What Does Ethnic Literature Mean - 994 Words

What does ethnic literature mean? We all have some ethnicity in us that is different than the rest, so doesn’t that mean that all of our literary contributions make up that of American ethnic literature? Before the Civil War, many of the minority people of America started writing poems, songs, and other types of literature that helped describe what life was like in America as an outsider in the â€Å"white† world. These writings became the beginnings of what is now called American ethnic literature. Early authors found themselves writing about the extreme hardships of slavery, the realities of life as a slave during this time, and how hard it was for the African-American people to cope in real life scenarios. These novels showed readers the day to day experiences of what a slave really was, and were generally written by former slaves. Some of the first novels written by African Americans were all published in the early 1850’s; these novels all gave a different element to the lives being led by the African American people at the time. (Digital History, 2014) The authors weren’t just men either, many of the authors were women, sharing poems and real life stories of what it was like to be a woman slave in those days. Freedom was something that was truly longed for, not just wanting to be bought, but something that each slave wished for, and this is where magnificent writing was brought forth from. African Americans weren’t the only ones coming onto the literature scene duringShow MoreRelatedEthnic Literature : Ethnic American Literature1381 Words   |  6 Pagesto introduce and analyze the topic of Ethnic American Literature. Specifically it will discuss the meaning and definition of Ethnic American literature. Ethnic American literature is a rich and varied treasure of poetry, fiction, drama, and much more. Written by some of America s greatest authors, this ethnic legacy opens up a world of diversity to readers, but it also illustrates the struggles and prejudice that still exist in our country today. Ethnic authors use their own experiences to illustrateRead MoreThe Melting Pot By Harriet Jacobs874 Words   |  4 Pagesbecause of this; we can enjoy a bounty of American Ethnic Literature. What does this mean? American Ethnic Literature are the poems, novels, and histories written by the minority peoples of this new world. They were the outsiders of a predominatel y white world and therefore had an experience like no other. African American, Native Americans and Mexican Americans have a rich deep heritage that was immortalized in writing. African American Literature began as graphic slave narratives, accounting lifeRead MoreGlobal Social Studies Attempts to Think Globally and Act Locally1036 Words   |  5 Pagesprivileged society has in a world stricken by war and poverty. It seeks to answer how; if possible, it is to ‘think globally’ and ‘act locally’ (Donais, n.d.). In my research I delve into the truth of these statements by exploring the question; how does the Global Studies curriculum at Wilfrid Laurier University reproduce colonial discourses? This subject is important to investigate as our own socio-economic and academic backgrounds may influence how one teaches a Global Studies course and inadvertentlyRead MoreImmigration And Globalization1734 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction How does immigration impact an individual’s likelihood to identify with a national identity, or a larger global identity? Does immigration, a component of globalization, impact one identity more than another? These questions are increasingly relevant with the well-documented rise of European nationalist parties, but there are still questions about whether these are empirically connected phenomena. Immigration, a facet of globalization, is widely discussed, as well as other impactsRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Animal Shopping Problem1575 Words   |  7 Pagesbecome aware that something I have been buying is not very ethical, then I will gladly swap to a more aware product. What I do is label comparisons, and then I can say what I put in the trolley is the best choice. Sure, sometimes it may cost a little more to swap, but you have to weigh the pros and cons. Usually, the total cost at the checkout is only a little more, and that OK. What Anne outlined in her interview dialogue was the flexibility and adaptability of the shopping process that was a recurringRead MoreThe Importance Of Healthy Texas Women880 Words   |  4 PagesScientific/intellectual This project will fill gaps in the literature surrounding issues of general reproductive health care access. While literature surrounding the issues of reproductive health care access has increased since the passage of H.B. 2, the literature’s main point of focus is abortion (Gomez, 2015). Furthermore, while this literature does discuss issues of access, it fails to address anything beyond lack of access. Furthermore, while some literature addresses issues between the identities of thoseRead MoreMulticulturalism Essay1487 Words   |  6 PagesMulticulturalism is all about featuring characters and themes from countries around the world. In terms of literature, writers of all kinds of different ethnic backgrounds such as David Henry Hwang, Luis Valdez, and Harriet Jacobs express their ideas and values through these methods in their works to get readers to examine them in detail and get a feel of the experience of what it truly means to be a part of that specific culture through out history from the perspectives of those who are a part ofRead MoreMulticulturalism in the United States Essay1306 Words   |  6 Pages Colleges and universities should emphasize the diverse culture we live in. This position can be validated through the passages written by Mike Roses Lives on the Boundary and Adrienne Richs What Does a Woman Need to Know. The following two quotes exemplify Mr. Roses and Ms. Richs point of view illustrating this topic. A quote from Mike Rose affirms We are in the middle of an extraordinary social experiment: the attempt to provide education for all members of a vast pluralistic democracyRead MoreCounter-Cultures and Advertising1268 Words   |  5 Pagesover-loaded and also anachronistic, a throwback to exactly what some explain as the lost angst of the 1960s (Holt 70). Our fascination with revisiting counter-culture at this time is not encouraged by nostalgia, but by an inspiration it offers substantial modern importance. The notion of counter-culture is irretrievably linked up with, and important to, a concept of the tradition to which it refers-and as tradition proceeds, so too doe s counter-culture. Aside from that, the idea of counter-cultureRead MoreEssay on Why Read Literature?671 Words   |  3 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Nothing teaches us better than literature to see, in ethnic and cultural differences, the richness of the human patrimony, and to prize those differences as manifestation humanity’s multi-faceted creativity. Reading good literature is an experience of pleasure, of course; but it is also an experience of learning what and how we are, on our human integrity and our human imperfection, with our actions, our dreams, and our ghosts, alone and in a relationship that link

Police Brutality And The United States - 1479 Words

Police Brutality in the United States University of Nebraska Kearney Colton Blankenship Abstract This research paper is an overview of police brutality in the United States. The paper covers what police brutality is and the definition. The information about police brutality is expanded about what is reasonable and excessive use of force an officer can use. Information is included about the thoughts of what the citizens feel about police brutality. Among the white and black population there is a major difference between their thoughts of police brutality. The black population feels that they are effected by police brutality more than white folks. In addition, the paper touches on what needs to be done about the police brutality across the nation, and if the issue can be stopped. The paper examines court cases involving police brutality including the media buzzed case of Rodney King. The case is further examined and includes the community’s reaction to the beating of Rodney King. Another case is covering Frank Jude Jr. severely beaten by police officers at an off duty polic e officer’s party. What is police brutality? Police brutality states that it is the use of dangerous force against a civilian. The arguments that surround the topic of police brutality relate to different definitions and anticipations over what is meant byShow MoreRelatedPolice Brutality And The United States Essay1408 Words   |  6 PagesPolice brutality in the United States has escalated in recent times. To develop a peaceful environment amongst human beings, one of the main topics to look at is human rights. While more often than not, police brutality violates the concept of human rights it is still a very important task to discuss the topic and create possible solutions to such a concerning and threatening issues in the United States. In this case, statistics is a very important factor that is required to display how serious ofRead MorePolice Brutality And The United States1286 Words   |  6 PagesPolice brutality continues to be one of the most serious and contentious violations of human rights in the United States. Th e unreasonable amount of force used by police officers prevails because of a lack of accountability. This makes it feasible for officers who do violate human rights to get off clean and recommit the violation. A sad fact is that police and/or public officials deny time after time any claims of human rights violations, claiming it was an abnormality, when they should be takingRead MorePolice Brutality And The United States Essay1484 Words   |  6 PagesAssault Being a minority in the United States has never been easy and does not seem to be getting any better. Minorities have been exposed to violence by law enforcement for many decades. Law enforcement s are tasked with protecting and serving its citizens, not to harass and assault them. Police brutality is a continuous problem in the United States and officers need to be accountable for their actions. This research project will examine how police brutality often leads to death because of someRead MorePolice Brutality Of The United States1415 Words   |  6 PagesPolice Brutality Police abuse is one of the most violated human rights in the United States. Police are portrayed as heroes that stop bank robbers, stop kidnappings and catch murders, but as of recent year’s police actions have come into the public eye. While typically citizens worry about their safety from criminals, it also seems they have to keep an eye out for the people who are supposed to protect them from danger. Thousands of complaints about police brutality is reported each year, and seemsRead MorePolice Brutality And The United States1630 Words   |  7 Pages Police Brutality is an ongoing problem and existent concern in the United States and should be resolved immediately. Law enforcement must function as an element that consists of organized and civilized officers. The presence of police brutality is becoming more of an issue as society grows. The problem posed by the illegal exercise of police power is an ongoing reality for individuals of a disfavored race, class, or sexual orientation. Police brutality must be stopped so that police do not forgetRead MorePolice Brutality Of The United States2239 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction Police brutality against minorities across the United States has become a huge topic of interest. There are multiple events where interactions with minorities have had a horrible outcome. Police brutality is defined as the use of excessive force against a civilian and has caught the attention of many in the past few decades. This paper will argue that law enforcement officers disproportionally target minorities as criminal suspects. Racial profiling takes place due to law enforcementRead MorePolice Brutality And The United States1608 Words   |  7 PagesPolice abuse remains as one of the most deliberate human rights violations in the United States. For over a decade police have acted in ways that makes us question their professionalism. Makes the wonder if law enforcement are taking advantage of their criminal justice â€Å"powers† October 22 is â€Å"National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and Criminalization of an Entire Generation†. (Aol News). On October 22 many people across the country wear black to fight back against police brutalityRead MorePolice Brutality And The United States Essay1474 Words   |  6 PagesBeing a minority in the United States has never been easy and does not seem to be getting any better. Minorities have been exposed to violence by law enforcement for many decades. Law enforcement s are tasked with protecting and serving its citizens, not to harass and assault them. Police brutality is a continuous problem in the United States and officers need to be accountable for their actions. This research project will examine how police brutality often leads to death because of some officersRead MorePolice Brutality Of The United States Essay2135 Words   |  9 PagesThe United States is facing a continuous wide spread of police brutality from the past to today. TV Networks, newspapers/magazines, bloggers and forums are getting involved into the discussion about police brutality. After a father bought a t oy gun for his son for his birthday, his son went outside to play and a police officer saw him with the gun not knowing it was a toy and shot him several times. This incident occurred in Sonoma County in October 2013. Something close to that happened in NovemberRead MorePolice Brutality Of The United States1376 Words   |  6 Pagesprominent at this time in social media and mainstream media is the presence of police brutality in the United States. Two instances in the news recently are the disputes that resulted in the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. On July 17, 2014, a plainclothes officer for the New York Police Department stopped Eric Garner on the street and attempted to take him into custody. After Garner resisted arrest, the police officer placed him in an apparent chokehold—a move that is banned by the NYPD

Relationships Online Dating vs. Long Distance Dating Free Essays

There is no doubt single people are willing to try anything to find their romantic partner. It depends on how far they are willing to go. People date because it helps them to get to know each other. We will write a custom essay sample on Relationships: Online Dating vs. Long Distance Dating or any similar topic only for you Order Now If they are interested in each other they can build a relationship. Meanwhile, there are different methods used when meeting someone. Online dating and establishing a long distance relationship are just a couple of methods to building a relationship. â€Å"In the U. S. alone, tens of millions of people are trying to find dates or spouses online every day. † (Epstein, 2007). Many people prefer online dating because they can quickly search through millions of available candidates. Online dating have many advantages. With online dating you are able to look at different peoples’ profile. This option allows you automatically eliminate the people you don’t find interest in. Also, online dating have low tolerance for foul language. There is a membership expense for joining an online dating site on certain web sites. â€Å"Other dating sites will not charge you a membership fee but will charge you posting personal ads. † ( Hardy para 2). Compared to online dating, long distance relationships have some similarities. There is no physical or face to face contact on a daily basis. Regardless of the lack of physical companionship, these relationships establish an emotional connection. Online dating and long distance relationships are beneficial if you enjoy having more time for yourself. You may have to travel a lengthy distance to see each other. This can also be costly depending on if your means of travel will be a train, bus, or airplane. In contrast, long distance relationships can cost a lot more than an online relationship. The latest issue of Women’s Health magazine has an article about long-distance relationships featuring this interesting statistic: An average total amount of $278 is spent a month by couples to keep love alive in a long distance relationship. † (no author,2006). In a long distance relationship you typically know the individual you are in a relationship with. However, getting seperate d for reasons, the test of true commitment is far more real than online dating. Online dating have imagine deception not recognized until you meet for the first time. Author Robert Esptein met a woman he corresponded with online. They agreed to meet at a coffee shop, but she was not the same woman in the online photo when she showed up at the table. (paraphrased para 2). Thus, online dating and long distance relationships share common interest of people wanting to get to know each other. It could both be good or bad. You have to find what dating method works out for you. If you are shy person or used of getting rejected, then online dating might work for you. You could avoid the embarrassment of being let down. Long distance relationships give you more time to spend with yourself. Although both online dating and long distance have their own category of expenses finding what method that will work for you will make you more at ease. Meanwhile, the effort people are willing to go for romance will eventually have some kind of distance involved, whether it would be online or long distance. â€Å" More than 120,000 marriages occur a year as a result of online dating. Growth of online dating industry estimated at $642 million in 2008. † (Silva-Behrens, Nguyen, Queen, Ayala) References Ayala,C., Behrens, L., Nguyen, G., Queen, M. (2009). Online dating statistics-docstoc -documents. Retrieved from www.docstoc.com Epstein, R. (2007). The truth about online dating. Retrieved from www.scientific american.com Hardy, M. (2006) Understanding no membership free personals/love to know Retrieved from www.dating.lovetoknow.com Women’s Health (2006). Cost of a long-distance relationship. Retrieved from www.myopenwallet.net How to cite Relationships: Online Dating vs. Long Distance Dating, Papers

Lecture Writing for Infrastructure and Hierarchy -myassignmenthelp

Question: Imagine that you are a supervisor assigned to train newly recruited employees on a specific task or to introduce to them the companys infrastructure and the hierarchy channels. Select the lecture you would want to introduce them to and explain how the work should be done. Answer: There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.-Colin Powell Training newly recruited employees for specific tasks needs to be done such that they can be introduced to the organisational culture, companys infrastructure and hierarchy channels(Zheng, 2010). One of the most crucial aspects that leads to success of an employee within the organisation is attaining its objectives in an effective manner. Organisational objectives can be achieved in case employees are able to be inducted into the organisation culture in an appropriate manner. The first lesson in introduction to employees will comprise of organisation culture. Organizational culture includes set of assumptions, values, beliefs that form a crucial part of people within organisation. These shared values have a strong impact on the employees of the organisation and helps to strive towards organisational objectives. They also allow confirming to attaining goals of the organisation in a team endeavor. Needle (2004) described organisational culture as being values as well as behaviours that helps in making an organisation unique as it defines a collective set of principles. It includes strategies, technology, management style, organisation vision, values, symbols, signs and so on(Alvesson, 2012). It is a complex set of processes that helps define an organisation in a separate manner compared to others. Newly recruited employees needs to be briefed regarding existing organisational culture such that they can familiarize themselves and accommodate norms for their striving of defined objectives. Every entity has a separate set of culture and values which is decided and determined from senior management perspective. Reference Lists Alvesson, M. (2012). Understanding organizational culture. Sage. Zheng, W. Y. (2010). Linking organizational culture, structure, strategy, and organizational effectiveness: Mediating role of knowledge management. . Journal of Business research, 63(7), 763-771.

Three Sisters Essay Example

Three Sisters Paper In the light of your study of Stanislavski and after seeing Miss Julie how would you direct the opening act of Three Sisters? The opening of Act One of Chekhovs Three Sisters, gives detailed stage directions, which offers valuable information on the main characters of the play; the three sisters, Irina, Masha and Olga. As a director, I would encourage the actors playing these roles to read the information, as it defines clearly the different characters of the sisters, and so can be used for characterisation. As a director, I am fully aware that Three Sisters is a realist play; therefore, this would prompt me to use Stanislavski methods to develop true to life portrayals of the characters. The following is a sketch of Act One: During the opening of the play the three sisters will sit in their designated areas and the audience will watch while Olga marks her books, Irina puts on make-up for her party, and Masha reads a book on the window seat, subdued. In the background (the ballroom), the table will be laid by a servant, which could be played by Anfisa, the old nurse. We will write a custom essay sample on Three Sisters specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Three Sisters specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Three Sisters specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The clip-clop sound of her heels as she rushes about will make stark contrast to the silence of the sisters. I aspire to obtain the audience to suspend their disbelief, and remain this through-out the play. This idea is heavily influenced by the theatre production of After Miss Julie. My intention is for the audience to see the closeness of the relationship between Olga and Irina. Moreover, to see how Masha is the recluse of the sisters, and overlooked by them due to her quietness and concealed emotions. Olga (as indicated by her regulation dark-blue dress of a high school teacher) is the mother figure for the sisters, especially Irina, who never really knew her mum. Irina seems distant from her sisters, as she is the only young one left, and she is still happy-go-lucky and enjoys her life without worry. Olga is the oldest, and uses this to boss the others sisters around. Olga is the only sister to work, and so is constantly moaning about her work. She revels in being the sister with authority, but also resents it, as she feels forced into work since her fathers death. Her movements should be very swift, and she should constantly be moving around, making herself busy, yet achieving nothing, reflecting a theme of the play. This will create humour for the audience, as they will see her fussing over everything, yet doing nothing. Her movements should be very rapid, restless, and hurried. Using Stanislavskis methods, I would find out the super objective of Olgas character, to create naturalism. Personally, I believe Olgas motivations in life are to return to Moscow, and find a husband. This is from the social context of the play, where many women believed they needed a husband to achieve true happiness, and also a husband would result in Olga not needing a job. To show this in the play I will show Olga being extremely interested in Tuzenback and flirtatiously behaving with him as he talks about Vershinin. This can be achieved by making lots of eye contact with him and her moving closer to him, until she hears he has a wife, and then she will sharply turn away. An objective of Olgas character is to continue working, although she says It wears me out, I believe she loves it and could not just sit at home like the other sisters. This arises one of the themes of the play work. None of the sisters worked previously as they are wealthy and do not have the need to work. I believe Chekhov used this to show that you need to work to have ambition and achieve in life. This is shown in the play, as all the sisters ambition is to return to Moscow, yet none of them does anything towards this ambition. Chekhov himself was born into a poor family, but worked hard and achieved an amazing amount. I think this highlights the social context of the play between rich and poor. Rich and poor is an underlying theme of Act One, and was an important issue in the era of the play. Natasha is of low class, and so discriminated against by the sisters who believe she is not good enough for their beloved Andrew. Masha in particular scrutinises everything about Natasha, from her clothes, which are downright pathetic to her make-up and hair. This shows a very materialistic viewpoint, and shows no intent to get to know Natasha, just judge her because of her class. This also shows how much the sisters love Andrew and do not want him getting hurt. I believe the sisters are very jealous of allowing another female into their household, which is why they resent Natasha. In Act One Natasha should be portrayed as a very timid young woman, this can be shown by her emotional outbursts and general uncertainty. Natasha and Andrew provide the only true love shown in Act One, and as they finish the Act, lead the audience to believe there will be much more to come. The couple give an optimistic out-look that good things can come out of bad situations, and I think this leaves the end of Act One on a happy and loving end. The sketch of the set of the play shows Masha is facing the audience she will be able to communicate with them, they will be able to see clearly her facial expressions, which will create an intimacy with the audience, and I hope result in the audience watching Masha and perhaps feeling sympathy for her. Being in at the side of the other two sisters also allows Olga and Irina to talk about Masha in whispers, and direct facial expressions at her, without her noticing. The description of Masha in a black dress, sits with her hat on her lap reading a book convey the isolation of her character. The black portrays seriousness, and hiding her feelings from the other sisters. I believe Masha is a character who tries to forget everything bad in her life. I think this results in her feeling severely depressed, as in the instance of the death of her father; bottling up her feelings has resulted in Masha not getting over the death, just replaying it repeatedly in her mind, effectively making her unable to think of anything else and become further withdrawn. She rarely speaks, and because of this, the sisters cannot help her. However when Masha does speak, it upsets the other sisters as Masha is the strong one, and causes them to break down with her; Olga particularly loses control. Masha is also depressed over her marriage; she believed her husband was intelligent and wise, and now she refuses to accept the reality that he is not this, and she does not love him. The audience will have an insight into the true Masha, an insecure person, who is deeply upset by her sisters relationship and her life in general. This will be shown by Masha observing the play, without allowing the other characters to see (which will create dramatic irony), and reacting to the action behind her, while facing the audience. Masha can use the audience as a friend, and watch them rather than interact with her sisters. Mashas facial expressions are very important in order to portray her character naturalistically. Due to this I would use Stanislavskis acting method of emotion memory, by asking the actress playing Masha to remember how it felt in a part of her life when she had no one to help her, and her life was disappearing before her eyes. I would then ask her to use these feelings with Masha, to create naturalism. Part of Mashas character resents the close relationship between Olga and Irina, and this leads to her feeling more isolated. This will be shown when Masha whistles. The whistle will be one of those pretend Im not here whistles but at the same time, the whistle will remind the other sisters of Mashas existence. There is a different side to Mashas character that occasionally shows a more ambitious and happy person; such as when she proclaims You only live once, where I believe Mashas voice should change from a bored, monotonous, pre-occupied, slow and quiet voice to a faster, excited, almost breathy voice. This will highlight the change of character and therefore the comedy-tragedy that Chekhov aimed will succeed. Both the sisters adore Irina, the youngest, but especially Olga, because of their mother-daughter type relationship. Again, the stage directions explain Irinas character, in a white dress, stands lost in thought. Irina is young and free, with no commitments in life, and has time to spend her day deep in thought. Her character is portrayed through her becoming very excitable at the thought of her oncoming party, and applying make-up and choosing her clothes. This shows that she has the time to spend doing these useless tasks, and demonstrates her need to dress-up to feel more important and grown-up, as well as impress the male guests. Irina is innocent and pure, as indicated by her white dress, but can be immature, such as when she remarks I know everything, which show she believes she has knowledge, which is expanded on later in the play when Masha remarks We know too much, while talking to Andrew about their education. I believe Chekhov is making a political point about how many people believe they know too much, when they know nothing. Chekhov was very philosophical (which reflects in many of his characters including Masha and Solyony), and once said Only Charlatans know everything and understand nothing. This is true to many characters of the play; for example Tuzenback, has never worked a day in his life, and believes he learns all he needs through newspapers. As a director, I would use this to create humour, by allowing the audience to laugh at these sad people, who have no grasp on reality. The theme of ambition plays a large part of Act One, as well as the rest of the play. All three of the sisters are striving towards moving back to Moscow, as this is where all their happy memories are. However, none of the sisters do anything towards their ambition, and so nothing changes in their lives. This again highlights how sad rich peoples lives can be, as they have no drive to do anything for themselves, as they can happily survive on what their family provides for them. To show this in the play I would have the characters constantly fussing over the clock (placed in the centre of the drawing room). This will represent how time is passing by in front of them without them realising, while they continue their petty lives. Each of the characters deep down knows they will not achieve their dream, but each of them long for it all the same. The theme of ambition also shows the frustration of the sisters, particularly Masha, to escape to the big city yet they only talk about it. Again, I believe Chekhov is making a social statement about the amount of people in Russia who wanted to change the out-dated social order at the time of the play, yet did nothing to achieve this goal. This theme is personal to Chekhov, as he DID return to his family in Moscow, showing you can achieve dreams with effort. I would achieve comedy throughout Act One using the various characters Chekhov included to provide comic relief for the audience, characters such as Tuzenback, Chebutykin, and Solyony, to distract from the awful tragedy of the majority of the play. These characters can be completely over-acted but still believable. These characters are typical nutty professors and they should all be dressed eccentrically, and constantly thinking of new ideas. The doctor is the typical result of doing too much work in his life, meaning he has been driven crazy. To achieve humour the actors must fully believe every word they say and make sure they take themselves seriously, even though they are clowns. These characters all flirt with the sisters, that also creates humour, and I believe they find it their duty to look after the sisters since their fathers death. This is another case of the characters believing they know more than they do. Another chance for comedy is how the three sisters smother Andrew, and clap at him and generally treat him like a child. Humour is achieved by making the sisters become over-enthusiastic mothers, fussing over Andrew, and showing off his achievements, such as the frames on the piano. The audience will be able to relate to this experience and so find it very funny. Ferapont can also be used to create humour because he can be played as a typical bewildered, deaf, old man. The setting of Act One will be very naturalistic, all props will be used (including knives, forks, table cloth, tables, samovar, chairs, cake, columns, curtains and swords), with fully made-up rooms, including appropriate flooring, curtains, and wallpaper, with everything looking aged, to fit with the period of the play. Many unused and often ugly but expensive ornaments will be placed around the ballroom, to show how the Prozorovs have lots of money for luxurious items, as well as painting scattered on the walls and an old bookcase. The ballroom table will also convey the wealth of the family, using ridiculous numbers of knives and forks around the immaculately placed plates, with flowers in the middle of the table, to indicate the springtime time of year. Lighting will be used to mimic natural sunlight streaming through the windows. The audience will be situated around the stage in a semi-circle, and the audience size will be small (around 250), so they will all be very close to the actors. This will make the audience feel more involved, and make the drama more realistic, personal, and believable. All costumes will be to date, and according to the stage directions and only natural make-up will be used. All male soldiers will be wearing military uniforms and civilian clothing. The pace of Act One will develop throughout, to prepare the audience for more tension and a climax in the following acts. In conclusion, I believe the relationship between the three sisters is the focus of Act One, and how they react to other people. I believe the solution to making this play work theatrically is to use Chekhovs idea of comedy and tragedy, to develop the naturalism of the play, as life often has highs and lows. The tragedy of the play creates tension and allows the audience to relate to characters, and then the comedy allows the audience to forget the problems and enjoy the play, as well as making the tragedy more obvious, and at times heartbreaking. To develop Act One I would continue to use Stanislavski methods to increase the naturalism of the play, and improve characterisation.

Lord of the rings Essays

Lord of the rings Essays Lord of the rings Paper Lord of the rings Paper Usually, when dealing with a piece of writing we will soon discover that reality influences it. What I mean is that the author is immerse in asocial, political, cultural and economic circumstances (within many other types of them) which will have a notorious effect on his production. It happens very often, I would say in most of the cases, that, conscious or unconsciously, personal experiences, ideologies and judgements have their way out from the writers mind through his work. Something that distinguishes The Lord of the Rings series is that this factual reference is very difficult to establish. From my point of view, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien manages to deal with issues that have to do with the deepest human nerve and its essence but without getting punctual so the novel becomes universally appealing and transcendental. This combination of an ample span but a profound sight makes for the admiration these books inspire. Love, loyalty, conflict between good and evil, friendship, pow er and many other aspects of human life are analysed through these pages and with such capability that one cant do anything but clap and admit that something great has derived from this mans work. They wont be changing for millennia so Tolkien has assured that even if civilisations pass, his work, unstained from history allegories, will remain interesting for people all around the globe. Although this feature might become also a major inconvenient when trying to give the text a thorough analysis given that it is more difficult to understand Tolkiens motivations and intentions a closer look to something critical in the novel as the creation of a parallel universe and to the writers greatest passion some conclusions can be made to get a nearer idea of Erus or Iluvatars making. What powerfully attracted my attention when Ifirst read the Lord of the Rings was the ability to give birth to a cosmos so plausible and

Quantitative Easing (Pros and Cons) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quantitative Easing (Pros and Cons) - Essay Example main aim of quantitative easing is to inject money into the economy to stabilize nominal spending by purchasing assets from private or public sector. When the government uses their new central bank currency to purchase resources, it boosts the quantity of central bank currency held by financial institutions which in turn boost the sum of deposits retained by firms and households. The increase in the amount of assets held by firms and households increases spending which is healthy for a stable economic system. Since central bank is the sole supplier of the currency in circulation, it takes money in the form of reserve balances held by banks to make payments between different banks. Benford argues that such a scenario was witnessed in in England in order to reduce the rate of inflation to protect consumers from economic crisis and it succeeded to some extent. According to Benford, the bank may decide to generate this money electronically simply by increasing the balances on the reserve account so that it credits the bank reserve account when the bank purchases an asset. The central bank can also decide to purchase asset from a non banking institution by paying the amount directly via the seller’s bank thereby crediting the reserve account of the seller’s bank (Berger & Weber 36). By so doing, the asset of central bank increases which consequently increases the assets of commercial banks and the non bank institutions concerned. This ultimately leads to an increase in assets prices and spending and consequently reduces the rate of inflation to desired levels (Berger &Weber 37). Economists argue that this is a perfect method of expansion of supply of central bank money without increasing the rate of inflation in an economy (Benford 3). Controlling inflation is not easy due to pressure from financial hawks who are always interested in seeing high interest rates (Krugman). Since quantitative easing involves large amounts of currency, there needs to be se t properties to procure for it to be successful in the short term. Most of the purchases go to public organizations with private organization receiving less purchase with the aim of improving the conditions of the corporate credit. The injection of government money into the economy is helpful in increasing the liquidity in return for the assets which helps to improve the balance sheet of the private sector households and firms (Berger &Weber 37). Since money is highly liquid, its injection into the economy increases the buying of goods and services hence is a good manipulating tool for inflation. Purchase of assets by the government increases the prices of assets reducing the cost of borrowing from household and companies thus resulting to higher consumption and investment spending (Benford 3). When companies have cheaper access to

Political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Political science - Essay Example Tough and legally fixed system of racism and segregation prevented the interracial contacts with Indians and Negros, which were brought to the USA as slaves, thus the spirit of nationalism between the settlers was strong from the very beginning. It is not easy to determine what American nationalism is. Americans are young nation and the process of ethnical consolidation in it has divergent character. Many national groups keep the elements of cultures of the countries they originate from. American nation is the nation, which consists of the people, who made their choice voluntarily and it is not based on ethnic communities. American values are not whims and not the results of the force of circumstances. They are given to American citizens by their history and fixed in their life experience, documents, traditions and customs. American values work for Americans, thus they live with them and are ready to die for

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Mergers and Acquisitions Office Max Office Depot - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the term merger involves the combination of two companies, which work together for an achievement of one common goal. Basically, the merger is between the same industry as the objectives of the two companies are the same. Although there will be a difference of approaches and methods following by each of them, the result achieved will be industry oriented. Moving towards the acquisition, it is a term defining when a company buys the assets or equities of another and leaving the liabilities. In acquisition, the financial terms are led by both of the companies while in the merger, financed is one company oriented. Both merger and acquisition can take place between public trading companies or private trading companies, involving the access of shares to public and shares which are not registered. Acquiring or merger with a firm requires the high level of negotiations to balance and mutual understanding of the objectives. The study of the me rger of Exxon-Mobil is a merger of giant companies in the oil industry and this has been aimed to enhance the productivity of the two companies. The rate of a merger was high in the US in between 1994 to 2004, which was due to some major factors that are involved in the economy of the company and industry. The basic circumstances of the merger activity include the increasing number of merger particularly because of advancement in technologies, globalization of markets, intense nature of forms and sources to make industries deregulate, dynamic change in financial markets. Following these global trends of mergers, there some industry related trends as well. The oil industry of US is a large sized market and thus, it incorporates many challenges. Two major challenges of this industry are the addition of the future reserves within the country and the price fluctuations in the price of oil. The advantage of a large firm was firstly owned by only a few firms and is now one of the barriers to entry to the industry.

Mergers Of Abbey National And Santander Finance Essay

Mergers Of Abbey National And Santander Finance Essay As Watson Head (2007: 310-311) explained the terms Merger and Acquisition are used interchangeably but the differences are quite noticeable. The term Merger suggests the friendly reorganisations of assets into a new organization; the two similar sized organizations will then become one entity with both sets of existing shareholders. On the other hand, Acquisition or a Takeover suggests obtaining ones companys ordinary share capital by another one. In an acquisition the one of the organizations is larger in size and financial stability and has the dominant power over the other one. The Acquisition process is lengthy and very complicated in nature. Acquisition of any particular organization can have several motives, the acquirer may want to amplify their economies of scale, market share or to attain the financial synergy through declining the companys cost of capital. All these can be classified as: Horizontal Merger and Acquisition: Involves companies at the same stage of production in the same industry. i.e.: the acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft in 2010 Vertical Merger and Acquisition: This involves companies at different stage of production but within the same industry. The vertical integration can either be: Forward movement towards the production process, i.e: A furniture manufacturer merging with a retail furniture outlet. Backward movement towards securing the suppliers, i.e: A furniture manufacturer merging with a wood supplier. Conglomerate Merger and Acquisition: involves companies in unrelated business lines. i.e.: A clothing company acquiring a jewellery company. Trends in MA activity 2004 to 2010 in Europe Banking Industry: Figure 1: One in Five companies plans to go for large scale Acquisition in 2010 some industries expect to be even more active. Source: USB and BCG CEO/Senior Management MA survey- 2009 on 166 European Companies. As from the Figure:1 and Graph:1 , The MA trend in Retail and Insurance industries are in inclining nature, but we can observe an inclining trend in the Banking industry MA in Western Europe compared to the global trend. The Western Europe Banking sector MA shows a parallel movement with the global MA trend, suggesting that the Western Market is very susceptible to the overall market movement. The inclining nature of the MA in the Western Baking Sector (from mid 2005- mid 2009) suggests the upturn of the MA trend in the during the current recession crisis, the banks were making profits with the global trends in M&A; as these banks are also earning fees from their advisory and other services, such as; syndicated banking facilities to support leveraged bids. The trend also suggests the wave of cross-border MA with the movement of the global trend in order to expand the business. Graph 1: Trend in Global MA activity (2004-2010), compared to Eastern and Western Europe banking industry MA. Source: Bloomberg In the current recession years; with low interest rate, poor bond yields and high level of liquidity- the banking industry within the Western Europe is embracing the MA opportunity as many corporations have pushed back the bidding deals.  [1]   Table 1: MA trend from 1/01/2010 to 29/03/2010. Source: Bloomberg Acquirer Region Target Region Average Size (GBP million) Global Global 110.63M Global North America 174.94M Global Europe 79.60M Global Asia Pacific 65.29M Global Latin America Caribbean 331.65M Global Middle East Africa 106.65M North America North America 159.79M North America Europe 114.29M North America Asia Pacific 48.36M North America Latin America Caribbean 47.84M North America Middle East Africa 17.54M Europe North America 546.90M Europe Europe 65.42M Europe Asia Pacific 636.53M Europe Latin America Caribbean 1.14B Europe Middle East Africa 95.87M Asia Pacific North America 128.86M Asia Pacific Europe 41.68M Asia Pacific Asia Pacific 46.56M Asia Pacific Latin America Caribbean 180.35M Asia Pacific Middle East Africa 94.18M Latin America Caribbean North America 183.26M Latin America Caribbean Europe 455.35M Latin America Caribbean Asia Pacific 73.86M Latin America Caribbean Latin America Caribbean 506.03M Latin America Caribbean Middle East Africa 11.21M Middle East Africa North America 10.50M Middle East Africa Europe 485.98M Middle East Africa Asia Pacific 21.17M Middle East Africa Latin America Caribbean 7.62M Middle East Africa Middle East Africa 134.77M From the table above, the MA trend is inclining more towards emerging markets as the target regions; although, emerging markets are also opting for MA activities in the same or different emerging markets to expand the business. An Acquisition CASE: Abbey national PLC acquired by Banco Santander SA: Background of Abbey National PLC: The Abbey National Building Society was formed following the merger of the Abbey Road Building Society and the National Building Society in 1944  [2]  . In July 1989, Abbey became a public limited company and floated on the London Stock Exchange. With 12 million customers and assets of  £ 177 billion, it is ranked the sixth largest bank in the UK by assets and the fifth largest by deposits (with a 9% share of the market). Reflecting its origins as a building society, it is the second largest mortgage provider in the UK, with an 11% share of the market. Furthermore, with 15% of the market, at the time of acquisition, it was the third largest provider of insurance protection products and has a large distribution network with more than 700 branches (EMCC, 2008). Abbey had two main business divisions, Personal Financial Services and the Portfolio Business Unit. Background of Banco Santander Central Hispano SA: Santander is a bank that has transformed itself: from being a middle player in the Spanish banking market 20 years ago, it is now a major global bank operating in Spain, Portugal, Germany, the United Kingdom and other European countries, as well as in Latin America. The group is currently the leading consumer bank in Europe and has over 10,500 branches globally (excluding those branches gained through the acquisition of Banco Real as a result of a deal with ABN AMRO). Santander is a technologically advanced bank, with an information technology platform that is regarded as a strong competitive advantage. Excluding Banco Real employees, the group currently employs approximately 130,000 people worldwide, of whom 50% are working in Latin America. There are also large numbers of employees working in the UK and Spain. (EMCC, 2008). Banco Santander was a small retail bank when it started its business in 1985, since then it initiated its local market growth through mergers and strategic alliances; and later implemented Low-scale cross-border expansion through strategic alliances and acquisitions. Gradually, the implementation of Large-scale cross border expansion took place. Chart 1: Banco Santander Acquisition Transaction Overview till January 2010. Source: Reuters Overview of the Acquisition: The objectivity of this particular acquisition/takeover was to diversify the business of Banco Santander PLC to mortgage and financial services; not to mention to explore the retail banking opportunities in the UK market. Therefore, the motive for this MA was to gain economies of scale through synergy and also to entering a new market in order to optimize their market share, hence; buying Abbey was a mean to enter into Europes second largest consumer financing market. In 2003 Abbey National PLC was pricey for Santander and in 2004, Abbey incurred losses from its entry into the money market and Santander decided to go ahead with the Acquisition plan in order to penetrate the UK market. Moreover, the secondary objective of this acquisition was to under-cut the local competition for Banco Santander with the hopes of obtaining higher profitability in the UK market. Moreover, Banco Santander already had the expertise in the retail banking and built a strategic alliance with the Royal Bank of Scotland from 1988. Therefore, Santander had already gathered banking knowledge and futuristic opportunities. As stated by Parada et al., (2009: 666-667) Acquiring Abbey National PLC would make Banco Santander the biggest bank in Europe and Latin America and dominating their business in the strong currencies- the Euro, US dollar and the Pound. The acquisition had boosted the companys operation in six segments: Retail Banking, Global Banking Markets, Corporate Banking, Private Banking, Group Infrastructure and Sold Life Businesses. After the acquisition Abbey National PLC became Santander UK PLC in January 2010.  [3]   Abbeys leadership position in the United Kingdoms mortgage lending market, together with its extensive branch network, represent for the shareholders of Banco Santander and of Abbey an opportunity to create value based on the application of the best business and technological practices of Banco Santander to Abbeys banking operations. Abbeys business heavily contributes to reinforce our pan-European franchise and provides the Group with a more balanced earnings stream.-(Emilio Botà ­n, Chairman of Banco Santander, July 2004).  [4]   Table 2: Overview of the Abbey National PLC acquisition. Source: Reuters As noted in Parada et al., (2009, 666-668) in 2004 Abbey was suffering from losses from entering in the whole-sale money market; therefore, Santander grabbed the opportunity to launch a friendly bid. Santander managed to overpower all the regulatory obstacles. Although the acquisition was initiated in 2004; but the tentative completion of this acquisition is expected to be at the end of 2010; given Abbey National PLC will be renamed as Santander UK PLC. Figure 2: The 3 steps of internationalization implemented by Santander in 2004. Source: Authors. Acquisition of Abbey National PLC Graph 2: The dimensions of Santander acquisition with its growth (2000 to 2004). Source: Bloomberg The graph above portrays the rising nature of Santander Share price after the Abbey acquisition at the end of year 2004. Defence Strategy implemented by Abbey National PLC: During the Acquisition offer, Abbey National PLC urged its rivals British banks to make counter-bid offer in order to push back the  £8.9 billion offer made by Banco Santander. Moreover Abbey spent out  £9 million worth of Legal documentation to its approximately 1.8 million shareholders in the hopes of bouncing off the Acquisition offer made by Banco Santander.  [5]   Valuation of the Acquisition: The asking price for the acquisition was  £10 billion and the sold price was  £8.9 billion. The terms of the Acquisition were based on the equity market capitalisation of the two companies over the three months prior to 23 July 2004. Based on the average closing market price for a Banco Santander Share on the Spanish stock market was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬8.70 and the average closing mid-market price for an Abbey Share on the London Stock Exchange was  £4.69 at an exchange rate of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.5054:  £1, the terms of the represent a premium of approximately 28.4 % with a value of each Abbey Share at  £6.03 or 603 pence ( taking into account the 6 pence for dividend differential, see the financing section), and the entire issued ordinary share capital of Abbey at approximately  £8.9 billion.  [6]   Financing the Acquisition Bid: The acquisition was finance through the purchase of Abbey shares and Mixed Bid offer was initially offered to precede the acquisition; where, Santander (the largest bank in North American and Spain) offered one of its own shares and 31 pence in cash for each share of London-based Abbey shareholders.  [7]  The special dividend of 25 pence will be paid along with 6 pence (31 pence in total) worth dividend differential to compensate the Abbey National shareholders; as historically the dividend payment of Banco Santander was usually lower than Abbey National Dividend payment (Table:3). Later on, in November 2004, the acquisition was carried out through an exchange of one new Santander Share for each of Abbey share. 94.6% backing support (based on the share counting only 64.8 % shareholders agreed to the acquisition deal) was received from the Abbeys shareholders in order to proceed with the takeover. The deal was worth almost  £9 billion (or à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 13.5 billion to be exact; at the time of acquisition offer the exchange rate was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.5054 to  £1). The enlarged company would be 76%-owned by existing Santander shareholders, with the rest in the hands of Abbey shareholders.  [8]   Regulatory Framework: The acquisition took place under section 425 of UK Companies Act 1985. Moreover, Santander had to provide many paper-works and detailed plans to the European Authorities regarding the Abbey Acquisition (See Appendix, Illustration: 2). As a result of the acquisition, Abbeys remaining private shareholders became entitled to one Santander share and the shares are traded in Euros in the Madrid Stock Exchange.  [9]   Table 3: Capital Value estimated for the Abbey Shareholders, Source: http://www.vernimmen.com/ftp/sch-abbey.pdf Cultural Differences: Although, the Spanish culture and British culture vary in many ways they run business. In British Culture, organizations rely mainly on their Human Resource, whereas, Spanish Culture relies more on the technological upgrading. Abbey National PLC had about 33% back-office employees; whereas, Santander had about 6% to 10% employees as back-end personnel. Therefore, after the acquisition the employee number in Santander PLC came down to 16 thousands from 24 thousands in the UK. At the time of acquisition Santanders cost to income was 42%, whereas in UK it was on about 50% or more.  [10]   The acquisition may be affected by different tax incentives and regulations. Any change in the Spanish Banking policy will affect the Santander UK subsidiary both economically and financially. Moreover at the time of acquisition in 2004, the UK national savings rate is only 14.7% of GDP, compared with over 23% in Spain. Therefore, the spending and saving nature in the UK are very diverse than in Spain. As quoted in the Guardian (2005): Santander .. treats its Spanish shareholders to an unusually attractive range of perks, from discounted medical insurance and dental care to cut-price hams and crates of wine.  [11]  . Therefore, such treatments in the UK can be perceived as manipulative technique due to the variance in these two cultures. Performance in Share Price and Stock Market- Post Acquisition: Since Banco Santander is a Spanish bank, the shares was listed in Spanish Stock Market and the shareholders had to face exchange rate volatility since the dividend were being paid in Euros; nonetheless, the Spanish taxation issue can be quite complicated to the UK shareholders. The Abbey shareholders were given the option to sell the shares to any Spanish Organization in the UK, but Abbey shareholders who held on to their Santander shares over time have to pay tax on any dividends they get.  [12]  Banco Santander new shares after the acquisition were not admitted to the Official List or to trading on the London Stock Exchange during the post period of the acquisition.  [13]   In 2009 Santander 1.1 million new current accounts with our 25 million customers, and reported to deliver more than 30% profit in five successive years after the acquisition. Chart 2: The Overview of UK Competitors. Source: H1 09 Reports Data and BBA Abstract by HSBC Graph 3: Santander UK PLC share price performance. Source: http://www.h-l.co.uk/shares/shares-search-results/s/santander-uk-plc10-38-non-cum-stlg-pre/charts The Santander UK PLC is in the second place after Lloyds Banking Group in the Mortgage market share in UK with relatively reasonable Market share in Retail Banking (Chart: 2). Moreover, The EPS of Banco Santander has been performing quite poorly after 2005, it has declined from 0.337 in 2005 to 0.27 in 2009 (See Appendix, Illustration: 3 ). The share price of Santander UK PLC has been rising from the year 2005 (Graph: 3), partly because the dividend was 15% higher than that paid in the mid of the year 2005. As of in 2006, 25% higher dividend was paid. In 2008, Banco Santander announced its agreement to take over Alliance Leicester PLC (AL). Under the terms of the agreement Banco Santander will offer one Company share for every three AL shares. The European Commission had approved Banco Santander  £1.3 billion takeover of Alliance Leicester Plc. Moreover, in year 2008, Banco Santander had agreed to buy Bradford Bingley PLC retail deposits and branch network. Santander had agreed to pay about  £400 million to acquire 2.7 million Bradford Bingley customer savings accounts containing some  £21 billion of deposits. Therefore, Santander UK PLC is still at its growth stage in the UK Market and it is focusing more on acquiring local financial institutions. Reuters reported in October 2009 that, Banco Santander SA planes to maintain its policy of paying half its net profit in dividends in 2010. Moreover, according to the Yahoo Finance (April, 2010), Banco Santander SA has higher Dividend yield of 6.80 % and global Foreign Money Centre Banks Industry has the rate at 1.96%, which suggest a favourable investment option to the potential shareholders. The Santander Group is working towards the policy of maximizing shareholders profit. Moreover, as reported in Bloomberg, Banco Santander SA is seeking to list its UK business in London Stock Exchange listing from February 2010 in order to raise funds for possible future buy-up opportunities, the listing offering may value at more than  £15 billion. Banco Santander is looking for funds to bid for Royal Bank of Scotland PLC network of 300 branches. On the other hand, Santander UK is willing to sell 25% of its stake in order to be listed in FTSE 100 and also to pay out about  £1 billion a year in dividends to construe an attractive deal to the investors (Source: The Times). Conclusion: Although, there were many speculation against the Abbey acquisition due to its cross-border nature, but all the speculations were proven wrong. Although, this particular acquisition was the most talked about topic in the UK financial market, and many believed the acquisition would not create any value for the Abbey Shareholders. With proper understanding of the local market, Banco Santander had utilized its previous acquisition knowledge when it came to this acquisition. Banco Santander knows what its UK shareholders want and trying to live up that expectation to serve their UK shareholders. Banco Santander is seeking to expand its business in the UK. Although, till date the Abbey bank transformation is still under progress, but Banco Santander had been patient with the UK market because they know- slow and steady wins the race. Bibliography: Huws, U. OKeefe, B. 2008. Managing Change in EU Cross-Border Acquisition, Case example Santander and Abbey: Expansion Enabling access to new markets. EMCC Company Network, 1-4. Mayer-Sommer, A. P. , Sweeney, S. Walker, D.A. 2005. Effect of Bank Acquisition on Shareholder Returns. Bank Accounting and Finance, 1-7, June-July. Lausberg, C. Stahl, T. 2009. Motives and Non-Economic Reasons for Bank Mergers and Acquisitions. The Icfai University Journal of Bank Management, 8(1): 1-25.

Interracial Dating Explored in Save the Last Dance Essay -- Films Movi

Interracial Dating Explored in Save the Last Dance The movie, Save the Last Dance, goes along with all of our discussions and conversations about the visual difference between the black and white cultures and the stereotyping that Hollywood does of the two cultures. The movie shows the difference in the two cultures, according to Hollywood.you have your typical white middle-class suburban girl (Sarah) and your typical low-class black boy (Derrick). Save the Last Dance is a love story about the pros and cons that comes along with interracial dating. Hollywood displays Sarah as your typical white girl whose forced to move into a low-class neighborhood (with her father, Roy), which is inhabited mostly by blacks, after her mother dies in a tragic car accident on her way to one of her audition. The theme of the movie is really plain and simple. Sarah has always wanted to become a ballerina and attend Julliard, a school of performing arts in New York, however, after the death of her mother, she loses the passion for her dream. Like I mentioned above, Sarah was forced to move with her father, Roy, who lived in an old ratty house deep in a ghetto (inhabited mostly by blacks) in New York City. It had to have been a huge culture shock for Sarah, I mean, here is this white middle-class girl who feels that she?s to blame for her mothers death. And in an instant, she?s taken away from her home, neighborhood, and friends and forced to live and attend school in a black ghetto....

Challenges Faced by a Country for Economic Development Essay

An economy is flourishing and is shown to be beneficial and fruitful for the people living in it only when the growth of the economy goes up continuously. It is essential for a country to not only develop politically or socially but it also needs to demonstrate economic development in order to sustain in the international market and in order to come ahead of other countries. But it is not very easy for any economy to economically keep growing because an umpteen number of internal and external factors that affect the growth and the economic development and it is essential and crucial for the countries to address the issues and move ahead. There are some very common challenges that are faced by an economy that are discussed below. The presence of external imbalances in the global economy is one of the most influential causes that impose a challenge on the economic development of any country. There can be reasons such as political disruptions, changes in import-export scenario or foreign currency reserve changes that can lead to imbalance in a country that is external to an economy. But the disruptions taking place in one country can adversely affect the economy and economic growth of other countries as well. The monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the government of an economy also have a huge role to play in the economic development. These policies tend to impact the interest rates, money supply and foreign exchange rates of an economy and if the policies are not in the favor of the growth, they can become major challenges and major issues all over the country. Read more: Essay About Disadvantages of Population The change in trade situations can also affect the economies. Exports of a country help it in generating external revenues while imports can be done for different purposes such as facilitation of a manufacturing process, providing basic necessities to the people etc. And hence if there is an imbalance in the external trade that is taking place in a country, it can lead to severe turbulence and can adversely impact the economic growth. Other economic factors such as poverty, inflation rate, population also are dependent on an economy and also impact the economy. If a nation has higher level of poverty, it is more likely to have economic challenges and similarly high population is not desired and not advisable for high economic growth. And that is the reason why the governments usually try to avoid these unfavorable situations and try to maintain a balance in the countries by different measures. There are many more reasons why the economies face severe challenge of demonstrating growth and hence it is crucial for the countries to adopt different and new policies in order to avoid these challenges and facilitate growth. Reference: http://classof1.com/homework-help/international-economics-homework-help/ View as multi-pages

Early America essays

Early America essays America. No other word in any language sparks such a passion of energy in people. Why is this? Is it because of the prosperity that the United States is associated with? Maybe, it is the idea of complete freedom. Most people in less fortunate countries dream about a life in a new land. Most often America is the land which pops into their heads. If people in less fortunate countries dream of a new life in America, why has their been a decline of patriotism? Quite possibly it is the lack of education, in the history of our fine country. People have forgotten why we live in a free country, or how our country came to be. Possibly it is the fact that since we no longer realize the overwhelming odds we faced in the revolution, or the matter of why we succeeded from Britain. People take this country for granite. Two authors, Howard Zinn, and Thomas A. Baily have not forgotten why we broke away. These men have similar opinions on the social, political, and revolutionary origins of our country. North and South America were colonized by modern European countries. The way these countries interacted was the basis for society in Colonial America. For example, Spain influenced the colonial times by introducing slavery through the Native Americans. Because of Spains introduction of slavery, it became a way of life in fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth century America. Baily and Zinn both agree that Colonial America was directly influenced socially by the mixing of different cultures from the immigrants. Society was an important factor in colonial America....colonial society was not democratic and certainly not equalitarian; it was dominated by men who had money enough to make others work for them. And: Few of these men were descended from indentured servants, and practically none had themselves been of that class. Here, Zinn gives an example of how society worked....

Cask of Amontillado essays

Cask of Amontillado essays Edgar Allan Poes, The Cask of Amontillado is an excellent display of how you can take a very sane person, given the right circumstances, and make a malicious person out of him or her. Revenge is a feeling that has the ability to over come a persons grip on reality. The narrator Montressor feels that he was insulted greatly by our not so fortunate Fortunado. Montressor vows to have vengeance on Fortunados for his heinous crime. The old saying an eye for and eye, does not really apply to this Montressor. His view on this matter would be something more like an eye for and eye and while Im at it I might as well take and ear, an arm, one or two fingers which I will break first and then sever at each knuckle. This just shows you what type of demented state of mind revenge can put a person in. This story begins with Montressor explaining that Fortunado has insulted him and that he is going to pay dearly for his unjust act. He thinks of a plan to utilize Fortunados weakness, his connoisseurship. When he comes across Fortunado he tells that he thinks he might have been taken on a recent purchase of what he thought was Amontillado (a very high quality wine), knowing that Fortunado will not be able to resist a taste. It is ridiculously clever of Montressor how he plays Fortunado like a puppet, all the while just toying with him and acting if he has no interest in his services. He even actually pretends to be concerned with Fortunados illness, he states: My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. These vaults are insufferable damp. They are encrusted with nitre (Poe 157). Finally after long debate, still in fear of Fortunados well being, he agrees to take him to his vaults and share this priceless wine with him. Upon their arrival to the vaults Monty offers Fortunado an ...

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Annette Jacksion's Small Craft Store to Web Conversion - Essay Example The lack of an already existent website can be viewed as a handicap, besides the low number of staff appointed to run the business. Therefore, the shop must look towards expanding its team of employees and creating a website that is comprehensive in terms of the details of products, purchase catalogue, and the like. Thus, this project management and expansion needs some analysis to begin with. The PAPERS Methodology is useful in such a scenario, when process, customs, promotion and web support are the major criteria in the formation and growth of the company. For instance, the eBay website employs the support of the customers and users of the website. They act as dealers of products and intermediaries. The website not only provides a great forum for buying and selling of products, but also gives the dealers, buyers and sellers the opportunity to discuss and share opinions and knowledge on various products via forums. The implementation of the philosophy of the selling of products and dissemination of information is in tune with the architectural compatibility

Wittig reaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wittig reaction - Essay Example The latter chemical agent is commonly known as the witting reagent, it results into chemical agents known as alkene as well as triphenylphosphine oxide (Carrutthers, 1971). Discovered in 1954 by Georg Witting, it continues to be vastly used in the organic synthesis of alkene preparation. This procedure should not be misunderstood with, the Witting rearrangement chemical procedure which is based on a different theory. The witting reaction is normally applicable in the coupling of aldehydes and kentones, is the single substitution of phosphine ylides. The out coming data from the ylides test results is nearly exclusive with the z-alkene chemical agent product. As such for one to obtain the E-alkene chemical agent, there is need to apply ylides under stabilization which can also be substituted with unstablised ylides. This can be undertaken with the application of the Schlosser modification chemical tests, after which the Witting reaction chemical test can be performed (Vedejs et al, 20 00). The witting reaction has a variation known as the classical mechanism; this is the established theoratical procedure of the witting reaction chemical test. It involves the bulk steric of ylide, this interacts with sterochemicals to produce nucleophilic addittives. This gives rise to betaine, the carbon-carbon bond rotation produces betaine tht in turn produces oxaphosphetane. By eliminating the desireable z-alkene in addittion to triphenylphosphine oxide components, the simplified witting reagents are used in a sequenced procedure. The first sequence of this procedure begins with a combination of aldehyes and ketones, this is followed by the decomposition of betaine. This decomposition occurs to the fifth form, this stage is also known as the rate-determination level. However, with ylides under stablization the initial sequence is noticed to be the slowest. As such the general alkene formation rate is reduced with time, this results into a sizeable proportion of the akene produ ct in which case being the E-isomer. This creates an understanding of the reasons, behind the failure of the stablizing reagents in proper reaction with sterical hindered ketones (Vedejs et al. 2000). Witting reagents such as phosphorus ylides, are prepared in a formulated procedure. Phosphium salt is the known derivative of preparation; it is also a resulting chemical agent from the reaction of triphenylphosphine and alkyl halide. As such in order to create the witting reagent being ylide, phosphonium salt must undergo suspension in a solvent such like diethyl ether with treatment of strong base chemicals like phenyllithium which can also be substituted with butyllitium. This can be shown with the following chemical equation Ph3P+CH2R X? + C4H9Li > Ph3P=CH?R + LiX + C4H10, in this chemical procedure methylenetriphenylphosphorane is the simplified ylide in use (Vedejs and Marth, 1998). This yield is also a precursor to a more defined elaboration of the witting reagents, alkylation o ccurs as seen in this chemical equation Ph3P=CH2 by the main alkyl halide that creates a phosphonium salt substitution. The formulation of these salts, is deprotonated in the normal matter resulting into a chemical agent as identified by the following chemical equation Ph3P=CH?CH2R. The ylide which is the witting reagent is structured in such a way that is identified as phosphorane in written form. This is an established representation of the ylide form, being a vital contributor as carbon remains mildly nucleophilic. Its chemical structure is comprised of a ball-and-stick model arrangement, that is takes the physical form of a crystal structure. In terms of its reactivity, simplified phosphoranes are highly reactive and very unstable in

Status of Gender in the Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Status of Gender in the Society - Essay Example In our childhood, all of us must have heard the story of a sleeping beauty. How the beautiful princess had slept for a hundred years and how did she get up by the magic kiss of the very generous prince.   Though we have enjoyed this story and think of it in a very romantic way, there is a symbolism hidden in this story.   Why I am trying to refer to this fairy tale is because I want to reveal this symbolism which is related to our topic. The sleeping beauty is the symbol of the Egg in a woman’s body while the noble and brave prince is the symbol of the sperms. In the accepted norms of the society, a perfect family includes a man, a woman, and their little ones. Man and woman are the two wheels of the family vehicle. If one of them breaks, the family will collapse. So male and female both have equal importance. Though both genders are important they have their specific roles to play. In society, a woman has always been given an inferior status. There might be the biological reason also which has become responsible for her passivity. In this contest, Emily Martin has mentioned the argument of Ruth Herschberger. â€Å"Ruth Herschberger argues that female reproductive organs are seen biologically interdependent, while male organs are viewed as autonomous, operating independently and in isolation.† (Page 490, â€Å"The Egg and the Sperm: How Science has constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Role) The typical conventional attitude about the egg and sperm is that the sperm is active while the egg of the female is passive and so it is conquered by the sperm by penetrating it. The role of the genders is revealed in this quotation, â€Å"Women merely supply the matter to be shaped and a suitable container. Men are the carpenters creating a child out of the wood supplied by women.  

Kids Should Be Paid for Good Grades Essay Example for Free

Kids Should Be Paid for Good Grades Essay Money can be a motivation to encourage students to study hard. The students will feel that their effort is worthy when they are remunerated. Compensation for children’s good grades can also nurture children’s concept about money. And the last, parents can refuse their kids’ unreasonable request of purchasing and let them earn it. In general, kids should get paid for good marks. First, if kids get paid for good grades, they will be motivated to get high marks. As they grow up, their demands on variety things will increase as well. However, their parents will not always satisfy their children’s needs with everything. At this point, some children might be disappointed because they cannot get what they want even though they attain good grades. For instance, if a child wants an iPhone and the parents refuse the request because it is too expensive, the child will concentrate on the iPhone rather than study hard. Instead of saying â€Å"no† to the child, the parents can reward good grades so that the child will maintain good marks in order to buy the phone. Of course, when the child has enough savings due to good performance, the child will eventually received what he or she desired. Thus, money can be a great incentive for children to study hard. Second, children will form financial concepts about the real value of money. They hardly know the purpose of money except it could be used to exchange with the goods they want. They did not know the value, power or even the amount of money. The perception of kids about money would probably be â€Å"money comes out from mommy’s or daddy’s pocket. Therefore, paying children based on their grades allows them to know the concept of â€Å"all pays deserve gains. † Kids will soon realize that money comes from their effort and is for good reasons. Third, due to the modern society that we live in, kids are attracted by lots of fancy and luxury products and they might have unreasonable demand. Parents can refuse the unpractical demands of their children. The children will not unde rstand their parents since they are immature. In order to establish a balance between â€Å"buying what they want† and â€Å"they cannot have it†, paying for good grades is a better solution. If kids get paid, they will keep studying hard. Paying for good school work does not only benefit the children, but also the parents. Kids will be motivated by the appeal of money, while their knowledge of finance will be developed simultaneously. In addition, kids will understand that they harvest what they plant. Therefore, kids should get paid for their good marks.

International Tourism And The Natural Disaster Impacts Tourism Essay

International Tourism And The Natural Disaster Impacts Tourism Essay According to Page and Connell 2009, p. 644, international tourism is an activity that involves people travelling to another country or a destination outside of their normal residence and residing for more than a day or at least a day with a given purpose. With the previous and recent events of natural disasters that have continually to take place across the world, there have been some challenges that the tourist generating and destination areas have faced. These natural disasters have brought about devastating impacts to these areas which entirely or partly depend on tourism as a source of generating income to survive. It is important to note that natural disasters continue to bring about destructive impacts to the supply and demand of both generating and destination areas, as well as affecting the normal lives of people who are forced to adjust to these changes after a disaster. This essay will consider previous natural disasters that have occurred internationally and will examine t he impacts it has on the supply and demand side of tourism with given examples. There are three categories in this essay. Firstly, it will focus on previous natural disasters that have taken place internationally, and then individually for each natural disaster, it will consider the impacts on the supply side; such as accommodation, transportation and attractions, and then it will examine the impacts on the demand side; such as personal income, destination image and health risks. Finally, this essay will end with a conclusion that natural disasters have brought about destructive impacts to the supply and demand of international tourism, and that there are simple, yet constructive ways to reduce the impacts. First of all, different types of natural disasters have occurred around the world. Some previous ones included tsunamis and earthquakes. To begin with, a tsunami is a destructive wave that can travel at great heights and speed and is likely to damage areas near the coast. They tend to be unpredictable, and this can create difficult situations for those who are not prepared, which can result in deaths and cause destruction to surroundings. The tsunami that took place in the Sumatra Islands in Indonesia in 2004 is a clear example of how dangerous the impacts of a tsunami can be (Jain, Agarwal Hirani, 2005, p. 15).There have been cases where people were caught in a tsunami, and because of its unpredictable nature, unfortunate deaths have taken place. According to Jain et al. (2005, p. 15), The recent Sumatra earthquake the most devastating tsunami causing a death toll of more than 150,000. Therefore, tsunamis are dangerous and will continue to have devastating impacts unless necessar y precautions are taken to warn and advise people to move to higher grounds for safety (Jain et al., 2005, p. 17). In addition, earthquakes are also dangerous and are quite frequent. They are basically underground movements of the earth that travel up to the surface of the land or sea, which can trigger other natural disasters like a tidal wave. An earthquake can be destructive, and the impact it creates has a direct effect on the environment as well as on the country itself (Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], 2011). An example, where an earthquake occurred would be in the Izmit city near Turkey, where Beirman stated Casualties were estimated to be 20 000 dead and 50 000 injured. According to a UN report, 350 000 housing units and business premises were damaged or destroyed. (2003, p. 162) The impacts of earthquakes can destroy infrastructure such as roads and buildings as well as public utilities such as electricity and water supply, the victims involved are prone to falling objects, death and injury including financial losses (FEMA, 2011). Second of all, the tourism supply is affected by natural disasters. With reference to Page and Connells study (as cited in Sessa, 1983, p. 59) found that the aim of the supply part is to make services available to tourists so that the tourism demands can be satisfied. Supply, provides many services such as; accommodation and transportation. With reference to the accommodation and transportation service, they will first show how they were affected during the tsunami in Indonesia, while attractions will be used as a discussion for the earthquake disaster in Turkey. The first supply is accommodation. Accommodation provides shelter for a tourist where he will be able to stay in while travelling to particular destinations near and abroad. The condition of the rooms provided should be comfortable and suitable in order to achieve a satisfied and happy guest, but if it was otherwise because of unsuitable room conditions then tourists will alternatively look for a better place to stay in while on holidays (Ahliya, 2010). For example, the accommodation in hotels and motels during the tsunami in Indonesia was badly affected, as close to 30 percent of room capacity was damaged (Athukoral Resosudarmo, n.d.) and even though some of the rooms were able to re-open for accommodation purposes, room occupancy rates were decreasing because of lack of infrastructure. This would lead to perishability, where expected numbers of rooms are to be sold within a time frame but the occupancy of rooms were less, resulting in financial loss (Walker, 2009, p. 11). Therefor e, the condition of a room and its quality after a natural disaster will have an effect on tourists choices and that will affect the financial wellbeing of the hotel and motel industry. Moreover, transportation is another supply of tourism. It helps people move from one place to another with a form of transport, such as an aircraft, car, boat or even a bicycle. Although transportation helps tourists travel to various destinations, they are dependent on the geographic location and the nature of infrastructure such as roads, airport runway and bridges. Constant improvements in these areas will create accessibility to places that are difficult to get to (Sorupia, 2005, p. 1768). Natural disasters do have an impact on transportation. The Indonesian tsunami in 2004 destroyed many roads and other transportation routes; which limited the public from travelling. The airport being one of the major ports that brings in international tourists was affected, and aircrafts were restricted to travel at certain times only to transport medical and food resources to affected areas (Samii Van, 2010). Damaged transportation network affects accessibility to areas and will be useless to those who cannot be helped, thus improvement and effective measures must be taken to strengthen the infrastructure system. Finally, attractions are another determining factor of supply. It is a simple reason as to why most tourists from various countries arrive at a destination, basically because of the natural as well as the cultural attractions that a destination has to offer (Gunn Var, 2002, p. 1). According to Beirman (2003), Turkey is a country with its own unique natural and geographical beauty ranging from desert to lush and fertile lands (p. 157). However, it is located where earthquakes are likely to occur most of the time, and because of this, Turkey is prone to experience disastrous impacts of earthquakes (Beirman, 2003, p. 157). For example, damages to homes and industrial buildings were at a point of no return, but because of effective planning that took place after the earthquake, most of the attractions were back at its original state and the tourism sector in Turkey improved (Beirman, 2003, pp. 161-162). The attractions that a country has can be a major factor in increasing tourist numbe rs or it could be a detrimental factor that could force tourists to leave. In fact, the demand side of tourism is also affected by the impacts of natural disasters. According to Page Connell (as citied in Pearce, 1995), the demand concept is focussing on the reasons as to what does or does not motivate a tourist to travel to a destination. Some of these factors may be due to personal income, destination image and health risks. First of all, personal income is one of the determining factors that influence a person in deciding whether to travel or not. With reference to price, if a person is able to afford travel expenses, then they are in a position to experience a destination and the attractions it offers, however, for those who cannot afford a holiday, it is a restricting factor that stops a person from travelling (Page Connell, p. 53). To illustrate this, Turkey experienced a growth in tourist numbers towards the twenty first century. Regardless of its low currency rate, it was considered to be a suitable and affordable destination to visit and this attracted many tourists from around the world (Beirman, 2003, p. 161). So, the income of a person will determine the willingness to travel to places if it can be afforded. Equally important, destination image is another factor that can also affect tourists demand. This is simply, the way in which a tourist views a destination, whether it is a suitable place to travel to. Some perceptions can be influenced by the media and tourists can instantly change travel plans, especially if it is a negative one and this can affect the status of a destination region (Lexow Edelheim, 2004, p. 52). For example, when the Izmit earthquake struck Turkey in 1999, there was coverage by the media which was showing how badly the country was affected by the earthquake. Yet, most of the information that the media circulated was later discovered to be biased and exaggerated, one such example would be the warning given out a day later by the British Travel agents where they were discouraging British tourists from visiting the largest city, Istanbul, assuming that the whole city was affected, however, only the east border was affected, while the inner part was not (Beirman, 200 3, p. 165). Overall, the type of information that the media generate can be overstated and affect the tourists perception, while the image of the destination can be affected as well. Furthermore, health risks also contribute to the demand of tourism. Some of the major health issues involve communicable diseases and there is a chance that tourists are likely to get sick if visiting affected areas (Giacomelli, 2006, p. 12). For instance, when Indonesia experienced the Sumatra earthquake in 2004, there were many people including tourists who suffered from wound infections but only a few cases of communicable diseases were reported, compared to the high cases of infectious wound cases (Marres, Lange, Leenen Hoepelman, 2006). Thus, travellers are bound to suffer from communicable diseases and wound injuries if they get caught in disaster affected areas. Given these facts, natural disasters do affect the supply and demand of destination and generating tourism regions. Impacts on the supply side can range from accommodation, transportation and attractions, while the demand side includes personal income, destination image and health risks. The range of services as well as other external factors in a destination will affect the way tourists choose a place to visit. The tourism sector must not be ignored during a crisis even though it is vulnerable to unpredictable changes. Therefore it is important that necessary and simple precautions are practised to minimise the dangers of natural disasters so that tourists, locals and the tourism industry itself is safe.

Advocating Change for the American Poor :: Poverty Poor Society Essays

Advocating Change for the American Poor In his review of Leon Dash’s book, Rosa Lee, Dan Cutler feels that the protagonist, Rosa Lee Cunningham, is doomed to a life of poverty because she does not believe she has any chance of success. He says that she had â€Å"little faith in the achievement ideology,† which made her feel that she was the â€Å"victim of hopeless circumstances† (Cutler). His understanding of the area Cunningham lives in is accurate, however, as a member of America’s underclass, Cunningham cannot waste time aspiring to become middle class, she must spend her time surviving. The problem facing members of the underclass is that there are no options for them to become upwardly mobile. An overwhelming majority of these downtrodden people are doomed to lives at or below the poverty level from the moment they are born into the ghetto. Trying to instill the â€Å"achievement ideology,† in people like Cunningham, so they do â€Å"not believe they are caught in a closed syst em† will not work, as Cutler asserts it will. What we must do for members of the underclass to rise in the economic ranks is to include them in the system, for the system is closed to them. For this to happen the United States government must take an active role in changing the it deals with the poorest members of society. The most economically successful country in the world has the power and money to change the structure of inner city economies. To do this we must re-evaluate our methods, and must stop blaming and punishing a group of underprivileged people who have no opportunity for their lack of opportunity. For example, the war on drugs does not stop drug use, it makes it worse. Imprisoning Blacks only furthers the division and chaos that is rampant among underclass families, who in turn, resort to more drug use to escape their dismal existence. Moreover, large corporations should not be allowed to abuse the underclass labor force, most of whom have no alternatives than to work for any wage, minimum or otherwise. Many corporations steal labor from poor workers, but it is the underclass who are punished when they steal. However inappropriate our actions in dealing with the underclass are we continue to believe them, thus people are imprisoned for stealing food or clothes, even though they neve r had an alternative. Advocating Change for the American Poor :: Poverty Poor Society Essays Advocating Change for the American Poor In his review of Leon Dash’s book, Rosa Lee, Dan Cutler feels that the protagonist, Rosa Lee Cunningham, is doomed to a life of poverty because she does not believe she has any chance of success. He says that she had â€Å"little faith in the achievement ideology,† which made her feel that she was the â€Å"victim of hopeless circumstances† (Cutler). His understanding of the area Cunningham lives in is accurate, however, as a member of America’s underclass, Cunningham cannot waste time aspiring to become middle class, she must spend her time surviving. The problem facing members of the underclass is that there are no options for them to become upwardly mobile. An overwhelming majority of these downtrodden people are doomed to lives at or below the poverty level from the moment they are born into the ghetto. Trying to instill the â€Å"achievement ideology,† in people like Cunningham, so they do â€Å"not believe they are caught in a closed syst em† will not work, as Cutler asserts it will. What we must do for members of the underclass to rise in the economic ranks is to include them in the system, for the system is closed to them. For this to happen the United States government must take an active role in changing the it deals with the poorest members of society. The most economically successful country in the world has the power and money to change the structure of inner city economies. To do this we must re-evaluate our methods, and must stop blaming and punishing a group of underprivileged people who have no opportunity for their lack of opportunity. For example, the war on drugs does not stop drug use, it makes it worse. Imprisoning Blacks only furthers the division and chaos that is rampant among underclass families, who in turn, resort to more drug use to escape their dismal existence. Moreover, large corporations should not be allowed to abuse the underclass labor force, most of whom have no alternatives than to work for any wage, minimum or otherwise. Many corporations steal labor from poor workers, but it is the underclass who are punished when they steal. However inappropriate our actions in dealing with the underclass are we continue to believe them, thus people are imprisoned for stealing food or clothes, even though they neve r had an alternative.

Cause and Effect of Corruption

There is a growing worldwide concern over corruption at the present time. Several factors are responsible for this. A consensus has now been reached that corruption is universal. It exists in all countries, both developed and developing, in the public and private sectors, as well as in non-profit and charitable organizations. Allegations and charges of corruption now play a more central role in politics than at any other time. Governments have fallen, careers of world renowned public figures ruined, and reputations of well-respected organizations and business firms badly tarnished on account of it.The international mass media feeds on it and scandals and improper conduct, especially of those in high places. The rising trend in the use of corruption as a tool to discredit political opponents has brought scandalous and corrupt behavior to international attention. Corruption can be a major obstacle in the process of economic development and in modernizing a country. Many now feel that i t should receive priority attention in a country’s development agenda. This greater recognition that corruption can have a serious adverse impact on development has been a cause for concern among developing countries.In a recent survey of 150 high level officials from 60 third world countries, the respondents ranked public sector corruption as the most severe obstacle confronting their development process. Countries in the Asia and Pacific region are also very worried about this problem and they are in substantial agreement that corruption is a major problem that is hindering their economic, political and social development, and hence view it as a problem requiring urgent attention at the highest level. Increasing public interest and concern over corruption have resulted in a large amount of scholarly research on the subject.Admittedly, there are still wide gaps in the current state of information and knowledge on the matter and much more remains to be done. Nevertheless, the oretical and empirical research that has been conducted thus far has yielded fresh insights into the problem. We now have a clearer understanding of the underlying causes of corruption, its consequences, and ideas and approaches on possible measures to combat it. At the same time, a better perspective has been obtained on the reasons why corruption persists in so many countries, and why it is difficult to deal with, although people throughout he world view it with disfavor. It is a common practice in many developing countries to institute price controls and to provide essential goods and services at subsidized prices to consumers. The official price for a key food item, such as rice, is fixed by paying a low administratively set price to farmers, while gasoline, electricity and charges for public transport and other essential items are provided at low subsidized prices. These mostly benefit city dwellers as they are the main consumers of these subsidized goods and services.The urban bias in the provision of subsidized food and other necessities stems from the political reality that city dwellers, especially the large masses at the lower end of the income scale, are more politically conscious, better organized and are easier to be instigated into civil unrest than the rural poor. It is usually discontent in the cities that ignites social and political upheavals in a country. Fixing prices at artificially low levels lead to demand exceeding supply for the subsidized goods so that the all too familiar shortages, rationing, corruption and black markets result.Several undesirable consequences follow. There is a loss of potential government revenue. For example, when those that have access to subsidized gasoline, such as government officials and car owners, sell it on the black market at several times the official price, they make large profits. These profits could be taken as revenue by the government, if there is no subsidy, no price distortion, and gasoline is va lued at its true opportunity cost, that is, charged by the government at its market clearing price.Setting low farm prices on rice and other agricultural products, to provide cheap food for city dwellers, means farmers are subsidizing the people in the cities. Likewise, low prices set on gasoline and energy contributes to deficits in the government budget. Fixing low prices on rice and agricultural products, in the wake of sharp increases in the prices of other domestically produced and imported goods, turns the terms of trade against farmers. This adversely affects their incentive to produce and hinders agricultural output. Low prices set on energy result in huge losses for the government enterprises engaged in this area.Consequently, they do not have the resources to invest in new facilities, to buy spare parts or to properly maintain existing machinery, and equipment that are falling into disrepair. The outcome is frequent breakdowns, unreliable and poor service, and general inab ility to meet requirements in terms both of generating capacity and in the quality of energy produced. Under-pricing energy has other harmful effects. Cheap energy leads to its uneconomic and wasteful use. When energy prices are kept at a level much below cost for decades, there is little incentive for its users to adopt energy efficient technologies and methods of production.So they are not sufficiently prepared for the large price adjustment that inevitably comes when low prices are no longer sustainable due to an internal or an external shock. The result is disruption in production, more corruption as bribery will be resorted to order to avoid payment of the higher charges, and increased inflationary pressures as higher energy costs will be passed on to consumers by raising prices. Thus, price controls, subsidies and the corruption and black markets they generate, can lead to undesirable social and economic consequences.This also illustrates the point that dismantling controls, g etting rid of subsidies and preventing price distortions form a key element in economic reforms and for the establishment of a properly functioning market economy. Unfortunately, corruption places severe constraints on a country’s capacity to undertake economic reforms. The rich and the powerful, the main gainers of a corrupt system, will therefore oppose reforms. The leadership in a country has a key role to play in combating corruption. It is an Asian tradition to hold leaders and those in authority in high regard and esteem.Hence the top leadership must set a good example with respect to honesty, integrity and capacity for hard work. Since fighting corruption will involve taking difficult decisions, the leadership must also display firmness, political will and commitment to carry out the required reforms. Honest and dedicated leaders are an essential, but not a sufficient, condition to counter corruption. Several other conditions are needed as well. Credibility is one of t hem. For success, the offenders both on the demand and supply side of a corrupt deal must be convinced that the government is serious about fighting corruption.Publicly try and punish some well-known corrupt people in the country. Some highly publicized trials and convictions of important officials and businessmen on charges of corruption have taken place in several countries. A publicity campaign to create greater awareness on the adverse effects of corruption and a clear and unmistakable official announcement on the desirability to bring it under control would be helpful. Ordinary citizens have a lot of firsthand experience with corruption, they are a good source of information and their help and cooperation should be solicited for the successful launch of an anti-corruption drive.Once people are convinced that a sincere and genuine effort to combat corruption is underway, they will respond and extend their full cooperation in resolving the problem. Just a little opening up and pr oviding opportunities for them to express their views on the matter will bring forth an outpouring of information, ideas and suggestions. A responsible press to gather, analyze, organize, and present information is considered vital to create greater public awareness and to provide the momentum for undertaking reforms to overcome corruption.Secretiveness has been a key factor that has enabled public officials and politicians to get away with corruption. A responsible and an investigative press has played an important role in many countries, both developed and developing, in exposing misconduct as well as in serving as a watchdog to limit corruption and preventing it from getting out of hand. The press has not always acted in a responsible manner, and like everything else in this world, it is not perfect. Nevertheless, its power to limit misconduct and improper behavior should not be underestimated.Views on the effectiveness of anti-corruption oversight or watchdog bodies are mixed. T here are instances where they have proved useful. However, in surveys and interviews of public officials and members of civil society organizations, most respondents do not have a high opinion of them. Improving institutions involves such things as improving the legal framework, promoting efficiency of the police force, strengthening the auditor general’s office, and appointment of a responsible inspector general empowered to investigate and prosecute corruption.A useful conclusion that has emerged from the current discussion and ongoing debate on the corruption issue is that corruption is a symptom of economic, political, and institutional weaknesses in a country. To be effective, measures against corruption must therefore address these underlying causes and not the symptoms. Emphasis must be placed on preventing corruption by tackling the root causes that give rise to it through undertaking economic, political and institutional reforms.Anti-corruption enforcement measures s uch as oversight bodies, a strengthened police force and more efficient law courts will not be effective in the absence of a serious effort to address the fundamental causes. Another observation that may be useful to bear in mind is that corruption is most prevalent where there are other forms of institutional weaknesses, such as political instability, bureaucratic red tape, and weak legislative and judicial systems. The important point is that corruption and such institutional weaknesses are linked together and that they feed upon each other.