Monday, September 30, 2019

Ethanol as a Fuel Source

Year 12 Chemistry Assessment Task 1| Ethanol as an alternative fuel| | | | Melissa Weber| 22/11/2010| | Overview The commercial production of ethanol fuel in Australia is the use of sugar cane and wheat using yeast in the fermentation process. Yeast is a fungus which can multiply in the absence of oxygen by using enzymes (e. g. zymase) to catalyse the decomposition of sugars. Those sugars are sucrose or maltose. Suitable conditions The conditions that promote the fermentation of sugar are: * A suitable micro-organism such as yeast * Water * A suitable temperature for the fermenting yeast Low oxygen concentrations favouring the fermenting yeast * A small amount of yeast nutrients such as phosphate salt. * Once the ethanol concentration reaches 14-15% by volume, the yeast cannot survive, and the fermentation process stops. Costs Biomass fuels such as rice straw and sugar cane bagasse are being investigated as raw materials for ethanol production but the transportation costs are very hi gh and do not justify their use. Genetically modified crops are being analysed and this could provide a cheap source of biomass fuels for the production of ethanol.Production from Sugar Cane Sucrose extracted from sugarcane accounts for little more than 30% of the chemical energy stored in the mature plant; 35% is in the leaves and stem tips, which are left in the fields during harvest, and 35% are in the fibrous material (bagasse) left over from pressing. Most of the industrial processing of sugarcane in Brazil is done through a very integrated production chain, allowing sugar production, industrial ethanol processing, and electricity generation from by-products.The typical steps for large scale production of sugar and ethanol include milling, electricity generation, fermentation, distillation of ethanol, and dehydration. Replacement for distillation With increasing attention being paid to saving energy, many methods have been proposed that avoid distillation altogether for dehydra tion. Of these methods, a third method has emerged and has been adopted by the majority of modern ethanol plants. This new process uses molecular sieves to remove water from fuel ethanol.In this process, ethanol vapour under pressure passes through a bed of molecular sieve beads. The bead's pores are sized to allow absorption of water while excluding ethanol. After a period of time, the bed is regenerated under vacuum or in the flow of inert atmosphere to remove the absorbed water. Two beds are used so that one is available to absorb water while the other is being regenerated. This dehydration technology can account for energy saving of 3,000 btus/gallon (840 kJ/l) compared to earlier azeotropic distillation. .Diagrams DISTILLATION| | STRUCTURE| FORMULAC6H12O6 ;gt; 2CO2 + 2C2H5OH (ethanol) 180. 00g ;gt; 88. 00g + 92. 00g| Ethanol vs. Fuel Arguments for ethanol as a fuel| Arguments against ethanol as a fuel| It is a clean and efficient use of energy. It is much safer then petrol (Eth anol is biodegradable without harmful effects on the environment) and will greatly reduce the spread of pollution. Seeing that it is not a fossil-fuel, manufacturing it and burning it does not increase the greenhouse effect. Ethanol can reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by up to 100% on a full life-cycle basis. High-level ethanol blends can reduce emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by 30% or more (VOCs are major sources of ground-level ozone formation) * High-level ethanol blends reduce nitrogen oxide emissions| Ethanol is clean but it only produces two-thirds the energy of octane, hence more is needed| It is a much healthier alternative for people: * Sulphur dioxide and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions are significantly decreased with ethanol. As an octane enhancer, ethanol can cut emissions of cancer-causing benzene and butadiene by more than 50% * It provides high octane at low cost as an alternative to harmful fuel additives. * Ethanol can be used as an additive i nstead of lead which is a toxic pollutant in major cities. It will significantly reduces harmful exhaust emissions meaning more healthy in urban areas| The increased need for land clearing for crops (sugar cane) has led to huge problems of soil erosion, salination and the over use of water resources e. . Brazil| It is renewable and relatively cheap to produce, whereas oil supplies are limited to perhaps 50-60 years| Oil reserves are depleting but new reserves are being found with sophisticated techniques| Addition of ethanol to petrol reduces the amount of oxygen in combustion and reduces the emission of carbon. Ethanol blends can be used in all petrol engines without modifications| The cost of producing ethanol in 2008 was twice the cost of petrol.Australia has a 10% blend which is competitive at the moment| Ethanol can be produced anywhere in the world (Brazil, Tanzania, Australia) and will reduce the monopoly of Arab nations. As it is easily accessible for each country the diffic ulty and hazards in transporting will be reduced| 80% of the world's transport is dependent on fossil fuels. Changing to an ethanol base will be an economic nightmare| Current use of ethanol Continent| % of energy needs supplied by biomass| Continent| % of energy needs supplied by biomass| Australia| 5%| Oceania| 35%|Africa| 55%| North America| 4%| South America| 26%| Europe| 2-3%| Asia| 38%| former USSR| 3%| Sydney buses have trialled the use of Diesohol. Diesohol is a mixture of 10-15% ethanol in diesel fuel – it has been made possible by the development of a process which emulsifies the ethanol in the diesel. Using Diesohol reduces smoke, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides in the vehicles exhaust. Up to about 10% ethanol can be added to petrol without requiring any alteration in car engines. Cars can run on 100% ethanol, but this requires engine modification.Ethanol does not release as much energy per gram as hydrocarbons do on burning. However, ethanol does reduce pollut ants in vehicle exhaust. This is particularly advantageous when using Diesohol in trucks and buses in large polluted cities. The use of ethanol as a fuel is neutral as far as releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When ethanol is burned, it produces carbon dioxide, however, this carbon dioxide is taken out of the atmosphere by growing plants to produce more ethanol.If crops are grown specifically to produce ethanol by fermentation, very large areas of land would be required. It has been estimated that if Australia used all its cereal and sugar crops to produce ethanol, this would still only provide enough fuel to replace about 10% of its current petroleum use. Obviously, this amount of land could not be devoted to the production of transport fuel rather than food. However, it may be that in the future, with improvements in fermentation technology, plant waste material could be used to produce ethanol.It may be that there are better ways to harness energy from the sun than by growing plants which are then fermented to produce ethanol. Combustion of ethanol only releases about one third of the energy from sunlight which was originally trapped by, for example, sugar cane plants. Ethanol is still much more expensive to produce than petrol. The expenses involved in the production of ethanol include the effort put into growing the plant material, transporting plant material to processing plants and the energy required to separate the ethanol from the fermentation mixture by distillation.Ethanol consumption in an engine is approximately 51% higher than for gasoline since the energy per unit volume of ethanol is 34% lower than for gasoline. However, the higher compression ratios in an ethanol-only engine allow for increased power output and better fuel economy than could be obtained with lower compression ratios Cost of ethanol in Australia Taxation * Domestically produced fuel ethanol is currently effectively exempt from excise tax until July 1, 2011 (an excis e of 38. 43 cents per litre is payable on petrol). From this date, excise will be increased at 2. 5 cents per litre annually until it reaches 12. 5 cents per litre in 2015 Government Support * Federal Government support for fuel ethanol includes a voluntary industry biofuels target (encompassing ethanol, biodiesel, and other biofuels) of 350 million litres per annum by 2010, capital grants to current and prospective producers, fuel excise relief, and an effective tariff on imported ethanol until July 1, 2011. In 2006, the Premiers of both New South Wales and Queensland proposed mandating the blending of ethanol into petrol. Marketing * E10 is available through service stations operating under the BP, Caltex, Shell and United brands as well as those of a number of smaller independents. E10 is most widely available closer to the sources of production in Queensland and New South Wales. E10 is most commonly blended with 91 RON â€Å"regular unleaded† fuel.BibliographyBiofuel in A ustralia. (2010, 11 20). Retrieved 11 22, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Australia Catalyst Teaching Resouces. (2001).Investigating ethanol as a fuel , 1-5. Ethanol from glucose (2010, http://hsconline. nsw. edu. au/). [Motion Picture]. Ethanol from sugar (2010, http://hsconline. nsw. edu. au/). [Motion Picture]. Ethanol Fuel. (n. d. ). Retrieved 11 21, 2010, from Journey to forever: http://journeytoforever. org/ethanol. htmlEthanol Fuel. (2010, 11 10). Retrieved 11 22, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in Ethanol fuel in Brazil. (2010, 10 31). Retrieved 11 18, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Brazil MONCEAUX, P. M. (2008, 08 28).Fuel ethanol production. Retrieved 11 17, 2010, from bioethanol: http://www. bioethanol. ru/images/bioethanol/Fuel%20ethanol%20production%20-%20Katzen. pdf

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Models For Food Security In India Environmental Sciences Essay

88. By the twelvemonth 2020, India is expected to emerge as one of the four major powers in the universe, harmonizing to a survey prepared by the World Bank. Even so, India will non be able to do much headroom and advancement on the nutrient security forepart without showing in cardinal alterations in its agribusiness. It is hence, imperative that the bing patterns in agribusiness undergo cardinal alterations. This is of import as more than two-thirds of the population still depend on agribusiness. The â€Å" green revolution † is easy petering out and even if our nutrient production witnesses a quadruple rise, there will be many kids who will still endure nutrition lack and deficiency of equal nutrient. Harmonizing to a survey by Prof. Anatoly Kratiger of Cornell University, India ‘s foodgrains end product will hold to more than double from the present degrees in order to feed the following two coevalss. In this context, it is indispensable that our husbandmans are read y to run into the challenge. 89. It was clear even during 1966-1968 that unless husbandmans adopt environmentally sound engineerings like incorporate alimentary supply, integrated pest direction and scientific H2O direction at that place will be jobs in the long-run sustainability of production. Hence Mr Swaminathanan made the undermentioned statement in his talk at the Indian Science Congress held in Varanasi in January 1968[ 1 ]: – â€Å" Exploitative agribusiness offers great dangers if carried out with merely an immediate net income or production motivation. The emerging exploitatory farming – community in India should go cognizant of this. Intensive cultivation of land without preservation of dirt birthrate and dirt construction would take, finally, to the jumping up of comeuppances. Irrigation without agreement for drainage would ensue in dirts acquiring alkaline or saline. Indiscriminate usage of pesticides, antifungals and weedkillers could do inauspicious alterations in biological balance every bit good as lead to an addition in the incidence of malignant neoplastic disease and other diseases, through the toxic residues present in the grains or other comestible parts. Unscientific tapping of belowground H2O will take to the rapid exhaustion of this fantastic capital resource left to us through ages of natural agriculture. The rapid replacing of legion locally adapted assortments with one or two h igh-yielding strains in big immediate countries would ensue in the spread of serious diseases capable of pass overing out full harvests, as happened prior to the Irish murphy dearth of 1854 and the Bengal rice dearth in 1942. Therefore, the induction of exploitatory agribusiness without a proper apprehension of the assorted effects of every one of the alterations introduced into traditional agribusiness, and without first constructing up a proper scientific and developing base to prolong it, may merely take us, in the long tally, into an epoch of agricultural catastrophe instead than one of agricultural prosperity. † 90. In India, a bulk of husbandmans have little retentions and are vulnerable to the vagaries of nature like drouth and inundations. Against such a background, there is a demand to do particular attempt to increase productiveness. Since India is diverse state with changing landscape & A ; environmental forms, the technological solutions for its agribusiness will change consequently. To accomplish enduring autonomy at the national and family degrees, enterprises must be founded on the rules of economic feasibleness, equity, wide engagement, and the sustainable usage of natural resources. 91. The publicity of ecotechnology development and airing, the effectual acceptance of incorporate systems of cistron and natural resources direction and the effectual harnessing of information engineerings should go indispensable elements of the â€Å" scientific discipline and engineering for basic human demands † motion in India. 92. To sum up, there is no clip to loosen up on the nutrient production forepart. It is obvious that we have to bring forth more, but produce it in a mode that there is no inauspicious environmental or societal impact. Water is likely to be a serious restraint. Hence, precedence should be given to developing and distributing efficient H2O direction techniques, including aquifer direction, waste H2O recycling and conjunctive usage of surface and rain H2O. Future agricultural production engineerings should be based on the foundation of incorporate natural resources direction. The recommendations given below should go built-in portion of Indian Agricultural development policies.RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDIASynergy between Public Policy and Investment93. Significant events in our agribusiness like the green revolution in wheat land rice and milk revolution owe their beginning to reciprocally reenforcing, bundles of engineering, services and public poli cies. While scientists can develop give heightening engineerings, these will non do an impact on production and productiveness without appropriate support from public policy and investing. 94. The wheat revolution commemorated in 1968 through the issue of a particular cast by Smt Indira Gandhi is a authoritative illustration of the power of a symphony attack in planing and implementing programmes which can assist in leapfrogging in the accomplishment of the coveted ends. For illustration, the husbandmans in the Indian Fertile Crescent Area consisting Punjab, Haryana and Western UP helped to increase wheat production between 1964 and 1968 by an order comparable to that achieved from the clip of Mohenjodaro, i.e. , our husbandmans increased wheat production in four old ages by a measure similar to that accomplished during the predating four thousand old ages[ 2 ]. This is a good illustration of the power of the symphonic music attack in the administration of multidimensional research and development programmes.Land Use Policy95. The demand for a rational and crystalline land usage policy is going evident from the increasing figure of struggles in relation to the acquisit ion of farm land for industrial and other non farm utilizations. Such issues should be dealt with scientifically and non merely politically or emotionally. Short-run net income should non sabotage long term nutrient security. In a preponderantly rural and agricultural state like India, agriculture is the chief beginning of work and income security. Food security with place grown nutrient is non merely of import for beef uping rural support security, but it is besides indispensable for both internal security and external sovereignty. 96. At the same clip, the unfinished sections of land reform including the distribution of ceiling excess land to assetless households should be attended to with velocity and committedness. The involvements of unregistered agriculturists, renters and tribal agriculturists will hold to be safeguarded. Wherever possible, atleast one acre of land should be provided to each landless labour household.Economic Well being and Nutrition Security of Rural Families97. Farm households in India constitute over two-thirds of the population. Since husbandmans are besides consumers, the crisp differentiation, frequently made in industrialized states between the involvements of husbandmans, and consumers, is non valid in the Indian context. Detailed analyses of the causes of nutrient insecurity in rural and urban countries have revealed that the major cause of undernutrition and malnutrition among kids, adult females and work forces is the deficiency of equal buying power to allow entree to balanced diets and clean imbibing H2O. Therefore, a three-pronged scheme as given below demands to be introduced to guarantee the economic well being and nutrition security of rural households: – ( a ) First, households possessing assets like land, farm animal or fish pools will hold to be assisted to heighten the productiveness of their resource gifts in an environmentally and economically sustainable mode. The smaller the retention, the greater is the demand for marketable excess. Hence, the upper limit has to be placed on increasing end product per units of land, H2O, foods and labors based on engineerings which are ecologically and economically sound. For this, we need more research on the development of eco-technologies based on intermixing traditional ecological prudence with frontier engineerings like information and biotechnology and infinite, atomic and renewable energy engineerings. ( B ) Second, about a 3rd of the rural population and a big proportion of adult females earn their support through pay employment. They have no assets like land or farm animal or fishpond and are besides frequently illiterate. The challenge in the instance of landless agricultural labor is heightening the economic value of their clip and labor by conveying about a paradigm displacement from unskilled to skilled work. A monolithic attempt in the country of cognition and skill authorization of the adult females and work forces representing the landless labor work force is indispensable if economic value is to be added to their clip and labor. They will hold to be enabled to take to skilled non farm employment through market-driven micro-enterprises supported by microcredit. Self-help Groups ( SHGs ) of assetless adult females and work forces will hold to be made sustainable through backward linkages to recognition and engineering and forward linkages with direction and markets. Common belongings resources will hold to be developed and managed in a mode that they can supply indispensable support systems in countries such as fresh fish and provender for stall-fed carnal farming every bit good as fuel wood. ( degree Celsius ) The 3rd group are rural craftsmans working in the secondary and third sectors of the economic system. Their accomplishments will hold to be mobilised to heighten the fight of agribusiness through value add-on to primary merchandises and variegation of support chances. The scheme for the technological upgradation of rural professions should be based on the rule of societal inclusion. 98. Therefore, the three pronged scheme consists of bettering the productiveness of land, H2O, farm animal and labor in the instance of plus having farm households, change overing unskilled agricultural labor into skilled enterprisers engaged in organizing market-driven non-farm endeavors, and heightening the accomplishments of households involved in the secondary and third sectors of the rural economic system, so that they are able to help in bettering agricultural efficiency and fight and in stoping the predominating mismatch between production and station crop engineerings.Sustainable Progresss in Small Farm Productivity99. Sustainability has to be measured in ecological, economic and equity footings. First, the ecological foundations indispensable for sustained progresss in productiveness, such as dirt, H2O, biodiversity, woods and clime are under terrible anthropogenetic force per unit areas. The human and farm animate being population back uping capacity of the ecosystem has be en exceeded in many parts of the state. The measure and quality of land H2O, which is now the dominant beginning of irrigation H2O, is fast deteriorating. Although India has over 20 per cent of the universe ‘s farm animate being population, good graze lands are practically nonexistent. Intensifying current jobs, the possibility of inauspicious alterations in precipitation, temperature and sea degree due to planetary heating and clime alteration is no longer merely a theoretical speculation. 100. Second ; in the country of farm economic sciences, resource flow to the agribusiness sector is worsening and liability of little and fringy farm households is lifting. Input signal costs are increasing, while factor productiveness is worsening. Contrary to the general feeling of agricultural prosperity in Punjab, the entire debt in the farm sector has been estimated to hold increased from Rs.5,700 crore in 1996-97 to Rs.11,133 crore in 2002-03. The mean farm debt in Punjab now exceeds a hundred thousand of rupees ( Rs.1,01,210 ) , out of which more than 40 per cent is provided by non-institutional beginnings at an involvement rate of about 24 per cent per annum. The cost-risk-return construction of agriculture is going inauspicious to over 80 million agriculture households runing little retentions, since the resource hapless households cultivating 1 to 2 hectares or less are unable to profit from the power of graduated table at both the production and station crop stages of farm ing. There is no flat playing field for them in the market and they are being exposed to competition from the capital, engineering and subsidy goaded agribusiness of industrialized states[ 3 ]. 101. Third, a engineering weariness has farther aggravated husbandman ‘s jobs, since smaller the farm the greater is the demand for sustained marketable excess, in order to hold hard currency income. Linkages between the research lab and the field have weakened and extension in services has frequently, small to widen by manner of location, clip and agriculture system specific information and advice. Good quality seeds at low-cost monetary values are in short supply and specious pesticides and biofertilisers are being sold in the absence of effectual quality control systems. Input supply is in confusion peculiarly in dry farming countries. Micronutrient lacks in the dirt every bit good as jobs associating to dirty natural philosophies are shouting for attending. Farmers have no manner of acquiring proactive advice on land usage based on meteoric and selling factors. Though it is now over 12 old ages since the WTO government started operating in agribusiness, serious efforts are yet to be made to establish in rural countries motions for Quality Literacy ( healthful and phytosanitary steps and codex alimentarius criterions of nutrient safety ) , Trade Literacy ( likely demand-supply and monetary value state of affairs ) , Legal Literacy ( IPR, Farmers Rights ) and Familial Literacy ( genetically modified harvests ) . No inquire the predominating spread between possible and existent outputs even with engineerings presently on the shelf is broad as shown below[ 4 ]: –CropUSAChinaIndiaMaize 8900 4900 2100 Mick 7500 6000 3000 Soies 2250 1740 1050 Seed Cotton 2060 3500 750 Tomato 6250 2400 1430Comparative Crop Productivity ( Kg/Hectare )102. In the country of engineering, there is besides a demand to bridge the turning digital and familial divides. Post-harvest engineering is hapless and there is small value add-on peculiarly in the instance of fruits, veggies and spices including a broad scope of tubers and medicative and aromatic workss. Sustainable intensification, ecologically, economically and nutritionally desirable variegation and value add-on to the full biomass are of import for raising little and fringy farm households above subsistence degree. All this will name for originating an epoch of cognition intensive agribusiness. Modern ICT afford an chance for establishing a cognition revolution in rural India. The torch carriers of this revolution should be rural adult females and work forces. Participatory research and knowledge direction affecting farm adult females and work forces should be the chief tracts of research, instruction and extension. Farmers shoul d be regarded as spouses and pioneers in conveying about agricultural transmutation and non as `beneficiaries ‘ of authorities programmes. Such a alteration in mentality among authorities officials every bit good as scientists is indispensable for advancement. 103. Technologies should assist in advancing labour variegation and non displacement. Women husbandmans and labour peculiarly need to be assisted with implements and equipment which will assist to cut down plodding and the figure of hours of work, while adding economic value to each hr of work. Womans suffer from a multiple load on their clip due to homemaking and maintaining, kid raising and income earning duties. They need appropriate support services like foundling hospitals and kid attention Centres and equal nutrition. The feminization of agribusiness, due to male emigration, needs specific attending with mention to gender sensitive farm and recognition policies. 104. Revival of little farmer-friendly engineerings should be based on sound rules of economic sciences and participatory research and cognition direction. If for illustration, rice-wheat rotary motion is non desirable in Punjab from the point of view of ecological sustainability, the alternate agriculture systems proposed should be capable of giving similar income. Agronomic informations should non merely indicate output per hectare of land, but besides the likely return from every rupee invested and every liter of H2O used by the husbandman. Lateral acquisition among farm adult females and work forces should be fostered, since husbandman to farmer acquisition is based on the rule â€Å" one ounce of pattern is, deserving dozenss of theory † . India is besides the place of some of the best farm households in the universe. In the thick of many hungriness and agro-ecological `hot musca volitanss ‘ , there are besides legion farming `bright musca volitanss ‘ . In ord er to multiply the benefits from the experience and accomplishments of outstanding farm work forces and adult females, Farm Schools should be established in their Fieldss. Farmer to farmer acquisition is really effectual because of the religion little husbandmans have in the economic informations provided by fellow husbandmans.Precedences in Farm Research and Development105. Conservation Farming and Green Agriculture. Conservation farming ballads emphasis on the sustainable direction of dirt and H2O. It involves soil wellness sweetening through coincident attending to the natural philosophies, chemical science and microbiology of dirts. Scientific H2O direction purposes to utilize the available irrigation H2O in a conjuctive mode ( for illustration, surface and groundwater ) and to maximize income per bead of H2O. Green agribusiness involves the usage of environmentally desirable engineerings like Integrated Plant Nutrition, Integrated Nutrient Supply etc. While organic farming prec ludes the usage of mineral fertilizers, chemical pesticides and genetically modified harvest assortments, green agribusiness permits their usage in such a mode that productiveness can be improved in sempiternity without associated ecological injury. To a bulk of little farm households who have no farm animal, green agribusiness is the tract for an ever-green revolution. Therefore, an optimal blend of green agricultural patterns and organic agriculture methods should be promoted in all major farming systems. There should be internationally recognized enfranchisement processs for the merchandises of both organic agriculture and green agribusiness. 106. Productiveness and Livelihood Enhancement in Rainfed Areas. The major tract has to be productivity sweetening and the cultivation of high-value but low-water requiring harvests. A ‘catalytic intercession ‘ which will assist to increase productiveness instantly is attending to dirty health care. The proviso of micronutrients like S, Zn and B can assist to increase output by over 50 per cent in dryland farming countries. Facilities for placing and rectifying micronutrient lacks in dirts are desperately needed. Soil Health Clinics can be operated by SHGs consisting rural adult females and work forces who can publish each farm household with a Soil Health Card. Besides, farm animal and supports are closely interrelated in semi-arid and waterless countries. Hence, the constitution of fresh fish and feed Bankss should have pressing attending. The spread between possible and existent outputs is high in dryland farming countries. Bridging the productiveness spread in an econ omically feasible mode is the best safety cyberspace against husbandmans distress in such countries. For speed uping advancement in happening permanent solutions to the economic sufferings of husbandmans and agricultural labor, it would be utile to organize District-level pool of private and public sector establishments willing to assist in bettering little farm income and off-farm employment chances through appropriate engineerings and producer-oriented selling. 107. Small Farmers ‘ Horticulture Estates. The cultivation of fruits, veggies, flowers, spices, medicative and aromatic workss is now go oning in a large manner in several parts of the state. A National Horticulture Mission has been launched to duplicate the production of veggies and fruits in seven old ages ( from 150 million metric tons per twelvemonth to 300 million metric tons )[ 5 ]. Bing perishable trade goods, horticultural harvests need effectual substructure support in the countries of production, processing, storage, transit and selling. In small towns bordering big ingestion Centres ( both for place and export markets ) , little husbandmans can be helped to organize Small Farmers ‘ Horticulture Estates in the signifier of SHGs for co-ops covering an country of 200 to 500 hectares. In such estates, specialised activities like seed production, tissue civilization extension, production of compost, vermiculture, biofertilisers, biopesticides and e-commerce can be p romoted through technological and recognition, authorization. Such Estates will confabulate on husbandmans cultivating one to two hectares the power of scale both at the production and station crop stages of the horticultural endeavor. Low cost nurseries coupled with fertigation techniques can be promoted, in add-on to high tech gardening which can be undertaken by farm and place scientific discipline alumnuss. The production of good quality, disease-free seting stuff is of import in all clonally propagated species. Besides, seeds and seting stuffs of assortments suited for treating will hold to be provided to husbandmans in countries where production and processing are linked. Such symbiotic linkages between manufacturers and processors will ease sourcing of good quality natural stuff for the processing industry. The basic rule underlying such Estates is decentralized production supported by key centralised services. 108. Enhancing the Productivity of Cotton and the Global Competitiveness of the Cotton Textile Industry. The fabric sector is a major employment, and income providing sector of the national economic system. With the coming to an terminal of the multi-fibre agreement on 1 January, 2005, our cotton manufacturers, weavers and the fabric industry are meeting both new chances and menaces[ 6 ]. Without enhanced efficiency, it will be impossible to take advantage of the emerging market chances. Technological upgrading of all the constituents of the cotton production-processing-marketing rhythm, will be needed to protect this critical sector of our economic system from reverses. A productiveness, quality and value add-on revolution is desperately needed in cotton production and processing. The pollution jobs associated with small-scale fabric units can be solved by farming Environmental Management Cooperatives consisting 50 to 100 little graduated table fabric units. 109. Womans Farmers and Farm Labour. There is increasing feminization of agribusiness in households with little and fringy retentions, due to the emigration of work forces. The job is peculiarly terrible in hill countries like Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and the North eastern provinces. Yet, out of about 50 million Kisan Credit Cards issued in the state, less than 5 per cent seem to hold been issued to adult females. The proposed bestowal of land rights to adult females will assist to right this straitening state of affairs. Meanwhile, joint pattas will hold to be issued to do adult females eligible for institutional recognition. Besides, adult females working the whole twenty-four hours in the field require support services like foundling hospitals and twenty-four hours attention Centres. A alone chance now exists for breeding the on-going National Rural Employment Guarantee programme by enlarging the construct of work in the instance of adult females by including such indispensable acti vities like running foundling hospitals and kid attention Centres, fixing school midday repasts, set abouting immunization of kids, supplying household planning services, etc. Work will so go a powerful tool for human and societal development. 110. Every Village a Knowledge Centre. India ‘s strength in ICT provides uncommon chances for taking digital and cognition connectivity to every small town in the state. Reaching the unapproachable and voicing the voiceless will be possible through an integrated ICT scheme affecting the cyberspace, community wireless, overseas telegram Television, cell phone and common imperativeness. The fiber-optic web of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited ( BSNL ) , consisting 30,000 exchanges, covers all the 6,000 blocks of the state. If each exchange is extended to 20 nearby small towns, all the 600,000 small towns can be covered at minimum outgo[ 7 ]. 111. The Rural Knowledge Centres or Gyan Chaupals should be located in public infinites like Panchayat Buildings or Village Schools, so that there is societal inclusion in entree. The National Alliance for Mission – Every Village a Knowledge Centre and the Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy for Rural Prosperity are effectual instruments for establishing cognition based agribusiness and rural nonfarm endeavors. Panchayat Raj Institutions will hold to play a lead function in the rural cognition revolution. NABARD, SBI and other fiscal establishments can back up Rural ICT SHGs, who can keep and run the Gyan Chaupals. Connectivity, content, capacity edifice, attention and direction of the Gyan Chaupal will all need integrated attending to do the motion socially meaningful and economically sustainable. 112. Employment Coevals in Agriculture. In the ultimate analysis, a sustainable terminal to hunger can be achieved merely by supplying chances for every adult female and adult male to gain their day-to-day staff of life. A elaborate scheme for making extra skilled occupations through gardening, cotton, energy plantations, carnal farming, biofuels and biomass use has to be developed. India is rich in livestock resources. The ownership form is more classless in the instance of farm animal, as compared to set down. Crop-livestock incorporate production systems can assist to heighten both family nutrition security and hard currency income. Overruling precedence should travel to contending the dearth of jobs/sustainable support chances through creative activity of economically honoring and intellectually stimulating work chances in small towns. This is the lone manner to pull and retain educated young person in small towns. We need to establish a major non-farm support enterprise on the l ines of the Township-Village Enterprises of China. 113. Uncommon Opportunities. There are legion institutional constructions already available with Government like Agri-clinics, Agri-business Centres, Food Parks, Agri-export Zones, several Commodity Centre Technology Missions, Watershed and Wasteland Development Programmes, National Rainfed Area Authority, National Fisheries Development Board and National Rural Health Mission. Alternatively of get downing many new strategies, what is needed is the revival and restructuring of bing strategies and institutional constructions and the retooling and retaining of bing staff. Besides, convergence and synergism among the legion ongoing vertically structured programmes can assist to cut down dealing costs and better, the efficiency of bringing. 114. The induction of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme together with an expanded Food for Work Programme provides a alone chance for establishing a multipronged onslaught on poorness and rural unemployment. Engendered work under this programme can go a accelerator of a long-run sustainable support security motion in the different ecological, hydrological and husbandmans distress hot spots of the state. 115. To win, the above programmes will hold to be implemented in a decentralised mode with authorization and answerability being linked at the field degree. The 11th Agenda of the Constitution 73rd Amendment Act 1992 on the panchayets lists agribusiness, including agricultural extension, as the really first duty of panchayets. Other points including Animal farming, dairying and domestic fowl, piscaries, minor irrigation, H2O direction, watershed development, land betterment, execution of land reforms and land consolidation and dirt preservation are besides the duties of panchayets. Therefore they should be actively involved in the elaborate planning and execution of programmes in agribusiness and allied sectors. 116. Credit and Public Investment. The crisis in our agribusiness has arisen because of deficiency of appropriate public policies every bit good as equal public investing in rural substructure peculiarly in the countries of storage, processing and value add-on. Therefore the remedies for the prevailing maladies can be found merely in public policies and investing. Spending by Central and State authoritiess in beef uping the ecological, foundations for sustained progresss in farm productiveness has been traveling down. Most of the money spent by Central and State authoritiess goes to the wages of authorities officers and employees. Consequently, rural substructure including power, irrigation, market paces, rural godowns and communicating, every bit good as critical sectors like wellness and instruction remain grossly underfunded. 117. Agricultural Competitiveness: Basket of Choices. Raising the agricultural fight of husbandmans with little retentions is a major challenge. Methods of confabulating the power of graduated table to little farm households both at the production and post-harvest stages of agriculture is an pressing necessity. A basket of picks should be available to farm adult females and work forces cultivating 1 or 2 hectares or below to heighten their income earning capacity. Productivity betterment to increase the marketable excess available to little farm households, assured and compensable selling chances, and making chances for landless agricultural labor households for skilled non-farm employment should be the bottom line of public policy for rural India. The basket of picks for heightening productiveness, profitableness and sustainability, could include the undermentioned: – ( a ) Formation of SHGs of farm households to set about group operations in countries like H2O harvest home and direction, pest direction and post-harvest engineering. Some illustrations are Small Farmers ‘ Gardening, Cotton and Poultry Estates. ( B ) Promotion of contract farming to guarantee assured marketing mercantile establishments on the footing of a chiseled Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct for Contract Farming should include proviso of support to little manufacturers in the countries of engineering and input supply and carnival and assured monetary value for the green goods. The contract should stand for a win-win state of affairs both for the manufacturer and the buyer. ( degree Celsius ) Revitalising and reconstituting assorted authorities strategies like Agri-clinics, Agri-business Centres, Rural Godowns, Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium ( SFAC ) , National Horticulture Board, etc. so as to do them farmer-centric. ( vitamin D ) Helping little husbandmans to organize either co-ops or manufacturer companies. ( vitamin E ) Promoting the active engagement of PRIs and local organic structures to further Watershed/Command Area Communities and doing the Watershed or the irrigation bid country the point of convergence and integrating of all relevant Technology Missions like those associating to oil-rich seeds, pulsations, corn, cotton, gardening, milk, etc. Convergence and synergism among the legion Technology Missions now in advancement will better their public-service corporation and impact and besides assist to cut down overall dealing costs. All the Missions could be integrated under an umbrella set up, which could be termed ‘National Federation of Farm Technology Missions ‘ . The on-going Missions runing on parallel lines appear to hold really small answerability, since in malice of their being, imports of pulsations and oil-rich seeds are traveling up twelvemonth after twelvemonth. 118. Critical Role of Education and Healthcare. Value add-on to primary merchandises, turning unskilled into skilled labor and utilizing digital engineering in small towns, require for effectual execution an educated population, with minimal degree of Class X instruction. Unless all kids in our small towns, particularly misss, Dalits and rural hapless get educated, the ends of societal equity and agricultural and rural prosperity can non be achieved. Until formal literacy becomes cosmopolitan, the ‘techniracy ‘ motion ( i.e. , larning the latest proficient accomplishments through work experience ) should be spread. For this Krishi Vigyan Kendras ( KVKs ) should be developed into `Krishi aur Udyog Vigyan Kendras ‘ , with equal accent on production and post-harvest engineerings. Farm Schools can besides be established in the Fieldss of advanced husbandmans. A desirable construction of KVKs for the twenty-first century is indicated below: – Farm Universities/ICAR and CSIR Institutes/Private Sector R & A ; D/NGOs Krishi aur Udyog Vigyan Kendra Production Natural Resources Conservation and Post-harvest Technology Enhancement ; Soil, Water, Biodiversity Technology Linkages Panchayati Farm Schools Gyan Chaupals Farmer-Participatory Financial Raj Action Research Institutions Institutions Programs 119. Anticipatory Research: Fixing for Climate Change. Climate alteration taking to alterations in temperature, precipitation, CO2 degrees and sea degree are likely to impact different parts of the universe otherwise. It is nevertheless clear that hapless states and the hapless in all states will endure most, since they lack the header capacity to defy the inauspicious effects of clime alteration. Recent studies indicate that as a consequence of the thaw of ice caused by higher temperatures, a new concatenation of islands which were under the ice have now become seeable. Greenland and the Artic Glaciers are runing and inundations are likely to be more common in North India. It will be prudent to fix computing machine stimulation theoretical accounts of different conditions chances and fix eventuality programs to run into the challenges. Anticipatory research is besides needed to protect coastal communities through bio-shields and familial shields. This country of prevenient research should have high precedence.The Concept of Biovillages120. Whenever a new engineering is introduced in a underdeveloped county, whether it is tissue civilization or biotechnology or any other kind, the greatest benefit is ever achieved by big graduated table husbandmans. When the benefit goes to big graduated table husbandmans, the trade good monetary values come down at a certain point and the fringy husbandmans become more fringy at the clip of demand. This is where it is really of import that we start the construct of biovillages in India. Each biovillage will be a comprehensive unit in itself in footings of research, production and harvest substructure suited to that small town. A exemplary illustration of a biovillage as practiced in Ernakulam District as a Biotechnology District is demonstrated in Appendix[ 8 ].Decision121. Since land and H2O are shriveling resources for agribusiness, there is no option except to bring forth more nutrient and other agricultural trade goods fro m less per capita cultivable land and irrigation H2O. In other words, the demand for more nutrient has to be met through higher outputs per units of land, H2O, energy and clip. Science can play an of import function in accomplishing the same. However, unregulated and injudicious employment of modern agricultural tools can besides ensue in catastrophe. Hence the hypothesis that scientific discipline and engineering entirely can work out universe nutrient crisis is merely partly true. Modern scientific patterns have to get married up with dirt preservation, environmental protection and population authorization to do them effectual tools in covering with universe hungriness. It will be appropriate to mention to the needed scientific advancement on the farms as an â€Å" ever-green revolution † , to underscore that the productiveness progress is sustainable overtime merely if it is rooted in the rules of ecology, economic sciences, societal and gender equity and employment coeval s. 122. The universe can bring forth adequate nutrient for a population of 10 billion by tackling the untapped output reservoir bing even with presently available engineerings, if greater attending is given to dirty wellness attention and H2O direction. We must support the productiveness additions so far made, widen the additions to semi-arid and fringy environments, and work for new additions utilizing blends of frontier engineerings and traditional ecological prudence. The job of bring forthing equal buying power to enable households populating in poorness to hold economic entree to nutrient will still face us. This is where a job-led economic growing scheme based on micro-level planning, micro-enterprises and microcredit will be of great aid. Integrated production and post-harvest engineerings and on-farm and off-farm employment schemes will be needed to supply supports for all in rural countries. 123. In instance of India, we need to switch our focal point in agribusiness from merely mensurating production in metric footings to the adult females and work forces for whom agriculture is both a manner of life and the principal means to livelihood. Agricultural advancement should be measured in footings of growing in the existent income of farm households. If steps as listed above are adopted, the income and work security of two-thirds of India ‘s population can be assured. As Mahatma Gandhi envisaged that â€Å" Gram Swaraj is the tract to the Poorna Swaraj † . Appendix ( Refers to para 120 )ERNAKULAM: A BIOTECHNOLOGY DISTRICTIntroduction1. The geographical spread of the territory runing from the pes hills of Western Ghats to the coastal part involves different options as support -ranging from intensive agribusiness to marine merchandises farming. This calls for coincident attempts in tackling biotechnology tools to upgrade the activity in the plantation, gardening, hard currency harvests sectors and besides in bettering the productiveness of Marine farming systems. 2. The territory has good laid out substructure, such as roads, electricity, big cold storage installations to treat Marine merchandises, transit systems, etc. Hence the push of the biotechnology attacks is to upgrade productiveness and quality. The aim of developing this District as a Biotech District was chiefly to: – ( a ) Improve productiveness to accomplish international fight. ( B ) Upgrade quality utilizing biotech tools rendering quality and uniformity at no excess cost. ( degree Celsius ) Develop the enterpreneural spirit of the literate work force to research non traditional occupation chances and besides to develop skilled trained work force for biotech industries.The Approach2. Ernakulam District has 83 panchayets and 10 muncipalities. The biotechnology inputs are harnessed to better the muncipalities and corporations. The biotechnology tools therefore harnessed are brought under agribusiness, gardening, piscaries, domestic fowl, environment and Human Resource Development ( HRD ) . Assorted tissue civilization merchandises are proposed to be introduced in the District. The first successful commercial merchandise among spices is cardamom. Over half a million cardamon workss were distributed in the cardamon turning belt of Idukki. Cardamom is traditionally multiplied through seeds: This resulted in a high grade of variableness. India lost its innovator place as a universe provider of cardamon to little cardinal American states due to miss of intern ational fight. In India 30 % of the workss were lending to 70 % of the output. Such high giving up workss were selected and multiplied through tissue civilization and supplied to the husbandmans. Allowing the engineering is of premier importance while tackling, market goaded quality parametric quantities should be considered while choices are made instead than our output. In cardamom the market has a penchant for green clasp capsules. Choices were identified, which possesed over 55 % acceptable quality as against 35 % of the normal farm quality. 3. It is besides of import to utilize appropriate engineering to avoid ecological perturbation. Region specific cardamon ringer parts were selected and distributed to the several parts as against giving the best choices for all the topographic points. It is of import to keep a basket of choices to protect the farms from unexpected incidence of disease. In coaction with the Spices Board and Department of 300 Biotechnology, New Delhi, over 100 presentation secret plans of one hectare each are laid out in the full cardamon turning piece of lands. When we introduce any new engineering, it is of import to foreground the value to the husbandman. Tissue civilization cardamon workss showed promising marks of early bearing coupled with uniformity in cropping, taking to higher outputs. This could cut down the gestation period to get down reaping faster. 4. Delivery Systems. It is besides of import to see bringing systems while we package engineerings. It was observed that the market is extremely elastic sing the monetary value of the merchandise. Conventional cardamon seedling costs Rs. 1.5 to 2, while tissue cultured cardamon workss cost over Rs. 5 to the husbandmans. While the husbandman makes his determination of seting stuff, many a clip the determination goes in the favor of following conventional engineering due to economical considerations. So the aim is to analyze the cost component and to cut the wastages and channel cost. This makes the merchandise more competitory. With this in head, transit engineering was developed to take the tissue civilization workss export to the several parts, where the merchandise will be consumed. Regional baby's rooms utilizing low cost local stuffs were established taking advantage of climatic conditions. The cardamon turning parts in the hills are blessed with mild climatic conditions without extremes. The cost of such a shadiness house was brought down to Rs. 40 per sq. pess as against Rs. 400 per sq. pess in glass houses supplying controlled temperature conditions. Such an attempt lowered the monetary value of the merchandises by 40 % . With this the market size was expected to spread out to over 1 million cardamon workss in topographic point of conventional seedlings. But, this needs careful planning on the logistics towards bringings to the baby's rooms so as to acquire the merchandise finished, merely ready for seting during the season. Furthermore, the procedure of holding regional baby's rooms affecting the local husbandmans brings in faster spread of information and besides helps husbandmans to familiarize themselves with the engineering. 5. Value Addition. With the alteration in tendencies in the consumer behavior in the developed states the market for fast nutrients is quickly spread outing. Spice in whole or in powdery signifier can non prolong flavour degree in the shelves. This led to extraction of oils and oleoresins from the spices. Ernakulam District has the maximal confined capacity to bring forth oils and oleoresins. Attempts were taken to present assortments of paper, turmeric, etc. , with which spice value instead than give. This lead to self sufficiency in natural stuff supply to this industry. Similar illustrations can be quoted such as banana in attractive carry-home battalions made available to the homemakers. This can speed up the production of fruits, within the District, avoiding dependence on other States.Execution Model6. The chart given below shows the engineering assimilation construct. Acerate leaf to state it starts with the client. The key to Nipponese success lies in placing their client and run intoing their outlooks. When this procedure is started, the â€Å" market demands † emerges as chances and challenges. IMPLEMENTING AGENCY ADVISORY COMMITTEES BPMC 1 AGRICULTURE HORTICULTURE FISHERIES POULTRY ENVIRONMENT HRD 2 Corporation 83 PANCHAYATS ( 3 ) 10 MUNICIPALITIES ( 4 ) 15 BLOCKS ( 5 ) SCHOOLS COLLEGES RETIRED EXPERTS 1. Biotechnology Project Monitoring Committee 2. Asst. Director of Agri/Horti/Fisheries/OHicer-in-charge 3. Panchayat President- Monitoring Officer 4. Municipality Chairman – Monitoring Officer 5. Block Development Officer – Implementing Officer HRD 7. The BPMC takes such chances to the Scientific Advisory Board to measure the technological capablenesss to run into those challenges. BPMC with the aid of the consultative board assesses the technological position and precedences with technology-off-the shelf and new engineerings to be developed through research attempts. Technology-off-the-shelf will acquire into the pilot works where the production gets commercially scaled up to corroborate cost, quality and bringing. The research precedences can be placed in appropriate research Centres measuring their proficient expertness with the aid of the consultative board. Utmost attention is taken while be aftering the research undertakings with the Centres to tap the bing expertness instead than developing new expertness. Delayed bringing of merchandises can retard growing and advancement by non encashing the chance at the right clip. The merchandise commercialization is envisaged through people ‘s engagement. Thus the execution b ureau envisaged is a biotechnology society with an apex body-BPMC. This will consist experts from the assorted Fieldss invariably reexamining the restraints, accomplishments and prioritizing the same by resetting the gait. In one instance if the production has outstripped the demand, the commission works to speed up the gait of the market development. The commission besides addresses the issues on structural reforms and barriers in commercialization of engineering such as infrastructural development in the airdromes for spoilables, flowers etc. , land and legal issues, while corporate agriculture is initiated to accomplish just monetary value to the green goods. BPMC besides keeps ticker on developing the accomplishment of the manpower in front of industrialization so that the accomplishments are non hampered due to miss of expertness. The thrust countries like agribusiness, gardening are once more monitored by subgroups with the Director of Agriculture or such officer-in-charge. Th ese subgroups will hold representatives from panchayets and muncipalities. The construction suggested is a extremely dynamic system invariably prioritizing and extinguishing restraints with the individual aim of maximization of consequences.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

McDonald’s in British

The UK is the largest European market for fast-food, probably because the market is more developed than in other European countries. McDonald's first British unit opened in Woolwich, London, in 1974. Its growth from the first restaurant was dramatic. At the end of 1999, it had over 1,000 outlets in the UK, of which 302 were run by franchisees. McDonald's employed over 48,000 people; a further 16,500 worked in its franchises. The total sales from both its company owned restaurants and its franchised outlets reached  £400 million and it catered for 2.5 million people a day. By the end of the twentieth century, McDonald's logo was no longer confined to the high streets but extended to leisure centres and retail parks as well as airports and cross-Channel ferries. McDonald's has gone beyond this by opening its own motorway service station called McDonald's Services which it opened on the M5 in Devon in 1999. In February 2001 McDonald's bought a 33 per cent stake in Prà ªt à   Manger. McDonald's dominates the chained fast-food sector both in terms of company and brand terms, taking a share, by value, of 52 per cent n 1999. Together McDonald's and Burger King had 73 per cent of the market in 1999. In a busy world where one does not even have time to change out of his work clothes to spend â€Å"quality† time with his or her daughter, McDonald's is there to help. The food is necessary to have the fun and companionship, but what the food consists of is irrelevant. Love (1995) points out that as McDonald's started to expand in the late 1960s it realized that to cultivate a national mass market, it needed to develop a media campaign that focused on the family rather than the product and price. When McDonald's returned to their complete American menu, altered their buildings to be more similar to their American architecture, and modified their ad campaigns to â€Å"food, folks, and fun,† – the myths of hard work and leisure, Americana and American culture and consensus – did their work. In Britain the McDonald's ads proclaimed,   â€Å"The United Tastes of America.† In the UK, adverts were aimed in the middle of the biggest market, the family segment. If children wanted to have fun at McDonald's, their parents would take them, and they would be McDonald's customers for life. From my perspective, the McDonald's success is based upon its ability to tell a story, a story that does not make sense from a logical perspective but rather from an aesthetic one. The story has coherence and fidelity and helps one solve his or her problem through the purchase and possession of commodities. McDonald's is successful not through the components of a rational system that includes efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, but through its advertising campaign that hails each of us to come in and buy its product of â€Å"food, folks, and fun,† to come in and fulfil our American dream. Although most Americans would not consider McDonald's to make the â€Å"best† hamburger in their home towns, McDonald's is hugely successful on an international basis. One does not go to McDonald's expecting the best hamburger in town. One goes to McDonald's expecting the image. McDonald's success is due to their creation of a narrative that is not necessarily true but rather provides us with a sense of personal identity, a sense of community life, a basis for conduct, and explanations of that which cannot be known. Labour shortages encourage fast-food employers to alter their work systems in ways that minimize the demand for labour through reorganization or technological change. Subway Sandwiches supplies franchisees with pre-portioned sandwich ingredients from centralized food preparation plants; McDonald's has experimented with robotic french fry makers, automated touch-screen ordering machines, and automatic electronic payment systems for cashless drive-through service. McDonald's also expects its new â€Å"Made for You† food preparation system to reduce employee turnover and provide some labour savings. Before the imposition of the minimum wage McDonald's employees worked in the regions under 18 started on  £3.25 per hour and those over 18 started on  £3.50 per hour. In the UK McDonald's has three separate pay ‘scales' for inner London, outer London and the provinces and it has both under-18 and over-18 starting rates. In fact McDonald's increased its UK pay rates again by a flat rate of 10 pence on 28 March 1999 to bring the over-18 starting rate to  £3.60 outside London. Something like 70 per cent of McDonald's UK employees are under 21, and approximately 30 per cent are under 18. In October 1999 McDonald's was the last of the leading fast-food chains to remove the youth rate for under 18s. In 2000 McDonald's increased its minimum rate outside London to  £3.75, once again probably in response to the small increase in the minimum wage for that year of  £3.70. Figures from IDS (2001) suggest that McDonald's does not pay the lowest wages in the sector: it actually appears somewhere in the middle compared with other companies. However, its dominance in the market place undoubtedly has a constraining effect on wages amongst its competitors. The evidence at the McLibel trial also confirms this. Vidal (1997:312) states that the judge commented that: â€Å"the British McDonald's operation pays low wages and it depresses wages for other workers in the industry.† Of course McDonald's has been increasingly involved in the acquisition of other companies in recent years. In the UK the purchase of the Aroma coffee chain and more recently Prà ªt à   Manger may signal a new corporate strategy. In any case the relatively small number of restaurants in Europe compared with that in the US suggests that the European market is likely to experience a lot more expansion in future, although McDonald's is already the market leader in the UK. The UK McDonald's is, as in many other countries, expanding rapidly and becoming an increasingly important feature of modern employment. Although the majority of outlets in the sector are independent operations, it is the chain operations often owned by large multinationals which are the most profitable and which are driving growth. It is a highly competitive industry and labour costs are a large percentage of the overall costs of the business. It is hardly surprising therefore that there is likely to be a continual and persistent downward pressure on wages and conditions in this sector. Bibliography IDS. 2001, â€Å"The national minimum wage in pubs and restaurants†, Incomes Data Services, March: 1-8. Love J. F. 1995, McDonald’s: Behind the arches. New York: Bantam. Vidal, J. 1997, McLibel: Burger Culture on Trial, London: Macmillan.   

Friday, September 27, 2019

How World War II Transformed the United States Society and Economy Essay

How World War II Transformed the United States Society and Economy - Essay Example The nation’s survival to one of the most dreadful events in world history made America a powerful nation ever to influence the rest of the world up to this day. WWII is indeed a defining moment for a nation suffering from the â€Å"agonies of the Great Depression† (Kennedy xi). After the Second World War, the U.S. became the standard of power and economic prosperity. Until now, many nations want to establish diplomatic relations with the country in order to keep that connection with the world’s most influential nation. How the U.S. transformed itself to gaining this coveted position is being traced to its significant participation in the Second World War. In the beginning, the U.S. did not want to compromise anything just to prove something to the world. The American government was seriously dealing with the dilemmas of the Great Depression (Kennedy xi) and its own national problems. There was no intention to engage in an all out battle against Germany, Japan, or Italy if not due to the attacks made by the Japanese Military on the US Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Therefore, the country was provoked to defend itself because it had a valid reason to resort to such a courageous action. However, instead of plotting revenge against Japan, the U.S. wanted to begin with defeating the cause of the problem, which is the then Nazi-dominated Europe (â€Å"Wartime Strategy†). Uncle Sam was more worried in regard to the possibility of the German scientists inventing weapons of mass destruction than the possible attacks of the Japanese Military (â€Å"Wartime Strategy†). Hence, it was a decision the U.S. had to make for the sake of its future and people. World War II ended after six years leaving the world with trauma. However, this ending marked the start of a renewed America, perhaps the momentum of monumental change for the once isolationist nation. Americans have realized the value of life, probably for the reason that they have s een the vast impact of the war on their country. Women began to realize how they may help the society by being part of the country's workforce. This past event is one reason why the U.S is open minded in terms of sharing responsibilities between the male and female members of the household. Freedom is apparent because the Americans themselves recognize its importance by allowing the members of society to taking part in making their communities a better place to live. WWII has, therefore, changed the perception of the American Society regarding the equal roles of men and women. Thus, this change fueled the American society to becoming liberal in making crucial decisions that are necessary for their survival. Slavery in the United States was also one crucial part of its history. African Americans were then forced to become slaves to the White Americans, and were not given equal rights by the government. The ending of slavery was something that the African Americans had yearned many ye ars ago alongside with the ending of extreme discrimination. African American longed for freedom, which was later on granted by the American government at the onset of WWII. Many Blacks were given the chance to serve in the army, which had in some ways lifted their status in society during the Second World War. In addition, WWII had, in some ways, diminished racial inequality in a place that is inhabited by varying ethnicities, like America. Even if they suffered from discrimination after their return from the war, opportunities for the African-Americans increased as legislations, such as the 1965 Civil Rights Act, as well as the Fair Housing Act of 1968, were enacted (Frazier and Tettey-Fio 85). Eventually, the enforcement of these Legislations enhanced the economic status of the Blacks, which led to

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Why dose the united states have an inconsistent policy in the middle Essay

Why dose the united states have an inconsistent policy in the middle east - Essay Example The long standing conflict between Israel and Palestine has been one of the defining factors of how the US relates with the other countries in the Middle East. The close relationship between the US and Israel started back even before the State of Israel was created in 1948. From the very beginning the US was in support of the Jews returning to their Biblical ancestral Land. From relationship led to many missionaries from the US flocking into the Middle East, with their main objective to convert the Muslim population to Christianity. However, it was not very easy converting the die-hard Muslims, and the policy of the western missionaries turned to the creation of educational programs. As a result numerous American colleges were set up in Arabic cities such as Cairo, Istanbul and Beirut. The missionaries in these countries did manage to make lasting impressions on modernization, education and healthcare in the countries where they had operations. The institutions were used a means of p reaching western democracy to what the US viewed as aristocratic systems (Covarrubias and Lansford 178). However, the US was also ready to go against its democracy teachings by imposing its interests on the people, and when they defied they were labeled anti-reformist and dictatorial. The US policies on terrorism are also quite inconsistent. The country has been very vocal in demonizing the terrorist activities of extremist groups based in the Arab world. Its official policy on terrorism is to denounce it with as much force and valor as possible. However, there are times when the country has gone against its own anti-terrorism policies by carrying out terrorist attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US waged a War against the two countries in a bid to stamp out terrorism and secure the freedom of the oppressed Muslims on these countries. However, instead of

Three Ted Talks Wk 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Three Ted Talks Wk 1 - Essay Example hin the social setting, it is not acceptable that the marketing ambitions of businesses must be made to override their social responsibilities (Shrivastava & Berger, 2010). Whiles discussing this all important topic, the two Michaels seemed to have diverging but equally practical views. For Porter, he sees businesses as being in a better position to tackling social problems. This is something that Porter believes must not be difficult to do while generating salaries and tax money. Sandel on the other hand feels that there is being enormous monetization of our culture. His fear is that once this happens then businesses can buy their ways through social problems by paying off for these. From a personal reflective perspective, it would be said that even though the monetization of our culture may generally not be a good idea, it should not be a reason to hold businesses accountable for their abilities to tackle social problems as Porter outlines. This is because as it has been indicated earlier, businesses are no longer in a marketplace that is detached from the larger society but rightly attached to the social setting in which they

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Business Strategy term project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Business Strategy term project - Essay Example Agilent Technologies is a leading manufacturer of measurement devices in a variety of industries. It was formed through an IPO (initial public offering) from a spin-off of Hewlett Packard in 1999. The company website states the following about the company: "Agilent Technologies, a spin-off of Hewlett-Packard Company, broke records on Nov. 18, 1999 as the largest initial public offering (IPO) in Silicon Valley history. The US $2.1 billion raised from that IPO was a sharp contrast to the $538 in working capital that founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard began with in 1938. From a small garage in Palo Alto, California, to employees around the world serving customers in 110 countries It is located in room 5022, just off the Santa Clara Campus's main lobby at 5301 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Santa Clara, Calif..(Agilent,2007).The company's corporate brochure describes itself as: " When measurement matters, engineers, scientists, manufacturers, businesses, researchers, and government agencies rely on Agilent tools and solutions. ... No other company offers the breadth and depth of measurement tools and expertise to meet the world's critical requirements for electronic and bio-analytical measurement".(Corporate Brochure,2007) The 1934 setup company launched its first product after a good amount of R&D as the company's website states, "Bill Hewlett's study of negative feedback results in Hewlett-Packard's first product-the resistance-capacity audio oscillator (HP200A), an electronic instrument used to test sound equipment. The oscillator uses an incandescent bulb as part of its wiring scheme to provide variable resistance, a breakthrough in stability in oscillator design. The principle of feedback provides the foundation for other early HP products such as a harmonic wave analyzer and several distortion analyzers". (Agilent, 2007) In 1943 ,as the company's website states, "Company enters the microwave field with signal generators developed for the Naval Research Laboratory and a radar-jamming device. A complete line of microwave test products follows World War II, and the company becomes the acknowledged leader in signal generators". 2. Identification of the industry and competitorsAgilent has been operating in multiple industries as its website clearly states that, " Agilent has a long history of innovation and leadership in the communications, electronics, semiconductor, test and measurement, life sciences and chemical analysis industries".(Agilent,2007) The Major Competitors for Agilent Technologies are reproduced from Agilent Technologies Fact Book 2007 as under : Source :Agilent Technologies Fact Book, October 2007 Agilent began with measuring instruments way back in 1938 and developed this area as field of

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage - Essay Example According to the author, the main task of every leader is to take care of the future of the company he/she works in. Really, if the company has an excellent showing, it sounds well, but at the same time, it is always necessary to think about the future. If the basis for the future is not established, organization’s activity may easily fail. Certainly, not all the people may agree with the list of messages provided by Hamm, but it is obvious that his main idea that reminds about the necessity to learn how to manage an organization with prospection – is correct without any doubt. However, the messages itself can be a subject of controversy. The first message emphasizes the importance of correct organizational structure and hierarchy. â€Å"when the corporate structure is changing, the org chart can truly become fearsome, particularly in companies where, because of the political culture, employees worry about the risk to their personal status†. The author means that when the organization is changing, it is essential to control the changes that may happen in organization hierarchy in the process not to offend any employee. The researcher can’t completely agree with this message as changes in employees’ position can and should happen regularly not depending on organizational change. He can’t define this message as one of the essential aspects. The second message tells us about the importance of financial forecasts. â€Å"Results† is another powerful concept that left unmanaged, poses a risk to a company’s long-term health†. The researcher considers this to be one of the most important aspects of managing organizational activity as it will not be possible for the organization to save market positions without the good financial state. Thus, it is important to try to make at least an approximate forecast. The third message reminds that the leader should make his employees know his own role. It means that he/ she should supervise the process of problems solution but not to solve the problems himself/herself.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Do we need government If so, what should be its role Essay

Do we need government If so, what should be its role - Essay Example The most significant part of the economy stability is the Fiscal responsibility. Debts of the government can easily be an economy burden and make its foundations weak. Sound microeconomic policies improve the government credibility and strengthen the institutions of politics. Therefore, the government has a responsibility in stabilizing the economy. Government acts as policymakers in the role of gaining a stable economic environment for growth in economics. It defends and enforces property rights, maintain currency stability and give an oversight assurance to private citizens on accountability of their transaction partners. Therefore, it allows the participants in the market to start placing their resources again to work in most beneficial areas (Atkinson, 1997). The economy performs with a massive and increasing the amount of regulation. The appointed regulators introduce price controls mainly in most utilities like electricity, telecommunication and gas (Barr, 2004). Economists of free markets criticize the control scales in the economy saying that it forms unnecessary costs burdens for businesses. Therefore, regulation can impose new competition in the market. For example, attempt to impose competition for the British Telecom. President Barack Obama responsibility on Fiscal last February showed his understanding on the need of Fiscal discipline. The president’s proposed budget and Congress enactment of Reinvestment Act and the American recovery make the goal of a budget that is sustainable (Geoft, 2013). It also addresses long-termed nation’s fiscal priorities like liabilities entitlement, even vaguer. The government controls the country debt deficit to stabilize the economy. Large deficit can lead to instability of prices and inflation if it finances the deficit through printing money. Inflation is as a result of depreciation of the currency that makes goods from foreign countries more expensive. Hence, it results to

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Three major Categories of Motives Essay Example for Free

The Three major Categories of Motives Essay MOTIVES Motives can be define as a distressful feeling experienced by a person or animal that is ended by performing a behaviour that the organism believes will or might end the feeling.   According to encyclopaedia britannica it is defined as those forces acting either on or within a person to initiate behaviour. (Encyclopaedia Britannica) Motives are often categorize into Primary (basic), Secondary (learned) and Stimulus Primary Motives include hunger, thirst, sex, avoidance of pain. It’s unlearned motives and common to both animals and human. It is related to homeostasis which is basically entails maintenance of normal (steady) physiologic body state.   Primary motive acts to maintain homeostasis. Example of primary motives is the feeling of hunger which is also known as need for food. Secondary motive; are learned motives. They varied from one animal to the other and person to person. Example of secondary motives includes curiosity, ambition, competition, aggression, interest, Attitudes, Achievement and Power motivation. It’s usually acquired as part of socialization process. Study also indicates that individuals have the ability to learn new motives. The motives can be acquired by the following technique; classical, instrumental, and observational learning. Stimulus motives are innate but they involve motives to increase rather than decrease stimulation. People and lower animals need stimulation and activity. They also require exploration and manipulation. Example of stimulus motives can occur when someone is walking under a mango tree and a ripe mango fell on his head. The distressful feeling he might experience would be pain on the head as a result of the impact from the mango. This can subsequently motivate him to take analgesic when he gets home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reference John, Philip, Smith. (2006).   Motives. Immediate cause of Behavior. Alternative Psycological Textbook. Retrieved July 12, 2008. From http://members.aol.com/psychquery.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Feminism In Elizabeth Barrett Browning English Literature Essay

Feminism In Elizabeth Barrett Browning English Literature Essay Through a detailed analysis of the writings of Victorian era female poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, this essay exposes the underlying themes of feminism in the authors works. The essay makes specific reference to two of Barrett Brownings most noteworthy poems, Aurora Leigh, a directly biographical piece, and The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point, not officially an autobiographical piece. The essay reveals the theme of feminism through an examination of key aspects of Barrett Browning, including: the inner conflict resulting from the struggle to choose between female identity and accomplished author, the comparisons made between the oppressive practice of slavery and the poor treatment of Victorian women, and the importance of female autonomy prevalent in the poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. All of these aspects come together together in the essay and Elizabeth Barrett Browning is successfully able to shed light on the oppressive treatment of women living in the Victorian period. Through her writings that often surround cruel female oppression, Victorian era poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning expresses feminist views in her works. Though often done subtly and indirectly, Barrett Browning uses her poems as a medium to express her aversion towards Victorian era female oppression that manifested itself in areas such as societal expectations and lack of independence. Despite the fact that few pieces by Barrett Browning are said to be truly biographical, one could suggest that numerous other poems by Barrett Browning depict her life as a woman living the Victorian period, as well as the lives of women in general living in the Victorian period. Through the analysis of two of Barrett Brownings works in particular, Aurora Leigh and The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point, one can clearly see areas of Barrett Brownings own life being expressed in her writing. Aspects of Elizabeth Barrett Brownings life that are most visibly expressed in her writing include her inner turmoil between wanting to be a poet, and yet also wanting to maintain her femininity. Also visible is her condemning view of slavery, and how she likens the practice of slavery to the then treatment of women. And finally visible is her belief in the importance of women gaining independence from men. Through a detailed analysis of Barrett Brownings work with a particular focus on Aurora Leigh and The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point, one can see how the works reflect Barrett Brownings own lifetime experiences and opinions regarding female rights. The works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning depict her aversion towards the misogynistic Victorian era society. Numerous works by Elizabeth Barrett Browning reflect the inner conflict that existed in her life. This inner turmoil is made very apparent in Aurora Leigh. Barrett Browning often depicts this conflict between wanting to become a poet and yet also wanting to possess femininity through a use of symbolism. As the scholar Dorothy Mermin observes, A woman who tried to be a poet within this structure would seem to be taking the part of a man (Mermin, 715). In saying this, Shires asserts the notion that Barrett Browning, and by transference Aurora, is torn between wanting to be a poet and still wanting to fulfill her role as the archetypical Victorian woman. The conflict between a woman wanting to assert herself in any male-dominated field while still maintaining a feminine identity would have been felt by many Victorian women, not just Elizabeth Barrett Browning as a poet. Barrett Browning uses figurative imagery to help convey this inner turmoil within both Aurora Leigh and also The Runaw ay Slave at Pilgrims Point. In the first book of Aurora Leigh, Barrett Browning writes of being sent to England to live at her aunts house, where she strives to lead the life of a proper lady that her aunt avidly advocates. However, when she describes the lifestyle of her aunt, she describes it as being caged: She had lived a sort of cage-bird life, born in a cage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I, alas, a wild bird scarcely fledged, was brought to her cage (p. 13). Cages, used to entrap animals, act as a universal symbol for oppression, entrapment, and control. In this way Barrett Browning suggests that the life that was regarded as being most fit for the Victorian era women was something she viewed as being oppressive and constricting. Furthermore, by using the word cage, Barrett Browning implies that the lives the women led were no better than an animals life. Through creating this image, Barrett Browning is making a statement about her rejection to conform and become, essentially, a domesticate d pet. The narrators rejection of her aunts lifestyle does not necessarily convey Barrett Brownings internal turmoil to the reader, but it does show her strong opinions against the expectations of Victorian women. As Barrett Brownings description of her upbringing with her aunt continues in book two of the poem, her inner conflict is again described through her use of symbolism. As the narrator celebrates her twentieth birthday, she makes the ultimate statement about her conflict between her identity as an artist and her femininity. She claims that she does not feel complete as either an artist or a woman, though the resources for her to achieve either one or the other are available to her. Woman and artist-either incomplete, both credulous of completion. There I held the whole creation in my little cup (p. 38). Clearly, Aurora feels she is incapable of becoming both a writer and a real woman in her Victorian society, and thus she feels she is forced to choose one or the other. By w riting that she held the whole creation in her teacup, a personal item, Barrett Browning implies that the personal decision was, literally, in her own hands. In this way, the teacup itself is symbolic of Auroras, and thus Barrett Brownings, inner conflict and moreover expresses just how ultimately personal the choice between artist and woman is. And as Zonana states, in the poem Aurora undergoes a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦transformation into a poet who reconciles being a woman with being an artist (Zonana, 242). Through these examples, it becomes visible to the reader that the use of figurative imagery in Aurora Leigh plays an important role in depicting the internal struggle within both Aurora Leigh and Elizabeth Barrett Browning with regards to personal identity. The theme of inner conflict is also visible in her poem The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point. Just as in Aurora Leigh, the conflicts present in the text can be related to Elizabeth Barrett Brownings own life and internal struggle. There are many parallels that can be drawn from the runaway slave within the text, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This provides reason to believe that the poem may purposely, yet indirectly, reflect some of the happenings that Barrett Browning experienced as a Victorian woman. This poem tells the story of a black female slave, a dichotomy to the proper white female discussed in Aurora Leigh, however The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point as well depicts Barrett Brownings struggle with her identity as an author and as a woman. In stanza eighteen of The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point, the narrator observes the baby she bore her master. She cannot help but see her master when looking at her infant childs white face in contrast to her own: My own, own child! I co uld not bear to look in his face, it was so white. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ For the child wanted his liberty Ha, ha! He wanted the master-right (18, 1-7). The narrator continues: I saw a look that made me madà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The masters look, that used to fall on my soul like his lashà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦or worse! And so, to save it from my curse, I twisted it round in my shawl (21, 3-7). In a response to The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point, Tricia Lootens states: Better, she suggests, to be whipped than to have ones soul (implicitly) stripped bare; better to kill ones child than to curse him. Even in violence, soul trumps flesh: classic EBB (Lootens, 497). Stated simply, Lootens asserts that in the work of Barrett Browning, the worth of ones soul is greater than ones flesh. Flesh is valueless without soul. Knowing the value that Barrett Browning places on the human spirit, these lines signify the authors turmoil. The narrator kills her own child children being a flesh embodiment of a womans femin inity to spare the childs spirit. In this way, the action of the runaway slave in Barrett Brownings writing represents the feelings of the author; the spirit, or the artistic desires of her spirit, is worth sacrificing the flesh, or her femininity, for. As the text progresses to stanza twenty-six, where the narrator describes the act of burying her child under nightfall: My little body, kerchiefed fast, I bore it on through the forest on: And when I felt it was tired at last, I scooped a hole beneath the moon. Through the forest-tops the angels far, With a white sharp finger from every star, Did point and mock at what was done. (26, 1-7) This passage exposes much more than just the notion that society will chastise the narrator for killing her own child, hence her burying under the cover of nightfall, but further that even the angels above with their white sharp fingers will blame or point and mock her for her act. Just as the angels in heaven harshly judge the narrator for killing her child, the Victorian society would judge Elizabeth Barrett Browning, or any Victorian woman, who shirked her stereotypical social responsibility as a woman. Another theme used by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to expose the ill treatment of Victorian era women is slavery. Elizabeth Barrett Browning was notoriously opposed to the slavery that existed during the Victorian period, and this is reflected in several of her works. Perhaps one of the factors that inspired this resentment towards the practice of slavery was a sense of understanding from Barrett Browning that developed from her experience with the oppression of Victorian women; the plight of slaves and women would have been felt similarly in the era. This may provide an explanation to Barrett Brownings focus on slavery she was able to sympathize. Within Aurora Leigh there are links made between the practice of slavery and female oppression. Dalley describes Aurora Leigh as being written with the purpose of denying Victorian era gender roles: EBB clearly conceived of Aurora Leigh as a challenge to the conventional tradition[s] governing womens behavior because it openly discusses the plight of women and calls for changes to existing laws governing marriage and property, and attitudes governing womens work for money (Dalley, 526). Within Aurora Leigh, the idea of slavery and its similarity to the oppression of women becomes most evident in book two. As Aurora describes to her cousin Romney why she denies the concept of marriage, the connection between slavery and female oppression becomes lucid: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Am I proved too weak to stand alone, yet strong enough to bear such leaners on my shoulder? Poor to think, yet rich enough to sympathise with thought? Incompetent to sing as blackbirds can? (p. 48). In this passage, Aurora appears to have some of the inferiorities that the oppressed blacks were thought to posses mental inferiority and weakness. By subtly making this correlation, Barrett Browning likens the oppressed woman to an oppressed slave. She suggests that a wife was to a husband as a slave was to a master. Both the woman and the slave required the s upposed superior man to compensate for their inherent shortcomings. This passage is important in that it depicts Barrett Brownings opinions towards slavery while also addressing her opinion of sexism, while effectively correlating the two. Later in the poem, again to Romney, Aurora states: We sew, sew, prick our fingers, dull our sight, Producing what? A pair of slippers, sir, To put on when youre weary-or a stoolTo tumble over and vex you . . curse that stool! Or else at best, a cushion where you lean (p. 206). Auroras statement directly draws a comparison between being a Victorian era woman and being a slave. Through Aurora, Barrett Browning suggests that a man does not desire a wife as an equal companion in life, but rather to act as an aid to him in his life, while the wife gains little from the marriage. This thankless job of assistance is also what was expected of slaves. Both act as a mere tool to facilitate a mans life. In this passage, Aurora recognizes that in her patriarchal society, women were little more than tools to convenience their husband. These words spoken by Elizabeth Barrett Browning show that women were capable of realizing that they were being wronged and taken advantage of, which meant that they were not as mentally incapable as they were portrayed and thought to be. And moreover, they liken the treatment that the Victorian era women faced to the unethical treatment of slaves. Through the fact that The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point centres on a female slave, there are many areas that display Barrett Brownings opinion towards the practice. However, in certain instances, Barrett Browning glorifies the choices made by the narrator which demonstrates her hatred for slavery, and further demonstrates that she desires to escape the slavery of her gender. In the final stanzas of the poem, the narrator describes that the men are hunting her, knowing they will soon capture her, she literally laughs at the thought of her own demise: My face is black, but it glares with a scorn which they dare not meet by day. Ha!-in their stead, their hunter sons! Ha, ha! They are on me-they hunt in a ring! Keep off! I brave you all at once (29-30, 6-3). In these lines, Barrett Browning conveys the absolute fearlessness and strength of the narrator. The tone of the passage, through its liberal use of punctuation and literal use of laughter, becomes excited and maniacal, and in a se nse seems to glorify the narrator and her defiance. Perhaps Barrett Browning created this effect of glorification of the narrator because she, as a woman, would want to see the narrator courageously defy and overcome her oppressors. By laughing in the face of her oppressors hunting her, the narrator can take control of the situation and remove any satisfaction that her killers may get from her death. After having killed her child, and now letting herself die, she will be reunited with her child in a place where racial or gender-based oppression does not exist. This implies the notion that by glorifying the narrator and her final actions in the closing of the poem, Barrett Browning suggests that the narrator, wronged as she may have been by the men, was not only able to overcome, but furthermore triumph over her lifes obstacles. This furthers the idea that Barrett Browning wishes to see the oppressed overcome their oppressors. Again, in the last stanza of the poem, Barrett Browning d epicts the narrator as bravely awaiting her death, I am floated along, as if I should die of libertys exquisite pain. In the name of the white child waiting for me in the death-dark where we may kiss and agree (36, 3-6). In writing these lines in such a way, Barrett Browning creates a seeming sense of duty in the narrator, suggesting that to defend ones position or gender should be honourable. By including the narrators jovial mood towards her demise, Barrett Browning makes the statement that the oppressed woman was able to take actions into her own hands, and by her dissatisfying reaction, rob her oppressors of any satisfaction. In this way, Barrett Browning glorifies the bold action of the narrator so as to glorify the action of opposing her oppressors. Through this poem, Barrett Browning not only demonstrates her opposition to slavery, she also demonstrates its relation to the treatment of women, suggesting that fighting against either is an honourable act. Finally, the theme of womens autonomy is prevalent in Elizabeth Barrett Brownings works. Womens independence is a central theme in Aurora Leigh and in fact, acts as a driving force in not only the actions of Aurora, but in Elizabeth Barrett Brownings own life. The desire for female autonomy is visible in Aurora Leigh when Aurora marks herself as a writer by crowning herself with ivy. As Aurora crowns herself, she discusses the need to prove herself worthy: The worthiest poets have remained uncrowned till death has bleached their foreheads to the bone; and so with me it must be unless I prove unworthy of the grand adversity, and certainly I would not fail so much. (p.38). Although there is not explicit mention of what the grand adversity is, it is very likely the mere fact that Aurora, and of course Barrett Browning herself, were females in a misogynistic period. As previously mentioned, women in the Victorian era would be little more than the chattels of their husbands. For a Victori an woman to become a prominent poet, she would need to break free of the constraints placed on her by a misogynistic society. It is evident that both Aurora and Elizabeth Barrett Browning felt that in order to achieve their desires, they had to overcome the domineering masculine influence in their lives. This theme of female independence is visible in Aurora Leigh as Aurora explains to her cousin, Romney, why she cannot marry him. You misconceive the question like a man, who sees a woman as the complement of his sex merely. You forget too much that every creature, female as the male, stands single in responsible act and thought (p. 51). In writing this passage, Barrett Browning states that women, just as much as men, possess individual thought and actions, despite the opposing opinion of Victorian men such as Romney who believe that women are simply extensions of their husbands. Barrett Browning suggests that if women are not granted even the most basic of liberties from their patriarchal society, then they will never achieve independence unless they boldly act out against their Victorian gender constraints. While the theme of female independence is slightly less conspicuous in The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point, it is nevertheless alluded to in several instances. The mere fact that the poem centres on a female slave who yearns for freedom from her master instils in the piece an intrinsic theme of the need for female sovereignty. In many lines of the poem, the narrator discusses the oppression of the black slaves and especially black, female flaves, and through this description links to the oppression of Victorian period women can be drawn, as both are treated as chattels of their master. Despite the fact that the narrator is talking about black slaves in the following passage, parallels can be drawn to oppressed females: But we who are dark, we are dark! Ah, God, we have no stars! About our souls in care and cark our blackness shuts like prison bars. (6, 1-4). In this excerpt, the narrator explains that due to their blackness, or their skin colour, they are automatically regarded as be ing lesser than their white masters. Of course, not only did the black slaves have no control over their skin colour, but furthermore it is irrelevant to their mental and physical capabilities as a human. Just as the slaves were judged as being inferior because of their race, women were also assumed to be ultimately inferior to men based on their gender, an inherent and irrelevant feature of their identity. The femininity of women was falsely equated to, by men, frivolous unintelligence. Elizabeth Barrett Browning would have been familiar with this entrapment that she wrote about, not only from experiencing life as a Victorian woman, but also due to her chronic illness that often limited her actions. The concept of female independence becomes visible again as the poem nears the end: I am not mad: I am black. I see you staring in my face-I know you, staring, shrinking back, Ye are born of the Washington-race, and this is the free America: (32, 1-5). By mentioning George Washington an d the free America, Barrett Browning draws explicit attention to the point that America is a country founded on freedom, and it becomes emphasized just how horribly the slaves, and in a similar way women, were treated in the gloriously free country, and just how un-free their lives really were. In this passage, Barrett Browning insinuates that no nation can ever be free until all of its people are free. Within The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point, just as the slaves were oppressed by their masters in the free country of America, Elizabeth Barrett Browning was oppressed by her civilized yet patriarchal, Victorian society. Through indepth analysis of key themes in the poetic works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning with a particular focus on the autobiographical Aurora Leig and non-biographical The runaway slave at Pilgrims Point, it becomes lucid that Barrett Browning uses her writing to express her own experiences and opinions towards the unjust Victorian treatment of women. Firstly, these experiences and opinions are displayed through Barrett Brownings use of interal struggle between the identity of poet and woman. Also, she expresses herself through her fierce opposition to slavery visible in both poems. Finally she achieves this purpose through the importance of individual independence that is portrayed in her poems. When all of these elements of Elizabeth Barrett Brownings poetry are examined individually, it is clear that Barrett Browning uses her poetry as a medium to express her experiences and opinions towards the ill treatment of Victorian era women.