Hume vs Kant: Causality

Hume s ultimate goal in his philosophic endeavors was to undermine abstruse Philosophy. By focusing on the aspect of reason, Hume shows there are limitations to philosophy. Since he did not know the limits, he proposed to use reason to the best of his ability, but when he came to a boundary, that was the limit. He conjectured that we must study reason to find out what is beyond the capability of reason. Hume began his first examination if the mind by classifying its contents as Perceptions. Here therefore [he divided] all the perceptions of the mind into two classes or species. First, Impressions represented an image of something that portrayed an immediate relationship. Secondly, there were thoughts and ideas, which constituted the less vivid impressions. For example, the recalling of a memory. From this distinction, Hume decreed that all ideas had origin within impressions. From the distinction of perceptions, Hume created his microscope in order to trace all ideas back to impressions. He did this to search for the limits. If an idea could not be traced back to its impression, it was too abstruse. Hume separated the objects of human reason into two categories. First, the relation of ideas, which represented all that is a priori. Secondly, he created the category of matters of fact. Matters of fact made up the a posteriori piece of the spectrum of reason. Matters of fact are contingent, meaning they could be otherwise. In order to go beyond the objects of human reason, Hume proposed that reasoning was based upon cause and effect. Causal relations help us to know things beyond our immediate vicinity. All of our knowledge is based on experience. Therefore, we need experience to come to causal relationships of the world and experience constant conjunction. Hume stated that he shall venture to affirm, as a general proposition which admits no exception, that the knowledge of this relation is not in any instance, attained by reasonings a priori, but arises entirely from experience. (42) Unfortunately, our experience of constant conjunction only tells us about the past. Rationally, that is all it tells us. We can expect the effect to follow the cause, but it is not a sufficient basis to assume the effect will come from the cause in the future. These things are contingent- they could be different. The connection between these two propositions is not intuitive it is always inferred. Hume asserted that the future will resemble the past. This is the assumption underlying all our ideas of causality. If the future does not resemble the past, then all our reason based on cause and effect will crumble. When Hume proposed questions such as Is there any more intelligible proposition then to affirm that all trees will flourish in December and January, and will decay in May and June? (49), Hume demonstrates that it is not a relation of ideas that future will resemble the past; it is possible that the course of nature will change. Therefore, what happens in the future is neither a relation of ideas, nor a matter of fact. It is impossible, therefore, that any arguments from experience can prove this resemblance of past to future, since all these arguments are founded on the supposition of that resemblance. (51) Now Hume proposed that all inferences come from custom, not reasoning. Through custom or habits, we have become accustomed to expect an effect to follow a cause. This is not a rational argument. This argument centers on the theory of constant conjunction, which does not fall under either fork of reason. All inferences from experience, therefore, are effects of custom, not reasoning. (57) Hume analyzed the idea of causality by emphasizing the three demands that can be verified through observation. First he argued the aspect of constant conjunction. In this aspect, the cause and effect must be spatially and constantly existent. Secondly, he asserted that it must have temporal priority, in that, the cause had to precede the effect. Lastly, the event must have a necessary connection- we must develop an understanding of why a cause produces a certain effect. Hume s critique of causation is that we cannot see it, we must infer it. For example, two billiard balls, one moving toward the next demonstrate temporal priority because one ball is moving first. Secondly, constant conjunction occurs because the balls exist together spatially and constantly. But, there is no necessary reason why this happens. Hume asserted that we can imagine a world in which the effect would be different. He then concluded that we can t get an impression of a necessary connection, we can only experience constant conjunction and temporal priority. Experience only teaches us how one event constantly follows another, without instructing us in the secret connection which binds them together. We therefore conclude that reason is a limited faculty and that we have no reason to trust our common methods of argument or to think that our usual analogies and probabilities have any authority. (83) In conclusion, Hume asserted that since we do not have any impression of necessary connections, it is our expectation that believes the effect will follow the cause. The appearance of a cause always conveys the mind, by a customary transition, to the idea of the effect. (87) Since we are trained to expect the impression of necessary connection, the idea of it comes from our minds. Therefore, our belief in necessary connections of the universe is based on a rational facts. Immanuel Kant, a philosopher after Hume, sets out to reform metaphysics. Kant believed that if Hume was right, metaphysics would be impossible. But, Kant was unwilling to surrender to Hume s skeptical argument, so Kant sets out to do a critique in order to explore the possibilities and reform metaphysics. Kant begins his critique searching for a priori knowledge within philosophy. Kant began to search for the a priori principles that were rationally deductible in order to explain why we perceive the things we cannot perceive. Kant believed that the only way that we could get to things necessary and universal was through a priori. Kant found that the concept of the connection of cause and effect was by no means the only concept by which the understanding thinks the connection of things a priori, but rather that metaphysics consists altogether of such concepts. (8) Kant began to examine pure a priori reason by establishing his critique. He stated that there are boundaries and contents. He set out to find what is inside the limitations and what is outside. Kant examined the three bodies of knowledge: math, physical science and metaphysics. Kant said that science must have necessity and universality. This places math and science within reason. Kant first divided judgement into two kinds of knowledge- analytic and synthetic. In the Prolegomena, Kant criticized Hume for having regarded mathematical judgements as analytic. Had he realized that they were synthetic, Hume would have been able to conclude that some synthetic judgements can be made a prior. Kant concluded that math and science fell under a priori synthetic judgements. This gives us universality, but it also tells us something. For Kant, knowledge must be necessary and universal qualities must come from a priori synthetic judgements. They have to tell us something we don t know, something completely independent of experience. This idea of Kant s, completely contradicts Hume. Hume had asserted that anything based on empirical facts had no necessity, and therefore was contingent. Hume also stated that empirical facts couldn t give us universality either, because we can t know future will resemble the past. Kant stated that all Hume s beliefs centered upon the fact that nothing but experience could furnish us with such connections. For Hume, all science was empirical, and we could only know what happened so far. In contrast, for Kant, he said that scientific laws claim necessity and universality. It is only from a priori that we get universality and necessity. Kant then continued his critique to decipher if metaphysics is possible. Kant separated the faculties of the mind and the way it thinks into three distinctive categories. First, he stated that math was exhibited through intuition. The forms of intuition were a priori and had two capacities. First, intuition gave us space and time through pure intuition, and sensory data through empirical intuition. Then, Kant set up a metaphysical distinction between numena and phenomena. Numena represents the things in themselves, while phenomena represents the things for us. In this dichotomy we have no access to numena. The only way we can get to things outside us is through intuition, but intuition has these forms. This shows our limitations. Mathematics is not applicable to numena. We can have mathematical knowledge of phenomena. From this we can infer we have inter-subjective knowledge. Kant has given us universal and necessary knowledge in the phenomenal realm. Kant points out that the error may arise owing to an illusion, in which [he proclaim] to be universally valid what is merely a subjective condition of the intuition of thing and certain only of all objects of senses, namely for all possible experience. (39) Kant has just suggested that the error and base for all metaphysics is not distinguishing between phenomena and numena. Finally, Kant explained that everything is a distinction of phenomena and numena. We receive necessity and universality through this distinction and also from the projection that phenomena comes from certain a priori aspects. Therefore, the future will resemble the past, because we make it resemble the past. Kant used understanding, the second faculty of the mind to explain causality. As the understanding stands in need of categories for experience, reason contains in itself the source of ideas. (76) The function of understanding is thinking, and thinking must use concepts to be an objective thought. The presence of this objective thought verifies its actuality. Therefore, causality, for Kant, was the way in which mind puts together experiences to understand them. Kant found many problems within Hume s account. Through his endeavors to prove that metaphysics is possible, and his analyzing of causality, Kant solved the problems he saw within Hume s account. Specifically, in the Prolegomena, Kant stated that Hume justly maintains that we cannot comprehend by reason the possibility of causality. (57) Kant also attacked Hume s ideas by describing Hume s treatment of the concept of causality to be a bastard of the imagination, impregnated by experience. (5) Kant succeeded in re- establishing the objectivity of causality, a task that Hume had rejected as impossible.

Renal Cyst Ultrasonic Differential Diagnosis Health And Social Care Essay

With the aid of ultrasonography simple cysts, complex cysts and solid multitudes can be identified. Simple cysts may non necessitate surgical intercession but complex cysts and solid nephritic multitudes should be farther evaluated and decently managed. Nephritic cysts are common nephritic mass. Their frequence addition with age and they are present in half the population above the age of 50. The etiology of nephritic cysts is non known, but it is possible that they form from the epithelial giantism of tubules or roll uping canals, with ensuing distention of the uriniferous tubule. This would explicate why cysts enlarge over clip, and the engagement of next uriniferous tubules might explicate why thin septations develop2. Elkin and Bernstein classified nephritic cysts ; ( 1 ) renal cysts due to dysplasia of the kidney ; ( 2 ) polycystic disease ; ( 3 ) cortical cysts ; ( 4 ) medullary cysts ; ( 5 ) assorted intrarenal cysts ; ( 6 ) extraparenchymal nephritic cysts. Ultrasound standards for the diagnosing of a simple nephritic cyst includes ( 1 ) Spherical or egg-shaped form ; ( 2 ) absence of internal reverberations ; ( 3 ) presence of a thin, smooth wall that is separate from the environing parenchyma ; and ( 4 ) sweetening of the buttocks wall, bespeaking ultrasound transmittal through the water-filled cyst3. The object of survey was to observe the supersonic differential diagnosing of nephritic cysts, because echography is a uniquely safe and non-invasive agencies of imaging internal anatomy. Nephritic cysts are common incidental findings on echography but may besides organize portion of specific disease procedure. Differentiation of the forms of the cystic disease is necessary for diagnosis4.Patients AND METHODS:The survey was conducted between January 2007 to April 2008 at the section of Radiology and Urology, Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana. 100 ( Symptomatic or Asymptomatic ) patients of either sex with nephritic cysts who were detected on echography were included in the survey. Along with history, physical scrutiny nephritic echography was performed to see the site, size and figure of cysts. A nephritic ultrasound is a radiological survey of the kidneys that can look at the kidneys in cross subdivision. Position of the patient for right kidney scanning supine, left posterior oblique, left sidelong decubitus, and prone as needed. For left kidney scanning right sidelong decubitus, prone as needed. Different patient places were used whenever the suggested place does non give the coveted consequences. Just Vision 400 ultrasound machine by Toshiba with 3.5 MHz convex ( multi frequence ) investigation was used for kidneys scrutiny. No readying was required for ultrasound scrutiny.Consequence:From January 2007 to April 2008, hundred patients were included in the survey. 72 were males and 28 were females. Male to female ratio was 2.5:1. Age ranges were between 1-100 old ages ( Table-1 ) . Of the one hundred patients 40 presented with symptoms but 60s were symptomless. Among 40 diagnostic patients the most clinical presentation associated with nephritic cyst in this survey was di abetes mellitus 10 ( 25 % ) and abdominal hurting 7 ( 17.5 % ) ( Table-2 ) . Among 100 patients differential diagnosing of nephritic cyst in 89 ( 89 % ) patient simple nephritic cysts were detected, hydronephrosis in 7 ( 7 % ) , medical nephritic disease in 2 ( 2 % ) , polycystic disease in 1 ( 1 % ) , haematoma in 1 ( 1 % ) were observed ( Table-3 ) . Of the 89 patients of simple nephritic cysts 57 ( 64 % ) were cortical cysts, 4 ( 4.5 % ) medullary cysts, 22 ( 25 % ) parenchymal cysts, 4 ( 4.5 % ) Para pelvic cysts, 2 ( 2.2 % ) extra parenchymal cysts. Different sizes of simple nephritic cysts were measured ranged from 1mm to 100 millimeters, 3 ( 03.40 % ) steps ( 01-10 ) millimeter, 25 ( 28.40 % ) steps ( 10-20 ) millimeter, 11 ( 12.50 % ) steps ( 20-30 ) millimeter, 27 ( 30.33 % ) steps ( 30-40 ) millimeter, 9 ( 10.22 % ) steps ( 40-50 ) millimeter, 5 ( 05.28 % ) steps ( 50-60 ) millimeter, 3 ( 03.40 % ) steps ( 90-100 ) millimeter and 6 ( 06.81 % ) measures variable sizes. ( Fig: ) . Cystic standards were besides assessed through 89 patients. Along this series the most frequent type of loculation in assorted nephritic cyst was uniloculated 87 ( 98 % ) and 2 ( 2 % ) were biloculated. 91 ( 91 % ) instances presented as one-sided simple nephritic cyst, 9 ( 9 % ) instances as bilateral simple nephritic cyst and multiple cysts nine in figure. Internal echogenisity of simple nephritic cyst in this survey revealed there were 100 ( 100 % ) takes all features of simple nephritic cyst anechoic or echo-free with absence of internal reverberations. In 89 patients of simple nephritic cysts concomitant sonographic abnormalcies were detected. Fatty liver were the most common accompaniment with simple nephritic cyst during this survey ( 4 Patients ) . There was one instance showed benign prostate. Others each instance for nephritic rock, pleural gush, enlarged prostate secretory organ, nephritic expansion, cut down kidney size, ectopic kidney, nephritic organ transpla nt and angiomyolipoma ( Table-4 ) .Discussion:This survey was carried out on 100 patients in whom nephritic cysts were identified sonographically, 72 % were male patients and 28 % were females. So males were more affected in our survey than females. Previous survey by Hanna et Al confirmed that, the distribution is equal between males and females5. In our series 89 % of instances were diagnosed as simple nephritic cyst which represent the most common differential diagnosing of nephritic cysts followed by, 7 % hydronephrosis, 2 % medical nephritic disease, 1 % polycystic kidney disease, 1 % haematoma. There was no instance presented with nephritic dysplasia. .Study by Yamagishi et Al confirmed that, thorough reappraisal of household history can besides add valuable information. Differential diagnosing should include multicystic and polycystic kidney disease and structural anomalousnesss such as duplicate and calyceal diverticula, tumour, abscess and haematoma may be considered, but t hey most probably will hold internal reverberations. Although nephritic cysts can be seen in chromosomal abnormalcies, there are normally other anomalousnesss present6. When cystic lesion is seen in the upper pole, an adrenal beginning must besides be considered. Finally, a cystic teratoma of the retro peritoneum can be considered. The youngest patient was 3 old ages old male child with mean size of left kidney showed mild back force per unit area alteration with good parenchymal thickness, dilated nephritic pelvic girdle and ureter down to bladder. Umbilical hernia noted with defect at anterior abdominal wall steps ( 7mm ) with enteric cringles seen go throughing through. The eldest patient was 95 old ages old male with bilateral simple parenchymal cyst. The highest incidence of simple nephritic cyst in 6th and 7th decennaries of life. While the lowest incidence in 1st and 2nd decennaries. Previous surveies confirmed that, the pathogenesis of nephritic cyst is non wholly known. Because of increasing frequence of nephritic cysts with age ( they are found in over 50 % of people over 50 old ages of age ) . It has been suggested that cyst formation is acquired- a consequence of the aging process5,7. Another theory suggests that cysts are developmental in beginning. During nephritic organogenesis, the 2nd to 4th coevals of uriniferous tubules, ensuing in cyst formation 8. Among 40 diagnostic patients the most clinical presentation associated with nephritic cyst in this survey was diabetes mellitus 10 ( 25 % ) and abdominal hurting 7 ( 17.5 % ) they were more often associated with simple cyst, there were 60 patients symptomless normally associated with nephritic cysts. Previous surveies confirmed that, highlight a figure of facets refering to simple nephritic cysts. First, most instances are symptomless and are best treated cautiously by regular ultrasound follow up. Last, as the natural history of simple cyst is non known, long- term sonographic followup is recommended ; simple cysts can be the initial manifestation of autosomal dominant polycystic disease in a child9,10. Sonographic rating of nephritic cyst revealed that simple visual aspects were most normally seen in nephritic cysts and limited polycystic disease and haematoma. Along this series among 89 patients of simple nephritic cysts the most frequent type of loculation in assorted nephritic cyst was uniloculated 87 ( 98 % ) and 2 ( 2 % ) were biloculated. The major sonographic findings of wall thickness and regularity were thin and regular walls, that more presented in nephritic cysts. There were ( 57 of 89 ) were cortical cyst, ( 22 of 89 ) were parenchymal cyst, ( 4 of 89 ) were medullary cyst, ( 4 of 89 ) were parapelvic cyst and ( 2 of 89 ) were extraparenchymal cyst. Previous survey confirmed that, the upper pole is the most common site5. Normally the cysts are lone but may be multiple. As was seen in this survey, 91 ( 91 % ) instances presented as one-sided simple nephritic cyst, 9 ( 9 % ) instances as bilateral simple nephritic cyst and multiple cyst nine in figure. Previous survey confirmed that, the distribution is equal between right and left kidneys5. Internal echogenisity of simple nephritic cyst in this survey revealed there were ( 100 % ) takes all features of simple nephritic cyst anechoic or echo-free with absence of internal reverberations. Previous survey confirmed that, many incidental nephritic multitudes are discovered on abdominal ultrasound examinations11. When the ultrasound standards for a simple cyst are met, the likeliness of malignance is highly little. Asymptomatic patients with incidental nephritic cysts that meet these standards require no extra rating. Fatty liver were the most common accompaniment with simple nephritic cyst during this survey ( 4 Patients ) . There was one instance showed benign prostate. Others each instance for nephritic rock, pleural gush, enlarged prostate secretory organ, nephritic expansion, cut down kidney size, ectopic kidney, nephritic organ transplant and angiomyolipoma. Fatty liver were the more frequent attendant disease in association with simple nephritic cyst were detected as an incidental sonographic happening during this survey. Previous survey confirmed that, simple nephritic cyst has controversy related to high blood pressure and nephritic disfunction. There was ( 6 of 40 ) ( 15 % ) high blood pressure patients during this survey. Different sizes of 89 simple nephritic cysts were measured, 3 ( 03.40 % ) steps ( 01-10 ) millimeter, 25 ( 28.40 % ) steps ( 10-20 ) millimeter, 11 ( 12.50 % ) steps ( 20-30 ) millimeter, 27 ( 30.33 % ) steps ( 30-40 ) millimeter, 9 ( 10.22 % ) steps ( 40-50 ) millimeter, 5 ( 05.28 % ) steps ( 50-60 ) millimeter, 3 ( 03.40 % ) steps ( 90-100 ) millimeter and 6 ( 06.81 % ) measures variable sizes. Pervious survey confirmed that size scope from really little to really big in diameter. By and large ultrasound detected all nephritic cysts, while CT scan used to corroborate the diagnosing and picked up of peripherally located and cystic multitudes. Two instances were aspirated under ultrasound counsel, were clear fluid.Decision:The most common differential diagnosing of nephritic cyst is simple cortical nephritic cyst with highest incidence in 6th and 7th decennaries of life. The least common is polycystic kidney disease or haematoma. Out of this survey we believe more that ultrasound is the individual cost effectual mean in sensing of nephritic cyst.

Analysing the Marketing strategy of Temenos

Analysing the Marketing strategy of Temenos This report focuses on the marketing strategy of Temenos and its position relative to competitors. It basically falls in the category of Business 2 Business sales. In the beginning it describes major factors affecting the sales of the core banking solution concisely and then includes the environmental analysis of US market for Temenos. Furthermore, current challenges Temenos faces in US market. In addition to that, report also comprises of 4p analysis and segementation, targeting & positioning strategies of Temenos. Company Background According to Temenos website, â€Å"Group AG is the market leading provider of banking software systems to retail, corporate, universal, private, Islamic and microfinance & community banks. Headquartered in Geneva with 56 offices worldwide, Temenos serves over 1,000 financial institutions in more than 125 countries across the world†. Business Buying Decision Process B2B decision process is mostly extracted from the study conducted by Dr. S. S. S atchidananda (2006) and from the book of Soloman(2009). Problem Recognition When technology is out dated and consider as hindrance for the growth of the business. System is unable to align with other modern systems. Maintenance of legacy system becomes too costly. Inability to handle new regulation. Scalability issue Information Search Firstly client needs to identify its current and perceptible future needs and then select the option on the basis of the requirement. Two basic options are available for the banks, advantages and disadvantages are mentioned in Appendix (A) figure (1.1). In case of integrated solution, vendors are selected that matches the requirements and constraints of the client. Vendor’s existence and credibility is considered as the decisive factor in the selection of vendor along with the methodology proposed by the vendor. Evaluation of Options After evaluating above mentioned criteria, one or two vendors are selected and they will be invited to Point of care (POC) and then planned a visit to vendor’s customer for evaluating the POC scenarios on production or real time environment. Post Purchase Evaluation Temenos used to do post purchase evaluation by conducting structured interviews and publishing case studies that are readily available on their web sites. The Environment 3.1 Macro Environment 3.1.1 Political Current financial crises lead to political instability and results in the introduction of new regulations and reforms particularly effecting banking industry. US congress has recently agreed a bill containing biggest overhaul of banking regulations since 1930(BBC News Business, 25th June 2010).Banks have lobbied against the legislation and launch an active campaign against the new regulation. Barack Obama has criticized banks for lobbying and spending huge amount of money on campaigns against the bill (BBC, 2010). Current defeat of democrats in US mid-term elections resulting in losing control over house of representat ive and consequently reducing majority margin in senate (Midterms Show Voters Stillà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, 2010). 3.1.2 Economical United States economy is in the phase of recovering from one of the most severe financial crises. GDP has grown by 2% mostly due to consumer spending. Additionally, business investment in software and equipment has surged by 12% and government spending increased by 3.4%. Although economy is showing some sign of recovery but still dollars in continuously weakening and unemployment rate increases (Julia Kollewe, 2010).

Develop and implement a diversity policy at work place Essay

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Management info Systems Individual work wk9 Essay

Management info Systems Individual work wk9 - Essay Example This information can be quickly disseminated if the appropriate information-sharing technologies are put in place. These technologies also need support from networks that are capable of global communication (Hossein,2013). Global Information systems are defined in two ways; control and coordination. A control centered global information system is characterized by a centralized data architecture that is used across the organization. This structure is characterized by standard report formats, and the system is designed to track the performance of the organization. The coordination centered global information system is characterized by decentralized data architecture. Each department in the organization has an element of standardization within it and is capable of communicating these standards to other departments. The technologies used support informal communication and the encouraged socialization (Hossein, 2013). There are numerous factors that are crucial to any global information system. These are the operational and strategic requirements. Operational requirements entail the ability of a global information system to provide support for daily activities within the organization. It should also provide consolidated global reporting, ease of communication between the head organization and its branches across the world and management of short –term foreign exchange risks. Strategic requirements entail the ability of the information system to provide support for long-term goals. These include management of long-term foreign exchange risks, global risks, and political risks. The design and execution of global information systems face various obstacles. Lack of standardization across the countries in the world is one major factor. The differences in time zones, language barriers, taxation policies, and language barriers pose an enormous challenge in the development of global information systems. The lack of

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Bussiness research - Essay Example Please complete all questions by mark â€Å"√† in the ( ) or space given below in the following question. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Questionnaires are the mostly used data collection tools since they are cheap to administer as compared to other data collection methods and also because the respondents are free to air their own opinions (Freed, M. et al. 1991). In order to have a questionnaire with the required scientific rigor, the research approached its design with following in mind; The research went through the research objective; assessing the exercise behaviours and satisfaction levels of the members and came up with the important aspects which are important captured in order to aid in the achievement of the objective. Questions like gender of the member, age, member number and whether he/she was a student, member of staff or member of the public were considered as were deemed important to the study. According to the researcher, different age groups have different satisfaction levels. Also gender is an important determinant of satisfaction levels as also the primary exercises depend on ones gender. Further, it was thought that the length of stay in the USC had an important role to play in satisfaction and also recommendations. The researcher thought of the different exercises offered by USC as being important in the survey objective of assessing exercise behaviours and satisfaction levels. In this world full of competition, the researcher decided to evaluate the

Governments Crime Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Governments Crime Strategy - Essay Example These programs only started when people started to realize that arrest and punishment was not the only way out of crimes because punishment can only be awarded when a person has already committed a crime. To cut off the roots of crime it is essential to stop the crime from being committed and this is what exactly the motive of these programs is. One such program launched by the government on 29th November 1999 is set to tackle all the problems suffered by the general public. The new Crime Reduction Strategy set out by the government is set to remove all the problems of crime happening in the UK. Different approaches of handling crime are given out by this strategy which is aimed at lowering the crime rates in accordance to their level. Furthermore this strategy is bound to apply to all the major departments in which the crime rate is high. The major point of this strategy is that the government is also urging the local authorities to help them in curbing the crime. This strategy has been well thought and researched, however on the contrary loopholes can still be viewed in the government's policy. This essay would further describe the short comings of the strategy with accordance to its implementations and approaches. The Governments Crime Reduction Strategy aims to reduce all the crime happenings in the UK. To do this firstly they aim to raise the performance of the police and Crime & Disorder reduction partnership. The policy has set out particular points and invested a hefty amount of budget to bring up the forces together. However in my view the problem with raising the performance is that proper research has not be done in regard to both these units. The research which should have been done would show as to in which areas are these forces lacking and as to how these areas should be met according to the requirements of the forces. Similarly the policy tends to provide both these units with an adequate number of officers but do not lay down a plan to collaborate with the local authorities. To curb out crime it is necessary that the authorities have a strong hold over the local authorities who can inform the forces about the wrongs of the area. Similarly the corruption inside the forces itself is not laid down by the policy and the corruption (if there is any) might prevail even after the proposed initiatives of the plan. The force should not only be trained properly but should be given experience by keeping the trainees at different levels. They should be given expertise by the senior executives who have already gone through the situations of crime. A DNA database would not resolve all the issues of vehicle tracking and burglary, innovative measures such as closed circuit television systems should be installed to avoid burglaries to happen. The main aim of the strategy is to reduce burglary and property crime, however other crimes such as killing and knife crime is also common in the areas. The strategy should not be oriented towards certain crimes but it should target all the crimes which are happening in the areas. Similarly the assumption that if the manufacturers produce good quality products for housing purposes then the burglaries would lower down is wrong. As the burglars usually tend to track down the housing make and then commit the act. Similarly increasing the punishments for committing a crime is not a necessary step which would greatly lower the crime rates, but at times it can even provoke the punished one to commit even serious

African Americans and the Prison System Essay Example for Free

African Americans and the Prison System Essay I. The History of Oppression and African Americans? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K.. III. The lasting effects of slavery: continuous oppression? K? K? K? K? K? K? K a. The lost sense of culture and cultural pride: Feeling of inferiority b. No economic foundation c. Unleveled playing field IV. Maintaining oppression? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K. PART 2 : THE NEW AGE SLAVERY: The Prison System I. The Prison Institution? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K II. Race and the Prison System? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K.. III. The lasting oppression? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K.. IV. The effects of oppression? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K a. Demise of the Black family b. Lost political voice V. Solutions? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K. VI. Closing? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K I. Introduction In the book the Mugging of Black America, Earl Ofari Hutchinson relays an interesting experience by a reporter. The reporter, who spent two and a half hours watching suspects march before Washington, D. C. Superior Court Judge Morton Berg, noted that all but one of these subjects was Black. He stated, ?  §There is an odd air about the swift afternoon? Xan atmosphere like that of British Africa in colonial times? Xas the procession of tattered, troubled, scowling, poor blacks plead guilty or not guilty to charges of drug possession, drug distribution, assault, armed robbery, theft, breaking in, fraud and arson. According to Hutchinson, the reporter witnessed more than a courtroom scene; he witnessed the legacy of slavery. This paper will attempt expand on Hutchinson?  ¦s theory. It will do so by first describing slavery and its lasting impact then it will attempt to show how the current criminal justice system mirrors slavery. PART 1: Slavery I. The History of Oppression and African Americans The history of the oppression as it relates to African Americans began in 1619. It was this year in which a Dutch ship brought the first slaves from Africa to North America. Following this arrival of twenty Africans in Virginia, white European-Americans created the institution of slavery. Slavery spread so quickly that by 1860 the original twenty slaves turned into nearly four million. In the beginning the legal status of these Africans was undefined. This absent definition created a lack of certainty which allowed for some slaves to become free after years of service. This only lasted briefly. In the 1660s, however, the colonies began enacting laws that defined and regulated slaves and the institution of slavery. One of the most important of these was the provision that black slaves, and the children of slave women, would serve for life. These ?  §breeding laws were just the beginning. Soon, slavery in the United States was governed by a body of laws developed from the 1660s to the 1860s. Even though every slave state had its own slave code and case law, it became universal that slavery was a permanent condition. In addition to slavery being a permanent condition, slaves were also, under these laws, considered property. Slaves, being property, could not own property or be a party to a contract. Since marriage is a form of a contract, slave marriages had no legal standing. Most codes also had sections regulating free blacks. Under these codes blacks who were not slaves were still subject to controls on their movements and employment. These laws served not only as a physical limitation, but an ideological one also. In addition to granting slave owners and white people power over slaves and in some cases free blacks, the laws also granted slaveholders and white-Europeans an intangible source of power. Socially, the institution of slavery allowed white slave owners to believe they had not only physical control, but physical and mental superiority over the slaves. With only a few exceptions, all slaves were Africans. This fact placed the label of inferiority on black skin. The actual institution of slavery as it relates to master and slave lasted up in till the Civil war. The American Civil War was fought, in part, over slavery. During the war, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which ?  §freed all slaves. This seemingly, brought the end of slavery throughout the United States, but unfortunately left a lasting impression. From this point on slavery took on a new form as former slaves being associated with the label of inferiority. II. The lasting effects of slavery: continuous oppression Slavery is defined by Webster?  ¦s dictionary as ?  §The state of being under the control of another person . Aalthough the actual physical control and violence supposedly ended after the emancipation proclamation, The intangible theory of supremacy derived from the institution of slavery resulted in many lasting effects. These effects in and of themselves are a form of force, a form slavery. a. The lost sense of culture and cultural pride: Feeling of inferiority Slave drivers made great efforts to eliminate African culture. For instance Africans were beaten if they were caught speaking their native languages or carrying out native rituals . Therefore, they were not able to effectively pass the languages, stories and traditions on to their children. This forced suppression resulted in the loss of verbal records and a rich legacy of history. It is no secret that there is pride in culture. Taking away the culture takes away the pride and the motivation and results in feelings of worthlessness. b. no economic foundation Slave drivers not only attempted to deprive the Africans of there culture and pride, but they successfully robbed them economically. Slaves were forced to work without pay for years while padding the pockets of the slave owners. This deficit of economics resulted in an inability to establish an economic foundation in the United States. c. Unleveled playing field Along with the deprivation of financial resources, another significant factor concerning the state of African Americans is arrested development. Slaves were deprived of opportunities to learn and become more competitive in many areas of society. Black people were not allowed to read or learn to read, so they could not take advantage of written text. All these lasting effects placed blacks in a severely disadvantaged state when slavery was abolished, led a socioeconomic structure in which white people generally held the highest ranks and Black people generally held the lowest ranks. III. Maintaining oppression In order to maintain this socioeconomic structure, there always seems to be a new form of oppression set in place to maintain ?  §slavery. As if the above detrimental effects of slavery were not enough, the White southerners were anxious to maintain more direct power and control over people with black skin, despite there classification as ?  §free. The White southerners decided to, again, use the law in order crystallize there theory of inferiority and keep black people at the lowest ranks. In 1865, southerners created Black Codes, which served as a way to control and inhibit the freedom of ex-slaves. These historic Codes controlled almost all aspects of life, and prohibited African Americans from almost all the freedoms that had been won during the Civil War. The codes, which were blatantly racist and oppressive, were eventually suspended in June 1866, during the ? §reconstruction era. During this time period in America and despite resistance, African-Americans were slowly becoming part of this nations inclusion. By 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution confirmed the long awaited citizenship for Blacks in America. By 1870, the 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution which made it illegal to deny the right to vote based on race. The Reconstruction era, although short-lived, showed the first real attempts of inclusive freedom for African-Americans since the abolition of slavery. Gains were taking place: Citizenship, Voting, Education, and Politics. But, the underlying desire to have power over those in black skin never subsided. Just like the black Codes, this desire to dominate again manifested itself in another form, Jim Crow Laws. These laws promoted discrimination and the denial of equal protection by law. Just like the codes, they too were eventually abolished. Just like the Codes, Jim Crow laws, the desire of our society to suppress those in black skin will soon take another form. Today that form is the Criminal Justice System. PART 2 The New Age Slavery: The Prison System I. The Prison Institution Prisons are big in the United States. During the past 20 years, the United States experienced a massive increase in incarceration. The prison population increased fourfold, from 330,000 in 1980 to nearly 1. 4 million in 1999, and the incarceration rate increased from about 140 to about 476 per 100,000 resident populations. Today there are more than two million Americans behind bars. But even more startling is the fact that more than one-half of these incarcerated Americans have black skin. Although black Americans only make up about 12% of the US population, they account for more then 30% of all arrests, 44% of all prisoners and 40% of prisoners on death row. II. Race and the Prison System These obvious disparities in the criminal justice system can be attributed to many different things ranging from racial profiling to the lack of opportunity and poor education, but most criminal justice observers believe that these disparities have emerged from the underlying assumptions rooted in slavery. The assumption that slaves were inferior has carried over to today. Currently this theory of inferiority and desire to maintain oppression influences one of the major policies in place attacking African Americans today, the ?  §war on drugs. Most of the shocking disparities in the criminal Justice System as it relates to African Americans in prison can be attributed to the ?  §war on drugs. According to a study by Human Rights Watch, African-Americans comprise 62 percent of the drug offenders admitted to state prisons. In seven states, blacks constitute between 80 and 90 percent of all people sent to prison on drug charges. According to studies of the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights, African-Americans constitute 15 percent of the national drug users, but comprise an amazing one-third of all those arrested on drug charges and 57 percent of those convicted on drug charges. The criminal justice system generally, and contemporary crime and drug policies in particular, serve as a means for White America to control the African Americans like they did in the 1600 . III. The lasting oppression Similarly to the black codes and segregation implemented after the abolition of slavery; restrictions are placed on prisoners after they are released. Once a prisoner is released from prison, parole and the bans on public assistance, public housing restrictions, etc. create barriers and a seemingly doomed cycle of dominance. Since half of the prisoners in prison are African American, these barriers, like the lasting effects of slavery, have a disproportionate effect on our black communities. III. The effects of oppression According to the Department of Justice?  ¦s Bureau of Justice statistics, the number of adults in prison, jail, or on probation or parole reached almost 7 million during 2004. Since Blacks comprise 30 percent of probationers and 41 percent of prisoners. That means around 4,500,000 African Americans are affected directly by the criminal justice system. Unfortunately those African Americans sent to prison or under parole are not the only people affected. The impact on the black community does not stop at the prison door, conversely it goes far beyond. Even after a prisoner is released there are lasting effects to the prisoner, his or her family and the community as a whole. a. Demise of the Black family One effect of the high rate of incarceration of African American males in particular has been the decreasing number of marriageable men in the African American community. Along with high rates of homicide, AIDS-related deaths and other factors, this has created a substantial imbalance in the male-female ratio among adult African Americans. Whereas gender ratios for African Americans at birth are about 102-103 males for every 100 females, by the age range 40-44, this declines to 86 males per 100 females, whereas white rates are 100:100 for this group. b. Lost political voice The impact of the criminal justice system on the black community goes beyond the declining family structure to issues of political influence as well. As a result of laws that disenfranchise felons and ex-felons in various states, an estimated 1. 4 million African American males, or 13% of the black male adult population, is either currently or permanently disenfranchised as a result of a felony conviction. In fourteen states, a felony conviction can result in lifetime disenfranchisement, and in seven of these states, an estimated one in four black males is permanently disenfranchised. Thus, not only are criminal justice policies contributing to the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans, but imprisonment itself then reduces the collective political ability of African Americans to influence these policies. V. Solutions The constant demise in the structure of the black family, lost political influence and seemingly arrested development are all very familiar results of a history of oppression. Since these effects of slavery and disparities in the criminal justice system seemingly steam from hundreds of years ago there is no quick fix. Ideally the answer would lie in the destruction of all prejudice. But, it is impossible to erase the deep seated legacy and resurfacing effects of slavery. Therefore this problem must be attacked from a variety of different angles. Recommendations for change can be considered in the areas of awareness, legislative change, criminal justice officials?  ¦ initiatives, and criminal justice/community partnerships. The following are some suggested that will allow for a beginning to a seemingly circular and endless problem. 1. Legislative Actions Legislation should be pushed to Reconsider Mandatory Sentencing Policies and Equalize Penalties for Crack and Powder Cocaine . 2. Criminal Justice Officials?  ¦ Initiatives ?n Criminal Justice Officials should Expand Drug Policy Options And Expand the Use of Alternative Sentencing 3. Criminal Justice/Community Partnerships. The criminal Justice system and the community should attempt to Increase Community-based Diversion from the Criminal Justice System And Strengthen the Link between Communities and the Justice System VI. Closing Oppression in the form of institutionalization is nothing new to those dressed in black skin; it has been present since 1619. In this year Africans were brought to the United States and forced into the institution of slavery. Even after the abolition of slavery, a series of codes and segregation laws were set in place to maintain the suppression of black people because black skin was stigmatized as inferior. Even though the prejudice and biased codes and laws were eventually abolished themselves, this stigma remains. Because this theory of black inferiority was embedded in the American culture due to slavery, various means of oppression are able to continually resurface in different forms. Today that form is Criminal Justice System, more specifically the drug policies. Practically mirroring the institution of slavery, African Americans are being controlled and dominated by this system. Control by the USCJS includes the probation, parole, imprisonment, lost economic power, struggling communities and lost political voice. In order to end this vicious cycle of oppression, action must be taken. First people must be made aware of the disparities. Next those who are made aware must press for legislative change, criminal justice officials?  ¦ initiatives, and criminal justice/community partnerships. The challenge for the community at large is to engage in broad discussion of the mix of family, community, and government initiatives that can begin to reverse the cycle that has been set in motion in recent years. Let?  ¦s do what Abraham attempted o do in 1877, let?  ¦s end this legacy of slavery.

LVMH_Career Development through International Mobility

LVMH_Career Development through International Mobility IntroductionTask 1 Work Force Planning Workforce planning is a process designed to anticipate and integrate the human resources response to an organizations strategic plan. [Strategic Workforce Planning PDF]. The plan is projected to help in staffing in terms of short as well as long term. Through Workforce Planning organisations gain insight into what people the organisation will need, and what people will be available to meet those needs. In creating this understanding of the gaps between an organizations demand and the available workforce supply, organizations will be able to create and target programmes, approaches and develop strategies to close the gaps. The plan should: †¢ Depend on the staffing and the competencies predicted for the future. †¢ Asses the present work force †¢ Identify gaps which exist between the present workforce and the future requirements †¢ Develop strategies to acquire the workforce needed in the future †¢ Evaluate from time to time the effectiveness of the plan. Work Force Planning in LVMH In a global organization like LVMH, work force planning faces a lot of constraints. The plan has to take into consideration the growing number of 71000 staff who are spread across 2000 of the companies stores. Displaying an organic growth of 7% per annum it is essential that LVMH has the right and sufficient talent to compensate its future requirements. Another constraint would be the facts that the plan should incorporate fifty different autonomously run companies which are constantly growing alongside the addition of newer companies. The main aim here would be to develop the workforce in line with the business strategy. The plan should be constantly evolving taking into account the various changes affecting the organization. From the outset LVMH was an international business and had drawbacks in its work force plan which is evident from the fact that the human resource department lacked international experience and many managers were not fluent in English. The skills required were not predicted well enough to ensure the competency levels of the employees was in co-ordination with the organizations needs at that point of time. The group is headquartered in France but has to be multicultural due to the scale of its international operations. Subsequently an effective work force plan enabled LVMH to identify the competency levels it needed from its employees in line with its business strategy. This lead LVMH to develop global managers with international expertise through International Mobility. Looking towards the future, the importance of work force planning at LVMH can be related to the following global trends: †¢ Change in market trends †¢ Scarcity of skilled workforce in certain countries †¢ Changes in legislations which may collide across operating countries †¢ Older population †¢ Changes in the retirement age of the younger generation of employees †¢ Advancement in technology to change the HR function An effective work force plan which takes into consideration the growth and the staffing constraints in the operating as well as prospective business zones would equip LVMH to maximize its growth opportunities. Task 2 Recruitment Recruitment refers to the process of attracting competent prospective employees for vacancies at an organization or firm. Recruitment may be done internally or externally. External recruitment is the process of attracting employees from outside the organization whereas internal recruitment is where internal labor is used for filling vacancies. The rapid globalization of the markets combined with a constant shortage of skilled staff and advances in technology have resulted in large scale changes to recruitment practices throughout the world. A survey spanning more than 2000 companies conducted by Intelligence Group in association with StepStone, revealed that 42% prefer to recruit internationally for their operations. International Recruitment from the Perspective of LVMH There are many advantages associated with LVMH recruiting internationally to cater to its workforce needs, some of which have been outlined below: †¢ Moving from Ethnocentric to Geocentric 50% of the Senior Executives and 40% of the managerial staff are French even though they only account for 37% of the employees in LVMH. These figures portray an ethnocentric orientation of the firm. An ethnocentric orientation in a global organization can lead to a lack of understanding of the host countries differences that may require a different approach to marketing and management. Here a common belief is that the head quarters way of managing is better or more preferred than any other way of managing practiced outside. As a global organization aiming to grow internationally an ideal approach would be a geocentric orientation as cited by Levitt(1983). This would be achievable by recruiting talent internationally which would gradually reduce the ethnocentric influence and develop a pool of global managers needed by LVMH. †¢ Reduced Influence of Labor Market Conditions in Specific Countries LVMH would have a larger people base to recruit from and it will not be limited by work force scarcity in any particular country. The influence of changes in any particular countries labor market conditions would be reduced. †¢ Larger Talent Pool Recruiting employees from the countries where LVMH has presence would add to the talent pool within the organization. These new recruits would have local knowledge of the culture and fashion trends in the country of their origin. At the international level they would bring into the organization a fresh set of skills which may benefit LVMH. For example: A designer recruited in India may create an ethnic accessory which can be marketed and sold not only in the country of origin but may have a huge potential internationally. †¢ Cost Saving Recruiting internationally would reduce the need for expatriation to fill a vacancy. This would naturally lead to saving the expenditure involved. It would also reduce the work load on the International transfer team. The internationally recruited employees could be taken through intensive training to understand the expectations from management. †¢ Less Dependence on Expatriates Many expatriates are unwilling to take on certain international assignments due to various reasons. Recruiting internationally would therefore reduce dependence on Expatriates. †¢ Government Legislation LVMH operates through more than 50 stores which are spread worldwide. Recent trends have shown that governments require companies who conduct business in their country to develop the talent of the local workforce so that they hold key management positions over a period of time. Certain countries also have legislations which require a certain percentage of the staff to be locally recruited. Task 3 International Mobility International Mobility has grown with the increase in globalization of companies and the opportunities of operating in markets across the world. This expansion in business created a need for leaders and employees with global expertise to manage operations across national borders. Human resource departments are facing a growing demand on their resources in order to manage the mobility of this new type of work force. LVMH has the advantage of developing this form of work force early and now it can reap the benefits of the pool of Global Managers. Benefits of International Mobility LVMH stands to gain from the following benefits of International Mobility: †¢ Availability of skilled labor Changes in technology have created a shift in the labor market. There is a noticeable shift towards the demand for skilled labor. Shortage of labor caused in certain countries due to this demand can be counteracted with the help of mobility. †¢ Distribution of knowledge In this age, technology progresses at a very rapid pace. In the face of eminent competition it is important for LVMH to be technologically ahead and implement development in a very short span of time. International mobility of competent work force would enable the rapid distribution of knowledge within the organization. †¢ Global Competence Since the expatriates in LVMH are travelling extensively and engaged in international assignments they develop a knowledge base and skill sets. They may include an understanding of different countries market trends, culture differences, local languages, management of multi cultural teams. More globalized managers would lead to a globalized top management who will guide its international operations. This global competence of the workforce gives LVMH an advantage over its competitors. †¢ Adaptability Recent trends show that products need to be constantly evolving and be customer specific. Mobility develops an adaptive and flexible culture in LVMH and thus it can benefit by keeping in pace with the customer requirements.

Marijuana Should be Legalized :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

I believe that marijuana should be legalized. I believe that if the goverment did so the National debt would be greatly decreased by the money it would make from the taxation of marijuana and also from the decrease in law enforcement and jail cost that is caused by the "criminal" aspects of marijuana. I believe that the use of marijuana would be more likely to go down than up with the legalization of it. I believe this because half the reason some people use it is the appeal of doing something illegal. I think that marijuana is no more harmful that alcohol or nicotine and these are perfectly legal "drugs" in todays society.You have never heard of someone overdosing on Pot but you do hear of people get deathly ill from alcohol poisoning. Peolpe all over the country whine and complain about the use of Pot but at the same time hold George Washington, Ben Franklin, and the rest of our founding fathers in such high regard. Do these people not realize that these men both grew and used this "drug" they hold in such disgust. Today you see commercials on the TV about how bad marijuana is and how it impairs your judgement and can cause car accidents. A reseacher at the University of Toronto by the name of Alison Smiley in March of 1999 showed that people who use marijuana in moderate dose are more cautious drivers than those who have have a moderate amount of alcohol. She found that the marijuana users are more aware of their impairment therefore they drive slower than those under the influnce of alcohol. Even the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bureau of Mortality Statistics studies show that more people have died do to the use of aspirin (500) than those of marijuana (0). As for the cost of what it takes to deal with the "criminals" in refernce to marijuana it would baffle most people if they knew the facts. The facts are this, in California only in 1998 marijuana accounted for 14,344 felony and 46,600 misdemeanor arrests for a total cost of some $100 million to the state. Over the past 20 years there has been a 2000% increase in prisioners due to marijuana while some serious criminals or paroled due to overcrowding. It has also been shown that CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting) has destroyed a 1/4 of a million marijuana plants in 1999 alone.

Educating Rita by Willy Russell Essay -- A Play By Willy Russell

Educating Rita by Willy Russell â€Å" How do the characters of Frank and Rita change throughout the play and what is Russell’s purpose of using the technique?† Educating Rita is a play written by Willy Russell who was born in Liverpool, Whiston. â€Å"I really don’t want to write plays which are resigned, menopausal, despairing and whining. I don’t want to use any medium as a platform for displaying the smallness and hopelessness of man.† Willy Russell wrote Educating Rita as a comedy, he wanted to write a funny play to be watched and not to be studied. Coming from a working class family and society, he witnessed a deep injustice in the way lower classes were treated. Even though people who were working class had wonderful qualities, they were often regarded as worthless. In Educating Rita there are two classes, the lower class that is represented by Rita and the upper class represented by Frank. Russell reveals that although both characters come from different classes, they can both learn from each other. In this play there are only two characters. Although many other people are important to the play, Rita and Frank are the central characters. Rita is a 26-year-old woman who has decided to take a course in English Literature at the Open University. Frank, who is in his early fifties, is Rita’s tutor at the University. From the first opening scene we immediately see that Frank has a drinking problem, as he hides bottles of alcohol behind books in his study. Frank is in his study on the phone to his girlfriend to whom we can see he does not like much â€Å"†¦yes just pop off and put your head in the oven†¦Ã¢â‚¬  At the start of Act 1 Frank shows that he is uninterested in Rita, prejudges her and thinks that she ... ... one she leaves behind. She does pay a price, by leaving Danny and not having a baby yet, she gets what she want’s, an education. In the play, education is portrayed as a game when they are in the university – not going there for the need of an education but to acquire the lifestyle that an ‘educated’ person would so. Frank doesn’t know this game, but Rita does and at the end of the play she realises what it has done to her. At the beginning of the play she is an ‘uneducated’ woman, who knows little about academic things but has a lot of experience about life. She doesn’t value the knowledge which she already has much. She throws away her old life and what she gets back - Frank thinks- is much less valuable. But to Rita, education is a way out of mediocrity into a superior lifestyle. The tragedy is that she pays for it by becoming a different person.

Creating a New Writing Technology :: Invention Writing Technology Papers

Creating a New Writing Technology "Writing, in the strict sense of the word, as has already been seen, was a very late development in human history. The first script, or true writing, that we know was developed among the Sumerians in Mesopotamia only around the year 3500 BC, less than 6,000 years ago. The alphabet, which was invented only once, so that every alphabet in the world derives directly or indirectly from the original Semitic alphabet, came into existence only around 1500 BC" (Ong, 323). Writing has been around for a short time, but language has been around for as long as humans. It's amazing to see how much the written word controls our lives. You can't do anything; go anywhere, without seeing some form of print. You turn on the television-an add pops up. You go outside-signs everywhere. And what is even more amazing, constantly, new technologies are evolving to improve the way we write-computers, the pencil with an attached eraser. Because of the importance placed on writing and writing technology in today's society I have decided to conduct an experiment. What happens when the "technology" is taken out of the writing? I will attempt to create a new writing technology, with primitive objects, and use it to write a short, twenty word, text. While conducting this new experiment, a couple of issues posed problems. First, I could only use materials found in nature. This was difficult because of the rarity of "natural" items in this day-and-age. Second, I had to keep in mind the permanence of my project-how long the text I created could be expected to last. It was somewhat difficult to do this because a particularly creative and natural "invention" might not be all that permanent, and vice-versa. With these creating problems for me, I didn't find the inventing process easy. I tested a variety of objects. Such as food, grass, dirt, leaves, and mud. The food was too messy, and it didn't last that long. I gathered several items from my kitchen, and decided to experiment. I tried a banana peel, but it ripped easily, and turned completely brown within minutes. I soon exhausted ideas to use other foods, such as apples-they go bad too quickly. Nuts-too fragile; and cheese-not "natural" enough. From these experiments, I concluded that food items would not make good writing technologies. Grass seemed, at first to be an excellent idea.

Kite Runner Connections with Skrzynecki Essay

The Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan, about a young boy named Amir who feels that he must win the kite tournament in order to redeem himself to his father. Because his mother died while giving birth to Amir he feels somehow responsible for his mother’s death. His servant is his best friend, Hassan, who runs the kite for him. Amir feels as though he is not acknowledged or accepted by his father, therefore not feeling a sense of belonging when Baba (father) shows his love toward Hassan. This motivates Amir to not do anything about Hassan’s rape which later leaves him with guilt. Those who do not belong may commit acts that are not within their desire in order to belong. For example, after Hassan was raped Amir lied to his father saying that Hassan stole his watch and money from him causing them to be kicked out of their house as servants. Amir’s thoughts were that once Hassan had left, Baba’s love would be pointed toward him only, hence giving him a deeper sense of belonging to his father. Hassan on the other hand felt as though he belonged to the Afghan home of Baba and Amir even as a servant as he is treated with the same respect as the members of the family. However being Hazara’s, a minority ethnic group, Hassan would not have felt a sense of belonging on the macro scale for the reason that his rape was motivated due to the ethnic group he is from i.e. the minority in Afghanistan who are continuously discriminated against. After the Soviets invaded Afghanistan the country became a war-zone causing Amir and Baba to flee the country leaving all the memories and reminiscences in their country. Connections are shown with several of Skrzynecki’s poems, for example, St Patricks College. In St Patricks College it is signified that the poet has been at his school â€Å"for eight years† however he has still formed no sense of belonging. This connects with the relationship that Amir has with his father, Baba. Baba has raised Amir on his own for almost a decade however Amir feels as though Baba does not love him causing him to feel an insignificant amount of belonging.

Nucor Corporation Essay

Nucor Corporation is characterized by its owner? operators who take pride in their work and teams and as a result have created great profitability for a traditional steelmaker. Nucor is known for many things including its pay practices that base earnings on performance as well as the value and trust the corporation places in its employees. At Nucor employees are rewarded based on their effort, treated with great respect and empowered to make decisions based on their expertise and knowledge. Nucor is a unique organization among its rust? belt counterparts. To understand its success it is necessary to understand the leadership mentality, empowerment strategy, motivation and rewards base as well as its approach to change and innovation. All of these elements have turned Nucor into a desirable place to work with the potential for future success as it acquires new entities and grows. Leadership When looking at the Nucor Case Study, it is advantageous to discuss the leadership styles in relation to the Vroom? Jago Leadership Model as well as other concepts and issues of leadership. The initial leader to focus on is F. Kenneth Iverson, a former Nucor Steel President (1965? 999) and legendary leader. His leadership fostered the close? knit culture that exists even today. When Iverson and Sam Siegel, Financial Vice President, initially assumed leadership roles, they exhibited the AI Autocratic style at individual and group level in selling off many wide? ranging operations to focus on one area. They also made the decision to move corporate headquarters to where it is even today, Charlotte, NC. From that point leadership has continued to have a basis in the group with Nucor employees empowered to make decisions that will benefit the organization. Nucor Steel‘s leaders also exhibited other Vroom ? Jago leadership styles as they evolved to the present day. Iverson installed radical concepts giving employees better pay and real power exhibiting GII decision Style: willing to accept and implement employee decisions. Current CEO Daniel R. DiMicco uses a different leadership style when purchasing 13 new companies and instilling the unique culture in those new facilities. Nucor management, as a whole still focuses on the people in the front line of their business predominately using DI individual style leadership and GII group level decision style. Different perspectives of leadership also can explain Iverson and DiMicco. Both exhibit traits of charismatic leaders. The case study points out how employees are willing to accomplish tasks based on an emotional commitment to Nucor Steel. The example of electricians helping sister plants in another state on their own initiative shows, when crisis arose, the employees showed extraordinary behavior. All General Managers contact a new GM within 2 days of starting in a different factory, offering help, and meaning it. This behavior is unconventional, and counters to established norms in the current business culture. Only a visionary charismatic behavior from the leader could motivate such commitment. Leadership approaches discussed here point out that leadership is an exchange process with employees. A look at transactional leadership and transformational leadership helps further explain Nucor’s success. Transactional leaders help the follower identify what is done to accomplished desired results and ensure the resources are on hand to complete the job. Transformational leadership motivates followers to work for goals rather than on short term self-interest this leader is able to express clear vision and inspire other to accomplish that vision. Nucor’s management, in this case study continually exhibit transformational leadership attributes. When Nucor employees innovate themselves out of tight spots, the leader’s charisma has instilled this sense of value respect, and pride. The General Managers reaching out to the new GM shows leaders reaching out to help individual needs. These leaders allow the employees to rethink rational ways to correct problems, and do not intervene in work tasks unless people are sidetracked. The most important aspect of transformational leadership is charisma coupled with other roles. The deep emotional attachment to Nucor management is one facet of this style. These leaders also play the role of teacher, coach, mentor, reformer, or revolutionary further establish their transformational style of leadership. Power In addition to the various leadership styles and involvement of the employees and commitment to the organization there are different types of power between leaders and employees at Nucor. There is a lot of employee power at the Nucor Steel Company generating from the flat organization structure found within the company and the leaderships focus on employees. A standard joke in the company is that if you were a janitor and you got five promotions you would have the CEOs job. Unlike the pyramid structure that is found in other companies, at Nucor the CEO believes that he is the one who was at the bottom and he works for all the others in the organization. Power within Nucor, as in other corporations, comes from two places: interpersonal and structural. With the flat organizational structure at Nucor the majority of the power is interpersonal rather than prescribed by the organizational structure and layers of management. At Nucor employees have a large amount of power – specifically expert power. Expert power arises an individual has the ability to influence as a result of a highly valued expertise regardless of job title. Expert power is clearly exhibited in the case study when employees call upon each other (as in the case of the Hickman plant calling expert electricians from another plant) and when leadership entrusts decision making to employees. In addition to expert power, referent power is also common among Nucor employees. Referent power is based upon charisma – whether it is the charisma of the CEO or of the line worker, this type of power comes from interactions with others. Not only did Nucor leaders Iverson and DiMicco have structural power they also had referent power from charismatic leadership styles. Where interpersonal power results from expertise, attitudes and actions, structural power comes from the organizational structure itself. At Nucor with its flat hierarchy structural power is not the main source of influence or power. A type of structural power that is present is the decision making power of the employees. Individuals at Nucor have a broad range of decision making power as seen in the electrician situation. The decision making power is based on the premise that they will make the best decisions for the organization since their compensation depends on the organizational success. Motivation & Rewards When looking at the Nucor Corporation, it is important to understand why the employees are motivated to act the way that they do. Nucor has high job satisfaction which in turn brings improved job performance. This improved performance benefits everyone in the company instead of just management at Nucor. Herzberg’s two factor theory is utilized in the Nucor case study. The people from Nucor demonstrated there were motivators by traveling to fix a problem that was a great distance away. The people in this situation had achievement, recognition, and responsibility all in mind when they decided to take steps not required to help others in the organization. Achievement motivated the employees in the example because they knew that they were helping the company immensely and this would in turn help them. The recognition would be shown in their personal pay checks. The responsibility in this situation was the people agreeing to help out without any supervisors there to persuade them to go. Additionally, teams in Nucor’s situation are beneficial in motivation. People are willing to help one another because both people will be rewarded for a job well done. The mentality of â€Å"us guys† instead of â€Å"you guys† motivates people to form teams in a manner that is beneficial to the company. The hygiene factors in Nucor case does not apply to their company. The areas of dissatisfaction that most other companies face such as pay and security do not come in to account. The factory workers by percentage make a much more comparable amount to their managers in comparison to different companies. The primary reward for the executives at Nucor is financial compensation, including benefits. In their roles as executives, they naturally have many of what could be considered rewards by others in the organization. Autonomy, the ability to effect decision, and many other roles are a natural part of the role as an executive within an organization. The executive salaries are on average are a bit lower than average, while performance based pay is more and makes up more than 50% of total compensation. The performance? based component is primarily paid in the form of stock options and restricted stock. Options allow the holder to purchase the stock at a specified price, usually lower than market value. Restricted stock is direct partial ownership in the organization that vests over a period of time. These types of rewards are common among executives, as there is a direct correlation between how the company performs and the ownership stake the executive receives in the organization they have the ability to effect. The employee reward system contains both financial rewards (including benefits), as well as non financial. The average employee at Nucor makes $100k a year, 20% more than industry average. This reinforces the organizations belief that people are the backbone of the company, and further strengthens the commitment to try and retain its employees. One of the most difficult aspects to manage in the milling industry is the turnover and training of employees; Nucor has recognized this and used financial rewards to deter this from taking hold within its own organization. The employee also has intrinsic rewards available within the organization. They include: completion, autonomy, achievement, and personal growth. Moreover, they are all encouraged within the culture. This is most evident in the recalling of employees taking it upon themselves to help during a time of need. This allows them to grow, achieve a goal, make their own decision, and work until completed.

After high school Essay

As we get older, more and more problems begin to form. When we reach our teenage years though, it becomes worse. One problem I think the hardest is for young adults is deciding what we want to do for the rest of our lives when we are so young. You can go to college, military or the working field depending on your preference. When we’re in high school, we have to raise our hand and ask to use the restroom, go to the office to make any phone call no matter how important it may be and have ridiculous dress code rules. You are treated like a child from kindergarten all the way up to senior year and yet they expect you to make the most important decision of your life then. One thing that people do straight out of high school is go directly to the work field. Although its normally in most people’s best interest not to, not everyone is made for college. Unless you are extremely lucky, it has been found that people who didn’t advance to other education after high school make 85% less than those with a college diploma. My brother has a roommate in college and his dad dropped out of college after his first year or two and he makes more money than most people will ever see. His wife doesn’t have to work and his kids have it made when it comes to the materialistic things in life. He owns his own real estate company in Pittsburgh and sells and rents houses to people. He does most of his own work so he doesn’t have to pay people to do it, which is very convenient for him. Although most people do not get as lucky as him, that’s okay for some people because money isn’t everything though. Sometimes it’s better to take time off of school instead of wasting all that money when you don’t even know what you are planning on doing for the rest of your life and going straight to college. There are many reasons why people decide to not go to college, not because they just don’t think that they can do it. Sometimes people have kids before they plan, family problems or even they just can’t get help to pay for it so it holds them back from attending. College is an expensive thing that most people don’t want to pay for. You have years of loans to pay back and for a lot of people; they end up miserable at their jobs after a few years. It is also very hard to get help to pay for you college education. When my cousin tried getting help for college, because she had a full time job and no kids she could get barely any money even though she wasn’t getting any help from her parents. If college still isn’t the right thing for you but you don’t want McDonalds to be your only  definite in for a job, the military is a great option. Although you have to work your butt off for it, the military gives awesome benefits. Of course it’s nothing that the NBA players make, which is ridiculous, but it is still a lot just for being in the military. A player in the NBA averages about $5.15 million per year and all the do is dribble and shoot a basketball for a living where people in the military have to work their tails off every single day to fight for our country and they only get about $70 thousand per year. There is a lot of schooling that they will pay for you so you can still get an education while being in the military. Not only will you get your schooling paid for, but also you can even get paid for going. Also, they have programs like ROTC where you can still train for the military but you are in an actual college getting your education. As well as getting your education paid for, you also get free medical care, financial security and you can retire around 20 years before other people do. If you get all of that stuff paid for, is there even anything left to buy? Food and housing. No worries, in the Army, you receive a regular paycheck and free housing including meals. If you live off of base, you will still receive a housing allowance. Even if the amount of free meals and the checks don’t cover all of the food you want, some restaurants and grocery stores offer military discounts, which will also save a lot of money. My dad owns houses and rent them out to people and the first thing he looks at is what kind of job they have to make sure they can keep up with rent. Last summer there was a guy from the Army that tried to rent of my dad and he told him that the monthly paying isn’t going to be a big deal because he gets checks from the Army specifically for his housing so it is totally free for him. Although college isn’t everyone’s best option, I believe it’s more worth it than working forever at a job that barely gets you by. Colleges can really help you out when you aren’t exactly sure what you want to do. Some even make you take a full year of general education classes just so you are sure that you want to be in that major. Nobody should waste thousands of dollars just to change their mind like 50-70% of college kids end up doing. Also, most colleges have classes that help you transition from high school to college and help get good study habits and things like that. For most kids, what they do for the school like sports, music, theatre and clubs is the most important part of high school. Proceeding to college gives you the opportunity to further  your career in things like that where there are plenty of sports, clubs, different bands and also sororities and fraternities. Although that would be going to college for the wrong reasons, a college education in general expands your knowledge base, makes you more organized and exposes you to a whole new world of learning. There are also so many different types of colleges though. Depending on your preference, you can go to school for a few months or 12 years. There are community colleges, tech schools, four-year schools and also schools that are totally based on what you want to do. At the four-year schools, you have to take a certain amount of general education courses where as a college with a certain amount of month program, all of your classes are dedicated for your major. Every school that you go to has a variety of majors to choose from which also make the college option hard. There are some things that people will never even hear of until they go to college and even then, there are thousands of jobs you can do with most majors that people will probably never even know throughout their entire life. A lot of people don’t realize that a really big benefit of going to both college and the military is the life long friends that you make. Of course you’ll always have your friends from high school, but college and the military both give you the opportunity to start over and make new friends. As you can see, there are benefits to every option you decide to do when you graduate high school. There are also a lot of cons to the option that you decide. It all depends on the person and what they are like. It’s just a very hard decision to make when you are barely old enough to stay outside past 11pm. We are very uneducated about the all the different majors in college and the benefits of or other options if we decided to not go to college. We have only lived about a quarter of our life and we are expected to decide what we want to do for three more quarters of our life. This decision is the one that is going to affect you for the rest of your life and I just don’t think that we are educated enough to make it.

Wind Power Cluster in Denmark

Microeconomics of Competitiveness Final Report The Danish Wind Energy Cluster Warsaw School of Economics – 13th January 2010 1. IntroductionPage 2 PART I: DENMARK 2. Country BackgroundPage 2 3. Performance of the Danish EconomyPage 3 2. 1 Trade 2. 2 Budget and Fiscal Policy 2. 3 Gross Domestic Product and Productivity Growth 4. Cluster composition in DenmarkPage 5 3. 1 History of Cluster Policy in Denmark 3. 2 Today’s Context 5. The Business Environment in Denmark – National DiamondPage 8 5. 1 Factor Conditions 5. 2 Demand Conditions 5. Related and Supporting Industries 5. 4 Context for Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry 5. 5 Government – the Influence of Macroeconomic Policies 5. 6 Institutions for Collaboration PART II: THE DANISH WIND ENERGY CLUSTER 6. Historical Development of the ClusterPage 13 6. 1 Wind Energy in Denmark before the 1970s 6. 2 The Danish Wind Energy Cluster in the 1970s – The First Hesitant Beginnings 6. 3 The Danish Wind Ene rgy Cluster in the 1980s 6. 4 The Energy Policy of the Danish Government since the 1980s/1990s 6. 5 The Cluster of Modern Wind Turbines since 1990 7. Description of the Wind Energy ClusterPage 20 7. 1 Vestas: World’s no. 1 Turbine Manufacturer 8. Wind Energy Cluster – Cluster DiamondPage 22 8. 1 Factor Conditions 8. 2 Demand Conditions 8. 3 Context for Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry 8. 4 Related and Supporting Industries 9. Strategic Issues Facing Denmark and the Wind Energy ClusterPage 28 10. Policy recommendations for the appropriate constituenciesPage 30 11. ConclusionPage 31 Bibliography Required Disclosures 1. Introduction This paper gives an insight into the Danish economy and business environment. Furthermore, it describes the cluster composition in Denmark and how the policies towards clusters have changed in recent years. The core of the paper is the comprehensive analysis of the wind energy cluster in Denmark where the cluster is analysed with the use of Porter’s diamond model. Lastly, identification of strategic issues facing Denmark and the wind energy cluster will be presented and policy recommendations given. PART I: DENMARK 2. Country Background Denmark is located in Northern Europe between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea and has Copenhagen as its capital. Its population consists of approx. 5. 5 million inhabitants whereof 9. 1% is immigrants and their descendants. The official language is Danish, but the level of English proficiency is very high. The Danish constitution was codified in 1848 and today the country is governed by a parliament consisting of 179 members. The election period is four years but the prime minister can call an election at any time. Furthermore, Denmark has a constitutional monarchy with Queen Margrethe II as the head. The Queen is apolitical and only functions a representative for Denmark. Denmark joined the EU in 1973 and has always seen it as a good place for economic cooperation, but Danes have been more reluctant towards the political integration resulting in Denmark staying out of the Euro. Denmark is known for its Scandinavian welfare model, which ensures a high level of re-distribution through taxes. The model includes among other things the â€Å"flexicurity† system, which will be elaborated later (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark). 3. Performance of the Danish Economy Danish economy can surely be described as a modern one, oriented primarily at services. In terms of its resources, the economy depends to the greatest extent on human capital, which translates into a more labor-related approach towards business. With over 5. 5 million citizens, Denmark maintains a record low level of unemployment, roughly 2. 1%. All those indicators contribute to a pretty high standard of living. For this reason Denmark was ranked 16th globally in the Human Development Index, which reflects several aspects, such as live expectancy, knowledge and education standards measured by literacy rate and standard of living. . 1 Trade Denmark has a high social support for free trade. Over 76% of the population perceives globalisation as a positive phenomenon (Time). Danish basic trading partners are the countries from European Union (70%), followed by the United States. Denmark’s high involvement in global trade is reflected in the ranking of trade per capita, placing the country on the 9th place globally, with the result of $17. 5 thousand of trade per cap ita (World Fact Book). Danish major export markets are illustrated in the table below. Table 1: Danish major export markets in 2008 (Million DKK) |Germany |Sweden |UK |US |Norway |Netherlands |France |Italy |Finland |Spain | |103. 4 |85. 2 |48. 5 |35. 2 |32. 3 |26. 0 |26. 0 |18. 0 |15. 7 |15. 0 | Source: Danish Exporters As far as exported goods are concerned, the principal products are food, industrial instruments and machinery. Furthermore, Denmark exports chemical products, furniture and pharmaceuticals. In terms of imports, raw materials and semi-manufacturers, as well as consumer goods prevail. 3. 2 Budget and Fiscal Policy Over several previous years Denmark has been recording budgetary surpluses. However, at the same time the country is facing a debt at the level of 43 billion DKK. Because of extremely low unemployment rate, the government has to be very cautious in increasing their spending, as it may translate into dramatic overheating of the whole Danish economy (due to salaries’ increases). Under such conditions, the debt is expected to fall by 2015. Budgetary expenditures are financed primarily through high tax burdens. Denmark is by many described and perceived as a welfare state, which ensures many various social aids for its citizens. One of the most famous elements of the welfare safety net is tax-funded healthcare and unemployment insurance. In addition to this, Denmark has a well developed pension system, embracing all citizens from the age 65. In order to finance expenditures, the fiscal system assumes almost a 50% tax rate, which is by far the highest one in the world (OECD Tax Database). 3. 3 Gross Domestic Product and Productivity Growth Denmark has a high level of GDP PPP per capita, which places the country on the 16th place globally. Moreover, according to IMF data, the country holds a strong 5th position in the world in terms of its nominal GDP per capita (World Economic Outlook Database). The difference can be easily explained by a relatively high level of prices in comparison with other benchmarking countries. Denmark has been facing a gradual GDP growth for several years, which was disturbed by the global economic crisis. The crisis caused mainly an increase in the unemployment rate and drop of private consumption. In addition to this, Denmark suffered under a significant decrease in exports, which naturally translated into problems with trade balance. Although it is clear that such conditions affected GDP growth, economists claim that Denmark has already embarked upon the recovery path. Table 2: Summary of Danish GDP per capita PPP in USD Year |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 |2009 | |GDP ($) |29637 |30305 |31766 |33528 |35672 |37163 |37304 |36725 | |% change |1. 73 % |2. 26 % |4. 82 % |5. 55 % |6. 39 % |4. 18 % |0. 38 % |-1. 55 % | Sources: Index Mundi report on Danish Economy (2009) In spite of sound economic growth in the preceding years, the country is perceived to have a strong underlying problem with its future development. It is projected that Denmark will have fourth-lowest productivity growth among OECD countries in the following years (Index Mundi, 2009). As well as this, heavy governmental transfer payments create an unhealthy situation for other parts of the economy. Therefore, they might also translate into an impediment in future growth. 4. Cluster Composition in Denmark Denmark is by far one of the most interesting countries from the perspective of clusters. It was among the first ones to introduce certain clustering policies and since that time it has been quickly developing in terms of the final composition. The country – due to its success – was also included in Porter’s Ten-Nation study about the connection between international competitiveness and the existence and strength of clusters (Yettin, et al, 1992). 4. 1 History of Cluster Policy in Denmark The history begins in the early 1990s, when the Danish government decided to implement first steps aimed at development of the cluster concept. The analysis, which was carried out at the beginning of the process, indicated several areas for further cluster development. These were: food products, IT, bio-health and construction. They were firstly defined as so-called Mega Clusters and then narrowed down in the late 1990s. At that time ‘real’ clusters were defined, e. g. industrial design, aluminium processing or biotech. Despite these efforts, the government was still choosing to proceed with an industrial policy, rather than a cluster-oriented one. The situation changed in the 2000s with the introduction of regional initiatives. That assumed strategic decisions being undertaken on the regional level, rather than on the central one. Thus, Denmark nowadays lacks a vivid clustering policy on the national level. However, at the same time there are numerous regional initiatives that contribute to the process. All in all, the shift from governmental planning to the decentralized system proved to be worth the effort, as it significantly supported the development of a sound clustering structure in the country. 4. 2 Today’s Context Clusters in Denmark emerge exclusively on the regional level. The country is divided into 5 administrative regions and 98 municipalities. Local authorities are the trigger for respective cluster policies. Their ideas can be implemented independently or be supported by special agencies, namely the National Agency For Enterprise and Construction, The Danish Forest and Nature Agency, the Danish Agency for Science Technology and Innovation and the Danish Council for Technology and Innovation (Cluster Observatory). Apart from that, the policies involve also third parties in the emergence process, which are companies, research- and educational institutions and distributors of technological knowledge. Their cooperation is expected to result in a long-lasting relationship, as well as knowledge creation. As far as certain clusters are concerned, the 17 regional growth environments were established in 2001. Depending on the geographical location of the region, the main clusters were assigned to specific places. They are illustrated in the table and figure on the next page. Table 3: Summary of Main Danish Clusters |Growth environments commenced in 2001 |Growth environments commenced in 2002 | |Furniture & Wood |Fishing | Wind energy |Foods | |Technology & IT |Sub-suppliers | |Biotechnology |Stainless steel | |Manufacturing |Offshore | |Horticulture |Transportation | |- |Aluminium | |- |Robot technology | |- |Event economy | |- |Finance | |- |Seed-growing | Source: Nordic Innovation Figure 1: Denmark Exports Portfolio by Cluster [pic] As far as challenges ahead are concerned, Denmark still has certain areas for improvement. First of all, the country has to put a strong emphasis on knowledge creation and development of competence environments. As most initiatives are planned and carried out on the regional level, such environments could serve as knowledge centers enabling cooperation of various players and clusters as a whole. Thus, it creates a huge responsibility for respective authorities to move a step ahead towards building a sound network and cooperation on the higher level. 5. The Business Environment in Denmark – National Diamond Analysis By using Porter’s â€Å"Diamond Model† as a framework the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the Danish business environment will be analysed. First it is nalysed how Denmark is performing on the four factors: Factor conditions, demand conditions, related & supporting industries and context for firm strategy, structure and rivalry. Then it will be analysed how the Danish government influences the different factors through macroeconomic policies and institutions. Lastly, it will be described how institutions support collaboration between the business environment, universities and the public sector. 5. 1 Factor Conditions Denmark is ranked no. 6 on infrastructure in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook. Especially the basic and technological infrastructure is high whereas the scientific infrastructure in Denmark only reaches a place as no. 15. With regards to education Denmark is ranked as no. 1. University and management education meet the needs of a competitive economy and the business community. Moreover, training of employees is a priority for companies which ensure that labour become more specialised and stay up to date on innovation and developments within their area. Even though, it looks like there is no finger to put on education in Denmark there are several future challenges. In the future Denmark must raise the contribution of human capital to productivity growth (OECD, 2009). With regards to the labour market there has been a slowdown in labour productivity and a strong growth in wages, which makes Danish labour relatively more expensive. The growth in wages has been reinforced by effective exchange rate appreciation. While the demand for labour is weak during the crisis there is still a need to raise labour supply in the future. A need that the Danes probably cannot fulfil and it may therefore be necessary to attract foreign highly-skilled labour. The current crisis has made it harder to lend money and the credit conditions in Denmark are tight at the moment (OECD, 2009). 5. 2 Demand Conditions An example of how the character of the home demand has helped build competitive advantage is the environmental awareness of Danish consumers. This has led Denmark to be competitive within for example water pollution control equipment, but also many other products related to the environment (Dess, et al. , 2004). The Danish consumers tend to be relatively demanding and quality-conscious. Furthermore, they like to boycott products if they somehow get bad news about the products (Agri-food Trade Service). This can pressure companies to meet high standards and prod them to innovate and upgrade (Porter, 2008). The challenges for demand conditions at the moment are the diminished household wealth and the rising employment, which decreases the Danes’ purchasing power. It is hard to say whether the demand conditions in Denmark create a good environment for businesses. It will be highly dependent on the specific business area. 5. 3 Related and Supporting Industries As mentioned, cluster focus on a regional level has increased and several local initiatives have been established (Nordic Innovation, Cluster Observatory). The continuous focus means that cluster development have good conditions and this could also be an indicator for a high level of related and supporting industries. Though, it is hard to give a general picture about related and supporting industries in Denmark. The fact that Denmark geographically is a small country could lead to the thought that the small scale market is not big enough to get suppliers to locate in Denmark. 5. 4 Context for Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry One of the main advantages for companies located in Denmark is the co-operative labour-employer relations and the so-called â€Å"flexicurity model†. When rights and forms of governance are developed on the Danish labour market both trade unions and employers’ associations are important players. Trade union density is about 74% and the density of employers’ associations is about 52%. The trade unions and the employers’ association agree that the â€Å"flexicurity† model is an advantage for the Danish labour market and the business environment. â€Å"Flexicurity† refers to the flexible Danish labour market and the high level of social security. The policy was first introduced in Demark in the 1990s as a response to high unemployment rate. First steps of implementation were undertaken in 1994 and concerned in-depth reforms of labor market, aimed primarily at reduction of structural unemployment, as well as introduction of solid welfare schemes. Companies can easier adjust to up and down turns in the economy because of easy hiring and firing as well as work time and wage flexibility. Trade unions accept this flexibility because its members are protected by the state, which provides them with high unemployment benefits and access to health services, education, etc. (Jensen, 2008). Owing to the â€Å"flexicurity† model, Danish economy cherishes now a low level of unemployment, as well as low social exclusion rates. However, the policy requires a trade-off of high fiscal burdens for citizens. Economic slack, weak exports and reduced investment in R&D means that local rivalry could be on a standstill (OECD, 2009). 5. 5 Government – the Influence of Macroeconomic Policies Government through its policies must ensure an environment where businesses can gain competitive advantage. In order to ensure a functioning capital market during the crisis the government has given guarantees to banks and its customers as well as capital injections. This has improved the capital market and given better access to capital for businesses. Because of the slow growth the Danish government has launched a â€Å"Growth Forum†, which will address the issue of productivity growth and how it can be improved. Another policy which helps creating good factor conditions for the Danish business environment is the strong labour market policies, which offer activation and training for unemployed as well as supplementary training for employees. In this way unemployed stay in touch with the labour market and it is ensured that their skills are up-to-date when businesses need them. Furthermore, labour market policies try to support international recruitment and to keep people on the job market longer before they retire to boost labour supply, which will be in high demand after the crisis. Fiscal policy has boosted disposable income and demand by a major tax reform, which means tax cuts for households. Moreover, the government has released the funds from a special compulsory pension saving programme, which give households further liquidity (OECD, 2009). Furthermore, the interest rate is now the lowest ever at 1. 15 %, which are good news for the households with a mortgage loan (Guardian, 2010). In 2006, the Danish government introduced a globalisation strategy for Denmark, which established a lot of new initiatives within education, research and development, entrepreneurship and an innovate society. One of the aims of the strategy is to make Denmark more ready and open for global business (Globalisering, 2006). Furthermore, in 2009 the Danish government has launched several measures to encourage a â€Å"green growth† recovery from the financial crisis. The initiatives include among others â€Å"green transport†, improved environmental performance of the agricultural sector and a home repair and renovation incentive to save energy (OECD, 2009). These strategies, policies and initiatives create a better environment for companies to compete in. Figure 2 pic]Source: Team analysis 5. 6 Institutions for Collaboration There are several institutions supporting and working together with Danish businesses. Universities like the IT University of Denmark, Technical Univer sity of Denmark and Copenhagen Business School work actively with companies, trades and industries (ITU, DTU, CBS). Furthermore, the Confederation of Danish Industries as a representative for many industries also has close ties to different business schools and universities (DI). â€Å"Invest in Denmark†, a part of the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, helps foreign companies to locate in Denmark and create joint ventures with Danish companies (Investindk). Moreover, several knowledge centers like â€Å"Innovation Center Copenhagen†, â€Å"Mind Lab† and â€Å"Innovation Lab† work together with companies to innovate and upgrade technology and business in Denmark (Innovation Lab). PART II: THE DANISH WIND ENERGY CLUSTER 6. Historical Development of the Cluster 6. 1 Wind Energy in Denmark before the 1970s Due to the Denmark’s large coastline, the climate is characterised by consistent and relatively strong winds. The absence of other natural sources than wind influenced Denmark to take a pioneer’s role in starting an effort to implement wind technology as basis for electrification and to experiment with it (Vestergaard et. al, 2004). The first windmill in Denmark was mentioned 1259 in Flong. The modern wind energy utilization has a tradition that covers more than 100 years of research in meteorology and wind turbine manufacturing. In 1891 Poul La Cour, a Danish professor in natural science at the Askov Folk High School, and a team of scientist built the first wind turbine funded by the Danish government. La Cour was drawing on the results of two contemporary Danish engineers and scientists. H. C. Vogt and J. Irminger participated together with the American P. S. Langley in formulating modern theory on aerodynamics and lift drag with the purpose to experiment with wind power to product electricity (Vestergaard, et al. , 2004). In 1918 a fourth of all Danish rural stations (120) used wind turbines to generate power. After the World War I the Danish interest in wind Energy waned, because of the sufficient supply of fossil fuel. The machines were rapidly outdated – in 1920 only 75 turbines were left (Andersen, 1999). By the 1930s Denmark was ahead of many other countries in the wind turbine industry and turbines became traditional in the Danish countryside. La Cour gave courses at the Askov Folk High School so that it became possible to study wind energy for Danish „wind electriciansâ€Å". Soon La Cour and one of his students became the most prominent manufacturers in Denmark. However at that time there was still no real international competition. One of the students in wind energy was Johannes Juul who attended La Cour? s courses in 1904 and later worked as chief engineer for a power company, SEAS. Juul started an R&D programme in wind energy utilization. This R&D effort formed the basis for his design of a modern electricity wind turbine built in 1957, which is today well known as the 200kW Gedser machine. The Gedser machine was installed in 1959 and was in operation until 1967 (DWIA, 2008). 6. 2 The Danish Wind Energy Cluster in the 1970s – The First Hesitant Beginning In the 1970 there was an awakening green movement in the Western countries. This was encouraged by the first and second oil crisis in 1973 and 1979. Denmark which was enormously dependent on imported oil pursued an active policy of energy savings, increasing self sufficiency, and diversification of energy sources until the mid 1980s. Since then, energy policy has increasingly promoted the use of renewable energy to ensure environmentally sustainable economic development (Krohn, 2002). This increasing political focus on environmental protection and sustainable development provided the framework for the development of the Danish wind energy sector. The practical and technical development in the 1970s was first carried out by few entrepreneurs, tradesmen and people with high ideals about renewable energy. Christian Riisager was a carpenter from west Jutland. In the mid 1970s, he was one of the first who successfully designed a turbine to be marketed and connected to the grid. The turbine was a 15kW turbine which generated more electricity than the household could consume, the excess electricity went into the grid. The Riisager turbine was the basis for modern wind turbines with high towers and three blades. Riisager produced more than 70 turbines and later he established the firm Wind-Matic (DWIA, 2008). Karl Erik Jorgensen also started to make wind turbines in the mid 70s. In 1978, he teamed up with Henrik Stiesdal, a young student and worked on a three-blade turbine. In 1978 they developed a 30 kW turbine with an enhanced safety system. Vestas, which manufactured agricultural machines at that time, bought the turbine on a license and started in-house production and development of wind turbines (DWIA, 2008). While these innovative designs of small machines appeared politicians began to take interest in the new development. Partly because of the energy supply crisis, partly as a reaction to the popular opposition to nuclear power in Denmark. An incentives programme in the form of capital grants for installation of wind turbines (30% of installation costs) was established in the end of the 1970s and was dropped in 1989. In 1977 the Risoe National Laboratory which was originally established to research in nuclear power formed its entrance to wind turbine R&D. A measurement programme co-funded by the US department of energy was carried out by the Risoe National Laboratory (Andersen, 1999). Risoe also draw on a tradition on boundary layer meteorology and wind climate studies. The Technical University of Denmark continued the studies of aerodynamics and wind tunnel experiments, so that their research on wind climate, model laws, terrain roughness, and shelter effects formed the scientific platform for Risoe? s work on the Danish and European Wind Atlas which was initiated in the late 1970s. Risoe National Laboratory also occupied the approval job for different types of wind turbines (Andersen, 1999). In order to ensure that the government supported turbines also had a certain quality and safety, legislation on type approval for wind turbines was established. Today more than 100 scientists and engineers are working for the institution which has an important department in wind energy with considerable interactions with the wind energy community worldwide. Risoe? s work on turbine safety has been important in ensuring the reliability of modern wind turbines (Krohn, 2002). On May 4th 1978 the Association of Wind Turbine Owners was formed, and the first Wind turbine guild or cooperative was established in 1980. 6. 3 The Wind Energy Cluster in the 1980s The Gedser wind turbine itself was built and financed by the power company SEAS. In the early 1980s Danish power companies took early interest in wind energy and in large wind turbines and built two experimental machines, one pitch regulated and one stall regulated, of 630 kW each. But the cost of energy from the large turbines was so high that series manufacturing was not even envisaged (Krohn, 2002). Riisager's and other manufacturer’s success motivated some manufacturers of agricultural machinery to enter in the growing turbine manufacturing sector which provided promising commercial possibilities. Among these companies were Vestas, Nordtank, Bonus (now Siemens Wind Power), Nordex, and later Micon (Krohn, 2002). The Danish Wind Industry Association, a non profit association, whose purpose is to promote wind energy at home and abroad, was founded in 1981. Manufacturers soon became members of the association so today there are more than 220 members across Denmark. The condition of receiving the 30% construction subsidy from the government was that the turbine had been approved by the new test station for small turbines set up by the Risoe National Laboratory. The Role of Risoe National Laboratory so changed from being that of a controlling entity to a more technology-mediating unit. In 1982 the test station issued the first combined load paradigm, which established that all wind turbine components had to be dimensioned for twice the load compared to the traditional norm. The result of this policy was that the Danish wind turbines gained the reputation for being reliable and robust (DWIA, 2008). The Wind Energy Department of Risoe National Laboratory became worldwide known for its expertise with tight connections to the Technical University of Denmark and also increasingly connections with Aalborg University (electricity aspects). Gains of productivity thanks to the European Wind Atlas in the years 1980 – 1985 could be realised by better sitting of wind turbines. The Danish type approval certification scheme has been a very dynamic tool to foster better design procedures in wind turbine manufacturing companies. It has also been important in winning the confidence of professional investors worldwide (Krohn, 2002). In the early 1980s the State of California began a programme of supporting wind energy development. Danish manufacturers having the longest track record had already developed several generations of successively larger machines in small series. The California market expanded dramatically, allowing an enormous volume of production of wind turbines. The Danish manufacturers supplied thousands of turbines to the USA from 1982. Bonus, Vestas and Nordtank all participated in the wind boom launched in California until the market came to an abrupt halt in 1986. The problem was that manufacturers had become dependent on a single market. When the California wind programme ended in 1985-1986, a large number of the 20-odd manufacturers went bankrupt because they had few alternative markets for their products (Krohn, 2002). The economic collapse in the industry caused an elimination race in the following years. All the small manufacturers disappeared or were taken over by Vestas, Bonus, Nordtank, Micon and Nordex. Thus began a long haul for the remaining manufacturers, who then tried to broaden their market base to include several countries (DWIA, 2008). 6. 4 The Energy Policy of the Danish Government since the 1980s/1990s In 1985 the Danish government decided that nuclear power should not be an element of future energy supply. Beside the 30% subsidy of the construction costs for wind turbines which endured until 1989 the government began, since the mid 1980s, to push an active agenda with the aim to implement renewable and diverse energy sources (Meyer, 2007). In a 15 year plan for large scale implementation of wind-generated electricity countrywide the government pronounced the country’s goal of meeting 10 per cent of Danish electricity consumption by wind in the year 2005, implying an installed base of 1,500 MW of installed wind capacity (Sharman, 2005). Danish government had very wide ranging powers for regulation of utilities. These regulations took many forms, including energy efficiency and demand-side management measures. Integrated Resource Planning was an integral part of the procedure through which the power companies obtained permission to install new generating capacity. Other measures included price and accountancy controls. The government had ordered the utilities to install 400 MW of wind power on land to date. The first two orders of 100 MW each were already issued in 1985 and 1990. The latest onshore order for 200 MW to be completed before the year 2000 was issued in 1996. In 1998 a new order was issued for 750 MW of offshore wind power. The Danish energy plan â€Å"Energy21† from 1996 set up a target of even 4000 MW of offshore wind power in 2030 (Krohn1, 2002). To avoid disagreements between utilities and wind power producers over conditions for grid connections and tariffs, the Danish government introduced in 1992 regulations about the feed-in tariff, which was fixed at 85% of the utility production and distribution costs (Meyer, 2007). 6. 5 The Cluster of Modern Wind Turbines since 1990 In the early 1990s Vestas, Bonus (now Siemens), Nordtank, Micon and Nordex represented the wind turbine manufacturers in the Danish cluster. Most of them had a track record of more than 10 years. The size of the wind turbines grew enormously in a perpetual race to develop renewable energy which was capable to compete with the conventional technologies in terms of electricity output and price. At the beginning of the 90s, the average wind turbine had a capacity of 200-300 kW, which had grown to 1-2 MW in the late 90s. Successful domestic turbine manufacturers became world leaders in the wind turbine production (DWIA, 2008). A service sector to maintain and repair installed equipment developed. The industry left, after further consolidation, two large manufacturers in Denmark, Siemens Wind Power A/S (owned by German Siemens AG) and Vestas Wind Systems A/S and several businesses which are involved in the industry and organised in the Danish Wind Industry Association. In 1991 the Vindeby offshore wind park opened and in 1995 the wind farm at Tunoe Knob, equipped by Bonus and Vestas. The offshore market played a more and more important role for the cluster and 95% of the offshore installed turbines are of Danish origin (DWIA, 2008). In 2001 Danish wind turbine companies had a market share of 50% of the world market (Krohn, 2002). The percentage of electricity provided by wind power rose from less then 5% in 1995 to almost 20% in 2003. The total installed base of wind power was some 1,100 MW at the end of 1997. This made Denmark to the third largest wind power country in the world. All turbines were produced domestically. In 1997 there were 10,000 people employed in the wind power sector, a number that grew up to 23,500 in 2007. In 2006 the Danish Wind Industry Association created the Talent Factory to improve the career opportunities among engineering students (DWIA, 2008). More than 80% of the 6,300 wind turbines in Denmark were owned by energy co-operatives, or individual farmers. 150,000 Danish families owned wind turbines or shares in wind co-operatives in 2002 (Krohn, 2002). 7. Description of the Wind Energy Cluster Today Denmark hosts some of the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturers. Vestas Wind Systems, a truly Danish company is situated in Denmark (Vestas). Furthermore, German Siemens Wind Power and Indian Suzlon have established their global head quarters in the country (Siemens, Invest in DK1). Also German Nordex (formerly Danish) and Spanish Gamesa have established respectively offices and R centres in Denmark (Nordex, Gamesa). These are big global players; In 2008 Vestas counted for 19% of the world market, Gamesa for 11% and Nordex and Siemens 7% respectively (EcoSeed). Other smaller manufacturers are Norwin A/S, Wincon A/S and Gaia Wind Energy A/S. There is a strong branch of associations connected with wind energy and among them are the Danish Wind Industry Association (www. windpower. org), Danish Energy Industries Association and Danish Wind Turbine Owners’ Association. In 2007, wind energy in Denmark produced about 7,173 GWh. This corresponded to 19. 7% of domestic energy supply or to the consumption of about 2. 03 million Danish households, compared to 16. 9% in 2006 and only 1. 9% in 1990. In 2007, wind power capacity accounted for 3,124 MW (i. . 24. 1% the total electricity capacity), 424 MW being offshore wind turbines. In 1990 wind power capacity was 343 MW (Energy Statistics, 2007). Projections by the Danish Wind Industry Association estimate an increase of the yearly instalment of new c apacity of about 17% by 2011, reaching more than 200,000 MW. As far as offshore turbines are concerned, 7,600 MW are expected to be installed by the same year (EREC). Wind turbine manufacturing, maintenance, installation and consultancy services account for some 16,000 jobs in Denmark, while component supplies and installation of these Danish turbines currently create another 8,000 jobs worldwide. The global job creation of Danish wind turbine companies are substantially larger than these figures indicate: only about 9 billion DKK (1. 2 billion EUR) is due to turbines manufactured in Denmark. The rest are manufactured in Germany, Spain, India, Italy, and the U. S. , i. e. in countries where there is a substantial home market (Krohn, 2002). 7. 1 VESTAS: World’s no. 1 Turbine Manufacturer As Vestas is the world leader on the global market for wind energy and one of the key drivers of the Danish wind energy cluster a short description of the company will be given. Vestas was founded in 1898 by H. S. Hansen, a blacksmith, in Denmark. He and his son manufactured steel windows for industrial buildings. In 1945, his son established the company VEstjysk-STalteknik A/S, whose name was shortened to Vestas. In 1979, Vestas delivered the first wind turbines. Vestas have installed over 39,000 wind turbines in 63 countries on 5 continents. In 2008, Vestas installed a new turbine every three hours worldwide, generating more than 60 million MWh a year. Vestas has developed from a pioneer in the industry with a staff of around 60 people in 1987 to a global, hi-tech and market-leading company employing more than 20,000 people. Vestas reached revenues of EUR 6,035 million with operational margin of 11. 1% in 2008 and they got global market share of 19% (5,581 MW). Vestas’ core business comprises the development, manufacture, sale and maintenance of wind turbines. Their expertise in modern energy covers more than just wind turbines. They specialise in planning, installation, operation and maintenance. Their competencies cover everything from site studies to service and maintenance. Vestas is distinguished by a high degree of vertical integration. At the same time, production and sourcing are carried out as close to the market as possible. In 2008, Vestas opened the world’s largest research and development centre for wind energy in Aarhus (Denmark) which will house more than 900 employees (Vestas). 8. Wind Energy Cluster – Cluster Diamond Now Porter’s Diamond model will be used to analyse the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the Danish wind energy cluster. 8. 1 Factor Conditions Factor conditions important to the wind energy cluster are the natural resource in form of wind conditions and the scientific base as well as human capital within the field of wind energy. Denmark has relatively modest to good average wind. Onshore wind resources are highest in the Western part of the country, and on the Eastern islands with coastlines facing South or West. The country has very large offshore wind resources and large areas of sea territory with a shallow water depth of 5 to 15 m, where sitting is most feasible. These sites offer higher wind speeds (Krohn1, 2002). The relatively good wind conditions have been an advantage in the past when the wind energy cluster was growing and still operated primarily in the home market. As the operations have gone global the Danish wind conditions are not so important anymore. In stark contrast to Germany, Sweden, the USA, Canada, and the UK, publicly financed R projects played a relatively minor role in initiating the early development of the Danish wind turbine industry. The early stimulus came in the form of investment grants, supporting market development for small scale privately owned turbines. Later, the Danish Government and the EU have financed a significant number of basic research projects, and given some support to development projects (Krohn, 2002). One of the reasons for Suzlon to establish its global headquarters in Denmark was exactly the specialised knowledge the country possesses. The chairman of Suzlon declared: â€Å"Denmark is global leader in know-how for wind-energy. That is why our global head quarter will be here. † (Invest in DK1). On the educational front, the universities offer specialized wind engineer educations and the research centres offer various training courses targeted especially at the wind energy industry, for instance the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) – Wind Master Education; Aalborg University – Wind Master. Engineering College of Aarhus (IHA) has developed a specialisation in wind turbine construction with the main focus on mechanical components (DWIA, 2008). Risoe Wind Energy Department, University of Aalborg and University of Aarhus have jointly established a knowledge centre – Danish University Wind Energy Training (DUWET) which offers a research based supplementary education for employees in the wind industry. DUWET collects wind energy knowledge and research and offers courses and specialist training for anyone in the industry. A consortium consisting of the research centres Risoe National Laboratory, Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI), The Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and Aalborg University form a national power centre within wind energy research and thus a vital part of the wind energy cluster. Therefore, the scientific base for the wind energy cluster is highly developed and provides the cluster with highly skilled labour. 8. 2 Demand Conditions Denmark is somewhat unique among wind turbine markets, since the market really grew out of a popular interest in alternative generating technologies, partly in opposition to the use of nuclear power, partly as a result of the energy supply crisis in the late 1970s, when oil prices skyrocketed due to OPEC action and political and military unrest in the Middle East. The well-organised Danish wind turbine owners have been a very important driving force for debugging and improving Danish wind technology in its earlier years (Krohn, 2002). Private individuals, either as members of wind energy co-operatives, or as owners of a wind turbine (farmers) account for more than 80% of the 5024 wind turbines in Denmark (DWIA, 2009). This number shows the strong interest of Danes in wind energy and their support for building new wind farms. The Danish home market is what created the modern Danish wind industry originally, and gave it the testing ground to sort out both wind technology and manufacturing technology. The openness and interest of the Danish consumers have definitely supported the demand in the early years of the cluster and pushed its development. Today few wind turbines are set up in Denmark compared to the world market and the local demand has lost some of its importance. 8. 3 Context for Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry Danish energy policy has indirectly played an important role in fostering the commercial success of the Danish wind industry. The Danish energy policy for renewable energy has been a model for many markets in the world. In countries as close as Germany, France or Spain and as remote as China or Argentina Danish support schemes for renewable energy have been copied and/or adapted to local circumstances. Danish long-term energy planning such as â€Å"Energy 21† has been widely quoted throughout the world. One of the basic reasons why wind energy has such a prominent place in Danish energy planning is the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Kyoto Protocol Denmark has to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 21% in relation to 1990. The targets apply from 2008 to 2012 (COP15). More than one third of that target is being met using wind energy to replace coal-fired power generation (Krohn3, 2002). Thus, the Danish policies give good conditions for renewable energy companies. Denmark has introduced feed-in tariffs for renewable energy plants connected prior to 21 April 2004. Renewable energy plants receive the spot market price plus a subsidy to provide a guaranteed price of 8. 1 eurocents/kWh, applicable for 20 years from date of connection. Renewable energy facilities connected after 21 April 2004 are getting production incentives. Wind plants receive the spot market price plus a 1. 3 eurocents/kWh production incentive which will be applicable for 20 years from the date of connection. Moreover, additional subsidies of 1. 6 eurocents/kWh are provided for new facilities that replace decommissioned wind turbines 450 kW and smaller (Porter, 2006). The Energy Agreement of 21 February 2008 contains an objective of increasing the percentage of renewable energy to 20% of the gross energy consumption by 2011. In the projection, the renewable energy share in 2011 is 20. 5% (Energy Statistics 2007). Improvement of incentives to encourage the installation of wind turbines is among the initiatives which will follow up the political accord of 21 February 2008. The new act comprises the framework for overall local government planning for wind turbines and a guarantee fund of DKK 10 million to subsidise the funding of local wind turbine guild preliminary investigations etc. and a model for local co-ownership. In connection with onshore wind turbine planning, the government will enter into an agreement with the National Association of Local Authorities in Denmark on municipal planning for 75 MW each in 2010 and in 2011. In addition, work is being done on establishing a payment scheme which will cover neighbours to onshore wind turbines for losses in property values as a result of wind turbine installations. The continued expansion of offshore wind turbine facilities will make an important contribution to achieving renewable energy targets. The work of offering two offshore wind turbine farms of 200 MW each or possibly one farm of 400 MW started in 2008 with a view to commissioning in 2012. In addition, work started on the updating of the offshore wind turbine action plan, which examines the location of new farms, the possible adjustment of the tender model, considerations of previous building maturity and open doors with payment as onshore turbines. Subsidies for new wind turbines will be increased to 25 oere/kWh for 22,000 peak load hours and 2. 3 oere/kWh in balancing costs and 0. 4 oere/kWh for the â€Å"green fund† (Energy Policy Statement, 2008). Rivalry can hardly be explained on a local level anymore as the wind turbine manufacturers have gone global and are operating all over the world today. In the earlier stage of the cluster, rivalry on the Danish market was tense – resulting in many take-overs and mergers and ending with one single true Danish company, Vestas. 8. 4 Related and Supporting Industries The background of the Danish turbine manufacturers was different from wind power companies in the U. S. , Sweden, or Germany. Names like Boeing, Lockheed, Westinghouse, MBB, and Siemens indicate a strong background in aircraft and generator manufacturing. Interestingly, however, practically all of today's remaining larger wind turbine manufacturers have a machinery manufacturing background rather than an aircraft background. Although modern wind turbine technology resembles helicopter technology, the operating requirements are very different (Krohn, 2002). A number of industrial enterprises have developed important businesses as suppliers of major components for wind turbines. LM Glasfiber A/S is the world's largest producer of fibre glass rotor blades for wind turbines, with an employment of more than 1,000 people. Danish manufacturers of electronic wind turbine controllers likewise have a very large market share worldwide. DanControl Engineering A/S, Mita Teknik A/S and DWC A/S produce controller and communication systems. Svendborg Brakes A/S is a leading vendor of mechanical braking systems. Also Danish subsidiaries of large international industries such as Siemens, ABB, SKF, FAG, etc. have developed businesses in the wind power industry (Danish Energy Authority, 2002). Other industrial service enterprises have created important businesses in servicing the wind power industry. For example companies are specialised in providing cranes for installations of wind turbines; providing transport of turbines, towers and blades domestically and for export. Service and maintenance of the more than 6000 wind turbines in Denmark is carried out by the manufacturers’ own service departments. But also a handful of independent service companies have been established for instance DWP Molleservice A/S and DanService A/S. Moreover, there are also specialised service providers like banks (Ringkoebing Bank has specialized in financing wind power projects), insurance companies, engineering and management consultancies (Andersen, 2003). The major Danish consultancies in wind energy utilisation are BTM Consult Aps, E Data, Tech-wise A/S, SEAS Wind Energy Centre, WEA ApS and Tripod ApS (Danish Energy Authority, 2002). Figure 3: Cluster Diamond [pic] Source: Team Analysis 9. Strategic Issues Facing Denmark and the Wind Energy Cluster Denmark is at the moment the leading centre within the field of wind power. However during the recent years a significant change in technology and markets has taken place. Denmark is faced with the challenge to maintain its leading position in spite of growing competition from firms operating in lower cost countries, especially China. The wind energy cluster and the political system must assume a proactive position towards this change to ensure that Denmark will strengthen its position as unique value creator. Denmark must provide the most effective wind power that ensures its best integration in the accumulated energy system, so that Denmark in the future can still provide wind power technology to energy systems with a large proportion of wind power. The industrial environment is built on a foundation which consists of a significant effort in research and education as well as innovative development focused on environmentally sustainability. This field of wind power is influenced by cooperation and knowledge-sharing to find technological development tracks. Nevertheless this foundation has been weakened regarding the cooperation within the industry, new technological tracks within the industry and education and recruitment. The Danish research-environment has a leading position within a number of areas, but great challenges in step with the rapid development of international markets put a lot of pressure of the Danish knowledge centre to hold on the talented researchers and students. In order to maintain the unique Danish position, an extraordinary effort must be put in. The strategic issues are focusing on both, development of the wind power industry by improving wind turbines and effectiveness of wind power, and the improvement of the knowledge centre regarding research and education. As innovation and demonstration focusing on the testing of windmills has previously been one-dimensional there are strategic issues to mentioned, that recommend an accumulated strategy for esting and demonstration of components and turbine parts, wind turbines and wind farms and wind power plants in the energy system, so that the facilities cover the whole value chain. Creating one strategy for the whole value chain with sub-strategies for each of the three dimensions would strengthen the integration and the competitiveness of the wind power industry. Another important issue regards the research effort. The long-term university research and education should be strengthened by prioritisation of fundamental or generic technologies that are part of the development of wind turbines and power plants. This also considers the whole value chain, so from turbine part until integration of the wind power into the electricity supply system (e. g. urbine design, blades, wind loads and sitting, integration into electricity supply system and offshore technology). Including a roadmap and measurable criteria for every area, this strategy could be developed by using the existing research environment as a basis and build on the efforts from previous research. Especially offshore technology research should be strengthened and framework conditions for cooperation between research institutions and industry. This could b e provided through common guidelines for the frames of cooperation. Following these recommendations, Denmark will be prepared to face the current challenges. 10. Policy recommendations for the appropriate constituencies National and regional authorities As Denmark faces now serious challenges in terms of the development of their cluster structure, it is essential that respective authorities undertake significant steps in order to prepare the environment for sustainable growth. First of all, it is worth mentioning that authorities have to actively participate in funding of regional growth environments. As well as this, they should encourage and support the emergence of appropriate initiatives, especially in those regions, where other constituencies have already been mobilized. Clusters in Denmark have proven to be a sufficient and effective tool in innovation policy and therefore it is necessary to sustain and improve their presence. Next, authorities have to focus on building sound economic framework, in order to create investment-friendly environment. As inflow of capital is inextricably connected with Denmark clustering strategy, it is necessary to maintain an incentive-oriented structure of attracting new investors. That step is also crucial in case the authorities are unable to further finance certain projects. Therefore, respective responsibilities have to be shifted to private sector. Companies and trade associations With the emergence of clusters, companies are starting to play increasingly more important role. They should – along with trade associations – be able to clearly formulate their needs and be able to influence the authorities to implement them. As well as this, it becomes their responsibility to focus more on investments in innovation. That is why it is necessary for respective companies and supporting associations to work together in creation of competence and knowledge centers. Universities As far as academic involvement is concerned, universities specializing in certain arts should play a supportive role in development of clusters. It has proven to work in the past, as Copenhagen Business School provided companies with field research and required theoretical frameworks. Therefore, the ties between academic and business world have to be tightened, so as to achieve a 360-degree cooperation of all the constituencies involved in projects. 11. Conclusion In this paper I analysed Denmark and its wind energy cluster. Denmark has a very stable and solid economy, but also faces some serious challenges in increasing productivity growth and educating and attracting human capital. Denmark’s heavy tax burden might be a hindrance. The wind energy cluster is by the end of its growth stage in its life cycle and now needs to innovate to keep growing. 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