Economic Structure of Opec - 968 Words

The Economic Structure of OPEC For: Professor John Zink BUS 610-0703B Economics for the Global Manager By: Maria A. Journiette August 31, 2007 Many companies operate under a monopoly which gives them an edge or a corner on the market. In this discussion we will focus on the differences between a monopoly, oligopoly, and a cartel. We will also look at what game theory is and its affect on monopolies and cartels and the welfare affect of each of the above mentioned. A monopoly is defined as, sole control of a particular line of goods or services in a given market or the means to control distribution and price.(Webster s, 2000) In a monopoly situation there is only one person with a particular good or service and because†¦show more content†¦Looking at these figures we can see that with the demand the prices continued to rise. Also the war in Iraq contributed to the increase prices. If we were to look at the price of a barrel of crude oil today it would top all of these prior years at $71.17 a barrel.(tonto.eia.doe.gov, 2007) The problem is that the prices continue to rise while the income and wages of the American w orker s remains the same. With the continued increase in the demand for oil, the financial future for OPEC looks very secure. So, what about the members, certain countries production will have to decrease while other foreign countries may have to increase their production. OPEC should continue to strive to look for ways to be environmentally friendly and ways to keep up with the demand without increasing the cost to the consumers. If things remain the same the price of crude oil will continue to rise to the point that the supply may be more than the demand as we continue to look for alternatives to crude oil. References Radcliffe, J. (2000). The New International Webster s Pocket Business Dictionary of the English Language. Trident Press International; United States of America. m-w.com Retrieved August 28, 2007 from, http://www.m-w.com Energy Information Administration. This Week In Petroleum. Retrieved August 29, 2007 from,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Understanding OPEC: An Economic Analysis1353 Words   |  6 PagesUnderstanding OPEC: An Economic Analysis In the last few months, much has been said of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Interestingly enough, one of Iraq’s motivating factors was economics. Kuwait provided Iraq with a pretext for war as it violated the economic policies of the Organization of Oil-Exporting Countries by exporting oil above its quotas. This is but one chapter in the complicated history of OPEC. OPEC is an international assembly of nations which co-ordinates and unifies the petroleumRead MoreThe Oil Embargo of 1972-19731247 Words   |  5 Pages that the war in Iraq was based upon an attempt of foreign control over the Iraqi petroleum resources. 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This quickly caused oil production to be cut dramatically, leaving no choice but to increase the price in oil. This recession, I am going to pin point the causes, fiscal and monetary policy the government uses to help the economy slowly come out from the recession. Also I am going to pin point the recession’s recovery and expansionRead MorePlease Read Chapter 10 and Answer the Following Questions:1211 Words   |  5 Pagesprofits and if that setting is h igh; then this will encourage the entry of new firms into the market. And that will result in the loss of profits over the long run. 3.  (Collusion and Cartels) why would each of the following induce some members of OPEC to cheat on their cartel agreement? a.  Ã‚   Newly joined cartel members are less–developed countries. * By producing more output than it has agreed to produce, the new member country can increase its share of the cartels profits. b.  Ã‚   The number

Developing An Analytics Team Case Study Essay - 1606 Words

Developing an Analytics Team Executive Summary Problem My company is a famous fruit dealer which has over 20 fruit physical stores all over New York City. We provide different kinds of fresh fruits to our customers with the best service. However, we noticed that our sales in winter experience a serious decline last winter due to the extremely cold weather which might make our clients reluctant to step out of their house and but fruits in our store. Therefore, the company is addressing some technology and business changes that will force me to sell things through the internet because in this way we can deliver fruit to our clients who could place their orders online. However, the company has never been involved in the online sales before which means no experience or whatsoever. Thus, the question becomes: How do I establish an analytics team to test this idea, and then implement it as a production system? 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Deception Point Page 48 Free Essays

The ax. In her fear, she had entirely forgotten the ice ax attached to the rip cord on her belt. The lightweight aluminum tool was bouncing along beside her leg. We will write a custom essay sample on Deception Point Page 48 or any similar topic only for you Order Now She looked up at the payload cable on the balloon. Thick, heavy-duty braided nylon. Reaching down, she fumbled for the bouncing ax. She grasped the handle and pulled it toward her, stretching the elastic rip cord. Still on her side, Rachel struggled to raise her arms over her head, placing the ax’s serrated edge against the thick cord. Awkwardly, she began sawing the taut cable. â€Å"Yes!† Tolland yelled, fumbling now for his own ax. Sliding on her side, Rachel was stretched out, her arms above her, sawing at the taut cable. The line was strong, and the individual nylon strands were fraying slowly. Tolland gripped his own ax, twisted, raised his arms over his head, and tried to saw from underneath in the same spot. Their banana blades clicked together as they worked in tandem like lumberjacks. The rope began fraying on both sides now. We’re going to do it, Rachel thought. This thing is going to break! Suddenly, the silver bubble of Mylar before them swooped upward as if it had hit an updraft. Rachel realized to her horror that it was simply following the contour of the land. They had arrived. The berms. The wall of white loomed only an instant before they were on it. The blow to Rachel’s side as they hit the incline drove the wind from her lungs and wrenched the ax from her hand. Like a tangled water-skier being dragged up over a jump, Rachel felt her body dragged up the face of the berm and launched. She and Tolland were suddenly catapulted in a dizzying upward snarl. The trough between the berms spread out far beneath them, but the frayed payload cable held fast, lifting their accelerated bodies upward, carrying them clear out over the first trough. For an instant, she glimpsed what lay ahead. Two more berms-a short plateau-and then the drop-off to the sea. As if to give a voice to Rachel’s own dumbstruck terror, the high-pitched scream of Corky Marlinson cut through the air. Somewhere behind them, he sailed up over the first berm. All three of them went airborne, the balloon clawing upward like a wild animal trying to break its captor’s chains. Suddenly, like a gunshot in the night, a sudden snap echoed overhead. The frayed rope gave way, and the tattered end recoiled in Rachel’s face. Instantly, they were falling. Somewhere overhead the Mylar balloon billowed out of control†¦ spiraling out to sea. Tangled in carabiners and harnesses, Rachel and Tolland tumbled back toward earth. As the white mound of the second berm rose up toward them, Rachel braced for impact. Barely clearing the top of the second berm, they crashed down the far side, the blow partially cushioned by their suits and the descending contour of the berm. As the world around her turned into a blur of arms and legs and ice, Rachel felt herself rocketing down the incline out onto the central ice trough. Instinctively she spread her arms and legs, trying to slow down before they hit the next berm. She felt them slowing, but only slightly, and it seemed only seconds before she and Tolland were sliding back up an incline. At the top, there was another instant of weightlessness as they cleared the crest. Then, filled with terror, Rachel felt them begin their dead slide down the other side and out onto the final plateau†¦ the last eighty feet of the Milne Glacier. As they skidded toward the cliff, Rachel could feel the drag of Corky on the tether, and she knew they were all slowing down. She knew it was too little too late. The end of the glacier raced toward them, and Rachel let out a helpless scream. Then it happened. The edge of the ice slid out from underneath them. The last thing Rachel remembered was falling. 54 The Westbrooke Place Apartments are located at 2201 N Street NW and promote themselves as one of the few unquestionably correct addresses in Washington. Gabrielle hurried through the gilded revolving door into the marble lobby, where a deafening waterfall reverberated. The doorman at the front desk looked surprised to see her. â€Å"Ms. Ashe? I didn’t know you were stopping by tonight.† â€Å"I’m running late.† Gabrielle quickly signed in. The clock overhead read 6:22 P.M. The doorman scratched his head. â€Å"The senator gave me a list, but you weren’t-â€Å" â€Å"They always forget the people who help them most.† She gave a harried smile and strode past him toward the elevator. Now the doorman looked uneasy. â€Å"I better call up.† â€Å"Thanks,† Gabrielle said, as she boarded the elevator and headed up. The senator’s phone is off the hook. Riding the elevator to the ninth floor, Gabrielle exited and made her way down the elegant hallway. At the end, outside Sexton’s doorway, she could see one of his bulky personal safety escorts-glorified bodyguards-sitting in the hall. He looked bored. Gabrielle was surprised to see security on duty, although apparently not as surprised as the guard was to see her. He jumped to his feet as she approached. â€Å"I know,† Gabrielle called out, still halfway down the hall. â€Å"It’s a P.E. night. He doesn’t want to be disturbed.† The guard nodded emphatically. â€Å"He gave me very strict orders that no visitors-â€Å" â€Å"It’s an emergency.† The guard physically blocked the doorway. â€Å"He’s in a private meeting.† â€Å"Really?† Gabrielle pulled the red envelope from under her arm. She flashed the White House seal in the man’s face. â€Å"I was just in the Oval Office. I need to give the senator this information. Whatever old pals he’s schmoozing tonight are going to have to do without him for a few minutes. Now, let me in.† The guard withered slightly at the sight of the White House seal on the envelope. Don’t make me open this, Gabrielle thought. â€Å"Leave the folder,† he said. â€Å"I’ll take it into him.† â€Å"The hell you will. I have direct orders from the White House to hand-deliver this. If I don’t talk to him immediately, we can all start looking for jobs tomorrow morning. Do you understand?† The guard looked deeply conflicted, and Gabrielle sensed the senator had indeed been unusually adamant tonight about having no visitors. She moved in for the kill. Holding the White House envelope directly in his face, Gabrielle lowered her voice to a whisper and uttered the six words all Washington security personnel feared most. â€Å"You do not understand the situation.† Security personnel for politicians never understood the situation, and they hated that fact. They were hired guns, kept in the dark, never sure whether to stand firm in their orders or risk losing their jobs by mule-headedly ignoring some obvious crisis. The guard swallowed hard, eyeing the White House envelope again. â€Å"Okay, but I’m telling the senator you demanded to be let in.† He unlocked the door, and Gabrielle pushed past him before he changed his mind. She entered the apartment and quietly closed the door behind her, relocking it. Now inside the foyer, Gabrielle could hear muffled voices in Sexton’s den down the hall-men’s voices. Tonight’s P.E. was obviously not the private meeting implied by Sexton’s earlier call. As Gabrielle moved down the hall toward the den, she passed an open closet where a half dozen expensive men’s coats hung inside-distinctive wool and tweed. Several briefcases sat on the floor. Apparently work stayed in the hall tonight. Gabrielle would have walked right past the cases except that one of the briefcases caught her eye. The nameplate bore a distinctive company logo. A bright red rocket. She paused, kneeling down to read it: SPACE AMERICA, INC. Puzzled, she examined the other briefcases. BEAL AEROSPACE. MICROCOSM, INC. ROTARY ROCKET COMPANY. KISTLER AEROSPACE. How to cite Deception Point Page 48, Essay examples

The Aborigines Essay Example For Students

The Aborigines Essay Rust red sand underlies the heart of Australia, where the huge monolithsknown as Olgas shoulder above spinifex and grevilea. This old and worncontinent has a look like no other celebrated by both the nativeborn and brief sojourners to the land down under (Portraits 159). Thisold continent also has also a spirit like no other, embodied by the peoplewho inhabited it for so long that they have come to identify spirituallywith the land (Terrill 200) the Aborigines. They have developed a uniqueculture, centered on religious beliefs, and a lifestyle that unites them tothe earth. Many times they have been categorized as primitive, but viewsare changing, and their civilization has come to be recognized assophisticated, their influential role in modern Australia being no longerdenied. Aboriginal history stretches long into the past. They have inhabitedAustralia for thousands of years before the European arrival. Sitesdiscovered around the continent prove that they have been there for atleast 38,000 years (Judge). However, new archeological techniques haveexpanded this figure to 116,000 years, stretching the limit almost to thebirth of Homo sapiens, and it is unclear whether they are the descendantsof modern man (Fullagar), or of a more archaic type (Judge). It isgenerally accepted that the Aborigines have migrated here from Asia,although there are still questions whether they have crossed a land bridge,or have sailed the seas (Fullagar; Judge). Whatever the means they used toget to Australia, the Aborigines have adapted to the continent and havemanaged to survive isolated from all other human groups. They only came incontact with another human population some 200 years ago, at the time ofthe European colonization. At that time there were from 300,000 to 700,000Abo rigines (Gonen; Moore, Aboriginal), and their numbers have decreasedto about 250,000 today (Rajendra, Old people). The British settlersdestroyed the Aboriginal communities and way of life by taking over theland and introducing new animals into the Australian ecosystem. The nativesdied of diseases introduced by the Europeans, or starved as the newlyintroduced animals displaced the ones they traditionally hunted (Gonen). Although recently the Australian government gave them back some land toturn into national parks (Terrill 200) or mine for minerals (Gonen), theAboriginal community is still the one with the highest rate ofunemployment, disease and illiteracy in the country (Rajendra, Oldpeople). The geography of a place will always influence the societies that livethere, and this is especially true of the Aboriginal culture that hasperfectly adapted to the Australian landscape. Australia is a flat and lowcontinent, with an average elevation of 1000 feet. The western sideconsists of a great, arid plateau and several deserts, while the easternpart is a mountainous region. The center of the continent is made up oflarge plains and is perfect for agriculture. The same area is also host toUluru or Ayers Rock, the worlds largest monolith (Powell) and a sacredplace for the Aborigines (Rajendra, Aboriginal). An estimate of 700Aboriginal tribes, were spread throughout the continent at the time ofEuropean arrival (Moore, Aboriginal). Many tribes still survive today,although more than half of the Aboriginal population has moved to urbanareas (Rajendra, Old people). Besides inhabiting all the provinces ofmainland Australia, Aborigines also live in Tasmania, an island on thesouthern tip o f the continent (Gonen). The structure of the Aboriginal society is different from the forms ofgovernment known in most modern societies. Related people are organized insubunits called clans or family units (Moore, Aboriginal). Several ofthese subunits make up a tribe. They speak the same language and gather forreligious ceremonies. A tribes population can vary from a few members to2,000 people (Gonen). All male members of the tribe that have gone throughthe initiations are considered equal. There are some leaders in each clan people who have qualities that others admire or that can perform certainroles. The Elders are the wisest men in the tribe, knowing both the lawsand the tribes mythology. They are the ones who can give advice or settledisputes. In large tribes, the Elders form a council for the purpose ofconducting initiations and regulating other social and religious events,but they are not a government in the modern sense of the word (Moore, A toZ). Because of this organization and the small size of a clan, Aboriginesare not divided into social classes. Men and women have separate roles in the society, and, similar to otheraspects of Aboriginal culture, these are strongly influenced by theirspirituality. People of both sexes have to go through initiation rituals inorder to become adults, and these rituals are kept secret from the eyes ofthe opposite sex (Moore, A to Z). Among the Aborigines, non-initiatedmales are considered women until their initiation, because they only havetheir mothers blood in their veins (Eliade 27). During initiations, thenovices are instructed in the religious traditions of their tribe and theirgenders sacredness is revealed, thus establishing a connection betweentheir adult life and that of mythological beings (Eliade 4 and 42). Theseparation of sexes continues later in life, when each one has a specificrole. Men hunt and carry only their weapons, while women collect plantfood, small animals and take care of babies and household utensils(Humphrey). Because each subunit consists of people related to each other, the familyties in the Aboriginal society are more extensive that those incontemporary societies. Children consider their mothers sisters as mothersand their fathers brothers as fathers. Their cousins are to them brothersand sisters. The only people seen as aunts and uncles are the parentssiblings of opposite sex, and their children are cousins. As tribes areclosed communities, they are divided into two intermarrying groups. Peoplefrom one group can only marry people from the other and this preventsinbreeding. Marriages are arranged when children are very young, and girlsbecome wives at the early age of 11 or 12 years old. Polygamy was notunusual, but both the husband and wives had love and respect for eachother, because this is what they were taught by stories and tradition(Moore, A to Z). Little children are taken care of by all members of theclan, but they still have to learn to fend for themselves. Therefore, froman ea rly age, they try to imitate their parents, girls helping theirmothers and boys going hunting or fishing with their fathers (Humphrey). The Value of Physical Education to the Ancient Gre EssayAll the places where they have retreated to reside (Elwood 34; Moore, A toZ), or where important acts of creation have taken place are considered tobe places of power, tying this world with Dreamtime (Berndt, Ronald 531). Everything has a spirit and is alive because of Dreamtimes power, thusturning Aboriginal religion into a form of animism (Rajendra,Aboriginal). The Aborigines believe that people are born when spirit-children come from Dreamtime and enter a mothers body. When they die, thespirit-children return to Dreamtime and await a reincarnation (Elwood 34;Moore, A to Z). People have been created by the spirits to help maintainthis world and in order to do so, they need to learn the secret spirituallife that animates the world. This can only be revealed in time, duringseveral initiations. Girls initiation into the secrets of fertility andcreation of new life begins with their first menstruation and only endswith the birth of their first child (Berndt, Ronald 533; Eliade 42). Boysinitiations are done in groups and include several ordeals. During theseinitiations, they are told stories explaining the creation and structure ofthe world and taught how to use their knowledge of the spirits to preserve the world (Eliade 4). Religion and its purpose of maintaining lifetransforms all social events like weddings, funerals, births, andmigrations into re-enactings of events that took place in Dreamtime, thuslinking the two worlds together and transferring power from one to another(Berndt, Ronald 531). The Aborigines tied their life to a higher purposeand learned to honor spirituality, yet European settlers have oftenmisunderstood them. As the Aborigines are nomads, moving each season to aplace that can provide them with food in the harsh Australia, the habit ofgoing on a walkabout is entrenched in their culture. In the 1800s and1900s, Aboriginal workers on white-owned farms would disappear for days asthey left on a walkabout. The term was coined by the farmers who saw theAboriginal need to travel as ingratitude, instead of recognizing that itwas something fundamental to their culture. Walkabouts are spiritualjourneys that take travelers to a place where they feel they belong, and insom e cases to their place of birth (Moore, A to Z). The Aborigines have adapted to Australia and they learned to live ashunters and gatherers. They do not practice agriculture, but move fromplace to place, following the pattern of the seasons that makes foodavailable in some areas, and scarce in others (Humphrey). They eat allsorts of animals, from kangaroo stews and soups, to crocodile steaks,snakes, lizards, turtles, fish, worms, and even wild ants and bees. Thevegetarian diet is also diverse, focusing on roots, cereals and grasses,occasionally fruits and even resin. Food can be eaten raw or roasted oncoals (Rajendra, Bush tucker). Although the Aborigines do not need anindustry, they are involved in mining (Gonen), and in tourism, as theyturned their lands into national parks (Terrill 200). The ancient Aboriginal society has changed more in the last 200 years thanin the thousands of years before, yet is still maintains a lot of itsoriginal culture. In most cases, it managed to adapt to the Europeancolonization, yet still maintain its own spirit. Some of the Aborigineshave chosen to follow the path of their ancestors, others to seek a newlife in urban Australia. Whatever their choice, they all are important toAustralia, giving this 200-year old country a 100,000 year-old perspectiveon life. Works CitedBerndt, Catherine. Australian religion: mythic themes. Encyclopedia ofreligion. New York: Macmillan Publishing Corporation, 1987: 547-562. Berndt, Ronald. Australian religion: an overview. Encyclopedia ofreligion. New York: Macmillan Publishing Corporation, 1987: 530-547. Breeden, Stanley. Living in two worlds. National Geographic Feb. 1988:291-294. Breeden, Stanley. The first Australians. National Geographic Feb. 1988:266-290. Doherty, Charles. Art of Australia and New Zeeland. Internationalencyclopedia of art: Far Eastern Art. New York: Facts on File, Inc.,1997: 52-54. Eliade, Mircea. Rites and symbols of initiation. Woodstock, Connecticut:Spring Publications, Inc., 1958. Elwood, Robert, ed. Australian religions. The encyclopedia of worldreligions. Book Builders, 1998: 33-34. Fullagar, R.L.K et al. Early human occupation of northern Australia:archaeology and thermoluminescence dating of Jinmium rock-shelter,Northern Territory. Antiquity 1996: 751-773. Archaeology WorldResources. http://artalpha.anu.edu.au/web/arc/resources/papers/ausdates/jinmium.htm (10 Dec. 2000)Gonen, Amiram, ed. Australian Aborigines. Peoples of the world. Danbury,Connecticut: Grolier Educational, 1998: 83-87. Humphrey, Michael. Aborigines. Coo-eeAustralia calling, 1997. http://users.orac.net.au/~mhumphry/aborigin.html (13 Dec. 2000)Judge, Joseph. Child of Gondwana. National Geographic Feb. 1988: 170-177. Moore, Geoff. Aboriginal tribes of south-east coast of New South Wales.Australian Aborigines History and Culture Research Project, 2000. http://www.aaa.com.au/hrh/aboriginal/tribes1.shtml (10 Dec. 2000)Moore, Geoff. A to Z Encyclopedia of aboriginal information.Australian Aborigines History and Culture Research Project, 2000. http://www.aaa.com.au/hrh/aboriginal/A_Z/atoz1.shtml (10 Dec. 2000)Portraits of the land. National Geographic Feb. 1988: 157-169. Powell, Joseph. Australia. Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2000. http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1;pg=2;ti=761568792;cid=4#p4(10 Dec. 2000)Rajendra, Sundran, and Vijeya Rajendra. Aboriginal religion. Cultures ofthe world: Australia. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall CavendishCorporation, 1996. Rajendra, Sundran, and Vijeya Rajendra. Bush tucker. Cultures of theworld: Australia. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation,1996. Rajendra, Sundran, and Vijeya Rajendra. Old people in a new land.Cultures of the world: Australia. Tarrytown, New York: MarshallCavendish Corporation, 1996. Terrill, Ross. Australia at 200. National Geographic Feb. 1988: 181-212.