Role of the Drug Enforcement Agency

Role of the Drug Enforcement Agency Dhaquille Williams The Drug Enforcement Administration Every year thousands of Americans and foreigners are convicted for transporting and selling narcotics around the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration is the leading agency under the United States Department of Justice whose task is to fight against and enforce drug smuggling and use within the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration, better known as the DEA, not only is in control of enforcing narcotics and controlled substances, but they also enforce Federal money laundering and bulk currency smuggling. (Federal Register 1.) The DEA is organized from the head of the DEA, known as the Administrator of Drug Enforcement, who is appointed by the president of the United States. A Deputy Administrator, the Chief of Operations, the Chief Inspector and three Assistant Administrators assist the Administrator. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s headquarters is set in Arlington, Virginia. â€Å"The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration is to enforce the controlled substance laws and regulations of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets. In carrying out its mission as the agency responsible for enforcing the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States, the DEAs primary responsibilities include: Investigation and preparation for the prosecution of major violators of controlled substance laws operating at interstate and international levels. Investigation and preparation for prosecution of criminals and drug gangs who perpetrate violence in our communities and terrorize citizens through fear and intimidation. Management of a national drug intelligence program in cooperation with federal, state, local, and foreign officials to collect, analyze, and disseminate strategic and operational drug intelligence information. Seizure and forfeiture of assets derived from, traceable to, or intended to be used for illicit drug trafficking. Enforcement of the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act as they pertain to the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of legally produced controlled substances. Coordination and cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement officials on mutual drug enforcement efforts and enhancement of such efforts through exploitation of potential interstate and international investigations beyond local or limited federal jurisdictions and resources. Coordination and cooperation with federal, state, and local agencies, and with foreign governments, in programs designed to reduce the availability of illicit abuse-type drugs on the United States market through nonenforcement methods such as crop eradication, crop substitution, and training of foreign officials. Responsibility, under the policy guidance of the Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassadors, for all programs associated with drug law enforcement counterparts in foreign countries. Liaison with the United Nations, Interpol, and other organizations on matters relating to international drug control programs.† (Mission Statement 1.) The Drug Enforcement Administration was created in 1973, by President Richard Nixon. (DEA History 1.) Prior to the 1970’s, approximately only four million Americans had ever tried drugs, but by the early 1970’s, drug use in the United States started to increase, resulting in the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA was not an overnight thought put in to action the next morning. The DEA rooted from several different developments dating all the way back to 1915 with The Bureau of International Revenue Department of Treasury. Along with three other developments The Bureau of Narcotics Department of Treasury, and The Bureau of Drug Abuse Control Food and Drug Administration Department of Health, Education and Welfare all became Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Department of Justice in 1963, which was later established as the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice. In 1973, the DEA started off with 1,470 special agents and a budget of 74.9 million dollars. (DEA history 4.) By 1979, approximately twenty six million Americans were known to be regular drug users. (DEA History 25.) In nine years the number of Americans doing drugs almost tripled. The DEA wanted to take emphasis off of the drugs marijuana and cocaine and focus on the more addictive drug, heroine. Marijuana and Cocaine were looked at as a non-addictive, less serious drug. But, taking the attention off of the drug resulting in a widespread of usage and trafficking. In the mid 1970’s, Miami, Florida became the largest drug capital of the United States and the western hemisphere. Bringing in dangerous and violent drug traffickers from Cuba and Colombia and other Latin American countries. July of 1979, Dadeland Mall was the largest shopping mall in the state of Florida. In the middle of the day to men parked an industrial van and walked into a package liquor store and shot fire. Two men were gunned down, who were soon to be identified as a Colombian cocaine trafficker and his bodyguard. T his tragic incident opened the DEA’s eyes to the war on marijuana and cocaine in South Florida. By 1985, the DEA had moved up to 2,234 special agents and a budget of $362.4 million dollars. As the drug trafficking continued to grow more powerful every year, the need for a higher budget and more special agents grew as well. In 1985, the crack epidemic took over majority of the United States, resulting in much violence. By 1989, it was the largest concern of the DEA. Crack is cocaine based, cooked with baking soda and water. It can be made in any average kitchen. Crack is also much cheaper than cocaine, making it easier and faster to sell. The crack epidemic originated in Miami Florida, home of the cocaine trade, then gradually moved to New York, then Chicago and eventually out to the west coast. In 1986, President Reagan enforced a Drug Free Federal Workplace Program. Allowing federal agencies to set up programs to test its employees against illegal drugs. (DEA History 59). The early nineties, Americans considered the issue on drugs as a huge concern, spreading knowledge and awareness on drug abuse and drug trafficking throughout the nation. President George Bush focused and put in effort to target the supply and demand of the drugs in America. Bush called for the DEA to work with the counterparts overseas to reduce the supply of drugs. (DEA History 77). Crack and cocaine remain the number one challenge for law enforcement. In 1986, the DEA established a prevention program known as the Demand Reduction program to help fight and prevent illicit drug activity through the youth of the nation. Special agents of the DEA provide trendy drug information throughout their local communities to spread word about the most common drugs in the area and what harm each of the drugs possess, targeting the younger generation. This prevention program is targeted to the youth and their caregivers â€Å"The teen brain is still developing. The frontal cortex is the area of the brain that controls judgment, and as a teen, this part of the brain is not fully developed and usually doesn’t fully develop until around the age 25.† (Program overview 1.) â€Å"The longer a child prolongs using drugs, the lower the chances are of having drug addiction or abusing drugs.† (Program overview 1.) There are two different websites designed by the DEA provided to the teen youth and their caregivers. www.justthinktwice.com is a website dedicated to teens with tons of information about various drugs, recent news and media and the consequences of certain drug usage. The other website provided is directed to the parents and caregivers, www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com. This website provides parents and caregivers with valuable information on drugs that someone’s child can be exposed to, helping them identify warning signs of drug abuse and the harmful side effects of most commonly used drugs. Support initiatives to reduce the demand for drugs and give assistance to community coalitions and drug prevention initiatives. (DEA 3) The DEA has over fifteen different programs and operations to help the function of the DEA run as successful as possible. Operations such as Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, Southwest Border Initiative and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) all help attack drug trafficking and reduce the drug supply in the states as well as drug supply being transported into the states from other counties. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program was created by congress to provide assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement in areas of the United States where drug trafficking is at an high. There are twenty eight current HIDTAs, they are located in 46 states. The purpose of this program is to reduce the traffic of drugs by providing reliable law enforcement intelligence to law enforcement agencies the design of effective enforcement strategies and operations. (HIDTAs 1). â€Å"Mission Statement To reduce drug availability by supporting multi-agency task forces and facilitating intelligence-driven interdiction and investigation aimed at disrupting or dismantling international and domestic drug trafficking organizations and their harmful consequences. (HIDTA 1).† In order for an area to be considered as a HIDTA the area must be a center of illegal drug production, manufacturing, importation or distribution. Drug related activities in the area are having a large harmful impact on the area and surrounding areas. The Southwest border is the largest HIDTA in America. It consists of New Mexico, West Texas, South Texas, Arizona and the California Alliance Border Group. Their mission is to create a system working together to reduce drug availability from the Mexican border and destroying international and domestic drug trafficking and the harm that it may cause. The Drug Enforcement Administration offers many careers and opportunities. These careers are not your average everyday nine to five. These careers are challenging and exciting in more ways than someone is used to. Becoming a special agent for the DEA is the heart of the operation. Special Agents are the most talented and diverse of the DEA. Their goal is to get rid of illegal drug distribution, prosecute traffickers and get rid of any financial infrastructure of these organizations. (Occupation 1). This position takes skills, talent and specialized training, along with multiple responsibilities. Some responsibilities may involve investigating and helping prosecute violators of controlled substance laws abroad and in the United States, working with local, state, federal and foreign officials to assist manage drug intelligence programs, searching, seizing and arresting violators and assets affiliated with illicit drug trafficking. To become a special agent, there is an extensive, in de pth hiring process that may take up to a year or more to finalize. One must have qualification reviews, written assessments and interviews, medical examinations that include a drug test, polygraph examinations and full field backgrounds. Another career available in the DEA are the Diversion Investigator. Diversion Investigators are responsible for putting together investigations on the fastest growing drug issue, phony, Internet pharmacies. Being a Diversion Investigator is the most challenging career choices in the DEA field. In order to be a Diversion Investigator one must be able to investigate and gather data, research and analyze data, identify significant factors, and have great verbal and writing skills. A background in law enforcement or military is highly recommended and must have excellent hearing and sight for this position. (Occupations 2) The Forensic Sciences department of the Drug Enforcement Administration has three different branches. The forensic chemist is for the science wizards. Forensic Chemists goes to combat scientifically against illicit drug manufactures. Unusual compound drugs are constantly being composed and sold in the drug trade, forensic chemists use their intellect to break the compound down and analytically help enforce federal regulations in decreasing the distribution and abuse. The DEA recruits and hires forensic chemists from all levels of experience from highly experienced chemists to recent college graduates. A degree from a four-year accredited college or university with a major in physical science, chemistry, or engineering. (Forensic Chemist 1). The second division of the Forensic Sciences department is the Forensic Specialists. Becoming a Forensic Specialist is an opportunity to use state of the art examination techniques to form latent prints. Forensic Specialist have to provide testimo ny in courts of law and conduct training for law enforcement officials. In order to take this position, there are a few qualifications you must meet like experience performing print examinations, partial and imperfect finger prints, and assist in investigations. The third department of the Forensic Sciences department is the Forensic Computer Examiner. Becoming a Forensic Computer Examiner is a very challenging career, it is the base of digital evidence. Being a Forensic Computer Examiner calls to recover and analyze digital evidence from operating systems, databases and communication networks. This field takes more previous education than the other three, must obtain a minimum of a master’s degree but the DEA prefers a Doctorate Degree. The DEA also provides other careers in professional and administrative support, careers from accountants, attorneys, to Human Resources personnel. The DEA takes pride in their employees by providing long-term benefits to their employees. Federal employees are eligible for health and life insurance, retirement benefits, along with annual and sick leave and paid holidays. You can find a link to apply for any of these positions at DEA.gov The Drug Enforcement Administration started with a purpose to control and fight against drug smuggling and use within the United States and control the usage of illicit drugs. The DEA has done an excellent job at controlling this task while growing as one of the largest federal agencies for the government. The DEA started out with 1,470 Special Agents and a 75 million dollar budget and now in 2014 they are home of over 5,000 Special Agents and a 2.02 billion dollar budget. With the aid of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas and the Demand Reduction Program the DEA is doing a fantastic job at controlling drug trafficking. Yet, with all of these states legalizing marijuana, one can not help but wonder what the future holds for the Drug Enforcement Administration. Works Cited DEA.gov / Home. DEA.gov / Home. U.S.Department of Justice, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. Welcome to the All-new GetSmartAboutDrugs.com. Get Smart About Drugs. Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. Welcome to the All-new JustThinkTwice.com. Just Think Twice. Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. NM HIDTA Home Page. NM HIDTA Home Page. Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

The Vietnamese American 1.5 generation Stories of war, Revolution, Flig

When we talk about the Vietnamese, most people will think them as refugees because of their history. The book â€Å"The Vietnamese American 1.5 generation Stories of war, Revolution, Flight, and New Beginnings† by Sucheng Chan described the history of Vietnam; the Vietnamese refugees’ experiences and sufferings they had gone through while on boat to go out of Vietnam, and their settlements outside of Vietnam. The Vietnamese as refugees who had gone through many hardships while escaping to other countries. Vietnam had to fight for its independence from Japan and French. It made them suffered more when they had to fight against their own people during the Civil War. By trying to declare its independence, Ho Chi Minh started the revolution in the North to fight with invaders, and fought with the South people who was supported by the United States to finally took over the South and make Vietnam a Communist state; this civil war caused many Vietnamese suffered because they h ad to fight with their own people in the war and became the refugees to leave Vietnam to seek for freedoms after the Fall of Saigon. The book is divided into two sections. The first section is about the history of Vietnam and the Vietnamese refugees’ experiences and different reasons they travel to America or other countries. In the early time of the history, Vietnam was influenced by China that the emperor was in control of ruling the dynasties. The French went to Vietnam in 1614 to try to colonize and cultivate the Vietnamese to promote Catholicism. French forced Vietnam to sign The Treaty of Saigon in 1862 to cede Saigon to French. Under French’s control and suppression, the Vietnamese wanted to start the movement of anti-French and declare its independence. To fig... ...ch discriminations in school because China’s power is increasing. Not like Vietnam in 1970s, it has been 30 years after I came here because a lot of things are different nowadays. As refugees in America, Vietnamese experienced many difficulties adopting the American culture. They came from Asia where there is complete different culture from the United States. They had to change their life styles and believe. In order to fit into the American culture, they have to start everything newly again and abundant everything they had in Vietnam. They were still being discriminated at even though they tried to assimilate fully. They did not have to experience this if there were no wars in Vietnam. The war only gave them suffering and nothing else. Especially, when there is a Civil War when people have to fight with their own people. Therefore, peace is important to people.

Lake Tahoe and The Growing Importance for Environmental Preservation Es

Lake Tahoe, an enormous expanse of clear, blue, fresh water surrounded by meadows and dense forests and rimmed by snow-capped peaks, is one of the world's great scenic and ecological wonders. Tahoe's water is world famous for its amazing clarity. Even today, one can see objects 70 feet below the surface, a clarity matched almost nowhere in the world. The Tahoe Basin had a slowly evolving and essentially balanced environment for thousands of years, with surrounding forests, meadows and marshlands helping to maintain the clarity and purity of the lake. This pristine environment also provided habitat for great diversity of plants and wildlife. Hundreds of species of native plants thrived in forest, marsh, and meadow. But now, in scarcely a century, an equilibrium that endured for thousands of years is rapidly being lost due to environmental degredation and resource values are steadily deteriorating because of human activities. While there is an appearent lose of wildlife and environment that exists in The Lake Tahoe Basin, there is also an insurgance of environmental conservation that has become increasingly powerful in the attempt at stopping these adverse affects on the environment from happening in the hope that the beauty of Lake Tahoe will continue to exist for generations and generations more. The first major change in the environment came with the logging of the 1860s, when much of the basin's forest was clear-cut. The logging tapered off with the collapse of the mining boom, but not before most of the Tahoe's virgin forest was gone. By the 1920s, cars and better roads made Tahoe accessible to the ordinary visitor, and landholdings began to be subdivided for summer homes, especially along the southern and western portions of the basin. The urbanization of the Tahoe Basin remained a relatively slow process until the 1950s, when the opening of Highway 50 and the completion of Interstate 80 brought the San Francisco Bay area within a four-hour drive. Year-round access to the lake encouraged expansion, as modest clubs designed for seasonal business were transformed into towering casinos packed with visitors throughout the year. The new access in winter also attracted thousands to the basin's ski slopes, and in addition to this increase due to accessability, the 1960 Olympics were held in the Lake Tahoe Basin, at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort. This event crea... ...ve a healthy environment we must conserve the land that has remained untouched. For this reason, the TRPA organization and many other environmental protectionist groups of the Lake Tahoe Basin, support redevelopment as an alternative to new development, and we strongly believe all development should be contained within the existing urban boundaries. Redevelopment allows for many environmental improvements to be made. Bibliography League to Save Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe’s Annual Clarity Chart, South Lake Tahoe, California. Douglas Strong, Tahoe: An Environmental History. (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, c1984), pp 22-31. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, About TRPA: Mission Statement. Online. Available: http://www.trpa.org/Mission.htm. Accessed: June 1, 2005. U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee. Online. Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/local/ltfac/. Accessed: June 1, 2005. U.S. Census Bureau. California Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990. Online. Available: http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ca190090.txt. Accessed: June 1, 2005.

The Law of Immigration

The 1990s have brought the largest influx of immigrants into labor force of the United States of any decade in this nation's history. A panel of social science scholars concluded their assessment of U. S. society with the observation that â€Å"America's biggest import is people† and determined that â€Å"at a time when attention is directed to the general decline in American exceptionalism, American immigration continues to flow at a rate unknown elsewhere in the world† [Oxford Analytica 1986, 20]. Unlike earlier mass immigration periods to the United States the present day wave of immigration to the U. S. how â€Å"no sign of imminent decline† [Bouvier 1991, 18]. â€Å"In today's world setting, international migration is a discretionary action that is regulated by the specific actions of the governments of individual nation-states. † There is no international obligation for any nation to allow others to enter or to work, in fact, most nations do not admit immigrants Mass immigration has played a significant role in the economic history of the United States, nevertheless the harsh fact is that what may be necessary and beneficial at one time, may not be so at another. The demand for labor is being affected by restructuring forces stemming from the nature and pace of technological change; from the stiff international competition the United States that now confronts for the first time in its history; from major shifts in consumer spending away from goods toward services; In the national defense expenditures brought about by the end of the Cold War in the early 1990's†. (vernon m. briggs,jr. and stephen moore. pg 35. ) In looking toward the future the twenty occupations projected to grow the fastest in the 1990s, half are related to the growing computer and health fields. The shift to a service based economy is leading to an upgrading of the skills and education required by the labor force. On the other hand the occupations that require minimal skills and education have declined and are presently forecasted to continue to do so. Immigration can be useful in the short run as a means of providing qualified workers where shortages of qualified domestic workers exist. But, the long-term objective should be that these jobs should go to citizens and resident aliens. The 1990 Census revealed that the percentage of foreign-born adults (25 ears and over) who had less than a ninth grade education was 25 percent (compared to only 10 percent for native-born adults) and whereas 23 percent of native-born adults did not have a high school diploma, 42 percent of foreign-born adults did not. Immigration, therefore, is a major contributor to the nation's adult illiteracy problem. On the other hand, both foreign-born adults and native-born adults had the same percentage of persons who had a bachelor's degree or higher (20. percent and 20. 4 percent, respectively), but with regard to those who had graduate degrees, foreign-born adults had a considerably igher percentage than did the native-born, 3. 8 percent versus 2. 4 percent. ( )† It is at both ends of the U. S. labor force that immigration has its greatest impact at the bottom and at the top of the economic ladder. â€Å"The overall unemployment rate of foreign-born workers in 1994 was 9. 2 percent, while the comparable national unemployment rate at the time was 6. 5 percent. The unemployment rate for foreign-born workers with less than a ninth grade education in 1994 was 13 percent; for those with some high school but no diploma, it was 15. 2 percent. The comparable rates for native-born workers were 13. 5 percent and 29. 9 percent. † Consequently, the greatest labor market impact of immigration is in the sector of the labor market that is already having the greatest difficulty finding employment. â€Å"The 1990 Census also disclosed that 79. 1 percent of the foreign-born population (five years old and over) speak a language other than English (compared to 7. 8 percent of the native-born) and that 47. percent of the foreign-born (five years and over) reported that they do not speak English very well. ( )† The ability to speak English n an increasingly service-oriented economy has been definitively linked to the ability to advance in the U. S. labor market of the post-1965 era [Chiswick 1992, 15]. Considering the factors aforementioned â€Å"the incidence of poverty among families of the foreign-born population in 1990 was 50 percent higher than that of native-born families or that 25 percent of the families with a foreign-born householder who entered the country since 1980 were living in poverty in 1990 ( ). â€Å"Nor is it surprising to find that immigrant families make greater use of welfare than do native-born families† [Borjas and Trejo Even when legitimate labor shortages exist, immigration should never be allowed to dampen the two types of market pressures: those needed to encourage citizen workers to invest in preparing for vocations that are expanding and those needed to ensure that governmental bodies provide the human-resource-development programs needed to prepare citizens for the new type of jobs that are emerging. † ( pg. 44 ). We may need to reconsider † an immigration policy that annually encourages or tolerates the mass entry of immigrants with only minimal regard to their human capital attributes or places dditional remedial burdens on an already underfunded and inadequate education and training system. It is not only the actual effects of increased competition for jobs and social services that are important, collectively we must consider the opportunity costs as well when considering immigration and its effect on our economy. â€Å"(Pg,48) The phrase â€Å"a melting nation of immigrants† is popularly used to describe the people who settled the United States. Historian Oscar Handlin added to this statement by stating that â€Å"once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American history† [Handlin 1951, 3]. † The benefits of immigration, however are manifold. Immigrants are highly entrepreneurial. Their rate of business start-ups and self employment tend to be higher than that of United States born citizens. Immigrants contribute to the global competitiveness of US corporations, particularly in high technology industries. Perhaps the most important benefit is that immigrants come to the United States with critically needed talents, energies that serve as an engine for economic progress. â€Å"(pg 78). Economist Ellen Seghal of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics did a study examining welfare usage in 1984 of several major federal programs of immigrants who entered the United States before 1982. She found that â€Å"the share of foreign born collecting public assistance including unemployment compensation, Food Stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and AFDC was 12. 8 percent. The percentage for US born was 13. 9 percent. † (pg 93). A study by the City of New York's Office of City Planning found that the public assistance rate was 7. 7 percent for immigrants and 13. percent for the population as a whole. Hispanic immigrants are alleged to be especially heavy users of welfare services, but the research does not verify this stereotype. A study done by the Urban Institute found the â€Å"annual welfare benefits averaged $575 per California household, as opposed to $251, per Mexican immigrant Do immigrants compete with American workers for jobs? â€Å"There are almost always economic losers under such competitions, even though the society as a whole is almost always left wealthier. The pressure of competition is one of the engines of conomic growth under a capitalist economy. â€Å"(pg98). † When immigrants come to the United States, they immediately raise the demand for US goods and services (Greenwood and McDowell 1986). † â€Å"They shop for food in US grocery stores; they move into apartments or homes, as producers' immigrants fill jobs, but as consumers they create jobs†(pg106). Several studies have documented that the immigrants who come to the United States tend to be more skilled, more highly educated and â€Å"generally more economically successful than the average citizens in their home countries†. Among Iranians who came to the United States in 1979, 57 percent were professional, technical, or managerial workers. In Iran , only 6 percent of all the workforce falls into those high skill categories. In that same year, 68 percent of the immigrants from India fell into these high skilled categories compared to less than 5 percent among the entire Indian workforce. Finally, 15 percent of the 6,000 Haitians who entered the United States in 1979 through normal immigration channels were professionals, administrators, or managers compared to 1 percent for the Haitian workforce (Gibney 1990,372. † The hildren of immigrants also tend to reach exceptionally high levels of achievement as adults, in earnings and professional skills. â€Å"Economist Barry Chiswick has calculated that throughout this century, the children of immigrants have had earnings that are on the average 10 percent above those of comparably educated US born children (cited in McConnell 1988, 101 ). † Americans are split on an issue that will likely remain on the forefront for some time to come. The subtle nuances interwoven within the issue of immigration are facets that require answers more akin to shades of gray than black and white.

Marketing Project Essay

China with its population of over 1.3 billion and the GDP growth rate of 7.7% is obviously a major player in the global market based on its size and growth potential. In recent years, the consumer food service industry in China has significantly grown, driven by the change in consumption patterns of urban Chinese consumers amid the robust Chinese economic growth. A number of Western-style franchise chains are increasingly crossing national boundaries and looking for growth among customers in China. In provinces and regions of better economic development and faster lifestyles, quick service restaurants make up a large share of the total food-service sector. Guangdong province can be chosen as a potentially profitable market where the fast-food market contributes about 90% of the total food service sector’s revenue. Mad Mex, as a new entrant in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry, is ambitious to penetrate this promising market with the goal to open the first franchise r estaurant in February 2014. Situation analysis: ACMR-IBISWorld (Jan, 2013) estimates that the fast-food restaurant industry in China will generate revenue of $89.60 billion in 2012, up 14.1% from 2011. The pace of urbanization and the higher disposable income urge lifestyle changes and the increase in demand for fast-food. Chinese people have less leisure time to eat in traditional full-service restaurants and prefer to treat themselves in fast-food establishments. Moreover, the rapid development of fast-food service providers and new brands and food styles with improved chain store contribute to the strong growth of the industry in China. The geographic popularity of China’s fast-food restaurants industry is consistent with China’s economic development level. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong are three of the most developed provinces and regions in China, which account for about 45% of total industry revenue in 2012 (ACMR-IBISWorld, Jan 2013). These regions witness the relatively well developed fra nchise operations. Porter’s Five Forces Industry Analysis Figure 1: Forces driving industry competition Source: Porter (1980) â€Å"Industry structure has a strong influence in determining the competitive rules of the game as well as the strategies potentially available to the firm.† (Michael E. Porter 1980, P.3) The Porter’s Five Forces Model introduced a concept of structural analysis as a framework for understanding the five basic competitive forces in an industry. These forces, which are shown in Figure 1- new entrants, rivalry among existing competitors, threat of substitute products or services, bargaining power of buyers, and bargaining power of suppliers, reflect that the competition â€Å"goes well beyond the established players† (Porter 1980, pp. 6). Both potential and established players can influence average industry profitability. The threat of potential entrants is balanced by the entry barriers like economic of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, access to distribution channel, etc. The intensity of rivalry determines industry attractiveness but figures out the extent to which the value created by an industry will be dissipated through competition. Sharon M. Oster (1999) asserts that subsitute products or services play an uneven role in industry dynamics. They can play a modest role in highly competitive industries or during periods of excess production. But subtitutes become significant when demand rapidly increasing or in markets with few competitors. In these cases, the availability of good substitutes influences the profits of the existing firms in a market. Buyer power is varied across markets and constituted by the most important determinants of buyer power in a market, which are the number of buyers and the distribution of their purchase, characteristics of product (for instance, standardization of products increases buyer power). In an industry, powerful suppliers can affect their bargaining power over firms by controlling prices or qualities of supply. Depending on each industry and the particular conditions of the industry, different forces will be more or less prominent in the industry competition. And the collective strength of these forces determines the intensity of competition in the industry and the potential profitability. â€Å"Knowledge of these underlying sources of competition in an industry highlights the critical strengths and weaknesses of the company, animates its positioning in its industry, clarifies the areas where strategic changes may yield the greatest payoff, and highlights the areas where industry trends promise to hold the greatest significance as either opportunities or threats† (Poeter 1980, pp.4). Once understanding these forces and their strategic implications, the company can formulate an effective competitive stratey, which enables it to defend itself from the existing array of competitive forces, affect them in its favour thereby improves the firm’s position in the market. Porter’s Diamond Model Figure 2: Porter’s Diamond Model The theorical framework, which examines the competitive position of a nation and its industries, consists of four determinants: factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries and firm strategy and rivalry. According to Porter (1998), factor conditions refer to production endowment that players need to compete in an industry. These factors are discriminated into basic factors versus advanced factors, and generalized factors versus specialized factors. A basic factor is passively inherited, for example natural resources and unskilled labour. Meanwhile advanced factors include what nations can create during their industrial growth like capital, infrastructure and highly educated labour forces. The standard for production factors is gradually rising due to the improvement of knowledge, science and technology. A nation can possess competitive advantage in an industry when it is able to create new competitive factor conditions and/or upgrade the needed factors. Demand conditions refer to the nature of home-market demand for an industry’s product or service considering in terms of quantity and quality. The size of the home market, the presence of demanding and sophisticated domestic buyers pressure companies to innovate and upgrade, meet high standards in order to respond to more diverse and higher levels of customer needs. â€Å"The presence of suppliers and related industries within a nation that are internationally competitive provides benefits such as innovation, upgrading, information flow, and shared technology development which create advantages in downstream industries† (Porter 1998). A nation thereby gains competitive advantage in an industry when it has competititve edge in the number of related industries. Another determinant is firm strategy, structure, and rivalry, referring to firms’ organizational structure, management situations and the performance of competitors in domestic market. The presence of intense rivalry in the home base is important, because it is powerful stimilus to creation and persistence of competitive advantage. Two external factors are chance and governments. Chance can discontinue the possibility of some companies to gain competitive position and some lose. Governments have an overarching effect on all the players. In many industries, government is a buyer/ supplier and can influence the competition of the industry by its policies. Government can also affect the relation between an industry and subsitutes through regulations and other means. They play a role in shaping the context and institutional structure surrounding companies and in creating an environment to support companies to gain competitive advantage. SWOT Analysis Internal analysis: Strength: Mad Mex is known as a gourmet restaurant with a healthy, fresh approach to Mexican cuisine. Its philosophy is to offer food servicing in a fast paced environment to create a high volume takeaway business but a unique and high quality product offer that is sufficient to command a premium price point. This concept will bring it the competitive advantage in food service industry relative to other global QSRs in China at present. By remaining true to the founding principles: Fresh and Healthy, Fast and Delicious, Authentic and Exciting, Mad Mex gradually broadens its business with 15 stores opened in just over four years and makes effort to arm itself with a team of business savvy, hands-on, franchisees. Weakness: Established in 2007, Mad Mex is still a baby to global giant fast-food restaurants like Mc Donald’s or KFC with its limited presence in three states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland within Australia. It is regarded as a strange brandname to the worldwide food service industry and particularly the Chinese market. External analysis: Opportunities: Chinese consumers are believed to have a positive image of quick service restaurants (QSRs) and good perception of their meal quality and customer services. The average level of consumer satisfaction yet high loyalty of Chinese customers is attracting to Western fast food restaurants franchise to engage their business in this market. According to a study on International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management regarding perceived service quality in the fast food industry in China, â€Å"reliability, recoverability, tangibles, and responsiveness were all significant dimensions of perceived service quality†( Hong Qin, 2010). As the study mentioned, all these positive perception in turn influenced the customer behavioral intentions in the industry. Despite the increasing customer preference for Western-style â€Å"to-go† restaurants in the Chinese market, the QSRs market share accounts for only 9.8 percent of Chinese sales for outside meals (Datamonito r, 2007). This means the unprecedented opportunity for Western restaurant chains to operate in China. Threats: The segmentation of QSRs in China is witnessing a tougher competition between international brands like MacDonald’s and KFC and myriad domestic companies like Yum!Brand and Ajisen. Besides, Asian QSRs are the largest sub-sector in the QSRs in China, in which Chinese cuisine is dominant. It is explained by the fact that Chinese people prefer their tradition rice-based dishes and their price sensitivity when choosing the lower dishes in the Chinese restaurants. Furthermore, for the first time penetrating foreign market, the inability or unwillingness of the company to face dietary and cultural challenges will lead to the failure in the image of Mad Mex in the global market. To succeed in the Chinese market, Western-style QSRs are required to examine Chinese customer behaviours and develop marketing strategies that adapt to the Chinese cultural environment.

History of Eastern United States Coast Barrier Islands Research Paper

History of Eastern United States Coast Barrier Islands - Research Paper Example The Native Americans first occupied these barrier islands. They were later taken over by the European settlers for their recreational and touristic pursuits. However, they have diminished in size and retreated in the past years due to rising sea level, diminishing sediment, storms, and human interference. Extensive human settlement in these areas has raised concerns regarding the loss of habitat. Although vulnerable, these barrier islands are very important economically, serving as areas for tourist development, the source of food, and employment. (Keywords: barrier islands, rising sea level, storms) Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Barrier Islands 4 Types of Barrier Systems 5 Formation of Barrier Islands 7 The Historical Changes in the Mississippi-Alabama Barrier Islands 9 Retreating and Diminishing In Size of the Gulf Coast Barrier Islands 9 Activities on Eastern United States Coast Barrier Islands 11 The Importance of the Eastern United States Coast Barrier Islands 12 References 15 History of Eastern United States Coast Barrier Islands Barrier Islands Barrier islands are defined as thin linear mobile strips of sand measuring up to around 10 – 15 metres (30 – 50 feet) above the sea level. They usually create chains situated a number of miles offshore alongside the many passive margins. The back barrier region separates the barrier island from the mainland and shallow bays, marshes, estuaries, or lagoons usually occupy it. Barriers are created by the vertical accumulation of the sand from wind and waves action. Barrier islands are called so because they signify the shoreline natural protection from the forces of tsunamis, tides, currents, and waves from the core ocean. However, the majority of the barrier islands have been turned into resort-type living and beautiful beaches (Kusky 2008, 5). The development of the barrier islands characterizes one of the most dangerous trends in the coastal zones. This is because barriers are jutt ed mobile strips of sand moving in response to the changing storms, tides, coastal currents, and sea levels. Storms are able to move the complete sandy substrate out from the underneath of the tall buildings. Kusky (2008, 6) states that â€Å"the size of barrier islands ranges from narrow and discontinuous strips of sand that may be only a few hundred feet wide, too large islands that extend many miles across and also in length.† The length and the width are calculated from the existing amount of sediment and the balance between the tidal and wave energy. Majority of the barriers are built from sand (sand from the eroded coastal cliffs, deposited by rivers along the delta systems or sand left from the glaciations). Barrier islands are supposed to be discontinuous to permit water from the tidal changes to get back to the sea along the tidal inlets systems (Kusky 2008, 6). The sub-environments of barrier islands are classified the same as those of beaches. These sub-environment s include barrier interior, landward interior, and the beach. The beach face of the barrier is the most vibrant section of the island. It absorbs energy from the tides and waves and responds much like the mainland beaches. The beach backside of many barrier islands are marked by a foredune ridge or along frontal, followed landward by the secondary dunes.

Brown vs. Board of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brown vs. Board of Education - Essay Example Chief Justice Warren ruled that segregation in the public education system denies children the equal protection of the law. Separation of schoolchildren of the same age because of race creates the feeling of inferiority. The case brought the spirit of the 14th amendment into practice. Â  According to Pennsylvania and Rhode Island statutes, the state provides state aid to a church-related elementary. There are groups of individual taxpayers and religious organizations that went to court to challenge the constitutionality of the programs. They felt that the program only helped the parochial schools. It is for this reason that it violates the establishment clause. Â  The central issue of the case was whether the state can create systems that provide financial assistance to non-public institutions directly. The suit challenged the system if it can financially support the schools directly or they have to reimburse the cost of textbooks. Â  The court held that with a unanimous decision that the systems do not obey the establishment clause. The court did an analysis of the factors that verify the constitutionality of the programs. The court tested whether the legislature passed was for a secular legislative idea. The result was that the tribunal did not find evidence that the aim of the programs was to advance religion. Chief Warren Burger found that the statute must have a secular legislative purpose. In addition to, the formation of the law should not inhibit religion. Â  John Tinker, his sister Mary Beth, and a friend in 1965 went home from school for wearing black armbands in protest of Vietnam. The institution has laid policies allowing students to wear numerous political symbols. Contrarily the school had not permitted the students to put on armbands in protest of the Vietnam War.