Strolling along the Narrow Paths into the Deep Forest Essay

Strolling along the Narrow Paths into the Deep Forest - Essay Example A soft waft of air tickles the leaves above creating a flip-flopping light underground – something romantically perfect for couples. Going to the forest is one of the best voyages in life to take. God indeed loves humanity as it manifests through the perfect beauty of the nature surrounding us. I can remember one sunny and blissful morning when I decided to take a trip to an outskirt nearby. Half a kilometer away, I could tell that one blissful reunion would take place later that day. Because I am a forest addict, I had the cheek to go there all by myself. Just like what most forest goers encounter, I had my share of stern tests. Before getting to the heart of the timberland, I knew that I had to go through tough challenges. Nevertheless, these challenges would not tarnish attitude towards this place since the way I feel while am at this place outweighs the few challenges I have to encounter. Therefore, no matter how many challenges I would encounter, it enhances my confidence and attitude towards the place; thus, giving me a good reason why I will always consider it the best place I can be in the world. Finally, I arrived at the doorstep of the jungle, and the first thing I saw was a cohort of vibrant buds bowing their heads down to welcome me, and although quite silly, I felt, as I was treated royally. As I hovered above my head, I could see the wild vines meshing up with each other to form a lovely wild curtain; I could also hear the birds chirping tones in mirth. It gave the impression as if they were chanting out in harmony to serenade me. I stared down and saw my leather booths muddled up with some thick mud clinging around them, but I knew the sludge was not going to stay there for long as the spiky fingers of the rye were ready to wipe them out. When I finally took several steps inward, it seemed as time has traveled so fast that day. In fact, the surroundings turned rather gloomy, although everything  was still in sight. This reminded me that and that I would finally leave and get back to the normal life.  

The Tremendous Impact of Global Financial Crisis Essay

The Tremendous Impact of Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example Although the world is yet to recover from the financial crisis, studies show that the main cause emanates from the misunderstanding of its roots (CrÄÆ'ciun & Ochea, 2014). Six years down the line, the effects of the financial crisis are still present as if it was just yesterday. Most of the affected nations, especially in Europe are still grappling with the effect that came along with the crash. Studies show that there were several factors associated with the crash. One of the most recognized causes of the financial crisis was bursting of the US housing bubble. This was due to the laxity in the loan policies, whereby it was quite easy to obtain loans such as mortgage auto and credit card (The Economist, 2013). This, later on, resulted in financial institutions, which had expected a positive income, ending up with huge losses and debts. The decline in the prices also caused homes worth less than mortgage loans to be forced to financial incentives in order to qualify for foreclosure. Studies showed that the crisis was avoidable since the main reasons behind the crash were financial regulation failures by institutions such as banks and governments. Another reason is the dramatic collapse of corporate governance, which was because of the reckless manner in which financial institutions were behaving (Shun, 2013). For instance, financial institutions were involving themselves in risky affairs whereby they would take part in excessive borrowing patterns hence putting the financial system in direct collision with the crisis (Shun, 2013). Apart from financial institutions risky affairs, another reason behind the crisis is ill-preparedness by nations on matters relating to the financial crisis. Key policymakers in most of the affected states never saw the crisis approaching due to the lack of full knowledge of the financial systems.

How Military Leavers Can Benefit the Private Industry

How Military Leavers Can Benefit the Private Industry ISSUE TO BE EXAMINED Each year British businesses clamour after the best and brightest coming out of business schools. However, these same businesses often overlook a body of potential employees not only with good or better training, but also with the experience to go with it. Given that military personnel provide a valuable and often taken for granted service to our country, often putting their own lives in danger to defend others, it seems more should be done to assist them in the transition back into civilian life. Such personnel also offer a viable resource for British business, leaving the military with some of the arguably best training in the world and often significantly more experience in a wide variety of areas than others their age who did not undertake military service. This research aims to examine the benefits of military leavers’, particularly officers’, experience and training to private industry. It is hoped findings from this study will aid both military leavers and industry in the UK in connecting, so as to encourage productive employment relationships between the two. Possible outcomes of this research may include some type of publication of findings, or recommendations for military leavers and employers, which would assist employers it taking advantage of this valuable resource and military leavers in finding suitable civilian employment. Specifically, this research undertakes four objectives: To examine the success of military officers in private industry, and how their military training contributed to their success. To identify what specific skills are readily transferable to private industry, and how these can best be articulated to those in hiring positions. To increase awareness amongst those in hiring positions of the often overlooked talent pool of military leavers available to their industry sectors. To consider what private industry must do, if anything, to ensure smooth transition for leavers moving into civilian positions. RELEVANT LITERATURE This project will include a review of literature relevant to the four objectives above. This will include reports and research in former military officers and how they have achieved successful employment in private industry. For example, Shuit (2003) describes the training, people skills, and self-discipline former junior officers bring to the corporate sector. Many others offer similar information (Abrashoff 2002; Anon 2004; Bowers 1996; Joinson 1997; Zicarelli 2000). Specific reports of success across a number of military leavers, rather than concentration on a few case-study type accounts, will be emphasised. Also considered will be the specific skills acquired by military officers that are readily transferable into the civilian workplace. As it is necessary to limit skills to a workable group for research purposes, basic management skills will be emphasised. All officers can be assumed to have received both training and experience in these skills, often much in excess of their civilian counterparts. For example, Questionline reports â€Å"service leavers have spent more time being trained than ninety-nine per cent of civilians†¦ They will be valued, if the employer is able to understand what they are† (Anon 2002). They also argue that British military training is among the best in the world, and has â€Å"considerable civilian value when stripped of its purely military elements and translated into the right language† (Anon 2002). Bowers (1996) similarly contends â€Å"business-management experts say the military builds skills th at can be as valuable in the office as in a war zone† (1). Identifying skills common between the military and private industry will assist both military leavers and HR managers in identifying transferable skills (Anon 2004; Joinson 1997; Zicarelli 2000). Examination of literature will document reasons private employers may overlook leaving military personnel as potential hires. This is undertaken to make recommendations on ways the placement of former military officers in private industry may be improved. For example, Zicarelli (2005) notes that HR positions are increasingly held by people without military experience or reference. As such, understanding and appreciate of military attributes can no longer be assumed. Additionally, many military leavers had to perservere in searching for civilian positions, often learning through turn-downs how to finally present their experience in a way understandable to the typical civilian HR manager (Shuit 2003; Investors Business Daily 2004). Methods employers or organisations have found successful in aiding military officers in transitioning into civilian employment will be analysed, with the purpose of developing broad recommendations for use in the private sector. These will include tactics employed by individual HR managers and company-wide programmes. For example, American companies such as Home Depot, Coors and General Motors have programmes specifically designed to recruit military leavers (ICFAI (2004; Zicarelli 2005). British employers with similar programmes, if any, will also be reviewed. It is anticipated that data in this section will included both information for the individual HR manager and concerning developing company-wide initiatives. Finally, the literature considered in this review will concentrate on those leaving the British military who seek and / or obtain employment in the UK. Supporting literature from countries with similar militaries and economies, such as Australia, Canada, and the United States will be additionally considered from a supportive standpoint. METHODOLOGY Data will be collected from two groups of people: former military officers who have successfully transitioned into civilian employment, and HR personnel in charge of hiring. Open-ended questions designed from issues arising through the review of relevant literature will be used. It is anticipated these open-ended questions will solicit a variety of responses, but will also allow documentation of actual perceptions and observations from interviewees, rather than reduce their experiences to a defined group of possible responses. It is anticipated that questions will be framed within the four stated objectives, however, this framework may be adapted if significant findings from the literature review warrant such change. The planned sample size is ten interviews for each group. While this is statistically too small a sample to make relevant statistical conclusions, the purpose of this research is to articulate transferable skills and raise awareness to the benefits in hiring military leavers, neither of which require the statistical justification of a large sample size. This is additionally a large enough group of interviews to allow broad generalisations about issues outlined in the project objectives to be examined without the possible skewing of one person’s atypical experience that might occur with a sample of only two or three interviews. In addition, ten is a workable number of interviews for the researcher to conduct within the project time guidelines. Companies in a variety of civilian pursuits will be examined, with additionally at least two small, two medium, and two large organisations present in the sample of HR managers. A list of companies currently hiring for management positions will be gathered from Internet and newspaper advertisements. These companies will then be drawn at random to establish an order for contact, with each contacted by letter and follow-up phone calls. Interviews of approximately one hour will be requested, with an overview of the questions to be asked provided with the letter. Contact of companies will continue until ten interviews are secured. Former military officers will be identified through two means. First, the researcher will seek recommendations from those in private industry as to successful former military officers. If ten persons willing to participate in interviews are not acquired through this method, HR managers interviewed as part of the first group of this research will be asked to provide names in their companies or others of potential interviewees. Both groups of interviewees will be promised and supplied with a copy of the final research project. Data will be analysed to develop a skills set that is clearly identified as relevant, the benefits and drawbacks of hiring military leavers, and ways to increase companies’ awareness of potential post-military hires. This will be done first by thorough examination of the transcripts of each interview, followed by statistical gathering of the number of times and importance each item considered was provided by the interviewees. Similarities present in items identified in the interviews will be described and supported with relevant quotes from interview transcripts. A summary of the most relevant answers to each question will be included in an appendix to the report. Obviously, it is not possible to consider all types of military leavers with their myriad of training and experience, or all the needs of private industry that such personnel could fulfil. Therefore, this study will concentrate on the basic management skills typically acquired by all military personnel achieving a rank of at least junior officer. It will examine how this basic management acumen translates into successful civilian employment. Also, since a large number of military personnel go into the defense industry and it already typically recruits military leavers, only companies and positions outside the defense sector will be considered. REQUIRED RESOURCES It is anticipated the most significant resources this project will require are time and people. Twenty interviews of approximately one hour each will be conducted, not to mention the time required to arrange such interviews and analyse results. Getting busy workers to provide an hour of their day for an interview that do not immediately benefit them may not be so easy. It is important to line up persons to interview that can make contributions to the areas considered in the research. The project requires little capital outlay beyond letters, copying of the final report and postage. A small tape-recorder may be used to better document interviews, in which case this would be an additional expense. In addition, it may be necessary to interview some people over their lunch times, in which case politeness would require the researcher to foot the dining bill. PROJECT PLAN The literature review will be completed within thirty days of the project approval, and interview questions developed. These questions will then be submitted to the supervisor for feedback and recommendations. Towards the end of this period, a list of companies and individuals that may be potential interviewees will be developed. Interviews should be arranged within two weeks, and completed within the next two to three weeks. After that, data will be analysed and a project report draft written, which will be forwarded to the project supervisor for comments. Finally, the final report will be generated. Tentative Project Plan: Week 1 Begin literature review research. Week 2 Continue literature review research. Week 3 Continue literature review research. Week 4 Write literature review, create interview questions. Week 5 Begin compiling interview list, interview questions to supervisor. Week 6 Finish compiling interview list, write and send out letters. Week 7 Follow-up letters with phone calls, arrange interviews. Week 8 Continue arranging interviews, begin conducting interviews. Week 9 Continue conducting interviews. Week 10 Finish conducting interviews. Week 11 Analyse data, begin writing project report. Week 12 Finish draft of project report, draft to supervisor. Week 13 Make changes to draft as recommended by supervisor. Week 14 Make changes / rewrite draft. This project plan will both ensure the project is completed in a timely manner and is flexible enough to allow for contingencies. REFERENCES Abrashoff, D.M. (2002) It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, New York: Warner Books. Alkhafaji, A. (2003) Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control in a Dynamic Environment, Oxford: Haworth Press. Anon (2002) â€Å"Military skills in a civilian workplace,† Questionline website, October 2002. Available at http://www.questonline.co.uk/ magazine_sections/leaders/military_skills_in_a_civilian_workplace, accessed 21 May 2005. Anon (2004) â€Å"Army is major contributor to UK plc,† Personnel Today, May 4, 2004, p. 4. Bass, B. (1997) Transformational Leadership: Industrial, Military and Educational Impact, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Bowers, F. (1996) â€Å"Generals trade their army boots for wingtips in trek to civilian jobs,† Christian Science Monitor, December 2, 1996, Vol. 89, Issue 5, p1. ICFAI (2004) â€Å"Home Depot’s Cultural Evolution,† Case Study, ICFAI Center for Management Research. Available at www.icmrinda.org, accessed 21 May 2005. Investors Business Daily (2004) Military and Political Leaders and Success: 55 Top Military and Political Leaders and How They Achieved Greatness, Higher Education. Joinson, C. (1997) â€Å"What HR can learn from military veterans,† HR Magazine, June 1997, Vol. 42, Issue 6, pp. 116-119. Shuit, D.P. (2003) â€Å"Combat ready and business prepared,† Workforce Management, November 2003, Vol. 82, Issue 12, pp. 24-25. Wightman, S., McAleer, E. (1995) â€Å"Management development: the neglected domain,† Journal of European industrial Training, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 3-10. Zicarelli, R. (2000) â€Å"The Military Advantage,† Veteran’s Business Journal, January / February 2005, pp. 20-26.

Joshua And The Children :: essays research papers

Joshua and the Children There were a lot of reasons Joseph Girzone titled his book "Joshua and the Children". I think the main reason for the title was because of Joshua’s purpose in the town. The author explains how Joshua is there to fulfill "his Father’s" promise. Joshua wants to teach all the children of the town to get along and be at peace with each other. Joshua says it is too late for the adults to learn the way, who have lived hateful lives. Joshua must turn to the children if he wishes to change the future. He believes that if he teaches the children to not hate, and to respect others, regardless of racial or ethnic differences, then the world will improve when they become adults. This new generation will then bring happiness to the world. Joshua knows that these children were victims of their parents’ wrongdoings. He knows that they were born into a society filled with hate. Hate for members of a different race. Hate without reasoning. He fee ls it is wrong what the adults are doing to the children. They are being brought up to believe that it is OK to mistreat somebody who is "different" from you. This is why Joshua felt he should teach the children, and not the adults. Once Joshua started to communicate with the children, and got to know them better the adults were amazed at how Joshua related to the children so well. He knew their names right from the second he met them, he played their games, and he even let himself lose at them too. Eventually the adults in the town began to realize that whoever this Joshua really was, he was a role model for each and every one of them. The Muslim boy was a very important character in this book. He and one his friends went down to the square where Joshua met with the children every day. His friend told Joshua that the boy was blind. Everybody in the square watched in disbelief as Joshua cured the boy’s blindness with the touch of his hand. The boy’s family were the weapons distributors. After seeing that Joshua was able to fix their boy, they too became good people and thus, making the town a better place. The final event in the story that showed peace was achieved was a soccer game with the Catholics playing against the Protestants.

An Investigatory Study on Controlling Tardiness Essay

One of the problem of the students is being tardy, which is the quality or habit of not adhering to the correct or usual time or being late in going to school or in passing projects. This has been the most common reason for the students getting low grades at the end of the school year. Tardiness is not only the student’s obstacle, but for also with the teachers, whose main purpose is to serve as their second parents and their responsibility to change the behavior of this students. This can also be the reason on which students are forced to be absent once they are late already because they are afraid to be acknowledged in front of the whole class of their incorrect manner which can cause some students to drop out because of the shame they are feeling. see more:tardiness in school research The morning class is often times the most crucial time of the school day, students who are late may miss their first subject or may lead to the distraction once they arrive, some are also said to have lower grades and higher stress. Tardiness also causes students to feel disconnected from the social life and may change their behavior, and later on, they may deal with smoking, drinking and joining gangs just to prove to themselves that they are not alone. When a student is tardy, they negatively impact their teachers and other students. Teachers are often required to allow tardy students to make up work, which often requires them to restructure their lessons or reteach missed materials. While for the other students, it also take away their attention away from the teacher’s lesson, leading to more behavior problems and missed instructions. Student’s tardiness doesn’t just affect the people around them, but also in our nation. They contribute to the growing number of tardy students which greatly affect the status of our educational nature and nation. There is also that side of being tardy that must be solved directly- bullying, either they are the ones to bully or the one being bullied. Due to this reason and peer pressure, they intend to break rules either they may get this manner when they witness their parent’s fight or the worse is having a broken family. Based on the location of the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue, those who live in Lapu-Lapu City will have some problems because of the heavy traffic everyday due to the intersections, while on the side of Mandaue City, expect no traffic. In the front of the school, the road is not blocked by the cars dropping the students because there is enough space at the back of the campus for parking. Tardiness does not only focus on being late in coming to school but also in passing projects or assignments. This topic is not new anymore, even for the star sections in every school, they still encounter this kind of problem. There are many reasons for this problem, but the most common is having a hectic schedule which maybe because of many projects, hard projects or simply being lazy. The greatest impact of being tardy in a student is depression and loss of interest in coming to school. That is why they don’t mind anymore about being late on which they are kicked out. When they are already out of school, they will just sit there and wait for their parents to give them money for food, which is not right. Once tardiness becomes one of your personality, you will be used to it until you go to work. With this attitude, you will be having difficulty in finding jobs which may cause you to be a beggar in the street. The core composition of this research is determining the main reason for students being tardy in school and what we can do in order to lessen the number of this case. The researchers got this idea from everyday experience, especially after flag ceremony on which many students are late. This study was created in order to help tardy students stop this attitude so that they will not cause bigger problem to themselves, the nation, and to the near future. After this study, the investigator will be able to determine the main cause of this problem and know what behavior, manner or tips should be taken up by students to lessen the case of tardy students. The researcher would also be able to know the main effect of this problem and how to avoid this habit by organizing a survey and more research.

Finance and Short Term Debt

EncanaCost of Capital Before calculating the cost of capital I'll calculate cost of equity and cost of dept and capital structure for ENCANA: 1 Cost of Debt: ENCANA cost of debt included cost on short term debt , long term debt and publicity traded interest amount 1. 1 Short term Debt: Short term obligations (Ex. 1) = $ 1425 million Interest Rate (Ex. 1) = 3. 52% Total amount for short term debt interest = 1425 ? 3. 52% = 50. 16 million 1. 2 Long term Debt: Other long term liabilities (Ex. 1) = $1278 Interest rate (Prime rate charged) = 5. 25%Total amount for long term debt interest = 1278 ? 5. 25% = 67. 095 million 1. 3 Publicity traded: Publicity traded interest = total interest – (short term debt interest amount + long term debt interest amount) Publicity traded interest = 524 – ( 50. 16 + 67. 095) = 406. 75 million Interest rate on publicity traded = Publicity traded interest ? L. T debt on publicity traded Interest rate on publicity traded = 406. 75 ? 5351 = 7. 6% Cost on debt = Weight of long term debt ? Rate of interest on L. T debt + Weight of short term debt ? Rate of interest on S.T debt + Weight of publicity traded ? rate of interest on publicity traded = 1278/8054* ? 5. 25 + 1425/8054 ? 3. 52 + 5351/8054 ? 7. 60 = 0. 833 + 0. 622 + 5. 049 = 6. 5% *The amount $8054 is total amount of debt given in Exhibit 3 1. 4 Determining Tax rate: Tax rate for ENCANA can be determined as follow: Tax Rate= T= Net earnings before interest and tax ? tax expense T= 1260 ? 4089 = 30. 81% 1. 5 Cost of debt after tax: Cost of debt after tax = cost of debt before tax (1- Tax Rate) Cost of debt after tax = 6. 5% ( 1- 30. 81%) = 4. % ==; rate of debt (rd) 2 Cost of equity: There are following two ways to calculate ENCANA's cost of equity : 1. Using SML equation 2. Calculating cost of equity by dividend growth model 2. 1 Calculation of cost of equity for ENCANA by using SML equation: rs = r* + MRP (b) r* = 4. 20 % (Govt. long Term Treasury Bills) rm = 13. 9% (S &P arithmetic average return) MRP = rm – r = 13. 9-4. 20 = 9. 7 Beta = 1. 27 rs = 4. 20 + 9. 7 *1. 27 rs = 16. 519 % 2. 1 Calculation of cost of equity for ENCANA by using dividend growth model: rs = (D1/ Po – F) + gWhere: D1= next year dividend Po = current price of share in market F = Floatation Cost Growth from past data: Year | Dividend per share | Growth * | 2002 | 0. 2 | | 2003 | 0. 15 | -25% | 2004 | 0. 2 | 33. 3% | 2005 | 0. 28 | 40% | *Growth rate is calculated as: 0. 15/0. 2= 0. 75-1 = -0. 25? 100 =-25% 0. 2/0. 15= 1. 33-1= 0. 33 ? 100 = 33. 3% 0. 28/0. 2= 1. 4-1 =0. 4 ? 100 = 40% Average Growth= -25 + 33. 3 + 40 = 16. 1% rs = (Do (1+ g) / Po – F) + g rs = 0. 28 (1+0. 1611) / 56. 75 (1- 0. 05) + 0. 1611 rs = 0. 25108/53. 9125 +0. 1611 rs = 16. 713% Average rs = (16. 713+16. 519)/2 = 16. 616% WACC: The WACC equation  is the cost of each capital component  multiplied by its proportional weight and then summing:   WACC = rD  (1-  Tc  )*(  Dà ‚  /  V  )+  rE  *(  E  /  V  ) Where, Re = cost of equity Rd = cost of debt E = market value of the firm's equity D =  market value of the firm's debt V = Total Capital = E + D E/V = we = percentage of financing by equity D/V = wd= percentage of financing by debt T =  corporate tax rate By putting Values:Total Equity= E = no of shares * price of shares = 854. 9 * 56. 75 = $48515. 575 million Total Capital = Equity + Debt = 48515. 575+ 8054 = $56596. 575 Million WACC = wd * rd + we * re = 8054/56596. 575 * 4. 5 + 48515. 575/56596. 575 * 16. 616 = 0. 6404 + 14. 2436 = 14. 884% ENCANA should accept this project which will give a return of more than 14. 884%, because ENCANA has to pay their investors a return of 14. 884 and this will also generate profit which can be utilized as retained earnings and increase growth of its dividend.

Global Capitalism -- Critiques from Sociologists

Global Capitalism Critiques from Sociologists Global capitalism, the current epoch in the centuries-long history of the capitalist economy, is heralded by many as a free and open economic system that brings people from around the world together to foster innovations in production, for facilitating exchange of culture and knowledge, for bringing jobs to struggling economies worldwide, and for providing consumers with an ample supply of affordable goods. But while many may enjoy benefits of global capitalism, others around the world in fact, most do not. The research and theories of sociologists and intellectuals who focus on globalization, including William I. Robinson, Saskia Sassen, Mike Davis, and Vandana Shiva shed light on the ways this system harms many. Global Capitalism is Anti-Democratic Global capitalism is, to quote Robinson, â€Å"profoundly anti-democratic.† A tiny group of global elite decide the rules of the game  and control the vast majority of the world’s resources. In 2011, Swiss researchers found that just 147 of the world’s corporations and investment groups controlled 40 percent of corporate wealth, and just over 700 control nearly all of it (80 percent). This puts the vast majority of the world’s resources under the control of a tiny fraction of the world’s population. Because political power follows economic power, democracy in the context of global capitalism can be nothing but a dream. Using Global Capitalism as a Development Tool Does More Harm than Good Approaches to development that sync with the ideals and goals of global capitalism do far more harm than good. Many countries that were impoverished by colonization and imperialism are now impoverished by IMF and World Bank development schemes that force  them to adopt free trade policies in order to receive development loans. Rather than bolstering local and national economies, these policies pour money into the coffers of global corporations that operate in these nations under free trade agreements. And, by focusing development on urban sectors, hundreds of millions of people around the world have been pulled out of rural communities by the promise of jobs, only to find themselves un- or under-employed  and living in densely crowded and dangerous slums. In 2011, the United Nations Habitat Report estimated that 889 million people- or more than 10 percent of the world’ population- would live in slums by 2020. The Ideology of Global Capitalism Undermines the Public Good The neoliberal ideology that supports and justifies global capitalism undermines public welfare. Freed from regulations and most  tax obligations, corporations made wealthy in the era of global capitalism have effectively stolen social welfare, support systems, and public services and industries from people all over the world. The neoliberal ideology that goes hand in hand with this economic system places the burden of survival solely on an individual’s ability to earn money and consume. The concept of the common good is a thing of the past. The Privatization of Everything Only Helps the Wealthy Global capitalism has marched steadily across the planet, gobbling up all land and resources in its path. Thanks to the neoliberal ideology of privatization, and the global capitalist imperative for growth, it is increasingly difficult for people all over the world to access the resources necessary for a just and sustainable livelihood, like communal space, water, seed, and workable agricultural land. The Mass Consumerism Required by Global Capitalism is Unsustainable Global capitalism spreads consumerism as a way of life, which is fundamentally unsustainable. Because consumer goods mark progress and success under global capitalism, and because neoliberal ideology encourages us to survive and thrive as individuals rather than as communities, consumerism is our contemporary way of life. The  desire for consumer goods and the ​cosmopolitan way of life they signal is one of the key pull factors that draws hundreds of millions of rural peasants to urban centers in search of work. Already, the planet and its resources have been pushed beyond limits due to the treadmill of consumerism in Northern and Western nations. As consumerism spreads to more newly developed nations via global capitalism, the depletion of the earth’s resources, waste, environmental pollution, and the warming of the planet are increasing to catastrophic ends. Human and Environmental Abuses Characterize Global Supply Chains The globalized supply chains that bring all of this stuff to us are largely unregulated  and systemically rife with human and environmental abuses. Because global corporations act as large buyers rather than producers of goods, they do not directly hire most of the people who make their products. This arrangement frees them from any liability for the inhumane and dangerous work conditions where goods are made, and from responsibility for environmental pollution, disasters, and public health crises. While capital has been globalized, the  regulation of production  has  not. Much of what stands for regulation today is a sham, with private industries auditing and certifying themselves. Global Capitalism Fosters Precarious and Low-Wage Work The flexible nature of labor under  global capitalism  has put the vast majority of working people in very precarious positions. Part-time work, contract work, and insecure work are the norm, none of which bestow benefits or long-term job security upon people. This problem crosses all industries, from manufacturing of garments and consumer electronics, and even for  professors at U.S. colleges and universities, most of whom are hired on a short-term basis for low pay. Further, the globalization of the labor supply has created a race to the bottom in wages, as corporations search for the cheapest labor from country to country and workers are forced to accept unjustly low wages, or risk having no work at all. These conditions lead to poverty, food insecurity, unstable housing and homelessness, and troubling mental and physical health outcomes. Global Capitalism Fosters Extreme Wealth Inequality The hyper-accumulation of wealth experienced by corporations and a selection of elite individuals has caused a sharp rise in wealth inequality within nations and on the global scale. Poverty amidst plenty is now the norm. According to a  report released by Oxfam  in January 2014, half of the world’s wealth is owned by  just one percent  of the world’s population. At 110 trillion dollars, this wealth is 65 times as much as that owned by the bottom half of the world’s population. The fact that 7 out of 10 people now live in countries where economic inequality has increased over the last 30 years is proof that the system of global capitalism works for the few at the expense of the many. Even in the U.S., where politicians would have us believe that we have â€Å"recovered† from the economic recession, the wealthiest one percent captured 95 percent of economic growth during the recovery, while  90 percent of us are now poorer. Global Capitalism Fosters Social Conflict Global capitalism  fosters social conflict, which will only persist and grow as the system expands. Because capitalism enriches the few at the expense of the many, it generates conflict over access to resources like food, water, land, jobs and others resources. It also generates political conflict over the conditions and relations of production that define the system, like worker strikes and protests, popular protests and upheavals, and protests against environmental destruction. Conflict generated by global capitalism can be sporadic, short-term, or prolonged, but regardless of duration, it is often dangerous and costly to human life. A recent and ongoing example of this surrounds the  mining of coltan in Africa for smartphones and tablets  and many other minerals used in consumer electronics. Global Capitalism Does the Most Harm to the Most Vulnerable Global capitalism hurts people of color, ethnic minorities, women, and children the most. The history of  racism  and gender discrimination within Western nations, coupled with the increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, effectively  bars women  and  people of color from accessing  the wealth generated by global capitalism. Around the world, ethnic, racial, and gender hierarchies influence or prohibit access to stable employment. Where capitalist based development occurs in former colonies, it often targets those regions because the labor of those who live there is â€Å"cheap† by virtue of a long history of racism, subordination of women, and political domination. These forces have led to what scholars term the â€Å"feminization of poverty,† which has disastrous outcomes for the world’s children, half of whom live in poverty.