Theology Proper Essay Example for Free

Theology Proper Essay The study of God is known as Theology Proper. This study is vital in knowing and experiencing the one true God. God goes by many names and He has revealed Himself to us, through His word and though revelation. By studying Theology Proper we can discover much about the Character of God like His attributes, His law and His will. When studying Theology Proper there are two different categories of studying God’s attributes. There are His absolute attributes and His comparative attributes. His absolute attributes are simply who and what God is. God is absolutely Holly, God is absolutely love and God is absolutely Good. These are unchangeable and consistent attributes of God. He can’t be any more or any less of any of these; if He were, He would not be the perfect holy, loving and good God that the Bible teaches. God also has comparative attributes. These attributes are ones that can be more difficult for our human minds to comprehend. God is Omniscient, which means He is all knowing. He knows everything, from every thought to every action that will ever be made. God is Omnipresent; this means that He is everywhere all the time. God is beyond time and space, so in essence no one is ever alone at any given point in time. God is finally Omnipotent, this means that he is all-powerful. God created the earth and rose from the dead. He can do all things and He chooses when to use his divine power for His purpose. God’s law is vital to know when studying Theology Proper. By knowing God’s law for His creation we can better understand His purpose for our lives. The law of God isn’t just an idea of what’s right and wrong, it is an expression of the nature of God. It is a revelation. Through God’s law, creation is controlled and God’s desires are carried out. Because we are sinful by nature, we must live under the law (not necessarily the mosaic law), without the law there can be not judgment or sanctification. The law is necessary for human existence. God is impartial, which means he must judge every violation of His law. Because of God’s perfect nature He cannot overlook the violation of His law. In order to know the Will of God when studying Theology Proper we must realize how this can be done. We can know God’s perfect will through prayer and talking with God. We can learn His will through studying His word and through listening to the Holy Spirit. These are ways God reveals His will to us. We can also know His will through divine circumstance and by being active in our faith. By being closer to God through these examples we are able to better understand God’s will for our lives. In conclusion we can better understand the study of Theology Proper and ultimately, better understand out Creator. Furthering our understanding of God’s attributes, God’s law and God’s will.

Assessing The Paris Fashionable Concepts Cultural Studies Essay

Assessing The Paris Fashionable Concepts Cultural Studies Essay The concept of Paris fashion represents one of the most powerful and long-running place in modern history. But even a cursory examination of the way the term has been used draws attention to the complexity of the notion of the fashion capital, and to the complexity of the fashion process itself. The routine description of the city over the past 200 years as the capital world of fashion contribute to this understanding. ::::Downloads:eiffel-tower-1.jpg Figure 2.2 , Eifel Tower in Paris, Available at: http://www.eiffel-tower.us/Eiffel-Tower-Images/eiffel-tower-1.jpg Paris is the Fashion Capital of the World. Paris has long been an international hub of fashion design. Paris is home to many distinguished design houses, such as Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Chloe, Givenchy, Lanvin, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton. Paris is also a premier destination for shopping, with streets such as Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honre and the Champs-Elysees hosting boutiques from designers around the world. Besides fashion and leather goods, Paris is has a number of well-known jewelers, such as Cartier SA, Boucheron, Chaumet, and Van Cleef Arpels. They have their flagships at the famed Place Vendome. Twice a year, Paris is home to a fashion week, where the citys fashion houses present their collections. Designers from other countries also present their collections in Paris. Notable examples include Belgian designers Dries van Noten, Martin Margeila, and Ann Demeulemester; Dutch design duo Viktor Rolf; and Japanese deisgners Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, and Junya Watanabe. Pinault-Printemps-Redoute and LVMH, the two major holding companies in contemporary fashion, are both headquartered in Paris. Paris has been interpreted as a world centre of fashion because of its distinctive metropolitan cultures of consumption, both in the narrow sense of shops and shopping, and in a broader sense of the practices associated with the wearing of fashionable dress in the spaces of the city. There has been something approaching a naturalization of Pariss relationship with fashion, often around the elevation of a certain construction of fashionable femininity to a symbol of Parisian superiority. [Fashions World Cities, David Gilbert, 2006] ::::Downloads:christian_dior_haute_couture_2009_01.jpg Figure 2.3 , Christian Dior Haute Couture fashion show 2009, Available at: http://iamfashioncrazy.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/christian_dior_haute_couture_2009_01.jpg Since the seventeenth century, fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of France, and modern haute couture originated in Paris in the 1860s. Today, Paris is considered one of the worlds fashion capitals, along with London, Milan, and New York City, and the city is home or headquarters to many of the premier fashion houses. The culture of Paris and of the French people has been shaped by geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. Paris, has played an important part as a center of high culture and of decorative arts since the seventeenth century, first in Europe, and from the nineteenth century onwards, world wide. From the late nineteenth century, Paris has also played an important role in modern art, cinema, fashion and cuisine. Paris is today the melting pot of diverse cultures. However, it still retains its own unique charm or attraction when it comes to ethnicity, geography and the French language. The once isolated local customs arising out of regional differences have matured to become a cultural identity that is unique to the heterogeneity. The culture of Paris (or to say France), has been largely influenced by mandatory defense service, the Franco-Prussian feud and World War I and World War II. The two world wars were responsible for the flood of cultural influences and centralized market forces. Today, the people in Paris symbolize collective identity. The Parisian society is more inclined to believing in public-spiritedness, state socialistic spending, and in public initiatives. The Paris culture is characteristic of chauvinism, a term which is widely used all over the World (the countries of the West, esp. Europe and the Americas), integrated politics, universalism and the popular French grandeur. Although, now the traditional family structure has evolved from the joint family to nuclear. Most modern people in Paris prefer to relate to the term French as a nationality and their language and not a measure of ethnicity, specific to the city. There are many immigrants from Africa, Asia and other European countries who have made Paris or France their home with diverse ethnic ascendants, resulting in interracial relationships. According to Hofsteds Framework for Assessing Culture, the culture of Paris is moderately individualistic and high Power Distance Index. There is clearly a significant overlap between the cities routinely described as world fashion cities, like Paris, and those identified by Friedmann, Sassen and their followers as primary world cities or global cities. Given, in Friedmanns terminology, the embeddedness of a transnational capitalist class whose ideology is consumerist in such world cities, and given fashions inherent elitism and consumerism, it would be very surprising if this were not the case. [Fashions World Cities, David Gilbert, 2006] The acceptance of lebianism, homosexuality and gay marriages in Paris, speaks volumes for the broad-mindedness of the French. In fact, Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoà «, makes no attempt to hide his gay identity. In Paris, the French movies, music and literature are vibrant and multicultural. The language follows a preordain official originality standard. French is spoken widely across the globe, inspite of the repression with regional and foreign languages in certain countries. It has become a part of the education forum and a popular option in many bilingual educational institutions. As far as religion goes, Paris is secular and dedicatedly adheres to the principle of freedom of religion, a political dictate that was enshrined in the Declaration of the Rights of Man, 1789. A mix of Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews and atheists live in Paris and add quality to the essence of French character. So therefore, Paris is a multicultural society. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries these cities have developed intense concentrations of advanced producer services, typically in sectors such as banking, accountancy, advertising, insurance, commercial law and management consultancy. Sassen argues that financial deregulation and the development of new forms of telecommunications, media and information technology, far from dispersing economic activities as some predicted, has created an aggressive new logic for their concentration of these activities as some predicted, has created an aggressive new logic for their concentration of these activities in a few great cities. Sassen further argues that increasing economic and social polarization has marked global cities, particularly London and New York. Alongside the development of advanced producer services has been a parallel development of a low-paid service sector, often characterized by a casualized labour force with a high proportion of immigrants. [Fashions Worl d Cities, David Gilbert, 2006] London: ::::Downloads:Somerset House Strand.JPG Figure 3.1 , Somerset House in London, Available at: http://www.the-magician.co.uk/images/Somerset%20House%20Strand.JPG London as one of the worlds four fashion capitals, the London Fashion Week is one of the Big Four fashion weeks, which is organised by the British Fashion Council. The current venue for most of the events is Somerset House in central London, where a large marquee in the central courtyard hosts a series of catwalk shows by top designers and fashion houses, while an exhibition, housed within Somerset House itself, showcases over 150 designers. British designers whose collections have been showcased at the fashion week include Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, while British models who have featured at the event include Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Jade Jagger and Jodie Kidd. Fashion designer Mary Quant was at the heart of the Swinging London scene of the 1960s, and her work culminated in the creation of the miniskirt and hot pants. Mary Quant named the miniskirt that she designed after her favourite make of car, the Mini. The English fashion designer Charles Frede rick Worth is widely considered the father of Haute couture. According to an article in the Time, yet behind this confection of a city peopled by the famous and beautiful, all dressed in the latest cutting-edge fashions, was a sense that the new London was a key site in much broader changes taking place across the Western world: increasing consumer affluence, particularly among teenagers and young adults, changing intergenerational relationships, and new attitudes towards popular culture, leisure and the body. [Fashions World Cities, David Gilbert, 2006] ::::Downloads:London_cultural_icons.jpg Figure 3.2 , Cultural icons of London, Available at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/London_cultural_icons.jpg The London culture concerns the arts, music, museums, festivals and other entertainment in London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. The city is renowned for its theatre district, and its West End theatre district has given the name to West End theatre, the strand of mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in London. London also homes to notable cultural attractions such as the British Museum, the Tate Galleries, the National Gallery, the Notting Hill Carnival and The O2. An assortment of landmarks and objects are cultural icons associated with London, such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the tube map. According to visiting tourists, there are a few other British cultural icons that are strongly associated with London , including the red telephone box, the routemaster bus, the black taxi or more famously known as the London cab and the Union Flag. ::::Downloads:RoyalOperaHouse-25-02-09w.jpg Figure 3.3 , The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House in London, Available at: http://www.strollon.co.uk/UploadedDocuments/RoyalOperaHouse-25-02-09w.jpg London has the famous, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia. There are also quite a few chamber orchestras, some of which specialise in period instrument performances, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The city is home to more than 300 nationalities, and the diversity of cultures has shaped the citys culture over time. In London, rank, status and inequalities between people are reasonably low. This obviously shows in a number of ways, such as legislation protecting ethnic minorities rights. This is observed in the office where the relationship between superiors and subordinates is relatively casual and incorporates little ceremony. London scores really high for Individualism. Therefore points to that fact that the British cultural values promote individuality. In London, the nuclear family is the more predominant form of basic social structure. In the business environment, the individual is more concerned with themselves rather than the team. The level of power distance (uncertainty avoidance) in London is quite low. This means that the British culture is relatively open to taking risks and dealing with change, which can be seen in the constant revision of laws and government structures. In the workplace, conflict or disagreement, even with superiors, is considered healthy. ::::Downloads:the_sex-pistols.jpg Figure 3.4 , The Sex Pistols, Available at: http://www.sexpistolsanniversary.co.uk/images/the_sex-pistols.jpg London is really famous for its rock scene, and was the starting point of some of the greatest 60s and 70s band such as Iron Maiden, The Clash, Led Zeppelin, The Sex Pistols, The Who, Pink Floyd, Queen and very popular 90s bands like Blur, Coldplay, Radiohead, and Oasis that are still very popular to this day. Most of the major bands tours pass through London as well, favourite venues being the Brixton Academy, the London Astoria, and the Hammersmith Apollo. In addition to generating of the bands mentioned above, London, in its capacity as the UKs cultural centre, has served as the base of a number of internationally important acts, including David Bowie, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, as well as being instrumental in the birth of dance music. All these artists mentioned above, in their days and till date influence fashion in London and all over the world. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨London has a thriving urban scene, mainly throughout the 21st century. Soul singers like Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Lemar have found themselves chart, and international success. RB singers such as Leona Lewis, Jay Sean, The Sugababes, Taio Cruz and Alexandra Burke are also extremely popular. London also has a strong rap scene, which includes rappers like Wiley, Tinchy Stryder and Dizee Rascal among others have helped contribute to London gaining the status of having the strongest rap scene outside of the USA. London has one of the biggest underground scenes in the world. Genres include Drum and bass, Uk garage, Dubstep, 2step and grime. Londons ethnic population is growing strongly and this is having a huge effect on the culture. Indian food is now a significant part of Londons cuisine. Young black Londoners play a predominant part in the British music industry. Besides Afro-Caribbean and Indian culture, Bangladeshi, Polish and Middle-Eastern influences are also present. In London, masculinity is somewhere in the middle. This may reflect the fact that British society and culture aims for equality between the sexes, yet a certain amount of gender bias still exists underneath the surface. The acceptance of lebianism, homosexuality and gay marriages in London, is cause of the all the stars who used to cross-dress for their performances, shows that people in London are broad-minded. There are many other culture related attractions in London, including the Avenue of Stars, a walkway similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with stars commemorating notable individuals or groups. Summary Table: Paris London Similarities Both Paris and London are the fashion capitals of their countries. The melting pot of diverse cultures is existent in both cities. Paris and London are multicultural societies. The acceptance of lesbianism, homosexuality and gay marriages in Paris and London, shows how broad-minded the people or society is. There is a freedom of religion. The rise of technology has led to London and Paris becoming more of open cultures. Differences Paris is the Fashion Capital of the World. Haute Couture started in Paris in the 1860s by Charles Worth. The people in Paris collective identity. The Parisian society is more inclined to believing in public-spiritedness, state socialistic spending, and in public initiatives. While London scores really high for Individualism. Paris has a high Power Distance (rank, status and inequalities between people) Index, while London is comparatively lower. Fashion culture in London was very influenced by the music scene, specially the rock scene, with the bands like the Sex Pistols in the 60s and 70s. While Paris didnt have too much influence of music on fashion. Conclusion: After extensive research and comparing the similarities and differences of both Paris and Londons modern day fashion scene, I realized that even though there are so many similarities on the surface between both cities but once you look at the details or to say under the surface you realize that each city is unique in its own way cause of their influences from cultural dimensions, societal values, history and technology, etc.

Compare and Contrast:Martin Luther King Jr. Essay -- essays research p

Compare and Contrast: To my understanding the letter that Martin Luther King Jr. composed while confined in the Birmingham Jail, is as one with the appeal that was given by David Walker. Both the letter and the appeal were pleas, pleas to the African American race. Not only to African Americans, but to my surprise and yours it was also written to all races suffering from the same injustice. These pleas were strong and very urgent. Our fears then and are still now today have kept our souls and minds in bondage to the immoral likings of others. David Walker so vividly quoted in a statement written before the preamble of his appeal. It is stated as such: I ask every man who has a heart, and is blessed with the privilege of believing-is not God a God of justice to all his creatures? Martin Luther King Jr. also vividly quoted a statement from his letter that was composed while confined in the Birmingham jail it goes as such: we have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with Jet like speed towards gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse- and -buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at lunch counters. A statement also made we can stand and watch our mothers and fathers be beaten and killed for the likings of cruelty or the great need for the feeling of power, does that make us any lesser? Does it make them any greater? David Walkers statement can mean only one thing God cre...

How To Enter A Nine-ball Tournament :: essays research papers

How to Play Tournament Nine-ball   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People may think that spending eight dollars on a tournament is a waste of money. Every Sunday I go to Millertime Billiards and enter a nine-ball tournament. I never go in thinking that I’m going to win at least my entry fee back, although it would be nice. On the other hand, I always go in knowing that I will walk out understanding more about the game then the night before. The tournament starts at 7:30 p.m., but the entry fee must be paid before that. After paying, all there is to do is wait. When they call your name and table it’s time to play. It’s a race to four wins. To keep track of the games place a coin under the middle diamond. Every game won constitutes a move of the coin one diamond. The winner goes to the front counter and gives them the results. The loser of the first game doesn’t have to go home. The tournament is double elimination. After the first game is lost, the player goes down to the loser’s bracket. One loss in there means it’s time to go home, or at least sit down and wait for the nine-ball break. The winner of the loser’s bracket is guaranteed second place. To get first place the winner of the loser bracket will have to beat the winner of the winner’s bracket twice. After they establish and record all the winners and losers for the forth round they call all the people who entered the tournament down to table 5 for the nine-ball break. The racks are usually set up by an A player or better. Three names are drawn out of a box. Everybody that got there name picked gets two chances to drop the nine-ball on the break unless the person before them already hit it in. Two dollars of the entry fee go toward the pot for the winner.

American Financial Crisis Essay -- Economics Economy

The US Financial System: A Crumbling Empire The financial system has been crucial to the role of free enterprise. â€Å"Financial markets have come to supply non-financial corporations with mechanisms for managing their risks and for comparing and evaluating diverse investment opportunities in a highly complex global economy† (Cindin, 2008). â€Å"However, despite the lifetimes it took to build our financial institutions, bad luck and careless risk management have jeopardized careers and mortgaged these institutions’ futures†(Wallace, 2008). The nation is currently attempting to deal with the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. It is now imperative that a way be found which will re-regulate finance without undermining finance’s needed innovative capacity. The origin of the financial crisis can be dated back to 2006. During that period in time, companies began buying trillions of dollars of complex financial products called ‘structured credit derivatives’. The value of these derivatives quickly escalated to over one-hundred trillion dollars due to the high demand from banks around the world. â€Å"These paper investments were supposedly backed by loans on houses, cars, businesses, and credit cards† (Francis, 2008). Nevertheless, several issues have erupted from the sale of these paper investments. The production and trading method for derivatives is unclear, and no one really knows what credit risk is transferred to whom. Basically, banks were fighting over assets with questionable values. Even though the sale of derivatives has disrupted our economy, it is not the primary reason for which the financial system is now in distress. The reckless selling of mortgage loans has lead to the eventual breakdown of our financial... ..., Jane & Francis, Theo. The Financial System Bailout: Deal or No Deal? (2008). Business Week. Retrieved November 2, 2008, from http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/sep2008/db20080925_596844.htm Solomon, Deborah & Crittenden, Michael & Paletta, Damian. US Bailout Plan Calms Markets, But Struggle Looms Over Details (2008). Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2008, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122191819568460053.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Stewart, Heather. IMF Says US Crisis is Largest Financial Shock Since Great Depression (2008). Guardian News. Retrieved November 2, 2008, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/apr/09/useconomy.subprimecrisis Wallace, Michael. Wall Street Talks: What the Bailout Means (2008). BusinessWeek. Retrieved November 2, 2008, from http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/sep2008/pi20080922_128934.htm

Food and Agriculture Organization Essay

* FAO emblem with its Latin motto, Fiat Panis (â€Å"Let there be bread†) * Organization type – Specialized Agency * Head – Josà © Graziano da Silva (current) * Established – 16 October 1945 in Quebec City, Canada * Headquarters – Rome, Italy * Parent organization – ECOSOC (The world’s economic, social and environmental challenges are ECOSOC’s concern. A founding UN Charter body established in 1946, the Council is the place where such issues are discussed and debated, and policy recommendations issued.) * Members – 191 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. * Website – www.fao.org The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. It is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fishery practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all. FAO’s Goal Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), specialized United Nations agency whose main goal is to eliminate hunger on a world scale. The organization’s mandate is to: * raise levels of nutrition * improve agricultural productivity * better the lives of rural populations * contribute to the growth of the world economy History of FAO * 1943 Representatives from forty-four governments gathered at the Homestead Hotel, Hot Springs, Virginia (United States), from May 18 to June 3, commit themselves to founding a permanent organization for food and agriculture. * 1945 First session of FAO Conference, Quebec City, Canada, establishes FAO as a specialized United Nations agency. * 1962 The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission established to set international food standards becomes operational. * 1976 FAO’s Technical Cooperation Program established to afford greater flexibility in responding to urgent situations. * 1981 The first World Food Day observed on 16 October by more than 150 countries. * 1986 AGROSTAT (now FAOSTAT), the world’s most comprehensive source of agricultural information and statistics, becomes operational. * 1994 * Special Program for Food Security (SPFS)   * Emergency Prevention System for Trans boundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) * 1996 FAO hosts 186 Heads of State or Government and other high officials at World Food Summit in November to discuss and combat world hunger. * 1997 FAO launches campaign against hunger initiative TeleFood. TeleFood ’97 reaches a global audience of 500 million. * 2006 FAO unveils its high-tech Crisis Management Centre to fight bird flu and other animal health or food safety emergencies. The service monitors disease outbreaks and dispatches experts to any hot spot in the world in less than 48 hours. Representatives of 96 FAO member countries at the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, in Brazil, make a joint declaration recognizing the role of agrarian reform and rural development for sustainable development. * 2008 FAO holds a high-level conference on 3–5 June on the impact of climate change and the bio fuel boom on food security and food prices. Attended by 43 heads of state and 100 government ministers, the conference adopted a resolution to increase assistance and investment in developing world agriculture. * 2009 As the number of hungry reached 1.02 billion, FAO holds a World Summit on Food Security on 16-18 November to inject new urgency into the fight against hunger. Sixty heads of state and government and 192 ministers unanimously adopt a declaration pledging renewed commitment to eradicate hunger from the Earth at the earliest date * 2011 In a historic victory of veterinary science, FAO and OIE announced that thanks to a decades-long international cooperative effort, the fatal cattle disease known as rinderpest had successfully been eradicated in the wild. In July, FAO declared a state of famine in two regions of Somalia and appealed for US$120 million for response to the drought across the Horn of Africa. FAO Member countries elected Josà © Graziano da Silva of Brazil as Director-General, to take office in January 2012. Structure and Finance 1. Members – An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 191 Member Nations as of 2008, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. 2. Governance – Representatives of members meet at the biennial FAO Conference to review global governance policy issues and international frameworks, as well as to evaluate work carried out and to approve the budget for the next biennium. The Conference elects Council Members, to serve three-year rotating terms to carry out executive oversight of program and budgetary activities. The Conference also elects a Director-General to a four year term of office, renewable once. The current Director-General, Josà © Graziano da Silva, assumed his functions on 1 January 2012 for a term which expires on 31 July 2015. 3. Departments FAO is composed of eight departments: Administration and Finance, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Economic and Social Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forestry, Knowledge and Communication, Natural Resource Management and Technical Cooperation. 4. Offices Besides its headquarters in Rome, FAO is present in over 130 countries. The decentralized network includes five regional offices, 11 sub regional offices, two multidisciplinary teams, 74 fully fledged country offices (excluding those hosted in regional and sub regional offices), eight offices with technical officers/FAO Representatives, and 36 countries covered through multiple accreditation. In addition, the Organization maintains five liaison offices and four information offices in developed countries. 5. Programs and projects In 2010, FAO implemented programs and projects with a total value of US$903 million. About four percent are funded by assessed contributions through the FAO Technical Cooperation Program (TCP) and the Special Program for Food Security (SPFS). The remaining 96 percent are funded from voluntary contributions, through the Government Cooperative Program (44 percent), Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF) (six percent), and other forms of Trust Funds (46 percent) that include UN Joint Programs. * Right to Food Guidelines * Response to food crisis * FAO–EU partnership * Food security programs * Emergency response * Early warning of food emergencies * Integrated pest management * Trans boundary pests and diseases * International Plant Protection Convention * Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building * Codex Alimentarius 6. Funding and expenditure FAO’s overall program of work is funded by assessed and voluntary contributions. The assessed contributions are member countries’ contributions, set at the biennial FAO Conference. The FAO regular budget for the 2010-2011 bienniums is US$1 billion. The voluntary contributions provided by members and other partners support technical and emergency (including rehabilitation) assistance to governments, as well as direct support to FAO’s core work. The voluntary contributions are expected to exceed US$1.2 billion in 2010-11. Budget FAO’s Regular Program budget is funded by its members, through contributions set at the FAO Conference. This budget covers core technical work, cooperation and partnerships including the Technical Cooperation Program, knowledge exchange, policy and advocacy, direction and administration, governance and security. This overall budget covers core technical work, cooperation and partnerships, leading to Food and Agriculture Outcomes by 71%; Core Functions by 11%; the Country Office Network by 5%; Capital and Security Expenditure by 2%; Administration by 6%; and Technical and Cooperation Program by 5%. FAO’s activities comprise four main areas: * Putting information within reach. FAO serves as a knowledge network. We use the expertise of our staff – agronomists, foresters, fisheries and livestock specialists, nutritionists, social scientists, economists, statisticians and other professionals – to collect, analyze and disseminate data that aid development. A million times a month, someone visits the FAO Internet site to consult a technical document or read about our work with farmers. We also publish hundreds of newsletters, reports and books, distribute several magazines, create numerous CD-ROMS and host dozens of electronic forum. * Sharing policy expertise. FAO lends its years of experience to member countries in devising agricultural policy, supporting planning, drafting effective legislation and creating national strategies to achieve rural development and hunger alleviation goals. * Providing a meeting place for nations. On any given day, dozens of policy-makers and experts from around the globe convene at headquarters or in our field offices to forge agreements on major food and agriculture issues. As a neutral forum, FAO provides the setting where rich and poor nations can come together to build common understanding. * Bringing knowledge to the field. Our breadth of knowledge is put to the test in thousands of field projects throughout the world. FAO mobilizes and manages millions of dollars provided by industrialized countries, development banks and other sources to make sure the projects achieve their goals. FAO provides the technical know-how and in a few cases is a limited source of funds. In crisis situations, we work side-by-side with the World Food Program and other humanitarian agencies to protect rural livelihoods and help people rebuild their lives.

Critical Analysis of The Business Strategies

Offensive and defensive strategies are by products or results of the corporate strategies. A corporate strategy is a comprehensive set of activities developed by top management to aid an organization achieve its corporate objectives. Involving all parts of an organization, these strategies consider both internal and external environments. As the name suggests these strategies are aimed at placing the organization in a ‘attack mode' of sorts. Organizations employing such strategies generally believe in acting before their opponent. Such strategies are usually achieved through internal growth, though some like mergers and acquisition, etc are external. Concentration on a single product or service The firm chooses to specialize in a single product, product line, or service. It plans to do one thing with great effectiveness and efficiency. This specialization allows an organization to do whatever it does extremely well, perhaps even better than other organizations. Used mostly by small organizations, it reduces the amount of resources required and as such is a low risk strategy. However, it ties up all of the firm's resources on a single product, service, or product line. The firm's success and growth is dependent entirely on that particular product with nothing to fall back on were that product to fail. Also, coupled with the facts that this strategy limits an organization's growth and opportunities, it can be considered a high-risk strategy as well. E.g. a company deciding to specialize only in the production and distribution of a particular brand of chocolate will find their chances for growth and profits tied inexorably with the market acceptance of that chocolate. Failure of the product will spell doom for the company. Despite these pitfalls, the concentration strategy has nevertheless borne fruit for organizations like Holiday Inns. Considered one of the largest hotel chains in the world with 1800inns, Holiday Inns have achieved unparalleled success by focusing on the hospitality industry. Put plainly concentric diversification is said to be when a firm originally concentrating on one specific product, service, or product line decides to add related products or services to its already existing retinue. These new products or services are added internally (i.e. it can be a management decision) or may be acquired through acquisitions. A good example is Cadbury. Though initially focusing on biscuits, the company today has an impressive line-up that includes not only biscuits, but also chocolates and ice cream as well. One of the major reasons why companies choose to follow such a strategy is the potential for faster growth, and the lure of establishing a diverse if related product line. This ensures that if one product were to fail, there would still be something to fall back on. Vertical integration occurs when one firm acquires another that is involved either in an earlier stage of the production process (backward integration) or a later stage of the production process (forward integration). The firm that is acquired usually follows the same line of business as that of the parent company. While backward integration will give the firm more control over the quality and quantity of its raw materials, forward integration will ensure that the firm's products will enjoy a good demand. This occurs when a firm decides to branch out and add products or services that are unrelated to its existing products and services. Conglomerate diversification can occur through acquisitions or it may be based on management decisions. The purpose in employing such a strategy is to increase sales and earnings, spread risks, or in the case of acquisitions simply to make an attractive investment. An example is the heavy vehicles and industrial equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, who have branched out into the production of boots and accessories. A merger involves combining the operations of two companies to form a new and unified organization. Acquisitions on the other hand is the taking over of another firm but allowing the acquired firm to function as a independent division or subsidiary of the acquiring firm. The main aim of this strategy is to achieve growth both in sales and earnings, which it does more quickly than any internal strategies. An accurate example would be the recent merger of carmakers Chrysler and Mercedes Benz. An example of acquisition would be BMW's takeover of Rolls Royce. Joint venture is when two or more firms combine resources to accomplish a task that an individual firm could not have done alone, or to do a job more efficiently. Considered as a means to implement a strategy rather than a strategy, joint ventures offer a way for organizations to undertake projects and spread any risks as well as operate more efficiently. General Motor's collaboration with Toyota is an example of a joint venture. Usually adopted by companies, who follow a wait and watch attitude, these strategies nevertheless help an organization achieve a good foothold in the market. Reducing the scope of operations or activities to improve effectiveness and efficiency is retrenchment. Organizations adopting such a strategy generally believe that making the organization more effective and efficient will give it a better chance to return to a higher level of profitability. In some cases a firm may simply cut costs, reduce personnel, etc, but will decide to maintain all its current line of business, whereas, in extreme cases a firm may decide to get rid of certain product lines or services. Divestment is when a firm spins off or sells segments of its operations. The main reasons for such a situation to arise are: a firm may have acquired another firm that either interferes or does not contribute to its current organization mission, a segment may not be functioning satisfactorily enough to justify the resources invested in it, or the segment might be earning a profit but the management decides its resources are better utilized elsewhere. Stopping the decline in a firm's performance and bringing a return to successful performance involves turnaround. It combines a defensive strategy (retrenchment or divestment) with a growth strategy. The turnaround of Chrysler Corporation in early 1980's from a failing enterprise to a successful one is a good example. Usually a last resort strategy, it involves selling or disposing of the organization assets. The entire organization or only part of it may be sold. It occurs when turnaround was a failure or may not have been viable. Undertaken mainly to provide the stockholders a return on their investment, it is one of the most unpleasant strategies. The various offensive and defensive strategies are not separate, and are used in complement with one another. Most firms employ a variation or a mixture of the various strategies. The only important factor is deciding which strategy will better suit the conditions presently being faced by the firm.