Maple Leaf Foods Essay Example for Free

Maple Leaf Foods Essay In the summer of 2008 there was a widespread outbreak of listeriosis linked to deli meats produced in a Maple Leaf Foods, Inc. (Maple Leaf) plant in Toronto, Canada. The outbreak claimed over 20 lives and sickened hundreds. This reaction paper will take a deeper look at the crisis, analyze the company’s response, and address ethical issues related to the case such as responsibility, honesty, and transparency. Similar cases involving recalls made by Menu Foods, Tylenol and Mattel will be discussed as a contrast. Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria is a common bacterium found in all sorts of food plants but is dangerous at high levels, especially for adults over fifty, pregnant women, newborns, and people with a weakened immune system. The listeria at Maple Leaf was found in two of its industrial sized slicers. The experts believe it was buried deep inside the machines where it couldn’t be cleaned during sanitation. Hospitals and retirement homes were providing the contaminated Maple Leaf meats to their patients and residents respectively. Seniors, vulnerable to the bacteria, became ill and some eventually died. Michael McCain, Maple Leaf’s CEO, offered a sincere apology immediately after the officials confirmed the link between the outbreak and Maple Leaf products. He described the crises as â€Å"the toughest situation we’ve faced in the 100 years of this company’s history.† He then, as a precaution, expanded the recall to include all 220 products produced at the Toronto plant. The costs were estimated at $20 million. So who was responsible? Obviously, the listeria was linked back to Maple Leaf, but what about the regulators? Shouldn’t they have set more stringent policies to prevent such occurrences? Or maybe situations like this can’t be avoided since listeria can’t be fully eliminated from food plants like Maple Leafs. Maybe the hospitals or retirement homes should be more careful with the food they provide to people with weak immune systems. Some of the points given might be stretching it but they are valid arguments, nevertheless. Maple Leaf had a choice to make; it could have tried to defend itself and divert responsibility by pointing fingers or it could have taken responsibility. Mr. McCain made the choice to take full responsibility. â€Å"We had a breach, and we took accountability† he says in an interview with Maclean’s magazine. He expanded the recall to include all 220 products produced at the plant, which cost an estimated $20 million. He committed to implementing safety standards that are amongst the most conservative in the world. Finally, he decided to handle lawsuits as promptly as possible by giving people what they wanted for the most part. The decisions that Mr. McCain made seem to be costly ones, at least in the short run. It can be argued that Maple Leaf, being a public company, has an obligation to maximize shareholder first and foremost. Increased costs could negatively impact shareholder value. So did Mr. McCain make the right choice? To answer this question we use Menu Foods, Tylenol, and Mattel as examples and summarize using Tucker’s five questions. In March 2007, Menu Foods, a manufacturer of over 90 brands of dog and cat food, recalled 60 million cans of pet food after it was discovered that the pet food contained wheat gluten tainted with melamine and cyanuric acid. The combination of the chemicals caused kidney failure and death in some cases. The source of the toxic chemical was traced back to Chinese pet food manufacturer, ChemNutra. The company did not handle the recall in a timely manner and it failed to assume full responsibility. Rather the CEO tried to portray the company as a victim. Ultimately, the recall cost Menu Foods an estimated $53.8 million and the company faced multiple lawsuits. The company’s stock price fell as much as 91% within a year of the recall and was eventually purchased by Simmons Pet Food in August 2010. In 1982, several people died as a result of taking Tylenol, which was contaminated with cyanide. After investigation it was discovered that the Tylenol were tampered with. Johnson and Johnson, the parent company, recalled all 31 million bottles and created a tamper-proof bottle. The recall and the new bottle design cost Johnson and Johnson over $100 million. It was a costly move for the company in the short-run but it was a smart and ethical strategy in the long-run as it helped rebuild costumer confidence in the company’s products. Similarly in August 2007, Mattel recalled 20 million Chinese manufactured toys that had potentially toxic lead paint and magnets that could be dislodged. Mattel’s CEO took personal responsibility and the company aggressively notified the public about the recall. Mattel handled the recall quite well and was able to maintain a good brand reputation. From the three examples provided above, the observation can be made that consumers react much more favourably to companies that take full responsibility when they make a mistake, work quickly to resolve the problem, compensate those affected fairly, and act in an honest and transparent manner. Tylenol and Mattel might have made costly decisions in the short run but were able to restore customer confidence and improve shareholder value in the long run. Tucker’s five questions is a useful way to assess Mr. McCain’s decision to take full responsibility and take costly measures to improve the safety program of Maple Leaf. First, was the decision profitable? In the short run no, but in the long run yes the decision was profitable as sales levels were maintained. Two, was it legal? Yes. Three, was it fair? Yes, for the most part it was fair. The people that lost family members will not get them back, but impacted individuals were compensated as fairly as possible. Furthermore, the consumers and shareholders were communicated to in an honest, genuine, and transparent manner. The fourth question asks, was it right? Yes, the right thing to do in a sensitive situation like this was to admit to the mistake and act in the most virtuous way possible to correct the wrong. The final question asks, was it sustainable? Maple leaf committed to making its safety standards among the most conservative in the world. This commitment was a long-term decision that has helped foster a culture of high standards that will enhance sustainability in the long run. In conclusion, Mr. McCain’s decision to take full responsibility and act in an honest and transparent manner was the right and ethical decision to make. He was able to restore customer confidence in the company and increase shareholder value in the long run.

Effect of Ethylene on Musa Acuminata Ripeness

Effect of Ethylene on Musa Acuminata Ripeness Introduction The purpose of the experiment is to determine whether the amount of ethylene would affect the rate of ripeness of Musa acuminata. It is hypothesized that the amount of ethylene does affect the rate of ripeness of M. acuminata. The more the ethylene, the faster M. acuminata will ripen. This is because it stimulates plant response when it gets to the plant tissue. It is hypothesized that the banana with two slices of apple will ripen the fastest, followed by the banana with one slice of apple, and finally the control group, which consists of only a banana and no apples. Ethylene, also known as ethene, is a naturally occurring gas that is produced by ripening fruits. The chemical formula for ethylene is C2H4. Ethylene, which is shown in Figure 1, is a member of the alkene family, which includes any chemical that contains two carbons connected by a double bond and two other single bonds can be formed for each carbon (1, 2, 3). Ethylene can be used intentionally to ripen fruits. Some characteristics of ethylene are that its vapors from a boiling liquid are lighter than air and thus can rise easily, that it can easily be ignited, that it is not toxic at all (4). Ethylene affects plants by influencing plants growth, development, and how long they can be stored. External sources of ethylene can also have similar influence on fruits. A fruit produces significantly more ethylene during some stages of its development and when there are abiotic or biotic changes happening to it. A plant is affected and influenced when it is exposed to ethylene in the environment surrounding it or when it is close to a fruit that is producing excessive amounts of ethylene. The main purpose of having external sources of ethylene is to ripen fruits (1). Ethylene can only be produced under a condition where there is enough oxygen and not too much of carbon dioxide. The same condition must happen for ethylene to influence the fruits. Ethylene is spread throughout the fruit by diffusion. The rate of the production and diffusion depends what the stage of plant development that the plant is going through (1). Climacteric fruits, such as tomato, apple, pear, and melon, are those that increase the amount of ethylene significantly during the process of ripening. On the other hand, non-climacteric fruits, such as grape, orange, and pineapple, are those fruits that do not produce an excessive amount of ethylene during the process of ripening (1). Ethylene can only affect nearby tissue when it is produced in climacteric fruits or fruits that are injured. Examples of injured fruits or vegetables are when they are peeled, sliced, cut, or any kind of preparation or processing actions. For non-climacteric fruits that are not ripening yet, ethylene can reduce or slow down the production of itself. That means that when it is not ripening, a fruit that follows that criteria will not ripen so fast since the production of ethylene is stopped by ethylene itself. When climacteric fruits start to ripen, the ethylene leads to its own synthesis and a lot more of ethylene is produced. Because of this, the concentration of ethylene in the fruit increases rapidly and reaches such a high level that external ethylene source no longer has effects on the fruit (1). There is little effect when the external source of ethylene for fruits like apples and bananas is reduced, because the fruit itself has the ability to resist the diffusion and the fruit can produce ethylene at a very fast rate that exceeds the rate of diffusion of ethylene leaving the fruit to the surrounding (1). External ethylene source includes other plants, smoke, compressed ethylene gas, and chemicals that release ethylene. When a fruit is has just started to ripen, the concentration of ethylene in the fruit is low. At this time, reducing external ethylene source helps to slow down or delay the process of ripening significantly. When a fruit is wounded, which means that it is damaged, the rate of the production of ethylene increases. This leads to the fruit ripening earlier than normal or at a faster rate. The interactions between ethylene and the plants environment is also shown in Figure 2 (1). Ethylene production can be accelerated when there is external influence, such as injuries or wounds on the fruit. This causes the fruit to ripen faster since more ethylene was being produced. However, the result of external influence and internal development ultimately results in the same thing causing the fruit to ripen faster. As a result, it is difficult to tell if the fruit was ripening at a faster rate because it was damaged or if it was at that stage of plant development (5). External and internal ethylene sources like pollution, ethylene in the surrounding, ethylene production, and stress, both abiotic and biotic, all affect the plant tissue. When the plant tissue is influenced, it stimulates plant responses, such as producing excessive amounts of ethylene to start the ripening process (1). One way that this plant response can be delayed or slowed down is to store the fruit in a place like the refrigerator, where the temperature would be low so that the quality of the fruit can be preserved. Since ethylene can only be produced under a condition where there is enough oxygen and not too much carbon dioxide, lowering the amount of oxygen around the fruit can also slow down the process of ripening. In addition, the rate of the process of ripening can also be reduced by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide around the area so that ethylene cannot be produced as effectively (1). Ethylene in bananas causes the banana to lose chlorophyll and turn into a yellow color from a green color. When ethylene is removed or reduced, the color changes can be delayed and the fruit can be stored for a longer period of time (1). Ethylene can cause a fruit to be softened and produce a different or stronger aroma, texture, and taste. Usually, ripened fruits become sweeter than unripe fruits. In addition, the difference of the amount of ascorbic acid between ripened fruits and unripe fruits is not very significant (1). Figure 1: Ethylene Figure 2: Ethylene interactions with plants and environment Bibliography Saltreit, Mikal E. Effect of Ethylene on Quality of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Postharvest Biology and Techonology 15 (1999): 279-92. 11 Nov. 1998. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/234-2189.pdf. ethylene (H2C=CH2). Encyclopaedia Britannia. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 19 Oct. 2016. http://www.britannica.com/science/ethylene. OLeary, Donal. Alkenes Chemical Properties. Alkenes. 2000. Web 29 Oct. 2016 http://www.ucc.ie/academic/chem/dolchem/html/dict/alkenes.html. ETHYLENE. National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016. http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Ethene#section=Top. Abe, Kazuhiro, and Alley E. Watada. Ethylene Absorbent to Maintain Quality of Lightly Processed Fruits and Vegetables. Journal of Food Science 56 (1991): 1589-592. Web. 19. Oct. 2016. http://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/234-1777.pdf.

History, present and future of BRIC countries

History, present and future of BRIC countries INTRODUCTION Our topic for research is BRIC issues, so firstly we must know what is BRIC. BRIC is a related acronym that refers to the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. This idea was incorporated by Brazilian president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in June 2007. The basic reason for these four countries to come together was their common dissatisfaction the prevailing global economic and political order largely dominated by the US and her western allies. They have not been given the importance that these countries should have got in relation to their size and share in the economy. Its only the G-8 countries that decide for the future rules of global world order. So this was the reason for formation of the BRIC countries. The BRIC countries are also referred to as the big four as all of them are deemed to be at similar stage of economic development. The acronym was coined by Jim ONeill in a 2001 paper entitled The World Needs Better Economic BRICs. The following is the position of BRIC nations in relation to the world: Countries Share of world nominal GDP (%) Share of world military spending (%) Share of world population (%) Share of world landmass (%) Average share (%) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png  Brazil 3.3 1.7 2.8 5.6 3.4 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png  China 9.3 6.6 19.5 6.2 10.4 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/22px-Flag_of_India.svg.png  India 2.3 2.4 17.3 1.9 6.0 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png  Russia 2.4 3.5 2.1 10.9 4.7 According to Goldman Sachs, by 2050 the combined economies of the BRIC countries would eclipse the combined economies of the current richest countries in the world. The BRIC countries combined currently account for more than quarter of worlds land and more than 40% of worlds population. The economic potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China is such that they can become the top four dominant countries of the world by the year 2050. The following leaders were present at the summit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Lula_-_foto_oficial05012007_edit.jpg/80px-Lula_-_foto_oficial05012007_edit.jpg BrazilBrazil Luiz Inà ¡cio Lula da Silva, President http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Dmitry_Medvedev_official_large_photo_-5.jpg/86px-Dmitry_Medvedev_official_large_photo_-5.jpg RussiaRussia Dmitry Medvedev, President http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Manmohansingh04052007.jpg/78px-Manmohansingh04052007.jpg IndiaIndia Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Hu_Jintao_%28Cropped%29.png/107px-Hu_Jintao_%28Cropped%29.png Peoples Republic of ChinaChina Hu Jintao, President BRIC countries hold a combined GDP (PPP) of 15.435 trillion dollars. On almost every scale, they would be the largest entity on the global stage. These four countries are among the biggest and fastest growing emerging markets. In a paper Dreaming with BRICS: The Path to 2050, published in 2003, the following was estimated: Chinas economy will surpass the economy of Germany in the next few years, of Japan by 2015, and of the United States of America by 2041. The growth rate of India will be the highest and it will overtake Japan by 2032. BRICs currencies can appreciate by 300% over the next 50 years. Taken together, the BRIC countries can be larger than United States and the developed economies within 40 years. By the year 2025. The BRIC countries will bring about 200 million people with incomes above $15000 in the worlds economy. It is equal to the combined populations of Germany, France and United Kingdom. But according to the reports the economy of china overtook the economy of Germany in the year 2007 instead of the prediction of 2008 and Japan in the July 2010. ISSUES RELATING TO BRIC COUNTIES The first official BRIC summit was held on 16 June 2009, in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Luiz Inà ¡cio Lula da Silva, Dmitry Medvedev, Manmohan Singh, and Hu Jintao, the respective leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China, all attended this summit. The main focus of this summit was to improve the current global economic situation and discussing how these four countries could work together in the future for the development of the world economy. They also discussed how these countries could be better involved in global affairs in the future. They also suggested that there was a need for a new global reserve currency that is diversified, stable and predictable. This statement was a kind of an attack on the dominance of the US dollar. The foreign ministers of all these countries had earlier also met on May 16, 2008 in Yakaterinburg. One week before their first official summit, Brazil had offered $10 billion dollars to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which was the first time that the country had ever made such a loan. This loan showed how the economy of Brazil is growing and that it is in a good state now. China has also planned to invest a total of $50.1 billion and Russia planned to invest $10 billion. The following the major issues discussed by BRIC: Coping with the current international financial crisis: Discussions were held on issues such as the worlds reserve currency and some countries will try and adopt local currencies as settlement currency for bilateral trade so that they can overcome the impact of international financial crisis and facilitate trade contacts with other countries. The BRIC countries discussed ways to overcome the financial crisis that many parts of the world were facing as a result of the crisis that started in U.S. Coping with global climate change: Another important BRIC issue is to cope with global climate change. This is a very important issue because we need to ensure that the world becomes a better planet to live in. The concept of sustainable development was stressed in solving this problem. Sustainable development means that the resources should be used efficiently and effectively such that it is not only useful to the present generations but also available for the future generations. They also discussed that environmental issues should not be made an excuse to restrain the economic and social development of emerging economies. Environmental degradation should not hinder economic growth. The colloquium on Climate Change Law and Governance in South Asia, aims to inspire legal discussion within and between the BRICs countries. It is being jointly organized by the Environment Ministry of Government of India and the Geneva-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Development of second and third generation renewable energies The development of second and third generation renewable energies is a subject of common interest for all the countries. They also hope that more and more countries of the world will participate in the development and utilization of renewable sources of energy so as to facilitate economic development. World peace and security: World peace and security is a universal issue concerning the human race. Without peace and security economic growth and development cannot happen. The emerging markets should play a greater role among international multilateral institutions to improve the efficiency, vitality of international multilateral mechanism. Such countries can play a positive role to preserve the sovereignty of all countries as well as maintain world peace. BRIC cooperation will enhance the voice of developing nations: BRIC countries share common interests and concerns in international affairs and should consolidate cooperation. It is necessary for the BRIC countries to strengthen dialogue, coordination and cooperation to enhance the overall voice and influence of emerging markets and developing countries, and promote world peace, stability and universal development. BRIC countries demand more say in financial system reform: The BRIC countries have welcomed the expansion of the Balse committee that standard accounting bodies need to be set up. The BRIC ministers agreed that stabilization of international financial system through liquidity support and recapitalization is a priority. They are also taking measures to promote domestic demand in their national economies. The BRIC countries to play roles as new donors to Africa: Africa has plenty to gain from the growing involvement of China and other BRIC nations in trade and investment on the continent Need for changes in global institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank: The BRIC countries have realized the need for change in global institutions including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. There is also a need to update regulation of financial markets to avoid another global crisis. On matters relating to the IMF, the countries have agreed to aim at achieving a significant 7% shift in Quota shares in favour of EMDCs and New arrangement to borrow. For the World Bank, the nations discussed ways and means of enhancing the voice participation of developing countries and agreed to aim for a shift of a 6% of parity. They also supported an increase in capital for both the World Bank and its private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Challenges in setting conditions for sustained growth: Brazil is the only nation where the growth rates have been less than expected. This is because Brazil is much less open to trade and it has lower investment and savings. The public and foreign debt is also very high. Unless these obstacles are removed, Brazil is unlikely to achieve the targets set for it. Environmental constraints: Environmental degradation is a critical risk to the economic rise of the BRIC nations. Global warming can have a bad impact on the rural incomes. Also urbanization and industrialization puts a lot of pressure on the environment. Many major cities like Shanghai, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro are vulnerable to rising sea levels. Resources issue: Russia and Brazil are resource rich nations but china and India have to depend a lot upon imports to fuel their growth. If commodity prices rise, it will have a lot of effect on their imports and hence their growth. If technology advances and reduces dependence on conventional energy sources, Russia and Brazil will face reduced prospects for growth. Demographics: The population of India is increasing at a very high rate while the population of Russia is at decline. Brazil and China have declining populations (in case of China due to one family one child policy). Population decline could be a significant constraint for Russia and China, though China could avoid this by relaxing the rules a bit. Structural constraints: All the BRIC countries have structural issues which need to be addressed. India needs significant economic reforms. Brazil saves and invests too little. Each country should invest at least that much to ensure that it has infrastructure to maintain growth. Iran: Brazil has expressed affinity with China towards the Iranian nuclear issue. Development: China has showed willingness to be a positive partner in global development saying The scale and complexity of the challenges that we face in the course of development are unmatched anywhere else in the world and have been rarely seen in human history. China is willing to be dedicated to peace and cooperation and is willing to make greater contribution to mankind. The above were most of the major BRIC issues which we have tried to explain through our research.

Greek Mythology :: essays research papers

The Greeks believed that the earth was formed before any of the gods appeared. The gods, as the Greeks knew them, all originated with Father Heaven, and Mother Earth. Father Heaven was known as Uranus, and Mother Earth, as Gaea. Uranus and Gaea raised many children. Amoung them were the Cyclopes, the Titans, and the Hecatoncheires, or the Hundred- Handed Ones. Uranus let the Titans roam free, but he imprisoned the Cyclopes and the Hundred- handed Ones beneath the earth. Finally, Gaea could not bear Uranus's unkindness to the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones any longer. Gaea joined Cronos, one of the Titans; and together, they overcame Uranus, killed him, and threw his body into the sea. Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, later rose from the sea where Uranus's body had been thrown. Now Cronus became king of the universe. Cronos married his sister, Rhea, and they had six children. At the time of Cronos's marriage to Rhea, Gaea prophesied that one of his children would overthrow Cronos, as he had overthrown Uranus. To protect himself, Cronos swallowed each of his first five children -- Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon -- immediatly after birth. After the birth of her sixth and last child, Rhea tricked Cronos into swallowing a rock and then hid the child -- Zeus -- on earth. Zeus grew up on earth and was brought back to Mount Olympus as a cupbearer to his unsuspecting father. Rhea and Zeus connived against Cronos by mixing a noxious drink for him. Thinking it was wine, Cronos drank the mixture and promptly regulated his five other children, fully grown. Then Zeus and his brothers waged a mighty battle Greek Mythology :: essays research papers The Greeks believed that the earth was formed before any of the gods appeared. The gods, as the Greeks knew them, all originated with Father Heaven, and Mother Earth. Father Heaven was known as Uranus, and Mother Earth, as Gaea. Uranus and Gaea raised many children. Amoung them were the Cyclopes, the Titans, and the Hecatoncheires, or the Hundred- Handed Ones. Uranus let the Titans roam free, but he imprisoned the Cyclopes and the Hundred- handed Ones beneath the earth. Finally, Gaea could not bear Uranus's unkindness to the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones any longer. Gaea joined Cronos, one of the Titans; and together, they overcame Uranus, killed him, and threw his body into the sea. Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, later rose from the sea where Uranus's body had been thrown. Now Cronus became king of the universe. Cronos married his sister, Rhea, and they had six children. At the time of Cronos's marriage to Rhea, Gaea prophesied that one of his children would overthrow Cronos, as he had overthrown Uranus. To protect himself, Cronos swallowed each of his first five children -- Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon -- immediatly after birth. After the birth of her sixth and last child, Rhea tricked Cronos into swallowing a rock and then hid the child -- Zeus -- on earth. Zeus grew up on earth and was brought back to Mount Olympus as a cupbearer to his unsuspecting father. Rhea and Zeus connived against Cronos by mixing a noxious drink for him. Thinking it was wine, Cronos drank the mixture and promptly regulated his five other children, fully grown. Then Zeus and his brothers waged a mighty battle

NAFTA Destroyed Employment Essay examples -- Free Trade, Globalization

NAFTA and the North American Worker The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law on December 8, 1993 by former President Bill Clinton. The goal was to facilitate trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada by eliminating tariffs on goods traded between them, but it was also about creating jobs. William Orme (1996) affirmed, â€Å"From the beginning, the Bush Administration said NAFTA was about three things: ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’† (p. 112). The trade agreement was sold to the workers of North America with the promise of better jobs, higher pay, and faster growth, but it did not turn out this way for workers in the U.S., for workers in Mexico, or for workers in Canada. According to the Economic Policy Institute, instead of an increase in better paying jobs in the U.S., over a million jobs were lost in ten years with a decrease in wages for many workers with less than a college education (Scott, Salas, & Campbell, 2006). The Mexican economy that NAFTA was expected to prop up has become one of cheap labor used to assemble imported goods into final products for export. James Cypher (2011) confirmed: â€Å"NAFTA has permanently tied Mexico to a low-wage export strategy† (p. 62). In Canada, the once generous social welfare programs granted to workers and citizens alike have been reduced since NAFTA was ratified. The U.S. Worker Although the impact has been less due to the size of the U.S. economy, the U.S. worker has still been adversely affected since NAFTA was implemented. This has been mainly due to the growing trade deficits with Mexico and Canada that have arisen after the agreement became law. The high-paying jobs of U.S. workers in industries that manufacture and export goods have been displaced as a result of more g... ...ited?. The International Economy, 22(3), 24-35. Retrieved from Research Library. (Document ID: 1554987891). Bacon, D. (2004). The children of NAFTA: Labor wars on the U.S./Mexico border. Berkeley: University of California Press. Cypher, J. M. (2011). MEXICO SINCE NAFTA: Elite Delusions and the Reality of Decline. New Labor Forum (Murphy Institute), 20(3), 60-69. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. MacArthur, J. R. (2000). The selling of "free trade": NAFTA, Washington, and the subversion of American democracy. New York: Hill and Wang. Orme, W. A. (1996). Understanding NAFTA: Mexico, free trade, and the new North America. Austin: University of Texas Press. Scott, R. E., Salas, C., & Campbell, B. (2006). Revisiting NAFTA: Still not working for North America’s workers. Economic Policy Institute. EPI Briefing Paper #173. Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/publication/bp173/.

Brice Family Essay

The Brice family consisted of a family unit of five. The father Davie a lawyer, the mother Caroline, their teenage daughter Claudia, the younger daughter Laura and younger son Don. The family was referred by a psychiatrist who had been seeing Claudia, but felt the whole family needed to be in therapy. The first session was a challenge, the family agreed to go in all together only for the initial session and they were not very comfortable to begin with. The mother Caroline felt the problem that should be address was the issues their teen daughter was having and she did not believe the entire family should be there. Both the mother and daughter came in angry to the therapy session and there was a lot of tension in the room. The father was respectful and stated he was happy to be there, but his body language told the therapist he has not comfortable being there. The youngest daughter Laura seemed to be in a cheerful mood with high energy. The youngest son Don did not show up for the first session. During the session there was an argument that broke out between mother and daughter, Carolyn seems to think they are in therapy to resolve the daughter’s issues that is affecting the entire family, but she does not feel the family as a unit has a problem. Both therapists agreed that it would not be ideal to start the family session without the youngest son Don who did not show up. David and Carolyn did not seem happy with this choice and felt the longer they waited  for their daughter to get help the worst it would get. Carl explain the dynamics of the family and how important it was to have Don at the initiation of the family session, and asked the family to think if they wanted to be a part of the family they are in, and if they did to call and set up a time for the next session with Don include. Dave did not hesitate and agreed to set up an appointment then and there; he looked over at his wife and asked he if she agreed. Carolyn agreed and towards the end of the session Carl connected with Laura the youngest daughter by engaging her in dialog and asking what she thought about everything that was going on in the family. By doing this Carl was able to show the family how every member of the family has a valuable place in therapy, and it is not just about one person. Second Session The second session with the Brice family was as intense as the first one. Don the younger brother did attend the second session. He came in with a sloppy walk. Don has long blond hair and dressed in body shirt jeans and sandals. He introduced himself to Carl and seemed confident. Once the family was settle and the session started the focus of the session would always seem to try and come back to Claudia. Both parents think that Claudia is the cause of the family dysfunction and their marriage is in trouble because of her. Carl did a great job by taking the focus away from Claudia and putting it back on both parents. He was able to have them see that there were other issues that stemmed with them as a couple, and the structure of the family unit. David over working and not being a part of the family and Carolyn being over involved with her mother and her needs. Whitaker and Napier conceptualized the family’s difficulties as a whole problem. They did not see it stem form one family member. They felt the family all had some issues as individuals and as a couple for the parents that were not address when they should have been. Because the issues were set aside they resurfaced and intensified along with Claudia’s changing attitude and miss behavior. This is one of the reasons both parents seem to focus on Claudia and identified her as the main cause of the family’s problems. When using individual understanding of a family’s problem each family member is seen separate. The family is not taken in as a unit, but instead they work on the individual to be able to create harmony in the family. Each member issue are addressed  individually and worked on without the rest of the family having a part. When looked at as individual there is a targeted behavior the individual is seeing as the problem not the family unit as a whole. Carl used the systemic family approach with the Brice family, both therapist looked at the circular interaction of the family problem, the family role of each family member and how they fit in to contributing to the family dysfunction and made sure the entire family was present for the first intervention. Both therapist looked for positive contributions to the social organization of the family that they could look back on to start working with the family as one unit and not focus on one member of the family to be the problem. One of the interventions came by the simple sitting arrangement the family had. The family in the beginning of the session unconsciously sat according to the family structure and how they felt it was. By having the therapist change the seating arrangements was a symbolic change and shift in the family structure to what it should be. Systematic therapy seems to be the best time of therapy for the Brice family. In this paper I have talked about the first two sessions of the Brice family, I have included Whitaker’s and Napier’s conceptualization of the families difficulties and described ho this differs from individual understanding. I also talked about specific interventions used with the family.

Methods of Transportation

Roads are expensive pieces of infrastructure. While airlines has lowered the cost in their tickets and rented cars are cheaper. It is still more expensive than taking the bus to travel outside the city. The perks for taking the bus is convenience. You wont have to worry about driving for long periods of time. For instance, GO transit operates with fares that go from $6 to $10 dollars if you are going outside Toronto. Depending where you are going you might get a day-pass for just $12.All in all is the cheapest way to travel. Rail travel is one the most and green ways to get outside Toronto. Trains allow you to travel in safety and comfort. They pollute less and you won't have to worry about weather conditions. While sometimes they could be more expensive than taking the bus, it is an option to consider if the price for your destination it is the same. For example, GO transit offers really good prices. If you go to Saukville the price would be the same as taking the bus.The only real difference are the advantages of the train such as comfort, fatty, practical and environmental friendly. While renting a car to travel outside the city might be the most expensive way there is one thing people love about the idea, freedom. One thing to keep in mind is that renting a car give you the possibility to move around once you get to your destination. For instance, Enterprise Rent-A-Car gives you the option during the winter season to rent a car as low as $9. 99 per day from Friday to Monday.This is a option to consider if you plan to stay a few days out of town. While traveling by train or bus might be cheaper at end could be more expensive since you will have to spend money at the local transit. Renting a car might seems its disadvantages. The price compared to taking the bus or train. Drive for long periods of time. And you might have to pay for parking. But if think about it the option of going anywhere at anytime and you won't have access to local transit, renting a car is not as bad as it seems.