Coping with Corruption in Trading with China

CASE 2-5 Coping with Corruption in Trading with China Corruption is on the rise in China, where the country’s press frequently has detailed cases of corruption and of campaigns to crack down on it. The articles primarily have focused on domestic economic crimes among Chinese citizens, and on local of? cials who have been ? red or assessed other penalties. Indeed, China has been rated by Transparency International as number 59 of the 102 countries the German organization rates on its â€Å"Corruption Perception Index. †1 Finland is rated the least corrupt at number 1, the United States at 16, and Bangladesh the most corrupt at number 102.Corruption’s long arm now is reaching out to touch China’s foreign business community. Traders, trade consultants, and analysts have said that foreign ? rms are vulnerable to a variety of corrupt practices. Although some of these ? rms said they had no experience with corruption in the People’s Republic of China (PRC ), the majority said they increasingly were asked to make payments to improve business, engage in black-market trade of import and export licenses, bribe of? cials to push goods through customs or the Commodity Inspection Bureau, or engage in collusion to beat the system.The Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption reports that outright bribes as well as gifts or payment to establish guanxi, or â€Å"connections,† average 3 to 5 percent of operating costs in the PRC, or $3 billion to $5 billion of the $100 billion of foreign investments that have been made there. The most common corrupt practices confronting foreign companies in China are examined here. ANGLING FOR CASH MNCs also are asked sometimes to sponsor overseas education for children of trading of? cials. One person told a Chinese source that an MNC paid for that individual’s U.S. $1,500-a-month apartment, as well as a car, university education, and expenses. Firms ? nd direct requests for cash payme nts—undeniably illegal—the most dif? cult. One well-placed source said that a major trader, eager for buyers in the face of an international market glut, had fallen into regularly paying large kickbacks into the Honduran, U. S. , and Swiss accounts of of? cials at a PRC foreign trade corporation. Refusing to make payments may not only hurt sales, it can also be terrifying. A U. S. ?rm was one of several bidders for a large sale; a Chinese of? ial demanded the MNC pay a 3 percent kickback. When the company representative refused, the of? cial threatened: â€Å"You had better not say anything about this. You still have to do business in China, and stay in hotels here. † Not surprisingly, the U. S. company lost the deal. Traders of certain commodities may be tempted to purchase on the black market those import and export licenses that are dif? cult to obtain legally. A fairly disorganized underground market, for instance, exists for licenses to export China-made ga rments to the United States.Some branches of the Commodity Inspection Bureau (CIB) also have posed problems for some traders. Abuses have emerged in the CIB since it started inspecting imports in 1987. A Japanese company, for instance, informed CIB of? cials of its intention to bring heavy industrial items into China—items that had met Japanese and U. S. standards. The of? cials responded that they planned to dismantle the products on arrival for inspection purposes. The problem was resolved only after the ? rm invited the of? cials to visit Japan. Some traders get around such problems by purchasing inspection certi? ates on the black market. According to press accounts, these forms, complete with signatures and seals, can be bought for roughly U. S. $200. Some claim that, for the appropriate compensation, customs of? cials in a southern province are very willing to reduce the dutiable value of imports as much as 50 percent. Because the savings can far exceed transport costs, some imports that would logically enter China through a northern port are redirected through the southern province. PAYING TO IMPROVE BUSINESS Foreign traders make several types of payments to facilitate sales in China.The most common methods used are trips abroad. Chinese of? cials, who rarely have a chance to visit overseas, often prefer foreign travel to cash or gifts. (This was especially true when few PRC of? cials had been abroad. ) As a result, traders report that dangling foreign trips in front of their PRC clients has become a regular part of negotiating large trade deals that involve products with a technological component. â€Å"Foreign travel is always the ? rst inducement we offer,† said an executive involved in machinery trade. In most cases, traders built these costs into the product’s sale price.Some trips are â€Å"reasonable and bona ? de expenditures directly related to the promotion, demonstration, or explanation of products and services, or the e xecution of a contract with a foreign government agency. † But other trips, when of? cials on foreign junkets are offered large per diems and aren’t invited speci? cally to gain technical knowledge, may be another matter. Foreign travel isn’t always an inducement—it also can be extorted. In one case, a PRC bank branch refused to issue a letter of credit for a machinery import deal. The Chinese customer suggested that the foreign trader invite the bank of? ial on an overseas inspection tour. Once the invitation was extended, the bank issued the letter of credit. QUESTIONS 1. List all the different types of bribes, payments, or favors represented in this case and say why each is either legal or illegal. 2. For those practices that you say are illegal, classify each as lubrication, extortion, or subornation, and tell why. 3. Which of the payments, favors, or bribes are illegal under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)? 4. Assuming that the FCPA did not e xist, what is the ethical response to each of the payments, favors, or bribes you have See www. transparency. org for more details about their 2002 index. 572 Cases 2 The Cultural Environment of Global Markets you think bribery will become less prevalent in markets like China? 573 identi? ed? Read the section titled â€Å"Ethically and Socially Responsible Decisions† in Chapter 3 as a guide to assist you in your decision. 5. Now that the OECD has approved an FCPA-like treaty to ban commercial bribery by ? rms in member countries, do 6. List alternatives to paying bribes in international markets and discuss the pluses and minuses of each.

Jewish and Buddhism Life Cycle Rituals Essay

Traditions and rituals have become an indelible mark that one person carries from the time he or she was born until his or her death. The Jewish and Hindu, in particular, cherish special occasions marking the major transitions and stages in the individual’s life from birth to death. Jewish Life Cycle Rituals From the time that a person is born, he is surrounded with rituals and traditions that would eventually become a part of his existence. When a Jew is born, his father will be called to recite the aliyah at the synagogue and pray for blessings for his wife’s and son’s health. This is done on the first Sabbath after the baby is born (ReligionFacts, 2008). The rituals following the birth of a child are called brit milah (for boys) and brit habit (for girls). Brit milah includes prayers and blessings, aside from the naming and circumcision. A mohel conducts the circumcision. Brit habit, on the other hand, refers to the naming ritual for girls. There is also a ritual called simchat bat wherein prayers and songs are included in the naming ceremony. This is done eight or 15 days after the birth (Konick, n. d. ). The ritual following brit milah is Pidyon Haben, which means Redemption of the First-Born Son. This ritual stemmed from the belief that everything that is first and best belongs to God (ReligionFacts, 2008). During the ceremony, the boy is garbed in special clothes and his father brings along five silver coins and presents him to the Kohen. The Kohen is in charge of the whole ceremony. He also recites the Kiddush and drinks the wine. The Kohen then puts the coins over the boy’s head and blesses him (BecomingJewish, 2009). When the boy reaches the age of 13, the Jewish community considers him an adult. This is also the stage where he becomes a bar mitzvah (Son of the Commandments). In girls, it is called bat mitzvah (Daughter of the Commandments) (ReligionFacts, 2009). Another important ritual in the lives of Jewish is marriage. After the couple announces their engagement, there is a festivity where the couple’s family and friends attend. This symbolizes the willingness of both families to have their children wed. The entire wedding ceremony entails many activities, eventually leading to nisuin. This is the part wherein the couple stands under chuppah (canopy). Chuppah is the symbol of the couple’s new home. The couple recites the seven marriage benedictions. The bride and groom also share a glass of wine. After the ceremony, there is celebration with music and dancing. Then the married couple heads to their honeymoon (ReligionFacts, 2009). The life cycle ends with death. As the family is notified of the death of a family member, the child tears his clothes on the left side while other mourners tear their clothes on the right side. The Jews do not believe in autopsy, embalming and cremation. The body is washed and dressed in white tachrichin. The Jewish observes the placing of the body into the ground. A shomer also recites Tehillim (Psalms) to the dead as a show of respect (BecomingJewish, 2009). When one grows up in a country that has culture, traditions and rituals different from others, formation of his or her identity and personality is affected. These rituals and traditions have an important role in one’s identity. Once a person determines his social identity, he will continually affirm it. This explains why Jews behave or act or think differently from Americans. In addition, the voluntary and involuntary experiences that Jewish individuals have throughout their lives play an important role in the formation of identity. Involuntary experiences refer to those that result from the parents’ upbringing. Voluntary experiences, on the other hand, refer to choices that an individual takes about being a Jewish. Moreover, there are Jews who come from intensive Jewish backgrounds. They tend to be more influenced as their families are committed to Jewish life (Horowitz, 2001). Hindu Life Cycle Rituals The Hindu culture also has its own set of traditions and rituals that are different from other cultures. Even before a child is born, certain rites are performed to make sure that both the mother and the child will be healthy. Right after birth, the father touches a gold spoon or ring dipped in curds, honey, and ghee to the baby’s lips. Then he whispers vak into the baby’s right ear three times. In addition, mantras are recited for an enduring and long life. Rituals also include the baby’s firsts, such as first visit to a temple, first feeding of solid food, ear-piercing, and first haircut. Young males are also subject to upayana, an initiation ceremony for six to 12-year-olds. This ceremony signals the transition to adulthood. The ceremony also includes the boy’s recitation of the Gayatri Mantra and the wearing of a sacred thread over the left shoulder. Those who wear sacred thread are called twice-born (Cline, 2009). Another important ritual for the Hindu is marriage. During this phase, the parents of the couple are the ones who will decide upon the betrothal and date and time of the wedding in accordance with astrologers. For Hindu, the bride represents the goddess while the groom represents the god. Hindu marriages are elaborate, involving the groom’s travel to the wedding site riding a caparisoned white horse or a limousine. One important part of every Hindu marriage is the reciting of mantras by the priests (Cline, 2009). Death also ends the life cycle that involves ceremonies. Hindu believes in cremation, but others practice burial. If the body is cremated, the closest relative is put in-charge of lighting the funeral pyre and collecting ashes and fragments of bones that will be immersed in the holy river. After this, the mourners will take a purifying bath. In much the same way, Hindus’ formation of personality and identity are affected by the surrounding culture and rituals that they observe as they grow up. A Hindu also acts in a way that the society dictates as right. For instance, religious beliefs have a direct influence on Hindu women’s roles and responsibilities (Jarayam, 2008). Historical records would show that Hindu women used to be treated as second class citizens. In fact, they walk a few steps behind their husbands. Although the times are changing and there have been improvements on the role of women in the society, there will still be cases wherein women are still abused or treated as inferior (Jarayam, 2007). Situations like this can affect the development of one’s identity and personality. References BecomingJewish. (2009). Jewish life cycles. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www. becomingjewish. org/jlife. html Cline, A. (2009). Hindu rituals in India. About. com. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://atheism. about. com/od/hindusandhinduism/a/IndiaRituals. htm Horowitz, B. (2001). Informal education and Jewish identity development. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www. shma. com/May01/horowitz. htm Jarayam, V. (2007). Hinduism and women. Retrieve February 10, 2009, from http://www. hinduwebsite. com/hinduism/h_women. asp Jarayam, V. (2008). The problems and status of women in Hindu society. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www. hinduwebsite. com/hinduwomen. asp Konick, L. (n. d. ). Welcome your baby: Jewish traditions. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www. beliefnet. com/Love-Family/Parenting/2000/05/Welcome-Your-Baby-Jewish-Traditions. aspx Kushner, H. (2009). Some meanings of brit milah. MyJewishLearning, Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www. myjewishlearning. com/lifecycle/Ceremonies_For_Newborns/Overview_History_and_Themes/Brit_Milah_Ceremonies_for_Boys/Meaning_of_Brit_Milah. htm ReligionFacts. (2008). Jewish life cycle rituals. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www. religionfacts. com/judaism/cycle. htm

Risk Assessment

2. 1 Legislation The need for an employer to carry out risk assessment has been a requirement of health & safety legislation for many years. A summary of the risk assessment requirements is as follows: a) The Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Sec 2 – Requires an employer to ensure the health, safety and welfare of his employees so far as is reasonably practicable. The process of risk assessment has therefore to be applied to determine what is â€Å"reasonably practicable† action in controlling any particular hazard. ) Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 Reg 5 – Requires an employer to carry out an adequate assessment of the exposure of employees to working with asbestos. c) The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 & 1994 Reg 6 – Requires an employer not to carry out any work liable to expose any employee to any hazardous substance unless a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks created by that work has been undert aken and appropriate control measures are identified and implemented. ) The Noise at Work Regulations 1989 Reg 4 – Requires an employer to ensure that a competent person carries out a noise assessment when employees are exposed to noise levels above the action levels prescribed. Suitable control measures should be identified and implemented to reduce the risk of hearing damage. e) The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 – Require an employer to ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) is suitable for its purpose (regulation 4), which implies that a risk assessment should be carried out to match the level of protection provided with the hazard present. Risk Assessment 2. 1 Legislation The need for an employer to carry out risk assessment has been a requirement of health & safety legislation for many years. A summary of the risk assessment requirements is as follows: a) The Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Sec 2 – Requires an employer to ensure the health, safety and welfare of his employees so far as is reasonably practicable. The process of risk assessment has therefore to be applied to determine what is â€Å"reasonably practicable† action in controlling any particular hazard. ) Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 Reg 5 – Requires an employer to carry out an adequate assessment of the exposure of employees to working with asbestos. c) The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 & 1994 Reg 6 – Requires an employer not to carry out any work liable to expose any employee to any hazardous substance unless a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks created by that work has been undert aken and appropriate control measures are identified and implemented. ) The Noise at Work Regulations 1989 Reg 4 – Requires an employer to ensure that a competent person carries out a noise assessment when employees are exposed to noise levels above the action levels prescribed. Suitable control measures should be identified and implemented to reduce the risk of hearing damage. e) The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 – Require an employer to ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) is suitable for its purpose (regulation 4), which implies that a risk assessment should be carried out to match the level of protection provided with the hazard present. Risk Assessment 2. 1 Legislation The need for an employer to carry out risk assessment has been a requirement of health & safety legislation for many years. A summary of the risk assessment requirements is as follows: a) The Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Sec 2 – Requires an employer to ensure the health, safety and welfare of his employees so far as is reasonably practicable. The process of risk assessment has therefore to be applied to determine what is â€Å"reasonably practicable† action in controlling any particular hazard. ) Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 Reg 5 – Requires an employer to carry out an adequate assessment of the exposure of employees to working with asbestos. c) The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 & 1994 Reg 6 – Requires an employer not to carry out any work liable to expose any employee to any hazardous substance unless a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks created by that work has been undert aken and appropriate control measures are identified and implemented. ) The Noise at Work Regulations 1989 Reg 4 – Requires an employer to ensure that a competent person carries out a noise assessment when employees are exposed to noise levels above the action levels prescribed. Suitable control measures should be identified and implemented to reduce the risk of hearing damage. e) The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 – Require an employer to ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) is suitable for its purpose (regulation 4), which implies that a risk assessment should be carried out to match the level of protection provided with the hazard present.

Virtue vs Vice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Virtue vs Vice - Essay Example ’s freedom itself originated from an act of disobedience and that the ability to be disobedient is the function of courage and true freedom of thought. Therefore, he disputes the belief that obedience is always a virtue and that disobedience is always a vice. Obedience has been favored as a virtue in man. Erich Fromm however sets out to prove that obedience is not actually a virtue, rather it prevents man from being an independent, free human being. Man is obedient because he is too cowardly to go against the established order of things and the norms of society, to be disobedient. While disobedience has always been looked upon as a vice, Fromm questions whether it is in fact so. It was only after Adam and Eve disobeyed that their eyes were opened and they were able to see the world and their role within it. Therefore, while this act of disobedience has been condemned as the original sin and a vice, it was in fact the symbol of man’s liberation. Fromm applauds the prophets and the philosophers who have advocated that man should always doubt and question everything, because it is only by keeping his eyes open that man can see and learn the truth. It is only a strong and self confident person who can have the courage to be disobedien t, because to be so means to go against the established hierarchies that exist in society and to demonstrate his own power of free will thought and action that is against the set and established rules. Through the act of disobedience, man is subservient to his own conscience rather than being subservient to those who want to exploit him and those who want to muzzle the majority in order to enjoy the benefits and resources of the world for themselves. However, Fromm clarifies that he does not advocate disobedience all the time, on the grounds that it is a virtue. Rather, the act of obedience or disobedience will depend upon what or who a person wishes to submit himself to. Fromm states that if a man obeys all the time and never

A summery of Jared Diamond's article Malthus in Africa Essay

A summery of Jared Diamond's article Malthus in Africa - Essay Example Diamond acknowledges that the obligatory conduct is more likely in standardized cultures and the government regulation was necessary. In the case of Rwandan genocide, it was found necessary for the enforcement of moral principles. Moreover, Diamond points out three approaches to solve these problems: top down imposition of environmental controls, privatization of resources, and recognition of a common interest. These approaches have different strengths and if implemented well, could be very rewarding. Factors to the collapse of commons Political Instability played a role in the collapse of the commons. According to the book by the Human Rights Watch titled Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda, the genocide rustled from the deliberate choice of modern elite, who had to foster hatred and fear to keep themselves in power. In the case of the Rwandan genocide, civilian Hutus formed militias, who set the road blocks and kill Tutsi. In organizing the attacks, there were radio tr ansmissions appealing to every Hutu to kill every â€Å"cockroach†( Tutsi). It is therefore, believed that the civilians were operating under the influence of some political elites who wanted to attain their political interests. Therefore, ethnic hatred brought the conflict in Rwanda; whereby, politicians facilitated the split of the society. Diamond asserted that it is only through ethnic hatred that a community would kill itself as there were cases where the Hutu could kill Hutus. The land disputes in Rwanda undermined the cohesion of Rwandan society; the richer land owners were expected to help the poor ones but they failed because they were not rich to the extent of offering sound assistance to the poor society members. This led to the increase in cases of divorced or separated women, widows, orphans etc. According to Diamond, the conflict began even before the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The country experienced rising levels of violence and thefts, perpetrated by hungry and la ndless young people who lacked sufficient income and assignments to keep the occupied ( Malthus in Africa Rwanda Genocide Page 14). When the food yield does not further become insufficient due to the exponential growth of population, conflict may arise as the population cannot match the food production; competition on available resource (food) is experienced. The environment around us determines the productivity in the agricultural field, as well as other related fields. In this case, environmental damage can occur in many ways, which includes deforestation and habitat destruction, soil problems (erosion, Stalinization, and soil fertility losses), water management problems, overhunting, overfishing etc, and significantly affect agricultural production. In this regard, it brought the collapse of the commons, since it has a direct impact on the agricultural food production. Depletion of fossil fuels, of which Peak Oil is a major looming instance causes collapse of the commons; for ins tance, oil producing countries like Nigeria, Southern Sudan and Middle East countries have never had peace. The diamond analysis outlined the major issues that led to the collapse of the commons; for instance, the issue on the political elites using the commons to create conflict is a major factor of the political instability witnessed in some African countries. Diamond

Total cost minimization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Total cost minimization - Essay Example The new communication and information technologies today have made it possible to attain sophisticated and continuous process manufacturing. The automotive industry, for instance, has seen dramatic breakthroughs in technology displacement and reengineering. They now make over fifty million new automotives every year and are responsible for the creation of one out of every twelve jobs in the North American manufacturing industry. Experts predict that Japanese owned factories, by the end of this decade, would have the ability to make an automobile in eight hours or less (Dikbas and Scherer 297). This shorter time of production will result in fewer workers being needed for the production line. Japan’s nine automakers make over twelve million vehicles each year using less than six hundred thousand workers. Automakers in Detroit employ over two and a half million workers in the production of the same number of cars. US automakers, following Japan’s lead, have started to reen gineer their operations in the hope that they can increase their productivity, improve product share, reduce labor rolls, and increase their profit margin. GM, in 1993, announced plans for the implementation of changes in practices of production that aimed to eliminate as many as ninety thousand jobs by the late 90s (Dikbas and Scherer 298). These came on top of the quarter million jobs that they had already done away with in 1978. Other global automotive makers have also reengineered operations to eliminate thousands of employees with German automakers eliminating one in every seven jobs by 1995. The new â€Å"smart robot† generation that is armed with increased flexibility and intelligence has become a mainstay in the market, as factory owner are less likely to substitute them for laborers since they are cost-effective. Each robot replaces four jobs in the global economy and pays itself off in one year if used twenty-four hours every day. The world’s robot population was estimated at about 630,000 in 1991, and the number had grown by 3.5 times in 2008 as the machines have become more flexible, versatile, and intelligent (Meiksins et al 202). The steel industry has also had fortunes that closely mirror those of the automotive industry and have led to sweeping changes in production and organization, in the industry. The US was the world leader in production of steel in the 80s. However, this competitive edge has undergone serious erosion because of failure by companies in the US to keep in step with steel manufacturers in Japan that have made the production of steel a highly continuous and automated operation. This has led to Nippon Steel reducing its production hours to one hour from twelve days (Meiksins et al 203). Increased steel production automation has reduced the amount of labor required in North America. US Steel, the largest steel company in the US, in 1980, employed over 120,000 workers, which decreased to 20,000 in 1990 and 14,000, in 2005, even though it was producing the same output (National Academy of Engineering 10). These numbers are predicted to drop even further in the coming ten to twenty years as more advanced operations become available in the process of manufacturing in these factories. The highly automated methods of manufacturing have been used in combination with radical management hierarchy

HCM367-0801B-01 The Health Care Organization - Phase 3 Discussion Essay

HCM367-0801B-01 The Health Care Organization - Phase 3 Discussion Board - Essay Example plans medical coverage reviews as well as the financial progress of Vitruvian Physician Partners (VPP) and Vitruvian Health (VH) which offers HMO-type of health plan services to millions of individuals who could not afford expensive health packages. Aside from being able to easily integrate the financial status of both companies, the creation of electronic medical records and claims adjudication as well as the monitoring of the patient’s appointment scheduling and claims processing will significantly improve the quality services we are delivering to the patients. As a result of implementing the improvements of the computer systems and infrastructure, internal pressure among the organizational members due to ‘resistance to change’ is most likely to occur. (Burke, 2002: Ch. 5, p. 92 – 94; Ch. 12, p. 259) In general, ‘resistance to change’ could happen when the employees perceive that the use of computer technology could threat their current position or authority within the organization. (Uris, 1964) In the case of Vitruvian, Inc., some of its old employees may be threatened due to the possibility that some of them are computer illiterate. Such fear could unconsciously create a lot of tension during the implementation process of the organizational change. It is normal for some of the health care professionals and managers to encounter resistance to change when implementing an organizational change. In line with this matter, Doc Vinny should be creative and resourceful enough to find a solution to the problem rather than to stop and take the organizational conflicts negatively. These two important traits could empower Doc Vinny in terms of solving the possible internal problems that may arise within the health care organization. Being in-charge of promoting the values of the technology age, Doc Vinny should be able to view ‘resistance to change’ as a challenge. Organizational culture is â€Å"a pattern of behavior developed by an organization to

Prophecy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Prophecy - Essay Example The prophecy of denunciation is when the events in the future are foretold based on the surrounding causes which can be prevented only by divine intervention or a miracle. Prophets speak definitely when they tell such prophecies of denunciation (newadvent.org). The prophecy of foreknowledge deals more with the individual, and man, in general. This kind of prophecy occurs when God shows the future that are relatively the consequences of man’s actions and decisions, including the occurrences of war and the unending debates between the religious and the government (newadvent.org). The prophecy of predestination is a kind of prophecy where it is only God who can make such events happen, and He is the only one who knows when it will happen. This implies God’s infallibility and divine power over all living things on earth (newadvent.org). History. The Catholic Church has recognized the Book of Revelation as the last form of prophecy, despite the numerous blessed individuals that she has recognized to have the gift of prophecy. From the Greek word, apokalypto, meaning to reveal, the Book of Revelation has been also known as the Apocalypse (newadvent.org). The Apocalypse was written by the apostle John, who traditionally, was recognized as the Seer. Arguments have been raised against the Apocalypse during the early ages, as Romans have contested its context, and it was only before the beginning of the third century, historians of the Catholic Church recognized the Apocalypse to be a gospel of John, the apostle (newadvent.org). Major Divisions of the Apocalypse. The Book of revelations is structured into three divisions, namely: the exhortatory letters, the seven seals and the drama of the lamb. The first part of the book focuses on the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. The letters are epistles written for

Female Circumcision Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Female Circumcision - Assignment Example Female circumcision is abusive and has a detrimental effect on the attitude and self-esteem for the females who practice it. 3. Patriarchy is a process or a system through which the males dominate and are in charge of social welfare of people within the society. For this reason, they are able to control the resources and set rules, norms and regulations that define a community. Patriarchy has played a big role in female circumcision especially through the ritual norms that must be performed in order to assume acceptance as a member of a certain society or community. This is because the institutions of males have dominance over the privileges of the female hence insubordination. 4. A lot of non-governmental organizations have teamed up to fight this practice. Groups like Maendeleo Ya Wanawake in Kenya have formed female groups which fight against this ritual. Most of the governments in Africa and Kenya to be precise have set rules that ban the practice terming it as child abuse. Most of the governments in Africa have also set tight penalties for societies or communities that engage in this old ritual. It is indeed right for us Westerners to meddle in traditions and practices that have no positive effect on the lives of Africans. Female circumcision is an abusive act that dehumanizes the female gender and must be fought by all members of the world and not westerners only. 5. In my opinion there has never been and there will never be any good reason to perform female genital mutilation to the female gender because it does not add any value but instead only ruins the self-esteem and leads to a lot of side effects like hemorrhage and conception difficulties and even death resulting from over bleeding during the process (Francis

Argument essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Argument - Essay Example This is therefore quite unfair more so for the â€Å"less genius† children who desire to further their education in a bid attain diplomas and degrees. It is, however, worth noting that due to the hardness and difficulty of the exam, people studying in China have become more smart and innovative since it increases the children’s thinking capacity. In U.S, however, education system is based on student’s abilities and talents. Equally important, studying in the US to gives me the chance expand my horizon since it gives me a wide pool of opportunities more so when it comes to the job market. By learning in the US, I have been able to learn numerous things in life that I could not have imagined or done if I had decided to learn in China. The US is among the most developed countries, and it possess a highly innovative and technologized systems across its various industries. Studying in America therefore enables me to gather the knowledge needed to operate these systems and thus subsequently expanding my horizon. However, I think one can also expand their horizon while learning in China too since China is equally highly industrialized and technologized. Conclusively, I am for the opinion that studying in the US is a good idea since it has numerous advantages and opportunities. In fact, I think that studying in the US enables me to interact with people of various diversities thus enabling me to have a diverse mind. Therefore, I recommend that other educational systems, the Chinese education system to be precise, to follow the American example. I also think that studying in the US increases my chances of attaining high level education from well-established universities, since I can learn numerous new concepts due to diversity. Therefore, I think every person who has the will and ability to study in the US should take that opportunity without a moment of

Bringing Home Adam Essay Example for Free

Bringing Home Adam Essay Adam Walsh in his book â€Å"Bringing Adam Home† conveys different important information concerning people and the society they dwell. This book is based on Mathew Joe’s experience in his investigation for the murder and abduction. The book suddenly reveals the cases of abduction and murder that the world at large gets to be no longer innocent wit. Bring Adam Home is a definitive story about a six year old Adam Walsh who was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in 1981. It explains how Adam stopped by the local store to get some new lamps. He was captivated by a video game at the entrance of the store and begged his mother, Reve, to allow him try it out while she shopped. However, his mother never found him when she returned a few minutes later. His body was later found mutilated in a drainage canal. The book details the botched investigations conducted by the police that prevented discovery of the killer for nearly twenty seven years. The book is one of the finest true-crime stories that can be related to Thomas Thompson’s Blood and Money of 1976. Les Standiford is the author of the story that exposes notoriety of the case. He has authored other nonfiction books and novels such as The Man Who Invented Christmas that was released in 2008. Bring Adam Home tells the story of the young boy’s abduction with the help of detective Joe Matthews, who eventually solved the case. The detective was working for John Walsh’s TV show, America’s Most Wanted, while investigating the case. The book gives a meticulous recount of the events leading up to the kidnapping of Adam from a Sears store at the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida. It illustrates the unsuccessful search for the missing boy leading to the subsequent location of his severed head bobbing in a canal miles away. The shock of Adam’s abduction and murder, as well as failure by the police to find the killer, was the most consequential in American history. Efforts of the parents of the young boy, John and Reve Walsh, revolutionized the justice system on crimes involving missing and murdered children. It influenced the way local, state and federal authorities investigate such cases. During the time of Adam’s abduction and murder, there were no Amber Alerts and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was nonexistent. In addition, the federal government did not have the pedophile registry or a database for crimes against children. It was a time when children received little attention as they played outside all day. Before his abduction, Adam was playing video game in a departmental store. The report of Adam’s abduction and eventual death led to investigations conducted by detectives from Hollywood Police Department. Detective Matthews joined the investigation team from Miami Beach Police department. Two years after the death of the boy, an illiterate arsonist, Ottis Toole, admitted to kidnapping and killing Adam. The police got this revelation during questioning about several unresolved murders. Toole was later convicted as a serial killer, but Adam’s case was not included among the crimes he had committed. There was a time Toole recanted his confession. However, he admitted to committing the crime several times later. In his confession, Toole explained that he took Adam to raise him as his own child. He only killed him when he found out that Adam could identify him. There are several reasons that resulted in failure by the police to issue charges against Ottis Toole. More prominently, the police failed in their work in correctly documenting the findings. This led to their eventual failure in the gathering of the physical evidence. Therefore, a warrant of arrest was never issued against Ottis Toole leading to dismissal of his confession. Several other facts clearly demonstrated that Toole was the culprit. Firstly, he was the only person who gave twenty five independent confessions connecting him to the crime. Secondly, Toole had detailed information concerning the crime scene that would only be known by the killer. Thirdly, scores of eyewitnesses identified Toole as the killer. The book outlines the tireless work done by the bereaved parents in search for justice on behalf of other missing children. The main attraction of the book is the investigation of the Hollywood Police Department that exposes the bulging of the investigators that had previously worked on the case. Standiford and Matthews carefully builds the case against the police. They provide details that contain numerous leads that were disregarded during the initial investigation. These included some obvious questions that were never asked, a number of crucial witnesses that were ignored, and details concerning incomplete or falsified reports. In addition, the fresh investigation of the investigators exposed evidence that was never examined and a number of vital evidence that got lost. The book exposes the most damning revelation concerning ignorance of the Hollywood police on repeated confessions by a serial killer. The killer had detailed information concerning the crime that was never made public. However, he was never tried for the crime despite confessing to the boy’s murder. The author does not bend facts to show his artistic skills. He details factual information and is not self-consciously literary. The spilling of the narrative follows a matter-of-fact style. This is an excellent choice for a narrative laced with so much mistrust, heartbreak, perversion, and gore. The authors also exposed names of several people that were never mentioned in the initial investigation. The authors recount how detective Matthews was, on numerous occasions, stonewalled by other detectives and superiors from the Hollywood police department. This occurred when he was on loan from Miami Beach Police department as a detective to assist in investigating the case. He was further frustrated when he accepted to assist the desperate parents in investigating the case afresh. It seems the Hollywood detectives and their superiors had ulterior motives of frustrating the cause of justice for the case. Moreover, the disappearance of the boy had attracted national attention with the media being at the fore front. Joe Matthews was a topnotch homicide detective who was entrusted the responsibility of unraveling who had killed the boy. However, his concerns on disorganization witnessed at the station handling the case went ignored. There was a time he was excused from the case after suffering a nasty road accident. The case was further groped by new revelations on shotgun accusations and lack of any tangible leads. This was until Ottis Toole, a convicted serial killer admitted to the murder. The investigations dragged for two decades before Matthews got access to all information on the case files. On scrutinizing the information, the detective found out what he had long suspected. The case files showed that there had been sufficient evidence to prosecute the killer of the young boy. Unfortunately, the said killer, Ottis Toole, had died in prison in 1996. He died of liver failure at the age of forty nine. He had confessed earlier to the killings and other grisly crimes. It was hurting for a country that has arguably the best justice system to allow the grieving parents of a murdered child to lead investigations that would culminate to the deserved justice. One may wonder why the case took that long without finding justice. There are several reasons that may have jeopardized the quality of investigations into convicting the actual culprit. During the time period when the crime occurred, DNA forensic technology was still rudimental. This could have been the reason why Toole was not charged for the murder despite loads of evidence linking him to the crime scene. The Hollywood Police Department was highly respected at the time of the crime. Failure by the department to effectively solve Adam’s case may have been caused by assigning wrong detectives to work on the case. The lead investigator failed to perform his duty as the investigation was marred with claims of laxity and lack of proper supervision. The assigned leader of the investigation team was very territorial. This is evidenced by his refusal to consider inputs made by other detectives, especially Joe Matthews. The case would have been closed twenty five years earlier had he put into consideration all the findings. Though nothing could have been done to prevent the abduction, the lead investigator should have solved the Adam Walsh case at the time it occurred. Adam’s father, John, later became a steadfast advocate for missing and exploited children. He was the host of America’s Most Wanted. Through his program, he championed for the transformation of law enforcement on matters pertaining to handling similar cases. The activism of the Adam’s father influenced Congress to pass the Missing Children Act in 1982. Two years later, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was launched. John reunited with Joe Matthews, the decorated Miami Beach homicide detective, after twenty five years of Adam’s death. It was in February, 2006, when the parents requested the detective to re-investigate the case involving their son. The investigator, armed with an arsenal of forensic tools and heartfelt intent, reopened the case and went through all the case files that contained all information pertaining to the initial investigation. After two years and nine months, Joe Matthews emerged with a 10,000 page report that exposed evidence that was never recorded or looked at by the original investigators. The findings had enough evidence to indict Ottis Toole with the abduction and murder. Bring Adam Home is an account of a crime that captured public attention. It is a story of dedication, tragedy, love, and faith. The author reveals the pain and persistence of a family determined to find justice. It reveals how police failed in their work and allowed a criminal remain without being indicted. The story shows how a determined police officer was capable of accomplishing what an entire legal system failed to achieve. It is a testimony of love shown by distraught parents who took up the cause of finding justice over twenty five years after the death of their son. Their struggle and that of detective Matthews has helped the nation develop programs dealing with the exploitation of missing children. Moreover, Adams abduction and death has had an impact on how mothers watch over their children. The themes in the book is much convincing in that, it has a lot of elements of brutality in the form of thriller. But it gets concern most on the unsympathetic characters as the lead officer could term. Also, it was portrayed as bumbling brute which was much discouraging. However, the book is made more attractive when Matthews’s works of detectives get started almost in the middle of the book. This also makes the author to recount in great details. For instance Toole confesses for the various ways of killings he made in his life and the tough readings of parents. The book is much unique in to the fact that, it confronts the readers through various horrifying natures of the world relating to the crime situations that comes to pass. However, with the clear and thorough understanding of the book, it reveals why the investigations took long in solving the crime and also where the investigation horribly went off target. Readers also come to admire the determinations of Walshes and Mathews for not giving up at an early stage until when the book comes to an end. The book is not so much perfect to some extend. This is evident when the police officer reports of the author’s quotes and even some of the information found in it, seem nauseam. After clearing the book, well, the tone is better placed. However since that period; 1981, there have been many rumors and doubts about the murder of Adam Walsh. The book leaves the reader in full world of doubt about the perpetration of the investigated crime. The book also puts the reader in a bad mood in that it disturbs the mind set of a person. The book is much graphic in its illustrations on what befallen the poor Adam. It imposes too much information on the person who was suspected to be behind the murder which is much uncalled for. For instance, if the story was about how the US handles cases of child abduction, it would stick on the issue other than giving more details of different murder, rape and other horrified acts which happened long time ago.

Admissions Essay Essay Example for Free

Admissions Essay Essay The realization that education is a critical component of my professional and personal success has been a gradual realization for me. However, I believe that with my current conviction about the importance of education, I will be able to achieve great success in Central Washington University’s MBA program. As a teenager I did not always understand the importance of education in regard to my professional and personal development. During my high school years and early college years, I cared more about sports and hanging out with my friends, than getting good grades. As a result, my grades suffered and I did not benefit as much from my classes as I could have when I was younger. Throughout these years, my Dad encouraged me and tried to motivate me to put more effort into my studies. It was through his positive encouragement and an accounting class that I took with Ms. Smith that finally changed my entire outlook on education. Not only did Ms. See more: Is the Importance of being earnest a satirical play essay Smith pull me aside and tell me that I was not working up to my potential, but she made me see that what we were studying really mattered to my life. I realized that if I was going to be successful in life I would have to apply myself and master the material I was learning in my classes. Since I came to this realization, I have been working harder in all of my classes to become more knowledgeable and educated person. Currently I am working to ensure my academic success by working hard in my classes and preparing to get a masters degree in business administration. I now put my classes as top priority in my life and also use my free time to better myself as well. As a younger kid I gave very little thought to what I did in my free time, and thus spent the majority of my free time playing video games and hanging out with friends. However, as I have come to my realization that education and knowledge are critical to my personal and professional success, I now prefer to read books and other publications about all sorts of topics to develop my understanding of the world I live in. Furthermore, I have taken a variety of math and business classes as an undergraduate student to better prepare myself for my career goals. To ensures my success in these classes, I have consistently taken advantage of professors’ office hours and tutoring sessions whenever I need extra help in a certain area. My primary goal is to get a Masters Degree in business administration in order to gain the knowledge and experience I need to start my own business. I am extremely eager to learn as much as possible about succeeding in the business world, and I believe that Central Washington University will feed my thirst for knowledge with quality classes and knowledgeable professors. I hope that this program will help me accomplish my goals by teaching me the leadership skills, strategic planning skills, as well as the general knowledge I would need to be successful businessman. I also believe that both the students and faculty at CWU will be people I can relate to and learn from. I have also heard that this specific program at CWU strives to give its students as much hands-on experience as possible to better prepare them for the real-world. This educational philosophy is aligned with my needs as a student, and it will help me to turn my ambitions into a reality. I believe that the combination of hands-on-experience, motivated peers, newfound skills will help me to achieve my lofty goals once I finish this program.

Relationship Between Inflation And Exchange Rate Economics Essay

Relationship Between Inflation And Exchange Rate Economics Essay Inflation is an increase in the price of a set of goods and services that is representative of the economy as a whole and an exchange rate is the current market price for which one currency can be exchanged for another. If the U.S. exchange rate for the Pakistani Rupee is Rs. 85, this means that one American Dollar can be exchanged for 85 Pakistani Rupees. Different journals give their opinion about relationship between inflation and exchange rate. Now we explain journals views about this relationship:- Haldane (1995)  [1]  present the design of inflation target is linked umbilical to the welfare cost of inflation. Yates (1995)  [2]  the design of many inflation targeting regimes includes specific exception for trouble that are predictable to outcome in momentary price level actions lone. This has been observing that optimal design of inflation depends upon the costs of inflation. Depending on how agents form expectations of future inflation, direct exchange rate effects coming through import prices may result only in price level shifts. This arises perceive that a portion of the observed inflation in the CPI index is the result of changes in import prices that are drives by recent movements in the exchange rate, and they form their expectations of future CPI inflation by looking through or ignoring these effects. Svensson (1997)  [3]  present the objectives of monetary policy which serves to place the choice of exchange rate and inflation targeting. Monetary police can control inflation and exchange rate in the long run. In the short run monetary policy can influence the inflation that have adverse effects. Since central bank control the exchange rate and nominal exchange rate does not have an inherent significant for welfare and economic growth. The choice between an exchange rate target and an explicit inflation target should be seen as the choice between different intermediate targets in order to fulfill the goal for monetary policy. Monetary policy cannot prevent such variability in the real exchange rate. But the negative consequences of such variability can be minimized with an inflation target. Bleaney and Fielding (1999)  [1]  present those developing countries which peg their exchange rate achieve lower inflation. Developing countries face a trade-off choosing exchange rate regime floating the exchange rate allows the authorities greater freedom to respond to exogenous shocks, so that they achieve greater stability of output (and inflation) than under pegged rates, at the expense of higher mean inflation. The hypothesis can be attributed to the inability of developing countries to import the anti-inflation creditability of the advance countries. The widespread adoption of floating exchange rates in the developing world has had a significant cost, with faster inflation than in the typical pegged-rate country. Evans Lyons (1999)  [2]  have used previous data on quotes and transactions to link up the activities of traders and asset prices over several months. They find a strong relationship between customer order flow and the DM/US$ exchange rate. A data set covering customer dealer trading and brokered interdealer trading become available, the order flow picture can be completed. The affects of increasing order-flow transparency may be important: unlike most other financial markets, the FX market is unregulated in this respect. McCarthy (2000)  [1]  finds that the impact of import prices and exchange rate on consumer price index in industrialized countries. The exchange rate has modest affect on domestic price inflation while import prices have a strong affect. This framework is incorporates a distribution chain of prices, has been widely adopted by a number of authors for analyzing the exchange rate pass through for various countries e.g. Leigh and Rossi (2002) for Turkey, Ashok (2002) for south Africa etc. Taylor (2000)  [2]  argued that pass-through is highest when exchange rate changes are perceived to be persistent and prices adjustment because of the expectations of the public. The pass-through will low because of low inflation. The pass-through changes in costs to prices, a decline that is frequently characterized as the reduction in the pricing power of firms. The paper alludes to the relative version pf purchasing power parity, which claims that base of equilibrium exchange rate between the two currencies will be determined by the relative movements in the price levels in the two countries. Change in the exchange rate has positive relation to the higher domestic prices. In this equation, there are E stands for exchange rate in terms of domestic currency per unit of foreign currency. Stands for foreign currency prices of the imported goods and P stands for domestic currency. When marginal cost is constant and markups of prices over costs is also constant than pass-through will be complete. Grauwe (2000)  [1]  analyze the implications of the view for transmission of monetary shocks. Monetary policy has different effects on the exchange rate and the price level depending on the nature of these beliefs. He claims that under the sets of beliefs that dominate the foreign exchange market, the ECB would found it difficult to control the rate of inflation. Odusola and Akinlo (2001)  [2]  present the existence of mixed results on the impacts of the exchange rate depreciation on the output in both medium and long term. The flexible exchange rate system does not necessary to adopt and lead the output expansion in the short-run. The discipline, confidence, creditability on the part of the government is essential. The official exchange rate shocks were followed by increases in prices, money supply and parallel exchange rate. VAR models suggested that the impacts of lending rate and inflation on the output were negative. The output and parallel exchange rate are the major determinants of inflation dynamics in Nigeria. The developments in the official exchange rate generate the positive impacts on the parallel exchange rate. It revealed that lending rate and inflation generated substantial destabilizing the impacts on the output, the monetary authoritys plays and critical role in creating an enabling environment for growth. Choudhri, Faruqee and Hakura (2002)  [3]  examine the performance of open economies all the way through macroeconomic models illumination the exchange rate pass-through in a extensive variety of the prices. He has been used the model based on VAR models and concludes that best-fitting models incorporate a quantity of features painted by diverse strands of the literature: sticky prices, sticky wages, allocation expenditure and a amalgamation of local and manufacturer currency pricing. Bhundia (2002)  [1]  analyzes the quantity to which fluctuations in the so-called exchange rate lead through to customer prices in South Africa. While the regular pass-through is established to be near to the ground, proof from a structural vector auto regression suggests it is much greater for supposed (against genuine) shocks. However, shocks to producer prices tend to have a considerable impact on consumer prices. He also found that pass-through is much higher for nominal rather than real shocks. The Rossi (2002) finds that the pass-through from the exchange rate to domestic prices continues for a year but is more intensive in the first four months, the pass-through to WPI is more pronounced than CPI, forecast of inflation. Rabnal also prove that pass-through to WPI is more pronounced than pass-through CPI. McFarlance (2002)  [2]  present the affects of exchange rate changing on one of the following (1) import export prices (2) consumer prices (3) investment and also (4) trade volumes. The previous study on Jamaica tells that the pass-through on prices and wages are significant. The inflationary impact of exchange rate depreciation in Jamaica has declined in recent years. Pass-through to the CPI is approximately 80% complete six months after initial shocks to the nominal exchange rate for the 1990 to 1995. And than after pass-through is less complete at approximately 45% in the 1996 to 2001 six months after an initial shocks to the nominal exchange rate. In addition to, the pass-through to CPI excluding starchy in agriculture to the CPI over the two sub-samples. The pass- through is approximately 70% in 1990 to 1995 complete six months after an initial shock to the nominal exchange rate. These results show that the speed of the pass-through has slowed significantly in the last five years. This situation shows the lower demand and structural transformation in the Jamaicas economy. Additionally there has been increased competition in the domestic economy: this coupled with the fall in output following the financial crises of the mid to late 1990s would have had an impact on per capita income and hence aggregate demand. Carr and Rebello (2002)  [1]  analyze the feasibility and complication of inflation targeting in the developing countries. There is wealth of econometrics attempting to demonstrate the success of various inflation regimes at decreasing inflation. The success of a county is in low inflation. Taylor (1991) shows the monetary authorities react to other variables besides inflation, such as output and exchange rate. Stylized facts indicate that a common implication of inflation targeting is an appreciating exchange rate due to capital inflows. The exchange rate appreciation is the result of inflation targeting with open capital markets. If prices are set as a markup over costs, than prices will be quite sensitive to changes in the exchange rate. The exchange rate affects the equilibrium of the iso-inflation curve. The increase in capital inflows causes the exchange rate to appreciate. The ultimate rate of inflation depends on the relative affects of the exchange rate, interest rate, a nd output. The inflation rate, exchange rate and interest rate dynamics evolve over time given initial short run equilibrium conditions. Berument and Pasaogullari (2003)  [2]  have reviewed in their study, that there is negative relationship between output and real exchange rate in Turkey. They analyzed that their exist long-term negative relationship between inflation and exchange rate and output. They run different VAR models and estimate the forecast error variance decompositions and impulse responses obtained from the VAR models were examined and they also analyzed the bivariate relationship between the set of the variables of interest. However, from Granger causality test, a significant causality between the variables could not be found. They found that a long-run relationship exists among inflation, exchange rate and output, which led us to employ VAR models. After including different variables in VAR models like real exchange rate, inflation, output, interest rate, capital account and current account real exchange rate movements were proved to be important in the variability of output. They suggest that to limit the detrimental effects of devaluation, the overvaluation of the currency must be prevented, and there is no easy way to keep output costs at moderate levels after devaluation. These finding suggest that an overvalued domestic currency may initially result in increased output but may create the risk of a financial crisis, which, in turn, may cause exchange rate depreciation and subsequent output losses. Carranza and Sanchez (2004)  [1]  explain the pass-through between exchange rate and inflation with the degree of dollarization. They suggest that those countries which have high dollarization demonstrate greater pass-through coefficients. With the use of fifteen samples emerging-market countries with the different degrees of dollarization , they find that pass-through in highly dollarized economies is indeed higher, but it also tend to be more asymmetric than in economies with a lower degree of dollarization. They define that there is negative pass-through coefficient during economic downtime. The reason for this irregularity is the unconstructive balance-sheet result that can lead the constructive competition effect generated by real exchange rate depreciations. Honohan and Lane (2004)  [1]  argued that exchange rate movements have important effects on inflation divergence within the EMU. The inflation rates of euro appreciation (2002-2003) as well as periods of euro depreciation (1999-2001). According to Irish case: in 2003 the pass-through of inflation and exchange rate was already under way and consumer price inflation stopped in its tracks. Inflation fell to zero in response to the strengthening of the euro vis-à  -vis the dollar. There is lagged correlation between Irish CPI inflation and the level of nominal effective exchange rate. They suggest the variety of regressions to exp-lain annual inflation differentials across the Euro zone over the 1999-2001 periods. They found the variations in nominal effective exchange rate movements explaining divergent inflation rate during this period, although the HICP data suggest that this largely operates via the influence of exchange rates on national output gaps. The exchange rate channel i s strongly significant for each of the inflation measures. There is also some evidence of asymmetries in that exchange rate depreciation passes through into inflation more quickly than does exchange rate appreciation. Finally our analysis with quarterly data 1999.1-2004 confirms the powerful connection between exchange rate and inflation. with the passage of time, it should be possible to construct a more complete accounting of the dynamic structure of the relationship between these variables than is possible with only five years of data. Rutasitara (2004)  [2]  explains that Tanzania in 1960s faced the inflation and there has been interest, therefore, in inflation performance and the role of the exchange rate in the process. When inflation rate rise, then erode the value of money holdings, trade flows, investors confidence etc. the controls covered prices (including wages, interest rate, goods prices, and exchange rate) and allocation of domestic credit and foreign exchange, the exchange rate became prominent in the policy debate on the internal and external imbalances. Until then, the parallel exchange rate had an upper hand on the rate of inflation compared with the official exchange rate. The impact of foreign prices and exchange rate depends upon existing pricing arrangements, which in Tanzania have ranged from controls to markets. While a more or less stable nominal exchange rate is desirable for trade and investment decisions, it is more important to maintain the rate at sustainable levels. The level and pr ospects of the foreign reserves position are important in this respect. The exchange rate remains precariously sensitive and easily vulnerable to exogenous shocks, domestic economic factors, and non-economic events like social and political instability that may generate a desire to shift financial assets into a foreign currency considered to be more secure. Bleaney and Francisco (2004)  [1]  define that if the monetary authorities adopt an accommodatory stance by allowing the money supply to respond more to the price shock, then inflation will be more persistence. Smith (1991), Alogoskoufis (1992) and Obstfeld (1995) compare persistence estimates for OECD countries over different periods characterized by different exchange rate regimes. When monetary authorities in the OECD countries began to recognize that a tough response to inflation shocks was necessary to keep inflationary expectations down. Our results show that inflation persistence is much the same under soft pegs as under floating. It is significantly lower under hard pegs (currency boards or a shared currency), where the scope for monetary accommodation of inflation shocks is much reduced. Adolfson (2004)  [1]  suggest that the pass-through from exchange rate changes to prices in Swedish currency of imported goods is discussed as well as conceivable reasons for why these changes are not passed through completely in the short-run. The inflation rate in Sweden had recently been low. inflation = weight x domestic inflation +(1-weight ) x imported inflation Where weight is domestic inflations share of total inflation. As a result, conditions in Sweden will also affect imported inflation, not only via the exchange rate but also through an impact on foreign exporters prices for Swedish importers. The relative significance of the exchange rate and world market prices for Swedish import prices is difficult to determine, however, since it is rare that data is available that would enable a comparison of the price of a certain product in the Swedish market. Rather, the recent fall in import prices seems to be largely attributable to exchange rate developments. T5hus in the short-run, the pass-through from exchange rate changes to Swedish import prices appear to be limited. There is weak relationship between exchange arte and prices in the foreign market. Bailliu and Fujii (2004)  [2]  argued that credible monetary policy play an important role to decrease the inflation in industrialized countries. Many industrialized countries that the extant of pass-through of exchange rate into buyer prices has turned down. They argued that ERPT is primarily a function of the persistence of exchange rate and price shocks, which tend to be reduced in an environment where inflation is low and monetary policy is more credible. Using the data of 11 developed countries more than the period from 1977-2001, they evidence to support the hypothesis that EPRT declines with a shift to a low-inflation surroundings bring about by modify in the financial policy control. The consequence proposes that pass-through to import; manufacturer and consumer price inflation reduces following the inflation stabilization that occurred in most of the developed countries in the early 1990s. Ruiz (2005)  [1]  in this study describes the effects of inflation and exchange rate uncertainty on the rate of real economic activity.  He explains in his literature that these two issues and discrete issues.  Note whether the frequency of inflation or the frequency of exchange rates on economic growth in the various actions or financial activity.  In this paper, the author tries to address these issues by analyzing the size and direction of the effect of: inflation and the frequency in the exchange rate on real economic activity.  Through the introduction of dummy variables and control of monetary policy change (change of inflation targeting and flexible exchange rate).   Autoregressive using a variety of conditional (GARCH) rates of inflation and exchange rates, and predictive models obtained conditional variance errors and measures of uncertainty.  The study results indicate that the increase in the higher level of uncertainty, causing inflation farms, and vice ve rsa for the Colombian economy.  In addition, the issue of inflation just to get out of the frequency of negative impact. Goldstein and Lardy (2005)  [2]  define as the weight of emerging economies in the global economy has increased. This is particularly the case with chinas exchange rate policy since it is now the worlds third largest importer and fourth largest exporter. Thus, any adjustment of Chinas exchange rate regime will have to maintain most existing capital controls until the domestic banks are further strengthened. China could simultaneously and immediately remove the restrictions on capital flows and let the market determine value of the RMB. The constraints mean the search is for second-best policy options. International codes of conduct for exchange rate policy are no less necessary than those for trade policy; without them, there can be a free-for-all that is in no ones interest, least of all the emerging economies that depend so heavily on access to international markets. Currency manipulation is not a narrow academic issue, akin to how many angels can fit on the head of a pin. It i s instead a legitimate practical concern in establishing a level international playing field. Grauwe (2005)  [1]  gives their views on the relationship between inflation and exchange rate that exchange rate regime and inflation is that pegged exchange rate contribute to lower and more stable inflation. The exchange rate fixity does not reduce economic growth in the South Eastern and Central European countries. In countries, with strong institutional framework (based on central bank independence and developed money markets), low inflation can be achieved without any specific commitment to an explicit exchange rate target. In large (closed) economies, inflation targets-which imply freely floating exchange rates-will not affect the volatility of inflation. On the contrary, by fixing exchange rates to the euro, the countries at the EMU periphery can reap the benefits of more trade and lower interest rates. The view that entry into the euro area will constrain the growth potential is not warranted. The evidence also shows that for these small, open economies, stabilizing excha nge rates has been a source of macroeconomic stability. The Mundell framework seems to be the right one to use in thinking about the desirability of joining the euro area. The risk of to join the EMU will be particularly strong, if labor marker flexibility is low. Vargas (2005)  [1]  explains monetary policy in Colombia converged to a pure, full-fledged inflation-targeting strategy after the abandonment of exchange rate bands in 1999. Colombia had experienced moderate inflation (15-30 percent annual rates) for about 20 years and a crawling-peg regime with capital controls had been in place since 1967. In the context of a monetary policy strategy based on the use of intermediate monetary targets. Thus, a floating regime was established and monetary policy converged to a full-fledged inflation-targeting framework. Monetary and foreign exchange policy had two main initial objectives. The first was to continue gradual disinflation toward its long-term target and the second was to restore international reserves to levels that would limit the external vulnerability of the economy. Starting from a deep recession, the policy stance has been expansionary. Inflation has declined along decreasing targets, output has recovered and international reserv es have reached levels that limit the external vulnerability of the economy. The most convincing hypothesis about the rationale for intervention in Colombia is the argument in favor of managed floating. Thus, fiscal imbalances pose a threat to the credibility and power of monetary policy through several political economy channels. Angkinand and Willet (2006)  [2]  Studying the effects of the choice of exchange rate regimes on the likelihood of financial crisis in a sample of a very talented market and developing countries for the period 1990-2003.  It is a multi-channel testing of potential impacts of exchange rate regimes to crises.  They found that soft Pegs associated with other central systems with high potential economic crises of the regulation reform difficult corner and rates are very flexible, and partly because it seems to be associated with more loans in foreign currency are not protected and extension  extreme credit of the Interior.  Also affect the test through the channel of the monetary crises caused by the strong relationship between monetary and financial crises, and between the soft Pegs and monetary crisis.  These effects are much stronger in the market, the increase in developing countries. Allsopp, Kara and Nelson (2006)  [1]  define the United Kingdoms monetary policy strategy can be characterized as one of floating exchange rates and inflation forecast targeting. The specification of exchange rate and inflation relationship implied by standard New Keynesian models, which postulate that imports serve as finished consumer goods, is inconsistent with the U.K empirical evidence. It is a well-known principle in the New Keynesian literature that the index whose inflation rate is targeted should refer to the set of prices which are sticky and which prevent the instantaneous achievement of the flexible-price equilibrium. The broader policy implications arise from the way in which openness is modeled and the way in which exchange rate changes impact on inflation. In the standard model, there is a direct and immediate effect on the price of imported consumer goods, which then impacts directly on inflation. When imports are intermediate goods, following the specification us ed and recommended by McCallum and Nelson (1999), the U.K. evidence can be reconciled with optimizing theory. In particular, the weak relationship observed between consumer price inflation and exchange-rate changes, despite strong rates of pass-through, can be rationalized. Furthermore, this modeling strategy implies that it is appropriate to target consumer price inflation. Monetary policy regimes do matter for the exchange rate/inflation relationship, but not in the manner argued in the literature. Several studies have appealed to the role of monetary policy regime in blocking the pass-through of exchange-rate movements to imported goods prices. The U.K. evidence instead is consistent with substantial pass-through to import prices across regimes. Adjustment of the relative price of imports is often a desirable response to real shocks hitting the economy. To some extent, this adjustment may be facilitated by permitting a one-time rise in the aggregate price level even if at the cos t of inflation temporarily moving away from the target. The U.K. experience under inflation targeting, however, suggests that only minor deviations of inflation from target would be required for this purpose. the exchange rate should be taken into account only via their influence on the forecast for consumer price inflation are open to the criticism that standard models suggest that consumer prices constitute too broad an index to target, and that the imported component should be removed from the targeted inflation rate. A properly-measured output gap (i.e. one which takes into account the negative impact on potential output of a higher real cost of imports) is an adequate summary of the implications of exchange-rate movements for welfare. Edwards (2006)  [1]  says that in many countries the nominal exchange rate is often used as a means of curb inflation.  Currency crisis are common, and usually the result of acute (Real Madrid), excessive exchange rate. It affects inflation, exports, imports and economic activity. For decades the vast majority of emerging countries had rigid exchange rate regimes. This move away from exchange rate rigidity has tended to take place at the same time as many countries have embraced inflation targeting as a way of conducting monetary policy. The conjunction of IT and flexible rates has brought to the center of the discussion a host of new policy issues, including issues related to the role of the exchange rate in monetary policy, volatility and the relationship between exchange rate changes and inflation. He addressed three of this issues: (a) the relationship between the pass-through and the effectiveness of nominal exchange rates in IT regimes; (b) the effects of IT on exchange r ate volatility; and (c) the role (or potential role) of exchange rate changes on the monetary rule in IT countries. Countries that have adopted IT have experienced a declined in the pas-through from exchange rate changes to inflation. In many of the countries in the sample this decline in the pass-through has been different from CPI inflation than for PPI inflation. The adoption of IT monetary policy procedures has not resulted in an increase in (nominal or real) exchange rate volatility. there is some evidence that IT countries with a history of high an unstable inflation tend to take into account explicitly developments in the nominal exchange rate when conducting monetary policy. Kamin (2006)  [1]  Describes the comparative research between the response to changes in inflation rates in competitive exchange rates in various regions of the world.  The report shows that the empirical relationship between inflation and the level of real exchange rate, which has been documented in Mexico earlier research by the author, covering a wide range of other countries.  This can be a dilemma for policy makers because it means you cannot lower inflation and increase the competitiveness of exports access to the same time.  In response to the inflation of the real exchange rate is much higher in Latin America, Asia or in industrialized countries.  This difference in the responsiveness of inflation is not a full explanation of the date of inflation or the degree of openness to foreign trade.  It may be less sensitive to inflation, real exchange rate in Asia than in Latin America is going to allow Asian countries continues to focus on always maintaining competitiv eness and export growth.<

Lesson Plans and Curriculum Essay -- Education School Teaching Classro

Lesson Plans and Curriculum Students often learn best when they can experience the interrelatedness of subjects within their curriculum. This unit about the Food Guide Pyramid is designed to be taught to a class of third grade students through several different disciplines within the school building. The students’ goal is to become familiar with the Food Guide Pyramid and to understand its importance in helping them to eat healthy. As the unit begins these third grade students will gather a working knowledge of the Food Guide Pyramid in Health Class. They will then learn to plan a healthy menu by referring to the food guide pyramid and local restaurant menus. The nutritional values of vegetables will be explored in Social Studies and Science as will the necessity of being able to read nutritional labels on food cartons. In the Media Center, the students will become familiar with Eric Carle and his story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This book will become the motivation for original stories to be written in Integrated Language Arts. During Math class the students will create forms on which to gather data about their own eating habits. Using this data, the students will design and then analyze charts about the class’ and their individual eating habits. For a more in depth look at these activities and their objectives, please refer to the attached lesson plans. The activities within this unit begin as behaviorist in nature, but become more constructivist as they progress. For example, in Lesson Plan 1 the teacher begins by questioning the students about foods they have eaten at local restaurants. The students are directed to answer by naming a food and the food group to which it belongs. They are also asked to chose a h... ...to follow Dewey’s philosophies. In choosing, to show how a unit could be taught throughout the curriculum in a number of different disciplines, we emphasized Dewey’s premise that curriculum topics should be integrated. As expressed by John Dewey, our desire with this unit and all education is â€Å"†¦to prepare him for the future life means to give him command of himself; it means to train him that he will have the full and ready use of all of his capacities.† (1897, paragraph6). By creating an integrated unit, we attempted to provide relevant, meaningful activities to encourage the students intellectually, as well as to provide them with life long skills. Works Cited Dewey, John. (1897).â€Å"My Pedagogic Creed†. In The School Library Journal, Volume LIV, Number 3 (January 16, 1987), Pages 77-80. [9 December 2004].http://www.infed/org/archives/e-texts/e-dewpc.htm.

William Farrell’s Men as Success Objects Essay -- Rhetorical Analysis

William Farrell’s â€Å"Men as Success Objects† Identity is a subject commonly discussed within literature. In William Farrell’s essay entitled â€Å"Men as Success Objects† this subject is the object of much scrutiny. Farrell analyzes the role of gender in today’s society and states that male identity is in a condition where male insecurities about success, their appearance, and females have left most men in today’s society in dire straights. Compounded by prevailing ultra-feminist ideals, society has become saturated by the â€Å"men are jerks† mentality. This condition can be seen in various aspects of society such as commercials, television programs, even greeting cards (Farrell, 186). While some may not agree with his opinions on the state of male identity, Farrell uses a number of rhetorical strategies and literary devices such as an objective point of view, an intellectual tone, and appeals to both logos and ethos in order to effectively convey belief that men are treated as â€Å"succ ess objects† in today’s society. In discussing the subject of male identity, especially as compared to female identity, Farrell is very careful to remain very objective throughout his rhetoric. Part of his balanced approach to proving his argument, is the use of an objective point of view. Farrell’s deliberate objectivity can be seen in aspects of his piece such as his word choice, free of denotative language, his lack of any first hand anecdotes, a removal of any indication of his gender (except his name), and a strict third person style throughout his piece. All of these characteristics combine to make his argument effective to a large demographic of people, unlike many pieces on gender identity, whose audience is usually limited to at most a spe... ...emotional appeal, Farrell improves his argument by making it objective, understandable, and relatable. Debates over gender are always difficult to win. Each side has its own experience and it is impossible for the other side to completely understand the others perspective. In William Farrell’s essay â€Å"Men as Success Objects† the subject of male identity is discussed as objectively as a person of either gender could do. Through the use of an objective point of view, an intellectual tone, and appeals to both logos and ethos Farrell’s argument becomes both valid an effective. Through his use of rhetorical devices Farrell tells people what he knows and changes what they think. Works Cited Farrell, William. â€Å"Men as Success Objects.† Constructing Others Constructing Ourselves. Ed. Gruber, Sibylle et al. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing. 2002. 185-88. William Farrell’s Men as Success Objects Essay -- Rhetorical Analysis William Farrell’s â€Å"Men as Success Objects† Identity is a subject commonly discussed within literature. In William Farrell’s essay entitled â€Å"Men as Success Objects† this subject is the object of much scrutiny. Farrell analyzes the role of gender in today’s society and states that male identity is in a condition where male insecurities about success, their appearance, and females have left most men in today’s society in dire straights. Compounded by prevailing ultra-feminist ideals, society has become saturated by the â€Å"men are jerks† mentality. This condition can be seen in various aspects of society such as commercials, television programs, even greeting cards (Farrell, 186). While some may not agree with his opinions on the state of male identity, Farrell uses a number of rhetorical strategies and literary devices such as an objective point of view, an intellectual tone, and appeals to both logos and ethos in order to effectively convey belief that men are treated as â€Å"succ ess objects† in today’s society. In discussing the subject of male identity, especially as compared to female identity, Farrell is very careful to remain very objective throughout his rhetoric. Part of his balanced approach to proving his argument, is the use of an objective point of view. Farrell’s deliberate objectivity can be seen in aspects of his piece such as his word choice, free of denotative language, his lack of any first hand anecdotes, a removal of any indication of his gender (except his name), and a strict third person style throughout his piece. All of these characteristics combine to make his argument effective to a large demographic of people, unlike many pieces on gender identity, whose audience is usually limited to at most a spe... ...emotional appeal, Farrell improves his argument by making it objective, understandable, and relatable. Debates over gender are always difficult to win. Each side has its own experience and it is impossible for the other side to completely understand the others perspective. In William Farrell’s essay â€Å"Men as Success Objects† the subject of male identity is discussed as objectively as a person of either gender could do. Through the use of an objective point of view, an intellectual tone, and appeals to both logos and ethos Farrell’s argument becomes both valid an effective. Through his use of rhetorical devices Farrell tells people what he knows and changes what they think. Works Cited Farrell, William. â€Å"Men as Success Objects.† Constructing Others Constructing Ourselves. Ed. Gruber, Sibylle et al. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing. 2002. 185-88.

The rate at which Alka-Seltzer tablets reacts with water Essay examples

The rate at which Alka-Seltzer tablets reacts with water Statement of problem The aim of the experiment is to find out the rate at which Alka-Seltzer tablets react with water. The input variable that I will change is temperature. The output variable will be measured by the time it takes for the Alka-Seltzer tablets to dissolve. Input variables In this experiment there are two main factors that can affect the rate of the reaction. These key factors can change the rate of the reaction by either increasing it or decreasing it. These were considered and controlled so that they did not disrupt the success of the experiment. Temperature- As the temperature increases, the movements of molecules also increase. This is the kinetic theory. When the temperature is increased the particles gain more energy and therefore move around faster. This gives the particles more of a chance with other particles and with more force. The increase in temperature will therefore increase the rate of reaction. As this is the variable I am measuring I will not keep the temperature constant and therefore I will be varying it. Volume of water- if the volume of the water is increased there is more likelihood that there will be more collisions. This is because there are more water molecules in a given volume to react with the Alka-Seltzer tablets. However if there are sufficient water molecules to occupy the Alka-Seltzer tablets an increase in the water molecules will not alter the rate of the reaction. This is because the Alka-Seltzer tablets are already working as fast as they can to react with the water. The concentration can be increased by increasing the volume of the water used in the reaction to dissolve the Alka-Seltzer tablets in. To control the... ... different from what it should be. To solve this problem a thermostatic water bath could be used as stated above. * If the stop watch was stopped to early or late, again the overall reading would not be as accurate as it could have been. * It was almost impossible to tell when the Alka-Seltzer tablet had dissolved, each time the experiment was done. This was a huge problem for the experiment as this could have totally caused problems to the experiment. A special type of detector apparatus, which bleeped when the correct amount of Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolved, could improve this, each time the experiment was done. This would give us an extra measure of accuracy each time. Another way to improve the experiment and to produce consistent readings was to used distilled water. This is because the distilled water contains no impurities and therefore no hardness in water.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. is ranked as the as the world†s second largest PC chipmaker with a market share of just 17%, far behind Intel Corp. with 81% of the market (Buckman and Williams 2001, 1). However, in 2000 AMD†s sales jumped 63% to $4.6 billion, producing $983 million in net income and its first profitable year since 1995 (Streetwalker 2001, 1). AMD owns engineering, manufacturing, warehousing and administrative facilities where it produces not only PC chips but also microprocessors, memory circuits, logic circuits, flash memory devices, telecommunication products and embedded processors (Moody†s 2000, 2520). The company†s headquarters and research and development site are located in Sunnyvale, CA, while the wafer manufacturing plants are located in Austin, TX and Dresden, Germany. The test and assembly facilities are located in Bangkok, Thailand and Penang, Malaysia. The company has also established production at the Singapore†s test and assembly facility as well as an analysis and design plant in Suzhou, China. In addition, a new plant in Japan, a joint venture of AMD and Fujitsu, called AMD Fujitsu Semiconductor Ltd. or FASB, will begin operations in the first half of 2001 (Dum 2000, 2). AMD, like many technological multinational enterprises (MNE), prefers to locate its factories and assembly plants in technology clusters in stable and democratic countries. However, AMD knows that East Asia is one of the best places for setting up factories because of cheap wages, stable countries, proximity to suppliers and potentially large markets. In fact, six out of AMD†s nine facilities are located in East Asia and employ approximately 5,600 people. The company†s consolidated global position produces a very interesting case. This paper will analyze AMD†s international operations, competitors, alliances, legal problems, and its relationship with stakeholders. In addition, the recent meltdown in high-tech stocks and the reduction of PC sales are provoking the semiconductor industry to diversify its business. This analysis will consider the consequences of this problem and the resulting changes in AMD†s corporate business strategies. The personal computer microprocessor market is considered a quasi-monopolistic market in which the largest corporate buyers such as Dell Computer Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., Hewlett Packard Co. and IBM Corp buy almost solely from Intel Corp. (Mathew 2001, 1). For this reason, AMD has had difficulty introducing its microprocessors into the market. For example, in January 1994, AMD and Compaq Computers Corp. formed an alliance in which AMD Am486 microprocessors would power Compaq computers (AMD 2001, 2). Between 1994 and 2001 AMD was not able to convince another large PC vendor to buy its microprocessors. However, in January 2001 AMD got its first contract with a major PC vendor, Micron Electronics Inc., to supply the Athlon microprocessor for the Micro Electronics† ClientPro product line (Konicki 2001, 2). In the same month, AMD also contracted to supply and introduce its first version of the Duron microprocessor for laptops to NEC Corp., Japan (Duron chips for laptops†¦ 2001, 1) In addition, while Intel launched the Pentium IV at the end of 2000, AMD took advantage of the transition from Pentium III to IV to try to convince several of the largest corporate buyers, which were comparing the new Intel†s Pentium IV and AMD†s Athlon, to switch to AMD†s Athlon microprocessors. Although AMD could not change any of the corporate buyers† minds, the company did prove that the Athlon microprocessor is faster, more reliable and cheaper than Intel†s Pentium IV (Letters 2001, 3). This failure was frustrating for AMD, but this is the price a firm has to pay when attempting to enter a competitor†s market. Clearly, Intel has the first-in advantage, although AMD has a better quality portfolio with a cheaper price. However, sooner or later this trend must change because Intel†s marketing cannot hide this reality. Some laboratories have tested both AMD Athlon and Intel Pentium IV and have concluded that while Intel†s Pentium IV is not worth what it costs, AMD†s Athlon costs what it is worth. Thus, AMD does not have to attract customers by resorting to rebates and discount programs, as Intel has to do. Another weapon Intel has is to cut processor prices. In any case, Intel does not want to lose any market share, and AMD wants to get more, so the rivalry and price war will certainly continue this year. They both know that in competitive markets, a market share lost by one company is a market share gained by the competitor. As a result, both companies are preparing to compete with one another. In fact, both AMD and Intel have increased their capital spending for 2001 by about 20% to $1 billion and $7.5 billion respectively, although PC sales growth is expected to slip to 16.6% worldwide, down from 18.8% in 2000 (Hannon 2001, 1). AMD realized that it must diversify in order to maintain its growth rate. The AMD and Fujitsu Ltd. venture, FASB, which includes joint technological development and production of flash memory for cellular handsets, is one way to diversify. Together AMD and Fujitsu have 30% market share of the flash memories sold for cell phones. However, in the short-term FASB will not be able to supply enough flash cards to get a larger percentage of the handset market because of capacity limitations. Therefore, in the year 2000 Fujitsu converted several of its own plants to serve strictly as factories for the joint venture. FASB is also pushing as hard as it can to begin production in its new mega plant in Japan, if possible before June 2001. The main competitor in this market is again Intel, which has about 60% of the market share, so another price war may soon begin (Dum 2000, 2). Customers neither want to depend on only one supplier nor to contribute to Intel market dominance. They want to reduce the risk of insufficient supply of chips that occurred last year. Siemens is now buying flash-memory chips from both FASB and Intel (Accord is set†¦ 2001, 1). Besides Siemens, Sun Microsystems Inc. also decided to buy microprocessors from both AMD and Intel for its Cobalt server (Robertson 2001, 3). In this market war neither AMD nor Intel have ever been very interested in making collaborating. However, AMD has developed other collaborations with many related companies:  · In 1987 AMD and Monolithic Memories Inc. agreed to merge.  · As mentioned earlier, in 1993 AMD started a joint venture with Fujitsu Ltd., Japan.  · AMD collaborated with LSI Logic Corp. and Texas Instruments Inc. to create integrated solutions for digital base band processors (Dum 2000, 2).  · AMD, Dupont Inc., Motorola and Micron Technology Inc. are involved in a joint venture in Texas in which they research and develop photomask technology for future generation semiconductors (Chappell 2000, 1).  · On February 14, 2001 AMD, stated that it will license technology to about 100 companies including Cisco Systems Inc., Nvidia Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd. The licenses do not charge a cash fee, but they swap intellectual property (New AMD system†¦ 2001, 1).  · AMD and Motorola have a strategic alliance to research the copper interconnect technology field.  · At present, AMD is looking for a partner to build in 2004 its first 300-mm factory costing about $4 billion (Advanced Micro is seeking†¦ 2001, 1). The usual warfare between AMD and Intel never seems to change, but analysts expect both firms to begin to collaborate soon. The small semiconductor players are now creating partnerships to improve their positions in the market. In fact, the microprocessor industry accounts for a lot of different technologies that no one company can have in-house (Dum 2000, 3) In the last quarter of 2000, sales of Duron, AMD†s low-cost processor, were not as strong because a chipset used with the microprocessor was not readily available. Therefore, AMD decided to plan for the future and began a two-year multimillion-dollar global SAP project to provide a just-in-time (JIT) inventory program. In addition, SAP tools such as financial, supply chain, production, logistics and e-business software, would give AMD and its suppliers and customers day to day information regarding the chipmaker†s production and supply chain. This project would benefit all three parties (AMD, suppliers and customers) by avoiding upturns and downturns in demand and supply (Konicki 2001, 2). As a technological sector firm, AMD is also deeply involved with the latest technology. For example, the company†s internal website provides employees plenty of information not only for learning purposes but also for safety purposes, such as radiation control, chemical issues, hazardous energy control and waste management issues. In each of the company†s local sites, the firm uses the latest technology in both the production area and in the corporate offices. Although in 1976 AMD and Intel signed a patent cross-license agreement, in the late 80s AMD initiated several arbitration actions against Intel (AMD 2001, 1). The reasons for these arbitrations were Intel†s quasi-monopolistic dominance of the microprocessor market and its unfair market behavior, as fact confirmed by many other companies. The most tedious arbitration action finished in February 1994 after five years of court disputes. The judge finally ruled against Intel and awarded AMD full rights to produce and sell the entire Am386 family of microprocessors (AMD 2001, 2). Besides another court case against Intel in 1994, AMD has never been in court again. Nevertheless, AMD continues to complain about Intel†s market behavior. For example, Intel pressured IBM to backtrack a notebook microprocessor order that IBM had already booked with AMD (Mathew 2001, 2). As a result, AMD lost the contract. The Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) program provides a safe work place for employees, protects the environment, prevents damage to property, enhances employee morale and assures compliance with applicable laws and regulations worldwide. The program is disseminated from the main team to all AMD†s local sites. Then, local sites apply this information and provide different services to the stakeholders surrounding each site (AMD 1999, 1). Another task of the EHS department is to obtain the (ISO) 14001 certification from the International Organization for Standardization. By the end of 1999, AMD†s Bangkok facility had already been certified. All other AMD manufacturing facilities are expecting to achieve this certification before the end of 2001. The (ISO) 14001 certification develops standard methodology to recognize, identify, evaluate and control hazards in the workplace. The emphasis of this effort is intended to internalize those standards throughout the firm because they have not existed in the past. These standards are one way to improve the moral and physical well being of the workforce. The safety and health policy focuses on reducing occupational injury and illness rates company-wide. To achieve this goal, each local facility must establish:  · Engineering controls and tests such as leak detection, air monitoring and fire detection systems.  · Emergency preparedness plans to learn what to do in case of fire, hazardous material release, earthquake and other natural disasters. .  · Education empowerment at all personnel levels through the internal website and seminars. Moreover, AMD offers additional services in different sites such as:  · The Employee Development Center (EDC) in Bangkok, Thailand and Penang, China which has exercise rooms, fitness programs and relaxation rooms.  · The Repetitive Motion Injury (RMI) in Sunnyvale, CA specializes in adjusting the furniture and equipment to the needs of each individual at his or her workstation (AMD 1999, 17). The safety and health policy has had excellent results considering that in recent years less than three injury and illness cases out of every 100 employees have been reported. In the globalization era, AMD has to adapt to different cultural environments and incorporate different cultures in the organization. AMD operates in four continents, so its work force is a mix of people, cultures and customs. One can find an American working in a Singapore assembly plant or a Bolivian working in a factory in Dresden, Germany. This diversity creates an atmosphere of synergy and creativity that encourages every employee to do his or her best. The mix of cultures also facilitates the international communication between AMD†s locations, suppliers and customers. Under the universal employment policy and procedures that govern AMD†s practices worldwide, discrimination is not welcomed. Job applicants do not need to be concerned about age, color, ancestry, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or national origin (AMD 1999, 1). AMD also cares about employee morale and respect for individuals as well as individual†s values. The environmental policy is an important part of AMD†s EHS program performance. The firm focuses on multimedia pollution prevention and resource conservation. In the last couple of years the firm has not only reduced the amount of hazardous waste generation, electricity use and water consumption but also has enhanced a successful reuse and recycling program. To illustrate, in 1999, at the Dresden factory, its own energy center was able to generate more than 100% of the power the factory consumed. At the same time, the Dresden water recycling plant recycled 20% of the consumed water (AMD 1999, 10). Because of these and many other environmental accomplishments, AMD†s local sites have received several awards. The state of California has awarded AMD headquarters for its commitment to solid waste reduction and recycling programs for five consecutive years. The city of Austin, TX awarded AMD for its excellent compliance with wastewater treatment regulations. AMD†s globalization emphasis has made it possible to begin building supply chain environmental management. To accomplish this project, the AMD EHS department evaluates the worldwide chemical suppliers† EHS program and collects this information to select and evaluate existing suppliers. As AMD evaluates its suppliers, third-party firms also evaluate and audit AMD local sites. Six of the firm†s local sites that have been inspected, usually by local government environmental agencies, have not received any citations or violations. However, AMD headquarters has been inspected 13 times between 1996 and 1999. This location has received five citations related to labeling of hazardous waste. Two other sites that were inspected and received citations were the Suzhou assembly plant because of two releases of diesel fuel and the Dresden plant because of a phosphoric acid release (AMD 1999, 9-18). AMD resolved all issues to the satisfaction of the regulatory agencies without any fines. AMD has been committed to the communities in which it operates. The firm has also been a responsible and good neighbor that has involved the local communities in its corporate contribution programs. Some of the most important contributions done in 1999 directly by the AMD headquarters were; first, a cash gift of one percent of pretax profits to nonprofit agencies and schools that serve the communities where AMD operates and second, $1 million to the Taiwanese government because of the September 21st earthquake. On the other hand, each site contributes to its own community in different ways. For example, in 1999 AMD†s Bangkok site donated 200 computers to the community and cash to the Red Cross of Thailand to support a project that helps mothers with the AIDS virus. AMD Sunnyvale donated $600,000 to organizations and schools in the Sunnyvale area. In addition to financial donations, AMD†s workforce also participates in volunteer opportunities. Some examples are AMD†s Penang employees† blood donations to the Blood Bank Hospital of Penang and AMD†s Dresden EHS personnel factory tours and the monitoring of ecological projects with local schools (AMD 1999, 10-18). This analysis has attempted to prove that AMD has an efficient mechanism to run a global business. The firm not only was able to become a profitable company in the fourth quarter of 2000 but also proved that it can gain more market share from all the markets in which it does business. Moreover, AMD has been a good neighbor to the communities in which it functions, satisfying many stakeholders† desires. AMD†s positive overall performance assures the company a bright path for future growth in the global economy.