Design Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Design Thinking - Essay Example rtaking an active uptake of the design-thinking concept in order to instill these skills among the students so that by the time they graduate from school, they are already qualified experts and professionals in the field (Cox and Rigby, 2013). Design thinking incorporates a high level of creativity and innovation in an effort to bring solutions to modern day problems, or come up with new products and services that bring about a transformative change to the world. A company that employs design thinking in its products and services ends up gaining a competitive edge over other industry players as it produces products designed to meet the tastes and preferences of its target customers. On the other hand, it also instills into the product an element of surprise thereby taking the market by storm once launched or introduced into the market sphere. A good example of a company that incorporates design thinking in the development of its products and services is the Apple Technologies. Design thinking is the key driver of success behind the massive profitability and success recorded by the apple corporation. Other cases of successful application of design thinking is the reason for the reduction of the rates of malnourishment among the children in Vietnam, which reduced by half after application of the concept in the management of children’s health and nutrition. The process of design thinking incorporates a number of steps and procedures. The first step is immersion, which is the process of gaining a clearer understanding of the aspect at hand that requires intervention. The second step is the ideation stage, which incorporates creation of a credible solution to suit a given situation or to solve a given problem. The third stage of prototyping, a procedure that entails testing the designed solution, product or service to the targeted problem, audience, market, or consumers to see whether it works or not, such as bringing about the solution for the problem. The fourth

World History - Julius Caesar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

World History - Julius Caesar - Essay Example Great as a general, great as a politician, great as a far seeing statesman, great as an orator, great as an historian and a man of letters---Julius Caesar does indeed, as Shakespeare makes Cassius so grudgingly avow, ‘bestride the narrow world like a colossus.† (Canning, 2005) Born in July 102 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar belonged to a highly prominent Julian family lineage, which sought its roots in the royal, aristocratic and divine ancestry. But even then he had natural tendencies towards democratic state of government since his early youth. His family set up and relations also paved the way towards his attachment with the democratic Popular Party, where his aunt had got married to the party leader Marius. Julius also married Cinna’s daughter, another popular leader of the same party, which created lots of problems for the young Julius, because the political rival of both Marius and Cinna i.e. Sulla had obtained the reigns of the government, who forced Julius divorce his wife, but he managed to escape rather deserting his wife and leaving her in the lurch. The Roman government of Caesarian era had been under the unabated influence of the Roman gods and goddesses; it is why the public used to expect the same performances and heroic deeds from their military personnel and the young individuals. Hence, the Rome of Julius Caesar had been clouded with military expeditions and adventures, and a successful military commander was adored by the people of his times. It is therefore as a shrewd and intelligent young man, Julius rightly viewed that performing something extraordinary during his military career might win popularity and recognition for him. By 81 B.C. he joined the Roman army during its campaign against the King of Pontus named Mithridates. It was perhaps the heavenly-blessed opportunity for Julius to display his gallant deeds, at the moment when he saved one of his comrades at the

Economic Impacts of Smuggling in Pakistan

Economic Impacts of Smuggling in Pakistan Smuggling basically refers to the transfer of goods illegally from one place to another. It is an activity which consists of the importation or exportation of goods or living beings by wrong or unlawful means with the objective of evading taxes. It is illegal methods of conducting business and is done secretly. The principle causes of smuggling are greed for wealth ignorance and lack of nationalism or patriotism. X-ray of an abdomen piled up with cocaine       The objective of this report is to look at the economic impacts of smuggling in Pakistan. There are various motivations to smuggle in this country. These include the participation in illegal activities, such as, drug trade, illegal weapons trade, exotic wildlife trade, illegal immigration or illegal emigration, tax evasion, providing contraband to a prison inmate, or the theft of the items being smuggled. The main objectives are: What are the national trends on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants in Pakistan? What are the main smuggling routes? What is the impact of Pakistans economic issues on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants? The scope of the research is how can we get awareness about these types of illegal trade of goods in Pakistan, identify key dynamics and provide policy and program recommendations for that. However it is difficult to determine due to lack of reliable data but we can try our level best through discussing about these types of illegal economy of Pakistan and offer long-term solutions that how can we safe our economy from these illegal trade of goods to support Pakistan. This report attempts to map out the proceeds from: Drugs and Precursors trafficking Kidnapping from ransom Trafficking of arms Human trafficking Migrant Smuggling These crimes are based on their contribution towards global, rational, regional risks. This study focus upon government policies towards illegal economy through group discussion. In past Pakistan faced difficulties because of smuggling. Smuggling demolished our economy so many times in multidimensional way. It undermines the local industries and decreases the volume of earnings and revenue which is collected from duties and service sectors. The volume of informal economy is raised up to 50 to 60% of the formal economy. Revenue loss on account of smuggling as estimated by the World Bank, amounted to US 35$ billion during nine years (2000-2009). Pak-Afghan border is the main problem. People living in Chaman didnt need visas to cross the border. They run the business on both sides as well as marriages. Goods up to 5 to 6 billion dollars were smuggled from Afghanistan to Pakistan through trade route especially dry fruits. Afghanistan also imports goods illegally from Pakistan such as milk, juices and other machinery items etc. Many of Pakhtoons have relatives on both sides. Afghans went to Pakistan for medical checkup, family functions and for business etc.But suddenly the travelling between two countries stopped. Pakistan has announced that for security reasons only Afghans with proper documents will be allowed to cross the border. Up to 25000 people use to cross border every day. One day 1 of the new policy thousands of people were facing problem in travelling from Afghanistan to Pakistan. Pushtoons with families across the border are worry about this situation. Afghan transit trade becomes a biggest source of smuggling. On the period of 2008-2010 the revenue loss is about 2.5 to 3 billion which are estimated annually during this period. The money which is collected illegally by some politicians, businessmen and terrorist are transferred to Swiss Bank. Up to $200 billion has transferred to Swiss Bank. Up to $40 billion alone black money lying in Swiss Bank of the year 2008-2009.On the other hand economy of Pakistan is increasing at the alarming rate of 20% per annum. Pakistanis entered the UK illegally and still continue for earning money. Around 430,000 Pakistanis live in UK. Due to the illegal migration, many Pakistanis were imprisoned in foreign jails. Beside these issues, there was an issue about tobacco control in Pakistan. Taxes on tobacco were increased due to which prices of cigarette were increased by 10%. Therefore, the demand for cigarette has reduced by 11.7%. The volume of smuggling is 18 billion Pakistani Rupees in cigarette and other tobacco products. Similarly, 22 billion Pakistani Rupees in petroleum product, 25 billion in automotive parts and 200 billion Pakistani Rupees in other commodities like cosmetics, cloth, medicines etc. People of Pakistan were using petroleum products smuggled from Iran because it is cheaper than that of Pakistan. The petroleum products up to 2 billion were smuggled from Iran to Pakistan. This situation is getting worse day by day. According to a survey in 2013, the smuggling in electronics has increased drastically. Each day thousands of cellphones and laptops are being shipped or imported in Pakistan alone in electronic markets illegally. Another research in this regard revealed that smuggler crosses Wahga border which has been opened by the president regime which would result in a huge chunk of Indian goods destined for Afghanistan would ultimately land in our domestic market which would destroy the national economy. They uses Pak-Iran border and Pak-Afghan border along with the coastal areas of Baluchistan to smuggle these goods to various parts of the country. This situation is very serious for the economy of Pakistan as these factors have great impact on any economy. The economic growth of Pakistan is already declining; one of the main factors is illegal trading or smuggling. The taxes which are imposed to all the imports are increasing therefore; the smuggling of commodities is at high right now. A local good is twice the price of the same good that has been smuggled. Or if its of same price, then the illegally transferred good is more reliable or more durable. All because of these factors the demand of these smuggled products are also very high. A middle class citizen who cant afford expensive stuff or goods can now buy just about anything because the price of smuggled stuff is half of what its actually worth. Government of Pakistan has introduced policies, rules and regulations to avoid these illegal trades. They have now put extra measures and security to afghan-Pakistan borders where smuggling is mostly done from. Also different check-up points have been made after few miles in highways to check the vehicles in order to avoid terrorism and smuggling in Pakistan. So, Government is taking steps to reduce these illegal trades but their efforts as of now are still in vain. Smuggling is a very serious matter in the entire world but unfortunately its condition in Pakistan is worse than the most of the countries in the word. Most of the smuggling goods in and out Afghanistan are through Pakistan. The Wagha Border is the main route of transportation of these illegal activities. To make the situation even worse, unfortunately out of 30 routes only 6 of these routes are under control of customs department of borders in Pakistan. The legal goods smuggled through Pakistan in different destinations are worth 2.8 Billion Dollars per year alone. In fact according to the latest reports Pakistan is losing 2.62 Billion worth of revenue per year by the smuggling of just 11 goods. The revenue is lost in the form of duties and taxes on smuggled goods that could be far higher than $2.63 billion or Rs276 billion, if the scope of the study is widened or spread to all the smuggled goods. The report took into account the impact of smuggling mobile phones, tea, vehicles, diesel, tires, auto parts, steel sheets, cigarettes, flat screens, plastics, and garments; on revenues, industrial production, investment and employment. In order to reduce the rate of smuggling government has to take some serious steps as it has a very bad impact in our economy. As a developing country, having smuggling rate as high as in Pakistan means bad news for the future. The goods that our country supply in its market is worth way more than the smuggled goods available in black markets. Even the concept of the black market has been fading in Pakistan because one can find smuggled almost anywhere in Pakistan. Steps must be taken to reduce this problem. All the NATO vehicles transporting commodities should be checked and approved by the Pakistani concerned authorities, also other vehicles carrying commodities in and out of Pakistan. Pakistani Borders should also be equipped with latest tech to detect any weapons or other illegal items that could be detected. In this report all the factors regarding smuggling shall be briefly discussed. On the very first section, forms of smuggling and there cautions will defined and apart from that its impacts on the economy of Pakistan shall also be discussed. From the given statistics of the past summaries of smuggling in Pakistan the future outcome and rate can be determined. Analyzing deportation patterns can be the only means of estimating volume of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. TABLE: GRAPH 1: This precise data shows that Pakistan has been increasing since 2007 with 16% change over the period of 2007-2013.Between the period of 2007- 2008 and 2010-2013 there is increase in volume while a decline was experienced from 2008-2010.There was highest deportees in 2013 and lowest deportees in 2010. GRAPH 2: Assessing the illegal economy is a challenging task.It is estimated that about USD 13,941 (PKR 15 lakhs = PKR 1,500,000) is charged by agents for destinations in Europe and about USD 13,011.43 14,870.21 (PKR 14 16 lakh) being charged for the United Kingdom. For the East it is estimated that USD 5,576.31 4,646.92 (PKR 5-6 lakhs) is charged for destinations like Malaysia and Indonesia. The minimum illegal ecocomy since 2007 can be estimated to be the following: TABLE: Overall it can be observed that numbers are increasing as these are based on deportation numbers. It has been observed that smuggling of migrants involves groups of participant. Each participant involves in an economic exchange.For Pakistan the total sum of services provided are following: It has been observed by the authorities that if detectors detected smuggled migrants then they punished them for 15 days in jail and a fine of between 200 to 1000 USD (PKR 20000 100000). If the detected smuggled migrant shares no specific information about the agent during the legal process he is able to receive 2 more attempts to take the same route without paying any additional fee to the agent. This practice makes the problem to identify the agents supporting the smuggling of migrants. GRAPH 3: On Human Trafficking the male to female ratio was 68% and 32% in 2007.By 2010 this has shown a minor increase in female share to 41%. This indicates that the number of female agents or traffickers is increasing in the region. In Pakistan, it is not possible to see any national trend on this phenomenon. The arrest rate nevertheless can be seen to be increasing for the most wanted traffickers.

College Students and Anti-Depressants :: Depression Psychology Drugs Essays

College Students and Anti-Depressants Starting college can be a stressful time for any adolescent. For students suffering from depression it can be a traumatic experience. Worlds feel turned upside down. Even for those who manage to â€Å"cope,† pressures can cause these students to feel overwhelmed. Upon meeting Katelyn*, no one would ever suspect this tiny, thin blonde with a bubbly personality to be shy, much less depressed. Katelyn is a 19-year-old Northeastern University sophomore, who has been suffering from depression for about three years. â€Å"Sometimes everything seems like a big blur,† said Katelyn. â€Å"I have so much to do, so much to think about, and suddenly none of it seems important. It’s like the more I have to do and get done, the less motivated I feel.† As Katelyn talks, she transforms from an average college student to one with a serious illness, a condition that almost 24% of college students had been diagnosed with in 2003, at one time in their life. â€Å"Being depressed is not something that everyone can easily understand. There’s such a stigma that comes along with the term. So many people just see it as some fake, made-up condition that I should just be able to snap out of. What they don’t understand is that it’s not something that I can just will away,† said Katelyn. Katelyn’s story isn’t so different from other depressed college students nationwide. In college, young adults meet new peers and enter environments much different than high school. For many students, it will be the first time living on their own, away from the comforts of home. For the average student, this situation is extremely stressful and uncomfortable. For students who suffer from depression, these feelings are multiplied. According to an article by Josephine Marcotty in Minneapolis’ Star Tribune from April 10, college students lead â€Å"hyper-enriched lives,† said Greg Kneser, dean of students at St. Olaf College. That’s what makes this generation of students distinct from its predecessors, he said. That is why more students who cannot cope with these feelings end up at college counseling centers with â€Å"increasingly serious mental-health problems.† 15 to 20 percent of college students nationally were diagnosed with depression. The second most common diagnosis was severe anxiety. According to the article, it is not unusual for mental-health issues to become apparent during a student’s college years. According to Roseanne Gotterbarn, a psychologist from New York, college students who are depressed should seek professional help and, if necessary, help from medication as well. College Students and Anti-Depressants :: Depression Psychology Drugs Essays College Students and Anti-Depressants Starting college can be a stressful time for any adolescent. For students suffering from depression it can be a traumatic experience. Worlds feel turned upside down. Even for those who manage to â€Å"cope,† pressures can cause these students to feel overwhelmed. Upon meeting Katelyn*, no one would ever suspect this tiny, thin blonde with a bubbly personality to be shy, much less depressed. Katelyn is a 19-year-old Northeastern University sophomore, who has been suffering from depression for about three years. â€Å"Sometimes everything seems like a big blur,† said Katelyn. â€Å"I have so much to do, so much to think about, and suddenly none of it seems important. It’s like the more I have to do and get done, the less motivated I feel.† As Katelyn talks, she transforms from an average college student to one with a serious illness, a condition that almost 24% of college students had been diagnosed with in 2003, at one time in their life. â€Å"Being depressed is not something that everyone can easily understand. There’s such a stigma that comes along with the term. So many people just see it as some fake, made-up condition that I should just be able to snap out of. What they don’t understand is that it’s not something that I can just will away,† said Katelyn. Katelyn’s story isn’t so different from other depressed college students nationwide. In college, young adults meet new peers and enter environments much different than high school. For many students, it will be the first time living on their own, away from the comforts of home. For the average student, this situation is extremely stressful and uncomfortable. For students who suffer from depression, these feelings are multiplied. According to an article by Josephine Marcotty in Minneapolis’ Star Tribune from April 10, college students lead â€Å"hyper-enriched lives,† said Greg Kneser, dean of students at St. Olaf College. That’s what makes this generation of students distinct from its predecessors, he said. That is why more students who cannot cope with these feelings end up at college counseling centers with â€Å"increasingly serious mental-health problems.† 15 to 20 percent of college students nationally were diagnosed with depression. The second most common diagnosis was severe anxiety. According to the article, it is not unusual for mental-health issues to become apparent during a student’s college years. According to Roseanne Gotterbarn, a psychologist from New York, college students who are depressed should seek professional help and, if necessary, help from medication as well.

Hamlet and Horatio in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Essay

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character in the play is brought into a state of melancholy and depression over his father’s death and his mother’s incestuous marriage with his father’s brother. This causes Hamlet to seek counsel in his friendship with Horatio because of his loyalty and good qualities. Other characters in the play are willing to sacrifice their friendship with Hamlet to gain the favour of the new king, Claudius. When Hamlet chases after the ghost of his father, Horatio illustrates the strength of his friendship with Hamlet when he is concerned about his wellbeing. Horatio does not wish that Hamlet’s interest in the ghost will cause him any harm by the supernatural. It is evident that the friendship between the two characters is well established. In addition, Horatio’s resolute swearing of silence about the matter of King Hamlet’s ghost is an indication that he has a close friendship with Hamlet. This is because Horatio desires what is best for Hamlet and does not wish to intervene in whatever actions will follow. It is evident that Hamlet can trust no one in the play with the exception of Horatio. All of the other characters have a stronger allegiance with Claudius, the king, who wishes to exploit any opportunity to get rid of Hamlet. Unlike these other characters, Horatio is extremely loyal to Hamlet and even helps him in identifying Claudius as the murder of his father. Horatio also does not reveal to the Claudius that Hamlet is only feigning madness, which shows his loyalty and Hamlet’s trust in telling him this information. This also demonstrates how highly Horatio values his friendship with Hamlet over his relationship with Claudius. In contrast, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern change their loyal to Claudius to seek prestige, demonstrating that they are not true friends to Hamlet. As a result, Hamlet shows his respect for loyalty when he changes the letter they carry ordering his death to order the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet values Horatio’s qualities and respects him for his attributes. According to Hamlet, it is because of Horatio’s qualities that Hamlet chooses him as his friend, stating that â€Å", â€Å"Give me that man / That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him / In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart  of heart, / As I do thee†. Hamlet respects this because Horatio possesses the qualities, such as the balance between reason and action, which Hamlet does not have. If Hamlet had possessed such qualities, he would have been able to revenge his father and kill Claudius, which is the reason for his admiration of Horatio. Horatio is the only character in the play that Hamlet is able to consider a friend that he can trust and confide in. The qualities of Horatio as well as his loyalty are respected by Hamlet while other characters are disloyal and do not have strong morals.

The History and Evolution of the European Common Agricultural Policy

The years immediately following the Second World War, Europe was marked with food shortages, a situation that needed immediate and lasting action. The food supply must and will be secured, and agricultural production within the region revitalized. This necessity would then prompt the beginnings of a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).The beginnings of CAPThe Cap has its roots in the signing of one of the Treaties of Rome[1] in 25 March 1957, which established the European Economic Community[2] (EEC). Article 38.4 of theTreaty Establishing the European Community refers specifically to the creation of a common agricultural policy among Member States that would accompany the implementation of a common market for agricultural products (3). Article 39 then presents the objectives of a common agricultural policy:1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to increase agricultural productivity;2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to ensure a fair standard of living;3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to stabilize markets;4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      to assure availability of supplies;5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to ensure that supplies reach consumers at reasonable prices. (3)The Stresa Conference[3] in July 1958 established the three key principles of the CAP namely: market unity (for free movement of agricultural products within the EU), financial solidarity (a communal treasury finances all of CAP’s expenses), and community preference (European products were to be given priority over products from outside the region) (Delayen 1). Finally, the year 1962 marked the CAP’s coming into force.The CAP started with the short-term goal of addressing the food supply problem by providing subsidies and granting high prices to farmers to produce more. There is a clear link between production and subsidy: the more farmers produce, the more they will earn.Aside from subsidies, the CAP also provided for financial assistance aimed at the development of farming: funds were directed towards farm management and enlargement, and acq uisition and management of proper and up-to-date technological skills.Moreover, the CAP created practical measures like aid for early retirement (to provide avenues for the next generation of farmers), assistance for training and development, and financial incentives for the less favored areas[4] (LFA).Farmers working in less favored areas are given compensation for income loses that they incur. (Rural development in the European Union 5) By the 1980s, the CAP was continuously seeing favorable results and agricultural production continued to increase. The CAP’s long-term goal of self-sufficiency is finally made secure.However, unhampered abundance in agricultural products led to a surplus—more than what the region could consume was being produced. Excess commodities were stored, distributed within the EU, or exported (supported by export subsidies) (The Common Agricultural Policy Explained 4).However, this was not enough—more costs were incurred, prices were dis torted, and negative environmental effects were becoming manifest. There was a growing concern towards environmental sustainability of agriculture and the CAP just had to cope with the changing times and circumstances.The milk quota in 1983 was just the beginning of a series of reforms. To control dairy production and costs, producers were given a certain quota. If producers go beyond their quota, taxes would be appended. Then in 1992, the Mac Sharry reform[5] introduced the vital direct payments. Production was limited and prices reduced, but farmers were given direct payments as compensation (Delayen 2).The EU also began taking the environmental aspect into consideration by providing incentives to farmers who apply farming measures that help in protecting the environment. With the coming of the new century, the food supply is secure and self-sufficiency not an issue anymore. The emphasis of the CAP has changed and therefore, policies must undergo an overhaul.The CAP todayChange wa s inevitable and necessary, thus, Agenda 2000[6] came into being. The reforms initiated focuses on increasing productivity and competitiveness of agriculture in the EU while taking environmental sustainability into account, and establishing clear rural development policies. It was also in Agenda 2000 that the system of funding was reorganized and a specific budget was set.Regarding productivity and competitiveness, the EU remains a strong player in the world market. With the coming of the Agenda 2000, price cuts were implemented (15% for cereals, 15% for dairy products, 20% for beef and veal) so as to stabilize supply and demand in the market (Agenda 2000—A CAP for the Future 1).The quality and circumstances involved in food production and the relationship between production and the environment has replaced the necessity of securing the food supply. In line with this, the CAP established agri-environment measures.Optional cross-compliance was introduced. Incentive is given an nually to farmers who commit to these agri-environment measures. However, non-compliance would mean reduction or cancellation of this incentive. The uncollected funds are then added to funds for rural development or agri-environment measures (Agenda 2000—A CAP for the Future 1).Funding under the Agenda 2000 is now divided into two pillars. Whereas before, funding of the CAP only provided for market management (market-related subsidies) and direct payments to farmers, it now has a second pillar to provide for rural development policies.Funding for the second pillar is financed by both the EU and individual Member States, and encompasses agri-environment measures, aid to farmers working in LFAs, and commitments to higher quality of food, and animal welfare.   (The Common Agricultural Policy—A Policy Evolving with the Times 4).

New England and Chesapeake two distinct regions essays

New England and Chesapeake two distinct regions essays Even though New England and the Chesapeake region were both originally settled by the majority of people of English origin, by the 1700s the two areas advanced into two distinct societies. There were many different reasons why these differences in developing the colonists new society occurred. One of three main reasons being the two regions differed because they held unlike motives for settling in the first place. Another example the two regions differed would be due to the different types of settlers who emigrated to the Chesapeake and New England region. Diverse forms of government would be also a main reason why the two regions differed. With the difference in types of settlers, their motives for settling, and even the form of government they chose to run their settlements is why these differences in development of the two regions occurred. With every settler who dared to cross the vast Atlantic Ocean from England came different motives to even attempt the journey. John Winthrop, leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, states, We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken... We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God. In saying this he proves that one of the main reasons why him and the people on his ship came over was to make an ideal Christian community. They founded the New England area to create this model society to be looked upon by others as if placed there by God. If they were to run their idyllic community the wrong way they would ...shame the faces of many of Gods worth servants, and curses their prayers to be turned into curses upon [them]. John Winthrop and his Puritan followers main motive for settlement was for religious freedom, where as John Smith and h is gang of men settled the Chesapeake region to reap the financia...