Interpersonal and written communication techniques Essay

Lip-reading: One skill that I have not fully develop to make me more employable in the I.T industry is the lip reading technique. Lip reading is the movement of lips and tongue; body language and facial expressions add to this technique, as it helps you to lip read better. With this technique I learnt that you have to look at the way a person stresses their speech, the rhythm and phrasing when trying to lip read. A good thing that I find about lip reading is that it provides a method of communication for deafened people. However, I found it quite difficult to lip read, because you have to pay full attention and look at lip shape and movement at all times, preventing me from concentrating. This technique is useful because it is a means of communication for the severely or totally deafened people. I also found this technique difficult to use because not all words are easy to read, some people mumble or even covered their hands when they were talking. This prevented me to lip read exactly what they say. I can further improve on this technique, by practising it over and over again, as it takes time and patience. Through this I will also be improving my confidence and strengthening my communication ability. Body language: I have developed my method of body language to make myself more employable to the i.t industry. Body language is the non-verbal signals as a method of communication through stance, gestures, facial expression etc. It also builds better relationships at home or at school. Some people may find it difficult to use body language in order to communicate, because they might find it hard to understand their gestures or facial expressions to convey what they are trying to say. This technique is useful and important in order to send the right message and to be able to read the signals the other person is sending back. Spoken communication is essential, as well as body language and facial expressions. By giving of natural body language, you are  showing that you are paying complete attention to what the employer is saying. Barriers to communication: I have develop the skill of barriers to communications. I developed this by making sure that I did not make the audience bored with my presentation. I did this by projecting my voice, so that it was loud and clear for the audience to hear and understand. Also, I made sure that my mobile phone was switched off, to avoid any distractions whilst presenting my presentation. This is a good skill to have because when communicating because when in a Conversation you are showing that you are paying full attention to everything they are saying. Positive language: I have developed the skill of using positive gesture. For example, having a smile on my face can make the other person feel more comfortable with what they are trying to say. I have also been using a genuine, formal tone of voice when addressing my peers, which makes me come across as someone with a positive attitude. I used ‘nodding’ as a form of positive language when someone was talking or explaining something to me. This shows that I am in agreement with what they are trying to say. In some conversations I may have summarised what they said to show that I have been listening to what they have said. Negative language: I have developed the skill to avoid using negative language with the improvement in my positive language. The use of negative language when communication with another person can make them feel really uncomfortable, this may also make them not want to talk to you. I stopped using negative facial expressions, to make myself come across more positively than negatively. I respond to people even if I have no interest in what they are saying. Types of questions: This is one of the skills that I have not improved on. I don’t tend to ask open questions when in a conversation. When I am not interested in a conversation I tend to either say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to questions. This stops the conversation from flowing and shows my lack of interest. This technique can be improved/developed by avoiding the use of closed questions, because it  may show that you don’t want to be a part of that particular conversation and want it to end by giving dull replies. Speed of response: The speed of response technique depends on what the question or conversation is about. There may be some questions that I might be asked that require time to think to be able to give a clear respond to what they have asked. However, in some particular conversations my speed of response is quite fast, because I am aware of what to say. So, my speed of response depends completely on what the conversation or questions are about. Written communication skills: Capitalisation: A skills that I have improved in written communication is capitalisation. I have improved on this skill by always ensuring that I always use capital letters when writing a letter or important emails as it is essential and makes the letter or email look more professional. Capital letters are use at the start of sentences, names and country names. They are also used abbreviations for UK, USA etc. The idea of capitalisation is to make sure your sentences are clear. They can also be used for emphasis, you could capitalise words within your work and in order to emphasise your opinion. It may be difficult to read over your work to check that you have added capital letters if you are in a rush. Structure: One of the skills that I have not developed in written communication is structure, because I find it time consuming to structure a piece of writing. However, it is important to structure your piece of writing so that it makes sense. You will be able to order your writing in order of importance. Ordering your writing is important, because the reader may not understand your writing. I can further improve on this skills by making sure that I order and structure my work neatly as I go along, instead of leaving to the end, which makes it more time consuming. If I don’t do this then I am making it more difficult for myself trying to figure out what I have written. Smileys: I have improved on this skills, because I am able to use smileys and  emotions, which makes the conversation flow more effectively. However they are only used informally and not it letters. They can change the mood of you’re writing to show what mood you are in. It is also easier to get messages across to the other person. It is easier to show excitement or sarcasm with the use of emotions. They can also be used for advertisements, which can make the poster look more interesting and can easily grab the reader’s attention. However, they are not to be used in letters or in important emails, as it might give a bad impression of you, and you may not be taken seriously. Therefore, it is important to improve on this technique, as you should be aware of when you should or should not use these informal methods of communicating. Proof reading/spelling/grammar: I have not improved on the technique of proof reading my spelling and grammar after writing a letter or email. I think it would be important to improve on this technique as my letter would look more professional. Sending a letter or email that has poor spelling and poor use of grammar, shows your lack of interest and you will not be taken seriously. I can further improve on this technique by taking time out to proof read my work before sending it out. Proof reading my work can make a huge difference, because I will be taken more seriously if my letter is written in a more professional manner. Alternative viewpoints: I have not improved on the technique of giving or taking on board alternative viewpoints. I think it is a good idea to maybe take on board alternative viewpoints given to me by other people, so that I try more than one way of dong certain tasks. I think I can improve on this technique by giving other people my alternative viewpoints. In this way it shows that I have been listening to what the other person has been saying. By taking on board other the viewpoints of other people will help me to improve on my work. However, it may be difficult to grasp, because I rarely ever take on alternative viewpoints. Note taking: I have improved on the technique of note taking since September. I have improved on this skill, as I had started to take notes of important topics discussed during class discussions. Also I have started to highlight the key  facts on the hand-outs that were given to me. So that I focus mainly on the key points. This made it easier for me when it came to revision, because I knew exactly what I had to revise on for the exam. I also annotated the points on the hand outs, so that I am aware of what it means when I come to revise on that topic, as I am able to clearly understand it with extra detail. Guidelines: I have improved on the technique of using guidelines when doing my work. In September when starting my ict btec course, I downloaded the assignment brief for each unit. I always had the assignment brief out whenever I did a task, to help me understand what I have got to do to achieve the task clearly with step to step instructions given of everything I need to add in order to pass the task. Having improved on this technique was useful, because it gave me extra information of what the course is about, the deadlines for each task etc. Using the assignment brief made me more independent as I didn’t need to constantly ask my teacher for help.

Dostoyevsky’s The Underground Man Essay

In Notes from Underground, Dostoyevsky describes a character burdened with significant inner conflict over love which interferes with his ability to think rationally, prevents him from developing lasting friendships, and cause him to believe he has found true love following a sexual encounter. After being bumped by an officer in a tavern, the Underground Man became obsessed with â€Å"revenge† against the officer and planned a subsequent encounter where he could â€Å"bump him with [his] shoulder† and not ‘yield an inch,† (133, 135). The Underground Man wants the officer to treat him with dignity and respect and as his equal. However, the Underground Man’s inability to develop an actual relationship with the officer or even engage in a conversation with him is indicative of the Underground Man’s inability to think rationally. This passage shows that the Underground Man’s desperate desire for human interaction irrationally causes him to seek a negative human encounter. Instead of confronting the officer directly, the Underground Man spends months obsessing about the officer before he finally engages in pitiful revenge that leaves him feeling like a failure. The Underground Man learns he is an unwanted guest when one of his former college acquaintances tells him that he has only been invited to a dinner party because he â€Å"insisted on joining† them and the Underground Man feels â€Å"crushed and humiliated† that his supposed friends don’t really want him at the party (153). This is another example of the Underground Man seeking friendship but his base and rude nature interferes with his objective. He becomes so concerned that his college friends are ridiculing him that he insults one of them. As a result, his friends are disgusted with him and clearly wish he would leave. Although the Underground Man believes he has fallen in love with Liza and wishes to save her from a life of prostitution, he concludes â€Å"loving means bullying and dominating† which causes him to insult Liza by paying her for sex thereby treating her like a lowly prostitute (199). The Underground Man’s attempt to save Liza is misguided. He does not have a better life to offer Liza. He may have additional monetary security but he lives in misery without any close human connections and his life experience is less fulfilling than most prostitutes. The Underground Man has lofty goals of saving Liza from a life of prostitution but he ends up insulting her by thrusting money into her hand as he leaves his apartment. Dostoyevsky’s created a desperate and lonely man torn apart by inner turmoil and conflict. The Underground Man sought love and friendship but ended up with tragedy, hate and loneliness because he was unable to think rationally, he allowed his ego to interfere with his ability to create and maintain friendships and he insulted and alienated a woman who may have loved him.

Multiplex Industry in India

Consulting Industry Overview †¢ †¢ The Indian film industry is the largest film industry in the world in terms of the number of films produced and admissions each year. Revenue for 2004 was estimated at Rs. 59 billion (US$1. 3 billion), which was less than 1% of global film industry revenue and a fraction of the U. S. Film industry revenue, which was US$9. 49 billion in 2003. (Source CII ) Film Industry Revenues 12% 4% 57% 9% 2% 2% 14% Domestic Theatrical Leakages piracy In Cinema Ads Music Satellite / DTH / IPTV DVD / VCD / Overseas Cable Overseas TheatricalNearly 80% of Indian Industry revenues come from Domestic and Overseas Theatrical. On the contrary US Film Industry earns only 35% from box office sales and remaining 65% is derived from other revenue sources This clearly signifies the onset and potential of Multiplexes in the Indian Film Exhibition Sector. Consulting Consulting The Film Exhibition Industry †¢ †¢ The Indian film exhibition sector had revenues of Rs. 34 billion in 2004. (Source:CII) The Film Exhibition Industry can be divided into two segments: – – single and double-screen cinemas and multiplex cinemas, i. e. hree screens or more. †¢ As of March 2005, there were approximately 12,000 cinemas in India of which 73 were multiplexes with a total of 276 screens. Multiplexes constitute only 0. 6 % of about 12,000 cinema halls in India, but account for 28% to 34 % of the box office take for the Top 50 films in 2004. (Source Yes Bank) †¢ Consulting The Film Exhibition Industry: Multiplex More than 60 additional multiplexes with more than 220 additional screens are slated to commence operations by the end of 2006, a growth rate of 80-100% Average price of a ticket for a multiplex cinema is Rs. 5 – 85 but the number of screens in multiplexes represented only 2. 3% of total screens in India as of March 2005. (Source:Industry Estimates) An increase in the number of Multiplex screens should result in an i ncrease in film exhibition revenues, so the opening of new Multiplexes represents a significant growth opportunity for the industry. S c re e ns P e r M illio n P o pula tio n 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 India UK Belgium Ger many Spain Italy Ir eland Denmar k Fr ance USA 117 77 52 30 12 43 45 46 53 61In India, the number of screens per million of population is just 12 whereas the average in western countries is 40. India needs 20,000 screens to cater the entire cinema viewing population Consulting The Film Exhibition Industry: Multiplex No of Multiplex in Cities 16 12 8 4 0 12 6 5 4 4 3 3 Nasik Multiplexs Across Regions as on March 2005 (source Yes Bank) 3 Pune 23 North South East Delhi Kolkata Mumbai & Suburbs Ahmedabad Ghaziabad Gurgaon 42 3 5 West Geographic Distribution of Theatres Across India Ficci – E&Y Report 2004Andhra Pradesh 24% 21% Kerala Karnataka Maharashtra Uttar Pradesh Tamil Nadu Others 10% 19% 8% 9% 9% Number of Screens 3 Screens 4 Screens 5 Screens 6 Screens More than 6 Screens Number of Number of Number of Seats / Multiplexes Screens Seats Screens 40 120 43143 360 21 84 25862 308 6 30 10148 338 4 24 6991 291 2 18 3326 185 73 276 89470 1482 Majority of multiplexes have 3 screens. The table enlists the number of multiplexes sub-divided by the number of screens and seats. Consulting Consulting Key playersCompany PVR Cinemas * Inox Leisure Limited Adlabs Films * Shringar Cinemas Wave Cinemas E-City Cinemas Total % of India # of Properties # of Screens 7 34 5 25 4 14 3 14 3 13 3 14 25 114 34% 41% # of Seats 7333 7344 5666 4588 4380 3952 33263 37% * Only film exhibitio n pro perties with 3 o r mo re s creens have been co ns idered fo r this analys is So urce: Bo llywo o d Emerging Trends & Gro wth Drivers – Yes Bank Repo rt 2005 Kindly note that the No of Properties , Screens and Seats have been updated in the subsequent slides * from respective Company Web Sites as new properties have come up after report was published.Six largest mu ltiplex operators of India tabulated above operate 114 screens spread across 25 properties with a cumulative seating capacity of 33,263. This constitutes 34%, 41% and 37% of India’s total multiplex properties, screens and seats respectively. (Source: Market Estimates) Consulting Key player : Adlabs Films Adlabs Upcom ing Multiplexes Nam e City Screens Cineplex Adlabs Ansal Vaishali Plaza Metro Adlabs Mangal Adlabs Goldspot Adlabs Adlabs Palm Beach Himalaya Adlabs RDB Boulevard IMAX, Mani Square Ansal Mall Gopalan Legacy Adlabs Dattani Mall Nam eSeats 1,076 1,003 1,491 1,102 1,362 1,008 1,200 1,050 1,350 1,200 1,100 1,100 Adlabs Upcoming Multiplexes Name City Screens Seats Sangam Adlabs Mumbai 4 1250 R Town Fortune City Mall Ansal Plaza Maheshwari Parmeshwari Adlabs RAP, Borivali Rap Mirage RAP Media Ltd RAP Media Ltd RAP Media Ltd RAP Media Ltd Mumbai Bangalore Gurgaon Hyderabad 8 to 10 8 to 10 3 5 to 6 2200 2,200 1,000 1600 Mangalore Ghaziabad Mumbai Indore Hyderabad New Mum bai Ahmedabad Kolkata Kolkatta Greater Noida Bangalore Thane 3 6 4 4 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 RAP Metropolitan RAP Media Ltd Patiala Little world Mall Kharghar Paras Zirakhpur Downtown Total upcoming Mumbai Agra Amritsar Jalandhar Ludhiana Mohali (Chandigarh) Moradabad 4 3 6 5 7 5 3 5 4 to 5 4 122 – 128 1250 1004 1,700 1,500 2,000 1,500 1016 1,450 1,200 1300 36,212 Adlabs Film s Ltd Exis ting M ultiple xe s Location City Scre e n Kalyani Nagar CIDCO Wadala Mulund Kanjurmarg Andheri Sahibabad Industrial Estate Pune Nashik Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Ghaziabad 3 3 5 4 4 5 4 28Se ats 1,109 1,200 1,832 1,353 1,263 1,282 1,313 9,352 Gold Adlabs Divya Adlabs Imax Adlabs R-Adlabs Huma Adlabs Fame Adlabs Aerens R Imax at Rap Adlabs Adlabs Films Ltd was founded by Mr. Manmohan Shetty and Mr. Vasanji Mamania In 2005, (Reliance – ADA Group) acquired a 50. 16% stake in Adlabs Films Limited Consulting Key player : E-City Entertainment E – City Entertainment (Essel Group)Nam e Sigma Mal l Fun Republic Fun Republic City Centre Cross River Mall Ansals Plaza II Pacif ic Mall Nand Plaza Fun Republic Fun Republic TDIChandigarh Fun Republic Malnz Times Square (Jagat Cinema) Axis Mall Lake Mall Times Square Dindayal City Mall Fun Republic Dreams Mall Kukreja Mall AEZ Carnival Country North Square TDI Mall V3S Mall Mittal's Mega Mall Ansals Plaza Mittal's Mega Mall Sun City Mall Ansals Royale Plaza Grand Total Location Bangalore Hyderabad Lucknow Mumbai New Delhi Punjab Agra, Uttar Pradesh Agra, Uttar Pradesh Ahmedabad Chandigarh Chandigarh Coimbatore G. T. Road Jaipur Kolkatta Kolkotta Kota M.P Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai NCR (Uttar Pradesh) New Delhi New Delhi New Delhi Panipat, Haryana Punjab Punjab Rajasthan Rajasthan Since /Targe t Date March, 2006 Planned 2007 April, 2006 Planned 2007 March, 2006 Planned 2008 May, 2006 Planned 2006 June, 2001 November, 2003 Planned 2007 Planned 2006 Planned 2008 December,2005 Planned 2008 Planned 2007 Planned 2006 Planned 2006 August, 2003 Planned 2006 June, 2006 March, 2006 February, 2006 December, 2005 February, 2006 Planned 2006 Planned 2007 Planned 2009 Planned 2007 Planned 2007 No of Scre e ns 3 6 4 4 4 4 4 3 6 4 3 6 6 2 4 4 4 4 6 5 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 120E-City Entertainment is a business segment of the Essel Group. In Film Exhibition they have 2 Brands 1. Fun Republic Entertainment 2. Fun Multiplex. †¢ E City Entertainment has made a prominent appearance Metros across Regions like Mumbai and Delhi. †¢ And is seen to be targeting Tier 2 Tier 3 Cities like Coimbatore, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kolkata Consulting Key player : Shringar CinemasShringar Cinemas Ltd Existing Multiplexes Fame Adlabs 5 screens , 1342 seats Fame Malad 6 screens, 1571 seats Fame Nasik 3 Screens, 1407 Seats Fame Kandivali 4 Screens, 1275 Seats Fame Kolkata 4 Screens, 900 Seats Fame Pune 3 Screens – 1009 Seats Grand Total 25 Screens 7504 Seats †¢ Shringar Cinemas, managed by promoters who have been one of the largest film dis tributors in Western India for Hindi films. Company is focusing on Western India i. e. Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad as well as Eastern Indian i. e. Kolkata Shringar Cinemas Ltd Upcoming Projects FAME FAME FAME FAME FAME FAME Allahabad Ghatkopar Aurangabad Hyderabad Surat – Raj Empire Thane 4 screens and 1250 seats 3 screens and approximately 1000 seats. 3 screens and approximately 900 seats 6 Screen 5 screens Consulting Key player :Inox Leisure LtdInox Leisure Ltd Existing Multiplexes No of screens City Location Mumbai Nariman Point 5 Bangalore Magrath Road 5 Vadodara Race Course Circle 4 Pune Bund Garden 4 Goa Panaji 4 Kolkatta Salt Lake 4 Kolkatta Elgin Road 4 Indore Sapna Sangeeta 3 Darjeeling Laden La road 3 Jaipur Vaibhav Nagar 2 Grand Total 38 No of seats 1335 1103 1318 1316 1271 1144 1016 1080 811 787 11181 Inox Leisure LtdUpcoming Projects Location Screens Seats Vishakhapatnam Raipur Lucknow Kolkatta Kharagpur Jaipur Jaipur Hyderabad Chennai Bangalore Bangalore Ba ngalore Grand Total 4 4 4 5 4 3 3 6 5 4 7 7 56 1300 1250 1000 1042 1200 750 750 1470 1156 1100 1860 1720 14598 Inox Leisure plans to target very specifically cities in South India Like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam. Consulting Key player : PVRPVR Cinemas Existing Locations Name PVR Bangalore PVR Priya PVR Saket PVR Vikaspuri PVR Narania PVR Gurgaon PVR EDM PVR Faridabad PVR SRS Faridabad PVR Plaza Spice PVR PVR Hyderabad PVR Rivoli PVR Lucknow PVR Indore PVR Mumbai Grand Total Location Screens Seats Bangalore 11 NA Delhi NA 944 Delhi 4 1000 Delhi 3 921 Delhi 4 830 Gurgaon 7 1300 Ghaziabad 3 720 2 480 Faridabad (Ha NCR Delhi 3 776 Delhi NA 300 Noida NA 1821 Hyderabad 5 812* Delhi 3 329* Lucknow 4 928 Indore 5 1199 Mumbai 2+3 NA 57 approx 12360 Approx PVR Cinemas UpcomingCinemas PVR C INEMAS Mumbai PVR C INEMAS New Delhi PVR C INEMAS Mumbai PVR C INEMAS Mumbai PVR C INEMAS New Delhi PVR C INEMAS C hennai PVR C INEMAS Mumbai PVR C INEMAS Ludhiana PVR C INEMAS Gurgaon Pr ashant Vihar, Delhi Latur Aurangabad Silver Arc, Ludhiana TOTAL Screens 6 Screens 6 Screens 7 Screens 8 Screens 6 Screens 7 Screens 4 Screens 4 Screens 2 Screens 3 Screens 3 Screens 3 Screens 3 Screens 71 Screens Seats 1750 1269 2050 2200 1500 1600 1250 1000 450 800 1050 1100 1000 Expected In Fiscal 2006 Fiscal 2007 Fiscal 2007 Fiscal 2007 Fiscal 2008 Fiscal 2007 Fiscal 2007 Fiscal 2007 Fiscal 2006 Fiscal 2006 Fiscal 2006 Fiscal 2006 Fiscal 2008 9310 Seats †¢ PVR Cinemas setup India’s first multiplex in 1997 at Delhi. †¢ The Company has been funded by ICICI Venture and is in final stages of closing second round of equity funding for future expansion †¢ PVR Cinemas is focusing on developing multiplex properties in Northern, Western and Southern India (Bangalore & Hyderabad) Consulting Key player : Wave Cinemas Wave Cinemas is a part of The Chadha Group. Currently operates 13 screens spread across 3 properties. With existing operations in Noida, Kaushambhi and Lu cknow. Wave Cinemas is a regional player focusing on Northern India. enetrating in untapped raw territory in UP and Ghaziabad. Wave Cinemas Existing Cinemas Location Screens Noida 5 Kaushambi ( Ghaziabad) 4 Lucknow 4 Grand Total 13 Seats 1804 1192 1394 4390 Wave Cinemas Upcoming Projects Mohali ALL LOCATIONS ARE Ludhiana IN NORTHERN INDIA Raja Garden Delhi Consulting Consulting Summary: Growth Drivers Growth drivers responsible for the expected increase in the number of multiplex cinemas are as follows: †¢ An increase in disposable income in the hands of an ever expanding Indian middle class demographic changes tax benefits for multiplex cinemas retail boom Favourable †¢ Organised †¢ Entertainment †¢ Increase in the number of high grade Hindi films. Consulting Favourable Demographics Demographics †¢ †¢ (source CIA fact sheet July 2005 Est) Current Population: 1 billion+ (1,080,264,388) growing between 1. 4% to 1. 8% annually Age structure: 0-14 years: 3 1. 2% 15-64 years: 63. 9% 65 years and over: 4. 9% Median age: 24. 66 years A younger population tends to have higher aspirations, and will spend more as it enters the earning phase. †¢ †¢ Consulting Increase in Disposal IncomeClasses Rich Consuming Climbers Aspirants Destitutes Between Above USD 4,600 USD 970 – 4,600 USD 470 – 970 USD 340 – 470 Less USD 340 Households in Households in Households in 1995 2000 2006E 1 million 3 million 6 million 29 million 66 million 75 million 48 milliom 66 million 78 million 48 million 32 million 33 million 32 million 24 million 17 million URBAN CONSUMER SPEND % (Source KSA Technopak) Categories 1999 2002 Savings & Investments 14 5. 2 Consumption Shopping 22 24. 3 Leisure & Entertainment 21 29. 1 Grocery 43 41. 4 Sub total of Consumption 86 94. Total 100 100 Source: CII – KPMG Report 2005 accredited NCAER Multiplexes generally cater to High and Middle income Groups, with an increase in the number of households within this earning group, will result to higher consumption and spending patterns. Similarly migration of households from lower income to middle income levels will further drive the consumption patterns. Urban consumers have increased their expenditure on leisure & entertainment. Simultaneously spends on eating out, movies and theater, and books and music will increase. ConsultingOnset of Retail Activity †¢ Though Organised retail comprises of 3% of the total retail pie of USD 200 Billion, it is growing at 25 to 30% CAGR Number of malls in India is expected to increase from approximately 50 as of the end of 2004 to around 250 by the end of 2006. (Source: BW Marketing Whitebook, 2005, attributed to KSA Technopak. ) †¢ †¢ †¢ There will be approximately 600 malls by 2010 Securities study) (Source Edelweiss Multiplexes are one of the anchor tenants in large format malls, as their presence increases footfalls by approximately 40-50%. Source: CII) Consulting Entertain ment tax benefits Entertainment Tax Exemption / Benefit Minimum Minimum Seating No of Screens 1250 4 1000 1000 1000 NA NA 3 3 3 NA 3 STATE Delhi Gujrat Maharashtra Mumbai Kalyan, Thane, Dombivali, Navi Mumbai, Nasik, Aurangabad, Nagpur Vasai, Virar, Nallasopara Karnataka UP Tamil Nadu West Bengal ENTERTAINMENT TAX 30% 100% 45% 45% 40% City Mumbai Rest of Maharashtra Punjab Kolkatta Rajasthan UP Bhopal/Indore/ Jabalpur/Gwali or Yr 1 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Yr 2 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Yr 3 100% 100% 100% 100% 90% 100%Yr 4 75% 75% 100% 100% 80% 100% Yr 5 75% 75% 100% NA 70% 100% 34% 40% 60% 15% 30% 100% 100% 100% 75% 50% 1000 3 Source PVR Cinema Research †¢ In order to encourage investment many state governments have announced policies offering entertainment tax benefits. †¢ This has encouraged the growth of Multiplex Cinemas and also encouraged singlescreen theaters to convert into Multiplexes. †¢ Quantum of entertainment tax benefit would be dependant on c ompliance with certain conditions specified by the relevant state. Consulting Increase in Hindi Movies 001 Average number of high grade Hindi films released per week 1. 15 2002 1. 46 2003 1. 58 2004 1. 71 Source: Bollywood Emerging Trends & Growth Drivers – Yes Bank Report 2005 The number of Hindi movies has increased from year 2001 to 2004. This signifies immense potential and is definitely a sign of being a crowd puller and generating more revenue. Consulting Regulatory †¢ †¢ †¢ The Indian film exhibition sector is highly regulated and changes in regulations may have an adverse effect on business. Regulations by both the central and the state governments.Policies extend to aspects of building and safety requirements, licensing requirements, tax and entertainment tax registrations and grant of exemptions from the payment of entertainment tax. Provisions of laws include: – Requiring a minimum distance between the screen and the front row seats, which dis tances were set based on large screens used in singlescreen cinemas and not the smaller screens used at most Multiplex Cinemas. – The permissible pressure at which the electrical current may be supplied to a projector, which provision does not reflect the technological advances in respect of Multiplex Cinemas. The reservation of playing times for a scientific film, educational film, news reel or documentary. , – Restrictions on ticket prices in certain states. †¢ Consulting Break-Up of Revenues REVENUE Patron’s Spend Ticket Revenue Advertising F&B Revenues Conducting Fee Parking Charges Management Fee Consulting Break-Up of Cost Cost Direct Cost Distributors Share Entertainment Tax F&B Cost A 1250 seater Multiplex in a metropolitan city would cost anywhere between Rs80-90mn. This does not include the cost of land because the land may be leased Personnel CostDepreciation Interest Consulting Way Forward †¢ Over the next 18-24 months, 6 of the largest mul tiplex operators in India mentioned earlier are likely to commercialize approximately 200-240 screens spread across 50- 60 new multiplexes. †¢ These multiplexes will have a cumulative seating capacity in excess of 55000-60000. †¢ There will also be an increase in number of multiplexes operated by smaller players, who constituted 66% of total multiplexes as of march 2005. †¢ It is estimated that number of operating multiplexes in India will increase by 80-100% by end of 2006. By the end of 2006, 135+ multiplexes will house more than 160,000 seats spread across 500+ screens. †¢ These multiplexes will have significant direct positive impact on the business economics of film production, financing, distribution and exhibition and indirectly on other ancillary markets. (Source: Yes bank) Consulting D’Essence Consulting, New MHADA Complex, Bldg no. 1 , Office no. 2, Near PMGP Colony, Andheri East Mumbai 400093 Fax- 28228142 / Tel-28347425 www. dessenceconsulting. com EmaiL: [email  protected] com [email  protected] com

How Far Does Linda Make Us Feel Sympathy Towards Linda in Death of a Salesman

In Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, Linda plays the key female role. It seems the family revolves around her, and she seems to be the most forward thinking character in the play, but does Miller make us feel sympathy towards her? There are many reasons as to why we could feel sympathy for Linda. Firstly, Linda is living with all the families dreams. Trapped by Willy’s failed career the family has nothing, and Linda has to bear that. Her two children, who are both great looking and confident, have made nothing of themselves at ages 34 and 32.All she wants is a realistic goal, but she gets dragged into the dreams her family mistakenly create. Willy himself says in the restaurant scene â€Å"the woman has waited and the woman has suffered. † Willy is showing he realises what he is putting Linda through, but unfortunately he has no fix. Secondly, Linda has had to suffer through Willy’s Suicidal thoughts, plagued everyday with trying to remove the rubber pipe, but putting it back everyday for fear of hurting Willy.Linda is forced to bear the thought of Willy killing himself daily, that can’t be easy for a woman who suffers in so many other ways. Thirdly, Willy cannot provide for Linda, not allowing her to work, for fear of looking unsuccessful. Willy is only paid commission, and throughout his working life he has never made much money. This means the family cannot afford many luxuries, with a cheap car, and cheap appliances such as their refrigerator.Linda is seen mending stockings by Willy, a key symbol in the play, not only can Willy not provide enough money for Linda to afford expensive stockings, but Willy could provide stockings to ‘the Woman’, with Stockings a symbol for sexuality and femininity, it could be said that Willy provided sexually for his Mistress, but not for Linda. Thirdly, Willy has never treated Linda right. As Biff puts it, â€Å"He never had an ounce of respect for you,† the kitchen scene at the end of act one shows this well, with Willy shouting at Linda whenever she tried to put in a word, â€Å"Wildly enthused, to Linda: Stop Interrupting! , he doesn’t give Linda the respect she deserves, treating her as if she knows nothing, perhaps Willy doesn’t want her to know much, keeping her from being independent of him. This is also seen through Willy’s affair, it seems that through all of Willy’s choices or actions, Linda bears the pain from it. Although Linda can come across as a victim in all that has happened, it is not completely fair to say that she is completely worthy of sympathy;It seems that although Willy doesn’t provide much for his family, Linda doesn’t mind that Willy isn’t successful, she is happy with what she has, and lives realistically, accepting what she has, and not tying herself up in dreams like her family has. She is quoted to say â€Å"Why must everyone conquer the world,† something that rings through not just her thoughts but also what Miller thought. Miller wants to show us the difference between Willy’s dreamy hopes, and Linda’s realistic approach to living. Linda doesn’t believe in Willy’s adapted version of the American Dream, but it is ultimately this that finishes him off.

Political Family Essay

Chapter 1 covers five parts: (1) Background and Theoretical Framework of the Study, (2) Statement of the Problem, (3) Significance of the Study, (4) Definition of Terms, and (5) Delimitation of the Study Part 1, Background and Theoretical Framework of the Study, presents the rationale for the choice of the problem. Part 2, Statement of the Problem, describes the major and specific questions that this study will seek to answer. Part 3, Significance of the Study, cites the benefits that could be derived from the findings of the study. Part 4, Definition of Terms, presents the conceptual and operational definitions of the key terms that will be used in the study. Part 5, Delimitation of the Study, specifies the scope of the study with regards to the variables, the participants, and the instruments that will be used to gather data. Background and Theoretical Framework of the Study â€Å"The family is the strongest unit of society, demanding the deepest loyalties of the individual and coloring all social activity with its own set of demands. † Jean Grossholtz (1964, 86-87) In the Third World, the elite family has long been a leading actor in the unfolding of the national pageant. More, specifically in the Philippines, elite families can be seen as both object and subject of history, shaping and being shaped by the processes of change. These families have provided a strong element of continuity to the country’s economic and political history over the century past (McCoy 1994, 1). In 1950s Robert Fox (1959, 6) described the Philippines as â€Å"an anarchy of families,† in which the Philippine political parties usually have acted as coalitions of powerful families. The rise of powerful political families was attributed to the Republic’s emergence as a weak, postcolonial state (McCoy 1994, 10-11). According to McCoy (1994, 13), after Spain and United States colonial rule, the Republic thus developed as a state with both substantial economic resources and weak bureaucratic capacity. It is this paradoxical pairing of wealth and weakness that opened the state to predatory rent seeking by politicians. Based on Migdal’s research (1988, 9) on Third World politics, he finds that the source of the state’s weakness—the social organizations such as â€Å"families, clans†¦tribes, patron-client dyads† continue to act as competing sources of authority. Despite the apparent influence and significant factor of the family upon wider society and its politics, most historians, both Filipino and foreign, have ignored this problem. According to Schneider (1969, 109-110), instead of studying and analyzing the Philippine political history through the paradigm of elite families, they have generally treated Philippine past and politics solely through as an interaction of state, private institutions, and popular movements. Even social scientists, despite an obligatory bow in the direction of the family, have generally failed to incorporate substantive analysis of its dynamics into rendering of the country’s social and political processes. Social science as often happens in the study of the Philippines thus diverges from social reality, according to Alfred W. McCoy (1994, 1). At present, there is still a lacking scholarly analysis of either individual Filipino families or family-based oligarchies. While other Southeast Asian societies have produced some useful biographies and autobiographies, the Southeast Asian regions still have little nondynastic family history that can serve as a model for future Philippine research (McCoy 1994, 2). One of the provinces in the Philippines that have no study about family-based politics is Aklan. The Province of Aklan is located in the Northeast portion of Panay Island. It was the oldest province in the Philippines organized in 1213 by settlers from Borneo as the â€Å"Minuro it Akean. † In 1565 Miguel Lopez de Legaspi landed in Aklan, and divided the â€Å"Minuro it Akean† five encomiendas which he distributed among his farming followers. Along with political change, the Spaniards introduced Christianity. In 1716, the area of the â€Å"Minuro it Akean† was designated as a province but it was called Capiz. After the Americans took the country from Spain in 1901, Don Natalio B. Acevedo, Aklan delegation head, presented the first memorial for the separation of Aklan from Capiz to the Junta Magna headed by Commissioner Dean C. Worcester. For the same purpose, the Aklanons in Congress filed numerous bills, including Urquiola-Alba bill in 1920, the Laserna-Suner bills in 1925 and 1930, and the Tumbokon bill in 1934. Aklan finally became an independent province when President Magsaysay signed into law the Republic Act 1414 on April 25, 1956. This was made through the efforts of Congressman Godofredo P. Ramos, and then the province was inaugurated on November 8, 1956. (Aklan Directory 2011, http://www. aklandirectory. com/aklan/, ret. 9/16/2012) Political families thrive in all but one province in the Philippines. From Batanes to Tawi-tawi, with the exception of Kalinga, members of political families hold public posts, both elective and appointive. GMA News Research has identified at least 219 political families that dominate the country’s political landscape. (2011, http;//www. gmanetwork. com, ret 9/30/2012) Like these provinces, Aklan’s history is also filled with family-based politics. In order to better understand the present political situations, studying the political history of Aklan in the lens of the familial perspective can led to discover new dimensions in our national history. The history of a political family in a particular province can be a microcosm of the kind of politics that happens in the Philippines. Thus, this study offers this perspective and understanding. Statement of the Problem This study is conducted to find out the political history of Aklan, through the case study in historical method of a selected political family in the province. Unlike Latin America, much more of the Philippine social research treated the country’s political history through its formal institutional structures rather than on the importance of the family and family history. However, it can be seen that in the works of several theorists and researchers like Wolf, Grossholtz, Kuznesof, Freyre, and Schneider, political families in the Philippines and around the world are found to have a more dominant force in shaping the society’s history including political, social, and economic institutions. Specifically, this study will seek to answer the following questions: 1. How the political family in Aklan emerged? 2. How do they maintain their influence in the province? 3. What are the family’s political practices to retain power? Significance of the Study. This qualitative research may be significant primarily to historians in analyzing the centrality of family-based politics to many periods and problems in the Philippine history. For social scientists, this study will help them delve the roles of family as a primary unit of political organization; and will serve as a model for future Philippine research. For political science students, the findings of this study will help them understand the influence of political families on the course of Philippine politics. This study will also help politicians to formulate political strategies and practices based on the history of a political family. Lastly, this study can be added as a significant literature on the political history of Aklan; as well as, it can provide meaningful information for other related literatures. Definition of terms For the purpose of achieving clarity of meaning and interpretation, the following terms were defined. The Case study approach as an empirical inquiry investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context. (Yin 1984, 24) The Historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use primary sources and other evidence to research and then to write histories in the form of accounts of the past. (2012, http://en.wikipedia. org/w/index. php, ret. 9/30/2012) A political family is a family in which several members are involved in politics, particularly electoral politics. Members may be related by blood or marriage; often several generations or multiple siblings may be involved. (2012, http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php, ret. 9/30/2012) The Province of Aklan is located in the Northeast portion of Panay Island, and has a total land area of 1, 817. 9 km? which is composed of 17 municipalities. It has a total population of 495, 122 (NSO 2007 census), and Kalibo is the capital town. (Aklan Directory 2011, http://www. aklandirectory.com/aklan/, ret. 9/30/2012) Delimitation of the Study This study will be conducted during the first semester of the school year 2012-2013 until the second semester of the school year 2013-2014. This will be conducted among a purposively selected political family in the Province of Aklan. The case study in historical method will be used in this study to investigate the political history of the Province of Aklan. The researchers in order to collect detailed data needed in this study will employ participant observations, key informant interviews, directly interview the participants, and examine relevant records, documents, and reports. Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature Chapter 2 includes previous studies on political families which are divided into the International Context, the Philippine Context, and the Visayan Context. The International Context includes the previous studies on family-based politics and the history of elite political families around the world. The Philippine Context includes studies about the Filipino family and Philippines as a weak, postcolonial state that led to the emergence of political families. The Visayan Context includes case studies of two political families in the Visayas — the Lopez family and the Osmena family. Political Families The International Context In almost any country in the world, there are always leading political elite families that exist. A significant number of these families can be traced in United States, Brazil, and Mexico. In the United States, the well-known Adams Family of Massachusetts has been the subject of much autobiographical and biographical research. Meanwhile, the Pessoa family is popular as leading actors in Brazilian politics, and the Sanchez-Navarros’ family of Mexico is known for both wealth and power. For several decades, Latin American historians have used detailed microstudies of elite families to discover new dimensions in their national histories. As Gilberto Freyre (1964, 155 and 161), a pioneer in this field, once argued, anyone studying a people’s past will find that historical constants are more significant than ostensibly heroic episodes and will discover that what happens within the family is far more important than often-cited events in presidential mansions, in parliaments and large factories. Applying this perspective to Brazil, Freyre found that Brazil’s most distinctive elite families emerged in the sugar districts of the northeast during the sixteenth century- fusing land, sugar, and slaves to become patriarchs of â€Å"untrammelled power† or unlimited power and â€Å"total fiat† or absolute decree. Arguing that the patriarchal family still exerts a subtle influence on the â€Å"the ethos of contemporary Brazilians,† Freyre cites the case of President Epitacio Pessoa who in the early decades of this century was known as â€Å"Tio Pita† (Uncle Pita) in recognition of his penchant for appointing male relations to key government posts. Another historian, Linda Lewin (1979, 263) has produced some of the most refined historiographic reflections on the connection between familial and national history in her writing on the Pessoa family of Paraiba State in Brazil. By the late 1970s the field of family history was so well developed in Latin America that another Brazilian historian Linda Lewin (1979, 263) stated that the â€Å"family-based† approach to the political history as a â€Å"commonplace in Brazilian history. † Many historians had already employed the family historiography as an approach in discovering different dimensions of Brazilian political history thus making it popular around Latin America. Similarly, an essay by Felstiner (1976, 58) on the role of kinship politics in Chile’s independence movement began with the words â€Å"the importance of the family in Latin America goes unquestioned. † Many historical documents show that the leading elite families in Chile, such as the O’Higgins family, started the movements for independence against the Spanish colonizers. A decade later, Latin American historians were still unanimous in their belief that the elite family played a uniquely important political role in their region. Introducing eight essays, Elizabeth Kuznesof and Robert Oppenheimer (1985, 215) observed that the family in Latin America is found to have been a more central and active force in shaping political, social, and economic institutions of the area than was true in Europe or United States. Indeed, they found that institutions in Latin America society make much more social sense, particularly in the nineteenth century, if viewed through the lens of family relationships. As democracy flourished in the young Latin America, elite families engaged in the political arena and started to stabilize political institutions, such as the electoral system and civil society. Charles H. Harris, a historian, (1975, 314) stated that the Sanchez-Navarros’ family is one of the oldest and most influential families of Spanish descent in Mexico since 1577. The Sanchez Navarro family’s â€Å"latifundio† or an estate composed of two or more haciendas is composed of seventeen haciendas and covers more than 16. 5 million acres—the size of West Virginia. It is said to be the largest â€Å"latifundio† ever to have existed, not only in Mexico but also in all of Latin America. In Harris’ discussion of the acquisition of land, the technology of ranching, labor problems, and production on the Sanchez Navarro estate, and of the family’s involvement in commerce and politics, he finds that the development of the â€Å"latifundio† was only one aspect in the Sanchez Navarros’ rise to power. He also emphasizes the great importance of the Sanchez Navarros’ widespread network of family connections in their commercial and political activities. Reflecting their rich historical traditions, America have also produced impressive family histories. Political families are not a new concept in the United States. The Adams family of Massachusetts, for example, has been the subject of autobiographical and biographical research. (Musto 1981, 40-58) The Adams political family is one of the most prominent political families in United States history, originating in Massachusetts and having a profound impact on the development of the nation’s path from the 18th century and onwards. The family has produced numerous important New England politicians as well as two Presidents – John Adams (1797-1801) and George Adams (1851-1861) but also several ambassadors and literary figures. The children and grandchildren of the Adams family were raised with the idea that public service was expected of you. (2011, http://seattletimes. com/html/nationworld/2004164299_dynasty05. html, ret. 10/10/2012) Similarly, like other developed and developing countries around the globe, the history of Philippines is also shaped by elite families that play leading roles in the control and influence on institutions of the government. The Philippine Context The political families are the actors that have played in the political landscape of the Philippines and have shaped the outcome of the past and are engaged in shaping the future of the Philippines. The Philippine history should not only be viewed as the interaction of different institution of society such as the state, civil societies, the Roman Catholic Church, and the different popular movements. Instead, we should also dissect its political history through the paradigm of elite families. The importance of family-society relationship in the Philippines based on Jean Grossholtz’s description (1964, 86-870, â€Å"the strongest unit of society demanding the deepest loyalties of the individual and coloring all social activity with its own set of demands. † He then remarked that the communal values of family are often in conflict with the impersonal values of the institutions of the larger society. Many Filipino historians have been critical, and they generally disregarded the leading families and provincial elites in the Philippines on ideological grounds. Nationalistic historians have dismissed the country’s elites for being traitors and conformists to the colonizers. Teodoro Agoncillo (1960, 644-645), one the most famous historian in Philippine history, remarked that the ilustrados have betrayed the revolution. Renato Constantino (1975, 232), a contemporary of Agoncillo, called the same elites as collaborators. According to the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, Jose Maria Sison, the country’s elites were a small alien element – either rural feudal landholders or urban, comprador bourgeoisie as cited by Guerrero (1979, 234-249). According to McCoy (1994, 4), most Filipino biographies, the potential building blocks for elite-family studies, are more hagiography (idolizing biography) than history. Many of these biographies are funded by the family or the person that is the subject of these biographies. Biographers write as if death has cleansed what misdeeds their subject has done in society. Such accounts, McCoy added, are exoneration from the charges of their enemies, silence about their cunning or corruptions, and a celebration of their contribution to the nation. McCoy commented that the weak state and powerful political oligarchies have combined to make a familial perspective on national history relevant. The Philippines has a long history of strong families assuring social survival when the nation-state is weak. In the 20th century, the state has collapsed, partially or wholly, at least four times in the midst of war and revolution. After independence in 1946, moreover, the Philippine central government lost control over the countryside to regional politicians, some so powerful that they become known as warlords. In Philippine politics a family name is a valuable asset. A good name translates strongly to an advantage in polling. Believing that an established name carries cachet and qualification, parties often favor a promising scion of an old line when selecting candidates. Many Filipino politicians use their kinship networks (McCoy 1993, 10), to assure their ascension to power. A kinship network is a working coalition drawn from a larger group related by blood, marriage, and ritual. As elite families bring such a flexible kinship ties into the political arena, elections often assume a kaleidoscopic complexity of coalition and conflict, making Filipino politics appear volatile. It has a unique capacity to create informal political team that assigns specialized roles to its members, thereby maximizing coordination and influence. The Visayan Context Most of the well-known political families in the Philippines have political roots in their home provinces. Whether in the provinces of Luzon, Visayas, or Mindanao, there would always be certain political families that would dominate the political arena. The Lopez Family In Alfred McCoy’s essay (1994, 429-517) â€Å"Rent-Seeking Families and the Philippine State: A History of the Lopez Family† illustrates the close connection between state power and the private wealth by elite families in the Philippines. He says that in the Philippine setting, the study of a single rent-seeking family may be the most appropriate way of bridging the gap between western economic theory and the Filipino familial paradigm. Among the leading Filipino families, the Lopezes are, by virtue of their history, well suited for such a case study. Seeking knowledge of the family’s origins and early character, McCoy’s essay begins in the 1870s when the Lopezes enter the historical record as pioneer sugar planters on the plantation frontier of Negros Island. But early on 1850s, they already first appeared to be local merchants. Basilio Lopez served as one of Jaro’s cabeza-de barangay and later as a gobernadorcillo. The growth of their political and commercial influence paralleled the emergence of national political elite (McCoy 1994, 440-441). While the second generation consolidated property and position within a regional planter elite, their children made a successful transition to sugar milling and commerce during the 1920’s. In the five generations of the Lopezes it has a history of both skillful male and female entrepreneurs and politicians (McCoy 1994, 441-444). However, among the family’s twenty-six hundred descendants, it was Eugenio and Fernando Lopez, who initially raised the family’s position to first rank of national prominence. Backed by Eugenio’s growing wealth, Fernando Lopez was appointed as a mayor of Iloilo City for two years in September 1945. He quickly secured overall leadership of the province, relegating Jose Zulueta, his ally, to the position of perennial challenger. His career as provincial politician involved the using violence to advance their interests. In 1946 the Lopezes shifted their capital and residence to Manila. They traded in influence and avoided violence. No longer rooted in the land or dependent upon the social power of the provinces, the Lopezes came to depend upon the state, through the medium of presidency, for the financial and regulatory concessions that would assure the prosperity of their corporations. With the Lopez brothers’ relations with a succession of Philippine presidents, they prospered under the administration of their allies from their patron Quezon, Sergio Osme? a, Elpidio Quirino, and Manuel Roxas. In 1947, he was elected to the Senate. In 1965, the presidential candidate was Ferdinand Marcos. Fernando Lopez, despite his presidential aspirations, became Marcos’ vice-presidential running mate, creating a ticket that married private wealth to populist appeal. The Lopez alliance with Marcos was a strategic blunder born of tactical necessity. To insure the defeat of incumbent President Macapagal, the Lopezes had felt compelled to ally themselves with Marcos. Eugenio Lopez used his money, media, and machine to make Marcos president in 1965 elections. Not long after, Eugenio Lopez launched a major expansion and diversification program at Meralco. Again, with the Lopez support Marcos was reelected in 1969. In January 1971, however, a break occurred, which erupted into what may be the most public and vitriolic split in the Philippine political history. According to Marcos, the Lopezes were demanding concessions to advance their interests. According to the Lopezes, Marcos was demanding shares in their family corporations. Using the Manila Chronicle, the Lopezes began an attack, publishing exposes of graft within the administration. When a delegation of Tondo workers called upon the president at the battle’s peak, Marcos vowed: â€Å"we will crush the Lopez oligarchy to pieces. † After suffering five months of media criticism, Marcos finally sued for peace by paying a call on Eugenio at his Paranaque residence (McCoy 1994, 508). Sixteen months later in Marcos’s declaration of martial law, the Lopez family became the main target of his â€Å"revolution from above. † He used the same licensing powers that had built the Lopez wealth to destroy the family’s fortune and transfer their assets to a new economic elite composed of his own kin. Paul Hutchcroft (1991, 414-450), a political scientist said that, â€Å"using the state and its army, Marcos became the first president since Quezon to reduce the autonomy of provincial elites. He employed economic regulations, backed by threat of force, to pursue the main aim of his rule-changing the composition of the country’s economic elite. In Negros Occidental, for example, Marcos created a new stratum of supralocal leaders whom he financed with rents. On July 1975, Eugenio Lopez died of cancer in San Francisco while Geny Lopez remained in prison on capital charges. In the end, Marcos did not destroy the Lopez family’s accumulated legitimacy, contacts, and skills (McCoy 1994, 518). Marcos’s fall from power in 1986 heralded the restoration of the Lopez fortunes. In the restoration of the family’s fortunes under President Aquino, it is argued that Eugenio Lopez succeeded in handing down enough of his capital and skills to perpetuate his family’s position within the national economic elite. In his essay, McCoy (1994, 431) explains the role of rents for it has a good deal about the weakness of the Philippines and the corresponding strength of Filipino political families. As defined by James Buchanan (1980, 7-8) rents appear when the state uses regulation to restrict â€Å"freedom of entry† into the market. If these restrictions create a monopoly, the economic consequences are decidedly negative—slowing growth and enriching a few favoured entrepreneurs. Competition for such monopolies, a political process called â€Å"rent-seeking,† can produce intense conflict. Anne Krueger (1980, 52-57) has argued that in many Third World countries rents are â€Å"pervasive facts of life. † In India such restricted economic activity accounted for 7. 3% of their national income in 1964, while in Turkey rents from import licenses alone represented about 15 percent of the gross national product in 1968. In the Philippines, political economists have applied this theory to explain how the Palace’s rent-seeking courtiers after Marcos era used state power to plunder the country. Manuel Montes (1989, 84-148), a Filipino economist, argues that â€Å"the economic structure of the country stimulates, encourages, and provides the greatest rewards to ‘rent-seeking’ activities. † As evidence for this provocative reconceptualization of rent-seeking, Montes offers his readers a superficial catalogue of businessmen who have served regimes from Quezon to Marcos. â€Å"In the presidency of Manuel Roxas,† says Montes in a typical passage, â€Å"Soriano, Eugenio Lopez†¦ and Jose Yulo were influential businessmen. † The story of Eugenio Lopez illustrates that for over thirty years, he had used presidential patronage to secure subsidized government financing and dominate state-regulated industries, thereby amassing the largest private fortune in the Philippines (McCoy 1993, 429-430). In the Philippines, the succession of presidents has played partisan politics with the state’s economic powers, awarding loans and creating rents to reward the political brokers who assured their election. Underlying the executive’s partisan use of state power are political elites who fuse public office with private business. For the elites to justify the high risk of campaign investments, public office must promise extraordinary rewards. More than any other entrepreneur of the Republican era, Eugenio Lopez, Sr. , mastered the logic of political investment. The Lopez brothers, being the most successful rent-seekers, formed corporate conglomerates that relied in some way upon the state licenses. Since all of their major corporations were in some sense due to rent system, their commercial success involved a commingling of business and politics. Such a system leaves an ambiguous legacy (McCoy 1993, 435-437). Not only in Western Visayas had leading political families emerged as national actors but also a significant number are found in Central Visayas. The Osmena Family. Another political family that has long dominated the political landscape of the Philippines for many years since the beginning of the 20th century is the Osmena family of Cebu. The Osmenas rose to prominence when Sergio Osmena, Sr. was elected governor of the Province of Cebu and then as Speaker of the Philippine National Assembly during the American colonial period. He was eclipsed only in power by the political maneuverings that Quezon made to overpowering him in the National Assembly and capturing the post as the President of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935. After World War II, Sergio Osmena, Sr. went back to the Philippines as President to establish his control as head of the government in the Philippine archipelago. Osmena’s son, Serging, later became the governor of Cebu and candidate for the Presidency in the 1969 election against Ferdinand Marcos. The present generation of Osmenas is still politically active in Cebu and in national politics. The Osmenas dominated the political world of Cebu not through the usual guns, goons, and gold that are usually used by their political rival like the Sottos, Cuencas,and Duranos. The Osmenas dominated the provincial politics of Cebu because they are highly skilled in the craft of politics. (Resil, 1993, p. 316) They are wealthy, but their wealth do not equate for their capacity to coerce people to vote for them. They use their wealth skillfully, by using it for political gains. They are not as rich as their opponents who have huge haciendas but they show their prowess as politicians during elections. Elections are an exercise deeply inscribed in the Filipino political imagination. Theoretically, an election provides the occasion for society to take cognizance to itself. This is the time when citizens are most self-conscious, a season of stock-taking, when voters reflect on their collective state and history and make choices about leaders, policies, and â€Å"futures†. The â€Å"democratic space† or surface that allows an unlimited range for diverse values and commitments is most visible in incumbents submitting themselves for popular judgement and candidates presenting ideas of government, in the public exchange of contrary views, and, finally, in the voter weighing his or her options and casting a ballot in the ritual’s inner sanctum, the polling booth. (Mojares 1993, 319) The reality of Philippine politics is not tidy. Intensive exploitation of mass media and propaganda techniques crowd public space during the electoral season. There are restrictions of thought and action; however, beneath the diversity and dynamism of election, these restrictions, according to Mojares (1993, 319), are an underdeveloped party system, elite dominance and ideological sameness of candidates, exclusion of those who fail to muster the considerable resources needed to mount a campaign, the subordination of issues to particularistic concerns, elaborate forms of terrorism and fraud, and the cultural baggage of traditional values of power and dependence. Elections, therefore, do not constitute a free field but are in fact, an arena in which the existing limits on participation are further exercised and enforced. In Philippine elections we have a case in which the elite or dominant class usually constructs political reality for citizens. This process may be seen in the centrality accorded to the election itself as field of action and a channel for effecting political change. In elections, obeisance is rendered to the â€Å"state† of the people are constituted or reconstituted as its â€Å"subjects†. In effect, the periodic holding of elections nourishes and renews the government’s system. In the process, it also tends to reify the existing system and deemphasize other areas of political work such as mass organizing, interest-group lobbying, and â€Å"armed struggle. †(Mojares 1993, 320) Elections, by their very nature, provide us with a concentrated expression of the process of ideological domination. This is one area in which Osmena phenomenon is important since the Osmena have built their dominance less on sheer economic power (though the use of such power was basic in their rise) or physical repression (though they were not innocent of its methods) than on their mastery of the instrumental aspects of electoral power building. From this they draw their distinctive character as Filipino kingpins. Skillful management of ideological practices takes precedence over reliance on superior economic leverage (as in the case of the Lopez family), a system of traditional patronage (as in the Durano Family), a mix of religion and militarism (as in Ali Dimaporo), or systematic electoral fraud as what the Marcoses did. The matter of ideology both as the world of social meanings and the politician’s stance in this world is germane to achieving an understanding of the Osmenas.

Impairment Quiz Questions Essay

1.When should an entity conduct an impairment test? (2 Marks) Assets that are consider to have uncertain carrying amounts must be tested every year for impairment. Goodwill acquired in a business combination Intangible assets with an indefinite useful life Intangibles not yet ready for use Impairment testing of all other assets is required only if there is an indication that they might be impaired due to events such as the economic and legal environment and market values etc. 2.How is an impairment test undertaken? (2 Marks) The test involves comparing the carrying amount of an assets or CGU with its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less cost to sell and it value in use. 3.What is ‘value in use’? (1 Mark) Value in use is the present value of future cash flows expected to be derived from an asset or a CGU. 4.How is value in use for a cash generating unit calculated? (2 Marks) It is a professional estimate based on past cash inflows and expected future cash inflows. 5.What is an impairment loss? (1 Mark) The loss of future economic benefit as the amount in the balance  sheet for the asset or CGU exceeds it recoverable amount. 6.What is a cash-generating unit? (1 Mark) A CGU is the smallest identifiable group of assets that generates cash inflows that are largely independent of the cash inflows of other assets or groups of assets. CGU assets usually cannot be tested individually. 7.How are corporate assets tested for impairment? (2 Marks) As they do not independently generate cash flows they are allocated to CGU on a reasonable or consistent basis. The portion of corporate assets is then tested along with the assets of the CGU to which it has been allotted. 8.Supersatumas grows citrus fruit on a number of orchards in the Perth Hills. This fruit is then processed into fruit juice and other products at their cannery. These products are then sold to the public via their chain of Jucymarket stores. How many cash generating units would the company have? Why? (2 Marks) 3 if there is an active market for the output of each stage. The stages being the fruit of the orchards, the processed products in their cannery and the juice sold in their stores. This is true even if all or part of the output produced is used internally. 9.In allocating an impairment loss for a cash generating unit which of the following assets would not be given a portion of the loss – land; machinery; inventory; manufacturing licence; receivables? Why? (1 Mark) Inventory and accounts receivable. AASB 136 para 2 states that this standard does not apply to them as they are already covered (impaired) by other standards such as allowance for doubtful debts. 10.In allocating an impairment loss for a CGU the carrying amount of any  individual asset must not be reduced below what figure? (1 Mark) The highest of it fair-value less cost to sell and its value in use or below zero. 11.If a portion of an impairment loss for a CGU cannot be allocated to one of the unit’s assets because it will breach AASB 136 paragraph 105 what happens to that portion? (1 Mark) It is allocated pro-rata to the other assets of that unit (group of units) that can be impaired further. 12.Timbertown Ltd processes pine trees grown on its own plantations in its timber mills. The milled timber is then made into outdoor furniture for sale to the public. Is it possible for Timbertown Ltd to have more than CGU? (2 Marks) Yes. If there is an active market for the output of each stage. This is true even if all or part of the output produced is used internally. 13.Gumtree Ltd has determined that its picnic ware division is a CGU. The carrying amounts of the net assets of the division at 30 June 2013 are: Factory (net)$310 000 Land200 000 Equipment (net)120 000 Inventory75 000 Receivables32 000 Accounts Payable(17 000) Do not impair liabilities Gumtree Ltd has calculated the value in use of the division to be $680 000. Required Determine if an impairment loss exists for the picnic ware division. Show all workings. (1 Mark) 310000 + 2000000 + 120000 + 75000 + 32000 = 737000 Carrying amount assets 680 000 Value in use Impairment loss = 57000 14.Silkyoak Ltd has determined that its nursery division is a CGU. The carrying amounts of the net assets of the division at 30 June 2013 are: Land80 000 Propagating Sheds48 000 Sales Office 25 000 Equipment (net)56 000 Inventory35 000 Receivables19 000 Accounts Payable(26 000) Mortgage Loan(50 000) Silky Oak Ltd has calculated the value in use of the division to be $327 000. Required Determine if an impairment loss exists for the nursery division. Show all workings. (1 Mark) 80, 000 + 48000 + 25000 + 56000 + 35000 + 19000 = 236000 Carrying amount 327000 Value in use NO Impairment loss 15.Hovea Ltd has determined that its transport division has suffered an impairment loss of $52 000 for the year ended 30 June 2013. At that date the carrying amount of the division’s assets were $ Receivables 31 000 Inventory 18 000 Land150 000 Trucks (net)250 000 Servicing Unit 50 000 Cannot allocate to receivables and inventory Required Allocate the loss across the assets of the CGU in accordance with AASB 136, paragraph 104. Show all workings. (3 Marks) You can drop to 150 à · 450 CA Allocation New CA Land 150000 (150000 à · 450000) 17333 132667 Truck 250000 (250000 à · 450000) 28889 221111 Service Unit 50000 (50000 à · 450000) 5778 44222 450000 Round to nearest dollar from 0.50 16.Tuart Ltd has determined that its retail division has suffered an impairment loss of $37 000 for the year ended 30 June 2013. At that date the carrying amount of the division’s assets were $ Inventory 92 000 Shop Fittings (net) 40 000 Land100 000 Buildings180 000 Additionally, the company has corporate assets worth $150 000, one third of which have been allocated to the retail division. Required Allocate the loss across the assets of the CGU in accordance with AASB 136, paragraph 104. Show all workings (3 Marks) CA Allocation New CA Shop fittings 40000 (40000 à · 370000) 4000 36000 Land 100000 (100000 à · 370000) 10000 90000 Building 180000 (180000 à · 370000) 18000 162000 Corporate O/H 50000 (50000 à · 370000) 370000 17.Peppermint Ltd has determined that its orchard division has suffered an impairment loss of $42 000 for the year ended 30 June 2013. At that date the carrying amount of the division’s assets were $ Inventory 21 000 Land200 000 Fruit Trees114 000 Reticulation Systems 36 000 Goodwill 60 000 Required Allocate the loss across the assets of the CGU in accordance with AASB 136, paragraph 104 and prepare the journal entry to record the loss. Show all workings. (2 Marks) Goodwill 60000 – 42000 = 18000 remaining goodwill 2013 30 June Impairment loss 42000 Accumulated impairment losses – goodwill 42000 18.Can an impairment loss, once recorded, be reversed? (2 Marks) Yes an impairment loss recognised in previous period that no longer exists can be reversed in the current year. However an impairment of goodwill cannot be reversed.

Self assessment for project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Self assessment for project - Essay Example The aim of establishing a brand image style could be the first one of the sale strategies for all the companies. An effective product package design and brand image may enable consumers to create a sense of corporate identification with the company to then accept the product. This strategy has a dual impact at the sales point since it incorporates brand identity and packaging design which play important roles in corporate image and sales achievements. Companies want to achieve the best possible outcome out of their marketing initiatives. Marketing issues can be thoroughly discussed in several areas utilizing different methodologies and techniques such as investigation of research e.g. questionnaire, survey, literature review and interview with experts; " relationship between consumer preferences and purchasing behavior", "recognition of brand image", " demographic statistics" and " assessment of consumer purchasing factors", and how do these factors effect among package design, consumer recognition and purchasing preferences. The areas of R&D that will be covered in this proposal are the following: 5. -Using couple well known cigarette brands for in depth study, how consumers make decision on purchase; good recognition of certain brand, attractive visual output, price range, word of mouth or simply just good product" good taste, functionality". The purpose of this research is to integrate brand identity and package design, by using product from the western marketplaces of United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) to investigate its characteristics and distinguishing features for discussion examples. Then the next step will be using the research results and solutions in order to apply them to the Russian or Asian marketplace. The research findings are expected to achieve future reinforcement and awaken Russian markets to further understand about brand image

Consumer law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Consumer law - Essay Example more so, goods and products sold in the course of business operations are required to be of merchantable quality.3 Put another way, goods should be satisfactory so that they fit for the purposes for which they are purchased and the consumer is at liberty to anticipate that goods purchased are satisfactory and fit for the purposes for which they are sold and purchased.4 Based on the Sale of Goods Act 1979, Irman has a direct claim against Helen for the damages sustained to his studies. This is so because, the computer had a defect and therefore was not of merchantable quality. Even so, Helen’s liability also falls under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 which incorporates Council Directive 85/374/EEC, 1985.5 The Directive’s position with respect to manufacturers’ and distributors’ is aligned to strict liability.6 Under the directive a defective product is defined as a product which: Under Section 2 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987, the French company importing the customer is liable to both Imran and his friend. This is so because under Section 2 when a product is manufactured outside of the EU, the person or party importing the defective product into the EU is strictly liable for any damages resulting from any defect in that product.8 While Imran, the purchaser of the defective computer, by virtue of the doctrine of privity of contract may pursue a claim in damages for breach of contract under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 against Helen, the vendor of the goods, Imran’s friend has a problem in contract. Imran’s friend does not have a contract with Helen, the vendor. His claim will fall under the law of tort. Under the common law principles following the decision in Donoghue v Stevenson the neighbour principle imposes a duty on the manufacturers and/or distributors of goods not to injure or to prevent injury to all persons that an individual ought to have in his or her contemplation.9 Under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 together with the

The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon Research Paper

The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon - Research Paper Example The best-selling book of all time is itself a compilation of books written by different authors. This paper shall outline how these books earned their place in the Bible. This paper shall discuss the key events and movements that were influential in the recognition of the canonical book. In addition, it shall look into the methodology used in determining these books as the inspired word of God. The canon of the Old Testament was apparently inherited from the Jewish faith. Jesus Christ himself recognized the authority of these books by making constant references to these books in his teachings to the apostles and to the very lucky people who had walked the earth with him and had listened to the voice of Jesus with their very own ears. The mere fact that Jesus Christ himself recognizes the authenticity and authority of the books in the Old Testament far exceeds any proof of its authority and divine inspiration. Moreover, majority of the contents of the Old Testament is also accepted as historical accounts of the ancient days. Hence, this paper shall focus on the canon of the New Testament. Although the New Testament is centered on Jesus Christ, not one book is attributed to him as the author. The books in the New Testament are accounts about the life and the teachings of Jesus Christ during his lifetime as well as the teachings of his disciples as they fulfill their duty of spreading the Word of God with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In the furtherance of this divine duty, the Apostles and other learned followers of the young Christian faith wrote their eye-witness accounts of the acts and teachings of Jesus Christ. These writings are then passed around as the disciples’ letters to different groups of people as the Christian faith slowly grew in number. â€Å"About the end of the first century we find two collections of Christian writings beginning to circulate as collections among the churches: the Fourfold Gospel and the body of Pauline Epistles. Thi s was a step towards the acceptance of an authoritative collection, or Canon, of books of the New Covenant, as distinct from the authority which the individual Gospels and Epistles already had for those who first received them.†1 For years, the early Christianity blossomed on this collection of Gospels and Epistles. However, its authenticity and divine inspiration was challenged by the rise of the Gnostics, one of which was Marcion who declared that the entire Old Testament was nothing but a mere legend, that is, without divine authority and authenticity. As such, he published his own version of a Gospel wherein he removed all references to the Old Testament. In response, Apologists also came into existence to defend the faith and concomitantly its teachings and writings from those who want to destroy it. The Church Fathers, those who have been the students of the Apostles themselves, and who took over the reins of the young Christian faith when all of the Apostles passed away , also went into action in order to protect and preserve the faith. In response to Marcion’s heretic challenge, they declared that, â€Å"We do not believe that the New Testament books supersede the Old Testament; we place them alongside it as its proper sequel and fulfillment. We do not acknowledge one Gospel only, but four, and one of the four is the genuine edition of that Gospel which Marcion has mutilated. We do not acknowledge ten Pauline Epistles only, but thirteen: and in addition to these we also acknowledge the

Midwifery focused option Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Midwifery focused option - Essay Example In this essay, the role of midwives in facilitating women centered care will be discussed through case analysis of a woman in labour through review of appropriate literature. Review of prenatal care On admission, the midwife taking care of Karen must review her prenatal history and antenatal care provided. Prenatal care is very important in any pregnancy. According to NICE guidelines (2003), all pregnant women who seek prenatal care must be given evidence-based information and allowed to take informed decisions about their care. Issues like "who will take care of the pregnant woman" and "where will the delivery be conducted" should be based on the pregnant woman's choice and after receiving enough information about various options available. Blood tests which merit importance are diabetes screening, serological tests for rubella, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, herpes, syphilis, hepatitis B and humman immunodeficiency virus, hemoglobin and thyroid function tests. During the antenatal check ups, drugs taken by the patient must be reviewed and in case the mother is consuming alcohol or is smoking, she must be motivated to refrain from them. Infact, these and other issues must be addressed much before the conception of the fetus and it is known as preconception care. One of the important strategies of preconception care is to take folic acid supplements to prevent neural tube defects in the baby (Atrash et al, 2006). Labour Karen is a primigravida mother with term gestation. Karen awaited onset of labour at home. The midwife gave her adequate information as to when to contact the midwife. When Karen was in early labour, she was assessed away from the delivery unit. There is evidence that such a practice results in less number of interventions during active phase of labour (McNiven et al, 1998). The midwife must discuss the plan of birth with Karen and make her comfortable. After Karen gets admitted in the hospital, unnecessary digital examination must be avoided t o prevent infection (Hannah et al 1996). Fetal heart must be monitored using a sonicaid. The descent of the presenting part, color and quality of the liquor and various other maternal observations must be assessed and recorded. There are four dimensions of support which women need to be given in labour and they are informational support, emotional support, physical support and advocacy (Hodnett, 1996). There is enough evidence to point that provision of continuous support in labour shortens the course of labour, decreases the use of pharmacological analgesia and decreases the use of forceps during delivery (Hodnett, 1996). The midwife must help Karen in choosing nonpharmacological methods of pain relief because they are safe for both mother and baby (Watson, 1994). The most commonly used nonpharmacological method of pain relief is exercise therapy which must be taught in antenatal classes. The requirements of pain medications are less in those who are prepared well in antenatal clas ses (Watson, 1994). Karens's progression of labour must be monitored through vaginal examination. Progression of labour involves moving of cervix from posterior position to anterior position, ripening or softening of cervix, effacement of cervix, dilatation of cervix, rotation, flexing and moulding of head and descent of fetus (Simkin & Ancheta, 2000). Vaginal examinations are painful and a source of distress (Simkin &

Summarize the article provided into one page Essay

Summarize the article provided into one page - Essay Example Feyerabend makes the claim that, unlike religion, science does not leave room for people to think freely. People have become so dependent on science that once something has been scientifically proven, it becomes law. Feyerabend says that it is this that has made science an anti-liberating ideology; people have regarded science as the superior mode of thought, refusing to let themselves think past anything that science has staked a claim. The counterargument in this regard is that science works and is a success. However, this is all the more reason to approach science with skepticism. Feyerabend does not consider results or success as much as he considers the method, which is always scientific; otherwise, the results are questionable. In regard to religion, Christians can question their beliefs against Buddhists and Jews. For each person, there will be a new side to an argument or theory. Science, on the other hand, does not allow this as an option. Once something has been proven scientifically, people let it go. They have no one else to glean an understanding from. Where there is an absence of contrary opinions, science is turned from an ideology into a dogma, providing a cut-off point for people to continue to think. People react to science much as they did when religions began to rise and spread. There was curiosity, skepticism, and a plethora of questions. Even after the rush of religion died down, all of this remained. When science first reared its head, it received a similar reaction. Everyone was curious and scientists set out to answer questions and find solutions. After they answered what they needed to, there was nothing more to do. People found it useless to continue to think on something that had already been answered. All the same, science is looked to as one of the greatest ideologies, and as the final voice on the thinking process, which is why Feyerabend believes that the hype surrounding science should not

INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT-unit 3, question # 2 Essay

INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT-unit 3, question # 2 - Essay Example This is achieved by randomly selecting observations from all the distributions that influence the outcome of the project and this goes on until a representative record of the probable outcome of the project is obtained. An illustration for this is a chemical producer who wants to extend its processing plant. The first step will be to determine the probability distributions for all factors that will influence the returns of the project such as investment required, fixed costs, operation costs, selling price, market size among others. After this, the computer randomly picks out one observation from this list according to the chances of its actual occurrence in the future. The observations are then combined and a Net Present Value (NPV) or Internal Rate of Return (IRR) figure is calculated. This is repeated severally until a clear portrait of the expected outcome is obtained (Keown et al, 1998). Unlike the risk-adjusted discount rate method which gives one value for the risk-adjusted NPV, simulation gives the investment’s IRR or NPV probability distribution. According to Keown et al (1998), this method provides the range of possible outcomes for the project under the best, worst and most likely cases. It should also be noted that the inputs to a simulation comprises of all the key factors affecting the profitability of a project. In addition to this, the output obtained provides the probability of various outcomes occurring. This output is a probability distribution of the internal rates of return or the net present values for the project. From the above explanation, it is reasonable to state that the value of this method is quality decision making. Decision makers will use the whole range of possible outcomes of the project to determine the level of risk of the project and use this information to make the most appropriate decisions. Simulation is also very important for the

Critically evaluate one approach to organisational culture change - Essay

Critically evaluate one approach to organisational culture change - Yandex Case Study - Essay Example Justify your recommendations with supporting evidence. Yandex is the leading search engine in Russia. The success of the firm is closely related to its strategic decisions and its structure. However, it is clear that certain interventions are required in order for the firm’s goals to be fully achieved. The update of the firm’s OD strategy would be a potential solution for the above problem. The OD framework developed by Brown (2011), see also Graph 1 – Appendix, can be considered as a quite effective tool for developing the particular task. Primarily, the involvement of this tool in the restructuring of the firm’s OD strategy should be appropriately justified; reference should be made to the firm’s goals. ... Despite the fact that the promotion of the above strategy has helped the firm to keep its performance at high levels, still there is a series of organizational issues, which need to be appropriately addressed. The change of the firm’s existing OD strategy would be the most effective way for achieving the above target. This change could be based on the OD framework of Brown (2011), see Graph 1, Appendix. In the context of this framework, the firm’s current strategy should be restructured at the following points: a) at the first stage, the need for change should be clearly defined – meaning that the firm’s strategic managers should understand this need and should be willing to support it; Yandex is a firm well established in the Russian market, controlling the 57% of the specific market; the profitability of the firm is high, being increased at a level of 80% annually (page 2, case study); moreover, its employees are chosen through a detailed recruitment pro cess which guarantees that only candidates with the necessary skills enter the organization; from this point of view, the change of the firm’s strategy – in one or more areas – would have many chances of success, taking into consideration the exceptional relationships among employees and the high level of communication/ cooperation across the organization, b) emphasis should be given on the improvement of the relationship between the employees and the clients; despite the fact that communication and collaboration in the internal organizational environment is highly developed, in the firm’s external environment the following problem seems to exist: the relationship between

Colonialism and culture in Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Colonialism and culture in Latin America - Essay Example Most of the Colonialism is done by Spain, Portugal and some is done by France. The Highest GDP per capita income is from Argentina, which is $ 13,153 and lowest is recorded by Haiti, which is $1,6141. In this discussion, colonialism and culture of Argentina would be discussed specifically to address the emerging questions in the Latin America about the society. Barton and L. Tedesco said in the year 2004: "Political crisis in Argentina and Venezuela, social mobilization in Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, and state failure in Colombia. This is the Latin American political landscape at the beginning of the twenty-first century. There are currently few countries in the region that can be described as increasingly stable; the cases of Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay may be the exceptions that prove the rule in this regard, although they are not without their internal divisions and conflicts. This lack of stability can be explained to a large extent by the considerable social, political and economic upheaval that took place across the region during the last quarter of the twentieth century"(p. 1). Argentina is the second largest country in the South America area vise, it is one of the Latin American republics that appeared as a result from the fall of Spanish colonial empire in the early nineteenth century, it was actually a movement that was started and led by Creole merchants and assisted by rebel irregulars in rural areas that brought the separation of Argentina from the Spanish empire, the separation appeared in two different phases, the first took place in 1810 and the second in 1816. The country had faced almost 50 years rivalry and after that in the earlier nineteenth century it had started to appear as a super power with beef exports as a principal economic activity, the country by then had started practicing every economic activity. About discussing the identity of the people of Argentina, most of them belong to three different groups, the first one were Creoles, the African slaves brought in by the Spanish empire, many of them have disappeared now, or perhaps mixed in whites, the second group consists of Italians, it is claimed that Argentina is the second homeland of Italians, the third most important group appeared in Argentina is the Jewish group, at the time of Spanish conquest so many of the Jews were also the part of immigrants in 1880s. Today more than 90 percent of the people in Argentina are professed to be Roman Catholics, there are other religions followed as well, such as Judaism, Muslims. The modernizing Argentina came in view when it started educating its people, as written in Facundo: "But the state of primary education is what gives the most complete idea of the culture of that time. No city of the Argentine Republic has distinguished itself more than San Juan in its diligence to expand education, nor has any other obtained more complete results. The government, not satisfied with the capability of the province's men to carry out such an important duty, in 1815 ordered that a person combining competent training with great morality be brought from Buenos Aires." (Ross, 2003: 89) The above-mentioned sentences can show the importance of the Buenos Aires, which is perhaps the biggest city in Argentina

Birth Environments and Labour Choices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Birth Environments and Labour Choices - Essay Example The overall object of providing care to women experiencing labour and birth is to bring about a convincing experience for not only the woman but also to the entire family, while preserving their health, responding immediately to emergencies and preventing complications. A pregnant woman has to make various decisions regarding the place and the way she wishes to deliver her baby. As there are various options for where she may decide to have the birth along with the options of how she may decide to deliver. Despite all these factors, the environment a woman chooses to labour can greatly impact the amount of anxiety and fear she may experience. The birth setting is greatly powerful and can be regarded as a differentiating factor between a traumatic or fulfilling experience of childbirth. Attention to detail as well as careful concern of the different birth environment dimensions constitutes most favourable circumstances for the progression of labour. Hospital is an estranging environment for majority women, in which privacy issues and institutionalised routines can lead to feelings of lack of control (Lock and Gibb, 2003). It has been reported that the interventions and technology that has become usual on various labour wards was concerned in womenâ⠂¬â„¢s frustration with labour (Lumley and Brown, 1994). Enhanced anxiety induced through lack of control can intervene with the regular effective labour physiology (Steele, 1995). Since the control or lack of control are regarded as essential to the women’s labour experience and their consequential wellbeing (Simkin, 1992). It has been found that there are three categories of birth places (an essential part of the birth environment) from which women may chose the one they suppose will be the most comfortable for them during the different phases of labour. These include home birth, birth centres and hospitals.

Museum assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Museum assignment - Research Paper Example It was thought that only the priests and others who had taken religious orders could properly interpret God’s word, so it was forbidden for ordinary people to read the bible. Therefore, icons were painted and adorned churches in order to provide the salient stories from the bible for the public to allow them to contemplate and understand the bible. They were used for lessons and so that the people could remember the important parts of the bible, especially the New Testament and the Gospels, and also to inspire as the people believed that if they venerated the image of Jesus or a saint, their actions would pass on to the figure depicted (Lossky and Ouspenky 1999). Icons were created on all kinds of surfaces, including fine linen, wooden plaques and etchings on metal. What binds them together is the intent as a religious icon to venerate and upon which to meditate, the distinctive style with the figures generally lacking perspective or three dimensionality and the text which is true to the subject. The visual elements of this icon are consistent with the story from the New Testament of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem amid cheering crowds and joy, as he was recognized as the Savior. However, the Israelites thought the savior would come as an earthly king, so when it came to pass that Jesus was sacrificed instead, many did not believe He was the Savior. This icon represents Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, just a week before He would be sacrificed upon the cross. The twelve apostles are represented and they are the same size as Christ. There is a woman with a child dressed in red, which could have been Mary Magdalene, but who the child would be is a mystery. Christ’s mother, Mary, cannot be seen. The style is highly stylized in the Russian Orthodox style of iconography("Icon." 1-1). The perspective is all flat, as if

What are the trends in non-state conflict over the past 20-30 years Research Paper

What are the trends in non-state conflict over the past 20-30 years (or for whatever time period you have data) - Research Paper Example Citizen to government tensions happen in militaristic states. Often, the civilians consider the government as oppressive, the reason why they fight against it. In other instances, the military rules the state after conducting a successful coup dà ©Ã‚ ·tat. History is replete with examples such as what happened in Afghanistan in 1978 and Argentina in 1966 (Political Instability Task Force). Political parties’ competition is evident based on historical accounts. Compared to ethnic rivalries and citizen to government tensions, this type of non-state conflict is continuous, from 1955 until now. Nevertheless, it is only apparent in states which are not yet completely democratic like Benin and Congo-Kinshasa (Political Instability Task Force). Significantly, from the year 1946 up to 2005, internal armed conflict has decreased (Williams 159). From 2002 until 2005, battle-death internal conflicts have declined by about seventy percent (Williams 159). However, if the years 1946 and 2004 will be compared, there is a higher incident of non-state armed conflict in the latter year (Williams 159). Ethnic rivalries are recurring as ethnic groups want to preserve their identity and existence from generation to generation. There are times when they need to bear arms just to maintain society’s recognition. In some other situations, they have to compete for power and authority. This goes to say that power struggle is evident upon ethnic groups. This struggle turns into conflict when politics and religion join into the picture. If the government is not committed to providing a solution, this conflict persists. It is understandable why citizen to government tensions occur in states governed by the military. Often, this kind of government is strict and autocratic, the reason why the citizens could feel dissatisfied and oppressed (Art and Waltz 3). Since the one, which has power and authority, is the military, there is no other recourse but to unite and fight. The citizens,