Article review and summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article review and summary - Essay Example Their population is also closely regulated by the presence of predators that are feeding on these bacteria like protozoa and nematodes. But also the opposite is true where the presence and activity of the rhizosphere bacteria determines the root growth patterns and concentrations of plant roots (Bowen 1999) (Gryndler 2000). This is because the plants and the rhizosphere flora are interconnected and they are dependent on the bacteria in the rhizosphere. There are bacteria from different species (Bradyrhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Rhizobium and others) for example that posses the nitrogenase enzyme and are able to reduce the atmospheric nitrogen into soluble ammonia that can be used by root plants. These bacteria also secrete root factors that promote the growth of root nodules that are N2 fixating symbiotic organs of the plants. Other way of interaction between thee roots and the rhizosphere bacteria is the antagonistic effect that some bacteria have on other bacteria that are pathogenic and harmful for the plant (Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Phytophthora etc.). The ability of the bacteria to antagonize the growth of organisms that are pathogenic to plants is researched on many prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms (Bacillus species, Pseudomonas species, Agrobacterium species etc) (Whipps 1997). Pseudomonas fluores cence one of the most effective bacteria that colonizes the roots and has important function in antagonizing the flourishing of pathogenic bacteria that can have significantly negative effect on the rot health and agricultural impact. This is why there is a substantial interest about the effect of different fertilizers and additives that are used in the agriculture today and the impact of these materials on the rhizosphere (Kennedy 1998). The normal population of Pseudomonas spp. has important role in the normal functioning of the plant roots and this is why it is a subject of a number of studies that are trying to explain the mechanisms of growth for this

Strategic Management of ExxonMobil

Strategic Management of ExxonMobil Strategic Management Abstract Proper business modelling requires in depth analysis of the business conditions that affect the performance of the business enterprise. This analysis must be objective and very informing in terms of highlighting the prospects of business growth and forecasting the position of the business by using the current growth opportunities and strengths too. A growth oriented business franchise must take into account the four facets involved in the SWOT criteria, critically analyse them and establish a framework for propagating growth through the inferences of SWOT criterion. ExxonMobil, being a multinational oil company with immense business interests has plenty of business variables that directly stand on its way to greater growth. Conversely, the business has humongous opportunities and cardinal pillars on which it stands to inspire its growth in the industry. This report is tasked with the examination of these key factors and opportunities of growth and offer the recommendations to capitalize on these factors in order of importance. In contrast, the report shall examine the threats and weaknesses of these variables with a view of turning them into opportunities for the business. Introduction The growth of a Company depends on its successfule formulation and implemtation of strategy. Formulation of strategy cmusttake heed of the envinromental forces impacting on he organisation. This paper analyses ExxonMobil Oil Company position in its operatig markets and through a careful analysis of Strenght, Weaknesses pportunities and threats. The comapnuy operates in the oil sector and as such the company’s strategy has a long term focus, heavy fixed costs, low margins and huge economies of scale. The company has experienced consistent grwth in sales and profitability. The present strategy is based on cutting edge research and development to develop upstream units coupled with an efficient system of distribution structured to reduce costs. The companyalso emphasises on superior customer service to maintain customer loyalty. Competition in the oil sector is ntense and as such firms rely on customer loyaty to bind customers to their products. Griven that the company operates in an iduusry where several players sell perfectly substitutable products, each of the players invests in quality and customer service to driv profitability (Andersen 2009). The industry is characterised by huge fixed costs and thin operating margins. Thus, firms have to sel excessive quantities of poduce to break even. Profitabiliy therefore relies on economies of scale. Besides, environmental concersn have a huge impact on the firm’s profitability. Mistakes in production can result in huge oil spills and resultant fins bythe authorities. Extreme violations of the operationsl codes can result in denial of operating licence. ExxonMobil Company operational analysis ExxonMobil has two main operating segments namely upstream and downstream. Upstream operation include all activities involved in exploration, driigng and pumpting fossil fuels from beneath to the surface for onward processing. Downsteam operatios involve the processing distribution and marketing of hydrcarbons. The company was formed in 1999 and hasrealised consistent growth in sales and profitability to become on e of the largest producers in the word. The compsny now handleds 3% of global energy output. The company is aslo the second largest (by market capitalisation) listed firm in in the US (Vassilou,2009). The company has capacity to produce 6.5 million barrels of crude daily, a relativey huge amount relative to the other players in the industry. The ccompany has operations in more than 100 countries under its various brands and has 37 refineries (Exxon, 2007). The firm’s annual growth in capacity stands at 17% and has enough resources to invest in efficient production (E xxon, 2009). Organization structure of the company ExxonMobil has a strict staffing policy throughout its operational divisions. The firm has a favoured brand name that allows it to attract talented employees. This offers the comaony an edge against the competition (Exxon Company 2007). The firm’s is to hire highly motivated and skilledstaff to drive its strategy (Exxon Company 2009). Berberoglu (2008) explains that ExxonMobil has an organisation structure s that is fashioned along the concept of autonomous gobal operaitons. The company has eleven (11) separate divisions each operating globally. These divisions are organied in a manner that they offer the much needed synergy in the business. The global merger of the former 2 energy giants Exxon and Mobil offers the company expanded reach in markets, global playing field in terms of resources and a harmonised pool of human resources with differtnt abilities and orientation to drive the mered entity’s strategy. Following the merger, the firms combined upstream companies were moved to Houston where a significant amount of the company’s upstream businesses are located. These includes functions such as esearch and development, exploration drilling and production. Downstream operations weremoved to Virginia including such functions as marketing, engineering research, production of lubricants etc (McLeish 2008). Methodology This paper builds a case of trategic orientation of the company based on the findings of the SWOT matrix. The paper utilises interpretative analysis to determine the firm’s competitive strengths and weaknesses as well as its weakmesses and strengths. The following is the firm’s Swot matrix. SWOT Analysis Strengths Private ownership Being a private company, ExxonMobil the government has minimal governeent control. It is therefore driven by the key aims of profits as opposed to state’s social interests. It therefore suffers form minimal state interference experienced by the National Oil Companies. NOCs suffer from extreme redtape and subversion of profitable causes in the interests of state (Omeje 2008). Leadership in environmental conservation The company has minimal violations of environemental code of condust as laid down by the varous environmental agencies in its various operating markets. However, concerns over global warming have resulted in the increased scrutiny of its producton oerations especially deep sea drilling and emissions. This presents the company with no immediate operatonal problems. Strong research and development team The company has a strong asset base. This is crcuail in the industry owing to the high fixed operational costs experienced in the sector. The company reinvest an average of 16% of its revenue in its opreations to boost capacity its capacity for research and development and output. Thefirm has the capacity to acquire promising business operational units to grow its business. Competitive labor force Human resource offers firms the most potent form of competitive advantage. The company attracts huge talent of labour force due to its sting brand and reputation as a good employer. This offers the company ability to execute its strategy. Weaknesses Litigation The company’s 1989 Alaska oil spill and its sponsorship of research pubications hurt the firm’s image and resulted in numerous law suits and other contingent liabilities that could cost the firm billions in claims. The company’s sales experienced a dip following concerns of irresponsibility. The oil spill also pushed the firms operational costsup by 11%. This led to the company’s adoption of new, more expensive technologies to gaud against such violations (Porter 2008). These measures continue to ngatively impact the firms profitability. Rising production costs Following the firm has aging oil wells and its new oil finds are deeper and moer expensive to drill (ExxonMobil, 2009). This means that the per unit production costcontinues to rise over even as other costs such asmarketing and distribution rise (Vassiliou 2009). While rising nergy prices have largely compensated for the rising production costs,increased regulatory costs and taxes have offset such gains. High fixed costs The iniial cost of production is very high. Exploration, drilling and maintenance of oil wells makes firm’s incur excessive costs. The company has to recoup the high costs by operating in large scale. The firm cannot sell at high prices due to competition and thherfore it has to rely on economies of scale to driv its profitability. High fixed costs mean that the company experincesa disproportionate fall in profits if sales decline (Porter 2011). Limited human resource pool Despite the firm’s prefeed position as an employer, there is a shortage ofquaified talent in selected areas that are critical to firm’s productivity. Most of the firm’s new hires require excessive training to orient the to the training environement (Mondy, Noe Gowan 2005). Opportunities Tax breaks Energy companies earn tax breaks from the government. Being a private listed company, ExxonMobil qualifies for annual tax breaks and subsideies by the federal government (Pennell et al. 2008). Strategic organizational growth through mergers and acquisition The company has a comprehensive strategy of buying promising business ventures. These venetures not only have the potential to add value but also enable it capture key markets and customer groups. The company has a high capital base and other resources that enable can enable it undertake mergers and acquisitions without having to extert unnecessary pressure on existing business. Improvements in drilling technology to lower costs and conserve environment The company has the capability to ensure environmental safety through safer, more technologically advanced operations. The company has necessary technology to find oil in previously impossible conditions and bring it to the surface at significantly lower cost. Newer innovations like shale gas drilling Shale Gas drilling (called fracking) promises to transform the fortunes of the company. Shaleis cheaper and easier to explore than conventional fossil fuels. Access to talent pool The company enjoys goodwill among proffessionals due to its preferred emplotyer status. Besides, the company has operations spanning various markets makimg the company access variously talented and diverse talent groups. Threats Difficult regulatory frameworks The firm’s main operating units face different and challenging legal, political and regulatory frameworks in their various operating units. Changes in business regualtions can severely disrupt the form’s output. Concerns of global warming Global concerns of a warming planet put the continued reliance on fossil fuels in doubt in the long term. The company’s investment in other renewable energy sources that pose no threat to the envieoentmen are yet to bear fruits. Restrictive labour laws in key markets and assertive labour unions Labor laws in is key perating markets are extremely restrictive. Besides, employees have protective labor unions that make it hard to implement policies. Ucertain political climate Changes in political leadership can have maret impact on the firm’s operations. For instance, a change of fgovernement in the US can result in denial of licences to drill in offshore areas where the company pderives significant oil deposits. (Reinecke Strobenreuther 2008; Mondi Gowan, 2005; Powel, 2013). Increased costs of Global warming The firm’s costs of operation are likely to rise as the effect of global warming take their toll. This will be more pronounced especially in the low-lying areas where the firms drilling operations are more exposed to extreme weather (Environment, 2012; Coll 2012; Vernon, 2012; Prahalad Hamel 2010; Smith 2012). Technological know how The energy industry depends heavily on technological advancements to drive production and efficiency (Powel, 2013). There is a real possibility that competing firms can strike low cost deposits and sell at a lower price effectively driving the firm from its market leadership position. See the statistical comparison below (Detsche Bank and Wood Mackenzie) Justification for SWOT analysis SWOT analysis helps indicate the firm’s state of operation. Once a firm identifies tee variables under SWOT, the next step is to take advantage of its strengths to overcome its weaknesses and to take advantage of opportunities. This positions the firm at a point of competitive advantage. Shortfalls of the SWOT analysis SWOT analysis does not prioritize the competing opportunities making it hard to pick the most appropriate (Ringland, 2014). This makes it ineffective for analysis. In addition to lack of prioritization, SWOT does not offer solutions or alternatives to the firm’s weaknesses and threats. The general rule of thumb is to use the company’s strength to counter threats and exploit opportunities. However, without prioritization, it is difficult to know the threats to tackle or opportunities to exploit first. Recommendations Establish operations in emerging markets to drive growth and profitability as well as spreading risks (McDonald Meldrum 2013). Invest in green energy to guard against losses from environmental (Vernon, 2012).disasters (Madrigal, 2011). Invest in staff training to boost performance Invest in research and development to drive down operation costs and raise efficiency Conclusion The company should use its strengths identified in the SWOT analysis to overcome its weaknesses and take advantage of its opportunities. It should spread its risks by establishing more operations in emerging markets. Besides, the company should invest in green energy to guard against losses from environmental disasters. Lastly, the company should invest in staff training to boost performance as well as in research and development to drive down operation costs and raise efficiency (Everard Burrow, 2010). References Andersen, B 2009, Business process improvement toolbox, ASQ Quality Press, Milwaukee. Berberoglu, B 2008, Turmoil in the Middle East imperialism, war, and political instability, State University of New York Press, Albany, NY. Coll, S 2012, Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power, Penguin group US, New York. Environment 2011, United Nations, New York. Everard, K Burrow, J 2010, Business principles management, South-Western Pub, Cincinnati. Exxon Company 2007, U.S.A.s Energy outlook, 1977-1990, Exxon Corp, Houston. Exxon Company 2009, U.S.A.s energy outlook, 1980-2000, Exxon Corp, Houston. Madrigal, A 2011, Powering the dream: the history and promise of green technology, DA Capo Press, Cambridge, MA. McDonald, M Meldrum, M 2013, The complete marketer 60 essential concepts for marketing excellence, Kogan Page, London. McLeish, E 2008, Energy crisis, Stargazer Books, Mankato, Minn. Mondy, R, Noe, M Gowan, M 2005, Human resource management, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Omeje, K 2008, High Stakes and Stakeholders: Oil Conflict and security in the World, Ashgate Publishing, Burlington. Pennell, N, Lavery, G Fowler, R 2010, The Low-Carbon World Is Already Here Five Imperatives for Succeeding in an Era of Carbon Constraints. Booz and Company, New York. Porter, M 2011, ‘From competitive advantage to corporate strategy’ Harvard Business Review, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 43–59. Porter, M 2008,‘The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy’,Harvard business Review, Vol.5, no.2, pp. 23- 37. Powell, T 2013, ‘How much does industry matter?An alternative empirical test’, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 323–334. Prahalad, C Hamel, G 2010, ‘The core competence of the corporation’, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 79–91. Reinecke, N, Sohn, M Strobenreuther, H 2008, Sustainability: The carbon imperative, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, New York. Ringland, G 2014, Scenario Planning: Managing for the Future. John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Sampson, A 2009, The seven sisters: the great oil companies and the world they shaped, Viking Press, New York. Smith, T 2012, Renewable energy resources, Weigl Publishers, Mankato, MN. Vassiliou, M 2009, Historical Dictionary of the Petroleum Industry, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD. Vernon, R 2012, The Oil crisis, Norton, New York.

Hawaii Essay -- Personal Narrative Traveling Vacation Essays

Hawaii I stepped out of the flight gate at the Honolulu airport, and into another world. This world was strange, yet somehow familiar. There was the Starbucks, and the frazzled travelers, but to my left were huge open-air panorama windows. These did not look out onto grey pavement, and unruly Colorado skies, but into a lush forest of palm trees and tropical scents. The moisture of the air clung to my cheeks, and made my already thick hair seem much thicker. But the awe slipped away, as I struggled to find the baggage claim. My beloved boyfriend was still looking about him with admiration and the joy of a child, but I felt hot and was scurrying away to find my luggage. Down the escalator we went, and into the more familiar world of spinning luggage and unpleasant sounds of machinery. I frowned wondering where our famous lei greeting was. After all, we had requested it, they should have been at the gate. My head was full of visions of grass-skirted Polynesian women smiling and hanging fragrant necklaces around our shoulders. We waited patiently on a bench, thinking perhaps they would come find us there. Finally, David went in search of the traveling agency, and I soon followed. After a few minutes of waiting, a tanned teenage boy came out of the back and examined us with bored annoyance. After explaining that we had not received our leis, he yawned and tossed two of the flower garlands at us. Here ya go, he said, and disappeared into the door from which he came. David and I exchanged glances, and wondered if this was an omen. I decided firmly not to let this minor setback get in the way of my enjoyment of this trip. We now had to find the rental car, which involved more waiting, this time in the hot sun with other disg... ...re soon full of jade and coral, fans and sarongs. David was in search of a black and white hibiscus shirt, which turned out to be quite hard to find. We finally found one, after looking through about twenty clothing shops. Contented, we returned to the room, and floated away on the soft cries of merchants and drums. Our final day, we simply went to see a movie. Here we finally saw true locals, dressed in shabby t-shirts and shorts, complaining cheerfully about the heat. I wondered what it would be like to live here, in this peaceful place, where even the grocery workers are laid back, and calm. I imagined myself living in a beach front house, being able to simply walk to that azure water. When our plane took off that night, I pressed my nose to the glass, and sighed. Despite my poor bum, and the vertical driveway, I knew I'd left part of my heart there in Hawaii.

Economics case study Essay

(a) Explain whether health care is a private , merit or public care (b) Is health care a free good? Explain your answer (c) Does the quote from the doctor suggest that the market for healthcare is in equilibrium? Again explain your answer (d) Compare the effects of an improvement in the quality of product provided by the NHS and that provided by a private health care company (e) Explain 2 meanings of the word ‘efficiency’ (f) What is likely to happen to private sector firms which are not efficient? (g) In which market structure is information about best practice likely to be most freely available (h) Discuss the private and external benefits of health care. a) A public good is a good that is a benefit to society and is provided free of cost to society, usually by the government running the country. Theses goods are not provided by private companies and firms as they do not render profit, which thus leads to a market failure due to a lack of provision of public/merit goods. Examples for such goods are roads, streetlights, education, public libraries etc. NHS (National Health Service) is a public good and government organization. It is a service that is ‘free at the point of delivery’ because society pays for it indirectly through taxes. The NHS provides free healthcare to society, this is especially beneficial for the low income group sector of society thus making it a public good. The demand for this service is high, as healthcare is very expensive in the private sector. As the law of demand states that when the prices increase demand decreases. Here there is no actual price for the service thus the demand must be high. But sometimes this high demand creates a problem as the supply cannot be met; public goods are goods that do not render profits. And thus these organizations are run by government spending and may not really be updated with the best quality as they have a limit in their budgets. They do not have the quality of being efficient as they do not make profits from their services. b) A free good is good that is not scarce, has a zero market price and do not have any opportunity costs when consumed. The key word is opportunity cost. (***Free good is a term used in economics to describe a good that is not scarce. A free good is available in as great a quantity as desired with zero opportunity cost to society.) Opportunity cost is the cost of forgoing one opportunity for another. For example – A school has been given 10,000$ and it can either spend it on books and supplies or on a new gym. Thus the opportunity cost to build the gym would be the loss of not buying books and vice versa. An example for free good can be sunlight, air, salt water etc. Considering healthcare, it can be noted that healthcare does not fall into the category of free good. It is an economic good even a public organization like the NHS. As NHS is a government funded subject, it is actually just a free service at the point of delivery. The taxpayers pay for this good; therefore it does have a market value indirectly through taxes. And it is not a resource that is available all the time, thus making it limited and not scarce. As it is government funded, the government can choose to spend their money on something else instead of healthcare. Therefore there is an opportunity cost to providing healthcare. The government can may spend the same amount on public structures (roads, streetlights, traffic lights or on education etc). As provision of healthcare has an opportunity cost, it makes it an economic good and not a free good. (*** Economic good is a good that has an opportunity cost thus giving it a price and hence making it scarce.) c) The market for healthcare (pubic healthcare) is not in equilibrium as the doctor quotes†we just get more patients and we can’t cope with anymore†. Therefore suggesting that the supply cannot meet the demand and thus the market equilibrium is not met. Market equilibrium is when the market is in a stage where the demand meets the supply. For eg – In the figure below, we see that at price P1 the quantity Q1 is both demanded and supplied. Thus the market in equilibrium at the price P1 since the quantity of goods that people wish to buy at price Q1 is equal to quantity of the goods the supplier wants to sell at that price. This price P1 is also called as market clearing price, as everything produced is sold. The market thus remains in equilibrium. The healthcare sector (NHS) does not follow this structure of market equilibrium. The figure below shows the demand for healthcare in the private and public healthcare. This follows the demand laws that when prices increase then the demand for the good decreases as can be in seen in the demand for private healthcare services. Whereas the demand for public healthcare is very high as the price is very low or minimal. (Figure 1) Figure 2 – When the prices are low then the suppliers supply less of their goods. In the case of healthcare (public healthcare), the providers of this services may not be provide less of their services but the quality and efficiency may be less and improvements may not be made as they are Government organizations and do not have the funds to do so. Figure 3 shows that because of the low prices the demand for the service increases to Q2 and the healthcare providers can only provide services till Q*. More is being demanded than supplied, and thus there is a shortage as there is an excess of demand. Therefore the market equilibrium is altered as the supply does not meet the demand. d) Improvements in the quality provided by the NHS and the private healthcare company. The private sector’s main motive is to earn profit. Any private company or firm’s main goal is to earn profit. This can be done by having a large consumer base, thus to get achieve a large consumer base the firms continuously improve their services and are always striving for efficiency. Therefore an improvement in the private healthcare sector would not make a big difference as these firms are already always trying to provide better services to the consumers in order to make profits. Even though the prices are higher than the public sector people would with money would chose to a private clinic rather than a government healthcare facility, as it would be wiser for them to make use of the better healthcare facilities. If there are improvements in the public sector, the efficiency of the sector is improved and a lot more people would prefer going to public healthcare facilities rather than spending more money for the same service at a private clinic. The demand for the private healthcare services would decrease, and the firms would have to come up with innovative methods to restore their consumer base as a majority of the consumers would prefer paying less for healthcare for the same services provided by the private sector. The private healthcares may even have to shut down due to increasing costs in running their facilities and fewer buyers for their services thus decreasing the revenue they earn. There would be a producer loss for the private sector and a consumer gain for the consumers as they pay for good quality healthcare at a cheaper rate. But this would mean more government spending on healthcare to ensure that the new improvements continue. Or the government may increase the taxes, and thus the tax payers would have to pay more taxes in order for better public healthcare. e) Efficiency – getting any given results with smallest inputs or getting maximum output from minimum inputs Efficiency can be classified into 2 categories – * Efficiency in consumption ( Allocative efficiency ) * Efficiency in production ( Productive efficiency ) Allocating resources among consumers so that it would not be possible by any re allocation to make people better off without making anyone worse off is called efficiency in consumption. Allocative efficiency in simple terms can be put as â€Å"doing the right thing†. Defining Allocative efficiency – when there is no waste in resources in the production of goods, allocative efficiency is maximized. This occurs when there is 0 excess demand and supply in the market (S=D). For eg – when a firm produces 5000 flower pots but the market enables the firm to sell only 3500 then the resources have gone waste by producing the excess 1500 goods and there is an inefficiency in the allocation of resources as they could have been better allocated. The firm could have used the same amount of resources for something like fertilizers which would have had a higher demand. Therefore the allocative optimality occurs when the supply equals demand on the market. Allocating available resources between industries so that it will not be possible to produce more of some goods without producing less of others is called efficiency in production. Productive efficiency occurs when goods are produced at the lowest possible cost per unit, taking into account all costs arising. A firm is productively efficient when total use of resources (factors) result in the lowest possible cost per unit of output. This would be the point where average total is minimized. Productive efficiency means â€Å"doing things right†. In the healthcare sector being economically efficient as well as productively efficient is what the private clinics, hospitals etc aim for. To supply the maximum output at the cost of minimum inputs. f) Private firms that are inefficient would not be able to compete with other firms in a competitive market. If a firm is inefficient, the demand for the firm’s services and goods decrease and the firm’s consumer base will move on to another firm that does provide efficient goods and services. Or if a firm is allocatively inefficient then its resources go waste and it is unable to make the same revenue like it would have if it had used proper allocation of resources. Lack of productive efficiency would lead to the cost of production to be higher therefore the firm would suffer losses. Taking the 3 different situations in private healthcare – * Inefficient services and quality provided: would lead to the loss of customers and eventually revenue, and more competition from other firms. * Improper allocation of resources(spending): spending and wasting money on frivolous items such as curtains and dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor rather than medicines and treatment facilities , the firm would have a decrease in revenue again as people would expect top quality services rather than fancy dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor. * Costs of production and services > revenue earned = loss: the firm has spent a lot more on setting up the place and is not gaining maximum profits in return thus being productively inefficient. g) In a private structure information about best practice is likely to be freely available, as in public sectors there is not much incentive to improve techniques and skills. Whereas in the private sector the commercial organizations have an economic incentive to introduce better practices for both market leadership which leads to profits. Eg – 2 dentist clinics each one comes up with newer faster and high quality technology for braces such as clinic1 comes up with ‘invisible braces’ and clinic 2 to outdo clinic 1 comes up with ‘invisible painless clear fit on braces’ to form a larger consumer market. Whereas in public sector there would be no such highlight as there is no one to compete against and no economic incentive. h) Merit goods are goods that are beneficial to the society and include services like healthcare defense etc. The marginal social benefits in providing healthcare are greater than the marginal production costs. For this reason healthcare is normally left up to the government to provide in many countries as private sector owners find no profit making scheme through it. The private and external benefits of healthcare are many. * Society remains healthy * When society remains healthy then the major workforce remains fit as well * Provision of healthcare = public good, like the NHS makes it easily accessible to the low income society. * If the main workforce of a country has access to healthcare, the overall development of a country increases. * The government also encourages the use /consumption of this service, as it is beneficial for all. * The healthcare services provided, if of good quality, makes sure that everyone in society gets their vaccines, health checkups etc. Thus ensuring that everyone is stable and in a well fit environment. * These services are more beneficial for the lower middle and poorer section of society. The poor do not need to spend much of their little incomes and are assured of the basic services.

Deterioration of the English Language

Word Count: 1,237 Denise Moreno Professor Carlene Coury English 120 13 April 2013 Deterioration of the English Language The English language seems to be deteriorating more and more each day. So many examples can be given to justify this observation. Three different writers have pointed out some examples of the butchering of the language. Martha Brokenbrough states that the constant use of instant messaging jargon and internetism can certainly be a good way to reshape the way we communicate. At the same time she writes it can also affect the way we communicate properly and professionally.Author, George Orwell, speaks about how we have developed words in the English language to disguise the true meaning for political causes. Orwell points out that we mask what we truly want to say, and at the same time, we confuse the reader by not making sense of what we write. Speechwriter, Clark Whelton, pointed out that vagueness is a growing problem in our mother language; therefore, college stude nts don’t know how to stop being vague while trying to communicate. Even though all three writers make different points about English decaying as a language, they all concur in the cause of this problem, laziness.Martha Brokenbrough states â€Å"So the key with Internetisms is to know when it's okay to use them, when it's not okay, and when not using them will make you look clueless† (149). Brokenbrough emphasizes that using instant messaging lingo is not bad, and it is appropriate in specific time and places, however, not knowing where and when to use this lingo, can cause confusion and make you look foolish. LOL is a very common phrase to hear nowadays, but when one goes to a job interview and can’t carry a conversation without using any of these abbreviations, it is not only unacceptable but disrespectful.The shortcuts we use may be making us look lazy and dumb when used at a courtroom or a doctor’s office as examples. LMAO seems impolite and childish when used at these places. This type of jargon is, however, necessary when texting and chatting in the world today to be considered hip and normal. One thing that is important to remember is to know when to use the instant messaging lingo and when to not use it as the author claims. More importantly, she explains that it does not take that much longer to use the correct words when needed so that others do not think one is dumb.Knowing when to use all these internetisms can save us embarrassment and make us seem cool if used correctly. â€Å"Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it†(446). In this quote, George Orwell states that it is not that we don’t know how to properly communicate our ideas, but we choose to do nothing about it to correct it. There are a lot of useless words that political writers tend to use when wanting to be unclear but with the intention of making writings seem as clear as water.Orwell mentions some types of these unnecessary words: dying metaphors, verbal false limbs, pretentious diction, and meaningless words. Dying metaphors â€Å"are merely used because they save people the trouble of inventing phrases for themselves†(448). The author is explaining that sometimes in writing there are a lot of recycled expressions that we all use generally as opposed to looking for our own and being original. What verbal false limbs do is that they â€Å"save the trouble of picking out appropriate verbs and nouns, and at the same time pad each sentence with extra syllables which give it an appearance of symmetry†(449).This quote is referring to the words we tend to use as fillers and again are meaningless to use in a sentence. Verbal false limbs are words that the writer can do without in order to make sense. Pretentious diction are words that are â€Å"used to dress up simple sta tements and give an air of scientific impartiality to biased judgments†(449). Words like â€Å"phenomenon† and â€Å"effective† get used to pursue the writer to believe the biased thoughts you may want to get across.Finally, meaningless words are â€Å"strictly meaningless in the sense that they not only do not point to any discoverable object, but are hardly ever expected to do so by the reader†(450). Using these kind of words is only good to persuade the reader into believing things that aren’t meant by the writer. All of these words are examples of bad choices while writing and once again an example of laziness. Orwell emphasizes that writers make the mistake of using all these words to express themselves, but in reality they just end up not being able to communicate what it was they really wanted to say. Playbacks and self-quoting (He was like, â€Å"Where are you going? † and I was like, â€Å"I'm going to work†) are the most dura ble symptoms of vagueness, and may find permanent homes in 21st century English†(Whelton, par. 14). This particular quote by the speech writer, Clark Whelton, highlights the most common way English has become vague. â€Å"Whoa, that is so wow† â€Å"well, like yeah† and â€Å"I mean like, you know† are examples of vague talking and the loss of proper English. Whelton points out that younger people, even having graduated from college, lack a sense of professionalism and good communicative verbal skills.He states that it is so common to hear people express themselves with â€Å"self-quoting, playbacks of past conversations, ‘up talking’ (ending declarative sentences with an interrogative rise), and run-on sentences†(Whelton, par. 2). The examples given are comparable with ways a child would communicate. After using these bad habits of communication over and over again, there is no doubt that knowing how to properly carry on a conversation disappears off the permanent memory. The author implies that if the problem of vagueness had been corrected at an early age, vagueness itself would have been a lot more contained than it is now.Along with Brockenbrough and Orwell, Whelton has insinuated that writers today have lack of thought for themselves, also known as laziness. Using abbreviations related to instant messaging, words that have no exact meaning or used as fillers, or simple vagueness such as â€Å"like†, is wrong when wanting to communicate in formal or professional way. Not only would using these types of shortcuts make one look dumb but also lazy. Possessing the correct skills to communicate verbally or in written form is as important as knowing how to match a clothes outfit.One is under the belief that using internetisms is going to save time, but unfortunately, that is only a myth. The truth is using shortcuts saves only seconds that can make the difference in appearing dumb, lazy, or intelligent. To s ound distinguished by using exotic or meaningless words, one might use as padding for our confusing writing, can cause one to appear dumb and lazy as well. Being vague does not help anyone in trying to clearly communicate what they truly want to say; it only makes people look childish and sluggish.All in all, the three writers agree that no one should opt for easy time saving abbreviations, fake fancy words, or vagueness that plagues us, to communicate properly and not be thought of being a dumb, lazy, childish person. Works Cited Brockenbrough, Martha. â€Å"Does IM make U Dum? †. The Conscious Reader 12th ed. Longman2012. 148-151 Print. Orwell, George. â€Å"Politics and the English Language†. The Conscious Reader 12th ed. Longman2012. 445-457 Print. Whelton, Clark. â€Å"Vague-Talking and the Loss of English. † MINDING THE CAMPUS, 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 25 March 2013.