The world has become increasingly more militarized Essay

The world has become increasingly more militarized - Essay Example 32). The ever rising military expenditures on the war against terrorism groups such as Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah has led to many stakeholders such as scholars, economists, diplomats, human rights groups and international organisations to question the rationale, causes, implications and consequences of these expenditures on the world (Ricolfi, 2005, P. 129). Although increased military expenditures on rebel and terror groups has been evident since historical times, the emergence of the current trends of rising military expenditures in anti-terrorism crusades could be traced to the 9/11/2001 terror attacks on the United Stated of America’s Twin Towers. It is after these Al-Qaeda masterminded attacks on the United States that the idea of ‘Global War on Terror (GWOT) became prominent (Wright, 2006, P. 159). Since these and later attacks on U.S interests elsewhere in the world, military expenditures on the war against terrorism have been exponentially increasing (Lustick, 2006, P. 217). The GWOT initiative has been particularly influential in shaping military spending trends, with a reported annual increase of 5% between 2001 and 2006 (Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, 2008, P. 271). In fact, in the six years preceding the Al-Qaeda masterminded attacks in New York, an annual increase of 0.4% on military spending had been reported with the United States has being identified to account for nearly half the military expenditures against terrorism in the entire world (Sturr, 2006, P. 97). For instance, for the United States along, there was a reported 53% increase in terrorism-related military expenditures in the five years preceding the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda (Ranstorp, 2009, P. 119). In fact, according to the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) approximates that based on the size of troops deployed in operational areas, the total cost of GWOT is likely to reach between $1.2 trillion and $1.17 trilli on by 2017 (Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, 2008, P. 89).This paper thus explores the assertion that the increased military spending on the war against terro

Abnormal Psychology Background and Perspective Essay Example for Free

Abnormal Psychology Background and Perspective Essay A lot of the human behavior and mental process could be explained by psychology. This course allowed me to view abnormal psychology in a bit of a different light. I was able to apply the information learned while relating it psychopathology. Taking this course has further improved my understanding of mental disorders/illnesses. I have also learned different treatment and many perspectives relating to abnormal psychology. This class has allowed me to think critically about mental disorders in addition to learning about scientific inquiry. Abnormal psychology is the behavior or thought that cause social, cognitive, and emotional problems for an individual. Abnormal thought or behaviors that disrupt an individual’s functioning are due to a psychological disorder. It is important to be able to understand characteristics of abnormal behavior in order to distinguish a person with a psychological disorder. These characteristics deviate from what society deems to be normal. Some classifications of abnormal behaviors are social deviance, personal distress, unusualness, danger to one’s self or to others and maladaptive behavior. All these traits need attention and diagnosis. A person with abnormal behavior can have a lifestyle full of discomfort, conflict and unhappiness. This does not only have an effect on the individual but can also affect others. A behavior that is normal in one region could be abnormal in another. Different cultures may consider a behavior in another culture abnormal and vice versa. Each culture also has a different treatment and approach towards mental disorders. There are different types of normality levels for an individual’s behavior. In this class the focus was on the approach that the western culture has towards mental disorders. Abnormal psychology could be explained by a number of different perspectives such as biological, psychological or sociocultural. An approach towards mental disorder is diathesis-stress paradigm. This â€Å"paradigm is an integrative paradigm that links genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors† (p.62). For example a person that genetically prone; stress from the environment could trigger a mental disorder. If there isn’t any environmental stress, than the mental disorder may never be triggered. This paradigm does a good job in explaining how these factors can contribute to mental disorders. Most psychologists believe that cognitive behavior therapy is the most effective and efficient treatment for mental disorders. â€Å"Cognitive behavior therapy incorporates theory and research on cognitive processes such as thoughts, perceptions, judgments, self statements, and tacit assumptions† (p.51). This therapy treats the disorder by applying behavioral principles of learning. This gives the individual to reconstruct his/her thoughts in a positive manner. Usually a disorder leaves a pers on hopeless, but this treatment helps the individual to have control over their thoughts or feelings. Not only did I learn how to think critically, I also learned about different types of research method. Mental disorders is disturbs a person’s thoughts and which could lead to an emotional experience. Life can be difficult for a person with a mental disorder. They often have difficulty maintaining a relationship or keeping a job. The absence of treatment could make life unbearable for a person suffering a mental disorder. This class has helped me understand the different types of mental disorder and how to diagnose and treat them.

Relevant leadership theories in relation to Steve Jobs

Relevant leadership theories in relation to Steve Jobs Introduction The topic of leadership has continued to be a subject of interest in the modern world both from practitioners as well as academics and the extensive research for decades has not exhausted the topic (Bennis W. , 2007). Leadership has an influence on all the facets of business. Organizations are often successful because of the set of relationships existing between the leaders and the followers. Through this essay efforts are made to apply relevant leadership theories in relation to Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc, one of the most commended leaders of recent times. An attempt is made to evaluate Steve Jobs leadership style using the following theories Hersey-Blanchard Situational Theory (Hersey Blanchard, 1988), Transactional Leadership (Bass, 1985; Adair 1990), Transformational leadership (Goodwin, Woffard Whittington, 2001; Tichy Devanna, 1986; Yammarino Dublinsky, 1994, Bass, 1990)theory will be used. After reviewing the literature on leadership theories relevant to this case study, based on the frameworks it will be argued whether Steve Jobs can be considered as an effective leader. Literature Review Today leadership is the one of the most known management topic at the same time attempts to understand still represents a challenge. A single definition cannot encompass many aspects of leadership (Bennis Nanus, 1985:4; Pfeffer, 1977; Kenny Zaccaro, 1983; Lord, DeVader, Alliger, 1986; Kirkpatrick Locke, 1991). The various theories of leadership help to solve somewhat the ambiguity of the definition . One of the reason for popularity to the leadership topic is that leaders action or inaction can effect people, not only in the success of an enterprise, but also in social field i.e.a group, an organization or a larger entity or a nation. (Hollander, 1992) The review of literature shows the concept of leaders trait and characteristics in the earlier studies of leadership {Bass (1990); Curphy, and Hogan (1994);S. A. Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) ; Kenny and Zaccaro (1983); Zaccaro, Foti,et al., (1991) ; Ferentinos (1996); Howard and Bray (1988)} and later theories considering various contextual environment of leadership along with the followers (Hollander, 1992). The research on leadership has evolved from the great man theory to the trait theory to behaviourist theory to Situational theory to contingency theory to transactional theory and to transformational leadership (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano, Dennison, 2003) Hersey Blanchard situational theory (McKenna E. , 2000) This model adopt consideration to relationship and task behaviour . It extends these two dimensions of leadership to four styles i.e. tell, sell, participation, and delegation. Maturity consists of two parts-job maturity and psychological maturity. Job maturity relates to technical knowledge and task-relevant skills. Psychological maturity relates to feelings of self-confidence and ability, peoples willingness to take responsibility for directing their own behaviour. Emphasis is placed on matching a style of leadership to the maturity of subordinates, and this relationship is important in determination of leadership effectiveness (Hersey Blanchard 1982). Tell : A task oriented and directive style where highly immature subordinates would be told what to do. Sell: A relationship oriented style where Subordinates on the low side of maturity, would be persuaded that a particular course of action is the most appropriate. Subordinates on the high side of maturity will be treated with a certain amount of consideration and support would be allowed to Participate in decision making . Delegation: where subordinates, highly mature will be considered capable of exercising self-direction and self control, and a high degree of autonomy. Most important in Hersey and Blanchards theory is the focus on truly situational nature of leadership and their recognition of the need for behaviour flexibility on the part of the leader (Yukl, 1981). Barrrow (1977) and Yukl (1981) argue that though the model is prescriptive for measuring leader style, style range, and effectiveness it merits much less favourable evaluations. The concept of task-relevant maturity that has been conceptually ambiguous. According to a study by Graeff (1983), it has internal consistency problems, substantial conceptual contradiction, problems with the conceptual definition of relationship behaviour and inconsistent arguments regarding the appropriateness of participative decision making contribute. Transactional and Transformational Leadership Transactional leadership occurs when one person takes the initiative in making contact with others for the purpose of an exchange of something valued; that is, leaders approach followers with an eye toward exchanging (Burns, 1978) In transactional leadership, leaders gain control of their subordinates through praise, intimidation and coercion. The transactional leader specifies the standards for compliance, and may punish followers for being out of compliance with those standards (Bass Avolio, 1997). Transactional models of leadership emphasize the implicit social exchange, or transaction, that exists between leader and followers as a feature of effectiveness. This transactional approach emphasizes a more active role for followers, with the potential for two-way influence, rather than coerced compliance (Hollander, 1992) According to Bryant (2003) Consequence of transactional leadership workers are not motivated to give anything beyond what is clearly specified in their contract. Workers may also choose to utilize their excess brain capacity by consulting or starting their own business if they are not challenged and rewarded for extra effort in the firm. The transactional leadership theory is known for its in-ward looking and self-satisfying feel, known to be most appropriate for a culture with stable conditions. (McKenna E. , 2006). Burns (1978) idea of the leader as a transforming agent has been applied to organizational leadership by Bass (1985) and Bennis and Nanus (1985) especially as a source of exceptional performance. The essential point is that the leader strives to go beyond the bounds of the usual to bring about a change in followers thinking that will redirect their action(Fiedler House, 1988). The central concept in transformational leadership theory is change and the role of leadership in envisioning and implementing the transformation of organisational performance (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano, Dennison, 2003) Transformational leaders create an atmosphere conducive to knowledge creation, sharing and exploitation. In particular, by using charisma, encouraging intellectual development and by paying individual attention to workers, transformational leaders motivate their workers to create and share knowledge. Transformational leaders inspire workers on to higher levels of innovation and effectiveness.(Bryant, 2003) Transformational leadership has been shown to have a positive relationship with performance.(Lowe, Kroeck, Sivasubramaniam) Despite the support that transformation leadership theory received there are still weakness which is identified by Yulk (1999) that is the transformational behaviours are found to be missing in Bass (1996) which are identified as inspiring (infusing the work with meaning), developing (enhancing follower skills and self-confidence), and empowering (Providing significant voice and discretion to followers). Authors (Bass 1985, 1996 ; Pawar Eastman, 1997; Pettigrew, 1987) are of the view that the situational variables which are missed may increase the likelihood of transformational leadership or moderate its effect on followers. Transformational leadership theory can have several detrimental consequences for the organisations as identified by (Harrison 1987; Stephens, DIntino, and Victor (1995); Porter, L. W., Bigley, G. A. 1997) first is that followers transformed to high degree of emotional involvement which makes them burn out their long-standing stress secondly, was being biased toward the top management, customers at the cost of others of the employees thirdly, different leaders with competing visions can create role ambiguity and role conflict. Bass and Steidlmeier (1999) argue that transformational leadership is unethical, it may appeal to emotions rather than to reason and it lacks the checks and balances of democratic discourse and power distribution. Yulk (1999) argues that the theory deals primarily with the leader follower behaviour and has given less attention at the group and organisational level. Part three Background to Case Study Critical Analysis In the late 1970s, Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula, and others, designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple, which he co-founded in 1976. In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of the mouse-driven graphical user interface which led to the creation of the Macintosh. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher education and business markets. Apples subsequent 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he has served as its CEO since 1997. Steve also co-founded and was the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, which created some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time including Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and Ratatouille. Pixar merged with The Walt Disney Company in 2006 and Steve now serves on Disneys board of directors. Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. With Steve Job , Apple commands a dedicated consumer base and is know for its premium brands like iPad, iPhone, iPod, iTunes etc . Apples success is known under Steve Jobs Leadersip. Although it is not easy to characterize Steve Jobs leadership style to any one particular theory, to evaluate his leadership style two theories of leadership will be used the Transactional and Transformational theory and secondly the Hershey Blanchards situational theory. Steve Jobs leadership style seems to be both transactional and transformational theory. According to Bass (1985) and Burn (1978) both these theories more complementary than being competitive. Steve Jobs as a Transformational Leader As per the above literature review, transformational leaders are charismatic, vision oriented, encouraging intellectual development of their followers, inspiring and motivating to higher levels of effectiveness. The aspects that strongly claim that Steve Jobs leadership shows signs of transformational leadership is his charismatic personality. According to Rakesh Khurana (2002) Steve Jobs, the New Age wunderkind of Apple revered for his sucess in introducing people to the personal computer that could gaurantee our freedom (Khurana, 2002). As Steve Wozniak , the co-founder with Jobs of the Apple , tersely noted : he can always couch things in the right words . Steve Job is described as heart and soul of Apple. (Patterson, 1985) What was visionary about Jobs approach -where he surely added value- was his evangelical zeal to show people the future potential of the product. With this vision as foresight has caused Jobs to be dubbed the priceless proselytizer.(Uttal, 1985) Cocks (1983) argues that Apples co-founder, Steve Wozniak, blodly stated that Jobs did not understand computers, and the actual design of the machine has been widely credited to Wozniak. But as Wozniak also said, it never crossed my mind to sell computers. It was Steve who said Lets hold them up in the air and sell a few. It was Jobs who insisted that the computer be light and trim, well designed in muted colors. Jobs likewise pushed his engineers to make machines that will not frighten away a skittish clientele. (Cocks, 1983) Butcher (1988) argues that Jobs a perfectionist, adn as the organsiation gre, many in Apple experienced this as intolerance and self-absorption. Steve Hawkins an employee said Jobs such a perfectionist that people can never please him , hes extermly ambitious , almost to the point of megalomania.(Butcher, 1988) Transformational leadership is about encouraging innovation, bringing about a change in the thinking of its followers and being visionary in implementing transformation in the organisation performance. Steve Jobs as a transformational leader is seen in his efforts to bring innovative digital technology to mass consumer so that they can open their wallet(Deutschman, 2001). Evidence of Steve Jobs vision in making innovation accessible was Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings (Young, 2005) In terms of motivation and inspiring employees to give their best of performance is a characteristic of transformational leadership . Evidence of Steve Jobs motivating and inspiring his employees is when Job when first spoke of any new idea to his employees not everyone thought it to be a successful product also at times the employees were not keen on working on such new ideas. But Jobs along with his employees was able to convert the innovative ideas into a technology which changed the way digital technology is used today . Whether it is the Macintosh computer or the newly launched ipad or iphone. It was Jobs leadership which motivated and inspired and Apple created the systems and structures that were able to convert knowledge into a valuable product. Job challenge engages his employees to reach nearly impossible goals(Bryant, 2003) (MCB UP Ltd, 2002). Job used inspiring speeches to keep his employees motivated and convey his innovative ideas to them(Harvey, 2001) Butcher (1989) agrues with an evidence by Steve Hawkins, employee of Apple puts it that most of the people werent good enough for him and would really be in a state of shock after encounters with Steve. Also Steve was very ambitious along with perfectionist and that caused a lot of trouble with moral. Young (2005) adds that apple employees were pushed to the best of their capability and performance and interactions with Steves were the ones which most of the employees feared. According to Peter Elkind (2008) Steve job has conflicting behaviours and he often had his subordinates to tears and in his angry temper he fires the employees. And yet the top management has worked with him for years and they give credit Jobs for the best job they ever did was only with him.(Elkind, 2008) Steve Job in an interview stated that he has really capable people and his job is to make the whole of his executive team good enough to be successors, so thats what hes trying to do, to push them he has aggressive visions (Morris, 2008). As an Evidence the discussion of Steve job with Morris (2008) sheds light to the criticism made by researchers Steidlmeier (1999); Yukl (1999) about the transformational leadership style in the literature review and steves transformational leadership style shows the unethical or unmoral dimensions of transformational leadership style. Also Steve jobs interactions are limited to the top management and he states that his job is to work with sort of the top 100 people, among the 20000 people at Apple. This shows his interactions are not closely related with the majority of his employees. (Morris, 2008) Steve Jobs as a Transactional Leader In addition to the above arguments about the leadership style of Steve Job. Bryant (2003) is of view that Job exhibited a combination of transformational and transactional leadership style and this helped him sucess in Apple. According to Bryant (2003) Job when visited the Xerox Parc and he took a vision of how future computers should operate. And he made his employees create the systems and structures in his company Apple where knowledge was converted into valuable products e.g. the Macintosh personal computer. The transformational leadership style was used in his vision to change the way personal computer will be operated in future and transactional leadership style was used when he incorporated his vision into reality by making his the products with the help of his employees. In an interview with Morris (2008) Steve talks about his role in the company is to recruit at the same time focus on its strategy and manage the whole business from different departments and people of the company and this is a characteristics of a transactional leadership style. Hersey Blanchard situational theory applied to Steve Jobs Steve Jobs leadership style is more reliant on his followers skills and capabilities. The Hersey Blanchard situational theory model emphasis on matching a style of leadership to the maturity of subordinates this relationship shows the determination of leadership effectiveness as mentioned in the literature review. The way job leads and his style relates to this theory . The delegating style M4-S4 is evident from Steve interview with Morris (2008) where he says that if he has hired good people and they have potential he would give them a business and left them run on their own and when a good idea comes, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get people talking about it, get ideas moving among that group of 100 people, get different people together to explore different aspects of it . The participating style M3-S3 of Hersey Blanchard situational theory is where Jobs talks about the way he takes a new idea to his employees is the environment of excellence and how his employes are self motivated , he does coach them at first and inspires them and then the employees surprise him time and again with the best of their performance (Gendron, 1989). In aanand2010-08-29T23:01:00 Did not get this para. Review it televsion interview (Cringely, 1996) Steve jobs telling style M1-S1 was evident Where he argues that he is committed to the vision and rather than for money and that he has been there always for the ultimate good of the company and there has been cases where they stopped their internal work and people did not like it and but he got a better deal for the company . this radical nature of dealing with things shows he used telling style of the Hershey Blanchard theory. Conclusion: personal reflection and recommendation In contrast to Steve Job, the managing director at my work place was a person who believed in group work at the same time allowed creative talent and ideas from each person. He involved employees in the decision making and took individual views on various projects of the company. The success of Apple following return of Steve Job is credited to the effective leadership Steve has used. The review of the literature and the theories applied to Steve Jobs and my personal experience has opened my mind to areas where Steve style of leadership can progress and can be further developed. According to Bass (1985) Leaders are central to the process of creating cultures, structures and systems that fosters knowledge creation, sharing and cultivation. Certain Industries have faster rates of technological, higher level of regulation and higher competition levels and these factors impact the leaders of the organisations (Bryant, 2003). Hence, a lesson learnt from leadership is that a leader can judge the situation and can adapt different style of leadership and this makes a leader more effective and efficient. In Steve jobs style of leadership a soft approach adopted with his employees will prove him to be more affective. Because his job involves handling people who are highly knowledgeable in the field of technology, being soft on his employees or benevolent leadership can help him get best of their performance and in return profit from his human resources and realise his vision.

Stress, The Double-Edged Sword Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Stress, The Double-Edged Sword Stress, it is a part of our life that we can't not avoid or escape. There probably isn't anyone in the world today that hasn't dealt with it. It dwells in the work place, at school, in the home and most importantly, in you. So what is stress? And why do we have something that does us so much harm? Simply put, stress is an adaptive response, your body's response to an emotionally disturbing, disquieting or threatening event (1). Often times, it is the tension caused when demands from work, family and oneself can't not be met. Not to say stress is a recent disorder among humans, in fact, all organisms experience it. Stress is a part of the 'fight or flight' response, usually the result of threatening or worrisome event. The body increases the heart rate, blood pressure and respiration rate, preparing in the event of actually needing to fight or retreat (1). For most animals, stress tends to come from acting out of self-preservation. The fleeing rabbit experiences stress as it bolts for the safety of its hole. In fact, without it, the rabbit might not survive. The surge of energy from the stress of spotting an attacking predatory might be the difference between safety and death. Early humans probably experienced stress in similar fashions. The attacking lion is a stressor enough to make the fleeing caveman run a bit faster, or fight back with more force. But unlike animals, humans experience stress another fashion, it is the stress that comes with thinking, whether it's about the future or the present. The caveman might have been stressed when the angry bear came charging up but he might also hav e stressed over an unsuccessful hunt and the prospect of having no food for several days. The s... ....coolware.com/health/medical_reporter/stress.html 2) Stress Free Net, http://www.stressfree.com/stress.html 3) Endocrinology and Stress-Related Disease , http://www.endo-society.org/pubaffai/factshee/stressrd.htm 4) How to Survive Unbearable Stress, Information on stress in easy to understand terms http://www.teachhealth.com/#stressscale 5) ABC News.com , Report on how stress may add to aging http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/stress_aging990920.html 6) Development of the Cerebral Cortex: Stress and Brain , http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/plomdevelop/development/January99.html 7) Doctor's Guide: Global Edition , http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/67e66.htm 8) Psycheducation.org, http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/67e66.htm 9) Getting There: Dealing with Stress , http://www.campuslife.utoronto.ca/handbook/06005-Stress.html

Why Do People Use Drugs?

PSY215: DRUGS AND DEPENDENCY ESSAY ONE WHY DO PEOPLE USE DRUGS? LACHLAN SLOAN 30790798 Throughout history, people have used different kinds of drugs to alter the way they feel or experience consciousness. Ritualistic use of drugs has been commonly practiced by various cultures such as the mushroom induced trance state utilised by Native American Indians to commune with the Great Spirit. Pacific Islanders drink Kava as a means of connecting with the supernatural, healing illness and welcoming guests to the community.Whilst Indians referred to being consciously high as the state of ‘Shiva’ and associated this process with the worship of one of their prime deities, Shiva. Over time the ritualistic use of drugs has integrated as a part of modern society which can be observed in celebrations such as weddings and birthdays where alcohol is commonly consumed. As there is such a vast range of drugs and influences available with many established uses and categorisations the proce ss of determining why people use drugs becomes intricate very rapidly.Norman E Zinberg developed a theory on drug use which is a widely accepted public health model. The basis of this theory argues that it is not possible to understand drug use, the effects or the outcomes of the drug experience unless you take into account the interrelationship of factors between: the drug, the environment and the individual (Zinberg, 1986). For the purpose of this analysis various aspects of influence have been categorised based on Zinberg’s theory to coherently convey why people use drugs.The categorizations are as follows: Individual (cognition, genetics, and physical/psychological state), drug (perceived functions of drug use in society/specific purpose for using a particular substance, drug related expectancies and compulsive use) and environment (social/contextual level). Boys et al (2001) recorded among a study of 364 participants that had used cannabis over the past year that, the tw o most popular reasons for using the drug were to ‘just get really stoned or intoxicated’ (90. 7%) and ‘help you to relax’ (96. 8%). People using drugs often state that they use them to feel ‘good’.What makes these people feel ‘good’ is the way in which the chemicals in these drugs influence cognition. This state of feeling ‘good’ and or being high is attained because most drugs act on the limbic system in the brain, referred to as the ‘pleasure centre’. The presynaptic terminal releases the neurotransmitters Dopamine, Noradrenaline and Serotonin via nerves located at the terminal. These neurotransmitters are released and travel to the post synaptic terminal where specific receptor sites are located on the nerve cell for each neurotransmitter.Here nerve action potential is developed via neurotransmitter action on the receptor site. Prevalent drugs act by blocking, mimicking or stimulating the release of ne urotransmitters via the presynaptic terminal. When Dopamine levels are increased, mimicked or reuptake is permitted (blocked) the reward pathway in the brain is affected which when stimulated creates feelings of pleasure and euphoria (pleasure is associated with reward). The ingested drug is hence associated with pleasure and reward and the person is influenced to continue using the particular drug.Current cognitive-motivational theories of addiction assert that prioritising appetitive, reward-related information plays an inherent role in the development and continuation of substance abuse (Field & Cox, 2008; Franken, 2003; Wiers et al 2007). A study focused on reward-related attentional processes among 682 young adolescents (mean age= 16. 14) had participants complete a motivated game in the format of a spatial orienting task as a behavioural index of appetitive-related attentional processes and a questionnaire to index substance (alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis) use.Correlational a nalysis showed a positive relationship between substance use and enhanced attentional engagement, with cues that predicted potential reward and non- punishment (Ostafin et al, 2013). Research since the mid 1960’s has established that genetics play a modest (yet relevant) role in the development of drug use problems in some individuals (Pickens, 1988; Farrell & Strang, 1992; Hill, 1993). It has been conveyed by Mcgue (1994) that genetics have an influence on a person’s disposition to use drugs.After a review of literature on genetics research in relation to alcoholism, Mcgue established that genetic factors exert a moderate influence on male and female risk for alcoholism. It has been suggested by Hansler (2001) that mental illness motivates sufferers to take drugs (prescription and recreational), this process can cause drug problems (when a person takes drugs in the hope of escaping their symptoms or becomes dependent on a prescription drug). Examples include a person suffering from social anxiety ingesting cocaine in order to temperamentally enhance their sociability when going out with friends.Most of the evidence, however, seems to indicate that these factors can lead to problems; that is, biological, social and/or environmental factors predispose a person to have both a mental health and a substance abuse problem. Aesthetics and physicality are also motivators for drug use. A person will ingest substances to alter the physical nature of their body, primarily due to the fact that they are not satisfied with a particular aspect of their physical self. Examples include; performance enhancing drugs (steroids), Viagra and antibiotics.In beginning the process of analysing the perceived functions of drug use/specific purpose for using a particular substance, psychoactive drugs are the first place to start as due to the broad range of this category. The classification of psychoactive drugs is sub divided into three categories (with some drugs falling into more than one category); Depressants, Stimulants and Hallucinogens. Depressants work by inhibiting the activity of the CNS (Central Nervous System), which slows down various bodily functions such as heart rate and breathing.This classification of drugs has with it a reputation inherent within society as having a calming effect (popularised primarily due to alcohol its acceptance and availability). People generally take this type of drug to relax, another primary function and motivation of the use of depressants is to combat the effects of stress and anxiety (reduces nerves and relaxes muscle). These drugs are typically easy to obtain being available illegally and legally. Examples include acquiring a depressant legally via a doctor’s prescription or benzodiazepines to treat anxiety and purchasing marijuana from a local drug dealer in order to alleviate stress from work. Stimulants work by stimulating the CNS (increasing brain activity) which causes the body to become mo re aroused and responsive. Hence stimulants elevate the mood, create excitement and even induce a state of euphoria. Due to the nature of stimulants improving responsiveness this category of drug is associated with increasing people’s energy levels as brain activity is dramatically increased.Stimulants are widely available legally and illegally with the most common being caffeine, which is the most widely used drug in the world (Julien, 2001). Hallucinogens are a class of drug that alter perceptual functions; sight, hearing, smell, taste or physical touch. Hallucinogens disrupt how the nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin interact with the CNS. By altering the natural levels of serotonin in the body, hallucinogens alter the way in which your brain processes information relevant to perceptual functions.The inhibition of the user’s perceptual functions allows for the body to generate an intense high. Hence many users of hallucinogens utilise this type of drug t o experience the intensity of the high and/or to escape reality. Examples of hallucinogens include; magic mushrooms, marijuana and LSD. A web based survey of 96 (50 female, 46 male) regular drinking college students over a ten week period) reported on their previous week alcohol use and experience of 24 alcohol-related consequences, including their subjective evaluations of those consequences.Most notably of the results, hierarchical linear model tests revealed that students drank less and experienced fewer consequences following weeks in which they rated their consequences as more negative (relative to their own typical subjective evaluations), suggesting that viewing one’s recent consequences as aversive prompts self-initiated behaviour change. It was conveyed by Boys et al (1999) that significant relationships between perceived functions and both the persons intentions to use the drug again in the future and the recent use of a particular drug.Data was collected from a cro ss sectional survey of one hundred participants aged 16 – 21 years of age. Higher scores on a five item social/contextual function scale (Eg. using a drug to help you feel more confident in a social situation) were associated with a greater frequency of recent cannabis use. Drug expectancy is a psychoactive process that occurs as a response to an individual’s expectation that a drug induced effect will occur. Drug expectancy divulges the nature of a person desire to experience the effects from a particular drug(s).The effect occurs from a person’s own experience with a drug, education, feedback from peers/family and media influence. Once acquired via direct experience with a drug, the memory network of positive expectancies can be primed by internal or external drug associated cues. Primed expectancies are thought to guide subsequent drug use (Hersen, 2013). Self-reports from 704 college students were content analysed and used to develop the Marijuana Effect Exp ectancy Questionnaire. Responses were examined using exploratory and confirmatory principle components analysis.Six marijuana expectancies (34. 6% of variance) were identified: (a) cognitive and behavioural impairment, (b) relaxation and tension reduction, (c) social and sexual facilitation, (d) perceptual and cognitive enhancement, (e) global negative effects, and (f) craving and physical effects (Schafer & Brown, 1991). When a person begins using a drug on a regular basis they begin to become dependent on the drug. As tolerance towards the drug grows in the person they become more dependent on the drug in order to achieve the same effect they attained from their first usage.Drug dependency can manifest in both physical/psychological forms. This can be classified in the sense that the body requires the drug to function properly relating to either form of classification. When a person abstains from retaining the normal level of the abused drug in their blood withdrawal symptoms begi n to act. Those with a physiological dependency experience physical discomfort, shaking, nausea and vomiting as withdrawal symptoms. People with a Psychological dependence feel depressive, anxious, aggressive and irritated.Research supports the belief that the negative nature of withdrawal symptoms is associated with drug users continued abuse of a certain drug (Rogers, 2002). Social/contextual level influences have a massive level of governance over a person’s rationalising to use drugs. College students say they utilise alcohol and drugs in order to lessen depression, increase sociability, satisfy curiosity, heighten sexual pleasure, alleviate physical discomfort and expand consciousness (Robbins et al. , 1970). Association with peers tilising drugs is one of the strongest predictors of adolescent drug use (Fergusson et al, 1995; Brook et al, 1990). If other members of the group begin using drugs, some people are influenced to trade sobriety for use in order to fit in and a dapt to the group. Motivation for this exists in the individual wanting to conform to the dynamics of the group paired with fear of rejection from the group. An example of this is conveyed by Hohman et al (2013) via a study of data obtained from the National Survey of Parents and Youth (N= 1,604).Two hierarchical multiple regression models were developed examining the association between ambivalent attitudes, intentions and later marijuana use. The hierarchical models consisted of; an analysis of the moderating effect of ambivalence on the persons intent to use marijuana and the testing of the moderation of ambivalence on literal marijuana use a year later. Results from both hierarchical analyses propose that ambivalence moderated the association of friend norms and subsequent adolescent marijuana use: friend norms were better predictors of marijuana intentions (? 0. 151, t = 2. 29, p = 0. 02) and subsequent use when adolescents were attitudinally ambivalent about marijuana use (? = 0. 071, t = 2. 76, p = 0. 006). The environment of a person greatly influences their susceptibility to drug use. Not only does the social context of a person influence drug use but the environment itself plays a very influential role. A study undertaken in Zinberg’s ‘Drug, Set, And Setting: The Basis For Controlled Intoxicant Use’, analysed a group of American soldiers who began using and became addicted to heroin during the Vietnam war.After the war effort, usage â€Å"virtually ceased†, with only 12% of the soldiers remaining addicted after returning back to the United States. It is evident that these American soldiers were utilising heroin as a form of escapism, a way to disassociate themselves from the harsh reality they were situated in. Hence it can be expected that a person’s socioeconomic status would affect their use of drugs. People living in a negative environment and/or of a lower socio economic status would be more likely to turn to dr ug use as a means of dealing with and escaping their predicament.In the process of determining why people use drugs a diverse range of conclusions have been reached via a model representative of Zinberg’s theory. We began by stating the ritual usages practiced for thousands of years which have transcended into society after society. We begin with Zinberg’s notion of the individual and diverge into the way in which human cognition is affected by drugs. As this topic is explored it is conveyed just how susceptible our brains are to drug use and why we enjoy the temperamental effects drugs create.Genetics, physical and psychological disposition are also conveyed as influencing reasoning for drug use. Drugs are addressed via the perceived functions of illegal and legal drugs by an analysis of drug categorisations where perceived functions and reasons for use are conveyed. Drug expectancy and tolerance is explained and the reasoning for continued use and addiction is commun icated via a study by Schafer & Brown (1991). The social/contextual level of influence is analysed via various studies by Zinberg (1986) and Hohman (2013) conveying environmental and social influences.People ingest a diversity of different drugs for a variety of different reasons; socialisation, environmental factors, perceived norms, to relax, pleasure, to conform, genetics, addiction, out of boredom or curiosity or to escape their problems. Reference List Boys, A. , Marsden, J. , Fountain, J. , Griffiths, P. , Stillwell, G. , & Strang, J. (1999). What influences young people's use of drugs? A qualitative study of decision-making. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy,  6,  373–389. Boys, A. , Marsden, J. , ; Strang, J. 2001) Understanding reasons for drug use amongst young people: a functional perspective. Health Education Research, 16  (4), 457-469. DOI:  10. 1093/her/16. 4. 457. Field, M. , ; Cox, W. M. (2008). Attentional bias in addictive behaviours: a review of its development, causes, and consequences. American Journal of Psychology, 84, 349 – 358 DOI: 10. 1016/j. drugalcdep. 2008. 03. 030. Franken, I. H. (2003). Drug craving and addiction: integrating psychological and neuropsychopharmacological approaches, 4, 563 – 79. Hansler, V. (2001).The Inherent Disposition to Drug Abuse, 9, 32 – 47, New York: Worth Publishers. Hersen, M. (2013). Principles of Addiction: Comprehensive Addictive Behaviours and Disorders, 1, 426 – 429 Hill, W. G. (1993). Variation in genetic composition in back crossing programs, 84, 212-213. Hohman, Z. , Crano, W. , Siegel, J. , ; Alvaro E. (2013). Attitude ambivalence, friend norms, and adolescent drug use. Prevention Science, Germany: Springer, DOI: 10. 1007/s11121-013-0368-8. Julien, R. M. (2001). A Primer of Drug Action, 4, 88-105, New York: Worth Publishers.Mcgue, M. (1994). Genes, environment and the etiology of Alcoholism. The development of alcohol problems, exploring the biops ychosocial matrix of risk, 26, 1 – 40. Merrill, J. E. , Jennifer, P. , ; Barnett, N. P. (2013). The Way One Thinks Affects the Way One Drinks: Subjective Evaluations of Alcohol Consequences Predict Subsequent Change in Drinking Behaviour,  Psychology of Addictive Behaviours,  27, 42-51. Robbins L. , Edwin, S. , William, A. , Stern, F. , ; Stern M. (1970). College Student Drug Use. American Journal of Psychiatry 126, 12, 1743 – 1751.Rogers, D. (2002). Substance Dependency: Consequences and the Path to Recovery, 8, 78 – 81. Schafer, J. , ; Brown, S. A. (1991). Marijuana and cocaine expectancies and drug use patterns, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 558 – 565. Schuster, C. , ; Pickens, R. (1988). AIDS and Intravenous Drug Abuse, Problems of drug dependence 1988, 7, 241 – 252. Strang, J. , ; Farrell, M. (1992). Harm Minimisation for Drug Misusers, 3, 1127–1128, London: Sage Van Hemel-Ruiter, M. E. , DeJong, P. J. , Alberti ne, J. , ; Brian D. Ostafin. 2013). Reward- Related Attentional Biases and Adolescent Substance use: The TRAILS Study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, 27, 142-150. Wiers, R. W. , Bartholow, B. D. , Van Den-Wildenberg, E. , Thush, C. , Engels, R. , Sher, K. J. , Grenard, J. , Ames, S. L. , ; Stacy, A. W. (2007). Automatic and controlled processes and the development of addictive behaviors in adolescents: a review and a model. Pharmacol Biochem Behaviour, 86, 263–283. Zinberg, N (1986). Drug, Set, and Setting: The Basis For Controlled Intoxicant Use, 10-11, Yale University Press.

Auto Industry in Canada

To fully understand why Canada is one the wealthiest nations in the world, we need to pay particular attention to Canada’s economic history. The economic history of our country has been marked by many important events that have paved the way for a successful economic future. A brief economic history of Canada would pay particular attention to important events such as the economic boom of the 1920s, the dark times of the 1930s; the Second World War during the 1940s and to also not forget the important trade agreements such as the auto pact and the NAFTA.Despite the above mentioned important events, Canadian economy has also been greatly influenced by its own economic sectors. Our economy has undergone through major changes during the past 3 decades. One of the factors that had an enormous impact on the economy of Canada has been that of the automotive industry. The automotive industry was born in the early years of the 20th century and it has since then, expanded very quickly. (White, 2007, p. 3) The expansion has proved to be economically profitable and also unsuccessful at times.This essay will examine the economical and political impacts of the auto industry in Canada during the past years, by paying special attention to the economic regional imbalance, the auto pact, the North American Free Trade Agreement and also the shift in the Canadian auto market, from American automakers to the Japanese automakers during the past three decades. The automotive industry expanded Canada’s economy by increasing the employment levels, the improvement of roads and contributed to an increase in revenues due to licences and gasoline fees.It also strengthened the economical relationship with our neighbours to the south and has also improved the economy of the southern provinces as it is heavily concentrated in the province of Ontario with major assembly plants in Windsor and Oshawa. The first car was produced in 1888 by Karl Benz in Germany, where as in Canada â €Å"commercial production did not being until after 1900† (White,2007, p. 5) Many Canadian automakers tried their luck but only some succeeded, as the automobile market in Canada was overtaken by the United States in the early stages of its production.It is very important to understand that the beginning of the automobile industry is closely connected to that of the United States. Many people link the creation of the automobile industry in Canada with the American automaker Ford. The design of the American automakers is entirely different from that of the Europeans and this was set early in the history of the car production. The Germans and the French build quality and modern cars which could only be afforded by the rich, where as the Americans were faced by an economic dilemma therefore they build cars that the public at large could afford, at a cheaper quality than the Europeans.As White states in the 1920s the industry hit its stride, expanding such that Canada became the second-largest producer of automobiles in the world. † (2007, p. v) The automobile changed many aspects of the lives of Canadians. The car gave Canadians the leisure they didn’t have before the 1920s. Now they were able to travel long distances comfortably, to find jobs far away from home as now it was easier to get to work. The automobile also allowed for the construction of the hard surface roads. Norrie at al states that by the 1928, there were 8600 km of concrete or macadamized roads in the province (2008, pg. 89) As the number of cars per person increased so did the number of licensed vehicles in Canada. Norrie et al states that by 1923 the number of automobiles in Canada had risen to nearly 1. 2 million (2008, p. 288) Employment rates were steadily rising with the rise in the number of manufactured cars in Canada. The opening of big plants throughout Canada in cities such as Windsor and Oshawa closely contributed to higher employment rates. In 1920 the average num ber of employees in the automobile manufacturing industry was 8,281 where as 6 years later it increased to 11,905. The sun life assurance company, 1956, p. 3 table 1) Even to this day almost 90 years later, these cities are heavily depended on the employment by the automakers. The increase in employment contributed to an increase in the lifestyles of Canadians. Also government revenues increased with the expansion of the automobile industry. They had to find a way to maintain the roads therefore licensing and gas fees were introduced. The automakers did not only increase the lifestyle of the people in the southern provinces but they had a big impact on the western provinces also.Agriculture was one of the many industrial sectors that benefited from the automakers. With cars being built it was now easier for the farmers to sell their products in the market. They now had a more comfortable way to travel and this made their jobs easier. Also the introduction of the farm tractors was a big help in the agriculture industry. The farm tractors increased crop quantities and livestock volume. The tractor was a great invention as it was more efficient and less time consuming. One of the negative impacts of the automobile industry in Canada is that of the regional economic imbalances between the provinces.With the manufacturing being heavily concentrated in Ontario, the other provinces of Canada do not get the same economic output as Ontario does. â€Å"Ontario is considered by far the wealthiest province. The province generates almost 50 percent of Canada’s GDP which translates into a staggering 675 billion dollars. Many analysts describe Ontario as the powerhouse of Canada and a serious contender in North America as well as globally† (Ohmae, 73) The manufacturing plants are situated in the southern province so they could be closer to their parent American companies. The export of the manufactured cars has also increased the GDP of the country.This also sh ows that with the most jobs being in Ontario, Canada’s population is heavily concentrated in Ontario as the province offers more employment opportunities. â€Å"Between the years of 1981 to 1995, Ontario’s exports, primarily in the United States, almost quadrupled from $38 billion to $140 billion. Exports to the other provinces doubled but when we compare exports to the rest of the world in contrast to the rest of Canada the exports dropped from 28 per cent to less than 20 per cent â€Å"(Courchene, 278). The above figures show that Ontario is exporting more to the rest of the world than the other provinces.When it comes to exporting to other countries, Ontario exports more to the United States than any other country in the world. Ontario is better off economically because other important industries are located in the provinces. Industries such as the telecommunication industry are also located in Ontario. Therefore with this being said, Ontario is mostly depended on the United States rather than on the other provinces. The auto industry expanded during the 1920s as already mentioned in this essay. A good reason for this was the fact that Canadians themselves were buying cars, since they were a hot commodity during those years.The auto industry was always dominated by the United States and never by the Canadians and this is why many people wonder if the auto industry in Canada is actually Canadian. The second economic boom for the auto makers were the years after the Second World War. After the war production increased as demand was able to meet supply. The industry moved into a period of growth and prosperity after the war. White states: the number of passenger cars produced rose from almost none at the end of the war to 193, 000 in 1949. (2007, p. 71) However during the 1950s the European auto makers ook the upper hand as they had established good production technology. With this technology they were able to produce cheaper and smaller cars, therefore demand for the American auto market started going down. Anything that affected the United States, affected Canada as we were their biggest car manufacture. If the American auto market was to go down, the Canadian economy would crash with them. To better the economic situation and to help the auto industry at home and to save jobs and the live hood of many Canadians, Canada and the United States signed the auto pact in 1968.The Automotive Products Trade Agreement was not based on free trade but it did however remove tariffs on cars and automotive parts between Canada and the United States. It made exports between the two countries cheaper, therefore by raising Canadian exports into the United States. The auto pact helped both countries in dealing with the economic situation at the time. Analysts say that Canada reaped the most benefits from the auto pact as the big 3 ford, general motors and Chrysler ensured that auto production remained and expanded in Canada.Employment in creased in Canada during the years that the auto pact was still in power. Wallace states that the auto pact was phased out in 2001 as its provision were ruled to contravene WTO regulations by favouring particular corporations (2002, p. 114) The auto pact is also one of the best examples that shows the government’s intervention in the market place. The auto pact shows that it was necessary for the government to intervene in helping the economy out and making sure that employment levels did not go down.The economy also expanded because of the North American Free Trade Agreement signed in 1994 between USA Canada and Mexico. The North American Free Trade Agreement opened the doors to free trade between the 3 countries to ensure economic prosperity for North America. Considering that the United States is our biggest exporter and we export 80 % of our goods to our neighbours in the south, it was economically wise to make such an important step. The country’s GDP has steadily grown wince the implementation of the trade agreement.According to the organization for economic co-operation and development Canada’s Gross domestic product has steadily increased at a rate of 3. 42 percent annually. (OECD, 2010) Since Canada has joined the North American Free Trade Agreement and has eliminated tariffs on auto parts used for manufacturing purposes in Canada, our automotive surplus and sales have increased and so have the employment rates. According to Industry Canada employment growth has been highest in the auto parts manufacturing sector, as output rose to supply North American vehicle production.Also Canada is integrated in the North American Market with annual sales of 20 million vehicles and has an overall automotive trade surplus of $ 4. 6 billion on flows totalling % 159. 1 billion. (Industry Canada, 2009). As we can see Canada has economically benefited from free trade with the United States, this however does not go without saying that throughout t he years, the North American Free Trade agreement has intervened on our political matters and disputes between Canada and the United States have increased throughout the years.A good example of one of the biggest disputes would be that of the Softwood lumber. However, despite all the negative impacts of the North American Free Trade agreement we can generally say that Canada has greatly benefited from this agreement. The auto industry has gone through major changes since the auto pact in 1965 and the implementation of the North American Free Trade agreement in 1994. The American auto makers had a financial downturn in 2009 and the big 3 was very close to filing for bankruptcy if the Canadian and American government would have not bailed them out.Many blame the American financial crisis for the financial meltdown of the automotive industry, where as others blame their profit driven practices. The automakers asked the government for loans and also went through restructuring plans and downsized their plants. They let go a lot of employees and shut down many plants across North America but not in Canada. They went through a process of restructuring as it was necessary for their survival. The Bush government implemented a set of conditions for the automakers, if they were to receive loans from the United States government.These conditions were geared towards the employees as they would be the ones to suffer the most. The global financial meltdown crisis did not only affect the American automakers but also European and Asian automakers. It is generally known that the only way to get out of the recession is to spend, but people cannot afford to spend in times of crisis. Many were laid off and had a hard time surviving the economy as they had no means of support. Once again government intervention was necessary from the Canadians.Considering that the economy in the southern Canadian provinces would go down in ruins, if they American plants decided to show down, the Ha rper government announced that they would offer $3. 5 billion to the automakers. With the help from the Canadian and American government, the big 3 seem to have recuperated from the melt down as they want to rehire their employees in Canada. General Motors announced that they will be rehiring people in Oshawa for the production of cars in 2011.Jones states that Friday’s recall announcement is in addition to another 600 workers GM said will be back at work to produce the Buick Regal. Approximately 1200 GM workers are now on lay off† (2010, p. 1). Many were against the bail out of the American automakers from the Canadian government as they said it would be a waste, where as others were concerned about the live hood of thousands of Canadians. The above quote clearly shows that the Canadian government took the right economic decision to benefit its people in the future. As we can see the big American auto makers are recuperating from the financial meltdown.What they have t o worry about now is competition from the Asian automakers, as they have been taking the lead in the automotive industry since the 1980s. There has been a shift in the Canadian auto market from the Americans to the Japanese auto makers. The Americans still manufacture cars in Canada but the Japanese automakers seem to be dominating the automotive market in the recent years. The Japanese made vehicles are leading the automotive market because of various reasons. The first reason is attributed to the increase in oil prices in the begging of the 1980s.With oil prices going up, people could not afford American made cars anymore as they are known to spend a lot of gas, thus making them economically inefficient. That being one of the main reasons, people turned to Japanese made cars as they are smaller and have fuel efficient engines. White states that the share of the Canadian market supplied by Japanese imports jumped from 6. 6 percent in 1979, the lowest it had been in a decade, to 22. 9 percent in 1982. (2007, p. 89) As we can see the Japanese auto makers were taking big steps in the automotive industry.The recession of the 1980s and the increase in oil prices is what mainly contributed for the turn of events in the favour of the Japanese auto makers. The Canadian government ready to protect the country from the recession of the 1980s put in place policies that required â€Å"motor vehicle manufactures selling significant numbers of vehicles in Canada to invest in Canadian production facilities. † (White, 2007, p. 90). The Japanese auto makers responded to the call of the Canadian government and invested in creating auto plants in Canada.Once again the southern part of Canada profited from this as the plants were located around south central Ontario. The Japanese auto makers had other advantages that the American auto makers did not have at the time. The Japanese had a non unionized work force which worked for lower wages and tougher conditions. More than half of the workforce was made up of young people therefore they did not ask for much other than to be able to support their families. With the share of the Japanese auto makers rising, the American automakers market started dropping rapidly.Another good reason for the Japanese to invest in Canada was the desire to gain free access to the American auto market through the creation of the FTA. Another very important reason why the Japanese cars have a high market share in Canada is because they are responding to the concerns of the general public and especially those of environmental issues. The Japanese auto makers pay attention to the new trends and the problems that face the public at large. They are very flexible and are able to respond to public concerns quickly. They have shown this by producing eco friendly cars such as the Toyota pirus and the hybrid camrys.Lately environmental concerns have become a major issue and these concerns are related to the use of cars as the toxins that they release pollute the air that we breathe. Most environmental damage is caused by driving, therefore big auto makers are asked to change their production practices and produce environmentally friendly cars. Japanese auto makers such as Toyota have answered this call and they have come out with the Toyota hybrid car. A good example of an environmentally friendly car that has swept the market is the Toyota prius that is gasoline electric hybrid.These types of cars use two types of energy sources, gasoline and electricity. The hybrid is a dream come true for the environmentalists as it is as fast as any other car out there and it does not pollute the environment. The automobile technology has changed and as we are shifting towards eco friendly cars the American auto makers are trying to keep up. â€Å"GM cancelled production on its Hummer H1 and ford cancelled production on its Excursion SUV† (Automobile Industry Introduction, 2010) They are also trying to outperform the Japanese auto makers and move towards newer trends such as the plug in rechargeable cars. GM is working towards a gasoline- powered generator capable of charging up the batteries for those occasions when it is not convenient to plug in†. (Automobile Industry Introduction, 2010) As we can see the auto industry has come a long way since the 1920s and it is moving towards newer better trends. It is my personal opinion that the leading auto makers will be those companies that are able to understand and respond to the public’s needs and concerns.In conclusion to this essay it is important to note that the automotive industry in has had an enormous economic impact in Canada and especially on the southern provinces. Created by the big American auto makers, the assembly plants in Canada have raised employment levels and have kept a steady lively hood for Canadians. They have also contributed to a change in Canadian industries such as the agriculture industry, by making farming easier and more efficient. The auto industry in Canada did however create a regional economic imbalance between the provinces in Canada.Ontario is the southern province that has enormously benefited from the auto industry as it is located closer to the parent companies. The location makes manufacturing and exporting of the auto parts easier for both countries. Trade agreements such as the auto pact and the North American Free Trade agreement implemented in 1994 between the United States, Mexico and Canada have also increased employment levels in Canada and maintained a steady economic balance by removing tariffs on importing and exporting goods between the three countries.During the 1980s we saw a major shift from the American auto makers to the Japanese producers of cars. This shift was mainly due to increasing oil prices and the ability of the Japanese to provide more affordable and fuel efficient cars. The global economic meltdown also contributed to the downturn of the American auto makers. With the Americans not being able to meet consumer needs, the general public turned towards the Asian auto makers. The Japanese saw a great opportunity and benefited from this shift.They were able to respond to public concerns regarding eco friendly cars and put in place the production of hybrid cars. These cars have swept the general North American market as they seem to be the perfect solutions for people that cannot afford to spend a lot on fuel and also at the same time want to be environmentally friendly. The Canadian auto industry has had its ups and downs but in general it can be said that it has been a great contribution to the Canadian economy by changing the lives of Canadians and by keeping a steady employment rate.