Nowadays, the majority of people are starting to take the care for their health more seriously and try to change their diets to ensure long and healthy future. They, however, still face such aggravating health problems as cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes. Unhealthy eating habits are among the major possible reasons of these conditions. Although with the stability of economic situation most humans can afford the products of animal origin even more comparing with the previous few decades, some of them are convinced that avoiding the consumption of such types of food may have significant health benefits for them. It is thus sensible to suppose that people should become vegetarians because vegetarianism helps to avoid cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Each individual has their own reasons for becoming a vegetarian. Some are religion-based whose adepts abstain from eating animal products. For example, Hindus are not allowed to kill animals as they believe they would have bad karma if they deprived the latter of their life; Buddhism is about keeping the ideas of non-violence but love to everything that surrounds people; Jainists’ values are also connected with non-violence to the point that these people do not even swat mosquitoes; in Islam carnivorous animals are considered dirty. People who do yoga and are involved in spiritual practices usually do not eat meat and fish due to their beliefs and the observance of non-harm. Consequently, individuals become vegetarians with the intention of protecting nature and animals. However, there are also a great number of people who abandon meat because of the health problems linked to consuming it.

Below is an outlined list of the types of vegetarians as per Vegetarian Society (2016):

· lacto-ovo-vegetarians who do not consume either fish or meat;

· ovo-vegetarians who eat eggs but abstain from dairy products;

· vegans who avoid products of animal origin at all;

· pesco-vegetarians who do not favor meat, but eat fish;

· frutarians whose diet consists only of fruits, seeds, and nuts (Vegetarian Society, 2016).

As it may be inferred from the mentioned above, there can be various incentives for adopting this life style: religious beliefs, environmental or health concerns. It is everybody’s choice whether to be a vegetarian or not, but the fact that being vegetarian has lots of advantages which help to prevent various illnesses and protect health in the modern world is worth taking into consideration (American Council on Science and Health, 1997).

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Vegetarianism and Its Impact on Cancer

Diet and cancer are closely connected. According to Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine (n.d.), vegetarian diets may well lead to preventing cancer. For instance, meat and dairy products consumed excessively are said to cause various forms of cancer such as that of ovaries, breast, prostate, and colon. In fact, meat consumption develops cancer risk by approximately 300 percent (Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine, n.d.).

ACSH (1997) asserts that food intake which includes much fat leads to the production of estrogens (estradiol) what can be connected with breast cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer is incredibly high among women whose estradiol level is off scale. The fact which shocks is that the dairy food which is commonly regarded as safe and healthy is indeed able to cause the ovarian cancer (ACSH, 1997). The matter is that after consuming milk sugar converts into galactose, which is the ‘staple food’ for cancer cells and is likely to damage the ovaries. The way to avoid this conversion which may lead to cancer is to substitute cow milk by drinking this product made from soy, coconut, or almond. There are lots of occasions when men switch from regular milk to one of its substitutes. What is remarkable here is that a large number of people who did it said that they eventually felt more vigorous and generally positive. At the same time, there are some doubts about the bad impact of meat, fish and dairy products (The European Food Information Council, 2011).

While it is clear that vegetarians eat a great number of vegetables, fruits and grains, what lowers cancer risk, it is not obvious that people should stop eating all products derived from animals because they decrease the cancer risk. While avoiding red meat may lower the risk of colon cancer, fish-eaters has a smaller risk of cancer diseases than total vegetarians. People are recommended to eat less than 500g of red meat per week (The World Cancer Research Fund). This Fund advises to reduce the consumption of meat to 3-4 times a week if people do not want to change the food habits totally to become vegetarians. However, fish in combination with vegetables, fruits, and grains is regarded as healthy diet. People should not eat meat every day if they want to keep their health strong. Those who consume 100g of red meat (red meat is lamb, pork, or beef) or 50g of processed meat might have an approximately 20% higher risk of developing bowel cancer than vegetarians who do not consume any of these meats. At the same time, vegetarians consume lots of vitamins which regularly help to avoid this disease (EUFIC, 2011).

Furthermore, vegetarians’ blood is rich with a high level of specialized white blood cells. Then these blood cells attack cancer cells (Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine, n.d.). That is why vegetarians have many more benefits than non-vegetarians regarding the protection from cancer, making it one of the diseases which can be avoided with the help of vegetarianism.

Vegetarianism’s Impact on Heart Disease

Vegetarians’ intake of the vitamins needed for the healthy organism is often believed to be higher than that of the general population. To speak specifically, people who avoid eating animal origin food consume only 3 nutrients less than non-vegetarians (ACSH, 1997). In the meanwhile, this healthy diet consists from a higher amount of nuts, fruits, vegetables and grains. As vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy food, it can be substituted with healthier products. After having examined vegetarians from the point of view of diseases, Gillet et al., (2017) made a conclusion that people who restrict from animal origin food are suffering from cancer, heart disease and diabetes a way less than non-vegetarians. After the combined analyses of 5 prospective studies by Gillet et al. (2017), it was claimed that 24% less people die from heart disease when they are vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians after adjusting for sex, smoking, age, and social status (McIntosh, 2011). Furthermore, the studies which were comparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian have found that 40 percent of people who avoid caffeine, smoking and alcohol are vegetarians (Gillet et al., 2017). The matter is that it is healthy to consume products with low glycemic index, such as legumes, as they provide keeping the blood sugar steady. What helps to keep healthy blood lipids is high fiber, which is found in plant-based diets. There is a list of products which may help to reduce the risk of heart disease and most of them are plant origin products. For example, soy beans, seeds, avocados, and nuts (Go Red. (n.d.). And there is no meat, fish, or dairy food among them. It makes think about the consumption of meat.

The benefit of various vitamins also depends from which products that vitamins are received. For example, omega- 3s helps to decrease the heart disease risk. Omega-3s from fish decreases triglycerides but increases good cholesterol levels while omega-3s from walnut works to reduce total cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels (EUFIC, 2011).

Pursuant to the aforesaid, vegetarian diet prevents heart disease. However, it may be not the benefit from the avoiding of meet, but the benefit of the amount of grains, fruits, vegetables consumed by vegetarians. To look deeper, humans need to reduce cholesterol levels and it can be done with the help of fiber. The matter is the food of animal origin does not contain any fiber. Although vegetarians eat less saturated fat and cholesterol, they consume way more healthy nutrients. Vitamins C and E, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals are the common diet among vegetarians, what is unlikely for general people (Harvard Women’s Health Watch, 2017).

Reversion of the atherosclerosis is a common aim among people who suffer from it. Humans have been told about healthy lifestyle for years: at school, at work, at home. But what is the clue of achieving the atherosclerosis reversing? Doing sport, reducing stress, quitting smoking, and being cautious with medicines must all be combined with vegetarian diet. The main point is that diet should be low-fat. It is clear that low-fat food, in addition to vegetables and fruit, is the secret of the long-term health and prevention of cancer, heart-disease, and atherosclerosis. But what is about diabetes?

Vegetarianism and Its Impact on Diabetes

Vegetarianism is a prevalent choice of those who have a desire to reverse diabetes. In combination with regular exercises, a vegetarian diet helps to reduce or prevent diabetes. Here is the matter of the insulin, which needs to work effectively in order to get rid of diabetes. The diet which is low in fat, high in complex carbohydrates and fiber helps the insulin. Vegetarian diet is able to decrease the amounts of insulin used. However, some diabetes types are insulin-dependent and auto-immune reaction to dairy products is able to cause insulin-dependent diabetes (ACSH, 1997).

The low rate of diabetes among vegetarians may also be the consequence of the small body mass index among vegetarians. Non-vegetarians have the highest body mass index, what can lead to diabetes. At the same time, vegans differ from all other people because they have the lowest BMI.

What should be taken into account is that the sex of the person plays a great role in the question diabetes question. When concerning cancer, being vegetarian is more important for women, here is a deal which refers to men. Due to the studies, non-vegetarian men are approximately twice likely to die from diabetes than vegetarian men. However, women do not show a big difference between vegetarians and non-vegetarians who die from diabetes (Findings regarding Seventh-day Adventists). Here is also an additional risk associated with eating process meat, such as bacon, ham, salami. In addition, people with diabetes have a high risk of cardiovascular disease while plant-based products help to reduce blood pressure, blood cholesterol and keep the weight adequately. In the end, these steps help people to reduce the diabetes. Eating healthy food is plant-based food is able to improve blood sugar control. Then it makes body more responsive to insulin, what helps to decrease the problems related to diabetes (EUFIC, 2011).

Conclusion

Being a vegetarian has healthier benefits than being non-vegetarian. It seems that vegetarians’ diet is full of vitamins which general people often do not receive. It may be hard to change food habits and restrict from meat, fish and dairy products. However, there are many different types of vegetarianism and people are provided with the ability to choose a certain diet concerning their own beliefs and aims. Vegetarian diet provides a strong health, enriches with a multitude of vitamins and helps to prevent many illnesses. It is able to prevent from cancer, to decrease a heart disease risk and reduce the diabetes. The consumption of lots of fat leads to production of estradiol what is connected to breast cancer. That is why non-vegetarian people often face with this disease nowadays. What is more, dairy products develop the risk of the ovarian cancer. The milk sugar converse into galactose that can lead to ovarian cancer. At the same time, the vegetarian’s diet, which consists from a great amount of vegetables, fruits and nuts helps to prevent cancer. Vegetarians eat food with law glycemic index, which keeps the blood sugar steady. Vegetarianism reduces weight, what can also prevent from diabetes. There is no denying that people who want to become healthier should consume more grains, nuts and vegetables. It can be better to eat healthy products, substituting the meat, fish and dairy products. To remain healthy it is important to be sure whether the consumed food is healthy or not. Vegetarianism is the future of people who want to live healthy life without diseases.

Since the Internet was established, numerous studies were conducted to measure its advantages or disadvantages, especially which concerned students at schools and universities. Scientists still claim the drawbacks of the Internet are obvious: those are distraction, lack of real communication and communicative skills, disturbed privacy, addiction and, as a result, several illnesses including widespread insomnia. But the access to information without limits is a big advantage. Nonetheless, it does not exceed the ruining disadvantages.

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Although the Internet is the source of various information, it can spoil students’ productivity. There is no use to equip students with new gadgets before they learn how to use them properly. The research, conducted by three scientists, collected data of 128 college students in the northeast region of the US. It was not a survey which gives an opportunity for a student to answer some special questions, but the research was conducted without letting the students know they participate in it. The researchers emphasized on a negative correlation between a student’s time per week using of the network and his or her exam performance in some courses. They believed it would be wrong to claim from these results that the Internet does not help the students, and it is not a rich source of knowledge as well as it is not capable of enhancing the academic performance of the students.

When it comes to numbers, it is worth considering that the average performance scores of the participants in the study were 1050 points which was only 23 points above the common average among college students during the two academic years period which is the period in which the research was done (Englandera, Terregrossab, Wang, 95). That helped to verify that the participants were just representatives of the of the common students of college population. They were so-called median segment. Should the scientists have enlarged their circle of participants, perhaps, the results would be of a greater confidence.

In any case, the results of a survey recommend that there is a requirement for further researches before colleges and universities decide to equip students with extra high-tech gadgets aimed at further increasing the accessibility of the Internet – unless such endeavors are expected to be a marketing ploy instead of being a strategy and methodology to achieve a higher academic purpose.

The same study emphasized the problem of some colleges that may encourage students to communicate with professors and other students via the Internet rather than promoting profitable real communication. This unhealthy enthusiasm for the high technology and for communication through the Internet is accompanied by colleges’ fears that there may be a distraction which can harm the process of acquiring knowledge, performative and communicative skills, critical thinking skills and so on.

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Students tend to hide their worse performance caused by the Internet. The second study reached even more students – 531 of them from a college. They were surveyed through the several questionnaires which were to assess the general generation features and the youth’s Internet using. Almost ¾ of the students used the Internet at least once a week; and more than 10 percent of these users claimed their usage of the network is excessive and harms their educational development and personalities as such (Sherer, 665). It is obvious that much more students feel themselves addicted but they are probably insincere and do not want to confess to the scientists. Therefore, the method of questionnaires is unreliable when it comes to assessing negative aspects of some technology.

The Internet reduces face-to-face communication allowing college students to neglect it in favor of messaging via the Internet. Also, students would rather use the Web to entertain themselves than to increase their performance. The study of Jones shows opposite opinions of the students. Most of them (around 2, 500 students surveyed) said they are active users of the Internet and they are proud of it as it gives them quick academic growth and enhance their college performance. Almost half of them say that communicating through email enables them to tell some ideas and reflections to a professor that they would feel shame while expressing in class, for instance, when it comes to asking about the grade. Only 1/5 (almost 20%) of the students said they even now communicate more with their professors via email than they do real communication. More importantly, about half of all the students that have been surveyed claim it is obligatory for them to use the network and social media, especially to contact other students asking them for homework or other issues concerning their studies. This is, they say, to promote better cooperation in the classes and out of them (Jones 2).

All in all, the numerous surveys in the research conclude that college students are heavy users of the Internet when comparing to the older or younger (children’s) population. The Internet usage is a part of their daily routine allowing them to survive in the modern world of extreme speed and huge size of incoming information. Indeed, it has become an irreplaceable tool what can be explained by the fact that 1/5 of college students began using computers in their very childhood or at school, although the study is of 2002. This research was comparative, and it has shown that more than 85% of them have gone online, compared with 60% of the other non-student surveyed population. For example, 70% of them are checking email once a day or more.

The college encounter isn’t just about learning in the classroom, it is additionally about acquiring new socializing skills and increasing new social aptitudes. Understudies utilize the Web almost as much for social correspondence as they improve the situation with their studies. Be that as it may, just as they utilize the Internet to supplement the formal parts of their performance at college, they go on the web to improve their social skills as well (Jones 7).

Undergrads likewise lead other Internet clients in document sharing of different types. Almost 45% of college Internet clients report sharing records from their own PCs while only 25% of the non-student population of Internet users have shared records. The sharing of files and documents other than music is more noteworthy among college Internet users – more than 50% of them have downloaded some files while 40% of the general population revealed doing that. 75% of the students use texting services on daily basis more than 3 times a week.

In the meantime, there are a few similarities between understudies’ utilization of the Internet and the other population’s usage. On a regular day, 57% of college understudies deal with Internet to satisfy their needs of going online whether to text somebody or just for the entertainment. To the similar extent, the surveyed U.S. Web clients are online on a daily basis. Furthermore, the measure of experience undergrads have on the web (the measurements of the time they have utilized the Internet) is generally the same as the general American population.

Moreover, not at all like the overall population, undergrads have moderating conditions that specifically influence how they utilize the Internet to speak with others. A big part of the students experience is figuring out how to create and keep up individual and expert connections. This networking is crucial for them to develop a career. Understudies are expected to socialize with their professors and classmates at an alternative level from that they had already experienced (face-to-face communication). They should learn to incorporate the Internet into new structures, examples and propensities of communication. The network lets social connections to be cultivated more effectively in addition to new relationships that are formed through the Web. Twenty percent of students Web users are using instant messaging on an average day (Jones 5).

There is a tendency that students spend more and more time on the Internet year after year and they live in their virtual reality. The fourth study that proves the argument was also partly a survey. It included thirty behavioral, attitudinal, and demographic items that were expected to conclude more precise results. For example, for demographic data, the scientists gathered details on participants’ ages, genders, years of college, places of residence and so on. The researchers also started from the question whether a person uses the Internet or avoids / minimizes its usage, then they assessed the likelihood of using it and finished by the question of how often students retrieve some information form the Web. The results were somehow similar to the previous study: almost all of the 750 students who were mostly women, on their first-year of studies, and who were of white race reported their frequent Internet use whether for studies or for fun.

This study was conducted only three years after the previous, but it has showed the students are more obsessed with the Internet: 85 percent reported using the Internet up to 7 days a week. They tried to apologize by saying that they use it for less than 2.5 hours a day. 60 % of them reported being professional users with the Internet; and more than 50% claimed that they would like to get all the information on the Internet rather than going to the libraries. The study was focused on getting the information about a health program on the Internet, but it concludes some general evidence as well. Overall, more than 70% reported getting health (and other) information from the Internet and 7 percent of those reported getting data a lot (Escoffery, Miner, Adame, Edd, McCormick, 185).

The last and the more urgent issue is internet addiction among the students. For this survey, the 200 Malaysian students were assessed. The researchers emphasized that the negative impacts of Internet addiction the decrease of interpersonal relationship, behavioral problems ans psychological problems such as social anxiety, constant depression, absence of ability to control one’s emotions or the way of thinking and so on. Some physical problems were also revealed: migraine, sleep disrupt, pain in the backbone etc. Internet addiction, say the scientific group, might affect one’s work performance (Alam, Hashim, Ahmad, Omar, 635).

To conclude, those four studies of college students and their Internet usage leads to the thought that modern college students are getting more and more obsessed with the Internet, no matter whether they use it to increase their college studies performance or just to entertain themselves. This results in internet addiction which causes anxiety, psychological disorders and physical health problems. Nonetheless, students believe the high technology gives them the opportunity to get better grades and to study more efficiently. Therefore, the need for such studies’ results to be published frequently, given to the students’ notice and discussed by them is vital.

Throughout its existence, Apple Inc. has become synonymous with innovation, invention and high quality. The company gets numerous preorders few months before the release of new products. Customers are rarely bothered by the steep price tags of Apple Inc. products. Apple Inc. utilizes a solid product strategy that has remained effective and successful. The company has a strong commitment to ensuring that consumers get the finest user experiences through innovative services, software, and products. Apple Inc. is convinced that excellent buying experiences through knowledgeable employees convey the value of the services and products of the company and greatly improves its capacity to attract and retain clients. The company is convinced that continuous research and development, as well as advertising and marketing are important to developing and selling innovating technologies, services, and products. Apple Inc. has been providing its customers with exceptional services without making profit motives as its main driver.

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Excellent Customer Service

Former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, had exceptional and operational visions concerning how individuals sought interaction with technology. In his opinion, these visions were crucial, since he was convinced that customers’ preferences are restricted to what they are aware of, rather than possibilities. Therefore, Apple Inc. pondered about the experiences of customers and sought to create innovative products. Apple’s obsession with customers resulted in a situation, where the company considered the formal market research to be less significant. Nevertheless, it is clear that Apple Inc. devotes a lot of time and resources to observe the manner in which its customers and other companies utilize technology. Through usability testing and participatory design, Apple Inc. has been able to include customer experiences into its process of design and development. Even though Steve Jobs was the most important customer, this fact did not hinder more systematic customer participation in the entire process.

Steve Jobs also taught his employees to consider Apple Inc. as an acronym with every letter corresponding to a specific step. The first stage is “approaching” clients through warmly welcoming them (Williams, 2013). In this stage, all employees are supposed to offer committed, passionate, and friendly customer service, since customers’ perception concerning the service is created at initial contact. Secondly, the employees are supposed to politely “probe” to get a better understanding of customers’ needs (McCann, 2012; O’Rourke, 2017). This entails asking open and closed-ended questions to be able to match a client to the appropriate product, not necessarily a costly one. Thirdly, employees are supposed to “present” solutions for any issues customers may have, so that they can build customer loyalty through enriching consumers’ lives (Solis, 2015). Next, the Apple Inc. specialists should “listen” for and solve any problems or customer concerns, which the employees should identify at the “probing” phase by seeking responses through questions (Gallo, 2012). For instance, some customers who have used PCs for a long time may not be willing to acquire new operating system but will fail to express it. However, an expert who identifies this concern will ensure a customer is comfortable with providing more information on the advantages of a new operating system. The last stage entails “ending” with a good-bye, while, at the same time, inviting a client to come back (Banks & Vacca, 2012). Given a client is satisfied after a transaction, he or she would, most likely, commend the brand to other potential buyers (Hong & Yang, 2009). Even after a customer buys devices, it is common to find specialists giving customers business cards, in case they have any concerns and so that the customer has a reason to come back.

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Apple Inc.’s marketing dexterity is inspirational. At the time of its incorporation in January 1977, Apple Inc.’s advisor and investor, Mike Markkula, developed a three-pronged marketing approach (Gong, 2013). Remarkably, the philosophy is still at the center of factors that have made the company effective and turn in profits from the customer’s loyalty. This can be considered as a fitting example of strong marketing capabilities. The first point adopted by Apple Inc. is “empathy,” which entails properly understanding the requirements of customers better than other companies (Berlin, 2017). The subsequent point is “focus,” which involves the elimination of all insignificant and inconsequential opportunities, so that the company can triumph in the areas which it decides to concentrate on (Gong, 2013). Ultimately, the company emphasizes on “impute,” which is concerned with the manner in which it presents its products to customers (Ling, 2016). Apple Inc. is aware that first impressions are crucial, and having the best product, with the suitable software and of the highest quality, but presenting it in a half-hazard manner will make it appear disordered. Therefore, the company strives to present its products in an expertly and creative manner in order to impute anticipated qualities (Strauss, 2018). Apple Inc. has employed these philosophies to develop the most valuable company on the globe and to be among the most valuable brands internationally.

Apple Inc. operates in various regions of the world, including design, assembly, and distribution. Since the inception of Apple Inc. in 1977, the company has employed more than 70 million individuals all over the globe (Gong, 2013). A large percentage of the company’s employees have been positioned within the United States, even though Apple has had considerable manufacturing, marketing, sales and support companies in different areas of the planet, as well as some engineering processes in Tokyo and Paris (Guglielmo, 2018; Lakin, 2012). The business of the company is managed based on geography with its reportable divisions consisting of Japan, China, Europe, the Americas, and the Rest of Asia Pacific. Apple Inc. segment in the Americas covers South and North America, while in Europe it is comprised of all countries within the continent, together with Africa, the Middle East, and India. Further, Asian nations that are not part of Apple’s other reportable divisions, together with Australia, are included in the rest of Asia Pacific, while Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and covered in the larger China. Even though these divisions report the same services, software and hardware products, every one of them is independently managed to achieve better alignment with the location of Apple Inc. distribution partners and customers, as well as the exceptional market underlying forces of every region.

Apple’s Return and Refund Policy

The majority of stores emphasize on provision and practice of excellent customer service, particularly to improve their sales. However, customer service does not and should not end after the customer has made the purchase. Retailers are usually tested when customers return products, while effectively telling them that the sales transaction was not successful, since an item was defective, or that they were able to identify something of higher quality or a more competitive price (Li, Xu, & Li, 2013). In Apple’s case, if a customer is dissatisfied with his or her new Apple product, or if a device is malfunctioning, they are encouraged to immediately call Apple Support and make a report of a faulty product. In case faulty or defective hardware is non-Apple branded, a customer is encouraged to contact Apple Store Customer Care and make a report immediately. Further, a customer can also review their rights in the sales policy that can be found on Apple’s website.

Even though customers are allowed to return devices that they feel are defective, there are guidelines that govern this process. Apple Inc. allows customers 14 calendar days to return products that do not satisfy them (Apple, 2018). The returns may be prepared through the internet in company’s order status website. The returns are covered under a sales and refund policy that allows the customer to indicate an intention to return within 14 days of the item’s receipt (Zschau, 2011). Subsequent to indicating the intent, the customer has 14 more days to return the item or make arrangements for them to be collected. The company also accepts software returns within the same period. However, this is only applicable when the seal was not broken. This aspect is an addition to the liberty of consumers to return items that they consider faulty. Customers returning items must provide their web order number, address from where Apple will collect the product and a contact number after which Apple Inc. provides a Return Material Authorization number that should be indicated on the package to make sure that the return is handled swiftly (Apple, 2018). The company reminds customers to reset or cancel their wireless accounts before returning the items.

Apple’s customers can decide to either return or ship back their products to the store. Through accessing the Self-Service page on the company’s website, customers can print a return label that allows them to drop off their items at a pickup location. Upon printing the return label, it should be attached to the package containing the item being returned and dropped at the convenient pickup point. The customers can also return the products directly to the stores, where they purchased them from within 14 days after an indication of intent. After Apple Inc. receives the item, refunds are immediately initiated, with the manner in which the refund is processed being dependent on the original mode of payment. Refunds for debit or credit card payments are sent to the banks that issued the cards within five business days, while items bought on the Apple’s website through the company’s Gift Card are refunded through the email (Zschau, 2011). Customers can return items and have them exchanged or replaced subject to availability of items in the store. They are encouraged to confirm stock availability before visiting the stores by contacting calling customer care or checking company’s website (“Apple”, 2018). Ideally, refunds are processed within five to seven business days after the return of the items with cash payments, like wire transfers or cheques requiring bank details, so that Apple Inc. can send the refunds directly to the customer’s account.

Apple’s customers are eligible for the iPhone upgrade program, which is the company’s reaction to carrier offers that allow customers to finance their devices for a specific amount of money every month. The program enables customers to purchase new iPhones by paying in 24 installments, and after making 12 payments, they can automatically get a new device without additional costs. Initially, carriers gave customers a particular subsidy on their phones for entering into two-year contracts. Nevertheless, such agreements are waning and being substituted with monthly plans. The program releases customers from being bound to one carrier for 24 months, since they decide on a new carrier when signing up for the programs and can switch and move to a different carrier if they are not satisfied without struggling to get out of a two-year plan. This also encourages more individuals to purchase iPhones each year, which drives company’s profitability. The upgrade program of iPhone is open to the customers in the United States, China and the United Kingdom who wish to purchase the latest iPhone devices that include iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. However, Apple Inc. has offered a trade-in program for those who want to purchase older models of the iPhone device.

Apple Inc. also offers iTunes to its customers as a service. According to Rogers (2013), the revenue of the Apple Inc. which originates from iTunes has been steadily increasing as the company experiences exponential growth in profitability from its diverse variety of services. Even though this is the case, approximately 18% of all customers are paid subscribers of its services, which leaves a lot of room for enhanced recurring revenues. Noticeable, Apple Inc. Music seems to be a revenue source, with indications that the streaming music service may get more paid-up subscribers in comparison to Spotify shortly (Worstall, 2012). With the increase in revenue from different services other than physical devices, such as the iPhone, Apple is focused to become more and more profitable as more of its customers take up and subscribe to the services that it is offering through Apple Store, Apple Music, and iTunes among others.

iTunes is quickly growing to be among the largest media companies on the planet. The large media library associated with iTunes began with songs being downloaded for $0.99 (Mehta & Steinman, 2016). However, the company is currently selling Mac and iOS applications, the prices of which are considerably higher than 1$, together with New York Times subscriptions and season passes for various television shows. The store generates about 30% of Apple’s revenues, and even after the company pays transaction costs, it remains with a substantial amount. The iTunes division of Apple Inc. is still smaller than companies, such as Disney and News Corp, whose turnover is significantly higher. Nevertheless, for a business that puts a lot of emphasis on creating of innovative devices, Apple Inc. has been able to create one of the largest media realms on the globe, as a simple additional project, putting it ahead of the competition with such big companies like Microsoft, Samsung, and Google.

Conclusion

The most effective product strategy that has been employed by Apple Inc. is the development of high-quality products, not necessarily dwelling on profit margins. They have maintained this exception products strategy through holding on to exceptional standards of quality. The company has also avoided joining the trend that numerous other device manufacturers have adopted. The trend entails packing products with bloating features that may be viewed as astoundingly advanced, but subsequently, complicate the operation of the devices and make the user-unfriendly. Apple Inc. has been providing simple and practical product packaging through creating functional appeal, without appearing plain and boring. Its strategy also emphasizes on quality more than quantity. When other companies strive to produce new devices for the market in quick succession within a short time and having diversified collections of products, Apple Inc. has chosen to adhere to its area of expertise. As such, the company puts more emphasis to particular products and improves them, rather than diverging to develop other devices and products in the same class.

Original sin is defined as a tendency to sin innate in all human beings. It is argued that the original sin was inherited from Adam, especially as a consequence of the fall of men. There is some controversy over original sin. The reason attributed to this assertion is that there are some scholars who hold the belief that every human being is guilty because of the Adam’s sin. On the contrary, there are other scholars who have rejected the doctrine that every human being is an inborn sinner. Notably, the rejection of the doctrine that all humans are sinners because of Adam’s fall is based on the optimistic view of the human nature that mankind is inherently good rather than inherently sinful. Also, it is an understanding of what Adam committed was a sin, but every person who was born afterwards is not a sinner due to the definition and latest results of the debate of original sin. However, considering the fact that we are born having the same ancestral roots from Adam and Eve, the arguments of Pelagius and Augustine about original sin show depicts unique points of view. Thus, all humans are in-born sinners who possess original sin that increases their propensity to engage in sinful actions but are redeemable by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

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Pelagianism

Pelagius theory claims to be saved by his own efforts, not the grace of God. Pelagius taught the Pelagian Heresy, which is a 5^th century Christian heresy. Pelagius placed his starting point on natural human abilities. He denied that all human beings were born sinners because they did not believe in original sin. Adam was actively describedmorally neutrally, not good and evil, and Pelagiusthought that he was born in that state. Sin is the result of free choice. Therefore, if a man does not want to commit a sin, then he is nota sinner. As for the sin itself, it is wholly free will. At the same time, Pelagius claimed that man has inner ability to choose good, in other words, to believe in the gospel. As it was indicated earlier, the rejection of the doctrine that all humans are sinners because of Adam is based on the optimistic view that all humanity is inherently good rather than inherently bad. In his teachings, Pelagius did not only emphasize the freedom of the human will, but he also stressed the essential goodness of the human nature. In the majority of his teachings, Pelagius instated that God created man in a manner that the latter was free to choose between what is good and what is evil. Indeed, the follower of Pelagius, referred to as Celestius, did not only reject the necessity of infant baptism but also rejected the church’s doctrine that all humans are originally sinners. In brief, Pelagius rejected the doctrine that all humans are sinners due to original sin committed by Adam on the basis that since God created man in such a way that the latter was free to choose between the evil and good deeds and things, it means then that man voluntarily goes against the laws of God, hence committing sin.

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Augustine

On the other hand, Augustine, who was the bishop of Hippo, argues that in the desperate state of original sin, no man can save himself, and there is no way to be saved unless he will obtain a redemptive grace. Salvation comes entirely through the grace of God. In other terms, Augustine held the belief that it is impossible for humans to utilize their own efforts for achieving righteousness; therefore, to attain it, people must rely on God’s grace. If a sinner believes in being saved, it is the grace of God and his grace given to those who are scheduled to eternal life with God. Thus, the faith does not come from free will of the sinner, but from the grace of God given to the subject. Although Augustine agrees with Pelagius’ assertion that the will of a man is free from coercion, he still disagrees with his theory that the human nature is inherently good rather than inherently sinful, and that the corruption of the nature pushesman to commit sin. According to Augustine, the human nature started to lose freedom at the moment Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan. In other terms, despite the fact that the will of a human being is free from coercion, the punishment that man received from God upon his corruption of the nature transformed the freedom into a necessity. Augustine adds that free will of a human being does not have power for righteousness owing to the fact that it has been enslaved. Although the nature is common to all humans, the grace of a man is not what the grace of God is because human free will never be free and will forever be enslaved. The will of a man is not free because a man is compelled to obey, especially when God frees him. Although man received free will from God when he was created, it haddisappeared the moment he sinned. It is important to highlight here the fact that the grace of God in not given to all the people, and that those who are given free will are not really granted it based on its merits or the merits of the work of their hands. Instead, some people who receive the grace of God are given it for free. On the other hand, the others do not receive the grace of God because the righteous judgment of God requires that they should not be given it.

Arguments against Pelagius and Augustine

The most important problems of Pelagius’ and Augustine’s arguments were free will and original sin. According to Pelagius, Adam’s undisguised state was neither holy nor sinful noreven neutral enough to do good or evil. He had free and undecided will, and he could freely choose any of these according to his desires. However, Augustine argued that even before the fall of man, he must absolutely rely on God for the realization of his destiny. Another notable thing is that since Augustine’s account for original sin is meant to shine light on the perception presented by Pelagius regarding the possibility of the human perfection, it implies that something is deeply wrong. On a side note, misapplication of terms has wrapped the arguments presented by Augustine as well as those offered by Pelagius about the original sin, and this has resulted in misunderstanding about the motives of the two antagonists.

Pelagius maintains the idea that the sin that Adam committed only affected him and that infants are in the same state that Adam was before the fall. However, regarding the arguments against Pelagius, it is apparent that semi-Pelagianism has a doctrine of the original sin, within which the mankind is considered to be fallen. Consequently, virtue is not only facilitated by grace, but it is also imperative for virtue to ensue. On the contrary, considering the fact that it is possible for the nature of man to be changed, it means then the fall significantly altered the man’s nature. However, there is a great need to take note that there is a moral possibility that the fall did not affect humanity according to the semi-Pelagianism doctrine of the original sin. In this context, an individual who has committed sin is capable of moving him/herself to cooperate with the grace of God through. This is line with 2 Corinthians 5: 17 which note that whoever is in Christ is a new creation, the one has gone and the new has come. In this context, the old that is gone is the original sin that makes individuals inclined towards sin. Thus, God broke original sin through Jesus Christ’s works on the cross.

As for the arguments against Augustine, the grace itself is not always effective. The reason attributed to this assertion is the fact that the effectiveness of the grace is always dependent on the manner in which a sinner cooperates with it, as far as the virtue of the exercise of the man’s will is concerned. Another argument that can be presented against perspective of the original sin (the fall of man) is that the author asserted that man is a ‘mess of sin’ since no human being is capable of raising him/herself from the spiritual death. This is an indication that even Augustine himself is incapable of moving or inclining himself to God. Indeed, human beings are capable of cooperating with the grace of God. Because of Jesus, Christians have power over sin and saying no to all forms of ungodliness because of the grace of God (Titus 2:11). Thus, the grace of God is an important concept in this context.

Conclusion

In conclusion, all humans are in-born sinners who possess original sin that increases their propensity to engage in sinful actions. This became a debatable issue because different scholars hold contrary views in respect to original sin. For instance, Augustine held the belief that it is impossible for humans to utilize their own efforts to achieve righteousness. Therefore, in order to attain it, they must rely upon God’s grace. On the other hand, Pelagius maintains that sin occurs as a result of free choice; thus, if a man does not want to commit sin, then he is free not to do it. Nevertheless, both Pelagius’ and Augustine’s arguments have some flaws. They both fail to give credence to the grace of God through Jesus Christ who redeemed. Jesus was the manifestation of the grace of God that empowers every person to break the power of original sin and live a life of godliness. Without mentioning Jesus, maybe Augustine and Pelagius have a valid point.

In sports competitions, athletes try to outdo each other on speed, physical strength, endurance, and wit. Individuals with outstanding combinations of these attributes succeed in sports and become the big names that fans adore even long after they are gone from our screens. The life of a top athlete can be summarized in three stages: it starts with sampling years, then come specialization and investment times and after them a maintenance period (Stambulova & Ryba, 2013). They are most effective and competitive; their contribution is indisputable in their sport and their teams benefit from them when they are in their 20’s and 30’s (Allen & Hopkins, 2015). Their play peaks at this time in most cases with a few exemptions. Taking a pay cut means having ones pay reduced which may occur either willingly or out of compulsion. When athletes are obliged to take pay cuts, it means they are put in a morally or legally disadvantaged position where they are compelled or made to feel indebted by having their pay reduced. The conflict with pay cuts on aged athletes has grown because while in the past some of them would take less pay willingly, others were forced to take pay cuts if they wanted to remain with their teams while there also were those who demanded more money from their clubs. This has created a presumably unfair situation as it is often believed that as athletes get older and their on-court performance decreases, they are to be paid less than when they performed at their best.

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Historical Background

Athletes have been taking pay cuts for various reasons for a long time. Over the last decade, the issue has become very popular with star athletes such as Kobe Bryant making remarks on the subject that stirred mixed feelings. The issue affects the market, fans, athletes themselves, and the franchises paying them. These divergent opinions on the subject have become a big challenge to arriving at a conclusion on the issue which is slowly creating rifts between and within the athletic community. Some argue that the athletes should be obligated to take the pay cuts while on the other hand others maintain that they should not. Old athletes should supposedly get less pay because as they age, their productivity to the team is not so significant. Besides, the money saved in the process helps the franchisers sign contracts with younger players who lay the foundation for the teams’ future. This way the veterans will leave their teams in a better condition than they found them, by so doing also promoting professionalism, self-dignity, and the overall fair play where individuals are rewarded proportionally to their contribution.

Arguments against Pay Cuts

Various reasons have been cited against obligating aged athletes to take pay cuts. First is the image and reputation of the legend. Those that argue against the pay cuts say that for a legendary athlete who has had a shining career all their life taking less pay only because they are not young anymore is disrespectful and can be translated as an insult. It tarnishes the image of the hero who gave their best in the due time and whose name was at a certain point synonymous with their sport. They claim that receiving less money would demotivate other ambitious and upcoming athletes who look up to them because the money that comes with the effort is one of their biggest driving forces in the industry. Furthermore, it is believed that a big name that would be repeated throughout time could be easily be made ordinary by a pay cut.

In addition, these players deserve it. They reasonably argue that although many athletes rise, only very few get that far. These are the few who have worked hard all through their sporting career with discipline and consistency that enabled them to win championships along the way. This, added to the injuries and risks they take in the course of their short careers, has earned them the right and made worthy to be overpaid in old age. This builds on the core morals of our society that hard work pays and also encourages talent development. It would be wrong that after they put in all that time and effort, they are obliged to take pay cuts that could put them at the same levels as their colleagues who did not work as hard.

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Thirdly, these players bring other benefits to a franchise and to the sport in general. These include ticket sales and TV deals because of their huge fan base. They also attract enormous sponsorships. Let us take an example of Kobe Bryant, a legend in basketball. During his last season in Los Angeles Lakers in 2016, he did not demonstrate the star level game and was widely criticized for this. However, no player has ever added so much value to a franchise like Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers. He is credited with a whopping $600 million boom in the value of his club (Aldridge, 2014). To obligate him to take a pay cut based on his underperformance as a player would have been a very narrow and shallow view of things, to say the least. He, however, took a pay cut in 2016 on his deal of $48 million. Lastly, it is argued that with most of these players who have come this far you get what you pay for. A typical example is the case of the Lakers mentioned above. The benefit and value of Kobe Bryant were proportional if not superior to the pay he was getting.

Arguments for Pay Cuts

On the other hand, athletes mostly rely on talent and so do individuals successful in all other careers. The Expectancy theory holds that the reward one gets from his work should be proportional to the effort and time invested. This fact is biblically supported by the words of St. Paul to the Thessalonians (2 Thes. 3:10 King James Version): “…this we commanded that any man who do not work, neither should he eat…”. Some careers, such as healthcare professions, require intellectual investment and a lot of time. Based on athletic standards, one could argue that the reward that sport stars get is not proportional and that most other professionals are underpaid. It is on such foundations that most of us will declare that professional athletes are being overpaid and that they should actually be obligated to take the pay cuts, especially when older and less effective (Kent, 2016).

First is their worth. Different athletes are paid differently because of the value they bring in the game. Athletes become worth big money by employing effort which translates into high productivity in the sport and big rewards. As they age, their competitiveness in the sports decreases, they become injury prone, miss many games and their value generally decreases. They should therefore be paid what they deserve, which is much less than what it was in their prime time. This is because the franchisers that pay them are team members who have to win games as a primary objective (Scaletta, 2015). An example is Ryan Howard a 37-year-old baseball player signed by the Phillies in 2011 on a $125 million contract extension. This was later termed as one of the worst contracts ever signed. For the next 3 seasons after his signing, Howard played so awfully that the Phillies benched him and even wanted to cut him, a move that the general manager denied as it could cost them the other $70 million. The Phillies were at their worst for five seasons and some attribute it to Howard’s presence. He for sure should have been obligated to take a pay cut.

A further argument is the issue of professionalism. As pointed out in Kent (2016) , in a society where people are struggling with repaying student loans and finding employment making mortgage payments, it becomes frustrating to read about an athlete who has been earning huge amounts of money regardless of their depreciating productivity and absence from their duty. They still get paid the same amount of money which is sometimes more than what the average American householder makes in a decade. Let us take an example of Joe Johnson. He was at one time one of the top 5 shooters in NBA. He, however, was not worth the 6-year contract with the Hawks of $120 million in 2010 when he averaged meager 14.7 points per game for the entire season. If he had set a good example by taking a pay cut soon enough, as stated in Titus (2:7 King James Version) “… in everything, set them an example by doing. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness…”, he would have saved his club a lot of money. Further, when a player in a team is overpaid because he is a legend, it stirs resentment in their teams.

The third reason for the pay cuts is the need to balance between the promising youth which lays the foundation for the future in their sport and the old age output. Clubs need to bring in new top quality players. This was one of the functions in Sir Alex Ferguson’s formula for building a successful team (Elberse, 2013). He kept signing contracts with new young players and giving them time and environment that could enable them to succeed while the old players were sold. This was one of the techniques he employed to become one of the greatest football coaches of all times. By promoting such rising stars, the quality of the game supplemented with new talents also rises. It becomes very hard to do that when all the money is tied up in the salary of an aging legend who does not have the same productivity as the new gifted player would have. By taking pay cuts, older players help their clubs save money and invest it in the future.

Another reason is the moral obligation to leave a place better than you found it. In his last seasons at the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant signed a $48.5 million contract. At this point in the season, the Lakers were expecting and really needed an improvement of their roster, but with this contract it was unreal as Bryant occupied a third of the team’s capacity and the addition of a player was only possible in the next season. This was not the only challenge that came with the deal. The team’s flexibility was restrained and pursuing a top class free agent was going to be a challenge which they were not able to take that season. This deal had come as an obligation to the management, to ensure that Bryant retired a Laker. He had an injury during the signing and had not shown a $48.5 million on-court performance in the previous season. He was the most highly-paid NBA player but it could be argued that he did not actually need that last $48.5 million as his performance at the time was not worth that much. If he had taken a pay cut at that moment, he could have left the team in a much better condition. It was in his power to do that since he was retiring with the over $250 million salary that the franchise had paid him by that time and which made him a very rich man.

In sports the most important thing for an athlete is their performance. Being the best you can be to your team and building chemistry with your teammates is paramount. Being paid the most, however, does not make you the greatest player. The passion for the sport and loyalty to your team should always come first.

There were many instances where top athletes signed very expensive contracts but due to lack of an equally good team around them, they did not win any championships. Among such examples is Charles Barkley, one of the best players in NBA. He played for 16 years in the league and had some of the best stats but no championship to his name. Barkley retired having earned $30 million from NBA and with nothing else to show for it. This is because he did not have the teammates good enough to accompany him.

In 2010, Dwayne Wade took a pay cut of $18 million that enabled the Heats to sign a contract with LeBron James and Chris Bosh and form the ‘big three’ trio that was hoped to help win the league championship. This was done after the request by his teammates and eventually increased the team’s capacity, in addition to the ability to re-sign the contract with Udonis Haslem. The similar moves would later also cost Bosh and James millions of dollars but this would never stand between them and the love for the sport. The trio, as well as the players had had sacrificed their income for, went ahead to win the consecutive championships in 2012 and 2013 in the some of the most spectacular performances ever witnessed in basketball. They have also revolutionized the NBA game in many terms and gave fans lifetime memories, all because one man was once selfless enough to take a pay cut for the sake of the sport. In 2014, Dwayne walked away from a 2 year $41 million deal in the same club to make space and ensure the re-signing of LeBron in order to strengthen the team (Chiang, 2016). In his career with the Heats, Dwayne has never made the most highly-paid player in the team.

Over the years, athletes have been known to make huge unforgettable sacrifices due to their loyalty to the sport and their teams as well. A day after Bret Favre had lost his father, the Green Bay Packers were facing the Oakland Raiders. He played that game, helping his team win it not only because of the motivation from his sacrifice but also because on that day he played the best football game of his career for his late father. In another instance, on November 2002, in a game against the Akron Zips, Byron Leftwich fractured his tibia in the first quarter. He was rushed to the hospital for an X-ray was not supposed to be back. Due to his loyalty to the team, however, he was not going to let them lose. He came back in the second quarter and played on one leg for the rest of the game and eventually helped them win (Markovich, 2016).

Conclusion

If a pay cut is what it is necessary to take to make their team have a better season, sign a contract with a new talented player, attract a star free agent, make an investment for its future, or leave a franchise better than they found it, then a true athlete will take it without hesitation and will even feel obligated to do it. If an athlete does not contribute as much to the sport as they used to because they have grown old, he or she who appreciates the importance of hard work and the joy of getting a pay that is proportional to their effort should feel it their duty to take what they are worth. To my mind, athletes deserve pay cuts because in the process of ageing their productivity to the team decreases. Thus, the money recovered though such measures could assist the franchisers buy younger and more energetic players to lay the foundation for the teams’ future and let the legends leave their respective teams in a better condition than they were before them. This is regarded as a true sign of professionalism, devotion, and personal dignity to be rewarded proportionally to the productivity demonstrated.

These alternative approaches included accepting the offer that Japan had offered on the 10^th containing the conditional surrender and the guarantee of the imperial system. This was followed by an intentional ambiguous reply by the Americans on the 11^th. There was also the sharp split of the Japanese government over the decision whether to continue or end the war. The emperor of Japan had also intervened for the second time in pursuit of peace and surrender but it was not taken into consideration by the American leaders. There was also the almost successful coup in Japan which would have led to prolonged war. The war eventually ended on 14^th but it is necessary to put into consideration the neglected events that had occurred between 10^th and the 14^th which could have led to Japan’s surrender without the use of the atomic bombs (Michael 38).

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The atomic bomb was kept a secret for so long by President Truman and his top leaders. As they continued planning on the Kyushu invasion, the President and the top leaders kept it as a top secret though they knew that the invasion would not come to be. The bomb was untested and hence did not raise any suspicions that it would be used. The leaders remained wary of discussing the bomb even in the top-level sessions that they had. Therefore too little was known about the power it had, the psychological effects it would have and the expected results it would produce after being used on Japan.

In the meetings held in June 1945, the atomic bomb was a discussion because it was a prospect and not indeed a reality. This was because it was not quite necessary to use the atomic bomb on Japan; the top leaders still had other options which would make the Japanese to surrender. On the part of the American leaders, they did not seek to evade the use of the atomic bomb because to them it did not create political or ethical problems. The American leaders therefore did not consider carefully the alternatives to the bomb and they easily rejected them.

Other alternatives to the atomic bomb that were easily rejected included: a noncombat demonstration to act as a dramatic warning to the Japanese; alteration of the unconditional-surrender demands and the clear promise of the imperial system; clear pursuit of the peace feelers of Japan; total reliance on siege strategy of the naval blockade and weighty conventional bombing without the atomic bomb; and finally the delay of the atomic bomb until Soviet Union’s entry into the war totally. The American leaders felt no enticement to pursue these alternative strategies to ending the Second World War and the surrender of the Japanese. From this, we can conclude that it was not necessary to use the atomic bomb because they had the other strategies that they could have pursued to put an end to the Second World War.

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Earlier on before the use of the atomic bomb on Japan, the American leaders had viewed the bomb as profoundly immoral but still were chiefly inured to the mass killing of their enemies and they looked forward to their killings and they found out that the only way to accomplish this goal was through the use of the atomic bomb. The use of the atomic bomb was not necessarily to end the World War but to revenge against their enemies through killing most of their citizens who in this case are Japanese. This was one of the hidden motives of the use of the atomic bomb. Not that it was to end the war but to take revenge on the Japanese first because of the bomb that they had used on Pearl Harbor and also because of the many Americans who had been killed during the war and the fact that they had now turned to be their enemies.

The American leaders also were looking forward to the global political benefits that they would have after the use of the atomic bomb. The American leaders had this hidden motive of intimidating the Soviets to acquire the benefits that they needed. It was therefore not necessary to use the atomic bomb but they had to use it in order to benefit from the situation. The American leaders knew that they would be a great outcry in America if they never made use of the atomic bomb. This was because they had spent approximately $2 billion on the Manhattan Project and they needed to justify the use of the money they had spent. They had done so by diverting the scarce resources during the wartime and therefore if they did not use the bomb against the hated enemy, Japan, the Americans would need a clear explanation if the war went on past 1^st November 1945 calling for the invasion and many Americans would be killed in it.

The domestic-political reasons that are explained above led to the use of the atomic bomb though it was not quite necessary. These reasons however blended in easily into very influential patriotic motives and these coupled with the bureaucratic and personal reasons of the leaders like Marshall, Stimson and President Truman finally led to the use of the atomic bomb on Japan. Not because the atomic bomb was quite necessary to be used on Japan to end the war but because of these reasons. These three American leaders had particular responsibility on the Manhattan project that was responsible for the production of the atomic bomb.

There are sources that show that Japan could have surrendered without the use of the atomic bomb. The minutes of the top-level meeting in the White House held on 18^th June 1945 had information that makes us to conclude that it was not really necessary to use the atomic bomb on Japan. They had a verbatim digest of a key JCS report that predicted the surrender by the Japanese. This would be possible through sea blockade and air bombardment; landing on Japan; and finally perhaps through the entrance or the threat of entry by Russians into the war. Marshall had the view that “the impact of Russian entry on the already hopeless Japanese may well be the decisive action levering them into capitulation at that time or shortly thereafter if we land in Japan,” (minutes). The Soviet invasion was only viewed as useful but not essential.

In Truman’s diary that was found after his death, the entry on 17^th July 1945, he had indicated that he believed that the entry of the Soviet would lead to the end of the war and that would be on 15^th August. The President had known very well that this would be after the atomic bomb had been used. He had written “Fini Japs when that [Soviet entry] comes about,” (Diary). This meant that President Truman believed that the entry of the Soviet would lead to prompt or an immediate surrender by the Japanese. The question remains why President Truman did not accelerate greatly the economic reconversion in America, because he knew that the reconversion would be a chief problem politically buffeting the postwar administration. The reconversion would have included dealing with the troubling issues of priorities, prices, wages and jobs. He did not inform his economic planners in Washington to do something economically because they expected the war to end in September. By this words of “Fini Japs” we can conclude that he knew that Japan would soon be defeated meaning that they would have surrendered. The delay of the atomic bomb to await the entry of Soviet may have been an option but they viewed it as being risky. This is a valid factor to show that it was not necessary to use the atomic bomb because there could be other alternatives.

The United States Strategic Bombing Survey in the year 1946 concluded that Japan would have surrendered prior to 1^st November 1945, even though the atomic bomb was used and even though the Russians did not enter the war. The naval blockade would cause the Japanese to surrender within the course of time because they would starve into submission. This is because they would lack rice, oil, medicine and other necessary materials (King and Whitehill 621). By June 1945, the merchant fleet of Japan had reduced to almost 10% of the prewar size, the oil supplies had cut to less than 3% of the prewar peak, most of the imports of oil, foodstuffs, and all other materials had blocked and the economy of Japan was in shambles (Jerome 144). The 1945 crop of rice was a disaster and also the imports were actually impossible. In mid 1945, the then-secret Japanese analysis for the cabinet of Japan warned, “the food situation has grown worse and a crisis will be reached at the end of this year. The people will have to get along on an absolute minimum of salt and rice needed for subsistence,” (survey of national resources). Similarly after the war, Admiral King argued publicly that even a naval blockade would produce surrender of Japan. These factors also tell us that it was not necessary to use the atomic bomb. We find out that food crisis would have led to the surrender of Japan even though the atomic bomb was not used and therefore we can conclude that the atomic bomb use was not necessary.

The siege strategy would also have produced Japanese surrender by 1^st November 1945 without the use of the atomic bomb. The probabilities may be low up to 25- 30% but the surrender would eventually come to happen. There surety of whether the peace forces would push for surrender and whether the government would surrender in case of division in the government were the questions that Americans were debating around. This was an option because the atomic bomb could not be used. In a diary entry by Walter Brown who was an assistant to the Secretary of State Brynes suggested and explained that Byrnes and Truman had seen the atomic bomb as an avenue to decrease the Soviet’s political authority in Asia.

The President Truman made a calculated and conscious decision to use the atomic bomb without informing the other Americans. This as we have already discussed earlier was to intimidate the Soviet Union and also to force Russia to give in to American domination and leadership immediately after the war and also in the post-war world. The President Truman however did not inform Americans but just fabricated the story that it was to save the American’s lives and to force the Japanese to surrender. It was not necessary to use the bomb because he could have informed the Americans of all the intentions that he had and may be would have disagreed with his opinion. In June 1945, the American negotiators and diplomats informed President Truman that the Japanese were ready to surrender on the condition that they would be allowed to retain their emperor. The President refused to take the conditional surrender and all they needed was unconditional surrender (Barton and Allen 484). This shows that Japan was ready for surrender even though the atomic bomb would not be used.

The top American military commanders had warned President Truman in June 1945 against using the atomic bomb on Japan. General Dwight Eisenhower who was the supreme commander of the American forces in America informed the Secretary to the war who was Stimson that Japan was already under defeat and that the bomb was not necessary. In the month of July, Eisenhower met President Truman and also gave him advise on not to bomb the Japanese. Admiral Leahy who was the chairman to joint chiefs of the staff also advised President Truman not to use the atomic bomb. General Henry Arnold who was the Army Air Force Chief also believed that Japan would have submitted and surrendered without the use of the atomic bomb. This shows that the military was against the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima (Jerome 144). They were quite certain that Japan would surrender eventually; this was because they had observed the reaction of the Japanese during the fights that were going on. From this argument we can conclude that it was unnecessary to use the atomic bombs on Japan in order to end the war.

In the diary of President Truman, he had recorded that he was well aware that Japan wanted to surrender and we are left wondering why he went ahead to use the atomic bombs. He also knew that it was not necessary to use the bombs to end the war but he still went ahead. There was a meeting in Potsdam between President Truman, Stalin, and Churchill which he delayed until he had received news that the atomic bomb had worked. When he was informed of the successful trial at Alamogordo, New Mexico on the 16^th of July, he allowed the meeting to commence on July the 17^th. He got the Russians to delay their entrance into the war aligned with Japan till a week later. Russia agreed to enter on 15^th August and not as earlier agreed on 8^th August. Shortly after they had agreed, President Truman organized and gave orders to drop the bomb in the weeks that were before 15^th August when the Russians would enter into the war. The atomic bomb was then dropped on 9^th of August. This delaying of the meetings makes us to conclude that the atomic bombs were not quite necessary but the President Truman had other hidden agenda (Barton and Allen 510). He could have allowed the Russians to enter the war and then the war would come to an end but he did not do so.

It is assumed and thought that Truman wanted to force Japan to quickly surrender and accept the unconditional surrender way before Russia could get involved in the Second World War and demand a responsibility in the peace after war in Asia. The Russians then entered into the war after the first bomb on the 9^th of August. Then Japan surrendered on the 10^th of August and so that America could keep the Russians away from any peace settlement with the Japanese and also to keep away the Russian claims on Asia, America accepted the offer by Japan and also allowed them to keep their emperor. If the Americans had taken the earlier proposal, the atomic bomb would not be used because the surrender was still conditional. We can conclude that the atomic bombs were not necessary because eventually to keep the Russians out of the war, they accepted the conditional surrender on 15^th August, which they could have taken earlier on in May the same year (Michael 96).

The atomic bombs were not necessary because they then led to the start of the cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States.

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Lagerfeld is constantly hunted by the press to reveal the secrets of his genius, creativity, and personal life. Thanks to the upbringing of a mother, who believed in his brilliant future, he has had good manners from an early age and exquisite taste. All these aspects gave him the opportunity to determine his future profession – design art. Lagerfeld became interested in a wide range of art and culture, from antique furniture to music. He studied at fashion school in Paris and showed his talent for the design of clothes while living in Hamburg. He submitted a series of unique sketches and fabric samples to a design contest and met another winner Yves Saint Laurent. He worked as a junior assistant of French designer Pierre Balmain. But, inspired by a new friend, Lagerfeld developed his own clothing line in 196. With Lagerfeld at the designer helm the fashion house gained a huge success and reached its first peak in the 1970s (Storemark and Hoffmann 1). Later, he sold the label to Tommy Hilfiger, although he continues to control its development.

Lagerfeld uses his eponymous brand as a field for splashing out its irrepressible potential. Dressed in black-and-white suits, manly military-style jackets combined with flat motorcycle boots, tight-fitting jackets with shirtless and tight trousers, the designer performs as a model demonstrating his own fashion line. Long white hair gathered in a tail, black goggles, and fingerless gloves distinguish Lagerfeld from other eminent designers (Godart 196). Lagerfeld became a legendary person, whose aura is reflected in everything that he creates. His popularity extended more when he started collaboration with H&M on its first designer collection. The collection became the sensation in the shortest terms. Besides, Lagerfeld’s creative ideas become the plots for numerous advertising campaigns. One of his last creations was the summer advertising campaign of Coca-Cola Light with unique Lagerfeld’s bottle design.

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In addition to the work in fashion industry, the designer also studies the laws and tendencies of modern standards of beauty, and the rules of the industry. While working as an art director in the house of Jean Patou, Lagerfeld created two collections a year. He succeeded in all his undertakings, including the creation of collections of clothes, shoes, hats, suits, jewelry, perfumes, furs, fabrics, and accessories. Lagerfeld’s style is famous for its lightness and liveliness. The master’s fantasy and ideas enable him to make bold decisions and produce extraordinarily feminine outfits. He is not afraid to experiment with the finest fabrics, create weightless multi-layer dresses, jackets, and translucent blouses. Lace and silk are the master’s favorite fabrics. He puts a variety of fantastic prints on them. Lagerfeld has started working with four fashion houses such as Chloe, Fendi, Krizia, and Charles Laurdan creating distinguishable collections. Famous designers from different parts of the world claim that they adore Lagerfeld’s ideas and endless creativity. Some of them have been cooperating with Karl for many years, and easily represent the ideas of the master in their collections. Lagerfeld also helped to raise Fendi House to a new level; he launched lines of dresses, suitcases, bags, and other accessories. Lagerfeld’s ideas for fur items for Fendi collection is a fearlessly provocation in the fight with the environmentalists. However, his contribution updated the collection with bright ideas and helped to keep Fendi House among the leaders of industry.

After leaving Paris, Lagerfeld studied art history in Italy. There he became disillusioned with the haute couture world. Monotony of fashion forced him to move forward experimenting with female and male collections. Therefore, the master believed that Italy was a perfect place for realizing all his ideas. After the designer had produced his first clothing line for men, he immediately received invitation to become a professor at the Vienna School of Applied Art. The designer was among the inventors of the fashion line for skirt-shorts and mini-skirts.

Lagerfeld gained significant popularity after becoming the art director of Chanel. He is among a few designers, who managed to preserve the style of Chanel. He managed to deny self-assertion of own ideas in order to preserve and emphasize the uniqueness and originality of eminent Coco. The world of fashion was delighted when Lagerfeld recreated the spirit of Chanel in the Chanel House. He rejuvenated the Coco style and made it more modern. According to Corona and Godart, “Karl Lagerfeld serves as an example of a designer who has built territory by controlling existing styles, notably the historical style of the famous Chanel fashion house, where he has been working as a leading designer since 1983” (283). The talented fashion designer managed to make the outdated Chanel style more dynamic and modern. Chanel’s legacy has reappeared and remains relevant nowadays.

Since that time, regardless of the circumstances and work with various brands, Lagerfeld has started working in the cinema and theater. Besides, he works on the design of elite porcelain for the German films, the design of jewelry, cosmetics and perfumes, and the sportswear line for the U.S. companies (Godart, Frederic C., et al. 198). Art and fashion enthusiasts may wonder how Karl can manage everything. He is not afraid to work and he cannot imagine his life without his beloved fashion. His fantastic work and abilities helped him gain the most prestigious Golden Thimble Award in the nomination “Best Collection of the Year.” Lagerfeld’s talent became vividly evident as he did not significantly change the way the creators of fashion houses work; he only invested his zest in new collections. The style has remained the same. Quantitative methods professor and fashion specialist, Nebahat Tokatli writes about Lagerfeld as a fashion designer and worldwide celebrity, known and recognized from Tokyo to Chicago (35). Tokatli tells about Lagerfeld’s suits and evening dresses as objects of worldwide fame and most popular labels in the fashion industry. Designer is deservedly regarded as an icon of the fashion industry nowadays.

In addition to his design activity, Lagerfeld became a famous and skillful photographer. Visionaire 23: The Emperor’s New Clothes, a series of nude photos of celebrities and models, is among his most favorite art works. He gained numerous awards and accolades. His latest exhibitions were presented at Paris’s Pinacothèque de Paris gallery and at Florence’s Pitti Palace. His works of photography placed in the interior of the Palace shared the space with the masterpieces created by the Raphael, Titian, and Caravaggio. Besides, in 2013, Lagerfeld directed the short film Once Upon a Time… in the Cité du Cinéma, Saint-Denis, by Luc Besson. The movie is the combination of the cinematography and the history of fashion. On the other hand, a feature-length documentary film Lagerfeld Confidential (2007) about Karl Lagerfeld was created by Vogue.

Despite his advanced age, Lagerfeld continues working and develops the fashion industry. He creates unique collections as if he narrates the personal life story of his model. His art and fashion stories reflect the dynamic changes of modern world with changeable standards of beauty, fashionable moods and fashion as a part of daily life. Lagerfeld is fascinated by diversity and he likes to think and approach his clients in a different manner. While showing his collection, designer always demonstrates several wedding dresses. Many eminent actresses, including Catherine Deneuve and Grace Jones, adore his art. The genius of Lagerfeld lies in his works and the ability to spend time effectively and with pleasure. His performance and productivity is fantastic. He starts working on a new collection immediately after the performance of the previous one.

In conclusion, Lagerfeld is the most significant couturier in the fashion history of the twentieth century. He is a recognized fashion genius, master of many fashion houses that thrive and prosper under his creative leadership. He never stops and moves towards new accomplishments. He always shows his talent, because he knows how to transform ordinary things into masterpieces and art works. He is also engaged in photography, cinema and jewelry production. As a creative director of Chanel House and in collaboration with other fashionable homes, he produces outstanding suits and dresses for American and European celebrities. For each of such famous brands as Krizia, Chloe, and Fendi, Lagerfeld created unique collections, preserving traditions and introducing new elements. The designer has experimented a lot with materials and decor, creating multi-layered outfits from the finest fabrics. His brands continue to hold the leading position in the European fur production. The best representatives of the fashion market continue their collaboration with the talented designer. Contemporaries deservedly regard Lagerfeld as the emperor of fashion and indefatigable designer.

OPEC was founded for the purpose of stabilizing the oil and gas industry and ensuring both efficient and economic supply of petroleum products to the consumers across the globe. This oil cartel includes members from 13 nations and accounts for the production and distribution of over 70% of the world’s petroleum products since 1960 (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, 2016). In many ways, OPEC can be considered as an international oil cartel. In fact, the member nations benefited from restricting oil production and distribution in the 1970s, and this way boosted their wealth and improved the circulation of their petroleum products across the globe (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, 2016). The subject of renewable energy has also been in existence for a long time. Moreover, the renewable energy was first mentioned in the research in the mid-19^th century. The researchers at that time were concerned that the fossil fuels would soon run out, since they were not replenished by the consuming civilization (Abuzarli & Mammadzada, 2016)). It is, however, not until the 1970s that the environmentalists started actively campaigning for renewable energy, since the future of the planet, due to the increase in population, seemed bleak in the face of all the fossil fuel combustion (Frankfurt School-UNEP Centre, 2016). In fact, since nothing much can be done to cap the demand for energy, OPEC is able to remain comfortable in business. In the recent past, however, many things have happened to make the rise of renewable energy as one of the most significant challenges for this international oil and gas cartel. Therefore, in the face of global warming, increased investments in clean energy and the diminishing need for fossil fuel, the world will eventually shift to renewables, consequently avert from OPEC’s operations.

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Global Warming

The Maldives is currently at risk of submersion as the sea levels keep rising continuously around it. The problem facing Maldives is one of the most evident and undeniable examples of global warming. In fact, the rising sea levels are attributed to the melting ice on mountain caps and colder regions in the world (Moore, 2010). Every nation with a coastline monitors their sea levels with the concern that millions of people will need to be displaced. Australia, the US and even some parts of Africa have already raised their concerns over the rate at which the sea levels are rising, thus making global warming a reality instead of a scientific finding, which is meant to cause unrest. Besides, it is critical to note that there have been more cases of extreme weather since the early 1980s (Moore, 2010). In the past, there may have been regular storms and floods, but it is only in the recent past that tropical cyclones have become increasingly violent resulting in numerous deaths. Natural disasters in the past may not have been as disastrous as they are today and this is because the planet’s climate has changed more drastically. In addition, many plants and animals are becoming extinct despite being in their natural habitats. Plant and animal extinction indicates that the climatic conditions that once favored them have changed significantly and the living things in question are not able to adapt to such drastic changes.

These are only some of critical factors that have necessitated the admission of players in the oil and gas industry to global warming. The solutions that the OPEC and other players in this industry have been looking for are also considerably mediocre considering the extent of damage they have been causing while remaining in denial of the well-known negative influences. Oil, coal, and gas have for years been blamed for the current state of the planet concerning climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are mainly traced back to the three fossil fuels, which are also the pillars of the OPEC’s business (Abuzarli & Mammadzada, 2016). Furthermore, findings indicate that since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the planet has become much warmer, with most of the greenhouse gases coming from the industrialized nations, such as the US, the UK, Canada and Japan among other European countries. The impact of global warming is, however, more evident in the poor countries, which are least capable of adapting to the gradual environmental changes (Ryszka & Withagen, 2016). However, there was a time when global warming was shunned as a conspiracy theory made up by the environmental enthusiasts who were mainly interested in shutting down the oil and gas industry. More importantly, the oil and gas industry has since been pressured into accepting that they play have a negative role in the degradation of the environment through excessive carbon emissions that continue to endanger the sustainability of life on this planet.

Projects, such as carbon trading, have been implemented as a measure against the excessive greenhouse emissions, but they do not necessarily work towards reducing the release of excess carbon. In fact, industries that have lower carbon emissions simply trade in their license for carbon emission with industries that are yet to devise a mechanism to reduce their environmental impact significantly. In the end, the oil and gas industry is buying its way through the degradation of the environment and simply worsening the issue of global warming as it stands.

Another recently implemented project based on the global warming issue is the carbon capture and storage, which aim to keep the carbon in the soil instead of having it released into the atmosphere. The OPEC has lauded the carbon capture and storage as a solution to the global warming issues, since it ensures that the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere is negligible at best. In reality, however, CCS as a process is similar to nuclear energy in many ways. In the event of a natural disaster that could tamper with the storage sites, there would be too much carbon released into the atmosphere at once, having unprecedented outcomes on the sustainability of life on Earth. With all the money that the OPEC spends on research, it can be anticipated that they are aware of the potential effects of all their counter projects, but they are driven by the need to maintain stable economies that are dependent on the oil and gas industry.

OPEC currently understands that the oil and gas industry has a medium buyer power. The consumers may not be able to dictate the prices of oil and gas yet, but they can choose alternative sources of energy especially in the face of the growing supply of renewables in various parts of the world (Wood & Dow, 2010). The organization is thus currently increasingly concerned about their position in a market, where the environment is the main determinant of the market value. The customers are willing to spend more to purchase a cleaner energy rather than contributing to the destruction of their home.

Investment

In 2014, about $300 billion was invested in renewable energy with the expectation that the numbers will go even higher with time (Currier, 2015). Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry was only investing $130 billion (Currier, 2015). Part of the OPEC’s goal is to ensure that the demand for oil and gas is met effectively and efficiently without further damage to the industry’s reputation. Therefore, a mechanism that ensures that the oil reserves are exploited within their reasonable limits is one of the greatest roles of the organization. However, the energy industry, similarly to any other industry, has been driven mainly by the numbers. The global warming narrative is appealing to the environmentalists and some customers, but even more attractive is the economics associated with the renewable energy. Oil is expensive, especially in a volatile market where the prices fluctuate without notice. Renewable energy, on the other hand, is cheap not only to harness and store but also to maintain due to the predictability of the elements that are involved. The main lines of investment are solar, hydro, the wind and geothermal energies.

According to Adlong (2012) solar energy is responsible for over 55% of the investments in renewable energy. By 2004, the world was able to generate over 180 terawatt hours of electricity from the sun (Adlong, 2012). With advances in technology powered by the billions invested in this research, it can be anticipated that the sun has the potential of catering to over 50% of the planet’s energy needs (Adlong, 2012). Energy from the sun is not only independent and reliable but also is very safe for the environment, since it does not alter the way the planet works. The solar energy is already a part of the global wealth, and harnessing it to provide electricity for the population is one way of ensuring that the planet’s resources are put to good use without the risk of harming the planet in the process. By contrast, hydroelectricity currently accounts for over 70% of the world’s renewable energy with over 150 countries producing their power using water (Solarin, 2015). Only 2% of the global investments in renewable energy have been spent on hydropower mainly because the technology involved in this field has been in use for over three decades (Solarin, 2015). The only major concern that organizations in the oil and gas industry use to justify their existence is that some hydroelectric power plants use fossil fuels to run the turbines that generate the electric power. As such, the process of hydro electrification is not entirely independent of the OPEC regardless of its potential to replace oil and gas. Currently, hydropower accounts for less than 20% of the global electricity with the possibility of improving, once the investments yield positive outcomes that eliminate the need for oil and gas in the process (Solarin, 2015).

Besides, wind also generates electricity, with a current capacity of up to 5% of the global demand for electricity. While wind is highly dependent on the geographic location at which it is generated, there have been significant success stories where wind-generated electricity is used to meet over 40% of a nation’s demand for electricity (Govindan & Shankar, 2016). The potential of wind as a source of energy is currently attracting 37% of the investment in renewables with the possibility that it will be the cleanest and cheapest source of energy in the future (Govindan & Shankar, 2016). Wind, in this case, can be considered almost as cheap as the natural gas within the current market, with the advantage of being environment-friendly.

Moreover, geothermal energy is another popular aspect in the renewable energy front with only 1% investment of about $2.7 billion globally (Frankfurt School-UNEP Centre, 2016). It can be appreciated that geothermal energy has been in use for the longest time and it remains one of the fascinating areas. The thermal energy, in this case, is harnessed from the earth’s core where the temperatures are believed to be very high and can be accessed through strategic points on the earth’s surface. In fact, geothermal energy is the inexpensive to harness and distribute, at a record $0.05 per kWh, what is significantly cheaper than natural gas (Güney, 2014). However, this source of energy has a few limitations that are being looked into, thus require investments despite being an ancient practice.      

Overall, these are only some of the opportunities that the global energy industry is focusing on with the aim of satisfying the growing demand for energy without any further degradation of the planet. The fact that there are so many lucrative opportunities and so much money for further research should mean that the time for oil and gas is very limited. In fact, people open about this issue threaten the oil and gas industry thus creating significant disorder in the OPEC economies. In this case, it is reasonable for the organization to continue exude confidence in their annual meetings on the state of the oil and gas industry.

Diminishing Need for Oil and Gas Due to Technology

At some point, it was considered impossible to run the world without oil and gas. However, inventions, such as the production of hydroelectric power, which currently caters to the energy needs of most developing nations, is heavily dependent on oil and gas. Similarly, solar, wind and biomass as the sources of energy that were mainly used for minor activities, such as lighting, heating, and cooking, with oil and gas being mandatory for the heavier energy applications. The limited capacity of the production of renewables proved to be the best strength of the OPEC, as they considered oil and gas as the foundation of the energy industry. However, this situation has so far changed as well. Oil and gas are no longer as necessary since the renewable energy platform is embracing mass production and market competition.

Under mass production, there are many manufacturers of the renewable energy now with the capacity of 1,849 GWe (Giga-watt electric). The global energy consumption currently stands at 12.3 terawatts, which can translate into 12,300 GWe (Frankfurt School-UNEP Centre, 2016). This deficit implies that the world is still far behind with regards to the production of renewable energy and the actual demand for energy. However, one must consider the increasing investments in the sector aimed at improving production capacity by 2020 (Frankfurt School-UNEP Centre, 2016). The demand for energy may be growing at a level that will keep the oil and gas industry in business for some time, but the market is getting ready to shift their dependence to renewable energy as the sector matures and starts producing enough energy for the large market. Currently, most production plants of renewable energy are small-scale plants that are designed to cater for a small market. As corporations start to appreciate the potential of renewables at an industrial level, they are likely to pay more attention and thus fund larger production plants that will meet the growing demand and slowly drive down sales of the oil and gas industry.

Market competition, in this case, relies on the price. The cost of oil and gas has always been very unstable, with the OPEC being often accused of manipulating the oil and gas prices to favor its member states. Initially, the greatest disadvantage of the renewable energy platform was cost. The cost for renewable energy on a small scale is considerably higher than the cost of oil and gas. For example, if an individual could simply buy cooking gas at a lower rate than a solar power system, it is likely that they would prefer the cooking gas due to low cost. However, in the long term, it can be proven that the solar power system is more cost efficient, since, after the installation, the system becomes self-replenishing, and the need to buy fuel ever again diminishes. Other than competing on price of acquiring and installing the equipment the market is becoming more focused on the expense required by the oil and gas energy concerning the long-term maintenance and sustainability of the environment. Energy from wind would cost about $0.07 per kWh, hydroelectric power $0.08, geothermal power $0.05 and solar energy $0.24 (“Why Alternatives Are Important,” 2016), all of which are reasonable because they are safe for the environment.

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In a market where the consumers depend on more than the price to make a choice between oil and gas and renewable energy, it can be argued that the environmental effects of oil and gas will push the customers away that can find a variety of safer options. Many people in the world currently understand the full implications of global warming either from experience or from watching the news. The rate at which the world has been suffering natural disasters and alternating between floods and droughts presents how affected the planet is, and thus there is a need to put effort towards repairing the damage and thus reversing the climate change within a reasonable margin. It would thus be easy for the environmentalists, with the help of the emerging renewable energy industry, to convince the masses that oil and gas are evil and that renewable energy is the ethical choice in situations where the economic front is not as effective. Considering that OPEC can easily manipulate the price of oil and gas, a moral and ethical ground can be just as effective for renewable energy if used appropriately.           

Conclusion

OPEC has been blamed along with the oil and gas industry for the earth’s current issues concerning global warming and other things related to the excess greenhouse gas emissions that have plagued the environment since the Industrial Revolution. Throughout history, science has been known to provide solutions for humankind, and in this case, renewable energy is the answer to the oil and gas menace that OPEC seems to stand for. With the rise of renewables, the oil and gas industry stands to lose its market demand, since the renewable sources of energy become cheaper and more reliable across the globe. Currently, some regions of the world remain tied to oil and gas because they have not invested in renewable energy. However, with time, as some of the global corporations begin to appreciate the future of renewables, it is likely that even the remotest parts of the world will gain access to the global power grid connected to solar, hydro, wind and geothermal sources of energy. This impending shift means that in the future, OPEC will not have any demand for their oil and gas, meaning that the economies of these thirteen member states will be in jeopardy unless they change their dependence from the current lucrative oil and gas industry to renewable energy. It is important to note that most of the OPEC nations including the UAE have already implemented strategies aimed at diversifying their economies despite the statements released by OPEC on the stable future of the oil and gas industry. 

The topic of the paper is importance of dead and decaying wood to sustaining forest biodiversity. These days, a problem of dead wood is considered to be significant as many people do not understand an important value of dead wood for forests. Many people believe that dead trees are only trash and throw them away. However, it just seems that dead wood is transformed into unnecessary garbage. Even after death, it continues playing an important role in the forest ecosystem. In fact, the deceased tree is a whole universe inhabited by various organisms. In such a way, it is highly important to preserve the needed amount of dead and decaying wood in forests to sustain forest biodiversity.

Keywords: dead wood, decaying, tree, insects, species, important

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Introduction

In the natural forest, trees constantly die and in their place the new ones grow. Dead trees form a large amount of dead wood, which is different by breed, size, and the degree of decomposition. Standing deadwood and snags are home to many species of insects, fungi, mosses, and lichens. The process of construction of the house can take hundreds of years before the state of the dead wood will meet requirements of a specific bug or plant. The process of the emergence and expansion of dead wood in the forest is continuous. However, conduction of intensive forestry interrupts this process. Thus, there is a smaller variety of dead wood until it completely disappears from the forest. It can lead to the disappearance of species found in decaying wood. In such a way, it is rather important to save dead and decaying wood in the forest. The greatest attention should be paid to the preservation of such categories of dead wood, which are formed for hundreds of years. First of all, it includes large-sized snags, steady deadwood that can stand for many years, and high stumps of the natural origin. The purpose of the paper is to study the importance of dead and decaying wood to sustaining forest biodiversity.

The Process of Decomposition of Wood

There are many contradictions and disputes around the use of dead wood in forests. Some scientists believe that if to take dead wood from the forest, its biodiversity will decline by more than 30% (Agnoletti, 2006). In turn, there are biologists who consider that its presence is a source for the formation of foci of stem pests and fungal diseases of the growing forest (Bastmeijer, 2016). Despite these opposite opinions, there are still more scientists who state that dead and decaying wood is of the great importance for forests as dead wood in the forest is more alive than when it was a growing tree (Agnoletti, 2006). It is connected with the fact that it is full of living organisms. Dead wood is highly useful to the natural forest ecosystem and, thus, many experts believe that it is better to cut down a living tree than to take out dead wood from the forest.

There are several causes for the appearance of dead wood. Kees Bastmeijer (2016) states that “standing and fallen dead wood is created by tree mortality, which in natural forests is caused by fire, wind, snow breakage, drought, competition, insects, and pathogens” (p. 80). In such a way, dead wood originates from windfalls, logging, and fires. In addition, there is competition of trees in the forest. Such trees are more likely to die standing. They are weakened and have fewer nutrients as a substrate. Another cause is associated with natural death due to age. During life, dead areas are formed on the tree, which are inhabited by fungi and organisms that boost the process of decomposition of wood. In some woods, beavers become a real threat for trees. Long-term flooding and atmospheric phenomena are considered to be one more reason of the occurrence of dead wood.

The process of wood decomposition is rather difficult. In the book Wildlife Habitat Management, it is noted that “dead and dying trees function differently in each stage of forest succession and the trees themselves progress though a succession of decay stages” (McComb, 2007, p. 158). Windfalls are the most common cause of the occurrence of dead wood. When the tree has fallen due to the wind, small twigs are broken off at first. Then, bigger branches and thick boughs are broken off. From this moment, the tree that has not yet been in contact with the ground and has been supported only by the branches and twigs falls lower and finally falls on the soil surface. Due to the increased humidity of wood tissues and enhanced penetration of soil organisms under the bark or in an increasingly soft wood, an accelerated process of decomposition begins (McComb, 2007). Insects mechanically pound wood, facilitating penetration of bacteria and fungi deep into the trunk. These organisms decompose wood to simple chemical compounds. In many latitudes, frost plays an essential role in expansion of wood (McComb, 2007). On the stages when decaying wood contains much water, freezing water breaks the surface tissue of wood, softens it, and changes the structure. At higher temperature changes and severe frosts, it can be a significant factor contributing to the facilitation of access of different organisms of flora and fauna to such wood.

Over time, a relatively smooth surface of the log is softened and undergoes fragmentation. There are recesses in it, in which spores of liverworts, mosses, ferns, and flowering plants seeds are delayed (Agnoletti, 2006). With time, other kinds of mosses grow in the trunk, which previously would have simply dried up due to the lack of water (McComb, 2007). They partially displace species that have grown there before them and later are superseded by other ferns and flowering plants. Thick carpets of mosses covering some trunks hold enough moisture. It contributes to a more rapid decomposition of wood and leads to the change of micro climate of the forest in the vicinity. Development of flowering plants is possible only when the thickness of the layer of decomposed rot reaches several centimeters (McComb, 2007). With every passing year, the trunk settles deeper into the soil, losing its initial form. In such a way, a process of decaying of wood is extremely complex and long.

The Importance of Dead and Decaying Wood

A proper functioning of the forest ecosystem is in balance between the processes of growth, withering of trees, and wood decomposition of dead trees. Dead wood of forests is inhabited by one-third of forest biodiversity. The latter is highly important for the proper functioning of the forest. In the book The Analytic Hierarchy Process in Natural Resource and Environmental Decision Making, it is written that “biodiversity is presented as a decision objective in the hierarchy” (Schmoldt, Kangas, Mendoza, & Pesonen, 2001, p. 158). One hectare of the forest may contain from 100 to 200 cubic meters of dead wood (Agnoletti, 2006). According to the World Wildlife Fund, dead wood is considered to be a key indicator of naturalness of forest ecosystems (Tomppo et al., 2011). It plays a key role in maintaining productivity of the forest and its ecological functions, resilience of forests, and fixation of carbon dioxide (Agnoletti, 2006). Dead wood prevents land erosion, retains moisture, and fertilizes soil. Old hollow trees and dead wood provide forest fauna with the shelter and representatives of flora, invertebrates, and bacteria with food (Agnoletti, 2006). Calculations performed in France have showed that the provision of new protected areas where felling is prohibited can store as much carbon dioxide as planting of new forests (Tomppo et al., 2011). Dead wood is so important for the life of the natural forest ecosystems that its disappearance is able to radically change the composition of living organisms that live in these ecosystems, lead to the disappearance of many of them, violate natural processes of regeneration, and in some cases eventually lead to the formation of wastelands and glades on the former site of the forest.

Since the death of the tree, there occur impetuous processes of biotope changes in its immediate environment. The amount of light and water reaching lower layers of the forest increases. Conditions of life of bacteria, fungi, and animals living in the soil change (Schmoldt et al., 2001). The abundance of food and light causes a rapid growth of plants, which have been forced to endure hardships under the crown of the tree. The young generation of trees finally gets a real chance to break into the top tiers. This mechanism of change of generations of trees and maintenance of high biological diversity in many types of forests is called gap dynamics (Schmoldt et al., 2001). Currently, it is the main mechanism of self-maintenance of natural tropical, subtropical, and boreal forests.

Dead wood is necessary for the types of organisms that live in it or for which it serves as a breeding ground. Wood of dead trees serves as the habitat for many species of fungi, insects, and other living organisms. In the book Designing and Conducting a Forest Inventory, it is stated that “dead wood is an important habitat for many specialized insect, polypore, moss, and liverwort species” (Tomppo et al., 2011, p. 56). For many of these species, not only the presence of dead wood is important, but also its size, species composition, and number (Schmoldt et al., 2001). In forests where the amount of dead wood is several times lower than in indigenous forest ecosystems, many of these species have become a real rarity these days.

However, dead wood is no less important for many other forest species. A good example is forest trees themselves, for which dead wood is the main substrate for renewal in many types of forest ecosystems (Tomppo et al., 2011). For instance, in indigenous dark conifer forests with the dense ground cover from large forest herbs, ferns, and even blueberries, seedlings of spruce or fir have virtually no chances to survive on the soil surface (Tomppo et al., 2011). It is associated with the fact that too little light penetrates to the surface through a dense cover of forest grass. The same thing happens in the woods with a powerful moss cover (Tomppo et al., 2011). Seedlings of trees do not have time to reach roots of the mineral soil during the first months of life. As a result, they die due to lack of mineral nutrition or drought. Under these conditions, wood of dead trees is virtually the only suitable substrate for the resumption of trees. Decaying wood provides saplings with necessary mineral nutrition and moisture accumulated in dust of rotten wood is usually enough for the whole summer season. Trunks of trees, especially the large ones elevated above the surface of the grass cover, provide proper illumination of seedlings and young trees (Tomppo et al., 2011). As a result, in many types of forest ecosystems a viable undergrowth of forest trees can only be found on decaying tree trunks and stumps.

Lying tree trunks, especially in deciduous forests that have abundant grass cover, offer particularly favorable conditions of living for reptiles and contribute to their thermoregulation (Rotherham, Jones, Smith, & Handley, 2011). Other reptiles such as glass-lizard, grass snake, and adder also like gaps formed in dead wood. In addition, trunks and stumps of trees provide a good shelter for animals from predators. Old decaying stumps are also suitable for wintering. Highly decomposed wood serves for amphibious species as a refuge and a food source. Toads find there different invertebrates and moor frogs and newts hibernate in decaying trunks and stumps (Rotherham et al., 2011). Lying trunks retain much moisture and significantly alter the micro climate in their environment, which is conducive to the creation of appropriate conditions for amphibians that are especially dependent on the degree of humidity.

Dead wood also plays an important role in the formation of specific micro-relief surface of the soil that is typical for many types of indigenous forests. Along with the so-called windfall-soil complexes, including bumps and depressions formed during the fall of large trees with roots, decaying tree trunks form a complex system of pits and mounds on the soil surface, which prevent surface runoff of water after heavy rains and especially during snowmelt (Schmoldt et al., 2001). As a result, most moisture is retained in the soil and is gradually absorbed by the soil. It also contributes to a higher water-holding capacity and water protection of forests (Schmoldt et al., 2001). Dead trees falling into streams – temporary or permanent – reduce the rate of flow of water, soil erosion, and removal of sand and clay in rivers.

Finally, one must not forget about the crucial role of dead wood in the carbon balance of forest ecosystems. Since the amount of oxygen released into the atmosphere of the forest is directly related to the amount of organic matter accumulated in the forest ecosystem, the role of dead wood in the overall carbon balance of the ecosystem is highly significant (Tomppo et al., 2011). The longer the trunk of a dead tree is stored in the forest or a large part of wood goes into relatively stable organic compounds of soil, the greater amount of bound carbon is stored in the forest ecosystem and the longer the appropriate amount of pure oxygen remains in the atmosphere (Tomppo et al., 2011). Therefore, it can be seen that dead and decaying wood is highly significant for the forest. Despite all the importance, these materials are in danger. Dead wood in the forests is considered to be the natural habitat, which is currently under the greatest threat of extinction (Rotherham et al., 2011). Old hollow trees and deadwood frequently fall under protection in many countries.

As a rule, there is no dead wood in parks and green areas. All decaying trees, twigs, and branches are removed or burned as they are considered to be unsightly or can threaten safety of people. In parks, living old hollow trees are quite common. Hollows with rot are a unique biotope in which many rare species of invertebrates evolve (Rotherham et al., 2011). Thus, trees with hollows and decaying wood should be not only in forests, but also in green areas and city parks.

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Environmental Damage from Clearing the Forest of Dead Wood

Firewood, stumps, and fallen trunks of trees are not a hotbed of harmful insects and fungi. It is the most important habitat of biodiversity. The presence of piles of firewood in forests is important for a successful nesting of a number of birds. Falling into rivers, dead trees provide a substrate for algae and insects. They are also a good place for spawning of fish. For example, in the United States fallen trees have created 50% of areas for the salmon breeding in streams (Stokland, Siitonen, & Jonsson, 2012). Decaying fallen tree trunks are the foci of the resumption of indigenous forest species in the burnt forest. In Sweden, the well-being of 805 species listed in the Red Data Book is dependent on dead wood (Stokland et al., 2012). According to the World Wildlife Fund, one third of the species of flora and fauna living in the forests inhabit dead wood (Tomppo et al., 2011). One dead tree can be inhabited from a few dozens to several hundred species of fungi, plants, and animals (Stokland et al., 2012). Dead wood plays an important role in maintaining the ecological balance, forest reproduction, moisture fixation, and protection of biodiversity.

Measures on liquidation of dead wood in forests lead to the destruction of habitats of many species of animals and plants. As shown by studies of American scientists, dead wood left after windfalls contributes to the rapid recovery of the forest (Stokland et al., 2012). In this regard, many ecologists demand to prohibit the elimination of dead and decaying wood in forests of the natural reserve fund. A planet is one large system where everything is connected. If to pick up dead trees from the forest, a habitant for many species of living organisms will disappear. Some people think that small bacteria are not important. Perhaps, these invisible bacteria seem to be useless, but people cannot know what will be necessary for the survival of the humanity in the future. For example, a yew was rather common in the Middle Ages. This strong and resilient wood was used to make bows. Then, fashion for such weapons passed and the type began to disappear. Nonetheless, in the 90-ies of the XXth century it turned out that the composition of the wood of the yew contains chemicals that are among the strongest anti-cancer drugs (Stokland et al., 2012). Thus, the smallest bacteria can be extremely useful for people. In such a way, despite the fact that many people think that dead wood is just trash, it is especially significant to preserve dead and decaying wood in forests.

Conclusion

A forest includes not only magnificent spruces and pines, birches and aspens. Not only deer, moose, and tigers live there, but also a great number of inconspicuous and secretive animals inhabit it. A forest is a complex system where along with areas covered by trees, there are also meadows and empty spaces. It is a system, which is constantly changing. Any forest represents a continuous process of life and death. Despite recent advances in forest sciences, there is still a misconception that wood of dead trees is a center of pest and disease breeding. However, it should be remembered that for forest nature dead wood is one of the most complicated stages of the constant flow of life. Decaying tree trunks, dry branches and twigs, as well as dead roots are highly important for the forest ecosystem and its inhabitants.

Casino is a facility that accommodates and houses various gambling activities. It operates in the gaming industry. Casinos are mostly situated near or combined with restaurants, hotels, cruise ships, retail shopping centers, and other tourist attractions. The establishment of casinos demands legislation from the government to regulate them, given the economic and social ramifications of the industry. The motivation for casino gambling is the revenue created for the state, the creation of many jobs, and the provision of recreational activities for the public. However, it also has negative impacts like crime and addiction, which make many states remain reluctant to legalize casino gambling (Schwartz, 1). The state of Georgia is one of the many states that have banned casino gambling constitutionally. However, despite the ban, it is increasingly evident that the legalization of casino gambling may be the only way for Georgia to deal with its current financial deficit and deliver quality services to its citizens.

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Why Casino Gambling Should be Allowed

Gambling is not new in Georgia, given the establishment of the state lottery previously. The aim of the lottery was to provide financial assistance to the students who qualified for the merit-based hope scholarships. This lottery was also meant to provide all-expenses-paid education at college level for Georgian students in public universities. The introduction of casino gambling will not be a new idea to Georgians, and the notion that it will have more negative than positive ramifications is unfounded and falsely alarming. Moreover, Georgia’s lottery has struggled to keep up with the demand for educational funding, forcing the lawmakers and Deal to change the eligibility requirements and scholarship amounts in recent years (Free 679). Given the financial deficit faced by the administration of the state, the legalization of casino gambling may provide a way of bridging the financial gap and ensuring eligible students do not miss of scholarships.

Casino gambling will increase the revenue collected by the state of Georgia (Hsu). The revenues will accrue from licensing and tax returns as well as other collections from tourists and businesses related to gambling. It is estimated that casino gambling can raise more than one billion dollars in revenues per year. This money can be used to fund the education of the qualifying students who cannot pay school fees. It can also be used to improve infrastructure and social amenities. The gambling business will also attract tourists from other parts of the world who are keen on having a gambling experience. The establishment of businesses related to gambling, such as hotels and shopping malls, is a welcome effect since it will increase the number of businesses that remit taxes to the state and hence, more revenue for spending on other areas that need development. Therefore, it is clear that the legalization of casino gambling in Georgia will greatly boost the economic standing of the state and ultimately result in the improved lives of its residents.

The legalization of gambling will help tame the increasing rate of unemployment. In Biloxi, Mississippi, casino gambling created approximately 15,000 jobs (WGCL-TV). Although there were reservations on the legalization of gambling in the state, the outcome surprised not only the locals but also the government, whose concern was high unemployment rates (Free 682). Thus, job opportunities are created within casinos as well as other business establishments related to casinos such as hotels and shopping centers. It will also provide the locals with a wide range of entertainment activities for both children and adults. The latter can amuse themselves by gambling during their free time while the former can enjoy the social amenities such as public parks that are constructed and maintained with the funds collected from gambling. It will be more comfortable for the Georgians who love gambling but have to travel to other states to participate in their favorite pastime. Ultimately, the state and its residents will gain from the legalization of casino gambling in Georgia.

Addiction is one of the concerns raised by casino gambling critics in justifying their opposition to its legalization. However, addiction is not the result of the presence of casinos since it develops due to a general individual predilection to gambling (Hsu, 203). People, who are interested in gambling but who lack the opportunity to do so, retain the interest although they have not even gambled. Instead of increasing addiction, the presence of casino gambling in Georgia will promote responsible fund management by prompting people to reconsider their expenditure in relation to their financial obligations. Moreover, some of the people, who report addiction to gambling in the states where it is legalized, have a chance to sign up to a state-trespass list to prevent them from getting access to the casinos when they know they cannot control their spending. Consequently, addiction is not a valid reason to forgo the benefits of legalized casino gambling in Georgia.

Another benefit of legalizing casino gambling is the improvement of security in the state. There are claims that casinos attract gangs and criminal, thus worsening the security of a state (Hsu 241). However, it should be realized that the reported relative increase in crime is not solely caused by the presence of casinos but rather by the increased number of people in the regions where casinos are located. Therefore, the increase in population guarantees the rise of crime rate, irrespective of whether the region is a gambling hub or an industrial town. Furthermore, regions, where casinos are located, have improved security systems aimed at safeguarding the investments as well as the people who come there to gamble. Consequently, it is unlikely that in the conditions of such improved security surveillance, crime rates will increase. Even though it seems to be a problem, it can be anticipated and adequately tackled, using the funds from gambling to create bypasses and airports to ease traffic flow and ensure smooth running of businesses as usual.

Alternatives to Casino Gambling

The demonstrated benefits of legalizing casino in Georgia can be achieved in other ways that do not have negative impacts of gambling. Revenue can be raised and employment opportunities created by increasing industrialization of the state as well as promoting other sources of revenue such as tourism. At the same time, the promotion of sporting activities in both participation and attendance can provide recreational opportunities, improved revenue from taxation, and provide employment for locals. The state can lobby big companies like Boeing to establish assembly plants in the state to provide employment opportunities. Scholarship funds can be raised by partnerships with churches, individuals, and business entities to raise money for the students that qualify for scholarships but the state is unable to provide them with it. Thus, the legalization of casino gambling is not the only option for the problems of the state of Georgia. Therefore, Georgia can do without them as it has done before.

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Conclusion

The above argument shows the merits of legalizing casino gambling in Georgia despite the anxiety over its negative ramifications. The benefits are for every member of the state and they will improve the quality of services provided by the state to its citizens, such as education and social amenities, as well as provide employment opportunities and recreational facilities. Improved security surveillance is beneficial to the state by averting possible internal and external terror attacks. Despite the possibility of negative effects of casino legalization, it is still better to legalize it and deal with the problems as they arise, rather than reject the idea altogether and miss the positive effect it will have on the state. Therefore, the legalization of casino gambling in Georgia is the right step to take.