GLOBAL EFFECTS

Toyota ™  

 The earthquake and tsunami in Japan hit home in a big way. Toyota, the Japan based car company has been forced to cut production by half due to the devastating effects of the earthquake. The majority of the company’s parts are built in Japan then shipped out to its manufactures around the globe. Less parts means less cars the manufactures in America can produce. Because of that fact Toyota plants have decided to make their workweek shorter giving their employees a four-day weekend. With only being open three days a week the plants still only work at half production to stretch the resources they have left.

All of this equals one thing for those employees, less money in their paychecks. Many are being forced into getting second jobs to subsidize their income until the plant is back at full capacity. Although few are being faced with the tough reality that there are not many jobs out there to be had; especially for those individuals with no more than a high school diploma. When jobs like these are taking away or stripped to the bare bone our overall economy can suffer. The small towns in which most of these plants are take the brunt of the hit but it trickles over to everyone. With fewer cars being made Toyota dealerships have fewer products to sell. To lesion the blow to their bottom line they must raise prices forcing you to pay more for that shiny new car this summer.

This goes to show how intertwined our economy is with those of others all over the world. When a country we do business with is suffering its in our best interests to see them out of the rough times not only to get them back on their feet but to protect our own citizens. So next time someone asks you “why are we helping that country when we have our own problems” tell them this story and say, “So we don’t have more problems.”  

Works Cited
Bunkley, Nick. "Toyota Plans to Reduce Production for 6 Weeks." New York Times. 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/business/global/20auto.html?ref=business>.

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Copyright 2011

Advertisement, the thing that is impossible to escape from. These days you can’t rent a movie, check your email, get on a plane, or drive to work with out being bombarded by advertisements. They’re all over the place. I even got on Facebook the other day and saw one in between two wall posts! Now I’m youst to advertisements along both sides of the screen but place one between my conversations is completely ridicules. 

            In 2010 companies spent over $26 billion dollars on trying to get us in their stores and buying their products (Vega). I for one would be okay with them cutting back on the advertisement, letting me enjoy my clean web pages and roads with a few less signs in exchange for cutting back their prices. I don’t know about you but I find it hard to fill up my gas tank and still have money to go out to eat. I defiantly don’t have the money to keep up with all the new “in” toys that are constantly on TV.

            I find it perplexing though sometimes when a restaurant spends so much money on TV adds and having the tallest sign on the street and forget the things that really count. Like the Taco Bell in my hometown looks like a really nice fast food restaurant from the outside but the inside is a disaster at best. Everything is covered with a layer of grime and all the workers look like they’ve never seen a bar of soap. All I’m saying is lower the price or improve your products instead of marketing the same stuff to me in a new way. 

GLOBAL COMMUNITY SERVICE

Photo by Matthew Jones
All Rights Reserved 

The International Missions Board otherwise known as IMB is with out a doubt the most well known religious based nonprofit. IMB is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest evangelical denomination, claiming more than 40,000 churches with nearly 16 million members (About IMB par. 3). IMB currently has over 5,000 full time missionaries also known as field personnel across the globe. These field personnel are placed on all six major continents.

            They are actively involved in not only bettering the physical lives of millions of people but also attempting to better the spiritual lives of these individuals. They do this through taking food, clean water, medical supplies, and the love of Jesus with them. When an IMB missionary is placed in a country they are usually there until retirement age and sometimes even afterwards.

            What really sets the International Missions Board apart from other nonprofits is that they send 100% of donations directly into the field (How Missions Is Funded). These funds are used in the aid of food supplies, health crisis’s, human trafficking, human rights, and the spreading of the gospel. To put some perspective on how incredibly it is for the International Missions Board to be able to boast about putting 100% of donations into action over seas, the American Red Cross can only afford to use 90% on projects (BBB Financial sec).   The other 10% is divided between advertisement and administrative cost. Now in my opinion the American Red Cross is the most recognizable nonprofit ever, who is able to make a difference in millions of lives across the planet. So for IMB to out do them on this one effect is no easy task.