Democracies around the World Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Democracies around the World - Coursework Example & Nishikawa, 2006), a combination of the two can be used to create harmony between different sections of the society and represent a greater number of the people. Different sectors of the economy and the government have been proved to be dependent on each other through the complex processes that link a government to its governed (John & Cole, 2000). In a similar fashion, the different forms of the government are linked to each other. This can help in greater coordination between the different sectors of the governments and better distribution of responsibilities. With a greater number of people to look into affairs of the state, it would be possible for them to be dealt with in a better way. In the model of government that exists in South Africa, the parliament and the president have different sets of responsibilities. The parliament assumes the legislative function f the government and makes laws regarding the functioning of the state. It consists of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. The legislature is thus, a bicameral one that provides representation to the different parts of South Africa (Chapter 4 – Parliament, 2009). The president and other members of the cabinet are members of the legislature and need to be elected members. The president is usually the leader of the party that is able to win a majority of the seats in the parliament. The importance of the election is thus, paramount. This reveals to one the democratic nature of the governments that have come up in South Africa after the era of apartheid was over. The president has the powers to ask of the parliament to reconsider certain decisions that it has made. He or she also possesses the power to implement the acts and the decisions that are made by the parliament and thus, the president assumes the executive power of the government. The president, along with the other members of the cabinet, is the connecting link between the executive and the legislative (Chapter 5 -

Contamination and remediation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contamination and remediation - Essay Example The contaminated land may be contaminated either by low or high concentrates hazardous wastes or pollution but are potential enough to be reused after remediation processes. But the land which is severely contaminated by such contaminants does not come under brownfield classification. It has also been seen that there are few cases where the owners are â€Å"not willing to transfer the brownfield or put it into productive reuse†, as those of Mothballed brownfields in United States. It is because these may cause blight, threaten public health and the environment and even hold back economic development and revitalization i.e. staking social, economic as well as environmental wellbeing.2 The extent of cleaning and the costs involved in the remediation process wholly depends upon the type, amount and area of contamination. The standards of cleanup adopted also influence the cleanup process. For example the clean up standards would be more stringent if the property or land is to be used for residential purposes and less strict if to be used for industrial purposes as the exposure to the contaminants would be quite less in this case. And the types of the contaminants too determine the cost while clean up process. For example if the groundwater of the site is found contaminated the cost of remediation process will be much higher than if just the soil is found contaminated. The costs of the cleanup to the property owner can also be contributed by other parties such as previous owners if they too are found responsible for contributing towards the contamination. (footnote 1) It has been seen that due to costs involved in the safe standards of cleaning processes of contaminated sites, most of them usually sit idle and unused for huge number of years. It is because the even the worth of the property after cleanup is much less than the costs of

Geographical and Cultural Overview of the US

Geographical and Cultural Overview of the US Stephanie Cheah Introduction: The USA plays a very big role in our daily lives. Everything that we do is somehow connected to the United States, from our smartphones, to the value of money in our wallets, and even the laptop this project is being typed on. In this paper, all aspects of the United States will be explored. Its physical geography, population, industry, role as a superpower, and issues that they are facing. The USA is a very prominent country not only in the areas mentioned above, but in its physical size and population. Being the third largest country in the world in land mass and the third largest country in population, the USA has a very diverse society. They are also the leaders in many aspects of our lives, practically controlling our lives across the globe. 1. The physical features of the USA The USA covers 3.806 million sq miles (9.857 million km ²). It is the third largest country in the world, after Russia and its neighbours Canada. Relief The eastern part of the USA is low and flat, excluding the Appalachian Mountains, which are low rounded highlands. The western half is much higher, with more mountain ranges running down from Alaska to Mexico. The Central Plains are gently rolling plains, and the Great Plains are slightly higher. Both combined form an important farming region for cattle and crops such as wheat, corn and soyabean. Mountains There are four major mountains in the United States: the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Cascade Range, and the Sierra Nevada. The Rocky Mountains: They run 3000 miles from western Canada to the state of New Mexico. They also include numerous sub ranges, such as the Wasatch, Bitterroots, Big Horn, and Front Ranges. The Appalachian Mountains: Situated in the eastern United States, they stretch from Alabama northeast across New England, and extending up to Canada. The Cascades: The Cascade Range along the West Coast of the United States extend from Canada into the US states of Washington, Oregon, and California. These mountains were formed as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and have volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens and Lassen. Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada mountains, located in the states of California and Nevada, are about 400 miles long. The name Sierra Nevada is Spanish for snowy mountains, because of the snow-capped peaks of the range. Many of the mountains are formed of granite, and shaped by glaciers. The tallest mountain in the United States in Mt McKinley, at 20,320 feet, in the Alaska range. Rivers There are approximately 250,000 rivers, adding up to about 3,500,000 miles (or 5,632,704km) of rivers. The Missouri (a tributary of the Mississippi River) is the longest river in the USA which is 2540 miles (4088km) long. In terms of volume, the Mississippi River is largest. Together they form the fourth longest river in the world, which is almost 7000km long. The longest undammed river is the Yellowstone river, which is 692 miles (1113km) long. Lakes The Great Lakes are the largest group of lakes in the world. Four of them are shared with Canada. 2. USA’s climate As USA has a large land mass, it has a wide range of climates. In Alaska, much of the land is tundra, and where it is not, it is cold and drier. At the south as well as Hawaii, there is tropical climate, meaning that it has warm summers and mild winters. In the south west, it is mostly desert, which are made out of stony soil and low shrubs. The Sonoran is the hottest, but it has cool winters. Large land masses heat up fast in summer and cool fast in winter. The further inland you go, the more drastic the temperature difference will be between summer and winter. Climate Regions There are nine climate regions in the USA: Central, East North Central, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast, Southwest, West and West North Central. Below is a diagram of the average temperatures: The west side of the country is the coldest, while the south is much warmer. The hottest states are in the South and East North Central. 2. Population of USA The USA has a population of approximately 324,490,000 people. There has been a fast but steady increase in the population of the USA over 25 years. This is comprised out of many diverse ethnicities which are shown in the diagrams below. Racial/Ethnic Mix Over 25 years, there has been an increase of approximately 53,000 people in the total population. The USA has seen a rise the general non-white population, with the exception of the Indian population, which has remained constant throughout the 25 years, and the â€Å"Other† category, which saw a decrease from 2005 to 2015. White remains the ethnicity with the largest population, while the Hispanic population is the second largest. For the convenience of the reader, a pie chart has been created to illustrate the above statistics. 3. Population Distribution The Eastern side of the USA is more densely populated compared to the west. However, it is rather densely populated along the west coast, as shown in the diagram above. The most densely populated cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. Possible reasons to why these cities are more densely populated are: Their geographic locations make it a suitable place to trade and live comfortably. The most populous cities in the US are located near a body of water, have a (preferably) mild climate and easy access to natural resources. Water was the easiest way to transport goods before the Industrial Revolution, and it also allowed the movement of ideas. It also made it easier for immigrants to arrive there, considering their mode of transport was also water. 4. The automotive industry Henry Ford was the man who started up America’s automotive industry. Although he did not invent the motor car, he was the first to set up a factory producing low-cost cars that virtually anyone could afford. His first fatory was in Detroit, Michigan. He picked a good pace to set up his first factory. Detroit is located in an area known as the ‘manufacturing belt’. This place had lots of steel works, an abundance of workers, and a large number of nearby customers. He started with the Ford Model T, which was launched on 1 October 1908. It soon gained popularity, and sold 15 million Model Ts across the world. Mr Henry Ford was keen on globalisation as well. Within 20 years of opening his first factory, he set up plants in the UK, Canada, France, India, Germany and Australia. However, the American car industry is not experiencing the same success it did years ago. The Big Three American companies: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, are selling less and less cars, mostly due to competition from other foreign car companies. The downfall started in the 1970s, when there were too many cars and the USA’s oil deposits were being used up and oil had to be imported. US car companies continues to lose money when Japan began to export smaller and cheaper cars to the USA. Now with even more cars on the road, it increases the air pollution and there is pressure to come up with cars that limit carbon emissions, by creating cars that run on fuel other than petrol. 5. Agriculture industry The USA is the world’s top exporter and the most productive in the history of the world. Thanks to the USA’s large land mass and range of climates, many crops are able to grow there. The two main crops grown there are wheat and corn, and rearing livestock also brings a lot of business. What makes the American farmers so productive is the fact that they have plenty of fertile flat land, which is suitable for growing crops and the usage of large machinery. Apart from this, there are large mechanised farms which often specialise in only one type of crop. They also use chemicals such as fertilisers to aid the plant’s growth. increase the yield and pesticides to protect the crops. They also lead in crop research. Through genetic modification, scientists have developed plants that can grow in a hostile environment. Lastly, the US government pays subsidies to farmers to encourage them. California is also famous for farming. It produces all types of fruit and vegetables, including grapes. Rearing cattle and selling milk is also big business, as well as growing rice and cotton. However, there is a huge debate going on about what America’s limited water should be used for. As 11% of America’s cropland depends on irrigation, it means that it takes up a lot of water. In fact, it takes up half of the USA’s water consumption. 6. The American Dream The American Dream is a belief that everyone in the USA has an equal chance to succeed regardless of their ethnicity or their background. This is what has led thousands of people over to the USA. Many people are drawn to the USA as there is not only the belief of the American Dream, but there is opportunity there. They go there for better education for their children. Most go there to find work, whether they are highly-skilled, or if they lack education and are willing to work hard and build a better life. Here is an example of an American Dream that did come true: â€Å"Ursula Burns The CEO ofXeroxfaced numerous struggles to arrive atop that company. Raised by a single mother a Panamanian immigrant in a New York City housing project, she attended parochial school and discovered an aptitude for math and figures. While she was pointed by teachers toward a traditional womans career such as nursing, she made another calculation: What high-paying work was available with the degree she knew she could get in math or science? She attended Polytechnic Institute of New York and Columbia University with that in mind.† Unfortunately, while the American Dream does come true for some, others aren’t as lucky. Thousands who arrive from their native countries migrate in the hopes of getting a better education or occupation, but the only thing they are met with is homelessness. To quote the New York Times: â€Å"Oscar was a shy 15-year-old when his parents hired a local ‘coyote’ in July 2008 to help him leave Veracruz, Mexico, and cross the border to seek work in the United States. Jorge, gregarious, bright-eyed and also 15, gathered up his 6-year-old cousin six months later and left Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in the middle of the night, to escape abuse that he said had escalated into fistfights with his father. He also planned to work and send money back to his mother. Without knowing it, both were headed toward homelessness. In that, they joined thousands of other immigrant children who have left their native country — for work, family reunification or refuge — crossed into the United States and wound up alone.† Is the American Dream just a fantasy? Or is it something that is real, and we know will definitely come to us? I find that both statements are wrong. The Dream is very much alive, but like it is, after all, still a dream. Not all dreams will come true. 7. Physical Geography of California The state of California covers a land area of 163,973 square miles and 7,734 square miles of water. California is the third largest state in the US and has over 1,200 miles of coastline. There are three major mountain ranges in California: the Klamath Mountains, Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. To the south-east extreme of California is the Mojave Desert which covers over 25,000 square miles of Californian territory. Vegetation is sparse and most of the region is at an elevation of more than 2,000 feet above sea level. The Central Valley is long, flat and sheltered, and the Death Valley is the hottest part of the Mojave Desert, which can reach temperatures up to 50 °C in the summer. Most of California enjoys mild climate and equitable rainfall. The coastal regions can get rather cold in winter months. The desert regions are low on rainfall and the temperature soars up to 130 °F (54 °C). The cities of Los Angeles and San Diego have average temperatures ranging between 50 °F (10 °C)and 60 °F (15 °C) and are very pleasant. This area is also affected by the presence of many earthquake causing fault lines. The San Andreas Fault, running through California, is a major fault line. 8. Issues the USA is facing Environmental Issues Due to the USA being located where two plates meet, the west coast is prone to earthquakes and volcano eruptions. On the south east side, hurricanes often occur, as it is near to the Atlantic Ocean. Tornadoes are also a frequent occurrence, especially in spring and summer. In addition to this, droughts are common throughout the whole of the USA. This is caused by low rainfall, which also leads to wildfires. To make matters worse, people have been pumping too much water from rivers and aquifers. Social issues While the American Dream is based on the idea that everyone has an equal chance, one aspect is certainly false. According to the statistics, far more non-whites have been arrested and persecuted. Studies have shown that a non-white person (eg. Black, Hispanic) was more likely to be stopped and frisked. In New York City, 80% of the stops made were blacks and Latinos, and 85% of those people were frisked, compared to a mere 8% of white people stopped. In the year 2010, it was reported by the US Sentencing Commission that whites faced a 10% shorter sentence compared to their black counterparts. While these numbers could possibly be justified as the non-white community happening to commit more crime, it should not be that a survey in 2011 revealed that 52% of non-Hispanic whites expressed anti-Hispanic attitudes. Although one may argue that the first black president, Barack Obama, was elected in 2009, this does nothing to disguise the fact that coloured people are still facing discrimination against them. Economic Issues The US no longer produce what we need to sustain themselves. Instead, they import much more than they export. As they are not making enough profit, they take on colossal debts to maintain their high standard of living. The US does not acknowledge that other countries are undermining them. For example, China’s currency manipulation has cost the U.S. millions of jobs. Instead we encourage U.S. manufacturers to design, engineer, and produce in third world markets like Mexico and China, making the problem even worse. 9. The USA as a superpower Why is it a superpower? The United States of America is not only a powerful nation economically; it is also one in the fields of science and technology. The USA receives the highest number of immigrants per year (approximately 1 million), a leader in technology, business, movies and tertiary education. It has the highest GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the entire world, almost twice that of the next highest. However, the United States of America is a huge spender, particularly on their military. They also spend the most of the world’s military spending, almost half of the total. The USA’s powerful military contributes largely to them being a superpower. During the two World Wars, there was a struggle for power, initially with the European â€Å"great powers† such as the United Kingdom, Russians, Austria-Hungary to name a few, then to one global empire (Great Britain), Japan, and currently the United States. After World War II, two superpowers emerged: the United States and the Soviet Union. They were both so heavily armed that engaging in direct war with each other could possibly destroy our civilisation. They also have a huge influence on our modern culture. They are the leaders for entertainment such as television shows, movies, music, food, fashion and plenty other things. Almost everything we do today, from what clothes we wear, to what music we listen to, or what digital device we use is all influenced by the US. References: US Rivers EnchantedLearning.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2015. Gallagher, R., Parish, R. (2009). Geog 3 (3rd ed., pp. 52-68). Oxford: Oxford University Press. US Population by Year. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.multpl.com/united-states-population/table United States Mountain Ranges Map. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/usa-maps/united-states-mountain-ranges-maps.html Economic Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/printeconomics.html Economic Problems Facing the U.S. | Economy In Crisis. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://economyincrisis.org/content/major-economic-problems-facing-united-states United States Mountain Ranges Map. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/usa-maps/united-states-mountain-ranges-maps.html Chudyniv, B., Burnham, L. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/domestic_trends.pdf California Geography. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/states/california/geography.html U.S. Climate Regions. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/maps/us-climate-regions.php Knight, M. (2012, February 25). Far From Family, Alone, Homeless and Still Just 18. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/us/of-young-immigrants-who-arrive-alone-many-end-up-homeless-in-chicago.html 11 Facts About Racial Discrimination. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-racial-discrimination Adelman, J. (2013, November 24). Why The U.S. Remains The Worlds Unchallenged Superpower. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/11/24/why-the-u-s-remains-the-worlds-unchallenged-superpower/ Largest Countries in the World by Area. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-largest-countries-in-area-map.html Why New York City keeps getting bigger Per Square Mile. (2012, January 26). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://persquaremile.com/2012/01/26/why-new-york-city-keeps-getting-bigger/

Someone Special :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

Someone Special When I first saw him, I was sitting in an auditorium complaining to my mother about how cold it was in there. We and hundreds of other student-parent pairs were lined up in rows of the large room waiting to be told what to do by upper-class college students in matching tee shirts. I was scanning, like always, for any interesting guys. Upon finding any that appealed to me, whether by genuine attractiveness, unique clothing or just a pleasant aura, I would watch, study, and try to figure out everything about him, like his attitude, views on the world, and his favorite color. I had been sitting there wondering (probably unlike all of the other kids who were at State University Orientation) what kind of guy I was going to look for when I arrived a month later to attend classes. Everyone else was talking with their parents about their class choices and housing contracts. Some were even asking the experts at the podium questions about the university. But this was way beyond me because I had more important things on my mind. I remember seeing him rise a few rows in front of me with his mother. I'm not sure exactly what caught my eye first, but his light brown hair and rosy complexion kept my stare. He had on a blue shirt that hung un-tucked from his khaki shorts, clothing that intrigued my eyes to follow him, as he squeezed through the metal chairs that someone had set up a little too close. He politely said, "Excuse me," and smiled with seemingly complete confidence. I nudged my mother, "Right there," I said signaling her to notice his strut. "Cute," she said shortly which translated to, "I guess I agree Whitney, but I don't look anymore." It was the usual answer I got when I asked for her opinion. I would sometimes badger her to elaborate, but the answer always lacked in enthusiasm. We watched him disappear behind a big red curtain that separated the students with and without name-tags, and I began formulating his life story. He looked like the I-played-a-few-sports-in-high-school type, pretty normal to me compared to all of the different types of people in the room. He wasn't preppy enough to be the guy that came to college for the sole reason of joining a fraternity, but nowhere close to being the guy that nobody wanted in a fraternity.

Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb was formed in 1887 when McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers bought the Clinton pharmaceutical Company in Clinton New York. In 1900 Bristol-Myers broke through into the black — it has remained there ever since. In 1924, gross profits topped $1 million for the first time in Bristol-Myers’ history. The company’s products were then sold in 26 countries. At this point, the shares held by John Myers’s heirs became available for sale, triggering a series of moves that in 1929 turned Bristol-Myers into a publicly held company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange.The postwar depression prompted Bristol-Myers to jettison its pharmaceutical business and devote itself entirely to its specialties: Sal Hepatica and Ipana, its two big winners, and a dozen or so assorted toiletries, antiseptics and cough syrups. By the end of the war, it was clear that penicillin and other antibiotics represented an immense opportunity for Bristol-Myers. In 1921 t he Squibb Company coined its slogan: â€Å"The priceless ingredient in every product is the honor and integrity of its maker†, which is now the corporate slogan of Bristol Myers Squibb.In 1989 Bristol-Myers merged with Squibb, creating a global leader in the health care industry. The merger created what was then the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical enterprise. BMS is now ranked #8 in the pharma sector. Current Drugs, Issues and Interests The Company operates in three segments: Pharmaceuticals, Nutritionals and Other Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment is made up of the global pharmaceutical and international consumer medicines business. The Nutritionals segment consists of Mead Johnson Nutritionals (Mead Johnson), primarily an infant formula and children's nutritional business.The Other Healthcare segment consists of ConvaTec, Medical Imaging and Consumer Medicines (United States and Canada) businesses. In 1991, the company received U. S. Food and Drug Adminis tration (FDA) approval in the U. S. for Videx ® (didanosine) also known as ddI, making it the second medicine available for treating HIV infection (the other being AZT). Other approvals that year included an antibiotic, Cefzil ® (cefprozil); two cardiovascular agents, Pravachol ® (pravastatin sodium) Tablets and Monopril ® (fosinopril sodium) Tablets; and a central nervous system drug, Stadol NS ® (butorphanol tartrate) C-IV.In that same year, the companies signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Cancer Institute to research and develop a new compound for treating certain types of cancer. This compound, TAXOL ® (paclitaxel) Injection, immediately was established as the company’s top research priority. Bristol-Myers Squibb invested hundreds of millions of dollars to supply TAXOL in sufficient quantities for clinical trials, to prepare data for regulatory submission and to develop alternative sources of TAXOL (which originally was d erived from the bark of an endangered tree, the Pacific Yew).TAXOL launched in 1993 and quickly became one of the world’s most widely used cancer treatments. For a few years BMS held the exclusive rights to harvest the bark of the endangered yew trees on US soil, the tree’s bark is used in making TAXOL. By the end of 1995, the company had over 60 product lines with $50 million or more in annual sales worldwide. At the beginning of 1998, the FDA granted clearance to market Excedrin ® Migraine for the relief of migraine headache pain and associated symptoms. Excedrin Migraine became the first migraine headache medication available to consumers without a prescription.In 1999, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced SECURE THE FUTUREâ„ ¢, a $100 million commitment to advance HIV/AIDS research and community outreach programs in five southern African countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. And in 2000, Bristol-Myers Squibb, together with four other pha rmaceutical companies and international agencies, joined the UNAIDS Drug ACCESS Initiative. The ACCESS program aims to make antiretroviral medicines and therapies to treat opportunistic infections more widely available in African countries that have developed a coherent national AIDS strategy.As part of the program, the company offered to lower the prices of HIV/AIDS medicines in those countries by 90 percent. More recently, Bristol-Myers Squibb took its access efforts a step further, offering HIV/AIDS drugs below cost in Africa and committing an additional $15 million for extending SECURE THE FUTURE to four Western African countries — Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal. The company is also ensuring that its patents do not prevent inexpensive HIV/AIDS therapy in Africa.The patent for Zerit, rights to which are owned by Yale University and Bristol-Myers Squibb, is now available at no cost to treat AIDS in southern Africa. However, issues like losing patents l ike this and a few more in South Africa has caused many problems for drug companies and BMS is not immune to them. In September 2000, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced a new strategy that includes a sharpened focus on medicines and an aggressive external development program. As part of this new strategy, the company announced its intention to divest its Clairol and Zimmer businesses.The company announced in June 2001 that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company for $7. 8 billion; an acquisition intended to further strengthen Bristol-Myers Squibb’s medicines business. With the DuPont acquisition, Bristol-Myers Squibb added Sustiva ® (efavirenz) Capsules to its HIV portfolio and also gained products such as Coumadin ® (warfarin sodium tablets, USP) Crystalline, the U. S. leading prescribed anti-coagulant and Cardiolite ® (Kit for the preparation of Technetium Tc99m Sestamibi for Injection), a medical imaging agent.In November 2002, the FDA approved Abilify ® (aripiprazole) for the treatment of schizophrenia. In 2003, the company teamed up with cancer survivor and Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong to sponsor the Bristol-Myers Squibb TOUR OF HOPEâ„ ¢, an unprecedented week-long coast-to-coast cycling event. En route, the 26-member team of cancer survivors, caregivers, physicians, nurses and researchers raised awareness of cancer research and the importance of clinical trials in developing new treatments.Reyataz ® (atazanavir sulfate), the first protease inhibitor for the treatment of HIV/AIDS with once-a-day dosing, was introduced in the U. S. in July 2003 and approved for marketing in Europe in March 2004. On March 29, 2005, the FDA approved Baraclude ® (entecavir). Baraclude, discovered by Bristol-Myers Squibb scientists, is indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection. Bristol-Myers Squibb announced the FDA approval of Orencia ® (abatacept) for the treatment of rheumatoi d arthritis on December 23, 2005. Orencia is the first in a new class of medications for this disease.On February 28, 2006, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Somerset Pharmaceuticals announced FDA approval of EMSAM ® (selegiline trasdermal system), the first transdermal patch for the treatment of major depressive disorder. SPRYCEL ® (dasatinib), discovered by Bristol-Myers Squibb scientists, was approved by the FDA on June 28, 2006, for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences announced the FDA approval of ATRIPLAâ„ ¢ (efavirenz 600 mg/ emtricitabine 200 mg/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg) on July 12, 2006. ATRIPLA is the first-ever once-daily single tablet regimen for HIV.As a strategy they are focusing on ten diseases, these are affective (psychiatric) disorders, Alzheimer’s/dementia, atherosclerosis/thrombosis, diabetes, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, obesity, oncology, rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases, and solid organ transpla nt. Current Financials The current financial information of the company from MSN Central is as below. The revenues have not been growing in spite of all the successful products that have been launched and that is an area for change. The company needs to improve its revenues and have a positive trend in profits too.The profits are almost 16%, however, that looks pale when compared to GSK and Merck – both in the 20- 22% range (Fortune 500 list). In fact at 15%, the company is ranked 10 out of 12 in the pharma sector and the revenues are 8 out of 12. That for a company that is going to be 120 years in 2007 is poor. As discussed in the current drugs, issues and interests section, the company is focusing on some key diseases and getting some fantastic drugs in the market. However, all this is somehow not improving the revenue. In fact in the last 5 years, revenue has grown at less than 2% year on year.On the current price ($24), the share gives a 6% return on investment (EPS is $1 . 43). Currently, they are benefiting from the effects of letting go of their CEO Peter Dolan and the company is touted as a takeover target. Their major problem is the failure to prevent Apotex from manufacturing Plavix. Although BMS tried to stop Apotex by getting into a deal that would give Apotex $40 million for not manufacturing the drug, the US State Attorney Generals however didn’t let the deal go through and instead the company got into an investigation because of the whole mess that the deal created.From the BMS perspective, they were doing the right thing; Plavix generates revenues of $5. 9 Billion. $3. 8 Billion are BMS and the rest is Sanofi-Aventis. $3. 8Billion is almost 20% of BMS’s revenue and Plavix gives approximately 40% of the profits in their US business. All this has a big impact on the dividend given by the company and most analysts have suggested that the dividend payout will have to be cut by almost 30-40 cents; it was $1. 12 the previous year. BMS has a good line up of drugs that are in the pipeline and would be a good takeover for any pharma company that has strong cash flow but weak pipeline. These are rumors but looking at the current scenario, it is a good possibility. The interim CEO James Cornelius headed Guidant and helped its sell-off. Vision, Mission and Goals The current vision mission and goals of BMS are referred as a pledge. The pledges are to different stakeholders and are as follows: The BMS Pledge Our company’s mission is to extend and enhance human life by providing the highest-quality pharmaceutical and related health care products.We pledge — to our patients and customers, to our employees and partners, to our shareholders and neighbors, and to the world we serve — to act on our belief that the priceless ingredient of every product is the honor and integrity of its maker. To Customers We pledge excellence in everything we make and market, providing the safest, most effective and hig hest-quality medicines and health care products. We promise to continually improve our products through innovation, diligent research and development, and an unyielding commitment to be the very best. To ShareholdersWe pledge our dedication to responsibly increasing the shareholder value of your company based upon continued growth, strong finances, productive collaborations and innovation in research and development. To Communities We pledge conscientious citizenship, a helping hand for worthwhile causes and constructive action that supports a clean and healthy environment. We pledge Bristol-Myers Squibb to the highest standard of moral and ethical behavior and to policies and practices that fully embody the responsibility, integrity and decency required of free enterprise if it is to merit and maintain the confidence of our society.The new era for BMS must ensure that the pledge to the shareholders is held more firmly than it has been in the last few years. The company must improve revenues and margins. The stagnant revenues and profits are a cause for worry in the longer run. All pharma companies are fighting against smaller companies that want to make generics and Pfizer itself has been fighting for the patent of Lipitor, the world’s best selling drug with $12. 9 Billion in revenues. BMS needs to ensure that the scandals that have been hitting it in the last 5 years never happen again and the company needs to have a higher standard of governance.Shareholder value erodes very quickly for many reasons, but off the last 3-5 years, corporate governance has been a major issue. Companies with tens of billions of dollars of revenue have disappeared and stockholders have suddenly seen their investment disappear with them. BMS has serious corporate governance issues. The company was hit by financial scandals when it was caught pushing inventories and showing them as sales. They have a court appointed overseer because of showing higher revenues and now with th e Plavix issue they are in an even bigger mess as far as corporate governance goes.Apart from that, according to IMS health, a pharmaceutical information and consulting company, sales of prescription medicines worldwide rose 7% to $602 billion,. The United States still accounts for the lion's share of that, with $252 billion in annual sales, but sales in it and the other nine biggest markets grew by only 5. 7%. But emerging markets such as China, Russia, South Korea and Mexico outpaced those markets, growing a whopping 81%. However, when we look at the overall picture 10 -20 years from now we see that the population of the developed world is going to fall and there will be more and more people who will be retired.This also means there will be more medicines required. I do not see myself dying at the age of 70 in the year 2040; medical technology will be so advanced in the next 30 years that it will probably keep me alive till I reach 80 or 90. This is great news for the pharma compa nies. However, the question beckons that the people who can afford expensive medicines for diseases that BMS is targeting are only in the developed countries where the growth has stagnated or is less than 10%. The growth is in the developing world, but the diseases that BMS is targeting are all that need lots of medicines and very expensive medicines.Taxol for example, is used for cancer patients. The medicine is now made by other companies too, and yet the prices for Taxol in the developing world are really high and people find it hard to afford Taxol. In my opinion, BMS has to handle 2 issues: First is Corporate Governance and the second is to crack the developing markets and increase market share in those countries, this will automatically increase its stagnant revenues and breathe some life into its ailing business. The markets are stagnant in the developed world.New Vision Statement I am making a few changes to the current pledges that BMS has to customers and shareholders. The changes reflect what the company needs to do in order to transform itself. To Customers We pledge excellence in everything we make and market, providing the safest, most effective, and cost effective and highest-quality medicines and health care products. We promise to continually improve our products through innovation, diligent research and development, and an unyielding commitment to be the very best. To ShareholdersWe pledge our dedication to responsibly increasing the shareholder value of your company based upon continued growth, strong finances, productive collaborations and innovation in research and development. We pledge to be extremely careful in all governance issues and not succumb to the pressures of the market. We pledge to conduct our business with utmost fairness. Key Change Issues Lack of Corporate Governance is something that no company will admit, but that is the major problem facing BMS right now. Having an overseer is a bad indicator. The key change issues that we will face while changing the attitude towards corporate governance are:1. The first issue is to change the behavior of bosses who force employees to act in ways that will be against any corporate governance policy. 2. The second change will be to create an atmosphere where an employee can raise an integrity or corporate governance concern. This is critical right now as it seems that over the last few years many things were not raised. 3. The third change will be in terms of managing the markets and expectations of all stakeholders, ultimately it is the expectations of the markets or other stakeholders that push the employees to cover up things or show a bright picture when there is none.It is important to manage the expectations. The next key change after corporate governance is to ensure that we can capture the growing markets. To capture the new markets, we will have to make a couple of changes in the way we do business. These changes are likely to be as follows: 1. Lower the cost of drugs – most of the money goes into research. The drugs that conquer markets cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. So the cost of developing drugs has to be lowered, once this cost is lowered, the cost of the drug per se can also be lowered accordingly.2. Come with products that cater to the growing segments there – it is likely that the people in the developing countries will be using medicines that are generic. For a branded product to conquer that market, the companies have to give an added value to their product. This might mean, reworking some of the old compounds and coming up with ‘extra strong versions’ or other versions that would differentiate the medicines BMS could come up with a line of medication aimed at women with PMS or aimed at people over 70.This might be the normal medicines, but with a different potency or properties so that they would be ‘better suited’ to a different age group. 3. Newer gene types  œ this might mean that there will be opportunities as people from different races might have different problems or might need different treatments. It is possible that the genes or body types in different races might respond differently to different molecules and thus would require modifications to the current molecules. Depending on the cost of doing this modification, BMS can decide to modify certain molecules to better suit different races.How will these areas be changed? What are the broad sets of proposals for change? The Critical Change requirement is Corporate Governance. Corporate Governance is something that every company talks and boasts about but as we can see in case of BMS, this has failed grossly. The company actively needs to change the situation within its departments and especially in the higher ranks to improve the Corporate Governance scenario and educate people about the problems that are caused because of bad governance.Before I dwell into how to combat corporat e governance, I would like to talk about why officials higher up in the ranks and even some in the lower ranks resort to concealing information that might be damaging to the company. The first reason is to ensure that their jobs are secure. If a person conceals information it is because they feel that the particular piece of information will be damaging to their job, their department or their interest. This is the basic level and it is very individualistic. However, it is this same thing that drives even the bigger corporate information scandals.The second reason for concealing information or reporting wrong figures is to ensure that the company meets its goals. To take an example from an IT company, it is one thing to not report a data theft because it might compromise the jobs of the IT security personnel, but quite another not to report the bugs that might exist in the new software that a company is making. Different projects have different timelines and it is critical for compan ies to meet those timelines as revenues and profits are based on the sales of that new product.If we take windows Vista for example, vista has been delayed numerous times and because of that many partners of Microsoft are suffering, especially Intel. Microsoft has in public announced about the delays; however a smaller company might choose to not mention a delay in their quarterly update. For the officials in the company it is something that protects the shareholders and other partners from the value perspective, but what they fail to see is the long term damage that their actions are causing.Concealing information today will have its repercussions in the next two quarters and eventually if someone finds out the true picture, the stock market will kill the script and the valuation will suffer enormously. However, a public announcement about the delay will cause temporary drop in the stock valuation (till the product is back on track or launched in the market) but on a personal level , it will affect the persons’ bonus (for sure) and the growth prospects of the higher ranks who were responsible for not delivering the results.The cost of revealing the truth means jobs and immediate losses in the stock markets. Many of the higher ranking officials have stock options and this makes it even more lucrative from a personal perspective to ensure that the company is shown in good light and seen as an entity that meets its goals and beats the market predictions. The corporate governance scenario gets worse because of the stock options but it can be much better if every one looked at the picture from a long term perspective. In the longer term, the company will deliver the products and make the profits.What every individual must realize is that a company will survive beyond every employee and every leader. One employee or a leader cannot make the company, there is always a team. However, a leader can easily break the company and corporate governance is one way of d oing it with much ease. Coming to ways on how BMS can change the corporate governance culture within the organization; I would recommend the following 3 changes: 1. Top down pressure to conceal information 2. Protective climate for whistle blowers 3. Managing the expectations of the stock market and other stakeholdersTop down pressure to conceal information Driving the first one seems to be the toughest one, but this is where the board members have to set the rules and deal facts with an iron hand. All directors and Country Heads must be responsible towards Corporate Governance and the Finance people especially should run their reports through the board. The board must appoint an independent third party evaluator and auditor to ensure that the reports being presented are correct and any discrepancy must be dealt by terminating the country head and seizing all stock options that the person may have.Termination with seizure of stock options at all levels will mean that the lure of a h igh stock price will not be a motivating factor in concealing information and we can expect people to take a long term view of the situation instead of a short term view based on when their stock options might be due. With a personal lure of money gone, the top management would be forced to look at share value in the longer term and hence won’t be pushing their direct reports to fudge information.In addition to this, I recommend that one board member be assigned the task of being an auditor and also the point of contact for all kind of tip-offs or corporate governance whistle blowers. This will give the employees all over the company more faith in the system. The biggest problem for whistle blowers or people who have issues with corporate governance is that they fear for their jobs and they fear that if they still have their jobs, they will be treated will disgust in the office for going against what might be termed as ‘normal practice’ in that division.The prese nce of a board member as a person who can look into corporate governance issues ensures that people can raise concerns in confidence without the fear or being outcastes at their jobs. This board member of course needs to have a team of people who will investigate the issues that are raised. At the middle management level or at the level where people head departments at country levels, the country head must tighten the leash and implement all corporate policies.The country heads must have audits from outside parties to ensure the authenticity of the financial statements and the systems within the company. At the lower management levels the managers should be responsible for their business. However; the ultimate responsibility would be with the middle management. The board member however, should be contactable by everyone within the organization. The organization change needed is to re-align the salary packages of the people who have stock options.This would entail the compensation an d benefits team to look at the packages again and set up a new corporate policy about rewarding and retaining employees. The major change is only for the upper management to ensure that they don’t abuse their power to increase the value of their shares. The stock option change will also weed out the people who do not have a longing for working with BMS. It is very important for a company to ensure that their top management is a group of people who take the company close to their heart, and of course these people are there for the long term.Protective climate for whistle blowers The next issue we need to cover is about protecting the whistle blowers. The appointment of a board member to look after the corporate governance issues should quell any fears that a person might have about corporate governance. In addition to this, a very small step that might go a long way is to bring up issues with a pseudo identity, where people can write in and give information without being oblig ated to divulge their identity even to the board member.The whistle blowers biggest fear is that their job and career gets jeopardized if it is found out that they were the ones who raised concerns that brought down the whole unit and the jobs of several people. People take it against them and they are outcaste. I also recommend that these people have help from outside sources such as counseling etc that may be needed as they grapple with the effects of being whistle blowers or as they continue to live without talking to anyone about being the whistle blowers.In addition to this, the company should actually owe these people an incentive for doing the company a favor by helping it exposing thing internally and managing the fall out and taking corrective actions. Such revelations by outsiders can be far more damaging and bring the company into disrepute apart from all the lawsuits and the hassles of the law. The board is always responsible for ensuring that things are going on smoothl y within the company and ultimate beneficiary of having an internal system that exposes the corporate governance problems within the company actually helps the board save the company and their own reputations.

She Stoops to Conquer- Male Characters

‘Through a close analysis of the presentation of at least two of the plays male characters, show how Goldsmith presents attitudes towards women in the play’ Oliver Goldsmith has cleverly composed an exceptionally successful comedic play, belonging to the Pastoral Genre, comprising of many key themes and ideas including that of the attitudes of males toward females, the social divide between the lower and upper class and the idea of progress and tradition.Through the numerous linguistic and dramatic devices including dramatic incitement and comedic language, Goldsmith is able to portray the attitudes displayed by the male characters such as Mr Hardcastle, Charles Marlow and George Hastings towards women within the play. Firstly, the fictitious Mr Hardcastle shows varying attitudes towards women in the play. We initially see a very traditional and prude attitude towards his daughter, Kate Hardcastle.Goldsmith implies that Mr Hardcastle has a very traditional, typically pas toral view towards women in the sense that they should be the pinnacle of youth and beauty, but also very pure and simple, all attributes which relate back to the pastoral. This is shown when Mr Hardcastle encourages Kate to dress in what he believes to be appropriate- ‘Blessings on my pretty innocence! Drest out as usual, my Kate. Goodness! What quantity of superfluous silk has thou got about thee, girl! In this sense, we see Mr Hardcastle appear very traditional and extremely authoritative over Kate, suggesting a strict attitude. Mr Hardcastle appears to believe that his orders should be followed by the women, as he has power over them once again implying that women are innocent, pure and a reflection of Eve, revealing key elements to the pastoral. Although within the Exposition stage of the play, we see Kate abide by her fathers wishes- ‘in the evening, I put on my house-wife’s dress to please you’, Mr Hardcastle displays an alternative attitude over wom en, implying he is very respectful and caring.This is shown when he informs Kate- ‘If he be what he has shewn himself, I’m determined he shall never have my consent’, suggesting that although Mr Hardcastle upholds extremely traditional values, he is willing to put them aside to ensure the happiness of his daughter, displaying a more modernised, protective attitude towards women. Goldsmith is able to show attitudes towards women through the character of Charles Marlow. In the Complication stage of the play, Goldsmith introduces ‘Comedy of Manners’, which explores codes of behaviour in sections of upper and middle class to display Marlow’s conflicting attitudes towards women.As we see Kate transform and disguise into a lower class barmaid, the audience are equally surprised to see the change in Marlow’s behaviour and attitude as he goes from being a nervous, ‘bumbling fool’, to an over confident, boastful man, who is certainl y not shy around women of a lower class, often treating them with an air of great disrespect, as though they are merely a possession to him- ‘I vow, child, you are vastly handsome’.Marlow appears to have a differing attitude depending on the class in which women belong. As he greets Kate as someone who belongs to the upper class, he is respectful and has a gentlemanly manner, referring to her as ‘Madam’. Through this we see Marlow appear to be very insecure and intimidated, suggesting that he has an enormous sense of inferiority when it comes to upper class women.Despite this, Marlow displays a change in attitude towards the female character of Kate when she disguises herself as a barmaid, suggesting he views women as being merely a possession for men to do what they wish- ‘If you keep me at this distance, how is it possible you and I can ever be acquainted’. Through this characterisation, Goldsmith presents ‘class conflict’, maske d with an element of comedy and farce to reveal Marlow’s view upon women. Finally, Goldsmith presents a very traditional view upon women through the characterisation of George Hastings.From the exposition of the play, we learn that Hastings is deeply in love with Miss Constance Neville, whom he is desperate to marry. Hastings appears to be attracted to Constance initially because of her undoubtable beauty and youth, purity and innocence, which are all aspect of pastoral. As Constance informs Hastings that she cannot marry him until she has claimed her jewels, we see that Hastings wants to be the one to provide for her, suggesting a traditional and protective attitude, as he states materialistic goods are not needed- ‘Perish all the baubles!Your person is all I desire’. Goldsmith presents a romantic, optimistic attitude over women and marriage in the view of Hastings. Despite this, we also learn that Hastings views women as something with which he can relieve his teasing and flirtatious nature, which is shown when he is seen complimenting Mrs Hardcastle with sarcasm- ‘extremely elegant and degagee, upon my word, Madam’.With the use of ‘Parody’, Hastings implies that although he upholds traditional values, he views women to be gullible creatures, whom he can mock and tease, although in a light hearted and mischievous, comedic sense. Overall, through the use of dramatic incitement, characterisation and various types of comedy including Parody, Farce and Comedy of Manners, Goldsmith has cleverly presented the typical attitude males had over women at the time in which the play was written.All of the male characters within the play share similar attitudes in the sense that they have power and status over the women within the play, as they are typically viewed as being innocent and pure in a pastoral sense, however in some ways the audience will see that this is beginning to change as women’s roles are evolving. At times women appear to be more powerful than the men within the play, such as how Kate is able to deceive and trick Marlow into believing she was a barmaid. Goldsmith has presented a traditional, yet respectful attitude towards women through the play in its entirety.