Communication Opinion Paper Essay

Communication is the most important tool that we as human us. It is an imperative component in our daily lives. Communication begins when we greet or see another individual that we know. There are many forms of communication and they are effective communication, healthcare communication, and regular communication and many more. The time and place in which we used a type of communication depends on the context of the situation and purpose. Understanding the necessary elements of communication allows individuals to know when and how to use different forms of communication. Elements of communication or sender/receiver when you are speaking to someone they receive the message and then they will give you feedback. Encoding is when you put thought into symbols (gesture or words). Assigning meaning to symbols is called decoding. Message is the idea though, feeling or opinion. Channel is the medium in which through which message travels from sender to receiver. Feedback is the receiver response to the message and indicates how the message is seen (Cheesebro, O’Connor, Rios, 2010). The entire basic element are needed in order to communicate with other effectively the basic element help you to convey your feeling your though with an individual in order to get feedback from the person that is receiving the message. Do the basic elements and the rules of healthcare communication differ? They are the same in order for you to speak to a patient or their families you still have to us the basic element of effective communication. The ethical principles by treating patients with dignity and respect, being honest and trustworthy in their professional relationship, and maintaining patient confidentiality. We utilize the same element when we are speaking with an individual on a personal aspect. By being honest with the patient and their families they gain confide in the decision that you will make when carrying for the patient. How might a provider encourage communication to a reluctant consumer? When a consumer is reluctant to communicate you have to gain the consumer trust that you know what you are talking about. Sharing situation in a conversation that is similar to the consumer can be helpful and may break the ice. Smiling and reassuring the consumer that you are knowledgeable in can answer any question that they may have (Repetto, Gibson, Lubbers, Gritz, Reiss,). How might cultural differences influence communication? Cultural differences may affect the way you communicate. The differences may be verbal and nonverbal communication. Facial expressions like smiling can indicate that people are friendly and approachable but in other culture people who smile can be seen as inappropriate. Context whether it is high or low. High context culture explain everything that they are talking about and assume that other do not have any information on a certain topic. Low context culture assumed that people understand what is being said to them and as a result, they do not explain everything. Eye contact show interest in another person but in other cultures eye contact convey honesty. Formality speaking can be formal or in formal depending on cultural norms. Informal culture assume that everyone is equal. Formal cultures assume that there is hierarchy among people. Touching the way people touch one another may depend upon whether they are a contact culture or a noncontact culture. Contact cultures touch each other when they are speaking. Noncontact touching is inappropriate, pushy and aggressive. Even though we communicate there are still barrier that can stop us from communicating effectively with other. There are culture barrier and language barrier. We communicate with other on day to day bases; whether it is speaking to a friend or a consumer in order to communicate effectively we have to use the basic elements of communication in order to establish a relationship that is honest straight forward and respectful to whom you are speaking with. Barrier can be hard to overcome as well as cultural differences but with the basic element in place when we are communicating with other can establish a great relationship between the sender and the receiver. References: Communicating in the workplace Thomas Cheesebro, Linda O’Connor, Francisco Rios, copyright, 2010 Chapter 1 & 3 Practical Application of confidentiality rules to health lake transition instruction Repetto, Jeanne B, Gibson, Robert W, Lubbers, Joyce H., Gritz, Sheila, Reiss, John 2008 vol.29 issue 2

Statistic Case Study for Bottle Company

The case study that is being investigated is for a bottling company producing less soda than what is advertised. Customers have complained that the sodas in the bottles contain less than the advertised sixteen ounces. The employees at the company have measured the amount of soda contained in each bottle. There are thirty bottles that have been pulled from the shelves. The manager of the company would like to have a detailed report on the possible causes, if any, for the shortage in the amount of soda or if the claim is not supported explain how to mitigate the issue in the future.In order to statistically find a cause in the shortage a hypothesis testing is conducted by finding the mean, median, and standard deviation for ounces in the bottles. Constructing a 95 percent interval will establish the mean of the population since the mean of the population is not known. There are thirty soda bottles being pulled for investigation. The mean will be calculated by averaging the amount of ou nces in each bottle and dividing the total by the number of bottles.The data below shows the ounces in each of the thirty bottles that were pulled. The mean among the sample bottles is 14. 87. The calculation to find the mean is to add all the ounces per bottle. The total is 446. 1 divided by the random sample of 30. The average ounces in the bottles are less than 16 ounces. The median for the soda bottles is 14. 8. The median is imputed by dividing the random number of 30 by 2 which equals 15. Arrange the ounces from smallest to largest, and select the number that falls on 15.This will provide the median for the thirty bottles. The standard deviation for the ounces in the bottles is 0. 55. The standard deviation must be known in order to compute the confidence interval. To find the standard deviation, calculate the individual ounces minus the mean of the ounces and square the total (X-M)2. After the total is calculated, divide by the random count 30 minus 1 (n-1). In order to compu te the confidence interval of 95 percent; the mean, standard deviation, and identifying the value must calculated.A confidence interval gives an estimated range of values which is likely to include an unknown population parameter, the estimated range being calculated from a given set of sample data (Easton & McColl, n. d. ). The confidence interval of 95 percent can be found using a normal distribution calculator. The Z distribution is used in this case study because there are thirty bottles. The Z value is greater than or equal to thirty within the sample size. The Z value of 95 percent is 1. 96. This represents the area on the normal distribution chart between the cutoff points.The cutoff points on the chart are between -1. 96 and 1. 96. The lower and upper limit will be given to locate the interval using the standard normal confidence interval. Calculate to find the interval by imputing Z. 025 equals 1. 96 stores the answer, in this case, using the Aleks calculator. Enter the mea n 14. 87 +/- 1. 96 times 0. 55 divided by square root of 30. The lower limit is 14. 67 and the upper limit is 15. 07. This interval proves the soda in the bottles did not contain sixteen ounces.In Easton and McColl (n.  d) article summarized setting up and testing hypothesis is an essential part of statistical inference. In order to formulate such a test, usually some theory has been put forward, either because it is believed to be true or because it is to be used as a basis for argument, but has not been proved. To verify the claim that the bottles contain less than sixteen ounces of soda a hypothesis test will be performed. To find the null hypothesis that represents the claim to be true or to be used as a basis of argument until it is proven. The null hypothesis is H0 greater than or equal to sixteen ounces.The alternative hypothesis is H1 less than sixteen ounces. The type of test used is one tailed testing. If using a significance level of . 05, a one-tailed test allots the e ntire alpha to testing the statistical significance in the one direction of interest. This means that . 05 is in one tail of the distribution test statistic. When using a one-tailed test, it is testing for the possibility of the relationship in one direction and completely disregarding the possibility of a relationship in the other direction (â€Å"UCLA: Statistical Consulting Group,† 2007).The value of the test is calculated by the mean 1 minus mean 2. Therefore, 14. 87 – 16 equals -1. 13 divided by standard deviation 0. 55 divided by square root of random sample 30 equals . 375. The P value is calculated by using the formula P (Z < equal to . 375). The P value is 0. 646. The P value is greater than the significance level of test which is . 05. The answer is the mean of 0. 5 < 0. 646. The conclusion of the test for the null hypothesis is not rejected. This suggests the alternative hypothesis must be true that the soda in the bottles is less than sixteen ounces.The typ e of error used in the hypothesis is type I error. There are several causes determining the reason for fewer ounces in the bottles. The air in the lines could prevent the soda from filling bottles, machine may need to be reset to fill 16 ounces to the exact measure, or machine may not be calibrated properly. Issuing a daily calibration of the machinery is a way to avoid the deficit in the future. Statistically the issue could stem from the unknown population of how many customers complained. There could possibly be a million sodas produced with only ten customer complaints.Therefore, pulling more bottles from the shelves and testing the ounces could show a different alternative hypothesis and may prevent a deficit in the future. Other speculations that determine sodas from not being filled to the top are to keep the soda from overfilling so it is not filled to the top line. It has to have a bit of air in the bottle so there can be room for the liquid. Less soda is in the bottles to expand if it gets heated otherwise the bottle could break. In conclusion, the customers are correct there is less than 16 ounces of soda in the bottle.

Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan Rhetorical Strategies Essay

Gifted author of Fish Cheeks, Amy Tan, assures young girls that being different is not only acceptable, but also advantageous. Rhetorical strategies-such as imagery, tone, diction, and appeals (logos, ethos, pathos)-were the brushes with which she painted a portrait of self-acceptance for teenage girls everywhere. Tan uses a sympathetic tone to relate to the awkward teenage reader that is experiencing the same thing and the nostalgic adult reader that has experienced. Tan’s word choice [diction] exposes her insecurity in her heritage and desire to be an average American teenager, in her opening. The author described traditional American food in an appealing way, â€Å"†¦roasted turkey and sweet potatoes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  but omitted any detail about â€Å"†¦Chinese food.† She labeled American manners as â€Å"proper†, but dubbed her relatives and their Chinese customs as â€Å"noisy†. The significance of this strategy lies in its ability to make the text relatable. The entire narrative relies on the author’s shared experience with the audience, being ashamed of their incongruity and their pursuit of normality. In the third paragraph, Tan enlists the aid of imagery to provide the reader with a more accurate depiction of the scenery on that night. Vividly detailing the assortment of food; Tan was not describing how she saw the food but how she feared Robert would. As revealed later in the text, Tan is quite fond of her culture’s taboo cuisine. So, the description of the food using negatively connoted words like slimy, bulging, fleshy, rubbery, and fungus were used to transmit her concern about how she and her family would be perceived. This use of imagery and diction exemplifies Tan’s transmission of emotion-first worry and anxiety, then relief and acceptance- to her audience throughout the text. The appeals to ethos and pathos were vital for Tan to be able to relate to the audience. She had to first establish her credibility as someone who had experienced being a part of two different cultures and the desire to fit in. She did this by telling the narrative in first person. Also she showed great contrast between the two cultures she belonged to by illustrating her family’s traditional Chinese Christmas contrary to American traditions. Then, she appealed to pathos by frequently attaching an emotion to every part of the story. For example, in the opening she conveyed a sense of worry with her use of repetitive questions. Likewise, Tan suggested a feeling of relief in the end with her shift in diction, from negative words like â€Å"despair† to more positive words like â€Å"stunned†.

Gangs In America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gangs In America - Research Paper Example Tax collection is also another area of criminal activities, where most gangs in America are well established. In California, an area that is claimed to be the territory of the 18th Street gang, members of the gang will collect tax from businesses. The potential taxpayers include drug dealers, street vendors, shop owners, prostitutes and any other form of business that exist in the neighborhood. The gang members threaten to kill any person who declines to pay the tax. For example, in 1995 alone, the office of the California County District Attorney prosecuted 35 murders, which were the results of the hit made by the members of the notorious 18th Street gang for failure to pay taxes (Walker 8). As the enforcement of the law puts pressure on the violent activities in America, some of the gang members have become involved in some nonviolent criminal enterprises like creating fraudulent Immigration and Naturalization Service’s immigration cards, identification cards, credit cards and food stamps among others. For example, the Clanton Street gang was at some point active in the cellular telephone market of cloning, but this activity is declining as the days go by, because of the introduction of the digital cellular phone services. Easy access to firearms has increased the threat from gangs even greater. Not long ago, most disputes between members of a gang were solved with their fists. Nowadays, they are often solved with semiautomatic weapons and hand guns. Today, America has over 300 million guns, twice as many as in 1980.

Learning Plan for Autistic Children Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Learning Plan for Autistic Children - Assignment Example One of the most common conditions in the category of developmental disorders is called autism. Autism is characterized by different kinds of improvement in the verbal and non-verbal communication mastery, social interaction, self help and playing skills as well as academic (intellectual) and cognitive skills. Other observable traits include limited repetitive and extreme patterns of behavior (Boyd, R.D. & Corley, M.J. 2001, 19). It is therefore imperative that the curriculum as well as other aspects of learning the designed in such a manner as to wholly meet the needs of these children. This section examines the learning needs of an autistic child and the theories that form the basis of select learning environments with the view of creating a most apt learning environment for specific special needs of a child. There are several groups of children with special learning interaction and communication needs. These conditions may include inherent conditions such as Autism, Aspergers syndrome, Down syndrome (Autism Spectrum disorders) and various physical impairments that include, hearing disorders, blindness and dumbness. Children who are born with or who develop these conditions are faced with a myriad of challenges in relationships as well interpreting, understanding the world around them. They lack the ability to communicate effectively. Autistic children seem to be in a world of their own and are not able to make out meanings of verbal and non-verbal communications such as gestures, facial expressions, physical contacts and even words spoken by people. (Anderson et al 1987, 352-366). Their semantic skills are disoriented and they seem to be indifferent about what is going on around them and even the people who are trying to interact with them. Their behavior does not match their feelings and interacting or relating with other people becomes very difficult if not impossible. For instance, an autistic child will see another child with a toy and since the autistic child cannot express him/herself and as such cannot let the other child know that she would want to play with the toy, the only option left for the autistic child is to grab the toy by force. Autistic children's needs are hardly understood by most people around them and therefore are not acted upon on time. This can be a cause of frustration to the child and lead to antisocial behavior such as acts of violence. It can also frustrate the other party who do not understand the autistic child's behavior interprets the behavior in the wrong way. This therefore, results in a conflict because other people not in the special group category cannot comprehend autistic people therefore not able to meet their need appropriately. Autistic children have difficulties learning different words and may not show any response when words are spoken to them. Due to the these developmental disorder autistic children usually lag behind in developing self help skills such as toileting skills, eating, dressing themselves and even playing skills (Beukelman, D. & Miranda, P. 1998, 129-34). They tend to be obsessed in arranging things in a

Any citizen who does not have a criminal record should be permitted to Essay - 1

Any citizen who does not have a criminal record should be permitted to carry a concealed weapon - Essay Example This can occur in the case an official is committing a crime against a citizen. Additionally, there are activists who strongly oppose the whole idea of citizens possessing weapons. The concern however is, should the citizen helplessly watch the officials use their power to mistreat citizens instead of working for them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While the restrictions against ownership of weapons are still strict, the level of crime is still high. Most of the violent attacks are executed using weapons meaning that the criminals, who are still citizens, possess the weapons though illegally (Cothran 40). The government has not been in a position to completely provide security to the citizen; this is because of the long distance between the security quarter and the scene of the attacks. The security officials find it difficult to respond to a citizen’s security concern in time. As long as the security official takes much time, the criminals tend to have enough time to hurt the victim. The dilemma remains, should the government formulate and enforce more restrictions or should the restrictions be relaxed. The activists against the possession of weapons by citizens still hold strong to their belief (Lovelace 56). They argue that if a person is legalized to shoot in the event of an attack, this reduces the power of the law. The State government is left with no law to enforce. However, in this proposal, a clear explanation is given as to why a person should be allowed to own a weapon so long as he meets the qualifications given. While there is a need to legalize the ownership of the weapon by the citizens, some of the cases presented in court in past, have proved some of the people in possession of weapons use them in committing criminal offences. For instance, a citizen may use the weapon to revenge (Lovelace 39). A law to legalize carrying of weapons by citizens is a

Compare and Contrast the North American and European Perspectives on Essay

Compare and Contrast the North American and European Perspectives on Competitive Balance - Essay Example A higher competitive balance would be determined if the disparity of the league presentation is minimal in relation to the perfect league (Zimbalist, 508). Most persons have made sports as their professions through which, they earn their livelihood. Europe and North America are among the regions with significant ventures in sports. Both North America and Europe tend to expose their superiority in sports, but in unique ways. The regions show outstanding approaches on different types of sports such as football, boxing, basketball and athletics. North America and Europe possess similar elements in sports that are susceptible to evaluations to allow comparison and the determination of contrasts. The comparison of the sports between the two regions incorporates the balancing of the similar aspects of their sports process. The contrasts would entail the disparities in the elements of sports and the procedures incorporated in the regional sports of North America and Europe. Sporting teams i nvolve in a combined production during competition and the value of their results contributes to their product sold to the spectators. Sports are also unique because the predetermination of the results lowers the public’s turn up and decreases the demand. This exercise would incorporate the inclusion of credible examples to enhance the vividness of evaluated sports instances. European sports have postulated a significant dominance in one sport, the football. The football has become a source of aesthetics in the European countries such as England and Spain. Therefore, the European football has attracted many individuals from various regions of the globe. Consequently, the European football has undergone modifications in every aspect accompanied by enhanced degree of specializations. Europe possesses one of the largest markets of football kits and the football personalities. Europe has also the efficiently balanced football schedule that offers guidelines throughout the leagues throughout the sporting year (Zimbalist, 508). In contrast, the North America practices a diversified sports system in their competitions. The Americans have ensured minor disparities between different sports and activities. The North Americans have ensured proficient in other sports such as athletics, basketball, tennis and rugby. The consideration of different sports equally might attribute to better economic welfare since there are more sources of revenue to the states. The sports also exhibit different competitive balances in their performance equally. For instance, the National Basketball Association has attained two champions, the Celtics who dominated in 1959 and ten years after and the 76ers, which won thereafter. Other teams have also surfaced in the championships winnings such as the Lakers, Pockets and Pistons, bulls. This competition in basketball also shows that the North Americans engage actively in more than one sport, unlike the Europe. The European sports exhibit a significant degree of flexibility regarding the teams participating in tournaments and leagues. The European football leagues entail the pyramid system, which allows for the appreciation and depreciation of ranks of the teams basing on performance. The European leagues exist in different categories for instance

Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Change Management - Essay Example Jesse Westerly was an articulate employee who took over her position as an assistant product owner at Kauflauf with high ambitions to transform the revenues of the organisation. She was very visionary on turning around the fortunes of Kauflauf since she had demonstrated the capacity and potential for achieving the targets and objectives from her previous workstation. Indeed, she was capable of taking charge of the new position since prior to assuming her roles as the assistant product owner, she had conducted an extensive research on the operations of the field consultants and realised the organisation had a market potential that had not yet been exploited. She also discovered that the sales consultants were spending considerable resources and time on lesser clients while spending fewer or none of more profitable and potential customers. It is from this notion she conducted her research and came up with the recommendation of changing the sales calls patterns. Conversely, Jesse was resolute and wanted to assume her position with a performance impact the reason she worked, on the findings to create to achieve her objectives. Based on the change management theory, changes initiated by an organisation should succeed if they originate from the leader (Cameron & Green, 2012). In other words, the change of leadership is the most reliable manner to institute changes in a firm. Therefore, it was prudent as an assistant product owner that Jesse thought of utilising her position as a leader to initiate changes to revolutionise the manner in which the field consultants worked to enhance efficiency and thus boost the overall returns of the company in the long run. Jesse was efficient in taking charge of her new position. However, despite the ideal change plans she had in mind for the business, she did not have a suitable implementation plan that would transform the project into an executable course of action to realise the

Marketing; Getting to yes, Closing and Confirming the sale Research Paper

Marketing; Getting to yes, Closing and Confirming the sale - Research Paper Example Once it is done the target is to aim your company for a sale. Discovery process is considered the heart of the overall sales process. It is very important for any sales person to realize the importance of open ended questions. An open ended question demands a detailed answer from the prospect, whereas a closed end question won’t give you much insight into the mind of the customer. A successful sales man actually utilizes a good combination of both open ended and close ended questions. Open ended questions should be asked in the beginning of the sales discovery session. Close ended questions should be reserved for the end. Questions should be designed very carefully and should be prepared beforehand. A bad sales discovery meeting is usually a result of the type of questions asked. (Goldner, 2010) As we have learned framing of question is of prime importance. The question arises how we can prepare good open ended questions. Following is the worksheet which provides a systematic of conducting a successful sales discovery process. Effective communication is very important for unlocking your customer needs. It requires your undivided attention. You need to empty your mind of everything and be with your customer with your heart and soul. It requires the entire physical and mental sense to be with the customer so that the two of them come on the same wavelength. (Val Gee, 2007) Every business deems to be profitable. Selling is about perspiration which involves things like making calls, knocking on the doors and being on the phone. It involves three major steps i.e. making appointment, following up, and getting a commitment. Getting close to yes requires being knowledgeable, confident, able to close and able to perspire. To close a deal you have to be at the right place at the right time. Only that sales person can do all this and close the deal that enjoys his work. If you managed to sell that doesn’t mean that the story is

'' reviewing and analyzing four articles contained in the book Essay

'' reviewing and analyzing four articles contained in the book Campaigns on the Cutting Edge book by Semiatin - Essay Example In essence, different platforms have been realized in terms of campaigns due to the increased adoption of the emerging technologies. Direct interaction between candidates and voters has increased (Semiatin 29). Candidates nowadays reach out to voters though their social media accounts or even those of their campaign teams. This type of interaction has made the voter feel involved in campaign even though they might not be physical present at the campaigns. Campaign management has been widely facilitated and enhanced through technology. Through modern ways of communication which are cheap, fast, efficient and convenient. A candidate in a different region can be able to coordinate with campaign team in separate regions. Through email, Skype, fast mobile communication and other forms, coordination is easier and efficient (Semiatin 67). It is worth noting that interaction among human beings has been facilitated through the use of technology. Coordination can be done remotely without neces sarily being there in person. To some extent, this has resulted to the minimization of resources that could be incurred in terms of transport and food. What is more, this has enabled carrying out activities simultaneously in a wider region, saving time, money and enhancing campaigning. By avoiding unnecessary movements during campaigns, the campaign affair has consequently become cheap and efficient. All this thanks to new technological developments around the world. Mobility has also been enhanced by technology. Increased movement within short duration of time has enabled campaign teams to cover wider regions and in that case attaining their set goals and objectives accordingly. Use of transport systems like the electric trains and air transport has enabled campaign teams cover wider areas and be able to change locations within the same day which would previously be cumbersome and tedious if not possible. Mobility has greatly helped utilize the limited time to the maximum. Saving s ome considerable amount of time means enough time for brainstorming on the next strategic moves and reducing pressure on the campaign times especially when deadlines and time becomes a constraint. Evolution from party driven to candidate and voter driven campaigns has been achieved greatly through technology. it is worth noting that emerging technology is nearly touching every aspect of life and in that case facilitating means through which other activities are carried out accordingly. Possibility of accessing a wider voter region simply through television is now enabled. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have not been left behind either. Initially campaigns would involve tedious ground coverage through campaign caravans or even numerous expensive flights especially when accessing remote regions. Evolution of cable TV with the easy and cheap accessibility has made it possible and enabled the wider population to only sit at the comfort of their homes and be able to get eve ry single bit of information about campaigns without necessarily attending rallies, leading to easier and more convenient ways of voter mobilization (Semiatin 81). Through embracing of modern digital ways of relaying news and information for example though visual and print media, campaigns have never been this efficient. In other words, the implementation of technology in campaigns has played a great part in determining how different activities are performed. Through

The Prince by Machiavelli Essay Example for Free

The Prince by Machiavelli Essay In Chapter 25 of his masterwork The Prince, Machiavelli attempted to describe and define fate and how it could be controlled in both political and personal life. In defining ones life and actions against fate, Machiavelli saw the importance of forming a balance of the human tendencies of caution and impulsiveness. Machiavelli favored impulsiveness in regard to human actions directed towards fate, but he saw legitimate value in both mindsets. What he saw as most important was a willingness to change in the face of fate, as the ability to adapt is most important when facing change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Machiavelli used the image of a torrential flood to describe fate. To Machiavelli, fate was like the flood in that â€Å"everything flies before it, all yield to its violence, without being able in any way to withstand it; and yet, though its nature be such, it does not follow therefore that men, when the weather becomes fair, shall not make provision, both with defences and barriers, in such a manner that, rising again, the waters may pass away by canal, and their force be neither so unrestrained nor so dangerous.† (Machiavelli, 1505, Chapter 25) This implies that what Machiavelli truly meant by fate is uncontrollable change, outcomes in the world that directly affect those that are not necessarily involved in those changes, social or technological, political or personal. These changes happen without the consent of all and therefore many   merely must roll with the punches, although men can make plans that will help them roll with those punches when the time for change arrives. To be sure, change is coming, although one cannot be sure exactly how or when it will come but can make provisions that will be helpful when it does.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After comparing fate to a torrential flood, Machiavelli went on to compare fate to a lady, in order to describe how   he would recommend mastering it. Machiavelli used a fairly non-modern view in the treatment of women to describe fate, saying that the best way to control fate, and women, was to beat and ill-use them. Furthermore, he saw that those bold and adventurous in spirit were more likely to control both women and fate and that young men are best equipped to handle both. While Machiavellis comparison between fate and women is easily seen as a bit sexist now, the comparison was certainly far more palatable when he made it. Further, the assertion that the young and bold are best equipped to deal with change is probably correct; the young are less set in their ways and have more energy with which to attack new challenges. While the simile is certainly not politically correct, it certainly introduces a worthwhile observation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is an intriguing program to attempt to synthesize Machiavellis project in The Prince with the modern project of employing science and technology to overcome nature, both of the world and human. Machiavellis aim was certainly to investigate ways to overcome human nature. If a man was to act in accordance with human nature, Machiavelli saw, he would surely be bowled over by the tide of fate. Machiavelli went so far as to make a case study, a very modern concept, of Pope Julius II to show that decisive, aggressive action was the best methodology to combat change; further, he surely was not afraid to invoke images of technology stemming the natural tide. It seems most likely, however, that while Machiavelli was attempting to make observations that were ahead of his time, he was not absolutely modern in his mindset. Machiavellis chief goal of The Prince was to describe how a political leader could most effectively use political power. This serves as an incomplete view of modern politics, which in addition to aiming at efficiency in power usage also means to maximize the social benefit of that usage. Machiavelli centered on the practicality of politics without looking at its utility. He surely spoke of how to employ technology and science to serve human desire, but he did not define desire in a more complex, democratic, modern state, which should not be surprising, because the mindset had yet to arise. References Machiavelli. (1505). The Prince. Retrieved from: http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm

Pakistan Flood Essay Example for Free

Pakistan Flood Essay The Pakistan flood of 2010 happened on Monday the 26th July 2010 in the villages Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. Causes The heavy rains were caused by a monsoon depression (also called a monsoon low) that formed over the Bay of Bengal on July 24, crossed over India, and reached Pakistan on July 27 Climate change – There was unusually heavy monsoon rains which caused widespread flooding in Pakistan, whilst coinciding in Russia unusually high temperatures ( resulting in a heat wave). Both of which were attributed to global warming. Poor river management Impacts Over 500,000 or more people had been displaced from their homes At least 1,540 people died, 2,088 people had received injuries and 557,226 houses had been destroyed. Infrastructure was destroyed. The Karakoram Highway, which connects Pakistan with China, was closed after a bridge was destroyed. Floodwater destroyed the health care infrastructure leaving people vulnerable to water-borne disease Millions of crops were destroyed leaving a severe shortage of food across the country Responses * petitions were immediately launched by international organisation, like the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)– and the UN (United Nations) – to help Pakistanis hit by the floods * the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provided support in disaster management authorities to assist evacuate populations from affected areas of southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, * Many charities and aid agencies provided help, including the Red Crescent and Medicines Sans Frontiers * Pakistan’s government also tried to raise money to help the huge number of people affected * But there were complaints that the Pakistan government was slow to respond to the crisis, and that it struggled to cope * Foreign Governments donated millions of dollars, and Saudi Arabia and the  USA promised $600 million in flood aid. But many people felt that the richer foreign governments didn’t do enough to help * The UN’s World Food Programme provided crucial food aid. But, by November 2010, they were warning that they might have cut the amount of food handed out, because of a lack of donations from richer countries Effects There were both long-term and short-term effects, they include: Short-term:- * At least 1600 people died * Aid couldn’t get through because of the failing infrastructure 45 major bridges and thousands of kilometres of roads were destroyed or badly damaged, limiting the aid supplies reaching the areas badly affected * loss of cattle resulted in loss of dairy products * Access to health care, such as maternity care was difficult due to the damaged infrastructure Long-term:- * 20 million Pakistanis were affected (over 10% of the population), 6 million needed food aid * Whole villages were swept away, and over 700,000 homes were damaged or destroyed * Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis were displaced, and many suffered from malnutrition and a lack of clean water * 5000 miles of roads and railways were washed away, along with 1000 bridges * 160,000km2 of land were affected. That’s at least 20% of the country * About 6.5 million acres of crops were washed away in Punjab and Sindh provinces Future Local authority-run disaster management forums, including local men and women were set up to assess future flood situation and created Community Rapid Response Teams to plan search and rescue activities. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) produced a plan to  employ local tradesmen to help reconstruct shelters, etc which in turn provided an income for those people this will encourage the local economy to grow. Reconstructing and strengthening the irrigation band was deemed crucial to protect villages in the future. A plan to rebuild embankment and well maintain them was created.

Mainstream internationalisation theories

Mainstream internationalisation theories Mainstream Internationalisation Theories Instead of looking at the global strategy of the MNE from the viewpoint of management science, marketing, and decision theory, it is necessary to consider more explicitly the economics of the foreign investment decision. International business activity is not a recent phenomenon. However, the great majority of foreign investment until the late 1940s was in the form of portfolio capital, which international capital theory explained as the flow of capital among countries in the pursuit of higher returns. After World War II, the volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) grew tremendously and was increasingly directed away from primary goods and towards knowledge-based products that could be produced in developed countries. Neoclassical economic theory, with its assumption of perfect markets and internationally immobile factors of production, could not easily accommodate this post-war boom in FDI. So, beginning with the publication of the product cycle theory by Raymond Vernon (1966) and Stephen Hymers dissertation (written in 1960 and published 1976), an outpouring of literature has focused on extending the theoretical foundations of the concept of foreign direct investment. The objective of this chapter is to provide a review of the mainstream literature on internationalisation. Given my research problem, the focus is on theories that consider transnational expansion at the firm level. Among others, the investment development path (IDP) concept and Ozawas tandom growth treatment of the flying geese metaphor are popular frameworks for considering FDI. They are not included, however, since their research setting is that of the economy as a whole. Despite considerable disciplinary diversity, a mainstream internationalisation construct with three major approaches can be identified: Theories of the MNE, Internationalisation Process Models, and Network-based Approaches to Internationalisation. The first of these, Theories of the MNE, is outlined in Section 2.1. Since these MNE theories have been criticised on the grounds that they may explain the existence of the international firm but not how the firm got there, Section 2.2 reviews Internationalisation Process Models, which more explicitly focus on the dynamic process of internationalisation. Section 2.3 examines leading network-based approaches to internationalisation. The chapter concludes with a summary of the points that are most applicable to my thesis and an assessment of the limitations of the mainstream internationalisation literature. Theories of the MNE This section presents the economics-based literature on MNEs, beginning with Hymers seminal work. Following a review in Sections 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 of Internalisation Theory and Dunnings OLI framework, Section 2.1.4 focuses on theorisations specific to developing-country MNEs. Monopolistic Advantage Theory Hymers (1960) work represented a major departure from the standard orthodox theory of international trade and capital movements. The standard neoclassical trade theory of Heckscher and Ohlin, for example, carried restrictive assumptions about the immobility of factors of production and identical production functions across national boundaries. And in the neoclassical financial theory of portfolio flows, multinational enterprises had been viewed simply as arbitrageurs of capital in response to changes in interest rate differentials. Hymer argued that explanations for why firms engage in international production should be based on an analysis of the MNE from an industrial organisation perspective. According to Hymer (1976), Kindleberger (1969), and Caves (1971), MNEs emerged because of market imperfections. These imperfections were structural in nature and resulted from the control of ownership advantages, such as special access to inputs, scale economies, gathered managerial expertise, proprietary technology, and product differentiation (Kalfadellis and Gray: 2003: 3). The result of these barriers to entry was a divergence from perfect competition in the final product market. MNEs would seek to internalise these ownership advantages by establishing monopolistic-type advantages through the vertical integration of the potential licensee (Hymer 1976). Internalising operations could lead to gains such as cost reductions, product quality improvements, and innovation. For Hymer, though, the firm internalises or supers edes the market (1976: 48) primarily because, by internalising international economic activity, the MNE has an opportunity to further advance its monopolistic advantage. In short, it is the pursuit by firms of market power and monopolistic advantages in a foreign market that largely drives the international expansion of domestic firms. Internalisation Theory A criticism raised in the 1970s about Monopolistic Advantage theory was that it did not differentiate between imperfections brought about by market structure (i.e., the number and size of enterprises on both the demand and supply sides) and those associated with transaction costs. By not doing so, Buckley and Casson (1976) and others argued Hymer had failed to incorporate the insights of Coases (1937) concept of market failure. Coases theory of the firm contended that, contrary to the classical understanding in which price mechanisms optimally coordinate markets, market failure can occur as costs associated with the price mechanism develop (such as finding buyers and sellers, and the costs involved with negotiating, coordinating, monitoring, and enforcing contracts, and costs associated with government regulations and taxes). The operation of markets is therefore not costless, and the firm is an organising unit that supplants the price mechanism. Domestic firms would prefer to use internal prices in the face of excessive costs in the outside market. Firms therefore seek to avoid these costs by internalising them wherever the market is non-existent or when it is cheaper for the firm to undertake the activity internally rather than via the market mechanism. To Coase, markets and firms were alternative methods for organising economic exchanges. The choice between the two depended on whether a firm evaluated the transaction costs of an exchange to be lower if carried out within the firm than through the market. Where the costs of such transactions are lower when carried out within the firm than through the market, the activity will be internalised under the firms ownership and control. The concept of transaction costs was more fully developed by Williamson (1975) and Chandler (1977). Transaction cost theory extended Coases work by substituting a conception of contractual man for neoclassical theorys economic man. Its starts with the assumption that markets are the natural mechanism of economic organisation (Williamson 1975: 21), and that market failures lead to the replacement of certain market relations by internalising these relationships within a firm. The deficiencies of the market system are seen to be rooted in bounded rationality (i.e., the lack of perfect knowledge which means that agents cannot foresee all possible circumstances to incorporate in the contract) and opportunism (i.e., agents make decisions based on self-interest, thus making the contract difficult to enforce). Drawing upon Coases (1937) theory of the firm and Williamsons (1975) and Chandlers (1977) transaction cost theory, Buckley and Casson (1976) argued that these same insights can be applied to the global arena to explain the growth of MNEs. Accordingly, Buckley and Casson explained international expansion as occurring whenever a market imperfection exists and a firm can gain strategic benefits by internalising a market across national boundaries and exploiting the advantage this gives it in competition with others. This results in the growth of the firm. Just as a firm may increase its efficiency through internalising transactions, the vertical integration of global operations may lead to economies and efficiencies. These include long-term contracts through more efficient governance structures, the chance to exploit tax differentials and foreign exchange controls, better quality control, and RD benefits. Brown (1976) also combined insights from Coases theory with transaction cost theory and applied it to international expansion. He put particular emphasis on the point that there are higher market transaction costs and more expenses associated with internal organisation abroad than in the domestic environment. Teece (1983) added the insight that internalisation can also be advantageous when vertically-integrated firms need to secure their supply of intermediate goods. So, whereas transaction cost theory aims to explain the existence of the firm, the aim of internalisation theory is to explain its multi-plant operation over space (Casson 1982). And whereas Hymer argued that it is the pursuit of market power that drives MNE growth, Buckley and Casson (1976) argued that once transaction costs are internalised they do not necessarily lead to an increase in rent by the MNE. However, they can result in savings for the MNE, and it is this potential cost minimisation that provides the impetus for MNEs to expand their operations via the internalisation of transaction costs. Internalisation theory has been a dominant construct in the last quarter century of international business literature in relation to the growth of the MNE and FDI. However, it does have weaknesses. For instance, internalisations inherent intangibility makes it difficult to empirically test (Kalfadellis and Gray 2003: 10). Buckley, describing internalisation as a concept in search of a theory (Buckley 1983: 42), argued that a theory needs to do more than assert firms will internalise when the cost of using markets or contractual agreements is higher than that of organising it within the firm; it needs to explain why there were differences in costs between market and intra-firm organisation (Hennart 1986: 791). It has also been seen as overly-preoccupied with the costs of organising transactions in markets, leading it to under-appreciate other relevant costs, especially those associated with managing firms across borders (Demsetz 1988). An argument has been made that it does not sufficiently distinguish between a firms willingness and its capability to become more international (Dunning 1993). These types of limitations led Calvet (1981), among others, to question whether the assertion that firms expand overseas because they can internalise transactions within their hierarchies (just as they do within a domestic context) is a full enough explanation. Calvet argued instead for a theory of transnational expansion that explicitly included both the multinational-the foreign-character of the activity as well as the internalisation of transactions within a single firm. Dunnings OLI Paradigm A third landmark development in MNE theory was Dunnings OLI paradigm, sometimes referred to as the eclectic paradigm. Countering Rugmans (1982; 1985) claim that internalisation is a general all-encompassing theory which can explain FDI, Dunning (1980; 1988; 1993; 1995; 2000) acknowledged the importance of internalisation theory but argued that set[ting] out to explain the growth of international production as a market replacing activity (Dunning 1988: 24) explains only part of the FDI phenomenon. Dunning argued that a full explanation required the integration of the insights from three strands of economic theory industrial organisation, international trade theory, and internalisation theory into a general theoretical framework.[1] Each dimension on its own was insufficient to explain the multinational firms engagement in foreign production. According to Dunning, a firm must perceive certain advantageous conditions before it engages in cross-border investment. These advantages are rationally considered within the firms decision-making process. The first relates to ownership (O) advantages, which, following Hymer, refer to assets or resources capable of generating a future income stream that could compensate for the higher costs of operating abroad. Ownership advantages are endogenous to the firm and refer to intangible assets and/or property rights. These O advantages give the firm a competitive edge vis à   vis other firms. The second factor is internalisation (I) advantages, which encourage a firm to internalise operations for production via foreign direct investment rather than through exporting or licensing to a local producer. In other words, the firm must perceive the benefits of internalising of operations to be greater than the need to utilize markets. If a firm perceives it has sufficient O and I advantages, th en it will examine a third set of conditions, location (L) advantages. Choosing a foreign location is one of the key decisions made by a firm since the financial and human capital invested must generally be long-term in nature. Drawing upon the insights of location theory, Dunnings L advantages were considered to be external to the firm and determine which host country is selected for expansion. (A fourth condition later added by Dunning [1993] asserted that a firms international investment activities must harmonize with its long-term management strategy.) In the eclectic paradigm, all three of these conditions must exist for FDI to occur. If a firm only perceives it has ownership advantages, then it would be likely to license abroad. If it also perceives internalisation advantages, then it would be likely to exploit its O advantages through exporting. It is only when location advantages are also perceived that the firm may consider FDI (Dunning 1993: 196). Dunnings OLI paradigm has been welcomed for its conceptual richness-it integrates many partial approaches to the subject and therefore addresses a larger number of the factors considered in the decision to internationalise-and it has withstood some empirical testing (Dunning 1979, 1983, 1988). However, it has also frequently been criticised, particularly on definitional grounds. For example, Rugman and Dunning had a long-running public debate over whether Dunnings concepts of ownership and location advantages were already encompassed in the theory of internalisation (Parry 1985). In a similar vein, Buckley (1988) suggested that considering ownership advantages as a separate category results in double counting as the O advantage of Dunnings OLI triumvirate is already accounted for by I (internalisation advantages) since the firm seeks to carry out a strategic move by internalising the market and thus exploits this advantage in competition with other firms. Responding to definitional criticisms, Dunning (1995) argued that, in contrast to how they are conceived in internalisation theory, ownership advantages are endogenous rather than exogenous variables already belonging to the firm. Accordingly, he stressed a definitional division between ownership advantages, which are already possessed by firms, and internalisation advantages, which result from the firms exploitation of market imperfections. The electric paradigm has become a leading conceptualisation for FDI, and as such there now many variants within the approach. For example, another eclectic framework that is pertinent to my thesis concentrates on understanding how a firm chooses among various entry modes. In comparison to Dunnings OLI paradigm, the framework by Hill et al. (1990) emphasised the control of resources, resource commitment, and the dissemination risks of entry. They argued that firms rationally weigh different entry modes with the need to control their foreign operation. The amount of control a firm can exercise varies from minimal in the case of licensing to maximally high in wholly-owned subsidiaries. A firm also weighs the resource commitment that is involved with the different entry modes, and the risk that its firm-specific advantages could be disseminated or expropriated by a partner. As discussed in Chapter 5, the latter danger was frequently highlighted by my interviewees as an influence on thei r internationalisation decisions. Though eclectic models such as those by Hill et al. and Dunning have a dominant place in the MNE and FDI literature, they do have significant shortcomings. Some critics find the emphasis on the initial phase of internationalisation makes them unhelpful. Others have argued that inadequate attention was given to the insight that firms make cross-border investments not just to reap benefits from existing ownership advantages but to create new ones, such as acquiring knowledge in new markets or access to resources. Also, the broadness of the eclectic decision-making framework has made it difficult to formulate operationally testable theories of foreign direct investment processes, especially given the heterogeneity of firms. Various proxy measures have been employed as a means for measuring internalisation, but the validity of proxies in general has been contested (Kalfadellis and Gray 2003: 11). Similarly, ranking the large variety of strategic alternatives the firm can choose among is methodologically problematic. Two other criticisms of the eclectic decision-making paradigm have been particularly acute and are of specific concern given the subject of this dissertation. The first is that they principally focus on relatively large firms from developed countries. Dunnings OLI paradigm, in common with the other theories of the MNE reviewed in Section 2.2, was developed primarily in response to the experiences of post-war expansion by developed-country multinationals. Transnational firms from developing countries, it has been argued, require a different approach (Lall 1983a; Wells 1983a; Khan 1986a; Yeung 2004). For instance, as they are frequently much smaller than developed country MNEs, their transnational investment choices may be more chunky in nature, in the sense that certain costs that are incurred in international activity will loom relatively larger for small firms than big ones. Second, the eclectic framework has been criticised for its lack of dynamism. While it is not true that Dunnings OLI model has no dynamic dimension, Buckley (1985: 18), for example, argued that it does adequately consider the deployment of advantages over time.[2] Both of these shortcomings are apparent when eclectic frameworks are applied to the phenomenon of Singaporean SME transnational expansion into China. Developing-Country MNE Theories A dramatic growth in outward FDI flowing from developing countries has occurred over the last three decades. Prior to the 1980s, more than 90 per cent of global FDI originated from developed countries. Since the early 1990s, though, the share of outward FDI from developing countries has rapidly grown; it was over 14 per cent in 2006 (WorldBank 2008). Moreover, aggregate figures conceal the relative intensity of developing-country FDI flows from, and into, certain countries and regions The bulk of this outward FDI-some 67 per cent-has originated from South, East, and Southeast Asian countries (WorldBank 2008). Though the availability and quality of FDI data has been problematic-an important point which is discussed in Chapter 6-it is clear that China has received a particularly large percentage share of FDI originating from developing countries. A number of researchers have argued that MNEs originating in developing countries possess distinctive characteristics in comparison to their counterparts from developed countries (Lall 1983a; Wells 1983a; Khan 1986a; Yeung 1996). One obvious difference is that they are generally much smaller, which may make locational advantages and the internalisation of transactions costs less plausible explanations for internationalisation (Wells 1983a). Though still dwarfed by the number of theoretical and empirical studies investigating developed-country MNEs, research into these unconventional MNEs (Giddy and Young 1982) has by now developed into a large body of literature that can be divided into two categories: first-wave and second-wave literature. The so-called first-wave literature emerged in the late 1970s and was primarily concerned with the cost advantages of developing-country firms in comparison with their competitors from developed countries. Two strands of literature dominate. One is based on Wellss (1983) application of the product cycle concept (originally associated with Vernons seminal article [1966]) to the situations found in developing countries. The second dominant strand of first wave literature is associated with Lall (1983). Wells contended that an understanding of developing country transnational firms could be undertaken by applying Vernons concept of the product cycle (1966), which explained changes in production locations as a reaction to different stages in a products life cycle. Vernons argument was that a new product had to be produced in the home country since it was unstandardised and thus production needed to be monitored close to the products source of innovation and markets. As the product matured and became standardized, producers would increasingly become concerned about production costs and seek cheaper production sites elsewhere. Thus, Vernons model suggested that locations of production moved from developed countries to less developed ones as products went through their life cycle over time. This would then explain investment flows from developed- to less developed-countries, and flows among less-developed countries. The uniqueness of Wells approach lies in his application of the product cycle concept to explain the emergence of developing-country transnational firms. Wells suggested that the markets and characteristics of developing countries influence local firms to innovate in ways that are more suited to the development conditions found in their country. In particular, he pointed to the smaller size of the markets and relative abundance of cheap labour in developing countries as key influences on local firms. Wells suggested that firms developing in this kind of environment could build their initial advantages from descale manufacturing, a process of adapting technologies from developed countries to suit less developed markets by reducing scale, replacing machinery with manual labour, and relying on local inputs. The cost advantages to be derived from descale manufacturing would constitute a very important ownership advantage, and, to exploit these costs advantages, developing country firms w ould concentrate on serving the price-sensitive market instead of the specialty markets dominated by firms with the resources for massive marketing. This kind of low-cost, low-price competitive strategy would largely confine the transnational expansion of developing country firms to those markets of other developing countries at or below the host countrys economic status. Changes over time in investment flows would occur as this cost advantage was gradually undercut by the catch up of local firms or affiliates of advanced-country multinationals. Wellss model has been influential, though it does seemingly suggest a rather pessimistic future for developing-country transnational firms (Wells 1983 and Aggarwal 1984). Taking a different approach, Lall (1983) argued that the smaller size of production in developing countries was not by itself evidence of a descaling advantage (1983: 11). He did not share Wellss pessimism over the sustainability of developing-country firms, asserting instead that such firms could generate their own sustainable proprietary assets to be exploited successfully in transnational operations. Lall saw the development of these proprietary assets as entailing different innovations than those used by multinationals from developed countries; for instance, they would come from widely diffused technologies and from a special knowledge of developing-country markets. They would be sustained, Lall contended, by the localisation of technical change and the irreversibility of such change. So, developing-country firms could develop products more suitable to developing-country markets, and innovations could be localised around techniques more relevant to developing-country market condi tions (such as cheap labour). Thus, according to Lall the ownership advantages of developing-country transnational firms come about not because of their ability to descale manufacturing technologies to smaller markets, but rather are derived from their greater knowledge of operations and conditions in developing-country markets (see also Kimura 2007). Such advantages would not necessarily be eroded over time, as suggested by Wells, since firms could engage in RD and continued learning. Challenging these models by Wells and Lall is the so-called second-wave literature that emerged in the early 1990s. This new strand was a response to the apparent changes that were seen to characterize more recent developing-country transnationals. For instance, it was observed that they were investing in markets farther away from home, in some cases in highly competitive markets such as the United States and European Union, and in new sectors, some of which did not depend on labour-intensive techniques. Moreover, the ownership-specific advantages of the newer transnational firms had changed. No longer did they seem primarily dependent on small-scale, labour-intensive technology, low-price, and low-cost operations. Now, they appeared to also derive ownership advantages from their ability to accumulate technological capabilities and to improve their production efficiency (Dunning 2000). This last observation in particular encouraged second-wave theorists to apply the concept of technological accumulation to try to understand the more recent transnational expansion of developing-country firms (e.g., Dunning 2000; Ulgado et al. 1994). The result was a model that proposes that over time technological accumulation can lead to a more sophisticated structure of outward investment. This gradually comes about, it was argued, as firms accumulate technological expertise and experience in foreign markets. Although their technological capabilities are not based on frontier technology, developing-country firms are believed to innovate and accumulate technological skills that will be appropriate to the environment of developing-country markets. Thus, a firms initial outward investment, which is originally centred on resource-based and simple manufacturing activities in markets close to home, changes to focus on more sophisticated manufacturing activities, eventually even to resea rch-intensive and differentiated products. Through this path, second-wave theorists suggested, firms can enhance their technological capabilities over time, which will improve their ownership advantages, and, eventually, allow them to catch up with competitors from developed countries. A variant within the second-wave approach was proposed by van Hoesel (1997). He argued that firms from developing countries begin their technological accumulation process by gradually climbing the value-added ladder, from shop floor production operations upward to other value-added functions such as marketing or RD activities. They need to do this, according to van Hoesel, because developing countries are latecomers to the industrialisation process and therefore their firms do not have significant proprietary innovations (in some respects, van Hoesels approach is similar to the Late Industrialisation framework, reviewed in Section 2.3.3). The ownership advantages of developing-country firms are therefore seen to lay initially in the lower value-added production units, with international expansion largely a function of the incremental accumulation of technology that moves the firm up to more sophisticated operations. This incremental technological accumulation process is also held to determine the organisational form of the firm, with early investment forays typified by lower-risk and less-committed forms, such as sales representatives and joint ventures with local partners, and later investment characterised by more complex forms, such as wholly owned subsidiaries or acquisitions of local firms. Despite the valuable insights provided by both the first- and second-wave literature, it has generated criticism on methodological, empirical, and theoretical grounds. From a methodological point of view, Ulgado et al. (1994: 125) raised the important point that most of these studies of investment by developing-country firms consist mainly of macro-level considerations at the expense of micro-level studies of organisational, operational, and managerial workings. These aggregate analyses often fail to reveal the detailed dynamism of the internationalisation process and the other aspects of business organisation, such as the cultural, political, and social context. Moreover, the FDI from some countries is heavily concentrated in particular markets or industries, and this may lead to research bias. For example, van Hoesel acknowledged that, as his study was of Korean and Taiwanese MNEs in the electronics industry, his conclusions might not be applicable to other developing country MNEs (1997: 239). In fact, it should be more pointed out more generally that the availability and quality of FDI data from developing countries is limited and therefore conclusions drawn from it may not be reliable. In short, more studies at the firm level are called for to provide insights on the internationalisation behaviour of MNEs from developing countries. Section 2.1 has reviewed a number of conventional economics-based theories of FDI. They share the perspective that FDI is motivated by a firms desire to exploit its proprietary advantages abroad. These advantages are seen as transferable from country to country within a firm, but transferred only with difficulty between firms. While the proprietary advantages from developed-countries are derived from frontier technologies and sophisticated management and marketing, those for investors from developing-countries are embodied in imported technologies that have been localised through imitation and adaptation. These theorisations, however, are often criticized for their rather aggregated analyses and for their emphasis on explaining the structure of MNEs as opposed to the process by which firms internationalise. The following section reviews models that explicitly concentrate on the dynamics of transnational expansion. Internationalisation Process Models Internationalisation process theorising began with the early studies carried out in the 1970s by a group of Scandinavian scholars. Unlike the economics-based theories reviewed in Section 2.2 which accept the neoclassical economic model of rational agents exhibiting optimizing behaviour as a core assumption, the so-called Scandinavian School is rooted in the behavioural theory of the firm (Cyert and March 1963; Hosseini 2005: 528-9). The behavioural dimension is the assumption that learning takes place in response to limited cognitive capabilities in a complex and uncertain environment. Accordingly, internationalisation process models attribute the timing of market entry, its structural form, and its development over time as functions of the increasing commitment of managers to foreign markets. The process behind this increasing commitment is not (neoclassical) rational executive decision-making but an incremental learning trajectory that is human- and history-dependent. A variety of internationalisation process models can be found in the literature. These have often been divided into two groups (Andersen 1993). The first group is the so-called innovation-related lear

Severe Mercy in King Lear :: King Lear essays

Severe Mercy in King Lear      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The best thing about King Lear is that the deeper you dig, the more meat you find. It seems straightforward enough, except that every now and then something leaps out of the dialogue that severs the veil of coherent reality to strike sharp blows at the eternal Within. Even with a minimum of thought, few, I think, when considering King Lear, could emerge unshaken. There are shining archetypes of pain and grace and mercy and redemption. And like all truth, Lear abounds with paradox: we love him, we hate him; he is as King, deity; as father, a child. His beginning is noble yet immature, his end is destitute yet sublime. His subjects, all, are antonyms and mirrors. The messages come to us disguised as both story and image. The two are hopelessly bound up with one another, but we shall consider them a little separated in hopes of making some progress through such mvstic mire. The images come as flashes of recognition and intuition. We needn't understand something to be affected by it, for intuition is recognition on the sub-conscious level, which is equally, if not more, important. But unlike the "jolts of glory" that images may bear, the story is gradually grasped, perhaps even long after the performance, when the mind may consolidate and review the witnessed events. On the surface, King Lear is a pagan play, as it is set pre-Christian England. But it has, for all that, no shortage of appeals to deity and interesting speculation. This is, after all, a play set on the brink of eternity and it must make us wonder on the universe in relationship to the characters and ourselves. The first tragedy is that Lear's world is void of revelation. It is simply Man and the awesome silence of the Dead. They are a people with no assurence. We who watch the play with the benefit of a Christian worldview have got to displace ourselves and push our assurances and belief aside, if possible, to let inan inkling of the dispair and horror which must meet each man with no hope. It is not easy to do, and extremely discouraging when we succeed. Asin Beowulf, one of our language's oldest pieces of mythic literature, a man's only assurance of afterlife was living on in the memory of those who remained alive, and the greatest end would be a heroic ballad, a song through which a man may live forever, if forever it were sung.

Buddhism 4 :: essays research papers

Buddhism was founded by Saddharrha Gautama. He discovered soon after that the mind was the most important aspect of human existence. In Gautama’s believe he believed: “Our mind is like mercury. It is also like a monkey who is struggling all the time to free himself. When he is pulled back, he may stay still for a little while, but a moment later, he will try to move away again.'; In his belief’s he believed that man needed to pull back and control our minds frequently, otherwise it will not remain still and it will wander away according to its emotions. The mind will follow whatever arises in it when there is nothing to discipline and tie it down. We must have mental training to stop its wandering.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So meditation is the tool to tie up ones mind. It will cultivate mindfulness which is the foundation of the practice. Concentration stills the mind and reduces impulses and emotions. Its the same as tying the rope around a post and then tying the money to it. It does not matter how much the monkey struggles, he will have to stay within the limits of his bounds. As he is tied with the rope, he can only go back to the same spot again. The only chance for him to stop is when he is exhausted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we fallow the movement of our mind, it is like watching the monkey. We do not have to become the animal, we just sit and watch him. Stay still, do not struggle like him. If we struggle like him, we will turn into a monkey and will become really exhausted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To practice Concentration is like looking at the monkey. In the process of watching, he will go round and round until the rope is so tight that he is bound up. In the end he will have to stop and sit still. The monkey also knows that it is time to stop when the rope is so tight that it strangles him. The movement of our mind is very similar, so if we keep on meditating in order to observe it (the mind), then it is like watching the monkeywithout behaving like the monkey. If we act like the monkey by creating thoughts, we will be exhausted by our meditation because the mind never stops. We have to be in control at the post where mindfulness and concentration are.

Factors of Creation of Nationalism Essay -- Political Science

â€Å"It is nationalism which engenders nations, and not the other way round.† Such words were written by prominent social anthropologist Ernest Gellner in his work Nations and Nationalism (1983). Nationalism can be defined as a person or group’s loyalty and support for their nation, whatever that nation may be. This brings to light a very troublesome and tortuous subject. Expressed simply as Nationalism, this being is very controversial, many hailing it as a propitious concept, while others putting it down and viewing it in animosity. But what is more controversial & more complex would be the establishment of such. What effects its creation? What factors develop it? And what factors affect it the most? As with the topic of beauty, War, or Religion, nationalism and its roots are a again, a being of much controversy. Constantly being argued upon, assumptions of nationalism’s creation ranges from it being solely created upon historic, religious, social, geographical, and economical factors, or any combination(s) of the factors stated. An example of an argument which supports History as being the primary (and possibly the only) source of nationalism is prevalent within Margret Macmillan’s work The Uses and Abuses of History (2009) where she states that â€Å"History provides much of the fuel for Nationalism† and that the â€Å"celebration of the nation’s great achievements—and the shared sorrow at its defeats—sustain and foster it.† What she fails to mention is that there is more to development of nationalism than just history. Through my eyes it is evident that Professor Macmillan hasn’t fully grasped the depth, or simply has ig nored the other factors of nationalism. In respect to a nation and its nationalism, history has a major impact on its... ...D=567>. "French Revolution (1787-99) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . "Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution." The History Guide -- Main. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. . MacMillan, Margaret. The uses and abuses of history. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2009. Print. Sebesta, Edward , and Euan Hague. "The US Civil War as a Theological War: Confederate Christian Nationalism and the League of the South." 22 (2002): 253-271. Print. "The Reformation." History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2012. . Gellner, Ernest . Nations and Nationalism. 1983. Reprint. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Print.

Information Literacy in the Philippines Essay

T he 2003 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) is a national survey that gathers information on basic and functional literacy status of the population which will be used as basis of education policies and programs that will improve the coverage and quality of education and literacy in the country. It is the third in a series of functional literacy surveys conducted in 1989 and 1994. the elementary level. One in every 10 had no formal education (9. 0%). This proportion is somewhat high despite the government’s commitment to provide basic education to all Filipinos. Those who have graduated from an elementary school but did not proceed to a secondary level comprised 11 percent. Sixteen percent have reached but did not finish high school level while another 16 percent have finished high school level. Likewise, 16 percent either have reached but did not complete college level (8. 3%) or have actually finished college or any higher level of education (8. 0%). B. Attendance in School Two-thirds of the estimated 34 million population 6 to 24 years old, were attending school during the school year covering June 2003 to March or April 2004, or semester covering November 2003 to March or April 2004. In Western Visayas (Region VI), Bicol (Region V), CAR, Cagayan Valley (Region II), and Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan (MIMAROPA), approximately seven out of 10 children and youth were enrolled during the cited school year or semester. In ARMM, only about five in every 10 children and youth were enrolled. C. Net Enrollment Ratio The net enrollment ratio for the primary school age children or the ratio of the number of children 6 to 11 years old who were enrolled in elementary grades to the total number of children in this age group is around 82 percent. The 2003 FLEMMS is conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in coordination with the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) and the Department of Education (DepEd). The LCC provides overall coordination in policy formulation and program implementation of all inter-agency activities to achieve the goals of the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD). With LCC at the helm, the DepEd, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine Normal University (PNU), Senate, House of Representative, and NonGovernment Organization (NGO) and the agencies involved in the promotion of literacy from the private and government sectors, the Philippines supports UNLD’s goal to increase global literacy levels by 50% by 2015. 2003 FLEMMS Highlights A. Highest Educational Attainment The largest proportion of Filipinos aged 6 years and older were elementary graders. According to the 2003 FLEMMS, 29% of the estimated 69 million population 6 years old and above in 2003, or three out of 10 persons in that age group, have attended an elementary school but did not complete 1 ABIVA ABIVA PUBLISHING HOUSE, INC. The net enrollment ratios for the population in the secondary school ages and those in the tertiary school ages are much lower. Approximately six out of 10 persons of secondary school ages, or persons aged 12 to 15 years were enrolled in high school. Only one-fifth of those in the tertiary school ages or persons aged 16 to 24 years were attending college. The net enrollment ratio among females is generally higher than males. D. Mode of Travel to School The children’s mode of travel to school shows that more than half of the students aged 6 to 24 years went to school by walking (54. 5%). Tricycle and jeepney were also commonly used. Two out of five students either took a tricycle or a jeepney. E. Reason for not Attending School Of the 34 million population aged 6-24, 34 percent or 11. 6 million were not attending school. Of this number, 30 percent were not attending school mainly because they were working or looking for work, 22 percent lacked interest in going to school and 20 percent could not afford high cost of education. F. Basic or Simple Literacy Of the estimated 62 million Filipinos 10 years old and over, around 93 percent were basically literate. Basic or simple literacy is the ability of a person to read and write with understanding a simple message in any language or dialect. The basic literacy rate in 2003 is similar to the 1994 rate of 94 percent. The basic literacy rate among females (94. 3%) is higher compared to their male counterpart (92. 6%). G. Functional Literacy A self-administered functional literacy questionnaire was accomplished by persons 10 to 64 years old in order to determine their literacy status. The 2003 FLEMMS revealed a functional literacy rate which is similar to the 1994 rate of 84 percent. Of the estimated 58 million Filipinos 10 to 64 years old, around 49 million were functionally literate. The functional literacy rate among females is higher than among males (86. 3% vs. 81.9%). Survey results also show that seven out of 10 persons aged 10 to 64 years who were poor were functionally literate compared to nine out of 10 among the non-poor. H. Mass Media One question in the FLEMMS self-administered questionnaires asked the respondents to choose which among the different forms of mass media can give him or her knowledge and information. Among the 12 different forms of mass media, TV (61. 8%), radio (56. 7%), and newspaper (46. 5%) were most commonly cited by the respondents as possible sources of knowledge and information to them. Other forms of mass media reported by at least two in every 10 respondents are magazine/book (35. 7%), meetings of barangay, church and other organizations (32. 2%), and computer/internet (20. 0%). I. Attendance in Non-Formal Training Of the 51 million population 15 years old and over, 19 percent (9. 7 million) have attended a livelihood adult literacy program or non-formal training. Non-formal training includes basic literacy, functional literacy, livelihood training, basic vocational training, citizenship training, values development and leadership training. Of those who attended livelihood training, 18 percent participated in values development training, and 13 percent joined leadership training. Strategic Partners The national campaign against illiteracy, as designed by the LCC, is built on the concept of a grand alliance among the public education sector, the private sector, and the local government unit with the local authorities assuming full leadership and responsibility to make the program sustainable. The Council is set to review and evaluate its program and hopefully, take it to the next  level of advocacy—total local government involvement. To cultivate strategic partnerships with local governments, the Council undertook an awards program that is calculated to cultivate literacy advocacy among the local government units (LGUs) and harness local power and resources to combat illiteracy. One success story is Antipolo City which made history by winning the first ever Hall of Fame Award for the Most Outstanding Local Government Unit category. For three consecutive years, from 2002-2004, Antipolo City was declared as the Most Outstanding Local Government Unit for the Component City category. As a result, Antipolo City helped the 5-year-old Outstanding Literacy Program Awards establish a significant benchmark in the drive to eradicate illiteracy in the Philippines. This also proves that strong and sustained support from LGUs greatly helps in achieving the desired literacy results. Although this is a significant stride in the literacy program, a more concerted effort among educators, learners, communities, and the government is still needed to raise the level of literacy in the country. DR. NORMA L. SALCEDO is the head of the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) Secretariat. Copyright ©2007 by Dr. Norma L. Salcedo and Abiva Publishing House, Inc. All rights reserved. ABIVA PUBLISHING HOUSE, INC.

The Universal Effects of Animal Cruelty

Did you know that animals are not the only ones affected by animal cruelty? In fact, both animals and humans alike receive trauma and pain as a result of these atrocities. Many of these perpetrators involved in these harmful acts of abuse tend to not know the effects of their crimes and almost never have a good reason for doing so. Studies show that there are two types of animal cruelty: passive and active. Passive cruelty is not indirect abuse, but it involves neglect of caring for animals, whereas active cruelty is meant to purposely harm the animals and it is often associated with sociopaths. Animal cruelty is evident all around the world and includes: starving and not caring for domestic animals, testing products on animals, being utilized as shark bait, brutalizing and harming animals during film productions, and the notorious cruelty done for generation after generation without any particular reason. There has to be more laws implemented to stop harming animals overall, since the animals themselves are helpless in getting aid. Animals deserve just as much respect and rights to live in this world as humans do. Animals everywhere are just like humans and want to protect their loved ones. Animal cruelty is a worldwide issue that harms all living beings mentally and physically, therefore, in order to create a humane society for all organisms, it should altogether be stopped. First, many people think that hurting animals is harmless to us humans, but they are wrong, because many human serial killers began their first crime as animal cruelty which then graduated into human cruelty. There is a lot of evidence that shows that serial killers and abusers began with animal cruelty. If a human can abuse animals and show psychological issues, then it is possible that they can do the same harm to a human, which would solemnly cause not only harm to the animal society, but to the human society. Stopping animal cruelty and reporting people who do these malicious acts can possibly prevent human massacres as well as animal massacres. In 1997, Boston’s Northeastern University and the MSPCA did a study that found â€Å"70% of all animal abusers have committed at least 1 other crime and that 40% had committed violent crimes against humans† (Internet). This suggests that nearly half of the people that commit animal cruelty crimes also commit human cruelty crimes. Any kind of violence against a human being is inhumane and isn’t allowed, just as animal cruelty shouldn’t be allowed, seeing as many criminals have a tendency to follow up with human cruelty crimes. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebod were two high school students that killed 12 classmates and then committed suicide only after they had â€Å"bragged to friends about mutilating animals. If these acts had been reported to authorities and taken seriously, these two young men might have been put in a proper facility and helped, possibly avoiding the horrific massacre† (Internet). This suggests that the criminals aren’t the only ones who can prevent these kind of animal and human cruelty crimes, but bystanders and those who overhear people doing these such things can take one step forward and report these crimes. Given these type of examples, it should only be more motivation for every state, every country, and every continent to implement anti-animal abuse laws to save lives. Anybody can be helpful in saving many more animal lives as well as human lives, not just the government and the legal system, because animals and humans are always important to somebody. Second, most animal cruelty happens in a household and chances are there are children in these households that either grow up traumatized or influenced to repeat these atrocities. Children are more vulnerable to being corrupted from witnessing animal cruelty because these images stay with them as they grow older and they can possibly reenact these crimes themselves. The criminals either force the children in the household to watch the abuse take place or they abuse the children as well. This can cause trauma in young children, which causes them to grow up corrupted or chances are that â€Å"a child abusing an animal can grow up to be someone who commits other violent crimes† (Internet). This suggests that human children are also affected by animal cruelty as well as the animal victims. These children can be scarred for life, whether it’s mentally or physically. Children aren’t the only ones who have to observe animal cruelty going on, but they are the future of every generation and if they are broken at an early age, then they cannot make it in a stable life. Also, with a constant cycle of children witnessing animal cruelty and then committing to animal cruelty, there will only be more and more people affected by this and then it will be harder and harder to put an end to. Children at a young age will have to learn from somebody, if not their parents, and they â€Å"do not have ine control over their movements and impulses—they will want to treat their pets with love, but will need a little help from you to do it correctly† (Internet). This suggests that the adults and teenagers of the world can control how a child’s development turns out and if we do not perform animal cruelty acts in front of children then they will not be exposed to a harsh world as they grow up. The earlier we instill kindness into nurturing child development, the less they’ll turn out to be convicted of animal cruelty felonies. Third, passive and active cruelties are both common from people who only do it to feel a sense of power and authority, but that in itself is senseless since it still harms many animals and people. In most cases, â€Å"most animal abusers find some sort of fulfillment or power in torturing a victim they know can't fight back, which is why crimes like rape and child molestation are committed. † (Internet). This suggests that the abusers want to feel superior and want to harm their pets or wild animals just to achieve this sort of power. This would be considered an unfair fight when the perpetrator knows that the animal can’t do anything to defend itself and no one would be around to help it. As Jenny Leigh says, â€Å"It is our job to be the voice for creatures who cannot speak up for themselves† (Internet). People like Jenny are affected by the violent crimes done to animals and their disturbance makes them want to find ways to help these poor animals. In other cases, the animal abusers find it amusing to perform sadism on poor animals without considering how that animal feels. One way that one could feel control by hurting an animal is for example, when a husband may hurt the family pet in order to show his wife or kids what he is capable of doing to them whenever he gets angry enough. Another person may use his or her own pet to hurt other animals just to feel a gain of power and control. These kind of people â€Å"suffer from serious, psychological problems that will probably not go away on their own†¦. Without help, the psychological problems these people have can haunt them for their whole lives† (Internet). This evidence suggests that the people who intentionally hurt animals already have some psychological issues that make them the way they are. These people need help from psychologists and people that know that they have a problem with abusing animals should aid them in receiving help to solve their problems. Lastly, most people don’t understand that they actually take part in animal cruelty and these heedless actions cause much passive cruelty, if not any active cruelty. People that are harming the animals don’t even realize the consequences of their actions and they don’t understand that it is actually a really bad thing to do. It is senseless to allow people to carelessly roam around abusing animals without even thinking about it. While active cruelty is more common and disturbing, passive cruelty isn’t any less important. In fact, it can lead to â€Å"terrible pain and suffering, and ultimately death. Examples include starvation, dehydration, untreated parasite infestations, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and the failure to get medical care† (Internet). This evidence suggests that the owners of domestic animals harm their pets in their own ignorance and neglect. Animal shelters are designed to give unsheltered animals a chance to have a provided home with a caring owner, but with neglectful owners that commit passive cruelty to their pets, it is difficult to tell if the person the shelters give the animal to can be trusted. Whether it’s active or passive cruelty, people need to be fined or arrested for hurting any kind of animals. However, some people actually think that animal cruelty is good because killing animals such as cows and chickens provide food for humans. Some say that humans need animals for food and that it is inevitable for animal cruelty to come to a complete end when there are many people out there in the world who can’t give up eating meat. â€Å"For centuries people killed animals for food and never considered it cruel. It was just a survival† (Internet). This evidence suggests that as long as people feel that they need to eat meat in order to survive, animal cruelty will not be stopped. People see meat as a basic necessity for ensuring their survival when it comes to food, so they won’t think too hard on how guilty they should feel when they learn that animal cruelty is how their food is made. In spite of that, animal cruelty should still end, because everyone could always become vegetarians since it is healthier for our planet and ourselves. The manufacturing and producing of many meats or products derived from dead animals releases many greenhouse gases on our earth and contributes to even more global warming which will eventually harm all humans and animals alike. This â€Å"little† act of animal cruelty to provide food isn’t as big as a necessity when there are plenty of greens around and when many lives won’t be harmed in the making. In conclusion, animal cruelty hurts animals and humans respectively and must be stopped in order to achieve a humane societal world. This research is important because people need to know what happens in this world. People deserve to know the truth about how the world is running itself and rather than being lied to by the government, people can be educated and informed on these worldwide issues which can then motivate them to help stop it. People will realize what animal cruelty does to animals and humans altogether and they can protest to end it or have laws implemented to ban it. Many people are disturbed, traumatized, and angered by the violent animal cruelty acts but they have no kind of power in trying to stop it, so this would be really helpful for those who are in the unknown of this issue. Works Cited Information on Animal Cruelty ASPCA 13 April 2011 http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/info-animal-cruelty Through Their Eyes, The National Animal Abuse Registry 2004, 13 April 2011 http://www.inhumane.org Leigh, Jenny. Animal Cruelty Must Stop 13 April 2011 http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/environment/article/90968/Animal-Cruelty-Must-Stop/ 11 Facts about Animal Cruelty 13 April 2011 http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-animal-cruelty Animals Used for Food PETA 13 April 2011 http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/default2.aspx Beaulne-Stuebing, Laura. What’s Good about Animal Cruelty? Thrust Labs 17 January 2008, 13 April 2011 http://stayingvegan.com/vegan-university/whats-good-about-animal-cruelty/ Talking to Kids about Animal Cruelty ASPCA 2011, 13 April 2011 http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/talking-to-kids-about-animal.aspx Chicken Cruelty http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00044/id42.htm

Common Sense Economics

Macroeconomics Professor Coppedge December 5, 2011 Common Sense Economics Common Sense Economics is packed with valuable information, and approaches presenting this information in a way that is less dry than a conventional textbook. Although there is a lot to learn in this book, I feel like I have already been introduced to 90% of the content in class, this book is simply a supplement and review. The book is broken down into 4 sections: Ten key elements of economics, Seven major sources of economic progress, Economic progress and the role of government, and Twelve key elements of practical personal finance.I believe the discussion of personal finance outlined in the fourth section, while important, is outside of the scope of this course and will therefore not be discussed in this paper. This book is very much a textbook, therefore going through the material and listing off what is in the book will not be feasible in such a short paper, I will however cover the information that struck me as the most interesting or important.Almost everything in the first part of the book is common sense, there is nothing free, people respond to incentives, decisions are made in the margin, profit drives business decisions, the invisible hand. The points that I found more interesting were points 7 and 10: People earn income by helping others and too often long-term consequences of an action are ignored. The book states that if you figure out a way to help other people you will be rewarded with a large income.Even people who are damaging themselves believe that they are getting what they want, for instance cigarette smokers, they are ruining their bodies and destroying their lives, but they want the cigarette and by helping them get the cigarette, companies make a very large amount of money. Cigarette smoking can also tie into point 10: Too often long-term consequences, or the secondary effects, of an action are ignored. Many people who smoke will tell you that they simply â€Å" don’t think about it† because they know if they consider the secondary effects, or he opportunity cost of their decision to smoke, they would quit. Of the second section in the book: Seven major sources of economic progress, I find point number 4 the most interesting. An efficient capital market, this is something that I had not thought of when considering things that need to happen for the economy to grow, it is something that happens behind the scenes and you don’t hear much about it, but it seems like one of the more important driving forces.If there is no-one investing capital into wealth creating projects then the economy will continue to only grow minimally until there is a way of getting money into the hands of investors. I believe that investors need to have low barriers to entry, IE taxes and fees, but they do need to be held accountable for any botched projects, this will give investors a reason to seek out good investments and let the bad investments s ink rather than making Americans pay for them.Perhaps one of the more interesting topic of discussion is: Economic progress and the Role of Government. This topic can go on for days, but the basic functions that the government needs to fulfil in order for the economy to progress are: protect the private rights of individuals and supply goods that cannot be provided through markets. There are many things that can impede the government from doing it’s job, the most prevalent in my opinion is human nature. Voters vote for politicians promising the most benefit to them, ignoring rule 10 of part 1.The book states that â€Å"unless [the government is] restrained by constitutional rules special interest groups will use the democratic process to fleece taxpayers and consumers. † The reason this happens is because of rule 1 in part 1, incentives matter, everyone is attempting to get the most out of the system for themselves, without considering external costs. Overall, this boo k breaks down complex economic ideas into something that is easily understandable and the examples given are easily relatable. I will definitely keep this book for my reference, and I will refresh my self on it every couple of years.