Application of Turkey to EU

Application of Turkey to EU Introduction Since its creation, the European Union has been enlarged six times during which it has accommodated twenty one new members. Today there are three candidate states that await membership Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia[1]. The most significant of those is Turkey whose candidacy has created more controversy than any other. Since Turkeys first membership application in 1987, it has sparked numerous debates on whether it belongs in the European Union, back then the European Community. This paper argues that Turkey should not be granted membership in the bloc. Several aspects have been taken into account such as its geographical position, economic state, vast population and cultural incompatibility, that render Turkey unfit to join the union. Moreover, the public opinion in both the EU and Turkey is assessed as important factor that reflects the attitudes towards the admission. Background information As already mentioned, Turkey made its first effort to join the European Community in 1987, when its application was rejected because of its economical and political situation and poor relations with Greece due to the Cyprus conflict. In 1999, however, candidate status was granted and in 2001 The EU Council of Ministers adopted EU-Turkey Accession Partnership[2]. In 2002, the Copenhagen European Council resolved that if the European Council in December 2004, on the basis of a report from the Commission, decides that Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria, theEU would open accession negotiations with Turkey[3]. Consequently, in December 2004 the European Council decided to open official negotiations[4]. Geographical and demographical aspects Although official negotiations have started, Turkey is not a part of Europe, therefore should not be part of the European Union. Only some 3% of its territory is on the Old continent, the bulk of its territory is in Asia[5]. This trivial fact is often overlooked as not as important in the debate for Turkeys membership. However, as a regional organization the EU should have some borders, and if it plans to expand outside Europe it should at least change its name, maybe to a World Union or Eurasian Union. Also in the event of Turkeys admission, it might become a precedent that would inspire other countries outside Europe to demand membership as well. Another aspect of the territorial location of Turkey is that, if it is admitted, the EUs external neighbors will be states like Iran, Iraq and Syria, all of which are marked by internal crisis and/or have account of terrorist groups operating in theirs territories. This might have serious security implications for the bloc, as dangerous el ements might enter the union through its Turkish border. Even if the territorial aspect is ignored, Turkeys vast population cannot be overlooked so easily. With its close to seventy-six million people[6], if admitted, Turkey will be the second country in population after Germany. According to birth rate projections by 2020 it would surpass Germany in population[7]. The latter prediction means that Turkey would have most delegates in the European parliament resulting in the paradox that the most unrepresentative country for the union would have most seats in its parliament. Another major problem associated with Turkeys population is emigration. With many Western European countries having a substantial Turkish minorities already, the admission of Turkey would mean opening the floodgates to further immigration from a large and poor country[8]. This perspective poses several problems: first, the cheap labor that would flow from Turkey would undermine the employment of native Europeans; second, the problem of the integration of the Turkish minorities, present nowadays, will be invigorated further; and last but not least the previous two will further fuel the already present in many countries antagonism against the Turks[9]. Those are the most obvious problems that emigration from an EU Turkey will bring. However, since Turkey is nothing like the rest of the members in many aspects, there might be other, not so evident problems that might arise with the flow of Turks in the EU countries. Economical and political aspects The countrys economical state, even with its positive GDP growth rates[10] is still falling behind in comparison to most EU member states. In fact, according to Pevehouse and Goldstein, if admitted Turkey would be the poorest state in the organization, even if the newest members from East Europe are taken into consideration[11]. Moreover, Turkey has very high debt to income ratio, twice as high as any other member[12], which indicates that big part of the income of the population goes to paying debts, instead of on covering costs of living. In political aspect, the emerging tensions between secularists and the Islamic government might have implications for the EU. The Turkish government is currently investigating Ergenekon, which according to prosecutors has committed dozens of terrorist acts and ultimately sought to topple Turkeys Islamic-inspired government.[13] The secularists, however, have their own point of view on the matter. According to Aysel Celikel, former justice minister, Egrenekon has become a larger project in which the investigation is being used as a tool to sweep across civic society and cleanse Turkey of all secular opponents[14]. With the political situation growing more unstable, there is ground for the radicalization of both sides. This should be a warning sign for the European Union that Turkey may not have the political steadiness to join the bloc. Also Turkeys unsatisfactory policy towards its Kurdish minority and the conflict of Cyprus indicate that it is not suitable for membership in the uni on. Cultural aspect and public opinion Apart from the more tangible characteristics of Turkey and the European Union, the massive gap between their cultural identities is a significant reason why Turkey does not belong in the organization. According to a 2006 Eurobarometer a clear majority of about 60% support the view that Turkeys cultural differences with those of EU members are so large as to impede its membership[15]. The fact is, that what makes the EU what it is, beside its economical and political aspects, is the common European identity of its members. Turkey does not fit this profile. As member of the Prodis European Commission Franz Fischler put it: Turkey is a sui generis society, far more oriental than European[16]. Turkeys double standard in human rights reflects its different values. Turkey is a member of the Organization of the Islamic conference (OIC), which on the 5 of August adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDRHI)[17], a document based on the Shariah law. It can be seen as an equivalent to the UN Declaration on Human Rights (UNDHR). However, there are some significant inconsistencies between the UNDHR and the CDRHI, especially in rights of women, right to expression and education and freedom of religion[18]. The drafting of the CDHRI creates a double standard by implying that rights of Muslims are incompatible with the concept of human rights embodied in the UNDHR. The CDRHI implicitly promotes the division between Muslims and people of other religions. As a member of the OIC, Turkey does not belong to the European Union, that adheres to the UNDHR. The view that Turkey is not European is also supported by the overwhelming opposition to Turkeys admission. According to the results from the latest Eurobarometer conducted in spring 2008, in the EU 27 bloc only 31 per cents of the respondents agree, and 55 per cent disagree[19] with the integration of Turkey, making it the least supported country. Moreover, Turkey is the candidate with most steady opposition compared to other previous applicants, as evident from the results from four consecutive Eurobarometer surveys from 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002[20]. Resistance to Turkey varies around 47-48%, whereas the country that is second in opposition, Romania has a result around 42-43%[21]. The strong opposition against Turkeys membership is a clear sign that Europeans do not want it in the EU, and in the event of a referendum on the matter, the public opinion might be the only thing that would ultimately block Turkeys integration. What is even more interesting is that support for the membership in Turkey itself is dropping compared to previous years. A study of the German Marshall Fund indicates that the ratio of Turks who see membership in the EU as a good thing fell from 73 percent in 2004 to 54 percent in 2006 [22]. In 2008, the support is even lower below 50 per cent[23]. It turns out that Turk majority is also against the integration of Turkey. Conclusion In conclusion, Turkey should not be accepted in the European Union, because its values in regard to human rights are incompatible with those of the bloc. The cultural gap between Europe and Turkey is undeniable. Moreover, public opinion marks the strongest opposition against Turkey compared to other applicants. Turkeys territorial location vast population, its economic and political situation will bring more problems than benefits. www.ec.europa.eu/enlargement/candidate-countries/index_en.htm www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/eu-turkey-relations Ibid. Ibid. www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/turkey-europe-acknowledging-reality www.oecd.org, OECD statistical profile, Turkey www.oecd.org, OECD population projections 2009-2020, data for Turkey and Germany compared Joshua S. Goldstein and Jon C. Pevehouse, International Relations (New York: Longman, 2009), 238 See outcomes of Eurobarometers further in the text www.oecd.org, OECD statistical profile, Turkey Joshua S. Goldstein and Jon C. Pevehouse, International Relations (New York: Longman, 2009), 238 Ibid. Dan Bilefsky. Subversion trial haunts Turkey; Vast case defines division between secularists and Muslim-inspired party. The International Herald Tribune. 13 Nov 2009 Ibid Standard Eurobarometer 66. National Report: Executive Summary: Turkey. European Commission. Fall 2006, p. 4. Senem Aydin Duzgit. Seeking Kant in the EUs relations with Turkey. (Istanbul: TESEV Publications), 4. www.oci-oci.org Comparison between the UNDHR and CDHRI. Standard Eurobarometer 69. Values of Europeans, Questions QA44.8 QA 44.12. European Commission, November 2008. Lauren McLaren. Explaining opposition to Turkish membership of the EU. European Union Politics (Sage publications, 2007), 253. Ibid. http://www.transatlantictrends.org/trends/doc/2006_english_key.pdf http://www.transatlantictrends.org/trends/doc/2008_english_key.pdf

Six Sigma Question Paper

MGT 561 – Operations Management Exam B Student Name: ____________________________Date: _________ Operations and Productivity (each question is worth 1 point) 1) Manufacturing and service organizations differ chiefly because manufacturing is goods-oriented and service is act-oriented. TrueFalse 2) Operations, marketing, and finance need to function independently of each other in most organizations if they are to be truly effective as an organization. TrueFalse 3) â€Å"How much inventory of this item should we have? † is within the critical decision area of quality management? TrueFalse 4) Customer interaction is often high for manufacturing processes, but low for services. TrueFalse 5) Productivity is the total value of outputs produced divided by the total value of all inputs to the transformation process. TrueFalse The operations function includes which of the following activities. a) forecasting b) capacity planning c) scheduling d) managing inventories e) all of the above Manufacturing-related jobs are decreasing in America for which of the following reasons. a) global competition b) technology advances ) because manufacturing workers in California earn $25K/yr less than service workers d) a and b e) b and c Which of the following is not a typical service attribute? a) easy to store b) intangible product c) customer interaction is high d) simultaneous production and consumption e) difficult to resell Operations Strategy in a Global Environment (each question is worth 1 point) One reason to globalize is to learn to improve operations. TrueFalse 10) Dec isions that involve what is to be made and what is to be purchased fall under the heading of supply chain management. TrueFalse The use of a SWOT analysis is only applicable to manufacturing organizations? TrueFalse The product life cycle phases include introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. TrueFalse Which of the following is true about business strategies? a) an organization should maintain its strategy for the life of the business b) all firms within an industry will adopt the same strategy c) well defined missions make strategy development much easier d) strategies are formulated independently of SWOT analysis e) organizational strategies depend on operations strategies The ability of an organization to produce services that, by utilizing the consumer’s five senses, have some uniqueness in their characteristics is a) mass production b) time-based competition c) differentiation d) flexible response e) experience differentiation Which of the following is the best example of competing on low-cost leadership? a) a firm produces its product with less raw material waste than its competitors b) a firm offers more reliable products than its competitors c) a firm’s products are introduced into the market faster than its competitors d) a firm advertises less than its competitors Which of these is not one of the characteristics of high return on investment organizations? a) high product quality b) high capacity utilization c) low investment intensity d) low direct cost per unit e) global location Design of Goods and Services (each question is worth 1 point) Studies confirm that firms considered to be industry leaders typically generate 15-20 percent of their overall sales from new products released over the last 5 years. True False 18) QFD stands for quality for development. True False Value analysis focuses on design improvement during production. True False 20) The analysis tool that helps determine what products to develop, and by what strategy, by listing products in descending order of their individual dollar contribution to the firm is a) decision tree analysis b) pareto analysis c) breakeven analysis d) product-by-value analysis e) product life cycle analysis 21) Quality function deployment a) determines what will satisfy the customer b) translates customer desires into the target design c) is used early in the design process d) is used to determine where to deploy quality efforts e) all of the above 2) Which of the following is true concerning CAD? a) accurate information flows to other departments b) most product costs are determined at the design stage c) design options are easier to review before final commitments are made d) virtually all products have their development cycle shortened e) all of the above are true The dimensions, tolerances, materials, and finishes of a component are typically shown on a (an) a) eng ineering drawing b) bill of material c) statement of work d) work order e) none of the above Managing Quality (each question is worth 1 point) 4) An international quality standard developed to establish commonly accepted procedures to manage product quality is ISO 9000. True False 25) Statistical process control, one of the tools of total quality management, uses statistics and control charts to evaluate processes. True False 26) The concept of selecting best practices to use as a standard for performance is referred to as a quality circle. True False 27) Generally speaking, the cost of quality represents the cost of doing things wrong, that is, the price of nonconformance. True False 8) Which of the following is not one of the major categories of costs associated with quality? a) prevention costs b) appraisal costs c) internal failures d) external failures e) none of the above, they are all major categories of costs 29) A successful total quality management (TQM) program incorporat es all of the following except: a) continuous improvement b) employee involvement c) benchmarking d) centralized decision-making authority e) none of the above 30) The â€Å"four M’s† of cause-and-effect diagrams are a) material/machinery/manpower/methods b) material/methods/men/mental attitude ) material/management/manpower/motivation d) none of the above Supply Chain Management (each question is worth 1 point) 31) The objective of the make-or-buy decision is to help identify the products and services that should be purchased externally or made internally. TrueFalse Because service firms do not acquire goods and services externally, their supply chain management issues are insignificant. TrueFalse Blanket orders are a long-term purchase commitment to a supplier for items that are to be delivered against short-term releases to ship. TrueFalse 34) One of the keys to effective supply chain management includes developing â€Å"long-term partnerships† with key suppliers. TrueFalse 35) Standardization is the process of increasing the number of variations in materials and components to assist in supply chain’s efforts to enlarge their supplier base. TrueFalse In supply chain management, ethical issues a) are particularly important because of the enormous opportunities for abuse b) may be guided by company rules and codes of conduct ) become more complex with the increasing trend toward global suppliers d) may be guided by the standards of the Institute for Supply Management e) all of the above are true An approach that seeks efficiency of operations through the integration of all material acquisitions, movement, and storage activities is a) integration b) logistics management c) line balancing d) product design e) none of the above Inventory Management (each question is worth 1 point) 38) One function of inventory is take advantage of quantity discounts TrueFalse 9) ABC analysis is based on the presumption that carefully controlling all items is necessary to produce important inventory savings. TrueFalse 40) In cycle counting, the frequency of item counting and stock verification usually varies from item to item depending upon the item’s ABC classification. TrueFalse 41) Insurance and taxes on inventory are part of the costs known as setup or ordering costs. TrueFalse 42) Most inventory models attempt to minimize a) total inventory based costs b) the number of orders placed c) the safety stock ) the likelihood of a stockout e) the number of items ordered 43) The major purpose of safety stock is to a) replace failed units with good ones b) eliminate the possibility of a stockout c) eliminate the likelihood of a stockout due to erroneous inventory tally d) control the likelihood of a stockout due to the variability of demand during lead time e) protect the firm from a sudden d ecrease in demand 44) The following are inventory models for independent demand a) basic economic order quantity (EOQ) b) production order quantity c) quantity discount model ) a and b only e) a, b, and c JIT and Lean Production Systems (each question is worth 1 point) 45) In a JIT system, product inspection adds value by identifying defective items. True False 46) Because most services cannot be inventoried, there is little place for JIT to help service organizations achieve competitive advantage. True False Kanban is the Japanese word for card that has come to mean â€Å"signal† in JIT terminology. TrueFalse Setup time reductions are not a key aspect of an effective lean production system. True False 9) If the goals of JIT partnerships are met, which of the following is a result? a) for incoming goods, receiving activity and inspection are outsourced b) in-transit inventory falls as suppliers are located closer to facilities c) the number of suppliers increases d) in-plant inventory replaces in-transit inventory e) all of the above are consequences of meeting the JIT partnership goals 50) Which of the following is not a layout tactic in a JIT environment? a) work cells for families of products b) fixed equipment c) minimizing distance d) little space for inventory e) poka-yoke devices

The Past, Present and Future of the Webcam

The past, Present And Future Of The Webcam If only everyone was able to experience life the way we get to now. Sometimes I just wish that back then people were able to see and speak to a spouse away at war in a matter of seconds, or be able to see your parents while away at collage any time you want. Just being able to attend a work meeting in the comfort of your own home, People reuniting with their families it’s just wonderful. We are now able to do this today thanks to the Web camera. This technology spread like wildfire as soon as it was created, and is currently used by millions of people daily.This part of technology has a bright future. If only sooner, in 1993 the webcam was invented, the Cambridge University researchers asked themselves â€Å"how will we be able to see the coffee pot from our desks, to be able to see if it was empty or not, so that we won’t have to make and unnecessary trip to the Trojan room before the coffee was ready†. Their experiment furthered by them updating the images of the digital camera in the Trojan Room to the Internet. And it turns out that they created the world's first webcam in the process. In 2000 the web cam became widespread.It slowly started to make it into the homes of everyone around the world, and built into almost every cell phone. Today the webcam is truly a success. From celebrities to average Joe’s, hell! Even the president president uses the web cam. I feel like this piece of technology has truly helped so many people in life, emotionally and physically. Now you can even have a web cam conversation with up to 10 people, use it for video security, and even monitor your child from another room. My dad thought this was amazing; the first thing he said was â€Å"this is great!Now I can check on grandma. † I know for a fact that my dad and so many other people are so grateful for this webcam stage in technology. The future for the webcam looks exceedingly bright. Scientist says â€Å"future of webcam technology will include the hologram webcams†. This means that it will almost be as if the person on the other side of the computer is right there with you. Some say that soon most interviews will be even be held through the webcam. I, for one know that I’m excited about the future of the webcam. And I’m sure that there are millions of people are just as excited.We’ll wait and see what the future holds. We probably won’t realize how good the webcam has been to us until it’s gone. The past and the present of the webcam is truly a blessing, and the future will hopefully be one too. Like Albert Einstein said â€Å"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity† and this continues to be true to this day. Reading Reference * http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/topics/topic_technology. html * http://www. roulettechatsites. com/2011/12/holographic-webcam. html * http://www. ehow. com/in fo_8626014_history-webcam. html

Global Warming Essay - 866 Words

â€Å"Global warming is an increase in the earths temperature due to fossil fuels, industry, and agricultural processes caused by human, natural, and other gas emissions† (EPA). Our world has gone through several stages in its lifetime. It takes time to deal and cope with changes, just like anything else. Over the years, the earth has been gradually getting warmer due to pollution. Humans, however, were slow to take the necessary actions to prevent it from getting any worse. Due to the ignorance of people we are on the edge of a very dramatic change, Global Warming. If we continue to go on with our lives, ignorant to the consequences of our actions, we will face drastic and devastating loss. Human activities add to the levels of these†¦show more content†¦Many families, as well as the general population all over the world will be forced out of their homes and will not have much to turn to. â€Å"Iceland is losing its ice, and its not alone. Greenlands 10,000-year-old ice sheet is retreating at a rate that has astonished scientists who study it. Arctic Ocean sea ice has shrunk by 6 percent since 1978, while the average thickness has declined by 40 percent in recent decades, threatening polar bears, seals and the Inuit people who hunt them (Woodard).† Those areas will no longer be suitable to live in. Other places may have droughts, floods, or abnormally altered weather patterns. There will not be enough land that is suitable. It will be extremely over-overcrowded, and there simply wouldn’t be enough room for everybody. The most obvious thing that’ll be hard to deal with is the violent level of heat that humans would be forced to live in. At this point, air conditioning would only be available to the very rich, snow is probably already forgotten, and the idea of â€Å"going out on a nice summer day† would obviously be displeasing. 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