the supervision of her mother. The latter novel, â€Å"Two Kinds†, was presented as a mother prompting her child to excel in all fields especially in the field where the mother thinks that the child has a lot of potential at.   It was a novel wherein the child was forced to follow what her mother wants her to be.   It was a novel wherein the mother takes control of the life of the child.   She will determine the future of the child.   And great depression and misery await if their wants are not obeyed.   It involves kids prodded to be stars and geniuses. Well, it is usual for mothers to want the best for their children.   Although, sometimes, it gets worse that the children are not allowed to make their own choices.   Why do mothers, not only mothers but the same goes for both parents, behave this way?   This may be due to competition with other parents that they have produced a genius.   Or it may be due to their wants as kids that they did not achieve, so they want their children to be what they want to be.   Sometimes, the child becomes a rebel due to this kind of bearing. The child rearing style of the two novels are not exactly correct but it was the best they can think of.   The first was too lenient while the latter, too strict.   Although both mothers idolize the famous Shirley Temple, the first mother let he child be what she wants to be, while the other wanted her child to be a star.   Furthermore, both daughters achieved what they want to be in the end, but in different ways.   One was hiding from her mother and the other, from rebellion.   It is queer enough to think that no matter how a mother brings up her child, it would be the child’s decision who she wants to be and how she is going to make it there. REFERENCES BookRags Student Essays on â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan. 2000-2006. http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/11/10/16231/007. I Stand Here Ironing Summary, Detailed Analysis. http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/analysis001.php I Stand Here Ironing Summary, Detailed Summary. http://litsum.com/i-stand-here-ironing/ http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index9.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index10.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index11.html http://www.angelfire.com/ma/MyGuardianangels/index12.html      

Migrant workers are a blessing, not a burden to our society

Migrant workers are a blessing, not a burden to our society. In this essay I am going to consider and discuss the issue of migrant workers and whether it is true that they are a blessing or a burden to our society today. In schools today, pupils can be found from many different places all over the world. Each of which bring a different perspective to school life. Do you think that you would be able to go over to a country, not knowing much of their language and be expected to sit an exam at the end of the year? I will be stating points both for and against migrant workers. There are many reasons why migrant workers are seen as a blessing. One of these is that they do all the jobs that people today do not want to do, either because they are badly paid or even if they are perceived as stupid. With the migrants working over here, they can teach us a lot about a wide range of things. Such as learning different languages, about their culture and religion, about the types of music and food that is associated with their culture. They also influence others and help others find out more about what kind of a person they are by the way they act around migrants. The migrants come over to this country, as they believe that they will have a better chance at life and they believe that over here they can have a better life than what they could have in their own countries. â€Å"Everyone should be allowed to have a dream of a better life including the migrants who come to this country.† Migrants come over to our country in the hope of finding a better and more comfortable life than they had. The migrants do not only come over to help themselves, but they also come to help us. Migrant workers help do jobs and provide services that we use and take for granted on a daily basis. â€Å"Migrant workers have made an enormous contribution to the economy, helping employers with their recruitment and skills problems.† If they hadn't come over to here there would be many businesses that wouldn't still be opened today, as they wouldn't have the workers that they need to keep the business up and running. Yet at the same time the amount of migrant workers in this country can be a problem to many people. The amount of migrants living and working over here can intimidate some people. They may feel like an intruder in their own community, as there may only be a few people that have lived over here their whole lives in that area but yet have a handful of families from different parts of the world. â€Å"We are being overrun by migrants they are everywhere. I have lived in Belfast all my life and suddenly I am beginning to feel like an intruder in my own home.† The amount of migrants in one are can make people that have lived somewhere their whole life feel like they are out of place and should not be there. Also even if the migrants have been living here for a long period of time, people may still feel uncomfortable by them. If a large group of migrants are standing near you talking in their own language you may feel uncomfortable and intimidated as you don't know what they are saying or if they are talking about you. Even migrates that are helping us by taking on jobs which pay them maybe just minimum wage and providing services to others, can have a negative impact on others and the world. â€Å"Migrants are costing the UK à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8 billion a year through their impact on crime, housing and on our already stretched public services.† The migrants come over to the UK to get jobs and gain skills, they are helping us but yet at the same time they are taking away jobs that the people from over here should be doing. Overall I think than migrants are a good thing. As they are helping us and our society as well as giving themselves a better life. They help provide a serv1ices to us; they do the jobs we don't want to do. Yet people make them feel like outcasts and that they should leave all because they have a different skin colour or speak a different language.

REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

REPORT - Essay Example This as a result leads to certain unforeseen incidents that have severe adverse effects on the stakeholders and the society. Ford is one of the best ethical companies that is known for its code of conduct and strict enforcements. It sets an example for all the business firms on how the ethical practices can be followed and what are its positive implications. This paper is focused on the ethical consumerism practices in the business market and how the companies can take steps to improve ethical sourcing of products and services. The concept of ethical sourcing has recently become a topic of concern among the customers. Moreover it also determines the attractiveness of a company to its stakeholders. Ethical practices are overlooked by many large companies who are blinded by their short term goals, this as a result lead to long term adverse consequences. This paper discusses how a firm can responsibly adopt ethical practices to ensure sustainable business activities. It also highlights the ethical practices of Ford Motors, which is considered to be one of the most ethical companies in the world. The incident mentioned in the case study is a clear indication towards the long term adverse effects of avoiding ethical practices. The collapse of the Rana plaza building could have been avoided if the companies were more concerned about its maintenance (case study). The ethical practices of a firm include taking care of the sustainability of the industry, environment and the interest of the stakeholders. Most of the companies overlooked the necessity of ethical practices and sustainable marketing and is often perceived as an added cost to the company. However, they fail to realize that these ethical practices are the ones that allow the company to maintain a steady growth and help to avoid unforeseen circumstances. The collapse of the Rana Plaza building has affected a lot of firms that sourced garments from the supplier companies in that building. This incident had

Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Apple - Essay Example Apple follows the highest standards of social responsibility and ethical conduct and also wants their suppliers to do the same. The business conduct of Apple states four primary practices: Honesty, Respect, Confidentiality and Compliance. All business dealings should be conducted with honesty and ethics. All the co workers in the entire management should be treated with respect. Confidential information about the company and its customers must be protected. All the business decisions should comply with applicable laws and regulations. Apple practices highest standards of ethics in all its endeavors. The employees must not involve in any types of corruption, bribery, extortion in order to obtain any advantage. All their business activities should be recorded in details and be disclosed without any alterations. Anonymous complain management mechanism should be implemented to help workers report about workplace grievances. All intellectual property rights and confidentiality of customer information should be respected. The suppliers of Apple are required to create safe working environment for the workers, treat them with respect and dignity and use environmental friendly practices, wherever Apple product are made or their services are provided. To assess the compliance to these codes of conduct, Apple performs surprise audits to the supplier units and the supplier is found to violate the standards, it will jeopardize the business relationship. According to the Supplier Code of Conduct, the supplier should not discriminate any worker on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. The work place should be free from all types of harassments and threats. Suppliers must ensure that all the workers are working on their own free will. There shall be no under aged labor in the factories or in any process of the operation. Legal juvenile workers should not be given tasks that can put their health

Effective Note Taking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Effective Note Taking - Essay Example den insights and realizations that may have been experienced on the moment might add more important supporting information in one’s research content. In taking down notes effectively, one must always be observant to the factors being analyzed by physical experience or the empirical perception; while at the same time have room for a degree of introspective intuition. It is important in any research work to write down all findings and observations besides gathering references. Sometimes, the personal insights of the researcher would prove to have very valuable point of view. Any bit of data or information related to the topic would be of much aid to the research. Taking down a whole lot of notes may be helpful, but it is also important to analyze one’s findings. Not all personal insights may prove to be helpful enough towards the research work. All notes should be skimmed and analyzed first before being placed in synthesis with the research content. Only until one’s notes have been sorted, the relevant notes can be then placed in the research

Legal Perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Perspectives - Essay Example Under the doctrine, original owners retain ownership interest, although the salvage is entitled to a very liberal salvage award. However, when property is abandoned, the way the plane was in this situation, the owner gives up the reasonable expectation of privacy concerning it. The finder of abandoned property is entitled to keep it, and a police officer may take possession of abandoned property as evidence without violating the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As deciding factor Federal law may have been given the monopoly on a subject preempting the state laws, when the federal court must try the case, it will apply the laws of the state where the controversy happened. Do you think that Mr. Champlin should have consulted with the Navy before spending his time and money on this project Should he (or the general public for that matter) have known about this special rule regarding federal property Consider whether there should be a time limit or statute of limitations regarding the forfeiture or non-forfeiture of title. Also, consider whether property should be considered lost or abandoned by the failure to protect or attempt recovery of the property. Mr. Champlin should have consulted with the Navy first. If he had taken the proper steps in notifying the Navy of what he was doing, he might have had more rights to fight the Navy. If the Government would ensure the public knew about the rules of federal property, perhaps this might not have even been a case. A time statute should be in effect. If you look at the Estray Statues it says many states have enacted estray statues that give a finder of mislaid of lost property clear title to the property if certain requirements are met. The requirements are 1. Reporting the find to an appropriate government agency 2. Advertising the lost property 3. The owner not claiming the property within a stated time (e.g., one year). The finder acquires title to the property and is thereafter not required to return the property if the rightful owner appears to claim it (Cheeseman, 2003 pg 918). Since there are special rules that apply to federal property maybe this statues wouldn't have helped him. However, if he and the public were aware of the special rules he might have reconsidered doing the project in the first place. I think there should be a time limit regarding forfeiture or non-forfeiture of title. If the owner doesn't claim the property in a certain amount of time th

Blog - how pop culture can change language Essay

Blog - how pop culture can change language - Essay Example (Safire-blog p.355, Â ¶ 3) Blogging has added another space to the means of communication. In fact other Medias now perceive this new trend as a challenge against their business interests. In an article written in Wall street journal, Peggy Noonan explains blogging as a 24/7 opinion site which offers absolute freedom in expressing personal views, anytime anywhere in the world about anything. (Safire-blog p. 355, Â ¶ 1) Most of the other Medias of communication are not giving such freedom in expressing the personal views. Most of the medias will go through the articles and will do little bit censoring if required, before they approve it for publishing. Thus the article writer may not get absolute freedom in expressing their opinions about a topic in other forms of media compared to blogging. Moreover the blogger gets the freedom of publishing the article instantaneously once it is completed where as in other Medias, publishing of an article will take some time depends on how frequently the media engaged in pu blishing activities. For example, news papers normally will publish once in 24 hours whereas weeklies and monthlies will take much longer time for publication. The greatest concern about blogging has come from the traditional Medias. Because of the immense freedom associated with blogging in expressing and publishing personal opinions, the traditional media looks suspiciously at the growth of blogging. But most probably these concerns are meaningless since most of the people are well aware of the lack of authenticity of matters appear on blog sites. The reliability and validity of information appearing on blogs may not be as good as that appearing on traditional Medias. Personal opinions may not be correct always since it lacks supported evidences. (Safire-blog p.355, Â ¶ 4) In conclusion, blogging is one of the

Should the U.S. behave as the world's policeman Research Paper

Should the U.S. behave as the world's policeman - Research Paper Example The percentage that supported that countries should take part in worlds affairs in 2004 was 79%, while in 2005, it declined to 72% (â€Å"US Role in the World,† americans-world.org). In 2003 and later in 2006, Pew Research Centre asked a similar question where a respondent was expected to disagree or agree with, either completely or mostly. The response in 2006 was 86% as it had declined from that of 2003, which was 90% (Duffield and Dombrowski 137). United States and Britain’s invasion in the war that was in Iraq without authorization from United Nations Security Council was opposed with 72% votes, while those in support were 25% (Duffield and Dombrowski 139). 2. Whether the United States should behave as the world’s policeman Over the years, the United States has been involved in many peace making operations, whose aims have ranged from overthrowing dictators to hunting down bandits. For example, the peace operation in Libya, which was to over throw Ali Ghadafi of Libya, who was a dictator for forty two years (Ruschmann and Marzilli 28). In the1980s, Bush had rejected the idea of the United States being a world policeman, but in the end of the cold war, he saw that the United States was the remaining super power and thus, he took it as the responsibility of the United States to lead the world, but the United States was faced by a lot of problems in their quest to lead (Cameron 17). There are those who support the United States, but there are countries who feel that that the United States should mind its own business. There are a number of advantages and disadvantages when the United States is involved in worlds affairs. The advantages are such as the fact that they are involved in peacemaking missions, preventing terrorism, spreading democracy, they have a responsibility of feeding the world’s hungry, and improving the lives of people in affected areas. In as much as it has those positive effects there negative consequences that co me with its involvement in the world’s affairs, such as, it has led to destruction of property and, rejection of international treaties and underdevelopment in Third World countries. Positive effects of the United States involvement in world affairs include: Improving lives in general: The United States has a foreign policy that allows foreigners from underdeveloped countries like African nations, or countries experiencing instabilities in any aspect like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel, to be absorbed into the nation. Once they are absorbed, they are offered jobs and the income they earn is able to improve their lives and those of their nations (Metcalfe 397). Preventing the spread of terrorism: The United States has a powerful military force with modernized equipments, and this makes it one of the superpowers in the world. In countries like Iraq, Israel, and Afghanistan, the United State has been on the fore front in collaboration with the United Nations in peacemaking missio ns. They have selflessly deployed their American troops in the affected areas; this shows that the United States is willing to risk the lives of their troops in order to carry out these roles (Holyk 266). Responsibility in feeding the world’s hungry: In collaboration with the United Nations, the United States has been involved in providing food to refugees, who have been rendered homeless by wars in their countries.

Glmaorizing Teen Pregnancy Essay Example for Free

Glmaorizing Teen Pregnancy Essay Media, specifically television has taken the issue of teen pregnancy to a whole other level. The shows 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager document the lives of young teenage girls facing the issue of being a pregnant teenager. Originally created to show the controversial subject of teen pregnancy, all of these shows soon began to change. As the seasons continued in all three of these shows, the controversial subject of teen pregnancy soon became a glorifying concept. What was first viewed as just a fantasy is now becoming a reality for many teenagers. Viewers of these shows are now seeing that teen pregnancy isn’t all that bad; it may even be considered normal according to MTV and ABC Family. The â€Å"teenage celebrities† on these shows are making it through life just fine; portraying that anyone else can too. Yes, these teenagers may have faced hard times in the beginning, but at the end of the day, their lives are unrealistically viewed as ordinary. Both MTV and ABC Family depict the lifestyle of being a pregnant teenager to be somewhat glamorizing. The reality television show 16 and Pregnant was first aired on MTV on June 11, 2009. This show follows the stories of four pregnant teenage girls [Farrah, Maci, Amber and Catelynn] that are in high school dealing with the hardships of teenage pregnancy. â€Å"Each episode follows a five to seven month period in the life of a teenager as she navigates the bumpy terrain of adolescence, growing pains, rebellion, and coming of age; all while dealing with being pregnant† (MTV. com). During the first few episodes of season one, the struggles of dealing with teenage pregnancy seemed difficult and nearly impossible. MTV portrayed each girl as if they were not going to make it through this crisis they were about to face, and their lives were soon coming to an end because being a pregnant teen was not acceptable. As the show continued and episodes passed, these so called â€Å"hardships†, no longer seemed to be that difficult. With all the support from their families and/or boyfriends that they received, these teenage girls were able to get through this bump in the road pretty well. Not only did they get support from people they knew, they received the most of their support from MTV. While teenage pregnancy might have started out rough, becoming an MTV celebrity could not have been too bad. According to Arienne Thompson, author of â€Å"16, Pregnant †¦ and Famous: Teem Moms Are TV’s New Stars†, â€Å"All four women are mainstays on USA TODAYs Celebrity Heat Index, which measures media exposure; Portwood [Amber] topped the list for October, beating out Angelina Jolie and Prince William. The moms are regularly on the covers of People and Us Weekly and have Facebook fan pages dedicated to them† (USA Today). Putting the stars of these reality shows on a magazine cover puts them in the same place as any other famous person. The message that is being sent out to girls is that if they get pregnant as a result of being sexually active, then they too can end up on TV or on a magazine cover. Being sixteen and pregnant may not be the most ideal lifestyle, but becoming more popular than an experienced, well-known actress at the age of sixteen is another story. Viewers of 16 and Pregnant now see that if they become pregnant at a young age, they also can have the chance to become famous alike Farrah, Maci, Amber and Catelynn did. MTV did not decide to stop there though. As if these girls were not famous enough, as a continuation of 16 and Pregnant, MTV aired Teen Mom on December 8, 2009, only six short months after the broadcast of 16 and Pregnant took place. This show takes the four teenagers from 16 and Pregnant, and documents their first few years of motherhood. Receiving more attention than before, MTV has millions of viewers watching Teen Mom each week, making these â€Å"teenage celebrities† even more famous. Teen Mom executive producer Morgan J. Freeman says, â€Å"The concern for teens, however, is what else they may see in the show. While the Teen Mom stars have their share of struggles on the small screen each week, paparazzi shots and tabloid covers manage to rip them out of the context of MTV and place them in the realm of celebrity† (USA Today). Even celebrities agree that the characters on these shows are becoming too idolized. â€Å"Kim Kardashian boldly states that â€Å"It seems like shows like ‘Teen Mom’ are all of a sudden making teen pregnancy look cool in the eyes of young girls. She even goes a step farther and says that the girls from the shows â€Å"have become almost like celebrities, but girls these are not people you should idolize! †Ã¢â‚¬  (Jadebt13). Along with MTV, ABC Family decided to air a show following the life of a pregnant teenager. On, July 1, 2008, ABC Family aired the show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which became the network’s most watched series in the 12-34 demographic (McKay 1). This show follows the character Amy Jergen through her pregnant life, and also through her life of being a mother. In the first season, Amy realizes that she has become pregnant, and does not know how to tell her friends or family. This season shows the struggles that Amy faces while being pregnant, but as the season comes to an end, life become simpler to Amy. The Secret Life of the American Teenagers glamorizes her teen pregnancy by having the schools marching band play their instruments as Amy first returns back to school after finding out that she has become pregnant [which is a little unrealistic]. Not only does this event take place, but also Amy’s boyfriend, which is not the father of her soon to be son, proposes the idea of getting married and helping her take care of the baby. At the start of the second season, Amy has her baby boy, named John. With the birth of John everything soon turned into a fairytale ending, and her life completely turned around; her boyfriend problems fall into place, and she started to receive support from her family, friends and community. This season sent out the message to its viewers that if you become pregnant as a teenager, you will have support from surrounding people, when that is not always the case. In conclusion, television is glamorizing the lifestyle of pregnant teenagers. The shows 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager all have different story lines to them, but in the end, they all show that some good can come out of being a pregnant teen. 6 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are both reality television shows that idolize the glamour of being pregnant by the publicizing these girls not only on MTV, but also in outside sources such as magazines. The Secret Life of the American Teenager on the other hand, is a scripted television show that depicts teen pregnancy as being a joy, fun, and simple by showing how great life can be having a baby at such a young age. Both MTV and ABC Family chose to air similar concept shows around the same time period that glamorized teen pregnancy when r ealistic having a baby in your teen years is not ideal, nor a pleasure.

Environmental Issues in the Car Industry

Environmental Issues in the Car Industry What are the environmental issues facing the future of the European car industry? Abstract This paper looks at the issues facing the European car industry with regard to environmental issues. This is done by looking at past and present published material that revolves around the subject matter under specified themes. Theoretical perspectives within the European business environment such as pestle, models of market structure, profit maximisation, sources of finance, market segmentation, branding strategy, European business and its effects on the environment are all explained in relation to their relevance of environmental issues. These theoretical themes are used because they all act as a catalyst to the subject matter of the problems caused by cars which are not fuel efficient or less pollutant within Europe. In addition, a recently published paper on the directive for labelling on cars with regard to CO2 emissions, awareness of consumers, and fuel efficiency types in the European Union is used as empirical evidence to support ones findings as there was a shortage of time to carry out one. Finally a critical review of matches and miss-matches is used to compare and contrast similarities between the theoretical perspectives identified to prove the latter mentioned and the empirical evidence gathered for this paper, so as to forge a way forward for the European Car Industry. Chapter 1: A Brief History of The Car Industry Introduction The European Car Industry is one that has come of age. From its early beginnings over 100 years ago, it is beginning to show signs of struggling in today’s modern society. This has come about due to the new challenges that the industry is facing in the new millennium. Issues such as air pollution, congestion, traffic jams etc., are all factors that have made the car industry rethink its goals, objectives, its marketing, and the consequences that are not foreseen. As a whole the car industry makes nearly 60 million cars and trucks every year, and employs millions of people around the world. Average profit margins have declined from 20 present or more in its hey days of the1920’s to around 10 present in the 1960’s and less than 5 present in this present day, infect some volume car makers such as Fiat, Ford, and Vauxhall, have actually been losing money. It can be stated that over century ago the car industry feasibly invented modern industrial capitalism. In the Economist (2004) the car started life in Germany and early development of the industry began in France (hence the word automobile, a French word) in the 1900’s, but it was in America that the car industry came of age with the Henry Ford T-Model of mass production which started in Chicago round about the same period(1900’s). In the 1920’s Alfred Sloan’s ideas of running General Motors provided the model for the great corporations that grew up to dominate the second half of the 20th century. General Motors soon swept past Ford as Alfred Sloan revolutionized the young car industry, and Ford never regained the dominance it enjoyed in its infancy days of mass production. The car industry can be said to be ahead of its time in many respects. For example, in ‘planned obsolescence, which is the frequent changes in design and style that tempted customers to switch to a newer model every year or so. In the 1970’s when the oil price quadrupled, the industry found itself under attack from environmentalists outraged by its products gas consuming and exhuming nature, (air pollution, etc.). It was also the first industry to come under government scrutiny, from safety concerns to environmental issues to antitrust worries in the days when General Motors had 60 present of its domestic market and could shut out competitors with a few well-chosen price cuts. However, when small economical and reliable Japanese Cars started to eat into Detroit’s market share, the American government imposed restraints on those imports. Soon afterwards, theca industry in Europe came under the same similar pressures and followed suit. Due to the sporadic recognition and existence as a pillar of industrial capitalism, the car industry also found itself at the mercy of trade unions in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Its workers increasingly pushed for trade unionisation in which a times the car factories in the Detroit area, the British Midlands, in Frankfurt, Germany, and the huge plants around Paris were the main battleground of the Class war. Although today trade union membership is still as high as ever, the power they wielded in the 1920’s to 1970’s has diminished immensely. Today, the motor car is the epitome of mass production, mass marketing and mass consumption, with some of the strongest brands in the world. For most households in rich countries, it is the second-biggest purchase after a house or flat, which makes the industry a pillar of modern industrial capitalism as earlier mentioned. Few other consumer goods industries depend so heavily on second hand market for their products. Now, understanding how the European Car Industry operates and the many pressures that it faces is essential to an understanding of the predicament the UK car buyers currently faces. Around 70 present of new cars sold in the UK are imported, with the great majority of these imports coming from the rest of Europe. The UK market is intrinsically tied into the pattern of car making and distribution across Europe. Thus the behaviour of the UK motor industry towards both its retailing and service partners and towards consumers is part of the wider behaviour of the European Car Industry. The industry can be said to be mature one. In virtually every country of North West Europe, the density of car ownership has almost reached its practical maximum. There are some opportunities for growth left in Southern and Central Europe, but they will be largely used up in the next few years. Following on, the consequences of mass production, and a slow introduction of cars that run on synthetic or alternative fuels has led to a rapid increase in environmental pollution, CO2 emissions, traffic jams, congestion, and human related diseases such as lung cancer, all of which are serious environmental issues, which the European Car Industry have found itself slow to adapt, change, amend and implement to the betterment of the wider society. This has led to directives and committees from the European Union to be setup to tackle the issued mentioned above and the latter. With this in mind a review of existing material that has been published in the press and journals will now be critically analysed. Chapter 2: Existing Literature Reviewed The need to galvanise and understand the unforeseen circumstances of mass car production and environmental issues in the European Union has been stressed by researchers for more than three decades. According to the Europa (2005), the EU is the largest automotive production region (34%) in the world and the industry comprises 7.5% of the manufacturing sector in the union. Direct employment by the automotive industry stands at about two million employees, while the total employment effect (direct and indirect) is estimated to be about ten million. It also adds that since the year 2001, the motor vehicle production has decreased in the European Union, from 17.2 million units in 2001 to 16.9 million units in 2002. The decline continued into2003, with 70,000 motor vehicles less being produced, compared to2002. This decline is due to the worsening of the macro-economic situation where consumer demand has been decreasing. Lagunas (2005)correlates with this by stating that motor vehicles have become the prime means of personal and commercial mobility in today’s world. Growing prosperity has led to a spectacular rise in car use, phenomenon being repeated in the new member states which joined the Union in 2004. In China and other booming countries with looser anti-pollution rules than the EU, trends show major increases in private transportation. This success has generated serious concerns about the environmental effects of vehicle use, in particular traffic congestion, air pollution, traffic-related diseases, and noise. In addition Lagunas (2005) states that these concerns have led the EU to formulate the objective of decoupling economic growth from transport growth. The EU has come up with legislation and initiatives to drive the change towards cleaner cars while promoting sustainable transport modes and model shift. It goes on to state that the interest in cleaner, less polluting vehicles and fuel has grown rapidly in recent years. Emissions from petrol and diesel engines have been significantly reduced in the last decade, driven mainly by European legislation and will continue to be reduced. In elaboration Lagunas(2005) states that in the EU, almost 40 present of the transport sector’s CO2 emissions are produced by the use of private cars in cities, CO2 emissions are damaging the environment and contributing to climate change; both petrol and diesel engines have their good and bedsides as regards emissions; engines working with diesel fuel emit lessCO2 than the ones working with petrol; on the other hand diesel engines are releasing more cancer causing particles in the air. Air pollution caused by car emissions has health impacts; problems include aggravation of respiratory and cardio-vascular diseases, asthma, and decreased lung functions. Gartner (2005) also argues that the effectiveness of the directive made by the EU relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions has been successful and gained momentum in some European countries but not all. Reasons being consumers lack awareness of fuel economy and environmental impacts of fuels as well as available information tools, in which one of the possibly ways to tackle this as stated by Gartner(2005) was to increase consumers awareness by standard equipment of new cars with fuel consumption indicators or cruise control. In addition Gartner (2005) argues that fuel economy and environmental impact are in general no major factor in vehicle purchase decisions and fuel consumption is mostly only important because of the cost, but not to environmental issues. ACNielsen (2005) agrees with this by saying when it comes to what influences consumer’s choice of car brand, manufacturers of luxury vehicles may be surprised to learn that image and prestige do not appear to be a top priority, in which engine size and environmentally friendly cars are regarded as the least important features to the Europeans when it comes to buying a car. Interest; however is growing slowing with a greater awareness of climate change and CO2 emission issues. Gartner (2005) also states that general awareness of label, poster/display and guide on CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency on cars is quite small and most of the information tools are not regarded as very informative or effective, although it can be said that this varies f rom one EU country to another. For example, in Austria, the label is regarded as the most informative and efficient element, compared to teak where the label was not assessed as effective in detail. In an article by the BBC (2002) it was argued that there are five major groups of car manufacturers in the world, they are General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Of these only Toyota relies on one global brand name. All the others have a web of subsidiaries spanning the world. We must understand that the real reason why the car manufacturing firms are in business is to make money and maintain their prestige as a world class car manufacturer. To do this means they (car manufacturers) will have to constantly roll-out new models, with better gadgets, with performance and style. That is why, as Madsen (2002) argues, Volkswagen launched its luxury car, ‘the Phaeton’ to compete against the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini brands. This initiative was and is deemed as a risky push by the Group. However, the Chairman of the group Rd. Bernd Pischetsrieder argues that success would not be measured by sales volumes that the key was to enhance the Volkswagen brand. It was also argued by critics from within and outside the firm that the launch of the Phaeton, delayed the launch of the Audi, which is a car from within the group. However, he was quick to mute the negative by stating that possibly, the dealers learn to be a bit quicker and not to find the competitor in-house but out-house, and this will help the business; adding it is the engineers and marketers of the Audi brand that have the serious challenge of making sure that the brand does well. With this type of attitude within car firms it shows that environmental issues are the least likely concern within the European Car Industry. In the UK, white paper by DETR (2002) stated that many towns and cities suffer from traffic jams and polluted streets and as a result, are less attractive places in which to live and do business. Reducing the negative impacts of traffic on the quality of people’s lives is a key element of improving the urban environment, as set out in the government’s recent urban white paper. Adding that emissions of air pollutants arising from road traffic are set to decline over the period to 2010 as a result of improvement s in vehicle technology and fuel quality, but are forecast to begin rising again beyond 2010 due to increased traffic growth. Indirectly, an increase in car sales that are not fuel efficient means more air pollution, increased traffic jams, and lung cancer. However, in Europe the car market has become largely a market for replacement vehicles within a largely static market rather than one driven by a growing buyer base, Consumer association (2000). In addition, the market is crowded with over 40 marques and 250 models on offer and major product innovation is rare and rapidly imitated. Notwithstanding, product branding activity is intense and advertising spends are large and directed at creating a sense of differentiation. In another article by the BBC (2002) it was argued that in the UK, car prices were still too high and one of the major reasons for this was the ‘block exemption’, which allows network of national or regional dealers selected by car manufacturers, to flourish. However, this (block exempt) has now been abolished byte European parliament. In another article by the BBC (2002), it was argued that the number of car manufacturing companies had shut down due to the fall in export demand owing to the euros weakness against the pound; this is in relation to the fact that 70% of cars driven on Roads are European Imports. In the Economist (2004), it was argued that out of the world’s top 17 car compani es, only half were earning more than the cost of their capital. The value creators in Europe were Porsche, the Mercedes bit of DaimlerChrysler, BMW, and Peugeot. In Asia, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia made the cut. But America’s big three GM, Ford, and Chrysler, were all in the value destruction group, along with Renault, Fiat, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and. In the same article GM’s boss argues that the Japanese government is providing indirect aid to the country’s car companies by holding down the yen, thereby lowering their costs of producing export models and parts for the American assembly plants and also in Europe. American and European manufacturers maintain that the Japanese do this solely to boost their exports; but it can be stated that the real reason for the Japanese government of implementing such a policy may have been to head off deflation and revive the domestic Japanese economy. In another article by Europa (2005) Verheugen, the vice-president of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and Industry argues that a legal framework will need to be created via CARS 21 High level group, in which the overall objective is to make recommendations for the short, medium and long-term public policy and regulatory framework for the car industry that enhances its global competitiveness as well as employment, while sustaining further progress in safety and environmental performance at a price affordable to the customer. Corby (2005) also argues that the environmental performance of cars has been improved dramatically over the past decade. New cars have become more fuel efficient and they emit less toxic emissions than cars in the 1970’s, adding that environmental innovation is essential for the sustainability and competitiveness of the European car industry. The previous mentioned shows that great changes are being made in the European Car Industry with regard to environmental issues. In a press release by the Auto Industry (2003), it was argued that new car average CO2 emissions fell to 174.2 g/CO2per km in 2002, 8.2 present down on the 1997 baseline and 1.9 present below the 2001 average. The rise of the superman in the UK over recent years has helped to lower average CO2 emissions through the wider appeal of smaller cars. In the same article, it was stated that Diesel fuelled cars have been a significant influence on the reduction in average CO2 emissions. Diesel models took a record 23.5 present share of the UK market in 2002, with demand up 38 present. In another published article by Lagunas (2005), it was suggested that the average new car in the EU – 15 was releasing almost 12% less CO2 in 2003 than it did in 1995, however pressure was growing, especially from Berlin, to push automakers to make further cuts. In the same article, the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), a government body, blamed the European commission for allowing car makers to exceed limit values for particulate matter (pm) and CO2. It criticizes the industry’s voluntary target to reduce emissions to 120 g/km by 2012 as being too modest, saying a target of 100g/km is achievable by that date. It therefore, proposes an ‘innovation forcing strategy’ to push carmakers embarking on the global competitive race for improved environmental performance of vehicles. Balzac (1998) adds to the furore that because the Yen is one of the leading international currencies, solving the problem (devaluation of Yen) requires international answers. In the same article, as the Car industry is considered one of the key industries in Japan and Europe, a devaluation of the Yen directly affects the European Car Industry. As mentioned in the latter sections a devaluation of the Yen enables Japanese car manufacturers to sell their cars at much lower affordable prices to potential customers in Europe, and North America, in which the European Car Industry would suffer the most due to a high value of the currencies within the European Union member states. With all this in mind, the remainder of this paper proceeds as follows: Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives on the European Business Environment  and Marketing Chapter 4: Empirical Evidence. Chapter 5: Critical analysis of Theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusion. Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives On The European Business Environment and Marketing In order to have a clear understanding of the concept of the business environment within Europe and the marketing of the car industry, we will first need to identify the meaning of the terminologies. European business is a generic term which describes Avery wide variety of agricultural, industrial and service activities undertaken by a large number of different organisations across the continent of Europe. Examples of European business might include: Privatised telecommunications companies such as Deutsche Telekom; a French recording company based in a converted barn in Normandy, France; a farm in Eastern England, highly mechanised and engaged in agribusiness; a transnational organisation such as the German car producer Volkswagen, with factories in Germany (VW and Audi), Spain (Seat), the Czech Republic (Skoda) and the UK (Bentley) etc. European business may be run by one person or it may be a small private company. Alternatively it may be a large organisation employing thousands of people, with assets worth hundreds of millions of euros and based in many different European countries. The European business environment refers to the conditions within which European businesses operate. Typically it involves a number of different interacting forces which shape the environment, and thus how a business formulates its long-term strategy, its tactics and its daily operations within this environment. These factors may include political, economic, social, cultural, religious and linguistic forces. Now, marketing is the social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others Kilter et al. (2005). For example, important terms such as needs, wants, and demands; products and services; value, satisfaction and quality; exchange, transactions and relationship; and markets are all core marketing concepts which are linked, with each concept building on the one before it. Each part of the marketing definition defines what marketing is and how it is practised. With this in mind we can now move on to discuss about the theoretical concepts used in the understanding of the business environment and marketing of the European car industry. There are several important conceptual frameworks that are used for understanding the environmental impacts of the European car industry. The ones used in this paper are: †¢ PESTLE †¢ Models of Market Structure †¢ Profit Maximisation †¢ Sources of Finance †¢ Market segmentation †¢ Branding strategy †¢ The European Business and the environment 3.1 PESTLE This means, Political factors influencing a business environment; Economic factors; Sociological influences; Technological influences; Legal factors; and Environmental/ethical issues. This framework issued to analyse the European business environment. 3.1.1 Political The political beliefs of governments and the policies they implement to pursue them have a major impact on the European business environment. This is both in their own right and also through other policies, such as economic ones; hence the re-emergence of political economy in recent years. Additionally, other political philosophies may also have an impact on EU society and hence on the business environment. In the extreme case the economic policies pursued by the former Soviet bloc, with its emphasis on central planning, clearly had massive impact on the ownership, organisational structure, operations and lack of profitability of government-owned European businesses operating in this area. Similarly, the UK Thatcher governments of the1980s created a business environment of entrepreneurship which was largely shaped by the political beliefs of Margaret Thatcher and her close advisors, which subsequently influenced other countries in Europe 3.1.2 Economic The economic policies pursued by EU governments clearly have significant influence on the environment within which European businesses operate. Since the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht was completed in 1993 EU currency (SEC), formerly called the European currency unit (ecru) but now known as the euro, as part of the moves to Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The commitment by EU governments to meet the Maastricht convergence criteria, as a precondition for acceptance to the first wave of membership of the single European currency, has obliged them to demonstrate fiscal restraint to meet the criteria relating to budget deficit (not to exceed 3 present of the country’s gross domestic product or GDP) and national debt (not to exceed 60 present of GDP). The purpose of the convergence criteria, as their name suggest, is to converge potential members’ economies to broadly similar levels in terms of the rate of inflation, the level of long-run interest rates, and the stability of their exchange rates and, as noted, government debt. In addition the ability of countries to converge to a common position in their business cycles, in practice to converge their business cycles with that of Germany’s as the leading Economy. In practice the problems of non-convergence were demonstrated in the early 1990s when Germany raised its interest rates to counter inflationary pressures. These had resulted from borrowing to fund major expenditure in Eastern Germany to redevelop the infrastructure and productive capacity after the collapse of the communist regime of the former East Germany. 3.1.3 Sociological This is examined in three broad areas: culture, language and religion. Culture: The fact that the British have a totally private sense of distance. This is most visibly seen in the shared pretence that Britain is a lonely island in the middle of an empty green sea. Culture has been described as ‘the way we do things round here’. In this sense it may be viewed as the inherent values, attitudes, social conventions and mores of a nation. In most cases these are transmitted from one generation to another, usually through the family. Increasingly, however, culture is modified by education, the media and peer influences as the pace of change accelerates in modern society. Cultural differences contribute to the diversity of the people who live in Europe and hence are an enriching experience. Cultural differences can also create barriers, however, which in turn have significant implications for European Businesses since, if they are to succeed another than their domestic market, these differences must be taken into account. Examples of cultural differences are: the business organisation, in Germany businesses are rigid in their approach and expect everything to be done through proper bureaucratic channels with full technical detail provided. In contrast, British firms involved in collaborative ventures, or who have opened subsidiary companies in Germany, are more casual and relaxed enabling them to be more flexible when sudden response is needed to market change. This difference in operational philosophy can cause problems. Class is also a major factor in determining social attitudes in the business environment, particularly in the UK but also in other parts of Europe. In contrast, in less class-divisive societies such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway attitudes may be quite different, people such as senior managers secretaries are regarded as important people in the organisation, whereas in the previously mentioned countries this would not be so tithe same extent. Business attitudes to delivery dates are also important. European businesses operating in Germany soon find that when they promise a delivery date for a new product consumers expect it in the shops on that day, not several weeks later Firms who slack on this simple rule find themselves bombarded with telephone calls-mails, and letters. In contrast, in Spain and Greece attitudes are much more causal in this respect; the personal appearance and behaviour, the French place much emphasis on establishing personal contact in business dealings and expect the people they deal with to have style. The Spanish believe in the importance of being smartly but conservatively dressed and demonstrating worldly knowledge, for example of good cuisine and wine; these are important issues when dining out, attending trade delegation receptions and so on, where business contacts are made. Scandinavians in contrast are much more casual in their dress; Cultural training programmes, these differences have implications for the training policies adopted by companies; some European businesses are now adopting recruitment policies where new employees are expected not only to have fluency in more than one language, but also to demonstrate some cross-cultural knowledge. Language: In the EU there are currently 13 EU official languages and another 35 territorial minority languages, which include Basque, Breton, Catalan, Cornish, Frisian, Galician, Letzeburgesh, Irish Gaelic, Occitan, Slovene, and Welsh. Language above all else defines group of people as distinct from all others in Europe, since it also implies culture, inherited knowledge and beliefs and terms of reference and thought specific to that group alone. In that sense there is therefore an overlap with the above. Different languages and dialects as a whole all create market differences. Religion: In the traditional Catholic countries of Europe, particularly Eire, Italy, Poland and Spain, the impact of formal organised religion on society and hence business is very important. Past controls on the sale of contraceptives in Eire are one such example. In Poland the Catholic Church has a vital role to play in the political scene with all parties having a commitment to Christian values in their policies. As a whole, businesses in Europe must bearing that increasingly the EU is becoming a society of many faiths. Certainly the large number of Jews resident in Europe has always been obvious. Now however many Muslims have entered EU countries and their religious and moral susceptibilities must also be heeded as much as another religion. 3.1.4 Technological Clearly technology has had a major impact on the European business environment, particularly information technology. The impact of its use will be so pervasive as to be hard to imagine life without it. This ranges from autopilots on aeroplanes to computer-controlled traffic management systems in our cities; from computer-controlled robots on factory assembly lines to screen trading in stock and foreign exchange markets; from the growth of consumer purchases via the internet to the use of e-mail rather than conventional letters or faxes. In this sense Bill Gates of Microsoft has argued that the internet will in effect act as a market-maker, bringing together buyers and sellers with minimum friction, and not just for goods and services but also in the Labour market. In 1994 the EU setup a first policy framework for the EU information society. These proposed initiatives to regulate the information society: it sought to bring together all those involved in creating networks, applying information technology and establishing the basic services; and it sought to raise public awareness about information technology. Most of these have now been implemented or are in the process of being implemented. This has had significant implications for European businesses by shaping the environment within which they operate. 3.1.5 Legal Inevitably legal systems can differ significantly from European country to country both in terms of their content and how they are interpreted. At the one extreme in Russia, transformation has required work, in the 1990s, to develop a legal system to come to terms with the concepts of private property (particularly ownership of land) and the legal existence of private and public limited companies with the ability to hire and dismiss labour, enter into contracts, buy, own and sell assets and so forth. At the other extreme, in the EU, Union legislation applies to all member countries and is establishing elements of a common legal framework for all, even though individual countries still, of course, have their own laws. This is based on key treaties, such as, the Treaty of Rom 1957, the Single European Act1987, the Maastricht Treaty 1993, and so forth. All these treaties will directly affect European Businesses. The main influences of country’s legal system on a business are through their impact on the business’s marketing mix and the laws affecting competition. For the most legal systems are based on civil law that is detailed rules and regulations which are strictly interpreted. In the UK, in contrast, the legal system is based on common law which is determined by past precedent and is more flexible in its interpretation. In terms of marketing a product EU countries tend to be more regulated because the Environmental Issues in the Car Industry Environmental Issues in the Car Industry What are the environmental issues facing the future of the European car industry? Abstract This paper looks at the issues facing the European car industry with regard to environmental issues. This is done by looking at past and present published material that revolves around the subject matter under specified themes. Theoretical perspectives within the European business environment such as pestle, models of market structure, profit maximisation, sources of finance, market segmentation, branding strategy, European business and its effects on the environment are all explained in relation to their relevance of environmental issues. These theoretical themes are used because they all act as a catalyst to the subject matter of the problems caused by cars which are not fuel efficient or less pollutant within Europe. In addition, a recently published paper on the directive for labelling on cars with regard to CO2 emissions, awareness of consumers, and fuel efficiency types in the European Union is used as empirical evidence to support ones findings as there was a shortage of time to carry out one. Finally a critical review of matches and miss-matches is used to compare and contrast similarities between the theoretical perspectives identified to prove the latter mentioned and the empirical evidence gathered for this paper, so as to forge a way forward for the European Car Industry. Chapter 1: A Brief History of The Car Industry Introduction The European Car Industry is one that has come of age. From its early beginnings over 100 years ago, it is beginning to show signs of struggling in today’s modern society. This has come about due to the new challenges that the industry is facing in the new millennium. Issues such as air pollution, congestion, traffic jams etc., are all factors that have made the car industry rethink its goals, objectives, its marketing, and the consequences that are not foreseen. As a whole the car industry makes nearly 60 million cars and trucks every year, and employs millions of people around the world. Average profit margins have declined from 20 present or more in its hey days of the1920’s to around 10 present in the 1960’s and less than 5 present in this present day, infect some volume car makers such as Fiat, Ford, and Vauxhall, have actually been losing money. It can be stated that over century ago the car industry feasibly invented modern industrial capitalism. In the Economist (2004) the car started life in Germany and early development of the industry began in France (hence the word automobile, a French word) in the 1900’s, but it was in America that the car industry came of age with the Henry Ford T-Model of mass production which started in Chicago round about the same period(1900’s). In the 1920’s Alfred Sloan’s ideas of running General Motors provided the model for the great corporations that grew up to dominate the second half of the 20th century. General Motors soon swept past Ford as Alfred Sloan revolutionized the young car industry, and Ford never regained the dominance it enjoyed in its infancy days of mass production. The car industry can be said to be ahead of its time in many respects. For example, in ‘planned obsolescence, which is the frequent changes in design and style that tempted customers to switch to a newer model every year or so. In the 1970’s when the oil price quadrupled, the industry found itself under attack from environmentalists outraged by its products gas consuming and exhuming nature, (air pollution, etc.). It was also the first industry to come under government scrutiny, from safety concerns to environmental issues to antitrust worries in the days when General Motors had 60 present of its domestic market and could shut out competitors with a few well-chosen price cuts. However, when small economical and reliable Japanese Cars started to eat into Detroit’s market share, the American government imposed restraints on those imports. Soon afterwards, theca industry in Europe came under the same similar pressures and followed suit. Due to the sporadic recognition and existence as a pillar of industrial capitalism, the car industry also found itself at the mercy of trade unions in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Its workers increasingly pushed for trade unionisation in which a times the car factories in the Detroit area, the British Midlands, in Frankfurt, Germany, and the huge plants around Paris were the main battleground of the Class war. Although today trade union membership is still as high as ever, the power they wielded in the 1920’s to 1970’s has diminished immensely. Today, the motor car is the epitome of mass production, mass marketing and mass consumption, with some of the strongest brands in the world. For most households in rich countries, it is the second-biggest purchase after a house or flat, which makes the industry a pillar of modern industrial capitalism as earlier mentioned. Few other consumer goods industries depend so heavily on second hand market for their products. Now, understanding how the European Car Industry operates and the many pressures that it faces is essential to an understanding of the predicament the UK car buyers currently faces. Around 70 present of new cars sold in the UK are imported, with the great majority of these imports coming from the rest of Europe. The UK market is intrinsically tied into the pattern of car making and distribution across Europe. Thus the behaviour of the UK motor industry towards both its retailing and service partners and towards consumers is part of the wider behaviour of the European Car Industry. The industry can be said to be mature one. In virtually every country of North West Europe, the density of car ownership has almost reached its practical maximum. There are some opportunities for growth left in Southern and Central Europe, but they will be largely used up in the next few years. Following on, the consequences of mass production, and a slow introduction of cars that run on synthetic or alternative fuels has led to a rapid increase in environmental pollution, CO2 emissions, traffic jams, congestion, and human related diseases such as lung cancer, all of which are serious environmental issues, which the European Car Industry have found itself slow to adapt, change, amend and implement to the betterment of the wider society. This has led to directives and committees from the European Union to be setup to tackle the issued mentioned above and the latter. With this in mind a review of existing material that has been published in the press and journals will now be critically analysed. Chapter 2: Existing Literature Reviewed The need to galvanise and understand the unforeseen circumstances of mass car production and environmental issues in the European Union has been stressed by researchers for more than three decades. According to the Europa (2005), the EU is the largest automotive production region (34%) in the world and the industry comprises 7.5% of the manufacturing sector in the union. Direct employment by the automotive industry stands at about two million employees, while the total employment effect (direct and indirect) is estimated to be about ten million. It also adds that since the year 2001, the motor vehicle production has decreased in the European Union, from 17.2 million units in 2001 to 16.9 million units in 2002. The decline continued into2003, with 70,000 motor vehicles less being produced, compared to2002. This decline is due to the worsening of the macro-economic situation where consumer demand has been decreasing. Lagunas (2005)correlates with this by stating that motor vehicles have become the prime means of personal and commercial mobility in today’s world. Growing prosperity has led to a spectacular rise in car use, phenomenon being repeated in the new member states which joined the Union in 2004. In China and other booming countries with looser anti-pollution rules than the EU, trends show major increases in private transportation. This success has generated serious concerns about the environmental effects of vehicle use, in particular traffic congestion, air pollution, traffic-related diseases, and noise. In addition Lagunas (2005) states that these concerns have led the EU to formulate the objective of decoupling economic growth from transport growth. The EU has come up with legislation and initiatives to drive the change towards cleaner cars while promoting sustainable transport modes and model shift. It goes on to state that the interest in cleaner, less polluting vehicles and fuel has grown rapidly in recent years. Emissions from petrol and diesel engines have been significantly reduced in the last decade, driven mainly by European legislation and will continue to be reduced. In elaboration Lagunas(2005) states that in the EU, almost 40 present of the transport sector’s CO2 emissions are produced by the use of private cars in cities, CO2 emissions are damaging the environment and contributing to climate change; both petrol and diesel engines have their good and bedsides as regards emissions; engines working with diesel fuel emit lessCO2 than the ones working with petrol; on the other hand diesel engines are releasing more cancer causing particles in the air. Air pollution caused by car emissions has health impacts; problems include aggravation of respiratory and cardio-vascular diseases, asthma, and decreased lung functions. Gartner (2005) also argues that the effectiveness of the directive made by the EU relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions has been successful and gained momentum in some European countries but not all. Reasons being consumers lack awareness of fuel economy and environmental impacts of fuels as well as available information tools, in which one of the possibly ways to tackle this as stated by Gartner(2005) was to increase consumers awareness by standard equipment of new cars with fuel consumption indicators or cruise control. In addition Gartner (2005) argues that fuel economy and environmental impact are in general no major factor in vehicle purchase decisions and fuel consumption is mostly only important because of the cost, but not to environmental issues. ACNielsen (2005) agrees with this by saying when it comes to what influences consumer’s choice of car brand, manufacturers of luxury vehicles may be surprised to learn that image and prestige do not appear to be a top priority, in which engine size and environmentally friendly cars are regarded as the least important features to the Europeans when it comes to buying a car. Interest; however is growing slowing with a greater awareness of climate change and CO2 emission issues. Gartner (2005) also states that general awareness of label, poster/display and guide on CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency on cars is quite small and most of the information tools are not regarded as very informative or effective, although it can be said that this varies f rom one EU country to another. For example, in Austria, the label is regarded as the most informative and efficient element, compared to teak where the label was not assessed as effective in detail. In an article by the BBC (2002) it was argued that there are five major groups of car manufacturers in the world, they are General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Of these only Toyota relies on one global brand name. All the others have a web of subsidiaries spanning the world. We must understand that the real reason why the car manufacturing firms are in business is to make money and maintain their prestige as a world class car manufacturer. To do this means they (car manufacturers) will have to constantly roll-out new models, with better gadgets, with performance and style. That is why, as Madsen (2002) argues, Volkswagen launched its luxury car, ‘the Phaeton’ to compete against the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini brands. This initiative was and is deemed as a risky push by the Group. However, the Chairman of the group Rd. Bernd Pischetsrieder argues that success would not be measured by sales volumes that the key was to enhance the Volkswagen brand. It was also argued by critics from within and outside the firm that the launch of the Phaeton, delayed the launch of the Audi, which is a car from within the group. However, he was quick to mute the negative by stating that possibly, the dealers learn to be a bit quicker and not to find the competitor in-house but out-house, and this will help the business; adding it is the engineers and marketers of the Audi brand that have the serious challenge of making sure that the brand does well. With this type of attitude within car firms it shows that environmental issues are the least likely concern within the European Car Industry. In the UK, white paper by DETR (2002) stated that many towns and cities suffer from traffic jams and polluted streets and as a result, are less attractive places in which to live and do business. Reducing the negative impacts of traffic on the quality of people’s lives is a key element of improving the urban environment, as set out in the government’s recent urban white paper. Adding that emissions of air pollutants arising from road traffic are set to decline over the period to 2010 as a result of improvement s in vehicle technology and fuel quality, but are forecast to begin rising again beyond 2010 due to increased traffic growth. Indirectly, an increase in car sales that are not fuel efficient means more air pollution, increased traffic jams, and lung cancer. However, in Europe the car market has become largely a market for replacement vehicles within a largely static market rather than one driven by a growing buyer base, Consumer association (2000). In addition, the market is crowded with over 40 marques and 250 models on offer and major product innovation is rare and rapidly imitated. Notwithstanding, product branding activity is intense and advertising spends are large and directed at creating a sense of differentiation. In another article by the BBC (2002) it was argued that in the UK, car prices were still too high and one of the major reasons for this was the ‘block exemption’, which allows network of national or regional dealers selected by car manufacturers, to flourish. However, this (block exempt) has now been abolished byte European parliament. In another article by the BBC (2002), it was argued that the number of car manufacturing companies had shut down due to the fall in export demand owing to the euros weakness against the pound; this is in relation to the fact that 70% of cars driven on Roads are European Imports. In the Economist (2004), it was argued that out of the world’s top 17 car compani es, only half were earning more than the cost of their capital. The value creators in Europe were Porsche, the Mercedes bit of DaimlerChrysler, BMW, and Peugeot. In Asia, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia made the cut. But America’s big three GM, Ford, and Chrysler, were all in the value destruction group, along with Renault, Fiat, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and. In the same article GM’s boss argues that the Japanese government is providing indirect aid to the country’s car companies by holding down the yen, thereby lowering their costs of producing export models and parts for the American assembly plants and also in Europe. American and European manufacturers maintain that the Japanese do this solely to boost their exports; but it can be stated that the real reason for the Japanese government of implementing such a policy may have been to head off deflation and revive the domestic Japanese economy. In another article by Europa (2005) Verheugen, the vice-president of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and Industry argues that a legal framework will need to be created via CARS 21 High level group, in which the overall objective is to make recommendations for the short, medium and long-term public policy and regulatory framework for the car industry that enhances its global competitiveness as well as employment, while sustaining further progress in safety and environmental performance at a price affordable to the customer. Corby (2005) also argues that the environmental performance of cars has been improved dramatically over the past decade. New cars have become more fuel efficient and they emit less toxic emissions than cars in the 1970’s, adding that environmental innovation is essential for the sustainability and competitiveness of the European car industry. The previous mentioned shows that great changes are being made in the European Car Industry with regard to environmental issues. In a press release by the Auto Industry (2003), it was argued that new car average CO2 emissions fell to 174.2 g/CO2per km in 2002, 8.2 present down on the 1997 baseline and 1.9 present below the 2001 average. The rise of the superman in the UK over recent years has helped to lower average CO2 emissions through the wider appeal of smaller cars. In the same article, it was stated that Diesel fuelled cars have been a significant influence on the reduction in average CO2 emissions. Diesel models took a record 23.5 present share of the UK market in 2002, with demand up 38 present. In another published article by Lagunas (2005), it was suggested that the average new car in the EU – 15 was releasing almost 12% less CO2 in 2003 than it did in 1995, however pressure was growing, especially from Berlin, to push automakers to make further cuts. In the same article, the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), a government body, blamed the European commission for allowing car makers to exceed limit values for particulate matter (pm) and CO2. It criticizes the industry’s voluntary target to reduce emissions to 120 g/km by 2012 as being too modest, saying a target of 100g/km is achievable by that date. It therefore, proposes an ‘innovation forcing strategy’ to push carmakers embarking on the global competitive race for improved environmental performance of vehicles. Balzac (1998) adds to the furore that because the Yen is one of the leading international currencies, solving the problem (devaluation of Yen) requires international answers. In the same article, as the Car industry is considered one of the key industries in Japan and Europe, a devaluation of the Yen directly affects the European Car Industry. As mentioned in the latter sections a devaluation of the Yen enables Japanese car manufacturers to sell their cars at much lower affordable prices to potential customers in Europe, and North America, in which the European Car Industry would suffer the most due to a high value of the currencies within the European Union member states. With all this in mind, the remainder of this paper proceeds as follows: Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives on the European Business Environment  and Marketing Chapter 4: Empirical Evidence. Chapter 5: Critical analysis of Theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusion. Chapter 3: Theoretical Perspectives On The European Business Environment and Marketing In order to have a clear understanding of the concept of the business environment within Europe and the marketing of the car industry, we will first need to identify the meaning of the terminologies. European business is a generic term which describes Avery wide variety of agricultural, industrial and service activities undertaken by a large number of different organisations across the continent of Europe. Examples of European business might include: Privatised telecommunications companies such as Deutsche Telekom; a French recording company based in a converted barn in Normandy, France; a farm in Eastern England, highly mechanised and engaged in agribusiness; a transnational organisation such as the German car producer Volkswagen, with factories in Germany (VW and Audi), Spain (Seat), the Czech Republic (Skoda) and the UK (Bentley) etc. European business may be run by one person or it may be a small private company. Alternatively it may be a large organisation employing thousands of people, with assets worth hundreds of millions of euros and based in many different European countries. The European business environment refers to the conditions within which European businesses operate. Typically it involves a number of different interacting forces which shape the environment, and thus how a business formulates its long-term strategy, its tactics and its daily operations within this environment. These factors may include political, economic, social, cultural, religious and linguistic forces. Now, marketing is the social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others Kilter et al. (2005). For example, important terms such as needs, wants, and demands; products and services; value, satisfaction and quality; exchange, transactions and relationship; and markets are all core marketing concepts which are linked, with each concept building on the one before it. Each part of the marketing definition defines what marketing is and how it is practised. With this in mind we can now move on to discuss about the theoretical concepts used in the understanding of the business environment and marketing of the European car industry. There are several important conceptual frameworks that are used for understanding the environmental impacts of the European car industry. The ones used in this paper are: †¢ PESTLE †¢ Models of Market Structure †¢ Profit Maximisation †¢ Sources of Finance †¢ Market segmentation †¢ Branding strategy †¢ The European Business and the environment 3.1 PESTLE This means, Political factors influencing a business environment; Economic factors; Sociological influences; Technological influences; Legal factors; and Environmental/ethical issues. This framework issued to analyse the European business environment. 3.1.1 Political The political beliefs of governments and the policies they implement to pursue them have a major impact on the European business environment. This is both in their own right and also through other policies, such as economic ones; hence the re-emergence of political economy in recent years. Additionally, other political philosophies may also have an impact on EU society and hence on the business environment. In the extreme case the economic policies pursued by the former Soviet bloc, with its emphasis on central planning, clearly had massive impact on the ownership, organisational structure, operations and lack of profitability of government-owned European businesses operating in this area. Similarly, the UK Thatcher governments of the1980s created a business environment of entrepreneurship which was largely shaped by the political beliefs of Margaret Thatcher and her close advisors, which subsequently influenced other countries in Europe 3.1.2 Economic The economic policies pursued by EU governments clearly have significant influence on the environment within which European businesses operate. Since the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht was completed in 1993 EU currency (SEC), formerly called the European currency unit (ecru) but now known as the euro, as part of the moves to Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The commitment by EU governments to meet the Maastricht convergence criteria, as a precondition for acceptance to the first wave of membership of the single European currency, has obliged them to demonstrate fiscal restraint to meet the criteria relating to budget deficit (not to exceed 3 present of the country’s gross domestic product or GDP) and national debt (not to exceed 60 present of GDP). The purpose of the convergence criteria, as their name suggest, is to converge potential members’ economies to broadly similar levels in terms of the rate of inflation, the level of long-run interest rates, and the stability of their exchange rates and, as noted, government debt. In addition the ability of countries to converge to a common position in their business cycles, in practice to converge their business cycles with that of Germany’s as the leading Economy. In practice the problems of non-convergence were demonstrated in the early 1990s when Germany raised its interest rates to counter inflationary pressures. These had resulted from borrowing to fund major expenditure in Eastern Germany to redevelop the infrastructure and productive capacity after the collapse of the communist regime of the former East Germany. 3.1.3 Sociological This is examined in three broad areas: culture, language and religion. Culture: The fact that the British have a totally private sense of distance. This is most visibly seen in the shared pretence that Britain is a lonely island in the middle of an empty green sea. Culture has been described as ‘the way we do things round here’. In this sense it may be viewed as the inherent values, attitudes, social conventions and mores of a nation. In most cases these are transmitted from one generation to another, usually through the family. Increasingly, however, culture is modified by education, the media and peer influences as the pace of change accelerates in modern society. Cultural differences contribute to the diversity of the people who live in Europe and hence are an enriching experience. Cultural differences can also create barriers, however, which in turn have significant implications for European Businesses since, if they are to succeed another than their domestic market, these differences must be taken into account. Examples of cultural differences are: the business organisation, in Germany businesses are rigid in their approach and expect everything to be done through proper bureaucratic channels with full technical detail provided. In contrast, British firms involved in collaborative ventures, or who have opened subsidiary companies in Germany, are more casual and relaxed enabling them to be more flexible when sudden response is needed to market change. This difference in operational philosophy can cause problems. Class is also a major factor in determining social attitudes in the business environment, particularly in the UK but also in other parts of Europe. In contrast, in less class-divisive societies such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway attitudes may be quite different, people such as senior managers secretaries are regarded as important people in the organisation, whereas in the previously mentioned countries this would not be so tithe same extent. Business attitudes to delivery dates are also important. European businesses operating in Germany soon find that when they promise a delivery date for a new product consumers expect it in the shops on that day, not several weeks later Firms who slack on this simple rule find themselves bombarded with telephone calls-mails, and letters. In contrast, in Spain and Greece attitudes are much more causal in this respect; the personal appearance and behaviour, the French place much emphasis on establishing personal contact in business dealings and expect the people they deal with to have style. The Spanish believe in the importance of being smartly but conservatively dressed and demonstrating worldly knowledge, for example of good cuisine and wine; these are important issues when dining out, attending trade delegation receptions and so on, where business contacts are made. Scandinavians in contrast are much more casual in their dress; Cultural training programmes, these differences have implications for the training policies adopted by companies; some European businesses are now adopting recruitment policies where new employees are expected not only to have fluency in more than one language, but also to demonstrate some cross-cultural knowledge. Language: In the EU there are currently 13 EU official languages and another 35 territorial minority languages, which include Basque, Breton, Catalan, Cornish, Frisian, Galician, Letzeburgesh, Irish Gaelic, Occitan, Slovene, and Welsh. Language above all else defines group of people as distinct from all others in Europe, since it also implies culture, inherited knowledge and beliefs and terms of reference and thought specific to that group alone. In that sense there is therefore an overlap with the above. Different languages and dialects as a whole all create market differences. Religion: In the traditional Catholic countries of Europe, particularly Eire, Italy, Poland and Spain, the impact of formal organised religion on society and hence business is very important. Past controls on the sale of contraceptives in Eire are one such example. In Poland the Catholic Church has a vital role to play in the political scene with all parties having a commitment to Christian values in their policies. As a whole, businesses in Europe must bearing that increasingly the EU is becoming a society of many faiths. Certainly the large number of Jews resident in Europe has always been obvious. Now however many Muslims have entered EU countries and their religious and moral susceptibilities must also be heeded as much as another religion. 3.1.4 Technological Clearly technology has had a major impact on the European business environment, particularly information technology. The impact of its use will be so pervasive as to be hard to imagine life without it. This ranges from autopilots on aeroplanes to computer-controlled traffic management systems in our cities; from computer-controlled robots on factory assembly lines to screen trading in stock and foreign exchange markets; from the growth of consumer purchases via the internet to the use of e-mail rather than conventional letters or faxes. In this sense Bill Gates of Microsoft has argued that the internet will in effect act as a market-maker, bringing together buyers and sellers with minimum friction, and not just for goods and services but also in the Labour market. In 1994 the EU setup a first policy framework for the EU information society. These proposed initiatives to regulate the information society: it sought to bring together all those involved in creating networks, applying information technology and establishing the basic services; and it sought to raise public awareness about information technology. Most of these have now been implemented or are in the process of being implemented. This has had significant implications for European businesses by shaping the environment within which they operate. 3.1.5 Legal Inevitably legal systems can differ significantly from European country to country both in terms of their content and how they are interpreted. At the one extreme in Russia, transformation has required work, in the 1990s, to develop a legal system to come to terms with the concepts of private property (particularly ownership of land) and the legal existence of private and public limited companies with the ability to hire and dismiss labour, enter into contracts, buy, own and sell assets and so forth. At the other extreme, in the EU, Union legislation applies to all member countries and is establishing elements of a common legal framework for all, even though individual countries still, of course, have their own laws. This is based on key treaties, such as, the Treaty of Rom 1957, the Single European Act1987, the Maastricht Treaty 1993, and so forth. All these treaties will directly affect European Businesses. The main influences of country’s legal system on a business are through their impact on the business’s marketing mix and the laws affecting competition. For the most legal systems are based on civil law that is detailed rules and regulations which are strictly interpreted. In the UK, in contrast, the legal system is based on common law which is determined by past precedent and is more flexible in its interpretation. In terms of marketing a product EU countries tend to be more regulated because the

Religious Terrorism And Its Global Effects Politics Essay

Religious Terrorism And Its Global Effects Politics Essay Religious terrorism is terrorism by those whose motivations and aims have a predominant religious character or influence. In the modern age, after the decline of ideas such as the divine right of kings and with the rise of nationalism, terrorism more often involved anarchism, nihilism and revolutionary politics, but since 1980 there has been an increase in activity motivated by religion. Former United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher said that terrorist acts in the name of religion and ethnic identity have become one of the most important security challenges we face in the wake of the Cold War. Steven Weinberg has argued that religion is the most important factor, famously saying for good people to do evil things that take religion. (Arquilla, 1999) In the wake of the tragic events of September 11, and as evidence mounted that Islamic extremists committed the acts, the Muslim community in the United States quickly moved to distance itself from the terrorists. In stark contrast, Muslims in many parts of the Middle East could be seen on television news programs wildly cheering the attack on America. Those unfamiliar with Islam suddenly had a deep interest in knowing which of these really represented Islam. In the first days after the attack, uncertainty bred fear and contempt in some Americans who lashed out at an innocent Muslim community. Many Muslims, fearing for their safety, would no longer go out in public. Political leaders and the media joined Muslim leaders in trying to educate the general public about the differences between true Muslims and those who committed these terrible crimes. (Arquilla) U.S. officials believe that at least 19 Islamic men orchestrated the suicidal hijacking of four Boeing jets who had connections to the fanatical religious leader, Osama bin Laden. At least one of the hijackers owned a copy of the Koran, which authorities found in a bag that didnt make the flight. They also found pages of spiritual instructions which contained statements such as: Youre doing a job which is loved by God, and you will end your day in heavens where you will join the virgins, and I pray to you God to forgive me from all my sins, to allow me to glorify you in every possible way. The Koran, their faith and their will to die for their beliefs provide important clues as to the reason for their actions. Apparently these clues have yet to affect the minds of our military and political leaders. Long before September 11, 2001, Muslims in the U.S. realized that Islam was associated with terrorism and they set about to distinguish moderate Islam from that of Muslim extremists, fundamentalists and terrorists. Moderates claim Muslim extremists have given the wrong impression of Islam and contend that to equate religious terrorism and ethnic cleansing with Islam is like defining Christianity by David Koresh or Timothy McVeigh. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, for both history and fundamentalist theology present functional problems for Muslims to explain. (Hoffman, 1999) Despite these assurances and having moved several months past the attacks, the debate continues as to whether Islam is a religion of peace or does, in fact, support the terrorist actions that have taken so many innocent lives in America and throughout the world, in the name of Allah. This debate will no doubt continue for some time. Our purpose here is not to resolve that issue but to try and better understand the beliefs of our Muslim neighbors and our responsibility as Christians to reach out to them with the gospel. Muslims believe there are two types of jihad: a lesser and a greater. Muhammad is said to have taught that warfare to destroy the infidel is actually a lesser jihad. Instead the Muslim should practice the greater jihad, which is the war every man must wage within himself to follow Allah and do what is right. In Middle Eastern countries the emphasis certainly seems to be on the lesser jihad. However, Muslims in democratic countries, and Western Muslims in particular, currently tend to interpret jihad as the greater jihad. Causes of Terrorism Social and political injustice, these people choose terrorism when they are trying to right what they perceive to be a social or political or historical wrong. This may happen if they have been stripped of their land or rights, or denied these. The belief that violence or its threat will be effective, and move in change. Many terrorists in history said that they chose violence after long deliberation; because they fell they have no choice. Here are some stories where these two elements are basic in their story. Zionists who bombed British targets in 1930s mandate Palestine felt they must do so in order to create a Jewish state. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) bombed English targets in the 1980s to make the point that their land was colonized by British imperialists. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine felt that armed attacks in Israel were a justifiable response to the usurpation of their land. Osama bin Ladens war on American interests in the 1990s stemmed from his belief that U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia represented an abomination to the kind of Islamic state he believed should exist in the Arabian Peninsula. Uighur separatists In China felt the Chinese religious repression justifies their terrorist tactics. In some cases, people choose terrorist tactics based on a cause whose righteousness they believe in to the exclusion of nearly all else. Abortion clinic bombers in the 1990s and groups such as the Animal Liberation Front believe zealously in their causes. (Richard, 1998) Most that choose terrorism are persuaded that by violence or threats of violence is effective. So the question what causes terrorism? we probably will not be able to answer. Although many people today believe that that religious fanaticism causes terrorism, it isnt true. It may be true that religious fanaticism creates conditions that are favorable for terrorism. But we know that religious zealotry does not cause terrorism because there are many religious fanatics who do not choose terrorism or any form of violence. So there must also be other conditions that in combination provoke some people to see terrorism as an effective way of creating change in their world. There are two more reasons why asking, What conditions create a favorable climate for terrorism? is better than asking about causes The first is, it makes it easy to remember that there are always at least several conditions. Terrorism is a complex phenomenon; it is a specific kind of political violence committed by people who do not have legitimate army at their disposal. A second reason that has been useful for me, as I ask questions about terrorism, is that thinking in terms of conditions helps I remember that people have a choice about whether to use violence. There is nothing inside any person or in their circumstances that sends them like a monopoly piece headed directly to Go directly to terrorism. Instead, there are certain conditions, some of which make violence against civilians seem like a reasonable and even necessary option. Despite this, and some of the deeply unforgivable circumstances that foster terrorism, people always have the free will to seek another course of action. The Effects of Terrorism Terrorism has occurred throughout history, but today the world is experiencing a global rebirth of attacks. Today it no longer affects only small societies, such as isolated third world countries who fall victim to regular terrorist attacks, but the whole world is becoming more familiar with Arab and Muslim names. The terrorist violence that is on the rise today has informed citizen all over the world about different types of terrorism. Also with the resurgence the world is experiencing of terrorism, the Nations have been to do what they can to eliminate terrorism. Terrorism is a major problem that is reoccurring over the globe in many different forms. The US alone spends about $5 billion dollars a year combating terrorists. The treats of bio-chemical, Suicide or psychological warfare, and information warfare are on the rise in todays societies as more political argument and groups emerge. Along with the rise of terrorism is also the increase in Counter-Terrorism acts. Even though most counter terrorist groups are kept secret, the increase of terrorism has also countered balanced. Throughout the years many radical and reactionary groups have been the cause for terrorist attacks throughout the world, but the ones that will always remain the most important to you are the ones that happen in your home nation.