Friday, January 24, 2020

Leave Your Reality at the Door :: Free Descriptive Essay About A Place

Leave Your Reality at the Door Definition of the Table: a place where insanity, creativity and intelligence blend together in an often bizarre and amusing combination. Before my years at NDSU began, the Table existed. It is a place to hang out on campus and kill some time that would be better spent otherwise. It is a place where friends through various places and all walks of life come together in a long-since staked out territory to have discussions that vary from normal, to just plain bizarre and others that often border the taboo. If people are between classes and have free time that they aren’t spending studying, they are at the Table. It is our rendez vous point. It becomes a place for us to not worry, to kick back and relax and leave behind the usual version of what people call reality. Without the people and the activity, the scene around the Table is nothing out of the ordinary. In the basement of the Memorial Union there is an area of tables on the tile-floor where the Union Food Court meets the Recreation and Outing Center. The tall tables surrounded by stools are ignored as all the standard height tables have been taken over to form the Table. Generally we have about six tables, pushed into a formation that has evolved into a close area taking up as little space as possible. All the regular wooden chairs have also been commandeered for the Table, though when our numbers are high an occasional stool or otherwise non-matching gimp chair is added. For a while it seemed that the janitors had given up because in the past they had put the tables back in their original spots night. Of course, the next morning we moved them right back. At the beginning of this year the tables were left in place, but as of late the janitors have been putting them back. Recently the round tables returned which adds a completely new dimension to the table, since they perfectly fit in and over the square tables. The Table is positioned directly under a cold air vent adding its usual chill to the group, especially come winter. The unintelligibility of the music droning in the Rec and Outing Center is generally ignored, though a recognized song can bring comment and discussion.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

International Organizations Essay

International organizations have been noted to be around since the mid- 19th century and such organizations do not operate for profit. An international organization is defined by the United Nations as an organization with an international membership, scope, or presence. The main objective of all the international organizations they say ,have usually been welfare and the improvement of member countries through cooperation. Karns and Mingst identify the two main types of international organizations as IGOs and INGOs which they also refer to as international and transnational structures who are actors in global governance. Global governance, they say, are the cooperative problem-solving arrangements and activities that states and other actors have put into place to deal with various issues and problems. Firstly, Intergovernmental Organizations; herein referred to as IGOs will be discussed. IGOs are organizations that include at least three states among their membership, that have activities in several states, and that are created through a formal intergovernmental agreement such as a treaty, charter, or statute. These organizations range in size from 3 members (North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA]) to more than 190 members Universal Postal Union [UPU]. Within these IGOs, members can be limited to one geographic region, for example the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union (EU) or even the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) or they may come from all geographic regions such as members of the World Bank and IMF. Some IGOs are designed for solitary purposes such as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries [OPEC]), whilst others have been developed for multilateral purposes, for example the United Nations [UN]. Most IGOs though, are not global in membership but are in fact regional, wherein a commonality of interest motivates states to cooperate on issues directly affecting them. Most are small in membership and designed to address specific functions. It must also be noted that IGOs are recognized subjects of international law with separate standing from their member states. According to Karns and Mingst, IGOs function for purposes of gathering, analyzing, and disseminating data, providing a place for negotiations, creating norms and defining standards of behavior through legally binding treaties, monitoring compliance with rules, adjudicating disputes and also taking enforcement measures and for allocating resources, providing technical assistance and relief and deploying forces. Kenneth Abbott and Duncan Snidal (1998) suggest that IGOs â€Å"allow for the centralization of collective activities through a concrete and stable organizational structure and a supportive administrative apparatus. This increases the efficiency of collective activities and enhance the organization’s ability to affect the understandings, environment, and interests of states. † In their book on International Organization Karns and Mingst say that â€Å"IGOs do not only create opportunities for their member states, but also exercise influence and impose constraints on their member states’ policies and processes† which aids in forcing governments to take positions on international or domestic issues of concern. They also facilitate the creation of principles, norms, and rules of behavior with which states must align their policies if they wish to benefit from reciprocity. For example, China’s admission to the World Trade Organization and how this has affected its national policies and required extensive governmental reforms. Secondly, International Non Governmental Organizations; herein referred to as INGOs will be discussed. INGOs are institutions that are established by non-state actors or at least one side of these organizations is not states. They can generally be defined as private, voluntary, non-profit, self-governing, professional organizations with a distinctive legal character concerned with public welfare aims. INGOs unlike IGOs are not created by treaties or states but rather private people and organizations and usual encompass more than three states and therefore cannot be bilateral. They employ limited resources to make rules, set standards, procreate principles and broadly represent more ‘humanity’ than states and other actors do. There are many kinds of NGOs such as transnational, government organized, government-regulated and initiated, business and industry, donor-organized, donor-dominated, people’s organizations, operational, advocacy, transnational social movements, quasi, and anti-governmental NGOs. Their number increased (more than 23,000 in the early 1990s) and their effectiveness for transnational politics became more relevant in recent decades. They have become â€Å"crucial participants in the international policy process† says Brown (1995). Some INGOs are formed to dvocate a particular cause such as human rights, peace, or environmental protection. While others are established to provide services such as disaster relief, humanitarian aid in war-torn societies, or development assistance. Many INGOs are transnational federations involving formal, long-term links among national groups. Examples include the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Wildlife Fund, Transparency International, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Save the Children. INGOs’ governance functions parallel many functions provided by IGOs and, like IGOs, they can be analyzed as both pieces of and actors in global governance. As pieces of governance, INGOs function to provide processes at many levels to pressure or persuade individuals, governments, IGOs, corporations, and other actors to improve human rights records, protect the environment, tackle corruption, create a ban on landmines, or intervene in conflicts such as that in the Darfur region of Sudan. Some IGOs, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), World Tourism Organization, and the UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), provide for INGOs roles in their governance. As a result of global trends to privatize activities previously controlled by governments, services once provided by governments or IGOs are now often contracted out to INGOs. INGOs are important pieces of global governance because of the ways they enable individuals to act publicly through creating networks, and volunteering and this makes them useful links between the domestic and international communities and institutions. In this sense, they function as communicators among multiple levels of governance. Both Intergovernmental Organisations and International Non-governmental Organizations are of growing significance in the international community. The proliferation of non-state actors has recently led some observers of international relations to conclude that states are declining in importance and that non-state actors are gaining status and influence. New theories of international relations such as the â€Å"complex interdependence† of Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye (1989) were formed in order to explain new developments. Kegley and Wittkoph (1995) accurately point out that â€Å"as the world grown smaller, the mutual dependence of nation-states and other transnational political actors on one another has grown† Their significance can be noted not only through their international presence but also through their voice and ability to hold governments accountable for not abiding by the standards set forth through their organizations. The benefits of these two types of all the international organizations has usually been seen through its welfare improvement of member countries and its importance lies in the following: 1.  International organizations, such as International Trade Centre and World Trade Organization, assist member countries in promoting fair trade with each other. 2. The aim of the international organizations, such as Natural Capitalism and International Development Research Centre, is to enhance sustainable economic development in the world. 3. The World Bank and Institute of International Finance are international organizations that provide monetary help to member countries. 4. The purpose of the incorporation of international organizations, such as Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme, is to provide food security to member nations. 5. The endeavor of international organizations, such as Global Environment Facility and United Nations Environment Programme, is to ensure environmental protection. 6. The protection of human rights is ensured by international organizations, such as the ICJ and Amnesty International. 7.  Emergency/disaster relief is taken care of by several international organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and ReliefWeb. 8. The WHO helps member countries promote health care and facilities. Most countries though, perceive that there are benefits to participating in IGOs and international regimes even when it is costly. South Africa never withdrew from the UN over the long years when it was repeatedly condemned for its policies of apartheid. Iraq did not withdraw from the UN when it was subject to more than a decade of stringent sanctions. China spent fourteen years negotiating the terms of its entry into the international trade system and undertaking changes in laws and policies required to bring itself into compliance with WTO rules. Additionally , INGOs too are increasingly active today at all levels of human society and governance, from local or grassroots communities to national and international politics. Many national-level groups, often called interest or pressure groups, are now linked to counterpart groups in other countries through networks or federations. International NGOs, like IGOs, may draw their members from more than one country, and they may have very specific functions or be multifunctional. IGOs have been proven to decrease the cost of information gathering which is more important for poor and small countries. Without the UN, many states are unable to obtain information about the international society and politics. Activities of IGOs, such as the UN and the IMF, are decisive for most small countries. They may impose their principles on them more easily than on big powers. Most governments; especially in less developed countries face serious resource constraints limiting their ability to apply the provisions of regimes to areas and activities under their jurisdiction. And in spite of the fact that international organizations are utilized by powerful nation-states, these states do not hold full power over IGOs. IGOs however do have notable influence in international and on the most powerful state, the United States (Karns and Mingst). IGOs have been especially successful in their effectiveness in economic issue areas is also considerably high. For example, the IMF and the World Bank are very effective in money flowing, debt management and financing debt issues between the rich and poor countries. Though still effective, IGOs are less influential in issues of high politics such as political and security issues. INGOs too play an increasingly important role in world politics through agencies, such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International who draw attention to issues of world-wide concern, promote international co-operation and they have a significant impact on the global dissemination of ideas, values and knowledge. One of the major challenges being faced by international organizations however is integrating developing countries on various measures. Health related issues, such as infant mortality in developing countries are also of great challenge. Some other challenges that international organizations are facing are in the filed of intellectual property rights, trade in services and investment measures in relation to trade. Also seen as future difficulties in the international system is the issue of multilateral liberalization due to growing regionalism and the reformation of world trade.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Whole Foods Market in 2010 Vision, Core Values, and Strategy

Whole Foods Market in 2010: Vision, Core Values, and Strategy 1. What are the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing? The chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing are providing foods labeled natural and organic. Whole Foods executes that by offers the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful naturally preserved and fresh foods available. 2. Is Whole Foods’ strategy well matched to market conditions in the food retailing industry (one of the criteria for a winning strategy discussed in Chapter 1)? Yes, Whole Foods’ strategy is well matched to the market conditions. Their product line strategy is focused on providing natural, organic, and gourmet food and nonfood†¦show more content†¦I feel this is becoming more important for people to give their money to a company that is willing to give back to their community and is ethically and morally sound. Knowing that my money spent is going back to those around me and also to people in need makes me feel better than it just doesn’t stop at the kitchen table. 5. Does the mission/vision (case Exhibit 3) really matter at this company or are they just nice words and cosmetic window dressing? Explain. The seven core values of Whole Foods are the basis on how their business is conducted. These are not just empty words on a page. I believe because of these values is the main reason behind the success of Whole Foods. The company does strive from the highest quality of natural and organic products available. When it comes to their customers Whole Foods has top notch service. They provide cooking classes to help their customers learn how to cook more nutritious. I could go down the list of the values and describe how Whole Foods implements each on but the bottom line is they use them in everyday business. These values create a balanced way of doing business. 6. Do Whole Foods Market’s core values as presented in case Exhibit 3 really matter? Are they â€Å"real† or just cosmetic window dressing? What evidence can you cite to support your answer? Answered in question 5? 7. Have Whole Foods’ core values contributed to the company’s success? Why or why not? Yes,Show MoreRelatedWhole Foods1021 Words   |  5 PagesWhole Foods Market in 2010 Core Values and Strategy Wilmington University Name: Whitney Newman Date 1/13/13 Overview: Provide a brief overview of the company. Include such details as its history, present day situation, and any other pertinent information you think is helpful in understanding the company (points 5) * Whole Foods Market was founded in 1980 working with natural and healthy foods in Austin, Texas; it’s one of the world’s largest of natural and organic foods supermarkets. In 2009Read MoreWhole Foods1021 Words   |  5 PagesWhole Foods Market in 2010 Core Values and Strategy Wilmington University Name: Whitney Newman Date 1/13/13 Overview: Provide a brief overview of the company. Include such details as its history, present day situation, and any other pertinent information you think is helpful in understanding the company (points 5) * Whole Foods Market was founded in 1980 working with natural and healthy foods in Austin, Texas; it’s one of the world’s largest of natural and organic foods supermarkets. InRead MoreEssay on Whole Foods Market in 20101265 Words   |  6 PagesResponse Whole Foods Market in 2010: Vision, Core Values and Strategy Submitted for MGT 622 (Section 90) Strategic Management Dr. Tara Davis By: Michael Bond May 26, 2013 As you read about Whole Foods and their specific strategies what struck you as positives and/or negatives. Are there certain strategic elements that were particularly insightful about what Whole Foods does? 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This case study analysis concludes that Whole Foods Market has a very good business strategy, has a strong, clear vision, and lives by its core values. With only a few minorRead MoreWhole Foods Case Study1568 Words   |  7 PagesNick Zawisa Strategic Management September 23, 2010 Case Study: Whole Foods Market Since 1980, Whole Foods Markets has grown from a small local store in Austin, Texas, to the largest retail chain of natural and organic foods in the United States. Whole Foods has been leading the natural and organic foods movement across the United States, working to gain acceptance among the growing number of consumers interested in eating healthier foods. The company has built a reputation for being selectiveRead MoreWhole Foods - Swot Porters Five3728 Words   |  15 PagesWhole Food’s Strategic Analysis Case Study September 11, 2011 Table of Contents Whole Food’s Strategic Analysis Case Study 3 Whole Foods Winning Strategy 4 Whole Foods Vision and Core Values 6 Whole Foods Competitive Advantage 7 Whole Foods Market Financially Sound 10 Whole Foods Strategic Recommendations 13 Reference 15 Table of Figures Figure 1: Whole Foods Market - SWOT analysis 3 Figure 2: Porter’s Five Forces Summary 8 Figure 3: Whole Foods Market - Trend Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦