River Journey In Brazil :: essays research papers

Dear Irene, I would first like to thank you, for encouraging me to enter the competition and I could not believe that I won. As soon as they called out my name on the radio, I went running around my house, crazy, jumping up and down on my small bed, which I think I ruined the springs in it. Although it’s a pity you could not come with me, because the fact is that I had a spectacular holiday. There was a variety of choices on where to go, but none of them interests me except for one that I have not tried yet, and that was ‘Rafts and river journeys’ in the Amazon river, Brazil. I have never, in my life, experienced river journeys and I heard it could be a lot of fun and dangerous so I can face my fears. My best friend, Mike, and I went on a first class ticket in Brasilia Airlines that was very comfortable for a six-hour trip. As we landed on the capital of Brazil, Brasilia we didn’t imagine that this city can be strikingly beautiful, and fortunately is a lot better than Jeddah. We then met our raft experts in the airport. They were both female, which was really unexpected, because the experts are usually male, well one of them is called Joila and the other one’s called Lavita, I find Lavita very attractive. She had a tall, fit body, long blonde hair and a face more beautiful than Cindy Crawford. They took us to the city. The city had unspoiled landscapes, different types of antique markets around a distinctive building, there were several skyscrapers in the middle of the city, but that didn’t spoil the scenery, if you were in the middle of the city you would see lime-green mountains at a very long distance. They drove us to their camp, which was far out of the c ity and nearby the Amazon River. The campsite was in a charming location, along the campsite was pale green bushes around the campsite, caravans just beside the entrance was very big because it is used for their office, a small lake can be seen just a few hundred metres beside the camp for us to practice, there is an exotic view if you looked on top of the small hill, it was as if you were on top of the world. Lavita firstly showed us to our small white caravans for us to unpack.

Case Study: Chrysler-Fiat Partnership Essay

When America’s economical crisis reached its apex, domestic car manufacturers were at the forefront of struggling industries, and Chrysler was one of the hardest hit (Car and Driver, 2008). In 2008 the automotive giant, along with fellow industry stalwart General Motors, received a $17.4-billion reprieve from the American Government to keep from closing its doors altogether (Car and Driver). Chrysler did lose a lot of respectability, and was ordered to cease and desist with any new product development until the company proved it could be a viable business (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). However, the loan from the government proved to still not be enough to get Chrysler back on its feet, and in 2009 the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (Groth, 2011). Fiat faced its own organizational struggles in 2003-2004 before new CEO Sergio Marchionne led the Italian automotive manufacturer back to respectability (Gluckman & Kurczewski). Still, after watching European car sales fall to a 17 year low and needing a boost to his company’s revenue, Marchionne saw the Chrysler situation as a way to get into the American market (The Economist, 2013). Objectives Sought by Each Partner: Chrysler’s objectives in the partnership with Fiat were pretty simple: it needed a financial boost to maintain its place in the industry and new technology if it wanted to grow and advance (Marrs, 2009). After egregiously unsuccessful partnerships with Daimler-Benz and Cerberus Management Group and a multi-billion dollar loan from the American Government ended with Chrysler filing for bankruptcy, the company was in desperate need of a method to regain viability (Marrs; Krisher & Strumpf, 2009; Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Although Chrysler received no money in the deal, it will emerge as a new, leaner group minus billions in debt, 789 underperforming dealerships, and burdensome labor costs, not to mention gaining Fiat’s  technology to build new environmentally friendly, fuel efficient, high-quality vehicles (Krisher & Strumpf). Fiat’s objective in the partnership was to provide a financial boost to its own company without accumulating additional debt (Ebhardt, 2013). Fiat, Italy’s largest auto manufacturer, would like to expand its market to become a global competitor. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne believes that to compete with General Motors, Volkswagen, and Toyota, the merged Fiat-Chrysler will need to produce 5.5-6 million cars a year, compared to its current output of 4.1 million (The Economist, 2013). Basis of Dialogue Leading to the Partnership: The basis of a dialogue leading to a potential partnership was the concept of a mutually beneficial situation for all parties involved (Cox, 2013). Fiat has the capital, new technologies to develop high-efficiency cars, and reverence from Ferrari and Maserati fans that will allow Chrysler to regain its place among top domestic auto manufacturers in the United States (Groth, 2013). Fiat will share with Chrysler its platforms and powertrain technology, including engines, transmissions, and fuel-saving technology (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Through Fiat, Chrysler will also get better distribution of its products in Europe, India, Brazil and China (Gluckman & Kurczewski). Chrysler is the 3rd-largest U.S. auto company and is a trusted brand with the international appeal, customer base, and facilities that will allow Fiat to become a serious competitor in the global automotive manufacturing market (Groth). Chrysler was also in no position to be patient for an extended period of time. While its factories sat idled during the bankruptcy process, the automaker reportedly lost 100 million per day (Krisher & Strumpf, 2009). Steps Taken by Each Company: The partnership between Fiat and Chrysler, which is still an ongoing process, is being approached in phases. Initially Chrysler agreed to give Fiat a 35% holding in return for an influx of new engines and platforms, research and development, and help retooling its plants (Marrs, 2009). This approach allowed both organizations to ease into the partnership, without either side immediately taking on too much debt or risk (Cox, 2013). Analysts were not  able to exactly predict the partnership between Fiat and Chrysler. In fact, Chrysler was in talks with General Motors before both companies began to experience serious financial hardships (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Looking to avoid the management mistakes that doomed Chrysler’s partnerships with Daimler and Cerberus, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has made it clear that Fiat/Chrysler will run as one company (Trujillo, 2013). As Mr. Marchionne announced at a media briefing, â€Å"This management team spends their time traveling and making decisions, but this thing runs as one house. There is no question about who runs what; I run one company† (Vlasic, 2013, pp. 4).

War On Drugs A Comparative Analysis Of Human Rights...

Hermione Dorce Richard Stahler-Sholk PLSC 367 07 April 2016 War on drugs or a war on people ? A comparative analysis of human rights violation in Latin America Ever since the War on Drugs campaign began there has been a more complex relationship between the U.S and Latin America. While the media portrays the U.S as providing aid to Latin America to combat such issues, the U.S is also seen as a victim in the war on drugs. Over the course of the war on drugs numerous human rights violations have been reported. In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico and Colombia, the U.S military and economic aid involvement contributes to human rights violations while creating and guaranteeing new spaces of investment for large private†¦show more content†¦Eventually this led to the empowerment of the Mexican drug cartels in the 1990s. In some countries drug trafficking has become a family tradition. In Mexico drug trafficking is so ingrained in the culture that there is genre of music that celebrates trafficking called narcocorridos. A drug cartel is generally defined as any organization that promotes, controls, or is significantly involved in drug trafficking (Drug Cartels and Organized Crimes).The influential drug cartels are highly organized criminal groups that control the drug trafficking from Colombia and countries south of the United States border. â€Å"The majority of the cartel s weapons and cash have been smuggled in from the United States†(Truthloader). Cartel crimes are beyond drug trafficking as they conduct mass kidnappings, extortion, steal from oil industries, auto theft, and other crimes in which they are often referred to as militias or terrorists(Truthloader). Distinguishing between the cartels and the police is not always an easy task because corruption is riffed (Truthloader)). Many people who have fought against the cartels end up working for them. Several journalists have lost their lives or been bought off which leads to a weakened media which cannot always report on the cartel (Tr uthloader). The violence does not stop there as an estimated 61 human rights workers have been killed in the last five years. Cartels also have employed child soldiers, many