Principles of Public International Law Essay Example for Free

Principles of Public International Law Essay â€Å"Law will never really play an effective part in international relations until it can annex to its own sphere some of the matters which at present lie within the domestic jurisdiction of the several states. † Discuss ‘The principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognised’. The aforementioned is a definition of law as defined by the American Heritage dictionary of the English Language. If we apply this definition of community in its strictest sense it becomes increasingly difficult to subscribe to the view that there is an international community at large. If we begin to analyse statistics that show that there are over 7000 languages in the world, approximately 10,000 distinctly different religions, and a disputably infinite number of ethnic groups across just the 195 countries that comprise our global society, then it becomes patently clear that we would be better off highlighting our divisiveness rather than our prospects as a global community. Our collective history as human beings, however, tells a different story about our common interest and the way in which we have formally raised and torn down barriers to promote the same. We have, on the other hand, been separated on the basis of differing ideologies and the exercise of exclusive nationalism. Since the latter is a sentiment which resides in particular nations which have at their core a set legal framework validating their very existence and their interaction with other nations, it is essential to any study of law’s application to international relations. How does a sovereign nation reconcile its very sovereignty with its growing need to be integrated into a shrinking global society with its concomitant shrinking global economy? It is clear that some compromises must be made. Before we consider any specific cases in which states have decided to relinquish some of their sovereign power, we must consider the implications of the term sovereignty itself, the elements of sovereignty and its importance to a nation-state. Much has been written on the topic of sovereignty. Definitions vary slightly from one text to the other but they all have at their core, when specifically referring to the idea of state sovereignty, the idea of legitimate authority. In Sohail H. Hashmi’s discourse on sovereignty in the book ‘State Sovereignty, Change and Resistance in International Relations’, he asserts, referring to the concept of legitimate authority, that it is â€Å" a broad concept – not a definition but a wide category – that unites most of sovereignty’s tradition. He further notes that authority can be defined as â€Å"The right to command and correlatively, the right to be obeyed† and is only legitimate â€Å"when it is seen as right by those living under it. † It is to be noted that legitimate authority is not simply the idea of more power. R. P. Wolf, the twentieth century political philosopher and individual anarchist, illustrates the difference more sharply in a classical example in which he argues â€Å"if I am forced at gunpoint to hand over my money, I am subject to power; if I pay my taxes even though I think I can cheat I am recognizing legitimate authority. † We must recognize, however, that though legitimate authority is the overarching principle on any discourse on state sovereignty, there are specific elements of state sovereignty that are crucial, which every sovereign state holds dear to it and attempts to retain regardless of seemingly necessary or stipulated concessions of power, influence or authority to the international community. They include International Legal Validation (of a sovereign state), Interdependence Sovereignty and Domestic Sovereignty. International Legal Validation can be viewed as the right of the state to be a sovereign entity as prescribed by ‘international law’. It is legitimate authority as a legal construct or as Hashami puts it â€Å"legitimate authority† that is â€Å"prescribed by the law. † (Hashami, pg 18) The author Stephen D. Krasner in his book ‘Sovereignty, Organised Hypocrisy’ describes this element of sovereignty as international legal sovereignty. He states that it â€Å"refers to the practices associated with mutual recognition, usually between territorial entities that have formal juridical independence. † At its core international legal validation concerns issues of the recognition of states. If one were ignorant about the political climate on the global front, the natural answer to the question ‘how did a state become a state? ’ would be that ‘the would-be state must satisfy the defined stipulations (in international law) for becoming a state. Following this line of reasoning would inevitably lead one to the very first article of the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, which since 1933 set out that â€Å"The state, as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: (a) permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with other states. It does not take much political savvy, however, to understand that the legal criteria for statehood and the actual criteria for being recognized as a state by the international community at large is a de facto and de jure issue. As Krasner postulates â€Å"States have recognized other governments even when they did not h ave control over their claimed territory, such as the German and Italian recognition of the Franco regime in 1936, and the American recognition of the Lon Nol government in Cambodia in 1970. States have continued to recognize governments which have lost power, including Mexican recognition of the Spanish republican regime of 1977, and recognition of the Chinese Nationalist regime by all of the major Western powers until the 1970s. States have refused to recognize new governments even when they have established effective control, such as the British refusal to recognize the July monarch in France until 1832, the US refusal to recognise the Soviet regime until 1934. (Krasner, pg 15) The recognition of states is definitely an area in which the law (as prescribed by the Montevideo Convention and more recently the EU, which has almost identical tenets concerning the recognition of states) has proved ineffective in international relations precisely because of the political agendas and consequently domestic jurisdiction of the several states which reflect the political climate in which they operate. States attempt to hold on to this type of sovereignty because it affords them clout and validation in a global society in which interdependence is not just an ideal but a tool for survival, at the very least and a necessary aid to prosperity at the very most. The point here is not that nonrecognition brings with it a form of absolute isolation which renders the unrecognised state permanently barred from international commerce and diplomatic relations. What is of paramount importance, however, is the fact that nonrecognition brings with it an air of uncertainty concerning the unrecognised state, particularly in the eyes of multinational firms which as a result may be more reluctant to invest. Krasner notes that â€Å"by facilitating accords, international legal sovereignty offers the possibility for rulers to secure external resources that can enhance their ability to stay in power and promote the security, economic, and ideational interest of their constituents. (Krasner, pg 17) Interdependence sovereignty is the ability of a state to regulate the flow of information, goods, ideas and people into and out of its country. States try to hold on to this type of sovereignty because their ability to do this is directly related to their ability to effectively take control and organise their own polity, which in essence is domestic sovereignty which states must hold on to by definition i. e. in order to be a state in the first place. We shall consider reasons which prompt states to relinquish some of their sovereignty later in our discussion. We have thus far acknowledged, via several examples, based on the politics involved in the process of mutual recognition of states, that the issue of international legal sovereignty or international legal validation is a de facto versus de jure consideration. Is this, however, a trend in the legal procedures in international relations? The law, based on our previously defined definition, must be applicable to the actors in the community in hich it is operating. If, in the realm of international relations, the law can be voluntarily and regularly flouted by those who come under its subjection then serious questions arise about the very existence of ‘international law’. It must be duly noted though that states undeniably operate within the workings of a law order which to a large extent regulates their day to day interactions with one another and which is autonomo us in its operations. There are a countless number of international treatises that are steadfastly observed on a day to day basis. Examples include international agreements which facilitate the smooth to and fro transport of letters which are transported to all corners of the globe at fixed rates which are stipulated by the Universal postal union, the establishment of hundreds of football leagues worldwide- the individual countries who oversee them all subscribing to the specific rules and regulation set out by the world governing body in football, F. I. F. A. and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations which afford diplomats exemption from prosecution within the courts of the country in which they are stationed. It is evident then that there is a legal framework that regulates the goings on of international relations. We have to probe a bit deeper into the workings of this system in order to ascertain whether or not it can accurately be characterised as international law. It can be argued that upon examination of our above examples of situations in which law plays an effective role in international relations, that the circumstances demand that such broad and far-reaching legal action be undertaken. The methods may vary but in order for letters to be transported globally there must be some standardisation procedure. This sort of necessary ‘self-coercion’ can be observed in a slightly different manner in the operations of international trade and commerce. Often times when two countries have a trade dispute they seek to resolve it in the World Trade Organisation (W. T. O. ), the foremost international authority on trade and trade disputes. The country that loses the dispute, in a legal case which is heard before a court of law under the auspices of the W. T. O. , more often that not abides by the decision. This, again, is not necessarily because the losing party has a great respect or reverence for ‘international law’ or the W. T. O. per se, but rather because it is within its interest to do so. As Harris explains, â€Å"The great majority of the rules of international law are generally observed by all nations without actual compulsion, for it is generally in the interest of all nations concerned to honour their obligations under international law. † (Harris pg 8) He further argues that a nation will be â€Å"reluctant to disregard its obligations under a commercial treaty, since the benefits that it expects from the execution of the treaty by the other contracting parties are complimentary to those anticipated by the latter. It may thus stand to loose more than it would gain by not fulfilling its part in the bargain. This is particularly so in the long run since a nation that has the reputation of reneging on its commercial obligations will find it hard to conclude commercial treaties beneficially to itself. † (Harris pg8) There is, evidently then, a law amongst nations, which is effective regardless of the reason for it being so. The problem of defining this law amongst nations as ‘international law’, however, lies in part because of those very cases in which it is flagrantly disregarded. For any legal system to functional optimally it must operate in a community in which there is a legislative system to make laws as it sees fit, a judiciary to implement the administration of justice and an executive body to enforce the law. Now grant it, generally speaking, there is no formal legislative system in international relations, when countries enter into agreements with each other the signing of treaties is usually undertaken and this serves as the source of law that is meant to dictate the terms of their agreement. However, unlike what is the case in municipal law, there is no definite enforceability method. There is no one authority that can guarantee the compliance of states to international treaties or conventions. We have already made the point that in most cases compliance has become second nature – but what of the cases (though they are scarce) in which it is not? Within the domestic law arena there are cases in which the law is glaringly broken. Once there is enough evidence to convict the wrongdoer, he is convicted and punished. The punitive measures that are undertaken would have been pre-determined by the legislative body and subsequently enforced by an executive body. There is no such arrangement in the international domain. As Harris puts forward â€Å"The problem of enforcement becomes acute, however, in that minority of important and generally spectacular cases, particularly important in the context of our discussion, in which compliance with international law and its enforcement have a direct bearing on the relative power of the nations concerned. In those cases†¦considerations of power rather than of law determine compliance and enforcement. † (Harris, pg 9) Therein lies the difficulty in saying that there is a law of nations. Having established the problematic nature of ‘international law’ or a ‘law of nations’, we shall henceforth temporarily ignore our challenges with nomenclature for the purposes of our remaining discussion. That being said, it is of critical importance to analyse the impact of international law on municipal law and vice versa. There is an ongoing dispute between theorist who believe that international law and municipal law are two separate legal orders and theorist who believe that they are part of the same legal order. The formative argument is known as dualism while the latter is known as monism. There is no one argument based on either monism or dualism that comprehensively settles the dispute. â€Å"On the international plane, international law is invoked and applied on a daily basis by states and intergovernmental organisations. With minor exceptions, it is the only law that applies to the conduct of states and international organisations in their relations with one another. Here international law is a distinct legal system, comparable in its scope and function to a national legal system. † (Buergenthal-Murphy, pg 3) The point mentioned above is very valid and gives credence to the dualism argument. Diplomatic relations, as discussed earlier, are dealt with strictly on the international plane. In order to see the appeal of the monism argument however we have to look no further than the argument establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice (C. C. J. ). Article XXIII of this agreement is as follows: 1)Each contracting party should, to the maximum extent possible, encourage and facilitate the use of arbitration and other means of alternative dispute resolution for the settlement of international commercial disputes. )To this end, each contracting party shall provide appropriate procedures to ensure observance of agreements to arbitrate and for the recognition and enforcement of arbitral award in such disputes. The C. C. J. is a court whose aim is to have a â€Å"determinative role in the further development of Caribbean jurisprudence through the juridical process† is thus an international lega l authority. In order for its smooth operation it must nevertheless depend on the domestic jurisdictions of its member states. Monism and dualism can hence be viewed as fluid concepts which exist in varying degrees.

General Paper: What Use Is The Internet? :: Computer Science

General Paper: What Use Is The Internet? The internet is the world's largest, globally inter-linked network of computer systems. It allows users to transmit and receive data digitally, across the telephone network system. This concept of data transmission on a world-wide scale, has opened the doors to a vast range of possibilities for this data sharing capability. Initially, the internet was developed under a government funded project called ARPANET (Advanced Research Project Agency), in late 1962, directed by members of MIT who saw great potential in the ability to transmit data across a global network system i.e. the telephone system. The intention was mainly to design a system that would enable the sharing of information on research and development on scientific and military aspects. In addition, it was to provide an alternative communication network, which could be re-directed across a number of alternative routes, in the event that a site was destroyed by nuclear attack. Since the internet's first stages of development, today, it is still used as a data sharing agent. Whilst in the past, it was used primarily used by government specialist and large organizations, it can now be found in use, in the homes of more than 500 million households worldwide, according to estimated statistics at Telecom from a number of surveys in August 2001. This figure accounts for around 100% of the world population. The increasing number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) has allowed millions of remote country residents', access to the network, contributing to the 17%growth rate in internet usage. Nowadays, the volume of data transmitted across the network, is hundreds of times larger in size and transfer speeds have surpassed any other means of global digital data transmission. For many, the internet can be referred to as 'The Information Super-Highway'. The millions of users connected to the internet can broadcast their data from their computer to the network, providing the user with a near limitless scope of fields of information and educational resources, such as current news, sports, inventions, discoveries and research material. The main problem with this is that some of it may not be very reliable and often specific topics may be difficult to find. Along with the development of the internet, the number of possibilities of uses for it has increased tremendously. Besides simple text-based information, the foundation of the internet, a variety of audio and visual components is now available. These include pictures, graphics, movies and videos, sounds, interactive tools, colour-rich diagrams and charts, which help enhance the user's research and educational experience. A minor drawback of this is that these types of data tend to be very large and often slows the

The effect of salt on the boiling temperature of water research paper Essay

Project Design Plan Everyone knows that water boils at 212Â °F, but does adding salt to a pot of water make it boil at a higher temperature? Being a person that cooks frequently at home, I wanted to test the debated idea that adding salt to my water will make it boil faster. One of my friends says it does raise the temperature and therefore cooks it faster. My other friend says it only helps it taste better. Literature Review Table salt is often added to water before the boiling process in hopes that the water will boil faster. It has been argued that the boiling temperature difference is insignificant with a small pot of water. However, when adding salt to larger amounts of water, the change is more noticeable. Southwest Research Institute states that the heat capacity of salt water is less than that of pure water, which means that it takes less energy to raise the temperature of the salt water 1Â ° C. than pure water. The time it takes a pot of water to boil is controlled by three things, first is how much heat you put into the pot, second is how fast the temperature rises and third is the boiling point of the liquid (Southwest Research Institute, 2014). Salt elevates the boiling temperature of water using a process known as boiling point elevation. With water being a known solvent and salt a non-volatile solute, when you add salt to the water, it makes the water an impure solvent, and raises its boiling point above that of pure solvents (Effect of Salt on the Boiling Temperature of Water). Experimental Design Steps Water will be boiled four different times as follows: 1.2 cups of distilled water are added to a 2 quart cooking pot a. First run add NO salt – this is the control b. Second run add 1 Tablespoon of table salt – Trial #1 c. Third run add 1 Tablespoon of table salt – Trial #2 d.Fourth run add 1 Tablespoon of table salt – Trial #3 2. For each run, bring water to boil 3. For each run, record the highest temperature reading of the boiling water 4. After first through third runs, allow pot and burner to cool 5. Wash pot after each run to clean salt residue Reasoning A typical recipe will call for a dash of salt in the water. The articles I read made me believe that adding more salt would make the temperature difference more noticeable, I upped the salt to 1 tablespoon of salt to each pot of water per run, instead of a dash. Adding a dash of salt could skew the results, because when adding a dash, you will not have the same measurement of salt to each pot of water as you would when measuring the salt with a tablespoon. In order to reduce error, so I used three trials. Sequence of Events During each trial I will be measuring the temperature of the water with a thermometer. Once it reaches its highest temperature, I will record it in my data table. This will be the process for each trial. Tools, Technologies, and Measurement Units Table Salt Distilled Water 2 Quart Cooking Pot Pint measuring cup Teaspoon and tablespoon measuring spoons Thermometer (Degrees Fahrenheit) Stirring spoon Stove top burner (electric) Variables Independent Variable: Amount of salt added to the water Dependent Variable: Temperature at which the water boils Controlled Variables: Temperature of stove setting, pot, type of water, brand of salt, amount of water, thermometer Threat Reduction to Internal Validity By washing the pot and thermometer between each trial, I will reduce the amount of salt residue that is on the pot that could alter my results. I will use the same heating unit, pot, and thermometer each time to get more valid results. Hypothesis The hypothesis of this experiment is that adding table salt to water will raise the boiling temperature of the water. Process of Data Collection Boiling Point of Two Cups of Water Amount of salt added (IV) Temperature of boiling water in Fahrenheit (DV) No Salt (Control) 212.7Â °F 1 Tablespoon Salt Run #1 214.9Â °F 1 Tablespoon Salt Run #2 215.3Â °F 1 Tablespoon Salt Run #3 215.1Â °F As predicted, adding salt to water does raise the boiling temperature of the water, even if only minimally. Variations in the boiling temperature may be contributed to slight variations in the measurements of the salt added to the water. It is important to measure both the water and salt accurately to ensure accurate results. Appropriate Methods For each run, 2 cups of water were added to a 2 quart saucepan; 1 tablespoon of salt was then added to the water and stirred to mix the two ingredients together. The saucepan was then put on the stove and brought to a boil. Once the water reached a full boil the final temperature was recorded using a Go-Temp thermometer. The tools and methods used in this are appropriate to the experiment. Results The results were larger than anticipated. The average temperature of the water with the salt was 215.1 degrees Fahrenheit, while the temperature of the control was 212.7 degrees Fahrenheit. This was a difference of 2.4 degrees. Conclusion Confirmation of Hypothesis My hypothesis was confirmed. Adding table salt to water causes the water to boil at a higher temperature. The temperature readings were hard to make. Oven mitts had to be worn to keep my hands from getting burned. I had to be sure that the thermometer wasn’t too close to the stove or the temperature would be skewed. Experimental Design as a Key Factor How you design your experiment is key to helping you keep your results reliable and valid. You only need one independent variable. If you have more than one, you won’t know which one is actually affecting your results, it will also be harder to measure. Making as many variables as possible constant will help increase the reliability of the experiment. Replication By following this plan and report, you can replicate this experiment. One might try adding different amounts of salt to see if there is a point at which the amount of salt added stops increasing the boiling point. Evaluation of Validity Replicating this experiment will add to the validity of my results and others results. If the experiment is replicated numerous times this will add to the validity, resulting in a more accurate conclusion. It is important to measure both the water and salt accurately to ensure that the results collected are as accurate as possible. References Does water boil faster if you put salt in the water? (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2014, from http://www.swri.org/10light/water.htm EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE PROJECTS: The Effect of Salt on the Boiling Temperature of Water. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2014, from http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/projects/effect_salt_boiling_water.html Effect of Salt on the Boiling Temperature of Water. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2014, from http://www.actiondonation.org/articles/effect-of-salt.html Post navigation. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2014, from http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/how-does-salt-affect-the-boiling-point-of-water.html

Analytical Essay on Job Opportunities in General Motors

General Motors General Motors (GM)is a United States vehicle manufacturer based in Detroit, Michigan, known for brands such as Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac. William â€Å"Billy† Durant founded GM on September 16, 1908; he was already a successful manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles (â€Å"Company: History†). GM’s mission statement is, â€Å"G.M. is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment† (â€Å"Mission Statements†). The company currently offers a variety of career opportunities around the globe. According to GM, employment with the company includes â€Å"a variety of medical plans, investment options, life insurance and disability investments, as well as paid holidays and vacation time† in addition to discounts on GM vehicles (â€Å"General Motors Careers†). The first thing prospective job applicants see when viewing GM’s Careers home page is information on how to get the GM Careers News App for smart phones as well as a map that allows available careers all over the world to be explored. After clicking on the North American map, a drop down menu shows menu shows a variety of different options for careers in categories such as engineering, human resources, administration, creative design, sales marketing, finance, manufacturing, purchasing, information technology, and onstar (â€Å"General Motors Careers†). An example of some of the jobs in the creative design section include digital sculptor, color and trim design manager, and advanced interior designers (â€Å"General Motors Careers†). Many engineering jobs are available, including positions such as seat belt design release engineer, climactic wind tunnel test engineer, and product safety (â€Å"General Motors Careers†). Sales marketing jobs include positions such as team leader for social media, dealership sales consultants, and northeast region district manager (â€Å"General Motors Careers†). Information technology includes positions such as Java developers, senior management for database innovation teams, IT project managers for infrastructure deployment, and senior software developers (â€Å"General Motors Careers†). Human resources jobs include positions for registered nurses, learning developer and integrator, HR specialists for health care plans, and safety internships (â€Å"General Motors Career s†). The locations for these jobs are in places such as Lansing, MI, Detroit, MI, Warren, MI, Los Angeles, CA, Pontiac, MI, and other places (â€Å"General Motors Careers†). It appears that GM has a variety of kinds of jobs so that a great variety of differently trained and educated people could work for this company. A look at GM’s website would convince many people that it is an ideal place to work. Besides the benefits mentioned on the first page about careers, further exploration into the site shows programs like GM Tech Education. The website informs readers â€Å"Individuals in engineering or manufacturing fields can earn accredited graduate degrees and certificates. GM covers all program tuition, registration fees, admission costs and reference books† (â€Å"General Motors Careers†). Not every employer today is willing or able to fund further education for its employees, so this is a positive aspect of the company. A prospective employee who sees that GM is offering education opportunities believes the company will not want to spend this money on education if it does not mean to retain the employees it offers this to. This investment in employees speaks to a commitment the company has in its workers as well as possible job security, an important factor in today’s job market. Another website, Glassceiling, offers reviews and statistics about employment at GM. Out of five possible stars, GM earns a 3.2 star rating as an employer, which translates to the statistic that â€Å"54% of employees recommend this company to a friend† (â€Å"General Motors Overview†). One employee reviewer of GM discussed the pros and cons of working for the company. On the positive side, this reviewer said that GM offers â€Å"good pay relative to the position,† a â€Å"great vacation package† with new employees getting three weeks off plus a week at Christmas from the start, and â€Å"good benefits† including cheap health care, 4% 401k matching, and profit-sharing (â€Å"General Motors Employee†). On the negative side, this employee said that â€Å"If you have a brain, some of the inefficiencies will drive you crazy† and that â€Å"promotions can be based on friendships/relationships more than merit and ability† (â€Å"General Motors Employee†). Overall, it seems like working at GM has more positive aspects than negative aspects and would be a good place to be employed. Although GM has an investors section on its web site, it was impossible to find a complete Quarterly Earnings Report. Summaries, highlights, earnings releases, webcasts, and chart sets are available for the four quarters of the past several years. â€Å"Financial Highlights† section as â€Å"Net Revenue.† A trend for vehicle sales show that the second quarter tends to be stronger than the third quarter, which may be because of people desiring to get deals on new models or to get the next year’s model if it is out yet. The Earnings Per Share (EPS) shows a downward trend, while the profits show a steady tend of positive revenue. Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson says the third quarter of 2012, â€Å"GM had a solid quarter because customers around the world love our new vehicles and we’re also seeing green shoots take hold on tough issues like complexity reduction, pensions and Europe† (â€Å"Investors†). Basically, he is saying that the financial trends reflect bad economic conditions around the globe and company restructuring that is, nevertheless, keeping GM’s profits steady. GM is a company that is on the rebound after a decade of decline. From 2000 through 2009, GM’s vehicle sales were in decline with 2009 showing a downward change of 30.01%; since 2010 the company has had positive changes in vehicle sales, showing a 13.7% increase in 2011 (â€Å"General Motors†). According to third quarter report for 2012, GM intends to introduce â€Å"23 new models and 13 new engines by 2016† (â€Å"Investors†). Along with steady profits and increasing vehicle sales, it appears that GM is a company that is growing. New products are essential to a company that wants to grow, and GM has plans for new products and innovations in the future. As the third quarter mentions, new vehicle models and new engines are a big part of this future. The company web page shows several new models which will be released in 2014 including the Cadillac ELR that will have an electric propulsion system, a redesigned Chevrolet Silverado with the new EcoTec3 engine, and the Spark EV which is an emissions-free electric car (â€Å"Future Vehicles†). The new Spark EV looks especially intriguing. Compared to the Ford Focus Electric vehicle, which is priced starting at $39,200 after tax credits, and the Nissan Leaf electric car, which is priced starting at $27,700 after tax credits, the Spark EV will be a money saver for consumers (â€Å"Ford,† â€Å"Nissan†). The Spark EV will reportedly sell for a starting price under $25,000 after tax credits (Edelstein). Although it is smaller than its Ford and Nissa n counterparts, its lower price will appeal to cost conscious consumers and its quick charging times will appeal to people’s need for efficiency. This is a car that is a great choice for consumers who do little driving, want to save on gasoline, or want a second car for around town. It is also a great choice because its lack of emissions are positive for the environment. GM appears to be a company that has weathered the automobile industry crisis in the United States and recessions over the globe in the past decade with success. It appears to be a reasonable place to work for as well as a growing company for investors. Its future products appear to take account of things consumers are looking for today in vehicles, including fuel economy, electric vehicles, safety, and eco-friendly parts. The company has come back from the brink of disaster to form itself into an American company that the country can be proud of. Works Cited Company: History Heritage. General Motors, n.d. Web. Accessed 2 Feb. 2013. http://www.gm.com/company/historyAndHeritage.html Edelstein, Stephen. 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV unveiled, will cost less than $25,000 with tax credits. Digital Trends, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/2014-chevrolet-spark-ev-unveiled/ Ford Focus Electric. Ford, n.d. Web. Accessed 2 Feb. 2013. http://www.ford.com/cars/focus/trim/electric/ Future Vehicles. General Motors, n.d. Web. Accessed 2 Feb. 2013. http://www.gm.com/vehicles/future_vehicles.html#/ General Motors. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. Accessed 2 Feb. 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors General Motors Careers. General Motors, n.d. Web. Accessed 2 Feb 2013. http://careers.gm.com/#.html General Motors Employee Review. Glassdoor, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-General-Motors-RVW2324187.htm General Motors Overview. Glassdoor, n.d. Web. Accessed 2 Feb. 2013. http://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-General-Motors-EI_IE279.11,25.htm Investors: Earnings Releases. General Motors, 31 Wed. 2012. Web. http://www.gm.com/content/gmcom/home/company/investors/earning-releases.content_pages_news_emergency_news_1031_q3_earnings.~content~gmcom~home~company~investors~earning-releases.html Mission Statements. RedLAC, n.d. Web. Accessed Feb 2 2013. http://redlac.org/mission_statements.pdf Nissan Leaf. Nissan, n.d. Web. http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index