Examine the techniques Iago employs to achieve his aims in the play Othello Free Essays

In traditional Shakespearean tragedies the protagonist is destroyed through their own fatal flaw. The play Othello is different because there is a villain which is unusual for a Shakespearean tragedy. In the play Macbeth, the tragic events occur because of Macbeths own fatal flaw of ambition. We will write a custom essay sample on Examine the techniques Iago employs to achieve his aims in the play Othello or any similar topic only for you Order Now However in the play Othello; Iago, one of the main characters manipulates Othello’s fatal flaw of jealously which leads to the tragic ending of the play. He says how he is using Othello by â€Å"following him I follow but myself†; he is pretending to be loyal to Othello but is really doing it for his own benefit. Iago plans revenge on Othello when he gives Cassio the job of lieutenant instead of to him; he describes himself as â€Å"worth no worse a place† and is showing that he thinks highly of himself. Even after he manages to get Cassio dismissed and replaces him as lieutenant, he still continues to carry out his plan of destruction. This reveals that the reason of Iagos plans are merely just for fun. Iago deceives everyone even Roderigo who supports him, not knowing everything about Iago’s plans, he even questions why he â€Å"ever made a fool my purse† which shows he is only using Roderigo for his own benefit. No-one in the play seems to know what Iago is really like. He manipulates everyone in the play to gain their trust although he only uses them. Cassio praises Iago by saying that he had sung â€Å"an excellent song†, this is because he doesn’t know that it was actually because of Iago that he was dismissed from the job of lieutenant. Iago is seen as a manipulative and evil character, he betrays Othello by telling Brabantio that Desdemona is married to Othello; â€Å"you’re robbed†¦ an old black ram is tupping your white ewe†, he uses crude, sexual imagery to make their marriage seem worse than it is to make Brabantio angry because his daughter got married without his consent. He constantly makes racist comments about Othello; by referring to him as â€Å"thick-lips† and tries to make him seem like a bad character, because in Shakespearean times it was seen as wrong for a white woman to marry a black man. Iago tries to convince himself that Othello has had an affair with is wife; â€Å"I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets He’s done my office. † Iago is jealous even though he is not completely sure that Othello has had an affair with his wife. He treats Emilia badly he tells her to â€Å"be not acknown on’t† he makes her do what he wants and tell her to pretend she does not know anything about Desdemona’s handkerchief. He also makes general bad comments about women; â€Å"she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue† he is saying that Emilia talks too much, something which she shouldn’t do. Iago has a general dislike for women and stabs Emilia when she realises what he has done he also causes Othello to hit Desdemona in public and makes him call her a â€Å"whore† to her face. To make Othello jealous he makes out that Desdemona is having an affair but he only hints, â€Å"Lie – † this makes Othello jump to conclusions and finish off the sentences himself; â€Å"Lie with her? Lie on her? † Iago does not try to correct him â€Å"With her, on her, what you will† he just agrees with what Othello is saying. Sometimes when talking to Othello he says something and immediately takes it back to get Othello curious. Othello gave Desdemona a handkerchief which had been passed through his family, Iago tells Emilia to steal it for him and plants it in Cassio’s bedchamber. He tries to wind up Othello by discretely reminding Othello that Desdemona did not have the handkerchief anymore: â€Å"But if I give my wife a handkerchief†, he is tormenting him with the thought that Desdemona is not acting truly loyal to Othello, like Emilia would to Iago. Shakespeare uses asides and soliloquies throughout the play as a dramatic technique. While talking to Othello, Iago says â€Å"O, you are well turned now! But I’ll set down the pegs that make this music, As honest as I am† it reminds us of Iago’s evil nature, and shows how he is planning Othello’s destruction. Soliloquies are similar to asides in what they do in the play. They remind us of what Iago is planning and also show us what he thinks about what he has achieved so far. How to cite Examine the techniques Iago employs to achieve his aims in the play Othello, Papers

Woolworths Strategic Management Multinational Companies

Question: Discuss about the Woolworths Strategic Management for Multinational Companies. Answer: Introduction Investing in foreign countries is one of the most successful strategies utilized by multinational companies in the expansion of their market and growth. It helps a company to enjoy a large pool of skilled and talented workforce from the host country. Also, the company may benefit from low-cost operations and availability of raw materials at a cheaper cost. Many factors influence the entity to invest or move some of its business operations offshore. These factors may be internal or external (Sirmon et al. 2011, p. 1392). Internal environment includes factors such as business structure, organizational culture, the level of technology used in production, employees as well as products and services of the business organization. On the flipside, the external environment involves political, legal, demographic factors that affect business operations. As such, this paper will provide a detailed strategic management analysis of Woolworths Limited and how it has influenced its decision to move its business operations offshore. Woolworth Business strategies Woolworths Limited Company is a major Australian business organization with a great retail interest in Australia. It is rated as the second-largest business enterprise in Australia based on revenue generation. The company specializes in the provision of groceries, home supplies, liquor, petroleum products, insurance services, real estate investments, electronics as well as seasonal goods. The company runs a chain of supermarkets and food stores in Australia. To manage the retail stores effectively, the company pushes its goods and services to the consumers. However, the business enterprise is trying to get a competitive advantage in the market by cutting the operational costs and selling a variety of products in different volumes. The key source of its products is fresh produce from suppliers. As such, the Woolworths management has put in place mechanisms of empowering suppliers and established inventory management (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2012, p. 1). To ensure that the business ha s a constant supply to all its supermarkets and chain stores, which are spread throughout the country, Woolworths have developed strategically positioned distribution centers that facilitate easier and efficient delivery of products to the stores. The company has contracted logistic companies that transport its products to various stores. The current business strategy of Woolworth is based on product differentiation. This strategy helps the company to focus on diversification of its products and also venturing into different markets. It has made the company to concentrate on developing highly differentiated marking program and product line so as to become the leading company in this competitive industry. By using the Fresh Food People as its vision statement, the firm has been successful with its outstanding product differentiation technique. Through orienting the business operations around the fundamental value of food products being fresh, Woolworths has attracted a significantly large percentage of consumers in the market and thus, getting the lions share of the market (Collins, Roper Lawrence 2010, p. 479, p. 18). Woolworths operations in New Zealand Apart from Australia, which is the parent country, the company has also moved its business operation in New Zealand. Most of the Woolworths stores in New Zealand are rebranded and operate under the business name referred to as Countdown. However, the operations of these stores in Australia fall under Woolworths management. The company made this major decision of investing abroad as a mechanism of enjoying the benefits of foreign direct investment, which allows it to explore offshore markets by utilizing the resources and infrastructure of the host country. Foreign direct investment has various benefits to both the investors as well as the host country (Sornarajah 2010). The host country benefits from direct investment through taxation and job creation. Being the second largest chain company in New Zeeland, Woolworth has created employment opportunities for citizens and residents of New Zealand. There are more than 100 full-service supermarkets of Woolworths Company in Australia opera ting under the brand name Countdown (Sornarajah 2010). Also, 20 supermarkets operating in Hamilton, Auckland as well as Tuiaranga under the Foodtown brand name were rebranded to Countdown in 2012, and they form part of Woolworths stores established in New Zealand. The stores provide employment opportunities such as shop attendants, suppliers, distributors and managerial positions to the citizens of the host country. Also, the taxation policies of New Zealand require these countries to file their tax returns each year and as such, the government of the host country gets revenue from these stores through taxation. On the other hand, Woolworth companies have gained many benefits from its direct investment in New Zealand. The large population of this country serves as a market for the companys fresh products, and other non-food products. The business enterprise has increased its market share by investing in this country. Besides, Woolworth has benefitted from the vast agricultural resources of New Zealand (Kumar, Jones, Venkatesan Leone 2011, p. 21). The fresh vegetable products and meat from farmers serve as sources of products for Woolworths Company. The enterprise depends on the agricultural supply from farmers for its chain stores in New Zealand and Australia. The favorable climate of New Zeeland has helped the company to have a continuous supply of fresh products for its store in both New Zealand and Australia. Moreover, the company enjoys a large pool of workforce from the host country. New Zealand has highly qualified, skilled and talented young professionals who serve in managerial positions for various Woolworths supermarkets in both Australia and New Zealand (Collins, Roper Lawrence 2010). The company can also get non-skilled or semi-skilled labor force at a low cost and hence, reducing its operational costs. Internal issues Internal factors played a crucial role in influencing the Woolworths Company to opt for foreign direct investment in New Zealand. One of such internal factors is the business structure of the Woolworth. The companys structure is based on chain stores that operate as franchise. As such, venturing into offshore tends to be cost effective. The entire supply chain of Woolworth is aligned to its business structure. Also, the companys business structure is based on the efficient consumer response as the key driving force of its operations. Therefore, the companys structure has helped Woolworth to get a competitive advantage by opening more chain stores and supermarkets in New Zealand. Another internal factor that has influenced the company to invest in offshore is the market. The firm offers diversified products to its consumers. Fresh products such as groceries have high demand in New Zealand. Also, the electronic industry of this country is characterized with low competition. Since the company provides high-quality electronics, it offers stiff offers competition to other companies offering the similar products in the host country and thus, expanding its market share (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2012). The company has heavily invested in market research such helps it to understand the trends in tastes and preferences of customers in the Australian market and thereby, developing products that suits the demands of its customers in the offshore markets. Moreover, the management strategy of the Woolworths has played a significant role in its foreign direct investment strategy. The company has a management team of qualified, talent and ambitious staffs. The management offers the company with most efficient strategies and business plans that have helped it to expand its operations abroad. The management utilizes transformative leadership style which provides the opportunity for the management to develop a class of future leaders. Also, the presence of effective management has helped the company to reduce its cost of production by ensuring that the Workers are very productive and make optimum utilization of available resources with the objective of maximizing profits as pointed out by Kum ar (2014, p. 244). Labor is another factor that has motivated the company to take part in foreign investment in New Zeeland. In the modern business environment, which is characterized by technological changes and stiff competition in the market, the company requires having employee with diverse skills and exceptional talents (Reuter et al. 2010, p. 46). Employees play a crucial role in the success of any business organization. The presence of creative and innovative workers helps the company to discover various new ways of business operations and new products that give it a competitive advantage in the market (McWilliams Siegel 2010). Also, hardworking and skilled workers are more productive and deliver quality and great output which contributes to the success of the business. The access of skilled and competitive workers at a low cost in New Zealand has helped Woolworth company to reduce its operation costs in the host country. A comparison of the economy of Australia and that of New Zealand shows th at Australian economy majorly depends on minerals while that of New Zealand is based on agriculture. Therefore, the company can access to cheaper fresh agricultural products from host country than in the parent country due to the favorable climatic conditions in New Zealand. The availability of low-cost products and labor in New Zealand helps the company to maximum profit as a result of low operation costs (Kumar 2014, p. 249). External issues External factors have also contributed foreign investment move in New Zealand by this company. Such factors involve social, political, economic and demographic factors which make up the external environment in which Woolworths Company operates. Under political viewpoint, New Zealand is peaceful and politically stable country and thus, it has attracted the many multinational companies including Woolworths. The stability of this nation provides a favorable working environment for this company. Keller (2010) notes that the company is likely to encounter low level of risks that arises of unstable governments Also, the New Zealand government provides favorable business regulatory policies that are favorable for investors. The bureaucracies involved in the registration of foreign business enterprise are very few. Besides, the taxation policies for foreign investors are very flexible and favorable thus attracting more multinational companies in New Zealand (Hill, Jones Schilling 2014). The economic environment includes factors such as inflation, market structure and level of completion. New Zeeland has a stable current which is not adversely affected by the global economic crisis. As such, Woolworths is not likely to incur heavy losses which arise from high levels of inflation. Since Woolworths has diversified products, it is less likely to face stiff competition in the foreign market. Provision of a variety of high-quality products in the market has given the Woolworths Company a competitive advantage and thus becoming one of the leading companies in New Zealand. The demographic structure of New Zeeland plays a crucial role to the expansion of Woolworths Company in New Zealand market Sirmon et al. 2011). The country is characterized by a high population that consists of high, middle and low-class income earners. The large New Zealand population offers a ready market for the variety of products offered by this company. Besides, Woolworths Company offers that are de signed to suit both high-end and low-end segments of the market and thus, all citizens in this country can afford to purchase and consumer Woolworths products irrespective of their economic status (Freeman 2010). Effects of Offshore Activities on Stakeholders The key stakeholders of Woolworths Company include employees, shareholders, and suppliers. The employees of Woolworths Company enjoy benefits that result from the companys offshore activities. The company is experiencing a significant expansion which will guarantee job security for its employees. The likelihood of the company sacking some workers is very low since it requires a large workforce as it expands its operations. Also, the workers are likely to get salary increment as the company expands. Any company pays its employees depending on its revenue returns. Therefore, Woolworths Company will continue to offer a good pay to its employees as long as it continues to make good profits. Similarly, shareholders of this company will be one of the beneficiaries of offshore activities. High-profit returns from the companys activities will result in high dividend rates among the shareholders (Swayne Duncan, Ginter 2012). Also, their shares will gain value due to the companys high revenue (Frank Freeman 2014). On the other hand, customers both in the parent country and the offshore country will benefit from by purchasing products at relatively low cost. Foreign invest will help the company to expand and thus benefiting from the economies of scale. Therefore, it will sell its products at a lower price than its competitors in the market. Similarly, the suppliers in both the parent and host countries are likely to benefit from the companys business strategic as a result of increased demand for products. The suppliers will sell more units of their products to the company and thereby increase their income. In a nutshell, offshore activities will economic benefits to all stakeholders of Woolworths Limited Company (Reuter et al. 2010, p. 51). The future of job opportunities in Australia Since Australia is the parent country of Woolworths, the company will still continue to create more job opportunities in this country despite expanding its operations in abroad countries. The headquarters of the company which is based in Vista, New South Wales, will still attract more employment opportunities at various job levels (Cederberg, Henriksson, Ledgard 2011, p. 421). The expansion of the company means that the company will expand its management team by recruiting more managers. Also, the home brands of Woolworths Company such as Big W, Maters Home Improvement, and ALH Groups are popularly in the Australian market and therefore, the company will have to recruit more workers who will continue to provide quality its customers in all states of Australia. Conclusion Woolworths Limited Company is an Australian business firm whose operations are based on diversified products. It offers products ranging from fresh foods, electronics, liquor, insurance services, and real estate investment to petroleum products. The companys strategy of product diversification has given it a competitive advantage to become the largest company in both Australia and New Zealand. The companys decision of moving some of its operations in Australian has played a crucial role to its success and thus, benefiting all its stakeholders. References Cederberg, C, Henriksson, M, Ledgard, S, 2011, How does co-product handling affect the carbon footprint of milk? Case study of milk production in New Zealand and Sweden, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 16(5), pp.420-430. Collins, E, Roper, J Lawrence, S, 2010, Sustainability practices: trends in New Zealand businesses. Business Strategy and the Environment, 19(8), pp.479 Frank, R, Freeman, R, 2014, Distributional consequences of direct foreign investment. Academic Press. Freeman, R, 2010, Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Cambridge University Press. Hill, C, Jones, G, Schilling, M, 2014, Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Hitt, M, Ireland, R, Hoskisson, R, 2012, Strategic management cases: competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning. Keller, W, 2010, International trade, foreign direct investment, and technology spillovers. Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, 2, pp.793-829. Klapper, L, and Love, I, 2010, The impact of business environment reforms on new firm registration. World Bank policy research working paper, (5493). Kumar, N, 2014, Internationalization of Indian enterprises: patterns, strategies, ownership advantages, and implications. Asian Economic Policy Review, 3(2), pp.242-261. Kumar, V, Jones, E, Venkatesan, R, Leone, R, 2011, Is market orientation a source of sustainable competitive advantage or simply the cost of competing?. Journal of marketing, 75(1), pp.16-30. McWilliams, A, Siegel, D, 2010, Creating and capturing value: Strategic corporate social responsibility, resource-based theory, and sustainable competitive advantage. Journal of Management, p.0149206310385696. Reuter, C, Foerstl, K, Hartmann, E, and Blome, C, 2010, Sustainable global supplier management: the role of dynamic capabilities in achieving competitive advantage. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(2), pp.45-63. Sirmon, D, Hitt, M, Ireland, R, and Gilbert, B, 2011, Resource orchestration to create competitive advantage breadth, depth, and life cycle effects. Journal of Management, 37(5), pp.1390-1412. Sornarajah, M, 2010, The international law on foreign investment. Cambridge University Press. Swayne, L, Duncan, W, Ginter, P, 2012, Strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley Sons.

The Life of a Spectator free essay sample

The Life of a Spectator I grew. I grew up out of the dust and into the sunlight, the air, the land. I sprouted leaves and buds; my roots grew deep. I knew the names of the flowers beside me, and could identify the calls of the birds. I was transplanted one day. I was torn out of my soil, to a place far across the garden; an unknown territory. Not all of my roots came with me: when I was ripped from the ground, many of them broke off and remained there. It rained and rained and rained on my new plot of soil; my leaves became sodden and my blossoms faded. I longed for my old home, and my torn roots bled into the ground. But one day, the sun shone. My leaves drank in the warmth, and my blossoms turned their faces to the sun. My healed roots stretched out and enjoyed the feeling of the rich soil. We will write a custom essay sample on The Life of a Spectator or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many other flowers began to grow around me; their delicate fragrances filled the air. I began to thrive. There were still rainy days, and days of sleet and snow and wind, but I was no longer alone. The sun filled my days with light—even if hidden behind clouds—and the moon shone down on me at night. Life was not perfect, but it was pleasant. My days had a rhythm to them that sounded like poetry. I was content to count the dewdrops on the grass and cared not of the things elsewhere.

FINAL PROJECT Essays - Educational Psychology, Educators, Teaching

FINAL PROJECT Essays - Educational Psychology, Educators, Teaching FINAL PROJECT Crystal Burgess July 29, 2011 HRDV 5610 Describe the problem I currently work for a child development center in Knoxville, Tennessee. The center serves ages six weeks to five years. The center is a three-star program (Star Quality) and licensed by the State of Tennessee. The preschool follows the Creative Curriculum and also provides enrichment classes such as music, dance and gymnastics. Star-Quality recognizes child care providers who meet a higher standard of quality. Once qualified for this program, a provider can receive one, two, or three stars to place on its license and display in its center or home. Each star shows that the provider meets increasingly higher standards. In other words, the more stars a program has, the better the quality of care it offers to children. One factor is the Program Assessment. Highly trained assessors go to the child care facility and observe it. During the observation, one or more Assessors will look at the centers indoor and outdoor spaces, activities, materials and the interactions among children and between children and adults. They will observe these things for each classroom being assessed. Assessors will keep a low profile and try to remain unnoticeable while in the classroom. They do this so the adults and children can interact naturally. Before the Star evaluation, during, and awaiting the results can be very stressful. Starting the job, you are placed in a class to train under a seasoned teacher. This teacher trains the new employee and demonstrates why the center is a three-star center and uses shows the employee how to correct serve the students at the optimal level of child care. Many of the teachers, however, use shortcuts to the proper technique and cause the new employees to be uncertain of what is the best standard based on the Star Quality. The problem I will be exploring in this paper is how to proper train new employees on the excellent care for the center at the three-star level. Analyze needs To determine the strengths and weaknesses of the new employee, a task analysis would have to be conducted. The new teachers must have specific levels of knowledge, skill, and ability to demonstrate during the STARS evaluations. An observation of the employee's teaching could help identify the areas of need. The observation would be a mock trial of STARS evaluation. The assessor would look to be sure each teacher masters the objectives set. A person analysis would also need to ensure the employees and potential employees have the readiness for training. It would be used to determine if they have the personal characteristics (ability, attitudes, beliefs, and motivation) required to learn the complex STARS program content and apply it on the job and to ensure that the classroom will facilitate learning and safety. In addition to the task and person analysis, an organizational analysis should be given. Because the child care facility strives for three-stars, we need to identify whether the training in place supports the company's strategic direction and follows the STAR program requirement. We also need to determine whether the managers and employees support training activities and what training resources are available. The director of the center must develop and present training aligned with the mission, vision and goals of the STARS program. This is crucial for the ultimate success of the training as the managers are directed to make it a priority to support and incorporate the training results into their areas of the child development center. Human Resources must have a through understanding of the type of training and identify who needs it before task analysis can begin. Current knowledge and skill levels must be determined first. This also an important step to determine job description requirements for future staffing needs. Learning Objectives/Training Method The main learning objective is to successfully train new employees about the protection of health and safety. Another objective is to build relationships with children, parents, extended family, and community and to provide students opportunities for stimulation and learning from experience. If all objectives are mastered, the child care center will be about to reach the maximum level of stars. To train the new employees, I would first inform the training teachers how important proper training would be for the new employees as well as the for the center's accreditation. The training teachers should demonstrate all learning objectives. Each trainer might have a different way of doing things. Their practices can be seen in the kinds of activities children do, in the way that children and adults talk to each other, in the kinds

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 55

Assignment Example The packaging is commendable as it keeps the drinks fresh, hygienic and portable. The corporation operates as a franchise. Above all, it has some of the most qualified employees to ensure high levels expertise in the respective fields. The return policy for this corporation is clear and reasonable in all its member country. 97% of its waste products get recycled helping in environmental preservation (Gaughan, 495). The corporation has a high annual turnover of up to $35 billion per year. This shows the level of profitability of this corporation. The pricing strategies differ depending on the clientele in its member countries. For example, premium pricing could be used in countries known to be economically stable since the consumers would not feel the burden as such.. This pricing strategy could also be used in an introduction of a new brand into the market. In other countries, penetration pricing could be used so as to enable the product penetrate through the market. Therefore, the corporation employs different pricing systems depending on the nature of the clientele bearing in mind that, as a franchise, it has to operate under the laws of its member countries. The corporation has favorable credit terms that are commendable by many dealers. The prices of its products are on the packages. This helps in ensuring price control so that retailers do not take due advantage to sell the product beyond the required prices (Gaughan, 495). In most of its member countries, the corporation enjoys quite a wide range of publicity. The corporation has managed to employ a distinctive marketing strategy that outdoes those of the existing companies in the member countries. The corporation engages itself in philanthropic activities in such a manner that it makes itself known to the inhabitants of its member countries. It also sponsors some activities, for example, the London 2012 Olympics. The corporation sometimes

Moonshine and it's effect on the U.S. economy Term Paper

Moonshine and it's effect on the U.S. economy - Term Paper Example However, this prompted the rise of illegitimate businesses that came in the form of moonshiners, and organized crime. The crime came in the form of criminals willing to transport and distribute alcohol for capital. It was known as moonshining since the brewing of alcohol was done in the night. This paper will review the effect moonshining had on the U.S. economy, and the decline of the business after the repealing of the laws of prohibition. The disruption of normal activities in the local breweries and taverns made it exceedingly difficult for the residents to make a living (Miller 35). The sale of alcoholic beverages that had a percentage of more than 2.5% was illegal. This meant that all the activities being carried out were illegal. This was as the amendment dictated. What this disruption in business created was an economic, and social problem that affected the economy, and people of the nation respectively. In the economy, there was the disruption of the tax revenue. This was the tax revenue that was to be collected through legitimate sales of alcohol and other alcoholic beverages. This caused the economy to fall since the number of companies conducting business went down. This loss meant that the government had to look for alternative sources of revenue, other than that brought in from the brewing companies. This move presented a problem since other local traders suffered the brunt of this law (Caraway 35). The tax increment placed on their goods and services made it hard for them to stay in business for long, and still make profits. The rise in illegitimate business transactions made it hard for tax to be collected as it should. Organized crime came into existence since there needed to be importation and distribution of illegal alcohol. The law of prohibition prevented the sale of alcohol. However, it did not prevent the prevailing rate of illegitimate businesses that would follow

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Genetically Modified Organisms Biology Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Genetically Modified Organisms Biology Essay The benefits and risks of any particular genetically modified crop depend on the interactions of its ecological functions and natural history with the agro-ecosystem and ecosystems within which it is embedded. These evolutionary and ecological factors must be considered when assessing genetically modified crops. We argue that the assessment of genetically modified crops should be broadened to include alternative agricultural practices, ecosystem management and agricultural policy. Such an assessment ecological services that support it. The benefits of genetically modified crops should be compared to those of other means of agricultural intensification such as organic farming, integrated pest management and agricultural policy reform. A gradual and cautions approach to the use of genetically modified crops that relies on a truly comprehensive risk assessment could allow people to reap substantial benefits from genetically modified crops while mitigating their serious risks. INTRODUCTION Genetically modified organisms ( GMOs ) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Genetically Modified Organisms can be produced by gene cloning methods in which a non-native gene is introduced and expressed in a new organism. Generally the new protein has also been somewhat modified or engineered for proper expression in the new host. In particular, differences between microorganisms and eukaryotic cell must be overcome, such as the presence or absence of introns, occurance of DNA methylation and certain post-translational modifications to the protein itself for proper transport within or between cells. The advent of PCR and gene sequencing methods have opened up the door to all sorts of manipulative techniques for changing the structure of protein through genetic alterations. The introduction of bacterial genes into cash crops, to enhance their growth, nutritional value or resistance to pests, is becoming rather common place in plant technology. One example that has made frequent headlines is the introduction of bacterial genes for natural pesticides into plants in order to eliminate the need for chemical pesticide use. The drawback to this technology is public concern over the consequences of ingesting these natural pesticides. Problems such as these might be alleviated by site-specific expression of the gene or control of expression throughout the lifecycle. For example, it might cause less concern if expression of a pesticide gene in the leaves of young plants could be used to prevent foliage from being destroyed early on without expression in the fruit later in the lifespan. Advantages of Genetically Modified Organisms The world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come. Genetically modified foods promise to meet this need in a number of ways: Pest resistance Crop losses from insect pests can be staggering, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. Farmer typically use many tons of chemical pesticides annually. Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of potential health hazards and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment. Growing genetically modified foods such as B.t. corn can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market. Herbicide tolerance For some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by physical means such as tilling so farmers will often spray large quantities of different herbicides (weedkiller) to destroy weeds, a time-consuming and expensive process, that requires care so that the herbicide doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environment damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed. For example, Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup. A farmer grows these soybean which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off. Disease resistance There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases. Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-engineered resistance to these diseases. Cold tolerance Unexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings. An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings. Drought tolerance/salinity tolerance As the world population grows and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow crops in location previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can withstand long period of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places. Nutrition Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished people rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet. However, rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated. For example, blindness due to Vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in third world countries. Pharmaceuticals Medicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes require special storage conditions not readily available in third world countries. Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines. Phytoremediation Not all genetically modified plants are grown as crops. Soil and groundwater pollution continues to be a problem in all parts of the world. Plants such as poplar tress have been genetically engineered to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil. Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Organisms The pros and cons for using genetically modified organisms ( GMOs ) are vast and varied but there is little argument over the uncertain consequences of this relatively new science. The pace at which GMOs have found their way into the food supply is what frightens many opponents, as long-term risk assessments wonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t be available for many years. Long-term health effects The science of genetically modifying organisms is in its infancy, coming online in earnest in the mid-1990s. Pressure from agricultural interests and the scientific community eager to prove the viability of the process has led to what some would call an irresponsible rush to market of these products. More than 60 percent of the products in most U.S. grocery stores are derived from sort of genetically altered plant or animal, notes Nina Fedoroff, a molecular biologist at Penn State University in the spring 2007 issue of Science Journal. There simply hasn;à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t been enough time to study the long-term health effects on humans from eating genetically altered foods. Gene spilling Many of the arguments against bio-engineered food stuffs focus on the law of unintended consequences. It is unclear what effect, if any, genetic pollution from inadequately sequestered populations of genetically modified crops would have on the surrounding wild varieties. Releasing pollen from genetically altered plants into the wild via wind and insects could have dramatic effects on the surrounding ecosystem but there is no long-term research yet available to gauge the impact. Reduced biodiversity Biodiversity even within a species or genus, keeps plant and animal population viable. If a particular virus for example, affected corn in Northern Iowa but the slightly different variety of corn grown on an adjacent farm was immune, only the portion of the crop susceptible to the virus would be lost. As genetically engineered crop consume more and more acreage, the number and variety of wild species is reduced. Such as alignment threatens the entire supply as pests and diseases repelled by just one or a few genetically altered varieties develop resistance to those defenses. In a doomsday scenario, a lone pathogen could wipe out an entire harvest nationwide and spawn years of underproduction as the agriculture industry struggles to recover and combat the threat. Cross-pollination The potentially negative environmental impacts of GMOs are numerous, and many are as yet unknown and could be irreversible. These include the loss of flora and fauna biodiversity, unintended harm to other organisms and reduced effectiveness of pesticides. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, one of the biggest concerns is the creation of super weeds: the unintentional transfer of herbicide resistance genes from desired crops to weeds. Some of these concerns, however, are the same concerns that could occur with breeding. Genetic consequences The artificial insertion of genes into organisms could destabilize that organism, encouraging genetic mutations that could be detrimental either to the environment, to humans or both. Insertion of the desired gene into a crops genome could activate or deactivate other genes, causing unintentional consequences as well. For example, genes that orchestrate the precise development of tomatoes could be de-activated, leaving tomatoes rotting on the vine before maturation. Long-lived organisms, such as trees, would be most at risk with consequences unknown for perhaps years. Its entirely possible they would no longer bear fruit, or they would have weak trunks. Characteristics of bark we may rely upon for paper products may disappear. The possibilities are essentially endless. Furthermore, changes in gene expression of genes that already exist in the organism may have negative consequences by interacting with the product of the inserted gene. For example, the gene coding for the red color of berries could interact with the inserted disease resistance gene creating an entirely new protein that perhaps would cause cancer after the berries were eaten by humans. As of 2010, many of the consequences are purely speculative and true issues would not be known for perhaps years. Animals GMOs pose a potential risk to insects, particularly those involved in pollination of GMO crops, as well as birds, insects, organisms in soils, and water. The impact of GMO pollen in bees gut or ingestion by bacteria is not known. One fear is that the insects may develop resistance to the pesticides after ingesting GMO pollen, creating swarms of pesticide-resistant bugs. Intellectual property The risk of GMOs to the world economy may be significant. It is entirely possible that world food production would be dominated by a few companies, increasing the dependence of developing countries on industrialized nations. Foreign exploitation of natural resources, labeling issues and scientific advances skewed to interests of richer countries are just a few of the concerns. Although eventually more efficient and economical, initial research and development costs involved in bringing GMO products to market are substantial. To offset these costs, companies patent their products. Infringement issues are a major issue. Human health Human health is also at stake. GMO plants may create new allergens or unintentionally confer antibiotic resistance in humans. As part of the technique, genes that confer antibiotic resistance are inserted into GMOs as markers but they could confer resistance to these antibiotics when consumed by humans. However, the gene introduced into the potatoes was already known to be toxic to mammals. Researchers simply chose the gene to test the technique and it was never intended for human or animal consumption. As pollen spreads, pharmaceuticals derived from plants and fed to animals are then consumed by humans, also with unknown consequences. Food supply at risk Genetically modified seeds are a patented product, and in order to purchase the seeds customers must sign an agreement for use with the seed manufacturer. As the reliance on GM seeds expands world wide, concerns about food supply and safety continue to escalate. Genetically engineered seeds are identical in structure, and if a problem affects one particular crop a major crop failure can result. Environmental destruction Most GMO seeds are genetically engineered to be herbicide tolerant, resistant to insect infestation and disease. Environmentalists worry that the characteristics of GM crops may encourage farmers to increase their use of herbicides and pesticides, which will raise human consumption of dangerous toxins. GM crops also manufacture their own pesticides, which puts further poisons into humans and soil and may cause unforeseen changes in the environment. Another concern is that toxins contained in the GMO plants may harm other organisms, such as monarch caterpillars, bees and birds. The pesticide found in genetically modified cotton and corn is implicated in the deaths of poultry, cows, horses, sheep and buffalo worldwide. Conclusion As a nutshell, although Genetically Modified Organisms have a lot of advantages but still face many ethical issues related to the growing and consumption of genetically engineered crops. They hold potential to greatly increase the nutritional value of food as well as the productivity of crops, while at the same time provide many safety as well environmental concerns. These decisions need to be looked at by all of humanity since everyone is directly affected by the choices. While each person can read these details and come to different conclusion on the value of genetically engineered foods as well as the ethical choices being made by the companies in charge of producing these foods. The ultimate choice on genetically engineered foods should be placed onto a well informed consumer not held in the dark by those in power of the government and large corporations which may not have the general publicà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s interests as their primary goal.