A Biography of US Senator Rand Paul

Rand Paul is a Republican United States Senator from Kentucky with conservative-libertarian view points, and the son of former Congressman and regular presidential candidate Ron Paul. An eye doctor by trade, Paul has been married to his wife, Kelly, since 1990 and together they have three sons. While Paul has limited political history, he was a frequent campaigner for his father and also the founder of a pro-taxpayer group in Kentucky, Kentucky Taxpayers United. Electoral History: Rand Paul has a very limited political history and did not make a run for political office until 2010. Although he started as a double-digit underdog to Trey Grayson in the GOP primary, Paul took advantage of the anti-establishment sentiment within the Republican Party and was one of many long-shot outsiders to oust GOP-backed candidates. With the backing of the tea party, Paul went on to defeat Grayson 59-35%. Democrats believed they had a decent chance in the general election against Paul due to his lack of political experience. They party picked the fairly popular state Attorney General, Jack Conway. Though Conway led in early polling, Paul went on to win by a fairly comfortable 12 points. Paul was backed by most conservatives and tea party groups, including Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin. Political Positions: Rand Paul is a conservative-libertarian who is ideologically-aligned with his father, Ron Paul, on most issues. Paul is staunchly in favor of states rights on most issues and he believes that the federal government should only legislate where it is constitutionally authorized to do so. He believes hot-button issues such as gay marriage and marijuana legalization should be up for each state to decide, which also seems to be an emerging opinion within the conservative movement. Paul has also been a major figure in minority outreach and a major proponent of criminal justice reform. Rand Paul is pro-life, which is perhaps where he deviates most from the larger libertarian movement. He opposes federal funding of almost everything, including abortion, education, healthcare and other extra-constitutional issues that are meant to be handled by each individual state. The main area of concern for conservatives regarding Paul is on foreign policy. While Paul is clearly on the less interventionist and less activist scale of foreign policy, he is not quite the extremist his father was on the issue. He is strongly opposed to NSA spying programs. 2016 Presidential Run: Picking up where his father left off, Rand Paul announced a run for the 2016 GOP nomination for President. While he started off with decent numbers, his popularity took a dip as he suffered a handful of poor debate performances. While his father often occupied the wild outcast role in presidential elections, Rand Pauls more measured approach actually seems to have hurt him. The anti-establishment crowd drifted away from the Ron Paul/Rand Paul side and over to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, both who have out-maneuvered Paul. His foreign policy views have also become a liability as the Republican Party has shifted back to a more hawkish stance following the off-hands approach of the Obama White House. This has led to the occasional back-and-forth between Paul and fellow contender Marco Rubio, who has typically came out for the better. Financially, the Paul campaign has struggled and it has remained in the bottom rung of candidates. His polling has also lagged, and he has constantly struggled to remain above the debate threshold. Some Republicans have called for Paul to give up on the race and instead focus on his 2016 Senate run as they fear he is wasting valuable resources while damaging his personal popularity.

Global Warming And Its Effects - 928 Words

Global-Warming Mother Earth is burning as we speak; humanity has killed our precious Earth. Global-warming is a vicious killer that was created by the humans on this Earth, and there s no way to cure it. We, as humans, have the power to cleanse the Earth, but instead we destroy it. Heat is absorbed by carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. A greenhouse gas absorb thermal radiation emitted by the Earth s surface. As the sun s energy reaches the Earth’s surface some of it goes back out into space, some is absorbed by the atmosphere, and the rest is emitted by the earth and warms the Earth. This is what we call the greenhouse effect which is the main reason we have global warming. Human activities disturb the balance of the Earth causes things not to function the way they are supposed to. The greenhouse effect that is normally in motion is trapping in more heat by the day. The imbalanced effect of the greenhouse makes hotspots around the world. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities have increased concentrations of greenhouse gas (Global Climate Change: Causes). Also with more heat the more glaciers in colder places melt making sea levels higher creating more danger. A stronger greenhouse effect will warm the oceans and partially melt glaciers and other ice, increasing sea level. Ocean water also will expand if it warms, contributing further to sea level rise (Global Climate Change: Causes). The oceans take aboutShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming And Its Effects985 Words   |  4 PagesEnvironmental Science Professor Mahoney 11/11/14 Global Warming Over the last few decades global warming has become one of the biggest environmental issues of all times. Every year, global warming gets worse and it’s affecting the way people live, it is affecting the atmosphere in general, and other living organisms in our planet. Global warming is the gradual and increasing rise of the overall temperature of the Earth caused by the greenhouse effect due to the increased levels of carbon dioxide andRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects Essay1040 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal warming is directly causing the rise in temperature of the Earth. The melting of the polar ice caps causes some of the most pressing issues including the endangerment of species indigenous to this region and the rise of ocean levels. Global Warming Global warming is the steady rise of temperature of the Earth’s surface. What exactly causes global warming? Numerous sources fuel global warming, such as deforestation, permafrost, and even sunspots. Obviously, many factors contribute to thisRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1331 Words   |  6 PagesGlobal Warming Global warming is the causation of the Glaciers melting, sea levels rising, cloud forests drying, and wildlife struggles today. Humans are making this possible because of their release of heat-trapping gasses known as greenhouse gasses by their modern devices. Global warming is the abnormal speedy increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature. It is believed that this is due to the greenhouse gasses that people release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.The greenhouseRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects976 Words   |  4 PagesAs global warming, we understand that is the rise in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. It has been an immense concerning all over the world for the past decades since the current cycle of global warming is changing the rhythms of climate that humans, animals and plants rely on. Scientists have studied the natural cycles and events that are known to influence the change in climate to discover what i s originating the current global warming. However, the amount and pattern ofRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1571 Words   |  7 PagesAs global issues today become increasingly controversial, many people are inclined to believe that Global Warming is an issue that can take a backseat to more significant issues that plague today’s society. The information presented throughout my research in regards to the rising sea levels and the melting of glaciers and ice shelves, highly indicates that it cannot. What many Americans fail to realize is that if sea levels continue to rise due to Global Warming, then more than half of LouisianaRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1544 Words   |  7 PagesGlobal warming is one of the vigorously discussed topic on Earth today. According to a TechMedia Network, â€Å"Global warming is the term used to describe a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to b e permanently changing the Earth’s climate.† (â€Å"Global Warming †¦ Effects†). We have been witnessing the change in Earth’s climate since past few years, and we are well aware of the consequences of climate change as well. Global warmingRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1432 Words   |  6 Pageshas an effect on climate change and contributes to global warming. Yet people tend to turn a blind eye to global warming and label it as a myth, whether they do not believe in it or it is not in their best financial interest to believe in it. Let us take a closer look at global warming and the effects it has on our people, homes and environments. Global Warming has become a rising problem in our world’s climate. It’s time we show the initiative to understand the concept of global warming and showRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1416 Words   |  6 Pages Global Warming The earth is getting warmer, animals and their habitats are declining, human health is at risk and the cause of all this terror is Global Warming. Global warming will cause many parts of the world to change. In the next 50 years climate change could be the cause of more than a million terrestrial species becoming extinct. Sea levels will raise which means more flooding and is not good for the plants. With too much water the plants will die and herbivores will lose theirRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1312 Words   |  6 PagesGlobal warming is presenting a lot of environmental and health problems to many countries. A lot of heat gets trapped on earth due to formation of a non-porous layer gases below the atmosphere. The worst effect is felt by developing countries, which are also geographically disadvantaged. The establishment of such countries is on low altitude areas. This position makes developing countries to be direct victims of floods from the melting snow at high altit ude areas. A lot of scientific research associatesRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1512 Words   |  7 PagesGlobal warming is one of the most alarming and pressing issues that the world faces today. Global warming is the rise of the earth’s temperature over time. The damaging effects of global warming have become more and more apparent, with more tropical storms and hurricanes causing massive destruction, more animal species losing their habitats and coming under threat, rising sea levels, etc. According to NASA, the hottest year on record was 2005, which was the same as 1998. In the last ten years, twice

Competitive Advantage Rio Tinto Company - Click To Get Solution

Question: Discuss about the Competitive Advantage for Rio Tinto Company. Answer: E-Learning Material (Week -3) Every business organization faces competition over the production and provision of services in the market especially from firms offering the same products that the company offers. As per David and Davis, (2016, p.120), creating a competitive strategy requires an evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the industry. Companies must design long-term competitive strategies to establish a defensive position against the competitors and gain a competitive edge over the rivals. For the international companies to gain a competitive advantage over the other global firms, enhancing universality of customer services in all subsidiaries is crucial. Competitive advantage arises from companies ability to withstand the market demands, attracting new and retaining the existing clients, and its sensitivity when it comes to pricing and after sales services to the clients. However, Kumar, (2011, p.370) argues that companies can not maximize their profitability in the compe titive environment without devising clear goals and objectives. Setting goals helps the management to plan work effectively, motivate and inspire the technical team, provide guidance and direction, and assist in the evaluation and control performance in case deviations arise. Well, set objectives guide the personnel in designing high-quality products that meet the current market demands and utilize resources efficiently so that shortages get avoided. According to Ployhart, (2012, p.80), competing for a strong customer base in the market is important and an excellent tool for innovation and provides opportunities for creative thinking. With creative thinking, innovation of unique product brands follows and this creates a larger market for the company since the newly and high-quality products invented get highly demanded in the industry. Further, after designing the right product brands for the customers, the prices set for the product should be affordable and reasonable, and this cre ates a competitive advantage over the competitors. Application to Rio Tinto Company Rio Tinto is an Australian based company that provides finding, mining, and processing services for metals and minerals in Australia, Africa, Asia, and North American markets. The main competitors that Rio Tinto faces in the global market include Xstrata Plc, De Beers SA, BHP Billiton, Anglo American plc, and Newmont Mining Corporation. However, with the adoption of the above competitive strategies, Rio Tinto can gain a competitive advantage in the minerals and metal market sector in the world. From the analysis, the potential opportunities for the company include expanding the business operations in other territories, rising demand for aluminum in attempts to replace iron, and diversification of business along with other international players. According to Kumar, et al., (2011, p.16), the management for Rio Tinto should invest more financial resources in the mining of aluminum products and ensure that the brand made is of high quality and available in different quantities all over i n the global markets. Since the company has a strong brand presence internationally and has employed the use high technology in the extraction process, the company should establish regulations in particular to environmental conservation and security issues. With strict adherence to the government policies, the company ensures a sustenance growth and development and thus obtaining a competitive advantage. Also, the company should come up with a unique brand positioning statement that communicates its services to the customers and clearly differentiates itself from the competitors Dul and Ceylan, (2014, p.1266). Further, Rio Tinto should establish pricing policies such that the clients do not get exploited as the other firms may not control the charges for the minerals to their direct customers. Therefore, a clear understanding of the opportunities, strengths, weaknesses and threats of a company in the business environment enables the management to create a sound competitive strategy and thus, able to gain a competitive advantage over the rivals. E-Learning Material (Week-4) Innovation and creativity remain critical skills that companies should apply to achieve success in the economy. The fact that creativity involves the ability to produce new and unique ideas, innovation entails the implementation of that creativity; this suggests that creativity goes hand in hand with innovation. Dul and Ceylan, (2014, p.1255) argues that gaining a competitive advantage over the competitors requires a firm to use intensively sophisticated technologies that enhance creativity and innovation. The high productivity of a company depends on the enormous resources invested for; this calls for businesses to invest hugely in fascinating technologies that provide a breakthrough for innovation. The change process must always aim at increase the customer's satisfaction value of a product as well as lowering the costs associated with its production, and this directly reduces the price for the product. As per Haque and Deegan, (2010, p.320) statement, with low prices for an enterp rises products, the company gains a competitive advantage and thus positioning itself firmly in the market. However, the innovation product should effectively target the desired customer. It is necessary for the technical personnel to learn that designing a well-featured product without a target market does not add value to the company, it is only a waste of resources. Therefore, this justifies Mithas, et al.,(2013, p.512) argument that before coming up with a new idea that benefits the company, the management must first analyze the current business problem that the product or service seeks to solve. Further, the technical team in the production sector should clearly communicate the existing gap in the market that needs to get closed, so that the management provides adequate resources for the innovation process. Also, the new idea should aim at long term key performance indicators of the company so that unnecessary costs for changing from one technology to another get avoided. Application by Rio Tinto With the implementation of strategic technology and innovation management, Rio Tinto Company can effectively benefit by enlarging the customer base in the market. Currently, the mining industry is very competitive given the natural advantage possessed by different countries across the world, this call for the adoption of sophisticated technologies by the mining companies so that they may produce unique and high-quality minerals. Rio Tinto should remain alert with technological transformations and always make use of the current technologies in the manufacture of metal items. The technical team should be creative and ready to innovate new ideas that would assist the company to improve its productivity, and this justifies Dul and Ceylan, (2014, p 1267) argument. Improving performance of the company would require investing high amounts of capital in the acquisition of modern production equipment and machinery. The company should provide adequate resources to the technical team so that th e innovation process takes place smoothly. For example, provision of computers and the internet so that the IT managers can spend most of their time browsing for the new offers, new production methods, and new markets for the company's mined resources. Ployhart, (2012, p.81) argues that obtaining first-hand information about the market would enable the business comes up with long term ideas for meeting the market demand, and this creates a great opportunity for gaining a competitive advantage over the world competitors. The management should ensure that all the innovated ideas are unique and secured with passwords such that the competing firms can not have access to the technologies applied by the company in establishing a strong position in the business environment. The innovation process should follow the right channels to avoid confusion in the production sector that would adversely result to poor results and in turn lead to a destabilized position in the market for Rio Tinto Com pany. Therefore, the creativity and innovation processes should be linked, unified, and integrated together such that the ideas developed to meet the market demands. References David, F. Davis, F. R., 2016. Strategic Management: A Competitive Advantage Approach, Concepts, and Cases. 1st ed. Oxford: Prentice Hall. Dul, J. Ceylan, C., 2014. The impact of a creativity-supporting work environment on a firm's product innovation performance. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(6), pp. 1254-1267. Haque, S. Deegan, C., 2010. Corporate climate change-related governance practices and related disclosures: Evidence from Australia. Australian Accounting Review, 20(4), pp. 317-333. Keupp, M. M., Palmie, M. Gassmann, O., 2012. The strategic management of innovation: A systematic review and paths for future research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 14(4), pp. 367-390. Kumar, V., Jones, E., Venkatesan, R. Leone, R. P., 2011. Is market orientation a source of sustainable competitive advantage or simply the cost of competing?. Journal of Marketing, 75(1), pp. 16-30. Mithas, S., Tafti, A. Mitchell, W., 2013. How a firm's competitive environment and digital strategic posture influence digital business strategy. MIS Quarterly, 37(2), pp. 511-536. Ployhart, R. E., 2012. The psychology of competitive advantage: An adjacent possibility. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 5(1), pp. 62-81.

Warsaw Pact Intervene in Czechoslovakia free essay sample

This is contrasted with the reforms in Poland as they spurred out of Solidarity that consisted of the working class and intelligentsia, a bottom-up movement putting forward ideas towards a more democratic regime. The second argument that distinguishes these two cases is the difference in the international situation between the USSR and the West in 1 968 and 1980. Finally focusing on the economic condition of the Soviet Union and external effects that influence the capitals finances. By analyzing all of these factors we can establish why the USSR decided to leave the Polish overspent in charge of its internal affairs whereas they opted for an intervention in the case Of Czechoslovakia. One of the most important differences between the Czechoslovakia and Polish case is the field within which the reform movements formed. In Czechoslovakia this occurred within the Communist Party itself, whereas in Poland it rose from the workers and the intelligentsia of Solidarity. We will write a custom essay sample on Warsaw Pact Intervene in Czechoslovakia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The general liberal atmosphere of the asses set the stage for Alexander Dubbed a young member of the communist party with great ideas of liberalizing the tough regime. Dubbed was himself too young to have been involved in the purges and so with a clean slate he began to liberalism his country. His reforms were labeled as the Action Programmer intended to create socialism with a human face in Czechoslovakia. This programmer focused on the relaxation of central control over the economy, virtual abolition of censorship, religious reforms and an increase in the independence of parliament. With the introduction of these liberal reforms the Soviet Union began to feel that the country was distancing itself from the ideological values Of communism, and feared that the liberal reforms would SSE a spill over effect onto other Eastern European states bound within the Warsaw Pact. However Dubbed himself was unaware of the building tension, despite several warnings from the Soviet Union; he assumed that due to the cost of an invasion this would be an inefficient strategy for the USSR.After the easing of censorship several newspapers published 2000 words by Vacuole, expo ending the case for reform and demonstration, with hints there was a danger of invasion by the WTFO, this was the final alarm bell for Brethren. Fearing that Dubbed would lose control of his country and let it fall out of the Warsaw pact, the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia on the 20th August 1968. The Polish situation differed from Czechoslovakia in the sense that reforms were triggered from below through the Solidarity movement formed by the workers and intelligentsia.This national liberation movement was sparked as a result of material grievances and frustrated expectations. Deriving from the Lenin shipyard strikes in Agenda 1970, the movement finally proposed 21 demands to the government. These included basic appeals such as the right to strike, the release of political prisoners, wage increases, religious freedom and an end to censorship. Due to the stagnating economic situation in Poland during that time and the governments incapability of suppressing further strikes, the trade union was legalized in September 1980.Crampon describes that the last thing the Polish economy could endure was a disruption of economic activity. Another factor one could consider as to why the USSR didnt intervene in Poland was the image of Solidarity itself. Mason emphasis the individuality of the movement. Being the only movement connected with the Catholic Church, it combined the values Of democracy, participation, justice, equality, unman dignity and socialism. Therefore it was the only non-violent movement capable of absorbing so many issues. This shows how the movement never posed a direct threat to the Soviet union, unlike Czechoslovakia in 1968.Wales, Head of the Solidarity movement, constantly emphasized that the trade union only wanted to exert pressure on the ruling bureaucracy, not overthrow it. One could therefore argue that the Soviet Union didnt feel vulnerable to the proposals of the movement unlike Czechoslovakia in 1 968, where Dubbed was planning reforms from within the party and was trying to democratic it from the centre. In order to further analyses what exactly triggered the decisions behind Warsaw Pacts invasion lies within the comparison between the international relationship Of the USSR and the West in the years in question.It is important to focus on the political tension between the western world and Russia. Since the Cold War was based around economic and political differences, the USSR used Czechoslovakia as a basic tool to uphold its international status demonstrating its power and military migh t. Unlike Poland in 1980, the USSR was not concerned about its friendly image to the outside world, due to the Cuban Missile crisis in 1 962 and NATO tactful eye over the Soviet Union, 1968 would be considered a much more dangerous environment for the USSR to seem weak. Alternatively, by 1980, interaction between ;o super powers had become very tense.The USSR was reaching a culmination of the political strain and struggle to keep tensions at a minimal. This uneasy environment was heightened by the summer Olympic games being held in Moscow. Thus the USSR was not prepared to stain its image abroad by sending troops into Poland and attracting unwanted attention. The polish situation can be further explained by examining past events involving Czechoslovakia. The invasion in 1 968 sent an unmistakable signal through the Soviet Block; it defined how far the USSR was willing to go in order uphold its ideological principles.This notion fortifies the explanation why in 1 981 following the troop movements in Ukraine and the Baltic States, Serializes, fearing revolutionary outcome, crushed the Solidarity movement through the introduction of martial law. This fear of Soviet intervention demonstrated through the case of Czechoslovakia in 1 968, ensured that the USSR was able to leave the Polish government in charge of their events. The arterial law managed to suppress the movement and successfully avoided tarnishing relations with Russia.Some observers such as Hans Amenorrhea conclude that the invasion in 1 968 was carried out to prevent Czechoslovakia from shifting its alliance closer to West Germany. This shows that Czechoslovakia has never had to choose between independence and alignment, but between alignment with Russia and with Germany. Crampon also mentions this fear of western expansionism, as Czechoslovakia was the only state with boarders of both FOG and USSR, he describes the country as being poised like a dagger aimed at the heart of the Soviet Union.Thus this is another reason that could justify why Poland was not invaded in 1980 since the threat of the western vacuum was much greater in Czechoslovakia in 1968. The last issue to consider is the economic situation within the USSR that could possibly have affected the decision making process Of the Soviet Union and Brethren in his earlier years set about introducing major policy reforms. The introduction of the dtenet that opened up the bloc of economic contacts with the West definitely had positive financial effects on the USSR.This meant that in 1968, when the question of Czechoslovakia emerged, there were no ajar economic issues constraining the Soviet Union. This was not the case in 1980, where the annual economic growth rate of the USSR averaged out at 1. 5%. Paired With the mounting debt accumulated during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the USSR had to reconsider investing capital on troops the combat the Polish situation. In conclusion it is questionable whether the USSR would have invaded had Carousels not imposed the martial law in 1 981.