Supply chain exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supply chain exam - Essay Example The concept of Food Miles was conceived in 1990 by Andrea Paxton in a research paper and was further elaborated in a report (Paxton A. 1994), by the SAFE Alliance, now Sustain, which highlighted concerns over the negative environmental and socio-economic impacts of increasing transport of food. The follow up report from Sustain in 1999 (Hird V et all 1999) showed a continued trend in the UK for food to travel further between farms and consumers, and highlighted more pollution from transport, increased packaging, loss of land and agricultural biodiversity, and greater use of chemicals required in food transit and storage. It attributed the closure of many small country shops and failure of small-scale farms to the activities of a small number of powerful retailers able to source lower-priced food from overseas. The development and application of Food Miles is out of two main concerns: 1. Environmental concern: further a product travels, more greenhouse gases (GHG) are released 2. Regi onal development concern: buying food locally stimulates the local economy 1.2 Why the CO-OP might consider it? The CO-OP today is the fifth largest retailer in UK with 9% market share in the retail sector in UK. As a senior player in the retail market, it is a moral responsibility of the CO-OP to address the issue which impacts not only the long-term business strategy but also the consumer sentiments towards sustainability and climate change. In fact, there is a compelling business case for the food industry as a whole to improve energy efficiency and reduce dependence on fossil fuel and its corresponding emissions. According to a 2005 study conducted by Lippincott Mercer for â€Å"The Carbon Trust† for the UK market, the subject of climate change is bound to get more and more important in the consumer mind. Also, and the food and beverage industry was found to have the highest risk (?6.6bn – 10% of the total market value) of tangible value from climate change. Finall y, the CO-OP ethical plan states that â€Å"We will reduce the gross GHG emissions from our operations by 35% by 2017†. So, tackling this issue of â€Å"Food Miles† should clearly be a priority for the CO-OP. 2. â€Å"Food Miles†: The two sides of the coin 2.1 Arguments in favour of adopting â€Å"Food Miles† In order not to be left behind, there is a case to adopt â€Å"Food Miles† in the overall business strategy. There is evidence that the retailers in UK and worldwide have already started initiatives with â€Å"Food Miles† in mind: 1. Sainsbury has annual targets for emissions reduction, and has increased (as part of its low-food miles strategy) the proportion of products sourced domestically to 90% for food that can be grown in the UK. 2. Safeway UK has developed a distribution system, introducing measures to reduce its food miles and the energy consumption of its fleet. 3. In 2005/06, Wal-Mart CEO announced that it plans to boost energ y efficiency, increase organic food sales and reduce GHG emissions by 20% by 2012 worldwide. Even the government policy seems to have â€Å"Food Miles† concept in the long-term view. In the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy published in 2006, the UK government has proposed key performance indicators for food transportation that include road distance travelled, emissions from land and air transport. Finally, in terms of supply chain issues,

Liverpool Street Essay Example for Free

Liverpool Street Essay London is a vast city, with people of various religions, cultures, traditions and backgrounds. It is a city, which allows people to have freedom and choice. London is the commercial centre of Great Britain with diverse institutions. It is also famous for tourism; millions of people come to London to experience what it can offer. It has many famous historical buildings, botanical gardens, and great landmarks, which are an essential when visiting London. It is an honoured country to be proud of. We studied and analysed two stories. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and a Kiss Miss Carol by Farrukh Dhondy. Both stories portray disadvantage. A Christmas Carol is about a man called Scrooge who has a mean character and sees no good in life, he never makes the best out of things. He hates poor people and thinks that Christmas is a humbug. A Kiss Miss Carol is about a young Bangladeshi boy named Jolil whose life is in monopoly control of his father. He has no free will whatsoever. Jolil is overwhelmed to be included in a Christmas play at school, but realises that his parents are not ready to support him. The poverty in London from the story A Christmas carol is described through depressing gloomy language. Dickens brings the settings to life by using adjectives like cold bleak dingy. These words give a poor effect to the climate, and make it seem dull and lifeless. Dickens describes houses using boring colours like black. He contrasts the black lifeless colours with the white sheet of snow so that the bleak depressing colours stand out more. These lifeless colours, make the atmosphere feel unhealthy, Dickens varies his sentence length for great effect and breaks them up by the use of colons and commas. His choice of words such as dirtier and dingy mist make the climate seem crowded and filthy. Dickens uses many methods of writing in detail. He makes the reader want to read on by his lengthy descriptions, extensive use of vocabulary, humorous style of writing and his use of dialogue, for the characters. Though some of the techniques Dickens used are tedious, but the humour and communicating with the reader (the dialogue) helps balance this out. The poverty in London from the story A Kiss Miss Carol is described in a lot of detail as we can create images of some of the scenes Jolil describes. The author describes corrugated estates, which looked like huge skulls, which had been picked out clean. The term skull signifies death, the estates are described as if all signs of life from the building have been extracted, as if the estates are completely dead, old, and a little haunted. When a Lion kills a Reindeer, it eats the parts he desires, the remaining carcass is then picked out clean by little insects, taking every bit they can, taking all the life and essence they can from the remains of the dead animal. Similarly, this shows how the building is savagely demolished; every essence of life from the estates has been picked out clean, and nothing if left of it. The area in which Jolil lives is portrayed as mixed and quite poor. Jolil has to save up his travel money to bribe his brother-no luxury pocket money there. (Lines 161-163). He watched the needle go in and out of the patches of grey clothes, like the beak of a bird pecking down a lines of crumbs. The grey cloth shows a dullness in the work that Jolil is doing, that there is absolutely no vitality, its shows the dull, dreary, depressed and deprived type of life Jolil is leading. The bird pecking crumbs show a state of desperacy that Jolils family is leading, that they work hard, but get paid very little money, and this also shows how desperate Jolil is to go and perform at the Christmas Concert. The wealth shown in the story A Christmas Carol is through describing the rich colourful, tasty textures of food. The wealth is emphasised through language. Dickens describes how round the chestnuts are, bringing them into life, tumbling out into the streets in their opulence. This word describes the wealth, affluence, and fortune in the chestnuts that taste so tender. The bunches of grapes which dangle from the shopkeepers hooks, that peoples mouth might water gratis. Gratis describes how peoples mouth would water without charge, and in as much freedom when passing by the round, green, squidgy sweet grapes, which taste absolutely exhilarating. Dickens describes the fragrance of the food market, the cool sensation, that sweet and pleasant odour, the aroma, which leads to the radiant fruits, those glowing lights, beaming brilliantly to sheer perfection. The gold and silver fish symbolise wealth, fortune and prosperity. Dickens can make the most awful fruits sound to sweet and sugary. This is how wealth is shown in London, through the rich, colourful, fragranced fruits in the market. The wealth shown in the story A Kiss Miss Carol is by many white businessmen wearing suits rushing towards Liverpool Street station. Thousands of white people hurrying towards the train station. Liverpool Street is an industrial area with many huge companies in competition. It is in the heart of London. These people flocking to and from the station are either going to or from work, which tells us that London is able to sustain itself as millions of people are earning money.

GA3 Producing Fusarium and its Impact on Growth

GA3 Producing Fusarium and its Impact on Growth Isolation and characterization of Gibberellic acid 3 producing Fusarium sp. from Belgaum agriculture land and its impact on green pea and rice growth promotion Abstract Worldwide ultimate aim of any agriculture sector or farmer is to take maximum yield. Sufficient supply of nutrients and fertilizer are not able to give maximum yield. There are numerous factors which are responsible for low yield, among that one is the environment stress or the unstable climate conditions. To increase the yield there are numerous approaches like use of genetically modified crops, but in India it is controversial approach and another approach is the use of multifunctional plant hormone like Gibberellic acid 3 (GA3). This research mainly involves the production of GA3 from fungal species and to apply it on crop plants. Fusarium species were isolated from Belgaum agriculture soil and screened for GA3 production under submerged fermentation. Strain showing maximum GA3 yield (strain M104) was taken to study the effect of various parameters on GA3 production, like incubation time (1 – 12 days), initial pH (5.0 -8.0), incubation temperature (20 – 40  °C), pH (5.0 -8.0), and carbon and nitrogen sources. The maximum production of GA3 was observed on day 8 at 30  °C, and pH 5.5 with glucose and ammonium chloride as good carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. After optimization, a 6.56-increase in GA3 production was observed. The GA3 production was confirmed by thin layer chromatography. The GA3 crude extract obtained using submerged fermentation was then used to study its effect on germination and growth of green pea plant and paddy crops. It was observed that GA3 treated crops showed uniform growth and they were taller than non-treated plants, suggesting its application in increasing the crop plant harvests. Key words: Fusarium sp, isolation, gibberellic acid, optimization, submerged fermentation, crop plants. Introduction Gibberellic acids, also known as gibberellins, are the complex organic molecules acting as plant growth hormones. They are chemically known as diterpenoid acids having molecular formula C19H22O6. They regulate the functions like cell division, cell elongation, sex expression, seed germination, breakdown of seed dormancy and flowering etc. In microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, gibberellic acid 3 is the principal product of gibberellins, act as secondary metabolite (Bruckner and Blecschmidt, 1991; Karakoc and Aksoz, 2006). Till now, 136 gibberellins were isolated from various plants, and among that gibberellic acid 3 shows maximum biological activity (Rodrigues et al., 2011). The use of GA3 has been approved by food and drug administration (FDA) because of its tremendous application and nontoxic properties, and its safety for environment and human was confirmed by Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) (Rodrigues et al., 2011). In counties under development where mainly the economy relies on agriculture, the farmers have to use fertilizers and plant hormones to increase production. As most of fertilizers are associated with environmental pollution, plant growth hormones like gibberellic acid 3 have to be produced cost-effectively in huge amounts in order to enhance the quantity of agricultural products (Bilkay et al., 2010). Three routes to obtain GA3 have been reported, viz. extraction from plants, chemical synthesis and microbial fermentation. Among this the third method is the most common method to produce GA3 (Rios-Iribe et al., 2011). GA3 is industrially produced by Gibberella fujikuroi / Fusarium moniliforme under submerged (Santos et al., 2003; Karakoc and Aksoz, 2006). It is also produced by several other fungal species such as Aspergillus niger and Fusarium species and some bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Azobactor, and Azospirillu species (Rademacher, 1994). All above species produced ver y low yield of GA3 except Fusarium species in which most of the strains show the highest yield of GA3 than any other microbes (Rangaswamy, 2012). The search for new fungal species like Fusarium species capable of producing an important amount of GA3 is a continuous exercise. The aim of the present study was therefore to isolate and characterize a GA3 producing Fusarium sp. from soil, optimize the culture conditions for maximum GA3 production, and to evaluate its effect on green pea and rice growth promotion. Materials and Methods Soil sample selection To isolate strains of Fusarium, the soil sample was taken from Belgaum agriculture area (Karnataka state, India). This soil was black coloured having high water holding capacity, good fertility and also best soil for crops like paddy, all types of beans, sugarcane and all types of vegetables. Isolation of Fusarium species The soil sample collected from Belgaum agriculture land was taken, serially diluted in distilled water and inoculated in a Malachite green agar (MGA). Petri plates containing 15 g of peptone, 0.01 g of Malachite Green (triaryl methane dye), 1 g of potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 0.5 g of magnesium sulphate, and 20 g of agar per 1000 ml of distilled water were prepared. The incubation was carried out at 30  °C for 5 days (Castellà ¡ et al., 1977). The resulted various colonies were picked up and further inoculated in a potato dextrose agar (PDA) plate and incubated for a week for secondary pigmentation. The colony with different morphology and colour pigmentation were sub cultured on PDA slants and labelled (Avinash et al., 2003). The lactophenol cotton blue technique was used to study the characteristics of the fungal isolate (William and Cross, 1971). Screening of the isolates for GA3 production under submerged fermentation The Czapack Dox media (CD broth) containing sucrose (30 g), sodium nitrate (3 g), dipotassium hydrogen phosphate (1 g), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (0.5 g), magnesium sulphate (0.5 g), potassium chloride (0.5 g) and ferrous sulphate (0.1 g) per 1000 ml of distilled water was used. The CD broth was prepared in conical flask and adjusted the pH to 7.0, and sterilised in an autoclave for 20 min at 15 psi. After cooling the medium, it was aseptically inoculated (1 Ãâ€" 108 spores / ml) with individual isolated strains. The fermentation flasks were kept on a rotary shaker (100 rpm) at 30  °C for 12 days (Kahlon et al., 1986; Karakoc et al., 2006; Rangaswamy, 2012). GA3 pre-treatment, extraction and estimation The fermented broth was taken and centrifuged at 13200 rpm for 10 min and the supernatant was taken and acidified to pH 2-2.5 using 1N HCl. GA3 was extracted trice using equal amount of ethyl acetate/NaHCO3 (Cho et al., 1979). The ethyl extract was kept on hot air oven at 50  °C overnight to remove ethyl acetate and obtain crystals of GA3 (Kahlon et al., 1986; Karakoc and Aksoz, 2006; Karakoc et al., 2006; Bilkay et al., 2010; Rangaswamy, 2012). It was estimated by Berrios et al. (2004) spectrophotometric method and absorption was read at 254 nm in UV-VIS spectrophotometer (Elico, SL-159 model, India). Confirmation of GA3 by thin layer chromatography (TLC) The slurry of silica gel was poured on a TLC plates, air dried, and the matrix was activated by keeping the plates on hot air oven at 80  °C for 1 h. GA3 dissolved in ethanol was added as a spot and plates were run using mobile phase containing isopropanol : ammonia : water (10:1:1) for 2 h. The plates were removed, sprayed with 3% sulphuric acid containing 50 mg FeCl3 and heated in oven at 80  °C for 10 min. The GA3 appeared as greenish black/spot fluorescence under UV light (Cavell et al., 1967; Srivastava et al., 2003). Optimization of culture conditions for maximum GA3 production by Fusarium sp. (isolate M-104). The incubation time for GA3 production by the fungal isolate under submerged fermentation at 30  °C and at initial pH 7.0 was analysed by inoculating CD broth with 1 ml of fungal spores and incubating on a rotary shaker (100 rpm) for 12 days. The sample was taken every day as the fermentation proceeds in order to find the most suitable incubation time for GA3 production. The effect of pH on GA3 production was studied by adjusting CD broth at different pH, viz. 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.5, and 8.0. The cultivation flasks were inoculated with 1.5% (v/v) inoculum, and incubated for 8 days on rotary shaker (100 rpm) at 30  °C. The effect of temperature on GA3 production was investigated by inoculating the fungal spores in CD broth of pH 7.0 and by incubating at three different temperatures 20, 30, 40, and 50  °C with other conditions remained same. The effect of carbon sources on GA3 secretion was analysed by replacing the sucrose in the CD broth of pH 5.5 by dextrose, glucose, ma nnitol, and starch, and by incubating at 30  °C for 8 days. The effect of nitrogen sources on GA3 secretion was analysed by replacing the sodium nitrate in the CD broth of pH 5.5 by glycine, ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate at 30  °C for 8 days. Effect of GA3 on pea plant and paddy crops Seeds of pea plants were soaked in 200 ppm of GA3 fermented filtrate for 12 h and then sown in autoclaved soil. After a period of 8 days, 100 ppm of GA3 was sprayed on the plant for each alternative day for another 8 days. The control was soaked in water and sown in autoclaved soil and sprayed with distilled water only. The growth of both the control and test pea plants was monitored over a period of 15 days. 10 paddy seeds were soaked in 300 ppm of GA3 solution for about 2 days and sown in soil. They were sprayed with 200 ppm of GA3 after growth. The control seeds were soaked in water for the same period and sprayed with only water. The observation was carried out for 25 days (Tiwari et al., 2011; Susilawati et al., 2014). Statistical analysis The experiments were carried out in triplicate. ANOVA and DMRT at 5% significance level were used to give the differences between mean values, using SPSS statistical software. Results and Discussion Isolation of Fusarium species Four strains of Fusarium species were isolated from agriculture soil sample and labelled as M101, M102, M104 and M110. The present labelling was based on following pigmentation black, grey, blue and red, respectively. All strains had cottony growth appearance which is one of the important morphological characteristic of the Fusarium species. By staining the fungi with lactophenol cotton blue dye, it was observed that they had non septate hyaline mycelium/ hyphae as shown in figure 1a. The macrospores of banana shape were reseptated which is a unique microscopic feature of Fusarium species as shown in the figure1b. The isolation medium containing malachite green was chosen since malachite green inhibits the radial colony growth of the saprophytes and allows only growth of Fusarium species (Castellà ¡ et al., 1997). Screening for isolates for GA3 production GA3 can be commercially produced by submerged fermentation using different media but the most common synthetic medium is the Czapack Dox medium (CD broth) (Rangaswamy, 2012). The isolated strains M101, M102, M104 and M110 were subjected to submerged fermentation to check their ability for GA3 production. The different amounts of GA3 produced are given in the table 1 and Figure 2, and the strain M104 was the highest producer of GA3 among the four isolates. Similarly, Aspergillus niger strains produced different amounts of GA3 with the highest of 150.35 mg/l for A. niger Fursan (Cihangir and Aksoz, 1993). Likewise, various amounts of GA3 were produced by Lentinus tigrinus and Laetiporus (Ozcan, 2001). Optimization of culture conditions for maximum GA3 production by Fusarium isolate M104 The optimization of cultural parameters like incubation time, temperature, and pH, and nutritional conditions like nitrogen and carbon sources, is necessary to produce GA3 in a significant amount. Time course for GA3 production by the isolate M104 was studied. GA3 production started on day 3 and maximum production was observed at day 8, although statistically at par with day 9 and 10 (Table 2). Similar incubation time was noted for GA3 production by Fusarium monilifome (Rangaswamy, 2012). 9 days was optimal time for GA3 secretion by Fusarium fujikuroi SG2 (Uthandi et al., 2010) and Fusarium monilifome (Kobomoje et al., 2013). In contrast, a higher incubation time of 12 days was observed by for Fusarium moniliforme(Kahlon and Malhotra, 1986) and Aspergillus niger (Bilkay et al., 2010). The optimum incubation time for GA3 production by various fungal species depend therefore on the strain used. The short incubation period observed for GA3 production by fungal isolate M104 makes the fer mentation cost-effective. Among all pH investigated, the pH 5.5 showed the maximum production of GA3 which was 1478.2 mg/L (Table 2). pH 5.5 was also optimum for GA3 production by Fusarium monilifome (Kahlon and Malhotra, 1986; Kobomoje et al., 2013) and Fusarium fujikuroi SG2 (Uthandi et al., 2010). Bilkay et al. (2010) reported pH 5.0 as optimal time for GA3 production by Aspergillus niger, whereas pH 7.0 was optimum for GA3 production by Fusarium monilifome (Rangaswamy, 2012). The effect of temperature on GA3 production was analysed, and maximum production was observed at 30  °C (Table 3). The production of GA3 by various fungal species was also seen at an optimum temperature of 30  °C (Bilkay et al., 2010, Uthandi et al., 2010; Rangaswamy, 2012; Kobomoje et al., 2013). 25  °C was also optimum for GA3 production by Gibberella fujikuroi (Gelmi et al., 2002). A low GA3 yield at higher temperature was also recorded for GA3 production by Aspergillus niger (Bilkay et al., 2010). A low GA3 production was observed at higher temperatures because metabolic activities get stopped due to enzyme denaturation. The decrease in GA3 secretion by microbial species was ascribed to the variation in enzyme activity or thermal denaturation (Karakoc and Aksoz, 2006). The effect of carbon sources on GA3 production was investigated. Maximum GA3 production was seen when glucose was used as carbon source (Table 2). Similarly, glucose was best carbon source for GA3 production by Fusarium moniliforme (Rangaswamy, 2012; Kobomoje et al., 2013). However, a mixture of glucose and rice flour was necessary to get GA3 production by Fusarium fujikuroi SG2 (Uthandi et al., 2010). When the concentration of glucose was increased, a decrease in enzyme production is observed due to catabolite repression (Tudzynski, 1999). After analysing the effect of nitrogen sources on GA3 production, a significant yield was observed with ammonium chloride (Table 2). Similarly, an important yield was seen when ammonium chloride was used as nitrogen source for GA3 production by Fusarium fujikuroi SG2 (Uthandi et al., 2010). A low amount was seen when glycine was used as nitrogen source (Table 2). This can be attributed to the fact that glycine is a slowly consumed organic nitrogen source (Rodrigues et al., 2011). After exhaustion of nitrogen source, GA3 secretion starts and an important amount of carbon source is consumed (Tudzynski, 1999; Rodrigues et al., 2011). The submerged fermentation for GA3 production by the isolate M104 was carried out under shaking conditions (100 rpm) to allow proper mixing of nutrients, favouring oxygen circulation and GA3 production. A 3-fold increase was recorded for GA3 production by Aspergillus niger when the culture flasks were agitated (Bilkay et al., 2010). Rodrigues et al. (2011) reported that GA3 production has to be carried with aeration since GA3 biosynthesis requires various oxidative steps catalysed by different oxygenases. After optimization, a 6.56-enhancement in GA3 secretion was observed Thin layer chromatography (TLC) After GA3 extraction, crystals of GA3 were obtained as shown on the figure 3. After carrying TLC, the value of resolution factor (Rf) of GA3 was calculated as follow: Rf = distance from origin to solvent peak / distance from origin to sample spot detected = 7.9 cm / 10.8 cm = 0.7315 (Figure 4). The value was closing approximate to the GA3 standard value. Similarly, an approximate Rf value was recorded for the GA3 extracted from Fusarium monilifome (Rangaswamy, 2012). The TLC was also used to confirm the GA3 produced by Fusarium solani (Bhalla et al., 2010). Effect of GA3 on pea plants It is was observed that the pea plants sprayed with GA3 was 7 cm taller than the pea plants without the GA3 within a period of two weeks (Fig. 5). Similarly, size of the lily plants was increased following exogenous GA3 treatment and this was attributable to the protein synthesis stimulation (Mahmoody and Noori, 2014). Likewise, the hybridized rice plant height was increased after GA3 extract application (Srivastava et al., 2003). Effect of GA3 on paddy crops All the 10 paddy seeds treated with GA3 were able to germinate and have uniform growth, colour and height and average height was 9.5 cm within a total period of 25 days. The untreated seeds were able to germinate and had unequal growth and average height was 8.5 cm (Fig. 7). Similarly, the shoot and root heights, and the yield of chana and wheat crops were increased after GA3 extract application (Pandya and Desai, 2014). After GA3 application, an important productivity was seen for hybrid rice plant, following a better plant growth and physiological properties (Susilawati et al., 2014). The GA3 application also led to a significant yield for faba bean, compared to Ca2+ ion, and this was attributed to the improvement of growth and photosynthetic activity by the plant hormone (Al-Whaibi et al., 2010). Figure 7: Effect of GA3 on paddy crops: Uniform growth (left) and non-uniform growth (right). Paddy seeds were soaked in 300 ppm of GA3 solution for about 2 days and sown in soil. They were sprayed with 200 ppm of GA3 after growth. The control seeds were soaked in water for the same period and sprayed with only water. The observation was carried out for 25 days Conclusion Four strains of Fusarium were screened from Belgaum agriculture land by using a selective medium malachite green agar. They were confirmed as belonging to Fusarium species by lactophenol cotton blue spore staining method. The GA3 production depends on nutritional and physicochemical conditions. Strain M104 showed the highest GA3 production in CD broth. After optimization, a 5.56-increase in GA3 production was achieved. The pea plant sprayed with GA3 fungal extract was taller than unsprayed one. The effect of GA3 on paddy seeds showed uniform and more growth than control (without GA3). The isolate M104 can thus be used as a potent fungal species for GA3 production.   

Satire About Anorexia Essay -- essays research papers

Satire Local Anorexic Still Way Too Fat Staten Island, New York- Despite years of intense dieting and vigorous exercise, local anorexic Lucy Fernandez is still excessively fat. Reported Monday to the Staten Island Advance, Fernandez who stands five feet and weighs approximately ninety pounds is still overweight and needs to lose a few pounds. â€Å"I cannot believe how gross I look,† said the corpulent Fernandez, examining herself in a full-length bathroom mirror. â€Å"I am such a whale.† Pinching her bulky, misshapen body, Fernandez expressed frustration with her inability to transform herself into a reasonably svelte person. â€Å"I eat celery, I drink only water or diet coke, I do three hours on the Stairmaster everyday,† she said. â€Å"But despite all that, I have still got, like, these huge rolls of fat all over.† However, Fernandez could stand to lose a few pounds in nearly every area of her body, worst of all her arms. â€Å"I have got this totally disgusting flab on the back of my arms that swings back and forth when I move,† said Fernandez, wearing an oversized champion sweatshirt to conceal... Satire About Anorexia Essay -- essays research papers Satire Local Anorexic Still Way Too Fat Staten Island, New York- Despite years of intense dieting and vigorous exercise, local anorexic Lucy Fernandez is still excessively fat. Reported Monday to the Staten Island Advance, Fernandez who stands five feet and weighs approximately ninety pounds is still overweight and needs to lose a few pounds. â€Å"I cannot believe how gross I look,† said the corpulent Fernandez, examining herself in a full-length bathroom mirror. â€Å"I am such a whale.† Pinching her bulky, misshapen body, Fernandez expressed frustration with her inability to transform herself into a reasonably svelte person. â€Å"I eat celery, I drink only water or diet coke, I do three hours on the Stairmaster everyday,† she said. â€Å"But despite all that, I have still got, like, these huge rolls of fat all over.† However, Fernandez could stand to lose a few pounds in nearly every area of her body, worst of all her arms. â€Å"I have got this totally disgusting flab on the back of my arms that swings back and forth when I move,† said Fernandez, wearing an oversized champion sweatshirt to conceal...

Introduction of the bachelor and master system Essay

Globalization and liberalization are two factors that greatly impact on the potential that nations have for generating value. Of the numerous dynamics that affect the society in the current operational environment, globalization comes up as the most influential due to the effect that it has on nearly all sectors of the modern economies (Neal 129). With increase in interaction between different communities a need for standardization has developed due to difference in standards and approaches that are employed across different societies (Lee 43). Electronic standard, wireless protocols, international courts and trading blocks have all come up as a result of the need to standardize approaches that the current societies use. The European which is the largest trading block globally has also come to terms with the fact that there is need for standardization especially in the area of higher education thus the Bologna accord (Loosvelt and Gysen 163). However, the effect of standardization of higher education is viewed differently with some claiming that it impacts positively on the education standards in Europe while some positing to the fact that it could reduce flexibility and therefore relevance of the education system to individual societies (Alesi and RosznyaI, 396). This study employs the aid of existing researches and theories to explore the effects of the Bologna process including its advantage on both employers and employees with the aim of seeking to develop a clear picture of its implication and areas that may need further address to ensure that Europe optimizes gains in its educational and social systems. The Bologna Process The main motivation to the Bologna accord was to ensure increased compatibility of higher education standards across Europe (Van Biesen and Rahier 222). The naming of the Bologna process follows directly from the Italian city in which it was signed (Dobren’kova 46). Though 29 nations were the initial signatories to the process, the number has increased with time. The signing of the Bologna process is considered the end process of numerous processes notably in Germany and Western Europe universities that were aimed at harmonization of the architecture or systems that is used in higher education (Lindblom-Ylanne and Hamalainen 161). Nearly all members of the council of Europe are signatories to the accord through there are nations that despite applying were denied a position to be in the process. The basic approach that is employed by the Bologna process employs three stages or cycles of higher education qualification. The main defining factors of the Bologna process are the qualification and ECTS credits. Bachelor’s degree, masters and doctoral degrees are some of the key variables that are considered under qualification. Most nations in Europe employ the 3-2-3 year cycle to ensure completions of the three levels in higher education as per the Bologna accord (Malan 295). Though the actual naming of the degree course may vary from one nation to the other, an academic year is standardized to 60 ECTS credits (Pusztai and Szabo 102). There is a clear correlation between this new system and the approaches that are employed in North America and even in Japan with many researchers and educators stating that this may be the way forward with respect to global education (Becker 265). A noticeable change that is a result of the Bologna process is more emphasis being awarded to practical training and even research projects. This is in line with developments in education that have generally been geared towards adoption of approaches that are more practice oriented. The credits being a measure of the input that students have in their education is reflective of not just the overall cognitive abilities but also presentation skills (Patricio and Engelsen 601) innovation, hours spent studying and even general skills (Tauch 277). Many education experts are of the view that this development brings educations closer to the society and requirements in practice where theoretical and practical skills are all important in ensuring efficiency and improvement of the nature of practice. The main issues that the Bologna process sought to address arise from responsibility in higher education, governance, research, values, changes in the nature of society and increase in complexity that institutions and organizations face which has led to high qualification needs. With the implementations of the Bologna process educations is provided with higher flexibility that makes it easier for students to move from one institution to the other within Europe (Berner and Richter 251). Other benefits that have come up as result of the Bologna process include increased attractiveness of higher education in Europe, a broader higher education framework that places emphasis on quality and advancement of knowledge base and an increase in the levels of convergence between US and Europe with respect to higher education standards which increases the scope of education and its absorption of European students into mainstream job markets. Like all change processes the Bologna process was criticized from some quarters with some being of the view that the framework adopted favored the UK especially England and Ireland while presenting numerous difficulties to continental Europe nations (Vogel 133). Economic and Academic Background Higher education like all other systems in the current society is affected by increase in cost of operations. Many educators are of the view that the basic factor that underpins a number of plans developed by the EU is economic consideration and this is reflected in the Bologna process. Researchers and education theorists are of the view that the Bologna process is aimed at enlarging the higher education system in Europe with the aim of cutting down on cost and therefore ensuring a Europe wide standardization (Beertsen 107). The changes are cited as being in line strategies that have been proposed by the WTO and GATS in education that have generally been aimed at minimizing and even eliminating the control that political systems have over higher education. The academic aspect is considered central to the numerous differential viewpoints that have been developed of the role of the Bologna process in ensuring that educational goals are met (Moshkin 10). In fact nearly all controversies that surround the Bologna process have their basis on the academic and social impact of the Bologna process rather than the impact that it could have on economies. Continental Europe nations mainly employ a model that was inspired by the German educational system where a clear difference existed between vocational and academic training (Ash 264). This system from the upgrades that it has received was viewed as counter-productive thus the adoption of a system that is in line with the English. The main areas that were of concern under such an educational system which was employed by a majority of continental Europe nations is the fact that vocational training was not developed with the aim of further studies. Masters level education was a minimum level requirement in some fields for instance engineering which limited the applicability of Bachelors level education in some fields (Chuchalin 200). Moreover, the continental approach to Bachelors degree did not prepare the students for employment rather it was aimed at preparing them for master’s level education. This reduced the skills that such students had and the level of efficiency that they display in the workforce. Despite the disparity in level of skills that Bachelors level student displayed with respect to their ability to manage workforce issues, they were awarded the same title as engineers. One of the key implications of the Bologna process is therefore an urgent need for steps that are aimed at harmonization of professional bodies which requires revaluation and in some cases change in qualification (Hibbert 34). Moreover a number of key assumptions that have been made by the Bologna process have been under spotlight for instance 60 ECTS per year requirement is based on the assumption that 1500-1800 hours will be available in a year which presents a complexity in its implementation if it is considered that it does not standardize semesters. Other critics claim that some courses were just redefined with no change in course content or requirement which due to ECTS requirements effectively implies additional demand with little gain (Sanz and van der 34). These are some of the key issues that have been highlighted as being central to controversies surrounding the objectivity in implementation of the Bologna process. However, the fact that it is being employed and nations seek being signatories implies that an understanding of the benefits is critical in determining the areas that it could be lacking in and therefore the development that can be incorporated to ensure that the society gains for it is the future of European education. Implication on Selected Educational Systems A review of selected educational systems shows that the implications of the Bologna accord have had differential effects across Europe. The Finish system of higher education was least affected by the implementation of the Bologna accord. The major changes are the inclusion of engineering and military programs into masters and bachelors systems and increase in adoption of English as the main language. A course that has basically remained the same as it was before the adoption of the Bologna accord is medicine which still runs on a five years program (Cooper 259). The Italian system was based on award of a degree after the first three years of undergraduate level education that had no value in the market unless one went ahead and finished graduate level course has changed considerably. A three plus two year system has been adopted though there are some exceptions to the structure of â€Å"Nuovo ordinamento† (Kilic 319). Medicine and some areas of science have not changed and place a requirement of up to six years of undergraduate level education before one can proceed to master’s level. In UK the implication of the Bologna accord differs with the nations. The educational systems in England, Scotland and Wales display some significant differences due to the nature of their formulation. The England system though relaying some similarities to the Italian system is fundamentally different from others in Europe (Georgantopoulou 13). In Wales it was possible for a student straight from high school to undertake a program that would lead to attainment of a master’s degree without having to undergo undergraduate level education. The Scottish system which is one of a kind due to the flexibility that it offers lower level educational stakeholders like school heads to formulate curricula was also affected considerably. Under the Bologna accord all this systems can actively seek educational goals and students can easily transfer from one institution to the other without having to worry about the grade that he has attained and even difficulty in integrating into the new system. There is no doubt that the Bologna accord has played an important role in convergence of standards that are used in higher level education which is an important factor in ensuring that the role of the EU in ensuring labor mobility is attained. Employers Advantages Pro Bologna Reform activists are generally of the view that it is the best development that has happened in Europe’s educational systems for a long time (Stallmann 24). This is the same view that is held by computing enthusiasts on the level of development that computing has attained due to the standardization of protocols. Standardization is generally perceived as an avenue through which development within any industry can be molded in a manner that increases the level of interrelationship between existing systems. A melange of degree titles defined the higher education systems in Europe before the implementation of the Bologna accord. The effects of the confused state on European employees were high due to the effect of EU policies that were seeking economic integration (Rauhvargers 341). Employers found it hard to develop an objective measure that could be used in determining the potential of job seekers by objectively assessing their academic credentials. Under such an environment the benefits that European nations sought through economic integration and ensuring workforce mobility was reduced. Business and management education is one of the areas that have been affected by the Bologna accord. Globally employers and HR executives were becoming more confused with the bachelor, Lauren and Diplomkaufmann titles that were held by jobseekers (Verhesschen and Verburgh 134). Complexity in assessing the potential of a job applicant is further brought out if the array of master’s degree programs that were offered is considered. The effects of the Bologna accord are numerous and impact on not just the educational systems or employers but also governments (Sanz 141). Countries that have employed the Bologna accord are more likely to partake in the benefits that it offers especially with respect to reducing the recurring costs of higher education. Moreover, the quality and competitive degree programs that are offered under the Bologna accord present such nations with an edge with respect to attracting students into their institutions. Such students may play a role in ensuring overall development in host nations. The benefits that the Bologna accord present with respect to predictable educational budget, fixed course durations, predictable enrolment and graduation rates which aid in budgeting and educational planning and shorter graduate study will play a role in ensuring that the span of productivity is increased (Giuliano 103). The introduction of shorter masters degree level courses that is pushed for by the Bologna Accord will play an important role in ensuring that education in Europe is compatible to standards that are being employed in other nations. In a global environment where commercialization of education is widespread the international students that pay considerably higher than their domestic counterparts will pave a way for the education systems to gain more revenues. However, a number of issues arise relating the specific details in implementing the strategies. Language is a key issue that has been central in discussions relating to success that can be attained in ensuring integration. Generally English being the most developed and popular language in global circles has been adopted by a number of masters programs. Relaxation of immigration and permit requirements has come up as one of the areas that governments must be wary of to ensure gains from the Bologna process (Griffin 98). Such a process must be carried out in tandem with simplifications of visa conversion from study to employment if Europe to gain the most out of the benefits presented by the Bologna accord. The nature of strategies and even systems that are employed by the education systems is affected by workforce requirements. Employer requirements are cited as critical factors in determining the curricular and even activities that are embedded into school systems especially at higher level of learning. Higher education strategies are highly dependent on the nature of requirements that they are placed on social systems (Sakari 179). Employees are cited as playing a key role in determining the level of success that can be attained in implementing the Bologna accord. Unless employers can actively seek and employ Bachelors level graduates then the value of this level of education will be lost across Europe. Researchers are of the view that though standardization has been achieved with the adoption of the Bologna accord by various stakeholders’ success in its implementations is highly dependent on collaboration between employers, instructors and evens students. Unless higher education seeks to develop critical lifelong learners the benefits that employers stand to gain from the Bologna accord are minimal. This is in line with the fact that employers having realized the role played by critical reflective skills spend consummate funds on development of interpersonal, leadership and communication skills (Widerberg 137). The key challenge that European educational institutions face in ensuring success with the aid of the Bologna accord is to provide students with high transformational potential that will ensure they are easily employed. As the Bologna accord takes root, many will seek graduate level education and therefore employers will be provided with a far much wider pool of experienced job seekers to choose from. This is one of the key goals that were sought in formulating the EU. Moreover, a clear description of the course presents a common approach to assessment that encompasses all areas that employers seek and aid in accurately determining the exact qualifications required for a given job title (Jaschke and Neidhardt 306). Employees have to take steps in ensuring that their requirements and overall HR departments are aware of the differing qualifications that are offered by institutions. Despite initiatives that have sought employment of Bachelors degree holders, it is generally believed that master’s level education will continue being a key prerequisite for entry into mainstream employment (Zgaga 253). However, most researchers are of the view that this condition can be reversed with the input of the public sector which is in fact the largest employer in all European nations. If the public sector seeks bachelor’s level education then there is a high likelihood that other employers with follow suit which will aid in ensuring Bologna accord goals are attained. With time and maturity of the job market, both bachelors and graduate job seekers will be effectively absorbed into the job market thus increased workforce availability. Another benefit that employers stand to gain from business oriented degrees is their ability to offer a platform upon which bachelors degree holders from other fields can seek further studies in business related subjects (Labi A36). Such a process leads to graduates who have diversified skills that are relevant to global operational environment. It is important to note that experience has been highlighted as one of the factors that greatly determines the pay and even suitability of an employee irrespective of the level of education that one has attained. Employees The Bologna accord is considered a platform upon which students are presented with new opportunities that they can effectively use in sidelining the long cycle to seeking graduate level education into stages with increase in platform upon which they can seek further education. Increased student mobility associated with the accord is likely to present the platform upon which employees can seek further their careers. The choice though complicated offers students with the opportunity to either continues with their education or seek employment after undergraduate level which presents a wider platform for decision making. This is further complicated by the multitude of courses that students have in choosing the course or areas of specialization at graduate level. This is likely to lead to an increase in the levels of diversity that is displayed by employees which may directly translate to increase in the level of competition in the job market or reduced competition depending on the qualification that a employees display (Konjic and Sarajlic 219). The Bologna accord is also cited as being a catalyst to increased academic activities across Europe. Employees are under increased pressure to ensure that they update their skills and acquire multiple skills to develop in their areas of professionalism. Another area that employees are likely to benefit from is applicability of their skills. A factor that has for a long time been central to the difficulties that students and even employees face in making the most out of the freedom that they are presented by the EU is language barrier and the differential systems that were used across Europe (Sandstrom 61). The Bologna accord presents a standardized education system that predominantly uses English as the main mode of transmission thus increased availability of jobs in even areas that were least accessed due to language barriers. Another area that the Bologna accord has impacted on is decision making. Most employers often consider their jobs as their source of livelihood. Decision making as one of the most important variable that determine the direction that one’s life will take is complicated by the number of options that one has (Augusti 258). The Bologna accord presented employees and students with multiple options on which to base their professional development each of which impact directly in the quality of education that they can attain. Having such a large basis presents complexity in decision making which may even lead to the development of firms that seeks to guide professionals into their career paths. This is an example of a development and even complexity that is presented with standardization of education across Europe. Employers awareness There is a large potential that has been presented to European employees with respect to seeking suitable candidates by the Bologna accord (Adelman 11). However, surveys across Europe show that the level of awareness that employers have of the potential that is presented by the Bologna accord is low (Jung-Eun 36). Generally the low level of awareness that employers have of the accord is a worrying situation considering the role that employers have to play in ensuring that its goals are attained. Numerous independent studies have shown that up to 64% of employers are unaware of the existence of Bologna process in the UK (Shearman 177). The same trends are observed in Finland with a far much grim picture painted in Italy where up to 80% of the employers are not aware of the existence of the Bologna process (Guth 331). These statistics paint a grim situation and a clear need for politicians and policy makers to work round the clock to ensure that the state is corrected failure to which the potential benefits that could be attained with the implementation of the accord may never be experienced. A far worse picture is created if research findings on employers that are informed on the internal details of the accord are considered. Basically less than 5% of all employers in Europe are aware of the details relating to the implementation of the accord and the implications that it could have on the nature of the job market (Salzer 656). Awareness is first developing on this poor state in implementation of the accord and has led to a number of taskforces and even researches that have sought to determine corrective measures that can be put in place to ensure that the initial goals of the accord are driven at (Wex 76). The measures not only seek to raise the levels of awareness that employers have of the Bologna accord but are also aimed at devising systems and means through which employers can reduce their transaction costs when seeking new employees (Burnett 287). A systematic exchange of information between parties that are involved in the Bologna accord is one of the recommendations that have been developed to aid address the worrying situation. Sharing experiences between students has also been cited as a possible avenue to ensuring that future employers are aware of the benefits presented by the Bologna accord in the higher education framework in Europe (Witte and van der Wende 217). Increased involvement of employers and career advisers by developing information packages that are targeted at this audience is one of the directions that can be sought in ensuring that career goals are accurately sought. Analysis A deeper analysis of the Bologna accord shows that it has implications that may be further than the current economic effect that it is assessed under. The EU as an economic system is an important factor in determining the level of efficiency that can be attained with the application of the accord and is a critical reference point with respect to its effect on the political, social and organizational systems (Veiga and Amaral 61). From the discussions it is apparent that though the freedom that is presented by the EU in terms of movement serves as an effective platform for the Bologna accord, there are several policy issues that are yet to be addressed that would ensure ease of movement and even transformation of students into active workforce. The effects of globalization and an improved information system together present an effective platform upon which students from different cultural backgrounds can easily interact to ensure gain from the education system (Karran 7). Though there have been some resistance to the implementation of the accord the levels of adoption that it has received is reflective of the growing appreciation of its relevance in consideration of the nature of the modern society. Multiculturalism is fast developing within Europe which presents a suitable avenue to ensuring ease in accessing employees of different background. This diversity that is presented to employers is cited as being a critical ingredient to generating value in competitive business segments (Sall and Ndjaye 47). However, an understanding of the complexity that is associated with management of diversity has to be developed for any value to be generated. Though diversity is associated with generation of value, an understanding of how it can effectively be managed is important in ensuring that this benefit is gained. In general there are a number of strengths and benefits that are associated with the Bologna accord. One of the notable threats is the erosion of the level of awareness that curricula have to issues that are of interest to a particular society (Gaston 17). The implementation of the Bologna accord is based on the assumption that the effects of globalization in Europe is high to the extent that Europe can be considered a single society that is faced with similar educational challenges. The reality is that Europe is diverse and made up of both developed and developing nations that have different needs and are of different perception on what can be considered an effective higher educational system. Recommendations Though the goals and even theory beneath the implementation of the Bologna accord are noble, practical implementation issues pose a threat to the achievement of its objectives. Creating awareness among employees and developing further avenues for employment are some of the issues that have to be addressed in seeking its goals. Incorporation of other nations in the EU is also important in ensuring that overall development of the EU as a region is attained (Petit and Foriers 16). More research ought to be conducted on avenues that can be used in ensuring that challenges that are unique to communities are accurately addressed failure to which the role of higher education in ensuring address of social and even communal issues may be lost. Works Cited Adelman, Clifford. â€Å"Accountability â€Å"Light†: Our Version Is Going the Way of the Dollar vs. the Euro†. Liberal Education, 94. 4(2008): 6-13. Alesi, Bettina and RosznyaI, Christina. â€Å"The Implementation of Bachelor and Master Programmes in Hungary†. European Journal of Education, 42. 3(2007): 395-409. Ash, Mitchell. â€Å"Bachelor of What, Master of Whom? The Humboldt Myth and Historical Transformations of Higher Education in German-Speaking Europe and the US†. European Journal of Education, 41. 2(2006): 245-267. Augusti, Giuliano. â€Å"Transnational recognition and accreditation of engineering educational programmes in Europe: perspectives in a global framework†. European Journal of Engineering Education, 31. 3(2006): 249-260. Becker, Frank. â€Å"Globalization, curricula reform and the consequences for engineers working in an international company†. European Journal of Engineering Education, 31. 3(2006): 261-272. Beertsen, Wendy. â€Å"PhD Programmes†. European Journal of Dental Education, 10. 2(2006): 107 Berner, Heike and Richter, Roland. â€Å"Accreditation of Degree Programmes in Germany†. Quality in Higher Education, 7. 3(2001): 247-257. Burnett, John. â€Å"Tilling the soil of the European higher education area†. Educational Action Research, 15. 2(2007): 283-293 Chuchalin, Boev. â€Å"The Russian system of higher education in view of the Bologna process†. International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, 44. 2(2007): 109-225. Cooper, David. â€Å"International restructuring of higher education: comments on implications of global trends, for restructuring of Sociology in South Africa†. South African Review of Sociology, 37. 2(2006): 260-292. Dobren’kova, Erick. â€Å"Problems of Russia’s Entry into the Bologna Process†. Russian Education & Society, 50. 4(2008): 42-51. Gaston, Paul. â€Å"Bologna: A Challenge for Liberal Education and an Exceptional Opportunity†. Liberal Education, 94. 4(2008): 14-19 Georgantopoulou, Catherine. â€Å"Medical education in Greece†. Medical Teacher, 31. 1(2009): 13-17 Giuliano, Augusti. â€Å"Accreditation of engineering programmes at European level†. International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, 44. 2(2007): 101-208 Griffin, Gabriele. â€Å"Women’s/Gender Studies,1 Professionalization and the Bologna Process—Cross European Reflections†. NORA: Nordic Journal of Women’s Studies, 14. 2(2006): 87-102 Guth, Jessica. â€Å"The Bologna Process: The Impact of Higher Education Reform on the Structure and Organisation of Doctoral Programmes in Germany†. Higher Education in Europe, 31. 3 (2006): 327-338 Hibbert, Lee. â€Å"Time serving†. Professional Engineering, 20. 7(2007): 33-34. Jaschke, Hans-Gerd and Neidhardt, Klaus. â€Å"A Modern Police Science as an Integrated Academic Discipline: A Contribution to the Debate on its Fundamentals†. Policing & Society, 17. 4(2007): 303-320. Jung-Eun Oh. â€Å"Equity of the Bologna System†. European Education, 40. 1(2008): 35-50. Karran, Terence. â€Å"Pan-European Grading Scales: Lessons from National Systems and the ECTS†. Higher Education in Europe, 30. 1(2005): 5-22. Kilic, Puljak. â€Å"Studying electrical engineering and information technology at the University of Split, Croatia†. International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, 44. 2(2007): 175-357. Konjic, Tatjana and Sarajlic, Nermin. â€Å"Higher education structure at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Tuzla: Influence of the Bologna agreement†. International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, 44. 2(2007): 166-339. Labi, Aisha. â€Å"Bologna Conference Highlights Progress and Limits of Europe’s New Degree Cycles†. Chronicle of Higher Education, 53. 39(2007): A36 Lee, Hibbert. â€Å"Degrees of separation†. Professional Engineering, 21. 6(2008): p43-44. Lindblom-Ylanne, Sari and Hamalainen, Kauko. â€Å"The Bologna Declaration as a Tool to Enhance Learning and Instruction at the University of Helsinki†. International Journal for Academic Development, 9. 2(2004): 153-165. Loosvelt, Hugo and Gysen, Marleen. â€Å"Engineering education at the Association K. U. Leuven: A changing higher education landscape†. International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, 44. 2(2007): 146-300. Malan, Thierry. â€Å" Implementing the Bologna Process in France. † European Journal of Education, 39. 3(2004): 289-297. Moshkin, Mikhail. â€Å" EMOTIONS RUN HIGH OVER BOLOGNA†. Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press, 59. 43(2007): 9-10. Neal, Sturgess. â€Å"Clive Bologna and the MEng: ‘Sleepwalking into unknown and unpredictable territory’†. International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, 44. 2(2007): 129-266. Patricio, Madalena and Engelsen, Corine. â€Å"Implementation of the Bologna two-cycle system in medical education: Where do we stand in 2007? -Results of an AMEE-MEDINE survey†. Medical Teacher, 30. 6(2008): 597-605. Petit, Pascale and Foriers, Andre. â€Å"The introduction of new teaching methods in pharmacy education—I. Lessons learned from history†. Pharmacy Education, 8. 1(2008): 13-18. Pusztai, Gabriella and Szabo, Peter. â€Å"The Bologna Process as a Trojan Horse. † European Education, 40. 2(2008): 85-103. 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Turkey and the European Union †Political Science

Turkey and the European Union – Political Science Free Online Research Papers Turkey and the European Union Political Science In this essay we are going to argue against the admission of Turkey to the European Union. We shall start with introducing the Turkish country itself, and then move on to its economy and the other states’ influence in Turkey. Furthermore, our work concentrates on reforms that are supposed to be done by this time and mainly on human rights. Since the issue of human rights is extremely broad, we decided to divide it in three parts – the Kurdish rights in general, the issue of Cyprus without the border that divides the island to two parts and the Armenian genocide problem. Let us start with the geographical position. Turkey neighbors with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq and Syria. The modern Turkish state was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal –â€Å"Ataturk†-â€Å"Father of all the Turks† after the defeat of remnants of the Ottoman Empire. The first regime was based on only one party and it might be considered authoritarian. After the opposition party was created and won the election, the democracy has suffered a hard blow. There have been several military coups and the result was only one: the Turkish people lost their democracy. Cyp rus has been taken over by the Turkish military and the insurgency of the Kurds has begun. Now the government says that it is trying to pass certain reforms that would allow Turkey to enter the European Union and reinforce democracy in the state. The Turkish government is officially democratic and its civil system is very similar to other European countries, but the culture of the country is more middle eastern. Turkey is also a member of the European Court of Human Rights, which we are finding quite hypocritical because of the country’s attitude towards the Kurds. Turkish economy is also composed out of many models seen around the world. It is necessary to say that there should be established a market system very soon as another thing that had to be done long time ago. The statistics may show that the economy is on the rise and the EU is going only to benefit out of Turkey’s membership. That might be not true entirely. The unemployment rate is 9.3 % and the underemployment is 4.0 %. Besides that, Turkey is in a quite high debt, whole 15.3 billion USD. These are very high numbers compared to the other countries of the EU. Out of this we can conclude that many people live in poverty. In 2003 it was whole 28.1% o f the population who lived below the food and non-food poverty line. Turkey is ranked on the index of Human Development with number 94. Countries like the United Kingdom and Germany have the HDI at 15 and 20. Just for the comparison it is important to note that even Cyprus has the HDI at 29. The other great issue in Turkish government and businesses is a corruption. According to a research done by Transparency International, Turkey has a CPI Score (relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt)) of 3.5. Taken into account that the Slovenia’s CPI is at 6.1 must explain that Turkey is highly disadvantaged compared to other candidate countries. Out of that difference we can presume that the level of corruption is going to rise in the European Union which is absolutely undesirable. Based on the facts and statistical reasoning discussed above, it is very probable that Tu rkey will not be a valid member of the Union; neither will it boost the economy of the EU. Shall we take a look at the international relations; we can see that this country has many links towards the United States. The U.S. gave and loaned 12.5 billion dollars for the economic aid and more than 14 billion dollars for the military. This also indicates that Turkey is emphasizing more military than peaceful solutions. That should not be the case of a country that wants to join the union of states that value diplomacy and negotiation the most. Turkey has many business contracts with the U.S. and is also the third export partner for them. Most of these economical ties were formed during the Cold War when Turkey was a country nearest to the communist block. The influence of the United States is very powerful there and we were able to find out about it during the war on Iraq when the Turks did not want to allow the U.S. troops to deploy in their country but later on they reconsidered and let the Americans to establish their bases in Turkey. There is no debate that there were some economic sanctions in the background. The weight owner of turkey is its people.70 millions people constantly in increase due to a high natality which is 2.2 kids per women which is the highest in all Europe. According to researches, by 2020 turkey should be inhabited by 85 million people. Since it is programmed that turkey will enter the European union in 2015 it will be the most populated country of Europe, followed by the german population in second place with 82 million. In consequence to that number Ankara will send 95 deputies to the European parliament, which will be the maximum number allowed by the Future Constitution, so Turkey will have the majority of votes estimated by 15%, followed by Germany having 14% and France having 12 % of the votes. Another consequence for the Turkish adhesion to the European Union is: immigration. According to the numbers of the European Union, between 500 000 and 4.4 million Turks could emigrate to Germany, Austria, Holland and France to join their 4 million relatives already living in the EU. Even if the free circulation of workers and employees is one of the reasons of the foundation of the EU, can the EU really let the Turkish people in to an entity where most likely they will be treated as citizens of a second degree zone without some serious alterations in its laws? Since 1992, Ankara has shown big interest in the originally Turkish speaking republics newly separated of the ex USSR : Azerbaidjan,Kazakhstan, Kirghistan ,Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, immediately recognized their independence and helped them to enter the international and regional organizations, with the dream of one day reforming the BIG TURKEY. The first step was the creation of the Tika ( Turkish International cooperation agency) as a part of the Ministry of foreign affairs, with the function of promoting the Turkish model and the cultural cooperation through numerous projects like the establishment of a language and an alphabet common for all the Turkish speaking countries, student exchange and the support of media and communicational projects which means that Turkey admits the double nationality of the citizens of these countries and would accord it to anyone who demands it. And there is no doubt that these citizens will claim their Turkish citizenship if it was a part of the E uropean Union. These countries have a total of 60 million people, were ruled during 70 years by communism and profoundly integrated in Islam and to whom the Copenhagen Criteria are just as understandable as Quantum physics. This would be an enormous shock to the EU. One more problem arising with turkey entering the EU is the Cyprus matter. Despite the Nicosian international pressure and threats to put its veto against the Turkish integration to the EU, Turkey still does not recognize the Greek part of Cyprus as an independent European country. How can a country be integrated to the European Union if it does not recognize the independence of a fellow country in the EU? The main requirements for Turkey’s enter to EU are The Copenhagen Criteria, which were introduced in year 1993 at Copenhagen by European Council. These criteria are divided in three main parts Political – stability of institutions which provide democracy, legally consistent state, observance of human and minority rights. Economical – existence of functional market economy, ability to balance with competitive pressures and market processes inside EU. Other obligations – ability to take on obligations which are resulting from membership in EU, including goals of political, economical and monetary union. This means that Turkey must satisfy these requirements in order to join the EU. Although Turkey has made some progressive changes in their constitution and legislative, and these changes were warranted by regular report on Turkey’s progress towards accession created by Commission of the European Communities in October 2004, this report seems to be misr epresented. For instance, the authorities have adopted zero tolerance policy against toward torture but even while torture is now not systematic, these cases reported by various human rights associations still occur. Also recent Constitutional amendments and new press law made for increasing press freedoms doesn’t seem to be fair enough. These changes provide only limited progress in freedom of expression. Censorship still remains in some levels and in a number of cases journalist and other citizens expressing non violent opinion continue to be prosecuted. Other issue is freedom of religion, although it is guaranteed by Constitution, non-Muslim religious communities still have difficulties with legal personality, property rights and training of clergy. Gender equality principle has been also changed in Constitution and Civil Code, but the position of women in society is still unsatisfactory. Virginity test is now prohibited but still can be done by court order and also â€Å"honor killings† though it has been prohibited under the sentence of life imprisonment still remain as a major problem. Civil rights of minorities are another problem. Although Turkey has changed the Constitution and Kurds are now allowed to speak, teach and broadcast in their language, the way how it is provided seems to be discriminative. Minority language education is not something that should be permitted, but has to become a right. Also timing and contents of programs in Kurdish are very limited. Other big part is economical situation in Turkey. Despite of all its progresses, Turkey still does not reach the standards of real market economy. The value of GDP on one Turkish inhabitant recounted on purchasing power parity reaches only 27% of EU’s average and Turkey is taking position behind Romania and Bulgaria. Also Turkish government tries to intervene in their economy in order to lower the inflation which in despite of this already reaches high values. Although the rate of Turkish unemployment is not much bigger then in other states of union, the employment of women is alarming, it is 50% less then in EU. Also the national debt is about 90% of its GDP and this cause that the Turkey is one of the most indebted countries of the world. Therefore we can suppose that even second part of Copenhagen Criteria was not satisfied. Last issue is obligations that Turkey must take in order to join the EU. Though Turkey’s alignment has progressed in many areas, it still remain s at an early stage for most chapters. For example no changes have been made concerning free movement of persons and workers. There are still remaining restrictions regarding nationality, residence and language, and also problems with recognition of academic diplomas and professional qualifications. Next problem is concerning freedom to provide services, where some changes took place, but only for financial services and except for insurance. Non-financial services are still bounded by market access restrictions which are excluding foreigners from the market. And with certain services, Turkish legislation goes even further, barring them from being provided by foreign nationals even if the company they represent is established in Turkey. Also free movement of capital is limited. Foreigners are restricted to make an investment even if improvements in this area would contribute to facilitate inflow of foreigner direct investment. Even the issue of transport seems to have its other diffi culties. Though some modifications were made there, especially maritime transport remains as major problem. Turkey is still on the black list of the secretariat of the Paris Memorandum of understanding on Port State controls for its higher rate of detention ships. Cypriot ships or ships that have landed in Cyprus are still not allowed to enter the Turkish ports. In summary we can say that on the first look, Turkey nearly fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria, but if we look more deeply we find out that recent changes in constitution and legislative are superficial. Turkey took these changes just for satisfying the EU, but the situation in the state remains same as before. Therefore we can suppose that Turkey is not willing to make a real progress in order to become an equal member of the European Union. The Cyprus issue is a typical international problem of invasion and occupation of one Member-state of the UN by another, namely Turkey. Twenty-three years after the Turkish invasion and defying a series of U.N. Resolutions, Turkey refuses to withdraw its occupation forces. At present, more than 35.000 Turkish troops are illegally stationed in the northern part of Cyprus, which is characterized by the Secretary General of the U.N., as one of the most highly militarized areas in the world. Also, The Cyprus issue is a flagrant case of continued mass violations of basic human rights and freedoms by Turkey, in breach of the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and major international instruments in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Numerous Resolutions of the U.N., including those of the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Commission on Human Rights, the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination have been adopted over these 24 years, conc erning all aspects of violations of human rights in Cyprus. Turkey has failed to comply with any of them. The nearly 200.000 Greek Cypriots (40 % of the total number of Greek Cypriots in 1974) who were forcibly expelled from their homes by the Turkish invading forces in 1974 are still being prevented from returning there and are refugees in their own country. They continue to be arbitrarily deprived of their homes and property in the occupied area, which are gradually being illegally distributed by the Denktash regime to other persons, such as members of the Turkish occupation army and settlers form mainland Turkey. Finally, while the continued occupation of 37% of Cyprus by Turkey is an international issue and not a bilateral problem between Greece and Turkey, it puts a very severe strain in Greco-Turkish relations. A just viable solution of the problems caused by the 1974 invasion would lead to a substantial improvement in relations between Greece and Turkey. It would also remove a major obstacle to the further strengthening of Turkeys relations with the E.U. 24 years after Turkey invaded and occupied 37% of Cyprus, turning over 200.000 of its inhabitants into refugees, the problems created by the Turkish invasion remains unsolved. The end of the Cold War marked the beginning of a new era, in which respect and cooperation between nations, commitment to human rights, democracy and the rule of law are recognized as being of capital importance. Within this new environment, the Cyprus issue is not only a glaring anachronism but also continues to be a factor of potential instability in the South-Eastern Mediterranean. Hence, besides a moral obligation, the international community has an additional reason to contribute to the efforts for a just and viable solution. At least 15 percent of Turkeys population consists of ethnic and religious minorities. Turkeys Constitution provides a single nationality designation for all Turks and thus does not recognize ethnic gro ups as national, racial, or ethnic minorities. Citizens of Kurdish origin constituted a large ethnic and linguistic group. Millions of the countrys citizens identified themselves as Kurds and spoke Kurdish. Kurds who publicly or politically asserted their Kurdish identity or publicly espoused using Kurdish in the public domain risked public censure, harassment, or prosecution. However, Kurds who were long-term residents in industrialized cities in the west were in many cases assimilated into the political, economic, and social life of the nation, and much intermarriage has occurred over many generations. Kurds migrating westward (including those displaced by the conflict in the southeast) brought with them their culture and village identity, but often little education and few skills. As part of its fight against the PKK, the Government forcibly displaced noncombatants, failed to resolve extrajudicial killings, tortured civilians, and abridged freedom of expression. The PKK committed widespread abuses, including the frequent murder of noncombatants, as part of its terrorism against the Government and civilians, mostly Kurds. Estimates of the total number of villagers forcibly evacuated from their homes since the conflict began vary widely from 330,000 to 2 million. A credible estimate given by a former Member of Parliament from the region is around 560,000. The initiation of armed insurrection by the Kurdistan Workers Party (Partiya Karkere Kurdistan- PKK) in 1984, along with the increasing international media interest in the Kurds of Iraq beginning in the mid-1980s, compelled some members of Turkeys political elite to question government policy toward the countrys Kurdish population. Turgut Ozal, who became prime minister in 1983 and president in 1989, broke the official taboo on using the term Kurd by referring publicly to the people of eastern Anatolia as Kurds. Subsequently, independent Turkish newspapers began using the term and discussing the political an d economic problems in the eleven predominantly Kurdish provinces. In 1991 Ozal supported a bill that revoked the ban on the use of Kurdish and possession of materials in Kurdish. I think that human rights are the biggest issue why Europeans don’t want Turkey to enter the European Union. How should we allow entering EU a country which doesn’t support human rights? As we know Turkish people had a lot of time to change almost 20 years. And I think it is not possible to change the mentality of a nation, only if all individuals in this nation want to change their way of life. In Turkey, individuals don’t have a right to discuss the human rights; it is still limited freedom of speech and press. The Government, particularly the police and judges, limited freedom of expression through the use of constitutional restrictions and numerous laws as Penal Code articles 312 (incitement to racial, ethnic, or religious enmity); 159 (insulting Parliament, the army, republic, or judiciary) and 160 (insulting the Turkish Republic). Individuals can not criticize the Government publicly without fear of reprisal. Government continue to restrict expression by i ndividuals sympathetic to some religious, political, and Kurdish nationalist or cultural viewpoints. People who have active debates on human rights and government policies, and particularly on issues relating to the countrys EU membership process, the role of the military, Islam, political Islam, and the question of Turks of Kurdish origin as minorities; these people risk by wrote or spoke out on such topics prosecution. Here are some examples what can happend to anybody in Turkey for freedom speech and using other language as Turkish. Parliamentary candidate Ruknettin Hakan was for 6 months imprisonment for making propaganda speeches in a language other than Turkish. Other case is, when authorities arrested and indicted teacher Hulya Akpinar for comments she made during a conference on the alleged genocide of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire. Prosecutors charged other six teachers for following Akpinar out of the conference. Akpinar was temporarily dismissed from duty following her arrest. According to â€Å"Reporters Without Borders†, four journalists were in jail at the end of 2002 for speech violations. The Committee to Protect Journalists claimed there were 13 journalists in prison at the end of 2002. According to the Government, there were no journalists held on speech violations in either 2002 or the reporting period, although at years end, there were 34 prisoners claiming to be journalists who were charged with a variety of crimes. The different figures reflected disagreement over which prisoners were legitimate journalists, and which were jailed for carrying out their journalistic duties. How we can see Turkey does not make any progress in issue of freedom of speech. So, how Turkey can become part of EU when they do not have the most important human right as it is freedom of speech. Other problem in Turkey is problem with Kurdish and their language. It was a lot of cases when people were rested and had problems just because of using this lan guage. The law allows broadcasts in the traditional languages of the country, other than Turkish, including Kurdish. But there are some regulations of using Kurdish language and so it is set strict time limits on such broadcasts as 45 minutes per day, 4 hours per week on radio and 30 minutes per day, 2 hours per week on television. There is also regulations which require that non-Turkish radio programs have to be followed by the same program in Turkish and that non-Turkish television programs have to have Turkish subtitles. Also parliament passed legislation to establish of language courses teaching traditional non-Turkish languages. But local authorities had not given permission for any such courses to open. On south-east has found that Kurdish language education is high and in spite of it there was closure of all 7 of the area private language schools. Governments said that it was because of lack of interest from students and for failing to provide adequate legislative and materia l support to enable the school survive. Also there was some actions, of police harassment, were taken against the pro-Kurdish DEHAP party. Police arrest DEHAP Chairman Tuncer Bakirhan and singer Haluk Levent, and six others in connection with a concert in Germany during a Kurdish cultural festival. Concert participants reportedly displayed KADEK-related pictures and banners; authorities charged the detainees with separatist propaganda. There is also Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP) and non-government organization which is independent voluntary association of people acting together on a continuous basis, for some common purpose, other than achieving government office, making money or illegal activities. NGO in Turkey says: â€Å"Every single day we receive a petition from Kurdish people who have been forcibly removed from their land, whose relatives disappeared or have been killed, or who have been tortured.â€Å" Here is other example why Turkey should not enter the EU: Turkish people and government can live with other nation then theirs, they limit Kurdish people and they my start limited European countries and nation after enter the European Union. I conclusion, based on the facts given in our essay, we assume that the entering of Turkey to the European Union would be only a loss for the EU and therefore it is undesirable. The main obstacles are still human rights and the attitude towards the Kurds and Cyprus. In addition, Turkey does not meet the basic requirements given to them by Copenhagen. Moreover, the membership of Turkey could endanger the economical and political consistency of the Union, cause extremely high migration into the Western Europe and cause crime problems. 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